《Reborn as a Substitute》 CH extra 1 If Ji Sheng had the memories of the future before the car accident happened¡­¡­ ¡°Brother Ji.¡± The assistant quickly buckled his seat belt and started the car, looking at Ji Sheng in the rearview mirror and saying in surprise and joy, ¡°You¡¯re going out today!¡± He was really happy. Since his wrist injury, Ji Sheng had stopped working and had never left his apartment; the little assistant visited him several times, and he was listless and looked very depressed. There were many artists in the circle who became mentally unstable because of the fallout. The assistant was worried that Ji Sheng might not be able to think straight and suffer from psychological problems ¡°Going out for a stroll.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°And finding someone by the way.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± It was a good thing to be willing to come out. The assistant said holding the steering wheel, ¡±Brother Sheng¡¯s crew is a bit far away. It takes an hour to drive over there, so you can have a nap¡­¡± ¡°Who said I¡¯m going to see him?¡± Ji Sheng frowned. ¡°Ah?¡± The assistant was stunned, ¡°Then where are we going?¡± Ji Sheng reported an address: ¡°Go here.¡± The place was in the middle of nowhere. It was a long distance away from Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s crew. The assistant vaguely had an impression that it was a TV station, and Xie Xuanming was recording a program there today. But what did Ji Sheng want from Xie Xuanming? Didn¡¯t they fall out because of the casting of the TV series before? The assistant was confused, but still drove the car to the TV station. In the back seat, Ji Sheng pressed his temples. A few days ago, he fell in the shower and knocked his head. He originally thought he would be okay after a while. Who could have imagined that this knock was like opening his eyes of the Heaven¡¯s way and a large piece of memory that he didn¡¯t have before would be stuffed in his head. That memory was related to him. In it, he seemed to have died and come back to life, and finally came together with Xie Xuanming. Ji Sheng was in a daze for a few days and then boldly ventured a guess based on the reality and the increasingly clear memories ¡ª he had not just banged his head, but had memories from the future. As he confirmed this idea more and more, the memories of the future fused together with his emotions, and Ji Sheng had lived several years in just a few days. When the avalanche of memories ended, Ji Sheng clutched his head in a bout of pain and then rushed to Xie Xuanming right away. ¡°Teacher Xie, thank you for your hard work.¡± The program director bowed to Xie Xuanming, ¡°Thank you for your cooperation. The recording is over. We will send the edited version within a week. If you see anything that needs to be changed, please contact us.¡± The director¡¯s rare humility attracted the attention of other staff but when they saw the young man standing in front of the director, they figured out what was going on. After all, the director was facing the youngest movie star in the circle and the current hot celebrity. Xie Xuanming had soared up the ranks, yet he still kept his promise to participate in the humble program he had previously promised to record, and the program team was flattered and naturally treated him with courtesy. ¡°Okay, you have worked hard too.¡± Xie Xuanming nodded lightly. He removed his makeup and followed the agent to the underground parking lot. The staff caught up with them and said that there was something to discuss, so the agent stayed behind briefly and Xie Xuanming got in the car first. Sitting in the seat of the nanny car, Xie Xuanming closed the door smoothly. His blank expression had just relaxed, haze and fatigue had not yet surfaced but the cold stern look was eased up a little. There was a soft sound in the back seat, tiny, but enough to be captured. Xie Xuanming opened his eyes abruptly and quickly grabbed without turning back. He caught someone and squeezed hard. ¡°Hiss!¡± The man who was clutched by him cried out in pain. Xie Xuanming was about to continue to drag the man forward, but when he heard this sound, his body suddenly froze and his hand shook as if electrocuted. Ji Sheng took the opportunity to break free from the grip, retracted his hand vigorously, blew on the red marks on his forearm twice, raised his eyes and scolded: ¡°You almost gripped the wound, why are you pressing so hard?¡± He spoke in the tone ¡°Ji Sheng¡± was using to talk to Xie Xuanming in his ¡°memory¡±, which sounded very uncomfortable to Xie Xuanming¡¯s ears at this moment. ¡°I thought it was a sisheng¡­¡± Xie Xuanming glanced at his wrist and replied instinctively while confirming that he hadn¡¯t touched Ji Sheng¡¯s injury. He didn¡¯t react until halfway through the sentence, and changed the topic with a cold face, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Since Ji Sheng gave up the role in the TV series for Sheng Kongzhi, which angered Xie Xuanming, the two had not contacted each other for a long time. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t go looking for him, nor did he expect Ji Sheng to come to him. But Ji Sheng was here now. ¡°To see you.¡± Ji Sheng said without raising his eyes. ¡°¡­why do you want to see me?¡± ¡°Missed you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Xie Xuanming glanced at the back seat, then turned his head sharply and looked out the window: ¡°Is Li Tan here, or Sheng Kongzhi?¡± ¡°No, they are not.¡± Ji Sheng stretched out his hand unceremoniously and turned his head back, ¡°Just me.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s head was turned as if he was a dummy mannequin, his body and expression also as cold and hard as plaster. ¡°Give me the phone.¡± Ji Sheng took his hand off Xie Xuanming¡¯s head and spread it out in front of him. Xie Xuanming remained motionless. ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t give it.¡± Ji Sheng sighed and retracted his hand, taking out something from his pocket, ¡°Fortunately, I was prepared¡­¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s gaze moved down; what Ji Sheng was holding in his hand was his mobile phone. ¡°¡­when did you get it?¡± ¡°Just now.¡± Ji Sheng turned on his phone in front of him. Xie Xuan remembered that Ji Sheng and Su Jing had learned a few crooked ways back then and had also wanted to teach him enthusiastically, but Xie Xuanming himself was too oppressive by nature. As long as he got close to people, he would scare them away¡­ ¡°Um¡­ facial recognition.¡± Ji Sheng muttered, suddenly raising his hand to Xie Xuanming¡¯s face, ¡°Smile.¡± Xie Xuanming squinted when the light on the screen shone at him, and when he opened his eyes again, Ji Sheng was already doing something with the unlocked mobile phone. ¡°What are you doing? Xie Xuanming stared down at him and asked in a cold voice, but had no intention of making a move to stop him. ¡°Doing something big.¡± Ji Sheng chuckled twice, very maliciously. Xie Xuanming watched him pull ¡±Ji Sheng¡± out of the address book and WeChat blacklist, then lock the phone and hand it over. ¡°Here.¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t move for a second and finally took it. ¡°Now that you have seen me, you can go.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t go.¡± Ji Sheng leaned back in the seat very comfortably, ¡°I want to go home with you.¡± ¡°¡­get out of the car.¡± ¡°You have been to my place, why can¡¯t I go to yours?¡± ¡°Get out of the car.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t afford to pay the rent.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll transfer money to you, get out of the car.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng looked at Xie Xuanming who was wearing a cold look and sighed, ¡°Sheng Kongzhi will go back to the dormitory tonight, I don¡¯t want to see him.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± A few minutes later, the agent got in the car, fastened his seat belt, raised his eyes and was startled by a smiley face in the rearview mirror. ¡°This is¡­ Ji Sheng?¡± The agent was shocked, ¡°Why are you here¡­¡± ¡°Go back to the dormitory.¡± Xie Xuanming interrupted. The Xie family neither objected nor approved of Xie Xuanming¡¯s entry into the entertainment industry. He was originally a brought-home son, and living decently was the Xie family¡¯s greatest requirement for him. But no attitude did not mean no effort. In order to maintain the ¡°good father-son relationship¡± with Xie Xuanming, his father generously invested in a company for him, and Xie Xuanming¡¯s so-called ¡°dormitory¡± was in a high-level residential area near the river. It was the first time Ji Sheng entered Xie Xuanming¡¯s residence. He had no memory of this large flat, so he looked around curiously. Xie Xuanming walked into the room as if he couldn¡¯t see Ji Sheng¡¯s eyes drifting around, took some clothes and a big towel, and came out to hand them to Ji Sheng. ¡°A change of clothes.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°The towel and underwear are unused.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ji Sheng took them. ¡°I want to take a shower, you use the guest bath.¡± Throwing off these words, Xie Xuanming turned and went into the bathroom. Ji Sheng stood still, raising the clothes to the tip of his nose. A light mint smell. It hadn¡¯t changed from the time he was a teenager to his future memories. When Xie Xuanming came out after washing, he didn¡¯t see anyone in the living room. He glanced at the guest bathroom, and there were no traces of it being used. There was a rustling sound in the study, and Xie Xuanming took two steps to that side, leaning slightly against the half-open door, and looked in. Xie Xuanming was not surprised when he saw Ji Sheng squatting in front of the cabinet and rummaging through the documents. Everything happened for a reason. What kind of person was Ji Sheng, what he could do for Sheng Kongzhi, what he had done for Qingchu, how he had discarded him. How could Xie Xuanming not be clear about this? But being clear did not mean that you would not be hurt. Ji Sheng rummaged through the contents of the cabinet with his head lowered until he finally found what he wanted at the bottom of the cabinet. His eyes lit up and he was about to take it out, but his arm was grabbed. He turned back to meet Xie Xuanming¡¯s indifferent eyes. He grabbed Ji Sheng¡¯s left arm and raised it unquestionably, revealing the true nature of the object in his hand. Scotch. Xie Xuanming was taken aback. It was not a contract document as expected, but a large roll of scotch tape. ¡°What are you doing with this?¡± ¡°Waterproof.¡± Ji Sheng was puzzled by his grabbing, but still answered honestly, ¡°The wound is easy to get infected when it touches the water.¡± When his eyes fell on the scar on Ji Sheng¡¯s other wrist, the grip instantly relaxed. Xie Xuanming let go of his hand and stood up straighter, his expression unreadable. ¡°You just use tape to waterproof?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°Don¡¯t mind it, ah, tape tied to paper towels, the waterproof effect is very good.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t think it would work. Xie Xuanming felt that Ji Sheng would put himself in the hospital again sooner or later. Ten minutes later, the gossiping paparazzi squatting at the door of Xie Xuanming¡¯s community photographed Emperor Xie driving out in a hurry with his hair wet. Just as they thought they had a big story, Emperor Xie, wearing pyjamas, came out of a pharmacy and turned back to the community the same way. Ji Sheng took a shower with plastic film tied with a gauze to keep the water out. He came out of the bathroom refreshed and saw Xie Xuanming sitting on the sofa reading a script. This scene had happened countless times in his ¡°memory¡±, and Ji Sheng paused, filled with a sense of warmth of ¡°this is how it should be¡±. As he stood still in the corridor, Xie Xuanming also noticed him coming out and looked up. The warm orange light shone softly on Ji Sheng, who had appeared countless times in his dreams, warm, moist and wearing his pyjamas. The dreams were unattainable, but Ji Sheng was actually in front of him. Xie Xuanming was in a daze for a moment, and his expression softened with that light. ¡°You¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡­¡­¡± The two spoke at the same time, collided and shut up tacitly. After a moment of silence, Xie Xuanming nodded and motioned to Ji Sheng to speak first. Ji Sheng was about to speak, but was interrupted by a mobile phone on the side. ¡°Sheng Kongzhi calling!¡± The cold mechanical voice screamed loudly. Ji Sheng: ¡°¡­¡­¡± He regretted that he had set the ringtone to announce the person¡¯s name for convenience. When he looked up, Xie Xuanming¡¯s face sank as expected, and the peace just now was gone. The phone was still ringing. Ji Sheng hurriedly walked over and quickly hung up. ¡°Why is he calling me, ha¡­ha¡­¡± Before the awkward laugh was over, the phone once again let out a loud chant. ¡°Sheng Kongzhi calling!¡± Ji Sheng snapped and hung up again. But this was not over yet. ¡°Sheng Kongzhi calling!¡± ¡°Sheng Kongzhi call¡­¡± ¡°Sheng Kong¡­¡­¡± The phone rang again and again; Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes were as cold as ice, and Ji Sheng¡¯s scalp was numb from the look he gave him, making him feel that he was more wronged than Dou E. ¡°Sheng¡ª¡± This time, Ji Sheng picked up the call, and without waiting for the other party to speak, took a long breath and shouted at the other side with all his strength. ¡°Get lost!!!!¡± So fierce that he couldn¡¯t recognise his own voice¡­ Like an unlucky man who had just gone bankrupt and found out that his wife had run off with someone else and his son was not his own. Xie Xuanming was also shocked by this roar that shook mountains and rivers. He was stunned for a moment but still tried to straighten his face and looked at Ji Sheng with an inscrutable expression. But he soon couldn¡¯t hold it. Ji Sheng, who had just demonstrated a roar of the Lion King, hung up the phone and switched his persona in a second, lowering his head and laughing twice in a gentle and shy manner. ¡°I¡¯ve done washing, shall I sleep in the guest room, or¡­¡± His gaze drifted leisurely towards Xie Xuanming, ambiguity encircling his body. Xie Xuanming could not help taking a step back. He must have knocked his brains out in the shower, Xie Xuanming thought with an ugly face. CH extra 2 Xie Xuanming finally refused Ji Sheng¡¯s request to sleep with him. The reason was that he didn¡¯t want to take advantage of a brain-damaged person. Ji Sheng lay on the bed in the guest room and sent Xie Xuanming a lot of emoticons on his mobile phone, and finally harassed the man into replying with a string of ellipses. Even so, it was a great success in the battle, and Ji Sheng sent ¡°Good night! (Rose)¡± contentedly, then exit the chat box. He put his mobile phone at the head of the bed to charge it. But, after lying down, he suddenly remembered something he hadn¡¯t done. He quickly got up and sent the termination contract he had hastily drawn in the nanny car today to Li Tan. Ignoring Li Tan¡¯s question mark, Ji Sheng put the phone on airplane mode, lay down peacefully and went to sleep. He woke up naturally, rubbed his head and pulled the door open, and was shocked by the scene in front of him. In front of the dining table, Sheng Kongzhi and Xie Xuanming were sitting with their arms crossed. Seeing Ji Sheng coming out, the two of them turned their heads neatly, one ugly and the other cold, their eyes poking straight into Ji Sheng¡¯s face. Ji Sheng: ¡­¡­ Ji Sheng stood up straight and said with a fake smile, ¡°Good morning.¡± No one answered him. Ji Sheng rubbed his hair twice, let go, pointed to the bathroom and said: ¡°I¡¯m going to brush my teeth.¡± ¡°I put the new toothpaste on the sink.¡± Xie Xuanming said. ¡°En?¡± Ji Sheng and Sheng Kongzhi both looked at him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you unaccustomed to the toothpaste I have?¡± Xie Xuanming said lightly. ¡°Last night you grimaced so bad. I bought children¡¯s toothpaste, lemon-flavoured. Go ahead.¡± Ji Sheng was taken aback. He came out of the bathroom after washing last night, but he didn¡¯t expect Xie Xuanming to notice his expression; not to mention to get up early in the morning and buy children¡¯s toothpaste. But to think about it, it was Xie Xuanming. Ji Sheng thought. It was worthy of Xie Xuanming. His heart softened, he smiled and said ¡°Thank you¡± to Xie Xuanming, and pushed the door into the guest bathroom. The two of them went back and forth as if Sheng Kongzhi did not exist, successfully making Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s fake smiling face darken more and more. When did Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming become so close? Sheng Kongzhi was shocked. A private matter like toothpaste, even he, his boyfriend, didn¡¯t know about it, but Xie Xuanming¡­ He looked at Xie Xuanming with a gloomy expression, and then hurriedly turned away after receiving a cold look in reply. It was clear that he and Ji Sheng had been bamboo horses for more than ten years and had a close relationship that no one could match, but Sheng Kongzhi felt an unexplained unease when he met Xie Xuanming¡¯s calm expression. Thinking of Li Tan calling in a hurry yesterday, saying that Ji Sheng was going to terminate his contract with Qingchu¡­ The unrest in Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s heart grew even stronger. Ji Sheng came out of the bathroom and walked straight towards the dining table. He stopped half a metre away, saw the table empty, touched his stomach, and asked Xie Xuanming pitifully: ¡°Is there no breakfast? I am so hungry.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make it for you later.¡± Xie Xuanming said. The two interacted so intimately that Sheng Kongzhi couldn¡¯t sit still anymore and interjected with a fake smile: ¡°Xiao Ji, Xiao Xie is a movie star now, how can you still treat him like before¡­¡± ¡°I am happy with it!¡± Ji Sheng interrupted him and muttered, ¡°Xiao Xie did not say that he was not happy either, what¡¯s your dog business?¡­¡± Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s smile froze on his face. Xie Xuanming was surprised at first, and then the corners of his lips curved uncontrollably. The displeasure from Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s unsolicited arrival dissipated a lot. Although he was slapped down, Sheng Kongzhi still didn¡¯t give up. He tried again: ¡°Let¡¯s go out to eat, Brother Tan just has something to discuss with you. Say, let¡¯s talk while eating¡­¡± ¡°Not going.¡± Ji Sheng refused simply. ¡°Why?¡± Sheng Kongzhi tried very hard to keep smiling. ¡°I don¡¯t want to sit at the same table with my ex-boyfriend for dinner.¡± Ji Sheng finally looked at him and frowned, ¡°I will have no appetite.¡± Sheng Kongzhi couldn¡¯t hold his smile anymore. He stood up with a bang and asked angrily, not caring about face. ¡°When did we break up?¡± ¡°Today.¡± Ji Sheng said clearly. He lowered his head, pressed the screen to see the time, and said happily, ¡°Just in time, the mail has arrived.¡± Ding! Hearing a crisp sound, Sheng Kongzhi looked down at his phone, and the message prompted a new email. [Breakup Letter] As for why it was an email instead of WeChat or SMS¡­ ¡°By the way, I blacklisted you.¡± Ji Sheng explained considerately, ¡°I¡¯m a person who is afraid of dwelling on things and hates awkward relationships, so, well, you can understand that, right?¡± Sheng Kongzhi couldn¡¯t understand. Sheng Kongzhi was incredulous. After his face went through the red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple shades, Sheng Kongzhi snapped and locked the phone, raised his head and looked up with an aggrieved expression: ¡°What did I do wrong?¡± Xie Xuanming, who was watching the show, sneered and thought that if Sneng Kongzhi could use 30% of his acting strength in the TV series, it would not flop so badly. ¡°Steal the debut first place, grab a role in a TV series, associate with a sisheng and cover up a criminal,¡± with his expression instantly changed, Ji Sheng counted coldly, ¡°Do you want me to continue?¡± Sheng Kongzhi froze like a stuffed chicken. How could Xiao Sheng know this? Sheng Kongzhi looked at Xie Xuanming in shock and anger and met his cold, mocking gaze. Did Xie Xuanming tell him? And Xiao Sheng actually believed him? Ji Sheng believed Xie Xuanming and didn¡¯t believe him? With all kinds of thoughts floating through his mind, Sheng Kongzhi made a quick decision, immediately abandoned the method of reasoning, and took a step forward to grab Ji Sheng¡¯s hand. ¡°Xiao¡­¡± Ji Sheng took two steps back cautiously. Xie Xuanming stood up and stepped in front of him. The two cooperated seamlessly. Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s eye twitched; he gritted his teeth and swallowed the words he was going to say. ¡°Xiao Sheng,¡± he said, aggrieved and incredulous, ¡°Are you really going to break up with me?¡± ¡°Uh-huh!¡± Ji Sheng poked out from behind Xie Xuanming and affirmed, ¡°Not only am I going to break up with you, I¡¯m also going to go out and talk nonsense.¡± Seeing Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s stiff look, Ji Sheng waved his hand and concluded: ¡°Go back and talk to Li Tan, either terminate the contract or wait their cash cow to be exposed to the same-sex scandal and then blocked from the entire circle. Now go, I won¡¯t send you off.¡± In the end, it was the future that mattered. Sheng Kongzhi was ¡°invited¡± out of the house by Xie Xuanming and left in disgrace. Xie Xuanming closed the door, gripped the handle and carefully considered whether Ji Sheng had really knocked his head, then turned back to ask: ¡°Are you really going to terminate your contract with Qingchu?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°¡­can you afford the termination fee?¡± ¡°I should?¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°There is still some money left from the tour, and I have read the contract, which says ¡®in case of failure to create benefits for the company¡¯, the contract with the artist will be automatically terminated. I am a waste with a damaged hand. How morally bankrupt must Qingchu be to charge a waste a high termination fee?¡± ¡°If they are so morally corrupt¡­¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll get the media to do some moral kidnapping!¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°They don¡¯t have any pointers on who cut my hand and they still have the guts to charge money.¡± Xie Xuanming: ¡­¡­ Xie Xuanming had nothing to say. Talking about this topic, Ji Sheng suddenly remembered something. He was in the car yesterday and heard Xie Xuanming¡¯s agent say that there was a complaint about the new movie because of the sensitive subject matter. The report caused a delay in the start of filming. Looking through his memories of the future, Ji Sheng had no doubt this was the handiwork of that sisheng again. She was disgusted with the fact that Sheng Kongzhi was steadily overpowered by Xie Xuanming and kept reporting the film all the way from the beginning of shooting until its release. Xie Xuanming¡¯s second film still achieved a high box office in the end, stabilising his position in the film industry. Waiting for the release of the movie was also the period when Xie Xuanming and Ji Sheng hyped the scandal and Xie Xuanming was often accused of being blocked because of his sexual orientation. One person affected the entire crew, and verbal abuse was inevitable. Naturally, Ji Sheng would not let this happen again. ¡°I¡¯m here to find you, but there is actually one more thing.¡± As Ji Sheng said it, his eyelids drooped and his arrogance dissipated. Xie Xuanming couldn¡¯t help looking at him, thinking to himself why he hadn¡¯t realised Ji Sheng had the talent for acting before. A rare actor was capable of such a 180-degree turn with just a flutter of his eyelashes. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? ¡°Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression remained calm. But with the next sentence his face changed. ¡°I¡¯ve found the person who cut my hand.¡± Ji Sheng raised his eyes to Xie Xuanming, and added after seeing his expression darken, ¡°It¡¯s Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s sisheng fan, the daughter of Qingchu¡¯s major shareholder. The matter of your movie¡­ she must have reported it too.¡± ¡°You just said that Sheng Kongzhi was privately associated with a sisheng¡­¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s face was very ugly. ¡°Correct.¡± Ji Sheng affirmed his thoughts, and immediately added, ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter, I will leave Qingchu very soon anyway.¡± He gave a clue, and when Xie Xuanming checked it out, the tax evasion of the sisheng¡¯s family would definitely be revealed. Although the current Xie Xuanming might not have enough capital to fight them, the sisheng¡¯s family¡¯s business was competing with an industry owned by the Xie family. It was impossible for the Xie family to ignore such a good handle as its competitor covering up his daughter¡¯s deliberate assault. Ji Sheng¡¯s calculations worked, and Xie Xuanming was indeed acting according to his expectations. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± He said calmly, going to another room to make a call. Ji Sheng heard a few words through the wall; Xie Xuanming was contacting his family. When Xie Xuanming came back, it was already lunch time. Ji Sheng was slumping on the dining table, bored. When he saw Xie Xuanming coming out, he sat up straight and looked at him, his eyes shining brightly, ¡°Shall we have lunch together? I ordered takeaway.¡± The doorbell rang at the same moment and the takeaway was delivered. Xie Xuanming could not and did not want to refuse this reasonable request, so he took another seat at the table. Ji Sheng opened the door and brought in the takeaway, unpacked it, opened Xie Xuanming¡¯s portion and put it in front of him. Watching Ji Sheng¡¯s busy movements, Xie Xuanming was in a kind of a daze. When he was 17 years old, Ji Sheng always regarded him as a child who couldn¡¯t do anything. A takeaway also had to be carefully unpacked and then handed over. The 17-year-old Xie Xuanming protested many times, but Ji Sheng continued to do so. Are you still treating me like a child? Xie Xuanming took the chopsticks and whispered ¡°Thank you¡±. He didn¡¯t ask. He lowered his eyes and tinkered with the takeaway, asking casually as if trying to hide his emotions, ¡°Do you have any plans afterwards?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He asked casually, but Ji Sheng¡¯s answer was not casual. He spread his fingers and counted them one by one. ¡°First of all, I have to learn music theory and acting, then try to produce a few original singles or an album. In the meantime, I might go to a small drama crew and practice acting¡­¡± Ji Sheng was talking excitedly. Xie Xuanming lowered his head and pretended to listen indifferently. But his disguise didn¡¯t last long this time. ¡°The last and most important plan.¡± Xie Xuanming raised his head. Ji Sheng¡¯s eyes curved. ¡°Chase you.¡± ¡°Chase you with great fanfare, fuss and shamelessness.¡± CH extra 3 Because his hand was injured, Ji Sheng didn¡¯t have any commercial value left. Qingchu quickly agreed to terminate his contract. Only Sheng Kongzhi and Li Tan sent a long message accusing Ji Sheng of ¡°only sharing bitterness and not sharing sweetness.¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t bother to look at it, so he dragged the message directly into the trash can, and then happily moved to Xie Xuanming¡¯s place citing the reason of ¡°being expelled from the dormitory¡±. Xie Xuanming made some useless resistance to this and finally let Ji Sheng drag his small suitcase to settle down in his apartment. Considering that he was a celebrity, Ji Sheng finally chose to take online classes from this apartment. Xie Xuanming was also in the preparation period in recent days, studying the script. So every day, Ji Sheng took online classes with headphones sitting at the dining table, while Xie Xuanming sat on the sofa studying the script. The two lived in harmony sharing the same space, while the study room was useless, becoming a place no one talked about. While Ji Sheng was unemployed, Xie Xuanming had a job to do. He could put off small, unimportant events, but had to attend important ceremonies and parties. That day, Xie Xuanming left a charity party early. On the way back, he recalled how Ji Sheng waved goodbye obediently before he went out, looking so quiet. He also remembered that before the accident, Ji Sheng had been invited to these events, too. Thinking of this, Xie Xuanming sat up straight and urged the agent to drive faster. It was the first time he had made this request. The agent thought that something big happened at home. It seemed that it was at least the level of ¡°a thief in the house¡± or ¡°the gas was not turned off¡±. He quickly stepped on the gas and accelerated all the way back to the apartment on the edge of violating the speed limit. When Xie Xuanming returned home, Li Sheng was staring at the computer intently, looking as serious as if he was working on a bomb disposal. Seeing that he was not in a bad mood, Xie Xuanming was relieved a little bit, but his curiosity was aroused, so he took a rare childish step and quietly walked up behind Ji Sheng and leaned down to peer at the screen. The blue-black online class page had been seen many times by Xie Xuanming intentionally or unintentionally in recent days. But at this time, the usually silent chat box was in full swing. Xie Xuanming took a closer look. The battlefield belonged to Ji Sheng and another student. The student was extremely quick to swipe the screen, and in just a few seconds, he had cursed Ji Sheng¡¯s virtual parents to death. The quality was too low. As soon as Xie Xuanming frowned, he saw Ji Sheng¡¯s fingers fly and quickly respond to the student¡¯s previous curses in kind. Xie Xuanming stopped frowning and couldn¡¯t help laughing. He caught Ji Sheng¡¯s attention this time. Ji Sheng suddenly raised his head; Xie Xuanming withdrew, but Ji Sheng¡¯s lips still brushed over his cheek. ¡°You are back, how was the event?¡± When Ji Sheng saw Xie Xuanming, his eyes curved into crescents and his sharp expression from when he was typing just now disappeared. ¡°Pretty good¡­¡± ¡°Wait a minute. ¡°Ji Sheng suddenly raised his hand, stopping him solemnly. Xie Xuanming¡¯s words paused awkwardly halfway. He saw Ji Sheng bow his head and pick up the phone to unlock it. On the screen, that extremely low-quality student initiated a request to connect. ¡°Here comes the counterattack,¡± Ji Sheng hurriedly explained, raised the phone and clicked ¡®agree to connect¡¯. As soon as the sound came, harsh verbal abuse rushed out, and even Xie Xuanming captured extremely high-frequency dirty words from the sound leakage of the headphones. However, Ji Sheng¡¯s expression was not angry, even a little compassionate. Xie Xuanming soon knew who he felt pity for. Ji Sheng clicked the play button, and Su Jing¡¯s voice shot out like an anti-aircraft gun. ¡°Why are you still cursing? Your cerebral cortex is more waste than your rectum. The doctor who agreed to your discharge at that time was blind and crazy. Oh yes cerebral palsy also can not be too difficult to cure. Waste of resources might as well create a pit to bury yourself, bad luck dog thing¡­¡± Ji Sheng held the phone in his hand steady as a mountain, not forgetting to glance back and explain Xie Xuanming: ¡°It was recorded from Su Jing¡¯s live broadcast. It¡¯s very practical. I will treat you to a copy.¡± Xie Xuanming: ¡­¡­ Xie Xuanming: ¡°No need.¡± He watched with tears and laughter as Ji Sheng borrowed Su Jing¡¯s cursing ability to fight, or rather to create a unilateral massacre, wondering in his heart why a few minutes ago he actually thought Ji Sheng would be upset because he couldn¡¯t attend a party. ¡°By the way, listen to this.¡± Ji Sheng suddenly took off one earphone and handed it over. Xie Xuanming took it and put on one ear. The student who was scolded had run away a long time ago. Instead of filthy words, there was a piece of pure music. The sound of water flowed into mountains and forests, and the notes slid lightly like a spring breeze. After a short segment was over, Xie Xuanming took off the headphones. ¡°You wrote it?¡± ¡°Yes, for the class.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s eyes shone brightly, ¡°Does it sound good?¡± Because of the shared headphones, the distance between the two of them was a bit close. Xie Xuanming felt that it was time to pull away, but he didn¡¯t want to, so he just said, ¡°It sounds good.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I said.¡± Ji Sheng laughed and said righteously, ¡°And that little brat said I made some disgusting bullshit, he must be deaf.¡± So that was the reason for the fight. As soon as Xie Xuanming understood, he heard Ji Sheng change the subject. ¡°The teacher said that the first song should be composed for the girl one likes. I don¡¯t have a girl I like, so I¡¯m going to have to ask you to be the guinea pig.¡± As soon as these words came out, Xie Xuanming was quiet for a few seconds and backed away. But Ji Sheng also leaned back, pressing the back of his head to the back of the chair, raising his face, his eyes curving more and more. ¡°Like it?¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t know if the question was about the song or the person. He was silent for another second, and finally got up and escaped as if he couldn¡¯t stand it. ¡°I¡¯m going to remove my makeup.¡± Ji Sheng straightened back, looked at Xie Xuanming¡¯s hasty departure with some pity, and tried to add a sentence: ¡°I¡¯m doing this song for¡­¡± The bedroom door slammed shut. ¡°¡­didn¡¯t even eat dinner.¡± Ji Sheng looked at the door resentfully, and said to himself, ¡°Xiao Xie gets too shy too easily.¡± The next step was to wash and sleep without eating. Ji Sheng sent the audio to Xie Xuanming and lay down, patting his empty stomach. Think of it as a diet. The consequence of sleeping hungry was to have nightmares. Ji Sheng¡¯s breath sped up as he dreamed of a future scene that was not a part of his memory. Xie Xuanming, with his head lowered, was standing among a messy funeral scene, the corner of his mouth split during the fight with Sheng Kongzhi. His face was deathly pale. He looked wretched, as if his soul was lost. Ji Sheng looked at him distressed and stretched out his hand to hug him, but his fingers went straight through Xie Xuanming. Ji Sheng woke up in shock, staring at the ceiling, gasping for breath. It took him a few seconds to recover from the feeling of his heart tightening. Then he felt hunger. After two aggrieved stomach growls, Ji Sheng rubbed his temples, got out of bed and decided to get something to eat. He ran barefoot to the kitchen and opened the fridge before remembering that he couldn¡¯t cook, so he looked in the cupboard but found no instant noodles. He had to turn back to the fridge and take out a box of milk. The fridge door closed, Ji Sheng raised his eyes and met Xie Xuanming¡¯s gaze. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Xie Xuanming glanced at the milk in his hand, then looked at Ji Sheng¡¯s face, frowning, ¡°Why is your face so unsightly?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t have dinner.¡± Ji Sheng told the truth without much fuss, ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°You wait.¡± Xie Xuanming took a tomato, some green onions and a small piece of lean meat from the fridge. Ji Sheng watched him skillfully do some stir-frying. His busy figure in front of the kitchen counter overlapped with his memories from the future life. Xie Xuanming took out some ramen noodles from the cupboard. Ji Sheng leaned over and stared at the bubbling water. ¡°I had a nightmare.¡± Ji Sheng said mysteriously, both complaining and coquettish. ¡°What nightmare? ¡± ¡°I dreamed that I was dead.¡± Xie Xuanming dropped the noodles; the noodles fell into the water, and the splashing water almost burned the back of his hand. He didn¡¯t care about this, retracted his hand, frowned and looked at Li Sheng. ¡°Then I was alive again.¡± Ji Sheng continued with a gasp, ¡°And my hand was healthy, I could play drums¡­ Is it a good thing?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Xie Xuanming did not answer, just looked at him darkly. ¡°I think it¡¯s a good thing.¡± Ji Sheng answered his own question and smiled at Xie Xuanming, ¡°Because we are together in the dream, it is a good thing.¡± The water in the pot was boiling, white bubbles continuing to rise. Xie Xuanming turned away and poured half a bowl of cold water into the pot to suppress the foam. ¡°If chasing me makes you so worked up¡­ Then let¡¯s be together.¡± ¡°En?¡± Now it was Ji Sheng¡¯s turn to be surprised. ¡°Then now, the situation won¡¯t be bad either, will it?¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s eyes widened slightly; he was dumbfounded when he understood it was Xie Xuanming¡¯s response to the ¡°good thing¡± statement just now. ¡°Wait, I should have confessed first.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Xie Xuanming picked up the chopsticks, stirred the noodles and whispered, ¡°If you like me, nothing else matters.¡± ¡±Actually, I¡¯m very curious.¡± Ji Sheng looked at Xie Xuanming and said quietly after a short pause. ¡°Well?¡± ¡°Does it feel good to forcefully kiss someone? Why else would you be so stubborn to do it three times?¡± Xie Xuanming froze with the chopsticks in his hand. The next second, a lemon-flavoured breath approached him and his cheek was gently touched. Ji Sheng withdrew after kissing, and said with satisfaction: ¡°Sure enough, I don¡¯t think¡­¡± Before he finished speaking, Xie Xuanming lowered his head and kissed him on the lips. They kissed for a long time until the water boiled again and the white foam overflowed from the pot with a warning ¡°hiss¡± sound. The two hurriedly separated and Xie Xuanming poured the remaining half bowl of cold water into the pot. ¡°Once at the food stall, once in the bar, but three times?¡± Ji Sheng then remembered that the third forced kiss hadn¡¯t happened yet. It would probably never happen. ¡°I remembered it wrong. ¡°Ji Sheng said with a smile. Summer was always a restless season; melon romances, hot dramas, variety shows and festivals always happened in these sultry three months. In the summer of this year, the entertainment industry was also particularly hot. First, there was a certain idol who turned out to cover up a criminal. Then a rookie company went bankrupt before it took off. Finally, a tiny star landed a single that became popular all over the Internet and was rushed to the screens of major video platforms. In the livehouse, Ji Sheng, a newcomer who re-debuted as a singer, was performing his first comeback show. Among the audience that raised their heads, there were both new and old faces. After Ji Sheng sang the new single, the style changed and an old song sounded. ¡°Stray Dog¡± was the song that disappeared with his youth, and it was also a clue that brought Xie Xuanming to Ji Sheng. We are all stray dogs Fortunately, we are not walking alone The adapted lyrics ended. Ji Sheng took two steps forward and fell backwards from the stage amidst the shouts of the crowd. In the first row, the young man wearing a black hat stepped forward and caught him firmly. THE END Translator¡¯s note: The story is over I hope you loved Xiao Ji and Xiao Xie as much as I do. The story was fun but I never, never, never want to translate an entertainment story again. Those netizen comments, my eye was twitching every time I saw a new batch of them. Thank you everyone who commented on the story ¨C especially Blood, without your comments I would be much less motivated! CH 1 ¡°Ji Sheng, a former member of ¡®Loptr¡¯ (1), was caught in a sexual harassment scandal. The victim, Sheng Kongzhi, a member of the same band, issued a statement accusing him of evil deeds. The two belong to the same company ¡®Qingchu¡¯ that also announced the termination of Ji Sheng¡¯s contract this morning. ¡°After the victim and the company spoke out, Xie Xuanming, a newcomer movie star who is also the subject of Ji Sheng¡¯s scandal, posted an article in support of Ji Sheng¡­¡± Slender fingers touched the button and pressed it lightly. The car radio went silent abruptly but the mobile phone on the station still vibrated non-stop. Ji Sheng raised his hand to reach for the phone, an action that caused his sleeve to slide down slightly, revealing a hideous scar on his wrist bone. The yellow light in front of him turned red. Ji Sheng stopped the car, picked up the phone, glanced at the caller¡¯s name and accepted the call. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Xiao Sheng, public opinion is completely out of control and the company must make trade-offs. We¡¯ve been friends for so many years, you have also watched ¡°Qingchu¡¯ rise, you can¡¯t bear to let it fall again, can you¡­¡± Ji Sheng interrupted: ¡°I¡¯m on my way.¡± There was silence for a while, and Ji Sheng said calmly: ¡°Ten minutes, put the termination documents there, I will sign.¡± After the call, Ji Sheng rubbed his throbbing forehead. He wanted to turn off the phone, but paused when he saw unanswered messages. Xie Xuanming: ¡¾Where are you¡¿ Xie Xuanming: ¡¾Answer the phone¡¿ Ji Sheng paused for a second. The traffic lights turned green, and the car behind him honked impatiently. Ji Sheng regained his senses, turned on airplane mode on his mobile phone and threw it onto the co-pilot. When he reached the fork of the road ahead, he turned to the side line calmly but his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a red car rushing from behind the corner, approaching at an alarming speed. Ji Sheng slammed on the brakes, but it was too late¡ª¡ª The red dot quickly enlarged in front of Ji Sheng¡¯s eyes and finally coincided with the scar on his wrist¡­ The collision was dull, the pain of broken bones sharp. Ji Sheng half-opened his eyes, feeling his blood and his life flow down from his forehead together. Something buzzed in his ears, like millions of people speaking at the same time, making a lot of noise. He heard his young self shouting: ¡°My dream is to become the greatest drummer in China!¡± He heard the doctor say, shaking his head: ¡°You can¡¯t play drums anymore.¡± He heard Sheng Kongzhi explain guiltily: ¡°Xiao Sheng, I can¡¯t help it. Our relationship can¡¯t be exposed. I don¡¯t want to lose my reputation¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± The noise gradually disappeared, and Ji Sheng closed his eyes. In complete silence, the sound of someone¡¯s gritted teeth suddenly exploded in his ears, the whisper like a reluctant last sigh of a dying beast. ¡°Ji Sheng¡­ you owe me¡­¡± Slums of Baiwu City ¡°Since Ji Sheng died in a car accident caused by drunk driving at the end of last year, Xie Xuanming, previously the subject of Ji Sheng¡¯s scandal, has repeatedly expressed his disgust with Sheng Kongzhi in public. Today, he even said: ¡®I won¡¯t participate in any shows with Sheng Kongzhi, and I won¡¯t perform in any dramas with Sheng Kongzhi.¡± On the balcony, Ji Sheng lowered his head and poured ice water on his face. Beside him, a battered second-hand mobile phone broadcast entertainment news in a lossless audio quality. This kind of broadcasting seemed a bit outdated for a modern young man. But for Ji Sheng, who had spent a month and a half in bed almost paralyzed, without seeing anything but the ceiling, it was a daily entertainment that he had become accustomed to. Oh, by the way, he was not called Ji Sheng anymore. ¡°Netizens speculate that Xie Xuanming¡¯s remarks are related to the sexual harassment incident at the time. For a while, the behaviour of the newcomer actor, infatuated and unable to distinguish between right and wrong, retaliating against the victim Sheng Kongzhi, was widely criticised¡­¡± The radio squealed and continued playing when an explosive roar drowned the anchor¡¯s flat tone. ¡°Ji Hui!¡± Ji Sheng raised his head from under the faucet, squinted his wet eyes and looked. A yellow-haired teenager stood at the door of the balcony(2), questioning him with an angry expression: ¡°The agent asked you to accompany somebody to drink?¡± ¡°En.¡± ¡°You agreed?¡± ¡°En.¡± Seeing his indifferent eyes, the yellow-haired boy took two steps forward, grabbed his collar and scolded furiously: ¡°Do you have any dignity, you¡¯ve just got off the ground, are you in a hurry to climb on a man¡¯s bed?¡± Ji Sheng leaned back, pulling away, while confirming the identity of the teenager in his head. He lay in bed for a month and a half, but most of the time was spent dazed and wondering. The people who came and went to take care of him didn¡¯t write down their names¡­ For example, the boy in front of him, Ji Sheng called up the information from Ji Hui¡¯s memory and after some effort confirmed that he was the bassist of Ji Hui¡¯s band, surnamed Huang; the rest was unclear. Not even remembering his name; it was clear the original owner of this body was not very concerned about this young man. Yellow hair, surname Huang¡­ Ji Sheng silently gave the young man a code name Xiao Huang(3). Ji Sheng broke free, lowered his head and scooped a handful of water: ¡°The agent asked me to go, I can¡¯t help it.¡± Seeing that he couldn¡¯t get Ji Sheng to listen, Xiao Huang shouted angrily, his eye twitching: ¡°He asked you to go and you go, so shamelessly and brazenly rush to replace that Ji Sheng and do his unfinished b*tch work?¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t look at him: ¡°The dead are to be honoured, so let¡¯s say a few words less.¡± Xiao Huang stared at him for a while and finally slammed the door shut. Ji Sheng lingered under the faucet for a while, then raised his eyes. The young man in the mirror had a sharp chin, thin eyebrows and an eye-catching tear mole at the corner of his eye that added a bit of inexplicable brilliance to his face. This kid really didn¡¯t look like he could have a proper job. Ji Sheng drained the water droplets from his fingertips. He really looked like Ji Sheng in his previous life; especially the lower half of his face was almost exactly the same. After living alone for a month and a half, Ji Sheng reluctantly accepted the reality that he had been reborn and reborn in the body of this virtually unknown drummer of a small band. The little drummer¡¯s name was Ji Hui, he had the same surname as Ji Sheng and his job was also highly similar to his. Main job, a drummer; side job, a substitute. The same as Ji Sheng in the previous life, he was a hand-picked stand-in for Xie Xuanming. However, before Ji Sheng appeared, Ji Hui had already been expelled from his post. Ji Sheng brushed his hair carelessly. He had almost all the memories of Ji Hui, except for the empty place in the last half a year. When Ji Sheng woke up in Ji Hui¡¯s body, more than seven months had passed since his death in a car accident. The half-year memory that Ji Sheng was missing began with Ji Sheng¡¯s death and ended with Ji Sheng¡¯s rebirth. After being reborn, Ji Sheng opened his eyes, lying on the bed. The shocking wounds on his body reminded him what kind of abuse the owner of this body, the drummer named Ji Hui, had suffered. After a month and a half of waiting, Ji Hui¡¯s consciousness never came back and Ji Sheng gradually realized that he might be gone. But like in his own case in the previous life, the cause of death and the person who did it were not clear. Ji Sheng could only lie in bed and piece together the approximate story of the little drummer¡¯s life from the mouths of the people who visited and took care of him. Ji Hui, an unlucky child, was sent to Xie Xuanming¡¯s bed by the unscrupulous company in exchange for the resources because he looked too similar to Ji Sheng. He was nurtured for a few months, but for some reason annoyed Xie Xuanming and was kicked out. Later, he was kidnapped by an unidentified person and beaten badly. He was thrown into the wilderness to die and survived only because some kind-hearted person found him in time. His phone vibrated and the agent¡¯s message urged him: ¡°Are you ready, hurry up.¡± Ji Sheng replied: ¡°Right away.¡± Because Ji Sheng had been hot for a while during his lifetime, Ji Hui, who looked similar to him, aroused the interest of many people as soon as he appeared. After ¡°Ji Hui¡± recovered, the agent couldn¡¯t wait to start pimping again, looking for a few big guys to set up a scene to send Ji Hui in, urging him to return to his old job of serving others in bed. After swiping the screen with the agent¡¯s message, Ji Sheng changed clothes, ignored Xiao Huang¡¯s disgusted gaze and pulled the door. When walking, Ji Sheng heard a hateful ¡°b*tch¡± from behind. He closed the anti-theft door without changing his expression and locked it. There were only two keys to this sh*tty house, one in the hands of the agent and the other had just been taken out by him. Before the ¡±b*tch¡± comes back, stay in the house obediently, Xiao Huang. A trace of mockery appeared at the corner of Ji Sheng¡¯s mouth and quickly faded away. Ji Sheng swiftly jumped down the stairs. Xiao Huang¡¯s evaluation was sharp but lacked precision. No comments on Ji Hui¡¯s life but Ji Sheng really couldn¡¯t take responsibility for that ¡°b*tch¡±. Ji Sheng saw the dilapidated van downstairs. When the door was opened, the agent¡¯s verbal abuse started. Ji Sheng took a seat under the accompaniment of slurs. He was lower than a b*tch, he was considered a fool. On the way, after the agent had cursed enough, he began to instruct Ji Sheng again. ¡°You are just too stupid! What¡¯s wrong with taking a shortcut with a boss? That Xie Xuanming, rich and generous, but also loving and righteous, is willing to give someone a head start, imagine how many people want to be noticed by him¡­ You have the advantage of the face that resembles that guy¡¯s appearance, so be a good boy and please him in exchange for a smooth progress, make everyone happy. But no, you dummy, you¡¯ve been kicked out in a few days, shame on you!¡± Ji Sheng suddenly wanted to laugh. Xie Xuanming, he thought, you have made such a good impression on everyone. Even a pimp praises you for being loving and righteous. Stirring up the whole entertainment industry for a dead notorious lover¡­ Only that lover, who should have been buried in the ground, knows that he was just a substitute when he was alive. Relying on the fact that he was somewhat similar to Emperor Xie¡¯s white moonlight, he used to get what he needed. Xie Xuanming¡¯s memories, Ji Sheng exchanged them for real money. What was such a mundane thing as money in comparison with the temptation of Emperor Xie¡¯s youth? Therefore, even if outsiders knew the truth, they would likely just continue buzzing, ¡°That¡¯s what Ji Sheng owed Xie Xuanming¡­¡± A lousy van couldn¡¯t drive up to a high-end brothel full of people indulging in a life of luxury. The agent put Ji Sheng down at the side door, asked him to wait there to be taken in after he¡¯d go around and find a place for parking. Ji Sheng looked back at the bright building behind him. The nightclub looked like a palace, illuminated extravagantly. Standing by the door, he turned around and saw that there was no one nearby, so he relaxed a little and started carefully dissecting some dark matters in his mind. Ji Sheng¡¯s expression became a little colder. A month and a half after he was reborn, he still didn¡¯t understand why he was clearly killed by a collision but all reports in unison determined that he was drunk driving. Just as he didn¡¯t understand while he was alive why free love would suddenly be called unilateral sexual harassment. Ji Sheng died being wronged, and he died without understanding anything. But it didn¡¯t matter. Ji Sheng narrowed his eyes, the darkness in the depths of his eyes glimmering. He had plenty of time to figure it out now. It just needed to be considered in the long run. Ji Sheng lightly kicked the stones at his feet. First of all, he must find a way to get close to Xie Xuanming¡ª¡ªthe man who was inextricably linked to his previous life and death. Then¡­ As Ji Sheng was thinking about it, he didn¡¯t notice a black car stopping quietly in front of him. When he reacted and looked up in surprise, the rear seat window had already slid down and a hand stretched out from the car lightning fast, squeezing his chin like vice. Ji Sheng¡¯s jaw hurt; he was dragged forward unceremoniously, his stare slamming straight into the dark grey eyes of the man in the car. Ji Sheng looked at the familiar and unfamiliar face, his mind bursting and countless disordered fragments rushing in. In a trance he saw himself in a night bar, the overhead light dim and the man in front of him dark like a shadow. In the endless silence, Ji Sheng shivered and leaned closer, sharing the breathing space with the man. After ten seconds, he closed his eyes and stretched out his hand to push: ¡°The reporter should have taken enough shots.¡± ¡°But I haven¡¯t,¡± the man said in a low voice. In the next second, the back of Ji Sheng¡¯s head was vigorously pressed down, his lips and teeth crushed, and when he whimpered and struggled, the smell of blood rose between the two of them. The picture was spinning; Ji Sheng was in a daze for a few seconds, then raised his eyes. Just now, the man changed his clothes, sat on the sofa and said in a cold voice: ¡°Come here.¡± The brain did not respond, but the body moved consciously. It wasn¡¯t until he squatted in front of the man and saw his handsome face gloomy, the smell of alcohol in his breath impossible to hide, his eyes bloodshot and with dark shadows of fatigue under them, Ji Sheng suddenly understood. This was Ji Hui¡¯s memory. The man in front of him was Xie Xuanming after Ji Sheng¡¯s death. Xie Xuanming pinched Ji Hui¡¯s chin, his eyes dark: ¡°You look like him.¡± Ji Hui opened his mouth, what did he want to say¡ª¡ª His jaw ached, dragging Ji Sheng back to reality. Xie Xuanming was sitting in the car, looking at him with impatience and hostility that Ji Sheng had never seen before. His fingers clenched Ji Sheng¡¯s face at this moment, leaving terrifying red marks. ¡°I said, don¡¯t show up in front of me again,¡± he said grimly. CH 2 Ji Sheng¡¯s chin was pinched hard, which made him squint his eyes in pain, but his brain was working quickly. If Xie Xuanming was the one who kidnapped Ji Hui, then he didn¡¯t have to go to such great lengths to warn Ji Hui not to show up again. It was not Xie Xuanming who killed Ji Hui. Moreover, Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t know that someone wanted to kill Ji Hui. Ji Sheng, on a mental journey beyond the earth, unconsciously held Xie Xuanming¡¯s wrist, gently rubbing his wrist bone, as if begging him to be lighter. Ji Sheng was thinking. Since Xie Xuanming did not have any radical ideas about the current ¡°Ji Hui¡±¡­ then it was possible to approach him boldly and get the information he wanted to know. He started wondering about it when a loud roar came from not far away. ¡°Ji Hui, what are you doing! I¡¯ve called you three times, come here!¡± Ji Sheng returned to his senses, and the force crushing his jaw suddenly relaxed. Ji Sheng was pushed heavily, staggering as he took a few steps back. When he looked up, the car window had already slid up and Xie Xuanming¡¯s icy gaze disappeared behind the anti-peeping glass. The black car started slowly and drove past Ji Sheng. Ji Sheng followed it with his gaze and watched it drive into the underground parking lot. ¡°Ji Hui!¡± The agent was yelling again. Ji Sheng turned and walked up to him quickly. While sitting on the leather sofa in a private room, Ji Sheng began to figure out how to approach Xie Xuanming. Xie Xuanming was also in this nightclub at the moment. This kind of place was not something that ¡°Ji Hui¡± could come to whenever he wanted. If he missed this time, he didn¡¯t know when he would have another chance to contact him. It was an opportunity not to be missed. Ji Sheng had just made up his mind when a girl sitting next to him suddenly cried out. Ji Sheng looked over and saw a middle-aged man with a big belly sit down close to the girl. Ji Sheng recognized this man. A few minutes ago, the agent with an eager smile pushed Ji Sheng in front of him. ¡°Brother Jiu, this is the one I mentioned to you, Ji Hui. ¡± The fat man called Brother Jiu looked at him up and down: ¡°Is it the kid Xie Xuanming played with?¡± Before the agent had a chance to speak, Brother Jiu grinned, demonstrating a mouthful of yellow teeth, and stepped forward to encircle Ji Sheng¡¯s waist ambiguously: ¡°I like to play with the people Emperor Xie played with.¡± Ji Sheng felt goosebumps when the salty pig hands(1) rested on his butt. This fetish was really f*cking strange. If Xie Xuanming knew there was a guy who molested ¡°his people¡± on a regular basis, with his temper of a mad dog protecting his food, the fat man wouldn¡¯t have enough rotten teeth in his mouth to be knocked out. Ji Sheng would be very happy to watch a dog bite a dog, but it was a pity that Xie Xuanming was not a Pok¨¦mon so that he could throw a Pok¨¦ball and have him at his beck and call. Thus, he could only fake a smile, quietly slip out of Brother Jiu¡¯s arms, go to a private room and find a corner to hide, with the walls on his three sides and people on one side to seal off the possibility of being harassed as much as possible. Ji Sheng felt isolated from harassment, but the girl next to him was not so lucky. After Brother Jiu sat down, he began to move his hands freely. His fingers as fat as pig intestines touched the girl¡¯s body, making her stiffen with fright, shiver and shrunk back. The girl was not very old; she was one of those unlucky children who wanted to sing and dance, but was tricked into a nest of lewdness by an unscrupulous company. Now facing Brother Jiu¡¯s undisguised rascality, the girl was pale with fright, not daring to move or resist. There were tears hanging on her eyelashes, and she was on the verge of losing it. Watching this scene would make anyone feel pity but instead it aroused the malice in Brother Jiu¡¯s heart even more. ¡°What is the little girl doing?¡± ¡°Sing¡­ singing.¡± The girl leaned to the side helplessly, like a willow branch. ¡°A singer, ah.¡± Brother Jiu smirked, ¡°A singer is good, ah, beautiful and promising, also makes nice sounds in bed.¡± The girl trembled even more and big tears started falling from her eyes. Her crying attracted the attention of many people. ¡°Yo, Brother Jiu, you are so unsympathetic to the fairer sex, scared the little girl to tears,¡± a younger dude raised his voice, laughing. The ridicule of others made Brother Jiu very embarrassed. His expression suddenly changed, his fleshy face looking hideous: ¡°Why are you crying? Coming here to sell yourself and still putting on a face, are you looking down on me!¡± ¡°No¡­ no.¡± The girl¡¯s shoulders shook and she cried even more severely. Brother Jiu was going to scold her again, but Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. Although he wanted to protect himself, he couldn¡¯t push the little girl to the pit. ¡°Brother Jiu, don¡¯t be angry.¡± Brother Jiu raised his eyes when he heard the sound. He saw a dark-haired boy in the corner looking up at him, a tear mole hidden under his lower eyelashes. His collar was a little wide, exposing his white neck, his jagged collarbone blindingly bright in the light. Brother Jiu¡¯s anger instantly dissipated and instead of cursing he mused aloud. ¡°You are the one Xie Xuanming had before, what¡¯s your name¡ª¡ªJi¡­¡± ¡°Ji Hui.¡± ¡°Yes, Ji Hui.¡± Brother Jiu slapped his forehead, leaning over the girl, his lewd smile reappearing, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°A drummer. ¡± ¡°A drummer is good, ah.¡± Brother Jiu¡¯s smile widened, ¡°Come to Uncle tonight, Uncle will lend you his belly, so you can sit on it and beat it like a drum.¡± When Brother Jiu lost his temper just now, many people had already started paying attention to this side of the room. Now that they saw him talking to a delicate boy, they laughed. Some people even coaxed: ¡°Lao Jiu, what¡¯s the point of being so formal? Why don¡¯t you let this kid show his hand on the spot, so that we can also enjoy your belly and hear what kind of heavenly music can be played!¡± Brother Jiu appeared interested: ¡°Xiao Ji, now everyone wants to see you show your skills, can you give Brother Jiu face? ¡± ¡°Face must be given.¡± Ji Sheng smiled slightly, ¡°But Brother Jiu¡¯s status is high, I dare not lay a heavy hand for fear of offending. Let¡¯s try it on a different drum kit.¡± The people watching the excitement were about to heckle, when Ji Sheng lightly picked up a bottle of imported wine on the table, took a tissue and wiped the mouth of the bottle. ¡°Drum kit.¡± Ji Sheng said succinctly, ¡°As for the drumsticks¡­¡± He turned to look at the girl who had finally stopped crying, and said softly, ¡°Can you lend me the hairpins on your head?¡± ¡°Eh.¡± The girl was taken aback, pulled out two plastic hairpins from her bun and handed them over timidly, ¡°Is this okay?¡± Ji Sheng gave her a soothing smile. He took the wine bottle and the borrowed hairpins, and everyone who was not interested felt a little curious. Brother Jiu looked at the mouth of the bottle that was thumb-wide, and then at Ji Sheng¡¯s slender fingertips dangling the hairpins. Slow preparations made him impatient, so he yelled: ¡°Why did you stop? Beat, ah?¡± Ji Sheng ignored him and lightly turned the hairpins in his hands. This was the first time he touched the ¡°drumsticks¡± since he was reborn. The drums used to be Ji Sheng¡¯s life, his whole soul. In the previous life, the scar cut his life apart and stripped him of his bloody soul. Now¡­ Ji Sheng flipped his right hand. The wrist bone was smooth, and the raised muscles hid the violent energy that had been suppressed for too long. Now that it finally had a chance to see the light of day, it was crouching like a hunting lion, ready to spring, a deafening roar brewing in its throat. Ji Sheng let out a sigh of relief. Long time no see. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t move for a while, and Brother Jiu was about to get mad again but was stunned to see that the expression of the quiet boy suddenly changed. He raised his hands and struck the bottle with two hairpins. ¡±Boom.¡± The first sound hit the hearts of onlookers. It should actually be ¡°ding¡± or ¡°clang¡±. After all, it was common sense that glass could only make these two kinds of sounds. But the crisp sound they heard was really more like a heavy ¡°boom¡± and fierce sound waves seemed to directly echo in the chests of the listeners. Before they could catch their breath, the stormy drumbeat spread out all over the place. If the sound of music can reflect the emotions of the musician, then this endless thunderstorm of drums was probably created by a fierce, fuming, angry, ecstatic drummer. Ji Sheng pounded the ¡°drum¡± almost frantically. His years of percussion skills had clearly been integrated into his bones and blood, but right now he didn¡¯t care about it. At this moment, he just wanted to sink in the storm he created and open his arms to embrace the falling rain and booming thunder. But the show had to end. He tapped for the last time. Ji Sheng used the ¡±drumsticks¡± without holding back. He heard a crisp clang, and the wine bottle was overwhelmed. It broke under the final stress, glass fragments flying everywhere, making someone scream. Amidst the horrified gazes of the people around him, Ji Sheng slowly breathed out, calming the agitated state of his mind. After a few seconds, the traces of loss of control and rebellion disappeared on his face. He lowered his eyes, and when he raised them again, he had returned to his previous timid and harmless appearance. ¡°Thank you for your hairpins.¡± Ji Sheng returned the hairpins to the stunned girl and said softly, ¡°They are beautiful and solid, but pay attention when you use them. Don¡¯t be careless, or you might pierce someone¡¯s guts.¡± Brother Jiu, shocked and dumbfounded, suddenly felt a sharp chill in his belly and unconsciously clutched his abdomen. Ji Sheng looked down at the broken glass and liquor splashed on his clothes and said: ¡°I need to deal with it.¡± He got up, said goodbye politely and pushed the door open. The people in the private room looked at each other and no one dared to stop him. Ji Sheng stepped out of the room and looked at the long row of room numbers in the corridor, sighing uncontrollably. Where is he going to find Xie Xuanming? He was still worried when the door of the room not far away opened and two people walked out laughing. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that Actor Xie is here tonight? Aren¡¯t you going to say hello?¡± ¡°Wait a minute, I just asked. The guy is not in the room, so I guess he went to the bathroom. ¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s ears perked up; he followed the signs and walked to the bathroom. After entering the bathroom, Ji Sheng was in trouble again. A resplendent nightclub would naturally be equipped with a resplendent toilet. The doors of more than a dozen cabins were neatly closed, and Ji Sheng pushed two or three of them but he couldn¡¯t really knock on them one by one. He could only return to the entrance, stand helplessly in front of the sink, clean up the stains on his clothes and wait for the man to come out. Ji Sheng was concentrating on picking the glass fragments from his shirt, when he was suddenly caught. Brother Jiu hugged Ji Sheng from behind, his greasy face rubbing indiscriminately on his neck. ¡°F*ck.¡± Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t help swearing when turning his head and seeing the enlarged pig face so close. Brother Jiu was unaware of Ji Sheng¡¯s nausea. He indulged in the fragrance of the young man: ¡°Baby, your drums are so good that you make me hard¡­ Believe it or not, touch it¡ª¡ª¡± He grabbed Ji Sheng¡¯s hand, trying to press it to his lower body. The blue veins on Ji Sheng¡¯s forehead suddenly pulsated. Even a clay man has three points of fire(2), not to mention that Ji Sheng had just finished playing the drums fiercely and his mood was not stable. This wretched fat man also connected his white moonlight, ¡°drums¡±, to sexual innuendo. It simply stepped all over his minefield. ¡°Not only do I hit the drums well.¡± Facing the shameless actions of Brother Jiu, Ji Sheng smiled angrily, ¡°I also hit people well!¡± He broke free from the shackles of Brother Jiu¡¯s hug, clenched his fist, turned his phalanges forward and slammed a punch into the flesh-packed jaw. Since Ji Sheng dared to do it, of course he had the confidence. He had practised drums for many years and his arms look thin, but his muscle strength was far greater than that of ordinary people. When he was in the underground, he made a name for himself among a bunch of nasty ruffians with his harmless face, his explosive and stable skills and his deadly punches that took life, not money. Now facing Brother Jiu, who was dozens of pounds heavier than him, Ji Sheng was still sure to make him suffer. But he had overlooked a small detail. He was not Ji Sheng now, but Ji Hui. Compared with Ji Sheng, Ji Hui¡¯s skinny body was really a bamboo pole lacking exercise and nutrition. He was a half-baked drummer with a short practice time, no muscles on his arms and poor physical strength. Ji Sheng¡¯s unrestrained style of drumming just now had exhausted all Ji Hui¡¯s physical strength. At this moment, Ji Sheng went all out with this punch but even before the punch landed, Ji Sheng was shocked to realise that there was not enough strength behind it. Sure enough, his soft blow was easily intercepted by Brother Jiu. Brother Jiu squeezed his thin smooth wrists and smiled lewdly: ¡°Baby, so you like to play rough, good to know, I like it too.¡± He pressed Ji Sheng onto the sink, eliciting a cry of pain from him, grabbed his hair and dragged his head back, forcing Ji Sheng to raise his head high, revealing his fragile neck. Brother Jiu became more and more angry, grinning as he hurriedly unzipped his trousers. ¡°No wonder Xie Xuanming has a crush on you. You look so similar to Ji Sheng. It¡¯s a pity that the unlucky b*tch is dead and I can¡¯t sleep with him, so I can only wrong myself and taste the inferior version¡­¡± Ji Sheng lowered his head forcefully and stared at him coldly, wondering what terrible things he had done in his previous reincarnation to attract the attention of such people. Even after changing his body, he was still haunted by them. Hostility flashed in the depths of his eyes; he raised his knee slightly, aiming at the certain body part, about to make a ruthless move. Brother Jiu was immersed in his lust and did not pay attention to the changes in the expression of the man under him. He chuckled cruelly and Ji Sheng raised his knee resolutely. ¡°Bang!¡± Before Ji Sheng succeeded, the door of one of the cabins was suddenly thrown open, and a man strode out of it. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t have time to see clearly but he suddenly felt that no weight was pressing on him anymore. The man picked up Brother Jiu with one hand and threw him away like garbage. Brother Jiu¡¯s feet left the ground and he flew for a few feet until the rebounding cabin door slammed into his face, making his cheeks tremble. He fell to the ground, squealing in pain, but before he could say anything, he was picked up by the collar and pulled up again. He raised his eyes in amazement and when he saw the man clearly, his legs went so soft that he almost knelt down. ¡°Xie¡­ Xie Xuanming¡­¡± Xie Xuanming looked down at him, his eyes wolf-like gloomy and ruthless. ¡°Who did you say you were going to sleep with just now?¡± The author has something to say: Xie Xuanming¡ª¡ªToilet God of Wa CH 3 Ji Sheng felt that his life was magical. He, physical age nineteen years old, actual age twenty four, dying once and coming back to life, a genius in his past life and a potential genius at present, obviously should be seizing the time to shine, but in actuality, was sitting half-undressed on the sink in a nightclub luxury toilet, witnessing real-life mortal kombat. Not far from him, the stranger who had just attempted to rape him was currently slumping on the floor like a big garbage bag, being beaten up by the subject of his scandalous affair in the past, now his potential golden master. Xie Xuanming made a fierce move. He grabbed Brother Jiu¡¯s head and slammed it against the wall. At first Brother Jiu screamed bitterly, crying and begging for mercy, but then gradually there was no sound. A string of red flew out of his mouth and there was an echo when it hit the floor. Ji Sheng¡¯s scalp was numb; it took him a while to realise that it was probably Brother Jiu¡¯s teeth that flew out. Xie Xuanming¡¯s methods were violent, but his face was impassive. Except for his hair that quivered slightly due to his body movements, his whole face could be said to be static, with a terrifyingly calm expression. He looked too abnormal, like a serial killer in a movie. Ji Sheng¡¯s body was stiff; he suddenly thought of an evaluation of Xie Xuanming he had heard on the mobile phone broadcast during the month and a half when he was lying in bed. ¡°Severe depression, suspected of mental illness, prompt medical attention recommended.¡± The cold, even voice of the anchor floated in Ji Sheng¡¯s mind, providing the most infernal commentary to the bloody and brutal picture in front of him. Ji Sheng shivered instinctively, wondering whether he had taken a rebirth script or a horror movie script¡­ If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he had known Xie Xuanming for many years, retaining a little trust in his humanity and believing he wouldn¡¯t take his anger out on others¡­ or even if he did, then not to the extent of beating people into a bloody pulp¡­ Ji Sheng probably would have grabbed the doorknob and fled. Even if you run away from here, you don¡¯t know when you might be kidnapped and end up in a plastic bag, dead, Ji Sheng persuaded himself calmly. There was no smooth road in any direction for him, so it was better to take a gamble. Ji Sheng bit the bullet and stood close to the sink like a prisoner, waiting for Xie Xuanming to finish his great career of beating people up. Who knows how long it took, but Xie Xuanming finally stopped. He threw the bloodied Brother Jiu away, turned around and approached Ji Sheng step by step. Ji Sheng swallowed and stood straight. Xie Xuanming approached gradually. Distance two steps, one step¡ª¡ª Ji Sheng held his breath. They were face to face. Xie Xuanming walked past Ji Sheng without looking at him, stopped in front of the sink beside him, turned on the faucet and cleaned up the filth on his hands. The water gurgled. Ji Sheng looked away in embarrassment and his gaze happened to fall on Brother Jiu who was unconscious not far away. There was nothing he could do. Whoever entered the bathroom at this moment would definitely see Brother Jiu at first glance. After all, there was a large pool of blood on the platinum-white tiles that gave people a visual impact equal to witnessing a murder scene with their own eyes¡­ Of course, this might be a murder scene as well. Ji Sheng looked at the motionless Brother Jiu feeling his heart palpitating. No one will die, right? If he does, will Ji Sheng be convicted as an accomplice? He glanced at Xie Xuanming out of the corner of his eyes and realized that he was concentrating on cleaning up. After figuring out the guy was too lazy to pay attention to him, Ji Sheng slowly moved a few steps towards the half-dead Brother Jiu. Squatting down beside Brother Jiu, he stretched out his hand to explore. Still breathing. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t have time to sigh in relief when he was suddenly pulled back by force and staggered up, unable to keep his balance. Xie Xuanming picked Ji Sheng up abruptly, turned back and forced him to take a few steps until he was pressed heavily to the sink. The collision between his backside and the countertop made Ji Sheng grit his teeth. It was too late to cry out, and Xie Xuanming¡¯s Shura-like expression silenced him anyway. Xie Xuanming had some blood on his face that had not been wiped clean, his skin was pale and his aura was frighteningly hostile. He looked at Ji Sheng condescendingly: ¡°What did I tell you?¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression was too gloomy, and Ji Sheng had no doubt that if he could not give a reasonable explanation, there would immediately be another bloody lump on the bathroom floor, similar to the first one, but smaller in size. Ji Sheng¡¯s mind worked quickly and he said frankly: ¡°I have amnesia.¡± Something finally changed in Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes. He grimaced and sneered: ¡°Continue.¡± Ji Sheng continued: ¡°I was kidnapped and beaten up, and when I woke up¡­ I lost part of my memories.¡± Without waiting for Xie Xuanming to question, he neatly pulled up his sleeves. Xie Xuanming lowered his head to look at his pale wrists covered with large bruises and red marks. He stared at the purple green, took Ji Sheng¡¯s hand expressionlessly and gently rubbed the marks with his fingers, causing Ji Sheng¡¯s skin to shift, and then patted him soothingly. As soon as Ji Sheng relaxed, he maliciously pressed down again, making him grunt in pain. Ji Sheng pursed his lips and frowned. After confirming the authenticity of the wounds, Xie Xuanming let go and said coldly: ¡°I hate this look.¡± Ji Sheng broke out in a cold sweat from pain. A bit of anger bubbling in his heart somewhat washed away his fear. He gritted his teeth and said: ¡°I am a human being, and I will naturally scream if it hurts.¡± He was a human being, but Xie Xuanming not necessarily was. As the boy in front of him frowned, his eyes a little red and his lips slightly open, red and swollen as if they had been ravaged, Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression darkened. The hand wringing Ji Sheng¡¯s shoulder loosened and pressed against his skin through the fabric with a suggestive rub. Ji Sheng was faintly aware of the nastiness of this gesture and struggled. Xie Xuanming completely ignored his resistance, stretched his arm and wrapped it around Ji Sheng¡¯s back, followed down and stopped ambiguously below his waist. Feeling the instant stiffness of the body under his touch, Xie Xuanming sneered: ¡°You¡¯re afraid of pain but not afraid of shame. Even injured, you don¡¯t forget to climb on a man¡¯s bed. I should praise you for your dedication. ¡± ¡°Emperor Xie.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s upper body leaned back. He found the harassing presence above his buttocks so refreshing that he managed to regain his composure, his thin lips twitching as he reminded, ¡°Now it is you who are flirting with me.¡± Xie Xuanming said indifferently: ¡°So what?¡± Ji Sheng first choked and then laughed in exasperation, his mind free from fear, absurd irritation taking its place. Their status was so unequal that Ji Sheng simply shut up and tilted his head. He looked like ¡°I¡¯ll quietly watch you play¡±. With Ji Sheng lying flat and not resisting, Xie Xuanming stopped, removed his hands from Ji Sheng¡¯s backside and placed them on the sink. ¡°What are you looking for me for?¡± ¡°If I say I miss you so much¡­¡± ¡°Scram.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng calmly finished, ¡°I really want you to cooperate with me.¡± Xie Xuanming showed his third expression today¡ª¡ªsurprise. He raised his eyebrows slightly as if he heard something ridiculous: ¡°Cooperate?¡± ¡°En.¡± Ji Sheng uttered the prepared statement, ¡°Before today, Emperor Xie, you didn¡¯t know that I was beaten by someone, did you?¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t make a sound but the corners of his eyes moved slightly. ¡°Those people are very heavy-handed. If it weren¡¯t for good luck, I might not be able to stand here and talk to you now. Personally, I don¡¯t think that I have enough value for someone to kill me, so it was actually directed at you, Emperor Xie.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°I heard that you have a conflict with some people because of a certain person. I also heard that I and that¡­ senior are somewhat similar in appearance.¡± ¡°This is your bargaining chip?¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes narrowed as he sneered, ¡°Rumours and a rip-off version of the face.¡± ¡°Drunk driving.¡± Ji Sheng raised his voice and looked straight into Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes, ¡°That senior, did he really have an accident because of drunk driving?¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s calm mask fell apart in an instant. ¡°Who told you that?¡± He clenched his shoulder again with a heavy hand. ¡°The one who hit me,¡± Ji Sheng frowned in pain. He knew that he had taken the right step¡ª¡ªhe used an unknown secret and forced Xie Xuanming to face his request for cooperation. ¡°What did they tell you? ¡± ¡°This kid looks so similar to the guy surnamed Ji who was killed by a car,¡± Ji Sheng said one word at a time. The hand clenching his shoulder suddenly tightened, and he groaned in pain. ¡°What else?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes flashed. After a while, he calmed down and his hand relaxed. Ji Sheng took a breath: ¡°I have the value necessary for you and you can keep me safe¡­ Cooperation is a win-win situation.¡± Xie Xuanming did not speak. Ji Sheng waited patiently until he heard footsteps vaguely. Ji Sheng¡¯s expression changed. Xie Xuanming made so much noise just now and made such a mess. There were only three of them in the bathroom. Brother Jiu was still unconscious and there was blood on the ground. It was really hard to explain this scene to people. With the sound of footsteps approaching, Xie Xuanming said, ¡°You are not qualified to discuss cooperation with me. ¡± Before Ji Sheng could say anything, he felt weightless and then his back slammed against a cold and hard object, sharp pain piercing his neck. Xie Xuanming lowered his head and bit Ji Sheng¡¯s neck. Ji Sheng instinctively raised his palms and struck, but Xie Xuanming immediately squeezed his wrists with one hand, raised them and pressed them against the mirror behind his back. At this moment, the two whose footsteps they heard walked into the bathroom with a smile and were stunned by the scene inside. The marble tiles were stained with blood horribly and a lifeless body lay on the ground, but the two people on the sink ignored it. One man pressed down the other man, scantily dressed, and bit him roughly on the shoulder. To be honest, at first glance this scene looked a bit like a zombie invasion. Between the two onlookers, one of them recovered and took a half step forward to stop them, but was held back by the other. ¡°Xie Xuanming¡­¡± he reminded in a low voice. Everyone who could enter this palace-like nightclub had some status and also had heard that Xie Xuanming was unpredictable and not to be messed with. The two men did not move. On the sink, Xie Xuanming leaned to Ji Sheng¡¯s ear. ¡°You said you have value, prove it to me.¡± He quoted a string of digits and got up, whispering: ¡°Let your company dial this number, and you can use it in an emergency. Don¡¯t call indiscriminately on a regular basis.¡± Xie Xuanming stood up, wiped the blood on his face in front of the mirror, turned his head and walked to the door. The two people at the entrance automatically gave way, watching him walk away, leaving one man unconscious and the other one undressed. Although Ji Sheng was not beaten, he did suffer some injuries. The agent was shocked when he saw him: ¡°How come you¡¯re like this, you have to rely on your face to eat. ¡± ¡°The injury is on the body, not on the face. I don¡¯t rely on my body to eat.¡± Ji Sheng licked the wound on the corner of his lower lip and laughed at himself, ¡°Not necessarily at least.¡± The agent did not want to accompany him in his sorrow and asked urgently, ¡°How was it? Did Brother Jiu leave a message? Can we get the resources?¡± Ji Sheng looked at his eager face and couldn¡¯t hold back his mockery: ¡°Your Brother Jiu may not be able to get out of the hospital anytime soon.¡± ¡°?¡± ¡°But the resources should be available.¡± Ji Sheng lowered his eyes and moved his sore wrist, ¡± After all, we Emperor Xie are not the kind of people who visit a prostitute for nothing.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Ji Hui, are you having a fit today? Why are you talking so weird?¡± Ji Sheng reported the number: ¡°Xie Xuanming gave it, call it.¡± The agent shut up instantly, fished out his mobile phone, his face changing to more enthusiastic at once: ¡°What? I didn¡¯t write it down just now, Xiao Hui, repeat it, I will call.¡± Ji Sheng repeated and the corners of the agent¡¯s mouth lifted in a smile before he asked in passing, ¡°By the way, what¡¯s wrong with your neck?¡± ¡­ ¡­ Ji Sheng touched his neck silently and his face completely darkened after he saw the dazzling red on his fingers. Damn. This son of a b*tch hasn¡¯t grown up in ten years. CH 4 Ji Sheng unilaterally announced that Xie Xuanming was a miser. After being contacted by the agent, he doled out Ji Hui¡¯s little sh*tty company an itinerary¡ª¡ªa children¡¯s show at Stardust Kindergarten. When hearing about this resource, someone as knowledgeable as Ji Sheng was speechless. He was poor for half of his previous life and couldn¡¯t afford refusing any jobs, such as business openings, amusement park performances, wedding backup singing¡­ anything and everything. But a band performance in a kindergarten¡­ This scene was too avant-garde for Ji Sheng to think about, or dare to think about. Ji Hui¡¯s little band was called ¡®Niepan¡¯, homophonic with ¡®niepan¡¯ meaning ¡®nirvana¡¯, or rebirth in fire(1). ¡°Why not just call it Nirvana?¡± Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t help asking. The lead singer of the band, an eloquent older guy, replied: ¡°Since it was the owner who suggested the name and he had the desire to make the band more popular, he changed the word to make the band name more comprehensible.¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t understand: ¡°What do you mean?¡± Playing the bass fiercely, Xiao Huang said in a rough voice: ¡°It¡¯s just that our boss is f*cking illiterate and wrote it wrong.¡± Ji Sheng: ¡­ ¡­ Ji Sheng: Okay. Although it was a kindergarten performance, the organisers offered a good price and a TV station was invited to broadcast the whole process live. Considering that rock music was too intense for young children, the organisers required Niepan to wear doll costumes when performing and determined the setlist that consisted of ¡®Happy Birthday¡¯. When the news reached Niepan, the faces of the members turned black. Although Niepan had no fame, no resources and no capital, its members were all young men with a lot of energy, playing in underground bands for years, so they were a bit rebellious and couldn¡¯t stand being told what to do by condescending outsiders. Now, the organisers had thrown in a bunch of requirements and made it clear that they couldn¡¯t get on the stage as a band, had to be masked to be eligible to perform and had no right to choose the repertoire. How could the members feel comfortable? However, even if they were not happy, they still had to rehearse seriously and prepare for the performance conscientiously. Niepan had been inactive for several months. They couldn¡¯t get any large-scale commercial performances and the company wouldn¡¯t let them go for small-scale jobs. If Niepan could no longer create value for the company, it was very likely to be abandoned. Being abandoned did not mean termination of the contract, and Niepan members could not return to the underground while the contract was still in the hands of the company. The company controlled their activities. Until the contract expired one day, they did not have the right to choose what to do. The band members who were not hot but had a contract lived in the streets that were darker than the underground, repeating boring practice routines day after day. If they couldn¡¯t go up, they could only sink. After seeing the requirements, the members cursed for a while, then honestly put on the doll costumes sent by the organisers and began to practice ¡°Happy Birthday¡±, the most popular song in the world known to children from three to eighty years old. Since the members of Niepan were signed by the company, they were obviously impeccable in terms of expertise and had a couple of tricks up their sleeves. After practising a couple of times, they became familiar with the repertoire. But just because you practice fast doesn¡¯t mean you don¡¯t feel suffocated when you practice. In early autumn the weather barely started getting cooler, and the air inside the dilapidated underground garage was stagnant, isolated from the outside air currents. The temperature in the garage was already a few degrees warmer than the daytime temperature outside and the doll costumes completely cut off any fresh air, making them sweat and gasp for breath after two or three practice sessions. The harsh environment caused the band members to make frequent mistakes and the otherwise smooth progress gradually came to a halt. Stopping for the fourth time because of a mistake, Xiao Huang broke down completely. ¡°Practice, d*mn it! It¡¯s a children¡¯s show, are you serious? Practice if you like, Lao Tzu doesn¡¯t have the time to wait on rich young masters and young ladies anyway!¡± He pulled off his headgear irritably, threw it on the ground, slammed the door fiercely and went out. The remaining members stayed where they were, large, naive, bloated dolls looking at each other, none of them having any intention of going after him. The lead singer took off his headgear and rubbed his sweaty hair: ¡°Let¡¯s rest first. ¡± He was the oldest among them, gentle in temper and had a certain right to speak for the team. After he said that, the keyboardist and guitarist also took off their headgear. They took off their heavy clothes, found a place to sit down and relaxed. The lead singer sat on the floor, feeling uncomfortable. Bassist Xiao Huang was the youngest member of the band and was stubborn like a mule, grouchy and unpredictable, and would not listen to anything he said. He was afraid it would be very difficult to persuade him to come back to practice. The lead singer was sighing when someone suddenly tapped his shoulder. He turned his head, and Ji Sheng, dressed lightly, bent towards him from behind: ¡°I¡¯ll go out and find him.¡± The lead singer was a little surprised. Ji Hui had always been quiet and timid, shrinking in a corner and not talking much. Xiao Huang didn¡¯t like him because of his weak personality and often mocked him mercilessly. Ji Hui was also afraid of him because of it and avoided Xiao Huang as much as possible¡­ At this moment, surprisingly, Ji Hui said that he wanted to go out to persuade Xiao Huang, who was in conflict with him. But if someone wanted to make his life more difficult, the lead singer was not going to stop him. ¡°Okay,¡± he said. Ji Sheng got up, took two steps and turned back: ¡°By the way, what¡¯s his name again?¡± Lead singer:¡­ ¡­ Ji Sheng didn¡¯t mention his amnesia to the other members. Although the lead singer knew that Ji Hui was not particularly friendly with the band members, he didn¡¯t expect that he didn¡¯t even know the names of the guys who spent days and nights by his side. Ji Sheng¡¯s eyes were too innocent, and the lead singer didn¡¯t say what he was going to say. He finally sighed helplessly: ¡°Huang Sizhe.¡± Ji Sheng opened the door: ¡°Thank you.¡± Huang Sizhe didn¡¯t go far; he squatted a few metres away from the door, his doll costume bloating and bunched up, offering Ji Sheng a bulging back. Ji Sheng walked up and patted him on the shoulder: ¡°Hi, Huang Sizhe.¡± Huang Sizhe turned his head, saw that it was Ji Sheng and his expression sank. He still remembered the abhorrence of being locked up in the dorm room by Ji Sheng two days ago. That day, he had to stay hungry for most of the day because of Ji Sheng, until the lead singer passed a takeaway from the balcony of a neighbouring room with a clothes rail and he managed to eat a good meal. He said angrily: ¡°Aren¡¯t you practising hard to show your skills to young masters and young ladies? Why are you coming out? ¡± ¡°To rest.¡± Ji Sheng yanked his doll costume. ¡°Are you not hot?¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s movements were a bit too violent and ripped up the drenched lining along with the inside of the doll suit. As the sweat-soaked clothes separated from his skin, Huang Sizhe felt a chill run through his body and overreacted by getting up and slapping Ji Sheng away. Ji Sheng took a half step back, his loose collar slipping, revealing the charming teeth marks on his shoulder. Huang Sizhe caught a glimpse of this brilliance, his face alternately turned red and white, and finally went black. He gritted his teeth and cursed: ¡°You really don¡¯t know what¡¯s good for you! You¡¯ve suffered once and still want to stick to your ways. Can¡¯t you live without a man?¡± In the face of the insult, Ji Sheng remained calm as he reached out and tugged down the cuffs of his doll suit, ¡°Go back to rehearsal.¡± Huang Siche shrugged him off, ¡°I¡¯m not f*cking going back. Who wants to be like you, doing anything for money.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go back, don¡¯t rehearse, don¡¯t go to gigs, don¡¯t make any money, get buried by the company, demand to be released from your contract, pay a huge termination fee¡­¡± Ji Sheng calmly recounted, ¡°You¡¯re happy with that, I¡¯m fine with that too.¡± Huang Sizhe was stuck for a second and then continued to yell: ¡°It¡¯s none of your business, are you qualified to take care of me?¡± Ji Sheng stepped forward and grabbed Huang Sizhe by the collar. His expression was colder than Huang Sizhe had ever seen before: ¡°My friend, I was the one who begged for the costume you¡¯re wearing, and I was the one who asked for the gig you¡¯re going to. Even the company that pays your salary would have gone out of business long ago without me. I don¡¯t expect you to be grateful, but it¡¯s better not to be so condescending when you¡¯re taking the money earned by someone else selling his body. In your own words, you are not qualified.¡± Huang Sizhe was shocked by Ji Sheng¡¯s sudden outburst. He recovered soon and was going to get angry, but found that everything Ji Sheng said was reasonable and he had no room for refutation. Huang Sizhe¡¯s face flushed; he couldn¡¯t say a word. ¡°Come back to rehearse.¡± Ji Sheng had no intention of making things difficult for the child, withdrew his hand and turned to walk away. Huang Sizhe looked at his back, gritted his teeth for a while and finally reluctantly dragged his feet back. The internal contradictions of the members were resolved, and the next rehearsal process went a lot smoother. The birthday song was not difficult; even if it was adapted, it would not be much more complicated. A few days before the performance, Niepan had already practised it to perfection and could complete the performance with their eyes closed. But new bad news came¡ª¡ªmusical instruments were not available at the venue. The price of musical instruments required for a band was not small. Even though Stardust Kindergarten, a private, aristocratic kindergarten, was financially strong, it was unlikely to have all kinds of instruments, let alone spend a large sum of money on a single performance. Therefore, musical instruments could only be acquired by Niepan itself. Although it was just a very bullsh*t commercial performance, it was going to be on TV in the end. The members didn¡¯t dare to take their fourth-hand, a hundred yuan or so worth trashy musical instruments on stage, fearing they would be taken for junk collectors. They worked hard making calls and looking around for people to borrow musical instruments. After a few days of scraping and scrambling, Niepan finally managed to get a guitar, bass and keyboard. But the big one, the drum kit, no member was eventually able to borrow. Two days before the performance, the lead singer ended another call and shook his head helplessly. Everything is futile. The keyboardist was silent for a while, then gave up and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just chip in to buy a set.¡± ¡°A set of drums for performance costs at least 15,000 yuan, Roland electronic drums cost 8,000 yuan if cut in half, 2,000 yuan for a double step and 1,000 yuan for a single step. Even a drum chair costs more than 100 yuan¡­¡± The lead singer rubbed his eyes wearily and made a rare foul-mouthed remark, ¡°D*mn, a band is really rich people playing and poor people having fun.¡± The air pressure in the underground garage dropped very low. Huang Sizhe looked at Ji Sheng who was unhurriedly arranging his doll costume and said with an irritated stab, ¡°You¡¯re not worried?¡± Ji Sheng took off the doll costume and folded it, then said quietly, ¡°I¡¯ll think of a way.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s way was to summon an invincible Pok¨¦mon ¡ª¡ª a mad dog that could knock out human teeth when he was not in his right mind, but at the same time was very rich. Ji Sheng felt it was unlikely that Xie Xuanming would agree to help, but he was still optimistic. After all, he could only mentally conjure Xie Xuanming¡¯s supernatural powers last time; this time, he had a specific means of summoning. Ji Sheng fished out his mobile phone and dialled the number given by Xie Xuanming. The one who answered was not Xie Xuanming. Ji Sheng said, ¡°Please give Senior Xie the phone, thank you.¡± The man was very cautious: ¡°What is the name of the gentleman?¡± ¡°The surname is Ji.¡± Ji Sheng smiled, ¡°Just tell him that someone named Ji is looking for him, there¡¯s trouble.¡± The call was quickly transferred to Xie Xuanming, and a low voice full of unpleasantness came from the microphone: ¡°I remember I said not to call me if nothing is wrong¡­¡± Ji Sheng went straight to the point: ¡°Something is wrong. I need a drum kit¡­¡± ¡°¡­it¡¯s none of my business.¡± ¡°To prove my value.¡± Ji Sheng added, ¡°You have to give me the means to prove it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xie Xuanming was silent for a while, then suddenly smiled, ¡°If you want to drum, you can. Building X, No. XX, XX Road,¡± he quickly recounted. ¡°Take a shower and be there by nine o¡¯clock.¡± CH 5 The address given by Xie Xuanming was a famous villa area in Baimao City. Municipal planning did not allow building single-family villas that could seize already tight land resources in the city. The villa area where Xie Xuanming¡¯s house was located could be regarded as unique. Although it was not in the centre of the city, it was still the sub-center circle and the surrounding city parks made a house in this community a real symbol of affluence. Generally speaking, as long as someone announced this address as their destination, the public would admit their wealth and status and cast envious glances at them. Of course there were exceptions. Ji Sheng finally stopped a taxi in his urban village. After he mentioned the address, the driver took a subtle look at his shabby clothes, then glanced at his handsome face, at the split corner of his lips and the unhealed scar by his eye¡­ A beautiful boy with injuries on his face. The driver sighed quietly. People with a lot of strange fetishes had money, who could blame poor young people for rushing to eat this bowl of rice. Ji Sheng¡¯s urban village and the wealthy area were at opposite ends of the city and to get there one had to cross more than half of the city. The rehearsal ended at eight o¡¯clock, and after taking a shower, it was already half past eight. Ji Sheng looked at the time; it was definitely too late for a subway and a bus if he wanted to arrive before nine o¡¯clock, so he had to take a taxi. In the back seat, Ji Sheng touched his pocket. There was only 110.7 yuan in the second-hand mobile phone account, and this pitiful amount was destined to be greatly reduced when he got out of the car. Ji Sheng arrived at the villa area at ten minutes past nine. Security guards in wealthy areas were paid twice as much as their counterparts in other places, so their work was naturally first-class and dedicated. No matter how Ji Sheng tried to explain, the security guard insisted that no one should enter without being picked up by a property owner or at least a telephone permission. Ji Sheng wanted to give Xie Xuanming another call, but he was afraid that Xie Xuanming would make a fuss because of being bothered for this ¡°ordinary matter¡± and order to get kicked him out of here. So Ji Sheng had to take a step back: ¡°Can I wait for someone to pick me up at the gate?¡± The security guard was still not happy, probably because he thought that Ji Sheng standing there would spoil the view. However, the entrance of the community was not under the jurisdiction of the security guard and he could only reluctantly agree to Ji Sheng¡¯s suggestion. Ji Sheng stood by the gate for two hours. Xie Xuanming was very punctual, and at the same time very prone to having double standards. He asked Ji Sheng to arrive by nine o¡¯clock and Ji Sheng had to work hard to appear by then, but at the same time he did not say ¡°I will wait for you there at nine o¡¯clock¡±, cutting off any expectations for the possibility of his appearance at this time to zero. By the time Ji Sheng figured it out, he had been standing by the gate for more than an hour and a half. Without changing his expression, he gave Xie Xuanming an international friendly gesture in his heart, lowered his head and rubbed his legs. Ji Sheng¡¯s injured legs had not healed yet and it hurt to stand for too long. In the end, he couldn¡¯t stand anymore, so he squatted down, shrinking himself into a hamster under the frowning gaze of the security guard. When Xie Xuanming came back, he saw the following scene¡ª¡ªat the entrance of the community, Ji Sheng curled up in a ball, hugging his knees and with his head lowered, revealing only a fluffy curl of hair to the outside world. The ever-dedicated security guard was holding a stick defensively, confronting the hamster as if meeting a great enemy, like Runtu facing a badger(1). Shame. This was Xie Xuanming¡¯s first thought. He asked Ji Sheng to wait, but he didn¡¯t expect that this guy would use such a hamster nesting casual waiting method. ¡°Stop the car,¡± Xie Xuanming said coldly. He pushed the door and got out of the car, walked over to the ambiguous ball on the ground, resisted the urge to reach out and kick it, and leaned down. Ji Sheng was hugging his legs and reviewing the rehearsal in his mind, when he suddenly realized that his feet were off the ground. He tilted his head, looked at Xie Xuanming, who had picked him up, and said politely, ¡°Good morning.¡± He glanced at the time calmly and apologised: ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry, I thought it was already early in the morning. ¡± Xie Xuanming ignored his eccentricity: ¡°If you are willing to squat until the early hours of the morning, I don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°I mind.¡± Ji Sheng straightened his legs and put his feet on the ground, patted his pants, smiled and waved to the security guard, ¡°The person who picks me up is here, can I go in?¡± The security guard sensed some ambiguity in his words, but before he had time to think about it, he saw that the movie star surnamed Xie tsked and walked towards the car without looking back. The boy who had been squatting for a long time hastily said goodbye and turned to catch up with him. The two got into the car and drove into the community. The security guard withdrew his gaze. The guys were quite good-looking, but either one really didn¡¯t look right. The strange world of the rich. When Ji Sheng entered the villa, he was stunned by the familiar decoration and design style. He was sure that he had never been to Xie Xuanming¡¯s house, at least not in his previous life. Then this kind of vague sense of familiarity could only come from the original owner of this body, Ji Hui. Xie Xuanming had brought Ji Hui to his home before. Ji Sheng was a little surprised. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t seem to be the kind of character who would easily allow people to invade his private realm. While Ji Sheng kept looking around, Xie Xuanming poured a glass of water in a small open kitchen and said coldly: ¡°Who are you going to sell the information to?¡± Ji Hui was selling information? Ji Sheng captured the key point. What information? Was it related to Xie Xuanming? Who was it being sold to? Was this why he annoyed Xie Xuanming? Ji Sheng¡¯s brain worked quickly, but he almost immediately chose to ignore the large number of doubts that followed and focused on the problem that needed to be solved most at the moment. He walked up to Xie Xuanming and stretched out his hand. ¡°130.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°130, reimburse the taxi money.¡± ¡°It costs 70 to your dorm any day,¡± Xie Xuanming said coldly. ¡°No matter how much you love money, cheating for 60 is too much.¡± ¡°65 is one way. If you don¡¯t have any plans to keep me in the golden house, I have to go back tomorrow.¡± Ji Sheng calmly settled the accounts, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be short of money, so those 60 are not your last.¡± The atmosphere solidified. After two seconds, Ji Sheng took out his mobile phone and shook it tentatively: ¡°WeChat? ¡± Xie Xuanming put down the cup lightly, turned and walked into the room. The door panel slammed shut, making the thin wall tremble. Ji Sheng was stuck in place, putting away his mobile phone and shrugging. So, it¡¯s cash. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t come out for a long time. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t expect to have to wait when he came here. He really couldn¡¯t stand anymore. He cautiously found a place to sit down and prayed that Xie Xuanming would not go crazy and kick him out, or beat him up first and kick him out later because he had defiled his leather couch. Just after midnight, Xie Xuanming came out. He gave Ji Sheng a very stingy look and said succinctly: ¡°Come here.¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t know where to go, so he had to get up and follow him upstairs. Walking up the stairs, Ji Sheng hurriedly took a glance at the layout of the villa. The room Xie Xuanming was staying in just now should be a study or a studio, and the direction he was going to¡ª¡ª It was the master bedroom. ¡°You sit there.¡± Ji Sheng glanced silently at the large bed in the centre of the master bedroom, and according to Xie Xuanming¡¯s instructions, sat down on the couch beside the large bed. As soon as Ji Sheng sat down, Xie Xuanming walked towards him. In the shadow of his tall figure, Ji Sheng leaned back silently. You don¡¯t sleep in a bed, you choose a couch. What a strange fetish. Xie Xuanming took two steps closer, propped his hand on the back of the couch and looked down at Ji Sheng from above: ¡°Do you know what to do?¡± Ji Sheng froze for a second, then began to take off his shirt without saying a word. He was wearing a shirt with many buttons today. It was painful to put it on, and it was even more painful to take it off. Ji Sheng unbuttoned it slowly, his movements deliberate and sincere, as if he was the only one left in the whole world, alone with the white-washed shabby denim shirt. Xie Xuanming sneered. When the third button was undone, Ji Sheng finally couldn¡¯t maintain his composure and looked up with his collar open, asking a self-defeating question, ¡°Got any lube and condoms?¡± ¡°No.¡± Xie Xuanming sneered even more, ¡°I don¡¯t need those things.¡± Very good; Ji Sheng was expressionless. God d*mn it, die and get reborn. And die again of pain on a man¡¯s bed. It¡¯s so d*mn good. While Ji Sheng was cursing the injustice of fate frantically, Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t have the patience to wait and pushed him down. Ji Sheng was startled, forced back by him, and reclined on the couch. Xie Xuanming¡¯s sharp Adam¡¯s apple was right before his eyes. Ji Sheng closed his eyes instinctively and only a strong fragrance of cut grass filled his senses now. In this chaos, Ji Sheng suddenly became distracted. Xie Xuanming clearly didn¡¯t like to use perfume before. At least the time at the bar when Xie Xuanming pressed up against him, his mouth tasted sour with sparkling wine but his body was unexpectedly clean, with only the residual scent of shower gel. Not like a breakout star, more like a high school student. But that was ages ago, after all. People do change. Ji Sheng felt inexplicably uncomfortable. He kept his eyes closed and gave up struggling, lying like a corpse. He lay for some time in self-loathing, but the grassy scent suddenly dissipated and the light before his eyelids changed from dim to bright orange. Ji Sheng opened his eyes tentatively when he heard the rustling sound. The first thing he saw was a bright crystal lamp illuminating the master bedroom. Then his gaze shifted down to Xie Xuanming standing by the couch, a towel and pyjamas hanging from his arm, as he tilted his head to drip eye drops into his eyes. After he finished dripping into his right eye, he changed to dripping into his left eye. After dripping the eye drops in both eyes, Xie Xuanming leaned over and put the vial of eye drops back on the bedside table. He quickly brushed past Ji Sheng, in a perfunctory manner as if he could not see that there was a living person sitting on the couch, or as if he simply regarded Ji Sheng as an unimportant, negligible object like a pillow. A humanoid pillow that looked like his white moonlight. A beautiful one-to-one handcrafted reproduction. Ji Hui, or Ji Sheng, was probably something like this in his eyes. After putting away the eye drops, Xie Xuanming went to the bathroom. Soon the sound of pattering water came from behind the wall. He didn¡¯t give Ji Sheng an extra look the whole time, except for the upward curve of his mouth, which was mocking in every way. Ji Sheng sat on the couch, his clothes tattered and messy. He didn¡¯t care to be annoyed by Xie Xuanming¡¯s ridicule; his mind was filled with only one piece of data. He probably knew what information Ji Hui leaked. Xie Xuanming, the newcomer movie star, the pillar of the box office, the king of hot topics. The prince on a black horse of countless girls, the dream lover of countless gay guys. Such a popular lover, oh no, he couldn¡¯t do it. Ji Sheng came to this conclusion with great seriousness. He bought a pitiful young boy who looked seven or eight points similar to his white moonlight just to let him sit by the bed and tell himself the bedtime story of three little pigs. Such abstinence in a magnificent young man who looked like a wolf or a tiger¡­ Either he was a staunch follower of Plato. Or a potential buyer of Viagra. Ji Sheng felt that Plato might not be happy to accept this kind of unfilial disciple who would knock out human teeth without saying a word. Therefore, Xie Xuanming must have been the latter. Thinking of this, Ji Sheng suddenly understood Xie Xuanming¡¯s anger. If this kind of private matter was exposed by a pillow man (literally), who would be able to bear it? Ji Sheng certainly felt that he wouldn¡¯t. So Xie Xuanming should be even more unable to. After Xie Xuanming took a shower, he instructed Ji Sheng to stay still, and went to bed. His movements were proficient to perfection. Ji Sheng thought that similar things must have happened many times. The simple couch under him that was seriously inconsistent with the bedroom decoration style was estimated to be a XXXXL-size ¡°action figure stand¡± in Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes. Ji Sheng was solemn for a moment. It once again affirmed the authenticity of the information about Xie Xuanming¡¯s impotence. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t know that he just took a shower and Ji Sheng had already created such a misconception in his mind. Xie Xuanming took his mobile phone to reply to some messages, glanced at ¡°Ji Hui¡± who was honestly staying where he was put, and thought that judging from the stress response just now, the amnesia he mentioned was probably not a lie. This made Xie Xuanming have a bare minimum of trust in ¡±Ji Hui¡±. Xie Xuanming turned off the phone and lay down on his side. He fell asleep, but Ji Sheng was still a little dumbfounded. Of course it was good not to have to sell his body, but did he have to sit on the couch like this all night? As soon as this thought came out, Ji Sheng felt his backache instantly soared up a few levels. Ji Sheng hammered his waist bitterly, thinking that the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility, and the deeper the sickness, the better the golden master. Everything had a reason, but Ji Sheng didn¡¯t want to hear it. Fortunately, Xie Xuanming specifically told him to sit until he fell asleep. In other words, after Xie Xuanming fell asleep, Ji Sheng could lie down. After Ji Sheng completed his reading comprehension exercise, he began to hypnotise Xie Xuanming silently in his mind. Go to sleep, go to sleep, my dear gold master, my dear drum kit supplier. Mom loves you, Dad loves you, and I love you too. It¡¯s just that your white moonlight doesn¡¯t love you. He kept urging steadily, as if praying. Xie Xuanming seemed to have problems sleeping. Several times Ji Sheng felt that he was going to fall asleep, but he suddenly opened his eyes and looked like an eagle at Ji Sheng who was about to lie down. Ji Sheng could only return to his post and sit up straight as honestly as a student caught by the head teacher while skipping a lesson. Xie Xuanming opened his eyes several times, and Ji Sheng suddenly developed a subtle feeling. Xie Xuanming would not be so idle as to supervise him. It was more like he was looking at someone through Ji Hui¡¯s face. Someone who was not by his side. Ji Sheng smiled, dumbfounded. What? Xie Xuanming, movie emperor on stage and mad dog off stage, was unable to fall asleep without seeing the white moonlight¡¯s face? It was really weird. It was the kind of weird that no one would believe even if you told them about it. Xie Xuanming closed his eyes and opened them a few times, then finally closed his eyes at two o¡¯clock in the morning and fell asleep. After several previous lessons, Ji Sheng didn¡¯t dare to lie down immediately. He cautiously decided to observe for a while. Xie Xuanming wore a face of the King of Hell when he was awake, and was not easy to approach when he was asleep either. His elegant eyebrows were furrowed and his eyelashes twitched uncontrollably in his restless sleep. His compressed lips gradually opened slightly and a faint whisper floated out. Ji Sheng held his breath and concentrated but could not capture the words. He got up quietly, leaned forward, about to eavesdrop, and froze suddenly. At a distance of one foot from him, Xie Xuanming frowned with a deep wrinkle between his eyebrows, his forehead covered with cold sweat. He clutched the quilt and whispered bitterly: ¡°Ji Sheng¡­ you owe me¡­¡± 1. Runtu is a character from ¡®My Old Home¡¯ by Lu Xun, apparently having some enmity with badgers CH 6 When Ji Sheng opened his eyes the next day, the bed in front of him was neatly covered with the quilt, and Xie Xuanming had already left. The irregular sleeping position made Ji Sheng¡¯s body so sore he felt he was falling apart. He sat up, rubbing his face bitterly and pinching the most affected area around his waist, when his gaze was suddenly attracted by a small yellow square on the armrest of the brown couch. It was a post-it note, left by Xie Xuanming. Ji Sheng tore off the post-it note; the handwriting on it was strong and powerful. Looking at the words, you would never expect a moody, unpredictable man to write them. Ji Sheng harboured discontent in his heart and vented it in secret. The drum will be delivered today. No extra toiletries in the bathroom. The fare is on the bedside table Ji Sheng stared at the three lines of words for a long time, and realized three truths. First, he didn¡¯t suffer from backache in vain, at least he got a new drum set. Second, Xie Xuanming told him not to touch the utensils in the house and go back to the dorm to wash. Third, he had the money to go back. Ji Sheng turned his head, and on the cabinet, two banknotes were pressed under the vial of eye drops. Two red bills, tens of yuan more than the amount requested by Ji Sheng. Although there was a subtle implication in getting a tip at the bedside, as a destitute person with less than 50 yuan of total assets at the moment, Ji Sheng did not and was not entitled to feel insulted. He gladly tucked the bills away, completing his first asset expansion since his rebirth. Naturally, it was impossible for Xie Xuanming to leave him breakfast, so Ji Sheng didn¡¯t rush to brush his teeth. In line with the idea that Heaven knows, you know, I know, Xie Xuanming doesn¡¯t know, Ji Sheng decided to use the guest toilet to answer the call of nature without any internal struggle. After that, he washed his hands, poured a handful of cold water on his face and scrubbed it. With two hundred yuan in his pocket, he left the villa. Ji Sheng originally planned to take the bus back, but the rehearsal notice in the group chat and his tired body made him give up this idea and take a taxi instead. It was even more difficult to find a taxi in the villa area than in the urban village. The residents in the area generally had their own transportation and drivers, and taxi drivers with some common sense would not go there. The mobile phone software showed that the nearest taxi was five kilometres away and it was going to take more than ten minutes to get there. Ji Sheng leaned against the gate and waited for the car, bored and nagging the security guard. Ji Sheng: ¡°Brother, what kind of work do you do? ¡± Security guard standing guard: ¡­ ¡­ Security guard: ¡°Security.¡± Ji Sheng: ¡°Security is good, ah. Guess what I do? You absolutely can¡¯t imagine.¡± Security guard: ¡­ I don¡¯t want to imagine. The security guard said indifferently: ¡°Unemployed vagrant.¡± ¡°Wrong answer.¡± Ji Sheng shook his head and said solemnly, ¡°I am a substitute.¡± Security guard: ¡­ ¡­ The guard glanced at Ji Sheng, the man who remained calm after his shocking statement, brimming with the odd air of ¡®substitute and proud, competitive and invincible¡¯. The security guard turned his eyes away and said to himself that there was likely something wrong with the guy¡¯s head. The security guard said bluntly: ¡°Substitute is good, ah.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, but I can¡¯t sleep at night, and it takes a bit of effort.¡± Security guard: ? Ji Sheng said, ¡°But I will try to adapt.¡± Security guard: ???? At this time, the taxi arrived, Ji Sheng waved to the shocked security guard, smiled and said ¡®see ya¡¯. The security guard didn¡¯t really want to see him again. He sincerely hoped that the young gold master would find his white moonlight as soon as possible and kick out the excessively mutant ¡°meal substitute¡±. Whatever the security guard thought, Ji Sheng got into the car and disappeared. Ji Sheng returned to the dorm; all the band members had gone to practise, leaving Huang Sizhe to open the door for him with a weird expression on his face. Huang Sizhe looked constipated and seemed to have something to say, but Ji Sheng was not in the mood to take into account the sensitive feelings of this adolescent child. He was about to get sick of the sticky feeling in his mouth, so he rushed into his room, grabbed his bathroom cup and headed for the balcony. While he was brushing his teeth, Huang Sizhe followed him and looked at him without saying a word, standing in the doorway. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go to rehearsal?¡± Huang Sizhe¡¯s sense of presence was so strong that Ji Sheng had to react to the inquiry in his eyes, mumbling with the toothbrush in his mouth. ¡°You didn¡¯t go either.¡± Huang Sizhe seems to have been waiting for him to speak for a long time and responded as soon as Ji Sheng asked. As he spoke, a bit of embarrassment appeared on his face, as if he was remorseful. Ji Sheng glanced at him, not understanding where he had provoked the child again. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t bother to think about it. He simply ignored Huang Sizhe, picked up the bathroom cup and rinsed his mouth. ¡°About that,¡± Huang Sizhe seemed to be entangled for a long time, cleared his throat, and said vaguely, ¡°¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°What?¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t hear him clearly and looked up blankly. There was a touch of white that hadn¡¯t been wiped clean at the corner of his mouth and there was a hint of stupidity in his usually sharp eyes. Seeing him like this, Huang Sizhe became angry again. He zoomed in and shouted, ¡°I said I¡¯m sorry! Can you not be so dumb, you can¡¯t understand what people are saying and you don¡¯t have a personality, you just do what you are told to do, are you a puppet? You have no brain and no character, you won¡¯t even know if you¡¯re bullied to death!¡± He used the way of bullying ¡°Ji Hui¡° to scold ¡±Ji Hui¡± for not resisting when he was bullied. Ji Sheng blinked, not understanding his logic much. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Ji Sheng lowered his head to flush out the residual foam and responded slowly, ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡± Huang Sizhe choked. Huang Sizhe was so angry. After Ji Sheng finished washing, he found Huang Sizhe still standing there, looking embarrassed. What¡¯s the matter with this kid? Ji Sheng was really puzzled: ¡°Is there something else?¡± ¡°I said I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°I heard it.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t say it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°¡­huh?¡± Huang Sizhe gritted his teeth, bit the bullet and said, ¡°Just tell me if you accept my apology.¡± Ji Sheng felt extremely helpless. He was now Huang Sizhe¡¯s teammate. Even if Huang Sizhe didn¡¯t say anything, he could only ¡°forgive¡± Huang Sizhe and forget about him, let alone now that he had apologised. But Huang Sizhe didn¡¯t understand that. He was young and consisted of sharp edges and corners and wanted to divide right from wrong by drawing a clear line. Ji Sheng pushed away his wet hair thinking that a child who was so obsessed with reasoning was a pain in the ass. Apologising was like confessing for him and he had to solemnly confirm whether it was accepted or not. Ji Sheng wanted to deal with him perfunctorily with a few words, but when he saw Huang Sizhe¡¯s cheeks flushed and his eyes shy and serious, he suddenly became a little distracted. He inexplicably thought of a certain sharp kid he had met many years ago. ¡°Don¡¯t you f*cking know how to say no?¡± The precocious seventeen year old in his memory was talking with rare exasperation, ¡°So brainless, if I hadn¡¯t come back in time yesterday, something could have, no, would have definitely happened to you for f*ck¡¯s sake.¡± How did he react at the time?¡­ Nineteen-year-old Ji Sheng looked at seventeen-year-old Xie Xuanming¡¯s flushed face in surprise and stretched out his hand heartlessly to rub it: ¡°The sun is rising from the east. Our good baby actually used two dirty words in one sentence. Come, come, go and report the joy to Lao Sheng and the others.¡± ¡­¡­ The memories stopped; Ji Sheng shook his bathroom cup, and when he raised his eyes, he felt some softness that he hadn¡¯t expected from himself. ¡°Alright.¡± He said gently, ¡°I accept your apology and thank you for your suggestion. I will try to make myself more temperamental in the future.¡± As the sun rose higher, Ji Sheng and Huang Sizhe opened the door of the underground garage. ¡°Here they are.¡± The lead singer greeted them and said in surprise, ¡°Sizhe, your face is so red, are you sick?¡± ¡°No.¡± Huang Sizhe denied in a muffled voice. The lead singer didn¡¯t mind and said happily: ¡°Come and see, the drums are here.¡± ¡°F*ck, it¡¯s Star!¡± The keyboardist squatted in front of the brightly glimmering drum set, harrumphing, ¡°The boss is generous!¡± The guitarist said enviously: ¡°Give me the whole thing, I have long wanted to change to a brand-name girl.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think about it. You can¡¯t abandon your bad girl, so make do with your cheap Yamaha. ¡± The keyboardist and guitarist giggled, while the lead singer stood with his head in his hands, ¡°The Star Series drum kit costs 20,000 and up. How can we afford to pay for this if it is scratched or bumped¡­¡± The keyboardist smiled and hugged Ji Sheng¡¯s shoulders, pinching his chin: ¡°Xiao Hui guarantees it with his body, such a beautiful child is worth at least 30,000 yuan.¡± Ji Sheng glanced helplessly at this unorthodox teammate, wondering if everyone who played the keyboard had this kind of morals¡­ Before he could speak, Huang Sizhe broke out first: ¡°F*ck your mother, Zhou Wuyou, do you live in the feudal era? Saying this kind of sh*t!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The keyboardist named Zhou Wuyou was obviously accustomed to Huang Sizhe¡¯s routine irritability. He shrugged, ¡°Then you can only ask Xiao Hui to pay attention and not to scratch them when he is playing. If we aren¡¯t selling Xiao Hui, the bunch of us tied together won¡¯t be enough for the boss.¡± Huang Sizhe was still about to burst out; Ji Sheng quickly grabbed him and said soothingly: ¡°Let¡¯s practice, I want to try the sound of the new drums.¡± On the performance day, their pick-up and drop-off was still the same little lousy van, but the driver was different. The new agent, surnamed Wang, didn¡¯t say much, and after a few words of caution, he went off to drive. Ji Sheng glanced at his muscular arms and felt that this man was more like a bodyguard than an agent. Maybe his job was to be a bodyguard. Ji Sheng guessed he might have been sent by Xie Xuanming. This thought reassured Ji Sheng a lot. He still trusted Xie Xuanming¡¯s ability. A man who had been in the entertainment industry for three years would have been put down as soon as he made his debut if he didn¡¯t have a good eye for people. With Xie Xuanming¡¯s men watching, the chances that the person who hid in the shadows and tried to kill Ji Hui would make another move were slim to none. The bodyguard agent sent Niepan to the destination and arranged for a makeup artist to come. ¡°What makeup do you need in a doll costume?¡± Huang Sizhe resisted, while the keyboardist and guitarist on the side also showed a look of displeasure. ¡°What if you want to take off your headgear for a curtain call?¡± The makeup artist smiled good-naturedly. Anyway, in the end, only Ji Sheng and the lead singer put on makeup. Although it was a performance for children, the organisers also gave Niepan face, arranging their show at the end, as if they were big stars. The scene was lively for more than an hour, and finally it was Niepan¡¯s turn. Standing behind the curtain on the side of the stage, the members were notified that they were ready to go. One by one, they started putting on their doll costumes and headgear. After putting on the headgear, the field of vision became narrow and grey; the lead singer looked at the stage behind the curtain through the sight holes covered with black gauze. The drum set and keyboard were placed on the stage, shining with a cold metallic light. The lead singer looked at them for a while, then turned around and wanted to gather the band members to cheer and boost their morale, but unexpectedly met Ji Sheng¡¯s icy sharp, translucent eyes. At this moment, there was a feeling of low air pressure about the usually gentle and silent drummer, making him look tense like a snow leopard crawling on a cliff. He stared at the back of the stage, where the Star drums waited for him, the muted light flowing like a dark river over the oak surface. He held his headgear under his left arm and clenched the drumsticks with his right hand. Through the bloated doll costume, the lead singer could vaguely see the tight lines of the drummer¡¯s muscles. The lead singer was taken aback, hearing Ji Sheng exhale a long breath and whisper, ¡°Finally¡­¡± When he said this, he looked like an old-time samurai. The samurai coldly caressed his long unused sword, and from the moment the blade was unsheathed, he set foot on the road to retrieve his glory. CH 7 ¡°On the stage.¡± A kindergarten teacher with a work badge came in a hurry from the back, urging them. In a daze, the lead singer watched Ji Sheng put on his headgear, covering his shining eyes with a heavy shell. Ji Sheng straightened his crooked headgear and at the next moment noticed that the lead singer was staring at him, frozen. During the previous couple of weeks of rehearsals, Ji Sheng paid attention and wrote down the names of all the members. The lead singer¡¯s name was Lu Haoren, who, as his name suggested, was a passerby and a good guy(1). Ji Sheng examined his equipment: ¡°Brother Lu, what¡¯s the matter?¡± He was packed in a doll costume, harmless to humans and animals, and the cold air of his unsheathed sword was tightly concealed. Lu Haoren decided that the light was too dim and the strange moment just now was an illusion. He patted Ji Sheng on the shoulder and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, get ready to play.¡± After the emcee left the scene and the curtain fell, the five big dolls with an average height of 1.8 metres quickly moved on stage and took up their respective positions. The lead bunny turned back, exchanged a few glances with the beige bear clutching his guitar, the blue tiger standing behind his keyboard, the pink dog cupping his bass and the green Pikachu with his drumsticks in hand, and made an OK sign to the backstage, firm and tough. The curtain slowly went up and the children in the audience opened their eyes wide. Lights flashed from the back of the stage, outlining the contours of various musical instruments and the shadows of five naive dolls merged with their instruments. Like the foolish knights who saved the princess in the fairy tale, armed with powerful weapons and relying on their superb skills, they emerged from the fog. The light flared violently and the drums started first, a dense sound of drumbeat shaking away the fog. The bass followed, wandering low in the bottom end, helping the drums to hold the ship steady; then the keyboard and the guitar took control, hitting the charge with the main theme. The children stared open-mouthed, the fairy tale-like performance on stage completely attracting their attention. All the musicians entered the state; the oddly shaped dolls chivalrously turned musical notes into sharp blades, their swords pointed to the roaring dragon not far away. The lead singer held the microphone and let out a clear tune, laying the foundation for the victory of this battle. The reporter sent by the channel for children was holding the camera excitedly, having a hunch that he would record a perfect scene. Although he couldn¡¯t even recognize the track sung by the band in front of him as the must-have golden song of every birthday, he was still sure that this was the best children¡¯s show and the best band performance he had ever seen. On stage, despite the perfect performance, the musicians were actually not in very good condition. The stage configuration of the kindergarten was unexpectedly good; the lighting system was as perfect as that of a regular theatre and the temperature was as hot as normal stage lighting. The first participants of the show sang and danced dressed lightly and still were sweating profusely when they came down, never mind the Niepan members in heavy doll costumes. Lu Haoren held the microphone, and with every sound, he could feel sweat dripping onto his lips and into his mouth, salty and bitter. Huang Sizhe¡¯s palms were wet. He insisted on wearing the doll costume and gloves to rehearse, and miraculously he was able to play flexible and clear music with clumsy fingers. But at the moment his hands were soaked in sweat, so sticky they were practically fused to his gloves. Ji Sheng¡¯s situation was the worst. There was fog in front of him, his vision was blurred by sweat, and he could only rely on muscle memory to continue to perform. The most fatal thing was that the flannel inside the headgear fell off at some point, coincidentally covering half of his face and blocking his mouth and nose. The air flow in the headgear was already meagre, and the sweat-soaked fabric made it exponentially worse. Ji Sheng opened his mouth and gasped for air but couldn¡¯t get any oxygen into his lungs. The feeling of suffocation was like a surge of water pressure; Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t breathe and his brain gradually became muddled. In a daze, Ji Sheng saw himself seated on the drum chair in the centre of an empty stage in his previous life. The audience screamed and cheered, but his forehead was covered in cold sweat and his temples were throbbing with pain. In front of him there was a familiar drum set and in his hands there were custom drumsticks engraved with his initials. The drumsticks were once an extension of Ji Sheng¡¯s fingers, almost another body organ of Ji Sheng. But at this moment, the drumsticks were shaking uncontrollably in Ji Sheng¡¯s palms and even if he tried his best to hold them tightly, he couldn¡¯t persuade them to stop. Ji Sheng realized in that moment, to his horror, that he was disconnected from the drum kit, from the love of his life, from his soul. In his previous life, he flipped his hand over and the hideous scar on his wrist covered by a heavy foundation concealer was almost undistinguishable, yet carried a presence that could not be ignored. Ji Sheng was shocked by the faintly visible red mark; his hand let go and the drumsticks fell gently to the ground, clattering with a loud noise. The music gradually reached its climax; the kindergarten teacher in the audience was holding a SLR with a complicated expression. Beside her, a child raised her head worriedly and asked in a milky voice, ¡°Teacher, why are you trembling?¡± The kindergarten teacher stabilised her emotions and squeezed out a reluctant smile: ¡°The teacher is fine.¡± The kindergarten teacher used to be a station sister(2), who was given the task of taking pictures during this event. Although her makeup now was elegant, her skirt long and her shoes demonstrating a demure temperament, she used to have bright days of wild hair and red lips. At that time, the kindergarten teacher was not yet a kindergarten teacher. She was very young and had endless courage and rebelliousness. She could pick up a lollipop and grab a camera and go, stubbornly and determinedly following a certain drummer from south to north, from obscurity to fame. The station sister looked at the stage in a daze. ¡°So similar,¡± she murmured, ¡°How can it be¡­¡± She sighed, the sound of music paused abruptly, the drums stopped and then started again. The drummer with a distinctive style smoothly completed the last solo, his drumsticks dropping the notes to bring the performance to a perfect end. The performance was over and the lights focused. The station sister¡¯s eyes widened suddenly. In the back of the stage, the drummer suddenly lifted his headgear, his wet face illuminated clearly. The station sister¡¯s heart sank and then thudded heavily. In a trance she looked at the departed man who had flown down from heaven and landed steadily on the narrow stage in front of her. The station sister could hardly breathe. She trembled, used her last strength to raise the camera, pointed it at the drummer and pressed the shutter. It stood to reason that after performing this birthday song that was changed in such a way that even its author wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize it, the Niepan band should have evacuated quickly. In fact, the physical condition of the members did not allow them to stay on stage for a long time either. The insides of the doll¡¯s costumes were completely drenched, and every member was soaked in sweat. Staying for one more second was torture. They wanted to retreat quickly, took the settlement, went back to the dorm to take a cold shower and then happily have a half-day vacation. Unfortunately, this plan was obstructed in the first step of its implementation. ¡°Wait a minute!¡± In the audience, a little princess jumped up and raised her right hand high. The birthday crown on her head was very eye-catching, leaving no doubts that she was the absolute protagonist of that very unique birthday song. The sky is big, and the people who celebrate birthdays are the biggest. The members of Niepan who were about to slip away had to stop. Lu Haoren looked at his teammates, gritted his teeth and leaned close to the microphone, tentatively asking: ¡°Birthday star, what do you want to say?¡± The girl blinked a few times: ¡°I want to listen to another song, can I?¡± As soon as this remark came out, it was immediately supported by the little audience. A chorus of chirping young voices rose to the stage in anticipation of the Foolish Knights to show off more of their skills. Niepan members exchanged glances, all at a loss. They did sing songs other than ¡®Happy Birthday¡¯, but among those songs, passionate or violent, even the most soothing one didn¡¯t seem to be suitable for performing in front of the little seedlings of the motherland. Seeing that Lu Haoren was in trouble, Ji Sheng leaned forward, hooked the microphone in front of the drum set and took over the conversation. ¡°Yes, what do you want to hear?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± The little girl furrowed her pretty eyebrows and thought hard for a while before speaking in a milky voice, ¡°I want to listen to hard rock and heavy metal.¡± Ji Sheng: ¡­ ¡­ Niepan everyone: ¡­ ¡­ Ji Sheng didn¡¯t expect that this child had such an exceptional taste in music. After the little girl had said it, he noticed that the hairpin adorning her head was actually a ghastly white skull. Presumably, her parents were not ordinary people that could raise such a stylish child. Ji Sheng smiled helplessly: ¡°What about the repertoire, are there any favourite songs?¡± The little girl replied quickly: ¡°Two tigers!¡± And cautiously added: ¡°Is it possible?¡± ¡°Yes, it is possible.¡± Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t resist the cuteness of the girl¡¯s big moist eyes and said with a smile, ¡°Today you are the birthday star, and of course all the wishes of the birthday star must be fulfilled.¡± After saying that, Ji Sheng covered his mic and asked the keyboard Zhou Wuyou: ¡°Okay?¡± The keyboardist nodded at him, the big head of the doll costume swaying very conspicuously. Ji Sheng gave him a thumbs up and continued: ¡°You start directly, and I will look for a chance to join.¡± He bent over, picked up the headgear from the ground, put it back on and found that the damn flannel was still stuck to his mouth and nose, so he took it off again helplessly. Ji Sheng dragged the mic in front of the drum and fixed it to a distance that could be reached by stretching his neck. He knocked on the cymbal and said loudly into the mic: ¡°Next, please enjoy the additional program tailored for today¡¯s birthday star ¡ª¡ª two metal tigers!¡± Ji Sheng gave the keyboardist a look; Zhou Wuyou hesitantly pressed the first note and Ji Sheng quickly followed, filling the trembling notes with a steady rhythm. Today was a really eye-opening day for the children of Stardust Kindergarten. At the beginning of their lives, they were fortunate enough to hear the jazz version of ¡®Happy Birthday¡¯ and the hard rock version of ¡®Two Tigers¡¯ that many people would never be able to hear in their lifetime. The crazy metal tigers swayed their bodies on stage to the violent rhythm set by the drummer, revealing their sharp fangs that they had never before shown in a children¡¯s song. The children in the audience watched with relish, cheering from time to time, while the adults looked at each other, wondering if they should kick out that dark fairy-tale children¡¯s nursery rhyme band. The reporter of the channel for children was numb. This delightful band gave him so many surprises that he felt tired. He was satiated and sluggish, leaving only the camera to faithfully record the rich material. The body of the kindergarten teacher who was a station sister once shook like a sieve, but her hand holding the SLR remained motionless, recording the drummer¡¯s wonderful performance without missing a second. The drummer, immersed in the music, accidentally swept his glance over a familiar face in the audience. He was startled, the smooth drum sound stopped and a beat was missed. The drummer quickly recovered and made up for the mistake. After the drums had steadied, he looked down as if embarrassed that someone was filming him, smiled shyly, and then raised his head after a moment, his bright, gentle eyes falling on the station sister. The station sister¡¯s rock-like stable hand collapsed at this sight; she looked at the young man¡¯s beautiful, familiar face, and burst into tears uncontrollably. CH 8 After the performance, Niepan returned to the backstage dressing room, changed from their doll costumes and prepared to go back to the dormitory. Zhou Wuyou lifted off his headgear as soon as he got off the stage: ¡°Holy sh*t, I was almost scared stupid. No one told us someone could order songs before we came here!¡± Huang Sizhe scolded: ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing, what are you panicking about, playing ¡®Two tigers¡¯? The sound was all over the place. Shame on you.¡± ¡°The TV channel had such a big camera right in front of me, how could I not be nervous!¡± Zhou Wuyou turned his head gratefully, ¡°Luckily there was Xiao Hui, singing to himself a little to keep the rhythm and melody steady.¡± When they were performing a heavy metal version of ¡®Two Tigers¡¯, the Niepan members were scared for a while whether they needed to sing, who would sing and how they would sing. Before they could figure out what to do, they saw Ji Sheng get on the mic and take over the drums and vocals all by himself. His own drummer unexpectedly demonstrated the skills they had never seen before, and the Niepan members breathed a sigh of relief but also had some doubts. ¡°Can you sing?¡± Huang Sizhe asked with a frown. Ji Sheng took off his gloves and wiped his hands with a tissue: ¡°I used to be the lead singer.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t heard about it.¡± Huang Sizhe continued pursuing him. ¡°It happened back then.¡± Ji Sheng made a long story short, ¡°I haven¡¯t practised much since I turned drummer, and I don¡¯t sing well. I¡¯m sorry to mention it.¡± Ji Hui originally had a shy temperament. He said that much, and the other members didn¡¯t intend to press the issue. After all, who of them didn¡¯t do odd jobs while underground? Zhou Wuyou, who could barely hold drumsticks, still worked underground as a drummer in a few bands; not to mention singing, something that anyone can do regardless of whether it¡¯s pleasing to the ear or not. Whatever else Huang Sizhe wanted to say, he was interrupted by a dispute at the door of the dressing room. ¡°I want to meet the drummer of the band.¡± ¡°Sorry, the band members take a break and see no one.¡± ¡°Is it possible to just meet? I just want to have a few words with him.¡± ¡°Sorry, no way.¡± Outside the dressing room, the station sister looked earnestly. She sincerely wanted to meet the drummer who was too similar in appearance and style to her deceased idol. She wanted to say a few words with him, even if for a moment. However, the agent was ordered by Xie Xuanming to protect Ji Sheng. Some unknown people were hiding in the shadows and no one knew when or if they would strike again. The danger in the dark is always the most deadly. Even if it was a slender girl, the agent/bodyguard didn¡¯t have any intention to let her in. The two were playing tug of war when the door opened. ¡°Brother Wang, let her in.¡± Ji Sheng stood at the door, ¡°She¡¯s a friend.¡± The agent was silent for a while, looking at the station sister whose eyes reddened and filled with affection when she saw Ji Sheng. The boss¡¯s little lover was approached by a girl who was crying and clearly infatuated¡­ The bodyguard/agent thought blankly, Boss Xie, your hat might be a bit green. He said thoughtfully: ¡°Have you mentioned this to Mr. Xie?¡± Huang Sizhe listened to the conversation between them two and was instantly furious: ¡°It¡¯s none of his business! Is he the Monkey King? Does Ji Hui have to report what friends he makes?¡± The agent glanced at him coldly and continued to look at Ji Sheng: ¡°Does Mr. Xie allow you to see her?¡± Ji Sheng grabbed Huang Sizhe who was about to explode and explained, ¡°Brother Wang, you misunderstood, this is probably a music enthusiast or a fan¡­ Senior Xie shouldn¡¯t have asked you to stop me from seeing people at all either. Blocking a girl outside the door is not very polite, let her in first.¡± The agent looked at him indifferently for a while and made way. The station sister entered the lounge. Her gaze fell on Ji Sheng¡¯s face, her eyes moistened and then her tears couldn¡¯t stop falling. A strange girl came in and looked at Ji Sheng, crying without saying a word. The members of Niepan had never seen such a scene. They looked at each other and embarrassedly remained silent in sync. Ji Sheng drew a tissue, handed it over and said softly, ¡°Is there anything wrong?¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The station sister took the tissue. She didn¡¯t actually know why she was here and why she had just made a lot of noise and violently begged to see the drummer. She wiped away her tears and said casually, ¡°Your drum skills are very good.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ji Sheng said. After sobbing for a while, the station sister calmed down a little. ¡°Your style of playing drums is very much like someone¡¯s.¡± She raised her eyes to Ji Sheng, ¡°When I met him, he was about your age and didn¡¯t have much money, running around with drumsticks for small commercial gigs. He couldn¡¯t afford to put out an album or tour, but still was confident that he would be popular, that he would let everyone know he was the best drummer¡­ later he did become famous, just, just¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t talk anymore and started sobbing again. There was silence in the lounge, and only the station sister continued crying: ¡°You are really, really very similar to him. When I saw you perform, I thought he had come back from heaven¡­ It might be rude to say that, but I really can¡¯t help it¡­¡± Huang Sizhe seemed to want to say something but was stared at by Ji Sheng and Lu Haoren at the same time, scratched his head irritably and remained silent. ¡°I understand.¡± Ji Sheng handed her another tissue and said gently, ¡°With a fan like you, even if that drummer went to the other world, he would still feel happy.¡± The station sister¡¯s shoulders stiffened and she let out a loud wail. Before leaving, she blushed and asked, ¡°I just took some pictures of you during the performance. Can I put them on the Internet?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Ji Sheng said. The station sister gave him a deep look, bowed to thank him and turned to leave. After she left, Huang Sizhe held back as long as possible and finally said, ¡°The drummer she mentioned¡­¡± ¡°His name is Ji Sheng, he died in a car accident at the beginning of the year.¡± Lu Haoren reminded in a low voice. ¡°Oh.¡± Huang Sizhe stopped talking. The atmosphere in the dressing room was a little depressing. At this moment, the door opened again and the agent brought in a person. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t have time to take a look when Huang Sizhe leapt up again, his voice tense: ¡°What did you bring him for?¡± Ji Sheng raised his head and was taken aback. Xie Xuanming passed by the agent, glanced coldly at the obviously hostile Huang Sizhe, turned his head and asked, ¡°This one?¡± The agent said calmly: ¡°The band¡¯s bassist, named Huang Sizhe, is young, impatient and immature.¡± Huang Sizhe choked and became even more angry when his agent led the wolf into the house and reported the information on him. He also guessed that this agent must be Xie Xuanming¡¯s subordinate, and Xie Xuanming could decide the life and death of the Niepan band with a single sentence, so he could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t care about Huang Sizhe¡¯s hatred for him at all and didn¡¯t even bother to give this hairy boy a second look. From the moment he entered the door, his attention was only on Ji Sheng. ¡°Ji Hui, come.¡± Xie Xuanming said flatly, turned around and left the lounge. Huang Sizhe exploded completely, grabbing Ji Sheng¡¯s wrist as he was about to walk out: ¡°He asks you to go, so you go?! When are you going to change your loser punching bag personality?¡± Ji Sheng said calmly: ¡°Senior Xie funded our performance. It is appropriate to thank him in person.¡± ¡°Thank him by sleeping with him?!¡± As soon as the words were spoken, Huang Sizhe regretted them. Huang Sizhe wanted to remedy the situation, but the eyes of all the members were directed towards him. Although everyone had an unspoken understanding of these things, knowing and breaking it down to someone¡¯s face were, after all, two different concepts. Ji Sheng¡¯s face completely lost its warmth; he no longer was in the mood to explain something to the child who had no control over his mouth. His expression quickly changed from patient to cold: ¡°Let go.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s eyes were icy and Huang Sizhe subconsciously let go. When he reacted, Ji Sheng had already opened the door and walked out. Xie Xuanming was waiting outside the door; when he saw Ji Sheng coming out, he said: ¡°Your band is in a good shape, they are all very good-looking.¡± Ji Sheng heard the connotation of his words and his eyelid twitched: ¡°They are all serious musicians who play music seriously. It is better for Senior not to think too much.¡± ¡°What does that mean? Don¡¯t you play music seriously?¡± ¡°¡­it doesn¡¯t mean that.¡± ¡°Is that a sarcastic way of saying that I have a dirty mind and force people into prostitution?¡± ¡°¡­ ¡­¡± Ji Sheng had nothing to say. Xie Xuanming was now considered his gold master and bickering with the gold master was obviously not a smart choice. His silence was full of dignity but Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t stop. He sneered: ¡°You are very popular, especially with the bassist, he seems to care about you very much.¡± He turned the artillery fire on someone else again, and Ji Sheng sighed: ¡°He¡¯s just a naive child who hasn¡¯t experienced severe social beatings. Don¡¯t bother with him.¡± Xie Xuanming was noncommittal and said coldly: ¡°You are defending him.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng was a bit powerless. ¡°I¡¯m surprised.¡± Xie Xuanming smiled strangely, ¡°Do you drummers have a soft spot for bass?¡± In his previous life, Ji Sheng¡¯s ex-boyfriend Sheng Kongzhi was a bassist. Ji Sheng knew that Xie Xuanming was angry, lowered his eyes and changed the subject obediently: ¡°Senior is looking for me, can I help?¡± ¡°Move out of the dormitory today.¡± There was no need to ask where to move. Ji Sheng had no right to object and did not intend to object. The more time he had with Xie Xuanming, the more access he would have to the information he needed. He said, ¡°Then I will pack my things today and move in tomorrow¡­¡± ¡°Come tonight,¡± Xie Xuanming interrupted. What a tyrant. Ji Sheng sighed secretly but his face remained impassive: ¡°Then I will go back to the dormitory to pack up my toiletries¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bring those dirty things into the house.¡± Xie Xuanming said coldly, ¡°Write a list of what you need and just buy it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng remembered the shabby two-digit number in his mobile phone account and had a rare moment of truth, ¡°You are so rich.¡± Xie Xuanming finalised it: ¡°Write now.¡± The things you will definitely not lack in a kindergarten are paper and pens. Although Ji Sheng didn¡¯t know why Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t just ask him to send an electronic list, he borrowed a pen and a sheet of paper without much ado and quickly made a list of the daily necessities he needed. Before he was reborn, Ji Sheng lived a very refined life, using only his preferred brand of daily necessities and feeling uncomfortable when he was away from familiar products. But after being reborn, his financial situation was really abysmal, and the month and a half of lying flat almost cured him of his stinky picky user problem, making him gladly (forcibly) accept the reality as it was. Now Xie Xuanming offered to pay the bill. Without having to swipe his own card, Ji Sheng was naturally happy. He didn¡¯t wrong himself either and wrote with relish. When giving Xie Xuanming the list, Ji Sheng emphasised: ¡°The toothpaste must be the toothpaste for children.¡± Xie Xuanming took the A4 sheet covered in writing, glanced at it and his eye twitched slightly. He commented coldly: ¡°That¡¯s a lot to ask for.¡± ¡°Lemon-flavoured or orange-flavoured.¡± ¡°¡­Don¡¯t overstep the mark.¡± ¡°It¡¯s best to be lemon-flavoured.¡± ¡°Do. Not. Overstep.¡± ¡°Is it okay?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Okay.¡± CH 9 Ji Sheng didn¡¯t go back to the dorm. After leaving Stardust Kindergarten, he got in the car with Xie Xuanming and left. He sat in Xie Xuanming¡¯s funeral parlour-like black limousine and brushed past the rickety little van that wobbled out of the car parking. Looking at the band members in the van through the two layers of glass, Ji Sheng suddenly felt a sense of taking one for a team or selling himself to bury his father. When he arrived at the villa, this feeling became even stronger. First of all, Ji Sheng needed to solve the bathing problem. He had just come out of the soggy doll costume, and his clothes were soaked in sweat. In the car, Xie Xuanming had already fully demonstrated his dislike. He frowned all the way and from time to time uttered a few full-scale ¡®tsks¡¯. Ji Sheng was frightened, feeling he would speak in the next second and order him to get out of the car and, like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, walk to the villa(1). ¡°May I use the bathroom?¡± Ji Sheng asked carefully. Seeing Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyebrows furrow again, Ji Sheng quickly added, ¡°You don¡¯t want a dirty person to stay in the house and get in the way, do you?¡± Xie Xuanming paused and reluctantly said, ¡°Use the guest bathroom.¡± The bath was arranged; now there was a problem with the clothes. Ji Sheng came empty-handed and didn¡¯t even bring a charger, let alone a change of clothes. Although the clothes were included in the purchase list, it was a pity that the things hadn¡¯t been delivered yet. The fire of hope still existed in Ji Sheng¡¯s heart: ¡°When I lived here before, I should have left a few pieces¡­¡± ¡°Thrown away.¡± Xie Xuanming extinguished the tiny fire mercilessly. Ji Sheng: ¡°¡­Then, can you be so kind and lend me something?¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°No.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s smile gradually became gentle: ¡°Then I will run naked?¡± In the end, Xie Xuanming reluctantly opened the door of the cloakroom, chose inside for a long time, selected a few unwanted items and handed them to Ji Sheng: ¡°You wear this.¡± Ji Sheng glanced at the neat rows of black, white and grey loose T-shirts, tea brown and blue striped casual pants, and pulled down the corner of his mouth. He really didn¡¯t quite understand what Xie Xuanming was hesitating about just now. Xie Xuanming¡¯s dressing style was widely criticised. On the one hand, he was a darling of the big brands, even though no matter what kind of ¡°fashion¡± items were put on him, they would be drowned by his own aura of abstinence and madness without making a splash. At the same time, Xie Xuanming was extremely perfunctory about the so-called ¡°fashion¡±. Except on red carpets and other essential occasions when he would wear high luxury items to show his face in front of the camera, repeatedly emphasising the brand, at other times, Xie Xuanming was always seen by paparazzi or passers-by in uninteresting, cool-toned sporty pieces. Although Xie Xuanming¡¯s own body condition was enough to turn an emotionless old man¡¯s black shirt into a hormonally charged ascetic new fashion, however, his overly straight style of dressing still left a serious stereotype impression on passers-by, causing many melon-eating netizens to express surprise when reporters revealed his ambiguous photos with Ji Sheng. Ji Sheng took the clothes from Xie Xuanming¡¯s hand, thanked him and quietly added the last knife: ¡°Thank you, Senior, you haven¡¯t given me underwear yet.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression visibly darkened. He closed the cloakroom door: ¡°You can¡¯t wear mine.¡± Glancing down, he added contemptuously: ¡°The size is wrong.¡± Ji Sheng: ¡­ ¡­ Even if it wasn¡¯t his own body, he still clenched his fists. And you¡¯re a silvery spear point made of pewter, impressive-looking but useless. Glancing at Xie Xuanming¡¯s muscular forearms and reminding himself that this was a violent madman who could knock out people¡¯s teeth at the drop of a hat, Ji Sheng tried to swallow his vicious retort. He smiled softly: ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me wearing your pants naked, of course I can go commando.¡± Two minutes later, Ji Sheng contentedly exited the cloakroom with disposable underwear in hand. The cloakroom was located inside the master bedroom, and once outside, Ji Sheng again saw the sofa that was extremely inconsistent with the decor. Its narrow size made it look particularly shabby and pitiful compared to the large, wide bed beside it. At the thought of his night of discomfort and sleeplessness, Ji Sheng¡¯s waist began to ache faintly. With a sigh, he turned and asked, ¡°Senior, maybe in the future, I can make my bed on the floor?¡± Xie Xuanming was in a bad mood: ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I said no.¡± A blue vein throbbed on Ji Sheng¡¯s forehead: ¡°Emperor Xie, people need to sleep.¡± Xie Xuanming walked out of the room without looking back: ¡°People can fall asleep while lying on the sofa.¡± Ji Sheng was left in place, the corner of his mouth twitching uncontrollably. He recalled that in his previous life, when the sexual harassment controversy broke out, he was receiving private messages from Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans cursing him, saying that he was shameless, occupying the perfect lover but still looking for someone else, simply not respecting his husband¡¯s honour. Ji Sheng was puzzled at the moment as to why anyone would call Xie Xuanming the perfect lover. The gold master who doesn¡¯t even allow his lover to make his bed on the floor is destined to be the mean husband whose prenuptial agreement will be planned as clearly as the Chu-Han divide(2). Ji Sheng went downstairs and walked into the guest bathroom, complaining while taking off his clothes. Xie Xuanming really deserved to miss his white moonlight, with his terrible personality. Had he been that white moonlight, he might have shouted a few blessings and run away now. After Ji Sheng took a shower, he went out to the living room in clothes that were two sizes too large and found that the items on the list had been delivered. Xie Xuanming sat on the sofa and read his schedule, permitting him to check for any omissions without even looking up. Ji Sheng pulled out a chair and sat down, opening the shopping bag. He double-checked and found that there was really something that hadn¡¯t been bought. ¡°The list is not complete.¡± Ji Sheng raised the list, pointing his finger at a certain line. ¡°These two are missing.¡± ¡°I asked to remove them.¡± Xie Xuanming said coldly, ¡°What do you buy lubricant and family planning supplies for? Don¡¯t bring dirty things to my house.¡± Ji Sheng held up the list, thinking: I¡¯m still afraid that you will suddenly go crazy one day, so I take precautions to avoid heavy losses. Xie Xuanming looked up, saw his weird expression and sneered with an unclear meaning: ¡°I am not interested in you, so don¡¯t get any filthy thoughts about me.¡± The gold master warns his lover, do not have any designs on me. The perverted murderer says, don¡¯t fucking touch me or I¡¯ll call the police. Ji Sheng could not tell for a moment which was more confusing, nor could he ask, why were you touching my butt and leaving teeth marks on my neck if you were not interested in me. He could only smirk and say, don¡¯t worry. I am definitely not fucking interested in you. Although Xie Xuanming had an eccentric personality, he was barely qualified as a gold master, and making Ji Sheng sleep on the sofa was not for nothing. After Ji Sheng suffered from backache for several days, he received his next job. But this was a very poor resource, full of ridicule and contempt as if saying ¡°you are only worthy of doing this kind of thing.¡° ¡°Live broadcast?¡± Lu Haoren was shocked. ¡°Carrying adult products.¡± Huang Sizhe¡¯s face was as black as a pot, ¡°Have you been brainwashed by that dragon fruit to take on such a lousy job?¡± As soon as Ji Sheng wanted to ask who the dragon fruit was, the company boss slapped the table and violently interfered with his curiosity. ¡°It¡¯s good to have work to do!¡± The boss shook the itinerary, ¡°Don¡¯t you need money to feed yourself? If you don¡¯t make some extra money this month, you¡¯ll all have to pack your bags and get out.¡± The three of them were kicked out by the mad boss, looking at each other and feeling a little helpless. ¡°Is it really a job?¡± Huang Sizhe was still raising a stink, ¡°We are obviously here to be a band, but we are working on garbage.¡± Lu Haoren sighed: ¡°The live broadcast is actually okay, but I heard that the anchor that is working with it¡­ is difficult to describe.¡± It was rare for the lead singer, who usually exuded motherly love, to make negative comments on people. Ji Sheng was curious: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that anchor, not good at business?¡± His question was perfectly answered in the live broadcast the next day. The anchor was not lacking business ability. He had no brains at all, and as soon as he opened his mouth, he exploded in a large-scale thunderclap. If you have no filter on your mouth, no wonder you are relegated to the midnight slot with adult toys. As soon as the God of Thunder anchor saw Ji Sheng, he shook his hand with tears in his eyes and said sincerely: ¡°Baby, you look so similar to my ex-husband. It¡¯s a pity that he passed away young and made me a widow early.¡± Ji Sheng shuddered as if electrocuted, glanced at the camera of the live broadcast room that had already started operating and squeezed out a stiff smile: ¡°Your ex-husband¡­¡± ¡°Harassed teammates, cheated while in a relationship, and finally died of drunk driving! A model of scum!¡± The anchor ruthlessly destroyed the last bit of hope in Ji Sheng¡¯s heart. Demonstrating how angry he was, the anchor slapped the table and knocked down an adult toy standing on it, ¡°In fact, his bad personality was okay, he was an idol, after all. The most unacceptable thing for me is that he actually demolished my cp. Deserves to die!¡± Ji Sheng watched as the spherical rubber object bounced twice, vibrated at an alarming rate, jolted to the edge of the table, landed on the floor with a plop and stopped moving. For a while Ji Sheng didn¡¯t know whether it was him or the little adult toy that deserved to die in the anchor¡¯s opinion. The live broadcast was plunged into cold silence; Lu Haoren tried to speak in order to save the embarrassing situation: ¡°I¡¯ll take the liberty to ask, what do you mean by cp? ¡± ¡°Shengshi Shengping la.¡± The anchor waved his hand, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, it¡¯s the pairing of the sexual harasser and the victim, and this cp is all dead.¡± Outside the live broadcast room, the people watching from the brand side were so anxious that they held up a large whiteboard with three exclamation points, urging them to change the topic quickly and not to turn promotion into a funeral. The anchor reluctantly changed the subject: ¡°Come on, our guests today are the members of the Niepan band. Please introduce yourself.¡± ¡°Hello everyone, I¡¯m Ji Sheng¡­¡± Ji Sheng was still recovering from his social death and almost made a fatal slip of the tongue. He broke into a cold sweat, glanced at the dark camera and braced himself to continue despite the pain, ¡°¡­ Senior Ji Sheng and Senior Xie Xuanming cp¡¯s fan, so, the same as the anchor¡¯s cp, my cp is also dead, yes.¡± Behind him, Lu Haoren and Huang Sizhe were petrified. They looked at Ji Sheng in confusion as if they had been struck by lightning, with their faces full of ¡°What are you smoking?¡± Meeting a fan of an enemy cp, even though it was a dead cp, the anchor was still very unhappy. He smiled perfunctorily: ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± Turning the microphone to Lu Haoren, he used his magical brain circuit to once again bring the topic into the ditch, ¡°What about you, Shengshi Shengping or Xiefang Jifang (Xie Xuanming Ji Sheng cp name), which one do you like?¡± Lu Haoren really couldn¡¯t understand why a live broadcast with sex products was now talking about a certain celebrity who had passed away and his cps. He only knew that the other two celebrities mentioned in the topic, Xie Xuanming and Sheng Kongzhi, were the current top stars, while they were irrelevant things who would be raised by their parents for nothing and scolded by fans to their ancestors¡¯ graves if they said a wrong word. So Lu Haoren took the microphone in a panic and stammered: ¡°Ah, I like Teacher Xie Xuanming¡¯s movies, and I often listen to Teacher Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s songs. Ji Sheng¡­ Senior Ji Sheng, I¡­ I, in short, I respect these three seniors very much and I can¡¯t tell what¡¯s better¡­ If you insist on talking about cp¡­ I am not¡­ uh, a qualified¡­ typical cp fan.¡± He was talking gibberish, and Huang Sizhe couldn¡¯t bear it anymore. He stepped in coldly, bringing the farce to a thunderous end. ¡°Oh, you are an atypical 3p fan.¡± 1. Metaphor orginiating from ¡®Journey to the West¡¯, meaning to show your unique talent 2. The Chu-Han War (206-202 BC), resulted in dividing the country into two parts. CH 10 Niepan¡¯s first live broadcast, intuitively speaking, could be called a car crash that ended in a total mess. But in an objective sense, they had achieved unparalleled success. Because two extremely popular and incompatible top performers were brought out to the arena, the fans of Sheng Kongzhi and Xie Xuanming smelled the battle and went straight to the live broadcast room to fight in the barrage (screen text). [Don¡¯t pull Xie Xuanming in, there¡¯s no need for a debuting genius to appear with a legal coffee(1) and a loser] [The movie star¡¯s fans are so shameless, have you forgotten your licking dog face when your family cooked that cheating legal coffee?] There were also reasonable passers-by who tried to persuade. [Don¡¯t bring Ji Sheng in, respect the dead] But they were immediately punched and kicked by both Xie and Sheng fans. [Didn¡¯t he do it himself when he had a drunk driving accident? Coffee is not worthy of any sympathy] [He didn¡¯t respect the victim he sexually harrassed, and he deserves no one¡¯s respect if he dies] The fans of the two sides fought so fiercely that they abruptly brought the lonely midnight live broadcast to the top of the app¡¯s front page recommendations. Passers-by looked at the front page offering [Try out little toys with cute band boys], which was the title of the live broadcast. After two seconds of silence, there was a stampede. Within half an hour, the number of people in the live broadcast room exceeded one million in real time, and the popularity reached a terrifying 25 million. Huang Sizhe and Lu Haoren were petrified. Where could the unlucky children who came out to earn extra money doing a part-time job have seen this kind of scene? Facing the dark lens, the two of them did not dare to move and tried their best to reduce their sense of presence so as not to be involved in the war of the top stars. The corners of Ji Sheng¡¯s mouth couldn¡¯t stop twitching. On the one hand, he endured the nuisance of the anchor¡¯s shrill voice, and on the other hand, he faced the bombardment of insults (towards him in his previous life). The anchor grinned from ear to ear as the pie-from-the-sky heat drove sales up. He squinted his eyes, and in his imagination the flashing barrage had already transformed into the quickly growing amount of deposit in his account. The live broadcast made a lot of noise; it lived up to expectations and became a hot search. The hot search was naturally also a battlefield of public opinion for fans. Xie Xuanming and Sheng Kongzhi were at odds with each other, their fans holding a grudge for many years. It was not usual for the fans to throw shade in the news related to one of them; not to mention the situation now when both names were in a hot search together. The hot search at three o¡¯clock in the morning was as lively as Line 3 at eight in the morning and five in the evening. With the battle in full swing, Ji Hui¡¯s name quietly appeared in the comments of passers-by. [The one named Ji Hui really looks like¡­ but is pretty good-looking] [I think the person upstairs is trying to say that he looks like Ji Sheng, which he does. I wonder if they are related by blood.] [Upstairs is secretly here again to blow the trumpet for the drink-driving, sexually harassing legal coffee. Ji Sheng¡¯s fans are really disgusting things with no sense of decency or humanity] [I¡¯m sick of being branded a fan just for saying something. Ji Sheng is not a good thing, I¡¯m the first to say that, but his face is really nothing to sneeze at, right? Otherwise, what else could he rely on, a drummer who couldn¡¯t even hold a drumstick?¡¿ At a time when public debate was surging, a black avatar Weibo account that had not been logged in for several years suddenly went online, uploaded a photo that was seen by a sharp-eyed marketing account, forwarded and quickly appeared in the centre of public opinion. In the photo, the boy¡¯s hair was fluttering lightly, and the bulky doll costume on his body contrasted violently with the drumsticks flying dexterously in his hands. The abandoned doll head lay askewy at the bottom of the frame, giving the photo a fairytale, unrealistic feel. The boy¡¯s movements were wild, but his expression was restrained and composed. He was born white-skinned, with a little mole under his eye that was suddenly dark, dazzling and bewitching in the bright light. Well-behaved and seductive, soft and sharp. The young man had a contradictory aura, like a willow seedling springing up in the desert, revealing both fragility and a crazy sense of rebellion. This photo appeared in the centre of the ¡°battlefield¡±, subtly avoiding the fighting between the two sides and opening up a new direction for the debate. The name Ji Hui began to appear in the public¡¯s vision. It was almost four o¡¯clock in the morning when Ji Sheng returned to the villa. He opened the door with the key given by Xie Xuanming and walked into the room. The living room was dark, and Ji Sheng thought Xie Xuanming might have fallen asleep, or hadn¡¯t come home from a trip. He put the key on the cabinet, bent over and began to take off his shoes. As soon as he untied one of his shoelaces, Ji Sheng¡¯s shoulder was suddenly clenched by a strong hand and he was dragged back. His spine slammed into the wall and the back of his head took a not-so-gentle knock, making Ji Sheng¡¯s head buzz as he looked up instinctively. Xie Xuanming looked down at him with an indeterminate expression. Ji Sheng calmed down: ¡°Why didn¡¯t you turn on the lights?¡± His eyes were reddened from pain, and the mole under his eye was glimmering in the faint light, making one feel itchy. Xie Xuanming ignored this dot of bright colour and said gloomily: ¡°What did you say during the live broadcast?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ji Sheng was taken aback and blurted out, ¡°Did you watch the live broadcast?¡± He really didn¡¯t expect that a busy guy like Xie Xuanming would pay attention to the live broadcast of a stand-in lover. ¡°Hot search is full of clips.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyebrows were cold and hostile and he squeezed Ji Sheng¡¯s shoulder tighter, ¡°Do you enjoy rubbing off the heat of the dead man?¡± Ji Sheng realized. He apparently said the wrong thing, bringing someone on the hot search and upsetting his gold master. Ji Sheng was in a somewhat delicate mood, not quite sure whether Xie Xuanming¡¯s anger stemmed from his own name being dragged to the hot search or whether he was angry on behalf of his old lover. Being that old lover himself, Ji Sheng paused: ¡°Are you angry?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Because I brought Senior Ji Sheng to a hot search.¡± Xie Xuanming suddenly punched the wall; the load-bearing wall made a muffled sound. He said solemnly: ¡°I said, don¡¯t mention his name.¡± Ji Sheng searched his memories briefly, and after confirming that Xie Xuanming hadn¡¯t said this to him, he reminded: ¡°I have amnesia.¡± Another sentence was added: ¡°I won¡¯t mention it again in the future, I¡¯m sorry.¡± After he said this, Xie Xuanming suddenly fell silent. He looked down at Ji Sheng coldly for a while and lowered his fist that had hammered the wall: ¡°Your performance on the live broadcast is really not like amnesia.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s breathing stagnated slightly. During the live broadcast, he did not pay attention to controlling his expressions while listening to the anchor¡¯s spiel on the relationship between Xie Xuanming, Sheng Kongzhi and Ji Sheng. He wondered if there was a look that ¡°Ji Hui¡± shouldn¡¯t have had. While Ji Sheng was recalling whether he revealed himself, Xie Xuanming said, ¡°If you think of anything else afterwards, tell me directly.¡± After a pause, he added: ¡°Especially related to Ji Sheng.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression returned to calm, but Ji Sheng was a little upset. A bit of weird irritability appeared in Ji Sheng¡¯s heart; he really didn¡¯t understand what was the point of Xie Xuanming pretending to pine for his old lover. His white moonlight was clearly someone else; when Ji Sheng was alive, they had only used each other and Xie Xuanming had never shown him any kindness or help in trouble. Now that he was ¡°dead¡±, Xie Xuanming had become a good lover full of affection and forbearance, playing his role to earn everyone¡¯s sympathy. The more Ji Sheng thought about it, the more downturned the corners of his lips became. Finally he opened his mouth and said for no reason: ¡°Speaking of which, I did think of another passage from the kidnappers recently, but the content was too out of line. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a figment of my imagination.¡± ¡°Say.¡± ¡°They said that Senior Sheng Kongzhi, who was harassed, had a romantic relationship with Senior Ji Sheng.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ji Sheng tilted his head and said softly: ¡°Is it true?¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s aura gradually became violent: ¡°What do you want to say?¡± ¡°It¡¯s actually true¡­¡± Ji Sheng opened his eyes wide, surprised. Then he added as if he really meant it, ¡°I thought I heard it wrong¡­ I was just surprised¡­ ¡°Emperor Xie, it turns out there are things you can¡¯t get.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s aura suddenly grew colder and he took a step closer, completely pressing him against the wall. Ji Sheng thought for a moment that he was going to punch him and reflexively closed his eyes. In the end, he only felt the wall shake heavily. When he opened his eyes, Xie Xuanming had already strode upstairs. The door of the master bedroom slammed. Ji Sheng lowered his gaze and curved the corners of his lips blankly. It seemed that there was no need to curl up on that little couch for the night today. Niepan¡¯s first live broadcast event was very lively, and the brand valued the popularity, so they quickly approached the company to request a second live broadcast. Only Ji Sheng was invited for this live broadcast, and the goods that needed to be sold now were electronic products and various musical instruments that were more in line with the tastes of young people. When he saw the name of the co-anchor, Ji Sheng was stunned. He looked at the two words motionlessly for a long time, until the makeup artist noticed: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Ji Sheng raised his head and smiled at her, ¡°I just fell asleep.¡± In the itinerary in his hand, in the column for co-anchor, there was the name Su Jing. Su Jing was an active e-sports player, a big anchor in the e-sports circle and a top live broadcast streamer. He was also a former keyboardist and once he and Ji Sheng belonged to the same underground band. Su Jing was a competitive player and very eloquent. Probably because of his keyboardist background, he was extraordinarily talented at spitting at people, ordinary keyboard warriors no match for him at all. Ji Sheng had also been scolded by him, after the sexual harassment scandal. Su Jing arrived half an hour later than Ji Sheng. He sat down as if he hadn¡¯t seen Ji Sheng. The makeup artist went over and started applying his makeup. As she put on his makeup, Su Jing asked with his eyes closed, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Ji Sheng looked around and confirmed that he was talking to him: ¡°Ji Hui.¡± ¡°Which ¡®ji¡¯? ¡± ¡°Ji for ¡®season¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Su Jing opened his eyes, looked at Ji Sheng strangely and sighed half sarcastically, ¡°Xie Xuanming really knows how to find substitutes.¡± Ji Sheng looked at him calmly, with a slightly puzzled expression on his face. Su Jing stared at Ji Sheng until he was reminded by the makeup artist to close his eyes: ¡°Forget it, ignorance is a blessing.¡± Su Jing¡¯s live broadcast style was different from that of ordinary anchors promoting goods. He came with a fan base and was an e-sports anchor in his own right. The relationship with the fans in the live stream was more like bad friends than an anchor and the audience, and he and the audience shared mutual dislike in a very relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. However, the flaw of this style was that it was difficult for outsiders to integrate. Ji Sheng was left out to dry, with only a few face-licking comments occasionally mentioning him. He sat there quietly, like a spectator, watching Su Jing interact with the audience. Su Jing didn¡¯t intend to target Ji Sheng. On the contrary, he exported warnings to some barrage commenters who were rude to Ji Sheng, telling them not to be weird. He hadn¡¯t changed at all. Ji Sheng watched Su Jing comfortably display the goods in front of the camera and silently lamented. Should we say that Su Jing has maintained his nature too well, or that others have lost their original heart too quickly? After being an audience member for most of the night, Ji Sheng was finally blasted off his seat by Su Jing to demonstrate the effect of the product to the audience when an electric drum was presented. Ji Sheng sat down in front of the electric drum and swung the drumsticks twice: ¡°What should I play?¡± He has solid basic skills and could play any song. But the repertoire proposed by Su Jing made him pause for a while. ¡°Can you play ¡®Fruit Candy¡¯?¡± Su Jing said, ¡°From the Qingchu band.¡± The barrage screen was full of laughter and curses. Su Jing had been known to yell things like ¡°I played the keyboard that scared the shit out of people back in the day¡±. The audience knew that Qingchu was the underground band he used to be in. But no matter how much Su Jing bragged, there was no hiding the fact that Qingchu was a muddled little band that broke up without even releasing an album. Now that Su Jing grabbed a guest and began to show off his ¡°golden youth¡± again, the barrage knew he was giving the guest a hard time, so it was good to dislike him. Amidst the bombardment of ridicule and heckling, Ji Sheng lowered his head and turned the drumsticks: ¡°Okay, I can play it.¡± Su Jing was taken aback: ¡°You really know it?¡± ¡°I have heard it.¡± Ji Sheng smiled, ¡°I really like this song.¡± He was holding the drumsticks, too serious to be joking, and Su Jing could only hesitantly take out his phone and put out the track. The song was not recorded with professional equipment. The sound quality was very poor, barely audible even at maximum, and there was some lag. Ji Sheng played this intermittent tune from beginning to end, as naturally as if he was performing his own song. Su Jing was stunned. He had an illusion for a moment. It was not the live broadcast guest he saw today for the first time but a certain young man who came in early in the morning with a score in his hand, woke him up slapping his butt, and smiled in the face of his roar, saying, ¡°I¡¯ve written a song, I¡¯ll play it for you later¡±. The barrage was also taken aback. When Ji Sheng first started performing, the audience was still laughing, but later, they gradually realized that this guy was really good and very professional. They were dumbfounded for a while and shut up. Ji Sheng finished the performance, put the drumsticks in the drum bag, got up and returned to his place. He sat down for a while, and then the barrage suddenly woke up, dense exclamations and compliments reappearing in the live broadcast room. ¡°Well played, quite a surprise. I thought there were not many people who knew this song¡­¡± Su Jing regained his senses and was about to say a few words to cover up his absent-mindedness, when he suddenly caught a glimpse of the barrage. [Just like the dead pretty boy, it¡¯s an insult to the drummer¡¯s profession to play rock with a feminine touch. ¡¿ Su Jing¡¯s face darkened: ¡°I said I don¡¯t want to see cursing in the live broadcast room.¡± The man didn¡¯t let up and even got more aggressive in his tone. ¡°Bitch¡±, ¡°pussy¡± and ¡°deserved to die¡± were used. Faced with this man¡¯s quality triplet, Su Jing¡¯s face became a little bit horrible. He turned back and picked the drumsticks from the drum bag. Not far away, Su Jing¡¯s assistant silently covered his face. It was over; Su Jing had switched to shotgun mode. The drumstick was pointing at the screen. Su Jing¡¯s expression was gloomy and terrifying, as if he was holding not a drumstick but Lord Voldemort¡¯s magic wand, or a pen dripping ink over the Death Note, or the staff of the great wizard Gandalf the Grey. Su Jing jerked his right hand, just enough to graze the corner of Ji Sheng¡¯s eye. The former keyboardist went back to his old way and broke out completely. ¡°The one in the audience with the id ¡®wjssjb¡¯.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°What the fuck are you doing here introducing yourself to the whole world? You¡¯re only good enough to bang on your dad¡¯s grave. To say that someone insults the drummer profession, you¡¯re fucking insulting the human race!¡± Su Jing stood up excitedly, waving the drumstick and rushing forward aggressively, forcing the staff who were about to come up to rescue the scene to retreat again. He leaned in front of the camera, his mouth opened and closed. ¡°This wjssjb from the underworld, let me tell you¡ª¡ª ¡°I***£¬****£¬****£¬*****£¬**!!!¡± Ding Dong. The network management belatedly banned this overly uncivilised live broadcast room. CH 11 It was not the first or the second time Su Jing received a yellow card for a live broadcast. Being banned from the live broadcast room because of cursing was considered his traditional art. The platform would not mess with the traffic, though, and would let him out with a verbal warning and a token fine. Su Jing, returning from a doghouse, was another hero. He coolly posted an arrogant apology on Weibo, which probably read as ¡°Although I apologise, I scolded an idiot¡±¡­ and decided to bring Ji Sheng to the next few live broadcasts, making Ji Sheng a short-term fixed guest in the live broadcast room. The effect of Ji Sheng¡¯s participation was average at first, but with his good-looking face and decent business ability, recently the heat was quite high. Su Jing had no intention to terminate the cooperation, the live platform also pushed the boat, and Ji Sheng¡¯s company signed several more cooperation contracts. Although Su Jing was straightforward and had a poisonous mouth, his personality was actually quite good. He took great care of ¡°Ji Hui¡±; Ji Sheng also knew his style and followed his temper when he spoke, and the cooperation between the two was unexpectedly harmonious. After getting off the camera, they could also chat a little, unlike their awkward and alienated silence at the beginning. One day, after the live broadcast, when Ji Sheng was removing makeup backstage, Su Jing came over, pulled aside the chair and sat down. He glanced at Ji Sheng casually but was accidentally attracted by his neck: ¡°What¡¯s the matter with your neck?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ji Sheng looked down. The dressing room was a bit stuffy, so he took off his jacket to reveal a t-shirt with a loose neckline. The round neckline slipped down, and the dark red scabs on his neck that contrasted sharply with his fair skin were unsightly. Tooth marks that had not healed yet. Su Jing said clearly: ¡°Xie Xuanming did it.¡± He leaned over, pulled down his neckline slightly and frowned when he saw how deeply imprinted the tooth marks were: ¡°It¡¯s cruel enough to leave a scar.¡± After getting up, he commented. ¡°What a lunatic.¡± Ji Sheng pulled his neckline close: ¡°Senior is actually good to me.¡± Su Jing sneered: ¡°That guy is like this. He is really nice when he treats you well, and he won¡¯t recognize you after turning away.¡± He thought a little and added: ¡°Have you heard of Sheng Kongzhi, a star who has been very popular in the past two years?¡± ¡°I have heard some.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know what Xie Xuanming did to him. He grabbed his endorsements and roles. Even at various parties, he directly forced the organisers to choose only one¡­¡± Su Jing smirked, ¡°Of course, Sheng Kongzhi is not a good thing either. A dog bites a dog.¡± This was not the first time Ji Sheng heard of this. Xie Xuanming¡¯s targeting of Sheng Kongzhi had been mentioned many times on the radio. Ji Sheng raised his eyes and looked at Su Jing flatly: ¡°Why does Brother Su tell me this?¡± Su Jing paused and looked away: ¡°Nothing, you are a bit like a certain friend of mine¡­ I just remind you not to be naive, not to plunge into the quagmire you can¡¯t get out of¡­ a good deed in the memory of that friend.¡± Ji Sheng was silent for a while, then smiled at Su Jing: ¡°Thank you, Brother Su, I won¡¯t.¡± The conversation with Su Jing allowed Ji Sheng to confirm the fact that Xie Xuanming really had a grudge with Sheng Kongzhi. Although he had heard it many times before, Ji Sheng always suspected that it was a smoke bomb thrown by Xie Xuanming for hype and publicity. After all, there were not a few people in the entertainment industry who would do whatever it took to gain popularity. Ji Sheng also knew that there was no widely publicised feud between Xie Xuanming and Sheng Kongzhi apart from ¡°fighting for a lover¡±, but at most it meant a few issues that did not warrant such a big battle. But now it seemed that Xie Xuanming was even crazier than he thought. Ji Sheng sighed. He didn¡¯t quite understand why Xie Xuanming wanted to make Sheng Kongzhi so desperate, but he vaguely guessed that his death was related to Sheng Kongzhi and the forces behind Sheng Kongzhi¡­ Now Xie Xuanming and Sheng Kongzhi were in the opposing camps¡­ It is enough to know this, Ji Sheng decided. An enemy of an enemy is a friend. Their forces can be united. For some reason, Ji Sheng felt that if he had a good relationship with Xie Xuanming, the investigation of the cause of his death would go much smoother in the future. Then how could he get a good relationship with Xie Xuanming? Ji Sheng fell into contemplation. It seemed that the quality of Xie Xuanming¡¯s sleep was not very good¡­ Thinking of this, Ji Sheng had a flash of inspiration. He made a quick decision, stopped the driver and reported an address: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, something happened suddenly, please change it there, thank you.¡± Ji Sheng returned to the villa two hours later than usual that night. When he entered the door, Xie Xuanming had finished washing and was ready to sleep. Xie Xuanming was sitting on the bed reading the script, with a small lamp on the bedside. His posture, as if waiting for someone, made Ji Sheng more sure of his judgement and a little more confident in the next part of the process. After Ji Sheng finished washing, he sat down on the couch with his mobile phone, leaned forward and took the initiative to talk: ¡°Senior, do you have some sleep problems?¡± Xie Xuanming said coldly: ¡°It has nothing to do with you.¡± ¡°You asked me to stay in your bedroom because you can¡¯t sleep, right?¡± Xie Xuanming frowned slightly and looked at him: ¡°Who told you that?¡± ¡°No one.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°I just think so.¡± Before Xie Xuanming got angry, Ji Sheng said, ¡°Have you ever tried to listen to a lullaby to fall asleep?¡± ¡°Lullaby.¡± Xie Xuanming sneered and said disdainfully, ¡°Something to coax children.¡± ¡°Then do you want to try?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ji Sheng persisted: ¡°Give it a try.¡± He was too noisy; Xie Xuanming stared at him blankly. Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes were dark and when he stared at someone without moving, there was a creepy, eerie feeling that made people who were looked at by him shiver and turn away. But today, this practice failed. Ji Sheng grabbed his mobile phone; the paused audio on the screen caught his eye. His eyes were shining and he was eager to try. Xie Xuanming looked away and nodded reluctantly. Ji Sheng¡¯s face brightened, and he pressed the play button. ¡°Ah¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª!!!!¡± A shrill roar cut through the air and instantly pinned the careless Xie Xuanming to the head of the bed. His neck stiffened and he slowly looked down to see the name of the recording on the phone screen. ¡¾Schubert¡¯s Lullaby. remix. 21st century heavy metal version. ¡¿ ¡¾feat. growling drummer ¡¿ A tornado destroying a parking lot swept through the entire bedroom with a wild beat, the glass vibrated and the clock buzzed, and everything in the room (except Ji Sheng) was eager to scramble to the door and escape. After the song, Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t wait: ¡°How was it?¡± Xie Xuanming was silent as if he had been baptised by Satan. Ji Sheng continued to look expectantly. After a dead silence, Xie Xuanming said solemnly: ¡°You pulled all that crap just to give me this infernal stuff¡­¡± ¡°¡­didn¡¯t it work? I think it¡¯s quite hypnotic.¡± Xie Xuanming said one word at a time, gritting his teeth audibly: ¡°Get. Out.¡± ¡°I recorded two hours of that¡­¡± ¡°Get¡ªout¡ªget¡ªout¡ª¡± Ji Sheng looked at him for two seconds, got up obediently and walked out. He didn¡¯t need to sleep on the small couch again tonight. Next day, Ji Sheng went to the live broadcast with dark circles under his eyes. He spent the night restless and finally figured out that Xie Xuanming was too unpredictable a person. Pinning your hopes on him was like raising a beagle and expecting it to cook three dishes and a soup¡­ Ji Sheng warned himself gloomily that he needed to attack on multiple fronts and take the initiative¡­ Su Jing entered the door and saw him looking tired, so he asked casually, ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± Thinking of something, he added hastily: ¡°Pretend I didn¡¯t ask.¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t have the mind to refute; he leaned forward and said, ¡°Brother Su, do you have the contact information of Senior Sheng Kongzhi?¡± ¡°Used to have, but later deleted because of some troubles. Why are you asking?¡± ¡°Actually¡­¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°I¡¯m a fan. Senior Sheng Kongzhi is kind of my inspiration to play in a band¡­¡± ¡°Is he?¡± Su Jing widened his eyes, ¡°Then you and Xie Xuanming¡­¡± He paused: ¡°I said bad things about Sheng Kongzhi in front of you before¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. ¡°Ji Sheng laughed awkwardly. ¡°I only like to listen to his songs, nothing else¡­¡± Su Jing looked embarrassed: ¡°His songs are not very good¡­¡± Ji Sheng thought that he completely agreed but continued to laugh: ¡°Okay, okay. Everyone has different tastes, I understand¡­¡± In recent days, Niepan did not rehearse and Ji Sheng would go directly back to the villa after the live broadcast. Xie Xuanming would come back later than him, usually two or three hours later. However, today, as soon as Ji Sheng entered the door and turned on the lights, he was startled by a dark shadow on the couch. ¡°Senior, why did you come back so early today?¡±Ji Sheng asked, confused. ¡°Come here.¡± Xie Xuanming did not answer his question; his voice was solemn. Ji Sheng spent a while taking off his shoes, keenly aware that Xie Xuanming was not in the right mood¡­ Experience told him that it was best not to approach Xie Xuanming when he was in a bad mood. Ji Sheng hesitated and did not come closer. His passive resistance angered Xie Xuanming. He suddenly stood up from the couch, strode over, grabbed Ji Sheng¡¯s arm and dragged him to the basement. Ji Sheng had seen the stairs going down below the villa but he never knew what was behind the closed door. During the process of being dragged, he looked up and saw Xie Xuanming¡¯s gloomy expression, and various terrifying incidents such as basement murders, cannibalism and imprisonment suddenly appeared in his mind. Ji Sheng struggled reflexively, but Xie Xuanming¡¯s hand clutched his wrist like iron pliers. No matter how he tried to break free, it was futile. Ji Sheng was dragged all the way to the basement. Xie Xuanming held him with one hand and patted the switch on the wall with the other. Snap. The sudden brightness made Ji Sheng close his eyes, and then open them again. He was shocked to find that it was not a torture chamber in front of him, but only an empty room with a drum set in the center. Ji Shen didn¡¯t understand what kind of drum set Xie Xuanming, a singer-turned-actor, could have at home. Xie Xuanming let go of him, took something from the wall and threw it over. Ji Sheng caught it and looked down to confirm. A pair of drumsticks. He looked at the drumsticks blankly, even more confused. Xie Xuanming¡¯s low voice sounded next to him: ¡°So, you are a fan of Sheng Kongzhi?¡± These words were no different from an explosion. Ji Sheng suddenly looked up. Xie Xuanming appeared curious: ¡°You started playing in a band because of Sheng Kongzhi¡­ you weren¡¯t making this argument before.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s mind buzzed and he was about to flash his life-saving gold token: ¡°I have amne¡­¡± ¡°Amnesia can make people become fans of stars they didn¡¯t know before?¡± Xie Xuanming smiled melancholically, ¡°It¡¯s really fascinating.¡± Ji Sheng was confused. He didn¡¯t know why Xie Xuanming knew the content of his conversation with Su Jing, and he didn¡¯t expect Ji Hui to tell Xie Xuanming that he didn¡¯t know Sheng Kongzhi¡­ Seeing his complexion change, Xie Xuanming sneered: ¡°There are forty basic drumming skills, right?¡± He suddenly mentioned the basic drumming skills; Ji Sheng didn¡¯t know what it meant but he nodded. Xie Xuanming pointed with his chin at the drum set: ¡°Sit down.¡± Ji Sheng hesitated, adjusted the chair in front of the drum set and took a seat. Xie Xuanming watched him finish tuning, his expression grim. ¡°Play. Forty basic drumming skills. Don¡¯t stop until I say so.¡± The drums in the basement kept beating, the heavy, fast drumbeat constantly hitting the walls. After drumming for nearly three hours, Ji Sheng was exhausted. His clothes, hair and eyelashes were all wet with sweat, his vision hazy. He finished another set of forty basic drumming skills, and when the last drum beat faded, Ji Sheng paused for two seconds but no ¡®stop¡¯ came. He gritted his teeth, raised his hands and the drumsticks fell again. Since Xie Xuanming did not stop him, Ji Sheng had to continue drumming. He was Xie Xuanming¡¯s kept substitute lover, his self-respect and personality vanishing in the face of money and power. Although Ji Sheng was sceptical, today Xie Xuanming¡¯s practice of making himself play the drums over and over had gone beyond the realm of sex/transaction and reached the level of a labour abuse. Ji Sheng banged mechanically on the drums, his strength drained, his confused consciousness racked with exhaustion and anger. Gradually, the more he beat, the more he collapsed, and the more he collapsed, the harder he tried. In the end, Ji Sheng mercilessly squeezed out the last bit of his body¡¯s physical energy, using all his strength to pour out his emotions in the drums. Boom! The final drumbeat mixed with a discordant murmur. Snap! The sound of something light hitting the ground came one moment later. Ji Sheng clutched his belly and bent over, taking a big gulp of fresh air. At his feet, one drumstick was broken like a dead branch, sharp wood splinters exposed in the crack, and the other, unbroken drumstick rolled for some distance and stopped at Xie Xuanming¡¯s feet. Xie Xuanming looked blankly, his arms crossed, as he coldly watched the young man covering his stomach and straightening up with difficulty. The tip of his nose, his auricles and his thin lips were abnormally flushed; sweat fell from his hair, hanging on his eyelashes and getting into his eyes, finally rolling from under his eyelids, leaving wet trails that looked like tears. The young man raised his eyes in a haze, his clear, sharp gaze cutting straight through his wretched appearance and piercing Xie Xuanming with anger. He spoke, his voice hoarse but mocking: ¡°Emperor Xie, are you so angry because of being deceived, or because even a substitute prefers Sheng Kongzhi to you?¡± CH 12 Ji Sheng thought Xie Xuanming would get angry, just like the previous few times. But the strange thing was that he didn¡¯t. He looked at the wretched Ji Sheng indifferently, with the lingering shadow between his eyebrows, and said coldly: ¡°Go and wash¡±, then turned and walked out, leaving Ji Sheng alone and exhausted. Ji Sheng sat on the drum chair for a while, clutching his stomach, then slowly got up after the pain somewhat subsided. He knelt down to pick up the broken drumstick, sadness rising a little in his heart. The better drumsticks cost thousands, and the more modest ones cost two or three hundred. Although drumsticks were considered consumables for drummers, it was not unusual to practice for more than ten days before wearing out a pair¡­ As a bottom-level drummer in a state of abject financial poverty, Ji Sheng was irrepressibly heartbroken. But Ji Sheng also knew that the main source of the sharp pain in his heart was not the broken drumstick. There was annoyance of punching cotton, and indefinable anger. After Ji Sheng finished washing, he walked into the master bedroom without knocking. Xie Xuanming was sitting at the head of the bed, the night light overhead dimly caressing him, outlining his high nose and curtain-like eyelashes, making him look less like an unhinged lunatic and more like a gloomy beauty. Ji Sheng had no intention of admiring the beauty. He sat down on the couch without saying a word, his brows as cold as tree branches in frost. Xie Xuanming waited for him to sit down, put the book in his hand aside and reached to turn out the night light. Ji Sheng waited until he was breathing steadily, then curled up and lay down on the couch. He hugged his trembling arms and forced himself into sleep. Over the next few days, Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming plunged into a cold war. Of course, this was probably just Ji Sheng¡¯s unilaterally delusional cold war. Because Xie Xuanming¡¯s dull and gloomy expression was no different from the past, his eyes that fell on Ji Sheng¡¯s face before he went to bed were also like frozen goods out of an ice cellar, steaming with a cold white mist. Moreover, Xie Xuanming had no reason to have a cold war with a kept lover. So Ji Sheng had enough sense to attribute the suddenly frigid atmosphere between them two to his own ignorance¡­ But he didn¡¯t intend to repent for a while. About two or three weeks after the ¡°Forty Basic Drumming Skills¡± incident, Ji Sheng was rushing to the live broadcast. When he was putting on makeup in the dressing room, a few staff members whispered by his side that there was another guest coming today and that the celebrity was huge. Su Jing came as late as ever. Although he was now in the off-season, the e-sports player¡¯s upside-down underworld routine obviously was deep in his bone marrow. Su Jing would come in with a little yawn every day, hurriedly put on base makeup and would be pushed in front of the camera. His foundation was not bad; even when he was placed next to the fully made-up Ji Sheng, he only looked slightly plain and haggard. The audience in the live broadcast room often joked that the two people seemed to represent two extreme states of widowhood. A haggard widow who died with her husband, was deep in mourning and wearing linen, and a beautiful woman who lived with her husband in her memory and was unwilling to be lonely. At this moment the beautiful widow was closing his eyes to make up for his sleep, when he suddenly heard the sound of broken glass outside the door and the mourning widow¡¯s angry shout: ¡°Who the hell allowed you to come?!¡± Ji Sheng was taken aback and abruptly opened his eyes. He straightened up; the intensity of Su Jing¡¯s anger was obvious in his words. Even though his emotions used to fluctuate daily, being so angry was a rarity. Before the person who had angered him could speak, Su Jing broke out again: ¡°You¡¯ve got some fucking nerve coming here, a dog that eats people and doesn¡¯t spit out bones, forcing people to die and still having the nerve to waltz out in the street! The ungrateful bastard of the underworld, pretending to be a decent man. If I were you, I would be embarrassed to dig a grave on the spot and bury myself!¡± The scolded person seemed to have said something, but Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t hear the words said in a low voice that were overshadowed by Su Jing¡¯s angry scolding. ¡°Don¡¯t be hypocritical! When he was alive, you didn¡¯t care, now he¡¯s dead, you fucking say you want to make amends, isn¡¯t it fake, isn¡¯t it cheap?¡± The staff members tried to dissuade him quietly but couldn¡¯t stop Su Jing¡¯s aggressive cursing. Ji Sheng hesitated, got up and walked out. He wanted to see the situation, but after opening the door, he only saw Su Jing¡¯s back as he walked away. His gaze moved to the left, and in an awkward atmosphere, Xie Xuanming stood in the centre of the chaos, his downcast eyes full of disdain for the mess. Noticing that the door opened, he looked up and met Ji Sheng¡¯s startled gaze. Without giving too much time for eye contact, Ji Sheng slammed the door shut again. Xie Xuanming would naturally not squeeze into the small dressing room with Ji Sheng and share a makeup artist with him. Ji Sheng only saw him again at the beginning of the live broadcast. Xie Xuanming¡¯s usual image was mysterious and cold. Not to mention videos, there were no selfies. Fans could only get a glimpse of him through on-screen news pictures or unclear candids. So imagine Xie Xuanming appearing in front of the live broadcast camera and his good bone face that had only been seen on the big screen in the past approaching the camera, frowning and looking for the beauty switch¡­ The audience in the live broadcast room received a critical strike. After two seconds of silence, the barrage frantically filled the screen. Ji Sheng sat back expressionlessly. He had to admit that Xie Xuanming had a face blessed by God, sharp eyebrows and a towering nose, and the contemptuous coldness in his eyes constituted a unique charm. Xie Xuanming, with his aggressive looks, sat in front of the camera like a Siberian winter wolf wandering across the snow, and no amount of danger warnings could erase his mesmerising appeal. Xie Xuanming turned off the beauty filter that came with the live broadcast, returned and sat down next to Ji Sheng. There was only a palm distance between him and Ji Sheng, but it was like an unbreakable barrier. Both of them deliberately ignored each other, and it was visible to the naked eye that their relationship was alienated and cold. [A marriage-of-convenience couple that do not love each other but are united by their interests] Someone in the barrage made an accurate evaluation. [Disgusted to the point of not even bothering with superficial pretence] It didn¡¯t matter if Xie Xuanming ignored Ji Sheng, he was a big celebrity and was known as ¡°Big Ace Xie¡±, so ¡°he is Xie Xuanming¡± could be used to explain his disdain for anyone. But Ji Sheng ignored Xie Xuanming as well, which was a big problem. The one point of humiliation that Xie Xuanming could not erase was being cheated on by Ji Sheng, the tainted artist who had passed away. Ji Sheng died, and Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans could only swallow their complaints, reluctantly adopting the attitude of ¡±the dead are to be honoured¡±. Who would think that Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t play cards according to common sense and got a no-name newcomer who looked exactly like Ji Sheng, and even did ¡°an immortal descends to earth¡± for him, taking such a cheap job as a live broadcast. The key was that the no-name didn¡¯t appreciate it and wouldn¡¯t even give him a look. The man treated as a treasure was ignored by Ji Sheng as if he were air. Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans were full of anger; unable to direct it at their idol, they could only fire at Ji Sheng. [Sitting with such a black face in front of the camera, can¡¯t you even manage your expression? ¡¿ [What are you doing? Selling goods on live broadcast without talking, are you mental?¡¿ [Respect the advice of Senior and engrave it on your face, you have no artistic ethics at all!¡¿ The barrage cursed fiercely, but Ji Sheng didn¡¯t even blink. What curses had he not seen in his previous life? His stress resistance was very good. Even with eighteen Su Jing in front of him, he was a living Bodhisattva who could chant Amitabha Buddha calmly all day long. The two were silent for a long time, and finally Ji Sheng reluctantly spoke under the anxious urging of the brand owner. Today¡¯s product was lipsticks; taking into account Xie Xuanming¡¯s status, they were all well-known brand products. Ji Sheng casually chose a familiar one and picked it up, only to find that it was a brand that he had endorsed in his previous life. Stepping on a mine with his first step, Ji Sheng could already catch a glimpse of Xie Xuanming¡¯s mocking gaze. But he picked it up and it was definitely unrealistic to put it back. Ji Sheng bluntly introduced the brand and the colour, and then said, ¡°I¡¯ll show you the effect.¡± A hand with distinct joints suddenly appeared before his eyes. Ji Sheng was taken aback for a moment and watched Xie Xuanming withdraw the lipstick from his hand. He was going to show? Ji Sheng¡¯s doubts had just risen when Xie Xuanming took him by the chin and impatiently pressed the lipstick to his lips. Oh. It was the only thing Ji Sheng could say. He was showing it on his mouth. After Xie Xuanming applied it three or two times, he turned Ji Sheng to the camera, still holding his chin. The off-site staff whispered: ¡°Smile, smile.¡± ¡°Smile,¡± Xie Xuanming said concisely. Ji Sheng¡¯s lips curled in a thin smile; he felt he was about to blurt out ¡°Dalang, take your medicine¡± in the next moment(1). Ji Sheng, with his cheek pinched, asked vaguely, ¡°Does it look good?¡± ¡°En.¡± Xie Xuanming responded perfunctorily, took out the next lipstick and opened it without looking at it, ¡°Wipe it, I¡¯ll apply the next one.¡± Ji Sheng, about to wipe off the lipstick with a tissue, felt his eye twitch when he heard these words. He had a hunch that Xie Xuanming would try all the lipstick shades on him like experimenting on mice. Xie Xuanming did exactly that. By the end of the live broadcast, Ji Sheng¡¯s lips were red and swollen from the remnants of more than a dozen lipsticks, and Xie Xuanming¡¯s mouth was still clean, maintaining a cold, light tone. Ji Sheng rubbed his lips vigorously with a tissue, full of resentment, when he suddenly heard Xie Xuanming speak. ¡°Is there any itinerary for the 12th of next month?¡± ¡°No, why?¡± ¡°There is a lack of a drummer at the Double December Light Party.¡± Xie Xuanming said coldly, ¡°I will register your name if you are free.¡± The Double December Light Festival was regarded as one of the biggest annual parties. The artists who could participate in it were either old-timers with deep qualifications or red hot crispy fried chicken(2). As an example, the current top star, Sheng Kongzhi, was officially announced to attend just two days ago. Ji Sheng continued: ¡°Senior, are you going?¡± ¡°I am an actor, not a singer.¡± You debuted as a singer, Ji Sheng thought. Sure enough, was it ¡°won¡¯t go anywhere if there is Sheng Kongzhi¡±?¡­ ¡°Are you going?¡± Xie Xuanming asked again. ¡°Going,¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°Sorry to trouble Senior.¡± What the two said at the end of the live broadcast was polite and harmonious, but after the camera was out and they returned to the villa in the same car, the atmosphere between the two fell to freezing point. Xie Xuanming was the first to speak: ¡°You are really in a hurry to get close to Sheng Kongzhi¡­ What did Su Jing say to you?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t say anything.¡± Ji Sheng denied it and changed the subject lightly, ¡±Senior Xie, I have been having doubts recently.¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t speak, but let him continue with a soft ¡°en¡°. Ji Sheng went on: ¡°During the performance in Stardust Kindergarten, there was a retired station sister in the audience who said that I was ¡°very much like an old friend¡±. During the live broadcasts, one anchor was a ¡°Shengshi Shengping¡± cp fan, the other a former member of the Qingchu band. And Senior Sheng Kongzhi will also be present at the upcoming Double December Light Party.¡± Ji Sheng counted them one by one and smiled strangely: ¡°Senior Xie, you don¡¯t allow me to mention Senior Ji Sheng¡¯s name, but you keep making me contact people related to Senior Ji. It¡¯s really weird.¡± Xie Xuanming said coldly: ¡°What do you want to say?¡± ¡°Nothing. ¡°Ji Sheng said, ¡°I just want to lament that there is a reason for those who are popular to be popular. It¡¯s really breathtaking to see how they play with people like with black and white chess pieces, and how unscrupulous they are to achieve their goals.¡± ¡°Not comparable to you.¡± Xie Xuanming smiled contemptuously and said condescendingly, ¡°These days the standard of living has gone up and more people are seen selling their art than their bodies. It¡¯s¡­ naturally worth an extra effort to sell the body and the art together.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s words were sarcastic, but Ji Sheng shrugged indifferently. ¡°There¡¯s no harm in buying and selling.¡± He smiled thinly, ¡°I¡¯m also lucky to have met a clean man free of desire while selling my art and my body. To get a couple of bucks for such a job is not unscrupulous, but a big bargain.¡± CH 13 In a dark room, a black figure sat motionless on the bed. From the silhouette, one could barely say that it was a woman. The light from the tablet in her hand flashed; the young man on the screen was very handsome, smiling at the camera like a spring breeze. The woman¡¯s fingers trembled as she brushed them over the young man¡¯s face, the dim light illuminating her bandaged face. After the video ended, the system automatically jumped to associated videos. ¡°Can you play ¡®Fruit Candy¡¯?¡± ¡°Okay, I can play it.¡± The young man in front of the camera lowered his head and the drumsticks flew in his hands, a heavy drumbeat matching the song as he went on a rampage in the small live broadcast room. Ten seconds of wonderful editing passed, and subtitles appeared at the end of the video. [Guest of the Double December Light Gala, Drummer Ji Hui, stay tuned] The smile of the woman holding the tablet disappeared little by little. The corners of her lips twitched like terrifying scars, her eyes flashing with frenzied anger. She dropped the tablet, lurched forward and grabbed the phone from the head of the bed. ¡¾Are you going to the light party?¡¿ She quickly typed the words on the screen and waited anxiously after sending them. Seconds passed but there was no reply. She gritted her teeth, opened her address book, dialled a number and pressed the phone to her ear. ¡°Answer the phone¡­¡± The screen light illuminated a jagged scar that went from her ear bone to her forehead. She clutched the phone and whispered like a demon, ¡°Answer the phone¡­¡± The call was not answered. She didn¡¯t give up and called again¡­ ¡°The number you have dialled is switched off¡­¡± As soon as she heard the cold voice of rejection, the corners of her mouth that twisted and trembled became stiff. Two seconds later, the phone slammed into the wall fiercely and the shattering sound of the impact was drowned in hysterical screams. The bandaged woman punched herself like a maniac, wetting the bandages with her tears and saliva. ¡°Damned ghost!¡± She screamed at the screen, her voice high-pitched to the point of squealing, ¡°Why are you always haunting me, bitch! Slut! Go to hell! Go to hell!!! Go to hell!!!¡± Villa area Sitting on the small couch, Ji Sheng opened his mouth and yawned. Xie Xuanming was lying on the bed next to the couch. This man who was often angry because of inexplicable things was particularly indifferent in some ways. For example, when in the afternoon Ji Sheng insinuated that he was sexually impaired, this insult that would have sent 90% of men into a frenzy did not shake Xie Xuanming one bit. He only smiled coldly and said, ¡°Do as much as you are paid to do¡±, and then stopped paying attention to Ji Sheng. Ji Sheng thought that Xie Xuanming might also have a guilty conscience; after all, today he ruthlessly exposed the facts he was trying to conceal. ¡°You said you are valuable, prove it to me.¡± That gloomy sentence in the bathroom had never been said casually. ¡±Ji Hui¡± was of course valuable, Xie Xuanming clearly saw that early on. When Ji Sheng was thinking about using Xie Xuanming to find the cause of his death in the previous life, Xie Xuanming also silently included Ji Sheng in his plan. The people who killed Ji Hui were hiding in the dark. If they had the courage to make a big living person disappear in broad daylight, they might do it again. Outside the law people who ignored the rules of society. No one would be unafraid of such people, not to mention that Xie Xuanming was likely to have a grudge with them. Xie Xuanming decided to take the initiative. He used ¡±Ji Hui¡° as bait, using the only ¡±valuable¡± characteristic of this low-status boy¡ªthe face that looked exactly like the face of the deceased star¡ªto constantly place him among people associated with Ji Sheng and use the generated chemical reactions to attract the attention of those people. A method of setting a trap without batting an eyelid. If it were the original Ji Hui, he would have been grateful for the resources that had fallen from the sky, not realising that Xie Xuanming had pushed him into the hunter¡¯s net. The moment the hunter showed up, it was very likely that the bait would die. Was it not right to lament calling it inhumane and unscrupulous? Ji Sheng smiled helplessly in the dark. Although cooperating with Xie Xuanming was tantamount to conspiring with a tiger, he did not intend to disrupt Xie Xuanming¡¯s plan. Xie Xuanming¡¯s methods were vicious but they were indeed efficient. Ji Sheng was now passive and had no choice but to rely on Xie Xuanming. Xie Xuanming¡¯s steady breathing reached his ears. Ji Sheng turned his head and looked at his frowning eyebrows, their sharp lines barely allowing this face to overlap with the face in his memory . ¡°Really¡­ he used to be cute.¡± Ji Sheng was unhappy, ¡°Why did he become so annoying now¡­¡± As if hearing his whispered complaint, Xie Xuanming frowned even more and his heavy curtain-like eyelashes trembled. In the end, he must have been doing something wrong. No matter what winning combination he had during the day, he didn¡¯t sleep well at night¡­ Ji Sheng sighed, and a bit of curiosity surged in his heart unconsciously. What kind of nightmare did this guy have? Xie Xuanming was indeed dreaming at the moment, but unlike Ji Sheng imagined, what was looming in his mind was not a nightmare, but reality. He dreamed of the dirty, clogged streets, with thugs yelling at the corners, cigarette butts and spit on the uneven ground, stray dogs hovering around the garbage dump, trying to find today¡¯s dinner from it. Behind the alley shops, children¡¯s cries mingled with women¡¯s violent curses¡­ The young man in a cap bypassed the smokers, stray dogs and noise, quietly walked into the corner grocery store and stood still at the counter. This shop was located at the end of an alley. The owner surnamed Ma said that as long as you had money, you could get everything you wanted from him. ¡°Sleeping pills.¡± The thin young man wearing a cap whispered, putting a red bill on the counter. Lao Ma didn¡¯t raise his head: ¡°Not enough.¡± A slightly muffled thud of something falling on the glass followed the end of the sentence. A roll of red banknotes was tied with a cheap rubber band and rolled twice on the glass counter. The young man withdrew his hand and said blankly: ¡°Is that enough?¡± Lao Ma finally looked up, glanced at the money, moved his gaze up and swept it over the young man. The young man looked about fifteen or sixteen years old, tall, with a pale face hidden under the brim of the cap and an indifferent expression Lao Ma grinned, showing a mouthful of dirty golden teeth: ¡°Can¡¯t sell you, this stuff is prescription medicine, you die from taking it and I¡¯ll be in trouble when the police come to my door.¡± The young man pursed his lips and said nothing. Lao Ma tapped his foot and advised carelessly: ¡°Young man, what¡¯s a good time to be looking for death. You¡¯re handsome, talk to a few girls and smoke a few cigarettes, what¡¯s too much to handle¡­¡± The young man picked up the roll of banknotes in silence, leaving the one he put down on the counter at the beginning. ¡°Hemp rope,¡± he said. Xie Xuanming walked out of the grocery store, the hemp rope peeking out of the black plastic bag he was holding in his hand. He stuffed it in and left. As Xie Xuanming walked out of the alley, he heard the sound of a female voice berating a child angrily. ¡°Are you trying to piss me off! How could I give birth to a trash like you!¡± Xie Xuanming accelerated his steps, but he still couldn¡¯t help but remember¡­ ¡°You are not the bloodline of the Xie family, you bastard.¡± The woman cried, shaking and dishevelled. ¡°Mom¡­¡± Xie Xuanming hung his head and whispered, letting her beat him. This ¡°mom¡± infuriated the woman who was already on the verge of collapse. She pushed Xie Xuanming down fiercely and yelled hysterically: ¡°Don¡¯t call me mom, you don¡¯t have a mom, you don¡¯t have a dad, you are an orphan¡­ I don¡¯t have a son like you, get out, get out of my house, get out! Scram!!¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s face twitched stoically; he pulled the door without saying a word and left the house. It was his second-to-last meeting with the woman he called ¡°mom¡±. When he saw her for the last time, she was a corpse hanging in the centre of the room, with her hair loose and her tongue protruding from her mouth. Her face was purple and blue, her eyes rolled up. She died so ugly that no one could tell that she was a beauty when alive. Xie Xuanming wandered aimlessly in the streets and finally settled in a bar after dark. It was probably a black bar, so black that when Xie Xuanming walked in, looking obviously underage, no one stopped him. There was a stage in the centre of the bar. An unknown band was performing on it. The lead singer had a very poor pitch. Xie Xuanming glanced at him and stopped paying attention. He ordered a cocktail, and while waiting, he remembered something about the woman he used to call ¡°mom¡±. That woman was pathetic and hateful, Xie Xuanming thought, being tricked by a married man into giving birth to a child, hoping day and night that the man would take her with her son home to live a life of wealth and prosperity. After waiting for seventeen years, the woman finally couldn¡¯t bear it and planned to make a big fuss. Who could imagine that the man would show a certificate and tell her that her own flesh and blood had died as soon as it was born. Xie Xuanming, the child she raised, had no blood relation with her or the man. The woman collapsed after hearing it. The dream of a wealthy life of many years was shattered in an instant. She couldn¡¯t face reality and hanged herself at home. When the cocktail was served, Xie Xuanming took a big sip and the bitterness burned from the tip of his tongue to his heart. After her death, a strange man approached Xie Xuanming and said that he was his biological father. The certificate was falsified, so that she would be more peaceful and stop ruining the face of the Xie family. She was indeed ¡°peaceful¡±. Xie Xuanming looked indifferently at the ¡°father¡± he had never seen before. The man sincerely said that he owed him too much and hoped that he could return home and get corresponding compensation. No need, Xie Xuanming said, no need. Whether it was a mother who had never loved him or a father who had never met him. He needed neither of them. And he was not needed anymore. Xie Xuanming raised his head and poured the cocktail into his stomach. This was the first time he had drunk alcohol. As expected, it was not to his taste. There should be no next attempt. After the band on stage finished performing, there was an incident. A beer-bellied man close to the stage suddenly grabbed one of the band members and said drunkenly: ¡°Your lips are so thin¡­ have you heard of it? People with thin lips have thin blessings and thin lives¡­ but it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± The beer belly smiled lewdly, ¡°Just give Uncle a kiss, Uncle is blessed, will share with you a little¡­¡± Xie Xuanming couldn¡¯t see clearly the face of the boy pulled by the man from a distance. He only saw his hand clenched in a fist. But the boy didn¡¯t do anything in the end, just shrugged off the man, his expression dark, and took a different route to walk out. The black bar paid less than one hundred for the performance, so it was obviously not a cost-effective option to ruin the proceeds of a night on the spur of the moment. Xie Xuanming watched the boy get closer to him, and suddenly felt a little funny. The poor people worked hard to survive, and the rich people were bent on death. Xie Xuanming¡¯s family was not short of money. His mother asked for a lot from the man and worked hard to train her son into a ¡°rich young master¡±. Naturally, there was no shortage of food and clothing. Xie Xuanming had to go to the interest classes where rich people¡¯s children go. Xie Xuanming had to have luxury gifts that the man¡¯s decent wife and children had¡­ The watch Xie Xuanming was wearing now was the one his mother heard the man bought as a valuable birthday gift for his son at home, so she went crazy and asked for one for Xie Xuanming, too¡­ Xie Xuanming only felt the heaviness on his wrist and the tingling in his bones. The gift of vanity and comparison was more insulting than shackles. When the boy passed by the table, Xie Xuanming stopped him. ¡°Are you short of money?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The boy was taken aback. ¡°Give me your hand.¡± Before the boy could react, he saw a teenager, younger than him, pull his wrist, take off his watch and put it in his palm. ¡°Pawn it or sell it on a second-hand website.¡± Xie Xuanming got up, put on his cap and said in a low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t think about the price below five digits.¡± The boy looked at the watch in his hand in a daze, and when he reacted and wanted to return it, the teenager had already turned away and walked out, disappearing in the doorway. The author has something to say£º Memories open Unlock Emperor Xie¡¯s Wolfdog Puppy Form CH 14 Xie Xuanming wandered around the streets for a while, then slowly returned to the rental house. He didn¡¯t want to depart in his own home and die on the same beam as his mother. Even if it was a feudal superstition, Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t want to be unable to get rid of that suffocating woman even after his death. The place of death needed to be selected carefully. A hotel was not a good choice. No one would want to stay where someone committed suicide. It was not Xie Xuanming¡¯s intention to put people out of business in order to free himself. After some consideration, Xie Xuanming chose a certain rental house in the slums of the lower city. Probably because the building was full of people doing drugs, prostitution, gambling and other harmful things, the rent was surprisingly cheap and the landlord couldn¡¯t manage it and didn¡¯t bother to do so, so an ¡°I suck¡± poster was stuck in the most prominent place of the rental house. Xie Xuanming was pretty sure that he was not the first person to die in this rotten building and he probably would not be the last. Which method of death to choose was also a problem. Xie Xuanming did not want to retaliate against society, nor did he intend to disturb the normal lives of the living. However, death was like throwing a stone at a calm pool, no matter how light it was, it would make waves. Jumping off a building will undoubtedly cause crowds of onlookers; with gas, there was a possibility of harming innocent survivors; with cutting wrists, the choice of location became problematic, and Xie Xuanming himself was not happy to die wet and bloody, that would be too messy. Xie Xuanming finally decided to take an overdose of sleeping pills and leave peacefully. However, the medicine was not as easy to get as in the novels and movies. Almost every store where he asked about it treated him as if facing an enemy and refused to sell the medicine. In desperation, Xie Xuanming could only change his mind. After going full circle, he finally chose the same way of death as his mother. The rusty keyhole was very unresponsive, and Xie Xuanming struggled to turn the key for a long time before opening the door. God knows why this house needed to be equipped with anti-theft doors. Thieves of the entire district might be living in this building. Xie Xuanming entered the room, drank a small bottle of mineral water left on the table and carried the plastic bag into the toilet. The toilet was very narrow, and the stench from the sewer was so bad that it made one frown when entering, but it had the only pipe in the whole house that could be used for hanging. Xie Xuanming reached and realized that his height was not enough to tie the rope from the floor. So he moved a chair from the living room, stepped on it with a tooth-aching squeak and stood up, throwing the rope over the beam. The sound insulation of the rental house was very bad, and in the bathroom it was especially poor. Hearing ambiguous noises from neighbours was not a rare thing. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t want to live at home since the death of his mother. After staying in various hotels for more than a month, he moved to this rental house a week ago. But in less than a week, Xie Xuanming had already become vaguely aware of the occupation of his neighbour he had never met. ¡°You are too fast¡­ slow down¡­¡± ¡°Are you in¡­¡± ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯m so tired¡­ I can¡¯t do it anymore¡­ let me rest¡­¡± An ambiguously subdued male voice came through the wall, and Xie Xuanming stopped arranging the rope and rubbed his ears. Although it could be said that the guy didn¡¯t restrain himself on a regular basis, today was just too much. Xie Xuanming wanted to knock on the wall to tell them to be quiet and not to disturb him. But he was not sure whether doing so would interfere with people¡¯s business, so he finally gave up. While tying the knot, he thought sarcastically that if his neighbour knew that someone had hanged himself across the wall when he was ¡°happy¡±, he might be frightened into a psychological disorder in future. Thinking about it, Xie Xuanming finally tied the rope. He held the rough loop of hemp rope, his heart beating uncontrollably. Now you just need to stick your head into the loop and kick the chair off¡­ Ten minutes later Xie Xuanming stood in silence on the chair, and the ambiguous voice next door stopped. Choosing death was much more difficult than he had imagined. Only when Xie Xuanming felt his calves going sore and numb and the chair started shaking did he take a deep breath and braced himself¡ª¡ª He was about to put the loop on his neck when the doorbell rang suddenly. Xie Xuanming paused, trying to ignore the sound. Ding dong, ding dong, ding dong. Boom, boom, boom. The desperate doorbell didn¡¯t work, so it was replaced by an insistent knock. The noise was so annoying that Xie Xuanming hurriedly got off the chair, closed the toilet door, walked to the door and opened it. The anti-theft door opened, revealing an unexpected person. An older boy with messy hair stood in the doorway, his face unnaturally flushed with the heat of intense action. Xie Xuanming glanced at his wide-open neckline, then at the slightly open nearby door, and without much effort figured out the identity of the visitor. His neighbour, a special worker whom he had never met before. To Xie Xuanming¡¯s surprise, he had seen this guy. At the bar this afternoon. The boy was short of breath and didn¡¯t seem to have recovered from the ¡°exercise¡±. Xie Xuanming broke the silence. ¡°Are you¡­ next door?¡± ¡°You are¡­ the one in the afternoon¡­¡± The boy¡¯s voice was slightly hoarse, similar to the voice Xie Xuanming heard across the wall. Recalling the fierce noises that he heard every night, Xie Xuanming was silent for a while and said, ¡°¡­I gave you the watch, it can be sold for a good price and you can slow down on your work¡­¡± ¡°Did it bother you? I¡¯m sorry.¡± The boy¡¯s face turned red and his thin moist lips opened and closed, ¡°People still need to rely on themselves.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Xie Xuanming said sincerely: ¡°Sometimes you don¡¯t have to be so independent.¡± The boy was silent for a while, then suddenly said, ¡°My name is Ji Sheng and I live next door to you.¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t know why the neighbour suddenly wanted to introduce himself. He was pretty sure he didn¡¯t have any intention to seek this one¡¯s ¡®business¡¯¡­ He replied embarrassedly: ¡°Xie Xuanming.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ji Sheng nodded and said dryly, ¡°Good name.¡± ¡°¡­thank you.¡± Ji Sheng scratched his head, as if he couldn¡¯t stand the awkward chat, and announced the purpose of his visit: ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interrupt, I want to borrow something.¡± ¡°¡­what? ¡± ¡°Hemp rope.¡±Ji Sheng worded it properly, ¡°Preferably the kind that is thicker, stronger and doesn¡¯t fall apart easily when tying things up.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Xie Xuanming was once again shocked by Ji Sheng¡¯s words. The image of hemp rope flashed through his mind, hanging, tug-of-war¡­ Xie Xuanming¡¯s face changed, a vague possibility irrepressibly crossing his mind. So his expression became more complicated and he emphasised: ¡°That watch¡­ can really be sold for a good price.¡± Ji Sheng was also very serious: ¡°I can give you back the watch, but if you have a rope, can you please lend it to me first? I am in a hurry to use it.¡± Xie Xuanming wanted to complain about how there would be such a thing as hemp rope in a normal house, but he changed his mind, thinking that there was indeed one hanging in his toilet, but he didn¡¯t know whether the man in front of him still would want it if he knew the original purpose of that rope¡­ The two confronted each other awkwardly, and another voice suddenly interrupted, breaking the calm. ¡°Hey! What are you doing, go borrow something and start chatting with people, can you hurry up!¡± The grumpy voice caught Xie Xuanming¡¯s attention. The neighbour¡¯s door opened wide, a man in a white vest leaning out and yelling. Xie Xuanming could probably guess the identity of this person. He sighed silently that everyone had hardships and money was really hard to earn. ¡°Give me some more time!¡± Ji Sheng yelled back, turned and said sincerely, ¡°You¡¯ve seen it too, please.¡± As soon as Xie Xuanming wanted to speak, he heard another male voice behind the door: ¡°Don¡¯t be so impatient, this thing is not easy to borrow. ¡± Three people? Xie Xuanming¡¯s complexion completely changed. Was the special industry even offering such services now? ¡°Please.¡± Ji Sheng put his hands together and begged, ¡°Give us a sign if there is a rope? If not, I can go and borrow it from someone else. Our band is playing tomorrow and we haven¡¯t finished rehearsing the piece yet, so it¡¯s really urgent.¡± Xie Xuanming was stunned: ¡°The band?¡± ¡°Yeah, didn¡¯t you see me perform at the bar today? I¡¯m a drummer¡­¡° Ji Sheng paused, ¡°Would you like to take a look, the band is rehearsing.¡± ¡°It was our guitarist Li Tan who yelled just now. The one who stopped him was bassist Sheng Kongzhi, and the one who looks very beautiful and is like a girl is keyboardist Su Jing.¡± ¡°Fuck your mother, Ji Sheng!¡± Su Jing threw something in his hand at him and cursed, ¡°You don¡¯t feel comfortable not insulting me twice a day, do you?¡± Xie Xuanming followed Ji Sheng, watching the scene in front of him with a subtle feeling. It was true that there was a band in front of him, but the guitar was not plugged in, the bassist was empty-handed, there was just a keyboard pad in front of the keyboardist, and the drummer¡¯s drum kit.¡­¡­ The drummer¡¯s drums were a pile of pillows and quilts hanging crookedly from the side of the bed, the rope used to bind them snapped on the floor. If someone needed to describe this band in one word, it would be ¡°poor¡±; in two words, ¡°poor¡± and ¡°sad¡±. Xie Xuanming was shocked by the extreme poverty of the band and couldn¡¯t help but question: ¡°Is this possible¡­ to rehearse?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°Just play the recorded music on the phone and follow it¡­ But the drums are falling apart, so we have to tie them back as soon as possible.¡± Xie Xuanming was silent. He finally understood that the sounds he heard every night were not ¡°exercise¡±, but the sounds of the band¡¯s rehearsals, and he also understood now why the musicians¡¯ voices were louder than musical instruments. This band was too poor; there was not a single instrument that could make a sound at hand, and rehearsals had to rely on brains to make up for it. Xie Xuanming was silent for a moment, then turned around: ¡°I happen to have a rope here, you can borrow it for your rehearsal.¡± ¡°Really?! Thanks!¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°By the way, your voice is very nice, maybe you can sing? Are you interested in joining a band?¡± ¡°Thanks, I can¡¯t¡­ I¡¯ll get the rope.¡± Xie Xuanming declined, turned around and returned to his room, Su Jing¡¯s yelling reaching his ears. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t just kidnap kids into it, are you still not satisfied with pulling me in, huh?¡­¡± Xie Xuanming removed the rope from the toilet pipe, took a long time to untie the knot and brought it out. The door pushed open almost smacked the person squatting by the wall. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t know how many times he was frightened tonight. He could only hold the door and look down with his heart thudding. ¡°Why are you squatting here if you need to rehearse?¡± ¡°Waiting for you.¡± Ji Sheng jumped up from the ground with a smile, ¡°Are you busy tomorrow night?¡± Xie Xuanming could not figure out what this drummer, whose every step was treading in his logical blind spot, wanted to do now. But his brain automatically thought about Ji Sheng¡¯s question. Since the rope was borrowed, hanging was definitely not¡­ ¡°I might be¡­ not necessarily.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s eyes lit up, he magically conjured up a bracelet and put it on Xie Xuanming¡¯s wrist without hesitation. ¡°There will be a band festival at the Magic Flute Bar tomorrow. We have a performance. This is the ticket.¡± He took the rope from Xie Xuanming, waved his hand before returning to his room and emphasised: ¡°You are coming!¡± The door closed. Xie Xuanming looked down, and on the rubber bracelet on his wrist two curves were drawn with a highlighter, forming the shape of two mountains. In the dim light, the humble green hills emanated an eerie green glow, with the skewed handwriting standing out next to them. Qingchu. CH 15 ¡¾Magic Flute¡¿ Xie Xuanming tilted his head to look at the logo above, and the purple-green light glowed faintly from the bottom of the font, as psychedelic and mysterious as a cave opening. A circle of lights in the same colour was also arranged by the bar¡¯s front door, at first glance looking a bit like the gates of hell in the punk era. Probably because of the ¡±Band Festival¡°, there were a lot of people at the Magic Flute Bar. The guard wearing ski goggles and dressed like a new age electrician didn¡¯t look at Xie Xuanming carefully, only perfunctorily confirming that he was wearing an ¡±admission ticket¡± on his wrist and letting him in. The Magic Flute was Xie Xuanming¡¯s second bar and the atmosphere here was very different from the previous black bar. Although the black bar also had a stage, alcohol and music, on the whole it still had a casual feel not dissimilar to any normal drinking place. The Magic Flute, on the other hand, put itself on a pedestal from the moment one entered through that magical door. The Magic Flute Bar was on the ground floor. Following the stone steps, noisy sounds gushed out. Facing the stairs was a huge stage. The dance floor under the stage was a layer lower. Beautifully dressed men and women were talking and dancing in it. The tattoo stickers on their bodies glowed together with their bracelets, swaying in a dreamlike light. Xie Xuanming glanced at them hurriedly and found that most of the tattoos were in the shape of musical instruments. The people in the Magic Flute were mainly dressed in bright colours, with their shiny gloss setting off Xie Xuanming¡¯s black outfit that made him stand out in a different sense. Many people noticed a romantic, calm young man at the door. He was like a bamboo sprouting in a tropical rainforest, out of place and full of attraction. This peeping made Xie Xuanming frown. Unaccustomed to and uncomfortable with being in the centre of attention, he moved silently to the bar in the corner and settled on a high stool in the shadows. Withdrawing from the centre of the picture did not stop people from being curious about him. As soon as Xie Xuanming sat down, a man in a dark green shirt moved closer and said with a smile that the milk beer(1) here was good and asked if he wanted to try one, his treat. Although Xie Xuanming had never been to such a place, he could also perceive the hint in the words of the man in dark green. He said bluntly: ¡°I don¡¯t like men.¡± ¡°Ah, so.¡± The man looked a little regretful; when he saw the young man sitting cautiously and coldly in the corner, his eyelashes drooping like inky butterflies, making one feel itchy, he could not resist approaching, wanting to squeeze him in his palm and play with him. It was rare to meet such a fascinating prey. The man didn¡¯t give up and wanted to say a few more words, but saw a grinning guy hug the young man. ¡°This kid is with me.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s shoulders sank under someone¡¯s weight and he was about to push away but with his peripheral sight saw Ji Sheng¡¯s smiling eyes. Ji Sheng was wearing a performance costume, his leather jacket hanging on his shoulders carelessly, revealing his collarbones when he moved. The muscles of his arms were smooth and flowing. He was wearing makeup, and the sequins at the corners of his eyes made the tear mole seem darker and brighter. The man looked at Ji Sheng up and down: ¡°He doesn¡¯t like men.¡± ¡°I am not a man.¡± Ji Sheng raised his eyebrows and made a shocking comment, ¡°Do I look so masculine?¡± The effect of pretending to be a niche group was amazing. The man glanced at his thin shoulders and the Adam¡¯s apple obscured by the choker, turned and left in disbelief. ¡°This kind of guys are often found in bars.¡± After sending the man away, Ji Sheng leaned to Xie Xuanming¡¯s ear and said leisurely, ¡°Like niupi candy(2). The usual methods don¡¯t work, you have to use something ruthless¡­¡± He glanced at Xie Xuanming with a smile, and added: ¡°Of course, you¡¯d better not use this little trick. This kind of place is not suitable for minors.¡± Without a word, Xie Xuanming squeezed the wrist that was resting on his shoulder, the skin feeling soft and cold to the touch. He pulled away from the patronising hug, raised his hand and showed Ji Sheng the bracelet to the effect of ¡°you invited me.¡± Ji Sheng misunderstood Xie Xuanming¡¯s meaning, grabbed his wrist lightly and pulled the bracelet to his eyes. The temperature of his palm was different from that of his skin. It was as hot and dry as the dance floor. The temperature transmitting from his palm burned Xie Xuanming to the point of goose bumps and tinted the tips of his ears slightly pink. ¡°I painted it.¡± Ji Sheng pointed at the fluorescent marker drawing on the rubber bracelet and said proudly, ¡°Qingchu, two green mountains, the name of our band, isn¡¯t it good?¡±(3) Before he could say anything, the dance floor suddenly darkened, and the lights behind it lit up to illuminate the stage hidden in the shadows. The first band appeared under the lights, its bassist playing passionately, the vigorous sound overwhelming the noise. In the chaos of light and shadow, Ji Sheng let out a ¡°ho¡± and said with a smile: ¡°It¡¯s on, I have to rush backstage to get ready or I¡¯ll get scolded again.¡± He squeezed Xie Xuanming¡¯s wrist and shook it twice like teasing a cat: ¡°See you later, cheer for me.¡± After that, he let go of Xie Xuanming, jumped into the dance floor like a fish into the water, and disappeared in the crowd. Xie Xuanming rubbed the wrist Ji Sheng had been holding, still feeling the remaining warmth from his palm. The bands changed one after another on the stage, and Xie Xuanming watched them seriously. This type of band performance was very novel to him. The drums burst and the melody was passionate. Most of the original music was immature and unbalanced, but full of savage intensity. Even if you didn¡¯t understand it, it could still make your heart beat hard. Unfortunately, there were so many similar bands that Xie Xuanming looked at two or three of them and then moved on in disinterest. He turned his head and squinted, looking at the menu hanging on the top of the bar, raised his hand and ordered a glass of milk beer. After five or six minutes, the bartender pushed the milk beer in front of him. Xie Xuanming was going to take a sip and heard a deafening ¡°boom¡± behind him. The eruption of drums calmed down the noisy bar, and the people who were chatting and dancing stopped one after another, suddenly looking up at the stage. The beer glass on the table shuddered; ignoring the overflowing foam, Xie Xuanming turned and locked his eyes on the pitch-black stage behind him. There was a few seconds of silence, and the clean drumbeat sounded again, the rhythm cutting the ribbon to announce the beginning of the real show. Lights went up; in the limelight the young man¡¯s hair fluttered and dust swirled under the pounding of drumsticks. When the melody was added, the song flourished in an instant, as if flesh and blood were added to a skeleton. Amidst the passionate music, Ji Sheng pulled the mic closer and yelled: Noisy streets, smelly corners Filth and dirt, but the world is silent Hidden desires that meet flesh and blood Pure white powder of desire His voice was slightly hoarse, dripping with the wretchedness of a quagmire and disdainful madness. Like a dog covered in scars, its wounds mixed with mud and its fur constantly sticky with blood and dust. But the stray dog was so free, so proud, as if it was walking on the top of the world and everyone but it were walking corpses, insignificant people. Ji Sheng sang carelessly, pronouncing the words extremely hard, emphasising the song with every drum beat tha plunged deeply into the listener¡¯s heart. Xie Xuanming stared at the stage in a daze, drumbeat and lyrics pounding into his brain, his heart thudding so hard that it made him slightly dizzy. On the stage, Ji Sheng raised his eyes abruptly, his sharp gaze cutting through the chaos of lights and shining straight and clear. He sang: Build a temple of hope on the ruins Ignite the glory of rebirth in the world The glory sold for a bite of bread Can bring hypocrisy to its doom Stray dog carries rotting wounds Chasing the sun of yesterday in the filth The drums fell heavily, and the bass guitar and the keyboard came to a stop. In silence, he gently dropped the drumsticks. The song was over. The audience on the dance floor was silent for a moment, and then their amazement and cheers surged instantly. Before tonight, not many people had heard of the band Qingchu, but it was no surprise that after this performance, it would become a household name in the circle. Xie Xuanming sat on the high stool, waiting for his sizzling blood to cool down little by little. He gently called the bartender and asked, ¡°Do you know whose song the Qingchu band has just performed?¡± ¡°Qingchu? It¡¯s an original track¡­ Wait, let me see the program¡­¡± The bartender flipped through the papers and continued: ¡°This song is called ¡®Stray Dog¡¯.¡± Stray dog, a dog wandering in the dark. Xie Xuanming felt that his throat was dry and lowered his head to drink a large sip of beer. The bartender wiped the glass beside him, shook his head and said with emotion: ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I saw such a sensational band¡­ hey!¡± Before he finished the sentence, he was shocked to see that in front of him, the boy that looked like a student cleared the beer glass to the bottom in two sips, jumped off the high stool and walked towards the door without turning his head. Xie Xuanming stood in a cold wind at the door for a while. He didn¡¯t stop there intentionally, he¡¯d just drunk too much, felt dizzy and walked out erratically. Moreover, he had nowhere to go. He has been homeless since birth, living a borrowed life in someone else¡¯s delusion for more than a decade before eventually returning to the life of a stray. Xie Xuanming bent over and clutched his stomach, hot and feeling his heart beating wildly. The guard was attracted to watch the performance and there was no one at the door of the bar. Xie Xuanming simply squatted down, sullenly shrinking into a ball. He thought he would get another rope tomorrow; if not, a knife was fine. In short, anything lethal would do¡­ but¡­ Drunk, Xie Xuanming felt his mind was clearer than ever before. He felt that he didn¡¯t want to die so much. Whether it was cowardice or enlightenment, Xie Xuanming¡¯s teeth chattered, as every cell of his body, unwilling to give up, screamed unreasonably for him to struggle just a little more. Saying, anyway, you¡¯re already in the quagmire, it can¡¯t be any worse. Xie Xuanming was crouching by the wall thinking about life when the door behind him suddenly opened and several people carrying musical instruments came out noisily. ¡°Shall we run away early like this?¡± ¡°Okay, we got the money, we aren¡¯t running away. I just can¡¯t watch the manager¡¯s eyes glow as if he wants to eat Xiao Sheng. For Xiao Sheng¡¯s purity, we must run quickly!¡± ¡°Su Jing, fuck off. You don¡¯t know who the guy was staring at. What¡¯s the matter¡­ eh? Minor?!¡± Ji Sheng rushed out first, almost kicking the person squatting at the door. He leaned down in amazement and shook his hand in front of Xie Xuanming: ¡°Why are you squatting here¡­ Fuck, how many drinks did you have, your face is red like this?¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s fingers swayed in front of Xie Xuanming, creating seventeen or eighteen afterimages in a psychedelic manner. Su Jing also leaned over, saw Ji Sheng pull an underage child and yelled: ¡°Isn¡¯t he the one who lent us the rope yesterday¡­ What are you doing here, you¡¯re a minor!?¡± The words of the two of them swirled in Xie Xuanming¡¯s ears, with ¡°How many drinks did you have¡± in his left ear and ¡°What are you doing here¡± in his right ear. Xie Xuanming was groggy. He wanted to say that he was kidnapped here by their drummer to watch the show and he wanted to say that he only had one drink. However, his thoughts were too chaotic; he tried to solve them for a long time and couldn¡¯t separate the two problems. So Xie Xuanming gave up, bowed his head and said nothing. Su Jing and Ji Sheng looked at each other. Su Jing questioned: ¡°What did you do to this child?¡± Ji Sheng was furious: ¡°I did nothing! I can¡¯t beat people up by beating drums on stage.¡± Before the two of them were about to argue, Xie Xuanming, whose head was drooping, raised it, looking at Ji Sheng with very red, swollen eyes. He reached out, grasped Ji Sheng¡¯s hand seriously and firmly and indisputably bent his four fingers except for his index finger. Facing the proudly standing finger, Xie Xuanming nodded in satisfaction and said: ¡°I am¡­ 1.¡± The author has something to say£º Ah, Xiao Xie, you are indeed (muttering) 1. Dairy drink containing alcohol with a very low alcohol content, milky white and slightly carbonated 2. Chewy flexible translucent snack covered in sesame seeds 3. Qingchu (Çà³ö) isn¡¯t actually translated as ¡®two green mountains¡¯, ¡®qing¡¯ is green and ¡®chu¡¯ is out. But the character ¡®chu¡¯(³ö) consists of two ɽ, which is ¡®mountain¡¯ CH 16 If the Magic Flute bar at 11 o¡¯clock in the evening was the start of the madness, then the barbecue stall 200 metres away from it could be regarded as the end of the day for part-time workers, full of a different kind of excitement and joy. Xie Xuanming was holding a glass in his hand. The warm milk in it was incompatible with the wild barbecue stall scene where the smoke soared into the sky and metal skewers danced around. In front of him, the members of the Qingchu band were not as comfortable as they had been earlier. After getting off the stage, they returned to the abject poverty of the people huddling in a rental house and rehearsing on broken musical instruments. They haggled with the stall owner for a barbecue at a bargain price for half a day, grinding down the price by a third before they were satisfied. The only bottle of beer left on the table was half full. Keyboardist Su Jing reached out surreptitiously to take it, but was intercepted on the spot by Ji Sheng who snatched it up first. ¡°Drink, Su Jing, what? You laughed at Xiao Xie just now, you¡¯ve just come of age yourself!¡± Ji Sheng criticised from the height of his age as he intended to refill his own glass; but before he could succeed the bottle was taken away by another youth beside him. Xie Xuan remembered that he played bass on the stage just now, and his name seemed to be¡­ ¡°Sheng Kongzhi, don¡¯t stop me, I can still drink!¡± Ji Sheng said, his face flushed. He didn¡¯t drink often, a typical example of poor drinking and greed. Sheng Kongzhi obviously was familiar with that peculiarity of his and took the bottle away without hesitation, making Su Jing laugh and gloat: ¡°Drinking hurts your throat, you are now the lead singer. If your throat is broken, you can¡¯t perform in the next performance.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± When the band was concerned, Ji Sheng was serious. He blinked in confusion and suddenly asked, ¡°When will the next performance be, and is there a venue?¡± ¡°Next week.¡± At the other end of the table, guitarist Li Tan put down his glass. He looked the oldest, probably a decade older than the other teenagers at Qingchu and naturally took on the role of big brother, playing in the band and also acting as an agent, helping Qingchu with venue contacts and negotiating payment for gigs. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, after tonight, all the bars will be rushing to get us. Just now, there were three people who handed out business cards backstage¡­ We will rehearse and wait for someone to come and invite us.¡± Li Tan¡¯s words excited the rest of the youngsters. Most bands rarely found work in bars, and since Qingchu was not well known before, no one was willing to hire them. So in order to make ends meet, the members had to separate and go to various places for odd jobs. Ji Sheng¡¯s performed at the black bar before because the band there lacked a drummer, so he had temporary work there. Su Jing slapped the table, raised his glass and said happily: ¡°Yes! Finally on the right track. Before, when the lead singer left, I thought we were going to die. Who knew that Xiao Sheng was hiding his skill and would take on both drums and singing by himself? Baby Sheng is awesome!¡± ¡°It¡¯s rare for you to say something human.¡± Ji Sheng stood up, ¡°Come on, brothers, let¡¯s have a drink.¡± The others followed and stood up, too. Even Xie Xuanming was grabbed by Ji Sheng and forced to toast with milk. After clinking the glasses, everyone sat down. ¡°Boast, boast, but we still need to recruit a lead singer.¡± Ji Sheng swallowed his beer and said, ¡°Although I can hold my own, singing the main melody is a real struggle, I can¡¯t maintain a steady pitch and drum rhythm at the same time. It¡¯s too easy to slip up singing and playing at the same time, and the performance is no good.¡± ¡°The problem is that we can¡¯t find a lead singer now.¡± Su Jing said, ¡°In other bands guitar players are basically lead singers. There are very few pure singers. Most of them want to start a band by themselves and are not happy to join a ready-made¡­¡± Guitarist Li Tan, who was inexplicably tagged, put down his glass: ¡°Sorry, ah, my signing is really bad¡­¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t mean to blame you, Brother Tan, but a lead singer is really hard to find,¡± Sheng Kongzhi turned to Ji Sheng, ¡°Xiao Sheng, you may have to sing to hold the fort for a little while longer.¡± ¡°No problem, no problem.¡± Ji Sheng had no choice, ¡°But after all, I debuted as a drummer, and I still want to focus on playing drums¡­¡± ¡°What about¡­¡± As they were talking, Xie Xuanming suddenly spoke. When everyone looked at him, he put down his glass of milk and said hesitantly: ¡°If you are really short of people¡­ I can make up the numbers for now.¡± Xie Xuanming applied for admission to the band at the barbecue stall and Qingchu officially considered whether to include the newcomer in the afternoon of the next day, after the band members had woken up and had a good rest. Qingchu was indeed short of people, but they wouldn¡¯t accept just anyone to the team. For the self-recommended young lead singer, at least his pitch and singing ability needed to be tested, and it was better if he had some creative ability. Li Tan and Sheng Kongzhi went out, busy with other things, so Ji Sheng and Su Jing were given the task of testing the new candidate. Xie Xuanming looked at the two musicians with their hair in disarray and their pale faces with a ¡°I just woke up from a hangover¡± look, and thought he might as well go back, get a rope and hang himself in the toilet. The good thing was that even though the two of them were dizzy, they were still not at all confused about what they needed to do. Ji Sheng rubbed his throbbing forehead and squeezed out a kind smile at the vigilant boy in front of him. He learned Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s usual tone and asked pleasantly: ¡°Xiao Xie, what songs can you sing?¡± He learned it in an unorthodox way, like a weird uncle who kidnaps children with candy on the street. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t know when he became ¡°Xiao Xie¡±, but he wasn¡¯t comfortable dwelling on the issue and simply replied, ¡°School hymn¡±. ¡°What else?¡± ¡°Carols.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°The songs sung during worship to praise God.¡± The patriarch of the Xie family was a Christian, and the son he gave birth to was also a Christian. Xie Xuanming¡¯s mother was diligent and pressed Xie Xuanming to worship since he was a child. Before junior middle school, he had to go to church every Sunday to join the choir. Ji Sheng and Su Jing looked at each other, and Su Jing said, ¡°Good fellow, I thought it was outrageous enough for you to bring me in from e-sports, and now you are pulling Christians to rock and roll. Why don¡¯t you just get the archangels waltz with Satan?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Ji Sheng slapped the table and stood up, saying, ¡°Wasn¡¯t Stalin studying theology? Didn¡¯t Hitler dream of becoming an artist? Art has no religious limits!¡± ¡°But an artist has.¡± Su Jing said coolly, ¡°We¡¯ll play carol rock in future and see if the church comes to kill the apostates.¡± Ji Sheng raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth to fight back. Seeing that they were about to quarrel again, Xie Xuanming hurriedly interrupted: ¡°Pop, rock¡­ I can also sing other types of songs.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s attention was indeed transferred. He sat back in his place and tentatively said, ¡°Then, Xiao Xie, can you sing a song now?¡± Su Jing also turned his attention back to him. The two of them had bright eyes, and Xie Xuanming felt a little embarrassed. He hadn¡¯t listened to many pop songs; those fast and easy melodies belonged to what his mother called ¡°waste of time¡±, ¡°inelegant¡± and ¡°no style¡±. Xie Xuanming¡¯s knowledge of pop songs only came from the songs ordered on the school radio station. Now that he was asked to sing, he really couldn¡¯t sing any of them. After hesitating, Xie Xuanming said, ¡°I¡¯ll sing the song you performed yesterday.¡± Ji Sheng and Su Jing glanced at each other, seeing a trace of doubt in each other¡¯s eyes. It was not easy to sing, let alone sing well, a tune you had only heard once, and in a noisy environment. But Xie Xuanming really sang it, and he sang a complete song from start to finish. He only memorised the lyrics roughly and replaced them with humming if he couldn¡¯t remember them, but the melody was reproduced without a single mistake. Even in the part that Ji Sheng messed up because of the wrong breathing during the performance, he made up for the omissions according to his own understanding and improved the audibility of the track as much as possible. Ji Sheng¡¯s vocal was husky, with the anger and struggle of an unwilling outcast dog at the bottom of life, while Xie Xuanming¡¯s voice was clean and clear, like a supernatural peace above the reality, and the mindless humming brought a bit of holiness to the song that should not be there, ironically contrasting with the lyrics. He had already finished singing but Su Jing and Ji Sheng hadn¡¯t recovered yet. Su Jing was full of astonishment at ¡°fuck, this kid is Sweeper Monk(1)¡±, while Ji Sheng was full of ecstasy at ¡°picking up a treasure¡±. After ten seconds of silence, Su Jing coughed: ¡°Xie¡­ Xuanming, do you, do you have perfect pitch?¡± Perfect pitch was the ability to be extremely sensitive to sound and to identify or re-create a given musical note without the benefit of a reference tone. It was a talent beyond the reach of many musicians. Xie Xuanming said: ¡°My piano teacher said that I have.¡± Piano teacher. What a high-class vocabulary. Su Jing choked as he peeked at Ji Sheng and wondered where he¡¯d got this princess from and what he¡¯d done to make the kid who looked like he¡¯d be better suited to be a conductor of a symphony orchestra willingly join their little shitty band. Compared with Su Jing¡¯s mixed emotions, Ji Sheng¡¯s feelings were much simpler. He slapped his thigh and said excitedly: ¡°Baby Jing, we must accept this guy, perfect pitch!! With him, we finally won¡¯t have to stay up late picking up scores!¡± Su Jing thought, even if you plan to abuse child labor, don¡¯t say it out loud in front of the others. But when he glanced at Xie Xuanming, the child looked calm and didn¡¯t immediately realise that he was going to be tricked into working in a black brick kiln. Okay, another one was kidnapped by Ji Sheng. Su Jing accepted his fate and, stubbornly trying to save the last face of the Qingchu band, got up to pull back Ji Sheng who couldn¡¯t wait to rush up to pick up the new treasure member and spin him around in a circle. ¡°Welcome to Qingchu,¡± he said. Xie Xuanming might really be Qingchu¡¯s lucky star. On the first day he joined the band, Qingchu, who hadn¡¯t had a scheduled performance for a long time, got a job at a bar as a resident band. In the evening, when the Qingchu band happily gathered in the lousy rental house, the topic of discussion changed from ¡°What odd jobs to do tomorrow¡± to ¡°How to rehearse and where to find musical instruments.¡± When you had a proper gig, you couldn¡¯t just practice with a pile of crap like you used to, you had to have proper practice conditions at any rate. Qingchu had a guitar and bass, but lacked a keyboard and drums. Su Jing and Ji Sheng preferred to rent second-hand musical instruments, while Li Tan objected that long-term rent even of second-hand musical instruments was too expensive and they currently could not afford it. He proposed to rent a fully equipped practice room, the kind that could be used day-to-day. Although the price was high, they could use it just a few times before the performance and it would be much more cost-effective than renting musical instruments directly. But the problem with this kind of practice room was that it was not guaranteed to be available every time. If it was unluckily rented by another band first, Qingchu was likely to face the misfortune of having to perform tomorrow and having no place to rehearse today. So Qingchu divided into two factions. Su Jing and Ji Sheng supported the long-term rent of second-hand musical instruments, Li Tan supported the rent of a practice room, and Sheng Kongzhi was neutral. The two sides argued for a long time, eventually stopping the fire and making a depressing truce before they were close to getting into a fight. Ji Sheng scratched his head irritably: ¡°In the end, we are still poor. If we had some money, we could be practising by now instead of fighting about it here.¡± ¡°Then what if¡­¡± Xie Xuanming raised his hand and calmly made his first remark tonight, ¡°I may be able to solve this problem.¡± The members of Qingchu looked at him. Xie Xuanming told them about his situation, omitting his family history and saying in general terms that he had run away from home because he did not agree with his family¡¯s philosophy. ¡°Where did you get the money, aren¡¯t you only sixteen??¡± Ji Sheng said in amazement. ¡°Seventeen.¡± Xie Xuanming corrected, ¡°I have a card with savings with me.¡± ¡°Awesome, brother, you ran away from home and brought your card. Planning ahead is very important.¡± Su Jing sighed. Li Tan rubbed his hands: ¡°So, how much money do you have?¡± Xie Xuanming paused: ¡°I don¡¯t know the specific amount¡­ Maybe, six digits?¡± CH 17 Once Xie Xuanming¡¯s family background was revealed, all the members of the team were shocked stupid. Flyers of various rehearsal rooms for rent in Li Tan¡¯s hand fell to the ground and the ever blooming smile on Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s face couldn¡¯t hold up. Ji Sheng¡¯s eyes changed their shape and became perfectly round, which could be considered a medical miracle. Su Jing let out a roar, turned around and asked loudly where Ji Sheng had kidnapped this child from and whether he had come with a knife and tied up someone¡­ Shocked and stunned, Qingchu still didn¡¯t use Xie Xuanming¡¯s six-figure sum in the end. After all, the 17-year-old who had known them for two days blinked his innocent eyes and told them that he had 100,000 in his card and they could use it for whatever they wanted¡­ No one with a little conscience would agree to such an ¡°unreasonable¡± request¡­ Not to mention the possibility of being sent straight to the police. Although Qingchu was poor, they were not poor enough to comfortably grab an underage child¡¯s ¡°New Year¡¯s money¡± to fill their financial hole. After the shock, the Qingchu members rejected Xie Xuanming¡¯s application for ¡°bringing money into the team¡± and solemnly told him to be a good boy and remember that the most important thing was not to expose his wealth. So he should stop grabbing people in the future, saying that he has a six-figure sum on his card and Rolex on his wrist, because it¡¯s easy to get beaten up¡­ Xie Xuanming nodded obediently, but thought to himself, isn¡¯t there no future? Instead of making him take the six-digit deposit to the grave or letting it be repossessed by the Xie family, it was better to generously sponsor Qingchu and let him become an ¡°investor in youth dreams¡± at the end of his life. After dissuading Xie Xuanming¡¯s extravagant money-throwing behaviour, Qingchu negotiated for a while and finally decided to rent a practice room; however, they had to find a way to negotiate good terms with the boss before renting to prevent the lack of playground space when they needed to practise. After they reached a consensus, the temporary meeting of the Qingchu band ended. Li Tan said goodbye to the rest and left the rental house. He didn¡¯t live there because he had a fixed job and his financial situation was much better than that of the others who didn¡¯t know when and where they¡¯d have their next meal. He lived with his younger brother in a rental house with slightly better conditions not far away. From time to time, he would bring some delicious food to feed the other hungry band members. Li Tan was easy-going and trustworthy, which was why he mingled with the other members despite being much older. Xie Xuanming was about to get up and go back to his room when Ji Sheng stopped him. ¡°You gave me the watch before, I will give it back to you.¡± Ji Sheng lowered his head and fished for it in his pockets, ¡°That thing is too expensive to accept. I checked the price on the Internet before, good fellow, I have never seen so many zeros in my life.¡± ¡°Oh, zero zero zero, there are zeros everywhere, where is there one~¡± Su Jing, who was playing his cloth keyboard, caught the key words and sang loudly. ¡°Be fucking quiet, there are fucking minors here, don¡¯t fucking teach children bad things.¡± Ji Sheng turned his head and scolded angrily. Xie Xuanming: ¡­¡­ Xie Xuanming: So civilised. Ji Sheng turned around and again became amiable as he fumbled halfway through his possessions until pulling out a cardboard box in a very boutique style, two for ten yuan, probably the most expensive packaging a destitute could afford. Ji Sheng handed the box to Xie Xuanming. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t take it: ¡°I don¡¯t want it anymore.¡± ¡°Why are you such a loser kid?¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s face turned black and he forcibly stuffed the box into his hand, ¡°This is Hercules, a world-famous watch. I don¡¯t have the guts to walk around the street with the value of a car with me, it¡¯s too scary. When I meet a robber in the future, I can¡¯t even tell him confidently that I have no money, dad, so it¡¯s better to rob a beggar than to rob me¡­¡± ¡°Lost in love, I am wretched like a beggar, despite the luxury cars and champagne, still, poor~ Oh¡± Blue veins pulsed on Ji Sheng¡¯s forehead; he turned and yelled, ¡°Practise your piano! You play eight notes wrong in a song and still have the nerve to bleep!¡± Xie Xuanming waited for him to turn back and said, ¡°It¡¯s Rolex(1)¡­ I have already told you the price before.¡± ¡°Oh, Rolex.¡± Ji Sheng scratched his head and smiled, ¡°At that time, I thought it was your junior middle school joke. Who knew you were actually quoting the price honestly. If I had this watch at your age, holy shit, I would have bragged about it adding two extra zeros at the end.¡± Xie Xuanming was amused, lowered his head and smiled briefly. Casting all caution to the wind, Ji Sheng sent him out with the box: ¡°Anyway, take this watch yourself, don¡¯t give it to others and don¡¯t talk about it everywhere. Just wear it low-key¡­ it matches your temperament.¡± ¡°What temperament?¡± ¡°That kind of a cold young master style.¡± Ji Sheng said casually, pinched Xie Xuanming¡¯s face lightly and said with a smile, ¡°Young master who wears a famous watch and has a huge amount of money, remember not to be late for the rehearsal at night.¡± With a bang, the door closed, and Xie Xuanming looked down at the beautiful paper box with flashing diamonds and a vulgar pink bow he held in his hands. He felt inexplicably a little funny. He silently hooked his lips up, turned around and went back to his room. Xie Xuanming followed Qingchu to rehearse several times and finally was ushered to his first performance on stage. The performance was in OR, a bar with an extremely strong rock atmosphere. After watching Qingchu¡¯s performance at the Magic Flute Band Festival, the owner of OR decisively kicked out the original resident band and signed a contract with Qingchu. Before playing, Ji Sheng saw Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression being a little stiff, so he paced around him and asked him repeatedly if he was nervous. If he was nervous, he could take a look at the six-digit watch on his hand. Whoever said that he sang badly, just show this watch to that guy and shut him up¡­ So Xie Xuanming directly covered Ji Sheng¡¯s chattering mouth with his hand wearing the said six-digit watch: ¡°Don¡¯t make a noise, you talk more than Brother Su today.¡± Ji Sheng blinked twice and said in a muffled voice: ¡°Why do you call Su Jing ¡®brother¡¯ instead of calling me ¡®brother¡¯¡­ are you nervous?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°No.¡± Standing on the stage, Xie Xuanming looked down at the audience. Many people looked over curiously. He took a deep breath. This was the first time he had walked out of the shadows and faced the sight of so many people. It felt¡­ not too bad. Xie Xuanming secretly recalled the lyrics he knew by heart, thinking that the performance should go well if nothing happened¡­ Unfortunately, there were always unpredictable circumstances, and Schr?dinger¡¯s cat was never absent. When the performance was about to begin, the door of the bar was kicked open with a bang, and four or five people broke in with great momentum. The visitors were not good. The drumsticks hit the edge of the drum with an unpleasant sound as Ji Sheng was unable to stop the force of his beat. He looked up at the group of uninvited guests and recognised the identity of the leader, a muscular reincarnation of a Spartan in a vest. He met the man backstage at the band festival; he was the lead singer of the Lizi band. At that time, Su Jing and Ji Sheng complained that this guy must have been singing with his biceps to develop them like that¡­ Of course biceps couldn¡¯t sing, but biceps could do many things other than singing. For example, like moving bricks. For example, like smashing venues. The Lizi band, the former resident band of the OR bar, was kicked out by the boss, and now they were coming back looking for trouble. The Sparta-like lead singer walked to the front of the stage, kicked over a table and sneered at the members of Qingchu amidst the screams of customers: ¡°Just this group of boys? Is OR going to turn into a cowboy shop?¡± Su Jing¡¯s face turned black; he wanted to jump up and was held back by Sheng Kongzhi. Just kidding; the guy¡¯s arms were thicker than his thighs, so he was not going to rush to sacrifice his head. Sparta¡¯s eyes wandered around until he decided to pick on the boy standing at the front of the stage. ¡°You¡ª¡ªlittle brat, go back to school.¡± Sparta jumped on the stage, patted Xie Xuanming¡¯s cheek lightly and then put his hand on his shoulder. He had three lip studs fixed on his thick lip and his mouth opening and closing was a hideous sight, ¡°Just fool around with the little girls at school, don¡¯t come here and steal business from us brothers.¡± ¡°Get it off.¡± Xie Xuanming stared at Sparta, expressionless. His eyes were dark, and when he stared at people motionlessly, he gave people a secret scare, just like a wild dog hiding in the dark and baring its teeth at you. Even a beast ten times its size would have to consider the blood that leaked from its white teeth. Sparta was taken aback, thinking, shit, this kid looks like white porcelain, how come his eyes are so fucking crazy? If you continue to provoke him, he might go wild and bite¡­ But when you¡¯re looking for a fight, it¡¯s all about being fierce, so there¡¯s no room for retreat! ¡°You tell me to get it off, so I¡¯ll get it off?¡± Sparta tilted his head and smiled grimly, ¡°What if I don¡¯t get it off?!¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t bother to talk nonsense. The palm of the guy was sweaty and the sticky touch made him nauseous. He grabbed Sparta¡¯s sturdy arm and pulled it away vigorously. Xie Xuanming¡¯s grip was so hard that his five fingers were embedded in the muscle, making Sparta let out a cry of pain. ¡°Big brother!¡± ¡°Bro!¡± ¡°Brother Tie!¡± The worried shouts of the band members angered Sparta and he slapped Xie Xuanming away. Xie Xuanming¡¯s arm was knocked aside and the back of his hand slammed straight into a mic stand. ¡°Clang!¡± There was a crisp sound. In full view of the crowd, Xie Xuanming¡¯s watch cracked and crystal-like glass spilled from his wrist. Sparta was stunned, Ji Sheng was shocked, Su Jing broke down and Xie Xuanming¡¯s face darkened. Before he could snap, he heard Ji Sheng yell and rush up, pounding his fist into Sparta¡¯s abdomen. ¡°Holy shit, that¡¯s Hercules!¡± Sparta grunted as he was punched and took two steps back before bursting into a fury, ¡°That¡¯s fucking Rolex, you stupid bastard!¡± The two were not idle during the conversation. Ji Sheng took advantage of Sparta¡¯s loss of balance and slammed him to the ground with another punch. Sparta was furious and yelled, ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking dare! Who gave you the courage to touch me¡­ fuck!¡± Ji Sheng dropped his knee on his abdomen, making him swallow the rest of his words. ¡°Just so you¡¯re clear, I¡¯ve been playing drums for ten years.¡± Ji Sheng rolled up his sleeves, his eyes cold and stern, ¡°You know what that means? It means that I play the drums well, and at the same time, I have the strength in my hands to knock your ugly lip studs out¡­¡± Before he finished speaking, Sparta let out an angry shout and pushed him off. A few tens of pounds of muscles were not for nothing. With the same rich fighting skills, people with heavier weight would have an absolute advantage. ¡°Baby Sheng!¡± ¡°Xiao Sheng!¡± The members of Qingchu screamed. Seeing Ji Sheng defeated, Su Jing couldn¡¯t bear it: ¡°Fuck, you really think that Qingchu is easy to bully!¡± He broke away from Sheng Kongzhi and raised the mic stand, dancing like a reincarnation of the Monkey King and yelling at the members of Lizi. Lizi had been smashing venues for years, and now that Qingchu had taken the lead, they naturally couldn¡¯t stand still. One of them raised his hand to grab the mic stand and stalemate Su Jing. The other two rushed towards the remaining Li Tan and Sheng Kongzhi on stage. Fuck! Li Tan cursed; he had long passed the age of fighting and brawling and knew that the so-called battle of wills was nothing more than a bunch of idiots showing off their lower IQ. But now someone was rushing straight up and there was no way to escape a fight. Would you choose to be beaten unilaterally, or would you choose to be beaten less while beating someone back?¡­ Li Tan cursed a few times and raised his hand to grab the opponent¡¯s fist. Ji Sheng was lifted and thrown away, rolled twice on the ground, found his centre of gravity and squatted firmly. Before he got up, he saw Sparta striding over and raising his foot to kick¡ª He failed to kick. Xie Xuanming flashed out from the side, picked up a chair and slammed it hard into Sparta¡¯s stomach, knocking the man back two steps, then turned around to raise the guitar¡ª¡ª ¡°Drop it!¡± Everyone froze for a moment, shouting at him, ¡°That¡¯s fucking lakewood!!!¡± Xie Xuanming: ¡­¡­ Xie Xuanming rises. Xie Xuanming wilts. Xie Xuanming obediently put down the guitar, turned to lift the stool and swung it at Sparta again. The two bands fought for a long time, with nine men exuding the aura of the famous Battle of Thermopylae. The bar owner came out and shouted to stop the fight, but after receiving two inexplicable blows, he also got mad and dropped his things to join the melee. During the fight, someone switched off the light and the bar instantly fell into darkness. The scene became more chaotic and could even be called out of control. People were hitting people everywhere, without paying attention if it was an enemy, a passer-by or one of their own. Xie Xuanming was hit twice on his back. He gritted his teeth and returned two punches. He was not sure if he hit the one who hit him. He had a foothold in the centre of the melee and he would fight back wherever he was hit. He was as fierce as a wild wolf with one eye blind, biting indiscriminately. Slowly, Xie Xuanming was getting a bit overwhelmed; he had received too many blows and there was no part of his body that didn¡¯t hurt. Xie Xuanming consciously retreated gradually, trying to withdraw from the melee, but he tripped over before taking two steps and was hugged by the waist after losing his balance. Someone was holding him and dragging him back! Xie Xuanming was shocked and slammed his elbow backwards. Unfortunately, he was unable to use his strength in this position; he struggled to fight back but was eventually forced into a locker. The locker door closed and the man let go; Xie Xuanming leapt up and was about to fight desperately when his head hit the top of the locker so hard that he felt dizzy. He grunted in pain, still swinging his fists, but the attack was stopped by the opponent and his mouth was covered. ¡°Hush¡­¡± Ji Sheng whispered, ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± He was a step too late; Xie Xuanming had already opened his mouth fiercely, clenched his teeth and bit his palm hard. ¡°Fuck!¡± Ji Sheng let out a sincere, angry cry that he hadn¡¯t even let out during the group fight earlier. CH 18 ¡°Shit!¡± Ji Sheng first hissed in pain and then roared angrily in a low voice, ¡°You¡¯re a dog, aren¡¯t you!¡± When Ji Sheng identified himself, Xie Xuanming relaxed and said with relief: ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± His clenched fists loosened; he took the hand covering his mouth and nose and moved it down. Xie Xuanming sniffed, sensed some blood and frowned: ¡°Are you hurt?¡± ¡°You bit me.¡± Ji Sheng said indignantly and changed his words after noticing that the opponent¡¯s body stiffened, ¡°Just kidding, I split it during the fight just now.¡± As he said it, he stroked Xie Xuanming¡¯s wrist. ¡°Hey.¡± Xie Xuanming was taken aback and realized that he was checking the watch. He struggled to pull away his hand, ¡°Don¡¯t touch it, there are glass splinters¡­¡± Ji Sheng let out an ¡±oh¡±, then let go and said, ¡°Your watch is broken, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Xie Xuanming was still for a moment and said quietly, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I didn¡¯t want it anymore.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ji Sheng was silent for two seconds. ¡°It¡¯s actually something very important, I think. You¡¯ve been wearing it since I returned it to you.¡± Xie Xuanming felt sudden pain in his heart, as if a carefully hidden wound had been poked fiercely. The pain that he thought could be ignored was accompanied by blood bubbling out. Irritability and anger burst out at this moment, and Xie Xuanming felt strangely sad and annoyed, emotions that had begun to surface when the watch was broken, but not because of the loss of the watch. Only at this moment did Xie Xuanming discover unwillingly that he still attached great importance to that woman. Her rare smile and her hideous face when she died hovered in his mind like ghosts, haunting him every moment whether his eyes were opened or closed. Xie Xuanming stubbornly thought that he could do without the watch that the woman gave him and he could do without the woman¡¯s love. But the truth was that he was already empty-handed. He had neither the watch nor her love, he was just clutching the empty air, struggling like a child who couldn¡¯t eat a candy and tried to be brave saying he didn¡¯t want it¡­ As if you could get it if you opened your mouth. Xie Xuanming lowered his eyes in embarrassment. Even in the dark, he didn¡¯t want to face Ji Sheng¡¯s burning gaze. He nitpicked in a hoarse voice: ¡°That¡¯s because the box you gave me was too ugly and I didn¡¯t want to use it. It¡¯s just a watch, I don¡¯t care at all.¡± Illogical words. An embarrassing stance that anyone could see through. Xie Xuanming was extremely ashamed. He would rather go out and get beaten up again than stay in this small space and have his self-deception be tested. He quietly touched the locker door, just about to use force¡ª When something warm touched his face, Xie Xuanming stopped. Ji Sheng held his face, gently squeezed the soft flesh of his cheeks and breathed a sigh of relief: ¡°You aren¡¯t crying.¡± Xie Xuanming was a little confused. The pads of the fingers on his cheeks were rough with the calluses left by years of practice. The fingertips faintly smelling with blood gently stroked his face. That woman once held his face like this, when he was very young. He couldn¡¯t remember the reason clearly, maybe it was because he had a fight with a kid at school who laughed at him for not having a father, or maybe it was because he lost his temper not getting a birthday gift¡­ It was so long ago that Xie Xuanming, in a daze, almost doubted the authenticity of his memory. Frozen in place, Xie Xuanming let Ji Sheng knead him. Ji Sheng took advantage of the situation, pulled him in his arms and patted his back as if he was a child: ¡°Okay, okay, you don¡¯t care at all.¡± Xie Xuanming put his chin on his shoulder in confusion, his jaw numb with the slight movements of Ji Sheng¡¯s body as he spoke. ¡°Our Xiao Xie has had a lot of hard times, oh. Follow your brother in the future. Big brother will compensate you with a watch, the unique kind in the world,¡± Ji Sheng whispered coaxingly. Xie Xuanming¡¯s throat was dry. After a while, he let out an inaudible ¡°en¡±. The fight of the century at the OR bar ended with a 50/50 loss. Qingchu lost their position as a resident band because of the brawl, and Lizi was asked by the irate owner to pay for all the damages. The boss said that if they didn¡¯t pay up within a month, he would tell the whole street that Lizi was up to no good, so that all the restaurants and bars on the street would be careful not to hire the band if they didn¡¯t want to lose their business. Su Jing was originally very angry when he knew that Qingchu had lost its job, but he laughed again when he heard about the punishment of Lizi. He didn¡¯t hesitate to taunt: ¡°Fight, fight again, if you can fight like this, do you want to change your career and go underground to fight black boxing? You want to play in a band when you¡¯re doing something so stupid that it¡¯s not even worthy of the name? You¡¯re not qualified to play in a band, you¡¯re stupid, violent, magical dancing apes!¡± His words made the members of Lizi glare at him. But because the boss had said that he would call the police if they made trouble again, they didn¡¯t dare to reply, for fear that the little treacherous band on the opposite side would break out in another fit of madness and start a fight. The Spartan-like lead singer stood among the members of his band with his tail between his legs, lectured by the boss and feeling wronged to death. Although they themselves came to the bar to provoke, it was clear that the opponents were the first to start. One was a mad dog, another was a monkey dancing with the mic stand, no matter how you looked at it, they were a crazy batch and they should¡¯ve been the ones held accountable. Now look at that mad dog punching hard, hitting people, and then coming back, soft and weak as if he was being bullied, green tea bitch. Sparta gritted his teeth, but Su Jing was still not satisfied. After he insulted the Lizi band from head to toe, he still wanted more. He turned around and called his friends: ¡°Lao Ji, what are you doing in a daze, come here and curse¡­ Fuck!¡± Only then did Su Jing see their own drummer and the underage lead singer standing together in the back. The minor¡¯s face was pale (natural), the dried blood on his cheeks was conspicuous (smeared by Ji Sheng), and his eyes were pitifully red (rubbed by Ji Sheng). Su Jing thought hard and came to the wrong conclusion that the child had been bullied. He was furious. If Li Tan hadn¡¯t been fast enough to grab him, he would rush up and start a fight in a flash again. ¡°Fuck, shame on you, our lead singer is underage, do you know the underage protection law? Are you inhuman or legally blind, hitting so hard? You know how to bully honest kids and make them cry!¡± Sparta: ¡­¡­ He glanced at the wretched Xie Xuanming in disbelief. He really didn¡¯t understand how the lunatic who had just swung a stool over his head had become an ¡°honest kid¡±. Xie Xuanming also: ¡­¡­ He wiped his eyes in wonder and was about to say that the tears were caused by Ji Sheng poking a finger into his eye carelessly just now and he didn¡¯t cry¡­ However, before he could open his mouth, Ji Sheng repeated the trick, blocking his mouth and pulling him in his arms, shouting, ¡°That¡¯s right, the child is crying, pay for it!¡± Xie Xuanming: . Xie Xuanming: ??? Then he watched Ji Sheng and Su Jing sing in unison, cursing Sparta until he took out five hundred from his pocket to avoid a disaster. The Qingchu band, successfully getting five hundred through blackmail, retreated contentedly, and Xie Xuanming was dragged away, bewildered. He thought he had to think seriously about whether the decision to join Qingchu was reasonable. A band that beats, scolds and blackmails people was no place for decent people. It was already past nine o¡¯clock in the evening when they left the bar, but Ji Sheng had no plans to go back to the rental house. He patted Xie Xuanming: ¡°Xiao Xie, give me the watch.¡± Xie Xuanming: ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°The remaining shell of Hercules is also valuable. I have no job, so I¡¯ll pawn it for food.¡± Ji Sheng took it for granted. Xie Xuanming: ¡­¡­ Xie Xuanming took off his watch, handed it over, and corrected: ¡°Rolex.¡± ¡°Almost.¡± Ji Sheng smiled and put the watch in his pocket, said bye to Sheng Kongzhi, and walked away with Su Jing, saying that he had something to do, asking Sheng Kongzhi to order a takeaway and go back to eat by himself. Xie Xuanming and Sheng Kongzhi walked back to the rental house together. Sheng Kongzhi asked some questions on the way. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t know him well, so he answered perfunctorily. Xie Xuanming returned to the rental house and ordered a takeaway to fill his stomach. When he finished and was ready to go to bed, he suddenly found that there was an unread WeChat message reminder on the screen of his mobile phone. When he clicked in, it was Su Jing¡¯s @message in the chat group for Qingchu. Su Jing [Laughed me to death] Su Jing ¡¾Click to see the tortoise drummer who can bow and submit¡¿ When he clicked on the video, he saw Ji Sheng squatting on the ground, firmly grasping a man¡¯s leg. ¡°Brother Wang, please help me fix it. It can¡¯t be helped, I¡¯m really tight on cash!¡± ¡°Get lost, I still haven¡¯t settled the score with you for abducting my daughter, ah, she¡¯s a good girl, tricked into running to the bar every day by you! I¡¯m giving you face by taking your business and you still have the fucking face to ask me for a discount.¡± ¡°I will persuade your daughter to correct her evil deeds, brother, just give me a discount!¡± ¡°Get out of here! My daughter is pure and flawless, what kind of evil deeds corrected, you fucking come to my door and scold my baby daughter, do you want to fight!¡± ¡°Brother! Uncle! Father! I didn¡¯t mean that! Don¡¯t throw me out! Give me a chance¡­¡± Su Jing [The first time I saw someone kneeling down for fixing a watch, hahahahahaha] Sheng Kongzhi ¡¾Is it fixed? ¡¿ Su Jing [No, the guy didn¡¯t have the guts to touch a famous watch for fear of breaking it and being cheated out of money, so the kneeling was in vain] The last one was the reason why Su Jing tagged Xie Xuanming. Su Jing [@Xie Xuanming, by the way, this is the first time I see someone use their original name as their WeChat name] Su Jing [@Xie Xuanming, Ji Sheng¡¯s repairing your Rolex, hurry over and stop him, or the watch will be completely scrapped if you¡¯re late] Xie Xuanming glanced at the message from more than forty minutes ago. He hesitated, clicked Ji Sheng¡¯s private chat, deleted a message three or four times and finally sent it out: ¡°Brother Ji, are you asleep?¡± Ji Sheng replied in seconds: ¡°No.¡± Xie Xuanming breathed an inexplicable sigh of relief and wanted to reply again but didn¡¯t know what to say. Fortunately, Ji Sheng didn¡¯t give him time to hesitate. ¡°You aren¡¯t sleeping, come here, Su Jing is awake, let him open the door for you.¡± Su Jing really didn¡¯t sleep. He opened the door to Xie Xuanming: ¡°Yo, Xiao Xie, here you are.¡± ¡°Brother Su.¡± Xie Xuanming was usually well-behaved and could even be said to be a little shy, ¡°Did you and Brother Ji go to repair the watch just now?¡± ¡°En.¡± Su Jing said, ¡°People don¡¯t want to touch that brand when they see it, for fear of blasphemy. Your Brother Ji is working on it.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°He asked me to come over.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s probably done and he wants to show off as soon as possible.¡± Su Jing paused for a moment and added, ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s completely fucked up.¡± Sheng Kongzhi sat up on the sofa, wrapped in a quilt and looking about to go to sleep. When he saw Xie Xuanming, he greeted him: ¡°Xiao Xie.¡± Xie Xuanming nodded at him and entered the room. There was only one bedroom in the rental house. Su Jing and Ji Sheng slept in the bedroom and Sheng Kongzhi slept on the sofa. Now Su Jing was having a midnight snack outside and Ji Sheng was the only one in the bedroom. Xie Xuanming knocked on the door and pushed it open after hearing ¡°come in¡±. There was a small table lamp lit in the room, and Ji Sheng sat at the table, blocking most of the light. Halfway through the door opening, it hit something on the floor. Xie Xuanming bent over and picked it up. A takeaway; it hadn¡¯t been opened and the bag was full of vapour. When Xie Xuanming touched it, it was already cold. Xie Xuanming walked in with the takeaway, came up to the table and put it in the corner of the table: ¡°Brother Ji, I¡¯ll put the takeaway here.¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t raise his head and said ¡°hmm¡±, still focusing on the business at hand. With a screwdriver in his hand, he carefully fiddled with the six-figure watch; but no matter how hard he tried, his clumsy movements were full of naive weirdness reminiscent of a new age orangutan playing with needlework. Ji Sheng¡¯s forehead was covered in sweat, his brows furrowed, his hand holding the tool strained as he screwed the screws into the watch ring. After the last screw was tightened, he let out a cheer and stretched out, his fingers dangerously close to Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes. There were a few band-aids on those long fingers, covering the scabs that had been received in the fight. However, some new wounds were exposed, obviously caused by some kind of a sharp metal tool. Xie Xuanming moved his gaze, first looking at the screwdriver and then at a few crumpled bloodied tissues in the corner of the table. He wanted to take a better look but Ji Sheng had already leaned over, dangled his fingers in front of him and said with a smile: ¡°Sleepy? After standing for a while, you started dozing off.¡± ¡°No.¡± Xie Xuanming returned to his senses, ¡°You asked me to come over¡­¡± ¡°Here.¡± Ji Sheng stuffed the watch he had just repaired in his hand and said triumphantly, ¡°I said I¡¯ll compensate you. The guy who repairs watches avenged his personal grievances and refused to do it, so I could only get started by myself. I also saved money¡­ Take a look, if you are dissatisfied, I will change it again.¡± Xie Xuanming lowered his head. The watch in his palm was heavier than before, the strap had significant scratches, the screws on the watch ring were uneven, and a cheap plastic covered the dial, its brown transparent texture making the watch inexplicably acquire a steampunk vibe. To treat a pure mountain flower like this¡­ This could no longer be regarded as blasphemy, it could be called a complete insult. If the watch repairer who refused to repair it looked at it now, he might have fainted with anger at Ji Sheng¡¯s too bold approach. Xie Xuanming clutched the watch and said dryly, ¡°It looks good.¡± As if afraid that his words would be misunderstood, he quickly added: ¡°I like it very much.¡± A hand covered in band-aids stretched out, blocking the light of the lamp. Ji Sheng leaned over with a smile: ¡°I drew a few strokes on it¡­ look.¡± Xie Xuanming looked down. In the shadow, a few familiar fluorescent lines appeared on the surface of the brown plastic, still picturing the two random curves¡­ In front of two green mountains, there was a small quaint house. Ji Sheng said smiling: ¡°Fortunately, your name is ¡®Xuan¡¯ (pavilion). If it was ¡®city¡¯, ¡®building¡¯, ¡®court¡¯, ¡®tower¡¯¡­ then I really wouldn¡¯t be able to do it.¡± CH 19 All the members of Qingchu were shocked when they saw the watch that Ji Sheng had modified for Xie Xuanming, and then they sneered. Su Jing mocked mercilessly, ¡°It really changed to Hercules¡±. Li Tan looked at Ji Sheng and asked how much it would cost now. Even the good-tempered Sheng Kongzhi looked a little embarrassed when he saw the watch with uneven screws and secretly instructed Ji Sheng not to bully shy children. Ji Sheng was wronged but had nowhere to complain. He yelled four or five times, ¡°Xiao Xie obviously likes it very much!¡± The responses he received were ¡°That¡¯s Xiao Xie¡¯s good temper,¡± ¡°What do you want people to say looking at this ugly thing¡± and ¡°It¡¯s not a question of liking it or not, it¡¯s a question of running away from it.¡± Ji Sheng, who was severely hit, could only run to Xie Xuanming to find comfort. Xie Xuanming patted him on the shoulder with dignity and coaxed him, telling him that no matter what others said, he liked the design very much. Ji Sheng just burst into tears and was yelled at by Su Jing not far away: ¡±Don¡¯t disturb the lead singer¡¯s practice¡±¡­¡­ After being run over by other members of Qingchu, Ji Sheng angrily took Xie Xuanming away¡­ to work in an amusement park. Non-stop odd jobs were the daily routine for the members of the Qingchu band apart from practice and performance. Although they now had many more gigs and their living standard after they started being paid was much higher than before, the Qingchu band had plans, or dreams, to prepare for an album. The release of the album, unsurprisingly, was a costly project. Looking at the staggering estimated amount of expenses, the members were saving money almost non-stop. Li Tan had a serious job, while Su Jing had e-sports skills. He usually spent time in Internet cafes to make money by practising and winning online competitions. Sheng Kongzhi also found a fixed job in a nearby beverage shop. His gentle and handsome face made all the young girls on the street linger there. After he started working there, the sales in the shop increased a lot. The store manager smiled from ear to ear after counting the earnings¡­ So in the end, the only unlucky kid left was Ji Sheng, who had no job and no special skills and relied on running around doing odd jobs to earn money. Regarding the temporary job in the amusement park, Ji Sheng didn¡¯t want to drag Xie Xuanming there. After all, Xie Xuanming was young and looked like a standard high school student, an absolute flower of the motherland. In line with the principle that no child should suffer, no one in the band asked Xie Xuanming to go out to earn money. However, after Xie Xuanming heard about Ji Sheng¡¯s next odd job location, he mentioned that he had never been to an amusement park. It might be because his expression when he said this was too lonely, or it was too easy to misinterpret it as lonely, but a few weeks later, Ji Sheng took him to work in an amusement park. When they arrived at the location, Xie Xuanming was assigned the job to give stickers to children. He stood in front of the grotesquely sculpted forest, dressed in a parrot-like colourful outfit, leaning over expressionlessly to place stickers on the badges of the children exiting the project and saying tonelessly, ¡°Ha ha, congratulations on completing the Forest Adventure.¡± Although his clothes were very ugly in both colour and design, Xie Xuanming used his unreasonably good-looking face to forcefully and unquestionably save his image. He stood there among all the bells and whistles, looking like the little elf prince whose family was ruined and who was forced to sell his art, pitiful and handsome. After standing for two or three hours, in addition to the children who asked for stickers, many girls came up to take pictures with him, and some boldly asked if they could add WeChat, which made Xie Xuanming refuse with dignity, saying ¡°I¡¯m a forest savage, I don¡¯t have a mobile phone¡±¡­ After the operation repeated hundreds of times, the sun gradually moved up and there were finally fewer tourists. Xie Xuanming put a sticker on the last child in front of him and stood up straight, feeling that his waist was particularly sore. He rubbed his waist twice and thought that he was really wimpy. He didn¡¯t have the life of a young master but was sick like a young master. He raised his eyes to look at the doll bear bouncing with a large number of balloons not far away. Ji Sheng had been dancing in that bloated costume for three or four hours and didn¡¯t seem tired at all, still maintaining a warm and lively attitude towards every child who came to get a balloon. His physical strength was really good. Xie Xuanming glanced up at the sun that seemed to be particularly poisonous today. Didn¡¯t he feel hot? Of course he did. During the lunch break, Ji Sheng took Xie Xuanming to a bench in the shade of a tree. After sitting down, he took off his headgear and threw it on the ground, revealing a flushed face. ¡°Finally rest.¡± Ji Sheng fanned himself with his hand, saying with emotion, ¡°It¡¯s too hot today, I wouldn¡¯t be able to hold on if I stood for a while longer.¡± Xie Xuanming looked at the grinning head of the doll thrown aside. He felt that the ground was dirty and was about to pick it up and hold it, but his legs sank and Ji Sheng¡¯s head lay on his lap instead of the headgear. ¡°I¡¯ll lie down for a while.¡± Ji Sheng moved a little to find a comfortable pose and closed his eyes. Xie Xuanming had no objection to him lying on his lap, but a delicate part of his body was constantly rubbed by the moving head. Xie Xuanming was a little embarrassed and carefully pushed Ji Sheng¡¯s hairy head away. However, Ji Sheng kept shifting restlessly, and Xie Xuanming could only say, ¡°Can you move down a little bit?¡± ¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t hear clearly: ¡°What?¡± Xie Xuanming slightly increased the volume: ¡°Move down a little.¡± Ji Sheng opened his eyes, squinted and glanced at the tips of his ears that were red from the sun. After figuring it out, he smirked and joked: ¡°I forgot, our Xiao Xie is also a man, ah.¡± ¡°Of course, I am!¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s voice was louder and the tips of his ears were redder, ¡°Move down a little, or get up!¡± ¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Ji Sheng made a choice and moved his head obediently. He closed his eyes again; sunlight hit his face through the shade of the tree, making him frown. Xie Xuanming hesitated and raised his hand to block the bright rays. Seeing that Ji Sheng¡¯s delicate eyebrows smoothened, Xie Xuanming said: ¡°Let¡¯s change shifts later?¡± ¡°No, my doll costume is full of sweat.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Ji Sheng opened his eyes, looked at Xie Xuanming and smiled again. He raised his hand to touch Xie Xuanming¡¯s head, like petting a dog: ¡°Oh, our Xiao Xie is really sensible, knowing how to respect the elderly, love children and be filial¡­¡± Xie Xuanming: ¡­¡­ Xie Xuanming pushed him down with a cold face: ¡°Get up.¡± Ji Sheng held on to him: ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t talk.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± After a short break, the two returned to their posts. Perhaps it was because there were more clouds in the sky in the afternoon and the sun was not as hot as it was in the morning, or perhaps Xie Xuanming was so tired and numb that he had no extra sensory complaints, but he actually felt better in the afternoon than in the morning, and after bending over a hundred times, he soon reached the time to get off work. As soon as the off-duty siren sounded, the doll bear in the distance raised his hand and cheered, ran up and handed the remaining balloon to Xie Xuanming: ¡°Here.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°I am not a child.¡± ¡°Not a child can also hold it.¡± Ji Sheng did not care, took off the gloves and tied the string to his wrist, his voice muffled through the doll head, ¡°The standard of an amusement park is a hydrogen balloon and cotton candy, ah!¡± Xie Xuanming let him do what he wanted: ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten cotton candy.¡± He added: ¡°The kind that is like a cloud with a bamboo stick inserted.¡± Ji Sheng straightened up and said in surprise, ¡°Really?¡± Xie Xuanming looked at the serious-looking doll bear staring straight at him. Inexplicably amused, he smiled slightly: ¡°Really.¡± ¡°Oh.¡° The doll bear seemed to be a bit perplexed as to why there were humans who had never tasted this kind of human delicacy for two yuan a stick. ¡°You wait.¡± After speaking, he fastened the balloon belt and rushed away. At this point, the employee selling cotton candy was also off work. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t know what Ji Sheng was going to do. He just watched the brown bear run far away with his clumsy big head, then slam on the brakes, bend in front of a child holding a cotton candy, lean over and say something to him, and then start to perform hard. Ji Sheng danced clumsily and stupidly, making the child very happy. The sound of the giggles spread far away. Ji Sheng leaned over and said a few words, pointing to Xie Xuanming. The child looked over, hesitated, and finally gave him a big cotton candy in his hand. The bear doll returned victorious and handed out the cotton candy. Xie Xuanming took the cotton candy hesitantly: ¡°What did you tell him?¡± Ji Sheng took off his headgear and rubbed his wet hair. ¡°I said, do you see the beautiful brother standing over there? He is a princess kidnapped by a dragon. Only a cotton candy can save her from the demon king.¡± He said lazily, ¡°Hi, Princess Cotton Candy.¡± Xie Xuanming looked down at the cloud-like cotton candy. The cotton candy in the amusement park was not monotonous white; pink, blue and yellow candyfloss mingled in a dreamy colour of a fairy tale. That woman said that this kind of thing was colored sugar, which was unhealthy and was not allowed to be eaten. Xie Xuanming pinched a small piece with his fingers and put it in his mouth. The sugar melted, sweetness spreading on the tip of his tongue. There was a sudden urge in Xie Xuanming¡¯s heart, something he had never tried and was not qualified to try when he was a child, some kind of power called ¡°the right to be capricious¡±. Impulsively, he said, ¡°I haven¡¯t been on a ride either.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Ji Sheng said happily, ¡°Then do you want to go?¡± ¡°En.¡± It stood to reason that employees were not allowed to be on the rides, as there was no need to buy a ticket to ride a project inside the amusement park. The two changed into casual clothes, sneaked into the group of tourists and lined up to the ferris wheel. Taking the ferris wheel was Xie Xuanming¡¯s choice. It was almost closing time and there were not many options left to play. Xie Xuanming was not a fan of thrill rides, more interested in the ferris wheel that offered a full view of the amusement park. Xie Xuanming and Ji Sheng caught the last ferris wheel before closing, and the colourful round cabin carried them up slowly. Xie Xuanming looked through the glass, watching the panoramic view of the amusement park. The crowd walking to the gates flowed among the brightly lit amusement facilities, magical like a candy river in a fairy tale. Xie Xuanming stared out the window for a while, then turned around and realized that there was something wrong with Ji Sheng. ¡°Are you¡­¡± He looked at the deathly pale Ji Sheng and hesitantly said, ¡°afraid of heights?¡± ¡°Haha, why would I?¡± Ji Sheng smiled stiffly, ¡°I, such an invincible drummer, how can I be afraid of such a height?¡± Xie Xuanming reminded intimately: ¡°Your legs are shaking.¡± ¡°Cold.¡± ¡°You are sweating.¡± ¡°Cold sweat.¡± Xie Xuanming looked at his fluttering hair and pale lips speechlessly, and added, ¡°If you are really afraid, you can sit with me and I will hold you.¡± ¡°Ha ha, I¡¯m not afraid, I won¡¯t go there.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Xie Xuanming said helplessly: ¡°Brother Ji, come here, the cabin is shaking with you.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Come here.¡± ¡°No!!¡± The ferris wheel passed the highest point and slowly descended. Five or six minutes later, the hatch opened and the shocked staff who couldn¡¯t wait to get off work faced a helpless-looking teenager. The teenager was carrying a large human-shaped pendant by his side. The staff took a closer look and realised that it was a senseless young man holding the teenager by the waist, refusing to let go. The teenager that had taken on the burden of responsibility at a young age resolutely dragged the young man away. CH 20 Over the next few weeks, Xie Xuanming spent his evenings rotating around the various bars with Qingchu, while being taken around to odd jobs by Ji Sheng during the day. That guy, Ji Sheng, was awesome, the only problem was that his skills were very scattered and when he started working, it could be called East a hammer, West a stick(1). He always liked to find a day-to-day job, and after two or three days of work, he would run around and change places with ease. The most wanted criminals with a lot of experience were not as fast as him. Xie Xuanming followed him, working tirelessly. He distributed flyers, became a Taobao model and even went to a variety show to play the audience¡­ although Xie Xuanming¡¯s acting as the audience was extremely unprofessional, ¡°stupid¡± and ¡°this is it¡± obviously written on his face. With the frowning Ji Sheng by his side they simply looked like ¡°professionals¡± hired by an enemy channel to crash the show. ¡°Can¡¯t you find a fixed job?¡± Sheng Kongzhi asked as he frothed the milk cap, ¡°If you can¡¯t, I¡¯ll talk to the shop manager, and you can just take Xiao Xie and stay in the milk tea shop as a helper.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t.¡° Ji Sheng smiled and said ¡°Welcome¡± to the guests who entered the store, throwing his rejection in the gap. Today, Sheng Kongzhi found that the milk tea shop where he was working was short of people, so he brought Xie Xuanming to work as a temporary worker for a day. After Ji Sheng finished listening to the order, he talked to Xie Xuanming about the guest¡¯s request, turned back to Sheng Kongzhi and made a face. ¡°It¡¯s so boring to stay in one place. I want to run around. I want to be a prodigal son.¡± ¡°Part-time prodigal son?¡± Sheng Kongzhi glanced at him in amusement, ¡°Don¡¯t you even consider Xiao Xie, he¡¯s tired and thin from following you around every day.¡± ¡°Xiao Xie is just tall and thin, okay?¡± Ji Sheng walked up to Xie Xuanming, who was working hard, pinched his forearm and said with satisfaction, ¡°A lot stronger, thanks to me.¡± Xie Xuanming pulled away from him silently and sealed and packed the prepared milk tea. ¡°Forget it, if you don¡¯t work yourself, don¡¯t bother Xiao Xie.¡± Sheng Kongzhi scolded, smiling. He lowered his head to confirm the order and said seriously, ¡°Why don¡¯t you just stay here? The weather is so hot, anyway, the shop has air conditioning and it¡¯s cooler. Saves you the trouble of running around in the sun and suffering from heatstroke.¡± ¡°You worry about me.¡± Ji Sheng drawled and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m so touched.¡± Sheng Kongzhi said helplessly: ¡°If you know that I am worried, be sensible.¡± Xie Xuanming was sullenly wiping the counter on the side; there was a closed sort of atmosphere between Ji Sheng and Sheng Kongzhi that no one could interfere with. Su Jing said that they were bamboo horses, the kind that grew up sharing a pair of pants(2). Glancing at Ji Sheng¡¯s eyes curved in a smile, Xie Xuanming rubbed the counter more forcefully. If there was really only one pair of pants, Ji Sheng would definitely give it to Sheng Kongzhi and run naked himself. Sheng Kongzhi said, ¡°I¡¯m bored to be alone in the store. It would be better if you stayed with me.¡± Xie Xuanming took a look at the sun outside and felt that running outside for eight hours to hand out flyers was better than standing here like an embarrassing proof that three¡¯s a crowd. He lowered his head; a small stain on the table still couldn¡¯t be wiped off. ¡°Bear it.¡± Ji Sheng patted Sheng Kongzhi on the shoulder, ¡°I really can¡¯t stand doing repetitive work for a long time. After all, I¡¯m trying to build up inspiration, otherwise I¡¯d be writing the same old songs all the time.¡± Sheng Kongzhi sighed: ¡°Bringing out the inspiration routine again.¡± ¡°And you can¡¯t let Xiao Xie be stuck working in a small shop all day long. Seeing more of the world is more important than earning that hundred yuan¡­¡± Xie Xuanming wiped the table for a while, then quietly carried the rag to the sink to wash it. On the counter he¡¯d left, the stubborn stain was invisible. After rehearsing that night, Li Tan followed the teenagers back to the rental house, saying that he had something to discuss. However, when he came, everyone was lying down like a corpse, playing with their mobile phones or eating late night snacks, leaving him out in the cold. ¡°Good news, good news, everyone, get up and listen!¡± Li Tan clapped his hands vigorously, but none of the young men slumped on the sofa moved. ¡°Hey.¡± Li Tan was not happy: ¡°Give a response, brats, are you dead?¡± ¡°Dead, exhausted.¡± One of them had enough strength to groan, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say it during the rehearsal?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s important? It has to be more formal.¡± Ji Sheng snorted like a pig, changed position to flop his arm on the lap of Xie Xuanming¡¯s who was sitting next to him and continued to lie like a corpse: ¡°Xiao Xie, my arms are numb, help me massage them.¡± Li Tan became angry when he saw his mindless appearance. Seeing that Xie Xuanming actually stretched out his hand to rub Ji Sheng¡¯s arm obediently, he became even more angry and shouted: ¡°Is our noble lead singer here to give you a massage?! Can you stop bullying Xiao Xie!¡± Ji Sheng ignored him, and Xie Xuanming continued to knead his arms, his expression unchanged. Li Tan was out of breath and had to zoom in directly: ¡°There¡¯s a job¡­¡± No one answered. ¡°It¡¯s a competition, for music bands, the bar is pretty high and the attention is good.¡± Su Jing¡¯s screen tinkled. ¡°The key is that there¡¯s a prize.¡± Sheng Kongzhi, hugging a watermelon, showed a little bit of interest: ¡°How much?¡± ¡°Fifteen thousand.¡± Bang. The watermelon fell to the ground. As the phone hit the bridge of his nose, Su Jing let out a cry of pain. Ji Sheng turned over and opened his eyes wide in amazement. ¡°How much?¡± Xie Xuanming avoided his iron fist and moved aside silently. Li Tan got comfortable and repeated: ¡°The winner gets fifteen thousand.¡± ¡°Zimbabwe dollars?¡± ¡°RMB!¡± Li Tan was angry again, ¡°Can you let me finish?¡± ¡°Please!¡± ¡°It was a couple of established bands that approached the rich kids to set up the competition. The winner is 15,000, the runner-up is 10,000, and the third place is 5,000. The news came out last week, and many bands were inquiring¡­ Everything is good about this competition, but it is difficult to sign up. The Lizi band that fought with us before, remember, they applied four times and didn¡¯t get in.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ji Sheng raised his eyebrows, ¡°If Brother Tan says that, there must be a way.¡± ¡°Sort of, I got in touch yesterday.¡± Li Tan said, ¡°A man named Zhao Wenhua said that there is a way to sign up Qingchu¡­ but he made a condition.¡± ¡°What condition?¡± ¡°He said that he¡¯s a fan of Qingchu and wanted to meet Xiao Sheng and Xuanming.¡± ¡°Meet me.¡± Ji Sheng was taken aback, ¡°I have never seen this fan.¡± ¡°There are many fans you haven¡¯t seen before.¡± Li Tan said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid you are the only one who doesn¡¯t know that you are very famous in the circle. That Brother Zhao, who is considered a fan of yours, wants to meet for a drink and communicate.¡± Su Jing frowned: ¡°Forget about drinking. With Ji Sheng¡¯s drinking capacity, he drinks a bit and gets sold to someone. And there is also Xiao Xie who is underage and it is illegal for him to drink.¡± Sheng Kongzhi also objected: ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound very reliable. Is there any other way?¡± Li Tan said helplessly: ¡°If there was any other way, wouldn¡¯t I tell you? The problem is that it¡¯s probably the only way.¡± He said: ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not that scary, just adults talking about business at the wine table. To put it bluntly, it¡¯s just to sing karaoke, have a couple of drinks and make friends¡­ That¡¯s how it always works.¡± Li Tan did talk a lot of ¡°business¡± at the wine table. Members of Qingchu often saw him drunk hugging the toilet and throwing up. After throwing up, he would raise two fingers and say, fucking hell, those bastards are really not human¡­ The wine table culture penetrated to the bottom, and even though young people were somewhat disgusted, they also had to accept it. Ji Sheng snapped his fingers absent-mindedly. Fifteen thousand. The guaranteed budget for an album was 40,000 yuan, and the sum that everyone could pull together was only 20,000 yuan¡­ Qingchu really needed that 15,000 yuan. It also needed a chance to make a name for itself. Ji Sheng made up his mind. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go.¡± He shrugged, ¡°Isn¡¯t it just drinking? You know how much I can drink.¡± ¡°Pretty little.¡± Su Jing said coolly. Ji Sheng ignored him and raised his chin at Li Tan: ¡°But forget about Xiao Xie, he is not an adult and it is not appropriate for him to go to that kind of place.¡± Li Tan was a little embarrassed, but still nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯m trying to communicate¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± Xie Xuanming interrupted coldly. ¡°Don¡¯t make trouble.¡± Ji Sheng sighed, turned around and patted him on the head, ¡°Even if you go, you¡¯ll be lying on the sofa asleep after a glass of beer anyway.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going.¡± Xie Xuanming was rarely stubborn, ¡°Otherwise, if you are drunk, who will be responsible for carrying you back.¡± ¡°F!¡° Ji Sheng didn¡¯t expect that even Xie Xuanming would ridicule his poor alcohol intake and said angrily, ¡°I¡¯m not bad at drinking, okay?¡± ¡°Xiao Xie has a point.¡± Sheng Kongzhi agreed with Xie Xuanming¡¯s point of view, ¡°You really need someone to keep an eye on you.¡± Su Jing also said reluctantly: ¡°Although I think this thing is unreliable and it is best not to go, but if you insist on going, it is indeed much more reliable for the two of them to go together than to go to the meeting alone.¡± Ji Sheng saw that no one supported him and was dumbfounded: ¡°Hey, you guys are really¡­¡± ¡°Four to one.¡± Xie Xuanming expressionlessly added a knife, ¡°The minority obeys the majority.¡± ¡± ¡°Eh??¡± Li Tan made the final call: ¡°Then that¡¯s it. I will reply to Zhao Wenhua¡¯s message¡­ and, by the way, tell him about your situation and make him be more responsible and not make things difficult for you¡­¡± ¡°Can it work?¡± Su Jing questioned, ¡°Isn¡¯t the thing these pussies love to do the most is to flaunt their big little power and make things difficult for people in every way?¡± Although Su Jing liked to run his mouth on a daily basis, unfortunately he really had a crow¡¯s beak this time(3). Zhao Wenhua was indeed a dog who loved to make things difficult for people. Zhao Wenhua, that guy, was obviously a scumbag. He ordered Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming around, asked them to sing vulgar songs and then started pouring alcohol into the two of them. After Ji Sheng had two drinks, Zhao Wenhua set his eyes on Xie Xuanming, pestering and shoving the glass towards him. Xie Xuanming frowned and didn¡¯t answer or look at Zhao Wenhua. Zhao Wenhua pressed the glass forward again without backing down: ¡°Do you not give me face?¡± The two confronted each other, forming a stalemate. ¡°Brother Zhao. ¡± Ji Sheng smirked and took the glass. As he drank, his ears and cheeks turned a little red, but he still shielded Xie Xuanming, ¡°He is not an adult and can¡¯t drink. I will take his place.¡± ¡°Not an adult¡ª¡± Zhao Wenhua sneered, ¡°You are not an adult, but you can go to the bar and play in a band, yet you can¡¯t have a glass of beer¡­ After all, you¡¯re just looking down on me and not giving me face.¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Ji Sheng smiled faintly but sincerely, ¡°The child is allergic to alcohol, so he really can¡¯t drink¡­ Brother Zhao, if you look at it like this, I¡¯ll make amends by drinking two drinks.¡± ¡°Two drinks?¡± Zhao Wenhua exclaimed in an exaggerated disbelief, ¡°Replacing people is always multiplied. Do you want to buy my face with two drinks? Impossible! I¡¯m not giving you a hard time, but say five drinks and no less, otherwise you really don¡¯t leave Brother Zhao a way out of this embarrassing situation.¡± Ji Sheng smiled brightly, cursing this pig-headed dog thing in his heart. He finally understood how Li Tan got drunk like that every time. Ji Sheng had already drunk two or three glasses and his head was hazy and muddled. The alcohol was not pure beer, it had something stronger, like vodka, mixed into it. Five glasses of it needed to be drunk. But a minor shouldn¡¯t be forced to try this. Ji Sheng made up his mind and was about to agree, but another hand stretched out one step ahead of him. Xie Xuanming took the glass blankly, raised his head and drank it. ¡°Xie¡ª¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t have time to stop him, so he had to watch his Adam¡¯s apple roll and the flush burn its way from his collarbones to the tips of his ears. Xie Xuanming clenched the glass tightly and covered his stomach. The blazing heat was instantaneous, waves of nausea and dizziness hitting his brain non-stop. He stepped back, was caught by Ji Sheng and broke free again. ¡°I¡¯m going to the bathroom.¡± With the last of his strength he raised his hand, showing the empty glass, squeezed out the words and stumbled out of the room. Xie Xuanming hugged the toilet and retched for a while. The last two times he was drinking were cocktails with less than twenty percent of alcohol. This was the first time he tried strong liquor and found it very unlikeable and unsuitable. Xie Xuanming hadn¡¯t eaten dinner; his stomach was empty and the glass of liquor was dangling in it like a ball of fire, making him feel very uncomfortable. For a few moments, Xie Xuanming felt that he was going to faint. He thought that he really might be a little allergic to alcohol and he thought that he was really useless. He couldn¡¯t stand a glass of beer, making things difficult for Ji Sheng. Ji Sheng. Thinking of Ji Sheng, Xie Xuanming sobered a little. He propped himself up on the toilet and wobbled over to the sink to wash his face. The young man in the mirror had dishevelled hair, red eyes and a pale complexion. Xie Xuanming couldn¡¯t recognize himself, and he didn¡¯t bother to dwell on it. He had to go back to the private room quickly, he didn¡¯t know how Ji Sheng was going to be mistreated while he ran out on his own. The cold water was splashed on his face two or three times, and the burning feeling was finally suppressed. Xie Xuanming felt a lot better. He straightened up and walked back quickly. He reached the door and was about to open it when he suddenly heard a burst of laughter inside. ¡°Don¡¯t say that, this kid looks like this, he is delicate like a girl, makes people itchy looking at him.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s heart sank. Even before he understood the meaning of the words, he was already kicking the door open furiously. The scene in the room really made him dumbfounded. Ji Sheng tilted his head and leaned drowsily against Zhao Wenhua as the man smiled lewdly, his dirty hands about to reach into Ji Sheng¡¯s clothes. 1. Lacking a whole picture 2. Childhood friends 3. Make an inauspicious remark CH 21 Zhao Wenhua put his arms around Ji Sheng, lowered his head and sniffed his neck. The scent of the body wash was mixed with alcohol, mingling into a different kind of appealing aura. Zhao Wenhua grinned, intoxicated and lewd. He had been eyeing Ji Sheng for a long time. In Qingchu, apart from the austere young lead singer, what attracted him most was the unruly drummer. Unfortunately, the beautiful lead singer was underage and looked like a rich kid, so he¡¯d probably get into trouble if he did something. Zhao Wenhua could only regretfully let it go and put the drug into Ji Sheng¡¯s glass. The big teenage boy was as unsuspecting as he expected. He passed out after drinking it, leaving them to do whatever they wanted. Zhao Wenhua dragged Ji Sheng closer, and during the movement, the hem of Ji Sheng¡¯s t-shirt rolled up, revealing his thin waist. The boy¡¯s waist was really narrow. Because of the lack of sunlight, his skin there was much paler than in other places. The contrast between cold white and a black t-shirt was intense, giving one a great sense of visual impact. Zhao Wenhua pinched it in fascination, thinking that it must¡¯ve felt nice to hold this thin waist. His mind was full of filth, when he suddenly heard a few exclamations. He raised his eyes and saw the beautiful kid he had just been mentally masturbating over rushing in like a madman and snatching Ji Sheng out of his hands. Then he raised his foot, kicked Zhao Wenhua hard in the stomach and knocked him straight over the table. ¡°Fuck!!¡± Zhao Wenhua yelled in shock and anger. His back slammed on the edge of the coffee table and knocked it over. Bottles of alcohol fell to the ground with a clatter. Zhao Wenhua lay on the table, grunting in pain. After regaining his senses, he was furious, ¡°Do you dare fucking touch me?! Do you know who I am?!¡± Xie Xuanming ignored him. He looked down to check Ji Sheng¡¯s condition. After discovering that he was unconscious, he raised his eyes and pierced Zhao Wenhua with a bloodshot glare. Zhao Wenhua was shaken by the ferocity and madness in his eyes, feeling a bit of fear in his heart inexplicably¡­ Finally reacting, he spat out ¡°fuck¡±, got up in anger and cursed. ¡°What are you idiots waiting for? Beat the shit out of him for Lao Tzu!¡± The rest of the people in the room couldn¡¯t be called Zhao Wenhua¡¯s subordinates but they had to give Zhao Wenhua a bit of face anyway. At this moment, Zhao Wenhua was kicked and thrown on the table. If they sat idly by, they were bound to be held accountable by Zhao Wenhua. They made a quick decision and rushed forward, shouting and with his fists clenched. Xie Xuanming put Ji Sheng on the sofa behind him, turned around, picked up a beer bottle and slammed it at the closest attacker neatly. The man was hit so hard that his jawbone deformed, and he fell screaming. Xie Xuanming raised the bottle and swung again, hitting the man¡¯s head fiercely. The beer bottle shattered, and the people around hurriedly backed away to avoid glass fragments. The second guy rushed up and punched Xie Xuanming¡¯s jaw. Xie Xuanming¡¯s head snapped under the blow. When he raised his head again, the corner of his mouth was bloody and a bruise appeared at the corner of his eye. His eyes filled with anger. He slammed his elbow into the man¡¯s throat. When the man screamed and fell down clutching his neck, Xie Xuanming broke another beer bottle on his head. Glass scattered everywhere. The attackers were so frightened by the madness in his eyes that they hesitated to move. Even before they came into contact, they had already lost most of their nerve. Street fights are all about ¡°fierceness¡±. At this moment, a desperate lunatic was standing with his back to the wall. The rest of the men were so scared that they lost all will to fight and were smacked down one by one like sandbags by Xie Xuanming, struggling to get up only to receive a few more blows. Xie Xuanming was here in a blaze of glory, and Zhao Wenhua was shocked and angry at the incompetence of his backup. ¡°Fuck, where does this kid come from?¡± He cursed, wanted to yell ¡°punk¡± and then take his own weapon, but the crazy light on the boy¡¯s face horrified him into immobility. No wonder Zhao Wenhua¡¯s legs felt weak. At this moment, Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes were blazing red. He stood, holding two broken bottles in his hands, blood leaking from them as he swung them around. He looked crazy and ruthless with his white face stained with blood, as terrifying as a legendary serial killer. Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes were wolf-like as he slowly swept his gaze past the people who surrounded him. A little brother staring at him trembled. He had no doubt that this mad dog-like kid would plunge the beer bottle into his heart. In fact, it was naturally impossible for Xie Xuanming to have beaten seven or eight adult men by himself. But his desperate madness was indeed terrifying in terms of momentum. So when Xie Xuanming walked out carrying Ji Sheng, no one in the room dared to stop him. ¡°You fucking son of a bitch!¡± Zhao Wenhua yelled angrily at his back, ¡°This is not over, you wait. You, that kid in your arms, your whole ragged band, I won¡¯t let any of you¡­¡± Before he finished speaking, Xie Xuanming put down Ji Sheng, crossed the crowd that tried to block him, grabbed Zhao Wenhua¡¯s neck and slammed him to the ground. He had a lot of strength in his hands, enough to strangle someone. Deprived of breath, Zhao Wenhua let out a croak of pain and fear, and people around him rushed over in shock, trying to stop Xie Xuanming¡¯s brutality, kicking and punching him. But no matter whether they punched, kicked or tried to drag him away, Xie Xuanming remained motionless. Zhao Wenhua was suffocating. His eyes rolled up and he squealed desperately, like a pig to be slaughtered. In a daze, he heard the young man above him speak grimly. ¡°There is a hemp rope in my house¡­ do you know what this means? This means that I don¡¯t want to live and it also means that I don¡¯t want to die¡­ if you really dare to do anything, I¡¯ll strangle you before I go up the beam¡­ If you¡¯re not afraid to die, go ahead and do it.¡± After saying that, Xie Xuanming got up. The onlookers hesitated and shrank away, not daring to go up to help Zhao Wenhua, let alone stop Xie Xuanming. They watched Xie Xuanming walk back to the sofa, pick up Ji Sheng and leave the private room. The return trip was more difficult than getting out of the private room. The streets of the old town were narrow and no taxis could drive there. Xie Xuanming could only limp to the rental house with Ji Sheng on his back. There was no way to be uninjured in a fight. Xie Xuanming received a few heavy blows on his back, shoulders and legs. At this moment, his wounds throbbed with pain. However, he didn¡¯t care how many wounds he had on his body; he just gritted his teeth and walked forward step by step. Fortunately, Ji Sheng was only drugged, not anything else. If Zhao Wenhua was worse, giving him narcotics or other substances¡­ Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t dare to think about it, so he stopped thinking. The effect of the drug came and went quickly. Halfway through, Ji Sheng¡¯s eyelids twitched and he groaned hoarsely. Xie Xuanming paused, asking tentatively: ¡°Brother Ji? Are you awake, how are you feeling, is there any discomfort?¡± Ji Sheng muttered a few words in a low voice. He didn¡¯t wake up thoroughly, his head was dizzy and his consciousness was erratic, so he couldn¡¯t digest Xie Xuanming¡¯s series of questions for a while. ¡°I¡¯m dizzy¡­¡± He opened his dazed eyes, ¡°Xiao Xie? Why do you have six ears?¡± It seemed that he hadn¡¯t woken up; Xie Xuanming explained roughly: ¡°You are drunk.¡± ¡°Oh. Is that so?¡± Ji Sheng was confused, ¡°Did the six-eared monkey get drunk too?¡± After this question beyond common sense, Xie Xuanming was silent for a while. ¡°Six-eared monkeys don¡¯t drink alcohol.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ drink¡­ will Chang¡¯e and Zhu Bajie last?¡±(1) ¡°¡­¡­ ¡°They don¡¯t seem to have been together.¡± ¡°Do you like elephants?¡± ¡°¡­generally.¡± The drunk and drugged Ji Sheng was clearly not in his right mind, grunting and yapping on Xie Xuanming¡¯s back. Most of his questions were confusing, but Xie Xuanming tried to answer them one by one. As the moon rose above the trees, Ji Sheng hiccuped and continued to ask. ¡°What kind of girl does Xiao Xie like?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Say it, say it, I want to know.¡± ¡°¡­that likes me.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Ji Sheng laughed out loud. He inexplicably found some logic in the question, dwelling on it and refusing to change the subject, ¡°Our Xiao Xie is so handsome, the girls who like him must be lined up from East Street to West Street. Women are fickle like running water¡­ ¡°If she likes me, I like her too¡­ ¡°¡­What a perfunctory additional condition.¡± Trying to shut him up, Xie Xuanming shook him up and down sullenly; his movements pulled the wound on his hand and the pain made him groan softly. ¡°What kind of girl do you like?¡± He asked rhetorically. ¡°I¡­¡± Ji Sheng yawned and didn¡¯t speak for a while. Just when Xie Xuanming thought he was not going to speak, Ji Sheng said in a daze: ¡°I don¡¯t like girls, I like your brother Sheng.¡± Xie Xuanming paused; the sound of steady breathing came from his back. Ji Sheng passed out again. Xie Xuanming returned to the rental house and kicked the door with difficulty. Sheng Kongzhi opened the door and was shocked seeing his face bruised and covered in blood: ¡°Xiao Xie! What¡¯s the matter? Were you robbed¡­¡± Before he finished speaking, he saw Ji Sheng lying half-dead on Xie Xuanming¡¯s back. His face instantly went pale and he said in a low voice, ¡°Ji Sheng!¡± He took a step forward and cupped Ji Sheng¡¯s face, asking anxiously, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± ¡°Brother Ji is fine. ¡°Xie Xuanming replied quietly, ¡°Zhao Wenhua added something to the drink, and I had a conflict with them.¡± Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s expression was extremely ugly. He paused for a moment and said decisively, ¡°Come in.¡± Sheng Kongzhi naturally took the sleepy Ji Sheng from Xie Xuanming¡¯s back, picked him up, quickly walked into the bedroom and put him on the bed. Before Su Jing came back, Xie Xuanming limped into the room and saw Sheng Kongzhi with his back to the door, bent over, whispering Ji Sheng¡¯s name. After Ji Sheng responded a few times in a daze, Sheng Kongzhi began to check his body again to confirm whether there were any wounds. Finally Sheng Kongzhi breathed a sigh of relief. After five or six minutes had passed, he straightened up. When Sheng Kongzhi turned his head, Xie Xuanming was standing at the door with a cup in his hand. He lowered his head and his expression couldn¡¯t be seen clearly, only the wound at the corner of his mouth was dazzling. Startled, Sheng Kongzhi quickly walked to the cabinet by the wall and skillfully pulled out a bottle of a red potion from the drawer. He walked up to Xie Xuanming with the medicine and was about to say something, but Xie Xuanming said first: ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯ll give the water to Brother Ji first.¡± Only then did Sheng Kongzhi notice that he was holding a cup. The liquid in the cup was clear and slowly steaming. ¡°Thank you, Xiao Xie.¡± Sheng Kongzhi took the cup, ¡°I¡¯ll help him drink it later, but now I¡¯m afraid he might choke.¡± Xie Xuanming put down his hand and said, ¡°Oh.¡± Sheng Kongzhi saw the bruises under his eyes and couldn¡¯t help frowning: ¡°You¡¯re hurt like this¡­¡± Before he finished speaking, the phone rang. He took out his mobile phone; Xie Xuanming lowered his head, and both of them saw ¡°Li Tan¡± displayed on the screen. Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s expression sank; he stuffed the medicine to Xie Xuanming and ordered: ¡°Disinfect it first, and by the way, help look after your Brother Ji, and I¡¯ll answer the phone.¡± Xie Xuanming agreed quietly, and Sheng Kongzhi went out. When the door closed, Xie Xuanming stood still for a few seconds, then slowly walked to Ji Sheng¡¯s side and squatted down. He didn¡¯t rush to disinfect his wounds; he just stretched out his hand to push away some of Ji Sheng¡¯s messed hair hanging over his eyes. The sound insulation of the rental house was extremely bad, and Xie Xuanming clearly heard Sheng Kongzhi question in a low voice. ¡°What do you mean you didn¡¯t know this would happen¡­ Ji Sheng is still unconscious! Are you telling me that normal drinking should be like this?¡± There was uncontrollable anger hidden in his restrained voice. Xie Xuanming squatted in front of the bed, thinking silently that this was the first time he saw Sheng Kongzhi angry. Because of Ji Sheng. Outside the door, Sheng Kongzhi yelled something at Li Tan. Ji Sheng was alarmed by the sound; his eyebrows frowned uncomfortably, his lips moved and he murmured meaningless sleepy words. Xie Xuanming looked down at Ji Sheng, who was restless, and smoothed his brows with his fingers. Are you happy? Xie Xuanming himself was taken aback by the suspicion he expressed aloud. He immediately shut his mouth and pursed his lips into a thin line. But his thoughts couldn¡¯t stop spreading. Would you be happy? Seeing someone you like worrying about you. When Su Jing returned, Ji Sheng was still asleep. When Su Jing entered the bedroom, he saw Xie Xuanming applying medicine. The wounds on his hands were hideous. Su Jing was shocked and asked what happened. Xie Xuanming briefly explained the situation to him. ¡°Fucking surnamed Zhao.¡± After listening, Su Jing was furious. He walked around the room in a rage, saying fiercely, ¡°Don¡¯t let me see this son of a bitch, dammit, the whole obscenely impotent thanks-to-beer-belly absolute douchebag.¡± Xie Xuanming disinfected his wounds in silence and waited for Su Jing to finish cursing before speaking: ¡°Li Tan called Sheng Kongzhi and they had a fight, and Brother Sheng was very angry.¡± ¡°Of course he is angry.¡± Su Jing was angry too, ¡°He and Ji Sheng have known each other for more than ten years, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s too much to ask for an explanation after my childhood friend has been screwed over like this.¡± Xie Xuanming lowered his eyes and said nothing, then listened to Su Jing say: ¡°What¡¯s more, Sheng Kongzhi has always taken care of Ji Sheng. Their relationship is closer than that of ordinary couples. Now that someone touches Ji Sheng, can Sheng Kongzhi not get angry?¡± 1. Characters of ¡®Journey to the West¡¯ CH 22 Xie Xuanming stood at the door of the bank, with a homeless man lying at his feet. He glanced at his watch and found that it was 8:55, five minutes before the bank opened for business. Xie Xuanming had been standing here for 20 minutes. During this period, he went to the convenience store next door to buy a loaf of bread for breakfast. As soon as he bought it, his stomach ached from a hangover. He didn¡¯t eat a bite and gave it to the homeless. Ji Sheng woke up in the middle of the night. His memory was stuck before he passed out; he didn¡¯t even know how he passed out, he thought he was drunk. He looked confused and ignorant, completely unaware of Zhao Wenhua¡¯s nasty thoughts. He opened his mouth and asked if they were eligible for the competition. When the others saw him like this, they didn¡¯t have the heart to tell him the real situation. They could only tell him vaguely that Xie Xuanming and Zhao Wenhua had a conflict, and the chance to qualify for the competition was likely lost¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± Ji Sheng was dumbfounded. He turned to look at Xie Xuanming. He was shocked and angry when he saw his injuries. ¡°Did they bully you? How did you get like this?¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s face was full of anxiety, and Sheng Kongzhi secretly shook his head at Xie Xuanming slightly. Xie Xuanming got the hint and kept silent. Sheng Kongzhi remedied the situation: ¡°Xiao Xie couldn¡¯t help being angry that you were drunk, so¡­¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s complexion changed slightly; he was silent for a few seconds, then frowned and scolded, ¡°Because of this? What¡¯s wrong with me drinking a few drinks as an adult? Xie Xuanming, why are you so impulsive and act out on such a trivial matter? You also fought with a bunch of guys and came back with injuries!¡± Angry, he stood up from the bed, swayed twice and fell back. Sheng Kongzhi quickly helped to steady him and whispered to him to calm down. The untold truth, the poor state of Ji Sheng under the effects of the drug, Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s concerned attitude, Su Jing¡¯s earlier unintentional words, the burning of the alcohol that had not dissipated¡­ These things stuck in Xie Xuanming¡¯s throat like fishbones, and the dry sharp pain made his veins throb, an uncontrollable fire rising to the surface. He resisted his anger and said that he wanted to talk to Ji Sheng alone. As soon as Sheng Kongzhi walked out, Xie Xuanming almost roared. ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking know how to say no?¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s face was ugly, ¡°Still no brains, if I hadn¡¯t come back in time yesterday, do you know what might, no, what definitely would happen to you!¡± His hoarse, broken voice made Xie Xuanming look like an unreasonable child, and Ji Sheng¡¯s astonished and confused expression made him feel embarrassed afterwards. After Xie Xuanming finished scolding, he stared at Ji Sheng, gasping. He actually regretted it a little bit. After all, Ji Sheng didn¡¯t know the situation¡­ He just learned that they lost the chance to qualify for the competition and before he had time to get angry, he was slapped by the culprit and lectured¡­ Xie Xuanming felt that if he were Ji Sheng, he would have walked out with a cold face, slamming the door. He tried to save face and maintain his fierce expression, but in reality his heart grew apprehensive, hesitant and afraid of Ji Sheng¡¯s anger. However, Ji Sheng didn¡¯t get angry. He only looked at Xie Xuanming in surprise, faintly feeling that the things that must have made him mad were probably not as simple as they seemed. However, instead of asking for the truth, Ji Sheng chose to look after the exploding minor first. He relaxed, his expression returning to his usual casual nature, smiled and hugged Xie Xuanming¡¯s shoulders, squeezing his face, both molesting and soothing him. ¡°The sun is rising in the east, and our good boy actually used two dirty words in one sentence. Come on, go, go, share the joy with Lao Sheng and the others.¡± With Ji Sheng reacting so unreasonably, Xie Xuanming was stunned as if he had punched cotton. Finally regaining his senses, Xie Xuanming pushed Ji Sheng away like a frightened bird and walked away with a flick of his sleeves. To be precise, it was inappropriate to call it walking away with a flick of sleeves, it should be called running away. Xie Xuanming¡¯s face was hot and painful; he was angry for no reason and he was generously forgiven, he realized his own childishness and he was ashamed to face Ji Sheng, he could only wretchedly hide in his room, huddling in his bed, constantly torn about what to do, whether to apologise, how to apologise¡­ People always find themselves worthless when they are shown kindness. Xie Xuanming had never been forgiven or treated kindly by others in the family where he was imprisoned since he was a child. He was not at all familiar with this social process and clumsily decided to exchange for emotions the material things that met the urgent needs of those he wanted to please at this stage. This was why he came to the bank early in the morning. At nine o¡¯clock, the bank opened. Xie Xuanming went in, walked straight to the ATM machine, lowered his head and touched his pocket. The last time he came to the bank was after his mother died and the man gave him a card. It was the first time Xie Xuanming went to the bank and he had a lot of zeros in his account. Looking at a long list of digits, Xie Xuanming suddenly remembered his mother. Money was the best care product. The man¡¯s generosity extended his mother¡¯s youthfulness, allowing her to bloom as brightly as a flower for decades. In the end, she withered like a flower. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t want to use the money. The more generous and charitable the man was, the more pathetic and cheap he appeared. But he didn¡¯t care anymore. The reason for the need for money was more important than the senseless dignity. But his assets were frozen. Xie Xuanming was silent for a few seconds when he saw the screen prompt. After turning to manual service, he was told that only up to 10,000 yuan could be withdrawn from his card. The man who claimed to be his father probably wanted to teach the rebellious child who did not want to return home a lesson, but he was afraid that Xie Xuanming would starve to death, so he did not forget to leave a narrow path back. Ten thousand yuan. The narrow backroad. Xie Xuanming wanted to laugh inexplicably. The ¡°basic living expenses¡± that rich people allocated lightly might be a huge sum that other people struggled to earn by rotating through a dozen bars at night, staying up all night to practice the tracks for a temp job or distributing flyers for ten hours in the 30-degree sun¡­ ¡°Take it all out, thank you,¡± he said. Xie Xuanming went to the convenience store next door to buy an ice cream and got a plastic bag there. He loosely put the banknotes into the bag and left. When he walked out, he broke the card and squeezed it in his palm. One really cannot be poor, Xie Xuanming was thinking carelessly, holding the ice cream. After being poor for a while, breaking the card like that actually physically hurt. But it felt really good to have contempt for money. He finished the ice cream in three bites, waved his hand casually and threw the wooden stick together with the card that was broken into the trash can on the side of the road. Xie Xuanming returned from a rewarding journey and knocked on Ji Sheng¡¯s door. Ji Sheng had just woken up from his nap, opened the door with sleepy eyes and stared blankly at the visitor. It wasn¡¯t until Xie Xuanming opened the bag and a stack of red banknotes showed up that he suddenly woke up, full of excitement. ¡°You are not¡­¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s eyes widened, and he said in amazement, ¡°Have you gone to extort medical expenses from Zhao Wenhua?¡± ¡°No.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°I originally wanted to withdraw 15,000 yuan from the card¡­ but¡­ they froze the money at home, and I could only withdraw so much. Just take it and make an album for Qingchu.¡± Ten thousand yuan of cash was a pile of red, and the impact was so strong that it took a while for Ji Sheng to look away and say, ¡°Qingchu can¡¯t ask for it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°Everyone is saving money for the album, and I also want to help.¡± ¡°¡­just sing a good song, don¡¯t worry about money.¡± ¡°No.¡± Xie Xuanming was more serious, ¡°Am I not a part of Qingchu?¡± ¡°This is not a question of being a part.¡± Ji Sheng scratched his head irritably. The puppy you picked up casually on the road suddenly brought back a gold medal. He wagged his tail proudly and said that although you couldn¡¯t tell, he was actually a noble puppy, so let him steal the assets of his family and buy you fancy canned food¡­ Ji Sheng¡¯s face was gloomy and Xie Xuanming stared at him without blinking. The beautiful bruised eyes were shining, just like a dirty puppy waiting for praise. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t want to eat the puppy¡¯s food. Ji Sheng just wanted the puppy to bark nicely, so he invited him to join the group. Thinking about it, Ji Sheng sighed: ¡°You give all the money to Qingchu, what are you going to do?¡± ¡°I can make money.¡± Xie Xuanming said seriously, ¡°I can do anything you can do by handing out flyers and singing in bars.¡± ¡°You are still in school.¡± Ji Sheng frowned, ¡°You will be in your senior year when you start school.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to go.¡± Xie Xuanming wrinkled his nose, showing a bit of age-appropriate rebellion, ¡°I¡¯m not up to it anymore.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a question of whether you want to or not.¡± Ji Sheng was taken aback and his expression changed, ¡°You are angry.¡± ¡°No.¡± Upset, Xie Xuanming said stiffly. Don¡¯t treat me like a child, he wanted to say. However, Ji Sheng spoke first, interrupting him. ¡°I am very worried about you.¡± Ji Sheng frowned and looked at him seriously: ¡°Xie Xuanming, you have no plan for the future. This will not work. It is very worrying.¡± As he said, he got a little angry inexplicably. ¡°You may think that you have 10,000 yuan in your card and you can use it whatever way you want. You will spend it impulsively today and earn it tomorrow. This is a trivial matter, but it is not¡­ This reflects that your attitude towards life is very perfunctory. You are only seventeen years old and it¡¯s fine to skip school and play in a band, but to drop out of school is beyond the limit of ¡®willfulness¡¯. It¡¯s not good and it¡¯s not allowed, I don¡¯t agree with it and I won¡¯t allow it. If you really want to drop out of school, then you will no longer be welcome at Qingchu, you will quit the band tomorrow, no, today. Get your ass back to school and go to classes honestly!¡± Xie Xuanming swallowed hard. Ji Sheng¡¯s tone was stern; he assumed the posture of a full-blown elder and lectured long-windedly. As a rebellious seventeen-year-old boy, Xie Xuanming felt that he should be unhappy. However, in fact, Xie Xuanming was happy, he was very happy. On the one hand, he suspected that his head must have been broken yesterday since he was so happy to be scolded, on the other hand, he couldn¡¯t help being excited. Ji Sheng was worried about him. Xie Xuanming¡¯s heart moved; Ji Sheng¡¯s words were like the first wave of sea water revealed when the harbour melted, icy and cool, bringing the scent of spring. Xie Xuanming suddenly realized why there were so many rebellious teenagers in the world who loved to do stupid things. If rebellion and immaturity could be exchanged for worry and love, Xie Xuanming was willing to be called an asshole kid for the rest of his life. Ji Sheng paused to catch his breath in the middle of the tirade, frowning and ready to continue educating the young lead singer in front of him who had turned into a punk in less than a month. Who knew that before he could speak, the rebellious boy who was as stubborn as a mule just now would suddenly sniff and say softly: ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s education-related topic stuck in his throat, making him choke. Xie Xuanming lowered his eyes; his voice was quiet, a little embarrassed and a little aggrieved: ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Ji Sheng watched Xie Xuanming raise his eyes in a daze. His bruised eyes, the wounds in the corner of his lips and scabs on his face all made him look a bit pitiful. After apologising, the pitiful Xie Xuanming said softly: ¡°It¡¯s my fault to get angry in the morning and it¡¯s my fault to say that I¡¯d drop out of school. I was wrong. Brother Ji, don¡¯t be angry.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s words, like a ball of cotton, were shoved into Ji Sheng¡¯s heart, unreasonably squashing down his anger completely, while the floating cotton choked him with stifling discomfort. Fuck. Ji Sheng thought. This kid was really good and realized the true meaning of life in just a few minutes. Worse than a seventeen year old dead stubborn mad dog was a seventeen year old dirty puppy. If it was the former, you could still wave a big stick at it angrily; but the latter rolled in front of you and you could do nothing about it. CH 23 Ji Sheng was probably a model of eating soft but not hard. As soon as Xie Xuanming showed weakness, he was helpless. He swallowed all the words he was about to say, reached out and patted him on the shoulder, and asked him to deposit the money back for a while. ¡°I threw away the card.¡± Xie Xuanming said frankly. ¡°¡­which trash can did you throw it in? Hurry up and see if you can pick it up.¡± ¡°I broke it and threw it away.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng facepalmed. Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes were so innocent that Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t scold him, so he could only nag, ¡°Then you can hide the money first and go open a new account to deposit it in a couple of days.¡± Xie Xuanming obediently said, ¡°Okay.¡± Ji Sheng wanted to say something else when the doorbell rang. There was a brief argument at the door, and then the door of the bedroom was knocked on, with Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s deep voice coming from outside: ¡°Xiao Sheng, Brother Tan is here, come out.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s face changed as he turned to look at Ji Sheng. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t respond. He got up with an ¡®oh¡¯, lowered his head and asked Xie Xuanming, ¡°Do you want to stay here? Or go out.¡± ¡°Go out.¡± Xie Xuanming looked down coldly. Ji Sheng glanced at him a few times, then stopped talking and finally reached out and rubbed the back of his neck. Li Tan huddled on the sofa. Both Sheng Kongzhi and Su Jing called last night to inform him of the situation. He was so guilty that he didn¡¯t sleep all night. He asked for a leave of absence at work in the morning and came here immediately. ¡°Xiao Sheng, I¡¯m sorry.¡± As soon as Ji Sheng walked out, Li Tan quickly got up and said guiltily, ¡°I didn¡¯t investigate who Zhao Wenhua was when I contacted him. I thought he was just a little muddled¡­ I didn¡¯t expect¡­ I¡¯m really sorry.¡± Ji Sheng let out an ¡®ah¡¯, a little confused. He didn¡¯t understand how everyone¡¯s attitude had become so strange when he had just had a few more drinks. He scratched his head and responded: ¡°It¡¯s okay, Brother Tan, you don¡¯t have to apologise. I just drank too much and got drunk¡­ It¡¯s not that I haven¡¯t been drunk before.¡± His words were clearly a roundabout way of giving Li Tan a way out. But it was clear that no one in the room had grasped the meaning. The guilt on Li Tan¡¯s face did not dissipate but his words were silenced by a cold snort from Su Jing in the corner, while Sheng Kongzhi, who was standing against the wall, looked unhappy, and Xie Xuanming, who was standing beside Ji Sheng and was most directly affected by last night¡¯s situation, had a gloomy look in his eyes and stared at Li Tan coldly. The atmosphere did not ease, but became more weird. Ji Sheng coughed and changed the subject: ¡°Brother Tan, why do you come here early in the morning? Is there anything wrong?¡± He asked the question badly; everyone here but him could guess that Li Tan had made the trip specifically to apologise and nothing more. But Li Tan hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, ¡°There are some things.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Qingchu passed the registration for the band competition.¡± There was two seconds of silence in the room. Ji Sheng was overjoyed. He took a couple of steps forward, patted Li Tan on the shoulder and said excitedly: ¡°Yes, Brother Tan, we passed! I didn¡¯t drink for nothing yesterday.¡± The reaction of the rest of the people was not as happy as his. It was good to sign up for the band competition, but considering the chaos last night, it was hard to imagine the conditions for obtaining this qualification. Su Jing took the lead in gloominess: ¡°So, who will be asked to drink this time?¡± Sheng Kongzhi also frowned and said, ¡°Did Zhao Wenhua make any more conditions? If so, this opportunity is better left alone.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°En.¡± Ji Sheng also reacted a little. He glanced back at Xie Xuanming with injuries on his face and his expression changed: ¡°This sign-up¡­ Is that Xiao Xie was beaten and they want us to let things go? If so, I don¡¯t agree to take this opportunity.¡± ¡°No.¡± Li Tan said helplessly, ¡°It has nothing to do with that bastard surnamed Zhao. The organiser took the initiative to contact me, and I have agreed.¡± ¡°Organiser?¡± Ji Sheng was taken aback, ¡°Why?¡± ¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Li Tan said, ¡°Maybe he has seen our performance and thinks it has potential? Or some big boss recommended us, asking to give him face, and pushed the boat along the water.¡± ¡°Which big boss?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Li Tan was a little impatient, ¡°Anyway, now that we are eligible to participate in the competition, shall we go or not?¡± Sheng Kongzhi and Su Jing glanced at each other. If it had nothing to do with Zhao Wenhua, this opportunity could be taken. After a few seconds of silence in the living room, Ji Sheng smiled and said, ¡°Go, don¡¯t we need those fifteen thousand?¡± At the end of the meeting, Xie Xuanming¡¯s mobile phone suddenly vibrated. Unknown caller. He seemed to think of something, and his expression changed slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll answer the phone.¡± He said, walking out. Xie Xuanming walked all the way to the opposite end of the corridor before stopping. When he picked up the phone, the familiar voice made him frown suddenly. ¡°Xuanming, it¡¯s dad.¡± Since the funeral, Xie Xuanming¡¯s father had called him many times to persuade him to go home. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t bother and simply blacklisted the number to get some time off. Now that the cheap dad changed his number and called, Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t know what he was going to say, so he didn¡¯t bother to talk. He listened silently to the man full of delusions of intimacy eagerly speaking on the other end of the phone. ¡°Dad was busy these days and had no time to contact you. In the last two days, I found out that you participated in some folk music events. This is very good¡­ Dad is a tolerant person. If you like music, your family can send you to study abroad. Schools such as Berkeley and Juilliard¡­ are all good choices. Which one do you like, dad can contact the school now, and you can go there directly when you go home.¡± Sure enough, he still persuaded him to go back to Xie¡¯s house, just in a different way. Xie Xuanming sneered: ¡°I¡¯m not going back. The Xie family is not my family.¡± There was silence for two seconds on the other end of the phone, and then the man said, ¡°Xuanming, your father understands your mood, but you also have to understand your father. Dad is worried about you, afraid that you will have a bad time outside, hungry and frozen¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s summer and I can¡¯t freeze.¡± Xie Xuanming interrupted coldly, ¡°If you¡¯re really afraid that I won¡¯t have a good time, it¡¯s more effective to send money directly.¡± ¡°In terms of money, dad will naturally not be stingy. I am very supportive of your hobbies. But the friends you have around you ¨C dad still has to warn you as someone who has been there ¨C see the good and the bad, these unmotivated people are fine to be around but there is no point in making a deep friendship.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s face darkened: ¡°These unmotivated people have given me two bites of food when I was hungry, which is much more than some people who gave birth but didn¡¯t raise.¡± ¡°Xuanming, don¡¯t talk to dad like this, you have to understand dad. Dad also has hardships.¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡° Xie Xuanming finally couldn¡¯t help it. The man called himself ¡±dad¡± in every sentence, making him extremely nauseous. He growled, ¡°What the fuck is wrong with you? You haven¡¯t cared about me for over ten years, and then you show up as a wild father after forcing my mother to die. I¡¯m sick of you, why should I understand you! Why should I call someone I¡¯ve only met once a father, do you deserve it? Do you think you¡¯re worthy?¡± There was silence on the other end of the phone, then the man spoke. ¡°Xuanming, dad used to be a bit negligent in the past. But you have to believe that dad loves you. ¡°It¡¯s almost your birthday, right? Dad saw that you didn¡¯t touch the money in your account much and changed it to the gift that you might like. ¡°Xuanming, happy birthday, and at the same time, enter the compe¡­¡± Xie Xuanming hung up the phone abruptly before he could finish speaking. He held the phone tightly in his hand, the blue veins on the back of his hand pulsating. He didn¡¯t throw the phone away in the end, he just shoved it rudely into his pocket. He gasped for breath; above his clenched fists, the muscles of his forearms couldn¡¯t stop trembling with anger. His chest fluctuated violently more than a dozen times until he finally calmed down. Xie Xuanming was not naive enough to think that man called to wish him happy birthday. The ¡°gift¡± in his mouth ¡ª¡ª Qingchu¡¯s eligibility for the competition, when compared with the man¡¯s previous words, was not so much a gift as a naked threat. In a little band competition, if the man could ask to give him face and sign Qingchu up for the competition, he could just as easily kick Qingchu out, and even block Qingchu in the entire industry without giving it a chance to develop. Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression was gloomy. This was forcing him to go back to Xie¡¯s house. The man still had some tolerance for him now, delusional to exchange ¡±fatherly love¡± for his enlightenment, but one day he would lose his patience¡­ Xie Xuanming thought of his mother¡¯s grey-purple hypoxic face again, and the desire to throw up became even more intense. He then thought of the hemp rope hidden in the cabinet in the room, the rough, suffocating feel of it real and clear¡­ He thought for a long time, and finally walked back slowly, hesitated between the two doors and walked to the right. When Xie Xuanming entered, the members of the band were in the living room. Having to fill in the preliminary round track on the registration form, the members were arguing over the selection of a song. ¡°I think it needs to be pop.¡± Li Tan said, ¡°Think about that, the Jinyinhai band, you know, I have heard them live, and their pop songs are so on top that you can hum them after listening to them once.¡± ¡°Nonsense.¡± Su Jing said sulkily, ¡°Their whole songs are just three chords of the most basic kind. If you can¡¯t hum this again, you can quit the circle, complete musical illiteracy, certified.¡± Li Tan was choked by him all morning and also became a bit angry: ¡°Can you kid stop butting in everything, I just want to express that the songs are popular and catchy¡­ ¡°Stray dog¡± is good, but it¡¯s too niche. Let alone the audience, we are a fucking band but only Xiao Sheng can sing it with the right feeling.¡± ¡°I agree with Brother Tan.¡± Sheng Kongzhi said, ¡°It is indeed necessary to consider the popularity of participating in the competition, and the style of ¡°Stray dog¡± is relatively depressing and crazy. Xiao Xie is too well-behaved to probably show the feeling easily.¡± Su Jing sulked again: ¡°Look at his bruised face, does he look well-behaved? Man Xiao Xie is the guy who dared to beat up a bunch of bastards by himself.¡± Ji Sheng saw Xie Xuanming coming in at this moment, straightened up and waved his hand: ¡°Xiao Xie! Come here, we¡¯re talking about you.¡± Xie Xuanming sat down beside him. He calmed down and sat quietly as usual. Sheng Kongzhi looked at him twice and said helplessly: ¡°The key is that Xiao Xie is neither ¡°Stray¡¯ nor ¡°dog¡¯, which is very inconsistent with the atmosphere of the song.¡± ¡°I think he is quite a ¡®dog¡¯.¡± Ji Sheng said, stretched out his hand to hold Xie Xuanming¡¯s chin and shook his head twice, ¡°That dirty puppy feeling, kind of wretched and cute.¡± Xie Xuanming let him fiddle with his face without saying a word even when his injuries were squeezed. Su Jing couldn¡¯t bear to look at it. This obedient and quiet Xiao Xie was a far cry from the hostile Xie Xuanming last night. ¡°Quite a dog.¡± Su Jing spat, ¡°And recognising the owner.¡± Ji Sheng smiled triumphantly: ¡°Of course the child I picked up listens to me. If you have the ability, you can also pick one up on the street.¡± Su Jing rolled his eyes: ¡°Cut the crap, you hurry up and take your stand, now two against one, ¡®Stray Dog¡¯ two and ¡®Green Plum¡¯ one, yours are two key votes.¡± ¡°Green Plum¡± was also Qingchu¡¯s original song in a pop style. Xie Xuanming sang it several times during their gigs. Ji Sheng unhurriedly turned his head and asked Xie Xuanming, ¡°Which song do you want to sing, ¡°Stray dog¡± or ¡°Green Plum¡±?¡± Xie Xuanming said: ¡°Stray dog.¡± ¡°Then I will also vote for ¡°Stray dog¡±.¡± Ji Sheng said with a smile, ¡°Xiao Xie is so cute, I want to be with Xiao Xie.¡± Su Jing slapped the table and stood up: ¡°I can¡¯t bear it anymore, Ji Sheng, it¡¯s disgusting to describe a man as cute.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ji Sheng was polite and sweet, ¡°You are also very beautiful.¡± ¡°Fuck!¡± Su Jing kicked the table, swept his eyes over Xie Xuanming¡¯s face, stopped suddenly and asked in disbelief, ¡°Why are you blushing like Bukubukuchagama?(1)¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s answer was simple: ¡°Hot.¡± Su Jing looked at Xie Xuanming, whose ears were feverishly red, then at Ji Sheng, who was yelling at him to stop bullying Xiao Xie, and was speechless. ¡°Just fucking spoil him.¡± Su Jing said, ¡°I¡¯ll be the first to laugh at you when it backfires one day.¡± ¡°Shit, cursing is cursing, Su Jing, why are you still cursing?¡± ¡°The curse is on you, you shallow wanker pool that can be filled with two glasses of wine.¡± ¡°You little treacherous keyboardist who looks more delicate than a girl!¡± ¡°Fuck! ¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Looking at Ji Sheng and Su Jing, fighting like two cats, Xie Xuanming lowered his head and quietly touched his chin that had just been kneaded by Ji Sheng. The hemp rope flashed a few times and gradually faded out of his mind. The author has something to say£º Xie Xuanming in his own eyes: evil dog of hell! Xie Xuanming in Ji Sheng¡¯s eyes: little pomeranian yip yip~ 1. Character of light novel Overlord, looks like pink slime CH 24 Half a month later, the preliminary round of the band competition. The band competition required all bands to bring their own musical instruments. Su Jing relied on his indefatigable tongue to grind hard for many days and finally borrowed a complete set of musical instruments from a music shop owner. The band could not afford to hire a hauling company, so they hired a second-hand pick-up truck at their own expense and brought the instruments to the site like an old ox pulling a broken cart. Grunting, they moved the musical instruments to the designated waiting area, took a break for a while, and turned their heads to find that Ji Sheng was gone. ¡°Where is our drummer?¡± Li Tan asked. ¡°He said he saw an acquaintance and went to say hello,¡± Sheng Kongzhi said. ¡°Call him back, we¡¯re almost ready to play.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Sheng Kongzhi was about to go but saw that Xie Xuanming had already stood up and walked out first. Ji Sheng leaned over the camera of a curly-haired girl and looked at the photos. The young man in the preview was divided by the light, half of his face bright and half of his face dark, creating a strange sense of fragmentation. ¡°Are you a photographer?¡± Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t take his eyes off. ¡°No, of course not.¡± The girl who was asked smiled, covering her mouth. Her bright red nails were as gorgeous as her pendant earrings. ¡°I just like to take pictures.¡± ¡± ¡°Nice shot.¡± Ji Sheng genuinely complimented, ¡°It captured me beautifully.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you are so good-looking.¡± The girl¡¯s eyes curved, ¡°Why else would I take your pictures?¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Ji Sheng covered his heart with an exaggerated expression, ¡°Thank you for your recognition of my appearance.¡± The girl said heartily: ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± The two of them were talking and laughing until a faint voice from the side reached them. ¡°It¡¯s time to play, Brother Tan told you to go back.¡± The two turned their heads; Xie Xuanming stood expressionless not far away. The girl said hesitantly, ¡°This is your lead singer.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Ji Sheng grinned and hugged Xie Xuanming, habitually pinching his cheek, ¡°This kid looks good, you can also take his pic.¡± Xie Xuanming slapped his hand away on a rare occasion. Ji Sheng was undeterred and touched him again, and was slapped away again. ¡°Okay.¡± The girl said with a smile, ¡°You are going to prepare, compete well!¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°I borrow your good words.¡± Before he finished speaking, Xie Xuanming broke away from him and left on his own. Ji Sheng hurriedly smiled at the girl and turned to catch up. The girl watched Ji Sheng take three or two steps and hug the lead singer¡¯s shoulders. The lead singer reluctantly wriggled a few times. After being patted by Ji Sheng, he gave up struggling and walked forward with a large human pendant by his side. The two figures disappeared around the corner, and the girl retracted her gaze. So emotional. She thought, the song selected for the preliminary round was ¡°Stray dog¡±. That little lead singer looked too peaceful and quiet, who knows if he could hold up. When Qingchu came out on stage and the performance began, the girl knew that she was overthinking it. The gentle and delicate little lead singer on stage looked like a different person when he opened his mouth. His voice was a bit hoarse, revealing the unique romanticism of a very young man, inexplicably reminiscent of sweet red cherries on the top of a cream cake. No matter what the flavour of the cake was, the cherries were always the most eye-catching. But at the same time, the young lead singer was not a cherry. He was not sweet or soft. He was a double-edged sword, swinging at the target, ready to be drenched in blood. He was naked, uncomfortable and angular. Maybe the audience did not understand the chord rhythm of the song and maybe it did not understand the meaning of the words for a while. But they all saw the injured dog, licking its wounds alone in the corner, baring its terrifyingly sharp teeth at those who tried to approach it with a collar. It would rather die in a stinky ditch than live in iron chains. If Ji Sheng¡¯s ¡°Stray dog¡± was unruly and debauched, Xie Xuanming¡¯s ¡°Stray dog¡± leaned towards stinging despair. When the girl was taking Ji Sheng¡¯s photos, she unconsciously turned the camera and put Xie Xuanming into the lens. Qingchu got a perfect result in the preliminary round. They defeated their opponents with crushing scores and and also had the unexpected pleasure of qualifying for the next round. After their great victory, Qingchu threw the musical instruments in the pick-up truck and happily ran to drink and celebrate. Unsurprisingly, they collapsed in broad daylight. Ji Sheng was undoubtedly the one who went down the fastest, and Su Jing, who was madly mocking him for his poor drinking capacity and being unable to stand more than two glasses, fell down on the third glass. Sheng Kongzhi was obviously better than these two shit shooters. He still maintained a decent smile after half a dozen beers, but his body swaying back and forth and his blurred eyes clearly showed that his inner state was different from the calm outside. In the end, only Li Tan, an experienced alcoholic, and Xie Xuanming, a minor who could not drink, were still sitting steadily at the plastic table. The two looked at each other for a while, then Li Tan got up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go pay the bill.¡± As soon as he left, Xie Xuanming stretched out his hand, trying to take Ji Sheng¡¯s glass while no one was paying attention and steal a taste of the liquor. However, before his fingertips touched the walls of the glass, his wrist was grasped by Ji Sheng who was suddenly awake. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Xie Xuanming moved his hand guiltily but couldn¡¯t free it. ¡°I want to hear a story.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s eyes were confused and he shook Xie Xuanming¡¯s hand back and forth, ¡°Mom, I want to hear a story.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not your mother.¡± The stress was multiplied when Xie Xuanming, the proud son of heaven, was suddenly upgraded to a young mom. Ji Sheng said ¡±huh¡±, accepted the reality of ¡°your mother is gone¡± and said softly: ¡°Dad, I want to hear a story.¡± Xie Xuanming stretched out his hand blankly, pinched Ji Sheng¡¯s face and pulled it to the sides as if in revenge: ¡°I should really record it¡­ and play it for you if you bully me later.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t pinch.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s eyes watered, ¡°Big brother, don¡¯t pinch it, it hurts.¡± His cry for ¡®big brother¡¯ was so powerful that Xie Xuanming stopped as if electrocuted and looked around unnaturally. Fortunately, everyone was down. Xie Xuanming felt guilty and relieved, and suddenly felt outraged¡ªit was Ji Sheng who had to be ashamed, what was he ashamed of?! ¡°Big brother, big brother.¡° Ji Sheng still didn¡¯t stop, patting his hand coquettishly, ¡°I want to hear a story.¡± Xie Xuanming was so dazed by his shouting that he reluctantly spoke in order to stop him from continuing to shout: ¡°Once upon a time there was a black rooster.¡± ¡°En en.¡± ¡°It went to bleach.¡± ¡°En en.¡± ¡°It turned into a white chicken and was eaten.¡± ¡°En en.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°En en?¡± ¡°It was gone.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ji Sheng shook his hand again, dissatisfied, ¡°I don¡¯t want to listen to this.¡± ¡°¡­then what do you want to listen to?¡± ¡°A story of a real person!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Xie Xuanming sighed, ¡°There was a child who had a mother and no father, and no birthday.¡± ¡°Why was there no birthday? Obviously everyone has¡­ birthdays.¡± ¡°Because there was no cake, no gifts and no ¡®happy birthday¡¯.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°Today is his eighteenth birthday. Guess, does he have a birthday this time?¡± Xie Xuanming finished speaking, waiting for Ji Sheng¡¯s response. But Ji Sheng only looked at him blankly, motionless. After a few seconds, he blinked twice, yawned, and fell to the table. Xie Xuanming was silent for a while, then stretched his hand forward silently, letting Ji Sheng sleep on his arm. What a time to pass out, he thought. After a while, Li Tan came back. He looked at the three prone bodies and said loudly: ¡°Let¡¯s go back, you move one, and I will move two.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Xie Xuanming helped Ji Sheng up and picked him up on his back. Ji Sheng slept drunkenly for seven hours and only at six o¡¯clock in the evening did he get up from the narrow bed. He rubbed his head; his forehead was red and swollen from where he had hit it and his skull was as painful as if it had been hammered by eighteen arhats. Ji Sheng was hard pressed to get out of bed and with the similarly swollen and dishevelled Su Jing went into the bathroom where they taunted each other. When he took a shower, he felt that he had forgotten something, but he didn¡¯t remember it after washing, so he just scratched his head and plunged into the ocean of music. Ji Sheng¡¯s work lasted for four hours. When the time approached eleven o¡¯clock, Ji Sheng suddenly stopped writing. A conversation resurfaced in his barren mind. ¡°No cake, no gifts, no ¡®happy birthday¡¯.¡± ¡°Today is his eighteenth birthday. Guess, does he have a birthday this time?¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s body stiffened inch by inch. He picked up the phone, hesitated and sent a message to Xie Xuanming. Xie Xuanming finished washing and was about to go to bed when his mobile phone suddenly vibrated. Unread message. Ji Sheng [The story you told. ¡¿ Ji Sheng¡¾Is the protagonist yourself?¡¿ Xie Xuanming ¡¾Yes¡¿ Ji Sheng¡¾¡­¡­¡¿ Ji Sheng was silent. Xie Xuanming waited patiently for a while, but without waiting for a reply, he heard the door of the next room slam open, followed by the banging on his own door. He opened the door, and Ji Sheng was standing in the corridor wearing pyjamas and nondescript sneakers. Seeing Xie Xuanming open the door, Ji Sheng didn¡¯t say a word. He clasped his wrist and dragged him out: ¡°Follow me to a place.¡± Xie Xuanming wanted to say that he was wearing slippers, at least let him change them. But when he saw the faded lazy sheep printed on Ji Sheng¡¯s pyjamas, he shut up. Forget it, no matter how embarrassing he looks, it can¡¯t be worse. Ji Sheng dragged Xie Xuanming all the way to the underground garage used for practice. He hurriedly fumbled for the keys and unlocked the door with his hands shaking. ¡°What are you doing¡­¡± Xie Xuanming looked at his hands that shook as if he was feeding chicken. He had a guess but he still said, ¡°So anxious.¡± ¡°Nonsense, there are only fifteen fucking minutes left.¡° There was a drop of sweat hanging on the tip of Ji Sheng¡¯s nose as he angrily scolded, ¡°What are you so leisurely for, is it your birthday or my birthday? No sense of urgency, how can you be the lead singer of Qingchu!¡± Not only did he not receive a blessing for his birthday, he was also reprimanded. Xie Xuanming was innocent. Xie Xuanming was very aggrieved. Ji Sheng finally opened the lock and walked into the garage quickly. Xie Xuanming closed the door and turned around to see Ji Sheng already sitting down in front of the drum set. ¡°This is a Qingchu tradition, okay? You don¡¯t know, you are new to it.¡± Ji Sheng tapped twice, found the feel and then looked up at Xie Xuanming, ¡°Let¡¯s start with a song to create the atmosphere.¡± He raised his hands and the drumsticks officially fell. The very rock-and-roll rhythm and Ji Sheng¡¯s consistent unruly style were so wild that Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t recognize it was a birthday song until the first sentence was sung. Ji Sheng lowered his head, beating the drums, his singing mixed with the drumbeat, smashing into the listener¡¯s ears. This scene should¡¯ve been a bit funny. On a midsummer night, the young man in his sheep villagers¡¯ pyjamas tapped out a clear rhythm, and another young man in slippers stood woodenly, silently listening to the first ¡®Happy birthday¡¯ of his life. A crazy rock remix. Without any exaggeration, it was quite unique. The last drumbeat fell and Ji Sheng put down the drumsticks. He was a little short of breath. He scratched the back of his head and was about to speak when the garage door was kicked open, and Su Jing and Sheng Kongzhi hurried in with things in their hands. Su Jing rushed up and wiped something on Xie Xuanming¡¯s face without saying a word. Xie Xuanming¡¯s face felt cold, and he realized that a large swathe of cream had been pasted on him. He was wondering which infernal cake shop was still open at this point but when he looked down, he realized that Su Jing was holding a huge loaf of bread in his hand. Su Jing smeared Xie Xuanming into a civet cat and said with emotion: ¡°I¡¯ve caught up, I¡¯ve caught up, there are four minutes left, it¡¯s so close.¡± Sheng Kongzhi breathed a sigh of relief: ¡°Only the convenience store is open, we could only buy bread¡­ and this¡­¡± He took out a bag of pokey biscuits and inserted three fragrant sticks into the loaf of bread with lightning speed. ¡°Make a wish.¡± Xie Xuanming looked at the nondescript ¡°cake¡± and couldn¡¯t laugh or cry. He opened his mouth but didn¡¯t make a sound. While he hesitated, Ji Sheng put away the drumsticks and walked up to him. Xie Xuanming, looking at him with a cream on his face, was hugged tightly. Ji Sheng patted him on the back, then raised his hand and rubbed his hair. ¡°Happy birthday.¡± There was a smile in his voice, and also rare earnestness and gentleness, ¡°Our Xiao Xie is eighteen years old today and is going to become a healthy and happy adult.¡± CH 25 Qingchu won the next few rounds very smoothly. They passed all the way through and finally encountered a problem in the semi-finals. The semi-finals required an original track with a compulsory theme. Su Jing glanced at the topic and cursed: ¡°Theme ¡®school life¡¯, fuck! Who¡¯s coming up with these things? It¡¯s not because I have lived a good school life that I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°Xiao Xie should have an idea.¡± Sheng Kongzhi interjected, ¡°Xiao Xie looks like a good boy who goes to school properly.¡± Ji Sheng, who was slumped on the floor, propped himself up at once and asked with his head tilted, ¡°Right, oh, Xiao Xie, hurry up and share with us so that we, the delinquents, can also be enlightened.¡± The members of Qingchu looked at Xie Xuanming. Xie Xuanming felt a lot of pressure. It¡¯s not that Qingchu deliberately put pressure on him, but the rest of the members really couldn¡¯t help it¡ª¡ªtwo of them went to school to play hooky, one of them entered the society directly after nine years of compulsory education, and the remaining one dropped out of school in the fifth grade and went to work to support his family. For such a crooked bunch, it would be better to write about the underworld than about school. Being stared at by all the members, Xie Xuanming was also a bit overwhelmed. He recalled his school life and recounted diligently: ¡°Get up at 6:15, morning run at 6:25, breakfast at 6:50, then morning reading, memorise words from 7:30 to 8:00, go to class from 8:00 to 12:00. Ten minutes between classes are used to sort out wrong answers or ask teachers if you have questions¡­¡± ¡°Stop, stop, stop!¡± Ji Sheng cut off his schedule reiteration and said, hating iron for not being made of steel, ¡°This is called school life, huh? It¡¯s called the Shawshank Redemption! Xiao Xie, you really made the right choice coming to hang out with us!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lead Xiao Xie astray.¡± Sheng Kongzhi said helplessly, ¡°However, although Xiao Xie¡¯s school life is very¡­ full, the audience will hardly like to listen to a song about it.¡± ¡°Hehe, right?¡± Su Jing sneered, ¡°Take his school life as the background of the composition, and the song will be called ¡®Persuasion¡¯, guaranteeing that everyone will leave as soon as the music is played. It¡¯s like evening self-study in my fucking second year of junior middle, there are people everywhere but in the classroom.¡± The creative session of Qingchu ended without a result. They finally decided to adjourn and go back to work on their own ideas, and then gather again in a couple of days to see what happened. As soon as the meeting ended, Su Jing and Ji Sheng jumped up and rushed to the rental house. The old rotten flat was 40 or so square metres, with only one toilet and a faulty water tank, and those who washed afterwards were likely to be faced with the embarrassing situation of lathering up with shower gel and running out of water. Sheng Kongzhi usually took a shower in the morning, and in the evening there was a big battle between Su Jing and Ji Sheng, who fought fiercely and refused to give way. Today¡¯s war ended with Su Jing¡¯s victory. Su Jing, who wanted to take a shower and didn¡¯t care about face, wisely bought a nightgown to take one less piece of clothing than Ji Sheng. Ji Sheng watched as he slid into the bathroom like a loach, impotent and furious: ¡°You fucking little girl, wearing a nightgown!¡± ¡°You fucking caveman, slow to move and not taking a shower.¡± As Su Jing¡¯s exasperated reply came from the bathroom, Ji Sheng slammed the door angrily, then suddenly thought of something, didn¡¯t wrangle with him anymore, turned and went out without saying a word. Thirty seconds later, the door of Xie Xuanming¡¯s house was opened after being knocked on, and Ji Sheng appeared at the door with a bright smile. ¡°Xiao Xie, have you taken a shower yet?¡± He smiled like a weasel wishing Happy New Year to a chicken(1). Xie Xuanming said quietly: ¡°I washed in the morning, so you can use the bathroom.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s eyes lit up, and after thanking him, he walked into the bathroom quickly. The door closed, and the sound of water came from inside. Xie Xuanming paused at the door for two seconds, then went back to the room, sat down, picked up the pen and continued to perfect the music he was writing. He rewrote his scribbles absent-mindedly. About five or six minutes later, Xie Xuanming caught Ji Sheng¡¯s cry. ¡°Xiao Xie¡ª¡ª¡± Xie Xuanming put down his pen and walked up to the bathroom. Ji Sheng poked his wet head out of the door, his hair covered in bubbles. He said, ¡°My pyjamas fell on the floor and got wet, so can you lend me something to wear?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Xie Xuanming went back to his room, took out a white t-shirt from the drawer, walked back and handed it to Ji Sheng. Ji Sheng stretched out his hand to take it, bubbles sliding from the top of his head to his collarbone. ¡°Thank you.¡± The door closed. Xie Xuanming stood outside for a while, touching his nose in embarrassment. His waist was so white, was it because it didn¡¯t usually get to see the sun? Ji Sheng took a shower, changed his clothes and wiped his hair. Instead of leaving, he walked into Xie Xuanming¡¯s room with a big grin, put his hand on his shoulder, leaned over and asked curiously, ¡°What are you writing?¡± ¡°A song.¡± ¡°School life theme?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°Are you inspired?¡± ¡°No¡­¡° Xie Xuanming couldn¡¯t help but raise his head, ¡°Brother Ji, water is dripping from your head on my body.¡± When he said this, another drop of water fell and landed on his cheek. ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡± Ji Sheng apologised, wiped the dripping water with his thumb and straightened. The scent of shampoo was gone; Xie Xuanming quietly took two deep breaths to erase the weird feeling in his heart. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t leave, but sat down on his bed smugly and wiped his head, as if he was going to stay here. Xie Xuanming paused for a while and finally turned his head: ¡°Won¡¯t you go back?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to go back.¡± Ji Sheng muttered, ¡°I have to quarrel with Su Jing again when I go back, and I don¡¯t want to quarrel with him.¡± Xie Xuanming remembered the scenes of his scuffles with Su Jing, full of sharp teeth and sharp claws, and couldn¡¯t help but doubt the authenticity of Ji Sheng¡¯s words ¡°I don¡¯t want to quarrel with him.¡± But in the end Xie Xuanming only said: ¡°Brother Su is indeed, generally quarrelsome.¡± Who knew that with this sentence he poked Ji Sheng¡¯s sore spot. He slapped his thigh and said passionately: ¡°It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t quarrel with him!¡± Xie Xuanming was fortunate enough to have witnessed Su Jing¡¯s battle in an Internet cafe where he fought one against eight, beating a group of keyboard warriors into obedience to the point of them not even daring to open their mouths. Therefore, he again questioned the authenticity of Ji Sheng¡¯s words and said ¡°hmm¡± in embarrassment. Ji Sheng continued to argue: ¡°I¡¯m just letting him go. You can¡¯t tell his age, but that kid is actually just half a year older than you, and he¡¯s still like underage¡­ Don¡¯t call him brother in the future, don¡¯t let him take advantage.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Xie Xuanming said obediently. Ji Sheng continued to mutter: ¡°I respect the elderly and love the young. With children like you, I can¡¯t bear to be really angry. I¡¯m just spoiling¡­¡± Speaking of this, Ji Sheng suddenly remembered something. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Ji Sheng jerked the towel away; the half-dry hair on the top of his head swayed twice and fell softly, ¡°This is for you.¡± He took out a small package from his pyjamas pocket and stuffed it into Xie Xuanming¡¯s hand. Xie Xuanming opened his hand and took a look. There was a delicate fruit candy in his palm. The package contained unfamiliar words in French or German, carrying a high-end vibe that distinguished it from snacks in the 50 cents shop. ¡°The lead singer of Bell is about the same age as you. His brother brought him this candy from France and he likes it very much. That guy bragged in front of me while chewing it and ridiculed me for not being able to eat it¡­ I snatched one while he was not paying attention.¡± Ji Sheng wrapped the towel on his head again and rubbed his hair in a messy manner, ¡°The green one should be green apple flavour. If other people¡¯s children can have it, our children have to have it too.¡± He finished wiping, stood up and shook his hair: ¡°I¡¯m going back, Xiao Xie, take a break early.¡± He walked out quickly. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t have time to say goodbye, so he could only hold the candy, raise his hand and shake his fist twice. When the door closed, Xie Xuanming opened his palm, and the wrinkled package of the candy appeared in front of him. Xie Xuanming tore open the package and put the candy in his mouth. The taste of green apple spread on his tongue. Xie Xuanming sat with his eyes downcast and tasted it for a while, then suddenly was inspired, turned to take the paper, crossed out the original writing and started scribbling in the margin. A week later, the Qingchu band showed a completely different style with the new song ¡°Fruit Candy¡± in the semi-finals. The opponent was caught off guard by the transformed Qingchu and yielded the qualification for the finals. At the celebration banquet, the members of Qingchu unsurprisingly got drunk again. Probably because of advancing to the finals, even Li Tan was affected and dozed off with his head propped up after three rounds of drinking. Su Jing put down the glass and wrapped his arms around Xie Xuanming, his face flushed: ¡°Awesome baby brother, I recruited you back then with the intention of bringing in someone to make up the numbers, but I didn¡¯t expect that! Hey, you can compose music! Awesome.¡± Xie Xuanming barely broke free from his arms, was hugged by him again and had his shoulder slapped vigorously: ¡°Come, tell me, which girl do you have a crush on, we¡¯ll slay tomorrow and propose a marriage for you.¡± Xie Xuanming was taken aback: ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Stop kidding.¡± Su Jing waved his hand, ¡°Don¡¯t try to lie, that song is clearly¡­ absolutely¡­ you¡¯re definitely in love with someone, I bet Ji Sheng¡¯s breakfast for a week¡­¡± While Su Jing was shooting shit, Xie Xuanming caught a glimpse of the slumped Sheng Kongzhi suddenly getting up, walking quietly to Ji Sheng¡¯s side, calling him and saying something. Ji Sheng got up and the two slipped out in silence. Su Jing was still babbling; Xie Xuanming had no intention of entangling with him, stuffed a beer bottle into his arms to replace himself and walked out the door in the direction where the two disappeared. Before he took two steps, he heard a chuckle coming from a corner not far away. ¡°¡­I want to hear you sing that song today.¡± It was Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s voice. ¡°My voice is not suitable.¡± Ji Sheng said with a smile. ¡°I want to hear it.¡± The drunk Sheng Kongzhi was much more straightforward than usual. ¡°¡­Okay, don¡¯t complain then that I don¡¯t sing well. ¡°You are a sour taste on my lips, a phantom of my night, a glimpse in the mirror¡­¡± Ji Sheng sang softly, with some hoarseness and an unspeakable shyness hidden in his voice. The low sound of singing was coming quietly, carrying the young man¡¯s thoughts that he couldn¡¯t hide. Xie Xuanming stood behind the corner, listening to Ji Sheng use his own song to express his heart to another man in a subtle yet candid way. He lowered his head, listening for a while, then turned and went back. Xie Xuanming returned to the table and pulled the bottle out of Su Jing¡¯s arms. ¡°Fuck, my bottle¡­ bottle¡­ the bottle is flying!¡± Su Jing¡¯s eyes widened in amazement. Xie Xuanming ignored him, emptied the bottle in three gulps, then pulled out another bottle, popped it open with his teeth, drinking its contents like water, expressionlessly. ¡°Fuck!¡± Su Jing was in a daze, watching him drink. The beer slipped into his throat and fell into his stomach before he could taste it. When Ji Sheng and Sheng Kongzhi came back, they were shocked to see Xie Xuanming nearly lying on the table, with a pile of beer bottles piled up beside him. ¡°Damn, how much did you drink?¡± Ji Sheng came over and counted suspiciously, ¡°Seven, eight¡­ Su Jing!! Fucking Xiao Xie has just come of age, how come you let him drink like that!¡± He snarled at the heartless, giggling, drunken Su Jing at his side, but before the end of his sentence, his wrist was suddenly yanked. The drunk young adult clutched his wrist with one hand, propped on the table with the other, kicked over two or three beer bottles and stood up swaying. He leaned towards Ji Sheng and sprayed him with a sour smell of alcohol as he spoke. ¡°You, sing to others.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s face was expressionless but there was an unstoppable flush on his cheeks and the tips of ears, ¡°Still, my song.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s voice was low and vague. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t hear him clearly, only faintly noticed a bit of grievance in his words. Why? Did he feel isolated that they didn¡¯t take him to drink? Ji Sheng wondered. Are the little boys so sentimental now? Or is it that Xiao Xie was originally an emotional child like Sister Lin(2)? Soon he didn¡¯t have the heart to think about that. The sentimental little boy somehow got the strength to yank violently¡ª When red eyes dilated in front of him and the smell of alcohol invaded his private space, Ji Sheng sensed something was wrong and tried to withdraw¡ª Too late. Ji Sheng lost his balance and leaned back, his head and waist suddenly hurt, hitting something; the bright light above his head irritated his eyes but before he had time to close his eyes, the shadow of a man came up and blocked the blinding light¡­ Xie Xuanming pressed Ji Sheng onto the plastic bench fiercely, lowered his head and bit his lip. The author has something to say: It¡¯s Xiao Ji¡¯s first kiss Bitten on the first kiss hh 1. Wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing 2. Probably, the character from ¡°Dream of the Red Chamber¡± with a charming poetic temperament CH 26 When Xie Xuanming woke up, he was lying on the floor, and his face pressed against the ceramic tiles ached. He glanced around in confusion and realized that he was not in his room. He raised his hand and touched the corners of his eyes, feeling significant swelling and dull pain. He got up slowly and saw Sheng Kongzhi who was asleep on the sofa next to him, not sobered up yet. It was Ji Sheng¡¯s place, Xie Xuanming made a judgement. When he thought of Ji Sheng, his skull ached. Xie Xuanming felt as if something had happened at noon, but his fragmented brain was blank and he couldn¡¯t recall anything except passing out and feeling vaguely flustered. Xie Xuanming touched the back of his head, walked into the bathroom, glanced at the mirror and was shocked by his bruised and swollen reflection. The guy in the mirror had a split at the corner of his eye, the left half of his face was swollen like a steamed bun and even his eye was squeezed into a slit. It could be seen at a glance he had been beaten. And not lightly beaten. Xie Xuanming knew his mad dog temper; he raised his hand to take a look at his intact knuckles, wondering why he was beaten like this without fighting back. Was it because he was drunk and didn¡¯t have the strength to fight back? Or was it something fanciful that he had no reason to resist? The disconnected Xie Xuanming had no way of knowing. He washed the blood stains on his face with cold water, wiped the water, walked out of the bathroom and bumped into Su Jing who came out of the bedroom yawning. When Su Jing saw him, his narrowed eyes widened: ¡°Wow, it¡¯s so scary.¡± Xie Xuanming knew that his new face was scary but he wanted to know why he was so scary. ¡°After I was drunk, what happened?¡± ¡°Heh, you¡¯re not good when you¡¯re drunk.¡± Su Jing rubbed his swollen face, his pretty eyebrows raised in glee, ¡°You hugged Baby Sheng and kissed and gnawed on him, like a mad dog, Lao Sheng and I couldn¡¯t stop you, but Baby Sheng was self-reliant. He got up and punched you twice. After beating you down, he felt more at ease.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s usual indifferent expression gradually cracked: ¡°I, hugged Brother Ji¡­ and gnawed¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t talk anymore; his face turned pale but the tips of his ears were frighteningly red. Seeing his face pale with astonishment, Su Jing¡¯s non-existent motherly nature was stirred up a bit and for a moment he forgot the zombie-dog crazy appearance of the kid at the celebration banquet, on the contrary, feeling that he looked like a lost boy. ¡°Ji Sheng is in the bedroom, go and apologise.¡± Su Jing patted him, ¡°Baby Sheng has a big heart and is easy to soften. If you act coquettishly a little, he won¡¯t be able to help himself.¡± Su Jing walked past Xie Xuanming and entered the bathroom, leaving Xie Xuanming alone at the door of the bedroom in a daze. After a few seconds, he took a step forward and knocked on the door hesitantly. No response. Knock again. There was silence. Are you asleep?¡­ Xie Xuanming hesitated for two seconds, opened the door of the bedroom and raised his eyes to see Ji Sheng sitting on the bed, staring at him coldly. Xie Xuanming: ¡­¡­ ¡°Brother Ji.¡± Xie Xuanming closed the door, ¡°You are awake but no one answered. I thought you were asleep¡­¡± Before he finished speaking, he saw Ji Sheng¡¯s current situation and stopped, stunned. Ji Sheng¡¯s lips were swollen, clearly split, and a small bruise at the corner of his eye was very eye-catching. It didn¡¯t look like he had been beaten by someone, but it seemed that he had bumped into something. The most shocking thing was his cheek. There were deep tooth marks on his smooth left cheek making it look like a bitten apple, obvious and alarming. Xie Xuanming couldn¡¯t close his mouth; his expression was horrified. ¡°You hugged Baby Sheng and kissed and gnawed on him¡± Su Jing¡¯s words echoed hauntingly in his ears, crumbling his vague ambitions and shaking him to the core. Xie Xuanming really didn¡¯t expect that Su Jing didn¡¯t exaggerate at all. He was telling the true story. Xie Xuanming hardly dared to look up. Ji Sheng¡¯s miserable and slightly funny ¡°battle damage¡± face had three large words written on it¡ª ¡°Kissed and gnawed¡±. ¡°Have you seen enough?¡± Xie Xuanming seemed to tremble like a willow branch by the door for a while; Ji Sheng finally couldn¡¯t bear it and spoke in a gloomy voice. He was in a bad mood. No one could stay calm and kind after being chewed (literally) by the puppy they picked up. Ji Sheng felt that not blasting Xie Xuanming out of the house and grabbing a rabies vaccination already made him as benevolent as Guanyin Bodhisattva reincarnated. Seeing Xie Xuanming¡¯s confused and devastated face, Ji Sheng said coldly: ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Xie Xuanming stood at the door dejectedly, looking a little aggrieved. When Ji Sheng saw him like this, his anger flared up seven metres high. Obviously it was him who was bitten and taken advantage of, why did this kid look miserably like ¡°I¡¯m a victim¡±! Furious and unable to maintain a decent demeanour, he stood up, pointed at his cheek and cursed, ¡°Xie Xuanming! You¡¯re a dog, aren¡¯t you! Or a zombie! I¡¯ve been treating you well, so where did you get all this resentment from?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not resentment¡­¡± Xie Xuanming defended himself in a low voice. ¡°What is it then? Young man¡¯s anger? Or a spermatozoa brain attack? Don¡¯t tell me you have a secret crush on me!¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s heart thudded and he unconsciously looked up at Ji Sheng. His eyes were full of shock mixed with some panic, and he looked pitiful like a small, dumbfounded animal being yelled at. Ji Sheng took two deep breaths and suppressed his anger: ¡°You¡¯d better give me a satisfactory explanation.¡± Xie Xuanming nodded quickly. The excuse of recurrent madness was definitely not good, as no one would want to keep a hidden danger of a mentally ill by their side. The excuse of having a crush was even more choking. Xie Xuanming felt it was better to hang himself on the spot¡­ Several excuses flashed through Xie Xuanming¡¯s brain that was temporarily paralyzed by alcohol, and finally, a bold and outrageous movie script plot surfaced. ¡°Actually, I have a first love.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression was solemn, his eyelashes fluttering, ¡°Looking a bit like Brother Ji.¡± He said this with a sense of uncertainty, feeling that this outrageous reasoning would be debunked in a minute. ¡°I have been secretly in love for a long time¡­ I probably was not clear-headed when I was drunk. I thought you were¡­ I just¡­¡± But Ji Sheng believed it. ¡°Excuse me, did I have to suffer on behalf of others?¡± Ji Sheng sneered, ¡°You¡¯re lucky, Xie Xuanming, that I am a big guy. If there was a girl looking like your first love, you could go directly to jail.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Xie Xuanming apologised in a low voice, ready to accept the blame. Seeing him so dejected, Ji Sheng gradually calmed down. Ji Sheng was angry because he was bitten raw. The pain produced some anger; he was not thinking of it in terms of being insulted or taken advantage of. Now Xie Xuanming presented his first love that ended in failure and his pitiful appearance was very softening¡­ At least it could soften Ji Sheng¡¯s heart. ¡°All right, all right.¡± Ji Sheng waved his hand impatiently, ¡°Look at yourself, you¡¯re suffocating yourself into a frenzy like this. If you like someone, go after them and confess your love. What¡¯s the point of sulking¡­ your first love, does she go to the same school as you?¡± Xie Xuanming assessed Ji Sheng¡¯s tone and figured out that if he said yes, he would be forced to go and confess. ¡°Used to but now went abroad.¡± Xie Xuanming lied without blinking. ¡°Is there a phone number?¡± ¡°No contact information.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°One level older than me, we haven¡¯t even exchanged a few words.¡± ¡°Outrageous!¡± Ji Sheng hated iron for not being made of steel, but on second thought it dawned on him, ¡°No wonder you gave me Hercules just after meeting me, it turned out to be evocative of the past.¡± ¡°Rolex.¡± Xie Xuanming corrected timidly, ¡°And ¡®evocative of the past¡¯ is not used like this.¡± ¡°Damn.¡± Ji Sheng said angrily, ¡°Are you here to apologise or to bicker?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Ji Sheng glanced at him helplessly: ¡°Forget it, don¡¯t look so bitter, those who don¡¯t know might think I¡¯m bullying you¡­ Don¡¯t drink so much in future. Also, if your first love comes back, or you find someone you like, don¡¯t be so wimpy, express yourself a little bit, and maybe you¡¯ll get what you want. You are so good-looking, if you are bold enough, you might find that the little girl likes you too.¡± ¡°Not a little girl.¡± Xie Xuanming whispered, ¡°It¡¯s a boy.¡± ¡°Boy¡ª¡ª¡° Ji Sheng¡¯s mind was blank for a moment, and then he said fiercely, ¡°Boys also like good-looking!¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Xuanming nodded obediently. Ji Sheng was completely helpless against him: ¡°Come here.¡± Xie Xuanming went over uncertainly and his neck was hugged and pressed down, his face squeezed fiercely. The corners of Xie Xuanming¡¯s mouth twitched in pain and he pursed his lips tightly without making a sound. Ji Sheng squeezed his face vigorously until leaving red marks, let go and snorted, ¡°Now we¡¯re even.¡± Xie Xuanming straightened up and rubbed his cheek. Ji Sheng sighed: ¡°You don¡¯t even make a sound when you¡¯re in pain, you¡¯re a jerk when you¡¯re drinking, do you have some kind of alternative alcohol allergy?¡± He patted Xie Xuanming on the head: ¡°Don¡¯t drink in the future, I¡¯m afraid you will be bullied when you are drunk.¡± Xie Xuanming raised his eyes and caught a glimpse of the eye-catching tooth marks on Ji Sheng¡¯s face. It was me who bullied you when I was drunk, he said to himself. Of course, he couldn¡¯t say it aloud. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t want to make Ji Sheng, who was finally coaxed by him, mad again. He only let out an ¡°en¡±, demonstrating how harmless he was to humans and animals. ¡°Go back and get up early tomorrow to practise.¡± Ji Sheng rubbed his head twice turning it into a bird¡¯s nest, ¡°Whichever girl¡­ guy you like in the future¡­ tell your brother, I¡¯ll give you a hand, if nothing else, I¡¯m good at courting people.¡± ¡°En. ¡± ¡°Go back, bye.¡± Ji Sheng pushed him. After Xie Xuanming said goodbye and turned away, his face changed. The obedience and gentleness quickly disappeared. Xie Xuanming pulled the door with an expressionless face, nodded slightly as he collided with Su Jing who was about to enter, and walked out. ¡°I see you¡¯ve scolded him, his expression is so ugly¡­¡± Su Jing yelled in amazement, entering the room. Xie Xuanming closed the door, cutting off the noise, and walked straight out of the apartment. He stood still outside the anti-theft door and rubbed his stiff face. It would be absolutely impossible to tell Ji Sheng that he liked someone. That would not be not called intelligence sharing, it would be called confession. Of course Xie Xuanming knew that Ji Sheng was very good at courting people; the gentle singing in the corner was the evidence. Ji Sheng was brilliant at expressing emotions in singing. If Xie Xuanming was only suspicious before, he was basically sure after listening to the low singing. Ji Sheng was borrowing his love song to express his affection for Sheng Kongzhi. Xie Xuanming was also good at putting his feelings into songs, whether it was about stray dogs or ambiguous fruit candies. So, when he was on the stage, did Ji Sheng hear the throbbing in his voice? Xie Xuanming walked to the door of the rental house, took out the key and inserted it into the rusty keyhole with a squeak. At the end of the show, Xie Xuanming turned back with a calculated motion and his eyes flew to the drum kit area at the back. Ji Sheng sat there. He smiles wantonly, his eyes containing a fine light that quietly spilled over to the corner of the stage. Boldly and gently, he looked at the bassist who bowed his head, stroking the guitar. Seeing Xie Xuanming turn around, Ji Sheng was surprised for a moment and his gaze moved. He gave Xie Xuanming a cheerful smile. The author has something to say: The source of all evil¡ª¡ªactually, I have a first love CH 27 The finals were going to take place four weeks later, with an original song and an unlimited theme. The unlimited theme was like loosening the reins, and the wild horse, Qingchu, let out a cheerful neigh and galloped towards the victory. The members quickly settled on a repertoire, and after making a more dramatic and audience-engaging adaptation for the stage performance, rehearsals began. The rehearsals in the first two weeks went smoothly. The choreography and stage movements were perfected over and over again, and the members were on their way to the championship, with Su Jing jokingly asking more than once where they should go to celebrate after the competition, or maybe have a little tour¡­ Everything seemed to be moving rapidly forward on the right track. But accidents always happen. Since the third week, Li Tan had been absent from rehearsals frequently. When the members asked him about the situation, he only answered vaguely that something happened at home and his embarrassed expression made it difficult to ask more. One day, on the way to rehearse, Xie Xuanming turned a corner and suddenly heard Li Tan¡¯s voice. ¡°One more week, okay? It really can¡¯t be done in a short period of time¡­ I will find a way, please be a little more lenient¡­¡± Xie Xuanming listened silently; Li Tan¡¯s voice gradually changed from eager pleading to anger and helplessness. He finally hung up the phone in annoyance and sat down weakly. Xie Xuanming leaned against the wall motionless, intuitively feeling that something was about to happen. He felt right. At the end of the third weekend, Li Tan came to the rental house and said that he wanted to talk to the members about something. When Xie Xuanming came from next door, Li Tan was sitting on the sofa, holding a cigarette in one hand and holding his forehead with the other, his face gloomy and haggard. ¡°You know my younger brother.¡± He gritted his teeth and cursed angrily, ¡°That loser kid, I knew sooner or later he will cause trouble.¡± ¡°What did he do?¡± Sheng Kongzhi frowned, ¡°Gambling again?¡± Li Tan didn¡¯t answer, just lowered his head and kept inhaling the smoke hard. Xie Xuanming, not used to the smell of tobacco, frowned slightly, Ji Sheng glanced at him and said to Li Tan: ¡°Put out your cigarette, Xiao Xie is not used to it.¡± He asked again: ¡°How much do you owe?¡± ¡°A hundred thousand or so.¡± Pressing the cigarette into the ashtray, Li Tan said in a hoarse voice. ¡°Fuck.¡± Ji Sheng and Su Jing cursed simultaneously. They knew Li Tan¡¯s family situation. His father was bedridden and unable to work. His mother passed away early. Li Tan started working after graduating from primary school to be able to survive with his six-year-old younger brother and his sick father. Although in the past two years Li Tan had a stable job and his family¡¯s situation improved a bit, in a month, together with the extra money from the performance, he would make just 5,000 to 6,000 yuan. This 100,000 yuan was an absolute huge sum for Li Tan¡¯s family. ¡°What is he doing?¡± Su Jing¡¯s face was flushed with anger, ¡°He still goes out to gamble in this situation in your family.¡± Li Tan raised his hand, wanting to smoke again. When he found that the cigarette was put out, he could only clench his fingers and say bitterly: ¡°Who knows what he thinks. The debt collector came to the door and said that if he couldn¡¯t pay it back, he would cut off one of his fingers for 10,000 yuan. My dad almost fainted when he heard it. I really¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t go on; the Qingchu members looked at each other, and Sheng Kongzhi said after some hesitation: ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I have 50,000 in my account.¡± Li Tan said, ¡°And then go to relatives to borrow¡­ may be able to put together more than 10,000, the rest¡­ my father told me to mortgage the old house for some money¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t your dad living in that house?¡± Su Jing was shocked, ¡°You mortgage it, where will you live?¡± Li Tan slapped the sofa irritably: ¡°I don¡¯t know, I can¡¯t leave dad without a place to live. I thought I really could sell a kidney and be done with it, I happen to know a few people who do this business¡­¡± ¡°No way!¡± The members of Qingchu said in unison. Xie Xuanming frowned and said, ¡°It is illegal to buy or sell organs.¡± Ji Sheng followed up: ¡°Xiao Xie is right, we can¡¯t do illegal things, and this thing is not regulated and not safe. Can you live like before with one of your organs missing?¡± ¡°Then what can I do?¡± Li Tan rubbed his temples and said bitterly, ¡°Watch my brother¡¯s fingers being cut off?¡± Everyone went silent again. ¡°There¡¯s actually another way.¡± In the silence, Ji Sheng spoke abruptly, ¡°We have 30,000 in hand, and we can get another 15,000 if we win the competition.¡± Li Tan was startled for a moment, then suddenly raised his head: ¡°But that¡¯s the money for the album.¡± ¡°The album can be released in the future. Can your brother¡¯s fingers grow again after being cut off?¡± Ji Sheng said angrily. ¡°I agree with Baby Sheng.¡± Su Jing said. Xie Xuanming frowned slightly, somewhat disapproving. He was actually not so obsessed with making an album but he knew how eager Ji Sheng was to do it. He thought for a while and said, ¡±Actually¡ª¡± He wanted to say that there was still 10,000 yuan that had not been deposited in the bank under his bed, but as soon as he made a sound, Ji Sheng turned to look at him and shook his head vaguely. Xie Xuanming shut up. Li Tan looked at the members of Qingchu with some confusion and excitement. He was very happy with the appearance of this game-breaking method, but the possibility of destroying Qingchu¡¯s dream made him feel guilty. He stammered: ¡°This, how can I¡­¡± ¡°There is nothing to be embarrassed about.¡° Sheng Kongzhi, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly said, ¡°The band was an unstable combination from the beginning. Even if such a thing didn¡¯t happen, Qingchu would probably dissolve after successfully releasing an album.¡± His voice was as peaceful as usual: ¡°Xiao Sheng and I will return to school in three months. It is estimated that we cannot continue the band playing life. I originally wanted to talk about it after the competition¡­ But now it¡¯s come up, let¡¯s talk about it.¡± Ji Sheng and Sheng Kong were going to withdraw from Qingchu. Xie Xuanming was taken aback. He instinctively looked at Ji Sheng, but found that he was also looking at Sheng Kongzhi with an expression of astonishment, as if he had never been told about it. Qingchu ended the conversation, stating the imminent loss of the guitarist, determining that the plans for the album would be falling through and announcing the date of the band¡¯s dissolution. After the competition, Qingchu would disband. When Li Tan left, Ji Sheng calmly called, ¡°Sheng Kongzhi, come here.¡± He rarely called Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s full name; his expression was obviously uneasy. Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s face remained unchanged and he even gave Su Jing, who seemed worried, a soothing smile, as he went to the balcony with Ji Sheng. Xie Xuanming could not resist glancing at the balcony. Ji Sheng stood opposite Sheng Kongzhi, his expression gloomy, while Sheng Kongzhi looked helpless. Su Jing thought he was worried about a conflict between the two and patted him on the shoulder: ¡°Hey, lovers spat.¡± Xie Xuanming retracted his gaze: ¡°Oh.¡± On the balcony, Ji Sheng said, ¡°What about the dissolution? I never said that I was going back to school.¡± ¡°You have to go back.¡± It was a rare occasion for Sheng Kongzhi to be tough, ¡°Last year, our senior year, you failed at least seven or eight subjects, and if you don¡¯t retake them you will not get your graduation certificate.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about that lousy certificate.¡± Ji Sheng was sullen, ¡°Don¡¯t lecture me like an adult.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t care, I care.¡± Sheng Kongzhi said, ¡°During the days of playing in the band, my grade points have plummeted. I got a scholarship in my freshman year. What about my sophomore year? What about senior year? Ji Sheng, we agreed that we would take the university entrance examination together and go to the big city together. Senior year of high school was so hard, you needed to grit your teeth and survive. Now you tell me you don¡¯t want the certificate¡­ What do I have to think, what will you say next, that you don¡¯t want me anymore, you just need your band, your musical dreams, your freedom!¡± Ji Sheng was stunned by his tirade, and after a while he said, ¡°Why do you¡­ want to oppose the band and you? There is no conflict at all.¡± ¡°But the truth is there is.¡± Sheng Kongzhi calmed down and whispered, ¡°The situation at my house¡­ You also know it. My dad called me more than a dozen times and asked me when I would go back to school¡­ It wasn¡¯t easy for them to pay for me to go there. Not to mention anything else, at least I have to study for an undergraduate degree, and then find a job to give them a pension¡­ But now the band hinders my plans. I thought about telling you that I quit and you should find another bassist¡­ but¡­¡± Sheng Kongzhi paused: ¡°Do you know how many times Auntie called me?¡± Ji Sheng raised his eyes abruptly: ¡°My mother?¡± ¡°Right.¡± Sheng Kongzhi said, ¡°The school called her. She didn¡¯t know how to tell you, so she asked me what the situation was and whether you could graduate¡­¡± Ji Sheng was speechless. Sheng Kongzhi saw him hesitate and softened his voice: ¡°Xiao Sheng, the band can be gathered again after it is disbanded. You can get your certificate first, wait until you graduate, find a stable job, and then play in a band, already having a solid financial foundation, okay?¡± Ji Sheng and Sheng Kongzhi finished talking. The other members of Qingchu didn¡¯t know what they talked about; Ji Sheng didn¡¯t say anything when he came back and seemed to acquiesce in the dissolution after the final of the competition. Li Tan had to work hard to pay his debts. Ji Sheng and Sheng Kongzhi were going back to school. Even Su Jing said after being silent for a while that it was fine, he was planning to participate in an e-sports competitions and he really couldn¡¯t do it while in the band¡­ ¡°Xiao Xie, what about you? What are you going to do?¡± Ji Sheng asked as he collected his things after a day of rehearsals before the finals began. ¡°I¡­¡± Xie Xuanming hesitated. The man calling himself dad called him several more times, and his attitude gradually changed from tolerance to impatience. Xie Xuanming thought that he should be going back to Xie¡¯s house. But he didn¡¯t want to say it; it seemed that as long as he didn¡¯t say it, compromise and helplessness would not exist. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t notice his hesitation and continued to ask, ¡°You will be in your senior year when you go back. Where do you want to take the exam?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about it.¡± Ji Sheng threw a few music theory books into the box, stood up, and looked at Xie Xuanming: ¡°Haven¡¯t thought about it, or have never thought about it?¡± Xie Xuanming heard some meaning in his words and raised his eyes to look over in surprise. Ji Sheng looked at Xie Xuanming intently for a while, lowered his head, and smiled subtly: ¡°That day at the bar, I saw the rope in your bag. ¡°At that time I thought, such a schoolboy-like child, not going to school, not playing, just wandering aimlessly with a piece of rope¡­¡± ¡°Did you pity me?¡± Xie Xuanming interrupted. Pitied him, so he borrowed the rope to save him, gave him the bracelet to go to the show, took the initiative to invite him to join Qingchu, spent his energy to fix the watch, took him around, bought cotton candy and sat on the ferris wheel with him¡­ ¡°You can call it pity, but it¡¯s better to say what a pity.¡± Ji Sheng smiled at him, ¡°I thought at the time, what a pity if I didn¡¯t get to know such a beautiful child. So I knocked on your door and forcibly took you to run here and there¡­ Did you wonder in your heart what was wrong with this big brother, he is rude, has no sense of boundaries and rolls around like a noisy hamster.¡± ¡°No.¡± Xie Xuanming denied, ¡°Brother Ji, you are very good.¡± After being acknowledged, Ji Sheng smiled again. He squatted down and continued to collect his luggage, saying: ¡°There should be many little girls who like you. If you don¡¯t go to school, will they be sad? Will they look over their shoulders every day and say that little handsome guy didn¡¯t come today either¡­ And you, your first love went abroad, haven¡¯t you thought about going to meet him? You have 10,000 yuan in your card, that should be enough to buy a round-trip ticket. Fly over, find him and confess, be young, be unrepentant¡­¡± Ji Sheng looked up at him with bright eyes: ¡°This world is terrible, but there will always be a few people who care.¡± ¡°I have people who care.¡± Xie Xuanming whispered. ¡°Uh-huh.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°I don¡¯t have my own life.¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t answer, tilting his head slightly. Xie Xuanming continued, ¡°My mother was just shaping me into a replica of my half-brother. She was counting on the fake to enter the family and replace the original. I was my mother¡¯s expensive tool. My life is an imitation of others. I don¡¯t have my own life.¡± He confessed his bleak life story all of a sudden; but even though his tone was as flat as if he was telling someone else¡¯s story, the anger and loss between his words still seeped like water. Ji Sheng was silent for a while, then said, ¡°But the person I know is Xie Xuanming who has been shaped by your life experience.¡± He looked up at Xie Xuanming, the mole at the corner of his eye dark and bright. ¡°I really like Xiao Xie now. If you deny his existence, I will be very unhappy. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t have your own life, it¡¯s okay. Imitate the lives of other people and add your own colours to them. That¡¯s your own life.¡± The author has something to say£º So Xiao Xie went to drama school~ in order to perceive and imitate more lives of ¡±other people¡±~ CH 28 The expiration of the lease and the day of the finals were both at the end of the month. It could basically be said that Qingchu would finish the competition and then would be evicted from the rental house by the landlord. Ji Sheng started collecting his luggage one week ago but procrastinated until finally putting it all away till the day before the competition. Ji Sheng, who had finished packing, pounded his waist, turned around, sat down on the suitcase and looked up to find Xie Xuanming standing at the door for who knows how long. Ji Sheng was taken aback for a moment and then smiled: ¡°When did you come, why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°Just now.¡± His face was absolutely blank. Ji Sheng swayed back and forth gently and asked, ¡°Sad?¡± He joked again: ¡°You need to pack, so as not to be too embarrassed when the landlord throws you out.¡± Xie Xuanming lowered his eyes, neither agreeing nor refusing. ¡°People always have to part.¡± Ji Sheng comforted him, ¡°It¡¯s not that we won¡¯t contact each other again. I¡¯ll be the first to contact you if I start a band in the future.¡± Xie Xuanming finally moved and said, ¡°Don¡¯t sit on the suitcase and sway, you will fall.¡± ¡°How can I!¡± It would be better if he didn¡¯t say it, but since he did, Ji Sheng swayed almost triumphantly, ¡°I have long legs and I can stand up as soon as I need to. ¡°Look, it¡¯s okay to sway like this¡­ damn!¡± Ji Sheng happily lost his balance, falling over, and the suitcase fell down with a crash as well, the flimsy zip breaking and clothes scattering everywhere, while Ji Sheng lay on the floor in a mess. Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression finally changed from gloomy to helpless. ¡°I said you would fall.¡± He wanted to add a few words to scold him but when Ji Sheng looked up and smiled at him, he couldn¡¯t scold him at all. He reached down and pulled Ji Sheng up, then squatted down to put the scattered clothes back into the suitcase. Ji Sheng also wanted to help, but Xie Xuanming¡¯s movements were neat and organised and there was no chance for him to intervene. Retracting his hand, Ji Sheng simply sat down, propped his head and watched Xie Xuanming pack up, his eyes smiling. ¡°Xiao Xie is really like a little wife, so sensible and beautiful.¡± Xie Xuanming paused and said, ¡°I don¡¯t help for free, I want to get paid.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve just praised you.¡± Ji Sheng lowered his head, ¡°Did Su Jing teach you kid bad things, what do you want?¡± ¡°Sing.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Xie Xuanming slowed down his movements and said clearly: ¡°I will help you pack up and you will sing for me.¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t wrong yourself, it¡¯s very expensive to order me to sing.¡± Ji Sheng raised his eyebrows, ¡°Okay, what do you want to listen to?¡± ¡± ¡°Fruit candy.¡± ¡°Love song, ah~¡± Ji Sheng chuckled, ¡°You wrote it yourself¡­ Could it be that you want to hear your little first love sing and come to me for a mood?¡± Xie Xuanming patted his clothes a few times: ¡°Will you sing or not?¡± ¡°Sing, sing.¡± The gentle song rose in the narrow room, and beneath it, the 18-year-old quietly raised his eyes and stowed the intently singing 19-year-old in a treasure box of memories. On his wrist, the hands of a fancy modified watch spinned, quivering, as the young man who could not keep time became eternal in his love. On the day of the finals, Qingchu appeared with a new song ¡°Monster in the Box¡±. They announced their disbandment before the start of the performance, calmly plugged in the instruments amidst the regretful wails of the audience and started the performance as always. Every year, countless bands are formed, perform and disband. Qingchu was only a small part of that vast tide. They formed silently, went through many difficulties and finally had a pretty beautiful ending before disbanding. When the melody started, Xie Xuanming waited for the beat and leaned closer to the mic. We are all monsters trapped in boxes Every day trying to bang our heads against the wall Insults are sucked into the lungs with the air Chains of discipline and love work together as partners We will eventually be shattered to pieces Dying with our backbones pointing to heaven. Xie Xuanming sang with all his might, abandoning his musical skills and personal style, leaving only the catharsis of emotional outburst. The audience was so infected by his passion that many shouted themselves hoarse, and a few of the older audience members who had watched Qingchu all the way from the bottom to the top shed tears unconsciously. At the end of the song, Xie Xuanming ignored the noise in the audience and turned around, showing his thin stubborn back to the audience. He looked straight above him, towards the drums of God and the low chants of demons. The stage lights spread from the cluster in all directions. When thousands of beams of light came, Xie Xuanming opened his arms and leaned back slightly in a sacrificial posture. The audience reached their hands, ready to welcome the fall of the rebel. But Xie Xuanming did not leap down in the end, he only opened his arms unhesitatingly, like a fledgling eagle stretching its wings and gliding into the sky, or like the lonely and painful cry of the undead, embracing his lover in the void. When Ji Sheng woke up, his vision was blocked by grey and black striped pyjamas. The moment he opened his eyes, Xie Xuanming happened to get out of bed and stood in front of the small couch. Ji Sheng slept on his back today, his head coincidentally aligned with the unmentionable organ. Ji Sheng was stunned for a moment, then quickly closed his eyes. Although his reaction was not slow, the terrifying protrusion under the loose pyjamas still caused a great impact on his brain. Not everyone had the experience of waking up and facing someone¡¯s reproductive apparatus next to them. Anyway, Ji Sheng chose to sound the SOS alarm in his heart, wishing that his brain would be able to forget that startling glimpse. He closed his eyes and pretended to be dead until he heard Xie Xuanming¡¯s footsteps gradually move away and the wardrobe door open. Ji Sheng squinted and opened his eyes slightly; Xie Xuanming, with a towel and clothes in his hands, entered the bathroom. Hearing the sound of water, Ji Sheng sat up and combed down his fluffy hair. Good God, when did this guy develop so well? Recalling that protruding piece with a strong sense of presence, Ji Sheng ¡®tsk¡¯ed slightly, and some unique unwillingness pertinent to men surged into his heart. But he quickly balanced it out. No matter how well-developed you are, what¡¯s the use? You don¡¯t use it anyway. You still have to get up early in the morning and take a cold shower. Ji Sheng yawned, got up from the couch and went downstairs to the guest bathroom. Xie Xuanming, how could he become so unlovable from head to toe, including his unmentionable organ? Ji Sheng sniffled; where did Xiao Xie, the good wife and mother who would pack his things with his eyes downcast, go? Miss him so much. For the next two weeks, Ji Sheng was preparing for the Double Twelve Light Festival. He was temporarily added to another band, performing as a secondary drummer. ¡°A secondary drummer? That means there¡¯s a primary one?¡± Ji Sheng asked on the way to the practice room. ¡°Not really.¡± The agent said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s actually two drummers but the other company wouldn¡¯t have it. So I told them about adding a musician, and the organiser automatically set the primary and the secondary according to the celebrity list position.¡± Ji Sheng: ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng: ¡°Then the other party didn¡¯t know that I was also a drummer.¡± Agent: ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What about the rehearsal?¡±Ji Sheng was shocked, ¡°I play alone? No joint practice?¡± ¡°In fact, there is no need to rehearse.¡± The agent said indifferently, ¡°The organiser has made preparations, and the other company is also full of confidence, and can guarantee that there will be no mistakes in any case.¡± ¡°What are they going to do?¡± ¡°Play the recording without turning on the mic.¡± The agent¡¯s words were concise. Ji Sheng: ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng: ¡°Okay.¡± He ducked his head and absentmindedly spun his phone. The agent looked at him from the rearview mirror: ¡°Do you still have to practise? The boss said you could go straight back to the villa and rest.¡± He didn¡¯t even let him practise during rehearsals. What kind of impression does Xie Xuanming have of Ji Hui? He was really too arrogant. Ji Sheng raised his eyes, smiled at the agent in the rearview mirror and said lightly: ¡°I will practise, why won¡¯t I practise. Even if you are fake drumming, you have to make a qualified fake drumming.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The agent stepped on the accelerator and sped out. After two weeks of practising alone, Ji Sheng went to the scene of the Double Twelve Light Festival. In the past two weeks, not to mention that he had not rehearsed with the band he would cooperate with, he had not even met the musicians of that band once. If it weren¡¯t for the agent¡¯s reassurance that there would be staff guiding him at that time, Ji Sheng would even wonder if he would miss the show because he didn¡¯t know anyone. The stars of the Double Twelve Light Festival gathered, and the fans and spectators waiting in the audience excitedly held signs, talked and shouted, and the preparation area behind the stage was also very lively. ¡°Is Emperor Xie coming this time?¡± A little idol asked in the dressing room for mish-mash paste coffee(1). ¡°How is it possible?¡± A little paste actor replied, ¡°If Senior Sheng comes, he won¡¯t come. They are incompatible like fire and water.¡± ¡°My God, I thought it was a rumour.¡± ¡°Of course not¡­ but I heard people say that Emperor Xie talked to the director and stuffed someone into the party.¡± ¡°Who the hell is he? For Emperor Xie to personally step out for him, impressive.¡± ¡°Some 18th tier guy surnamed Ji, he was on a hot search before¡­ he looks a bit like Ji Sheng, you know.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± The little idol understood in seconds, ¡°What¡¯s his performance? A hundred people chorus, a group of sixteen sketch?¡± ¡°Can someone from Emperor Xie do the same kind of show as us paste? A proper band performance, as a drummer, with a fixed mic and a fixed camera kind of thing.¡± ¡°So good¡­ can the 18th tier play drums?¡± ¡°Who can¡¯t fake it, put a recording, it is the same thing if I do it, or you do it, or whoever¡­¡± While they were talking, a staff member quickly walked to the dressing table next to them and said to the young man who was reading the program list: ¡°Mr. Ji Hui, what can I do for you?¡± Her voice was quite loud and clear, and the little idol and the little actor froze. The two looked at each other and saw a face seven or eight points similar to Ji Sheng¡¯s in the corner seat. Reacting to the fact that the person they were discussing behind his back was listening on the sidelines, the little actor and the little idol were so embarrassed that they sheepishly stopped talking. The little idol thought unconvincingly: really, it is the 18th tier, sitting there for half a day without being recognized by anyone. The little actor said sourly: There is special staff here, Emperor Xie is generous. The two of them were so sour that you could almost feel the smell wafting off the screen. But there was one thing that they were right about. This staff member was indeed specially assigned by the director¡¯s team to take care of Ji Sheng after Xie Xuanming mentioned it. The agent told Ji Sheng that he could find her if he needed anything. At the moment the babysitting staff member had a smile on her face and an overwhelming sense of helplessness in her heart. This kind of good-for-nothing artists with powerful backers were the most difficult to please, each one more incompetent and more temperamental than the other. She was ready to be made to suffer but she had the professionalism to meet this young lover of the movie star with a smile, no matter what kind of fit he was going to throw. Unexpectedly, the little paramour was surprisingly polite. ¡°Hello, can I ask you for one thing?¡± Ji Sheng, who was looking down at the programme, raised his eyes, and the glittering tear mole was dazzling and bewitching. The staff was dazed for a moment. Even if it was a good-for-nothing, it was still a beautiful good-for-nothing, no wonder Emperor Xie threw a lot of money stuffing him in¡­ She returned to her senses: ¡°Please tell, I will help if I can help.¡± The beautiful good-for-nothing smiled slightly and his slender fingers tapped on the corner of the program list. There was the name of the performance he was about to star in, followed by a word written in big letters¡ª¡°pre-recorded¡±. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this, but can you turn my mic on later? Please.¡± CH 29 Ji Sheng finally met the drummer he was working with half an hour before he went on stage. The drummer¡¯s name was Bai Fei, and he had recently won a contest on a music show. He signed a contract with a large company at the end of the show and went to the Double Twelve Light Festival in the third month of his debut, which could be said to be quite smooth. The common problem of artists with smooth careers was craziness, and Bai Fei was no exception. Backed by a big company, with strong financial support, but also strong in his own right, he belonged to the best group of musicians of the new generation. He had the power to be crazy. This was why Bai Fei had a black face after seeing the list of collaborating musicians. ¡°One trash, two wankers and one little toy boy.¡± Bai Fei¡¯s expression was extremely unsightly. On such a big stage, the lead singer couldn¡¯t sing, the guitar and bass couldn¡¯t make a squeak, the drummer pretended to beat the drums, and all of them rushed to perform a pantomime. That was a fucking monkey show. Bai Fei¡¯s expression was grim and angry, and he didn¡¯t even bother to answer when someone came forward to greet him. Until the ¡°little toy boy¡±, a few centimetres shorter than him, stood in front of him, tilted up his girlish face to look at him and said, ¡°Excuse me, could I perhaps discuss something with you?¡± Only then did he begrudgingly give him a few glances. Ji Sheng pointed to the staff who brought him over, smiled and said, ¡°I am the drummer who is about to work with you. I would like to discuss with you whether I can turn on the microphone for the performance. The staff says I can if you agree.¡± The boy took the initiative to ask for the mic. Bai Fei was a little surprised. He frowned and re-examined the little drummer with smiling eyes in front of him. He looked pretty; his forearms were too thin and his temperament was not like a drummer¡¯s, but like a dancer or an artist student. ¡°Can you play drums?¡± ¡°I can.¡± Ji Sheng said sincerely, ¡°I don¡¯t dare to guarantee anything else, but I have practised for a long time for this show, and I definitely won¡¯t drop the ball.¡± Bai Fei still didn¡¯t trust Ji Sheng. He glanced at the staff member with a perfunctory expression behind him. She apparently didn¡¯t trust Ji Sheng either and was afraid that giving him the mic would affect the performance, so she came to him, hoping he would veto Ji Sheng¡¯s request. Is it really possible not to offend anyone? Bai Fei sneered in his heart and said, ¡°Yes, just don¡¯t affect the overall effect.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s eyes lit up, and his smile became even more sincere: ¡°Thank you.¡± About to go on stage, the remaining three musicians also slowly came out of the lounge to greet Ji Sheng and Bai Fei. The three of them belonged to a band. The lead singer was the son of the owner of an entertainment company, and the remaining two were also relatives or friends with backgrounds. Unlike Ji Sheng¡¯s rare and odd background, the strength behind these three was a bit more hardcore, which was why it was possible to bring a prince and two prince chaperones to the public¡¯s attention despite them not being good looking, not being good at playing or singing and basically not being good at anything. The lead singer¡¯s name was Wang Pengpeng; he had a large face that couldn¡¯t be saved even by heavy makeup, dark circles under his eyes that were as thick as if he was poisoned, and severe puffiness, a standard sign of kidney deficiency. And every case of kidney deficiency in the world has cause and effect. As soon as Wang Pengpeng, a kidney-deficient man, saw Ji Sheng, his eyes lit up, and when he introduced himself, he gazed fixedly on Ji Sheng, in the words of Bai Fei, a bystander, like a rodent in lust. ¡°Yo.¡± Wang Pengpeng stared straight at Ji Sheng, ¡°You look like that¡­ that¡­¡± ¡°Senior Ji Sheng.¡± Ji Sheng completed with a good temper, ¡°Senior, the old man has passed away, so don¡¯t mention him.¡± ¡°Hey, look at this nasty mouth of mine.¡± Wang Pengpeng smiled and slapped his mouth, but his eyes were like snakes wrapped around Ji Sheng, slithery and dirty, ¡°Little Ji, have you joined any bands? Do you want to come to our company and follow me?¡± Bai Fei didn¡¯t like him harassing newcomers and said coldly: ¡°Before you go on stage, don¡¯t bark around like a mutt in heat.¡± Wang Pengpeng turned his gaze and became furious: ¡°Who do you call a mutt?¡± ¡°Whoever casually excretes is.¡± Without looking at him, Bai Fei took two steps forward, separating Wang Pengpeng and Ji Sheng. With Bai Fei standing between the two, Wang Pengpeng was very annoyed. ¡°Bai Fei, what do you mean? ¡± Bai Fei ignored him with disdain. Wang Pengpeng¡¯s background might be able to force some people to bow to him, but Bai Fei, who was also hardcore enough, did not belong to the type who needed to lower his head. But considering that the staff had already given a signal that they were ready to play, Bai Fei said for the sake of the performance: ¡°He belongs to Xie Xuanming.¡± ¡°Xie¡ª¡± Wang Pengpeng¡¯s voice stopped abruptly. Bai Fei¡¯s words were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, freezing him in his tracks. There was a consensus in the industry on how crazy Xie Xuanming was. Whoever provoked him, whether it was a newcomer, an old-timer or someone with a backer, his artistic career would basically be over. No one wanted to be targeted by a lunatic, especially a lunatic who had power and the right to speak. ¡°Do you understand?¡± Bai Fei said coldly, ¡°Dare if you understand.¡± Just as the host finished the curtain call, Bai Fei took the lead on the stage, followed by Ji Sheng. ¡°Brother Wang¡­¡± The guitar and the bass reminded in low voices. Wang Pengpeng gritted his teeth and strode onto the stage. Bai Fei felt that this was the most indescribable performance he had ever participated in. Even though there was a pre-recording, the scene on the stage was still too bad. The guitarist¡¯s motions were not right; he touched the wrong strings again and again. The bassist simply played the air; the camera occasionally pointed at him and his floating fingers appeared on the big screen, making Bai Fei embarrassed for him. Not to mention the lead singer; Bai Fei couldn¡¯t think of any kind of waste that could not sing well in the recording studio. As the pre-recorded track of the electronic music was played in 3D surround sound, Bai Fei frowned and dreamed of calling Pikachu to crash the party. The only one who made do with it was actually the drummer that Xie Xuanming stuffed in. The intensity of his beat was extremely accurate, no different from the drum beat in the pre-recording. If Bai Fei hadn¡¯t caught a glimpse of the drum set in front of him trembling slightly with the beat, he would almost suspect that this guy¡¯s drum beating action was just acting like it. But two serious drummers could not rescue the three drowning musicians. Overall, the stage set up by this makeshift team was very strained. Forget it. Bai Fei thought violently to himself. The end-of-year reunion-style group faked the scene, perfunctorily copying the pre-recording. His thoughts settled down: he raised the drumsticks and brought them down according to the rhythm. Boom! Bai Fei was suddenly startled and his hair stood upright for a moment. What¡¯s wrong? Did he strike so hard by himself? Why for a moment did it seem that only the drums were left in the whole stage? Without time to think, the drumsticks fell again. His muscles tightened several times as the drumsticks rose and fell. It did not seem. Bai Fei finally figured out the situation in front of him and his forehead broke in a cold sweat. The pre-recording stopped. The throbbing music came to an abrupt halt and Wang Pengpeng¡¯s opening and closing mouth froze awkwardly, comically like a pantomime. In silence, only Bai Fei¡¯s drums were left. Bai Fei¡¯s heart clenched in apprehension. He knew the skills of Wang Pengpeng and the two backstage musicians. Instead of expecting them to play on the spot, it was better to hope that the unlucky pre-recording would miraculously come back. Fortunately, the moment the pre-recording stopped, it happened to be Bai Fei¡¯s solo part. The drums were solid and the microphone was normal. The audience couldn¡¯t hear anything strange for a while. They just thought it might be an alternative performance plan. But after all, Bai Fei couldn¡¯t carry the load from beginning to end. That was too weird. It was simply telling the world¡ªhey, on this stage, except for me, Bai Fei, everyone else is rubbish. It was not that Bai Fei was unwilling to expose the true faces of those cowards, but this occasion was really wrong. This was the first time that Bai Fei attended such a large-scale party. If the performance was ruined, let alone the fact that the large-scale stage resources would be difficult to obtain in the future, even the online ridicule after the end of the show would be enough to make him have a hard time. If no one came forward to pick up the slack after his part, the crash would be a foregone conclusion. Bai Fei¡¯s reputation would plummet and he would be associated with the stigma of ¡°fake drumming¡± for life. The solo part was about to end, and the next part was the responsibility of the little drummer that Xie Xuanming arranged to come in. Bai Fei was sitting on pins and needles, in cold sweat, like a death row prisoner waiting for the guillotine to fall. The last drum beat fell; Bai Fei had never known that half a second was such a long unit of time. From the moment he stopped beating till Ji Sheng hit the first note, for Bai Fei every second really felt like a year. Ji Sheng hit the first drum beat; Ji Sheng matched the second note¡­ Ji Sheng successfully took over Bai Fei¡¯s baton and ruled the stage firmly with the drumsticks flying up and down in his hands. Bai Fei breathed a sigh of relief, but after a few seconds his heart dropped again. The drummer¡¯s part was connected to the lead vocal part, but Wang Pengpeng¡­ Bai Fei glanced at Wang Pengpeng, whose costume was soaked in cold sweat, and couldn¡¯t bear to look away. It was still going to be over. The two drummers couldn¡¯t hold up a big band performance. At least one tune had to stand up. Bai Fei was right. The two drummers really couldn¡¯t do it. But a drummer, a drummer and a lead singer could. Bai Fei was shocked to see Ji Sheng, not far from him, lean to the microphone and sing the lead vocal part clearly while maintaining the stable rhythm of the drums. Ji Hui had a good voice. He usually spoke softly and gently, with some natural coquettish lilting sound. Now when he sang, his soft tone became a hook in the bait, making the audience feel itchy, eager to stretch their necks to see what beauty hiding her face was singing quietly. Bai Fei was stunned, the audience was shocked, and Wang Pengpeng couldn¡¯t help but look back in amazement. A lead singer and a drummer. This novel configuration made people raise their eyebrows in surprise, and Ji Sheng¡¯s complete and stable display perfectly responded to their doubts. Bai Fei was going to raise his hands three or four times, guarding against Ji Sheng¡¯s slip in case he was unable to drum and sing. But he didn¡¯t have to. There was no need to back him, either in singing or in drumming. Ji Sheng had a good balance and accomplished it flawlessly. He took it in stride, as if he was not saving the show, but completing a concert of his own. In the front row of the audience, the preschool teacher station sister pressed down the shutter with her hands shaking. The face of the young man captured in the frame was known to her for a long time. A few years ago, there had already been such a thin figure, with the drumsticks flying in his hands and his voice singing loudly. His voice had been lower than that of the young man in front of her, his facial features had been more heroic and his drums had been more violent and free from restraint. They were so different. The young man in the past had been a wounded wolf in the quagmire, and the young man now was a well-behaved delicate bird in a golden silk cage. But they were so similar too. At the corner of their eyes, there was the dark dot that was the kiss of God¡¯s love but was also evil and seductive like the curse of the devil. Their eyes were like fiery hardness of a volcanic rock, with the passion and freedom never to be extinguished under the intricate texture. CH 30 Backstage, VIP lounge. Sheng Kongzhi sat in the armchair with his eyes closed, relaxing. The two makeup artists by his side whispered: ¡°Is he asleep?¡± ¡°Maybe, isn¡¯t he in the finale? There is still more than an hour¡­¡± ¡°Which show is it now?¡± ¡°Now?¡± The makeup artists raised their heads and turned on the TV on the wall. The screen was broadcasting the stage. The young man¡¯s drumsticks were flying in front of the camera, his voice clear and beautiful. The makeup artists forgot what they were talking about, drawn into the drummer¡¯s performance. Behind them, Sheng Kongzhi opened his eyes when he heard the sound and suddenly looked at the screen with his gaze full of disbelief. The first performance of ¡°Ji Hui¡± on the big stage, not to say that it ended perfectly, but at least it didn¡¯t ruin the show. But obviously not everyone was satisfied with the result. ¡°You did it on purpose! You deliberately embarrassed me, didn¡¯t you?!¡± After the show, Wang Pengpeng demanded fiercely, grabbing Ji Sheng¡¯s collar. ¡°I was just filling the gaps.¡± Ji Sheng said calmly, ¡°The audience doesn¡¯t spend money to watch pantomime. You didn¡¯t make a sound for various reasons, so I could only bite the bullet. If I didn¡¯t sing well, please forgive me. After all, my job is a drummer, I only sing to make up for other people¡¯s mistakes.¡± ¡°You!¡± Wang Pengpeng, red in face, roared, ¡°You bitch sleeping for money, dirty farmer out of a poor neighbourhood. Believe it or not, I can block you with one phone call! Even if you go begging from one gold master to another, you won¡¯t even get on the fucking stage.¡± The corners of Ji Sheng¡¯s lips twitched as he watched his incompetence and anger coldly. Wang Pengpeng was angered by his mockery and raised his hand to hit him. Bai Fei quickly stopped his fist with his hand and said angrily: ¡°Have you been crazy enough? You have the gall to scold someone who did a good job after your own mistake. Besides, can those uncouth contacts of yours touch Xie Xuanming?¡± Upon hearing Xie Xuanming¡¯s name, Wang Pengpeng¡¯s anger quickly melted away like ice under fire. After the performance, he just lost his face. With his backing, the company would give him another job and there would be no accusations. If Xie Xuanming was offended, no one could protect him. Xie Xuanming was always beating people without looking at their background. Wang Pengpeng¡¯s chest rose and fell violently, and he felt that the arc of Ji Sheng¡¯s lips became terrifying in addition to being hateful. He pushed Ji Sheng away fiercely, threw a dignified ¡°You wait¡±, turned and left. His two sidekicks also followed. After Wang Pengpeng left, Bai Fei¡¯s expression relaxed; he turned to Ji Sheng and said, ¡°Thank you just now. Without you, the performance would be ugly.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Ji Sheng tidied up his collar, ¡°Thank you too, for speaking for me twice.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Bai Fei shrugged, ¡°I have long disliked these guys. Venting for you can count as speaking for myself.¡± Ji Sheng smiled. ¡°I still have an interview, I have to go. Hope we¡¯ll have an opportunity to cooperate next time.¡± Bai Fei glanced at his watch, ¡°Your drums are really good, and you sing well. You shouldn¡¯t be buried. See you later.¡± ¡°Thank you for your compliment.¡± Ji Sheng waved his hand, ¡°Goodbye.¡± Sending Bai Fei away, Ji Sheng breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed his wrist. It was a bit of a struggle for Ji Hui¡¯s body to sing and play, and he even suffered from hypoxia by the end of the song. Fortunately, the pre-recording was interrupted already in the latter part and there weren¡¯t many words left to sing, so Ji Sheng was able to finish it without any mistakes. However. Just a few lines, not too difficult, and Wang Pengpeng couldn¡¯t even sing them. Ji Sheng secretly thought, their ability was really incomparably bad. Ji Sheng rubbed his wrist while walking forward, not noticing that someone in the distance strode towards him anxiously. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t look up until his shoulder was suddenly grasped. ¡°Xiao Sheng?¡± Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s face was full of shock when he met his eyes, his lips trembling, ¡°Xiao Sheng, you are alive, why are you here, why didn¡¯t you come to me?¡± That familiar face made Ji Sheng freeze for a moment. He saw the gentle young man from a few years ago, smiling and begging himself to sing him a song, his expression full of sentimental innocent love. Ji Sheng returned to his senses and made a muffled grunt from being squeezed by Sheng Kongzhi. He pushed Sheng Kongzhi away: ¡°Senior, I don¡¯t know what you are talking about, you must have admitted the wrong person!¡± Sheng Kongzhi seemed to be stunned. He murmured ¡°Xiao Sheng¡± and ¡°This is impossible¡±, holding Ji Sheng firmly and not letting go. Ji Sheng pushed him three or four times but couldn¡¯t get free. Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s hand was like iron pliers; he couldn¡¯t break away from his grip at all. Ji Sheng frowned in pain and said deliberately: ¡°You have admitted the wrong person, please let go!¡± Damn, both of them like to use force. Ji Sheng and Sheng Kongzhi were in a stalemate in the corridor, when a cold voice came from behind. ¡°Ji Hui.¡± Xie Xuanming stood not far away, looking at the two of them with a vague expression, ¡°Come here.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s body stiffened; he struggled twice, still to no avail. Don¡¯t I want to come here? I can¡¯t get away! Seeing Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression getting darker and darker, Ji Sheng felt very helpless. Aren¡¯t you good at fighting? Come here and help me pull these iron pliers away! Sheng Kongzhi turned his head. When he saw Xie Xuanming, his expression changed and his hand relaxed a little. Ji Sheng took the opportunity to break free but as soon as he took a step towards Xie Xuanming, he was stopped by Sheng Kongzhi who grabbed his wrist again. ¡°Xuanming.¡± Sheng Kongzhi glanced suspiciously at Xie Xuanming and then at Ji Sheng again. He suddenly understood something and his expression turned ugly, ¡°Xie Xuanming, do you know what you are doing?¡± ¡°It has nothing to do with you.¡± Xie Xuanming was cold and said louder, ¡°Come here, don¡¯t make me repeat myself.¡± Ji Sheng set off again, but was stopped by Sheng Kongzhi once more. He was helpless: ¡±Senior¡­¡± Before he finished speaking, Xie Xuanming quickly walked up to the two of them, pulled off Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s hand holding Ji Sheng, and pushed Ji Sheng to stand behind him. He didn¡¯t even look at Sheng Kongzhi, saying to Ji Sheng, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He was about to drag him away. Sheng Kongzhi seemed to want to stop them but was afraid that Xie Xuanming would overreact and make an ugly scene. He finally gritted his teeth and growled, ¡°Xie Xuanming, what do you mean by finding a kid who looks like Ji Sheng to keep beside you?!¡± Xie Xuanming paused, and Ji Sheng felt the grip on his wrist tighten. ¡°That¡¯s what it means.¡± Xie Xuanming sneered, ¡°The old ones are gone, and I am not as innocent as the King of Songs Sheng, I can¡¯t help but find new people to talk to.¡± ¡°Treating Xiao Sheng like this, it¡¯s not even fair to this kid.¡± Sheng Kongzhi said angrily. Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression changed, grimness crawling out of his eyes, enveloping his entire face. He sneered in a low voice: ¡°If you had saved a little of this hypocrisy for Ji Sheng, he wouldn¡¯t have died.¡± Sheng Kongzhi stiffened and shut up. Xie Xuanming paid attention to him no longer and dragged Ji Sheng away from the scene. On the way back, Xie Xuanming frowned and said nothing. When he didn¡¯t say anything, Ji Sheng naturally didn¡¯t make a fool of himself; he didn¡¯t ask nor did he want to ask why he was at the party and if it was another planned arrangement. Ji Sheng had already been neatly subdued by this unpredictable master and knew that no good information would come out of a dog¡¯s mouth. Xie Xuanming would talk when he wanted to talk. When he kept his mouth shut, even a tiger bench(1) or a whip wouldn¡¯t force him to speak. Back at the villa, Xie Xuanming finally remembered that he still had a language function. ¡°You are really top-notch and dedicated, even replicating emotions and eyeing Sheng Kongzhi in front of me.¡± Xie Xuanming sneered, his voice sarcastic, ¡°Why, are you so short of money that one substitute job is not enough for you, you have to take two?¡± ¡°I already have two jobs with you.¡± Ji Sheng was neither humble nor overbearing. ¡°But you are right. There¡¯s never enough money, so who would refuse to be a substitute for you?¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s face changed instantly to a gloomy expression: ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± ¡°How dare I.¡± Ji Sheng chuckled dryly, ¡°After all, you are the boss, and you are in charge of how to play. If you make me play drums, I will play drums. If you don¡¯t let me sleep, I won¡¯t sleep. If you tell me to undress, I will strip without saying a word. Even if you make me meet your old enemy by coincidence, I can only bite the bullet. And then I have to come back and endure your anger for no reason.¡± Ji Sheng wanted to understand something on the way back. Xie Xuanming spent a lot of effort to send him to the Double Twelve Light Festival just to let him and Sheng Kongzhi ¡°meet by chance¡±. He himself appeared there to observe Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s reaction after meeting ¡°Ji Hui¡°, so as to judge whether Sheng Kongzhi was the one who attacked ¡±Ji Hui¡±. The result was negative. So Xie Xuanming appeared suddenly as if teleporting and picked up ¡±Ji Hui¡±. Everything was very clear and was perfectly executed in accordance with Xie Xuanming¡¯s plan. Ji Sheng thought it through and only wondered what Xie Xuanming was throwing a tantrum about at the moment when his plan had worked. He couldn¡¯t figure it out and could only attribute it to the genetically inferior nature of males¡ª their insane and silly possessiveness of their belongings. Simply put¡ª Xie Xuanming felt that he had a toy named Ji Hui, and now this toy was touched by other children. The child Xie Xuanming was very angry and turned his head to scold the toy for being indiscriminate. Toy: ¡­¡­ Toy: It¡¯s none of my business! Ji Sheng was very upset; not to mention that he did not like Xie Xuanming¡¯s action of classifying him as his property, but this kind of Xie Xuanming¡¯s unsavoury temperament made him very angry. How cute he was when he was a kid. What kind of dog did he become now? Ji Sheng was angry when the door was suddenly knocked on. ¡°Hello! Sofa bed installation at your home!¡± Ji Sheng was taken aback and blurted out: ¡°What are you going to do with a sofa bed?¡± Xie Xuanming gave him a look, mixing ¡°you are an idiot¡± and ¡°too lazy to flip you a bird¡±. He went over and opened the door without saying a word to let the furniture company brother in. The little brother came in with a big load on his shoulders. He was stunned for a moment when he saw Xie Xuanming but in the end he didn¡¯t ask any questions due to his professional ethics and only said, ¡°Excuse me, where do I put this?¡± ¡°Master bedroom.¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t lift his eyes. He knew it with his butt that Xie Xuanming bought this bed for him to sleep on. In normal times, Ji Sheng might get a bit emotional. Xie Xuanming was still somewhat human in the end. But taking into account the previous scene with Xie Xuanming regarding him as his property, Ji Sheng guessed that when he bought a sofa bed, he was just changing the toy¡¯s display stand to a better one. Ji Sheng¡¯s spikes rose all over his body; he was so angry there was nothing he wouldn¡¯t dare to do, so he choked out, ¡°Please put it in the living room, thank you.¡± ¡°Master bedroom.¡± Xie Xuanming said coldly, ¡°This is my home.¡± ¡°This is my bed.¡± Ji Sheng was not to be outdone, ¡°Living room.¡± ¡°Master bedroom.¡± ¡°Living room.¡± ¡°Master bedroom.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Brother: ¡°¡­¡­¡± The little brother couldn¡¯t help it and said angrily in a dialect: ¡°You two melon babies, while you quarrel, my shoulders ache, can you unify your opinions!¡± He looked at Xie Xuanming and shook his head bitterly: ¡°Especially you! As the head of the family, don¡¯t let your wifey yell so much, he¡¯s too stubborn!¡± Xie Xuanming: ¡­¡­ Xie Xuanming: He is not. Ji Sheng seized an opportunity and won the game by a narrow margin: ¡°Living room! Thank you!¡± CH 31 At night, Ji Sheng lay comfortably on the brand new sofa bed, staring at the ceiling of the living room in a daze. The living room connected the first and second floors, and on the ceiling seven metres above, crystal pendants of the extinguished lamp swayed gently with the air flow. Ji Sheng¡¯s thoughts also swayed with them. He recalled tonight¡¯s performance; the strength of the drumsticks still reverberated through his wrists, and the joy and pleasure brought about by muscle soreness were equally real. In his previous life, the scar cut off the connection between him and the drums, but now that he had recovered, he enjoyed the pain. Ji Sheng gently turned his wrist, and suddenly remembered Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s shocked eyes full of real discomfort. This kind of surprise that couldn¡¯t be faked allowed Ji Sheng to get a little information¡ª Sheng Kongzhi had never seen Ji Hui; he was not the one who killed Ji Hui. After reaching this conclusion, Ji Sheng was a little puzzled. He was surprised that before he was reborn, while Ji Hui followed Xie Xuanming, Xie Xuanming did not deliberately arrange for Ji Hui and Sheng Kongzhi to ¡°meet by chance¡±. After all, judging from Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s reaction today, Ji Hui¡¯s card had quite a significant impact on him. It was a surprise that Xie Xuanming, a sworn enemy of Sheng Kongzhi, did not use Ji Hui to irritate him. Could it be that Xie Xuanming really raised Ji Hui just to have a living puppet whose looks resembled the appearance of his first love? Or to solve the sleep problem? After all, Xie Xuanming¡¯s insomnia was indeed very serious. Ji Sheng sat by his bed for months. He had seen Xie Xuanming wake up from a nightmare many times. The deep ink-coloured pools would stare at him suspiciously, the pulsating darkness settling slowly in the stagnated time. What was certain was that this insomnia had nothing to do with Xie Xuanming¡¯s Schr?dinger¡¯s first love. After all, in his previous life, Ji Sheng had never heard of Xie Xuanming having this malfunctioning problem. Calculating the time Ji Hui spent by Xie Xuanming¡¯s side, as well as taking into account Xie Xuanming¡¯s ambiguous words in his memory¡­ His insomnia only started after Ji Sheng had a car accident. Was he upset because the deceased had the same face as his first love? Ji Sheng sneered softly, what a saintly lover. With such a sensitive mind, it would have been nice if a little bit of that affection for his first love had been transferred to him while he was alive. Ji Sheng turned over and stabilised the inexplicable state of his mind. Forget about it. At that time when everyone was shouting and fighting, why should Xie Xuanming have been expected to help him risking his own career? After all, it was not anyone¡¯s fault he was too stupid. Ji Sheng closed his eyes and expelled thousands of black posts, black hot searches and endless verbal abuse of the past from his mind. It was all from the previous life, it was all over. Thinking so, he fell asleep. Probably the self-hypnosis before going to bed was too successful. Ji Sheng opened his eyes in the morning, groped for his mobile phone to turn it on and, after scanning the familiar-looking black hot search on Weibo, felt a little unreal for a while. He exited the app and glanced at the calendar to confirm that he was not dreaming. The title of the black hot search really made him flashback to his previous life. Ji Sheng clicked Weibo again and saw the bright hot topic hanging on the top. #Ji Hui Fake Drumming# The tag was too familiar; simply change the name from a certain black hot search in Ji Sheng¡¯s previous life and throw it in again perfunctorily. Ji Sheng moved, pulled out his stiff right hand from under his head, clenched and unclenched his fingers and made himself click on the hot search. It was a video, the last part of the Double Twelve performance last night. On the screen, Ji Hui¡¯s eyes were focused as he was drumming and singing. Ji Sheng moved his finger and went straight to the comments. Obviously, with the black hot search title ¡°fake drumming¡±, it was difficult to expect anything good in the comment area. Netizens harshly accused the newcomer drummer of fake drumming as if he had committed some heinous crime. Even though Ji Sheng was not fake drumming, the entertainment industry now was full of ¡°fake drummers¡±¡­ The ¡°black material¡±of Ji Hui was too forgettable. [The most important thing a drummer needs is consistency. What kind of person can play the drums and even sing at the same time? This is bullshit. ¡¿ [I¡¯m not surprised that there is a problem with the pre-recording. It¡¯s hard not to come up with conspiracy theories. ¡¿ [I won¡¯t be the first to guess there was a problem with pre-recording, right? ¡¿ [The last one who played drums and sang has been whacked for faking it] [Ji Sheng? Haha, this newcomer even looks a lot like him. ¡¿ [Respect the dead, don¡¯t pull Ji Sheng in, okay?¡¿ [What¡¯s the matter, isn¡¯t it a fact that Ji Sheng was fake drumming and singing? Besides, it¡¯s his own fault he died. Drunk driving during the day, harming others and harming himself. Who is to blame but him? ¡¿ ¡¾¡­¡­¡¿ Swiping through the hot comments, Ji Sheng was a little suspicious of whether someone had actually bribed the organiser to deliberately mess up the pre-recording to have an opportunity to step on him. After all, being in the entertainment industry for a few years, having been popular and having been hated by the whole Internet, Ji Sheng could naturally see the difference between passers-by and a water army. For example, comments posted immediately under the hot search, a long text that seemed to take no time at all to think over or type, and the likes that appeared at once¡­ At a glance, it was the sign of the water army. It made sense to control the scene; Ji Sheng had seen a number of genuine passers-by turn from doubt to conviction amidst the overwhelming abuse. That¡¯s how the brainwashing package spread out. If the black information was not cleared up in a timely and effective manner, in the not-too-distant future, ¡°black material¡± would become ¡°facts¡±. Ji Sheng sighed and clicked on the boss¡¯s WeChat. Regardless of whether the little crappy company had public relations capabilities or not, let¡¯s report it first. He had just finished typing a message and was going to send it when he suddenly received a call. Unknown caller. Ji Sheng was startled for a moment, then picked it up he didn¡¯t know why. ¡°Hello, it¡¯s Sheng Kongzhi. We met last night.¡± Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s soft voice came from the phone, and Ji Sheng sat up. He paused for two seconds: ¡°Hello, Senior, can I help you?¡± ¡°I want to apologise for my rudeness yesterday. I took you for the wrong person and caused you trouble. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Also, I would like to ask, do you have any plans to sign up with a company? I watched your performance last night and think you have great potential. If you have the intention to further develop in the entertainment industry, my Qingchu company is willing to give a satisfactory contract.¡± Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s tone was serious. Qingchu company, a dark horse entertainment company that had developed in the past two years, was an unattainable ladder to fame for many newcomers. It was also one of the culprits behind the downfall of Ji Sheng in his previous life. Ji Sheng lowered his eyes and rubbed his fingers on the phone. He was about to open his mouth when his mobile phone was suddenly grabbed and taken away. Ji Sheng raised his head. Xie Xuanming squeezed his mobile phone, glanced at the caller ID, sneered and hung up. With a few random taps of his fingers, he put Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s number into the blacklist in front of Ji Sheng. After all this, Xie Xuanming had no intention of returning the phone, continuing to fiddle with it. The not-so-wide mobile phone was like a toy in his palm, seeming amazingly small. Ji Sheng stretched out his hand: ¡°Give it back.¡± ¡°So that you call back and continue fornicating with Sheng Kongzhi?¡± Xie Xuanming said coolly. Ji Sheng thought, God damn, fornication, you really have a way with words. He gritted his teeth: ¡°Give it back, something¡¯s wrong.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Something happened in a hot search, I want to contact the company.¡± ¡°Can you even get on a hot search?¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s tone was full of mockery. Ji Sheng thought, yes, not only you top stars can occupy the hot search list, but I can also steal a place there. Are you surprised? But instead of saying this, Ji Sheng chose to shut up. Silently, he just reached his hand forward again. Xie Xuanming confronted him for a while, sneered indifferently, threw the phone back to him and turned to go to the study. Ji Sheng scrambled to catch the phone but was still struck by the blunt corner. He grunted, rubbing his bruised wrist and grumbling in his mind. What a temper, it stinks more than eggs soaked in sulphur springs. Deserves to be a grass widow. Xie Xuanming returned to his room, took out his mobile phone and clicked on Weibo. There was an entry of #Ji Hui Fake Drumming# on the hot search list, and with just a few branches of comments it had already jumped from the middle to the top five. Xie Xuanming glanced at the position of the hot search and didn¡¯t even need to click on it to know that the hot search was bought by someone interested. Ji Hui¡¯s reputation was not that great. Whether it was blackening or praise, he was far from taking one of the top five golden positions in the hot search. Although it was said to be the norm in the entertainment industry to use black heat to suppress a rival, or a possible future rival, But Ji Hui had just started his rise. Some people really couldn¡¯t sit still. Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression darkened. Those people hated and feared Ji Sheng so much that they had to kill someone who looked similar to him. He switched to WeChat and sent a message to his agent, asking him to check the source of funds behind the black hot search. Celebrities like Xie Xuanming naturally didn¡¯t have to look up at their agents like little idols at the bottom of the entertainment industry. On the contrary, with him being the company¡¯s brand and capital itself, the agent was like an employee he hired and their relationship was more similar to the relationship between a master and a subordinate. As an employee of a top star, the agent naturally couldn¡¯t survive without having some abilities. He was extremely efficient. Two minutes after Xie Xuanming sent the message, he called. ¡°I found it.¡± The agent said, ¡°It is clearly the actions of Wang Li¡¯s company.¡± ¡°Wang Li?¡± Xie Xuanming asked, ¡°Ji Hui has a problem with it?¡± ¡°Wang Li¡¯s artist Wang Pengpeng, who is also Wang Li¡¯s heir apparent, and Mr. Ji Hui had a joint show last night.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Xuanming understood, tapping the table carelessly, ¡°What about the shadow force?¡± ¡°Apart from Wang Li, there was another party that muddied the waters, but the opponent¡¯s movements were very clean and the source could not be traced.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°Can the organisers of the Moonlight Gala be contacted?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Make them post a direct shot of Ji Hui¡¯s show, the raw recorded unretouched sound kind.¡± Xie Xuanming sat up straighter, ¡°The station sister you sent tickets to before, is there still a contact?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°She should also have some pics in her hands, urge her to put them on the Internet.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± The agent was silent for two seconds, then said tactfully: ¡°Brother Xie, the people who did the whole Ji Hui thing this time have very mixed backgrounds, so rashly taking sides and not giving them face may offend a lot of people.¡± Xie Xuanming sneered: ¡°How many people have I offended?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ but it¡¯s better not to make enemies if you can¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, do as I say. ¡°Xie Xuanming interrupted him, ¡°Contact the organiser and the station sister. I want to see the clarification appear on the hot search before ten o¡¯clock.¡± He raised his right hand that felt a little bit sore, changed the phone to his left hand, lowered his eyes and gently twisted his right wrist. ¡°There is no need to consider who will be offended. Those people should be thinking about whether they have offended me.¡± The author has something to say£º Xiao Xie, for this day only, you are President Xie. CH 32 The organisers of the Double Twelve Party released Ji Sheng¡¯s direct shot at 9:30. The drummer¡¯s position was arranged at the back of the stage, and Ji Sheng¡¯s figure in the camera was blocked most of the time. One couldn¡¯t see his face clearly but could only occasionally see the flying drumsticks. After Xie Xuanming emphasised that ¡°the suspicion of fake drumming needs to be cleared¡±, the organiser finally found a direct shot with a clear angle and released it. The camera was fixed on the edge of the floor drum and the lens trembled with every drumbeat. The sound of the beat was very clear. In the second half, except for the deafening drums, Ji Sheng¡¯s clear singing was also included, and even the sound of his breathing could be heard. As soon as the direct shot was posted, public opinion was instantly reversed. After all, no one who had eyes or ears could in good conscience say that Ji Hui was fake drumming. Overwhelming insults stopped, and amazement and admiration surged like a tide, replacing them. In the entertainment industry nowadays, those who dared to perform live were already a minority, and those who dared to perform live and sang well were even rarer. Not to mention the fact that Ji Sheng drummed and sang, pulling the performance to the full finish in a physically and technically demanding situation. This was simply a treasure like a pearl of the sea. [I only know the drummer of the Eagles who drums and sings. It¡¯s really good for a newcomer to be able to do this] [If it¡¯s too steady, it¡¯s reasonable to suspect that you¡¯re not on the mic] [The stage should be left to such artists. Apart from this little brother, what are the other musicians doing? Standing frozen? ¡¿ [Bai Fei is okay, at least he completed his own part] [Off topic, does anyone else think this little drummer has nice legs? I¡¯ve stared at them 14 or 15 times, the angle is really good] [Me too, me too, I feel like I have found a new wife] The shooting angle of the direct shot released by the organiser was indeed very subtle, from the bottom up to the waist. Standard gentleman¡¯s perspective. Xie Xuanming saw two slender legs in the front of the frame, froze for a moment, and tapped his fingers. In the video, the raised ankle bones were dazzling white, the calf bones well-proportioned and the muscle lines could be seen shifting with the movements. The straight-on shot was not very clear and the protagonist¡¯s movements were so wild that his knees often wobbled out of frame, leaving only a glimpse to be remembered. Ji Hui¡¯s family was poor, and he could be considered someone who grew up on a muddy road, but his figure was like a flower, fragile and delicate. Ji Sheng¡¯s performance outfit for the day was shorts with wide legs that moved up in a sitting position, exposing the leg loops used to hold his shirt in place in his mid-thighs. The dark bands wrapped his legs tightly. As his shorts shifted up and down, the white skin of his thighs formed a strong contrast with the black of the leg loops, hypnotising people into being unable to move their eyes away. His face could not be fully seen from this angle; just the slim line of his lower jaw and his bewitching mole were visible, vibrating with the drumbeat, the blurred vision misleading and confusing. Xie Xuanming swallowed hard and wanted to click to stop the video but didn¡¯t do it in the end. He looked intently, not realizing that the door behind him had opened. ¡°Senior Xie.¡± A cold voice exploded in his ears. Xie Xuanming turned his head abruptly. Ji Sheng stood behind him eloquently, staring at Xie Xuanming¡¯s screen with a meaningful gaze. Xie Xuanming quickly adjusted his expression and said calmly: ¡°Why don¡¯t you knock on the door?¡± ¡°I knocked.¡± Ji Sheng paused and added, ¡°Six times.¡± ¡°¡­what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Thank you for clearing it up for me.¡± Xie Xuanming turned his head and got up: ¡°If it¡¯s just this, you can go out.¡± He told Ji Sheng to go out, but instead walked to the door himself. Ji Sheng side-stepped out of the way and glanced at his back as he turned to the right after leaving the study, ¡°Senior Xie!¡± Xie Xuanming stopped for a moment. Ji Sheng reminded: ¡°The bathroom is on the left.¡± Xie Xuanming was startled. He finally stuck to the original direction and strode upstairs. Hearing the sound of the bathroom door closing upstairs, Ji Sheng retracted his gaze. Really. Why are you so picky? As if you can¡¯t take a cold shower anywhere. Just when netizens were hotly discussing the official direct shot, the station sister who had released repo photos of the god-level newcomer once again was at it. This time she came prepared and posted a direct frontal shot that was clearer than the official video. This direct shot brought another wave of public opinion shock. Under the high-definition lens, the young man¡¯s features were sharp-edged. Whether it was the fierceness of lowering his eyes and playing drums or the laziness of leaning forward and singing, everything was clearly caught by the camera. Overflowing hormones wafted off the screen and hit the heart of every netizen who clicked on the video. Some people only need a stage to compel millions to love them. Ji Sheng was such a person. No matter whose body he lived in, his soul would not allow him to be dim and buried by dust. Ji Sheng sat down on the sofa, took his mobile phone, swiped the comments and clicked on Weibo. When he debuted in his previous life, like every newcomer who was eager to draw attention, he liked to explore netizens¡¯ comments on him in the comments area. Good reviews made him happy, bad reviews made him depressed¡­ Not now. Ji Sheng switched off the screen and lay back calmly. What netizens could see was all one-sided. What is the truth, who are you, and how many taels you have¡­ These things were not swayed by public opinion and were inherently unchanging. Just be in the clear, no need to dwell on it. Ji Sheng lay back bored when his mobile phone suddenly prompted him to receive two friend applications. One was from Bai Fei, and the other was Sheng Kongzhi. Ji Sheng unlocked them, accepting their requests. As soon he added them as friends, the two basically sent him greeting messages simultaneously. ¡¾Good morning¡¿ Ji Sheng first replied to Bai Fei with a little shiba inu waving its paws, then clicked on Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s dialog box and replied with a yellow smiley. Yes, the classic emoticon that comes with the system. Just one smiley capable to express the god-level connotation of ¡®I fuck you and your whole family¡¯. Bai Fei came to comfort Ji Sheng and told him not to care about negative remarks. Although the drummer had a bad temper, he admired musicians who were as powerful as Ji Sheng. Before the official direct shot was released, he had already made a post in support of Ji Sheng and was surrounded and scolded by angry netizens. He stretched out an olive branch and Ji Sheng gladly accepted. He expressed his gratitude to Bai Fei and promised to find an opportunity to exchange technical pointers. With Sheng Kongzhi, Ji Sheng was not so friendly. No matter whether Sheng Kong Zhi was trying to get close to him or comfort him, Ji Sheng always replied with a spring-like amicable yellow system smiley. A chat method that doesn¡¯t even want to give alms using custom emoticons. Anyone could see its perfunctory nature. Sheng Kongzhi naturally noticed the coldness of ¡°Ji Hui¡± and forcibly talked about a few more topics, sent four or five messages and stopped helplessly. Ji Sheng then cut him off contentedly and focused on communicating with Bai Fei. However, before he had time to chat, he was interrupted again. ¡°Who are you chatting with?¡± Ji Sheng raised his head. Xie Xuanming was back, his hair damp, and he stared at him with a strange expression while wiping his hair. Ji Sheng inexplicably felt guilty of being caught in flagrante delicto. He shook off this bizarre emotion and showed the screen generously: ¡°Bai Fei, the drummer who worked with me yesterday.¡± Xie Xuanming sneered and went upstairs without looking back: ¡°You are very sociable.¡± Ji Sheng was left alone, wondering why he had just come down and gone up again. What¡¯s more, he didn¡¯t understand what kind of weirdness he was talking about. Xie Xuanming returned to his bedroom and casually flung the towel on the small couch that had been gloriously decommissioned. The towel hit the armrest with a muffled noise, and Xie Xuanming¡¯s mood was as bad as that noise. He knew this was anger. His anger at Ji Sheng turned to Ji Hui. After all, Ji Hui had a face that looked seven or eight points like Ji Sheng and recently had a trend to act more and more like him¡­ He was sick and tired of seeing ¡°Ji Sheng¡± staring at the screen intently, chatting with others leisurely. And ignoring him. Xie Xuanming had always been a very popular man, and his good looks allowed him to grow up being pursued by both men and women. However, no matter how much he tried to show his attractiveness and charm, Ji Sheng always looked away, ignoring his advances as if he couldn¡¯t and didn¡¯t want to see them. And now a substitute learned eight or nine points of Ji Sheng¡¯s temperament, and even his attitude of disdaining him was exactly the same. How could this not make Xie Xuanming angry. Xie Xuanming was sullen when he suddenly heard a knock on the door. A weak one, as if a kitten scratched the door twice. ¡°Enter,¡± he said There was a heavy sound, followed by a low mutter from ¡°Ji Hui¡±. What was this guy doing? Xie Xuanming stood with his back to the door for a while, then couldn¡¯t help but turn around, stride to the door and turn the door handle¡ª As soon as the door opened£¬ A huge sofa bed fell down overwhelmingly. The brown fabric with a cloud pattern magnified infinitely in front of Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes. Ji Sheng, who was holding the other side of the sofa bed, rushed down together with it in amazement. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t have time to dodge; he was smashed to the ground and the sofa bed slammed on him. On the bottom of the bed facing the ceiling, Ji Sheng was sprawled on all fours. Two people and a sofa blocked the bedroom door in a burger-like formation. Xie Xuanming looked up to the sky, the back of his head buzzing. He stared at the ceiling feeling it had never been so bright. ¡°What are you doing?¡± He squeezed out words through his teeth. ¡°Moving the sofa bed to the master bedroom.¡± Ji Sheng said dryly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you want it to be in the master bedroom?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Xuanming said quietly, ¡°Then why not put it directly in the master bedroom when the furniture company came yesterday? Did you want to experience the fun of moving things around? Or do you have a long-standing grudge, just waiting to smash me to death with this damned bed?¡± Ji Sheng shrank his neck, feeling guilty: ¡°Didn¡¯t I get angry yesterday¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Get up.¡± Staring at the ceiling, Xie Xuanming narrated calmly. ¡°Oh oh.¡± Ji Sheng used both his hands and feet to get up. ¡°Get the bed up too.¡± ¡°Oh oh.¡± Ji Sheng hurriedly squatted down, reached out, grabbed the edge of the sofa bed and pulled hard. No effect. Ji Sheng¡¯s voice was mosquito-like thin: ¡°It seems that it¡¯s stuck.¡± Xie Xuanming lay flat on the floor, calm as a corpse. ¡°Either you get it out of the door frame, or get out yourself.¡± Ji Sheng squatted down and reminded: ¡°If I get out, you¡¯ll have to keep being stuck here¡­¡± He stretched out his hand again and gripped the bed board, using all his strength to lift it with a jerk. The bed gave in a little. Ji Sheng was overjoyed, gritted his teeth and tried hard. A wide gap opened, and Xie Xuanming took advantage of the situation to get out. As soon as he slid out from below, Ji Sheng cried out. A dark shadow flashed and Xie Xuanming dunked his head. The bed board grazed his scalp; the sofa bed flipped head over heels and landed, hitting the ground hard. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t have time to confirm how many holes had been smashed in the carefully maintained wooden floor before his vision went black. Moved forward by inertia, Ji Sheng fell over. He knocked his head straight into Xie Xuanming¡¯s collarbone and slammed Xie Xuanming, who had just got up, back to the ground. CH 33 Ji Sheng lay in a daze, feeling a bit of pain in his forehead and suspecting he must have hit something. His head buzzed and it took a while for him to cope with the pain and prop himself up. However, when he raised his head and met Xie Xuanming¡¯s cold eyes, the pain was gone. Replaced by fear. Worthy of belonging to the movie emperor, even Xie Xuanming¡¯s nostrils had an unparalleled aura of dominance. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t have time to utter any typical horse¡¯s ass flattering words when Xie Xuanming showed him what a true king¡¯s spirit was. Xie Xuanming raised his knees and unhesitantly pushed Ji Sheng off. Ji Sheng hit the door frame; his forehead had not healed yet and now his lower back was severely injured, causing him to unconsciously rub it. Xie Xuanming stood up. He glanced sideways at the sofa bed standing on all fours, then looked down at Ji Sheng, who was on his back. The corners of his mouth twitched in disgust; he stretched his leg and kicked lightly. ¡°If you are going to move, just move.¡± Ji Sheng had a hard time saying anything; Xie Xuanming¡¯s tone was already extremely unpromising. He didn¡¯t dare to step in the minefield again and got up in one bounce, bearing the pain. At first Ji Sheng dragged out the decommissioned small couch with difficulty and then began to move the sofa bed. The reason why difficulties are difficulties is because they exist all the time. And are invincible. In the corner between the foot of the bed and the wall, the sofa bed got stuck again. Ji Sheng worked hard for a long time, his temples throbbing violently, but achieved no result at all. Xie Xuanming coldly watched him display the lower limit of human mobility and spoke coolly, ¡°You can turn it sideways.¡± ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t move it.¡± Ji Sheng gritted his teeth, sweat pouring over his forehead. Xie Xuanming felt that he had swallowed a couple of dirty words but there was no evidence. He set off: ¡°Get out of the way.¡± Ji Sheng was relieved to be slammed into the wall by a single movement of Xie Xuanming¡¯s hand. The sofa bed was not very heavy; Xie Xuanming easily turned it over, moved it, turned it back and put it in the original position of the small couch. Ji Sheng watched from the sidelines, muttering secretly that with this arm strength, no wonder he could hammer people down with one punch¡­ While Ji Sheng was observing Xie Xuanming, Xie Xuanming was also observing Ji Sheng. Ji Sheng stood by, unable to stop massaging his arms, looking genuinely exhausted. ¡°Your arm strength really doesn¡¯t look like a drummer¡¯s,¡± Xie Xuanming commented coldly. Ji Sheng stopped kneading: ¡°I pulled a muscle during the performance yesterday.¡± ¡°Really.¡± Xie Xuanming took two steps forward and put his hands on him without any discretion, his palm opening and wrapping around most of Ji Sheng¡¯s arm, pressing against the nerves throbbing under the skin, ¡°Then you really endure it well.¡± Ji Sheng got goosebumps all over and shifted unnaturally: ¡°I have good expression control.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Xuanming let out vaguely; when he let go, his fingers scratched Ji Sheng¡¯s earlobe intentionally or unintentionally. His expression control was good, His ears were all red. After the Double Twelve performance, ¡°Ji Hui¡± gained a little fame in the circle, which led the Niepan band to take on a lot of jobs. For the next period of time, Ji Sheng ran commercial performances or music festivals with Niepan. His solid basic skills and many years of stage experience made every performance amazingly complete, and the repo photos and direct shots released could always arouse the public¡¯s amazement. The company had the foresight to set up a personal Weibo account for him. After several performances, Ji Sheng¡¯s Weibo followers that started from zero exceeded the 500,000 mark, and because the company was too poor to buy fans, this number was a real unadulterated one. At the end of the intensive schedule, during a short period of rest, Ji Sheng received a message from Sheng Kongzhi. Sheng Kongzhi: [Hello Ji Hui, are you free on Thursday? ¡¿ Sheng Kongzhi: [I want to talk to you about some things. I¡¯m sorry if I disturb you. ¡¿ This contact from Sheng Kongzhi was not unexpected. Since he added Ji Sheng¡¯s WeChat, he said hello to him every few days. Unfortunately, Ji Sheng¡¯s response was always lukewarm and indifferent. The tone of his responses and his classic emoticons made the top star Sheng Kongzhi as humble as a dog-licking fan of a goddess. But being a licking dog was all about perseverance, so Sheng Kongzhi was not discouraged and continued to seek out the ¡°goddess¡¯s¡± attention and even begged for an offline meeting. Looking at his invitation to meet, Ji Sheng spun a drumstick carelessly. Of course, the licking dog had perseverance, but there was a mad dog perched beside him. Taking into Xie Xuanming¡¯s bad temper beyond the reach of divine powers, if he knew that his nominal companion was fornicating with his mortal enemy, one couldn¡¯t imagine what kind of fit he was going to have. Ji Sheng thought about it and wrote ¡°Sorry, my itinerary is full that day¡± in the message. However, he hadn¡¯t sent it yet, when Sheng Kongzhi wrote again. [It¡¯s about Xie Xuanming and a friend of mine. I¡¯ve been thinking about it, but I still think you have the right and the need to know this. ¡¿ The finger that was about to press the send button froze. Ji Sheng clicked ¡Á, deleted the existing content and typed a reply again. [What time next Thursday? ¡¿ At nine p.m. next Thursday, Ji Sheng opened the door of a private room in a club. This club was all about the privacy of its guests, and its remote location and the design of double-layer one-way glass made it a common place for artists in the entertainment industry to meet. When Ji Sheng arrived, Sheng Kongzhi was already waiting in the room. Seeing him come in, Sheng Kongzhi got up and said, ¡°Sorry, I had a trip before, so I could only make an appointment so late.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Ji Sheng pulled the chair, took a seat and said straightforwardly: ¡°What did Senior Sheng want to tell me that I ¡®have the right¡¯ to know?¡± Sheng Kongzhi didn¡¯t expect him to cut straight to the point. He paused for a moment, then smiled and said, ¡°Do you want something to drink first? Cocktails here are well made, we can sit and chat slowly.¡± ¡°Thank you, no need, I am a little allergic to alcohol. I am also in a hurry to go back.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°The friend mentioned by Senior is Senior Ji Sheng who has passed away, right?¡± Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s smile gradually disappeared. He was silent for two seconds, then nodded softly: ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°Although it might offend you if I say that, I have heard that that Senior seemed to have¡­ disrespected you¡­¡± ¡°Fake.¡± Sheng Kongzhi interrupted him quickly, ¡°Those rumours were made up by the media.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s expression was a little subtle; he apologised, ¡°Sorry for offending you. I heard that your company sent out a press release and a lawyer¡¯s letter. I thought¡­ no one had come out to clarify when Ji Sheng was alive, so I was gullible enough to believe the rumours, I am sorry.¡± He was speaking sincerely but it felt as if he plunged a knife into Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s heart. Why did the rumours intensify? Because Sheng Kongzhi, the key person to know the truth, chose to be silent. Ji Sheng looked at Sheng Kongzhi calmly and didn¡¯t look away when he saw some traces of pain and regret on his gentle face. After a while, Sheng Kongzhi said hoarsely: ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± He continued: ¡°The matter of Ji Sheng¡­ the situation was complicated then. At that time, the company and I wanted to protect him as much as possible, but Xie Xuanming got in the way and messed up the plan, until it eventually turned into this¡­¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°What did Senior Xie do?¡± ¡°He provoked the relationship between Ji Sheng and me, made Ji Sheng no longer trust me and the company, and then behaved uncontrollably¡­ The company¡¯s public relations therefore couldn¡¯t proceed¡­¡± ¡°Why did Xie Xuanming do this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Sheng Kongzhi said, ¡°It might be that he wanted to harm Qingchu¡¯s interests, or possibly for personal reasons.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ji Sheng said. Personal reasons. Sheng Kongzhi didn¡¯t seem to want to continue on this topic. He rubbed his temples, his expression a little bitter. ¡°I often think that if I had enough ability to protect him at the time, he probably wouldn¡¯t¡­¡± Sheng Kongzhi couldn¡¯t go on. He took a deep breath, ¡°Ji Hui, I don¡¯t want to see the tragedy repeat itself. You are a very good drummer. You need a platform and a space to develop instead of being trapped next to a lunatic every day being his bed companion.¡± He looked sincere and his words sounded genuine. ¡°I know it¡¯s not good to slander others behind their backs, but you must have already discovered when you dealt with Xie Xuanming that Xie Xuanming is not a good choice to rely on. I hope you can think about your future¡­ And due to my personal emotions, if you come to Qingchu and get a good development there, it could also be considered that Qingchu and I had the opportunity to compensate Ji Sheng for his missed chances.¡± Sheng Kongzhi kept talking for a while, but Ji Sheng was silent. That¡¯s a good point. He thought£¬ Understate and skip your own responsibility and mistakes, and hypocritically cover up those who can¡¯t speak anymore with a new face. That¡¯s a good point, ah. At once, all the pain of his previous life was evoked, spreading like an erosion. After ten seconds of silence, Ji Sheng spoke: ¡°Senior Sheng, the dead cannot be compensated. The dust settles at the end of their lives. The act of compensating for the dead is meaningless and hypocritical, and it is even more stupid to try to compensate the dead by doing good to others.¡± Ji Sheng glanced at Sheng Kongzhi who suddenly turned pale, got up and said softly: ¡°However, you don¡¯t really mean to compensate, you just want to reduce your guilt.¡± After that, he left the embarrassed Sheng Kongzhi, turned and left the room. There was no taxi at the entrance of the club, but there was a special car to take guests back. The waiter skillfully pulled the door open for Ji Sheng; Ji Sheng bowed and got into a car. ¡°Where is Mister going?¡± The driver asked. Ji Sheng gripped the handle and wouldn¡¯t let go, the veins on the back of his hand swelling up. His other hand covered his stomach and his fingers scrunched and crumpled his shirt. Fighting back the bone-chilling nausea and pain, Ji Sheng muttered to himself, ¡°Give me a break.¡± Meeting an old acquaintance was not as smooth and breezy as he had imagined. It took Ji Sheng a while to calm down and realise that his mobile phone had been vibrating, and there were two missed calls on the screen. He fumbled in the dark, and his trembling fingers slipped on the screen three or two times before he turned it on. ¡°Hello.¡± He said dryly. There was heavy breathing on the other end of the phone, but no one answered. Ji Sheng, with some renewed energy, took the phone away from his ear, looked at the name on the screen, froze, put it back to his ear and spoke hesitantly, ¡°Xie Xuanming¡­ Senior?¡± Still, there was only silence and the sound of breathing. ¡°Can I help you?¡± ¡°Come to me.¡± Xie Xuanming finally spoke, his voice hoarse and inarticulate. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the address, be here within fifteen minutes.¡± Ji Sheng hung up the phone uncertainly and saw the address sent. He was stunned. It was a cemetery. CH 34 At about nine o¡¯clock in the evening he was called by his gold master to sweep the tomb; it was too ridiculous. The expression of the driver who had brought the gold master over was too pitiful, his lips squirming and his eyes full of tears caused by his deep love for his salary¡­ Ji Sheng was shocked by the collapsed look of the driver, the uncle in his fifties, and then felt a little surreal when he saw Xie Xuanming sitting on the grave mound and stroking the tombstone affectionately. He thought that even if in the next step Xie Xuanming announced that he was going to have sex with him here, he would be able to answer politely ¡°Yes, but please let me go back and buy a condom and lube, ¡®cause I am afraid that the rivers of blood will scare flowers and plants¡­ or lonely ghosts and spirits¡±. Ji Sheng trudged slowly to Xie Xuanming¡¯s side. He tripped over the flower bed on the way and his muffled grunt echoed in the empty cemetery, spreading far away. Before his goose bumps had time to disappear, Ji Sheng had already walked in front of Xie Xuanming. In the dark, the sense of smell was more acute than vision. The cold wind, wrapped in sticky alcoholic fumes, drifted around and infiltrated Ji Sheng¡¯s lungs. As soon as Ji Sheng took a breath, his throat felt so itchy with the strong decadent smell that he coughed a few times. Alcohol dispelled the cemetery fog, and Ji Sheng could see Xie Xuanming¡¯s drunk face. Unlike him, Xie Xuanming was not a cheerful drunk. Obviously. Xie Xuanming¡¯s head was bowed, his hazy eyes obscured both by the mist and his lowered eyelashes. Ji Sheng hesitantly squatted down beside him, looked up carefully and found that¡ª Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes were full of chaos. Drunken confusion, anger, sadness and longing were raging in his eyes, scattered, floating in the mist, but all ending up in the same square of earth under their feet. ¡°Senior Xie¡­¡± Ji Sheng called tentatively. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t move as if he didn¡¯t hear. ¡°Emperor Xie?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Xie Xuanming!¡± After his real name was called out, Xie Xuanming finally reacted. He raised his eyes and sternly gave Ji Sheng a glance. His narrowed eyes and blurred vision made Ji Sheng feel that he didn¡¯t recognize him at all. But it didn¡¯t matter who was in front of him; Xie Xuanming glanced casually, lowered his eyes with no interest and stared at the tombstone again. He said, ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°You called me.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°How much did you drink?¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t say a word, but stretched out his hand and gently touched the tombstone. Ji Sheng followed his gaze and looked at the stone slab. The fog thickened at the right time; Xie Xuanming¡¯s fingers were hidden in it. Ji Sheng narrowed his eyes but couldn¡¯t see the handwriting on the tombstone clearly. ¡°Whose tomb is this?¡± he asked. Hearing the question about the tomb, Xie Xuanming reacted as if his soul had been punctured. Although this reaction was still not quite normal. ¡°I loved him.¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t answer the question and stopped Ji Sheng before he spoke again. He stroked the tombstone gloomily, ¡°He didn¡¯t love me.¡± The answer was not what was asked. But Ji Sheng¡¯s heart suddenly understood¡ª¡ªlying in this gave was Xie Xuanming¡¯s unforgettable first love. Therefore, this was the tomb of the white moonlight that had framed his two lifetimes like brackets. Ji Sheng suddenly recalled the hesitant expression of 18-year-old Xie Xuanming when he mentioned his white moonlight. He lied. The white moonlight didn¡¯t go abroad; an accident happened. Following this logic, Ji Sheng went further and¡­ No wonder Xie Xuanming was so extreme after his death. The substitute he had finally found left him to go to the underworld as well. How can you not go crazy when you have new grievances on top of the old ones? However, this white moonlight was something. He had passed away so long ago but Emperor Xie could never forget him. He was squatting in front of the grave, his soul lost, refusing to look like a normal person, sad like a child. Thinking of this, Ji Sheng inexplicably felt a bit of unwarranted hostility towards the guy in the grave. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t notice Ji Sheng¡¯s emotional changes. He squatted like a mushroom and continued solemnly: ¡°I have been in love with him since I was young, but even until he died he didn¡¯t want to look at me.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°He was blind.¡± Xie Xuanming raised his gaze abruptly, staring at Ji Sheng with bloodshot eyes: ¡°You scold him?¡± Ji Sheng: ¡­¡­ The subtle discomfort became even greater. Ji Sheng was a little annoyed for no reason. Public etiquette forced him to put away his dissatisfaction with the dead, so he could only blame Xie Xuanming for this weird feeling. Ji Sheng thought sarcastically£¬ Good fellow, the title of best licking dog should be awarded to Emperor Xie; Sheng Kongzhi deserved to be unable to compete with him. The licking dog who has three meals a day and humbly pays his respects is a newbie licking dog; the licking dog who is crazy and banging his head on tombstones is a senior licking dog, the king of licking dogs! Xie Xuanming was still staring at Ji Sheng, his misty eyes dark and gloomy, his heavy gaze pressing on Ji Sheng, as if he would not rest until he had an explanation or an apology for the ¡°desecration of the white moonlight¡±. Ji Sheng had to say sincerely: ¡°I mean, if he was a colleague of yours, he¡¯d be perfect for the role of a blind man and a good material for a career advancement.¡± Illogical nonsense. The drunk man¡¯s logic was muddled, so he couldn¡¯t recognize the irony. Xie Xuanming lowered his eyes. Ji Sheng let out a sigh of relief, but before he could relax, he heard Xie Xuanming say coldly: ¡°Do you love me?¡± Ji Sheng choked and said suspiciously: ¡°What?¡± ¡°Do you love me?¡± Xie Xuanming repeated. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t understand his brain circuit and couldn¡¯t help but wonder: ¡°Why would I¡­¡± ¡°You should love me.¡± Xie Xuanming interrupted him, ¡°You live in my house, and I give you resources and money.¡± ¡°Actually,¡± Ji Sheng contradicted, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen a buck yet.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s matter-of-fact remark caused Xie Xuanming¡¯s dissatisfaction. He stopped stroking the tomb and raised his head to look at Ji Sheng blankly, with mixed indifference and threat in his eyes. It seemed that if Ji Sheng said the wrong thing again, Xie Xuanming would ask him to find a place to rest in peace in this cemetery. Ji Sheng was not frightened. He was used to seeing Xie Xuanming¡¯s ruthless look, knew that he was crazy and savage, but he would not break out for no reason. What¡¯s more, Xie Xuanming who was drunk was far less fierce than usual, and his frowning eyebrows and reddish eyes made him look like a grumpy puppy. Succeeded by a lucky stroke ¡ª Ji Sheng had always eaten soft but not hard(1). He sighed, then said, ¡°Okay, I love you.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression relaxed: ¡°Then come closer and let him see. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m unloved and unlovable.¡± Ji Sheng got up and moved two steps forward. Not only ¡°he¡± was going to see Ji Sheng; Ji Sheng also was going to see who was the sacred white moonlight that fascinated Xie Xuanming? In the process of moving, Ji Sheng raised his eyes without thinking. The mist leisurely dispersed, and Xie Xuanming¡¯s slender fingers traced the inscription on the tombstone from left to right. The movement of his fingers was like slow motion, and the true face of the ¡°white moonlight¡± got revealed slowly. Ji Sheng finally saw the words clearly and paused, unable to move as if he had been struck by lightning. Ji Sheng 2000.10.4¡ª2024.11.17 The fog had completely dispersed, and the street lamp by the side was slowly spilling out a faint light. Under this light, Ji Sheng was like a young boy being gazed at by Medusa, frozen into a stone sculpture starting from his spine, inch by inch. He was reborn in Ji Hui¡¯s body, missed seven months of memories, lay in bed for more than a month, and followed Xie Xuanming for five more months¡­ He died too suddenly and he didn¡¯t want to look back on his death, so he forgot that today was the date of his death in his previous life. Stormy waves surged in Ji Sheng¡¯s heart, reeling in the not-so-beautiful truth. No wonder Sheng Kongzhi asked him out and talked to him so depressed. No wonder Xie Xuanming got so drunk that he didn¡¯t go home and came to the cemetery to keep company with the lonely ghosts instead. Ji Sheng froze as the lightning split him open and every waff of the charred smell emanating from his flesh mocked his stupidity. The greatest mystery unravelled; Ji Sheng curiously approached Xie Xuanming¡¯s discreet love, lifted the curtain and peered in the mirror to see his own stunned face. Memories came like a tidal wave, covering Ji Sheng¡¯s cheeks with wetness. In the suffocating lack of oxygen, Ji Sheng drifted back to the dusty, shuttered room on the day before Qingchu was disbanded. ¡°Love song? Do you want to hear your little first love sing and come to me to find a mood?¡± With the unconcealed embarrassment in his cold expression, the boy said angrily: ¡°Will you sing or not?¡± Ji Sheng watched in awe as a soft, unheard ¡°I¡¯d love to hear it¡± sounded in his ear. He saw his 19-year-old self raise an eyebrow and open his mouth to sing. He peeped at the 18-year-old Xie Xuanming secretly and saw that the gaze he cast at him was gentle and wistful, full of unrelenting sadness. ¡°If, for one moment, you look at me, I¡¯ll¡­¡± The young man¡¯s depressed thoughts travelled across time and space. Ji Sheng¡¯s throat was inexplicably dry. The 19-year-old Ji Sheng sang without distractions, without any intention of opening his eyes. Ji Sheng¡¯s throat moved as he said silently. Take a look at him. It¡¯s better to refuse, to break his heart. Don¡¯t let him hide for so many years, a dull knife seems to hurt more the longer you carry it with you. Ji Sheng was overwhelmed with a complex and indefinable feeling. A picture changed and he saw Xie Xuanming lying on his side one night after his rebirth with his brows furrowed, his voice murmuring softly. He saw himself get off the couch lightly and lean over to listen. After listening for a long time, he got up and returned to the couch regretfully. From the present, Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t bear to look at this picture any further, the flood of dreamy words echoing in his ears. ¡°Ji Sheng¡± ¡°Ji Sheng¡­¡± ¡°Ji Sheng¡­¡± He finally heard it clearly. ¡°Boom.¡± With a bang, Ji Sheng returned to his senses. While he was indulging in memories, Xie Xuanming, unstable due to alcohol, swayed a few times and flopped down onto ¡°Ji Sheng¡±¡¯s grave. He fell to the ground in a heap and lay unresponsive and dazed on his side, his fingers moving hesitantly, as if he didn¡¯t understand what was happening and was thinking about how to get up. Ji Sheng also finally emerged out of his stone sculpture state. He patted his numb legs and got up, limped to Xie Xuanming and asked in a low voice, ¡°Are you okay?¡± After speaking out, he realized that his voice was hoarse. Plus to his unsteady steps and dizziness caused by his heart throbbing, likely, he was the one who needed to be asked if there was anything wrong. Fortunately, the man he faced now had no intention of judging him or laughing at his state. Xie Xuanming slowly raised his head in a daze. When he saw Ji Sheng, a bit of consternation appeared in his eyes, followed by uncontrollable ecstasy. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t understand the meaning of that look until he was suddenly pulled violently, lost his balance, staggered and fell into Xie Xuanming¡¯s arms. Ji Sheng reflexively wanted to struggle but heard the words whispered in his ear. Xie Xuanming said, ¡°Ji Sheng.¡± Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t move anymore. Xie Xuanming hugged Ji Hui¡¯s outer shell and said, ¡°Ji Sheng.¡± ¡°Ji Sheng¡­¡± ¡°Ji Sheng¡­¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s soul was in this shell, shaken by Xie Xuanming¡¯s shouts of joy or sorrow, unable to stop trembling. In a blur, Ji Sheng felt Xie Xuanming put his chin on his shoulder; Xie Xuanming¡¯s jaw pushed against his collarbone and his heart ached. ¡°Ji Sheng.¡± He finally heard Xie Xuanming say sullenly. ¡°I miss you.¡± The author has something to say£º Player [White Moonlight] has fallen off the horse Player [Ji Sheng] Please make persistent efforts 1. Amenable to coaxing but not coercion. CH 35 Getting Xie Xuanming back was a big project. Using the identity of ¡°Ji Sheng¡±, he lured him into the car deceptively, closed the door and told the driver to drive back. The driver stepped on the accelerator with relief, and Xie Xuanming, who had just stabilised, dropped his head on Ji Sheng again because of inertia. Ji Sheng looked down and found that he closed his eyes and fell asleep. Asleep, Xie Xuanming was very obedient. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t want to delve into the reasons why he was so well-behaved. He only adjusted his position by putting his head on his shoulder to make him more comfortable. When they got out of the car, the driver helped move Xie Xuanming to the door of the villa. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t like outsiders entering the house, so Ji Sheng refused the driver¡¯s kind offer to help further. He picked Xie Xuanming up on his back and walked upstairs with difficulty. It took nearly five minutes to walk up a dozen steps. When he got to the bedroom, Ji Sheng threw Xie Xuanming on the bed and sat down on the carpet, panting and slapping his sore waist. He took a while to recover, got up and took off Xie Xuanming¡¯s coat, wiped his face with a hot towel, and wiped his body a couple of times indiscriminately. Only then did he go to the guest bathroom with his pyjamas to wash off the dust. Could something be more surprising than to learn that someone had gone through fire and water for you in silence? Under the pouring water, Ji Sheng felt his head buzz. Xie Xuanming¡¯s insomnia, emotional outbursts and loss of sanity were all related to him. And when Xie Xuanming was in pain, he was suspicious, taking advantage of him and dismissive. Ji Sheng wiped away a handful of water, leaned forward and bumped his forehead against the bathroom wall with a soft ¡°thud¡±. You are screwed. You trash, white-eyed wolf, idiot, blind idiot. You owe Xie Xuanming, and you won¡¯t be able to pay it back in your two lifetimes. After washing, Ji Sheng went upstairs and lay down on the sofa bed. Facing Xie Xuanming, he stared at the rarely calm sleeping face in a daze. Ji Sheng¡¯s mind was a mush; the sudden ¡°truth¡± disrupted his plans and his thoughts were also muddled. Tell Xie Xuanming about his rebirth? This idea flashed by and was rejected in a few moments. Not to mention whether Xie Xuanming would believe it, this action itself was meaningless. He would tell him, make him happy for a moment, and then what? Then make him help investigate the truth about his death and make him avenge his death without complaint? Goodbye. Ji Sheng thought that Xie Xuanming would probably be happy to help, but he couldn¡¯t claim this favour in any way. He owed Xie Xuanming too much. Xie Xuanming¡¯s love for him was so deep, not to mention returning it, Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t even bear to look at it. Knowing that the white moonlight was only a gimmick and that Xie Xuanming had actually had a crush on him for years, Ji Sheng¡¯s brain automatically dissected a number of the overlooked truths from his memory. Xie Xuanming¡¯s forbearance, Xie Xuanming¡¯s admiration, Xie Xuanming¡¯s concern. Scattered in time bit by bit, it had been all ignored by the former Ji Sheng. But now Ji Sheng was hidden in Ji Hui¡¯s shell, full of mysteries and obsession. Rebirth, this super-scientific thing, could happen and then it could unhappen again. When Ji Sheng was reborn, he realized he had an endless obsession with finding the truth about his death in his previous life. If the obsession dissipates, will the soul also dissipate? Ji Sheng didn¡¯t know, and didn¡¯t dare to think about it. He was not afraid of death, but it would be too cruel for Xie Xuanming to learn that he lost ¡°Ji Sheng¡± again. What¡¯s more, apparently Xie Xuanming was never going to ¡°have¡± Ji Sheng either. Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t give Xie Xuanming the affection he wanted. Listening to Xie Xuanming¡¯s steady breathing, Ji Sheng¡¯s lips moved silently as he said, I¡¯m sorry. He lay down on the bed, curled up in a not-so-narrow space, closed his eyes, and made a decision. Next day, when Xie Xuanming woke up, the sun was already three poles high. Xie Xuanming frowned as his head throbbed in the unbearable pain of the hangover, rubbed his temples and sat up. He had already told his agent not to arrange anything for him today as he wouldn¡¯t be able to wake up and go. This was exactly the case. Xie Xuanming turned over and got out of bed, glanced at the empty sofa bed, and vaguely remembered that he seemed to have called Ji Hui to the cemetery last night. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t think much about it and went to the bathroom. The light was turned on and the gurgling water gushed out. He absent-mindedly poured a handful of water on his face. Last night¡­ he also dreamed of Ji Sheng¡­ No, it seems that he mistook Ji Hui for Ji Sheng. Xie Xuanming picked up the bathroom cup, filled it with the water, took a sip, lowered his head and spit it out. No doubt he must have lost his cool in front of Ji Hui, but he didn¡¯t care. Looking up again, Xie Xuanming accidentally saw Ji Hui¡¯s face in the mirror. Ji Sheng came in at some point and leaned against the frosted glass door of the bathroom, looking at Xie Xuanming in the mirror with a very eloquent face. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t look at him and brushed his teeth. After spitting out the foam and rinsing his mouth, Xie Xuanming finally asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I may have to move out.¡± The sudden answer made Xie Xuanming change his pose a little. He washed the cup: ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Qingchu wants to sign me up, and I also¡­ have plans to go to this company.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Xuanming put down the cup lightly and smiled at Ji Sheng in the mirror meaningfully, ¡°Climbing onto Sheng Kongzhi.¡± He turned around and walked over. The pressure coming from him was very heavy; Ji Sheng involuntarily took a step back and listened to him ask: ¡°How much do they offer?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about money.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Xie Xuanming could not see his expression and stared down at him uncertainly. ¡°What did you say at the time when you begged me for shelter? I give you resources and help keep you out of trouble, and you will be valuable for me. Want to backtrack?¡± Stop thinking about avenging yourself. Ji Sheng swallowed hard and lowered his head to avoid meeting his eyes: ¡°Yes, I want to backtrack. I am afraid of being retaliated against. I just want to make good money and be a lukewarm little star. I don¡¯t want to wake up one day with a sack on my head again and feel countless blows fall on me until I¡¯m beaten to death.¡± As Xie Xuanming listened to his confession, his expression became even more gloomy. He didn¡¯t say anything, walked back to the sink and continued to wash as if nothing happened. Ji Sheng stood upright: ¡°I will sign a contract with Qingchu in two weeks and move out tomorrow. Thank you for taking care of me during the time I lived here.¡± Xie Xuanming splashed water on his face and coldly said, ¡°Did I agree?¡± ¡°Whether you agree or not, I have already made a decision.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°I¡¯m just telling you now to end it on good terms.¡± ¡°End it on good terms.¡± Xie Xuanming repeated with a sneer. He straightened up, wiped the beads of water on his hands on the towel, stared at Ji Sheng in the mirror and said grimily: ¡°You want to climb Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s bed?¡± In the past, if he sneered like that, Ji Sheng was sure to snap back. But today¡­ ¡°No.¡± Ji Sheng met his gaze, ¡°He will only provide me with a contract from Qingchu.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression became colder as he took two steps closer: ¡°You really like to keep people in line.¡± Ji Sheng repeated: ¡°No¡±¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°Look up.¡± Ji Sheng raised his head. The two looked at each other for a while, but Xie Xuanming couldn¡¯t find any clues from his gaze. However, it was obviously impossible for Xie Xuanming to let him go like this. ¡°You can try and see whether you sign up with Qingchu or not.¡± A sentence that seemed like a sneer and a threat. Xie Xuanming left Ji Sheng behind and walked out. Ji Sheng stood still calmly. He did not doubt Xie Xuanming¡¯s ability. If he said you wouldn¡¯t be able to sign up, you definitely wouldn¡¯t sign up. Of course, he didn¡¯t plan to go to Qingchu to repeat the same mistakes. Ji Sheng raised his hand and pushed the door open with a soft sound. The contract was fake, but he was truly leaving. Anyway it was good to get away. Ji Sheng planned to move out first, take his payment from the company¡¯s and go to the hotel to stay for a couple of nights, and then contact Su Jing. His relations with Su Jing were good now. After the live broadcast they cooperated on, Su Jing slapped him on the shoulder and said that if he needed help in the future, he could find him. Ji Sheng knew Su Jing; he never gave empty promises. It¡¯s just that he didn¡¯t expect to use this connection so soon. Xie Xuanming went out after arguing with Ji Sheng without saying a word to him. Probably another ¡°cold war¡±. But this time it was led by Xie Xuanming. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t care; Xie Xuanming¡¯s departure from the villa made it easier for him to pack up and run away. He put two or three pieces of clothes in the old canvas bag that he brought from the dorm earlier, gathered his bathroom cup, toothpaste and some daily necessities and packed them up. Ji Sheng originally planned to put the bag away and take it with him tomorrow, but after thinking about it, he simply decided to leave tonight, so as not to have too many dreams at night. Just do what you say. He was about to set off when he suddenly received a call. Lu Haoren. Ji Sheng was taken aback. The band had something to do in the middle of the night? In addition to rehearsals, the Niepan members rarely contacted Ji Sheng, and they also used WeChat groups for communication. Now that the phone kept ringing, Ji Sheng felt inexplicably a little uneasy. What happened? When he picked to the phone, Lu Haoren¡¯s suppressed, anxious voice added to his uneasy suspicions. ¡°Xiao Hui, Sizhe and I are in some trouble¡­¡± Lu Haoren quickly described the situation, and Ji Sheng¡¯s expression became darker as he listened. An influential investor demanded Niepan members to accompany him to drink. The company could not withstand the pressure and could not afford to bother Xie Xuanming over such a trivial matter, so they could only agree. The investor wanted Lu Haoren, Huang Sizhe and Ji Hui to come over, but the company did not dare to touch someone belonging to Xie Xuanming, so they only sent Lu Haoren and Huang Sizhe. Seeing that there were fewer people than he expected, the investor was furious and gave the two of them a hard time in every way. ¡°Xiao Hui¡­ can you come for a while?¡± Lu Haoren¡¯s voice trembled, ¡°Xiao Huang¡­¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Ji Sheng interrupted him. ¡°Give me the address. Do you know who the guy is?¡± ¡°The surname is Zhao, the name seems to be Wenhua¡­¡± Lu Haoren¡¯s answer made Ji Sheng¡¯s face suddenly darken. ¡°I¡¯ll be right over.¡± The address given by Lu Haoren was a private room in a nightclub. Ji Sheng rushed and opened the door to see Huang Sizhe kneeling on the littered floor with his face bruised. Seeing Ji Sheng coming, Huang Sizhe struggled violently but was pressed to the ground by the people holding him on both sides. He grunted and gritted his teeth, but his cheek was getting closer and closer to the pile of glass splinters on the floor. ¡°Sizhe!¡± Lu Haoren tried to reach to him but was pulled back. ¡°Absolutely, hey! He¡¯s really exactly the same!¡± Someone exploded in an ill-intentioned laughter. Ji Sheng looked at the source of the voice and saw an ugly face that he hadn¡¯t seen for many years. Zhao Wenhua sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, leaning forward, his eyes wantonly sizing up Ji Sheng. Ji Sheng calmly confronted him. A few years ago, he couldn¡¯t understand the meaning of Zhao Wenhua¡¯s gaze. Now he understood. Full of filth. It was disgusting. Zhao Wenhua glanced at Ji Sheng up and down, and the itch that he had felt many years ago spread through his heart again. He suddenly laughed, pointing at Huang Sizhe with a cigarette in his fingers: ¡°Is this your friend?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ji Sheng said quietly. Zhao Wenhua¡¯s grin became even wider and his eyes became even more disgusting. ¡°Whether you want your friend¡¯s face or not depends on whether you give face or not.¡± He flicked off the ash, ¡°I¡¯m not making things difficult for no reason. This friend of yours doesn¡¯t listen and won¡¯t have a drink with me. So clear this glass on the table for him and call it a day.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s face sank. He looked at the coffee table. There was a small glass of translucent liquid on it, and Ji Sheng was not stupid enough to think that it was just a cocktail. ¡°I want to see my friend¡¯s situation.¡± Ji Sheng said coldly, ¡°He has a weak heart, I am afraid that something might happen.¡± Huang Sizhe hung his head like a dead dog. Zhao Wenhua didn¡¯t want to kill anyone, so he happily said, ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ji Sheng took a few steps forward, squatted down in front of Huang Sizhe, checked his breath and then touched his pulse. Huang Sizhe suddenly struggled, raised his head and stared at him, his eyes red as he said hoarsely, ¡°Don¡¯t drink.¡± Ji Sheng rubbed the back of his neck soothingly and quickly muttered a string of digits into his ear. ¡°Xie Xuanming¡¯s number.¡± He said in a low voice, ¡°Call him.¡± ¡°My friends in love, have you finished the show?¡± Zhao Wenhua shouted impatiently. Ji Sheng stopped delaying, stood up, turned and walked towards the coffee table. As soon as he picked up the glass, Huang Sizhe suddenly struggled fiercely behind him. ¡°Don¡¯t drink it!¡± He roared at a hoarse voice and was immediately kicked severely. He retched and lowered his head. There was no other sound except coughing. Zhao Wenhua¡¯s smile got bigger: ¡°Such a touching friendship.¡± Ji Sheng clenched the glass and said calmly: ¡°I hope Mr. Zhao will keep his word.¡± ¡°Naturally.¡± Ji Sheng stopped talking. He picked up the glass, raised his head, and drank it all. CH 36 Ji Sheng tilted up his head and alcohol slid from his mouth into his esophagus, burning all the way. He frowned slightly, swallowed the liquor, raised his hand to show the empty glass and slammed the glass back on the coffee table. Ji Sheng straightened up: ¡°I have drunk the wine, so let them go.¡± Zhao Wenhua chuckled, waved his hand, and the two men holding Huang Sizhe relaxed their grip. Huang Sizhe staggered forward, propping his hand on the floor littered with glass splinters. A few pieces of broken glass stuck into his palm, making him drip blood. Huang Sizhe stood up abruptly as if half-conscious, rushed to Ji Sheng, pulled him behind his back and stared at Zhao Wenhua with bloodshot eyes. Zhao Wenhua smiled, puzzled: ¡°Why do you still treat me as an enemy? I just want to make friends.¡± Huang Sizhe panted heavily and was about to say ¡°You fart¡± fiercely, but Ji Sheng spoke first. ¡°Mr. Zhao, we accept your friendship.¡± Ji Sheng said calmly, ¡°I just don¡¯t know if Mr. Zhao will give his ¡®friend¡¯ a chance to deal with his wounds. After all, such an embarrassing acquaintance is not in line with etiquette.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Zhao Wenhua nodded readily, his gaze licking Ji Sheng like a snake, ¡°He can go and take care of his wounds, you, who are intact, can sit down and have a little chat with me.¡± Huang Sizhe was furious when he heard this: ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking dare¡ª¡ª¡± Grabbing him, Ji Sheng interrupted: ¡°Okay.¡± He made a step forward and was pulled back by Huang Sizhe. ¡°Do you remember the number?¡± Ji Sheng turned sideways and asked in a low voice. Huang Sizhe¡¯s eyes relaxed a little, but he still didn¡¯t let go. ¡°Go.¡± Ji Sheng whispered again, ¡°Otherwise I can¡¯t leave.¡± He nudged Huang Sizhe, giving him a meaningful glance, obediently broke free of his restraints and walked over to the sofa. Huang Sizhe watched Ji Sheng sit down beside Zhao Wenhua, gritted his teeth, turned and walked out. He staggered towards Lu Haoren, his footsteps unsteady. Lu Haoren stepped forward to help him regain his balance; his eyes were anxious and full of questions. He heard Huang Sizhe¡¯s hoarse voice: ¡°Do you have a phone?¡± Lu Haoren was startled and then nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± Huang Sizhe said in a low voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go out and talk.¡± The two walked out of the private room. Zhao Wenhua didn¡¯t have any wish to keep them, so no one stopped them. Zhao Wenhua sat on the sofa, staring at the tear mole under Ji Sheng¡¯s eye, unable to stop his mouth from drying up. A few years ago, when he was just a local snake, there was also such a young man with a mole at the corner of his eye. At that time, Zhao Wenhua had some nasty plans and set up a banquet to invite him over¡­ However, he made a mistake and failed to succeed in the end. It was a regret Zhao Wenhua had carried for years. When he saw the boy again, he was surprised to find that he appeared on TV and became a big star. Their status was very different then. Zhao Wenhua looked at the young man like a toad who wanted to eat a swan¡¯s meat. The mole became an evil fire that burned for many years. Therefore, when Zhao Wenhua noticed Ji Hui, that face from his dreams firmly grasped Zhao Wenhua¡¯s attention. The humble background, being the drummer, the tear mole at the corner of his eye that made one feel itchy. It was simply a compensation from Heaven for him missing the beauty. Zhao Wenhua sniffed Ji Hui¡¯s body; the smell of alcohol was unable to cover the fruity sweetness. This feeling was familiar and seemed to cross time and space; just like a few years ago when he lowered his head and sniffed the unconscious boy¡¯s neck¡­ Zhao Wenhua couldn¡¯t stop staring. Ji Sheng wore a round neck shirt today; his collarbones and neck were exposed, his fair skin blushed from the alcohol. Zhao Wenhua leaned towards this blush like a demon, his fat fingers trembling and reaching out. Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t help the disgust on his face. He wanted to hide, but the drug had already started working. His stomach was burning and his body felt weak. There was a sofa behind him, and there was nowhere to go. Zhao Wenhua leaned forward in fascination, and just as he was about to touch the smooth skin, his mobile phone rang suddenly, interrupting his sordid thoughts. Zhao Wenhua was taken aback, pulled away, grabbed his phone and said angrily: ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Zhao Wenhua.¡± A cold voice came from the other end of the phone, ¡°You really haven¡¯t learned the lesson.¡± Zhao Wenhua¡¯s left eye twitched suddenly. This voice was engraved in his bones; even if his corpse was cold, it would still tremble hearing it. Xie Xuanming said coldly: ¡°I warned you before, don¡¯t do this kind of dirty thing in front of my eyes. Do you have a bad memory or are you deliberately provoking me?¡± Zhao Wenhua swallowed hard. He had heard that the little drummer had something to do with Xie Xuanming, but he didn¡¯t expect Xie Xuanming to care so much about the kid. The threat came before he even had time to touch. Zhao Wenhua glanced at Ji Sheng reluctantly and said: ¡°Emperor Xie, I respect you, but you are a bit harsh. I just invited a newcomer for a drink, what¡¯s that to you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get in my way.¡± There was a cold smile in Xie Xuanming¡¯s voice. ¡°Mr. Zhao, you don¡¯t remember what I warned you about before, do you?¡± Zhao Wenhua shivered instinctively. How could he not remember? Zhao Wenhua had met Ji Sheng once at a certain reception after the young man became famous. At that time, Ji Sheng was so popular and rich that even though Zhao Wenhua had also had a lucky break, he was still not qualified to walk up to him and talk to him. He could only hide in the corner, leering obscenely, looking at the slim waist, the long, thin neck¡­ He was in the middle of his fantasies when a tall figure suddenly cut in across the room, blocking his prying eyes. ¡°Fuck!¡± Zhao Wenhua cursed, ¡°Are you blind or what¡­¡± He raised his eyes and couldn¡¯t make a sound like a chicken being held by the neck. Xie Xuanming, who had already become a movie star, was dressed in a black suit, staring down at him meaningfully. ¡°Xie¡­ Xie¡­¡± Zhao Wenhua almost suffocated as if a grip on his trachea tightened. Naturally, he remembered Ji Sheng¡¯s band member back then, the mad dog-like teenage lead singer who became a celebrity. Zhao Wenhua even planned to expose Xie Xuanming¡¯s violent misdeeds in order to extort a huge amount of compensation. At least he tried. He contacted Xie Xuanming¡¯s company to come to talk about compensation. Before the meeting, Zhao Wenhua was smug and full of thoughts about squeezing a bit of oil out of this famous kid. However, after seeing Xie Xuanming, he had no thoughts at all. The broad-shouldered man sat in a chair, his handsome face still carrying the beauty of his teenage years, but when he raised his eyes and his icy gaze locked on the visitor¡ª¡ª Zhao Wenhua couldn¡¯t help taking a step back, shivering with a sudden chill. He realised abruptly how ridiculous it was to think that Xie Xuanming would stoop to his level because of the information he had on him. The man in front of him was still a desperate mad dog at heart, no matter how much he changed on the outside. Could fame and wealth shackle a mad dog? It would still leap up with impunity any moment and tear open the throat of the offender if it wanted to. Drenched in cold sweat, Zhao Wenhua felt his hair stand on its end. He didn¡¯t dare to ask for anything. He got out of there with his tail between his legs. From then on, he stayed away from Xie Xuanming and didn¡¯t dare to provoke him anymore. He didn¡¯t look for trouble, but he didn¡¯t expect Xie Xuanming to take the initiative to come to his door and snap at him. ¡°How long are you going to watch?¡± Standing in front of him, Xie Xuanming asked quietly with a gloomy expression. Zhao Wenhua was so frightened that he shrank back. The distance was too close. Although there were people everywhere, if Xie Xuanming wanted to make a move, he would not be able to avoid it. In the end, Xie Xuanming did not do anything in public. He only put his hand on Zhao Wenhua¡¯s shoulder, leaned down, stroked his thumb vaguely over his throat twice and nuzzled his ear to whisper clearly: ¡°Forget your nasty thoughts¡­ otherwise, be careful to walk at night¡­¡± The nightmarish voice echoed in his ears, and for a moment, Zhao Wenhua felt a terrible chill in his throat and reflexively shivered. Xie Xuanming on the other end of the phone was still talking. ¡°I¡¯m coming over now, do you want to meet me?¡± Zhao Wenhua hung up the phone abruptly, said ¡°I¡¯m leaving¡± hurriedly and left the scene as if fleeing. Once Zhao Wenhua slipped away, the people in the private room realized that the situation was not good, exchanged a few words and withdrew one after another. In the chaos, Lu Haoren and Huang Sizhe rushed in and ran to Ji Sheng¡¯s side. Ji Sheng collapsed into the sofa, unable to sit straight as the drug took effect. ¡°Ji Hui!¡± Huang Sizhe shook him. ¡°Go on, find a room.¡± Ji Sheng steeled himself and said, ¡°I want to take a shower.¡± As soon as he entered the room, he locked in the bathroom and submerged himself in the cold water, shivering. Lu Haoren and Huang Sizhe heard the sound of water gurgling inside but could not see what was going on, so they could only stand at the door and worry. ¡°Are you okay?!¡± At first there were a few knocks on the door and then Lu Haoren¡¯s anxious voice came. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s teeth chattered, ¡°Take Sizhe and deal with his wounds.¡± There were a few more noises at the door. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t have the strength to listen, weakness spreading from his stomach to his limbs, together with an unpleasant tingling sensation. He took a deep breath and let the water pour on him. Xie Xuanming opened the door with the swipe of the card he asked for from the front desk. As soon as he entered the room, he saw the bathroom light in the near darkness and Ji Hui¡¯s two teammates leaning on the door and yelling. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t say a word, picked them up and threw them out of the room before they had time to react, closed the door and locked it. ¡°What the hell are you doing! Open the door! Open the door! I¡¯ll call the police! Fuck you, open the door!¡± While the unpleasant bassist yelled at the door, Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t bother to pay attention to him, calling the front desk to deal with him, and then walked to the bathroom. The door was locked. Xie Xuanming knocked on it and said, ¡°Open the door.¡± What responded to him was the sound of pattering water. Xie Xuanming frowned, took a step back, raised his foot and kicked the door lock fiercely. Click. The lock opened. Xie Xuanming pushed the door in and saw a half-dead person soaking in the overflowing bathtub. His eye twitched. He stepped into the water and pulled Ji Sheng out. Ji Sheng was shivering. His body was very hot, but his teeth were chattering again. His mind was no longer clear. In a trance, he always felt that it was the water that was hot and his body that was cold. After being dragged out of the bathtub, Ji Sheng had the illusion that he was like a fish out of water, with his gills opening infinitely but unable to catch any oxygen. ¡°What did you drink?¡± The low voice came as distant as if sounding through a wall. Who was talking? Ji Sheng opened his eyes wide and finally saw a figure leaning over him. The face of that person was as unclear as if it was covered by water mist. Ji Sheng wanted to see better, so he stared and tilted forward. Xie Xuanming frowned. He had dragged Ji Hui out of the bathtub and watched him shiver as if having a fit. Then Ji Hui suddenly stood up and leaned towards him, looking disoriented. Xie Xuanming¡¯s hands were quick. He grasped Ji Sheng¡¯s chin and pinched the flesh of his cheeks to prevent him from leaning forward. Ji Sheng¡¯s face was flushed, his eyes were blurred, his moist lips were slightly open, and he seemed to be begging for a kiss. Xie Xuanming frowned tighter and couldn¡¯t help but scold: ¡°Wake up.¡± Ji Sheng was unconscious; he felt cold and the man in front of him was hot. He squinted and rubbed against the source of the heat. Fuck. Xie Xuanming suddenly pushed him away. Ji Sheng staggered back, clutching the bathtub to stop falling. He struggled for a while, then slowly sat up on the edge of the bathtub. His wandering gaze focused and returned to Xie Xuanming. Seeing that Ji Hui seemed to be about to lean forward again, Xie Xuanming cautiously withdrew and said coldly: ¡°Don¡¯t move! Look closely at who I am¡­¡± Before he finished speaking, Ji Sheng suddenly rushed up and wrapped his wet arms around Xie Xuanming with some unexpected strength. Xie Xuanming was startled. He didn¡¯t have time to dodge as he was pounced on. When he reacted and was going to push Ji Sheng away, he was already squeezed in Ji Sheng¡¯s arms, unable to move Xie Xuanming was ruthlessly preparing to use brute force when he heard him speak in a low voice. ¡°Xie Xuanming¡­¡± Xie Xuanming paused and listened to him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± In the next second, a pair of moist eyes zoomed on him, and then something cold and soft touched his lips. The tip of Ji Sheng¡¯s tongue, warm and tasting with alcohol, pushed into his mouth. Xie Xuanming grabbed Ji Sheng¡¯s hair and pulled him away forcefully. He raised the other hand, ready to slap him, when he saw the tear mole very close in front of him. Xie Xuanming frowned, and finally only patted his face impatiently twice: ¡°Wake up.¡± Ji Sheng looked at him in confusion, water drops rolling from his hair into his eyes, leaving wet traces on his jade white cheeks. He didn¡¯t answer, lowered his head and buried his face in Xie Xuanming¡¯s collarbone, rubbing slowly and ambiguously. Xie Xuanming squeezed the back of his neck and pulled his head away vigorously. ¡°Xiao Xie.¡± Ji Sheng squinted and murmured uncomfortably, ¡°It hurts.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s movements froze suddenly. His fingers felt cold. ¡°What did you just say?¡± Ji Sheng stopped talking again, only breaking free of his restraints and lowering his head to rub against the side of his neck for a while. Then he looked up, his wet eyes meeting the stare of the petrified man. ¡°Xie Xuanming.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s moist lips parted and closed, ¡°I¡¯m so uncomfortable.¡± Before Xie Xuanming could answer, Ji Sheng¡¯s slender fingers already pulled the waist of his trousers. Ji Sheng pulled forcefully but he couldn¡¯t pull his pants down, just troubling Xie Xuanming. In the next second, his thin wrist was captured, and Xie Xuanming pressed Ji Sheng back on the bathtub with one hand, cupping his cheek with the other. ¡°You have one last chance to repent.¡± Ji Sheng licked his fingers lightly in response. Translator¡¯s note: The s*x scene is apparently on the author¡¯s Weibo but I don¡¯t know how to find it. Maybe later. It doesn¡¯t affect the plot anyway. CH 37 When Ji Sheng opened his eyes, he touched his sore waist and felt that the world was about to collapse. All kinds of red fingerprints and tooth marks on his body reminded him of what happened, and the intermittent memory fragments clearly recorded the tragedy of the last night. Ji Sheng, physical age eighteen, actual age unknown. After twenty years of pitiful companionship with his right hand, he finally broke away from the chains of virginity yesterday in the hands of someone who had been secretly in love with him for many years and from whom he had just decided to stay away. Really good. His brain taunted him mercilessly, and Ji Sheng hugged his head and wailed, not happy to celebrate. He collapsed for two seconds, then turned over and sat up. The purple bruises on his inner thigh made his eyelid twitch and he hastily pulled over the quilt to hide the unforgiving marks. Ji Sheng raised his hand at a loss, trying to scratch his head and touched a tooth mark on the back of his neck. He jerked his hand away as if electrocuted. Xie Xuanming. Ji Sheng blushed to the tips of his ears and gritted his teeth. You are really a dog, right? The sound of pattering water came from the bathroom, restoring Ji Sheng¡¯s sanity. Xie Xuanming was inside. Ji Sheng was now facing an important choice¡ª¡ªto stay or to run away. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t hesitate. He turned over and got out of bed but his expression changed as soon as he landed on his feet. The viscous liquid trickled down the side of his leg, and the indescribable stinging sensation went all the way to the core of his brain. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t really want to know what the liquid was. But he was pretty sure he wouldn¡¯t be able to leave. He stood in despair when the bathroom door suddenly opened. Ji Sheng leapt up like a carp and fell heavily back onto the bed. Xie Xuanming came out wiping his hair, his expression no different from the previous day; but when he walked around the corner and caught a glimpse of Ji Sheng, who was neatly wrapped in a quilt on the bed, he paused slightly. The two looked at each other, the embarrassment spreading between them. Xie Xuanming was the first to speak: ¡°Last night¡­¡± ¡°What happened last night¡­¡± Ji Sheng interrupted, ¡°It¡¯s my problem. I¡¯m really sorry to pull you into it¡­ If you find it unsightly, I will move out tomorrow, don¡¯t worry!¡± Xie Xuanming felt weird. The fact was that last night¡¯s drunken recklessness could only be blamed on both parties, and if they had to divide the responsibility, his own lustful self was definitely more at fault than the delirious Ji Hui. Now Ji Hui was the first to admit his guilt and apologise, making Xie Xuanming, a madman with little humanity, feel a bit guilty. ¡°No problem.¡± Xie Xuanming rarely was out of words, ¡°I will¡­ compensate as much as I can. If you need anything, just talk to me.¡± He made such a promise and Ji Sheng was not too polite: ¡°I want to move out.¡± Xie Xuanming frowned slightly, ¡°Choose something else.¡± Ji Sheng said cheerfully: ¡°Senior¡¯s quality of sleep has improved a lot recently and he can fall asleep without looking at me. The current situation¡­ It is inconvenient and uncomfortable for me to continue to live in the villa. It will be much better to move out.¡± He was telling the truth. Xie Xuanming had rarely woken up from nightmares recently to open his eyes to look at ¡°Ji Hui¡±. Besides, with Niepan frequent rehearsals, it took a lot of time and was difficult to get there. But Xie Xuanming still insisted: ¡°Choose something else.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Choose something else.¡± ¡°Just¡­¡± A little weak, Ji Sheng changed the topic, ¡°I want to take a shower.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Xie Xuanming was stunned by this sudden twist: ¡°Why?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng said succinctly, ¡°You didn¡¯t have a condom.¡± Xie Xuanming was silent for a couple of seconds and made way to the bathroom. Ji Sheng paused for a moment, pushed away the quilt, got out of bed naked and walked to the bathroom. ¡°There are bathrobes in the bathroom. I asked someone to buy the clothes and they will be delivered in a while.¡± As he passed by, Xie Xuanming said with his eyes downcast. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ji Sheng paused, raised his head curiously and said, ¡°Are you blushing?¡± After two seconds of silence, Xie Xuanming took off the towel on his head, covered him, then opened the bathroom door with lightning speed, pushed Ji Sheng in and closed the door again with a bang. It takes four steps to put an elephant in the fridge. It only takes one second to lock Ji Sheng in the bathroom. Xie Xuanming took a deep breath. While Ji Sheng was washing up, Xie Xuanming went down to contact his assistant. Ji Sheng also went downstairs, found a wall to lean against and waited. He was thinking about whether to run away now when a familiar face appeared not far away. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Huang Sizhe rushed over, his anxious expression turning to anger when he saw the ambiguous marks above Ji Sheng¡¯s wide collar. Blushing, he grabbed Ji Sheng¡¯s shoulders and gritted his teeth fiercely, ¡°That beast, I was a fucking idiot when I called him!¡± ¡°If he didn¡¯t come, I wouldn¡¯t get out of it so easily.¡± Ji Sheng retorted softly. Huang Sizhe was even more angry when he saw that he was still defending Xie Xuanming: ¡°You just let him do it, don¡¯t you have any temper at all?!¡± Huang Sizhe¡¯s roar surprised Ji Sheng slightly. He raised his eyes, saw the unconcealed worry and anger on the young man¡¯s injured face and read the complex emotions in the depths of his eyes¡­ Ji Sheng suddenly realized something. He took a half step back, brushed Huang Sizhe¡¯s hand off his shoulder and said calmly, ¡°Thank you.¡± Then he said sincerely and cruelly: ¡°But this is my own business. I know what I¡¯m doing. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Huang Sizhe opened his eyes wide, unable to believe the alienation in his words but understanding the meaning of drawing a clear line. Huang Sizhe¡¯s eyes flashed and his shining pupils darkened. When Xie Xuanming came out, he saw Ji Hui and the bassist of their little crappy band standing face to face. He took two or three steps past, and all at once the bassist went from frustrated to wary, his eyes glaring menacingly. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t bother to pay attention to him, looked down and asked Ji Sheng, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°¡­chatting with a team member.¡± ¡°Are you done chatting?¡± ¡°En.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go back?¡± ¡°Can I not¡­¡± ¡°No way.¡± Xie Xuanming categorically refused. ¡°Then why do you still ask me?¡± Ji Sheng sighed. The man who slept with his friend/secret crush appeared swaggering and brazenly excluded him from the conversation, ignoring him. Huang Sizhe clenched his fists, feeling that Xie Xuanming was provoking him on purpose. This conclusion was absurd. After all, he was Emperor Xie. For what purpose would he provoke a newcomer who had nothing? Probably only Xie Xuanming knew the reason. Huang Sizhe couldn¡¯t help it and raised his voice uncomfortably: ¡°Hey!¡± Xie Xuanming finally noticed him and cast a charitable look: ¡°You are?..¡± ¡°Huang Sizhe.¡± Ji Sheng reminded, ¡°Niepan member.¡± He added: ¡°Niepan is the band I am in.¡± ¡°Mr. Huang Sizhe.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s voice was kind, ¡±Please go to the police station this afternoon to do an injury assessment, and then ask your company to inform my assistant of the situation.¡± ¡°Why should I listen to you?¡± Huang Sizhe was like a barrel of dynamite on fire, unable to keep calm in front of Xie Xuanming, ¡°What kind of a good guy are you?¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t even raise his eyes: ¡°If you want to let Zhao Wenhua go, I won¡¯t bother with you anymore.¡± Huang Sizhe was furious: ¡°Who wants to let that bastard go?!¡± ¡°Then go.¡± Xie Xuanming sneered and said bluntly, ¡°The wounds on your face are your only value now. If you don¡¯t make use of them in time, after they heal, you can go around yelling about Zhao Wenhua¡¯s evil deeds until your throat is hoarse and see how many fools will believe you.¡± ¡°You!¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ji Sheng inserted, looking at Huang Sizhe, ¡°People like Zhao Wenhua, if we don¡¯t teach him a lesson, he will continue to make trouble.¡± Huang Sizhe went silent. Ji Sheng emphasised: ¡°Please.¡± ¡°¡­okay.¡± After a short pause, Huang Sizhe squeezed a response through his teeth. ¡°A testimony is not enough.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°The injuries on Xiao Huang¡¯s face are not caused by Zhao Wenhua personally, it¡¯s easy for him to escape responsibility.¡± ¡°Who is Xiao Huang!!!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Xiao Huang? Xiao Huang is so cute.¡± Ji Sheng played down the situation, raised his head and said to Xie Xuanming, ¡°I have evidence.¡± Xie Xuanming looked at him: ¡°What evidence?¡± ¡°I recorded it.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°Before I went out last night, I borrowed a voice recorder from your locker.¡± Because of the particularity of the artist¡¯s profession, recording was the norm. Ji Sheng had seen Xie Xuanming use a recorder several times and knew where he stored spare recorders, so he brought one with him before he left home. ¡°¡­¡± Xie Xuanming asked, ¡°Where¡¯s it?¡± ¡°In my clothes.¡± Ji Sheng suddenly remembered, ¡°Clothes?¡± Xie Xuanming: ¡°¡­¡± Xie Xuanming: ¡°In the trash can.¡± Ji Sheng: ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng: ¡°Why are you throwing my clothes away!¡± Xie Xuanming: ¡°¡­¡± Xie Xuanming: ¡°Why did you take my voice recorder?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you apologise?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t afford it.¡± The clothes were eventually retrieved and the waterproof recorder magically still worked. Xie Xuanming cut out the middle section where Zhao Wenhua forced Ji Sheng to drink and sent it to his assistant, asking him to find the glass that contained the drug yesterday and send it for evidence. ¡°With these, Zhao Wenhua should be able to be sent in.¡± Sitting in the car, Xie Xuanming said coldly, ¡°Buying prohibited drugs is not a trivial matter.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ji Sheng replied, ¡°Senior Xie, did you have a conflict with Zhao Wenhua before?¡± ¡°Why do you say that?¡± ¡°Zhao Wenhua is very afraid of you.¡± ¡°If he was really afraid, he wouldn¡¯t dare to play his tricks.¡± Xie Xuanming rubbed his temples. ¡°I didn¡¯t know Zhao Wenhua until I entered the entertainment circle.¡± He continued, ¡°He had a nasty plan for my¡­ friend.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s it¡­¡± Looking back, Ji Sheng vaguely guessed that the strange fainting spell when he was a teenager was not as simple as getting drunk, but now that it was confirmed by Xie Xuanming himself, he had some mixed feelings. ¡°What did you do? Did you beat him up?¡± ¡°En,¡± Xie Xuanming replied laconically. A seventeen-year-old boy with wounds on his face and stubborn and angry eyes suddenly appeared in Ji Sheng¡¯s mind. He was in a daze for a second, then regained his senses. ¡°It¡¯s not good to beat up people,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s not good to drug people.¡± Xie Xuanming said coldly, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about it.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± He didn¡¯t want to mention it, and Ji Sheng stopped asking. As the car moved forward smoothly, Ji Sheng looked out the window. His back felt fragile after the strenuous exercise yesterday and after sitting for a while it began to ache sorely. Ji Sheng reached his hand expressionlessly, trying to soothe his delicate nerves. ¡°You called me Xie Xuanming last night.¡± Xie Xuanming said suddenly, ¡°Just first and last name, no honorifics.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The outstretched hand froze in the air; Ji Sheng withdrew it bitterly and said, ¡°I was confused, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°You can call me that from now on. Every time you call me Senior Xie or Emperor Xie, I feel as if you are scolding me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± I¡¯m indeed scolding you. Ji Sheng was silent. Xie Xuanming said again: ¡°You also said something to me inexplicably, remember?¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s heart missed a beat as he frantically tried to recall whether he had said something wrong. His face remained blank: ¡°I don¡¯t remember, what was it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Xie Xuanming repeated clearly, ¡°You said ¡°Xie Xuanming, I¡¯m sorry.¡± He turned his head to look at Ji Sheng, his eyes as deep as the endless night sea. ¡°I¡¯m curious, what are you sorry for?¡± CH 38 Ji Sheng¡¯s fingers clenched. ¡°Just¡­ thinking of the past, I felt a little sorry.¡± ¡°Thinking of the past?¡± Xie Xuanming emphasised the ¡°past¡± extremely hard and kept insisting, ¡°Don¡¯t you have amnesia?¡± ¡°Maybe I remembered something at that time?¡± Ji Sheng weighed in, ¡°Now it¡¯s fractured.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really timely.¡± Xie Xuanming sneered, ¡°How much do you remember?¡± ¡°Remember¡­¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s heart sank; he turned his head and smiled meaningfully at Xie Xuanming, ¡°You are so rude, Emperor Xie.¡± Xie Xuanming: ¡­¡­ Xie Xuanming looked at him for a while, then turned away blankly: ¡± Don¡¯t get any funny ideas.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ji Sheng accepted the good advice, thinking secretly£¬ Don¡¯t go to bed with me if you are so tough, ah. What happened to the promise to keep your body like a charm for the white moonlight? Tsk. Sure enough, men are all greedy animals. Ji Sheng returned to the villa and found that the bag he had packed was gone. He thought for a moment, his gaze wandering to the study. ¡°Where¡¯s my bag?¡± Ji Sheng knocked on the door of the study and asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t understand, I haven¡¯t seen it.¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t even raise his head. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t believe that such a big bag could disappear into thin air, but Xie Xuanming made it clear that he wouldn¡¯t help. Ji Sheng was a little helpless. He thought that Xie Xuanming would not let him go easily, but he didn¡¯t expect that Emperor Xie could be so naive and come up with such a bad idea as hiding his bag. Ji Sheng sighed and had to postpone his departure plan a little bit. However, he did not expect that the opportunity to move out would come much faster than he thought. ¡°A completely closed variety show?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s called ¡°Music First 2¡±.¡± As soon as the program name was said, Ji Sheng went silent, holding his mobile phone. Lu Haoren looked at his phone to confirm that the call was not interrupted: ¡°Hello? Xiao Hui, are you still listening?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m listening.¡± Ji Sheng hurriedly picked it up, ¡°Which platform does this variety show belong to?¡± ¡°KUZI.¡± The expected answer; Ji Sheng clenched his mobile phone tight: ¡°Their variety shows are not very good.¡± KUZI, one of the largest online platforms in China, was an absolute exposure bomb with its variety show dominating the charts all year round. And more famous than the quality of KUZI¡¯s variety show was KUZI¡¯s¡ª¡ª Malicious editing. As a participant of the first season of KUZI¡¯s ¡°Music First¡±, Ji Sheng could be said to have a deep understanding of KUZI¡¯s evil cut. ¡°True.¡± Lu Haoren admitted, ¡°But there is a lot of traffic, and the company will not give up this variety show.¡± After all, Niepan also needed a chance of exposure. The sign-up requirements for KUZI¡¯s variety shows were as high as their popularity. Whether a little band like Niepan would be selected could only be determined depending on follow-up discussions. While the company was trying to grab this resource for Niepan, Ji Sheng got another giant pie-from-the-sky ¡ª¡ª Traffic Night. Every year, celebrities with intense popularity across the Internet were invited to the Traffic Night. Big celebrities such as Xie Xuanming and Sheng Kongzhi were naturally on the list, while paste newcomers like Ji Hui were purely the objects of the organisers¡¯ charity. Or giving face to Xie Xuanming. After all, the organisers didn¡¯t even invite Sheng Kongzhi for Xie Xuanming¡¯s sake, so it was not a big deal to add a person. On the night of the Traffic Night, as the stars gathered, all kinds of big and small flowers competed with each other, swinging their colourful dresses on the red carpet. In this carnival of cameras and fashion, the male stars were more often relegated to the role of accompaniment, serving as accessories to the grand beauties and almost unnoticeable in the crowd of flowers. Of course, there were exceptions. Xie Xuanming, a figure that had been on the cusp of public opinion all the year round, was naturally the darling of the media. On this occasion, instead of being a green leaf for the flowers, he was more like Hotan jade that tempted the beauties to rush towards it, full of desire to climb the edge of its pale coldness. Bai Ling, the little flower newcomer, glanced at the man¡¯s upright figure in the centre of the first row of seats. Who didn¡¯t know that Emperor Xie generated a lot of traffic. If you could take a photo next to him and hire a water army to push ¡°god and goddess cp¡±, ¡°handsome men and beautiful women in the entertainment industry¡±, ¡°a movie star and a little white flower¡± topics¡­ the bonus would be amazing. Bai Ling¡¯s little calculations were beautiful; she pulled up her light yellow shawl and walked towards Xie Xuanming, full of charm. But just as she was about to walk to the seat in the first row, a large floral gown suddenly plunged in from the side. Bai Ling was shocked; when she looked, she found that it was Qi Meimiao, the ¡°national sister¡± who had become a hit in recent days. The swaying floral gown daintily occupied the feng shui spot that Bai Ling valued so much. Bai Ling¡¯s face turned black. It¡¯s okay, there is a place on the other side, she cheered herself up. Who knew that another gauze princess dress would dangle past, and Hua Wenwen, the heroine of the popular online drama, would lift the tail of her fluffy skirt and naturally take a seat on Xie Xuanming¡¯s right. Bai Ling: ¡­¡­ Bai Ling: F! Not to be outdone, Bai Ling raised her skirt and swooped in, covering her mouth and shyly saying, ¡°Sister, don¡¯t mind if I do this,¡± while forcibly sitting down and squeezing the floral gown aside. Before she could sit down, she saw a young man come in late and point to the seat as if he was blind, ¡°There is no one here, can I sit?¡± Bai Ling was stunned: Are you here to push a cp too?? The young man covered his mouth and smiled: Sister, don¡¯t be restricted by gender. He sat down and another spot was taken. In a flash, three chairs were crowded with four or five people. The staff member felt like crying without tears: ¡°Aunties, this seat was originally reserved for someone.¡± The aunties smiled and nodded, none of them moving out as if they suddenly went deaf. The staff was on the verge of collapse when he saw a black suit emerge from a sea of colours, like a silent night crow flying out of the flowers. Taken aback, the staff cried out, ¡°Emperor Xie, your seat is here, where are you going?¡± ¡°To breathe.¡± Xie Xuanming said indifferently, turned and left. He was already the centre of attention, and when he got up at this moment, the cameras in the venue turned and focused on him in an instant. Accompanied by flashes and whispers all the way, Xie Xuanming calmly walked through the hollow brilliance to the shadows that the spotlight could not reach. Ji Sheng leisurely stood in the corner. It was good to get into such a big event, but the price was that the organisers didn¡¯t have a seat for him. The staff was also very embarrassed about this missing seat and not being able to provide every turnip with its hole. His tone was full of sympathy and guilt when he informed Ji Sheng about the problem. However, the staff was surprised to find that after hearing the news that he had been neglected, the poor newcomer showed no irritation, but nodded without changing his expression: ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll just stand on the side, you guys have worked hard.¡± ¡°There is no camera over there!¡± The staff reminded in amazement. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Ji Sheng smiled, ¡°No one would take my pictures anyway.¡± How calm Ji Sheng was when he said this, and how surprised he was when Xie Xuanming took his place beside him. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Ji Sheng widened his eyes slightly, ¡°Isn¡¯t your seat in the front?¡± ¡°You think I¡¯m annoying?¡± Xie Xuanming asked blandly. ¡°Not at all.¡± Ji Sheng shook his head, noticed Xie Xuanming¡¯s bad mood and shut up wisely. But after a while, he couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°There is no camera here.¡± Xie Xuanming said coldly: ¡°Wherever I am, there will be cameras. Just stand there.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°Oh.¡± So arrogant. But he didn¡¯t hate it. Ji Sheng leaned against the wall, the shadows blocking most of the peeping eyes or camera lenses. He had the illusion that he was a traveller who forgot to bring an umbrella on a rainy day, and he and Xie Xuanming hid under the eaves to avoid the rain. He was wet all over, and Xie Xuanming was also wet all over. Everyone wanted to escape the rain, but no one could escape the rain. On the night of the Traffic Night, the divine picture that broke the Internet was not a certain flower¡¯s aquamarine mermaid tail or a certain celebrity¡¯s purple skeleton suit, but a photo of a movie emperor with a newcomer. The photograph was extremely well taken, with the clean-cut teenager looking up at the handsome man, his tentative gaze gently caressing the man¡¯s cheek, while the man bowed his head slightly, listening patiently and intently to the teenager¡¯s words. The black and white picture, full of overwhelming sense of ambience, drew every passerby in for a transfixed second, making one click on it for a closer look. More than that, the blogger and the marketing agency that posted the image coincidentally accompanied the upload with an old photo. It was also a certain party a few years ago, and there were also two people standing in the shadows. The young man who had not yet become an actor and the drummer who was still alive and bright were talking and laughing against the wall. In the black and white picture, the drummer¡¯s eyes were uninhibited and wanton. The young actor who had not yet become a movie star looked at him with a smile at the corner of his mouth. After some comparison, many people were stunned. The drummer¡¯s face resembled that of the teenager by seven or eight points; and the smile curving the corners of Xie Xuanming¡¯s lips was faded to nothing. The building was empty, the young man was no more. The contrast between the present and the past was both sad and amazing, and the popularity of the divine picture was rising, until another hot search swept in and like a black wave buried the teenager in the deep sea of the vanity fair. The new hot search turned out to be related to ¡±Ji Hui¡± as well, but it was not as friendly as the previous one. #Ji Hui Broken Voice# When one clicked in, there was the young drummer grabbing the microphone and singing wretchedly in the dim light. The singing was really not pleasant, and one couldn¡¯t help frowning when hearing it. The newcomer, who was famous as the ¡°best drummer¡±, was suddenly revealed to have a surprisingly low level of real singing. No need to look, you all know how sprightly public opinion is. ¡°How come even the video of KTV was released?¡± Ji Sheng looked at the hot search, feeling helpless. The scene in the video took place after his rebirth. At a celebration banquet after Niepan¡¯s first commercial performance, everyone was playing around being drunk. Ji Sheng sang a couple of lines in response to the atmosphere, and because it was a spoof, he sang it in a deliberately quirky way, not knowing that it would be secretly recorded and posted on the Internet. Ji Sheng reluctantly admitted that this hot search meant he was certain to make it to ¡°Music First 2¡±; KUZI would never create such a heat in vain. It¡¯s just that if you abuse someone for no reason, gods might have a bit of a temper. Before Ji Sheng¡¯s temper rose, Xie Xuanming¡¯s phone call came. ¡°I will solve it.¡± The head-butting sentence confused Ji Sheng. He paused for a second. ¡°Actually, no need¡­¡± The phone was hung up. ¡°Listen to people talk, ah¡­¡± Ji Sheng felt even more helpless. Since that drug thing, Xie Xuanming¡¯s attitude towards him had been much calmer. Ji Sheng looked at it this way and that way and finally decided it was something vaguely resembling guilt. Emperor Xie was unexpectedly old-fashioned. Ji Sheng smacked his lips. The 18th tier slept with the top star, the very Xie Xuanming who on an anonymous forum in the poll ¡°most wanted star to spend the night with¡± was voted first, leaving some female star in second place¡­ Why do you think you are the one who took advantage?.. The beloved of the masses is the beloved of the masses for a reason. Ji Sheng came to a conclusion. A clarification came out quickly, with the speed far beyond the ability of the 18th tier artist¡¯s public relations. It was indeed not Ji Hui¡¯s lousy company¡¯s public relations. The real driving force behind it¡ª¡ªXie Xuanming came back in the evening, prepared to be met with the ardent gratitude of the 18th tier, but found Ji Sheng nestling on the sofa, swiping his phone intently and not even lifting his head to greet him. Ji Sheng had a small skeleton and was thin, and he looked particularly petite in the large modern sofa of Xie Xuanming¡¯s house. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t notice Xie Xuanming until he walked up to the sofa. ¡°Thank you for clearing it up.¡± Ji Sheng raised his head and smiled gratefully at Xie Xuanming. Xie Xuanming calmly said, ¡°When did you pick up KUZI¡¯s variety show?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ji Sheng sat upright and said in surprise, ¡°Isn¡¯t it the resource from you?¡± Xie Xuanming lowered his head and looked down at him, denying: ¡°No.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ji Sheng frowned slightly, then wondered: ¡°Then today¡¯s hot search¡­¡± ¡°KUZI¡¯s handwriting.¡± Xie Xuanming said coldly, ¡°KUZI¡¯s favourite thing is to play with contestants. I warned the show today, but there¡¯s still no guarantee that they won¡¯t act up, so you¡¯d better¡­¡± ¡°This drum set looks great¡­¡± Before he finished speaking, Ji Sheng lowered his head and swiped his mobile phone. Xie Xuanming: ¡­¡­ Xie Xuanming looked down and saw that the mobile phone screen was coloured in vibrant orange, with all kinds of commodities competing for brilliance. Xie Xuanming: ¡­was on a black hot search and still surfing Taobao, a really good state of mind. Xie Xuanming took two steps forward but Ji Sheng still didn¡¯t react. Xie Xuanming stretched out his hand to pinch Ji Sheng¡¯s chin and forcefully raise his head. ¡°KUZI is not a good thing. It¡¯s best to refuse to participate.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ji Sheng squinted his eyes at him, ¡°Won¡¯t you allow me to go?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I won¡¯t allow it, I don¡¯t recommend it.¡± Xie Xuanming frowned, ¡°On outsider territory, there¡¯s no guarantee that the people who once kidnapped you won¡¯t take advantage of the situation.¡± ¡°The purpose originally was to draw out the people who did it.¡± Ji Sheng smiled, ¡°Didn¡¯t Senior come to me because of this?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me Senior.¡± The grip on his chin was a bit too strong. Ji Sheng squinted his eyes again and said stickily: ¡°It hurts¡­¡± After a pause, Xie Xuanming let go. He took a step back, crossed his arms expressionlessly and stared at Ji Sheng, silent. So, another tantrum. Ji Sheng, who had figured out the strange mind of the movie star, put down his phone and took the initiative to yield: ¡°When you promise something, you have to do it, ah.¡± Ji Sheng rubbed his face and muttered: ¡°Besides, I myself would quite like to know who was the person who did this to me.¡± He lowered his hand and looked at Xie Xuanming. His eyes were bent into two crescent moons, the tear mole making them look even more sly. ¡°I want to go, can¡¯t I?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I~¡± ¡°Okay.¡± CH 39 KUZI¡¯s variety show was going to start broadcasting two months later and would be filmed in a fully enclosed area. There were no special circumstances that would allow participating musicians to leave the base. Ji Sheng packed up his things early in the morning and walked to the door with the newly bought suitcase. Xie Xuanming, planning to go out or something, stood at the door straightening his cuffs, quite in the way. Ji Sheng bent over and pushed the suitcase, saying casually: ¡°Is there a trip so early today?¡± Xie Xuanming said coldly: ¡°I have a lot of trips.¡± It meant ¡®I am red and I have the resources. Don¡¯t speculate about it, you losers who sit at home with your feet up¡¯. Ji Sheng understood the hint and said obediently: ¡°Okay.¡± The driver had not yet arrived, and Ji Sheng leaned against the door with his luggage, raising his eyes to look out. Xie Xuanming glanced at him: ¡°Do you want to go so much?¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t expect that he would take the initiative to talk to him and replied in a daze: ¡°No, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be late.¡± Xie Xuanming snorted perfunctorily, obviously not accepting such an excuse. He also looked out. The road was empty, with no one leaving and absolutely no one coming back. Ji Sheng looked at him; Xie Xuanming¡¯s tall and straight nose was particularly eye-catching. In a flash of light, a lonely look rippled over his face, sliding down from his brows to his lips and disappearing. Ji Sheng was fascinated and asked a forbidden question: ¡°After I move out, will you miss me?¡± Xie Xuanming turned his head, gave him a ghost-like glance and frowned: ¡°Don¡¯t flatter yourself.¡± Probably thinking that he had slept with him some time ago and it was not very convincing to say this, Xie Xuanming added: ¡°I have someone I like.¡± Ji Sheng felt he was going to have a heart attack. He didn¡¯t want to face the dismal fact that he had unintentionally bent the child and made the unlucky boy be in love with him for years. He blurted out: ¡°You can like someone else.¡± Xie Xuanming frowned harder, his expression filled with incredulity of having someone stomp all over his feelings. Ji Sheng thought for a few moments that he was going to be scolded or even beaten, but Xie Xuanming did not do anything in the end. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it.¡± He turned and walked out, leaving Ji Sheng alone. Ji Sheng looked at his back and sighed for no reason. The driver parked the car and honked the horn to remind him. Ji Sheng picked up the suitcase and walked there. KUZI¡¯s recording location was in the suburbs, and the road was very long. Ji Sheng watched the scenery outside the window change from a green forest to high-rise buildings to a green forest again and yawned. His eyelids dropped several times and he couldn¡¯t hold them open and fell into a deep sleep. The bumpy drive stirred his long-forgotten memories. In a daze, Ji Sheng dreamed of the first time he had participated in KUZI¡¯s variety show a few years ago. Three years ago, ¡°Music First¡± was recorded live. The band on the stage was a mess, the melody and the drums chaotic. Amplified by the stereo, this magical sound poured over the heads of the misfortunate listeners. The mentor shook his head gently and the contestants in the audience frowned, their faces like masks of pain. In short, everyone was very unhappy. Two minutes later, the torturous experience finally was over, and Ji Sheng¡¯s frowning eyebrows relaxed. The band¡¯s guitar and bass skills were actually good, but the drummer¡¯s level was too poor. He started missing beats ten seconds or so into the song and then got worse and worse, until taking the show all the way to the abyss. The mentor¡¯s comments were basically euphemisms to smooth things over, so Ji Sheng lost interest after listening to a couple of sentences and quietly reached out and patted Sheng Kongchi¡¯s shoulder beside him, moving to his ear and speaking softly: ¡°This drummer has such poor basic skills¡ª¡ª¡± The connected microphone carried his sharp commentary throughout the recording. Ji Sheng: ¡­¡­ Sheng Kongzhi: ¡­¡­ Mentor: ¡­¡­ Drummer on the stage: ¡­¡­ T T Sheng Kongzhi covered the microphone and whispered, ¡°The program microphone is connected all the way.¡± Ji Sheng wanted to cry without tears: ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say it earlier?¡± Sheng Kongzhi said angrily: ¡°You didn¡¯t ask.¡± The two of them were whispering below when the drummer, who had been taken up the stage for criticism, let out a cry. ¡°I know that I have many shortcomings.¡± The drummer held the microphone, fighting back tears in his eyes, ¡°I will work hard, please give me some time.¡± There were reasons why this drummer could participate in the show with such bad skills. One was that he had a backer, and the other was that he was good-looking indeed, and his eyes full of tears easily made people feel pity. No matter what the reason was, the judges had to be biassed. Wang Juan, the show¡¯s mentor, was politely praising the drummer¡¯s potential, when she was interrupted by Ji Sheng. She felt so humiliated that she turned her head and locked her gaze on Ji Sheng in the audience, saying unpleasantly, ¡°Although this drummer does need to improve his strength, his attitude is very good. But on the contrary, this contestant, interrupting while the mentor is talking and rashly commenting on the performance of another participant, is very rude.¡± The camera on the recording set focused on Ji Sheng. The drone camera floated over, and Sheng Kongzhi broke into a cold sweat. After graduation, Li Tan approached him and said that he had encountered an opportunity to make a fortune and saved up money to start a small music company, calling it Qingchu. He wanted to call all the original team back to reorganise the band. But Su Jing was unable to participate because of e-sports, and with Xie Xuanming, he simply couldn¡¯t get in touch. Li Tan looked for him left and right, and finally gave up and asked Sheng Kongzhi and Ji Sheng if they would like to join. Sheng Kongzhi had no intention to do so, but Ji Sheng insisted, so he agreed. Originally, he thought that joining the company would be like going to a bar to sing and play in his spare time as before. Who knew that KUZI would hold a variety show to select musicians in less than half a year, and the attention would be so high. Coincidentally, Li Tan found an opportunity and sent him and Ji Sheng in. Ji Sheng was very happy to participate in the show. As long as he could beat a drum, he would be so carefree and silly that Sheng Kongzhi couldn¡¯t help but worry about his lack of ambition. Sheng Kongzhi was far less relaxed than Ji Sheng. On the one hand, he was sure that ¡°Music First¡± was a golden opportunity and their performance could definitely change the trajectory of his and Ji Sheng¡¯s lives. On the other hand, he had watched other variety shows under KUZI¡¯s brand and that caused him a lingering fear. KUZI¡¯s malicious editing was very scary, and it was a common practice to step on players with no background and promote those with a backer. Both he and Ji Sheng came from a small company with no background, and now Ji Sheng had jumped out¡­ It was just begging to be used as raw material for editing. Meanwhile, a few sentences into the conversation between Wang Juan and Ji Sheng, Wang Juan asked him to come on stage and prove himself, and Ji Sheng agreed. ¡°So, what repertoire are you going to perform? Do you need a sound teacher to prepare?¡± Before Ji Sheng answered, Sheng Kongzhi grabbed his wrist and shook his head slightly. Ji Sheng glanced at him in surprise, didn¡¯t understand the meaning and continued: ¡°No need. The track performed by the player just now, can the guitar and bass cooperate please?¡± The bass and guitar on stage nodded. Wang Juan was shocked: ¡°Have you practised this song too?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t practised.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°The rhythm is quite sloppy, so freestyle will be fine.¡± Wang Juan and the mentor beside her looked at each other: ¡°Okay, come on up.¡± Ji Sheng got up and asked Sheng Kongzhi, who looked pale and defeated, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­¡± Sheng Kongzhi was helpless. Now that it was impossible to stop it, it could only be seen whether Ji Sheng could generate some value other than the material for malicious editing. Sheng Kongzhi sighed and let go of his wrist: ¡°Play well.¡± ¡°Of course I will.¡± Ji Sheng raised his eyebrows, walked through the auditorium and got on the stage. He first said hello to the mentors, then bowed to the guitar and bass, and then sat on the drum chair. Sheng Kongzhi glanced at the camera. This segment was filmed. Whether it would be broadcast depended on whether the program team was willing to give Ji Sheng a chance. Ji Sheng sat down on the chair and realized that he didn¡¯t bring drumsticks. He raised his head and asked the drummer, ¡°Can I borrow your drumsticks, please?¡± With his back to the camera, all the fragile innocence that the little white flower drummer was selling disappeared, replaced by disdain and malice. He lowered his voice and said angrily: ¡°What kind of trouble are you looking for, so anxious to step on me to get to the top? My company has connections, do you believe that this segment won¡¯t even be broadcast?¡± Ji Sheng was also stunned for a moment by this man¡¯s superb skill of changing his face worthy of Peking Opera. But having been around in society, it was not as if he¡¯d never seen a demon or a ghost before, so he quickly accepted the fact that the harmless little white flower was actually a two-faced guy. Ji Sheng stretched his hand forward without changing his expression: ¡°To broadcast or not to broadcast, you have to play it first.¡± Little white flower that turned black glared at him fiercely and stuffed the drumsticks in his hand rudely: ¡°I have custom drumsticks. Can you afford it if you break it? Poor sod!¡± Ji Sheng ignored him, took the drumsticks, thanked him, tapped the drum a few times to familiarise himself with the feel, and then nodded to the waiting bass and guitar. When the music sounded, Ji Sheng lightly raised his hands. The slender drumsticks revolved in the equally slender fingers, their front ends falling steadily on the drum surface. In the first seconds of the drums joining the melody, the mentors¡¯ expressions completely changed. Someone asked on an anonymous forum how to judge whether a drummer was good. The answer was simple. It depended on whether the audience would directly focus on the drummer from the moment the drums started. Ji Sheng was undoubtedly an excellent drummer. As soon as his drums flared, his stable, hard rhythm strongly overshadowed the melody and slammed straight into the audience¡¯s ears. Wang Juan unconsciously pressed her ears back. According to the instructions of the management, the trashy little white flower had to be guaranteed a place. Inviting Ji Sheng to play, she thought there would be no surprises from this impromptu performance. Even if the performance was okay, some details and little mistakes could be grasped and amplified by editing, elevating the little white flower in the process. However, there were no mistakes. Both the rhythm stability and the stage presence were impeccable. Wang Juan hesitantly took a look at the director hiding in the dark. If this continued, the situation would get out of control. Now she could still call a halt to recover, but later¡­ She was afraid that the script of the show would be greatly changed. Wang Juan looked at the director, but the director didn¡¯t pay attention to her. He was staring intently at the drummer on the stage, rubbing his fingers on the intercom, as if thinking about something. The music reached a climax with Ji Sheng quickly beating the corresponding drums. With a twist of the drumsticks, he added a dazzling technique to the excitement, making the already tight rhythm even tighter, the dense drumbeat taking away the listeners¡¯ breath. The bass drew out a long note and Ji Sheng took advantage of the gap to stop his movements and embrace the light with his arms wide open. The audience was at first stunned and then abuzz with applause from the watching contestants; a few excited ones even jumped up and down, shouting their approval. Amidst cheers, Ji Sheng lowered his eyes and continued to beat the last freestyle, jamming the end of the bass note with an accent to end the perfect presentation. Overwhelming applause. Wang Juan moved her lips lightly, then turned to look at the director again. The director seemed serious, rubbing his fingers over the intercom some more, before his frown finally dissipated and he lifted his hand to the intercom and instructed: ¡°Keep this segment.¡± On the stage, Ji Sheng got up, bowed and turned to the little white flower. The little white flower looked ugly, his clear features grey and dull, his whole face purple. He thought, full of unwillingness, I haven¡¯t lost yet. I will propose an additional test and ask the director to play the recording. I will definitely be able to overcome the kid who came from who knows where. He was about to shout out but was stopped by Ji Sheng. ¡°Thank you for the drumsticks.¡± Ji Sheng smiled, saying it at the volume that the microphone could record. He handed the drumsticks, took advantage of the situation and dragged the little white flower into his arms, covered the mic and spoke softly: ¡°Don¡¯t stick to custom drumsticks, sign up for a class to practice basic skills, it¡¯s not expensive.¡± Ji Sheng patted the little white flower on the back and said softly and sincerely: ¡°By the way, at your current level, even if you fake drum, your hand speed can¡¯t keep up with the beat.¡± CH 40 Ji Sheng let go of the dead-faced little grey flower and walked to the front of the stage. The director decided to change the script. The mentors figured out what was going on, so they were not going to make things difficult. What¡¯s more, Ji Sheng¡¯s performance was perfect. Compared with the little white flower, it could be said to be impeccable. Anyone with ears could hear who was good and who was bad. No matter how brazenly he talked, there was no way to turn black into white and vice versa. So the mentors took a 180-degree turn in their attitude, praised Ji Sheng with a pleasant expression and asked him to go down the stage. Ji Sheng jumped off the stage lightly and returned to his seat. The little white flower¡¯s band was severely criticised by the mentors for a long time and withdrew dejectedly. The lights were slightly dimmed, and the next group of players was ready to play. As soon as the performance began, the audience¡¯s attention was focused on the stage again. Ji Sheng was about to look up but was stopped by Sheng Kongzhi and had to turn to him. ¡°You are too impulsive.¡± Sheng Kongzhi frowned and said disapprovingly, ¡°You almost¡­¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t my mic suddenly bomb¡­¡± Ji Sheng said in a small, defensive voice. Before coming here, Sheng Kongzhi grabbed Ji Sheng and nagged about KUZI¡¯s malicious editing for so long that Jo Sheng finally just nodded like a garlic pounder, almost vowing that he would never even squeak not to give KUZI any material for editing. Who knew that just after arriving, there would be an accident; after stretching out his head, Ji Sheng could only bite the bullet. Sheng Kongzhi looked at him aggrieved, but then comforted him with a gentle expression: ¡°I just watched the director. His expression was very good. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem¡­ But don¡¯t be so impulsive in the future.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ji Sheng agreed. They were talking in low voices when suddenly something happened on the stage. The two-person group performing on the stage had just started playing when they were stared at by the vocal teacher. The vocal teacher leaned forward, frowned and squinted, focusing on the performers on stage. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Wang Juan noticed something wrong and asked in a low voice. The vocal teacher didn¡¯t answer, but his expression became more serious. ¡°Stop!¡± He finally couldn¡¯t help it and shouted loudly. The backstage staff quickly turned off the audio equipment and the music paused. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Why did it stop¡­¡± ¡°Stage accident¡­¡± There was a lot of discussion among the contestants in the audience; the lead singer held the microphone stand, at a loss, looking at the teachers. But the vocal teacher didn¡¯t pay attention to him. ¡°The one in the back, the keyboard player!¡± The vocal teacher frowned and shouted. The keyboard player straightened up and came slightly closer to the mic. The microphone was turned off, but judging by the player¡¯s face, he should have answered something in a low voice. The studio fell silent. The vocal teacher looked at the tall figure in front of him and asked, ¡°Can you tell me why? Your hands were floating above the keys, but the sound was coming out normally.¡± Fake bomb! The stern words of the vocal teacher seemed to sink like a torpedo into the sea, causing an uproar in the studio. Ji Sheng and Sheng Kongzhi also noticed something was wrong, stopped talking, and looked at the stage. When his eyes fell on the contestant, Ji Sheng was stunned. The keyboard player was standing so far back that the voice teacher squinted for a long time before he dared to confirm that he was faking his playing. Now the entire studio with hundreds of people strained their necks but could not see the contestant¡¯s face in the shadows. Finally the vocal teacher said, ¡°Go forward and come to the front to speak.¡± The contestant left the keyboard and walked out from behind. The stage light illuminated his inky hair, swept over the tall bridge of his nose and outlined his thin lips¡­ The contestant stood still in the front of the stage and raised his head, showing his cold face. ¡°Xiao Xie?!¡± Ji Sheng blurted out in amazement. He didn¡¯t control the volume of his voice well, which caused several players in the front row to turn their heads. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Ji Sheng apologised with a smile, turned his head and lowered his voice, hurriedly asking Sheng Kongzhi, ¡°Why is Xiao Xie here?¡± Sheng Kongzhi was also confused: ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Before Li Tan wanted to resurrect Qingchu, it was not that Ji Sheng didn¡¯t try to contact Xie Xuanming, but both the messages sent and the calls made came to nothing and there was no response. Ji Sheng was also worried because he was afraid that Xie Xuanming would make some extreme choices. In order to ban the bad thoughts in his mind, he took a taxi to Xie Xuanming¡¯s high school one afternoon and found Xie Xuanming¡¯s photo in the row of outstanding graduates. Xiao Xie was admitted to a good university. Ji Sheng breathed a sigh of relief£¬ Everything should be fine. After rejoicing, a vague sourness emerged from Ji Sheng¡¯s heart a little. He walked out of the school gate, glanced back, and then lowered his head to kick a stone. Xiao Xie was living a good life; Xiao Xie had cut off his relationship with Qingchu. Two unrelated things were linked together, making it somewhat uncomfortable to think about. Ji Sheng went to a small shop across the road to buy a lollipop, unwrapped it, squatted down against the wall holding the lollipop stick in his hand, and looked ahead in a daze. After some time, someone suddenly appeared on the school wall. A boy in the school uniform climbed up the wall with difficulty, jumped down, and ran away. Ji Sheng was a little surprised after watching the whole process. He fantasised that Xie Xuanming, wearing a school uniform, climbed over the school wall lightly like a cat, patted the dust on his body after landing, and walked away briskly. Even the quiet Xiao Xie would show a relaxed expression when he escaped the shackles. Ji Sheng lowered his head and smiled silently. He stood up, rubbed his numb legs, chewed most of the remaining lollipop and walked away with the empty stick. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t expect to see Xie Xuanming again, especially on such an incredible occasion as a variety show. On the stage, Xie Xuanming stood with his eyes downcast, silent and indifferent, in a posture that was hardly flattering. The vocal teacher frowned and asked, ¡°From your finger positions and gestures, one can tell that you know how to do it. Why didn¡¯t you play?¡± There were faint whispers in the audience; Xie Xuanming picked up the mic. He raised his eyes, his calm gaze showing a bit of sarcasm. ¡°They said I don¡¯t need to make a sound, so I didn¡¯t bother to play.¡± The microphone spread his cold and clear words all over the studio. The audience was silent for a moment. Everyone knew that there were players who didn¡¯t perform live, but revealing these secret things in such a straightforward manner¡­ Really daring. Wang Juan was stunned for a moment, then turned her head to see the director¡¯s face behind the camera. Also looking very stupid. Wang Juan shook her head and lowered her eyes. This segment would probably be cut out. Along with the footage of this contestant, it would not appear in front of the audience. Listening to Xie Xuanming¡¯s words, the vocal teacher was also taken aback. There was actually no need to say anything at this point, this part would never be broadcast. He commented perfunctorily, gave Xie Xuanming a low score, and sent him off. Xie Xuanming stepped down and sat down in the corner seat. The surrounding players avoided him, fearing that the editor¡¯s knife would harm innocent people. Ji Sheng turned his head sideways to look at Xie Xuanming¡¯s back. His hair was longer than a few years ago, a few strands hanging over his nape, making his neck look fair and thin. Ji Sheng stared for a while, until Sheng Kongzhi stretched out his hand to pat him. ¡°It¡¯s almost our turn, let¡¯s get ready.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ji Sheng withdrew his gaze, got up and followed Sheng Kongzhi to the backstage. Ji Sheng and Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s performance was outstanding, and when you looked at the entire recording process, it was one of the few shows that stood out. With their strengths and the director¡¯s intention to focus the script on them, the mentors went along and gave them two quite a few compliments. In the end, Ji Sheng got the highest score among the contestants, and Sheng Kongzhi was 0.5 points lower than him, ranking second. The rule of ¡°Music First¡± was that those with high initial stage scores were eligible to choose a partner for the next performance. When the selection was made, Ji Sheng was the first one to walk onto the stage and take the mic. He looked around and everywhere he glanced, the players demonstrated gestures of goodwill. Who wouldn¡¯t want the opportunity to follow a big guy with a strong story line and rub off some camera attention? Many olive branches were stretched out, but Ji Sheng glanced around perfunctorily, and his gaze fell to the corner seat: ¡°I choose Xie Xuanming.¡± The decision shocked everyone; even the mentors were taken aback, turning their heads to follow Ji Sheng¡¯s gaze and look at the silent young man in the corner. As he suddenly became the centre of attention, Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression did not change much. He raised his cold face and looked at Ji Sheng, as if nothing mattered except the person who chose him. And nothing really mattered. Wang Juan coughed and picked up the host job again: ¡°It¡¯s a very special choice, can we ask why?¡± ¡°Because he¡¯s good looking.¡± Ji Sheng stood with one leg slightly bent as he replied lazily and unreliably, ¡°I like kids who are good looking and have personality.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Wang Juan was taken aback when she heard this, and couldn¡¯t help but glance at the director again. The player chosen to be given a story line was teamed up with the player destined to be cut out. What to do, to cut or not to cut? The director didn¡¯t give a hint. Do you plan to push the boat with the current to enrich the design of the characters? Wang Juan withdrew her eyes. These two players didn¡¯t seem to be easy to manipulate and they really weren¡¯t afraid to have their way. She raised her hand and said, ¡°Good, then contestant Ji Sheng and contestant Xie Xuanming will form a successful team, and the subsequent song selection will be made in the order of the sum of the team scores.¡± After the recording, as soon as Xie Xuanming walked out of the studio, he was hurriedly stopped by a staff member. Xie Xuanming had met him before; he was the one who came to his school and selected him to compete, and he was the one who informed him that he would not switch on his mic before he went on stage. The staff member¡¯s face was distorted with anger: ¡°What are you doing? If you are dissatisfied with something, you can discuss it backstage. What¡¯s the deal with running in front of the camera and making it hard for everyone?¡± ¡°I said I didn¡¯t agree, turn the mic on.¡± Xie Xuanming said coldly, ¡°Has anyone discussed it with me?¡± ¡°Then you can¡¯t¡ª¡ª¡± the staff member was furious, ¡°You could have been the main star, but now you¡¯ve offended the crew, and I¡¯ve been scolded as well!¡± The more he said, the angrier he became, reaching out to grab Xie Xuanming¡¯s shoulder: ¡°Go, go find the director.¡± Xie Xuanming dodged: ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Apologise and let him give you another chance!¡± The staff frowned angrily, ¡°You caused so much trouble in the late stage of the recording, don¡¯t you need to apologise?¡± The staff member tried to reach out and drag him again but was avoided. ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡± Xie Xuanming said clearly. Seeing him being so stubborn, the staff was completely mad: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? Do you think you¡¯re good enough to be a contestant? I¡¯m telling you, with that kind of attitude, you won¡¯t even get a shot until the last episode. If you don¡¯t want to record, get lost and don¡¯t be an eyesore here.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes were downcast as he didn¡¯t answer, but then his shoulders were suddenly grabbed by someone and his weight shifted back, making him fall into a bony embrace. Ji Sheng appeared from who knows where, stood on tiptoe and hung on Xie Xuanming. ¡°You are here, I¡¯ve been looking for you for a long time.¡± He finished his words coquettishly, raised his eyes to look at the staff member who was panting like a bull in front of them, and turned away coldly. ¡°Xiao Xie, follow me, let¡¯s take some funny pictures. Don¡¯t bother. ¡°People outside the camera should focus on their work outside the camera and cut off the pushy rantings that affect the contestants¡¯ form.¡± CH 41 Before the staff member had time to get angry, the backstage door opened and a group of contestants rushed in. As they approached, they joked and laughed, but soon someone noticed that the atmosphere was not right. They gradually stopped talking and peeped over. Under their eyes, the staff member¡¯s face darkened to the point of turning blue. Naturally, he couldn¡¯t attack in front of so many people; he gave Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming a fierce look, turned around and left. The crowd became lively again; Ji Sheng grabbed Xie Xuanming and pulled him away: ¡°Go to the dorm to change clothes, and then let¡¯s go to choose a song, what are you doing here?¡± Pulled by him, Xie Xuanming tilted his head and in a daze realized that he needed to look down at Ji Sheng. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have clashed with him.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°He¡¯s from inside and could start targeting you.¡± ¡°Call me brother, boy.¡± Ji Sheng gently knocked him on the forehead, ¡°After three years you don¡¯t recognise your brother Ji anymore?¡± Xie Xuanming was stunned for a second and said, ¡°Brother Ji.¡± Xiao Xie was still the good Xiao Xie; Ji Sheng rubbed his face twice with satisfaction: ¡°Why didn¡¯t you contact us?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xie Xuanming paused a little and said, ¡°I changed my mobile phone and couldn¡¯t find the contact information.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± There were loopholes in this excuse, but Ji Sheng accepted it, ¡°Then remember to add it when you go back, lest I can¡¯t find you next time I look for you.¡± ¡°Has Brother Ji looked for me?¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Ji Sheng hung on him and swayed. ¡°The lead singer ran away, the band can not be formed, ah. Didn¡¯t you see our performance, Lao Sheng was forced to sing?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t see.¡± ¡°Good guy.¡± Ji Sheng rubbed his hair two or three times and said with a smile, ¡°You are sitting on the show and openly ignoring it. You¡¯ve grown up really disobedient. Your brothers are on stage and you don¡¯t even watch the performances seriously!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t watch it seriously.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°I was so focused on you that I didn¡¯t pay attention to the others.¡± Ji Sheng was stunned for two seconds, then laughed: ¡°Xiao Xie, where did you learn those corny love words hahahahaha, it¡¯s so fun.¡± He laughed for a while before he stopped, slapping Xie Xuanming: ¡°But it still sounds very sultry, matching your beautiful face, be sure of that! ¡° Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change: ¡°Then are you touched?¡± ¡°En en.¡± Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t hold back and poked his face again, ¡°Xiao Xie is really cute.¡± Xie Xuanming turned his head silently. That means no. He was past the age of cute. Although Ji Sheng¡¯s score was very high, it was neutralised by Xie Xuanming¡¯s low score and the total score of the two was immediately pushed below the scores of other teams. Ji Sheng watched all his favourite styles being selected, finally left with an unfamiliar style, standing dumbfounded. ¡°I have never tried folk songs.¡± Ji Sheng listened to that demo over and over again, feeling unlucky and troubled. Xie Xuanming said, ¡°This is the first time for me¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s great news.¡± Ji Sheng muttered, ¡°Why are you here on the show?¡± Xie Xuanming couldn¡¯t immediately adapt to such a leap of logic. He paused to look at the red dot of the camera and said, ¡°The school said that this will be an increase in grade points, and I am a few tenths short of full grades.¡± Ji Sheng whistled and said with a smile: ¡°This is a world that a poor student like me who hugs the teacher¡¯s knees to get a passing grade cannot understand.¡± ¡°You are a top student here.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°Top student, we are going to try a new style.¡± ¡°Come on then.¡± Ji Sheng said lazily, ¡°Folk songs are in the blind spot of my knowledge, we¡¯ll need to think of the adaptation method. You sing or I sing?¡± ¡°You sing.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°Your voice is in good condition.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°Forget it, my voice is okay for rock but the gentle style of folk songs¡­ it¡¯s really beyond my imagination.¡± ¡°You can sing.¡± Xie Xuanming insisted, ¡°I want to hear you sing, you sing very well.¡± The staff stepped in as a voice-over: ¡°Can Ji Sheng sing?¡± ¡°En.¡± Xie Xuanming was the first to reply, ¡°He sings very well. He was the lead singer before.¡± ¡°You kid¡­¡± Ji Sheng glanced at him and muttered helplessly, ¡°Don¡¯t lift my old bottom, ah.¡± ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you sing during the first stage?¡± The staff continued to ask, ¡°If I remember correctly, your partner was Sheng Kongzhi and he was responsible for guitar and singing at the same time, right?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s right.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°Isn¡¯t the combination of vocals and guitar a classic? Lao Sheng, that is Sheng Kongzhi, was more suitable for that track than me. After discussing it, we decided that he would sing.¡± ¡°So¡­¡± The staff said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll look forward to you showing your singing skills in the first performance.¡± ¡°Why are you looking forward to it?¡± Ji Sheng smiled dumbfounded, ¡°Maybe I won¡¯t sing, Xiao Xie sings much better than me.¡± Xie Xuanming, who had been silent since Sheng Kongzhi was mentioned, suddenly said, ¡°Brother Ji, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Go to the bathroom.¡± The staff was just going to complain that this contestant was so clingy that he had to be accompanied when he went to the bathroom. However, Ji Sheng got up happily and took Xie Xuanming away, looking like a mother chicken taking the chickens across the street. It was Ji Sheng who pulled Xie Xuanming at first but as soon as they walked around the corner, Xie Xuanming suddenly stopped and dragged Ji Sheng somewhere forcefully. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t expect to be pulled into a narrow niche. Xie Xuanming quickly reached out and padded the back of his head with his hand to prevent him from hitting the wall. Ji Sheng instinctively stretched out his hand to support himself. The space was too small and his palm landed directly onto Xie Xuanming¡¯s body; what he touched was not the softness of the flesh, but something pressing against his palm. However, this supple feeling was not bad. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t realized what he touched, so he poked Xie Xuanming twice in the lower abdomen and then his wrist was grabbed. The hand holding him tightly had long and thin fingers wrapping around his wrist with ease. Did the kid have such big hands before? Ji Sheng lowered his head and stared at Xie Xuanming¡¯s sharp protruding wrist bone for a second. ¡°What are you pulling me here for?¡± He finally asked looking up. ¡°There are no cameras here.¡± Xie Xuanming expertly covered Ji Sheng¡¯s mic with his free hand; he took off his own mic long before he went out. ¡°Oh.¡± Ji Sheng was taken aback for a moment, ¡°You know a lot.¡± ¡°¡­There are some things I want to say, it¡¯s best not to do it in front of the camera.¡± ¡°En?¡± Xie Xuanming looked serious. ¡°It¡¯s a variety show. It says it¡¯s for musicians, but it¡¯s actually based on popularity, a variation on the old talent show.¡± He paused and asked in a low voice, ¡°Do you want to make your debut in a band here?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Ji Sheng smiled, ¡°If I didn¡¯t, why would I come here?¡± ¡°Then pay attention.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°The camera, the script, human interactions are all very important. Don¡¯t lift others and give away all the highlights, it¡¯s not good.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ji Sheng was silent for two seconds, then suddenly raised his head and sighed, ¡°When did you grow so tall?¡± When he looked up, his neck felt a little sore. Xie Xuanming was caught off guard by the suddenly changed topic and paused a little before he answered: ¡°These two years.¡± ¡°So tall.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°It¡¯s a bit difficult for me to rub your head.¡± Hearing this, Xie Xuanming squatted down silently and leaned his head over. Ji Sheng froze for a moment and burst out laughing, ¡°It¡¯s just an example, I¡¯m not really going to rub it.¡± He held Xie Xuanming¡¯s face with both hands and rubbed it twice: ¡°Xiao Xie, why are you growing in size but not in mind, you are so good and cute.¡± Xie Xuanming, with his cheeks pinched, insisted vaguely: ¡°Do you remember what I just said?¡± ¡°En en.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°I remember, thank you, Xiao Xie.¡± He smiled again: ¡°At any rate, I am two years older than you. Trust my judgement a little bit!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Xie Xuanming obediently endured him rubbing his face for a while, then straightened up, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± During the preparation for the first performance, the first issue of ¡°Music First¡± was broadcast. Since the emergence of talent shows in the market, they were occupying a lasting hotspot. ¡°Music First¡± took on the theme of bands, but the direction was still the same as that of a talent show, with the exception of the new element of a ¡°band¡±. Fans who smelled the talent show quickly gathered around and filled up the comments section. KUZI changed the script, gave up the little white flower drummer and instead promoted Ji Sheng¡¯s the ¡°Great Devil¡± persona. From the soundtrack during his appearance to the editing of the contestants¡¯ reactions, they spared no effort to create the image of ¡°this player is very strong but too arrogant¡±. The biggest role of editing was to lead the public opinion. Judging from the comments, KUZI¡¯s editing was very successful. [Damn, that drummer is too crazy, right?] [He has the power to be crazy. Dog Head¡¿ [To be honest, he pushes my buttons. A willful and assertive beauty that is not to be messed with. ¡¿ [Stop that, the drummer is a purebred idiot, nothing but a face, useless, are you blind to like him? ¡¿ [But there¡¯s a face, huh? Many people don¡¯t even have a face¡­¡¿ [Upstairs is right, haha, upstairs upstairs must be too ugly, that¡¯s why they¡¯re spraying acid] ¡¾¡­¡­¡¿ Probably because Ji Sheng chose Xie Xuanming as his partner, KUZI also released Xie Xuanming¡¯s first stage performance for the sake of the integrity of the show. However, they didn¡¯t expose the fake playing section, only let the mentor dub a few sentences later, forcibly editing the cut to look ¡°normal¡±. Even so, the audience still saw Xie Xuanming¡¯s rebellious and sharp personality as he listened to the comments with his eyes downcast and his expression disdainful. [Does no one like that player? Aren¡¯t ascetic rebellious young men good? ¡¿ [He¡¯s a bit touching, but his temper doesn¡¯t look good, so I guess he¡¯ll be cut off by KUZI in a couple of issues.] [Already offended, right?¡­] [I also think so¡­ listening to the evaluation of the mentor so unhappily, too shameless. ¡¿ [But I feel that the cp between him and the drummer will be very good¡­] ¡¾Very good +1¡¿ The first issue of ¡°Music First¡± received a warm response. The team took the opportunity to launch the registration for the first public performance, and many show fans immediately rushed to come and see the show. For their first public performance, KUZI went to great lengths to get a cooperation with a major magazine ILS, and the group that got the highest score was going to have a photo shoot for the pictorial. Although the prize was generous, Xie Xuanming and Ji Sheng not only did not get the style they were good at, but they even had worse luck than others as they had drawn number one in the order of appearances. Since the performances would only be voted on after all performances were over, this order of appearances was obviously detrimental to the result of the competition. The audience had already entered, and the staff was conducting the final inspection. In the dressing room, Ji Sheng was sitting in front of the mirror, dressed in a light blue shirt. His long hair was tied low by a light-colored hair rope and pressed under a white straw hat. The crown of the hat was wrapped with a dark green ribbon, its long ends hanging down to his sides, giving him a bit of an old style youth look. Behind him, Xie Xuanming was dressed in a plain white robe with a thin strip of cyan lace tied around his waist. When he walked, his clothes fluttered, making him look almost unearthly, like a kind of an immortal. But at this moment, the cold immortal was quite preoccupied with earthly business. He stood behind Ji Sheng, his eyes chasing the dark green ribbon that kept swaying. Ji Sheng noticed Xie Xuanming¡¯s wandering gaze, raised his eyes to look at him in the mirror, and joked: ¡°When did you turn into a cat, you can¡¯t look away when you see something moving.¡± Xie Xuanming kept staring: ¡°Can I touch it?¡± ¡°Touch, touch. Your brother is not a rare animal, it¡¯s not illegal to touch me,¡± Ji Sheng said with a smile. With that said, he picked up the ribbon and pushed it into Xie Xuanming¡¯s hand. Who knew that Xie Xuanming¡¯s outstretched hand would bypass the ribbon and continue to go down¡­ until it stroked a strand of inky hair. That strand was a fish that missed the net when Ji Sheng¡¯s hair was tied, or maybe it was an imperfection that the stylist deliberately allowed. But no matter what it was, that soft strand was now squeezed in Xie Xuanming¡¯s palm and he couldn¡¯t help but play with it. Xie Xuanming carefully spread his fingers and tangled the soft strand around them. Ji Sheng did not say a word and let him do so, his docilely lowered eyelashes stirring a long-forgotten impulse in Xie Xuanming¡¯s heart. ¡°Long hair looks good.¡± Xie Xuanming stared intently at the hair wrapped around his fingers and dared to cross the line lightly, ¡°Brother Ji, will you keep your hair long for me?¡± The author has something to say£º Some people call other people ¡°brother¡± on the surface, but in reality they secretly call them ¡°wife¡± CH 42 ¡°Huh? ¡°Ji Sheng raised his head in confusion when he heard this and looked at Xie Xuanming without blinking, ¡°Why do you suddenly want me to grow long hair?¡± ¡°Because it looks good.¡± ¡°Ah friend.¡± Ji Sheng looked at him with amusement, ¡°It doesn¡¯t work if you think it looks good, it works only if the audience thinks it looks good.¡± Xie Xuanming stretched out his hand to push away the hair stuck to the tear mole at the corner of Ji Sheng¡¯s eye and whispered, ¡°I think it looks good.¡± ¡°Why are you such a strange kid?¡± Ji Sheng narrowed his eyes, ¡°At sixteen or seventeen you look quite mature, but two or three years older you become childish instead.¡± The staff came over to urge them to go on stage. Xie Xuanming tucked the strand of hair behind Ji Sheng¡¯s ear and lowered his hand: ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Ji Sheng got up and staggered, stepping on the hem of his clothes. Xie Xuanming stretched out his hand to help him. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ji Sheng straightened the straw hat on his head, ¡°This is really blocking my line of sight.¡± ¡°As long as it doesn¡¯t affect the performance.¡± ¡°Haha, right.¡± The performance was very successful. The unique images of the two of them were the first to attract attention, making the fans scream constantly. Even the audience who didn¡¯t know them asked about the names of these two contestants after they appeared on the stage. It was true that folk tunes were something that Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming were not good at and had never tried before; but the duo¡¯s extensive performance experience when they were younger had given them a maturity of stage presence beyond their years. Xie Xuanming and Ji Sheng were able to incorporate almost any style into their compositions. In this song, Ji Sheng downplayed the strength of the drums and simply played the frame rhythm, focusing more on the vocals in pursuit of a better performance. Xie Xuanming, on the other hand, showed a skill he had never exposed before¡ª¡ªguitar. ¡°Xiao Xie actually can play it?¡± Even Ji Sheng had to ask in surprise after hearing his adaptation idea. ¡°I have studied in the past two years.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°I have learned some drums and keyboards, too, but I am not good at them.¡± ¡°Awesome awesome.¡± Ji Sheng exclaimed, ¡°Xiao Xie is really a miracle baby! Is there something you don¡¯t know how to play?¡± ¡°Bass.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°I haven¡¯t studied bass.¡± ¡° ¡°Eh, why, don¡¯t you like bass?¡± ¡°No reason¡­ I just didn¡¯t really want to learn.¡± The camera turned back to the scene. Xie Xuanming was holding an acoustic guitar and sitting not far from the drum set. With his eyes lowered, he gently plucked the strings to play a simple tune. No matter how overwhelming the cheers in the audience were, there was a kind of coldness and restraint on his face that had nothing to do with the worldly things. More like an immortal. Many of the audience came in with preconceptions of the two contestants, Xie Xuanming and Ji Sheng, as young, willful and prickly, anticipating what kind of shocking and explosive performances they would put on. But the reality surprised them. In the soft light, the two sat quietly on the green vine swing telling the story of the first snowfall in the fields. Although it was different from the excitement of rock and roll, it had a different flavour. After the performance, the two got up and bowed, and the audience shouted and applauded. The director watched the audience¡¯s reaction from behind the stage and nodded secretly, thinking that his decision to change the script was correct. He might have been happy a little too early. When Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming stepped down, they ran into the second group of the contestants standing in the corner with their faces ashen. Although the first group to play generally suffered in voting, with Xie Xuanming and Ji Sheng opening the show with a big hit, the later performances seemed monotonous and boring. The contestants in the second group bore the brunt of the impact. They stood in the waiting area crying without tears, staring at the two contestants who had caused them problems. The one with the fluttering headband smiled and waved at them: ¡°Go for it.¡± It¡¯s a provocation, right! It¡¯s pity! It¡¯s intentional, isn¡¯t it! Before the faces of the second group of players turned completely black, they saw the cold-looking contestant beside the one with the fluttering headband grab his hand and take him away with his arm around his waist. ¡°Eh, Xiao Xie, what are you doing? I was going to encourage them with a few more words!¡± Ji Sheng was dragged away by Xie Xuanming. ¡°They? They may not want to accept your encouragement.¡± Xie Xuanming said calmly. ¡°Eh?¡± Ji Sheng was hit hard, his eyelashes drooped, and his head hung pitifully, ¡°I just wanted to hug and cheer them.¡± Hug me instead. Xie Xuanming thought to himself. But in the end, he only gently pulled the ribbon on Ji Sheng¡¯s head, about to speak, when the staff rushed up to them from not far away. ¡°There is a live interview after the performance! Hurry up, you guys! It¡¯s about to start!¡± When Xie Xuanming and Ji Sheng arrived at the live broadcast site, the live broadcast had already begun, and the audience kept refreshing the names of each player on the screen. After the two of them appeared in front of the camera, the barrage exploded instantly. The names of the two filled the screen separately and together. The live broadcast was a bit stuck. The host smiled and asked the two of them to sit down: ¡°Is that the look for today¡¯s show? It¡¯s beautiful!¡± ¡°Thank you, it¡¯s a show look.¡± Ji Sheng replied with a smile. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re trying a new style. Is the hair a wig?¡± ¡°Ah no, it¡¯s hair extensions, for stage effect.¡± ¡°It looks good.¡± The host sincerely appreciates it. Ji Sheng smiled cheerfully: ¡°Xiao Xie also thinks it looks good!¡± With the entry pleasantries out of the way, the host pulled out the prepared tablet and began to ask questions. ¡°I saw your first public performance and you did really well, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll surprise a lot of viewers when it¡¯s broadcast!¡± Ji Sheng turned to look at Xie Xuanming, gently pushing him with his elbow. Xie Xuanming picked up the mic blankly: ¡°Thank you.¡± The host continued to ask: ¡°The cooperation between the two of you can be said to be very tacit. It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s the first time you have cooperated. Was there some kind of connection before?¡± ¡°I used to be in a band with Xiao Xie¡­ two or three years ago, when he was still young and underage.¡± Ji Sheng smiled, ¡°Xiao Xie is a particularly good little brother of mine.¡± ¡°Xiao Xie, how about you?¡± ¡°Brother Ji, he is regarded as my benefactor.¡± ¡°What kind of benefactor?¡± The host asked. ¡°A unique benefactor.¡± The barrage exploded in an instant. [Their looks are a good match, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be a bamboo horse cp! It¡¯s not a loss to invest in shares, sisters! ¡¿ [If no one does, I¡¯ll do it first! ¡¿ [Lead us, Xiefang Jifang, the construction of the beauty empire requires every stoned chicken(1) to work hard and contribute! ¡¿ ¡°The fans and friends of the two of you are very excited!¡± The host glanced at the barrage, smiled and opened the next question. ¡°For what reason did the two contestants come to the show ¡°Music First¡±?¡± ¡°I want to answer.¡± Ji Sheng picked up the microphone, ¡°I want to form a band, and then with my band members, I will release an album and go on a national tour.¡± ¡°Great wish, what about Xiao Xie?¡± ¡°I want to make my debut with Brother Ji.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°Forming a band together, making an album together, and touring together, this is the purpose of my coming to this show.¡± As soon as these words came out, the barrage went crazy. If just now there were still fans warning about the trap, after the main character took the initiative to carry the cp banner, there was almost no sign of individual fans in the barrage, leaving only the cp name and the cheers of stoned chickens on the screen. The host smacked her lips for a few seconds watching the skyrocketing heat and asked the last question while the iron was hot. ¡°Say a few words to each other.¡± Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming looked at each other. Although it was a segment setting, Ji Sheng felt a little uncomfortable when he suddenly needed to talk sincerely to someone he had known for a long time. He rubbed his head, scowling at the straw hat that got in the way, and said awkwardly: ¡°You are the best lead singer I have ever seen.¡± Xie Xuanming was much calmer than him. He looked at Ji Sheng, his eyes lit up with the fragmented light. ¡°You are my favourite brother,¡± he said seriously. Ji Sheng felt goosebumps for a moment. It¡¯s too corny, it¡¯s like a confession. His ears were a little hot, and he wanted to cover his face inexplicably. But Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression was sincere, and Ji Sheng finally only stretched out his hand speechlessly and rubbed his hair, which could be considered a response. In the midst of the embarrassment, the voice of the host came to the rescue like a saviour of the hamster Ji Sheng who was punching holes all over the place with his eyes. ¡°The following is the interactive session of the barrage. Let¡¯s take a look at what fans and friends want to say about Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming.¡± The host took the tablet and wanted to read the first one, but suddenly shut up, her words stuck in her throat. Xie Xuanming and Ji Sheng turned their heads, and the host covered the screen in panic. She moved slowly and her hand was not big enough. The two of them still caught a glimpse of the first comment on the screen between her spread fingers. [Exhibiting the orphan of the dead mother, ah! Be careful for the bad luck to spread to others and make the other players unlucky. ¡¿ A bad comment. It was a vicious comment that was extremely targeting in the true sense. How could this kind of comment be selected! Ji Sheng was suspicious£¬ Was there no comment screening? Wouldn¡¯t it be checked? Instinctively, he turned to look at Xie Xuanming. Xie Xuanming stood with his eyes lowered, staring at the screen and not moving. There was neither joy nor anger on his face, but his hands on his knees were clenched a bit tight, the blue veins clearly visible. Ji Sheng¡¯s face suddenly was grim. He looked at the staff members behind the camera of the live broadcast room coldly and finally focused on a familiar face in the corner. The staff member who had threatened Xie Xuanming before was there, and when he saw Ji Sheng¡¯s gaze, he smiled maliciously at him. It was retaliation and warning. It was impossible to say whether it was a default behaviour for the program group. Ji Sheng retracted his gaze. There was a dead silence in the live broadcast room. The audience did not see the comment and did not know what happened. They sent question marks on the barrage one after another, asking what was going on. ¡°Ah, this¡­¡± It took a while before the host stammered trying to control the situation. She looked outside the camera as if she was asking for help, but the staff were indifferent and silent, forcing her to continue. They deliberately let the players see this comment, the host understood clearly. She glanced sideways at the two young men with gloomy faces and a bit of anger rose in her heart, but she was powerless. When a man stands under eaves, he has to lower his head. When someone reaches out to slap you, you can only suffer, not even having the right to be angry. She forced herself to smile and was just about to round up when she saw Ji Sheng take off his hat; his long hair was caught by the straw and separated into countless strands, dazzling and messy. Ji Sheng lightly put his hat on Xie Xuanming¡¯s head, covering most of his face, then turned around and took the tablet from the unresponsive host. He held the tablet in one hand, smoothened his fluffy hair to the back of his head with the other hand, stared at the name of the first commenter, and clearly said one word after another: ¡°Lazy Pig, right? Are you watching the live broadcast?¡± Ji Sheng leaned over to approach the live camera. ¡°I have nothing to say to you.¡± He looked down at the live camera and stretched out his hand clenched in a fist. Then gave a standard middle finger. 1. Stoned (drugged) chicken, an entertainment circle term, meaning people who get high on cp CH 43 Due to Ji Sheng¡¯s uncivilised actions during the live broadcast, the scene was chaotic for a while, and then the live broadcast room was hurriedly closed by the staff. The host watched in amazement as Ji Sheng retracted his international friendly gesture, walked straight to the corner and looked down at a staff member condescendingly. The man shrank under his cold gaze; Ji Sheng clenched his fists, and everyone on the live broadcast heard his knuckles crunch. The staff member was a little optimistic, thinking that maybe Ji Sheng wouldn¡¯t do anything in front of so many people¡­ He suddenly heard the sharp swish in the air, and the fist approached his face. The staff member leaned back in horror, his mouth opened silently, as he watched the fist continue to enlarge in front of his eyes. The fist was a few centimetres away from his cheek and he already felt the air displaced by the motion when Ji Sheng stopped. Xie Xuanming behind him grabbed his wrist and whispered, ¡°Forget it.¡± Furious, Ji Sheng struggled a little. But Xie Xuanming¡¯s grip was so firm that he couldn¡¯t move. The staff member fell to the ground, shivering with his mouth open, and gasped for breath. At this moment, the director hurried over and saw this scene of attempted violence as soon as he entered the door. He was irate: ¡°What¡¯s the matter? What the hell?!¡± No one answered. The director pointed his finger at the two of the contestants bitterly and yelled ¡°Isn¡¯t anyone going to pull them away yet!¡± The other staff members awoke as if from a dream and crowded around the three people. Some of them dragged Xie Xuanming and Ji Sheng backwards, while one picked up the staff member who had fallen to the ground. The tension went down a bit and a staff member timidly asked, ¡°Is it still broadcasting?¡± ¡°No way!¡± The director had calmed down a little, but he was angered by this insensitive person again. He yelled angrily, ¡°What else to broadcast, hurry up and prepare for public relations to work!¡± He stretched out his hand and pointed to Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming: ¡°Take them back to the dorm first.¡± Sheng Kongzhi ended his performance and curtain call, and hurried from the stage to the dormitory. He knocked on the door hurriedly, pushed the door open without waiting for a response, and asked Ji Sheng straightforwardly: ¡°What did you do during the live broadcast?¡± Ji Sheng was lying on the bed in a daze; when he heard Sheng Kongzhi, he turned over and sat up. After calming down, Ji Sheng also knew that he was too impulsive. He rubbed his scattered hair, avoiding Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s stern eyes, and began to talk about the live broadcast accident, omitting the specific content of the vicious comment. As he retold what had happened, the bathroom door opened and Xie Xuanming emerged from it with his hair wet. Ji Sheng stopped talking briefly. ¡°Xiao Xie.¡± Sheng Kongzhi greeted him, then turned back to Ji Sheng without waiting for a response, ¡°Continue.¡± Ji Sheng cleared his throat and continued to speak. Xie Xuanming stood still and listened silently. ¡°¡­The host asked me if I had anything to say about the comment, I said no and then, and then gave the camera a middle finger¡­¡± Ji Sheng paused, ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s face turned black and white, and he finally whispered sharply: ¡°What did I tell you before we came here? This is a variety show. Who you are in the show depends entirely on your appearance in front of the camera¡­ How much effort did it take for Brother Tan to send us in? For what you did today, KUZI can demand compensation from Qingchu. How much money do you think Brother Tan has in his pocket to compensate for you?¡± Ji Sheng lowered his eyes: ¡°Right¡­¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t have anything to do with Brother Ji.¡± Xie Xuanming immediately apologised, and said calmly, ¡°The responsibility lies with me. Brother Ji was angry because of me.¡± ¡°Xiao Xie, don¡¯t protect¡­¡± ¡°That comment was aimed at me.¡± ¡°¡­what did it say?¡± ¡°Xiao Xie!¡± Ji Sheng suddenly raised his voice, shook his head and gave him a stern look. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t seem to see it and continued: ¡°Said I¡¯m a broom star(1) and a dead mother¡¯s son.¡± The room was suddenly quiet. Ji Sheng frowned, pursing his mouth tightly, turned his head and looked over worriedly. Xie Xuanming seemed calm and his emotions couldn¡¯t be seen on the surface. Sheng Kongzhi opened his mouth. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t expect¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡° Xie Xuanming said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, things started because of me, and I will find a solution.¡± ¡°How will you solve it?¡° Sheng Kongzhi and Ji Sheng asked in unison. ¡°I called home just now.¡° Xie Xuanming said. Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s expression relaxed: ¡°I forgot that you had this connection, Xiao Xie.¡± Ji Sheng frowned, ¡°When did you¡­¡± ¡°Just now.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°I went to the bathroom to call.¡± The program team stipulated that mobile phones should be confiscated, but Xie Xuanming had hidden a spare phone in the toilet tank in case of special circumstances. Sheng Kongzhi was a little surprised. He knew that Ji Sheng had hidden his mobile phone, but Xie Xuanming, a well-behaved child, actually broke the rules¡­ He glanced at Ji Sheng reproachfully: ¡°Look at how you brought up Xiao Xie.¡± Ji Sheng ignored him. His expression was rarely serious as he looked at Xie Xuanming: ¡°I¡¯m not asking about the time you called, you and your family¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s settled.¡° Xie Xuanming said, ¡°After all, there is a blood relationship, no matter how it is, it is not easy to be too distant.¡° Ji Sheng looked at him, opened his mouth, and finally said, ¡°It¡¯s up to you to decide.¡± Sheng Kongzhi didn¡¯t share a dormitory with Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming, he sneaked in, so he had to leave now. When he pushed the door and was about to walk away, Ji Sheng suddenly remembered something, stopped him and asked, ¡°What is our ranking?¡± Sheng Kongzhi looked back and said with some amusement: ¡°Are you still thinking about this?¡± ¡°We practised a lot, why shouldn¡¯t I think about it?¡° Ji Sheng said confidently. Sheng Kongzhi stretched out his hand and showed a ¡°1¡±, adding, ¡°Congratulations.¡± He also said: ¡°However, the magazine shooting may be a no go, because of the live broadcast¡­ unexpectedly, the program team gave the spot to second place.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, taking the first place is enough!¡° Ji Sheng waved his hand happily. Xie Xuanming actually wanted to have a photo session with Ji Sheng and frowned slightly when he learned that he had no chance. But Ji Sheng turned his head and smiled at him: ¡°Xiao Xie, we are number one!¡° The unhappiness in his heart disappeared; he smiled back at Ji Sheng and said, ¡°En.¡± ¡°Apologise for me to the other players. ¡°After Ji Sheng was done being happy, he turned to Sheng Kongzhi and said, ¡°The program team won¡¯t let me out of the room.¡± ¡°Because of what? Because they are afraid you¡¯ll get beaten for taking the first place?¡± ¡°No.¡° Ji Sheng shook his head, ¡°Because they lost the live broadcast.¡± The practice of deliberately letting players see bad comments was disgusting, but it was undeniable that live broadcast was indeed an important channel for players to show themselves to the audience. For those players who were not taken seriously in the editing of the main story line and were edited down to a few shots, this was even the only opportunity. After calming down, the thing that made Ji Sheng feel the most guilty for his giving a middle finger was that the follow-up live broadcast was cancelled, and none of the subsequent players were able to participate in it. ¡°It¡¯s not your problem.¡° Sheng Kongzhi understood what he meant and comforted him, ¡°I will apologise for you, and you can say sorry again when you come out.¡° ¡°Okay.¡± Sheng Kongzhi left. Xie Xuanming and Ji Sheng were locked up until noon the next day. Ji Sheng basically figured it out after a night¡¯s sleep. KUZI¡¯s deliberate act of putting up bad reviews for the players to read was so disgusting that if he went back in time, he would still overturn the table on the spot. After thinking it over, Ji Sheng didn¡¯t care anymore. Although he wanted to make his debut, even if he was kicked out of the show, it is not impossible to go back to the bars to do odd jobs. Anyway, he just wanted a place to play drums. It didn¡¯t matter if the venue was a bar or a big stage. As for Xie Xuanming, Xie Xuanming did not care as long as he stayed with Ji Sheng. What¡¯s more, he tricked Ji Sheng into singing three lullabies to him last night on the grounds of ¡°sadness¡±. Although they were all heavy metal rock versions. But Xie Xuanming still slept soundly. Just as Xie Xuanming and Ji Sheng, one more relaxed than the other, were busy entertaining themselves, the public opinion in the outside world had already gone through several twists and changes. Live broadcast clips were flying all over the Internet; Ji Sheng¡¯s middle finger set the entertainment sector on fire, even reaching beyond the entertainment circle. If previously ¡°Music First¡± had only been a splash in the fan circle, this accident sent netizens from all around scrambling to see which dumb kid made an international friendly gesture to the camera on air. KUZI also pre-empted the explosion of public opinion by directing remarks towards Ji Sheng¡¯s personal qualities, intending to make Ji Sheng take the blame before discarding him to save the show¡¯s reputation. Very soon, photos of Ji Sheng¡¯s performances in various bars a few years ago were dug up. In those few hours, due to prejudice and stereotypes about the bar scene, Ji Sheng¡¯s reputation fell to the bottom. ¡°Gangster¡±, ¡°thug¡±, ¡°street kid¡± and similar titles were generously poured over his head. Everything seemed to be proceeding smoothly along the path determined by KUZI¡¯s public relations, but suddenly, a breaking news disrupted all plans. Some netizens tracked the ID that Ji Sheng mentioned during the live broadcast¡ª¡±Lazy pig¡± ¡ª and examined this account. The account¡¯s posts were not deleted in time, and netizens quickly found the comment that was selected during the live broadcast. Cursing words involving family members and cursing others with bad luck. Netizens looked at the vicious comment and were silent for a moment¡­ Public opinion had reversed. [This¡­ is too much] [More than that, this is simply abnormal, recommended to go to a mental hospital for examination] [Damn, I just checked, Xie Xuanming¡¯s mother seems to have really passed away] ¡¾????? Is it true? If it is true, it would be too vicious!!!¡¿ ¡¾Fuck! Not only do I want to show my middle finger to that pig now, I also fucking want to beat him up, what an idiot! ¡¿ In the chaos, some netizens cut out the scene when Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming looked at the screen during the live broadcast. The expressions of the two instantly froze, then Ji Sheng suddenly turned to look at Xie Xuanming¡­ The unnatural reactions of the two once again verified the authenticity of the speculation. If someone gives a middle finger in front of the camera for no reason, the public will judge him as being of low quality, but if he strikes back because his family has been insulted, the public will show understanding. And if you get out of control to protect your friend¡­ Ji Sheng¡¯s image was suddenly transformed from a lowlife thug to a passionate and loyal young man. The reversal continued as ¡°Lazy Pig¡± was revealed to be a member of ¡°Music First¡± staff, and the public outcry came to a final bang. Provoking the contestants by writing bad comments on purpose and showing them during the live broadcast to make them act out of control. How deliberate, how vicious, simply unscrupulous for the sake of heat! Not only the fans, but also the passers-by were angry. Angry netizens rushed to the official accounts of ¡°Music First¡± and KUZI. The public relations department didn¡¯t expect that public opinion would flip 180 degrees so soon and they hurriedly prepared to control the situation¡­ Instead, a few phone calls from the top completely cooled them down. Several sponsors called and questioned the show head-on about whether it had done anything of such poor quality as making contestants read bad comments. If it had, they demanded a swift explanation and apology, or else they would have to cancel their partnership with the show due to its poor image and demand compensation for the corresponding damages. Under pressure from the sponsors, the program team had to kneel down. The public relations department held an urgent meeting and issued an apology overnight. In the statement, the program said that selecting comments during the live broadcast was a personal mistake of a staff member. The program had already fired him and would hold him accountable. Taking into account the psychological damage caused to the corresponding contestants, the program would apologise on the Internet and would also apologise to the contestants face to face, hoping to gain the understanding of the two contestants¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± The director personally went to Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming¡¯s dorm to release them from confinement, bowing his head and apologising for the programme team¡¯s mistake and his own poor attitude. Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming looked at each other. They were isolated from the outside world and didn¡¯t know what was happening on the Internet. When the director knocked on the door, the two thought he was here to raise hell, so they quickly hid the poker and hurriedly stood up. Who would have thought that¡­ public opinion would flip so quickly. After a moment of silence, Xie Xuanming was the first to speak: ¡°Since you apologise, is there any compensation?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The director looked up, stunned. Xie Xuanming looked expressionlessly: ¡°The psychological damage I have suffered, and the negative comments Ji Sheng has received on the Internet, need more than just verbal apologies to make up for.¡± Well said. Ji Sheng secretly kicked the poker exposed under the bed into the shadows, giving Xie Xuanming a thumbs up in his heart. Xiao Xie was worthy of being brought up by Brother Ji and Brother Su and learned a lot about extortion. The director¡¯s face was quite black. He had never seen such daring players. The one who was cursed in the comment was calm and collected, looking like a businessman who ¡°didn¡¯t want dignity but wanted profit¡±, while the one who gave the middle finger to the camera was kicking the poker cards under the bed as if thinking he was blind, while straightening his back with the expression of ¡°yes, I am a gangster and if I don¡¯t get the compensation, I will pull out the knife and kill you on the spot¡±. ¡°What do you want?¡± The director said helplessly. ¡°Isn¡¯t there a magazine photo shoot?¡° Xie Xuanming showed his hidden fangs, saying calmly, ¡°It was supposed to be the prize for the first place, and now we¡¯re taking it back, it¡¯s not too much to ask.¡± 1. Bringing bad luck to others CH 44 The program team negotiated with the magazine for two days and finally changed the number of photo sessions from one to two and the number of people from two to four. Under the condition of ensuring that the magazine resources that had been handed over to the second place could still be given, the first place deprived of resources was allowed to regain the right to have a photo session as well. Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming were the first to arrive at ILS studio. The theme design for the photo session was determined and sent to the program party for review the day before. When they arrived at the scene, Xie Xuanming and Ji Sheng were directly bundled into the dressing room. The theme of the photo session was ¡°The Devil and the Believer¡±. As newcomers to the entertainment industry, Xie Xuanming and Ji Sheng did not have the right to choose. The photographer had already decided that the ¡°Devil¡± was Ji Sheng and the ¡°Believer¡± was Xie Xuanming based on their looks and temperament. Ji Sheng¡¯s hair was cut a little but was still kept at shoulder length. The long, straight style was also suitable for creating a devilish, evil look. Xie Xuanming¡¯s look was simpler and was done first; he looked around a little, then his eyes wandered to Ji Sheng and he came over. Ji Sheng sat on a chair while the make-up artist grabbed his hand and added elements to his wrist. He sat bored, when he suddenly felt a gentle tug on the loose ends of his hair. Ji Sheng raised his head and saw Xie Xuanming. ¡°Xiao Xie.¡° He teased familiarly, ¡°Don¡¯t you feel like the stinky little boy who tugs at the tails of a girl¡¯s hair now?¡± ¡°En.¡° Xie Xuanming responded casually and said nonsensically, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have showed your middle finger on the camera.¡± ¡°¡­it¡¯s been several days and now you remember to say this?¡° Ji Sheng felt a little funny, ¡°Xie Xuanming, aren¡¯t you a little too slow to respond?¡° ¡°You shouldn¡¯t hit people,¡± Xie Xuanming said to him. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to hit him? That bastard.¡± ¡°¡­would like to, but others¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s over.¡° Ji Sheng waved his hand carelessly and almost hit the makeup artist. He nodded and apologised, then put his hand on the back of his chair again, ¡°I don¡¯t care what other people think as long as Xiao Xie is happy.¡° He looked up at Xie Xuanming and said with a smile: ¡°Otherwise, why do you think I don¡¯t cut my hair?¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t expect that his sentence ¡°I just like it¡± would be actually noticed by Ji Sheng. He didn¡¯t know how to react for a while, touched his nose in embarrassment and let out a vague ¡°oh¡±. Ji Sheng still smiled brightly: ¡°So Xiao Xie, are you happy now?¡± I¡¯m never unhappy while I am with you¡­ Xie Xuanming gently curled down the end of his supple hair: ¡°I am very happy.¡± Xie Xuanming was very happy to be able to take photos with Ji Sheng. Unfortunately this session did not require any interaction between the models. The content of the two-person shooting was always the Devil on the top, looking down at the Believer below, or the two passing by each other and the Believer suddenly turning his head and looking at the Devil¡¯s back¡­ There was physical interaction but it only appeared in a single shot. In a single picture Xie Xuanming needed to create a sense of suffocation and danger of ¡°the Believer being coerced by the Devil¡±. ¡°I¡¯m going to be in the frame?¡° Ji Sheng asked ¡°Just the hands.¡± The photographer said, ¡°Take the props.¡± Ji Sheng picked up the drumsticks, walked to the ¡°Believer¡± sitting on the chair and stretched out his hand to gently press the tip against his throat. Xie Xuanming cooperated by holding his wrist. In order to create a sense of the ¡°Devil¡¯s¡± evilness, the makeup artist added many small elements to Ji Sheng, such as emphasising the tear mole at the corner of his eye, drawing ragged corners of his lips and adding tooth marks on his wrist. On the inside of Ji Sheng¡¯s wrist, there were subtle red marks of teeth against the dark blue vein. Xie Xuanming looked up at him, holding the thin wrist in his palm, tapping his index finger on the edge of the tooth marks, gently rubbing the marks with the pads of his fingers. Ji Sheng had very beautiful hands; the drumsticks were held in his slender fingers with a carefree languor, the drumstick tips jabbing at Xie Xuanming¡¯s throat, signalling danger. The tension between the two was surprisingly strong, not at all like the kind of performance newcomers could display. The photographer changed angles, mouthed ¡°NICE¡± and pressed the shutter quickly to capture the image. In the preview photo, the drumsticks of the unseen Devil were used as a blade against the Believer¡¯ throat, but the Believer was oblivious. His bright eyes looked reverently up at the Devil above him as if to worship him as a god, while his hand was clenched on the Devil¡¯s wrist, whether to pull him to the earth or take him somewhere more chaotic than hell. When the photographer announced that the session was over, Ji Sheng wanted to leave but realized that his wrist was still held. ¡°?¡° Ji Sheng lowered his head, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡° Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t say anything but pulled him down a little bit, looked down at the tooth marks on his wrist and rubbed his thumb and index finger over them lightly. His movements were too soft, and Ji Sheng felt a bit weird. Before he had time to think about it, he heard Xie Xuanming mutter in a low voice ¡°¡­it¡¯s just like the real thing.¡± Ji Sheng put away the weird feeling and said with a smile: ¡°The makeup artist has good skills.¡± ¡°En.¡° Xie Xuanming responded and wanted to say something else, but heard someone outside the shed shout. ¡°Xiao Sheng!¡° The wrist was suddenly withdrawn; Xie Xuanming looked at his empty palm, then clenched his fist to hold onto the remaining warmth. ¡°Lao Sheng!¡° Ji Sheng took a few steps over and said joyfully, ¡°How come you¡¯re here so soon?¡± Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s group took second place in the performance and also had a magazine photo shoot opportunity. ¡°We¡¯re the next group to shoot.¡° Sheng Kongzhi smiled, ¡°I wanted to see how you guys are doing. It¡¯s so bad without a mobile phone, communication is too inconvenient.¡± The two talked enthusiastically as Xie Xuanming watched coldly from behind, gently rubbing his fingers, feeling the warmth from the wrist in his palm quickly dissipating. Sheng Kongzhi said a few more words to Ji Sheng, then smiled and said, ¡°By the way, I¡¯m here to find Xiao Xie.¡± ¡°Xiao Xie? Why are you looking for him?¡± Ji Sheng turned his head and the two looked at Xie Xuanming together. The smile on Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s face faded away quickly and at the moment it seemed that only a subtle curve of his lips remained. ¡°Xiao Xie, can I have a word?¡± He said gently. Xie Xuanming and Sheng Kongzhi walked out of the studio. ¡°I saw the shooting of you and Xiao Sheng. It was a good shot.¡° Sheng Kongzhi was the first one to speak. ¡°Thank you.¡° Xie Xuanming said flatly. His calmness did not last long. ¡°You like Xiao Sheng, right?¡± As soon as these words came out, Xie Xuanming raised his eyes. Sheng Kongzhi met his gaze and explained with a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to question it, Xiao Sheng is delightful and feelings are something that can¡¯t be controlled, you¡¯re young and it makes sense to have a fledgling attachment to him.¡± ¡°I am nineteen years old.¡° Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t like his disapproving attitude and his temper rose, ¡°The year you forced Ji Sheng to sing a love song for you, he was nineteen.¡° Sheng Kongzhi noticed his tit-for-tat, remembered the figure that flashed by behind the corner that day, and smiled indifferently: ¡°You think so.¡± ¡°Anyway, you need to exercise restraint.¡° Sheng Kongzhi continued purposefully. ¡±Xiao Sheng¡¯s dream is to make his debut. The world is not tolerant of homosexuality. If your feelings for him are exposed, not only yourself, but Xiao Sheng will also be seriously affected.¡± Are you qualified to say this? Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes became cold. ¡°And,¡° Sheng Kongzhi said, ¡°when Qingchu disbanded before, you chose to cut off contact with us, didn¡¯t you? Now that the decision has been made, don¡¯t interfere with Xiao Sheng¡¯s dreams.¡± As soon as he said that, Xie Xuanming suddenly remembered something. About a year ago, Ji Sheng posted a group photo with Sheng Kongzhi in his circle of friends. In the monotonous style of Ji Sheng¡¯s friends¡¯ circle of either stinky comments or pictures of drums, this group photo came out of nowhere. Xie Xuanming¡¯s right eye twitched when he saw it and he intuitively went to look through Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s circle of friends. The last post there was two hands holding each other, one of the palms curled around a fruit candy, accompanied by the word ¡®love¡¯. Xie Xuanming looked at the hands for a while, raised his hand to delete Sheng Kongzhi, flipped back and looked at the group photo again. In silence, his finger stretched out and withdrew, and finally gently clicked, deleting Ji Sheng as well. At that moment, his sadness was so strong that it overshadowed his sanity. Looking back, he suddenly found an inkling¡ª¡ªeven a careless person like Ji Sheng knew that official announcements of the relationship could not be made fair and square. With Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s euphemistic personality, how could he allow such an ambiguous hint on a social platform? How could the picture be a fruit candy, and how could it be seen by Xie Xuanming, who understood the meaning of the fruit candy? All accidents are the result of inevitability. Xie Xuanming looked down coldly: ¡°You knew three years ago that I liked Ji Sheng.¡± Sheng Kongzhi smiled: ¡°You were obvious.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°Oh.¡± After pausing for a second, Xie Xuanming said: ¡°Ji Sheng¡¯s purpose is not to make a debut, you know it better than anyone. His purpose is to start a band, go on a tour, make an album¡­ to debut, this is your purpose.¡± Sheng Kongzhi stopped laughing: ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Ji Sheng told me that you persuaded him to come to this show.¡° Xie Xuanming looked at Sheng Kongzhi and said softly, ¡°I am very curious. The person who gave up the band three years ago because he wanted to ¡®return to a normal life¡¯, three years later resolutely gives up the ¡®normal life¡¯ because of the band.¡± Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s expression darkened slightly: ¡°Xiao Xie, people change.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t changed.¡° Xie Xuanming denied, ¡°You have always pursued maximising benefits, and it can be said that your original intention has not changed.¡± Sheng Kongzhi was silent. Xie Xuanming said: ¡°People tend to seek benefits instinctively, and there is nothing wrong with it but if they pursue their own interests and hypocritically say it is for the sake of others¡­ This is too insincere. Don¡¯t you think so? Brother Sheng.¡± Sheng Kongzhi didn¡¯t speak for a while, not smiling anymore. ¡°After all, don¡¯t you just want to snatch Ji Sheng?¡± Sheng Kongzhi spoke with an uncertain expression on his face, ¡°The jealousy of a child that has to be covered up with pompous words.¡± ¡°Ji Sheng is not an item and there is no way to ¡®snatch¡¯ him.¡° Xie Xuanming said coldly. ¡°Then don¡¯t do anything that bothers him and embarrasses him.¡± ¡°Who is doing something that bothers him?¡° Xie Xuanming tilted his head slightly, ¡°I just completed the photo shoot according to the photographer¡¯s request. Brother Sheng, you hurriedly called me out to talk¡­ What are you panicking about? I am very curious. Even if my intentions are bad, Ji Sheng has a clear conscience. What are you unsure about? Are you worried about Ji Sheng¡¯s future, or do you distrust your relationship?¡± Sheng Kongzhi couldn¡¯t laugh at what he said, so he could only lower his voice and warn: ¡°This is between me and Xiao Sheng, it has nothing to do with others.¡± Now it was Xie Xuanming¡¯s turn to smile. His eyes curved, revealing a little bit of jealous edge that he couldn¡¯t hide. ¡°Brother Sheng is overly concerned.¡± Xie Xuanming took a step forward and spoke softly. ¡°I will wait until things are no longer between you and Ji Sheng before I make my move¡­ you can rest assured, I am very patient.¡± CH 45 The magazine quickly published the photos and they caused quite a splash in public opinion. ¡°The Demon and the Believer¡±, a setting that was obviously very suitable for a cp, quickly aroused the interest of netizens. Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming¡¯s different expressive styles and undeniable tension between them made this set of pictures a family heirloom for stoned chickens and cp fans, and word about the photos spread around, making Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming rather famous in certain circles. [Who are these two?? The sexual tension is too strong, I feel like they¡¯re going to DO it in the next second] [Quickly bring the bed over for the two of them!!] [Tsk tsk, feeling like I¡¯m playing with something extraordinary] [So who are these two after all this talk??? Show the way for the stoned chicken!] [Guide cp super topic¡ªXiefang Jifang, both of them are ¡°Music First¡± contestants, if you are interested, you can vote for them~] [¡­¡­] The popularity of the magazine pictures soared all the way and finally even floated to a low position in the hot search and stayed there for a while. Xiefang Jifang cp also followed closely, and with it Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming¡¯s already impressive ranking moved up. The former, who initially fluctuated between first and third places, firmly stayed in the first place after this battle, gradually developing a trend of continuous victories. The latter managed to make it to the front row and join the predicted number of debutants. The best strategy for a talent show was to preemptively seize a high position at the beginning of the show. After all, the experience of countless predecessors told both players and show fans that contestants who were hot at the beginning might not be able to debut in the end, but the possibility of a player who was in jeopardy at the beginning to debut was almost zero. It was rare for someone to rise to the top after one public performance, like Xie Xuanming, and this was also thanks to his stunning face that helped to attract a number of fans as soon as it appeared on the screen. The second and third public performances were mainly to stabilise the rankings. The players in the lower ranks might change their places, but the position in the front row was difficult to shake. In the second public performance, Xie Xuanming did very well, ending the second public ranking going up instead of dropping, from the cut-off edge of the debut position into the middle position, with a vague momentum towards the high position. ¡°Now we can form a band together.¡± After the second ranking came out, Ji Sheng rubbed his hair and said happily. Xie Xuanming lowered his head and smiled. Talent shows were about being popular, but they were definitely not just a competition of popularity. Ji Sheng¡¯s thoughts were a bit naive. But Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t say anything. He only let out a small ¡°en¡±, as his fingers moved to hook the tail of Ji Sheng¡¯s hair and gently bend it. ¡°Xie Xuanming, come here for a while.¡± On a certain night two days before the third public performance, Xie Xuanming was suddenly called away by the staff during practice. ¡°Why?¡± He got up. ¡°Record a single interview.¡± Xie Xuanming nodded to his teammates and followed the staff out. Not even halfway out, Xie Xuanming was keenly aware that the direction the staff was taking was not the interview room. But he didn¡¯t say anything, just stuck his hand in his pocket and moved it a little. The two walked in silence to the area where the players were not allowed to enter. The staff took Xie Xuanming to an office, knocked on the door lightly, turned his head and said, ¡°Here we are, go in.¡± Xie Xuanming looked up at the plate on the door ¡¾Chief Executive Officer¡¿ He pushed the door open without saying a word. ¡°Xiao Xie is here?¡± Compared with the indifference of the staff, the CEO showed great enthusiasm. As soon as Xie Xuanming entered the room, the man straightened up as if he had been waiting for a long time, calling his name with a smile. No fish is too small to catch. Xie Xuanming looked at the man twice to make sure he hadn¡¯t spoken to him before. ¡°Can I help you?¡± He stood still at the door. ¡°Sit down, sit down and let¡¯s talk.¡± The CEO smiled and pointed to the chair. Xie Xuanming was silent for a moment, then walked to the table, pulled the chair and sat down. ¡°Xiao Xie performed very well recently, so he should have gained a lot of fans.¡± ¡°Generally.¡± After greeting him with a smile, the CEO turned to the real purpose of calling him. ¡°That¡¯s it¡­ There are a few fans who pay more attention to you after watching your performance. We hope you can meet them, chat, have a meal or something¡­¡± Xie Xuanming understood. He originally thought that his family background had been discovered and the program team called him here to suggest that he should pay some money to buy a debut. It seemed that this was not the case. His family background had not been revealed, and the program team was looking for another value from him. Xie Xuanming curved his lips expressionlessly, ¡°Do you want me to be an escort?¡± Met with such a lack of face and bluntness, the CEO choked and said unhappily, ¡°What are you talking about? ¡°Music First¡± is a serious show¡­ just a small fan meeting, have a meal and exchange a few words, how can it be mixed up with an illegal and criminal act?¡± ¡°What I¡¯m talking about is escorting someone to socialise.¡° Xie Xuanming¡¯s face did not change, ¡°What did you think I meant?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The CEO knew that he was mocking him but had to pretend he didn¡¯t understand; there was still some hope to achieve much with little effort, ¡°You aren¡¯t expected to go to any bad place.¡± Raising the corners of his mouth, Xie Xuanming smiled back. The CEO spoke again: ¡°The show will be over in another week. Although the program team confiscated mobile phones, you should be aware of your popularity¡­ Xuanming, you are among the upper ranks, but you are not as popular as Sheng Kongzhi as the lead singer, and you are not number one as a keyboard player, let alone as a guitarist. In other words, you have the possibility of making a debut, but it is not guaranteed.¡± ¡°Oh, then I¡¯m going to have a meal, and you will reserve a debut place for me.¡± Xie Xuanming concluded, ¡°Is that what it means?¡± ¡°¡­there is no need to put it so bluntly.¡± ¡°I am relatively stupid and don¡¯t understand less straightforward words.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what it means.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The CEO leaned forward: ¡°That¡¯s it, what do you think?¡± The debut positions always were a battle of the capital behind the contestants. Xie Xuanming had good prospects, but KUZI investigated several times and regrettably found him to be an ordinary university student with a miserable background and no sponsor behind him. However, his future financial potential was great. KUZI, who did not want to let go of this fortune but could not sacrifice its vested interests at hand either, was delighted to receive the hint of a few bigwigs and readily agreed to this perfect solution. Now the only thing that was needed was Xie Xuanming¡¯s consent. The CEO was keeping an eye on Xie Xuanming, but Xie Xuanming was not the only one he kept an eye on. There were also several other popular and unsupported contestants from smaller companies whom the CEO was going to invite to talk next. He hoped to make a start with Xie Xuanming. ¡°I want confirmation.¡± Under the CEO¡¯s eager gaze, Xie Xuanming stretched out a hand and gently tapped on the table, ¡°I know you guys are looking for me to talk about a deal, but I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re only looking for me. In case I agree to go today, in a couple of days those ¡®fans¡¯ will look at someone and kick me out, won¡¯t I be whoring myself for nothing? I can¡¯t rest easy, I need your assurance ¨C if I agree to go to dinner today, then I¡¯ll definitely be offered a place in the debut.¡± Xie Xuanming laid the unspoken rules out on the table, and the CEO stopped being vague with him. ¡°Yes.¡± The man said bluntly, ¡°No matter if anyone else is invited, as long as you go to the dinner, you will be the one to debut.¡± ¡°Oh, then I¡¯m relieved.¡± Xie Xuanming smiled but there was an inexhaustible coldness in his eyes. He leaned back in the chair and stared at the CEO like a cheetah prepared to spring or like a hunter closing the net. The man was inexplicably bothered by the cold light of his eyes, and a premonition appeared in his heart. His intuition was right. In the next second, Xie Xuanming raised his other hand that he had been holding in his pocket. pop With a crisp sound, a voice recorder was placed lightly on the table. The CEO¡¯s gaze followed it slowly and his expression became a little bit ugly: ¡°What do you mean? ¡± Xie Xuanming spoke word for word under his gloomy gaze, ¡°I will not be an escort, and you will not try to force the other players to go.¡± He raised his chin, motioned at the voice recorder and said coldly: ¡°If I hear that such a thing happened to a player, I won¡¯t be the only one who will enjoy this recording.¡± On the way back to practice, Xie Xuanming met Ji Sheng who was waiting in the corridor. Seeing him, Ji Sheng jumped over in three steps, hugged his shoulders familiarly and asked, ¡°Where have you been? I¡¯ve been waiting for you here for a long time.¡± ¡°Recorded a solo interview.¡± Xie Xuanming held his wrist in a reverse grip and asked in a low voice, ¡°What are you looking for me for?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I look for you if there¡¯s nothing?¡± Ji Sheng was unhappy, ¡°You are too snooty, right?¡± ¡± ¡°You can.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°But it¡¯s better if there is something.¡± ¡°You kid!¡± Ji Sheng squeezed his face angrily, leaned close to his ear and whispered, ¡°My roommate smuggled a few takeaways. Will you come over for dinner tonight?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Xie Xuanming was amused by his mysterious appearance and smiled briefly, ¡°I will go to your dorm after practice.¡± Ji Sheng rubbed his hair in satisfaction. The important news was shared, but Ji Sheng was still holding Xie Xuanming, wandering down the corridor without letting go of his hand. ¡°The show will be over in half a month.¡± Ji Sheng said enthusiastically, ¡°After that, we¡¯ll form a band, release an album, and tour.¡± Xie Xuanming smiled: ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Ji Sheng pushed him in dissatisfaction: ¡°You are so perfunctory.¡± Then he looked up and said dreamily, ¡°When I go on tour, I¡¯m going to do some stage diving. I¡¯ve been wanting to try this for a long time, but it¡¯s not possible with bar gigs. I¡¯m going to do it on tour.¡± He poked Xie Xuanming: ¡°Remember to record a video for me and record the whole process in full.¡± ¡°Your fans will record it for you.¡± Xie Xuanming pondered, ¡°But you might not be able to climb up if you jump.¡± Ji Sheng grabbed him by the neck and threatened, ¡°What? Are you going to drift away after your debut and not recognize me as your brother anymore, so you¡¯re making excuses for not recording a video? I just want to ask, will you record it or not?!¡± ¡°Alright. ¡°Xie Xuanming patted him as if coaxing a child, ¡°I will, I will record it for you.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you say that earlier?¡± Ji Sheng let him go with satisfaction and slapped him on the shoulder, ¡°I¡¯ll go back first. Remember to come to our dorm after you finish practising.¡± He waved his hand, turned around and left. Xie Xuanming also raised his hand to wave at his back, and stood still for a while after putting it down. I will record it for you. Standing in the first row of the livehouse, with one hand supporting you as you fall down and the other holding the mobile phone, I¡¯ll capture the happiest moment of your life. A gentle smile appeared on Xie Xuanming¡¯s face, fleeting like the August wind, and faded away. He turned and entered the practice room. CH 46 Two weeks later, after the third public performance, it was the debut night. The attention on the debut night was extremely high. It should reasonably be the climax of the show but it was clear that many viewers and contestants knew that the performance was just a formality and couldn¡¯t shake the ranking. They just pretended to be unaware of it and went on with it. After the public performance, the main event started. The host took the sealed envelope to the stage, opened it with great fanfare, and took out the list of debutants. The third, fourth and fifth places were all surefire contestants and were expected to sit on the debut podium. The host listened to the screams and cheers from the audience, smiled and pulled out the card with the name of the second place. His expression suddenly stiffened. He glanced at the program group subtly, but both the director and the CEO were hidden in the shadows. The host sighed silently, quickly turned his gaze back and re-displayed a professional smile to the camera. ¡°Second place, drummer Ji Sheng! Congratulations on your debut!!¡± There was a few seconds of silence in the audience, and then the shouts of astonishment exploded. ¡°Ji Sheng is second?! How can Ji Sheng be second? Isn¡¯t he always first??¡± ¡°Then who is the first¡­ Sheng Kongzhi? Although his popularity is not low, he has never been higher than Ji Sheng, right?¡± ¡°It may also be Xie Xuanming, his diehard fans are very good at fighting.¡± ¡°Come on, there are only the first and sixth places left. It¡¯s up to Xie Xuanming whether he can make his debut or not! ¡± ¡°No way, Xie Xuanming¡¯s fund-raising and sponsorship level has always been in the top three! ¡± ¡°KUZI¡¯s pissy nature, huh, a big break like Ji Sheng can be screwed second, and it¡¯s not impossible for Xiao Xie to be voted out.¡± ¡°Damn! No way? KUZI, go bankrupt, why is my cp so miserable! ¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± There was constant noise from the audience, but Ji Sheng was quite calm. He smiled at the waving fans in the audience, walked up to the debut podium and picked up the microphone. ¡°For getting the opportunity to make my debut, I would like to thank my fans, viewers, my mother and the program team. Thank you very much. Without you, I would not be standing here today¡­¡± After a well-behaved thank-you note, Ji Sheng looked down at the audience. ¡°Finally, I also hope that my friends will have the same good luck as me, Lao Sheng and Xiao Xie, I will wait for you.¡± The camera followed his words; Sheng Kongzhi raised his head and smiled at him, while Xie Xuanming slightly lifted the corners of his lips. The first place was immediately announced, and Sheng Kongzhi took the stage and walked to the top of the debut podium. The result was surprising, but the audience had already been given a warning when Ji Sheng came second in the competition. Among the remaining contestants, only Sheng Kongchi and Xie Xuanming could compete with Ji Sheng in terms of popularity, while Xie Xuanming¡¯s ranking fluctuated due to various controversies. Relatively speaking, Sheng Kongzhi was more stable and indeed the most popular after Ji Sheng. But whether or not he could outperform Ji Sheng was a matter of opinion. After the first place was announced, there was only one last place left in the band. The host read out several names, and the called contestants lined up in turn. The last musician to make his debut would be among them. The camera scanned the faces of several players in turn, most of them looking nervous and eager. Xie Xuanming was the only one with a calm expression, his eyes downcast and his thoughts unfathomable. The camera lingered for a moment in front of this overly calm player, and then turned to the auditorium. The host drew out the card and read it out loud. ¡°The last one¡­ keyboardist Wang Qi, congratulations on your debut!¡± The last debut position was announced, and there was a more intense uproar in the audience than when it was announced that Ji Sheng had taken the second place. Countless spectators roared angrily and some more excited people even shouted ¡°refund the tickets¡±. Xie Xuanming glanced around and saw a few young girls clutching their mouths and crying. Amidst the noise, Ji Sheng suddenly got up from his seat. The last band member had already walked up the steps, and Xie Xuanming stood still and politely applauded. He raised his eyes and unexpectedly met Ji Sheng¡¯s shocked and dazed stare. Xie Xuanming smiled at him, relieved and restrained. There was a little comfort in his smile, and there were some regrets that couldn¡¯t be hidden. The young man who chose to be out of the capital game raised his eyes to his friend on the podium and said goodbye to him with a silent smile. As soon as the debut night was over, Ji Sheng didn¡¯t stop for a moment, jumped off the stage and rushed backstage. But before he took two steps, he was stopped by Sheng Kongzhi who chased after him. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°Go find the director, find the CEO!¡± Ji Sheng strode forward without turning his head back, ¡°How could Xiao Xie not make his debut? His votes are definitely enough to make him debut! I¡¯m going to ask for an explanation!¡± ¡°Calm down.¡± Sheng Kongzhi sped up, grabbed him, turned him around and frowned, ¡°If you go now, apart from offending the KUZI senior management, will it have any other effect?¡± ¡°Then what am I going to do?¡±Ji Sheng staggered to a halt and yelled at him, ¡°Am I going to watch Xiao Xie go down and do nothing?¡± Sheng Kongzhi gritted his teeth and suddenly lowered his volume: ¡°Xiao Xie may not want to make his debut.¡± Ji Sheng was stunned: ¡°What?¡± ¡°The resources KUZI can give are limited. Although Xiao Xie¡¯s popularity is enough, he can¡¯t go higher than a certain level. He has too many overlapping positions with others. KUZI made it clear to him before that it is impossible to give him too many resources for his debut, and he also expressed his understanding¡­¡± Ji Sheng was dazed: ¡°Anyway there is no need to refuse to make a debut¡­ Did Xiao Xie himself say that he didn¡¯t want to make a debut? Why didn¡¯t he tell me?¡± Sheng Kongzhi avoided his gaze: ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I know that he was contacted about a movie script. Xiao Xie¡­ might have made a trade-off. After all, Xiao Xie also studied acting in university. It is indeed more promising to be on the big screen than to join a time-limited band¡­¡± Ji Sheng was silent. He felt the blood in his veins cool down a little bit, and finally said, ¡°But I really want to be in a band with him.¡± Sheng Kongzhi felt uncomfortable seeing him so lost. He raised his hand and rubbed Ji Sheng¡¯s head, whispering: ¡°If we have a chance in the future, we will make Qingchu into a big company. Brother Tan will have money. He will sign Xiao Xie and we will form an unlimited band.¡± Ji Sheng was silent and said nothing. After the show, the band Loptr, formed for a limited time, began a schedule of constant travel. Magazine shoots, interviews, variety show recordings, album recording, music festival performances¡­ Countless tasks were pressed on the team members. Ji Sheng could only sleep for three hours a day on average. He was so sleepy that he closed his eyes during makeup time and between shows to grab some rest. Ji Sheng was not interested in all kinds of publicity in the entertainment industry. He was enthusiastic about performances and album recording, but these two things were the least valued by KUZI. The agent didn¡¯t even mention a word about it in a month, and after Ji Sheng asked a few times and got a perfunctory reply,he stopped talking about it. Towards the end of the year, an itinerary made Ji Sheng¡¯s spirits rise a little. A charity dinner. Ji Sheng was still not interested in competing on the red carpet. What he cared about was the attendance list. Xie Xuanming would participate. Xie Xuanming went to the filming site as soon as he left the show. This was the first time Ji Sheng would see him again after ¡°Music First¡±. The seats for various dinners were always arranged according to popularity. Although Loptr was a newcomer, it was in the limelight, and the organisers gave them a lot of face placing them in the second row. After Ji Sheng sat down, he couldn¡¯t stop looking around. Sheng Kongzhi whispered to him to show some restraint, but after a while, Ji Sheng stretched his neck again, turning his head to look for someone. The effort paid off. After looking around a few times, Ji Sheng finally saw Xie Xuanming in the corner. Xie Xuanming stood against the wall, staring coldly at the excitement in the audience. He was not well-known and had not signed up with any company. Being invited could already be considered generosity from the organisers¡¯ side. So when the staff member told him that he was sorry but there was no seat for him, Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t think of being offended at all, nodded, walked to the corner and stood there quietly. Xie Xuanming leaned against the wall absent-mindedly. The filming schedule was not easy. The director¡¯s strict requirements made the filming go on until late at night every day and the action scenes were even more energy-consuming. Yesterday, he was filming all night, and today he studied the script again and came to the charity dinner after an hour of sleep in the afternoon. Xie Xuanming could barely keep his eyes open, but he held on to his eyelids and searched the venue for someone. He was struggling to find this person when there was a sudden noise at his side. Turning his head, he saw the man he had been looking for throw himself at him and lean to his side. Xie Xuanming¡¯s sleepiness was gone instantly; he stood up straighter, suppressed the rising corners of his lips and asked, ¡°Why did you come over?¡± ¡°I came to keep you company.¡± Ji Sheng wrinkled his nose, ¡°A lot of people talk to me, I don¡¯t like it, so I ran out to poke around.¡± ¡°They are all famous people.¡± Xie Xuanming reminded, ¡°They will be useful connections in the future.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to engage in any connections.¡° Ji Sheng didn¡¯t care, ¡°Just give me a place to play drums.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s it.¡± Ji Sheng looked up at him: ¡°Have you grown tall again?¡± ¡°I¡¯m twenty. ¡°Xie Xuanming was dumbfounded. ¡°But you seem taller again.¡± Ji Sheng stretched out his hand and gestured, ¡°I didn¡¯t need to lift my head so much to look at you during the show.¡± ¡°¡­shall I squat down?¡± ¡°So many people are watching, care a little about your image, Actor Xie.¡± Amused by him, Ji Sheng said with his eyes curved in a smile. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Xie Xuanming shrugged, ¡°Just as long as you don¡¯t mind.¡± A reporter noticed the two youths standing over there and raised his camera to take a few shots. The flash was not turned off, and Ji Sheng was startled and squinted. He just wanted to block the light when Xie Xuanming raised his hand and held it in front of his face. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ji Sheng said, suddenly thinking of something, ¡°You seem to have been on many hot searches recently.¡± ¡°En.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°All of them are not very good, right?¡± A picture of him exhaling a cloud of breath in winter was turned into rumours of him smoking; a picture of him talking to an assistant into rumours of dating; even shooting a movie scene was given a twist of offending the big guys and being blocked. All in all it was a rather outrageous look. Ji Sheng frowned: ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°KUZI¡¯s handwriting.¡± Xie Xuanming said blankly, ¡°I didn¡¯t agree to their terms and don¡¯t work for them, so they want to stomp me to death.¡± ¡°¡­Is this also the reason why you didn¡¯t make your debut?¡± ¡°Sort of.¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t speak for a long time. Just when Xie Xuanming thought he would not speak again, he said, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me this?¡± Xie Xuanming hadn¡¯t answered yet when he continued: ¡°It¡¯s really not human. ¡°If you told me, I would retire. I would retire on the podium on the night of the debut.¡± Xie Xuanming was taken aback for a moment and smiled: ¡°Fortunately, I didn¡¯t tell you.¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t reply, his eyes looking like ice that wouldn¡¯t melt. Xie Xuanming turned his head and peered through this ice to see the glittering world of fame and fortune, where the red hotties were promoted to high seats, and the losers retired in disgrace. He breathed a sigh of relief, his heart settled. Fortunately, I didn¡¯t tell you. CH 47 ¡°Mr. Ji, wake up.¡± Ji Sheng opened his eyes in confusion and looked at the agent in the rearview mirror. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± He rubbed his eyes, pushed the door and got out of the car, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Music First 2¡± was a closed variety show, the same as the first season. Ji Sheng checked into his dormitory with his luggage after a long wait and started his training schedule in the evening. Pop songs, self-composed songs and solo songs were performed several times, and the members were sweating profusely. Lu Haoren glanced at the time, clapped his hands and said, ¡°Take a five-minute break.¡± Ji Sheng got up, rubbed his sore buttocks, and retreated into the corner. As soon as he huddled in the corner, Huang Sizhe followed and stood half a metre away from him. Ji Sheng glanced at him and picked up the water bottle. The two leaned against the same wall embarrassedly. ¡°How have you been recently?¡± Huang Sizhe was the first to break the silence, twisting his head to the side, ¡°That bastard¡­ he didn¡¯t bully you, did he?¡± Ji Sheng put the water bottle down and thought about the force of Xie Xuanming¡¯s fingers squeezing his chin and the fingerprints that hadn¡¯t faded for days. Bully. After a suspicious pause, he said, ¡°No.¡± He should be glad that Huang Sizhe was not the type who could understand the nuances of the tone. ¡°After this show, Niepan will become popular.¡± Huang Sizhe lowered his head and kicked the ground twice, ¡°There will be money, fame, and endorsements. You won¡¯t have to¡­ wrong yourself staying with that asshole.¡± It sounded as tragic as redeeming a brothel girl. Startled, Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t help but defend Xie Xuanming: ¡°Actually, Senior Xie is not that much of an asshole.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t defend him.¡° Huang Sizhe¡¯s face darkened and he gritted his teeth fiercely, ¡°I understand. When we are popular, we won¡¯t need to look at anyone anymore.¡± What do you understand¡­ Ji Sheng was ashamed; why this child saw everything in black and white and loved to think in extremes. He wanted to say a few more words in Xie Xuanming¡¯s defence, but Huang Sizhe¡¯s expression was too unhappy. Ji Sheng could only swallow his words in the end and comfort against his will: ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not that bad. At least we won¡¯t need to see him for the next few months of participating in the show, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Huang Sizhe¡¯s expression eased, ¡°so it is.¡± Lu Haoren got up and called them back. Ji Sheng propped up from the wall and smiled at Huang Sizhe: ¡°Let¡¯s practise.¡± The training camp was going on for more than two months. Since the mobile phones were taken away by the program group, the members of Niepan did not know about the situation on the Internet. They went back and forth between the dormitory and the practice room every day, and occasionally saw one or two buses appear at the door to send the eliminated bands away. Lu Haoren had been anxious for a while, worried about whether Niepan would also be sent back home before the show started. Ji Sheng tried to comfort him to no avail, so he simply used Xie Xuanming¡¯s name and said that this was the resource he gave, which made Lu Haoren feel at ease. ¡°You are lucky.¡± Lu Haoren said sincerely, breathing a sigh of relief and feeling a little guilty at the same time. ¡°¡­unfortunately.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s face was dark as he was unwilling to think about the hidden meaning in his words. See no evil, see no evil. As the days passed, it was finally time for the first recording session. The audience was invited to the recording and on the way to the venue, the fans gathered on both sides of the road, shouting their support to their favourite musicians. Niepan got out of the car, and the screams suddenly increased by two levels. The members of Nirvana were not used to seeing such a scene. The keyboardist shrank behind the guitarist, grabbed his shoulder, and said in surprise: ¡°These are all our fans?¡± ¡°Maybe?¡± The guitarist was also shocked. ¡°Where did we get so many fans, did the company buy fans?¡± ¡°¡­Does our company have spare money? Our company can¡¯t even afford to provide meals!¡± ¡°¡­this too.¡± ¡°It may be the fans accumulated by running commercial performances before.¡± Lu Haoren said uncertainly. ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s the fan base from the trailers and promotional photos.¡± Ji Sheng added, ¡°KUZI¡¯s publicity is still good.¡± ¡°Just look at the photos and turn fans????¡± The keyboard smacked his lips, ¡°That¡¯s probably Xiao Hui and Sizhe¡¯s fans. The two of them look like celebrities, especially Xiao Hui. Ordinary celebrities can¡¯t match him, he is so good-looking.¡± ¡°Can you use your brain when talking, Zhou Wuyou.¡± Huang Sizhe scolded him with a dark face, ¡°Do you want to be responsible for blackening Ji Hui when this is broadcast?¡± ¡°Okay, okay, my fault, my fault¡­¡± As Niepan bickered, Ji Sheng turned his head to look over the railing, found the familiar station sister in the crowd and smiled at her. The station sister smiled and waved at him, and pressed the shutter. In the preview, the boy smiled softly like sunshine, and the station sister put away the camera with satisfaction. When this picture was going to be posted, even more people would love him. The contestants entered backstage and the audience also entered the venue. Two mentors sat down, leaving the middle position vacant. Backstage, Ji Sheng glanced at the TV. Only two mentors were mentioned in the information. Were there any mysterious guests? ¡°Niepan! Ready to play!¡± Ji Sheng looked away and followed the other members to the waiting area. When he stepped into the corridor, the host¡¯s words came from the front. ¡°¡­welcome our mysterious mentor!¡± He shouted loudly, ¡°Give him a round of applause!¡± As Niepan stood at the opening of the upper stage, the keyboard curiously lifted a corner of the curtain, and Ji Sheng took a glance outside through the gap. The lights turned on and the prying Niepan members, gathered at the opposite end of the stage, squinted at the figure that appeared in the glaring light. Backstage, the contestants also took notice of the mysterious mentor and looked towards the screen. ¡°It¡¯s a man.¡± Player A looked at the tall figure. ¡°It¡¯s a handsome guy!¡± Player B glanced at the narrow waist, wide shoulders and long legs. Ji Sheng grabbed the keyboardist with one hand, turning the drumsticks with the other. The more he looked, the more wrong he felt. This hairstyle, this figure, this silhouette. Why are they so similar¡­ Ji Sheng¡¯s heart throbbed. The lights also throbbed. The rays of light spread on all sides, and the mysterious mentor slowly walked out of the glow, revealing a handsome cold face. Xie Xuanming. The astounding cheers from the backstage contestants reached the front of the stage and were drowned out by the screams of the audience. The movie emperor appearing on the variety show was exciting, whether you were a fan or not. The shouts were deafening. Ji Sheng, male, had been a drummer for 17 years. His hand shook and the drumsticks flew out of his fingers for the first time, hit the floor and rolled away. The Niepan members looked at each other, and then the keyboardist sighed out heartlessly: ¡°Isn¡¯t he a saint of love?¡± ¡°Love you uncle!¡± Huang Sizhe¡¯s face turned black like the bottom of the pot: ¡°How do you withdraw from the competition?¡± Everyone went silent. ¡°We can¡¯t afford to pay the penalty for breach of contract.¡± Ji Sheng coughed lightly, concealing his embarrassment, ¡°Get ready to play.¡± After a moment of silence, he said tentatively, ¡°Does anyone know where my drumsticks went?¡± At the recording site, the cheers gradually stopped, and the host announced the first group of the contestants. The sharp-eyed audience that was focusing on the stage saw that in front of the curtain, a thin stick-like unexpected object lay peacefully, but before they could squint to see what it was, a white, slender hand suddenly reached out from under the curtain and disappeared with the stick in a flash. Then the curtain opened, and Ji Sheng, as the drummer, calmly took the lead on the stage. The wave of applause surged up again. But not many people noticed the suspiciously red tips of the drummer¡¯s ears and the slightly raised corners of the actor¡¯s lips. Niepan¡¯s performance was excellent and could even be described as a blast. After the performance, the applause lasted for a long time. The members got up and stood in a row, waiting for the comments of the mentors. Zhang Sheng, a veteran mentor who often cooperated with KUZI, said, ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty good, what do you two think?¡± ¡°I also think it¡¯s pretty good.¡± The other mentor nodded. ¡°Not bad.¡± Xie Xuanming said plainly. Zhang Sheng glanced at the tablet and continued to ask. ¡°This band has quite an interesting style, especially the drummer, who has developed his own stage style, which is really impressive¡­ But I¡¯m a little curious, Emperor Xie, who do you think is a better drummer, compared to the drummer from the first season of ¡°Music First¡±?¡± The studio suddenly fell silent. There were many drummers in the first season of ¡°Music for the Top¡±, but to ask Xie Xuanming this question¡­ Everyone knew who Zhang Sheng was referring to. Pulling out the dead to make a scene. The audience who regularly followed the talent show was already cursing. KUZI, as shameless as ever, you can¡¯t stop being a bitch, right? On stage, the faces of the Niepan members were quite unsightly, and even Huang Sizhe, who was usually unhappy with Xie Xuanming, frowned, thinking that this judge was really a bastard. Zhang Sheng¡¯s words caused a lot of anger, but Xie Xuanming only looked at him flatly, his eyes as cold as ever: ¡°I¡¯m not a drummer, I don¡¯t know and can¡¯t evaluate which is better or worse. You might as well just ask Ji Sheng.¡± He mentioned Ji Sheng¡¯s name, and the scene erupted. Xie Xuanming ignored it and continued in a flat voice. ¡°If you are so curious, Teacher Zhang, he may come to you in a dream to tell you tonight.¡± ¡°Haha, not possible.¡± Under the gaze of those cold eyes, Zhang Sheng felt a little weak but still held his ground. ¡°Taking into account his friendship with Emperor Xie, the one whose dream he should enter is you.¡± His words were presumptuous and did not give Xie Xuanming a chance to reply decently. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t plan to reply decently either. He smiled blankly, as if sorrowful and disappointed: ¡°I would like him to, but he won¡¯t come.¡± KUZI originally wanted to use Xie Xuanming and Ji Sheng¡¯s rumours of the past to generate heat, but when Xie Xuanming said it so openly and magnanimously, it was the programme team who were at a loss for words. The director gestured to Zhang Sheng, and Zhang Sheng rounded up the topic with a haha. After being explicitly and implicitly mentioned on stage so many times, Ji Sheng stood there numb. In those few minutes he understood exactly what ¡°whipping the corpse¡± meant and was so distracted in the interview afterwards that he muddled through everything the mentor said with a soulless ¡°ahhh¡±. After stepping down, Ji Sheng collapsed in the chair, thinking about what Xie Xuanming meant. He didn¡¯t see him talking like this before he was reborn. Anyway, coming to KUZI¡¯s show to express his thoughts was like inviting the show to eat human flesh and blood. ¡°Ji Hui!¡± He was still struggling when he was suddenly stopped by the staff. ¡°Come here for a while.¡± Ji Sheng got up and followed the staff to the corridor. When he raised his eyes, he saw Xie Xuanming waiting in the corner. Ji Sheng panicked, feeling the terror of a lamb that had left its flock and suddenly met a wolf that had been hungry for three days. Although he didn¡¯t know what he was panicking about, a lonely lamb would never escape the wolf¡¯s mouth. The staff members had the good sense to slip away, leaving Ji Sheng clutching his head. ¡°You performed well on the first stage.¡± Xie Xuanming was the first to speak. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ji Sheng said dryly. ¡°If you need anything in the show, you can find me.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°Just make the staff take you to the mentors¡¯ lounge.¡± Ji Sheng was suspiciously silent for a moment and asked with some confusion, ¡°Is this an explicit hint on the unspoken rules?¡± Xie Xuanming choked on his words, frowning as he looked over, his gaze moving down his cheek, finally settling on the slightly open thin lips¡­ The mention of the unspoken rules also gave him some ideas. Ji Sheng noticed his gaze and took a half step back vigilantly. Xie Xuanming retracted his gaze, deliberately turned his face away and said coldly: ¡°Don¡¯t get any fancy ideas. I have someone I like and I have no interest in you.¡± Ji Sheng: ¡­¡­ Ji Sheng: ¡­¡­ Ji Sheng was even more scared. After all, the one Xie Xuanming had no interest in and the one he liked¡­ In fact, was the same person. CH 48 After the first filming and recording, the audience left the studio and opened up social media to send repos of the recording. This kind of personal ¡°spoilers¡± were not frowned upon by the official program team, but on the contrary, gave the show a good publicity boost. The biggest highlight of ¡°Music First 2¡± was undoubtedly that Xie Xuanming, who had been having trouble with KUZI for many years, actually appeared on the show as a mentor and also responded to Ji Sheng¡¯s scandal. This point was indeed deeply remembered by the audience, and almost all Weibo posts more or less mentioned this aspect. Xie Xuanming led ¡°Music First 2¡± straight to the hot search and soon it occupied a high position. This was the result that KUZI enjoyed very much. The official blog of the program also took advantage of this wave of popularity and announced that Xie Xuanming participated in the recording of ¡°Music First 2¡± as a mysterious mentor. The official confirmation made the program¡¯s popularity soar to a new level. ¡°Music First 2¡± became a hit before it even aired and was on track to replicate the glory of its predecessor. While the public was excitedly gnawing on the fragrant melons, not everyone was happy with Xie Xuanming¡¯s sudden joining. ¡°Why did Xie Xuanming appear on ¡®Music First¡¯!?¡± Still in a dim room, the lips of the girl who had taken off some bandages were trembling and the scars on her face were writhing. The tablet that had fallen to the floor was still lit up, the crack-strewn screen stuck on the page where the official blog of ¡°Music First 2¡± officially announced Xie Xuanming¡¯s participation as the mysterious mentor. After exchanging a few words on the phone, the scarred girl screamed: ¡°You didn¡¯t know?! How dare you say you didn¡¯t know! You promised me that the bitch would be discredited and never appear in front of me again! Now he¡¯s on the show in full view, and even Xie Xuanming is such a big surprise! You didn¡¯t even know!¡± ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t it our arrangement for him to attend the show ¡­don¡¯t worry, we will definitely do the job once the money is in place, just wait and see¡­¡± The caller tried his best to calm her down. The scarred girl gasped violently, barely able to cope with her anger. She finally said fiercely: ¡°You better do what you say.¡± With the popularity of ¡°Music First 2¡±, investments and endorsements naturally flocked to the show, and the enriched crew managed to grab some magazine shoots after the opening stage. Unlike in the first season where only the first place was eligible to have a photo session, all the bands that made it to the final round were given the opportunity to be photographed as a group, and the members of the top three bands in the online voting were even given the opportunity to have an individual promotional photo shoot. Although Niepan¡¯s popularity was not overwhelming, there were a lot of old fans accumulated from many commercial gigs and the face-con fans attracted by the trailer pictures. So, Niepan¡¯s fans all worked together to bring it into the top three without much effort, and it finally ranked second behind some old band. On the day of the magazine shoot, after the group photos of the other bands were taken, the top three bands were asked to stay for individual photo sessions. Niepan waited in the dressing room for the first band to shoot, while modifying the makeup according to the concept of the photo session. Before the makeup artist came, Ji Sheng, who was huddling in the chair idly, picked up the concept book on the table. He turned two pages, and by coincidence opened his own shooting concept. Ji Sheng glanced twice and then his gaze froze. He stared at the page for a while, his eyebrows gradually drawing together in a frown. The makeup artist arrived late and was about to modify his makeup with a few brushstrokes. As soon as he raised his hand, he was blocked by Ji Sheng. ¡°Excuse me please, but who is this shooting plan from?¡± Ji Sheng asked, looking at the brochure. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The makeup artist said, ¡°I am only responsible for makeup.¡± Ji Sheng raised his eyes, looked at him for a while, then sat up straight and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t accept this shooting plan. I refuse to make any shooting preparations before negotiating and adjusting it with the author of the plan.¡± ¡°It¡¯s useless for you to tell me, I¡¯m just a makeup artist, and your wishes are not within my scope.¡± The makeup artist shrugged. ¡°Do you know what concept they gave?¡± ¡°Of course, how else can I implement it?¡± ¡°Then what do you think of this plan?¡± Ji Sheng raised the booklet, showed the inner page and asked calmly, ¡°Is it okay?¡± His dispute with the makeup artist attracted the attention of the other members of Niepan, and Huang Sizhe and Lu Haoren came closer. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± As soon as Lu Haoren said that, his gaze fell on the opened page and his expression suddenly changed. The split-screen scheme showed the subject lying scantily clad on a flesh-coloured cushion, his hair loose and the sponsor¡¯s milk dripping from the corner of his mouth. Huang Sizhe also saw the concept plan and was furious: ¡°What kind of bullshit plan is this! Who is this meant to insult?¡± Lu Haoren¡¯s expression was also very ugly. With this kind of obvious sexual innuendo, any adult could see how nasty the person who came up with this plan was. Ji Sheng turned another page to the make-up scheme, and Lu Huaren and Huang Sizhe both fixed their eyes on it, tasting a bit more malice. Overly thick blush, deliberately aggravated crying makeup, fluffy hairstyle¡­ Together with the shooting concept, it was so uncompromisingly trashy that you couldn¡¯t help but feel sick. The two of them looked at the makeup artist anxiously, and the makeup artist was a little impatient: ¡°Listen, no matter who proposed this plan, there are the requirements of the sponsor behind it and they cannot be changed. You are just ordinary contestants. Do you want to fight the uncle who spends money on you?¡± Huang Sizhe said angrily: ¡°Ordinary contestants also have human rights. Can they be so fucking insulting if they have money?!¡± ¡°Otherwise?¡± The makeup artist sneered, mocking his innocence. ¡°You! Call your person in charge over! Or we won¡¯t shoot!¡± Huang Sizhe slapped the table, completely irate. Xie Xuanming sat in a chair with his eyes closed, resting, when he suddenly heard the noise. ¡°¡­If you don¡¯t shoot, then don¡¯t shoot. You really think you¡¯re big bosses when you have a few hits, ah!¡± ¡°What are you, a makeup dog, ah!¡± With the dispute reaching him across the wall, Xie Xuanming opened his eyes and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°There is a quarrel next door.¡± His hair stylist replied, ¡°It seems to be the band with a lot of buzz, the one with the super pretty drummer.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s hands holding the program froze. He closed the booklet and got up. ¡°Teacher Xie, the hairstyle hasn¡¯t been finished yet!¡± The stylist reminded. ¡°I¡¯ll come back and do it.¡± Xie Xuanming put the file on the table, ¡°I¡¯ll go over and take a look.¡± When Xie Xuanming pushed the door to Niepan¡¯s dressing room, he was met with Huang Sizhe swinging his fists in anger as Lu Haoren and Ji Sheng tried to stop him from the violence he was about to display. Ji Sheng, who was holding Huang Sizhe around the waist, caught a glimpse of Xie Xuanming coming in, was taken aback for a moment and stood still: ¡°Senior Xie.¡± In front of outsiders, Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t bother to correct the way he addressed him, raised his chin and asked, ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°The photo session.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°There is a little contradiction.¡± ¡°Little contradiction!¡± Huang Sizhe broke away from Lu Haoren and spat, ¡°If the program team wants to make a porno movie, we won¡¯t accompany it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a porno movie¡­¡± Ji Sheng was helpless about Huang Sizhe¡¯s words. Before he finished speaking, Xie Xuanming frowned: ¡°Give me the plan.¡± Ji Sheng sighed and handed over the plan book. Xie Xuanming turned a few pages until he reached the picture of milk; his eyes darkened and his face turned grim. Seeing Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression getting more and more uneasy, the makeup artist sneaked out and called the person in charge. Whoever messed up is responsible. A little minion like him didn¡¯t want to be cannon fodder for the movie star taking care of his little lover. ¡°What the hell, the contestant shooting even recruited Xie Xuanming¡­¡± Not a minute later, a low roar came through the door. The person in charge angrily entered the room, met Xie Xuanming and changed his expression as quickly as an actor in Peking Opera changed his masks. ¡°Emperor Xie, why are you here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m also taking promotional photos today.¡± Xie Xuanming said casually. He held up the plan book, ¡°Is this your shooting concept for the contestants?¡± ¡°Ah, yes, it¡¯s the sponsor¡­¡± ¡°Change it.¡± Xie Xuanming threw the concept booklet on the table beside him. ¡°Emperor Xie.¡± The person in charge smiled flatteringly, ¡°This is a request from the investor and cannot be changed.¡± ¡°The investors ask you to do whatever they want and you do it?¡± Xie Xuanming sneered, ¡°I am also an investor, I tell you to change the plan now, won¡¯t you change it?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± ¡°Think I didn¡¯t give enough?¡± ¡°How can it be¡ª¡± The person in charge scolded the investors in his mind eight hundred times, but he still didn¡¯t want to give up on making money, ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± ¡°Just what? It¡¯s just that you want the public to know that you shoot this kind of thing with the contestants?¡± Xie Xuanming took a step forward, pressing the person in charge to step back again and again, ¡°There are underage contestants in this band. Your official propaganda photos engage in pedophilia?¡± Huang Sizhe¡¯s lips twitched. Very unhappy that Xie Xuanming had pulled himself out as a gun, he was still able to distinguish the priorities and remained indignantly silent. ¡°No, no, we definitely didn¡¯t mean that!¡± With Xie Xuanming using such a big card, the person in charge was frightened into a cold sweat, smiling stiffly. Xie Xuanming sneered: ¡°Then are you going to change the plan? Or do you want me to post a blog to help promote your avant-garde concepts?¡± Person in charge: ¡­¡­ He finally succumbed. ¡°Go, ask the concept department to reformulate the plan. You must get the new plan out for me before two o¡¯clock in the afternoon¡­¡± The man in charge yelled at the arriving staff, and several of the social animals bowed their heads, pathetically serving as the leader¡¯s punching bags. Ji Sheng moved a few steps quietly, walked to Xie Xuanming and said, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Xie Xuanming glanced at him, ¡°I remember saying that if you had a problem¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°You also said that you have someone you like and that I should stop having fancy ideas.¡± ¡°So if you ask me to solve a problem, it means you have fancy ideas.¡± Xie Xuanming confirmed logically. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that¡­¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s fingers twitched. He wanted to hold his forehead again. But before he had time to raise his hand, Ji Sheng heard the keyboardist exclaim, ¡°My God! The program team has announced the visiting mentor!¡± Ji Sheng looked over; the keyboardist held up the tablet given by the program group, the screen flipped, and the latest notification of the program was playing. ¡°Attention to all contestants, the visiting mentor for this competition will be announced below!¡± The plane glided across the screen, bringing out a mysterious shadow (the visiting mentor is literally ¡®the flying mentor¡¯, that¡¯s why the plane). Xie Xuanming looked at the screen with Ji Sheng. ¡°This mentor, who came from a band, was a big hit during his debut and became the absolute top star in the circle, the idol and the dream of all band members.¡± Came from a band, a big hit¡­ Ji Sheng pondered over these key words and suddenly felt a chill in his heart. Could it be¡ª ¡°He is¡ª¡± The screen flashed twice, the black shadow revealed its true form, and a gentle smiling face appeared on the screen. ¡°How did he get here?¡± The keyboardist held up his tablet and murmured, ¡°This show is awesome, a meeting of two top stars¡­¡± Huang Sizhe turned to look at Ji Sheng, but found that he raised his head with a complicated expression and looked to his side. Under his gaze¡­ Xie Xuanming stared at the screen gloomily. He didn¡¯t know Sheng Kongzhi was coming. CH 49 The official announcement of Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s joining the program caused cheers at the shooting scene. Although the magazine shooting was outsourced, the program team also sent a team to follow. The photographer held the camera, planning to record the reactions of the contestants and send them out as highlights. The announcement of Sheng Kongzhi as the visiting mentor was obviously a highlight. It was impossible for the program team to let go of such material. The photographer was instructed early to sample the reactions of the contestants and select wonderful clips to be cut into the main story. The official announcement video was played in a loop over and over again, and the cameras were raised, aiming at the musicians like sniper rifles. The contestants were not blind not to notice such big black lenses facing them, and most of them cheered cooperatively. Cooperating with the cameras was a self-preservation instinct of the variety show contestants. What¡¯s more, Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s participation in the recording was actually an exciting thing and the participants could make corresponding surprise expressions without deliberate effort. ¡°Sheng Kongzhi.¡± Huang Sizhe, who was always dismissive of celebrities, was a little excited. Ji Sheng flipped through Ji Hui¡¯s memory, and reluctantly realized that this kid¡¯s idol seemed to be Sheng Kongzhi. It was not surprising; after all, notwithstanding anything else, Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s bass skills were pretty good. However, since his debut, he had not practised seriously and his real skills had probably been buried in the waves of ¡°character design¡± and ¡°marketing¡±. ¡°How did KUZI convince Senior Sheng Kongzhi to be on the show?!¡± Huang Sizhe turned his head exultantly, but unexpectedly saw that Ji Sheng¡¯s expression was not good-looking. He was stunned and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Ji Sheng was looking elsewhere. As Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s face reappeared on the screen, Xie Xuanming had already turned and walked away. Ji Sheng¡¯s attitude was strange. Huang Sizhe was silent for a while, then tentatively asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you like Sheng Kongzhi?¡± ¡°Huh? En.¡± Ji Sheng was stunned by his sudden straightforward words. He retracted his gaze and said perfunctorily, ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like him¡­¡± The cameraman was about to come in to film Niepan¡¯s reaction in the aftermath when he happened to bump into Xie Xuanming who was leaving at the doorway. The camera focused on his face; Xie Xuanming did not even turn his head and just reached his hand to cover the lens, coldly and gloomily refusing to shoot. ¡°¡­Well, I don¡¯t like him at all.¡± Ji Sheng changed his words. ¡°¡­¡± Huang Sizhe said, ¡°Then I won¡¯t mention him.¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t really want to meet with Sheng Kongzhi and couldn¡¯t understand what value a small, dumb show had for a star of Xie Xuanming and Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s calibre to condescend to join the recording. He had a headache thinking about it, so he didn¡¯t want to think about it. Fortunately, the visiting mentor would only come to record two instalments, starting from the preparation period of the public performance and leaving after the public performance. KUZI didn¡¯t have the budget to pay the expensive appearance fee, and Sheng Kongzhi came as a central position contestant of the first season to give KUZI face. Sheng Kongchi arrived at the recording venue the day before the public performance. The crew gathered all the students in the auditorium to meet ¡°the outstanding seniors¡±. Ji Sheng followed the notice, and as soon as he stepped into the auditorium, he was keenly aware that the atmosphere in the room was strangely quiet. He raised his eyes reflexively, and was shocked to find that Xie Xuanming was sitting next to Sheng Kongzhi in the mentor¡¯s seat. Inviting Sheng Kongzhi without telling Xie Xuanming was originally a desperate risk. The team had been prepared for Xie Xuanming¡¯s rejection to participate in the show. But as long as the gimmick of Xie Xuanming and Sheng Kongzhi being on stage together was publicised, they could still make a lot of money even if they were selling dog meat with a sheep¡¯s head¡­ What they didn¡¯t expect was that Xie Xuanming actually volunteered to participate in the ¡°Meeting Outstanding Seniors¡±, quoting the fact that he was also an outstanding participant in the first season¡­ Although he didn¡¯t make his debut in the end. The program team tactfully did not mention this. At that moment, Xie Xuanming and Sheng Kongzhi were sitting shoulder to shoulder, being accommodated into a single shot. The scene looked so weird it was almost like a brown bear and a tiger hooking up in a friendly coexistence, making people wonder if there was a Russian standing behind them¡­ Ji Sheng was also surprised. He glanced at Sheng Kongzhi, who was smiling like a spring breeze, and Xie Xuanming, who was frost-faced, and became strangely silent. Is this a battle between top stars? It felt like the air was frozen. He stood in place for a little too long, blocking the way. The person behind him made a nudging sound that drew the attention of the people in the room. Xie Xuanming and Sheng Kongzhi turned their heads in unison and looked towards the door. Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s eyes lit up. Xie Xuanming looked like he was attending a funeral. Ji Sheng felt goosebumps. He lowered his eyes guiltily, ignoring the crazy waving of the keyboardist who took a good position in the middle of the auditorium, and ran into the corner to hide. He intended to avoid war, but others were not so forgiving. Sheng Kongchi smiled as he finished talking nonsense, and the interactive session focused on Ji Sheng up at once. ¡°Contestant Ji Hui.¡± Sheng Kongzhi looked at him, smiling slightly, ¡°Can I call you Xiao Ji?¡± The participants turned their heads, looking at the lucky one with envy. The hapless Ji Sheng stood up with a smile, covered in cold sweat. With his peripheral vision he could see that next to Sheng Kongzhi, Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression was so dark that one could wring water out of it. If he heard correctly, there was also a cold ¡°hmph¡±. Experience told Ji Sheng that it was best not to dance on Xie Xuanming¡¯s minefield. It would be too miserable. Ji Sheng picked up the mic and sincerely refused: ¡°I¡¯d prefer you not to. I¡¯m a contestant and it¡¯s not good to get too close to a mentor. Teacher Sheng, you can just call me by my full name.¡± He spoke in a detached and resistant manner, rebuffing Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s kind offer with a straight face. There was a buzz in the contestants¡¯ area, shocked at his lack of goodwill. Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s expression changed slightly, but in the end he didn¡¯t force it, and said softly: ¡°Okay, Ji Hui.¡± ¡°You called me up, is there a problem?¡± Ji Sheng asked. ¡°There is a small question.¡± Sheng Kongzhi smiled, ¡°Does Contestant Ji Hui usually have a habit of listening to music?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Maybe you have heard of my works?¡± ¡°¡­I have heard of them.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m actually a little curious. From my works so far, which one is Contestant Ji Hui¡¯s favourite?¡± The corners of Xie Xuanming¡¯s lips curved more sarcastically. This was not a favour to the program team, it was clearly a public-funded hooking up with the contestants. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t dare to answer which song he liked; Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes were so cold that they could shoot out ice. He deliberately raised his mic: ¡°My favourite is ¡®Wanna Stick It to the President¡¯ by Teacher Sheng Kongzhi.¡± The audience suddenly fell silent. Who didn¡¯t know that ¡®Wanna Stick It to the President¡¯ was a superbly bad film that flopped until its mother didn¡¯t recognise it and sparked mass ridicule on the internet. It was also Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s debut film. Sheng Kongzhi smiled stiffly: ¡°But this is television work.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ji Sheng affirmed his answer, ¡°I like this film very much. It brings people¡­ joy.¡± ¡± ¡°Pfft.¡± When he finished, Xie Xuanming was the first to fail to hold back his laughter. Many of the contestants were also amused, but they had concerns after all and restrained the corners of their upturned mouths, bracing themselves to save the last face for Sheng Kongzhi. The staff below didn¡¯t have so many worries. When Xie Xuanming laughed, they too burst into laughter, the sound drifting into the recording set and being picked up by the very sensitive microphones, causing Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s face to darken. The cameraman greedily recorded Xie Xuanming¡¯s sneer, Ji Sheng¡¯s sincerity, the trembling corners of the contestants¡¯ mouths and Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s ugly expression. So wonderful. It was not an exaggeration to call it a masterpiece. ¡°It¡¯s an honour to be in a position to bring joy to you, Contestant Ji Hui.¡± With the camera pointed at him, Sheng Kongzhi barely managed to squeeze out a smile. The host thought it was good enough and scurried out to round things up, ¡°Oops, speaking of musicians-turned-actors, there¡¯s another one here too. What do you think of Teacher Xie Xuanming? Do you perhaps have a favourite piece of his work too?¡± ¡°Yes.¡° Ji Sheng nodded, ¡°Among Teacher Xie Xuanming¡¯s works, I especially like Amour.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The host stammered, ¡°but that¡¯s a single, not a movie.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°Although Teacher Xie Xuanming is also unquestionably outstanding in the film and television industry, I prefer his performance as a singer. I watched the first season of ¡°Music First¡±. I am very sorry that Teacher Xie Xuanming was not able to debut, but in any case, Teacher Xie is the best lead singer in my heart.¡± This statement was incredible. Not only did he praise Xie Xuanming¡¯s singing skills, but also mocked the program for their choice of debutants and also trampled the lead singer who made his debut. Debut lead singer Sheng Kongzhi: ¡­¡­ ¡°Ah this.¡± Although it was embarrassing, Sheng Kongzhi had been in the entertainment circle for a few years after all, and his face was pretty thick. He joked, ¡°Contestant Ji Hui seems to like Teacher Xie more than me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably because I¡¯m a face-con.¡± Ji Sheng tilted his head and sincerely added the last stab, ¡°Teacher Xie is just so handsome when he acts and sings that I can¡¯t resist him.¡± There was no need to add anything else. Sheng Kongzhi almost threw the mic. Even the appearance value was mocked. It was quite insulting. After this interaction, Sheng Kongzhi couldn¡¯t hold the standard smile on his face. Xie Xuanming, on the contrary, was uncharacteristically happy, smiling like a weasel wishing Happy New Year to a chicken. The visual effect of the black-faced Sheng Kongzhi and the gentle Xie Xuanming together was really terrifying. The programme team was so horrified that they didn¡¯t dare to shoot more material and finished the meeting hastily after a few remaining segments. When he went out, Sheng Kongzhi grabbed Ji Sheng and whispered, ¡°Ji Hui¡­ contestant, do you have time to talk?¡± Ji Sheng noticed Xie Xuanming looking at them from not far away and quietly pulled away his hand: ¡°Sorry, Teacher Sheng, I still have rehearsals.¡± He took a step back, smiled politely at Sheng Kongzhi, turned and left. Sheng Kongzhi stared at his back in shock and suddenly heard a chuckle behind him. He turned his head to see Xie Xuanming look at him with a sneer. Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s expression sank a little bit and he walked past him without saying a word. For the public performance, Ji Sheng finally changed his non-competitive attributes and drew a good draw, allowing Niepan to make a grand finale appearance. After the host finished the curtain call, Ji Sheng walked onto the stage to the cheers of the audience and took his seat in front of the drum set. He wanted to move the drum chair, but found that the chair was fixed to the floor, so he could only give up. Ji Sheng picked up the drumsticks and turned them habitually twice. Lu Haoren looked back questioningly, and he nodded. Lu Haoren turned away and motioned to the sound teacher. [I feel my frozen heart throbbing slowly, and the bright moon rises over the sea] When the music started, Lu Haoren sang under the accompaniment of the keyboard. The melody gradually reached the climax; Ji Sheng raised his drumsticks and waited for the last note to fall. That was the signal for the drums to join. Lu Haoren was still singing when Ji Sheng¡¯s body swayed suddenly and his face changed. The floor under him began to shake. When the guitar joined the performance, the glass panel on which Ji Sheng sat trembled heavily and left the ground. Ji Sheng¡¯s body shuddered hard together with the panel; the vocals came to a pause at that moment, and without thinking, he raised his hands instinctively, his drumsticks swinging down and landing on the drum. The audience let out a gasp and tilted their heads to look up. Under the spotlight, Ji Sheng slowly ascended to the ceiling under the dense sound of the drums. The author has something to say£º Xiao Ji baby, you really have double standards. PS. Does anyone remember that Xiao Ji is afraid of heights? CH 50 At the end of the performance, the hoisted platform with the drums slowly landed. The glass panel firmly set on the stage again but Ji Sheng was still sitting motionless on the drum chair. ¡°Xiao Hui?¡± Lu Haoren waited for a long time and, still not seeing him to come forward for the curtain call, turned back to remind him. Only then did Ji Sheng bend over and put down his drumsticks. His hands were slightly trembling and the quivering tips of the drumsticks struck the glass panel with a discordant noise. He got up holding onto the drum kit and braced himself to walk to the front, then bowed with the rest of the Niepan members and walked off the stage. Once backstage, the keyboardist bounced around with his arms akimbo and his head turning wildly. ¡°That was an unbeatable performance just now!¡± He shouted excitedly, ¡°We¡¯re definitely number one this time!¡± ¡°Keep your voice down.¡± Lu Haoren discouraged him as he turned to look at Ji Sheng. Just now on stage, the members were all into the performance and the drummer was positioned in the back, so Ji Sheng went up and down without being noticed by the Niepan members. Only Lu Haoren, the lead singer, turned around during the free play period and was shocked to see Ji Sheng floating up under the ceiling together with the drums. There was no such stage design during the rehearsal. Lu Haoren asked Ji Sheng in wonder: ¡°Why did you suddenly rise up just now? When did you discuss it with the program team¡­¡± Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Ji Sheng go down. Ji Sheng¡¯s legs went weak; he grabbed the chair and knelt down, hugging the seat of the chair and coughing a few times, dry-heaving. ¡°Xiao Hui?!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?!¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± The shocked member of Niepan quickly surrounded him. Huang Sizhe took a few steps forward and squatted down, saying anxiously, ¡°Ji Hui! How are you? What happened?¡± He tried to help Ji Sheng and see what was going on, but his hand was grabbed and then he was picked up and tossed aside by the back of his collar. Huang Sizhe staggered a few steps, stood up and fixed his eyes on Xie Xuanming. Xie Xuanming pushed Huang Sizhe aside with a natural movement and squatted down beside Ji Sheng. ¡°Xie¡ª¡± Huang Sizhe¡¯s face alternately turned white and purple. As soon as he started roaring, he was held back by the other members who covered his mouth. Just kidding; if this child didn¡¯t want a future, Niepan still wanted a bassist. ¡­¡­ Although it was not the first time he had contradicted Emperor Xie. Xie Xuanming looked at Ji Sheng, saw his pale face, frowned, reached out and patted his back firmly, helping him calm down his breath. ¡°Deserting, huh!¡± Huang Sizhe snapped, breaking free from the restraints of the other members, ¡°There¡¯s still one group left, and Teacher Xie is coming off the stage? Isn¡¯t this a dereliction of duty?¡± Xie Xuanming ignored him, looking at Ji Sheng alone, and said, ¡°Bring me a glass of water.¡± The band members looked at each other, wondering who Xie Xuanming was talking to. Huang Sizhe was very upset: ¡°Why listen to you!¡± ¡°Ji Hui needs some water.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s tone was impatient, ¡°Otherwise you¡¯ll just stand here and he¡¯ll be fine?¡± Huang Sizhe choked, stood still for two seconds, gritted his teeth and turned to find water. Huang Sizhe was quick to bring water, and when he came back, he brought a staff member with him. ¡°Here.¡± He handed the water to Ji Sheng. ¡°Thank you.¡± Ji Sheng said hoarsely, barely raising his head. Ji Sheng reached and was about to pick up the cup, but was intercepted by Xie Xuanming. His hand froze in the air and hung weakly for a second. Ji Sheng looked at Xie Xuanming, his tired eyes barely sending out a ¡°?¡± ¡°You will splash it all over yourself.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°It¡¯s a wonder you stuck around to finish the song.¡± Only then did Ji Sheng realise that his hand was shaking badly and he wouldn¡¯t be able to hold the cup steadily. Before he said something, Xie Xuanming had already brought the cup to his lips. Ji Sheng could only open his mouth and take small sips of water. His body was also shaking badly, and the water got into his nose several times, making him cough. Xie Xuanming simply held the back of his neck and fed the water to him as if feeding medicine to a cat or soup to a child. Huang Sizhe watched the two of them anxiously, and when the paper cup was empty, he pointed to the staff: ¡°He is looking for you for something.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Ji Sheng swallowed the last sip of water and asked, raising his head. ¡°En.¡± Everyone turned their eyes to the staff. The staff member was just an ordinary part-time worker. He was shocked when he accidentally caught a glimpse of the intimate movements of the actor and the contestant. After watching it for a long time, he forgot about the message he had to pass. Now that he was stared at by everyone, he felt goosebumps and remembered the purpose of coming here. ¡°There is a live broadcast, and each band will have a representative¡­¡± The staff said, ¡°The representative of Niepan is Ji Hui.¡± The live broadcast after the performance could be regarded as inheriting the tradition of the previous season¡­ Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t help glancing at Xie Xuanming and found that he was looking at him intently. As soon as their eyes met, Ji Sheng quickly lowered his head and avoided his gaze. Lu Haoren took a step forward and asked, ¡°Can someone else go? As you can see, our teammate is not feeling well.¡± ¡°Probably not¡­¡± The staff member said embarrassedly, ¡°It is planned to be Ji Hui.¡± ¡°Who planned it?¡± Huang Sizhe¡¯s face was black, his displeasure clearly written on it. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The staff were about to cry, ¡°I¡¯m just a messenger¡­¡± Huang Sizhe shut up. They were all people who had no right to speak, so there was no need to embarrass each other. So his gaze returned to the only person present who had the right to speak. Under everyone¡¯s gaze, Xie Xuanming turned away from the trembling staff, looked down and asked, ¡°Can you?¡± Ji Sheng coughed and whispered, ¡°No problem.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go if you feel uncomfortable.¡± Xie Xuanming straightened up, stretched out his hand and said, ¡°Whatever it is, I¡¯m on your side.¡± ¡°En.¡± Ji Sheng grabbed his hand. Xie Xuanming lifted him up with some force, and Lu Haoren stepped forward and made a sign of taking over. Xie Xuanming did not withdraw his hand and turned his eyes to look at him. He was considerably taller than Lu Haoren, looking definitely oppressive when he stared down at him. ¡°Teacher Xie.¡± The matter of snatching someone from the hands of a movie emperor was so scary that Lu Haoren¡¯s legs weakened, but he still insisted on finishing his comment, ¡°In front of the camera, it¡¯s better for the mentor and the contestant to keep their distance¡­ or else Xiao Hui will be scolded.¡± Xie Xuanming looked at him for a moment longer, sending chills down his spine before withdrawing his gaze. He let go; Ji Sheng swayed and Lu Haoren hurriedly stepped forward to help him regain the balance, whispering, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± When they came to the live broadcast room, all the members of Niepan were stopped outside and Ji Sheng was the only one who could enter. He sat down on the chair in the live broadcast room and glanced around. The second season of ¡°Music First¡± was filmed at the same location as the previous season, and even the venue for the live broadcast had not changed. Ji Sheng looked at the familiar furnishings with a feeling of isolation. It was indeed a different world. He couldn¡¯t help looking at a certain corner, which was empty, and then at his side, which was also empty. His gaze drifted out of the room, to the place where the man who once had been sitting side by side with him stood with his arms crossed, the cold aura emanating from his body silencing the staff around. Naturally, no one dared to stop Xie Xuanming. ¡°Ji Hui¡­ Contestant Ji Hui?¡± The host¡¯s voice brought him back to reality, ¡°Are you listening?¡± ¡°Ah, en.¡± Ji Sheng replied, looking away. ¡°Let¡¯s take a look at the comments.¡± The host followed the procedure dutifully and handed over the tablet, ¡°The comments were all sent by the audience on the spot. We have screened them and there will be no spoilers involved.¡± Ji Sheng took the tablet, gently rubbing his stomach and quietly suppressing the nausea, then looked down at the screen once his eyes were clearer. He scanned the comments quickly. Probably after learning the lesson of ¡°Middle Finger-gate¡± of the first season, the program did not dare to deliberately select negative comments to test the mentality of the contestants, for fear of a disagreement with another strong character. With its previous record, KUZI was not sure they could gain an edge in online opinion. As a result, the comments selected for the contestants in the second season were not one or two, but a large number, floating over the screen densely like a barrage. Ji Sheng glanced over; most of them were compliments, and occasionally one or two questions or critical remarks. Quite a real comment section. It¡¯s a pity¡­. Ji Sheng tapped his finger twice on the screen and couldn¡¯t resist glancing outside the room again. Do you want me to say it? Will it be too shameless? Xie Xuanming stood in the corner of the equipment area and nodded imperceptibly. Ji Sheng¡¯s heart suddenly settled down. Go ahead. Someone was backing him up. He lowered his head and selected the piece of criticism he had just seen. [Why is the drummer¡¯s expression so ugly during the performance? The close-ups show either a frown or a black face. Don¡¯t artists do expression management now? The business ability is too poor, right?¡¿ Ji Sheng read out this theoritizing on his character and raised his head: ¡°First of all, I would like to apologise to the audience. I am really sorry for not being able to show my best state and provide the best viewing experience during the performance.¡± He stood up, bowed slightly, and straightened up with a bit of sharpness in his eyes: ¡°However, I also hope that the program team can apologise to me and my band.¡± The face of the person in charge outside suddenly changed. The painful lessons of the previous season made the staff extremely sensitive, to the point where they were afraid of snakes and scorpions. He whispered to the person beside him: ¡°Cut it off¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t cut it.¡± A cold voice interrupted him. Xie Xuanming¡¯s tone was indisputable, ¡°Let him finish.¡± ¡°Teacher Xie¡­¡± The person in charge wanted to cry without tears, ¡°This¡­¡± Xie Xuanming ignored him and looked back at the live broadcast room. ¡°The program team did not inform me about the stage design for today¡¯s performance.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s back was straight, and he was talking without humbleness, ¡°I understand that the show wants to give the audience better visual effects or create surprises. But the fact is that such a ¡°surprise¡¯ will only scare the musicians, making it impossible for them to perform with peace of mind and greatly diminishing the performance effect. My out-of-control expression management is empirical evidence. ¡°The design of lift-off, not to mention the question whether safety can be guaranteed, first of all ignores the mental state of the contestants. Today I was lucky enough to complete the performance smoothly. In case it was a contestant with a fear of heights or other psychological disorders, can the program guarantee their performance and even personal safety?¡± The microphone spread Ji Sheng¡¯s words clearly and sent them to every electronic device of the live broadcast audience. The person in charge slumped down unsteadily. The scale of the show was too large for him to control all of it. Who knew that the group of people in the stage design team could actually come up with such a stealthy operation as suddenly lifting the contestants into the air. The previous season insulted the personality of the contestants, and this season directly advanced to threatening the safety of the contestants. The person in charge abruptly had an idea of resigning. The generous amount written in the contract eventually prevented him from dropping the ball and leaving. ¡°Turn off the live broadcast¡­¡± He waved his hand solemnly, very helpless, ¡°Then prepare the public relations, let the props team take responsibility, and find out what idiot caused this kind of shit.¡± The live broadcast was cut off. Ji Sheng got up indifferently; he had already said what he needed to say. He left the host at a loss and walked up to Xie Xuanming. ¡°That¡¯s quite a good point.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression was bland. ¡°Thank you, I need to go to the bathroom.¡± Ji Sheng whispered, ¡°I have to wash my face¡­ maybe I have to vomit.¡± Ji Sheng stood alone in front of the sink and poured cold water on his face. He refused the offer of the Niepan members to accompany him. ¡­¡­ But he couldn¡¯t refuse Xie Xuanming. ¡°I¡¯m waiting for you outside.¡± A few minutes ago, when Xie Xuanming said that flatly, Ji Sheng¡¯s words ¡°You go first¡± stuck in his throat and he finally swallowed them. Ji Sheng sighed and poured two more handfuls of water on his face. How to explain¡­ Xie Xuanming knew that ¡°Ji Sheng¡± was afraid of heights. Would he believe it if he said he had a bad stomach?¡­ But then again, he was chosen for the live broadcast because of his fear of heights¡­ He should have known better than to anger the show. Was it really worth it to drop his alias for the sake of venting? Ji Sheng sighed, and simply stuffed his whole head under the faucet. Under the cold water, Ji Sheng¡¯s ears suddenly caught the sound outside the door. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Is he in there?!¡± ¡°It has nothing to do with you, get out.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to quarrel with you, let me in¡­¡± Startled, Ji Sheng straightened up. There was some argument that ended in shoving and fighting. ¡°Fuck off!¡± The sound of heavy objects hitting, and someone was thrown against the door panel. Ji Sheng hesitated to go out, trying to figure out the situation, but bumped into the person who rushed in. ¡°Sheng Kongzhi¡­ Teacher?¡± Ji Sheng stared intently, saying in amazement, ¡°Why are you here?¡± Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s face was bruised but his eyes lit up with chilling excitement the moment he saw Ji Sheng. ¡°Ji Sheng!¡± He shouted, ecstatic, pulling Ji Sheng into his arms. The author has something to say£º Xiao Ji, baby, if Xiao Xie hadn¡¯t spoiled you, you would have fallen off the horse a long time ago. CH 51 ¡°Ji Sheng!¡± The shouts in his ears were so excited that they merged into noise; there were arms tightened around his chest, robbing him of oxygen. Ji Sheng nearly suffocated. Sheng Kongzhi grabbed Ji Sheng by the shoulders and shook him, his face filled with surprise and his expression so out of control that it was a bit like a grimace. Ji Sheng stared blankly at this distorted face. The desire to vomit that he had suppressed suddenly returned but before he could react, Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s shoulder was yanked hard and his white face flew away like a kite. Xie Xuanming violently pulled Sheng Kongzhi away and punched hard in the face. His jaw swelled up visibly to the naked eye; Sheng Kongzhi cried out in pain, reflexively raising his hands in defence, while Xie Xuanming punched him again, hitting him in the stomach and sending him staggering backwards, making him gag a few times and fall to the ground, holding his belly. A bathroom, a washbasin, a man on the floor. The scene repeated itself, and Ji Sheng was so confused for a moment that he might have laughed out loud if it hadn¡¯t been for the wave of nausea that washed over him. Xie Xuanming took two steps forward, blocking Ji Sheng behind him, and looked down at Sheng Kongzhi grimly: ¡°Don¡¯t go crazy.¡± Sheng Kongzhi spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, wondering whether it was a tooth knocked out or he had bitten his tongue. When he looked up, he was no longer his usual gentle self, roaring uncontrollably, ¡°Xie Xuanming, you are not qualified to say that!¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s face was grim and silent. ¡°You knew he was Ji Sheng and deliberately hid him from me to get back at me!¡± Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s eye twitched as he lost his composure and yelled, ¡°Xie Xuanming, I always thought you were just crazy, but I never thought you were so despicable!¡± Sheng Kongzhi looked frantic, but his angry questioning was like a spark crashing into an iceberg, not even causing a tiny pit in the frozen surface. Xie Xuanming looked at him coldly and sneered, ¡°In what capacity are you questioning me? As Ji Sheng¡¯s ex-teammate? Ji Sheng¡¯s ex-boyfriend? Or as a victim of Ji Sheng¡¯s harassment?¡± Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s face went white. Xie Xuanming did not intend to take it lying down, overwhelmed with belated hostility, enunciating every word heavily. ¡°Sheng Kongzhi, if Ji Sheng were here, guess how many times you would have to kneel down and kowtow before he would forgive you.¡± Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s face was as white as paper, his body shaking, his lips quivering as he argued, ¡°No, Xiao Sheng wouldn¡¯t do that, he¡¯s so kind and loves me so much¡­¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Xie Xuanming suddenly stepped forward and crouched down, squeezed his jaw fiercely and slammed the back of his head straight into the wall. ¡°Don¡¯t call him that, you¡¯re not qualified.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes were terrifying, ¡°King of Songs Sheng, there are two ambulances parked outside the recording site, do you want to be on the news?¡± Like a duck being pinched by the neck, Sheng Kongzhi suddenly stopped talking. The ruthlessness in Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes was unmistakable; looking at the madness in his eyes, Sheng Kongzhi knew clearly that he was not joking. His survival instinct won over his emotions; he trembled, silent and shaking his head frantically. ¡°Then get lost.¡± Xie Xuanming said grimly, ¡°Don¡¯t keep popping up in front of me in the future, when I see your face and think of the things you¡¯ve done¡­ I just want to kill you too much.¡± He suddenly let go of his hand, allowing him to breathe. Sheng Kongzhi covered his jaw and coughed. ¡°Get out!¡± Sheng Kongzhi struggled to his feet and ran out the door without looking back. On his way out he heard a sound of retching coming from the toilet cubicle, but never had the guts to look back. With Sheng Kongzhi gone, Ji Sheng finally couldn¡¯t stop the urge to vomit, stumbling into the stall, clutching the toilet pod and throwing up. He felt his stomach was turning inside out, but since he hadn¡¯t eaten anything all day because he had to go on stage, he only threw up some gastric acid for a long time, his throat feeling sour and sore. After Ji Sheng finished throwing up, he pressed the flush button and crouched on the floor for a while before standing up, propping himself on the toilet seat. When he turned around, he saw Xie Xuanming leaning against the cubicle door, his eyes downcast as he watched nonchalantly. ¡°Feeling better?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ji Sheng whispered, ¡°I¡¯ll go wash my face.¡± Xie Xuanming moved out of the way. Ji Sheng squeezed past him, went to the sink, poured two handfuls of water and rinsed his mouth. When he looked up at the mirror, he met Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes again. ¡°Don¡¯t you have to record?¡± Ji Sheng asked in a muffled voice. ¡°They can do without me.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°Let¡¯s go?¡± ¡°En.¡± Xie Xuanming took the lead and walked out; Ji Sheng rubbed his stomach and followed him. The pain in his throat cleared up his chaotic thoughts a little, but Xie Xuanming¡¯s evasive and vague attitude left him in a state of uncertainty. Ji Sheng was looking down and wondering whether he should explain something in a roundabout way or just pretend to be deaf and mute when Xie Xuanming suddenly stopped in front of him. ¡°Huh!¡± Ji Sheng was so distracted that he bumped into him head on, the bridge of his nose slamming against Xie Xuanming¡¯s spine and tears coming out of his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re afraid of heights?¡± Xie Xuanming turned and looked down at him. ¡°En¡­¡± Ji Sheng replied uncertainly, covering his nose and feeling his eyes tear up. It took him a moment to straighten and pretend to be puzzled, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Not much.¡± Xie Xuanming glanced at him lightly, with little to no expression on his face, ¡°I didn¡¯t hear you mention it before.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t ask.¡± Ji Sheng said. His heart fluttering, he raised his eyes boldly and preemptively asked, ¡°Senior Ji Sheng¡­ was also afraid of heights?¡± ¡°En.¡± Xie Xuanming flatly averted his eyes, ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°I guessed from Teacher Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s reaction.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°It was a bit of a surprise, I¡¯ve seen senior Senior Ji¡¯s performances and his style is particularly flamboyant, I thought he was a very thrill-loving type.¡± He rashly commented on ¡°Ji Sheng¡±, but Xie Xuanming did not get angry, only turned around and took a step, saying inaudibly, ¡°Let¡¯s go, come out with me today.¡± Ji Sheng breathed a sigh of relief, did not dare to question why he was taking him out and just followed. After walking for a while, he suddenly heard Xie Xuanming speak again. ¡°He was not.¡± Ji Sheng froze; it took him a moment to realise that Xie Xuanming was replying to his last sentence. ¡°He was a coward.¡± No emotion could be heard in Xie Xuanming¡¯s voice. Niepan took first place, but when it was time to receive the award, Ji Sheng didn¡¯t even go on stage. Xie Xuanming swaggered out of the closed recording site with him, and by the way, even asked the staff for Ji Hui¡¯s mobile phone back. ¡°Take it.¡± Xie Xuanming tossed the phone to Ji Sheng, ¡°Don¡¯t let them post things indiscriminately.¡± ¡°It has a password.¡± Ji Sheng caught the phone. ¡°Who could have imagined.¡± Xie Xuanming sneered. Ji Sheng also knew about KUZI¡¯s virtues, and the show¡¯s team was really capable of doing such unethical things as using his number to message or post things. He did not say anything else and followed Xie Xuanming to the car with his phone and went to the hotel where the mentors were staying. The presidential suite that the program team booked for Xie Xuanming was even bigger than the two-bedroom apartment Ji Sheng owned in his previous life. Ji Sheng was shocked by the large double-door fridge right opposite the front door, smacking his lips and thinking that although Sheng Kongzhi lied a lot, he was right about one thing¡­ Xie Xuanming¡¯s debut in a movie brought him more benefits than being in a band. Although he had known that Xie Xuanming was on a rise, facing KUZI¡¯s 180 degree turn in attitude before and after Xie Xuanming¡¯s coming to fame, Ji Sheng once again refreshed his understanding of the term ¡°top star¡±. Xie Xuanming told Ji Sheng to do whatever he wanted, so Ji Sheng found a sofa and nestled down comfortably to watch Xie Xuanming call his assistant and ask him to prepare for public relations work. While calling, Xie Xuanming was standing with his profile turned to him. His nose was straight and the tip of his nose was slightly curved upwards. A very typical portrait of a beauty. Ji Sheng looked at him and suddenly his hand itched to pinch the tip of his nose like he did when Xiao Xie was a kid. Before he could suppress this bold idea, his phone vibrated and he received a message. Sheng Kongzhi [Ji Hui, I¡¯m sorry.] Ji Sheng came to his senses. He didn¡¯t expect this guy, Sheng Kongzhi, to be able to make his presence felt even though his face was swollen. Ji Sheng sat up straighter, ready to see what he was up to. [I¡¯m sorry for disturbing you today.] [My old friend, Ji Sheng, also has a psychological disorder of fear of heights, and I miss him so much that I had some surreal associations, and that¡¯s why I accidentally offended you, I¡¯m really sorry.] He didn¡¯t know if it was voice to text, but Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s messages were sent very quickly, and Ji Sheng had just finished reading the last one when his finger slipped and a few more came in. [Apart from apologising, I also want to remind you to be careful of Xie Xuanming.] [He has many unhealthy obsessions about Ji Sheng, and he is one of the few people who knows that Ji Sheng had a fear of heights.] [The accident today was probably not a stage design, but a deliberate ploy to test you.] [Xie Xuanming is always unscrupulous, so you should be careful.] The phone was jerked away as soon as Ji Sheng scrolled to the bottom and just glanced at the words hurriedly. When he looked up, it turned out that Xie Xuanming walked over at some point and now stood in front of him with the phone squeezed between his two fingers. ¡°Who is it?¡± Xie Xuanming asked Ji Sheng without looking at the screen. ¡°Senior Sheng Kongzhi.¡± Ji Sheng answered truthfully, ¡°He added me earlier.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Only then did Xie Xuanming raise his hand to look at the screen, swiping his finger three or two times, locking the screen and handing the phone back, ¡°I deleted him, do you mind?¡± Ji Sheng took the phone and casually shoved it into his pocket. He said, ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± Ji Sheng originally thought that since he had said those words on the live broadcast, tonight there would be another battle on the Internet, with the passers-by attacking the program and the water army fighting back hard. But in fact, the ¡°Music First¡± crew dropped on their knees faster than anyone expected. Before the public opinion had a chance to ferment, the show¡¯s official blog had already come out and tagged Ji Hui¡¯s Weibo and Niepan¡¯s Weibo, solemnly apologising. KUZI, a shit-stirrer that was afraid of nothing, rarely admitted committing a faux pas. Show fans who used to suffer from it came running to mock it, quickly catapulting the apology post into the hot search and drawing the attention of an even bigger amount of melon-eating passers-by. Niepan¡¯s official blog and Ji Hui¡¯s small account had already made a lot of KU money and attracted a lot of traffic overnight. They had acquired tens of thousands of fans, and even brands came to privately message them to inquire about business cooperation. With things developing like this, Ji Sheng was a little puzzled and quite happy. KUZI¡¯s sincere attitude was really different from its usual muddying the water mode. Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t understand why KUZI had suddenly changed its tune, until he saw Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans¡¯ majestic comments full of protection of the rights and accusations under the apology post. He took a glance at Xie Xuanming¡¯s Weibo and then it dawned on him. Xie Xuanming had posted an hour ago. He didn¡¯t say anything, just tagged the official blog of ¡°Music First 2¡±. It was just a short, cold post, but Ji Sheng was laughing at it for half a day. It was almost like holding a gun to the show¡¯s head, yet still asking politely, ¡°Will you apologise?¡± Nice, cool and very Xie Xuanming. Ji Sheng liked it. He was having fun when Xie Xuanming came out of the shower. Xie Xuanming dried his hair, went to the window to make a phone call, and walked back. He sat down at the head of the bed and spoke. ¡°Come here.¡± Still immersed in the joyful atmosphere, Ji Sheng didn¡¯t react for a moment and said ¡°huh?¡± in confusion. Xie Xuanming¡¯s next words were like a pot of cold water pouring down on Ji Sheng, making him snap right back to reality. ¡°Ji Sheng.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°Come here.¡± Ji Sheng looked down at his phone and didn¡¯t move a muscle, feeling his neck stiffen. After a few seconds, he slowly put down the phone, raised his eyes to look over, and said again in confusion, ¡°Huh?¡± Xie Xuanming repeated, ¡°Come here.¡± Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t avoid it, so he could only put down his phone, stand up from the sofa and walk to the bedside. The window was open and the evening breeze brought the remnant scent of shower gel and cigarettes to him. Did he just smoke? Ji Sheng was thinking about it when Xie Xuanming raised his hand and took hold of his wrist, the warmth of the contact giving him goosebumps. Ji Sheng was standing and Xie Xuanming was sitting, looking up at him intently. ¡°You¡¯re Ji Sheng, aren¡¯t you?¡± He said serenely. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t say anything, only lowered his head and tried his best to maintain his calm as he looked at Xie Xuanming. The two were silent for a while, and an invisible crack gradually appeared in Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes as he spoke in a low voice. ¡°You must be Ji Sheng, right?¡± CH 52 The cracks in Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes were so subtle that they were almost invisible, but Ji Sheng still caught a flicker of wavering. He was silent for a moment, then took Xie Xuanming¡¯s hand, stepped forward and crouched down, looking up at him, his eyes docile and gentle. ¡°If you want, I am Ji Sheng.¡± Xie Xuanming still looked at him, but the light in his eyes disappeared a little bit. His expression cooled down, as usual. Xie Xuanming let go of Ji Sheng and raised his hand to push him away, ¡°You don¡¯t need to sleep on the sofa today, go to the next room to rest.¡± After he finished speaking, Ji Sheng squatted by the bed for another two seconds before slowly getting up and going out. As he closed the door, he peered through the gap and saw Xie Xuanming raise his hand to press between his eyebrows, fatigue and loss mixed in his expression. Click. Ji Sheng stepped back and closed the door lightly. That night, probably upset by the excitement of the day, Ji Sheng had a rare dream about his childhood. He dreamt that he was locked in a dark wardrobe, with a few rays of light filtering through the gap under the wardrobe door, but when he looked, there was only the distant floor below him. Little Ji Sheng shivered against the wardrobe door, sobbing inaudibly. The faint sounds of a man and a woman making love came from another room, drowning the faint cries for help from little Ji Sheng. Ji Sheng was still too young at that time, two or three years old. He couldn¡¯t remember specific things, and he couldn¡¯t understand the twists and turns of the adult world. He only knew that as soon as his mother went out, his father would lock him in the top compartment of the wardrobe and then no matter how he cried, his father wouldn¡¯t open the door. The child¡¯s ability to figure out things was not weak, and little Ji Sheng stopped the useless crying a long time ago, but his innate fear of heights could not be eliminated. Little Ji Sheng trembled, moving away from the gap and shrinking into the corner where the light could not reach him. Compared with the darkness, the abyss-like height scared him even more. After he had shivered in the corner of the wardrobe for a long time, tired of crying and trembling, little Ji Sheng¡¯s eyelids drooped and he fell into a restless sleep. He didn¡¯t know how long he slept, but he was awakened by the sound of a quarrel. The man¡¯s murmur, the woman¡¯s screams, the sound of smashing things¡­ After a while, it became quiet again. Little Ji Sheng listened with his ears pricked up, and suddenly, the world lit up. The wardrobe door opened wide and a pair of hands reached over and picked up little Ji Sheng who was trembling unconsciously. The woman¡¯s fingers were long, thin and white. Just looking at these hands made one¡¯s heart flutter, realizing that she was a beauty. However, her fingers were thickly calloused and her arms were tougher than those of an average woman, with tattoos of letters and Chinese characters following the lines of firm muscles. The owner of such contradictory hands trembled as she carried Ji Sheng down, and when she saw his eyes red and swollen and his expression horrified, she instantly collapsed. Ji Yueming took her son into her arms, and her eyes that normally would not moisten even if the sky fell down could not stop trickling tears. She kept repeating that she was sorry. The young Ji Sheng did not know what she was sorry for. He only knew that he had never seen his nominal ¡°father¡± since that day, and that no man had ever been brought into the house by his mother with the words that they would live together in the future. Father and darkness disappeared from Ji Sheng¡¯s world together. Only the fear of heights remained, following him in the shadows. In the morning, Ji Sheng rose from the bed bleary-eyed. The entanglement of nightmares dazed him. He didn¡¯t breathe a sigh of relief until he got out of bed and stepped on the floor, regaining a bit of reality. He went out to wash up, and as he passed by the corridor he saw Xie Xuanming, neatly dressed, sitting at the dining table with two portions of breakfast in front of him. One had been eaten and one was untouched. Ji Sheng yawned and walked into the bathroom, raising his hand to touch his shrivelled stomach. He hoped he was not having any fancy ideas. Ji Sheng quickly washed up and returned to the bedroom. There was a piece of sportswear in the closet, a bit large in size. Ji Sheng changed into it, walked to the living room and sat down at the dining table. ¡°Is it mine?¡± He said, somewhat knowing the answer. ¡°En.¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t even look up. Ji Sheng started with satisfaction. He took a sip of soy milk, choked on it, and coughed twice. ¡°Not up to your liking?¡± Xie Xuanming asked flatly. ¡°It¡¯s a bit¡­¡± Ji Sheng swallowed the mouthful, ¡°too sweet.¡± ¡°I ordered it according to my taste, with a bit more sugar.¡± Ji Sheng wiped his mouth with a napkin, then wiped the spilled soy milk, thinking to himself. This was not ¡°a bit more¡±, it was like honey frosted with sugar, practically unpalatable. Is Xie Xuanming a bear? Eating such sweet food? But it seemed that he had always had a sweet tooth since he was a kid. ¡°There will be cotton candy rolling on the show today, do you want to come over and get one?¡± Ji Sheng suddenly remembered the program¡¯s recording schedule and asked casually. Xie Xuanming was looking at his phone; he paused for a moment and raised his eyes blankly: ¡°Why do you think I would take the initiative to participate in an unnecessary recording¡­ just for cotton candy?¡± Ji Sheng was startled by the question, also realizing that it was indeed an exaggeration for a divine movie emperor to make a trip for a cotton candy. He said with difficulty, ¡°Because you like cotton candy.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s face was expressionless. ¡°Ah so.¡± Ji Sheng smiled, ¡°Then you, you have a good day.¡± Xie Xuanming looked at him for a while longer, saw goosebumps on Ji Sheng¡¯s arms and averted his eyes, staring at his phone again and letting out a perfunctory and mocking ¡°en¡±. Ji Sheng was sent back to the recording venue by the driver. Probably because yesterday he attacked the show without a warning and Xie Xuanming spread his wings and made the show¡¯s crew bow their heads and apologise, all the staff had heard about the (false) fact that Actor Xie was angry with the program on behalf of his little lover. When they saw Ji Sheng, some of them seemed amused, and the others nodded, very flattering and polite. Ji Sheng enjoyed the pleasure of a fox pretending to be a tiger and was sent directly to the footage recording site to merge with the other members of Niepan. ¡°Xiao Hui is here! Come and see, the cotton candy machine!¡± The keyboardist was the first to notice Ji Sheng, pushing him over, pointing to the front and shouting. He was young, childish and excited to see something fun, ¡°The program team is really generous.¡± Ji Sheng looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a row of cotton candy machines. Were they going to open a cotton candy factory? The corners of Ji Sheng¡¯s mouth twitched as he said, ¡°Quite generous.¡± Huang Sizhe pulled Ji Sheng out of the keyboardist¡¯s hands with displeasure and slapped the guy on the head: ¡°So childish, pay attention to your image, okay?¡± ¡°Tsk!¡± The keyboard showed him his tongue. At this moment, the crew announced the start of the recording, the keyboardist cheered and led the guitarist to rush out first. Huang Sizhe yelled and followed, with Lu Haoren and Ji Sheng walking slowly after them. KUZI was worthy of being a variety show powerhouse. Even such a joyful flurry occasion as cotton candy rolling was all about competition. ¡°First place will record a promo video, and the second and third place will be promoted by the official blog!¡± The director shouted with a loud speaker. There was a restrained restlessness on the scene. With rewards comes motivation; at least Niepan was pushing the pedal to the floor. Ji Sheng¡¯s skills from his odd jobs back then naturally included the cotton candy rolling. As soon as he switched on the machine, the other members were taken aback with his confident movements and automatically and consciously gave him the chief position, taking a back seat to command. ¡°Add some pink, pink looks good.¡± The keyboardist watched with bated breath. ¡°Green green, add green add!¡± The guitarist was buzzing. ¡°Yellow yellow.¡± ¡°Yellow my ass, yellow is mango, don¡¯t know Ji Hui is allergic to mangoes!¡± Huang Sizhe was furious. ¡°Who remembers such things but you¡­ Xiao Hui doesn¡¯t remember it himself, right?¡± The keyboardist muttered. ¡°Huh? I remember.¡± Ji Sheng smiled and quietly retracted his hand reaching for the yellow sugar grains. With Ji Sheng¡¯s reckless display, Niepan unsurprisingly won first place with a colourful cotton candy half of a human height in size. Of course when they held the cotton candy up to record the video they realised that they were almost completely blocked by this thing, and the video promoting the band turned straight into a cotton candy promoting video. After recording the video, Niepan took a break and was sent off to get their make-up done. They had to record yesterday¡¯s stage performance one more time. The drummer was accidentally lifted into the air due to an elevator malfunction. While apologising, KUZI offered a compensation package for Niepan to make a normal version of the performance video to repay for the stage mishap caused by the accident. Although Ji Sheng¡¯s performance did not go wrong because of the lift-off, the crew was giving an extra chance of exposure for free, and Niepan gladly agreed. The recording was scheduled for the evening, on the stage that had not yet been disassembled. Xie Xuanming had a recording schedule in the evening. He arrived at the scene and was stuffed with cotton candy as soon as he got out of the car. Holding a small stick wrapped in heavy shreds of sugar, Xie Xuanming asked expressionlessly, ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°This is what Ji Hui left for you, Teacher.¡± The staff member said. ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Xuanming looked speechlessly at the pink heart with a small white tip and was genuinely puzzled, ¡°He thinks I like pink?¡± ¡°Maybe he thinks pink is cute?¡± The staff tried desperately to find an explanation. ¡°Cute?¡± ¡°Cute¡­ right!¡± The two stared wide-eyed for a moment before Xie Xuanming finally let go of the trembling candy cotton deliveryman: ¡°Okay, thank you for your trouble.¡± The candy cotton deliverer was relieved and nimbly slipped away. Xie Xuanming stood alone, holding the cotton candy and seriously pondering whether he should take it to the recording or put it somewhere else for the time being. He was still struggling when suddenly several staff members rushed to his side. ¡°Something¡¯s happened over there on the stage¡­ There was a band rehearsing and the roof collapsed!¡± ¡°How could such a big deal happen! No one was hurt, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not clear, the collapse was in the back half of the area and I heard the drummer was buried underneath.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s right eye twitched; he took two steps forward to pull one of the staff, asking sharply, ¡°Which band was involved in the accident?¡± ¡°Emperor Xie!¡± The man was shocked to see him. ¡°Which band?¡± Xie Xuanming asked. The man hesitantly said, ¡°It¡¯s the band making the re-recording today, the one whose drummer was accidentally lifted up to the ceiling yesterday. His name is Ji Hui¡­¡± Before he finished the sentence, he saw Xie Xuanming throw the cotton candy in his hand, turn around and quickly rush towards the stage. The cotton candy fell on the ground and rolled twice. The staff looked down; the white fluffy sugar was covered in dust, turning grey. The Fourth Renai Hospital Inpatient department, single ward. The nurse Xiao Hong was holding a hot towel, gently wiping the face of the person on the bed. She wiped the corners of the woman¡¯s eyes, then delicately wiped her neck, squatted down, soaked the towel in water and wrung it twice. Getting up again, Xiao Hong froze. She turned to see a dry, thin hand grasping her, the tattooed skin hanging loose on the trembling bony arm. Shifting her eyes upwards, Xiao Hong was surprised to find that the patient who had been in a coma for nearly two years in Bed No 4 now had her eyes open and was looking at her without blinking. ¡°Where is this?¡± Ji Yueming said in a hoarse voice. ¡°Where is my son?¡± CH 53 Xie Xuanming hurried to the waiting area where the stage entrance was crowded with people. The staff gathered noisily, arguing about something. Xie Xuanming couldn¡¯t wait to listen, so he put his hand on the shoulder of the closest person and pulled him away a little roughly: ¡°Excuse me.¡± The staff member turned around, startled, and said, ¡°Teacher Xie! What are you doing here?¡± This shout drew the attention of all the staff. They stopped talking and looked back. Everyone¡¯s eyes were focused on him, but Xie Xuanming was oblivious. He raised his hand to push away the people in front of him one by one and stubbornly squeezed his way to the door. The door was open, but it was dark inside, so one could vaguely see there was something blocking the passage. It was still possible to walk in. Without saying a word, Xie Xuanming was going to go inside. ¡°Teacher Xie!¡± Just as he stepped over the threshold, the staff member closest to him quickly grabbed him and urgently advised, ¡°The beam has collapsed and is blocking the entrance! Don¡¯t go here!¡± Xie Xuanming turned his head and stared at him, ¡°Can¡¯t one get out?¡± The staff member was shocked by the look in his bloodshot eyes and froze for a moment. After reacting, he insisted: ¡°Yes, one can get out, but there is a possibility of a secondary collapse, it¡¯s too dangerous, it¡¯s better to go around¡­ Teacher Xie!¡± Before the words left his mouth, he was shocked to see Xie Xuanming shake him off and walk through the door without looking back. He bowed to get under the beam and rushed into the studio. Quickly crossing over several collapsed beams, Xie Xuanming stepped on the ground littered with debris, walking to the stage through the obstructions. At a glance, there were few people on the stage, and the picture did not look like the tragic scene of sorrow that he had imagined. Only a few staff members carried the injured, moving quickly to the exit of the auditorium. Xie Xuanming jumped off the stage, jogged over and confirmed that none of the injured were Ji Hui, then turned around and stood on the steps looking over the stage. From a distance, the stage was a mess. There was a microphone lying on the ground in the centre of the stage. The switch was not turned off, and the faint buzzing sound spread throughout the recording venue from the audio still running. Xie Xuanming, annoyed by the sound, took two steps forward and grabbed a staff member: ¡°Is there anyone else down there?¡± The man froze for a moment and said, ¡°Not really, we have to wait for the paramedics¡­¡± Xie Xuanming let go of him before he finished talking and turned to run towards the stage. He had just taken two steps on the stage when he suddenly kicked something. There was a muffled sound, followed by the sound of constant collisions. Xie Xuanming looked down and saw a broken snare drum roll out, hit a beam and stop, reuniting with the collapsed drum carcass underneath. Xie Xuanming¡¯s eye twitched slightly as he raised his gaze. The sides of the drums were deformed beyond recognition and the drum surface was even more fragmented¡­ The metal and plastic were shattered under the heavy weight, so what about an even more fragile human body? The safety exit in the audience was suddenly wide open, and sunlight shone through the gap between the shadows of people, sweeping over the glass residue and reflecting on the blood stains, making Xie Xuanming feel cold all over. The staff rushed from the auditorium with paramedics and stretchers. There was endless noise, but Xie Xuanming heard nothing. He took a few steps forward, ignoring the shouts of ¡°stay away from the collapse¡± from the people behind him, walked to the wreckage of the drum kit and squatted down. Was someone down there? Xie Xuanming thought blankly. Was he down there? His mind was still wandering, but his hand reached out first. Xie Xuanming¡¯s palm pressed against the rough, cold metal and lifted it up. The beam was designed to be a load-bearing support, and its weight was so great that it could not be easily shaken by one person. Xie Xuanming exerted force for a long time, gritting his teeth. Blue veins were swelling on his arms, but everything was ineffective. Unable to move it from the top, Xie Xuanming switcheded to digging down. He tugged on the deformed drum as hard as he could and was stabbed by something on it that he couldn¡¯t see. When he withdrew his hand, there were beads of blood rolling down from his fingertips¡­ Xie Xuanming wiped a handful of blood, grabbed the drum again and yanked it out. After Xie Xuanming dug out two or three wrecks, he was stopped by the staff who came shouting and pulling him back. But Xie Xuanming was as strong as a bull, neither listening to persuasion nor stopping. He shook his arm to throw away the person holding him, pushed away another one and stretched out his hand persistently towards the wreckage of the drum set. The man holding him was not strong enough to stop him from leaning forward, and the staff member who had fallen to the ground quickly rose to his feet, lunged on his shoulders and held him back with all his might. Both men gritted their teeth trying to stop him and heard the person in front of them unconsciously let out a low growl that did not sound like a human¡¯s voice, but like a sound made by an animal forced into a desperate situation. Both of them clenched their jaws, exerting force, but still couldn¡¯t stop Xie Xuanming¡¯s movements. With difficulty, Xie Xuanming crouched down on the ground again, his eyes red, and was about to reach down and dig further when he suddenly heard someone shout from afar. ¡°Senior Xie!¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s movements froze, and the staff took the opportunity to hastily pull him backwards, away from the ruins. The man shouted again, ¡°Xie Xuanming!¡± Xie Xuanming was led back by the two of the staff and sat on the ground in a daze. He slowly raised his head and saw Ji Sheng standing not far away. Ji Sheng had come in a hurry; his hair was scattered and he was breathing heavily, his hands unconsciously rubbing against his clothes, smearing grey dust on his white performance outfit. He had been called by the lighting teacher to discuss stage effects when the roof collapsed, and was fortunate not to be on stage. When he heard a boom, Ji Sheng turned around and saw the smoke and dust rising, beams and pillars raining down, and most of the stage gone in an instant. Ji Sheng¡¯s brain also ¡°exploded¡±; he left the frightened lighting teacher behind and jumped on stage in three steps. He rushed in and in ten seconds or so, together with the Niepan members, carried Lu Haoren out of the smoke and dust. The collapse took place in the back of the stage. The members at the front were able to dodge in time and were hardly affected, but the staff at the back, as well as Lu Haoren, who had gone to the back to check on the drums, were not so lucky and suffered some injuries. Lu Haoren¡¯s face was pale; his leg had been hit and blood was seeping through his trousers. He lost consciousness, either from the pain or the blood loss, and was carried out by Huang Sizhe. A staff member shouted that there was an ambulance in the square, but the paramedics might not be able to come for a while. It was impossible to wait in place, so Huang Sizhe gritted his teeth, picked up Lu Haoren on his back and rushed out. Several other members also carried the injured staff on their backs and ran towards the exit. Ji Sheng had just helped a staff member whose hand was injured into the ambulance when he turned his head and heard Xie Xuanming, out of control, rushing to the scene. In panic, he ran to the stage again Obviously, he had arrived in time. Ji Sheng stood, still panting, watching Xie Xuanming break away from the two men and stand up, walking towards him step by step. Paramedics were scattered around, checking to see if there were any missing wounded, yelling and shouting. Xie Xuanming walked up to Ji Sheng. The redness in his eyes subsided a little and was replaced by a thin layer of exhaustion, the corners of his eyes flushed. He looked down at Ji Hui, but he was not looking at Ji Hui. Ji Sheng was stung by his gaze, took a half step back and opened his mouth: ¡°Xie¡­¡± Xie Xuanming grabbed his shoulders, preventing him from retreating. Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t dodge, so he could only look at Xie Xuanming very seriously, standing against him like a support, pressing his head against his neck, feeling his trembling and his unsteady breathing very clearly. Xie Xuanming¡¯s other hand squeezed Ji Sheng¡¯s wrist in a death grip. ¡°Ji¡­¡± He lost his voice and was as silent as Ji Sheng. After a moment¡¯s pause, he whispered, ¡°I dropped the cotton candy.¡± Xie Xuanming said very slowly and wearily, ¡°I dropped my cotton candy, and you¡¯re going to roll me a new one.¡± Ji Sheng swallowed hard a few times, and it took a while before he said, ¡°Okay.¡± KUZI immediately suppressed the news of the collapse at the recording location. Because the collapse happened inside and the exterior of the building appeared to have little damage, the squatting station sisters only captured the ambulance whizzing away, which was immediately explained by the public relations as a contestant fainting due to low blood sugar and being sent to the hospital. By the end of the night, the public opinion situation was still as stable as a pool of stagnant water. KUZI was able to control the situation so easily thanks to Xie Xuanming¡¯s acquiescence and even help. There was a reason why Xie Xuanming agreed to keep the news under wraps. After he calmed down, he took Ji Sheng away from the recording location again, and asked his own people to investigate. Xie Xuanming dared to swagger into the studio of KUZI recording the show, so naturally, he would not have come empty-handed and with no preparation. Many of the program¡¯s staff members were considered his eyes and ears. These people usually got paid twice to do one job, and now they were finally coming in handy. Xie Xuanming was sitting in the back seat with his eyes closed when his phone vibrated a few times. He picked up the phone, unlocked it and read the message; his brows suddenly drew together. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Beside him, Ji Sheng asked softly. ¡°That fallen beam.¡± Xie Xuanming said coldly, ¡°Cut marks were found on the pillar.¡± Ji Sheng was silent for a moment, unconsciously clenching his fist: ¡°It was man-made?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°The cuts were neat and tidy, obviously having been cut by a machine. Do you suspect anyone?¡± Ji Sheng grimaced and shook his head. ¡°Someone who has been offended, someone who has had a problem?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°I have amnesia.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Xuanming was silent for a second and said subtly, ¡°I forgot.¡± Another question, ¡°What about recently, have you offended anyone?¡± ¡°Just offended the program team.¡± Ji Sheng reminded. ¡°KUZI shouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to smash their own brand.¡± Xie Xuanming sneered. The two men fell silent. ¡°We can check the surveillance.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°Music First is filming 24 hour a day but I don¡¯t know if the program team will allow to check the surveillance.¡± ¡°They still have to give face.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°Besides, now that there¡¯s been an accident, public opinion and the police are watching. They can only give in due to pressure.¡± ¡°The police are involved?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± ¡°Working on it, but the investigation takes time and the results won¡¯t come out that quickly¡­¡± While they were talking, the phone vibrated again; Xie Xuanming raised his hand to look at it and suddenly froze. He sat upright suddenly, his back stiff, his expression complicated, and one couldn¡¯t tell whether he was happy or angry. ¡°Go to the hotel.¡± Leaning forward, Xie Xuanming quickly said to the driver, then said to Ji Sheng, ¡°You go back first¡­¡± He paused inexplicably, looking straight at Ji Sheng. Ji Sheng was taken aback by his look and shifted uncomfortably, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Xie Xuanming seemed to have finally made a decision, and his expression returned to its usual calmness. He added to the words he hadn¡¯t finished earlier, ¡°You go back to the hotel and stay there, I¡¯ll let you know if there¡¯s any news.¡± ¡°Then you¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to meet someone.¡± Xie Xuanming lowered his eyes and looked at the message, ¡°Someone woke up.¡± CH 54 There are no airtight walls in this world. After the initial confusion, KUZI stubbornly refused to cooperate with the police investigation. This action immediately sparked outrage. As the police began to put pressure on the show, the internal staff members who had collected evidence also took it to the internet to let the cat out of the bag. In the middle of the night, a few melon eaters went online to see the breaking news that engineering quality problems of ¡°Music First 2¡± had caused the roof to collapse, resulting in injuries, including a certain contestant. The news broke in the early hours of the morning and climbed into the hot search, attracting the attention of a large number of night owl netizens. The content was so appalling that it didn¡¯t take long for the story to reach the top of the hot search. People woke up early in the morning to see. #Music First 2 collapse# [explodes] #Contestant injured# [burst] #KUZI refuses investigation# [hot] Netizens blinked their sleepy eyes and were completely awake. After a good night¡¯s sleep the program team was up too. The PR department looked at the heat, and after calling for an emergency meeting, finally decided to apologise on the official blog and accept a police investigation. After all, a malicious person injuring people was much better than an engineering quality issue. While KUZI was sliding down on its knees, there were others who were also looking at the hot search in a cold sweat. In the office of Qingchu, Li Tan stared at the number one hot search with his face frozen. ¡°Mr. Li? The meeting I told you about¡­¡± The secretary called him several times, getting no response, and had to raise her voice. ¡°Ah! The meeting¡­ postpone it for fifteen minutes, I¡¯ll make a phone call.¡± Li Tan finally regained his senses. He wiped a cold sweat, rubbed his palms and waved his shaking hand, ¡°You go out first.¡± The secretary went out, and Li Tan opened the bookcase, took out a small booklet inside, flipped through it to find a number, his hands trembling, and dialled it. It rang several times until it was picked up. ¡°That ¡°Music First¡± accident, did you do it?¡± As soon as the call was answered, Li Tan questioned fiercely. After receiving the person¡¯s casual confirmation, Li Tan was furious: ¡°Are you crazy? You want to drag everyone down with you, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What are you so angry about?¡± The other side was no easy target either, answering Li Tan¡¯s anger with agression. ¡°Did you tell me about the itinerary you gave Sheng Kongzhi? Since you let him go there, you had to expect the consequences.¡± Li Tan was so angry that he slapped his hand on the table and shouted, ¡°What does it matter to you what itinerary our artists take? ¡°Ha! Then I have to remind you how your company managed to rise. Needing me when it developed and trying to kick me out now, thinking that I¡¯m useless? I¡¯m telling you, Li Tan, no way!¡± Li Tan¡¯s fists clenched and his breathing became ragged. His jaws were clenched to the point of his gums almost bleeding, but he couldn¡¯t say anything. The other end of the phone waited for his answer for a while, sneered when hearing no sound and continued, ¡°Besides, you know, I can¡¯t help it. That horrible face, bright and shiny on the screen. If you can stand it, I fucking can¡¯t!¡± The fire that had been suppressed by Li Tan¡¯s guilty consciousness came back and he shouted almost uncontrollably: ¡°What do you mean you can¡¯t stand it? What do you mean you can¡¯t help it? How long has it been since the Ji Sheng incident? How much pressure was there on our side? It¡¯s finally over, and now you¡¯re out making trouble again! Aren¡¯t you afraid that people will come to your door to check?¡± ¡°What are you yelling about? Wasn¡¯t the matter of Ji Sheng settled long ago? Don¡¯t worry, this time, just like last time, it will be solved perfectly. It won¡¯t even involve you, Boss Li!¡± Li Tan gripped the phone tightly, his eyes gloomy and uncertain. He finally said angrily: ¡°You¡¯d better be able to solve it.¡± While Li Tan was fuming, Xie Xuanming, who rushed to another city in a hurry, opened the door of a ward and asked, ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°The patient went out at night.¡± Xiao Hong got up from her chair at once and said timidly. ¡°Where did she go?¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s face changed instantly, ¡°She¡¯s still not back at this hour?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Xiao Hong was a little scared, ¡°She said she¡¯d go out for a walk¡­ The doctor also said she needed to move around more if she could, and the patient didn¡¯t let anyone accompany her¡­¡± Xiao Hong knew she was in trouble. The person who had been in a coma for two years suddenly woke up and ran out of the hospital without saying a word. She disappeared without any way to know whether her physical condition was stable¡­ Thinking of this, Xiao Hong felt so guilty that she was close to tears. She opened her mouth to apologise, but Xie Xuanming raised his hand to stop her, rubbing his temples, his face showing some fatigue: ¡°Did she say anything when she woke up?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± After swallowing her apology, Xiao Hong racked her brain to remember and said carefully, ¡°She asked ¡®where is my son¡¯.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s right eye twitched and his pale face became a little ugly. Ji Yueming walked to the door of a building with a large bag on her back, and looked up. The sunlight reflected off the glass stinging her eyes and she squinted, unable to see the logo on the top. Ji Yueming looked at it for a while, then gave up. She glanced around twice, moved a few steps to the side and grabbed two girls who were talking there: ¡°Girls, is this the building of Qingchu Company? ¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The girl who was pulled back turned around and replied, while the other girl also looked at Ji Yueming curiously for a few moments. Her eyes fixed on Ji Yueming¡¯s outstretched arm and lit up, ¡°Sister, your tattoos are so cool!¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ji Yueming chuckled, ¡°Call me auntie, my son is probably almost as old as you are.¡± ¡°But you look very young, eh.¡± The other girl pointed down at her wrist, ¡°What¡¯s that tattoo? It¡¯s so pretty, I¡¯m tempted to get a similar one.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the names of my lovers.¡± Ji Yueming squinted her eyes and smiled at them. Fatigue and wrinkles couldn¡¯t hide the superior structure of her bones. When she was young, she was a great beauty and her suitors could be lined up three blocks away from the stage. She smiled and said, ¡°Don¡¯t tattoo indiscriminately.¡± Ji Yueming was unrestrained and fell in love easily. One by one, her boyfriends¡¯ names were engraved on her body. At first she would erase them after breaking up, but later she would simply leave them there and after breaking up, she would draw a flower or a bird over their names. Her arm would be like a record board, filled with the stories of the past. The men scolded her behind her back but she did not care. She continued to spend time drinking, playing the drums and playing the keyboard, flirting with people who hit on her. When she saw the right one, she got along with him for a while, and when he stopped being the right one, she split¡­ This life continued until Ji Sheng arrived. ¡°What about this one?¡± In contrast to the fancy left arm, the right arm was clean and simple, with only a moon few inches large on the wrist, with an artistic ¡°Éý¡± (sheng/rise) tattooed inside the curved moon. The girl wondered, ¡°Is this also the name of a lover?¡± ¡°Past life lover.¡± Ji Yueming smiled a little more gently, and the fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes softened, ¡°It¡¯s my son, he¡¯s having his birthday today.¡± ¡°Oh ah! In that case, happy birthday to your son!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± After Ji Yueming thanked them, she noticed that the two girls were carrying a black screen half a human height in size in a small cart behind them, and asked curiously, ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a rights screen!¡± When it came to this, the girl waved her hand excitedly, ¡°If a dog company doesn¡¯t behave like a human being, one can only rely on this kind of thing to protest.¡± ¡°How does this thing work?¡± ¡°It¡¯s easy, just connect your phone and type the words you want to type into the program.¡± ¡°That sounds good.¡± Ji Yueming nodded thoughtfully and said, ¡°Girl, can I borrow this thing for a while?¡± When Li Tan returned from the meeting, the sound of a loudspeaker came from downstairs. Li Tan took a few steps to the window, pulled the curtains shut in annoyance and sat back in his office chair. Defend rights and defend rights, all day long. What did Qingchu do wrong to its little brothers and sisters? The idols themselves were so confused that they couldn¡¯t get resources and endorsements, but they blamed the company for not doing anything. After all, Qingchu was still a half-way up, developing fast and not having such a well-established system as the big regular companies. From time to time there were some confusing operations that made fans jump to their feet in anger. You could say that the banners defending someone¡¯s rights were present downstairs at Qingchu 365 days a year without a break. Li Tan was used to it and didn¡¯t bother. But something seemed different today. The secretary rushed in in a panic: ¡°Mr. Li!¡± Startled, Li Tan sat upright, saying, ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you? You don¡¯t even knock on the door!¡± The secretary still had a bad look on her face: ¡°Look downstairs, today the right defender¡­¡± ¡°Is there a day when no one defends their rights? Don¡¯t bother me with such trivial matters.¡± Li Tan impatiently waved his hand to drive the secretary away. Before he leaned back in the chair again, he heard the secretary say anxiously: ¡°Ji Sheng¡¯s mother is here to defend her rights!¡± Li Tan¡¯s spine stiffened and his hand shook twice in the air before he finally clenched his fist and punched the desk heavily. The secretary was stunned and hesitantly said, ¡°Mr. Li¡­¡± ¡°What are you doing, standing in a daze like this? Hurry up and contact someone to take her away!¡± Li Tan¡¯s cheeks trembled as he yelled fiercely. Ji Sheng lay bored on the bed of the guest room, swiping his mobile phone. The hot search [explosion] was still up, but nothing changed there for a long time, and Xie Xuanming, who said he would let him know when he had news, never contacted him again. Ji Sheng slept, then woke up, asked Lu Haoren about his injuries, went back to bed and was now a bit sleepy again. Bored, he turned over, muttering something to himself. He had just looked at the calendar and realised that today was his birthday in his previous life. Xie Xuanming hadn¡¯t run out in such a hurry to celebrate his birthday, right? The image of Xie Xuanming standing in front of his tomb with a cold expression on his face and holding a cake quickly came to Ji Sheng¡¯s mind and he couldn¡¯t help but get goosebumps. Too postmodernism. Also very much Xie Xuanming. Ji Sheng yawned at the thought, and suddenly found that someone had sent a video to him in a private message on Weibo. Sheng Kongzhi. He froze in a half-yawn. Why did Sheng Kongzhi switch to private messages on Weibo? Oh yes, WeChat was blacked out by Xie Xuanming. It took Ji Sheng a while to remember it; then he slowly clicked on the video that Sheng Kongzhi had sent. The video showed a location in front of a building. The camera looked up and down twice, capturing the word ¡°Qingchu¡±. What was Sheng Kongzhi doing sending a video of his office entrance to him? Ji Sheng wondered. And taking into account the perspective, it didn¡¯t look like he had filmed it himself, either. However, when he clicked on the video, he didn¡¯t care to think about it anymore. The camera moved down to the open space in front of the company¡¯s building, where an old drum kit was placed all of a sudden. The camera moved to the right, focusing on a thin woman struggling to move the floor drum and the chair. She slowly assembled a basically perfect drum set, sat down and moved her chair closer. Ji Sheng lost his ability to blink and stared at the video motionlessly. The woman raised her head and with her many years of stage performance experience found the photographer easily, smiling indifferently at him. The camera captured her face clearly, a face that was somewhat similar to Ji Sheng¡¯s face. She turned her head and pressed twice on a black electronic screen propped up behind her. Large red letters began to scroll across the black background. [Trash company, give my son back his life] After setting the font, the woman nodded in satisfaction, and patted the old stereo by her side. The stereo creaked, releasing a piece of music. When the people listened to it, they were dumbfounded. It was ¡°The Injustice to Dou E¡±(1). The red letters swirled above your head, the grievances of Dou E squealed in your ears and your body hummed with the drumbeat. The woman didn¡¯t seem to care how bizarre this combination was. With her cuffs pulled up to reveal her splendidly tattooed arms, she held the drumsticks, playing a manic heavy metal beat under the accompaniment of the opera. A combination of tradition and rock, a cross between injustice and wit. The onlookers had different expressions, wanting to laugh but not knowing whether to laugh or not at this peculiar picture. Watching the video, Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t laugh. He was frozen like a statue; his eyes were sore and he didn¡¯t blink until the end of the video. He didn¡¯t know how long it took, but the screen went black and then lit up again. Ji Sheng¡¯s lips moved slightly and he said inaudibly, ¡°Mom.¡± CH 55 The video ended a long time ago and the screen went dark. Ji Sheng tapped the screen in silence and played the video again. He exited Weibo, found the number of a hospital from his memory and dialled it. Ji Yueming had been in a coma after a car accident while Ji Sheng was still alive. The doctors were not sure when and if she would wake up. Ji Sheng originally wanted to accompany Ji Yueming to take care of her, but he didn¡¯t expect to have a bigger accident while she would still be unconscious. Ji Yueming was initially admitted to the city hospital, but after Ji Sheng¡¯s accident, she was transferred to a hospital in the next city to avoid controversy. After his rebirth, Ji Sheng wanted to visit, but he was initially penniless and could not afford to pay for his travel expenses. Later he was being watched by Xie Xuanming, so he could not find the time to slip away. He had no choice but to look up the phone and find out the situation through the hospital. The hospital said that Ji Yueming¡¯s vital signs were normal, and Ji Sheng could barely relax. But now she suddenly woke up. Ji Sheng was at a loss for a while, and at that moment he felt like he had turned back into a child shivering in the top compartment of the wardrobe¡­ and this time, there would be no one to carry him down from the precipice. Operating mechanically, he unconsciously called the front desk of the hospital. ¡°Hello, I am a relative of Bed No 4 in Ward 5204, I would like to ask about Ms. Ji Yueming of Ward 5204¡­ about her current condition.¡± ¡°Bed 4 of 5204?¡± There was a pause for a moment to check something, ¡°Ji Yueming of 5204 has already gone through the discharge procedures¡­¡± ¡°Okay, excuse me, thank you.¡± Ji Sheng hung up the phone before he finished listening. He put down the phone and stayed dazed for a moment, his mind echoing with Xie Xuanming¡¯s flat tone when he left yesterday. ¡°Someone woke up.¡± So that was what had happened; Ji Sheng let out a bitter laugh and squeezed his forehead. But he was not in the mood nor did he have the time to dwell on this right now. He searched on Weibo, but this time he was smart enough to notice that this kind of topic, clearly big enough to be a hot search, had no impact. Ji Sheng searched by keywords and was able to find some videos at first, but very soon, he watched these posts disappear one by one. The videos were gone, but what about his mother? Ji Sheng¡¯s heart sank, and with a few quick movements of his fingers, he sent a message to Sheng Kongzhi. [The woman playing the drums in the video, is she still in front of your company?] Sheng Kongzhi replied almost in seconds. [I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m filming on the site, I¡¯m not in the company right now, the video was sent to me by my assistant.] Ji Sheng [Then where did she go] Sheng Kongzhi [I don¡¯t know] Sheng Kongzhi [Let me ask] Sheng Kongzhi [Pull me out of the blacklist, I¡¯ll call you when I find out] Ji Sheng pulled him out of the blacklist and waited, clutching his phone. After about five minutes, Sheng Kongzhi called. Before Sheng Kongzhi could speak, Ji Sheng asked straightforwardly, ¡°Where is Ji Yueming, what did you do to her?¡± ¡°Ji¡­ Hui,¡± Sheng Kongzhi paused for a moment, shocked by his aggressiveness, and said, ¡°Calm down first.¡± Ji Sheng stopped talking, but his rapid breathing continued to reach the other party through the microphone. Sheng Kongzhi also tensed up with that breath, paused for two seconds and repeated, ¡°Calm down.¡± The more Sheng Kongchi told him to calm down, the more uneasy Ji Sheng felt. He almost yelled, ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°Ms. Ji Yueming, she was taken away by Qingchu¡¯s security. Then¡­ Because she made a lot of noise, which caused a lot of people to watch, and the recording of the video also caused a certain negative impact on the Internet, so Qingchu decided to sue her for violent behaviour and provoking trouble, as well as damaging the company¡¯s reputation¡­ Ji Hui, she has been taken away just now¡­ Ji Hui! Ji Hui! ¡± Before Sheng Kongzhi had finished speaking, he heard a few muffled noises from the other end of the phone, accompanied by an angry growl. Sheng Kongzhi did not know how to persuade him, so he could only repeat mechanically, ¡°Calm down, I¡­¡± ¡°You, you and Li Tan! You bastards! An ordinary person, a patient just released from the hospital, a mother trying to defend her son¡¯s rights, where did you take her? The police station? How can you have the nerve to do that? Where are you going to send her next, to prison? Sheng Kongzhi, I thought you were cowardly before, but now I see that you and Li Tan are just the same, just as despicable! Shameless! ¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ji Sheng!¡± Sheng Kongchi couldn¡¯t bear listening to this anymore and raised his voice to interrupt. Ji Sheng gasped and shut up according to his wish. Sheng Kongzhi calmed down a bit and tried to appear relaxed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let Qingchu do that either, I¡¯ll talk to Brother Tan, I¡¯ll persuade him¡­ don¡¯t worry for now.¡± ¡°What police station?¡± Ji Sheng did not react to his words and asked sharply. Sheng Kongzhi froze for a moment. ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I¡¯ll ask again and send you any news.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ji Sheng also did not delay and was about to hang up the phone. ¡°Ji Sheng!¡± Feeling that he was about to hang up, Sheng Kongzhi hurriedly tried to stop him. By the end of the call, he had finally emerged from his embarrassment and confusion, and excitement and joy had taken over. Sheng Kongchi clenched his fists and whispered, ¡°I¡¯m really happy¡­ that you¡¯re still alive. ¡°Also, today is your birthday¡­ happy birthday¡­¡± A cold hang-up tone was the only response he got. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t have any wish to care about Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s four types of human emotions(1). He didn¡¯t care at all and even felt bored. After receiving the information, Ji Sheng hurried to a police station, entered the door and rushed to the front desk. ¡°May I ask if you have a lady named Ji Yueming coming in this afternoon? I want to see her.¡± Ji Sheng said urgently, ¡°Is she alright? Is she not feeling well? Has she been bullied?¡± ¡°Mister.¡± The police officer on duty was forced to frown by his barrage of questions and said calmly, ¡°We are a proper authority institution and the situation you are worried about cannot happen. If you want a visit, you will need to show proof of the relationship with the lady.¡± Proof. Ji Sheng froze, silent for a moment. He calmed down. He was now ¡°Ji Hui¡±, and Ji Hui had no way to prove his relationship with Ji Yueming. The police officer thought he didn¡¯t hear him and emphasised, ¡°May I ask what your relationship with that lady is? Her situation is complicated and does not meet the conditions for bail. I suggest you hire a lawyer.¡± He glanced up and down at Ji Sheng, and asked, ¡°Or are you the lawyer?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not¡­¡± Ji Sheng whispered anxiously, ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°Ms. Ji Yueming¡¯s lawyer is here.¡± A familiar voice sounded abruptly behind him. Ji Sheng was stunned for a moment, stiffened and turned back to see Xie Xuanming striding in with a formally dressed man. Xie Xuanming stood two steps away from Ji Sheng, but did not look at him, only saying flatly to the police, ¡°This is Ms. Ji Yueming¡¯s lawyer, we request a visit.¡± The lawyer went in, and Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming stayed in the corridor to wait. The two sat on a bench in the corridor, one at one end and the other at the other, both silent and not speaking. Ji Sheng looked up from time to time but could not see anything from the angle he was at. He glanced twice, then lowered his head in disappointment and stopped looking. After a while, he decided not to give up and looked again. ¡°It¡¯ll be alright.¡± After Ji Sheng looked at him for who knows how many times, Xie Xuanming said, ¡°That man is a very good lawyer, and Qingchu¡¯s reasons for suing are untenable.¡± Ji Sheng lowered his head again and gave a vague ¡°en¡±. After a moment, he whispered, ¡°Thank you.¡± He didn¡¯t know in what capacity he was thanking him. But it was clear that Xie Xuanming knew. Xie Xuanming was silent for a moment and then asked calmly, ¡°Is there anything else you want to ask?¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s mind was muddled for a second, and he shook his head. ¡°Then do you have anything you want to say?¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s tone was flat, ¡°Something you want to say to me.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s breath hitched; he did not speak. Faced with the expected silence, Xie Xuanming calmly spoke, ¡°I have something I want to say to you.¡± Ji Sheng lowered his head, and a thousand emotions flashed through his mind in an instant, but they were all like the water seeping through his fingers, and the only thing he could catch clasping his hand tightly was some wetness. Ji Sheng closed his eyes and replied in a low voice, ¡°En.¡± Then Xie Xuanming spoke, his voice calm and cold as always. He said, ¡°There are still four minutes before twelve o¡¯clock.¡± The water droplets that couldn¡¯t be caught fell from his fingertips, leaving thick water stains in his memories. On a rainy night, a young man suddenly raised his eyes, his gaze cutting through the rain and fixing on a distant light. He ran all the way to the ward and fell on his knees and a bandaged hand brushed away the dust and tears on his face. Ji Sheng, who stopped to a halt at 24, looked back to watch. Say, you should at least wish me a happy birthday one last time. 24-year-old Xie Xuanming sitting on a cold bench said: ¡°Ji Sheng, happy birthday.¡± 1. Happiness, anger, sorrow and joy Translator¡¯s note: Ji Sheng¡¯s birthday (as well as the date of his death) is a mysterious thing. In the first variant of the text, the dates on his tombstone (Chapter 34) were 2000.10.4¡ª2022.1.17, which actually makes him twenty-one, not twenty-four when he dies. The last official variant is 2000.10.4¡ª2024.11.17. All right, the year of death makes sense, he¡¯s twenty-four, but the date doesn¡¯t. Ji Sheng sees Xie Xuanming in the cemetery after Double Twelve Gala (12.12) ¨C in this context, January 17 makes more sense. The birthday doesn¡¯t make sense in any way. Obviously, no more than a few months passed after their meeting in the cemetery till Ji Sheng¡¯s birthday. Maybe, the author meant 4.10, April 10? It doesn¡¯t help that later the author writes that Ji Sheng¡¯s birthday is ¡°in the middle of the year¡±¡­ and later it turns out that his birthday is some time (a couple of months?) before the Dragon Boat Festival (the 5th day of the 5th lunar month). Okay, if we ignore ¡°the middle of the year¡±, April 10 fits. So, maybe, we can say the correct dates are April 10, 2000 ¨C January 17, 2024? Translator¡¯s note-2: I know it¡¯s a little, odd story. But I hope there are readers who enjoy it If you do, please think of giving it a good rating on Novelupdates. It¡¯s quite disheartening to get only one- and two-star ratings recently. CH 56 Two years ago With the snow just starting to thaw in early spring, Loptr finally got a break from their hectic schedule and the management was merciful enough to give the members a week off. Sheng Kongzhi and Ji Sheng stepped on the melting snow and returned to Qingchu. ¡°Good guy, it¡¯s so messy.¡± Ji Sheng entered Li Tan¡¯s office and was stunned by the boxes all over the floor. But no matter how surprised he was, nothing couldn¡¯t stop his desire to rest. Ji Sheng skipped over the debris on the ground a few times and jumped to the edge of the sofa to nestle there. ¡°The company is about to move, I¡¯m busy packing up, bear with me.¡± Li Tan closed the door, ¡°Kongzhi, sit down too.¡± Sheng Kongzhi bypassed the obstacles and sat down on another sofa. ¡°Tsk tsk, it¡¯s been a long time since I was here, and Qingchu is going to move out.¡± Ji Sheng said with emotion, ¡°Move where?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you earlier? Strange.¡± Leaning against his desk, Li Tan said in amusement. The chairs in the office were removed, and the only sofas in the office were occupied by Sheng Kongzhi and Ji Sheng. He could only lean on the table as he reported the address casually. ¡°What¡¯s the heck?!¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°You¡¯re rich, Brother Tan.¡± ¡°You earn a lot.¡± Li Tan smiled, ¡°Add to that a couple of big brother investments and it¡¯s barely enough to move downtown.¡± Ji Sheng and Sheng Kongzhi had double contracts, one with the limited band¡¯s managing company and one with Qingchu. Most of their share from the limited tour was given by the managing company to Qingchu, who then sent it to them on a settlement day. Before the settlement day, Ji Sheng hadn¡¯t seen a buck. Naturally, he didn¡¯t have any concept of earning more or less. At this moment, he was surprised to hear that he and Sheng Kongzhi had actually earned a building for Qingchu in just a few months. Ji Sheng was excited for a while, then suddenly remembered the purpose of his return this time: ¡°By the way, Brother Tan, when will we start the tour? Hemei recently relaxed the restrictions and allowed the members to take on the independent work.¡± Hemei Entertainment, KUZI¡¯s partner, was the managing company of Loptr. ¡°Not right now.¡° Li Tan didn¡¯t want to commit to anything, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it when you disband. To start a tour now is to send money to Hemei Entertainment.¡± When it came to this topic, Li Tan¡¯s expression became gloomy: ¡°Hemei, this damn thing that eats everything it sees. The agreement it signed with Jinlai allows parallel management and a 50/50 split of the tour proceeds, but with us it¡¯s too much to ask, it¡¯ll be more likely 90/10, or 80/20 if we get a good deal.¡± Ji Sheng went silent. After several months since his debut, he became more and more aware that the brilliance of the entertainment industry was only on the surface, with the cruelty of the invisible dark tides of capital surging underneath and shattered ice and debris colliding, revealed in all its glory. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t want to approach this dirty dark waters, but the reality was that he was inevitably getting involved step by step. The atmosphere in the office became a lot less joyous. All three of them here had crawled out of that cramped rented apartment on the ground floor, and who didn¡¯t know that since then Qingchu had been obsessed with touring and releasing the album¡­ Now the dream was within reach, but they had to stop because of contractual interests. Standing so near and staring at the beauty separated by a glass wall, who could feel happy? Li Tan picked up a cigarette case on his desk, took out a cigarette and lit it. Before taking two puffs, he was reminded by Sheng Kongzhi: ¡°Brother Tan, this is indoors.¡± Li Tan waved his hand to show that he knew, took another puff irritably and stubbed the cigarette in the ashtray. ¡°A year and a half.¡± He was slightly flushed, saying fiercely, ¡°Your contract with Hemei is one and a half years, and there is less than one year left. After it ends, we will use the money we have earned to tour. Xiao Ji will play drums and Kongzhi the bass. Get back the two boys Su Jing and Xie Xuanming. I will also go up and offer my help. We¡¯ll go from Harbin to Hainan and we¡¯ll tour for half a year.¡± Sheng Kongzhi and Ji Sheng glanced at each other and saw the same light in each other¡¯s eyes. They nodded and said, ¡°Okay.¡± Sheng Kongzhi and Ji Sheng came out of Li Tan¡¯s office and head-on bumped into Li Tan¡¯s younger brother Li Mi. Li Mi was the trigger for the dissolution of Qingchu back then. Li Tan took all his family savings to free him from the hands of loan sharks, pressured him to finish college, and after graduation, begged people everywhere to find a job for his hapless brother. Unfortunately, Li Mi was a natural waste. He complained bitterly that he was tired all day long. His hard-won job was fishing for three days and basking in the sun for two days and yet he was fired after a while. Li Tan couldn¡¯t help it, he could only take him to Qingchu, give him an unimportant position, and let him hang out and play. Surprisingly, although his brother was lazy and a waste, he had a bit of talent in interpersonal communication. After staying in Qingchu for half a year, he actually unexpectedly attracted some investment. When Li Mo saw the two of them coming out, his eyes lit up and he greeted them enthusiastically: ¡°Oh, two big stars, it¡¯s been a long time since I saw you, how come you have time to visit the family that raised you?¡± ¡°We are on holiday.¡± Sheng Kongzhi said. ¡°Oh, then you have to take a good rest. I saw your itinerary. Tsk, that¡¯s like making an ass out of a man.¡± Li Mi said, ¡°By the way, those harassing phone calls of yours, we¡¯re already dealing with it.¡± Sheng Kongzhi had been harassed by a rabid fan recently. Not to mention that the person called in the early hours of the morning, she recently tried to follow him in the car, nearly hitting Loptr¡¯s nanny car. After Hemei Entertainment learned about it, it was assigned to Qinchu to deal with this stinky matter. ¡°Tsk tsk. Hemei are real bastards.¡± Li Mi shook his head, ¡°When making money, they don¡¯t need us, but when there is work, they think of us.¡± ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡± Sheng Kongzhi smiled politely. Ji Sheng was frowning standing there when he saw Li Mi smile and say ¡°it¡¯s not hard¡±. Then Li Mi turned his head and put his hand on his shoulder, asking eagerly, ¡°By the way, Brother Ji, your birthday is almost here, what are you going to do?¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s birthday was in the middle of the year and there was still some time before it was ¡°almost here¡±, but Hemei had been merciful enough not to take over his birthday party and given him and Qingchu freedom on that day. Ji Sheng fidgeted slightly under Li Mi¡¯s touch. He didn¡¯t have much affection for this good gambler, but Li Mi was Li Tan¡¯s younger brother, so he had to give him a bit of face. Besides, what to do about the birthday was indeed a problem. Ji Sheng¡¯s birthday was still more than two months away, but with the recent burst of popularity, both fans and black fans were staring at Ji Sheng¡¯s birthday party with wide open eyes and no surprise or accdent would be missed. Under the pressure of public opinion, the true meaning of birthdays was no longer to celebrate, but to be able to spend them smoothly. For all intents and purposes, the birthday party had to be a good one. In this way, the two-month planning time even seemed a bit too short. ¡°I plan to do a small show to get in touch with fans.¡° Ji Sheng had this idea a long time ago, ¡°I have been running variety shows for a few months since my debut. Many fans have commented on my Weibo that they want to see me on the stage. There have not been many performances in recent days. It would be nice to rent a venue for the birthday party.¡± ¡°Okay, does Brother Ji have a venue in mind?¡± ¡°The venue doesn¡¯t matter¡­ just have a place to play drums.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Li Mi nodded, ¡°Then I will choose the venue and send you the plan, and you will decide.¡± ¡°En.¡± ¡°What about the guests?¡± Li Mi asked again, ¡°I see that other birthday parties invite a guest or two, do you have someone in mind, Brother Ji?¡± ¡°I am a guest. ¡°Sheng Kongzhi inserted. ¡°Brother Sheng has no plans?¡± Li Mi looked over and said in surprise. The itinerary given to Loptr by Hemei was so dense that Li Mi has no doubt that Sheng Kongzhi would not be able to spare even one night. ¡°I will push it off,¡± Sheng Kongzhi smiled, ¡°What¡¯s more important than Xiao Sheng¡¯s birthday?¡± ¡± A vague sense of depression in Ji Sheng¡¯s heart disappeared at the sight of this smile. He lightly slapped Sheng Kongzhi and said with a chuckle, ¡°You¡¯re a dick.¡± Li Mi knew how to read between the lines, so he said tactfully: ¡°My brother is waiting for me, so I will withdraw first. Brother Ji, you can contact me on WeChat if you have anything else.¡± After saying that, he pushed the door to Li Tan¡¯s office. Sheng Kongzhi and Ji Sheng walked out slowly. Sheng Kongzhi hadn¡¯t walked side by side with Ji Sheng for a long time. After their debut, they always seemed to be in a hurry and even a slight contact became an extravagant intimacy. At this moment, the two of them were walking quietly close to each other. Sheng Kongzhi was a little distracted. He tentatively stretched out his hand to hook Ji Sheng¡¯s fingers but heard him suddenly say, ¡°Do you think Xiao Xie will accept the invitation?¡± Sheng Kongzhi paused and shoved his hand in his pocket: ¡°Birthday party?¡± ¡°En.¡± ¡°It might be a problem.¡± Sheng Kongzhi said, ¡°He is always busy, filming or something.¡± ¡°That¡¯s also¡­¡± Ji Sheng said. He hadn¡¯t seen Xie Xuanming for a long time. When Xie Xuanming joined the filming crew, he seemed to disappear from the face of the earth. He was rarely seen and there was little news. But Ji Sheng still wanted to invite him to his birthday party. ¡°And he signed up with a company, right? Will Xiao Xie¡¯s company allow him to participate in other company activities for nothing? And¡­ there seems to be a contradiction between your fans and Xiao Xie¡¯s fans. Would they want to see Xiao Xie on your birthday?¡± After mentioning everything, Sheng Kongzhi finally asked, ¡°Do you still want to invite Xiao Xie?¡± Ji Sheng was silent; he slowly walked forward and said after a while: ¡°I¡¯ll think about it later.¡± In the evening, Ji Sheng sat on the drum chair in the underground practice room, practising the basics of snare drum almost obsessively. He kept beating incessantly and the drumbeat hit the soundproof walls intensely, making one lose one¡¯s breath. After a long time, Ji Sheng felt a little hot. He stopped beating, pulled off his shirt and threw it on the ground. The little assistant who was recording gasped, his face flushed and his eyes wandering around. Ji Sheng added the finishing touches fiercely, took a sip from the water bottle on the ground and said angrily: ¡°You¡¯re a man, what are you blushing for?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a man who also thinks you¡¯re sexy!¡± The little assistant justified himself. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t bother to talk to him, swallowed a mouthful of water, and lowered his head: ¡°Are you finished recording?¡± There were business regulations and requirements designated by Hemei Entertainment for Loptr members: how many Weibo posts to make, the amount of selfies and videos¡­ Even if you were on vacation. Ji Sheng hated this kind of mandatory tasks, but the assistant had to do his work and fans did want to see their idols, so his annoyance was inconsequential. That¡¯s why the little assistant was resident in his practice room. At this moment, the assistant had enough material, showed him an OK gesture, smiled and said, ¡°Brother Ji is so handsome, this one is going to increase your popularity again.¡± ¡°All right, all right.¡± Ji Sheng waved his hand, ¡°Stop flattering, take a break, it¡¯s late.¡± The little assistant smiled, packed up his things and asked, ¡°Brother Ji, won¡¯t you go with me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll wait a while, you can go first.¡± The little assistant was gone. Ji Sheng took two more sips of water, threw the empty bottle into the trash can and lay down on the floor. He looked at the ceiling, his naked skin covered in goosebumps from the cold cement floor. Ji Sheng lay motionless on the floor, holding a towel in his hand to cover his face, his chest rising and falling smoothly with his breathing. He lay down for a while, then suddenly jumped up, grabbed the mobile phone on the desk as if he had decided something, and made a call. The call was not picked up for a long time; Ji Sheng waited impatiently and finally got through when it was about to switch off automatically. ¡°Hello.¡± Ji Sheng breathed a sigh of relief for some reason, then lay down again, looking at the ceiling lamp, ¡°Good evening.¡± ¡°Good evening.¡± Xie Xuanming said. ¡°Is the filming going well?¡± ¡°It¡¯s going well.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great.¡± After a dry greeting, there was an awkward silence. Ji Sheng rubbed his face and took a deep breath. ¡°On my birthday in two months, there will be a small party, playing drums and singing and stuff¡­¡± he rambled in one breath, his mind inexplicably lost. ¡°En.¡± ¡°Are you coming?¡± After speaking, Ji Sheng waited slightly nervously. There was silence for two seconds: ¡°Do you want me to come?¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± Ji Sheng did not hesitate. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Where and when?¡± Ji Sheng was stunned for a second, and the corners of his lips raised uncontrollably, revealing his first real smile of today. He turned over, squatted and said briskly: ¡°It¡¯s not settled yet, I¡¯ll let you know when the time comes.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± CH 57 Although Qingchu did not plan to cooperate in organising a tour, how could Hemei Entertainment let go of such a good opportunity to make money. Within a few weeks after the end of the vacation, all the members of Loptr were recalled to prepare for a national performance. Ji Sheng complained many times to Sheng Kongzhi about this, saying that they were going to tour without releasing an album. There were few original tracks, and the rest were all covers of other people¡¯s songs. Could this even be called a tour? This was simply a KTV (karaoke) scene¡­ Of course, Hemei Entertainment did not intend to call this embarrassing thing a tour. Its final official scientific name was defined as the fan meeting. Half an hour before the start of the first fan meeting, the keyboardist looked down from the window of the dressing room. As far as anyone could see, there was a rush of people, and a large number of spectators crowded to enter the venue excitedly. ¡°Those fans of ours, oh.¡± The keyboardist looked at them for a while and sighed, ¡°They¡¯re all holding hand banners and light signs, and they¡¯re probably going to have to hold their phones up high during the show, so how can this show get hot.¡± The bassist, who was putting on his costume, shrugged when he heard the words: ¡°Isn¡¯t this normal? You think it¡¯s still the underground. Now these fans don¡¯t come to see the show at all. They just want to see people. Who cares if your show is hot or not, as long as there are some handsome guys.¡± When he said this, his eyes fluttered towards Ji Sheng and Sheng Kongzhi intentionally or unintentionally. The ¡°Music First¡± debutants were chosen on the basis of their popularity and all the musicians had good facial features and harmonious limbs, considered outstanding in the crowd. But when you put the other members next to the remaining two, especially the punky drummer, these ¡°upright¡± big boys were dwarfed and did not seem so dazzling. The bassist smiled sarcastically; Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s face did not change colour and he turned away gently as if he hadn¡¯t heard it. Ji Sheng was not as calm as he was. When he heard this, his movements suddenly stopped. Half a second later, Ji Sheng¡¯s jacket was turned upside down and snagged on his elbows, wrapped cloak-like. He didn¡¯t straighten it, leaving his smooth angular shoulders bare, and walked straight towards the bassist. ¡°Hey.¡± Sheng Kongzhi turned his head and shouted helplessly behind him. Ji Sheng came up to the bassist. He was born with a bit of a gangster aura. At this moment, he put on makeup and his eyes were narrow and long, his clothes untidy. He looked like some thug on the side of the road, making one feel that he could directly join the brotherhood with a baseball bat. Ji Sheng stood still, half a head taller than the bassist, looking down at him: ¡°Zhang Qiu, right?¡± The keyboardist choked and said, ¡°Zhang Dong.¡± ¡°Oh, I remembered it wrong, sorry.¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t look sorry at all. He casually pulled up a ribbon on Zhang Dong¡¯s costume and played with it, ¡°Do you know what the definition of a fan is, Zhang Chun?¡± Zhang Dong: ¡­¡­ Zhang Dong: ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°The definition of a fan is the one who chose us.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°They may not understand our world, and they have no obligation to understand it before they become fans.¡± He stared at Zhang Dong: ¡°It is our responsibility, not theirs, to let them understand our world. Fans choose us, and we take them to see a different world, a different kind of music. This is what we must do to maintain our relationship with fans.¡± Zhang Dong was stunned when Ji Sheng said something so righteous. He was momentarily struck by the glow emanating from Ji Sheng¡¯s body and could not wait to raise his hand to cover his eyes. He thought blankly: damn, this guy is really handsome, no wonder the girls are swooning over him. After Ji Sheng finished his lecture, he patted the dazed-looking bassist in front of him on the shoulder: ¡°Play well, Zhang Xia!¡± Zhang Dong: ¡°¡­it¡¯s Zhang Dong.¡± Up until they were on the stage, Ji Sheng hadn¡¯t called Zhang Dong¡¯s name correctly even once. Half an hour later the members of Loptr stepped up to the elevated platform, rising to the stage as the crowd screamed with excitement. The members stood and sat down in front of their respective instruments, stroked the strings, or keys, or drums a couple of times to confirm that everything was all right, and then nodded to each other. Once the process of checking the instruments was over, the show began. Ji Sheng raised his hands, and the drumsticks spun in a complete circle between his slender fingers, then fell steadily into his palm and were brought down on the drum surface with the movement of his wrists. The rhythm was up and everyone was cheering wherever the drums could reach. In a pause, Zhang Dong glanced at the audience and sighed at the densely packed banners, light signs and cameras. Taking fans to understand our world or something was far more difficult to do than to say. As he was thinking so, he suddenly heard a shout from the rear. ¡°All friends¡ª¡± The bassist¡¯s fingers stumbled and the pitch was crooked. He turned his head and saw Ji Sheng stand up, maintaining the basic drum beat with one hand and pulling the microphone stand with the other. With the mic tilted to his mouth, he shouted loudly: ¡°Right now, put down the items in your hands, raise your hands, and enjoy the show to the fullest!¡± He paused, smiled and said again: ¡°Don¡¯t look at the screens, just look at us!¡± ¡°Awesome, Brother Sheng!¡± After stepping down, Zhang Dong grabbed Ji Sheng and said excitedly, ¡°This is the most fun performance since my debut.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk too early.¡±Ji Sheng smiled, ¡°Wait till the next time, it will be even better!¡± ¡°Yes, whatever you say.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s actions had already dazzled Zhang Dong¡¯s five senses and he was now in an almost blind worship of Ji Sheng, ready to agree with anything he said. ¡°Let¡¯s change clothes.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°Lao Sheng is already waiting for me.¡± Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s movements were always faster than Ji Sheng¡¯s. By the time Ji Sheng packed up and was about to leave, Sheng Kongzhi had been waiting for twenty minutes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m slow.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Sheng Kongzhi smiled, put away his mobile phone and asked somewhat hesitantly, ¡°Have you seen the hot search?¡± ¡°No, why?¡± ¡°Xiao Xie is on the hot search.¡± ¡°Huh?¡±Ji Sheng was taken aback for a moment, then immediately took off his backpack and fished out his mobile phone. His hands moved in a hurry but his speed of walking forward slowed down. Knowing that he could not urge him, Sheng Kong also slowed down too and walked next to him silently. Ji Sheng finally clicked on Weibo, and the words jumped into his eyes without warning. #Xie Xuanming and an unknown male have a late-night cigarette kiss# Ji Sheng¡¯s eyebrows twitched when he saw this title. The first picture showed two young men leaning against a balcony rail, close to each other, cigarettes clutched in their hands almost side by side, their smoke intertwining and flying into the distance. Ji Sheng looked at it for a while, and finally confirmed that the other protagonist in the photo was the director who was filming the movie Xie Xuanming was in. He and Xie Xuanming went on several hot searches together, mostly with ambiguous titles. At first when he saw them, Ji Sheng would think it was a fake media sensation, or a malicious campaign by KUZI. But with this photo coming out today, Ji Sheng was a little shaken. After all, Xie Xuanming really didn¡¯t have a habit of smoking with unfamiliar people. Besides, if there was really nothing, Xie Xuanming would have quickly come to clarify¡­ Could it be that Xiao Xie liked this type? Somewhat uneasy, Ji Sheng zoomed in on the picture and observed the director¡¯s profile carefully. The man was indeed handsome, but he looked a bit like a fox, and there was always a trace of some evil intention in his smile. Did Xiao Xie really like this type? Ji Sheng was very puzzled. This man was not similar to him either. Could it be that Xiao Xie¡¯s white moonlight had an ever-changing face? Ji Sheng was confused, finally shook his head and gave up thinking about this complicated issue. When he quit Weibo, he accidentally caught a glimpse of the next hot search. #Jinlai sues sisheng# It was about artists from another company holding sisheng fans accountable(1)¡­ Ji Sheng felt worried, thinking of something. ¡°The previous sisheng affair.¡± He turned his head sideways and asked Sheng Kongzhi, ¡°How is it going? Have you held them accountable?¡± Sheng Kongzhi was taken aback, lowered his eyes a little hastily to avoid Ji Sheng¡¯s gaze and said vaguely: ¡°No, it¡¯s a child, underage, and I¡¯m afraid that holding her accountable will have a bad impact on her future.¡± ¡°She made a mistake.¡± Ji Sheng frowned and emphasised, ¡°To be precise, it is a crime, and the punishment is stipulated by law. What does it have to do with adulthood? If she is not required to take responsibility now, when she grows up, she will not repent and will only become an older sisheng.¡± Sheng Kongzhi listened silently, and then said after a long pause: ¡°I see, let¡¯s talk about it another time.¡± Ji Sheng was too aware of Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s perfunctory response, but, strictly speaking, things like being pursued by a sisheng fan could only be regarded as Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s personal affairs. If he didn¡¯t care about it, it was useless to worry about it. Ji Sheng sighed and walked faster in a somewhat depressed mood. In a villa on the other side of the city, the sisheng fan discussed by the two of them sat on her bed, holding her mobile phone. On the screen there was the latest news on Loptr performance. Perhaps it couldn¡¯t be counted as latest news, because the pictures there were all taken in places where shooting was prohibited. Fans and station sisters couldn¡¯t take such photos. Only agents in a grey zone, charging high prices, would take the risk of crossing the security line and taking private pictures of artists in confidential areas. In the photo, Sheng Kongzhi lowered his head to talk to others, with a gentle smile on his lips. ¡°Kongzhi¡ª¡± The sisheng fan murmured in a low voice, looking at the photo. After the nanny car incident as well as the phone harassment, the underage sisheng was warned by Qingchu and was grounded at home by her parents. The underage girl could not fight her guardians and was mad for a while, but finally had no choice and stayed at home. However, she secretly contacted a few agents to take photos of Sheng Kongzhi to relieve the pain of longing while she could not follow him. The sisheng fan looked through the photo album, her fingers freezing as her eyes focused on a photo. The young man looked at Sheng Kongzhi frowning, as if he was reprimanding him for something. Sheng Kongzhi lowered his head to respond, his eyes gentle as he stretched out his hand to tuck the young man¡¯s scattered hair behind his ears. The sisheng remembered this face; the young man¡¯s name was Ji Sheng and he was a teammate of Sheng Kongzhi. This man was a source for her distress for a long time. Since the beginning of the tour, whether it was rankings, hot searches or meetings, he has been clinging to Sheng Kongzhi like an annoying shadow. The sisheng looked at the intimate movements of the two in the picture, and dark and angry emotions wrapped her heart like vines. She squeezed her phone tightly. ¡°It¡¯s so unsightly.¡± The sisheng stared without blinking, her fingers clenched so hard that her fingernails turned white. She murmured in a low voice, ¡°Really, you¡¯re so unsightly.¡± CH 58 Loptr¡¯s fan meetings were in full swing from the north all the way to the south. Because of the intense schedule, the members were severely sleep deprived and by the second half of the fan meetings in the south, almost all of them were physically exhausted and often came off stage with their legs shaking and had to be carried off to get oxygen. Even though exhausted, the members of Loptr still did their best to complete each and every meeting. Unfortunately, Loptr¡¯s managing company was really a bunch of bastards. First, it was revealed that they had joined hands with scalpers to speculate on the price of tickets, and then there were frequent blunders in the timing.There was even a case when the show in one city was cancelled outright due to a mistake in ticket sales, and thousands of fans who had rushed to the show simply got the announcement that they had to go home, making them curse in front of the venue. At the end of one tour, Hemei Entertainment made a fortune, while Loptr was subjected to a dozen unsightly black topics on the hot search. The members of Loptr were so tired of being pressured by Hemei Entertainment that they didn¡¯t care about their status and were only looking forward to the three-day holiday that Hemei promised at the end of the tour, so that they could rest and take a breather. On the one hand, Ji Sheng enjoyed the process of performing on stage; when he stepped on stage with his drumsticks in hand, he felt as if he was fully charged. On the other hand, Xie Xuanming had recently contacted him after a long absence, saying that the movie production was on holiday and he wanted to get together. When Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming checked, they found that their holidays just happened to overlap, so they were excited to meet for a meal and a movie. However, the storm always lurks behind the breeze and the sun. On the night the tour ended, the entire Loptr crew was already mentally in the midst of their vacation. The members of the band cheered as they got into the nanny van and headed home, and the staff were overjoyed to get rid of them temporarily. Among all the buzz, no one noticed that Sheng Kongzhi and Ji Sheng¡¯s names tangled up and flew into the hot search without warning. Anyone who followed the entertainment industry knew that this kind of situation where two people¡¯s names were bundled together in a hot search, apart from a romance announcement, could only be a conflict. In the case of Sheng Kongzhi and Ji Sheng, very fortunately, it was not the former. Since the debut of Loptr after ¡°Music First¡±, fans of Sheng Kongzhi and Ji Sheng had often been at odds with each other, fighting hundreds of times over ¡°whether the show has made up the votes or not¡± and ¡°who is the real popular top of Loptr¡±. There were many fights, and some of them crossed the borders of the entertainment circle, attracting a crowd of passers-by to take a look, face a black topic full of spraying dirt on one party and whitewashing the other, get scared with the ferocity of the fan circle, and stay away from it to keep safe. Although the fights were disgraceful, they also brought traffic. And as long as there was traffic, naturally there would be money hungry marketing accounts to engage in the topic. This time the origin of the hot search was invariably a marketing account again. #Sheng Kongzhi Ji Sheng# Two music kings, both of whom famous with their immersive performances on stage, who of the two will turn out to be the better actor? Come along and vote! Sheng Kongzhi Ji Sheng Down in the voting section, the comments section was a battlefield. [Sheng Kongzhi is Loptr frontman and captain, big lead singer, real money breaking top, please make Ji Lao¡¯er(1) walk independently, don¡¯t scam the almighty ace] [Manipulating comments, manipulating comments. Don¡¯t do that pulling and stomping thing and blowing fakes. How did your family come to be number one? Did the actual data of the backing club fundraising come out today? Is there an explanation for the eight million water army votes? The dream top, right? You¡¯re so proud of your all-round ace, why doesn¡¯t your brother start a one man clown show, playing bass with his left hand and guitar with his right hand, one foot drumming and one foot on keyboard? You should shut your mouth when you¡¯re in a band, you¡¯re always pulling and stomping, aren¡¯t you sick of it?] [Ugly Ji Lao¡¯er who lives in retouched photos and still wants to act? Fans can dream!] [Some people are ugly in the mouths of their opponents, some are ugly in their own faces.] The number of Ji Sheng¡¯s fans was huge, and Sheng Kongzhi fans were also unrelenting. The fans of the other members of the band were adding fuel to the fire, while Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans watched the show on the sidelines. This picking, blowing fire and spitting went on for nearly 10,000 comments. Generally speaking, with a fight of this magnitude not limited to the entertainment circle, there had to be a deeper capital behind it. This time was no exception. The people on the sidelines hit the nail on the head. [I¡¯ve heard that there¡¯s a casting call for a web drama recently, and with all the bickering, I¡¯m afraid the role will be decided between these two] [It makes sense, it¡¯s not the first time that big fans go down licking the pie(2), and just casual fans are still silly in their true feelings!] [That drama ah¡­ originally I didn¡¯t care but now I really want them to choose Ji Sheng. Even if he¡¯s acting is bad, at least one can¡¯t resist his face] [The fans of the other family are pretending to be passers-by. Is being a member of their fan club so shameful?] [Shut up, be a fan and vote!] [¡­¡­] When Ji Sheng woke up and saw the hot search, his mind was all over the place. He looked at his own fans who were engaged in a bloody fight and was about to send out a post to persuade them to stop but before he had time to edit the text, Li Tan¡¯s call came. ¡°There¡¯s a resource.¡± Li Tan got right to the point. ¡°What kind of resource?¡± ¡°A web drama, interested in inviting you.¡± Li Tan said, ¡°The script is quite good, the investor is also generous, the role negotiated is also good, it is the first male lead¡­ looks solid to me. The downside is that the timing clashes with a couple of Loptr shows in the second half of the year¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go to the shows.¡± Ji Sheng decided without even thinking, ¡°I¡¯m a drummer, why to go for that web series buzz?¡± ¡°You say that, but is there another way out of the inner entertainment circle? All the singing idols with a bit of fame have gone into filming. This is a good opportunity to make a transition. You¡¯d better think carefully about it.¡± ¡°What transition? I¡¯ve only been on the scene for six months!¡± Ji Sheng thought it was ridiculous, ¡°And I¡¯m just a drummer, I¡¯ve never even studied acting, how can I act?¡± ¡°How many idols nowadays have studied acting?¡± Li Tan asked rhetorically, ¡°Don¡¯t have a mental burden, just act and be done with it, the fans will buy it.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a pitfall?¡± Ji Sheng was a bit upset; holding the phone tighter, he said seriously, ¡°Listen, Lao Tan, unless one day I¡¯m free to learn acting, I¡¯m not going to act. And don¡¯t make me act, I won¡¯t get on the screen and make a fool of myself. It¡¯s disrespectful to the co-stars or the audience.¡± ¡°Fine, fine, fine.¡± Li Tan, whose head was spinning at his words, confirmed with some impatience, ¡°So you¡¯re not going.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Okay, fine.¡± Li Tan said, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you want to play in a band, but the current market situation is not suitable for serious musicians to survive, it¡¯s only a matter of time before you make the transition. I was thinking that you would make the transition earlier; it¡¯s good to earn more money to support your family. But you¡¯ve made this whole show of righteously refusing¡­ Anyway, you should think of your behaviour, opportunities like this don¡¯t always come again.¡± ¡°All right, all right, Lao Tan, why are you nagging?¡± Ji Sheng was worried, so he tried to tone down the conversation and joked, ¡°You¡¯re annoying like an old mom.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a mom!¡± Li Tan was furious, ¡°I¡¯m working hard!¡± ¡°Yes, yes, you work hard¡­¡± ¡°About the hot search, don¡¯t post stuff, the company will take care of it.¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± The two men chatted for a few minutes and hung up the phone. Ji Sheng popped back to lie down. He clicked on Weibo and looked at it for a while; the fans were still making a lot of noise. When Qingchu didn¡¯t do anything to stop it, Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t help himself, edited a post to persuade them to stop fighting and sent it out. Sheng Kongzhi finished shooting the ad, bowed to the staff and hurriedly headed to the basement. Although it was their holiday, the magazine¡¯s shooting schedule could not be changed, so Sheng Kongzhi was forced to work overtime. Ji Sheng had gone out in the morning and the two had arranged to go to Ji Sheng¡¯s house for dinner in the evening. Ji Sheng and Sheng Kongzhi were neighbours as they grew up. Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s parents were at odds with each other and were very negligent towards their son. When the two of them quarrelled and couldn¡¯t take care of Sheng Kongzhi, Ji Sheng would take him to his house to eat. The childhood bond continued to this day, and remembering the aroma of the food floating in that small apartment was a rare occasion when Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s smile reached the bottoms of his eyes. He soon made it to the ground floor and saw the window of a black business car roll down and Ji Sheng¡¯s head poking out of the window as he waved at him. Sheng Kongzhi took a few steps to pull open the door; Ji Sheng was wearing an oversize round neck shirt, nestling in the seat, looking at him with arched eyebrows, well behaved to a fault. Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s heart was so softened by the look on his face that he let go of the door handle and opened his arms, making a move to hug him. When he was about to take Ji Sheng into his arms, a hand suddenly reached out from behind Ji Sheng and yanked him back. Ji Sheng moved back a little, and Sheng Kongzhi stumbled and missed. Sheng Kongzhi: ¡­¡­ Sheng Kongzhi: ? He steadied himself and watched Xie Xuanming wearing a mask emerge from behind Ji Sheng, his expressionless cold eyes revealing a bit of unreasonable mockery. ¡°Hi,¡± Xie Xuanming greeted him laconically. Sheng Kongzhi: ¡­¡­ Sheng Kongzhi got into the car with a sullen face, and Xie Xuanming pulled Ji Sheng closer, making him sit at a distance that was as far as possible from Sheng Kongzhi. Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s good mood was half gone but he had no way to express his anger, so he moved down next to Ji Sheng and asked with a fake smile, ¡°Why is Xiao Xie here?¡± ¡°He is going to my place for dinner too.¡± When Sheng Kongzhi moved, Xie Xuanming also silently squeezed closer. Ji Sheng was sandwiched between the two, leaning forward uncomfortably, ¡°I went out with him this morning. His family is not here. I don¡¯t want to eat alone in the evening, and when I heard that you will be coming to my house, I decided to take this opportunity to get together and celebrate.¡± Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s smile was a bit ugly, ¡°Oh so, it¡¯s really a ¡®happy occasion¡¯.¡± He gave Xie Xuanming a warning look, but saw the wolf cub grin at him from behind Ji Sheng¡¯s back, his teeth so white and sharp that one bite was likely to draw a lot of blood. A bloodthirsty beast. Sheng Kongzhi rarely got angry but now he was. Only a senseless person like Ji Sheng could foolishly raise a wolf cub as a dog. The three of them awkwardly huddled in the back seat. Ji Sheng endured for a while before finally speaking, ¡°Can you guys move to the side some¡­¡± Before he could finish the sentence, his phone rang. Ji Sheng stopped talking and fished the phone out of his pocket with difficulty. It was his assistant¡¯s calling. ¡°Brother Ji! Something¡¯s happened!¡± The young assistant¡¯s anxious tone sounded very clear in the closed space of the car, ¡°Look at the hot search¡ª¡± Ji Sheng froze for a moment: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the hot search again?¡± While he was still asking, Xie Xuanming was already moving neatly to unlock his phone and clicked on the hot search. When he saw the number one search, his eyebrows twitched heavily. #Ji Sheng Don¡¯t make me act# There was a video. The young assistant was still babbling on the phone hastily but Xie Xuanming couldn¡¯t wait to see it, so he just clicked play. The video was black, with only the sound playing out intermittently. Xie Xuanming¡¯s phone loudspeaker was not turned off, and when they heard the sound, all three of them turned pale. ¡°I¡¯m just a drummer¡­ don¡¯t make me act¡­ annoying.¡± The not-so-low volume carried the sound of Ji Sheng¡¯s voice, distorted by the recording, throughout the car. CH 59 Ji Yueming was serving food in the kitchen, looking back now and then to laugh. All three young men at the dinner table were a little absent-minded. Except for Ji Sheng who responded from time to time, Xie Xuanming and Sheng Kongzhi were silent, their minds full of hot search entries. #Ji Sheng don¡¯t make me act# #Sheng Kongzhi acting idol# The comments under the two hot searches were very exciting. Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s fans and Ji Sheng¡¯s fans had been tearing each other apart for many days, openly and secretly accusing each other¡¯s idol of grabbing the rumoured resources for the ¡°web drama production¡±. Now that Ji Sheng¡¯s recording came out, denying the possibility of him taking the role, coupled with the hot search hints with Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s name, Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s fans breathed a sigh of relief and immediately started taunting. [Ji Sheng¡¯s fans are still licking the pie, you guys said something about being hot, don¡¯t make me act, right, respect the right idea and see you later!] [The second place is not as good as the first place, so just play drums honestly for the rest of your life, haha, laughing to death] [Ji Sheng makes it sound like he can act if he just wants to, but with his looks, who would want him?] Ji Sheng¡¯s fans naturally couldn¡¯t swallow it, so after a short period of depression, they rallied up and fought back bravely. [Listen to the recording, he (loud and clear) rejected the resources delivered to his door. My baby has a clear goal. Instead, look at Water Army King Sheng, picking up the resources that others didn¡¯t want. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s low?] [Ji Sheng knows what is called the spirit of the contract. Acting and touring collide, so he chooses the tour. On the other hand, a certain water army emperor on his way to become a third-rate actor, does he still remember that he is a musician? Is the band easy to use as a springboard? What does he take other members for?] [¡­¡­] The two sides argued and ranted, the battle spreading endlessly, but was temporarily isolated from the dining table at Ji Sheng¡¯s house. Or perhaps not. Ji Sheng lowered his head and replied to a few messages from the company. Naturally, it was impossible for Li Tan to leak the recording on hot search, so it could only be telephone wire. The police were involved in the investigation, and Qingchu also issued a statement. However, in the past two days, the news had been pressed to the bottom of the hot search, far from keeping up with the popularity of the recording, and not even a fraction of the buzz going in Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s hot search. Ji Sheng clicked on Weibo and took another look at the hot search list. #Sheng Kongzhi acting idol# Sandwiched between the advertising space and the announcement of a celebrity romance, it looked particularly boring. At this point, this kind of topic was obviously bought. Everyone knew what the meaning behind it was. Ji Sheng rubbed his fingers on the phone screen twice and opened his mouth to speak, but was suddenly interrupted. ¡°Xiao Sheng, come here and help!¡± Ji Yueming shouted from the kitchen. ¡°Coming!¡± Ji Sheng put down his phone, turned around and hurried over. Only Sheng Kongzhi and Xie Xuanming were left at the dining table. Xie Xuanming was originally looking at his mobile phone, but after Ji Sheng left, he gently placed the mobile phone on the table. There was a soft sound, as if a curtain of false peace was completely torn off. ¡°Why does Xiao Xie come to Xiao Sheng¡¯s house for dinner?¡± Sheng Kongzhi smiled, taking the lead, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were actually such a clingy type.¡± ¡°Just coming to a friend¡¯s house to have a meal.¡± Xie Xuanming said lightly, ¡°I also didn¡¯t know that you were this type of person who likes to pick up the leftovers.¡± He repeated sarcastic words of Ji Sheng¡¯s fans and Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s smile faltered slightly. Xie Xuanming looked at him coldly: ¡°That web drama that originally approached Ji Sheng, you¡¯re going to take it, right?¡± Sheng Kongzhi stopped smiling: ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean much. Brother Ji doesn¡¯t want to act, but Li Tan certainly isn¡¯t willing to give up the resources he has. You are the only two famous artists in Qingchu, and the role fits you¡­¡± Xie Xuanming said, raising his eyes to stare at Sheng Kongzhi, ¡°It¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t expect you would make such a big show in order to take over this drama.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t buy the hot search.¡± Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s face looked unsightly. ¡°So you know this thing about the hot search?¡± Xie Xuanming said through the gritted teeth. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s expression sank, ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡± He confronted Xie Xuanming sullenly, the usually gentle light in his eyes becoming sharp, cutting like a laser. For his part, Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes were wide open, his pitch-black pupils like black holes, receiving all the attacks without a ripple. ¡°Dinner¡¯s ready! Dinner¡¯s ready!¡± Ji Yueming and Ji Sheng came out one after another with the plates; Sheng Kongzhi lowered his eyes while Xie Xuanming leaned back on the chair, and the tit-for-tat atmosphere quietly melted away. ¡°What¡¯s for dinner today? It smells so good.¡± Sheng Kongzhi raised his head and asked Ji Yueming with a smile. Xie Xuanming also said to Ji Sheng, who put down the dishes and chopsticks, ¡°Thank you.¡± The two of them tacitly buried their contradictions. The meal went well. Ji Yueming and Ji Sheng were both talkative people, so they chatted back and forth non-stop. When it came to funny points, Sheng Kongzhi and Xie Xuanming would also smile cooperatively. The atmosphere at the dinner table could be regarded as harmonious. When the plates were almost empty, Ji Yueming went out to answer a phone call and the three of them were left at the table. Ji Sheng told a joke. Xie Xuanming and Sheng Kongzhi supported him as usual. After they finished laughing, the dinner table fell silent again. Sheng Kongzhi was quiet for a while, then said to Ji Sheng, ¡°Is there anything you want to ask me?¡± Xie Xuanming raised his eyes, scanned him sharply for a second, then turned to look at Ji Sheng. Ji Sheng chewed on the ends of his chopsticks, not looking at anyone. ¡°There¡¯s something¡­ you want to go into acting?¡± ¡°I want to.¡± Sheng Kongzhi replied without much hesitation, and added, ¡°I really want my parents to see me on the screen.¡± Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s parents divorced when he was a child and didn¡¯t even see him during the New Year holidays. Their attitude towards Sheng Kongzhi was lukewarm. However, the two of them were surprisingly consistent in their attitudes towards Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s career planning ¡ª¡ª they did not approve of him taking the path of the entertainment industry. Ji Sheng let out a ¡°hmm¡± and buried his head in drinking his soup. Sheng Kongzhi watched Ji Sheng absent-mindedly chew on non-existent food, thinking that he was going to ask questions like ¡°What about the tour¡± next¡­ But he didn¡¯t, in the end. Ji Sheng swallowed the soup, rubbed his stomach and said, ¡°Then go.¡± Sheng Kongzhi smiled, and this time his smile reached to the bottoms of his eyes. He stretched out his hand and rubbed Ji Sheng¡¯s head: ¡°Okay.¡± Xie Xuanming looked away, quietly chopping the shallow layer of rice at the bottom of his bowl. The warm atmosphere between Sheng Kongzhi and Ji Sheng was maintained until Ji Sheng received a phone call from Li Tan just after the three of them had said goodbye to Ji Yueming and Ji Sheng had closed the door. ¡°You are really doing something stupid now!¡° Li Tan was obviously pissed off. Even though it was not Ji Sheng¡¯s responsibility, he still scolded him, ¡°This is a hot search. Which movie will be happy to invite you in the future? You are considered useless in acting!¡± ¡°Did I want to be on the hot search? Did I release the recording?¡± Being shouted at, Ji Sheng was also angry, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to act in the first place¡­¡± ¡°Childish!¡± Li Tan angrily scolded, ¡°I usually spoil you too much, which star in the domestic entertainment does not act? How can you earn money if you don¡¯t act! You¡¯re twenty-two! Think about how long you can survive munching off your fans. You are on your own!¡± Li Tan hung up the phone. Ji Sheng held the phone in his hand, silent for a long time. The corridor was quiet. Xie Xuanming and Sheng Kongzhi listened to the conversation between the two. Sheng Kongzhi took a step forward, put his hand on Ji Sheng¡¯s shoulder and whispered, ¡°Go back to the company tonight and apologise to Brother Tan. Brother Tan is just talking fiercely, he won¡¯t actually abandon you.¡± ¡°Where am I wrong?¡± It was a rare occasion for Ji Sheng to be choked on words, ¡°Was I wrong for not foreseeing that someone was eavesdropping? Or was I wrong for truthfully expressing my thoughts?¡± ¡°That¡­¡± Sheng Kongzhi hesitated for a moment and added in a low voice, ¡°Anyway, you should go back to the company and explain to Brother Tan. It¡¯s good that you haven¡¯t made any arrangements for tonight¡­¡± ¡°Brother Ji, do you want to go to the filming site to have a look?¡± Xie Xuanming, who had been watching from the sidelines, asked unexpectedly. ¡°Filming site?¡± Both of them were attracted by his words and turned their heads to him. ¡°Why do you want to go to the filming site? Is there a reason to disturb people filming in the middle of the night?¡± Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s face didn¡¯t look good. ¡°Nothing to disturb, we¡¯re filming a group scene today. Brother Ji, if you want, you can join a group scene.¡± Xie Xuanming ignored Sheng Kongzhi, looking straight at Ji Sheng, ¡°Brother Ji, you have no plans for the evening. It¡¯s better to go out and take a break, and wait until Brother Tan¡¯s anger subsides before going back¡­ What do you think?¡± Ji Sheng hesitated. He was in a very irritable mood and didn¡¯t want to go back to the company immediately, and he didn¡¯t even want to face Sheng Kongzhi. Ji Sheng considered it and nodded: ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Then Brother Sheng, go back by yourself.¡± Xie Xuanming smiled lightly and looked at Sheng Kongzhi, who was wearing an ugly expression, ¡°Someone from the crew will come to pick us up, so we won¡¯t delay you, Brother Sheng.¡± The filming site was in the suburbs, and today¡¯s shoot was a location shoot, in a small bar. Ji Sheng listened absent-mindedly to Xie Xuanming introduce the crew, only to ask in the end: ¡°Where is the director?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Xie Xuanming was a little confused. ¡°The one who was on the hot search with you before.¡± ¡°Brother Ji has seen it.¡± Xie Xuanming scratched his head embarrassedly, ¡°He is not here today.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ji Sheng said. It¡¯s a pity, he wanted to take a closer look at Xiao Xie¡¯s ¡°object of gossip¡±. The scene filmed today was not difficult, just a few group shots. Xie Xuanming went to ask; the group shots were just short of people and the assistant director agreed that Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming would play passers-by, a small easter egg for the audience. Although Ji Sheng had no intention of being a lead actor, he was very interested in this novel acting experience and was very serious when he listened to the request. ¡°Let¡¯s just sit at the bar and talk¡­¡± Xie Xuanming was talking to Ji Sheng in a low voice when he suddenly heard the ringing. The sound came from Ji Sheng¡¯s pocket. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Ji Sheng fished out his phone, looked at it and picked it up, ¡°I¡¯ll take the call.¡± Xie Xuanming saw the words ¡°Lao Sheng¡± on the screen and let out a soft ¡°en¡±. Ji Sheng picked up the phone in front of Xie Xuanming: ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°I explained it to Brother Tan for you¡­¡± ¡°En.¡± ¡°¡­When are you coming back tonight? Going back to the dorm at this hour might be filmed to make some news. I¡¯ve got a room from the company. After you finish filming, come there and sleep.¡± Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s voice was clearly heard from the speakerphone. Ji Sheng also realized how loud the sound was. He smiled at Xie Xuanming apologetically, jumped off the high chair and walked out. His figure disappeared behind the door, hidden by light and shadows. Xie Xuanming turned his head back, his eyes dropping on the prop whisky used for the shooting in front of him. Ji Sheng came back five minutes later; Xie Xuanming finished drinking his third glass as the shooting started. Ji Sheng hurriedly sat down. Xie Xuanming put his hand on the back of his neck and pressed his head down with some force. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°What did Sheng Kongzhi say to you?¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s palm was cool from the glass and his breath was carrying the strong smell of alcohol as he spoke. ¡°Huh?¡± The presence of the palm on his neck was very strong. Ji Sheng turned his head uncomfortably. The camera was already filming, and he said in a low voice, ¡°He told me that Qingchu was discussing PR.¡± ¡°PR for what?¡± ¡°The recording. I don¡¯t know who made it, but it¡¯s a big story that needs PR.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The smell of alcohol was exhaled onto his face, making him feel a bit itchy. Ji Sheng struggled and protested quietly: ¡°Do you have to sit so close?¡± Xie Xuanming ignored him and only said in a low voice: ¡°Do you know that the best way to cover up a hot search is with another hot search?¡± ¡°Huh? I have never heard of this kind of public relations method.¡± Ji Sheng inquired between struggles. They were playing a same-sex couple. At this moment, the two of them were leaning against the bar intimately, with their heads next to each other, their hair entangled ambiguously, as they looked very dedicated. ¡°Don¡¯t you think now, if a reporter filmed us from behind, it would look like we were kissing?¡± Xie Xuanming had a lot of strength; Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t move under the pressure of his hand. Xie Xuanming was so close that he easily crossed the safe distance line. Ji Sheng could see his long thick eyelashes, could smell alcohol mixed with the faint fragrance of the body wash. ¡°Would it?¡± He smiled and joked, ¡°Then I have to stay away from you¡­¡± Before Ji Sheng finished speaking, the hand on his neck suddenly pushed his head forward. Xie Xuanming pressed the back of his head and crashed into his lips. The author has something to say: As you can probably tell, Xiao Xie¡¯s drinking capacity is quite bad. CH 60 Ji Sheng¡¯s pupils dilated, an almost empty whiskey glass reflected in his astonished eyes. In the transparent glass, a shallow layer of light golden liquid swayed gently. The golden liquid stopped moving, and Ji Sheng finally reacted. He gave Xie Xuanming a sharp push with his shoulder and freed up his neck. ¡°Is this a part of the script?¡± Ignoring the fact that the scene was still being shot, Ji Sheng asked absurdly. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t say anything. He raised his head, stared at Ji Sheng for a while, and then suddenly leaned in quickly. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t expect Xie Xuanming to dare to commit another crime. He twisted his head to avoid the frontal attack, but the corner of his lips was still brushed with a soft touch of mint and alcohol. After being attacked for the second time, Ji Sheng was completely enraged. He pushed the assailant away fiercely, stood up abruptly, and roared: ¡°Xie Xuanming!¡± The stool rubbed against the floor with a tooth-aching sound, and the glasses on the table also clinked and shook. The other actors stopped filming and peered over curiously. Ji Sheng wiped his lips but quickly realized that this action made him look like a delicate lady. Putting his hand down in annoyance, Ji Sheng looked at Xie Xuanming, who was slumped over and not yet sitting up straight, and asked, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Xie Xuanming was a little drunk, and his movements were obviously clumsy. He slowly sat upright, holding the edge of the table, still with his eyes downcast and not saying a word. Ji Sheng was even more angry seeing this. He recalled Xie Xuanming¡¯s blurred eyes before the man had made his move on him, and with some realisation, stepped forward and grabbed his collar, shouting angrily, ¡°Open your eyes and see clearly, I am not your hapless white moonlight!¡± Ji Sheng was so close that Xie Xuanming had to squint to see him clearly. He looked at him for a moment and smiled, laughing to himself, ¡°Actually, there is no difference.¡± ¡°You!¡± Ji Sheng was even more furious, the smell of alcohol was making his mind feverish and he couldn¡¯t calm down anymore. He threw Xie Xuanming off hard and said in a cold voice, ¡°Is this what you had in mind when you brought me to the set?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Xie Xuanming said softly. After two seconds of silence, he added, ¡°Sort of.¡± Ji Sheng was quiet. After a long silence, Xie Xuanming heard him whisper, ¡°Xie Xuanming, I really did consider you a friend.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Xie Xuanming closed his eyes and said softly and very clearly, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that I¡¯m not.¡± He closed his eyes, hearing footsteps going away, and when he opened them again, Ji Sheng had already left. Ji Sheng was so angry that he ran back to the dormitory, forgetting all about Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s reminder. When Ji Sheng entered, he heard the sound of the shutter clicking not far away. He didn¡¯t bother and slammed the door shut. There was so much negative news, it didn¡¯t matter if there was one more. Compared to this, Xie Xuanming¡¯s attitude made Ji Sheng feel even more chilling. He regarded Xie Xuanming as a younger brother and a friend, he was treating him sincerely. But what did Xie Xuanming regard him as? Ji Sheng lay in bed, angry and sad, until he came to a conclusion. A substitute. From the moment they first met and he gave him Rolex, to the day they got drunk and he forced a kiss, to today¡­ Xie Xuanming¡¯s attitude made Ji Sheng speechless. He had always felt that Xie Xuanming¡¯s feelings for himself were special; he was always more dependent on him than on others. Ji Sheng used to think that it was a baby bird complex, but now he realised that it was just an imitation effect. Ji Sheng was angry, and perhaps a little more hurt than he wanted to admit. He patted himself on the head to stop thinking about it, then rolled over and lay on his side, closing his eyes. In the following days, Xie Xuanming sent messages to apologise, and Ji Sheng ignored them at first, but later replied in a perfunctory manner. The awkward relationship between the two seemed to have eased, but everyone knew that once a gap was created, it would be difficult to close it. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t have time to worry about that unwarranted conflict right now, as he was preoccupied with another matter. Sheng Kongzhi was announced as the first male lead of the web drama and would be undergoing closed training to study acting. This was originally a good thing, but it caused another fan war to start. Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s fans taunted Ji Sheng with the resources they had in hand, while Ji Sheng¡¯s fans bit back at Sheng Kongzhi for picking up the leftovers. The two fan families tore each other apart, and even though the company tried to calm them down several times and the two protagonists made posts to discourage them, the battle continued. When the fighting was about to spread offline, a Weibo with the avatar of ¡°Sheng¡± written inside the moon suddenly uploaded a photo. In the photo, Ji Sheng, Sheng Kongzhi and Xie Xuanming were eating, sitting at a round table. When they saw someone taking the picture, they smiled and showed ¡°V¡± signs to the camera. That was Ji Yueming¡¯s Weibo. During the ¡°Music First¡± competition, Ji Yueming helped Ji Sheng in campaigning for votes on Weibo. Through the many photos of Ji Sheng as a child in her Weibo photo album, many fans knew her true identity. At this moment, Ji Sheng¡¯s mother spoke out. The photo of Xie Xuanming, Ji Sheng and Sheng Kongzhi sitting at the table together to eat sent out at this moment was tantamount to setting off fireworks in the centre of a world war. The fans of Sheng Kongzhi and Ji Sheng were confused, and Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans who had been lurking for a long time also silently showed their heads and surrounded the battlefield. It was naturally impossible for Ji Sheng¡¯s fans to attack Ji Sheng¡¯s mother. There was no major contradiction between Xie Xuanming¡¯s fan family and Ji Sheng at this moment, so there was no need to scold. But Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s fans were more aggrieved. They were insulting each other with Ji Sheng¡¯s fans here, and suddenly found that their idol happily ran to someone else¡¯s house for dinner. It was meant to be a fight, and suddenly there was no sense in it. Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s fans were dumbfounded, but the fire in their hearts was not extinguished. They couldn¡¯t fire externally, so they could only choose to shoot internally. For a while, the angry fans even had a tendency to turn into anti-fans, writing small essays in the super topic, accusing Sheng Kongzhi of ¡°collaborating with the enemy¡±, ¡°disrespecting his fans¡±, ¡°disrespecting his idol status¡± and ¡°behaving out of character¡±¡­ Ji Sheng¡¯s fans felt more comfortable and ran to the other party¡¯s super topic every day to watch the joke, not above adding a few words of taunting and igniting a new war. In this way, new contradictions emerged again. Li Tan was worried all day long, not knowing what to do with these fans. After all, they were the artists of the same company; with the fans so hostile, wouldn¡¯t that make other companies laugh? When Sheng Kongzhi went to the closed group for training, there was no way to contact him, so Li Tan could only approach Ji Sheng and ask him to find a way to suppress the flames of war. Ji Sheng was also speechless. If he could persuade his fans, he would have done it a long time ago. Basically, it was like spilling salt into the sea, all for nothing. He rubbed his head and thought for a while, then came up with an unconventional method. Although Xie Xuanming sometimes liked to do things recklessly, before being reckless, there was one thing he was really right about ¡ª¡ª to cover up a hot search, the best way was to use another hot search. While other people¡¯s fans were beyond Ji Sheng¡¯s control, Ji Sheng was still able to create hot news to divert attention of his own fans. Ji Sheng did what he said and called his assistant: ¡°Xiao Wang, have you posted all the materials you took before, the videos?¡± Xiao Wang rattled a few words. After listening, Ji Sheng said, ¡°Okay then, you can pick and choose and post them.¡± ¡°Good Brother Ji! Which one to post?¡± ¡°Just post the one you think will increase the number of fans the most.¡± Ji Sheng replied, rubbing his brow. ¡°Hey? Brother Ji, didn¡¯t you think it was too vulgar before and didn¡¯t let me post it¡­¡± ¡°Post it.¡± Ji Sheng said helplessly, ¡°Now I¡¯m letting you post it.¡± ¡°Okay, brother.¡± That night, the account of Ji Sheng¡¯s assistant posted a video. In the video, Ji Sheng was playing drums with his upper body naked, his smooth muscle lines tightening and relaxing with every movement, the combination of strength and beauty amazing. As soon as this video appeared, Ji Sheng¡¯s fans instantly withdrew from the battlefield of the fan war. No one cared about what stupid jokes the other party¡¯s fans were playing; Ji Sheng¡¯s fans were too busy turning into screaming chicken under the video. Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s fans were so angry that their teeth itched. Although the opponent retreated without a fight, they were the ones who lost the momentum. Unwilling to be reconciled, they posted under the video, tagging Ji Yueming, with the words ¡±Take care of your son¡¯s hair.¡± But Ji Yueming didn¡¯t shy away from reposting it generously, and even tagged the ID of the fan who was looking for trouble. [My son is in a good shape, why, do you live in the Qing dynasty?](1) As soon as this sentence came out, it immediately became a meme in Ji Sheng¡¯s fan circle. They repeated it under all the weird fake account posts, generally replying [My baby/idol/husband/wife is in a good shape, why, do you live in the Qing dynasty?]. The fans of Sheng Kongzhi jumped in anger, but could do nothing about it. In the bedroom, the sisheng fan held her mobile phone and looked at Ji Yueming¡¯s golden words under the provocative Weibo post that she had posted. She screamed in anger and threw the mobile phone on the quilt with a muffled sound. ¡°This woman.¡± The sisheng gritted her teeth, ¡°Worthy of being that stupid mother of Ji Sheng, she acts and behaves just as bitchy as her son.¡± She was so angry that she beat the bed a few more times, her face grimacing as she found a photo in Ji Yueming¡¯s album and frantically sent it to an anonymous number. [About Ji Sheng, you said you can¡¯t do it, what about this woman] [This woman, I don¡¯t want to see her again] Ji Yueming rode back slowly in the rain on a small electric bike. This was the fourth rainy day of the week. It was probably the rainy season and it rained continuously, the rain dripping and pounding on the ground. The humid and sultry weather always made people feel that something bad was about to happen. Ji Yueming stopped at the red light and carefully checked whether the fruit she bought that was hanging on the handle of the bike was sealed. Because of the rain, Ji Yueming rode very carefully, bypassing many potholes along the way. But even so, her shoes were still mostly wet. The fruit was sealed and there was no water in the bag. Ji Yueming shook the drops of water from her raincoat with satisfaction and looked up at the traffic lights. The green light was on, and Ji Yueming moved. It was getting late and there were no people on the road. Seeing that there were no cars around, Ji Yueming increased her speed confidently. When she reached the middle of the road, a van suddenly rushed from behind the corner and crashed into her at a very high speed. Ji Yueming was almost blinded by the headlights of the van. She wanted to brake¡­ But it was too late. With a muffled ¡±boom¡±, Ji Yueming felt her body become weightless. She flew out like a kite with a broken string and landed heavily on the ground. The little electric bike lost its rider and slid a long way under the heavy blow. The plastic bag on the handle was torn apart and a few apples fell out, rolling on the wet ground. One of the apples rolled to Ji Yueming¡¯s side, hit her body and stopped slowly. It came to rest in a pool of blood. 1. A specifically male hairstyle worn by the Manchu from central Manchuria was the queue (the hair on the front of the head was shaved off every ten days and the remainder of the hair was braided into a long braid). During the Qing dynasty it was imposed on the Han Chinese. So, the interaction is kinda like this: the fan says Ji Sheng¡¯s hair is a mess, and Ji Yueming says ¡°are you from the Qing dynasty, do you want everyone to go half-bald¡±. CH 61 Ji Sheng sat outside the operating room with his head down and his hands clasped tightly. He received the news of Ji Yueming¡¯s accident during the recording of the show, rushed to the hospital to sign some papers and sat on the bench without moving again. The phone in his pocket vibrated from time to time. He didn¡¯t know whose messages it was. It could be his assistant, Sheng Kongzhi, Li Tan¡­ Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t be bothered to check; all his attention was on the red light above the operating room that said ¡°in surgery¡±. He didn¡¯t know how long it took, but the red light finally turned green. Ji Sheng stood up abruptly; the operating room door opened, and the doctor walked out. Ji Sheng quickly took two steps forward; his lips moved, and he asked timidly, ¡°Doctor¡­¡± ¡°The surgery went well.¡± After many years of practice, the doctor understood the mood of the patients¡¯ families very well. He succinctly mentioned the key point, ¡°The patient is out of danger.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s body slumped a little; his tight nerves suddenly relaxed, bringing a throbbing pain to his temples. His dry eyes blinked and he said in a hoarse voice, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No need.¡± The doctor handed him the documents, ¡°The patient has suffered a head blow, there is a possibility of concussion. Several tests need to be done afterwards¡­ You go to the ground floor and pay first.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ji Sheng hurriedly took the documents, glanced at the list, raised his head and asked, ¡°Doctor, can I ask about how much it will cost?¡± The doctor quoted a number and Ji Sheng froze for a second, swallowing with difficulty, his eyes red, ¡°I don¡¯t have that much money¡­ right now.¡± Ji Sheng was telling the truth. The settlement date was at the end of the year. Now it was not the middle of the year yet; he had received very few payments that were not enough to support large expenditures. ¡°You don¡¯t need to pay the money in one lump sum. You first pay for the surgery, tests and medicines. The amount I¡¯ve mentioned includes the cost of follow-up hospitalisation for recuperation, there is no rush to pay¡­¡± The doctor said, quoting another slightly smaller amount. ¡°Just pay that much first.¡± The doctor had other work to do and couldn¡¯t stay long. He said a few more words to Ji Sheng and left in a hurry. Ji Sheng stood still, holding the documents. Then he checked the balances of his few cards, looked at Alipay and WeChat, finally helplessly realising that even with the reduced fees, there was still a considerable deficit. The hospital was not a charity enterprise; without paying the money, the next tests could not be done. Ji Sheng went down to the ground floor, settled the payment for the surgery first, then relied on his credit cards to gather the money for a few tests, and walked to the corner to sit down. Ji Sheng scanned the message box and hesitantly sent messages to Sheng Kongzhi and Li Tan. He sent Li Tan [Brother Tan, can the settlement be paid in advance?] Sent to Sheng Kongzhi [Do you have any spare money in hand?] Li Tan learned about Ji Yueming¡¯s car accident a few hours ago when Ji Sheng suddenly left the recording site. He called to ask about the situation, and immediately went to tell the public relations department to work overtime to pay attention to the state of public opinion. It could be said that he was very concerned about this matter. But when Ji Sheng sent a message, he was silent for a long time before replying. Li Tan [Is it convenient to answer the phone?] After receiving a positive reply, Li Tan called. ¡°Xiao Sheng, is your mother better?¡± ¡°Out of danger.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°But there are still tests to be done and the amount is rather large. I don¡¯t have that much money in hand, so I want to apply for early settlement.¡± Li Tan was silent for a while. ¡°Xiao Sheng, there is this thing¡­¡± Li Tan said, his words heavy, and Ji Sheng¡¯s heart sank, ¡°You also know that Qingchu is moving¡­ The finances are a bit overstretched, and the money has been invested in the construction of the new office. Large amounts are unlikely to be available before the next settlement from Hemei Entertainment¡­¡± He provided a long list of explanations and Ji Sheng listened in silence until the end: ¡°So if I apply for an early settlement now, how much can you give at most?¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Li Tan said, ¡°Let me see.¡± Ji Sheng waited for a while until Li Tan quoted an amount that was more like half of the full medical bill. After Li Tan finished speaking, he hesitated and asked, ¡°Is it not enough?¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s silence answered everything. Li Tan went silent again. After ten seconds, he sighed and said, ¡°Xiao Sheng, I really can¡¯t get the money out for the time being, but if you are really short of money, I still have a solution¡­¡± ¡°What solution?¡± ¡°Do you remember that Hemei mentioned having a personal meet and greet before?¡± Ji Sheng remembered that after the first Loptr tour, Hemei Entertainment did discuss with the companies that if the members were interested, they could have their own personal meet and greet. However, due to the tight schedule and a low cut, coupled with a bunch of magical trolling actions by Hemei Entertainment, no members were willing to sign up for a solo tour in the end. Ji Sheng also refused before. He was a drummer and didn¡¯t think he had the strength to hold up the whole show. But now¡­ Li Tan was still talking: ¡°Although it is a rotten split of 90/10¡­ but if you are interested, I can ask Hemei¡­¡± Ji Sheng lowered his eyes, glanced at the medical documents clenched in his hand and said, ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll have someone contact Hemei, ah. We should be able to negotiate it soon. I¡¯ll ask them to advance the performance fee¡­¡± Ji Sheng listened quietly and said, ¡°Good.¡± More than half an hour had passed during his conversation with Li Tan. When Ji Sheng looked down, Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s messages were all over the screen. Sheng Kongzhi [What¡¯s the matter?] Sheng Kongzhi [I heard that Auntie had an accident, what¡¯s the situation now?] Sheng Kongzhi [Is there enough money to pay for it? Can you pay for it? Do you want me to come over? ] Sheng Kongzhi [Transfer 10,000] Ji Sheng didn¡¯t accept it, moved his finger, and replied in a few words. Ji Sheng [The situation is stable, there is no need to come over.] Ji Sheng [I have a solution for the money, don¡¯t worry, thank you] After he replied, Sheng Kongzhi responded with a bunch of messages, but Ji Sheng really didn¡¯t have the heart to read them. Li Tan quickly sent the money that could be paid. Ji Sheng got up and paid for the tests. He sat down on a chair with his face covered for two minutes and went back upstairs to see how Ji Yueming was doing. Hemei Entertainment was not in the least bit ambiguous when it came to making money. As soon as Qingchu¡¯s idea came up, Hemei replied quickly and sent the contract to Ji Sheng almost the next day. Ji Sheng took a glance at the contract and was not surprised to see that his share had been lowered compared to the previous conditions, and that there was a staggering number of restrictions of all kinds. A typical bullying contract. But Ji Sheng had no choice but to sign his name on the last page. A few days later, Hemei Entertainment announced Ji Sheng¡¯s solo tour. Once the announcement was made, Ji Sheng¡¯s fans were excited for a while, and then realized that something was wrong. After that, both fans and the black fans who were fishing in muddy waters began to ask various questions in the comment section. [A meet and greet at 3 a.m.? Is this a meeting in the netherworld?] [Good guy, this is determined to make fans go bald] [No way, the official announcement is today, the tickets will be sold tomorrow and the tour will be next week. What are you doing? It¡¯s too fast!] [2000 VIP tickets, this is too shady¡­ someone is intent on cutting the leeks(1), ah!] [How can this be called cutting the leeks (funny), it¡¯s clearly a gift from their brother, ah!] [Hehe, another one who has fallen for the money, the road turned black] The news of the tour unsurprisingly attracted marketing accounts and since this tour was so outrageous, the marketing accounts didn¡¯t even need to add fuel to the fire to put the topic on the hot search. #Ji Sheng Solo Tour# In the topic, fans were wailing about the ticket prices and black fans and passers-by were taunting. Hemei Entertainment did not do any PR about this hot search and was even happy with its appearance. All they cared about was how well the tickets sold and how much money they could collect, and this kind of free advertising-like stuff simply made the publicity department overjoyed. Despite wailing, the fans still planned to rush to that solo tour, and there were not a few fans aiming for VIP tickets. In Ji Sheng¡¯s fan supertopic, there were even posts from students asking if they should have saved money to attend the tour. Ji Sheng scanned the posts, paused, and then silently posted on his Weibo. [Spend wisely, students should not skip classes to come to the meet and greet, VIP tickets are just an early entry, going to queue in advance has the same effect, don¡¯t spend money in vain] He also reposted an article that taught touring geeks how to avoid getting cut off in a livehouse tour. The character at the centre of the storm suddenly spoke out; the black fans froze for two seconds and then began to snipe again. [Top poker player of modern times ¨C selling overpriced tickets and advising to spend wisely] [Laughing, Ji Lao¡¯Er is a two-sided wool puller, ah!] [Is it okay to post this? If you don¡¯t cooperate with ticket sales, you will be torn apart by Hemei Entertainment, right?] Hemei Entertainment was indeed disturbed. Promoting rational consumption on the eve of ticket sales, wasn¡¯t it obviously a low blow? They hurriedly contacted Ji Sheng and tried to get him to delete the post. Their messages achieved no result. Ji Sheng replied to all Hemei staff who came to complain [The contract does not stipulate that Weibo posts cannot be posted] and ignored them. But the messages kept coming; Ji Sheng got tired of them and blacklisted the numbers one by one. After he finally cleaned up, he fell on the bed and lay like a corpse. Ji Sheng was in the hospital last night until the morning and only returned home at noon, his body and mind exhausted. He lay there from the afternoon to the evening, until the dark clouds gathered outside and the muffled thunder started exploding in the sky from time to time without waking him up. Ji Sheng was awakened by the vibration of his mobile phone. He turned over and unlocked the screen in a daze, instinctively ready to blacklist the number, but stopped in the mid-movement when he saw the name. Xie Xuanming [Transfer 50,000] How did Xie Xuanming know? Ji Sheng froze. For fear of being harassed by black fans and for the sake of the police investigation, Qingchu clearly blocked the news of Ji Yueming¡¯s accident. Ji Sheng was still confused when Xie Xuan Ming sent another message. Xie Xuanming [If it¡¯s not enough, I have some more, so I can transfer it.] Ji Sheng held up his mobile phone, the light making him squint. He tapped his finger on the screen a few times and replied. [No need] Xie Xuanming returned a few more sentences, to the effect that Ji Sheng shouldn¡¯t be polite, and mentioned the hot search¡­ Ji Sheng was so tired that he couldn¡¯t stop his eyelids from drooping, unable to read a couple of lines. The thunder rang for a long time, and the rain finally came down. Ji Sheng rolled over and heard the hustle and bustle of the people outside rushing into the buildings to shelter from the rain. The thunder rang again, and the phone vibrated. Xie Xuanming [Are you still there?] Ji Sheng woke up a little bit and was going to send him a proper goodbye. With the next sentence, Ji Sheng woke up completely. Xie Xuanming [I¡¯m downstairs] Ji Sheng was stunned for a second, then sat up abruptly, struggling to move to the window. The curtains were drawn, and the wind blew in with the rain through the opened window. The phone vibrated again; Ji Sheng pulled the curtains open to look down, and saw Xie Xuanming. Xie Xuanming [I don¡¯t have an umbrella, can I come in to get out of the rain] He was standing in the rain, his mobile phone illuminating a small patch of drizzling rain. Xie Xuanming looked up at Ji Sheng, his hair dripping with water, his meek eyes staring up through the rain. He looked like a poor wet puppy. The author has something to say: Xiao Xie, you are really good at it¡­ Xiao Ji¡­ I hate you for being a piece of wood 1. A metaphor for those in a superior position exploiting those in a disadvantaged position CH 62 Ji Sheng was waiting at the elevator entrance. As soon as the light turned on, Xie Xuanming, drenched all over, came out of the elevator door. He looked at Ji Sheng with gentle eyes: ¡°Brother Ji.¡± In response, Ji Sheng threw a big towel at him angrily. When the two entered the apartment, Ji Sheng began to babble. ¡°What were you thinking? At this hour, it¡¯s raining heavily, and you actually come downstairs of my place.¡± Ji Sheng handed the towel over, ¡°Your photos will be taken.¡± ¡°The crew doesn¡¯t have a scene for me tonight¡­ At this hour if you let someone in your dorm, your pictures might also be taken.¡± Xie Xuanming looked at Ji Sheng without blinking, ¡°If you thought we could be photographed, why did you let me in?¡± ¡°Call me brother, kid.¡± Ji Sheng yanked the towel away and rudely wiped the water from the face of the man who was standing in place like a fool. He pulled Xie Xuanming to his feet and pushed him into the bathroom, ¡°Otherwise you will be drenched downstairs? Are you stupid, waiting in such heavy rain, why do you need to come?¡± Xie Xuanming was obediently pushed to the door and held on the frame: ¡°Because I am worried about you.¡± ¡°Worried about me?¡± Ji Sheng was stunned, then said with some amusement, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine, your brother is fine. Film your movie well, do your PR, try to win an award or something, and slap KUZI¡¯s face until it¡¯s swollen.¡± Xie Xuanming looked at him quietly: ¡°Did you say the same thing to Sheng Kongzhi?¡± ¡°Him?¡± Ji Sheng laughed, ¡°What qualifications does he have to win the award? He didn¡¯t study acting, he specialises in art!¡± ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about.¡± Xie Xuanming stood up straighter, and the drops of water from his hair fell on the floor. He was still looking at Ji Sheng, his gaze like cold light shining through the mist. Ji Sheng stopped smiling: ¡°You know I don¡¯t want to talk about this.¡± The light dimmed; Xie Xuanming lowered his eyes, his eyelashes dripping with rain. The two were quiet for a moment; Ji Sheng sighed and pushed the man towards the bathroom again, ¡°Go take a shower, you¡¯re going to catch a cold if you don¡¯t change your clothes.¡± Ji Sheng was right, there were indeed many reporters lurking under the dormitory building, or sisheng fans, or someone filming to sell the photos. Some of these people went back because of heavy rain and late hour, and the remaining ones who were dedicated enough to hide in the pouring rain successfully took pictures of Xie Xuanming entering Ji Sheng¡¯s dormitory in the middle of the night. It was a normal thing to spend the night at a friend¡¯s house, but when combined with Xie Xuanming¡¯s confusing sexuality that had been rumoured by the media, it became intriguing. The entertainment industry is always well-informed; early in the morning, people from all parties gathered under the dormitory building. Ji Sheng pulled open the curtains, glanced at the dense crowd downstairs and rubbed his temples, feeling a splitting headache. ¡°Where is the nanny¡¯s car parked?¡± He turned to ask Xie Xuanming. ¡°On the side of the road, the security won¡¯t let unfamiliar vehicles into the parking lot.¡± The side of the road was ten metres away from the gate, and there was a high probability that you would have to pass through a ¡°zombie siege¡±. ¡°Is there any security coming?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll take you there.¡± Ji Sheng turned his head to glance at the crowd through the gap in the curtains, and said decisively. I am not a child who needs protection. Xie Xuanming watched Ji Sheng put on a coat, put on a mask and change his shoes in one go, and licked his tiger teeth lightly: ¡°Okay.¡± Three minutes later, Ji Sheng took Xie Xuanming out of the door. Ji Sheng was wearing a hood and a mask that covered his face up to his lower eyelids, while Xie Xuanming was wearing a baseball cap that hid two thirds of his face. Two people who wanted to conceal their identities made the reporters instantly cheer up, run closer and gather, surrounding the two of them and yelling incomprehensibly to ask some questions. There were too many people, and physical confrontations were a regular occurrence. Ji Sheng clasped Xie Xuanming¡¯s shoulder in a reverse grip and walked forward with him. Halfway through the walk, Ji Sheng tripped over someone and stumbled forward. Xie Xuanming paused for half a second and quickly flipped his hand to pull him along, changing from being shielded by Ji Sheng to walking together with him. The two broke through the many obstacles and finally came to the nanny¡¯s car. The security guards at the gate took over and helped to stop the crowd one metre away. Ji Sheng opened the door, and Xie Xuanming jumped into the nanny¡¯s car lightly. As soon as he sat down, he saw Ji Sheng put one foot on the side of the car and leaned in. He stretched out his hand to push away the hair blocking Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes and pulled off his mask: ¡°Film well, I¡¯m going back.¡± After saying a brief goodbye, Ji Sheng leaned back, ready to withdraw. His hood was crooked, and his loose hair hung over his cheeks. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Xie Xuanming said. ¡°Huh? ¡°Ji Sheng didn¡¯t hear what he said, stopped abruptly and drilled back into the car. Xie Xuanming took off his cap and put it on Ji Sheng¡¯s head. He brushed aside a strand of hair that was stuck to Ji Sheng¡¯s cheek, and said softly, ¡°There.¡± Ji Sheng put on the cap and tried to squeeze back into the dormitory. As soon as he entered, he received a call from Li Tan. ¡°Xie Xuanming came to your place?¡± Li Tan got straight to the point. ¡°Ah yes.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°Someone posted a picture on Weibo.¡± ¡°So fast?¡± Ji Sheng had a headache,¡±Don¡¯t they even photo-edit it?¡± ¡°There are also people live streaming.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Is Xie Xuanming still with you?¡± Li Tan asked. ¡°Just left, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Li Tan was silent for a while, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I wanted to discuss some things with Xiao Xie, so forget it if he left.¡± He paused for a moment and asked, ¡°Do you know that there are a lot of rumours about his sexuality now?¡± Ji Sheng: ¡­¡­ He also knew that the rumours were indeed true. Ji Sheng: ¡°I know, it was KUZI who created the black materials, right?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who made it.¡± Li Tan said, ¡°The important thing is that he has a bad reputation now, and you don¡¯t avoid suspicion and just run straight into it¡­¡± Li Tan suddenly paused: ¡°You wait a moment, I have something to do here, I¡¯ll call you later.¡± Li Tan hung up the phone. Ji Sheng took off his hat, threw it on the table and rubbed his hair. He really disliked a life where any little action was constrained and second guessed. Li Tan¡¯s call did not come for a long time. During this period, Ji Sheng called Ji Yueming¡¯s hospital and confirmed that the nurse he had hired was already on duty and that Ji Yueming¡¯s condition was stable, so he ended the call with some relief. As soon as the call ended, Li Tan happened to call again. ¡°There¡¯s something going on with the legal department.¡± After explaining, Li Tan asked, ¡°Have you read the public opinion on Weibo yet?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t have time.¡± ¡°The public opinion situation is okay. The fans are keeping the scene under control, but there¡¯s something strange going on with the passers-by, so the PR department met and discussed it and came up with an idea.¡± ¡°What idea?¡± Ji Sheng asked. ¡°We plan to steer this towards the cp hype.¡± Li Tan showed his cards. ¡°Huh?¡± Ji Sheng thought he had heard it wrong, ¡°Xiao Xie and I? Hype cp? Aren¡¯t we both guys?¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you think you were both guys when you two got together and made out?¡± Li Tan couldn¡¯t hold back his sarcasm, ¡°If I were Kongzhi, I would have had a heart attack looking at the pictures of your unclean private life and feel like my hat was turning green(1).¡± Ji Sheng heard the irony in his words, frowned a little, offended, and his tone became more blunt: ¡°What does it have to do with Sheng Kongzhi, I can take in a friend of the same sex for the night and it doesn¡¯t make my private life less clean.¡± ¡°Who knows.¡± Li Tan said, ¡°The media thinks you are unclean, and the public thinks you are unclean. How can you prove that you are clean? Instead of letting others come and pull the wool over the public¡¯s eyes, why not turn passivity into initiative and use the rumours as benefits in a big way, making money from your traffic?¡± What Li Tan said was true. Ji Sheng was silent for a while, ¡°I¡¯m still¡­ not willing to do this.¡± ¡°Guess so.¡± Li Tan said, unsurprised, ¡°But this is indeed a rare ¡®good¡¯ public relations method, good for you and good for Xiao Xie.¡± ¡°I have a question.¡± He mentioned Xie Xuanming, and Ji Sheng suddenly thought of something, ¡°Have you discussed it with Xiao Xie¡¯s side? What did they say?¡± ¡°The PR department approached, the situation is a bit complicated.¡± Li Tan said, ¡°Xie Xuanming¡¯s company was quite in favour of it, but Xie Xuanming himself refused.¡± ¡°Refused.¡± Ji Sheng was taken aback, and whispered to himself, ¡°Why¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± He said it so quietly that Li Tan didn¡¯t hear him. ¡°Nothing.¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t want to continue, so he just said, ¡°It just so happens that I also think this method is inappropriate. So reject it if possible.¡± ¡°You know I came here to ask you to persuade Xiao Xie not to be so dead-brained(2), right?¡± Li Tan felt helpless. ¡°Then you should know that I am also dead-brained.¡± Ji Sheng chuckled in a low voice. ¡°¡­true.¡± Li Tan compromised, ¡°Then I¡¯ll have PR just dispel the rumours¡­ How is your mother¡¯s situation?¡± ¡°Pretty good.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great, the tour will start the day after tomorrow, right? Go ahead, get ready, I¡¯ll hang up first.¡± ¡°Yeah, will do.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°Bye.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s popularity was still high. Even though he himself urged on Weibo not to buy high-priced tickets, when the tickets went on sale, the ticket pool, including VIP tickets, was empty in seconds. From the scalpers, the prices of ordinary tickets were speculated to be even more expensive than the original VIP. After Ji Sheng repeatedly confirmed with Hemei that it was not them who speculated on the ticket prices, he posted several Weibo posts to warn fans not to spend money¡­ But how well it worked was a matter of opinion(3). When the first show of the tour ended, Sheng Kongzhi gave Ji Sheng a rare call. ¡°Today is the first solo performance, congratulations.¡± Sheng Kongzhi just finished his acting class and his tone was tired. ¡°There is nothing to congratulate me on.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°I had no choice.¡± Sheng Kongzhi paused: ¡°Did it go well?¡± ¡°It went well.¡± ¡°How is Auntie doing?¡± ¡°Pretty good.¡± The two of them went back and forth for a few minutes; then Sheng Kongzhi laughed a little and said, ¡°I really miss¡­¡± Before the words were finished, a violent doorbell rang suddenly, the sharp sound interrupting the conversation. The sound was so loud that Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t help but notice: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing¡­¡± Sheng Kongzhi walked to the door. He looked through the cat¡¯s eye, was silent on the other end of the phone for a while, and said, ¡°It¡¯s a sisheng fan.¡± Ji Sheng frowned: ¡°A sisheng stalking in the training location? Isn¡¯t it closed?¡± ¡°En.¡± Sheng Kongzhi said, ¡°I don¡¯t know how she got in.¡± ¡°Ask the security to take her away, or just call the police.¡± Sheng Kongzhi didn¡¯t answer. Ji Sheng waited for a while, then frowned: ¡°Are you listening?¡± ¡°Listening¡­¡± Sheng Kongzhi replied hurriedly, ¡°I think¡­ there is no need. I will open the door and talk to her and tell her to go. After all, she¡¯s also a fan, and she¡¯s still a child¡­¡± ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s voice became stern, ¡°Sishengs are not fans. If you treat them nicely, you will only be hurt.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s voice was helpless and a little stiff, ¡°But¡­ Forget it, you don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°What does this have to do with whether I understand or not?¡± Ji Sheng was a little angry. The doorbell was still ringing, and the sound was very harsh. He wanted to say something, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he was interrupted by the vibration of his mobile phone. Ji Sheng froze, took the phone off his ear and looked at the screen. [Xie Xuanming] Ji Sheng was suddenly silent. Sheng Kongzhi called his name twice, then realized something was wrong and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I have a call over here.¡± Ji Sheng replied absent-mindedly, ¡°I¡¯ll take it, you wait.¡± ¡°Xie Xuanming?¡± Sheng Kongzhi asked. His tone suddenly turned very bad, ¡°Don¡¯t answer it.¡± Ji Sheng hesitated for a second, for some reason suddenly recalling Li Tan¡¯s ¡°green hat¡± statement two days ago, and felt a little embarrassed inexplicably. Ji Sheng was confused by Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s questioning for a second, then realised that he was in a bad mood and frowned, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you today?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you to pick it up.¡± Sheng Kongzhi said. Xie Xuanming¡¯s name flashed twice on the screen and disappeared. Ji Sheng¡¯s mood also went down with it disappearing. The sisheng was still ringing the doorbell. This sound made him irritable, and Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s stinging words made him even more annoyed. ¡°Do you want to quarrel with me now?¡± Ji Sheng said in an unpleasant tone, ¡°You are kind to your sisheng, but you are tit-for-tat to me. Do you think you are doing the right thing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a question of right or wrong.¡± Sheng Kongzhi said and suddenly heard the mobile phone on the other end vibrate again. Xie Xuanming was calling again. He was really persistent. Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s mood sank: ¡±Don¡¯t¡­¡± The busy tone filled his ears before the word ¡°answer¡± came out. Ji Sheng hung up the phone without saying a word. To take Xie Xuanming¡¯s call. 1. Being cheated on 2. Single-minded and instinctively slow to react to things 3. The literal expression is ¡°the benevolent sees benevolence, the wise sees wisdom¡± CH 63 ¡°Why are you calling?¡± When Ji Sheng picked up Xie Xuanming¡¯s call, his words still carried the emotions from his argument with Sheng Kongzhi. Hearing the obvious displeasure in his tone, Xie Xuanming paused. ¡°Did I bother you, cough¡­ sorry¡­¡± He coughed, apologised in a low voice, and then whispered before Ji Sheng spoke, ¡°I have a bit of a headache.¡± His tone was softer than usual; he exhaled quietly, sounding somewhat weak. Ji Sheng threw his anger away, grabbed the phone and asked nervously, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, have you caught a cold?! Is it from the rain earlier?¡± ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Xie Xuanming coughed on the other end of the phone. Xie Xuanming was very healthy and had never been in hospital more than once since he was a child. Who knew that there would be some accident this time. His throat hurt a little on the first day after the rain but he continued filming for a few days without minding it. When his cough didn¡¯t stop, Xie Xuanming paid a little more attention and took an expired cold medicine he found in his bag. The next day, his condition worsened and he developed a severe fever. Despite his restraint, he still couldn¡¯t hide his physical discomfort. Xie Xuanming was too muddle-headed during filming; after he made several mistakes in a daze, the director just sent him back to his room to rest, saying, ¡°It¡¯s a waste of time to shoot.¡± Xie Xuanming ate two mouthfuls without appetite and fell asleep. He woke up with a terrible headache. He didn¡¯t want to go to the hospital. Instead, he reached for the phone and called Ji Sheng. Although there was no scientific basis to it, when Xie Xuanming listened to Ji Sheng¡¯s anxious questions on the other end of the phone ¡°Is there a fever?¡±, ¡°Have you seen a doctor?¡±, ¡°Have you taken your medicine?¡±, his spirits instantly improved. The corners of his lips rose uncontrollably and the headache was immediately no longer a problem. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Xie Xuanming coughed again and whispered, ¡°It¡¯s just that I¡¯m bored staying alone at the hotel, and I didn¡¯t know who to call.¡± He said: ¡°I didn¡¯t get through just now. I thought you were busy with something, Brother Ji, and you wouldn¡¯t answer my call.¡± He said it in a miserable way, and Ji Sheng instantly associated it with his family situation. He recalled the first call he didn¡¯t answer and his heart clenched with pain. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°I just¡­ I had something to do and picked it up late.¡± ¡°Is it taken care of now?¡± ¡°Sort of.¡± ¡°Brother Ji, can you sing me a song?¡± Xie Xuanming coughed again and said in a small voice, ¡°My head hurts, my stomach hurts, I can¡¯t eat, and I can¡¯t sleep after lying in bed for a long time.¡± ¡°Even if I sing to you, it won¡¯t stop your head from hurting.¡± Ji Sheng was a bit worried, ¡°Why don¡¯t I order a delivery of cold medicine for you, or if you want to eat something, I¡¯ll order you a takeaway.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve taken my medicine and have no appetite.¡± Xie Xuanming said sickly, ¡°It¡¯s just a headache. Sing me a song. I won¡¯t feel so uncomfortable if you sing me a song.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Although very materialistic, Ji Sheng had no other choice, ¡°Okay, what to sing?¡± ¡°Fruit candy, Qingchu¡¯s song from the Band Festival competition.¡± ¡°I know, your original song.¡± Ji Sheng paused and said a little embarrassedly, ¡°I don¡¯t remember the tune.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, I remember.¡± Xie Xuanming hummed softly. Ji Sheng repeated. Xie Xuanming hummed again, and Ji Sheng followed. Xie Xuanming¡¯s voice was low, and with it leading the way, Ji Sheng gradually remembered the tune, switching from singing after him to singing with him. The two sang quietly together, and when the song was over, they tacitly started again from the beginning. After two or three times, Xie Xuanming¡¯s voice dropped, more like someone murmuring in a dream than singing, and in the end, the murmur disappeared. Ji Sheng listened to the steady breathing on the other end of the phone and gently asked ¡°Xiao Xie¡±. After receiving no response, he quietly cut off the call. After ending the call with Xie Xuanming, Ji Sheng found his assistant and asked for Xie Xuanming¡¯s agent¡¯s WeChat, sent him a message saying that Xie Xuanming was sick and that he should bring some medicine and porridge to him, then logged out of WeChat and sat down on the bed for a while before remembering that he had hung up on Sheng Kongzhi. After his emotional outburst passed, Ji Sheng calmed down a lot, and when he looked back, he felt that his attitude towards Sheng Kongzhi was a bit too much. He opened his address book and tried to call Sheng Kongzhi back to apologise. He tried twice, but there was no answer. He didn¡¯t know if Sheng Kongzhi couldn¡¯t answer the phone because it was time for training, or if he was angry and didn¡¯t want to answer. Either way, Ji Sheng was puzzled to find that he didn¡¯t seem to care very much. Halfway through his third attempt, Ji Sheng hung up the phone without further thought. He finally clicked on WeChat, used WeChat to send Sheng Kongzhi a ¡°sorry¡± and a few crying emoticons as an apology. Sheng Kongzhi replied to his corresponding emoticon pack ten minutes later. Ji Sheng hesitated and did not write again. Halfway through the tour, Ji Yueming¡¯s final diagnosis was made by the hospital. Ji Yueming¡¯s condition was stable, but no doctor could say when she would wake up. A vegetative state. Ji Sheng, who rushed to the hospital in a hurry, was stung by the doctor¡¯s calm words. He thanked the doctor in a daze and walked out of the room, just as a call came in from the police. The police officer who contacted him sounded a little guilty. The surveillance on the road where Ji Yueming had the accident was strangely out of order. Because it was raining heavily, there were no witnesses present. The cameras two roads away did capture a van suspected of being the vehicle involved in the accident, but the licence plate was deliberately obscured and could not be seen clearly even after zooming in¡­ Ji Sheng listened in silence, and finally said, ¡°Was it an accident?¡± The police were silent for a while: ¡°According to the investigation, it is more likely that it was deliberate. We are calling to ask whether your mother, Ms. Ji Yueming, had a conflict with anyone, or offended anyone¡­¡± ¡°I think¡­ no.¡± Ji Sheng stared at the ground, a flash of uncertainty in his eyes, ¡°If it¡¯s really deliberate¡­ then it was probably aimed at me.¡± After he explained the particularity of his profession to the police, the police were also in a difficult position. After all, it was almost impossible to find the culprit from the tens of thousands of black fans. The police finally said that they would continue to investigate, but both parties knew that the matter would probably end in nothing. The tour was still going on. By the time of the last show, Ji Sheng had already lost eight pounds, his costumes were hanging on his body and he occasionally suffered dizziness and nausea from hypoglycemia. But anyway, he eventually carried it through. Ji Sheng¡¯s birthday party was two days after the solo tour was over. Ji Sheng shot an advertisement for a day, took a half-day break, and then started to run through the rehearsal process of the birthday party. In order to celebrate his birthday, Sheng Kongzhi also took a leave of absence from the training group and came to the advertisement shooting site to pick up Ji Sheng from work. Their relationship was a bit more estranged than before, but after all, they were bamboo horses and sweethearts. So when Ji Sheng saw Sheng Kongzhi, he hesitantly went up to him to give him a hug. ¡°Aren¡¯t you in the training camp?¡± Ji Sheng asked. ¡°I asked for leave and will keep you company today.¡± Sheng Kongzhi said. Sheng Kongzhi didn¡¯t book a hotel, so he was going to share Ji Sheng¡¯s room for the night. He went in and took a shower. Ji Sheng played with his phone for a while, and when the low battery alert came out, he started looking for the charger. He found that he had left the charger in the car. ¡°Do you have a charger? My phone is dead!¡± Ji Sheng shouted towards the bathroom. ¡°In my bag!¡± Sheng Kongzhi shouted back. Ji Sheng leaned over the bed and struggled to pull Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s backpack over from the nightstand at the other end. As he opened Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s bag and searched through it, something fell out with a snap. Ji Sheng picked it up. A box half the size of a card deck with the label facing down; Ji Sheng turned it over to see what it was. Condoms. Ji Sheng looked at the box for a while, then silently stuffed the condoms back into Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s bag, and then put the bag back on the nightstand. He plugged in the charger and lay down at the edge of the bed. It was normal for men of their age to have needs. He and Sheng Kongzhi had been in love with each other since they were teenagers, but they had not been able to take the most intimate step for many years due to various reasons. The closest they had ever been to each other was when they slept under the same quilt, and Ji Sheng had thought that tonight would be no exception. But Sheng Kongzhi seemed to be intent on taking things a step further. As his sweetheart, Ji Sheng could not seem to find a reason to refuse. Ji Sheng looked at his mobile phone absent-mindedly, but the screen remained untouched for a long time. Sheng Kongzhi came out of the bathroom soon and walked to the bed, wiping his hair. ¡°There is a hair dryer on the desk.¡± Ji Sheng said. ¡°Okay.¡± Sheng Kongzhi walked over to the desk. The hair dryer was plugged in, and a slight roar echoed through the room. Sheng Kongzhi was drying his hair as his lips moved twice. ¡°What?¡± Ji Sheng shouted, ¡°The hair dryer is too loud, I didn¡¯t hear you.¡± ¡°I said¡ª¡ª¡± Sheng Kongzhi amplified his voice, ¡°I have some friends who want to throw you a birthday party.¡± ¡°Friend? University classmates?¡± ¡°No¡­ you haven¡¯t met them.¡± ¡°¡­I haven¡¯t met them, why do they want to celebrate my birthday?¡± Ji Sheng felt baffled. He knew that Sheng Kongzhi had friends in some circles, but those people¡­ Ji Sheng frowned slightly. It was not really worth getting involved with them, and Sheng Kongzhi getting close to them always gave him a bad feeling. ¡°They know you, and a few of them are your fans.¡± Sheng Kongzhi added, ¡°Old fans, the kind that were at every show before Qingchu broke up.¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know Qingchu still has such loyal fans.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s expression eased considerably, but on second thought, he realised there was a problem. ¡°But I have the birthday show the next day and I can¡¯t go out the night before.¡± ¡°Just come and show up.¡± Sheng Kongzhi said, ¡°They all know that you are in a special situation and we won¡¯t play late.¡± When he put it like that, if Ji Sheng refused, it would be too disrespectful. He thought for a while and said, ¡°Okay.¡± Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s tense expression relaxed; he hastily dried his hair, unplugged the hair dryer, walked to the bed, and reached out to hug Ji Sheng. At first, it was a normal hug but after a while, Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s hands gradually moved down, going under the hem of his t-shirt. He was about to touch his skin when Ji Sheng suddenly struggled. He stretched out his hand to push Sheng Kongzhi away indisputably. ¡°I¡¯m going to take a shower.¡± Ji Sheng said without looking at him. He got up, walked to the bathroom door and stalled again, looked back at Sheng Kongzhi and said as if he had made some decision, ¡°I¡¯m very tired today, I want to sleep straight after the shower. You don¡¯t have to wait for me, rest first.¡± CH 64 Even on the day before his birthday, Ji Sheng still needed to rush out on business in the early morning. Considering that Sheng Kongzhi also had a rare break, Ji Sheng set an alarm clock on vibration before going to bed, planning to get up early to catch up with the business matters. After setting the time, Ji Sheng fell asleep quickly. However, in the early morning he was awakened by the sound of an urgent low voice. ¡°¡­What does it matter to you where I spend the night? How many times have I said, don¡¯t interfere with my private life!¡± ¡°¡­why are you here? Did you set it up?¡± ¡°¡­what are you doing here? You don¡¯t know him¡­¡± The sound of arguing came from the bathroom, with a vague tendency to intensify. Ji Sheng propped up and glanced at his mobile phone; there was still an hour before the alarm clock went off. A few sentences later, Sheng Kongzhi suddenly became agitated. ¡°Yes, I am in love. Are you satisfied with this answer? Don¡¯t call me again! And don¡¯t follow my car!¡± The voice stopped; after a while, the bathroom door opened and Sheng Kongzhi peeked out from inside, his face gloom. He raised his eyes, stunned to see Ji Sheng sitting up. He froze for a moment, then pulled himself together and asked, ¡°Did I wake you up?¡± ¡°En¡­¡± Ji Sheng yawned, rubbed his eyes and asked, ¡°What are you doing so early?¡± ¡°Nothing, just taking care of a little personal business.¡± Sheng Kongzhi lay down on the bed and said vaguely, ¡°Go to sleep, it¡¯s still early, you can get another hour of sleep.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ji Sheng lay down next to him, opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling, not asking any more questions. He felt a little confused. He and Sheng Kongzhi were bamboo horses who grew up sharing a pair of pants. Later, they took a step closer and became sweethearts. In the past, such words as ¡°personal business¡± would never have appeared in their conversation. However, Ji Sheng was now surprised to find that there was this ¡°personal business¡±, and what shocked him even more was that he had no desire to probe into it and blandly accepted the fact that Sheng Kongzhi was hiding a secret. It seemed perfectly normal for Sheng Kongzhi to have a personal business. It was as normal as when he realised last night that he didn¡¯t want to get any closer to Sheng Kongzhi. Lying on the bed, before falling asleep again in a daze, Ji Sheng faintly admitted in his heart that there was a thick layer of estrangement between him and Sheng Kongzhi. It could be seen and touched. It could not be broken. The morning¡¯s business meeting ended early and there were no plans for the next half day, so Ji Sheng went back to the hotel to sleep for a while, got up, washed his face and casually asked Sheng Kongzhi when they were going to the party. After he asked, Sheng Kongzhi, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, was silent for a while; then, contrary to yesterday¡¯s encouragement, he said, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go, we won¡¯t go.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to go.¡± Ji Sheng pushed back his hair, looking down at Sheng Kongzhi, ¡°But weren¡¯t we going to meet the fans? Why not go?¡± Sheng Kongzhi avoided his gaze: ¡°I think you have a show tomorrow. You will be too tired to rush like this¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not tired.¡± Ji Sheng interrupted. Sheng Kongzhi was quiet for a while and said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll change clothes and we¡¯ll go.¡± The venue for the party was a place between a bar and a nightclub. Ji Sheng was a frequent visitor there before he became famous, but he usually appeared on stage and his surroundings were far less comfortable than this bar today. Sitting in a booth and watching the show from the audience¡¯s point of view was a novel experience. Ji Sheng was engrossed in the performance when Sheng Kongzhi appeared at the booth with some strangers. There were a few familiar faces among them. Ji Sheng recalled them and matched them with the audience that jumped excitedly under the stage a few years ago. They were indeed the fans of Qingchu, and they were all old fans. Those fans were very excited when they saw Ji Sheng. At first they were a bit shy, but after Ji Sheng took the initiative to say a few words, they relaxed a lot. They gathered around to talk and laugh and wish Ji Sheng a happy birthday, and also sighed remembering their past days of chasing live shows. ¡°So when¡¯s the tour?¡± One of the fans, a green-haired guy, asked excitedly, ¡°I really want to see Qingchu live again!¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s smile disappeared for a moment and then immediately returned to its brilliance: ¡°Next year, I think, there will be a national tour next year.¡± ¡°Will it be the original line-up? Will Xiao Xie and Lao Tan participate?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± The green-haired guy stepped back in satisfaction. After Ji Sheng finished walking around the circle of fans, he turned his gaze and noticed a girl wearing a mask in the corner. The girl didn¡¯t take off the mask from the moment she came in and was leaning against the door from beginning to end, not approaching the crowd. Ji Sheng walked over to her: ¡°Hello.¡± The girl didn¡¯t say anything, but her eyes peeked from under her overly long bangs as she looked at Ji Sheng. Ji Sheng asked, ¡°Are you a fan of Qingchu?¡± ¡°No.¡± The girl said. ¡°Then why are you here?¡± The girl was silent for a while and said, ¡°I am a fan of Sheng Kongzhi.¡± ¡°The fans of Sheng Kongzhi are the fans of Qingchu. Qingchu is a band.¡± Ji Sheng said warmly. The girl gave a ¡°tsk¡±, very softly, but Ji Sheng still caught it. He was just about to say something when he heard the green-haired guy shout, waving his hand over there, ¡°Brother Ji, are you playing cards?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Before Ji Sheng could reply, Sheng Kongzhi answered with a smile.¡± What do you want to play?¡± ¡°Texas Hold¡¯em?¡± Someone suggested, ¡°Don¡¯t you often play this in Qingchu documentary?¡± The so-called Qingzhe documentary was shot by Su Jing with a second-hand camera and in the few small videos that were made, Texas Hold¡¯em did appear quite frequently. ¡°Can do.¡± Sheng Kongzhi turned his head, ¡°Is Xiao Sheng coming?¡± ¡°Cards, ah¡­ I don¡¯t play well.¡± Ji Sheng said. He was telling the truth. Ji Sheng¡¯s card skills were extremely poor. He used to play Texas Hold¡¯em with Xie Xuanming and never ended without losing miserably. He was forced to sing and dance and call him ¡°brother¡±¡­ It was embarrassing. ¡°Just play casually.¡± The green-haired guy smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s your birthday, join the fun.¡± Sheng Kongzhi took advantage of the situation, led him out of the corner and sat down on the sofa. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± The green-haired guy pushed the drinks he had ordered in front of them, ¡°Birthdays are meant to be lively.¡± After sitting down, Ji Sheng had no choice and could only join the game. The girl he had confronted just now occupied the corner of the sofa not far away and silently took a card. When she sat down, Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s body stiffened visibly for a moment. Ji Sheng glanced down, picked up the drink, made two sips and put it down quietly. It contained alcohol and was very sour. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t like it, so he was not going to taste it for the second time. The cards were played badly. Ji Sheng was very lucky and had a good chance to win with all the cards he was dealt, but the girl in the corner insisted on playing against him no matter what cards he had, and the two of them went back and forth, often going on even after everyone had folded. It was good they didn¡¯t bet real money, otherwise they would have been heading for bankruptcy. After a few rounds, others also became aware of the confrontation between the two and gradually quieted down, leaving the table in an eerie atmosphere. When Ji Sheng and the girl reached the end of another hand, Sheng Kongzhi finally couldn¡¯t help himself and said softly, ¡°Xiao Sheng.¡± Ji Sheng paused and pushed his bottom card forward: ¡°Fold.¡± After that, he got up and walked out, ¡°I¡¯ll go to the bathroom, you guys play.¡± Ji Sheng came out of the toilet cabin, opened the water to wash his hands, raised his eyes and unexpectedly saw the girl¡¯s face reflected in the mirror. ¡°Friend.¡± Ji Sheng said calmly, ¡°This is the gents.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± The girl shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve never been there before.¡± Really experienced. Ji Sheng wiped his hands, turned around and asked bluntly, ¡°Are you a sisheng?¡± ¡°Did Kongzhi tell you that?¡± The sisheng¡¯s expression was calm as she acquiesced to Ji Sheng¡¯s statement. At the mention of Sheng Kongzhi, a trace of darkness flashed in her eyes, ¡°Has he ever told you how he got his web drama, or rather how he snatched one from you?¡± ¡°Lao Sheng didn¡¯t mention you, but I still remember who hit our nanny car.¡± Ji Sheng said lightly, ¡°As for the rest, I am not interested in listening to you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The sisheng tilted her head, ¡°Are you not interested, or are you afraid to know that Sheng Kongzhi and I are very close?¡± Ji Sheng was amused by her words: ¡°My friend, delusions need to be cured.¡± He stuck his hands in his pockets and said with a touch of mockery in his seriousness, ¡°Who do you think I should believe: a criminal or a bamboo horse I¡¯ve known for eighteen years?¡± Finally irritated by him, the sisheng stood up straight and said, ¡°You guys are really close.¡± She said every word heavily, her expression full of unconcealed jealousy, ¡°But you really are quite annoying, can you please stay away from your bamboo horse? You¡¯re an eyesore!¡± ¡°¡­in what capacity are you talking?¡± Ji Sheng tilted his head slightly, ¡°As a well-known sisheng fan who was detected and warned officially?¡± ¡°At least I made Kongzhi remember me.¡± The sisheng was not ashamed but proud, with a little smugness in her words. ¡°That¡¯s pretty impressive.¡± Ji Sheng said sarcastically and paused for a moment, ¡°I¡¯m quite curious, what is the purpose of you following Sheng Kongzhi? To fall in love with him? You didn¡¯t think that Sheng Kongzhi would fall for a stalker, did you?¡± He waited a little and added meaningfully: ¡°Or do you already know that he has someone in his heart?¡± It was just a casual shot from Ji Sheng, but the expression of the sisheng completely changed. She scowled, her eyes full of hatred. Ji Sheng raised his eyebrows in surprise: ¡°You really know¡­¡± But presumably she did not know the object. Otherwise, it was unlikely for her to stand and talk to him so calmly. ¡°Don¡¯t say useless things.¡± The sisheng¡¯s face was grim, ¡°I am here today for two purposes, one, to warn you to stay away from Sheng Kongzhi, stop rubbing off his heat and sucking his blood¡­¡± ¡°Unlikely to do that.¡± Ji Sheng refused bluntly, ¡°Sheng Kongzhi and I are teammates. We don¡¯t look up and don¡¯t look down at each other. It¡¯s not me who should stay away from him, it¡¯s you, a psychopathic sisheng fan.¡± The sisheng didn¡¯t care about the sting in his words, and continued: ¡°Second, I want to know where Sheng Kongzhi spent the night yesterday.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ji Sheng was surprised, ¡°You¡¯re asking me?¡± Although she didn¡¯t want to admit it, the sisheng said reluctantly: ¡°You are indeed the most likely person to know.¡± ¡°But why should I tell you?¡± Ji Sheng snorted and walked to the door, ¡°It¡¯s none of your business where Sheng Kongzhi spends the night, stop thinking about prying into other people¡¯s privacy all day long.¡± The bathroom was stuffy and Ji Sheng felt a little hypoxic, so he was going to leave. But before he could take two steps he was tugged back by the sisheng. Ji Sheng jerked his hand, but the sisheng was surprisingly strong and he couldn¡¯t break away from her. He didn¡¯t want to fight with a girl in public, so he stopped and said with emphasis: ¡°Let go.¡± ¡°Where did Sheng Kongzhi spend the night? With whom?¡± The sisheng asked through the clenched teeth. Ji Sheng frowned: ¡°Lady, speaking of which, I also have two things to say. First, don¡¯t pester Sheng Kongzhi, otherwise our company will take legal measures. Second, this is my birthday party. Please leave.¡± ¡°I will go.¡± The girl still held him tightly, ¡°You tell me, and I¡¯ll go.¡± Ji Sheng was annoyed and said with a smile: ¡°Okay. Sheng Kongzhi didn¡¯t go out. He was resting in my room. Can you go now?¡± He lifted his hand and shook it off with force. Ji Sheng originally thought that telling the sisheng that Sheng Kongzhi had spent the night with him would calm her down for a while, but who knew that after hearing the news, she would become even crazier. ¡°It turned out to be you¡­¡± Her complexion changed, her capillaries bursting. Her face was so red that it was terrifying. She raised her eyes abruptly, focused her gaze on Ji Sheng and screamed, ¡°I knew it was you! Bitch! Bitch!¡± She lunged forward and bit Ji Sheng¡¯s arm like crazy. In pain, Ji Sheng instinctively shoved her away, not paying attention where. The sisheng was pushed a few steps away, slamming into the sink and shattering it. Ji Sheng took a half step back, looked down, saw his arm bleeding and said angrily: ¡°You¡­¡± Before he finished speaking, the trembling messy figure on the floor suddenly jumped up. The sisheng lunged at Ji Sheng, knocking him down to the floor heavily. Ji Sheng briefly saw something flash in her hand, coming towards his face. He instinctively raised his hand to block¡­ Ji Sheng didn¡¯t remember what happened next. He remembered that he fell to the ground, his hand painted in sudden red, with severe pain following. Immediately afterwards Sheng Kongzhi rushed in with other men, shouting and dragging the girl away from him, trembling as he pulled him up. Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t remember what he was yelling, the pain and numbness in his right hand occupying all his memory. The next step was the ambulance and the hospital. The lights in the operating room were dazzling, and Ji Sheng was given general anaesthesia. After a while, he fell asleep. When he woke up, the doctor came to say something, and Sheng Kongzhi was sitting at the foot of the bed. The doctor¡¯s mouth opened and closed, and Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s eyes were red. Ji Sheng remembered telling them to leave, very uncoolly, and throwing a pillow. He also remembered that he cried so loudly that half of the hospital could hear him. He didn¡¯t know how long it took for him to get tired of screaming and crying and shrink back to sleep. The pain was still lingering in his sleep, and the noise outside the ward still reached his ears. When he opened his eyes again, Xie Xuanming was sitting on the edge of the bed; his cheek was swollen and the corner of his mouth was split. Ji Sheng opened his eyes but it took him a while to react. He slowly made his way up to sit, not having the strength to call out to anyone, but just letting the red-eyed Xie Xuanming hold him upright, and asked, ¡°Is this a special makeup for the movie?¡± ¡°No.¡± Xie Xuanming said softly, ¡°I got into a fight with Sheng Kongzhi.¡± ¡°What were you fighting with him for?¡± Ji Sheng wanted to laugh, but didn¡¯t succeed in laughing. As soon as he wanted to say something, he saw Xie Xuanming move forward and carefully squeeze his fingers under the startling white gauze. ¡°This¡­¡± ¡°The nerves are broken, the bones are misaligned¡­ there should be no way to play drums for a short while¡­¡± Ji Sheng paused and said, ¡°Probably for a long while¡­¡± He was a little unable to continue, and Xie Xuanming could not listen either. Xie Xuanming grabbed Ji Sheng¡¯s hand, bowed and bent down a little bit, and pressed his forehead to the back of his exposed, cold hand. The anaesthetic passed; Ji Sheng was trembling from pain, and Xie Xuanming was also trembling. They didn¡¯t know how much time passed. The clock on the wall rang, announcing that it was midnight. Ji Sheng tried to lift up the corner of his mouth and succeeded this time. ¡°Don¡¯t cry.¡± He smiled helplessly, moved his fingers tentatively, ignoring the pain of thousands of needles, and wiped away the wetness on Xie Xuanming¡¯s cheeks. ¡°I¡¯m already very sad and you crying will only make me feel worse¡­ How about wishing me a happy birthday to cheer me up?¡± CH 65 Ji Sheng remembered that Xie Xuanming hadn¡¯t said to him ¡°Happy birthday¡± in the end. He swallowed hard and turned his head. The cold light from the corridor shone on Xie Xuanming¡¯s face, illuminating his indifferent expression and leaving a few ripples in his eyes. The birthday congratulation that had been missed two years ago was made up for in the end. Ji Sheng stared at Xie Xuanming in a daze for a while, and then lowered his eyes in what seemed like a compromise mixed with self-loathing, and said, ¡°Thank you.¡± The two sat in silence, neither of them speaking again. Four minutes was not a very long time, in a few breaths it was past twelve. At the moment when the hour and minute hands coincide at the top, Ji Sheng felt as if everything was an illusion, and as soon as the minute hand moved, he would be back to being ¡°Ji Hui¡±, while Xie Xuanming would forget the truth. He was in a trance when the lawyer pushed the door open and broke the icy silence between them. Ji Sheng stood up at once, but Xie Xuanming was still one step ahead of him. Ji Sheng just had time to straighten up while Xie Xuanming had already passed him and walked towards the lawyer. Ji Sheng could only stop and watch Xie Xuanming step forward and talk to the lawyer in a low voice, and come back a few minutes later. ¡°Qingchu is digging its heels in, your mother can¡¯t come out today yet.¡± The pronoun Xie Xuanming used sounded very natural, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s not your problem.¡± Ji Sheng whispered, ¡°But her health¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a special case. It¡¯s been applied for. Although you can¡¯t see unrelated people, she should be sent to the hospital today for tests and you can go to the hospital, too.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ji Sheng felt as if a big stone fell off his heart, ¡°I¡¯m sorry to trouble you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression was still unreadable, ¡°I will follow up on the situation. I will tell you as soon as there is progress. It¡¯s too late. Let¡¯s go back first.¡± Ji Sheng lowered his head, thinking about Xie Xuanming¡¯s previous statement that he would contact him if there was some news regarding the collapse, but he hadn¡¯t actually contacted him again. Although that was a special situation. And it was clearly not the right time to bring that up. So Ji Sheng only nodded in the end and said yes. Xie Xuanming drove the car here by himself. When they were getting in the car, Ji Sheng habitually pulled on the handle of the rear seat door, but Xie Xuanming held his wrist down. When the warm palm touched his wrist, for a moment Ji Sheng felt the illusion of the phantom pain cutting through his wrist. So he reflexively withdrew his hand in an abrupt movement. Xie Xuanming¡¯s hand was shoved away and the back of his hand hit the car with a muffled, quite heavy sound. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t expect to hit Xie Xuanming, so he hurriedly said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Xie Xuanming withdrew his hand and leaned forward to pull open the passenger door, ¡°Take the co-pilot.¡± ¡°¡­okay.¡± Ji Sheng originally thought that Xie Xuanming had asked him to take the co-pilot because he wanted to talk to him about something. After all, there was a lot to talk about and there was a need to talk about it. But Xie Xuanming drove the car without saying a word, looking out the window from time to time, as if searching for something absent-mindedly. Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t hold back from glancing at him now and then. Xie Xuanming¡¯s knuckles holding the steering wheel were visibly reddened. This redness was particularly obvious on the hand that looked like a work of art. Ji Sheng felt a little guilty: ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Xie Xuanming did not answer immediately. He glanced to follow his line of sight and said when he found the source of the topic: ¡°A bit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± The conversation was repeated as the wheels of the car turned; Ji Sheng looked away and quietly opened the window. The 20-year-old Xie Xuanming on the other end of the phone said softly: ¡°It won¡¯t hurt if you sing me a song.¡± It was light and airy, and the wind swept in and was gone again. He eventually said nothing else. Xie Xuanming parked the car on the side of the road. ¡°You stay in the car.¡± He unbuckled the seat belt. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Ji Sheng had already discovered that he wasn¡¯t driving to the villa area, so he asked. ¡°Buy a cake, wait a minute.¡± Xie Xuanming said and got out of the car. Ji Sheng suddenly turned to see that a bakery on the other side of the road was still lit up with a warm orange light. ¡°It¡¯s past the point¡­¡± Ji Sheng muttered quietly. Xie Xuanming got out of the car and naturally couldn¡¯t hear him. He looked at the bakery window for a while, pushed the door open and pointed to a cake in the window to the shop assistant. Ji Sheng looked at it and suddenly caught a glimpse of a few orange and yellow fruits on the cake. This body seemed to be allergic to mangoes. Ji Sheng pushed the door to go and mention it to Xie Xuanming. But he pulled his handle twice and was stunned. The car door was locked. Xie Xuanming came back with the cake, unlocked the car, opened the door and put the cake in the back seat. ¡°That cake.¡± Ji Sheng asked, ¡°Is the fruit on it yellow peach or mango?¡± ¡°Yellow peach, there is no mango cake in their bakery.¡± Xie Xuanming said. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Ji Sheng breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°Ji Hui is allergic to mango.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s movement to start the car stuck for a second, and then a second later he gripped the steering wheel as if nothing happened. ¡°That¡¯s quite a pity.¡± He said, ¡°I remember you liked mangoes a lot.¡± Ji Sheng was taken aback for a moment, suddenly having the urge to ask: What else do you remember? But he returned to the villa, listened to a birthday song, made a wish, cut the cake and finished eating it¡­ and he didn¡¯t ask. How to sleep at night was another big problem. Ji Sheng originally wanted to sleep in the guest room, but he knew that Xie Xuanming was unlikely to agree, so he took a step back and offered to sleep on the sofa bed as usual, but Xie Xuanming also refused. So the two of them ended up tugging the corners of the quilt, lying stiffly on the same bed. Fortunately, the bed in the master bedroom was large enough, two metres wide, and there was more than enough space for two people to sleep. They didn¡¯t even need to get close to each other. Ji Sheng thought he would not be able to sleep, but in fact he started to feel sleepy as soon as he put his head on the pillow, and his eyelids couldn¡¯t stop drooping. But before he fell asleep, Ji Sheng still had one question to ask Xie Xuanming. ¡°When did you know?¡± he asked very gently. ¡°I guessed some of it before.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s voice was flat, ¡°Handwriting, stage style, children¡¯s toothpaste, fruit candy, fear of heights¡­ there were too many coincidences.¡± It was quite a lot, Ji Sheng thought as he stared into the darkness. How could he imagine that Xie Xuanming wouldn¡¯t think of it? He kept looking at the ceiling until his eyelids drooped again, and when he was half asleep and half awake, he heard Xie Xuanming ask, ¡°And when did you know?¡± Know that he had guessed his identity, or know of his love? Ji Sheng didn¡¯t want to guess, didn¡¯t answer, and drifted off to sleep. Early the next morning, when Ji Sheng woke up, Xie Xuanming was already dressed neatly, standing by the window calling someone. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t want to disturb him, so he got out of bed lightly and headed for the bathroom downstairs. But as soon as he took a step, Xie Xuanming turned around and asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°To wash.¡± Ji Sheng paused, unable to resist a yawn. ¡°Use the bathroom upstairs.¡± Xie Xuanming said. ¡°The toothbrush and toothpaste are downstairs.¡± Ji Sheng said. ¡°¡­Then go down first. You can use the main bathroom in the future, so you don¡¯t have to run around.¡± Xie Xuanming said after pausing for a few seconds. In the future, he would have to live in the room with Xie Xuanming. Ji Sheng held a handful of water and poured it on his face. Nothing was clear¡­ Xie Xuanming apparently didn¡¯t have a clear idea either. They were just muddling through. Ji Sheng walked out of the bathroom and saw that Xie Xuanming also came down and waited on the sofa. Seeing him come out, Xie Xuanming raised his head and said, ¡°Ji Yueming¡¯s health is stable. More needs to be discussed with the Qingchu side.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°The surveillance over there caught the person who caused the collapse, and the police launched a manhunt. It¡¯s probably the same person who attacked Ji Hui before. It is not safe for now, so it is better for you to stay with me first.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ji Sheng nodded obediently. Xie Xuanming stared at him for a while, then turned away as if relieved: ¡°Do you have anything to say?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ji Sheng took out his mobile phone from his pocket. There was a missed call and a few messages on it. ¡°Sheng Kongzhi asked me to meet.¡± ¡°You pulled him out of the blacklist?¡± ¡°Well, I was in a hurry to ask about Ji¡­ my mother¡¯s situation, so¡­¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°Should I meet him?¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t mean to question you.¡± Xie Xuanming explained unhurriedly, and suddenly asked, ¡°Does he know that you are Ji Sheng?¡± Ji Sheng thought he might just ask that as well. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell him, but he guessed.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Xuanming looked colder and very unhappy. Ji Sheng returned to the original question. ¡°Am I going to meet him?¡± ¡°Do you want to meet him?¡± ¡°A bit.¡± Ji Sheng added an explanation, ¡°I want to ask him something about Qingchu, and the collapse¡­ these things are all related to him¡­ it may be some crazy sisheng again¡­ or simply the previous one.¡± He tried to make up for it, but Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression was still unsightly. Ji Sheng could only say: ¡°But if you don¡¯t want me to go, I won¡¯t go. There are always other ways to check these things¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you to go.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s answer was dry and sharp, his expression as frank as when he was seventeen. ¡°Then I won¡¯t go.¡± Ji Sheng also replied sharply. After he finished speaking, Xie Xuanming seemed to want to say something, but in the end he only said: ¡°How is the injured musician in Ji Hui¡¯s band?¡± Ji Sheng was stunned for two seconds before he realized that he was talking about Lu Haoren, and replied: ¡°He is in good condition, but the doctor said that it is best to recuperate, and he might not be able to catch up with the next competition.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t seem to really care about Niepan¡¯s performance in ¡°Music First 2¡± either, ¡°So are you going to withdraw from the competition?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°This collapse has already proved that people in the shadows would do whatever it takes. It is too dangerous to stay in the show. Withdrawing from the competition is the safest choice.¡± ¡°What about Niepan?¡± Ji Sheng blurted out. ¡°It has nothing to do with me.¡± Xie Xuanming finally showed a hint of hidden gloomy emotions, ¡°It has nothing to do with you, the fact is that it only has something to do with Ji Hui¡­ Are you Ji Hui?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Xie Xuanming neatly disconnected Ji Sheng from Ji Hui, and also cut off Ji Sheng¡¯s possibility of fishing in muddy waters to fool around with his identity. It was only at this moment that Ji Sheng realized that Xie Xuanming cared so much about the difference between ¡°Ji Sheng¡± and ¡°Ji Hui¡±. He was speechless for a while, and said ten seconds later: ¡°But I can¡¯t ruin the future of others just because I want to save myself.¡± Ji Sheng clarified his meaning: ¡°And the person who wants to harm me has already done whatever it takes. Whether I am on ¡°Music First¡± or any other show, or somewhere else, those who want to do it will eventually do it¡­ If I want to deal with it once and for all, I can only draw them out and make them take legal responsibility. If I continue to show up, it¡¯s the best way to fish¡­ and I can¡¯t spend my life hiding and not going out.¡± ¡°You can hide with me for the rest of your life.¡± Xie Xuanming said coldly, ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I mind.¡± Ji Sheng said helplessly, ¡°Of course I don¡¯t mind hiding with ¡®you¡¯, but I mind ¡®hiding¡¯¡­¡± ¡°I know.¡± Xie Xuanming interrupted him, ¡°So the problem now is that Niepan wants to participate in the next competition, but there is a shortage of people?¡± ¡°¡­that¡¯s right.¡± Ji Sheng was a bit stunned by this sudden turn. ¡°What does that musician play? Guitar? Keyboard?¡± ¡°Lead singer, no instruments¡­¡± Ji Sheng said, suddenly thinking of something, ¡°Wait, do you want to¡­¡± ¡°That would be a good solution.¡± Xie Xuanming took a step forward and the corner of his coat brushed over the back of Ji Sheng¡¯s hand. He lowered his head, looked at Ji Sheng and said, ¡°The next public performance, I¡¯ll be your lead singer.¡± CH 66 ¡°No way.¡± Hearing Xie Xuanming¡¯s request to join the next performance, Ji Sheng refused without thinking, ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it the best way to fish? And you can¡¯t hide for the rest of your life.¡± Xie Xuanming copied his reasoning as is. ¡°It¡¯s not¡­¡± Ji Sheng choked for a moment, then reacted and immediately said, ¡°It¡¯s the case for me, but not for you. There is no need to involve another person.¡± ¡°Do you think if you get involved, I will watch from the sidelines?¡± Xie Xuanming asked peacefully. Ji Sheng got stuck again. He subconsciously avoided Xie Xuanming¡¯s gaze but continued to work hard to find an argument: ¡°But you are a mentor. It is unreasonable for a mentor to join the performance, and it will scare the snake¡­¡± ¡°The third stage was originally a collaborative competition with a mentor, it is not impossible to move it to the second stage.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°It just so happens that almost all bands are eliminated.¡± The elimination system of ¡°Music First 2¡± was very harsh, with half the bands gone after the initial stage and another half after the first public performance, now counting only seven bands left in the entire show, the same number of teams that made it the third public performance of the first season of ¡°Music First¡±. ¡°But¡­¡± Ji Sheng still didn¡¯t want to give up. He racked his brains to come up with one last reason, ¡°The members of Niepan¡­ may not accept you as a co-mentor.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Xie Xuanming said noncommittally, ¡°Then let¡¯s vote and decide.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± After listening to the plan to advance the rules of the third stage to the second stage, the keyboardist took the lead in raising his hand, ¡°For stage three performance, Teacher Xie is with us.¡± ¡°I have no problem either.¡± The guitarist also took a stand. ¡°Why??¡± Ji Sheng was shocked by their approval. ¡°Among the four mentors, except for Teacher Xie, none of them are professional singers.¡± The keyboard analysed, ¡°We are now short of a lead singer. Regardless of other considerations, from the stage effect aspect, we really should choose Teacher Xie.¡± ¡°I can sing too¡­¡± Ji Sheng was in his death throes, ¡°Moreover, there are three assistant teachers, and the program team will invite singers.¡± ¡°Xiao Hui, stop making trouble.¡± The keyboard smiled, ¡°If you sing, what is the mentor going to do? Backup dancing? And the three assistant teachers will be in high demand, right? Now Teacher Xie is willing to choose us, so why not just make a surefire choice?¡± Ji Sheng was stunned, he hadn¡¯t thought about it on that level at all. Behind him, Xie Xuanming hooked up the corners of his mouth slightly. The keyboard and guitar couldn¡¯t be persuaded anymore, so Ji Sheng turned his head and looked at Huang Sizhe helplessly. To his surprise, even Huang Sizhe agreed. ¡°I also agree.¡± Although his expression was very unhappy, Huang Sizhe quickly gave a reason, ¡°The collapse, and the incident at the drinking party before that, were actually all directed at Ji Hui¡­ With Xie¡­ Teacher Xie, the other party will have some scruples and will not make a move in public.¡± This kid was not stupid. Xie Xuanming raised his eyes slightly, saw Huang Sizhe get a few steps closer to Ji Sheng, sticking to him and asking if he had a good rest, why his complexion was so bad¡­ and looked down again. Still too annoying. Xie Xuanming took a step forward, quietly grabbed Ji Sheng¡¯s shoulder and pulled him back. Ji Sheng was listening to Huang Sizhe¡¯s chatter, when he staggered back a few steps, his shoulder hitting Xie Xuanming¡¯s chest. He felt his ears get hot as Xie Xunaming¡¯s breath blew on his auricle. Xie Xuanming lowered his head and asked close to his ear, ¡°Keyboard, bass and guitar have all agreed. What about the drummer?¡± Ji Sheng: ¡­¡­ Drummer: ¡­¡­ The drummer¡¯s body was softened by the breath blowing on his ear, and he kind of wanted to squat down and pretend to be a mushroom. Hot breath was touching his ear and the three members in front of him looked at him intently. Ji Sheng got goosebumps, his Adam¡¯s apple rolled and he nodded helplessly: ¡°Drummer¡­ doesn¡¯t mind.¡± The program team didn¡¯t have much of a problem with moving forward the mentor collaboration of the third stange to the second stage, and even approved of it very much. After all, once the stage collapse incident had happened, the reputation and popularity of ¡°Music First 2¡± had hit rock bottom, and the promotion team needed a new hotspot to divert the audience¡¯s attention. The mentors who were famous and could bring their own traffic were undoubtedly a good choice. Fans of the mentors were not happy to hear that their idols were going to perform in the ¡°dangerous building¡± with the ¡°good-for-nothings¡± and ran to the official blog to defend their rights. The fans put pressure on the show, forcing them to double-check the safety of the stage equipment, which in turn served Xie Xuanming and Ji Sheng¡¯s purpose to a certain extent. All in all, the early mentor collaboration was a win-win choice for the program party, Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming. Unlike the other mentors who started to merge with their chosen bands for the mentor collaboration only a week before the competition, Xie Xuanming had been rehearsing with Niepan since the beginning, eating and living with them, and when Ji Sheng counted the business affairs he¡¯d put off and the money he was missing out on as a result¡­ his heart was dripping blood¡­ Although it was not his money. The members of Niepan were not used to rehearsing with Emperor Xie at first and all acted somewhat restrained. The rehearsal scene was as solemn as a funeral, and no one spoke except for the sound of musical instruments. But they quickly discovered that Xie Xuanming only paid attention to Ji Hui, and his eyes stuck to Ji Hui all day long, as if others didn¡¯t exist¡­ They were quickly relieved, and talking with Xie Xuanming became natural. If they were bold, they would occasionally chat with him. The atmosphere of the rehearsal could be called harmonious. It was another day of rehearsal. Xie Xuanming and Niepan had quite a good run-in. After four or five times, they were very smooth and, except for the details, there was nothing to be picky about. With Lu Haoren out and Xie Xuanming in, no one was willing to take on the leadership of organising rehearsals, so Ji Sheng had no choice but carry the banner. After the fifth rehearsal, smoothing up the details, Ji Sheng saw that the members were sweating a little and said, ¡°Let¡¯s take a break. It¡¯s just as well that the water is also delivered.¡± Due to successive accidents, Xie Xuanming was extremely distrustful of the program crew and couldn¡¯t even trust the water dispenser in the practice room. Niepan¡¯s daily drinking water was brought in from outside in boxes of mineral water, and those bottles that had been opened would be thrown away at once. Today¡¯s water had been placed at the door, and as soon as Ji Sheng announced the break, several members walked towards the box. ¡°Do you want water?¡± Ji Sheng turned his head to ask Xie Xuanming, who was sitting against the wall. ¡°I¡¯d rather have cotton candy.¡± Xie Xuanming said lazily, pushing back his slightly wet bangs. ¡°¡­why do you want cotton candy all of a sudden?¡± Ji Sheng was helpless, ¡°Where am I going to get you cotton candy at this point?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t the program have a cotton candy machine?¡± Leaning against the wall, Xie Xuanming looked up at him, ¡°The cotton candy that we agreed on last time has not been reimbursed to me yet.¡± Ji Sheng: ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng compromised: ¡°I will make it for you after the rehearsal today.¡± Xie Xuanming was satisfied: ¡°Bring me a bottle of water, thank you.¡± Ji Sheng walked to the box of water, muttering as he walked. Since Xie Xuanming found out his true identity, he tended to let loose more and more. The willfulness and selfishness he showed were like those of an ignorant sophomore high school student. The 17-year-old Xie Xuanming also occasionally showed such emotions¡­ It was not annoying. Ji Sheng would like to think so. As Ji Sheng was musing about these things, walking to the water box, the three members of Niepan were squatting around the box. ¡°Haven¡¯t you opened it yet?¡± Ji Sheng was a little surprised. ¡°No.¡± Huang Sizhe¡¯s face was not looking good, ¡°It has been sealed with many layers, and look here¡­¡± He pointed his finger at the corner of the box. The bottom of the brown carton was strangely soaked, and the exposed liquid was spreading on the floor, colored in fishy red. Ji Sheng¡¯s face changed; he squatted down, touched the wet stain and smelled the liquid. It was the pungent smell of blood. The eyes of the remaining three men also changed, and Huang Sizhe got up and grabbed the box forcefully. ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t have time to stop him. The cardboard box was torn and its contents scattered. There was no neatly packed mineral water in the box; it was full of blood-soaked photos. The photos were cut to pieces, and the fishy red pieces slid out from the opening and slowly spread all over the floor. The Niepan members took a closer look and recognized that the person in the photos was Ji Hui. Xie Xuanming also realized that something was wrong, stood up and came there quickly. When he saw the bloodied photos, his face sank. ¡°Fuck!¡± Huang Sizhe was the first to curse, ¡°This fucking¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t use dirty words, it¡¯s still filming¡­¡± The guitarist¡¯s expression was unsightly but he didn¡¯t forget to remind. ¡°It¡¯s okay, this part will be cut out.¡± Ji Sheng quickly regained his composure. He looked at the fragments carefully and shook his head gently, ¡°It¡¯s not been that long since our debut, where did they find so many photos¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just Ji Hui¡¯s.¡± Xie Xuanming said coldly behind him. He saw Ji Sheng¡¯s eyebrows in those fragmented photos, and became even more alarmed. ¡°Call the police, and then personally go to notify the program team to check the surveillance.¡± Ji Sheng immediately got up and headed out, but was pulled back hard by Xie Xuanming. ¡°Ji Hui is not going.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s voice was frighteningly cold, ¡°Someone else goes.¡± That box of photos was really scary. It was obviously malicious towards Ji Hui. The Niepan members also understood that it was not safe for Ji Hui to go out at this time. Huang Sizhe got up without saying a word and went out to find the program team. The police came over quickly and took away the box for evidence. Before the results came out, Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming checked the surveillance. The surveillance captured the moment when the water box was swapped. Unfortunately the person who swapped the box was wearing a hat and a mask, and walked in the blind area of the monitoring all the way, only revealing a vague figure when swapping the water box. With the video paused, Xie Xuanming asked Ji Sheng: ¡°Do you have any impression of this person?¡± Ji Sheng frowned, looked at the dark figure and said uncertainly: ¡°A little bit¡­ but it¡¯s too blurry, so I¡¯m not sure¡­and¡­¡± Would she actually do it herself? What a surprise. Until he exited the surveillance room two hours later, Ji Sheng was still unsure of the identity of the dark figure. He absent-mindedly compared the figure with the image in his memory, missed a step and nearly rolled down the stairs. Xie Xuanming quickly grabbed him: ¡°Watch the road.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Ji Sheng retracted his foot, staggered and stood firm, ¡°Thank you.¡± He and Xie Xuanming walked down together, but as soon as Ji Sheng made a few steps, he heard Xie Xuanming say, ¡°Have you received something like this before?¡± ¡°En?¡± ¡°From the way you reacted, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s the first time you¡¯ve seen such a disgusting thing.¡± ¡°Indeed I have.¡± Ji Sheng admitted, ¡°This kind of thing is quite common. Extreme black fans¡­ would do this kind of thing.¡± ¡°You never mentioned it to me.¡± Xie Xuanming said, in a cold tone. Ji Sheng was taken aback and explained: ¡°At that time, you were filming¡­ and we¡­¡± At that time, they were alienated and their relationship was not such as to share things like that. ¡°Not even afterwards.¡± Xie Xuanming turned to look at him. ¡°Later, also not.¡± Ji Sheng noticed that he was in a bad mood, and said quietly after a while: ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Xie Xuanming did not accept his apology and continued to ask: ¡°If I didn¡¯t ask, you would never tell.¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t know what to say, so he could only repeat: ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°You have never chosen me on your own.¡± Xie Xuanming continued, his tone sinking a little bit, ¡°Not before, not after. Even with the mentor collaboration, you were forced to accept it because of the voting results.¡± A hint of irregularity finally appeared in Xie Xuanming¡¯s calm tone. ¡°Ji Sheng, I have always been curious, what am I in your heart?¡± CH 67 Ji Sheng paused in his steps and stopped unnaturally. ¡°Younger brother¡­ I think.¡± He said with uncertainty, ¡°It may be that you were too young when we met. Until now, I have always had the wrong impression that you are still a minor.¡± After listening to him, Xie Xuanming was silent for a moment, then smiled softly; it was hard to say whether it was mockery or sadness. ¡°However, I am older than you now.¡± He said coldly, ¡°This is the result of your own choice.¡± Ji Sheng was speechless. Until the afternoon, Ji Sheng was still struggling with the meaning of Xie Xuanming¡¯s words, not knowing if he blamed him for being stupid enough to be killed, or if he was complaining about being treated as a child all the time and being neglected emotionally¡­ or both. Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t be sure what Xie Xuanming meant, but he was pretty sure that Xie Xuanming was unhappy after saying that and remained sullen and silent for hours. If Ji Sheng was still Ji Hui, he would probably have provoked Xie Xuanming without a second thought, the two of them would have exchanged sarcastic remarks and the matter would have more or less been settled. But Ji Sheng was not Ji Hui and quarrelling with Xie Xuanming would only be a one-sided stabbing. It was no longer an option. Ji Sheng thought about it this and that way; in the end, he could only bite the bullet, ran to the program group to borrow a cotton candy machine, roll a big white cotton candy, turn around and hand it to Xie Xuanming who was watching the process with his arms crossed. ¡°Eat it?¡± Ji Sheng struggled to give the signal of requesting reconciliation. Xie Xuanming looked at him in silence, making him shiver all over. Two seconds later, Xie Xuanming finally mercifully accepted Ji Sheng¡¯s twisted apology. ¡°Thank you.¡± He squeezed the stick, thought for two seconds, and said, ¡°I want a blue one.¡± ¡°There is too much pigment.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°It¡¯s not healthy.¡± ¡°Do you still care if it is healthy or not when you¡¯re eating cotton candy?¡± Xie Xuanming said convincingly. Ji Sheng was speechless. He took a stick, scooped a large spoonful of white sugar, and then a spoonful of blue. He shook off half a spoonful with a shake of his hand, and then another half with another shake. Ji Sheng poured the few pitiful blue sugar grains into the machine and lightly covered the white ball in a layer of blue candyfloss. Then he handed the extremely perfunctory blue cotton candy to Xie Xuanming. ¡°Blue.¡± Ji Sheng said nonsense with honest eyes. After an eerie silence, Xie Xuanming took the light blue cotton candy and gave Ji Sheng the white one in his hand. ¡°You eat this.¡± Ji Sheng actually didn¡¯t particularly like sweet things, but he was in the process of coaxing now, so he could not refuse Xie Xuanming¡¯s ¡°kindness¡±. He could only dryly say ¡°thank you¡±, take it, and take a few token bites. The sweetness of sugar melted in their mouths as the two of them leaned on the cotton candy machine with the shreds of sugar floating around, quietly nibbling on the cotton candy in a surprisingly calm and harmonious atmosphere. Ji Sheng glanced sideways at Xie Xuanming, who was eating the cotton candy seriously, and thought secretly that if he could always be in this well-behaved state, it would not be impossible for him to eat fifteen sweet candy cottons a day. Ji Sheng swallowed a mouthful of sugar and was about to make a few light-hearted comments when his mobile phone rang before he could say anything. Since Xie Xuanming asked the program group to return Ji Sheng¡¯s mobile phone, the two of them had been inseparable almost every day and there was no chance for the staff to demand it back. Even if there were staff members who adhered to the rules and wanted to take back the mobile phone, they would be discouraged by the cold face of Teacher Xie accompanying the contestant ¡°Ji Hui¡±. Ji Sheng held the cotton candy in his mouth, wiped his hand twice on his sweatpants and fished out his mobile phone. He glanced at the screen and his face turned green. [Sheng Kongzhi] On this harmonious occasion, even if it was just a name, Sheng Kongzhi had to come out to stir up trouble again. As the sugar floss melted in his mouth, Ji Sheng stiffened his neck and cautiously turned to the side. Sure enough, he met Xie Xuanming¡¯s ice-cold gaze. Ji Sheng: ¡­¡­ Ji Sheng now regretted that he did not obediently hand in his mobile phone. ¡°Do you still have contact with him?¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s voice was chilling to the bone. ¡°¡­no, ahem.¡± Ji Sheng choked on the melted sugar and tried to explain after swallowing it, ¡°He probably wants to meet again.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Xuanming turned his eyes away and lowered his head to bite the cotton candy, ¡°Then blacklist him.¡± He added another sentence with unclear meaning: ¡°If you can¡¯t bear it, you don¡¯t have to.¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t dare. He swiped quickly and blacklisted Sheng Kongzhi. After the operation, he dangled the screen in front of Xie Xuanming as if showing his homework to the teacher. Ji Sheng¡¯s act of quickly drawing a clear line caused the icy temperature between the two to warm up a little. But before Ji Sheng could breathe a sigh of relief, Xie Xuanming said: ¡°Do you know what Sheng Kongzhi has done?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard of some, but I don¡¯t know everything.¡± ¡°Then do you want to know?¡± Xie Xuanming licked the last strands of sugar on the stick and neatly threw the stick into the trash can next to him. Ji Sheng briefly thought about whether Xie Xuanming was setting up a trap or asking sincerely, but eventually replied honestly: ¡°I want to know.¡± He added: ¡°I mainly want to know why you hate him so much.¡± The focus was not on ¡°him¡±, but on ¡°you¡±. Ji Sheng believed that Xie Xuanming should be able to hear it. Xie Xuanming did hear it. He paused for a second and began to tell Ji Sheng about the ¡°great achievements¡± of Sheng Kongzhi. Xie Xuanming¡¯s tone was very flat. He first coldly recounted some of the ideas implemented by Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s team over the years, which mostly included sucking up to the high and stepping on the low, licking the pie and robbing resources, and¡­ ¡°Guided an Internet explosion.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°One of the actresses he worked with was a newcomer. She was very popular and her acting skills were also good. The CP of the two was quite hot, and the interaction during the promotion period was also intensive. There were a lot of cp fans, and there have been rumours of a romance¡­ At the end of the promotion period, Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s studio issued a statement accusing the actress of sexually harassing him.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t react for a while, startled. Xie Xuanming glanced at him: ¡°A very familiar action, pouring dirty water on others to elevate himself.¡± Ji Sheng was still confused: ¡°Why did he do this?¡± ¡°To strengthen his girlfriend type fans, to purify the cp fans, to suppress an actor of another company, to kill three birds with one stone.¡± Xie Xuanming said simply. Ji Sheng was silent for a while: ¡°Then that actress¡­¡± ¡°Depression, withdrew from the circle.¡± Ji Sheng frowned and looked a little uncomfortable. Xie Xuanming glanced at him and said a few words in defence of Sheng Kongzhi for the first time: ¡°It¡¯s mainly the strategy of his team, and there are many people in the circle who do this¡­ Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s personal thoughts in it don¡¯t matter, he has no choice¡­¡± He paused and said sarcastically: ¡°That¡¯s what his fans say.¡± Ji Sheng: ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng: ¡°You know that.¡± ¡°I do follow these things with my other account¡­¡± Xie Xuanming mentioned and changed the subject, ¡°But there are some things that I can be sure were Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s own wishes.¡± ¡°¡­what?¡± ¡°In the first season of ¡°Music First¡±, you should have debuted taking first place. But Sheng Kongzhi had a meal with the sponsor¡¯s daughter and replaced you.¡± Xie Xuanming turned his head, ¡°I had the handle on the program team in my hand. They didn¡¯t dare to threaten the contestants. This matter could only be done voluntarily by Sheng Kongzhi. I am quite curious, when the program team talked to him, did they discuss the ranking, and did he know who he would replace¡­ I don¡¯t know. What do you think?¡± Ji Sheng looked away and said after a long time: ¡°Before, I thought he wouldn¡¯t, now¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± The show crew was in a mess because of the bloody photos, and Niepan was also too disgusted by the box to participate in the recording. Seeing that the afternoon session was ruined and Ji Yueming¡¯s situation improved and she could be visited, Xie Xuanming simply took Ji Sheng to see her. Along the way, Xie Xuanming told some other things to Ji Sheng. For example, most of Qingchu¡¯s initial investment came from the sponsor¡¯s daughter, and for example, Sheng Kongzhi actually brought the capital for the first step of the web drama filming, otherwise with his acting skills he would have been kicked out of the crew a long time ago¡­ Ji Sheng listened silently, piecing these things together on the memory board to restore the cold but true past. He was still a little chilled when he heard it first, but then he became numb and instead got distracted and thought about other things. ¡°When did you learn all this?¡± Ji Sheng asked softly. ¡°After the first movie was finished.¡± Xie Xuanming said plainly, ¡°I wanted to tell you directly.¡± But I thought you wouldn¡¯t believe me. ¡°Oh.¡± Ji Sheng recalled that period of time and lowered his eyes in a slight embarrassment, ¡°Then¡­¡± The car stopped and Xie Xuanming interrupted: ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Ji Sheng suddenly raised his eyes; in the dim lights of the underground parking lot his pale face reflected in the window. There was a sound of the door opening next to him, and Ji Sheng turned his head. Xie Xuanming got out of the car, his expression blank, leaving him alone in his seat. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going in?¡± Ji Sheng stood in the corridor, stretching his neck to look inside the ward. His gaze passed through the open door and followed to the bed by the window where Ji Yueming sat, laughing heartily, as she chatted happily with the little police officer accompanying her. Ji Sheng stayed here for a long time, too timid to walk in. ¡°No¡­¡± he replied without blinking. Ji Yueming¡¯s lips moved; it looked like she said ¡°My son is about the same age as you.¡± Ji Sheng shrank back as if stabbed, and whispered, ¡°I am not in the position to see her.¡± ¡°En.¡± Xie Xuanming responded, looking down at Ji Sheng, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to tell her who you are?¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t answer immediately; it took a while before he said, ¡°I don¡¯t know how to say it¡­ forget it.¡± Before he finished talking, Ji Yueming suddenly raised her eyes and glanced outside the door for no reason. Ji Sheng met her gaze and turned away in a hurry. As if he wanted to escape, he stepped back half a step at a loss. Xie Xuanming stepped forward slightly, blocking Ji Yueming¡¯s gaze. Ji Sheng hid between the wall and Xie Xuanming, and before he could calm his heart beating chaotically because of Ji Yueming¡¯s glance, he heard Xie Xuanming above him speak in a low voice. ¡°There is one less person who knows that you are Ji Sheng. Although it is your mother¡­ I am still a little happy now.¡± Xie Xuanming lowered his eyes, looked at Ji Sheng and asked, ¡°Is it despicable?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± They were too close; Ji Sheng was shaken by his low voice and his mind buzzed a little. After calming down, he said, ¡°It is a bit¡­ However, people always have some ungenerous thoughts, it is understandable.¡± ¡°That too.¡± Xie Xuanming said. His voice became lower, almost pressing against his auricle, ¡°After all, I tried to be generous, but it didn¡¯t help.¡± ¡°In the end, nothing was left.¡± CH 68 Xie Xuanming spoke lightly, and the airness of his words drifted away in seconds. But his eyes were deep and thick shadows in them made it impossible to see his emotions clearly. Ji Sheng was caught in these pools of ink, his breath becoming a little short. His Adam¡¯s apple slid down as he tried hard to say something but as soon as his lips opened, Xie Xuanming withdrew. The fragrance of fresh grass was gone, and the hospital smell of disinfectant invaded in the gap. Xie Xuanming pulled back: ¡°Your mother went to the bathroom just now. Shall we go, or do you want to stay for a little longer?¡± Ji Sheng looked past him, and the hospital bed was indeed empty. Ji Sheng retracted his gaze and said, ¡°I¡¯m not staying, let¡¯s go back.¡± On the way back, news came from the police that no fingerprints had been found on the box or the photos; presumably the perpetrator had worn gloves. ¡°What about blood? Can you find anything?¡± Xie Xuanming asked. ¡°It¡¯s chicken blood. This amount is about four or five chickens. It¡¯s not easy to check¡­¡± The quiet in the car allowed Ji Sheng to hear the conversation clearly. Hearing that there was no result, Ji Sheng frowned, lowered his head, found his mobile phone and absent-mindedly swiped Weibo. He looked at it casually, but who knew that he would see his own name hanging on the hot search list at a glance. #Ji Hui Gold Master# #Xie Xuanming Ji Hui# The two entries were at the bottom of the hot search one second, and then they rushed to the top like a rocket, especially the one with Xie Xuanming¡¯s name, landing directly in the second position, and according to the reading growth index, it was going to soar to the first place very soon. Ji Sheng¡¯s eyebrows twitched; he hurriedly clicked on his and Xie Xuanming¡¯s hot search. The original marketing account wrote that Ji Hui and Ji Sheng had similar faces, then repeated the rumours of Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming in the past, and then pointed out that Xie Xuanming and Ji Hui were now participating in the same show, which could be regarded as a special fate¡­ Seeing this perplexing content, Ji Sheng wondered how such a typical marketing account post could reach the top three of a hot search. However, when he clicked on the hot search below, he immediately understood. The hot search #Ji Hui Gold Master# contained a few photos. In the first photo, the dimly lit environment was instantly recognisable as a nightclub. On the sofa, a man with a big belly was hugging a slender young man who slightly tilted his head, revealing a face that was no different from Ji Hui¡¯s. Ji Sheng rummaged in Ji Hiu¡¯s memory for a while but could not find this part. Did it happen in the missing piece of memory? Ji Sheng recalled with some confusion. The few remaining photos allowed Ji Sheng to refute this guess. In the last few photos, the clarity of the pictures had increased significantly. Ji Hui standing at the door of the nightclub; Ji Hui¡¯s chin pinched by the hand in the car, Ji Hui taken into the nightclub by the agent¡­ After a series of photos, Ji Sheng suddenly realized that this was the day he met Xie Xuanming for the first time after he was reborn. He hurriedly flipped back to look at the first photo, and finally connected the man with his arms around him in the photo with someone who was beaten by Xie Xuanming and spread out on the floor of the bathroom like a dead pig. But Ji Sheng quickly found out that something was wrong. Although the big-bellied man in the private room had intended to harass him, he did not succeed. Ji Sheng searched his memory, but still didn¡¯t remember having any physical contact with him. The man had tried a couple of times but was clearly avoided silently. Ji Sheng tried his best to recall and confirmed that he had never hugged the man. Looking at the photo again, he felt something was a little unnatural. He squinted and stared for a while, and finally found a slight distortion of ¡±Ji Hui¡±s neck. It was photoshopped. Ji Sheng knew that. But it was useless for him to be the only one who knew. With the ¡°reality¡± of the next few photos, no one would doubt the authenticity of the first one. When you clicked on Weibo, the comment area was turned into a sea of melon eaters. Although Ji Hui had accumulated some fans, it was not enough to compare with the huge number of melon-eating general public. Even if some fans found the picture strange and wanted to clarify, their explanations were drowned in endless verbal abuse and comments. As Ji Sheng was watching, Xie Xuanming finished talking with the police and also received a call from the company to inform him about the hot search. Xie Xuanming could be regarded as an innocent victim of this disaster; it was clear that the ¡°gold master¡± of Ji Hui in the photos was not him. However, the marketing account put up the normal group photo of the two of them on the show, dragging Xie Xuanming¡¯s name into the hot search, and its popularity even beat the ¡±real stuff¡±. Although the marketing account was clearly trying to rub off the heat, the content of their suggestions was also strangely skewed, and Ji Sheng broke out in a cold sweat. He almost ruined Xie Xuanming¡¯s career in his previous life. If he did it again and led him to a ditch¡­ At this time, Ji Sheng felt really superstitious and suspected that he was the catastrophe of Xie Xuanming¡¯s life and their two horoscopes were incompatible. Xie Xuanming lowered his eyes, listening to the phone, and then hung up after asking the public relations department to clarify. He opened Weibo, clicked on the ¡°gold master¡± hot search, saw the first picture and his eyes narrowed slightly. ¡°Was it you at this point?¡± Xie Xuanming raised the screen to show Ji Sheng. Ji Sheng looked at the hand of the man in the photo resting on ¡°his¡± shoulder and noticed Xie Xuanming¡¯s sudden coldness. He was silent for a second and immediately explained: ¡°It was me but the picture is photoshopped. This man didn¡¯t¡­ uh, paw me.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s slightly guilty explanation convinced Xie Xuanming. He lowered his head and replied, ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell them to clarify.¡± ¡°En.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple moved slightly; he didn¡¯t quite understand why the clarification for ¡°Ji Hui¡± needed to be operated by Xie Xuanming¡­ But his intuition told him that when Xie Xuanming was in a bad mood, it was better to swallow some questions and not say anything. Xie Xuanming¡¯s people moved quickly, and within half an hour, the PR scripts of both parties came out. The clarification effect on Xie Xuanming¡¯s side was good. He had many fans, and fierce ones, and it was not difficult to control the comments. Basically, as soon as the statement was issued, it took Xie Xuanming out of the gossip. On the other hand, Ji Sheng¡¯s situation was not optimistic. He didn¡¯t have many fans and his popularity was not that big. In addition, ¡°Ji Hui¡± and ¡°Ji Sheng¡± were really similar in appearance. Those in the fan circle who had old grudges with Ji Sheng also hated Ji Hui and were happy to step on him. Even though the official clarification about a photoshopped picture was issued and a lawyer¡¯s letter sent, but in today¡¯s entertainment industry where ¡°a lawyer¡¯s letter was an invitation letter¡± this clarification seemed unconvincing. The fermentation of public opinion was more serious than expected. When the officials of ¡°Music First 2¡± saw the situation, the director¡¯s eyes rolled up and he almost fainted. A new day, a new disaster. The news of the mentor cooperation stage was announced a long time ago. When Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans saw that the disreputable artist from the upper hot search whose face looked exactly the same as the object of the scandal eight hundred years ago was about to cooperate with their idol¡­ unsurprisingly, they exploded. Fans rushed to the program¡¯s official blog to demand Ji Sheng to withdraw from the competition, taking over the entire comment section with a huge amount of noise. The comments from passers-by were also bad, also demanding that the show¡¯s team draw a clear line with the scandalous artist. Under pressure from public opinion, the program team could only bite the bullet and find Xie Xuanming to ask if Ji Sheng could avoid going on stage for the second public performance¡­ Unsurprisingly, they were simply rejected. ¡°Why not go on stage?¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s voice was cold. The contact person swallowed and explained nicely: ¡°Now, Teacher Xie, there are some not-so-good rumours about you and Ji Hui. If you go on stage with Ji Hui in the middle of this storm, the audience, including your fans¡­ may have a strong opinion.¡± ¡°It is rumoured that I am with Ji Hui, and it is my fans who have opinions.¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t raise his eyes and said coldly, ¡°Why don¡¯t you just ask me to quit recording, once and for all?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± The contact person was speechless for a while. Of course, it was impossible for the program party to ask Xie Xuanming to withdraw from the competition. In the immediate future, Xie Xuanming¡¯s fame and popularity were the most indispensable things for this long-running program. ¡°How can we let you¡­¡± The contact person was about to redeem the situation with a smile, but was interrupted before finishing speaking. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t retire, and Ji Hui won¡¯t retire either. For the second public performance, leave everything as it is.¡± Xie Xuanming said coldly. ¡°But¡ª Ji Hui¡¯s black material is really too bad. Teacher Xie, think about it. The audience is not happy to see artists who rely on golden masters to get resources, right?¡± ¡°It has been clarified, I suggest you read it.¡± Xie Xuanming paused and said strangely, ¡°And I haven¡¯t heard of him having other gold masters.¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t bother to continue listening and hung up. Ji Sheng cast an inquiring look: ¡°The show¡¯s crew?¡± ¡°Yes, talking a bunch of nonsense.¡± Xie Xuanming put away his mobile phone unconcernedly. Seeing Ji Sheng was still watching him intently, he stretched out his hand, nudged his forehead and turned away after a light push, ¡°Don¡¯t think too much, prepare for the performance, and act normally.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Ji Sheng rubbed his slightly sore forehead and stopped talking. On the day of the performance, the program team was still entangled in the question of how to prevent Ji Hui from taking the stage. Ten minutes before going on stage, Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t change his expression, scared back the fourteenth staff member who tried to persuade him and tugged Ji Sheng who was still standing still: ¡°Get ready to go on stage.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ji Sheng reacted and followed him to the waiting area. The waiting area was small, more like a narrow aisle, and the other members of Niepan dragged Huang Sizhe back, leaving only Xie Xuanming and Ji Sheng standing face to face in front. Ji Sheng listened to the host¡¯s announcement when Xie Xuanming suddenly spoke. ¡°When was the last time we performed together?¡± Ji Sheng turned his head and looked up at him: ¡°I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s been a long time.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember either.¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t look at Ji Sheng. He looked out through the curtain, his gaze relaxed as he muttered to himself, ¡°I actually don¡¯t remember. It seems that it has been a long time indeed.¡± Ji Sheng was taken aback; only then did he taste the meaning of his melancholic words. Xie Xuanming tried his best to keep him on stage, but how much selfishness was hidden beneath Xie Xuanming¡¯s careless exterior? Even when he sat down in front of the drum set, Ji Sheng still couldn¡¯t figure it out. He picked up the drumsticks and tapped the drums absent-mindedly. He had always been immersed when on the stage, but today was a rare occasion when he sat on the drum chair unable to overcome his sourness. It was not good to be air-headed on the stage after all. Ji Sheng tried to calm his messy mood, raised his eyes and waited for the signal to start. The bass took the first note and the show began. The lights shone from high above, illuminating the performers on stage, but intentionally or unintentionally missed a corner, covering the drum kit area in darkness. Ji Sheng was still waiting for the lights to turn on at the beginning, but even when the drums were about to start, the lighting engineer still had no intention of giving him the light. The program team was determined not to let ¡°Ji Hui¡± appear on camera. Ji Sheng shook his head helplessly. Fortunately, he remembered all the drum scores and knew the tune well. Ji Sheng no longer hesitated, raised his hands and tapped blindly to the beat. Ji Sheng planned to play the whole song in the dark. He was concentrating on drumming when suddenly the edge of the drum lit up a little, and then a little more after two seconds. The drum surface was illuminated by white light; Ji Sheng was stunned, taking advantage of the empty moment to raise his eyes. Xie Xuanming was walking towards Ji Sheng carrying a beam of light. He took place beside Ji Sheng, ignoring the sudden pause in the audience¡¯s cheers, and sang the next line lightly: Je te donnerai ma lumi¨¨re, je ferai face ¨¤ tout avec toi I will share my light with you, I will face everything side by side with you. CH 69 Xie Xuanming stood by the drum set for the entire performance. The director couldn¡¯t stop wiping sweat under the stage and kept imploring the lights to move. The lighting teacher moved the lamp post to the front of the stage to a position that could illuminate Xie Xuanming but not Ji Sheng. But who could have imagined that as soon as the light moved, Xie Xuanming would take two more steps back without raising his eyes and walk towards the back of the drum set where the light could not reach. ¡°Stop, stop, stop, don¡¯t move!¡± The director was really afraid that he would run behind the drum set, so he hurriedly took his intercom and yelled. The lighting teacher, sweating, silently moved the lamp post back. Looking at the two people on the stage that seemed to be glued together, the director felt numb. ¡°Chief¡­¡± The director wiped his sweat and leaned over, ¡°Should we cut out this segment for the broadcast?¡± ¡°What to cut? How to cut?¡± The chief director was so angry that he jumped to his feet and cursed, ¡°These two are like Siamese twins! If we¡¯re going to cut them, we have to cut them together! Do you dare to cut Xie Xuanming¡¯s footage? Are you going to be responsible for pissing off his hordes of fans??¡± ¡°That¡­¡± The director was confused by his machine-gun-like barrage of replies, ¡°but this scandalous artist¡­¡± The chief director nearly lost his breath. He was about to wave his hand and say let him be scandalous. If Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t care that his little lover gave him a green hat, why should they, the salarymen, worry about it¡­ However, before he waved his hand, someone from the public relations department hurried over: ¡°Chief!!¡± Before the director could ask what was so urgent, the man stuffed the tablet into his hands. ¡°Look at Weibo! Public opinion has reversed!¡± The chief director took a closer look, and the number one spot on the hot search stood as: [Trainee clarifies for Ji Hui] The one who came out to clarify was an amateur who had posted dance videos on several video platforms to gain some attention. Fans who followed her also knew that she used to be a trainee preparing to make her debut. This former trainee was the girl Ji Sheng rescued in KTV then. She posted a personal testimony in a long post recounting how she was forced by her company to entertain some partners and was almost molested but was saved by a kind person. It was Ji Sheng who saved her. In the long post, the girl affirmed that Ji Sheng was also forced to come. After saving her, he left the private room. Naturally, there was no gold master and he didn¡¯t hook up with anyone. Later in the comments area, the girl posted two hairpins that Ji Sheng borrowed to play drums. Comparing them with the photos posted on the news, the crowd was surprised to find that there was indeed a girl with hairpins in the photo. After restoring the image quality, it could be confirmed that the style of the hairpins in the two pictures was the same. After the girl¡¯s post, Ji Hui¡¯s fans finally stood up and asked in the comments whether Ji Hui was involved in hugging the man in the picture. In response, the former trainee gave a negative answer. The focus of attention finally returned to the authenticity of the photo, with Ji Hui¡¯s side once again posting a complaint about the photoshopped picture, and many tech gurus showed up to confirm the fact that the photo was photoshopped. The dust from the ¡°gold master-gate¡± settled, and passers-by and fans focused on the ¡°agency forcing the trainee to drink with clients¡±. In time, their anger shifted to Niepan¡¯s company, and furious fans rushed to the official blog. The traffic of the little shitty company reached its highest peak since its establishment. As soon as Ji Sheng got off the stage, he was called away before he could read Weibo. ¡°Lu Haoren is on the phone.¡± Huang Sizhe glanced at Xie Xuanming, and said deliberately, ¡°It¡¯s for the Niepan members, so let¡¯s avoid irrelevant people.¡± Xie Xuanming raised his eyebrows slightly, then took two steps back to the other side of the room. Huang Sizhe gave a ¡®tsk¡¯ and complained a lot: ¡°Like a dog protecting a bone, not an inch away.¡± Ji Sheng: ¡­¡­ Ji Sheng didn¡¯t know who should be more angry: Xie Xuanming, who had been called a dog, or he, who had been described as a bone. So he chose to be silent. ¡°Now there is good news and bad news.¡± Lu Haoren said on the phone; the keyboardist put the phone on speakerphone and the members formed a circle around him. ¡°What?¡± Huang Sizhe asked. ¡°The good news is that Xiao Hui¡¯s black material has been clarified, and the bad news is that our company is gone.¡± ¡°What?¡± Before the members had time to be happy about the first point, they were stunned by the latter news, and the guitarist stammered, asking, ¡°What¡­ what do you mean that the company is gone?¡± Lu Haoren concisely explained that the company forced artists to accompany clients to drink, which caused the fans and justice warrior passers-by to blast the company and also report it to the police¡­ Niepan¡¯s little company was already a small temple with a great demon wind(1), and now once they heard that things had gone south, they immediately packed up and ran away. The official blog directly announced that the company was bankrupt and its artists had all been released from their contracts and no longer had any involvement with the company. Niepan, the only band under the little shitty company: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°No way?¡± The keyboardist couldn¡¯t believe it.¡± Don¡¯t we have three years left on our contract, can they just terminate it?¡± ¡°They can.¡± Ji Sheng, who had carefully studied the contract, replied. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°It is stated in our contract that if there is an accident, Party A can terminate the contract on its own without having to agree with Party B,¡± Ji Sheng explained. ¡°And I¡¯ve signed something so unreliable???¡± The keyboardist was shocked. ¡°You didn¡¯t read the contract at all when you signed it, did you?¡± Huang Sizhe sighed, ¡°It¡¯s okay to be released, anyway, our company was no use to begin with.¡± ¡°This is true¡­¡± Everyone was silent for a while and then the guitarist suddenly remembered something important: ¡°Then what about our salary, who¡¯s going to pay it? The company isn¡¯t going to run away with money, right?¡± ¡°¡­it does have this intention.¡± Lu Haoren added, ¡°But there are several companies that are willing to buy the ¡°Niepan¡± label and are also willing to sign us. If the deal is reached, we should be able to get paid in the new company.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Niepan adjourned the meeting; Ji Sheng turned to see Xie Xuanming talking to someone in the corner, so he didn¡¯t go there first. At this moment, two staff members happened to walk by his side, whispering about the hot search. Ji Sheng¡¯s ears twitched as he caught the words ¡°Xie Xuanming¡±; he turned around and hurriedly stopped one of the men. ¡°What happened on Weibo again?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know yet, the matter of black material on Weibo has been completely clarified.¡± The staff stopped to say, ¡°But¡­ During the performance just now, Teacher Xie has been standing next to the drum set in the video. A live audience repo went out, and now it¡¯s on the hot search¡­ There are some people spreading rumours in the comments speculating about the relationship between the two of you¡­ Teacher Xie! ¡± While the staff was talking, they suddenly saw Xie Xuanming coming over and hurriedly bowed to say hello. Xie Xuanming nodded, lowered his eyes and asked Ji Sheng, ¡°Shall we go?¡± Ji Sheng was worried about ¡°rumours¡±. He didn¡¯t have his mobile phone with him, so he hurriedly went back to the lounge to pick it up, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± After taking the mobile phone, Ji Sheng realized how euphemistic the staff¡¯s wording was. The so-called ¡°some people¡± actually were all the melon-eating passers-by excluding Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans. [I¡¯m surprised, am I watching a love variety show??? Is it possible to watch this kind of plot without paying for it?] [Mom, Emperor Xie is still taking care of people like the last time¡­] [When Ji Sheng was still there¡­ upstairs, I¡¯m saying that for you] [By the way, Ji Hui and Ji Sheng really look a bit like each other] [Absolutely, the actor¡¯s substitute lover] Of course, there were those who didn¡¯t buy it. [Now the industry has become like this? Xie Xuanming takes a plunge to sell rotten?] [Doesn¡¯t he take a plunge all the time kk] [The two noble passers-by upstairs should say a few words less, it will not be good to go to court for disinformation] [Here we go again, Ji Hui¡¯s fans are here again, stepping on Xie Xuanming is not enough, Ji Sheng, a dead guy, needs to be pulled out repeatedly, are human blood steamed buns(2) that delicious?] [The Xie fan above changed Xie Xuanming¡¯s avatar before posting. If you want to eat, eat two people, why did you pick out Xie Xuanming so cleanly?] [Laughs, you¡¯re the one who should delete White Lotus Sheng(3) from your homepage. The smell of green tea is disgusting] The ten-second sneak video had over 10,000 comments within ten minutes. Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans protected him and barely controlled the scene, but Ji Hui was in a miserable situation. Half of the more than 10,000 comments were scolding him. Ji Sheng calmly scrolled through the comments without changing his expression, only slightly worried that Xie Xuanming¡¯s reputation might have suffered because of this. As he kept looking at the comments, Ji Sheng realised that something was weird. Cursing comments gradually decreased, replaced by fan remarks of [Xie Xuanming, you are really a Bodhisattva], or sighs by passers-by of [It is not easy for everyone in the entertainment industry (smoking)]. Ji Sheng was puzzled as to why the comments suddenly became so harmonious, until he exited the comments area and saw popular reposts. The first hot repost, Xie Xuanming. Ji Sheng was taken aback and looked at the time intently. The repost time was probably when Niepan and Lu Haoren were on the phone. When he clicked on Xie Xuanming¡¯s Weibo, the first post was the one that was reposted. [The cooperation with Niepan was very pleasant. Someone once said to me, go into the light and then walk forward with the light. I¡¯ve managed to walk into the light and am trying to carry the light forward into the darkness.] The majority of Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans were his fans since his debut, and most of them remembered the difficult days when Xie Xuanming debuted with a lot of black press, so they quickly understood that Xie Xuanming¡¯s action today was to take care of his juniors, to shelter the contestants from being harmed by the capital and shady practices like it had happened to him. The fans who were originally angry about the cp with Ji Hui sucking blood from their idol now didn¡¯t have time to be angry. They just couldn¡¯t help feeling sorry for Xie Xuanming¡¯s miserable debut, and they were relieved that he was now so responsible. They rushed to the original Weibo to comment and explain, and put down those ugly suspicions. Passers-by saw the explanation and gradually stopped all kinds of guesses. Even the black fans were speechless, after all, the black fans also had to be reasonable. Xie Xuanming admitted to taking the initiative; what¡¯s the point of still pulling out the story of a little 18th tier drummer forcing the movie star into a speculative cp? Xie Xuanming was a lunatic, not a fool¡­ Ji Sheng looked at the comment area with mixed feelings. He also watched Xie Xuanming walk step by step and, compared to Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans, he had seen Xie Xuanming look even more wretched¡­ The determined young man who used to carry a hemp rope, or the child who was aggrieved by a broken watch, had transformed into a stable and responsible ¡°saviour¡± of today. Ji Sheng sighed. As Ji Sheng was sighing, Xie Xuanming sat down beside him, glanced at Ji Sheng¡¯s phone and said calmly: ¡°Looking at this.¡± ¡°En.¡± Ji Sheng tilted his hand to conceal his face and turned the screen away, ¡°I didn¡¯t even know you were thinking so much on stage.¡± ¡°Actually not.¡± Unexpectedly, Xie Xuanming denied it, ¡°It was just an afterthought when I got off the stage.¡± He looked at Ji Sheng, his eyes deep. ¡°When I was on stage, I just wanted to be by your side.¡± CH 70 ¡°Oh¡­¡± Ji Sheng was at a loss under his gaze for a moment, then looked away and smiled hastily, ¡°Then you are¡­ quite a character.¡± Xie Xuanming still stared at him, noncommittal. ¡°Xiao Hui!¡± The keyboardist shouted, waving his hand, rescuing Ji Sheng from being overwhelmed, ¡°Come here.¡± ¡°Oh, coming.¡± Ji Sheng replied, almost impatiently jumping up from the couch. ¡°I¡¯ll go over for a bit.¡± He didn¡¯t even look at Xie Xuanming and hurried away as if fleeing. Xie Xuanming remained seated in his original position and did not stop him. A few people from Niepan were gathered around a staff member talking about something. The atmosphere of chatting was not very pleasant. Huang Sizhe¡¯s voice was heard from a distance, asking angrily: ¡°What do you mean by bad influence? Don¡¯t you have eyes to see the clarification? If you¡¯re so slow, why do you want to work in a variety show, just go find a job in a factory!¡± ¡°Contestant, please calm down.¡± The staff¡¯s tone was helpless, ¡°Although it was a misunderstanding, the black material has already spread. The brand refuses to use artists with a bad reputation, so there¡¯s nothing we can do, right?¡± Ji Sheng stood beside the guitarist, looked at the two people arguing, their faces red, and asked in a low voice, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t we have a drink endorsement before?¡± The guitarist whispered back, ¡°Then because¡­ public opinion was not good, the sponsor won¡¯t let Niepan take it.¡± Ji Sheng understood. It had been a tradition for the popular contestants to advertise sponsor drinks since the first season of ¡°Music First¡± and basically all talent shows. Generally in the middle and late stages of the show, popular contestants would cooperate with brands to shoot advertisements and endorse products. This would be the first endorsement that many show participants received. Niepan had been on the show for a few months, attracting a lot of attention because of its excellent stage performance, and because of frequent accidents, it had turned its casual fans into diehards. So now Niepan could be said to be a genuine number one popular band in the show and should have taken over the band¡¯s endorsement for good reason. But now they were told that the spokesman was changed. The first place was denied the resources. If it was known, it would probably cause a lot of ridicule on the Internet. The black material was clarified but they were accused of the black material existing once. No wonder Huang Sizhe was angry. But this kind of thing couldn¡¯t be helped. The contestants were innocent but the brand was also innocent. Who would want to affect their sales because of the artist¡¯s reputation? After all, businessmen had to do business too. What¡¯s more, Ji Sheng was accustomed to endorsements being withdrawn. He made a smash hit in his previous life and had countless endorsements in his hands. Later, his popularity plummeted and major brands asked to cancel the contracts. In the end, the only one left was an unknown toothpaste brand. He was wretched when filming the advertisement, making him feel nauseous when he smelled toothpaste. Only when he changed to fruit-flavoured children¡¯s toothpaste could he reluctantly bear it. At this moment, Huang Sizhe and the staff were arguing fiercely, and neither was willing to show weakness. Ji Sheng knew Huang Sizhe¡¯s juvenile temperament and knew that no matter how he argued, it would be a waste of effort, so he sighed, went over to him, patted his shoulder and said, ¡°Forget it.¡± Huang Sizhe¡¯s face was stiff, his fists clenching and unclenching. Ji Sheng took a step forward and continued to persuade in a low voice: ¡°Don¡¯t make it difficult for people to do their work. It¡¯s not his problem either.¡± He turned his head and smiled at the staff: ¡°Thank you for your hard work, go ahead and do other things.¡± Huang Sizhe didn¡¯t say a word, the staff let out a sigh of relief, said goodbye to Niepan hurriedly and ran away. ¡°Whose problem is that?¡± Still unconvinced, Huang Sizhe said stubbornly, ¡°We obviously did nothing wrong, why was the endorsement withdrawn?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°It¡¯s my black material¡­¡± Huang Sizhe froze, reacted and immediately said, ¡°It¡¯s not your problem, and I don¡¯t blame¡­ I didn¡¯t mean it, brother.¡± He called him ¡°brother¡± very reluctantly, which was very different from a certain good boy who had called him that before, yet unexpectedly similar. Ji Sheng was inexplicably amused, smiled, squeezed his shoulder and said, ¡°I know you don¡¯t blame me, but the truth is that Niepan lost the endorsement because of me.¡± Huang Sizhe clenched his fists again and denied: ¡°It¡¯s because of the people who make rumours, those bastards.¡± ¡°Yes yes.¡± Ji Sheng sighed, ¡°But it was clarified in time, which is a blessing in misfortune.¡± Huang Sizhe¡¯s eyebrows twitched, as he thought of the black content linked to Xie Xuanming. Even though he later issued a clarification, it was too late, so he couldn¡¯t help but frown: ¡°You¡­ do you still want to stay with Xie Xuanming?¡± ¡°En? What?¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t know why he mentioned Xie Xuanming. ¡°After you and him got together, many accidents, rumours and black materials always happen frequently. They are everywhere. I think, brother, you¡¯re a paste coffee, you wouldn¡¯t be so messed up on your own, so it¡¯s Xie Xuanming who made many enemies and dragged you down with him.¡± Huang Sizhe made his own analysis, and Ji Sheng was taken aback. Huang Sizhe¡¯s idea was actually very logical, but unfortunately the cause and effect were reversed. It wasn¡¯t because he was by Xie Xuanming¡¯s side that he was repeatedly under attack; on the contrary, it was ¡°Ji Hui¡± himself who attracted the hatred and Xie Xuanming who protected him like a talisman. Ji Hui was a paste coffee that no one cared about, but Ji Sheng was not. But it was hard to explain to Huang Sizhe. After all, the fact that ¡°Ji hui¡± was ¡°Ji Sheng¡± was so pseudo-scientific that it sounded like a fantasy. Ji Sheng was still struggling when Huang Sizhe suddenly took a step and asked in a low voice: ¡°Besides¡­ you were originally forced to stay by his side. We are no longer bound by the contract and have some fame. You can find a way to leave¡­¡± ¡°I¡­¡± ¡°Sizhe! Xiao Hui!¡± As soon as Ji Sheng spoke, he suddenly heard the keyboardist call. Ji Sheng raised his eyes, and the keyboardist and guitarist were panicking in front of him, their eyes darting around as they gestured for him to look back. Ji Sheng followed the hints of the two of them and turned his head, almost bumping into Xie Xuanming who was very close. Facing Xie Xuanming¡¯s cold expression, Ji Sheng got goosebumps. He glanced at Huang Sizhe guiltily, not knowing if Xie Xuanming had heard what the two of them had just said. It was strange to say that in his previous life, not to mention his teenage years, even if he turned against Xie Xuanming later, he was also carefree in front of him and didn¡¯t care what Xie Xuanming thought about what he did and said. Who knew that after he was reborn, he would inexplicably feel that his hands were tied in front of Xie Xuanming. Could it be because he pretended to be Ji Hui for a long time and developed an empathy effect, inheriting all Ji Hui¡¯s awe and fear of Xie Xuanming? Ji Sheng wondered. Before he could figure it out, Xie Xuanming took his wrist and dragged him away from the scene forcefully. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t let go of Ji Sheng until he got to the underground parking lot. When he let go, Ji Sheng already had clear finger marks on his wrist. After knowing his identity, Xie Xuanming hardly ever treated Ji Sheng so roughly. He was really angry. Ji Sheng held his slightly swollen wrist and gently turned it twice, asking tentatively, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°That question just now.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s voice was very cold, ¡°What were you going to answer?¡± Ji Sheng thought, if you wanted to know, you could just stand and listen quietly instead of pulling people all the way down to ask. However, on second thought, Ji Sheng found that he was not sure of the answer to the question either. His quietness had a different meaning in Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes, who smiled mirthlessly: ¡°You want to leave, right?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ji Sheng quickly denied it this time. He tried to explain, ¡°Where can I go? Ji Yueming is still in the hospital, and no one knows who I am, I¡­¡± His voice sounded smaller and smaller. His wrist hurt more as the time passed. Ji Sheng was inexplicably depressed and whispered melancholically: ¡°I have nowhere to go.¡± Xie Xuanming looked at Ji Sheng quietly for a while, then said in a flat voice: ¡°So, you are still by my side because of Ji Yueming, because I know who you are and because you have nowhere to go.¡± Ji Sheng was choked by his interpretation, thought about it for a while and reluctantly found himself unable to say anything. ¡°I¡­¡± Ji Sheng started. ¡°Forget it.¡± Xie Xuanming interrupted him, walked around the front of the car and opened the driver¡¯s seat door, ¡°This is also fine.¡± He gently held the car door and said to himself mockingly: ¡°What reason did I expect you to give? Get in the car.¡± After that, he lowered himself into the driver¡¯s seat and closed the door heavily. Ji Sheng stood on the spot for a few seconds, and only when the beep sounded did he slowly get into the passenger seat. The whole journey was quiet. Since his identity was revealed, Xie Xuanming was personally driving Ji Sheng, as if he was determined to switch jobs to become a driver. Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t help but draw a cross in his heart for the driver who had lost his job. Stopping at the traffic lights and waiting, Xie Xuanming suddenly said, ¡°Sheng Kongzhi also meets your criteria.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Knowing that Ji Yueming is in the hospital, knowing who you are and willing to let you stay with him.¡± Xie Xuanming calmly explained the three reasons, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go to him?¡± Ji Sheng: ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng laughed angrily: ¡°No way? Why on earth are you dwelling on this?¡± He was both a little annoyed and a little incredulous: ¡°How can I go to Sheng Kongzhi? Thank God I can stay away from him¡­ And can you stop dragging him into everything? You sound so strange as if I¡¯m fornicating with him. I¡¯ve blocked him out on my WeChat and phone, now I don¡¯t even have his contact information, how can I go to him?¡± Ji Sheng lost his temper and let himself vent, and his depression dissipated a lot. Seeing that Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t say a word, he let out a sigh of relief, pushed back his hair and suddenly heard the phone ring. It was an unfamiliar number. It came just in time. It didn¡¯t matter if it was an insurance seller, a real estate agent or a money scammer. It was a good call in this situation when he didn¡¯t want to talk to Xie Xuanming. Ji Sheng picked up the phone intrepidly, his finger slipped over the hands-free button, and before he could say hello or turn off the hands-free, he heard a gentle male voice on the other end say ¡°Hello¡±. Ji Sheng¡¯s body froze abruptly, and he craned his head a little. In his line of sight, Xie Xuanming was staring coldly, the corners of his mouth curved in a mocking arc. He opened his mouth and asked in a dangerously low voice, ¡°Don¡¯t even have his contact information?¡± Ji Sheng: ¡­¡­ Ji Sheng deflated like a leaky balloon. The mobile phone was still working hard and the words of Sheng Kongzhi calling from an unknown number sounded on the other end of the phone. ¡°Xiao Sheng? I still think we need to talk. I know that Xie Xuanming does not allow you to see me, so if you can, hide it from him and set up a time to come out?¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes grew colder and colder. Ji Sheng felt he was going to faint. Woohoo, the sky is going to fall on me. CH 71 Ji Sheng¡¯s hand shook and he hung up the phone with a snap. ¡°Why are you hanging up? Answer it.¡± Xie Xuanming said coldly, ¡±Then go on a date without telling me, your ex-boyfriend can¡¯t wait.¡± He paused and said uncertainly: ¡°Is it an ex boyfriend?¡± Ji Sheng: ¡­¡­ Ji Sheng: I¡¯m dead, ex-boyfriends don¡¯t continue their careers in the underworld. Ji Sheng held his forehead: ¡°Yes¡­ we broke up before.¡± ¡°Oh, you didn¡¯t tell me this either.¡± It looked like Xie Xuanming wrote down another thing in his account, but his expression eased slightly. After staying by Xie Xuanming¡¯s side for a short time, Ji Sheng had already become a pro in micro-expression appraisal of his one and only master Xie Xuanming. Naturally, this important turn of events was not going to be missed. He showed the recent call log and explained: ¡°I really haven¡¯t contacted Sheng Kongzhi. He changed his number and called.¡± Xie Xuanming glanced: ¡°En.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t meet him without telling you¡­ I wouldn¡¯t go to see him at all.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°To be precise, I don¡¯t want to meet him at all¡­ huh?¡± Ji Sheng was taken aback. He turned to look at Xie Xuanming. His eyes widened; even the mole at the corner of his eye seemed stunned. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Xie Xuanming glanced at him sideways and it seemed his mood improved quite a bit at the sight of his surprised look. He even wanted to pinch his face a little. ¡°He contacted you many times, he must have important things to talk about, not just feeling like catching up with you.¡± Xie Xuanming rubbed his fingers on the steering wheel a few times, ¡°Do you think he is the kind of person who will be impulsive over and over again because of emotions?¡± Ji Sheng thought for a moment and admitted: ¡°He really is not.¡± ¡°So go and talk.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°I¡¯m also really curious what big things he wants to talk to you about.¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Ji Sheng messaged Sheng Kongzhi, and the two agreed about a convenient time to meet in a private cafe. The cafe was large, owned by a retired movie queen, very considerate of her colleagues, with cubicles and curtains inside. When Ji Sheng walked into the cubicle, Sheng Kongzhi, who had been waiting for a long time, stood up and said with joy: ¡°Xiao Sheng.¡± He took two steps forward and grabbed Ji Sheng¡¯s hand, his face full of sincere happiness. Ji Sheng frowned and yanked his hand back, but unfortunately couldn¡¯t free it. ¡°Sheng Kongzhi.¡± He said, ¡°There might be reporters in the next room, so pay attention.¡± Ji Sheng motioned to the side with his eyes, and Sheng Kongzhi looked along. The rooms were separated by the brown glass and through its false transparency he could indeed see the figures next door. Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s body stiffened, he let go of his hand unhappily, but after a while he calmed down and said comfortingly, ¡°It¡¯s alright, even if we get caught on camera, we can buy out the news. It won¡¯t affect you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± Ji Sheng shrugged, ¡°I¡¯m just a paste coffee now. Even when I used to be famous, didn¡¯t the company think I was not worth the price of a buyout?¡± His words were sharp, and Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s expression became even more stiff. He tried to explain: ¡°At that time, Qingchu was not competent enough and had no money¡­¡± ¡°Now it has.¡± Ji Sheng smiled at him and said meaningfully, ¡°Thanks to you.¡± Stepping on people step by step, you finally got the value that exceeded the estimate. Sheng Kongzhi was on pins and needles from his words and did not want to bring up the subject again, so he hastily turned to another topic and said, ¡°By the way, how is Auntie?¡± ¡°Pretty good.¡± ¡°Expenses or something¡­¡± ¡°All covered.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, I¡¯ll come in a couple of days and go see her¡­¡± ¡°No need.¡± Ji Sheng raised his eyes and said softly, ¡°Do me a favour, don¡¯t go.¡± Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s face distorted for a moment. He was painfully silent for a while and then spoke with difficulty: ¡°Xiao Sheng¡­ don¡¯t be like this.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be so rude, but when I think that my mother is still locked up, I can¡¯t control my tone at all.¡± ¡°I tried to persuade Brother Tan, but¡­¡± Sheng Kongzhi said hurriedly, then lowered his head halfway through the sentence.¡± But¡­¡± Ji Sheng had guessed this a long time ago and sneered lightly. Sheng Kongzhi was hurt by his mockery again. He said bitterly: ¡°Xiao Sheng, do we have nothing to talk about except quarrelling nowadays?¡± ¡°I think we should have.¡± Ji Sheng said naturally, ¡°Although I have nothing to say, you probably didn¡¯t call me out all for the sake of renewing old times.¡± His tone was calm, but there was an unwarranted note of sarcasm, which Sheng Kongzhi felt uncomfortable hearing but had no way to refute. Because he did have other things to discuss with Ji Sheng. Sheng Kongzhi was silent for a long time and finally said, ¡°What are you going to do after¡­?¡± Ji Sheng raised his eyebrows: ¡°Qingchu sent you to spy on the enemy?¡± ¡°Xiao Sheng!¡± Sheng Kongzhi started sharply, met his gaze and weakened again, ¡±After all, we have been friends for many years, why be so extreme¡­¡± ¡°Then why did you have to be so extreme at the time?¡± Ji Sheng asked rhetorically, making Sheng Kongzhi lower his head in embarrassment, ¡°I want to take my mother out and settle her down, then find a position as a drummer in a band. As for Xie Xuanming¡­¡± He paused for a moment and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know what he is going to do.¡± Sheng Kongzhi didn¡¯t pay attention to his hesitation, and only asked, ¡°Are you going to talk about what happened before?¡± ¡°What exactly?¡± ¡°That¡­¡± ¡°Sisheng fan? Sexual harassment? Drunk driving?¡± Sheng Kongzhi was silent as Ji Sheng counted one by one, ¡°Do you think I should talk about it?¡± Sheng Kongzhi leaned forward suddenly, staring imploringly: ¡°Xiao Sheng¡­ I did a lot of things wrong before, but I really did not mean to, I did not know it would end up like this¡­ I¡­ you are also developing smoothly now, I will make Li Tan spare your mother, can you spare me as well?¡± ¡°Spare you?¡± Ji Sheng leaned back and looked down at Sheng Kongzhi, a wave of anger surging in his heart. He looked at Sheng Kongzhi, his eyes getting colder little by little. Why did I ever like such a person? This thought made Ji Sheng feel a little puzzled. ¡°Xie Xuanming told me about what you have done over the years. It is really very exciting.¡± Ji Sheng said softly, ¡°And you don¡¯t seem to know you¡¯re wrong either.¡± He didn¡¯t want to waste any more time. Sitting face to face with a hypocrite was really disgusting. Ji Sheng stood up and said condescendingly: ¡°I know the shit you and Li Tan did, and Xie Xuanming also knows. You tell me not to talk about it but can you stop Xie Xuanming from stabbing?¡± ¡°This¡­ you can persuade Xiao Xie¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call him Xiao Xie, don¡¯t mention him, I want to slap you when I hear it.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡±And I can¡¯t stop him. In my previous life I might have been able to persuade him, but unfortunately I was killed by you guys. ¡°And I have been silent for too long. I don¡¯t want to be mute anymore. What crap you have done, think about it yourselves and wait for the day to come to settle the score.¡± After Ji Sheng said that, he didn¡¯t want to bother anymore, so he turned and left the private room. When he left the cafe, he did not contact Xie Xuanming at once but turned around and walked into a candy shop next to the cafe. The boss stood at the clear counter cutting the candies, beautifully patterned pieces falling prettily on the white porcelain table. Ji Sheng touched a small piece of candy from the tasting plate and put it in his mouth. As he tasted the melting sweetness and watched the boss¡¯s neat movements, his mood that had been ruined by Sheng Kongzhi gradually improved a lot. After the boss finished the roll of candies, Ji Sheng finally stopped being annoyed. He stepped forward, grabbed a food bag and fished a spoonful of every kind of candy in the merchandise section like he didn¡¯t care about money, filling the bag to the brim and going to the cash desk to settle the bill. Under an envious sigh of the cashier, Ji Sheng turned around with the bag and walked straight to a man in a black coat and a black hat standing at the counter, pulled his arm and stuffed the bag into his hands. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Xie Xuanming was wearing a mask and hat; only his eyes were exposed, staring at Ji Sheng without blinking. ¡°Making amends.¡± ¡°Amends for what?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you angry?¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°Because I met with Sheng Kongzhi.¡± ¡°¡­I asked you to meet with him, why will I be angry?¡± Xie Xuanming denied. Ji Sheng did not say anything, only stepped back and looked at him with his hands behind his back. The two were in a stalemate for a few seconds, and then Xie Xuanming averted his eyes slightly: ¡°I am a little unhappy, but not to the point of being angry.¡± He squeezed the bag, and the plastic rustled: ¡°Don¡¯t coax me with candy at every turn, I¡¯m not a child.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you like it?¡± Ji Sheng reached out, ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, give it back to me, this shop¡¯s things taste good, I want to have a couple more bites.¡± Xie Xuanming withdrew his hand and Ji Sheng grabbed nothing. ¡°You gave it to me, it¡¯s mine.¡± Xie Xuanming said solemnly as he protected the candy, ¡°There¡¯s no reason to take it back.¡± ¡°Oh¡ª¡ª¡± Ji Sheng held back a smile and drawled, ¡°Then, Emperor Xie who doesn¡¯t like candy and is not a child, can we go back now?¡± ¡°¡­don¡¯t you want to hang out anymore?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ji Sheng scratched his head, ¡°I have a headache after talking to an idiot, and now I just want to go back to sleep.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The two walked out; Xie Xuanming took two steps, paused and took off his cap to put it on Ji Sheng¡¯s head. ¡°What are you doing? I am a paste coffee, no one wants to take my pictures anyway.¡± ¡°Wear it.¡± ¡°¡­so fierce, Emperor Xie, holding the candy I gave you in your hand and still fierce to me, it¡¯s too much.¡± ¡°There is a person on the bench behind us who has been holding up his mobile phone to take pictures. If you want to be on the hot search, I will take off my mask now and let them have a good time.¡± ¡°¡­that¡¯s not necessary.¡± It was probably the effect of the candy; the next few days Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming were getting along extraordinarily harmoniously. Xie Xuanming was very nice when he was not angry; quietly sitting on the side reading the script, he always reminded Ji Sheng the image of that seventeen-year-old boy from a few years ago. Ji Sheng realized that he seemed to be a little nostalgic for the 17-year-old Xie Xuanming, which made him deeply worried about whether he had hidden pedophilic tendencies. During those few days of calm, the two of them slept in the same bed peacefully, except for occasional confrontations over the quilt. Today, Ji Sheng also went to bed after washing as usual. As soon as he charged his mobile phone, he saw Xie Xuanming put on his mask and hurry out. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Ji Sheng glanced at the time and asked in surprise, ¡°Where are you going so late?¡± ¡°Some things¡­¡± Xie Xuanming lowered his head and put on his hat, saying briefly, ¡°I¡¯ll go out for a while, you can sleep.¡± He opened the bedroom door and a few seconds later, the sound of the door closing came from downstairs. Ji Sheng tilted his head in confusion, seemingly unable to understand where Xie Xuanming was going in such a hurry at night. He thought about it for a while, looked at his phone, turned off the light and fell asleep. That night it was cold outside, clearly a summer night but cloudy and windy, so chilly that it made one get goosebumps suddenly. Ji Sheng was awakened by the cold. ¡°The air conditioning is too low¡­¡± he muttered, groping for the remote control at the head of the bed, but suddenly realizing that something was wrong. His groping hand gradually stopped. Ji Sheng slowly turned his head and looked at the bedside. A woman with a bandage on her hand was staring at him intently. The author has something to say£º Xiao Xie, a thief is in your house, come back quickly CH 72 The air conditioner kept working and the flow of cold air swept over Ji Sheng¡¯s neck, literally causing him goosebumps. He looked at the woman at the head of the bed and his pupils dilated for a moment before shrinking. ¡°Who are you?¡± The woman didn¡¯t answer, but turned her head slightly, revealing a hideous scar on her forehead: ¡°You don¡¯t look scared at all.¡± There was a bit of surprise in her tone: ¡°I have seen so many artists, and you are the calmest one.¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t want to accept the appreciation of someone who appeared at his bedside in the middle of the night. The bad feeling in his heart intensified; Ji Sheng shrank back, the back of his head gently touching the wall. He raised his eyes to stare at the visitor, sizing her up in the dim light of the air conditioner sensors: ¡°Are you a sisheng?¡± The woman at the head of the bed smiled when she heard his words, but did not answer. Ji Sheng squinted. Despite the bandages and the slight distortion of her face, the woman in front of him still matched a certain abominable image in his memory. His pupils suddenly contracted, his hands trembled uncontrollably clenching into fists, and the phantom pain tearing his wrist became clearer. ¡°You are not worthy of me being your sisheng. I have no interest in chasing paste coffee.¡± The sisheng laughed. ¡°Then why come to my house?¡± Ji Sheng resisted the nausea and pretended to be confused, ¡°There is no need to break into the house illegally for a passer-by.¡± ¡°Is this your house?¡± The sisheng asked mockingly. ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng was silent for a moment, then changed the subject, ¡°Do you like Xie Xuanming?¡± ¡°Xie Xuanming?¡± The sisheng raised her eyebrows, and her scars squirmed in the shadows, ¡°Merely a handsome face, but too uninteresting. I don¡¯t like lunatics.¡± She leaned over, getting closer. Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t stop his nausea when he saw the insect-like scar on her forehead approaching. ¡°You really look like him.¡± The sisheng lowered her face and said fiercely, ¡°Looking at you¡­ makes me want to slash your face.¡± The tone of her voice in the second half of the sentence was grim and cold, carrying the malice that was not fake. Ji Sheng leaned back silently, pressing his neck against the bed: ¡°Lady, I don¡¯t understand what you are talking about. But this is my bedroom. If you don¡¯t leave, I will call the police.¡± With that said, he straightened up, pushed the sisheng¡¯s shoulder and made a gesture to reach for the mobile phone on the bedside table. The sisheng clasped him with a reverse grip, sticking the nails of her bandaged hand into his arm. Her next sentence made Ji Sheng freeze. ¡°Is this really your bedroom?¡° The sisheng¡¯s words were like the hiss of a poisonous snake, ¡°Xie Xuanming, a well-known actor, nurtures a 18th tier star in a private villa¡­ guess how many days it can dominate the headlines.¡± Ji Sheng retracted his hand, threw away the sisheng forcefully and asked in a deep voice, ¡°Are you here for Xie Xuanming?¡± ¡°No.¡± The sisheng denied quickly; she took a step back and stood upright, her snake-like eyes staring at Ji Sheng viciously, her gaze horrible, ¡°I¡¯m here for you¡­ it¡¯s just a matter of pulling him into the water by the way.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s face also showed a bit of confusion, ¡°Where did I provoke you?¡± ¡°You went to see Sheng Kongzhi a few days ago, right?¡± The sisheng asked quickly, ¡°What did you talk about?¡± ¡°Oh, so you are a sisheng of Sheng Kongzhi¡­ You are so powerful but you can¡¯t tap some wire?¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t hold back the sarcasm, ¡°Or¡­ did you use too many similar methods and made him wary?¡± He lowered his voice, easily causing the sisheng to feel anxious: ¡°Senior Sheng is not the type who turns away from people. To make him so guarded¡­ What disgusting thing have you done?¡± ¡°Cut the crap.¡± The sisheng was really irritated and her tone became sharp. She said harshly, ¡°I know more than a dozen marketing accounts. If you say a few more words, I will have them post the news now.¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t doubt the truth of her words, so he had to answer, and said half-truth and half-falsehood: ¡°Sheng Kongzhi asked me to change jobs and go to his company.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe he wants to poach from Xie Xuanming, or¡­¡± Ji Sheng paused and said, ¡°I happen to have a face similar to his late friend.¡± After hearing this, the sisheng exploded immediately, suddenly screaming frantically. ¡°I knew it¡­ I knew it! Ji Sheng, that bitch is a ghost!!¡± She lunged forward, grabbing Ji Sheng¡¯s face like crazy, ¡°One Ji Sheng wasn¡¯t enough, now there is another one of you!! I clearly told them to kill you at the time¡­ This bunch of trash, good-for-nothings, useless, you¡­¡± Before she finished speaking, she was pushed away by Ji Sheng. ¡°It was you who kidnapped Ji¡­ me in the first place?¡± Ji Sheng looked at her in disbelief. ¡°So what, you are really lucky, hiding here with Xie Xuanming for a long time.¡± The sisheng stumbled to her feet, a sardonic grin of cynicism and hatred on her face. ¡°Senior Ji Sheng, did you also do it?¡± Ji Sheng asked loudly, ¡°Why did you do this? Even if he sexually harassed your idol, it should be public opinion and the law that punished him. Besides, Sheng Kongzhi told me that Ji Sheng didn¡¯t harass him at all, it was just the company¡­¡± ¡°Shut up!!¡± The sisheng screamed again, ¡°What do you know? Ji Sheng, that bitch, getting next to Kongzhi is blasphemy against Kongzhi. How dared he seduce Kongzhi, he deserved to die!!¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s throat trembled with anger; he barely managed to steady his mind as he said in disgust: ¡°You should really go to see a psychiatrist. Maybe you can reduce the sentence for the crimes of intentional injuries and premeditated murder.¡± When he said this, the sisheng calmed down. She hugged herself with her arms, chuckled a little and said with a gloomy expression: ¡°You should worry about yourself first.¡± After that, the sisheng pounced on him again fiercely. Ji Sheng¡¯s nerves were on edge; the lessons of the previous life made him dare not underestimate the methods of the person in front of him. He quickly leaned back to dodge, but this made the sisheng even more intent on achieving her purpose. She swung her hand, her palm going straight to his neck. Ji Sheng quickly grabbed her left hand and wrenched it away, but he couldn¡¯t stop the movement of her other hand approaching his face. Ji Sheng vaguely saw a cloth-like thing in the sisheng¡¯s hand. Before he could understand what it was, the cloth pressed against his face and the wet touch made his heart sink. Ji Sheng¡¯s mind was blank for a second, and then he struggled violently, but the sisheng on top of him was pressing the cloth to his face with all her strength. The cloth was soaked in some unknown medicine that gradually entered Ji Sheng¡¯s lungs as he breathed. Ji Sheng only felt weaker and weaker, and his struggles began to falter¡­ His mind was falling into a daze, and his sense of foreboding and desire to resist disappeared. When he was about to close his eyes, the bedroom door was kicked open with a bang. The sisheng was grabbed and thrown aside. Ji Sheng only felt a light touch on his body, and when he raised his eyes again, he was helped to sit up by Xie Xuanming, and the lights in the room suddenly lit up. Ji Sheng¡¯s eyes stung from the white light, tearing up, but Xie Xuanming covered his eyes in time, pressing his other hand to his midsection, rubbing it gently. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s words were full of chaotic emotions. Ji Sheng was somewhat dazed and it took a while before he replied: ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± His vision was blocked, but his hearing was more acute. There were quick footsteps on the stairs, and someone shouted: ¡°Don¡¯t move, squat down with your hands on your head.¡± Then the screams of the sisheng started again, and the shouts of ¡°behave yourself¡± and ¡°don¡¯t move¡± followed, accompanied with the distinctive metallic sound of handcuffs clicking. Ji Sheng gasped for breath, allowing Xie Xuanming to rub his stomach. The noise gradually faded away, and Ji Sheng could only hear Xie Xuanming whispering, ¡°It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t be afraid.¡± The sisheng was quickly taken away by the police, the farce ended, and Ji Sheng finally emerged from his state of shock. Xie Xuanming carefully pulled away his hand. After Ji Sheng squinted to adapt to the light, he was startled when he saw how pale Xie Xuanming¡¯s face was. ¡°I¡¯m going to wash my face.¡± Xie Xuanming also knew that he had lost his composure. His back was soaked in cold sweat and he didn¡¯t want to be seen like that, so he whispered that quickly and headed for the bathroom. Ji Sheng gently grabbed the corner of his clothes. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t look back, and repeated, ¡°I¡¯m going to wash my face¡­ I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± When Xie Xuanming said ¡°soon¡±, it was really soon. In less than a minute, he came out of the bathroom. His lips were still pale, but there was finally a bit of blood on his face. ¡°What did she have on the cloth she used to cover my nose?¡± Ji Sheng asked, relieved to see that he was better. ¡°I don¡¯t know, we have to wait for the police to test it, but it¡¯s not a legal drug.¡± Xie Xuanming walked back to him, lowered his head and asked, ¡°Are you uncomfortable? Do you need to go to the hospital?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡± Ji Sheng hurriedly denied, ¡°I just wanted to confirm whether she was guilty as charged.¡± Xie Xuanming looked at him; there was a red mark on Ji Sheng¡¯s cheek, a wound that had been scratched by a nail. A touch of red on his fair face was particularly shocking. Xie Xuanming looked for a while, raised his hand, and gently stroked the red mark with the back of his hand. A shadow of a long-forgotten violence flashed in his eyes. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have been left alone.¡± He gritted his teeth tightly. The plan for the trap had been decided by the two of them together. The sisheng acted cautiously, but unfortunately for her, the more she moved, the more she exposed herself. Especially after Ji Sheng and Sheng Kongzhi met, she acted almost irrationally, going so far as to sneak into Xie Xuanming¡¯s home while he was out. Xie Xuanming noticed that the door lock was strange and pulled up the home surveillance. When he saw the figure of the sisheng in it, he directly contacted the police and reported the case. After receiving ¡°an anonymous threat message about Ji Yueming¡¯s disappearance¡± tonight, Xie Xuanming knew that it was the sisheng who was going to act. He pretended to say goodbye to Ji Sheng and left in his car. In fact, he came back after driving a circle, confirmed that Ji Yueming was not in trouble and called the police. He took the police from the underground garage into the house, used surveillance to confirm the situation in the bedroom, and immediately went upstairs to subdue the sisheng when he saw her. ¡°If I were not alone, how would she feel comfortable telling the truth?¡± Ji Sheng smiled, raised his head and asked, ¡°It¡¯s all recorded, right?¡± ¡°Yes, the recording was handed over to the police, and they also caught the accomplice downstairs.¡± Xie Xuanming withdrew his hand, ¡°She was very confident, and she was experienced doing this kind of thing herself.¡± ¡°Fetish.¡± Ji Sheng was not surprised. From the moment he caught a glimpse of the sisheng in the surveillance of ¡°Music First¡±, he guessed that she had a habit of doing things herself. After that he discussed it with Xie Xuanming and came up with this decision. Not only did they capture her, but there were also bonuses. Ji Sheng rubbed his neck; the moment the sisheng pounced on him, her hideous face overlapped with the face from the forgotten memory of his previous life. ¡°I just got a good look at her and suddenly remembered that I actually had seen the face of the owner of the car involved in the accident.¡± Ji Sheng said softly. Xie Xuanming¡¯s body stiffened, and he asked gloomily, ¡±Wouldn¡¯t it also be¡­¡± ¡°Yes, it was her.¡± Ji Sheng let out a long breath and affirmed. Xie Xuanming was silent for a few seconds, and said in a low voice, ¡°The police should not have been allowed to intervene¡­¡± His voice was frighteningly cold, and Ji Sheng didn¡¯t doubt the hidden meaning of his words. After all, from the time he was a teenager, Xie Xuanming was not an innocent image of a good boy. But this did not mean that Ji Sheng would let him drift in the dark river either. Ji Sheng raised his head to look at Xie Xuanming. Half of his face was illuminated but his eyelashes blocked the light, his pupils dark and unreadable. Ji Sheng sighed, frowned, covered his wrist and said softly, half-true and half-false: ¡°My hand hurts.¡± This immediately distracted Xie Xuanming from all kinds of thoughts. He leaned closer, asking eagerly, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, did you hurt anything?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Ji Sheng held his wrist and pursed his lips as if in pain. ¡°It¡¯s probably a phantom pain from a psychological effect, but it really hurts.¡± Xie Xuanming looked down for a while, then straightened up: ¡°Wasn¡¯t it your right hand that was injured before?¡± Ji Sheng: ¡­¡­ Ji Sheng changed his hands without changing his expression and switched to covering his right wrist with his left hand. ¡°It hurts¡­¡± The gloomy expression quickly faded from Xie Xuanming¡¯s face, replaced by a cold look of ¡°pretend again, I will watch¡±. As if he hadn¡¯t seen it, Ji Sheng grabbed the hem of Xie Xuanming¡¯s clothes with a hook of his finger, and softly said shamelessly: ¡°Sing me a song. It won¡¯t hurt if you sing me a song.¡± CH 73 Although Ji Sheng¡¯s trick was debunked, Xie Xuanming finally sang him a song. Ji Sheng was also very generous, accepting a pop song as a lullaby, and fell asleep while listening to it. Xie Xuanming stared at his sleeping face for a while, then got up and went out. He still had some things to deal with. At eight o¡¯clock the next morning, when people were rushing on the subway and bus to school or work, a report and a recording were quietly uploaded to Weibo, soaring to the top of the hot search list at an unbelievable speed. The report was just an uneventful police report. It reported that a woman surnamed Liu broke into a private house and was arrested. Miss Liu was also suspected of purchasing prohibited drugs, invading the privacy of others, spreading rumours and slandering as well as maliciously injuring and intentionally killing people. The police were still investigating this matter. This post did not attract public attention at the beginning; the passers-by swiping it only sighed that this person had committed so many crimes. It was like a hodgepodge, one couldn¡¯t even count¡­ With a slip of a finger, the news was skipped carelessly. However, when this official announcement was linked to a recording posted by other media accounts at the same time, it instantly detonated a hot search. The recording was posted by several marketing accounts. There was no doubt that it was Xie Xuanming¡¯s handwriting. He had been in the entertainment circle for years, and many media he knew were willing to give him face, not to mention that the recording he sent to them this time was a big deal. The marketing accounts were so eager that they even were ready to pay money for an exclusive release. Xie Xuanming did not agree to the exclusive release request. He rejected all the people who offered money for the recording and only asked to conceal his identity as the source. The voices of the two people in the recording were processed, so that the real voices could not be heard, but the content of the conversation was very clear. ¡°I have met so many artists, and you are the calmest one.¡± ¡°You really look like him. Looking at you¡­ makes me want to slash your face.¡± ¡°You went to see *** a few days ago¡­ what did you talk about?¡± ¡°*** that bitch is a ghost!! (The sound of tearing the fabric) I clearly told them to kill you at the time¡­ This bunch of trash, good-for-nothings, useless, you¡­¡± ¡°*** told me that *** didn¡¯t harass him at all, it was just the company¡­¡± ¡°What do you know? *** that bitch, getting next to *** is blasphemy against ***. How dared he seduce ***, he deserved to die!!¡± The conversation between the two was rough, obviously in a state of coercion and intimidation, which made people cringe as they listened. Several marketing accounts with a large number of followers carried the topic of #sisheng recording#, and the popularity of the entry was raised to the highest level. In the comment area, passers-by and fans were shocked by how low the bottom line of the sisheng fan was. [Is this a sisheng?? It¡¯s a murderer, right?] [Sishengs are already criminals, but those who have gone this far are the oddest of the odd.] [Go to jail for a few years (vomiting)] [What a few years? If this sisheng really did those things, it¡¯s going to be ten years or more¡­] [I¡¯m really curious about the name omitted in the recording is, it seems to be three syllables] [Three-syllable name¡­ combined with another blocked name, I can probably decipher it] [Me too¡­] [Who is it, asking the two upstairs to decode in a private message¡­] [Don¡¯t be curious about which star it is, okay? The artists involved in this situation are unlucky enough. The commenter does not hold the sisheng accountable but runs to infringe the privacy of the victims? If you are a star, don¡¯t you have human rights? Please be kind!] [Wanting to know the artist¡¯s name is not kind? This sisheng does not harass her idol but runs to harm others. I wonder who her idol is.] [This kind of fan is a disaster, why do you blame the artist? Speechless] [¡­¡­] [Don¡¯t make noise yet, go see the police report! Someone did an analysis and comparison, and this sisheng is really suspected of murder!] In the era of the Internet, even if two things didn¡¯t seem to be connected, it was a matter of minutes for netizens to establish a relationship between them, not to mention the fact that they had the same source of information. The melon-eating masses quickly linked Miss Liu, who was ¡°guilty of several crimes¡± in the report, with the sisheng in the recording. What¡¯s more, they directly deciphered that the three-syllable name coded in the recording was Sheng Kongzhi, and the two-character name was Ji Sheng. Two stars with many grudges were involved in the strife, no doubt adding flavour to the melon-eating. [The star with a two-syllable name is Ji Sheng??? That Ji Sheng accused of sexual harrassment?? The one who died in a drunk driving car accident??] [The one in the recording said that there was no sexual harassment¡­] [Upstairs, don¡¯t make false rumors, sexual harassment was officially hammered and this is just a recording, no fart to support it] [Fans of the White Lotus Sheng can shut up. The lawyer¡¯s letter is called ¡°hammered¡±? Have you forgotten that your brother sued for sexual harassment another time and forced an actress to withdraw from the circle? ] [Speaking of which, it¡¯s really¡­ Why does Sheng Kongzhi like to accusepeople of sexual harrassment so much?] [There is a bonus, Sheng the Marketing Coffee can do anything for the heat.] [Is your brainless black mouth so dirty that both of your parents died violently?] [?? How can White Lotus Sheng¡¯s fans have the face to say that others have dirty mouths?] [Did no one notice the focus of the report and the recording? ¡°Premeditated murder¡±, ah. From this point of view, could Ji Sheng¡¯s car accident not be an accident? ] [¡­If you think about it carefully, it is extremely terrifying] [Whether it was an accident or not, he was drink driving and deserved it] [Who knows, someone¡¯s company can turn black into white] [¡­¡­] Online public opinion exploded, and the Weibo server was directly paralyzed twice in a row. However, Sheng Kongzhi and Qingchu, who were constantly mentioned in the centre of public opinion, were uncharacteristically silent and did not issue a statement for a while, which ¡°hammered¡± netizens¡¯ speculation and made public opinion even more chaotic. Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s fans who couldn¡¯t control the scene retreated for a short time and turned to Qingchu official blog, yelling and accusing the company of not being human and not dealing with rumours, allowing the public opinion to ferment to the point where it was now. But the fans didn¡¯t know that Qingchu didn¡¯t deal with it at this time not because it didn¡¯t want to but because there was a fire burning under them and they couldn¡¯t even take care of themselves anymore. ¡°What are you talking about? Who is in trouble??¡± Li Tan slapped the table, shocked and angry. ¡°Mr. Liu was investigated this morning. It seems to be bribery¡­ collusion between government and business, and he has been taken away.¡± The secretary looked very pale. Mr. Liu was one of the largest shareholders of Qingchu. He funded and supported Qingchu from its origin. It could be said that he was the pillar and the backer of Qingchu¡¯s foothold in the entertainment industry. Now that the backer had fallen, how could Qingchu dodge the aftermath of the sky falling apart? Li Tan¡¯s heart stuttered. As a dark horse, Qingchu attracted a lot of attention. In addition, in recent years, they had done a lot of dishonourable things and become a thorn in the eyes of some people. In the past, Qingchu had the protection of the backer and could do whatever it wanted with peace of mind. Now¡­ Li Tan didn¡¯t dare to recall what Qingchu had done for prestige and profit. He only remembered that these managers were all brought by his younger brother who was also responsible for everyday contacts. He asked eagerly: ¡°Is Qingchu affected? Where¡¯s Li Mi? Call him over, I have something to ask him.¡± ¡°Mr. Xiao Li¡­ Mr. Xiao Li was also taken away, it seems¡­ he was suspected of money laundering.¡± Li Tan¡¯s vision went black, and he collapsed heavily on the chair. ¡°Internet public opinion is very unfriendly to Qingchu. In the past few years, it has provoked too many people.¡± Xie Xuanming held the steering wheel, stopping in front of the red light, ¡°A single Sheng Kongzhi is messy enough, not to mention that there are many other artists under Qingchu, each of whom has taken a harmful and self-serving route¡­¡± Ji Sheng was sitting in the co-pilot, feeling a little stifled by the seat belt and struggling uncomfortably: ¡°Did they hurt you?¡± ¡°No.¡± Xie Xuanming glanced at him and stretched out his hand to help adjust the seat belt, ¡°I have a handle in my hand, they didn¡¯t dare.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ji Sheng sat up straight, ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s hand lingered on Ji Sheng¡¯s clothes and didn¡¯t withdraw until Ji Sheng reminded him that ¡°the green light was on.¡± ¡°Of course, Qingchu didn¡¯t do anything to me.¡± Xie Xuanming said, looking ahead. ¡°En?¡± ¡°Ji Hui was sent by them to spy on me.¡± Xie Xuanming calmly threw out the explosive news, ¡°They set up a drinking game to send him over and create all sorts of similarities to test¡­ I wonder what else he would have done if I hadn¡¯t found out in time that he was in contact with Qingchu.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ji Sheng looked at Xie Xuanming in shock, lowered his eyes for a while, and recalled, ¡°No wonder you were so fierce when you first saw me.¡± ¡°¡­fierce?¡± ¡°Pretty fierce.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°I almost didn¡¯t dare to recognize you, thinking of the way you used to be¡­ that was too much of a change.¡± ¡°Whose fault was it?¡± Xie Xuanming glanced at him. ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng choked and it took a while before he turned his head and carefully tugged Xie Xuanming¡¯s cuffs, ¡°Angry?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get angry that easily with you.¡± Xie Xuanming lowered his voice, looked ahead and muttered to himself, ¡°All these years, and you don¡¯t even know it.¡± The purpose of their trip was to pick up Ji Yueming from the hospital. Qingchu didn¡¯t have time to bother with her, so things naturally relaxed a lot on Ji Yueming¡¯s side and the lawyer got her out without much effort. Ji Sheng knew about it, but he still didn¡¯t feel at ease. He wanted to see Ji Yueming and settle her down. Xie Xuanming arranged for his people to go through various formalities, and then took Ji Sheng to Ji Yueming¡¯s bedside. ¡°I¡¯m going to do some errands.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°You guys talk.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s gaze already was on Ji Yueming, his eyes dry. Ji Yueming had lost weight and looked much older; her cheeks were sunken in and she looked not very energetic, except for the pair of eyes that still shone brightly with curiosity as they surveyed Ji Sheng. ¡°Hello.¡± She took the initiative to say. ¡°Hello.¡± Ji Sheng said softly. ¡°Do you know that one?¡± Ji Yueming nodded at the door; Ji Sheng turned his head and saw Xie Xuanming standing against the door frame. Ji Yueming said with a smile: ¡°I heard that this guy paid for my medical expenses for the past two years. He also helped out this time, so if you know him, remember to say thank you for me.¡± ¡°Okay, I will say it.¡± Ji Sheng replied gently, silent for a moment, struggling with the difficulty of speaking, ¡°Is there anything else you want to say?¡± Ji Yueming¡¯s smile faded a little. She leaned back slightly and looked at Ji Sheng gently: ¡°Is he your friend?¡± Ji Sheng was taken aback for a moment, then nodded in response: ¡°En.¡± ¡°So.¡± Ji Yueming lowered her head and smiled, then raised her head as if she made up her mind and said: ¡°Son, the Dragon Boat Festival(1) is approaching, don¡¯t you want to bring your friend home for dinner?¡± CH 74 ¡°You¡­¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s throat was dry and it took a while before he said with difficulty, ¡°How did you recognize me?¡± ¡°How can a mother not recognize her own child?¡± Ji Yueming laughed a little and reached out to caress Ji Sheng¡¯s cheek, coaxing him like a child, ¡°Even if I recognize you, there¡¯s no need to cry¡­¡± Ji Sheng blinked, only to find that his cheeks were wet. He looked at Ji Yueming¡¯s gentle expression and finally couldn¡¯t hold back. He threw himself forward into her arms and hugged her, whispering, ¡±Mom¡­¡± Ji Yueming patted Ji Sheng¡¯s back gently, her eyes a little red: ¡°My Xiao Sheng has suffered a lot of grievances.¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t say anything, but buried his head on Ji Yueming¡¯s shoulder, crying like a child. Xie Xuanming leaned against the door, quietly turning away, leaving space for this reunion of mother and son. After about ten minutes, Ji Sheng calmed down, let go of Ji Yueming, and smiled embarrassedly. ¡°Are you doing well?¡± Ji Yueming asked, ¡°Why are you¡­?¡± ¡°Pretty good.¡± Ji Sheng wiped away his tears, omitted some details and roughly described to Ji Yueming what happened. ¡°The criminal who harmed you has been caught, right?¡± After he finished speaking, Ji Yueming asked. ¡°Yes, caught two days ago, it should be difficult for her to get out again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Ji Yueming breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°Then I can go back with peace of mind.¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± Ji Sheng was stunned, ¡°Aren¡¯t you coming with me?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t live at home now either, do you?¡± Ji Yueming smiled and squeezed his face, ¡°I want to go to see your grandmother.¡± Ji Yueming had played in a band since she was young and rejected a marriage arranged by her family. Her parents were so angry that they cut off any contact with her. Later, Ji Yueming¡¯s mother couldn¡¯t bear it. She tried to contact Ji Yueming several times, but was rejected by Ji Yueming who still hadn¡¯t forgiven her. Ji Sheng hadn¡¯t seen his grandmother even a handful of times when he was a child. He knew little about Ji Yueming¡¯s family. Now that Ji Yueming said that she was going back there, he was a little stunned. ¡°When people go to the ghost gate, they always change somewhat.¡± Ji Yueming sighed, ¡°And I still want to continue to play rock and roll. How can I be a parasite by my son¡¯s side all the time?¡± Ji Yueming¡¯s eyes sparkled; Ji Sheng knew her character, so he didn¡¯t force her: ¡°Well then, pay attention to your safety, and call me if you feel uncomfortable or if anything is wrong.¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Ji Yueming said with a smile, ¡°At any rate, I am your mother. I have eaten at least twenty more New Year¡¯s meals than you. Don¡¯t make it sound like I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing.¡± Ji Yueming turned to look at Xie Xuanming at the door, her eyes curious: ¡°Is Mr. Xie the one who came to our place for dinner before?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°He¡¯s changed so much that I can barely recognize him.¡± Ji Yueming nodded thoughtfully, ¡°But you guys are so close. With such a sincere friend by your side, I feel more at ease¡­ Go now, you make people wait for a long time, I¡¯ll just go back by myself later.¡± Ji Sheng looked at her, wanted to say something but finally stood up and went to Xie Xuanming. Ji Yueming was determined to go back to her own home. Xie Xuanming arranged for someone to handle the procedures and send her there, and then took Ji Sheng to the car. On the way back to the villa, Ji Sheng received an anonymous call. Real estate agent? Sisheng? Reporter? Or was it¡­ Ji Sheng ran through the guesses in his mind and was not surprised to hear Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s voice when he picked up. ¡°Hello, Xiao Sheng?¡± Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s voice sounded obviously a bit exhausted, ¡°Sorry to interrupt again, I want to ask, do you know about the recent incident with Qingchu?¡± Ji Sheng did not answer at once; he didn¡¯t pay much attention to Qingchu recently. He lowered the phone, turned his head and asked Xie Xuanming, ¡°Something happened to Qingchu?¡± ¡°En. A major shareholder was arrested, the capital chain was broken, the artists left, public trust collapsed, and all parties asked to withdraw their investments¡­¡± Xie Xuanming recounted one by one. ¡°Oh, so tragic.¡± Ji Sheng replied insincerely and put the phone back to his ear to reply to Sheng Kongzhi, ¡°I know. Is there a problem that you are calling?¡± ¡°Xiao Sheng, I know that Qingchu wronged you, but we are all willing to compensate for these things¡­ But in this situation¡­ Brother Tan was so angry that he went to the hospital. I really have no other choice, I can only come to you. You are also Qingchu. For the sake of old times, can you help me ask Xiao Xi to let Qingchu go¡­¡± ¡°Wait, let me ask.¡± Ji Sheng listened to him patiently for a long time, then covered the microphone and turned his head, ¡°Can you let Qingchu go, please.¡± ¡°Are you begging?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s Sheng Kongzhi.¡± ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t.¡± Xie Xuanming said indifferently. ¡°Okay.¡± Ji Sheng nodded and said to the phone, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, he can¡¯t.¡± Then he said: ¡°And if you really want to plead for mercy, I advise you not to call me Xiao Sheng, nor to call him Xiao Xie. Because if you do, I am afraid that Qingchu will end up even worse.¡± ¡°Xiao¡­¡± Without waiting for Sheng Kongzhi to finish, Ji Sheng hung up the phone and by the way put this number into the blacklist. ¡°You know me quite well.¡± Xie Xuanming glanced at him, saw Ji Sheng lower his eyes, his thoughts unreadable, and asked, ¡°Do you want to let Qingchu go?¡± ¡°That¡¯s just a bit of emotion¡­ I¡¯m not that kind.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°There is revenge for grievances and there is grace in return to kindness.¡± Xie Xuanming said nothing more. Before they arrived at the garage and got out of the car, he asked without thinking, ¡°Is there grace in return to kindness, do you really think so?¡± After saying that, Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t wait for an answer, unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car, leaving Ji Sheng in the co-pilot. Ji Sheng waited for the lights to dim, sighed quietly and finally pushed the door to get out of the car too. ¡°Music First 2¡± ended earlier than planned. This eventful show was not able to run three stages plus a final before the debut group was born in the limelight, as it had in the previous season. In the second season, the show¡¯s rules were changed, from the most popular musicians forming a debut group to the most popular band signing up as a whole, and the length of the show was forced to shrink with all the rumours and scandals surrounding it. It was rushed to a close after the second public performance. Although the show made a lot of mess, the attention was not low, especially towards Niepan. Because of the frequent rumours about the drummer, and those rumours being clarified, the public knew the band very well. Niepan¡¯s popularity made a qualitative leap, putting it in the first position after the second public performance, with a huge gap in popularity with the second place. The members of Niepan didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or to cry at the strange way their popularity had soared. They had been working diligently for years to run commercial shows without any splash, but surrounded by rumours and hype, they became a big name. It could only be said that the entertainment industry was a game of capital. Niepan, both unfortunate and lucky, anyway, had at least worked hard and had talent, so their strength matched their popularity. Before the final night, Lu Haoren was discharged from the hospital and reunited with Niepan. The complete Niepan played perfectly, bringing this tumultuous journey to a successful conclusion. On the night of the final, after several bands performed, the host appeared on the stage with a small card with the name of the winner. After whetting everyone¡¯s appetite, he finally announced the debuting band: ¡±Congratulations to¡­ Niepan¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°Wait a minute!¡± There was a sudden interruption from the waiting area, ¡°I have something to say.¡± The host slammed on the brakes and looked towards the source of the voice. The light also turned to illuminate Ji Sheng. Ji Sheng held a microphone in his hand; the host was taken aback for a moment, glancing at the director in the audience. The director and the host looked at each other; the scene was not in the script, and they both looked confused. The host scratched his head; the director didn¡¯t give a hint, so he could only gesture: ¡°Please go ahead, contestant Ji Hui.¡± ¡°Participating in the show ¡°Music First¡±, I met many friends and gained many fans. This was flattering and I cherish the moments spent on this show¡­¡± Ji Sheng said the usual words of thanks, but suddenly his monologue took a different turn, ¡°However, because of my personal circumstances, I have caused a lot of trouble for this show. After discussing with the members, we agreed that we should not be shameless enough to cause any more trouble for the show, nor are we entitled to enjoy any of the glory that belongs to the winner. So I am sorry¡­ Please allow me, on behalf of Niepan, to choose to withdraw from the competition at this point.¡± As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar. When the host spoke, everyone confirmed that the victory was already in Niepan¡¯s bag. Everyone knew that KUZI¡¯s tactics were disgraceful, but the resources the show was giving to the winner ¨C a year and a half contract with Hemei Entertainment ¨C were undoubtedly excellent resources for a small band with no name and no backer. What¡¯s more, Niepan¡¯s contract had just been terminated by their company. It could be said that their life was uncertain and their future unreliable. Now Ji Sheng had withdrawn from the competition on behalf of the band and given up signing the contract. Both the show and the audience were puzzled as to why they were giving away the benefits they had been handed. ¡°Then what¡­¡± The host¡¯s expression was stiff as he tried to salvage the situation, ¡°Has contestant Ji Hui confirmed this decision? Perhaps it can be reconsidered¡­¡± ¡°No need to think about it, it¡¯s a joint choice of our band.¡± Lu Haoren took over the mic; he was still a little unsteady on his feet, but at the moment his words were calm and extraordinarily convincing, ¡°Thank you to the show for taking care of us, and thank you to all the fans for your support, and the audience for your understanding. I look forward to the day when Niepan is revived and we will see you all again.¡± With that said, Niepan no longer hesitated, the members bowed to the camera together and walked off the scene amidst the chaos. ¡°Is it really okay for us to withdraw from the competition like this?¡±After getting off the stage, the guitarist began to have second thoughts, ¡°We won¡¯t get blocked by KUZI for not giving face, right?¡± ¡°What are you afraid of! Teacher Xie has us covered!¡± The keyboardist grinned, hugging him. Niepan dared to play this game in the final scene, naturally not on a whim. The suddenly lifted stage, the collapsed beams¡­ These unexpected accidents made Niepan have a grudge against KUZI a long time ago. In addition, Hemei Entertainment was also notorious for squeezing artists, not a good place to go¡­ If there was no choice, they would have had to accept it, but on the edge of the cliff, Xie Xuanming stretched out a helping hand and offered a good contract. Niepan had no reason to refuse. But¡­ ¡°Do you really want to sign it?¡± Huang Sizhe leaned to Ji Sheng and asked in a low voice, ¡°The contract is seven years. If you really sign it, you won¡¯t be able to get rid of that guy surnamed Xie.¡± ¡°This is an employment contract, not a deed of sale.¡± Ji Sheng smiled dumbfounded, and comforted, ¡°And Xie Xuanming is actually a good person, and he treats me¡­ very well, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Oh, the electronic version of the contract has been sent!¡± The keyboardist excitedly interrupted the conversation between the two. Ji Sheng and Huang Sizhe stopped talking, and the Niepan members gathered together and looked at the electronic contract curiously. The first page had the company¡¯s logo printed on it, and it was the first time Ji Sheng had seen anything related to Xie Xuanming¡¯s company, so he curiously looked closer at it. When he saw the logo, his pupils shrank in amazement. The two black lines formed the mountains, and in front of the mountains, a few horizontal and vertical strokes depicted a simple house. Under the logo, the company¡¯s name was bright and clear. Xuansheng CH 75 After Niepan withdrew, Xie Xuanming, as the mentor, continued to watch the farce coldly from the mentor¡¯s seat. After the show crew quickly changed the ranking, made the second-place band the first and reluctantly announced that the season was over, he got up and left the recording scene without looking back. Xie Xuanming wanted to go backstage to find Ji Sheng, but as soon as he got off the stage, someone rushed out in the corridor, blocking his way. Ji Sheng braked abruptly in front of Xie Xuanming, patting his chest to suppress the big gasp caused by his hasty run. The man he wanted to see bumped into him right away. Xie Xuanming¡¯s indifferent expression became more relaxed: ¡°Why are you in such a hurry?¡± ¡°Your watch.¡± Ji Sheng asked, ¡°The Rolex one, the broken one, is it still there?¡± ¡°¡­it is.¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t know why he was asking, ¡°Why do you suddenly ask about it¡­¡± ¡°I want to take a look.¡± Ji Sheng glanced at him, ¡°Is it okay?¡± Xie Xuanming looked at him for a second and agreed: ¡°Okay.¡± Xie Xuanming drove Ji Sheng back to the villa, took out the key from the drawer, opened the study cabinet and took out a card and a key. Ji Sheng watched him perform these operations and finally walked to the basement together with him. ¡°Is it in there?¡± Ji Sheng was slightly surprised. The master bedroom was equipped with a clothes room. In the middle of it there was an accessories table. Xie Xuanming¡¯s belts, watches and cufflinks were stored in it. Ji Sheng originally thought that Rolex would also be there. ¡°En.¡± Xie Xuanming pushed open the door of the basement, ¡°Come in.¡± Ji Sheng walked into the basement; the drum set was still located in the centre and a new pair of drumsticks was placed on the wall. He didn¡¯t pay attention when he came last time and only now did Ji Sheng see clearly that the brand of the drumsticks was the one used by him in his previous life. While he was looking at the drumsticks, Xie Xuanming turned and opened a secret compartment in the wall and took out a box. He opened the box and handed it to Ji Sheng: ¡°See.¡± Ji Sheng turned and stared intently. The skewed glass attached to the watch ring contrasted strongly with the dark blue velvet lining. It was simply a piece of garbage packaged in a beautiful shell. When he was young and stupid, he ignorantly ruined a famous watch like this. Ji Sheng looked at the crooked screws and touched his nose in embarrassment. Sorry as he was, Ji Sheng remembered the purpose of his visit and took the box, blocking out the light to take a closer look at the fluorescent scribbles on the watch glass. Exactly the same. The simple strokes drawn by him once were the logo of Xie Xuanming¡¯s company. At the sight of this reality, Ji Sheng¡¯s hands shook, and Xie Xuanming stepped forward to help him, just in time to prevent the watch from being dropped once again. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Ji Sheng said. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Xie Xuanming took the box and closed the lid. Ji Sheng watched him put the watch box where he had found it, meticulously locking the secret compartment and pushing it to make sure it was correctly locked before turning back confidently. Who would steal this kind of thing? Ji Sheng swallowed hard; many words were stuck in his throat and couldn¡¯t be uttered. Xie Xuanming once again let him see his feelings generously. Even if it was a broken watch, Xie Xuanming solemnly stored it because it was related to Ji Sheng. Ji Sheng wanted to convince himself that Xie Xuanming cherished the watch because it was given by his mother. However, no matter how much he tried, he didn¡¯t have the confidence to confirm it. Ji Sheng wanted to stop talking, but Xie Xuanming had something to say: ¡°Can you accompany me to a place tomorrow?¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Hospital.¡± ¡°Are you sick?¡± Ji Sheng was taken aback, his tone of voice becoming more urgent. ¡°Not really.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°Just go get some medicine and do some review by the way¡­ It¡¯s not serious, I just don¡¯t want to go alone.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°Okay.¡± Ji Sheng thought that Xie Xuanming had a chronic illness such as a stomach problem or an allergy. Who knew that Xie Xuanming would take him into the hospital and go straight to the Psychiatric Department. ¡°Wait a minute here.¡± Xie Xuanming said, holding the door handle, ¡°I will say a few words to the doctor.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ji Sheng replied blankly. Xie Xuanming went in; Ji Sheng was stunned for a while and then sat down on a chair. There was a quarrel between a mother and a daughter on the side, to be precise, the mother was lecturing her daughter unilaterally. ¡°You! You can¡¯t do well at school, and now you¡¯ve got some kind of disease! What a waste!¡± ¡°Lady, it¡¯s not appropriate for your daughter to listen to overly aggressive remarks, please¡­¡± A doctor tried to stop her. ¡°What¡¯s appropriate or not, it¡¯s all pretentious! Kids nowadays are so fragile, they¡¯re not even a little bit considerate of their parents, like we were back then¡­¡± Her daughter, who had been hanging her head, suddenly burst into tears, ¡°It¡¯s not like I wanted to get sick! Can you not blame me for everything¡­¡± The girl¡¯s sharp crying made Ji Sheng¡¯s heart throb. He retracted his gaze and clenched his hands unconsciously on his knees. Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d go in for a few words? Why wasn¡¯t Xie Xuanming coming out yet? Ji Sheng sat on pins and needles for a while until the girl¡¯s crying turned to sobbing under the comfort of the doctor. As Ji Sheng stood up, Xie Xuanming walked up to him with a bunch of papers and asked, ¡°Do you want to talk to the doctor?¡± ¡°En?¡± Ji Sheng was startled, ¡°What am I going to talk about with the doctor¡­?¡± ¡°He wants to talk to you about my situation.¡± Xie Xuanming said quietly, ¡°I said I¡¯m fine, it¡¯s up to you.¡± ¡°So¡­¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it.¡± Ji Sheng entered the room and Xie Xuanming closed the door from the outside. The sound was so loud that Ji Sheng glanced back at the closed door, and the doctor¡¯s voice came from behind. ¡°Mr. Ji, please sit down.¡± Ji Sheng turned his head, and the doctor kindly gestured to the empty seat in front of him. Ji Sheng took two steps forward and sat down, sniffing the remaining scent of grass of Xie Xuanming¡¯s perfume: ¡°Do you know me?¡± ¡°Mr. Xie often talks to me about you.¡± ¡°¡­Can a psychiatrist tell others about his conversations with the patient?¡± Ji Sheng was a little sceptical. ¡°The parts that Mr. Xie agrees to share are okay to discuss, and the parts that Mr. Xie wants to keep confidential are not.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Ji Sheng nodded and asked, ¡°What is his illness? Depression?¡± ¡°Mr. Xie didn¡¯t want to say this part.¡± The doctor raised his chin slightly, ¡°Probably because he is afraid you will be worried.¡± This will only make me more worried. Ji Sheng wrinkled his nose. ¡°Is his situation serious? Will there be¡­ any extreme ideas¡­?¡± Ji Sheng moved his chair forward and asked, ¡°Can you talk about this?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The doctor said, ¡°Mr. Xie is currently in stable condition. As long as he takes the medicine on time, maintains a good state of mind, and has a normal working schedule, nothing will happen.¡± ¡°This way¡­¡± Ji Sheng lowered his eyes, and silently recalled whether he had provoked Xie Xuanming to lose control of his emotions in recent days. Unfortunately, there were such occurrences, and even more unfortunately, the number of times was not small. Ji Sheng closed his eyes and let out a silent sigh, thinking that he had made a mistake. ¡°Mr. Ji, the reason why I am talking to you is that in Mr. Xie¡¯s subconscious mind, you are a very important person. If I put it more heavily, you have the power to influence his psychological condition,¡± the doctor said seriously. ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t know how to react for a while, ¡°Then what should I do?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t actually have to do anything deliberately, after all, you have no obligation to do anything for Mr. Xie.¡± The doctor¡¯s tone changed a little, ¡°But since Mr. Xie is my patient, I hope he can make a speedy recovery. In his situation, it is best to have trusted and close people around to comfort him, but Mr. Ji, you also know the situation in Mr. Xie¡¯s family¡­¡± Ji Sheng listened to the doctor¡¯s words in silence. The doctor finally said: ¡°In fact, you don¡¯t need to do anything in particular. Just stay with Mr. Xie. It would be great if you could comfort him when he is out of control.¡± ¡°I will try my best.¡± Ji Sheng got up, ¡°I probably understand. Thank you, doctor.¡± He hesitated and eventually did not ask what the consequences would be if he made a choice that made Xie Xuanming hurt and disappointed. There was a high probability that nothing joyful would happen. Ji Sheng instinctively avoided learning of this outcome. He opened the door and found Xie Xuanming right in front of it, just as he¡¯d left him when coming in. ¡°Didn¡¯t you go to get the medicine?¡± Ji Sheng was taken aback. ¡°Waiting for you.¡± Xie Xuanming said, showing that kind of subtle childish temper again, ¡°Everyone is accompanied, and I don¡¯t want to go alone.¡± ¡°¡­then let¡¯s go.¡± While they were queuing up, Ji Yueming called and said she would go back to her hometown tomorrow and would not be back until more than a month later. She told Ji Sheng not to wait for the Dragon Boat Festival and go home for dinner tonight. Ji Sheng hung up the phone and looked at Xie Xuanming. ¡°My mom.¡± Ji Sheng moved to put Xie Xuanming¡¯s cap down over his head, covering those iconic eyes, ¡°Are you free tonight? Want to come to my house for dinner?¡± ¡°Did Auntie invite me?¡± ¡°No, I invite you.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The hair was pressed into his eyes but Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t lift the cap, he just squinted, looked at Ji Sheng suspiciously, and agreed, ¡°Okay.¡± When Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming entered the house in the evening, Ji Yueming was cutting vegetables. She was originally a drummer and her arm muscles were strong, but after lying in bed for two years, she lost a lot of weight and there was not much meat left on her arms, so her hand was shaking when she held the kitchen knife. Seeing her hands shake so badly, Ji Sheng was really worried, hurried over to stop her and started to work by himself. However, Ji Sheng had never cooked a meal before, and he couldn¡¯t hold the knife steadily. His hands shook more severely than Ji Yueming¡¯s when he cut the vegetables. The knife was chopping dangerously close to his fingers. His reaction was quick, otherwise he would have shed blood a long time ago. Xie Xuanming frowned until he couldn¡¯t watch it anymore. He took the kitchen knife from Ji Sheng¡¯s hands and inherited the great business of chopping vegetables. He also did it to give some time for Ji Yueming and Ji Sheng to spend together. After the last time they met, the mother and son hadn¡¯t had a chance to sit down and talk¡­ And the changes and problems that have occurred in the past two years really needed to be solved by communication. Ji Yueming and Ji Sheng sat down at the dining table. Ji Sheng just remembered that the last time he sat here was when he brought Xie Xuanming and Sheng Kongzhi to dinner¡­ A little distracted, he listened to Ji Yueming speak. ¡°About Kongzhi¡­ I know.¡± Ji Yueming sighed and said gloomily, ¡°It¡¯s really sad.¡± She watched Sheng Kongzhi grow up, and she used to treat this unfortunate little boy as her own son, but who could have imagined that Sheng Kongzhi would actually do these things. It was really chilling. Ji Sheng had already put it behind him but was still a bit uncomfortable to hear Ji Yueming mention it. He patted Ji Yueming¡¯s hand and said softly, ¡°Don¡¯t think about it.¡± ¡°Okay, okay, I don¡¯t want to mention him anymore.¡± Ji Yueming shook her head and pulled herself together, ¡°But you, aren¡¯t you sad?¡± ¡± ¡°Why should I be sad?¡± Ji Sheng smiled. ¡°Didn¡¯t you like him?¡± Ji Yueming blurted out. ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Ji Sheng choked on his saliva and coughed loudly. Ji Yueming sat up straight, slapped him hard on the back and said angrily: ¡°Boy, you can hide it from other people, but can you hide it from your mother? Don¡¯t worry, your mother is very open-minded and have no prejudice against homosexuality¡­ As long as you find someone who is of legal age, is not a criminal and treats you well, I won¡¯t mind at all.¡± Ji Sheng relaxed a little, swallowed twice and whispered, not knowing how to react: ¡°Thank you, Mom.¡± ¡°No thanks.¡± Ji Yueming withdrew her hand, covered her mouth and lowered his voice suddenly, ¡°I think this kid is good.¡± ¡°Ahem, ahem, ahem, ahem, ahem!!!¡± Ji Sheng missed a breath and coughed again in shock. The author has something to say£º Except for Xiao Ji, the whole world is shipping Xiao Xie x Xiao Ji CH 76 ¡°Ahem, ahem, ahem, ahem, ahem¡ª¡± Ji Sheng almost coughed himself to death. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± His cough was so earth-shattering that it forced Xie Xuanming to put down the kitchen knife. Xie Xuanming raised his hand to help but at once realised that his palms were wet, so he turned his hand backwards to touch Ji Sheng¡¯s throat with his wrist gently. ¡°It¡¯s okay, ahem.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s face turned red, ¡°I just choked.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Xuanming continued to stand by his side for a while and returned to the kitchen when he looked better. Ji Sheng finally calmed down, patted his chest to stabilise his emotions, and turned his eyes to Ji Yueming. Ji Yueming looked at him somewhat admiringly and gave him a thumbs up. Ji Sheng: ¡­¡­ Ji Sheng wanted to cough again. ¡°Mom, can you stop looking at me with this kind of ¡®you are amazing¡¯ look?¡± Ji Sheng did his best to breathe evenly. ¡°My dear, but you are really amazing.¡± Ji Yueming said sincerely. ¡°How come I didn¡¯t have this kind of insight into men when I was younger.¡± ¡°? I don¡¯t have any insight!!!¡± Ji Sheng felt wronged. ¡°Fine, fine, no insight, no insight.¡± Ji Yueming coaxed repeatedly, but after a while quietly came over and asked in a whisper, ¡°Really not?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ji Sheng almost ran away, ¡°He is¡­ a very good friend.¡± ¡°Really¡­¡± Ji Yueming muttered, ¡°Then this kid is very good, ready to help his friends every way possible¡­¡± Ji Sheng was quiet for a while, then muttered to himself: ¡°Too good¡­¡± Actually, so good that no matter what decision was made, there would be guilt. Xie Xuanming came to Ji Sheng¡¯s house as a guest but cooked the meal, which caused Ji Yueming¡¯s quite sincere admiration. Xie Xuanming held his head down in front of Ji Yueming, as well-behaved as a Pomeranian kneaded by humans. Ji Sheng looked at Xie Xuanming darkly, remembering that he had been fooled by such a well-behaved appearance back then, to the extent of being blind and thinking the kid was harmless. Like mother, like son. Since Ji Sheng was fond of this kind of good boy type, Ji Yueming naturally fancied it too. The more she looked at Xie Xuanming, the more she liked him, and after the meal she wanted to recognise him as her adopted son. After the three of them finished their meal and chatted for a while, Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming got up and said goodbye to Ji Yueming. ¡°Pay attention to safety when you go home.¡± Ji Sheng instructed as he hugged Ji Yueming when leaving. ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Ji Yueming said, ¡°So do you, son. Be safe. Remember to call me if you need something.¡± The two hugged for a while; Ji Sheng took a step back, and when Ji Yueming closed the door, he turned around and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Xie Xuanming, who was waiting in the background, whispered, ¡°En.¡± Getting in the car, Xie Xuanming asked, ¡°Do you have any plans beyond Niepan?¡± ¡°I thought you were the one making the decisions, didn¡¯t you sign us to Xuansheng?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in charge of running the artists.¡± Xie Xuanming said. ¡°So¡­ no one has told us about the next itinerary.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°But the members all want to take advantage of the popularity to start a tour. If they can go, they will be happy¡­ I will meet with the new agent tomorrow and discuss the itinerary by the way.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Xuanming seemed to recall the unhappy events from Ji Sheng¡¯s previous ¡°personal tour¡±, frowned and didn¡¯t say anything more. It was Ji Sheng who glanced at him a few more times, wanting to say something; but in the end, he didn¡¯t say anything. The next day, Xie Xuanming had an appointment, so he asked the driver to take Ji Sheng to the company instead of him. Ji Sheng habitually pulled the co-pilot door and only then did he react to the driver¡¯s confused eyes. ¡°Sorry.¡± He closed the front door and sat in the back seat after scratching his head for a long time. Habits are really terrible things. That¡¯s what Ji Sheng thought. The new agent was still the previous cold-faced big brother. This did not surprise Ji Sheng. This guy was designated by Xie Xuanming and it was normal for him to be in charge of Niepan. Niepan didn¡¯t mind either. Although the agent looked cold, he was doing a good job and could sometimes be used as a bodyguard. The members were surprised for a moment and quickly accepted the fact that the agent remained unchanged. Taking into account their relationship with Xie Xuanming, Xuansheng respected Niepan¡¯s opinions very much, and basically put a bunch of resources in front of Niepan, allowing the members to choose for themselves. Niepan had never seen such a scene before; they stared at the resources they couldn¡¯t have imagined. The members gathered around to discuss for a while and came to the conclusion that they didn¡¯t understand these twists and turns, so it was better to let the company arrange it. What Niepan really cared about¡­ ¡°Tour!¡± The keyboardist chanted and looked at the agent, ¡°When can we go on tour?¡± In the past, Niepan had a long gap between performances. When they were not working, they lived in a small dormitory and wrote songs. The number of songs they composed had long been enough to support a two-hour performance, but due to insufficient company funds, the members had been unable to perform their own repertoire even on a small stage. Now that their owner had changed to a wealthy one, this old dream was naturally put forward. ¡°If you are touring, we can help Niepan contact the venues.¡± The agent replied, ¡°Counting the planning and publicity period, we will probably be able to start at the end of next month.¡± ¡°Wow!!¡± The unattainable goal was right in front of them at this moment. Niepan cheered, and even Ji Sheng¡¯s face lit up a smile. He lowered his head and chuckled a few times, then raised his hand and said, ¡°I have a question.¡± The members looked at him and the agent said, ¡°Say.¡± ¡°Can I bring one more person during the tour?¡± ¡°Bring someone?¡± The agent said, ¡°A guest? If you want to invite guests, you need to report them to the company in advance. The publicity department can also add the photos and names of the guests on the promotional posters, and if the invitee is an artist from another company, we can also discuss the cost of the performance with the other party.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that complicated.¡± Ji Sheng touched the tip of his nose and said embarrassedly, ¡°I just want to invite a guest.¡± ¡°Which company is he from?¡± ¡°Just from our company.¡± The agent hadn¡¯t reacted yet, but the Niepan members were the first to think of something. Huang Sizhe jumped up, his face full of disbelief: ¡°Ji Hui, are you serious? Do you need to bring the surnamed Xie with you on the tour?¡± ¡°En.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°He used to be a singer, and he also had an idea of performing recently. So I want to take this opportunity to invite him to one or two performances¡­¡± ¡°No way?¡± Huang Sizhe rubbed his hair irritably, but was interrupted by the keyboardist just as he was about to say something. ¡°Xiao Huang, be quiet.¡± The keyboardist pointed out the key question straightforwardly, ¡°Xiao Hui, are you sure that Emperor Xie will be willing to come to our little lousy band¡¯s tour?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this.¡± If nothing else, Ji Sheng was very confident on this issue, ¡°If I invite him, he will be willing.¡± Agent: ¡­¡­ Niepan in full: ¡­¡­ It somehow felt like they didn¡¯t know what strange light was blinding their eyes. ¡°Okay.¡± The agent took the lead in breaking the silence, ¡°You can invite guests and it will play a role in promoting the tour. Ji Hui, go back and discuss with the boss, and then report to me which shows he will come.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Niepan adjourned the meeting, and the agent stopped Ji Sheng. ¡°The boss told me to take you back.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Ji Sheng was a little surprised. ¡°He has something to do these two days, and if he doesn¡¯t come back, I will be responsible for the pick-up and drop-off.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng felt a little weird but still said, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll trouble you.¡± In the car, Ji Sheng squeezed his mobile phone with both hands and spun it unconsciously. The screen turned upside down countless times at his fingers, but he still hadn¡¯t made the decision to make a call. In the end, Ji Sheng lowered his head in despair and unlocked the screen. He clicked on social media and at a glance knew where Xie Xuanming was gone. On the hot search, a video of the sisheng¡¯s trial appeared and there was also an official report on it. The official briefing still blurred the names of the artists involved, but netizens managed to find the artists in question by using the surnames the judge mentioned in the video. After all, Ji, Xie, and Sheng were not common surnames. Especially appearing together, they confirmed the guesses of netizens. The trial records that had been released less than two hours ago greatly shook public opinion. In the video, the sisheng admitted to injuring Ji Sheng¡¯s wrist, and also admitted that the car accident was caused by her. Although she denied that the two injuries were intentional, this video still shocked the melon-eating masses. On the one hand, Qingchu had never announced Ji Sheng¡¯s wrist trauma. It was only today that netizens learned that Ji Sheng had been injured. On the other hand, if the car accident was man-made, then why was Ji Sheng¡¯s death determined to be caused by drunk driving? Netizens smelled the scent of big melons, pulled out the drunk driving bulletin from a year ago and began to dig graves and question why the various marketing accounts made rumours. Under the surging public opinion, several marketing agencies couldn¡¯t bear the pressure and admitted that the drunk driving bulletin was ¡°paid to do the job¡±. Ji Sheng¡¯s fans who had been silent for a long time finally took the lead and summarised the content of the marketing accounts that had sent the desinformation then. Within two years, four typical marketing media outlets posted a total of 5,458 Weibo posts, of which 1,762 were related to Sheng Kongzhi, significantly more than any other artist, and all of them were positive and amiable. In addition, these marketing accounts were also very friendly to other artists from the Qingchu company, except for Ji Sheng, with more than a thousand positive posts. The data was made public. At this point, it was clear who was spending money to raise the marketing accounts, who was making rumours, and who was eating human blood steamed buns. Disinformation about the artist¡¯s way of death, stepping on the deceased to take the top position, causing the innocent victim to be blamed¡­ Qingchu¡¯s actions were outrageous, detonating public opinion and causing everyone¡¯s anger. In the afternoon of that day, a group of girls wearing masks appeared at the door of Qingchu company. They were all fans of Ji Sheng, holding photos of Ji Sheng¡¯s performances on stage in the past. Located in the centre of the crowd was the station sister. Most of the photos displayed this time had been taken by her. With reddened eyes, she raised her sign in the centre of the fan crowd, a few large characters written on it. [I just want you to see how dazzling he used to be when he was destroyed by you] This set of photos was posted on the Internet, causing the fans to empathise and become even more angry. Those who reaped the most dividends became the ones who bore the brunt of this anger now. Angry netizens stormed straight to Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s Weibo account, recounting all the black materials and bad behaviour of the past. Scam with the votes during the debut, privately associating with fans, encouraging sishengs, bullying actresses, spreading rumours about former teammates¡­ Blood and tears poured into the comments, and although there were still many Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s fans, they couldn¡¯t control the public¡¯s anger. They tried their best to defend in the comments area: ¡±Sexual harassment¡± has not been disproved. Sheng Kongzhi is also a victim and should not be blamed¡­ Then who should bear the pressure of public opinion? Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s fans couldn¡¯t find any unlucky ghost to divert their firepower for a while. After all, their usual scapegoat who had been verbally abused for many years finally was exonerated today and was looking forward to the long-lost justice. When Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s fans were still stubbornly resisting the storm, a message was sent out, completely dispelling their last hope. Xuansheng Company issued a post, officially announcing that it would conduct a web drama called ¡°The Drummer¡±. The web drama was adapted from real events, and Xie Xuanming would participate in it. Ji Sheng had been reading Weibo for most of the day, and at this moment he was sitting on the sofa, staring at the ten-second video under the official announcement. Xie Xuanming appeared in the video, staring at the camera and saying: ¡°This drama will tell the story of a drummer¡¯s short but brilliant life.¡± CH 77 The news that Xie Xuanming was doing a drama based on real events about Ji Sheng shocked the netizens; but the fact that it was a web drama shocked them even more. Web dramas, TV dramas and movies were separated by walls; the difference in prestige was enormous. How many young actors who acted in web dramas were looking forward to starring in a TV series; and how many TV series actors were dreaming about receiving a role in a good movie and appearing on the big screen! The kind of start that Xie Xuanming had, from being a semi-graduate to a participant of a talent show, making his debut in a smash hit movie and getting a film award at once, was simply unattainable. After gaining a foothold in the film industry with his first work, Xie Xuanming was also very careful and the roles he picked up were all in well-made films that achieved commercial success. Over the past few years, there had been many rumours that he was going to make a TV series, but he himself had never really ¡°downgraded¡± to make a TV series. Before Ji Sheng¡¯s accident, Xie Xuanming barely showed his face in front of the camera a few times a year. When he did appear, it was either in a sneak peek picture with Ji Sheng or in a promotional photo for a new movie. Xie Xuanming¡¯s professional level was indeed excellent. After his debut, he starred in three movies successively, winning ¡°Best Box Office¡±, ¡°Best Film¡±, and ¡°Best Actor¡±, which added another layer of gold to his status as a big-screen actor, allowing him to sit firmly in the top position of the new generation of actors. Xie Xuanming¡¯s face and name were the brand. Many agents tried to invite him to ¡±descend to the earth¡± to act in a TV series, but they were all mercilessly rejected. There had been too many rejections, and the entertainment circle finally acquiesced that Xie Xuanming was going to be a movie actor all his life. That sculptural, iconic face would only appear on the big screen with a smile that moved one¡¯s heart. But now, Xie Xuanming announced that he would step down from the movies, skip the TV series, and go directly to the web drama. Even for the sake of vindicating a ¡°close friend¡± or ¡°scandalous object¡± who had been wronged, such a price was too high. The netizens¡¯ discussion had just exploded, and Xie Xuanming did not hesitate to throw another ladle of oil into the hot frying pan. [Xie Xuanming will play the role of the lead singer in ¡°The Drummer¡±, with other casting to follow shortly] Xuansheng Company once again issued a blog post. Xie Xuanming was going to act in a web drama in a supporting role. Netizens couldn¡¯t sit still at all. [Oh my god, is Emperor Xie crazy? Is this simply kneeling down to carry a sedan chair for someone?!] [The movie emperor goes to play a supporting role in a web drama¡­ What did you think¡­] [Tsk tsk, Ji Sheng will be vindicated in the other world, Xie Xuanming, you love him so much] [Secretly take a sip of blood sugar, and Qingchu biss, by the way] [No one is wondering who will play the role of Ji Sheng? Xie Xuanming is so crazy, how can he allow anyone to get his hands on his white moonlight?] [¡­I seem to know who it is going to be, hasn¡¯t Xie Xuanming recently gotten close to a newcomer¡­] [sos, I thought of him too, what is this? Substitute novel? Someone I love looks like you?] [Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans must be very heartbroken now. He was such a career-minded idol. The dignified actor first fought for his old love against the capital, and then for his new love he went down to act in a web drama. Xie Xuanming, a man who knows what true love is] Compared with the exclamations of passers-by, Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans had long been accustomed to Xie Xuanming¡¯s various extreme actions and were calmer than the surging public opinion. [Fans, don¡¯t break your defences, okay? My baby has a new role and I can¡¯t be happy enough.] [+1, I used to spend money to go to the movies to watch it seven or eight times, now I can directly take screenshots of beautiful pictures and lick this face] [Some people are so ugly and heartless that they can¡¯t see the goodness and ability of others¡¯ idols] [¡­..] Colourful remarks flashed in front of Ji Sheng¡¯s eyes; he hurriedly swept past them, jumped up from the sofa and kept calling Xie Xuanming. Xie Xuanming¡¯s decision was too outrageous, how could he lower his worth to act in a web drama! He was messing around like this, it would be difficult to raise his prestige in the future. Ji Sheng held his mobile phone anxiously, but his call uncharacteristically remained unanswered. After a long time, the waiting signal switched to busy. Ji Sheng was taken aback, reacting slowly. Xie Xuanming did not pick up the phone. He took the phone away from his ear and transferred to WeChat to send Xie Xuanming [Is it inconvenient to answer the phone?] He sent another message [I saw Xuansheng¡¯s Weibo, I don¡¯t want to act, don¡¯t go to a web drama] After sending these, Ji Sheng paced around the room irritably for a long time and finally couldn¡¯t help calling his agent. ¡°Where did Xie Xuanming go?¡± As soon as the phone call came through, Ji Sheng asked rapidly. ¡°I do not know.¡± The agent said. ¡°You don¡¯t know or you¡¯re not allowed to say?¡± Ji Sheng said aggressively, ¡°I will either go to see your boss now, or I will pack my bags and run away¡­ Do you know where he is now?¡± The agent resisted for a moment under his oppressive words and then succumbed: ¡°You wait, I will take you there.¡± The agent quickly arrived at the door of the villa; Ji Sheng got in the car, and on the way there, Xie Xuanming finally replied to his messages. Xie Xuanming [. ] Xie Xuanming [I didn¡¯t tell you about the web drama in advance, sorry] Xie Xuanming [Because I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d agree, I just went ahead and just did it] Ji Sheng moved his finger. Ji Sheng [I¡¯m coming over, let¡¯s talk when we meet] Xie Xuanming was quiet for a while, and Ji Sheng saw that the agent in the front seat lowered his head replying to some messages. One could guess he was replying to Xie Xuanming. Ji Sheng waited silently. Twenty or thirty seconds later: Xie Xuanming ¡¾Good¡¿ Xie Xuanming [I have an appointment, it¡¯s not convenient to talk, I¡¯ll see you outside] Ji Sheng ¡¾OK¡¿ The agent took Ji Sheng to the door of a restaurant. Ji Sheng had just walked two steps after getting out of the car and was blocked by Xie Xuanming who rushed from the side entrance. ¡°Who are you meeting with?¡± Ji Sheng asked, still trying to go in, but was blocked by Xie Xuanming. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Ji Sheng felt suspicious. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it here.¡± Xie Xuanming still blocked the way. ¡°Here?¡± Ji Sheng glanced around. Although it was an underground parking lot, cars and people often passed by. In addition, the two of them were standing at the entrance of the lift, the place that was the peak of the traffic, and their tall figures were very eye-catching. ¡°It¡¯s not suitable to talk here, is it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xie Xuanming looked around, paused for a second, and then said, ¡°Let¡¯s change places.¡± He took Ji Sheng into the elevator and stopped in a remote corner after a lot of turns and twists: ¡°What do you want to talk about, the web drama?¡± ¡°Correct. ¡°Ji Sheng felt re-energized and said almost forcibly, ¡°How can you go to a web drama?!¡± ¡°There are no good scripts recently, and the company¡¯s funds are a bit scarce. Web dramas are very profitable¡­ so I decided.¡± Xie Xuanming explained, not meeting his eyes. ¡°Can¡¯t a TV series work? It¡¯s impossible that there is no good drama crew looking for you, right? Does it have to be an original web drama?¡± Ji Sheng felt very irritable, ¡°I know you are doing it for me, but¡­¡± ¡°Not all.¡± Xie Xuanming interrupted, ¡°This is also an opportunity to completely take down Qingchu and Sheng Kongzhi. I can¡¯t let it go.¡± Ji Sheng looked at him for a few seconds; Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression was composed and his eyes were calm. ¡°¡­When will this web drama be filmed?¡± Ji Sheng gave in slightly. ¡°If everything goes well, next month.¡± Next month, the estimated time of Niepan¡¯s tour¡­ Nine out of ten, the position of the protagonist was reserved for him. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to act.¡± Ji Sheng scratched his head. He had just calmed down a little bit but felt irritable again thinking of the experience of his previous life. He sighed and said, ¡°I know that I am not qualified to say these things now as I¡¯m eating and drinking at your expense, but when you make these decisions, can you discuss it with me first? You just arrange it like that, what if I have other things¡­¡± ¡°Of course you have other things, you always have other things.¡± Xie Xuanming interrupted him softly, his tone very cold. Ji Sheng was startled. Xie Xuanming stepped forward and pressed him back half a step. ¡°Even if I discuss it with you, will you agree? Even if you agree, won¡¯t you regret it?¡± Xie Xuanming pressed step by step. Ji Sheng unconsciously retreated to the wall, knocked on the wall with the back of his head and let out a short cry. Xie Xuanming continued to approach as if he hadn¡¯t heard him. ¡°Do you not want me to act in a web drama, or do you not want to act in a web drama with me? If you say you won¡¯t act, who do you want to give this role to?¡± He leaned close; the tips of their noses were almost touching. Ji Sheng stared at his eyelashes, lost for a second, some memories flashing quickly in his mind. He immediately returned to his senses and was about to explain: ¡°I didn¡¯t want to¡­¡± ¡°Fuck Xie Xuanming, what the hell are you doing?!¡± The sound of a sudden roar made Ji Sheng turn his head. Su Jing stood not far away, looking at them with horrified eyes. Why was he here? Was he the one Xie Xuanming made an appointment to have dinner with? Ji Sheng froze. Su Jing obviously misunderstood the scene in front of him. Before Ji Sheng could figure it out, he strode up, pulled Xie Xuanming away, punched him in the face and demanded, ¡°You said you were taking care of him? Is that how you take care of it? Xie Xuanming, I am an idiot to believe you. You, just like that asshole Sheng Kongzhi, are a bastard who only cares about yourself!¡± After that, he turned around, grabbed Ji Sheng¡¯s wrist and was about to leave: ¡°One you, one Sheng Kongzhi, meeting you is Ji Sheng¡¯s bad luck of eight lifetimes!¡± ¡°Wait¡­¡± Dragged by him, Ji Sheng staggered for two steps, then regained his balance and asked in shock, ¡°Do you know that I am Ji Sheng?¡± ¡°Only a fool can¡¯t guess.¡± Su Jing dragged him again angrily, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to call me if you have a problem? Do you treat me as a friend at all?¡± ¡°I thought¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think. Just go and stay away from this person.¡± Su Jing looked at Xie Xuanming vigilantly, pulling Ji Sheng for a few more steps forcefully. Ji Sheng¡¯s mind was a mush; he was dragged by Su Jing and then he was dragged in the opposite direction by Xie Xuanming who had caught up. Xie Xuanming¡¯s hands were very strong, and Ji Sheng let out a cry of pain. Su Jing paused because of this sound. Then Ji Sheng¡¯s wrist was painfully separated from Su Jing¡¯s grip by Xie Xuanming. Xie Xuanming¡¯s face was icy; with a hard push, he shoved Su Jing to the ground and strode away, dragging Ji Sheng with him. His hand was as strong as a vise. Dragged by him, Ji Sheng staggered forward. ¡°Xie Xuanming, you are really sick!¡± Su Jing yelled behind them, but Xie Xuanming just took Ji Sheng into the elevator. The elevator door was closed, and Su Jing, mad with anger, was shut out. Xie Xuanming took Ji Sheng all the way to the parking lot, found his car, opened the rear seat door and threw Ji Sheng in. ¡°Boss?¡± The agent waiting in the front seat turned his head and was shocked to see Ji Sheng being thrown into the car like a sack. ¡°Leave the key.¡± Xie Xuanming got into the car and said succinctly, ¡°Get out.¡± The agent glanced at the gloomy-faced Xie Xuanming and at Ji Sheng with messy clothes, jumped out of the car without saying a word and closed the door. ¡°Xie Xuanming!! You get out, what¡¯s the point of you lying to Ji Sheng to stay with you like this? He¡¯ll still leave if he knows!!! Are you still going to lock him up for the rest of his fucking life?¡± Su Jing chased them to the basement, roaring angrily. In the car, Ji Sheng had just sat up a little bit, and Xie Xuanming pressed his shoulders back to the seat. ¡°Did you know Su Jing was here?¡± He asked in a very low voice, with a long-forgotten expression of horror in his usually indifferent eyes, ¡°He contacted you and said he wanted to take you away?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Ji Sheng wanted to say that he had only just said a few words to Su Jing and didn¡¯t know anything at all. But before he could speak, he was deprived of the right to communicate. Xie Xuanming pinched his chin and bit his lip fiercely. A pain ripped through his lips; Ji Sheng frowned, instinctively pushing Xie Xuanming¡¯s shoulder: ¡°Wait¡­¡± He just opened his mouth and Xie Xuanming¡¯s tongue plunged inside. It was not so much a kiss as a bump of teeth. He felt the smell of blood before the pain, and the soreness of teeth clashing was more significant than the pain. Immediately after he was deprived of oxygen; Ji Sheng¡¯s pupils contracted. When Xie Xuanming let him go, his chest heaved violently. The feeling of having been rescued from a disaster rushed to the surface. ¡°Xie Xuanming! Get out!¡± Su Jing chased them to the parking lot, his roars echoing among the cars. What Ji Sheng wanted to say was suppressed. On the one hand, he was worried that the noise would draw Su Jing to him and that Xie Xuanming, who was obviously in a bad mood, would do something, and on the other hand, he was afraid that if Su Jing continued to shout and scream, it would cause a crowd to gather. ¡°What is going on?¡± A low voice sounded above his ear. Ji Sheng had just regained his senses when Xie Xuanming pressed down again and nudged his lips with his tongue. His teeth were pried open with a moist sticky sound. Ji Sheng¡¯s face was flushed from this sound and he forgot to resist. He put his hand on Xie Xuanming¡¯s shoulder and pushed it without force. As he was kissed, Ji Sheng suddenly felt a chill at his waist, and then someone reached up, the roughness of the touch making his body jolt. ¡°Wait a minute!¡± Ji Sheng sat up suddenly, pushing Xie Xuanming away and hitting the headrest with the back of his head. Ignoring the buzz in his head, he raised his gaze and was shocked to see the darkness in Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes and the unmistakable lust wrapped in this darkness. There was a loud alarm in Ji Sheng¡¯s mind; his tolerance for Xie Xuanming did not reach the outlandish level of having sex in the car. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡± He stretched out his hand to push Xie Xuanming away but his wrist was grabbed, lifted forcefully and pressed against the armrest. Xie Xuanming lowered his head and bit Ji Sheng¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple. Translator¡¯s note (couldn¡¯t resist it): Su Jing, running around the parking lot: Ji Sheng, where are you?! CH 78 Ji Sheng was asleep in the back seat and Xie Xuanming was crouching on the floor, half leaning against the front seat backrest. It was quiet outside the car; both the agent and Su Jing had left. The car was filled with an ambiguous musky scent. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t care about it. He was shrouded in this smell, his eyes hidden in the shadows, as he stared at Ji Sheng motionlessly. Ji Sheng was covered with a piece of blanket ¡ª Xie Xuanming had removed a mat from the car to cover him. He was breathing calmly, the corners of his eyes a little moist. Xie Xuanming looked for a while, stretched out his hand to wipe away Ji Sheng¡¯s tears, moved his fingers down his cheek, brushed them over his chin and stopped at his neck. The pads of his fingers lightly touched the uneven tooth marks. Freshly left by him. Xie Xuanming was slightly satisfied with this thought. He opened his palm and wrapped it around Ji Sheng¡¯s neck. For a while, Ji Sheng¡¯s throat was completely held in his hand. Xie Xuanming was touching Ji Sheng¡¯s throat, his eyes darkened with unreadable emotions. He had done something very excessive just now, but unexpectedly he didn¡¯t regret it, nor was he afraid. He even wanted to do something more excessive. ¡°You know he wouldn¡¯t have stayed with you if he had the choice, right?¡± Not long ago, Su Jing asked that. The muscles of his forearm tightened. Xie Xuanming¡¯s hand exerted a slight force and the blue veins swelled on the back of his hand, but his palm remained gentle and loose. He froze for a moment and let go in abandonment, squeezing the blanket and pulling it upwards to cover Ji Sheng¡¯s neck. When his back felt a little sore, Xie Xuanming leaned over and fished out his cigarettes and the lighter from the front seat drawer, unlocked the car door and got up to go out. He took out a cigarette, lit it, leaning against the car door, and took a long drag. With nicotine in his lungs, Xie Xuanming was barely able to calm down. The doctor told him that it was better to vent emotions than to hold back. But neither the relief of his desires nor the satisfaction of his smoking addiction could really clear his heart¡¯s knot. Xie Xuanming lowered his head and heard a camera click not far away. He frowned in annoyance, suppressing the desire to raise his middle finger, and exhaled a long wisp of smoke. His brain was occupied with countless fragments. Those memories from the past¡­ Xie Xuanming felt that he might not be able to reconcile with them for the rest of his life. Two and a half years ago ¡°Cut!¡± Lin Siji, who was sitting next to the monitor, shouted. Lin Siji was a third-year student in the Department of Choreography and Directing, and was currently shooting his debut film. Although the funding and manpower were not really adequate, the actors were all in good shape, especially the male lead, Xie Xuanming, who did not look like a newcomer, and even a perfectionist like Lin Siji had to praise his talent in acting. The scene that just finished being filmed was a kissing scene. As soon as he called ¡°Cut¡±, the two actors quickly separated in front of the camera. The makeup artist stepped forward to fix the actress¡¯s lip make-up, while Xie Xuanming declined and walked straight to the side of the monitor. ¡°No make-up?¡± Lin Siji asked without raising his eyes. He and Xie Xuanming were of the same age and were so good in their respective fields that they could admire each other, so they had become half-friends during the time they were filming, and it was easy to have a conversation. ¡°No need.¡± Xie Xuanming glanced at the monitor, ¡°This one passed.¡± ¡°You¡¯re confident.¡± Lin Siji smiled, staring at the monitor, playing back the scene carefully before getting up satisfied, ¡°The kissing scene was good, quite deep.¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± Xie Xuanming shrugged. ¡°You¡¯ve given away your first on-screen kiss.¡± Lin Siji laughed, ¡°Take a break for a while and get ready for the next scene. The scene will be a bit long, remember to adjust your state.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After the business was finished, Lin Siji relaxed a bit: ¡°After the emotional scenes are done, we will enter the closing stage. What are your plans after that? Do you have any plans to continue to pick up movies or do TV series in the future?¡± Although Lin Siji asked casually, he was sure that Xie Xuanming would continue to work in the movie industry. At the moment, the story and integrity of this debut work were impeccable, and Xie Xuanming¡¯s acting skills were the finishing touch, making this work flawless even from a professional perspective. It was bound to be a good film with explosive actors and an amazing director. Good actors are a scarce resource for directors. Lin Siji could guarantee that after this movie was released, Xie Xuanming would receive countless invitations. He would just need to sit and choose a script slowly. But to Lin Siji¡¯s surprise, Xie Xuanming gave an answer that was diametrically opposite to what he had expected. ¡°I plan to make a TV series.¡± ¡°TV series? What TV series?¡± ¡°An idol drama.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Lin Siji was genuinely surprised. He thought he had heard it wrong, ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°En.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look like he was joking, ¡°It¡¯s quick and easy to make money, and it has some autonomy, it¡¯s quite good.¡± Lin Siji looked at him unceasingly, as if watching a piece of Hetian jade about to be carved into SpongeBob SquarePants. However, he and Xie Xuanming were not familiar enough to share their innermost thoughts with each other. In the end, he could only sigh, pat Xie Xuanming¡¯s shoulder and sincerely advise him: ¡°It is a good thing to have a role, but you still have to cherish your reputation.¡± Xie Xuanming lowered his eyes noncommittally: ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± ¡°Huh!¡± Ji Sheng woke up from his dream and looked at the ceiling blankly, cold sweat covering his forehead. It took him a few moments of staring at the darkened room before he extricated himself from his fearful powerlessness. Ji Sheng rolled onto his back and got off the bed to the floor to stagger his way to the bathroom. The water gushed out, and he was about to reach out to gather a handful, but his right hand withdrew the moment before it touched the water. The wound should not touch water. Ji Sheng stared down at the fishy red scar on his wrist in a daze, the creases around the edges of the wound still hiding the unwashed foundation. You have to get used to it. The doctor advised him. How can you get used to it? Ji Sheng gave a wry smile, took a handful of water in his left hand, slapped it haphazardly on his face, rubbed it off with the towel and lay back down on the bed. Ji Sheng wanted to go back to sleep but as soon as he closed his eyes, the nightmare he had just had was there again, floating above him, haunting his soul, so heavy he couldn¡¯t breathe. In his dream, he returned to the stage two days ago. Qingchu concealed the fact that he was stabbed by the sisheng in order to stabilise the stock, and the birthday party scheduled for the next day had to be postponed. Ji Sheng was lying in the hospital in a daze and was discharged from the hospital two weeks later only to learn that the paparazzi had taken pictures of him drinking at the nightclub the night before his birthday and Qingchu used as an excuse to say he had alcohol poisoning to postpone his birthday party for some time. He went to the nightclub the day before the birthday party and missed the promised fan meeting. You didn¡¯t need to guess to know what it looked like on the Internet. Ji Sheng had no intention of thinking about it then, he was more concerned about the birthday party in a few days. According to the announced process, he needed to play drums. But his fragile wrist¡­ couldn¡¯t support a stable beat at all. Ji Sheng took the time to practice for a few days but not only was he unable to stabilise his right hand that was shaking like a sieve, but he also tore the wound again and had to go to the hospital to bandage it. Ji Sheng was so disheartened that he wanted to cancel the birthday party, but the venue had been booked and the tickets were sold. He couldn¡¯t afford to lose the money for the breach of contract, so in the end he had to bite the bullet. This was the birth of the nightmare. In the dream, Ji Sheng sat in front of the drum set, feeling the weakness of his right hand over and over again, and watching the drumstick fall to the ground at the beginning of the show. He heard exclamations from the audience, and when he looked up, he saw mixed shock and disappointment in their eyes¡­ Don¡¯t look at me with those eyes. Ji Sheng cowered at the sight of the fans, those stares turning into sharp blades that stabbed him with every stroke, making him drip blood. He had nowhere to escape; he fell from the chair, hugged his head and cried loudly. When the dream ended there, Ji Sheng suddenly opened his eyes, not knowing whether to shiver from the horror of the dream or to be glad that he had at least managed to hold his emotions together in reality and had not broken down on stage to become a laughing stock. But really, he was already a laughing stock. The topics of #Ji Sheng drops drumstick # and #Ji Sheng fake drumming# had been on the hot search for the whole day. Ji Sheng, with his favourite drums, became the object of sarcasm and trolling by thousands of netizens. After the birthday party, Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t bear the pressure, both physically and mentally, so after some discussion, Qingchu decided to let him stop his activities for a while and recuperate. Although it was called recuperation, it was actually not much different from being blocked. After all, no brand was willing to cooperate with an artist with a bad image. Ji Sheng could do nothing but play drums, so at this moment, he was considered half-useless¡­ Fortunately, various brands didn¡¯t hold Qingchu accountable, and the compensation given by the sisheng for the injury was quite generous, enough to cover Ji Yueming¡¯s medical expenses. Ji Sheng comforted himself while getting out of bed: consider it exchanging one thing for another. His hand in exchange for Ji Yueming¡¯s medical expenses, it was also a good deal¡­ ¡°Bang!¡± The water cup fell to the ground, the porcelain exploded and shattered all over the floor. Ji Sheng stood still blankly, holding the handle of the cup with his right hand. How could it possibly be a good deal. He swallowed hard a few times, lowered his eyes in embarrassment, took out a broom from the storage room and with some difficulty cleaned up the floor with his left hand. Ji Sheng was living alone in the dormitory at the moment. Sheng Kongzhi, whether it was out of guilt or due to the needs of the crew, did not visit him except for a few phone calls now and then. Xie Xuanming did see him once, excluding the hospital, at the birthday party¡­ He came as promised, blending in with the fans, tall and upright like a polar bear blending into a bunch of penguins ¡ª although he wore all black and his eyes were a little red. Xie Xuanming stood silently in the audience and watched Ji Sheng struggle to finish the entire show. During this time, the fans in the audience continued to question and curse, and even left the venue in disappointment, but he remained motionless like a sculpture until the entire venue was empty. Ji Sheng alone was left standing on the stage in embarrassment, while he alone was still in the audience. When everyone was gone, Ji Sheng finally couldn¡¯t hold on. He squatted down, his right hand visibly trembling. Xie Xuanming was silent for a long time and finally walked up to him: ¡°Brother Ji?¡± Ji Sheng suddenly raised his head, his eyes slightly red, his gaze alert and alienated. Xie Xuanming was stabbed by that look, shrank slightly for half a step, but immediately moved forward and stretched out his arms: ¡°Brother, do you still want to stage dive?¡± He forced out a smile: ¡°I will catch you.¡± ¡°Xiao Xie.¡± Ji Sheng finally saw him clearly, wiped his face and stood up, somewhat panicked and embarrassed, ¡°Why are you here¡­¡± ¡°I promised to come¡­¡± Xie Xuanming was interrupted by Ji Sheng before he finished speaking. ¡°Thank you, Xiao Xie.¡± Ji Sheng took a step back, lowered his head and said, ¡°But I¡¯m very tired now. I¡¯m going to rest. Stage diving, forget it.¡± After saying that, he turned around and walked off the stage without a moment¡¯s hesitation, disappearing behind a small door backstage. Xie Xuanming stayed where he was, with his arms open, facing the empty stage for a long time. The fragments of this meeting with Xie Xuanming were also very clear. Should I make a phone call to apologise? Ji Sheng thought absent-mindedly. Xie Xuanming had come to attend the birthday party but was treated so coldly. It was something that needed to be apologised for, right? But¡­ Did Xie Xuanming still need Ji Sheng¡¯s apology? Ji Sheng hesitated. Did an actor on the rise need an apology from a drummer with no future? There was hardly any need for them to work together or even meet¡­ He was questioning himself when his cell phone rang suddenly. An anonymous call. Either a scammer or a sisheng. Ji Sheng hung up without hesitation. But the person was very persistent and immediately dialled again. Ji Sheng thought a little and answered the phone. ¡°Hi, hello, who is this?¡± ¡°Hello, Ji Sheng, this is a screenwriter Li Bingjun. I would like to ask, do you have any plans to act in the future?¡± CH 79 Ascreenwriter? Contacting him directly without Qingchu¡¯s intermediation. Ji Sheng unexpectedly took down his phone and looked at the screen, confirming that it was an unfamiliar number. ¡°Excuse me, where did you find my contact information?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ well, we have channels, and since we think you are perfect for the role, we approach you.¡± Li Bingjun said vaguely, the conversation changing to the wrong topic, ¡°I will email you the script, you can read it first and contact me if you are interested. I will also contact you again¡­¡± Ji Sheng was still not interested in acting and was going to refuse, but on the other side Li Bingjun quickly said goodbye and hung up before he could speak. Ji Sheng was taken aback for a while, thinking to himself: forget it, it¡¯s not too late to refuse when he gets in touch. He also thought that he might need to report this matter to Qingchu. After all, Qingchu had regulations prohibiting artists from bypassing the company to take private work. But considering that it was not clear whether the other party was really a screenwriter, that he did not really accept the invitation and that the relationship with the company during this period was quite embarrassing¡­ Ji Sheng finally threw away his mobile phone and lay back on the bed. The nightmare did not harass him again, and Ji Sheng had a rare peaceful sleep throughout the afternoon, only to be awakened by a phone call in the evening. He rolled over and picked up the phone, squinting to look at the caller. Xie Xuanming. Ji Sheng, slightly more awake, turned over and sat up, accidentally pressing on his right wrist. He grunted in pain, changed the hand holding the phone and picked it up, carefully avoiding the wound: ¡°Hey, Xiao Xie.¡± ¡°Brother Ji.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°Did you just wake up? Your voice sounds a bit hoarse.¡± ¡°¡­En, just woke up.¡± ¡°Are you going to be free in the next few days?¡± ¡°Next few days,¡± Ji Sheng thought for a while, ¡°It is possible I¡¯ll have to go to the hospital for a review, but I haven¡¯t determined which day¡­ what¡¯s the matter?¡± When the wrist injury was mentioned, there was silence on the other end of the phone for a while before Xie Xuanming said: ¡°Nothing. The crew is going to have a day off soon. I wanted to see if you are free and if you can come out for a meal.¡± ¡°As soon as you have a day off, call me and we¡¯ll meet for dinner.¡± Ji Sheng scratched his hair; the wound was stinging again. He let out a hiss and hurriedly lowered his hand. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s voice became tense. ¡°It¡¯s okay, twitched a little.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°Then send me the time. I will move the review time.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After hanging up the phone, Ji Sheng discovered that Li Tan had sent a message during the few hours he had been asleep. Li Tan [Is there a series that approached you recently?] Li Tan [If the series party comes in contact, make them contact the company directly. Recently, many people have been staring at you and want to take advantage of your gap period to push down the price] After Ji Sheng read the message, he typed ¡°I don¡¯t plan to act in the series¡± in the message box but didn¡¯t send it out. Finally, he deleted that sentence and typed again. Ji Sheng [Got it] Xie Xuanming asked Ji Sheng to meet in a cafe. He had been filming for too long, and the fans he had accumulated during the variety show had run away, including sishengs and those who sold photos, so Xie Xuanming was blessed with the fact that he no longer had to be careful about going out. He arrived at the cafe without his hat on, and his upright figure drew a lot of attention from passers-by. On the other hand, Ji Sheng, because of the increased pressure of rumours, wore a cap and wrapped his face up to his eyes. He also wore long sleeves on a hot day because he didn¡¯t want to expose his injury. He looked like an alien among people in T-shirts and shorts. The good thing was that the two of them were sitting in a semi-enclosed booth, so there were far fewer prying eyes once they were seated. ¡°Brother Ji.¡± Xie Xuanming greeted him, hesitated for a second after sitting down, lowered his head and leaned over, looking into Ji Sheng¡¯s eyes under the brim of his cap. He was so close that the tips of their noses almost touched, and Ji Sheng leaned back sharply, took his hat off and asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Brother was not saying anything, I was afraid I¡¯d mistaken him for someone else.¡± Xie Xuanming retreated and leaned back in his seat. Ji Sheng smoothened his hair and touched his wound again. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t miss the change in his expression. His face distorted, he asked nervously, ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t hurt much, it¡¯s just a bit itchy.¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t want to talk about it, so he raised his eyes and asked in amazement, ¡°Why have you lost so much weight?¡± Xie Xuanming did lose weight, his cheeks were sunken, his already distinct jawline became sharper, and the originally smooth lines became more austere, highlighting his eyebrow bones and temples. His whole aura had also become a lot ¡°sharper¡±, wrapped in the coldness of a knife, a far cry from the seventeen year old kid with a little baby fat on his cheeks that Ji Sheng remembered. ¡°The plot needed it.¡± Xie Xuanming explained, ¡°It also looks good on camera.¡± ¡°Oh¡ª¡± Ji Sheng said with emotion, ¡°Our Xiao Xie is really good at doing everything. You are so serious, I won¡¯t be surprised if you get the best actor for the first movie!¡± ¡°There is indeed such a plan.¡± Ji Sheng solemnly drew an ideal picture and Xie Xuanming added a couple of strokes to it without changing his face. If the conversation between the two spread out, it would probably make people laugh their heads off. They would be ridiculed for three days and three nights as an ¡°entertainment industry joke¡±. But exchanging such hollow phrases, both of them knew tacitly that Ji Sheng was not simply complimenting, and Xie Xuanming was not just listening to it. They both would remember it. ¡°If I win the best actor, to congratulate me, Brother Ji, will you give me a gift?¡± ¡°Sure. What do you want?¡± Ji Sheng readily agreed. ¡°¡­¡± Xie Xuanming thought for a while, ¡°I don¡¯t seem to lack anything.¡± ¡°Then keep it as a rain check.¡± Ji Sheng smiled, ¡°You can ask me for it when you think about it.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± At this moment, the drinks ordered by the two of them came up. The waiter handed out the glass. Ji Sheng instinctively stretched out his right. Unexpectedly, he pulled the wound again. He shook his hand and was about to use his left hand, but Xie Xuanming was one step ahead of him, took the glass and placed it firmly on the table. Ji Sheng froze and raised his eyes to meet Xie Xuanming¡¯s nervous expression, his heart aching slightly. ¡°You are exaggerating.¡± He said jokingly, ¡°My hand is only temporarily unusable, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s broken.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s tone was relaxed, but his voice was not well controlled. The trembling was very clear in it, and he didn¡¯t care if it could be heard. Losing the dominant hand, for a drummer, for Ji Sheng, had never been something that could be mentioned in a joke. Xie Xuanming knew it. He fell silent; the condensed water slowly slid down his fingers holding the glass. The drop of water rolled to his wrist, and Xie Xuanming let go of the glass. He sat back, wiped away the moisture from his hand and whispered, ¡°Well, it was a bit exaggerated.¡± Ji Sheng had some difficulty in responding, and the table fell silent as he was at a loss for words. After a minute or so, Xie Xuanming¡¯s drink also arrived. He raised his head to say thank you. After taking a sip, he said, ¡°Brother Ji, do you have any plans to act recently? Is there a screenwriter who contacted you?¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± Ji Sheng asked in surprise. ¡°They approached me too.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°Mentioned that there was the idea of asking you to act in it.¡± ¡°You want to act in a TV series?¡± Ji Sheng was even more surprised. Although he didn¡¯t pay attention to acting, he knew that there was a wall between movies and TV series, ¡°Don¡¯t you plan to continue to pick up movies?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t pick it up¡­¡± Xie Xuanming lowered his head a little and smiled stiffly, ¡°It was an accident to receive a movie role in the first place, it¡¯s not so easy to pick up another one.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Ji Sheng comforted, ¡°If this one has good results, there will be more.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xie Xuanming was quiet for two seconds and asked, ¡°Do you have any plans to take on this series?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ji Sheng quickly denied, ¡°I don¡¯t know how to act. Wouldn¡¯t I pull back the crew if I went there?¡± ¡°But I hope you can take on this series.¡± Xie Xuanming raised his eyes and looked at Ji Sheng seriously, ¡°I can teach you acting skills. I really want to work with you on a drama.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ji Sheng looked away, avoiding Xie Xuanming¡¯s serious eyes: ¡°Besides¡­¡± ¡°And¡­¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t wait for him to finish speaking, and added, ¡°If you don¡¯t take it, this series will not be made. I heard the screenwriter say that the filming plan has been put on hold for a long time because no suitable actors could be found. If no actors are willing to act this time, the management will let the filming plan be aborted¡­ Then I might also¡­¡± He lowered his voice and said in frustration: ¡°There will be no more filming.¡± ¡°En?¡± Ji Sheng was taken aback, ¡°No other scripts have approached you?¡± ¡°No.¡± Xie Xuanming looked dejected. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I know Brother Ji, you don¡¯t like acting¡­ but the drama party really can¡¯t find anyone and¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± Ji Sheng sighed, making up his mind. ¡°En?¡± Xie Xuanming raised his head and looked at Ji Sheng with shining eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not a bad thing to try something new.¡± Ji Sheng gently moved his wrist. ¡°But I have to sign up for an acting course first¡­ and have to wait for the injury to heal.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine!¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s emotions soared visibly, his eyes curved in a smile. He rarely looked so cheerful, ¡°Brother Ji, if you are willing to act, everything is fine.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± His smile made Ji Sheng a lot happier; the corners of his lips curled up as he said, ¡°I¡¯ll go back and read the script, and then contact the screenwriter.¡± Ji Sheng read the script on the way back. It was a typical urban light comedy, without much hype, but the male lead and the second male lead were very good. The male lead was a typical noble president persona, and the second male lead was a young wolf dog. Even though he knew little, Ji Sheng could vaguely perceive that this was a good idea. No wonder Xie Xuanming was obsessed with it. But£¬ Ji Sheng thought while reading the script£¬ Compared to him, the second male lead was more suitable for Xie Xuanming, a bright-eyed canine male or something¡­ This idea flashed for a moment and was immediately rejected by Ji Sheng. The TV drama circle paid attention to the number of fans, and there was no reason for Xie Xuanming to play a supporting role. Ji Sheng exited the mailbox and called the screenwriter. ¡°What?¡± After talking to him for a few words, Ji Sheng thought he had heard it wrong, ¡°The role I am going to play is the first male lead?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°Is that right?¡± Ji Sheng felt ridiculous, ¡°I have never acted in a TV series. Xie Xuanming is much more suitable than me.¡± ¡°To tell you the truth¡­¡± The screenwriter sighed and said, ¡°We originally thought that it would be better for Xie Xuanming to play the first male lead, but after contacting him¡­ He agreed to play, but he was determined to play the role of the second male lead and we couldn¡¯t persuade him¡­ I¡¯m just wondering, there are quite a lot of fan snatchers these days, and so many that automatically drop¡­ how can you want to play the second male lead more than the first male lead, it¡¯s just weird.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ji Sheng was silent, and said thoughtfully: ¡°Actually, I also want to play the second male lead. Editor Li, can you be accommodating and transfer Xie Xuanming back to the first male lead?¡± The author has something to say£º There is another flashback chapter to explain how Xiao Xie switched from a good dog to a mad dog. CH 80 Another first male lead was trying to grab the role of the second male lead! The screenwriter was speechless for a moment and hurriedly persuaded Ji Sheng: ¡°No, Xie Xuanming said that he likes the role of the second male lead. If it¡¯s not the second male lead, he won¡¯t play. Ji Sheng, be kind, just give him the second male¡­¡± The screenwriter was extremely sincere, and Ji Sheng could only acquiesce. He agreed while wondering what kind of image Xie Xuanming actually had in the circle: he couldn¡¯t even get a role but still stubbornly wanted to pick and choose. That¡¯s good. Very tough and not easy to be bullied. Ji Sheng said a few more words to the screenwriter, reminding him to contact Qingchu before hanging up. Ji Sheng waited for Qingchu to contact him, but somehow, a few weeks passed and no news came. He couldn¡¯t figure it out, so he could only contact the screenwriter to ask again, but the screenwriter didn¡¯t make sense, only vaguely saying that there were some contradictions in the remuneration and asking Ji Sheng to wait. There was nothing Ji Sheng could do. After asking about the approximate start date, he went to Sheng Kongzhi and asked him where he took the acting course. ¡°Are you going to act?¡± Sheng Kongzhi said after a surprised pause, ¡°It¡¯s pretty good, you are very photogenic, you will definitely make a hit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not doing it to make a hit.¡± Ji Sheng inexplicably felt a little uncomfortable. He suppressed this emotion but felt weird again almost at once, ¡°Didn¡¯t you know that I was going to act?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know.¡± Sheng Kongzhi said, ¡°The company didn¡¯t tell me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng felt even more strange. Qingchu was such a small company, it was a great joy to have an artist receive resources. As soon as Li Mi opened his mouth, the whole company would know. Sheng Kongzhi hadn¡¯t heard the news. It was really weird. ¡°I will send you the training camp contacts. However, this class does not seem to accept private registration, so you¡¯d better let the company contact them directly.¡± Ji Sheng was still feeling strange but Sheng Kongzhi had already ended this topic, so he could only detach himself from these thoughts for the time being. After thanking Sheng Kongzhi, he hung up the phone with a few perfunctory words. Ji Sheng waited for a few days, but did not get the company to contact him. What waited for him was a hot search. #Ji Sheng Acting# In the hot search, a marketing account offered melons saying that Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming were contacted for a popular novel adaptation and were invited to star as a male lead and a second male lead respectively. Unsurprisingly, the comment area became the scene of a big battle. Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans fought head-on, and Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s fans were making comments from the sidelines. [Tsk tsk, sure enough, if you haven¡¯t debuted, you have to play a supporting role to a popular top in a series] [Don¡¯t cue Xie Xuanming, don¡¯t bundle him with a fake drumming waste] [Tsk tsk, the royal family is the royal family. Black materials are flying all over the world but there is a personal tour and performances. Take pity on my baby, he works hard but has to be dragged down by his teammates, he can¡¯t even start the tour.] [Don¡¯t go too far, White Lotus Sheng¡¯s fans, who was snatching his teammates¡¯ resources?] [Your idol personally said ¡°I don¡¯t want to act¡±. Now the band is out of the way and he¡¯s shamelessly licking the drama pie. What kind of waste recycling bin is the profession of an actor, do you throw all the garbage into it?] [Upstairs is really right, wasn¡¯t your idol thrown into it earlier?] [¡­¡­] Fans posted nearly 10,000 comments. Ji Sheng¡¯s fans had been hit hard since the ¡°birthday party¡± incident. Ji Sheng had retired in the past few months, so their fighting power was not as strong as before. They were uncharacteristically hammered down by Sheng Kongzhi and Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans. What made them even more heartbroken was that passers-by who heard the rumours also stepped on Ji Sheng. After all, at that time, the popularity of ¡°I don¡¯t want to act¡± spread very widely, and the person who had said that was now going to act in a TV series, so naturally, the perception of the passers-by was not favourable. When Ji Sheng saw the comments, the quarrel had already escalated. Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s fans were taking over the comments defending their idol¡¯s rights, his own fans began to curse, and Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans were even more crazy, saying that if Xie Xuanming really lowered his worth to play a supporting role to Ji Sheng, they would immediately remove themselves from being his fans. Ji Sheng read the comments silently, locked his phone and stared at the black screen without knowing what to think, when he suddenly received a call from Li Tan. ¡°I want to talk to you about acting.¡± Li Tan started with the main point, ¡°Recently, the company has been so busy with this matter, so I want to talk to you about my thoughts.¡± ¡°En¡­¡± Ji Sheng replied absent-mindedly. ¡°There is something wrong with that series¡­ I don¡¯t know if someone leaked the news that you can¡¯t play music anymore because of a hand injury. But they used that to lower the price like crazy, offering a completely unreasonable fee¡­¡± ¡°So you refused?¡± Ji Sheng said suddenly. ¡°No.¡± Li Tan paused, ¡°The other party is very persistent about you, but the company thinks you shouldn¡¯t lower your worth to take on such a drama¡­ What do you think?¡± ¡°Persistent but offering a low price.¡± Ji Sheng said coldly, ¡°Their side is really contradictory.¡± Li Tan paused again. Ji Sheng¡¯s words carried doubts that even the deaf could hear. As the boss, Li Tan felt that he had to hold his face, so he raised his voice, ¡°Are you suspicious of the company¡¯s actions?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m just very interested in this series.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°After all, my hand is injured now and I can¡¯t play drums. It¡¯s better to develop in another direction.¡± Li Tan was quite worried. The drama that approached Ji Sheng was a resource that Qingchu had long been interested in, a popular novel adapted to TV series, and if they could grab either the male lead or the second male lead role, it would be a huge plus for Qingchu. Qingchu originally planned to talk about the second male lead role for Sheng Kongzhi, but who knew that the drama party actually took the initiative to come to their door and ask Ji Sheng to star as the male lead, offering him a high fee. Li Tan was surprised when this pie fell from the sky, and then he began to feel uneasy. Although Ji Sheng was also an artist of Qingchu and it was good to get this role to make money for Qingchu, he knew that the daughter of Qingchu¡¯s major shareholder did not like Ji Sheng. She even slashed Ji Sheng¡¯s hand last month and if she hadn¡¯t had such a strong background, she would have gone to jail¡­ But with such a deep hatred, how could she allow Ji Sheng to play the first male lead? Sure enough, the first lady of the investment went crazy when she heard the news. She bombarded the phone, threatening to withdraw the capital and yelled frantically that she¡¯d get to Ji Sheng again. For Ji Sheng¡¯s safety and Qingchu¡¯s development, Li Tan had to bite the bullet and coax Ji Sheng to reject the role. He originally thought this was a very easy task. After all, Ji Sheng¡¯s lack of interest in acting was obvious, and Li Tan didn¡¯t think he would be too obsessed with this series. But at this moment Li Tan realized that things were complicated; Ji Sheng was more difficult than expected, stubbornly unwilling to refuse. Li Tan frowned, vaguely guessing from Ji Sheng¡¯s uncharacteristic behaviour that something was wrong, and asked tentatively, ¡°Do you want to act in this drama so badly? In fact, it is not a very good choice.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t particularly want to act.¡± Ji Sheng really took the bait, opening up a little, ¡°It¡¯s just that Xiao Xie is going to take this drama, and the crew can¡¯t get the actors together, so filming will have to be aborted if no one takes it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Li Tan was silent for a long time, then asked strangely, ¡°Is that what Xie Xuanming told you?¡± ¡°En.¡± ¡°¡­No wonder.¡± Li Tan said in a low voice. No wonder the drama party was so obsessed with Ji Sheng. If they could get Xie Xuanming and Ji Sheng together in one cast, they could make a lot of publicity from the topic. And¡­ Li Tan remembered that the staff of the drama party once said helplessly: ¡°It¡¯s not that we must have Ji Sheng. But the actor that the screenwriter wants must have Ji Sheng, so we can¡¯t help it¡­¡± It turned out to mean this. Li Tan suddenly was enlightened; and while he was surprised that Xie Xuanming, a cold-hearted kid, was still so affectionate and righteous, he found a new entry point. ¡°Have you seen the hot search today?¡± ¡°I have.¡± Ji Sheng said. ¡°That¡¯s Xie Xuanming¡¯s company testing the waters.¡± Li Tan said, ¡°Xie Xuanming has had a lot of conflicts with his company because of this drama. The company believes that the second male lead lowers his worth and it¡¯s easy to lose fans, but Xie Xuanming insists.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s expression darkened when he remembered the remarks on the hot search. Xie Xuanming¡¯s company was not an alarmist. ¡°That¡¯s why they used a marketing account to test, and you saw the results.¡± Li Tan said, ¡°Xie Xuanming¡¯s company is determined. Even if he doesn¡¯t have the resources, he can¡¯t pick up a bad pie. But Qingchu appears to find a two-way solution.¡± ¡°What can be done?¡± ¡°Kongzhi has a gap in his schedule.¡± Li Tan said, ¡°The drama party is very satisfied with Kongzhi. Xie Xuanming¡¯s company also said that Kongzhi¡¯s actor image is more acceptable as a male lead than yours. If Kongzhi takes over the role, the drama can proceed with normal filming, and Xiao Xie won¡¯t be at odds with the company and the fans.¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t reply immediately. He lowered his head and thought for a while. ¡°Does Xiao Xie agree with this decision?¡± ¡°Why doesn¡¯t he agree? Won¡¯t the drama start filming the same way with whoever is in it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the problem.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°He and Kongzhi¡­ have some contradictions.¡± ¡°What contradictions can be at work?¡± Li Tan laughed loudly, ¡°Is it possible that the two of them quarrelled because of you?¡± Li Tan joked but unintentionally touched the truth. In Ji Sheng¡¯s mind, Xie Xuanming¡¯s face flashed for a moment, leaning forward, the coldness of his lips, the mean substitute remarks after the forced kiss¡­ and finally, those bright eyes. He was stung and then immediately forcibly suppressed all these emotions, saying, ¡°There is no such thing, the two of them¡­ should have no problem working together.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Li Tan smiled a little, ¡°Then I will refuse the drama party for you. As for the cooperation between Kongzhi and Xiao Xie, let me talk about it. Anyway, we have a bit of a friendship, and Xiao Xie still has to listen to what I say as the eldest brother.¡± Ji Sheng muttered to himself that Xiao Xie would not even listen to his words and he was closer than a brother, why would he care about you¡­ But he really didn¡¯t want to take the initiative to face the angry Xie Xuanming, so he grunted and said, ¡°Talk to him.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Li Tan readily agreed, ¡°By the way, the doctors I introduced to you before¡­¡± ¡°The ones that treat hands?¡± Ji Sheng replied softly, ¡°No, I¡¯ve been to see them all.¡± All said they were powerless. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s it¡­ Xiao Ji, don¡¯t be sad. Now that medical technology is so advanced, everything can be cured. Just take a good rest. Kongzhi will return from the crew in two days. I will come with him to see you¡­ I have a meeting later, so I¡¯ll hang up first.¡± ¡°Um, okay, bye.¡± For a while after rejecting the role, Ji Sheng hesitated to explain the matter to Xie Xuanming again and again. But then he heard that Xie Xuanming¡¯s debut movie was blocked before it was released. Xie Xuanming¡¯s face was tired and upset in a sneak photo¡­ Ji Sheng typed a message and deleted it. In the end he didn¡¯t know what to say. He hesitated for a long time, and failed to send out the message until the day when the crew officially announced the actors. The morning of the official announcement, Ji Sheng was awakened early in the morning by a phone call. ¡°Hello¡­¡± He picked it up in a daze and heard a heavy breathing on the other end but no words were said for a long time. ¡°Hello, who is it?¡± Ji Sheng looked at his mobile phone to check the name of the caller, but his eyes were so bleary that he couldn¡¯t see the characters clearly. ¡°Are you so eager to promote Sheng Kongzhi to the top?¡± The voice coming from the phone made Ji Sheng¡¯s narrowed eyes widen in an instant. ¡°Xiao Xie?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me that!¡± Xie Xuanming growled in a low voice, his tone overflowing with emotion, ¡°Ji Sheng, did your brain collapse when you fell in love? You¡¯ve been victimised by Sheng Kongzhi like that and you still let him have the role¡­ Did Qingchu even offer you to take this role in the first place?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Ji Sheng was confused, ¡°Wait¡­¡± Xie Xuanming did not explain. ¡°Forget it.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s voice dropped, ¡°What¡¯s the use of talking to you about this?¡± ¡°Xiao Xie¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, you don¡¯t care about anything, you only care about Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s feelings¡­ I actually understand now.¡± Xie Xuanming gave a self-deprecating laugh and hung up. Ji Sheng held the phone, confused for half a second, then dialled back and couldn¡¯t get through, sent a few messages to Xie Xuanming and each message was followed by a bright red exclamation mark. Ji Sheng stopped contacting Xie Xuanming and switched to Weibo, just in time to see the news coming in. [The official announcement of the main cast of ¡°Wanna Stick it to the President¡±, the original second male lead Xie Xuanming withdraws, the contract breach fee up to ten million] CH 81 When Ji Sheng opened his eyes, he was lying on the bed in the villa. He propped himself up and grimaced for a while at the pain in his lower back and hips, and then raised his head to realise that he was in Xie Xuanming¡¯s bedroom. Xie Xuanming must have brought him back. Ji Sheng looked down at himself; his clothes had been changed and his body cleaned. Xie Xuanming still had a conscience. Ji Sheng bowed and hammered his waist a few times. In the midst of the pain, he remembered the dream he had just had. Xie Xuanming was ridiculed for breach of contract, his company¡¯s reputation in the industry dropped to a freezing point. No one wanted to use him for a while. This situation continued until the release of his first movie ¡°A Letter in a Frame¡± that grossed more than 2 billion at the box office, and Xie Xuanming won the best actor award. On the other hand, Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s momentary popularity with passers-by allowed him to proceed smoothly, but his acting skills were so bad that since the release of ¡°Wanna Stick It to the President¡± his rating kept falling and his various expressions in the series were cut into memes and mocked in forums. A good hand was played badly. Even though Sheng Kongzhi could still rely on a huge number of fans to maintain endorsements and cut the leeks, the downgrade of acting resources was inevitable. The management did not want to let the reputation of ¡±bad acting¡± artists corrupt its image. Sheng Kongzhi had not received a good script since then and the gap in status between him and Xie Xuanming in the entertainment industry continued to get wider. After making some comparisons, one could only lament that playing smart could gain a short-term profit but would not support you for a lifetime. Only by relying on real strength could you sit firmly at the top of the pyramid. After Xie Xuanming¡¯s ascension to glory he became more and more distant from Ji Sheng. For a long time afterwards they were cut off from each other. Until Ji Sheng asked for something¡­ and only then did they get in touch again. But with a stance more alienated than strangers. After recalling the past, Ji Sheng slapped his back and sat up straight. The hammering had not eased the soreness in his back much, but his stomach had been hammered into a few ¡°gurgles¡± of protest. He hadn¡¯t eaten enough at lunch, skipped dinner and ended up being dragged through some strenuous exercise. Even the best land could not afford to be ploughed like this. Ji Sheng complained in his heart and raised his head to say a few words to Xie Xuanming, only to realise that he was the only one in the room. ¡°Xie Xuanming?¡± Ji Sheng called out with some surprise, ¡°Is anyone there?¡± What responded to him was the cold breeze from the air conditioner. ¡°Where did you go so late¡­¡± Ji Sheng lowered his head and muttered, deciding to solve his own sustenance needs first. The mobile phone was placed at the head of the bed. Ji Sheng fumbled over and was about to unlock it and order a takeaway, but when he turned on the screen, he was bombarded with messages from an unfamiliar number. [This is Su Jing, please send me a message when you see it] Ji Sheng paused, his fingers hesitatingly hovering above the screen. With a few more growls from his stomach, Ji Sheng briefly let go of his tangled emotions and tapped into the takeaway app to place a quick order before exiting and going back to read the unread messages. Su Jing sent several messages. [Xie Xuanming used your mobile phone to blacklist me, I contacted you many times before but couldn¡¯t get in touch] Ji Sheng exchanged numbers with Su Jing when they cooperated on the live broadcast, but now he rummaged through his phone and couldn¡¯t find Su Jing¡¯s name in the address book. After looking at the blacklist, he was shocked to find Su Jing¡¯s name in it. Ji Sheng clicked on WeChat and also found that ¡°Su Jing¡± had been blacklisted. When did it happen? Ji Sheng was a little puzzled but quickly understood. He had been participating in the show some time ago and hadn¡¯t had his phone in his hands for a long time. It was indeed not difficult for Xie Xuanming to quietly blacklist Su Jing. [This is my friend¡¯s number, I will use it to contact you in the future, so save it] [But Xie Xuanming might find out soon, with his dead-head temper he will be angry again] [If the one who sees these messages is Xie Xuanming, your ancestral grave will be dug tonight] [Does Xie Xuanming have anything on you? Why do you want to stay with him? If you want to leave, just contact me, I have a way to take you away from him] ¡°What is he talking about¡­¡± Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t help but whisper when he saw this, ¡°It makes me look like a child who has been abducted and sold.¡± He pulled Su Jing out of the blacklist and sent him a message to report his safety. While he was waiting for a reply, the takeaway guy called and said that the takeaway was downstairs. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go down and get it now, you wait.¡± Ji Sheng said, standing up. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t bring him slippers. Ji Sheng went downstairs barefoot. He walked to the door, held the handle and pressed it down, but the handle of the door didn¡¯t move. Ji Sheng was taken aback for a moment and increased his strength. It still wouldn¡¯t budge. He lowered his head to check the door lock, muttering: ¡°Is this broken or locked¡­ ah.¡± A strong arm wrapped around his waist, and his whole body was violently pulled backwards. Ji Sheng took two steps back and was firmly pressed against the man behind him. Before he could recover from the back pain, he saw Xie Xuanming hold him with one arm, while inserting the key into the keyhole with the other hand, turning it a few times. Before pressing the handle of the door, Xie Xuanming stopped and glanced down at Ji Sheng: ¡°Su Jing is outside the door?¡± ¡°What does it have to do with Su Jing?¡± Ji Sheng was surprised for a second, then explained, ¡°I ordered takeaway.¡± Xie Xuanming remained motionless, staring at him insistently. When no one opened the door for a long time, the takeaway guy grew impatient and rang the doorbell. ¡°It¡¯s really a takeaway.¡± When the doorbell rang, Ji Sheng explained again. Probably because he had just engaged in intimate activities not long ago, his body was surprisingly sensitive, and at the moment, he was a little embarrassed with Xie Xuanming pressed against him. Ji Sheng struggled to break free, arguing, ¡°Do you think if it was really Su Jing, he would have rang the doorbell instead of smashing the door?¡± His argument was very reasonable. Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression relaxed. He pushed Ji Sheng to stand behind him, turned the handle and opened the anti-theft door. Ji Sheng watched as he pulled the takeaway bag through the crack in the door and closed the door again. Xie Xuanming used the key to unlock the door. This action suddenly flashed in Ji Sheng¡¯s mind, and he inexplicably remembered the locked car door¡­ That picture that had not been noticed before was now mirrored in the locked door. Xie Xuanming turned back and lifted the takeaway to observe it carefully, as if he was carrying not a food bag but a time bomb in his hand. Ji Sheng endured it for a while but his stomach was so empty that he had to take two steps forward and ask, ¡°Can you give it to me?¡± ¡°Why are you ordering takeaway?¡± Xie Xuanming was still distrustful. He looked at the takeaway bag intently, as if trying to dig Su Jing out of it. ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± Ji Sheng was so hungry that his mood was bad, ¡°Asking people to work and not giving them food, my friend, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a bit too much to squeeze people like this?¡± He sounded indignant. Xie Xuanming was pierced by the sarcasm in his words, was silent for a second and handed over the takeaway bag. ¡°If you are hungry, I can cook, there is no need to order takeaway.¡± ¡°I called you.¡± Ji Sheng carried the takeaway to the dining table, pulled back a chair and said, ¡°There was no reply. I thought you were not at home.¡± He sat down and muttered while unpacking the takeaway: ¡°Who knew you were monitoring me, do you have a voyeuristic fetish?¡± Xie Xuanming stood still without answering, his face showing no emotion. Ji Sheng did not quite understand why this guy slept with someone and still felt justified to be so cold and silent; good thing he himself was good-tempered even when hungry and angry. Ji Sheng praised himself for his magnanimity and decided not to bother with Xie Xuanming. He took out the takeaway boxes and pushed one of them forward. ¡°Do you eat grass jelly(1)? I ordered an extra one.¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t reply, and Ji Sheng didn¡¯t ask again. He lowered his head and continued to open the other boxes. After a few seconds, he heard the chair in front of him being pulled away. The corners of Ji Sheng¡¯s mouth rose slightly, and without raising his head he asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to say thank you?¡± ¡°¡­thank you.¡± Only then did Ji Sheng contentedly hand over a spoon. The two sat quietly at the table to eat dinner or rather a midnight snack. Ji Sheng was so hungry that he gobbled up, while Xie Xuanming ate gracefully, and the time it took for the two of them to put down the cutlery was not much different. Ji Sheng cleared the bottom of the bowl, burped, leaned back in satisfaction, looked up and said to Xie Xuanming, ¡°I want to talk to you.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s about the web series, I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡± Now it was Xie Xuanming¡¯s turn not to look up, ¡°So is the matter of Su Jing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not these things.¡± Ji Sheng paused for a second and asked, ¡°Why do you hate Su Jing? I feel that you are not even that repulsed by Sheng Kongzhi.¡± ¡°He¡¯s even more annoying than Sheng Kongzhi.¡± Xie Xuanming finally raised his eyes, ¡°Su Jing also knows your identity.¡± ¡°En.¡± ¡°He thinks I¡¯m bullying you and wants to take you away.¡± ¡°En.¡± ¡°So I hate him.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ji Sheng muttered, ¡°But you did bully, ah¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t want to talk more about it, ¡°Anyway, you can¡¯t just blacklist people on my mobile phone.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes drifted away; then he changed the subject, ¡°What do you want to talk to me about?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng was quiet for a while, then said, ¡°Niepan has plans to start a tour. The agent will tell you about it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the details.¡± ¡°Probably go to seven or eight cities. It won¡¯t be long. It looks like two months or something¡­¡± ¡°Are you afraid that I won¡¯t let you go?¡± Xie Xuanming asked coldly. ¡°Then are you afraid that I will run away if I go?¡± Ji Sheng turned the tables on him. ¡°¡­it¡¯s rude to answer a question with a question.¡± Xie Xuanming was deflated. ¡°Alright.¡± Ji Sheng smiled and stopped teasing him, ¡°I just wanted to ask if you are interested in being a guest on tour.¡± Xie Xuanming raised his eyes to look at him. ¡°This itinerary might clash with your web drama¡­ I¡¯m not trying to persuade you to give up the web drama, just stating the facts¡­ Of course your celebrity appearance on a little band tour might not be too good, if you don¡¯t think it¡¯s appropriate¡­¡± ¡°Quite appropriate.¡± Xie Xuanming said. ¡°En?¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t expect him to agree so readily. His eyes widened in surprise and narrowed again, as he smiled, ¡°That¡¯s great, but what about the web drama?¡± ¡°Just postpone the shooting, anyway, I¡¯m the sole owner.¡± Xie Xuanming said lightly, ¡°And the lead actor has not been successfully persuaded yet, so it can¡¯t be filmed right now.¡± ¡°Why do you have to ask me to act?¡± Ji Sheng felt helpless, ¡°There are so many good actors¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t say anything. The two of them were quiet for a while, and then Xie Xuanming said, ¡°I promise to be a guest on the tour. If there is nothing else, let¡¯s rest. You are tired too.¡± ¡°Yes, thanks to you.¡± Ji Sheng stabbed him again, rubbed the hickey on his neck, causing Xie Xuanming to avert his eyes, and added, ¡°But I have one more thing to say.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve slept together at least twice, are you really not going to take responsibility?¡± The plastic spoon was squeezed tightly, and the sound of the plastic cracking was very clear in the silence. Ji Sheng looked at Xie Xuanming, who was calm but blue veins on his forearms became visible. His face finally showed a bit of embarrassment. He finished the sentence in a heartbeat. ¡°If you aren¡¯t, I can be the one who takes responsibility.¡± 1. A jelly-like dessert that has a mild, slightly bitter taste. CH 82 Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression remained calm, but his pupils were constantly contracting, and when you looked closely you could see his hand holding the spoon tremble slightly. Ji Sheng¡¯s heart was also full of ups and downs; he had no experience in confessing, he just opened his mouth and went ahead as soon as he was well fed and warm. He looked at Xie Xuanming with some uncertainty and was surprised to find that the man who had been confessed to was even more nervous than him. Ji Sheng calmed down a little and leaned forward tentatively: ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t you have anything to say?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Xuanming hastily lowered his eyes; the spoon unconsciously scraped the bottom of the bowl a few times. After calming down, he asked in a low voice, ¡°Did Su Jing tell you to say that?¡± ¡°?¡± Ji Sheng was taken aback, ¡°What does this have to do with Su Jing?¡± ¡°To make me let my guard down so you can find a chance to leave.¡± Xie Xuanming explained. ¡°¡­I am sincere.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe it.¡± Xie Xuanming said decisively. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°You are not like this when you are sincere.¡± Xie Xuanming ignored Ji Sheng¡¯s speechless and wronged expression and got up to clean up the table, ¡°It¡¯s late, go to bed, let¡¯s talk about it tomorrow.¡± Ji Sheng was almost turned into a joke by Xie Xuanming. He opened his mouth to say something, but Xie Xuanming lowered his eyes and refused to communicate. In the end, Ji Sheng could only shut up bitterly, put away the takeaway boxes and go upstairs into the bedroom. ¡°Today I¡¯ll sleep next door.¡± After washing up, Xie Xuanming spoke for the first time. ¡°Huh?¡± This was the first time Ji Sheng had seen the guest room come into play, and he was very surprised. ¡°Call me if you need anything.¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t expect that he had the courage to take a step closer but was forced to retreat for a hundred metres. Seeing that Xie Xuanming was about to walk out, Ji Sheng sat up and grabbed his wrist, ¡°There is no need, just because I confessed, do you have to draw a clear line?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a confession.¡± Xie Xuanming corrected him. ¡°¡­are you a confession appraisal expert? Is it up to you to decide whether it¡¯s a confession or not?¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry for a while. Xie Xuanming was indifferent, still looking like he was in a hurry to get to the guest room. Very Liu Xiahui(1). As if he was not the one who had engaged in sex a few hours ago. Ji Sheng complained a lot in his heart but changed his tone to a persuasive one: ¡°You¡¯re sleeping next door, aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll run away?¡± ¡°I locked the door.¡± Xie Xuanming was very righteous. ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng broke the jar, ¡°Then do you know that I can pick locks?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xie Xuanming paused when he heard this, lowered his eyelids and glanced at Ji Sheng coldly. Ji Sheng was searched by these probing eyes to the roots of his hair, retracted his hand and laughed dryly: ¡°Just kidding, except Su Jing no one can.¡± After thinking for half a second, he added: ¡°But there¡¯s no guarantee, since I am talented and good at self-teaching¡­ In order to ensure that I don¡¯t pick the lock and escape, don¡¯t you have to look at me all the time?¡± Xie Xuanming: ¡°.¡± With this righteous tone, it seemed that he wouldn¡¯t run away even if the house collapsed. Xie Xuanming finally slept in the master bedroom, lying on the side of the big bed, half a bed away from Ji Sheng. Ji Sheng lay on the other side, recalling the passion a few hours ago, the confession half an hour ago, and the estrangement now¡­ confusing. He felt that the relationship between him and Xie Xuanming was very deformed, stranger than an ordinary couple, more awkward than ordinary friends, yet not even as intimate as fuck buddies. Xie Xuanming¡¯s feelings were originally very naked and generous, but after receiving a response, he squirmed away. Ji Sheng let out a sigh, wondering why. The phone at the bedside vibrated and lit up; Su Jing returned the message. Xie Xuanming on the other side was keenly aware of it and turned his head slightly. Ji Sheng was so sleepy that he didn¡¯t want to reply to the message, so he stretched out his hand to turn off the phone, yawned and slowly closed his eyes. Xie Xuanming on the other side waited for him to breathe smoothly before slowly turning his head back. When he woke up in the morning, Ji Sheng turned on the phone, saw a flood of missed calls, and his scalp felt numb. Su Jing still hadn¡¯t given up the great idea of ¡°rescuing a friend from water and fire¡±. No matter how much Ji Sheng explained to him, he didn¡¯t want to believe. He was sure that Ji Sheng was abducted by Xie Xuanming, so he continued to send messages to persuade Ji Sheng, or call to harass Xie Xuanming. Ji Sheng was so upset that he couldn¡¯t laugh or cry, while Xie Xuanming became more irritable under the bombardment of phone calls early in the morning and doubted the authenticity of Ji Sheng¡¯s confession last night. The atmosphere between them was awkward, but they had to stay in the same room, and the sense of suffocation was as omnipresent as air. Ji Sheng was not shameless enough to keep pestering Xie Xuanming to talk. He could only pretend that he couldn¡¯t hear the phone ringing and couldn¡¯t see the questioning look as he lowered his head and swiped his mobile phone. He looked like he was addicted to the internet, and he did manage to find some useful information. With the collapse of the Qingchu power, the scars and sins that had been buried in the shadows were finally exposed. The actress who was forced out of the entertainment circle by Sheng Kongzhi published a long post accusing Qingchu of holding back some footage and releasing it later to mislead the public about ¡°sexual harassment¡±. When she asked Sheng Kongzhi for clarification, Sheng Kongzhi, who knew the truth, only replied ¡±I¡¯m sorry¡± and refused to lend a helping hand. The actress wrote. [I was thinking, if you are really sorry, why don¡¯t you stand up and tell the truth? Why add fuel to the fire when public opinion is ugly? Why do you do nothing when your fans harass and threaten me? Did I do something wrong? Or do you really not have the most basic kindness as a human being?] Her accusation was heart-wrenching. At the time of the ¡±sexual harassment¡± incident, Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s persona of a kind gentleman had not yet collapsed. Passers-by had looked at him favourably due to various marketing tricks. In addition, Sheng Kongzhi was the absolute victim of the ¡±Ji Sheng¡± incident. No one doubted the authenticity of Qingchu¡¯s ¡±sexual harassment¡± information. The actress was humiliated countless times, with ¡°being a slut¡±, ¡±being a diva¡±, ¡°playing a big name¡±, ¡±disrespecting seniors¡±, ¡±using unspoken rules¡± and other false rumours spreading everywhere. However, over time, Qingchu¡¯s marketing methods and Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s fake persona collapsed step by step, and more and more people questioned the authenticity of ¡°sexual harassment¡±. Long before the actress¡¯s post, in a forum where the public opinion was not easy for fans to control, some insiders had already anonymously defended the actress, reversing the impression of some netizens on the matter. The actress¡¯s post exonerated her name in the eyes of an even bigger number of people. She fought so hard to clear her name, and fortunately, she was not let down. When Ji Sheng scrolled down the comments section, the majority of voices were encouraging and comforting. [Go, sister, defame the rumour-monger] [Can people who scolded without figuring out the facts come forward and apologise!] [Can you charge White Lotus Sheng for moral damage? He caused her depression] [You¡¯ve got the nerve to jump in front of the screen after slandering a girl for sexual harassment! White Lotus Sheng hasn¡¯t even apologised yet!] There were also people who thought of Ji Sheng. [If this sexual harassment is fake, then the previous one¡­] [It¡¯s also fake, although I don¡¯t like Ji Sheng, he really doesn¡¯t look like someone who can sexually harass his teammates] [I also think it¡¯s fake¡­ If Ji Sheng was really gay and so thirsty, why would he leave Xie Xuanming untouched to engage with Sheng Kongzhi? Xie Xuanming is much more attractive than Sheng Kongzhi, whether for straight women or bent men] [? The focus is too biassed, right?] [Laughing to death, at least the conclusion is correct] [Isn¡¯t Xie Xuanming going to make a drama to prove Ji Sheng¡¯s innocence? I feel that many questions can be answered when this drama comes out] [Hurry up, hurry up, I can¡¯t wait to see the love/hate relationship between these guys] [Kick out White Lotus Sheng, he doesn¡¯t deserve to be in Xie/Ji relationship] [¡­¡­] The focus switched to the web drama and Ji Sheng put down his mobile phone unhappily. He suspected that Xie Xuanming had bought these comments that stepped on Sheng Kongzhi and praised Xie Xuanming, and finally tutted to make the web drama. Ji Sheng rubbed his hair irritably. Xie Xuanming had already washed and went downstairs. The clanging sound from below should be him making breakfast. Ji Sheng also got out of bed and wandered into the bathroom. He was actually not that stubborn. He didn¡¯t want to take on the web drama mostly because he was worried that Xie Xuanming would lower his status¡­ Just like in his previous life he rejected the TV drama because he was afraid of spoiling Xie Xuanming¡¯s reputation, not because he didn¡¯t want to act. In this way, although he had been thinking about Xie Xuanming all the time, it made Xie Xuanming more and more resentful. Ji Sheng thought about it with the toothbrush in his mouth. Then why don¡¯t you trust Xie Xuanming a little more? Believe that with his ability he can receive good scripts even after the web drama; believe that he has a good idea of what he is doing when he makes the arrangements. Ji Sheng lowered his head and rinsed his mouth. Let¡¯s think about it again. When he went downstairs, Xie Xuanming sat at the dining table waiting for him. ¡°Niepan has a live broadcast next Friday.¡± Xie Xuanming said with coffee in his hand, ¡°With Su Jing.¡± Ji Sheng paused slightly as he pulled the chair: ¡°Did you reject it?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then I will reject it.¡± Ji Sheng sat down, ¡°Let the other members of Niepan participate, and I won¡¯t go.¡± Xie Xuanming raised his eyes to look at him and lowered them again: ¡°Then Su Jing is probably going to curse again.¡± ¡°Let him curse.¡± Ji Sheng smiled, ¡°I¡¯ve been cursed since I was a teenager, this time is not too bad.¡± ¡°¡­didn¡¯t you say that he couldn¡¯t beat you in cursing?¡± ¡°En?¡± Ji Sheng was taken aback, and then he remembered that when he was young, he used to brag to Xie Xuanming, who was a minor, saying that he was not unable to win over Su Jing in verbal battles but just let him win¡­ ¡°You still remember this¡­¡± The lie from years ago was pried out, and Ji Sheng¡¯s face was slightly lost. ¡±We used to be evenly matched but I didn¡¯t have a chance to practise after my debut. Of course I can¡¯t compare now¡­¡± Xie Xuanming stopped teasing him and put down his coffee: ¡°The live broadcast is in the afternoon. Do you have any plans for that morning?¡± ¡°There seems to be a magazine shoot.¡± Ji Sheng said uncertainly. ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up after the shoot.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Next Friday, after the magazine shoot was over, Ji Sheng and the Niepan members separated after saying goodbye at the entrance of the parking lot. Xie Xuanming had called and said he would pick him up here but Ji Sheng waited for a long time and still didn¡¯t see Xie Xuanming. He sent a message to Xie Xuanming in some confusion. Ji Sheng [Where are you?] Xie Xuanming [Where are you?] Ji Sheng [¡­¡­] Ji Sheng [Lift No. 2 entrance, Area B, this is the place we agreed to meet] Xie Xuanming [I¡¯ll drive over to pick you up] Ji Sheng put down his mobile phone and soon saw a black business car driving over. He pulled the co-pilot door; it did not open it but the rear seat door was unlocked with a ¡°click¡±. ¡°What¡¯s wrong today?¡± Ji Sheng muttered and got in the car without thinking much. Xie Xuanming in the front seat didn¡¯t speak but slowly started the car. Ji Sheng was a little tired after filming, yawned, and prepared to close his eyes and nap for a while. As soon as he closed his eyes, his phone suddenly vibrated twice. Strange number [Where are you?] Strange number [This is Xie Xuanming, where are you?] Ji Sheng was startled. Before he could understand what happened, he saw ¡°Xie Xuanming¡± in the driver¡¯s seat stretch out his hand and grab his mobile phone. Ji Sheng watched the man take the phone away and raised his eyes in amazement. In the driver¡¯s seat, ¡±Xie Xuanming¡± put his mobile phone aside, took off his fisherman hat and revealed a pair of beautiful almond eyes. Su Jing rubbed his hair, saw Ji Sheng¡¯s stunned expression in the rearview mirror, and raised the corners of his lips blankly. ¡°Hey bro.¡± He said calmly, ¡°Ready to run?¡± The author has something to say£º Xiao Ji, forced to run away. Xiao Xie, forced to chase his wife. 1. A famous ancient guy who held a lady on his lap without having any impure thoughts CH 83 ¡°Why are you here??¡± After the initial shock, Ji Sheng glanced at the seat, then raised his head and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t this Xie Xuanming¡¯s car?¡± ¡°I stole the keys.¡± Su Jing patted the keyhole, then pulled out a black square from his side pocket and shook it twice in front of Ji Sheng, ¡°And this.¡± Ji Sheng looked intently and saw that what Su Jing was spinning at his fingers was Xie Xuanming¡¯s mobile phone. ¡°Stealing is illegal!¡± Ji Sheng was shocked and angry. ¡°Is it legal to imprison?¡± Su Jing put away the mobile phone, ¡°That dog Xie Xuanming, ever since I guessed your identity, he¡¯s been cutting off my contact with you like crazy, he deserves it.¡± ¡°What imprisonment?¡± Ji Sheng slapped the front seat backrest a few times, ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s kidnapping.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve really been PUA¡¯d(1).¡± Su Jing sneered and threw the two mobile phones onto the co-pilot seat. ¡°PUA the hell, stop the car quickly¡­ hey!!¡± While Ji Sheng was halfway through speaking, he suddenly heard his phone ring. He lowered his head and saw a strange number appear on the screen of his mobile phone. He was about to lean over to pick it up, but Su Jing directly interrupted the call and hung up. ¡°Why hang up my phone!¡± Ji Sheng was anxious. Xie Xuanming¡¯s mental state was unstable. If he found that Ji Sheng was missing, who knows what he would think, ¡°Hurry up and return the phone to me!¡± ¡°No.¡± Not only did Su Jing not give it back but also pressed the button for a long time and turned it off. ¡°¡­what on earth are you thinking? Didn¡¯t I explain to you that Li Tan and Sheng Kongzhi did all those things before, and Xie Xuanming is helping me clarify!¡± ¡°Clarify my ass.¡± Su Jing didn¡¯t want to listen to any of it, ¡°Only a naive fool like you who was innocent for all his life would believe these words. I can see that whether it is Sheng Kongzhi or Xie Xuanming, they all are bastards and want to use you to hype. Fuck, there¡¯s not a single good guy in the entertainment industry.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also in the entertainment industry!¡± ¡°And weren¡¯t you messed up to death?¡± Su Jing was extremely mean. When he said this, Xie Xuanming¡¯s mobile phone rang. It seemed that Xie Xuanming couldn¡¯t get through to Ji Sheng¡¯s phone, so he dialled his own number instead. Su Jing rejected the call swiftly, and Ji Sheng saw two messages flash before the screen went dark. [Where did you take Ji Sheng] [Stop the car if you don¡¯t want to have an accident] Ji Sheng was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly turned his head and looked back. Sure enough, he saw a Hummer catching up at a very high speed. He couldn¡¯t see the driver¡¯s seat clearly, but with that menacing attitude, it was definitely Xie Xuanming. Ji Sheng fully understood Xie Xuanming¡¯s anger at the moment and had no doubt about the authenticity of his threatening words. He turned around and slapped Su Jing on the shoulder, raising his voice: ¡°Really stop, hurry up and find a place to park.¡± ¡°No.¡± Su Jing also saw the messages. His expression was very bad as he turned the steering wheel. Not only did he not slow down, he also changed lanes and drove straight towards the highway intersection, ¡°Fasten your seat belt.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± Ji Sheng was furious. He bumped into the backrest when Su Jing pressed the accelerator pedal; while pulling the seat belt, he said angrily, ¡°So opinionated no matter what! ¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s opinionated!¡± Su Jing retorted, ¡°Obviously you¡¯re alive but you didn¡¯t say a word, tricked me into visiting your grave on the anniversary¡­ I even bought a wreath, you know, 578 a wreath, I bought two!!! 1156 in total!!! Ji Sheng, I¡¯m telling you, until you transfer this money back to me, I¡¯m not finished with you!!!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll transfer the money, stop the car first!¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s car in the rearview mirror was getting closer and closer. Ji Sheng was furious, ¡°If you don¡¯t stop, I guess you¡¯ll have to buy another wreath to visit my new grave!¡± ¡°So Xie Xuanming is really threatening you, right?¡± Su Jing was furious too, ¡°You wait, I¡¯ll definitely get rid of him.¡± Ji Sheng: ¡­¡­ ¡°Your reading comprehension was taught by a physical education teacher, right?!¡± Ji Sheng roared. ¡°Ha! I dropped out of middle school before I finished it!¡± ¡°Is this something to be proud of?! ¡­fuck! ¡± Boom! A vigorous force slammed into the rear of the car with a loud noise. Xie Xuanming drove his Hummer into the business car; Ji Sheng was unsteady and hit his head on the co-pilot seat backrest and clutched his forehead with a cry of pain. Su Jing was also staggered by the impact. If it weren¡¯t for the seat belt, he would have knocked on the steering wheel. He slammed on the gas pedal to pull away again, gritting his teeth, ¡°This lunatic.¡± Ji Sheng had just sat firmly when he was pushed back by the acceleration. He couldn¡¯t hold back from cursing: ¡°Good guy, hurry up and find a place to park. Do you really want to cause a car accident?¡± Su Jing was just about to reply when Xie Xuanming called again. Just after being slammed, Su Jing¡¯s anger also surged. He pressed the phone to answer, and before the other party could speak, he yelled: ¡°You lunatic, asshole, dog, PUA guy, meeting you is Ji Sheng¡¯s bloody bad luck of eight lifetimes!¡± He kicked the accelerator again Ji Sheng, who was watching the play from the back row, was suddenly pushed back again, really close to throwing up. He thought: meeting Xie Xuanming is at most a lifetime of bad luck, but the remaining seven lifetimes of bad luck are all piled up on you. ¡°Stop the car.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s voice was extremely cold, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go to the hospital.¡± Su Jing sneered: ¡°Then you can go to jail and stay there.¡± With that said, he stepped on the gas again, going all out. Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t stand this kind of car race driving, so he covered his stomach and leaned forward a bit, letting out a dry heave. Su Jing turned his head and said nervously, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, are you okay?¡± He was distracted while driving at high speed, and the business car swayed a few times as if floating. Ji Sheng really didn¡¯t want to see God again, so he held back his nausea and said, ¡°You fucking¡­ watch the road.¡± Su Jing also realized the problem and hurriedly turned back to focus on driving. Xie Xuanming on the other end of the phone heard the conversation between the two clearly, was silent for a while, and warned gloomily in a low voice: ¡°Su Jing, you also know what Ji Sheng has been through, stop the car quickly!¡± Su Jing¡¯s expression changed as he obviously thought of Ji Sheng¡¯s car accident. Unconsciously, he slowed down. But as soon as he slowed down, he remembered that Xie Xuanming was still pressing step by step behind him, and looked back to the mirror nervously. Surprisingly, although Xie Xuanming¡¯s car was still chasing after him, it also slowed down. ¡°We¡¯re almost there, hold on.¡± Su Jing breathed a sigh of relief, comforting Ji Sheng while pulling out of the highway exit. The two cars stopped at the rest stop, one after the other. ¡°Are you okay?¡± As soon as the car stopped steadily, Su Jing unbuckled his seat belt and hurriedly turned to ask. ¡°¡­okay.¡± Ji Sheng actually just had a little motion sickness, but the feeling of nausea was not pleasant either, ¡°Got any motion sickness medicine¡­¡± Before he finished speaking, the door was suddenly opened; Xie Xuanming leaned in with a cold face and then saw Ji Sheng¡¯s pale lips and ugly expression. ¡°¡­or something sour, lemonade, plum, tangerine juice or something¡­¡± Ji Sheng froze for a moment and finished the remaining half of the sentence. Without wasting time on dealing with Su Jing, Xie Xuanming walked to the supermarket, then turned back after two steps, walked up to the other side of the business car and vigorously opened the driver¡¯s seat door. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Su Jing originally looked back at Ji Sheng, but when he saw Xie Xunaming rushing over, he turned around vigilantly, tensed and asked, ¡°Want to fight?¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t say a word, quickly pulled out the keys and slammed the door shut again with force. ¡°Fuck.¡± Su Jing stared at the empty keyhole dumbfounded and raised his middle finger at Xie Xuanming¡¯s back. Xie Xuanming soon returned with motion sickness medicine and lemonade and handed them to Ji Sheng. ¡°That stuff only works if you take it in advance.¡± Su Jing said coolly from the front. Xie Xuanming ignored him; Ji Sheng swallowed the motion sickness medicine and said, ¡°I know, it¡¯s a psychological effect.¡± He was in much better shape, leaning in Xie Xuanming¡¯s arms, his well-behaved appearance making Su Jing uncomfortable. Su Jing turned his head awkwardly: ¡°You really¡­¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Xie Xuanming interrupted in a deep voice, ¡°Ji Sheng is fine, but if something went wrong, could you still sit here and talk nonsense?¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t he uncomfortable because you bumped into him?¡± Su Jing was on fire. ¡°If you didn¡¯t kidnap him, why would I bump into him?¡± Xie Xuanming sneered. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Barf¡­¡± When the two of them were rattling their swords, Ji Sheng retched again, stopping the battle. Xie Xuanming looked at him and Su Jing leaned forward over his seat, not flinching even when Xie Xuanming glared at him. ¡°Why do you look like you are pregnant?¡± After confirming that Ji Sheng just had motion sickness, Su Jing breathed a sigh of relief and said meanly. ¡°¡­Then you forced me to run away with the ball, right?¡± Ji Sheng replied angrily. ¡°Read less weird novels!¡± Su Jing scolded, ¡°Because you read novels and are stupid, you got brainwashed.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Ji Sheng was about to reply. ¡°Brainwashed what?¡± Xie Xuanming interrupted, raised his eyes and stared at Su Jing extremely coldly, ¡°Tell me, what about did I brainwash Ji Sheng?¡± Su Jing was taken aback for a moment and then slapped the board in anger. ¡°Before, there were rumours about you and the movie director, and you pulled Ji Sheng into hype in order to suppress them!¡± ¡°It was because someone wanted to spread rumours about the relationship between Ji Sheng and Sheng Kongzhi. In order to cover up the news, Qingchu asked me for help.¡± ¡°After Ji Sheng was in a car accident that year, how many times did you bring his name on the hot searches? Every time it caused him to be pulled out and whipped by passers-by!¡± ¡°Which time did I not deny that Ji Sheng was drunk driving? Moreover, most of those hot searches were related to Qingchu.¡± ¡°¡­You treated Ji Sheng so badly before, you even choked him!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know he was Ji Sheng before, I thought he was sent by Li Tan to snoop around!¡± ¡°¡­¡± After his points were refuted one by one, Su Jing¡¯s face turned black; he finally scolded, ¡°Then why did you hang up when I questioned if Ji Hui was Ji Sheng and didn¡¯t let me get in touch with him?¡± ¡°You make people throw up as soon as you get in touch with them.¡± Xie Xuanming said sarcastically, ¡°What did I do wrong?¡± Su Jing was stunned for a second, then slapped the seat, pointed at Xie Xuanming and scolded: ¡°Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know that you keep Ji Sheng next to you as a substitute. Ji Sheng told me that there is someone else who is your white moonlight.¡± ¡°?¡° Xie Xuanming looked at Ji Sheng, ¡°When did you say that?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng sheepishly averted his eyes, ¡°In the previous life, he called and asked when we were hyped.¡± He waved his hand at Su Jing: ¡°The information has been updated, there is no white moonlight.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Su Jing was completely speechless now. He looked at the two of them with a constipated expression, and asked after a long pause, ¡°So you keep Ji Sheng by your side because¡­¡± ¡°I like him.¡± Xie Xuanming said coldly, ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Su Jing¡¯s face became even more ugly, and he turned to look at Ji Sheng: ¡°Then you don¡¯t want to leave because¡­¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± Ji Sheng coughed and whispered, ¡°Same reason as above.¡± The author has something to say£º Susu, old unlucky bastard 1. PUA, or pick-up artistry, refers to the practices and theories some rely on to attract sexual partners CH 84 ¡°You¡­you¡­¡± Su Jing was speechless. Obviously, the extremely implicit dialogue between the two in front of him made his nose twitch in anger. ¡°Take care of yourself.¡± Annoyed, Su Jing threw down such a sentence, got out of the car and slammed the door shut. Ji Sheng sat up straight, ready to follow after him, but Xie Xuanming blocked his way to the door. ¡°Let me have a few words with him,¡± Ji Sheng said, tilting up his head. ¡°Are you not dizzy anymore?¡± Xie Xuanming lowered his eyes to look at him. ¡°Much better.¡± Ji Sheng patted him on the shoulder, let go and spread out his hands upward, ¡°Give me the keys. The phones are all in the co-pilot seat. I will go to the car you drove here to find you later.¡± Xie Xuanming looked at him quietly for two seconds, then his left hand raised above Ji Sheng¡¯s opened palm, his fist loosened, and the car keys jingled down. ¡°Thanks.¡± Ji Sheng held the keys and smiled at him, ¡°I¡¯ll be there soon.¡± Xie Xuanming moved out of the way; Ji Sheng got out of the car through the gap between Xie Xuanming and the front seat and chased after Su Jing. Su Jing sat on the flower bed in a daze with his head lowered, holding the mobile phone in his hand, the page stuck on the taxi app. ¡°You presume you can get a taxi in a place like this.¡± A teasing voice accompanied by a chuckle came from above his head. Su Jing raised his head and a set of keys flicked in front of his eyes. Seeing that Su Jing didn¡¯t move, Ji Sheng carried the car keys over and shook it above his head. ¡°What are you going to do? Quarrel?¡± When Su Jing saw Ji Sheng, he became angry again. He did not take the keys, leaning back and almost falling into the flower bed. Fortunately, Ji Sheng was quick enough to pull him upright. ¡°How can you not change at all?¡± Ji Sheng sighed. ¡°Scolding me?¡± Not meeting his eyes, Su Jing asked with a stern face. ¡°Complimenting you.¡± Ji Sheng threw the car keys forward casually. When Su Jing hurriedly caught them, Ji Sheng sat down beside him, patted his shoulder and said, ¡°Anyway, thank you.¡± Ji Sheng looked at the colourful ribbons fluttering on the tree trunks in front of him and narrowed his eyes, half-joking, half-sighing, ¡°Of all my friends, you¡¯re the only one who¡¯s genuinely nice to me.¡± Su Jing quieted down, holding the keys in his hand and letting out a slight snort. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you listen to my advice?¡± He finally raised his head, scowled and kicked away the stones under his feet, ¡°Are you really not leaving?¡± ¡°No. I told you I like Xiao Xie.¡± Ji Sheng said with a smile, ¡°Why should I leave.¡± ¡°¡­your insight into men is really worrying.¡± ¡°Xiao Xie is very nice.¡± ¡°You said the same about Sheng Kongzhi before.¡± ¡°That¡¯s different.¡± Ji Sheng wrinkled his nose and said impulsively, ¡°Sheng Kongzhi is not worthy of being compared to Xiao Xie.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Su Jing was silent again, and it took a while before he spoke, ¡°Although Xie Xuanming is indeed not as much a jerk as Sheng Kongzhi, you are really sort of hopeless.¡± ¡°Sort of?¡± Ji Sheng laughed, ¡°So don¡¯t rescue me, I¡¯m not stupid, I¡¯ll leave when I want to.¡± ¡°When?¡± Su Jing was more serious. ¡°When I¡¯m 80?¡± Su Jing stood up abruptly and scolded: ¡°You are making fun of me!¡± ¡°I enjoy it.¡± Ji Sheng drawled. Su Jing was about to get angry but lost his wish to quarrel when he met Ji Sheng¡¯s eyes curved in a smile. ¡°Forget it.¡± He waved his hand wearily and settled on the flower bed, feeling that he really couldn¡¯t stop this unlucky love-poisoned big child. ¡°Just take care of yourself¡­ Be smart and observe. If you see something wrong, run quickly¡­ or give me a call.¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Ji Sheng smiled, ¡°You too, remember to find me if you have any difficulties.¡± ¡°My biggest difficulty now is you!¡± Su Jing roared angrily, calmed down and then raised his hand and rubbed Ji Sheng¡¯s head like patting a dog, ¡°Anyway, live smart, I really don¡¯t want to spend another 578 on a wreath.¡± Ji Sheng let him rub his bangs into a mess, squinted and said, ¡°Okay.¡± It took just ten minutes for Ji Sheng to finish talking to Su Jing and get into the co-pilot. ¡°Su Jing said he would send the car back when it is repaired, and asked for the address.¡± Ji Sheng said, fastening his seat belt. ¡°I¡¯ll send it to him in a while.¡± Xie Xuanming said. ¡°You actually plan to contact him?¡± Ji Sheng wondered, ¡±I thought you were going to quarrel with him until you die of old age.¡± ¡°I do have this intention.¡± Xie Xuanming said coldly, ¡°But you obviously won¡¯t allow that.¡± ¡°En¡­¡± Ji Sheng clicked his seat belt, turned to look at Xie Xuanming, and said in a soft voice, ¡°Still angry?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Not angry with you.¡± ¡°Then I apologise for Su Jing.¡± Xie Xuanming was silent for a while: ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to bump into you just now. If something happened to you¡­¡± ¡°Nothing happened.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°Just motion sickness.¡± ¡°¡­that¡¯s good.¡± The two sat in silence for a while, then Ji Sheng asked, ¡°Let¡¯s go back?¡± ¡°En.¡± On the way back, the agent called, asking for details of the tour. ¡°There¡¯s one song missing from the tour set list, and none of the members have any ideas, so they told me to ask you.¡± ¡°One song?¡± Ji Sheng thought for a while, ¡°Not a Niepan song would be fine?¡± ¡°As long as it¡¯s copyrighted.¡± ¡°Is ¡°Fruit Candy¡± okay, from the Qingchu band?¡± ¡°¡­will Qingchu be willing to sell the copyright?¡± ¡°The copyright is not in the hands of Qingchu company.¡± Ji Sheng smiled, ¡°The copyright is in the hands of the original singer.¡± He turned his head as he said, ¡°Original singer, do you give us the licence?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Xie Xuanming said without looking. Satisfied, Ji Sheng turned back to the phone and said, ¡°I¡¯ve got the licence.¡± There was a weird silence on the other end of the phone for two seconds. The agent knew the current state of affairs and didn¡¯t ask much: ¡°Okay, then I will add ¡°Fruit Candy¡± to the tour set list.¡± ¡°Okay, please.¡± Because Ji Sheng was hungry, Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t drive back to the villa directly, but turned to a Japanese restaurant. This Japanese restaurant was famous for its exquisite decor, attentive service and delicious dishes; the high price seemed to be its only drawback. The workmanship of this place was exquisite, and the speed of serving was naturally not fast. At the table, Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t speak. Ji Sheng looked for a few topics but couldn¡¯t really engage him in chatting, so he had to take out his mobile phone awkwardly and swipe through the messages. Ji Sheng confirmed that Su Jing had made it to the afternoon¡¯s live broadcast, and after a sigh of relief, his hand slipped to Weibo, unintentionally pulling up a video. The name ¡±Xie Xuanming¡± made him continue watching. The blogger who made the video had 100,000 fans. The content of the video was a satirical analysis of various news in the entertainment industry. To put it nicely, it could be called pioneering self-publishing; to put it badly, it could be called spraying dirt with some editing skills. At this moment, the self-publishing sprayer pointed its muzzle at Xie Xuanming and blasted him for participating in a web drama, not cherishing his reputation, businessman¡¯s way of making money, vulgar behaviour and even shamelessly rubbing the heat off the dead. ¡°Xie Xuanming can be regarded as squeezing oil from Ji Sheng¡¯s corpse under the banner of affection and righteousness!¡± The video blogger sneered sharply. Ji Sheng frowned. That¡¯s an awful thing to say. He quit the video, reported the slandering, and entered the comment area, but unexpectedly found that there were a lot of people who agreed with the blogger. The comments were full of criticism, making Xie Xuanming¡¯s position as an exploiter a reality in public opinion. This slander made Ji Sheng very angry, but he couldn¡¯t do anything, so he could only click on the comments one by one reporting them. ¡°Don¡¯t look at your phone while eating.¡± The moment the food was on the table, Xie Xuanming saw that Ji Sheng was still addicted to the Internet, so he tapped his finger on the table and reminded him. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Ji Sheng hurriedly put down his phone. He picked up a piece of cod, put it in his mouth and chewed it absent-mindedly. After swallowing it, he raised his eyes and said, ¡°That web drama, can you stop filming it?¡± ¡°En?¡± ¡°The sisheng went to jail, Qingchu is on the verge of collapse and Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s reputation is damaged¡­¡± Ji Sheng counted all the points, ¡°The wrongdoers have been punished as they deserve. There is no more need to film the web drama¡­¡± ¡°I said I didn¡¯t want to talk about matters concerning the web drama.¡± Xie Xuanming interrupted him lightly, ¡°Let¡¯s eat.¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t move his chopsticks. The mean remarks of the blogger still sounded in his ears, the nasty speculations of netizens in the comment area still flashed in front of his eyes. Thinking of Su Jing¡¯s previous misunderstanding of Xie Xuanming¡¯s web drama project, Ji Sheng had no doubt how many people would come online to speculate and insult Xie Xuanming with the utmost malice. He couldn¡¯t accept that Xie Xuanming was insulted because of him. Although Xie Xuanming might be used to it or didn¡¯t care at all, this didn¡¯t mean that Ji Sheng could accept everything with peace of mind. Ji Sheng was quiet for a while, and then continued to insist: ¡°You really don¡¯t need to make this web drama¡­¡± Snap! Xie Xuanming put down his chopsticks. His movement was not heavy, but there was a crisp sound in the room. ¡°Can we stop this conversation now?¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s attitude was cold, ¡°In what position are you asking me to give up filming now? As a friend?¡± ¡°As a friend.¡± Ji Sheng hesitated and said, ¡°If it¡¯s okay with you¡­ it can also be as a lover.¡± He tested the relationship between them for the second time, but Xie Xuanming remained just as expressionless as when he¡¯d heard it the first time. ¡°You are very good at using other people¡¯s emotions.¡± Xie Xuanming raised his hand to stop Ji Sheng¡¯s defence and said calmly, ¡°I¡¯m not being ironic¡­ I¡¯m happy you have this little bit of cleverness, compared to the previous life when you trusted people all over the world.¡± ¡°However, instead of trying to use the identity of a lover to dissuade me from filming the web drama, it is better to use the identity of the role prototype to refuse. More likely to make me sway.¡± Xie Xuanming looked at Ji Sheng calmly, ¡°Originally I was reluctant to put it so bluntly, but you keep being stubborn talking about it, so I can only make it clear.¡± ¡°This web drama is not entirely made for you, and my own selfishness also accounts for a large part of the reason¡­ It may be hurtful to say that, but Ji Sheng, you may not have thought about it at all. The time you want to avoid is the most precious memory of my life.¡± After Xie Xuanming finished speaking, the dining table fell silent. Ji Sheng opened his mouth, wanting to speak but not knowing what to say. Finally, Xie Xuanming asked again, ¡°Are you still eating?¡± Ji Sheng was taken aback for a moment and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve finished eating, I have something to do later, so I¡¯ll go back first. The driver will come to pick you up later, go home or go somewhere else, it¡¯s your decision.¡± Xie Xuanming stood up, turned around to leave, but thought of something, turned back and tapped on the table. ¡°By the way, liking and gratitude are not the same thing, and there is no way to replace one with the other, let alone to prove¡­ at least not by you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re acting too deliberately, and I don¡¯t really believe that you like me.¡± CH 85 Xie Xuanming shook his head and left. Ji Sheng was so upset by the lecture that he didn¡¯t care about eating anymore. He picked up the chopsticks, took two bites of food and chewed them without feeling the taste. After about ten minutes, the driver sent a message saying that he was at the door. Ji Sheng didn¡¯t want to stay any longer, so he got up and went back. When he arrived at the villa, Xie Xuanming was in his study, still looking indifferent, which made Ji Sheng even more puzzled. He knocked on the door and walked in, went to Xie Xuanming¡¯s side, and gently knocked on the table. ¡°Can I use the basement?¡± ¡°Whatever.¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t even raise his eyes, nor did he ask why he wanted to use the basement, completely cutting off Ji Sheng¡¯s plan to start a conversation and break the ice, ¡°The access card is in the second drawer on the left, the blue one.¡± Xie Xuanming cut off the topic decisively. Ji Sheng had no choice but to go to the cabinet dejectedly, find the card, and go from the study to the basement. He opened the door to the basement, took the drumsticks off the wall and sat down on the drum chair. After moving the chair, Ji Sheng raised his hands. As the drumsticks fell on the drum surface, his thoughts drifted away with them. When practising drums freely, Ji Sheng¡¯s brain cells were always extremely active. The drum was like a pacemaker for his emotions; all his thoughts and worries spread outwards like ripples on the water from the moment the front ends of the drumsticks touched the drum surface. Ji Sheng lowered his head and kept drumming; the faster his hands moved, the more depressed his mood became. He knew exactly what bothered him: one, Xie Xuanming was verbally abused by netizens who did not know the truth, and two, his feelings were questioned. The former was force majeure. Ji Sheng also was in the entertainment industry: he naturally understood that doing this job required suffering this sin. Ignoring unprovoked abuse and criticism was the best solution, much better than caring about it. He beat hard for a few minutes and forced himself to accept negative comments about Xie Xuanming. So the question came to the latter issue. Xie Xuanming denied his feelings. This really made Ji Sheng feel at a loss. Ji Sheng was not so stupid that he could not even perceive his own feelings. Although he had been so stupid in his previous life¡­ But after he was reborn and awakened, he looked back at the past and realized that a long time ago, his relationship with Xie Xuanming had been sprinkled with the flavour that could only be called liking. But Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t think so. Ji Sheng beat the drum, shifting his perspective, and was puzzled to realise that from a spectator¡¯s point of view, his own feelings were indeed abrupt, more like a polite expression of being forced to respond than a natural emotion. No wonder Xie Xuanming misunderstood. Ji Sheng vented until he exhausted his strength. When he stopped, his wrists were shaking with pain and his ankles were numb from strenuous exercise. Gasping for breath, he hung the drumsticks back on the wall, lay down on the floor and looked at the ceiling blankly. He lay there for a long time, still unable to understand the current situation, or why the relationship between them was so strained when they clearly liked each other. Ji Sheng was puzzled. His only emotional experience was too complicated to provide him with a corresponding solution. In desperation, he chose to turn to others for help. Ji Sheng dialled Su Jing¡¯s number. ¡°Hey, have you finally figured out that you want to run?¡± Even though it was late, Su Jing picked up the phone in seconds. ¡°No.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that I can call you if I have any questions? I need help now.¡± ¡°Oh, so not going to leave. Then I¡¯m hanging up.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t hang up, don¡¯t hang up!¡± Ji Sheng hurriedly cried out, ¡°It¡¯s a very important question, I really can¡¯t help it.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like¡­¡± Ji Sheng explained the situation, and also verbatim repeated Xie Xuanming¡¯s statement at noon. After he finished speaking, the other end of the phone fell into a weird silence. After a few seconds, Su Jing gritted his teeth and asked, ¡°You call in the middle of the night just to ask me how to solve your emotional problems with Xie Xuanming?¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Ji Sheng affirmed. ¡°Am I a fucking late-night emotion streamer?!¡± Su Jing exploded. ¡°Didn¡¯t you do this part-time job too!!!¡± Ji Sheng was very aggrieved. ¡°¡­¡± Su Jing was speechless for a moment, ¡°Okay.¡± Su Jing calmed down, recalled Ji Sheng¡¯s retelling just now, and the fire instantly soared again: ¡°What do you mean, ¡®I don¡¯t believe that you like me¡¯? Isn¡¯t that just complaining that you don¡¯t like him enough? Xie Xuanming is really PUA¡¯ing you, right?¡± He was very angry, but Ji Sheng caught the point: ¡°Complaining I don¡¯t like him enough? Why does he feel this way?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Su Jing grunted, ¡°Maybe he lacks love, maybe he wants you to give more, maybe you really don¡¯t show how much you like him¡­ But this is a good thing. After all, you also know that people who love more in relationships never end well¡­¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Although Su Jing¡¯s words might have been nonsense, Ji Sheng still fished something out of them, ¡°Thank you, I get it.¡± ¡°? What do you get?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I didn¡¯t show that I like Xie Xuanming very much, that¡¯s why he thinks that. I need to be more proactive.¡± ¡°What kind of business level understanding is that¡­¡± Su Jing obviously didn¡¯t expect that his flurry of nonsense not only failed to persuade Ji Sheng, but actually had the opposite effect. He was so angry that he was about to open his mouth and scold his love-sick friend into waking him up¡­ Ji Sheng didn¡¯t give him this opportunity. ¡°Good night!¡± Knowing Su Jing¡¯s virtues, Ji Sheng naturally didn¡¯t plan to give him a chance to talk. He ignored Su Jing¡¯s angry roar and hung up neatly. Phew. Ji Sheng let out a long breath, his fingers tapping on the floor unconsciously. Expressing his liking?¡­ He lay down for a while, propped himself up and stood up from the floor. Ji Sheng turned off the lights, took the card and came out of the basement, not surprised to see the study light still on. He glanced down at the time; it was almost two o¡¯clock. Ji Sheng knocked on the door, and a ¡°Come in¡± came from inside the room, neither too loud, nor too quiet. When Ji Sheng pushed the door in, Xie Xuanming was still sitting at his desk, maintaining the same posture as when Ji Sheng left with his card a few hours ago. Ji Sheng stood at the door and asked a stupid question: ¡°Why are you still awake?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t finished my work.¡± ¡°It¡¯s late.¡± Xie Xuanming paused and closed the file in his hands: ¡°I¡¯ll go to bed soon.¡± He put a stack of papers on the side of the desk, piling it up. Before he got up, Ji Sheng hesitantly walked up to stand beside him. ¡°What are you reading?¡± ¡°The script.¡± ¡°The web drama?¡± ¡°En.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°Looking if there are any places that need to be changed.¡± ¡°Are there?¡± ¡°Quite a lot.¡± This meaningless conversation finally compelled Xie Xuanming to look up. ¡°Do you have anything to say?¡± Ji Sheng touched his nose: ¡°En.¡± Xie Xuanming waited for his answer with his head raised. Ji Sheng remained motionless for two seconds, feeling that it was not good to speak like this from the above, so he squatted down. Xie Xuanming¡¯s gaze went down with him. With Ji Sheng squatting, he was lower than Xie Xuanming¡¯s line of sight and his face looked small and pretty, the mole at the corner of his eye flickering in the light, very eye-catching. ¡°En?¡± Xie Xuanming repeated monotonously. ¡°Didn¡¯t I confess to you before?¡± Ji Sheng lowered his eyes and whispered, ¡°But I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve said that yet.¡± ¡°En?¡± ¡°I like you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ji Sheng let out a sigh of relief, and the tension accumulated in his heart gradually dissipated with these words of confession. When Xie Xuanming did not respond, Ji Sheng plucked up the courage to look up at him. ¡°I like you.¡± After a pause, he said in a low voice again, ¡°Are you still angry¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± Xie Xuanming finally spoke. He seemed to smile briefly, but quickly returned to being expressionless, ¡°Didn¡¯t I say, I¡¯m not that easy to get angry.¡± ¡°¡­really?¡± ¡°Really.¡± Xie Xuanming lowered his eyes and looked at him, ¡°Don¡¯t squat, it¡¯s getting late, wash up and go to bed.¡± Having said that, he pushed the chair back and stood up. Ji Sheng nodded, got up, and put the card back in the drawer. Xie Xuanming had already tidied the desktop and stood at the door. He put his hand on the switch and waited for Ji Sheng to come out and turn off the light. Ji Sheng walked out of the room, stopped at the door, and looked up a little unwillingly: ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything to say?¡± His eyes shone brightly, as if they were filled with fragments of light and shadow. Xie Xuanming looked at his own reflection shining in these eyes, and asked quietly, ¡°What should I say?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng lowered his head in frustration, ¡°Good night.¡± He was about to go out, but his shoulder was held back. Xie Xuanming grabbed his shoulder with one hand and turned off the light neatly with the other. Pop. The switch snapped. At the moment the lights went out, Xie Xuanming lowered his head and quickly approached Ji Sheng. Ji Sheng felt the corner of his eye being gently touched. ¡°Good night.¡± Xie Xuanming gently pecked on the tear mole, ¡°I like you too.¡± CH 86 The kiss and the words blew across his cheek like an evening breeze. Xie Xuanming withdrew and gently nudged Ji Sheng, who was frozen in place: ¡°Go wash up.¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t recover from the sudden confession yet. He took his pyjamas in a daze, went into the bathroom in a daze, rinsed and cleaned up in a daze, and walked into the master bedroom. When he came out, Xie Xuanming had already washed up in the bathroom downstairs and leaned against the bedside looking at his mobile phone. Ji Sheng went to the other side of the bed, glanced at Xie Xuanming and found that he was actually playing a meaningless game similar to parkour. He played very poorly, and died four times within the minute Ji Sheng watched. ¡°Is it fun?¡± Ji Sheng asked dryly after looking for a while. ¡°Pretty fun.¡± Xie Xuanming died again as soon as he was distracted by talking. He locked the phone screen as if nothing had happened, put it on the bedside table and got out of bed to turn off the light, ¡°Go to bed.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ji Sheng lay down with some rustling, closed his eyes and waited for the atmosphere to quiet down, then suddenly said, ¡°Are we together?¡± ¡°En?¡± ¡°I said I like you, and you also said¡­¡± Ji Sheng closed his eyes and counted carefully. ¡±We confessed to each other, but there seems to be a confirmation procedure lacking.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Xie Xuanming seemed to smile again, ¡°I accept your confession, how about you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng choked and said dryly, ¡°Same as above.¡± Now he clearly heard Xie Xuanming¡¯s chuckle, a slight sound, like a child who had eaten candy. ¡°Good night then¡­¡± Xie Xuanming paused, ¡°Is there a good night kiss?¡± The other side of the bed was quiet for a while. Xie Xuanming waited. Just when he thought Ji Sheng was asleep or shy, there was a rustling sound of fabric in his ears, and the bed by his side gradually sank. Ji Sheng crawled over in small increments, put his hand on Xie Xuanming¡¯s pillow, lowered his head and kissed his face. When the kiss was about to land, Xie Xuanming turned his head and the kiss that was aimed at his cheek fell on his lips. Ji Sheng¡¯s body stiffened, but Xie Xuanming naturally reached out and lightly clasped the back of Ji Sheng¡¯s neck while his lips slightly opened. For a few seconds, their lips and teeth were tacitly merged, escalating from a tentative touch to a lingering exchange of breath. It took a long time before Xie Xuanming touched Ji Sheng¡¯s shoulders and propped him up. ¡°Goodnight kisses are fine up to this point.¡± His voice was a bit hoarse,¡±If you still want to rest, stop here.¡± Ji Sheng heard the teasing in his tone; his ears felt slightly hot. He quickly turned around and wiggled to his original position, rubbing the tips of his burning ears twice and closing his eyes. ¡°Good night, boyfriend.¡± The sudden knowledge of having a boyfriend haunted Ji Sheng in his dreams. There was a dog jumping up and down outrageously, opening its mouth and calling ¡°wife¡± instead of barking. What was even more outrageous was that Ji Sheng actually saw some resemblance between the dog and Xie Xuanming. They were clearly not the same species. When Ji Sheng broke away from the dream of being entangled with a dog, it was already morning. Xie Xuanming got up early as usual. From the roar of the juicer downstairs, he should have been preparing breakfast. Well married, Ji Sheng. Ji Sheng sighed with emotion, scratched his head, got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. His mind was in chaos for a long time with the questions ¡°Can dogs make their own breakfast?¡± and ¡°Can dogs drink juice?¡± He washed up and went downstairs. There were family sandwiches and fried sausages on the dining table, and there was light orange liquid in the glass beside the plate. Xie Xuanming was sitting on a chair in the kitchen, messaging someone. Ji Sheng pulled the opposite chair and sat down, picked up the glass and took a sip. It was apple juice. ¡°Good morning.¡± Ji Sheng took two more sips without waking up, ¡°Who are you chatting with?¡± ¡°A screenwriter friend.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°I¡¯m asking him to help change the script.¡± ¡°The director of your first movie?¡± Ji Sheng asked speculatively, ¡°It seems that the surname is¡­ Lin?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Xie Xuanming looked up with some surprise, ¡°You know him?¡± ¡°I have seen that movie. He is the screenwriter and the director. It was well made.¡± Ji Sheng put down the glass and said the real reason, ¡°And it seemed there were rumours about you and him?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Xuanming saw through him and looked at him with some amusement, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s that one.¡± ¡°I remember that he seemed to have retired after his debut movie, and he is willing to help you change the script¡­¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°You have such a good relationship?¡± Xie Xuanming paused slightly while typing: ¡°Are you jealous?¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Ji Sheng admitted, ¡°That¡¯s definitely something to be jealous about.¡± ¡°The relationship is okay.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°The main thing is to give enough money.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Ji Sheng was relieved, and picked up a piece of sandwich, adding a few slices of sausage with his chopsticks. He took two bites quietly, and then said, ¡°I still don¡¯t really want you to act in a web series.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a downgrade in resources, and you¡¯ll get a lot of flak.¡± ¡°People who scold me will scold me regardless of whether I act in a web drama or not.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°As for resources¡­ you have seen me act, right?¡± ¡°En.¡± ¡°How was it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty good¡­ no, it¡¯s very good.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Xie Xuanming smiled again and tapped on the table lightly, ¡°Some directors do like to consider many aspects and will look at the ¡®style¡® of actors¡­ But I don¡¯t fall into the category of needing to be weighed up.¡± Xie Xuanming was telling the truth. At present in the industry, he was one of the few first-class actors who had acting skills as well as awards to go with them. His audience appeal and value would not be shaken by a web drama. ¡°Oh¡ª¡± Ji Sheng drawled, biting the bread and speaking while chewing, ¡°That¡¯s bold.¡± ¡°So, starring?¡± ¡°Who? Me?¡± Ji Sheng pretended to be stupid. ¡°Who else can there be?¡± Xie Xuanming was amused and exasperated, ¡°Who is the lead role reserved for? Don¡¯t play dumb.¡± ¡°I have a tour.¡± ¡°The start time can be pushed back, the script also needs time to be changed.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not qualified to take the lead role with you playing a supporting role.¡± ¡°No one is qualified, but when you bring capital into the group, there is no such risk.¡± ¡°I really can¡¯t act.¡± ¡°I will teach you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ji Sheng put down the sandwich in defeat, his mouth stuffed full. He chewed without feeling the taste: ¡°Why must it be me?¡± ¡°Because this is your story.¡± Xie Xuanming said. Ji Sheng lowered his eyes, avoiding Xie Xuanming¡¯s gaze, vaguely understanding what he meant. Xie Xuanming regarded this drama as the final counterattack against Qingchu, Sheng Kongzhi and all slanderous and disinformation voices. After that, Ji Sheng¡¯s reputation would be completely turned over. He wanted Ji Sheng¡¯s name to be clean, and he also hoped that Ji Sheng could complete this ¡°revenge¡± with his own hands. Ji Sheng understood the reasoning. He also once had this idea of ¡±retribution¡±, although it had almost dissipated now¡­ But¡­ ¡°I¡¯m really afraid of dragging you down.¡± Ji Sheng confessed, ¡°Even if you act well, if I don¡¯t act well, rumours will spread again, tying me and you together¡­¡± ¡°You can act well.¡± Xie Xuanming said decisively, ¡°I am a selfish capitalist and I am also a strict actor. As for the latter point, I am not worried, and you don¡¯t have to worry either.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I said¡­¡± ¡°I want you to act.¡± Xie Xuanming interrupted. He leaned forward and looked into Ji Sheng¡¯s eyes seriously. ¡±I want to appear in front of the camera with you and recreate the story together. For this reason, can you agree to act?¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s eyes were bright, his lips were tightly pursed, and his messy bangs made him look like an underage freshman. Ji Sheng was bewitched by his gaze for a moment, licked his tiger teeth unconsciously, and said, ¡°Then I¡­ will try.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s face lit up at once. It was the most lively look Ji Sheng had seen on his face after he was reborn, and it was a bit dazzling. Ji Sheng was infected by his emotions, lowered his eyes to conceal it and whispered, ¡°Why are you still engaged in seduction?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Ji Sheng said quickly, ¡°The tour will start in two weeks. Have you practised your song?¡± ¡°Fruit Candy?¡± Xie Xuanming sat up straight, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s my best song.¡± ¡°Not only this one, there are several other original songs¡­¡± ¡°Almost there.¡± Xie Xuanming looked at Ji Sheng¡¯s distrustful look and lightly hooked the corners of his lips, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that I am the best lead singer? How come you don¡¯t believe me?¡± ¡°Believe, believe, believe.¡± Ji Sheng finished quickly and then his voice lowered again as he complained, ¡°When the time comes to get scolded for not singing well, it¡¯s not like you can¡¯t open a small number of fake accounts to fight the black fans.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Niepan¡¯s tour went smoothly from the south to the north. During the publicity period, Xie Xuanming¡¯s participation in the tour as a guest shocked the Internet, but after the shock, netizens said that if there was a top star in the entertainment industry who would do such a willful thing, it could only be Xie Xuanming. Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans were also one step ahead of passers-by to accept the reality, probably because their idol often performed various kinds of magical actions. His fans had long trained extraordinary reflexes and flexible mentality. When Xuansheng officially announced Niepan¡¯s tour guest, Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans¡¯ first reaction was to rush to grab tickets rather than make a fuss. Because they were so enthusiastic, they at once pushed tickets that cost less than two hundred up to four thousand, forcing Xuan Sheng to adopt a lottery system from the second show. Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans who bought tickets happily entered the live house and enjoyed a year¡¯s worth of Xie Xuanming¡¯s company within two hours. Although Xie Xuanming spent most of his time in the back half of the stage, spinning around the drum set, all the fans of the station sisters still gained a lot. There was also a station sister who released a direct shot of ¡°Fruit Candy¡± and was blamed by the anti-black group for ¡°putting cp materials in the single-person supertopic¡±, thus giving birth to the golden sentence of the circle ¨C my baby stays by the drummer¡¯s side, should I remove people with Photoshop? No matter how much the outside world was in uproar, Xie Xuanming still did his own thing. He treated every performance of ¡°Fruit Candy¡± as a wedding scene. The Niepan members who watched the love show on stage were numb, and regarded themselves just as musical instruments. Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans who got the tickets were also numb. In the end, while they tried their best to acquire the single photos, they got in a couple of cp kicks. After the Niepan tour ended successfully, Ji Sheng seamlessly entered the art school to train in acting. Although Xie Xuanming¡¯s acting skills were good, he was more of a talented actor who could act but could not teach. Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming discussed it and reached a consensus ¡ª there was a specialisation in the art industry, and those who could act did not necessarily teach well. It was better to find a professional to do it. The training sessions were closed ones, and although Xie Xuanming always defied the rules, this time those people had Ji Sheng in their hands. Considering the quality of teaching, Xie Xuanming reluctantly chose to respect the rules and, while Ji Sheng was in training, flew to France to meet with Lin Siji, who was living in seclusion there, to discuss the script. The two were separated, and Ji Sheng felt surprisingly uncomfortable. Xie Xuanming had only been in France for a day when he was already calling. ¡°Checking in?¡± Xie Xuanming asked with a smile. ¡°En.¡± Ji Sheng replied fervently, ¡°Better be honest about what you said to Editor Lin.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Xie Xuanming paused for a moment, and really gave a full account, ¡°Editor Lin asked who you are that you actually made me jump into the sea to act in a series for the second time.¡± ¡°Second time?¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t work out before, you gave that drama to Sheng Kongzhi.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± At the mention of Sheng Kongzhi, Ji Sheng smiled sarcastically, ¡°What else?¡± ¡°Discussed the script, changed many things, and finally I was lectured.¡± ¡°Lectured?¡± ¡°He said that I was not doing my job these days, my business level must have dropped, and said that web dramas are not the same as movies. And that if I act in a web drama the same way I act in a movie, it is bound to flop, so¡­¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°So he suggested that I start shooting from the most certain storyline.¡± Xie Xuanming chuckled, ¡°I said then let¡¯s start filming from the emotional scenes, after all, I¡¯m the most sure of Ji Sheng¡¯s feelings. It¡¯s something that doesn¡¯t need acting.¡± CH 87 The training time was not long. No one had any illusions that a movie star could be produced in a few weeks, and Ji Sheng didn¡¯t think he had any talent beyond the ordinary in acting, so when the basic theoretical part was completed and Xie Xuanming returned to China with the finished script, Ji Sheng started to analyse and study the script of ¡°The Drummer¡± directly. Previously, Ji Sheng had only skimmed through the script; as the plot coincided with his own life experience, he didn¡¯t read it in detail. Now that he had studied it more closely, he realised that, as it was a semi-documentary, the emotional scenes in this script were a bit out of place. ¡°First male lead singing a love song to second male lead in a small room?¡± Ji Sheng flipped through the script, ¡°Can this be filmed? And why don¡¯t I remember that I have done this kind of thing?¡± ¡°You have.¡± Xie Xuanming said. ¡°¡­well, I have.¡± Ji Sheng locked eyes with him for a second and compromised, ¡°But then there is no need to shoot it so bluntly, based on life experience¡­ I feel like I¡¯m going to come out of the closet straight away in this drama.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± Xie Xuanming said in a joking tone, ¡°It¡¯s not you who wants to come out of the closet.¡± The script of ¡°The Drummer¡± actually didn¡¯t depict much of the feelings of ¡°the drummer¡± himself. The focus was the drummer¡¯s sincerity and enthusiasm for his dreams. On the contrary, as the narrator, the second male lead¡¯s perspective always expressed the kind of feeling fluctuating between appreciation and yearning, which was quite ambiguous in various scenes. Ji Sheng, who had read the script, naturally knew that the prototype of the second male lead was Xie Xuanming. He flipped through the script and said, ¡°Is it okay to shoot like this?¡­ The audience can also guess which character corresponds to you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an adaptation.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°And it doesn¡¯t matter if they guess, because it¡¯s true that I like you.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Ji Sheng put down the script and covered his chest with a smile, ¡°How come I didn¡¯t realise you were so good at talking about love before?¡± ¡°Finally realised?¡± Xie Xuanming glanced at him, ¡°You used to be very good at everything, but your eyesight was bad.¡± After he and Ji Sheng got together, he gradually let go of some of his obsessions and was able to joke generously about his sour past. Ji Sheng naturally knew what he meant and said with a smile: ¡°It¡¯s okay to have a good eyesight now.¡± He turned another page of the script, and couldn¡¯t help but point at the name on it and laugh, ¡°But this pseudonym, it¡¯s too much.¡± It was impossible for ¡°The Drummer¡± to use his real name, so Ji Sheng¡¯s name was changed to Ji Renshi, Xie Xuanming changed his name to Xie Yuan, and Sheng Kongzhi went a bit too far, turning into Sheng Mou (such-and-such). When Ji Sheng saw the script for the first time, he smiled at this ¡°Sheng Whatever¡± and said that they might as well print Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s ID number directly in the script. Xie Xuanming calmly explained: ¡± Some people fail to be human, so there¡¯s no need to save face.¡± Ji Sheng had laughed enough, sat up straight and said, ¡°Is anyone really willing to play this role? The persona is too bad.¡± Zheng Meiyun clutched the script, his hand trembling slightly. As an 18th tier actor who had made guest appearances in various web dramas, Zheng Meiyun had been in the showbiz industry for many years. His greatest achievement was that with his looks resembling the appearance of a big star surnamed Sheng, Zheng Meiyun owned a 200-comment topic in a forum ¡±Does no one think Zheng Meiyun looks like Sheng Kongzhi?¡± One hundred and eighty of the comments were controlled by Sheng Kongzhi fans. In eighteen, fans scolded him for rubbing off the heat, and the remaining two were ¡°dd¡± posted by the topic starter himself. So to receive the resources to work with Xie Xuanming in a web drama, in a high ranking role of the third male lead was undoubtedly a big pie from the sky for the paste coffee. Zheng Meiyun was overjoyed when he received the offer. He didn¡¯t even read the script and agreed directly, packed his bags and quickly entered the group, starting his hapless crew life. It was okay to have a small role, it was okay to have a poor persona, and it was okay to have a low ranking. But no one told him that Xie Xuanming had the bad habit of making life difficult for the supporting actors, ah. It was fine off camera, but once you get in front of the camera¡­ Zheng Meiyun held Ji Sheng¡¯s hand according to the director¡¯s instructions and wanted to cry without tears, feeling Xie Xuanming¡¯s cold, knife-like gaze following him. Was he acting too badly? It felt that Emperor Xie would rush over angrily in the next second and throw him down from the fifth floor. Zheng Meiyun felt bitter cold, and suddenly remembered that when he had met Xie Xuanming for the first time, he was so excited that he bowed ninety degrees. When he raised his head, he found Xie Xuanming glancing at him up and down with these ice-cold eyes. ¡°Looks so similar.¡± Perhaps it was an illusion but Zheng Meiyun heard a biting chill in this sentence. ¡°What?¡± He asked with trepidation. ¡°Nothing.¡± As if finally remembering his manners, Xie Xuanming squeezed out a smile and reached out to shake his hand, ¡°Welcome.¡± That tone sounded like he would rather kill him than welcome him¡­ From that moment on, Zheng Meiyun was sincerely horrified and deeply reflected on where he had offended Emperor Xie. When he couldn¡¯t remember, he dragged away the equally quiet but good-natured first male lead to complain. ¡°Does Teacher Xie hate me?¡± Zheng Meiyun took Ji Sheng¡¯s hand and asked with a sorrowful face, ¡°Every time he looks at me, it seems that I stole his wife.¡± Ji Sheng: ¡­¡­ He glanced at Xie Xuanming who was looking coolly from afar, and then looked down at Zheng Meiyun¡¯s hand, pulling away with a dry smile: ¡°How could it be, Teacher Xie is just strict. You can see that he usually takes care of new actors, right?¡± This was true, Xie Xuanming was angry, but he would not intentionally leave out anyone from the cast and crew when bringing a midnight snack and milk tea. He also took care of Zheng Meiyun and brought several magazine resources on board. Although the real reason was that it would be a bit too obvious to take care only of Ji Sheng during the shooting and might cause rumours¡­ Judging from the results, Xie Xuanming could almost be regarded as a generous senior who actively helped his juniors. ¡°Yes, maybe Emperor Xie is this kind of cold-faced and warm-hearted person¡­¡± Thinking of this, Zheng Meiyun felt a little relieved, but after a while, his face became bitter again, ¡°But Emperor Xie¡¯s expression is too scary. Is it because I¡¯m too bad at acting? Is he like this with you, too?¡± Ji Sheng: ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ji Sheng: ¡°Haha, maybe.¡± At this moment, the atmosphere in the set was cool and desolate. Xie Xuanming held his arms crossed on his chest and looked at the two people huddling in the corner while the entire crew fell silent under his pressure. The scene being filmed was the first male lead singing the band¡¯s new song to the third male lead. The director felt the cold light behind him and secretly cried in his heart, thinking: God knows why the drummer wants to sing a love song to the bass, God knows why the screenwriter wants to write about holding hands, and God knows why Xie Xuanming¡¯s face is as green as a hat. Fortunately, Ji Sheng and Zheng Meiyun acted well and the scene passed in just two takes. The director breathed a sigh of relief and couldn¡¯t wait to shout ¡°cut¡±. ¡°Phew.¡± Zheng Meiyun let go of Ji Sheng, smiled and fanned himself with his hand while his eyes couldn¡¯t stop returning to Xie Xuanming, ¡°Teacher Xie is really strict¡­¡± Halfway through his words, he watched the cold-faced Xie Xuanming come over, put his arms around Ji Sheng¡¯s waist and take him away. As they walked away, he lowered his head and asked softly: ¡°Your shoulder hit the wall just now. Did you bump it? Does it hurt?¡­¡± Zheng Meiyun was left alone, holding up his hands as if struck by lightning. Whether Ji Sheng bumped it or not he didn¡¯t know, but he was done anyway. At the same time, he also vaguely realized the reason why Emperor Xie frowned at him so coldly. Zheng Meiyun glanced down at his hands frozen in the air, and shivered in fear. Ji Sheng walked aside with Xie Xuanming and amusedly took off the arm around his waist: ¡°Isn¡¯t it a reviewed script? Why are you still jealous of the actor?¡± ¡°I was jealous during the review, too.¡± Xie Xuanming refused to let go, grabbing Ji Sheng¡¯s wrist in a reverse grip. ¡°Oh¡ª¡± Ji Sheng said slowly, ¡°Then you can turn your back and not look at it.¡± Xie Xuanming narrowed his eyes dangerously and took a half step forward. ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Ji Sheng grabbed his hand and laughed, ¡°Isn¡¯t there a rival scene with you soon, too?¡± The filming started with the emotional scenes; although ¡°The Drummer¡± had a vague same-sex emotional line, it was really too vague, counting no more than five scenes. It was filmed quickly and the plot moved on. Neither Ji Sheng nor Xie Xuanming wanted to reveal that Ji Sheng had a relationship with Sheng Kongzhi, and the script was changed accordingly. In the previous life, Ji Sheng hyped the scandal with Xie Xuanming in order to hide his relationship with Sheng Kongzhi; it was changed to Sheng Mou being suspected of private association with fans and the company made Ji Renshi block the knife using speculations on ambiguous relationship between him and Xie Yuan. The scene that needed to be filmed was that of Ji Renshi and Xie Yuan kissing in front of the bus stop, deliberately letting the reporter take an ambiguous picture. This scene naturally had a realistic basis. In his previous life, Ji Sheng was rumoured to have been involved in a scandal with Xie Xuanming because of this sneak photo. The director of the web drama was one of the few close friends in Xie Xuanming¡¯s circle that he could talk to, and he hesitated for a long time about the script before filming, but eventually his curiosity overcame his senses and he went over to Xie Xuanming and asked him carefully, ¡°At that time, did you really kiss?¡± Xie Xuanming was holding his coffee, and when he heard that he stopped drinking, raised his eyes and looked at the director coldly. The director shrank his neck: ¡°I¡¯m aiming for the maximum effect¡­ I got it, I got it, never mind¡­¡± Xie Xuanming withdrew his gaze, took a sip of coffee, and frowned. It was too bitter. But Ji Sheng seemed to like this taste. This scene needed to be shot on location at night. Ji Sheng was waiting for the crew to clear the scene and the props team to get into position. After the director gave a preparatory gesture, Ji Sheng stood by the bus stop face to face with Xie Xuanming. Before the shooting started, Ji Sheng raised his head slightly and gestured indicating his height: ¡°I seem to have reached your nose before, but now I only reach your chin.¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t say anything in return, but only gave a low ¡°en¡±. His aura darkened, his eyes were like deep pools suppressing the swirling water underneath, imperceptibly dark and profound, as if he had already entered the scene. Ji Sheng was also quieted by this look, and suddenly recalled some memories of his past life. ¡°Excuse me?¡± He gently pulled Xie Xuanming¡¯s hand, ¡°Or¡­¡± ¡°Action!¡± The director¡¯s shout brought him back; Ji Sheng hastily stopped, the remaining words turning into a sigh that stuck in his throat. The prop bus slowly approached, moving between the camera and the two of them. It was almost time. Ji Sheng exhaled softly, and at the second when the bus stopped, he took a half step forward, raised one hand to shield his face and leaned forward in an intimate speaking posture. The evening breeze blew gently, mixed with the unique smell of gasoline of the bus, and the red letters on the sign above their heads changed from ¡°Vehicle inbound¡± to ¡°4 stops from this station.¡± Ji Sheng gently pressed his lips against Xie Xuanming¡¯s. He tasted the bitterness of coffee on these lips. CH 88 The filming of ¡°The Drummer¡± went very smoothly. Xie Xuanming¡¯s scenes were basically shot in one take. Zheng Meiyun was also able to complete his scenes in three takes or less because of Xie Xuanming¡¯s ¡°strict scrutiny¡±. Even Ji Sheng, who was acting for the first time, benefited from the script and Xie Xuanming¡¯s additional guidance. He rarely encountered difficulties during the filming of his scenes and his performance in the finished film was also quite outstanding. With the starring actors being so smooth, the filming schedule naturally moved on efficiently and the filming was wrapped up in just two months. The last scene was the car accident. Ji Sheng lay dying in a junk car prepared by the prop crew, letting out inaudible moans of pain. The camera closed in, first focusing on his bloodstained cheek and then slowly turning to the side. The camera gradually moved down, and finally aimed at Ji Sheng¡¯s right hand that stretched out of the car door, limp and helpless on the asphalt road. It lingered for a moment on the ugly scar on his wrist and turned to his fingers. The drummer¡¯s hand had distinct joints and slender fingers, but with thick cocoons on the palm, silently witnessing the talent incapacitated by the scar. Under the camera lens, the index finger and thumb slowly moved together to make a tight grip. The palm loosened and closed, and an invisible drumstick was brought down. Bang. An invisible drum made the last sound. The life of the drummer came to an end. Ji Sheng remained still for a long time, until his back felt numb from the props, and finally heard the director shout ¡°cut¡±. He struggled to get up with relief, and the crew rushed out to help him out of the wreckage of the car. ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡± Ji Sheng bowed to the people around him. He didn¡¯t have time to soothe his aching waist and neck; he looked around to find Xie Xuanming, hurriedly broke away from the crowd and headed to that side. Xie Xuanming stood in the corner of the shed with his arms crossed and his face shielded with a cap as he silently watched Ji Sheng quickly come up to him. Ji Sheng took a few steps towards him, lowered his head and peeped into Xie Xuanming¡¯s red eyes under the brim of his cap, sighed and opened his arms to hug. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to come¡­¡± Ji Sheng said. You¡¯ll feel bad if you watch. Xie Xuanming silently let him hold him. Seeing the merged figures of the two, the people around them consciously took a detour to leave them some space. After a long hug, Xie Xuanming bowed slightly and put his chin on Ji Sheng¡¯s shoulder. Even though he knew it was acting, the sight of Ji Sheng collapsing helplessly in a pool of blood ripped Xie Xuanming¡¯s heart open again, reminding him of the countless midnight dreams of Ji Sheng lying on the road covered in blood, calling his name as if begging for help¡­ Awakened from a nightmare, Xie Xuanming would sit up in a cold sweat, clutching his head, suffering from Ji Sheng¡¯s death and yet despairing that Ji Sheng had not actually thought of him before he died. The thought of this would dismay him, and he would rant and rave in a fit of helplessness before welcoming a sleepless night. Fortunately, Ji Sheng¡¯s soul resurrected in a different body and finally returned to him. Xie Xuanming¡¯s hanging hands moved slightly, rising to hug Ji Sheng. ¡°You didn¡¯t come to watch the funeral scene.¡± He said sullenly. The finale of ¡°The Drummer¡± was actually Ji Renshi¡¯s funeral. Xie Yuan sat on a bench and watched the people coming and going in front of him in silence. After everyone was gone, he slowly got up and went up to Ji Renshi¡¯s black and white photo, gently putting down the drumsticks that he had been holding for a long time. The moment the front ends of the drumsticks touched the tombstone, a tear slipped down his cheek. Originally, there was no crying scene in the script, because Xie Yuan was already separated from Ji Renshi by the glamour of the entertainment industry, and the former best friend and young love was eventually only eligible to attend the funeral. Xie Yuan stood in front of Ji Renshi¡¯s black-and-white photo, sad and silent. But when that tear slipped, the director did not stop, and no one at the scene raised any objections. Xie Xuanming stood in front of the black-and-white photo, neatly dressed, with a calm expression, but endless sadness swept over everyone behind the camera. This tear seemed to be the only crack in his calm expression. It slipped down, the teenage years reflecting in that pain. Xie Xuanming did not allow Ji Sheng to watch this scene, but Ji Sheng went anyway. At this moment, hugging Xie Xuanming, Ji Sheng remembered again the sorrow that seized his heart when that tear fell, and after a moment of silence, he carefully changed the subject: ¡°At the funeral, did you send me a wreath?¡± ¡°¡­no.¡± Xie Xuanming replied sullenly. ¡°Su Jing gave me two, and now he asks me to pay him back more than a thousand, isn¡¯t it outrageous¡­¡± ¡°But I had a fight with Sheng Kongzhi.¡± Xie Xuanming mercilessly shot down Ji Sheng¡¯s idea to liven up the atmosphere. Ji Sheng halted and said helplessly: ¡°I saw the news.¡± To be precise, when he was lying in bed unable to move, he heard the radio babble about many ¡°crimes¡± of Xie Xuanming. One of the widely criticised issues was him beating up Sheng Kongzhi at the funeral. But since it was beating up¡­ ¡°Sounds like you won?¡± Ji Sheng asked, nudging him. ¡°En.¡± Xie Xuanming let go of him, ¡°With the reporters around, he didn¡¯t dare to do anything.¡± He added: ¡°But he can¡¯t beat me without the reporters either.¡± Xie Xuanming would occasionally show this kind of childish stubbornness or ostentation in front of Ji Sheng. Ji Sheng liked it very much. He laughed out loud, raised his hand and rubbed Xie Xuanming¡¯s cheek like he always did: ¡°Our Xiao Xie is amazing.¡± Under Ji Sheng¡¯s comfort, Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression gradually relaxed. He looked at Ji Sheng and let him knead his face without moving until the director couldn¡¯t hold back a few coughs. Then he grabbed Ji Sheng¡¯s hand and took off: ¡°Let¡¯s go celebrate the end of the shooting with the crew.¡± After the filming of ¡°The Drummer¡±, it was going to take a while for the post-production review. During this period, Ji Sheng took Xie Xuanming and Niepan to a few more commercial shows. The netizens were now so used to seeing Xie Xuanming on the guest list that they would only say a few words calmly, adding ¡°He loves him so much¡± to end the discussion. ¡±Ji Hui¡± and Xie Xuanming even had a batch of cp fans. Although they were besieged by the individual fans of the two sides and Xie Xuanming/Ji Sheng¡¯s cp fans, they still thrived due to the unrelenting sugar rush provided by one of the protagonists. Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans on the surface resisted the cp hype, but in their hearts, they also knew that Xie Xuanming¡¯s main source of income was not from his fans, so he naturally was not bound by fans¡¯ opinion. They had no choice but to go along with him, and there were even smart fans who started grabbing the tickets to Ji Hui¡¯s meet and greets or performances because they could definitely see Xie Xuanming there¡­ After the approval of ¡°The Drummer¡± was obtained, several video sites that were eyeing it immediately made offers to buy the exclusive rights. Xie Xuanming chose one of them to sell. The platform Xie Xuanming chose was called Passion Fruit TV; it had been in opposition to KUZI for years and was very good at publicity. It had even made a conscientious clarification about Ji Sheng back then when his reputation had been bad. Xie Xuanming did not take the opportunity to raise the price, and offered a very friendly price. He just made three provisions in the contract: video on-demand was not allowed in advance, unwarranted editing was not allowed and false publicity was not allowed. With the broadcast of ¡°The Drummer¡± just around the corner, more restless than the netizens, Qingchu finally stepped in again and contacted Xie Xuanming, struggling to get him to at least cut out the part that ¡°discredited¡± Sheng Kongzhi for the old times¡¯ sake. ¡°We are willing to exchange the resources of three endorsements and a male lead in a TV series.¡± Li Tan said through the clenched teeth. With their major shareholder in trouble and Qingchu losing its backer, these resources were the best they could come up with in order to protect Sheng Kongzhi, their last cash cow. ¡°Xuansheng is not short of resources.¡± Xie Xuanming was extremely calm in response to Qingchu¡¯s heavy bleeding, ¡°What you are offering is not enough to make me feel moved. We refuse to exchange.¡± After that, he was about to hang up. ¡°Xiao Xie!¡± Li Tan shouted urgently, ¡°Resources and everything are negotiable, as long as Kongzhi¡¯s part can be cut out¡­¡± ¡°I want the trademark of Qingchu.¡± Xie Xuanming showed his fangs. ¡°What¡­ what?¡± ¡°This name was originally created by Ji Sheng. You ungratefully occupied the magpie¡¯s nest for so many years. I now ask for it to be returned. There is no problem, right?¡± ¡°Xie Xuanming, don¡¯t go too far!¡± Li Tan was furious. Although Qingchu was having a hard time now, a skinny camel was bigger than a horse, and now Xie Xuanming opened his mouth to ask for the trademark, which was simply bullying. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t want to give it.¡± Xie Xuanming sneered and threw out a heavy bomb, ¡°Have your company¡¯s books been equalised? How do you intend to fill the hole of several hundred million yuan?¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± ¡°We will meet soon.¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t want to listen to Li Tan¡¯s nonsense any longer, ¡°I¡¯m not interested in your shitty company, but ¡®Qingchu¡¯ is a name I¡¯ll take with a smile.¡± Ignoring Li Tan¡¯s roar, Xie Xuanming hung up. ¡°The Drummer¡± was scheduled to start broadcasting in July, with new episodes every Friday and Saturday, four episodes a week for three weeks. With more than a month to go until July, the official blog took the lead in releasing the trailer. In the intro, Ji Renshi was playing drums in a closed garage, dust flying as the drumsticks rose and fell. The perspective switched to Xie Yuan walking in the alley with a plastic bag in his hand, the exposed hemp rope swaying gently with his paces. The viewpoint changed again; Xie Yuan lay on the ground as Ji Renshi knocked down the last punk with his drumsticks, stood up straight and whistled. ¡®Who are you?¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m a drummer, you did a good job with your voice earlier, any wish to play in a band?¡¯ The sound of drums became stronger, and the young band members leaped out of the bar through the window, laughing wildly and shrugging off the angry roar of the boss; Ji Renshi slapped the cream on Xie Yuan¡¯s face and raised his eyebrows, saying ¡°happy birthday¡±; then at the music festival, amidst thousands of cheers, Xie Yuan closed his eyes, turned his back to the audience and fell into the hands of the crowd. The drums stopped abruptly. ¡®I want to go to the entertainment industry.¡¯ In the confrontation between the young man and the capital during the talent show, Ji Renshi¡¯s eyes were red as he looked down from the top of the debut podium. The two argued on the side of the road, the shots of the snooping camera coming from the high-rise building on the opposite side¡­ ¡®You can¡¯t go on stage again! If you don¡¯t act, what can you do?¡¯ The agent asked irritably; Ji Renshi walked out and slammed the door in silence. The drums became more and more rapid, finally reaching the climax. Two cars collided heavily. The sound of the drums ended. In silence, Ji Renshi¡¯s bloody hand struggled to reach out. He tapped the ground sluggishly. Bang bang ¡®I am a drummer.¡¯ Young Ji Renshi said with a smile. The screen turned dark; the progress bar was at its end. The Drummer Two large words appeared on the screen. Stay tuned. CH 89 The trailer of ¡°The Drummer¡± was making a lot of waves on the internet. [Good guy, how much did it cost to crash a car and have a crowd scene with a thousand people? Xie Xuanming is really rich] [Well edited, like watching a blockbuster trailer] [The two people upstairs still able to pay attention to these things¡­ I drooled over Xie Xuanming¡¯s face, the face of the big screen actor is really awesome] [Ji Hui is also unexpectedly good-looking, and really looks like Ji Sheng] [Has anyone noticed that the third male lead is called Sheng Mou? Laughed to death. Could have reported Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s ID number directly as well.] [None of this matters, the important thing is that I smell medicine!] [What? What medicine?] [The exclusive medicine for stoned chickens ¨C a couple of gay guys to cure all ills] [Grass (a plant)(1)] [Grass (bilingual)] [Grass (just grass)] [¡­¡­] The general audience was very curious about ¡°The Drummer¡± web series. The ban on the advanced video-on-demand and the opportunity to watch the complete work for free attracted a large number of passers-by. Grasping the wind was what Passion Fruit Entertainment was good at. They immediately bought a hot search and attracted another wave of popularity. With so many people paying attention, it was natural that a few troublemakers would pop up; especially when a star like Xie Xuanming was concerned. He had some fierce and persistent black fans ever since his debut and whenever he appeared in front of the camera, his every move would be criticised. [Didn¡¯t you say that Ji Hui is the first male lead, why Xie Xuanming¡¯s shots are everywhere? Emperor Xie¡¯s cancer is so severe that a web drama can¡¯t fight it] [Isn¡¯t he good at this? The last time Emperor Xie volunteered to be a supporting actor, he ended up backing out, but this time he¡¯s mercifully done it?] [The two upstairs are making rumours again. Xie Xuanming invested in the drama by himself to shoot whatever he likes instead of being pushed around by a bunch of psychotic investors.] [Then don¡¯t buy hot searches to brag about giving way to the newcomers. Speechless, fans really have cerebral palsy, you can¡¯t say a word.] [¡­¡­] The TV series circle was very sensitive to fan opinions, and this trend extended to web dramas. The black fans were unrelenting and kept making a lot of noise in various forums about Xie Xuanming squeezing new actors. The marketing accounts falsely created a rumour on the basis of a few blurry pictures ¨C Xie Xuanming staring coldly at Ji Sheng and Zheng Meiyun talking, looking very stormy. Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans were naturally not to be outdone. They fought with black fans on the Internet, biting back and saying that the male lead should have been Xie Xuanming but the company wanted to support a newcomer, so Xie Xuanming was oppressed to match Ji Hui. The two parties argued everywhere from Weibo to forums, unsurprisingly ending in a hot search. When public opinion was in uproar, the two protagonists posted on their Weibo one after another. Ji Sheng took a snippet of the chat, with the memo [Teacher Xie] Teacher Xie [Netizens say I was squeezing you] Ji Hui [Hahahahahahahahaha, has anyone finally found out?] Ji Hui [Pressing me to memorise my lines all day, and adding so many storylines to act out, isn¡¯t it squeezing me? Teacher Xie [¡­¡­] Xie Xuanming directly forwarded the trailer posted by the official blog with the words ¡°This is his story through my eyes¡±. The two parties involved did their best to either seriously or playfully persuade the fans to stop the fight, and the black fans were gagged, unable to find a new point of attack and forced to retreat for the time being. Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans had always been obedient, and with Xie Xuanming making a statement, they calmed down. After the troublemakers retreated, the discussion of ¡°The Drummer¡± turned to speculation and expectations about the plot. In the midst of a harmonious discussion, the day of ¡°The Drummer¡± being broadcast finally arrived. ¡°Thank you.¡± Xie Xuanming took the bag from the takeaway guy, turned and walked to the room. He opened the door by the stairs, and an outline of sofas and a big screen came into view. A private cinema seemed to be a standard part of rich people¡¯s lives. Ji Sheng was holding a tablet and trying to connect it to the big screen, ¡°Is this how it works?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Xie Xuanming put the takeaway on the chair and walked over. He took the tablet from Ji Sheng¡¯s hand: ¡°The takeaway is on the chair.¡± Ji Sheng said ¡±Oh¡±, turned around and walked over, picked up the bag and sat down, taking out the fried chicken and milk tea from the paper bag. Xie Xuanming set up the screen and sat down in a chair beside him. While unpacking the fried chicken, Ji Sheng handed the milk tea to Xie Xuanming. Xie Xuanming helped him unpack it. By the moment everything was ready, it was just about time for the premiere. The opening song was sung by Niepan. The two of them had listened to it in the studio a long time ago but it had a different flavour when paired with the video. ¡°You appeared right when I sang that line, hey.¡± Ji Sheng grabbed the chicken leg and gently nudged Xie Xuanming. ¡°Because that line of yours is the character¡¯s profile of ¡®Xie Yuan¡¯.¡± Xie Xuanming said. ¡°Is that so?¡± Ji Sheng looked like he was hearing about this for the first time. ¡°Yes.¡± The opening song ended, and the first episode started. On the screen, Xie Xuanming walked down the cluttered alley wearing clean sneakers. ¡°Oh?¡± Ji Sheng exclaimed, ¡°Did you also wear new shoes at the time?¡± ¡°Well, I wanted to be decent when I leave.¡± This was a truly unacceptable statement. Ji Sheng dwelled on it for a second and handed the food in his hand to Xie Xuanming slightly reluctantly: ¡°Do you want to eat chicken wings?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Xie Xuanming accepted unceremoniously, ¡°Thank you.¡± The plot continued on the screen, beginning with the first encounter between Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming, basically replaying it but leaving out unnecessary details to speed up the pace of the episode. ¡°The Drummer¡± was broadcast in two-episode instalments. The first two episodes told about Xie Yuan joining the band by accident. At the end of the second episode, in the aftermath of the bar fight Xie Yuan and Ji Renshi were chased down a long street after causing the boss¡¯s anger. The fight was realistic and brutal; Ji Sheng watched the chair slam into ¡®Xie Yuan¡¯s¡¯ body, frowning as he thought that this would likely have broken the bones. However, the use of dynamic background music to match the fighting scene made the group fight energetic and funny. After that, the footage of Xie Yuan and Ji Renshi fleeing together was full of the romantic atmosphere of youth movies. As the credits rolled, Ji Sheng tore off the last piece of chicken and put it in his mouth before gently clapping his hands, ¡°Oh ho! It was a good shot.¡± He removed the glasses and the screen froze on the depressed face of 17-year-old Xie Yuan. Ji Sheng observed for a bit and raised his hand to the screen to comment, ¡°So skinny.¡± The 17-year-old Xie Xuanming was in the stage of growing and looked as tall and thin as a poplar tree. In order to restore his almost morbid physique, Xie Xuanming lost 10 pounds of weight. His thin cheeks were carefully carved by the makeup artist; ¡°Xie Yuan¡± who appeared on the screen was a thin and world-weary high school student. Ji Sheng compared him with his memories, and it was difficult to tell the difference between ¡°Xie Yuan¡± and 17-year-old Xie Xuanming. ¡°The makeup artist is good at it.¡± Xie Xuanming took off his glasses early, saw Ji Sheng finish eating and handed over two paper towels. ¡±I read the Weibo forum, the evaluation is not bad.¡± ¡°Is it?¡± Ji Sheng was very engaged now, picked up his phone and looked through the comments. The comments on the Passion Fruit platform were harmonious. Apart from the controlling comments of Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans, passers-by were looking forward to the next episodes. Public opinion on forums and Weibo was more lively. #The Drummer# was on a hot search and the number of comments was staggering. ¡¾Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh Xie Xuanming is too handsome, right, a movie star is a movie star!] [Xie Xuanming feels more handsome than in the photos] [Ji Hui¡¯s performance is very good, and the makeup is also good] [I love this drama so much, is the plot really real? It¡¯s too much like a young adult novel! [Adapted from reality, sorta, and the script was shown to Xie Xuanming] [srds, I¡¯m touched¡­] [Me too¡­¡­] Ji Sheng glanced at the comments; the majority of viewers were impressed by the second episode¡¯s ending. The long street escape that was standard in youth films never went out of style. The discussion of ¡°The Drummer¡± became more and more enthusiastic. On the second day, the third and the fourth episodes were broadcast. After the band broke up and the members went their separate ways, the show was once again on a hot search. Although many netizens were unaware that the predecessor of Qingchu Entertainment Company was a band, according to what happened to Xie Xuanming, Ji Sheng and Sheng Kongzhi they could conclude that the band probably was in trouble and didn¡¯t get a good ending. While the audience lamented the break-up of the band, the former Ji Sheng¡¯s station sister, the fan who followed the band from the underground to the stage, released a photo from five years ago after the fourth episode was broadcast. In the photo, two teenagers walked out of the bar smiling. Ji Sheng laughed and rubbed Xie Xuanming¡¯s hair while Xie Xuanming looked at Ji Sheng intently, his young face more beautiful than the moonlight. The virtual drama was not as touching as the real photo. As soon as this photo appeared, it instantly dragged the story from the screen into reality, and the audience was dazed. That colourful youthful past was truly experienced by those teenagers. As the audience became more and more hooked on ¡°The Drummer¡±, a small group of viewers quietly broke away from the pack and started a cp. Although ¡°The Drummer¡± had no obvious romantic line, Xie Yuan¡¯s admiration of Ji Renshi was clearly laid out, and the atmosphere between the two of them was full of cp feelings. It was a matter of course to attract a group of CP fans. However, because the identities of the two actors were so awkward, the cp fans finally cautiously chose to talk only about the characters and not touch the real people for the time being. Cp fans named it Yuanshi (Round Ten), and on the night they started the supertopic, a big sugar fell from the sky. [Xie Xuanming and Ji Hui, as visiting guests, officially announced to join the Passion Fruit platform online variety show ¡°We Are CP¡±] As soon as this news came out, the public opinion that had already been tossed around by the web drama exploded again. ¡°We Are CP¡± was a high-profile reality show launched by Passion Fruit. The show invited male and female stars to spend 48 hours together for a recording session, which was a blessed opportunity for the majority of cp fans to get high. Countless drama CPs had shown a sweet daily life in this show. Although viewers would know in their hearts that this was the stars¡¯ business and they were all playing CPs for sale, it didn¡¯t stop the fans from watching the show with an ¡°auntie smile¡±. And now Xie Xuanming and Ji Hui were going to participate in this variety show. They would be the first same-sex CP since the show started, inserted among countless tyrant/little white flower, queen/wolf dog, princess/knight CPs, opening a new era. The ¡°We are CP¡± show crew actually didn¡¯t dare to think that Xie Xuanming, who had always refused to appear on shows, would make an exception and agree to participate in the recording. It¡¯s just that the CP of ¡°Round Ten¡± was too hot and the traffic of ¡°The Drummer¡± was really eye-catching. The program director decided to start with Ji Hui and poke around. ¡°A cp show?¡± Ji Sheng seemed a little surprised. ¡°Yes, cp here does not necessarily refer to a couple, it can also refer to partners.¡± The director explained, ¡°You and Teacher Xie don¡¯t have to do anything, just get along normally.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°I haven¡¯t been on many variety shows, in case I say something wrong¡­¡± ¡°It will be dealt with later.¡± The director hurriedly said, ¡°We are very good in post-production, no matter what kind of slip, we can¡­¡± Before he finished speaking, he heard a low voice from the other side of the phone: ¡°What are you doing?¡± The director was taken aback; obviously he didn¡¯t expect that there was a man next to Ji Hui this early in the morning. And this voice¡­ ¡°Something about work¡­ don¡¯t poke my waist¡­ it hurts¡­¡± On the other end of the phone, Ji Hui whispered and although he covered the microphone, the director still heard a loud ¡°smooch¡±. The director was instantly petrified, carved into a sculpture. ¡°What are you doing¡­¡± Ji Sheng pushed away Xie Xuanming who lay on him without moving, ¡°I said I was working.¡± This man had just woken up, lazy like a hibernating bear, and still clingy and not listening to his words. Ji Sheng finally freed his hand out of Xie Xuanming¡¯s arms and tried to put the phone to his ear. Hearing the dead silence on the other end, Ji Sheng¡¯s face felt a little hot. ¡°Hello.¡± Struggling in Xie Xuanming¡¯s arms, he said with a thick face, ¡°Slips like this¡­ can they be dealt with later?¡± CH 90 There was a weird silence on the other end of the phone; the director seemed to have been frightened by the sudden melon-eating opportunity and lost his voice on the spot. ¡°Hello, are you still there?¡± Ji Sheng asked sheepishly, glaring at Xie Xuanming, who was resting his chin on his shoulder for unknown reasons. ¡°You¡­ you and Teacher Xie¡­¡± It took a while before the director stumbled over his words, ¡°Are you going to come out of the closet on our show?¡± Ji Sheng: ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ji Sheng coughed: ¡°No, just¡­ If this will add a lot of trouble to your work, we won¡¯t participate. Thank you for your hard work.¡± Seeing that he was about to hang up, the director finally pulled himself out of the state of shock and hurriedly persuaded: ¡°No hard work, no hard work, we can handle it later, you and Teacher Xie can just think of it as a holiday and come on a trip.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Ji Sheng turned his head, covered the microphone and asked in a low voice, ¡°There is an invitation to a show that can promote ¡°The Drummer¡±, go?¡± ¡°Do you want to go?¡± Xie Xuanming, still not quite awake, asked lazily, holding Ji Sheng. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ji Sheng turned back to the phone and said, ¡°We¡¯re in.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The director was afraid that the two of them would think it through and regret it, but he also needed time to calm the palpitations of knowing the big secret, so he said quickly, ¡°I¡¯ll send you the contract by Email, the time and shooting schedule are written in it, so give us a call after you sign it and we¡¯ll send someone to collect it.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± After hanging up the phone, Ji Sheng breathed a sigh of relief, his heart thudding at the thought of suddenly coming out of the closet in front of an outsider just now. He looked sideways at the culprit angrily, but Xie Xuanming squinted carelessly, surrounding him like a big dog basking in the sun. Ji Sheng looked at him for a few seconds and lost his temper. With difficulty, he pulled his hand out of Xie Xuanming¡¯s grip, searched the Internet for relevant information about ¡°We Are CP¡±, and suddenly found a blind spot. ¡°Ah, wake up.¡± Ji Sheng freed his other hand and squeezed Xie Xuanming¡¯s cheek twice, ¡°We might need to live in separate rooms¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± Xie Xuanming sat up in shock, his eyes opened and sharp. ¡°¡­for one night.¡± Ji Sheng finished the sentence, ¡°The show is coming to the house to film the packing.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xie Xuanming thought for two seconds, and said with certainty, ¡°We¡¯re not participating.¡± ¡°I just promised people.¡± Ji Sheng said with a smile. ¡°Then tell them not to come.¡± Xie Xuanming frowned. ¡°It¡¯s just one night.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°I¡¯ll just find a random hotel to stay in the day before the recording and let the programme crew come to the house to film, they should have a sense of proportion and know what to film and what not to film.¡± Xie Xuanming was still unhappy, but Ji Sheng insisted, so he could only reluctantly accept it. Xie Xuanming¡¯s displeasure lasted until the show crew came to the door four days later. He opened the anti-theft door with a cold face, his expression so horrifying that the battle-hardened camera master¡¯s hand shook violently. ¡°Here you are.¡± Xie Xuanming said quietly, ¡°Please come in.¡± The cameraman bit the bullet and stepped into this place of lawlessness. He was just about to change into the spare slippers at the door, when Xie Xuanming quickly blocked them, the door of the shoe cabinet opened and closed, and a brand new pair of slippers was thrown in front of the cameraman. ¡°You wear these.¡± Xie Xuanming said. Although he couldn¡¯t understand why he had to wear the slippers from the shoe cabinet, the cameraman obediently changed his shoes and followed Xie Xuanming into the room with bated breath. Although he was unhappy because of Ji Sheng¡¯s short-term moving away, Xie Xuanming would not embarrass the hard-working employees. For the rest of the recording, he behaved very cooperatively. The process of showing the house and gathering the clothes went unexpectedly smoothly, but when he was packing up the toiletries, some problems unexpectedly appeared. The cameraman followed Xie Xuanming into the bathroom of the master bedroom and instantly saw two bathroom cups on the sink. The cameraman¡¯s heart thudded; he also thought of the slippers at the door and the two pillows on the bed. The combination of these signs undoubtedly pointed to one result ¡ª Xie Xuanming, who presented himself as a single person, was actually living with someone. A stormy wave was surging in the cameraman¡¯s heart. The camera, as his other pair of eyes, had already consciously turned around to steadily take in the items on the sink. A light orange tube fell into sight, and the cameraman took a closer look: lemon-flavoured children¡¯s toothpaste. The cameraman was shocked. Even having a child?? Too efficient, right? Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t know that in just a few seconds, the cameraman¡¯s mind was already in such a state of shock. He just calmly put the toothbrush into a storage box and the mint-flavoured toothpaste into a transparent wash bag together with the lemon-flavoured toothpaste. He turned his head and confronted the cameraman¡¯s distorted look. Cameraman: ¡­¡­ Xie Xuanming: ¡­¡­ Xie Xuanming glanced down at the two toothpastes peeking out of the bag, and calmly explained: ¡°It tastes good to use it occasionally.¡± Cameraman: ¡­¡­ Cameraman: You think it¡¯s a dessert? But he couldn¡¯t afford to offend Xie Xuanming and this image would definitely be cut out later. The cameraman could only pretend to be confused, nodding with a fake smile: ¡°Makes sense¡­¡± After a lot of fuss, the packing part was finally over. Xie Xuanming politely sent the cameraman out the door and sent a ¡°miss you¡± message to Ji Sheng. Never mind that they had been separated for less than twenty-four hours and would meet again soon. Two other guests of ¡°We Are CP¡± recorded at the same time as Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming were an on-screen couple from a recent hit costume drama and were very popular. The program group required the participating stars to gather in the city before setting off to the resort for the recording. Since he set off separately from Xie Xuanming, Ji Sheng arrived at the meeting place first and met the woman from the on-screen couple ¡ª the new generation little flower Wang Yao. The two met, greeted each other politely and sat down. You can¡¯t behave coldly on a variety show. As a variety show regular, Wang Yao smiled and exchanged pleasantries with Ji Sheng. She was actually a little embarrassed to be here this time. Although her CP with the male lead was hot, nowadays, with the background of fan traffic being the most important, being in cp with a big actor could cause you to be abused by the opponent¡¯s girlfriend¡¯s fans nine times out of ten. Wang Yao was already inferior to the male lead in terms of popularity. Because she was worried about being scolded, she was reluctant to sell CP and win CP fans. But the traffic of ¡°We Are CP¡± was too large, and her company didn¡¯t want to let go of this resource, so she had to bite the bullet. She was going to offend the girlfriend¡¯s fans if she promoted the CP, and anger the CP fans if she broke it up. There was no way in, no way out, so to speak, it was like walking on thin ice. Now that there was a hotter ¡°Round Ten¡± CP to attract fire, Wang Yao was relieved and at the same time felt some sympathy for Ji Hui. After all, in terms of seniority, origin and business ability, this guy was more likely to be torn apart by non-CP fans than her. Moreover, a straight man was bending over to promote the same-sex CP, committing himself to a lower position. Money is not easy to make, (C)P is not easy to sell! Deep sympathy surged in Wang Yao¡¯s heart. ¡°Sister Yao.¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t know that the other party had taken pity on him after one look, but he knew that Wang Yao had already recorded two episodes of the show, so he thought of getting some experience from her, ¡°This show, what do we usually have to do?¡± He got on the pirate ship without even knowing what he was going to do there. Wang Yao felt even more sorry for him: ¡°Generally, it just records some daily routines, cook, play games, watch dramas, and do whatever you want at home¡­ but two people have to do it together.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Ji Sheng nodded as if he understood. His face was full of confusion. Wang Yao thought it would be very difficult for him to spend the next 48 hours face to face with Emperor Xie, so she kindly offered an invitation, ¡°We¡¯ll be right next door to you, so you¡¯re welcome to come and have dinner with us if you want.¡± Ji Sheng was struggling with how to conceal his intimacy with Xie Xuanming in front of the camera when Wang Yao suddenly extended an invitation. He considered it and found that reducing the time spent with Xie Xuanming tet-a-tet was indeed a good way to avoid suspicion. Ji Sheng was overjoyed, and as soon as he was about to agree, he heard someone say nearby, ¡°Good morning, what are you chatting about?¡± Ji Sheng and Wang Yao raised their heads simultaneously. Xie Xuanming pushed the suitcase with one hand. Wang Yao hurriedly got up to say hello, but before she could stand up straight, she saw Xie Xuanming put the suitcase down and lean on the arm of the sofa where Ji Sheng was sitting, lowering his head, ¡°You forgot to pack your toothpaste.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ji Sheng coughed, gave Xie Xuanming a small pat as a reminder, and stretched out his hand to Wang Yao, ¡°Teacher Xie is here, this is Senior Wang Yao.¡± Only then did Xie Xuanming notice that there was another person standing next to him. He got up and nodded, ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Hello, hello.¡± Wang Yao was shocked by the intimate posture of the two and the surprisingly informative dialogue, and said dryly, ¡°There is a shop next to the recording site, you can buy toothpaste there.¡± ¡°There may not be children¡¯s toothpaste.¡± Xie Xuanming replied politely, but his eyes never moved away from Ji Sheng. ¡±He¡¯s rather picky and only uses children¡¯s toothpaste.¡± ¡°Oh, so¡­¡± Wang Yao smiled awkwardly. ¡°And it¡¯s best to be lemon-flavoured.¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t know how to stop. So Ji Sheng could only laugh awkwardly with Wang Yao. Out of sight of the camera, Ji Sheng pinched Xie Xuanming hard. ¡°Get up.¡± Ji Sheng warned him, shaping the words with his mouth soundlessly. Xie Xuanming lowered his eyes to look at him, and moved his lips silently: ¡°No.¡± Ji Sheng: ¡­¡­ Ji Sheng helplessly slumped back onto the sofa. An eerie silence fell on the recording set. After thirty seconds of silence, the director outside the scene couldn¡¯t sit still and gestured frantically, signalling to the three to say something. ¡°Right.¡± Wang Yao¡¯s lips stiffened; she had never been so desperate for her unlucky business partner to hurry up and appear, ¡°I just discussed with Xiao Ji, would you like to come to us for dinner tonight?¡± ¡°Xiao Ji? For dinner?¡± Xie Xuanming narrowed his eyes slightly. Ji Sheng was keenly aware of the danger, so he shrank back again and chuckled dryly. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t let him go; he pressed down slightly and asked, ¡°Do you want to go to dinner?¡± Wang Yao: ¡­¡­ Wang Yao suddenly felt the atmosphere of fifty shades of grey. ¡°Sorry for the long wait.¡± At this moment, the ancient puppet male lead arrived late with his suitcase. As soon as he appeared, he saw his usually lukewarmly polite CP partner sitting up straight with her eyes glowing as if she had seen a long-lost family member. As his gaze shifted to the left, he saw two overlapping figures of the sofa, looking like they were either necking or kissing. How did they manage to look so adulterous? The actor stopped hesitatingly. As soon as he saw that the two people stuck together were the famous Xie Xuanming and the confused Ji Hui, he heard Xie Xuanming, who was on top, say in a low voice: ¡°Call me ¡®gege¡¯ and I will let you go.¡± Actor: ???? Actor: !!!! Actor: Fuck! Is this show already this bent? CH 91 Although the scene was very awkward and was unlikely to be broadcast, fortunately, the people present had all been in the business for years. After the actor got over being stunned, he took the initiative to say hello and change the subject. Wang Yao also laughed and started another topic. Ji Sheng pushed Xie Xuanming away. At the same time, he raised his eyes to give a ¡°don¡¯t be evil¡± look to Xie Xuanming. Xie Xuanming received the warning and honestly stopped messing around¡­ The four of them each had their own agenda; they exchanged a few words with some fake smiles, got in the car and went to the recording venue. The recording location was in a suburban villa area; each CP couple had a separate villa. Xie Xuanming walked in and looked around, and objectively commented: ¡°Not as big as my house.¡± Ji Sheng: ¡­¡­ Ji Sheng dragged the suitcase into the guest room on the first floor: ¡°Say something that can be broadcast, Teacher Xie, you¡¯re going to be scolded again.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Xie Xuanming shrugged, went to his own suitcase and pulled it into the house. Ji Sheng had just put the suitcase down in the guest room when he turned and saw Xie Xuanming dragging his large suitcase through the door as if it was the most natural thing to do. Ji Sheng quickly straightened up to stop his invading pace. ¡°What are you doing, Teacher Xie?¡± Ji Sheng smiled in embarrassment, his eyes full of warning, ¡°You live on the second floor, the master bedroom is up there.¡± ¡°The first floor has good lighting.¡± ¡°Upstairs are floor-to-ceiling windows with a balcony.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to carry the suitcase.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help you carry it.¡± ¡°I like this room.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ji Sheng took a deep breath, raised his eyes, glanced at the camera and put on a fake sweet smile: ¡°Then I¡¯ll go upstairs and you sleep here.¡± His smile was amiable; his eyes were full of murderous aura. Xie Xuanming looked at him for two seconds, then turned around reluctantly: ¡°No, I¡¯ll go upstairs.¡± Xie Xuanming strode out, dragging the suitcase. Ji Sheng just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard a rumble upstairs and then someone said sullenly: ¡°I have your toothpaste, remember to come and brush your teeth tonight.¡± Ji Sheng¡¯s breath caught in his throat and he coughed violently, instinctively looking up at the camera. Under his stare, the cameraman in the corner turned away, proverbially covering his ears to steal a bell, indicating that he ¡°didn¡¯t notice anything¡±. Ji Sheng was so tired that he covered his face with his hands, thinking that it might have been a mistake to take on this variety show. He just wanted to promote his CP with Xie Xuanming to add some heat to the web drama. He didn¡¯t want to kick open the closet door in front of the whole country. In the evening, Ji Sheng and Xie Xuanming still went to Wang Yao¡¯s house for dinner. Ji Shneg did not bow to Xie Xuanming¡¯s messy request for the title of seniority (gege) and Xie Xuanming, relying on the camera to prevent Ji Sheng from cursing, used cooking as a blackmail, stubbornly cornering Ji Sheng to make him say unpleasant things. Ji Sheng was also very tough; if you don¡¯t cook, fine, then I won¡¯t eat. He turned and ran away to Wang Yao. The words that were said were like water that had been spilled, and the conversation that exploded was like chewing gum that had run out of flavour. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t have a sense of measure and scared Ji Sheng away, so he could only follow Ji Sheng to the next door to eat. From sitting down to putting down his chopsticks, his face was as stinky as if everyone present owed him five million. Unfortunately, in the eyes of Wang Yao and the male actor, a cold face was the norm for Emperor Xie, and it was in Teacher Xie¡¯s character to lose his temper all the time, so there was nothing special about it. Seeing Xie Xuanming like this, the two of them instead felt more sympathy for Ji Sheng and welcomed him even warmer, thinking they were saviours giving a homeless little wretch a meal to eat. Ji Sheng, the only one who could see that Xie Xuanming was making trouble, deliberately ignored his emotional outburst, buried his head in the food and had a lot of fun. From time to time, he raised his head and joked with Wang Yao, disregarding the chill-spreading air-conditioner sitting on his right. With this dinner, Ji Sheng won a big victory in the secret battle between the two of them. On the way back, he proudly teased: ¡°Teacher Xie, it¡¯s true that whoever provides the meal is the master, but the title is not monopolised.¡± Xie Xuanming hooked the corners of his mouth, smiling humorlessly: ¡°Xiao Ji, don¡¯t be happy too early.¡± Xie Xuanming also had a reason to speak so harshly. Xie Xuanming knew how picky Ji Sheng was; he would either eat with gusto or perfunctorily ignore the food he did not like. This was Ji Sheng¡¯s eating style. At the table just now, Ji Sheng ate two mouthfuls of white rice and barely touched the other dishes that were obviously not to his liking. Xie Xuanming, who witnessed all this, washed up and went to bed calmly. He picked up the book ¡°The Use and Practice of Psychoanalysis¡± on the bedside and read it with relish. As expected, he heard the door of the bedroom being knocked on when it was close to midnight. ¡°Come in.¡± Xie Xuanming said. The door creaked. Ji Sheng poked his head in and tentatively said, ¡°Teacher Xie.¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t raise his head, turning a page in his hand, and asked, knowing the answer: ¡°Here to brush your teeth?¡± ¡°No.¡± Ji Sheng said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Xie Xuanming remained motionless. The two remained in a stalemate for a while. Eventually Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t bear the emptiness of his stomach, gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Teacher Xie, can you cook?¡± Xie Xuanming finally reacted, put down the book and said, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Can I ask you to make supper?¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°There are Japanese-style ramen, tomatoes, eggs, lean pork and scallions in the kitchen.¡± ¡°I usually cook when I¡¯m in a good mood.¡± Xie Xuanming said leisurely. ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng asked, ¡°Are you in a good mood now?¡± ¡°In general.¡± Xie Xuanming said, ¡°If someone calls me ¡®gege¡¯, I might be in a better mood.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± If I hadn¡¯t died, would this kid be so arrogant and domineering?! Ji Sheng had never regretted his carelessness in his previous life so much. ¡°Brother Xie¡­ Gege¡­¡± Ji Sheng almost gnashed his teeth, ¡°Please make me supper, thank you.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Xie Xuanming closed the book contentedly and went downstairs to the kitchen. The mode of getting along between the two was so intimate that they discussed it with the director again and again in the late stage of the filming, but still did not find a solution. Although the director promised Ji Sheng to cut out the overly ambiguous scenes, when the material was presented in front of them, all the interactions were too intimate and the director was dumbfounded. ¡°How to cut it?¡± The post-production crew asked in a low voice, ¡°Are you going to cut it all?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The director was very tired, ¡°Keep it, there will be nothing to broadcast if you cut it.¡± The heartbroken crew left the footage of the two together, and even did the opposite, using the intimate interaction between the Xie/Ji couple as a selling point, creating an illusion of ¡°real or fake, fake or real¡±. The trailer was a hit, and the internet exploded. [Call me ¡®gege¡¯ and I¡¯ll let you go] [Gege] When the necking scene on the sofa flashed by and several clips of ambiguous conversations were released, the netizens were shocked. [kswl!] [Help, Xie Xuanming turns out to be this kind of persona?] [Are the two here to record the show or are they in love?] [¡°We are CP¡± X ¡°We are Married¡±] [I¡¯m going to jump into the pit. I heard that the CP of ¡°The Drummer¡± was good, but I didn¡¯t expect the after-sales service to be so good either.] [Guide the way to the supertopic ¡°Round Ten¡±, you will have everything you need there] [¡­¡­] The broadcast time of ¡°We are CP¡± was Sunday night, immediately after the two episodes of ¡°The Drummer¡± were broadcast in a row. In episodes 4 to 8 of ¡°The Drummer¡±, the drama progressed as Xie Yuan and Ji Renshi gradually fell apart while venturing into the entertainment industry, with their relationship drifting apart and eventually breaking up because of a role. The CP in the drama was extremely heartbreaking, and the CP outside the drama was sweet to death. As soon as the sad ¡°Round Ten¡± CP fans finished watching ¡°The Drummer¡± crying, they were crushed to death by the avalanche of sugar in ¡°We are CP¡±. The overwhelming difference between reality and drama further contributed to the expansion of this CP fan group. Of course, in addition to being obsessed with the CP, the audience had not forgotten the prototypes of ¡°The Drummer¡±. They were sorry and saddened by what happened to Ji Renshi, and what Sheng Mou did in the drama was really disgusting. Although the drama was separate from reality, when the audience thought of the various methods of Sheng Kongzhi and Qingchu in reality, its anger turned to aim directly at Sheng Kongzhi and Qingchu, and fired. Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s side sued several particularly vocal netizens, but they could only pretend to be deaf and dumb about the source of their anger, ¡°The Drummer¡±, together with Xuansheng Company, so that not to hit a stone with an egg. In the second week of the broadcast of ¡°The Drummer¡±, Xie Xuanming received two pieces of good news. First, Qingchu Company declared bankruptcy due to financial difficulties, and Xuansheng¡¯s side finally could start trademark acquisition. The second was that Xie Xuanming¡¯s last movie was nominated for the Cin¨¦ma Awards in France and the organisers invited Xie Xuanming to attend the award ceremony. The Cin¨¦ma Awards were one of the most prestigious and widely recognised international awards at present. The news that Xie Xuanming had been nominated for the award in less than five years after his debut had caused a ripple effect on the internet. The black fans who had previously sarcastically criticised Xie Xuanming for not being able to pick up any movies and making web dramas instead were silenced. Everyone knew that whether he won the award or not, this would undoubtedly give Xie Xuanming another layer of gold and strengthen his status as a movie emperor. The actor was nominated for an international award just four years after his debut. Xie Xuanming, a 25-year-old new generation actor, had unlimited possibilities in the future. On the day Xie Xuanming went abroad, his itinerary was made public. With the company¡¯s tacit approval, many fans came to see him off. Due to the large number of people coming, for the sake of public order and safety, a protective tape was put up. Fans who arrived were asked to stand behind the protective tape for an orderly send-off. Most of the fans stayed in the designated area sensibly, holding up their cameras or preparing letters to Xie Xuanming, and waited quietly. But when Xie Xuanming arrived, there were still some irrational fans, or sishengs who had been lurking for a long time; they screamed and lifted the protective tape, trying to cross over and approach Xie Xuanming. Most of these intruders were stopped by the quick-responding bodyguards, but one sisheng was the fish that missed the net. She rushed past the bodyguards and quickly approached Xie Xuanming, who was standing with his back to her, unsuspecting. The fans gasped as no one knew how stinky the sisheng was and what she might do to Xie Xuanming. Just as the sisheng was about to rush in front of Xie Xuanming, a man in black clothes and a black cap suddenly appeared beside him, blocking the sisheng¡¯s way, grabbing her waist. The sisheng was caught off guard, flailing her arms and kicking, screaming harshly, but the man held her firmly, not letting go even though his cap was knocked off. The bodyguards who finally reacted took over the sisheng and escorted her out. Xie Xuanming, who was handling some business in front of him, was so startled by the commotion that he turned around. The man picked up his cap and gave him an OK gesture, signalling that it was fine. Not far away, the station sister pointed her camera at Xie Xuanming but accidentally photographed the man¡¯s profile before he put on his cap. The brim of the cap couldn¡¯t cover his curved eyebrows, and under his eye, a tear mole was particularly eye-catching. CH 92 On one of Xie Xuanming¡¯s rare public trips, the usually idle station sister returned home with a full house, posting long-awaited preview photos on her Weibo. Many fans were keeping an eye on Xie Xuanming¡¯s schedule, and soon after the photos were posted, the comments started piling branch after branch. [Station Sister has worked hard, the pictures are taken beautifully, and Mr. Xie also looks great today] [My baby¡¯s casual clothes are so handsome] [The sixth one where he looks back seals the deal, the worried emotions in his eyes, it¡¯s like shooting a blockbuster] [Is my baby looking at the¡­ bodyguard with such affectionate eyes?] [Is it a bodyguard? Why do I feel he¡¯s a little too thin] [Yeah, I think repo said that the black cap bodyguard stopped a sisheng, very dedicated] [Damn, it¡¯s a sisheng again, can this kind of underworld creatures stay away from my baby?] [¡­¡­] During the heated discussion, the station sister suddenly replied to the comment that asked if it was a bodyguard. [Not a bodyguard, it¡¯s Ji Hui] The comment area was strangely silent for a few seconds. Fans who asked if it was a bodyguard were the first to come out to break the silence. [Why was Ji Hui there?] Station sister¡¯s reply: [Send off the plane, no matter what, thank him for helping to stop the sisheng] The station sister¡¯s reply finally gave a clear path to Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans who were at a loss for words, and many of them followed that comment with a few polite thanks to ¡°Ji Hui¡±. [This is an individual topic, let¡¯s not mention the third party] One comment reminded suddenly, but it was quickly downvoted by other fans. [What¡¯s wrong with thanking someone for helping out?] [Have some quality, don¡¯t disgrace the fans] [Not a single anti-black post, but doing a good job of making the protagonist look bad in the eyes of the passers-by] [Delete it] [¡­¡­] ¡°Xie Xuanming is gone, are you finally willing to come out and meet people?¡± Su Jing walked over unhappily. He was going to have a live broadcast with Ji Hui today and tomorrow. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± He leaned over to look at Ji Sheng¡¯s screen but Ji Sheng put away his mobile phone, hiding the image of Xie Xuanming¡¯s fans scolding him for posting a ¡°let¡¯s not mention the third party¡± comment, and said, ¡°Just surfing Weibo.¡± ¡°Looking at the comments?¡± Su Jing¡¯s sharp eyes saw the comment area, ¡°I thought you celebrities don¡¯t like to read comments. At least I don¡¯t like to read them.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ji Sheng remembered how horrifying the comment area in the e-sports circle was after losing the game, ¡°Afraid of being cursed?¡± ¡°Being cursed is the next best thing.¡± Su Jing wrinkled his nose, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t help but curse back.¡± ¡°¡­got it.¡± ¡°Stop looking, get ready for the live broadcast.¡± Su Jing got up, ¡°You¡¯re a terrible gamer, I will have to try my best not to scold you later.¡± ¡°Who doesn¡¯t suck at games compared to you.¡± Ji Sheng also got up to get ready, ¡°Just bear with me.¡± The live broadcast activities of the two of them were more harmonious than imagined. Although Su Jing was of course very angry by Ji Sheng¡¯s unbelievably bad gaming, he quickly found a way to relieve the pressure ¡ª cueing the ¡°Round Ten¡± CP fans to barrage by mentioning Xie Xuanming in the comments. This time, Ji Sheng was angry. He was most afraid of being tied up with Xie Xuanming and affecting Xie Xuanming¡¯s reputation and career. Every time Su Jing asked about Xie Xuanming, Ji Sheng turned the topic away with a few words. Ji Sheng was so busy distracting Su Jing that he did not realise how much his actions to avoid suspicion attracted the eyes of CP fans with a sense of ¡°wanting to cover up the truth¡±. Not only did it not have the effect of drawing a clear line between the two, but it also made the ¡°Round Ten¡± CP fans feel ¡°blocking the closet door like this, my CP must be real!¡± At the end of the live broadcast, Ji Sheng, who was exhausted, swiped Weibo and found that the ¡°Round Ten¡± supertopic did not drop but rose, breaking into the top five of the CP list. His eyes rolled up and he almost fainted on the spot. ¡°See you tomorrow, Xie Xuanming¡¯s little baby.¡± Su Jing smiled and said goodbye to him, using the CP fan¡¯s term of endearment to disgust him. Ji Sheng was successfully disgusted by him, said ¡°fuck off¡± weakly and seriously considered the possibility of skipping work tomorrow and not going to the live broadcast. He dragged his tired body back to the villa, ordered a takeaway and went to bed early after washing up, unaware of a big melon brewing in relation to him, ready to hit the surface and muddy up public opinion. At two o¡¯clock in the morning, seven hours after Xie Xuanming took off, in the silence of the night, an entry was created and quickly became a hot search. #Xie Xuanming Ji Hui# Adhering to the principles of ¡°the fewer words, the bigger the matter¡±, ¡°one name is not a good thing¡± and ¡°two names are bound to collapse the house¡±, the content of this hot search was so explosive that it was enough to shake the entire entertainment circle. An anonymous source broke the news that Xie Xuanming and Ji Hui were in a nurturing relationship. There were eighteen photos accompanying the post. Photos one to three were screenshots of the surveillance footage. In the KTV room, Ji Hui knelt in front of Xie Xuanming who was holding him by the neck, and the two appeared to be kissing. Photos four to nine were all single photos of Ji Hui, entering and leaving a villa, sitting in a black car, standing at a shop counter¡­ And the cross-references to these photos either proved that those things (the villa, the car) belonged to Xie Xuanming or that Xie Xuanming was in the same place at that time. The remaining nine photos were screenshots of WeChat logs, containing a conversation between Ji Hui himself and an anonymous source. Anonymous [How much does he pay you] Ji Hui [500,000 a month] Anonymous [Really generous] Ji Hui [So much that I¡¯m a little afraid to accept it] There were also conversations between the anonymous source and other sources. Someone said that in a certain KTV last year, Xie Xuanming and Ji Hui were seen acting ambiguously in the bathroom. Although the two left the KTV separately, their clothes were messed up when they went out of the toilet, as evidenced by multiple witnesses. Photos, chat logs, eyewitnesses, and even a short video of Ji Sheng coming out of Xie Xuanming¡¯s villa were attached. Thor¡¯s hammer was brought down. No one would say that the two were innocent and unconnected unless they were telling lies with their eyes open. Ji Sheng looked at the hot search and broke into a cold sweat. He had thought that the matter between him and Xie Xuanming might be exposed one day, but he didn¡¯t expect it to be in this way, at this moment. It was about nurturing rather than love, and it broke out on the eve of Xie Xuanming¡¯s participation in a film festival. Although foreign countries didn¡¯t care so much about the private lives of artists, it was difficult to guarantee whether the film crew would let Xie Xuanming attend in order to avoid the limelight. After all, the film festival invited the entire crew, not Xie Xuanming personally, and the director and the screenwriter had to consider the overall situation. Ji Sheng glanced at the name of the marketing account that broke the news. It was from the batch raised by Qingchu. Unsurprisingly, this was a counterattack by Qingchu. Their timing was excellent. Public opinion fermented in the middle of the night and the PR department didn¡¯t have time to react. Xie Xuanming was still flying and Xuansheng could not get in touch with him. When he landed, the best clarification time would have passed. Coupled with the busy schedule of the film festival, Xie Xuanming was somewhat incapacitated and unable to take care of this issue. The more Ji Sheng thought about it, the more chilled his heart felt. At this moment, Xuansheng¡¯s public relations department called. ¡°We¡¯ve seen the hot search.¡± The public relations staff went straight to the point,¡±There are currently three PR options.¡± ¡°Which three?¡± ¡°One, leave it alone and wait until we get in touch with Mr. Xie before we react. But that would be playing into the hands of the person who broke the story and would also miss the best PR time.¡± ¡°Not very good¡­¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°What about other methods?¡± ¡°The second is to directly deny the news and prepare a lawyer¡¯s letter to sue for the damage to reputation, which can restore some face, but if the opponent still has a hammer in his hand, it may be self-defeating.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ji Sheng closed his eyes, ¡°Is there any other way?¡± ¡°The last one we think is the most appropriate. Do you remember Miss Wang Yao?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The female side of bgCP, who recorded ¡°We are CP¡± together with them. ¡°She is an artist from Jinlai Company. She is in a hurry to untie herself from another male star recently. After discussing with Jinlai, our company feels that we can hype up your relationship with Miss Wang Yao, clarify your sexuality and at the same time, divert the public¡¯s attention and delay the matter until Mr. Xie can handle it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng was silent for a while, ¡°Is this the best solution?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The PR department said, ¡°If you are interested, we can immediately issue a statement in conjunction with the Jinlai party.¡± ¡°Let me think about it,¡± Ji Sheng hesitated for a long time and finally said. After hanging up the phone, Ji Sheng leaned against the head of the bed, covered his eyes and sighed. Of course he knew that the third method was currently the most efficient and the best way to remove Xie Xuanming from the centre of public opinion, but¡­ Ji Sheng covered his eyes, looking through the gap between his fingers and seeing the past. He saw himself sitting in a booth at the table, with his hat on, waiting for someone. About twenty minutes later, a man, also dressed in black and wearing a black hat, took a seat opposite him. It seemed that he had grown taller again; Ji Sheng in his previous life was in a bit of a daze. Since he had fallen out with Xie Xuanming because he rejected the invitation to act in a TV drama, the two had never seen each other again. He gradually faded out of the entertainment industry, while Xie Xuanming gradually became more and more popular. The status of the two was now very different, one in the sky and one on the ground, and Ji Sheng really didn¡¯t understand why Xie Xuanming had agreed to be involved in a scandal with him. ¡°Long time no see.¡± Ji Sheng said with his eyes downcast, ¡°I heard that you won the best actor award, congratulations.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to congratulate on, it¡¯s a matter of course.¡± With the same height and size, Xie Xuanming had changed a lot, his aura turning cold and sharp, making one feel uncomfortable as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, ¡°The hotel booking records of you and Sheng Kongzhi sharing a room have been leaked out.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ji Sheng didn¡¯t expect him to speak so bluntly and didn¡¯t know how to answer. Seeing him silent, Xie Xuanming sneered: ¡°Qingchu is not happy to be dragged down by its own cash cow, So making a deal with the news breaking media, one big story for another big story¡­ is really what this villain Li Tan would do.¡± Ji Sheng frowned. Although he knew Li Tan¡¯s virtues, Xie Xuanming¡¯s words were really mean. ¡°You speak too much.¡± As he said that, Ji Sheng finally raised his eyes. Xie Xuanming looked at him for a while, then stopped smiling: ¡°Brother Ji, you are really righteous for everyone¡¯s sake. You can¡¯t bear Sheng Kongzhi¡¯s reputation being corrupted and you can¡¯t bear Li Tan losing money¡­ But you are willing to pull me into the water.¡± He said the last sentence lightly and ruthlessly, and the emotions hidden inside made Ji Sheng shudder. ¡°You can refuse.¡± Ji Sheng finally said, ¡°I understand how you feel, this contract is really unfair to you.¡± ¡°Refuse, why should I refuse?¡± Xie Xuanming smiled again, still emotionless, ¡°I won¡¯t refuse, after all, although I hate you, there¡¯s no way to say no to you with that face of yours.¡± CH 93 After getting Xie Xuanming¡¯s consent to be involved in the scandal, Qingchu could barely wait for the media to release the news and the photos of the two. A new movie star and a waste musician, what an awkward, twisted couple. The outside world was in an uproar; meanwhile, Ji Sheng stayed at home safely and never contacted Xie Xuanming again, until¡­ ¡°Do you want to come out for a walk?¡± Xie Xuanming asked. ¡°Now?¡± Ji Sheng asked uncertainly, holding the phone. ¡°In the evening.¡± Xie Xuanming said calmly, ¡°Scandals need to be fueled. We are not meeting our business targets.¡± Ji Sheng understood; he didn¡¯t interact enough with Xie Xuanming and the party that broke the news was not satisfied. ¡°Okay.¡± He whispered, ¡°What time?¡± ¡°At 10 o¡¯clock tonight, the bar promenade.¡± Xie Xuanming hung up. Ten minutes to ten, Ji Sheng saw Xie Xuanming, all in black, under the footbridge at the entrance of the bar promenade. He stood at the junction of light and shadow, his black fisherman¡¯s hat covering his face and his sportswear making him look like a college student waiting for his girlfriend. Ji Sheng hesitated, then consciously claimed the identity of a ¡°girlfriend¡±, lowered his cap and walked over. ¡°You¡¯re early.¡± He whispered. ¡°You¡¯re late.¡± Xie Xuanming returned in a flat voice, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Ji Sheng originally thought that Xie Xuanming¡¯s appointment at 10 o¡¯clock in the evening was due to identity considerations. After all, with Xie Xuanming¡¯s current status, swaggering on the streets in broad daylight might have caused a lot of riots, while Ji Sheng himself might¡¯ve been severely beaten by the fans as ¡°the subject of the shameful scandal¡±. But Xie Xuanming made an appointment at the bar promenade, the venue full of people even in the middle of the night. Ji Sheng glanced sideways at the bars they passed by, hearing bands playing, bottles clinking and laughter coming through the glass windows. He and Xie Xuanming walked coldly through the long street, like busy outsiders, indifferently passing by drunk young men who staggered forward with the help of their companions. ¡°You used to come to these places to work, didn¡¯t you?¡± Xie Xuanming asked suddenly. Ji Sheng was taken aback for a moment and realised that he was probably talking about the time when the band was underground. In order to save money for the album, Qingchu and he himself would often go to the bars to work. Unfortunately, after all that hard work, the album was never recorded and the band broke up. In a daze, Ji Sheng remembered that Loptr released an album a few days ago. It originally contained his own music, but it was removed because of the scandal. ¡°Regularly.¡± Ji Sheng said, ¡°But the conditions were not so good at the time.¡± The bars in the downtown area were not as regulated as the bars in the promenade today, and there were often quarrels and fights. Ji Sheng was often caught in the middle but he was quick enough to run away without getting hurt. After Xie Xuanming joined Qingchu and followed him to the shows, the number of fleeing figures changed from one to two. Recalling the scenes of him escorting Xie Xuanming to the bars, Ji Sheng was in a trance for a second, unable to connect that good-natured, slim teenager with the cold, tall man beside him. Xie Xuanming stopped talking and walked forward quietly, as if he had asked Ji Sheng to come out just to walk side by side like this. Ji Sheng¡¯s thoughts drifted away in the silent atmosphere. The reason why Xie Xuanming agreed to Qingchu¡¯s unreasonable request was not only because Qingchu offered him a good price, but also because he himself was caught in a previous scandal. At the award ceremony, a popular actress ¡°accidentally¡± fell on Xie Xuanming. After she was helped up, a marketing account post followed, ¡°revealing¡± that she and Xie Xuanming had recently been seen together numerous times and had stayed in the same hotel. The public always likes to read gossip news, and the actress had a pitiful appearance and a capability to spin a story. The peachy rumours of a ¡°movie star¡± and a ¡°little white flower¡± flew all over the social networks for a while, plus the bloggers said that the ¡°little white flower¡± would soon participate in a big production movie while the identity of the male lead was a mystery. Many people guessed that it was Xie Xuanming who was going to star with her. Ji Sheng checked: it was a large-scale commercial movie. If Xie Xuanming really agreed to star in it, he would make a lot of money. But Xie Xuanming kicked the pot, preferring to promise Qingchu to sell corruption with him to earn some comparatively little money rather than take on this commercial movie when it was clear that his fledgling company was still short of funds. ¡°The script sucks. And I don¡¯t like being calculated.¡± This was the reason Xie Xuanming gave. Ji Sheng shrank his neck slightly feeling that with the second sentence Xie Xuanming was implying him. Anyway, except for the drama he invited Ji Sheng to before, Xie Xuanming had never ¡°downgraded¡± his choice of scripts. It was estimated that he intended to move up to the upper echelons of the movie industry. That was pretty good. Xie Xuanming was a good actor in front of the camera and a good businessman off the screen. Xie Xuanming was a movie star, so he could play the role required at the moment with ease, but Ji Sheng was not from the industry and he was a bit afraid that he would mess up. He was so preoccupied that he was startled when he suddenly saw Xie Xuanming stop in his tracks. He hurriedly stopped along with him, only to look up and realise that they had already walked out of the bar promenade and were standing at the edge of an empty road, with the bus stop lights switching beside them. ¡°En?¡± Ji Sheng asked, puzzled. ¡°There are reporters on the opposite side.¡± Xie Xuanming said with a slight twitch of his lips. ¡°¡­you arranged it?¡± ¡°Qingchu arranged it.¡± Xie Xuanming raised the corners of his lips, a little ironic, ¡°They didn¡¯t tell you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ji Sheng asked, ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Xie Xuanming did not answer, only stood quietly, as if waiting for something. Ji Sheng looked up at him, titling his head, his neck a little sore. Half a minute later, Ji Sheng finally knew what Xie Xuanming was waiting for. A bus marked ¡°Night 7¡± dinged, its brakes loud as it slowed down to a halt by the platform. Before it stopped, Xie Xuanming suddenly stepped forward and clasped his hand on the back of Ji Sheng¡¯s neck. Ji Sheng¡¯s nape was squeezed forcefully; he hurriedly raised his head, and the next moment his lips were crushed against something cold. The bus started moving loudly, rattling away from the platform. Ji Sheng was awakened by the sound and gave Xie Xuanming a sharp push. Xie Xuanming took a half step back, wiping his lips, his expression calm. It wasn¡¯t the first time he had been forcibly kissed by Xie Xuanming. Ji Sheng took a step back, helplessly realising that he was so used to it that he couldn¡¯t even feel exasperated. ¡°This is also what Qingchu asked you to do?¡± He said coldly. Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t answer, only wiped his lower lip again, turned around and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He walked for a few steps and found that Ji Sheng was standing still, so he turned back, took his left hand and pulled him forward without a second thought. Considering the camera in the opposite building, Ji Sheng didn¡¯t shake it off but secretly squeezed his palm. Ji Sheng used so much force that his fingers were a little numb, but Xie Xuanming still had a breezy face. His expression didn¡¯t change and he didn¡¯t let go. Ji Sheng was quickly discouraged; his hand relaxed and he quietly let Xie Xuanming lead him along. Xie Xuanming walked a little in front of Ji Sheng, and as he walked, Ji Sheng suddenly heard him speak. ¡°Do you still owe me a gift?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°You said before you would give me a gift if I got the best actor award, when I decide what I want.¡± ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t expect you to really get it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Xie Xuanming paused and continued, ¡°But I got it, and you congratulated me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Ji Sheng thought that Xie Xuanming should be even less in need of anything now. And he had nothing to give. Ji Sheng asked him to request, but Xie Xuanming went silent again. Ji Sheng waited patiently, the evening breeze blowing on his face, dispelling some of his drowsiness. Just when he thought Xie Xuanming would not speak again, Xie Xuanming said: ¡°I think¡­ how about we just go with the gossip?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ji Sheng woke up, ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°Brother Ji, how about you really dating me?¡± Xie Xuanming repeated. Ji Sheng opened his eyes wide; the evening breeze was a little cold, making his eyes dry. He pondered for a while and asked, ¡°Have you been drinking?¡± ¡°No.¡± Xie Xuanming quickly denied. Ji Sheng went quiet again, and then said after a long time: ¡°Then don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡± There was silence again, and finally a soft laugh reached him. Dissipated with the wind at once. Ji Sheng was lying on his bed, the scandal between ¡°Ji Hui¡± and Xie Xuanming still floating on the hot search. If it weren¡¯t for the change of name, he would even have thought that he was back in his previous life. He rubbed his temples, and the laughter Xie Xuanming let out in his dream still echoed in his ears. He didn¡¯t understand in his previous life, thinking that Xie Xuanming was laughing at him for taking the joke seriously. Looking back now, Xie Xuanming was probably laughing at himself. Ji Sheng pressed his temples and suddenly found that the phone screen was lit up. The public relations department sent him another message. [It¡¯s best to decide on the PR strategy quickly. We contacted Mr. Su Jing and he agreed to move the live broadcast to the morning. If you decide which method to use, you can respond directly in the live broadcast. Su Jing also said that he will fully cooperate with the PR] After reading it, Ji Sheng glanced at the time. Xie Xuanming¡¯s plane should not have landed yet. He replied: [Can we hide the domestic public opinion from Xie Xuanming first? I don¡¯t want these matters to interfere with his activities abroad.] The contact person of the public relations department gave a positive reply. Ji Sheng breathed a sigh of relief and sent another message. [As for the PR method, I¡¯ve already decided, I¡¯ll trouble you to cooperate with it] CH 94 With the seven-hour time difference between Paris and China, it was still very early in the morning when Xie Xuanming arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport after a thirteen-hour flight. When the plane landed, the director next to Xie Xuanming glanced at his mobile phone and suddenly his expression changed drastically. It was the first time Xie Xuanming had seen him look so pale in all the time they had spent together on the set, so he couldn¡¯t help but look sideways and ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The director raised his head and glanced to the side with an ugly expression. Xie Xuanming followed his gaze, just in time to see the accompanying assistant turn away and avoid his gaze. Xie Xuanming frowned and repeated: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The director¡¯s expression was uncertain. After two seconds, he calmed down as if he had made up his mind, put away his mobile phone and said, ¡°Something happened at home.¡± ¡°Very serious?¡± Xie Xuanming stared at him. The director stammered and avoided the point, and Xie Xuanming couldn¡¯t judge the truth or falsehood of his words for now. At this moment, the plane cabin door opened. ¡°Teacher Xie, let¡¯s go.¡± The assistant urged him forward, ¡°Hurry up and get some rest at the hotel.¡± The people behind him were noisy, and the passengers were all in a hurry to get off the plane. Xie Xuanming had no intention of getting in the way, so he could only let go of his doubts and follow the assistant. A bus took him halfway across the airport; on the way Xie Xuanming tried to turn on his phone several times to read the news, but was stopped by his assistant with some excuses. ¡°Teacher Xie, take the VIP exit.¡± After receiving the luggage, the accompanying crew stopped Xie Xuanming who was about to step out through the normal exit. ¡°It¡¯s not necessary.¡± Xie Xuanming was baffled. It was difficult for the fame of domestic celebrities to spread abroad, and even if there were enough fans, it would definitely not reach the scale that needed to be avoided. ¡°Prevention is better than cure.¡± The staff made a ¡±please¡± gesture. There was no need to dwell on trivial matters, so Xie Xuanming followed him without thinking too much. As he passed the general exit, he looked out and was surprised to see a crowd of people, mostly with cameras, mostly Asian faces. Where did so many reporters come from? Xie Xuanming wondered for a moment before he and his assistant stepped into the VIP lane. In the car, Xie Xuanming finally managed to turn on his mobile phone, but he hadn¡¯t been able to read the news as the assistant took out the itinerary and talked to him about the program for today. The award ceremony was not a trivial matter. Xie Xuanming put down his mobile phone and concentrated on checking his schedule. Before getting out of the car, the assistant answered the phone, hung up and said with his face changed: ¡°Teacher Xie, you may need to give me your mobile phone.¡± He stretched out his hand, but Xie Xuanming did not hand out the phone: ¡°What?¡± ¡°A crew member¡¯s phone was bugged.¡± The assistant looked solemn, ¡°Now the director asks everyone to hand in their mobile phones for inspection.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s expression also sank. The privacy of celebrities was more likely to be spied on than normal people, so naturally he was aware of it. He took the mobile phone out of his pocket without thinking, but when he was about to hand it to the assistant, he suddenly withdrew it. The assistant¡¯s palm closed, grabbing an empty space. A trace of panic flashed across his face, but he quickly raised his eyes and pretended to look at Xie Xuanming calmly. Fortunately, Xie Xuanming was immersed in his own thoughts and did not notice the emotional changes of the assistant: ¡°I want to make a phone call.¡± Assistant: ¡°¡­to whom?¡± ¡°Ji Hui.¡± The assistant knew about the relationship between the two, and Xie Xuanming did not intend to hide anything from him except for the matter of rebirth. Any connection to the country at this moment would be an extra danger; the assistant did not want him to dial the number but could not find a valid reason to refuse, so he could only watch Xie Xuanming call. ¡°Hey, good morning.¡± When he was talking to Ji Sheng, Xie Xuanming¡¯s voice was much softer, ¡°I¡¯m in Paris.¡± ¡°Up so early¡­ have you had breakfast yet?¡± ¡°The live broadcast has been transferred to the morning? Can Su Jing get up?¡± ¡°Is everything okay?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s tone was peaceful, but the assistant was on pins and needles. Every second of the call was torture for him. Others didn¡¯t know, but the assistant knew Xie Xuanming¡¯s character very well. This ¡°tyrant¡± of the 21st century was unpredictable; if he learned that his little lover was taken advantage of by someone while he was away, or that his little lover was hiding a scandal from him¡­ He would get furious on the spot and his actions would be unforeseen and irreparable. The assistant shivered. Tonight, after attending the award ceremony and becoming the youngest actor of the new generation to be exposed to international awards, Xie Xuanming¡¯s career, along with the entire Xuansheng, would soar¡­ At this important juncture, there had to be no accidents. Seeing that Xie Xuanming had finished talking to his little lover and handed over his phone without any reaction, the assistant breathed a sigh of relief, put away the phone hastily and said: ¡°When you get to the hotel, go rest at once. The makeup artist will come at ten o¡¯clock, then you have a meal with the French side at noon, and there will be an interview at four o¡¯clock in the afternoon¡­¡± After he repeated the process several times, Xie Xuanming felt so drowsy that he fell asleep as soon as he was next to the hotel bed. He didn¡¯t sleep until the morning. About four or five hours later, the door of the room was knocked on, and the assistant timidly asked, ¡°Teacher Xie, are you asleep?¡± Xie Xuanming slept lightly but was grumpy when someone woke him up, so he asked ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± in a very bad tone. The assistant at the door was very reluctant to disturb him; he wished Xie Xuanming could sleep directly until seven o¡¯clock at night when the award ceremony opened. However, the person who called was a famous director, and the assistant couldn¡¯t afford to neglect him. At the risk of angering Xie Xuanming, he had to notify him. ¡°There is a call for you.¡± The assistant said helplessly at the door, ¡°It¡¯s from Director Lin Siji.¡± Xie Xuanming did not reply. Two seconds later, the door opened. Xie Xuanming, with his hair in a mess, took the mobile phone from the assistant and slammed the door without looking up. The action was so swift that the assistant didn¡¯t react at once. He stood at the door dumbfounded for a while, raised his hand and dropped it, finally not daring to knock. Three missed calls covered the message underneath. Xie Xuanming hurriedly scanned it and called back. Before he could speak, he heard Lin Siji on the other side say lazily, ¡°Congratulations, you¡¯ve successfully come out of the closet.¡± With this statement, Xie Xuanming¡¯s prepared threat of ¡°you better have something big to say¡± was immediately rebuffed. Xie Xuanming had just woken up and his brain was not awake yet but his sense of danger and discomfort urged him to ask, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± In response to his confusion, Lin Siji gave an unsurprised laugh: ¡°You really don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Xie Xuanming emphasised. Lin Siji didn¡¯t have a habit of teasing mad dogs. He took it in stride and told him everything about the domestic public opinion scandal, meticulously including Xuansheng¡¯s solution. ¡°Your company is quite deep. It contacted Jinlai to stir up the waters, and even though the method is ten years too old-fashioned, using one scandal to suppress another¡­ the public is not tired of it.¡± Lin Siji tsk¡¯ed. ¡°The PR department was also bold, going to Jinlai¡¯s signature artist Yang Yan, never mind that the other party and your little lover are both male¡­ Fortunately, thanks to my interference, Xuansheng changed the target¡­¡± Xie Xuanming didn¡¯t have the mind to finish listening to Lin Siji¡¯s oral essay full of boasting, hung up, and dialled Ji Sheng¡¯s number. The call didn¡¯t get through. His face completely black, Xie Xuanming turned and walked out. The door slammed. The assistant who was squatting at the door, scratching his head, stood up with hastily, saw Xie Xuanming¡¯s stormy look and wailed in his heart that his life would soon be over. Xie Xuanming had no intention of reducing his crime and sentenced him to a suspended sentence. ¡°The company confiscated Ji Hui¡¯s mobile phone?¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s voice was as cold as a layer of ice. ¡°No.¡± The assistant nearly choked, but he was also smart, and fearfully guessing that this question was caused by Xie Xuanming¡¯s inability to contact Ji Hui, he added, ¡°Ji Hui should still be broadcasting live at this point.¡± ¡°Live broadcast?¡± ¡°Right.¡± Now that it had been exposed, the assistant half broke the jar and half tried to make amends, ¡°The PR department told him to respond to the news through the live broadcast.¡± Xie Xuanming¡¯s complexion darkened another shade, as gloomy as a night in the deep sea when a storm was approaching. Another game was over, and the live broadcast was briefly terminated. Ji Sheng¡¯s hand dropped from the keyboard as he moved his fingers slightly. ¡°When the broadcast starts again, it¡¯s time to read the comments.¡± Su Jing reminded him. The live broadcast had been going on for more than four hours. The two of them sat in front of the computer and kept playing games non-stop. Ji Sheng seemed to be unable to see the barrage of inquiries on the screen, so Su Jing also pretended to be deaf and dumb and kept his mouth shut except for thanking him for coming. But no matter how much they avoided it, it was finally time to respond. ¡°I know.¡± Ji Sheng said. ¡°¡­¡± Su Jing looked at his calm expression and sighed, ¡°Although your skills are bad, your mentality is really suitable for being a professional gamer. Mount Tai collapses before you, and your face won¡¯t change its colour. Much better than those newcomers in our team who cry and weep as soon as something goes slightly wrong.¡± He was joking to enliven the atmosphere, and Ji Sheng also cooperated and laughed with him. Su Jing knew that his heart was not as calm as it seemed, so he stretched out his hand and patted his shoulder, saying succinctly: ¡°Go for it.¡± He added, ¡°No matter what you say, I will be on your side.¡± ¡°Thank you in advance.¡± Ji Sheng relaxed slightly and smiled at him. ¡°I¡¯m ready to turn on the camera again.¡± The assistant¡¯s reminder made their slightly relaxed nerves tighten again. The camera turned on, the live stream restarted, and a dense barrage poured in instantly. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it for today¡¯s live game broadcast. Let¡¯s read the comments below.¡± Su Jing returned to his usual anchor persona, took the tablet given by his assistant, pretended to be blind and unable to see countless comments related to ¡±Xie Xuanming¡±, and ended the session by flirting with the few normal comments, as he usually did in his daily broadcasts. He handed over the tablet, and Ji Sheng took the heavy electronic device. Ji Sheng also followed Su Jing¡¯s example, picking the less important comments and responding to them. But some things still could not be avoided. Ji Sheng lowered his head; he didn¡¯t need to look to notice the PR people watching him from not far away. He had clearly made the third choice last night, but then backtracked when the PR department was preparing to send out a press release. The closeness between him and Xie Xuanming was obvious to everyone. Even the company had to give him some face. Although they felt uncomfortable, they still terminated the PR act. But it was impossible to let public opinion drag on like this. The live broadcast in the morning was the deadline set by Xuansheng for him. Whatever response he made here, Xuansheng would cooperate with the PR. ¡°What do you think of the hot search this morning?¡± Finally, Ji Sheng read out this comment. In the Paris hotel, Xie Xuanming sat in a chair, his back straight, staring at the screen without blinking. On the live broadcast page, the barrage was blocked, and only Ji Sheng was left with his eyes downcast, his thoughts unreadable. He paused for a long moment, perhaps another second, before finally sitting up straight and raising his eyes. ¡°With such news, first of all, I need to apologise to my fans¡­¡± The slightly distorted voice was coming from the screen. Ji Sheng said a sincere apology and bowed to the camera. After straightening up, he looked at the camera, looking at someone who was separated from him by the sea and time difference. ¡°As for my response¡­ what I want to say is¡­¡± ¡°My position is consistent with that of Teacher Xie Xuanming.¡± CH 95 After Ji Sheng finished speaking, the live broadcast room went silent. The PR people behind the camera looked at each other, dumbfounded. This was different from what was promised! Even the barrage in the live broadcast room was empty for a second. This kind of almost self-defeating acquiescence was something one could only see once a decade. Even the professional black fans who were used to spraying acid were stunned for a moment, not knowing what to say. Amidst the silence, Su Jing was the first to react. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s it for today¡¯s live broadcast. Thank you all for watching. Everyone should eat, sleep and look forward to seeing each other next time on the live broadcast, bye!¡± He recited the official words smoothly and quickly like a machine gun, and closed the live stream with lightning speed. The screen suddenly went dark. Countless viewers looked at the screen that turned into a dark page with ¡°the host is not at home¡± message and cursed reflexively. Everyone in the studio, except for Ji Sheng, was also in a very unstable state of mind. Su Jing leaned back in the chair, turned his head and prepared to scold Ji Sheng for messing around. But seeing his calm face, he only opened his mouth in the end and said bitterly: ¡°Aren¡¯t you adding trouble to yourself and Xie Xuanming?¡± Once this public opinion was stirred up, even Xie Xuanming would have a hard time dealing with it. ¡°He should be fine.¡± Ji Sheng was unexpectedly calm. The moment he faced the camera in the live broadcast, his mind suddenly flashed back to last night¡¯s dream. In it Xie Xuanming was standing cold and clear in the night, asking ¡°Do you really, really want to be with me? His hands were very cold, and Ji Sheng couldn¡¯t let go. So Ji Sheng paused and smiled inexplicably, as happy as a candidate who got the correct answer. ¡°He¡¯ll definitely be fine.¡± Ji Sheng said with certainty. ¡°¡­all right.¡± Su Jing didn¡¯t say anything else when he saw him like this. The words were said and unless the time was reversed, there was no other way to undo it, ¡°Do you want to discuss it with the company? The faces of the guys over there don¡¯t seem to look too good.¡± Ji Sheng turned his head to look. The people from the PR department didn¡¯t just look bad, they were about to faint. ¡°I¡¯m going to talk to them.¡± Ji Sheng got up. The people from the PR department were desperate, but their professional skills were excellent, not to mention their brains. Ji Sheng¡¯s seemingly reckless words actually left the room for Xie Xuanming to act, so that they, the hired employees, were relieved of a lot of pressure. At least the big hat of incompetence couldn¡¯t be buckled on their heads. Realising this, the PR staff felt better. They discussed it with Ji Sheng and decided to sue the entertainment account that published the news first, citing disinformation and invasion of privacy as the reason. If they honestly revealed a homosexual affair, at most they could be accused of infringing the reputation But, in order to make the story big, they added nurturing. If you don¡¯t sue for that, who will? The PR guys just left hugging their heads when Ji Sheng¡¯s mobile phone rang in his pocket. ¡°Xiao Xie¡± was clear on the screen. Ji Sheng took a look and immediately picked up. ¡°Hello.¡± There was a long silence. Ji Sheng waited. The calmness he had felt when faced with the questions of thousands of viewers dissipated. It was rare for him to feel a little nervous. He waited for a while and said: ¡°Why did you get up so early? It¡¯s still early in the morning over there.¡± ¡°Well, I couldn¡¯t sleep.¡± Xie Xuanming finally spoke, his voice a little hoarse, ¡°So I got up to watch your live broadcast.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ji Sheng cleared his throat and asked, ¡°Was it good?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± There was another silence. Ji Sheng rubbed the case of his mobile phone under Su Jing¡¯s gaze across the room. Just when he couldn¡¯t resist opening his mouth to raise the topic, Xie Xuanming said: ¡°Ji Sheng, I love you so much.¡± His heart hanging in the air settled. Ji Sheng let out a soft breath; warmth replaced tension and his heart trembled a little. ¡°What¡¯s the point of saying what the heart knows¡­¡± Ji Sheng joked, paused and added quickly with some embarrassment, ¡°I love you too.¡± He heard a soft laugh from the other end of the phone; the affection in it reached across the land and across the sea. So Ji Sheng laughed too. Then they stopped laughing. Ji Sheng asked, ¡°When will you be back?¡± ¡°The flight in the early hours of the morning, it will probably be night before I arrive, so I hope it won¡¯t be late.¡± Because I am coming back to see you, it is a pity to be a minute late. After talking to Ji Sheng, Xie Xuanming contacted the PR department and expressed a stern condemnation of the company¡¯s attempt to adopt the PR method of ¡°pulling the plug¡± without telling him. He didn¡¯t let the matter go until the person in charge apologised in trepidation and explained that it was Ji Sheng¡¯s idea to conceal the news. After warning him not to make his own decisions, Xie Xuanming started asking questions to understand the situation. ¡°What is the public opinion on the Internet?¡± ¡°The disinformation Weibo account has been sued, and the black hat of ¡®nurturing¡¯ has basically been removed. As for the comments about you and Mr. Ji Hui¡­¡± Xie Xuanming was not going to hold onto it; the contact person breathed a sigh of relief and reported dutifully, ¡°They¡¯re pretty good.¡± ¡°Pretty good?¡± Xie Xuanming was slightly surprised. ¡°Yes, probably because ¡°The Drummer¡± is on air and this week is the finale, netizens are relatively moderate about the rumours about you and Mr. Ji.¡± Xie Xuanming then recalled that today was Sunday. Passion Fruit Entertainment showed episodes 9-10 of ¡°The Drummer¡± last night. It was really time for the finale today. ¡°The Drummer¡± was well-made and blessed by a popular variety show. It made a burst in the country in just three weeks. A series that is hot always easily attracts true feelings of the audience and the fact that ¡°The Drummer¡± was originally ¡°adapted from real events¡± made people feel even more sad. By the second week of the broadcast of ¡°The Drummer¡±, the voices denouncing Qingchu and Sheng Kongzhi became louder and louder, and the audience poured out their anger on both of them to assuage their own guilt of wrongly blaming the innocent. At the same time, Ji Sheng¡¯s grave that had been left unattended apart from Xie Xuanming and Su Jing¡¯s visits was brought back to life, with heartbroken fans and guilty passers-by bringing flowers and apologies. Ji Sheng watched the graveyard turn from a deserted place to a flower market with a mixture of emotions, unable to cry or to laugh. In addition to anger at the sinners and guilt before the dead¡­ Fortunately, netizens also learned to be tolerant of the living. [It¡¯s Xie Xuanming again, the actor has been in a gay relationship a few times, not to mention the really unlucky one] [The fact that he¡¯s gay is none of our business, so let¡¯s just live our own lives and leave others alone, whether it¡¯s the netizens or the media] [Xie Xuanming doesn¡¯t rely on fans to eat, so it¡¯s okay to fall in love. As for Ji Hui¡­ Come on, let¡¯s transform into an actor or singer] [Who cares what they do, I only care about the finale of ¡°The Drummer¡±, will it be broadcast as planned today?] [Passion Fruit did not make a statement, it should be business as usual. Secretly, compared to the tragedy in the drama, I found that I was quite happy Emperor Xie found a new object] [Me too¡­ Xie Yuan is too miserable, I¡¯m happy the reality is better] [Don¡¯t poke it secretly, family members, I¡¯ll just knock it out] [¡­¡­] At 8 o¡¯clock in the evening, the finale of ¡°The Drummer¡± officially started. For more than two hours, the audience watched Ji Renshi being betrayed by his closest people, losing his talent and dying being hated. An unhappy ending always causes greater discussion. For a while, forums and Weibo were full of sorrow, and there were people who watched the drama running in tears everywhere. Netizens were too painful and sad, and even briefly forgot that on the other side of the ocean, Xie Xuanming had already stepped on the red carpet and slowly walked into the movie hall under thousands of flashing lights. Along the red carpet, many Chinese reporters came shouting questions about Ji Hui and the scandal. Most of them Xie Xuanming chose to ignore, except for one reporter who asked in a loud voice, ¡°What do you think of Mr. Ji Hui¡¯s response that ¡®his position is consistent with yours¡¯?¡± At that moment, Xie Xuanming paused for a second and turned towards the reporter. ¡°I thank him for his trust.¡± I will definitely not let you down. Xie Xuanming lived up to his name. As the only Chinese film in ten years, the film he starred in defeated the remaining candidates and won the ¡°Best Film¡± award. It was the director who took the stage to receive the award, but the handsome Chinese man who sat in the audience and applauded undoubtedly became the focus of the attention. At 8:17 p.m. Beijing time, the flight from Paris landed at the airport. Ji Sheng, wearing a hood, stood outside the glass wall waiting. Because it was a private trip, the media and the fans did not know that the man who had just confirmed his idol status again skipped the celebration banquet and flew back to the country non-stop. When Xie Xuanming arrived at the domestic airport, there were no reporters, no fans and no sishengs. Ji Sheng stood in the waiting area, looking at the exit without blinking. He soon saw the man he wanted to see and waved vigorously as he leaned over the railing. Xie Xuanming, wearing a mask, hurried out with his hands empty. With a sweep of his eyes under the brim of his hat, he quickly located the young man with curved eyebrows who was waving at him. Xie Xuanming accelerated his pace, and Ji Sheng also walked around the railing and approached him. The two met and hugged each other tightly. The large screen above their heads was showing Xie Xuanming being interviewed by foreign journalists at the festival. ¡°J¡¯ai entendu les journalistes appeler ¡°jihui, jihui¡±. Est-ce M. Ji Hui votre ami?¡± I heard reporters calling ¡°Ji Hui, Ji Hui¡±. Is this ¡°Ji Hui¡± your friend? ¡°Est mon petit ami.¡± It¡¯s my little friend. (Author¡¯s note: In French, add ¡°my¡± before the title to represent intimacy. And ¡°mon petit ami/ma petite amie¡± refers specifically to ¡°my boyfriend/girlfriend¡±) The author has something to say£º The text of this book is over. I¡¯d like to thank all the angels for their support and companionship. The parallel world extra is the story of Xiao Ji¡¯s chasing after Xiao Xie after getting the script of his previous life. Because I wanted to write a love story of two weirdos in the entertainment industry, Xiao Ji, a little drummer who is obsessed with his dreams but has a bad judgement of people, and Xiao Xie, a little actor who is a bit crazy but has a soft heart, were born. They met like in a drama and experienced some not-so-good things, but in the end they overcame all the obstacles and got together. It¡¯s a pretty cheesy story when you look at it like that, haha, but the people in the story are unique and deserve each other¡¯s love. Xiao Xie and Xiao Ji will always be happy in their own realm.