Chapter 88

Qin Qingzhuo has never put so much effort into pleasing himself.

When he used tissues to clean his fingers, he felt a bit sore in his wrists.

In fact, pleasing Jiang Ji didn’t require much effort at all. With a bit of skill, one could easily get the desired reaction. The reason he put in so much effort today was partly because Qin Qingzhuo considered himself a challenging person to please. Reading poetry, Jiang Ji happened to touch upon the very point that was difficult to please in him.

On the other hand, he found that he enjoyed seeing Jiang Ji’s reactions at certain moments. The slight frown, the rising and falling chest, the deliberately suppressed hum, and the tensing of the little arm with visible veins…

These uncontrollable reactions in the heat of the moment made Qin Qingzhuo, in the process of pleasing the other party, also repeatedly pleased by the other.

He tossed the tissue into the trash can and used the back of his hand to touch Jiang Ji’s face, asking with a half-smile, “Are you okay?”

Jiang Ji didn’t speak, lowered his head, and bit his shoulder through the cashmere sweater.

“Hey,” Qin Qingzhuo turned his head to look at him, “Why repay kindness with resentment?”

Jiang Ji’s voice was slightly hoarse, “Qin Qingzhuo, I’ve learned this move. Be careful next time, I won’t let you off…”

“No, don’t,” Qin Qingzhuo interrupted before he could finish, laughing, “No stealing techniques allowed.”

Seeing the intermittent movement of Jiang Ji’s Adam’s apple, his breath not completely settled yet, Qin Qingzhuo, thinking about his reactions during the process, curiously asked, “Is it really that exciting?”

“I’ll return kindness for kindness next time, and then you’ll know,” Jiang Ji glanced at him.

The gaze seemed inexplicably resentful, and Qin Qingzhuo couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

He thought, teasing a young guy is quite interesting.

In the future, I should tease more often.

During lunch, Jiang Bei absentmindedly played a cat-feeding game on her phone.

Suddenly, Jiang Ji remembered something and asked Qin Qingzhuo, “By the way, do you want to adopt the little black cat on the second floor of the bar?”

“Hmm?” Qin Qingzhuo thought of the black furball that was nestled in his arms and looked at Jiang Ji, “Why didn’t you bring it home to raise?”

“We can’t bring it back,” Jiang Ji said, “It won’t let us hold it.”

Jiang Bei also put down her phone and nodded in agreement, “It’s fierce, it bites people.”

Qin Qingzhuo remembered the evening when the little black cat snarled and hissed at Jiang Ji, so he asked Jiang Bei, “Has it bitten you?”

“No, it always hisses at me, so I keep my distance,” Jiang Bei said, “But it looks so soft, I really want to touch it.”

“You’ve never touched it?” Qin Qingzhuo was somewhat surprised.

“He hasn’t touched it either,” Jiang Bei nodded towards Jiang Ji, making an excuse for herself, “That kitten is even fiercer towards him.”

“Now you’re the only one who’s touched it,” Jiang Ji glanced at Qin Qingzhuo.

Jiang Bei widened her eyes at Qin Qingzhuo, “You actually touched that little cat?!”

“It’s more like neither of you has touched that little cat,” Qin Qingzhuo found it amusing, thought for a moment, then asked, “It’s still on the second floor of the bar, right? Who’s taking care of it?”

“No one’s taking care of it. I used to feed it something, and after moving, I asked Sister Ying to take care of it. Sister Ying really likes this little black cat, says it can ward off evil spirits. But the cat doesn’t get close to her, so I’ll see if I can find someone with affinity to adopt it.” Jiang Ji said, “I feel like you and it have some affinity. Do you want to adopt it?”

Qin Qingzhuo didn’t respond immediately. After a while, he said, “Let’s forget about it.”

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Ji was surprised. Qin Qingzhuo seemed to enjoy holding the little cat that evening, but now he seemed hesitant, as if even he was unsure, “Do you have any concerns?”

“I might not be able to take care of it well. When I get busy, I might forget about it.” Qin Qingzhuo looked at him and smiled, “If we can find someone else who’s more suitable and has affinity with it, they’d definitely be better at taking care of it than me. Let’s let Sister Huang try to find someone.”

He said this, and Jiang Ji didn’t try to persuade him further, just nodded.

Qin Qingzhuo changed the subject, “By the way, do we have any plans for the afternoon? Lin Qi is in the studio today. Do you want to discuss the collaboration for the finals with him?”

“The semifinals haven’t even been held yet, so there’s no rush,” Jiang Ji said, “I want you to take me somewhere.”

“Where to?” Qin Qingzhuo followed his lead, “Tell me.”

“Where did Ji Chi find you last time?” Jiang Ji asked.

Qin Qingzhuo was stunned for a moment.

“I want you to take me there,” Jiang Ji continued.

“That place…” Qin Qingzhuo paused, then nodded, “Alright, I’ll take you there this afternoon.”

In fact, Qin Qingzhuo was somewhat hesitant to bring Jiang Ji to his other rehearsal room.

It’s not that he didn’t want to bring Jiang Ji over, but every time he came here, his state of mind and mood would plummet to the extreme.

Or perhaps, it was because this place harbored another side of him that he was ashamed to expose to others, a side of himself that wasn’t so honorable.

As he took out the keys to unlock the security door, Qin Qingzhuo took a deep breath without showing any sign of discomfort, trying his best to appear normal.

Pushing the door open, he led Jiang Ji inside.

The first floor was empty, with no decorations, only some old and unused musical instruments piled up.

Jiang Ji looked around, “You stayed here these past few days?”

“No, there’s another floor downstairs,” Qin Qingzhuo paused, then asked, “Do you want to take a look?”

“Do you want me to see it?” Jiang Ji looked at him.

“Hmm?” Qin Qingzhuo felt a bit surprised, “Why are you asking like that?”

“I feel like you’re hesitating. If you don’t want me to see it, then forget it. You can take me there later when you feel like it,” Jiang Ji said.

Qin Qingzhuo chuckled, “So what’s the point of you coming here then… since you’re here, let’s go take a look.”

“I just want to know where Ji Chi found you last time,” Jiang Ji gently brushed his face with his fingertips, “If something like that happens again, I hope I’ll be the one you find.”

His tone was flat, but Qin Qingzhuo was momentarily stunned.

Once again, he recalled the scene of Jiang Ji stopping in the middle of the road on his motorcycle.

Before, he always thought Jiang Ji’s impulsiveness that night was due to his youth, but now, he suddenly understood Jiang Ji’s feelings from that night.

So Jiang Ji was looking for him those two days? Finally found him, only to discover he went to the hospital with Ji Chi…

Later, he rushed to resolve things with Ji Chi, choosing to get in the car with him.

Thinking about what happened that day from Jiang Ji’s perspective, Qin Qingzhuo felt somewhat uneasy.

“Let’s go,” he suddenly made up his mind, holding Jiang Ji’s hand, “I’ll take you to see.”

Qin Qingzhuo held Jiang Ji’s hand and led him down a long, dim staircase, then pushed open a door.

“I stayed here those two days,” he led Jiang Ji inside, turned on the lights, “Actually, there’s nothing mysterious about it, just a storage room for musical instruments, but it may look messy because there are too many things.”

In this underground rehearsal room, there were as many as hundreds of different musical instruments, some collected by Qin Qingzhuo with great care, while others obtained unintentionally. There were not only guitars, but also countless bass guitars, drums, flutes, and various string instruments…

He let go of Jiang Ji’s hand, “Feel free to look around, there might be instruments that interest you.”

Jiang Ji nodded, as he walked around, he observed the overall appearance of the basement.

While moving around, he accidentally bumped into a bamboo rack leaning against the wall, and the bamboo pipes made a crisp collision sound, causing him to look down.

“This is called an angklung, a type of bamboo xylophone,” Qin Qingzhuo crouched down, plucking the bamboo pipes with his fingers, producing a stream-like sound. He looked up at Jiang Ji, “Would you like to pluck it and try?”

Jiang Ji also crouched down, plucking the bamboo pipes with his fingers, “It’s an Indonesian instrument, right?”

“You know?” Qin Qingzhuo was somewhat surprised, “You even know about such a niche instrument.”

“Jiang Keyuan went to Indonesia for a study trip when he was a university teacher,” Jiang Ji said, “He brought one back for me, but I don’t know where it went later.”

“Your dad seems to have been to a lot of places,” Qin Qingzhuo recalled, “I remember when I arrived at the airport in Indonesia, I encountered a local angklung performance. The airport gave everyone an angklung and had us play together under the conductor’s direction. The scene was quite impressive even now. If we have time in the future, I’ll take you there.”

“Alright,” Jiang Ji smiled.

“And this,” Qin Qingzhuo stood up from the ground, took down a long stick-like object from the wall, and handed it to Jiang Ji, “Try to turn it back and forth.”

Jiang Ji took it and did as he was told, and the long stick immediately made a rustling sound.

“The sound of rain,” Jiang Ji said.

“Yes,” Qin Qingzhuo smiled, “Isn’t it amazing? This instrument is called a rain stick. It’s said to contain cactus thorns and seeds inside, but I’ve never opened it to check.”

“It’s quite realistic, it could be used in the song ‘Light Peck’,” Jiang Ji said.

“Yes, I’ve thought about that too,” Qin Qingzhuo said with a smile, then he took Jiang Ji’s wrist and continued walking forward, “These rows are African instruments, and this section is South American. Oh, this one is quite magical,” he picked up something resembling animal bones, “Donkey jawbone, you can scrape against its teeth with a stick or tap it on your hand…”

Qin Qingzhuo enthusiastically introduced the instruments in the room to Jiang Ji, sometimes picking up one, then another, and Jiang Ji followed suit, doing as he was told.

Jiang Ji noticed that when Qin Qingzhuo talked about these instruments, his eyes sparkled, and he seemed extremely lively and joyful, like a child eagerly sharing his beloved toys with a friend.

He used to think that in the dim night, Qin Qingzhuo would appear almost radiant, but now he realized that the Qin Qingzhuo before him was more vibrant and radiant than ever before, to the point of being dazzling.

He felt a desire to possess this Qin Qingzhuo exclusively, hoping that only he would see this side of Qin Qingzhuo.

So, in the gap when Qin Qingzhuo picked up another instrument, he suddenly asked, “Has Ji Chi been here before?”

At the mention of it, Qin Qingzhuo’s movements paused.

His puzzled expression made Jiang Ji regret asking the question.

But the question had already been asked, and he really wanted to know the answer.

“Why bring up Ji Chi again?” Qin Qingzhuo chuckled, “Didn’t we agree not to mention Ji Chi anymore?”

Jiang Ji didn’t say anything.

After a moment, Qin Qingzhuo put down the instrument in his hand and finally answered his question, “Ji Chi did come…”

As soon as he spoke, Jiang Ji also voiced, “Because I was jealous.”

The two sentences collided, and Qin Qingzhuo looked at him.

Jiang Ji stood in the shadow of the instrument rack, his dark eyes staring at him, and after a few seconds, he turned his face slightly and continued, “Although I don’t want to admit it.”

Qin Qingzhuo looked at him for a moment, then continued what he hadn’t finished saying, “Ji Chi did come, but he didn’t like it here. He came once, didn’t stay long, and left. Later, when he came again, he just stayed upstairs and didn’t come down.”

“He didn’t like it here?” Jiang Ji asked, “Why?”

“He thought there were too many things crowded together here, and he would bump into instruments as he walked, making a lot of noise. Plus, it’s underground, which feels oppressive as soon as you enter. So, when he came that time, he kept saying he wanted to find me a spacious and airy place. Since I kept refusing, our conversation wasn’t pleasant, so he didn’t stay long and went upstairs.”

As he finished speaking, Jiang Ji said, “I like it here.”

“I know,” Qin Qingzhuo chuckled, “I can tell by the look in your eyes. I also quite like it here. You can hear the sound of instruments anytime, anywhere. How wonderful…”

Why would it be noisy? Qin Qingzhuo never quite understood that notion.

When he was in a bad mood, being in such a closed space, listening to the sounds of various instruments, gave him a sense of comfort—a kind of comfort where he could still hear clearly. So when Ji Chi said it was too noisy here, he was actually somewhat disappointed, but he didn’t intend to argue about it. After all, everyone has their own feelings.

“What about the attic in the studio?” Jiang Ji asked again, “Has Ji Chi been there?”

“You really want to make yourself jealous to death, Jiang Ji…” Qin Qingzhuo sighed helplessly, “He indeed hasn’t been to the attic. He’s worried about being photographed by paparazzi, so he doesn’t usually come to my studio. If you want to know anything else, just ask it all out, don’t hold it in as a grudge.”

“Are there any other places he knows about that I don’t?”

“No, where else am I going to find so many secret hideouts…” Qin Qingzhuo paused, then added, “If you’re really bothered by Ji Chi knowing about this place, how about I sell it? Then I’ll find a place only you know about. How about that?”

“Are you willing?” Jiang Ji asked. He could tell that Qin Qingzhuo really liked this place.

Qin Qingzhuo thought for a moment and replied truthfully, “I seem to be a bit unwilling.”

“Then don’t sell it.”

“If two people still continue like this with knots in their hearts, then the problems that can be solved won’t be considered problems. If changing the place can make you happier, why not do it?”

Jiang Ji reached out and gently pinched his face, “Qin Qingzhuo, are you always this good at coaxing people?”

“You’re jealous like this, so I have to coax you,” Qin Qingzhuo said with a smile in his eyes. “After your finals are over, we’ll go find a place, okay?”

Jiang Ji released his face and said after a moment, “Forget it.”

“Hmm? Why forget it?”

“It seems meaningless,” Jiang Ji said, “And you like it here so much.”

“No more jealousy?” Qin Qingzhuo chuckled and reached up to touch his face.

“Will Ji Chi come back here in the future to bother you?”

“No, he won’t. I spoke to him so harshly last time, practically scolding him, so he won’t come looking for me again.”

“You scolded him? Was it in the car last time?”

“Yes, otherwise what do you think?”

Jiang Ji didn’t answer. In fact, that night, after witnessing Qin Qingzhuo follow Ji Chi, he did think about this question in a not very calm state. He thought Qin Qingzhuo might not reconcile with Ji Chi, but he might choose to make peace with him.

“Worried that I’ll open up to Ji Chi and make amends? How is that possible,” Qin Qingzhuo lowered his eyes, self-deprecatingly laughing, “Before you told me about this, Ji Chi had been fooling around with Yuan Yu for nearly half a year, which in my view was not just deception and betrayal, but also humiliation to me, making me feel very much like a failure, embarrassed, and miserable. And during this process, some friends and acquaintances who knew the truth chose to completely conceal it from me, making me feel like I had become a complete joke in their eyes…”

He didn’t finish his words when Jiang Ji suddenly lifted his arm and hugged him, patting his back gently and saying softly, “Stop thinking about it, it’s all in the past. It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have brought up Ji Chi.”

He had never been in love, let alone experienced a breakup like this. Before Qin Qingzhuo said these words, he didn’t know that this matter had caused such serious harm to Qin Qingzhuo.

After all, apart from the drunkenness that night and the discomfort the next morning, Qin Qingzhuo hadn’t shown any signs of being extremely down. He even seemed nonchalant and indifferent.

But now, thinking about it, with Qin Qingzhuo’s strong personality, how could he be indifferent to this matter? He just concealed all his emotions.

He suddenly understood why Qin Qingzhuo had been so resistant to accepting a new relationship—because of disappointment, exhaustion, and fear of being hurt again.

“So, Jiang Ji,” Qin Qingzhuo said, “there’s nothing to be jealous of. When I said not to mention Ji Chi again last time, it’s not just because I don’t want this matter to become a knot in your heart, but also because I myself don’t want to recall such a failed experience.”

“Okay, let’s not mention it again,” Jiang Ji hugged him for a while, then sighed and said, “Clearly, I met you first.”

Qin Qingzhuo chuckled lightly, “But you were too young at that time…”

“But fortunately, it’s not too late now,” Jiang Ji wrapped his arms around him, “Thanks to Ji Chi’s blindness and lack of brains.”

Qin Qingzhuo was amused by him and raised his hand to pat his back.

“Qin Qingzhuo,” Jiang Ji lifted his head, looking into his eyes, “I won’t betray you, nor will I hurt you. Maybe you don’t believe it yet, but that’s okay. Just watch what I do.”

Qin Qingzhuo nodded, a hint of a smile in his eyes. “Okay.”

Jiang Ji lifted his head, cupping his face with his palm, and leaned in to kiss him.

During the kiss, someone accidentally bumped into the angklung from earlier, and the melodious sound of a stream rang out.

The two paused briefly, smiled at each other, and then continued kissing each other.