Ji Zehui ran away again. Xie Yang froze in place for a moment before putting away the score and sat back in the corner again.
The cameraman couldn’t stand it any longer and couldn’t help comforting him. “Teacher Xie, your adaptation was great! Teacher Ji… Teacher Ji should just be too excited so he went out to take a break.”
Xie Yang smiled at the cameraman. “I understand, thank you.”
Around half an hour later, Long Shuyou suddenly sent a WeChat message.
Long Shuyou: Ji Zehui asked to change his singing guest. I asked the head of the program crew to refuse. Ji Zehui is now arguing with his agent.
Xie Yang became interested and asked: What are they arguing about?
It took Long Shuyou 10 minutes to reply.
Long Shuyou: Ji Zehui’s agent wants Ji Zehui to use your adaptation directly and to cooperate with you to record the program smoothly. Ji Zehui didn’t want to.
Long Shuyou: Now Ji Zehui has compromised and is willing to cooperate with you. However, they argued again about the selection. Ji Zehui wants to sing Angry Waves. He thinks it is humiliating to sing One Sword is Equal to Spring and Autumn with you only to be suppressed by you. The agent thinks that One Sword is Equal to Spring and Autumn can help Ji Zehui earn emotional points and thinks that Ji Zehui can’t control the adaptation of Angry Waves.
Long Shuyu: The agent also advised Ji Zehui not to be so serious. If he wants to clean you up, they can act during the editing. These two disgusting guys.
Xie Yang: How do you know so many details? Are you eavesdropping?
Long Shuyu: My assistant is eavesdropping.
Xie Yang smiled and asked: Who do you think will win?
Long Shuyou sent a pig’s head expression.
After another 10 minutes, Ji Zehui returned. His attitude suddenly became extremely cordial and gentle. As Long Shuyou guessed, he ‘bore the pain’ and decided to sing Angry Waves.
Xie Yang confirmed it. “Do you really want to sing Angry Waves? We didn’t practice this song very much. We have to see the band teacher in the afternoon and there is the rehearsal at night. There isn’t much time for us to get it together.”
Ji Zehui made an ‘I’ll work harder’ expression. “It doesn’t matter. We can work together with the band teacher. I’ll cover the high parts of Angry Waves while you can sing the low part. These are the parts we are good at and we can work it out quickly.”
The adaptation of Angry Waves had many high parts and required high stability of the voice when singing. It might sound better than the original but it wasn’t easy to sing it well while expressing the emotions.
Xie Yang asked meaningfully, “Teacher Ji, do you want to sing all the high parts?”
Ji Zehui put on a good speech. “Of course not. We can sing the chorus part of this last part together. Thus, we just have to work on this part together. What do you think?”
Xie Yang was very satisfied. “Teacher Ji, you are very thoughtful. Then we will do as you say.”
The selection and arrangement plan was finalized in this way. Then Xie Yang devoted himself to writing the score of the adapted Angry Waves. Ji Zehui took on a mentor’s appearance and stood beside Xie Yang to point out the way to do things.
The morning was soon over. After lunch, the two of them rushed with their score to meet the band teacher.
The run-through in the afternoon went smoothly. The band teachers were all professionals and familiarized themselves quickly with the score. Ji Zehui himself had a certain strength. Although his singing wasn’t good at the beginning, he showed brightness after entering the right state.
After an afternoon of practice, Xie Yang still looked relaxed while the back of Ji Zehui’s shirt was wet with sweat and his voice showed fatigue.
The band leader advised him, “Teacher Ji, please take a break. this run-through is almost finished.
Ji Zehui glanced at Xie Yang and moistened his throat. He might feel stifled but he didn’t try to hold on anymore. He nodded and took a rest.
At 7:30, the rehearsal officially began.Xie Yang saw the production team of Who is the King of Songs. The scene included the program directors, host, other guests… apart from the guests who would comment on the performance, all the people who needed to be present during the official recording had arrived. It was very lively.
Ji Zehui was like a changed person. He talked to this person with a smile and greeted this person with a good attitude. Compared to Ji Zehui, Xie Yang seemed very deserted. Few people took the initiative to talk to Xie Yang.
After taking a lap around the place, Ji Zehui ran back to Xie Yang who was sitting alone in a corner and looking at the rehearsal flow chart. Ji Zehui sighed in a pretentious manner, “Having ability doesn’t mean success. Xiao Xie, there are many places where you still have a lot to learn.”
Xie Yang agreed. “Teacher Ji is right. Fortunately, I have more than ability.”
“……” Ji Zehui’s suffocated anger continued to surge.
Who is the King of Songs aired for one and a half hours and the official recording took around three or four hours. The rehearsal was a bit simpler than the official recording but it still took over two hours.
Once he finished looking at the flow chart, Xie Yang walked out of the guest singing lounge while feeling complicated over a slight problem. He found a quiet corner and took out his phone to call Qiu Xing. Qiu Xing answered but didn’t speak.
Xie Yang told him, “I’m in rehearsal. The rehearsal should finish at 10 o’clock and I’ll get around close to 12 o’clock.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I’m afraid you would think I’m running away so I’m giving you a preventive shot.”
The two people were relatively quiet.
Xie Yang thought for a moment before saying, “Today, someone praised me for being handsome.”
“Xie Yang.”
“Eh?”
“Tell me about something that isn’t useless.”
“Then I’m hanging up. You rest early.” Xie Yang was ready to put down his phone.
“After the rehearsal, go to Rongding.”
Xie Yang moved his phone back to his ear. “What am I going to do there?”
Qiu Xing didn’t answer and hung up directly.
***
Ji Zehui’s draw was pretty good and he took the second slot. The two of them quickly took to the stage and officially sang Angry Waves on stage with the lighting. They only ran through it for one afternoon but the effect of this rehearsal was actually very good. Ji Zehui was stable and even made a breakthrough.
The director and host heard the adapted version of Angry Waves for the first time and they all showed amazed expressions. They all praised Ji Zehui and Xie Yang. A guest who ran to the front to see the bustling scene let out a fake howl, “I won’t play anymore. Everyone, Ji Zehui must be first in the next issue.”
Ji Zehui was very happy and responded to their praises one by one. He didn’t mention that the whole song was actually adapted by Xie Yang. Xie Yang didn’t grab the limelight and let Ji Zehui be happy.
The rehearsal ended. As he was leaving the recording site, the program director suddenly found Xie Yang and handed Xie Yang a business card. “Your performance was good. If there is a chance then come back to the program.”
Xie Yang took the business card and smiled at the director. “Certainly.”
It was close to 10:30 at night when Xie Yang reached Rongding. He looked at the ninth floor of the Rongding Building and took out his phone to call Qiu Xing.
“I’m here.”
“Enter the parking lot and let Wu Shui take you to the special elevator. I will open the elevator and you come up on your own.”
Xie Yang put down his phone and asked Wu Shui to drive to the parking lot as Qiu Xing ordered.
Five minutes later, Xie Yang took the special elevator to the ninth floor of the Rongding Building. The elevator door opened and an office with a similar layout to the president’s office of S City’s Rongding branch office was exposed. Qiu Xing was wearing a dressing gown and leaning back on the sofa with his eyes closed. He heard the sound and ordered directly, “Go and take a bath.”
It was after 10 in the evening and a young university student was suddenly summoned to the villain boss’ office, the boss telling the male university student to take a bath.
Xie Yang spoke while walking out of the elevator, “I thought you knew that I’m not selling my body.”
Qiu Xing didn’t understand at first. Once he did, he immediately opened his eyes with disbelief. “What are you talking about? Go and take a bath! There is a folding bed in the lounge that is already laid out. Sleep.” Then he got up, went to the office and slammed the door.
“……”
Xie Yang laughed, walked to the office door and knocked on it. He asked, “Qiu Xing, were you specifically waiting for me until now?”
There was no response inside, as if no one was in there. Xie Yang stood for two seconds before turning to leave.
In the early hours of the morning, Xie Yang was woken up by the sound of walking outside. He followed the sound to the meeting room and found Qiu Xing standing in front of the water dispenser in the dim moonlight.
He turned on the light.
Qiu Xing, who was pressing a hand against his forehead, was dazzled by the sudden light and covered his eyes. He frowned and looked over with a puzzled expression.
Xie Yang asked, “Do you have a headache?”
The confusion on Qiu Xing’s face quickly faded. He bent down to pour water into a cup and didn’t answer the question. “Did I wake you up?”
Xie Yang walked over but also didn’t answer. “You can’t sleep because of a headache?”
Qiu Xing was silent and drank the poured water.
“Do you need me to call a doctor for you?”
Qiu Xing still said nothing. He squeezed the water cup in an expressionless manner, his usual ridicule or coldness missing from his face. His illness had become more serious. A few seconds later, he suddenly raised a hand and pressed it against his forehead again, calling out, “Xie Yang.”
“Eh?”
“Don’t talk like my mother.”
Xie Yang suspected that Qiu Xing had become delirious because of his headache. He was thinking about whether to go back to his room to get his phone and call 120 when Qiu Xing put down his head. “Don’t call a doctor. I’m not crazy.”
Xie Yang retorted, “I didn’t say you were crazy.”
Qiu Xing inexplicably smiled and suddenly changed the subject. “You said you would stand beside me but I have been thinking for the past two days…” He turned the cup. “Were you lying to me?”
He put down the cup of water and looked at Xie Yang. “Are you lying to me?”
Xie Yang replied, “I didn’t lie to you.”
“So you have no one else to rely on but me?”
“No, I can rely on myself.”
Qiu Xing’s expression actually looked better as he said, “Go to sleep. I won’t wake you again.” He raised his hand and gently touched Xie Yang’s head before turning away.
Xie Yang stared as Qiu Xing’s figure disappeared behind the door. Then he looked up and touched his head. Suddenly, he remembered how Qiu Xing had reached out his arms to hug Mother Qiu.
This person’s softness was really rare.
TL Note: *Sob* For those who don’t understand the last conversation, the reason Qiu Xing looked better after Xie Yang said he relies on himself is because this means Xie Yang will be fine after Qiu Xing dies.
But don’t worry! As the author wrote in her author’s note, Qiu Xing’s illness will get better. No BE in this one.