Chapter 50: An Unexpected Encounter

(Sorry, I had something to do today, so it's a bit late.)

The next singer's performance wouldn't start until 10:30 PM. Currently, the speakers were playing soft love songs, and the noise of the bar was almost on par with the music, neither overpowering the other. Cheng Xiaoyu, while repeatedly saying "Sorry," was pushing his way through the crowd.

The middle of the bar was filled with scattered tables. Some people were sitting on wooden high stools, while others, lacking seats, stood. Due to the large number of people, the plump Cheng Xiaoyu's journey to the center was like a salmon swimming upstream, causing ripples throughout the central area of the bar.

Xu Qinling, seeing Cheng Xiaoyu about to make a mistake, laughed uncontrollably and instructed Li Ling'er to go and watch the scene.

Cheng Xiaoyu had just finished performing and had wandered around the crowded bar for two rounds, already drenched in sweat, his pimply face looking even more greasy. By the time he managed to squeeze to the central stage with great effort, the rose in his hand had already lost several petals, looking wilted and unappealing when he raised it.

As he approached to give the rose, he noticed that there were two more boys at the table, one of whom was wearing a baseball cap and was quite handsome. This boy had clearly noticed his actions. Cheng Xiaoyu hesitated for a moment, but his hand, which had already reached out, landed on the shoulder of a girl with long, flowing hair who was sending a text message.

The girl turned her head slightly and saw the wilted rose in Cheng Xiaoyu's hand and his sweaty, comical smile. Cheng Xiaoyu was a bit surprised by the girl's appearance; she had willow-like eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, skin as white as snow, a small and straight nose, and cherry lips with a layer of lip gloss, which added a captivating color. A tiny beauty mark at the corner of her mouth was perfectly placed, making her delicate and refined face come alive. Seeing the incomprehension in her eyes, Cheng Xiaoyu knew he had made a mistake and said, "Sorry, are you Tang Wenqian?"

The girl frowned in disgust, barely glancing at Cheng Xiaoyu, and coldly replied, "You've got the wrong person."

Cheng Xiaoyu awkwardly smiled, withdrew the flower, and the baseball cap-wearing handsome boy asked the girl with the beauty mark, "Do you know this fat guy?"

Cheng Xiaoyu felt relieved, considering his task completed, but the embarrassing scene made him feel uncomfortable.

Before he heard the girl with the beauty mark respond, he heard a greeting.

"Cheng Xiaoyu?" A somewhat unfamiliar female voice sounded in his ear.

Cheng Xiaoyu was puzzled, thinking he must have guessed right, or how would she know his name? He turned his head and saw that it was Fu Xiyue, the daughter of the music store owner, standing next to the girl with the beauty mark.

The baseball cap-wearing handsome boy immediately asked Fu Xiyue, "Your friend?"

Fu Xiyue, with her beautiful and innocent face, nodded and softly said, "Yes."

Cheng Xiaoyu was internally collapsing, thinking it was truly a case of no coincidence without a book. He never expected to meet Fu Xiyue in such an awkward situation. He forced a smile and said, "Sister Yue, hello, I didn't expect to run into you here."

Fu Xiyue was very enthusiastic towards Cheng Xiaoyu, switching seats with the girl with the beauty mark and pulling Cheng Xiaoyu over. "Didn't you say you were coming to my store? Why have you been out of touch?"

Cheng Xiaoyu smiled and said, "I've been busy these past few days and haven't had the time. I'll come by when I have some free time."

Fu Xiyue leaned closer to Cheng Xiaoyu and introduced the baseball cap-wearing handsome boy, "This is my senior at Fudan University, Du Xing, from the music club." Then she introduced Cheng Xiaoyu to Du Xing, "This is a junior at Fudan High School, a guitar expert in his senior year, Cheng Xiaoyu."

Cheng Xiaoyu politely smiled at Du Xing, who also smiled, but his smile was full of disdain. Cheng Xiaoyu didn't mind and just wanted to find an opportunity to leave as soon as possible.

Fu Xiyue then introduced another long-haired boy, Qin Yi, who was also from the Fudan music club. Qin Yi wore black-rimmed glasses and had several earrings in his ears, looking like a cool and rebellious type, the kind that girls often like.

Finally, Fu Xiyue introduced the girl Cheng Xiaoyu had mistaken, "This beautiful sister you tried to approach is Liu Huaming, the resident singer at Qianting Fengyin Bar, famous at Fudan and Jiaotong University. Cheng Xiaoyu, you must have admired her for a long time and came here to meet her, right?" Fu Xiyue joked.

Cheng Xiaoyu couldn't explain that he had bet with someone he hadn't met. He could only awkwardly say, "I was just betting with a friend. They said I wouldn't dare to give her a flower, so I impulsively came over!"

When Fu Xiyue introduced Cheng Xiaoyu, Liu Huaming didn't say a word and didn't bother to acknowledge him. She was there because the recent popularity of Danghuo Forest had affected the business of Qianting Fengyin. She had brought her band's guitarist, Du Xing, and drummer, Qin Yi, to check it out. She was truly impressed by the quality of the music, which was far superior to what she was used to. The gap was so significant that it was hard for her to accept, making her particularly irritable. Especially the lead singer of the band, who was not only stunningly beautiful but also had an incredible voice. The attention of everyone at the table was on Xia Shamo, and they didn't even notice Cheng Xiaoyu hiding in the shadows.

Even Fu Xiyue didn't realize that the guitar expert she mentioned was also the keyboardist of Guilt Crown. She had no idea that all the music was composed by Cheng Xiaoyu.

Liu Huaming, already in a bad mood, found Cheng Xiaoyu's appearance and actions annoying. She couldn't understand why Fu Xiyue was so friendly with a plain-looking, chubby boy.

Fu Xiyue poured Cheng Xiaoyu a beer, and he planned to toast and then leave. He could tell he wasn't welcome.

Cheng Xiaoyu toasted Du Xing and Qin Yi, drinking his glass dry, while they only sipped. When it was Liu Huaming's turn, Cheng Xiaoyu smiled and apologized, "Sister Liu, I'm really sorry. Please drink as you like, I'll drink mine."

Liu Huaming raised an eyebrow and looked at Cheng Xiaoyu, who looked like a clown, and said, "Your apology with that small glass isn't very sincere, is it?"

Cheng Xiaoyu was a bit taken aback. He didn't think he had done anything overly wrong, even if his appearance was a bit unappealing. He suppressed his smile and asked, "What do you think would be more sincere, Sister?"

Liu Huaming's smile became radiant as she lifted the pitcher and placed it in front of Cheng Xiaoyu, "This is more sincere."

Du Xing and Qin Yi also joined in, laughing and egging him on, "Sister Liu is personally inviting you to drink. What a privilege! If you're a man, drink it all in one go. You had the courage to approach her, so a pitcher of beer shouldn't be a problem. Maybe if she's in a good mood, she'll give you her phone number." To them, Cheng Xiaoyu was a joke, not even worth considering.

Fu Xiyue was a bit embarrassed. She didn't know why things had turned this way. She had joined the music club to learn guitar and wasn't very familiar with the seniors who were already famous at Fudan. She had come out because Liu Huaming, whom she admired, had invited her. She thought Cheng Xiaoyu, with his excellent guitar skills, would have something in common with them, but she didn't realize that some people are naturally judgmental based on appearance.

If Cheng Xiaoyu were handsome, Liu Huaming might have been pleased. Even if he were average, she wouldn't have been annoyed. But Cheng Xiaoyu's clumsy appearance and actions made Liu Huaming feel insulted. The more she looked at him, the more she found him annoying.

Cheng Xiaoyu, seeing Liu Huaming's mocking smile, was irritated and wanted to leave.

Fu Xiyue pushed the pitcher away and said to Liu Huaming with a forced smile, "Sister, Cheng Xiaoyu is just a high school student and can't drink that much. Don't be so hard on him."

Du Xing, who had a crush on Fu Xiyue, was annoyed by her defending the fat boy and said mockingly, "He's not even fully grown and is trying to flirt. Bringing out a 10-yuan rose to show off, I wonder if he's stupid. Xiyue, how do you know such an idiot?"

Fu Xiyue was also uncomfortable but didn't show her anger, saying expressionlessly, "You're being a bit too harsh. What gives you the right to look down on others? Cheng Xiaoyu's guitar skills are better than anyone in the music club. Can you stop being so arrogant?"

Du Xing laughed and said, "Xiyue, don't be fooled by this guy. You've only been learning guitar for a short time, how can you know his level? He doesn't even have calluses on his hands, how good can he be?"

Cheng Xiaoyu, annoyed by the callus comment and the baseball cap-wearing boy, coldly said, "Want to have a competition?"

Du Xing, amused by the plump, fair-skinned boy, said, "I don't know where you get your courage. How do you want to compete?" He wanted to show off his guitar skills in front of Fu Xiyue and prove his superiority. He had already dismissed the keyboardist of Guilt Crown as subpar.

Cheng Xiaoyu, expressionless, said, "On stage, of course." Inside, he was delighted. This was an opportunity to embarrass them, and he was more than willing to do so.

Du Xing, a resident singer at the bar, was not intimidated and coldly said, "Fine, let's follow the rules. Whoever gets the most roses wins. The loser drinks ten bottles of beer, how about that?"

Cheng Xiaoyu smiled genuinely and said, "I won't accept the loss." Then he squeezed his way to the stage.

The crowd had already noticed the commotion and made way. Du Xing, Qin Yi, and Liu Huaming followed, laughing and talking as if they could already see Cheng Xiaoyu vomiting and running out of Danghuo Forest.

Fu Xiyue was conflicted. Neither outcome would be good for her. She followed, feeling frustrated and regretting having stopped Cheng Xiaoyu in the first place.

Cheng Xiaoyu walked onto the stage, picked up the microphone, and the regulars at Danghuo Forest, recognizing the funny fat boy, applauded, thinking Guilt Crown was about to perform.

Du Xing and his friends realized something was off but weren't concerned. Du Xing was confident in his guitar skills, having learned from one of the top three guitarists in Shanghai, Duan Hongliang.

Cheng Xiaoyu smiled and said, "Thanks for the support. Since this Fudan music club member, Du Xing, wants to compete with me, I hope those who support me will give me a few roses. Otherwise, I'll have to get drunk and crawl out of Danghuo Forest!" The audience, always eager for a show, cheered and applauded. Such competitions often happened at the bar, usually between rivals.

Chen Jinglong, in the audience, quickly approached Cheng Xiaoyu and asked what was going on. Cheng Xiaoyu smiled and said, "Personal grudge, no big deal."

Seeing Cheng Xiaoyu's confidence, Chen Jinglong knew he was reliable and let them have their fun, which would be good for the bar.

Xu Qinling and Su Yuxi's table was in an uproar. After Li Ling'er exaggerated the story, Xu Qinling wanted to go down and beat up the people who had disrespected Cheng Xiaoyu. To her, Cheng Xiaoyu was her exclusive toy and couldn't be played with by others.

Su Yuxi remained expressionless.

Amidst the noise, Du Xing sat down and picked up an acoustic-electric guitar.

(End of the page)

(End of the page)