Chapter 103

The next morning, before Zhong Yang and Peng Keshi arrived, Jiang Ji sat on a high stool in the rehearsal room, holding a guitar and modifying the sheet music.

After adjusting a small section of the sheet music, he paused, lost in thought while gazing at the musical notes.

Human thoughts are like sparks; if left unattended, they extinguish on their own after a short while. However, when a breeze passes by or a bit of gasoline is poured, these sparks quickly ignite, creating an unstoppable force.

The thought of “asking Qin Qingzhuo to sing” had almost extinguished in Jiang Ji’s mind after he brought it up last time and Qin Qingzhuo clearly avoided discussing it. However, through the influence of last night’s alcohol, it seemed to have reignited.

Moreover, it burned fiercely, incinerating all other thoughts in his mind, leaving only this one idea.

Images of Qin Qingzhuo in an open robe, revealing a body covered in kisses, occasionally humming the song “Burning” in a low voice, and Qin Qingzhuo sitting at the bar, closing his eyes and softly singing “Dying in the Sun” kept surfacing in his mind.

Qin Qingzhuo looked beautiful when singing, and his voice was enchanting. It was so captivating that Jiang Ji couldn’t look away.

If Qin Qingzhuo appeared usually more serene and gentle, while singing, he seemed vibrant and seductive. Jiang Ji used to not believe in the notion that someone is “born for the stage,” but when it came to Qin Qingzhuo, it felt completely natural.

He wanted to ask Qin Qingzhuo to assist in singing.

He wanted to see Qin Qingzhuo perform on stage.

He wanted to hear Qin Qingzhuo sing every note and word of the melody and lyrics he had written himself.

However, every time he brought up this matter, Qin Qingzhuo visibly evaded and resisted…

In the past, Jiang Ji would act on whatever he thought of, but this time, he seemed a bit indecisive.

Setting the guitar aside, Jiang Ji stood up and walked to the window, focusing on contemplating this matter.

Qin Qingzhuo had sung in front of him only twice. During the performance of “Dying in the Sun,” their relationship was far less intimate than it is now. Qin Qingzhuo had originally closed his eyes while singing, and upon opening them and seeing Jiang Ji, he abruptly stopped, his gaze falling on Jiang Ji’s lips. This suggested that Qin Qingzhuo likely experienced sudden tinnitus at that moment.

However, last night was different. Even when he saw Jiang Ji approaching, Qin Qingzhuo continued to sing in a relaxed manner. The lines from “Burning” were relatively high-pitched, but he sang effortlessly and with ease.

Moreover, during the music festival, when Lin Qi unexpectedly pulled Qin Qingzhuo onto the stage to sing, though he didn’t sing, his interaction with the audience and his state while playing the guitar were excellent. On the other hand, during the off-script incident with Shi Yao, Qin Qingzhuo’s tinnitus flared up severely, almost causing him to faint on stage.

Now, with “Restless Band” directed by Xia Qi, Qin Qingzhuo could completely relax in front of him. Jiang Ji mused slightly, wondering if this indicated that it might not be entirely impossible to make this stage collaboration happen.

Behind him, the rehearsal room door was pushed open, and the chaotic footsteps and voices of Lin Qi, Peng Keshi, and Zhong Yang entered together. Zhong Yang spoke first, “I really love your self-titled album. I played it on repeat for quite a while.”

Jiang Ji turned around, seeing Lin Qi, Peng Keshi, and Zhong Yang walking in.

“Hey,” Lin Qi greeted Jiang Ji with a wave, “Good morning, Jiang Ji.”

Jiang Ji stood up straight and called out, ” Brother Qi.”

“Come on, let’s talk about the finals,” Lin Qi didn’t waste any time and got straight to the point, “Do you have the sheet music?”

“Yes,” Jiang Ji handed the sheet music to him, “It’s not finalized yet. We’ll make some changes during rehearsal.”

“Understood. Let me take a look.” Lin Qi picked up a nearby chair and sat down. “Sit, we’re all from the same studio, and given the relationship of friends’ boyfriends, there’s no need to be formal.”

At this, Zhong Yang, Peng Keshi, and Lin Qi all chuckled. Lin Qi’s words quickly lightened the atmosphere.

After a quick look at the sheet music, Lin Qi looked up and asked, “Do you have any ideas for this collaboration?”

Normally, Jiang Ji would be the one to speak up in such situations. However, this time, he didn’t respond immediately, lowering his eyes as if lost in thought.

After a few seconds, just as Peng Keshi was about to answer for him, Jiang Ji looked up at Lin Qi and spoke slowly, “What if I say I actually want to invite Qin Qingzhuo to assist in singing? Would that offend anyone on his behalf?”

Upon hearing this, the other three were momentarily stunned, and Peng Keshi and Zhong Yang exchanged glances.

A few seconds later, Lin Qi burst into laughter, “Actually, I was thinking about it before, why don’t you invite Qingzhuo to sing? Later, I thought maybe you wanted to but couldn’t. What’s the deal, feeling confident now?”

“I want to give it a try,” Jiang Ji answered truthfully, “but there’s no guarantee that we can get him.”

After saying that, he looked at Peng Keshi and Zhong Yang, “Do you guys have any thoughts?”

“I’d really like to collaborate with Brother Qingzhuo,” Zhong Yang scratched his temple, sounding hesitant, “but based on the last time, it seems like Brother Qingzhuo doesn’t want to collaborate with us…”

“He’s not unwilling,” Peng Keshi glanced at him, “his current condition determines whether he wants to or not.”

After saying this, Peng Keshi looked at Jiang Ji, “Jiang Ji, are you sure Brother Qingzhuo can still perform on stage?”

Jiang Ji responded with a simple “Hmm” without saying much.

“In this matter, you don’t need to consider me,” Lin Qi spoke at this moment, “given my relationship with Qingzhuo, there’s no talk of offending anyone. If you can persuade him to assist in singing, I fully support it. But Jiang Ji, you should be mentally prepared; it might not be easy to get Qingzhuo. You saw the result last time when I asked him to sing on stage at the music festival.”

After Lin Qi finished speaking, he thought for a moment and added, “Let’s do this: I’ll be prepared here. If you manage to convince Qingzhuo, he goes on stage; if it doesn’t work out, I’ll be your backup, okay?”

“Yeah,” Jiang Ji said, “Thanks, Brother Qi.”

Zhong Yang also chimed in, “Brother Qi, you’re really kind…”

“It’s just a small favor,” Lin Qi smiled, “Come on, let’s discuss the collaboration format. Regardless of whether it’s with Qingzhuo or me in the end, it’ll be useful.”

Efficiency was high when discussing with Lin Qi. With years of band experience and a wealth of stage experience, he provided many practical suggestions.

During a break, Jiang Ji left the rehearsal room and walked to the end of the corridor to Qin Qingzhuo’s office. He pushed open the door, finding Qin Qingzhuo talking on the phone with Xia Qi while leaning against the window.

“You don’t need to thank me for this. Even if I didn’t recommend you to Joe and the company executives, no one else would get the director position. Besides…”

Jiang Ji walked up to Qin Qingzhuo, pecked his lips, interrupting his speech.

Originally, Qin Qingzhuo was still talking, but the unexpected kiss from Jiang Ji disrupted his rhythm. He paused for a moment before continuing the second half of the sentence, “… Besides, you’ve helped us a lot with the monitoring issue.”

Looking somewhat helpless at Jiang Ji, Qin Qingzhuo saw Jiang Ji succeed in silencing him without words. Jiang Ji then lifted his hand, embracing Qin Qingzhuo’s waist and resting his chin on his shoulder, waiting for him to finish the call.

So Qin Qingzhuo, holding Jiang Ji, continued the call with Xia Qi:

“Assisting in the finals? They invited Lin Qi.”

“No, I’ll pass.”

“Do your job well as a director; these days must be busy for you again.”

…

After chatting for a while, Qin Qingzhuo ended the call.

He raised his hand, stroking Jiang Ji’s back, “Discussed it with Lin Qi?”

“Yeah,” Jiang Ji still held onto him, “What did Sister Qi say? Will there be any changes to the final competition format?”

“Definitely not,” Qin Qingzhuo chuckled, “The bands have already invited guest performers. It would be too offensive to change the format now. Besides, Xia Qi said the higher-ups seem quite satisfied with this format. It can attract a large audience. Just rehearse well with Lin Qi. I heard they’ve got a popular guest performer lined up for Urban Collapse.”

“So when you just said we invited Lin Qi as a guest performer, how did she react?”

“What reaction could she have? We’re all acquaintances… Let’s focus on rehearsing with Lin Qi. Now that he’s confirmed, it wouldn’t be fair to him if you backed out at this point.”

“I just discussed this with Lin Qi,” Jiang Ji released his hand from Qin Qingzhuo’s embrace, stood up, and looked at him, “He said, if we can persuade you to assist in singing, he fully supports it.”

“This Lin Qi, making jokes,” Qin Qingzhuo smiled lightly, intentionally keeping a casual tone, “Forget about this matter. I’ll go talk to him later. It’s like causing chaos among the troops…”

“But I feel Xia Qi and Lin Qi aren’t joking. They should share the same concern as me. When Shi Yao was the director before, if you assisted us in singing, he might play some tricks. But now, with Xia Qi as the director, there’s no stage more suitable for you to speak up.”

Looking at him, Jiang Ji said seriously, “So, Qin Qingzhuo, I want to invite you as the guest singer for my band in the finals. Can you?”

Qin Qingzhuo lowered his eyes, not looking like he was contemplating but more like avoiding Jiang Ji’s gaze.

“Speak up.” Seeing him remain silent, Jiang Ji used his fingers to gently rub his earlobe, “Have you had tinnitus these days?”

“Why are you making it so solemn?” Qin Qingzhuo finally smiled, shook his head, and still declined, “Jiang Ji, I really am not suitable for this assisting singer role. I’ve already withdrawn from the show, returning as an assistant singer; do you think it’s appropriate? Moreover, you and Lin Qi are putting in so much effort. You have a good chance of winning against Urban Collapse. If you really cooperate with me…”

He looked up at Jiang Ji, and there was a teasing hint in his eyes, “Do you still want to see me in a qipao?”

“I want to see,” Jiang Ji said, “but I also want you as the assistant singer.”

“Why don’t you want to see me in a qipao as the assistant singer?” Qin Qingzhuo laughed, took out his phone to check the time, and whispered, “I have an appointment later, and time is a bit tight…”

“Not enough for what?”

“What do you think is not enough?” Qin Qingzhuo looked at him with a smile, and his finger slipped into his clothes, gently flicking his abdominal muscles, then leaned in to kiss his earlobe, “Shh… don’t talk anymore.”

A recently indulged teenager could not resist teasing in any way.

At first, Jiang Ji tried to resist desire, holding Qin Qingzhuo’s wrist to stop his actions.

However, although Qin Qingzhuo’s wrist was held, his fingers were not obedient. He lightly scratched his abdominal muscles, and he kept coming over to kiss him, deliberately preventing him from discussing important matters.

After going back and forth, the fire in Jiang Ji’s body was completely provoked.

From the initial “Qin Qingzhuo, don’t move,” “Don’t scratch me,” “Listen to me,” to later when his breathing gradually became rapid, he only managed to say the three words “Qin Qingzhuo” over and over again.

In the meantime, Qin Qingzhuo deliberately retracted his hand, saying, “I won’t move anymore.” When Jiang Ji took the initiative to kiss him, holding his wrist to capture it back, he smiled and continued his movements.

The closed environment of the office was completely different from the attic, and the sound insulation was much worse. As people walked by in the corridor, Jiang Ji realized that he hadn’t closed the door when he came in—after all, he came to talk about serious matters with Qin Qingzhuo—so every step closer was a stimulus to his nerves.

This kind of worry about exposure felt like an accelerant for desire. In addition, Qin Qingzhuo was direct in his actions today, deliberately targeting sensitive areas. With this intense double stimulation, Jiang Ji reached his climax earlier than usual.

Even so, Qin Qingzhuo almost missed the time for the appointment with someone due to their dalliance.

After wiping his fingers clean, he took out his phone to check the time and clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Looks like I need to hurry up on the way.”

“Don’t rush too much,” Jiang Ji’s voice still had a hint of hoarseness, “Be careful.”

“I know.” Qin Qingzhuo leaned in and kissed him again, then helped him zip up his jacket before turning to grab his coat from the coat rack.

With the coat draped over his elbow, he walked out of the office, reminding Jiang Ji to “rehearse well” before closing the door.

As the door closed, Jiang Ji leaned back against the window, not completely recovering from the lingering excitement.

He had intended to discuss serious matters, but instead, they ended up in an intimate encounter.

It was evident that Qin Qingzhuo deliberately shifted the topic, but the way he did it was… too much.

As the sensations in his body gradually subsided, Jiang Ji let out a soft sigh.

Oh well, there’s still time. If they didn’t discuss it this time, they could always do it next time.