Chapter 43

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Editor: Mashiro

The rest of their dinner went smoothly.

Qi Jing and Ning Xiaoxiao were the one’s mainly driving the conversation and they both were completely on the same page when it came to not letting the previous topic continue. They directed the conversation towards other unrelated matters such as work, Little Return Date, and Qi Jing’s recovery status.

Shen Yan would occasionally chime in once or twice during that time. Probably feeling apologetic towards him, Ning Xiaoxiao would hurriedly echo his sentiments and prompt him to continue. As such, the two of them could also have a decent chat without Qi Jing. Qi Jing just focussed on listening to them, a soft smile on his face as he fished out some food from the hotpot for Shen Yan. He would leave it in his bowl to cool down before giving it to Shen Yan.

There was still something Qi Jing was keeping from Ning Xiaoxiao, namely the fact that Shen Yan was actually Geese Fly North.

Qi Jing only told her that Shen Yan knew he did voice acting, but didn’t reveal that Shen Yan was also a CV himself. As for Shen Yan participating in the competition under another username, naturally, that was an even more closely guarded secret. He knew that his junior would definitely be present there as an audience member and he didn’t want to let anything leak out before the competition even began proper.

Qi Jing was also keeping something from Shen Yan.

When they were done with their meal, Ning Xiaoxiao leaned in to whisper a question in Qi Jing’s ear just before they parted, “Senior, there’s actually something I’m very, very concerned about… Have the two of you… done that?”

That.

Of course, Qi Jing knew what that was referring to. Luckily she kept her voice low and those words didn’t travel to Shen Yan’s ears.

Before she even finished saying her last word, Qi Jing’s hand was already pinching the meat on her cheek, causing her to whine in pain. When he finally let her go, he took out the receipt he got after paying for the bill and waved it in front of her, narrowing his eyes threateningly as he said, “What are you talking about, lass? If you are going to keep on talking nonsense, I’m not treating you anymore. You either be a good girl and keep quiet or you transfer the money over according to the figure on the receipt and I’ll let you off.”

Naturally, Ning Xiaoxiao chose to shut up. She even made a zipping motion on her lips to show her sincerity.

Satisfied by her actions, Qi Jing put the receipt away.

Although her mouth had settled down, her eyes hadn’t and she couldn’t stop herself from subtly sizing up her senior. Qi Jing’s arm was still in a cast so it’ll probably be quite hard to do that… but it’s not absolutely impossible if they really wanted to. Then her gaze drifted to Shen Yan who was following far behind them—he was the key.

Shen Yan’s performance after the little incident had been quite stable.

He wasn’t picky and ate everything that Qi Jing gave him. From time to time, he would even remind Qi Jing on what not to eat and what was not suitable for recuperating from his injuries. And when they headed downstairs to settle the bill, he gently supported Qi Jing down the stairs every step of the way for fear that the latter might miss one and fall down.

Witnessing such a scene for herself, Ning Xiaoxiao could finally understand why her senior had used the words “careful and considerate” to describe Shen Yan.

“What a pity, Dr. Shen is obviously not the beastly type, otherwise…” The words accidentally slipped out.

Qi Jing’s expression and the receipt that had already been kept away in his back pocket made its grand reappearance with a swish. The sight of that elicited a scream out of Ning Xiaoxiao as she begged for mercy while running away for the bus stop like a frightened little bunny.

It’s okay, all’s well, we can slowly settle this score when that lass asks me for a recording in the future.

With that settled, Qi Jing broke into a cheeky smile with a brow raised.

“Why did she leave so quickly?” Shen Yan asked, a little surprised as he walked up from behind.

As they were about to say their goodbyes, he thought this pair of friends would have some secrets to share in private which was why he let them go out before him and even kept a distance between them. He deliberately chose not to catch up to them so that Ning Xiaoxiao wouldn’t feel uncomfortable and hold herself back because of his presence. But to think he would find Qi Jing waving at him from the distance, all alone while she fled; gone with the wind.

“It’s nothing much.” Qi Jing coughed lightly, cutting this topic short just in time, not wanting to let Shen Yan know the reason.

The cold autumn wind blew through the alleyway; the rustling of leaves could be heard wherever they passed. The low temperatures could be felt all around them, reminding everyone that it was October; that they had already entered into the late autumn season.

Seeing that Qi Jing kept his head down all the way and even started coughing, Shen Yan thought that he was freezing so he took off his coat without saying a word and wrapped the former snugly in it.

The two of them were standing close, face to face, and Qi Lian could not help but look up at his face.

Shen Yan was fully focussed on tucking Qi Jing securely in his clothes so his eyes were not on him. This gave Qi Jing the opportunity to take a good look at him. To be honest, he had seen this face so many times he had long lost count, but he was not tired of it. Every time he looked at it he would reminisce that fluttering feeling he felt when he quietly watched this man as he took his nap.

After all, he didn’t have that many chances to see this man from such a close distance. Usually, he couldn’t find a suitable excuse to get close but at times like this when the window presented itself, he would take advantage of it to look at Shen Yan a little longer.

“You look much better compared to when you left your seat,” Qi Jing mumbled, subconsciously reaching a hand out to touch the other party’s cheek.

“I’m sorry for making you worry,” Shen Yan replied in a low voice.

Four of Qi Jing’s fingers were placed against the side of Shen Yan’s face while his thumb landed just by his lips. He could feel the corner of Shen Yan’s lips quirk up slightly—although small, it was a smile through and through.

“It’s my fault. Getting you to meet a close friend like Xiaoxiao was probably still a little hard for you at this point.” Perhaps he should have had a bit more patience; put himself in Shen Yan’s shoes and take things step by step.

“It’s alright. I can see that she genuinely wishes you well.” Shen Yan understood the intent of Ning Xiaoxiao’s question.

“But…” Qi Jing was about to say some more but Shen Yan simply stopped him there with a smile as he shook his head.

“Look.” He suddenly turned to the side, his gaze directed far into the distance of the long alley. He raised his hand and pointed at the winding alleyway that disappeared into the night and got Qi Jing to follow his gaze. “Many years ago, this was the street I had to walk through every time I returned home from school.”

That was when he first moved here and the elderly man had found a school nearby for him to attend. He would always have to pass by this street every time he returned home from evening classes.

“That’s already something from more than a decade ago.”

The dim lights from the corner of the street reflected in Shen Yan’s eyes. There was this instant where the light flickered brightly as if to give a hint that time itself had rewound.

He lowered his voice and told Qi Jing about the past hidden beneath the layers of time that had passed. “Back then, there weren’t this many buildings in the area yet and those newer-looking buildings hadn’t been built yet, even the streetlights were few and far between. The streets were dark at night and sometimes when the lights went out, it would be a whole stretch of pitch-blackness. There was nothing else apart from the faint light coming from some of the homes of surrounding residents. I used to… be so afraid that I couldn’t walk through that street and I couldn’t get home.

Fear, helplessness, and uncertainty.

He dare not go forward or venture into the darkness by himself.

So he crouched down by a wall and decided to quietly wait until a bright white light filled the eastern horizon and the sun rose from the darkness but the old man found him first. The elderly man held an old-fashioned torch in his hand. The light from the torch was not strong, only managing to illuminate a small area of the shadows but the glow from that light was very warm. As he looked towards the light source, he was greeted with a giant smile on that elderly man’s face, one that came from the relief of finding the person they were looking for.

“After that, my grandfather would come to pick me up every day, holding my hand as we walked through that street together. With the knowledge that I had someone by my side, I didn’t find it as scary anymore.” A faint smile hung on Shen Yan’s lips, the taste of nostalgia permeated through his voice—a bittersweet taste. “And later after that, I had completely gotten used to this darkness and was able to walk on my own.”

As he said that, his eyes drooped a little and he sighed painfully.

“I rarely walked on this road since my grandfather passed. Although there are streetlights and more houses around now; although it has become much livelier than before and I will never feel fear for this street anymore, I still can’t walk through it by myself.”

“Why?” Qi Jing’s voice was light as he asked that question, unwilling to interrupt the tapes of memory playing in the other party’s mind.

He chose to be the voiceover narration, letting the protagonist in the flashback say the answer himself.

Hearing his question, Shen Yan smiled again, “Because I would be reminded of my grandfather, of the past, of… the sense of loss that overwhelmed me when I was all alone.”

While saying this, he took a step towards the depths of the alley and then stopped.

“Maybe it was a bit early for me to face that darkness alone, but it didn’t matter because I had my grandfather.”

The topic came back full circle and returned to the starting point.

At that moment, Qi Jing seemed to suddenly understand the meaning behind Shen Yan’s words and he stared intently at the latter.

The other person turned around and returned that gaze. “That’s why, you don’t have to worry about pushing me too hard—be it the competition, or meeting with your friends… it’s alright because I know that I’m not alone anymore.”

Shen Yan’s current voice was one that Qi Jing liked the most.

It was like a peaceful ocean, deep but not gloomy, every word he said was like the waves crashing onto the beach before returning back to the ocean. Even the harshest grains of sands would be gently smoothed out.

He extended a hand towards Qi Jing and asked softly, “Qi Jing, can you walk with me on this road just once?”

Qi Jing smiled faintly and very naturally placed his hand in his. “As many times as you’d like.”

Beyond the layer of chilly autumn breeze that enveloped them, Shen Yan’s hand was dry yet warm. When he held it, he could clearly feel the strength of the hand that curved to hold his. It was neither too light, nor too heavy, just enough to keep a hold on Qi Jing’s hand and his heart inside. As it turned out, there really was nothing to be afraid of when two people walked together, because their heart was already filled with one another—no one else and no other thing could shake them.

However, while Big Return Date returned home in a happy mood, the little one was not so happy.

Although the place they had their dinner wasn’t too far away from home, they did still take quite some time. Especially when he was walking side by side with Shen Yan, there were hardly any lights along the way so neither of them had thought to check their watches for the time. They chatted as they walked and slowly strolled all the way back to their place.

Although they had left Little Return Date with a full belly, the little kitten couldn’t bear the loneliness of not having anyone play with it for a few hours. It meowed loudly, rolling around, flipping it’s crate upside down, finding every single way to gain attention. By the time Big Return Date reappeared, it was already starting to scratch the walls of the crate indignantly.

Qi Jing watched helplessly at the little guy that raised its paw in protest.

This was all so hard to believe—to think there would be a day where a man called Don’t ask for my return date would keep a cat and be subjected to its complaints after being away for only four to five hours… He had to say, if this was his normal work schedule, Little Return Date would’ve either starved to death or died from loneliness in that apartment.

“It’s my bad. Here, you can take it out on me.” Qi Jing carried the little one out of the box. He let it nestle in his arms and pound on his chest with its little paws to release its anger.

“Meow meow.” A moment ago, Little Return Date still looked like a little Grudge but once it was in its owner’s arms, it didn’t kick up a fuss, instead, all it wanted was to pounce on Qi Jing and be thoroughly pampered by him. Qi Jing was utterly amused by its reaction and gently stroked the fluffy fur on the back of Little Return Date’s neck. A smile on his face as he watched the little fella get so comfortable, its eyes narrowed into two lines, its tail lightly resting on his arm in a completely relaxed state.

Actually, there was a reason why he was trying so hard to please Little Return Date. It was because the little one was going to come in handy later and that was very, very important to him. That’s why, if he served the little guy well now, it could certainly do him no harm and ultimately help him in the end.

“Qi Jing, do you want to take a shower now?” Shen Yan looked at the time and it was past 10 PM; it was getting kinda late.

“You can go ahead first. Little Return Date was bored out of its mind, I want to keep it company and relieve its boredom.” Qi Jing slightly untangled himself from the clutches of the little guys’ paws as he lifted his head to answer Shen Yan.

“Alright.” It was Sunday today so starting tomorrow, it would be back to their normal work week. Qi Jing had slightly more freedom with his time but Shen Yan didn’t say no to the former’s suggestion. “After I’m done washing you can watch the time and jump into the shower yourself. Call me if you need anything. I’ll be recording in the study but it doesn’t matter even if I’m interrupted so just knock on my door.”

Qi Jing’s head immediately jerked up when he heard those words.

Although he had watched Shen Yan register for the competition and also witnessed the entire process of the latter deciding on his characters, he still couldn’t help but get excited from the intense realness of hearing the man himself say that he was going to start recording.

“You’re talking about the entries for the preliminary selection of the competition, aren’t you?” He couldn’t stop himself from confirming once more; no one would mind experiencing the feelings of joy all over again.

“Yes.” Shen Yan was slightly amused by the gleam in Qi Jing’s eyes and the corners of his lips couldn’t help but curl upwards.

“All the best! I’ll await your good news!” Qi Jing said hurriedly. But somehow it still felt a little lacking so he lifted one of the Little Return Date’s paws to cheer Shen Yan on with its chubby paw pads. He was actually planning to record his entries tonight as well but more than himself, he was concerned whether Shen Yan would successfully make the cut.

“You too.” Shen Yan said with a smile. For him, the best news was both of them being selected.

The days they spent waiting for the good news were busy yet fulfilling.

After the deadline for submitting their recordings, there were three whole days dedicated for an official review of the submission. So they could take their time waiting for the results to come out.

Shen Yan spent his weekdays working at the hospital while Qi Jing also had work from the station to finish so he didn’t bother the other party. He took the time to first write up a proposal to be handed to the director of the News Channel. He wanted to take this chance while he was staying in the area to do some interviews in the city and do a feature on pet hospitals and clinics.

The director gave him a response on the same day.

“I’ve read through your detailed proposal and it’s well-conceived.” That was a very good start.

The director was a typical man of the news media industry and was often direct with his words—if it’s good, it’s good; if it’s bad, it’s bad—because the phrase “time is money” was especially the case for the News Channel. Since he said that the proposal was not bad, Qi Jing more or less knew that his idea would definitely be approved this time.

However, what he didn’t expect was for the director to not only approve his proposal, but also suggest that he should make it bigger and grander.

“Oh Xiao Qi, I was thinking… instead of compressing this content into a five to ten minute news segment and hastily squeezing it into a news broadcast like you proposed, why not talk to the people working on the segment, ‘A look into society’. See if you can make it into one of their releases; make it a big one.” The director’s voice could be heard loud and clear over the phone, he seemed to have quite an interest in this proposal. “You know about ‘A look into society’, right? The hour-long show that airs every Saturday night. Putting aside the time taken for commentary by the guests, about forty minutes is available just for the main content.”

Of course, Qi Jing knew about that segment.

It was one of the more highly rated news programmes on TV. It was broadcasted every Saturday during prime time which was just after dinner and before the start of the popular drama series. It was very well-received as the content was closely related to the phenomena observed in society.

“Director, could you ask them in my stead?” If he could really grab hold of this opportunity, it would no doubt be a great affirmation of his career as a journalist.

As Qi Jing asked that question, he couldn’t help but lower his head. He was even beginning to suspect that Little Return Date had climbed onto him and started scratching on his chest again—there was this tingle in his heart and his entire person was already itching to get to action.

Instead of answering his question, the channel director asked instead, “Xiao Qi, let me ask you, haven’t you always wanted to be a TV show host?”

Qi Jing was taken aback, he didn’t expect the director to suddenly bring up this question.

He had indeed told the director about his future goal when he first joined the News Channel many years ago, that he hoped that he could one day appear as a show host and not just a reporter. Hard skills wise, he had long obtained an A grade at Level I of the Putonghua Proficiency Test, what he lacked was the experience and promotion opportunities.

“‘A look into society’ is recently considering getting a revamp. There won’t be any changes to the original host but they might be thinking of adding a second host to act as a commentator. Someone who can join in the discussion between the host and guests, as well as visit the scene of the event, which would then be similar to a reporter.” The director chuckled. “I know your qualifications are quite good and that you have a pretty good relationship with several of the departments there. If you want this job, I think you can give it your best shot.”

If he could really transfer over, the likelihood of frequently travelling out into the field would be greatly reduced and he would spend most of his time in town.

Maybe, he could really keep a cat now.

Maybe, he could stop being the god of playing dead.

Maybe… he could really stay by Shen Yan’s side and not have to constantly be out and about anymore.

“Director,” Qi Jing jolted back to his senses. Beads of sweat oozed out from the palm of his hand that held the phone in a death grip as he said earnestly, “please let me give it a shot—”

Mashiro: Go on, QJ!! You can do it!!

Fingers crossed so that both of them would be selected for the competition. I wonder what QJ is up to with little return date.