Bai Jinyan placed Qiao Huaiyao on the bed, removing the blanket from his body. He unfolded the quilt from the corner of the bed and covered him with it. Just as he was about to get up to take the clothes out, a warm sensation tingled at his fingertips.
“Brother…” A soft voice, faint as a mosquito’s hum, echoed in the empty bedroom.
Holding his hand, which lacked strength, Bai Jinyan felt a subtle warmth spreading from his fingertips.
Thinking that Qiao Huaiyao had awakened, Bai Jinyan lowered his head to look, only to find Qiao Huaiyao’s eyes still tightly shut.
His outstretched hand seemed like an unconscious gesture, gripping onto it without letting go.
Qiao Huaiyao didn’t exert any force; he easily slipped his hand from Bai Jinyan’s grasp.
In this gentle restraint, Bai Jinyan didn’t leave, instead softly responding, “Yes.”
Qiao Huaiyao seemed to be trapped in a distressing dream, repeatedly muttering, “Brother.”
Bai Jinyan continued to hold his hand, patiently replying, “I’m here.” Bai Jinyan quietly observed him, watching as the furrowed brow of Qiao Huaiyao gradually relaxed, but his hand, entwined with Bai Jinyan’s, remained reluctant to let go.
Standing by the bedside, the serene atmosphere was like an invisible hand, ensnaring them both in a maze of emotions.
Bai Jinyan clenched his left hand tightly at his side. After a moment of silence, he slowly bent down, his eyes filled with the sleeping figure of Qiao Huaiyao.
Suppressing his emotions, he pressed his well-trimmed fingernails into his palm, feeling a slight sting that brought him back to awareness.
After a brief silence, Bai Jinyan helped adjust the thin blanket, tucking in the edges, and then turned to leave the bedroom.
The night had darkened, but the morning brought a dispersion of clouds.
Qiao Huaiyao, still half-asleep, opened his eyes and glanced through the gaps in the curtains.
With just one look, he furrowed his brows slowly.
Wasn’t he on the set yesterday?
Qiao Huaiyao rubbed his forehead, still carrying the drowsiness of waking up.
His brother must have brought him back. He checked his phone’s alarms, all of them were turned off.
There was no early training this morning, but since he was awake, he didn’t plan to go back to sleep. Stepping out of his room, he spotted a figure busy in the small kitchen.
Qiao Huaiyao raised an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn’t expected Bai Jinyan to be up so early.
They had filmed night scenes yesterday, so the shooting schedule should have been shifted to the afternoon.
He walked over, smiling, and greeted, “Good morning, Brother.”
“Morning,” Bai Jinyan replied, handing him a boiled egg.
Qiao Huaiyao noticed Bai Jinyan was wearing the same clothes as yesterday, the outfit he had worn to the set.
This outfit was considered casual; they would change into different clothes for filming. “Why are you standing there?”
Bai Jinyan playfully tapped the table with his fingertip, “Go eat.”
“I’m not hungry,” Qiao Huaiyao said, his appetite not yet fully awakened after just waking up. “Let me help you.”
In the kitchen, there was a pot of milk on the stove, likely heated but not yet poured. A thin layer of milk skin had formed on the surface. Qiao Huaiyao grabbed two cups.
Bai Jinyan noticed and said, “Just pour one.”
In a rare act of disobedience, Qiao Huaiyao poured two cups, explaining, “Milk can be used for coffee too. It’s better than cold brew.”
Bai Jinyan was used to drinking cold brew coffee in the morning, but with the weather getting cooler, it wasn’t as suitable anymore.
The cafe had a professional coffee machine. Bai Jinyan was a coffee enthusiast, and there was even a coffee machine in Qiao Huaiyao’s home, complete with quality coffee beans.
Qiao Huaiyao hadn’t paid attention to the convenient espresso shots; he had ground his own coffee beans and used a tamper to press the coffee grounds gently.
Looking at the options on the coffee machine, he turned to Bai Jinyan, “Do you want a stronger one or a milder one?”
Bai Jinyan smiled and indicated the mature coffee beans on the plate, “Stronger.”
Qiao Huaiyao pressed the button, waiting for the coffee to brew attentively. Bai Jinyan reached over and pinched his cheek, making Qiao Huaiyao frown and mumble, “Hmm…”
Bai Jinyan released him and carried two plates of breakfast, calling out, “Come eat.”
“Okay.” Qiao Huaiyao waited for the coffee to finish, then poured it into the milk he had prepared earlier.
One cup was full, and the other was only half-filled; with the addition of the coffee, it became a perfect cup. Bai Jinyan said, “Qiu Shufeng called this morning. He sent you a message and you didn’t respond. He wanted to discuss the program.”
“Yeah.” Qiao Huaiyao unlocked his phone, seeing the @ messages in their dorm group.
Looking at the time of the messages, it was after four in the morning. He was still asleep at that time. It was surprising that Qiu Shufeng and the others were up so early.
Qiao Huaiyao: [Is it not finalized yet?]
Qiu Shufeng: [Finally awake, Study God! Our program options are limited. Our department has already reported the approved programs to avoid duplicates, so now we’re left with musical performance and dance.]
[Our preliminary concept is that each of us performs a different role, like one singing, two dancing, and one playing an instrument.]
Yu Luofan: [But the problem is, we can’t decide on the songs for singing and playing an instrument. Wang Zhan is on the drums, and fast-paced songs might not be suitable, plus we checked with the school and there’s no drum set available.]
Qiao Huaiyao thought for a moment, [Do we have a piano? Or a guitar.]
Wang Zhan: [None… Well, to be accurate, they’re all already borrowed. You can play the guitar and piano too, Study God? Wow, they really leave no opportunities for us ordinary folks.]
…
“What’s wrong?”
“Hmm?” Qiao Huaiyao locked his phone, not reading the rest of the messages in the group.
“Our dormitory applied too late. We’re left with musical performances and dance. Four of us can barely make a show, but we don’t have instruments.”
Buying instruments now…
The piano was too large, and it was a bit excessive to go to such lengths for a performance lasting no more than ten minutes. Moreover, storing it afterward would be troublesome.
“I have a guitar,” Bai Jinyan said casually, sipping his coffee. “The one I used to learn with.”
It was a guitar tailor-made for him
by the world-renowned brand Edelmann when they announced Bai Jinyan as their global ambassador.
“But isn’t that guitar at home?” Guitars couldn’t be air-shipped; a slight mishandling could damage it beyond repair.
“Bring it back by land,” Bai Jinyan suggested. Qiao Huaiyao had never touched any guitar other than that one. Buying a new one meant going through the hassle of adjusting to an unfamiliar instrument.
Concerned that Qiao Huaiyao might run out of time, Bai Jinyan added, “The next two flights are still available.”
Qiao Huaiyao took a sip of milk. If it was that guitar… He pondered for a moment before asking, “Brother, will you come to watch?”
Bai Jinyan paused, seemingly not following the sudden change in topic. He smiled naturally, as if it was expected, “Of course.”
Setting down his coffee, Bai Jinyan’s eyes held a smile as he said in a more serious tone, “It’s your first time performing, how could I possibly miss it?”
Even if it was just a simple small stage performance, as long as you were on it… I’ll always be the one watching from below, focusing on the audience’s gaze.