Chapter 86

The meeting room was somewhat dull before due to Shi Yao’s actions, but when Qin Qingzhuo spoke, the atmosphere immediately became lively.

“Qingzhuo, are you going all out?” Li Zi smiled at the three members of the band. “Don’t be polite with your Teacher Qin, think of someone challenging, don’t waste his good connections.”

“Really?” Zhong Yang became interested. “We can invite anyone?”

“Anyone you want,” Qin Qingzhuo chuckled. “Why don’t you discuss it among yourselves?”

Zhong Yang turned his head, starting to discuss potential candidates with Peng Keshi. However, Jiang Ji didn’t participate in the discussion, seeming uninterested in the topic.

Qin Qingzhuo lowered his voice slightly and asked Jiang Ji, “Do you have someone in mind to invite?”

Jiang Ji looked up at him. “No.”

“Don’t you have many favorite bands? There must be someone you’d like to collaborate with.”

“Jiang Ji likes foreign bands,” Zhong Yang interjected. “Brother Qingzhuo, can you even invite foreigners?”

“Foreign ones, huh…” Qin Qingzhuo pondered for a moment. “Isn’t there something called the *Six Degrees of Separation theory? If we really want to invite someone, with some effort, there should be a chance, right?”

*the idea that all people are six or fewer social connections away from each other

“Aiyou,” Li Zi teased, “Qingzhuo, talking about making an effort, aren’t you reaching for the stars to provide for the moon?”

“What about me? What about me?” Zhong Yang joined in, eager to participate. “Brother Qingzhuo, can I also invite someone if I have someone in mind?”

“You…” Qin Qingzhuo chuckled. “How about restricting it to mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan?”

“Why is it that when it’s my turn, I can’t invite foreigners?” Zhong Yang protested. “Brother Qingzhuo, aren’t you showing double standards!”

Li Zi and Peng Keshi burst into laughter.

Jiang Ji glanced at him. “Any objections?”

Zhong Yang muttered, “How would I dare…”

“Just kidding,” Qin Qingzhuo chuckled. “You three discuss it. Whoever you want to invite, I’ll try my best to arrange it.”

At that moment, Li Zi’s phone buzzed. She glanced at it and then said to Qin Qingzhuo, “Qingzhuo, the cellist introduced by Teacher Dong is here. Should we go meet him?”

“Okay,” Qin Qingzhuo replied, standing up. He looked at Jiang Ji. “I have a meeting scheduled for tonight, so I’ll leave this conference room to you for discussion. Let me know the outcome, and I’ll arrange the meeting for you.”

“How long will you be gone?” Jiang Ji asked as he looked at him.

“It’s uncertain,” Qin Qingzhuo replied. “Once you’re done with your discussion, just message me.”

Jiang Ji nodded in acknowledgment.

The appointment for tonight was scheduled a month ago, and as Qin Qingzhuo walked out of the conference room, he couldn’t help but think that he shouldn’t have chosen today for the meeting.

Realizing he had such thoughts surprised even himself.

The idea of not wanting to work because of love was simply… not like Qin Qingzhuo at all.

He was invited by a cellist and his agent mother, who were interested in developing their careers in China. Since Qin Qingzhuo had transitioned from a cello major to the pop music industry, they wanted him to help create an album that blended classical and pop music, more suitable for the current music market.

The conversation lasted for about fifteen minutes, and Qin Qingzhuo began to feel somewhat distracted. The disdainful attitude towards pop music implied in their words made him uncomfortable.

“Our child just celebrated his nineteenth birthday, so because he’s still relatively young, we hope Teacher Qin can highlight some youthful characteristics in the album’s design…”

The agent mother went on and on, while the young cellist sitting next to him nodded repeatedly, showing a respectful demeanor. However, when Qin Qingzhuo occasionally glanced at him, he seemed to be daydreaming, not paying attention to anything, as if his soul had drifted somewhere far away.

Just turned nineteen… similar to Jiang Ji’s age, Qin Qingzhuo couldn’t help but be a little distracted himself. However, it was strange that although Jiang Ji appeared more mature, he exuded a stronger sense of youthfulness.

And he looked a bit more handsome too. Not the frail and delicate kind of handsome like the boy in front of him, but a rugged, slightly fragile attractiveness hidden within his tough and sharp nature, which was very appealing.

Qin Qingzhuo glanced at the phone screen on the table, but Jiang Ji hadn’t sent a message yet.

In just this short moment, he realized he was starting to miss Jiang Ji… which was quite out of character for him.

Just as he was about to shift his gaze away from the phone, the screen lit up.

He picked up the phone and glanced at it. Jiang Ji had sent a message — “We’re done discussing. How much longer will you be?”

“…and also, try not to follow the too mainstream pop style. We hope the overall tone of the album can be more sophisticated. Of course, the overall style shouldn’t be too niche either, as now is the time to increase visibility…”

The other party had been talking fluently for more than twenty minutes. The cellist teenager beside him, however, seemed to be in a trance, and Qin Qingzhuo, after several attempts to speak, couldn’t find an opportunity to interject. In the end, he had to interrupt her, saying, “I’m sorry…”

“Hmm?” The other party paused, “Teacher Qin, do you have any thoughts?”

“Something urgent has come up on my end, so I need to excuse myself for now,” Qin Qingzhuo said as he stood up. “I apologize. You can continue discussing with Li Zi, and she can convey the results to me later.”

After saying that, without waiting for the other party to respond, he left the conference room with his phone.

As he stepped out of the conference room, Qin Qingzhuo sighed in relief, thinking it was truly torturous.

Just as he exited the conference room, Li Zi sent him a message, “Not interested in collaborating?”

Qin Qingzhuo replied while walking up the stairs, “Please spare me.”

Li Zi sent a laughing emoji covering her mouth and then asked, “What about Teacher Dong? What should I do?”

“I’ll talk to him later.” After sending the message, Qin Qingzhuo put away his phone and turned onto the second-floor corridor.

Jiang Ji was leaning against the window sill in the corridor, facing a direction as if looking at something.

In an instant, Qin Qingzhuo felt his mood improve.

Hearing footsteps, Jiang Ji turned to look at him. There was a hint of surprise in his eyes, and then the line of his jaw softened.

He watched Qin Qingzhuo walk over, asking, “Feeling so good. Had a good chat?”

“No,” Qin Qingzhuo looked at him. “Just felt that, both are nineteen-year-olds, but indeed the one from my family looks more pleasing to the eye.”

“What nineteen-year-olds?”

“A cellist introduced by an industry senior. His mother is his agent. Probably living quite a repressed life; there’s no light in his eyes, making him look pitiful.”

“You’re going to help him make an album?”

“Why would I make an album when I’ve strolled out of there?” Qin Qingzhuo smiled. “Talked for a while, and felt that our ideas didn’t quite align. Forget it, I’ll inform the senior later.”

“Aren’t you pitying him?” Jiang Ji asked. “Don’t you want to help a bit?”

“There are plenty of pitiful people, and I can’t help everyone ah…” Qin Qingzhuo paused, then suddenly realized, “You’re not feeling jealous are you, Jiang Ji?”

Jiang Ji hmm-ed in agreement.

He was quite in the right and self-confident about eating vinegar. Qin Qingzhuo chuckled, then turned to look in the direction he had been observing earlier, “What were you looking at just now?”

“Looking at where you hid last time,” Jiang Ji said.

Qin Qingzhuo was slightly taken aback, then laughed, “Want to know huh? Beg me ah.”

He playfully teased Jiang Ji, and Jiang Ji cooperated, asking, “How do I beg?”

“How to beg…?” Qin Qingzhuo thought for a moment, smiling, “How about calling me ‘brother’?”

He waited with a suppressed smile for that “brother” to be called out, while Jiang Ji looked at him, seemingly contemplating whether to say it.

After a few seconds, instead of the expected “brother,” Jiang Ji suddenly lowered his head and kissed him.

Footsteps and indistinct conversation echoed from the stairs several meters away. Qin Qingzhuo felt his heart skip a beat, and before he could react, Jiang Ji’s tongue slipped between his lips. Jiang Ji’s progress in the art of kissing was astonishing; he could now adeptly and seamlessly part Qin Qingzhuo’s lips.

As he extended his tongue to meet the kiss, Qin Qingzhuo felt a bit crazy. Previously, he had merely indulged, but now he had become an accomplice in encouraging it. Nevertheless, he closed his eyes and completed this brief yet bold kiss with Jiang Ji.

Almost in the next second after their lips parted, several people walked up the stairs. They greeted Qin Qingzhuo, who was standing by the windowsill a few steps away, and then turned to the other side of the corridor.

Qin Qingzhuo raised his hand to wipe away the saliva on his lips. The sensation of his heart pounding, mixed with surprise, had not yet faded.

On the other side, Jiang Ji seemed to be pleased with Qin Qingzhuo’s reaction. Lowering his voice, he teased, “Is this an acceptable way to beg, Teacher Qin?”

Qin Qingzhuo was utterly helpless, laughing softly, “Let’s go.”

Leading Jiang Ji forward, they stopped at the end of the corridor in front of a room, and Qin Qingzhuo reached out to open the door.

“Is it here?” Jiang Ji followed him inside. “I came to this room that day, but you weren’t here.”

Qin Qingzhuo wore a smile on his face but remained silent. Continuing forward, they reached the corner of the room. “Push it,” he said.

Only then did Jiang Ji notice an invisible door here, almost seamlessly blending with the adjacent milky-white wall panels. It was nearly impossible to spot without careful observation, explaining why he couldn’t find Qin Qingzhuo here last time.

He pushed open the door, but instead of finding a room inside, there was a staircase. “Is this an attic?” Jiang Ji asked.

“Mm,” Qin Qingzhuo took his hand, “Let’s go upstairs and take a look.”

Jiang Ji followed him upstairs. The staircase was not high, with only a few steps. Qin Qingzhuo pushed open the door, saying, “Take off your shoes and come in.”

Entering, Jiang Ji surveyed the attic. The space of about twenty to thirty square meters was covered with long-pile carpets. In the middle stood a desk, surrounded by scattered guitars, records, and lyric books on the floor, giving off a feeling of… Qin Qingzhuo’s private space.

“It’s a bit messy,” Qin Qingzhuo walked in, picking up the records from the floor and placing them on the desk, “But it’s still like a little paradise, right?”

Jiang Ji casually picked up a record proposal from his desk and flipped through it. “Do you usually work here?”

“Sometimes at home too,” Qin Qingzhuo stood beside him, leaning against the edge of the desk. “By the way, how did the discussion with Ke Shi and Zhong Yang go? Have you decided on the main and backing vocalists?”

“Let’s invite Lin Qi,” Jiang Ji said.

“Lin Qi?” Qin Qingzhuo was somewhat surprised. “Are you deliberately making it easier for me?”

“Invite a popular backup singer,” Jiang Ji said, “And then win the championship, it’s not very meaningful.”

“That’s true,” Qin Qingzhuo agreed.

He knew Jiang Ji’s character well; he wouldn’t stoop to such things. Ultimately, whether they won the championship or not wasn’t so important to Jiang Ji and Asperatus anymore. Even if Urban Collapse did win the championship, it didn’t necessarily mean they would have a better future than Asperatus. Nobody wanted Shi Yao’s scheme to succeed. But if Jiang Ji really didn’t want to do this, Qin Qingzhuo felt it didn’t matter if they didn’t invite a highly popular backup singer.

“Inviting Lin Qi is also good,” Qin Qingzhuo pondered and said, “At least he will genuinely help with the backup vocals, and he has a stable stage presence. He can also provide you with a lot of arrangement suggestions during rehearsals. He’s indeed a good choice… If we decide to invite Lin Qi, I’ll tell him tomorrow.”

Jiang Ji nodded.

“Are you sure?” After a pause, Qin Qingzhuo asked again, “You don’t have any other ideas for collaboration?”

He realized he actually wanted to help Jiang Ji invite some challenging people, and now Jiang Ji mentioned Lin Qi, which was surprisingly unchallenging for him, and he felt a bit disappointed.

This intense desire to do something for someone filled him with a sense of anticipation.

“As for other collaborations…” Jiang Ji flipped through the proposal in his hand, “It will probably be challenging to invite someone else.”

“Who is it? Tell me?” Qin Qingzhuo asked, almost eager to try. “Even someone from overseas is possible.”

Jiang Ji put down the proposal in his hand, looked up at him, and said, “You.”

Qin Qingzhuo was momentarily stunned.

After a few seconds, he lowered his eyes, avoiding Jiang Ji’s gaze, and chuckled, “Me… I really can’t. You probably won’t be able to persuade me.”

It was a half-joking tone, but because they were so close, Jiang Ji could see a subtle stiffness in Qin Qingzhuo’s expression.

Actually, he didn’t intend to have Qin Qingzhuo sing as a backup vocalist for real. Although, deep down, Qin Qingzhuo was the person he most wanted to collaborate with, after the incident on the stage last time, he didn’t want Qin Qingzhuo to face Shi Yao’s malice again.

However, in that brief moment, the avoidance and resistance in Qin Qingzhuo’s expression made his heart sink.

Not wanting to see Qin Qingzhuo unhappy, Jiang Ji walked up to him and brushed his slightly covering bangs away from his eyes.

He intentionally lightened the topic, hoping to make Qin Qingzhuo happy again, “Not this time. This time, let Shi Yao have the benefit. I mean in the future, there should be a chance for us to collaborate, right?”

“Collaboration is easy,” Qin Qingzhuo smiled. “After the competition, I’ll help you make an album.”

“Then I’ll write songs for you,” Jiang Ji said. “We’ll create an album together.”

A smile reappeared in Qin Qingzhuo’s eyes as he bent them into a curve. “Sure.”

The atmosphere was so good, let’s not bring up any topics that might make Qin Qingzhuo unhappy, Jiang Ji thought.

Jiang Ji wrapped his arm around Qin Qingzhuo’s waist, lifted him slightly, and placed him on the office desk.

“Light peck,” he gently kissed Qin Qingzhuo’s lower lip, “Is this called a light peck?”

Qin Qingzhuo didn’t say anything but gently pecked his lips.

“Do you like that song?” Jiang Ji looked into his eyes and asked.

“I like it,” Qin Qingzhuo’s eyes curved into a smile.

Last time, sitting in the mentor’s seat, he didn’t dare to face his own feelings, nor did he dare to utter the word “like.” But this time, when he said it, there was no trace of hesitation.

“Do you like the song or do you like me?” Jiang Ji asked again.

Qin Qingzhuo was momentarily surprised, then smiled, “Are you jealous of the song you wrote yourself?”

“Come on, tell me.”

“I like the person who sings that song,” Qin Qingzhuo said with a smile.

Jiang Ji didn’t say anything more. His fingers tangled in Qin Qingzhuo’s hair, his tongue parted their lips, turning the light peck into a deep kiss.

In the quiet and enclosed space, the sound of their breathing became more pronounced. The hands gripping the edge of the desk showed protruding knuckles from the force. Then, Qin Qingzhuo lifted one hand and hooked it around Jiang Ji’s neck, deepening the entwining of their lips and tongues in the kiss.