251: Chapter 251 The Rain in Vienna Has Stopped

Inside 'The Silent Mozart' bookstore, warm yellow light illuminated every mote of dust in the air with perfect clarity.

Hans was standing on an A-frame ladder, a thumbtack clenched between his teeth, holding a large poster of 'the ferryman' he had just acquired.

He was trying to hang this promotional material from the East in the prime spot originally reserved for Goethe and Schiller.

"Ding-a-ling—"

The bell at the door chimed, letting in a coolness particular to the night.

Hans instinctively turned his head.

When his gaze landed on the figure wearing sunglasses and a gray hoodie,

his foot slipped, and the expensive poster in his hand nearly flew out of his grasp.

It was him.

That young man from the East whom he had dismissed as a nouveau riche last night, but who had slapped him in the face with just one sentence.

At this moment, Hans no longer harbored any of that condescending scrutiny.

In his eyes, this seemingly casual young man seemed to be enveloped in an aura of truth.

That sentence, "Souls have no borders, but prejudice does,"

had been sizzling in his mind like a red-hot branding iron all day long.

Lin Que pushed the door open and entered, followed by Ye Xi, who hadn't yet removed her stage makeup.

"Wow!"

The moment Ye Xi stepped inside, her gaze was captured by the golden display stand piled high like a small mountain in the center of the bookstore.

The knightly romances that were originally there were gone, replaced by a deep blue ocean.

Hundreds of copies of 'the ferryman' were stacked neatly, shimmering with a cool, mysterious luster under the spotlights.

"Lin Que, look! It's really in the prime spot!"

Ye Xi gently nudged Lin Que's arm with her fingertip, her eyes reflecting the deep blue book covers:

"See, it really is the prime spot. When I saw the poster outside just now, I didn't dare believe it,

but now it seems the arrogance of this city has finally made way for a good work."

Lin Que adjusted his sunglasses on the bridge of his nose:

"Hmm, maybe they suddenly saw the light."

"Whatever, I have to buy a German edition to take back as a keepsake."

Ye Xi let go of his arm, walked briskly to the display, picked out the copy in the best condition, and turned towards the checkout counter.

"I'll take it back to show Sister Yang. This is the prestige of our Chinese culture!"

She took out her wallet and was just about to pull out a few euro bills.

"Wait!"

A hurried shout in German rang out.

Not bothering to straighten his somewhat disheveled vest, Hans scrambled down the ladder.

He rushed to the counter in a few quick strides, vigorously wiped his hands on his apron, and then pressed down on Ye Xi's hand as she was about to pay.

"Beautiful lady, you don't need to pay for this book."

Hans was panting slightly, but his gaze was unusually resolute.

Ye Xi was stunned, looking at Lin Que with confusion:

"What's going on? Is the bookstore doing charity today?"

Lin Que didn't speak, just quietly watched Hans.

Hans took a deep breath. Without explaining, he bent down,

and from beside the safe at the very bottom of the counter, he carefully retrieved an exquisite walnut picture frame.

He solemnly placed the frame in the most prominent spot on the counter, even adjusting its angle so the spotlight shone on it perfectly.

Ye Xi moved closer, curious.

The frame didn't contain any famous manuscript or antique check,

but an ordinary flyer with obvious creases and even slightly wrinkled edges.

On the back of the flyer, a line of fluid, powerful German script pierced the eye like a sharp sword:

【Souls have no borders, but prejudice does.】

Ye Xi leaned in slightly for a better look, then instinctively glanced back at Lin Que.

As if to say, is this another one of your masterpieces?

Before she could ponder further, Hans had already turned and opened the cash register's drawer.

He took out a brand-new 5-euro note.

Without any hesitation, this bookseller known for his arrogance on Kärntner Straße,

holding the corners of the banknote with both hands, bowed deeply to Lin Que.

His waist bent at a ninety-degree angle, his head almost touching the counter.

"Sir."

Hans's voice trembled slightly, thick with shame:

"This is the money for the books you reserved yesterday. I must insist you take it back."

A few other customers browsing in the bookstore noticed the scene and gathered around in surprise.

Ignoring the onlookers, Hans maintained his bow, his tone sincere:

"These 5 euros cannot buy truth, but the words you left behind,

they bought back the conscience and humility I, as a Viennese bookseller, had lost long ago. Those words are priceless."

Finished, he took out from under the counter a copy of 'the ferryman' already beautifully packaged and presented it with both hands.

"In addition to that brand-new copy, this is the first opened sample copy from our store, also as my apology. Please accept it."

The air was quiet for a few seconds.

Ye Xi's mouth hung open, her eyes darting between Lin Que and Hans,

her mind already conjuring up a plot of "a reclusive master humbling an arrogant foreigner."

Lin Que looked at the purple banknote, his expression unchanged.

Neither smug nor mocking.

Lin Que raised his hand, tapped the purple banknote lightly with his fingertip,

then pulled it out, folded it casually, and slipped it into his pocket—the movements fluid and seamless.

"I'll take back the principal. As for the interest..."

Lin Que casually took the complimentary book and handed it to the still-dazed Ye Xi beside him:

"Take it. It's on the house. No point in refusing a freebie."

"Huh? Oh..."

Ye Xi mechanically took the book, feeling its surprising weight.

"Let's go."

Lin Que pressed down the brim of his cap, turned, and left without another word.

Ye Xi hurried to follow, pushing open the heavy glass door and stepping into Vienna's cool night.

"Sir!"

Hans's call came from behind once more.

Lin Que stopped walking.

He saw Hans standing in the pool of warm yellow light. Hans removed the elegant top hat from his head,

placed it over his heart, and performed another extremely formal hat-tipping bow towards Lin Que's retreating back.

"Although you don't wish to say much, I can guess... you must know that great author."

Hans's voice was especially clear in the night breeze:

"If you have the chance, please convey my respects to that gentleman. Tell him, the rain in Vienna has stopped."

Lin Que's steps faltered slightly.

He didn't turn around. With his back still to Hans, he simply raised his right hand and gave a casual wave.

That silhouette melted into the night, exuding an air of dashing (carefree detachment) after settling a matter.

...

After walking a couple of blocks, the noise gradually faded.

Ye Xi finally couldn't hold back any longer.

Clutching the free hardcover book, she quickened her pace, circled around in front of Lin Que, and began walking backwards,

her eyes, accentuated with winged eyeliner, sparkling as they stared at him, as if trying to see through him.

"Confess!"

Ye Xi hugged the book to her chest, wearing an expression of having seen through everything:

"Did you come here yesterday? And use your twisted logic to completely bamboozle that shop owner?"

Lin Que raised an eyebrow:

"What do you mean 'bamboozle'? I was reasoning with him."

"Yeah, right. I don't believe you." Ye Xi pouted, but the smile at the corner of her eyes was impossible to hide.

"You might seem lazy, but sometimes you're really good at bluffing people.

Last time you told me to treat the audience like pigeons. What kind of sweet talk did you feed that shop owner this time?

The way he revered you, I almost thought you'd saved his life."

"Maybe I did." Lin Que said without a shred of modesty.

"Dream on!"

Ye Xi laughed and gave him a playful shove.

She didn't probe into the origin of the phrase "souls have no borders."

In her heart, Lin Que always brought these kinds of unexpected surprises.

Like how he understood her music beneath the Golden Hall, like how he made the arrogant bookstore owner bow his head.

This sense of mystery made him even more interesting to her.

The two walked slowly along the banks of the Danube.

The river flowed quietly, reflecting the dazzling lights from both shores.

The evening wind tousled Ye Xi's hair. She reached up to tuck the stray strands behind her ear, then turned to look at the sparkling river surface.

"Lin Que."

"Hmm?"

"Actually, on stage, for a moment, I felt like I really saw that wasteland."

Ye Xi's voice grew much softer, shedding its usual boisterousness, gaining a tenderness she'd never had before.

"It was a strange feeling, like my soul had left my body.

Before, I played the piano for technique, to not lose to others. But today... I felt like I was telling a story."

Lin Que glanced at her sideways.

Under the streetlamp, the girl's profile was soft, her eyes sparkling with a light called "growth."

"Congratulations." Lin Que said, hands in his pockets, his tone flat yet sincere.

"It seems you've found your own ferryman."

"What ferryman..."

Ye Xi's face flushed slightly, her voice so low only she could hear it.

"Just a bad guy who deceives people."

"What?"

The wind was too loud; Lin Que genuinely didn't catch that.

"Nothing!" Ye Xi looked up flustered, pointing ahead at the Ritz Hotel.

"We're here, we're here! My place is right up ahead."

Lin Que stopped and looked up at the centuries-old luxury hotel.

"Alright, go on in. You must be pretty exhausted these past few days. Get some rest early."

Ye Xi stood on the steps, holding the book tightly.

She turned around, looking at Lin Que standing below the steps, dragging her feet reluctantly.

"Um... I'm leaving with the tour group for Prague tomorrow."

"Hmm, good. Prague's Old Town Square doesn't have a wishing fountain. Don't go looking for one."

"You're so annoying!" Ye Xi glared at him, but couldn't help asking,

"What about you?"

"Me?" Lin Que shrugged.

"Rarely have free time. Thought I'd wander around here a bit more."

Seeing the fleeting disappointment in Ye Xi's eyes, Lin Que added:

"When you get back to the country, that century-old barbecue joint in Jiangcheng is on me. As much as you want."

Ye Xi finished, took a deep look at him, and nodded.

Only after that figure had completely disappeared did the smile on Lin Que's face slowly fade.

He took off his sunglasses, revealing a pair of clear, cold, and profound eyes.

The phone in his pocket had been vibrating since before they even entered the bookstore.

The moment he watched Ye Xi disappear into the revolving door, the phone in his pocket began vibrating frantically again.

Lin Que took it out to look.

The screen was full of unread messages from Wang De'an, the exclamation marks practically flooding it.

...