Chapter 117

The vast studio was dim and silent, with the restless atmosphere left behind by the previous band floating in the air.

All the audience held their breath, their eyes focused on the figures on stage, waiting for the lights to come on and reveal the identity of the mystery guest singer.

However, the lights remained off, and in the dim darkness, the melody of the cello unfolded slowly, quickly smoothing out the last hint of restlessness lingering in the air.

After a dozen seconds, the melody of the guitar joined in, its bright tones complementing the deep and heavy sound of the cello, like flashes of light shimmering on a calm deep stream.

It was at this moment that Jiang Ji began to speak, his voice relaxed as ever with a sense of storytelling, “I passed through nineteen years of wandering, carrying heavy burdens, wading through turbid waters, avoiding the flickering light in the dark nights…”

As soon as he spoke, there was a burst of applause from the audience below.

The sound reached Qin Qingzhuo’s ears, causing him to instinctively grip the bow in his hand tightly.

Standing on stage, listening to the thunderous applause from the thousands of spectators below, this scene brought back his long-lost memories.

It was all too familiar, he had experienced scenes like this hundreds of times four years ago.

Before this, he deliberately avoided looking at the audience, and could only see vague figures in the audience with his peripheral vision.

The stage design had been discussed in advance; for the first two bars, all the lights were off, and the audience below couldn’t see him, and he couldn’t see the audience below, thereby reducing his fear and nervousness of the audience when he returned to the stage for the first time.

However, Qin Qingzhuo realized how ineffective this tactic was. The huge applause passed through his earpiece and entered his ears, and the vague figures in his mind were personified into various expectant, scrutinizing, indifferent, and mocking gazes.

The tinnitus started again, emanating from his left ear like sizzling electric currents.

With each sentence Jiang Ji sang, the part of the earpiece closer to him got louder, and the tinnitus became more intense.

His palms began to sweat continuously, and Qin Qingzhuo felt that his right hand holding the bow was already soaked with sweat. He tightened his fingers, worried that the bow would slip from his hand at any moment.

He almost mechanically played the cello, with all his thoughts on whether or not he should open his mouth or not.

As long as he didn’t sing, there would still be a chance for retreat, but once he did, he might face the same situation as he did four years ago – the audience’s uproar, the disappointed or angry eyes looking at him, and the embarrassing departure from the stage…

Jiang Ji had reached the last sentence, and after a slightly prolonged ending note, there was a two-second pause before the next musical phrase.

According to the agreement, as long as Qin Qingzhuo shook his head gently at Jiang Ji, Jiang Ji would continue singing the next part, and then complete the entire song on his own.

Qin Qingzhuo looked up at Jiang Ji, who was also looking at him, or rather, Jiang Ji’s gaze had never left him.

As their eyes met, Qin Qingzhuo suddenly heard the words Jiang Ji had said on the music festival stage that morning – “Qin Qingzhuo, I’ll support you, you can trust me unconditionally.”

One second, two seconds—

Qin Qingzhuo heard his own voice in the earpiece, mingling with the buzzing tinnitus, slightly muffled by the thick eardrum. “I’ve witnessed the grandest downfall” – this somewhat hollow, not quite perfect opening line.

He felt the stir from the audience below; evidently, as soon as he sang this line, many people recognized his voice.

This commotion heightened his unease, so the second line, “The hustle and bustle swallowed by darkness,” sounded even more hollow. Then, he suddenly heard Jiang Ji’s voice in the earpiece, deep and relaxed, with a subtle yet strong presence – Jiang Ji was helping him with the harmony.

In fact, during the three days of rehearsal, Qin Qingzhuo’s part had always been sung solo. Jiang Ji’s harmony shouldn’t have appeared here, but it blended in so naturally. A faint hum, precise control of pitch, present yet not overpowering – the song seemed as if it was meant to be this way.

It’s hard to describe the feeling in that moment, as if teetering precariously on a thin steel wire, prepared to fall at any moment, but then a soft and dense cloud drifted over, making him realize that even if he slipped, he wouldn’t fall.

The sensation of being supported couldn’t be clearer; all the unease seemed to find a place in this harmony.

As he sang the last two lines, “Standing alone in the corner, numbly letting time grind away,” Qin Qingzhuo heard his voice in the earpiece no longer sounded hollow like the previous two lines. It was gently supported by Jiang Ji’s subtle harmony, even better than any rehearsal effect.

As the last note fell, he seemed to suddenly regain his composure and confidence in singing this song well.

The next musical phrase was a duet for the two of them. In this brief gap, Qin Qingzhuo took a deep breath. When he and Jiang Ji started singing at the same time, all the anxiety and unease subsided—

“Until I see your silhouette in the crowd,

Like a sudden flash of light in the sky,

That piercing light breaking through the darkness,

Suddenly makes me want to reach out and hold tight.”

As he sang the words “sudden flash of light,” a spotlight above the studio lit up, shining onto the center of the stage.

The moment when the bass and drums gradually rose, the commotion below intensified – the earlier speculations were confirmed: the person sitting next to Jiang Ji, assisting the Asperatus band, was indeed Qin Qingzhuo.

For a moment, there was surprise, indifference, and whispers among the audience.

But none of that mattered anymore; Qin Qingzhuo looked into Jiang Ji’s eyes, fully immersed in this song.

The tinnitus disappeared, and in the earpiece, his voice overlapped with Jiang Ji’s, his high notes smooth and clear, Jiang Ji’s voice deep and full. The harmony of the two different tones sounded natural and complementary.

For a moment, Qin Qingzhuo felt a resonance with Jiang Ji’s soul, as if he had returned to the afternoon when they wrote songs together, and those notes and melodies flowed naturally, allowing him to completely relax and settle.

Above the studio, rows of spotlights gradually lit up, the low-frequency blend of drums and bass becoming clearer. Then came the two solo parts for each of them. This time, listening to Jiang Ji’s voice, Qin Qingzhuo naturally began to harmonize with him, just as Jiang Ji had done for him before – a faint, almost imperceptible hum, like a soft veil enveloping each other’s voices.

(Jiang Ji)

You showed me the grandest sunset

The flowing clouds were like fireworks, burning away time

Melting into transparent amber

Can the world just anchor here?

(Qin Qingzhuo)

You made me fall into the softest downfall

That broken song is about to engulf me

Frantically nowhere to hide

But you, like the clouds, are holding me up

(Together)

Waking up, gazing at your silhouette

Like a sudden flash of light in the sky

All my past anxieties and uncertainties

Have found solace in your eyes

(Together)

Do you still remember that day of heavy rain

In my vision, everything was speckled except for you

Suddenly remembering that we had already met many years ago

In the dark alley, I once tightly held your hand

(Together)

This life is still so long, but I’ve already started yearning

Let’s go together to a bright place

At the climax, the floodlights on the shed poured down, the slow melody of the cello was like a calm and deep sea, reflecting the vast galaxy woven by the guitar, bass, and drums.

The high and low voices glided like two seagulls between the sea and the sky, sometimes gently skimming the surface of the sea, sometimes soaring into the vast starry sky. However steep the flight path, they always maintained the same frequency of flapping wings, freely soaring between heaven and earth.

Qin Qingzhuo listened to the harmony of his voice with Jiang Ji’s, as if reliving all the important moments they had shared – watching sunrises and sunsets together, the cramped carriage in the pouring rain, that light peck on the cheek, Jiang Ji holding him and saying “I will support you,” and the tears that fell before each other…

As they sang the last line, “Suddenly remembering that we had already met many years ago,” it felt as if they had truly returned to the broken alley many years ago, where the nineteen-year-old him and the nine-year-old Jiang Ji played the same guitar together. That moment when the cool melody pierced through the night sky seemed to have already written the beginning of this song.

Starting with the cello and ending with the cello, the guitar, bass, and drums all converged, and the cello’s coda continued for a few more seconds, finally settling in the long and slow melody.

In the brief silence, Qin Qingzhuo looked into Jiang Ji’s eyes.

Suddenly, there was a deafening applause and cheers from the audience, almost startling him.

It was then, as if awakening from a dream, that he realized he had forgotten he was on stage just now – if the applause had come a second or two later, perhaps he would have put down the cello to embrace and kiss Jiang Ji.

He saw Jiang Ji blink very lightly, and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, reflecting in his dark eyes.

He then realized that Jiang Ji, like himself, had probably forgotten he was on stage because he was immersed in the performance just now.

They smiled at each other simultaneously, and then Qin Qingzhuo looked at Zhong Yang behind the stage and Peng Keshi on the side, exchanging a smile with them.

Qin Qingzhuo put down the cello and stood up with Jiang Ji amidst the applause, standing with the band in the center of the stage.

The applause continued for several minutes without showing any signs of weakening, with many fans shouting the names of Jiang Ji and Qin Qingzhuo.

It wasn’t until the host walked onto the stage and organized the audience to vote for the performance in the last few seconds that the applause gradually subsided.

After the five-second countdown for voting, seeing Shen Cha raise her hand, the host looked at her, “Does Teacher Shen Cha have any comments?”

“I want to say,” Shen Cha looked at Qin Qingzhuo on stage and exclaimed, “Qingzhuo, do you know how beautiful your harmonies are?”

Qin Qingzhuo smiled, glanced at Jiang Ji, and then sincerely looked at Shen Cha and said, “Thank you.”

“I am deeply moved right now, and I feel very fortunate to have agreed to participate in this program back then,” Shen Cha looked emotionally touched, “Watching Qingzhuo sing on stage just now, it felt like seeing an old friend who had been lost for many years suddenly return… It feels like nothing else matters now, as long as we quietly listen to you sing.”

Her tone was sincere, and she seemed genuinely happy for her old friend. For a moment, Qin Qingzhuo also felt a bit emotional, remembering the scene when he was still a singer and chatting with Shen Cha backstage at the Golden Melody Awards.

“Yeah,” Qin Qingzhuo sighed softly, “It’s been four years, and I didn’t expect to be able to come back.”

As he said these words, even he felt a bit incredulous. He hadn’t expected to so easily open up about this past.

Before going on stage, Xia Qi specifically went through the script with him, omitting all mention of what happened four years ago, and focusing only on the stage itself. However, perhaps because he had just successfully completed a performance on stage, he felt a sense of relief from the bottom of his heart. Things he had been afraid to face in the past suddenly seemed light and easy at this moment. This sense of relief made him completely relaxed.

“Why did you suddenly stop singing back then,” Shen Cha seemed to have noticed the change in him, and continued to chat with him, “You know, Qingzhuo, when I heard the news that you stopped singing, I simply couldn’t believe it. You, who love singing so much, and are so spiritual in singing, how could you…”

She paused halfway through her sentence, not continuing.

Jiang Ji glanced at Qin Qingzhuo, although he could tell that Shen Cha’s words were sincere and not mixed with any malice, he still felt a bit worried about Qin Qingzhuo’s state.

He didn’t intend to let Qin Qingzhuo continue talking, thinking about how to change the topic and divert him from this potentially uncomfortable topic. However, Qin Qingzhuo spoke up at this moment –

“Because I was ill. Four years ago, I was diagnosed with Eustachian tube dysfunction. My ears,” Qin Qingzhuo raised his hand and gently tapped his ear, his tone even a bit relaxed, “often hear sounds that shouldn’t be there. Although it doesn’t happen all the time, once I start singing, it affects me. I used to want to overcome it, but I failed, and it even caused a great psychological barrier for me regarding singing.”

When he said this sentence, everyone in the audience seemed to be shocked.

Surprise, regret, incredulity… all emotions intertwined, and the studio suddenly fell silent.

Even Shen Cha didn’t know what to say next, as if all the questions had lost their meaning at this moment.

“Don’t be like this,” Qin Qingzhuo smiled, “It’s just because I’m afraid you’ll always see me with this expression, that’s why I never dared to mention this for the past four years.”

He deliberately joked, but the atmosphere on the scene did not loosen because of this sentence.

“But, I really want to take this live broadcast opportunity to apologize to all the fans who have supported me,” Qin Qingzhuo looked at the audience below, took a deep breath, “I’m sorry, I’ve let down your love and expectations.”

As he said this, he saw someone in the audience covering the lower half of their face with their hand, and tears shimmering on their face.

Realizing that they were still his fans who liked him, he felt a mix of emotions for a moment.

Jiang Ji reached out and squeezed Qin Qingzhuo’s wrist, then quickly let go – in fact, he had wanted to hold Qin Qingzhuo’s hand just now, but he clenched his fingers to restrain his impulse.

Qin Qingzhuo turned his head to look at him, their eyes met, and his emotions quickly returned to calm.

“Okay, I can sing now, so let’s not make the atmosphere so heavy,” he deliberately lightened his tone, “Shen Cha, don’t cry anymore, your makeup is going to be ruined. Do you really want to know why I can sing on stage again?”

Shen Cha took the tissue handed to her by the staff nearby, calmed her emotions, and asked in line with his words, “Why?”

“Because…” After a pause, Qin Qingzhuo said, “I believe there is someone who will support me.”

“Who is this person?” Shen Cha asked knowingly.

Before Qin Qingzhuo could speak, the audience below had already answered for him – “Jiang Ji”, “Jiang Shang Qing”, “Asperatus” – the three answers echoed one after another, and the heavy atmosphere just now was instantly replaced by the enthusiasm of shipping CP.

“Yes, fortunately I met them,” Qin Qingzhuo smiled at the three musicians beside him, “Don’t forget today’s protagonists, the Asperatus Band, also my three favorite little friends.”

The atmosphere became lively again, and Yang Jingwen from the mentor’s seat took over the conversation, “So which little friend do you like the most?”

This question reminded the audience of Jiang Ji’s question on stage asking “Which musician do you like the most?” Undoubtedly, it added another spark to the audience’s enthusiasm for shipping CP, and this time almost everyone shouted “Jiang Ji” in unison.

The atmosphere was a bit heavy just now, but now it has completely turned into a wave of enthusiasm, almost uncontrollable.

It wasn’t until the host took control and asked Du Hefeng to comment that the cheers began to die down.

“We invite another mentor from the Asperatus Band to comment on this collaboration,” the host looked at the mentor’s seat and called out, “Teacher Du Hefeng.”

“I think this collaboration is really great,” Du Hefeng, the oldest and most experienced among all the mentors, and whose style of commentary is more serious than the other mentors, said, “The coordination between Qingzhuo and the entire band is so tacit, it really makes me feel that there is resonance between you. I want to know how long did you rehearse to achieve this effect?”

Qin Qingzhuo looked at Jiang Ji, indicating that he should answer Du Hefeng’s question.

“Three days,” Jiang Ji replied briefly.

There was a sudden stir in the audience below, and Du Hefeng also exclaimed, “Only three days?”

“Yes, we rehearsed day and night for three days,” Qin Qingzhuo took over with a smile, “Because I joined at the last minute, and the band changed songs halfway through, so the rehearsal was relatively rushed. However, this extreme rehearsal really showed me the professionalism and level of cooperation of the three musicians.”

“To achieve this performance effect in three days of rehearsal,” Du Hefeng nodded, “is quite incredible.”

“Well, that’s nothing,” Zhong Yang boasted a bit, “For the song ‘Light Peck,’ we only rehearsed for three days too, and for the ‘Endless Night’ performance, we rehearsed two songs simultaneously for three days…” Then he noticed a problem, “Hey? It seems that when Qingzhuo was our mentor, we always rehearsed in a rush every time, but after Teacher Du Hefeng became our mentor, we never encountered this situation…”

Qin Qingzhuo looked at him, “Is it my fault?”

There was laughter from the audience below.

Zhong Yang scratched his temple, “No way, it must be Jiang Ji’s fault…”

His instant cowardly behavior made the audience laugh even more joyfully.

“Then Ke Shi,” Shen Cha looked at Peng Keshi at this time and also interjected, “As a Yan University academic genius, can you stand the band always praying for luck three days before the competition?”

“No, I think it’s fine,” Peng Keshi smiled, “I think it’s good, the deadline is the first productivity.”

There was laughter again in the audience, and Shen Cha also smiled and said, “Is this the experience of an academic genius?”

After Du Hefeng, Yang Jingwen took over and continued to comment, “Qingzhuo, I think you and the Asperatus Band are really in sync,” Yang Jingwen took over his words, “You can’t tell at all that you’re an outsider. There are more or less some traces of adaptation in the collaborations of other groups, but only your group has achieved the feeling of integration,” he said, looking at the three people on stage, “Are you really not considering integrating Teacher Qin into the band? It would be so cool to have two lead singers with different tones!”

“We actually want to,” Zhong Yang raised his hand to touch his nose, “But Qingzhuo bro is such a big shot…”

“Don’t say that,” Qin Qingzhuo smiled and looked at him, “You guys didn’t invite me either.”

“Then Ji Ji,” Yang Jingwen urged, “Do you want to invite Teacher Qin to join your band on the spot?”

He stirred up the scene, and the enthusiasm of the audience was immediately aroused again, with many people loudly answering for Jiang Ji, “Yes.”

With all eyes on him, Jiang Ji didn’t respond as Yang Jingwen suggested. Instead, he looked at Qin Qingzhuo and said, “If you want to come, you can anytime.”

There was a bigger scream from the audience seat. Being stared at by Jiang Ji and hearing these words, Qin Qingzhuo felt his heart skip a beat in the thunderous roar, subconsciously avoiding his gaze.

The next second, he wondered why he felt this irresistible impulse while facing these eyes, even though he had slept so many times before.

After all three mentors had commented, Ren Yu also commented on the arrangement aspect of the performance, and the interactive session of the Asperatus Band was almost over.

At the moment of announcing the final vote count, the host invited all four bands in the final onto the stage.

Starting from the fourth place, the vote counts were announced first, followed by the revelation of the band names.

The Asperatus Band and the Urban Collapse Band were without surprise the last two bands competing for the championship.

In fact, at this point, winning or losing was no longer so important.

However, in the tense atmosphere of the entire audience, Qin Qingzhuo turned around to look at the big screen behind him and felt a slight unease.

—He wanted to win. He subconsciously twirled the ring on his middle finger with his thumb.

More accurately, he wanted to see the boy he liked crowned champion.

On the big screen, the two columns were neck and neck, with blue representing the Asperatus Band on the left and red representing the Urban Collapse on the right.

At the moment when the votes were tied, everyone’s gaze was focused on the big screen.

However, Jiang Ji moved his gaze from the big screen to Qin Qingzhuo’s face.

He saw Qin Qingzhuo’s eyes focused on the screen behind him, his breathing slowing down, looking a bit nervous.

The next moment, Qin Qingzhuo’s brows relaxed, and a smile spread from his eyes to his entire face.

The whole audience erupted into cheers, screams, and applause.

Qin Qingzhuo looked at Jiang Ji, and in the deafening noise, he pointed to the screen behind him and leaned closer to Jiang Ji, saying, “Don’t look at me, look at the vote count.”

However, Jiang Ji did not avert his gaze. He reached out and hugged Qin Qingzhuo.

Qin Qingzhuo was taken aback, but instead of breaking free from Jiang Ji, he also hugged him.

They exchanged a hug at this moment of celebration, openly but also ambiguously, and when they separated, Qin Qingzhuo felt Jiang Ji’s lips lightly brush against his forehead, so much so that he could hear his own heartbeat amidst the cacophony of voices around him.

TN:

Seeing Qinzhuo finally back on stage🤧.