Girl idols are meant to be exploited!

Su Shi's mother gently cupped her cheeks and jokingly said with a smile, "But actually, she's very gentle. She just speaks tough, but her heart is actually very soft."

"Yes, I think so too! Su Shi just looks tough, but as long as you are tougher than her, she will immediately become soft!"

Su Shi was cooking in the kitchen while listening to the conversation in the living room, with a look of embarrassment and helplessness on her face.

These two people are chatting, but why do they keep talking about their own things?

But as she listened, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but rise slightly. This warm atmosphere made her feel happy.

Soon, Su Shi's meal was ready, and the aroma of dinner filled the whole house.

The dining table was filled with delicious home-cooked meals.

Golden crispy fried chicken nuggets, fragrant cream stew, steaming hot miso soup, and a platter of carefully cut side dishes. Even the rice is sprinkled with finely chopped perilla powder. The details reveal a sense of delicacy and tenderness.

"Wow...! Soyo-san, Love!"

After taking a bite, Aiyin's eyes suddenly sparkled. "This is so delicious! It would be such a waste if you didn't start a cooking channel, Sushi!"

Su Shi's mother also smiled and said, "Usually it's Su Shi who cooks at home. I basically don't do any housework. Her cooking skills are much better than mine."

"Aunt, you're so busy every day and it's hard enough. Su Shi learned this special skill just for you!"

"Ha...it's just an ordinary home-cooked meal, not as amazing as you say."

Su Shi blushed slightly and lowered her head to eat, but a hint of pride still appeared at the corner of her mouth.

"Ordinary? This is five-star level!"

Aiyin puffed out her cheeks and ate heartily while sighing, "If I were a man, I would definitely marry you. It would be so happy to eat the food you cook every day!"

"What nonsense..."

"I'm telling the truth! Not only can you cook, you're also attentive and good at taking care of the housework. You're also gentle and caring. If you get married, you'll definitely be a perfect wife! And..."

Aiyin rolled her eyes, blinked, and smiled, "You're a future rich woman. Whoever marries you will make a killing!"

"Rich, rich woman? What are you talking about..."

Su Shi's face turned red after being choked by her words, and the chopsticks that were picking up the food paused.

"oops……"

Su Shi's mother smiled and continued, "You are such a sweet girl, no wonder my daughter can't do anything to you."

"Hey, what about you, Auntie?"

Aiyin smiled playfully and asked, "You must have been a popular figure when you were young, right? Otherwise, how could you have such a virtuous daughter?"

"You, stop flattering me."

Su Shi's mother gently tapped her forehead, then suddenly changed the subject, her eyes teasing. "But speaking of which, do you have someone you like? Aine, you're such a cute girl, there must be a lot of people chasing after you, right?"

Aine paused while biting the chicken wing, her cheeks suddenly flushed with a light blush. She looked as if something was revealed in her heart. She turned her head slightly and her eyes began to wander.

This sudden abnormal reaction made Su Shi stunned.

"...Huh? You, you don't really have it, do you?"

she asked in surprise.

"Wow……"

Su Shi's mother smiled with her eyes curved, as if she had discovered some incredible secret, "Is it true? Why are you blushing so much?"

“Ahahaha… No, it’s just…”

Aiyin lowered her head, holding the rice bowl, and said in a voice as thin as a mosquito, "It's just... recently, um, there's someone I like a little bit..."

Su Shi looked at her in a daze.

She had never seen Aine like this before. The always sunny and cheerful girl was now like a little girl, lowering her head shyly...

Is she really in love?

"At your age, it's normal to have someone you like."

Su Shi's mother smiled gently, but her tone suddenly became serious, "But Auntie wants to remind you of one thing."

"Ok?"

"When choosing a boyfriend, it's not about how much you like him, but whether he is gentle to you and whether his eyes are full of you."

She paused, looked into Aine's eyes, and said earnestly, "If you're the only one who's enthusiastic, and the other person is hot and cold, that kind of relationship will easily break down, and in the end, you'll often be the one who gets hurt."

This seems to be the experience of Su Shi's mother. Her tone is not harsh, but it carries the clarity of a person who has been through it.

Aiyin thought about it seriously. The person she liked seemed... just as Su Shi's mother said, he was really good to her and... very gentle.

She couldn't help but giggle.

That smile that seemed to say "something's been said hits the nail on the head" made Su Shi curious for a moment. Who could Aine like?

The person who could make her smile like that, blush and panic... could it be Mr. Hoshikawa?

After all, even Su Shi could see the special care that Hoshikawa Taku had for Aine.

She suddenly felt a little sour and envious.

I envy Aiyin because she feels like a favorite of God. The person she likes also happens to like her. She doesn’t have to fight for it, nor does she have to suppress it.

She felt a little lonely again, because she couldn't help but think of Toyokawa Shoko and her cold words, "You only think about yourself."

Because her current relationship with Xiangzi is just as her mother said, it is only "one-sided" and based on her own wishful thinking.

Could it be that... once the relationship between Xiangzi and I breaks down, it will never be reconciled?

She couldn't help but sigh softly, as if even the aroma of the food had become a little fainter.

After dinner, Su Shi’s mother originally wanted to let Aine stay overnight, saying that it was a rare opportunity for her to come.

But Aine thought that Su Shi's mother was still there, and she felt embarrassed if she stayed, so she declined the offer of staying overnight.

Before leaving, she stood in front of the entrance, turned around and winked at Su Shi, and whispered: "Su Shi, I am still by your side, and your mother is also here, so don't worry about gains and losses anymore."

"I believe you can reconcile with Xiangzi!"

At that moment, Su Shi looked at her smile and suddenly realized something - maybe... Xiangzi was not as irreplaceable as she imagined.

Maybe, I can also find someone who "only has eyes for me" as my mother said.

……

On Sunday, Momoka, Nina, An and Subaru arrived at the office on time early in the morning.

Because today, they will officially meet the two support teammates arranged for them by Taku Hoshikawa - Shoko Toyokawa and Motoyo Nagasaki.

Shoko Toyokawa was a senior in the firm, and the three of them were no strangers to her. They would occasionally run into each other in the corridors and practice rooms, and after exchanging greetings a few times, they had respect for her in their hearts.

When they learned that she would be the temporary keyboardist, their eyes lit up.

"Great! We can rest assured knowing that Xiangzi-senpai is helping us!"

Rencai said excitedly.

She once heard Xiaozhi say that Toyokawa Shoko was a stronger keyboard player than her.

You know, Xiaozhi is very stubborn. If she didn't truly recognize Xiangzi's strength, she would never say such words.

If such a great senior joins them, their performance will be much more colorful!

Xiangzi also smiled slightly and nodded at them calmly.

"Well, please give me more guidance from now on."

After some pleasantries, Renai and the others' attention naturally fell on another new face next to them - Nagasaki Suyo.

This was the first time for all of them to see Nagasaki Motoyo.

Su Shi wore a white turtleneck sweater with a dark blue skirt, her long hair draped over her shoulders and a faint smile on her face. She looked like a rich lady, with a gentle and dignified temperament.

She bowed slightly and said politely, "Hello, I'm Nagasaki Suyo, the support bassist. I'm grateful for your guidance."

Momoka was shocked by her aura, which was like that of a rich lady, and quickly responded: "Please, please teach me! I'm Momoka Kawaharaki, the guitarist and captain of the band. This is Nina and Subaru."

"I'm Jing Qin Rencai, the lead singer of the band."

"I'm An He Subaru, the band's drummer."

The three of them introduced themselves one by one, and Su Shi also greeted them politely in turn.

However, when her eyes fell on Toyokawa Shoko, her expression changed slightly.

Her eyes trembled slightly, as if she was holding her breath, as if she was gathering the courage to speak.

"Xiangzi, we'll be teammates from now on. Please give me your guidance..."

"It's just temporary."

Xiangzi corrected her grammatical errors, his tone devoid of any emotion, and said, "I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation."

When Xiangzi looked at Su Shi, there was no smile on his face and his eyes were very calm.

The smile in Su Shi's eyes paused, as if pricked by a needle, and he looked away slightly unnaturally.

This "wrong" atmosphere between them was quickly noticed by An and Subaru.

She couldn't help but ask, "Um...did you two know each other before?"

"Well, there is some connection."

Xiangzi spoke steadily, almost without pausing, before Su Shi could answer, "But that was before. It doesn't matter now."

These words made Su Shi's eyes dim unconsciously.

Taku Hoshikawa, who was standing by, saw all this and sighed helplessly.

It seems that Xiangzi has no intention of reconciling with Su Shi for the time being.

But it's normal. After all, the two of them have been teaming up again for a long time. It would be strange if they could get along harmoniously immediately without any barriers.

Hoshikawa Taku clapped his hands, interrupting the momentary silence: "Alright, I've brought your teammates here. You guys just spend some time here getting used to each other today. I won't bother you anymore."

Having said that, he turned and walked towards the door, and considerately closed the door before leaving.

The room suddenly became quiet.

Although they could sense that there seemed to be some unknown past between the new members, the three [Thorns Without Thorns] still put business first.

"Alright, you two should know the purpose of our team. We need two temporary teammates to perform with us."

Taoxiang coughed lightly and divided the music score between the two of them. "This is the song we are going to perform this time. You two should practice it first, and then we will play together later."

Shoko Toyokawa nodded, took the music score and looked through it, humming the melody softly while her fingers simulated keyboard movements in the air.

The movements are clean and smooth, without any delay, as if a professional performer is quickly getting into the groove.

Su Shi also responded softly with "Okay", picked up the bass music sheet, sat on the chair and began to practice plucking the strings silently.

She lowered her head, trying to concentrate, but her fingertips were always a little slow, and her eyes unconsciously drifted towards Xiangzi who was practicing.

Xiangzi seemed to have completely ignored her presence, his eyes fixed on the music score, his expression as calm as a precisely operated playing machine.

The practice lasted only a dozen minutes before Xiangzi stopped first.

"I can do it."

She raised her head and looked at Taoxiang and the other two, her tone filled with a sense of matter-of-fact certainty.

"Ah...I can do that too."

Su Shi seemed to be awakened and nodded in agreement quickly, but there was a hint of hesitation in his tone.

Taoxiang glanced at her and frowned - her eyes were wandering, and it was obvious that she didn't fully grasp the rhythm.

However, she didn't point that out either.

"Then let's rehearse it first. Everyone, get ready...!"

With the crisp sound of plucking strings, the first joint rehearsal officially began.

Chapter 271: Some bassists lack professional ethics.

The atmosphere was quite smooth in the first few sections of the performance.

As soon as Xiangzi started playing the piano, it lifted up the whole song like layers of waves. She had a strong sense of rhythm and her control of tone was amazingly delicate. Taoxiang couldn't help but look at her sideways as she played the guitar.