Chapter 96: Either Sing or Kiss

"What kind of person is he?"

Lin Muxue was taken aback by the question, then shook her head.

"To be honest, I do not really know what sort of person he is. I only know one thing: trust him, trust him without reservation. Because he is a man who can bring about miracles."

Lin Siyu nodded in a dazed sort of understanding.

After what she had just experienced, she was beginning to understand why her sister placed such absolute trust in Li Sichen.

As her sister had said, he was indeed a man capable of bringing about miracles.

Her gaze drifted, almost of its own accord, to Li Sichen.

Just then, someone by the court waved at her and called out, "Siyu, hurry down! We are heading off to celebrate our victory!"

Lin Muxue patted her shoulder and said, "Your classmates are calling for you. Go on, have fun."

"Mm." Lin Siyu answered, then turned and walked down from the stands.

After only a few steps, she stopped again.

Turning back, she smiled brightly and said, "Sister, thank you for coming to watch my match. I am very happy."

"So am I." Lin Muxue smiled as well.

After Lin Siyu left, she turned her eyes toward Li Sichen and said softly, "Thank you, Sichen. If you had not reminded me, I might have hurt Siyu's feelings today. You were right. I really should pay more attention to my little sister..."

The students of Class Three, First-Year High School, clustered around Li Sichen, Tan Xiaoxiao, Lin Siyu, and the other members of the volleyball team, chatting and laughing as they walked out of South Mountain High School. In a large group, they made their way to the nearby subway station, took the train into the bustling heart of the city, and went to eat and sing to celebrate their victory.

When they arrived at the restaurant they had reserved by phone, the crowd ended up taking up five tables.

Their homeroom teacher, Gao Zixi, ordered a few dishes, then passed the menu to Li Sichen. "You are the biggest contributor to today's win. Order whatever you like."

Though he had been forced to come to the restaurant, Li Sichen still wanted to keep bad luck at bay as much as possible. So after taking the menu, he flipped to the vegetable section. "Bring me a boiled cabbage. Do not add any special seasoning, just the plain boiled cabbage will do..."

Seeing that he had ordered only the cheapest and most ordinary vegetable dish, the students of Class Three, First-Year High immediately began to heckle him.

Tan Xiaoxiao even snatched the menu from his hands and said irritably, "Li, what are you trying to say? Afraid we will eat through all the money you just won? What is the meaning of ordering only boiled cabbage? Forget it. Let your big sister do the ordering."

Though he had been looked down on, Li Sichen was not the least bit annoyed. Smiling, he said, "I am not trying to save money. I just happen to be used to eating light. Order whatever you want, and do not worry about saving me money."

Li Sichen was not afraid of spending money. He was only afraid of indulgence.

Soon, dish after dish was brought to the table.

Since they were all middle-school and high-school students, and since Gao Zixi, their homeroom teacher, was present, no one drank alcohol; they only ordered soft drinks. Even so, the atmosphere was lively beyond measure. Zhang Yi and a few others who were especially good at stirring things up went around with their drinks, toasting one after another, somehow making soft drinks feel like liquor...

That meal went on for more than two full hours before it finally ended.

When they stepped out of the restaurant, the sky was already fully dark. Yet the celebration was still far from over.

Aside from a few classmates who had left early because of family matters, most of them stayed behind and headed together to a nearby self-service karaoke club.

Li Sichen had originally wanted to slip away, but Tan Xiaoxiao gave him no chance at all. She called over a few girls and, half dragging and half pulling, made sure there was no way he could run.

Many people on the street witnessed the scene.

Quite a few who did not know the whole story were silently bewildered. What on earth is going on? Are they fighting over a boyfriend in the middle of the street? These young girls today are far too bold and enthusiastic.

Plenty of boys, meanwhile, felt a mix of envy, jealousy, and resentment. Darn it, why is it not me being fought over by girls?

Because there were so many people from Class Three, First-Year High, even after they had booked the largest room in the karaoke club, it still felt crowded.

Still, the students did not mind. In fact, many of the boys thought it was better to be squeezed together; it made things livelier, and it also meant they could get a little closer to the girls...

Tan Xiaoxiao was the first to pick a song. She chose Queen's "We Are the Champions."

Although Class Three, First-Year High had only made it into the top eight and was still far from the all-school championship, at that moment every student in the class felt as though they had won the title itself. So the song was perfectly fitting.

Tan Xiaoxiao had a voice full of explosive power, and her spirited rendition of "We Are the Champions" sounded wonderfully moving. The mood in the room was lit ablaze by that one song, and all the students, whether they could sing or not, joined in humming along. What had originally been Tan Xiaoxiao's solo became a grand, thunderous chorus.

After Tan Xiaoxiao, several others went up to sing. Even their homeroom teacher, Gao Zixi, under the coaxing and cheering of the students, chose Karen Mok's "The Fruits of Midsummer," earning unanimous praise and applause from the entire room.

No one tried to hog the microphone tonight. Not because they did not want to, but because they simply could not.

After all, there were several dozen students from Class Three, First-Year High gathered there. After eating and drinking their fill, who would not want to roar a few songs out? And if anyone dared cling to the microphone and refuse to let go, a swarm of people would rush up and snatch it away at once.

While everyone else was happily singing, Li Sichen sat in a corner, his brows tightly knit as he muttered to himself, "Does coming to a karaoke club count as indulgence? Will it bring me bad luck?"

No one heard what he was saying, but someone did notice his somewhat solitary figure.

After one song ended, Tan Xiaoxiao pressed pause and said into the microphone, "Has anyone ever heard Li Sichen sing?"

"No!" everyone answered generously in unison.

Tan Xiaoxiao was the sort who thrived on excitement. Hearing the response, her voice instantly rose several notches. "Then do you want to hear him sing a song?"

"We do!" everyone shouted back.

Tan Xiaoxiao strode over to Li Sichen and shoved the microphone into his hands. "Classmate Li Sichen, hear everyone cheering for you? Stop sitting there like a statue. Come on, sing one!"

"Sing one! Sing one!" the others chorused, eager to stir up trouble.

"Sing?" Li Sichen waved his hands and refused. "Let it go..."

He still had not even figured out whether coming to a karaoke club counted as indulgence. How could he possibly sing recklessly now?

But Tan Xiaoxiao misunderstood. "Li, you are not tone-deaf, are you? Afraid you will sing badly and get laughed at? Relax. Tonight, if anyone dares laugh at you, I will be the first to slap them across the face!"

"Xiaoxiao is right. If anyone dares laugh at you, we will hit them!" the others chimed in, all of them enjoying the spectacle and not at all afraid of making things bigger.

Li Sichen still refused to sing.

Tan Xiaoxiao's bright eyes rolled, and suddenly she reached out and yanked Lin Siyu over with a wicked grin. "Either you sing, or you kiss Siyu. Pick one."

The whole room fell silent for a moment, and then everyone grew excited at once...

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