Band members, girls with fermented bean curd, step forward!

Page 28

Despite having just met, they displayed an astonishing chemistry. Xiaozhi and Rupa also turned their gazes towards him. The air, thick and viscous like solidifying cement, filled every space around Chen.

The group began processing Chen's timeline of activities, starting by reconciling accounts. When questions needed to be directed to Chen himself, the two people standing behind him would offer words of persuasion.

Momoka and Rupa stood on either side of him, like two guardian deities, their hands resting on his shoulders. They were as imposing as Mount Tai, making it impossible for anyone to even consider running away.

The four people who had finished settling the accounts all turned to look at Chen, who was being forced into the corner.

"So, you're now involved in activities with three bands in total?"

Miss Liang sighed. She had thought that he, having joined two bands, was already a master among masters, but she hadn't expected him to agree to help Miss Tao Xiang, who shared an apartment with him, form a band, and they were even at the point where they only needed a lead singer.

"You haven't showcased your songwriting abilities in our band."

Miss Liang said softly, her tone carrying an indescribable meaning.

"Besides, little brother, isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to make that kind of promise? You've agreed to so many requests, little brother, are you really able to handle it all?"

Rupa's words were mostly expressions of concern, showing worry for Chen's future. She had previously witnessed people being locked in a basement after leaving the team.

Tao Xiang had already started drinking alone.

She originally thought everything was going very well, and that living with him would give her an advantage, and even if she was rejected, it would only be temporary.

Looking back now, I realize I knew absolutely nothing about him! It's like the helplessness of a husband who works hard outside only to come home and discover his wife's wild side.

And what's more! Why was he able to accept the invitations from that End Band and that Miss Ai Yin's band, while I was explicitly rejected from the very beginning?

Thinking of this, Tao Xiang couldn't help but gulp down the beer in her hand.

Chen's brain was exhausted by the sudden storm that had hit him that night. He wondered how he had been engaging in normal social activities, and how these people had suddenly made him sound so heinous.

"Okay, okay, let's stop now. I've answered all your questions."

Chen waved his hand, looking annoyed.

Let me summarize the current situation for each of you.

Chen paused.

"First of all, Ms. Liang, I promise to leave Ai Yin and her band, and you also have the recording."

And I did indeed refuse Momoka's offer to form a band. At most, I'd give them a few more songs, so why are you reacting so strongly?"

Chen felt he had no problems at all, and that in the end he would only be in the band's closing ceremony.

"Um..." Miss Liang hesitated for a moment, then tentatively replied.

"Because it's interesting?"

Chen's karate chop followed, causing Miss Liang to cry out in pain.

"Fine, you're just here to stir things up, get out of the way! Haven't you caused me enough trouble today?!"

"Next up is Xiaozhi, Rupa, and Momoka. Stop drinking, wait until I finish what I'm saying, and listen carefully to what I'm saying!" Chen snatched the beer can from Momoka's hand.

Ignoring the tears glistening in her eyes, Chen continued...

"Didn't I keep you in suspense by saying I'd found your bandmates? It's Sister Xiaozhi and Sister Rupa, and I've already spoken to them about it."

Momoka looked at Ash and Rupa in surprise upon hearing this, and received an affirmative reply.

"You've already found your own drummer, and I've already found you the bassist and keyboardist. You've also reserved Rina for the lead vocalist. Do you think there's any room for me to join? Besides, didn't I tell you that I'd help you with all the logistical matters once your band is formed?"

Picking up his beer to moisten his parched throat, Chen continued...

"Besides, Rupa and Ash are a duo, so it's impossible to separate them."

“Go search for Red Ginger. They have tens of thousands of followers on YouTube. Tell me, apart from the drummer, I arranged everything for you. I even have to pick up the radish for you this Saturday. Haven’t I done my best?”

Chen seemed a little excited. He thought about the three bands, and aside from the ones that ended, he had given his all to each one. He was responsible for Mygo's disbandment, and he had also helped form CiCi.

The only thing he could apologize for was ending the band; he genuinely felt guilty and was grateful for Hongxia's understanding. Miss Liang had indeed helped him, and finding some fun was perfectly understandable; he wouldn't make a big deal out of it.

A long sigh, accompanied by the vibration of the vocal cords, reached everyone's ears.

"Alright, I've explained everything I needed to. I'm going to cook for Taoxiang. She's just been drinking and her stomach is empty; she needs to eat something first." He waved his hand and left the circle of people.

This was the first time anyone had ever seen such exhaustion on Chen's face. As Chen left, silence fell between them.

Rupa walked up behind him and gently stopped him from doing his work.

"Little brother, you must be very tired today. Let me help you with this. You can go and rest for a while, okay?"

With a hint of apology, she gently took his hand as he worked. Today, she had joined in the fooling around with the rest of the group, completely ignoring whether Chen actually wanted to talk about these things.

He stopped what he was doing, silently walked back to the crowd, and once again snatched the wine that Tao Xiang had taken back and drank it.

When Rupa brought back Momoka's rice, he picked up the can and drank the last mouthful.

A little alcohol slightly boosted his spirits.

"I'm all alone, at least for now."

Chen stopped Rupa from saying what she was about to say.

"I'm exhausted. I just want to rest a little longer. I can't contact my family or my friends."

He calmly uttered words that could be described as cruel.

"Your questioning today was practically harassing; to be frank, I'm not happy about it."

He glanced around at the four of them; after the initial enthusiasm subsided, they avoided his gaze.

“I have no obligation to answer any of your questions tonight. But you are my only connection to this world, so I will not hide anything from you.”

"Just let me rest a little longer, that's all I ask. I'm in a bad mood, and I apologize for speaking to you in this tone."

After a pause, he continued...

"Liang, the only one I'm sorry about is the End Band. I'll call your lead singer back tomorrow. It'll be a way of making up for some of the End Band's sacrifices. You should go back now, or you'll miss the last tram."

Liang gave him a deep look, nodded, and walked into the now quiet night.

A gentle breeze ruffled the hem of her dress. She realized she had gone a bit too far tonight. The last look Chen gave her was one of utter helplessness.

The last time she felt this emotional was when she left her previous band, wasn't it? Miss Liang looked up at the sky; there was no moon for her to admire tonight.

Suddenly, she felt a pang of sadness.

Miss Liang knew that she was starting to care about this young man.

I've only known Chen for a short time, but we've been through quite a lot together.

What exactly is it that makes Miss Liang's interest in Chen keep growing?

Was it during their first meeting that he rushed out without hesitation for Miss Aine?

Still under the stars, he cared for her meticulously. He patiently and carefully encouraged her growth.

Or perhaps it was his indulgence towards her today that meant he only felt helpless and didn't get angry with her even after she did such a thing.

Those final, forlorn words were deeply imprinted in Miss Liang's mind.

Miss Liang suddenly had a nonsensical thought: Could it be that she was only paying attention to his thoughts because he had been providing her with dinner for a month?

Miss Liang decided to cook less, lest this month-long stash of dinners, which she had been tricked into giving her, disappear without a trace.

She quickened her pace, unsure whether it was to catch the last tram or to shake off her chaotic thoughts.

"Rupa-jie, Xiaozhi-jie, thank you for your concern, especially Xiaozhi-jie, I understand all your concerns. So, I will do my best to help you achieve your dreams."

Rupa pulled Ash to Chen's side. Seeing his dejected expression, Ash no longer hid his concern for Chen.

The two men each held one of his hands, the increased pressure giving him a slight sense of security.

"Alright, I've embarrassed myself enough in front of everyone tonight, so I won't bother you any longer, Ash and Rupa. I'm taking Momoka home now. I'll be back full of energy tomorrow!"

The golden retriever was already quite drunk from the start, and just now it finally succumbed to the alcohol and fell asleep on the table. The journey back to the house looks like it'll be even more arduous than before.

After saying goodbye to Ash and Rupa, I put Momoka's arm on my shoulder as always. It was a cloudy night, with only a few streetlights illuminating the empty streets.

The small patch of land illuminated by the lamplight, like a lighthouse in the sea, anchors and guides the way home, preventing one from getting lost in the darkness.

P.S.: It's all Ms. Liang's fault. I was so conflicted while writing this chapter; it felt so strange.

Thank you lirts for the three monthly tickets.

Chapter 23 Miss Yudai, who can run even faster than the London deserters

"One mile"

Chen mysteriously pulled Boqi, who had just arrived at the school, to a secluded place.

Using the excuse of going to work at the Starry Sky Club to brush off Aine who wanted to take up his afternoon, the great operation to capture Kita officially began.

First up is the main attacker, Boch.

As a male, Chen couldn't directly confront Kita, so the key control skills were used by Ichiri, while Chen was responsible for communicating well with Miss Kita.

Of course, physical control alone is far from enough for him, so Ryo and Nijika will appear at the entrance of Haneoka as reinforcements.

They were positioned to encircle and suppress Kita-san, aiming to control her both mentally and physically, leaving her no chance of escape.

After all, this one's name contains the character "Yudai," and her potential is comparable to Aine's. Chen thought it best to be cautious; he had already given his assurance to Miss Ryo.

Have you paid attention to Kita-kun in your class?

Chen Xiangyi began to implement his plan.

"Why did Chen mention Kita-kun?"

In the class, Kita's name was completely unrelated to Ichiri's.

Whether it's her sunny appearance, fashionable attire, or unparalleled social skills, in Boqi's opinion, only Ai Yin can rival her.

Her incredibly imaginative mind had already conjured up countless parallel universes, forcing Chen to interrupt her reverie.

“I talked to Hongxia and Liang, and they said that the person who agreed to be the guitarist and lead singer has the character “Kita” in their name and also has striking red hair. I think it must be Kita from our class.”

"So today, I want Ichiri to help me arrest Kita and bring him to justice, so that our band members can be officially reunited."

The voice, which was usually reassuring, now sounded like the whisper of a demon, sending chills down her spine. She trembled uncontrollably and cowered under the table.

"You shine like the sun, Kita-kun! If I get close, I'll melt like snow near a fire!"

Pochi's head had never shaken so fast before; it was a complete display of skill and self-control. Moreover, the thought of her cheerful and sunny classmate, Hido, becoming the band's lead singer made her feel like her future was bleak.

"It's alright, Ichiri. You just need to keep her under control. I'll handle the communication. After all, this Miss Kita has a history of running away."

Having mastered the repair methods of Yili, Chen squatted down and stroked her soft, long hair. Using the same method he used to stroke his own dog, Dahuang, he ran it from the top of her head to the ends, then scratched Boqi's chin.

In this way, the temporarily short-circuited Yili was repaired, and what we now have is a soft and supple Yili.

"I'll communicate well with Kita-san. I'll just be responsible for keeping Kita under control and preventing her from escaping."

After Ichiri calmed down, Chen clarified her division of labor. After all, he was a boy and not familiar with Kita, so it was not appropriate for him to start working directly with her.

"And you, Yili, were in charge of writing the lyrics for the band, right?" Chen tempted her with a seductive tone.

"Just think about it, wouldn't it be interesting if Kita-kun, such a cheerful person, sang some really dark lyrics?"

Pochi admitted that she had indeed fallen for Chen under his influence. It was really interesting that Kita-kun, who was always so cheerful and outgoing in front of her classmates, was actually someone who sang those dark and gloomy lyrics behind their backs!

A few glistening tears streamed down Ichiri's face as she looked forward to seeing such a contrast in Kita-kun.

With her emphatically nodding, the great operation to capture Kita was now just a matter of time.

"Chenchen~ Yili~ Let's go have lunch together~" Miss Aine prepared to head to their secret base for a shared lunch.

"Aine, you and Ichiri go ahead. I need to talk to Kita about something, I'll be right there."

"Ki, Kita-kun?!" Aine's heart was in turmoil at Chen's words.

Who is Kita? He's a super popular guy in the class, on par with Aine. He gets along well with almost everyone and maintains good relationships with all his classmates.

Why did Chen go to find Kita-kun?!

Ai Yin's inner alarm bells rang loudly; this was a master who shared the same ecological niche as her.

I hope Chenchen won't switch her mind to this Kita-san because of her arrogance yesterday!

Seeing that Chen had already gone to catch up with Kita, Aine could only force a smile and head to Ichiri's secret base.

Her chaotic thoughts made her forget the option of asking Ichiri, who was standing nearby. She sat down against the wall, not bothering to open her delicious bento box.

"Kita-kun~ wait a minute, I need to talk to you."

Chen caught up with Ms. Kita, who was preparing to have lunch with her friends, and began his operation for the day.