Chapter 23

Chapter 23

“Ah?!”

The pen in An Nuonuo’s hand dropped with a clatter.

Her face flushed red, her eyes widened in surprise, staring at Jiang Xu.

She instinctively shrank back.

She looked like a startled little rabbit, unbearably cute.

“I I I…I am still…young…Jiang…you… can’t…”

An Nuonuo’s words tumbled out incoherently, unable to form a complete sentence.

“What are you thinking?” Jiang Xu spoke seriously, “I meant going to the KTV to sing, Fu Yanjie will also be there.”

Recreational activities of that era weren’t particularly diverse.

“Ah… Oh… I I I…”

An Nuonuo laid her head on the table, coverning her ears with her hands.

Her cheeks burned.

It was so embarrassing.

Wu wu wu.

Jiang Xu was definitely doing it on purpose.

He liked to bully her.

It’s too bad.

How could there be such a deskmate?

“Are you going or not?” Jiang Xu nudged her.

The second year of high school was about to end.

Jiang Xu remembered something from his previous life.

It was the night the second year ended, the class teacher organized the entire class to go sing at the KTV.

An Nuonuo had never been before, didn’t know how to choose a song, and was mocked by several caustic female classmates.

At the time, Jiang Xu was solely focused on Zhou Qingyue and didn’t pay much attention to it.

Looking back now.

It must have been a great blow to An Nuonuo’s self-esteem.

That’s why Jiang Xu planned to take her there ahead of time.

So she wouldn’t be as uneasy when they went next time.

An Nuonuo hesitated for a while before she finally lifted her head.

She asked hesitantly, “Isn’t it really expensive?”

She had always heard from others that the consumption in KTV was quite high.

“Not really.” Jiang Xu shook his head, “The night is more expensive, during the day there’s not as many people.

If we go now, the room fee for three hours would be just over ten yuan.”

An Nuonuo timidly said, “But, ten yuan is still a lot…”

Before she finished speaking, she closed her mouth.

Because Jiang Xu had already ‘shown his fierce light’.

“Alright, I will go.” An Nuonuo lowered her head.

Jiang Xu finally smiled, “Such a good girl.”

Half an hour later, the three of them arrived at Shenghao KTV.

The decor seemed quite dated to Jiang Xu.

However, for An Nuonuo who came here for the first time, it was like stepping into the Imperial Palace.

She was very ill at ease.

She kept following behind Jiang Xu, like a little ostrich.

The room charge at this time was fifteen yuan for three hours.

Jiang Xu got a package deal for 19.9 yuan, which also came with a fruit plate and two drinks.

The room number was 666.

Fu Yanjie was the first one to rush to select a song.

Holding the microphone, he proclaimed, “Now, I will passionately sing ‘Perfume is Poison’ for everyone.”

Following that, his rough voice filled the room.

“The scent of her perfume on you, unfortunately, it’s not as expensive as mine…”

Jiang Xu looked on in disgust.

He guided the still nerves-wracked An Nuonuo to sit down.

He gave her a piece of fruit, “Eat.”

An Nuonuo took it and nibbled on it.

She didn’t resist it when Jiang Xu offered something anymore.

Because once she did, he would come up with various reasons.

If he couldn’t find a reason, he would ‘threaten’ her.

Since that’s the case, it was better to just go along with him.

She didn’t realize what this change meant.

“What do you want to sing?” Jiang Xu asked.

An Nuonuo stared wide-eyed.

The room was too noisy, she couldn’t hear clearly.

Jiang Xu leaned in close to her ear and repeated the question.

An Nuonuo’s delicate frame trembled slightly.

The warm breath exhaled by Jiang Xu hit her ears, causing her whole body to twist unnaturally.

As expected, her face flushed again, and her breathing became somewhat hurried.

Hmm.

This was one of the reasons Jiang Xu brought An Nuonuo here.

Research has shown that

in dimmer environments, two people can let down their guard and quickly bridge the gap in their relationship.

For those already in a good relationship, it can accelerate the transition to another stage.

“What, didn’t hear clearly?” Jiang Xu asked again.

An Nuonuo came back to her senses, biting her pink lip: “I can’t sing.”

“What? What did you say?” Jiang Xu shouted loudly.

In fact, he had heard her.

He leaned his ear close to An Nuonuo’s face.

The distance between them was less than a centimeter.

The young girl’s heart sped up, her palms sweating.

“I can’t sing.”

She raised her voice slightly.

“There’s nothing that can’t be done, I’ll lead you.”

He said, and then pulled An Nuonuo by her hand to the song selection screen.

He showed her how to select songs, hand in hand.

In this era, the number one song on the charts was “Promise”, followed by “Jane.”

Both songs were favorites among young girls.

Jiang Xu selected “Jane.”

When Fu Yanjie finished singing, the microphone was handed over quite knowingly.

It could be seen that

he himself was merely the foil, and An Nuonuo was the star.

“Can’t find the butterfly with broken wings that has lost its flower, will never see the withering…”

Jiang Xu began singing, giving An Nuonuo an encouraging look.

She took a deep breath and started to sing along.

As soon as she opened her mouth, Jiang Xu and Fu Yanjie were stunned.

She sang too well.

Her voice was ethereal and smooth, very pure.

It was as if a clear stream had appeared before their eyes, with a few small fish swimming around in it.

They felt peaceful and content.

Once the song ended,

Jiang Xu and Fu Yanjie both burst into applause.

“You sang so well!”

“Exactly! You could even become a pop star!”

“My singing is very average.” An Nuonuo said shyly.

“You’re great.” Jiang Xu said earnestly, “You should be more confident.

You’re not bad looking, your height is in the top tier among people your age.

Your grades have been improving, and you have now reached the second tier in class.

As for family conditions, you can change that through your own efforts.

So, you really have no reason to be inferior, you’re better than many.”

On this occasion, Jiang Xu took the opportunity to boost her confidence.

The young girl was somewhat timid now.

If she were to encounter any injustices, she would probably just silently endure it.

“Okay, I understand.” An Nuonuo nodded gently, her eyes bright.

They went back after singing for more than two hours.

If she returned too late, An Nuonuo’s parents would worry.

Jiang Xu and Fu Yanjie dropped An Nuonuo off home first, then the two brothers went home together.

On the way, Jiang Xu asked him about his pocket money.

“So little.” Fu Yanjie literally griped, “Eight hundred yuan a month is just not enough.”

Jiang Xu really wanted to strangle him.

Look at him.

Was this any way to talk?

Many people still don’t even have a monthly salary of eight hundred.

In Jiang City, the economy hadn’t developed yet.

Even some recently built houses were barely priced over five hundred per square foot.

Jiang Xu suggested, “I have an advice for you, save some money then buy a bigger house.”

“Ah, buy a house for what?” Fu Yanjie looked puzzled, “We have dozens of houses back home.”

Jiang Xu: “…”