RCQT Chapter 103

Rong Jinghe fixed his gaze on the person. “Bought the whole family set again.”

“Came out for a late-night snack and happened to see it on sale, so I bought it.”

Chu Qianze held the items and sat down next to him, directly tearing open the packaging. “Since the last time I had it, I couldn’t forget its taste. Finally, I found the chance.”

Now he has to watch his diet and avoid these kinds of things.

Seeing that Rong Jinghe seemed hesitant to say something that might ruin the mood, Chu Qianze directly handed him a chicken nugget. “Don’t be shy, have some more.”

Silently finishing the chicken nugget, Rong Jinghe commented, “This exceeds my daily calorie limit.”

“No worries, I’ve eaten even more before, and I haven’t gained any weight.” Chu Qianze said in a relaxed tone, opening the beverage.

Afterwards, noticing a slight pause in Rong Jinghe’s movement as he ate the grilled wings, Chu Qianze chuckled, “If you do gain weight, I can provide emotional support for your weight loss journey.”

“You can leave now.” Rong Jinghe knew what to say.

After that last meal, in order to control his weight, he doubled his training intensity.

“Seriously?”

Chu Qianze took a sip of his drink, stood up, and patted his pants. “I’ll really go then.”

“Wait.”

Chu Qianze: “Speak up if you have something.”

“Fried chicken stays,” Rong Jinghe said.

Chu Qianze rolled his eyes. “Nice try.”

Rong Jinghe chuckled and shifted aside a bit. “Come over and sit.”

Placing the whole family set between them, Chu Qianze picked up his drink and put it to the side.

Seeing this, Rong Jinghe picked up his own cup and clinked it against Chu Qianze’s. “Cheers.”

The two sat quietly, not saying much. The rooftop was filled with the crispy sounds of the fried chicken being torn apart, the slurping noise of straws during drinks, and the occasional rustling of the wind.

“What are you thinking?” Chu Qianze broke the silence.

“I’m thinking, after eating so much tonight, how much extra training would be appropriate tomorrow.” Rong Jinghe’s legs were crossed, his arms resting on his knees as he casually looked ahead.

“You’re still thinking about that?” Chu Qianze chuckled. “Honestly, with your current training intensity, a bit of indulgence won’t hurt. Any thinner, and you’ll disappear.”

“Really?”

“By the way, didn’t you have your own creation yesterday? You wrote the lyrics, what about the melody? Have you thought about it?” Chu Qianze asked.

“I have a few versions,” Rong Jinghe said. “Want to hear?”

“Sure.” Chu Qianze agreed.

“Then I’ll share it with you.” Without any instruments, Rong Jinghe simply clapped his hands to keep the beat.

“I walk in the darkness, stepping to a lost rhythm. Numbly, I move forward, uncertain where to halt. I see a dazzling stage, and I see all of you waving in unison.”

With no accompaniment, it was a simple acapella, refreshing and clean.

The lyrics were the notes the two exchanged on paper yesterday, and the completeness of the melody was evident—they had put a lot of effort into it.

Chu Qianze sat in silence beside him, listening to the performance.

In the song, the protagonist sees the shining idols on stage, watches the fans below shouting and cheering, countless glow sticks swaying in unison, forming one flower sea after another.

Suddenly, a thread of longing arose in him, aspiring to become that dazzling figure, to be a radiant presence. However, in the process of striving, he realized that he was the one being warmed.

Rong Jinghe sat cross-legged on the ground, bones still beside him on the paper. He hummed softly, singing with a comfort that even he wasn’t fully aware of.

As the chorus concluded, Rong Jing stopped and cleared his throat. “That’s about it.”

“Very nice, is it for the fans?” Chu Qianze applauded.

“Yeah…” Rong Jinghe nodded.

Rong Jinghe tugged at his ear, showing a rare hint of shyness. “I think it’s far from perfect. These are all simple melodies, mostly repetitive. Today’s experiences also taught me that I’m not some extraordinary person; there’s still so much to learn.”

“Speaking of this ranking, you don’t need to worry too much,” Chu Qianze put the cleaned bones into a plastic bag and wiped his hands with a tissue.

“You’ve always been number one.”

Hearing this, Rong Jinghe paused for a moment and then chuckled lightly. “You trust me that much?”

“Trust my foot. I’m just stating the facts.” Chu Qianze rolled his eyes.

“Hmm,” Rong Jinghe looked up at the sky, closed his eyes for a moment, then said, “Actually, I’ve been reflecting on whether I messed up this performance. But when I try to recall, it seems like I can’t remember anything.”

Chu Qianze reminisced, “No, your performance was quite good. Besides the time when you kept looking at me, everything else followed the training. But your expressions at that moment, along with the atmosphere of the song, matched well. It was even better than when we rehearsed together before.”

“What expressions?” Rong Jinghe sensed something.

“Just… the expressions while dancing? Quite involved.”

Chu Qianze blinked. “After the duet ended and everyone returned to their original positions, I didn’t pay much attention.”

“You didn’t mess up, alright?” Chu Qianze insisted, “Why would I lie to you about something like this?”

Rong Jinghe sighed in relief.

Taking a large chicken leg from the whole family set, he took a big bite. After finishing the entire chicken leg, he casually asked, “When will you grab the first place?”

“That depends on the audience, ask them when they’ll give me the first place.” Chu Qianze took out a pack of tamarind candy from the side. Before pouring it in, he asked, “Want some tamarind candy?”

“Sure,” Rong Jinghe agreed.

Without a word, Chu Qianze poured the entire pack of tamarind candy into the container.

“I really want to see you get first place,” Rong Jinghe said.

Hearing this, Chu Qianze turned to look at him, his eyes filled with some confusion.

Rong Jinghe explained, “Since the first season, I’ve always thought you were an amazing person. Instead of competing with others, I’d rather battle with you.”

“You’re not following the usual script,” Chu Qianze took a sip of his drink, suppressing his surprise. “If this were recorded, you’d be setting yourself up for controversy.”

“Just felt like saying it suddenly. Will you spread it around?”

For some reason, Rong Jinghe felt a sense of trust in this person. There was competition, but it lacked any hostility, making it quite unique.

“Let’s forget it; it’s just the two of us here. If it gets out, they’ll know it’s me,” Chu Qianze stretched his arms overhead, lazily yawning. “You should focus on yourself. Don’t want to see you drop down when I climb up.”

“That makes sense,” Rong Jinghe pondered.

“It seems like I have to work even harder then.”

Chu Qianze: “Of course.”

Thought he might be feeling down or something, well, underestimated this guy.

He looked up at the sky, suddenly noticing something, and nudged the person beside him. “Look, a shooting star.”

“Where?” Hearing this, Rong Jinghe quickly looked up, but only caught a glimpse of the tail.

“Did you make a wish?” Chu Qianze asked.

“Haven’t figured it out yet,” Rong Jinghe admitted honestly.

“Oh.”

Rong Jinghe asked, “And you?”

“I didn’t either, was just enjoying the view.”

A brief awkward silence filled the air.

At that moment, at the edge of the night sky, numerous stars suddenly lit up, streaking across the sky one by one.

A meteor shower.

Ye Lunguo was lying on his bed humming a song.

Hong had just finished applying a face mask and was doing skincare.

Dou Xi was diligently practicing his fundamentals.

Everyone was working hard for the upcoming challenges.

As the meteor shower faded away, the magnificent scene seemed as if it had never occurred, leaving behind a subtle sense of melancholy.

“What wish did you make?” Chu Qianze asked.

“If you say it out loud, it won’t come true, right?” Rong Jinghe replied.

“Fair enough. I was thinking, if possible, to see if I could lend a hand.” Chu Qianze propped himself up on his hands, leaning backward.

“May everyone have a good future,” Rong Jinghe said.

It wasn’t apparent, but this guy was an idealist.

Thinking of the names he had seen on the list earlier, Chu Qianze smiled. “I’m quite curious to see what you’ll be like when you debut.”

“You, my friend, are practically a natural-born idol.”

“Don’t…don’t praise me too much,” Rong Jinghe turned away, a bit overwhelmed.

Is he shy?

Chu Qianze got into the spirit, “I think Rong Jinghe is naturally made for the stage.”

Rong Jinghe shivered at the cheesy remark.

“Naturally beautiful, excellent in singing and dancing, and exceptional in original lyrics and melodies. Hmm… let me think what else—” Chu Qianze was about to continue, but Rong Jinghe couldn’t take it anymore. He immediately covered Chu Qianze’s mouth. “Got it, I got it, stop talking!”

Chu Qianze allowed himself to be muffled, not struggling, just watching Rong Jinghe with his chin propped up.

When Rong Jinghe finally removed his hand and settled back into his spot, Chu Qianze remained there, looking at him.

“…Thank you,” Rong Jinghe said.

“Now it’s your turn to praise me,” Chu Qianze remarked.

“What?”

“Reciprocity. I’ve said so many nice things about you, it’s only fair if you compliment me a bit. Repay kindness with gratitude. I’ll round it up for you; how about ten sentences?” Chu Qianze raised the grilled wing in his hand, indicating that he was ready.

After all that fuss, he’s expecting compliments for himself?

Rong Jinghe was genuinely surprised by this man’s audacity.

“Hurry up,” Chu Qianze urged.

“Wait a moment, let me think…”

On the day the new episode was broadcasted across the entire network, the top five ranked trainees had the opportunity to host live broadcasts. Chu Qianze, being the fifth, coincidentally followed closely behind.

As Rong Jinghe began his live broadcast, Chu Qianze, being the last, had to wait in the corner.

Seeing the third-ranked contestant leave, Rong Jinghe walked up to the camera, placing the guitar to the side. “Hello, everyone. I didn’t expect to meet you in this way.”

Observing someone in the barrage asking if there was someone next to him, Rong Jinghe answered, “Yes, because Chu Qianze is live streaming behind me, so he’s currently preparing here.”

Someone asked about their relationship.

“We have a good relationship,” Rong Jinghe replied.

After chatting with the audience for a while, Rong Jinghe, noticing the time, picked up the guitar next to him. “Well, this time I’ve prepared a song. I happened to write it during this period, so I’ll take this opportunity to sing it for you. I hope you all enjoy it.”

After testing the sound and confirming everything was fine, he added, “By the way, I consulted with Chu Qianze on the lyrics, but the melody is my own creation.”

“Let me begin.”

Chu Qianze sat in a chair, looking at the list of items for the live broadcast, listening to Rong Jinghe singing in the background.

After the song ended, Rong Jinghe’s live stream concluded.

Rong Jinghe stood up and gestured for Chu Qianze to come over.

“Is it my turn?” Chu Qianze asked.

Rong Jinghe nodded in agreement.

Chu Qianze walked over, glanced at the barrage, and settled into his seat. “Hello, everyone. We just met on the show, I hope you’re not tired of seeing me.”

As he finished speaking, the staff called for a pause. Soon after, several boxes were brought over.

“What’s this?” Chu Qianze was puzzled; there was no mention of this in the briefing.

“These are surprises from the fans, a segment where fans can specify the content of the idol’s live broadcast,” the staff explained.

“So, am I doing a mukbang? My fans are truly understanding me.” Chu Qianze opened a box nearby; it was a hamburger. Opening another, he found cream mousse. Wasn’t this the limited edition one? Surprisingly, the production team managed to get it!

“Thank you all for the surprise~” His smile was particularly bright, and his tone exceptionally sincere.

During the rest of the live broadcast, he fully demonstrated his professional skills as a mukbang artist. While answering questions, he encouraged the viewers to order takeout.

With all the food on the table cleared, and noticing there was still some time, Chu Qianze cleared his throat, hinting, “The fried chicken from Bianjing next door is also good. How about trying it together next time? Thank you all for your support; I’ll strive to stay in the top five!”

After ending the broadcast, Chu Qianze felt a sudden surge of motivation.

 

 

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