Page 116
Page 116
Chu Hua took a step back, looking around warily: "You're following me?"
"How could that be?" Chen Xiao spread his hands innocently. "I just happened to be passing by."
He looked Chu Hua up and down. "But since we've run into each other, how about we talk? About... Xiangzi's matter."
Upon hearing Xiangzi's name, a flicker of emotion crossed Chu Hua's eyes, but it quickly returned to its icy tone: "There's nothing to talk about. Stay away from Xiangzi, and stay away from our band."
She turned to leave, but Chen Xiao calmly asked, "Do you know how much debt Xiangzi's family owes?"
Chu Hua's steps suddenly stopped.
“Three hundred million yen.” Chen Xiao walked to her side, his voice low. “And with compound interest, it’s due next month. Do you think… with your meager performance income, you can afford to pay it back?”
Chu Hua's fists clenched tightly, her knuckles turning white: "How do you know all this..."
“I know much more than you think,” Chen Xiao said softly. “For example, Xiangzi’s family situation, her father’s gambling addiction and mental state, and…” He paused deliberately, “Why Xiangzi has become more and more extreme lately.”
Chu Hua turned around abruptly, her eyes burning with fury: "Shut up! You're not allowed to talk about Xiangzi like that!"
Chen Xiao remained unmoved: "Denial won't change the facts. Xiangzi is going further and further down the path of self-destruction, and you..."
He looked at Chu Hua meaningfully, "Knowing it all but being powerless to do anything about it."
Chu Hua's breathing became rapid, her chest heaving violently. Chen Xiao could clearly see the struggling light in her eyes—the tearing between reason and emotion, the contradiction between loyalty and reality.
"What exactly are you trying to say?" she finally asked through gritted teeth.
Chen Xiao took out his phone, brought up the bank's app, and handed it to Chu Hua: "One hundred million yen. That's enough to ease Xiangzi's family's immediate crisis."
Chu Hua stared at the long string of zeros on the screen, her pupils dilating slightly: "This... is impossible..."
“Now transfers can be made instantly,” Chen Xiao said casually. “Of course, there are conditions.”
Chu Hua looked up warily: "What are the conditions?"
Chen Xiao put away his phone and stepped forward, forcing her against the wall.
He lowered his head, his lips almost touching Chu Hua's earlobe: "Spend one night with me. It's that simple."
Chu Hua's body stiffened instantly, and all color drained from her face: "You...!"
"Don't rush to refuse." Chen Xiao took a step back, giving her some space. "Think about Xiangzi. This money can at least give her family some breathing room, can't it?"
A look of pain flashed in Chu Hua's eyes.
Chen Xiao knew he was playing with fire—Sanjiao Chuhua's feelings for Xiangzi went far beyond those of a bandmate.
That's why she is the most difficult target to conquer, but also the most valuable.
"I...I need to think about it..." Chu Hua's voice was barely audible.
Chen Xiao smiled: "Of course. But..." He glanced at his watch, "Aren't you going to Xiangzi's house? I'll take you there. You can think about it on the way."
Chu Hua looked up in surprise: "How do you even know this...?"
“I told you,” Chen Xiao opened the car door for her, “I know far more than you can imagine.”
Silence filled the car.
Chu Hua sat pressed against the car window, as if trying to get as far away from Chen Xiao as possible. Chen Xiao didn't care, focusing on driving the luxury sports car through the streets of Tokyo.
"Why..." Chu Hua suddenly spoke, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible, "Why did you do this to Xiangzi? Why... break up our band?"
Chen Xiao looked straight ahead, her expression calm: "Because I'm curious."
"curious?"
“Hmm.” He turned to look at Chu Hua. “I’m curious to see what kind of ‘true’ Xiangzi will show when he loses everything he has to rely on.”
Chu Hua stared wide-eyed in disbelief: "Just for this kind of reason...?"
"Does the reason matter?" Chen Xiao chuckled. "What matters is the result—Xiangzi gets the funds she desperately needs, and you can continue to stay by her side. A win-win situation, isn't it?"
Chu Hua lowered her head, her long hair falling down to obscure her expression: "...Where to?"
A victorious smile curved Chen Xiao's lips: "There's a nice hotel nearby. It won't take you too long."
The sports car turned onto a quiet side road and eventually stopped in front of a low-key yet luxurious building.
When Chu Hua got off the bus, her legs trembled slightly, and her eyes held a resolute look—the kind of determination that comes after making some major decision.
Chen Xiao gentlemanly opened the glass door for her, thinking: What an interesting girl. To be able to sacrifice to this extent for the one she loves... I wonder if Xiangzi deserves such loyalty?
The receptionist recognized Chen Xiao and respectfully handed him the room key.
As the elevator ascended, Chu Hua kept staring at the tips of her shoes, as if there was something there that attracted her.
After entering the suite, Chen Xiao did not rush to act, but first poured Chu Hua a glass of water: "Relax, I'm not going to eat you."
Chu Hua didn't take the water cup, but instead started unbuttoning her uniform: "Hurry up... let's finish this."
Chen Xiao raised an eyebrow: "So soon?"
"I still need to go to Xiangzi's house." Chu Hua's voice was unusually calm. "Besides... the sooner the better, isn't it?"
Chen Xiao put down his water glass and slowly walked up to her. He reached out and lifted Chu Hua's chin, forcing her to look him in the eye: "You know what? The look on your face right now is one of despair. Birds of a feather flock together, no wonder."
Chu Hua's pupils contracted slightly.
“The same despair, the same… self-loathing,” Chen Xiao said softly. “But at least Xiangzi was paying the price for the path he chose. And you…” His thumb brushed against Chu Hua’s lips, “you are paying the price for someone else’s choices.”
Chu Hua shoved him away abruptly: "Stop lecturing! If you're going to do it, do it quickly!"
Chen Xiao smiled instead of getting angry: "As you wish."
He pushed Chu Hua down onto the spacious bed and pressed himself against her.
Chu Hua kept her eyes tightly closed, her body stiff as a puppet, letting him do as he pleased. As Chen Xiao unbuttoned the last button, a tear slid down her cheek.
After a long time.
He sighed, turned over and sat on the edge of the bed: "Forget it, let's call it a day."
Chu Hua opened her eyes in surprise: "What...?"
"We can't just let it go!"
Mitsuka Chuka suddenly sat up in bed, her uniform hanging messily on her shoulders, her golden hair scattered and clinging to her flushed skin.
Her eyes held a mixture of shame, anger, and a kind of almost desperate determination.
"You promised..." Her voice trembled, her fingers gripping the bedsheet tightly, "You said you would give Xiangzi money!"
Chen Xiao stood by the bed, slowly adjusting his cuffs, a faint smile playing on his lips.
“I did say that,” he replied casually, “but the deal isn’t finalized yet.”
Chu Hua's expression froze for a moment, then she suddenly grabbed a pillow and threw it at him.
"You lied to me?!"
Chen Xiao easily caught the pillow, casually tossed it aside, and looked at it with a hint of mockery.
“Lying to you? No, I just adjusted the terms.” He leaned down, one hand supporting himself on Chu Hua’s side, the other gently pinching her chin, forcing her to look up at him. “One hundred million yen is no small sum, Chu Hua. Do you think… just one time is worth that much?”
Chu Hua's pupils contracted slightly, and her breathing became rapid. She abruptly pushed his hand away, her voice filled with suppressed anger:
"What exactly do you want?!"
Chen Xiao straightened up, took out his phone from his suit pocket, swiped the screen a few times casually, and then handed it to her.
The above shows Chen Xiao's savings amount.
Chu Hua didn't answer, but her eyes gave the answer.
Chen Xiao smiled slightly and continued:
"I want you to... completely break Toyokawa Shoko down during that performance."
"What?!" Chu Hua looked up abruptly, staring at him in disbelief.
“It’s very simple.” Chen Xiao’s tone remained relaxed, as if he were just talking about the weather. “At crucial moments, go off-key, forget the lyrics, or even stop completely—do whatever you want, as long as you turn the whole performance into a disaster.”
Chu Hua's face turned pale instantly.
"Are you crazy?!" she practically screamed. "Xiangzi will—"
"What will happen?" Chen Xiao interrupted her, his eyes suddenly turning cold. "Will she go crazy? Will she despair? Will she completely collapse?" He sneered, "Isn't that exactly what you've been watching all along? She's already on the path to self-destruction, Chu Hua."
Chu Hua's lips trembled, and her fingers dug into her palms.
“Despicable…shameless…” she gritted her teeth as she squeezed out the words.
Chen Xiao shrugged dismissively.
“Despicable? Perhaps.” He glanced down at his watch, his tone casual. “But this is a deal. If you agree, I’ll transfer the money now; if you don’t…” He smiled slightly, “then Xiangzi’s family’s debts will have to be settled by herself.”
Chu Hua's breath caught in her throat for a moment.
She recalled Xiangzi's increasingly frantic gaze, her almost self-destructive dedication during rehearsals, and the way she would silently shed tears when she was alone late at night.
"...What about the others?" she asked in a low voice.
Chen Xiao raised an eyebrow.
"Ruomai, Hailing, Mu—they've all agreed." He casually tossed out these words, watching with satisfaction as Chuhua's expression crumbled little by little.
"You..." she almost forced out through clenched teeth, "You all..."
Chen Xiao did not answer, but simply looked at her quietly, waiting for her choice.
The room fell into dead silence.
A few seconds later, Chu Hua's shoulders slumped slightly, as if all her strength had been drained away.
“…Okay,” she said softly, her voice almost inaudible.
Chen Xiao smiled.
“A wise choice.” He reached out and ruffled her hair, as if soothing a reluctant cat. “Don’t worry, the money will be in your account immediately after the performance.”
Chu Hua didn't respond, but just numbly straightened her uniform, her fingers trembling slightly.
Chen Xiao looked at her and suddenly found it amusing.
"Do you hate me?" he asked.
Chu Hua paused for a moment, then coldly raised her head.
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