MC Bookstore Chapter 89 Sing a Song
Chapter 89 Sing a Song
Inside the luxurious private rooms of a top-tier karaoke bar, the lights flickered and flashed, the dynamic background music played incessantly, and the laughter of young men and women filled the air, creating a lively atmosphere.
Today is Xu Lingjing's eighteenth birthday.
Turning eighteen is the most solemn coming-of-age ceremony in adolescence, and for Xu Lingjing, it is one of the most important days in her life.
Today she wore a white dress, her bright eyes and beautiful face particularly eye-catching under the colorful lights.
After a few songs, she held the microphone, looked around at her classmates who were laughing and joking, and then her gaze landed precisely on Ye Yixian, who was sitting quietly.
At this moment, Ye Yixian sat quietly next to Lu Yuan, her posture upright and graceful. Unlike her friends' noisy and restless nature, her eyes were clear and calm, and she seemed to be surrounded by a cool filter.
"Ye Yixian, come sing me a song?"
Xu Lingjing said with a smile, her tone intimate and natural, as if the two were close friends.
The noise in the private room subsided briefly, and everyone's attention was focused on Ye Yixian.
Everyone knows that Ye Yixian is now Lu Yuan's girlfriend in name only.
Xu Lingjing is someone who was once favored by Lu Yuan, but is now being neglected.
A subtle atmosphere quietly spread, and everyone's eyes held a hint of interest in watching the spectacle.
Ye Yixian was slightly taken aback, then politely curved her eyebrows and shook her head: "No, I'm tone-deaf and can never sing. You can sing by yourself."
Her refusal was gentle yet firm, without the slightest hint of perfunctoriness.
But Xu Lingjing's smile vanished.
Her once bright eyes dimmed, and a sense of loss and displeasure welled up in her heart.
At her eighteenth birthday party, she took the initiative to invite him, but was politely refused in front of everyone, with so many classmates watching, which made her feel a little embarrassed.
She pursed her lips and didn't speak again. Her fingers tightened slightly around the microphone, and the atmosphere became subtly awkward for a moment.
Sitting not far away, Li Xian took in the whole scene, a calculating glint flashing across his eyes.
He hated Lu Yuan, yet he also envied Lu Yuan.
She envied Lu Yuan for being so easily noticed by Xu Lingjing, envied his good luck with women, and hated herself for always being relegated to a supporting role, or even worse.
Seeing Xu Lingjing looking sullen, an evil thought took root in Li Xian's mind.
In everyone's memory, Lu Yuan had never sung in front of anyone.
Li Xian was certain that Lu Yuan was tone-deaf and wouldn't dare to sing at all.
Isn't this the best opportunity?
This is a perfect opportunity to embarrass Lu Yuan in public and make him lose face, while also venting Xu Lingjing's anger and showing her that Lu Yuan is nothing special and not as dazzling as she thought.
Thinking of this, Li Xian immediately broke into an exaggerated smile, and suddenly raised his hand to shout:
"Hey! Since Ye Yixian doesn't want to sing, then Lu Yuanlai will!"
He abruptly turned to look at Lu Yuan, who was leaning back on the sofa with a calm expression, and deliberately raised his voice so that everyone in the room could hear him clearly:
"Ye Yixian is too shy to sing and doesn't want to spoil the fun, right? So Lu Yuan has to step in for Ye Yixian, right? Today is Ling Jing's birthday, he has to sing a song to celebrate! Everyone agrees, right?"
These words immediately caused an uproar in the private room.
A group of boys, always eager for drama, immediately joined in, clapping and cheering, "Yeah, yeah! Lu Yuan, give us a song!"
"We must sing! To liven things up for the birthday person!"
"Stop hiding, Lu Yuan! Hurry up!"
The rising and falling clamor quickly pushed Lu Yuan into the eye of the storm.
All eyes, noisy with excitement, fell on Lu Yuan, mostly filled with mockery, curiosity, and anticipation of his downfall.
Everyone assumed that Lu Yuan, who never sings, would most likely be embarrassed and stage-frightened, and even if he forced himself to sing, he would definitely sing off-key and sound terrible.
Despite the uproar from the crowd, Lu Yuan remained calm and showed no sign of panic.
He looked up at Li Xian, whose face was full of calculation and whose eyes were hiding malice, and immediately saw through the other party's little scheme.
It's nothing more than jealousy; she wants to stir up trouble and force herself to be humiliated in public. And she even calls it standing up for Xu Lingjing. What a self-delusional act.
Lu Yuan chuckled inwardly, calmly sat up straight, met Li Xian's gaze with open confidence, and spoke in a clear and steady voice that cut through the noisy din:
"Singing is fine."
"But I can't sing for nothing."
He smiled with a hint of composure: "Li Xian, wanna make a bet? If I sing this song well, or even really well, you'll treat the whole class to snacks when we return to school after the holiday."
"If I sing off-key or sound awful, I'll admit defeat and I'll treat you to a meal, okay?"
As soon as this was said, everyone immediately agreed. Anyway, whoever won or lost, they would get snacks just to watch the fun, so they would definitely support it.
Li Xian's pupils contracted slightly, and a sudden panic gripped his heart.
He never imagined he would gamble so big!
The snacks for dozens of students in the class would cost at least several hundred yuan. This was a considerable expense for him, who was still a student, and he didn't want to spend money unnecessarily.
But at this moment, all the students' eyes were fixed on him, and everyone was waiting for his response.
He was the one who started the trouble just now. If he backs down now and doesn't dare to take the bet, he will only be laughed at by everyone for being cowardly and afraid of trouble, and he will completely lose face.
Seeing this, the surrounding classmates immediately started pushing and shoving him.
"We have to gamble, Li Xian!"
"What are you afraid of! Lu Yuan has never sung before, he's bound to lose!"
"You're too cowardly to take on a lucrative opportunity?"
The clamor and threats came one after another, putting Li Xian in a precarious position, caught in a dilemma.
Li Xian, caught in a dilemma, gritted his teeth and nodded fiercely, looking at the mocking looks on everyone's faces: "I'll bet! I'm not afraid of you!"
With all the classmates as witnesses, this impromptu bet was thus finalized.
All eyes were fixed on Lu Yuan, waiting for his next performance and the final result.
Lu Yuan didn't say anything more, calmly got up, and walked to the song selection station.
With a light tap of his fingertip on the screen, without the slightest hesitation, he directly selected an old song: "Eleven Years".
The familiar intro melody flowed slowly from the speakers in the private room, its deep and soothing tune instantly calming the noise inside.
The crowd gradually quieted down, holding their breath and watching the boy holding the microphone.
The light shone on Lu Yuan, who stood tall and composed, showing no sign of nervousness or unease.
When the first line of lyrics was slowly sung from his lips, the entire private room fell into complete silence.
I look forward to seeing you every day.
Your love is like the smoke I once inhaled into my lungs…
The boy's voice was clean and warm, with just the right amount of deep magnetism, without a trace of being off-key or stiff.
The words and phrases are interspersed with a subtle sense of vicissitude and deep affection, telling the story in a gentle and detailed way, vividly portraying the regrets, obsessions, and lingering longing hidden in the song.
His singing voice was melodious and gentle, with a strong sense of empathy. It was tender yet touching, spreading throughout the entire private room through the sound system and gently touching everyone's heart.
There are no flashy high notes or exaggerated trills, but every word is full of emotion and every sentence is moving, drawing the listener into the rhythm of the song without them even realizing it.
Everyone's faces were filled with disbelief; the playful mockery on their faces vanished, leaving only shock and astonishment.
Nobody could have predicted this!
Lu Yuan sings so well!
The song ended, its lingering notes still echoing.
After a two or three-second pause, thunderous applause and cheers erupted in the private room.
"Wow! That sounds amazing!"
"You've been hiding your true abilities, Lu Yuan! This is professional-level skill!"
"Absolutely amazing! I'm completely blown away!"
Exclamations of praise echoed throughout the venue.
Everyone was shocked, and the way they looked at Lu Yuan changed.
Xu Lingjing, who had been sullen, stared blankly at the boy in the crowd, her eyes filled with amazement.
She never knew Lu Yuan had so many talents.
Ye Yixian, sitting in the corner, stared at him with her clear eyes.
A faint smile appeared in her eyes, her heart warmed slightly, and her gaze towards Lu Yuan was gentle and tender, filled with countless subtle emotions.
Many of the girls present gave Lu Yuan rather interesting looks.
Only Li Xian's face was deathly pale, turning an extremely ugly, ashen color.
He stood frozen in place, feeling embarrassed and hot all over, his face burning with pain. He had lost completely and utterly.
I never expected Lu Yuan to sing so well!
This time, instead of embarrassing Lu Yuan, he gained Lu Yuan's favor, but also got himself involved and was destined to spend a lot of money to treat the whole class to snacks.
Lu Yuan, who won the bet, showed no arrogance or pride, nor did he flaunt it.
He casually put down the microphone, his expression calm, turned around and walked back to the sofa, sat down naturally, chatted and laughed with the students next to him, blending into the lively crowd, low-key and composed.
It was as if the amazing song that had just captivated the audience was just a casual, trivial matter.
After a long period of lively conversation and laughter, all the invited guests arrived later in the evening, and everyone was finally present.
The atmosphere in the private room warmed up again, becoming lively and cheerful, with someone jokingly reminding everyone that it was time to cut the birthday cake.
A huge cream cake was wheeled out, exquisite and beautiful, adorned with plenty of fruit and chocolate decorations, with candlelight flickering.
Everyone spontaneously gathered around the cake and sang "Happy Birthday" in unison.
The cheerful singing filled the private room, reaching Xu Lingjing's ears and making her forget her many unpleasant feelings.
On her eighteenth birthday, surrounded by so many classmates offering their blessings, the atmosphere was lively and grand, and the girl's eyes once again shone with a bright and radiant smile.
As the song ended, everyone smiled and asked Xu Lingjing to make a wish.
Xu Lingjing clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and earnestly made a wish for her eighteenth birthday. Then she slowly opened her eyes, blew out the candles, picked up the cake knife, turned to look at Ye Yixian beside her, and smiled:
"Ye Yixian, come and cut the cake with me."
The unexpected invitation left Ye Yixian feeling flattered and overwhelmed.
She could clearly sense that a subtle atmosphere had arisen in the private room.
She is now Lu Yuan's nominal girlfriend, the one who has replaced Xu Lingjing. But at this moment, Xu Lingjing takes the initiative to invite her to cut her eighteenth birthday cake side by side.
This openness and closeness is quite unexpected.
Ye Yixian hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't refuse such kindness and nodded gently: "Okay."
She stepped forward and stood beside Xu Lingjing. The two of them held the same cake knife side by side and gently cut the sweet cream cake.
After cutting and plating the cake, the students took turns eating and chatting, creating a harmonious and joyful atmosphere.
Beneath the bustling and noisy surface, undercurrents were already surging.
Old feelings linger, new entanglements arise, and a delicate love triangle is hidden beneath a mask of laughter and joy.
To celebrate her eighteenth birthday, Hsu Ling-ching specially prepared low-alcohol cocktails in advance. The colorful drinks were served in exquisite glasses, making them quite visually appealing.
She enthusiastically shared her drink with her classmates and frequently raised her glass to drink, clearly in high spirits.
The freshness and joy of turning eighteen washed away all the awkwardness and disappointment in her heart. She drank with great relish, one cup after another, her eyes and brows becoming brighter and brighter, and her cheeks gradually turning a drunken blush.
The effects of the alcohol slowly kicked in, my head began to spin, and a wave of intoxication, like an evening breeze, swept over my entire body.
Xu Lingjing put down her wine glass, her eyes slightly unfocused. She glanced around at the noisy crowd, her gaze finally settling steadily on Ye Yixian. With a touch of drunken stubbornness, she said:
"Ye Yixian, I'm feeling a bit down. Come with me for a walk and get some fresh air."
As soon as he finished speaking, the laughter in the private room stopped instantly.
Everyone's expression changed slightly, and a hint of worry appeared on their faces.
In everyone's eyes, Ye Yixian and Xu Lingjing are a current and an old friend.
The two most awkward people now have to leave the noisy private room and go out for some fresh air.
It's easy for a man and a woman to get into trouble when they're alone together, let alone two girls with such complicated backgrounds.
The classmate next to Lu Yuan subconsciously looked at Lu Yuan, waiting to see his reaction and for him to speak up to stop him.
Despite being watched by everyone, Ye Yixian remained calm and composed, with no trace of panic or fear in his eyes.
She nodded slightly and calmly replied, "Okay, I'll go with you."
After saying that, she faced the complicated gazes in the room, calmly accompanied the slightly tipsy Xu Lingjing, turned around and walked out of the noisy and chaotic KTV room.
The night outside was deep and slightly cool, and an unexpected entanglement of solitude quietly began.