Chapter 99

After seeing this Weibo post, Qin Qingzhuo’s brain, which had just been a little drowsy, instantly woke up.

—Declaration of war.

Li Zi used this term quite accurately, he thought.

This Weibo post from Jiang Ji directly pushed Shi Yao and Asperatus band into an irreconcilable opposition, without any intention of leaving any room for compromise.

Jiang Ji finished locking the bike and walked over from behind, lifting his hand to hug Qin Qingzhuo’s shoulder. “Why aren’t you going in?”

Qin Qingzhuo handed him the phone screen. “Were you sending this when you were standing at the door of the ward with your phone?”

Jiang Ji glanced at the content on the screen and nodded. “Mmh, there are already so many comments.”

Although he said this, he didn’t open those comments. His gaze shifted to the bottom of the screen, then he said, “Teacher Qin, you haven’t followed me.”

He took the phone from Qin Qingzhuo’s hand, his thumb lightly touching the screen, clicking on the “follow back” button. The two accounts became “mutual followers,” and Jiang Ji handed the phone back to Qin Qingzhuo.

Qin Qingzhuo took the phone without saying anything, just looking at him.

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Ji looked innocent. “Don’t want to follow me back?”

“Let’s go to your room and pack your things first.” Qin Qingzhuo sighed.

The two of them walked to Jiang Ji’s room. Jiang Ji packed his things while Qin Qingzhuo leaned against the desk and browsed Weibo.

After this Weibo post was released, public opinion quickly fermented in a short period of time, with various voices clamoring —

“So much information! Does this mean that Urban Collapse, Asperatus PK band was orchestrated? I knew ‘Endless Night’ couldn’t lose!”

“This director is so despicable! Actually using someone else’s family to threaten them to sign a contract, is it because he’s an orphan himself?”

“So all those scandals before were released by this director, right? So disgusting.”

“The program team should change the director quickly, otherwise I don’t want to watch this show for another minute.”

“Brother, you’re so good at roasting, roast some more, I love listening to it.”

…

Honestly, Jiang Ji’s release of this recording was timely.

If it had been released two days ago, during the stage when all kinds of rumors were rampant, public opinion might have formed into a chaotic mess, and who would come out on top would have been uncertain.

But after Jiang Bei’s interview, many people knew that Jiang Ji had rescued a sick little girl and kept her by his side to take care of her. In this situation of public opinion reversal, the timing of the release of this recording seemed appropriate, but…

At this moment, Jiang Ji finished packing and walked towards Qin Qingzhuo.

Seeing Qin Qingzhuo frowning at his phone, he lifted his hand to pinch Qin Qingzhuo’s cheek lightly. “Are the comments not too good?”

“No,” Qin Qingzhuo put down his phone and looked at him, “the comments seem to be going well.”

“Then shouldn’t you be happy?” Jiang Ji held his waist, lifted him onto the desk, leaned down to kiss his slightly furrowed brow, then moved down along his nose, touched his nose tip, and lightly sucked his lips.

Usually when he did this, Qin Qingzhuo would quickly respond, and then the two would quickly kiss each other. But this time, Qin Qingzhuo seemed a bit distracted, neither responding nor closing his eyes, just letting Jiang Ji kiss him like that.

“What’s wrong,” Jiang Ji felt something was off, his hand slipping into Qin Qingzhuo’s shirt, rubbing his waist, “do you think I shouldn’t have posted that Weibo?”

Qin Qingzhuo didn’t say anything, looking at him for a moment before speaking, “Jiang Ji, put me down first, let’s talk.”

“Let’s talk like this,” Jiang Ji didn’t move, his thumb gently pressing against Qin Qingzhuo’s trembling Adam’s apple as he spoke.

“Jiang Ji.” Qin Qingzhuo looked at him, calling his name again.

He looked quite serious, and a few seconds later, Jiang Ji finally lowered him from the desk. “Speak, I’m listening.”

“In these three days, how many things did you hide from me?” Qin Qingzhuo asked.

Jiang Ji didn’t say anything, so Qin Qingzhuo answered for him, “Three.”

“The first one, you sent me into a taxi and went to find Shi Yao yourself. When I asked what you were going to do, you didn’t say anything, just closed the door and left.

“The second one, Jiang Bei was hospitalized, and you acted as if nothing had happened. If it weren’t for the media releasing the interview video, would you have planned to keep me completely in the dark from her hospitalization to discharge?

“The third one, before discharge, I asked what you were doing. At that time, you were clearly posting that Weibo, but you just brushed me off with a ‘nothing’s wrong.’ Li Zi called me and told me that you had declared war on Shi Yao. I was completely clueless, I had no idea what was going on. So why did you have to hide these things from me, Jiang Ji, I really want an explanation.”

After a few seconds of silence, Jiang Ji looked up at him. “Can I explain one thing at a time to you?”

Qin Qingzhuo slightly lifted his chin, indicating for him to continue.

“The first thing, before beating Shi Yao, I was quite impulsive, thinking I had to beat him up today. But you had told me before that you didn’t want me to fight anymore, so I didn’t tell you, afraid you would stop me, and I didn’t want you to see me fighting.

“The second thing, Jiang Bei has been hospitalized before, I’m used to this kind of thing, and I can handle it myself. I just didn’t think it was necessary to tell you, and I didn’t want you to worry about me because of my affairs, I didn’t want to trouble you.

“The third thing, about declaring war on Shi Yao on Weibo, I discussed it with Peng Keshi and Zhong Yang beforehand. The reason I didn’t tell you is because you also know many people within the production team. If I involved you, it might have been difficult for you, so I decided to handle it myself.”

Qin Qingzhuo looked at him, seeming to contemplate, and after a while, he spoke, “That’s quite a valid reason, and you’re considering me in every aspect, it’s just that it leaves me at a loss for words.”

“I really did think so,” Jiang Ji said, “I wasn’t lying to you.”

“But have you ever thought about my feelings,” Qin Qingzhuo sighed, “I found out everything from others, which makes me feel like I’m just a bystander in your life, not a participant.”

Jiang Ji didn’t say anything, just pursed his lips.

“And Jiang Ji, that’s not how relationships work.” After a brief pause, Qin Qingzhuo continued, “It’s not about being lovey-dovey when everything’s fine and then going separate ways when there’s trouble. That’s called being friends with benefits, not lovers. Lovers are supposed to be involved in each other’s lives, to discuss and solve problems together…”

“I feel like I can handle these issues on my own, there’s no need for you to waste your energy and get annoyed with me.” Jiang Ji frowned slightly, “Of course, I want you to be involved in my life, but not in the negative parts, it would be uncomfortable for me. To be honest, the day Jiang Bei went missing, I even thought, maybe I shouldn’t have pursued you so early, maybe I should have waited until all the troubles on my end were resolved before being with you, but…” He paused, then finished the sentence, “I couldn’t wait.”

In Qin Qingzhuo’s mind, he recalled the anxious look on Jiang Ji’s face as they searched one internet cafe after another that day.

He hadn’t expected Jiang Ji to have such thoughts at the time.

“What if I have troubles,” Qin Qingzhuo asked, “do you also want me to keep it from you and solve it myself?”

“I don’t want that,” Jiang Ji said.

“So,” Qin Qingzhuo summed up for him, “when I have troubles, you want to help me solve them, but when you have troubles, you want me to be just an outsider?”

“That’s not what I mean,” Jiang Ji frowned, “I know you’re going to say ‘put yourself in my shoes’, but… I can’t explain it, I just feel like things should be this way.”

Qin Qingzhuo didn’t say anything for a moment, just looked at Jiang Ji.

Despite not having an argument, they seemed to have entered a kind of deadlock.

Initially, Qin Qingzhuo thought this matter would be easily resolved. He raised the issue, Jiang Ji accepted it, and in the future, they would discuss things together. But now he realized that Jiang Ji’s mindset seemed deeply ingrained.

Not only the three incidents just mentioned, but also on the day Jiang Bei went missing, when he suggested going out to look for Jiang Bei together, Jiang Ji’s first reaction was to refuse;

And after Shi Yao spread those rumors online, he tried to help Jiang Ji clarify, but Jiang Ji told him to “stop thinking about it, stop worrying”;

Going further back, there’s also that bank card he tried to return. If he hadn’t insisted, Jiang Ji wouldn’t have accepted the money, preferring to be surrounded and beaten by those debt collectors over and over again;

The same with Jiang Keyuan’s suicide. At the time, he offered to help Jiang Ji with his father’s funeral, but Jiang Ji rejected it without even thinking, going to the funeral home alone the next day and cremating Jiang Keyuan’s body himself…

It seems that ever since he met Jiang Ji, he has been accustomed to digesting and handling everything on his own.

Was it because Jiang Keyuan hid away at that time, so for so many years he has been forcing himself to shoulder everything?

Or is it because he’s used to living alone, so “solving problems alone” has become a basic part of his understanding of the world?

Or perhaps both… Qin Qingzhuo felt a mixture of emotions in his heart.

Seeing Qin Qingzhuo silent all along, Jiang Ji reached out and touched his face, “Are you angry?”

Qin Qingzhuo shook his head, then spoke, “No, I’m just thinking about how to change this mindset of yours.”

“If you’re not happy with what I did,” Jiang Ji said, “I’ll try to change in the future.”

“Can you change?” Qin Qingzhuo looked up at him.

“It’s hard to say,” Jiang Ji replied truthfully, “but I can try.”

When Jiang Ji said this, Qin Qingzhuo believed he would do it.

Just like before when he asked Jiang Ji not to smoke or fight.

When one person likes another, they always make compromises, but Qin Qingzhuo didn’t want Jiang Ji to do it just because of compromise.

“Let me ask you a question,” after a few seconds of silence and contemplation, Qin Qingzhuo said, “On a test paper, how many options are usually given for multiple-choice questions?”

Jiang Ji didn’t know why Qin Qingzhuo asked this, but he still answered, “Four.”

“What if for each question, you were only given one option, and you knew that option wasn’t correct but you had to make a choice anyway, what would you do?”

Jiang Ji fell silent.

“You can only choose it, even if it’s wrong, because you have no other choice. Just like your previous life, you had no choice, so you could only follow one path. But Jiang Ji, it’s different now, we’re together, do you know why people call their lovers their ‘other half’?” Jiang Ji didn’t answer, so Qin Qingzhuo continued, “My understanding is that a good partner will give you a more complete life and more diverse choices.”

Jiang Ji looked at him with those dark eyes for a while, then softly repeated the words “other half”.

Being stared at like that, Qin Qingzhuo suddenly felt a little embarrassed, “Is that word a bit cheesy? It’s just, that kind of meaning…”

“No,” Jiang Ji interrupted him, “I just find it a bit miraculous, I’ve never thought of it like that before.”

Qin Qingzhuo chuckled and his tone lightened a bit, “I mean, your boyfriend can help you solve a lot of problems. Even if you don’t want him to solve them for you, don’t hide them from him. You two can discuss and perhaps find a better way to handle things? Like how to deal with Shi Yao in a way that’s both satisfying and safe, how to expose this Weibo post to achieve the desired effect better, and whether I can help with Jiang Bei’s illness. These are all things that can be discussed.”

Jiang Ji responded with a soft “I understand.”

“So what’s your plan for the future?” Qin Qingzhuo asked.

“In the future, when something happens, I’ll discuss it with you,” Jiang Ji said, “I won’t hide things from you.”

“Okay.” Qin Qingzhuo raised his arms, opening them towards Jiang Ji, “Then give me a hug.”

Just a few seconds ago, they were discussing things seriously, but now Qin Qingzhuo was in a posture waiting to be hugged.

Jiang Ji was momentarily stunned. But he quickly took a step closer and embraced Qin Qingzhuo. His arms wrapped around Qin Qingzhuo’s shoulders as he lowered his head, nuzzling against Qin Qingzhuo’s neck with his chin.

“Not going to put me on the table this time?” Qin Qingzhuo slightly turned his head and asked.

Jiang Ji didn’t move, still holding him like that, “Let’s just hug like this for a while.”

“Not in the mood because of me?” Qin Qingzhuo chuckled, his fingers slipping underneath Jiang Ji’s hoodie, gently tracing along his waist.

Jiang Ji shook his head and whispered, “It’s just that I suddenly realized, I’ve never hugged someone like this before.”

Perhaps it was because of Qin Qingzhuo’s explanation of the “other half” just now, facing each other so simply and hugging like this, it gave him a feeling of relying on someone in life.

So from now on, will life become more complete… it’s truly a magical feeling.

“In that case, let’s hug for a bit longer.” Qin Qingzhuo suggested.

The two of them stood in the slanting afternoon sunlight, embracing each other for quite a while.

“Jiang Bei’s situation sounds quite complicated, hearing your plans,” Qin Qingzhuo whispered about their future plans, his slightly husky voice tinged by the sunlight, felt like flowing sand as it fell on Jiang Ji’s eardrums, “I’ll talk to a lawyer friend later to see if we can figure out a way to complete the adoption process. Once she has a household registration, she can go to school. By then, you two children, one in elementary school and the other in college…”

Jiang Ji hugged him and uttered a soft “hmm,” then called his name, “Qin Qingzhuo.”

“Hmm?”

“Do you ever feel like your life has become more troublesome because of me?” Jiang Ji voiced his concerns from the past few days, “You originally just needed to focus on making music, but now you not only have to deal with my affairs, but also have to take care of Jiang Bei.”

“Do you feel like Jiang Bei has brought you a lot of trouble?” Qin Qingzhuo countered.

“Will,” Jiang Ji said, “To be honest, every time I go out to look for her, I can’t help but think, maybe this time I won’t find her at all, it’ll be for the best, one less thing to worry about, life could be a bit easier.”

“But you still can’t help but look for her, right?” Qin Qingzhuo chuckled, “Some kids are so soft-hearted, why do they insist on seeing themselves as villains.”

Pausing for a moment, he continued, “But honestly, I don’t feel troubled at all, instead, I feel like my boyfriend is someone who can handle things well, which makes me… how should I put it, particularly intrigued.”

Jiang Ji quickly caught onto the keyword, “Intrigued about what?”

Qin Qingzhuo turned his face sideways, with a hint of a smile in his voice, “What do you think I’m intrigued about?”

Jiang Ji lifted Qin Qingzhuo onto the desk, his fingers slipping underneath his shirt, brushing against his waist with calloused fingertips, “About that Weibo post…”

“No need to delete it,” Qin Qingzhuo cradled Jiang Ji’s face, leaning in to kiss him, this time taking the initiative, “Posting it like that shouldn’t be a problem.”

Just like how Jiang Ji had kissed him before, Qin Qingzhuo lightly sucked on Jiang Ji’s lips, and Jiang Ji quickly responded. In the hospital these past two days, even when they sneaked into the bathroom, they only shared cautious and restrained kisses due to Jiang Bei being in the ward. But now, in Jiang Ji’s room, this kiss soon deepened into passionate entanglement, with hurried breaths.

Their clothes were pushed up to their chests, and the hot, wet kisses trailed down to their necks. Qin Qingzhuo’s fingers tangled in Jiang Ji’s hair, “But I feel like it’s not enough…”

Jiang Ji gently nibbled on Qin Qingzhuo’s neck, leaving fresh marks on the previously faded ones, “Hmm?”

“Those screen recordings,” Qin Qingzhuo’s voice sounded a bit unsteady, “I plan to submit them to the platform’s higher-ups through Uncle Qiao, adding another layer of pressure from within.”

“Coordinating inside and outside offensive with me?”

“Hmm, you could also say it’s a case of villains colluding together…”

“How should we collaborate?” Jiang Ji’s fingers toyed with the fresh hickey, implying something.

Qin Qingzhuo smiled and leaned in to kiss him again, his tone ambiguous as he said, “Any nefarious way works.”