Chen Xu glanced at Lu Hai’s departing figure and asked Yuan Ren, “Has Ting-ge been like this a lot lately?”
Since they had to prepare for the college entrance exam, Chen Xu and Ke Xinghao hadn’t practiced or performed with them for a while. Previously, Xia Xiaoting and Lu Hai had already argued. Now, it seemed like things hadn’t improved but had only gotten worse.
Yuan Ren took a sip of his drink and said, “Yeah, recently, quite a few bands have been secretly reaching out to Xiaoting. He thinks we don’t know, but Lu Hai just hasn’t confronted him about it.”
“Ting-ge isn’t the kind of person who would betray his friends, right?” Ke Xinghao still remembered the first time he joined the band—how cool Xia Xiaoting had looked holding his guitar. Back then, the band wasn’t well-known, and everyone squeezed into a basement to practice every day, yet they were happy.
After practice, Xia Xiaoting would treat them to ice-cold cola.
Yuan Ren gave a bitter smile, tugging at the corners of his mouth without answering Ke Xinghao’s question.
Ten minutes later, Lu Hai came back in, his face still slightly red—clearly furious. “He’s not coming tonight. Xiao Xu, you’re up.”
Chen Xu was like a brick in the band—wherever he was needed, he’d go.
“Okay.” Without asking for details, Chen Xu agreed immediately.
Seeing Lu Hai in such a bad mood, Ke Xinghao didn’t dare ask what had happened, while Yuan Ren silently handed Lu Hai a glass of water.
“Thanks.” Lu Hai took it and drank it all in one go.
Since Chen Xu was taking over as the lead singer, the drummer was missing, so they had to choose a song that didn’t require drum accompaniment.
As night fell, Chen Xu changed into his outfit. Lu Hai sprayed temporary dye into his hair, adding streaks of dark purple, along with a bit of gold glitter, making it shimmer under the light. His top was a loose black tank with mesh sides, revealing glimpses of his pale, toned waist. Over it, he wore a casually draped black leather jacket. Around his neck, a chain of necklaces jingled.
“A beauty doesn’t need a blade to kill—one look at that waist, and souls are stolen,” Ke Xinghao sighed, propping his chin up while staring at Chen Xu’s waist.
“Don’t fall for me. There’s no future in it,” Chen Xu said coolly.
“Alright, enough nonsense. It’s our turn to go on.” Lu Hai grabbed his bass and led the way.
As soon as they stepped out, screams swallowed them whole.
It wasn’t until Chen Xu stood at the lead singer’s spot that someone realized—wait, something’s off. Wasn’t the lead singer supposed to be Xia Xiaoting? Why was someone else standing there today?
Before they could protest, Chen Xu’s high notes hit them like a shockwave.
“Holy sht, is this even human? How the hell did he hit that note?”
“The new guy is so hot! I can feel my soul coming back to life!”
“Fck! That’s not a new guy, that’s Xu-zai, the drummer!”
“Wait… was Xu-zai always this good-looking?! I really messed up!”
“If he’s this good-looking, why was he always stuck in the back where no one could see him?!”
Xia Xiaoting stumbled into the bar, and the moment he lifted his gaze, he saw Chen Xu standing in the spotlight, dazzling like a star.
Even without him, the band could still perform.
Originally, he had wanted to teach Lu Hai and the others a lesson—to make them realize how important he was. But at this moment, he felt like he had been slapped hard across the face.
It was Lu Hai and the rest who had shown him that the band didn’t need him. With or without him, they would be just fine.
It was he who was the dispensable one.
“Not bad,” he muttered.
—
Chen Xu was washing his hands in the restroom when he heard a familiar voice behind him.
He paused for a second, then reached out to turn off the faucet, calmly pulling a paper towel to dry his hands. “Ting-ge, you done with your business?”
Xia Xiaoting, seeing Chen Xu dodging the bait, didn’t get angry. Instead, he stepped closer, leaning in so that he was almost whispering in Chen Xu’s ear. “You were mesmerizing on stage just now.”
Chen Xu stepped to the side, widening the distance between them. His cold gaze locked onto Xia Xiaoting, who wore his usual careless smirk, hands stuffed in his pockets, eyebrows raised flirtatiously.
“Are you sure you don’t want to give it a try with me? I’m really good, I guarantee you’ll enjoy it,” Xia Xiaoting teased.
“Not interested.”
This wasn’t the first time Xia Xiaoting had made such suggestive remarks to Chen Xu. From the moment Chen Xu joined the band, Xia Xiaoting had made his interest known. But back then, Chen Xu had been underage, and Xia Xiaoting had only dared to tease with words. This was the first time he had been so blatant.
Xia Xiaoting stepped closer again, backing Chen Xu into a corner. The scent of his strong cologne mixed with alcohol filled the space between them.
“Ting-ge, you’re drunk,” Chen Xu said, his voice steady.
This band was Lu Hai’s pride and joy. Their time together as a band was already running out, and Chen Xu didn’t want to cause unnecessary conflict now.
But Xia Xiaoting either didn’t hear or simply ignored the warning. He leaned in even closer, about to kiss him.
Chen Xu watched him approach, unwavering.
“Now I see what it really means to overestimate oneself,” Chen Xu said, just as his fist landed on Xia Xiaoting’s chin.
Caught off guard, Xia Xiaoting stumbled back several steps, clearly not expecting Chen Xu to have such force.
“You motherfcker! You dare hit me?!” Xia Xiaoting’s suppressed anger exploded. Clenching his fists, he lunged forward, swinging at Chen Xu’s face.
Chen Xu easily caught his wrist, neutralizing the punch before twisting his arm behind his back. With one swift movement, he kicked Xia Xiaoting down, pinning him under his foot.
Xia Xiaoting’s face hit the ground, his chin scraping against the cold tile, sending waves of pain through his body and bringing tears to his eyes.
What he hadn’t expected was that Chen Xu wasn’t done. Grabbing Xia Xiaoting by the collar, he dragged him across the floor like a dead dog, heading toward the toilet stall.
At that moment, Xia Xiaoting finally snapped back to reality—finally felt fear.
Chen Xu yanked him over to the toilet, shut the stall door behind them, sealing off the space. Cold sweat broke out all over Xia Xiaoting’s body.
All his earlier arrogance vanished. “Xu… Xu-zai, I was wrong, I was wrong. Please let me off this time. I drank too much, I wasn’t thinking straight. You’re a bigger person, don’t take it seriously with a drunk like me!”
Chen Xu ignored him. Grabbing his hair, he shoved Xia Xiaoting’s face toward the toilet bowl.
Throughout the entire process, Chen Xu didn’t say a single word.
The silence was even more terrifying.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I was wrong! I was wrong!” Xia Xiaoting sobbed, snot and tears streaming down his face.
Chen Xu crouched down, staring into his eyes. “Still want to sleep with me?”
His tone was utterly flat, but it sent chills down Xia Xiaoting’s spine. He shook his head frantically. “No! I don’t! I was out of my mind! I’ll never think that way again!”
Chen Xu nodded and asked, “Still planning to screw over Lu-ge?”
Xia Xiaoting shook his head harder. “I wouldn’t dare.”
“If you want to leave, talk to Lu-ge directly. He won’t stop you. But don’t play dirty tricks behind his back. If I catch you doing it again, drinking toilet water will be the least of your worries,” Chen Xu warned.
Seeing Xia Xiaoting frozen in silence, Chen Xu yanked his hair again, his voice turning sharp. “Do you understand?”
“Yes! Yes! I understand!” Xia Xiaoting cried.
Just then, there was a knock on the restroom door.
Chen Xu straightened up.
Keep me fueled with caffeine! Support me on Ko-fi! It helps a lot ! Thank you so much ♡(´･ω･)(･ω･`)♡
