Chapter 51
◎Backing vocals for her◎
Zhan Xinyue stood there, staring blankly at his back for a while, a strange and inexplicable emotion gradually rising in her heart.
When she returned to the private room and pushed open the door, the sound of everyone singing and laughing at the top of their lungs rushed towards her, finally easing the inexplicable sense of loss in her heart.
Shi Ziqian wasn't in the private room. She returned to her original seat and sat down, looking somewhat lost.
She had initially thought Shi Ziqian wouldn't come back, but after a while, he pushed open the door and entered. When he came in, his expression was normal, and he sat down as if nothing had happened.
Zhan Xinyue looked away. Xu Shen kept babbling in her ear, but she was a little absent-minded and didn't pay attention to what he was saying.
"Why aren't you saying anything? I'm still waiting to beat you." Xu Shen waved the dice in front of her.
Zhan Xinyue reached for the juice glass on the table, took a sip, and covered her distraction: "I don't want to play anymore."
"Do you not want to play anymore or are you afraid of losing?" Xu Shen tilted his head to look at her expression. "Who was it that just now said so confidently that I couldn't beat her, and now she's surrendering so quickly?"
Xie Wanzhi was singing into the microphone when she caught Xu Shen talking to Zhan Xinyue with his head tilted to the side during the interlude. She immediately said, "What are you two whispering about behind our backs?"
Her voice was amplified loudly by the speakers, and everyone looked up at Zhan Xinyue. Seeing the two of them so close, they immediately let out exaggerated gasps: "Eek—"
"You two are so alike..." Xie Wanzhi trailed off, then fell silent in a suggestive tone, "Why don't you two just sing a duet for everyone? I think everyone would really like to see that, wouldn't you?"
After she said that, everyone, not wanting to miss out on the fun, chimed in, "Yeah, why don't we just sing a love song duet?"
"I think Brother Shen looks like he's been waiting for this opportunity for a long time." Immediately, someone handed them a microphone and shoved it in front of them, "Want to sing a song?"
"One song, one song!"
The atmosphere suddenly became so lively that it was hard to stop.
"What are you doing..." Xu Shen was poked in the mouth with the microphone, and after trying to dodge it for a while without success, he finally looked at Zhan Xinyue with a helpless expression, "Do you want to sing?"
Zhan Xinyue turned her face away: "No."
Xu Shen then looked at everyone, stood up, and said, "Your request is too unreasonable. How about this, I'll sing another song by myself?"
Everyone insisted: "No, no, you two have to sing together!"
Xu Shen raised an eyebrow: "Then shall I sing two songs?"
"no?"
Xu Shen continued to probe: "Three poems?"
"Brother Shen, do you think you're buying vegetables at the market? Haggling like this won't work!"
Xu Shen coughed twice and joked, "Oh dear, I suddenly feel like my voice is hoarse. I can't sing the next song."
Everyone teased him for a while, and they were about to let it go, but Xie Wanzhi looked at Zhan Xinyue again: "Speaking of which, we haven't heard Xinyue sing yet today. It's fine if you two don't sing together, but you have to sing one by yourself! Come on, I'll make room for you."
Everyone's attention shifted to her again, but Zhan Xinyue shook her head, "I don't sing well, you guys sing."
"It's a rare opportunity to get out and have fun, so everyone has to sing today; no one can escape it."
Zhan Xinyue still refused: "I'm not very good at singing."
For some reason, Xie Wanzhi was persistent about this matter today: "It's okay, we're all family, it's just for fun. Today is my birthday, please give me some face."
Seeing the atmosphere cool down because of her repeated refusals, Zhan Xinyue felt a little embarrassed, but finally reached out and took the microphone.
Xie Wanzhi became happy: "What do you want to sing? I'll pick one for you."
Zhan Xinyue thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a solution. Xie Wanzhi then turned around and quickly picked a song for her, saying considerately, "You definitely know this one; I've heard you hum it before."
Zhan Xinyue looked at the song title that appeared on the screen. It was a sweet song, and she did know a little about it, so she nodded: "Please turn on the original version for me."
"Even the original singers can't hear your voice anymore, don't be shy. Apart from me, no one else has heard you sing yet, I think everyone is really looking forward to it."
Zhan Xinyue didn't say anything more, holding the microphone and listening attentively to the accompaniment.
Xu Shen turned around, rested his chin on his hand, and looked at her with undisguised anticipation.
Zhan Xinyue ignored him, focused her gaze on the lyrics on the screen, and began to speak—
However, he opened his mouth and immediately went into the wrong beat.
Good-natured laughter filled the private room. Xie Wanzhi picked up a prop from the side and waved it in her hand, looking at her encouragingly: "Go for it, Xinyue."
Zhan Xinyue looked at everyone and began to sing again.
Even though she was mentally prepared, she couldn't help but pause silently for a moment before speaking.
How could it be... so awful? It seems like every single line is off-key.
Zhan Xinyue always suspected that the reason she felt attracted to someone like Xu Shen, who had musical talent, in her past life was simply because she herself had absolutely no talent in that area. She couldn't sing very well; to put it simply, she was tone-deaf.
In her past life, Xie Wanzhi would always drag her to karaoke on weekends. She didn't like going at all, but she would still accompany her. Most of the time, Xie Wanzhi would sing, and when she occasionally sang a song or two, she would always play the original version.
Someone like her, who doesn't have a good ear for music, doesn't seem so bad when singing along with the original singer. But now that the original singer is gone, she realizes that she really can't find the right pitch.
Zhan Xinyue heard her own strained voice coming through the microphone, echoing in the quiet private room. The singing was amplified, and every off-key note became so obvious.
Lu Meng burst out laughing first, "It seems that Xinyue wasn't being modest just now."
Fortunately, the private room was dark, and Zhan Xinyue felt that her face must be very red now.
Xin Wenhua laughed along, covering her mouth and saying, "Xinyue sang quite well, except it sounded a bit like my grandma talking in her sleep."
Before he could finish speaking, Xie Wanzhi punched him in the chest: "Shut up! You don't even dare to sing, yet you dare to laugh at others. Besides, I think Xinyue sings pretty well, except for being a little off-key. I've heard that many beautiful women sing off-key; maybe that's what they call putting all their skill points into their looks."
Xin Wenhua nodded: "The singing was alright. If it were a poetry recitation, it would probably rank quite high."
Everyone burst into laughter.
Zhan Xinyue knew they meant no harm and were just teasing her, but she still felt her face getting hotter and hotter.
Everyone seemed happy, and everyone appeared to be amused by her terrible singing; no one noticed her embarrassment.
Xu Shen continued to look at her, his lips curving into a smile, his gaze as if he were looking at a kindergarten child, with a parental doting affection, as if her singing off-key was something quite amusing.
Okay, laugh, everyone laugh. Zhan Xinyue looked away, thinking resignedly, "So what if I sing off-key? It's perfectly normal. It's a good deed if it can entertain the public."
When awkwardness reaches a certain point, one becomes numb. Zhan Xinyue stared at the lyrics on the screen, counting each line as she sang.
But this song is far too long. The lyrics scroll across the screen endlessly, as if there's no end in sight.
A soft click came from the microphone, followed by a slight noise, and then a clear male voice flowed out from the speaker without warning.
A moment of silence fell over everyone in the private room as they all turned to look in the direction of the singer.
Zhan Xinyue turned her head in surprise. Beside her, Shi Ziqian had somehow gotten hold of the microphone. He was looking straight ahead and calmly speaking along with the accompaniment.
Everyone was confused and fell silent for a moment. They had never heard Shi Ziqian sing before, but they didn't expect him to sing so well.
Seeing that most of the people's attention had been diverted to him, Zhan Xinyue breathed a sigh of relief and was also happy to find that, thanks to Shi Ziqian's backing vocals, she finally found the key smoothly.
The male voice, with a slightly magnetic quality, was low and gentle, telling a story that made her singing even more beautiful.
As the song ended, Zhan Xinyue breathed a sigh of relief, as if she had completed a difficult task, when she heard someone whisper beside her, "Shi Ziqian actually sang for Xinyue!" She thought for a moment, then turned to thank him, but he had already stood up.
Shi Ziqian looked at Xie Wanzhi: "Everyone has to sing, right? Then I should consider myself to have completed my task." Before Xie Wanzhi could reply, he had already put the microphone back on the table, and a clear, crisp sound came from the speakers. "You guys have fun, I have to go." Then, he pushed open the door and left.
Zhan Xinyue's unspoken "thank you" stuck in her throat as she silently watched his retreating figure. Only after the door closed again did everyone loosen their inhibitions and begin to chatter loudly: "My God, this is the first time I've heard Shi Ziqian sing, and he sings so well!"
"It's amazing that Shi Ziqian actually came today."
Xie Wanzhi's expression was a little strange, but she quickly composed herself and smiled at everyone, saying, "Alright, let's continue. Anyone who hasn't sung yet, raise your hand quickly! No one's getting away with it today."
Her gaze swept across the room and landed on Xin Wenhua: "Hurry up, Xin Wenhua, it's your turn next."
Xin Wenhua avoided taking the microphone, and everyone laughed at him while the other side burst into laughter.
Xu Shen took the opportunity to quietly sit a little closer and whispered in Zhan Xinyue's ear, "Actually, you sing quite well."
Zhan Xinyue: "You're being so insincere. I was completely off-key just now. What was so good about it?"
Xu Shen replied matter-of-factly, "Who says singing has to be in tune?"
Zhan Xinyue listened to his rambling absentmindedly, and quietly reached out to touch her face; her cheeks were still burning.
After singing, everyone surrounded Xie Wanzhi to unwrap her gifts and sang her a birthday song around the cake, finally bringing the evening to a close. However, they had ordered too much barbecue and cut the cake, leaving everyone looking uncomfortable by the end, with a large amount of fruit platters and drinks left on the table.
The group headed towards the door. Xie Wanzhi was about to pay the bill when Xin Wenhua walked beside her with a grin: "Did you bring enough money? Don't make us get detained here later."
Xie Wanzhi: "You have the nerve to say that? If I don't have enough money later, I'll just leave you here as collateral."
A few girls behind them overheard their conversation and, feeling a little embarrassed, suggested, "How about we split the bill again today?"
Xie Wanzhi quickly said, "Don't worry, I was just joking with Xin Wenhua. I brought enough money. If all else fails, my parents can come and pick me up."
She walked towards the front desk and gave them her room number. The receptionist checked and smiled, telling her, "It's already been paid for."
Seeing her puzzled expression, the other party said, "A guy just said he had to leave early, so to apologize, I'll just have him buy it."
"Ah." Xie Wanzhi awkwardly smoothed her hair. "He had something to do and left, why is he being so polite? I'll go back to school and ask him how much it cost, then I'll give it back to him..."
Xin Wenhua said, "It can't be that serious. He got married, so what? This amount of money is nothing to him. Why be so dramatic?"
“Yeah, he’s rich anyway,” someone in the crowd chimed in.
Xie Wanzhi said seriously, "That's not how it works. Nobody's money comes from thin air. After all, I'm the one who invited everyone, so how can I let others pay?"
After saying that, she quickly changed the subject: "Never mind that for now, let's talk about it when we get back to school. Anyway, thank you all for celebrating my birthday today, I had a really, really happy day. It's getting a bit late, so everyone should go home together, especially the guys, you should be nice and see the girls home."
After saying goodbye to her, everyone exchanged addresses and shared a taxi. Once everyone else had left, Xie Wanzhi looked at Xu Shen and Zhan Xinyue and said, "I'm going to wait here for my dad to pick me up. You two go ahead."
She winked at Xu Shen discreetly: "Your house seems to be in the same direction as Xinyue's. Why don't you give her a ride?"
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