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

At that moment, a dark aura flashed in Gao Songdeng's eyes, making her gaze become a little colder.

But soon, the black air seemed to merge gradually with Gao Songdeng's eyes that were sparkling like stars - the darkness in her eyes became purer, and the twinkling stars became more eye-catching and dazzling against the backdrop of the darkness!

At this moment, Gao Songdeng was completely "complete".

"I will go and find Aiyin and the others!" Deng had already made up his mind and no longer hesitated. He made a calm and firm promise to Xiangzi on the other end of the phone.

"Give me a day, Xiangzi. Let's meet in front of [SPACE] tomorrow, okay?"

“…Then it’s settled.”

At that moment, Deng's tone made Xiangzi on the other end feel a little dazed... It seemed that for a moment, she heard Chen Qi's voice, slowly ringing in her ears.

But facing Gao Song Deng's sudden change, Xiangzi was more relieved and reassured. As the soul of the band, her performance directly determines their next cooperation and whether they can get Chen Qi back.

Now that the lights have been changed, Xiangzi has more confidence in the performance in a week.

"But, Xiangzi, can I ask you a question?"

However, the next moment, the words from Gao Song Deng made Xiangzi slightly stunned. Before Xiangzi could answer, the voice of Deng on the other side could not help but add a little hesitation, and asked cautiously:

"I want to find my brother. I can do everything for him...but what about you, Xiangzi?"

"Do you still like your brother?"

Deng's careful question made Xiangzi speechless for a short while. In a trance, she seemed to recall the confrontation with Chihaya Aine on the rooftop, and she had also been questioned by Aine at that time.

And if some time ago, with the help of Chen Qi, she thought she had reached a settlement with everyone in Crychic, she might have given a different answer.

But now, the series of declarations of separation from Mu made Xiangzi see the reality again. After a moment of silence, he replied in a bitter whisper:

"……no."

"I just want to atone for my sins. In order to help Chen Qi, who is now in a low point, get out of this situation, I just want to do my part in my own way."

Mu was right. Having hurt him like that, I no longer had the right to like him...

Unless one day, I can atone for all the harm I have caused him and all the sins I have committed... otherwise, I am afraid that I will no longer even have the qualifications to stand by his side.

I used to be so naive... I thought I could do anything, but when faced with dramatic changes in life, I found that I couldn't keep any promises.

Xiangzi hung up the phone on his own and was about to put his phone into his pocket when he suddenly heard a message, forcing him to open it again.

But the person who sent the message this time was not Deng, nor Chen Qi or Mu, but the person who made Xiangzi frown subconsciously whenever he saw him.

Asshole Dad: [Xiangzi, we are out of wine at home. Remember to buy some at the convenience store when you go home. I am going to sleep in the house first. Don’t worry about me for dinner.]

I have to go home... Looking at the message from his father, Xiangzi suppressed the disgust in his heart, but he couldn't even hide the trace of hatred on his face, and he was too lazy to reply to his message.

But Xiangzi had no choice but to do it... Although this bastard father was an alcoholic, for Xiangzi, this was the most acceptable way of self-degradation that she could accept.

At least... it is much more decent than the real reason that she couldn't bring herself to talk about, which she had no way of revealing to Chen Qi until now, and she even cut off her relationship with Chen Qi in order to conceal the truth.

Chapter 83: The subtle relationship between Chen Qi and Mu? Mu's father's questioning

"Bang..."

Xiangzi returned to her home in the North District and opened the door carefully. As soon as she stepped into the dark and closed home, Xiangzi smelled a pungent smell that made her feel familiar.

It was a disgusting smell mixed with the residual smell of cigarettes, various types of alcohol, and even some vomit...but it became the smell that Xiangzi had to face every day.

What made Xiangzi feel even more upset was undoubtedly the empty wine bottles and cans that were scattered all over the floor, leaving her with almost no place to stand.

From the mess, Xiangzi could tell that the stock he had just bought for his bastard father last week must have been used up.

For any high school girl, this was a hopeless tragedy, but Xiangzi's attitude was surprisingly calm. After frowning slightly, she put down the big bag full of beer in her hand, and started to pick up the beer cans on the ground one by one with plastic bags.

Even if these empty cans can't be sold for much money, at least they can solve a meal. Six months of hard life made Xiangzi learn things that she, a former young lady, would never be able to do.

But what was a little strange was that Xiangzi collected these empty cans very slowly. She squatted down on her own initiative, and every time she picked up an empty can, she would look inside carefully until she was sure that there was nothing left inside, and then she would throw it into the plastic bag in her hand.

After cleaning up all the cans and wine bottles, Xiangzi did not stop. The first thing he did was to open several black garbage bags beside him. He carefully scanned every piece of garbage, as if he was afraid of missing any important information.

After half an hour, Xiangzi finally confirmed that what he was worried about had not happened. He breathed a sigh of relief and inadvertently cast his eyes to the room beside him...

That was Xiangzi's father's room.

With the help of the faint light, Xiangzi could still vaguely see a piece of paper stuck on the closed door, and it was written in a rather elegant handwriting:

"Xiangzi, don't worry, Dad will never make the same mistake again. Dad won't get involved again."

...If this scene could be posted online, combined with the dark environment and uncleaned cans, it would probably be quite ironic. But Toyokawa Shoko knew clearly that this father was an improvement over his worst attitude six months ago.

If he had simply indulged in this level of self-degradation half a year ago, they would not have been kicked out of the Toyokawa family, and he... would not have had to make that heart-wrenching choice.

And I can't even tell him all this...

Xiangzi recalled the past again, and tried hard to suppress the trembling in her heart. She quickly shook her head to drive these thoughts out of her mind, and soon her eyes were drawn to a guitar next to the old TV, which seemed out of place in the dirty room.

The condition of this guitar is not that of an expensive one, it just has some dents and paint peeling, so it looks quite old.

In Xiangzi's impoverished family, this guitar might be one of the most valuable things... It was also the only thing that Xiangzi and her father never sold no matter how hungry they were.

This guitar, which carries so many memories, has also become the only reason why Xiangzi only dislikes his father but does not hate him even though he has implicated him in so many things.

On it, there are memories of her mother, her father, and even Chen Qi, whom she later brought to Fengchuan's house as a guest...

Looking at the guitar, Xiangzi couldn't help but look at the pick given to her by Chen Qi on her wrist. She had made it into a souvenir like a talisman, and it became her only comfort in her helpless life.

Mom...if you are still alive and can see this, please persuade my bastard dad...

It's only been half a year since you left, and Dad has changed so much that I can't even remember what he used to look like...

If this kind of life doesn't change, I won't dare to stand by his side as before, and I won't be able to accept his promise to you, my mother.

As I am now, I don’t even dare to cash the check for “happiness” that is right before my eyes... If I embrace “happiness” like this, I will be pushing Chen Qi into the abyss of misfortune, a bottomless abyss.

Mom, if I could do it all over again, I would rather hope that you had not said those words of entrustment to Chen Qi.

And now, even if it is just to atone for his past actions, he has to pull Chen Qi out of the trough and cooperate with those former teammates who still have great resentment towards him, as well as those "pursuers" who have a tacit relationship with Chen Qi.

Just think of it as, in order to repay the kindness he and Chu Hua had shown in singing for me last time, I must give it my all this time.

……

"Okay, let's stop practicing here for today."

In [Stars], Chen Qi, who had already completed his creation, naturally had to practice with the four girls of the Ending Band. The first time he worked with the already formed Ending Band, Chen Qi also clearly felt the difference from when he only worked with Hong Xia and Liang.

Probably because the main difficulty of singing this song lies in the lead vocals, and the melody is relatively simple and soothing, the effect of the band's first training session was exceptionally good, and Chen Qi happily practiced with them for a while longer.

However, at the moment when Chen Qi announced the end of the training, he quickly noticed Pochi-chan's slightly trembling body. He saw that this emotionally anxious girl had been standing there sobbing, obviously moved by Chen Qi's song.

Facing the crying Pochi, Chen Qi looked blankly at the other girls, but soon received everyone's mocking looks of "whoever sings and makes the girls cry is responsible".

Helplessly, Chen Qi could only smile bitterly and took a few tissues from the table beside him. He walked straight to Bochi-chan, actively helped the crying girl wipe her tears, and asked:

"Okay, stop crying, Pochi-chan. If you keep crying like this, I won't dare to practice this song anymore. Please don't make it difficult for me."

Especially since his practice level in the recording studio was pretty average. Bochi-chan had already cried so hard, and a week later when he was on the stage and heard himself singing at full steam, wouldn't he have burst into tears?

"I, I'm fine... Don't worry about me, Senior Chen Qi."

As for Bochi-chan, whose tears were being wiped by Chen Qi, she was too emotional and could not break free from the aftereffects of the song. This socially anxious girl did not react much to Chen Qi's intimate gesture. She just said with a trembling voice:

"It's just... when I saw the title of the song, I thought it was a very sad song, but I didn't expect it to be so warm..."

Just like Senior Chen Qi. Pochi-chan failed to say this sentence aloud, but she was still repeating it in her heart.

Obviously every word of the lyrics feels so sad, but when the seniors sing them, the lyrics filled with bitterness and frustration suddenly become powerful, as if they have become words of encouragement.

It’s like there’s a brother older than you, standing beside his little sister who’s crying because of being hurt, telling her about the greater traumas he’s experienced, or even the times he’s given up on himself, to encourage her by saying, “Compared to me, what you’ve been through is nothing big.”

This made Bochi-chan involuntarily think of Chen Qi's song "LOSER". Both songs used lyrics that best fit the theme, but they produced completely different effects.

This made Pochi-chan, who had also experienced setbacks and was easily depressed and lonely, empathize with them. At the same time, she couldn't help but start to envy the girls in the band who had Chen Qi write this song for them.

Especially those who envy Chen Qi’s sister, Gao Songdeng.

I heard from Miao Mengqin that Senior Chen Qi seemed to have written individual songs for the members of his former band. I guess the senior must have written even more songs for his sister, right?

If only I could be treated like this...

However, Senior Chen Qi also wrote a song called "LOSER" specifically to encourage myself. So, I guess... I can be considered to be treated the same as his sister, right?

Goto Ichiri thought this in his heart, but he was slow to respond to Chen Qi's action of wiping his tears. As time passed, another person in the recording studio became a little unhappy.

"pray."

Sitting on the sofa in the recording studio, Mu drank juice silently, watching Chen Qi and Mu who had finished the band's practice. Originally, he was quietly enjoying the time watching Chen Qi, until Chen Qi wiped the tears of Bochi-chan and Bochi-chan did not resist and even seemed to think it would never end, then he finally couldn't help but speak.

Although Mu had not had much contact with the four girls in the End Band, she had a very good impression of the band - she could feel that the End Band was different from Deng, Lixi and the others. This band had an exceptionally relaxed atmosphere that she had never experienced before.

More importantly, they are all very considerate of Chen Qi and care about him. They don't seem like the band that would covet Qi's warmth and tenderness and try to add to his burden.

However, having said that, when Mu saw Chen Qi's gentle actions towards everyone, he couldn't help but speak because of a little jealousy in his heart.

After attracting Chen Qi's attention, Mu used the acting skills he learned from his stepmother to quickly squeeze out two tears from his pupils, which slowly dripped down his cheeks...

"Qi, help me wipe my tears."

“——Okay, okay.”

However, facing Mu's tears, Chen Qi, because of Bochi-chan's previous experience and thinking that it was caused by his song, came to Mu's side, squatted down, and wiped Mu's tears just like he did with Bochi-chan before.

However, Mu's behavior aside, Chen Qi's immediate attention to Mu made others realize that something was wrong. In the end, Yi Hongxia asked Chen Qi curiously:

"Come to think of it, Senior, I have met Xiao Mu before. Do you have a good relationship with Xiao Mu?"

"It seems to be surprisingly good." Liang nodded, took over Hongxia's words, and suddenly asked Chen Qi:

"I suspected at first that the girl named Xiangzi was Senior's girlfriend. Could it be that I guessed wrong? Is Mu the Senior's girlfriend?"

However, Liang's words made Mu, who was originally secretly happy that she could enjoy the same treatment as Pochi-chan, tremble slightly unconsciously in her petite body because of Liang's words, and her calm heart was slightly shaken.

Being Qi’s girlfriend…?

That is equivalent to taking away Xiang's original position. Mu couldn't help but think so.

But I have vowed that I don’t want to be someone like He Xiang... I don’t want to be the kind of person who monopolizes Qi, that’s not realistic.

I just hope that I can be the one who takes care of him and accompanies him, so that he will no longer be helpless and lonely. When necessary, I can stand up for him and repay the warmth he gives me with actions.

It would be too selfish to let Qi only look at himself forever. Mu thought that he had witnessed how much suffering Chen Qi had gone through, and he would not do such a thing.

Especially, it is not realistic.

Mu knew very well that even though he hated Gao Songdeng and Xiangzi, Chen Qi's duty as a brother and Xiangzi's mother's instructions to him made it impossible for Chen Qi to let go of these two people... Even if he hoped that Chen Qi would only focus on himself, it would be impossible to achieve.

Qi, can't let them go.

Moreover, even Mu himself couldn't really tell what his feelings towards Qi were...

"No, I haven't had a girlfriend until now." Before Mu opened his mouth to explain, Chen Qi also answered Liang's question with a smile and said softly:

"As for me and Mu, we should be considered to be in a relationship where we share the same hardships and sympathize with each other, right? It's a little complicated, but Mu and I have indeed been through a lot together. From an emotional perspective, it seems to be more complicated than love."

"But no matter what, I trust Mu very much, and Mu trusts me as well. I think this is probably enough."

To be honest, at this point, Chen Qi himself doesn't know what kind of relationship his and Harmony are.

If Chen Qi said that he had no feelings for Mu, who had been with him for so long and helped him silently, then Chen Qi was deceiving himself.

Half a year ago, when he was at his lowest and most helpless, Mu had still stayed by his side and obeyed him. What else could Mu want? This also made Chen Qi fantasize a few times whether Mu had a good impression of him in that aspect.

But Chen Qi always felt that it was not that simple.

During the past six months of companionship, Mu was like Xiangzi, actively getting close to her, but also keeping a distance; she was also like Deng, acting like a younger sister and being coquettish to her, but always stopping at the right time; everything she did with Chen Qi was so superficial and never crossed the line.

Until today, Chen Qi couldn't explain why. His harmonious relationship was closer than that of friends, had more boundaries than that of lovers, and had more restrictions than that of relatives.

But Chen Qi dared to break into Ruoye's house through the main gate to take her out just to help Mu, and Mu was willing to follow Chen Qi. This strange trust and natural companionship really made it difficult for Chen Qi to evaluate his relationship with Mu.

Should we say "friends of the soul"? We have always been in harmony and need each other, so this is the right way to describe it, right?

"That……"

Just when Liang wanted to say something, Chen Qi's cell phone rang. When he opened it, he found that the person calling him was Miao Mengqin who was still at home.

Maybe she was urging him to go back and cook? Chen Qi thought so in his heart, while answering the phone and asked:

"Hello? Sister Miao Meng? Is the new video getting good views?"

"Not bad—but that's not what I want to talk about now, Xiaoqi."

However, Miao Mengqin's tone on the other end of the phone was unexpectedly nervous. She even changed her self-reference back to the normal "I", which showed that the environment she was in did not allow her to make any jokes.