Band Girl Drink Mixing Action

It seemed that it was after that karaoke session that Xiao Xiang gradually began to be able to sing with her own voice. She also gradually became closer to everyone, allowing everyone to see a more relaxed side of her.

Although Qingchuan Xiang hated the "DRINK BAR" brand, she had to get the drinks she wanted here. She had already finished the lotus seed soup she brought with her.

"I can't accept this..." Qingchuan Xiang, feeling completely gloomy, finally trampled on his bottom line. He admitted defeat, took a cup and placed it under the beverage machine to start receiving drinks. "You might as well let me buy a can of Sprite... But I really want to drink water..."

Ah, Xiao Xiang is exactly the same as last time. In the end, she is like a salted fish thrown on the beach, forced to accept the beverage machine bar.

"Hehe..." Xiao Deng looked at Qingchuan Xiang who was sighing like this. The thoughts that reminded him of Qingchuan Xiang were now clearly in front of him. Although Xiao Xiang looked pitiful, he still couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hey! Did Xiao Deng smile just now?"

Xiao Deng was standing not far behind Ain. The chuckle did not escape Ain's ears. It startled Ain and she turned around. She took the opportunity to tilt her body to see Xiao Deng's smile.

Aiyin's loud shouting naturally attracted Qingchuan Xiang's attention. When she turned around, she saw Xiaodeng staring at her and caught the tail of the cute smile that flashed across Xiaodeng's face.

Deng immediately started to panic when she was caught "laughing" at Xiao Xiang. The slight blush from her chuckle turned into a shy heat. She covered her mouth and finally her entire face to prevent the two of them from looking at each other.

"I didn't..." The words as thin as a mosquito's voice came out from the gap between the palms with difficulty, and were vague and inaudible.

………………

After teasing Xiao Deng for a while and admiring her shy look, Qingchuan Xiang and Aiyin didn't make things difficult for her and went into the booked room together.

By the way, Qingchuan Xiang poured 5 or 6 drinks as a vent, and brought them into the room together. The staff also reminded him that there would be additional charges if he didn't finish them.

Oh, is there a chance I won't be able to finish the drink? I'll uproot that heretical place—

This is a holy war!

So as soon as they entered the box, Qingchuan Xiang started sitting there and drinking, with a generous attitude as if inviting the two of them to drink as they pleased and she would finish it first.

"Won't Xiaoxiang feel uncomfortable after drinking so much..." Aiyin complained softly, but the purpose of coming to karaoke today was to help Xiaodeng relax, so she quickly turned to Deng.

"Xiao Deng, do you want to try out Sumimi's song? How about I sing Chuhua and Xiao Deng sing Mana?"

But Aine soon remembered that Xiao Deng didn't know Sumimi at all, and she wasn't sure what songs Xiao Deng liked, so she handed the jukebox over again. "Or maybe Xiao Deng could play some songs you like yourself?"

"I..." Looking at the karaoke machine handed over, Deng was a little tempted, but still shook his head to refuse, "I'm not very good at singing. Xiangzi also told me today that I need more practice..."

But Deng was afraid that it would ruin Aine's mood, so he picked up the small maracas in the box and shook them, making a rustling sound. "I... I will cheer for Aine."

"Hey—" Although Xiao Deng seemed to be a little more lively than before, Aiyin still hoped that Xiao Deng could relax a little more. "It would be boring if I were the only one singing. Xiao Xiang, do you want to sing?"

Here he is asking Qingchuan Xiang to cooperate with him to persuade Deng to sing a song.

"I think Xiaodeng sings much better than me." Qingchuan Xiang was still drinking drinks continuously, just now it was Coke, and now it was another glass of orange juice.

Although she was busy talking, Qingchuan Xiang immediately guessed what Aine was thinking. After all, Aine chose to take this opportunity to ask Deng about the band's disbandment in a small karaoke box, which was a relaxed and private environment with only the three of them.

"I can't sing the songs that Aiyin likes to listen to..." Xiaodeng refused from a different angle, but he had no idea what songs Xiaoxiang liked.

"Then why don't you try singing Kasuga Shadow?"

Qingchuan Xiang said the word without hesitation.

"Haruhi Kage? Ah, could it be an original song from your previous band? That's amazing—" Aine tapped her fingers quickly on the jukebox, "But it doesn't seem to be there."

"If I sing Kasuga Shadow, everyone will leave me again..." Deng looked at Qingchuan Xiang and then at Aine with longing, "I don't want to waste my energy anymore..."

Chapter 15 Singing

"It's just a waste of effort, what do you mean?" Aiyin blinked, lowered her head and pretended to operate the karaoke machine, and casually asked Xiaodeng what he meant by what he just said.

It may seem rude not to look at the other person when asking questions, but in fact, the attitude of "I don't care" expressed by Aine now makes Deng feel less pressured.

As for Qingchuan Xiang? She was drinking a drink, pretending to be a fish in water, blowing bubbles at the drink in the cup... Not to mention the pressure, she was also worried that if Deng saw Xiaoxiang at this moment, she would mistake her for a penguin.

“Could it be that?” Aine asked again with a smile and a relaxed tone, “Is it about musical incompatibility?”

In the first set of questions, Aine deliberately did not involve the subjective emotional issues of who was right and who was wrong, but instead used the objective aspect of "musicality" to ask.

"Eh? I think... probably not." Xiao Deng obviously hadn't thought about anything like musicality. Before forming the band, everyone started practicing based on Deng's lyrics and Xiangzi's composition. The whole process was finalized and executed by Xiangzi alone.

Deng has never understood these more professional things. She only knows how to sing her own lyrics. This is probably one of the reasons why Deng always blames herself for her mistakes: she can't think of anything else.

"I originally thought it was my fault..." But what happened today shook Xiaodeng's firm belief that he was the culprit for the band's disbandment. It was Xiangzi's few short words.

But even so, it is an indisputable fact that the band disbanded after their first live performance when they sang "Haruhi Shadow".

So even though Xiao Deng is still subconsciously resisting singing, she is now worried that something similar will happen again after she finishes singing.

“But I still don’t want to sing…”

“But, wouldn’t it be better if I just tried a little harder so as not to waste my energy?” Looking at the lights like this, Aine couldn’t help but think of herself not long ago, when she had just escaped from London. The lights now, like herself before, had a cowardly mentality.

The difference between Lovely Sound and Light is...

"Even if you fail once, you can still start over. Life is so long, if you keep dwelling on it, you won't be able to survive."

Isn't Aine saying this to herself?

"ano..." Deng was obviously beginning to waver. This sentence, said by Aine, who had been in a similar state of mind as Deng, although it was only one-sided words from someone who had never really understood the story behind Deng, truly touched Deng's heart.

Now, just a little bit of encouragement is needed to pry open the heart where the light has already opened a crack.

Kiyokawa Xiang couldn't do what Aine just did, but she could see that Aine's words had a great impact on Deng, so the next step was for Xiang to cooperate.

"Xiao Deng, how about we sing Spring Shadow together?"

"!"

Deng turned his head almost suddenly and looked at Qingchuan Xiang in surprise. Qingchuan Xiang also put down the cup in his hand at this time, smiled and looked at Deng without any hesitation.

"If Deng is hesitant and will lose it because of singing, then let's just experiment now." Qingchuan Xiang stood up and walked towards Deng's gaze. He held her hand, raised it, and placed it where his and Deng's eyes met. "Now, right here, Aine and I will listen."

"Okay." Deng nodded vigorously.

There was no instrument playing, no ready-made accompaniment, but two completely different voices rang out in this small box.

"With a withered heart and wavering eyes. I am the only one left in this world..."

When Deng sang the first sentence, Aine realized how wrong she was to think that Deng was only suitable for singing those sweet songs.

Deng's voice usually always makes people who hear it feel very soft and cute, but when Deng starts to sing, her originally weak voice reveals its original background. The sense of power and life bursts out from Deng's thin body and fills every word she sings.

She was screaming. Aine, who was listening to the lights singing, had this thought in her mind for some reason.

Compared to Deng, who was finally able to sing again and was trying her best, Qingchuan Xiang had a completely different style.

Xiaoxiang's voice is clear and transparent, and it is difficult to ignore her voice. Even in the noisiest environment, her voice will stand out and make it impossible to ignore its existence.

Qingchuan Xiang took the initiative to provide harmony, and the clear voice that instinctively captured everyone's attention was restrained, becoming a trickle of water that swirled around the long stream accompanying the lights' cry, providing more layers of support for the lead singer's monologue. The inorganic water further lifted the deeply emotional song, reaching its highest point...

Aine was deeply shocked. Before this, she had always been a little proud. When Qingchuan Xiang said that she and Xiao Deng were in a band, playing rhythm guitar and vocals respectively, Aine proudly said that she was also the guitarist and vocalist in her junior high school band.

I was very popular at that time. If I formed a band with Xiaoxiang and Xiaodeng, I would also lead the two of us to get everyone's cheers!

But now, after hearing the simple chorus of Kiyokawa Xiang and Deng, Aine found that she was wrong.

Isn't this completely incomparable to me?

However, Aiyin did not feel inferior at all. She was completely captivated by the singing of the two people. Even the song called Kasuga Shadow touched Aiyin deeply.

Well...it doesn't seem to matter if I give the lead vocal position to Xiao Deng. It seems like it would be nice to be the guitarist and backing vocalist myself.

If Aiyin just wanted to better integrate into the group by playing in a band before, now she really wants to form a band with Deng and Xiang.

When the song ended, as soon as Deng finished singing the last line of the lyrics, Aine immediately clapped her hands enthusiastically, and she didn't stop even when her palms turned red.

"That's great! Xiang and Xiao Deng... But, haha, Xiao Deng, what's that expression on your face?" While she was praising them, Aiyin looked at Deng, who had a confused look on his face after singing the song, as if he was groggy and had just woken up.

"Did I sing it properly? It was like a dream just now, I have no memory..."

“That’s nothing, Xiao Deng.” Aine laughed heartily, “It’s really, really great!”

"Really..." Deng was a little happy.

Chapter 16 should be fine...?

"Didn't Xiao Deng sing very well?" Not only Aine, but Qingchuan Xiang, who was sitting and singing with Deng, also gave a positive response to Xiao Deng.

In reality, the gentle encouragement from the two people overwhelmed Xiao Deng's hesitation. Deng clenched his hands, and the real touch told him that all this was real.

After Qingchuan Xiang finished singing the song, he stood up and sat back in his previous seat and continued to deal with the remaining drinks.

Maybe because he had just finished singing, Qingchuan Xiang felt a little thirsty. This time, Xiang drank the drink a little faster than before, and the drink was finished within a few seconds.

"Xiao Xiang really likes to drink." After spending a whole day together, Aiyin also found that Qingchuan Xiang really never stopped drinking water throughout the whole time, and she couldn't help but sigh.

After sighing, Aine said to Deng: "Deng is such a good singer. If you stagnate and refuse to try again because of what happened in the past, it would be a pity——"

At this point, Aine pretended to be reserved and didn't directly invite Deng. "Who knows, maybe Deng will miraculously meet a really good bandmate this time. Although that person might not necessarily be me, I would be very happy if Deng was willing to form a band with me."

"Ah, sorry to bother you." Qingchuan Xiang suddenly spoke at this time, making the other two look at her immediately.

"What's wrong, Xiaoxiang?" "Xiang...?"

"Ahem." Qingchuan Xiang's face was a little embarrassed. She originally wanted Aiyin and Deng to form a band, and she didn't want to disturb them at this time. "I've finished my drink. I'll go out and get some. You two can continue chatting."

"Hey! They've finished it?! Six whole cups?" Aiyin didn't care about being interrupted, but looked at the table in front of Qingchuan Xiang in surprise. The six cups of different drinks that she had brought in earlier had all been finished.

Qingchuan Xiang placed a few cups on the tray steadily, picked them up, stood up, and quickly walked to the door, opened the door and went out, leaving only a sentence: "You guys chat first -"

After leaving the room, Qingchuan Xiang let out a long sigh.

That should be all right, right? With Aiyin now around, Deng had renewed his desire to form a band. Regardless of whether he could stick with it later, at least he had made a good start.

Although it felt like I was plotting against Aine, she also had the idea of forming a band. My own instigation only led Aine to prioritize Deng as a bandmate, not to mention that Aine seemed to like Deng quite a bit...

Phew, now I should be able to rest assured about Xiao Deng. Then I can just get out of the way and hand the stage over to them. Everything will fall into place naturally.

Of course, Kiyokawa Xiang didn't mean to abandon Deng and Aine just like that. However, as she had said before, if Xiang also joined the band, she would be worried that Deng would become overly dependent on herself and would not be able to truly grow on her own. This would be a complete betrayal of Kiyokawa Xiang's concept of "mobility".

Xiao Deng is happily forming a band, and I usually go to listen to their practice or live performances~

Qingchuan Xiangtian naively thought that there would be nothing for him to do next.

Catch the drinks, catch the drinks... I haven't forgotten yet, today I have to get rid of the heresy in this karaoke bar!

After Qingchuan Xiang had received the drink, he walked back to the door of the box with the tray and just opened the door: "I'm back..."

With a bang, something hit him hard, and a tray of drinks suddenly fell over, and a large amount of drinks poured onto Qingchuan Xiang.

Although Qingchuan Xiang was frightened for a moment, he quickly came to his senses. He didn't care about the various drinks still flowing on his body. His first action was to move the tray that was blocking his body aside, and he found that it was the lamp that had hit him.

The force of the lantern hitting her wasn't like the impact of walking; it was clearly the start of a run. Aine was also a bit surprised, reaching out a hand mid-air as if to try to stop him, but due to Kiyokawa Xiang's sudden intrusion, she froze in her tracks.

"So, someone please explain this to me." Qingchuan Xiang felt his temples throbbing. In just a short while, he had done something strange to me again...

Seeing that the two people seemed to be still thinking about taking care of themselves who were splashed all over, Qingchuan Xiang said nothing and directly took off the yellow vest of her school uniform, which was already half wet, revealing the white shirt underneath. It seemed that the liquid that soaked through the vest also wet part of the shirt, and now part of her skin was almost directly visible.

"My problem is nothing. You all need to calm down first. Come on, take a deep breath. Inhale - exhale -"

Qingchuan Xiang started to coax the children like a kindergarten teacher. He put aside all doubts and began to demonstrate deep breathing, which led the other two to take deep breaths subconsciously.

"Okay, now, one by one, what happened just now?"

Aine calmed down faster than Deng. She immediately clasped her hands together and bowed her head in apology: "I'm sorry, Deng. I was just smiling."

“It’s not Aine’s fault, I said something weird…”

Qingchuan Xiang blinked and looked at Aine, without asking any more questions to irritate Xiao Deng.

Aiyin hesitated for a moment, as if she was still a little shocked by what Deng had just said. "Deng said she wanted to form a band for life."

"..." Qingchuan Xiang had a blank expression on his face, but the villain in his heart was already secretly holding his forehead.

How could I have forgotten this...

Chapter 17: Tough Preaching

After hearing the word "lifetime", Qingchuan Xiang did not show much surprise. In fact, when she met Deng at the aquarium during the summer vacation, Deng had already revealed her desire for a long-term and stable relationship.

Qingchuan Xiang would not understand the heavy emotions contained in the word "a lifetime", so she did not know how much Aine would react to this word, but Qingchuan Xiang knew how difficult it was to maintain a long-term relationship objectively.

Even if she were to reason rationally, Aine wouldn't casually make a promise that she couldn't possibly keep. After all, it was a lifetime.

Perhaps what Deng said was similar to "We want to be good friends for life." When Qingchuan Xiang was in junior high school, he often heard his peers making such promises to each other. In his own file wall, Qingchuan Xiang regarded "the desire for long-term commitment" as a more common emotional need of people, and this need was even more magnified for Deng.

But what about "forming a band for life"? The future direction, the financial pressures, the commitment to a long-term professional role, the implications for one's future life path... It's like committing one's entire life to the other, and that's too much of a burden.

Meanwhile, Deng had just tried to open her heart and mustered up the courage to take the first step, but her words were so heavy that Aine felt she couldn't understand.

Because, Qingchuan Xiang knew that in Aine's heart, the band was actually just a social activity based on interests and hobbies. Aine formed a band in the hope of becoming the focus and attracting attention. But after graduating from high school, when her social activities changed dramatically, would she still need a band at that time?

From the very beginning, the band's understanding of the importance of the two people was completely misplaced.

Regardless, Aine must have felt uneasy about Deng's sudden demand for a commitment. Given Aine's personality, even if she didn't agree, she would have considered Deng's feelings. She might have wanted to deal with it with a smile and wait for Xiang to come back to see if there was a better way. However, she didn't expect that Deng's first attempt to step out of the shadows would immediately receive negative feedback, making Deng want to escape...