Just past seven in the evening, Lu Chen arrived early at the Forget-Me-Not Bar.
Having learned his lesson from the previous night and rested well during the day, he had taken the subway to Houhai before the evening rush hour and grabbed a quick, casual bite near the pedestrian street.
Pushing open the door to the bar, Lu Chen was surprised not to see the owner, Chen Jianhao, behind the counter.
Instead, the tall, thin bartender with a handsome mustache smiled and nodded at him.
Before yesterday, Lu Chen would never have received such treatment.
"Morning, David!"
He walked over to greet him and asked curiously, "The boss isn't in?"
Chen Jianhao had poured his life savings into the Forget-Me-Not Bar and ran it with immense dedication. Unless an emergency arose, he was there every single night, and when business was busy, he would even serve drinks to customers himself.
David the bartender poured a glass of mint water for Lu Chen, shrugged, and said, "The BOSS probably had something to do."
David's Mandarin wasn't quite standard, carrying an awkward foreign accent. Although ethnic Chinese, he had grown up abroad and only returned to live in the country a few years ago.
"Thanks, David!"
Downing the glass of water in one go, Lu Chen headed for the back room; he still didn't know the performance schedule for the night.
"Don't mention it."
David put away the glass and said sincerely, "I really like the song you sang last night. Cool."
He gave Lu Chen a thumbs-up. "Keep it up!"
Lu Chen smiled, brought his fists together in a greeting, and headed into the large back room.
To his surprise, he wasn't the earliest to arrive tonight—several people were already inside.
Aside from Forget-Me-Not Bar's resident singers Sister Hong, Ye Zhenyang, and Wang Xiaoshuai, even Sister Na was there, making five people in total including the emcee, sitting around and chatting.
"Xiao Lu!"
Seeing Lu Chen walk in, Sister Na was the first to stand up, walking over with a broad smile to give him a big hug. "Congratulations on the promotion!"
Lu Chen said sheepishly, "Thanks, Sister Na."
Zhang Nana, Sister Na, had just turned forty this year. Among the singers at the Forget-Me-Not Bar and even the wider Houhai circle, she was the most senior. Legend had it that she had left home at seventeen to drift across the country, chasing her passion for music.
Sister Na was an official contracted singer at Forget-Me-Not. Her looks were ordinary—you could even say a bit plain—with high cheekbones, thick lips, a slightly flat nose, and deep crow's feet at the corners of her eyes when she smiled.
Yet no one dared underestimate her on that account. She possessed a unique talent for singing; her wide vocal range and rich experience allowed her to effortlessly handle highly challenging songs. She was a true powerhouse vocalist.
Chen Jianhao had once remarked in private that the reason Sister Na hadn't made it big after more than twenty years wasn't just her looks, but because she had never encountered a great song of her own, nor a mentor who truly understood music.
Had it not been for that, he might never have been able to recruit her to perform at Forget-Me-Not.
Even so, Sister Na had a magnanimous temperament, entirely free of bitterness over unrecognized talent. Whether facing the humblest waiter in the bar or the biggest stars of the Hesitation Band, her attitude remained warm and friendly.
As a result, she was the best-liked person there!
Lu Chen also had a very good relationship with Sister Na. Back when he first managed to get on stage at Forget-Me-Not, it was this big sister who had put in a good word, getting Chen Jianhao to nod and agree.
For this, Lu Chen had always been deeply grateful.
With Sister Na taking the lead, the others offered their congratulations as well, all knowing that Lu Chen was now a resident singer.
Previously, Lu Chen had been the sole request singer at the Forget-Me-Not Bar, holding the lowest status. Now, at least, he stood on equal footing with Li Hong and Ye Zhenyang, enjoying the same terms and treatment.
"Sister Na, Xiao Lu sang an original song last night,"
Li Hong said with a smile. "He brought down the house—someone even wants to sign him to an entertainment agency!"
Though it sounded like casual banter, the sour undertone in her voice was impossible to mask.
Aside from Sister Na, the expressions on Ye Zhenyang and Wang Xiaoshuai's faces were less than natural.
The Forget-Me-Not Bar was small, and with only a handful of staff and singers, any whisper of news spread rapidly through their tight-knit circle.
Last night, Lu Chen had won over every customer with an original song called The You of the Same Desk and had even caught the eye of Qingyu Media, which wanted to sign him as a new artist to develop and package.
If it were just that, they might have felt a touch of envy and jealousy at most. After all, the Houhai scene was full of down-and-out singers spotted by a discerning eye and soaring to success overnight; Lu Chen would simply be another lucky soul.
What left them dumbfounded, however, was that Lu Chen had actually turned them down!
That was beyond their comprehension. How could Lu Chen not cherish a precious opportunity that others would kill for? It made them look ridiculous by comparison! Ye Zhenyang chuckled, "Too bad Xiao Lu has such lofty ambitions. Otherwise, when he becomes a big star in the future, he could pull the rest of us along so we could share in the glory!"
Compared to Li Hong, he was even more put out by Lu Chen; he wouldn't feel right unless he dropped a couple of sour remarks.
Just two days ago, Lu Chen had been a nobody he could ignore at will; now, not only had he become a resident singer like him, but he was drawing even more attention! Lu Chen frowned inwardly. It wouldn't do to take Ye Zhenyang's words too seriously, nor would it do to brush them off entirely, and he had no desire to exchange pleasantries with him.
"Xiao Lu will definitely be a big star someday!" Sister Na patted Lu Chen's shoulder and said, "I came too late last night and missed your own song. You have to sing it again tonight!"
Lu Chen quickly replied, "All right, and I'll have to ask Sister Na for more pointers."
Compared to the others, Sister Na's attitude toward Lu Chen was undoubtedly far more sincere, rescuing him from the awkward spot with just a few words.
The likes of Ye Zhenyang certainly wouldn't dare make trouble after that.
Sister Na smiled and said, "Pointers are out of the question. Since you have such talent, Xiao Lu, you should share it sooner—and write a great song for your Sister Na while you're at it. What do you say?"
Lu Chen thought for a moment and said earnestly, "Okay!"
His serious response took Sister Na aback.
What she had just said was really meant as a joke; she wasn't actually asking Lu Chen for a song.
Writing originals nowadays was no easy feat, and the domestic climate didn't favor original music either. Aside from a handful of true heavyweights, many professional lyricists and composers couldn't produce even one or two quality works in several years.
For an amateur creator like Lu Chen, stumbling upon a good song through sheer luck was a massive stroke of fortune. How could he possibly write brilliant works back-to-back, let alone tailor-make them? She had assumed Lu Chen was joking too, but seeing how deadpan and sincere he was, she couldn't help but be surprised.
Of course, as an old hand in the industry, Sister Na was startled for only a second before laughing, "Then I'll be waiting for your song!"
She didn't dwell on the topic any further, clapping her hands together. "It's almost time. I'll handle the running order for tonight—Xiaoshuai, you go warm up and sing a couple of songs first."
With owner Chen Jianhao absent, Sister Na was the undisputed little boss. Aside from the Hesitation Band, neither Li Hong nor Ye Zhenyang dared disobey her, and no one raised any objections to her arrangements.
Even Qín Hànyáng, the lead singer of the Hesitation Band, treated Sister Na with polite respect.
Since it was the final night of the weekend, past eight o'clock, the customers packing into the Forget-Me-Not Bar grew increasingly numerous, the vast majority being university students out in pairs.
The Houhai area was right next to the University City, which hosted a dozen nationally renowned institutions, including the Central Conservatory of Music and the Beijing Conservatory of Music.
Many students loved frequenting the bars in Houhai and Sanlitun, especially student couples. After eating dinner near the pedestrian street, they would come over to grab a two-seater, order a few cocktails or beers, and whisper sweet notes to each other while enjoying the live performance. It didn't cost much and was terribly romantic.
Seeing that the bar was nearing full capacity, the emcee hurried out to warm up the crowd, and Wang Xiaoshuai began the opening set.
By the time it was Lu Chen's turn to take the stage, it was already nine o'clock.
The moment he sat down on stage with his guitar, a customer let out a sharp, piercing whistle.
"Xiao Lu, sing The You of the Same Desk!"
Lu Chen smiled and nodded. Only that regular customer could whistle with such a bewitching, hooligan flair.
That was a regular who loved teasing the younger guys.
He definitely had to give him face!
"Tonight, the first song I'm going to bring you all is once again something I wrote myself,"
he strummed the strings lightly and said into the microphone, "The You of the Same Desk. I hope you'll like it!"
"We like it!"
No sooner had Lu Chen finished speaking than someone shouted loudly, "Sing it twice!"
Cheerful laughter rippled across the bar, like a stone dropped into a still pond.
Many of the newly arrived customers were astonished, as they had never heard this song before, and it was an original to boot.
Naturally, they couldn't understand why those regulars were so enthusiastic—an enthusiasm rarely seen in the Forget-Me-Not Bar, let alone directed at a young singer like Lu Chen.
Lu Chen didn't waste any words; he finished the intro and launched into tonight's performance.
"Tomorrow, will you wonder, about yesterday's written diary..."
The vocals seemed to carry a magic spell, instantly transforming the atmosphere of the bar with the guitar accompaniment. The murmurs, the clinking of glasses, and even cell phone ringtones gradually faded away.
Whether regulars or newcomers, everyone listened quietly to Lu Chen's singing and playing.
To the regulars, Lu Chen played The You of the Same Desk even better this time, delivering it with deeper emotion. Some of them even closed their eyes, letting their hearts feel the sentiment carried in the melody—memories, melancholy, nostalgia.
As for the newcomers, hearing The You of the Same Desk for the first time, they found it wonderfully fresh, and then delightfully catchy.
And then, they were deeply moved.
The charm of a classic, great song could transcend the barriers of time and space; even in a different world, it could still shine with dazzling brilliance!
For five or six short minutes, the Forget-Me-Not Bar was dead silent.
Only when the song ended, after a brief pause, did thunderous applause erupt!