LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 9 - Gu Yan Asked Me to Sing?!
“When did he arrive?” Song Qiuzhi unconsciously asked, not noticing the oddness in her own tone.
Sister Jing smiled and looked up, saying: “It’s been over half an hour. He kept asking when the resident singer would come.”
How annoying!
Song Qiuzhi shifted her gaze away and put down her guitar case after composing herself.
“Sister Jing, I might need to sing one or two fewer songs today. The weather report predicted heavy rain, and I’m worried about my mom being alone at home tonight.”
Upon hearing this, an unusual emotion flashed briefly in Sister Jing’s eyes.
Song Qiuzhi noticed Sister Jing’s slightly abnormal expression and actively asked: “Is something wrong, Sister Jing? If it’s not okay, I can finish my songs before leaving…”
“Ah, it’s not about that.”
Sister Jing sighed helplessly, “Qiuqiu, I’ve actually been feeling sorry for you all this time.”
As soon as she heard Sister Jing say this, Song Qiuzhi’s heart immediately sank.
Across her two lifetimes combined, she had heard far too many similar phrases – generally, when someone used such words as a prelude, what followed was rarely optimistic.
Sure enough—
Sister Jing pressed her lips together, and after hesitating for a moment, she steeled herself to explain: “Qiuqiu, you probably won’t be able to continue this part-time job anymore.”
Song Qiuzhi was stunned for a moment, but her expression quickly returned to normal.
“It’s okay, Sister Jing, I understand.”
There was no feast that lasted forever – Song Qiuzhi had always been certain of this principle.
The bar’s business hadn’t been doing well all year, and to be honest… Song Qiuzhi had long anticipated that a scene like this would eventually come.
“I’m glad you understand, Qiuqiu. Do you still want to sing today? You’ll get paid as usual, and it’s fine if you don’t want to sing.”
Sister Jing said with a slight sigh.
Song Qiuzhi forced a smile and nodded: “I’ll sing. I’m already here, and besides, Xiao Hai and the others probably won’t arrive for another hour or so. We can’t let the stage stay empty during that time.”
She would fulfill her duties for the day, and Sister Jing had been really good to her all this time – there was nothing to complain about.
“Alright, start whenever you’re ready. I need to get back to work.”
Sister Jing avoided Song Qiuzhi’s gaze and left after saying these final words.
Watching Sister Jing’s hastily retreating figure, Song Qiuzhi let out a soft sigh, then took out her guitar from the case and prepared to start today’s work.
What should she sing?
Song Qiuzhi thought while adjusting the microphone angle.
About to become unemployed – it would be a lie to say she wasn’t feeling disappointed, but Song Qiuzhi instinctively didn’t want to show any signs of dejection or sadness.
Because Gu Yan was in the bar…
She couldn’t let that bastard see her in a vulnerable state.
“We were once so beautiful~”
“Feeling your warmth and heartbeat~”
“But you…”
“Suddenly left, and I could never find you again~”
Song Qiuzhi chose an old folk song from this world as her first song. It had decent popularity, but the quality was only above average.
Moreover, the folk song trend from previous years had already passed. The response was lukewarm, with customers mostly engaged in conversation and drinking, hardly anyone paying attention to Song Qiuzhi’s singing.
Except for one person.
Halfway through the song, when Song Qiuzhi unconsciously looked up, she suddenly met Gu Yan’s gaze from where he sat at the bar.
This guy was actually smiling at her?
Damn it, this dog was so annoying. Ever since their reunion, Song Qiuzhi found that her good luck seemed to have disappeared completely.
This bastard…
From a distance, Gu Yan smiled and swirled his glass.
This gesture of his suddenly made Song Qiuzhi feel a bit dazed, as if the present Gu Yan and the person from many years ago were gradually merging into one.
It seemed like—
This guy Gu Yan had also worked part-time at a bar near the university back then?
Song Qiuzhi frowned slightly, gradually recalling some events from those years.
At that time, Song Qiuzhi had just proposed the terrible idea of “keeping” him after learning about Gu Yan’s family situation, and he hadn’t agreed yet.
She remembered it was summer when she went to that bar with some friends and happened to run into Gu Yan working there.
His singing was pretty decent, but due to his personality, he would inevitably get nervous singing in front of so many people, making his voice unstable.
What had she said back then?
Song Qiuzhi remembered she had drunk a lot that day.
After Gu Yan finished a song, she had drunkenly pulled him off stage and teased him about preferring to sing at a bar for such little money rather than accepting her offer to keep him.
“You’re drunk, Student Song Qiuzhi…”
She remembered that Gu Yan seemed to really dislike her then, saying these words while pushing her away.
“Oh? Then accept my offer to keep you. In the future, you won’t be allowed to drink, so I won’t have to worry no matter how much I drink.”
Song Qiuzhi vaguely remembered responding to him like this.
However—
After Gu Yan later reluctantly accepted Song Qiuzhi’s arrangement, he used “you said I couldn’t drink” countless times as an excuse to refuse anyone’s drinking invitations, including her own.
Thinking of this, Song Qiuzhi suddenly felt angry.
All that talk about not drinking, and now look at him – expert at everything, huh?
Hah, learned how to be kept too, did you?
Damn bastard!
Back then, to get you directly out of the bar, I had to open twenty-eight bottles of Suntory HIBIKI whiskey.
That was more than 50,000 yuan, ah, well, might as well consider it feeding a dog, sigh…
Song Qiuzhi sang somewhat absentmindedly, moving from folk songs to pop, from pop to Cantonese songs, and from Cantonese to English songs, kind of letting herself go free.
It wasn’t until several young people dressed in trendy, strange clothes walked into the bar laughing and chatting that Song Qiuzhi stopped.
It was Xiao Hai and the others, the resident band of Jia Lan Zhi Ye Bar.
OK, unemployed now~
Song Qiuzhi reflected inwardly as she began to pack up her things.
The stage needed to be returned to its rightful owners…
“Thanks for your hard work, sis.”
The band’s lead singer Xiao Hai came over with a smile and greeted her: “Heard from Sister Jing you won’t be here anymore, see you around in the future.”
Song Qiuzhi nodded: “Sure, see you around.”
This kid had a good personality, quite open-minded and mature for his age, which was rare.
She didn’t have any conflicts with them either — and ultimately, the real attraction for customers was their somewhat famous band, while she was at most just someone who kept the atmosphere going.
So, Song Qiuzhi didn’t harbor any negative feelings.
Before leaving after packing up her things, Song Qiuzhi couldn’t help but glance in Gu Yan’s direction one last time.
This guy still wasn’t planning to leave?
Song Qiuzhi felt several inexplicable emotions in her heart, like disappointment, but mixed with something else…
So this bastard really just came here to drink? Not to cause trouble for me?
Drink then, drink yourself to death!
Song Qiuzhi withdrew her gaze and strode away.
“Qiuqiu, wait…”
After just a few steps, the bartender’s somewhat anxious voice came from behind.
Song Qiuzhi’s footsteps paused, and she turned her head to look at the bartender who had been standing behind the bar just moments ago but was now rushing over at full speed.
“Brother Hai, what’s wrong?”
The bartender called Brother Hai stopped and said breathlessly: “Don’t… don’t be in such… such a hurry to leave…”
“Just… just now…”
“That… that Mr. Gu at the bar… ordered… ordered a bottle…”
“Of thirty-year-aged HIBIKI whiskey for you, sis! That whiskey sells for 66,000 at the bar, your commission alone is 8,000!”
Upon hearing this,
Song Qiuzhi froze on the spot.
Huh?
Gu, Gu Yan ordered drinks for her? And it was thirty-year-aged HIBIKI?!
Has this guy gone crazy? Why order such expensive liquor?
But bro…
Song Qiuzhi looked bewilderedly in Gu Yan’s direction, but only saw his back.
What exactly was this guy trying to do?
“Don’t just stand there, sis,” Bartender Brother Hai patted Song Qiuzhi’s shoulder and urged: “That customer specifically requested you to sing.”
“This guy’s weird, ordering such expensive liquor, but he himself has just been drinking Sprite…”