Chapter 32
TLC: Lilies
Editing: Whiteflare
Back when Qi Jing first entered the circle, Ninth Lady who was responsible for pulling him in had once said that his voice was very unique. Even when put into the same category of scion-sounding voices, people with keen ears would still be able to recognise him.
Having such a highly recognisable voice had its pros and cons.
On the good side, it was easy for it to be remembered by the audience, but on the bad side, no matter how one tried, it was impossible to not get recognised.
Fortunately, Qi Jing didn’t play a lot of main roles. He didn’t use his usual voice in《Trap》, his most popular and viral drama, so the amount of people who knew his real voice was rather small.
“The way you said ‘thank you’ was identical with how you said it at the end of that night’s run-through. “ It seemed like Shen Yan was one of those people with keen ears.
Although a two hour long run-through didn’t sound like a lot, both of them played main roles with a large amount of dialogue and they also repeated some lines multiple times. Whenever they rehea.r.s.ed with another CV, it was often necessary to listen attentively to the other actor so as to make the adjustments according to changes in the other party’s performance. It was easy to make a lasting impression through these series of back-and-forths.
And since the day Qi Jing went to the library was only two days after the run-through, it was natural that memory was still fresh in Shen Yan’s mind.
But to be able to recognise a person by a single ‘thank you’, it still feels too incredible.
“I had just said two words, and yet you recognised me?” Qi Jing was still shocked to the point of forgetting to blink. No wonder… No wonder he felt as if that man by the bookshelf kept staring at him. So it was because of that...
Shen Yan sat beside him, neither admitting or denying anything.
“No, although I thought it sounded similar, I wasn’t sure. Until…”
“Until I showed up in the clinic.” Qi Jing finished his sentence blankly.
“Yes.” Shen Yan admitted.
“Strange… Why didn’t I recognise you when I’ve obviously heard you speak as well…” Qi Jing mumbled to himself, before freezing suddenly. Qi Jing stared at Shen Yan as it hit him, “That’s right, it’s because you wore a mask whenever you talked, so your voice sounded distorted.”
As he said those words, Qi Jing recalled the moment the first time they met—their eyes met when Shen Yan came out of the operation room, the latter raised his hand but stopped before eventually lowering it again. At that moment, Shen Yan was clearly about to take off his mask.
“You did that on purpose?” Now that Qi Jing thought about it, realisation dawned on him, so he didn’t mistake it.
“I’m sorry… “ Shen Yan heaved a long sigh.
He appeared rather guilty as he evaded Qi Jing’s eyes. He lowered his head and looked on his intertwined fingers on his knees, his sitting posture rather stiff. Regardless if he was certain of Qi Jing’s ident.i.ty or not, at that time, Qi Jing was more of a stranger to him at that time. And with how he was ‘Shen Yan’ at the time, he didn’t know how to bring up a conversation that only ‘Geese Fly North’ would be able to engage in.
It was only one run-through, so maybe Qi Jing had already forgotten about him.
Besides, he didn’t know how many interactions they would have between them
There were too many unknowns. It was better for him to just not bring it up and to start by approaching him as a stranger.
“Don’t apologise, I was just a little surprised. I didn’t mean to criticise you at all.” Qi Jing smiled lightly and put his hand on Shen Yan’s hands, giving them a little squeeze to console him. He felt that man’s hands relax gradually and become less stiff under his hold. Only then, did he sigh emotionally with a smile on his face, “I just didn’t expect that you had also been watching me all this while.”
He didn’t expect that the observer would also be the one to be observed.
It turned out that while he recorded down the key words describing that man one by one with a gla.s.s wall separating him from the operating room, he, too, had unwittingly become a subject of observation. One side was in the know while the other knew nothing. But both of them observed the other carefully, cautiously, going from curiosity to affection, from not minding to minding.
Their memories of each other acc.u.mulated day by day, month by month, like sheets of paper in a notebook; before they knew it, the quant.i.ty had become the quality.
But more importantly, this qualitative change wasn’t one-sided, but mutual.
Once he got to know about that, he suddenly felt his heart melt, like a candy melted under the sun, sweet both inside and outside.
“Why did you borrow this book?” He smiled and went back to the original topic.
Whether it was before or now, he couldn’t help but want to make the puzzle before him complete, to see it even more clearly. Even if ‘Shen Yan’ and ‘Geese Fly North’ merged into one.
“It’s because you agreed.” Shen Yan gave a response that left Qi Jing feeling puzzled.
“Hm?”
“It’s because you agreed to let me chat with you everyday.” The afternoon sun shone on Shen Yan’s face, making his eyebrows look somewhat brighter while casting a shadow that caused his eyes to appear darker and quieter. Halfway through the sentence, he heaved a sigh, then continued slowly, “Although I was the one who proposed it at first… because of my past illness, I was afraid of appearing uncommunicative when talking and making you think that I’m boring because I couldn’t find anything to talk about. Then I remembered that you have borrowed this book before, so I borrowed it back to read it, to learn what you read, and maybe I would be able to find something that we could talk about in conversation.”
It was an unexpected answer to his question, but it did coincide with his previous a.s.sumption.
It looked like not only the observation was mutual, but also them proactively trying to get to know the other better.
Qi Jing’s eyes curved into little crescents as he sighed with a smile, ”What else is there that you are hiding from me or that I don’t know of? Tell me.”
Shen Yan lifted his head. There was a short moment when he remained silent, and just stared at Qi Jing.
“There’s one more thing: right now, I’m very nervous.” His voice was hoa.r.s.e and faint as he spoke, “I’m nervous, because I don’t know if the rain will stop. Does this count as concealing something…?”
It would count. Shen Yan did really conceal that from him if it weren’t for his fingers trembling slightly before he spoke.
Qi Jing felt something jab at his heart. Its strength was similar to how Little Return Date used the pads of its paws to paw at his palm. It bore no intention of inflicting any harm to him; it was a fluffy, soft touch—just enough to stir up his feelings of tender affection.
His body moved before he said anything. He scooted closer to Shen Yan on the sofa. Their clothes rubbed against each other; their hands also pressed together. Qi Jing c.o.c.ked his head a little, resting it on Shen Yan’s shoulder.
“Doctor Shen,” His head was resting very lightly, barely putting any weight on that shoulder. He looked down on his fingers that were quietly rubbing on other party’s fingers. “Actually… be it rain or shine, you should be able to do something about it, shouldn’t you?”
The other party seemed to have noticed something as he slowly turned his hand and intertwined his fingers with Qi Jing’s.
Qi Jing laughed in a low voice, “Do you want me to explain it for you?”
Shen Yan didn’t say anything, but Qi Jing could feel him turn over his head, as if he rested his cheek on Shen Yan’s head.
“If the sky clears up, we will do as you said; if it doesn’t, you can just make me stay for the evening. Either way, it would be raining, so I wouldn’t be able to leave, and I would have to stay till the next day. If it continues raining, then I would stay until the third, fourth, fifth day… There will eventually be a day when the rain stops, don’t you think so?” He whispered while glancing outside the window from the corner of his eye.
Within the windowpane encased by a square window frame, overcast clouds in the background parted, revealing a small, narrow opening. Two or three rays of tender sunlight broke through the clouds, just like young seedlings breaking through the soil.
They went back to Qi Jing’s house together and did some light packing.
Qi Jing didn’t need that much. He picked a few daily necessities, some changes of clothes, a pile of doc.u.ments brought back by him from the company to organize, as well as his laptop and the recording equipment.
While he was organizing his things, Shen Yan looked around his place, carefully observing the apartment Qi Jing lived in. The community was located in the new district; all of the apartment buildings around looked about the same: modern and minimalistic. The facilities here were quite good; the walls, doors, and windows were all new. If properly decorated, it would make a nice place for a family to live in.
“Your apartment is very…”
“Empty.” Qi Jing, who was disa.s.sembling the computer cables, automatically lifted his head at that moment and added with a smile.
Shen Yan paused, seemingly unable to refute that. It took him a long time before he reworded it: “New. Your apartment is very new.”
Qi Jing shook his head with a laugh, “It is very new, but it’s also very empty. There’s no furniture or decorations. I’ve lived here for quite a few years already, but it looks as if I have just moved in.”
He was saying the truth. Looking around, all of the furniture was modern and minimalistic with geometrical design and monochromatic colours. The wooden furniture were basically crude wood carved in the simple designs, without any trace of unnecessary, superfluous elements. Things like sofa or bed on the other hand were all uniformly pure white with the pillows and backrest combined into one; visually, it lacked warmth.
“I was already working as a news reporter when I moved in.” Qi Jing spoke unhurriedly, “Just as you said, working as a reporter usually keeps one very busy. Business trips are a common occurrence, and even if I stay in the city, I have to go out at times. Every time I go back to home, I simply eat, take a shower, and sleep. Sometimes I would watch TV or dub some audio dramas. I wouldn’t even be able to use any sophisticated or luxurious furnishings.
Shen Yan listened quietly. He looked at the pile of medicine bottles of all sizes in Qi Jing’s bedside table drawer, a few of the most common ones were stomach medicines and painkillers. He furrowed his brows.
“What do you normally eat? How did you get yourself into such a condition?” He looked at the label on one of the bottles he picked up and sighed.
“I’m not picky; I eat everything. Most of the time I get takeaways, and cook something for myself when I’m free. When I’m busy, I just eat some cookies to curb the hunger.”
Originally, Qi Jing also wanted to add “Sometimes when I miss a meal, I simply don’t eat anything.”, but seeing the stern expression on Shen Yan’s face, he swallowed the words he was about to say.
“What about the work and rest schedule?” That question was even more difficult to answer.
Qi Jing gave an awkward chuckle before telling Shen Yan one of his more common schedules, “It’s hard to say, it depends on the situation—I go on business trips frequently, and usually when it’s time to return, we set out in the morning of the local timezone. By the time I’m back, it’s either noon or afternoon. Most of the time, I’m too tired to do anything and go to sleep immediately… I would sleep until the middle of a night, so the silence is perfect for catching on with my overdue dubs. After recording for a couple of hours, I would have some breakfast and go to work.
Of course, he didn’t dare to tell Shen Yan about some of his more outrageous working hours.
Shen Yan looked at him fixedly. Astonishment, helplessness, anxiousness, all of it could be seen in his eyes.
“Qi Jing,” he uttered every word like a sigh, “I really would be too afraid of letting you live alone.”
Qi Jing, who was still packing his things, paused for a moment; he freed a hand to cover the bitter smile on his face. Only when that expression faded did he put on another, brighter smile.
Out of his bittersweet sentiments, it would be better if Shen Yan only saw the ‘sweet’ part of them.
“I thought you came here to take me away.” He c.o.c.ked his head and smiled like a mischievous child.
Dragging a full suitcase, the two of them went back.
For the sake of being economical—and since they didn’t have a cat with them this time—they chose to go by a subway and then take a bus to get back slowly. Those means of transport were more time-consuming than a taxi ride, so the sun had already set by the time they returned to Shen Yan’s place.
After several days of rain, the once heavy, dark clouds seemed to have exhausted all of their water content, like a wrung-out towel that could no longer squeeze out a single drop of water. The emptied clouds still hung overhead in a corner of the sky, easily split apart by a gentle blow of the wind to reveal a few timid stars peeking through, twinkling in the darkness of the night.
Not only the buildings were old in the old part of town—even the street lights were of the most crude type. Years of winds and rains had taken a layer of paint off the lampposts—one could not tell their original colour—and their light was dim. Fortunately, the asphalt road still hadn’t dried yet, and lights illuminated the puddles. Those lights sparkled and rippled on the water, so it was brighter than usual.
The two of them walked quietly in the alley. Shen Yan took initiative to take on the task of pulling the suitcase. Since Qi Jing didn’t have anything to pull, he added a task for himself which was to pull Shen Yan’s other hand.
After nightfall, the temperature dropped drastically. And since it was the first time the rain had stopped in a long while, the wind was especially chilly, stinging their face and hands whenever the wind blew. As neither of them was in the habit of wearing gloves in autumn, their hands were bound to get cold from being left out in the open like that, so it gave Qi Jing a very good excuse to carry out his “task” and also gave Shen Yan a very good excuse to accept it.
It was like that until they arrived at the entrance of the apartment building where they had no choice but to let go of their hands as the old building did not have elevators and the suitcase needed to be carried with both hands.
“You wait here for now.” Shen Yan said while bending down to carry the suitcase.
Qi Jing recalled that the lights in the corridor were still unrepaired; he understood what Shen Yan meant and agreed obediently. After all, he was a man who had his bone held by a steel plate and a cast on his arm; it wouldn’t be wise for him to put up a front in the darkness when he couldn’t even see his fingers. It would be better for him to not fall and not add any more to Shen Yan’s trouble.
There was no moonlight outside, and the light of the stars barely amounted to anything. He couldn’t see Shen Yan’s figure at all; he could only hear the latter’s steps slowed because of the weight he carried.
After a while, the dull thud of the suitcase being placed down safely could be heard from upstairs. There was no accident on the way, and there was no careless fall. Qi Jing breathed a small sigh of relief and waited patiently.
Shen Yan took the suitcase inside, grabbed a flashlight, and hurried downstairs. “Sorry, I made you wait.” He found Qi Jing without a problem; he was waiting for him in the original place.
Qi Jing smiled towards him with grat.i.tude, “You worked hard.”
Entering that cosy house for the second time, it still felt surreal to Qi Jing that he would be spending a month here.
All of the things that happened today felt so unrealistic as if he was in a dream.
Anyone who, like him, was so unlucky that they barely escaped from the jaws of death would probably probably feel the same when suddenly given such a wonderful experience that they wouldn’t even dare dream of.
Because Shen Yan cooked a lot of food for lunch, there was still a lot of it left in the refrigerator, so they made a simple dinner by heating the leftovers to eat. After dinner, Shen Yan helped him unpack all of his things from the suitcase and put them in the right place.
“There’s a small bed in the study. It has a set of pillows and a comforter.” When Shen Yan spoke the first part of the sentence, Qi Jing thought he wanted to let him sleep there. He nodded in acknowledgment, but then there came a twist as Shen Yan continued, “I will sleep there; you can sleep in the bedroom. You can move your clothes and computer in, and I’ll make room for you on the table and wardrobe.”
“I’m okay with sleeping in the study.” Qi Jing said in a hurry. How could he make the owner of the place sleep in a study?
“The bed in the study is rather small; it would be inconvenient to move around on it.” Shen Yan shook his head.
“You think I can move around like this?” Qi Jing was amused by his words and pointed to the cast on his hand.
Shen Yan stopped for a while. He looked as if he wanted to speak, but said nothing, looking at him. Finally, he insisted on his opinion, “The bed in the bedroom is more comfortable. I’m afraid that you might be used to your bed or your room and have problems falling asleep in a new environment, so it’s better for you to sleep in the more comfortable bed.”
Such a problem actually didn’t exist for a person that was always away from home. Qi Jing knew it deep inside, and Shen Yan should certainly also know it.
And yet, despite knowing that, he was still so insistent, meaning that he knew Qi Jing wouldn’t be able to win against him. In the end, Qi Jing could only give in with a weak smile.
A/N:
I’m not going to remind Qi Jing that the bed in the bedroom is actually very big.
T/N:
Lucilla: Because we’ll eventually get to see him realise that by himself~
Also, Shen Yan was so cute with how he wanted to make sure he could talk with Qi Jing so he borrowed the book he read. If that’s not precious, then I don’t know what is （￣︶￣）
Whiteflare: QJ laying out the plans for SY to keep him in the house was just enabling at its finest. QJ, you sap. Love you.