bookbashuk Page 145
Page 145
No, it never has been.
For Xiangzi, being able to watch the lights shine on the live house stage like this, and to see her "working in the same direction" as him, is what makes this most worthy of celebration.
"Oh, little lamp! Little lamp! Oh, little lamp!" Xiangzi took out the cheering stick he had prepared in advance from his backpack. He was just over 1.5 meters tall and kept jumping on the ground. He looked really cute.
Yanming was amused by her. After briefly assessing his current strength, he walked behind Xiangzi.
"Whoa?!" Xiangzi, who had suddenly grown much taller, exclaimed in surprise before immediately realizing what was happening. She playfully tapped Yanming on the head with her glow stick before continuing to cheer for the live performance on stage.
“…Goo.” Mu walked to Yanming’s side and glanced at Xiangzi, who was riding on his back.
She was the one who started that position.
but……
As long as Xiangneng is happy.
"Oh?" Meow Dream glanced at the silent, pouting wooden figure. "Does Xiao Mu want this too?"
"I don't want to, don't touch me."
"Ah... well." Teacher Da Miao is being disliked again today.
Just as the group from Mujica were talking, the long-awaited song "Walking with the Blue Sky" finally resounded throughout the venue that night!
"People know you,
Alone in the dark,
The shoulder falls on the shoulder,
You, looking dejected.
青すぎてるempty and empty,
But the sky there was too bright and dazzlingly blue.
Servant of the king,
I should say to you,
Yan えばいいのか，
What should I say...?
In the end, the headstrong lead singer still didn't point the microphone at the audience cheering for them, but instead looked at his band members, shouting with all his might—
Let's form a band that lasts a lifetime!
……
After the live performance ended
Yanming drove around without hesitation, taking everyone away in two separate trips.
After the music started playing, it was time for the celebration.
It's the same bbbbig restaurant that Little Cat couldn't afford even with a month's worth of tips, but this time there's one more person shocked along with her.
"Meow meow meow meow Miss Meng! Isn't this the super super super luxurious restaurant you introduced in your video?" This time, the fans really followed the blogger's example; Ai Yin's performance was even worse than Meow Meng's back then.
Although her family is relatively well-off, she is just a student. If she were to come here, she would probably spend a month of her life washing dishes in the kitchen.
"Sodayo!" Meow Dream patted her chest and gave her little fan a thumbs up. "Go ahead and order, Aine-chan! You have a big dog backing you up!"
"It's not like you're paying, why are you so arrogant?" Yanming immediately pulled Le Nai away from her, and at the same time politely said to the waitress next to him, "Could you please take the menu to that guy over there... yes, the one with the most arrogant walking posture just now?"
Let's let her be arrogant this time since she didn't mess things up.
"May I take a picture, Miss Meow Dream!"
"Of course you can wear stockings!"
After taking their seats, the seating arrangement was quite meaningful. There was a large round table with more than a dozen seats for a total of nine people, two bands, and one unemployed person. Generally speaking, family members would sit together, right?
...But that's not actually the case.
"Um……"
Yanming's hands and feet were a little stiff: "Xiao Le Nai... you can't sit on my lap. You're not a little baby anymore, and it's hard for me to pick up food like this..."
"Hey stray cat! Come here! Don't cause trouble for Yanming!" But Lixi quickly grabbed her by the neck as she ran over. "...Sorry, Mr. Yanming, I'll take her away now."
"Uh-huh--"
Surprisingly, Lena didn't struggle at all and obediently prepared to follow Lixi.
Yanming looked at Lixi and said with a smile, "Le Nai likes you very much."
"...Huh? Who? A stray cat?" Li Xi was a little doubtful, wondering if Yan Ming's "like" was a little different from what she understood.
“No doubt about it, it’s true. This child expresses herself differently from others, but without a doubt, she already sees you all as cats from the same litter, Lixi.” Yanming explained to Lixi in a language that was hard to understand. “Also, if possible, please stop calling her ‘wildcat’. Actually, Lenai doesn’t really like being called that, but she didn’t say it because she wanted to fit in with you all so much.”
Lixi glanced at the unusually well-behaved kitten in her arms: "...Is that so, Lena?"
"Hmm? Hmm... Riki, I'm hungry." Lena didn't answer directly, but Riki already knew what she meant.
"I understand, Rana...chan, I won't call you that anymore." After thanking Yanming, Lixi led Rana to a seat.
Chapter 225 Drive away
Seeing this, Xiangzi couldn't help but exclaim, "That's great! Little Lena has finally found a place where she can stay forever."
Xiangzi couldn't quite connect with Le Nai's personality, but they had been teammates for a while and he knew a bit about the girl.
Lena explicitly told them that the reason she wandered around several live houses before joining the band was to find a place she could always return to.
Xiangzi was initially worried that the child's wish would not come true, after all, it is indeed difficult to meet someone in this not-so-naive world who can promise "a lifetime".
“Hmm… Even if Ryuna’s grandmother entrusted her to me, it’s not a good thing for her to be with someone like me. I’m sure Ms. Tsuzuki would be happy for Ryuna if she knew this had happened.” After saying that, Yanming twisted his back, which was really itchy. “Also, could you get off me? There are so many people here, it’s not a good look.”
"Hey—" Xiangzi hugged Yanming's neck from behind, "No, wait until the food is served before I go down, okay?"
Be affectionate when there are many people, and be affectionate when there are few people.
Only then can it be considered healthy!
Having failed to persuade her, Yanming could only activate Plan B: "...Xiao Mu, can you come and help me pull your sister away?"
"I am the sister!"
"Okay, okay..." Yanming replied perfunctorily, finally managing to temporarily free his right hand from Mu's embrace, and with Mu's cooperation, he managed to pull Xiangzi off him.
Xiangzi, his hands held behind his back by Mu, cried out in disbelief, "Xiao Mu, you betrayed me!"
Mu leaned close to Xiangzi's ear and whispered, "I'm sorry, Xiangzi, but you can't eat alone."
You shameless idiot, how dare you talk to me like that!
With each other in check, the two reluctantly went to their original seats and sat down.
"Phew..." Yanming breathed a sigh of relief. After all, being entangled by four people at the same time was quite a burden, both mentally and physically.
Then he looked down at the last one on his left.
"...Mr. Yanming?"
When he met those pure and innocent eyes, Yanming found that he really couldn't refuse: "Xiaodeng, you sang very well tonight. Whether it was 'Nameless' or 'Walking with the Blue Sky,' you performed at a very high level."
"Hmm!" Judging from the warmth emanating from Deng's palm, she was still quite excited even now. "Mr. Yanming told me before that even if the band doesn't last a lifetime, it's fine... But I still want to play in a band for a lifetime. I don't want to be separated from everyone again."
"People's thoughts are constantly changing, but that doesn't mean that any one of them has to be wrong." Yanming sincerely congratulated him, "Congratulations on making your choice, and I wish you and your band can continue to go on."
"Thank you... thank you so much..." Deng had almost lost count of how many times she had thanked Yanming.
It happened so many times, whether it was a big deal or a small matter. It seemed that after I met him, I was always receiving his help, directly or indirectly.
The gratitude I've been holding back... is about to burst forth.
I need to hurry... and send out that prepared gift.
He had already chosen the date himself, based on information provided by his reliable informant who worked with Yanming... His birthday was coming soon.
"There's one more thing." Yanming's voice pulled Deng back to reality. "It's about time we decided on a name for the band."
Now that they have officially formed a band, the question of what to call them has become unavoidable.
Whether it's a "place to stay" or something else, it should at least have a name.
"I bet Ai Yin will be the most enthusiastic one." Yan Ming picked up the wine glass next to him and took a sip of the juice inside.
It seems they don't serve coffee here.
“Aine… Pfft.” Akari couldn’t help but laugh when she thought of that scene. “If it were Aine-chan, she would definitely do that.”
"After Lixi's problem is completely resolved, let's have a proper discussion with everyone. We can't just give it a perfunctory answer like we did with Dysis. This is a name that will follow you 'for life'."
"Yes!" As a follower, Deng naturally agreed with Yanming's suggestion.
"As for now, go sit with them. They're all waiting for you. A team should act like a team." Yanming gestured with his chin, indicating that Deng should look in the direction he was pointing.
Aine, Sose, Rana, and Riki—these four girls, who are different in appearance and personality, are now sitting together peacefully, and even seem quite harmonious, because of the lamp.
“Even though I’ll still worry about you, I can’t always take care of you like I do now… But they’re different.” Yanming pressed down on Deng’s shoulder with his right hand, and while she was thinking, he pulled his arm out of her arms. “That’s where you ‘belong’, and you have to cherish it.”
The lamp paused, as if wanting to say something more: "But..."
Before he could finish speaking, Yanming interrupted him very easily.
“It’s okay.” He smiled naturally, as if he had let down his guard in front of Deng. “‘A band for life’... Actually, I’ve had similar thoughts before, but unfortunately, I couldn’t realize them in the end... Deng, when I look at you, I often put myself in your shoes and can’t help but pray for you in my heart, hoping that your band and your life can have a better future than mine.”
"So this time, don't let 'me' down. Do the right thing, okay?"
The sudden outpouring of genuine emotion from this usually composed person left Deng completely speechless, and he could only bow his head and agree: "...Okay."
"Go." Although it was a despicable tactic, it was also Yanming's true thought.
Staying away from him is better for everyone.
Yanming sat alone in his seat, his chin resting on his hand, looking calmly at the people he knew.
Among them were his friends, family members, and even one or two people with whom he maintained a rather ambiguous relationship.
But from his eyes alone, one could not detect these emotions that should have been very strong; they were as indifferent as stagnant water.
It was as if there was an invisible wall that completely separated him from the world of others.
...Only one person in the crowd noticed this.
Chapter 226 Blocking the Toilet
Name: Nagasaki Motoyo
[Current Intimacy Level: -21 (Accomplice?)]
Ignoring the harassment from the pink-haired girl, Nagasaki Motoyo fixed her gaze on Yanming.
From the moment she entered, Su Shi's gaze was fixed on Yan Ming. Even when she was talking to others, she would silently glance at him out of the corner of her eye.
At this moment, her efforts paid off, and she finally caught a whiff of something unusual.
There are too many people here now. If you go up and start a conversation rashly, you'll easily attract attention and might even be misunderstood.
I need to find an opportunity to talk to him alone.
"Su Shishi, are you spacing out?"
Su Shi turned around and smiled at her companion, pretending to be nonchalant:
"No... I was just thinking about something. What did Aine-chan just say? Tell me again."
"Hey...you weren't listening to me at all, that's so mean." Aine was easily fooled.
Of course, this is just because she's willing to be fooled.
Who is Su Shishi thinking about? Her sweetheart?
Ai-yin glanced somewhat strangely in the direction Su-se had been looking, but her gaze fell on the empty space.
"Excuse me, I need to go to the restroom," Su Shi said quickly as she stood up.
Then, under Aine's gaze, she quickly walked out of the private room.
...But there's clearly a toilet in their private room, isn't there?