A Young Woman's Heart

"Xiaoxue, are you sure you're okay doing this?"

"Pretty good, right?" Mr. Xue adjusted his baseball cap. "How about it, it feels pretty good, doesn't it?"

"...Indeed, although it doesn't look like you at all anymore."

"After all, it's a performance in a bar, so it has to be suitable for the bar's atmosphere."

"What, you're not going to rap a few more lines later, are you?"

"It's not that it's impossible?"

Mo Xueyao felt that Mr. Xue definitely didn't have a wig, otherwise he would have definitely come wearing one. The hat he was wearing now was probably to make up for the lack of a wig.

"Huh? Me, do I have to draw too?"

"Of course Shuer wants one too! Don't worry, I'll draw you a super cute design, how about a heart?"

"Eh? Eh?"

……

Chapter 231 The Performance at the Underground Bar! (Part 2)

(One)

The bar's backstage leads directly to the stage.

This place isn't like a school, where there are no curtains. You just come out the back door and stand directly on the stage.

There aren't many people yet, but there are always a few here and there.

Everyone's instruments have been placed on the stage. Except for the drum set which has a drum stool, everyone else has to stand.

"Huh, who put this up? Why is my keyboard in the front?"

"Xiao Yao, quickly move your zither to the back to keep me company~" Mo Zhuyou sat on the drum stool with her legs apart, calling out to her partner who was usually closest to her.

In a band, large instruments are usually placed at the back, and small instruments are placed at the front or to the side.

In the Snow Music Band, besides the drum set, the largest instrument is the electronic keyboard.

"Okay, wait a minute—" Mo Xueyao deftly slung the electronic keyboard over her shoulder, grabbed the keyboard stand with her other hand, and quickly darted to Mo Zhuyou's side.

Yu Shu glanced around in a panic, picked up the shoulder-mounted synthesizer that was lying on the ground, and silently stood next to Mo Xueyao.

"Oh, the keyboard is ready, Lele~ come to my side!" Hua Yinyin picked up her pipa. The pipa doesn't have a shoulder strap, so you usually have to sit to play it. You can also play it standing up, but it's a little tiring.

"You're here. So, what kind of ensemble are we? String instruments?"

"That's right!"

Mr. Xue, the only one in charge of playing wind instruments, put his bamboo flute in his pocket and stood silently to the side, clutching his suona.

The electronic instruments were all plugged in, and each person had a microphone next to them to record the vocals.

The trouble with stringed instruments is that they have to be readjusted before each performance, unlike electronic keyboards, where the pitch is almost always accurate as long as the instrument is not broken.

So Mo Xueyao could now leisurely look around the audience, searching for Li Wanyan.

However, the first thing they saw was Yue Tingfeng waving vigorously.

They sat very close to the stage and against the wall, where there were two rows of facing sofa booths.

Four drinks were placed on the small glass table. Not only were Mo Zhuyou and Li Wanyan there, but even Le Tingfeng's mother, who looked to be only in her twenties, was also present.

Li Wanyan was biting the pretty colorful curved straw when she looked up and saw Mo Xueyao looking at her. She held the cup and smiled, nodding at her.

"Youyou—go for it!" Mo Xiaoxiao, the older sister, shouted encouragement.

Mo Zhuyou on the stage didn't reply, but just vigorously waved her drumsticks to show that she was full of energy.

"So, what song did you choose for the first song?" Mo Xue asked, looking at Hua Yinyin.

"Let's start with a slower song~ Hmm—how about... colorful cloud ice cream!"

"A warm-up song... Okay, okay, shall we begin now, or should we introduce ourselves first?"

Let's get started!

Mo Zhuyou nodded repeatedly, already raising her drumsticks high. Looking around, she saw that everyone had placed their hands on their instruments, so she began to strike the drumsticks forcefully: "Three, two, one!"

"Boom!" As the drum set was struck, music began to play.

"I feel a little hungry. I ate breakfast and my stomach is full, but I'm still craving something sweet~"

Hua Yinyin's soft, sweet voice added a touch of freshness to the brightly lit bar.

……

(two)

Although it is still an upbeat song, it is considered one of the softer ones on the Snow Music band's playlist.

When the song ended, the bar was much more crowded.

It was already past six o'clock, and the bar was bustling with activity. Le Tingfeng's mother was quickly and efficiently mixing drinks.

Le Tingfeng was also called over to help, not to mix drinks, but just to do simple tasks like pouring beer or opening new bottles.

A new band joined the bar today, which surprised and excited many regulars. After all, they see the same few people every day, and it gets a bit boring after a while.

Life always needs some different kinds of excitement.

"Wow, this band is so young! They look like they've just come of age! Hey—boss, you didn't hire a minor, did you? Haha—"

Le Tingfeng's mother put one hand on her hip and said, "This is a band from a proper high school. They're here to fill in for the whole day. Don't bully these kids!"

"Oh, then my trip today wasn't a waste!"

There were already about ten tables of guests seated below the stage, and some others were sitting on bar stools at the bar, peering sideways at the stage.

Most of the people who come to the bar are talkative, and after a few drinks, they talk even more. So many people chatting about the band they're seeing for the first time on stage makes the whole bar exceptionally noisy.

"Ahem..." Hua Yinyin cleared her throat. "Hello everyone! We are the Snow Music Band from Yukong High School. All the songs we sing are our own compositions! Our style is on the upbeat side!"

"Oh—! Keep singing! That was really good!"

"Yes, yes, one more song!"

Hua Yinyin glanced at Mr. Xue beside her, and seeing that he was still smiling calmly, she swallowed back what she was about to say: "Then, let's begin the next song! 'Random Singing and Playing'!"

This is a song with an exceptionally large amount of rap.

It suits Mr. Xue's hip-hop style perfectly today.

As the music began, he put down his suona, picked up the microphone from the stand with one hand, and walked forward, slightly bending his knees and back, while waving his index finger back and forth: "Oh, don't say that each generation is worse than the last, it's more accurate to say that the previous generation can't understand the next generation..."

"Hey, not bad, buddy!"

"Very stylish! Hahaha!"

Several of the drinkers below had even stood up and started swaying along with Mr. Xue.

It certainly wasn't dance; it was just swaying back and forth, left and right, with hands making random movements—at least that's how Mo Xueyao saw it.

"The one playing the keyboard has blue eyes!" A man, already holding a drink, leaned over the edge of the stage and looked at Mo Xueyao.

She didn't like her drunken look, especially the angle... It was just a good thing she was wearing a long dress.

"Hey—little girl, what's your name?"

The performance was still going on, so Mo Xueyao naturally ignored him.

Just as he was getting annoyed, he saw a very burly man walk past behind him, dressed in casual clothes with a name tag pinned to his chest.

“Friend, please don’t get too close to the stage.” His tone was calm, but his eyes carried a hint of warning.

If nothing unexpected happens, this is probably the bar's security guard.

"Haha, I was just looking!" The man chuckled sheepishly and moved to a seat in the back.

"...The madman has his own song, life's journey is long, nothing lasts forever, keep moving forward! No need to look back!" Mr. Xue's rap finally ended. Even Mo Xueyao, who was just listening, felt a little breathless after singing it all in one breath.

But Mr. Xue was thoroughly enjoying himself. He even sat on the stage, swinging his legs, and took a big gulp of wine from the cheering waiter next to him.

"Alright! Let's do it!"

Others joined in the fun.

"Xiaoxue... come back quickly, we need your suona for the next song..." Hua Yinyin was a little helpless.

"Here they come!" Mr. Xue returned the wine glass, picked up his suona, and stood respectfully to the side.

However, his slightly flushed face betrayed him.

Mo Xueyao knew that Mr. Xue's alcohol tolerance didn't seem to be that good...

……

(three)

The bar is getting more and more crowded.

The small underground bar was already packed with people.

There is not only a large stage, but also some small open spaces specifically for guests to dance in.

The performance above continued, and the people below couldn't stay still and started dancing along.

Apart from Mr. Xue, the Snow Music Band is all girls, so there were quite a few people who would harass them, but fortunately, they were stopped by several burly security guards.

As a result, Hua Yinyin, who usually has the most fun, was much more restrained today, singing her own song and playing her pipa in a proper manner.

On the contrary, Mr. Xue has become very close with the guests. In just a few songs, seven or eight guests have already become his brothers. They look at each other as if they have known each other for ten years.

He drank quite a bit of alcohol, and it was fortunate that most of the drinks in the bar were not very strong, otherwise Mo Xueyao suspected that he would be lying on the ground by now.

Of course, he wasn't in much better shape at the moment. He sat on the stage with a flushed face, and even his movements became unsteady.

Strangely, however, he played his part perfectly without going off-key or making a single mistake.

It makes one wonder if this guy was actually drunk.

"Hey, handsome young man!" A smiling, elegant woman, probably in her early thirties, walked over with her arms crossed. "Would you be interested in having dinner with me tonight?"