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

The moment the voice of Tsuzuki's poetry ship sounded, the smiles of everyone, including Chen Qi, almost immediately disappeared, and they immediately turned their eyes to Tsuzuki, who was supported by Yao Lenai and came to them.

This time, before Hongxia and the others could instinctively feel timid towards their grandmother who had taught them strictly, Chen Qi's tall figure stood in front of them and took the blame for Tsuzuki's attack.

"Grandma, I didn't mean that. I just think that in such a performance, each of us has exerted our maximum strength. This is a rare thing."

Tsuzuki: "Yes, I admit that your performance this time was very beautiful, and everyone has tried their best."

However, even by Tsuzuki's standards, one has to praise Chen Qihe for ending the band's performance, but this time, Tsuzuki did not come to end the band.

"But I'm not here to ask these little girls this time, I'm here to ask you, boy."

"I know very well how capable these girls are, but boy, you should also understand that your limit is not just this, right?"

"You can sing this song even better. If there is a professional band that can keep up with your rhythm and you don't have to make concessions or compromises, you can make the performance even better. Isn't that right?"

"...Grandma, I think you may think too highly of me."

However, in the face of Tsuzuki's words, Chen Qi's eyebrows jumped slightly, and he was even more aware of the four girls behind him, and even the scrutinizing gaze from Le Nai, and replied in a calm tone:

"I think this is my best performance. I haven't been able to perform to this level in previous rehearsals..."

"Don't play dumb, kid." Tsuzuki didn't tolerate Chen Qi's temper at all. This old woman, who treated Chen Qi like her grandson and was like a strict teacher to him, stared at Chen Qi and said coldly:

"You are not at your peak state when you are rehearsing in the studio. It is natural that your performance is better than your training."

Seeing Chen Qi's stubborn silence, Tsuzuki was furious. Without hesitation, she exposed him in front of Chen Qi and the girls who had finished the band:

"Boy, I know that you have a natural liking for this band made up of these girls. You are even willing to make many sacrifices for this band. To you, lowering your status is nothing."

"But do you know that your lowering of status will only cause these fledgling girls you care about to face pressure that is not at their level?" Qi Qi

"Today, you were able to save the day and help them win Afterglow with your excellence. What about next time? Even if you save the day again, can you still win?"

"Even if you can lead them to win all the time, and win all the way to the martial arts hall, have you ever thought about your superiority and omnipotence compared to them? Are you a solid support for them? Or are you a shadow that overshadows their brilliance?"

"A band with too much disparity in strength among its members cannot last long. Boy, the disbandment of your previous band called Crychic still made you realize this truth?"

"——Shut up."4

However, just as Tsuzuki was questioning Chen Qi again and again, wanting him to get out of this situation before he made the same mistake again, a cold female voice suddenly interrupted the conversation.

After a while, Yamada Ryo, who had been staying behind Chen Qi, came around Chen Qi with an expressionless face and accompanied him to look directly at the stern old senior.

"Liang?" For a moment, not only Chen Qi, but even Hong Xia, Kita and Pochi were all shocked by Liang's sudden action and disrespectful words.

However, Liang didn't care so much. She just said whatever she wanted to say as usual. This time, she didn't want to be the person who was protected by Chen Qi but could do nothing.

"Teacher Tsuzuki, although I know that you and Qi knew each other earlier than the rest of us, I feel that you simply don't understand what Qi really needs."

"Everything you said just now is correct. Compared to Afterglow, we are very unprofessional. Qi made a lot of compromises in the arrangement for us. We are not a band worthy of Qi now."

"But, Mr. Tsuzuki, have you ever thought about this, if we are really so useless, why would Qi join our band? Instead of looking for his sister and former teammates, and even forming a new band with other more professional people?"

Liang looked directly at Tsuzuki in front of him without any fear, her eyes unexpectedly firm. At this moment, Liang's eyes were not looking at Tsuzuki, but at another self, the one who once doubted herself...

Ever since Chen Qi joined the band, I have been worried whether his arrival would increase the pressure of ending the band.

She was even more worried that his arrival would cause her band, which was originally just playing music for fun, to lose its "individuality" driven by utilitarianism.

Now, Yamada Ryo has understood.

Everything that Jiu himself was worried about would not happen.

0 What Chen Qi needed was not to realize his brilliance from them. What he wanted from them from the beginning to the end was only one thing——

The death part is that someone "loves" him and needs his feelings.

⑻ And it just so happens that I now may want to take the initiative to meet his needs...

Four "Qi is one of us, a member of the End Band. I will not allow anyone to sow discord between us, not even Mr. Tsuzuki."

2 "...Is that so? Then I can only hope that you won't regret it."

9 Facing this scene, Du Zhu was slightly surprised by Liang's rebuttal, but instead revealed a subtle smile. After waving his hands, he chose to leave without saying anything more.

0Although the expected goal was not achieved, the significance of Tsuzuki coming to find Chen Qi and the others this time has been achieved.

㈤Perhaps, these girls are destined to be unable to keep up with that boy one day.

But at least, Tsuzuki can now be sure that these girls will not let the boy make the same mistake again and leave him to bear all the consequences alone.

It was enough for Tsuzuki to understand this.

However...the girl named Yamada Ryo is very brave, and she seems to have some special attention to that boy.

...Tsk, this boy's ability to flirt with other girls is almost as good as his ability to host a live show.

However, after seeing Tsuzuki walking away step by step accompanied by Kaname Rakuna, Chen Qi, who had been silent for a long time, exhaled a long breath and couldn't help but said to Liang beside him:

"…Ryo, if you talk back to grandma, you will suffer in the next special training."

"It's okay." Unexpectedly, Liang didn't look afraid at all. Instead, he looked directly at Chen Qi with a smile in his eyes and said word by word:

"Anyway, Qi will take it for us, right?"

Chen Qi: "...Yeah, anyway, thank you for speaking up for me this time, Liang."

Chen Qi, whose thoughts were clearly seen by Liang, shook his head with a smile after a brief silence, and then said to Liang:

"I'll go explain this to grandma alone. Liang, you guys go back to the lounge first. I'll be back in a while."

By the way, Chen Qi also wanted to ask Yao Lenai, who seemed to be in a bad mood today, what happened.

Chen Qi had a hunch that grandma's sudden attack this time might be closely related to Yao Lenai's bad mood...

……

"Ryo, I didn't expect you weren't even afraid of Teacher Tsuzuki. Do you know that we were almost scared to death when you stepped forward just now!"

Ryo was walking back to the lounge with Hongxia, Kita, and Pochi-chan. Hongxia, still feeling frightened, couldn't help but complain to her childhood sweetheart who didn't understand what "fear" meant.

However, Liang's response was exceptionally concise and clear. He said:

"Qi has helped us a lot, so when Qi needs help, I will help him."

"Hongxia, I think we all have to do this. Qi is our friend, and we shouldn't stand idly by when it comes to Qi's problems."

Hong Xia: "I didn't say I would just stand by and watch...it's just..."

However, I still don’t understand when Qi really needs our help and when he doesn’t want us to intervene…

I don't know him as well as you do.

Hongxia's mind was full of thoughts, and the words that Tsuzuki had said before kept lingering in her mind. This made Hongxia, who already had such thoughts, begin to doubt herself in her heart, and she became more worried about whether their band could keep Chen Qi.

Should I say that I don't know Qi well enough? Should I tell Qi the truth like I did today?

"Click."

While Hongxia was confused, they had unknowingly arrived at the lounge. After Liang pushed open the door of the lounge, a conspicuous item on the table quickly attracted the girls' attention.

“Is this… a cake?”

Kita: "Is it from a fan? Is it our first fan gift?"

"..." Liang, who didn't understand the excited Kita's words, walked straight over. Liang, who was usually the greediest, did not start immediately this time, but instead paid attention to the note under the cake.

【Congratulations on winning the primary election. Please keep up the good work. 】

...There was no signature, only a line of beautiful handwriting, but Liang had already vaguely guessed who sent the cake.

"Everyone, I'll be honest with you about this cake."

"Hey?! Senior Liang! At least give us a piece!"

However, facing Ryo who picked up the cake and left the lounge, Kita and Pochi, who had already begun to think about how to divide the cake, were unable to stop Ryo's actions and could only watch the cake fly away from them...

Only Hongxia felt a little suspicious when she saw Liang's abnormal behavior.

Liang... What on earth are you doing all this for?

……

Liang, holding the cake, also came to the exit of "RiNG" as soon as possible. As expected, she soon noticed the figure with blue hair and twin ponytails who was wearing the same clothes and had his back to her, and suddenly called out:

"Did you leave this cake to congratulate us, or are you worried about Qi Yiran?"

"clatter."

However, just as Liang finished speaking, Toyokawa Shoko, who had stopped walking not far away, did not even turn her head, but just pretended to be calm and said in a low voice:

"…I made a promise with you that I won't see him again. This is just a gift from me as a fan."

"Also... this is also a little selfish of mine. I... see that he can perform on stage without worries. I am sincerely happy for him."

Liang: “…Is that really the case?”

At this time, Liang, holding the cake, had unknowingly walked in front of Toyokawa Shoko. She looked directly at Shoko's faintly shaken expression, and after a long sigh, she said calmly:

"If you can really let it go, why would you worry about him anymore?"

"Huh?" Xiangzi, whose little thoughts were revealed by Liang's words, raised her head subconsciously, but she was facing Liang's action of handing the cake back to her.

"——This is not necessary."

She returned the cake in her hand to Toyokawa Shoko. At this moment, she had already roughly understood the coldness of her feelings. She no longer had any thoughts about the girl in front of her who had hurt Chen Qi. But she did not hurt her again. She just said in a soft and soothing tone:

"We will take good care of Qi for you. He is with us and will not be harmed again. We will never allow anyone to hurt him again."

"Don't worry, he has found his own happiness now. It's your turn to pursue your own happiness."

After saying that, Liang didn't have any more extra words to say to Toyokawa Shoko. He walked around Shoko without looking back and strode towards the lounge.

In the corridor of "RiNG", Toyokawa Shoko silently gazed at the cake she had made with her own hands during her part-time job in the cake shop, relying on the little time and resources she had. But in silence, she let her tears drop on the cake box that had never been opened.

My own happiness...

The happiness that she was supposed to have has long since disappeared.

Now, she just wants to say goodbye to this past relationship in person... This is her last wish.

Volume 135: Chapter 134 Chapter : Hailing: I can’t stand it anymore, I exploded on behalf of Lixi and Qi!

Chen Qi, who had no idea that Xiangzi had also arrived at the scene, and who had no idea that the cake Xiangzi had sent him had been sent back by Liang on his own initiative, also followed Lenai's footsteps, wanting to find an opportunity to ask Lenai why she was in a bad mood today.

But this time, before Chen Qi could find an opportunity to ask Le Nai, he was stopped by a completely unexpected handsome figure.

"Congratulations! You actually beat Afterglow this time. It was beyond my expectation."

"Hailing?" When Chen Qi heard Hachiman Hailing's voice, he subconsciously looked over, only to see that Hailing had crossed her arms and was looking at him from the side. She was still wearing the heroic and sexy performance clothes that she would only wear during performances and training.

"Hailing, you are here too? Is the band you help going to perform next?" Chen Qi asked curiously as he saw Hailing in her performance clothes.

However, Hai Ling, who always had a faint smile on her face whenever she faced Chen Qi, shook her head in denial.

"I didn't tell you that, did I? Although I help out in more than 30 bands, I definitely won't participate in a formal competition like this. This will make those who want to recruit me think that I have officially joined their band."

As she spoke, Hai Ling's beautiful eyes met Chen Qi's gaze, and the smile on her face faded a little, and she said in a low voice:

"But this time, Qi, you showed up and helped them in a situation where you absolutely cannot ask for help from outsiders."

"Are you really planning to form a band with them?"

...So that's why Hai Ling came to see me because of this matter. Chen Qi, who was very familiar with Hai Ling's straightforward personality, asked Hai Ling without hesitation after understanding the purpose of Hai Ling's visit:

"Hailing, you actually want to ask why I don't continue to form a band with Lixi and the others, right?"

"...Is it that obvious?" Hai Ling, whose thoughts were revealed in one sentence, looked at Chen Qi with a bit of surprise, and said with a bitter smile: "I thought it was difficult for others to understand my thoughts."

Chen Qi: "It's not difficult, after all, I know you, Hailing. If you have to come to me for something, it must be for Lixi."

As he spoke, Chen Qi pulled out a plastic chair that the staff would sit on and placed it next to Hai Ling. He also sat down on another chair and faced Hai Ling with a very calm attitude, and asked in a friendly tone:

"Speaking of which, Hailing, I'm a little curious. Since you care so much about Li Zhongxi's words, why have I never heard you tell Lixi that you want to form a band with her?"

"...Do you want to hear the truth?" Hai Ling looked at the calm Chen Qi. She had originally come here with the intention of accusing him, but for some reason her anger suddenly disappeared. After sitting down next to Chen Qi, she honestly told him what she was thinking:

"In fact, Li Xi and I have been classmates since junior high school. It was only in the third year of junior high school that we developed some social connections because of our interest in music."

"It was at that time that I, who had been looking for suitable band members, came up with the idea of ​​being in the same band as Lixi. I hoped that my band members would be as dedicated to music as Lixi."

"——Then, I just tried to test Li Xi and found out that you guys have been forming a band for a long time."

"...So, I actually stole the band members that you booked, Hailing?" This was the first time that Chen Qi heard Hailing talk about her past with Lixi. This was a completely unknown area of ​​knowledge for Chen Qi, so he couldn't help but laugh and asked Hailing:

"Doesn't that mean that I was actually quite annoying in your eyes, Hailing, at first?"

"You can say that." However, Hai Ling did not hide her thoughts at all. Instead, she smiled gently and said to Chen Qi very honestly: