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

"Because I don't just want to be the second 'Toyokawa Shoko'. I hope that the person that Qi-ge can like can be a girl named 'Chihaya Aine', not a substitute."

Although Aine seemed to have let it go at that time, in fact, the question that Mu asked that night was still like a thorn in Aine's heart, making her toss and turn over it.

Aiyin knew clearly that Chen Qi was not the kind of person who treated her as a "substitute", and that the relationship between them for the past six months could not be fake. However, the feeling that she was not the first person Chen Qi liked still made Aiyin feel uneasy.

Aiyin is also afraid that she may not be able to match Xiangzi's position in Qi Ge's heart. What should she do if the person she likes most is not the one in his or her heart?

That's why she insisted on finding Xiangzi, to resolve all the doubts in her heart and to eliminate the uneasiness in her heart.

"Do you want to work hard to be yourself and make Chen Qi like the real you?"

Xiangzi, who completely understood what Aiyin meant, also showed a smile that could not be described as happy or bitter after a brief silence, but seemed to be relieved, and could not help but sigh softly:

"Really, how brave."

"It's a bit embarrassing to say this." Aiyin said this, and she also realized belatedly that she was a little ashamed. After all, she would never say such words in front of Chen Qi. Only when facing Xiangzi, who she was not very familiar with but was in a competitive relationship with her, could she have the courage to say it calmly.

But even so, Aine tried hard to control her expression and asked Shoko again:

"Then, let me ask you again, Fengchuan-san, do you like Qi-nii?"

And this time, after a brief silence, Aine finally welcomed Xiangzi's first direct gaze, and the next moment, when she saw the relieved yet slightly sad expression on Xiangzi's face, she finally heard the answer she wanted.

Xiangzi: "... maybe, but that's in the past. I have given up on him now."

When saying this, Xiangzi's eyes were a little evasive. How much sincerity was hidden in that, perhaps only she knew.

But Xiangzi's reason told her that she should really give up. Wasn't everything she had done for this?

Pushing him further away from herself, so that he would never have to live with herself again, perhaps this was the best way for Chen Qi?

"So, Chihaya-san, if you want to pursue Chen Qi, don't worry about my existence. I... am in no position to stop you."

After saying that, Shoko faced Chihaya Aine, who finally revealed a relaxed smile after her doubts were resolved. It was not until Aine's mood calmed down that Shoko asked with a somewhat cautious tone:

"So... about the pick, Chihaya-san, you..."

"—pick? What pick? Why can't I remember anything?"

However, Aiyin, whose doubts were resolved, showed a rather exaggerated expression when facing Xiangzi's question. She put a finger on her cheek and showed a distressed expression, as if she had really lost her memory in an instant.

While Xiangzi was slightly stunned, Chihaya Aine showed an expression of sudden enlightenment and responded to Xiangzi in a cheerful voice, saying:

"Ah, is this the pick that Brother Qi gave to that staff member? I remember he used it as encouragement. It's a pity that I don't know that staff member. I don't know if I will have the chance to meet him again."

"Well, let's talk later, Toyokawa-san. I may ask you for help in the future. Thank you for everything you told me~"

After saying that, Aine was the first one to leave the rooftop without stopping. Xiangzi, who was left alone there, also realized what Aine meant belatedly and couldn't help but shook his head with a smile.

It seems that the second person who fell in love with Chen Qi was not as insidious and controlling as he had imagined... On the contrary, he was a very straightforward, cheerful, and emotionally intelligent child, a child that people could not dislike.

"Perhaps this child can give you the happiness that I have no way of repaying you for... Chen Qi."

Xiangzi, who had no jealousy or anger at all, had the man she loved the most taken away from her, and she was alone on the rooftop, enjoying the breeze until two lines of tears quietly slid down her eyes...

Xiangzi understood that perhaps it was time for this relationship between him and him to end.

He has already achieved his own happiness, has a perfect girl who likes him, and his dream to be realized. But now that he is down and out in the gutter, maybe he should find an opportunity to have a formal talk with Chen Qi about his feelings.

As for the opportunity... Xiangzi couldn't help but take out his mobile phone, and on it was a message that Sanjiao Chuhua had recently sent him.

It said that she had talked to Chen Qi, who was willing to accept her help, and Chuhua also extended her invitation to Xiangzi.

[Xiao Xiang, if you are willing to come and watch our performance, that would be great! This time, my senior and I will be on stage as a double lead singer, and my senior also seems to have a new song to sing, which is really worth looking forward to! ]

[I will reserve a seat for you, Xiaoxiang. I will pay for your ticket price for this performance. Xiaoxiang, remember to come! ]

Xiangzi: […Thank you Chuhua, I will definitely go. ]

Yes, I will definitely go, just to see Chen Qi again and say that belated "I'm sorry" to him in person...

Then, I will withdraw from Chen Qi's life forever and will never have anything to do with him again. Toyokawa Shoko thought so with determination.

Chapter 56: Nagasaki Sushi's plan to get Chen Qi back, the differences between the two bands

Her thoughts had been gradually withdrawn, and when Aine came back to her senses, the song "Haruhi Shadow" was unknowingly coming to an end. Aine had not expected that she had been able to hold on until now almost relying on muscle memory without being exposed.

Or maybe the special training that Brother Qi and I had received with store manager Tsuzuki these days had finally produced some results?

Before Aine could finish her thoughts, the song had already ended, and after everyone took a short breath, the post-performance summary session began as usual.

But this time, Li Xi immediately cast his gaze towards Chihaya Aine, and after unconsciously frowning, he asked in a cold tone:

"What's wrong with you? Weren't we doing great when we were training together before? You've forgotten after just two days without practice? There are a few things you haven't caught up with."

"…I'm sorry, I was distracted." Aiyin, who had learned some of the truth about the disbandment of Crychic from Xiangzi, did not intend to argue with Li Xi. She just nodded calmly and admitted her mistake.

"Can you do it again? I'll be a little more serious this time."

"Not just next time, you have to be serious every time." Li Xi saw that Aine's attitude was sincere, and Li Xi lost the "genius" filter for Aine, so he silently swallowed back some words that were on the tip of his tongue, and just said calmly:

"We're going to perform in three weeks, and we haven't even finished making any new songs yet, so at least we can't have any problems with the old songs."

"And... although I really don't want to say this, if the time comes, we will have no choice but to play two old songs to hold the scene."

As he spoke, Li Xi also cast his gaze towards Gao Songdeng who was standing beside him. Looking at Deng's slightly absent-minded eyes, he unconsciously asked:

"Deng, if we have to play two old songs, which song do you think would be more suitable for the second one?"

Deng: "Well, I'm not sure either..."

The band has a total of fifteen minutes to perform. Although strictly speaking there is time to sing three songs, if they only sing two songs, everyone in the band will be more relaxed and have more opportunities to adjust their state.

Takamatsu Deng was also very worried. What if Li Xi's new song could not be produced in time, or if he had to go on stage before everyone had time to familiarize themselves with the new song, then which song should he choose as the second song to replace the new song?

Gao Songdeng flipped through the notebook she always carried with her, reading the songs that Chen Qi had left for her, songs that were adapted according to her feelings, such as "Walking with the Blue Sky" and "Lost Stars", and even many personal songs that Chen Qi had written for other members of the band.

However, Takamatsu Deng had also sung those personal songs before, but he was unable to empathize with the characters and could not sing out the soul of these songs, so he rarely sang them.

"——I think, maybe you should try to challenge yourself?"

Facing Takamatsu Deng who was at a loss for a moment, Nagasaki Suyo took the initiative to approach him at the right time, and said softly to the confused Deng with a smile that seemed to be able to accommodate everything:

"This time, the song you want to sing to Aqi is what's in your heart, isn't it?"

"Then, maybe what Aqi wants to see is your growth. If Deng can bring a little surprise to your brother, he will definitely be touched."

“Growing…?”

Faced with Su Shi's suggestion, Gao Song Deng, who was at a loss, repeated it unconsciously, looking at the notebook in his hand, thinking about the songs that he had not been able to sing with his soul.

All the changes in Deng's expression were also seen by Su Shi who was standing beside him. And under Su Shi's gentle smile, the faint joy was also expanding.

Su Shi did accept Chen Qi's commission and promised to take good care of the band for him and manage the band's interpersonal relationships so that this band, which he had placed his hopes on, would not follow in Crychic's footsteps.

However, what Su Shi did not tell Chen Qi was that she did not give up her idea because of the conversation that night.

Su Shi never gave up on finding Chen Qi.

Of course, Su Shi's desire to "get back" did not mean to force Chen Qi to join the band. Su Shi knew that begging Chen Qi to come back was unrealistic.

The disbandment of Crychic and Xiangzi's withdrawal left Chen Qi with a huge psychological shadow. If Chen Qi's shadow is not eliminated, he will not have the confidence to come back.

Therefore, Su Shi plans to change his strategy.

That is not to ask Chen Qi to return, but to let Chen Qi take the initiative and want to come back uncontrollably.

In this regard, Su Shi thought about it for a long time at home yesterday, and finally designed a plan that he thought was feasible.

In Su Shi's plan, Gao Songdeng, the only sister that Chen Qi can absolutely trust and who possesses empathy that can even make her soul tremble, is her most crucial move.

Didn’t Aqi say that he hoped to see the growth of everyone in the band? Didn’t he hope to witness the band moving forward step by step even without his guidance?

Su Shi, of course he can do as he wishes.

Su Shi knew that the person Chen Qi was most concerned about was undoubtedly his sister Gao Song Deng. So Su Shi helped Deng make up her mind to break through herself and sing the songs that she had not been able to overcome before, so that Chen Qi could witness Deng's growth and the progress of the band!

However, the speed of advancement is not fast! It may even make Aqi feel like he is stumbling and struggling to move forward!

Aqi is not a heartless man. Su Shi is completely sure of this. If it weren't for Chen Qi's strong empathy, it would be impossible for him to find a lonely person like herself in a small corner on the edge of the band.

So, if they could show that they have been working hard to achieve his expectations, but every step forward is so difficult and confusing...

Given Aqi's personality, will he really just stand there and watch over time?

No, absolutely not.

I know Aqi's character very well. I'm afraid that even Deng, who has been with Aqi for more than ten years, may not understand Aqi's character as well as she does. After all, Deng may have never heard Aqi's words "I want to protect Crychic" that he once said to her, right?

Aqi's wish has never been to have a professional band. He is just afraid of losing and separation. What he really wants is a band that will never separate and will last a lifetime!

And now, let me, the only one who understands Aqi's heart, fulfill his wish!

Facing Gao Songdeng who seemed to have begun to accept his guidance, Su Shi felt more and more that the urgent desire in his heart to find Chen Qi back seemed to be getting closer and closer to him.

Just a little more, Aqi, just a little more time, I believe you will definitely -

"Click."

"Su Shi is right, but besides growth, I actually want to see more."

However, just when the grand blueprint in Su Shi's heart was about to unfold, suddenly, a familiar voice that made everyone present tremble sounded in the recording studio without warning.

When all the girls in the recording studio subconsciously turned their eyes towards the door of the studio, they discovered that a familiar tall young man in a black jacket and long bangs was looking at all of them with a friendly and gentle smile.

"What's wrong? Everyone, when you see an old friend, don't you say hello?"

"Brother Qi (Brother/Ah Qi/Qi/what's wrong with you)?!" X5

Accompanied by five surprised voices, the first one to react was Chihaya Aine. Seeing the person she had been thinking about day and night here, she couldn't control her emotions for a moment. She rushed forward in surprise and hugged Chen Qi's neck skillfully.

And even with such a simple action by Aine, she herself had not expected that it would cause such a huge impact on the other four old members of Crychic present.

He was a beat slower again. Gao Songdeng, who had just made the move to take the initiative to hug his brother, looked at his position that was occupied again, and the light in his eyes faded for a moment.

Su Shi's originally surprised smile also paused on her face because of Aine's actions. For a moment, Su Shi's all-embracing smile seemed to waver.

Li Xi reacted and wanted to stand up. She was shocked and annoyed and wanted to say something to Chen Qi, but Aiyin's sudden action made her turn her gun around immediately. After a long time, she could only say "Ha".

As for Mu, she was the one with the calmest emotion, but she also frowned obviously and showed a look of disgust for a moment.

Because this scene was so similar to the band's first live performance that they all could not forget. Under their gaze, Xiangzi hugged Chen Qi without hesitation in front of everyone.

And why is Xiangzi's scene similar to what Aine is doing now?

Although they all knew that Aiyin was probably just doing this subconsciously due to excitement, they also knew that Aiyin and Chen Qi were definitely not as close as they were on the first day.

However, this still did not prevent the four girls from seeing the figures of Aiyin and Xiangzi almost perfectly overlap for a moment...

“Okay, okay, everyone is watching us, why don’t you go somewhere else to act coquettishly, Aiyin?” Chen Qi couldn’t stand Aiyin’s constant coquettish attacks, so after pinching Aiyin’s face, he let Aiyin let him go.

Aiyin was also quite obedient. After letting go of Chen Qi's neck, she stared at Chen Qi with shining eyes, and asked after she couldn't help but smile:

"Brother Qi, why are you here? Are you here to see the results of our training? Or to meet up with old friends?"

It’s no wonder that Aiyin was so excited this time. After all, who knew that in the morning, she would go against the person she thought was the most powerful rival in love and win a great victory?

In Aiyin's eyes now, her relationship with Chen Qi is basically just one step away from success. After all, Xiangzi has announced to her that she will no longer pursue her brother Qi. The thing she is most worried about has been solved!

Then, all that was left was to make Brother Qi realize his feelings and respond to them! In this way, she and Brother Qi could immediately transform from a relationship of neighborly brother and sister to a real couple!

I, Chihaya Aine, am stable!

"Well, I came to check on your cooperation and practice progress, and by the way, I have something small to tell you."

Chen Qi also patted Aiyin's shoulder, signaling her to make room for him. After a while, the pitiful Gao Songdeng came to Chen Qi's side and quickly grabbed one of his hands.

Chen Qi naturally understood the resentment in Deng's heart, and rubbed Deng's cheek in the same way as he did to Aine. Then he swept his eyes over the three familiar members, Su Shi, Mu and Li Xi, and greeted them with their most familiar smiles.

For a moment, it seemed as if all the previous unpleasantness had been forgotten, and Su Shi and He Mu responded to Chen Qi with smiles.

Even Li Xi, who had the worst relationship with Chen Qi, said nothing after opening his mouth. Instead, he snorted coldly and glanced away.

This guy is back... ah, what a trouble. I originally didn't want to have anything to do with this guy, but now the Live has been confirmed. It would be unreasonable for me to leave at this time.

Really, I have no choice but to wait until the first live is over before I part ways with this guy. I don't want to be in the same band with this guy, but for Deng's wish, I have to be patient for a while.

"Everyone, seeing how well you are cooperating now, I feel relieved." Chen Qi rubbed Deng's hair and smiled at the five girls with satisfaction:

"Sure enough, even if I'm not with you, you can still find your own way out."

"Tsk, if that's the case, then why did you come back? Aren't you still worried about our abilities?"

However, when facing Chen Qi, Li Xi almost immediately returned to the way they used to get along with each other in Crychic, where she would talk back to Chen Qi. From the moment Chen Qi entered the room, she didn't even glance at him. She just picked up the drumstick with an expression of annoyance and said impatiently:

"Okay, enough of the small talk. It's just the same as before, right? We'll play and you listen. If there's any problem, you can hear it better than I can."