Huayu97: Starting with Wu Song Fighting the Tiger

Liu Xiang stayed at Sister Zhu's guesthouse, and her days were surprisingly peaceful.

Aside from a perfunctory phone call made by the middle-aged man in the black suit when he was brought over on the first day, asking "Are you settling in alright?" and "Has anyone bothered you?", the Malaysian security department didn't mention a single word about the Black Shark plan. After that, they completely disappeared, as if they had forgotten all about him as bait.

Liu Xiang was happy to have some free time, so she took the opportunity to recuperate. Every morning before dawn, she would practice her martial arts under the shade of the coconut trees in the yard. Her skills became more and more solid, and when she finished a set of punches, she was powerful and the coconut leaves rustled in the wind. Sister Azhu, who was picking vegetables early in the morning, was amazed and said that Liu Xiang looked refined, but her skills were so agile.

He would occasionally stroll around the Chinatown near his guesthouse. In the late 1990s, Penang's Chinatown was full of life. Street stalls offered satay, roasted meat, and bak kut teh, with shouts rising and falling. Old-fashioned bicycles jingled as they passed through the alleys. Yellowed Hong Kong movie posters were pasted on the walls, and Jackie Chan and Jet Li's photos were displayed in the general stores.

There were also stalls selling old-fashioned cassette tapes, and the songs of Teresa Teng and Jacky Cheung drifted over on the wind.

Liu Xiang also bought two cassette tapes, partly to pass the time and partly to look for familiar melodies. After all, the late 1990s was a golden age for Chinese pop music, with artists like Yu Quan and Na Ying from the mainland, the Four Heavenly Kings from Hong Kong, and Wakin Chau and Richie Jen from Taiwan all being top stars, and any one of their songs was a hit that was sung everywhere.

He also didn't forget the stack of checks in his pocket, more than 200,000 US dollars, which was more than 2 million RMB. In the late 1990s, that was a real fortune. Every time he touched the wallet he kept close to his body, he felt more at ease. He just hoped to get the Black Shark deal sorted out as soon as possible, take the money back to Beijing or Shanghai to buy a house and start a business, and then work with directors in the entertainment industry. He couldn't let his life be as pathetic as his previous one.

Three days passed in a flash, and Liu Xiang remained the only guest at the guesthouse, making it quite peaceful. That afternoon, Liu Xiang had just finished her boxing practice and was wiping her face, covered in sweat, when she heard Sister Zhu's enthusiastic greeting from downstairs, followed by a clear, soft female voice responding with a touch of shyness. Liu Xiang was puzzled. The guesthouse was in a remote location and usually didn't have many guests; could it be that a new guest had arrived?

He wiped his face clean and went downstairs. He immediately saw a girl standing in the courtyard. She was about twenty years old, not very tall, wearing a simple white T-shirt and light blue jeans. She had her hair tied in a high ponytail, with thin bangs on her forehead. Her skin was healthy and fair, her eyebrows were curved, and her eyes were like water-soaked grapes, clear and lively. When she smiled, there were two shallow dimples at the corners of her mouth.

She exuded an innocent charm, making her exceptionally endearing. The girl carried a small suitcase and a guitar case, looking somewhat flustered, and listened attentively to Sister Azhu.

When Liu Xiang first saw this girl, her heart skipped a beat. She felt that the face looked very familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere before, but she couldn't remember where. She just felt that the girl had a clean and pure temperament, completely different from those heavily made-up female celebrities in the entertainment industry, and exuded a natural charm.

"Mr. Liu, let me introduce you. This is our newest guest, Ms. Liang Jingru. She's from Negeri Sembilan and will be staying in Penang for a while to participate in a Chinese singing competition!" Sister Zhu smiled and took the girl's hand, introducing her to Liu Xiang.

She then turned to Liang Jingru and said, "Jingru, this is Mr. Liu Xiang. He came from the mainland and has been staying with us for several days. You'll be neighbors from now on. Mr. Liu is a very kind person. You can ask him for help if you need anything."

"Is that Fish Leong?" The moment Liu Xiang heard those three words, it dawned on her! No wonder she looked so familiar; she's the future queen of love songs in the Chinese music scene! Who hadn't heard her songs in their past life? The line from "Courage," "Love really needs courage to face gossip," is practically a classic sung on every street corner.

Whether you're heartbroken or deeply in love, everyone can hum a few lines. And then there's "Ningxia," with its catchy and soothing melody of "A tranquil summer, with stars twinkling in the sky," which makes you feel refreshed in the summer.

"Happy Breakup" became a source of comfort for countless heartbroken men and women. "Happy breakup, please be happy, only by saying goodbye to the wrong one can you meet the right one," it's gentle yet powerful. There are also "Warm" and "The Pain That Breathes," each a wildly popular hit, practically encompassing the youthful memories of a generation. I never expected to meet such a young woman in Penang in the late 1990s!

At this moment, Fish Leong did not yet possess the composure and poise that would later make her a queen of love songs. Instead, she exuded the shyness and naivety of a young girl. Upon hearing Sister Zhu's introduction, she quickly bowed slightly to Liu Xiang, her voice soft, sweet, and slightly husky with a touch of Malay accent, which sounded exceptionally pleasant: "Hello, Brother Liu Xiang, it's a pleasure to meet you. I hope you'll take good care of me in the future."

"Hello, no need to be so polite, it's only right to look after each other." Liu Xiang suppressed his shock, a gentle smile appearing on his face. Looking at the youthful Liang Jingru before him, he was filled with emotion. It was quite a pleasant surprise to be her neighbor. He glanced at the guitar case in Liang Jingru's hand and asked her with a smile, "Sister Zhu said you're going to participate in a singing competition. Seeing you carrying a guitar, you must practice singing often, right?"

When the topic of singing came up, Fish Leong's eyes lit up instantly. Her shy expression lessened, replaced by excitement and seriousness: "Practice often, Brother Liu Xiang! I've loved singing since I was little. I came to Penang to participate in the competition this time because I wanted to see if I could get a good ranking and have the opportunity to release an album in the future." She scratched her head a little shyly as she spoke, "It's just that my singing skills aren't good enough yet, so I need to practice more."

"With your talent, you're sure to succeed in the future!" Liu Xiang praised sincerely. He knew that Liang Jingru's voice was clear and bright, with a strong ability to evoke emotions. Especially when singing love songs, she could always draw the audience into the emotions. Her future success across the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong was definitely due to her talent.

Seeing this, Sister Zhu smiled and said to her, "Alright, don't stand in the yard in the sun anymore, Jingru. I've reserved the room next to Mr. Liu's for you, the one on the second floor, towards the outside. It has good lighting and is quiet, perfect for you to practice singing. I'll help you carry your luggage up!"

"No need to trouble Sister Zhu, I can do it myself!" Liang Jingru quickly waved her hand, wanting to carry her suitcase herself, but she was small and struggled a bit, her face turning red. Seeing this, Liu Xiang stepped forward, easily picked up the suitcase, and took the violin case from her hand, smiling and saying, "Let me help you carry it up, we're going the same way anyway, it's in the room next to mine."

"Thank you so much, Brother Liu Xiang!" Liang Jingru's eyes lit up and she quickly thanked him before following Liu Xiang upstairs.