Chapter 121 (1/2)

When Qi Mu returned backstage, he saw his mentor talking to someone with a serious expression.

The person talking to Akkad had his back to Qi Mu. He could only see their slightly gray hair and a straight posture, so Qi Mu didn’t recognize him.

Once Qi Mu saw them clearly, he was stunned. Smiling, he called out, “Mr. Leonid, it’s been a while.”

Leonid turned around, observing Qi Mu before nodding. “Qi Mu, right? I haven’t seen you for a while. I’ve just talked about you with your teacher. You’ve improved so much in such a short time, it’s excellent!”

Qi Mu thanked him modestly and went to pack up with the members of the orchestra.

However, as he walked with Dylan after he finished packing up, he had just passed by them when he heard Leonid complaining, “Mr. Akkad, I really won’t bet with that guy Auston ever again in my life! He’s a terrible man! You don’t know, just under the stage…”

“Mr. Leonid?!” Qi Mu stopped, carefully looking over the music critic. Hurriedly, he asked, “That Auston you said just now… Is it Min Chen?!”

Seeing him so anxious, Leonid couldn’t respond for a moment. He just nodded. “Yes, it’s Min…”

“Where is he?!”

“He was seated with me in the audience, but he’s probably at the airport now. He needed to catch a flight. There aren’t many flights to Berlin, as you know. It looks like he has to participate in the orchestra’s rehearsal tomorrow…”

“Dylan! Help me with my violin!!!”

Without even waiting for Leonid to finish, Qi Mu quickly handed over his violin case to Dylan. And under Dylan’s and Leonid’s confused expression, he rushed out from the backstage and ran at full speed. A moment later, it was as if the soft-spoken young man hadn’t been there at all.

After a beat, Dylan touched his head and said, “… Eh…? This is…”

Leonid also frowned. “What’s going on? I thought Little Seven was already familiar with Auston. How unexpected, he’s also one of Auston’s fans? And quite the passionate one at that?” He turned back to Akkad. “Oh, Mr. Akkad. I didn’t expect your student to be this crazy about Auston.”

Akkad heaved out a heavy sigh, not one of blame or joy, but of sadness and displeasure. “Leonid, if you had told me you were sitting with Auston, I don’t think I would have spoken with you here. But, this isn’t a bad thing… It’s good for them to see each other, this is fine… Not seeing each other is a source of encouragement. But maybe… this will have a better and splendid chemical reaction.”

This remark perplexed Leonid, and when he asked Akkad about it, the older man was too lazy to explain.

Dylan, on the other hand, was still wearing a bewildered expression on his face as he held the two violin cases. He only reacted after handing Qi Mu’s violin case over to Akkad, “… Wait?! Mr. Bertram was listening to our performance just now?!!!”

There was a hint of chill in the evening wind of the autumn night. The ground was damp, waiting to turn to frosted dew by the time the sun showed its first rays of daylight.

Qi Mu ran out of the concert hall then hailed a cab. On his way to the Charles de Gaulle airport, he took out his phone and hurriedly sent a text message. There wasn’t a reply, and it made him nervous.

After sending a few more text messages, he made a call, but it wasn’t connected. Qi Mu anxiously asked the driver to speed up. The man replied, “Who are you going after, little friend?”

After a moment of stupor, Qi Mu unexpectedly told him the truth. “I’m going after… my lover!”

The romantic French driver gave Qi Mu an encouraging look then stepped on the gas, speeding up within the speed limit. Even so, Qi Mu still held his phone tightly and repeatedly dialed the number.

When the taxi arrived at the airport, Qi Mu hurriedly paid the driver but was refused. “Young man, hurry and chase your lover. Back then… I missed mine at this airport. Don’t be like me.”

Qi Mu nodded and ran into the airport. Once he stepped inside, the huge airport left him in a daze. It was only then, he remembered… he had no way to find Min Chen.

Maybe the plane had already taken off, maybe Min Chen had already passed the security check…

As long as Min Chen didn’t answer the phone, Qi Mu had no way to find him.

After a few frantic seconds, Qi Mu made a bet that Min Chen might not have gone to the security check yet, so he rushed there. But after running for a while, Qi Mu realized——

Wait a minute, would that guy… really treat him that badly?

After calming down, Qi Mu went straight to the staff and got the number of the VIP lounge with their help. After giving the staff a reasonable explanation, Qi Mu was soon taken to a tall, mahogany door.

The young man clenched his fist tightly and knocked.

After hearing a calm “Please come in,” Qi Mu pushed down the metal handle. As the door opened, little by little, the two men finally saw each other face to face. And they froze.

After a while, Min Chen’s dark eyes widened. He whispered, “… Qi Mu?”

The young man clenched his fist. Moving forward, he raised his fist, ready to punch him. “You bastard, why didn’t you tell me you were in Paris?!”

Instinctively, Min Chen caught the fist in the air. Just as he was about to open his mouth, the young man raised his hand again and threw a light punch to his chest.

The gentle touch made Min Chen’s throat turn dry. The young man buried his face in his chest and whispered, “I miss you so much, every day… Why didn’t you want to meet me when you came here?”

The words of reproach spoken so softly put Min Chen at a loss for words. A tinge of regret shaded his face but was quickly replaced by deep love and longing. He curled his arms tightly around Qi Mu’s waist. Lowering his head, he whispered, “I’m sorry…”

Qi Mu hasn’t seen him for more than a month.