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

Behind the three people, the little lonely girl who had curled up in the trash can recovered a little after a long while. She carefully raised the trash can slightly, and lay on the ground, watching the conversation between Chen Qi, Hong Xia and Liang from a perspective that was almost touching the floor.

Chen Qi...just wants to play with them, right?

It's amazing! They look about the same age as me, just high school students, but they can already perform with seniors like Chen Qi.

They must be very good at playing, right? I'm so envious...

A band like this has nothing to do with a loner like me who doesn't even dare to go on stage, right?

The lonely little one curled up in the trash can did not tell his feelings to anyone, but silently took out his mobile phone, and when he looked at the agreement he had made with the unknown online friend yesterday, he recovered a little.

It doesn’t matter. There are friends like me who are not that good, but they are trying hard to perform for me. I should be more adaptable to the atmosphere of this band.

Chapter 19: A performance doomed to fail? Chen Qi presents "LOSER"!

"Hey? Don't you need my peaceful help?"

An hour later, Xiangzi and Mu, who was carrying a guitar, came to "Fanxing" at the same time. When the two girls had just arrived at the scene and were about to play the cover song with Chen Qi, Hong Xia and Liang, Chen Qi told them an unexpected result.

"That's the case for now."

Because of Xiangzi and Hemu's arrival, Chen Qi, who had just left the practice room for a short time, also told the two girls his thoughts at the door of [Fanxing].

Compared to Mu, who had a calm expression, Xiangzi was much more surprised. After taking a look at the training room, she turned her gaze to Chen Qi in front of her and said with surprise:

"Could it be that they really practiced the song you wrote for them in just one night?"

Chen Qi: "Obviously, not really. It's even a bit bad."

Chen Qi, who had just finished rehearsing several times with the two members of the band, obviously knew that they did not have the ability to do it. This kind of commission would give even a top talent like Xiangzi a headache, and they had no intention of completing it from the beginning.

"Sure enough, the difficulty of the song is still too much for them." Chen Qi also shook his head. Faced with this situation that was entirely his own fault, he had no choice but to bear it alone.

"This is also my fault. If only the song I left for them yesterday was a little more soothing."

"Don't say that, Chen Qi." Xiangzi and Mu shuddered when they heard Chen Qi was going to put the blame on himself again. Xiangzi was one step ahead of Mu in expressing their common feelings, saying:

"My husband and I were by your side at the time. If we had stood up to stop you, perhaps this wouldn't have happened."

"Well, it's not Qi's fault." Mu also echoed Xiangzi. Although he had no emotion, he was still sincere.

Xiangzi, who knew Chen Qi's character, naturally knew that it was useless to just comfort Chen Qi. In the end, he would only become more aggravated and bear everything alone. Xiangzi, who wanted to do his best to help Chen Qi relieve some of his psychological burden, also seized the opportunity to say:

"But since Liang and Hongxia don't work well together, Chen Qi, you need my help more, right?"

"He Mu and I can help you with cover. I think, as long as the three of us work together, we can definitely make this Live a more successful one."

"...Indeed, this show will be even better with your help."

Under Xiangzi's friendly gaze, Chen Qi nodded with a wry smile after a brief silence, but the next moment, he put forward an argument that left the two women speechless.

"But if that's the case, will this performance be our Crychic performance, or will it be the end of the band?"

"..."

Faced with Xiangzi and Hemu who were no longer able to refute, the bitterness in Chen Qi's smile quickly disappeared. He certainly knew that these two girls wanted to help him.

But there are some things that you have caused yourself, you have to deal with yourself. There are also some issues of principle that you cannot let others take responsibility for.

"Hongxia and Liang have worked so hard until now just to cooperate with me. If you join in and cover up the effect of their performance, then what is the meaning of this performance to them?"

"Besides, the level of both of you is too far behind that of Liang and Hongxia now. The pressure I put on them is already great enough. If you join in, they will completely collapse."

"That's what I said..."

Chen Qi's words made Xiangzi not know how to respond for a moment. Her starting point had always been Chen Qi, and she did not consider the emotions of the two people who ended the band.

Although Xiangzi didn't want Chen Qi to have anything to do with the band, she couldn't ignore the feelings of the two girls and help Chen Qi without distinguishing right from wrong.

But in the end, after a fierce ideological struggle, Xiangzi reluctantly chose to nod and obey Chen Qi's idea.

"That's good." Having convinced Xiangzi, Chen Qi felt relieved. When he cast his eyes on Mu who was silently standing aside, he quickly got Mu's nod of approval.

Seeing Xiangzi's muted expression, which seemed to still be a little gloomy, Chen Qi smiled, then took the initiative to reach out his hand and gently placed it on Xiangzi's muted shoulder.

Seeing this scene, Xiangzi and Hemu couldn't help but tremble, and their expressions were in a trance for a moment.

Memories seemed to have gone back to the past all of a sudden...When Crychic performed live for the first time, Chen Qi used this method to give every girl the courage to go on stage.

"Don't worry, I'm here for you. Even if the sky falls, I'll hold it up."

After patting the two girls on the shoulders, Chen Qi quickly let go of them without any intention of taking advantage. He then placed his hand on the door handle and planned to return to the training room to continue practicing.

It was not until Chen Qi had left that Xiangzi realized what had happened that he reached out and rubbed his shoulder that Chen Qi had patted, feeling the lingering touch, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses.

But in the end, Xiangzi still lowered his head silently, stopped his trembling body, and answered in a low and powerful voice, regardless of whether Chen Qi could hear him or not:

"Well, I'll listen to you, Chen Qi."

"..." And beside Xiangzi, Mu, who was listening to Xiangzi's belated answer with an expressionless face, the tenderness that flashed in his eyes disappeared.

Instead, what replaced it was the undisguised cold gaze she had shown yesterday when she was talking alone with Xiangzi, staring coldly at her back from behind.

……

The several hours of band performances sounded long, but in the darkness where the flickering lights were the only source of light, people were so absorbed in the revelry and singing one song after another that they could not perceive the passage of time at all.

Most of the bands that came this time were only slightly better than the newly assembled bands. They had only worked together for a few weeks, and most of them were not geniuses, nor had they received musical instrument training since childhood, so they made a lot of mistakes.

Fortunately, most of the people who came to the scene this time were students, and they all came to support members of their school or peers, so there was no problem with the atmosphere, and they even led others to applaud.

Xiangzi and Hemu in the audience were indifferent to the performances of these bands and waited calmly for Chen Qi to come on stage.

Not far from them, Goto Ichiri, who was unable to adapt to the flow of people, chose to hide in the only corner where he could get some fresh air. He had no intention of listening to the performance of the band on the stage, but instead focused all his attention on the mobile phone in front of him.

Or to be more precise, it was the message from the online friend who chatted with me yesterday and invited me to the scene.

"Why, why haven't you sent me a message yet? Generally speaking, shouldn't you let me know before a performance to confirm whether I'm there?"

"Or have you actually forgotten that you invited me?"

Goto Ichiri was trembling with fear and used extra strength to barely hold the phone in his hand.

However, staying on yesterday's chat records made her more and more uneasy.

The little loneliness of a socially anxious person cannot survive for long in this kind of craze. The fact that she can still hold back from running away shows that her socially anxious characteristic of not wanting to break an appointment has been brought to its extreme.

She was still waiting, not only for the performance of Chen Qi, whom she had been admiring, but also for the performance of her online friend who had invited her.

Among them, if one of them had come sooner, Goto would not have been so panicked.

Because, it will be the last band soon!

If she doesn't get any more news, then one of her most terrifying guesses will be confirmed!

The person who invited me was among the three people who ended the band!

The most terrifying result is that the person who invited him is the musician he admires, Chen Qi!

"No, no, no, how is this possible...Senior Chen Qi is such a confident person, how could he possibly ask me for guitar lessons?"

"Sure enough, sure enough, I have been forgotten, right? That's easy, let's just listen to the last song and leave..."

Goto, who was forcing himself to smile, was also constantly paralyzing his nerves. Just when Goto was trembling with fear and at a loss, the second-to-last band had already finished their performance and left the stage one after another.

So now, there is only one last band left.

"coming soon."

Xiangzi also ignored the group of audiences who left with the band after the performance. Now, there were not many people left in "Stars", only the last dozen or so people were left.

This was obviously also Xingge's arrangement. She deliberately put her sister's band, who was destined to be embarrassed, at the end so that she would not be too nervous to perform.

In addition, it is also Xingge’s last hope for Chen Qi.

Can he turn the tide alone?

Under the watchful eyes of Xingge, Xiangzi, Mu, and Bochi-chan in the corner, Chen Qi took the lead, followed by Hongxia and Liang. The three of them stood in their respective positions under the watchful eyes of the public, and after checking the condition of the instruments, they all held their breath and concentrated.

"Everybody, we're the closing band!"

The first sound was made by Hong Xia, the founder of the band, and soon, Hong Xia and Liang looked at Chen Qi at the same time. Just as they had agreed before going on stage, he, the original creator, was the one to say the name of the song.

But, under everyone's gaze, Chen Qi, holding the guitar, did not move. He did not speak, did not pluck the strings, just waiting for everyone's eyes to focus on him.

About half a minute later, Chen Qi walked forward silently, pointed at the microphone, and as soon as he opened his mouth, all attention was focused on him.

"Everyone, before the show starts, I must first say sorry to everyone."

"Originally, we could have presented you with a better performance, but because of my insistence, everyone in the band had to practice new songs."

"This performance was not the best we could have hoped for, and I solemnly apologize to you all for that."

As he spoke, Chen Qi's eyes were also cast towards Goto Ichiri who was standing in the corner. If it weren't for the pink sportswear and beautiful hair, he would be inconspicuous. A smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he said lightly:

"Especially, I have invited a friend to watch our performance today."

"Huh?" X2

However, as soon as Chen Qi finished speaking, two unexpected exclamations were heard at the same time in the silent scene.

Perhaps because of the overlap of the voices, or perhaps because they were some distance apart, Shoko and Goto's hearts skipped a beat at almost the same time.

At this moment, perhaps by coincidence, they all thought that the person Chen Qi was talking about was themselves.

Let’s not talk about Xiangzi for now. The worst situation in his mind was confirmed at this moment. Goto Ichiri couldn’t even hold his own mobile phone.

The phone slipped from the gap between her palms and fell to the ground, making a crisp sound, but all this did not bring back Goto's soul that had already drifted away.

Chen Qi...it was actually Senior Chen Qi, the person who invited her, the first person she met at the entrance of [Fanxing], who spoke to her, gave her water and sandwiches, and was half-forced to work with her, the confident and gentle person? !

And, before that, he even disliked my sweaty smell?!

For some reason, Goto Ichiri's first reaction, whose mind was already in a mess, was the huge black history he left behind today. At the moment he thought of this, Goto Ichiri's cheeks turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye, and he squatted down, covering his face.

I can’t see anyone anymore...After this is over, I’m going to stay in my room and never come out for the rest of my life.

Try to convince your parents to let you stay at home. She has completely lost hope in this society...

But at this time, Chen Qi on the stage did not finish his words. Instead, he continued to speak without being affected at all:

"My friend is very tenacious and has great potential. She can be called my most promising future star."

"——But, she lacks a little courage, a little confidence to believe in her potential."

"That's it. She clearly has talents and abilities that even I envy, but because of her personality, she can't maximize her potential."

"Just like that, she, who was originally very capable, now thinks she is a 'weakling'."

"Because of this, she lost a lot of things that she could have obtained. Many things that she could have done were ultimately not accomplished because of her lack of courage."

"Weak"...?

...Perhaps, Chen Qi, is not wrong.

Below the stage, Xiangzi stared at Chen Qi who was giving a speech with her sharp eyes. Obviously, when Chen Qi said these words, he did not look at her, but Xiangzi, who was sensitive inside, lowered her head silently as if she was implied, and dared not look Chen Qi in the eye again.

Yes, now that I am so poor and destitute, and am forced to move forward by life, am I not also a weak person?

As for courage... I had lost everything, so how could I have any courage? She was like a cactus now. If anyone touched her and hurt her self-esteem, she would immediately fight back aggressively.

But all of this was just a disguise. Xiangzi knew better than anyone that her courage had disappeared the day she announced her withdrawal from Crychic.

She, who was once full of vigor and vitality, no longer believed on that day that this band could change her destiny. Her courage had long been crushed by the pressure of life.

But why do you know all this, Chen Qi? And when did you know this?

In an instant, Xiangzi's memory suddenly recalled the day when the band disbanded - that day was the saddest day for her.

Because the hard work they had put in for so long was completely destroyed on that day. And the man Xiangzi valued the most did not even say a word to keep him when he left.

Could it be that, from that time on—

Suddenly, Xiangzi's eyes, who finally understood something, widened a little. Her eyes trembled slightly, as if a flood was coming, and she suppressed her emotions tightly.

However, Mu, who was beside Xiangzi, was staring at Chen Qi on the stage without blinking. Listening to Chen Qi's words, she seemed to be hit by some unspeakable soft spot in her heart, and her beautiful eyes flashed with many complex emotions.

Courage...?

Qi, who are you talking to? Is it Xiangzi, or...

On the other side, after hearing Chen Qi's description, Goto Ichiri gradually stood up from the ground and looked at Chen Qi on the stage with an extremely unbelievable and dull look.

Was it really me who was talking just now?

Did he hear it wrong? Chen Qi, the senior whom he admired and a mature musician, actually said that she had great potential? He even said that she was a rising star and had talents that even he envied?