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Zhao Qinfeng's job nature and workload determined that he was destined to travel around to different places and could never stay at home for long.
Lin Ting was the opposite of him. Before being fired from his original company, Lin Ting's activities were based in Haicheng. Except for the occasional business trip where he would stay outside, he would go back to his rented house to sleep every day.
After he was fired, he could stay at home all day long, which was completely different from Zhao Qinfeng.
Although Zhao Qinfeng was busy flying around, he still kept up his habit of replying to messages, so diligently that Lin Ting felt at ease.
That evening, Lin Ting had a video call with Zhao Qinfeng, who was more than a thousand kilometers away.
Lin Ting recalled the time the two of them usually spent at home and vaguely felt that she had occupied the other's house, even the master bedroom, without paying rent.
This is absolutely outrageous!
He thought this way and told it to Zhao Qinfeng, immediately receiving a speechless look in return.
"I'll be back in a couple of days. If you want to discuss the rent, we can talk about it in person then," Zhao Qinfeng said with a chilling smile.
Lin Ting stuck out her tongue and chuckled as she tried to smooth things over, "I was just kidding..."
Lin Ting seriously reflected on herself, feeling that it was a bit cheap to act innocent after getting the benefit, so she awkwardly changed the subject, "By the way, what stage are you at in preparing for your next album?"
Zhao Qinfeng said, "We have a general theme, and we've been working on the melody for the main track. The specific participants are still being planned, and we'll start seeking collaborations soon."
"Oh... are you planning a tour after the album comes out?" Lin Ting asked.
"It should be possible, but the specific arrangements haven't been finalized yet. Should we reserve a front-row ticket for you?" Zhao Qinfeng asked.
"Let me try to snatch it first. If I can't, I'll come back to you," Lin Ting said.
The two said goodnight and ended the video call.
Before going to bed, Lin Ting organized his recent tasks and glanced at his work email. There were no upcoming show invitations, he had some lyrics to write, and then there were matters to be dealt with regarding the competition. In short, he still didn't have any work requiring him to go out.
Although his job doesn't require him to leave home, he still often goes out to buy groceries and cooks three meals a day for himself.
It's a trivial matter, but once you get used to it, it becomes a form of relaxation. Sometimes, when you relax too much, it's easy to drift off into your own thoughts. Except when the food is cooking in the pan, Lin Ting might get lost in thinking about other things.
Lin Ting was thinking about how she should tell Zhao Qinfeng that she had actually written quite a few lyrics, including some that had become well-known in recent years.
Moreover, he kept this matter a complete secret from Zhao Qinfeng, not revealing a single word to him. The few times he might have found out were all accidental occurrences.
Lin Ting cracked an egg with one hand.
Will Zhao Qinfeng be surprised? Or will he be indifferent to it, or will he resent that he is only now willing to tell him?
Or perhaps there's another possibility: Zhao Qinfeng had already noticed the clues, but instead of telling him, he just watched him awkwardly try to cover it up.
Lin Ting lost control of his strength and crushed the eggshell. The remaining egg white slowly slid onto his hand.
Lin Ting felt the cold, slippery touch on his hands, sighed, first threw the eggshells he had crushed into the kitchen trash can, then turned on the tap to wash his hands, and finally took a pair of chopsticks back to beat the eggs.
When Zhao Qinfeng returned, it was a rainy evening.
Lin Ting was writing lyrics in his room. He was sitting not far from the window and could clearly hear the sound of raindrops hitting the glass. The patter of the rain and the howling of the wind were mostly blocked by the glass window, turning into a gentle background noise.
He vaguely heard the sound of the door opening, so he put down his pen, opened the door, and went out.
Zhao Qinfeng came in carrying his luggage, his hair still dripping wet, and his shoulders and trouser legs were soaked with dark water stains.
The suitcase was also soaked with rainwater. Lin Ting took a dry towel from the bathroom and handed it to Zhao Qinfeng.
Zhao Qinfeng thanked him, took the towel, and quickly dried his hair.
"Go take a hot shower first, be careful not to catch a cold. I'll wipe your suitcase down for you."
Seeing Zhao Qinfeng leave the living room and go into the room, he found a rag and wiped the water off the surface of the suitcase. He then wiped the mud off the casters and placed a bag under it to prevent the house from getting dirty.
After finishing all that, Lin Ting thought about the amount of leftovers from lunch. There was enough rice, but probably not enough vegetables. So he took out the cabbage he had eaten halfway through from the refrigerator and prepared to add a vegetarian dish for dinner.
When Zhao Qinfeng came out, he smelled the aroma of food wafting from the kitchen.
Because the range hood was very loud, and Lin Ting was using a spatula to scoop out the stir-fried cabbage, making a teeth-grinding sound as the spatula scraped against the bottom of the pan, she didn't notice Zhao Qinfeng's footsteps at all. She only noticed him out of the corner of her eye when he finally stood at the kitchen door.
"Come and serve the dishes, and also get the rice," Lin Ting called out to him for help.
Zhao Qinfeng smiled and agreed. He first took the cabbage from the other person, then picked up the braised pork ribs that were already heated up and put them on the table. Then he went back to the rice cooker, scooped out rice for each person, and then picked up the utensils and went back to the table.
Lin Ting turned off the noisy range hood, filled the used pot with some water and placed it aside, then brought the other two heated dishes to the table.
"Did the recording go smoothly?" Lin Ting casually asked Zhao Qinfeng about his work.
"The recording went smoothly, but the flight was a bit delayed twice. I was supposed to be back last night," Zhao Qinfeng said.
The two chatted about trivial matters and slowly finished the food on the table.
Lin Ting actually really enjoys eating with Zhao Qinfeng; it's a very homely experience.
After they had almost finished eating, Lin Ting put down his chopsticks and said somewhat seriously, "I have something to tell you in a little while. It's a rather formal matter, so be prepared."
Zhao Qinfeng was picking up a slippery water bamboo shoot with his chopsticks when he heard this, he lost his grip and accidentally dropped the water bamboo shoot back into the plate.
Zhao Qinfeng paused, glancing at Lin Ting with some surprise. He didn't reach for the slipped water chestnut, but instead put down his chopsticks. He tentatively asked, "Have you thought it through?"
Lin Ting nodded. "I've thought it through. I was originally thinking of taking a long-term approach or even going a step further, but after talking to friends who know about it, I feel that this matter can be resolved between the two of us."
Zhao Qinfeng suggested, "Then I'll wash the dishes and come find you?"
Lin Ting had no objection to this and turned back to his previous room, which was now mainly used as an office.
He didn't close the door, so the crisp sound of ceramic tableware clinking together and the rushing water could be heard. Lin Ting didn't rest after returning to his room; instead, he took out some manuscripts he had prepared beforehand and placed them alongside what he had just been writing.
He also turned on his computer, logged into his personal account on the music platform, and went to the "Personal Works" section.
After that, he waited silently, doing nothing but looking down at the various revision marks on the manuscript.
Zhao Qinfeng's dishwashing skills weren't necessarily quick, but his movements were smooth, steady, and very methodical.
He first washed the dishes, then cleaned the two used pots and the inner pot of the rice cooker, then carefully wiped the stove and the area around the sink, and finally washed and hung up the dishcloth.
Zhao Qinfeng appeared calm and patient, but the act of hanging the wrung-out rag on the hook on the wall betrayed his inner anxiety.
The rags at home become limp after a while, and the hooks are slippery, so I have to pay extra attention to the angle every time I hang them up.
Zhao Qinfeng hung the rag two or three times before he could hang it up properly. He took a deep breath, rubbed his face a couple of times, stood there for a moment to calm himself down, and then turned around, walked out of the kitchen, turned off the kitchen light, and headed towards the guest room.
Lin Ting leaned back in his chair, turned his head slightly, and saw Zhao Qinfeng walking towards him step by step.
He pointed to the chair beside him, "You can sit here."
Zhao Qinfeng sat down, his gaze naturally falling on the screen in front of him.
Zhao Qinfeng himself also has an account on this platform, so it's clear that this is his personal backend interface. The screen displays the two large characters "Jinghu" (静湖), and the works below are sorted by recent popularity, many of which are works that combine quality and popularity.
Lin Ting slowly began to speak: "As you can see, besides being a music critic, I am also a lyricist who has always worked behind the scenes and has never appeared in public."
Zhao Qinfeng suddenly leaned against Lin Ting. Lin Ting was confused, but after a moment he noticed that Zhao Qinfeng was reaching for the mouse on his side and then scrolling down to look at the songs for which Lin Ting had written lyrics.
Lin Ting also handed Zhao Qinfeng the manuscripts of lyrics he had kept in the past. "Although you should believe me, in order to make what I say more convincing, I have dug out the old manuscripts. The top one is what I am writing recently."
Zhao Qinfeng took the manuscript, moving very gently while carefully flipping through it.
Lin Ting sensed a profound sense of respect from this.
After a while, Zhao Qinfeng handed the manuscript back to Lin Ting.
"Is there anything you want to ask me?" Lin Ting took the manuscript and put it away, then turned around and leaned closer to ask Zhao Qinfeng in a soft voice.
“I want to write songs with you,” Zhao Qinfeng said solemnly, cupping his face in his hands and gazing into his eyes.
Lin Ting's eyes welled up with tears, and he blinked hard, holding them back. Zhao Qinfeng saw his facial expressions clearly, and after watching him for a while, he stood up and leaned down to kiss Lin Ting's forehead.
Lin Ting reached out and wrapped her arms around Zhao Qinfeng's waist, hugging him tightly and pressing her face against Zhao Qinfeng's loungewear. Because the distance was almost zero, Lin Ting could smell the scent of Zhao Qinfeng's shower gel.
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