Chapter 115

The workshop, covered with long-pile carpet, was bathed in afternoon sunlight. Initially, both of them sat by the workbench, but later they moved to sit on the carpet, leaning against the wall behind them, playing the guitar and writing songs.

A music sheet was passed back and forth between them, with their handwriting intertwining—Jiang Ji’s handwriting was slim and long, with powerful strokes that penetrated the paper, while Qin Qingzhuo’s writing was light and casual, giving a sense of airy freedom.

Throughout the process, there weren’t many hiccups. Whenever one side slightly stumbled, the other side seamlessly picked up their train of thought.

When Xie Chengyun called, a song had already progressed to its coda, and several sheets of music scattered on the carpet. Guitars, bass, drumsticks, and effectors were piled up on the floor. Qin Qingzhuo reached out over them to pick up his phone.

The call was from Xie Chengyun, and after Qin Qingzhuo answered, he heard Xie Chengyun asking on the other end, “I just came out of surgery, why the sudden need for a check-up? Is there something wrong with your ears again?”

“I plan to assist Jiang Ji with singing,” Qin Qingzhuo said, “but I’m feeling uncertain, so I want to see you for a check-up to ease my mind.”

“Oh,” Xie Chengyun didn’t sound particularly surprised, “the kid has succeeded so quickly.”

Qin Qingzhuo chuckled in response.

“But I won’t be in Yancheng for the next few days,” Xie Chengyun continued, “are you free to come over today?”

“I am,” Qin Qingzhuo said, “I’ll come over to see you in a while.”

Xie Chengyun agreed, and then a nurse came to talk to him on the other end. After exchanging a few words with Qin Qingzhuo, he hung up the phone.

Jiang Ji’s gaze lifted from the music sheet, looking at Qin Qingzhuo. “Going to Dr. Xie’s place?”

“Mmh,” Qin Qingzhuo said, “going to see him for a check-up.”

“I’ll accompany you.”

“Okay.” Qin Qingzhuo smiled.

However, after saying this, he didn’t rush to get up. Instead, he lay flat on his back on the carpet, stretching out.

The two hours of songwriting just now made him feel like inspiration was flowing continuously.

Although he had been writing songs for years, this kind of smooth and fulfilling creative process seemed to have rarely occurred from start to finish.

It felt like experiencing a climax inside his head… he stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Jiang Ji, sitting beside him, picked up the scattered music sheets from the ground and reached out to touch his hair. “What are you thinking?”

Qin Qingzhuo returned to his senses and looked at him. “I’m reminiscing about that feeling of inspiration bursting out. It was so wonderful.”

“No wonder you have a post s*x look.” Jiang Ji touched his lips with his fingers.

“What ah…” Qin Qingzhuo chuckled.

After organizing the music sheets, Jiang Ji stood up from the ground, then reached out to pull Qin Qingzhuo up as well. “Compared to the climax, how was it?”

Qin Qingzhuo raised his eyebrows and, realizing what he was referring to, leaned his forehead against Jiang Ji’s shoulder and chuckled softly, “Can’t say, they’re both pretty wonderful… what do you think?”

“They’re equally amazing,” Jiang Ji gently tilted his chin with his hand, leaning in closer to kiss him.

After the collision of inspiration, their bodies seemed to react more easily, showing signs of ignition with just a slight touch.

“Let’s go,” Qin Qingzhuo’s rationality halted them first, pulling back from the proximity between their lips. “I just made an appointment with Chengyun to go over.”

Jiang Ji hummed in acknowledgment, then touched his lips again and ruffled his hair, “Let’s change clothes.”

As they left and got into the car, Qin Qingzhuo realized he was a bit hungry. Actually, when he woke up earlier, he had thought about going downstairs to find something to eat. But writing songs with Jiang Ji made him overlook this hunger, and he only felt the emptiness in his stomach now.

“Are you hungry?” Jiang Ji seemed to have just remembered that they hadn’t eaten yet. “Do you want to buy something to eat on the way?”

“Sure,” Qin Qingzhuo thought for a moment, “let’s find a fast food restaurant. After the check-up, let’s treat Chengyun to a meal. We’ll also invite Lin Qi, Li Zi, Keshi, and Zhong Yang.”

Jiang Ji responded with a sound and started the car, heading onto the road.

Halfway there, they bought a sandwich at a convenience store. Qin Qingzhuo ate half of it, and the other half was fed to Jiang Ji, who was driving.

It wasn’t rush hour at the moment, so they didn’t encounter much traffic on the way. After finishing the sandwich, they arrived at the hospital entrance.

As usual, Puji Hospital was crowded with people bustling about.

Xie Chengyun, dressed in a white coat, stood above the steps, waving to Qin Qingzhuo. “Qingzhuo, over here.”

This scene seemed familiar to Qin Qingzhuo, and he suddenly remembered the first time Jiang Ji accompanied him to Puji— the day after he got drunk and ran a high fever. Initially, Jiang Ji only intended to take him to a nearby hospital, but at his insistence, he ended up bringing him to Puji. However, they weren’t familiar with each other at the time, so Qin Qingzhuo didn’t let Jiang Ji accompany him into the treatment room.

Memories from a few months ago flashed back, and Qin Qingzhuo felt a bit nostalgic. Back then, he couldn’t have imagined that one day Jiang Ji would accompany him for another check-up, with the purpose of singing together on stage.

“Why did you bother to come out?” Qin Qingzhuo climbed the steps and walked towards Xie Chengyun. “Aren’t you busy?”

“Just came out for some fresh air. After a day of surgery, I felt suffocated,” Xie Chengyun replied to Qin Qingzhuo, then looked towards Jiang Ji. “Things are progressing more smoothly than expected.”

Jiang Ji responded with a sound, “I didn’t expect that either.”

“Let’s go,” Xie Chengyun smiled and led them towards the direction of the elevator. “Let’s go to the examination room first.”

In the examination room, Qin Qingzhuo lay down on the examination bed, while Jiang Ji sat on a nearby chair beside him.

Xie Chengyun approached with examination instruments. “How have you been feeling lately?”

“I had tinnitus for a while this morning,” Qin Qingzhuo said—referring to when Jiang Ji played him that song “Fall Into My Dream,” “It was quite loud, but didn’t last too long. I hardly had any tinnitus at other times.”

Xie Chengyun made a sound of acknowledgement and didn’t say much, then picked up the instruments to conduct the examination.

As the cold metal probe entered his ear canal, Qin Qingzhuo felt his hand being suddenly gripped tightly.

He looked at Jiang Ji, who was now focused on the monitor of the testing instrument. Jiang Ji’s jawline was tense, and his Adam’s apple seemed a bit more pronounced than usual.

Qin Qingzhuo had undergone similar examinations hundreds of times over the past four years, and each time he felt a bit resistant. But this time, seeing Jiang Ji more nervous than himself, he suddenly didn’t feel as resistant.

“Don’t be nervous,” Qin Qingzhuo said to Jiang Ji.

“Does it hurt?” Jiang Ji asked softly.

“My ear doesn’t hurt,” Qin Qingzhuo replied, “but you’re squeezing my hand a bit too hard.”

At this, Xie Chengyun beside them burst into laughter.

Jiang Ji made an “Oh” sound and pursed his lips, then relaxed his grip on Qin Qingzhuo’s hand.

Before, when Qin Qingzhuo underwent examinations, all he could think about was when it would end. But this time, those feelings were diluted by the thought of “young people are really cute.”

So much so that when the metal instrument was withdrawn from his ear, he realized that this examination seemed to end faster than usual.

“How are the results?” Qin Qingzhuo looked at Xie Chengyun, and Jiang Ji’s gaze also fell on the monitor in front of Xie Chengyun.

As Xie Chengyun looked at the display screen of the testing instrument and typed on the keyboard, he remarked, “You actually asked about the results voluntarily, that’s not common.”

“Didn’t I ask about it before?”

“Well, you haven’t asked voluntarily in the past two years,” Xie Chengyun replied as he typed, “You did ask before, but each time with an anxious tone, as if you were worried about completely losing your hearing tomorrow. But this time… you sound quite hopeful.”

As he said this, Qin Qingzhuo also seemed to sense the difference. In the past, he used to dread hearing Xie Chengyun’s assessment of the results during examinations. But this time, he felt a bit relieved.

“It seems so,” he smiled, “Is it the same as before?”

“Actually, it’s quite similar, but the results from previous times weren’t bad either. It’s just that you were too pessimistic. You always felt there was no improvement, but in our doctors’ eyes, maintaining a good condition is already an ideal outcome. However, this time, the indicators are indeed a bit better than before.” Xie Chengyun finished recording the results and looked up, saying, “But the indicators this time are indeed slightly better than before.”

Usually, when Qin Qingzhuo heard Xie Chengyun say something like this, his mood wouldn’t fluctuate much because the term “slightly better” was far from the result he desired. But this time, he felt a bit relieved.

The printer buzzed as Xie Chengyun handed the printed results to Jiang Ji, who quickly skimmed through them and asked, “Will there be any problem singing on stage?”

“Actually, according to the previous examination results, singing on stage shouldn’t be a problem. I still hold the same view. The issues after the surgery are not so much related to physical factors but more to psychological reasons. Qingzhuo, you’re just too anxious.” Xie Chengyun said.

Jiang Ji handed the examination results to Qin Qingzhuo, who browsed through them while listening to Xie Chengyun’s words—

“So I think your collaboration on stage this time is a good opportunity. It’s more suitable for two people to be on stage together than one person alone. It can provide a sense of security psychologically. If psychological issues can gradually be overcome, coupled with treatment in terms of physical factors, I can’t be too certain, but personally, I believe that as long as there aren’t strong external stimuli, the recurrence rate should be quite low, and it may even be possible to achieve a cure.”

Qin Qingzhuo lightly murmured an “Okay.”

After the examination, Jiang Ji went downstairs to pay for the examination, while Qin Qingzhuo chatted with Xie Chengyun in his office for a while.

“It hasn’t been long since we last met,” Xie Chengyun leaned against his desk, observing him, “but I feel like you’ve changed a lot.”

“Oh?” Qin Qingzhuo looked at him. “How have I changed?”

Xie Chengyun thought for a moment and said, “I remember when I first met you, I always felt like there was a fog surrounding you. Although you were usually sociable, there was always a hint of pessimism. Recently, I feel like that fog has disappeared, and you finally seem to have a bit of genuine happiness from within.”

“Is that so?” Qin Qingzhuo chuckled. “So that’s how you used to see me.”

“I’m pretty good at judging people,” Xie Chengyun also smiled, raising his chin towards the door. “The kid is quite reliable. Do you know how he came to see me a few days ago? He brought Lin Qi, Xia Qi, Duan Chong, Li Zi, all of them, to help persuade me. He sincerely said that he didn’t want you to be trapped by this matter for the rest of your life, just hoping that you could be a bit happier… He even moved me. I said I couldn’t be of much help, but what I could do was take you to the psychological doctor you saw before. However, whether she’s willing to disclose relevant information to you, that’s up to you. At first, I thought it was hopeless. Julia is such a professional person, she wouldn’t disclose patient information, but do you know what he did?”

“What did he do?” Qin Qingzhuo asked with interest.

“He didn’t bother Julia about your situation, instead, he went back and recorded that song ‘Fall Into My Dream’—you should have heard it, it’s the kind of duet form with you. Then he took it to Julia to listen and asked her if this method is feasible, whether it will harm you… He really racked his brains,” Xie Chengyun said with a laugh, “You can tell that this kid really likes you.”

Before this, Qin Qingzhuo only knew that Jiang Ji had visited his psychologist, but he didn’t expect the process to be like this, let alone that this desensitization method would be Jiang Ji’s own idea. A slightly inflated feeling surged in his heart. He chuckled and teased Xie Chengyun, “It’s not easy to hear that from you. Aren’t you an individualist? You should be pouring cold water on me instead.”

“Am I such an unromantic person?” Xie Chengyun chuckled, “Besides, I also came from being 19.”

“So, you’ve had those times too?” Qin Qingzhuo raised an eyebrow, “I really can’t tell. How about we grab a meal together and talk about it in detail?”

“No, no, no,” Xie Chengyun shook his head with a smile, “There’s really nothing much to talk about.”

At this point, Jiang Ji finished paying the fees and walked in. Xie Chengyun looked over, patted Qin Qingzhuo on the shoulder, “I’m also about to leave, let’s go, I’ll give you a ride on the way.”

“You’re trying to change the subject,” Qin Qingzhuo chuckled, then said, “Alright, if you don’t want to talk about it, how about having a meal together?”

“Let’s do it another day. I have another appointment tonight,” Xie Chengyun took off his white coat and put on his coat from the nearby hanger, “I’ll make it up to you for this meal after I finish my annual leave.”

He seemed genuinely busy, so Qin Qingzhuo didn’t insist, just made plans to have the meal next time. Then, he left the hospital with Jiang Ji.

When they returned to the studio, Zhong Yang and Peng Keshi were already there.

Jiang Ji had sent them the sheet music in advance, and now they were sitting on the couch in the rehearsal room, studying the sheet music.

When Lin Qi heard about it, he also came over to join the fun. Seeing Jiang Ji and Qin Qingzhuo return, he looked up, “Are you planning to change the song?”

“Not decided yet,” Jiang Ji and Qin Qingzhuo sat down opposite them, “We want to discuss it together before making a decision.”

“Mmh, we just wrote it today. Zhong Yang and Keshi, take a look. If you feel it’s too rushed, you can stick to the original song without forcing it. Lin Qi, you don’t need to look at it. If I mess up before going on stage and need you to take over, you just sing the original song with them,” Qin Qingzhuo said.

“Force what? They’ve already agreed on it a long time ago, to use this song as a gift for you. Plus, I also plan to prepare this song along with you guys,” Lin Qi said with a solemn tone, then looked at Qin Qingzhuo, “So Qingzhuo, take it easy. If you really can’t go on stage, then I’ll be the one to sing this song with Jiang Ji on stage. Hey, do you think people will ship me and Jiang Ji as a couple?”

As he said this, Zhong Yang and Peng Keshi both burst into laughter.

Imagining the hypothetical scenario, Qin Qingzhuo also found it amusing and joked, “Come on, do we have someone like you to break up a CP?”

Everyone present burst into laughter. Suddenly, Jiang Ji spoke up, “I think we can actually come up with a plan.”

“Hmm?” Qin Qingzhuo stopped laughing and looked at him.

“I feel like this song is a bit lacking at the moment. If we can add a cello line to it, the melody of the whole song will be richer,” Jiang Ji said, looking at him, “And when we go on stage together, if you’re too nervous to sing, you can just focus on the cello part, and I’ll handle the singing part. After all, there’s no rule in the finals about the form of collaboration.”

Upon hearing this proposal, Lin Qi spoke up first, half-jokingly, “Jiang Ji, what do you mean? Are you planning to cut off the back road and not sing this song with me?”

Zhong Yang and Peng Keshi laughed again.

Qin Qingzhuo looked at Jiang Ji and realized that he was trying to find a way out for himself.

With this plan in place, he would have the chance to retreat until the last moment before singing.

Stepping forward on stage, he could sing along with Jiang Ji; stepping back, he could still have a decent collaboration with the cello.

Qin Qingzhuo could feel that Jiang Ji was trying his best to avoid a situation like the one caused by Shi Yao last time, trying to find ways to protect himself.

A slight swelling feeling in his chest arose again. He looked at Jiang Ji, unaware that his eyes had softened slightly, and said in a softer tone, “Alright, I’ll add the cello line tonight.”