403. Singing
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Those girls we chased back in the day felt like a movie, a movie that Lin Nan, for sure, never watched. But she had listened to the theme song “Those Years” way too many times.
However, if it came to singing, that would really be too much to ask of her.
Back in middle school, she thought her singing voice was pretty good. Then she got a computer, got a microphone, and started recording for fun.
It wasn’t until then that she realized she was completely tone-deaf, to the point of absurdity.
Even though she would hum a few tunes while taking a shower for her own amusement, she was shy and, considering her lack of talent, had never once let anyone shove a microphone into her hands during KTV sessions.
Yet now, it seemed she had already communicated her desire to sing through body language.
Taking the microphone from Zhu Yong Wen, Lin Nan shot a glare back at the still giggling Chen Yao, wishing she could give him a swift kick.
Glancing at the big screen in the booth, the accompaniment started blasting through, and Lin Nan could only force herself to calm down.
After all, the two people here were her boyfriend and her high school desk buddy; even if she messed up singing, it wouldn’t matter that much.
“Back to the original starting point…”
Zhu Yong Wen had started singing, and Lin Nan hurriedly opened her mouth, realizing that the intro had ended.
“In my memories, your youthful face, we finally… reached this day…”
This song had a mellow rhythm and wasn’t too difficult to sing; the lyrics were on the screen. But the problem was Lin Nan wanted to keep her voice as neutral as possible.
This made her throat feel even tighter, and to make matters worse, once her voice came out of the speakers, it was speedily drowned out by Zhu Yong Wen’s booming voice and the music. She couldn’t hear how she was singing at all.
So embarrassing.
Lin Nan stood there, surrendering to the situation, staring at the lyrics on the screen, following Zhu Yong Wen’s tune. This way, if she went off-key, at least they’d all go off together, embarrassment shared.
Her thoughts were a chaotic mix, making it impossible for her to focus on singing. She felt a surge of anger thinking about how to punish Chen Yao for his antics later, while also trying to think about how to lower her pitch. Juggling all these thoughts left her a bit flustered.
“Those years of missed downpours, those years of missed love, I just want to hold you…”
As she sang this, Lin Nan suddenly heard a sob in the song. Surprised, she turned to Zhu Yong Wen, only to find him already with tears streaming down his face.
What was going on? Was it really necessary?
Lin Nan was taken aback, and Chen Yao looked a bit dazed as he considered the lyrics, “Missed love, I just want to hold you.” With that thought, a tidal wave of jealousy washed over him.
So this guy really was craving Lin Nan’s body!
Though he questioned if he was overreacting, he still felt particularly irritated.
Lin Nan didn’t notice Chen Yao’s reaction; she sighed softly and stepped forward, patting Zhu Yong Wen on the shoulder to comfort him.
“People have to grow up,” she said, having long since accepted that she and Zhu Yong Wen were completely different from who they were in high school.
With tears streaming down and snot rolling out of his nose, as soon as Zhu Yong Wen heard Lin Nan’s words, he cried even harder.
This little chubby guy was overly sensitive, a bit too much like the Lin Nan of the past.
She sat next to Zhu Yong Wen, feeling somewhat at a loss.
With girls crying, that’s understandable—they usually just had some grievance to vent. But guys were a whole different ballgame.
They often seemed carefree, and who knows how long their grievances had been bottled up? A little trigger could cause them to explode at any moment.
“Okay, okay, high school is all in the past. Let’s look forward; reminiscing is fine sometimes.” Lin Nan whispered comforting words, gently patting Zhu Yong Wen’s thick back, which felt soft to the touch.
Seeing he was still crying, Lin Nan realized he probably wasn’t just reminiscing about high school; it likely had to do with not being happy in college.
“Did your roommate bully you?” Lin Nan recalled him complaining before.
Zhu Yong Wen nodded, his face a mess of snot and tears.
“You should have said something! When you start school, I’ll go with you! I’ll punch them one by one!” Lin Nan scolded fiercely, “Dare to bully my desk buddy? They’ve got a d*ath wish!”
Of course, Lin Nan wouldn’t actually run off to avenge Zhu Yong Wen; she wasn’t that kind of hothead.
Besides, they were already adults; Zhu Yong Wen should learn to handle his own problems.
Watching him cry, Lin Nan turned to Chen Yao with a look of helplessness.
Chen Yao shrugged, stepping forward with two bottles of drink in hand, shoving one into Zhu Yong Wen’s hand. “Drink!”
The chubby guy whimpered and tilted his head back, downing the alcohol without a word, toasting with Chen Yao and chugging away.
Meanwhile, Lin Nan occasionally offered low words of comfort. Back in high school, Zhu Yong Wen had always been bullied for various reasons, but at least back then, he had a few close friends, and classmates could just tease him a bit. He could also keep his distance from the annoying ones.
But in college, it was his first time away from home and living with others. Class seating was random, and many only knew their roommates. If a bad apple ended up in the dorm, there was no escaping.
After two bottles, Zhu Yong Wen’s emotions gradually settled down.
Lin Nan handed him a pack of tissues with a smile and a teasing remark: “You’ve always been so carefree and chubby! Why are you so embarrassed today?”
“It’s all good now.”
“You’re fine, but I’m going to remember this for a lifetime,” Lin Nan joked. “Even when you’re six feet under, I’ll be telling everyone what happened today.”
He muttered back, “You’ll definitely go first.”
Chen Yao’s face darkened. Here I am, drinking with you to lift your spirits, and you’re cursing my girlfriend?
“Let’s continue singing. If we don’t sing at KTV, what a waste,” Lin Nan handed the microphone to Chen Yao and leaned in, whispering, “Did I sound good just now?”
Without hesitation, he nodded, “Amazing! You could totally be a singer!”
Despite the fact that Lin Nan’s voice was too quiet to hear over the music.
Encouraged, Lin Nan suddenly felt a surge of confidence: “Then I’ll give it another shot!”
“I’ll help you pick a song.” Zhu Yong Wen wiped his tears away, “What do you want to sing?”
Lin Nan hesitated again; she really didn’t know many songs. After pondering for a long time, she tentatively asked, “Little Dirty One?”
“What era is that from?” Zhu Yong Wen almost burst out laughing. “They probably don’t have it at KTV.”
“Two Tigers? Insects Fly?” Lin Nan only dared to sing those kids’ songs, relying on her decent voice.
“How about you go for an eight-k*ll combo instead?” Chen Yao casually suggested. “Something like ‘Majestic!’ would work.”
Lin Nan looked up in confusion; she had never heard of those two songs.
