The huge studio was dark and silent, with the air filled with the restless atmosphere left by the previous band.
All the audience members watched the figure on the stage with bated breath, waiting for the lights to come on and officially reveal the identity of the mysterious backing singer.
However, the light did not come on for a long time. In the dim darkness, the cello melody unfolded slowly, quickly calming the last trace of restlessness left in the air.
After more than ten seconds, the guitar melody joined in, and its clear tone neutralized the depth and heaviness of the cello, like the ripples flashing on a still stream.
It was at this moment that Jiang Ji spoke, his voice as relaxed as ever, telling the story: "I have been wandering for nineteen years, carrying a heavy bag, wading through the muddy water, avoiding the flicker of light in the dark night..."
As soon as he opened his mouth, there was a cheer from the audience.
The cry fell into Qin Qingzhuo's ears, causing him to subconsciously tighten the bow in his hand.
—Standing on the stage, listening to the thunderous cheers of thousands of audiences below, this scene evoked his long-lost memories.
It was so familiar. I had experienced this scene thousands of times four years ago.
Before this, he deliberately avoided looking at the audience, and could only make out the shadowy figures of people in the audience with his peripheral vision.
The stage design had been discussed in advance. In the first two bars, all the lights were turned off so that the audience could not see him clearly and he could not see the audience clearly either. This was to reduce his fear and nervousness towards the audience when he first returned to the stage.
However, Qin Qingzhuo only then realized how ineffective this trick was. The huge cheers came into his ears through the earphones, and those shadowy figures were transformed into all kinds of expectant, scrutinizing, indifferent and mocking eyes in his mind.
The tinnitus started again, coming from the left ear, like a crackling electric current.
With every line Jiang Ji sang, the part he sang got closer to, and the tinnitus in his ears became louder.
The palms of his hands began to sweat again. Qin Qingzhuo felt that his right hand holding the bow was already soaked with sweat. He tightened his fingers, somewhat worried that the bow would slip out of his hand at any time.
I was playing the cello almost by force of inertia, and all I was thinking about was whether I should speak or not.
As long as I don’t speak, I still have the chance to regret it. But once I speak, I may face the same situation as four years ago—the uproar of the audience, the disappointed or angry eyes looking at me, and another undignified and embarrassed exit…
Jiang Ji had already sung the last sentence, and after the slightly prolonged ending, there was a two-second gap between the next phrase.
According to the agreement, as long as Qin Qingzhuo shook his head slightly at Jiang Ji, Jiang Ji would continue to sing the next part and then complete the entire song alone.
Qin Qingzhuo raised his eyes to look at Jiang Ji, Jiang Ji was also looking at him, or rather, Jiang Ji's eyes never left him.
When his eyes met those dark eyes, Qin Qingzhuo suddenly recalled the words Jiang Ji said on the stage of the music festival that morning: "Qin Qingzhuo, I will support you. You can trust me unconditionally."
One second, two seconds—
Qin Qingzhuo heard his own voice echoing in the earphones, mixed with the crackling sound of tinnitus and slightly blocked by the thick eardrums. The sentence "the grandest fall I've ever seen" sounded a little hollow and was not a perfect opening.