Chapter 6: Singing

"Jiang Qianyu, what song would you like to sing? I’ll put it on for you," Zhou Quanyi asked.

Jiang Qianyu thought for a moment and replied, "Blue and White Porcelain."

At her words, Zhou Quanyi agreed at once, selecting the song and moving it to the top of the list.

Hearing that Jiang Qianyu was about to sing, Jiang Zheng glanced over, curiosity piqued. This girl, so strikingly beautiful—he wondered how she would sound.

Soon, the accompaniment of "Blue and White Porcelain" began to play. Jiang Qianyu parted her lips and sang, "The porcelain blank is outlined by a brush, deep then fading…"

The moment she began, everyone was stunned. Her voice was exquisite, bringing a new feeling to the song.

Before long, she finished, and the group remained captivated, unable to recover from the spell she had cast. After a while, applause broke out.

"That was wonderful! Sing another one!" Zhou Quanyi called out.

Jiang Qianyu smiled faintly. "I won’t, I ate too much spice today—my throat’s a bit uncomfortable."

Zhou Quanyi was a little disappointed, but since Jiang Qianyu’s throat wasn’t well, he couldn’t insist. He was about to say something when the door to the private room swung open.

Everyone turned to look. The doors in these sorts of private rooms couldn’t be locked, but usually, no one entered except the waitstaff—and even they only came in when delivering something.

As everyone wondered who it could be, the person outside strode in.

"Qianyu, it really is you—I thought I was mistaken when I heard your voice outside," said the newcomer, a delicate-looking young man with a fawning smile.

Jiang Qianyu frowned slightly and said, "Qu, I’m singing with my friends now. If you don’t have any business, please leave."

Her words were hardly polite; her meaning was clear—she was telling him to go.

But this Qu seemed oblivious, smiling as he said, "Singing? Perfect, I sing too. How about I perform a song?"

He glanced around the room, his gaze finally settling on Zhou Quanyi. "You don’t mind, do you, everyone?"

Zhou Quanyi frowned, wanting to say they minded, but after all, it wasn’t his call alone. The others exchanged looks, but for a moment, no one spoke.

"Since no one minds, I’ll do my best," Qu said with a smile, taking the microphone from Zhou Quanyi’s hand.

The group was speechless at his audacity, but he already had the microphone—no one could very well snatch it back. Sometimes, one simply had to maintain appearances.

Jiang Qianyu’s face darkened; she ignored him and returned to her seat, shooting the others an apologetic glance.

Yang Po frowned. "Who is this guy? He’s got some nerve."

He and Zhou Quanyi had organized this get-together, and now a stranger had barged in to sing—it was enough to put anyone in a foul mood.

At this point, Li Sha whispered, "That’s Qu Shoujie, one of Qianyu’s suitors. She’s turned him down many times, but he just won’t give up. He’s really annoying."

Yang Po curled his lip and said nothing more.

"Since Qianyu just sang ‘Blue and White Porcelain,’ I’ll sing ‘Rice Fields,’" Qu Shoujie announced.

Jiang Qianyu couldn’t be bothered to respond or even look at him. She simply closed her eyes.

Soon, the lively accompaniment of "Rice Fields" started. Qu Shoujie swayed lightly to the beat.

"If you have too many complaints about the world, if you fall, you’re afraid to move forward…" he sang.

Qu Shoujie sang well, his voice pleasant. Yet, though most couldn’t pinpoint the difference, it was clear he didn’t measure up to Jiang Qianyu’s performance. Still, among everyone present, his singing was the best—except for her.

When he finished, Qu Shoujie gave the group a challenging look, targeting especially the other men.

Immediately, Zhou Quanyi, Wang Bing, Liu Hua, and Yang Po all felt a surge of anger. It was natural to want to shine in front of the opposite sex, and to be challenged by a rival was infuriating.

"Fifth, go up there and sing one—don’t let him look down on us," Zhou Quanyi said through gritted teeth.

If only he could out-sing Qu Shoujie himself, he’d have competed right then and there. The challenge in Qu’s eyes was obvious to all.

"Boss, I might not be up to it," Wang Bing responded.

In their dorm, Wang Bing was the best singer—the guitar on the wall belonged to him. He was angry at Qu Shoujie’s provocation, but he knew his own limits; he couldn’t sing as well.

"What are you afraid of? Even if you lose, we can’t let him think we’re cowards. That’s the bottom line," said Zhou Quanyi.

"Exactly! Don’t worry, Fifth—we’re all behind you!" Yang Po chimed in.

"Go for it, Fifth," added Liu Hua.

Wang Bing hesitated. He knew he couldn’t compare, but seeing the encouragement in his friends’ eyes, he gritted his teeth and stood up.

Qu Shoujie smiled. "You want to sing too? What song?"

Wang Bing replied, "I’ll sing ‘The Girl by the Bridge.’"

It was his favorite song, one he often sang in the dorm.

"Great!" Zhou Quanyi led the applause. Soon, Yang Po, Wang Bing himself, and even the usually silent Jiang Zheng joined in.

Wang Bing blushed a little but quickly regained his composure.

On the girls’ side, they had noticed the tense atmosphere, but none said a word.

Soon, the accompaniment to "The Girl by the Bridge" began. As the prelude passed, Wang Bing began, "In the warm sunlight, I greet the fragrance—whose daughter is she by the bridge…"

He sang earnestly, trying his best to stay in tune. Even so, Qu Shoujie’s face showed a trace of mockery.

When Wang Bing finished, Zhou Quanyi led a round of enthusiastic applause.

They all knew Wang Bing’s singing couldn’t match Qu Shoujie’s, but he was their brother—win or lose, they had to keep up their spirits.

Wang Bing’s face was flushed with embarrassment. He had tried his best, yet still fallen short.

As he returned to his seat, Zhou Quanyi clapped him on the shoulder. "You sang well, Fifth."

"I…" Wang Bing hung his head.

"It’s fine. You did your best," Zhou Quanyi reassured him.

Wang Bing sighed inwardly, feeling dejected.

"Anyone else want to sing? If not, I’ll start again," Qu Shoujie said with a smile.

Jiang Zheng and the others all looked unhappy.

"Anyone else good at singing? This guy is too arrogant—someone needs to bring him down a peg," Zhou Quanyi said.

"Who could? If even Fifth can’t out-sing him, what hope do we have?" Yang Po replied.

They all knew each other too well—there was no need for pretense.