After dropping out of school, I chose to join a girls' band.

"If the stage and life are two different paths, then didn't I start on the wrong path from the beginning?" Momoko asked, her voice filled with confusion.

A scene from several years ago suddenly flashed into her mind. She had just debuted and was taken by her manager, Sakura Sakura, to a company year-end party. During the party, a junior colleague, while toasting her senior colleague, Mahiru Tsuzaki, asked her a question—

"Senior, what should you do when it's hard to distinguish between the character you play on stage and your real-life self? (The last line appears to be a nonsensical string of characters and doesn't translate directly.)"

At that moment, senior Tsukiyaki Mahiru was slightly taken aback, then smiled gently and said calmly, "On stage, it's all acting; off stage, it's all pretense. But remember, whether on or off stage, the most important thing is to find someone you can be your true self with. Only then can you take off all your masks."

Chu Hua felt that she was gradually touching on Tao Zi's inner conflict, and her eyes softened a little.

"I'm afraid... Miss Momoko wouldn't be able to fully reveal her true self in front of Miss Yue, would she?" Her tone was gentle, yet it carried a hint of insight, hitting the nail on the head.

Peach didn't answer directly, but chuckled softly, probably acknowledging the other person's guess.

"If this keeps going on, even Dionysus would get tired, right?" Chu Hua held Taozi's hand and gently comforted her.

"When I'm tired, I'll probably drink," Peach replied with a self-deprecating smile, a faint smile playing on her lips. "But... maybe the Goddess of Wine would prefer me like this?"

"Wouldn't that make you someone who dedicates their life to theater?" Chu Hua joked with a smile, trying to ease the somber mood with a lighthearted tone.

"If life were really as simple as a drama, that would be great." Peach sighed softly, shaking her head with a wry smile.

The two chatted casually about all sorts of things, and time slipped by unnoticed. When Chu Hua was about to leave, she was already standing at the door, her hand on the doorknob, but suddenly she stopped, as if she had made up her mind.

She turned around, her gaze fixed firmly on Peach sitting there, her tone becoming serious: "Peach... I originally wanted to tell you, 'Wait and hold onto hope.'"

"The Count of Monte Cristo?" Peach interrupted her with a smile, her tone slightly teasing. "I'm not some kind of vengeful ghost."

"Hmm... so I changed my mind." Chu Hua still didn't smile, and the expression on her face became even more determined.

"Peach, go and try it, try taking off the mask." Her voice was gentle yet full of strength, as if she were making a decision for Peach, or pointing her to a new path.

Peach looked at Chuhua quietly, remaining silent for a moment. An indescribable emotion filled the room, seemingly because of those short but poignant words.

A moment later, Peach nodded slightly, her smile no longer carrying the self-deprecation of before, but revealing an unprecedented sense of ease.

"Hmm... I'll give it a try," she said softly, as if talking to herself.

Stage Climax: Chapter 118 It really was just applying medicine

Backstage at Ring, Mygo members had just finished their last show of the week.

Chihaya Aine sat to the side, looking down at her phone screen with an uncontrollable smile on her face.

Her social media account page has a steady five-figure following, which instantly boosted her sense of accomplishment.

"Hehehe~ My social media following has increased a lot recently!" Ai Yin said excitedly, her eyes shining.

"So many?" Su Shi, who was standing nearby, curiously leaned over and stared at Ai Yin's screen.

Ai Yin switched to her comment section, and a screen full of messages quickly appeared.

She randomly clicked on a comment, her brows furrowing slightly. After a moment, she looked puzzled and said, "Strange, many of these comments seem to be from fans of China. I recognize each word individually, but I can't understand them when they're put together."

Su Shi glanced at the string of characters and also looked puzzled: "Hmm... I don't really understand either, it's probably some kind of internet slang."

“I did some research before, and these comments are probably related to the Tang Dynasty,” Ai Yin continued. “Later, I even studied some Tang Dynasty history, and I think they were probably praising me for being very powerful!”

"The Tang Dynasty?" Su Shi raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, the Tang Dynasty was a very powerful dynasty in Chinese history, so when they say I’m too Tang-like, they probably mean they think I’m very impressive.” Ai Yin explained proudly, as if she had already formed some kind of subtle connection with that glorious ancient dynasty.

She then glanced at the number of followers on the screen, a sudden surge of excitement welling up inside her, her eyes sparkling with anticipation: "I never thought I'd be the first to break into the international market! If this continues, maybe Mygo can even perform abroad!"

"What are you talking about?" Hinasaki and Riki walked in through the door. Judging from the water stains on their hands, they must have gone to the bathroom together.

However, Gao Songdeng felt that the two of them looked a little off.

----------------

Inside the Ring backstage restroom.

The toilet stall, originally designed for single use, is now crammed with both Yue and Lixi.

The confined space inevitably led to physical contact between the two, instantly creating an awkward atmosphere.

For example, Yue could feel the warm body temperature coming from Li hope behind her, a temperature that made her heart beat faster.

Despite her best efforts to remain calm, the heat on her face wouldn't dissipate. She secretly rejoiced that she had her back to Lixi, otherwise Lixi would have seen right through her emotions.

"Are you done yet?" Li hope asked softly, her face slightly flushed. She tried to look away from Yue's body, but in this small space, no matter how she looked, Yue's figure was always in front of her.

"Almost there..." Yue replied in a low voice. Although there should be no one else in the restroom at this time, she still subconsciously remained cautious.

She slowly unzipped her clothes, revealing her smooth back.

A few faint marks caught Li hope's eye. Yue lowered her head, her face slightly flushed, and said with a hint of shyness, "Okay, Li hope, thank you for your help."

Lixi nodded, feeling inexplicably nervous.

She carefully squeezed out a little ointment, her eyes focused on Yue's back. She gently dipped her fingers in the ointment and then slowly applied it to the marks on Yue's neck and back.

The cool touch made Yue tremble slightly, but she didn't say anything. She just stood there quietly, letting Lixi take care of her.

The ointment was borrowed from Sakura Sakura by Yue; it effectively removes marks and also acts as a concealer.

Although Yue can usually cover these marks with her clothes, the performance costumes were custom-made for them by Aine and could not be altered.

To avoid appearing on stage with these "scars" during a live dance performance, she finally mustered the courage to borrow the ointment, despite Sakura Sakura's gaze as if she were her own daughter who had grown up.

"Moon...is it a little cold?" Li hope asked in a low voice. The slight coolness of the ointment on her fingers made her a little worried. Would the cold touch of the ointment make Moon feel uncomfortable?

"No...no." Yue's voice trembled slightly as she tried to maintain her composure. However, as Lixi's fingers, dipped in the medicine, gently traced her back, the coolness mixed with a tingling sensation traveled from her skin to her spine and even her brain, so intense that she almost lost her balance.

Yue bit her lower lip, trying her best to stay upright, her face already flushed.

Lixi was unaware of Yue's reaction; she continued to apply the ointment with focused concentration.

As her fingers traced the moon's back, her movements were gentle and delicate, each touch as if she were carefully protecting a fragile object.

Knowing that Yue's skin was sensitive, she controlled the pressure just right, neither too light nor too heavy.

The ointment spread across the skin, like an invisible protective film, covering the faint marks.

Each time her fingers brushed against her skin, Yue couldn't help but tremble slightly. The tingling sensation left her bewildered, and even her breathing became somewhat disordered.

Even with Lixi's gentlest movements, she couldn't stop the electric shock-like sensation rising up her spine.

Her heart was racing, her breathing became rapid, and even her palms started to sweat.

To avoid being noticed by Lixi, she tried her best to control her body, but every time Lixi's fingers brushed against her, she still couldn't help but tremble slightly.

Lixi patiently applied the ointment evenly to Yue's back, gently pressing with her fingertips from time to time to ensure that the ointment could be fully absorbed into the skin.

Finally, her fingers gently traced Yue's shoulder blades and slowly moved towards her neck, where Yue's marks were most prominent.

Each touch of her fingertips was like a gentle tap on the moon's heart, making her breathing even more unsteady.

After applying the ointment, Lixi gently patted Yue's back with her fingers and said in a gentle voice, "Okay, you can pull up your clothes now."

Upon hearing this, Yue finally breathed a sigh of relief, but her hands trembled slightly, as if she was still savoring the feeling of Li Xi's fingers brushing against her skin.

She quickly pulled her clothes up, trying to calm her racing heart and breathing, but the blush on her face lingered for a long time.

"Thank you, Lixi," Yue said softly, her voice filled with a hint of shyness and gratitude, and she even seemed a little afraid to look him in the eye.

"Don't you need my help with other places?" Shiina Ritsuki asked Hinasaki, holding the ointment.

"The rest of the places..." Xiaoyue blushed again, after all, the remaining places were just too embarrassing.

Climax Stage: Chapter 119 Toilets are indeed for solving physiological needs.

Hinasaki's face quickly flushed red, and she murmured softly, "...the other places..."

Her voice was barely audible, and she was almost burying herself in her collar, her shy expression revealing her embarrassment.

“But, Xiaoyue… it’s not very convenient for you to be alone…” Shiina Tatsuki’s face also turned red, and her voice was a little hesitant.

After all, she was the one who caused those "scars," and she knew exactly where they were.

She still held the ointment in her hand, her gaze sweeping over Yue's body. When it lingered on certain "key" areas, Lixi couldn't help but feel her cheeks burning even hotter.

The two stood face to face, a subtle awkwardness and ambiguity filling the air.

Yue bit her lip, her gaze wandering aimlessly. In the end, she couldn't bring herself to refuse. She sat on the toilet, facing Lixi directly, so that he could operate it more easily.

"Please..." Hinasaki said in a very soft voice, her blush spreading almost to her ears.

"...Excuse me." Shiina Riki blushed as well, lowered her head slightly, and gently unzipped Yue's clothes, slowly grasping the hem of her garment.

Yue slowly raised her hands, and Lixi gently removed her clothes from her body, his movements careful and tender.

As her clothes were gradually lifted, Yue's firm and well-proportioned body was revealed, with obvious abdominal lines, especially her abs, which cleanly outlined the contours of her core muscles.

Her clothes still tightly hugged her full curves, outlining her magnificent figure.

When the thin garment was completely removed, the "marks" left by Lixi reappeared before her eyes—the teeth marks and shallow finger marks left during their passion on her lower abdomen, collarbone, and breasts, which, though nearly healed, were still clearly visible.

Looking at these marks, Li hope felt a complex mix of emotions.

She reached out and gently stroked one of the teeth marks that was almost healed, her fingertips delicately feeling the warmth of the moon's skin.

"Does it hurt?" Li hope asked in a low voice, her voice carrying a hint of worry and apology.

"It doesn't hurt anymore," Hinasaki replied softly, a faint smile on her lips, trying to soothe Riki's worries.

She knew that Lixi hadn't done it on purpose; those marks were silent testament to their intimate interactions.

Lixi's heart wavered slightly. She considered herself a person with extremely strong self-control, but that night, faced with Hinasaki's invitation, all her rationality seemed to vanish instantly.

She could hardly explain why she did those things, and even why she left such marks on Yue.

Her fingers continued to gently apply the ointment, moving slowly and carefully along Yue's shoulders and back.

Despite her efforts to focus on the task at hand, a certain emotion deep within her gradually became clearer—perhaps because she had found her true home?

That feeling for the moon made her want to get close to it and protect it at all times, and she even unconsciously revealed those overly intense emotions.

Even so, Lixi was still unsure, and didn't even know how she should understand this feeling.

A subtle and ambiguous atmosphere filled the air as Lixi dipped her fingers in the ointment and gently applied it to Yue's skin.

At first, Yue was able to maintain her composure, but when Lixi's fingers slid over every subtle curve of her body, the stimulation from the touch made her body tremble slightly.

Her breathing gradually quickened, and the soft moans that she could no longer suppress escaped through her fingers covering her mouth.