The phone left backstage didn’t know if it had received any messages from Bai Jinyan. He’s probably still busy. Bai Jinyan’s shoulders carried multiple burdens, so not having time at the moment was normal.
Absentmindedly, Qiao Huaiyao took a deep breath, his fingertips resting on the strings, quietly waiting for the prelude of the audio that had been prepared in advance.
In a casual glance, Qiao Huaiyao was taken aback. At the bottom of the audience seats, where there were no lights, Bai Jinyan stood quietly. He had one hand resting behind his back, silently watching the stage. A line of security separated them, and his gaze locked with Qiao Huaiyao’s.
In that instant, the cheers and applause from the audience subsided. In Qiao Huaiyao’s vision, only half of Bai Jinyan’s silhouette remained, hidden in the darkness.
Qiao Huaiyao’s previously expressionless face revealed a slight smile. With a pause in the rhythm, he decisively plucked the strings. Bright spotlights designated Qiao Huaiyao as the center. Under the spotlight, he looked dashing in his white suit, even when sitting, the contours of his body were discernible.
His exquisite features were captivating, and the pale blue diamond brooch pinned to his chest sparkled under the lights. Qiao Huaiyao’s lips curled up, his beautiful eyes fixed on Bai Jinyan.
Bai Jinyan’s image was reflected deeply in his clear eyes. His long and fair fingers gently brushed against the strings, blending the guitar’s notes with the original melody’s softness. The sound was clear, and his pitch-perfect tremolo was like a lament.
The changes in the melody tugged at the heartstrings. Bai Jinyan listened to the song, his gaze on Qiao Huaiyao tender.
On the vast field, their eyes held nothing but each other. As the song unfolded, the story deepened. Qiao Huaiyao’s fingers swept across the guitar strings, and at the peak, he strummed the strings, pushing the climax.
Simultaneously, when they reached the line in French, Qiao Huaiyao sang, “Je t’aime…” He wasn’t wearing a microphone, so his voice didn’t carry, but his gaze remained on Bai Jinyan.
Bai Jinyan’s gaze stayed on Qiao Huaiyao, his deep eyes not straying for a second. It was as if he was singing, but more like he was using the guise of singing to convey the true meaning of the lyrics to Bai Jinyan.
Qiao Huaiyao sang the lyrics, locking eyes with Bai Jinyan. Their eyes refused to leave each other for a moment, creating an illusion that Bai Jinyan could hear the lyrics, even though he didn’t have a microphone.
The story told by the song turned into a sigh after the climax. Qiao Huaiyao’s rapid strumming concluded with a light flourish, turning into a lingering echo. The song ended.
Qiu Shufeng and Yu Luofan stood on either side of Qiao Huaiyao, motionless. Only after Qiao Huaiyao stood did they join him in bowing towards the audience.
As Qiao Huaiyao left the stage with the guitar in his arms, he looked towards where Bai Jinyan had stood just moments ago, but there was no one there.
Backstage, Qiao Huaiyao placed the guitar in its case. “The effect is pretty good. If we get a top three ranking, we should have a shot at winning an award for this performance, haha.”
They were still able to hear the applause from the front as they walked backstage, and Qiu Shufeng was thrilled.
“The Study God’s guitar is really amazing. Even someone like me who doesn’t understand much about music thinks it sounds good. Well, I guess talented people don’t have any flaws.” He sat down, casually picked up his phone, glanced at it, and froze. The smile on his lips hadn’t faded yet.
“Why don’t you talk about how hard the Study God has been practicing? He’s been training and practicing the guitar all day long, he hasn’t been idle,” Yu Luofan said as he opened a water bottle. “And where’s Wang Zhan? Why isn’t he back after shooting?”
Qiu Shufeng didn’t answer; instead, he grabbed Yu Luonfan and exclaimed loudly, “Yu Luofan! I need to use the restroom, come with me.”
“Huh? Why do you need me to accompany you to the restroom?” Yu Luofan looked confused, taking a sip of water. He was almost about to spill it due to being tugged.
“Wait… hey!” He attempted to resist, but it was in vain. Qiu Shufeng dragged him out, managing to save the remaining half bottle of water from spilling. The lively resting room suddenly became quiet.
In the room now, only Qiao Huaiyao remained. He didn’t even have time to call them back. Seeing this, he couldn’t simply leave the guitar case in the room. He was considering taking the guitar case with him to find his brother when Bai Jinyan walked in from outside.
Qiao Huaiyao’s eyes instantly lit up. “Brother!”
“Hmm.” Bai Jinyan had one hand resting behind his back as he walked forward and said, “You played very well. Each performance is pushing the boundaries of ‘very.'”
Qiao Huaiyao greeted him with a smile. “It’s all thanks to your great teaching, Brother.”
He didn’t ask Bai Jinyan what he had been busy with earlier. After all, Bai Jinyan hadn’t missed his performance. Considering how busy his brother was, the fact that he could come here was already great.
Qiao Huaiyao said, “Are you tired, Brother? Take a seat and rest.”
Bai Jinyan raised his hand to rub Qiao Huaiyao’s head. Without saying anything, he extended the hand that had been behind his back. A bouquet of bright red roses was cradled in the sea of blue fabric, emanating a sweet fragrance.
Qiao Huaiyao’s eyes widened suddenly, and his voice raised slightly, “Brother…”
“I searched all the flower shops in the city in advance, but I didn’t find anything I really liked.” Bai Jinyan paused for a moment, not elaborating much and directly handed the bouquet to him. He just said, “I managed to get these flowers, though it took longer than expected to trim them.”
Qiao Huaiyao’s breath caught as he held the bouquet. The scent of roses filled the air. The roses were vibrant, meticulously chosen, and fully bloomed, the best of the bunch.
Bai Jinyan described the source of the bouquet briefly, not mentioning the effort he put into it.
Qiao Huaiyao knew that his brother was busy, and this was a small matter.
Bai Jinyan could have picked any bouquet from the flower shop, and even if he wasn’t satisfied, he could have sent his assistant to find one. But he didn’t. Even in such a small matter, Bai Jinyan took it more seriously than anyone else.
Qiao Huaiyao’s lips slightly curled up. He took a step forward, encircling Bai Jinyan’s neck, and buried his head against his brother’s chest. Normally, he should have said something, but his throat felt dry, rendering him speechless. Instead, he embraced him silently.
The fragrance of roses mixed with the faint coolness from Bai Jinyan, forming an intricate web that enshrouded them. Bai Jinyan patted his back lightly. “I recorded our performance earlier. I’ll show it to you later.”
Qiao Huaiyao nodded, but he noticed that one of the roses in his hand had fallen and was hanging precariously on the top layer of tulle. He must have accidentally knocked it off earlier. Trying to put the fallen rose back, he realized that the stem was broken, and he couldn’t reattach it properly due to the tight arrangement of the bouquet. Bai Jinyan noticed and picked up the fallen rose. “The performance is over. Let’s head back.”
“Alright.” Qiao Huaiyao put away his phone and turned to grab the guitar case. He noticed Bai Jinyan placing the fallen rose in the pocket of his own shirt.
He belatedly realized that the black suit Bai Jinyan was wearing today seemed to be of the same brand and design as his own. Same designer, same outfit. The rose that Bai Jinyan had placed in his pocket wasn’t the same one he was holding. Two identical suits, seemingly connected by a thousand threads.
The rose he placed in his pocket wasn’t the same one he held in his hand. Two identical suits, seemingly connected by a thousand threads.