Returning to that rehearsal room located in the basement, seeing no sun all year round, the air seemed to solidify instantly.
Just as Lu Mingxuan had said, the feng shui here was indeed a bit wicked. The bassist, who a second ago was moving speakers on the square like a sunny big boy, the moment he stepped through this door, his whole person looked as if his backbone had been pulled out, instantly becoming listless.
He skillfully found a corner, holding the bass while half-leaning against the wall, his eyes glazed over, as if he had already entered some kind of deep-sleep Zen meditation state.
"That's more like it." Lin Feng nodded secretly in his heart. This was the Obsidian Tutor he was familiar with.
Lin Feng took a deep breath and began to circulate the mental cultivation method he secretly learned from Lu Mingxuan—"With no woman in the heart, drawing the sword is naturally divine". He decided to carry out this state of "having no worldly desires" to the end.
Rehearsal began.
It had to be said, although the "Liver Emperor" life of these few weeks was painful, the effects were significant. Although those progress bars had mostly only run halfway, and he hadn't had time to unlock those advanced rewards that sounded damn awesome, Lin Feng's basic fingering already had a qualitative leap.
It was just that...
When the music started, the painting style was somewhat fractured.
Ren Yichen as the lead singer, still maintained his consistent standard of "I am very handsome but I am also very mediocre," his vocal conditions were average, relying entirely on that face to hold up the scene while playing rhythm, serviceable.
Lu Mingxuan's bass line was as steady as that straight line in an electrocardiogram; his presence was so thin it made one suspect if he was on mute, but he indeed stepped on every beat—a standard "tool man".
And Lin Feng...
His guitar sound was precise to the point of being terrible; every sixteenth note was like it had been measured by a vernier caliper, without a fraction of error. But precisely because of this, his playing sounded cold and ice-like, full of mechanical sense.
No emotion, all technique.
The one who truly held up the soul of this band was actually Shen Linyin, who looked the frailest. Once she gripped the drumsticks, this girl was like a changed person; the drumbeats were dense and full of explosive power, forcefully dragging this bulk-packaged band forward.
A song finished.
Lin Feng put down the guitar expressionlessly, just preparing to continue his "finger yoga," but Shen Linyin had already put down the drumsticks and walked straight toward him.
"Lin Feng."
Her voice was not loud, but in this narrow space, it could be heard clearly.
Lin Feng's heart went gedeng, and he frantically recited silently in his mind: "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form, that is brother's woman, that is a gunpowder keg that will explode..."
"What exactly is wrong with you today?" Shen Linyin stood in front of him, brows slightly knitted, a trace of grievance and incomprehension in her tone. "Since morning you've been avoiding me, and when you talk to me you're cold and indifferent. Is there something I did wrong?"
Lin Feng looked at her clear eyes, and alarm bells rang loudly in his heart.
Cannot be soft-hearted! If I can't explain clearly at this time, the favorability rating will definitely rise again!
Since I can't hide, I can only come hard.
Lin Feng suddenly had a flash of wit. Since the Silver Lock is "locking favorability from dropping," then if I use extreme means to make her thoroughly hate me, or even generate negative emotions, could that break the lock's mechanism by force?
That's right, since I can't be a Buddhist high monk, I'll be an annoying Domineering CEO... or a Domineering Bastard!
Lin Feng's eyes turned cold, the corners of his mouth hooking up into an extremely punchable, sarcastic arc, glancing at Shen Linyin with a look as if looking at garbage.
"You are very noisy."
Lin Feng said coldly, his voice full of impatience, "I don't like being disturbed when I practice the instrument. Also, don't think everyone revolves around you. I am very busy, I have no time to accompany the Eldest Miss in playing house games."
The air was instantly dead silent.
Ren Yichen, who was drinking water, almost sprayed it out, and even the half-asleep, half-awake Lu Mingxuan opened his eyes in horror.
Shen Linyin froze in place, her face turning pale instantly, her eye rims turning red at a speed visible to the naked eye. She obviously hadn't expected that Lin Feng, who usually didn't talk much but was always very gentle, would suddenly say such hurtful words.
"I... I just..." Her voice took on a crying cavity.
Lin Feng's heart was dripping blood. I'm sorry, Second Sister-in-Law! I am doing this to maintain your relationship! Just hate me! Even if the favorability drops to 0, it is worth it!
However, the system interface was quiet.
[Detected host's malicious verbal attack.] [Eternal Padlock (Silver) taking effect.] [Negative emotions have been filtered. Favorability has not dropped.]
Lin Feng: "..."
I don't want to live anymore! How does this broken lock defend against even this?!
"Lin Feng! You went too far!"
Ren Yichen finally reacted, shoving Lin Feng aside and blocking in front of Shen Linyin, saying angrily, "Yinyin is also caring about you, how can you speak like that? Is this still the Lin Feng we know? Apologize quickly!"
Looking at his good brother's angry face, then looking at Shen Linyin wiping tears behind him, Lin Feng's "Villain" persona that he had just established instantly collapsed.
He wasn't that kind of vicious person inherently. Those few sentences just now had already exhausted his life's acting skills. Now seeing the girl really crying, the guilt in his heart instantly drowned his reason.
"...Sorry."
Lin Feng lowered his head, his voice dry. This apology was actually sincere. "I practiced until I became stupid, my mood was bad, my brain twitched just now. Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
Shen Linyin sniffed and poked her head out from behind Ren Yichen. Seeing Lin Feng's head hanging low and face full of self-blame, the tears in her eyes hadn't dried yet, but the corners of her mouth raised slightly.
So it was because the pressure was too big that he lost his temper... True, he has been so desperate recently, he must be very tired. And once Ren Yichen shouted, he immediately apologized, proving he still cares about everyone's feelings.
This psychological drop of "first being ruthlessly hurt, then being gently apologized to," what is it called in psychology again?
Oh, this is called the Emotional Rollercoaster.
It is also one of the core techniques of Pick Up Artists—although Lin Feng was completely passive.
[Ding!] [Detected strong emotional fluctuation and reconciliation behavior.] [Favorability significantly increased!] [Shen Linyin: 42/100 (Intimate Confidant)]
Lin Feng watched helplessly as that number jumped directly from 32 to 42.
If before they were good friends, then 42 points had basically stepped across the threshold of "Confidant".
Lin Feng's legs went soft, and he almost knelt on the ground.
Is this the legendary Suppressive Socializing? Because of the lock's existence, his "suppression" had its damage filtered out, leaving only the unique sense of "he actually has emotions too"; and the subsequent "apology" became a doubled sugar-coated cannonball.
Outsmarted himself.
This is absolutely the highest realm of outsmarting oneself.
Lin Feng sat paralyzed in the chair in despair, looking at the ceiling with hollow eyes.