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

What's more, he now has a "creditor" above him... He doesn't even dare to call the creditor, and even has to rely on Mu's occasional vegetable relief for meals. His current living conditions are not much better than Liang's, but can only be said to be better than Xiangzi's.

To sum up, unless Chen Qi has the ability to find a rich man, he can forget about having a girlfriend as he has the quality of life now.

"——In that case, let's get back to the topic."

After a brief teasing, Xingge quickly got to the point. After she finished the drink in her hand, she regained her usual cold gaze and cast it at the girls who were still immersed in the success of the performance a second ago.

Soon, Hong Xia's originally happy smile disappeared.

Liang, who had anticipated this scene, did not show any change in expression, but he focused his gaze on Hongxia.

As for Xiao Gudu, he was already trembling with fear at the cold aura of the store manager. He could only lower his head and drink water silently. However, the cup in his hand was already empty.

"Well, since the performance is over, there is no need for Chen Qi to continue to help you, right?" Xing Ge deliberately ignored his sister's expression and said something rather cruel in a most casual tone:

"When the time comes, I will divide your money according to the target of 100 people. Just consider it as a reward for thanking you for helping my useless sister. If it weren't for you, they would have been so embarrassed today."

"Wait, sister!"

Finally, Hong Xia, who had been unable to sit still, tried to say something with a forced smile when faced with her sister who had suddenly become serious.

However, before Hongxia could open her mouth, her sister suddenly glanced at her. Just a glance was enough to make Hongxia, who already had little confidence, lose the courage to speak again.

"...You are not that naive, are you? Do you really think this performance was a success?" Xing Ge saw that his sister seemed to still have illusions, and said in a decisive tone:

"You guys know that even if it's a cover, your coordination is the worst among the bands here. If Chen Qi hadn't come to the rescue this time, do you really think the performance would have been that good?"

"If you two hadn't held him back, Chen Qi alone would have performed better than you two combined. Do you really expect to keep someone like him in your pretend band?"

"If you ask me, this is not a good thing. It's even quite selfish."

And every word Xingge said was fulfilling her promise to Chen Qi.

Of course, the reasons Xingge gave were indeed from the heart. Even her original band was not lucky enough to have a member like Chen Qi. These girls wanted to keep him, which was simply delaying his future.

"That kind of thing..."

Hong Xia naturally knew everything Xingge said. After today's performance, she knew that the band and Chen Qi were two completely different worlds, and it was unrealistic for her to wish to keep him.

However, after these things were really made clear, even Hong Xia, who had always been gentle and cheerful, felt extremely uncomfortable.

I know that we are a failure compared to Senior Chen Qi...

However, when on the stage, Senior Chen Qi always exudes such a reliable and calm demeanor. Even if my drum beats are messed up and Liang's bass is buried, he still makes each of us full of confidence.

This kind of peace of mind... is so hard to find...

If I leave Senior Chen Qi, how long will it take me to find a genius who can have a similar feeling and have the opportunity to join our band?

How long will it take to fulfill the promise to my mother?

And just when the scene was completely silent, Goto Ichiri, who had been huddled quietly in an inconspicuous place nearby, suddenly had a momentary brain freeze when he heard that Chen Qi would never return to the band and might not even return to "Fanxing".

Senior Chen Qi... is leaving?

Does that mean that from now on, I will never have the chance to meet again the only person who encouraged me with music?

I can't hear his singing anymore? Can't hear his encouragement anymore?

She didn't record the song "LOSER", and she will never be able to listen to it a second time. How could this song inspire someone like her to release her emotions?

Am I going to go back to that kind of life again? The days when no one understands me, no one communicates with me...

"...No, it can't be done."

"Ok?"

And suddenly, Goto Ichiri, who revealed his inner thoughts for a moment, attracted everyone's attention.

Especially Chen Qi, the moment he heard that the person who spoke was Xiao Gudu, he gave him the most unexpected look of surprise that day, but after the surprise, a wonderful expectation rose in his heart for no reason.

Will this time be different from Crychic?

Will my appearance bring more positive influence to these girls?

Chapter 22: Goto Ichiri's efforts to "confess" and the band's successful retention

"Speaking of which, if I'm not mistaken, the friend that Chen Qi mentioned on the stage should be you, right?"

When Xingge saw Goto Ichiri took the initiative to refute him, he turned his gaze to her and asked in a low voice:

"I saw you before that you seemed to be uncomfortable with crowded places, but you just didn't want to leave. You were waiting for Chen Qi's performance, right?"

"If I'm guessing correctly, Chen Qi, you invited this girl here to fill the vacancy left after you left, right?"

"...Yes, that's quite right, Manager Xingge."

In response to Xingge's question, Chen Qi nodded with a wry smile after a brief silence. He then turned his gaze to Hongxia, Liang and Goto, and openly admitted his behavior.

"Goto, I must apologize to you for this. This time I invited you to watch the live show at [Stars], in addition to wanting to encourage you, I actually have another plan."

"That is, I want to convince you to join the Ending Band and take over as the guitarist of the Ending Band after I leave."

"Huh? Me?"

However, when Goto Ichiri heard what Chen Qi said, she subconsciously pointed at herself in disbelief. She had never thought that Chen Qi, whom she admired so much, would have such a high opinion of her.

In this regard, Chen Qi also implemented his encouraging attitude towards Xiao Gudu. When Xiao Gudu was still doubting himself, he took the initiative to speak:

"Yes, Goto-san, I've heard of your Guitar Hero account for a long time. I can say that your guitar skills are on the same level as mine, or even better than mine."

"Huh? Goto-san is the 'Guitar Hero'?!"

However, the moment Chen Qi revealed Xiao Gudu's identity as a "guitar hero", Hong Xia and Liang on the side were also surprised, and they all looked at the introverted and timid Goto Ichiri with disbelief.

Hong Xia: "Goto, are you really the 'guitar hero'? I've known you for a long time. You've covered a lot of popular songs, which I really like!"

Liang: "Well, your covers are often recommended on the front page, and you play very well. If this is true, Goto-san is not necessarily worse than Chen Qi-senpai in terms of guitar alone."

"Well, well, I'm not that good..."

However, facing the praise from Hongxia and Liang, Goto Ichiri, who always lacked a sense of identity, might have been overwhelmed in the past. But this time, facing her idol Chen Qi, she still waved her hand and said with particular lack of confidence:

"In terms of guitar, I am far behind Senior Chen Qi..."

"Don't be so self-deprecating, Goto-san." Facing the unconfident little Gu Du, Chen Qi also tried his best to give her a sense of identity and answered with reason and evidence:

"To be honest, my guitar skills are just quick learning. If I hadn't met a very strict teacher, my guitar skills would not be good enough at all."

"But you, Goto-san, are different. Judging from the quality of the cover videos you posted, you must have started playing guitar at least several years ago, and you must have practiced for a very long time each time to reach this level, right?"

Of course Chen Qi knew that there was actually a huge gap between his guitar playing level and Goto Ichiri's.

Although Chen Qi's good teacher helped him avoid many wrong paths, Chen Qi did not think that his guitar skills, which he had only practiced hard for half a year, could compare to the little lonely man in the original book who taught himself for three years and practiced guitar for six hours every day.

...Well, compared to my other skills, guitar and singing may be my two weakest skills. After all, I only started learning them half a year ago.

Over the years, ever since he realized that he was in a music show, he has been working hard to improve himself. When he was still a child and was adopted by the Takamatsu couple, he had already started to hone himself together with Deng.

Otherwise, when he was in Crychic, he wrote songs by the system, why didn't Xiangzi and everyone else doubt him? He still had to rely on his own ability to support himself.

Of course, having said that, Chen Qi’s guitar skills cannot yet be compared with Pochi-chan’s for the time being, but in the future... that may not be the case.

"But, but, if I were on stage, I would never be as dazzling as Senior Chen Qi, who could perform beyond his normal level even in front of so many audiences..."

However, in response to Chen Qi's praise, Goto Ichiri waved his hands in panic, and his mind couldn't help but recall the live scene where Chen Qi remained calm despite many unfavorable conditions.

An original song that she had only practiced for a short time, an unfamiliar band, poor coordination, a large audience (a little lonely standard)... Any one of these would be enough to make her so nervous that she couldn't perform to her full potential.

However, Chen Qi overcame all these difficulties. Not only did he overcome them, but he even relied on his confidence and composure to turn around this Live that should have been terrible.

"Senior Chen Qi said that my guitar skills are very good and was even willing to write a song to encourage me and introduce me to the band. I was really happy."

"But, but, taking over Senior Chen Qi's position... I... I still can't do it."

"To be honest, during this live performance, I even cheered because I was inspired by the songs of my seniors. If it were any other time, I would never have done that."

As Goto Ichiri spoke, the volume of his voice gradually decreased due to his constant self-denial. In the end, it even became as soft as a mosquito's whisper, which was inaudible to anyone.

However, the moment Goto was able to speak his mind was beyond Chen Qi's expectations.

After all, as a time traveler, Chen Qi certainly understood that Xiao Gudu had a lot of inner thoughts, but she could rarely express them out loud. This time, she was able to admit her own cowardice and shortcomings, which was already a great improvement.

It seems that my song "LOSER" really brought some positive influence to Xiao Gudu?

Perhaps, Xiao Gudu's current situation only requires me to give it a final push?

"——Goto-san, what you just said, I already knew it when I met you in person and helped out at the bar with you."

Facing the still unconfident Goto Ichiri, Chen Qi, knowing that her heart had wavered and that she was just one step away from making up her mind, smiled and asked Little Lonely word by word:

"But, after knowing your personality, why do you think I still let you watch my live performance and still want to introduce you to join the ending band?"

"..." After hearing Chen Qi's question, the bewildered Goto Ichiri shook his head mechanically.

Chen Qi's question also unconsciously aroused the curiosity of Hong Xia, Liang, and even Xing Ge. They also wanted to know why Chen Qi went to such great lengths to pull Goto Ichiri into the ending band?

Facing everyone's curious gazes, Chen Qi briefly organized his words and then looked directly at Goto Ichiri and replied:

"Because Goto-san, you are more suitable than me to be in the end band and grow up with Nijika, Ryo and the others."

"Grow together?" Goto subconsciously repeated Chen Qi's words, seeming a little confused. Chen Qi was also a good person and explained to everyone:

"Goto, your guitar skills are actually very good, but what you need to overcome is your lack of confidence and timidity. As long as you can't overcome these weaknesses, you won't be able to perform at your best, right?"

"But in fact, you are not the only one who needs to overcome your weaknesses. Liang and Hongxia, don't they have weaknesses that don't need to be overcome?"

As he spoke, Chen Qi also turned his gaze to Hong Xia and Liang. After training with them for several hours, Chen Qi was familiar with their respective strengths and weaknesses. He said without any concerns:

"It's easy for Ryo to get too caught up in her own rhythm. As a bassist who adds texture to the melody, not matching the rhythm is a big no-no. Ryo's bass skills are almost as good as your guitar skills, Gotou, but she also has her shortcomings."

"As a drummer, Hongxia actually has a good sense of rhythm, which is obviously the result of a long period of practice. But Hongxia's physical strength is a little weak, and she is easily influenced by the outside world. Her mental quality is not strong enough, which is also a shortcoming that Hongxia needs to overcome."

"To be fair, each of you can be considered an excellent musician individually, but you are not going to debut as a solo artist, but to form a band."

"What a band needs is not a perfect musician, but cooperation between the two to minimize each person's weaknesses and maximize each person's strengths, so as to achieve the most perfect performance effect."

"In the final analysis, what you lack now is mutual understanding and cooperation, as well as mutual support on the road to growth. You all need trustworthy companions more than I do."

"That's why I believe you can form a better band, Goto, and you are more suitable to stay in the ending band than me."

"Senior Chen Qi..."

Chen Qi's touching words made Hong Xia and Liang reveal some surprise, and even caused some changes in their perception of Chen Qi.

Especially Liang who was silent the whole time. She had guessed that Chen Qi would not stay in the band, and she also expected that Chen Qi might not think highly of them, which was why he left her and Hong Xia with an impossible task.

But what she didn't expect was that Chen Qi would actually care so much about their band, and even considered who would be more suitable than him to be a member of the band after she left...

Why? Why did he care so much about them? Did he really see their potential?

No, it's not just that, if it was just potential, Chen Qi's previous band should have performed better than them, but he still quit the band... Then why was he so concerned about ending the band?

"But, but, I still don't know what to do..."

After Chen Qi's persuasion, Goto was indeed moved. This guitar hero who had always wanted to find like-minded partners but had never had the courage to take the initiative to invite them, after hearing Chen Qi's description, felt from the bottom of his heart that ending the band might be the most suitable band for him.

However, she still did not have the confidence that she could replace Chen Qi's position. After all, she had always been a little lonely as an independent online musician, and this was also her first time to cooperate with everyone in a performance.

"After listening to your song today, Senior Chen Qi, I really felt very, very inspired..."

"But, but, without Senior Chen Qi, I would immediately return to this timid state, not daring to do anything, not even daring to look the audience in the eye..."

"I want to know where Senior Chen Qi got his courage from, but Senior Chen Qi is leaving... I... I..."

I will be very reluctant and also very overwhelmed.

However, after hesitating for a long time, Xiao Gudu finally failed to finish the last sentence. But for her, this was the emotion she could express with all her strength.

In the past, Goto Ichiri would never have been able to say "I want you to stay". If someone wanted to leave her, she might not even have the courage to say goodbye to that person, let alone persuade that person to stay.

Although Xiao Gudu was unable to utter complete words, everyone understood what she meant. For a moment, Liang and Hongxia looked at Chen Qi expectantly, hoping that their senior could make a statement at this time.

"——So in the final analysis, you guys just lack practice. Live effects can't be achieved just by moving your mouth. Everyone has to put in a lot of hard work behind the scenes."

Xingge, who couldn't stand listening any longer, finally interrupted the conversation. Her cold eyes swept over everyone in the band, including Goto, and she said calmly:

"You don't have much experience in playing together, and you haven't figured out each other's rhythm yet. You're just playing like children. If you keep going like this, you won't be able to get a chance to perform next time."

"Unless... you prove to me that you are worthy of being called members of a band."

As he spoke, Xingge glanced at Chen Qi beside him in a casual manner. The store manager who had promised to help Chen Qi get out of the band, at this moment, seemed to say something like this casually:

"In a month, I will test your abilities at [Stars]. If you fail the test, forget about any public performances."

"Within this month, you can ask anyone for help or guidance - of course, you can't ask me for help, and you can't ask Chen Qi to perform on stage with you either. Do you understand?"