Qin Sisi didn't initially wish to go. However, noticing everyone else's excited demeanor, she felt reluctant to trample their mood. Encouraged persistently by Lin Shan, Qin Sisi decided to join them, believing that Wang Ji'an wouldn't misbehave with so many people around.
What later unfolded made Qin Sisi truly understand the phrases 'bold as brass' and 'wolf in sheep's clothing'.
When leaving the office, Qin Sisi considered how to explain the clingy cat, Xiao Hei, to her colleagues, if he showed up. However, Xiao Hei was still nowhere in sight as Qin Sisi got into her colleague's car.
Qin Sisi found this a bit unusual, as well as slightly disappointing. Why hadn't Xiao Hei come? She had already gotten a little used to his waiting for her outside the office after work.
Watching as several cars carrying the dozen or so members of Qin Sisi's department drove off, Xiao Hei eventually emerged from the corner of the building where he had been lingering for quite some time. He had evidently overheard the chatter and laughter of the group, and appeared to have a sense of what was happening. He lifted his head slightly, his gaze following Qin Sisi and her colleagues as they moved further away, his eyes slowly darkening.
Wang Ji'an led everyone to a decent KTV karaoke bar, reserved a large room, and ordered some food, at which point everyone began to enjoy themselves.
Wang Ji'an was the first to take the stage, naturally earning applause and cheers, after which others began to step up one by one to sing. The atmosphere was lively; the audience joined in, and drinks were exchanged.
After Lin Shan finished a passionate song amid polite applause, more perfunctory than actual praise, she exclaimed, "Who's next?"
Even though the mood was fiery, being working professionals, they maintained an unspoken balance, trying to involve everyone equally.
"That's right, who's next?"
"Who hasn't sung yet?"
"Sisi, Sisi hasn't sung yet."
Someone spoke up and all eyes were instantly on Qin Sisi.
Lin Shan excitedly rushed over, handing her the microphone and urged, "Sisi, go, go quickly. Let's hear your singing voice."
Feeling somewhat disoriented, Qin Sisi stood up, holding the microphone tightly in her hands. "I... I don't have much experience. I might not sing well..." she nervously responded.
"No problem."
"Exactly, we're all just having fun here."
"We're all friends here, don't worry about it."
Her colleagues' words appeared comforting. Nevertheless, their underlying sentiment was that Qin Sisi, inexperienced and generally unremarkable, couldn't possibly deliver a good performance.
Without further ado, Qin Sisi picked a song with a slow melody. As the flowing intro played, Qin Sisi took a deep breath, steadied herself and started singing. Her voice was soft, melodious, and ethereal, sounding almost celestial.
Her singing seemed to possess something almost magical. It was like a dewdrop rolling on a green lotus leaf in the clear early spring morning, or like a slender hand softly plucking everyone's heartstrings. The formerly lively room silenced instantly, as if fearing to disturb the captivating sounds.
While Qin Sisi hadn't been to a KTV much, she was adept at singing. Her dad was a music teacher. Although he only worked in a small local school, he was a professionally trained musician, giving her a solid musical foundation from an early age. She enjoyed singing and was often the lead vocalist in choirs while growing up.
When she was thirteen, her father passed away in a car accident. For a long time, Qin Sisi didn't sing at all. In college, she would occasionally hum a few lines, but it seemed that she had never truly sung a whole song before.
During her college days, she went to KTV only once or twice with her classmates. She would always sit quietly in the corner. Being naive students, they assumed that Qin Sisi could not sing and never compelled her. Without everyone's prompting that day, she would not have stepped forward.
The lights in the room were already dim, making the corners even darker. In one such dark corner, no one noticed a pair of purple eyes fixed unwaveringly on Qin Sisi as she sang.
Who would have thought she had such a good voice? Maybe I can provide her with some training at some point...
Xiao Hei's musings were interrupted by the grating sound of shattering glass. As Qin Sisi's singing had quieted everyone, the sudden noise was particularly jarring.
Qin Sisi's song stopped abruptly, and everyone turned with distaste towards the direction of the noise, where a man was unsteadily getting up.
This man, of course, was one of Qin Sisi's colleagues, known as Xiao Liu. Not much older, skinny as a monkey, with a fairly agreeable personality. He just had a bit of a lecherous streak and particularly enjoyed telling dirty jokes in front of female colleagues, though this just seemed to be all talk and no action.
Xiao Liu had drunk a bit too much and had knocked his glass off the table, hence the breaking sound.
Slurring his words, Xiao Liu muttered, "I didn't...didn't get it right...Sorry...Sorry..."
A colleague had already gone out to call a staff member to clean up the mess while someone else helped Xiao Liu up from the pile of shattered glass.
Perhaps with a bit of remorse, Xiao Liu grabbed another cup, filled it with alcohol, walked to Qin Sisi, and said, "Si...Sisi... I'm sorry... Here's to you... Bottoms up!" With those words, he downed his drink.
Not one for alcohol, Qin Sisi hesitated. In this situation though, not drinking might seem as if she was unwilling to forgive Xiao Liu. Reluctantly, she steeled herself and downed her drink as well.
Xiao Liu appeared very pleased, mumbling "Good…good…" as he moved aside. Whether emboldened by alcohol or not, as Qin Sisi was turning around, Xiao Liu actually put his warm hand on her delicate shoulder.
Qin Sisi stiffened, feeling disgusted. She quickly took a few steps forward, shaking off Xiao Liu's repugnant hand, and sat down between Lin Shan and another female colleague.
Xiao Liu, staggering, managed to return to his seat.
What had happened had only taken a moment. In the dimly lit room, no one had noticed this small incident. However, it didn't escape the gaze of those purple eyes from the corner.
Xiao Hei took in Xiao Liu's slightly sleazy face, a flash of chilling light in its purple eyes. Its lithe figure then turned with quick steps, disappearing into the darkness.
The party was briefly disrupted by Xiao Liu, cooling down the atmosphere slightly. However, with some colleagues skilled at controlling the atmosphere, the scene quickly heated up again, the crowd continuing to enjoy themselves for an hour more before dispersing.
As Wang Ji'an paid the bill, everyone started to leave in small groups. Suddenly, one of the colleagues said, "Wait? Where's Xiao Liu? I don't think I saw him leave."