Times of Our Lives - Chapter 48

With his experience from working in Beijing, Xie Meng did not encounter many difficulties when transitioning to his job in Suzhou. Ji Qinyang started managing his personal Weibo account again and was surprised to find that he had over 30,000 followers. Many people had recently commented on one of his posts, asking why he hadn’t released any new singles.

“So, what did you say?” Xie Meng asked while taking a phone call in the corridor during his lunch break.

Ji Qinyang laughed on the other end, “What else could I say? I briefly mentioned leaving the band and moving to Suzhou, and guess what happened?”

Xie Meng asked, “What happened?”

Ji Qinyang sighed, “I lost followers.”

“It’s okay,” Xie Meng said, seeing some familiar colleagues coming out for a smoke. He nodded to them in greeting and continued, “Maybe those were just inactive followers. Post a selfie, and they’ll come back.”

Ji Qinyang joked, “Post one of you?”

Xie Meng replied, “Why would I? I’m not as handsome as you.”

A colleague, finishing his cigarette, glanced at him and asked in Suzhou dialect, “Friends?”

Xie Meng nodded, not offering more details.

Later, Chu Kanglin specifically came to Suzhou to visit Xie Meng. Xie Meng was always grateful for Chu Kanglin’s mentorship. Chu Kanglin stayed for four or five days and brought a friend who was the complete opposite of him—an easygoing, nice guy.

Chu Kanglin introduced him as Yixiang. 

“This is Yixiang,” Chu Kanglin introduced him to Xie Meng, then realized, “Oh, my memory! His last name is Lu.”

Xie Meng smiled and shook hands with Lu Yixiang. “Mr. Lu.”

Lu Yixiang quickly responded, “Just call me Yixiang. I’m not much older than you.”

Xie Meng introduced Ji Qinyang to them.

“So you’re Ji Qinyang?!” Lu Yixiang exclaimed excitedly. “I’m a fan of the OM band.”

Ji Qinyang was surprised and joked, “The world is really small.”

Chu Kanglin added, “OM was very well-known in the industry. Everyone was very sad when they disbanded.”

Lu Yixiang lamented, “The lead singer’s solo career hasn’t been going well. The songs he released haven’t been as popular as when the band was together… and I don’t know whose songs those early ones actually were.”

Ji Qinyang and Xie Meng exchanged glances. Xie Meng remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, “Those were all written by Ji Qinyang.”

“…” Lu Yixiang was incredulous. “You wrote all the songs by yourself?”

Ji Qinyang shrugged and smiled faintly, “Since the band is disbanded, who needs to see the scores now?”

Regarding the contract Ji Qinyang signed with the band early on, Lu Yixiang examined it and found it inadequate. It was legally ineffective, too hasty, and even if signed, it wouldn’t help much in enforcing rights. Qian Mo had found Sen Mao as a backing, who could easily twist the truth.

“The key is, you’re just one person, and your fame can’t compare to the band’s,” Lu Yixiang sighed. “It’s like the saying goes, ‘The arm can’t twist the thigh.’ That’s the principle here.”

Ji Qinyang was indifferent. “Consider it a lesson learned with a price.”

Chu Kanglin chuckled, “That’s a significant cost to pay.”

Lu Yixiang glanced at him. “You speak as if you haven’t experienced it.”

Chu Kanglin laughed heartily, tossing a cigarette to Lu Yixiang, who lit it from his cigarette. 

“A man who has experienced more knows what’s important,” Chu Kanglin said, blowing out a smoke ring. “When you’re young and don’t know the heights of the sky and the depths of the earth, it’s not frightening or laughable. Once you truly understand what you want, you end up dealing with fewer of those grand matters.”

Xie Meng smiled and asked, “So what do you do?”

“Do what?” Chu Kanglin smiled casually. “Live life, go to work, take care of your wife. What else can you do?”

The four men in the small city couldn’t do much; they had eaten at farmhouses and boat restaurants in Dongshan and visited several gardens in Suzhou. The main activity over three or four days was eating.

At the end, Lu Yixiang took a photo with Xie Meng and Ji Qinyang on Shantang Street. He even asked Ji Qinyang to sign it on the back.

“If you become famous in the future, this photo will be worth something,” Lu Yixiang said with a smile.

Ji Qinyang raised an eyebrow, “Then I’d better work hard to become famous.”

Chu Kanglin called out from a distance, “Let’s go!”

Xie Meng shook hands with him, “Come back and visit us anytime.”

“Definitely,” Lu Yixiang said happily. “Suzhou is indeed a great place to live.”

Zhang Ganggang only finally resigned and returned to Suzhou the following year, with Han Dong naturally following. When Qi Fei learned that the two had confirmed their relationship, he mockingly teased them for half a day.

The six men reunited and chose to dine at Gu Meiyan’s restaurant. Zhang Ganggang, whose once delicate skin had become rough from the years, and Han Dong, now unkempt with a beard on both cheeks, looked quite rugged.

“We rushed over as soon as we arrived,” Zhang Ganggang, who hadn’t had hometown food for years, said with enthusiasm. “A bit rougher for men doesn’t matter. It’s just that my mom will beat and cry when she sees me.”

Han Dong asked Zhuo Xiaoyuan for a cigarette, and while smoking, said expressionlessly, “If I were your mom, I’d also beat you for running off to a war zone.”

Zhang Ganggang retorted, “You came along too. Didn’t your family say anything?”

“I’m the eldest grandson of the Han family,” Han Dong flicked off the ash. “The future head of the family. No one can comment on my decisions.”

Zhang Ganggang was taken aback by Han Dong’s strong, domineering attitude. Han Dong then added, “So even if I marry a silly man, no one will object. Got it?”

“…” Zhang Ganggang muttered begrudgingly, “You have to give our family some time to accept it.”

Han Dong sneered.

Qi Fei glanced at Zhang Ganggang, “Your mom doesn’t approve?”

Zhang Ganggang sighed, “Not every parent is as understanding as Yi Mei’s parents.”

Zhuo Xiaoyuan, squinting his eyes, said, “Why don’t you just do what I did and become completely independent?”

“Family situations are different,” Xie Meng disagreed. “You can’t force such things.”

Han Dong, irritated, smoked his cigarette, and Ji Qinyang punched him lightly. “You survived eight years of the anti-Japanese war. What’s the rest compared to that?”

“I’ve been through twelve years, including Rou Rou,” Han Dong said irritably.

“And you still have the face to mention Rou Rou!” Zhang Ganggang glared at him. “You deceived my youthful, innocent feelings!”

Han Dong gave him a sideways glance. “If you’re so naive, which girl’s sweet talk can you take seriously? You’ve remembered so much and still didn’t notice?”

Zhang Ganggang: “……”

Qi Fei patted his head sympathetically. “They say the outside world is scary. Just listen to your mom.”

The issue of coming out was temporarily put aside. Days went by, and Zhang Ganggang would sometimes come over to Xie Meng’s place when he was upset with Han Dong.

Ji Qinyang’s music production speed had slowed down compared to before. Xie Meng listened to one of his songs. Although he didn’t fully understand it, he could still feel the emotional changes expressed in the lyrics and melody.

“Is it progress or regression?” Ji Qinyang put the headphones on Xie Meng’s head, holding him between his legs and looking up at him.

“I don’t understand,” Xie Meng said after listening to the entire song and hanging the headphones around his neck. He thought for a moment and said honestly, “But I like the current one better.”

Ji Qinyang smiled and said, “Then don’t you think you owe me a complimenting kiss?”

After uploading the completed songs to Weibo, Xiong Baobao almost always retweeted them. Ji Qinyang’s fans gradually increased, and advertisers and game companies began contacting him for music, and occasionally small film crews invited him to compose songs.

Ji Qinyang was now very selective about collaborators. With Xie Meng’s high salary and Mo Suyuan’s dowry, Ji Qinyang’s creative work became more freeform. According to Han Dong, he was almost becoming a qualified “rice worm.”

“Don’t stay cooped up at home all the time,” Mo Suyuan would make soup for them on weekends. She was busy in the kitchen, not letting Xie Meng help. “Don’t work too hard; just earn enough. Since Ji Qinyang isn’t buying a house, we’ve saved a lot on wedding expenses… By the way, have you heard about Shibuya in Japan? It seems like you can get married there now. Do you want to register?”

Xie Meng smiled, “It’s not exactly marriage; it just allows same-sex couples to enjoy spousal benefits.”

Mo Suyuan said, “That’s still good. I trust you to manage Ji Qinyang’s finances.”

Xie Meng smiled but remained silent. He adjusted Mo Suyuan’s hair and, after a while, said, “Are you still using the tea set we sent? I’ve ordered the new Four Treasures of the Study. Someone will come to pick up Dad and you to have a look in a few days. Ji Qinyang and I will take the old man fishing next week.”

“You,” Mo Suyuan looked at him tenderly, “are more considerate than my son.”

“Don’t you remember?” Xie Meng took Mo Suyuan’s hand and whispered, “Four years ago, I was already your son.”

Zhang Ganggang and Han Dong were finally acknowledged by Ganggang’s mom in the third year after returning to Suzhou, thanks in no small part to Mo Suyuan’s efforts. The two mothers became close friends, attending psychology lectures and studying at the senior university together.

Ganggang’s mom even scolded Zhang Ganggang, “You could find a man, but why someone like Han Dong? Rich men can be bad. I’m afraid you’re too naive to manage. Look at Xie Meng, so good-looking and honest…”

“Ganggang’s mom,” Mo Suyuan, smiling warmly, said from the side, “Meng Meng is part of our family now. Don’t worry about it.”

“……” At this point, Zhang Ganggang felt that the dedication and protection of a couple by women seemed to be innate…

When Qi Fei turned thirty, Gu Meiyan threw a big party for him. Although she said it was grand, in the end, only a few people were invited.

During the party, a drunk Qi Fei hugged Ji Qinyang’s shoulder and said, “Yi Mei, we’ve known each other for twenty years, right?” He thought for a moment and asked his wife, “How old were we in fourth grade?”

Gu Meiyan, unable to stand it, pulled him down. “Stop bothering people with your sentimental talks. Meng Meng and I are getting jealous!”

Xie Meng looked at Ji Qinyang and said, “I’ve known you for fifteen years.”

Ji Qinyang kissed his ring-wearing hand and said, “Just fifteen years.”

Xie Meng asked, “How many fifteen years are there in life?”

Ji Qinyang placed his hand on Xie Meng’s chest and said nonchalantly, “Let me think.”

Xie Meng couldn’t help but laugh, “You still need to think about it?”

Ji Qinyang playfully replied, “No choice. My math isn’t good, as you know.”

Xie Meng remained silent. Under the light, he looked at Ji Qinyang’s face. Even with his eyes closed, he could draw every detail and contour of his familiar features in his mind.

Yet, despite this, he still needed to gaze upon him every day as if he couldn’t get enough, to leave an indelible, gentle imprint on his heart.

After Ji Qinyang’s thirty-first birthday celebration, Xie Meng switched to a relatively relaxed job. They traveled together and covered most of China. When they returned, Xie Meng received the first call from Xiong Baobao after getting off the plane.

“Where have you guys been?!” Xiong Baobao’s voice was as loud as a scene from an action movie. “I’ve been hanging around Suzhou for half a month waiting for you! Get Ji Qinyang on the phone!”

Xie Meng smiled and replied, “Hold on a second.” He put the phone to Ji Qinyang’s ear.

“Hello,” Ji Qinyang casually wrapped an arm around Xie Meng’s shoulders. “Why are you in Suzhou?”

Xiong Baobao shouted on the other end, “I’m here to shoot a movie! I’m aiming for the Grammy! Get over here and help me!”

Ji Qinyang: “……”