茶杯狐 -CUPFOX

Chapter 115 People Like Me

“I’m sorry, I don’t drink alcohol,” Xiang Kun politely declined.

He could sense that Tang Baona’s friends were fairly easy to get along with. Perhaps it was true what they say about birds of a feather flocking together.

Tang Baona brought over a few bottles of mineral water and placed them on the table in front of Xiang Kun, telling the man with braids, “Chef Xiang not only doesn’t drink alcohol, but he also doesn’t drink any beverages, only water.”

The man with the braids praised him with a smile, “Good habit.”

A female student sitting next to him curiously asked, “You don’t even drink coffee? Or juice? Isn’t that taking away half the fun of life?”

The man with the braids glanced back at her and flicked her nose, “Do you think everyone gets confused without coffee like you?

Xiang Kun knew that this couple were husband and wife. Yang Zhen’er had just introduced them. They had been dating since primary school, breaking up and getting back together over a decade before finally getting married.

“By the way, how did you meet Nana and Yang Lao San?” the woman asked curiously.

Yang Zhen’er shouted from behind, “Call me Yang Lao San one more time, see if I don’t bite you!”

Knowing that Tang Baona probably hadn’t told her friends they had met through a blind date, Xiang Kun simply said, “My classmate knows Nana’s sister. ”

Then several girls took turns picking songs and singing with Tang Baona. It was clear that Tang Baona had dominated the mic at karaoke in the past, so they all knew what songs she liked to sing.

That being said, Tang Baona sang beautifully, and she was even able to sing some complex songs in Cantonese and Japanese, such as Hard Sutra and Spaceship, each rendered effortlessly and pleasingly.

Although Yang Zhen’er and the other girls were not as good singers as Tang Baona, they all had unique voices and a basic level of skill. It made one wonder whether they had learned music before.

As Xiang Kun enjoyed their singing, he thought back to his university days when he, Zi Cheng, and Chang Bin would go to karaoke. It was an entirely different scene.

From The Internationale to Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies, from Judge Bao to Affection Across, from Queen’s Road East to Your Sister Lives in the City, they would just belt everything out. He remembered that Zi Cheng’s favorite songs were all by Jay Chou, but only the first two lines of each song had the correct lyrics, with the rest being unintelligible. As for the pitch and melody, they were naturally non-existent, but they always had a blast.

On the other hand, when Chang Bin occasionally brought his female classmates, they all seemed more reserved and uncomfortable, not quite able to let loose and have fun.

“Chef Xiang, your turn to pick a song! We’ve all sung, it’s your turn to sing one! There’s an old saying, isn’t there, that a chef who can’t sing isn’t a good programmer!” Suddenly, the fellow with the braids cued Xiang Kun after finishing his song.

Listening to this, both Yang Zhen’er and Tang Baona’s faces subtly changed. Clearly, they remembered the fear they felt during their first card game, dominated by Xiang Kun’s singing.

However, Yang Zhen’er’s face soon brightened, and she began to enthusiastically second the braids’ guy’s suggestion, insisting Xiang Kun should sing a song for Nana’s birthday! A real man would sing! A good friend would sing!

Xiang Kun could tell from her expression what she was up to. Was she planning to use his singing to annihilate Nana’s friends…?

Then he saw Tang Baona also start to make a fuss, encouraging him to pick a song.

In this situation, it was hard to find an excuse not to sing. The more he resisted, the more curious the others became and the more they wanted him to sing.

Left without a choice, Xiang Kun picked up the microphone and selected a song. He planned to sing and then take the opportunity to privately tell Tang Baona that he was leaving early. Otherwise, he was afraid something might happen when he got hungry.

Xiang Kun selected Mao Buyi’s song, “People Like Me”. At least this song didn’t contain high notes that could easily break his voice.

At first, he just wanted to sing a song casually to get by. But as the prelude started, Xiang Kun gradually began to feel the rhythm.

He quite liked this song and listened to it regularly over the past two years. Occasionally, while walking home after working late, he would listen to it through his earphones and couldn’t help but hum along with it softly.

Some of the song lyrics truly resonated with him.

..People as excellent as me, are destined to shine throughout their lives. Why is it that after over thirty years, I am still drifting in the sea of people…”

Although Xiang Kun’s voice didnt change much, and his pitch wasn’t perfect, his storytelling tone and his serious yet somewhat deep expression, were in perfect harmony with the lyrics and melody of the song.

In the private room, everyone —including Yang Zhen’er and Tang Baona— shifted their attention to Xiang Kun singing. A girl who had been replying to a WeChat message also stopped inexplicably and stared at Xiang Kun blankly, her finger suspended over her mobile screen, forgetting to type. The young man with braided hair, who had initially been whispering to his wife, also paused, adjusted his glasses, and watched Xiang Kun perform, surprised.

…People as vulgar as me, never fond of being deep, can get lost in the rhythm of an old song…”

Xiang Kun couldn’t help but to recall when he first heard this song. He had finished a late shift, and on the subway, the song randomly played on his music app. As he listened, he decided to put the song on repeat.

“…Will anyone pity a person as bewildering as me…”

As the last note rang out, Xiang Kun let out a seemingly unintentional sigh. When he looks up, he noticed the unexpected silence in the room, everyone’s gazes rested on him.

He paused for a second, then quickly realized that he had unintentionally succumbed to “Emotional Assimilation” again.

How could he have been so unprepared!

Xiang Kun coughed awkwardly to break the silence in the room. As there was no automatic music coming up next, the public service announcement against drugs playing in the room brought everyone back to reality.

The young man with braided hair couldn’t help but to clap, “You sing really well, very touching. You captured the mood perfectly.”

The others also agreed that Xiang Kun sang very emotionally and that it was beautiful, encouraging him to continue.

Xiang Kun was apologetically declining the request while signaling to Tang Baona. Then, he walked out the door first as he began to feel hungry..

In the private room, including Yang Zhen’er, everyone was still immersed in the emotions evoked by Xiang Kun’s song.

The man with braided hair’s wife wrinkled her brow and said, “Strictly speaking, his singing wasn’t marvelous, but it had an unexplainable impact on me. I felt as if I saw a working-class man, carrying a backpack, walking alone on the street in the middle of the night, looking both exhausted and lonely. It made me feel slightly distressed.”

Another person nodded and said, “Same here — I felt as if I was looking at someone sitting in the last subway train of the night, listening to a song then falling asleep, and then waking up to find that he had been crying.”

“The chef, Xiang, is indeed an interesting character. Yang, your and Nana’s new friend is multi-talented. His singing skills, with a bit of professional training, could even be taken to a talent show. Technique is easy to pick up, but it’s hard to find someone with such a strong emotional appeal!” said one friend to Yang Zhen’er.

At this moment, Zhen’er was still lost in thought. She couldn’t associate the

Xiang Kun singing just now with the Xiang Kun who sang while playing Landlord for the first time — she almost got frightened to death by his singing at that time. This time, while Xiang Kun was singing, she inexplicably felt like crying.. Were these songs sung by the same person? Last time, he also sang Mao Buyi’s song! Why was there such a huge difference!