Chapter 649 Sing For Me
The trip from the shooting location to the city took roughly forty minutes by car. Ning Ran felt slightly tired. She rarely spoke while sitting inside Huang Zichao’s car.
On the other hand, Huang Zichao was in an excellent mood. He bobbed his head in time to the music and occasionally hummed.
Ning Ran kept quiet. She closed her eyes to rest and left Huang Zichao to his own devices. Eventually, she fell asleep. When Huang Zichao woke her up, they were already in the city.
“Are you exhausted? If you are, I can send you home to rest.” Huang Zichao felt somewhat disappointed.
“It’s nothing. I’m feeling much better now. I wasn’t exhausted as well. It’s just that the music you played in the car was too soothing. I felt relaxed and fell asleep because of it.” Ning Ran was embarrassed. “Your sleeping face is quite attractive.”
Ning Ran’s face warmed. “Sorry about that.” “It’s fine. If you aren’t tired, why don’t we have a few drinks?”
“Okay.” The bar Huang Zichao chose was not the noisy sort. It also did not broadcast loud music. Instead, a young girl with an acoustic guitar was singing a folk ballad inside.
Ning Ran immediately took a liking to the place the moment she stepped inside. Ever since she returned to the country, she had been embroiled in various inexplicable situations. She was mentally fatigued.
The life-and-death situation she encountered some time ago continued to plague her dreams. Feeling relaxed upon arriving inside, she truly liked the atmosphere.
Apart from Huang Zichao, there was no one here who knew her. Everyone was a stranger. There was no need to keep her guard up as there was no beneficial relationship that needed to be made or maintained.
Huang Zichao ordered a platter of fruits, some snacks, and fruit beer. “The alcohol concentration in this is very low. You won’t get drunk so don’t worry.” Huang Zichao laughed.
“Thanks.” Ning Ran smiled. “That girl is quite good at playing the guitar. Should I request she sing you a song?” Huang Zichao teased.
Ning Ran waved her hand. “No need. She can sing anything, and I’ll still enjoy it. She doesn’t have to sing something just for me.”
“She can earn extra income if we pick a song. A song costs a hundred. If you like her, you should make a request,” Huang Zichao said.
Ning Ran had never been here before. Hence, she had no idea that was how it worked. “But what if she doesn’t know how to sing the song I selected?”
“Then, you’ll just have to pick another. The girl is a performing arts student working here for the holidays. She has quite a personality. The other performers are willing to sing any song, but that girl only sings songs she likes. She’d never sing if it’s not a song she likes, no matter how much you pay.” Huang Zichao smiled.
“Haha. That’s interesting. All right, let’s have her sing ‘Yesterday Once More.’ I wonder if she’d be willing to sing it. If she refuses, have her pick something else. You’re the one paying anyway.” Ning Ran was amused.
Huang Zichao called for the waiter and gave him the money. Then, he wrote the name of the song, “Yesterday Once More,” on a slip of paper and had it sent over.
The waiter went over and passed the paper to the girl.
The girl glanced over at Ning Ran. Bathed under the lights, her features were very attractive.
Smiling in response, Ning Ran nodded and flashed the girl a thumbs up.
The girl began to sing as she strummed the acoustic guitar.
The original accompaniment for the song was not complicated. Hence, the girl’s simple acoustic guitar accompaniment did not feel out of place.
The thing that was unusual was that a girl as young as her managed to give the song a retro feel.
She was extremely devoted to her performance, which was pleasant to listen to.
“Stop! What the heck is that song? I don’t understand it at all. Sing something else.”
All of a sudden, someone complained. His voice was very loud, and everyone heard him.
The person who interrupted the performance was a slightly plump man. He wore a pink colored suit jacket while a huge gold chain dangled in front of his chest.
He had the air of a nouveau riche. Such people were often unbearable and hard to get along with.
The girl appeared to have not heard him. She continued to sing and strum along, showing no signs of being affected.
“I told you to sing something else! Didn’t you hear me? What are you even singing?”
Holding the beer in his hand, the slightly plump man strode toward the girl.
The waiter who tried to stop him was shoved to the side.
“I ordered you to stop. Sing something else. I can’t understand the gibberish you’re singing. Do you understand me?” The man pointed at the girl.
Still, the girl did not lift her head. She acted as if she did not hear anything and cradled her guitar with her head lowered. She continued to give the song her all.
Ning Ran could not help but feel impressed. The girl strived to perform the song in its entirety without being influenced.
The girl had accepted the money. Thus, she was going to give Ning Ran a perfect performance and not react to the man.
Truthfully, the girl had already done so. She did not pause for even a moment and played at a good pace.
“Are you ignoring me and putting on airs? I told you to stop singing gibberish!” the man yelled, dumping the beer from his glass onto the girl’s head.
The audience let out a surprised gasp.
Ning Ran and Huang Zichao both got to their feet.
What happened next astounded the onlookers. The girl only paused for a brief moment before she continued to sing.
The slight pause lasted only about two seconds.
After splashing beer on the girl, the man expected her to fly into a rage.
Unexpectedly, she buried her head and continued to sing. The plump man was flummoxed.
“I told you to sing something else! Didn’t you hear me? I’ll pay you! Just sing something else!” the man shouted.
Ning Ran could not bear to watch it any longer.
He’s such a bully! How can he pour his beer on her? The girl’s not even complaining. How dare he continue to sully her?
The girl did not respond. She continued to sing and play the guitar until she finished the last note of the song.
Only then did she stand up and bow in the direction of Ning Ran and Huang Zichao.
“Miss, I apologize for being unable to perform the song perfectly. I’m sorry. If you don’t mind, you can select another song. Free of charge of course,” the girl said.
Obviously, the words were directed at Ning Ran.
Ning Ran was astonished. That girl is something else! She’s so young. Even in the face of being doused with beer by someone, she did not flinch and continued to finish the song. She even expressed her apology as soon as the song ended. She flawlessly ignored the provocative man in front of her.
Only a person with an open mind was able to do that. After all, the strongest reproach for a person was to look down on him—to treat him as if he were air.
The girl treated the man as if he did not exist, completely ignoring him.
The man was disconcerted at being ignored. He pointed at the girl and shouted, “Hey, I’m speaking to you. Sing me a raunchy song. I’ll pay you a thousand!”
“Sir, I don’t know the song you requested. Please don’t disrupt my work.”
Unflustered, the girl fished out some tissues and wiped the beer on her head. Following that, she readjusted her guitar and prepared to perform once again.
“F*ck! How dare you ignore me?” The man flew into a rage and kicked the girl.
The girl had been preoccupied with her guitar and was caught unaware. She was directly kicked down by the man, and her guitar fell to the side.
Ning Ran could no longer bear to keep watching.
The jerk actually hit her in front of so many people. She’s only singing to earn some cash, and yet he got provoked and bullied her.
Before Huang Zichao was able to hold Ning Ran back, the latter had already rushed over.
“Why did you hit her? She didn’t even do anything to you.”
Ning Ran turned to glare at the man as she reached out and helped the girl up.
The man scrutinized Ning Ran. What a gorgeous woman. She’s way more beautiful than the singing girl.
“Who the h*ll are you? Are you her accomplice? She refuses to sing for me, and yet you stand up for her. Okay then, why don’t you sing instead?” The man pointed at Ning Ran.
