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墨書 Inktalez
At seven in the evening, at the ATT karaoke bar.
In the colorful private room, Wang Xue curled up alone in the corner of the sofa, holding a small handful of pine nuts and slowly shelling them to eat.
Her colleagues, clearly having worked overtime for too long, were now letting loose, each one competing to sing loudly. They chose songs like "Die for Love" and "Farewell Song," perfect for belting out, even though their voices had turned hoarse. Wang Xue found it quite boring and couldn't help but think about Jian Youming, wondering if he was still upset. She began to doze off.
Suddenly, the sofa sank beside her as someone sat down. Wang Xue opened her eyes to see Liu Zeran.
"Why aren't you singing?" he asked.
"I told you I can't sing... Besides, everyone seems so excited; let them sing," Wang Xue waved her hand dismissively.
"That won't do! You're the star of this gathering. What song do you want to sing? I can help you pick one." His last words were slightly louder, drawing the attention of several nearby colleagues who looked over with teasing expressions.
Wang Xue felt a bit awkward under their gaze and could only nod in agreement. "Fine... I'll sing one song. Please find an English song for me; it's called..."
After a male colleague led the group in a raucous rendition of "Xisha Xisha," the screen suddenly displayed red leaves, and a gentle prelude began to play. Liu Zeran gently nudged Wang Xue from behind. Gripping the microphone, she stood before her colleagues' eager eyes.
It was an old song. Wang Xue held the microphone tightly, focusing intently on the lyrics, singing each word carefully until she felt ready to meet her audience's gaze.
Everyone fell strangely silent. After a moment, Liu Zeran smiled and said, "Wang Xue, you said you couldn't sing—were you lying?"
Her colleagues chimed in with laughter and agreement. Wang Xue pressed her lips together, her hands clenched into fists. While she felt happy with their compliments, she wasn't being modest; she truly couldn't sing...
The song was one she had performed years ago during a middle school social event.
At that time, the teacher insisted that she sing a song, and being tone-deaf, she was on the verge of tears. Just then, Jian Youming happened to pass by and, without a word, dragged her back to his home. Armed with a small bamboo stick, he subjected her to a "brutal" lesson. It took her an entire afternoon before she could barely manage to sing that song. For any other song, she would go completely off-key.
Thinking back on this, she couldn't help but touch her phone. Jian Youming was notoriously lazy; she wondered if he had already had dinner.
When she snapped back to reality, she realized she had walked out of the private room and was already dialing his number.
Jian Youming picked up almost immediately, as if he had been waiting by the phone for ages.
"What’s up?"
Wang Xue timidly asked, "Um, have you eaten yet…?"
Jian Youming let out a scoff, and for some reason, an image of a pitiful abandoned dog popped into Wang Xue's mind.
"You actually care whether I've eaten or not?"
A wave of guilt washed over Wang Xue. Although Jian Youming not having dinner wasn’t really her fault, she leaned against the wall outside the room, nervously twisting the hem of her shirt. "How about… I come over later and make you something…"
Suddenly, a pleasant male voice came from behind her: "Wang Xue, why are you out here? Who are you calling?" It was Liu Zeran.
Wang Xue's heart raced in panic. She barely registered Jian Youming on the other end shouting, "Who’s next to you?" in confusion as she hurriedly pressed the end call button. Forcing a smile, she turned around and said, "Oh, nothing. I was just chatting with my mom."
Liu Zeran is the older brother of Liu Zerou. If he misunderstands the relationship between himself and Jian Youming, it could negatively affect Jian Youming's relationship with Liu Zerou, which would be unfortunate.
Liu Zeran smiled but said nothing more. He simply reached out and draped his arm over her shoulder, guiding her back to the private room.
As the two entered in such an intimate manner, the crowd couldn't help but erupt in teasing and playful banter. Wang Xue flustered, struggled to respond, quickly forgetting about the promise she had made over the phone to cook for Jian Youming.
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