Chapter 147 (1/2)

The chilly winter came quietly. The Danube River, as narrow as a jade belt, was coated in thin mist. Although it wasn’t frozen, the chill could be felt just by looking at the white water.

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, as the country’s top orchestra, was located in a retro European building on the banks of the Danube River. The white marble column held up a grand arched gateway, and the Baroque village was full of emotion, vividly reflected in every small sculpture.

It was almost the end of the year. Naturally, Wei Ai had to prepare its own global tour.

Half a month ago, a huge scandal swept over the entire city of Vienna, even the world’s classical music circle, but it still couldn’t shake the great status it had in the industry.

In addition to the lack of a qualified chief violinist, the whole orchestra was lively, without any change——there may still be changes, but the smiles of many members were more sincere.

The tour would start the next day. After today’s rehearsal, members were packing their things and making final adjustments. In Dorenza’s lounge, there was an unexpected guest.

“Dorenza, we’ve known each other for decades. I don’t want to hide it from you. I think it’s better for the orchestra to find a new chief as early as possible.” Anthony, the deputy chief of Wei Ai who took over Zayev’s post, currently served as the temporary chief of the orchestra.

Anthony was seventy-two years old. Even in the world of violinists, he was still an old musician. His hair was gray, his face was wrinkled, and traces of the years were obvious. Although he was still healthy, he could no longer adapt to the long rehearsals of the orchestra.

Before Zayev’s accident, Anthony decided to retire from the orchestra and become a free violinist.

Hearing this, Dorenza sighed and helplessly said, “Anthony, an excellent chief violinist is not so easy to find. Can you give me more time?”

Anthony understood Dorenza’s predicament, but he still shook his head and sighed. “Dorenza, I know my level. If I had been able to lead the band ten years ago, I would have been happy and worked harder. But, Dorenza, I don’t have such a strong body now. I think… I think I can only give you another three months. I’m afraid I can’t bear the work, pressure, and degree of the chief.”

Become the chief of Wei Ai?

That was every violinist’s dream.

But, Anthony knew he didn’t have the strength and perseverance to be the chief of the band. For, the greater the honor and the higher the position, the more arduous the task and the duty.

In the quiet command room, Dorenza fell silent for a long time. Finally, he gave the answer. “Well, Anthony, within three months, I think I will find a good deputy chief for you to share your task. I hope you can stick to it and guide him into being the chief, which will be better for our orchestra.”

Anthony thought about it and agreed.

The Danube flowed slowly outside the window, as it did thousands of years ago, witnessing the replacements of the world’s top orchestra.

The Palisade theatre was Vienna’s local theatre, meaning most of its members were local people. They seldom performed around the world, so their workload was relatively easy. Of course, there were many holidays.

One and a half months after arriving at the Palisade theatre, Qi Mu ushered in his first long holiday after working.

As he said the day before, he didn’t relax immediately after the holiday. Instead, he followed Min Chen to Bai Ai’s temporary rehearsal hall, intending to gain some experience from the orchestra’s daily rehearsal.

Bai Ai’s temporary rehearsal hall in Vienna was a medium-sized music hall on the third floor of the Friends of Music Association building.

This was a concert hall that could hold an audience of 300 people. The architectural layout of the building imitated the golden hall. It had the same gilded ceiling and the same beautiful, classical murals.

When Qi Mu followed Min Chen to the backstage of the rehearsal hall, he looked at the music hall curiously for a long time.

When Qi Mu and Wei Ai rehearshed in the Friends of Music Association’s building in his last life, they used another, medium-sized concert hall. He didn’t get to see the hall that imitated the golden hall, so he couldn’t help but look over everything.

In fact, Qi Mu’s behavior was also normal. When most musicians so much as entered the building, they couldn’t help but feel their hearts surging, it was hard to suppress their inner excitement.

It was the most sacred, solemn place in Vienna. It was the honor of every musician to come here to perform.

Of course, when Qi Mu formally met the members of Bai Ai, he was surprised to find that they all lowered their heads and prepared their instruments with a ringing seriousness. The entire backstage was like a solemn church, no one spoke.

Qi Mu: “…”

Wrong way?

Puzzled, Qi Mu suddenly saw Daniel coming to the backstage from a room on the other side, violin in hand. Seeing Qi Mu, his eyes widened in surprise, then smiled to welcome him. “So… are you coming to watch today, Angel?”

This was like a thunderclap. The members of Bai Ai, who had just worn straight and serious faces, all looked in Qi Mu’s direction. Then, chatter filled the air, in all kinds of languages——

“Eh? Is Little Angel coming today? Why didn’t anyone say anything?”