Chapter 13

Karaoke With Prince Charming

Slap!

Si Hua was stunned when he was suddenly slapped across his face.

Bai Qinglan screamed and rushed to check on Si Hua’s condition.

Si Zhihan rose to his feet, his face red with anger. He pointed his finger at the mother and son and gritted his teeth. “Si Huang is a minor. Anything humiliating she does will affect her parents’ upbringing methods and Prime Entertainment’s reputation! It doesn’t really matter what her upbringing looks like at home, but we cannot be turned into a laughing stock in public! And plastic surgery? How much can a surgically-enhanced face be worth if this is real? Bai Qinglan! I can understand Si Hua’s rashness and naivety. He’s still young after all. But you? Are you incapable of understanding something as simple as that?”

Si Hua looked resentful and aggrieved, unsure of what had happened. Bai Qinglan, however, suddenly came back to her senses and looked very upset.

Si Zhihan stopped scolding them. He picked up his phone and dialed a number. “Hello, Secretary Wang? Mm. I believe there’s some news on the internet about Si Huang’s plastic surgery and a rift in our family. Deal with that immediately. I don’t want any more negative reports on this subject. What about the rest? Leave it. No need to concern yourself with those things. Okay, I want results by tomorrow.”

After the call, Si Zhihan turned to Si Hua, who still looked a bit confused and resentful. “Use your brain next time. I’ll have Si Huang concede and give you the role Director Liu gave her.”

However, Si Hua still wasn’t happy when he heard that the role would return to him. The word “give” felt more humiliating to him.

Si Zhihan waited for Si Huang’s return the rest of the night. Unfortunately, there was still no sign of Si Huang even at nightfall. He called her phone a few times, but there was no answer. Enraged, Si Zhihan came to a realization—Si Huang meant what she’d said on the phone!

…

The signboard “Night” shone brightly in the dark night.

Si Huang did not use the front door. She entered through the back door instead. There were quite a lot of people in the alley on this dusky night. Si Huang placed a mental filter over the slimy, horny voices around her. When she arrived at Night’s back door, she saw a man in a hip hop outfit standing there. He lifted his head and frowned when he saw Si Huang.

“What took you so long? Do you have any idea how much my time is worth?” he snapped impatiently. “Forget it, take this. It’s almost time. I’ve explained to the manager. It’s all on you now.”

The man tossed his guitar over to Si Huang, who caught it skillfully.

“Come on! What are you standing around for?”

Si Huang was speechless. She was beginning to understand the mix-up now.

She pushed her cap down, making its brim hide a huge portion of her face. She curved the corners of her lips into a small smile as she followed the man.

The man, Zhou Li, was stunned when he saw this. ‘This kid’s pretty good-looking. You can tell that he’s a handsome dude just by looking at his chin and lips,’ he thought. Then, his gaze lingered on the shadow beneath the cap’s brim and he thought, ‘If his entire face looks as good as that, we can keep him as long as his voice isn’t too bad.’

Night was an entirely different world on the inside. Although the world outside was silent, Night was alive with excitement. Saying that people were “wailing like ghosts and howling like wolves while various rogues were running wild” would be an appropriate way of describing it.

The dynamic music came to an abrupt pause. The people around immediately howled, “What happened? Something wrong with the player? Ha ha ha!”

“Is A’Li coming onstage?”

“A’Li! A’Li!”

The sound of women screaming echoed from the back, overtaking the men’s grumbling voices.

The spotlight on the stage dimmed. In the darkness, Zhou Li pushed Si Huang onto the stage without an introduction.

Most teenagers would be nervous about having a first experience under these circumstances. There was no one to warm up the crowd for him.

Zhou Li was spitefully watching the scene as if he were enjoying a joke. However, when he saw Si Huang’s tall, straight back as he walked onstage on his long, slender legs while exuding charisma, he didn’t seem nervous at all!

When Si Huang, who was wearing casual attire stepped on stage and sat on the high stool, the screams chanting for Zhou Li stopped. All that was left were questions.

“Is that a new guy?”

“Doesn’t look too bad. His legs are amazing.”

“Hey, singing guy, take off the cap!”

Si Huang lifted her chin and realized that this was the best spot for observation. She could see everyone very clearly, so it would be much easier for her to find the person she was looking for.

‘Are you going to have another Faith windfall, Your Highness?’ Wu Bao’s gleeful voice echoed in her mind.

Based on Wu Bao’s observations, the last time they’d had a Faith windfall was when she had performed in front of a large crowd.

“Mm.” Si Huang chuckled. Killing two birds with one stone was a great idea too.

Her voice moved through the room thanks to the microphone, sublime yet indolent, with an elegance tinted with carelessness. It should have sounded like a lofty yet elegant tune, but somehow, it came off as sexy. So sexy that it could render one completely numb. This was probably due to the exaggerated circumstances of her current situation.

“F*ck! My ears are going to get pregnant!” A muscular, tomboyish woman’s screams reverberated throughout the audience.

Si Huang was stunned. Her slender finger plucked the guitar strings just before the audience descended into chaos.

She had some experience with most modern instruments. She was most skilled in playing the piano, though. She was only slightly better than an amateur when it came to other instruments.

Gentle music began to play.

It wasn’t the kind of explosive tune that would fill the entire room. Instead, it was a soft, soothing, lovely melody with a hint of melancholy.

Most people knew that a soothing tune could also be considered a melancholy melody. A sad song symbolized deep affection.

Si Huang was singing an English song. Almost everyone looked shocked when he opened his lips. The pure melody was simply stunning when it was combined with her blessed voice.

Many people understood the meaning behind this song. It was a song about a broken heart, or, to be more accurate, the artist who had originally sung this song had been conveying a message about letting go. The lyrics described a girl who had betrayed him and his decision to forget her. He was telling himself and everyone else that this girl wasn’t worth his sorrow and that he would be happier without her.

Ever since this song had been released, it had been used by countless broken-hearted people to talk about philanderers and express their scorn for their lovers and their betrayal.

However, Si Huang’s soft, husky voice had managed to bring out a sense of passionate love, grief, and envy for this non-existent “girlfriend” through this spiteful song.

Ah… He must have truly loved that woman, even though he was singing the words ‘Let everything end! Let all this be torn apart like a violent storm!’ The audience felt his helpless agony, which was much stronger than his spite, as he tried to hold himself back through his hoarse voice, telling himself that he must not turn back. Even if he did, he would never get her back anyway.