Will the plagiarism girl be a substitute for the preference for women?

China didn't rush to accept the gratitude.

There are some things she might only dare to say during her manic phase.

But this gave Xiangzi a chance to consider others, and it was a rare opportunity to get to this point in the conversation. She needed to convince herself to be more decisive and bring about a change.

“I could understand before that you couldn’t let go of your pride and be honest with everyone about the changes in your family. I would have collapsed long ago if I were in your shoes…”

China glanced at the overpass behind Shoko.

"Or perhaps he ended his life there."

"You might also think that by remaining indifferent to them and letting them lose hope of getting back together because of your attitude, you can prevent them from being implicated by you and from having to make difficult choices so that you can stay in the band."

"That way, they can put down Crychic and move on."

Xiangzi remained silent, tacitly agreeing with her guess.

"But even when the lotus root is broken, there will always be some connecting threads."

China's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and her eyes shone with genuine light.

She wanted to touch Xiangzi's heart with a rhetorical question.

But when she actually asked that question, her hands trembled slightly, as if she were too immersed in the situation.

"If I had ever been a member of Crychic... have you ever thought about what I would have done on the overpass after you abruptly left the team without giving any reason?"

Xiangzi's eyes widened suddenly, and a chill instantly ran down his spine, as if a cold stream was penetrating his skin.

The rebuttal that had been poised to erupt vanished instantly from my mind.

"You know that the lamp has a very obvious Asperger's tendency! Is your dignity more important than her life?!"

China clenched her fists and questioned loudly.

For some reason, she suddenly became agitated again.

Lowering her head, gritting her teeth and trying her best to suppress her emotions, she apologized:

"What I just said was too harsh on you, after what you went through."

"No, not at all harsh."

Xiangzi felt a lump in his throat, tilted his head back, squeezed his eyelids tightly, and tried hard to hold back the tears from his eyes.

She turned around and continued walking towards the overpass, letting tears silently stream down her cheeks, without leaving a tearful silhouette in front of China.

Only when you get close enough through the fog of lights can the full view of the pedestrian bridge at night be clearly seen.

The railings, still covered in old green paint and stained with mottled red rust, looked rather worn.

For this reason, a semi-circular triangular roadblock was set up in front of the steps leading to the bridge, with a warning sign that read "No Entry".

The bridge is currently under maintenance.

Through the warning sign, Xiangzi seemed to see his past self, and the image of him stepping onto the stairs with the lamp.

This scene was then covered by China, who walked up to him.

"I did exaggerate just now. The lamp is very strong, unlike me..."

China handed over a tissue.

"I just always categorize her as someone special like me. Because it gives me a sense of closeness... like finding a kindred spirit."

"Qianna..."

As he took the tissue, the image of him moving aside the handkerchief Su Shi had offered him that year flashed through Xiangzi's mind.

Immediately afterwards, the details of the rainy season, frame by frame, scene by scene, were shrouded in a layer of gray, intertwined and replayed in my mind along with the flashing red lines.

Coming to her senses, she didn't wipe away her tears, but instead confessed:

"After I firmly told them that I was leaving Crychic that day, that was the end of it."

"After leaving the practice room, I cried my heart out. The tears flowed freely. It was much more intense than now, and more intense than any of the times you've ever seen me cry in the past."

As her words flowed slowly, her expression gradually became dazed.

"I always thought that this pain of letting go would lessen with time and with a stronger will..."

"Looking back now, maybe if I had been given anesthesia when I was cutting it off, it wouldn't have hurt so much..."

"Parting ways amicably and then staying in touch might be the best approach..."

Turning his gaze back, Xiangzi saw Qiannai moving the warning signs and triangular roadblocks one by one, leaving a path for the steps leading to the overpass.

"Qianna?"

"I feel like you and Deng have a lot to say to each other right now."

Chinatsu Toyohashi turned on her flash, carefully stepped onto the stairs where construction boulders had not yet been cleared, glanced around at the bridge surface, and then waved to Shoko.

"Let's call Deng over and have a chat."

Chapter 161 Willing to Serve

Xiangzi looked up at the steps where the rubble hadn't been cleared and felt a sense of unease.

I was so engrossed in reflecting on the past that I didn't stop China from walking up the steps right in front of me.

"Wait, the bridge isn't fully repaired yet, isn't that dangerous?"

Xiangzi called up and waved for Qiannai to come down.

On the overpass, the cold, white moonlight shone behind China, bathing her in a soft and mysterious silver glow.

"There was no real danger, it's just that the asphalt on the bridge surface was pushed off."

She put her hands behind her back and said leisurely.

"Is Xiao Xiang saying this because he hasn't planned to talk to Xiao Deng yet?"

"There's no need to talk on the bridge. Come down first!"

In fact, Xiangzi hadn't yet figured out how to communicate with Deng.

A larger part of the reason is that they are ashamed to talk about it.

But now, China is "in danger".

Even if the overpass is truly as dangerous as claimed, the "No Entry" sign on the warning railing still gives one the feeling that there are unknown hidden dangers.

It was this feeling that made China seem to Xiangzi as if she were standing on the edge of a cliff.

Furthermore, because China had a strong desire for others to reconcile, Shoko subconsciously said the words that Shoko wished for.

As for the premonition that they would jump off the overpass if things didn't get back together, that's an exaggeration. It's more likely that they're hoping the other person will get out of danger and agreeing to their conditions first.

"Okay, I'll come down right now, so as not to cause any trouble for the construction team."

As Chika walked, she kept looking at Shoji, not noticing the gravel under her feet.

"what!"

With a thud, China's figure suddenly disappeared behind the railing.

"Qianna!"

Xiangzi's heart tightened suddenly, and he ran towards the overpass, but he accidentally missed a step and fell to the ground.

"Ah...hh..."

The two of them sat down on the ground simultaneously, hugging their scraped knees and sighing.

"Xiao Xiang, did you fall? I'm sorry..." Qian Nai said with remorse.

"I told you it was dangerous!" Xiangzi said angrily, but the numbness and pain from her soft tissue made her hiss involuntarily.

"I'm sorry!" China said, raising her voice to express her apology.

"Don't move, I'll come and help you!"

"No need. Hiss?"

Qiannai, holding onto the railing, limped down the steps and sat down next to Xiangzi.

Did you forget your shoulder bag?

Xiangzi asked, and she remembered that Qiannai's bag was fully stocked, and she even took out a special waterproof band-aid when she fell in the rain last time.

"No..." China said dejectedly in a low voice.

"OK then."

Xiangzi took out his phone and entered Deng's phone number.

She hesitated for a moment, pursing her lower lip, until a series of rapid, drum-like pains shot through her knee, at which point she quickly pressed the dial button.

China's eyes secretly darted towards Shoko: "Saliva can disinfect to some extent, so why don't we..."

"Shh??" Xiangzi needed a moment of quiet before dialing to prepare himself mentally.

……

Planetarium.

In the huge circular arena, the audience members were lying on tilted chairs.

The giant dome screen above the venue is being unlocked, projecting a vast starry sky.

The Milky Way glitters, a meteor streaks across the silence, and a comet streaks by with its long tail.

Every time I come here, the lights are so focused on the scene that they seem to float in the boundless universe, oblivious to the fact that a celebrity happens to be there.

He silently repeated to himself that longed-for idea, which, under the current circumstances, could only be a fantasy, and projected the band's logo into the night sky.

That concludes today's program.

The giant screen dimmed, and the venue lit up. The lights faded as the crowd gradually left.

As she walked off the field, she heard her phone ring.

When she took out her phone and saw the name on the caller ID, her eyes widened in surprise, as if she had seen a comet streak across the sky.

Xiao Xiang

Also intently focused on the name on the screen was Chu Hua, who was standing behind the lamp.

The light connected to the phone.

"Xiao Xiang..."

"Deng, could you please come to the Qian Shi Deng Pedestrian Bridge and bring some Band-Aids with you?"

His calm tone and polite language still created a sense of distance.

But the place I was going to was so familiar, bringing back so many memories.

"Um... I'm not home right now, please wait a moment, I'll be right there!"

The Deng family lived near the overpass, and she remembered that the bridge was under maintenance recently.

This made her unconsciously associate "band-aid" with "maintenance".

A mix of unease and excitement filled her heart, yet her steps quickened involuntarily.

However, a strong intuition compelled her to turn around and look.

Behind him, there was no one else following, only a bustling crowd.

At this moment, Chu Hua had already put on sunglasses, pulled his baseball cap down low, and indifferently disappeared into the crowd.

Xiao Xiang still has connections with the lamp...

This information seems to conflict with Xiangzi's reluctance to mention Crychic, as that often implies an irreparable conflict between the bands.

Of course, it's also possible that the conflict with Xiangzi wasn't with the lamp, or perhaps it was for some other reason, and making up again would be perfectly fine.

Xiao Xiang and Deng have reconciled, and as outsiders, we should be glad about it.

Moreover, it should have nothing to do with me or the Xiangzi Band.

Unless... the lights also joined the band...

If Deng were in the band, would Xiao Xiang pay more attention to him than to me?

Chu Hua needs to keep an eye on the situation and, if necessary, reinforce Deng's belief in staying with the existing band.