Chapter 45 Cold War: Can I ask for a hug?

Zhou Jinqin originally thought that Liang Minghe was the kind of person who wouldn't engage in a cold war, but it turned out that it was just because she hadn't stepped on his real trigger point.

He's actually a smiling tiger, not as easy to get along with as he appears. The relationship only continues because he's willing. If he ever decides he doesn't want to anymore, it will be very difficult to maintain amicably.

For example, his relationship with Liang Zongqiang, his father, was such that because he was unwilling, even if Liang Zongqiang tried every means to get close to him and ask for forgiveness, he could not salvage anything. He could even use an extremely cold and distant tone to curse his father, who shared the same blood, to die.

In a sense, he took the distinction between love and hate to the extreme, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It is the incomplete love and incomplete hate that cause the most pain.

Zhou Jinqin is caught in the vortex of kinship, and in theory, she should be the most able to put herself in Liang Minghe's shoes and think about the problem from his perspective. But now she stands on the opposite side of him like a traitor, so it seems reasonable for him to resent her.

Frankly speaking, Zhou Jinqin didn't think that easing the relationship between the father and son would bring much positive results. Moreover, she didn't know much about the real situation and had no right to advise anyone to put aside their differences. But if she were back to the moment when her grandmother asked her for help, she would probably still nod and say yes.

Faced with that aged face, she couldn't bring herself to refuse. Excessive empathy is a punishment for humanity, which was one of the main reasons she resigned from the hospital. She could never bear to see those eyes yearning for life; at that time, she hated herself most for being powerless.

The two fell into a cold war. Of course, this was clearly a silent war initiated unilaterally by Liang Minghe, but because Zhou Jinqin was never good with words, she was inexplicably forced to join the battle.

Zhou Jinqin now understands why two silent people can never be together.

Whether it's friendship or love, "pursuing" is a necessary part of any relationship.

There is a distance between hearts; at least one party needs to take the initiative to get closer.

There's a thin veil between their hearts; at least one of them needs to take the initiative to break through it.

If there is no active party, then two strangers will always remain two strangers.

Nowadays, those who were supposed to take the initiative are no longer doing so, and those who were supposed to be passive remain silent. Zhou Jinqin doesn't understand how to ease the tension in their relationship.

This little family seems to have changed, yet it also seems to have remained the same.

Liang Minghe still goes swimming downstairs every day, and Zhou Jinqin still takes the subway to work every day, but the two of them, living in the same space, are always silent to each other.

They still slept in the same bed, but there were no kisses, no sweet nothings, no passionate eye contact, and not even a few extra words.

When Zhou Jinqin got home from get off work, Liang Minghe would still have dinner ready for her. On the table were usually two or three vegetarian dishes that she liked and one or two meat dishes that he liked. These dishes were not mixed together as before, but were separated into two distinct sections, as if they were eating a separate meal for white people.

Zhou Jinqin didn't like this. She felt wronged and knew she was in the wrong. Occasionally, she would muster up the courage to try to take the initiative.

On the bed, she deliberately moved closer to Liang Minghe. Liang Minghe did not push her away, but he did not take the initiative either. He just lay in the same place as usual, motionless, like a statue, letting her put her head in his arms.

At the dinner table, she deliberately reached for the ribs on his plate with her chopsticks. Liang Minghe found it strange, but he only glanced at her and didn't say a word.

There are many similar plots. Zhou Jinqin should actually be discouraged, and even resentful of his indifference, but in reality, she doesn't seem to be.

Thinking about it carefully, the day after these things happened, Liang Minghe would take the initiative to quietly approach her from the edge of the bed, and would cancel the separate meal system that had just been implemented for a day, making the two of them indistinguishable again.

He would still buy her anything that suited her, like a dessert, a pen, or a potted plant, but he no longer eagerly awaited a return like before.

Zhou Jinqin occasionally chuckled, thinking he was like a child waiting for the steps, naive and adorable.

There are some things that need to be said clearly, but Zhou Jinqin really doesn't know where to begin. She doesn't even approve of her behavior of persuading the father and son to reconcile. So how can she carefully choose her words to explain that her starting point is actually for his own good?

Besides, is this really for his own good?

She clearly hates it when people say they're doing it for her own good. Whether something is good or bad should be judged by the recipient, not by the giver.

Zhou Jinqin admits that her current behavior has crossed the line, but she cannot find any solution to the problem at the moment.

Zhou Jinqin sighed at her reflection in the mirror, raised her hand to add a touch of color to her pale lips, then picked up her bag and walked towards the front door.

Liang Minghe was helping Tuantuan try on new clothes on the sofa. He watched her change her shoes for a moment, then, glancing at the darkening sky outside the window, he couldn't help but ask, "Where are you going?"

Zhou Jinqin paused, the pent-up frustration in her chest suddenly dissipating. She turned around and smiled gently at him: "I thought you were planning to never talk to me again."

A faint smile graced her clean face, as if they hadn't seen each other for years, captivating everyone's hearts. Liang Minghe was stunned for a moment, then lowered his eyes and said softly, "No."

"That's good." Zhou Jinqin smiled and showed him the ticket on her phone. "I told you before that I was going to see my colleague's performance, remember?"

"Hmm... I understand." Liang Minghe responded, turning his head away from her.

Tonight's performance was scheduled at a livehouse music space located on the outskirts of the city. The venue was not clearly marked and the location was a little hard to find, but fortunately, Jia Yang sent a video guide in advance, so Zhou Jinqin found the venue quickly.

It was a performance venue converted from a four-story old residential building. The space was not very large, with a room that could accommodate about a hundred people to watch the performance together. It was usually used to hold some relatively niche, small-scale performances.

For example, Jia Yang's band, Ultra-Low Speed ​​Flight, used to perform with independent musicians, playing supporting roles. They didn't have much of a fan base, so performing independently was not an easy task.

When Zhou Jinqin arrived at the venue, it was still early, with a little over an hour before the performance. Before the official ticket check began, she simply found a window seat and sat down to wait.

Several girls also arrived early. When they saw Zhou Jinqin, they blinked their bright eyes. Zhou Jinqin thought this was a way of greeting them, so she blinked back in response.

As if they had exchanged some secret signal, the girls suddenly came up with smiles and stuffed a bunch of homemade snacks into Zhou Jinqin's hands.

"Hey girl, are you a fan of flying games too?" they asked. "Which teacher in the group are you?"

Zhou Jinqin held onto the object in her hand, unsure whether to put it down or not. She blinked awkwardly and confessed, "It's not any teacher. Actually, I've never seen their performance before; this is my first time."

"Oh, that's alright." One of the girls chuckled. "The fact that you managed to buy a ticket to our store without knowing us might just be the beginning of a special connection."

As they spoke, they stuffed more things into Zhou Jinqin's hands: "Our band is relatively niche, so it's great to recruit new members. This way, we can hold more performances in the future. If you like it, please support us!"

Without really knowing what was going on, Zhou Jinqin was pulled into a fan group. There were only a few dozen people in the group, and the band's official account only had a little over ten thousand followers. It was indeed a relatively niche group.

Through chatting, Zhou Jinqin learned that these fans all knew the Super Low Speed ​​Flying Band from their previous collaborative performances. Knowing that they had a solo performance this time, many of them came from other places to show their support. Almost everyone who came brought free gifts to exchange, which made Zhou Jinqin stand out.

Fortunately, they believed in the long-term success of the band and did not exclude newcomers, so Zhou Jinqin received a lot of freebies tonight.

Stickers, keychains, acrylic pendants, seed paper, scented candles, canvas bags, and more—Zhou Jinqin received so many that she was overwhelmed.

Tonight's performance was held in a small hall on the west side of the fourth floor, which can only accommodate about a hundred people. The audience almost filled the hall. Although the band doesn't have a large fan base, they still have a good appeal.

Zhou Jinqin was thinking of all the true fans. As someone who was just joining in the fun, she was too embarrassed to compete with everyone for the best seats. Even with her VIP ticket, she chose to go to the last row to watch the show.

Livehouses are all seatless. Except for the VIP seats in front of the stage which are flat, the general admission seats further back are tiered, so even if you stand in the last row, you don't have to worry about being blocked.

Moreover, the space inside the venue is very small, and the last row is not far from the stage, so you can basically see it clearly with the naked eye.

Before the show started, Jia Yang sent her a message asking if she had arrived yet.

Zhou Jinqin then remembered that she had forgotten about this while chatting with her fans. She sent a picture of the free gift she had received: 【Here it is! I'm your temporary fan today. Good luck later!】

Jia Yang: [I received your encouragement, I'll keep working hard!]

"What are you laughing at, Jiajia? I was so nervous, and you're still laughing?" A teammate couldn't help but ask, looking at Jiayang's smiling face.

Jia Yang didn't explain, but just chuckled and said, "You've performed so many times, what's there to be nervous about?"

Teammates rubbed their hands and stomped their feet: "How can this be the same? This is our first solo performance, and you won't even let me be nervous. We're all alone, unlike Lao Yang, who has girlfriends to cheer him on. We can only rely on our passion and just go for it. It makes my heart ache just thinking about it."

“Don’t you have so many fans? Maybe some of them came specifically for you,” Jia Yang comforted him.

Looking at Jia Yangjun's handsome face, the other person joked, "I can't say for sure, but there are definitely people who came for you."

Jia Yang coughed twice awkwardly and urged, "It's almost time, get ready to go on stage."

"Knock knock knock—"

The restless drumbeats broke the silence and darkness, the stage suddenly lit up, followed by a powerful electric guitar sound, and the fans in the audience waved their light sticks and cheered.

Zhou Jinqin immediately noticed Jia Yang in the corner. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt today, and his beautiful arm muscles were clearly visible every time the drumsticks fell.

Without his seriousness and restraint, he wore a carefree smile that I'd never seen before, which added to his youthful charm.

It turns out he wasn't as rigid as I had imagined; beneath his ever-present suit wasn't a thin, bony body, and his soul was far from dull and colorless.

Zhou Jinqin thought that many of the cheers around her were probably for Jia Yang.

With the ultra-close stage, the ultimate stage performance, and the lavish music setup, Zhou Jinqin was unconsciously immersed in the performance until the band changed costumes and adjusted their outfits midway through the show, at which point she gradually came back to her senses.

She wanted to check the time, but noticed several unread message notifications from Liang Minghe. When she opened them, they were all garbled text.

Zhou Jinqin thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled and quickly typed a message and sent it.

[The event ends at 9:30.]

The person on the other end seemed to be constantly monitoring the phone, replying to messages very quickly, though with a hint of something more amiss.

[Posted by Tuan Tuan.]

Zhou Jinqin chuckled, and suddenly felt much better.

The stage lights went out, and a new round of performances was about to begin. Zhou Jinqin put away her phone, looked up at the stage again, and the moment the lights came on, she met Jia Yang's smiling eyes.

Before the smile on her face could fade, she lowered her eyes and deepened them, encouraging him.

Jia Yang placed his palm on his chest, where his heart was pounding wildly. He took a breath to calm himself down and quickly launched into a new, even more enthusiastic performance.

Two hours later, the performance ended on time. Instead of squeezing through the crowd to leave, Zhou Jinqin took the opportunity to type a message of praise for Jia Yang and thank him for the invitation that evening.

After sending the message, she went to the restroom again before picking up her belongings and leaving.

Because of the time wasted, by the time Zhou Jinqin left the venue, most of the people had already left, so she quickly walked to the street.

Just as I was about to cross the street to the subway station, a male voice called out to me from behind. It was Jia Yang.

He smiled shyly: "Thank you for coming to see us today. I hope I didn't waste your time."

Zhou Jinqin said seriously, "Of course not. You are underestimating yourself. With your popularity, you don't need me to come. I am the one who benefited from watching a very good performance. I especially liked several of your songs and added them to my playlist on the spot."

“Actually, I didn’t expect so many people to come.” Jia Yang paused, hesitated, and then continued, “But even if I had known, I would still have invited you…”

In heterosexual relationships, such hesitant words inevitably appear ambiguous. Zhou Jinqin was stunned for a moment, wondering if she, with her limited dating experience, had misunderstood.

She looked a little tense, but tried her best to remain calm: "No need, everyone says they like it, so next time I'll definitely have to buy a ticket myself to support them."

Jia Yang shook his head and smiled gently: "I just really wanted to thank you."

"Thank you?" Zhou Jinqin looked at him blankly.

During the time they've known each other, he's clearly the one helping her; it's not his place to thank her.

"Yes, thank you." Jia Yang nodded seriously. "You probably don't remember me, but I've known you for a long time."

As he spoke, he took out a campus card with Zhou Jinqin's personal information printed on it and said, "I've been thinking about how to repay you, but it seems like I can never find the right opportunity. You are very outstanding, and there is no problem that you can't solve. I think this is for the best. A good person like you shouldn't encounter setbacks."

Looking at her youthful self on the card, Zhou Jinqin's thoughts suddenly drifted back to her school days, overlapping the image of the simply dressed, thin, impoverished student she had helped in the cafeteria with the composed and handsome man before her.

She shook herself for a moment, then composed herself and smiled gently, her eyes crinkling: "It's just a few meals I treated you to, it's nothing. Besides, you've actually helped me a lot, so I should thank you too."

Jia Yang shook his head: "The water in the desert is different from the water in the oasis."

Zhou Jinqin was touched that her simple act had been remembered for so long. She said, "There's really no need to talk about repayment. I know you've been doing well since then, and that makes it all worthwhile."

Jia Yang smiled and said, "I guessed you were that kind of person, so I invited you to my show to tell you that my life started off very well."

"Thank you, really." His tone was calm, his gaze intense. "May I ask for a hug?"

Zhou Jinqin's eyes were also a little wet. She nodded and did not refuse.

Jia Yang hugged her very restrainedly, only lightly wrapping his arms around her waist. After thanking her again, he quickly let go of her without crossing any boundaries.

The subway station was just across the street, so Jia Yang didn't insist on seeing her off. After saying goodbye, he returned to the venue to handle the follow-up matters with his teammates, while Zhou Jinqin also moved closer to the zebra crossing to wait for the green light to come on.

As the countdown reached zero and the last car drove by, Zhou Jinqin suddenly saw Liang Minghe standing on the other side of the road, his whole being cold and his eyes gloomy.

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Author's Note: Xiaoqin, get ready to put out the fire! [glasses]