I said you are all war criminals

Xiangzi felt helpless.

Honestly, Xiangzi wasn't good with children... She'd been busy working her whole life, first as a chef, then as a half-demon rescuer during wildfires, and finally as Prime Minister waging war. These jobs were far more important than getting married and having children. Xiangzi really didn't have time to learn any parenting tips, let alone self-study chapters like "How to deal with a rebellious child going berserk," which seemed far too far in the past.

So, at this point, Xiangzi can only solve this problem with an adult attitude.

"Let's part ways amicably, okay? Neither you nor I want to continue to tangle with this... So, just be frank."

Xiangzi asked, "What compensation do you want from me for hurting your feelings?"

Xiangzi is very open-minded.

Since she had done something wrong at that time, she should just make up for it.

"Do you want me to pay you money? Or apologize or do something else? It's really stupid to keep worrying about this. Let's just get it over with once and for all."

Li Xi was stunned.

Xiangzi's attitude was unfamiliar to her. Lixi felt that she was not facing a peer, but a middle-aged driver who had been in a car accident on the street. In their view, right or wrong was not important after an accident. The best thing to do was to resolve the matter quickly and then go back to work.

Lixi's eyes widened, as if she were meeting the woman before her for the first time. Xiangzi, the girl who once shone brightly on the stage, who had shared her dreams, was now like a shrewd businessman, using cold "compensation" to measure their former bond. A surge of anger surged from the depths of her heart, burning her throat.

"Compensation? What are you going to use to compensate me?!"

Li Xi stood up suddenly, causing the water cup on the table to shake, and the water inside spilled out, forming a puddle on the table.

"Do you think our dreams, our promises, can be bought with money? Do you think a simple 'I'm sorry' can erase everything?"

Li Xi's voice trembled, and the grievances and anger that had been suppressed for a long time poured out like a flood.

"Are all those words you said, those words about dreams, all lies, all lies? We stayed up late to practice together, overcame difficulties together, stood on the stage together and enjoyed the cheers. In your eyes, are all these worthless?"

She pointed at Xiangzi, her fingers trembling.

"What did you do this for? For yourself! For your own ridiculous self-interest, you threw us, Crychic, away like garbage! You betrayed us, betrayed our dreams! You betrayed Crychic!"

Xiangzi still sat there calmly, with no expression on her face, as if Lixi's accusations were just wind in her ears. She looked at Lixi, her eyes were calm, even with a hint of pity.

After Li Xi finally vented his anger, Xiangzi slowly said, "I was kicked out of the house."

Li Xi was stunned. She had never expected such an answer. She had always believed that Xiangzi had left Crychic for better development and a bigger stage, but she had never expected it to be for such a reason.

"You...you were kicked out?"

"Yes."

Xiangzi nodded, his tone still calm, "So I have to find a job that can make money. Music is my specialty, so I can only rely on it."

She paused, her eyes drifting towards the door. "Actually, the man you met today is my financial sponsor."

Li Xi's head was buzzing.

"The sponsor..."

Li Xi muttered to himself, and suddenly raised his head as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw, "Xiangzi, I can help you! I can..."

"You are just a student. Can you bear the responsibility of others' lives?"

Xiangzi said coldly.

She opened her cell phone and showed Li Xi the text messages inside.

[Do you need me to come over tonight? ]

Xiangzi delivers the letter.

[No problem, come over here.]

Bai Ye delivers the letter.

"I'm staying over at Hakuno's tonight."

Xiangzi said bluntly.

...But this actually meant Xiangzi was going to stay up all night to teach Bai Ye how to play bass. After all, Xiangzi remembered how terrible Bai Ye's bass was. Since they were going to form a band, Xiangzi had to at least teach Bai Ye how to read music.

Xiangzi was presenting this message simply to make Riki realize that things had come to this point, that Crychic was completely finished. Xiangzi didn't want to waste time on Crychic... He'd created Wildfire because the five members of the band were all skilled players; even the weakest, Hakuno, could protect a whole street from misfortune. Meanwhile, everyone in Crychic, aside from Deng, was ordinary. Both Nagasaki Suyo and Shiina Riki had remained unknown for over twenty years.

Xiangzi has no time to deal with such ordinary people.

As Xiangzi expected, after reading the text message, Lixi's breathing became rapid and her chest heaved violently, as if something was blocking her throat, making her unable to breathe or speak.

Li Xi staggered backward until his back hit the cold wall, and he was able to barely steady himself.

For a moment or two, Xiangzi felt a faint sense of guilt. However, Xiangzi also knew that the sooner this matter was over, the better it would be for Xiangzi and Shiina Riki.

So, Xiangzi didn't continue the conversation, but walked out of the training room.

When she reached the door, she stopped and looked back at Lixi, who was still immersed in sadness.

"Crychic is over. There is no possibility of resurrection."

Xiangzi said coldly.

"This is the last time, Lixi."

90

Chapter 90: There are four people in the Hakuno family.

Shirano lives in a high-rise apartment, a rather large flat. The living room is spacious and bright, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a dazzling view of the city at night. The minimalist modern furniture, in a palette of black, white, and gray, is the result of a custom-made home.

Nagasaki Suyo knew that her home didn't have much of a homey feel, but Hakuno's home was even more exaggerated... Suyo didn't even see a stove, which made it clear that this person had no intention of even cooking.

and.

"Hey, you're back."

Someone has arrived first.

The blue-haired girl held a controller in each hand and played a two-player game by herself.

"Why didn't you go home?"

Hakuno rolled over the sofa and sat next to the blue-haired girl.

"Need a reason?"

The blue-haired girl turned her head and looked at Su Shi, "Your friend?"

"It's Xiangzi's bandmate. Xiangzi will be here soon—please make way."

Hakuno reached out and grabbed a handle, then turned to introduce the first guest to Su Shi, "This girl is Yamada Ryo, she's my sister."

Hearing this, Su Shi hesitated slightly.

"...Hakuno and Yamada?"

"It's my cousin. Please sit wherever you like."

Liangtou said without turning his head.

The door opened and Xiangzi walked in, holding a keyboard case in her hand. Seeing that Bai Ye and Liang were playing enthusiastically, she raised an eyebrow, her eyes lingered on Su Shi for a second, and then quickly moved away.

"Hey, Xiangzi, here you come."

Yan Baiye didn't even raise his head, his fingers operating the handle quickly. The two little men on the screen were working together to carry a huge battery.

Xiangzi placed the violin case against the wall and said calmly, "Practice."

"Wait, this game will end soon."

Bai Ye stared at the screen intently, directing the little man to jump and avoid traps.

Ryo glanced at Xiangzi. "Practice? Band practice? What style? What's the goal? Are you going to be on TV? Or perform at a LiveHouse?"

She threw out a series of questions.

“Rock and roll.”

Xiangzi answered concisely.

"Rock and roll..."

Liang dragged out the last line of the syllable, as if thinking about something, "So what instruments are you responsible for?"

"I haven't found a suitable bass player, Xiangzi keyboard player, drummer or guitarist yet."

Bai Ye finally finished the game, put down the controller, and stretched.

Nagasaki Suyo quickly interrupted: "I can do anything!"

Fearing that she would be excluded, she was eager to demonstrate her own value.

Xiangzi frowned slightly. She had no intention of letting Crychic join Wildfire. In her eyes, Crychic was a pile of mud, the kind that couldn't be helped. Especially Nagasaki Suyo. Xiangzi didn't understand why this person was here.

"I've found a good match."

There's no need to look for anyone else.

Nana Ohba, Kotoko Iwanaga, and Kuro Sakurai, in the simulation, Wildfire, were already a pretty good band. They might not be considered world-class, but they were certainly well-known Japanese bands. This level was enough for Xiangzi. Her goal wasn't to be the best in the world, but to make the music she wanted.

"Is it okay to let Shigaraki try?"

Hakuno tilted his head and asked while controlling the little man to jump, "Shigasaki, what are you training?"

"I, I play the bass very well..."

Su Shi felt a little uneasy. She pressed her fingertips as if she was interviewing a new employee. "Besides, I can devote myself to Cry..."

"Not Crychic, but Wildfire."

Xiangzi ruthlessly interrupted Su Shi.

She was already tired enough from dealing with Shiina Riki today, and really didn't want to waste any more effort on Su Shi.

"Our band doesn't need two basses."

Su Shi's face flushed red, like a ripe tomato. She pursed her lips, wanting to say something but not knowing where to begin. Xiangzi turned his face away indifferently, clearly not intending to agree to Su Shi's request to join Wildfire.

"Don't be like this, Xiangzi,"

Bai Ye tried to smooth things over, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere, "At least let him show himself. What if he's a hidden master?"

He winked at Su Shi and said, "Play a piece, Su Shi, let us see your bass skills."

Xiangzi hummed a noncommittal hum, a gesture of acquiescence. She folded her arms, looking eager to see the show, as if she had already foreseen what was going to happen next.

Su Shi took a deep breath and pulled her bass from the corner. She nervously plucked the strings a few times, testing the pitch. The bass hummed softly, as if responding to her uneasiness.

The prelude sounded, and Su Shi began to play. She chose a relatively simple piece, hoping to showcase her strengths. However, contrary to her expectations, her performance was full of stuttering and hesitation. Her fingers danced clumsily across the strings, like a lost snail, stumbling forward.

Xiangzi's brows furrowed as she listened to the noise-like performance. She finally couldn't help but interrupt her, "Stop! Your rhythm is totally wrong, and your pitch is also wrong."

She mercilessly pointed out the shortcomings in Su Shi's performance, "Wildfire needs a bassist who can cooperate with the band, not this..."

She paused, as if searching for the right word. "Passionate amateur."

The pick in Su Shi's hand fell to the ground, making a crisp sound, as if mocking her incompetence. She bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes. In fact, Su Shi's instrumental skills were quite good, but in her current state, she really couldn't play a whole piece of music smoothly... Her heart was in turmoil, and even her hands were in a mess.

Liang Rao, who was standing by, also spoke slowly: "Your musical sense isn't very good either, little sister. You need more practice."

Liang's words were like a sharp knife, stabbing directly into Su Shi's heart.

Su Shi knew that he had messed up.

However, Liang suddenly changed the subject and said, "But..."

She dragged out the last syllable, a playful smile playing on her lips. "Bai Ye's band isn't a professional band to begin with, so it's okay for you to join, right? Even if your bass is terrible, can it be worse than Bai Ye's?"

Hakuno was inexplicably cueed, but he wasn't too annoyed. He joined Ryo in admonishing Xiangzi, "Xiangzi, there's no need to be so harsh on the band members. You're so demanding, aren't you going to optimize me out too?"

To be honest, Bai Ye is still aware of his own strengths and weaknesses.

However, he is just a newcomer to music after all, so Bai Ye does not feel ashamed of his low level of instrumental skills.

Rather, Hakuno said in a rather cheerful tone, "You can practice anything... maybe in ten or twenty years, we newbies like us can become the world's number one band!"

...I wish it were so.

Xiangzi and Liang's eyes did not meet, but the thoughts flashing through their minds were unusually consistent.

Twenty years from now, will there still be any bands?

91