Overtone

The heavy rain was pouring outside the window, sweeping in coldly through the cracks.

Qi Ye's hands were still shaking, and in the darkness, he could only hear his own breathing, which couldn't be slowed down.

Until the breath on the other end overlaps.

No matter at any time, Xiao Cheng's voice always has a sense of stability - calm, gentle, and can accommodate all vented emotions.

In fact, Qi Ye has learned how to restrain his emotions when he is out in the past few years. However, in front of the closest people, this line of psychological defense is not strong. It can even be said that the line of defense has never been strong. Never had.

"I'll sleep with you." Xiao Cheng said, "It's the same as last time."

Qi Ye closed his eyes, leaned his head on the sofa, and gave a soft "hmm".

Since the audition, Qi Ye hasn't had such a peaceful sleep for a long time, and the things that have troubled him until now have slowly come to an end.

When I woke up, it was the next day, and the dangling sunlight came in through the window.

Qi Ye looked down at his phone, he didn't know what time it was when he fell asleep last night, and he didn't know what time Xiao Cheng went to bed.

Xiao Cheng is still teaching the undergraduate class this year, but I haven't heard much from him about the details.

In the past, one course was the main course. Now that the associate professor is evaluated, if you want to go far, you have to set your goals high. If you are a professor, you must take at least two main courses or three basic courses, and the teaching volume cannot be dropped.

But Xiao Cheng wanted to start the tour at the end of October, Qi Ye felt that there was not enough time no matter what he thought.

Finally, I quietly inquired with Xiao Cheng's master's students, only to find out that when the course came out this year, Professor Xiao took one class and replaced it with a public class.

When he heard the news, Qi Ye happened to be in the snack bar next to the hotel.

Zhou Qun came on a business trip recently, and happened to be close to them, so he rushed over after finishing work.

When Zhou Qun rushed over, seeing Qi Ye wearing a black hat, he smiled and said, "Star Qi."

"Don't damage it." Qi Ye handed over the menu, "Still the same?"

Zhou Qun nodded, and threw Qi Ye a cigarette: "Just the beef fried rice, grilled skewers, and two bottles of cold beer."

Qi Ye marked up the menu and didn't say much.

Seeing that he was not as noisy as before, Zhou Qun asked: "What's wrong, brother? Your personality has changed during the draft?"

"Why don't you return it?" Qi Ye leaned over to borrow a fire and lit a cigarette, "Make some hard money."

"You asked me to take Marlboro, isn't it too stressful to compete well?" Zhou Qun smiled, "The last time I asked for this cigarette was last winter."

Zhou Qun has picked up a lot of domestic and foreign crews over the years, and there is a lot of foreign cigarettes in stock. Qi Ye asked him to get them if he had nothing to do. This time, he changed from the light popping beads to the red and white Marlboro.

"Then I owe this favor brother." Qi Ye smiled, shook the cigarette ash and said, "Pay it back with the last hot search."

Zhou Qun laughed, and said how could he really count on you.

I haven't seen my old friend for three months, so there are naturally many topics I want to talk about, but in the end I can't avoid talking about my partner.After Zhou Qun talked about the hardships of chasing Bella, he asked how he and Professor Xiao were going, and whether they were sticking together on the Internet every day after that incident.

Qi Ye put away his expression and lit another cigarette.

Zhou Qun understood immediately, and said after a long while, "...that matter still affects?"

Qi Ye shook his head: "Not on the surface."

This is ambiguous. In fact, it is not necessary to say that there will be some operations behind the scenes.But this kind of influence is invisible and intangible. When you encounter it, you can walk along the line, vaguely, and it will work.

Zhou Qun really understood this time, and followed his brother to smoke.

After a while, I saw a few people approaching. They were leaning against the glass door, as if they were holding something in their arms.

Before Qi Ye could speak, Zhou Qun said in a low voice, "Squat in a hotel."

Qi Ye responded, then glanced there again, turned his eyes away and continued drinking.

"One has to sacrifice something in the field of performance." Zhou Qun clinked his glasses and smiled helplessly, "While enjoying the flowers and applause, it means that you have to be exposed to the public."

Qi Ye nodded, saying that was indeed the case.

Drinking wine after smoking cigarettes, anyway, the person sitting here is the closest brother, so there is nothing embarrassing about not talking.

Zhou Qun said a few more words of comfort at the end. Generally speaking, the meaning is that everything is like this, and Professor Xiao and the two of them will do what they can to develop well, and gold will always shine.

When I went back to the hotel, I bumped into the person who was squatting in the hotel just now coming out of it.

Qi Ye lowered his hat and turned to let them go first.

- This is an endless loop.

It's impossible for Qi Ye to be unclear.

As a freelancer, he has endured so much psychological pressure. Xiao Cheng's work that is close to the system will definitely be more stressful than him.

But Xiao Cheng never mentioned it.

I learned many things from him, all in a calm tone, never worrying Qi Ye.

The regional competition is held in mid-October, and those who advance can participate in the regional finals in early November.

Qi Ye decided to stay in City C and go get his tattoo done.When the weather is cold, it can be covered with long sleeves, and it is not easy to get inflammation.

And at this moment, it has been four months since they last met.

Qi Ye's worries day and night, and Xiao Cheng's concert where he was busy working overtime on weekends, seemed to hint at something.

Qi Ye advanced to the regional finals with the first place.

On this day, countless reporters and fans followed Qi Ye and several players back to the hotel.

The license plate numbers for pick-up and drop-off, as well as hotel check-in, are no longer secrets. As Zhou Qun said, the price of enjoying the spotlight is clear, but there are always people jumping into it one after another.

After asking the staff to clear the way and take him upstairs, Qi Ye thanked him, then turned and went back to the room.

Looking at the busy traffic downstairs, Qi Ye leaned against the window and lit a Marlboro, then quietly watched it burn, and then looked at the world reflected on the glass window through the smoke.

The shoulder-length curly hair is still draped. The stylist asked if he could have a hairstyle, but Qi Ye refused.

When the smoke was half burned, Qi Ye called Xiao Cheng.

"Aren't you going to rest this weekend?" Xiao Cheng said, "I'll book a ticket tonight and fly over on the weekend."

Qi Ye took a puff of cigarette, but did not speak.After a long time, he suddenly asked without beginning or end: "Are you busy recently?"

Xiao Cheng was stunned on the phone and asked, "What?"

"Nothing else." Qi Ye closed his eyes and leaned against the window frame, as if he was leaning all his strength on the window frame, and finally opened his mouth, "Just... if I'm busy with the concert, I'm fine here, so you don't need to come here specially. "

The voice fell, and there was endless silence on both ends of the phone.

"What happened?" Xiao Cheng asked after a while.

"……No."

"why?"

Qi Ye looked out the window, at the fans and the media who were squatting to and fro, and forced a smile and said, "It's just inconvenient."

It is indeed too inconvenient, or it has become inappropriate for them to meet.

It is necessary to guard against sneak shots when we meet outside, and to prevent video recording in places with strong secrecy. It seems that such a vast world cannot accommodate their pair.

Qi Ye's Adam's apple rolled slightly, mixed with the sounds of fans outside the door, he closed his eyes, and said sorry painfully - or pretending to be calm.

——Simple three words.

The apology is not only for this time, but also for leaving without saying goodbye.

Qi Ye even thought at this moment that maybe from the day they met, it was wrong for him to take the initiative to invite Xiao Cheng to have a drink at the bar. At that time, they shouldn't have any interaction.

A prominent violinist should enjoy the praise of the world and enjoy all of this, instead of being dragged by him, and in the end they cannot achieve a bright future for each other.

That phone call went nowhere.

The cigarette butt fell on the window sill accompanied by sparks, and accompanied by the lingering smoke, Qi Ye finally heard Xiao Cheng say: "Just think it through."

And these words turned out to be the last voice of Xiao Cheng that Qi Ye heard a month later.

Since that day, they have never had any voice calls, and almost no WeChat chats, just simple daily communication-this kind of sharing and greetings similar to schedules, there will also be between close brothers.

Although Qi Ye has never been in love, he knows many people and many things, and if he can't grasp it, he will fade away, or even break up.

On many nights, when he returned to the empty room, he leaned on the sofa and always thought about what he said that day. From the first time he was harsh on himself to now, when he took off his earphones and closed his eyes, he could only hear what Xiao Cheng said That last sentence.

And the violin tattoo from neck to shoulder became the last straw for Qi Ye to fall asleep every night.

It was like this all the way to the finals. Because of his high guitar skills and distinctive personal characteristics, many fans discovered this treasured singer who had been hiding in the bar for nearly six years. Many performing arts companies approached him and asked him about his intention to sign a contract.

But Qi Ye didn't sign it.

One week before the final, Qi Ye moved out of the hotel that the director organized.

The fans were still squatting, and the reserved rooms in the hotel were sold out. Even the organizers didn't expect it to be so popular.So under the official social account, wrote words similar to chasing stars rationally.

Qi Ye closed it after looking at it, and walked into the hotel with the guitar on his back.

——It’s not even a hotel.

Like an original homestay style, or simply shabby.

When Qi Ye entered the store, the neon sign above his head popped twice, missing a few sparks.

"Standard double room." Qi Ye handed his ID card to the boss, "I booked for a week, and may renew later."

The boss took the certificate and typed in front of the desktop computer. Maybe because he felt a little familiar, he turned his head and glanced at Qi Ye.

So Qi Ye pulled up the mask.

Going upstairs with the key, Qi Ye opened the creaking wooden door, accompanied by the smell of the wooden floor, the dim light came out.

The hotel has three floors, plus a smoking bar and roof.The interior environment is unexpected, and it is considered clean and tidy, with everything that should be there.

Qi Ye didn't ask much, so he went in with a big suitcase.

The door shut gently with a click, leaving him alone in the world again.

The lights outside the window were blurred, lighting up the whole alley, and Qi Ye couldn't look up to see the true color of the night sky, let alone the stars.

Qi Ye leaned against the fabric sofa and lit a cigarette.

There is nothing to do these days, except for going to rehearsals and practicing guitar, the rest of the time is sitting in front of the rooftop bar of the hotel, smoking and drinking.

There are more and more empty wine bottles in the room.

Messy sheet music mixed with music clips, placed on the table.

But the pendant of the violin was specially separated by Qi Ye.

There were various arrangements and schedules before the finals posted on the wall, and Qi Ye stared blankly. Time seemed to be empty at this moment, and together with the alcohol, they paralyzed the nerves and blurred together——

The phone turned on at this moment.

Qi Ye glanced at the table, a few entertainment news were mixed in the unread messages.

There has been a lot of noise in the past few days. The media sniffed something about the marriage contract between Zhou Sijia and Xiao Cheng before, and the topic of commercial marriage was brought up again, and it was said that an engagement banquet would be announced at the end of the month.

He told Qi Ye that he was going to his parents before, but Xiao Cheng didn't say a word about the final result.

Qi Ye stared at the chat log for a few more seconds.

A few days ago, Xiao Cheng asked the hotel address, but Qi Ye didn't say anything, just said that the director team might change temporarily, and it's not sure yet.

After this sentence, the two never spoke again.

How should I put it, they are like an intersection, there may be countless intersections in the future, or they will gradually drift away, and at this point, Qi Ye can also foresee the future direction from the records.

I don't know how long it took until night fell outside the window, and Qi Ye got up, put on his hat and mask, and went out to buy dinner.

As soon as they arrived on the first floor, the boss at the front desk saw Qi Ye and reminded him, "Don't forget to bring an umbrella, it's snowing outside."

Qi Ye was slightly stunned, and after realizing it, he smiled: "It's a rare thing."

"Indeed." The boss said, "The store has been open for more than ten years, and I have never seen snow in this early November."

The snow in the south is different from the snow in the north. After it falls wet and cold, there is almost nothing left, no trace.

Old Practice packed a sandwich from the coffee shop, and on the way back, Qi Ye looked up at the sky again.

Immediately afterwards, he lowered his head and entered the small hotel.

A traveler stands at the front desk.

Wearing a black windbreaker, he has a straight body and a neat and clean demeanor.

Even though it was a small hotel, there were tourists from all over the world. During Qi Ye's stay, he saw too many people of all kinds, so he didn't have much interest in paying attention to anything.

But this time, before going up the stairs, he cast a ghostly glance back.

— Just this one glance.

Their eyes collided in the air.

Qi Ye subconsciously took a step back, then stood still without moving any further.He still wears a mask and black-rimmed glasses, and the brim of his hat is pressed down, but the people in front of him can easily recognize him at a glance.

"What's the matter? Do you know each other?" The boss saw that something was wrong, and didn't hear the sound of typing on his hands. He turned his head to look at them, and heard the other party say——

"Room 203, right?"

The boss responded and said yes, just go up the stairs and turn left.

Qi Ye's pupils shrank slightly.

No one is more familiar with this voice than he.

Calm, alienated but powerful, it was the tone without any emotion when we first met.

Qi Ye had thought about the scene of meeting many times, and also simulated what he would say when they met, but he never imagined that they would meet here, in this humble and run-down small hotel, but they were separated from the north and the south.

The sadness, stress, and grievances that could not be resolved this month seemed to flow from the deepest part of my heart at this moment.

They just stood, looked at each other, did not speak.

The boss took out the keys from the drawer, looked at them again, opened his mouth, and finally said cautiously: "The key... I put it on the table."

When the boss went upstairs with the key and the front desk was empty, Qi Ye said, "What a coincidence."

"En." Xiao Cheng replied lightly, and then looked at him deeply, but could not see a trace of emotion.

Qi Ye turned his head towards the stairs, signaling to go upstairs.

Xiao Cheng's mobile phone was still on, and he followed to the corridor on the second floor.Qi Ye opened the door with the key and entered the room, all emotions were still blocked in his throat, unable to vent at all.

It's also ridiculous, the memories of living together in the past are still vivid, but now they can't find a topic.

It was as quiet as the snowy night outside the window.

Qi Ye turned his back to Xiao Cheng, opened the curtains to look at the snow for a while, and asked, "Why are you free to come here recently?"

"What about you?" Xiao Cheng's voice was not like before, it was extremely hoarse.

Qi Ye paused for a moment, and found that he couldn't answer at all. He took a deep breath and replied, "It's good to live here—"

Snapped.

The phone made a muffled sound as it landed on the carpet.

The next moment, Qi Ye was pulled into his arms by Xiao Cheng.

The traces of the shirt being soaked by the rain and snow were still there, and the body temperature seeped in. Qi Ye trembled, and reached out to try to push Xiao Cheng's arm away, but to no avail, he was still hugged tightly.

The rapid breathing of the people behind came over with enthusiasm, and fell into Qi Ye's ear.

For this moment, Xiao Cheng seemed to have exhausted all his strength. He leaned on Qi Ye's shoulder and asked tremblingly, "Why?"

Qi Ye closed his eyes, reached out and grabbed Xiao Cheng's arm firmly.

His nails were engraved on Xiao Cheng's skin, and he ruthlessly drew red marks, but Xiao Cheng ignored him and hugged him even tighter—as if if he didn't do this, the person in front of him would be out of thin air. It's like disappearing, don't give any chance.

The snowflakes outside the window were getting bigger, like the countless winter nights they had spent in the north.

"Why do you always avoid me?" Xiao Cheng pressed him, his voice was so hoarse that Qi Ye's heart ached, "I've been looking for you for a long time."

Qi Ye didn't speak, and said for a long time, "We... can't do it."

After a few seconds, he lowered his head and leaned against Xiao Cheng's arm to hold back, his chest heaving violently: "There is no way to continue."

After this month, this is the only thing he can think clearly about.

"I... don't want to drag you down anymore." Qi Ye said, "We shouldn't have talked at the bar that day."

If we hadn't met that day, or if Qi Ye hadn't bought that glass of wine, then he would still be dawdling in the bar now, and Xiao Cheng would continue to be a professor at the academy.

No public opinion, no questioning, nothing.

Qi Ye's fingers were still trembling, and he didn't let go of any burden because of such relief-like words. On the contrary, he clasped Xiao Cheng's arm even more tightly and refused to let go.

Xiao Cheng still hugged him, and said in a deep voice: "Or do you want to let me go?"

"Too many things stand in the way of us. You are a professor, you shouldn't be here today..." Qi Ye bit his lip, almost trembling, "Every night I wonder if I did something wrong... Why? I just fell in love with you, and insisted on dragging you down like this."

They are not of the same world at all.

That's why he left without saying goodbye at that time, so he fled for four months, and finally changed to a broken hotel on purpose.

As time passed, those nightmares that haunted him repeatedly turned into a scene where he looked at Xiao Cheng from afar——before he left that day, he stayed under the shade of a tree for two full hours, no matter how he looked at it, he couldn't bear it.

Qi Ye's throat trembled violently, and after a while, he forced out a few words: "You go."

As soon as the voice fell, I felt the strength behind me.

—It's all over, he thought.

He swallowed, forcefully swallowing the soreness in his throat, at this moment, Xiao Cheng hugged Qi Ye's shoulder fiercely.

They bumped into each other face to face, Xiao Cheng's back hit the wall heavily, blocking the impact for Qi Ye, but he didn't let go of his strength at all, he still grabbed Qi Ye, his fingertips carved into the other's skin through the shirt .

The moment their eyes met, they kissed hard.

Xiao Cheng grabbed Qi Ye's hair, ran his fingertips through the hair, and pressed the back of his head forward.

The force of the collision of lips and teeth was so strong that Qi Ye could not be distracted and escaped. While it was causing pain, he could only wrap his hands around his neck tightly and desperately respond to him.

The smell of blood bloomed and filled the entire mouth in an instant.

In front of him is the breath of the other party, and he accepts more than that. The whole room, every air, every scorching heat, finally completely filled them this time, stuffed them to the brim.

When Qi Ye lost his mind at a certain moment, he suddenly thought, how could he really let the person in front of him go, not today, not in the future.

The breath is intertwined, and the snowflakes outside the window are scattered.

They fluttered down from the sky, hit the glass window, turned into water droplets in an instant, and finally dragged the water marks and slid down, drawing overlapping light and shadow.

The author says:

感谢在2021-07-2823:44:16~2021-07-3100:41:02期间为我投出霸王票或灌溉营养液的小天使哦~

Thanks to the little angel who threw the mines: one for idlers;

Thanks to the little angel of irrigation nutrient solution: Sitian 10 bottles;

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!