KOCM

71-75

Chapter 71

After living for over 70 years, what hadn't Reed Akkad seen?

He and Min Chen had known each other for a decade. While he wasn't as close to Min Chen as he was with Farrell, occasional teasing wasn't an issue. And the best option for right now was--

To play dumb.

He had to play dumb.

The famous violinist acted as though nothing happened like he hadn't said all those things about Min Chen. He turned to his lovely student and said, "Little Seven, your 《No. 34》 has progressed beyond my expectations."

Everyone else: ". . ."

Min Chen sat at the piano stool and said nothing, watching them for a long time.

Qi Mu didn't know whether to cry or laugh. "Teacher, it's not 《No. 34》, it's 《No. 24》. . ."

Akkad, embarrassed, coughed twice to cover up his mishap. "Okay, Little Seven, you're going to play this song solo, and I'll listen. If you can maintain this level, you don't have to spend any more time on it."

Since Akkad had gone this far playing dumb, the student, Qi Mu, needed to give face to his master. He obligingly played his solo of 《Caprice No. 24》.

Over the past two days of practice with Min Chen, Qi Mu rarely had the chance to play the song alone. However, he wasn't nervous. He looked forward to seeing how well he could do.

Without accompaniment, just him playing. . . what kind of melody would he play?

Qi Mu was surprised to see that in the absence of the piano, he didn't feel restrained at all. Instead, he felt completely free, he could still grasp the initial inspiration.

After listening to his solo 《No. 24》, Professor Akkad nodded and praised, "Although the strong impact of the ensemble is no longer there, you still have good control. With this song, you can hold a solo recital now."

Qi Mu sat down his violin and smiled, replying, "Thank you, teacher."

However, at Qi Mu's level, how could he only just now be able to hold a solo recital?

In his previous life, he held numerous solo recitals and had invitations to perform in various concert halls. Akkad's requirements were too high. In his ears, only the current 《No. 24》 was considered excellent.

Akkad touched his chin, thinking. "In addition to this 《No. 24》. . . I will give you another song for tomorrow's lesson. I hope you can finish it in a week, alright?"

Before Qi Mu could answer, Dylan exclaimed, "God! A week?! Only seven days? How could anyone be able to practice and complete a piece in such a short time?"

Dylan didn't know what song Professor Akkad would give Qi Mu, but he doubted it would be as tricky as 《No. 24》.

Dylan, himself, was practicing Strauss' works, having recently encountered only two or three of Paganini's works. Moreover, his mentor gave him at least two weeks to practice. Even then, Dylan thought it was too short.

At Dylan's exclamations, Qi Mu smiled helplessly and glanced at him. He said, "Dylan, you're still young. I'm older than you by two years, ah."

Before, in Huaxia, he was the youngest member of the orchestra. In college, he was the "older student" at the age of 22. He won't be graduating for another few years.

It was normal for Akkad to speed up his curriculum. After all, if he followed the regular syllabus, he would undoubtedly end up as the oldest student in the violin department.