They are in the music show, but I am a stranger to them

Next to Chen Qi, Hong Xia had been watching him intently from beginning to end, writing down those unforgettable lyrics and soothing melodies on paper. After a long silence, she finally reacted and regained her usual cheerful and gentle smile.

However, this time, the look that Hong Xia cast towards the attentive Chen Qi showed, in addition to the admiration she had shown in the past, a bit more love and a hint of reluctance, just like the one she showed when she rested her head on Chen Qi's lap the day before.

Compared to Liang, Hong Xia, as the captain and more shy when interacting with the opposite sex, did not have time to tell Chen Qi anything.

In fact, I have always admired him, and even deep in my heart, I feel a little jealous of him from time to time.

As the captain of the ending band, Hong Xia actually gradually realized in her heart that the role she could play in the band was actually not as important as the three members she later brought into the band. It was actually her, the captain, who was holding the band back.

My good friend Liang was born into a wealthy family. He started playing musical instruments at the same age as Hongxia, who had an older sister who used to play in a band. However, Liang's bass skills are far better than his own drums, and he can even serve as a composer for the band.

There is no need to mention Pochi-chan. Three years of immersive and hard practice have given her the absolute strength of a "Guitar Hero". Even though she has not been able to fully display her strength because she has not been able to overcome her social phobia, the strength she has shown now has already made people feel her extraordinaryness.

Not to mention, although Pochi-chan didn't say it, in her heart she also admired Chen Qi, so she kept honing her skills and overcoming her weaknesses.

Pochi-chan was even able to write lyrics for the band that even moved Chen Qi, which shows how important she is to the band.

As for Kita, who has only learned guitar for a month, he can already take on the lead singer position with ease and confidently show off his singing voice on the stage.

To be honest, sometimes Hongxia would have hallucinations from time to time, and feel that Kita, who sang freely on the stage, also had some of the shadow of senior Chen Qi.

Hong Xia understood that everyone was like herself, longing for that powerful, omnipotent and calm figure. Everyone was like herself, hoping to become someone like Chen Qi.

However, everyone worked hard for it and improved themselves, but Hongxia found that every time, she was the one who improved the least.

Seeing the three members of the band becoming better and better, Hong Xia, as the captain, although she didn't say it on the surface, her inner "anxiety" was constantly growing. Hong Xia also wanted to try to make herself more important in the band, but the fact proved that she could do her job well, which might be the biggest help.

He couldn't sing well, his musical instrument skills weren't as good as Ryo and Pochi-chan, he couldn't compose music or write lyrics, and even as a captain, he wasn't as calm as Kita when faced with unexpected accidents during performances.

Whenever it was late at night or when she was alone, Hongxia would silently hone herself according to the techniques and training methods taught by her senior Tsuzuki. However, when she found that she could not catch up with everyone else, she would have some thoughts of giving up on herself.

——If only I were as talented as Senior Chen Qi! I really envy them for being born with extraordinary talents! No matter what they do, it’s easier for ordinary people like me. They can always easily handle things that we find troublesome.

But today, after witnessing Chen Qi's coma and the lyrics he wrote, Hong Xia found out that she was wrong...

Even someone as omnipotent as Chen Qi would get tired, collapse, and even encounter things that he could not handle and had to escape from.

In fact, the thought of self-abandonment may have flashed through his mind more than mine... No, my level of emotions and the pressure that Senior Chen Qi is under are probably not on the same level at all, right?

"Senior, your life is also very hard." Hong Xia looked at the lyrics written by Chen Qi and inadvertently murmured what was in her heart.

Chen Qi listened to Hong Xia's whispers, and after a slight pause while writing the lyrics, he did not forget to reveal a faint smile and replied:

"I think I am lucky. At least I still have the opportunity and the ability to change everything. I am not desperate. I still have choices and a way out."

"Especially now, I still have friends who can stay by my side and comfort me. I think I should be relatively relaxed, right?"

As he spoke, Chen Qi did not forget to smile at Hong Xia beside him, but he quickly focused his attention back on the lyrics in front of him.

But Chen Qi didn't know that his smile made Hong Xia unable to react... After a long time, the girl's gaze towards him was filled with a bit of complexity.

Hong Xia tried to put herself in Chen Qi's shoes. If it were her, and someone pushed her to the point of emotional collapse, would she be able to do the same as Chen Qi and think about others the moment she woke up? Would she be able to control her emotions in less than two days?

No, not even Hong Xia could do it...but Chen Qi did it. He could even smile as if nothing had happened, and he could even calm down his emotions and continue to do his best for those who had hurt him.

The world kisses me with pain, but I respond with song...?

Perhaps this is the most hidden shining point in Senior Chen Qi?

For a moment, Hong Xia seemed to finally understand Chen Qi's character, but she did not feel happy for Chen Qi's character.

On the contrary, she looked at Chen Qi's thin figure and suddenly felt an urge to hug him.

Fortunately, Hong Xia held back. She stood up silently, forced herself to put on a cheerful smile, and went to the bar to pour Chen Qi a drink.

Around Chen Qi, after seeing the first verse of lyrics written by Chen Qi, Pochi-chan quietly hid in a corner and fell into silence. Her expression seemed even gloomier than before, as if she was suppressing some emotion.

Although the cheerful Kita did not have the experience described in the lyrics, her eyes were also red, as if she empathized with the lyrics.

As for Liang, although his expression didn't change much, he was actually the first one who couldn't stand the lyrics written by Chen Qi. He retreated to the bar early, drank his drink without saying a word, and no one knew what he was thinking.

However, no matter how different the expressions of the four girls who ended the band were, they all had one thing in common - that is, they all felt Chen Qi's mood after his breakdown from this song.

This also caused the image of the omnipotent Chen Qi in their hearts to undergo another earth-shaking change, but it did not make them feel disillusioned. Instead, they felt that this senior seemed to have become more like a "human".

However, the way Chen Qi fell from the altar in their hearts to the human world this time moved them so much that they even felt distressed...

"pray……"

As for who feels bad about the song composed by Chen Qi, it is undoubtedly those who have witnessed the hardships that Chen Qi has experienced and the harm caused to him by others.

As she looked at the lyrics written by Chen Qi, she knew very well who had made Chen Qi so depressed. Her hatred for those who had hurt Chen Qi also unconsciously increased a little.

Xiangzi, Deng, Lixi... Chen Qi's heartache is all caused by you.

Even if I ask you to forgive me, I will never forgive you.

At this moment, the sound of a cell phone ringing suddenly interrupted Mu's thoughts. When Mu took out his flip phone and saw the note "Xiang" on it, a hint of cruelty flashed in his eyes.

However, Mu did not hang up the phone. Instead, he walked silently to the door of [Stars]. After making sure that his voice would not reach the ears of Chen Qi and others, he picked up the phone and said in a cold tone:

"Xiang?"

"Mu! I visited your home today, but your parents said that you ran away from home?" Xiangzi's anxious voice came from the other end of the phone, but before Mu could relax, Xiangzi's next sentence made Mu's heart cold again.

"Besides, I heard that it was Chen Qi who took you away? Mu, is this true?"

"……it is true."

Mu had no intention of hiding anything. In fact, he admitted it very generously, as if he was deliberately showing off to Xiangzi.

"It was Qi who brought me out of my home. Now, I am with Qi."

"It's actually true..."

The result was verified. Xiangzi on the other end of the phone couldn't help but reveal a bit of surprise. Just like Mu who experienced it personally at that time, when Xiangzi realized how impulsive Chen Qi's behavior was, after his worries dissipated, he couldn't help but complain in a low voice:

"Chen Qi, you are too impulsive! What if he gets hurt?"

"..." In response to this, Mu did not give any answer, but his eyes became even colder.

You actually knew that he would get hurt, Xiangzi?

I thought that you, who did such a cruel thing, had no idea how it felt to hurt others.

And despite all the hardships he went through just to rescue me from the prison called "home", the hurt Qi suffered was far less than the harm caused to him by your few words back then.

What qualifications do you have to call Chen Qi after doing all these things, to accept his care, and even to try to reconcile with him?

Do you think I will forget everything you have done?

In fact, if Chen Qi had not experienced the last breakdown and had not written the poem "I Once Thought About Ending It All", Mu would have even thought about taking a step back. Although she couldn't let go of what Xiangzi and others had done, she was more respectful of Chen Qi's wishes at the time.

But now, facing the song written by Chen Qi, coupled with the memories of new and old grudges that all came to his mind yesterday, and now, enjoying the harmony of Chen Qi's attention that Xiangzi had once felt, his hatred towards Xiangzi and others was once again aroused.

He is obviously so wonderful, but you want to tear down all his beauty and force him to become "selfish".

This is all your fault, and now, I won't let you get any closer to him - ever!

"Mu, where are you and Chen Qi now?" On the other end of the phone, Xiangzi finally let go of the worry that had been hanging in his heart after learning that Chen Qi had rescued Mu. He turned to Mu and asked with concern:

"Is Chen Qi okay? I want to go see him. Where do you live now? I—"

"——Xiang."

However, this time, Mu did not even wait for Xiangzi to finish speaking. Instead, for the first time, he interrupted Xiangzi's words with a cold tone and without mercy.

Xiangzi on the other end of the phone obviously did not expect that one day Mu would treat her with such a cold attitude. But before she could react, Mu's words, which were ten times colder than his tone, clearly reached her ears.

"From now on, don't come to see Qi again. I don't want to see you around Qi again."

"Xiang, do you think I would forget what you did to Qi in the past? In the beginning, you were the one who took the initiative to break up with Chen Qi."

"And now, why did you come back to see him? Why did you come back to enjoy his tenderness towards you? And why are you begging for his forgiveness again?"

"You, clearly hurt Qi like that, how dare you use his sympathy and kindness to forgive the harm you caused him in the past?"

However, Mu's cold words were like huge ice cones that were hit hard by a hammer and pierced her heart.

For a moment, although it was the end of summer, Xiangzi, who was standing on the street, was pale and sweating. Obviously, everything Mu had just said had awakened Xiangzi's past half a year ago, which he had always wanted to forget.

At that time, in order to protect herself, to protect the last bit of "human dignity" she had in front of Chen Qi... she said the harshest and most unforgivable words to the person who had always helped her and gave up so much for her.

Of course Xiangzi remembered all of this. The reason why she didn't want to recall it was because of their long-awaited reunion and Chen Qi's unexpectedly tolerant attitude towards her, which made her think that Chen Qi had let it go.

However, Mu's words made Xiangzi's memory, which should have died, start to beat her madly once again.

Mu's soul-piercing questioning also awakened Xiangzi's long-buried guilt, especially after Chen Qi and Chuhua expressed their memories to him, Xiangzi who thought he had reconciled with the past.

"Mu, I...I know, this is my fault."

Xiangzi, who was in a state of confusion and almost instantly overwhelmed by the overwhelming negative emotions, spoke to Mu with a trembling voice and gritted his teeth before mustering up a little courage and saying:

"But, we are friends, we are childhood sweethearts, right? You, you should know the reason, I..."

"—Not anymore, Xiang."

However, Mu's cold response strangled the last ray of hope in Xiangzi's heart. On the steps, Mu's eyes did not even show a trace of emotion, and he made a half-year late declaration of breaking up with his childhood sweetheart who he had been with for more than ten years.

"From the moment you said those words to Qi, the only person in the world who cared about me, you and I were no longer childhood sweethearts."

"I don't know this Toyokawa Shoko. You are no longer the friend I knew at the beginning."

"Why..." On the other end of the phone, Xiangzi's voice even had a hint of tears for the first time. He was already at a loss, his mind in a mess, and even his speech was illogical.

Mu, however, seemed to want to cut off Xiangzi's last ray of fantasy. After a moment's silence, he said to Xiangzi indifferently:

"If you ask why, Xiangzi, then I suggest that you go to 'RiNG' next week to watch Qi's performance."

"Qi's song will tell you on my behalf why I treated you like this, why I treated you like this."

"——Of course, Xiangzi, if you have nowhere to go, I think you can go to Takamatsu Deng and Shiina Riki. I think you will find your 'place to stay' there."

He spoke an unprecedented long speech in one breath, which was also the proof that the resentment that Mu had been holding in his heart for so long had finally burst out.

After that, with a long sigh from Mu, Mu finally calmed down a little, and then he said to Xiangzi on the other end of the phone without any emotion:

"Then, from now on, I hope we won't see each other again, Xiang."

"I... wish you happiness."

After saying that, Mu hung up the phone for the first time in her life. She calmed down, and only when there was no longer any sign of change on her face did she return to [Stars] and to the only person she cared about.

On the other end, Xiangzi, who had hung up the phone, stood there in a daze for a long time. She didn't even notice the two lines of tears sliding down her pupils. She just stood there motionless... until her broken heart gradually recovered with the passage of time.

But this time, Xiangzi seemed unable to calm down his emotions no matter what.

Xiangzi knew what Mu's words meant... This might not be Chen Qi's wish, but it had clearly shown Mu's attitude... He, even this former childhood sweetheart, had completely lost himself.

Even Mu was so disappointed in her, what qualifications did she have to stand by Qi's side? What qualifications did she have to see him?

It had been so long since she and Chen Qi had "broken up". Over the past six months, Chen Qi, who should have been the coldest to her, had instead extended a helping hand to her time and time again. He had supported her out of her predicament and even opened his heart to her with his singing...

And what did I do to him?

I didn't do anything... I had hurt him so much before, but I couldn't do anything to repay his help...

I... am such a failure...

Mu is right. As someone like me, what qualifications do I have to meet Qi?

Xiangzi, crying like rain, finally couldn't stand the mental blow after realizing the truth of it all. His body, which was weak from working all day on the day off, collapsed to the ground, covering his mouth tightly to prevent his crying from coming out at this moment.

On the street, passers-by of all kinds passed by Xiangzi one by one. However, facing this girl who was in a state of collapse, the numb people seemed so indifferent. Instead, they quickened their pace to bypass her fragile figure, fearing that any rash action of theirs would touch the girl's pain point and bring trouble to themselves.

I don’t know how long it took, but gradually, Xiangzi broke free from the endless grief.

Should I just give up on Chen Qi forever like Mu said? Xiangzi was wavering for the nth time.

However, after Xiangzi thought it over, she bit her lower lip tightly, but no matter how cruel she was, she couldn't say the word "break up". Instead, because she bit too hard, she even bit the corner of her mouth and drew blood...

No, I can’t do it myself…

I haven't repaid him yet. All the efforts I'm making now are to thank him with actions in the future. I will use this new band and this stage to repay Chen Qi for everything he has given me! I will also take back everything Chen Qi has lost!

Before achieving this goal, I will never give up... If I can't even do this, I'm afraid I won't be able to close my eyes even if I die, right?

Xiangzi gradually regained his senses and quickly grasped the key point of what Mu had said to him before...about Chen Qi's performance at "RiNG" next week!

That might be her last chance - if she wanted to do something for Chen Qi, her chance would only be on that day!

Chen Qi, I know you have always wanted to witness the growth of Deng and the others, but after that live performance, Deng’s band fell apart, and you didn’t dare to meet with Deng and the others... You must feel bad, right?

Don't worry, this time, I will try my best to help you get back everything you lost!

At least, this is the last thing I can do for you within my ability!

With great faith in his heart again, Xiangzi opened his mobile phone again, flipped through the memo, and finally found the girl with the note "Takamatsu Deng".