149: Chapter 149 Gathering 2

Fatty Wang was the first to speak, his tone carrying a hint of smugness.

"Me? I took over those few restaurants my family owns, just barely scraping by.

Lately, I've been thinking about following the trend and opening a milk tea shop. It's right here near Central Prosperity, likely a meeting point. I'm busy with the renovations now, and it's a massive headache."

He waved his hand grandly, acting very generous.

"In the future, if you guys want to eat, just come to my place. Say my name, and it's all on the house!"

Li Qiang spoke up.

"Holy crap! Not bad, Fatty! I guess I have to call you Boss Wang now! Then I'm definitely going to mooch off you every day until you go bankrupt!"

Lin Wei also joked with a smile.

"Exactly! Boss Wang, what's the name of your milk tea shop? Once it opens, can I just order delivery from home? I'll drink three cups a day and treat milk tea like water!"

"Drink! Drink as much as you want! It's on me! Just don't blame me if you get fat!"

Li Qiang continued.

"I'm selling cars at Xpeng. Old Wang was a real pal; he bought his new car from me, which really boosted my performance stats.

In this line of work, if you work hard and are good with your words, the income is decent. In a good month, I can make twenty or thirty thousand."

Hearing this, Lin Wei made a whimpering face.

"Wow, look at you all doing so well. I'm the only miserable one, working as an HR assistant in a small company. I have to do everything from recruiting to data entry. I only take home four or five thousand a month, barely enough to live on."

Fatty Wang, being very loyal, immediately said.

"Sister Wei, why don't you come work for me? I'm short on staff. Come be a restaurant manager. I'll pay you double your current salary; it'll definitely be better than what you have now!"

Lin Wei was clearly tempted, but she seemed a bit embarrassed to accept charity from a friend. She hesitated and said.

"Are you serious, Boss Wang? So generous! But... sigh, actually, my current company is okay. Even though the pay isn't much, supporting myself isn't a problem..."

Sensing the topic was getting awkward, she quickly turned the conversation toward Chen Youhua.

"Hey, Youhua, forget about us. What you're doing is truly impressive! I even watched your livestream the other day!

My god, there were tens of millions of people online! My comment saying 'The scientist brother is so handsome' was instantly buried by the bullet chat!"

As expected, Fatty Wang and Li Qiang's attention was successfully diverted, and they immediately perked up.

"Right, right, right! We watched it too!"

Fatty Wang gestured excitedly.

"Holy crap, that monkey! And that mechanical arm! It moved so flexibly! It was just like a real hand, no delay at all!"

Boys truly have no resistance to hard-core technology. The two of them immediately surrounded Chen Youhua with questions.

Li Qiang's eyes lit up.

"Hua-zi, can that mechanical arm be customized? Seriously, watching it made me want to chop off this useless hand and replace it! It's too cool!"

Fatty Wang nodded repeatedly.

"Exactly! Isn't this what they say online—the flesh is weak, mechanical ascension?

Youhua, if you keep researching, will we eventually be able to replace our entire bodies with machinery?

Aside from the brain, the whole body would be titanium alloy bones and synthetic fiber muscles. Wouldn't you be able to punch through a wall with one hit?"

Chen Youhua was amused by their exaggerated imaginations and waved his hands dismissively.

"It's still early, way too early! What are you daydreaming about?

Don't want to be human anymore, huh? Don't worry, if that day ever comes, the two of you will be the first I grab for modification!"

Fatty Wang actually took it seriously, stroking his chin with a serious expression.

"I feel like... it's not impossible. I've been staying up too late recently, and I feel like my body is hollowed out.

If my whole body were modified, wouldn't I be able to stay up as much as I want? I'd never have to worry about kidney deficiency or hair loss again! Hehehe..."

He gave a manly grin.

"I even have a bold idea, though I don't know if I should say it..."

Lin Wei immediately interrupted him, her face flushing.

"Hey, hey, hey! Stop right there! There's a girl here! Watch your influence, okay? Anyone making dirty jokes has to drink a penalty cup!"

Everyone burst into laughter, and the atmosphere grew even more lively.

The lunch ended happily amidst banter and reminiscing about the past.

After eating, they strolled over to watch Ne Zha 2.

Just as Fatty Wang said, the IMAX special effects were indeed explosive, with a visual impact that left everyone dazzled.

As for the plot... the few of them looked at each other after coming out and tacitly gave a no comment.

By the time they left the cinema, it was already six or seven in the evening, and the city lights were just beginning to glow.

Everyone was in high spirits and didn't want to go home and say goodbye so early.

So, they tacitly turned into a back alley behind the mall and found a bustling barbecue stall full of the breath of life.

Plastic tables and chairs, noisy drinking games, the scent of charcoal fire and cumin in the air... it was all filled with the authentic vitality of the streets.

They loudly ordered a huge pile of skewers and beer, munching on skewers and drinking ice-cold beer.

Li Qiang suggested again, "It's still early. How about we go sit in a bar afterward?"

Lin Wei frowned, clearly not very interested. "Bars are too noisy. You have to shout to be heard. It's boring."

Fatty Wang looked at Lin Wei, then at Chen Youhua, and made the decision.

"True, the noise is a headache. Then how about KTV? We can drink, sing, and still have a good chat!"

The proposal was passed unanimously.

Moving to the KTV room, the colorful lights and slightly tacky decorations actually enhanced the lively atmosphere.

Fatty Wang and Li Qiang were the first to warm up the room, hoarsely belting out Chasing the Dream with a Child's Heart and Old Boy. Although they were constantly off-key and their voices cracked, their momentum was full, winning a round of applause.

When it was Lin Wei's turn, the style suddenly changed.

Instead of her usual soft love songs, she unexpectedly chose a rather obscure Gufeng song.

The Beautiful Lady Yu.

As the prelude began, she picked up the microphone, and her aura seemed to settle into tranquility.

"The willows sway... Sipping this spring light, fearing you cannot take it with you..."

As soon as she opened her mouth, it was a melodious voice with an operatic tone, ethereal and tinged with a hint of sorrow.

The transition between her real and falsetto voice was smooth and natural, vividly interpreting that classical sense of parting sorrow.

"Beacon fires rise... Iron horses and battle bones hidden in yellow sands...

Recalling the past... Sewing carefully before departure, hoping you will always remember...

Thinking of it now... On the long road, doing nothing but soaking the handkerchief together..."

After the song ended, there was a brief silence in the room.

Fatty Wang exaggeratedly rubbed his arms.

"Holy crap? You sing that well? I've got goosebumps.

If you're going to be like this, we're not splitting the bill for the KTV room today."

Li Qiang was also shocked.

"Exactly! When did you secretly learn Gufeng songs?

It's too good! No way, you have to do another one! Otherwise, we won't split the bill at all!"

Lin Wei looked at their exaggerated reactions and smiled smugly behind her hand; she had practiced this song countless times in private.

"Sure! Don't want to split the bill? Well, listening to this lady sing comes with a fee."

"No splitting, no splitting! Another one!" Chen Youhua also urged; he truly felt Lin Wei's singing was stunning.

So Lin Wei sang another song, Qingyi, melodious and full of ancient charm.

Everyone's scalp tingled; that hysterical, powerless female voice made it feel as if they were seeing a scene.

A military tent with a flickering candle, about to go out but not yet.

Outside the tent, the Songs of Chu gradually rose.

Xiang Yu leaned against a low table, bloodstains congealed on his armor.

Yu Ji's fingertips brushed across the sword case as she spoke:

"My Lord, listen to me sing one more act."

Yu Ji opened her lips; her voice was very light, yet every word struck deep into Xiang Yu's chest.

"For you... I sing a song of a war that forgets sorrow..."

Outside the tent, the Wu Zhui Horse neighed mournfully.

She spun around, her white dress fluttering like the wings of a dying crane, the sword ringing as it left its scabbard.

Xiang Yu suddenly looked up, the sword's light reflecting on her face, making it look as white as snow.

"Whose beauty could topple a city... yet says farewell to Yu Ji?"

The blade turned back, kissing her neck like plain silk.

Beads of blood splashed into the leftover wine on the table with a clinking sound.

Xiang Yu stumbled forward, catching her falling body.

Warm blood meandered through the gaps in his iron armor, incredibly hot.

Her final breath brushed past his ear:

"For you... I pour the wine... to continue the parting of this life..."

"Your tears stain the pear blossoms... but the pear blossoms only disturb the play of those parting..."

As Lin Wei finished the last line, she pulled everyone back to reality.

Everyone was silent for a long time, filled with endless sighs.

"That was too beautiful."

"Agreed. It seems like there are a lot of Gufeng songs lately."

"Rabbit Country-style songs can always evoke the deepest emotions in people's hearts."

After listening to the two songs, everyone was satisfied, and their gazes naturally focused on Chen Youhua.

"Youhua! Do one! Do one! Everyone else has sung, so you have to sing one too." Fatty Wang shoved the microphone over.

Li Qiang and Lin Wei also clapped and cheered on the side.

Unable to refuse their enthusiasm, Chen Youhua had no choice but to scroll through the song selection screen for a while, finally choosing Year Rings.

As the music started, he adjusted his breathing. Though not as professional as Lin Wei, his voice was deep and gentle, possessing its own unique charm.

"Circles traced into fingerprints... imprinted on my lips...

Memories of bitter kiss marks... are tree roots...

The lushness of passing springs and autumns... yet it hides the dusk...

In the cold night, I am left alone... waiting for the dawn...

The most poisonous hatred in the world... is having a fated connection but no destiny together...

Sadly, you never felt for... my foolishness...

A youth overgrown with wild grass... has passed peacefully enough...

What accompanies me in your stead are the Year Rings..."

He sang very seriously, and his voice seemed to carry a hint of delicacy and depth from the bottom of his heart that he would never normally show.

His friends stopped fooling around and listened quietly. Only the song and the melody flowed through the room.