You were supposed to have a fake marriage with the diva, so how did you become her father?

Chapter 419 Karaoke

Shen Yuege opened the car door and got in.

Lu Ran got into the car and sat next to her.

Shen Zhiwei started the car and drove home.

The car was quiet; no one spoke.

Lu Ran leaned back in his seat, watching the street scene rushing past the window, his mind racing with thoughts.

What was Shen Yuege's reaction when Li Guoliang said "it's okay to be a mistress"?

She didn't get angry, didn't throw things, and didn't storm off. She just calmly peeled an orange and said, "Let her add me as a friend, and I'll help her rank up."

This isn't indifference; it's confidence.

I'm so confident that I don't need to take this kind of joke seriously.

Lu Ran's lips curled up slightly as he thought of this.

He turned his head and glanced at Shen Yuege.

Shen Yuege was looking out the window, the sunlight shining on her profile, her eyelashes casting a small fan-shaped shadow on her cheek.

"Yuege," he called her softly.

Shen Yuege turned to look at him: "What?"

You look beautiful today.

Shen Yuege glanced at him, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, then turned her face back to continue looking out the window.

But Lu Ran noticed that the tips of her ears were a little red.

As the car crossed the Huangpu River Bridge, sunlight streamed in through the windows, falling on the seats between the two people and turning the gray seats into a warm golden hue.

Back home, Shen Zhiwei took off his coat and hung it on the hanger, changed into slippers, and plopped down on the sofa, looking completely drained.

Priscilla Chan went to the kitchen, poured a few glasses of water, and brought them out, one for each person.

"Are you tired?" Priscilla Chan asked Shen Yuege.

"It's okay. I just laughed too much, and my face is a little stiff." Shen Yuege rubbed her cheeks, her expression like she was giving a facial massage.

Lu Ran, sitting next to her, also felt her face getting a little sore.

Sending New Year's greetings is essentially a marathon of facial expression management.

No matter what the other person says, you have to smile.

You should smile when someone praises you, you should smile when someone insults you, and you should still smile when someone tells you to make your wife your mistress.

I laughed all day, no wonder I felt a little sour.

Shen Zhiwei drank half a glass of water, leaned back on the sofa, and closed his eyes.

After a while, he suddenly opened his eyes, looked at the ceiling, and said, "Old Li's joke went a bit too far."

Priscilla Chan chimed in from the side, "That's just the kind of person he is, he can't keep his mouth shut. You've known him for decades, don't you know him?"

"Knowing is one thing, but saying those kinds of things in front of a child is inappropriate."

"Then go and talk to him. Why didn't you say anything when he was at his house?"

"Didn't I tell you? I said you've had too much to drink."

"That's what you call talking? That's just making a fuss. You should slam your fist on the table, stand up, point your finger at him, and say, 'If you keep talking nonsense, I'm cutting ties with you.' That's what you call talking."

Shen Zhiwei was speechless at Priscilla Chan's theatrical way of speaking. He opened his mouth, but finally said, "I'm not an actor, why would I slam the table?"

Shen Yuege, who was listening nearby, couldn't stand it anymore and interjected, "Alright, alright, Uncle Li was just joking, don't take it seriously. If you keep talking about it, it'll make me seem petty."

Priscilla Chan glanced at her, said nothing more, picked up her water glass, and went to the kitchen.

Shen Zhiwei sat on the sofa for a while, then got up and went to the study.

Only Lu Ran and Shen Yuege remained in the living room.

The TV was off, and the room was quiet except for the ticking of the wall clock.

Shen Yuege leaned back on the sofa, stared at the ceiling for a while, and suddenly said, "Lu Ran, let's go out."

"Where to?"

"Whatever. I'll just find somewhere quiet to spend some time. I'm getting bored staying at home."

Lu Ran thought for a moment and said something that Shen Yuege didn't expect: "Let's go sing karaoke."

"Singing? Where to sing?"

"KTV. Let's find a small private room, just the two of us. Haven't you been singing in a while? Doesn't your throat feel itchy?"

Shen Yuege looked at him, her expression changing from doubt to attraction.

She really hasn't sung a proper song in a long time.

The songs I recorded last time, "Lady Shexiang" and "Chengdu," in the RV were simplified versions. I released them as soon as I finished recording, and they didn't have the feeling of singing freely in a recording studio.

Later, after returning to Shanghai, I was busy with the Chinese New Year and had even less chance to sing.

"Go now? Are KTVs open on the afternoon of the first day of the Lunar New Year?"

"Yes, we'll be open. KTVs are busiest during the Chinese New Year period, how could we not be open?"

Shen Yuege thought for a moment, then nodded: "Okay. Let's go."

The two changed their clothes.

Shen Yuege changed out of her cashmere coat and dress, and put on a black sweatshirt and dark blue jeans, with white sneakers on her feet. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail, making her look several years younger.

Lu Ran also changed, swapping his wool coat for that thin black jacket, still wearing the same cargo pants, and still wearing the same hiking boots.

The two went out and hailed a taxi.

The driver was a man in his thirties. When asked where they were going, Shen Yuege said to the nearest karaoke bar.

The driver glanced at them in the rearview mirror and said, "Going to karaoke on the first day of the Lunar New Year, you two really know how to have fun."

Lu Ran replied, "It's Chinese New Year, it's all about having fun."

The driver smiled, said nothing more, and stepped on the gas to drive forward.

The KTV is located in a shopping mall in the city center. It doesn't have a large storefront, but it's decorated very flashy.

A huge LED screen hangs at the entrance, scrolling through various GG and promotional information.

Several waiters stood in the lobby, all wearing matching red uniforms. When they saw the two people enter, a young waiter came forward to greet them.

"Do you two have an appointment?"

"No," Lu Ran said.

"Please wait a moment, let me check if there are any private rooms available." The waiter typed a few words on the computer, looked up, and said, "There's one small private room left, and a medium-sized one too. Which would you like?"

"A small bag will do. It's enough for two people."

The waiter then asked if we wanted to buy a set meal.

Lu Ran glanced at the set menu. The cheapest one was 388 yuan, which included a small private room, a pot of tea, a fruit platter, and two snacks.

But without saying anything, he took out his phone and scanned the QR code.

Although the price is a bit outrageous, it's understandable in Shanghai.

The waiter led them to a private room on the second floor.

The private room was small, about ten square meters. The walls were covered with a layer of dark gray sound-absorbing cotton, and a large screen was hanging on the wall opposite the sofa, with a speaker on each side of the screen.

The coffee table is made of glass and has a wireless microphone, a karaoke machine, and even a standing microphone on it.

The sofa is made of artificial leather, which is a bit hard but still quite comfortable.

Shen Yuege sat down on the sofa, picked up a microphone and tested it. She fed the microphone twice, and the sound came out of the speaker, sounding a bit muffled.

She put down the microphone, picked up the song selection console, and started flipping through the song list.

"What do you want to sing? I'll pick one for you," Shen Yuege asked.

"You sing first. I'll take a break."

Shen Yuege didn't stand on ceremony and tapped the song selection screen a few times. The name of a song appeared on the screen—"The First Dream".

This is her own song, and it's also her signature song.

When the intro started, Shen Yuege did not speak immediately.

Holding the microphone, she swayed slightly to the rhythm, and when it was time to enter, she spoke.

As soon as she spoke, Lu Ran felt that the KTV's speakers were not up to par with her voice.

The diva's voice cannot be reproduced by just any equipment.

The speakers in KTVs tend to be bass-heavy, making vocals sound muffled and weakening Shen Yuege's clear and bright vocal qualities by more than half.

Even so, her singing still sounded much better than that of ordinary people.

He pronounced every word accurately, his breath was steady as a mountain, he reached the high notes effortlessly, and his low notes were also clear and unambiguous.

When she sang the chorus, she stood up, holding the microphone in one hand and letting the other hand hang naturally at her side. Her eyes were on the lyrics on the screen, and she was completely immersed in the song.

Lu Ran leaned back on the sofa, looking at her.

Shen Yuege sings differently than usual.

When she hums songs at home, she usually has a relaxed, casual, and indifferent attitude.

But in the karaoke room, holding a microphone and pointing it at the screen, she unconsciously entered that professional state.

It's not that I'm deliberately trying to show anything; it's just muscle memory that's developed over the years. The moment I pick up the microphone, I automatically switch to that mode.

After finishing her song, Shen Yuege turned to look at Lu Ran: "How was it?"

"It sounds good. But you're singing too seriously. This is a karaoke bar, not a recording studio. Relax, no one will care if you sing off-key."

"I never sing off-key."

Lu Ran thought about it and realized that it seemed to make sense.

He'd known Shen Yuege for so long, and he'd never heard her sing off-key.

Even when she has a cold and her throat is sore, she can still maintain her pitch using other methods, without any obvious deviation.

"Okay, you're not off-key. Then pick a song for me."

"What song?"

"Chengdu"

Shen Yuege tapped a few times on the song selection console, and the song title "Chengdu" appeared on the screen.

Lu Ran couldn't help but sigh, the system of this song request station updates quite quickly.

The song "Chengdu," which was recorded just a few days ago, can already be found here.

As the intro began, Lu Ran took the microphone from her, stood up, and walked to the front of the screen.

Unlike Shen Yuege, who stood upright, he stood casually with one hand in his pocket and the other holding a microphone.

When he spoke, his voice was lower than usual, as if he were chatting with an old friend.

"What brought tears to my eyes wasn't just the alcohol from last night..."

I've sung this song so many times, every word is etched in my mind, I can sing it from beginning to end without even looking at the lyrics.

He sang very relaxedly, unlike in the recording studio where he meticulously crafted the pronunciation and breath control of every word. He just sang whatever came to mind.

Shen Yuege sat on the sofa, hugging a cushion, and looked at him.

She had heard "Chengdu" many times—in her RV, on her phone, and on trending topics.

But listening to Lu Ran sing this song in this small KTV room felt different.

There was no elaborate arrangement, no professional recording equipment; it was just one person holding a microphone and singing into the screen.

But this rough feel actually adds a unique flavor to the song.

When he sang the chorus, Lu Ran turned around to face Shen Yuege, looked at her, and sang the line "Let's take a walk on the streets of Chengdu."

He wasn't looking at her intentionally, but his gaze happened to fall on her when he sang this line.

Shen Yuege felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, so she hugged the cushion tighter, but didn't look away.

After finishing his song, Lu Ran walked back to the sofa, sat down, picked up the water on the coffee table, and took a sip.

"It's your turn," he said.

The two of them sang one song after another for over an hour.

Shen Yue sang several of her own songs, as well as a few other people's songs.

Lu Ran sang all of his own songs, including "Rice Fragrance," "The Wind Rises," "Nocturne," and "Adoration," one after another.

Towards the end, neither of them looked at the lyrics anymore. They sang with their eyes closed, humming along to the melody as they pleased.

They don't care if they sing off-key, they just make up lyrics if they forget them, and they laugh when they can't continue. After laughing, they start over.

This way of singing is completely different from that in the recording studio.

In a recording studio, perfection is paramount; every note must be accurate, every word must be clear, and every breath must be steady.

The point of karaoke is to have fun. It doesn't matter if you sing off-key or forget the lyrics, as long as you enjoy singing.

Shen Yuege requested the song "Lady Shexiang".

As the intro started, she handed another microphone to Lu Ran: "Together."

Two people stood in front of the screen, one on the left and one on the right, like two people holding a mini concert.

Shen Yue's voice was clear and bright when she sang the female part, while Lu Ran's voice was deep and steady when he sang the male part.

The two of them sang in harmony, their coordination becoming increasingly seamless.

When they sang the chorus, their voices overlapped, one high and one low, one bright and one deep, blending together and coming out of the speakers, creating an unexpectedly beautiful sound.

Just as the waiter brought in the tea and fruit platter, we heard the climax of the chorus.

She put her things on the coffee table and didn't leave immediately, but stood there listening for a few seconds.

His gaze changed from casual at first to an indescribable expression.

Lu Ran noticed, but didn't stop and continued singing.

Shen Yuege noticed it too. She glanced at Lu Ran, who shook his head slightly, meaning to leave it alone.

After the song was finished, the waiter clapped twice, then realized he shouldn't have, and quickly picked up the tray and left.

As she reached the door, she glanced back, hesitated, and finally left, gently closing the door behind her.

Shen Yuege put down the microphone, sat on the sofa, picked up a slice of watermelon, and took a bite: "Did she recognize us?"

"Not necessarily. They might think we sang too well and suspect we used the original recording."

...