Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 47 Debut

Wang Zhilong's words created an awkward silence. If they criticized him, they risked making a spectacle of themselves sitting together; if they didn't, his demeanor and words were truly disheartening. So, everyone turned away to do other things, deliberately ignoring him.

The tables were arranged along the railing, about two meters away from it, forming a semi-circle. Inside, a projection screen hung on the wall in front of it, and the projector sat on an old desk. At that time, there were no VCD players, only LDs, which were called laser disc players. Projectors were called "little movies" and were still a rarity because they were very expensive. Even the cheapest DVD player cost more than ten or twenty thousand yuan, and a projector cost three times that amount.

During this period, all the equipment used in this field in China was Japanese products, such as Panasonic, NEC, Sharp, and Dongzhi. There were also German products, which were more expensive.

This semi-open-air music tea bar was set up by the railway cultural center; private individuals wouldn't dare invest so much money in it. Karaoke was already in its nascent stages at this time, but it consisted of VCRs and large color TVs, costing three to five yuan per song, and was mostly sold from open-air roadside stalls.

This can only be done at night; the light is too bright during the day, and the image is not clear.

Soon the young man brought over Xiao Hong's white fungus soup, Yang Changjiu's tea, and Wang Zhilong's coffee. The music that had been playing stopped, and everyone looked over to see that the people at the next table had requested a song.

The staff member behind the desk fiddled with the music for a few moments, then picked up the microphone and said, "Table three, please enjoy 'Can We Play?'" A waiter then ran over, took the microphone, and handed it to table three. A man with a slicked-back hairstyle and a suit stood up demurely and took the microphone. The surrounding onlookers fell silent; the entire venue became quiet, save for the sounds of cars on the street outside.

The man holding the microphone cleared his throat, coughed, nodded to the person playing the song, pressed a button, the music started, the still image came to life, revealing Andy Lau's young and handsome face. At this time, Andy Lau was not yet thirty years old, and was in the prime of his life.

How could I forget your voice, which used to surround me every day? My heart is frozen, refusing to recall it, but helplessly, I close my eyes and the memory returns...

To be honest, the sound system back then was just about amplifying the sound and manually adding reverb. Whether you sang well or not depended entirely on your talent. This guy seemed to be a veteran. He held the microphone, closed his eyes slightly, and sang with deep emotion, swaying his body to the music as he sang, which drew applause and cheers from his classmates and the onlookers outside.

Xiao Wei and his friends clapped along. The few country bumpkins watched the other person sing with a mixture of envy and longing, eager to try but unsure of themselves. As they listened to the song, their minds were racing, with all sorts of thoughts and feelings surging through their heads. Before the other person had even finished singing, these guys were already blushing and sweating profusely.

My mouth was dry, so I drank some tea and then casually leaned back in my chair, watching the singing over there, unaware of how affected my actions were. The more you care, the more familiar you are with something, the more confident you become, and the more natural you appear; conversely, a lack of awareness reveals a sense of insecurity. People are inherently self-centered, subjectively interpreting the people around them based on their own senses.

It's like suddenly tripping and falling down while walking. You're overwhelmed with shame and embarrassment, and even your getting up has to be done with a deliberately nonchalant air to show you're relaxed and indifferent. But inside, you're devastated, feeling like the whole world is staring at you with a gaping maw. But what's the truth? Nobody cares about you or pays attention to you except yourself. Even if you fall and get covered in blood, you'll only get a few seconds of attention from passersby.

"This is delicious. Can I make it at home?" Xiao Hong asked Xiao Wei as she ate her white fungus soup from a small bowl.

Xiao Wei glanced at it and said, "Sure, I'll find someone to learn it tomorrow. It shouldn't be too difficult. Don't you sing? Weren't you going to sing 'My Future Is Not a Dream'? You can practice here."

Little Red's face flushed slightly. She gave Xiao Wei a shy glare, then glanced furtively at the singing area. She seemed tempted, yet also quite embarrassed. Subconsciously, she popped something into her mouth and said, "Delicious, sweet, and smooth. I want to eat this at home."

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "Okay, I'll learn tomorrow."

At this moment, Wang Zhilong, who was sitting to the side of Xiao Hong, reached out and tapped the table in front of Xiao Hong with his finger. Xiao Hong and Xiao Wei turned their heads to look. Wang Zhilong leaned over and lowered his voice, saying, "Don't finish it. Leave some."

Xiaohong looked at the contents of the bowl. The bowl was small, only enough for five or six bites, and there was still some left? "Why?"

Wang Zhilong smiled mysteriously, his eyes disappearing instantly, and whispered, "When you come to a place like this, you have to leave some food behind. You can't finish it all. That's how you show you come here often, otherwise people will laugh at you."

Xiao Wei paused for a few seconds, then asked, "Who said that? Is there a rule?"

Wang Zhilong laughed again, and his thin mustache twitched when he laughed, making him look a little sleazy, but he still tried to put on a very serious and confident expression, which was a bit funny.

Xiao Hong turned to look at Xiao Wei, who said, "Ignore him, he's just talking nonsense." He then turned away from Wang Zhilong.

After the group finished singing, the man with the parted hair handed the microphone back to the waiter, nodded modestly to those around him to express his gratitude for the applause, and then sat back down.

"Table 7 requested 'I Want to Fly,' please enjoy."

The waiter ran over with a microphone. Chen Hui stood up, took the microphone, coughed, and nodded to Fang Ge. Only then did everyone realize that table number seven was their table.

Facing the failure of love

No choice

Is it wrong for me to work hard day and night?

All I got in return was sadness.

My blurry silhouette in the rain is me.

Don't you love me anymore...?

As the music started, Chen Hui's voice surprisingly sang quite well. He didn't make the same intoxicated gestures and expressions as before, but simply held the microphone with both hands, looked at the lyrics on the projector, and sang seriously. He sang very steadily, clearly someone who had experience with this before.

After the song ended, everyone at the tables and those watching outside applauded, cheered, and shouted for another song. Someone on the side was calculating the bill: eight people, enough tea and such to sing eight songs, plus three plates of snacks and an unlimited supply of coffee.

After he finished singing, the waiter didn't come to get the microphone. Chen Hui simply sat down and handed the microphone to Xiao Hong, who was bewildered: "Huh? For me?"

Chen Hui said with a smile, "Xiao Wei said you wanted to sing 'My Future Is Not a Dream,' so I've already picked it for you. This is it."

Before the words were finished, someone on the other end of the playing music announced, "Table seven has requested 'My Future Is Not a Dream,' please enjoy."

Xiao Hong's face flushed bright red instantly. She took the microphone in a daze, stood up, swallowed several times, gripped Xiao Wei tightly with one hand, took two deep breaths, and hesitantly nodded towards the singer.

As the intro began, Xiao Hong took another deep breath and stared intently at the projection screen. Back then, there weren't any dedicated karaoke accompaniment discs. Although there were subtitles, there were no countdown prompts, so it all depended on familiarity with the material.

Xiao Hong was nervous, shy, and fearful, and lacked confidence. Her body was trembling. She gripped Xiao Wei tightly with her left hand, making him grimace, but he didn't dare to make a sound. Xia Maosheng and Li Guangzhao and the others glanced at her and chuckled.

Because of nervousness and unfamiliarity, Xiao Hong missed the first line by a beat, but this was a song she was very familiar with, so she adjusted a little and got into the groove. In this era, without television, computers, or cell phones, and with tape recorders still being a luxury item, people had very few opportunities to learn to sing, and they had to memorize lyrics, which they would painstakingly find and copy into notebooks.

"Are you like me, even if you've experienced indifference?"

Don't give up on the life you want

Are you like me, always busy pursuing...?

Seeking an unexpected tenderness…

From the third line onwards, Xiao Hong became much more natural. Apart from her voice trembling slightly due to nervousness, she sang quite well. Women's voices are naturally a few octaves higher than men's, so singing this song was no challenge for her.

After she finished singing, applause erupted from all around. Xiao Hong seemed to have lost all her strength all at once. She sat down and leaned against Xiao Wei, panting. Xiao Wei could clearly feel her heartbeat.