Chasing You and I'm Home(追声与循途) by 庸责己

Chapter 1 (vol.1 Color)

The temperature becomes even lower in this winter. The cold wind is fierce, taking away the last yellow leaf shivering on the tree. The whole campus has fallen into the despondency of the deep winter.

Mu Kang wears a grey sweater and  is wandering in the corridor of the piano rooms.

The warmth here made people sleepy. Mu Kang tries to fight this feeling, wanting to smoke outside but having to stay here because of the urgent situation.

The piano rooms of J Academy are quite busy though.

The brass quintet on the fourth floor is meaningless.

The piano terzetto on the third floor is noise.

The piano duet on the second floor makes Mozart sound like Beethoven.

Feeling overwhelmed, Mu Kang moves to the first floor, passing by a violin room playing Chaconne. It sounds like imitating Heifetz, but due to the limited ability, the music becomes noise.

Mu Kang thinks: what the fuck is all of this?

He hadn't cut his hair for some months, and it is a bit long now, covering his eyebrows and making him look like a melancholic prince to complete strangers.

Maybe it's better if he really is a melancholic prince. It fits his genius reputation. Unluckily, he just has pretty face, but not the personality a true genius should have – caring about people and the world.

He has already spent nearly an hour in the piano rooms, hearing solo violin, French horn, flute and people's voice, but no solo piano.

He's a bit anxious.

All the piano students become the best selling ones. Even the ones who can't play Czerny740 well are not free.

His new work will die for this.

His phone buzzes. Mu Kang takes it out angrily. Guan Xiaoxiao is texting him.

-       You really don't need my help?

-       I can ask Xiao Tingting for you.

Mu Kang thinks: who the hell is Xiao Tingting?

-       Xiao Tingting used to work with me once.

-       The one you said was good.

Mu Kang thinks: oh, that one. Not good actually.

-       Tingting is okay. You can at least try.

Miss Guan can read Mu's mind easier nowadays. She doesn't need to wait Mu Kang's response to know what Kang would say.

Kang texts casually: no, thanks.

He walked back to dorms sadly, waving unconsciously to friends he meets on the way. He neither played jokes nor talked bitterly, which means he is not in good mood.

He is always not in a good mood during exam seasons. People around him already got used to it. The reason is that Mu doesn't have a friend who plays the piano. He was lucky to find a partner cooperating with him with the final exam concert in the past few years.

He can't get along well with the ones in the piano circle of J Academy, whether be it classical piano, jazz piano or modern pop music.

"Because you look down on them." Li Zhongyuan says directly.

Mu Kang doesn't think he looks down on anyone. "I am just ... being prudent on their mastery."

Li Zhongyuan: "Okay, fine."

Finishing the cigarette, Mu Kang passes by the small concert hall. He can tell something is happening because there are way too many people gathering around.