Page Thirty-Two: Curtain Call, Return Journey
In terms of singing, Thunder Meow-Meow’s voice was endowed with innate talent. Her vocal range was wide and flexible, capable of switching between a delicate girl’s voice and a low pseudo-boy’s voice with ease.
This trait was particularly evident during a cappella performances. At the micro-concert at the Lost Moonlight Bar, Thunder Meow-Meow demonstrated her ability to switch between these two vocal styles. If her performance then could be considered impressive, after systematic training, her rendition of “Restart” was nothing short of breathtaking.
Fine jade had finally been carved into exquisite jade ware… Ahem… sculpted into beautiful jade pieces.
Although the composer was unknown, this song seemed tailor-made for her, almost like a one-woman choir. Cheerful, gentle, passionate, lively, and composed, the five different vocal tones intersected and transformed, making the a cappella performance exceptionally vibrant, like a dazzling meteor breaking through the atmosphere and splitting into five brilliant meteors, blooming in the sky.
“If you like this song, please look forward to its official release!”
Thunder Meow-Meow’s song heated up the atmosphere, turning the beauty pageant into something akin to her personal concert. The tourists, moved by her voice, would likely become her fans.
Even Yan Liuzhuan praised, “It’s as if the Muse has descended.”
It seemed that Thunder Meow-Meow had truly undergone rigorous idol training to reach such heights in a short time. Thinking back to how she was just a few weeks ago a troublemaker in bars and KTVs, it was astonishing how fate could change so dramatically.
“Oh, Meow-Meow has pulled out all the stops. It seems Bridge Jue doesn’t stand a chance… Ah ha, Orange still feels so comfortable.”
Xiao Hai Tang stood up, wrapping his arms around Orange from behind, rubbing against him. Despite looking somewhat unconvinced, he couldn’t find fault with Thunder Meow-Meow’s performance and pouted in frustration.
My younger sister is even cute when she’s pouting; I wish I could hug her too!
Speaking of younger sisters, there was another one present, Xiao Cangyu, whom Xiao Hai Tang and Yang Qi had dragged around all afternoon. Not only did her game console run out of power, but she herself seemed drained, slumped over Brother Feng’s back like a dead fish, emitting a salty smell. Even Thunder Meow-Meow’s passionate songs couldn’t stir any life in her.
On stage, the big orange had settled. After finishing her song, Thunder Meow-Meow looked up, playfully winking at North Bridge Jue. Her ruby eyes sparkled with hidden joy.
North Bridge Jue sighed, a hint of helpless smile on her face. She glanced at the hostess beside her and shook her head.
“Indeed, a rising star idol, I concede…”
North Bridge Jue reached behind her, fumbling around, and pulled out a white cloth, colorful streamers, a baton, and even a live white dove… despite wearing a black bikini, did she have some kind of fourth-dimensional pocket?
Finally, she pulled out a bouquet of nine roses and handed it to Thunder Meow-Meow.
“That beautiful idol, do our previous agreement still stand?”
“Of course, I welcome it!”
The staff of Water World began chasing after the flying white dove.
“Cough, cough… Since Little Sister Bridge Jue has conceded, we don’t need to vote. I believe the judges and tourists agree that Miss Thunder Meow-Meow should win the swimsuit beauty contest. Then, let our judges present…”
The shadow under the spotlight, the barely noticeable female host, managed to interject, attempting to regain control of the competition. Then, a less noticeable old man with a receding hairline ran up from the stage seats and placed a golden crown on Thunder Meow-Meow’s head.
This seemed to be the prize for the swimsuit beauty contest. Although it was uncertain if it was real gold, Thunder Meow-Meow was quite fond of such shiny things.
“Little Brother Chang Kai, you need to act fast. That girl seems quite threatening.”
Yueyue appeared beside me suddenly, startling me. In this noisy environment, I hadn’t noticed her approach. What kind of ghostly skill was this?
“What should I grab hold of?”
There was a bit of rhetorical question, as I didn’t know how to respond.
“Of course, grab hold of my daughter! Don’t you want to be my son-in-law?”
“When did I say I wanted to be your son-in-law!?”
After the usual award ceremony speech on stage, North Bridge Jue took Thunder Meow-Meow’s hand and left the stage. Thunder Meow-Meow seemed quite happy. What was going on? Was North Bridge Jue, that百合girl, really taking Thunder Meow-Meow away?
“Don’t worry, although she might not show it now, she actually had a good impression of you before. My husband and I support you coming to our house as a son-in-law, so go ahead and pursue her. We’ll handle the other pests.”
Pests only buzz around her! Around her!
“So, I’m not planning to chase her…”
“How can you not be moved by such a cute girl, especially an idol? Could Little Brother Chang Kai prefer boys?” she said meaningfully, glancing at Tan Linhua.
“No way!”
I really want a girlfriend, but I genuinely don’t feel that way about Thunder Meow-Meow. Maybe our frequencies don’t match, or maybe I subconsciously still have reservations about transformation girls.
Yueyue must understand my thoughts, but she’s pretending not to. However, her encouragement to go after her daughter seems sincere—quite interesting, since the mother-in-law is usually the hardest to convince.
“It’s getting late. There’s no night session during the trial period, so you should head back early.”
Yueyue glanced at her phone, perhaps prompted by Thunder Meow-Meow. She said goodbye to Xiao Hai Tang and hurried off.
The end of the swimsuit beauty contest felt like a signal. The bustling crowd earlier had already dispersed significantly.
Not long after Yueyue left, Xiao Hai Tang received a text message, looking somewhat displeased.
“Oh, Bridge Jue really went off with Meow-Meow? Inviting her out, but we didn’t even meet up all day. I’ll make sure to give her a piece of my mind next time!”
And she even got a 5000 yuan gift card. Considering Xiao Hai Tang’s mood, I didn’t mention it.
“Then let’s head back. We’ll have dinner at the Balance Commercial District. Let’s call it a day after that.”
“No problem, everything’s up to Big Boss Xiao Hai Tang~”
After a day of fun, we were a bit tired. Even though we ate a lot of grilled meat at noon, now we felt inexplicably hungry. Playing in water turned out to be more tiring than expected.
After a shower in the changing room and changing back into our clothes, I stepped out of the Water World’s gate and realized it was indeed summer. Even though it was six o’clock and the sky was darkening, the stifling air made the shower feel wasted.
We followed Brother Feng back to the parking lot. Xiao Cangyu, who was even more exhausted than me, fell asleep as soon as she got in the car, leaning on Yang Qi’s shoulder, her seaweed-like hair springy enough to stay off her face even when her head was tilted.
Since North Bridge Jue left with Thunder Meow-Meow, Xiao Hai Tang sat in the back, chatting with Yang Qi about trivial matters.
Orange remained in the second row by the window, while I sat in the middle, with Tan Linhua sitting by the door.
Yan Liuzhuan had built some rapport with Brother Feng in just one day. Despite being silent in the passenger seat, I felt they had a good relationship.
Today’s activities drained me of a week’s worth of energy. I was so tired that I fell asleep leaning against the chair. When I woke up again, we were already in the Balance Commercial District parking lot.
After having dinner at a restaurant, Brother Feng dropped us off at Mí Fēng Street and left with Xiao Cangyu.
Passing by the Village Entrance, I caught a whiff of familiar stir-fry smells, but when I looked up, there was nothing there. My mood was somewhat complex. Though Master Hālìlùà had assured Old Fēng’s safety, where was she now?
I didn’t want to become an unlucky person for no reason.
“Hey, Chairman…”
Xiao Hai Tang, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped and turned around, supporting her chin as if thinking hard.
“Did we forget something?”
“What?” I and Orange looked at each other.
“Hmm, can’t remember… Never mind, it probably wasn’t important.”
Hearing this, I also felt a strange sense of dissonance, as if I had forgotten something…!
“I know what we forgot!”
I slapped my forehead, realizing it.
“You bought a wooden sword!”
(End of Translation)
