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

Such a thing, not to mention Mu, even Deng has never done this...

"That's so rude..."

Chen Qi had no choice but to use his reason to suppress his impulse and focused his attention on Mu's feet. However, he did not notice that Mu, who stood barefoot in front of Chen Qi in the dark night, had an unnatural blush on his face for a moment.

"Well... a little bruised."

But soon, Chen Qi looked at Mu's feet which still had some residual warmth. The girl's originally smooth and rosy feet had turned red because of running, and the obvious scars from being bitten quickly attracted his attention.

"Fortunately, Mu was wearing socks, so there shouldn't be any debris left on the soles of his feet from the road, but they still need to be disinfected."

"I remember... if your feet are injured while practicing ballet, you need at least a month to recover, right? Mu, you'd better walk less for the next month."

"Hmm..." After a moment's hesitation, Mu nodded obediently, his eyes slightly evasive.

Mu originally wanted to say that Chen Qi didn't need to worry so much about his injury. However, looking at the way Chen Qi paid full attention to him, Mu hesitated for a moment and silently swallowed the words back.

As expected, Chen Qi, knowing that Mu's foot injury had to be treated as soon as possible, stood up again after taking a few breaths. The next moment, Chen Qi seemed to have made some decision, and he slowly squatted down with his back to Mu.

"……pray?"

"Mu, your foot is injured. I will carry you on my back for the rest of the journey." Chen Qi, with his back to Mu, explained softly:

"This place is still quite a distance from where I live now. If you continue to walk without shoes, your injury will definitely worsen. Why don't I carry you on my back?"

"Let's hurry to the station now. Maybe we can catch the last train - of course, if you don't mind, Mu."

Qi, are you going to carry me on your back? After a moment of shock, Mu was faced with this behavior that Chen Qi had never done to her before. Her heart couldn't help but speed up a little, but her body made a judgment before her brain.

Soon, Chen Qi felt a body much smaller and lighter than Aiyin's, gently leaning on his back.

Chen Qi also subconsciously wrapped his arms around Mu's legs around his waist, fixed Mu firmly on his body, then he silently carried Mu on his back and continued walking forward step by step.

Is this the feeling of... Qi's back? It was the first time that Mu leaned on Chen Qi's back, and it was also the first time that he felt Chen Qi's warmth and breath at such a close distance. He thought with a slight blush on his face.

I am probably the first person to let Qi do this, right? At least, Xiang must have never experienced this before...

As expected... Qi, actually cares about me a lot, and my companionship over the past six months has not been ignored...

I was the first one to discover him and chose to stay by his side, being his only friend during his most difficult times... Perhaps this was the most correct decision I have ever made in my life.

Qi’s back is so broad, a little drowsy.

"Qi." Ruoye Mu, who was leaning on Chen Qi's back, realized belatedly that he was wrapped in fatigue, and couldn't help but call out to him whom he had been thinking about.

"Ok?"

"Thank you for not abandoning me."

Without hiding the words he wanted to say the most in his heart, Mu insisted on saying these words before leaning on Chen Qi's back with peace of mind and falling asleep quietly.

Chen Qi, who heard Mu's whisper, couldn't help but reveal a relieved smile after feeling the obvious tremor in his heart. Looking at the first person he had saved in his peripheral vision, he couldn't help but whisper in Mu's ear:

"...Thank you too, Mu. Thank you for not abandoning me."

After saying that, Chen Qi restrained his smile and moved forward more carefully, for fear of waking up the sleeping beauty on his back.

He also didn't notice that his whispers made Mu, who was not completely asleep on his back, involuntarily smile slightly.

Mu, you heard what I said just now.

Chapter 77: Mu's memories: joy and regret, Mu's lost heart

"You wrote a song for me?"

Mu will probably never forget that day... It was the first time that Mu felt that he was cared for so wholeheartedly and selflessly by someone other than his mother.

Mu originally thought that this would be another ordinary day in the band, and he would repeat all the tasks in the band like a machine as usual, just for the common goal of that boy, Xiangzi, and other members of the band, to become a professional band.

To be honest, if it weren't for Xiangzi's invitation, Mu couldn't even think of any reason to join this band.

Xiang knew that her various tutoring classes and private lessons already kept her very busy.

Her day was already full enough. Except for eating and sleeping, her entire time was fully planned. The time for sleep alone was already insufficient. Why, under such circumstances, did Xiang want her to join the band?

What concerned Mu even more was the reason Xiangzi gave when he invited her to join...

"Mu, I remember that you play the guitar very well, and I also play the piano. I want to form a band now, and I would like to invite you to be the first member of my band."

"Don't worry, I will help you explain to your uncle and aunt. They have promised me that they can adjust your tutoring classes. Don't worry, it will definitely not affect your sleep time."

Mu still remembers that it was the first time that Xiangzi, his childhood sweetheart, shared her band idea with him.

At that time, Mu did not say anything, nor did she reject Xiangzi's request... But her silence did not mean that she had no feelings about Xiangzi's words.

It is true that Mu and Xiangzi started learning musical instruments at the same time, but the reasons for their learning musical instruments were not the same.

Mu learned to play a musical instrument because of his mother's request... or to be more precise, his stepmother's.

Mu didn't know much about his stepmother. He only remembered that she was a well-known actress. When she became famous, his father was just an ordinary comedian who didn't even need to notify the program crew in advance if they wanted to play a prank on him.

At that time, Ruo Yemu's house was not as big as it is today.

At that time, Mu was also very young. She could not remember her biological mother's face clearly. She only vaguely remembered that one day, her mother kissed her and whispered a farewell word in her ear.

"Mu...I hope you can grow up happily in the future."

"As long as you can grow up healthy and happy, Mom will be satisfied."

At that time, Mu, who was just a toddler, somehow understood his mother's last words before she left.

At this point, Mu's mother left home and never came back again...

Later, when Mu was still just able to walk, he was led by his father to meet the aunt he was not familiar with again and again... Later, his father seemed to have made some great breakthrough in his career, and the aunt became Mu's stepmother.

It was at that time that Mu, his father and his new mother moved into their new home...and it was also at that time that he met Xiangzi and made his first friend.

However, after Mu's stepmother officially became Mu's guardian, Mu's life began to undergo a 180-degree change from the past.

Mu was not familiar with her stepmother's past, but she vaguely knew that even though she was once a famous child star, she still had to work hard at the bottom for a long time before she had the opportunity to become a popular artist today. Therefore, she knew the importance of accumulation and learning from a young age, and designed a complete set of systematic education for Mu.

From dancing to singing, from acting to body shape... without exception, Mu's stepmother has paved the way for Mu.

The stepmother obviously knew that Mu didn't like her, so she never gave too much explanation. The sentence she said to Mu the most was, "Mu, I know you are suffering now, and you may even blame me, but believe me, when you grow up in the future, you will understand my choice today."

Mu never spoke up to object to this, because she knew that even if she objected, she could not change the other party's wishes.

Mu learned to play the guitar day by day under such circumstances. It just happened that Mu felt that the guitar was more suitable for him to release his emotions, so he was relatively better at it.

But Xiangzi is different. She learns piano simply because she wants to learn an instrument together. She studies simply because of her hobby and temporary interest.

In addition, Xiangzi did not feel much pressure in Toyokawa's home... She had a mother who loved her very much, and a father who would not betray her mother. The couple seemed to be very good at playing musical instruments. Therefore, Xiangzi not only learned quickly under the influence of her parents, but also became very interested in playing.

To be honest, Mu, I was a little jealous of Xiangzi's life at that time.

Just because Xiangzi's life has everything that she doesn't have... Although they are childhood sweethearts, they are like two opposing people in a mirror, "half" of each other, but completely opposite.

However, Mu would not allow this small imbalance to create a rift in the friendship between him and his only friend.

But... she also hoped that Xiangzi invited her because they were each other's only friends, rather than because of her guitar skills and to indirectly help her avoid a few tutoring classes.

However, Mu still did not reject Xiangzi, and she chose to join. After all, for Mu, it was the same no matter where she went, and she did not think that forming a band would be more interesting than her tutoring classes.

She joined the band just because she could spend more time playing the guitar and spending more time with Xiangzi, that's all.

At the beginning, the facts were just as Mu expected. Under Xiangzi's personal management, the number of members of the newly formed Crychic began to increase. After Xiangzi found suitable team members, she focused most of her energy on the lead singer, the girl named Takamatsu Deng.

Of course, there is also Deng’s brother, Chen Qi, who seems to be very good at writing lyrics and composing music, and is also the focus of Xiangzi’s attention.

Mingming was the first member that Xiangzi pulled into the band, but because Mu couldn't compose music, let alone write lyrics, and was not good at speaking, he gradually became a marginal figure in the band... and became even more inconspicuous than Lixi and Su Shi.

Although Su Shi and the man named Chen Qi would occasionally talk to her, in Mu's heart at that time, her only friend was Xiangzi.

And now, Xiangzi has gradually started to pay less attention to his childhood sweetheart because of the band.

Because of this, Mu's mood was indeed a little low, and this also gave Mu, who didn't care much about the band's affairs, one less reason to stay in this band.

At that time, she had no feelings at all for the band formed by Xiangzi. She just regarded the band's activities as a burden like tutoring classes. The only difference was that this time she changed from a stepmother's puppet to a puppet in Xiangzi's hands, that was all.

This thought came to an abrupt end when that person suddenly walked into her world...

"Why, you want to write a song for me?"

Mu stared blankly at Chen Qi who was handing her the written music. Not only her, but also Su Shi, Li Xi, and even Deng and Xiangzi, who had the best relationship with Chen Qi, did not understand Chen Qi's unexpected behavior and looked at him in confusion.

After all, in their opinion, Mu and Chen Qi's social interaction in the band was almost non-existent. Mu was not Gao Song Deng, Deng was more taciturn, but she had a brother who loved her, while Mu and Chen Qi did not have such a family relationship.

In the end, Chen Qi just smiled at Mu's deep doubts, and said to Mu in front of everyone in a very relaxed and even matter-of-fact tone:

"Because I hope Mu can also leave some good memories during his time in Crychic."

"Mu, you rarely interact with everyone in the band, and your only friend is Xiangzi. Now, Xiangzi discusses music arrangement and lyrics with me every day. I think you may feel lonely in your heart, right?"

"So, during this period of time, I have been trying to understand Mu, and finally wrote this song based on my limited understanding of you..."

As he spoke, Chen Qi did not forget to reveal a self-deprecating smile, facing Mu's dazed gaze, and said rather unconfidently:

"Of course, I don't know Mu very well, so this song may not completely suit your mood. I can only hope that you will be happy."

Mu: "No...thank you, I'm very happy."

"But I don't understand why you would do this?"

However, although Mu said this, she was still confused and puzzled by Chen Qi's behavior in her heart... She had done nothing and was just doing things the same as always, so why did she get such a "reward" today?

Usually at home, after Mu completed her daily lessons, her stepmother would not give her any special praise. Only occasionally when Mu achieved clear results, such as winning first place in a competition, would she receive praise.

But this time, she did nothing, and even Xiangzi didn't praise her specifically. Why should she reward this man who she was not familiar with?

Suddenly, Mu remembered what his stepmother had said to him...

"Mu, in this world, apart from your biological parents who love you wholeheartedly, no one will treat you well unconditionally. So when you are out there and find someone showing you affection, remember not to be fooled. The other person must be hoping for something in return, and that's why they approach you for no reason."

"Do you want me to do something to repay you?" Thinking of this, Mu asked Chen Qi tentatively. This was the only way she could understand Chen Qi's behavior.

"——Yes, of course I have something that Mu wants me to do."

After a moment of surprise, Chen Qi met Mu's gaze with a smile. Just when Mu was thinking "as expected", she didn't expect that Chen Qi's answer was completely beyond her expectations.

"I hope Mu can relax a little bit and feel more at ease in Crychic. You are also a member of Crychic. I also hope that Mu can make more friends in this band besides Xiangzi."

"Maybe this way, Mu, you won't feel so lonely and boring in the band... At least Mu can feel a little that forming a band is a happy thing, and I'll be satisfied."

...don't understand.

Mu once again stared blankly at Chen Qi in front of him, who was smiling at him. However, he did not understand what Chen Qi meant by "request".

Making more friends makes her feel "happy"...isn't this really a reward for herself?

From childhood to adulthood, except for the mother whose face and figure have become blurred in his memory, Mu has never heard anyone else tell her that they hope she can be happy.

Everyone's expectations of her are often "excellent", "perfect", "good child"...trying hard to mold her into the ideal Wakaba Mutsu of everyone.

And now, Chen Qi is the second person after her mother who told her that he hopes she will no longer be lonely and that she can feel joy, and thus gained satisfaction.

But Chen Qi was not her mother. She had never met him before, but he said the same words as her mother.

And why does my chest feel sad because of this?

For some reason, Mu suddenly felt his eyes a little sore, but the doll girl, almost out of habit, quickly stopped the emotions that were welling up in her heart.

This is an essential skill that she has cultivated when she shows off her talents in front of her parents' friends. Her stepmother always teaches her to control her emotions, and Mu always does this very well.

However, this momentary emotion was a feeling that even Xiangzi had never brought to Mu... He was truly a strange person.

"I'll give it a try."

But even though Mu was a little confused, she still chose to agree. She planned to try to do as Chen Qi said, try to socialize with everyone in the band, at least to make herself look "happier" in Chen Qi's eyes.

Although this emotion made Mu feel a little unfamiliar, she was willing to give it a try.

That day, facing Mu who had reluctantly agreed, Xiangzi and Chen Qi smiled exceptionally brightly for some reason, and kept looking at them with gratified eyes, as if Mu had achieved something unprecedented, and they were so happy.

Looking at the smiles of Xiangzi and Chen Qi, for some reason, Mu felt a strange but wonderful feeling in her heart, which made her bend her eyes involuntarily and cover her mouth with her hands subconsciously, but she smiled a few times.

At that moment, Li Xi and Su Shi, who were standing by, seemed to have noticed something shocking and shouted in surprise:

"Laughed?"

"Xiao Mu actually laughed!"

Xiangzi: "What are you talking about? Mu is always laughing!"

So that's it, this feeling... is it "joy"?

However, facing this hard-earned strange feeling, she should have cherished the harmony of this emotion, but for some reason she chose to ignore it and turned her attention to the song that Chen Qi gave her.