TSIBAMS Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Chapter 76

It was mid-June in a flash. Although the two bars, 1984 and Liao Le, hadn’t reached the point of equal competition, after everyone knew that they were using the same band for performances, it was generally accepted that the two were rivals.

Xu Ge didn’t take it to heart and had a tacit understanding with several bands. However, as soon as Shuai Xiaoyun finished the college entrance examination, he extended a sincere invitation.

Shuai Xiaoyun was also very happy to come and play.

That’s right, for her, it was more about having fun than making money.

Having finally broken free from the shackles of the college entrance examination, she had to embrace this long holiday with a cool attitude.

However, unlike most girls who couldn’t wait to take off their school uniforms and put on bright skirts, she didn’t even put on much makeup. She just casually wore a pair of ripped jeans and went on stage.

If Qi Guang hadn’t ordered her to go back and change into canvas shoes, she would have gone out wearing flip-flops.

“Today is your first official day on the job.” Qi Guang advised earnestly.

“But today is also a graduation party. It’s all classmates who have been together day and night. Brother Xu said it’s just for fun.” Shuai Xiaoyun explained while changing her shoes, “Everyone can go up and sing.”

“Do you believe that your classmates who have been with you day and night, all have put in the effort to dress up today!” Qi Guang glanced at her, “You are also a beauty of our school, can’t you tidy yourself up properly like usual?”

“Dude!” Shuai Xiaoyun made a wronged expression, “You don’t know how I’ve been these days! My body has been hollowed out! If it weren’t for the class reunion, and Brother Xu inviting me to his place, I wouldn’t want to step out of my house for a week!”

Qi Guang smiled. These days have indeed been tough for her. She didn’t even send breakfast over, which was enough to prove that her days were indeed chaotic.

But even without makeup or carefully selected outfits, she still looked dazzling and captivating after casually applying some lipstick and stepping onto the stage.

“I am truly a lucky talent scout,” Xu Ge looked at Shuai Xiaoyun, who was singing on stage, with satisfaction and full of relief, “Has she filled out her college application?”

“I guess she has?” Qi Guang said, “She has always wanted to study in S City.”

“Oh, that’s so far!” Xu Ge laughed, “Xiaoyun will be promising.”

“Talented people are common, but a talent scout is rare,” Qi Guang glanced at him, “Brother Xu, don’t be discouraged.”

“I am happy beyond words!” Xu Ge glared at him for a while, then couldn’t help but laugh, “When she becomes famous, I will put up a banner at the entrance, so everyone knows that she came from our place!”

“How corny!” Qi Guang shook his head.

After Bai Shu collected the drink menu and instructed the bartender, he joined their conversation, “Want to make a bet?”

“What to bet on?” Xu Ge asked.

Qi Guang also looked at him with interest.

“Bet on when Liao Le will make a move on your sister.” Bai Shu said.

It was a prophecy that came true.

A week later, Shuai Xiaoyun received a call from Liao Le Bar, and while having dinner with Xu Ge and the others, she rejected the offer and hung up the phone right in front of everyone.

It was very domineering and disrespectful.

“Sis, you are quite popular,” Qi Guang smiled as he poured a drink for her, “Don’t regret it tonight when you think it over!”

Xu Ge and Bai Shu were also laughing beside them.

“Regret my ass,” Shuai Xiaoyun took a sip of her drink, “I said it before, I’m just here to play. If it wasn’t because this place is yours, I wouldn’t dare to come.”

“That’s true, so many people covet your beauty, it’s too dangerous.” Bai Shu nodded in a serious manner.

“Pah!” Shuai Xiaoyun said, and then laughed along.

Because they were outdoors, Xu Ge conveniently lit a cigarette, “Why didn’t Ye Xing come? I haven’t seen him in a while.”

“He’s rushing his work.” Qi Guang said, “He’s taken on a job recently.”

Shuai Xiaoyun looked at him thoughtfully.

As the only girl present, her senses were obviously more sensitive than others.

She didn’t know Ye Xing’s family situation, but one look was enough to see that his family wasn’t so poor that he needed to take jobs to support himself. However, being assigned to this remote place by his family probably meant that something inconvenient for others to know had happened at home.

“Is the tuition for his art studio very expensive?” Shuai Xiaoyun asked.

Afraid that there might be something inconvenient to say, she didn’t directly ask about his family, but asked about the tuition of the art studio.

“I am not too sure.” Qi Guang frowned.

But this sentence reminded him, he opened his phone and sent a message to Huang Shanshan.

Not long after, the phone on the table vibrated, he glanced at it, it was Xu Ge’s phone, showing the name of the girl who sang jazz.

Xu Ge, with a cigarette in his mouth, answered the phone.

“Hello, yeah… yeah, I understand… yeah… okay…”

The three of them watched him, noticing that his tone was not right.

Sure enough, after hanging up, Xu Ge’s tone became angry, “Those things that eat people without spitting out their bones!”

It seemed that Liao Le Bar was making another small move.

“What’s wrong?” Bai Shu asked.

“She quit.” Xu Ge turned his head, taking a hard puff of his cigarette.

Although he said a few days ago that “If they want to leave, I won’t keep them,” but the real feeling of being poached was still a bit unpleasant.

“Liao Le is ruthless! They failed to poach one, so they’re pulling up the roots.” Qi Guang’s face darkened, “But they are willing to spend money, signing an exclusive contract shouldn’t be cheap, right?”

“It’s to give us a warning.” Bai Shu, always gentle, had a rare hint of fierceness on his face, “Brother Xu? Should we retaliate?”

Xu Ge stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray, “Retaliate what? I don’t need her!”

The atmosphere, which was a bit relaxed and smug because Shuai Xiaoyun had rejected Liao Le, suddenly became a bit tense.

Everyone understood that a singer being poached meant that other bands had been persuaded by Liao Le to sign exclusive contracts, and today it was just a jazz singer, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, it might be the rock and folk singers who would resign.

Logically, a newly opened bar that hasn’t even covered the cost would rarely spend money on exclusive contracts with bands, it is too expensive and unnecessary.

But Liao Le doing this was clearly picking a fight with Xu Ge.

But looking at Xu Ge’s reaction, he didn’t seem to be in the mood to respond.

Shuai Xiaoyun looked around, raised her hand and swore half-jokingly, “Brother Xu, don’t worry, I won’t leave no matter who else does. I didn’t come here for the money anyway.”

“Whatever,” Xu Ge smiled, “You should be leaving in September.”

“It’s not like I won’t come back!”

In order to help Ye Xing with his homework, Qi Guang occasionally let Ye Xing stay at his place.

This frequency went from occasionally to frequently, and then from frequently to every day.

Finally, it was almost as if Ye Xing had moved half of his home over. Even if Qi Guang had to go to the bar to help on the weekends, he would obediently study or draw at Qi Guang’s home.

1984 closed late on weekends, and when Qi Guang got home, all the stores on the way had already closed.

The message from Huang Shanshan was still lit up on his phone.

-The tuition plus his accommodation fee, it must be at least 40,000, right? The teacher said he hasn’t signed the contract yet, seems like because he can’t pay the tuition all at once.

He had been suppressing his anger all night because of Liao Le poaching the bands, but Huang Shanshan’s message made him calm down.

Calmly angry.

He had never thought that Ye Xing would have trouble paying tuition. First, because he didn’t know that the art studio’s tuition was so expensive, and second, because Ye Xing had never shown any sign of being short of money.

But someone as proud as him would not tell him even if he was short on money.

When he got home, the living room light was still on. He glanced at someone who was immersed in the world of painting, and softly spoke, “Not asleep yet?”

Ye Xing seemed to wake up from a dream, smiled, “Aren’t you just back too!”

“I’m working hard to support the family!” Qi Guang walked over after changing into slippers.

“Who isn’t?” Ye Xing showed him his work, and then stood up and stretched, “This is a new sponsor introduced by Shanshan, they have a lot of money, and a lot of orders. After this is done, I’ll treat you to a meal!”

“Oh! What sponsor, not even letting high schoolers go!” Qi Guang poured a glass of water and took a couple of sips.

He immediately tasted the ambiguity in his words, and Ye Xing glared at him, “Shut up!”

“Not shutting up,” Qi Guang handed the glass to him and fed him a sip of water, “Did you do today’s homework?”

“I did, Teacher Qi—” Ye Xing rolled his eyes, dragging out the last syllable.

Qi Guang didn’t look at him, he went to the balcony to pick up his bath towel and pajamas, and went to the bathroom.

“Is there anything you don’t understand?”

Ye Xing seemed to have noticed that he was not in a good mood today, and asked him while following him, “Are you in a bad mood today?”

“Huh?” Qi Guang was stunned, only then did he realize that he had brought his bad mood home.

Bringing the anger he had outside home, and making his loved ones suffer, was very wrong. Especially if it was for that crappy bar, it didn’t deserve it.

He felt a little apologetic, forced a smile, and reached out to rub Ye Xing’s head, “My mood gets better when I see you.”

“With the help of your notes, I understand most of it…” Ye Xing didn’t want to bother him, so he didn’t ask further, and changed the topic back to the previous one, “There are still some things I don’t understand that Teacher Qi needs to teach me one-on-one, but can it wait till tomorrow…”

“Okay,” Qi Guang paused, “Let me ask you something.”

“Mm?” Ye Xing leaned against the bathroom door frame looking at him.

Qi Guang bit his lip, thought for a while, and then spoke.

“Has Auntie not sent you money recently?”

“It hasn’t reached the point where I can’t afford to eat,” Ye Xing was a bit confused by his sudden question, and even more confused when he saw the seriousness in Qi Guang’s eyes, “Don’t look at me like that, what? Want to keep me?”

“I wouldn’t mind keeping you,” Qi Guang curved the corners of his mouth into a smile, “At worst, you eat meat, and I’ll drink porridge.”

“You little poor thing,” Ye Xing reached out to pinch his face, “Don’t try to play the pitiful card on me in advance! I don’t need you to support me.”

Qi Guang touched Ye Xing’s hand that was pinching his face, and then grabbed it and rubbed it on his face for a while.

“If you have any problems, tell me.”

“I’m eating with both my hands, what problems can I have?” Ye Xing said with an expression that it was not necessary, and then squeezed Qi Guang, barely looking at himself in the mirror, “Besides, the prices here aren’t expensive. Although, it seems like I’ve lost a little weight recently…”

“You lost weight?” Qi Guang took a step back and looked him up and down, “Impossible! Isn’t my cooking personally certified by you?”

“Yeah, I’m getting thinner from being too focused on studying,” Ye Xing looked at him and said with a smile, “It would be great if Brother Qi could just let me copy your homework.”

“You’ve been waiting for me to say that all along?” Qi Guang glared at him.

“So are you going to let me copy or not?” Ye Xing pouted.

Qi Guang raised an eyebrow and refused decisively, “No.”

“So ruthless? Then I won’t be polite.” Ye Xing touched his waist and hugged him from behind.