RSDH CH32

After getting into the car, Duan Xingye didn’t immediately go back to sleep. He looked out the window at the white-tinted winter streetscape.

He had just twirled his hair around his finger twice when he noticed the ring on his ring finger.

Duan Xingye gazed at it, using the thumb of the same hand to spin the ring.

The so-called “missing you” meant “wanting to do it.”

Although Cheng Duzhou didn’t do it last night, that was because Duan Xingye pointed out his lack of sense of boundaries to his face, rejecting him and making him embarrassed to continue. Later, to salvage his dignity, he even argued with him using the agreement terms.

Blocking him wasn’t because Cheng Duzhou violated the agreement, nor because Cheng Duzhou ate a leopard’s gall (got bold) and dared to hang up on him. It was because…

Duan Xingye’s fingers pinching the platinum ring paused, his head tilted, and he continued twirling his hair.

No reason, just found him annoying.

But Duan Xingye rigorously reviewed his own actions; there were problems too.

Mistaking Cheng Duzhou hanging up as mocking him for being self-sentimental, and blocking him without a word—too sensitive.

It was just a sentence “I miss you.” Cheng Duzhou didn’t do anything, yet he rushed to draw a line, clearly being a sore loser.

Being a sore loser meant he cared.

Letting Cheng Duzhou see that he cared about this kind of thing. Don’t be funny.

Duan Xingye scoffed lightly.

Cheng Duzhou didn’t even rank in his book. When the time came to submit the divorce papers, they would go their separate ways and never meet again.

Anyway, they only had two months left to get along. What could change in two months?

Having thought it through, Duan Xingye finally felt relieved. He yawned elegantly, tucked his hands in, and leaned against the car door, ready to have a good sleep.

The moment his head touched the car window.

…Too hard.

Duan Xingye opened his eyes, grabbed a cushion from the side, piled it on the window glass, and rested his head on it.

A moment later.

…Too shaky.

…If only Cheng Duzhou, that human cushion, were here.

…

Duan Xingye frowned.

It was just leaning on Cheng Duzhou to sleep twice during the trip to and from Xi Village last week; it shouldn’t have become a habit.

He stopped his thoughts and didn’t think wildly anymore.

Before Singer-Songwriter 101 aired, some time was reserved for mentors to rehearse their solo stages for next week.

To allow the mentors to focus more, only the stage spotlights were on in the studio; the audience area was pitch black.

Tao Ziyi just finished rehearsing his song and walked off stage.

There were few people around. Applause sounded sparsely. Tao Ziyi seemed very satisfied with his performance, smiling and nodding at them.

Duan Xingye was about to go on stage, reaching behind his waist to put on the microphone pack.

The director walked over at this time, looking troubled: “Teacher Duan, I have to explain a situation to you. We just received an email reply. The copyright of the song Dawn is no longer owned by the record company. If you want to perform it publicly, you have to negotiate with Elder Zheng. This is a procedural issue on our part, very sorry for causing you trouble. We are already contacting relevant personnel again and will notify you as soon as there is news. But for safety’s sake, do you want to change a song for today? To avoid further problems with negotiations delaying your rehearsal.”

Tao Ziyi walked to the side and happened to hear this, secretly revealing a gloating smile.

He had expected this long ago. Duan Xingye’s song would definitely have to be changed. Afterward, he would have to get used to a new song; time would be tight.

— “No need.”

Duan Xingye spoke calmly. Hearing this, Tao Ziyi was stunned.

Duan Xingye didn’t look worried at all. Putting on his in-ear monitor, he said, “Waiting for your news.”

Tao Ziyi was surprised. He knew cooperation with Elder Zheng was impossible to negotiate. Duan Xingye didn’t even consider the possibility of failure.

Was he too confident, thinking he could perform well even changing songs temporarily? Or did he have a mentality of just singing whatever for the solo stage?

Even the director felt it was inappropriate and advised: “Whether Elder Zheng will agree is still an unknown. It’s better to have a backup plan and change a song for rehearsal today first…”

“Do your part well.” Duan Xingye took the microphone handed by Xiao Dai, interrupting. “Don’t worry about me. I can go on stage without rehearsal.”

Director: “…”

He had long heard Duan Xingye had a strong personality; seeing it today beat hearing about it a hundred times.

Although Duan Xingye’s attitude was arrogant, as a guest, not only did he not criticize the program team for their negligence, but he was also willing to bear the consequences himself. From this point of view, Duan Xingye was a worry-free and reassuring partner.

The director touched his nose and left.

Tao Ziyi watched from the side with arms crossed, finding it amusing.

So Duan Xingye was blindly confident, hence appearing so unpanicked.

Duan Xingye prepared to go on stage.

Tao Ziyi smiled and said, “Junior Brother, good luck~”

Passing by, Duan Xingye glanced at him.

That look clearly didn’t put him in his eyes, still as infuriating as ever.

Duan Xingye’s adapted song was in the final wrapping-up stage, so the rehearsal used the original score. Today he mainly came to test the sound effects on site and familiarize himself with the stage positioning.

In the darkness, Tao Ziyi sat on a chair in the front row, looking at the stage leisurely, wanting to see what extraordinary level Duan Xingye could sing with such confidence.

Everyone had this little preparation time; the comparison was just completion level. Duan Xingye was at most a bit stronger in the high notes; what was there to be complacent about?

The stage spotlight dimmed, framing Duan Xingye’s position. Music sounded. He closed his eyes, holding the microphone in one hand, his body swaying gently with the rhythm.

Staff moving equipment offstage couldn’t help but stop to watch.

Under the light, a halo appeared on Duan Xingye’s snow-white face, beautiful beyond compare. His posture standing there was relaxed and elegant, making people relax along with him and feel the rhythm of the music together.

Jin Zimi sat beside Tao Ziyi and whispered, “First time seeing Teacher Duan live, so textured.”

She had heard Duan Xingye’s songs, but that was through the internet or TV, not ruling out the effect of pitch correction. She was curious about Duan Xingye’s real level. Listening live really revealed a singer’s vocal skills; the feeling was quite different.

Tao Ziyi smiled without smiling, saying in a teasing tone, “He does have a lot of advantages in temperament and appearance. Speaking of live performance power, everyone is actually about the same…”

Before he could finish, the band’s performance entered the verse part. Duan Xingye lifted the microphone: “A beam of light in my eyes, landing in the darkness, illusory like a dream—”

His translucent voice was like a quiet river before dawn, flowing through the darkness of the studio with remarkably steady strength.

Jin Zimi’s expression lit up, raising her hands to applaud. Surrounding staff applauded simultaneously.

Some singers had an engaging charm as soon as they opened their mouths, making the audience want to give feedback.

If she weren’t afraid of disturbing Duan Xingye’s mood, Jin Zimi would have wanted to cheer.

So Duan Xingye not only had texture in temperament and appearance, but his voice had even more texture. Even closing eyes wouldn’t stop people from falling in love with this good voice! Big boss! Full open mic live yet steady as a rock, too strong!

Tao Ziyi’s mouth twitched. He didn’t receive this treatment during his rehearsal just now.

…

The song performance of over three minutes ended. Duan Xingye didn’t have a single pitch error in the middle, cooperating perfectly with the band teachers.

Applause around was enthusiastic. Jin Zimi let out a “Woo~” of enjoyment, clearly having enjoyed the performance.

Tao Ziyi sat in the darkness, feeling sour. He realized he hadn’t seen Duan Xingye perform live for too long and had underestimated him.

Even just the level Duan Xingye showed in the rehearsal was enough to rival the official stage Tao Ziyi imagined.

But on second thought, Tao Ziyi figured Duan Xingye could present such a good performance partly because Dawn fit his timbre and range. Changing a song might not be the same.

Tao Ziyi breathed a sigh of relief and smiled smugly.

Since no one could get the copyright from Elder Zheng, no matter how well Duan Xingye sang now, it was useless. He couldn’t perform this song on stage in the end anyway.

…

Duan Xingye walked to the backstage lounge. Xiao Dai excitedly handed him mineral water from the side.

After the New Year, Duan Xingye threw himself into preparations for the new album and rarely accepted performances. For the one or two collaborations he did, the on-site equipment wasn’t as high-level as Singer-Songwriter’s studio, simply burying his Teacher Duan’s talent.

Hearing Teacher Duan sing again today, he was overjoyed, looking forward to the day of the mentor solo stage. Teacher Duan would definitely dominate the whole venue.

However, Xiao Dai also worried: “Teacher Duan, if the copyright for Dawn can’t be obtained, then wouldn’t your adaptation for this song be useless too?”

“How could it not be obtained?” Duan Xingye sat on the sofa, lifting his chin at the air conditioning panel on the wall, completely relaxed. “Elder Zheng is very easy to talk to.”

Xiao Dai said “Oh oh” twice. Since Teacher Duan wasn’t worried, he was relieved and turned to turn up the air conditioning.

Duan Xingye’s body warmed up after singing, so he took off his jacket.

While drinking water, he received a WeChat message from Kan Dashan.

Grandpa: [Xingxing, your new variety show airs today. I’ll record it for you when the time comes. Good luck. [Rose]]

Duan Xingye licked the water stain off his lips, having given up on persuading his grandpa not to record discs. He took this opportunity to think of something.

Seen: [How is Grandpa Zheng recently?]

Grandpa: [Old Zheng is living a retired life, very carefree.]

Seen: [Are you still in contact?]

Grandpa: [I don’t like contacting him. He always wants to come to Yu City to find me to play. I’m busy, don’t want to see him.]

“…”

Seen: [You can retire too. Go out with friends more.]

Grandpa: [Xingxing thinks Grandpa is old. [Wither]]

Seen: [No. Asking young lad to take time out of work to go out with friends more.]

Grandpa: [[Rose]]

Grandpa: [Suddenly mentioning your Grandpa Zheng, do you need him for something?]

Duan Xingye thought about it; it was all program team matters, and not a big deal.

Seen: [Just suddenly thought of him, asking.]

Duan Xingye exited the chat with his grandpa and found a message sent by Cheng Duzhou not long ago.

Cheng Duzhou: [I’m leaving for Sister Jiang’s place now.]

Duan Xingye knew Cheng Duzhou was reporting his itinerary.

He looked at the phone thoughtfully, his dark lively eyes turning slightly, and typed.

Seen: [Send your location.]

Cheng Duzhou had just gotten in the car not long ago. Seeing the message, he fell silent.

In the past, when he sent messages to report, Duan Xingye wouldn’t say anything. Now suddenly wanting to see the location, it seemed he was starting to distrust him.

Also, the unprecedented video call last night. Thinking about it now, maybe it was checking up on him.

Cheng Duzhou wasn’t afraid of being checked, but Duan Xingye’s suspicious attitude made him a bit confused about what he did wrong.

Was it because of the junior brother who visited suddenly last time? Did he think he would have romantic entanglements in the crew?

Cheng Duzhou thought of his precarious marriage with only two months left. Before getting closer to Duan Xingye, he was already listed as a suspect for disloyalty. He felt a dense, needle-pricking sourness in his heart.

Cheng Duzhou sent his location over.

No reply from Duan Xingye’s side.

He turned off his phone.

Brother Duo was driving today. From the moment Cheng Duzhou got in the car, he noticed his Movie Emperor seemed to be in low spirits, not looking like someone going to a friend gathering at all.

Brother Duo looked through the rearview mirror. Cheng Duzhou had drooping eyebrows and eyes. Usually a cold and fierce person, at this moment, he looked like a local dog drenched in rain on the street.

Brother Duo even suspected if he was sick.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

Cheng Duzhou responded faintly, indicating nothing was wrong.

Seeing he didn’t look fine, Brother Duo guessed boldly: “Quarreled with Teacher Duan?”

Cheng Duzhou was quiet for a while, then said, “Seems to have misunderstood a lot of things.”

There was Duan Xingye’s misunderstanding of him.

And his misunderstanding of this marriage.

He thought there was no deadline between them; as long as nothing went wrong, it could continue forever.

But today he learned that Duan Xingye had planned the departure date from the day they got the certificate.

Brother Duo said “Psh,” adding, “Thought it was a big deal. If there’s a misunderstanding, just explain it clearly. What are your mouths for?”

Cheng Duzhou thought about it and felt he should explain to Duan Xingye.

He didn’t mess around while filming outside.

Cheng Duzhou took out his phone and sent a message.

Cheng Duzhou: [What’s wrong?]

Why check location suddenly?

The next second, Duan Xingye replied.

Seen: [Oh, nothing.]

Seen: [Just checking where my heart landed.]

“…………”

Cheng Duzhou blinked, freezing in action.

Duan Xingye tossed the phone onto the sofa beside him, tilted his head back to drink two mouthfuls of mineral water, revealing a trace of satisfied smile.

Only now did the round from last night count as over.

If Cheng Duzhou sent him ambiguous messages again, flirting back would end it. No need to blush and have a racing heart like falling in love, nor rush to jump in anger.

He wasn’t some innocent rookie; Cheng Duzhou flirted with the wrong person.

Right at this moment.

Phone vibrated.

Duan Xingye flipped it over, glancing casually to check.

Cheng Duzhou: [I miss you too.]

“…………”

Duan Xingye looked at the phone, a crimson blush spreading across his snow-white face at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Xiao Dai looked up and saw Duan Xingye, jumped in fright, and hurriedly returned to the air conditioning panel to lower the temperature by two degrees.

The air conditioning effect here was indeed good. Close call, close call; almost cooked his Teacher Duan.

Duan Xingye put down the mineral water bottle with a bang!, grabbed the phone, face full of struggle, typing and deleting for a long time, but didn’t send a single word.

He looked at Cheng Duzhou’s reply again.

Four simple words, no fancy tricks. Even if fake, it appeared very sincere, hitting the heart instantly.

Duan Xingye leaned back on the sofa, stomping his feet in anger because he didn’t know what to reply to counterattack.

He was careless. Why use cheesy pick-up lines? Expressing meaning directly clearly worked better.

Cheng Duzhou’s rank was too high!

…

Cheng Duzhou faced the phone, biting his lower lip, holding back a smile.

Given his relationship with Duan Xingye, a cheesy pick-up line wouldn’t make him think too much.

Duan Xingye might have realized his actions last night were a bit hurtful, so he sent this kind of message to make him happy.

Duan Xingye was the kind of person whose words were like knives but whose heart was actually very soft.

Cheng Duzhou suddenly felt everything wasn’t as pessimistic as he imagined.

Although Duan Xingye knew the marriage term was two years, he probably didn’t pay attention to the specific end date. Otherwise, he wouldn’t drag him onto a romance variety show when they were about to divorce.

Cheng Duzhou pursed his lips, deciding to treat Duan Xingye even better in the future, so good that Duan Xingye would forget there was an end day to this marriage.

Although Brother Duo was driving, he could sense the movement in the back seat.

He distracted himself to glance at the rearview mirror.

This look gave him a fright.

He saw Cheng Duzhou looking down at his phone, the corners of his mouth almost grinning to his ears, smiling as happily as could be, face red.

… Just now he looked despondent like it was the end of the world; now it seemed the whole world was full of blooming flowers. No need to think, must have been coaxed well by Teacher Duan with just a few words.

Brother Duo looked at Cheng Duzhou again, revealing an expression hard to describe in a few words.

Look at that worthless smile on your face.

With this rank, how did he chase Teacher Duan?

__

Author’s Note:

[How high is President Cheng’s rank?]

Teacher Duan: As high as five floors.

Brother Duo: Scrap iron level.

President Cheng: I have a rank?

Note: “Send a location, see where my heart landed” is a cheesy pick-up line from the internet.