Chapter 32 – Guitar
Qiao Huaiyao smiled and bit his lip, blocking the corner of his mouth with a mouthful of egg, nodding and saying, “Alright, no need to trouble with land transportation. I’ll have the butler arrange it.”
Lu Lu probably doesn’t know where the guitar is kept. Normally, the guitar is stored at his family’s other house, which the butler is more familiar with, so having the butler bring it is the most appropriate.
The guitar is available, but Qiao Huaiyao doubts his current playing level can do justice to this instrument.
He said, “Brother, I haven’t touched the guitar in a long time. When you have time, could you help me tune it?”
After college in his previous life, he went straight to the lab with his professor, focusing on his studies. It could be said that he abandoned all extracurricular activities.
Sometimes, he immersed himself so deeply in his research that he became disconnected from the outside world. Spending months on end in the laboratory was a common occurrence.
Considering the time, indeed, it’s been a while since he last touched the guitar.
Some knowledge remains in the mind and doesn’t fade away, but practical application might not be as smooth.
“Hmm,” Bai Jinyan didn’t decline, “Choose a song.”
Qiao Huaiyao went on stage, not carrying sheet music with him.
He had chosen and memorized the sheet music in advance.
Qiao Huaiyao nodded, but he didn’t make a casual decision.
This song involves the dancers and singers who will perform next, so it depends on whether they can handle it.
Once the instrument was decided, Qiao Huaiyao sent a message in the group chat: [I’ll play the guitar accompaniment, you guys choose a song.]
Qiu Shufeng: [Great! But… we don’t have a guitar.]
Yu Luofan: [And even if we did, it’s not easy to just buy one from any music store. Whether it feels right or not to play is another matter altogether.]
Qiao Huaiyao: [I’ll use my brother’s guitar.]
Wang Zhan: [?! Is it that custom-made guitar Yidiman Ermane gave Bai Jinyan privately?]
Qiao Huaiyao replied with a nod.
Wang Zhan immediately flooded the group chat with exclamation marks.
[That guitar only appeared once during the official endorsement, after Bai Jinyan played ’embrasser,’ he never played it again. I kept looping that song, it’s so good!]
[Dominating the global music charts, do you know what that means? Bai Jinyan is truly amazing. Even if you’re not a fan, you have to acknowledge his greatness.]
[Have you heard that song, the one Bai Jinyan composed? You must have, being his brother.]
Qiao Huaiyao: [I’ve heard it. My brother would occasionally play it for me while I practiced.]
Wang Zhan: [?!?!]
In Qiao Huaiyao’s impression, anything his brother played sounded great, not just ’embrasser.’
Wang Zhan seemed to know too; when practicing, it wouldn’t be just one piece: [Wuwuwu, if this news gets out, it’s envy-inducing.]
Others can only loop a single track, but Qiao Huaiyao can hear his brother sing live anytime and even hear different versions.
It’s truly hard not to be envious. …
Qiao Huaiyao finished eating and put down his chopsticks, holding the remaining half cup of milk tea.
Bai Jinyan hadn’t finished eating yet, so Qiao Huaiyao didn’t leave the table. “Brother, are you going to the set this morning?”
Bai Jinyan calmly replied, “The morning shift is off.”
After shooting late into the night yesterday, he still had to shoot this morning.
It might be common in his previous team, but now, Bai Jinyan was an investor in this project; there was no need to rush things.
Sometimes, rushing could lead to poor filming quality.
Qiao Huaiyao nodded; it was good not to rush.
After breakfast, Qiao Huaiyao brewed two cups of lemon water. He used fresh lemon to make it.
The taste wasn’t too strong; it had a faint fruity aroma.
Bai Jinyan sat on the sofa, flipping through the script.
Qiao Huaiyao didn’t engage in the group discussion; he didn’t want to disturb his brother’s work.
He went to the bedroom and brought back some extracurricular books related to his major.
He had bought them on a whim, modifying parts with errors in his free time.
This helped deepen his understanding.
The room was quiet, occasionally interrupted by the sound of a pen scratching on paper and the turning of book pages.
As the sound of pages turning disappeared from his ears, Qiao Huaiyao’s pen stopped, leaving a mark on the book, though he didn’t pay much attention.
Raising his head, Bai Jinyan propped his chin on his hand, his elbow resting on the armrest of the sofa, looking as though he was exhausted, eyes closed.
“Brother?” Qiao Huaiyao asked tentatively, “Are you asleep?”
“No,” Bai Jinyan turned a page of the script casually, “What’s up?”
Qiao Huaiyao hadn’t seen Bai Jinyan looking so tired before.
“Brother, did you get enough sleep last night?” Bai Jinyan’s lips tightened slightly, he didn’t answer immediately.
After a pause, he said, “I slept late.” He didn’t mention the exact time.
Qiao Huaiyao assumed he had simply slept too late and forgot the specific time.
He glanced at his phone’s screen, there was still time.
Qiao Huaiyao suggested softly, “How about taking a short rest?”
Seeing Bai Jinyan shake his head, he continued, “It’s still early, I’ll wake you up when it’s time to go to the set.”
Bai Jinyan rubbed his temple, “I haven’t finished reading the script I need for the afternoon shoot.”
“The part with my character?” Qiao Huaiyao was puzzled.
He remembered Bai Jinyan had already finished reading the main character’s script and memorized the lines.
“No, it’s the part with a scene partner.” Bai Jinyan was reading that section.
He didn’t need to memorize the other character’s lines, but he needed a general idea.
This allowed for a higher margin of error when shooting began.
“Well… take a nap. I’ll read it for you.” Qiao Huaiyao shifted the cushion and patted his lap, gesturing for Bai Jinyan to lie down. “Come.”
Bai Jinyan thought for a moment before complying.
Qiao Huaiyao took his script. “Lie here.”
He moved to the other end of the sofa, leaving enough space for Bai Jinyan to stretch out.
Qiao Huaiyao’s bright eyes were filled with a smile as he gazed unblinkingly at Bai Jinyan.
Bai Jinyan took a deep breath and lay down on the sofa.
The spacious and wide couch in the suite was large enough.
Bai Jinyan rested his head on Qiao Huaiyao’s lap. “Is it uncomfortable if I lie on you?”
“No,” Qiao Huaiyao pulled over a nearby cushion, unzipped it, and shook it out to reveal a thin blanket.
He covered Bai Jinyan with it and said, “I’ll start reading.”
Qiao Huaiyao found the page Bai Jinyan had been reading and said, “If I read too fast and you can’t catch something, remind me.”
“Okay.”
The mild morning sun gradually disappeared from the windowsill. The room’s windows weren’t open, but the midday sun, filtered through the glass, still made the room feel warm.
Qiao Huaiyao used a gentle and steady tone, meticulously reading every word on every page of the script.
He was afraid Bai Jinyan might find it difficult to distinguish which lines belonged to which character.
Before delivering each line, Qiao Huaiyao would announce the character’s name.