In retrospect, Shi Ye felt that he was really embarrassing that day.

First of all, what was he wearing that day? A white shirt paired with sweatpants, and he even wore slippers. Additionally, his face was another highlight because after drinking for almost half a month at home, his haggard appearance was indescribable. No matter how you looked at it, it was unsightly, resembling a recluse who hadn’t stepped out of the house for centuries. He actually reunited with Sheng Xia in such a state, but before exchanging a word, he vomited all over the floor.

Shi Ye sighed with his eyes closed.

“Even if you’re dissatisfied with someone, is it necessary to vomit right after meeting them?” Gao Ce looked at Shi Ye, who was pale in the hospital bed, feeling quite emotional. “I’ve thought of a thousand ways you’d show a bad attitude after meeting, but I never thought you’d vomit disgustingly… Are you that unhappy?”

“Get lost.” Shi Ye, though weak, still had enough energy to get angry. “So what if I drank too much? Have you, Gao Ce, never vomited after drinking too much?”

“I’ve never seen anyone vomit right after meeting someone.” Gao Ce was speechless, “Usually, you’d just pass out! If someone didn’t know better, they’d think Sheng Xia’s eyes were poisonous. You’d just collapse at the sight of him.”

Shi Ye thought to himself that those eyes might actually be poisonous, it’s just that Gao Ce didn’t know. Four years ago, he almost died from poison, in that distant southern town.

“Enough already, I’m getting annoyed,” Shi Ye frowned and rubbed his temples in circles.

“Anyway, for at least a month after today, you can’t drink a drop of alcohol.” Gao Ce straightened up. “I want you to rest for a while. Look at yourself, how do you expect to recover if you keep this up? Shi Ye, people can’t stagnate for too long, if you stop for too long, you won’t want to move forward anymore.”

There was no emotion on Shi Ye’s face. Instead of responding to Gao Ce, he said, “Sheng Xia cannot be the lead singer.”

“What’s wrong with him?”

“I don’t like him, I can’t cooperate with him.” Shi Ye remained expressionless. “And now, at this critical moment, you suddenly find a new lead singer, is it because you think I haven’t been criticized enough?”

“I didn’t say we have to announce it right away, but…” Gao Ce paused. “Changing the lead singer is not a trivial matter, do you think I don’t know that? My plan is to sign the person first, let you guys adjust to him for a while, wait for about half a year to release new works, and then…”

In his heart, he thought this person was brought in to appease Shi Ye. If they didn’t inject some fresh blood, everyone would still be reminded of Shen Zui every day.

“I said I don’t want this lead singer!” Shi Ye shouted with wide eyes, but then his stomach cramped, and he had to bend over and hold his abdomen.

“…Let’s talk calmly, don’t get angry… Lie down! Lie down!” Gao Ce, feeling impatient, said, “Why are you reacting so strongly? When Shen Zui was still here, you were almost depressed from thinking about changing the lead singer every day. Now that someone who’s good in all aspects has come, you’re still not satisfied. What do you want?”

“How long have you known him to consider him good?” Shi Ye remained indifferent. “Anyway, I don’t agree.”

“Shi Ye!” Gao Ce was losing patience. “Under the current circumstances, there’s no better choice! I’ve brought in so many people, don’t you think I have some judgment? Sheng Xia is very suitable for Aviator, in other words… he’s very suitable for your style. He can’t go wrong. And think about it, after what happened with Shen Zui, where else can I find a good candidate for you?”

“I can wait, and if it really doesn’t work, I’ll sing myself.” Shi Ye was decisive. “But it absolutely cannot be Sheng Xia.”

“You sing? What’s the condition of your voice, have you not realized your own limitations?” Gao Ce suppressed his anger, restraining himself from arguing with the patient in the hospital room. “Looks? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with his face. Voice? I can’t find any fault with it anyway. Popularity? Let me tell you, Shi Ye, he has millions of followers on Weibo, no talent agency, no PR team, just several million fans he accumulated himself! Netizens and the public like him! And…”

“His condition has nothing to do with me,” Shi Ye interrupted coldly. “Don’t talk to me about these things. I just don’t want to see this Sheng Xia in my band.”

As his words fell, Gao Ce’s eyes widened, and just as he was about to say something, he heard a voice behind him—

“Um…” Niu Xiaojun awkwardly held a fruit basket. “Shi Ye, we… came to see you.”

Shi Ye’s chest heaved with anger, and when he heard Niu Xiaojun’s voice, he turned his head to look at the door. Then he saw the bewildered Zhong Zheng and Xiao Xiang behind Niu Xiaojun, and beside Xiao Xiang, Sheng Xia, who was expressionless, was looking at him.

When Shi Ye caught a glimpse of Sheng Xia, his heart jumped fiercely.

Sheng Xia was nearsighted and used to squint slightly when looking at people, with a furrowed brow. Shi Ye wasn’t even sure if Sheng Xia could see him clearly, but he suddenly felt like that one glance pierced through him, pounding heavily on his heart.

He could only avert his gaze.

After the surrounding area quieted down for a moment, Niu Xiaojun couldn’t bear the awkward atmosphere any longer, gesturing with his eyes for Xiao Xiang to take Sheng Xia away from this contentious place. He began to speak, trying to defuse the tension, “Shi Ye, why did you drink so much without eating properly? Look, you’ve landed yourself in the hospital! Making us come here on such a hot day…”

Before Niu Xiaojun could finish his sentence, Sheng Xia suddenly stepped forward, crossed the protective circle formed by the three, and walked straight to Shi Ye, placing the thermos in his hand on the nearby table.

No one said a word.

Shi Ye could only see a small corner of Sheng Xia out of the corner of his eye. Stubbornly refusing to look at the man beside him, he stared at his own hands.

The familiar yet unfamiliar voice said, “Don’t be angry because of me, take care of yourself first.”

The tone was very low, but the voice was truly pleasant. Unlike when he sang, it was gentler.

Perhaps because he was from the South, Sheng Xia always spoke slowly, casually, with a hint of moisture in his tone. Shi Ye used to love listening to Sheng Xia speak Mandarin; he always felt that his pronunciation was very special.

Shi Ye still didn’t respond to him. But apart from him, no one knew… his heartbeat became heavier, faster, fuller, and his stomach began to ache, that dizzying feeling of confusion returned.

Seeing that Shi Ye ignored him, Sheng Xia hesitated for a moment, then said, “I bought some porridge, if you want to eat… rest well.”

After speaking, he waited for a moment, seeing that Shi Ye still ignored him, he hesitated for a moment, feeling that there was no need to stay any longer. He politely nodded to the confused Gao Ce beside him, then turned around cleanly and left.

After Sheng Xia left, Gao Ce and the group of people around him looked at each other for a while. Zhong Zheng, arms crossed, said meaningfully, “Something doesn’t seem right, Shi Ye, how did you know him before?”

Xiao Xiang, with his legs crossed, also had a playful expression. “I think there might have been something.”

Gao Ce looked incredulous. “You hooked up with him?”

Niu Xiaojun looked horrified. “Shi Ye, is that true?! This can’t be! Internal relationships within the band can easily go wrong! I don’t support band romances!”

Shi Ye’s posture was a bit stiff. “Stop asking nonsense, there’s nothing.”

The most powerless thing was that ‘there’s nothing’.

“If there’s nothing, then why don’t you want him in the band?” Gao Ce looked puzzled. “But this matter isn’t up to you, Shi Ye. Look, wasn’t it you who wanted to sign Shen Zui before? At that time, I didn’t approve, but you insisted, and now the facts prove that your decision was wrong. It’s okay to stumble, we can still stand up and continue, but who will accompany you on this journey in the future, I must oversee that.”

Shi Ye didn’t hesitate. “No.”

“Both Zhong Zheng and Xiao Xiang agree,” Gao Ce said calmly. “The band isn’t just yours, we all think Sheng Xia is very suitable. Shi Ye, stop being unreasonable.”

“Is this a blind date? You just randomly find someone to fill in and form a band?” Shi Ye found it ridiculous. “Are you not asking for my opinion?”

Niu Xiaojun was still immersed in the previous topic. “No, Shi Ye, did you guys ever date? What do we do now that he’s signed!”

Shi Ye was startled. “Signed?? You signed him without asking me?”

“Yes,” Gao Ce said expressionlessly. “Regardless of whether you’ve had anything or not, I’ve signed him. He didn’t ask for much money, he just said he wanted to do well with the band. Would I be stupid not to sign him? Shi Ye, talk to me properly, what’s going on between you two?”

What’s going on?

Shi Ye couldn’t explain what was going on.

After everyone left, he lay back on the hospital bed, staring at the sunlight outside the window, lost in thought for a while.

He still felt choked in his heart after a while, so he decided to pull out the needle, got up to close the door, took the pack of cigarettes left by Zhong Zheng, and went to the window to smoke, watching the shadows of the trees downstairs.

He was lost in thought until the door was knocked on. Three times, slow and light.

Shi Ye subconsciously said, “Come in.”

Immediately regretting his words, but the person had already come in.

When Sheng Xia walked in, he seemed very hesitant, especially when he saw Shi Ye with a cigarette between his fingers. He took a few steps closer but didn’t get too close, stopping at a distance where he could see Shi Ye’s face clearly.

They looked at each other, both stunned for a moment.

Shi Ye was calmer this time, waiting until the daze passed, then asked lightly, “Everyone’s gone, why are you back?”

Back?

Sheng Xia looked very unnatural.

Shi Ye knew that Sheng Xia must be somewhat nervous, but this gave him more confidence, and he even felt somewhat relieved.

“I…” Sheng Xia frowned, each word spoken very slowly, “I don’t know either, but when I got to the hospital entrance, I turned back.”

Shi Ye’s hand holding the cigarette trembled unconsciously.

He forced himself to ignore Sheng Xia’s words and continued to ask, “Why did you come? To see me make a fool of myself now that you’re doing well and have the upper hand?”

They weren’t on the same wavelength at the moment, each saying their own words, but there was a similar sense of sadness in their eyes.

Sheng Xia seemed to be deliberately ignoring it, he looked at the cigarette between Shi Ye’s fingers and answered without addressing the question, “Stop smoking, your throat isn’t good.”

Shi Ye was rendered speechless by his gaze.

“I don’t want anything from you, you just need to be fine.”

 Shi Ye’s heart pounded, he could only turn away from him and not look at him.

Sheng Xia’s voice was very low, and finally he called out, “Teacher Shi Ye.”