Although they were only apprentices in the oral tradition and had not undergone the formal apprenticeship ceremony yet, they already held a title.
Thinking about it, if it weren’t for this filming opportunity, under normal circumstances, after graduating from the folk art school, they might have pursued different paths. If they had indeed aimed for crosstalk, they might have been looking for gigs everywhere or seeking a traditional master.
With their backgrounds, what would their title be? Certainly, they couldn’t compare to Meng Jingyuan; perhaps they’d be on the level of Lin Yang’s disciples or grandchildren.
And now, they had to follow Qi Shejiang; Qi Shejiang was a Haiqing, and so would they be Haiqing!
Mo Sheng nudged Qi Leyang, teasing, “Starting today, we’ll be doing Haiqing legwork with our master. Are you scared?”
Qi Leyang met his gaze and laughed, “Who’s scared? Whoever is scared is the grandson!”
“I took in two apprentices today, just those two you saw last time,” Qi Shejiang said, sitting upright while video chatting with Zhang Yue. This was a skill he hadn’t mastered for long, and he was quite serious about it—he always felt it was important whenever he made calls.
Even on the screen, Zhang Yue’s face showed indifference. “I noticed last time; when it was mentioned, you were so excited, like what.”
“By the way, Zhang Yue…”
During the day, Luoxia’s disciple, that little girl mimicked a gesture for him, and he had pondered over it for a long time but still couldn’t figure out its meaning. He couldn’t help but want to ask Zhang Yue.
Qi Shejiang raised his hand, pinched his fingers to form a heart shape, and was about to speak…
Zhang Yue: “…………”
Qi Shejiang: “？？”
Zhang Yue: “………………”
Qi Shejiang picked up his phone and shook it a couple of times: Why is the screen frozen?
Chapter 27
In that moment, Zhang Yue felt his mind buzz; his nonchalant expression completely froze, as if it had crashed, unable to think.
What does this mean!! A heart gesture!! When rounded, it’s basically a proposal!!!
Qi Shejiang has such audacity!!
After a long while, Zhang Yue finally regained his thoughts.
If before he had some feelings he could barely articulate even to himself, now he couldn’t deceive himself any longer:
He really liked Qi Shejiang!
Zhang Yue saw his own expression on the screen was quite strange, a bit rigid yet betraying a hint of joy. “Ahem…”
“Is it working again?” Qi Shejiang repositioned his phone to focus on himself and mimicked that gesture again. “I just want to ask, what does this mean? I saw someone doing it.”
Zhang Yue held his breath: “………………”
“
Was it just his imagination, or was Zhang Yue visibly deflating?
Zhang Yue leaned back in his chair, lost in thought.
But it couldn’t be helped; he had just admitted it to himself.
So what exactly does Qi Shejiang think? After hugging for three minutes, he surely had his own thoughts…!
Zhang Yue slowly perked up again.
“?” Qi Shejiang felt Zhang Yue was like an inflatable doll, “You… don’t know either?”
“Ah?” Zhang Yue’s gaze flickered, not looking at the camera. “This gesture means ‘I love you.'”
He didn’t think much about it, but as soon as he said it, a thick awkward silence fell on both sides.
You love me?
Then what was Zhang Yue’s reaction just now…
Qi Shejiang understood this clearly; moreover, he had already had some conjectures. After weighing it, he asked, “Does your band have plans for the New Year?”
He directly shifted the topic without further commentary, making it neither abrupt nor awkward.
“This year, we only have one recorded show, and then we’ll go home for the New Year,” Zhang Yue said blankly.
“I’ll head home for the New Year after I finish recording the crosstalk program; Uncle Jing said this year he’d let it slide, and I need to join a group right at the start of the year, so I have to rest up and not take on any other work,” Qi Shejiang said.
As they talked back and forth, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but pluck at his sweater, nearly stretching it out. “
Their conversation continued in a peculiar and ambiguous air, where there seemed to be an understanding that “he might know I know he has feelings for me,” especially as Qi Shejiang remained poised.
Zhang Yue slowly slid down from his chair, collapsing onto the floor like slime, emitting a mysterious sound: “Uh ah ah ah ah—”
Backstage at a certain TV station, Zhang Yue’s lowered head was covered by the hood of his down jacket, exuding an aura that discouraged anyone from approaching him. However, given that this person was notoriously talkative seven days a week, there weren’t many strangers willing to come near him.
“Old Zhang, it’s almost time for you to go on stage. Can you manage? Adjust your mood; otherwise, Ling Jie will be out for blood again.” Ling Jie was their manager, and Xie Qing spoke this way to Zhang Yue to avoid them all getting hurt.
Zhang Yue took off his hood, and his expression was not as foul as they had imagined; rather than displeasure, it was more of a struggle. “Oh dear, what’s wrong with our Old Zhang?
Is he having trouble figuring out how to throw shade?” Zhou Dong said with a grin. Zhang Yue pulled the corner of his mouth, “Get lost.” He wasn’t in the mood to joke with them; he was entangled in thoughts about Qi Shejiang, feeling alternately curious and overly concerned about him. Sighing, he glanced at the three inept teammates and suddenly moved closer, “Hey, what do you think Qi Shejiang thinks of me?” The trio sneered at him, “Did you never read any inspirational books in elementary school? When the nails are pulled out of the wood, the marks remain. Even after reconciliation, past emotional wounds linger; sleeping together for a couple of days won’t heal them.” Zhang Yue’s eyes glinted coldly; he hadn’t even thought about it until now, and he grabbed Xie Qing by the neck: “Drop dead!” Xie Qing: “!!” … When it was time to go on stage, Xie Qing was still complaining about how ruthless Zhang Yue was, almost like he wasn’t human. With just a few words, he’d explode; he didn’t even know which line had set him off, and his attacks always targeted the lower three paths—what the hell was that?? Zhang Yue smirked coldly. After the opening performance, Guanshan band and the guest performers stood together.
The host said a few words to each person, and when it came to Zhang Yue, he remarked: “Recently, one of Zhang Yue’s cover songs has become quite popular, has everyone heard it?” The audience got excited: “Oh oh oh—” They were referring to the song “He Bi Xi Xiang,” which had indeed become popular, but everyone knew it was a cut-up version, and it was also a collaboration with Qi Shejiang. Zhang Yue flatly said, “It was edited by the netizens.” Moreover, he thought the editing wasn’t impressive! He hadn’t particularly prepared; he just sang it, and honestly, he sounded amazing when singing with Qi Shejiang! The host’s eyes lit up; he wanted to say more, but unfortunately, Xie Qing had already taken over the conversation. At the next guest, coincidentally, it was also a performer of crosstalk. Interestingly, he was a junior disciple of Lin Yang. The host wanted to continue the previous topic and cheerfully said: “It seems Zhang Yue has some destiny with crosstalk; the person he collaborated with is a crosstalk performer, and our Teacher Wang is also a crosstalk actor.” Teacher Wang raised an eyebrow, “Actors are still somewhat different; for instance, I wouldn’t bring up artists I have grievances with on stage.” As soon as he said this, the audience fell silent, then erupted with “Wow.”
