Chapter 65 - Depends on Your Performance
Chen Ran thought it over for a mont, and a sense of sudden realization washed over him.
No wonder Chen Yao had seed so nervous when he talked to her last ti.
The key was that she had even sworn she would absolutely never go to a bar, saying it with such certainty.
Only now did he realize that what he thought was nervousness was actually a guilty conscience!
The short-haired girl also realized sothing was wrong. Chen Ran and Chen Yao looked quite alike; as soon as she saw him, she thought of Chen Yao’s brother, and her heart skipped a beat.
Chen Yao kept shooting her looks, but she pretended not to notice and said, "Oh my, I forgot to bring my phone. I’m going back for a second. Bye, Yaoyao!"
After saying that, she turned tail and ran, making a clean getaway.
"Naonao, co back here!" Chen Yao shouted hurriedly.
But the short-haired girl knew she had caused trouble, so how could she possibly stop? She charged straight into the school and never looked back.
Chen Yao stomped her feet in anger. What a plastic sister!
She stole a glance at Chen Ran. Seeing his brow furrowed, she imdiately lowered her head and stared at the tips of her toes.
With only the two siblings left there, the atmosphere stagnated slightly.
Chen Ran stared at his sister for a while before finally opening his mouth to ask,
"The part-ti job you ntioned... is it at a bar?"
Chen Yao toughened her resolve and nodded.
Chen Ran let out a huff and said, "And you lied to , saying it was attracting custors for a leisure lounge? I'm your brother; truthfully, would I actually hit you or sothing?"
"I didn't lie to you either. The place I’m at is a music bar, it’s quite leisurely. And singing for the guests... that counts as attracting custors too..." Chen Yao said in a small voice.
Black lines appeared on Chen Ran's face. "Lying is one thing, but you’ve even learned how to quibble?"
"I'm telling the truth," Chen Yao muttered.
Chen Ran felt sowhat helpless and said, "I just feel it’s unsafe for a girl to go to a place like a bar, which is why I didn't want you to go. It's for your own good!"
Chen Yao said hurriedly, "Brother, I'm going to a folk music bar. It's not the kind of bar you're thinking of. Most of the people inside go to listen to songs; it’s not purely for drinking!"
Chen Ran let out a breath. When he heard "bar," he had indeed been a bit angry.
It wasn't that he had any prejudice against bars, but in those kinds of places, girls could easily be taken advantage of. He held the attitude that if one could avoid going, they should resolutely stay away.
Likely seeing that Chen Ran’s face wasn't as grim as before, Chen Yao continued,
"Besides, I only go there to sing. I'm the type who leaves as soon as I'm done singing; I don't drink at all. The boss is soone Naonao knows—the owner of a recording studio. He opened a music bar because he loves music. There won't be any people with bad intentions in there!"
Chen Ran shot her a glance.
"How long have you been working there that you already know if soone is good or bad?"
"Anyway, the boss is pretty decent," Chen Yao said quickly.
"That's not right. I rember you never studied music. He's a recording studio owner; his standards must be very high. He’d actually take a fancy to your singing and let you perform?" Chen Ran asked suspiciously.
Chen Yao said indignantly, "Brother, you’re looking down on people too much! I have studied singing. Even though I’m self-taught, even the boss praised my singing. Besides, I usually make videos and post them online—I have over 300,000 followers now!"
Chen Ran was montarily stunned. Does this an she wasn't lying?
She’s not just a resident singer at a bar, but also a minor internet celebrity?
Seeing that Chen Ran still looked doubtful, Chen Yao handed him her phone to show him her account; it did indeed have over 300,000 followers.
She glanced at the ti and added, "Brother, I don't have any ti left. I have to rush over. Today is my special show, and there’s no one to fill in for . If you don't believe , you can follow to the bar!"
Chen Ran mostly believed her now, but he still intended to follow her and take a look.
While they were in the car, Chen Yao asked cautiously:
"Brother, I really didn't lie to you on purpose. I was mainly afraid you’d worry and wouldn't agree. You absolutely cannot tell Mom and Dad, okay? If they find out I'm singing in a bar, they’ll definitely disown !"
She acted pitifully, but Chen Ran wasn't buying it. He said, "That depends. If things don't match what you said, forget about Mom and Dad—I'll directly announce that I'm an only child."
Chen Yao’s mouth twitched; those words were far too harsh!
The two arrived at their destination. The bar’s na was inconspicuous—just two words: Street Corner.
As soon as they entered, soone imdiately ca over and said, “Chen Yao, why did you only just get here? It’s almost ti.”
Chen Yao said, “Brother Yuan, this is my brother. He’s here to watch sing; take him to a seat for a bit.”
“Alright, go get ready quickly.” After Brother Yuan finished speaking, he led Chen Ran to a seat.
Chen Ran looked around. Chen Yao was right about one thing—this bar was different from others. It appeared very quiet inside, and the decor had a unique charm.
The bar counter was on one side, while a stage stood in the center.
There were quite a few custors around, chatting, and everyone was relatively quiet.
On the stage, Chen Yao ca out holding her guitar.
Unlike the sowhat frail younger sister in Chen Ran’s mory, the Chen Yao standing on stage appeared confident and fulfilled.
Chen Ran didn't listen to much folk music and certainly couldn't articulate the finer points of it, but Chen Yao’s singing didn't rely on many techniques.
As she sang while holding her guitar, she gave off the feeling of telling a story in a slow, steady, engaging way; it was very comfortable.
Chen Ran felt a bit ashad. Neither of them had systematically studied music, yet compared to Chen Yao, he, the older brother, was lacking by more than just a tiny bit!
“I didn't expect Chen Yao to have a side like this!”
Chen Ran now believed her words. Working part-ti here was not just about earning money, but also because she loved to sing.
Partway through, Chen Ran’s phone rang. Watching the surrounding custors intently listening to Chen Yao’s singing, he took his phone and stepped aside.
The call was from Lin Fan, which caught Chen Ran very much by surprise.
The two usually handled business by shouting in the WeChat group; though they had each other's numbers, they had never called one another.
Once the call connected, Lin Fan said impatiently, “Sothing huge has happened. Fang Qingying committed suicide!”
Suicide?
Chen Ran’s head jolted slightly.
He knew Fang Qingying—she was the host of the Sunday program, Qingying Lecture!
“How could she suddenly commit suicide?” Chen Ran asked in surprise.
“Is it because of the ratings?”
The ratings for Qingying Lecture had been steadily dropping, and Director Liu had singled them out for several consecutive episodes.
However, it wasn't as if there weren't programs with even worse ratings—Boundless Joy was more miserable than that, and no one there had made a move.
How did this lead to suicide?
Lin Fan said, “The ratings played a part, but she seems to have depression. There were so issues after she broke up with her boyfriend two months ago.”
After hanging up, Chen Ran was still a bit dazed.
No wonder the director of Qingying Lecture was shifting the bla onto her; it turned out there really were so problems.
Fang Qingying was lucky to be alive, having been saved by her family, but with her ntal state like this, she wouldn't be able to serve as a host for the ti being.
Chen Ran thought of Director Liu Xianlong; he wondered just how dark his face would turn.
……
Chen Yao’s performance ended, and she hurried over to Chen Ran and asked, “Brother, how was my singing?”
Chen Ran was thinking about other matters and said perfunctorily, “Very good, it sounded great. Better than .”
Chen Yao didn't care about his attitude. What she cared about was another issue, and she asked weakly,
“Then... are you not going to tell Mom and Dad?”
“That depends on your performance. If you neglect your studies because of singing and end up failing a course, then I can only co clean to our parents,” Chen Ran said.
Chen Yao caught his aning and nodded hurriedly, saying,
“I guarantee I won’t neglect my studies! Singing is just a hobby; I can tell the difference!”
She let out a sigh of relief. It was already very good not to be scolded!
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