At 3 a.m., the landmines in front of the station

"Would you like to come in and sit for a while?"

She extended an ambiguous invitation to him.

Su Che frowned, then nodded, without refusing.

The two then returned to their old haunts.

In front of the station, the familiar enclosed space made Su Che feel safe.

Beside me is the cat that once pretended to be drunk and asleep here.

He slumped into a short wooden armchair, looking up at the payphone diagonally above him.

The telephone had long since gathered dust, and in this day and age, few people would bother to come here specifically to use it.

Rather, this one or two square meters of space is precisely what he, a disillusioned person, is prepared for, so that when he has nowhere else to go, he can come here to empty his mind and explore the meaning of life.

"An Qing."

"……Um?"

Realizing it was important, the girl held her breath and nestled in his arms, not daring to move.

He said in a low voice, "I've realized that I've always lived under my father's control, and I've never escaped even a little bit."

"...How...how do you say it?"

"I've never understood why people do things they don't like."

Su Che was puzzled. "My dad clearly doesn't like me very much, but he still insists on interfering in my life."

He could have just left me alone, but he insisted on setting things up around me, someone who was left to fend for himself, planting spies around me, and stirring up trouble in my life. I don't like the feeling of being manipulated, but I can't escape his control.

I thought about relying on a "team" to beat him on the path of music, but as it turns out, that idea was too naive.

The teams he casually assembled were at the level of Ari and Miya; no matter how hard we tried, we could never catch up. Let alone the teams he himself had previously formed.

“I know that his level is only above what I can imagine. What my mother said is not unfounded. There is absolutely no way I can beat him in the art of music.”

His dejected tone and dejected expression tugged at An Qing's heartstrings.

She wanted to continue trying to comfort him, but didn't know how to start.

A rational analysis suggests that this is indeed the case.

Putting aside the differences between Su Che and Lu Shi, let's just talk about the differences between the band members—

Can I overtake Ari on the Vocal curve?

The answer is obvious: it's nothing more than rambling in a dream.

well.

So, can Yuan Xiao beat Miya in playing the piano?

That's a ridiculous joke.

it is good.

Can Yu tide defeat UU?

If I remember correctly, Yu tide was so defeated by UU that she was numb. The reason she initially recruited Su Che was also because she wanted to beat UU, since she had already been brought to tears by UU.

very good.

What about Xiaoxiao versus Yi Xiang?

Vacuum Girl vs. Amami Drum King.

P.S.: The Drum King is her idol.

【Um. 】

That's the situation.

"Seven Colors" versus "Flower Echo"—putting everything else aside, in terms of lineup alone, "Seven Colors" is utterly defeated.

Therefore, Su Che's despair was an objective despair, not an irrational one.

His decision to give up was a "rational decision," a scientific result that took into account all factors. It was a timely act of cutting losses and was not driven by spite.

After a moment of silence, he finally sighed and said dejectedly:

"I'm thinking, is it time to wake up?"

"what……"

“I should have listened to my mother and tried something else. But I was very rebellious and defiant when I was young. I thought my father was just an ordinary person, sickly, and only cared about having fun, and didn’t understand what responsibility was. I didn’t think I was even inferior to a man like that.”

"Now I understand."

"If my dad is the lousy person I imagine him to be, then it seems unlikely that my mom would be so devoted to him. I still remember that my mom's photos from when she was young showed her to be stunningly beautiful. Her standards are no lower than those of ordinary people."

"..."

An Qing couldn't help but add, "Auntie is now a very beautiful lady... and she still looks very young."

The cat had seen Su Ling's photo in Su Che's drawer long ago and knew how alluring and seductive a woman who maintained herself to this extent must have been when she was young.

Genes don't lie.

Just like Su Che's face now, which is still radiant despite being immersed in pain.

An Qing suppressed the urge to do something and changed the subject first—

"Why don't you go to the neighborhood for a while? Staying in a small space all the time can make you feel depressed."

She looked around.

I didn't want to linger here because pedestrians kept passing by on the street.

After all, things are different now.

Simply petting and stroking a cat is not enough to satisfy its needs.

"Where to go?"

Su Che asked.

"How's Ningning's shop? Isn't it nearby?"

"what……"

Su Che was slightly taken aback, then thought, "That works too."

It was 10 p.m., the time when "Night Listening" opened.

The two set off immediately.

-

When Ning Ye saw her younger brother finally return to her after skipping work for a month, her gaze towards Su Che was almost slick with desire—even stickier than a triple cheese pizza.

"Oh my god, who is this?"

"Is this my little brother, Su, who's lost on the path of life, spending long periods of time hiding at home playing impa, claiming to be on leave to start a band but whose leave is 'eternal'?"

Ning Ye swayed her slender waist and quickly walked to the door. She cupped Su Che's soft, smooth cheeks in her hands and said with heartache, "I've missed you so much! Come in and sit down."

"..."

Su Che had no energy to respond to Ningning's longing, so he just nodded silently and went with An Qing to the back of the bar, where they found a corner seat to sit down.

Ning Ye was in a good mood. He personally went to the bar and mixed a large table of drinks, and also prepared a lot of exquisite food to serve as a late-night snack.

It's clear that the bar isn't doing well lately.

My former colleague, Xiao Wang, didn't seem to be at work, and all the other staff members were also absent, seemingly having resigned. Only Sister Ningning was busy with everything in the store, and there were hardly any customers.

"Xiao Su, after you left, my shop completely went downhill."

Ningning sat on the corner of the table, half of her bottom on the side, with an e-cigarette in one hand and the other hand stroking Su Che's neck, reaching deep into the back of his collar, and said.

"The guests come and you're not at work, and the adorable little Yuanxiao has eloped with you again. Your sister is all alone. She also turned down your father's offer, which cost her a hundred thousand or so. Life is getting harder and harder."

As she spoke, she pretended to wipe the corner of her eye with her sleeve, as if she were really about to cry.

But only Su Che understood her true nature, and immediately whispered, "Let me stay with you for the night once I've recovered."

"!? Really? Little brother, are you this good to your sister?"

Like a mother cat that has been given a special injection.

She was overjoyed even by just hearing a promise.

She immediately got off the table, squeezed next to him, and hummed, "Hey, I know why you're so down. I just watched the live stream."

"..."

Su Che turned his head in surprise and glanced at her.

Why do you watch live streams?

"Because you and Xiao Yuanxiao are performing on stage today, as your guardian, of course I have to keep an eye on you. Isn't that normal?"

Ning Ye's gaze darted away, and he only focused on the key points, saying, "Little brother, it's okay to fail. No one's journey is smooth sailing, especially for a music genius like your father."

"Don't praise him." Su Che's face darkened.

"Okay. Little brother, how about we talk about our plans for the future?"

Ning Ye withdrew her frivolous expression, and with a serious face, she touched his thigh while resting her other elbow on the table, propping her chin up and looking at him from the side, pretending to listen attentively.

An Qing sat silently across from her, observing the bar owner who exuded a carefree and dissolute air from head to toe... wondering how Su Che had managed to survive when he worked here before.

Before he could think further, Su Che said hesitantly:

"I definitely can't continue in the music field anymore. I've come to terms with reality. So I need to consider other paths."

"Hey? Little brother, but what will happen to your team if you just give up like this? For example, this little girl over here, isn't she your lead singer? Are you going to abandon her?"

Ningning's teasing words were full of ulterior motives, making An Qing feel uneasy and uncomfortable.

Fortunately, Su Che retained some rationality and said frankly:

"Of course not. When I say give up music, I mean put it aside for the time being, no longer make it the main theme of my life, and no longer recklessly pursue this path, naively fantasizing that I can defeat someone."

"Really? So you don't plan to disband 'Seven Colors,' right?"