Chapter 45

The three words “Teacher Qin” coming from Jiang Ji’s mouth made Qin Qingzhuo feel somewhat unfamiliar.

It seemed like the first time Jiang Ji called him “Teacher Qin”; before, he would just call him by his name.

No, it seemed like he had been called that before, but it was a bit earlier, when Jiang Ji still held that photo in his hand and didn’t know about Ji Chi’s affair.

However, back then when Jiang Ji called him “Teacher Qin,” it always carried a hint of mockery. But this time, with “thank you” preceding “Teacher Qin,” it seemed somewhat solemn.

However, this thought only flashed through his mind, and Qin Qingzhuo didn’t have the mood to think about these things right now. His intuition told him there was something wrong with the vote count.

In the first half, Asperatus had been leading all along, but in the last few seconds, the growth of their votes suddenly slowed down, continuing until Urban Collapse surpassed them.

Such a reversal of votes had happened before, during the impromptu creation of “The Empty Can on the Street Corner” by Asperatus. However, that time, it was because Marsara had taken advantage of the 200-vote lead from the mentors, and Asperatus had indeed performed exceptionally during the impromptu creation. Everything was traceable.

But this time… Did Urban Collapse’s supporters really have this much influence?

On stage, Jiang Ji returned the microphone to the host, then, with his guitar on his back, he exited the stage with Peng Keshi and Zhong Yang.

The big screen displayed the list of the top ten bands in the competition. After the host finished the routine closing remarks, the audience began to leave, and the studio became noisy.

Several mentors didn’t rush to the backstage; they stood up, stretching their shoulders and chatting casually. Qin Qingzhuo, however, was not in the mood for small talk; he furrowed his brow, holding the script rolled up in his hand, as if deep in thought.

Seeing his somber expression, Shen Cha guessed the reason and leaned in, lowering her voice, “We can’t control the outcome of such things. Don’t take it too hard.”

“Do you also think they shouldn’t have lost?” Qin Qingzhuo looked up at her.

Shen Cha shrugged, not saying it outright but conveying her meaning quite clearly.

Qin Qingzhuo pondered with his eyes down for a few seconds, then stood up, took out his phone, and dialed Xia Qi’s number before heading to a secluded area in the corridor.

Xia Qi quickly answered the call, “Qingzhuo, what’s up?”

“Was the vote count manipulated in the last round of the competition?” Qin Qingzhuo asked bluntly.

There was silence for a few seconds, then footsteps sounded, indicating Xia Qi had found a place with no one around to take the call.

“You said you didn’t want to be a mentor back then, so why are you taking it seriously now? Even if you lead the winning band in the end, the performance fees won’t increase.”

She deliberately made jokes to evade the question, but Qin Qingzhuo refused to change the subject, saying, “Xia Qi, just tell the truth. I just want to confirm my suspicion.”

His words were direct, and Xia Qi didn’t want to beat around the bush either.

After a few seconds of silence, Xia Qi sighed, “These things are inevitable. Don’t take it too seriously. This show is called a competition, but in the end, it’s just an variety show. Who wins and who loses is all about the show’s effect.”

Stopping there, Qin Qingzhuo didn’t inquire further, saying, “I understand.”

After hanging up the phone, he headed towards the control room.

Xia Qi walked out from backstage, realizing that Qin Qingzhuo was genuinely angry. When Qin Qingzhuo was angry, he seemed like a different person, distant and unapproachable.

She hurriedly walked over, holding Qin Qingzhuo back, “Qingzhuo, are you going to see Shi Dao?”

Qin Qingzhuo responded with a simple “Hmm.”

“Don’t go. The results are already out. If you go now, it will only strain your relationship, and there’s no need for that,” Xia Qi advised him in a low voice.

“I have to go and get an explanation,” Qin Qingzhuo continued walking, “You just act like you don’t know about this. I didn’t ask you, so don’t get involved.”

Xia Qi wanted to stop him, but Qin Qingzhuo had already pushed open the door to the control room, so she had to stop in her tracks.

Inside the control room, Shi Yao was chatting with other members of the production team with a relaxed expression. The recent competition seemed to have satisfied him.

As the door opened, Shi Yao turned around, noticing that Qin Qingzhu’s expression was off. His expression slightly froze, but the next moment, he regained his composure and said, “Is there something, Qingzhu?”

Qin Qingzhuo stood at the doorway, looking at him with cold indifference, responding with a curt “Hmm.”

The members of the production team sensed that something was amiss. Considering what had just happened, they could guess Qin Qingzhu’s intentions.

Shi Yao naturally figured it out as well. He asked the others to leave and walked over to pull Qin Qingzhuo to a sofa in the room, saying, “Come, Qingzhuo, sit down and talk.”

Then he sat across from Qin Qingzhuo, preparing tea while saying, “Are you angry? After knowing you for so long, this is the first time I’ve seen you angry, and it’s over just a competition. Isn’t it a bit too much?”

Seeing that Qin Qingzhuo didn’t take the tea and looked at him with an increasingly cold expression, Shi Yao continued, “In our line of work, it’s quite helpless. We claim to be the chief director of the show to the public, but in the end, we’re just dogs under the capital. How can anything really be up to us?”

He deliberately shifted the blame, and Qin Qingzhuo spoke coldly, “The hands of the capital aren’t always that long. After this competition, anyone can foresee the difference in the bands’ potential traffic. The capital values traffic the most. Did you really do this on the capital’s demand? Also, the vote count of 249 to 251, is it too blatant or too coincidental? Aren’t you afraid of arousing public doubt about the program’s credibility? Tell me, how many votes did Asperatus really get?”

Qin Qingzhu’s words were quite straightforward, leaving little room for Shi Yao to save face. Shi Yao remained silent for a while before handing Qin Qingzhuo a cup of tea.

“Last-minute song change, unable to keep up with the stage effects and lighting. Achieving this result is already quite good. There should be a limit to causing trouble. For such an important competition, changing the song in such a hurry without telling anyone, all the pre-prepared stage effects are all wasted. Who does things like this…”

Qin Qingzhuo didn’t take the cup of tea, looked up at him, and spoke with an even colder tone, “So you changed the vote count on your own and eliminated them?”

Shi Yao’s expression changed slightly, and he placed the cup of tea on the table in front of Qin Qingzhuo. With a wry smile, he said, “Qingzhuo, you can’t just say things like that.”

Qin Qingzhuo didn’t respond, just coldly staring at him, showing a determination not to let it go until he got an explanation.

All the previous affectionate feelings towards Qin Qingzhuo had dissipated in an instant for Shi Yao. He began to feel that dealing with Qin Qingzhuo was quite tricky.

After sitting for a while, seeing that Qin Qingzhuo still didn’t intend to speak, Shi Yao couldn’t sit still. He stood up, walking slowly inside the room.

In the backstage corridor leading to the elevator, Jiang Ji leaned against the window, listening to Zhong Yang’s non-stop cursing at the production team. He cursed in various creative ways, and up until now, he hadn’t repeated a single phrase. In the middle of his rant, Peng Keshi handed him a bottle of mineral water, and that only fueled Zhong Yang’s enthusiasm.

He cursed until the audience left, and the band members almost all left. The other three mentors had already left as well, but Zhong Yang only stopped for an intermission, saying, “Why hasn’t Brother Qingzhuo come out yet? Did he not leave from the backstage?”

Jiang Ji glanced towards the backstage direction, saying, “I’ll go check.”

He walked through the backstage to the studio, and at this moment, the vast hall was only filled with staff tidying up, with no sign of Qin Qingzhuo.

Originally, he planned to find Chen Jia and ask her about Qin Qingzhu’s bank card number, but not seeing Chen Jia, he saw Xia Qi standing near the control room door.

Remembering that Xia Qi, as a producer, might be more likely to know Qin Qingzhu’s bank card number, Jiang Ji walked over to her, thinking about it.

With her back against the wall, Xia Qi was focused on the movements inside the room, looking worried. She didn’t notice Jiang Ji approaching.

As he got closer, Jiang Ji heard Qin Qingzhu’s voice from inside the room, but he couldn’t make out what he was saying. Still, he could sense the anger in Qin Qingzhu’s tone.

Jiang Ji’s footsteps paused. At this moment, if Qin Qingzhuo was speaking to Shi Yao in that tone again, there should only be one reason…

He walked towards Xia Qi, calling out, “Sister Qi.”

Xia Qi snapped out of her thoughts upon hearing Jiang Ji’s voice. Upon seeing him, she wasn’t sure if he had heard the conversation inside the room. A hint of embarrassment flashed across her face as she asked in a low voice, “Is there something?”

Originally, Jiang Ji intended to ask about the bank card number, but it didn’t seem like a good time now. Jiang Ji asked instead, “Are they the only two inside?”

Xia Qi responded with a cautious “Hmm,” watching him carefully, feeling that this young man was up to no good.

Jiang Ji lowered his eyes, lost in thought. He didn’t expect Qin Qingzhuo to directly approach Shi Yao about this matter.

After the vote count was announced, Qin Qingzhuo did seem very angry. However, in Jiang Ji’s eyes, Qin Qingzhuo had always been calm and considerate. Going to the program director because the band was eliminated due to a completely unfounded conspiracy seemed impulsive, something Qin Qingzhuo wouldn’t normally do.

He heard the sound of pacing inside the control room, sometimes closer, sometimes farther away. Judging from the footsteps, it seemed that Shi Yao was pacing back and forth.

Even standing outside the room, one could feel the tense atmosphere inside.

Jiang Ji wasn’t sure about Qin Qingzhu’s level of authority within the production team. He must have some, but it wouldn’t be too heavy. Otherwise, the segment where he confronted Qin Qingzhuo wouldn’t have been broadcasted.

Although Asperatus was eliminated, Qin Qingzhuo still had to continue as a mentor on the show. It wouldn’t be good if he quarreled with the director.

Jiang Ji walked towards the control room door, just about to knock, when Xia Qi, a few steps away, noticed his movement. She lowered her voice, warning, “Jiang Ji, don’t cause trouble!”

But Jiang Ji seemed not to hear her warning. His raised hand fell, knocking on the door. Knock, knock, knock.

Xia Qi frowned, staring at him with a complex expression.

The band brought by Qin Qingzhuo had a similar temperament to him. Once they made up their minds, no one could stop them.

After a few seconds, the door was pulled open, revealing Shi Yao.

Seeing Jiang Ji standing outside, Shi Yao was taken aback. “Jiang Ji? What are you here for?”

Jiang Ji’s expression was impassive, giving him a somewhat difficult-to-deal-with look. Shi Yao thought he was here to cause trouble.

But Jiang Ji just looked at him and said, “I’m here to see Qin Qingzhuo.”

He didn’t even call Shi Yao “Director Shi,” as if he didn’t regard Shi Yao highly.

Shi Yao was obviously displeased, but he didn’t lose his temper. Seeing Qin Qingzhuo walking over, he stepped aside.

“What’s up?” Qin Qingzhuo looked at Jiang Ji, his expression not as cold as before. “Do you need something from me?”

“Let’s go,” Jiang Ji also looked at him. “I’ll walk you back.”

His tone was so natural that it seemed like a matter of course, causing Qin Qingzhuo to pause slightly.

Shi Yao, on the side, was also surprised. Although he didn’t like Jiang Ji, the words Jiang Ji said relieved him a bit. Otherwise, he didn’t know how this situation would end.

“Qingzhuo, go back early,” Shi Yao advised, “Don’t worry, I will give you a satisfactory answer to this matter.”

After looking at Jiang Ji for a few seconds, Qin Qingzhuo glanced at Shi Yao again. “Alright, I’ll wait for your reply.”

With that said, he didn’t pay attention to Shi Yao anymore, walking out of the control room with Jiang Ji.

Passing by Xia Qi, who looked worried, Qin Qingzhu’s steps paused, comforting her, “It’s nothing, don’t worry.”

Xia Qi nodded, relieved.

It had to be said that Jiang Ji’s knocking didn’t cause trouble. If the tense situation inside the room continued, who knows what might have happened next. She was a colleague with Shi Yao and a friend with Qin Qingzhuo. Although she leaned towards Qin Qingzhuo from the bottom of her heart, it wasn’t appropriate to take sides in this situation.

Initially, she thought Jiang Ji might end up fighting with Shi Yao. After all, this young man seemed to be always getting into trouble, having picked a fight with Urban Collapse for no reason a while back. However, he handled this matter very calmly.

Xia Qi watched the backs of Qin Qingzhuo and Jiang Ji, finding it quite strange. Weren’t these two quite at odds before? But now, it seemed like their relationship was even closer than that of ordinary mentors and band members. And Qin Qingzhuo, with his personality, was usually not easily swayed by others, but he just walked away with Jiang Ji like that…

Walking side by side with Qin Qingzhuo for a few steps, Jiang Ji asked, “Why did you go to find Shi Yao?”

“You heard it too?” Seeing Jiang Ji’s silence, Qin Qingzhuo sighed. “I wanted to get an explanation. Even if it doesn’t change the outcome, knowing the true vote count is still good.”

“I’m not asking what you wanted to achieve by finding Shi Yao,” Jiang Ji said.

“Hmm?” Qin Qingzhuo was somewhat surprised.

“I mean,” Jiang Ji continued as they walked forward, “did you go to find Shi Yao because of me?”

A flicker of astonishment passed through Qin Qingzhu’s eyes.

Jiang Ji turned to look at him.

Their eyes met, and Qin Qingzhuo wasn’t sure if he was misinterpreting, but Jiang Ji’s question and the way he looked at him indeed gave him a subtle feeling.

“Of course,” Qin Qingzhuo intentionally kept his tone casual, “anyone with eyes can see that you and your band were treated unfairly.”

“What I mean is,” Jiang Ji phrased it differently, “if it were another band that was treated unfairly, would you still do the same?”

That subtle feeling became even more apparent, dispersing the anger that had just been building up in his chest, but it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.

“I haven’t thought about that question,” Qin Qingzhuo pondered for a moment, then asked back, “But why would you ask that?”

The question was thrown out, but Jiang Ji answered it nonchalantly, “Just curious.”

TN:
They sang about unfair situations and ended up in one. How fitting.

It’s my birthday month, so I’ll be releasing 2 chapters Mon to Friday.