Chapter 158: Singing
Xia Wanfen’s mouth slightly tilted as she said, “Since you can’t sing the pop songs, then how about singing our national anthem?! Don’t tell me you can’t even sing it!”
"..."
Tang Xiu’s face was heavy and full of black lines…
With a laugh, Yuan Chuling followed, “Eldest Brother, you’re very smart, and your ability to learn is great. Well, it doesn’t matter if you don’t hear pop songs, though. Let’s do this then. We’ll sing a few songs, and you listen and focus on our singing. By your intelligence and ability, you may be able to sing after listening to us for a few times.”
“You see me too highly, don’t you? If I were really that good, I could have been a big star, you know!” Revealing a forced smile, Tang Xiu replied.
"Come on! Try it!" Chen Yannan added to the fire.
Such a warmth was really difficult to refuse…
Finally, Tang Xiu nodded and complied. Following that, Yuan Chuling and Cheng Yannan each chose a song, and their singing was quite good. Xia Wanfen and Li Xiaoqian also tossed aside their usual shyness as they requested songs and also sang. They even touched the bottle and drank their beers with everyone.
“So, what do you think? Is there any song you wanna try?” After singing with Li Xiaoqian, Cheng Yannan asked Tang Xiu with a smiling face.
With a forced smile, Tang Xiu said, “Err… none? I haven’t listened to even one song.”
“It doesn’t matter, though. But if you don’t sing, that means you don’t give us face since we invited you here to have a karaoke. So, we won’t speak anything about the songs you choose.” Cheng Yannan said.
“Any song will do, right?” Tang Xiu said.
“Yup!” Cheng Yannan replied with a nod.
Tang Xiu stood as he took the microphone on the table and said, “Okay, since you said that anything will do, then I’ll sing the song I’ve learnt before! The tone of the song I’m about to sing is quite strange so I hope you can bear if it. But, I would be able to sing better if you can provide me a zither.”
A zither?
The four of them looked at each other with a strange expression.
“Aih, Eldest Brother, what kind of jokes are you playing? You know that we’re in KTV, right? You go to use the KTV to sing, so aren’t you just wantonly playing nonsense here?! Besides, where should we find a zither now?” Yuan Chuling snapped as he cried out.
Tang Xiu said with a forced smile, “Well, since there’s no zither, I’ll just hum a few words casually then. This first song…”
“Wait!”
Xia Wanfen suddenly interrupted him and said, “If my memory serves me right, the Proprietress of this KTV has a zither. My family and I had come to sing in this KTV once, and I saw her sitting in the hall outside, playing a zither. The tone was very beautiful and elegant.”
“Huh? You know the Boss of this place?” Yuan Chuling was surprised.
“No, no. I don’t know her, but my aunt does. And they are also good friends! So, should I try and ask her?” Xia Wanfen answered with a smile.
Cheng Yannan said, “I’ll go with you.”
“OK!”
Whilst looking at the two girls leaving, an expression of being at a loss whether he had to cry or laugh was drawn on Tang Xiu’s face. He had never thought that these two girls were even this earnest, giving not even a chance for him to sing casually! They even felt that it was imperative to run and try finding a zither?
Inside the Westland KTV’s General Manager office...
Chen Xiaofen quietly read a zither chord book in her hand. Although she managed her KTV family business, learning about musical instruments in her spare time was her hobby. She also liked to collect various musical instruments, albeit that she preferred to use those various musical instrument to create a symphony that could move people’s heart.
“Knock… knock… knock…”
Her door was knocked and abruptly stopped her train of thoughts.
Chen Xiaofen’s black eyebrows slightly tilted as she spoke with quite a resent, “Come in!”
A waiter came opening the door as she looked at her and said, “Boss, there are two guests who are looking for you. They said they know you.”
“Where are they?” Chen Xiaofen asked.
“Outside the door.” Replied the waiter.
“Let them come inside!” Chen Xiaofen said.
After a moment, Xia Wanfen and Cheng Yannan entered the office. When they saw Chen Xiaofen, Xia Wanfen stepped forward a few steps as she stood in front of her and said, “Hello Aunt Chen. I’m Xia Wanfen, Xia Shishi’s niece. I once visited you with my aunt and parents before.”
A smile was revealed on Chen Xiaofen’s face as she said with a nod, “I remember you. But that was like a few years ago, right? That time I told your aunt to take you over to play here. Anyways, you need something from me?”
Xia Wanfen said, “Ah, yes! We have a classmate, but since he can’t sing contemporary songs, he wants to sing a very special song, but he said that he needs a zither. And I recalled that you should have one here, so I came to find you.”
A zither?! And sing with it?
Chen Xiaofen was at a loss and dumbfounded before she replied, “I suppose your classmate is very interesting, right? But, why would he come to a KTV and then play a zither for?”
An awkward expression was revealed on Xia Wanfen’s face. She too felt that Tang Xiu’s request was kinda ridiculous, so she replied while blushing, “Aunt Chen, about my classmate… he’s kinda… ugh, weird.”
Chen Xiaofen said, “Okay, it’s alright. It’s a visitor’s request after all, so I’ll naturally try to meet the request as best as I can. However, I also have a request, and if you can comply with it, I will lend my favorite zither to you.”
“Please do tell!” Xia Wanfen promptly nodded.
Chen Xiaofen said with a smile, “I want to see your classmate, and also want to listen to his zither play.”
"This…"
Xia Wanfen and Chen Yannan looked at each other as hesitation was revealed on their expressions. They didn’t know what Tang Xiu would think about it. If they complied with the request and Tang Xiu wasn’t happy because of it, what should they do then?
However, Cheng Yannan, who wanted to hear Tang Xiu sing, was quite resolute as she too was interested in hearing him singing with a zither in a KTV. So, she said, “Okay, we agree, Aunt Chen.”
Chen Xiaofen’s eyes suddenly turned bright and said, “Then, how about I arrange the largest box for you and listen to the song there? Some of my friends happen to be visiting soon. I might as well tell you that they’re the big shots from the Music Academy in the provincial capital. If your talent in music and songs are good, they might invite you to enter the Music Academy after you have your College Entrance Test!”
Xia Wanfen’s eyes turned bright, as even Cheng Yannan’s face also moved. The two whispered at each other and finally agreed to Chen Xiaofen’s proposal.
A few minutes later…
Tang Xiu, Yuan Chuling and Li Xiaoqian were brought to the VIP box. Upon seeing that Xia Wanfen and Cheng Yannan were already inside, Yuan Chuling then immediately asked out of curiosity, “Hey, what’s up? Was our previous box not good enough so you wanna change the place?”
Whilst glancing at Tang Xiu, Cheng Yannan replied with a smile, “You know what? We got quite lucky. I and Xia Wanfen have been wanting to take the test for the Music Academy in the provincial capital. So, when we were trying to borrow the zither, we exactly came across some leaders from the said Music Academy. They’re the friends of this KTV’s Proprietress. And she’s really kind, she wants to help us and move us to this box for our singing. As well as showcase those big shots our singing.”
"For real?"
A delicate and pretty Li Xiaoqian suddenly called out excitedly, “I also love to sing and wanna take the test for the Music Academy. Yannan, you might not know, but I’ve been dreaming to become a singer ever since I was a child. This is really great. If the leaders from the Music Academy take a liking to us, they could make an exception for us to enroll into their school.”
Tang Xiu knitted his brows even though he stretched it back the moment after. Although he had never liked being with unfamiliar people while he was having his relaxation time, but seeing the excited looks from Li Xiaoqian and the other girls, he also didn’t want to sweep out their excitement. Perhaps, today would be a chance for them to make their dreams came true to enter this Music Academy.
His vision finally moved to the tea table.
An interesting and appealing antique zither was on the tea table with a vivid and lifelike carving of the soaring Phoenix and Dragon pattern on it.
At the front door of the Westland KTV…
With a smiling expression, Chen Xiaofen was looking at a black Mercedes-Benz that slowly stopped as three mature and beautiful women came out from the inside.
“Boss Chen, sorry for disturbing you!”
One of the mature beauties smiled and rushed forward as she gave Chen Xiaofen a big hug.
Chen Xiaofen said with a laugh, “It’s too late not to be happy since the three of you have come visiting me! So how could it be called as disturbing me? Besides, it has been more than half a year for we, sisters, gathering together, right? The three of you really have no conscience. While you are enjoying your life in the provincial capital, you toss me here alone in Star City.”
Huang Jie, who was precisely the mature beauty who threw herself at Chen Xiaofen, hugged Chen Xiaofen’s shoulders as she said with a beaming smile, “If your family and your hubby are willing to let you leave, we can arrange everything in the provincial capital for you. Including working with us in the Music Academy along with a proper and suitable position.”
With a helpless expression and tone, Chen Xiaofen said, “Aih… please don’t tempt me. You know my family, and my hubby… Ah, just forget it. Don’t raise the topic about him. Anyways, I’ve prepared a show for you tonight. And, it’s a quite unexpected and accidental one, though. But I hope you’ll like it.”
“What show?” Huang Jie asked curiously.
Chen Xiaofen let out a smile that was not like a smile as she replied, “You’re all musicians. So I wanna ask you. Have you seen any guests that come to a KTV and not sing? But want to borrow and play a zither and sing with it? And you know what? The said person should be a high schooler!”
"Hahaha…"
Huang Jie and the two others couldn’t help laughing and smiling.
Going to the KTV only to play zither and sing with it? Wasn’t this a big scene that must be investigated in the entire China to find?
Huang Jie said with a laugh, “Xiaofen, is this the wonderful marvel you said to be a special program you’ve arranged for us? That reminds me, we haven’t had some fun for a while, have we? It’s been very difficult for us sisters to gather together, so we had better have some fun ourselves when we’re together!”
Chen Xiaofen also replied with a laugh, “Ah, Jie dear, don’t you think that this is kinda novel too? Just imagine, the scene of playing a zither in a KTV and singing a song with it. I couldn’t help but laugh imagining it. Ah, right. I seem to have done it once too. That was when I just bought the zither.”
“Hahaha…”
The three mature beauties laughed upon hearing it.
For a moment, Huang Jie hesitated as she then said with a smile, “Since Xiaofen has specifically arranged this special program for us, then let’s see it. Besides, speaking about it, there’s only a handful of students who are interested in learning the zither nowadays. I have no idea if her level would be quite good, but I think Xiaofen also can give some pointers to her.”
Chen Xiaofen said with a laugh, “But anyways, I heard that the student who will be playing and singing with a zither, is not a she, but a he. He’s a schoolboy.”
“WHAT?”
The three mature beauties were immediately shocked.
A male student, playing the zither in the KTV? And even singing with it?
A male student who didn’t like playing guitar and acting cool?
Huang Jie said with a laugh, “Xiaofen, such specific details you’re telling us, kinda sparks my curiosity, and that boy really piqued my interest.”