Chapter 59: Sis, Thank Goodness I Still Have You
After a moment of silence, Mu Xiangxiang wrapped her arms around her younger brother—who was now much taller than she was—and patted him sympathetically. Then she looked at Qiao Nan with a complicated expression. "What exactly did you do to him?"
"What else could I have done?" Qiao Nan shrugged, balancing the pizza box in his arms. "Just taught him a few life lessons."
Buried against his sister's shoulder, Mu Song's body stiffened. He hugged her even tighter in indignation.
After all, he'd been a cool and intimidating school bully all through middle school. Yet here, at such an important occasion, he'd been completely dominated. Being weaker in a fight was one thing. But even his verbal sparring skills had been outclassed. The guy had launched an indiscriminate assault on everything from his clothes to his taste and style.
Worst of all, when he thought about it carefully, some of those criticisms actually made sense.
The rebellious gray-haired lead singer tugged at his loose tank top—which barely covered his chest—and tried to pull it higher. His pride had genuinely taken a serious hit.
There was a familiar sense of helpless frustration about it all. He vaguely remembered feeling something similar from his sister before.
Wait, no! My sister is gentle and adorable. She has absolutely nothing in common with that arrogant, annoying jerk behind me!
Breathing in the faint scent lingering on his sister, Mu Song finally felt a little comforted, though he remained depressed. Unable to hold it in, he muttered quietly, "Sis, what do you think about the idea of getting a different boyfriend?"
Mu Xiangxiang blushed. She was about to question how her little brother could casually throw around words like boyfriend and girlfriend at his age, but then realized she wasn't exactly in a position to criticize him. Behind Mu Song, Qiao Nan raised an eyebrow. Stretching out an arm, he grabbed the kid by the back of his collar and yanked him out of Mu Xiangxiang's embrace. "Hey. I've been putting up with you for a long time."
Mu Song tugged at his slipping tank top. "What are you doing? Watch your attitude. Want to fight?"
Qiao Nan sneered. "Then let's fight."
Mu Song: "..."
And so another round of squabbling began. Eventually, one of Mu Song's bandmates called to remind him to return backstage and wait for the competition results. Even after getting off the motorcycle later that night, Mu Xiangxiang still couldn't stop thinking about the bright, sparkling eyes her brother had worn when saying goodbye. Her heart softened. Unable to help herself, she complained to Qiao Nan: "You too. Why did you have to hit him so hard? I saw red marks all over his arms."
Qiao Nan paused while fastening her helmet. After a long moment, he pressed his lips together. "But he was the one who started trouble with me."
By the motorcycle's headlight, Mu Xiangxiang caught sight of his drooping expression. "..."
Qiao Nan: "You didn't see how rude he was to me?"
Mu Xiangxiang: "..."
"And he hit me too." Qiao Nan added. "Pretty hard, actually. I just didn't complain about it."
Mu Xiangxiang: "..."
Qiao Nan: "You're really biased."
"How can you be like this?"
Mu Xiangxiang: "..."
After saying that last sentence, Qiao Nan genuinely stopped talking to her. Mu Xiangxiang was completely baffled by this side of him. The motorcycle sped smoothly through the night. As she wrapped her arms around the lean waist shielding her from most of the cold wind, she gradually realized something: Qiao Nan seemed... hurt.
Come to think of it, Mu Song really had started the conflict. Before leaving, she'd even seen how hostile her brother had been. Yet she'd instinctively blamed Qiao Nan anyway.
Or perhaps "blame" wasn't the right word. Maybe it was simply the kind of unreasonable behavior people showed toward those closest to them. Mu Xiangxiang had very little experience with such things. As a girl in her first relationship, she felt completely lost. By the time Qiao Nan silently dropped her off at the entrance to her apartment complex, she finally managed to stammer out an apology. "Qiao Nan..."
Sitting on the motorcycle, he deliberately turned his head away. After hesitating for a moment, Mu Xiangxiang leaned forward to find his face. When she succeeded, Qiao Nan glanced at her and immediately turned his head the other way.
Mu Xiangxiang: "..."
She reached out and grabbed his hand. This time she managed to catch it immediately. Still wearing a stern expression, Qiao Nan flipped his hand over and firmly enclosed both of hers in his palm, squeezing them gently. Lowering his gaze, he asked, "What?"
“...” Mu Xiangxiang blinked, "...Are you angry?"
"Mm."
"I'm sorry..."
"What did you do wrong?"
"I accused you unfairly."
"What am I to you now?"
"..."
Qiao Nan immediately looked up, dissatisfaction clear in his eyes. His grip tightened around her hands. Embarrassed but determined, Mu Xiangxiang answered softly, "...My boyfriend."
Meeting her gaze, Qiao Nan unexpectedly blushed as well. After a pause, he finally recovered enough to speak in a self-righteous tone. "So how should you treat your boyfriend from now on?"
Mu Xiangxiang pressed her lips together. After a moment of silence, she suddenly leaned forward and brushed a kiss against his cheek. The touch was as light as a feather. Qiao Nan, who had been planning to take advantage of the situation to establish some relationship rules early on, froze instantly. After several seconds, he barely managed to maintain his composure. "...What are you doing?"
Mu Xiangxiang looked at him with clear, bright eyes. "Kissing my boyfriend."
Qiao Nan: "................"
They'd already shared far more intimate kisses, yet his heart still began pounding uselessly in his chest. It took him quite a while to find his voice again amid the rush of blood in his ears. Turning his face away, he grunted twice, pretending indifference.
In his hand was Mu Xiangxiang's palm, nearly a size smaller than his own. He squeezed it in retaliation. Yet before long, the only thought left in his head was: How are her hands so small, so soft, and so fair?
Qiao Nan finally gave up. For more than ten years, he'd been fearless and unstoppable. Yet he'd somehow fallen flat on his face over a girl so lovable he couldn't even stay angry with her.
A legendary school tyrant. Defeated in the most unexpected way possible. His reputation was in ruins.
******
In the end, Liberty's song "Killing Intent" won second place in the rock competition at the music festival.
The result surprised everyone. After all, the festival organizers had invited several underground bands that already enjoyed a degree of fame and popularity. In terms of professionalism and audience reach, they far surpassed newcomers like Liberty. Daya Media's original expectation had merely been for Mu Song's group to make some kind of impression.
Not only had they won an award, they'd taken second place—a ranking with real prestige behind it. That night, after returning home, Mu Song sneaked into his sister's room without their parents knowing and excitedly celebrated for ages. Eventually, to avoid exposing his involvement in music, he hid the trophy inside his sister's bookshelf. From then on, whenever he came to clean her room, he carefully wiped it down with alcohol pads.
There was another unexpected development as well. This modest little rock festival somehow generated an unusual amount of attention online.
Normally, rock music—especially underground rock events—was little more than a niche community entertaining itself. This time, however, things took off after attendees began posting videos online.
At first, Mu Xiangxiang didn't notice. She rarely used social media and cared little about trending gossip unless it involved breakthroughs in scientific research. Ironically, she only learned about it thanks to the girls in her class.
The girls of Class One loved gathering together during breaks to chat. Ordinarily, Mu Xiangxiang had nothing to do with those conversations. But after everyone had grown closer, Gao Yan and the others had quietly moved their gathering spot from the back of the classroom to the area around her desk. Even though Mu Xiangxiang usually kept her head down solving problems and rarely participated, the girls never excluded her. So one day after class, while she was concentrating on a complicated formula, the familiar, explosive melody of "Killing Intent" suddenly reached her ears.
She looked up in surprise. "What are you listening to?"
"Huh?" The girls turned toward her in astonishment. "It's one of the hottest videos on Weibo these past few days! Xiangxiang, don't tell me you haven't seen it?"
Mu Xiangxiang barely knew what Weibo was. But after taking the phone they handed her, she finally understood what hottest meant. More than fifty thousand comments. Over twenty thousand reposts. Even as a relative of the people involved, she found those numbers a little shocking.
The video's caption read: "Damn it, got dragged out to a music festival by XX first thing in the morning. Thought the noise was going to turn my brain into mush. Thank goodness that among all the weirdos and monsters, a refreshing, good-looking guy finally showed up."
Clicking on it, she found that the video had been filmed from the audience section. After the suffocatingly tense opening notes of "Killing Intent," both the musicians on stage and the excited crowd below came into view. The comments section was bursting with activity:
[OMG, this is a music festival? Why does the audience look like they're participating in a cult ritual, all shaking their heads around?]
[The idiot who made the top comment has obviously never been to a music festival. When a performance gets that hype, who can resist jumping around?]
[Holy crap, isn't this that bargain-bin music festival they were advertising in City A? I went a few times before, and it was boring as hell. I skipped this one. AHHHHH I'M REGRETTING IT NOW!]
[Same here... I figured a tiny festival like that couldn't afford any big-name acts, so it'd just be a bunch of low-tier nobodies and endless secondhand embarrassment.]
[As someone who actually went, let me be honest—the event really was awkward most of the time. It was only when a few bands came out, including this group, that the crowd finally got excited.]
[So in the end it's all about looks? This appearance-obsessed world is hopeless.]
[AHHHHHHH the guitarist from that band is actually kind of handsome! The way he's wearing a black tank top and moving with the music is ridiculously sexy!]
[It's not just because of looks, right? Am I the only one who thinks the song itself is really good?]
[You're definitely not the only one…]
……
This was merely one of the most popular posts related to the music festival. Scrolling through more content, there were fan uploads from other bands, official festival compilation videos, and countless discussions. Under nearly every post, people were talking about Liberty. Among them, Mu Song—as the lead vocalist and the most striking-looking member—naturally attracted the most attention. After only a few days of momentum, people had already begun trying to uncover his real name and previous works. After returning the phone, Mu Xiangxiang listened as the girls in her class continued discussing the new band. It didn't take much deduction for her to reach a conclusion:
Her little brother had become famous.
*****
Mu Song was speechless at how slow his sister was to realize it. "Sis, aren't your reflexes a little delayed? I figured this out a week ago. Haven't you noticed I've been trying not to go out lately?"
"..." Mu Xiangxiang paused. "I thought you were studying. Mom and Dad thought you were studying too..."
"Studying my ass." Mu Song showed no attempt whatsoever to hide his lack of interest in academics. "Zhou Huacai just told me to be careful and stop wandering around outside. Fortunately, his online popularity was still relatively minor. This kind of thing is what they call a three-month celebrity. Give it three months, and nobody will remember who anybody is."
Yet despite pretending to be troubled by it, he was obviously thrilled about becoming popular. Whenever he mentioned the talent competition that Daya Media had previously promised him, excitement was written all over his face.
Mu Xiangxiang couldn't help feeling relieved. Ever since attending the music festival herself, she'd become far less opposed to her brother's interest in music. The contrast between the Mu Song on stage and the Mu Song she saw every day was simply too great. When he was with music, he genuinely looked happier than when he was sitting in front of textbooks and homework.
After winning that small award, even the rebellious temper he'd carried for years had mellowed considerably. His relationship with their father had improved as well. Sometimes he'd even take the initiative to back down first.
Things seemed to be going well on their parents' side too. Mu Xiangxiang didn't know the details, but the business cooperation they'd previously discussed at the trade fair appeared to be progressing very smoothly. In fact, her mother ultimately never made the planned trip to City X. One evening at dinner, her father brought up the matter and explained in an unusually grand manner: "It's just some small farm operation. Why would your mother need to make a special trip herself?"
Piecing together the scattered information her parents let slip, Mu Xiangxiang arrived at another conclusion: Her father must have stumbled upon some extremely profitable business opportunity. Every day he left early and came home late, cheerful and energetic. He no longer smelled of cooking oil and smoke. Both parents seemed entirely occupied with their "big project."
Family relationships. Her parents' careers. Countless other things. It felt as though everything was moving steadily down a bright and promising road.
Until one day. As usual, Mu Xiangxiang returned home after school. Just as she took out her keys, a heavy object slammed into the front door from inside with a loud thud.
She froze. Even Qiao Nan, who was speaking with her on the phone, heard the noise through the receiver. After a pause, he asked, "What's going on?"
Faint sounds of shouting filtered through the door. After listening for a moment, Mu Xiangxiang frowned. "My dad and my brother are arguing."
Qiao Nan had witnessed father-son arguments before. Gentle-tempered Father Mu became just as irritable around his rebellious son as Qiao Nan's own bad-tempered father. Throwing things was hardly unusual. "Don't go in yet," Qiao Nan immediately warned. "You might get caught in the crossfire. I'm coming over right now."
Of course, there was no way she was going to stay outside. After hanging up, Mu Xiangxiang decisively opened the door. She couldn't understand it. Years ago, arguments between her father and brother had been common because of Mu Song's poor grades and difficult temperament. But ever since she and Qiao Nan had switched back into their own bodies, the Mu household had enjoyed a long period of peace. Her brother had even moved out of the school dormitory and back home. Lately, family dinners had been warm and harmonious. It was hard to imagine what could have shattered that peace.
Yet the scene waiting inside still caught her completely off guard. A bronze ornament lay toppled near the doorway—the object that had apparently slammed into the door. Dining chairs and sofas had been shoved out of place. Broken bowls and shattered porcelain littered the floor everywhere.
For the Mu family, who normally treated their belongings carefully, to destroy this many things during an argument… This was definitely not an ordinary disagreement.
The thought had barely crossed her mind when another series of loud crashes echoed from inside. Then came Mu Song's furious roar: "I've had enough! When are you ever going to trust me for once?! Stop being so stubborn! Why am I always worthless in your eyes?!"
Without even changing her shoes, Mu Xiangxiang dropped her backpack and ran toward the noise. The door to Mu Song's room stood open. The sight inside shocked her.
The room looked like a battlefield after a war. Blankets and pillows had been dragged onto the floor during the struggle. The ceiling light blazed overhead. Mu Xiangxiang remembered that the walls had once been covered with posters of Mu Song's favorite bands and singers. Now all of them had been torn down. The process had clearly been chaotic. Some posters had only been ripped halfway, leaving torn remnants dangling pitifully from strips of tape.
Father Mu stood there with a livid expression, clutching Mu Song's guitar. At that exact moment, Mu Song stormed out like a whirlwind. Brother and sister nearly collided head-on.
Seeing her, he paused. Some of the anger faded from his face. "Sis."
Mu Xiangxiang stared at him and the duffel bag in his hand. "Where are you going?"
Pressing his lips together, Mu Song avoided her gaze. "Daya arranged a training dormitory for us." He paused. "I'm moving there from now on. I'll focus on music. I'm not coming back."
"Focus on music?" Father Mu's lips trembled with rage. "Your grades are already terrible, and you're still wasting time on all this nonsense! You're just looking for excuses not to study!" He raised the guitar. "If you dare walk out that door today, I'll smash this damn thing that's ruining your life—"
Mu Song clenched his teeth. The softened expression disappeared, replaced by the same sharp, defiant hostility as before. Without turning around, he sneered. "Then smash it." He swung his bag onto his shoulder. "Go ahead."
Stepping over the shattered debris, he strode toward the front door. Father Mu looked as though he might collapse from anger. Limping after him, he raised the guitar high, seemingly ready to smash it. Yet even after the front door slammed shut with a thunderous bang, he never actually brought his arm down.
Leaning against the door, Father Mu suddenly looked ten years older. Mother Mu covered her face and sobbed uncontrollably. "Xiangxiang," she cried, "why can't your brother be more like you and give us less to worry about? If he doesn't study properly, what can he do in the future? What kind of job can he get? Is he really going to follow the same path your father and I did and suffer for the rest of his life?"
"That child has completely lost his mind," Father Mu said, rubbing his face. "He won't listen to reason anymore. He's obsessed. He insists on jumping straight into a fire pit." Then he added: "That manager Zhou from Daya said he can't join that training program without a guardian's signature. As long as we refuse, he can't go."
His hands trembled. Trying to reassure his wife, he said: "Don't worry. He wants to quit school and throw his life away chasing some crooked path? He can keep dreaming."
At that moment, Mu Xiangxiang finally understood. She glanced toward the front door. Then at her parents, who looked as though they were facing a mortal enemy. After a brief moment of thought, she grabbed the guitar Father Mu had leaned against the wall and rushed outside.
Mu Song was standing by the elevator. His face was empty, devoid of emotion. The instant he heard the door open behind him, he spun around. For a fleeting second, hope flashed in his eyes. But when he saw it was only his sister, the spark quickly faded.
He laughed bitterly. After a brief pause, he turned and walked rapidly toward her. Then he spread his arms.
"Sis..." His voice was low and tired. "Thank goodness I still have you."
After a moment of silence, Mu Xiangxiang wrapped her arms around her younger brother—who was now much taller than she was—and patted him sympathetically. Then she looked at Qiao Nan with a complicated expression. "What exactly did you do to him?"
"What else could I have done?" Qiao Nan shrugged, balancing the pizza box in his arms. "Just taught him a few life lessons."
Buried against his sister's shoulder, Mu Song's body stiffened. He hugged her even tighter in indignation.
After all, he'd been a cool and intimidating school bully all through middle school. Yet here, at such an important occasion, he'd been completely dominated. Being weaker in a fight was one thing. But even his verbal sparring skills had been outclassed. The guy had launched an indiscriminate assault on everything from his clothes to his taste and style.
Worst of all, when he thought about it carefully, some of those criticisms actually made sense.
The rebellious gray-haired lead singer tugged at his loose tank top—which barely covered his chest—and tried to pull it higher. His pride had genuinely taken a serious hit.
There was a familiar sense of helpless frustration about it all. He vaguely remembered feeling something similar from his sister before.
Wait, no! My sister is gentle and adorable. She has absolutely nothing in common with that arrogant, annoying jerk behind me!
Breathing in the faint scent lingering on his sister, Mu Song finally felt a little comforted, though he remained depressed. Unable to hold it in, he muttered quietly, "Sis, what do you think about the idea of getting a different boyfriend?"
Mu Xiangxiang blushed. She was about to question how her little brother could casually throw around words like boyfriend and girlfriend at his age, but then realized she wasn't exactly in a position to criticize him. Behind Mu Song, Qiao Nan raised an eyebrow. Stretching out an arm, he grabbed the kid by the back of his collar and yanked him out of Mu Xiangxiang's embrace. "Hey. I've been putting up with you for a long time."
Mu Song tugged at his slipping tank top. "What are you doing? Watch your attitude. Want to fight?"
Qiao Nan sneered. "Then let's fight."
Mu Song: "..."
And so another round of squabbling began. Eventually, one of Mu Song's bandmates called to remind him to return backstage and wait for the competition results. Even after getting off the motorcycle later that night, Mu Xiangxiang still couldn't stop thinking about the bright, sparkling eyes her brother had worn when saying goodbye. Her heart softened. Unable to help herself, she complained to Qiao Nan: "You too. Why did you have to hit him so hard? I saw red marks all over his arms."
Qiao Nan paused while fastening her helmet. After a long moment, he pressed his lips together. "But he was the one who started trouble with me."
By the motorcycle's headlight, Mu Xiangxiang caught sight of his drooping expression. "..."
Qiao Nan: "You didn't see how rude he was to me?"
Mu Xiangxiang: "..."
"And he hit me too." Qiao Nan added. "Pretty hard, actually. I just didn't complain about it."
Mu Xiangxiang: "..."
Qiao Nan: "You're really biased."
"How can you be like this?"
Mu Xiangxiang: "..."
After saying that last sentence, Qiao Nan genuinely stopped talking to her. Mu Xiangxiang was completely baffled by this side of him. The motorcycle sped smoothly through the night. As she wrapped her arms around the lean waist shielding her from most of the cold wind, she gradually realized something: Qiao Nan seemed... hurt.
Come to think of it, Mu Song really had started the conflict. Before leaving, she'd even seen how hostile her brother had been. Yet she'd instinctively blamed Qiao Nan anyway.
Or perhaps "blame" wasn't the right word. Maybe it was simply the kind of unreasonable behavior people showed toward those closest to them. Mu Xiangxiang had very little experience with such things. As a girl in her first relationship, she felt completely lost. By the time Qiao Nan silently dropped her off at the entrance to her apartment complex, she finally managed to stammer out an apology. "Qiao Nan..."
Sitting on the motorcycle, he deliberately turned his head away. After hesitating for a moment, Mu Xiangxiang leaned forward to find his face. When she succeeded, Qiao Nan glanced at her and immediately turned his head the other way.
Mu Xiangxiang: "..."
She reached out and grabbed his hand. This time she managed to catch it immediately. Still wearing a stern expression, Qiao Nan flipped his hand over and firmly enclosed both of hers in his palm, squeezing them gently. Lowering his gaze, he asked, "What?"
“...” Mu Xiangxiang blinked, "...Are you angry?"
"Mm."
"I'm sorry..."
"What did you do wrong?"
"I accused you unfairly."
"What am I to you now?"
"..."
Qiao Nan immediately looked up, dissatisfaction clear in his eyes. His grip tightened around her hands. Embarrassed but determined, Mu Xiangxiang answered softly, "...My boyfriend."
Meeting her gaze, Qiao Nan unexpectedly blushed as well. After a pause, he finally recovered enough to speak in a self-righteous tone. "So how should you treat your boyfriend from now on?"
Mu Xiangxiang pressed her lips together. After a moment of silence, she suddenly leaned forward and brushed a kiss against his cheek. The touch was as light as a feather. Qiao Nan, who had been planning to take advantage of the situation to establish some relationship rules early on, froze instantly. After several seconds, he barely managed to maintain his composure. "...What are you doing?"
Mu Xiangxiang looked at him with clear, bright eyes. "Kissing my boyfriend."
Qiao Nan: "................"
They'd already shared far more intimate kisses, yet his heart still began pounding uselessly in his chest. It took him quite a while to find his voice again amid the rush of blood in his ears. Turning his face away, he grunted twice, pretending indifference.
In his hand was Mu Xiangxiang's palm, nearly a size smaller than his own. He squeezed it in retaliation. Yet before long, the only thought left in his head was: How are her hands so small, so soft, and so fair?
Qiao Nan finally gave up. For more than ten years, he'd been fearless and unstoppable. Yet he'd somehow fallen flat on his face over a girl so lovable he couldn't even stay angry with her.
A legendary school tyrant. Defeated in the most unexpected way possible. His reputation was in ruins.
******
In the end, Liberty's song "Killing Intent" won second place in the rock competition at the music festival.
The result surprised everyone. After all, the festival organizers had invited several underground bands that already enjoyed a degree of fame and popularity. In terms of professionalism and audience reach, they far surpassed newcomers like Liberty. Daya Media's original expectation had merely been for Mu Song's group to make some kind of impression.
Not only had they won an award, they'd taken second place—a ranking with real prestige behind it. That night, after returning home, Mu Song sneaked into his sister's room without their parents knowing and excitedly celebrated for ages. Eventually, to avoid exposing his involvement in music, he hid the trophy inside his sister's bookshelf. From then on, whenever he came to clean her room, he carefully wiped it down with alcohol pads.
There was another unexpected development as well. This modest little rock festival somehow generated an unusual amount of attention online.
Normally, rock music—especially underground rock events—was little more than a niche community entertaining itself. This time, however, things took off after attendees began posting videos online.
At first, Mu Xiangxiang didn't notice. She rarely used social media and cared little about trending gossip unless it involved breakthroughs in scientific research. Ironically, she only learned about it thanks to the girls in her class.
The girls of Class One loved gathering together during breaks to chat. Ordinarily, Mu Xiangxiang had nothing to do with those conversations. But after everyone had grown closer, Gao Yan and the others had quietly moved their gathering spot from the back of the classroom to the area around her desk. Even though Mu Xiangxiang usually kept her head down solving problems and rarely participated, the girls never excluded her. So one day after class, while she was concentrating on a complicated formula, the familiar, explosive melody of "Killing Intent" suddenly reached her ears.
She looked up in surprise. "What are you listening to?"
"Huh?" The girls turned toward her in astonishment. "It's one of the hottest videos on Weibo these past few days! Xiangxiang, don't tell me you haven't seen it?"
Mu Xiangxiang barely knew what Weibo was. But after taking the phone they handed her, she finally understood what hottest meant. More than fifty thousand comments. Over twenty thousand reposts. Even as a relative of the people involved, she found those numbers a little shocking.
The video's caption read: "Damn it, got dragged out to a music festival by XX first thing in the morning. Thought the noise was going to turn my brain into mush. Thank goodness that among all the weirdos and monsters, a refreshing, good-looking guy finally showed up."
Clicking on it, she found that the video had been filmed from the audience section. After the suffocatingly tense opening notes of "Killing Intent," both the musicians on stage and the excited crowd below came into view. The comments section was bursting with activity:
[OMG, this is a music festival? Why does the audience look like they're participating in a cult ritual, all shaking their heads around?]
[The idiot who made the top comment has obviously never been to a music festival. When a performance gets that hype, who can resist jumping around?]
[Holy crap, isn't this that bargain-bin music festival they were advertising in City A? I went a few times before, and it was boring as hell. I skipped this one. AHHHHH I'M REGRETTING IT NOW!]
[Same here... I figured a tiny festival like that couldn't afford any big-name acts, so it'd just be a bunch of low-tier nobodies and endless secondhand embarrassment.]
[As someone who actually went, let me be honest—the event really was awkward most of the time. It was only when a few bands came out, including this group, that the crowd finally got excited.]
[So in the end it's all about looks? This appearance-obsessed world is hopeless.]
[AHHHHHHH the guitarist from that band is actually kind of handsome! The way he's wearing a black tank top and moving with the music is ridiculously sexy!]
[It's not just because of looks, right? Am I the only one who thinks the song itself is really good?]
[You're definitely not the only one…]
……
This was merely one of the most popular posts related to the music festival. Scrolling through more content, there were fan uploads from other bands, official festival compilation videos, and countless discussions. Under nearly every post, people were talking about Liberty. Among them, Mu Song—as the lead vocalist and the most striking-looking member—naturally attracted the most attention. After only a few days of momentum, people had already begun trying to uncover his real name and previous works. After returning the phone, Mu Xiangxiang listened as the girls in her class continued discussing the new band. It didn't take much deduction for her to reach a conclusion:
Her little brother had become famous.
*****
Mu Song was speechless at how slow his sister was to realize it. "Sis, aren't your reflexes a little delayed? I figured this out a week ago. Haven't you noticed I've been trying not to go out lately?"
"..." Mu Xiangxiang paused. "I thought you were studying. Mom and Dad thought you were studying too..."
"Studying my ass." Mu Song showed no attempt whatsoever to hide his lack of interest in academics. "Zhou Huacai just told me to be careful and stop wandering around outside. Fortunately, his online popularity was still relatively minor. This kind of thing is what they call a three-month celebrity. Give it three months, and nobody will remember who anybody is."
Yet despite pretending to be troubled by it, he was obviously thrilled about becoming popular. Whenever he mentioned the talent competition that Daya Media had previously promised him, excitement was written all over his face.
Mu Xiangxiang couldn't help feeling relieved. Ever since attending the music festival herself, she'd become far less opposed to her brother's interest in music. The contrast between the Mu Song on stage and the Mu Song she saw every day was simply too great. When he was with music, he genuinely looked happier than when he was sitting in front of textbooks and homework.
After winning that small award, even the rebellious temper he'd carried for years had mellowed considerably. His relationship with their father had improved as well. Sometimes he'd even take the initiative to back down first.
Things seemed to be going well on their parents' side too. Mu Xiangxiang didn't know the details, but the business cooperation they'd previously discussed at the trade fair appeared to be progressing very smoothly. In fact, her mother ultimately never made the planned trip to City X. One evening at dinner, her father brought up the matter and explained in an unusually grand manner: "It's just some small farm operation. Why would your mother need to make a special trip herself?"
Piecing together the scattered information her parents let slip, Mu Xiangxiang arrived at another conclusion: Her father must have stumbled upon some extremely profitable business opportunity. Every day he left early and came home late, cheerful and energetic. He no longer smelled of cooking oil and smoke. Both parents seemed entirely occupied with their "big project."
Family relationships. Her parents' careers. Countless other things. It felt as though everything was moving steadily down a bright and promising road.
Until one day. As usual, Mu Xiangxiang returned home after school. Just as she took out her keys, a heavy object slammed into the front door from inside with a loud thud.
She froze. Even Qiao Nan, who was speaking with her on the phone, heard the noise through the receiver. After a pause, he asked, "What's going on?"
Faint sounds of shouting filtered through the door. After listening for a moment, Mu Xiangxiang frowned. "My dad and my brother are arguing."
Qiao Nan had witnessed father-son arguments before. Gentle-tempered Father Mu became just as irritable around his rebellious son as Qiao Nan's own bad-tempered father. Throwing things was hardly unusual. "Don't go in yet," Qiao Nan immediately warned. "You might get caught in the crossfire. I'm coming over right now."
Of course, there was no way she was going to stay outside. After hanging up, Mu Xiangxiang decisively opened the door. She couldn't understand it. Years ago, arguments between her father and brother had been common because of Mu Song's poor grades and difficult temperament. But ever since she and Qiao Nan had switched back into their own bodies, the Mu household had enjoyed a long period of peace. Her brother had even moved out of the school dormitory and back home. Lately, family dinners had been warm and harmonious. It was hard to imagine what could have shattered that peace.
Yet the scene waiting inside still caught her completely off guard. A bronze ornament lay toppled near the doorway—the object that had apparently slammed into the door. Dining chairs and sofas had been shoved out of place. Broken bowls and shattered porcelain littered the floor everywhere.
For the Mu family, who normally treated their belongings carefully, to destroy this many things during an argument… This was definitely not an ordinary disagreement.
The thought had barely crossed her mind when another series of loud crashes echoed from inside. Then came Mu Song's furious roar: "I've had enough! When are you ever going to trust me for once?! Stop being so stubborn! Why am I always worthless in your eyes?!"
Without even changing her shoes, Mu Xiangxiang dropped her backpack and ran toward the noise. The door to Mu Song's room stood open. The sight inside shocked her.
The room looked like a battlefield after a war. Blankets and pillows had been dragged onto the floor during the struggle. The ceiling light blazed overhead. Mu Xiangxiang remembered that the walls had once been covered with posters of Mu Song's favorite bands and singers. Now all of them had been torn down. The process had clearly been chaotic. Some posters had only been ripped halfway, leaving torn remnants dangling pitifully from strips of tape.
Father Mu stood there with a livid expression, clutching Mu Song's guitar. At that exact moment, Mu Song stormed out like a whirlwind. Brother and sister nearly collided head-on.
Seeing her, he paused. Some of the anger faded from his face. "Sis."
Mu Xiangxiang stared at him and the duffel bag in his hand. "Where are you going?"
Pressing his lips together, Mu Song avoided her gaze. "Daya arranged a training dormitory for us." He paused. "I'm moving there from now on. I'll focus on music. I'm not coming back."
"Focus on music?" Father Mu's lips trembled with rage. "Your grades are already terrible, and you're still wasting time on all this nonsense! You're just looking for excuses not to study!" He raised the guitar. "If you dare walk out that door today, I'll smash this damn thing that's ruining your life—"
Mu Song clenched his teeth. The softened expression disappeared, replaced by the same sharp, defiant hostility as before. Without turning around, he sneered. "Then smash it." He swung his bag onto his shoulder. "Go ahead."
Stepping over the shattered debris, he strode toward the front door. Father Mu looked as though he might collapse from anger. Limping after him, he raised the guitar high, seemingly ready to smash it. Yet even after the front door slammed shut with a thunderous bang, he never actually brought his arm down.
Leaning against the door, Father Mu suddenly looked ten years older. Mother Mu covered her face and sobbed uncontrollably. "Xiangxiang," she cried, "why can't your brother be more like you and give us less to worry about? If he doesn't study properly, what can he do in the future? What kind of job can he get? Is he really going to follow the same path your father and I did and suffer for the rest of his life?"
"That child has completely lost his mind," Father Mu said, rubbing his face. "He won't listen to reason anymore. He's obsessed. He insists on jumping straight into a fire pit." Then he added: "That manager Zhou from Daya said he can't join that training program without a guardian's signature. As long as we refuse, he can't go."
His hands trembled. Trying to reassure his wife, he said: "Don't worry. He wants to quit school and throw his life away chasing some crooked path? He can keep dreaming."
At that moment, Mu Xiangxiang finally understood. She glanced toward the front door. Then at her parents, who looked as though they were facing a mortal enemy. After a brief moment of thought, she grabbed the guitar Father Mu had leaned against the wall and rushed outside.
Mu Song was standing by the elevator. His face was empty, devoid of emotion. The instant he heard the door open behind him, he spun around. For a fleeting second, hope flashed in his eyes. But when he saw it was only his sister, the spark quickly faded.
He laughed bitterly. After a brief pause, he turned and walked rapidly toward her. Then he spread his arms.
"Sis..." His voice was low and tired. "Thank goodness I still have you."
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