227 Before it Rains (2/2)
No one replied.
And so, the old man at the front nodded. ”Then it’s Maxwell’s turn to pay for his brash actions.”
”Also that brazen Eastern kid he pushed to the front.” Ingmar’s eyes were vicious. ”This is where the glory of Anglo’s musicians is. It’s not the place for him to play in!”
The meeting was about the end now. There were still a few details left, but the sparrow was clearly not interested. It flew from the coatrack to the window and gave them one last glance.
”If something else happens, I’ll come again. Mr. White Raven pays much attention to this. Do not disappoint the parliament.”
With that, it flapped its wings and left. Even the sparrow’s gray wings had a gold tint under the sun, and seemed high and untouchable.
-
Late at night, the music history department was silent. Everyone sat in the living room and waited without speaking. Bai Xi rested on Old Phil, close to falling asleep. Old Phil and Charles stared at each other. Ye Qingxuan just hung his head and ran his fingers across Jiu Xiao Huang Pei.
Charles’s eyes finally felt sore from the staring contest. He rubbed his eyes and sighed. ”It’s already ten and Professor still isn’t back. Do you think the meeting was successful?”
”No,” Ye Qingxuan stated. ”You know Professor’s personality. He doesn’t know how to talk. Other than music theory, he probably can’t even go grocery shopping.”
”I know…” Charles’s expression grew dejected. ”But this just sucks.”
”Not entirely.” Ye Qingxuan’s expression was composed. ”People who aren’t good at talking will have two main reactions to this stuff. The first is pretending he understands, the other is not understanding no matter what you say. Which one do you think Professor is?”
Charles chuckled dryly. ”Of course the latter.”
”So, no matter what the school board says or brings out to pressure him, the result is still the same. The biggest possibility is that they can’t persuade Professor and he can’t persuade them. They’ll just have an awkward stalemate where both just express their stances.
”But the situation doesn’t allow Ingmar to keep things this way. This had already started brewing in the school this afternoon. Ingmar has many supporters, but as time passes, more and more will start to suspect him. He must take care of this before this event grows too large and influential.” Ye Qingxuan narrowed his eyes and murmured, ”Senior, get ready. The conflict will grow in the next few days.”
”Will he use despicable ways to pressure us?”
”Why not? He has this ability and he knows that he can’t lose. If he does, he’ll lose everything. His old secrets would be revealed too, so he’ll definitely grow desperate…” Ye Qingxuan grabbed an apple and bit down. He chewed, producing crisp sounds, until Charles got goosebumps. Then he said, ”But we might not be powerless.”
Charles’s eyes lit up. ”Tell me, do you have a plan A, B, and C?”
”…A, B and C? How can I have that many? Why don’t you ask me to compile one-hundred and eight strategies?!” Ye Qingxuan suddenly had the urge to chuck the apple core at Charles’s throat, but decided against it. It was not suitable to kill right now. ”Actually, there are two results when somethings stays the same and both are in a stalemate. The first is that it stays like this. The second is that the problem upgrades…Now, whether it upgrades or not is up to us.”
”Are you talking about…the Musician’s Union?” Charles was a bit hesitant. ”Isn’t that making too big of a splash?”
”Why not?” Ye Qingxuan chuckled, but there was no warmth in the laugh. ”Doesn’t Ingmar want to get famous? Then let’s satisfy his wishes. I love helping people.”
-
The seconds ticked by in the stillness. Soon, heavy footsteps sounded outside. Someone was knocking on the door.
Charles jumped up and ran over. ”Professor, you’re back…” His voice cut off and his eyes grew confused. ”Who are you?”
”Is Ye Qingxuan here?” A large shadow stood in the dark night outside. ”Tell him to come with me.”