Chapter 42

At the end of the song, the audience shouted “encore” loudly.

Qin Qingzhuo looked at the glowing glowsticks waving below and the excited crowd for a long time without saying a word.

Jiang Ji saw a faint smile on his face as he looked at the vast music festival grounds, as if he had been lost in some memory.

“Thank you,” Qin Qingzhuo said into the microphone, “Thank you for still remembering me.”

His voice was low, almost completely drowned out by the cheers from below.

After speaking, he stood up, returned the guitar and microphone to the band, and then stepped down from the stage with Jiang Ji.

Once they were off the stage, they didn’t return to their original positions; too many spectators had crowded there, and neither of them liked noisy environments.

Jiang Ji noticed that Qin Qingzhuo seemed to be lost in thought; he had been in a somewhat absent-minded state since coming down from the stage.

“What are you thinking about?” Jiang Ji asked aloud.

“I was thinking…” Qin Qingzhuo snapped out of his reverie, paused for a moment, and then said, “Is there any more beer?”

“No,” Jiang Ji said, realizing that the beer he had just bought was already finished; he couldn’t tell who had drunk more, him or Qin Qingzhuo. “I’ll go buy some.”

“I’ll wait for you over there,” Qin Qingzhuo pointed ahead.

Jiang Ji nodded.

On the way to the stall, Jiang Ji felt his mood improve significantly. He took a deep breath, the cool breeze mingled with the scent of grass passing through his lungs before he gently exhaled.

There was a sense of long-lost joy.

He couldn’t even remember the last time he felt such pleasure.

Standing in front of the stall, he even seriously considered the taste of beers in different packaging: white for lychee flavor, pink for peach flavor, green for lemon flavor, and burgundy for cherry flavor.

He used to have no patience for this kind of thing, finding it boring, uninteresting, and annoying.

But today, he found it quite interesting. It felt like he could waste away the whole night, pretending to temporarily escape from the exhausting rush of life.

“Cherry flavor, please,” Jiang Ji said, “Give me a pack.”

He had actually never tried cherry-flavored beer, but he had just thought of Qin Qingzhuo wearing a burgundy jacket tonight.

Taking the beer handed to him by the stall owner, Jiang Ji turned around and looked in the direction he had just come from. There were too many people, and he didn’t see Qin Qingzhuo for a moment, but he did see two boys not far away kissing each other—eyes closed, kissing as if no one else existed.

Across from the Honglu Bar was a gay bar. At midnight, when the bars closed, Jiang Ji often stood at the door, feeling the breeze and spacing out. He frequently saw drunken men kissing as if nobody was watching.

Having seen it so many times, he was already accustomed to it, especially since he had always been quite indifferent to things that didn’t concern him.

But today was different because he suddenly thought of Qin Qingzhuo.

The side profile sitting in the car, waiting to be kissed.

Suddenly, the drunkenness intensified, and the alcohol in his body seemed to react with his blood, causing a slight tingling sensation as it flowed through his limbs.

He withdrew his gaze and looked into the distance again, this time seeing Qin Qingzhuo. Qin Qingzhuo was chatting with someone standing next to him, probably another friend. Jiang Ji realized that Qin Qingzhuo probably had many friends in the circle.

Qin Qingzhuo also noticed him at this moment, raising his arm to wave at him from a distance, indicating his position.

Lowering his hand, Qin Qingzhuo turned to the person next to him and asked, “What did you just say?”

Tonight’s two tickets to the music festival were obtained from Duan Chong. Duan Chong was Qin Qingzhuo’s college friend and also Xia Qi’s boyfriend. Qin Qingzhuo suddenly had the idea of ​​”taking Jiang Ji out to relax” during the day, so he remembered that Xia Qi had mentioned that Duan Chong had been busy with the music festival lately, so he asked him for two tickets at the last minute.

“I said,” Duan Chong repeated helplessly, “What about Ji Chi? Is he still filming?”

“Oh, Ji Chi…” Qin Qingzhuo had a somewhat distant feeling when he mentioned this name. “We broke up.”

“Broke up?” Duan Chong’s eyes couldn’t hide his shock. “So suddenly, why?”

“He… cheated.” Qin Qingzhuo hesitated when he said this, as being cheated on was not something to be proud of. But considering his friendship with Duan Chong, there was no need to hide it, so he told the truth.

“What the f*ck,” Duan Chong was obviously surprised. “Ji Chi cheated? He… wasn’t he, with the way he pursued you back then, I thought he would be a peerless lover.”

Duan Chong intentionally joked, but Qin Qingzhuo didn’t feel like laughing at all. He fell silent.

“With whom?” Duan Chong asked again.

“…His assistant.”

“Yuan Yu? F*ck their ancestors for eight generations,” Duan Chong cursed harshly. “What disgusting things they’ve done.”

Seeing Qin Qingzhuo silent, Duan Chong asked again, “When did this happen? Why are you telling me just now?”

“Xia Qi said you’ve been busy lately, so I wanted to wait until you had free time,” Qin Qingzhuo smiled. “Besides, does it matter when I tell you? We’re at this age, just a breakup, not worth making a big fuss about.”

“But he cheated,” Duan Chong’s tone was incredulous. “With your temperament, can you really swallow this?”

“Initially, I couldn’t swallow it either, felt like a fishbone stuck in my throat. But later, someone helped me give him a good beating, punched him a few times, seeing him in such a sorry state, I let it go,” Qin Qingzhuo exhaled. “Anyway, he has helped me before, I’m quite grateful to him, let’s part on good terms.”

“This Ji Chi… really,” Duan Chong sounded indignant. “I always said anyone who betrays music isn’t a good person. When he suddenly said he wanted to act years ago, I thought this guy was unreliable.”

Having said this, he couldn’t help but curiously ask, “But which buddy is so loyal, helping you both scold and beat him?”

As he spoke, Jiang Ji happened to be walking over with the beer.

“He’s here,” Qin Qingzhuo said. “It’s him.”

Jiang Ji walked up to Qin Qingzhuo, offering him the bag containing the beer.

Qin Qingzhuo took out two cans of beer from the bag, handed one to Duan Chong, and held the other in his hand, introducing Jiang Ji, “This is Duan Chong, the organizer of tonight’s music festival.”

Jiang Ji nodded at Duan Chong, then took out another can of beer from the bag, opened the tab, and handed it to Qin Qingzhuo, swapping it with the unopened one in his hand.

Qin Qingzhuo took the beer handed to him by Jiang Ji, then turned to Duan Chong and said, “Jiang Ji, lead singer and guitarist of Asperatus Music Band.”

“Oh, I know. I’ve watched a few episodes of your show.” After Duan Chong finished speaking, he looked Jiang Ji up and down, speaking knowingly, “No wonder…”

Qin Qingzhuo took a sip of his beer, giving him a strange look. “No wonder what?”

“No wonder you suddenly got interested in coming to the music festival,” Duan Chong said. “It turns out you made a new friend, that’s good.”

At these words, Qin Qingzhuo choked on his drink, coughing a few times before recovering. “What new friend? Duan Chong, can’t you stop being so sensational…”

Jiang Ji had no particular reaction. He took a sip of the beer, swallowed it, and raised his jaw slightly to the side. “I’ll go over there for a walk.”

“Go ahead.” Qin Qingzhuo nodded awkwardly.

After Jiang Ji left, he glanced at Duan Chong.

“No, you can’t blame me for this,” Duan Chong was also quite embarrassed. “He helped you beat Ji Chi, just opened the beer so smoothly, I thought it made sense… Besides, he’s not your new lover. Why did you bring him to the music festival?”

“He’s had some trouble recently, and I brought him here to relax,” Qin Qingzhuo looked at Duan Chong with mixed feelings. “What are you thinking? Haven’t you had enough to drink tonight?”

“You’ve seen the drinking skills of those bands, too,” Duan Chong rubbed his temples with his hand. “So, if he’s not your new lover, it’s really awkward…”

“Even if he were my new lover, is it not awkward for you to say the words ‘new lover’ in front of him?” Qin Qingzhuo looked at Duan Chong helplessly. “Drink less, be careful not to be locked out by Xia Qi tonight.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Duan Chong waved his hand. “Xia Qi is going to celebrate her sister’s birthday tonight, and she’ll drink even more than me.”

Qin Qingzhuo smiled and shook his head. Back in college, Duan Chong and Xia Qi often dragged him out for drinks. He hadn’t seen a couple who loved drinking as much as this pair. Nearly ten years had passed, and these two had developed a strong tolerance for alcohol, but their relationship had never changed. Qin Qingzhuo hadn’t seen them quarrel once.

Ten years… it was quite a long time. Qin Qingzhuo felt a bit emotional, then wondered, what would it feel like to be with someone day in and day out for ten years? Wouldn’t it get tiresome? Wouldn’t it become boring?

Sometimes he envied Duan Chong and Xia Qi. They could find someone who resonated with them to spend this long and tedious life together. Thinking about it, it was indeed quite a lucky thing.

However, living up to now, he increasingly understood that this kind of small probability event, which could only be encountered by luck, was not something to envy. Instead of trying their luck and accepting the possibility of being hurt, it was better to learn to enjoy solitude early in life.

“Oh, by the way,” Qin Qingzhuo remembered Duan Chong had just mentioned watching “Restless Band,” and casually asked, “You’ve been so busy lately, still have time to watch variety shows?”

Duan Chong took a sip of his drink and nodded, “Yeah. I watch the shows that Xia Qi hosts.”

These two… They never openly displayed affection, but you never knew which words might inadvertently reveal their intimacy. Qin Qingzhuo smiled and also took a sip of his drink.

“But honestly,” Duan Chong said, “I think you should consider getting a new boyfriend. They say to completely get over a past relationship, time is the long-term solution, and a new lover is the quick fix. Besides, Ji Chi might come back to pester you. Get a new boyfriend quickly and make him jealous.”

“Entering a new relationship just to get over a past one and make your ex jealous wouldn’t be fair to the new boyfriend,” Qin Qingzhuo smiled, shook his head, and then said somewhat disinterestedly, “And now I feel that love, as an affair, is enjoyable for everyone involved. But once it becomes serious, it can be quite emotionally taxing.”

Not far away, Jiang Ji walked around the edge of the venue for a while, stopped, leaned against a tree trunk, and drank his beer absentmindedly.

From this angle, he could see Qin Qingzhuo chatting with his friend, looking relaxed, displaying a casual and mature demeanor different from usual.

He suddenly realized that Qin Qingzhuo always interacted with him in a somewhat senior manner.

Not in a condescending manner, but with a certain distance and understanding, like the tolerant and helpless expression he had when Zhong Yang pulled him onto the basketball court.

Nesting Tree on stage returned for an encore, singing a lazy and atmospheric Cantonese slow song this time.

Jiang Ji swallowed a sip of beer, which tasted slightly bitter with a tangy aftertaste.

As the music festival neared its end, Duan Chong had other matters to attend to. After arranging a driver for Qin Qingzhuo, he bid him farewell and turned to deal with other things.

Qin Qingzhuo threw the empty can in his hand into the trash can and then turned to look for Jiang Ji.

He saw Jiang Ji leaning against a tree trunk a few meters away, holding a beer can, looking at him through the bustling crowd.

Qin Qingzhuo walked towards him, and as he approached, Jiang Ji’s gaze remained fixed on him without wavering.

This young man… He had been watching him all night. Qin Qingzhuo stopped in front of him and asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Jiang Ji remained silent, staring into Qin Qingzhuo’s eyes for two seconds before his gaze trailed down his nose and settled on his lips, tinted red and glistening with moisture from the alcohol. After a moment’s pause, he whispered softly, “Cherry-flavored.”

“What?” Qin Qingzhuo subconsciously touched his own lips, momentarily stunned before chuckling, “Beer? Haven’t had enough yet, huh…”

“You.”

“Huh?” Qin Qingzhuo was taken aback again, pausing before smiling and lowering his eyes, “Are you really drunk… Come on, it’ll be difficult to leave once it’s over.”

He started walking towards the exit of the venue, taking a few steps before turning back to wave at Jiang Ji, “Hurry up.”

Jiang Ji snapped out of his thoughts, realizing that he was indeed a bit intoxicated. He straightened up, withdrew his gaze, and stepped towards Qin Qingzhuo.

The driver arranged by Duan Chong was already waiting at the exit. Qin Qingzhuo went over to greet him and then walked to his own car.

Opening the car door and getting in, he sat in the back seat with Jiang Ji.

As the car moved onto the road, Qin Qingzhuo turned to Jiang Ji and asked, “Did you have fun tonight?”

Jiang Ji nodded, “Hmm. And you?”

“I did too,” Qin Qingzhuo smiled, leaning back against the seat, “Did any of the bands that performed tonight catch your interest?”

“Nesting Tree. I quite like their self-titled album,” Jiang Ji replied. Thinking of the scene where the band members surrounded Qin Qingzhuo after coming down from the stage, he asked, “Are you close to them?”

“You like that album, but did you even notice who produced it?” Qin Qingzhuo turned his head to look out the window, his voice carrying a hint of amusement.

Surprised by his implication, Jiang Ji asked, “Did you produce it for them?”

“Yeah,” Qin Qingzhuo’s voice sounded very pleased.

No wonder. Jiang Ji remembered that he had accidentally come across the self-titled album of the Nesting Tree. After listening to it, he found the band quite special. The album’s style was bold and adventurous, with the clever incorporation of classical instruments. Therefore, after listening to that album, he went on to listen to their other albums but found that he still preferred the self-titled one.

Originally, he thought the band had made a relatively bold stylistic attempt on that album, but he didn’t realize that it was actually the producer who had incorporated his ideas…

So, before he truly met Qin Qingzhuo, there were already many such inadvertent encounters… Jiang Ji felt this feeling was somewhat magical.

“Lin Qi is quite similar to you in some ways,” Qin Qingzhuo’s tone became even softer after drinking, “Before I helped him with that album, his condition wasn’t much better than yours. But look at him now, isn’t he quite relaxed?”

“So Jiang Ji,” Qin Qingzhuo said, “I brought you to this music festival tonight because I wanted to help you relax, but also to let you know that life is long, and there’s no obstacle that can’t be overcome. You’re only nineteen. What you and your band will become in five years, ten years, I honestly can’t imagine, but I’m looking forward to it. You might be like the Nesting Tree, with many people liking you, or perhaps even more people liking you…”

Qin Qingzhuo spoke, halfheartedly clenching his fist against his lips, stifling a yawn.

Having stayed up late with Jiang Ji the previous night and having almost no sleep, coupled with the alcohol consumption, drowsiness crept over him. Lowering his voice, he said, “I feel sleepy after drinking. I’ll close my eyes for a while.”

Jiang Ji responded with a simple “Mm” and remained silent.

His phone vibrated, and Jiang Ji took it out to check. There was a message from Zhong Yang: “F*ck, how could you and Brother Qingzhuo go to the music festival without inviting me!”

Below that, he received a Weibo message: “Look, look, see the consequences of not bringing me along!”

Jiang Ji opened the Weibo post and glanced at it. The excited tone of the blogger caught his attention: “Look who I saw at tonight’s music festival!!!” The post was accompanied by a video the blogger had shot, featuring Qin Qingzhuo and Jiang Ji playing the guitar together.

Although the post had been made over half an hour ago, it had already garnered thousands of shares and comments, with likes exceeding ten thousand.

In the comments, the blogger explained further: “It shouldn’t be a pre-arranged flash mob. When I saw Qin Qingzhuo being dragged up by Lin Qi and the others, he seemed quite baffled. It looked like he had been drinking, and Lin Qi asked him to sing, but he refused, claiming his hand was injured. He then called for Jiang Ji to join him in playing the guitar. Throughout the entire guitar performance, Jiang Ji’s gaze never left Qin Qingzhuo’s face!!!”

The comments were quite wild:

“Sneakily going to a music festival together without telling anyone, what kind of couple behavior is this!”

“Talking about an injured hand is clearly an excuse! He just wanted to play the guitar together in public, right?”

“I need to know within three minutes when these two got together and how far they’ve progressed! Now!”

“Is it because of that recent program? I remember Jiang Ji even clashed with Qin Qingzhuo before. What a world-shaking revelation…”

“Off topic but, both of their hands are really good-looking…”

“Wait a minute, how did the blogger see that Jiang Ji’s gaze never left Qin Qingzhuo’s face… Could it be that the blurry production team is promoting this???”

“My intuition tells me that this couple is real. Let me indulge in this for a while, friends!!”

…

Jiang Ji swiped the screen, reading through a few comments, and his gaze lingered on one comment: “I saw them before they went on stage. I didn’t want to disturb them and took a distant photo as evidence. Jiang Ji indeed spent most of the time looking at Qin Qingzhuo.”

Jiang Ji tapped on the photo attached to the comments, and indeed, it was taken from afar. The bustling crowd around them was blurred, with only him and Qin Qingzhuo in the center appearing clear.

In the photo, Jiang Ji’s hand seemed to have just moved away from his mouth with a beer, his face slightly turned sideways, his gaze resting on Qin Qingzhuo’s face beside him. Qin Qingzhuo also held a bottle of beer in his hand, leaning against a tree with his back, one leg slightly bent, appearing relaxed.

After pausing for a moment, Jiang Ji held down the screen, saving the photo, and then saved another one of them playing the guitar together.

Turning off the phone screen, he turned his face to Qin Qingzhuo.

Qin Qingzhuo took off his baseball cap, leaning back against the chair with his eyes closed, casting a shadow under his lower eyelids.

The car window was slightly open, and the wind blew in, causing his slightly long hair to flutter to the side of his face.

The dim street lamp on the roadside reflected on Qin Qingzhuo’s face, giving him a captivating beauty.

His heart began to beat forcefully in his chest again, giving Jiang Ji a sense of coming alive.

He had been living numbly for a long time, and his heart had never felt so alive as it did now.

Beat after beat, steady and powerful, as if telling him that being alive wasn’t so bad after all.

Feeling a bit itchy, Qin Qingzhuo raised his hand to brush the hair off his face. However, in his half-asleep state, the hair that was brushed aside quickly blew back onto his face.

Jiang Ji leaned over and stretched his arm to tightly close the window on Qin Qingzhuo’s side.

After staring at Qin Qingzhuo for a while, he raised his hand and gently brushed the strands of hair off Qin Qingzhuo’s face, tucking them behind his ear.

TN:

It’s the awakening!