King of Classical Music

The humid wind from the sea blew into every corner of Disneyland. There were wooden dolls and fake mountains around the Peter Pan Dream Stage, resembling the animation and embellishing the fairytale.

In the middle of the stage, there was a dark, seven-foot Bösendorfer with a smooth, shiny surface and bright black and white keys. The piano stood alone but seemed as though it were under a spotlight.

Qi Mu didn’t know much about the piano because he didn’t study it too deeply. The instrument was expensive, especially those of higher quality. In those days (his era), only people with a good family would dare learn the piano. He was just a child when he first saw someone play the piano.

But, even though he didn’t study the piano in depth, music was always intertwined with each other. Qi Mu had heard several piano songs including the works of Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi and other symphonies and etudes.

Disneyland really had a lot of money, they could even let guests play a Bösendorfer.

However, while such a piano was regarded as a high-quality by ordinary people, Qi Mu would guess from childhood to adulthood, Min Chen had probably. . . never played a piano less than nine feet.

Bösendorfer was a world-class brand but Qi Mu once heard in the Vienna Symphony’s gossip circle that there were over a dozen 9 ft Steinway pianos in the Bertram house.

And currely, that man was getting ready to play in front of a large crowd.

Qi Mu squinted to look at the man seated on the piano bench. In the red sunset, his back was straight. The cap and sunglasses covered most of his face, making it difficult for people to see what he looked like. But everyone present was shocked.

Because. . . on the piano keys, there was a beautiful pair of hands.

His fingers were long and slender with knuckles clearly visible. There were thin calluses on each fingertip, obvious from years of practice.

This kind of beauty was different from Qi Mu’s hands. Much like their owner, Min Chen’s hands were overbearing. When he pressed the keys, the loud and noble Bösendorfer suddenly quieted and turned docile, obediently waiting for him to play.

As if the previous people that came up to the stage were just playing around, and now a solemn concert was about to begin.

It was an aura that controlled the entire arena, making everyone forget the actual issue of “Isn’t that a man? Why is he competing against children?” Instead, they waited with expectation to see what kind of performance this man would give them.

Qi Mu looked at Min Chen and startled. Through the sunglasses, he could feel Min Chen’s eyes lingering on him for a moment before he turned to look at the red-eyed boy.

Min Chen’s lips curled up slightly and he whispered to the boy, “Have you listened to the original 《D Minor》?”

The boy first shook his head then nodded, “Ye. . . yes. My teacher had my buy the album. I’ve heard it.”

Min Chen nodded and sighed, “Some things cannot be fully understood just by listening. 《D Minor》was not recorded well and there are no videos of it. An ordinary teacher isn’t very clear on the placement technique. You won’t need to study this song in the future.”

The boy blinked, but didn’t really understand.

Under the stage, Qi Mu suddenly understood what this man was going to do——!

He actually wanted to. . . personally guide the boy?!!!

Qi Mu’s eyes widened in astonishment and his beautiful face was marred with a disbelieving expression. Without giving him time to think about it anymore, the piano suddenly rank out like a wave crashing against the shore.

The piano trembled. Each key was like another wave hitting the beach, sweeping away everything on it. Qi Mu clenched his fist tight, eyes fixated on the man playing the piano.

WIth his better hearing, Qi Mu was destined to hear more than others.

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Min Chen’s 《Sonata in D Minor》 had another name, 《The Night Tsunami》.

The whole song was a fast allegro. Although its difficulty wasn’t the highest amongst Min Chen’s works, it was abundant with emotion. A majestic force that fought against a tsunami alone in the dead of night.

Someone once jokingly said before playing 《D Minor》: Clearly, this song is not that difficult, but every time I play it, my fingers are always sore afterwards.

It was Qi Mu’s first time listening to the creator of 《D Minor》 personally playing the song. It was so exciting each note made him feel as though he were suffocating. As the melody grew stronger and stronger, the strength that the tsunami had besieged was once more regained at the last moment and they had stood up again. It was frightening.

The boy’s earlier 《D Minor》 and this one, they were like two different songs!

If the former was a child playing in a pond, the latter was facing a terrible tsunami of the sea’s greatest depths.

Min Chen’s fingers were fast, fast enough to create afterimages. But his posture was just as calm and elegant as it was when he had first begun. The nobility carved into his bones remained unaffected by the melody at his fingertips. Only the occasional twitch of his body indicated that he was fully immersed in the music, unable to pull himself free of it.

But. . . was he really unable to extricate himself?

Of course not!

When the song was at its last allegro, Qi Mu suddenly heard the melody take a certain tone. He was surprised and stared at Min Chen, but he only saw the man calmly continuing to play. The change in melody made Qi Mu frown with confusion.

That change in melody meant this song was no longer the same 《D Minor》. While Min Chen was playing, he seemed to be repeating a certain part. And. . . it was getting slower and slower, so that everyone could follow the movement of his fingers.

Qi Mu suddenly understood!

He was playing like this to let the boy see exactly how he played it!

Min Chen repeated the movement three or four times then moved on suddenly, bringing it back to the original melody in one graceful motion. For the audience, it seemed that Min Chen had played something gentle and not difficult at all.

But Qi Mu knew, to adapt a song in such a short time and do it smoothly, only a true master could do it!

Qi Mu felt his heart beating along with the piano’s sound as it turned fierce once more. When the last note echoed magnificently, QI Mu clapped and couldn’t help but shout, “Bravo!”

The rest of the audience applauded as if they had just woken from a dream.

“They were playing differently. But it was pleasant and good to listen to.”

“Yeah, I guess the kid in my family can play as good as this man when he’s grown up.”

“Dad, I’m going to play better than him!”

“Okay, my baby must play better than him!”

. . .

Well, this was really a case of “showing off one’s mediocre skills in front of an expert.” If this father and son pair knew who the man on stage actually was, Qi Mu was sure they would regret it.

There were countless piano geniuses in the world, but there was only one Min Chen.

There were many masters who could compose songs in the world. But only a few were able to change a song so flawlessly in such a short time.

Min Chen was long accustomed to such warm applause. He turned to the boy still stunned in his place and asked in a gentle voice, “Did you catch that?”

The boy who had just woken up himself kept nodding.

Min Chen nodded then whispered something to the boy. He stood up and walked off the stage. Peter Pan, who was holding the cookies, remained dull and motionless. Min Chen didn’t give him time to react and just dragged Qi Mu away by the hand.

By the time Peter Pan finally remembered he was supposed to give Min Chen cookies, their figures had long disappeared into the crowd without a trace.

If not for the majestic 《The Night Tsunami》 still ringing in their ears, the audience would doubt whether such a pianist existed or if it was just a product of their imagination.

Min Chen had walked off stage and took Qi Mu away without saying anything. His movements were so quick that Qi Mu still hadn’t recovered. When they left the Dream Stage, Qi Mu gradually returned to his senses and he looked at the man’s hand holding his wrist and calmly loosened his grip.

Min Chen was a little stunned but didn’t say anything.

By then, they had arrived at a small bridge. It was simple but lovely, matching the overall dream-like aesthetic. Tired of walking, Qi Mu rested against the railing. Suddenly, he felt that it was a bit dark. A cap had been placed on his head.

He looked up and saw the cold man push the sunglasses up his nose. Min Chen asked, “Are you tired?”

Qi Mu corrected his cap, looked up at the other man again, and felt a bit weird.

Min Chen was born into a well off family and he received a first-class education since he was a child. Qi Mu thought that such a person would have arrogance carved into his bones, just like Jacques, the concertmaster of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.

Jacques was dark, fat, and ugly. But he liked to look at people with his nose in the air. He seemed polite when talking to him, but he was too lazy to even look at people from the corner of his eyes.

But, after getting along with Min Chen these days, especially after today, Qi Mu understood. A true gentleman would never look down on people. They were elegant and noble, full of grace and helpfulness.

The conclusion was——

“You’re a good person, Min Chen!”

Min Chen who suddenly received a good man card: “. . .”

Unaware of the man’s strange expression, Qi Mu nodded to himself and turned to look at a brook in the distance. There were bushes and branches covering the area, making it impossible to see beyond it.

Qi Mu sighed, “When I was in Vienna, I met people who thought that. . . people without background or talent would never go far with just hard work.”

Qi Mu’s words were half truth. The original had gone to Vienna once, but these feelings and thoughts were all his own. He continued, “At the time, I admit, I did think talent was important. But family. . . background is not everything.”

The youth’s voice was melancholic and distant, as if reliving bad memories. Min Chen couldn’t help but look at him closely. He could only see Qi Mu’s lost expression, not even a hint of a smile.

Qi Mu suddenly regained his bearings. He laughed quietly, “Why am I telling you this? Today, I was a little surprised. I never expected you to help that boy.”

Min Chen lowered his eyes, his gaze profound and deep. “He reminded me of someone.”

Qi Mu was surprised and automatically asked, “Someone?”

Min Chen nodded and answered, “He’s deceased.”

Having not expected such an answer, Qi Mu felt guilty and ignorant. “Sorry. I did not know.”

Min Chen shook his head and also looked at the stream. His magnetic voice whispered, “That man had no family background either. His talent was better than that boy’s, but I absolutely believe he was even more hard working. He was great too. Unfortunately, he suddenly passed away before his last performance.”

Qi Mu suddenly felt a strange sense of familiarity. But he couldn’t quite figure it out, so he just listened as Min Chen continued, “In my opinion, he was an excellent musician. He had the potential to go even higher.”

The autumn sunset faded beyond the horizon. After the fireworks at nine pm, Qi Mu returned to his room. He wanted to know. . .

Did such a person exist in the music world right now?

Hard working, no family background, but was talented enough for his skill to gain Min Chen’s praise?

Such a person. . . did he really exist?

Qi Mu pondered this for a long while but still couldn’t figure it out. By the time the moon rose high in the sky, the light in his room had been extinguished. Next door, in the complete darkness, a tall man stood in front of his bed watching the charming view of Victoria Harbor.

“Before, you told me to check on Luo Yu Sen, and I did. It looks like someone is deliberately making him miserable. I haven’t found out who exactly, but if you’re interested, Jacques Brown is hosting a violin concert and you’re invited. Ah, Jacques is the Vienna Symphony Orchestra’s concertmaster.”

Over the phone, Daniel kept passing over information while Min Chen remained frozen on the other end. He finally whispered, “I’m not in a hurry, you can slowly check it out.”

Daniel just replied with a “Hmm.” At the end of the call, he remembered something and said, “Oh eyes. It doesn’t matter if you go to whatever festival. But don’t be extra. I don’t want to wipe your ass.”

“Ok.”

In the dark of night, the man’s voice was blocked by the soundproof glass and it was impossible for anyone to hear it.

Min Chen looked up at the night sky illuminated by the city’s neon lights. He suddenly remembered the curious but thoughtful expression on the youth next door on their way back earlier.

A deceased man. . .

A very talented man. . .

“Actually, you are also very talented. . .”

Translator(s): Kuro

Notes

From your editor:

2) Daniel, my friend, your boss has already gone "extra." Or what else do you call playing the piano at Disneyland for everyone to see?