William gradually sank into the ocean of music, his fingertips gliding swiftly over the fiddle, unconsciously captivated by distant memories.
It was the era of the Renaissance, when William associated with many masters.
He once drank wine with Bach under the moonlight, strolled the streets of Vienna with Mozart, and spent that golden age of music together.
On an ancient bridge in Italy, Beethoven once composed a touching sonata for William: “The first light of dawn, the quiet alleys, let us drink once more, for beyond this bridge lies an unknown journey.”
As William played, those who heard the melody of the violin or fiddle seemed to envision the splendor of the Renaissance era.
Under William’s interpretation, the entire restaurant was as if transported to that artful time.
The bells of the cathedral, the night scene of the Seine, the masquerade balls of Venice, the opera houses of Vienna, the morning mists of the English countryside, the snows of the Alps.
When the piece ended, it was as if everyone awoke from a beautiful dream.
This is just this one piece of music being performed, yet it is more stunning than any 3D movie.
All who heard this melody were as if following William into that charming age.
The banks of the Seine at night, the bright starry sky overhead, the murmuring waters, flower petals drifting in the breeze, the willows gently swaying.
The snowy Alps, the heavy accumulations of snow at the summit, still pure white even in the heat of summer.
…
The pinnacle of music!
The moment William got up, Alice and the others were all dumbstruck, speechless for a long time.
The girl who had been playing outside the restaurant door was even more dumbfounded.
When the piece ended, she was still immersed in it, the lingering echoes surrounding her, still not wanting it to end.
“You…you…” The girl gazed at William, unable to utter a word.
“Thank you,” William nodded slightly at the girl, then went back to his seat at the table. 𝗼𝐯𝐥.𝗻𝐭
Lila and Alice hurriedly followed.
“William, how long have you been practicing?” Lila asked. “With your skill, you would definitely go viral if you livestreamed.”
William said, “I haven’t practiced that long. Like I said, I just know a bit about it. If I can do this much, livestreaming shouldn’t be a problem.”
Know a bit about?
Okay! This is the “know a bit about” that William mentioned!
Lila no longer knew what words to use to describe her current state of mind. She could only grit her teeth and ask again, “Other than playing the fiddle, what else can you do?”
“I think whatever you can name, I probably know a little bit about,” William really couldn’t think of any skills he didn’t have at the moment.
Lila’s mouth curled up as she said, “Do you know how to play computer games?”
“Hmm?” William stared at her. She had directly asked about his blind spot in knowledge.
“I knew you wouldn’t know how. ” Lila felt like she finally won against William for once. William had just learned to use a phone, how could he possibly know how to play computer games?
“They’re just games, I can learn them quickly.” William didn’t think there was anything in this world that would be too difficult. Games should be quite simple things, right?
Lila pursed her lips and said, “Then go ahead and learn. Most livestreamers nowadays play games, sing, chat – your skills are a bit high-end.”
“High-end?” William didn’t feel like these things were high-end at all.
“Quite high-end,” Lila nodded. She now felt that having William livestream would be a waste of his talents.
With just the piece William had played earlier, he could easily perform at the Wiener Golden Hall. He could charge high appearance fees on any show.
As they talked, a middle-aged man in a gray suit, about 1.8 meters tall, came up to William, accompanied by a waiter.
“Mr. Lewis, this gentleman was the one playing earlier,” the waiter said to the middle-aged man, then stood to the side.
The middle-aged man looked deeply at William, bent down slightly, held out his hand, and said, “Hello, I’m the owner of this restaurant, my name is Matthew Lewis. Was it you playing that piece earlier?”
William stood up and shook his hand, nodding, “Yes, that was me.”
Matthew smiled, “Hello, hello. I’ve always loved talented people like you the most. May I ask how I should address you, sir?”
“Hello, my name is William Johnson, just call me William.” William was still very polite to the friendly stranger, especially since he had to adapt to his current identity and not seem too arrogant.
“Mr. Johnson, nice to meet you. I wonder if you would come and dine at my restaurant often in the future. Any time you come, food and drinks will be on the house. If you’re interested in playing a piece at my restaurant, I’d be happy to pay $1,000 per piece.”
William said, “That doesn’t seem right, I just played on a whim earlier, I don’t usually play like that day to day.”
Matthew quickly said, “No worries, I love making new friends. Any time you come, it’ll be on the house, I’m true to my word.”
“Then thank you very much,” William smiled. He felt Matthew was quite decent and worth befriending.
No matter the era, it was always good to have two or three friends. Matthew seemed generous and forthright, leaving William with a good impression.
“Then I won’t disturb your meal with your friends. Consider this meal on me as well. If anything is unsatisfactory, please let me know.” Matthew smiled at William and left after saying that, without asking for his WhatsApp or phone number.
Alice looked at William admiringly. He really was extraordinary!
Play any piece of music randomly, and you can eat for free forever. If you come back here to perform again in the future, it’s $1,000 to perform each piece of music.
Lila also felt a bit awkward. Is this considered meeting a rich boss?
With William’s skills, he could probably get free meals anywhere he went.
Right after Matthew left, the girl who had been playing the violin outside came over. Her delicate face looked at William as she bowed dramatically ninety degrees and said loudly, “Mr. Johnson, please take me on as your disciple!”
At this point, Lila and Alice’s expressions were incredibly shocked.
Lila realized that while William’s words could infuriate people to death sometimes, he did have real skills. And he never seemed to lack beautiful women around him either.
Just one piece played, and the restaurant owner came to befriend him, a beauty came to apprentice under him. Talented people were so popular wherever they went.
Most importantly, Lila and the others recognized this girl.
Her name was Sofia Lee, a Columbia University music major senior who had performed on NBC and won the gold award at the Los Angeles Music Performance Competition.
She was a celebrity!
Yet just because of the one piece William played, she came to apprentice under him.
Alice looked at William, then looked at Sofia. If William takes her on as a disciple, then she won’t be William’s only disciple anymore!
William glanced at Sofia and smiled, “There’s no need for formal apprenticeship. If we meet again in the future, I can teach you some things.”
Alice and Lila both looked at William, cursing in their hearts – what an unromantic man!