Before Mi Cai arrived, CC went on stage first to warm up the crowd. Without the accompaniment of a band, CC strummed her guitar and began singing.
The people who had been chatting separately gradually quieted down, drawn into CC’s singing.
CC wasn’t a beauty at first glance, but she was a woman worth careful appreciation. Her voice was full of stories and a sense of vicissitude, which was particularly attractive to men.
After the song, warm applause broke out. Some customers began to comment on CC, thinking she was really great, and thus became even more excited anticipating Mi Cai.
Actually, I didn’t think CC was inferior to Mi Cai. It’s just that everyone has different aesthetic standards. Mi Cai’s beauty and voice were simply more easily accepted by the general public.
After CC sang one song, Luo Ben went on stage to perform next. His voice, like wood tones, captured the essence of folk songs and received great acclaim, especially from the women in the crowd who showed strong interest in him. Encouraged by the audience, he sang another song.
Finally, after Luo Ben’s second song, Mi Cai arrived at the bar wearing women’s style Martin boots and a punk outfit, instantly capturing everyone’s attention.
The man known as Mr. Bai showed the most excitement. Looking at Mi Cai, he said, “That’s her…”
Immediately, someone chimed in, “Great… Mr. Bai’s taste is indeed excellent!”
Nodding, the man said, “She sings very well too. Everyone, please be quiet and give her a peaceful environment for her performance.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, though their gazes remained fixed on Mi Cai, as if every move she made was highly attractive to them.
As for Mi Cai, she remained indifferent to the intense attention, calmly walking towards us and handing her shoulder bag to CC.
I looked at her and remarked, “That outfit you’re wearing is so cool! I’ve never seen you dressed like this before.”
CC took over the conversation, saying, “I accompanied her shopping last time and bought it for her.”
“You really plan to assimilate her, huh!” I exclaimed.
CC shrugged and said, “Best friends always influence each other, right?”
“I only see you influencing her, not the other way around.”
“Not true,” CC countered, then pointed at her bag on the sofa and said, “See that bag?”
Looking carefully, I realized it was Prada’s new collection this season. I sighed, “You two really are best friends. You teach her to drink beer, and she teaches you to spend recklessly!”
My words made Mi Cai and CC exchange smiles. Meanwhile, the waiting customers could no longer contain their excitement and began clapping to urge Mi Cai to perform.
After I made an apologetic gesture to the crowd, I handed my guitar to Mi Cai. Unexpectedly, Mi Cai didn’t take it. Instead, she asked Luo Ben, “Can I use yours?”
I awkwardly withdrew my hand. Luo Ben looked at me in confusion but still handed his guitar to Mi Cai.
A waiter brought a bar stool for Mi Cai to sit on, while CC, holding a bass, stood beside her to provide accompaniment.
At that moment, the two women—one standing, one sitting, one beautiful, one sexy—unconsciously created a perfect chemistry, which marked their first collaboration in my memory.
“’Sealed With A Kiss,’ okay?” Mi Cai asked CC.
“No problem. I like this song too,” CC nodded and gave Mi Cai an OK sign.
Thus, the two women—one taking the lead, the other providing harmonies—quickly entered a state of mutual understanding despite it being their first collaboration. As audience members, we were soon immersed in their music.
As the performance neared its end, I joked with Luo Ben beside me, saying, “I think if the two of them formed a band, they would definitely become a new force in the music industry!”
Luo Ben scoffed, “Please, this place is like a pile of crap. Don’t let it dirty them!”
I looked at Luo Ben helplessly. He was just too proud and held strong aversion towards the mainstream music industry. My suggestion was merely a joke, yet it provoked such an intense reaction from him. After all, considering Mi Cai’s status in the business world, how could she possibly be interested in getting involved in the murky waters of the entertainment industry!
Nonetheless, I could understand him. Over the years, some of his excellent original songs had been plagiarized, and he still hadn’t managed to win any legal battles for copyright protection, which left him disheartened. In short, the entertainment industry is deep and murky, full of transactions and unfairness, unsuitable for a man with strong idealism like him.
After singing two songs, Mi Cai and CC declined further requests. CC had to apologize to the disappointed audience.
Many people were concerned about when Mi Cai would come again, but CC could only give them an apologetic answer. In fact, Mi Cai coming today was already doing CC a big favor.
As people sighed in disappointment, Mi Cai, who had put down her guitar, surprised everyone by saying, “If I have time on weekends, I will come by to play. I hope you can still support my friend’s bar!”
The crowd below responded eagerly, “Of course! Of course!”
Mi Cai politely smiled at the crowd and walked back toward us. I felt a bit confused—was the “friend” she mentioned referring to Leyao, CC, or even me?
Mi Cai returned the guitar to Luo Ben. I gratefully said to her, “Thank you, you worked hard!”
“Not really. CC worked harder,” Mi Cai replied indifferently as usual.
I looked at CC, who was still performing on stage. Indeed, she had been working hard lately. Not only did she need to manage the “Empty City” music restaurant, but she also had to take care of Leyao’s bar and serve as a resident singer, all without any pay.
As Leyao’s friend, CC was beyond reproach. Yet I couldn’t understand why Luo Ben still couldn’t forget that girl from Beijing and start a new relationship with CC, a kind and distinctive woman.
Didn’t he know that even I, who had always been unable to forget Jian Wei, had compromised with reality and started a new relationship in Xuzhou? Thus, I became even more curious: what kind of magical power did that girl from Beijing possess that made Luo Ben so steadfast?
Putting my curiosity aside for now, I asked the waiter to bring Mi Cai a cup of hot milk.
Mi Cai thanked me and took a sip before placing the cup down. She then looked at me and asked, “Zhaoyang, the customers here tonight must have given you some ideas about how to run this place, right?”
I looked at Mi Cai in surprise. No wonder she was the CEO of Zhuomei Shopping Center. Although I hadn’t expressed myself yet, she had already figured out that I had begun thinking about business strategies.
I smiled and asked, “How did you know?”
“If you don’t even have this basic commercial instinct, I wouldn’t believe you have the ability to successfully manage this crisis-filled bar.”
I nodded and looked around the bar, saying, “The unexpected customers here tonight indeed inspired me with some business ideas… My business transformation will start with the name of this bar… From now on, this bar will be renamed ‘The Fifth Season!’”
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