Alt-Wiener Tanzweisen (Old Viennese Melodies in German) is a set of three short pieces for violin and piano composed by Austrian-American violinist Fritz Kreisler. The three pieces are titled Liebesfreud (Love’s Joy), Liebesleid (Love’s Sorrow), and Schön Rosmarin (Lovely Rosemary).

The uplifting Liebesfreud (Love’s Joy) and the wistful Liebesleid (Love’s Sorrow), both stylish examples of the composer’s elegance with the spirit of Vienna most affectionately evoked.

The exquisite miniature Schön Rosmarin (Lovely Rosemary) surely breathes the same air as any Johann Strauss waltz, its pre-war charm and melodic gift undeniable.

This is a link for easy understanding of Fritz Kreisler https://riphil.wordpress.com/2021/01/04/the-story-behind-fritz-kreislers-liebesleid/

It’s been a while since the last update right?

Not very sure about the music technicalities in this. If anything is wrong please tell me gently with constructive criticism.

As soon as Yuanxiao woke up, he met a pair of very familiar eyes, as deep as a storm at sea. Because of the thick and long eyelashes, his eyes would be particularly focused and affectionate when lowered. Especially when he smiled, the sun and the moon would lose lustre. Yuanxiao even thought for a moment that he had transmigrated again…

But soon, he noticed the difference.

Bai Wenlin’s mixed-race face, because it remained cold and frosty all the year round without a smile, his temperament has also changed. From a warm sunshine boy to a vampire nobleman.

When Yuanxiao left, the child had been found by his super-rich father who wanted to take him home, but he refused. It was because of Yuanxiao’s life threatening heart disease that the two got on the Royce family’s private jet.

But he “fell asleep” during the plane ride, woke up and returned to the future. Yuanxiao thought to himself, in Bai Wenlin’s view, he must be dead. At that time, Bai Wenlin was only eighteen years old, but now he is almost thirty… Twelve years have passed.

He has become unfamiliar.

Facing the man in front of him, it would be a lie to say that he is not afraid and the sense of distance from meeting an idol is pressing in his heart. Yuanxiao was completely unprepared, he was at a loss. The words “Wenlin” came to his mouth, but he swallowed it back. There are too many questions in his heart, how did Bai Wenlin find him? He picked him up from the police station, did it mean he recognized who he was?

After hesitating, Yuanxiao realised that he seemed to be lying on Bai Wenlin’s lap. His eyelashes fluttered—is it too late to pretend to be asleep?

As soon as he closed his eyes, there was a small biscuit next to his mouth. This feeding method was so familiar that Yuanxiao didn’t even think about it and opened his mouth to take the biscuit in his mouth. Then he was stunned.

Facing Bai Wenlin’s turbulent eyes, he pursed his lips.

Due to a heart attack, in the last year of his last life, he suddenly became blind in both eyes. Yuanxiao completely lost his ability to live alone. He couldn’t make it to the elevator at home. Even if he found the stairs, he would fall because he couldn’t see the steps. He has completely become a waste man, even needing help to eat and bathe.

That’s why Bai Wenlin resisted so much when his biological father suddenly appeared, because he felt that Yuanxiao could not leave his side, nor could he leave Yuanxiao.

Neither of them spoke. Yuanxiao hated this feeling very much, why didn’t he ask him anything? How come he isn’t talking? Before he knew it, he ate all the biscuits.

“Do you still want more?” Bai Wenlin stared at him.

“…Yes.” Yuan Xiao hurriedly met his gaze, and he didn’t dare to look any more. The child who was chasing behind his butt calling gege grew up and matured.  Becoming the grand pianist who could only be heard thorough earphones. His voice was out of reach and his whole person seemed unfamiliar.

Putting the biscuits to his mouth, Yuanxiao had another two or three mouthfuls before noticing that he was in a car and the car was still moving. Bai Wenlin just silently fed him biscuits one by one, except for the sound of chewing in the luxury car, the only other sound was breathing.

This silence lasted for a long time.

“Are your eyes okay?” he asked in a low voice.

Yuanxiao was stunned for a second, then replied with an “en” in a low voice. He was blind in a different body, and now that he is back, naturally everything was fine.

Bai Wenlin didn’t speak again, just stared at him. Yuanxiao looked back into his eyes, but in those deep eyes, there were emotions that he couldn’t grasp, as if something unspeakable was brewing. He knew that Bai Wenlin had deep thoughts, but he couldn’t figure it out no matter what. How could the young sunshine boy who was so innocent in the past become so deep minded now?

He couldn’t help but think of Bai Wenlin’s sub-personality.

The two personalities were very different and the sight of Bai Wenlin in front of him made him feel strange and distant. But if it was Al, it would definitely be much easier. He would immediately pounce on him and roll around on the bed like a puppy. In the mind of Yuanxiao, Bai Wenlin and Al are two people, and they are also the same person…

Bai Wenlin met his gaze and felt a stabbing pain in his heart: “Who are you looking for?”

Before Yuanxiao could answer, Bai Wenlin continued on, “Is it him?” This made Yuanxiao feel inexplicably guilty, he didn’t know when Bai Wenlin found out about his dual personality. He kept concealing it even when he was dying. Yuan Xiao bit his head and asked: “That child… how is he?”

Bai Wenlin’s face became even colder: “He rarely comes out.”

Yuanxiao responded and was about to sit up when Bai Wenlin pressed down his shoulders. Yuanxiao, a big man from Inner Mongolia, was immediately pressed back to his original position and the back of his head slammed into a lap.

“Don’t move, we’ll be there soon.” Bai Wenlin said.

“Where are we going?” He smelled that cigar smell from Bai Wenlin again, which was very strong.

“Eat roast whole lamb.”

Yuanxiao: “…”

“I don’t want to eat that, don’t… let me eat something else.” He rarely eats mutton.

Bai Wenlin bowed his head: “When you were talking in your sleep, you bit my ear and said you wanted to eat roast whole lamb, so I found a chef from Inner Mongolia in New York.”

“I won’t eat,” Yuanxiao said in shame, “I must be too hungry, you can’t believe what I say in my sleep, give me the biscuits, don’t feed me.”

Bai Wenlin gave him a box of seaweed-flavoured biscuits, which he bought at a convenience store when he just came out of the police station. Bai Wenlin even remembered his taste.

After eating a Chinese meal, Yuan Xiao was taken back to Bai Wenlin’s penthouse. Bai Wenlin didn’t ask him any more questions and took out pyjamas for him to wear: “Do you want to take a bath?”

This apartment is in a prime Manhattan location, on the top floor, with huge floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the entire New York City.

The bed was a very cold grey tone, looking soft and comfortable. No matter how tired or sleepy Yuanxiao was, it was impossible for him to climb onto Bai Wenlin’s bed dirty and sleep.

“Yes.” He went into the bathroom with his pyjamas, and was shocked as soon as he entered.

It’s so big inside and there’s a big swimming pool! A big one! There are even massage beds for SPA, all kinds of luxurious essential oils are piled up in the cabinets, and famous paintings are hung on the walls. Yuan Xiao thought hesitantly… It should be a real painting, right? Hanging it in the bathroom is too wasteful.

When he came out, Bai Wenlin was sitting on the sofa by the window reading a book, with thin glasses on the bridge of his nose, making him look as elegant as a nobleman. There are many dim downlights in the room, and the floor lamp next to the sofa is a warm yellow light, which warmly reflects on his handsome side face, making his brown hair become soft golden and the shadow stretched across the carpet.

He seemed to be reading very seriously, but if you observe carefully, you will find that he has not turned a page.

Yuanxiao was too sleepy, and his body couldn’t hold on anymore. He was wearing Bai Wenlin’s wide pyjamas, and sat on the end of the bed a little helplessly: “You… aren’t you sleeping?”

He shook his head: “Read a book.”

“But it’s four o’clock.”

He cherished his words like gold: “You sleep.”

“Then I…” Yuan Xiao stood up, “I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

“Sleep in bed.” Bai Wenlin put down the book, walked over to the bed and glanced at him.

Yuanxiao only knew what kind of character he was when he was eighteen years old. Now, he didn’t know anything about him. He only knew that Royce had a very bad temper… Yuanxiao climbed into the bed, and Bai Wenlin was standing beside the bed. His hand was slowly lowered, his fingertips stopped on Yuanxiao’s cheek. The glasses couldn’t hide the suppressed, almost crazy emotion in his eyes.

This action seems to evoke Yuanxiao’s memory. It is clearly something that happened not long ago, but after transmigrating, more than ten years passed in the blink of an eye.

It turned the teenager into an unattainable man, into a high and unattainable Royce. As for myself, on the surface, it is the same as before.

He closed his eyes wearily and his lips moved silently.

Bai Wenlin heard it, he was calling his name.

God knows how restrained he is, how much it stretched his control, not to hug him, not to kiss him.

Yuanxiao slept very deeply. He didn’t know that Bai Wenlin hadn’t slept, he looked at him greedily from the side, listening to his breathing, he was reluctant to even blink. For fear after blinking, just like many years ago, as soon as he fell asleep, the breathing would stop.

The blackout curtains perfectly blocked the sunrise and sunset outside. During this period after deep sleep, after Yuanxiao woke up, it took a long time before he reacted and he remembered everything that happened. He found it was still dark and when he looked at the clock, it was five in the morning.

Bai Wenlin sat next to him and looked at him, holding a watch in his hand.

He rubbed his eyes: “I only slept for an hour? Why does it feel like I have slept for a long time, it must be because your bed is too soft… Sleeping on such a soft bed at such a young age is not good for the spine. “

As soon as he got up, Yuan Xiao couldn’t help but return to the past when he spoke. Only after speaking did he realise what was wrong.

The Bai Wenlin in front of him is no longer the one he was used to.

Bai Wenlin clasped his hands together on the table: “You slept for twenty-five hours.” He also watched for twenty-five hours without closing his eyes. He had to practise the piano every day, but he was afraid that it would disturb Yuanxiao’s sleep, so he didn’t practise.

Yuanxiao couldn’t hear him clearly. He couldn’t help but turn his right ear to him: “Did you sleep?”

“Slept.”

Yuanxiao saw that his eyes were a little red, his beard was not shaved and he looked a little dejected. Which was different from the neat pianist he saw on the stage the day before yesterday.

Bai Wenlin stood up: “I’ll make you breakfast, what to eat?”

Yuanxiao stood barefoot on the floor: “I’ll do it, you go to practice the piano.” Bai Wenlin’s hand is the most valuable hand in the world. It is called “the fingers kissed by God” in the international music world. Using them to make breakfast for himself… How dare Yuanxiao. Those hands… He wants to kiss them.

He is not very proficient at using Bai Wenlin’s high-tech kitchen. After trying it for a long time, he found that it was voice-controlled. He cracked the egg in the pan and tell it he wanted it cooked rare, and it would remind him when to flip it over.

“This kitchen is nice.” He studied curiously for a while.

At five or six o’clock in the sky over New York, a slight light of dawn gradually appeared in the sky.

In the sunrise, Bai Wenlin played the first movement of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, which was counterpointed in the bass part and then developed into the fourth fugue1. Followed by the second movement of Sonata Pathétique2, and then transitioned into Kreisler’s “Love’s sorrow”. And at the end, back to Beethoven, completely impromptu and absolutely amazing!

And what he played was Yuanxiao’s favourites. Because he is not talented enough, it takes a long time for him to practise a piece of music. These plus a other few pieces are all Yuanxiao had memorised. Bai Wenlin is a pianist who never plays Beethoven. The whole world knows that he never plays Beethoven, nor does he listen – he only plays it at certain times.

For example, when arguing with Yuanxiao, if you want to make him happy, playing Beethoven does the trick.

Music seems to have become another language. Under the slowly turning golden sunrise, it flows into Yuanxiao’s heart.

The two sat face to face at the dining table for breakfast, Yuanxiao suddenly said, “How did you recognize me?”

“news.”

“…I’m on TV?” Yuanxiao looked desperate.

“En.”

Yuanxiao continued, “You can recognize me just by watching the news?”

Bai Wenlin nodded again and stared at him: “I won’t forget you.” Maybe Yuanxiao can’t remember, he often said some strange things. When he was about to die, he asked Bai Wenlin to take him to Hulunbuir3 and said that it was his hometown.

Yuanxiao asked again, “Then do you remember where we first met?”

“Remember,” Bai Wenlin opened his perfect runny egg and raised his head, “Emma Hospital.”

Yuanxiao: “! ! !”

He involuntarily turned his right ear: “… You actually remember that time.” He obviously didn’t believe it, Bai Wenlin was only eight years old at that time and it was only a one-sided meeting.

That was the first day he transmigated twenty-two years ago.

Yuanxiao started from the beginning: “The 729 crash is the flight I took. In fact, it’s not the sudden change in the weather that the airline said, but because of the meteor shower, the wing was hit by a meteorite…”

—-

1997, Emma Hospital, Hong Kong.

“President Song’s nephew, I heard that he failed to match a heart in the United States and fell into a coma on the flight back to China.”

“…The one inside?” The two nurses whispered gossip outside the hidden door of the ward.

“Yes, it’s him! He was probably stimulated and his brain was broken! Kept insisting he wasn’t young master Luo, what else… he’s from 2019.”

The nurse sighed.

Luo Yuanxiao is the nephew of the director of Emma Hospital. The Luo family is a wealthy family, and Luo Yuanxiao is the only son of the head of the Luo family- Chairman Luo, who suffers from congenital heart disease.

In the ward, including the dean, more than a dozen experts finished the consultation about Yuanxiao and walked out of the ward one by one. Judging from their expressions, it seems that the patient’s condition is not good.

The experts left, leaving only the dean, the uncle of “Luo Yuanxiao” , behind.

He sat beside the hospital bed and sighed: “Manman, your parents are on their way here. You will definitely recover a little when you see them.”

Manman is young master Luo’s nickname.

Yuan Xiao had his eyes closed and had no energy to reiterate that he recognized the wrong person again..

He has almost figured out the situation.

Just now, the doctor asked him, “Do you know what day it is and what year it is?”

Yuanxiao had just become sober at that time and his mind was still stuck on the meteor shower of fire on the plane. The meteorite hit the wing, set fire and the plane crashed.

Thinking he was rescued, he showed the expression of renewed life after a near death experience and answered honestly. The doctor corrected him in broken Mandarin: “It’s not yet the 21st century, it’s 1997.”

Doctor: “Do you remember who you are and how old you are?”

“My name is Luo yuanxiao. I’m eighteen.”

Doctor: “That’s right. Do you still think you’re from the future?”

At that time, Yuanxiao first experienced what it was like to have a heart attack. When he tried to emphasise that he was not the young master they said, he got sick.

“I’m really not…” Yuan Xiao’s heart was full of unexplained anger. In this hurry, he immediately felt a deep pain, his whole body strength was immediately taken away, his face turned white, covered his heart and fell on the hospital bed.

“Manman!” President Song immediately pressed the nurse’s bell, quickly poured out several pills from a small medicine bottle and fed them into his mouth.

After swallowing the medicine and water, Yuanxiao slowly felt his heart relax. For the first time in his life, he experienced the feeling of his life hanging on the line.

“I told you, you can’t rush. You should slowly learn to adjust.” President Song’s eyebrows and eyes were stained with sadness.

It’s a pity that Luo Yuanxiao didn’t live long. His diagnosis stated that he couldn’t live past 18, so everyone was anxious to take him to the United States for a matching heart. But because the blood type is too rare, so far no suitable one has been found – they all think he will die soon.

But just now, his body check found that he wasn’t in bad condition and could live for a few more years.

Yuanxiao was in a daze for a long time facing the brand-new 1997 and his terrible physical condition. For a long time, he couldn’t come to his senses. However,he didn’t take Dean Song’s words to heart, put on his shoes and walked out of the ward.

The inpatient building of Emma hospital is seven stories high. The sixth floor is the administration department and the seventh floor is the VIP ward. These wards are prepared for some special people.

Yuanxiao didn’t see a nurse in the corridor, so he went downstairs from the staircase. He didn’t dare to walk fast. Now he was too weak. He could clearly feel that this was not his original body. He gasped as he went downstairs. He became very tired, he had never felt this way before.

When he was young, he lived on the grassland and grew up drinking sheep’s milk. He was full of strength.

Walking slowly to the first floor, as soon as he got to the lobby, he ran into several medical staff rushing in with medical beds, shouting in Cantonese: “Give way, give way!”

Yuanxiao avoided the crowd and suddenly caught a glimpse of a child tiptoeing to take medicine from the window. They had curly hair, snow-white skin and blue eyes. Such a beauty, you can tell they’re a mixed race at a glance.

There are many beautiful children in Hong Kong.

She received the medicine and looked around as if she didn’t know where to go. She looked white and pure, like Yuanxiao’s favourite lamb.

Living on the grassland, his only friends are sheep.

After the blink of an eye, the lamb disappeared.

He stepped over.

The accident happened when he first went out – he saw something huge fall in front of his eyes to the ground.

Then he heard the “Dong” – a dull loud noise.

At the entrance of the hospital, people came and went. There was a moment of silence lasting a few seconds. Yuanxiao’s face was hot, like something splashed on his face. A spinning top spins to his feet and slowly stops.

He stared at the corpse at his feet, his brain was blank, and suddenly screamed and wailed entered his ears.

Yuanxiao saw the child beside him. The medicine scattered on the ground, she opened her eyes wide in fright and stared at the body on the ground.

Without thinking, he covered the child’s eyes directly. Feeling a wet sensation in the palm of his hand, Yuanxiao’s voice trembled slightly: “Don’t look.”

—–

Yuanxiao reached out to wipe the coffee accidentally dropped on the marble bar, as if it were a drop of brown coloured tears. Saying, “at that time, I didn’t know that the girl was you. I thought, you must be scared and you shouldn’t witness such a terrible…” he looked up. Bai Wenlin’s hair was not as long as before and the curls were cut very short, showing that it was similar to when he was a child. However it will never make people mistake the gender. Under the thick eyebrows are a pair of deep blue eyes, which appear clear and unfathomable in the sun.

He is no longer the “little lamb” in Yuanxiao’s heart.

“What about the second time?” Bai Wenlin asked.

“The second time?” Yuanxiao showed a look of “everyone knows.” Three years later, I noticed you at the piano shop in Qingdao and you were sticking close to the glass window. But I still didn’t recognize it. It was… I suddenly realised when I saw you performing on the street. “

He acted like a conductor. That’s what Albert shared on the Internet——

The situation seemed to appear before his eyes. Outside the fruit shop at the corner where people came and went, the little boy’s hands waved in the air. He stood in the wind, his eyes closed tightly, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly.

In other people’s eyes, it must be strange for the child to wave his arms with his eyes closed. But Yuanxiao’s pupils shrank.

He has heard of this training method.

In one of the few interviews, Albert Royce mentioned his past: “When I was a child, I didn’t practice the piano. At that time, I would go outside and go to places with many people to learn how to conduct like Karajan and Ozawa. There was no sound played by any musical instrument, I was interacting with nature.”

The reporter who interviewed him smiled: “it sounds like a good method, but why not practice the piano?”

“There was no piano at home,” he said.

The reporter laughed as if hearing a joke.

Who doesn’t know? Albert William Royce’s father is a Forbes billionaire.

At that time, Yuanxiao was surprised to notice that the face was beautiful and amazing, he could also see the noble spirit – he was incompatible with this place.

Bai Wenlin stirred the coffee in the mug and said definitely, “You are my fan.”

Yuanxiao: …

The atmosphere between the two eased a lot. The feeling that made Yuanxiao inexplicably nervous yesterday seemed to dissipate. This may be because the cold male god like Satan said a lot to him, vaguely with the feeling of nostalgia, which made him relax a lot.

Hearing Bai Wenlin’s frank words, he felt a little embarrassed and his ears were red: “Yes, I’m your fan… A very loyal one. Anyone who likes music will like you.” He was afraid that Bai Wenlin misunderstood that he had ulterior motives when approaching him and explained, “But it was… because I liked you and you liked the piano, I couldn’t see a genius and ignore you…”

“I know.” Who is Yuanxiao? They have been together day and night for so long. How can Bai Wenlin not know? The sentence “because I like you” made him suddenly smile, but the smile was very light. If he hadn’t been looking at him all the time, Yuanxiao might not have noticed… He seemed to smile rarely.

The warm feeling of melting winter snow came back in an instant.

Yuanxiao took a sip of coffee and heard Bai Wenlin say, “you like me, so you bought my vinyl.”

His hand shook and the coffee almost spilled: …

“The zipper of your school bag is broken and the contents fell out.” Bai Wenlin looked straight at him. “You’re only eighteen and still in college.”

“En…”

Yuanxiao’s University is one of the top film colleges in China. He was admitted to the music department and majored in film music. He made music for films, animation and TV dramas. Those memories that seemed to be a long time ago gradually came back.

Bai Wenlin seemed to endure for a long time and finally couldn’t control it. He raised his hand, gently stroked the other’s cheeks and carefully touched his facial features bit by bit. Yuanxiao was a little uncomfortable. As soon as he wanted to hide, he heard Bai Wenlin say, “Don’t move.” His thumb stroked his eyebrows and eyes as light as a feather, like a string of ultra weak sounds. When he did this, there were complex emotions in his eyes.

Then he brushed away the tableware in front of him, leaned across the bar and bowed slightly.

Yuanxiao held his breath and looked up at him.

Bai Wenlin bent over and carefully put his side face on his heart. He wanted to do so since yesterday, he wanted to listen to his heartbeat.

Yuanxiao was stiff and didn’t dare to move. Bai Wenlin used to do this in the past. Listen to his heart. But it that was before… Now there’s a big difference. He stopped breathing.

Bai Wenlin listened for a while, held him strongly with both arms and buried his nose in the crook of his neck like in the past. With his eyes closed he said: “… Yuanxiao, promise me. This time you can’t leave me again. Continue to learn the piano. Which school do you want to go to? I’ll write you a letter of recommendation, Curtis? Or Julliard, no… they only accept minors. How about Eastman?” He decided and got up. “Eastman would be best.”

The way they get along seems to be completely reversed. Yuanxiao couldn’t help thinking, is this how it feels when your child grows up? Bai Wenlin’s mouth is full of the names of top universities that make people ecstatic when hearing the names alone, but it can’t arouse any emotion related to “happiness” in yuanxiao.

“I… can’t learn.” His voice hesitated. He looked up at his face reflected in the early morning sun. The whole person seemed to be glowing.

“I … can’t hear.” He pointed to his left ear and smiled at him.

The author has something to say:

It should be helpful  to understand the novel.

This timeline is like this. Suppose you are the protagonist. You transmigrate to the past and meet the baby of XXX (XXX is your male god). Then you raise the male god to 18 years old. You “die” and return to your original boby. The male god is 30 years old now.

1 Fugue= a compositional procedure characterised by the systematic imitation of a principal theme (called the subject) in simultaneously sounding melodic lines (counterpoint).

2 Sonata Pathétique