NOVPUBXu Qingfan, though still the pitied white elephant, sometimes couldn’t help but stiffen slightly when he saw them dashing around the living room in their shorts and pajamas, as a sign of respect.
After Xiao Ruanwen explained the humor, Wu Lingyu, for once serious, looked up and gazed into Xu Qingfan’s eyes, "Brother Fan, let’s not joke about our health, okay? My mom says what’s meant to work doesn’t, but what shouldn’t does!"
Her tone was like that of a mother educating a child who had erred, her eyes showing a determination not to give up until Xu Qingfan nodded in agreement.
"Alright, I’ll listen to our little Yu, I won’t make these silly jokes anymore!" Xu Qingfan raised his hand and slapped his mouth three times, "A slap to the mouth!"
"Hmm!" Seeing Xu Qingfan agreeing with her, the girl’s serious expression turned into a smile as warm and charming as the March breeze.
"That’s right, it’s not funny at all, Brother Fan, you’re really boring!" Xiao Ruanwen, arm in arm with Wu Lingyu, wore a determined expression as if swearing to distance herself from Xu Qingfan.
"Brother Qingfan, that cold joke you just made wasn’t funny at all!" Wu Lingyu was their beloved mascot, and Lin Wanning was the second to redirect the blame at him.
"Brother, bad!"
"Xu Qingfan was always so boring, let’s ignore him and go!" Seeing Xu Qingfan deflated, Xia Xiaoxiao felt cheerful.
Wu Lingyu was about to speak in Xu Qingfan’s defense when the four girls, like stars around the moon, pushed her forward to run, leaving Xu Qingfan alone to stand in punishment.
[If only they could always be this close.] Xu Qingfan smiled and shook his head, then chased after them, "Wait for me!"
"Run fast!"
"The Big Bad Wolf is coming!"
"Hahaha~"
They played the game of chase in the square, where they were hard pressed to escape with wings, and since they had just attended the school ceremony, they were all still in their school uniforms, which billowed as they ran with the wind filling their sleeves.
Passersby stopped to reminisce in the place where youth charged forth, a moment more precious than gold.
...
Since they were going to sing in the afternoon, they ate a light lunch, simply having a low-end Pizza Hut meal at Sally’s before heading non-stop to Gualv Square’s fifth floor to sing karaoke.
They took a medium room for fifty yuan for four hours, and the staff led the six of them to the room.
Back in those years, KTVs still used a mouse and keyboard to select songs, without the convenient touch screen systems that came later, and the computer was as slow as if it had been unearthed from the Qing dynasty, with searching or page turning sometimes freezing for ages.
Wu Lingyu took out the mineral water and snacks they had brought from their backpacks; buying a 500 ml cola here cost ten yuan.
They weren’t exactly short of cash, but there was no need to be taken advantage of.
Xiao Ruanwen was first to choose a song by Wang Fei called "Red Beans" and after clearing her throat began to sing.
"Never truly felt the weather, when snowflakes bloom," her soft voice immediately filled the room.
After selecting a few songs she wanted to sing, Xia Xiaoxiao picked up another microphone and joined in following the TV lyrics, "Sometimes, sometimes, I believe everything has an end."
When it was Lin Wanning’s turn, she found Xu Song among the male singers, and checked his songs "Funeral of the Rose," "Duan Bridge Snow," and "Why Not."
"Brother Qingfan, I’ve selected ’Funeral of the Rose’ for you!" After confirming, the girl turned to Xu Qingfan, "And ’Little Dimples,’ shall we sing that together when it’s our turn?"
"Okay, just let me know when it’s our turn." He gave Lin Wanning an indulgent smile and went on to play dice with Wu Lingyu and Zhang Yiyi who were lining up.
"I have five twos, what do you all say?"
"I’ll raise by four twos!" Wu Lingyu, clearly not good at lying, said earnestly.
Zhang Yiyi shook her head, indicating she would pass.
It was Xu Qingfan’s turn, and if he passed too, it would be like starting over because he only had three twos in his dice cup.
"Ha, got you! I only have three twos!" He reached for Wu Lingyu’s cup, but was startled by what he saw.
"How could they all be ones, you didn’t cheat, did you!"
"Just lucky." The girl playfully stuck out her tongue and bent her steel ruler, ready to flick him on the forehead.
"Be gentle." Xu Qingfan pretended to wince, closing his eyes, because he knew Wu Lingyu wouldn’t really use force.
"Sss~"
However, the next second, the metal ruler hit his forehead with all the force it could muster. Xu Qingfan cried out in pain and opened his eyes in disbelief, only to see Xia Xiaoxiao swiftly returning the metal ruler to Wu Lingyu, attempting to cover up the incident as if nothing had happened.
"Xia Xiaoxiao!"
"Lalalala~"
Chaos ensued in the private room for a moment.
"You perv!" Moments later, clutching her just-smacked bottom, Xia Xiaoxiao glared at him, embarrassed and annoyed.
"Brother Qing Fan, I want to play the dice game too!"
"Come on, let’s continue!" Xu Qingfan replied with a challenging look in his eye, confirming that the girl from the past had indeed returned.
Xia Xiaoxiao’s cheeks began to heat up again, but fortunately, the dim light in the private room meant her awkwardness went unnoticed.
After taking a sip of mineral water from the coffee table to calm her nerves, the girl pretended as if nothing happened and sang along with the TV, although her peripheral vision stayed fixed on Xu Qingfan’s every move.
"Story of the little yellow flower... but in the end of the story, you seemed to say goodbye." Singing K ended perfectly with everyone’s finale rendition of "Sunny Day."
Having gathered their things, they left Gualv Square using the elevator, which had a clear plastic exterior. From the fifth floor, they could see a large stage being set up not too far off, and even though it was already past five, many people were still gathered around.
"What’s going on over there? It wasn’t there when we came!" Xiao Ruawen asked, pointing at the crowd in the distance with curiosity.
"Let’s go have a look and we’ll find out," Xu Qingfan shrugged.
"We can’t stay out too late; I promised my mom I’d be home by six!" Lin Wanning looked at her watch, noting it was already half past five.
"Just a quick look, and I’ll call my dad to take you guys home." He extended his hand and playfully patted Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi on their heads.
"OK!"
As the elevator doors opened, the six of them excitedly rushed towards the crowded area.
"It’s... it’s... Happy Girls!" Xiao Ruawen pointed to the giant poster with excitement, struggling to get the words out, "Brother Fan, this isn’t some scam, is it?" Once bitten, she cautiously asked Xu Qingfan after calming down.
Xu Qingfan tilted his head and thought for a moment. In ’09, Xiangnan TV did indeed host Super Girl, but that season didn’t really gain much popularity, or at least, he couldn’t recall any of the contestants’ names now, and Mango Channel hadn’t organized it since then.
"This should be real. Why, are you thinking of participating?" Xu Qingfan asked, amused.
"Ruan Wen sings so well, she’d definitely advance if she participated!"
"So good!"
"My parents also praised Ruan Wen after watching the New Year’s video; they said she sings wonderfully. Ruan Wen could definitely become a big star in the future!" Wu Lingyu chimed in as well.
Their New Year’s video had been uploaded by Xu Qingfan to Youku and Tudou and had already racked up nearly two hundred thousand views. Lately, the girls’ favorite pastime was checking Tudou daily after school to see how much the view count had risen and to read the words of praise in the comment section.
"You guys are making it sound better than it is," the girl said, embarrassed by the compliments.
"Contestants must be at least eighteen years old, and those between sixteen and eighteen must be accompanied by a parent to participate," Xu Qingfan read aloud the age requirement from the entry rules to Xiao Ruawen.
"I never said I wanted to participate. Mind your own business with our corn fans!" Xiao Ruawen retorted with a glance at him.
"Just wait until we’re in high school, then we can all be your support group!" Xia Xiaoxiao said, giving her a pat on the shoulder.
Though Xia Xiaoxiao enjoyed singing as well, she wasn’t very interested in becoming a singer or a star; she didn’t like the idea of living in the spotlight.
"Yeah!" Xiao Ruawen smiled sweetly at her, hiding the slight disappointment she felt inside.
"Let’s go, future superstar, time to head home!"
Xiao Ruawen glanced back at the stage one last time and followed the others without pausing.
"When I become a big star, I will..."
"You’ll love only me, right?"
"In your dreams!"
"Hahaha..."
