Chapter 76

When Peng Keshi received Qin Qingzhuo’s message, she was swiping her card to enter the library.

The band had informed the program team in the afternoon about their decision to withdraw from the competition. Although the program team tried to persuade them to stay, the three of them had already made up their minds and decided not to attend the next match.

Since the competition was terminated, there was no need to continue rehearsing. She planned to work on her thesis tonight.

She walked towards the elevator, glanced at her phone, and stopped in her tracks when she saw the message from Qin Qingzhuo.

A few seconds later, she replied to the message on her phone and then turned around and walked out of the library.

Peng Keshi stood on the roadside with her backpack on one shoulder. After a while, a black Maybach pulled up in front of her.

She approached and opened the rear door, getting in. “Brother Qingzhuo,” she said.

“Keshi,” Qin Qingzhuo sat in the rear seat on the opposite side, “I’m bothering you by reaching out suddenly, right?”

“I’m not busy,” Peng Keshi noticed that Qin Qingzhuo’s complexion was somewhat pale, and his spirits seemed low, as if he was unwell. Thinking of Jiang Ji’s condition earlier in the morning, she didn’t inquire further. “Did you want to talk about the competition?”

Qin Qingzhuo nodded. “Yes,” he said, “Did the decision to withdraw come from all three of you together?”

“Yes, we all don’t want to continue anymore,” Peng Keshi answered truthfully, then asked, “You came to find me specifically to persuade us not to withdraw, right?”

Talking to this girl was so easy, Qin Qingzhuo chuckled and nodded again. “Yes, what are your thoughts? Is there a possibility of staying?”

Qin Qingzhuo’s smile was different from before, giving off a sense of insincerity and a hint of sadness. Peng Keshi noticed this and thought for a moment before saying, “Brother Qingzhuo, I want to ask you a question first.”

“You said it.”

“Is it your genuine desire for us to stay?”

“Of course,” Qin Qingzhuo was slightly taken aback, then asked in return, “Why do you ask?”

“If you’re making compromises and sacrifices for our sake, I simply can’t accept it,” Peng Keshi looked at Qin Qingzhuo and said, “When it comes to matters of dignity, I don’t think they will compromise either. We can’t stand by and watch someone who has cared for and helped us be insulted and misunderstood just for our own benefit.”

Qin Qingzhuo listened attentively, furrowing his brows lightly and shaking his head.

“To be honest,” Peng Keshi continued, “In my upbringing, I’ve seen too many people who betray their dignity for the sake of profit. This is the type of person I despise the most. The reason I chose to join the band with Jiang Ji and Zhong Yang is because I know them well. Now, asking us to return to the program and continue competing is essentially asking us to become those kinds of people. I can’t do it.”

This girl is really something, Qin Qingzhuo thought helplessly. Before he could say anything, she had already articulated all the reasoning.

He sighed. “But now, the person who has cared for and helped you wants to see you continue in the program. If you withdraw because of him, he will feel guilty and regretful, and unsettled inside. So, you don’t plan to consider his feelings at all?”

Peng Keshi fell silent.

Qin Qingzhuo turned to look at her, his voice gentle. “Why must continuing the competition be seen as sacrificing dignity for profit? Why can’t it be seen as responding to the expectations of someone who cares about you?”

There was no hint of coercion in his tone, but it carried a convincing power.

Peng Keshi wasn’t the kind of person who stubbornly resisted all persuasion. She could tell that Qin Qingzhuo genuinely hoped they would continue in the program.

And as for the reasons behind it, she could probably guess.

She couldn’t find the desire to argue anymore, thinking of the Jiang Ji of the past, cold, closed off, prickly, and only focused on making money.

After another moment of silence, she spoke up. “Okay, Brother Qingzhuo, I’ll go talk to Jiang Ji. But I can’t guarantee whether he’ll be persuaded in the end.”

“Okay,” Qin Qingzhuo smiled again, that same insincere smile, “Thank you, Keshi. And also…”

After a pause, he continued, “When you talk to Jiang Ji, it’s best not to mention that I approached you about this.”

“But I think Jiang Ji should be able to guess,” Peng Keshi thought for a moment and said, “If he figures it out, I don’t want to lie.”

“That’s true,” Qin Qingzhuo said, “Handle it as you see fit.”

Peng Keshi nodded. “Okay.”

In the early hours, the crowd on Honglu Slope Street dispersed. As usual, Jiang Ji finished singing, leaned against the bar door, and let himself drift away in the breeze.

He gazed absentmindedly across the alley until he was brought back to reality by a voice calling his name, noticing Peng Keshi standing below the steps.

“Coming here so late,” Jiang Ji looked at her, “Is something wrong?”

“Yeah,” Peng Keshi nodded.

“Come in and talk,” Jiang Ji straightened up, pushing open the bar door and stepping inside.

Peng Keshi climbed the steps and followed him into the bar.

The two sat on high stools by the bar counter, and Peng Keshi got straight to the point, “It’s about withdrawing from the competition. After thinking it over, I feel we should be more cautious about it.”

“Why the sudden change of heart?” Jiang Ji asked.

“You and I are different, Jiang Ji,” Peng Keshi spoke bluntly, “I can afford to miss this opportunity, but you can’t.”

“There’s no such thing as can or can’t,” Jiang Ji said calmly, “There’s only want or don’t want.”

“Debts and Jiang Bei, someone has to take care of them,” Peng Keshi was even more straightforward, “You can go back to your previous life, but I don’t want you to do that.”

Jiang Ji looked at her, a hint of surprise in his eyes. He had never mentioned these things to anyone before. “When did you find out about these things?”

“It’s been a while,” Peng Keshi admitted truthfully, “But I knew you didn’t want others prying into your affairs, nor would you accept help from anyone else, so I’ve been pretending not to know.”

Jiang Ji nodded, and after a moment, he echoed Peng Keshi’s earlier words, “The past life…”

“The past and the present, is there a difference?” he turned his head, his gaze falling onto the dark street outside, and he chuckled lightly, “They’re all the same.”

“But actually, you’ve changed, and you can’t go back to who you used to be,” she said, but before she could finish her sentence, Jiang Ji interrupted her.

“Qin Qingzhuo approached you?”

Peng Keshi remained silent.

As she had anticipated, Jiang Ji quickly figured it out.

“If you don’t say anything, I’ll take it as confirmation,” Jiang Ji said, looking at her.

Peng Keshi still didn’t speak.

Jiang Ji also fell silent, and after a moment, he asked, “How is he now?”

“He seems to be in bad shape, not much better than you,” Peng Keshi shook her head, “His ear issue seems to be worse than before. When he talks to me, he always pays attention to my lip movements.”

Jiang Ji’s casually intertwined fingers tightened, his hands clasped together tightly, the taut knuckles protruding, but there was no change in expression on his face.

“Your affairs, I can probably guess,” Peng Keshi sighed softly, “Jiang Ji, I can tell that Qin Qingzhuo is still very worried about you. He personally approached me to talk about not withdrawing from the competition, largely for your sake. He hopes you can continue on this show.”

Jiang Ji remained silent, still displaying the same expressionless demeanor. Peng Keshi couldn’t discern what he was thinking after hearing her words, so she continued.

“I was hesitating on my way here, whether I should advise you or not. But as I thought about it, I suddenly realized that whether we withdraw from the competition or not, it’s not really important. What’s important is the possibilities it can bring. If you withdraw now and continue to perform residency in this bar, returning to your previous life, will you and Qin Qingzhuo also regress to the parallel state you were in before? Is there really a possibility of connection between you two?”

Peng Keshi spoke calmly, and she noticed that Jiang Ji, who had been indifferent earlier, was becoming somewhat serious.

Her thoughts gradually became clearer, “If I’m not mistaken, there’s a ten-year age difference between you two. Although you’re indeed mature for your age and have experienced a lot, you still can’t compare to Qin Qingzhuo. As a senior who has experienced both fame and obscurity in the industry, his considerations are undoubtedly much more complex than yours. Jiang Ji, you’re only nineteen, and there’s a long road ahead of you. If you really want to be with Qin Qingzhuo, the best approach is to respond to his expectations, elevate yourself, and get closer to him. Only then can there be more possibilities.”

After Peng Keshi finished speaking, she stopped and looked at Jiang Ji.

Having spoken these words, she also felt a sense of relief in her chest.

At first, Jiang Ji didn’t say anything, his jawline tensed, his brows furrowed slightly, lost in thought.

After a while, he finally spoke, “Got it, I’ll consider it carefully. Thanks, Sister Shi.”

“Thanks for what,” Peng Keshi smiled, “To be honest, seeing you two so miserable, I feel a bit uncomfortable. I’ve said everything I needed to say, so I’ll take off now.”

She stood up after finishing her words, and Jiang Ji also stood up, “It’s so late, how are you going back? Let me call a cab for you.”

“As someone who has practiced boxing, you don’t need to worry,” Peng Keshi walked towards the door and waved at him, “Get some rest soon and think about this matter. It’s not like you to do nothing but mope around like this.”

Jiang Ji nodded, pushed the door open, and watched Peng Keshi walk out onto Honglu Slope Street.

Then he withdrew his gaze, leaned against the door, and fell into thought.

The next day, while Qin Qingzhuo was receiving treatment at the hospital, he received another call from Xia Qi.

Xia Qi said on the phone that Asperatus agreed not to withdraw from the competition and would participate normally in the next round. Qin Qingzhuo breathed a sigh of relief.

It was right to find Peng Keshi; he knew this girl was smart and reliable.

He didn’t ask Peng Keshi how she persuaded Jiang Ji. Instead, he thanked her on WeChat and asked them to focus on the upcoming competition.

After everything was settled, he privately visited Du Hefeng, who took over his position as mentor, and asked him to give more guidance to Asperatus in terms of music.

Du Hefeng was a senior figure in the industry, with profound qualifications and a gentle personality. Qin Qingzhuo felt that he was more suitable than himself to be the team’s mentor.

If it weren’t for Du Hefeng’s unexpected health issues at the beginning, Qin Qingzhuo shouldn’t have taken on the role of team mentor.

Perhaps this was the right decision now, Qin Qingzhuo thought. Everything was back on track, which was better for everyone involved.

After everything was settled, he no longer paid special attention to the show “Band Fever,” even deliberately ignoring the show he had once been deeply involved in.

Life returned to the way it was a few months ago. He was busy writing songs, busy with music production, busy with the operation of the studio, and busy with treating his ears.

At first, when he was doing these things, he would often be distracted, thinking of Jiang Ji. But after a while, this state gradually improved, and he could finally focus on the work at hand.

What happened that night was like digging a deep hole on the beach. Initially, it made him feel empty, with the wind blowing through, unable to fill it no matter what. But later, wave after wave of tide washed over, gradually filling the hole.

Time would make everything return to normal. Qin Qingzhuo had known this truth for a long time.

But he didn’t deliberately pay attention to Jiang Ji, who had not completely disappeared from his life.

After the live broadcast of “Band Fever,” due to the incident with the song “Light Peck” and Qin Qingzhuo’s refusal to sing, the show was pushed to the pinnacle of public opinion. After Qin Qingzhuo completely withdrew from the show, it ushered in another wave of discussion, completely breaking into the mainstream and becoming visible to the public eye.

Naturally, the Asperatus band, which was at the center of the storm, received the most attention. The lead singer, Jiang Ji, became the focus of all attention. His musical talent was recognized by more and more people, and both his admirers and detractors multiplied exponentially. His Weibo account, which had not sent a single message since its registration, gained millions of followers within a month.

Some people noticed this clean, seemingly unused Weibo account, which was only followed by Qin Qingzhuo—the Weibo account that had not been updated for four years. This incident sparked a wave of speculation in a small circle.

Qin Qingzhuo naturally didn’t know about this. Since the concert four years ago, he had stopped paying attention to online comments. However, perhaps because they were in the same music circle, news about Jiang Ji, even if he didn’t deliberately pay attention to it, always seemed to reach him inadvertently—

In the studio, the young ladies would discuss Jiang Ji’s successful advancement to the next round of the competition, now ranking first in the points competition;

On social media, Xia Qi, Shen Cha, and some other colleagues would repost Jiang Ji’s new songs, praising his talent and voice;

On car radios, entertainment hosts would eagerly discuss the events of the program, with the focus always on Jiang Ji.

So there would always be those moments when Qin Qingzhuo would suddenly think of Jiang Ji, briefly distracted from his work, only to snap out of it when reminded by others, and then immerse himself back into work.

It’s in these moments that Qin Qingzhuo would feel that the hole was still there, just covered by a layer of sand.

Entering November, Shen Cha sent an invitation to Qin Qingzhuo, asking him to be the producer for her new album.

Qin Qingzhuo and Shen Cha were old friends for many years, and they had recently collaborated happily on the program, so he readily agreed.

After that, he became even busier, writing a few songs himself, and planning to ask some friends in the industry to collaborate on a few more.

One day, when meeting with Shen Cha to discuss which artists to invite for the new album, Shen Cha had a sudden idea, “What about Jiang Ji? I like his style. Qingzhuo, why not invite him to collaborate on a song?”

Qin Qingzhuo was momentarily stunned when he heard this, then casually replied, “Sure, but I haven’t been in touch with him since I withdrew from the competition. If you want to invite him, you can ask him yourself, and I’ll help you arrange it.”

“Why don’t you ask him for me? I’m afraid of being rejected,” Shen Cha said, “You’re his mentor and you signed his band. Whether he accepts or not is just a matter of your word, right?”

“He doesn’t often come to the studio, and I haven’t seen him in a long time,” Qin Qingzhuo pretended to smile naturally, “It’s better for you. You can meet him at the program venue from time to time, so it’s more appropriate for you to ask.”

He was usually easygoing, but he was firm this time. After some persuasion from Shen Cha, with no success, she had to decide to ask Jiang Ji herself.

“Don’t forget to pay him enough,” Qin Qingzhuo joked, “Otherwise, my studio might not agree to this collaboration.”

“I know,” Shen Cha dragged out her voice, “What kind of producer is this? The singer has to invite himself.”

Qin Qingzhuo smiled and brushed off the topic, turning to discuss other songs with her.

Shen Cha worked efficiently, and half a month later, she brought the song she had arranged with Jiang Ji to Qin Qingzhuo.

“This kid is quite efficient,” Shen Cha handed the sheet music to Qin Qingzhuo, “He gave me several songs. You can pick two, Qingzhuo.”

Without looking, Qin Qingzhuo casually placed it in a folder, “Let’s wait until all the songs are arranged, and then I’ll review them together.”

Although he said that, after Shen Cha left, he stared at the small portion of the sheet music that was exposed in the folder for a long time.

The last two lines of the lyrics were written on it – “Finally, I looked up and saw the moon, but it was in a place I couldn’t reach.”

Staring at those lyrics in a daze, the door of the workspace was knocked, and Li Zi peeked in, “Qingzhuo, today is your birthday. We’ve arranged a little gathering for you. Remember to come to Su San at 8 o’clock tonight.”

Qin Qingzhuo snapped out of it, pushed the partially revealed lyrics back into the folder, looked up at her, and smiled, “So grand. Shouldn’t I dress up a bit nicely then?”

“You’re already good-looking without dressing up,” Li Zi sweetly smiled, “If you dress up more, how can us ordinary mortals live?”

“Such flattery.” Qin Qingzhuo chuckled.

He almost never refused others’ kindness, and this time was no exception. He readily accepted, “8 o’clock tonight, right? I got it.”

TN:

*Sigh* The irrational part of me didn’t want Asperatus to go back on that broken show and give them any benefit! But it’s good for them I guess. Poor JJ.