Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Lin Xiao stepped off the bus, her bag in hand, and immediately spotted the town mayor, Ke Hong, in the hotel lobby.
"Director Lin, is there anything else you need from us?" Ke Hong approached her.
"Is there anything the county chief requires?" Luo Qianwei hadn’t given Lin Xiao any specific instructions, leaving her uncertain about the situation.
Just a moment ago, Er Ya mentioned that everyone had returned to their rooms. Ke Hong seemed a bit anxious; Er Ya was a server here and from their village.
"I’m not sure what arrangements the county chief has made. How about we wait for now? If anything comes up, I’ll contact you," Lin Xiao suggested. She knew that as long as Li Hao stayed put, Ke Hong wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving for other matters.
Ke Hong nodded, realizing it was the only option, and quickly arranged accommodation for Lin Xiao.
During dinner time, Ke Hong called to ask about their meal arrangements. Lin Xiao checked with the hotel manager and was informed that Ningyuan Group had already taken care of it.
At seven o'clock in the evening, Lin Xiao figured that her superiors wouldn’t seek her out again and decided to take a walk.
The hotel was situated at the foot of the mountain, right next to Emerald Lake. The water was a brilliant blue and crystal clear, resembling a dazzling emerald set amidst lush green hills.
Lin Xiao settled onto a wooden bench by the lake, watching the sunset cast its golden rays that illuminated Cui Ping Mountain in vibrant colors.
After circling half of the lake and noticing that dusk was deepening, she turned back toward the hotel.
As she reached the ground floor, she noticed a text message from Li County Chief: "Where are you?"
Lin Xiao quickly replied, "At Emerald Lake Hotel."
"On my way." It was typical of Li Hao's straightforward style.
Lin Xiao felt a jolt of surprise as she glanced at her phone—it was already eight-thirty. She decided to turn on her phone’s recording feature before entering.
People from Ningyuan Group were also present. Another text message arrived.
Lin Xiao let out a sigh of relief but then felt a twinge of anxiety.
When she arrived at the venue, she realized it was more of an entertainment club. Li Hao and Si Ningyuan were seated together; one woman was singing while another woman chatted with a man.
To her surprise, the singer was the same woman who had asked Lin Xiao to open the door for her earlier that afternoon.
Si Ningyuan spotted Lin Xiao approaching and waved her over.
Lin Xiao asked Si Ningyuan from half an arm's distance. Si Ningyuan pointed to the sofa next to Li Hao and said loudly, "Sit."
Lin Xiao was unsure why she was called over but obediently sat down beside Li Hao, close enough to catch a strong whiff of alcohol on him. Si Ningyuan opened a bottle of beer, filled a cup, and handed it over to Lin Xiao while taking one for himself. "Cheers to us," he said.
Lin Xiao hesitated as she looked at Li Hao. "What are you looking at him for? It's after work now," Si Ningyuan shouted over the loud background music.
Lin Xiao took a sip, placing her cup on the table just as a song ended. The woman who had been singing put down the microphone and approached Li Hao. "Let’s sing a duet."
Seeing her come over, Lin Xiao quickly moved to the other side of the sofa. Li Hao stood up, and the two went to choose a song, picking Wang Leehom's "You Are the Song in My Heart."
As the melody played and the male voice began, Lin Xiao realized that some people could truly be perfect in their performance. Li Hao sang with intricate emotion, and the female voice matched him beautifully.
Si Ningyuan moved closer to Lin Xiao with his drink, prompting her to instinctively shift away a bit. He chuckled inwardly, thinking that girls from small towns just couldn’t let loose. If he wanted to get her talking, he needed to lower her guard.
"I grew up with Li Hao; I never expected he would stay here," Si Ningyuan said sincerely.
Lin Xiao didn’t respond, feeling somewhat puzzled about their relationship. "I’ll tell you some embarrassing stories about him from when he was a kid. Next time he bothers you, you can bring them up," Si Ningyuan teased, leaving his sentence hanging.
Lin Xiao thought to herself that she couldn’t ignore it; she was curious about what such a perfect person had been like as a child. "He was small back then and often got beaten up by me," Si Ningyuan laughed meaningfully, his proud expression making Lin Xiao feel that he truly enjoyed those memories.
Noticing Lin Xiao's undisguised look of disdain at the mention of his past antics, Si Ningyuan added, "But later on, he got back at me."
Clearly a master storyteller, Si Ningyuan had Lin Xiao hanging on his every word. "Li Hao started studying early and skipped grades, so he was naturally much smaller than me."
Si Ningyuan continued, "When they saw this little genius, they couldn’t help but be curious. Who would have thought that Li Hao had always been so quiet?"
They believed that the children looked down on them, and a few of them often surrounded and teased him after school. Little did they know that Li Hao was not someone to be trifled with; he fought back directly. Although the others had some skills in fighting, Li Hao suffered a few hits due to his lack of caution. No matter how much the teachers pressed him, he only claimed he had fallen.
Si Ningyuan admired Li Hao's loyalty and decided to stop bullying him. However, one day when Si Ningyuan was alone, he ended up getting beaten up by Li Hao, leaving him with a bruised face. From then on, the two became acquainted through their fights.
After hearing this, Lin Xiao couldn't help but laugh, feeling that their county chief was both pitiable and impressive. When Li Hao was singing, he noticed Si Ningyuan and Lin Xiao sitting close together, which made him somewhat unhappy. He thought about whether he should remind Lin Xiao to keep her distance from Si Ningyuan. Earlier, Si Ningyuan had insisted that he call Lin Xiao over—was he interested in her?
Then he reconsidered; knowing Lin Xiao's personality, she wouldn't fall for Si Ningyuan's sweet talk. Yet seeing the two of them chatting animatedly made him wonder what they were discussing, especially since Lin Xiao seemed so happy.
After finishing a song, Si Ningyuan suggested to Lin Xiao that she should sing one too. Lin Xiao waved her hand dismissively; she had only sung at her college graduation party before, and with Li Hao and that girl setting such a high bar, she didn't want to embarrass herself.
To separate Si Ningyuan and Lin Xiao, Li Hao called out, "Lin Xiao, come sing a song!" Since her name had been mentioned, she couldn’t refuse any longer and chose a song.
In her first semester of college, she had watched many foreign films to improve her English. When the melody of this song played, she felt inexplicably moved to tears; perhaps it resonated with her empathy for the struggles of the protagonist. The melody was simple enough that she learned it after listening to it a few times. Now whenever she heard this song, she couldn't help but hum along—it was one of the few songs she could sing all the way through.
The dark film played on the big screen, showing the male lead in a vehicle with a forlorn expression in his eyes. As Lin Xiao conveyed the emotions of the song, the noisy room fell silent for a moment.
Si Ningyuan leaned over and whispered to Li Hao, "Your little secretary has quite a story."
Li Hao shot him a glance and replied, "She's different from you all; don't provoke her."
"Why do you care?" Si Ningyuan nudged Li Hao playfully with his elbow, laughing mischievously with a hint of provocation.
Li Hao chose to ignore him; this guy was always straightforward yet full of mischief. He loved getting into trouble as a child, and that bad habit hadn’t changed as he grew up.
The group continued taking turns singing for over an hour while consuming quite a bit of alcohol in between.
In the end, it was Li Hao who suggested that they disperse.
Comment 0 Comment Count