Mercenary’s War
Chapter 1219: One Thousand Two Hundred and Two: Don't Waste Your Life

Chapter 1219: Chapter One Thousand Two Hundred and Two: Don’t Waste Your Life

Vienna is the city of music, and given Yelena’s identity, it’s understandable why Gao Yang chose it as their first stop.

The most impressive feat of Austria is making most people in the world think Hitler was German, and having many believe Beethoven was Austrian.

Hitler was born in Braunau, Austria, and spent his childhood there until adulthood. He twice attempted to gain admission to the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts but failed both times. After several difficult years in Vienna, it wasn’t until 1913 that he moved to Munich, Germany.

Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, and grew up there. It was not until his youth that he moved to Vienna, where he achieved his remarkable artistic success.

Since the end of World War II, both Germany and Austria have been declaring each other as the birthplace of Hitler while claiming Beethoven as their own.

Regardless of whether Beethoven is considered German or Austrian, his experience reveals the profound status Vienna holds in the world of classical music. Vienna captivates with illustrious musicians like Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Karajan, Schubert, and of course, the Johann Strauss family.

Yelena is a classical music student, and her holy land is in Vienna. Therefore, even though Gao Yang isn’t very interested in Vienna, he still made it their most important stop.

Vienna is inseparable from music, especially classical music. One can hear it in the streets, in the parks; musicians with violins are a common sight next to dining tables in restaurants, and it has become customary to play music at the start and end of gatherings and celebrations.

On Valentine’s Day, there is, of course, a special concert. In the evening, Gao Yang and Yelena will attend a concert by the Vienna Chamber Orchestra at the Vienna Musikverein, but before a romantic dinner, they have plenty of things to do.

Indeed, it doesn’t matter much what they do; even quietly spacing out together would be lovely.

Gao Yang and Yelena didn’t have many chances to hold hands, so they hardly ever let go of each other, leisurely completing a visit to the must-see Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna.

After visiting Schönbrunn Palace with a sense of lingering enjoyment, the couple went directly to Hofburg Palace.

Schönbrunn Palace and Hofburg Palace were both palaces of the Habsburg Dynasty; the former was the summer residence, while the latter was the winter palace.

Going to Hofburg Palace, Gao Yang also had another project he was most interested in for this trip – to visit the Sisi Museum. Ever since he started looking for the hunting rifle used by Princess Sissi for Morgan, he became quite interested in Princess Sissi.

Strolling through Hofburg Palace with a loved one on Valentine’s Day is a wonderful moment; ever since a movie titled “Princess Sissi,” the name Sissi has become synonymous with a beautiful romance.

Gao Yang specifically looked for some private letters of Princess Sissi displayed in the museum. He wanted to see the letter that mentioned the hunting rifle, but unfortunately, despite beginning to learn German with Eileen, he couldn’t understand the Austrian German written in the letters.

After giving up on finding that letter, Gao Yang turned his attention to the portraits and photographs of Princess Sissi.

Gao Yang and Yelena walked ahead, looking at photos of Princess Sissi, followed at a two-to-three-meter distance by two bodyguards and a butler; Gao Yang had grown accustomed to having people behind him, but he still involuntarily lowered his voice when speaking.

“Princess Sissi is not as beautiful, hmm, not as pretty as she is in the movie, and definitely not as beautiful as you are.”

People in love, who wouldn’t like to hear their lover’s praises?

After Gao Yang whispered his opinion, Yelena smiled very happily, but she still chuckled and said, “Don’t be silly, Princess Sissi is very beautiful. I think she is extremely gorgeous.”

Gao Yang raised his head and looked at a portrait of Princess Sissi on horseback, suddenly let out a sigh for no reason, and said with a heavy voice, “The fairy tale of Princess Sissi is beautiful, but I just learned that the real Princess Sissi had such a bumpy fate, and her ending was so tragic.”

“She truly loved, and that’s enough!”

Yelena’s response was quick, concise, and forceful.

Gao Yang hadn’t heard Yelena speak so firmly about something in a long time, he turned his head in surprise to look at her, only to find Yelena gazing at him, with an expression on her face that was not tender as water, but as steadfast as her words.

Yelena’s lips were tightly pursed, as if she had just made some significant decision, and she looked at Gao Yang with a firm gaze, which reminded Gao Yang of when he first met Yelena.

Gao Yang knew what Yelena was thinking, he felt a touch of emotion and embraced her tightly, but he did not say anything, instead turning his gaze back to the portrait of Princess Sissi. Then, in his mind, he thought of the proverb engraved on Princess Sissi’s hunting rifle.

Love is the essence of life. Maybe Yelena’s thoughts are just like this proverb. If you have already possessed the most essential part, then the length of life is no longer important.

Gao Yang’s mood was somewhat heavy, but after Yelena expressed what should have been a heavy inner world, Gao Yang quickly relaxed again. If Yelena could see through these things, so could he. Since an adventurous life can only continue, then seize the time to enjoy life, especially its most essential parts.

Gao Yang smiled slightly and said softly to Yelena, “Love is the essence of life, you are right, to have loved, that’s enough.”

After finishing speaking, looking at Yelena’s face, which was a mixture of surprise and joy, Gao Yang shrugged and laughed, “Don’t look at me with such admiration, this line isn’t my original, it’s what is written on Princess Sissi’s gun. Alright, my dear, let’s continue to enjoy the most essential parts of life.”

Yelena laughed as she held Gao Yang’s face and gave him a kiss, then exclaimed loudly, “At least you’ve said what I wanted to but couldn’t articulate. That’s your reward, and besides, I really like seeing you like this now, you know? Lately, you’ve always seemed so preoccupied, and I don’t like seeing you that way. I like seeing your genuine smile, Gao! We’re supposed to be happy, right?”

Yelena laughed heartily, and Gao Yang suddenly realized that Yelena was only nineteen, still just a big kid, really. Although they weren’t married yet, Yelena had played the role of a kind and virtuous wife for too long, which was not the kind of life she should have at her age.

What’s with dwelling on today without a tomorrow? Since separation is not an option, why worry so much? Life and death are fated, and wealth and honor are decided by heaven. If alive, just live joyfully. Constant worry is useless and meaningless, and his psychological burdens had affected Yelena to the point that though they were always together, they were wasting the passion of young love—this was a waste of life, a waste of love.

Gao Yang felt he understood this all too late. Suddenly, he slapped Yelena on the buttocks and said loudly, “Want to play with life? What do you want to do? Let’s stop always attending concerts, watching operas, and such. Aren’t you sick of doing these things every day? What do you want to play? Let’s go and play!”

Looking at Gao Yang, who seemed like a different person as if he had become twenty years younger and returned to a more suitable age, Yelena was first stunned, but soon her face lit up with surprise and joy, and she exclaimed, “Really?”

Gao Yang waved his hand, “Of course it’s true, can there be any doubt? Tell me, anything you want to play, we can do it!”

Yelena immediately said, “Let me think, there’s too much, too much, give me a moment to think.”

Gao Yang said with a smile, “Take your time, no rush. If you don’t want to go to a concert, we’ll skip it tonight. Wherever you want to go, we’ll head out right now.”

Yelena hurriedly shook her head, “No, I still want to attend the concert. I just want to explore things beyond music. But I haven’t grown tired of music; I look forward to the concert tonight. Hmm, how about this, we listen to the concert today, and then tomorrow we go to Italy, is that okay? I think Italy is more fun than Austria. I want to go to Rome, or maybe Milan would be nice as well.”

Gao Yang immediately turned his head and addressed the butler behind him, “Cancel tomorrow’s plans; we’re going to Italy, starting with Rome and then Milan.”

“Very well, sir. To Rome tomorrow.” (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly passes at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)