Jason ate two apples that He Tao had washed, which made him feel less hungry.
"Come on, let's sing," Fannie said, using the remote control to search for songs.
"Director Wu, it's your birthday today. What song would you like to sing?" Fannie smiled at Wu Qing. Although she hadn't really wanted to come, Wu Qing had mentioned that Jason would be attending, so they all came along to have some fun.
"Then I'll sing Jacky Cheung's 'I Want to Chat with You in the Wind.' This is my signature song. Back in college, when I sang this, many girls fell for me," Wu Qing said, becoming increasingly excited. Having the chance to show off in front of these three beautiful women today—if any one of them showed interest in him—it would make him the big winner of the evening.
"Alright, it's queued up," Fannie said, putting the remote control aside. Hearing Wu Qing's bold claim, she was actually curious to hear his so-called "signature song."
Meanwhile, Jason, who was sipping on tea, showed little interest. After sitting for a while, he opened a bottle of beer and slowly drank while snacking.
"Next, I'll dedicate this song, 'I Want to Chat with You in the Wind' by Jacky Cheung, to the three beautiful ladies here. I hope you'll enjoy it," Wu Qing said as he picked up the microphone and stood up.
He stood on his toes, holding the microphone in his right hand and gripping the microphone cord in his left, striking a pose like a pop star.
"Look at Director Wu's stance—he looks like a Hong Kong-Taiwan pop star," Jason whispered to He Tao.
"We'll see once he starts singing," He Tao replied skeptically, casting a sideways glance at Wu Qing. Liu Meiqin, who had been mostly silent the entire time, appeared uncomfortable in this lively atmosphere.
"Ms. Liu, what song would you like to sing? I'll order it for you," Jason asked, eager to please Liu Meiqin, who looked so gentle and composed.
"Thank you, Mr. Jason, but... I really don't sing. Please, you all go ahead; I'll just listen," Liu Meiqin said, shaking her head.
"Ms. Liu, are you from Fucheng Town?" Jason continued trying to make conversation with her. Since there were only two men in the room—himself and Wu Qing, who was about to start singing—Jason felt it was his duty to keep the conversation going.
"Yes, my family is from Liu Village in Fucheng Town," Liu Meiqin nodded, taking a sip of tea. Her graceful demeanor caught Jason's attention. It seemed each of these women tonight had her own unique charm.
"I want to chat with you in the wind..." Wu Qing began singing.
As soon as Jason heard the first few notes, he nearly spat out the beer he was drinking.
What the hell? This is his so-called signature song? It seems that "signature" here doesn't mean good, but rather infamous. Because what Wu Qing was singing could hardly be called a song. He kept adjusting the original pitch up and down erratically.
Most people who sing badly have trouble staying on pitch. But Wu Qing not only had no sense of pitch but also managed to make the pitch veer wildly in all directions.
Normally, people who sing out of tune either go too high or too low. But our dear Director Wu somehow managed to hit both high and low off-key notes simultaneously, turning "I Want to Chat with You in the Wind" into something more like "I Want to Drive You Crazy."
Fortunately, they were in a private karaoke room. If this had been a public venue, some angry patrons might have thrown bottles at him.
He had claimed that girls had fallen for him in the past. They were probably just knocked out cold by his horrendous singing.
At this point, He Tao covered her ears and hurried to the bathroom, while Fannie took out her phone, pretending to take a call, and slipped out of the room.
Now, only Jason and Liu Meiqin were left. With no other choice, Jason covered his ears. Seeing this, Liu Meiqin hesitantly covered her ears as well.
Finally, when Jason saw the song lyrics disappear from the TV screen, he lowered his hands from his ears. Wow, coming to karaoke like this was no easy task. Jason swore he would never join Wu Qing for karaoke again.
"Meiqin, how was my singing? Wasn't it amazing?" Wu Qing put down the microphone, grinning as he looked at Liu Meiqin.
"Well... this..." Liu Meiqin hesitated. If she told the truth, it might hurt Wu Qing's feelings. But if she lied, it would go against her conscience.
"Of course it was good, Director Wu. This song should only exist in heaven; it's rare to hear it in the human world," Jason interjected, covering for Liu Meiqin, who seemed too embarrassed to respond.
"Really?" Wu Qing's eyes sparkled with delight at Jason's praise.
"It's as true as pearls. If you don't believe me, you can ask Fannie," Jason cleverly passed the question over to Fannie.
"Fannie, what did you think of my singing?" Wu Qing, feeling great about himself, asked eagerly.
"Well... I was just about to enjoy it, but a call came in, so I went out to answer it. I missed most of it," Fannie said apologetically, waving her phone.
"He Tao, did you hear my performance?" Wu Qing quickly turned to He Tao, who had just returned from the bathroom.
"I... I just came out and didn't catch it," He Tao quickly replied.
"What a pity! You all missed such an incredible performance," Wu Qing said, looking disappointed. "Why don't I sing it again?" he suggested, reaching for the remote.
"Let's not, Director Wu. A great song only needs to be heard once. Singing it again might spoil it. Come on, let's have a drink instead," Jason quickly interjected to stop him.
"Yes, let's drink instead of singing," Fannie added, also dreading the idea of listening to Wu Qing sing again. After all, too much of that could either give you nightmares or keep you up all night.
"Alright, let's drink," Wu Qing agreed cheerfully.
Wu Qing pulled out some beers from under the table and filled everyone's glasses. "Cheers, and thank you all for celebrating my birthday tonight. I'll drink first as a toast."
"Happy birthday, Director Wu," Jason said, drinking the beer in his glass. The refreshing taste was just what he needed.
"Meiqin, why aren't you drinking?" Wu Qing noticed that Liu Meiqin's beer glass was still untouched.
"Director Wu, I don't drink alcohol. I'll use tea instead," Liu Meiqin explained apologetically. She picked up her teacup. "I'll use tea to toast to your birthday."
"No, that's not sincere enough. You need to drink this entire glass," Wu Qing insisted, pointing at her untouched beer.
"I really can't drink," Liu Meiqin said, shaking her head.
"That's not showing me any respect," Wu Qing's tone grew angrier as he stood up.