When Lu Chen took the stage, Xiao Mi was sitting at Table 035, not far from the stage.
Nibbling gently on the straw in her iced drink, she darted her gaze among the three girls sharing her table, wearing the picture of an obedient, innocent girl who was just there to watch and keep quiet.
Yet the hint of mischievousness and playfulness shining in her lively, expressive eyes somewhat betrayed her true nature.
Xiao Mi's full name was Mi Xuan. This nickname had been given to her by the oldest girl in her dorm. She was a freshman at Beijing Normal University, having celebrated her nineteenth birthday just a few days ago.
Originally, she had planned to spend tonight reviewing her studies in the library, but her roommates—the oldest, second, and third girls—had practically dragged her along to Houhai, saying that since they were about to say goodbye to their freshman year, they should go out and check out some handsome guys! The atmosphere at this bar called Forget-Me-Not was actually quite nice.
Xiao Mi had been to bars in Sanlitun before, but the frantic, decadent, and rowdy atmosphere there had frightened even her—a teenage girl who was used to playing the good girl while harboring a tiny streak of rebellion inside.
The bars in Houhai were undoubtedly much quieter and more peaceful, and of course, a lot more bourgeois.
So where were the handsome guys they had promised? Where were they?
The singer who had just stepped off the stage was very young. He sang well enough, it seemed, but unfortunately he liked to put on airs, probably thinking he was drop-dead gorgeous and charming as he kept batting his eyelashes at the customers—ugh!
Taking a small sip of her iced drink, she wondered how she could pan-fry or boil alive the oldest, second, and third girls, who were currently grinning from ear to ear, just to vent the depression in her heart.
Right as she was deep in thought, practically on the verge of revealing her little devil's tail, Xiao Mi heard singing drift over from the stage.
"Tomorrow, will you wonder?"
"Yesterday's diary you wrote."
"Tomorrow, will you still care about?"
"The you who loved to cry the most."
She froze.
The singing was clean and crystalline, carrying a faint touch of melancholy. It was a melody and lyrics she had never heard before.
Yet it was truly wonderful!
Xiao Mi couldn't help lifting her head to look toward the stage. A young man wearing a blue T-shirt and jeans was sitting on a stool, cradling a guitar and singing with deep affection.
What was this song called? What was this handsome guy's name? Xiao Mi stared at him without blinking, and suddenly all the depression in her heart vanished into thin air!
It wasn't until he finished singing that she snapped back to her senses and was the first to start clapping.
"Xiao Lu, sing it again!"
Accompanied by enthusiastic applause, someone shouted aloud, "The You of the Same Desk!"
By this time, Xiao Mi finally knew the name of the singer and the song. Although she couldn't be completely certain yet, the suggestion by the others undoubtedly won her over wholeheartedly—she hadn't heard enough just yet!
"Little girl, come back to your senses~"
A fair palm suddenly appeared right before her eyes, waving back and forth to block her view.
The oldest girl in her dorm smiled slyly. "Did you fall for this handsome guy? Is your little heart starting to flutter?"
"Big sis!"
A faint blush instantly stained Xiao Mi's pretty face. "What are you talking nonsense for!"
Seeing her bashful and flustered look, the oldest, second, and third girls were beside themselves with amusement, laughing so hard they almost knocked over their wine glasses.
Fortunately, the atmosphere at the venue was very lively—some people were applauding and cheering, while others were letting out wolf whistles—otherwise, there was no telling how much attention the group of them would draw, and then she would have really made a fool of herself.
The handsome guy on the stage didn't live down everyone's expectations; smiling, he agreed and sang the song once more.
A thought stirred in Xiao Mi's heart. Taking advantage of the moment when everyone else's attention had shifted away, she quietly fished her phone out of her pocket, opened the camera function, and began filming the stage.
When she was more than halfway through recording, she suddenly felt the surrounding atmosphere turn a bit strange and instinctively turned her head.
A waiter was standing right beside her, staring intently at the phone in her hand with a rather unsightly expression. "Miss, filming is not allowed in the bar. Please bear with us and cooperate, thank you!"
Among the regular patrons of Houhai bars, many were workplace elites, along with quite a few industry insiders and even celebrities. Most of them valued their privacy and naturally didn't like being pointed at by someone else's lens while coming out to relax and unwind.
That was why places like Forget-Me-Not had "No Filming" signs posted in prominent spots near the entrance.
Xiao Mi stuck out her tongue, hurriedly put her phone away, and said, "I'm sorry."
She was pretty and cute, and since she apologized immediately, the waiter naturally couldn't say much more. He nodded and walked away.
"Little Mi, girl!"
The oldest girl glared at her with a fierce look—I brought you out to have fun, not to embarrass yourself! Tonight back at the dorm, you're getting the heavy treatment!
Xiao Mi lowered her head in shame, as if repenting for the mistake she had committed. But in reality, she still held her phone in her hand, her fingers tapping swiftly across the touchscreen, skillfully typing out a long string of text.
"Spotted a handsome guy at the Houhai bar tonight, along with a super pretty song!"
This was the title of a new post. Xiao Mi attached the video she had just recorded and uploaded it to the Beihai City Forum that she frequented.
The Beihai City Forum—which was essentially the Beihai University Town Forum—was very popular among student groups in Beijing. It had a high volume of daily IP and PV visits, gathering a massive number of students from capital universities. The slightest ripple in any university was likely to be reflected in the corresponding boards right away.
Xiao Mi had posted it using her own account purely for fun.
Normally, a post like this would have an extremely short lifespan on the Beihai City Forum; it would quickly be pushed down by a flood of new posts and sink to the bottom, vanishing from everyone's sight.
Perhaps it would be accidentally dug up by someone at some point, but it would basically go completely unnoticed.
Still, Xiao Mi didn't care. She just wanted to express her love for this song—and as for the person singing it... well, just a tiny bit too!
Meanwhile, Lu Chen had no idea that he had gained a fan.
He earnestly sang "The You of the Same Desk" a second time, and once again reaped a shower of tips in the form of bottles of beer.
Many of the guests who came out at night were student couples. Compared to white-collar elites, their financial resources were limited, so they generally wouldn't tip singers, at most ordering a bottle or two just to show support.
Tonight was different, however. After two renditions of "The You of the Same Desk," Lu Chen actually received over a hundred tips. Based on the resident singer's 70 percent split, that amounted to a cut of nearly fifteen hundred yuan!
Pity that such good fortune didn't happen every day; it was only because it was the weekend and customers spent more generously. Otherwise, relying on such lucrative tip splits, Lu Chen could live quite comfortably without having to worry day and night about his family's massive debts.
Among those hundred-plus tips, student couples contributed quite a few, with many of the girls getting the guys to foot the bill.
Some of the guys were reluctant, but without exception, they were nagged and complained to by their girlfriends.
Spoiled type: "Do you even love me?"
Cold and arrogant type: "Forget it, I'll pay for it myself."
Scheming type: "Heh, you're not jealous, are you? Don't overthink it, I just like this song!"
Overbearing type: "One bottle isn't enough! Send two more!"
………
Any guy with a shred of emotional intelligence who didn't want to go back to being single had no choice but to obediently fork over the cash.
Even if it meant gnawing on salted vegetables and steamed corn buns the next day.
While Lu Chen was raking in the tips, this also earned him a fair share of resentment from the male students.
So what if you're good-looking?!
Their resentment was so intense that even Lu Chen, sitting on stage, could feel it.
After a moment's thought, he spoke into the microphone, "Thank you all for your support. The next song I'm going to perform is still my own original work, and what's more, it's being performed at Forget-Me-Not for the very first time. Therefore, everyone present here will be the pristine listeners of this song!"
Whoa! A mild commotion instantly broke out inside the bar. Many guests unconsciously straightened their posture, their expressions growing much more serious, while quite a few others revealed looks of excitement and thrill.
The term "pristine listeners" originally referred to a certain NPC character in an online game, where any player who sang loudly into a voice microphone could receive different rewards.
Later on, it was widely borrowed to mean the first listener or group of listeners of an original musical piece or song.
"Pristine listeners..."
In the large room backstage, Ye Zhenyang curled his lip in utter disdain. His gaze drifted toward the tightly closed door of the inner suite as he said softly, "Even Brother Qin wouldn't dare say something like that!"
If "pristine listener" were treated as a title of honor, it wasn't something that could be casually bestowed upon others, because it was simultaneously a form of self-glorification.
There were plenty of amateur singer-songwriters, but without sufficient confidence and certainty, no one dared claim that the people hearing their original work for the very first time were pristine listeners—because this title was only fit for truly outstanding works; otherwise, it would make one a laughingstock!
Who did Lu Chen think he was, daring to boast so shamelessly?
Keep in mind that even the true big brother among Forget-Me-Not's singers—Qin Hanyang, the soul of the Hesitation Band—had performed his own original songs at the bar many times and had never once brought up this moniker!
Li Hong and Wang XiaoShuai, who were present, both wore approving expressions, but Sister Na smiled faintly and said, "Xiao Lu is very talented. That song 'The You of the Same Desk' from just now has the potential to become a hit. I believe his new song shouldn't disappoint."
Ye Zhenyang's expression turned a bit awkward, but he didn't dare talk back.
Although Sister Na and the Hesitation Band each had independent dressing rooms, she usually preferred to stay in the outer room chatting with other singers, listening to their performances and the sounds coming from the bar.
If Lu Chen hadn't proven his strength with "The You of the Same Desk," Sister Na might have been unimpressed as well. But right now, she held very high expectations for the new song Lu Chen was about to perform!
Even she hadn't noticed that this anticipation actually contained other implications.
Out on the stage, Lu Chen struck the chords for the intro of the new song.
Inside the bar, it grew quiet once more.