Which way to go is the road?

The barbecue went on until 9 p.m., and all four buckets of beer were gone, mostly consumed by the men like Xiang Fei, Lao You, and Zhang Fang.

Qian Luomei, like an older sister, restrained Dong Lu and Bai Xue, stopping them from drinking too much. She herself couldn't resist, enthusiastically toasting and drinking with everyone. Fortunately, she had a good tolerance for alcohol and hadn't yet become drunk.

After the barbecue, Qian Luomei greeted Lao Zhang, paid the bill, and then led her gang to the next barbecue!

Xiang Fei followed everyone into a KTV called "Golden Lily." Since it was his first time there, his eyes were constantly scanning left and right—the pretty receptionist, the magnificent lobby, the tastefully decorated corridors, the men and women coming and going… it was all so dazzling. He was so focused that he almost tripped on the steps, looking a bit like a country bumpkin visiting a grand garden.

For some reason, as soon as Xiang Fei entered the KTV, he felt his blood was boiling and he was naturally excited. Was it because he had just finished drinking? Or was it the atmosphere in the KTV? Maybe it was both, but this actually sobered him up quite a bit.

Upon entering the private room, Lao You and Dong Lu each grabbed a microphone, refusing to put it down even when requesting songs. Du Xinpeng and Tian Hai leisurely selected songs, Zhang Fang continued communicating with the waiter, while Xiangzi and Xiang Fei sat quietly at the back, behaving themselves. Bai Xue, unusually, didn't argue or fight, and joined Qian Luomei in pouring drinks for everyone!

"Old You, since you and Dong Lu are hogging the microphone, why don't you collaborate on a song? Let's get off to a good start!" Qian Luomei said, busy with her work but not forgetting to liven up the atmosphere.

"Okay! So what should we sing? Dong Lu, let's discuss it. What if I know something you don't? That would be bad!"

"Stop showing off! What if I know something you don't? The few songs you know, even the security guard at the school gate knows more than you!"

"Stop arguing. You two don't need to choose. Du Xinpeng, you choose songs for them! No matter what songs they choose, you two have to sing them, understand?" Qian Luomei was in full gang leader mode.

"A duet, right? Well then we'd better pick one. Okay, this one, word for word!"

"If you're not going to sing, hand over the microphone!"

"My dearest love!"

Despite his well-dressed appearance and scholarly demeanor, Du Xinpeng is quite cunning.

"What? A soulmate? Me and him?" The two not only spoke in unison, but also said the same thing.

As everyone pretended to grab the microphone, Dong Lu and Lao You had no choice but to make do with each other, suppressing the nausea in their hearts and stomachs, and singing half-dead. However, every time they sang the words "intimate lover!", they would give each other a disgusted look and then gag exaggeratedly, which made everyone laugh.

After Lao You and Dong Lu each sang two songs, everyone couldn't resist and forcibly pulled the microphones away from them!

In fact, almost everyone has the talent of singing, but due to differences in talent and effort, singing can be divided into three levels: high, medium, and low.

Zhang Fang's singing is definitely top-tier; his voice is a surefire way to pick up girls! But Dong Lu, who is also in the top tier, is different. Her voice is clear and natural. Not only does she have accurate rhythm, but she also puts her emotions into the song, creating dramatic ups and downs that elicit cheers from the audience.

Qian Luomei, Du Xinpeng, and Tian Hai belong to the second tier. They are not off-key or unpleasant to listen to, but they lose a lot of points in terms of timbre and tend to drag out or rush the rhythm.

The third tier, simply put, is someone who is completely off-key, let alone has any rhythm, not to mention anything else. There is no third tier in this private room yet; it is quietly hidden away.

Xiang Fei watched and listened to everyone's singing with envy, but he didn't have the courage to pick up the microphone and go forward. He also sang when he was studying in the countryside, but there was no accompaniment or microphone, and he let his singing follow his own feelings.

Now, with the added accompaniment and the need to speak into a microphone to everyone in the box, Xiang Fei felt intimidated and simply picked up his sunflower seeds and focused on eating them. However, he glanced around and noticed that there were two other people also intently eating sunflower seeds—Xiangzi and Bai Xue.

Xiang Fei was a little puzzled. Xiangzi was probably afraid of not singing well, but why didn't Bai Xue go up? These days, which young person doesn't know a few songs? Why didn't she go up?

Besides the three people mentioned above, almost everyone sang a few songs. Qian Luomei crossed her legs, rolled up the short sleeves of her T-shirt, and decided to start playing a game! "Saturday Park Visit" is a very simple game. You lock onto a certain area and then say everything in that area. If you can't say anything or you delay the rhythm, you will be punished.

"What's at the zoo if we go to the park on Saturday?"

"elephant"

"lion"

"tiger"

……

Xiang Fei was the last one. When it was his turn to speak, all the animals he could recall from his shallow memory had already been mentioned. He became nervous and didn't know what to say. Suddenly, an idea struck him—"Ants."

The game continued. While they were talking, Xiang Fei had already thought of an animal name—a donkey. Unexpectedly, Xiangzi, who was ahead of him, blurted it out. When it was Xiang Fei's turn, his mind went completely blank, with only ants and donkeys swirling in his head. He lost the round! The punishment was to sing a song, which worried Xiang Fei greatly. He kept dawdling and making excuses, refusing to sing.

Finally, Dong Lu spoke up: "Since you're so talented in writing, how about you compose a poem on the spot?"

"Hey, that's great! And it's something new! I've never seen anything like it in a karaoke bar," Zhang Fang was the first to comment!

"No, no, writing that stuff takes a long time, it won't be out anytime soon, you guys can't wait!" Xiang Fei quickly declined.

"Singing or writing poetry, that's all. Don't dawdle, decide now!" Old You urged.

"Okay, then I'll write a short poem. You guys go ahead and do yours, don't count me in. I need to clear my head and think about it!"

Xiang Fei chose what he was good at. After speaking, he ignored everything else, immediately pulled up a stool, sat down in a secluded corner, and began to ponder deeply.

Everyone left Xiang Fei alone for the time being and continued playing the game. After two rounds, just ten minutes later, Zhang Fang went over to urge Xiang Fei to hurry up. Before he even got there, Xiang Fei got up and walked straight towards everyone, ignoring Zhang Fang who was halfway there, and picked up the microphone from the table.

"Alright, here's a little poem for you all!"

"Wait!" Zhang Fang rushed to the karaoke machine and selected the background music from the recently aired CCTV program "Lecture Room"—"Pipa Melody." The poignant and melodious strains of the guzheng and pipa filled the modern KTV room, creating a jarring contrast, yet it stirred Xiang Fei's emotions as he read the poem. So he slowly and expressively recited the following modern classical poem entitled "Thank You for Being There":

Thousands of miles away,

Two lone geese migrating along their journey.

We met by chance.

Not too early, not too late

Meeting by chance

Unpredictable

Amidst the serene and enchanting waters and clouds.

They lick each other's wounds and find warmth in each other's company.

----------------

Perhaps there is an invisible thread in life.

You and I are tightly bound together.

Laughter and embrace,

Weeping together

Thank you for being my most cherished companion in life.

----------------

Why should being together be limited by heaven and earth?

Heaven is short-lived, earth is short-lived.

We will be together through life and death.

Forever and ever.

As Xiang Fei read, his eyes began to well up with tears. After finishing the last word, two tears rolled down his cheeks. This emotion affected everyone present. When the poem was finished, they forgot to applaud and speak, remaining immersed in the poignant, unspoken music. Only after the two-and-a-half-minute music ended did they gradually return to normal.

"It's been so long since I cried, Xiang Fei. You really are something, why are you being so sentimental! But the poem is still a good poem, applause!" Lao You stood up and unexpectedly hugged Xiang Fei. Everyone else stood up and patted Xiang Fei, shook hands, and hugged him, leaving Xiang Fei both amused and exasperated.

"My poem isn't that damn good either, it's all because of this background music. Zhang Fang, you step forward, what do you mean? You just want to see me cry, don't you?" Xiang Fei said, wiping away his tears.

"The music is indeed very effective at bringing tears to our eyes, but without your expressive reading, people wouldn't be so moved. Who knew you were so serious about writing poetry, and could be so absorbed in reading it?"

"Alright, that's good! Really good! It's much better to be moved occasionally, even if it's just a fleeting, inexplicable feeling, than to be so mechanical and numb all the time!" Qian Luomei summarized earnestly, but then her tone immediately changed: "Look at you college students, even Xiang Fei, a high school student, is better than you!"

"Xiang Fei scored 141 points on the college entrance exam. If you include all the college students in Yanguang University, who else could score that high in Chinese?"

"Exactly! Exactly! All college students these days know is playing games online, making money, and chasing girls. Unlike Xiang Fei, who's almost earned a PhD in literature in just high school!"

……

"Stop, everyone stop, let me find out where north is!" Xiang Fei's words drew laughter from everyone. His face flushed from the noise; he couldn't stand it anymore. However, after several rounds of such flattery, the gap between Xiang Fei and the others had temporarily narrowed, even to the point of being a little over the top. Perhaps he was too excited, because Xiang Fei didn't notice the affectionate, adoring gaze of a girl in the corner.

Everyone drank quite a bit at the KTV, especially Qian Luomei and Xiang Fei. The former was the boss and also the gang leader; the latter had been the center of attention for his poem that day, so drinking was an option—there was no reason to refuse. At first, they ordered and sang songs in an orderly fashion, but it quickly turned into a complete party, with everyone shouting, jumping, and dancing wildly! When everyone was too tired to shout or jump anymore, it was time to leave.

Zhang Fang, Dong Lu, Lao You, and three others took two taxis back to school. Before leaving, Dong Lu came over specifically to remind Xiang Fei and Xiangzi to make sure Qian Luomei was safely taken back.

After Dong Lu finished speaking, she quietly pulled Xiangzi aside: "Xiang Fei has been drinking a lot, so you need to keep an eye on him. If he can't manage, let him spend the night at an internet cafe and not go back to the basement!"

"Okay! No problem, leave it all to me!" Xiangzi was always willing to help.

Xiang Fei felt he wasn't drunk. Under his conscious control, he successfully maintained his balance time and time again, reassuring himself: I really wasn't drunk. He and Xiangzi helped Qian Luomei into a taxi, and then helped her out of the "Shuiyunjian" restaurant.

As they entered the revolving door, Xiang Fei stumbled and fell to the right. Xiangzi, who was prepared, quickly caught Xiang Fei with his other hand, preventing him from falling.

They walked through the lobby and went up to the second floor. Just as they were about to go to the roof, they heard someone calling for the internet cafe manager from the second floor! Xiangzi heard this and quickly called out to Wang Haoming, but Wang Haoming responded from the first floor, probably busy at work!

Xiangzi replied responsibly, "Wait a moment, we'll be right there!" Without stopping, he and Xiang Fei helped Qian Luomei to the attic, helped her to the bed, and covered her with a blanket!

Just as the two were about to leave, Qian Luomei called out, "Water! Water!"

Xiangzi turned to Xiang Fei and said, "Pour Luo Mei a glass of water. Come find me on the second floor later, and I'll take you home! Or you can just stay at the internet cafe for the night. I'm going upstairs now, in case she gets impatient!"

"No need to see me off, I can get back by myself!"

"Alright, we'll talk about this later. I'm leaving now!"

Xiang Fei blinked hard, shook his head, and groped around with his blurry eyes. He vaguely saw a refrigerator, opened it, took out a bottle of mineral water, and stumbled into the bedroom! He unscrewed the cap, called out to Qian Luomei, and handed her the water. Qian Luomei must have been very thirsty; she was still lying down but picked up the bottle and drank, spilling all the water on herself!

Xiang Fei smiled helplessly, snatched the bottle, and carefully fed her water while lifting her head. When she had drunk enough, he put the bottle on the table, turned to leave, but was stopped by a hand.

"Don't go!"

Xiang Fei suddenly froze, then shook his head vigorously, trying to break free from her hand, but he stumbled and lost his balance, falling onto the bed.

The room fell silent. At that moment, he felt so comfortable on the bed, like being back home, where he could relax, let go, and enter a state of unconsciousness, closing his eyes and never wanting to open them again.

A gentle dreamland, a sweet embrace.