Chapter 121

Qin Qingzhuo accompanied Jiang Ji to Runcheng to handle the student registration procedures, which happened about a week later.

Runcheng No.1 High School was just as Jiang Ji remembered, hardly any changes at all. Even the loud voices of teachers heard passing by classrooms were reminiscent of the time when he dropped out of school.

“I was in the class in front in my second year of high school,” Jiang Ji whispered to Qin Qingzhuo as they walked.

Qin Qingzhuo looked up at the doorplate with the words “Experimental Class One”. He had seen Jiang Ji’s high school transcript before and heard about his high school life from him, but he had never experienced this kind of reality.

As they walked a few more steps and passed by the classroom door, Jiang Ji paused, looking towards the direction of the podium, and Qin Qingzhuo stopped too.

Standing at the podium was a female teacher in her forties, listening to the students reciting “Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng” together: “Mountains piled up to the sky, the tower flew red, and descended without a place…” Perhaps sensing someone outside, she looked towards the door, and upon seeing the two standing there, she hesitated for a moment before walking out.

Approaching them, as if she had to confirm, “Jiang Ji?”

“Mmh, Teacher Xu,” Jiang Ji lifted his hand to remove his mask, “Do you still remember me?”

“How could I forget… I just didn’t dare to recognize you,” Teacher Xu scrutinized Jiang Ji, “Oh my, you’ve got that star aura now, totally looking like a big star.”

Jiang Ji chuckled, “Don’t tease me, please.”

“What teasing? I’m serious,” Teacher Xu turned to Qin Qingzhuo beside him, “And who is this…”

“I’m Jiang Ji’s…,” Jiang Ji was about to continue, but Qin Qingzhuo interrupted and introduced himself, “I’m Qin Qingzhuo, Jiang Ji’s mentor on the program,” extending his hand, he shook hands with Teacher Xu, “Nice to meet you, Teacher Xu.”

“And also my boyfriend,” Jiang Ji added.

Qin Qingzhuo was startled for a moment. Just now, he intercepted Jiang Ji because he sensed Jiang Ji was about to say “boyfriend,” but he couldn’t stop him. Jiang Ji insisted on saying it.

Observing the expression of the female teacher across from him, there was a moment of surprise on her face, but it quickly returned to normal. She smiled and said, “Well, it seems like it’s not a secret anymore.”

With her words, Qin Qingzhuo also smiled and agreed, “Indeed.”

“It’s really nice ah,” Teacher Xu didn’t pry too much, somewhat sentimental as she said to Qin Qingzhuo, “When Jiang Ji dropped out of school before, I felt it was a pity. Such a talented student, but because of family matters, he stopped studying. How will his future go from here… A student came to me and told me about your show. At first, I didn’t believe it until I watched it myself and confirmed it was really Jiang Ji. By the way,” Teacher Xu turned to Jiang Ji again, “Is there something you need from the school this time?”

“Mmh, I’m back to transfer my student status to Yancheng,” Jiang Ji said, “I plan to take the college entrance examination there this year.”

“Are you planning to continue your studies?” There was a hint of joy in Teacher Xu’s eyes. “I thought you would become a star after winning the championship.”

“My boyfriend wants me to take the Central Conservatory of Music entrance exam,” Jiang Ji said frankly, “I’ll do my best.”

“It will definitely be fine,” Teacher Xu patted his arm reassuringly, then looked at Qin Qingzhuo, “The top student in our Key Class at No.1 High School won’t be wrong.”

Qin Qingzhuo smiled and nodded, “I also believe there won’t be any problems.”

In the classroom, the students had already recited the last paragraph, “The place of victory is not constant, and the feast is hard to repeat.” Teacher Xu said to Jiang Ji, “Remember to let me know when you pass the exam.” Jiang Ji nodded in response, “Sure.” She then smiled and said, “I’ll go back and tell them who just visited. They’ll go crazy.”

After bidding farewell, Teacher Xu returned to the classroom amidst the recitation of the students’ final words. Qin Qingzhuo walked a short distance with Jiang Ji, then looked towards the classroom direction before descending the stairs, “Are all your teachers this open-minded?”

“No,” Jiang Ji chuckled, “Just this one teacher is more open-minded. There was a boy in our class who was dating a boy from the art class. Some students in the class were gossiping about it, and she specifically talked to those students, saying that we should respect others’ orientations and everyone is responsible for their own lives. She’s also quite strict, she won’t gossip about things students tell her.”

“So you boldly said I’m your boyfriend in front of her,” Qin Qingzhuo said, “You really surprised me.”

“Mainly because I wanted to say it,” Jiang Ji took his wrist and lightly rubbed the skin on the inside of his wrist with his fingertips, “It’s rare to meet someone who can openly acknowledge it. Can’t I enjoy it?”

“You can tell your Li Zi and the others at the studio,” Qin Qingzhuo chuckled, “They can all say it. You can say it every day as long as they don’t get tired of hearing it.”

“Now that everyone knows, what’s the point of saying it? The point is to feel satisfied after saying it and seeing the satisfaction on the other person’s face when they realize it’s true,” Jiang Ji also chuckled, “So rest assured, I will definitely get into college. This way, I can find more people to acknowledge it.”

“Is that your motivation?” Qin Qingzhuo chuckled.

“Mmh,” Jiang Ji nodded, “Other than you.”

After leaving the school, the two of them went to the local education bureau.

After getting the documents stamped, they sat in the car. Qin Qingzhuo opened the storage compartment and put the folder inside, “That’s all taken care of. Do you have anything else to do, or should we just go around?”

Jiang Ji started the car but didn’t immediately drive off, “Actually, I want to see someone.”

“Hmm?” Qin Qingzhuo fastened his seatbelt, “Who do you want to see?”

“Uncle Sui,” Jiang Ji said.

“In that case, let’s go see him,” Qin Qingzhuo suggested after a moment of thought, “It’s about time we met him. How about we buy something on the way to bring it over?”

“Mmh,” Jiang Ji agreed, then drove onto the road.

Jiang Ji didn’t actually know whether Uncle Sui had moved or if he would be home at this moment.

After transferring the money to him, he hadn’t contacted Uncle Sui again, thinking that he had cut ties with his past life. It wasn’t until he returned to Runcheng this time that he had the idea of seeing Uncle Sui again.

As the car reached the urban village where Jiang Ji used to live, all the surrounding low-rise houses had been marked with the character “demolish” in red, encircled by a circle outside, like people living here were trapped and unable to escape from this life.

After Jiang Keyuan disappeared, their villa was auctioned off by the court to repay debts, and Yu Luo rented a place here with Jiang Ji. Uncle Sui was the same; after becoming a guarantor, he sold his house and moved into this old house in the urban village.

As the car stopped in front of Uncle Sui’s residence, the gate was slightly ajar, and someone could be seen inside.

“Really, you don’t need me to come in with you?” Qin Qingzhuo confirmed with Jiang Ji again, recalling the scene when Jiang Ji was trapped in the alley, and Uncle Sui was hitting him with an iron pipe while he didn’t fight back, which still made Qin Qingzhuo shiver.

“Really don’t need to,” Jiang Ji leaned over and kissed him on the corner of his mouth, “It’s okay, don’t worry.”

“Then I’ll just wander around nearby,” Qin Qingzhuo said, “Call me anytime if you need me.”

Jiang Ji responded with a “Hmm,” grabbed the things he bought on the road, got out of the car, and said, “Drive slowly when you’re on your own,” before turning to walk towards Uncle Sui’s house.

Qin Qingzhuo sat in the car, watching Jiang Ji walk into the yard, waiting for a while to make sure there were no unusual sounds coming from inside before slowly driving out of the alley.

As Jiang Ji pushed open the door and walked in, he saw many cardboard boxes piled up in the yard, with things inside. Uncle Sui was bending over, packing one of the cardboard boxes.

Putting down what he was holding, Jiang Ji walked over to the other side of Uncle Sui, bending down to help him secure the cardboard box.

Only then did Uncle Sui notice someone approaching, and after a moment of surprise, he asked, “Why are you back in Runcheng?”

“Back to transfer my student status,” Jiang Ji said, “Are you moving?”

“Yeah, this area is all going to be demolished. I’ve rented a new shop in the city, and I’m going to move into the shop in the future,” Uncle Sui said, then asked, “Are you going back to school?”

Jiang Ji nodded.

Both of them calmly talked about their recent situations, something they hadn’t done in the past ten years.

“It’s good to continue your studies. Your parents were both top performers back then, so you definitely won’t be any worse,” after packing up the box in front of him, Uncle Sui straightened up and handed Jiang Ji a cigarette.

Jiang Ji didn’t take it. “I quit smoking. You should smoke less too; it’s not good for your health.”

Uncle Sui didn’t smoke either, putting the cigarette pack back into his pocket and looking at Jiang Ji, “I used to think you looked more like your father, but now I see, the older you get, the more you look like your mother.”

“Really?” Jiang Ji said, “I’ve always thought I don’t look much like my mom.”

“The older you get, the more you resemble her,” Uncle Sui said, “Especially your eyes.”

Jiang Ji smiled lightly and said nothing.

“Just now, when I was packing, I saw the photos of your father and me when we were young,” Uncle Sui mentioned Jiang Keyuan, “Your father back then was really spirited, a top student in the architecture department of a famous university, went all the way to a Ph.D., and after graduation, he stayed at the university as a teacher. It wasn’t easy at all. Why did he have to resign and start a business later? I’ve always been thinking, if he had come to me back then and said he wanted to resign and start a company, if I could have persuaded him, would things have turned out differently…”

He sighed and took out a cigarette, lighting it up.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Ji said, “A person’s destiny is unpredictable. It’s all in the past. You shouldn’t dwell on these things. Look forward.”

“Yeah,” Uncle Sui exhaled a puff of smoke. “Let’s look forward.”

Both of them fell silent, unsure of what to say to each other. After all, there was a generation gap between them, and they had never conversed so calmly and peacefully before.

“I don’t have anything else to do. I just came to see you,” Jiang Ji said as he accompanied Uncle Sui smoking for a while. “You go ahead and pack your things. I’ll leave now.”

Uncle Sui didn’t insist on him staying longer and saw him off at the door.

As Jiang Ji walked out of the alley, he glanced back and saw Uncle Sui still standing at the doorway, puffing on his cigarette.

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Ji continued walking forward, feeling a bit lighter on his feet.

Exiting the alley, Jiang Ji saw the car parked on the nearby street. He approached it, but Qin Qingzhuo was not inside.

He dialed Qin Qingzhuo’s number on his phone to ask where he was.

“Guess,” Qin Qingzhuo said.

Jiang Ji thought for a moment. “You’re not at the place where we met before, are you?”

“Right,” Qin Qingzhuo’s voice came through the phone with a hint of amusement. “Come over. By the way, Li Zi just called and said that there will be a music festival in Runcheng. Do you want to ask Keshi and Zhong Yang if they want to come over and play? The studio covers food, accommodation, and travel expenses. As long as they’re available.”

“Sure,” Jiang Ji said. “I’ll call them right away.”

With that, he headed towards where Qin Qingzhuo was.

The place where they first met ten years ago was not far from there, just a few streets away. Jiang Ji was a bit surprised that Qin Qingzhuo remembered that place, considering that Qin Qingzhuo had initially forgotten about their first meeting.

As Jiang Ji walked over, he arrived at the spot where they first met, but Qin Qingzhuo was still not there.

Jiang Ji wondered if Qin Qingzhuo had mistaken the location, so he took out his phone and dialed Qin Qingzhuo’s number again.

This time, there was no answer. After a few seconds, Jiang Ji sensed someone approaching him from behind.

The feeling was all too familiar. Over the past ten years, he had walked this old street countless times. Whenever he sensed someone approaching from behind, he would instinctively tense up, entering a state of alertness, knowing that the next moment could bring a potentially fatal blow.

But this time, after instinctively tensing up, Jiang Ji quickly relaxed.

He was certain that the person approaching him was not a threat.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, a hand gently patted his shoulder.

Turning around, Jiang Ji met Qin Qingzhuo’s smiling, slightly curved eyes.

“You didn’t give me an elbow as soon as I approached you this time,” Qin Qingzhuo smiled and said. “Is it because your defense has weakened?”

In fact, Qin Qingzhuo’s approach from behind was purely impulsive, thinking of the scene when Jiang Ji immediately grabbed his wrist and pressed it against the wall when he approached Jiang Ji at Honglu Slope Street.

Looking at the youth who used to be constantly vigilant and defensive, now feeling a sense of security and stability, Qin Qingzhuo’s heart seemed to have also become more stable.

“Because I guessed it was you,” Jiang Ji smiled too.

The two stood at the spot where they first met, holding hands.

As night fell, they looked up and saw the bright moon hanging between the branches on the other side.

Suddenly, as if time had flowed backwards, it felt like they were back when the light and lively melody played, and the endless night was suddenly illuminated in an instant.

Ten long years passed in the blink of an eye, and they stood before each other.

“You’ve grown so tall,” Qin Qingzhuo looked up at Jiang Ji and still found it somewhat unbelievable.

“And you’ve become my boyfriend,” Jiang Ji also looked at him, lowering his head to kiss him.

The small town was peaceful and quiet. The old district, awaiting demolition, seemed even more deserted, so the two of them seemed a bit more uninhibited, completely disregarding Li Zi’s earlier reminder not to kiss in public.

On the day of the music festival, Qin Qingzhuo and Jiang Ji went to the airport to pick up Peng Keshi and Zhong Yang.

On the way, Zhong Yang suggested doing a live broadcast, and the other three had no objections.

This unplanned live broadcast immediately attracted tens of thousands of viewers as soon as it started.

“We’re going to perform at the music festival,” Zhong Yang said, looking at the crazy scrolling messages below, “Yes, the three of us. Keshi is sitting next to me,” he turned the screen towards Peng Keshi, then towards Jiang Ji, “Jiang Ji is driving…”

The barrage of comments went from “Xiao Zhong is so obedient” to “Sister Keshi is so beautiful” and finally turned into a flood of “Ah, Ah, Jiang Ji looks so cool driving!!!”

“Who’s sitting next to Jiang Ji… can’t you guys guess?!” Zhong Yang turned the screen towards Qin Qingzhuo, who turned and waved, causing the comments to flood with “Qin Qingzhuo” and “Jiang Ji and Qin are really together” followed by a bunch of exclamation marks.

“Why did we suddenly come to Runcheng to attend the music festival…” Zhong Yang continued to answer questions, looking up at Qin Qingzhuo, “Brother Qingzhuo, can I say it?”

“Go ahead,” Qin Qingzhuo smiled, “It’s fine.”

“Oh, it’s because Brother Qingzhuo accompanied Jiang Ji to transfer his student status in Runcheng, and we happened to see the music festival being held here, so we asked if we wanted to come and play together… Yeah, Jiang Ji is about to become a high school student,” Zhong Yang looked at the barrage, suddenly laughing loudly, “Brother Qingzhuo, they’re all congratulating you.”

“What’s all this…” Qin Qingzhuo glanced at the barrage full of “Congratulations to Teacher Qin for getting a high school boyfriend,” laughing and saying, “Stop fooling around.”

“Sister Shi, ” Zhong Yang turned the screen towards Peng Keshi again, “They’re asking if you’ll work full-time with the band after graduation.”

“I’m going to graduate school,” Peng Keshi smiled, “Surprised?”

Zhong Yang leaned over to look at the barrage with her, “Hey, why is everyone suddenly saying I’m the band’s academic low-lying ground…”

With this remark, the other three in the car burst into laughter.

“No,” Zhong Yang defended, “Jiang Ji hasn’t even been accepted into university yet… I’m not an academic low-lying ground, at most I’m just a plain.”

“How about Zhong Yang taking the college entrance exam with Jiang Ji then,” Qin Qingzhuo took over, “You two can keep each other company.”

“Don’t, don’t, don’t,” Zhong Yang immediately said, “I’m not taking the college entrance exam. I get a headache just looking at characters, I’m already satisfied with finishing high school, and now I’m the most famous person in our welfare home.”

“Welfare home?” Qin Qingzhuo looked at him somewhat surprised.

“Yeah, I grew up in a welfare home, and my drumming skills were taught by our director himself,” Zhong Yang patted his chest proudly, “Recently, they want to invite me back to perform for the kids, am I awesome?”

“That’s impressive,” Qin Qingzhuo said with a smile, “After you perform for them, come back to the studio and help me make an album. I need a talented drummer.”

“Do I get paid for that, Brother Qingzhuo?” Zhong Yang lowered his voice.

“Of course,” Qin Qingzhuo laughed.

Jiang Ji had been driving without saying much, but now he spoke up, “Then he’ll go to the studio every day to help you make the album, and I’ll go to school every day?”

Qin Qingzhuo hadn’t said anything yet when Zhong Yang leaned over provocatively, “What, do you have a problem with that?”

“Then I won’t take the college entrance exam either,” Jiang Ji said, turning the steering wheel to make a turn.

“Not to help me make the album,” Qin Qingzhuo knew he was joking but still went along with it, “It’s to help the singers in the studio make albums, you can’t be with me every day…”

“That’s fine,” Jiang Ji said.

This time, Zhong Yang wasn’t having it, “Hey, Brother Qingzhuo, don’t do this…”

Qin Qingzhuo turned to look at him, helpless, “What can I do?”

The barrage on the screen filled with various colors of “Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah,” Peng Keshi glanced at it, turned her face towards the window outside, and smiled.

The car parked in the parking lot of the music festival venue, and not far away, the banners fluttered with the words “Qin Qingzhuo X Asperatus,” looking very eye-catching.

As the four of them walked onto the stage, the fans below erupted into deafening cheers.

This was Qin Qingzhuo’s second time singing after the program, but this time, he didn’t seem as nervous as when he first went on stage.

He adjusted the guitar’s tone, and heard Jiang Ji ask into the microphone, “Is there any song you want to hear?”

The fans shouting for “Light Peck” and “Light in the Deep Alley” were both hoarse, and it was hard to tell which one was louder.

“What do you want to sing?” Jiang Ji turned back to Qin Qingzhuo and asked, his voice noticeably softer.

“You decide,” Qin Qingzhuo smiled at him.

The fans below the stage erupted into cheers again.

“Then, let’s sing ‘Light Peck’ first,” Jiang Ji’s gaze stayed on Qin Qingzhuo’s eyes, his slightly deep voice spreading through the microphone, “For someone named Qingzhuo, and another song…”

Their eyes met, and Qin Qingzhuo seamlessly continued, –

” ‘Light in the Deep Alley,’ for those who have the courage to love.”

TN:

(End of the text)

The end, grateful for the encounter, grateful for the company~

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づ?ど

There’s an extra chapter, which will be updated at an unspecified time one week later. There will definitely be one about Jiang Ji’s military training after he goes to university. If you want to see anything else, you can leave a comment in the comment section!