KOCM

131-135

The word "joy" shocked Qi Mu that he asked, "Master Lance, did you say... joy?"

Lance nodded and explained, "Little Seven, you have to believe that a person's state of mind will change along with their experience. You from half a year ago and the you from right now are very different. For instance... Are you in love, Little Seven?"

Blush spread from Qi Mu's cheeks to his ears, his whole face tinted pink. Qi Mu coughed awkwardly and whispered, "Mister... Mr. Lance. Why did you say that?"

It was so obvious, there was no need for him to answer. Lance had already figured it out. With a faint smile, he said, "You have a joy that only love could bring. Little Seven, I think... She must be a lovely lady, isn't she? Did you meet her in Paris?"

Qi Mu: "..."

"Oh, Little Seven. Although I'm not your teacher, I'd be happy if you were willing to introduce your lovely little girlfriend to me."

Qi Mu: "..."

Min Chen was preparing to board a plane to London at Berlin's Tegel Airport when his eyelids suddenly twitched.

Holding a small bag in his hand, Daniel asked, "Hey, Min. Why are you stopping all of a sudden?"

The "lovely little girlfriend" nodded then stepped on the plane in one smooth motion.

Countless stars shone in the dark sky. A silver plane flew from Berlin to London while a handsome young man stepped out of an apartment, violin case in hand.

Qi Mu was on the phone, hanging up after saying, "Send it tomorrow."

Before he could put away his phone, a text came from a certain man. There were only a few words on the screen, but he couldn't stop himself from laughing--

Min Chen: 【I'm in London.】

Qi Mu strolled as he thought of a reply, then said: 【You've just arrived? The tour will start in a few days. Please rest early.】

After a pause, Qi Mu decided to send another text: 【I went to an orchestra's recruitment audition today.】

After about five minutes, the other man didn't reply but called his phone instead. Slightly surprised, it took Qi Mu a moment before pressing the answer button. "Min Chen?"

It was noisy on the other end of the line. Qi Mu could hear multiple people chattering about where to have fun before turning in for the night. Daniel was shouting, "Oi, take your room cards first, you little bastards." The man's low and magnetic voice stood out against the background noise.

"Which orchestra?"

Qi Mu walked to the subway station's entrance, his phone in hand. "The Vienna Symphony Orchestra. They're recruiting for the deputy concertmaster, so I thought to give it a try. But... Guess what happened?"

Hearing this, Min Chen halted for a beat. Then, Qi Mu heard him walking, and the background noise started to fade. Min Chen gently sighed, then said, "You got first place."

The bleak autumn wind blew into the subway and Qi Mu couldn't help but tightened his coat. He smiled helplessly and said, "You guessed it. Mr. Evra, their chief conductor, admitted that I'm the best among the applicants but it didn't help me much."

Qi Mu swiped his subway pass card, while the man on the other end of the line hesitated. Finally, he asked, "You didn't want to go there?"

Qi Mu shook his head. "I want to... The others had no opinion on it, but Mr. Evra declined my offer." Thinking of how helpless he looked onstage, Qi Mu squinted. He paused, then added oil and vinegar to the story, "Mr. Evra said he would never hire me as their deputy concertmaster. Well, I was very sad about it. Now is when you should comfort me."