Qi Shejiang was still listening intently to the performer sing, his left foot instinctively tapping on the ground to the rhythm. Zhang Yue said playfully, “I still sing the best.” Zhang Yue noticed Qi Shejiang looking at him with sparkly eyes, causing his blood to rush. Suddenly, he took off and ran ahead. Qi Shejiang was startled and tiptoed to look. He saw Zhang Yue put a hundred yuan bill into the guitar case and whispered something to the street performer. The performer stepped aside politely. Zhang Yue held the microphone and began to sing. At first, Qi Shejiang felt a little uneasy, but once Zhang Yue opened his mouth, he sighed, stuffed his hands into his pockets, and quietly enjoyed the performance. After just two lines, the crowd reacted with surprise. Even the guitarist was wide-eyed: This sounds so much like Zhang Yue! But Zhang Yue wouldn’t come here to sing, would he? It’s New Year’s Eve, and in the middle of the night, how could he? Nevertheless, this person sang so much like him, and the aura was distinctly different from that of a busker.
Holding the microphone in this special night, his singing evoked a strange emotional response from those traversing the midnight to the New Year. “Autumn Water” was originally a love song, with many couples recording videos while snuggling together, lost in appreciation. Zhang Yue, threading through the onlookers, made eye contact with Qi Shejiang on the periphery, singing with elegance. “Autumn water flows from spring to winter, the sea surface appears unchanged.” “You’ve counted the thirty-nine sycamores soaring on the green hills, gazing only at this night’s frost.” “Temporarily borrowing the flower, setting aside snow, presenting a dream that cannot be touched.” “The sound of geese in the western city cannot recall the forty-nine plum blossoms; only the strings write about our meeting.” “……” As the song concluded, the lingering notes hung in the air, and the audience sincerely applauded. Qi Shejiang stood outside the crowd, smiling as he clapped for the song sung for himself. Zhang Yue nodded at the street performer, then removed his hat and smiled at everyone, “Happy New Year.” Then he darted off like a rabbit, pulling Qi Shejiang along, disappearing in an instant. The remaining audience, still immersed in the moving music, were left bewildered: “…………”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
In the distance, the shouts of the audience echoed through the sky. Qi Shejiang had already been pulled around a corner, and it wasn’t until the noise faded that Zhang Yue finally stopped. “…Phew.” Zhang Yue leaned on his knees, panting. “Why did you do that?” Qi Shejiang also pulled down his scarf and took deep breaths. “I had a sudden idea, and I just wanted to tease them a bit.” Zhang Yue casually sat down on the ground, not taking it too seriously; he had done plenty of reckless things before and didn’t care much about this one. Qi Shejiang thought for a moment and said, “The song was good.” Zhang Yue felt a bit shy and didn’t dare to look up, even though he was the one singing and changing the lyrics. An odd atmosphere lingered between the two. After a while, Zhang Yue got up, pretending to be carefree and cool, “Let’s go eat something.” Qi Shejiang watched him take somewhat stiff steps and smiled a bit, remaining silent as he followed. They didn’t eat until it was past three in the morning; Qi Shejiang returned home, washed up, and lay down around four. … The next day, Qi Shejiang didn’t wake up until well past noon, and not by his own choice. Groggily opening his eyes, he saw a face very close to him, startling him enough to roll backward, “…Mom?
Xia Yiwei was squatting by his bed, holding a phone, and then casually sat at the edge of the bed, complaining, “Didn’t I tell you not to go do anything strange with Zhang Yue last night? Look, you made it to the trending list.” Qi Shejiang sat up abruptly, “……” He felt that Xia Yiwei’s words were a bit strange and finally found an issue with it, “Us?” If Zhang Yue was trending, that would be normal, but he had been wearing a hat and scarf yesterday; how could he be included in “us”? “It’s not exact yet, just suspected,” Xia Yiwei showed him the phone. In less than a day, everything had been roughly picked apart online since many people had recorded videos last night. At this point, most people expressed envy, wondering about such luck. And then there was Zhang Yue, this guy was quite interesting, running wild on New Year’s Eve; was it a warm gesture?
Moreover, people speculated about the identity of the person who ran with Zhang Yue, and their conjectures followed normal logic. Zhang Yue’s New Year’s Eve performance had made it to the trending list, leading people to point out that the person who ran with Zhang Yue didn’t really look like anyone else in Guanshan band or Zhang Yue’s few friends in the industry. If one had to compare, it looked a bit like Qi Shejiang.
Zhang Yue has appeared many times in Qi Shejiang’s stand-up! Maybe they have a good relationship! Speaking of the chorus, I have listened to this live performance many times; did he change the lyrics in the second half? I heard something about dreams, Xicheng, plum blossoms, etc. Zhang Yue sometimes forgets the lyrics and improvises. Plus, wasn’t he a fan of Xia Yiwei (ahem), secretly learning songs to pay tribute?
Zhang Yue X Qi Shejiang is real!! Late-night date!! Countdown together!! Sweet!! CP fans, move aside!
After Qi Shejiang’s sharp-eyed fans raised the question, a surprising number of people started to compare if it was indeed Qi Shejiang, and the trending search query quickly added that there were suspicions of Zhang Yue spending New Year’s Eve with Qi Shejiang. Some said they found it similar, while most just mocked how wild the fans’ imaginations were. It wasn’t the Gregorian New Year; it was the lunar new year, the most important holiday in the traditional Chinese calendar, and they went out to have fun at night? As if just because Zhang Yue spoke to Qi Shejiang once, they must have known each other well.
“You see, look at this, there are even media asking me if it’s you,” Xia Yiwei said. Qi Shejiang was still in shock, shaken for quite a while, scared by the fans, “How did they recognize me? I was so bundled up!” Xia Yiwei pointed out that he was being naïve; didn’t they say they could recognize you even by just a foot? Your stature was there, plus you had your eyes exposed—when you turned to look back while running, the phone video wasn’t high-resolution, but the fans’ sharp eyes were enough. Qi Shejiang: “……”
“I knew this kid would definitely get you into some trouble,” Xia Yiwei finished, satisfied as she left. That’s right; she didn’t care for such news; it only validated her thoughts.
Qi Shejiang sat where he was, rubbed his hair, and then lay back down, not having much of an opinion about the trending topic; he just admired how acute those fans’ eyes were. Qi Shejiang didn’t really get up until noon; after finishing his meal, Mo Sheng and Qi Leyang came to pay New Year’s greetings. As disciples, they naturally couldn’t miss out on holiday greetings; both brought some fruit gifts, and upon entering, they saw Qi Guangling. This time, they were much calmer than last time, bowing and calling him ‘Master.’ Qi Guangling appeared quite pleased and even gave them some red envelopes.
Qi Shejiang also prepared red envelopes, sitting steadily there waiting for the two to pay their New Year respects, each receiving a thick red envelope. Despite their similar ages, ever since they became his disciples, Qi Shejiang had taken on more of an elder’s demeanor.
