Chapter 34

After a while, Chen Jia pushed the door open and urged, “Hurry up, it’s time for the opponent selection round next door.”

The three of them emerged from the dressing room and entered the recording area. The previously noisy room quieted for a moment as all heads turned to look at them.

Jiang Ji walked at the forefront, his expression cold and stern, not uttering a word.

Peng Keshi walked in the middle, her face displaying her usual indifferent demeanor.

Zhong Yang, who walked at the back, said nonchalantly, “Don’t look at us. When those three come in later, you’ll see. We’ve beaten them into three pig heads.”

The several musicians who usually hung around with him burst into laughter.

As the three of them reached their positions and sat down, the three members of Urban Collapse also entered. They were arranged according to the severity of their injuries, from front to back: the lead singer, the guitarist, and the bassist. To avoid delaying the recording, they had makeup covering their injuries.

The bassist, Qu Lei, stared gloomily at Jiang Ji, raised his middle finger, and unfriendly reminded him, “Whoever chickens out is a grandson.”

Jiang Ji didn’t respond, his expression cold as he gave him a cold glance.

Several cameramen walked in and set up multiple cameras aimed at the bands in the venue.

The order of band selection was based on the cumulative votes from the previous rounds, and Urban Collapse had the highest cumulative votes, so they were the first to go up.

Taking the microphone, the bassist didn’t beat around the bush, “We choose Asperatus.”

“Oh? That’s a truly unexpected choice.” The host said with a smile, “Asperatus is currently gaining momentum. Choosing them as opponents must have a reason, right?”

“People online say Asperatus’s lead singer relies on his looks for success, but we think Asperatus still has some talent. We choose them because, on one hand, we want to see how capable they really are, and at the same time, we want to verify whether for the audience, especially female audience members, looks or skill is more important.”

He deliberately emphasized the word “female,” making the statement sound ambiguous, not only implying that Asperatus lacked skills but also making a suggestive remark. There was a whistle from the musicians in the audience, while Chen Jia, who was standing on the side, frowned.

“This is provocation, but in a PK, there should be some fireworks.” The host chuckled and looked towards Asperatus, “I wonder how Asperatus will respond?”

Jiang Ji’s bent elbow rested on his thigh, leaning slightly forward, looking at the stage. He calmly retorted, “I don’t know what the audience thinks, but for you, shamelessness seems to be more important.”

Zhong Yang exaggeratedly laughed in coordination.

The atmosphere was evidently unfriendly, but what the program team wanted was precisely the effect of conflict. The host continued to ask, “According to the lead singer, is this accepting the challenge?”

“Bring it on,” Jiang Ji said.

“Not afraid at all!” Zhong Yang added.

The first group made their choice decisively, but the remaining bands didn’t have it as smooth.

Each band had their own considerations, thinking about how to endure another round in the upcoming competition. The selection process went back and forth, taking nearly an hour to complete.

Jiang Ji, growing impatient, stood up as soon as the discussion ended. He was about to return Qin Qingzhuo’s jacket when Chen Jia walked over and called out to him, “Jiang Ji.”

“I forgot to deliver Brother Qingzhuo’s jacket. Help me run it over. I have something else to attend to.” Chen Jia said.

“Where is he?”

“He should be in the seventh-floor meeting room, third door after exiting the elevator. If he’s discussing things with Director Shi, just wait at the door.” Chen Jia instructed.

Jiang Ji acknowledged with a nod, walked out of the recording area, and Zhong Yang and Peng Keshi followed.

“Last match, still facing the predestined champion. We should rehearse properly, no matter what.” Zhong Yang, although initially against competing with Urban Collapse, was now quite enthusiastic. “Jiang Ji, are you singing tonight at the bar?”

“Yeah, let’s rehearse tomorrow.” Jiang Ji said.

“Alright, let’s crush them!”

After parting ways with Zhong Yang and Peng Keshi, Jiang Ji didn’t rush to the dressing room. Instead, he first went to the restroom, cleaned the bloodstains from his hands, dried them with a tissue, and then went to the dressing room to get Qin Qingzhuo’s jacket. He took the elevator to the seventh floor.

The seventh floor was an office area, and the corridor was quiet. After getting off the elevator, Jiang Ji walked towards the meeting room mentioned by Chen Jia.

The door of the third meeting room was slightly ajar. Inside, he heard the voices of Qin Qingzhuo and Shi Yao.

“Well, Chen Jia has already told me about this matter. After all, with youthful exuberance, a bit of conflict is normal.”

“Private conflicts are no big deal, but disrupting the program’s original schedule and bringing personal grievances onto the stage is inappropriate. Qingzhuo, you better advise that thorn in your team. In the next match, it’s better not to choose Urban Collapse. It’s beneficial for both sides.”

“I think it’s better not to jump to conclusions too soon. The reasons for this fight, both sides are unwilling to disclose. So, who is at fault, let’s wait until things are clear before discussing.”

“That’s true in theory, but I’ve had more contact with Urban Collapse. All three of them are easy to communicate with, not the type to easily stir up trouble. But this thorn, from day one, has never made things easy for the program team…”

In the meeting room, Qin Qingzhuo looked at Shi Yao on the opposite side, a faint displeasure surfacing in his heart.

Shi Yao said “Thorn” repeatedly, which he found somewhat grating, but he still maintained a surface of mildness and said, “It did stir up some controversy, but it also brought a lot of attention to the show. To be honest, Urban Collapse, this band, has its own strength and background, and they bring some popularity themselves. I have a pretty good idea of their significance to you, Director Shi. But from the current effect of the show, Director Shi, I have to say, you seem to have overestimated them. If it were only Urban Collapse, this show would probably degenerate into a small circle’s revelry.”

Shi Yao pulled up the corners of his mouth into a smile, noncommittal.

After a brief pause, Qin Qingzhuo continued, “Although I’m not involved in many music programs personally now, I still have intuition. To break out of the circle, the presence of Asperatus might be irreplaceable.”

“That’s true.” Shi Yao raised his hand to touch his chin, his expression turning somewhat gloomy. “However, this kind of thorn will sooner or later get a lesson.”

“Jiang Ji.” Qin Qingzhuo finally couldn’t bear it.

Jiang Ji, who was standing in the corridor leaning against the window sill, originally listened to the conversation in the room expressionlessly. When he heard Qin Qingzhuo call his name, he subconsciously looked in the direction of the voice.

The tone Qin Qingzhuo used when saying this reminded Jiang Ji of the time he said to him, “Stop smoking.” The tone sounded gentle at first listen, but inexplicably carried a hint of firmness.

“What?” Shi Yao in the room was also taken aback.

“His name,” Qin Qingzhuo furrowed his brows slightly, “The nickname ‘Thorn’ sounds really harsh to me, and it makes me uncomfortable.”

Shi Yao’s face flashed with a hint of surprise. Usually, Qin Qingzhuo wore a seemingly nonexistent smile on his face, and his voice always sounded gentle, but at this moment, a clear displeasure leaked out.

Realizing this, Shi Yao immediately put away his gloomy expression, put on a smile as if changing his face, and softened his tone, “Qingzhuo, you, always so protective… How about this, I’ll go persuade Urban Collapse later, and you persuade Jiang Ji, let them both stop being stubborn. If they insist on selecting each other, it’s not beneficial to anyone. It’s still possible to change now, and at worst, this segment can be re-recorded without much delay.”

“Well, I’ll give it a try.” Qin Qingzhuo didn’t want to continue this topic, and responded perfunctorily, “Let’s continue discussing the music plan you mentioned earlier.”

The conversation in the room continued, and Jiang Ji put on his headphones, no longer listening to the voices coming from inside.

To be honest, he hadn’t found this show interesting at all. From the beginning, he never had the idea of going all the way to the end. Participating in the audition in the first place was simply because he didn’t want to offend Huang Ying’s goodwill, plus he wanted to make some money from the production team.

However, regardless of the show’s quality, meeting Qin Qingzhuo was actually a pretty good thing. If he hadn’t participated in this show, he and Qin Qingzhuo, two people who lived completely different lives, would probably never have met.

Thinking that after this competition ended, he and Qin Qingzhuo would part ways, he surprisingly felt a slight… Jiang Ji couldn’t quite explain what this faint tingling sensation in his heart meant.

This feeling seemed to have appeared before, it wasn’t so uncomfortable, nor was it so comfortable, but it made him feel at a loss.

The door of the conference room was pulled open, and Qin Qingzhuo walked out of the room.

Seeing Jiang Ji standing by the window, Qin Qingzhuo was first startled, then walked over to him, sizing him up with a smile in his eyes. “Indeed, this style suits you better.”

Jiang Ji straightened up, took off his headphones, and handed his coat to Qin Qingzhuo. “Your coat.”

“Have you been waiting outside just to return my coat?” Qin Qingzhuo took it and put it on himself. “Actually, it’s not too late to give it to me at the next competition.”

After a moment of silence, Jiang Ji said, “It’s not just about the coat.”

“Hmm?” Qin Qingzhuo, now wearing the coat, looked up at him.

Jiang Ji lowered his head slightly, looking into his eyes. “Let me take you home.”

Qin Qingzhuo seemed somewhat surprised, raising his eyebrows lightly, but soon smiled, “Sure.”