I'm a web novelist, and you want me to work in the entertainment industry?

"Go on, go on." Tian Xiwei pushed Cheng Che at this moment.

She felt that Cheng Che, as a graduate of Magic Voice, must also yearn for the stage, right?

We can't just think of having him sing for us alone.

"And..." she paused, leaned close to Cheng Che's ear, and lowered her voice, "You can choose your own songs and try to make all the guests here cry."

「!?」

Cheng Che opened his mouth slightly.

Is that so?

"Looks like I have no choice but to sing this song!" he said seriously.

【What are you doing, Xiaotian? What did you say?】

[Che-ge's eyes visibly lit up... What a pure, fun-loving guy!]

[Che-ge's "funny guy" persona and Xia-jie's "idiot" persona are equally unbreakable.]

"Does that mean you agree?" Henry Lau asked excitedly. "Taihao!"

He strode back to the stage, approached the microphone, and cleared his throat:

"Dear guests, for the next song, I would like to invite my good friend Cheng Che to perform for you. He is an extremely talented musician."

"Please give him a round of applause, thank you."

After he finished speaking, he led the applause.

The guests in the audience were very accommodating and joined in the applause.

Xia Ziyi raised her hands above her head and clapped with all her might, even using her best "loud roar" to cheer him on—this was the first time she had heard Cheng Che sing live, how could she not give him some support?

Xu Anan clapped softly beside her, and Tian Xiwei clapped along, a slight smile playing on her lips.

The atmosphere is ignited, everyone... Cheng Che stood up and walked towards the stage, taking the guitar from Liu Xianhua's hands.

Henry Lau said "Go for it" in a low voice, then stepped back, handing the stage over to him completely.

Cheng Che took a deep breath, sat down on the high stool, and placed the guitar across his lap.

He could feel many eyes on him, and his heart began to race—not from nervousness, but more from excitement.

He muttered to himself, "Old man, I'm here to make your dream of becoming a singer come true... Don't underestimate online novel authors, and don't underestimate temporary singers!"

As for song selection... since we're in a pub, we should naturally sing folk songs.

He moved closer to the microphone and began, "I hope you all enjoy 'Miss Dong'."

As soon as he finished speaking, his fingers plucked the strings, and the unique tone of the folk guitar rang out. The intro was simple and unhurried.

"Ms. Dong, you have never forgotten your smile, even though you, like me, long for growing old."

"Ms. Dong, you look beautiful when the corners of your mouth turn down, like the clear water under Anhe Bridge."

The first line was sung without any particular technique; he was just singing very calmly.

But the atmosphere in the tavern seemed to change suddenly, and one by one the guests looked up at the stage.

Xia Ziyi sat up straight, placing her hands on the table, like a most loyal listener.

Tian Xiwei held the osmanthus wine, her eyes sparkling with an indescribable light.

Xu Anan glanced at the stage, then turned her head to look at Tian Xiwei beside her, blinked, and said nothing.

"Ms. Dong, I am also a complex creature. I may say something casually, but it keeps repeating itself in my mind."

"Miss Dong, the nights at Gulou pass by so quickly. Stranger, could you please give me a Lanzhou cigarette?"

[Folk music? I thought they'd be singing pop songs!]

A small bar should be filled with folk songs to truly capture the atmosphere!

【However, why not Miss Tian?】

The verses unfold slowly, with guitar sounds enveloping the vocals, flowing through the entire pub like water.

More and more people stopped what they were doing; some leaned forward unconsciously, while others nodded gently in rhythm.

Watching Cheng Che shine on stage from the side, Liu Xianhua realized that his assessment was indeed correct; Cheng Che was truly talented.

"So those things might not be true, Miss Dong. You're not a girl without a story."

"I've fallen in love with a wild horse, but I have no grassland at home. This makes me feel hopeless, Miss Dong."

As soon as the chorus started, the little noise left in the tavern vanished.

The middle-aged man drinking alone at the bar, who had been staring at his glass, suddenly turned his head, raised his chin slightly, looked at the ceiling, and his throat moved.

"Miss Dong, put out your cigarette and start talking about the past."

"You said, 'That's it for the first half of my life, there's always tomorrow.'"

"Ms. Dong, do you know I've said goodbye enough?"

"On a May morning, I finally lost sleep..."

Cheng Che began singing the second chorus, his voice rising slightly.

Several young girls held their faces in their hands, lost in thought, while a boy pretended to lower his head and drink, shaking his glass meaninglessly.

Yan Da, the waiter, leaned against the wall with a tea tray in hand, thinking to himself, "You know what, you really have to admit, this person who can write and sing is truly amazing."

"So those things might all be true, Ms. Dong."

"Who would patiently comfort that ignorant boy?"

A couple who had been arguing quietly in the corner suddenly stopped. The boy listened to the lyrics, opened his mouth, and froze.

"I want to be like you, disregarding all those things."

"Come with me, Miss Dong."

"Let's get this party started, Miss Dong..."

The guitar music gradually faded away, its lingering notes dissipating in the air.

For several seconds, no one made a sound in the tavern, which was unusually quiet.

The silence was broken by a burst of applause as Xia Ziyi stood up, her excitement palpable.

The next second, the other guests were also caught up in the excitement, and applause and cheers filled every corner of the tavern.

The comments section also joined in the fun:

[All audience members, please stand up!!]

[Che-ge's clean voice is perfect for singing quiet songs like this!]

[It hurts, it hurts so much! Who will patiently comfort that ignorant boy? (crying)]

In a secluded corner, the tavern owner was grinning from ear to ear; business was probably going to be booming from now on...

"Encore! Encore! Encore!"

Someone in the audience started shouting something, and then others joined in.

There is, of course, no encore.

Cheng Che glanced at the audience, handed the guitar back to Liu Xianhua, and walked off the stage with his head down, looking dejected.

"What's wrong with you?" Xia Ziyi asked.

So many people applauded him, but why did he seem so disappointed?

"It's probably because although everyone seems to like this song, not many people cried while listening to it." Tian Xiwei guessed the reason for Cheng Che's disappointment in just 0.25 seconds.

The tavern was quite crowded, mostly with young people, and judging from their reactions, many were deeply moved, but actually, very few people cried.

"I'm a failure as a man." Cheng Che picked up the osmanthus wine on the table and gulped it down in one go.

He had to admit that making people cry while singing is probably much harder than making them cry while telling a story.

This is so frustrating!

"Um... it seems like you're drinking Xiaotian's." Xu Anan reminded her softly at this moment.

「!?」

Two people present instantly blushed.

Fortunately, due to the lighting, no one else noticed it.

"Ahem." Cheng Che said a little awkwardly, "Would you like another drink?"

"Let's forget it," Tian Xiwei shook her head, refusing.

"Alright."

Cheng Che didn't insist, and instead picked up his own cup of osmanthus wine, pretending to drink it casually.

"Is Ms. Dong your ex-girlfriend?"

A faint female voice suddenly rang out from beside me, like the ghost of some unfulfilled wish, and seemed to be accompanied by gusts of cold wind.

"Classmate? University, high school, or junior high?"

"puff--"

Cheng Che spat out a mouthful of osmanthus wine, which landed on the ground.

"Cough cough cough cough—" He almost coughed himself to death, and it took him a long time to catch his breath.

He looked at Tian Xiwei, gazing into her eyes, which were as calm as a deep, cold pool.

They knew they were likely facing a crisis comparable to the Kassel trio's trip to the island nation.