Band Girl Drink Mixing Action

"Wait...! Qingchuan, when did you come?"

It was not until then that Qingchuan Xiang made a sound. The chuckle startled Li Xi, who had been concentrating on practicing latte art. He looked up suddenly and discovered Qingchuan Xiang's presence.

"Not long ago. I was chatting with Ms. Rinrinko, and when I came over, I saw you making latte art."

Doesn't that mean you've seen the entire process of your failure? !

"You guy, why didn't you just say something when you came? You didn't say anything. Do you like to see others make a fool of themselves?" Li Xi's face turned a little red, and his tone became aggressive subconsciously.

Qingchuan Xiang didn't care about Li Xi's highly aggressive behavior of biting back. Li Xi always held himself to high standards, but he was suddenly seen to have failed, and felt a little embarrassed.

It's just that an introverted and sensitive child like Deng would choose silence as a way of escape when embarrassed, but Lixi would arm himself with harsh words instead. In this respect, he may be more like Xiangzi.

They both have lots of thorns. Qingchuan Xiang imagined two hedgehogs, one blue and one black, pricking each other. It was quite vivid.

Qingchuan Xiang guessed that on the day Xiangzi quit the team, there would definitely be a conflict or two between Xiangzi and Lixi.

So Qingchuan Xiang simply ignored Li Xi's questioning, because she knew that after Li Xi calmed down, he would start to worry about how to apologize.

——Then there is a high probability that you will become embarrassed and angry again and fall into a vicious circle.

"Can I have a taste of that coffee?"

"Huh?" Li Xi laughed out loud in disbelief. "This is just a failed product. Why are you drinking this?"

"It's a free cup of coffee, it would be a waste if you don't drink it." Qingchuan Xiang smiled and stretched out his tone, "Li Xi, you don't want to throw this away, do you? That would be such a waste."

"Well, there's no point in serving a failed product to customers... Wait."

Qingchuan Xiang doesn't care what Li Xi says. To deal with Li Xi, you have to be shameless like this. Don't fight back just because she seems to be constantly targeting your words. That will only provoke Li Xi to continue attacking.

So Qingchuan Xiang leaned over the bar and quickly reached out to grab the handle of the coffee cup.

"I've already said it!" Li Xi wanted to stop Qingchuan Xiang, and directly grabbed the wrist of the hand that Qingchuan Xiang stretched out. He originally wanted to put Qingchuan Xiang's hand back, but as a result, during the conflict of movements, the cup of coffee, which was almost overflowing, began to shake, and a few drops splashed onto Qingchuan Xiang's white hand, forming one or two small brown marks.

You have to know that the milk in freshly made coffee with milk, which has just been heated by the steam wand, is very hot.

Qingchuan Xiang cried out in pain, but fortunately the liquid didn't splash all over his hand, only one or two drops of liquid splashed out. Li Xi's reaction was even greater than Qingchuan Xiang's.

Li Xi quickly let go of Qingchuan Xiang's wrist and said, "How are you? Are you okay? Do you need a wet towel?"

Damn it, why am I so anxious? Qingchuan just wanted to drink this cup of coffee for her. It's just a failure. I just started learning how to make coffee. It's normal to fail. Why did he have to make such a fuss?

Li Xi pursed his lips tightly and clenched his hands subconsciously. His slanted eyes, which gave people the feeling of being unapproachable, now frowned, giving people the impression that Li Xi was very angry.

If Qingchuan Xiang had not seen Li Xi like this several times before in CRYCHIC, Qingchuan Xiang, who relied on appearance to identify emotional types, would have been fooled by her.

He is also not a straightforward person and is also very sensitive.

"Okay, okay, I'm fine. It's just one or two drops. It's nothing serious."

Without Li Xi's obstruction, Qingchuan Xiang successfully took the cup of coffee, placed it carefully on the table, and showed Li Xi the place where he had just been burned.

"Yes, it's just a little mark, no skin peeling, it will go away soon."

Qingchuan Xiang secretly glanced at Li Xi's clenched hands and found that they had loosened a little. Then Qingchuan Xiang heard a sentence that made him unexpected.

"……Feel sorry."

Although the voice was completely devoid of Li Xi's powerful voice, it was still loud enough for Qingchuan Xiang to hear clearly.

Oh my god, Li Xi is apologizing now?

No, no, no, it's not that Lixi shouldn't apologize, it's just that I didn't expect Lixi to be so quick and so... straightforward in expressing his apology. In my opinion, Lixi had to use awkward words that didn't sound like an apology.

Qingchuan Xiang's eyes widened, but before he could say anything, a third person present made a sound.

"Bang." This was the sound of something falling to the ground.

Following the sound, I saw a girl wearing a leather jacket and leather pants with a red inner lining. She looked heroic and cool. She was standing there. Although her face didn't show any expression, she seemed to be trying too hard to open her mouth slightly, and raised her hand to half cover her mouth, pretending to be very surprised.

The thing that made the falling sound was a box of orange-flavored milk jelly with a panda pattern on the packaging.

"You two, what does that expression mean?"

Lixi's face turned even redder and he let out a low growl like a beast before attacking.

Chapter 43: Mixed into Coffee

"I just didn't expect Li Xi to apologize so bluntly. I wanted to express my surprise."

The green-eyed girl who suddenly appeared was the person he had seen in front of RiNG's commission column before. She had her back to him before, so he couldn't see her face clearly. But now, Qingchuan Xiang could see her true appearance.

The girl bent down to pick up the milk jelly that had just fallen on the ground, walked over and sat on the high stool in front of the bar like Qingchuan Xiang, and placed the side of the package with the panda pattern facing Lixi on the bar facing Lixi.

The instrument case that she had been carrying was placed on the ground beside her.

"Let this milk jelly be your reward for finally being honest, Lixi."

"Ha--?" Qingchuan Xiang heard the loudest "Ha" from Li Xi today.

Li Xi crossed his arms, the slight awkwardness he had shown in his previous apology vanishing without a trace as he glared at the other person. However, the girl's expression remained calm, not at all like she was being stared at fiercely, which was a stark contrast to her earlier joking demeanor.

This person might be an excellent deadpan comedian, the type who could talk nonsense with a serious expression. Qingchuan Xiang blinked, observing the two people's one-sided tit-for-tat and one-sided teasing and joking relationship.

"Hello, my name is Hachiman Hailing, I'm Li Xi's friend, just call me Hailing." The girl who called herself Hachiman Hailing introduced herself quite naturally, her tone calm, without any awkwardness of a first meeting.

She is also a cool type of girl like Lixi. Is it true that birds of a feather flock together?

As Hachiman Kairei approached and sat down, Kiyokawa Xiang quickly took another look at her. She looked about the same age as Riki and himself, but she was wearing a rather bold black skirt that barely reached her thighs, unabashedly showcasing her slender, well-defined legs. Her bright red lining and leather jacket, the same color as the skirt, were even studded with rivets, giving her a distinctly rock-and-roll vibe.

That "cold face" with only a faint smile made Hailing look like an adult and reliable. Add to that the familiar look she had when she introduced herself just now, and the way she stood at the commission column when she first saw her...

Qingchuan Xiang deduced that Hai Ling must often serve as a hired musician for other bands. Just by looking at her temperament, one could tell that this person was incredibly strong!

"Hello Hailing, my name is Qingchuan Xiang, and I was the rhythm guitarist in Lixi's previous band. You can call me Qingchuan or Xiang like Lixi does."

Qingchuan Xiang was not in vain either, and readily exchanged titles with Hailing.

"So Xiang-san also plays an instrument?" Hailing's light green eyes looked at Qingchuan Xiang's white, tender fingertips, which were holding the coffee cup and no longer bore any traces of instrumental use. "Sorry, I didn't notice it just now."

"After all, I haven't practiced for a long time."

That was a bit subtle. Qingchuan Xiang's expression remained unchanged, and he made no attempt to hide his hand when Hailing stared at it. He had practiced very little when he was in the band, and now he hadn't touched the guitar at all, so it was normal that it wasn't noticeable.

But when Hailing said it, Qingchuan Xiang felt that there was some hidden meaning in it.

The person who came had bad intentions, but why would he target me, someone he just met for the first time?

The reason must be related to the angry Li Xi standing next to me. Is he targeting me after knowing that I was a member of Li Xi's former band?

If so, Hailing and Lixi should have a pretty good relationship. Is she supporting Lixi because of the band's affairs?

Although a third party who was suspected to be hostile to her suddenly appeared, Qingchuan Xiang was not panicked. She just needed to remember that the target today was Li Xi and ignore the interruptions from others.

While talking to Hailing, Qingchuan Xiang was always multitasking and paying attention to Lixi's reaction. After being provoked by Hailing in a way that was almost teasing, although Lixi was still frowning and rolling his eyes, it could be seen from his standing posture and the tension of his arm muscles that he was much more relaxed.

I originally wanted to use coffee as a fulcrum to slowly narrow the distance between me and Li Xi, which had become somewhat distant after not seeing each other for many days. Now Hailing's appearance has saved me some trouble.

"Well, now I want to taste the coffee that Lixi brewed." Qingchuan Xiang suddenly sat up straight, putting on the style of a master connoisseur, and picked up the cup of coffee with a lot of milk foam on it quite seriously. He couldn't figure out what kind of latte art pattern Lixi wanted to make.

Even though Hailing saved me some effort, does that mean I won’t drink the coffee?

No way! It's a free drink, it would be a waste not to drink it!

"Wait..." Li Xi, who wanted to struggle again, just spoke, but Qingchuan Xiang had already quickly put the cup to his mouth, and stopped after hearing Li Xi say the first word "wait".

Then he pretended his hands were shaking and shook the coffee in the cup.

"Tsk." Li Xi, who had just burned Qingchuan Xiang's hand, smacked his lips and waved his hand helplessly and with a headache. "Whatever you say. Let me make it clear right up front, this is a failure. It definitely won't taste as good as Rinrinko's."

"Huhu, Miss Rinrinko has been learning how to make coffee for a long time, and you, Lixi, have only been learning for a short time. Even if you have high standards for yourself, don't put so much pressure on yourself."

Qingchuan Xiang's lips were already covering the rim of the cup, and he was making an indistinct huffing sound. At this distance, Qingchuan Xiang could clearly smell the aroma of the extracted coffee concentrate and hot milk.

"Besides, I'm not picky about drinks. I'll drink them even if they taste terrible."

After saying this, as if to prove it, Qingchuan Xiang began to taste it. Although he only drank it in small and elegant sips, it was like a white whale swallowing water, taking long and slow sips, savoring the flavor while sipping.

After taking the first sip, when Qingchuan Xiang put the cup down again, half of the coffee in the cup had been gone.

"How is it?" Although he had said before that it was a failure, at this time, Li Xi was still looking forward to hearing words of praise from Qingchuan Xiang.

Qingchuan Xiang smacked his lips, with a subtle expression, and said, "The taste is very layered."

Hailing blinked. She didn't know much about coffee. She usually drank simple and convenient boxed milk jelly. Qingchuan Xiang's comment seemed to sound good?

"Is this meant as a compliment?"

"No." Li Xi answered himself, and then immediately fell silent again, as if he was disappointed in himself.

"Lixi's cappuccino is just a simple one, made up of just coffee concentrate, milk, and milk foam," said master drinker Qingchuan Xiang, beginning her review. "Although it's said to be made up of three ingredients, it's actually made up of only two layers: the thick milk foam on top and the mixture of coffee and milk below.

"The first problem is that you controlled the flow rate too slowly when pouring the milk, Lixi. This caused the milk foam to separate and eventually become an uneven mass, all distributed on the top layer. The first sip was almost entirely dense milk foam. Even a cappuccino that emphasizes thick milk foam should have some milk foam blended with the coffee."

When Li Xi was halfway through listening to Qingchuan Xiang's comments, he had already put away the barely perceptible expression of disappointment and began to seriously remember the problems pointed out by Qingchuan Xiang.

"The second problem is still when pouring milk. It seems that the distance between your latte art pitcher and the cup is too close. If the distance is not increased, the milk and milk foam will not mix well when they fall into the coffee. As a result, the flavors of milk and coffee are a bit distinct, and the aroma of coffee and the sweetness of milk are too separated.

"Ah, but as for the thickness of the milk foam and the concentrated coffee, I don't think there's any problem with it."

"Okay, Qingchuan, you don't have to say that last part. This cup of coffee is indeed a failure. I'm not going to deny it."

Li Xi had already started to simulate by picking up an empty cup and a latte art pitcher. Qingchuan Xiang saw his serious look completely. It was obvious that Li Xi would raise his standards even higher next time he practiced.

Qingchuan Xiang put his arms on the table and supported his face with one hand. In fact, there was still something in his heart that he had not said.

Since he drank the coffee made by Lixi himself, Qingchuan Xiang naturally felt some of the emotions she put into making this cup of coffee.

Nervousness, determination, and some anxiety.

It is not difficult to understand the nervousness of a novice during practice and his determination to do well. Even Qingchuan Xiang is not at a loss as to why anxiety, an overly negative emotion, arises.

The only question is why Li Xi pushed himself to such high standards that he became anxious.

Although this may not be the key to persuading Li Xi to reunite the band, Qingchuan Xiang just wants to know clearly.

Chapter 44: Common Front

"Xiang was so professional when she gave the comments just now." Although Hailing was praising him, her unique flat voice that matched her indifferent face made people wonder whether she was really praising him or just joking seriously.

"Because this guy would order a drink from RiNG every time the band practiced. Not only coffee, but also black tea. He would even come out to order a drink during breaks in practice." Li Xi said unhappily.

"Really?" Hailing could imagine that if Xiang was really as Lixi said, Lixi would definitely have accused her of being careless and not serious during the practice.

But now it seems that the relationship between the two seems to be pretty good. Compared to the girl with long chestnut hair who looked very kind and gentle on the surface whom he saw a few days ago - I think her name was Nagasaki Suyo, Li Xi's attitude towards the girl in front of him who gave people a clear feeling was obviously much better.

"I did practice and prepare well, even Li Xi wouldn't be able to find fault with that." Qingchuan Xiang protested slightly, as if she only knew how to drink. Then she finished the rest of the coffee in one gulp.

"Yes, yes, after all, it only takes you a short while to play your part well. You obviously have such strong skills, so why don't you want to be the lead guitarist?"

Li Xi responded nonchalantly, took back the empty coffee cup, turned around and washed the cup in the sink, hiding the gloom that flashed across his eyes.

"Xiao Mu plays the lead guitar very well, there's no need to replace him with me."

"It sounds like you just want to be lazy." Hailing ruthlessly pointed out Qingchuanxiang's perfunctory excuse.

"Hailing, don't expose me directly. Lixi always dislikes me because of this."

That's right, I really can't stand Qingchuan Xiang's appearance. Li Xi paused while washing the cup, but quickly continued.

He clearly possesses abilities far beyond his own, yet he wastes them like this. It makes one furious, and just... makes one envious.

Li Xi unconsciously used too much strength in his hand, knocking the cup against the wall of the sink, and the cup immediately made a fragile cry.

"Oh, no." Li Xi quickly picked up the cup. Fortunately, there were no cracks or gaps where it was bumped.

"Ah, it seems like Li Xi really can't stand you." Hai Ling leaned over, trying to get around Li Xi's back to see what was going on. "He took out his anger on the cup."

"Lixi, I'm sorry, please forgive me--" Qingchuan Xiang immediately lay down on the counter, blinking his wet blue eyes, looking at Lixi with a pitiful look.

"You two—" Li Xi was also annoyed and laughed. How could the two of them, who had just met, suddenly become so close? Now they were able to tease and flatter each other, and cooperate with each other to make him angry.

"It has nothing to do with you, Qingchuan. I just accidentally dropped the cup."

Without waiting for Qingchuan Xiang and Hailing to continue asking, Li Xi immediately changed the subject: "Speaking of which, what are you thinking of coming to RiNG all of a sudden today? You were never very proactive about practicing, not to mention that the band has disbanded now... It's all because of that guy."

Originally, he simply wanted to change the subject and prevent the other two from continuing to focus on his sudden strange behavior. However, after mentioning this topic, Li Xi recalled bad memories and gritted his teeth when he said the last few words.

Is he still so angry with Xiangzi? Qingchuan Xiang suddenly remembered that he had contacted Lixi to send a Line message at the beginning, but the reason why it ended in vain was that Lixi, who was still angry, unilaterally ended the topic and said that he didn't want to mention Xiangzi.

Having said that, it’s been so long and I still don’t know the details of the whole quitting incident on that rainy day.

Xiangzi refused to speak, but Sushi defended him and said that they could solve the problem by just talking together. Xiaomu didn't find a chance to speak, and Xiaodeng became sad whenever the matter was mentioned...

Although I feel that the final result obtained by asking Lixi will not be very objective, it seems that I can only try to find out what happened that day from Lixi.

Qingchuan Xiang was thinking about how to get some information out of Lixi, when Hailing suddenly nudged Qingchuan Xiang's shoulder with her elbow.