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

"it is good……"

Faced with the extremely stringent requirements put forward by the store manager, the band, which felt unprecedented pressure this time, had no choice but to nod silently and took on this almost impossible task - to become a qualified band within a month.

……

"Senior Chen Qi, thank you so much today."

"It's nothing. I just did what I could. Whether you can get recognition from now on depends on you."

At the entrance of [Stars], Hongxia, Liang, and Xiaogudu, who had accompanied Chen Qi all the way here, all expressed their gratitude to Chen Qi. Before leaving, Chen Qi also gave some tips to help everyone who was about to finish the band avoid detours:

"Now, the problem of your band's guitarist has been solved. What remains is to find a lead singer, preferably one who can also play rhythm guitar."

"Once you find the lead singer, you can officially start practicing. Although one month is a short period of time, it should be enough for you to initially adapt to each other's rhythm."

"It's okay, it's okay~ I don't think my sister will be that strict." Hong Xia didn't know whether she wanted to make Chen Qi worry or to comfort everyone in the band, so she took the initiative to smile and said:

"That's just my sister's personality. She's arrogant and proud. I believe that when the assessment comes, as long as she sees our growth, she will let us go."

"——I think you'd better be well prepared. The manager might be serious this time."

Facing Hong Xia's slightly naive idea, Chen Qi, who had read the original novel, even though he knew that the plot was indeed like this, in order to prevent them from slacking off or causing Xing Ge's standards to be different from the original novel due to his participation, kindly reminded the three girls:

"If you have any difficulties, you can always come to me. Goto has my contact information. You can send me a message directly. I will do my best to help you through this difficult time."

Hong Xia: "How can I trouble Senior Chen Qi again?"

"It's okay." Chen Qi didn't say much. He just carried his guitar bag and walked back to the street step by step. Before leaving, he did not forget to dispel the concerns of these girls. With a rather open-minded attitude, he turned his head and said to them with a light smile:

"Just think of it as, as a senior who has experienced the disbandment of a band, I don't want to see another band that has the potential to become better follow in my footsteps."

After leaving behind the last words, Chen Qi's figure gradually disappeared from the sight of the three girls under the night sky. Because of Chen Qi's words, the three girls had not come back to their senses for a long time. After looking at each other, they finally understood the implication of Chen Qi's words.

"I told you so." Liang, who had finally realized why Chen Qi was so concerned about ending the band, came to Hong Xia's side and said with a rare smile:

“If you don’t try once, who knows if it will be impossible.”

On the side, Goto Ichiri also stared at Chen Qi's departing back with a gleaming gaze, recalling his elegant figure and temperament in his mind, and couldn't help but have many thoughts in his mind...

Senior Chen Qi, are you really willing to stay and help them?

Could it be that he really hopes that we can achieve something? Is he training us as his true juniors?

Or... seeing her growth made you want to stay and witness it?

When she thought of this, Goto Ichiri couldn't help but feel her chest pounding. A feeling she had never experienced before occupied all the space in her heart at this moment.

It was an emotion called joy, excitement... and relief. Goto Ichiri silently placed her palms on her chest, and at the moment she lowered her head slightly, a smile from the heart quietly appeared on her face.

……

"I say, Xingge? What you just said means that Hongxia and the others can go to Chen Qi for guidance, right?"

In [Stars], only Xingge and the PA, who was the sound engineer, were left in the store. The PA, who had long, smooth black hair and a cool look, came to Xingge's side with a teasing tone and said softly, "What are you doing?"

"Is this really okay? I remember you said you wanted to help Chen Qi get out of the band, right? You're only making him get deeper and deeper into trouble~"

"——I didn't say that." Xingge pretended not to care as he typed on the keyboard and replied:

"If he doesn't want to help, he has plenty of reasons. If he is willing to help without these kids even offering a price, then we can only say that he is doing it voluntarily, and no one can stop him."

"You are really not frank, that Chen Qi." Upon hearing this, Miss PA couldn't help but chuckle, and said pointedly:

"Just like you, Xingge."

"You're so long-winded." Xingge, who was already a little angry, didn't intend to pay any more attention to the other party. But the PA smiled and sat down next to Xingge without any concern. He unconsciously held his cheeks with his hands and said with a touch of emotion:

"However, the guy named Chen Qi is really amazing. His music and passion are really exciting enough."

"People like this can't avoid the same ending as us. The band disbanded..."

"So, he should feel the same as us, right? He can't bear to see these kids end up in failure, right?"

"……yes."

However, it was not just because PA's words touched the soft spot in Xingge's heart, the arrogant Xingge did not refute her words this time. Instead, she sighed and looked towards the door of [Stars] with a rather complicated look.

Or to be more precise, it was the direction Chen Qi left.

"Even though I've only known that guy for a few hours... I have a feeling that he may not want to see these kids who ended their band sad and upset more than we do."

"This guy is very trustworthy. Hongxia was able to pull him here. Maybe her mother is really guiding her in heaven."

Chapter 23: Chihaya Aine's Little Dissatisfaction and Loneliness

"Click."

After walking for quite a long way, Chen Qi finally returned to his cabin. Just as he had put down his guitar bag and was planning to take a good shower and rest, an unexpectedly beautiful figure stopped Chen Qi's actions.

I saw Chihaya Aine had already sat on his little bed, with her legs crossed, her arms across her chest, her eyes closed, and she kept tapping the floor lightly with her shoes, as if she had been waiting for Chen Qi for a long time.

“Aine?”

Chen Qi was also a little surprised that Aiyin would actually wait for him in his room.

And more importantly, judging from Aine's expression, she seemed a little unhappy today?

But, shouldn’t it?

I had already asked Aiyin to practice guitar hard in advance, and even gave her a song. Given Aiyin's personality, she should have been the center of attention in this enrollment. How could she not be happy?

Or did something unexpected happen? Could it be that Aine's sudden success this time caused her some unnecessary trouble?

All kinds of questions flashed through Chen Qi's mind, but none of them hindered his actions. After he put down the piano bag in his hand, he immediately came to Aiyin, whose lips were pouting and almost as tall as a soy sauce bottle, and whose face was full of "I'm unhappy", and asked with concern:

"What's wrong, Aine? You look so unhappy, did someone make you angry?"

However, Chen Qi thought of more than a dozen possibilities that might have caused Aiyin to be in a bad mood today, but the only thing he had not considered was that the source of Aiyin's anger was actually because of him.

Therefore, when Chen Qi just moved forward and was about to comfort Aiyin, he happened to bump into Aiyin's gun.

But the next moment, Aiyin was not angry, nor did she say any words of complaint to Chen Qi. Instead, she did something that Chen Qi found incredible.

The moment Chen Qi sat down beside the bed, Aiyin slowly opened her eyes and immediately determined Chen Qi's position, then she quickly approached Chen Qi.

Soon, the distance between Aiyin and Chen Qi was shortened to only half a shoulder's distance. Aiyin was not even satisfied, and took the initiative to put her cheek close to Chen Qi, sniffed the smell on Chen Qi's clothes carefully, and then asked seriously:

"You smell like drinks, alcohol, and sweat!"

"Sure enough, Brother Qi, you didn't go to perform on the street at all! You went to the bar, didn't you?! Are you going to sing in the bar?"

When she thought of this possibility, Aine's originally angry face immediately showed strong dissatisfaction, and for the first time in history, she shouted angrily at Chen Qi:

"I was surprised to see you go out without your audio equipment, Brother Qi, but how could you perform in a place like that?!"

"Brother Qi, are you so short of money? My mother's tuition for you is not low! No! You should quit this job right now! No matter what, Brother Qi, you can't perform in that kind of place!"

It is true that Chihaya Aine has never been to a bar, but under the good upbringing of her model-good student, she has developed the equation of "bar = nightclub = dirty place" since she was a child. Especially when she thinks of the messy environment of bars reported in many news reports, she can't stand it anymore.

But this time, before Aiyin could speak again, Chen Qi flicked her head in anger. After that, Chen Qi laughed and replied:

"What are you talking about? Why do you think I would go to that kind of place? You should know that kind of noisy environment is not suitable for me at all, and I can't DJ."

"Don't worry, I just went there to help out and performed a live show with a band. The scene was a little lively, so I got some of the flavor."

"really?"

Aiyin covered her forehead and looked at Chen Qi with doubt. Facing Aiyin, Chen Qi also shook his head with a smile:

"When have I ever lied to you, Aine? Don't you believe me?"

When have you ever lied to me? Humph, if I hadn't met Deng this time, I might have really believed your lies!

However, it would have been better if Chen Qi didn't say anything. As soon as she mentioned this, Aiyin couldn't help but recall the conversation she had with Gao Songdeng in Yuqiu today. She was basically sure that the "brother" Gao Songdeng was talking about was most likely the Chen Qi in front of her!

Whether it was the adoption background, the lack of news after running away from home, or the matching personalities, all of this forced Aiyin to think in this direction.

However, Aiyin, who was also very angry, had no intention of telling Chen Qi about this matter, just as she did not want to tell Gao Songdeng about Chen Qi's whereabouts for the time being.

Because Aiyin discovered that Brother Qi, with whom she had been getting along very harmoniously for the past six months, had actually been hiding a lot of things from her.

He never mentioned to himself that he once had a band, and he never mentioned what was the reason for the band's disbandment.

And if it was something that Brother Qi didn't want to mention, then Aiyin felt that there was a high probability that this past was so unbearable to look back on that even someone as open-minded as Brother Qi didn't want to recall it at all.

After all, based on the little information she got from Gao Songdeng, the only thing she knew was that the breakup of the band was very unpleasant, and it seemed that a girl named "Lixi" had caused trouble, which should have been the reason why Brother Qi couldn't even be friends with them in the end, so he had to leave.

But now, Deng has the idea of ​​re-organizing a new band to convey his voice to his brother.

Although Aine didn't know why, today, Deng ran away as if he was about to throw up as soon as he invited her, and didn't even give her a chance to talk to him after school.

However, Aiyin's reason told her that exposing Chen Qi's whereabouts now might not be a good thing for Chen Qi.

Especially, the band is still a work in progress, what if the new band member is someone who had a falling out with Brother Qi in the past? If they knew that Brother Qi was living in her house, it would definitely bring a lot of trouble to Brother Qi, right?

Therefore, Aiyin restrained her temper this time and did not plan to tell anyone about Chen Qi for the time being, not even Takamatsu Deng, who she had a good first impression of.

At the very least, she had to first figure out why Chen Qi's previous band disbanded and what the other members' attitudes towards him were before she could consider letting Chen Qi and Gao Songdeng, the brother and sister, recognize each other.

"Hmph, that's best."

And all those words finally turned into a bland complaint. Although she solved a puzzle in her heart, Chihaya Aine still sat beside Chen Qi unhappily, with an expression that said, "Come and ask me why I'm unhappy."

How could Chen Qi pretend to be deaf and dumb in the face of such an obvious hint? Facing Ai Yin who was throwing a tantrum again, Chen Qi also showed absolute patience and asked gently:

"Okay, okay, don't look so unhappy. Sulking will make you old."

“So, what exactly happened that made Miss Aine so unhappy? If you are willing to tell me, I might be able to help.”

“…Indeed, there is.”

Aiyin also glanced at Chen Qi beside her. Although she had already roughly understood the relationship between Chen Qi and Gao Songdeng, she still pretended not to care and said to Chen Qi:

"When I went to report today, I met a classmate named Gao Songdeng..."

"After I played the song you taught me at school, Tomorin took the initiative to invite me and said she hoped I would join her band."

Light? Take the initiative to invite Aiyin to join the band?

When Chen Qi heard Aiyin's words, he wondered for a moment if he had heard it wrongly. After all, based on his understanding of his sister's personality, it was still unrealistic for Deng to take the initiative to launch such an aggressive offensive half a year after Crychic disbanded.

After all, in the past six months, not only Chen Qi himself, but also Xiangzi and Su Shi, who had not met Chen Qi in half a year, were still brooding over the disbandment of Crychic.

The only ones who have truly let go are probably Li Xi and Mu who didn't really care in the first place, right?

Of course, having said that, Chen Qi still quickly adjusted his mentality and asked curiously:

"This should be a good thing. Then what? What happened between you and Deng, Aine?"

"...Tomorin said that she wanted to form a new band and pass on her singing voice to her brother."

However, the moment Aiyin heard Chen Qi calling her "Deng", which she was not sure whether she was used to it, she felt as if a needle had pierced her heart for some reason. She felt very uncomfortable inexplicably, but Aiyin still suppressed her emotions and said even more unhappily:

"Originally, everything was going well. But just when I was about to accept the invitation, Tomorin suddenly ran away as if he was about to vomit. I was shocked."

"I originally thought she was just feeling unwell, but she didn't say a word to me until after school. She ran away when she saw me, and she kept her head down, as if she didn't dare to see me."

"Brother Qi, tell me, did I do something that made Tomorin feel uncomfortable? Or is it that I don't look very attractive and that irritated her?"

“——I think it’s neither of the two. If someone doesn’t like your looks, Aine, it can only be said that his aesthetic taste is limited to this extent.”

After listening to Aiyin's retelling, Chen Qi finally understood the whole story. He also vaguely guessed what his sister was thinking from just a few words.

Do you want to form a new band in order to find him back?

It seems that the relationship between him and Deng for more than ten years has indeed had a profound impact on Deng...it even changed some of her thoughts and actions. From this point of view, it would be a lie for Chen Qi to say that he does not feel a bit relieved in his heart.

But, in the end, Deng actually ran away with a look of vomiting... If nothing unexpected happens, it should be that Deng felt that his reason for forming a band was not pure enough.

A band formed specifically to find him back cannot bear the weight of "a lifetime". This is not the band Deng wants.

It is not the MYGO that Chen Qi expected, the one that could save the girls he cared about.

Things seem to be getting a little complicated... If because of him, even the origin of MYGO's creation went wrong, then Deng and others would have no chance of salvation.

Maybe I have to help them get back on track, but how?

After thinking carefully for a moment, Chen Qi seemed to have come up with a solution, and turned to Ai Yin and said softly:

"I also think that Deng doesn't mean to dislike you, Aine. She just doesn't know how to face you, right?"

"Perhaps Deng felt that she had used your talent to achieve her goals, and later realized that her motives were not pure, so she avoided you after she came to her senses."

"Hey……"

Facing Chen Qi's analysis, Ai Yin, who had not thought of this level at all, also made a belated sound of sudden enlightenment with a subtle expression.