Glacier sister, don't want to be a sandwich

Originally she was just studying, but for some reason, her eyes were gradually attracted by Sayo's slender fingers, and her heartbeat began to accelerate silently.

She took a deep breath, trying to collect her wandering thoughts, and tried to adjust her posture according to Saya's method. Her fingers were no longer stiff and tense, but slightly relaxed, relying on the natural coordination of her wrist and fingertips.

When she plucked the strings again, the connection between the notes was obviously much smoother. Although it was not perfect, at least it was no longer as abrupt as before.

Sayo nodded slightly, a rare faint smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, with a soft light in her eyes: "Not bad, it's much better than before. Keep this feeling and practice a few more times."

This simple affirmation struck Yue Ge's heart directly. She was stunned for a moment, and a faint blush involuntarily appeared on her cheeks.

"Yeah!" Yue Ge nodded vigorously, her voice slightly higher than usual, as if trying to hide her panic.

She quickly lowered her head, trying to hide her slightly red cheeks with her falling hair, readjusted her posture, and resumed her training.

Chapter 95: Su Shi's Determination (Part 1)

Although it was only one night of special training, Bingchuan Yuege seemed to have brought out the abilities of the Bingchuan family bloodline.

Although she has not reached the level of Sister Hina, who can quickly master the rhythm and melody of the entire song after just a few practices, at least now she is much better at chord transitions and connections than before.

Although there are still some minor mistakes occasionally, the frequency of mistakes has been greatly reduced compared to yesterday. What their temporary team lacks now is more of a problem of coordination.

Yazi's drumming is still the most stable in the band, but this is also her first time forming a band. Her overly unrestrained performance style makes it difficult for her to connect well with the performance rhythm of the entire band.

But this is not just a problem for Yazi alone. In fact, Yuege's guitar and Hailing's bass have different degrees of problems that cannot be integrated with the overall rhythm.

As the lead singer of the band, Takamatsu Deng was the most affected. Once the rhythm fluctuated, she would be a little at a loss.

------------------

But now the band's training is not the biggest problem.

It's been two days.

Except for seeing her father coming home drunk, stumbling to change his shoes, and finally falling asleep on the sofa under the dim corridor light late at night every night, Su Shi hardly ever said a complete sentence to him.

Sometimes she would stand at the door of the room, looking at her father's tired back through the half-open door.

His coat was casually draped over the armrest of the sofa, his tie hung loosely, and the smell of alcohol filled the air, intertwining with the cold atmosphere in the room, creating an indescribable feeling of dullness.

Su Shi wanted to speak, to say something, even if it was just a simple "Thank you for your hard work today."

But when the words came to my lips, they were always blocked by some invisible barrier, and finally turned into silence, swallowed up by the quiet of the night.

Whenever she mustered up the courage to walk out of the room, her father had already fallen into a deep, drunken sleep, with no expression on his face, only a hint of fatigue and weariness between his brows.

She had secretly planned countless ways to start the conversation during the day, thinking about what topic to start with and what tone to use so as not to seem abrupt.

But when night fell, all plans became meaningless - because her father was not awake at all, as if he was avoiding something, unwilling to face her, nor unwilling to face himself.

"There's been absolutely no progress..."

Yue Ge put down the guitar in his hand, raised his head slightly, exhaled a long breath, frowned slightly, and seemed not very satisfied with the practice just now.

She picked up a bottle of mineral water from the floor beside her, unscrewed the cap, tilted her head back and drank it in big gulps.

Transparent water droplets slid down the corners of her lips, slowly flowing down her slender white neck, emitting a subtle luster under the light, and finally disappeared into the collar below her collarbone.

Ichinose Suyo stood aside, her eyes unconsciously fixed on those few crystal clear drops of water.

Her eyes followed the trajectory of the water droplets, from Yue Ge's slightly flushed cheeks to her slightly bulging throat, and then to her delicate skin where the water droplets quietly slid down.

The air seemed to become exceptionally quiet at this moment, leaving only the sound of Yue Ge drinking water and the slight clicking of the plastic of the mineral water bottle.

Her gaze lingered a little longer, and after realizing this, she suddenly came to her senses, blinked slightly, and quickly looked away.

Yue Ge didn't seem to notice Su Shi's abnormality just now.

He casually tightened the cap of the mineral water bottle and put it back on the floor. He turned his head slightly and looked at Ichinose Suyo. The few strands of hair on his forehead were slightly wet with sweat and stuck to his forehead. There was a bit of expectation in his clear eyes, as if he hoped to hear some good news from Suyo.

"Su Shi, how about you?"

Su Shi was brought back to her senses by the sudden question. She was stunned for a moment, her eyes flickering slightly, as if she was looking for a suitable answer.

After a moment, she nodded gently and said in a calm tone: "Ah... well... there is no progress for the time being."

When Yue Ge heard Su Shi's answer, she did not show any disappointment.

She just sighed softly, raised her head slightly, looked at the ceiling, with a helpless smile on her lips, and a hint of complaint in her tone: "No progress? Sure enough, things are not as simple as I thought..."

"But there should still be plenty of time, right?"

Yue Ge turned her head slightly and casually brushed away the sweat-soaked hair on her forehead. There was a hint of ease in her tone, as if she was trying to break the dullness in the air with her words.

"Well... there should be some time."

Su Shi answered almost subconsciously, his voice light and airy, as if he hadn't thought about it, just mechanically echoing Yue Ge's words.

"That's good!"

Yue Ge breathed a sigh of relief, revealing a slightly embarrassed smile, and said with a hint of self-mockery: "If we were to perform in this state... it would really be a bit embarrassing."

Su Shi looked at Yue Ge's slightly curved eyes, and the smile on her lips was as warm as ever.

Looking at Yazi next to her, she was leaning against the wall carelessly, wiping the sweat off her face, and muttering about the mistake she made in the drum beat just now.

Xiao Deng lowered his head and quietly sorted out the lyrics book, occasionally looking up and glancing at everyone, with a look of anxiety and anticipation in his eyes.

Hai Ling was silently adjusting the state of the bass in her hand.

These scenes made Su Shi feel an indescribable bitterness in his heart.

They have done enough and worked hard enough.

And what about yourself?

Su Shi's fingertips tightened unconsciously, her nails almost digging into her palms, turning faintly white.

It was obvious that everyone's ultimate goal was for her, but her only task - to persuade her father - had not made any progress so far.

Every day I could only watch my father come home drunk, unable to even utter a complete sentence, let alone actually persuade him to sing again.

This feeling of powerlessness was like a thick shadow, silently covering her heart, making her breathing heavy.

In fact, Ichinose Suyo really wanted to tell Yuege that she had not made any progress and wanted to pour out her inner fatigue and frustration, but when the words came to her lips, they turned into a forced laugh.

I can't trouble you anymore.

"My family matters...let me handle them myself."

Su Shi said silently to herself in her heart.

"Sushi...are you really okay?" Hikawa Yuege looked at Ichinose Sushi and always felt that there was something wrong with Sushi.

She looked away and lowered her head as if nothing had happened.

"It's really no problem."

Chapter 96: Su Shi's Determination (Part 2)

Inside an izakaya somewhere in Tokyo, the air is filled with the strong aroma of alcohol, skewers, and tobacco.

The dim light hung from the ceiling, shining on the mottled wooden table, casting circles of blurry halos.

The store was noisy and bustling with the sounds of various office workers urging each other to drink and laughing, which intertwined with the crisp sound of wine glasses clinking, forming the most ordinary background of Tokyo, the city that never sleeps.

The narrow seats were filled with scattered empty bottles and haphazardly placed menus, and waiters carrying steaming skewers and steaming sake jugs were walking around.

Outside the window, the light and shadow of neon lights came in in patches, interweaving with the dimness of the room to create a vague warm tone.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, sitting at a wooden table in the corner, Ichinose Ren maintained a proper smile, as if out of tune with the surrounding noise.

He was wearing a neat suit, his tie was neatly tied, and he had a professional smile on his face. He skillfully raised the wine jug in his hand, leaned forward slightly, and poured sake for the middle-aged man opposite him.

"Okay... Then I'll leave the order to Mr. Sato!" Lian's voice was not loud, with just the right amount of respect and a hint of subtle flattery.

Mr. Sato, who was sitting opposite him, was obviously drunk. His face was obviously drunk, and the blush of alcohol spread across his broad cheeks.

He laughed out loud, his voice hoarse, and shook the wine glass, causing slight ripples in the glass.

"No problem! No problem!" Sato's face was full of smiles, and his words were filled with a strong smell of alcohol, as if every syllable was wrapped in the heat of alcohol.

He patted Lian's shoulder, his strength a little rough, but with a hint of drunken sincerity, "I'm very optimistic about your company, especially you, Ichinose. I'm very satisfied with you!"

Lian smiled slightly, a hint of barely perceptible fatigue flashed in her eyes, but she still maintained proper politeness.

Ichinose Ren picked up the wine glass and raised it slightly. The sake in the glass glowed with a light amber color under the light.

The blush on Sato's face deepened a little, and he smiled a bit boldly in his drunken state.

He nodded vigorously and grabbed the wine glass on the table. The wine swayed slightly, and a few drops splashed onto the table, but he didn't care at all. He laughed boldly and said, "Good! Well said!"

Seeing this, Lian immediately raised her glass, leaned forward slightly, and said respectfully yet enthusiastically, "Come on! I'll toast you another glass!"

Sato laughed heartily, seeming to be very pleased with Lian's gesture. He shook the wine glass vigorously, almost spilling the wine, and responded cheerfully: "Good, good, good!"

The two wine glasses collided gently in the air, making a crisp sound, as if pushing the atmosphere at this moment to a more harmonious state.

Lian smiled slightly, tilted her head back and drank the sake in the cup in one gulp. Her Adam's apple rolled slightly, and the sake slid across her tongue with a faint astringency.

His expression remained steady, as if he was used to such occasions. Even though a faint burning sensation from alcohol was churning in his stomach, he remained calm.

Sato also drank the wine happily. After putting down the glass, the smile on his face became even wider. He patted Lian's shoulder with satisfaction, his force heavy and with a hint of drunken boldness: "Ichinose, it's so nice to drink with you!"

Ichinose Ren smiled and agreed.

--------------

Half an hour later, Ichinose Ren helped the drunken Mr. Sato out of the noisy izakaya. The night breeze outside, mixed with the coolness of early spring, blew away some of the drunkenness and took away the strong smell of cigarettes and alcohol in the room.

The streets of Tokyo are still brightly lit and full of traffic, with neon lights casting mottled reflections on the wet road surface, as if this city will never truly sleep.

He carefully handed Mr. Sato to the driver who had been waiting for a long time. The driver took it skillfully, with a professional smile on his face, and said politely, "Mr. Ichinose, I'll go take Mr. Sato back. Do you need me to pick you up later?"

Lian waved her hand, smiled slightly, and said calmly and appropriately, "No need. I just want to take a few steps to sober up so that my family won't scold me again."

The driver smiled half-jokingly upon hearing this and casually praised, "Is that so? He's truly a model husband."

Lian did not respond, but just maintained a polite smile and watched the black luxury car drive into the traffic flow. The taillights gradually disappeared in the night and finally disappeared around the corner.

He stood by the roadside in silence for a moment, then casually took off the high-end suit jacket from his shoulders, put it on his knees, and slowly sat down on the steps beside the sidewalk.

The night wind, carrying a hint of dust and the scent of the city, blew across his cheeks, so cold that it made him slightly sober.

He reached into his suit pocket, trying to pull out a cigarette, but only found an empty cigarette box.

He was stunned for a moment, stroking the light packaging with his fingertips, and finally sighed helplessly, crumpled the cigarette box into a ball and threw it into the trash can next to him.

"A model husband..."

He murmured to himself in a low voice, a sarcastic smile on his lips, but his eyes revealed a hint of fatigue.

He looked down at the watch on his wrist and saw that the hands were almost pointing to eleven o'clock.

He couldn't remember when it started, but he always came home late at night.

This thought quietly emerged in my mind, like a drop of ink falling into clear water, slowly spreading out.

He tried hard to recall, but found that the scenes of working overtime, socializing, and walking home alone late at night had long become blurred. He could not tell which day was due to work needs and which day was simply because he did not want to go home.

He himself couldn't explain whether it was really because of his busy work life or because he was escaping from his family. Perhaps it was a combination of both.

"However, most of the time...even if I go back, I may not be able to see her."

He smiled bitterly in his heart, his wife's cold back and the few conversations they had together appearing in his mind.

He had said many times that it was enough for him to make money outside and there was no need for his wife to go out to work.

But she never really listened, sticking to her own career, and even argued about it several times.

In the end, they all learned to remain silent.

"Fortunately, my daughter Su Shi is quite obedient."

When he thought of Su Shi, his brows relaxed slightly. At least she wasn't like the kids from his colleagues' families who always called and cried for their dad to come home.

Su Shi is quiet, sensible, and never disturbs his work.

"If it weren't for these trivial ties, I might not have been able to become a department manager in my thirties."

He looked down at the delicate buttons on the cuffs of his suit, stroking them gently with his fingertips, a complex emotion rising in his heart.

The sense of accomplishment at work wasn't as satisfying as he'd imagined, but instead brought with it a sense of empty exhaustion.

"As long as this deal is successful, I should be able to be promoted to vice president of the branch."