The spring breeze streaked across the campus’s lawn, between Paris’ buildings, and through their exquisite architecture . The national conservatory was filled with students . Some played the trumpet, some the violin, the music was elegant, forming a unique atmosphere .
A handsome man walked the white cobblestone path up to the college . He wore sungla.s.se, and his lips were thin . His expression was cold, but he held a bag of chocolate in his right hand .
“That person looks familiar . . . ”
“Who? Oh my G.o.d, it is familiar . . . ”
“ . . . Doesn’t that . . . look at bit like Mr . Autson Bertram?!”
“How could that be? Bai Ai came to Paris to perform, but Mr . Bertram isn’t conducting . The guest conductor, Mr . Charles Littis, is in charge . Mr . Bertram probably didn’t come to Paris!”
“Yeah . . . how could Mr . Bertram possibly be here? . . . ”
Some students whispered in surprise when they saw the man walking up . None of these whispers escaped Min Chen’s ear, but he continued forward calm .
——This kind of behavior made everyone guess “This man is definitely not Mr . Bertram . ”
But, halfway to the building, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at a girl standing under the shade of a tree and practicing seriously .
The girl’s hair was pulled into a ponytail, and she had freckles dotting her face . She was focused intently on her songs . It was one of his, but her skill had a few . . . deficiencies and she kept fumbling . Her delicate face was damp with anxious sweat .
With a sigh, Min Chen walked over and stated, “In the third section of 《Constance》, there’s a problem with your finger technique . If you change the strings, you’ll reduce the difficulty, but . . . the effect will be poor . ”
His low, magnetic voice carried over the quiet lawn . The girl looked up in amazement and stared at him with fright . The students scattered around them were confused and turned to look at him as well . When they saw him under the shadow of the tree, Min Chen merely removed his sungla.s.ses and extended his hand to point at the girl’s fingers .
Perhaps a conductor could endure terrible music for a while . But if a composer were to hear his own song being played like this, even for Min Chen, it was unbearable .
The moment Min Chen removed his sungla.s.ses, everything was silent for a moment . The next, chatter exploded——
“Oh my G.o.d, it’s really Mr . Bertram! Lily, I was right, it is him!”
“G.o.d! How did Mr . Bertram get here? Come!”
“Aaah . To get to see Mr . Bertram, I’m so lucky!”
This mayhem caused by Min Chen’s arrival in the violin department spread throughout the entire college . Although Reed Akkad was one of the world’s best musicians, he was a little less famous, and the most important thing is . . .
Min Chen is so handsome!
No matter the country, people with excellent looks . . . it really was an advantage!
When Min Chen pushed aside Professor Akkad’s lounge door, the proud, awkward little old man snorted and was too lazy to look at him . He turned and pointed his b.u.t.t towards the door .
Min Chen: “ . . . ”
Min Chen set the Veffdebruge gift back next to Professor Akkad and sat casually on the soft to the side . His dark eyes narrowed, and he said, “Reed, I haven’t seen you in a long time . ”
Akkad’s answer was chilly, “Haven’t seen you, haven’t seen you . You meet my students downstairs and get surrounded by lovely schoolgirls . ”
Min Chen: “ . . . ”
His phoenix eyes flashed with a hint of a smile . In the face of old friends, he naturally understood the man’s personality . He pushed the chocolate gift bag forward with a finger and said solemnly, “I came today to ask something of you . ”
Akkad blinked at the bag . Then he hurried and stuffed it into his desk drawer . He looked over at him . “If you have something, say it . I don’t want to play with an orchestra right now . If you want to invite me over to play, it goes without saying, Min . ”
Reed Akkad had recently had a change of heart and wanted to teach a student . Min Chen naturally knew and had come over because of that .
“I wanted to recommend a student for you . His skill is good, and he’s diligent enough . More than enough to consider . ”
Min Chen’s tone was calm . He knew Akkad was looking for a student, and he had come with a personal recommendation . It was naturally watertight .
But . . . to his surprise, Akkad actually shook his head and said decisively, “No . ”
Min Chen jerked forward in surprise, “Why? He’s good, and he has a keen understanding of the violin . ”
Akkad reached into the drawer and took out the bag of chocolates . He sat it on the table and reluctantly showed it to Min Chen . “Min, it’s not that I doubt you, but . . . do you see this bag?”
The handsome man across from him rubbed his brow . He turned to look at Akkad’s hands . There was a Veffdebruge gift bag .
“What about it?” Min Chen asked .
Akkad shook his head and said, “This is what my student bought for me this morning . Min, I just took a student this morning . He’s a great kid . I have little experience teaching . It’s impossible for me to take two students . ”
Akkad’s word was a surprise . Min Chen only listened as he continued . “Look, the boss of Veffdebruge is your fan . You don’t need to wait for a bag . My lovely little student? He has to get up two or maybe even three hours early to wait . He’s a good boy, Min . I won’t give him up just for you . ”
In the past thirty years, Min Chen had never been rejected before . Especially . . . in the cla.s.sical music world . No one doubted his ears, and as long as he made the recommendation, they would stand at the top of the music scene .
This was a first .
However, it was impossible to force Akkad to change students just for his sake . He sighed and understood he was a step too late .
The two moved on to talk about the next concert . When the sun set, Min Chen finally rose and took the custom sungla.s.ses from the neck of his coat . Before he could put them on, he suddenly stopped .
He looked at Akkad and said, “Reed, I believe in your vision . Your student must be excellent . Can I have the honor . . . what is his name?”
Akkad thought about it for a while then smiled around a mouthful of white teeth, “He’s called Xiao Qi . ”
“Small seven . . . ?” Min Chen whispered then didn’t worry about it anymore . He nodded, “Well, Reed, I will see you later . ”
Akkad suddenly remembered something and hastened to shout, “Wait a minute, Min! Do you still have tickets for the day after tomorrow? I’d like to take my student to hear it, but your concert’s tickets are always hard to grab . ”
Min Chen only hesitated for a moment then nodded, “I’ll have Daniel send you tickets tomorrow . ”
Akkad nodded with a smile .
When Daniel heard what he’d said to Akkad, his blue eyes widened in disbelief . “Auston!!! I asked only a few days ago! When I went to give you tickets, what did you say? You said you had no friends to come, so I didn’t need to keep them!”
“Now there is!”
Daniel was too surprised, or perhaps too crazy, and directly called out, “Auston!”
Min Chen looked at Daniel, calm, and answered, “If I remember . . . if it’s for my family, there’s always three seats reserved?”
“ . . . ” Daniel was speechless . “Family . . . you want Akkad and his student . . . to sit in the same box as you?”
As the permanent lead conductor, the second-floor box was free for Min Chen at every Bai Ai concert if he wished . It was independent and secluded, but it could comfortably accommodate four people .
Min Chen usually never liked to use these privileges, but this time . . . it surprised Daniel . He whispered, “Min, even if the other guy is Reed Akkad, you don’t have to do this? I thought you’d never use it in your life . ”
Paris’s sunset was a gentle glow . Min Chen raised his head and looked to the distant west . The purple-red clouds rendered the sky a beautiful garden of Eden . The scene was magnificent, and even Min Chen could only stand and stare for a while .
“He thinks . . . his student is better than Qi Mu? I’d like to see him too . . . ”
Daniel touched his head and asked, “Eh, Min? What did you say? What are you looking at?”
“It’s nothing . ” He shook his head and whispered, “Remember, I’m going to send Akkad an invitation tomorrow . ”
Daniel forgot about what Min Chen just said to himself and clutched his head in pain . “Oh my G.o.d . . . I really don’t want to see Akkad . That stinking old man! Every time, he laughs at my beautiful hair! He dares to say I have too little, that I’ll go bald! He must be jealous of my thick hair!”
Min Chen: “ . . . ”
Under that same sunset, Qi Mu put everything away in his small apartment . Afterward, even the fridge was packed full .
Once everything was done, he laid on the soft sofa and said, “Tomorrow . . . I will attend college officially . . . ”
“I don’t know . . . what will it be like? . . . ”
The spring breeze streaked across the campus’s lawn, between Paris’ buildings, and through their exquisite architecture . The national conservatory was filled with students . Some played the trumpet, some the violin, the music was elegant, forming a unique atmosphere
A handsome man walked the white cobblestone path up to the college . He wore sungla.s.se, and his lips were thin . His expression was cold, but he held a bag of chocolate in his right hand
“That person looks familiar . ”.
“Who? Oh my G.o.d, it is familiar . ”.
“ . Doesn’t that . look at bit like Mr . Autson Bertram?!”.
“How could that be? Bai Ai came to Paris to perform, but Mr . Bertram isn’t conducting . The guest conductor, Mr . Charles Littis, is in charge . Mr . Bertram probably didn’t come to Paris!”.
“Yeah . how could Mr . Bertram possibly be here? . ”.
Some students whispered in surprise when they saw the man walking up . None of these whispers escaped Min Chen’s ear, but he continued forward calm
——This kind of behavior made everyone guess “This man is definitely not Mr . Bertram . ”.
But, halfway to the building, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at a girl standing under the shade of a tree and practicing seriously
The girl’s hair was pulled into a ponytail, and she had freckles dotting her face . She was focused intently on her songs . It was one of his, but her skill had a few . deficiencies and she kept fumbling . Her delicate face was damp with anxious sweat
With a sigh, Min Chen walked over and stated, “In the third section of 《Constance》, there’s a problem with your finger technique . If you change the strings, you’ll reduce the difficulty, but . the effect will be poor . ”.
His low, magnetic voice carried over the quiet lawn . The girl looked up in amazement and stared at him with fright . The students scattered around them were confused and turned to look at him as well . When they saw him under the shadow of the tree, Min Chen merely removed his sungla.s.ses and extended his hand to point at the girl’s fingers
Perhaps a conductor could endure terrible music for a while . But if a composer were to hear his own song being played like this, even for Min Chen, it was unbearable
The moment Min Chen removed his sungla.s.ses, everything was silent for a moment . The next, chatter exploded——.
“Oh my G.o.d, it’s really Mr . Bertram! Lily, I was right, it is him!”.
“G.o.d! How did Mr . Bertram get here? Come!”.
“Aaah . To get to see Mr . Bertram, I’m so lucky!”.
This mayhem caused by Min Chen’s arrival in the violin department spread throughout the entire college . Although Reed Akkad was one of the world’s best musicians, he was a little less famous, and the most important thing is
Min Chen is so handsome!.
No matter the country, people with excellent looks . it really was an advantage!.
When Min Chen pushed aside Professor Akkad’s lounge door, the proud, awkward little old man snorted and was too lazy to look at him . He turned and pointed his b.u.t.t towards the door
Min Chen: “ . ”.
Min Chen set the Veffdebruge gift back next to Professor Akkad and sat casually on the soft to the side . His dark eyes narrowed, and he said, “Reed, I haven’t seen you in a long time . ”.
Akkad’s answer was chilly, “Haven’t seen you, haven’t seen you . You meet my students downstairs and get surrounded by lovely schoolgirls . ”.
Min Chen: “ . ”.
His phoenix eyes flashed with a hint of a smile . In the face of old friends, he naturally understood the man’s personality . He pushed the chocolate gift bag forward with a finger and said solemnly, “I came today to ask something of you . ”.
Akkad blinked at the bag . Then he hurried and stuffed it into his desk drawer . He looked over at him . “If you have something, say it . I don’t want to play with an orchestra right now . If you want to invite me over to play, it goes without saying, Min . ”.
Reed Akkad had recently had a change of heart and wanted to teach a student . Min Chen naturally knew and had come over because of that
“I wanted to recommend a student for you . His skill is good, and he’s diligent enough . More than enough to consider . ”.
Min Chen’s tone was calm . He knew Akkad was looking for a student, and he had come with a personal recommendation . It was naturally watertight
But . to his surprise, Akkad actually shook his head and said decisively, “No . ”.
Min Chen jerked forward in surprise, “Why? He’s good, and he has a keen understanding of the violin . ”.
Akkad reached into the drawer and took out the bag of chocolates . He sat it on the table and reluctantly showed it to Min Chen . “Min, it’s not that I doubt you, but . do you see this bag?”.
The handsome man across from him rubbed his brow . He turned to look at Akkad’s hands . There was a Veffdebruge gift bag
“What about it?” Min Chen asked
Akkad shook his head and said, “This is what my student bought for me this morning . Min, I just took a student this morning . He’s a great kid . I have little experience teaching . It’s impossible for me to take two students . ”.
Akkad’s word was a surprise . Min Chen only listened as he continued . “Look, the boss of Veffdebruge is your fan . You don’t need to wait for a bag . My lovely little student? He has to get up two or maybe even three hours early to wait . He’s a good boy, Min . I won’t give him up just for you . ”.
In the past thirty years, Min Chen had never been rejected before . Especially . in the cla.s.sical music world . No one doubted his ears, and as long as he made the recommendation, they would stand at the top of the music scene
This was a first
However, it was impossible to force Akkad to change students just for his sake . He sighed and understood he was a step too late
The two moved on to talk about the next concert . When the sun set, Min Chen finally rose and took the custom sungla.s.ses from the neck of his coat . Before he could put them on, he suddenly stopped
He looked at Akkad and said, “Reed, I believe in your vision . Your student must be excellent . Can I have the honor . what is his name?”.
Akkad thought about it for a while then smiled around a mouthful of white teeth, “He’s called Xiao Qi . ”.
“Small seven . ?” Min Chen whispered then didn’t worry about it anymore . He nodded, “Well, Reed, I will see you later . ”.
Akkad suddenly remembered something and hastened to shout, “Wait a minute, Min! Do you still have tickets for the day after tomorrow? I’d like to take my student to hear it, but your concert’s tickets are always hard to grab . ”.
Min Chen only hesitated for a moment then nodded, “I’ll have Daniel send you tickets tomorrow . ”.
Akkad nodded with a smile
When Daniel heard what he’d said to Akkad, his blue eyes widened in disbelief . “Auston!!! I asked only a few days ago! When I went to give you tickets, what did you say? You said you had no friends to come, so I didn’t need to keep them!”.
“Now there is!”.
Daniel was too surprised, or perhaps too crazy, and directly called out, “Auston!”.
Min Chen looked at Daniel, calm, and answered, “If I remember . if it’s for my family, there’s always three seats reserved?”.
“ . ” Daniel was speechless . “Family . you want Akkad and his student . to sit in the same box as you?”.
As the permanent lead conductor, the second-floor box was free for Min Chen at every Bai Ai concert if he wished . It was independent and secluded, but it could comfortably accommodate four people
Min Chen usually never liked to use these privileges, but this time . it surprised Daniel . He whispered, “Min, even if the other guy is Reed Akkad, you don’t have to do this? I thought you’d never use it in your life . ”.
Paris’s sunset was a gentle glow . Min Chen raised his head and looked to the distant west . The purple-red clouds rendered the sky a beautiful garden of Eden . The scene was magnificent, and even Min Chen could only stand and stare for a while
“He thinks . his student is better than Qi Mu? I’d like to see him too . ”.
Daniel touched his head and asked, “Eh, Min? What did you say? What are you looking at?”.
“It’s nothing . ” He shook his head and whispered, “Remember, I’m going to send Akkad an invitation tomorrow . ”.
Daniel forgot about what Min Chen just said to himself and clutched his head in pain . “Oh my G.o.d . I really don’t want to see Akkad . That stinking old man! Every time, he laughs at my beautiful hair! He dares to say I have too little, that I’ll go bald! He must be jealous of my thick hair!”.
Min Chen: “ . ”.
Under that same sunset, Qi Mu put everything away in his small apartment . Afterward, even the fridge was packed full
Once everything was done, he laid on the soft sofa and said, “Tomorrow . I will attend college officially . ”.
“I don’t know . what will it be like? . ”.