Chapter 64

The next morning, Qin Qingzhuo was awakened by his phone vibrating. Chen Jia called early in the morning, and he half-awake answered the phone, Chen Jia immediately asked, “Qingzhuo, where’s the promised song with the singer?”

“What time is it?” Qin Qingzhuo was still a bit groggy from sleep.

“It’s past seven.” Chen Jia answered, then asked, “What about Jiang Ji? Where is he?”

“Right next to me.” Qin Qingzhuo rubbed his temples, starting to wake up a bit, and sat up straight.

“The production team?” Jiang Ji heard the voice and opened his eyes.

He wasn’t fully awake either, his voice was hoarse from sleep, and his slightly drowsy appearance made his youthful aura even more apparent.

Upon hearing Jiang Ji’s voice, Chen Jia exploded, “What the hell, are you guys sleeping together?”

Her tone was excited, which startled Qin Qingzhuo too. “No, we’re in the car.”

“You’re in the car?!” Chen Jia was astonished. “All night?”

“… I was helping him write songs,” Qin Qingzhuo couldn’t help but complain, “What are you thinking?”

Before he finished speaking, Jiang Ji beside him suddenly chuckled.

Qin Qingzhuo subconsciously glanced at him, and Jiang Ji looked back, now fully awake, with a hint of amusement in his eyes, as if he was enjoying the situation.

… It seemed like he was the only one feeling guilty.

On the phone, Chen Jia’s excitement couldn’t be hidden, “Where are you guys? I’ll bring a cameraman to shoot a few shots.”

“Don’t bother,” Qin Qingzhuo said into the phone, “If you come, even if there’s nothing, you’ll make something out of it.”

“If there’s nothing, then Qingzhuo, just let me come,” Chen Jia softened her tone and persuaded him, “You’re the best, we’ll just take a few empty shots, I promise not to shoot randomly.”

Qin Qingzhuo didn’t relent and laughed it off, “Really, don’t come. We’re heading back now.”

After a few more attempts from Chen Jia, seeing that Qin Qingzhuo wouldn’t change his mind, she reluctantly gave up, “…Fine, it’s a pity.”

After hanging up the phone, Qin Qingzhuo realized Jiang Ji was still looking at him—his face turned towards him, not trying to conceal his gaze at all.

This early in the morning, without even washing his face, what was there to look at?

“The trunk has bottled water. Let’s go wash our faces.” He said as he got out of the car, rummaging through the storage compartment to find two boxes of mouthwash, handing one to Jiang Ji, then retrieving bottled water from the trunk.

“Did you sleep well last night?” Jiang Ji walked over, taking the bottle of water from him and squatting down to pour water for him.

“Pretty good.” Qin Qingzhuo reached out to catch the flowing water.

“Did you dream of me?”

“…” It seemed like he actually did, but Qin Qingzhuo splashed the water onto his face and replied, “No.”

“I don’t believe it. You definitely dreamed of me.” Jiang Ji said calmly, but there was a hint of certainty in his voice.

Qin Qingzhuo wiped his face with a tissue and then his fingers. “How can you be so sure?”

“I cast a spell on you in your dream,” Jiang Ji said.

The way he said it made him seem like that young boy from years ago. Qin Qingzhuo smiled, “Well, it seems like your magic still needs some refining, because I really didn’t dream of you.”

After saying this, he could sense Jiang Ji was a bit disappointed, although he didn’t show it much.

Qin Qingzhuo took the bottled water from Jiang Ji. “Come on, let me pour water for you.”

The water flowed gently from the bottle as he poured, and he watched Jiang Ji quietly.

With his face wet from the water, Jiang Ji’s features were sharp and clear, and Qin Qingzhuo couldn’t deny that Jiang Ji’s appearance was indeed quite outstanding, pleasing to the eye.

It was no wonder that when he stood on stage, without saying a word, the girls in the audience would start screaming.

It was quite miraculous, Qin Qingzhuo thought. He did dream of Jiang Ji last night. Could it be that Jiang Ji really cast a spell on him in his dream?

This thought seemed a bit childish even to himself, and he couldn’t help but find it amusing.

On the way back, the sky in the early morning was clear with thin clouds, and the sun was particularly warm, bright orange, full of vitality.

At the intersection with traffic lights, Jiang Ji hummed a few lines from “Traveling Light”: “And with each step taken my back was breaking, Till I found the One who took it all from me…”

The melody of the song was cheerful and light, making one feel relaxed.

Qin Qingzhuo could feel that Jiang Ji’s mood had improved a lot compared to when they first met; he seemed like a different person.

Perhaps the current Jiang Ji was closest to his true self—sharp and confident, yet straightforward and honest.

He was quite pleased to see the changes happening in Jiang Ji.

As they were about to enter the location for the program recording, he couldn’t help but feel a headache at the thought of the cameraman probably having set up the equipment by the door, ready to shoot from all angles without missing a beat. 

Actually, filming other things was fine, but when it came to filming him and Jiang Ji, once the program aired, every expression, gesture, and reaction would be scrutinized by countless eyes, and he didn’t know how their relationship would be interpreted.

Moreover, in the program, they were still in the roles of contestant and mentor, with a ten-year age gap between them. The fact that his studio would probably sign Jiang Ji later would likely also be exposed. With all these things mixed together, there was no telling if both of them would end up getting criticized.

It was fine if he himself got criticized; after all, he had grown accustomed to it over the years. But Jiang Ji… although he would inevitably face these unpleasant things sooner or later, Qin Qingzhuo hoped it wouldn’t happen so soon.

Just as he was considering whether to ask Jiang Ji to stop the car early, Jiang Ji, who was beside him, had already slowed down. “Let’s stop here. I’ll go in by myself.”

Qin Qingzhuo was taken aback for a moment, snapping out of his thoughts and looking at him.

Jiang Ji parked the car by the roadside, not explaining much, just saying, “You probably don’t want to be filmed,” and asking, “How are you going back?”

“I’ll drive back myself,” Qin Qingzhuo said.

“It’s quite far,” Jiang Ji thought for a moment. “Let me go tell Sister Jia. You wait here, and I’ll drive you back later.”

“No need,” Qin Qingzhuo smiled. “I’ve been driving longer than you.”

Saying this, Jiang Ji remembered something from the past. “Back then, when you went to Runcheng, you drove a car, a red one.”

Qin Qingzhuo smiled in agreement.

“Then drive slowly on your way back,” Jiang Ji unbuckled his seatbelt. “Let me know when you arrive.”

“Alright,” Qin Qingzhuo agreed.

Jiang Ji got out of the car, taking the sheet music he had written yesterday with him.

Qin Qingzhuo also opened the car door and got out, sitting in the driver’s seat. He rolled down the window and looked at Jiang Ji. “Well… rehearse well. See you on the day of the recording.”

“Okay,” standing beside the car with his guitar on his back, Jiang Ji looked at him and said, “Look forward to the next round of the competition.”

“Are you that confident?” Qin Qingzhuo chuckled. “Alright then.”

On the way back, Qin Qingzhuo drove slowly, keeping the speed consistently at around seventy kilometers per hour.

It had been many years since he had driven himself, and surprisingly, it went smoother than he had imagined when he got on the road, without being overly nervous.

However, when there were few cars on the road at first, it was smooth sailing, but as they approached the city, the traffic increased, and his palms began to sweat slightly, making him feel uncomfortable.

Four years had passed, and it seemed that he still couldn’t overcome this psychological barrier.

Oh well… it wouldn’t be good if something happened again. Qin Qingzhuo slowed down the car, found a suitable spot, parked it, and then took out his phone to dial the driver’s number.

The recording of the program was scheduled for three days later, and the band was taken directly to the filming location by the staff after rehearsal.

This program was different from previous recordings; it would be broadcast live for the first time, with both live and online audiences voting together to decide which bands would advance.

Because of this change, the staff were even more tense, afraid that there would be mistakes during the live broadcast, and were working diligently to conduct various preliminary checks.

“Because we’re entering the scoring stage,” Chen Jia accompanied Qin Qingzhuo towards the mentor’s seat, explaining to him, “In order to keep the audience’s interest fresh, the format of the program has been changed to make it look more like a series of music festivals. This way, audience participation is higher, and the atmosphere at the scene is better, which might attract more attention.”

“It’s quite good,” Qin Qingzhuo observed the new stage design, with its towering dome twinkling with starry lights, resembling a starry night sky adorned with stars, looking beautiful. “The stage design is also quite beautiful.”

“It’s mainly done by Sister Qi. Didn’t she organize a few music festivals with her boyfriend before? She has more experience in this aspect than Director Shi.” Chen Jia said, “But she’s been working really hard lately, exhausted to the point of falling ill.”

“Xia Qi is sick?” Qin Qingzhuo was surprised.

“Yeah, she couldn’t come to the recording today.”

“Is it serious?”

“She fainted at the scene yesterday and was taken to the hospital on the spot,” seeing Qin Qingzhuo’s worried expression, Chen Jia added, “But it should be nothing serious. I heard she woke up this morning.”

Hearing her say this, Qin Qingzhuo breathed a sigh of relief, planning to go see Xia Qi after this program was over.

Chen Jia pointed to the mentor’s seat, “Brother Qingzhuo, go sit there. The live broadcast is about to start.”

Qin Qingzhuo walked towards the mentor’s seat, and behind him, the audience started screaming, with someone shouting his name.

He smiled, waved to the audience, and someone shouted “Jiang Shangqing” (River’s Emotion). Immediately, there was a chorus of laughter around.

At that moment, Shen Cha happened to walk over. Upon hearing those three words, she couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

As they sat down, she leaned slightly towards Qin Qingzhuo and whispered, “Qingzhuo, do you know what they mean by ‘Jiang Shangqing’?”

“Xia Qi mentioned it to me,” Qin Qingzhuo sighed, somewhat resigned, “Let’s not join in their teasing.”

“So is there really something going on between you two?” Shen Cha was quite curious. “You even went to a music festival together privately. Your relationship seems good.”

“That’s because…” He was about to explain when the staff’s voice came through the loudspeakers in the venue. “Our live broadcast is about to begin. Please quiet down, everyone…”

As the countdown began, Shen Cha sat up straight, and Qin Qingzhuo didn’t say much more.

The host came on stage, first briefly recounting the previous online voting resurrection round, announcing that Asperatus and Marsara had successfully resurrected with the highest number of votes and returned to their respective mentors’ teams. Then, as usual, he introduced the rules of the competition –

“Starting from this round, we are officially entering the scoring stage. In each match, the band with the lowest number of votes will be eliminated. At the end of the stage, the band with the highest accumulated votes will skip the semifinals and advance directly to the finals.

“In the past week, the program team has been continuously filming the rehearsals of the bands, which will be officially broadcast this Wednesday night at 8 o’clock. Welcome everyone to get an inside look at the stories behind the bands…”

After the introduction, the host looked towards the mentor’s seat, adding to the pre-match atmosphere, “This match is themed around love songs. Before the bands officially compete, let’s ask a few mentors which performance they are most looking forward to… Teacher Yang Jingwen, would you like to start?”

Yang Jingwen took the floor and naturally spoke about the hot favorite to win in his team, “Of course, it’s our team’s ‘Urban Collapse.’ So far, they’ve been very stable in every performance, and I believe this one will also bring us surprises.”

Following him, Ren Yu also talked about his team’s band, Flying Star Legend.

When it was Shen Cha’s turn, she went against the norm and didn’t mention her own team’s band. “Asperatus. It seems like other bands have performed love songs more or less before, but Asperatus has never performed one. I can’t quite imagine what Asperatus love song would be like, and I think everyone is looking forward to Jiang Ji’s debut love song this time.”

After she finished speaking, she turned and smiled at the audience behind her. “Right?”

“Right!” The audience below responded loudly.

Just from the momentum, it could be felt that after the breakthrough with “Endless Night” in the last round, Asperatus popularity had risen another level. Perhaps it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they were leaving everyone else in the dust.

Shen Cha then looked at Qin Qingzhuo again, smiling, “But by saying this, am I stealing Qingzhuo’s lines?”

There was laughter from the audience, with many people saying “yes.”

“It’s just a coincidence,” Qin Qingzhuo smiled and took over, “I was just thinking about your team’s DCL. I was worried they wouldn’t have this opportunity. I quite liked their performance of ‘Weightlessness’ last time, so I’m looking forward to their performance this time.”

After saying this, he had a feeling he couldn’t quite explain – a mixture of relief and emptiness.

The most anticipated band… of course, it was Asperatus. After all, in his opinion, Asperatus was undoubtedly the best among all the bands.

But if he were to really say the words “Asperatus,” he could imagine the audience behind him erupting into enthusiastic cheers.

It wasn’t exactly dislike, but rather the feeling of being misunderstood when there was nothing between the two of them that made him feel a bit uneasy.

Saying there was nothing might not be entirely accurate either… those two kisses, and the confession of feelings, thinking about these things made him even more restless.

Then he remembered a few days ago when they parted ways, and Jiang Ji said, “Looking forward to your performance in the next match.” He wondered what Jiang Ji would think upon hearing which band he was eagerly anticipating. Would he feel disappointed?

According to the draw, Asperatus was the sixth band to perform. As soon as the host mentioned “Asperatus,” there was a burst of cheers from the audience.

The three members of the band walked onto the stage, with Jiang Ji still holding his old guitar. He usually preferred dark-colored clothes, but today he was wearing a white shirt and light blue jeans, looking fresh and youthful, with a clear sense of teenage spirit.

As he approached the microphone, the fans in the audience spontaneously and orderly shouted the three words “Asperatus,” creating a resounding echo in the venue.

Amidst the cheers, the lead singer on stage adjusted the microphone height and guitar sound, nodding to the staff below.

Suddenly, the sound of drizzling rain filled the spacious studio, and in an instant, the entire audience fell silent.

For a moment, Qin Qingzhuo felt like he was back in that damp rainy night.

The unease reached its peak at that moment.

For these few days, he had been restraining himself from thinking about the song Jiang Ji wrote, but subconsciously, he knew that the song would be related to him.

What kind of inspiration did that kiss give Jiang Ji that night? He had to admit, he was curious.

Curious yet resistant to knowing.

As the camera turned to him, Qin Qingzhuo lowered his eyes, hiding the emotions in his eyes.

“The next song,” Jiang Ji spoke into the microphone on stage, pausing slightly, his voice slightly husky, “Qing Zhuo.”

“Qing Zhuo” spread through the microphone, and Qin Qingzhuo felt his heart skip a beat, unable to believe he heard his own name.

Instinctively, he raised his eyes and saw on the display screen behind the stage, the clear display of the song title – “*Light Peck.”

*It’s Qing Zhuo but with different characters. (轻啄) – light peck, (青卓) – Qing Zhuo’s name

It was as if there was a taut string in his body, lightly plucked by these two words, causing intense vibrations, making his chest numb for a moment.

“…Hope you like it,” Jiang Ji said.