179: Catching the embroidered ball

"Since you are so cute, I must fully support your work and boost your sales performance, mustn't I?"

Liu Xiaofei just covered her mouth and smiled.

Her large, watery eyes were filled with mirth, making her look especially lovely.

She thought Wu Fan was quite nice and rather interesting. However, she remained skeptical about his claim to buy an entire building.

Wu Fan added, "I'm serious, I'm not joking."

Liu Xiaofei asked, "What do you do? Can you just casually produce 170 million yuan?"

Wu Fan laughed and said, "My job is investing in women. 170 million yuan is a small matter, I can pay cash now."

Liu Xiaofei couldn't help but laugh again.

Wu Fan got up, went to the restroom, and paid the bill while he was at it.

Liu Xiaofei wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Are you full?"

Wu Fan patted his stomach. "It's been a long time since I've eaten this much."

Liu Xiaofei stood up, adjusted her qipao, and said, "You sit for a moment, I'm going to the restroom."

Wu Fan remained silent and nodded.

In a moment, her eyes shining brightly, she questioned him with a smile, "Wu Fan, why did you pay the bill? We agreed that I would treat you."

Wu Fan said easily, "You treat me, I pay the bill. Is there anything wrong with that?"

Liu Xiaofei giggled.

Happily, she grabbed Wu Fan's hand. "Let's go sit for a while at a music bar."

Wu Fan was passively led by her hand, feeling a very strange sensation.

Her small, delicate body seemed to possess enormous energy.

Her hand was especially warm.

After reaching the entrance, Liu Xiaofei asked, "Is it alright if I don't drive?"

"Of course."

Wu Fan lowered his eyes and glanced at the hand she was holding.

The tips of her ears were flushed red, but she didn't let go, stepping towards the parking lot.

After getting into the car, Liu Xiaofei sat quietly in the passenger seat, seeming to be deep in thought.

Wu Fan drove for about forty minutes based on the location she provided before they arrived.

The folk music bar, flickering with neon lights, gave off a strange, ambiguous ambiance.

Wu Fan asked curiously, "Do you come here often?"

Liu Xiaofei smiled slightly. "The atmosphere inside is superb and very pleasant. I believe you will definitely like it."

The layout of the bar was truly unique.

The circular stage was located right in the center of the bar, like a brilliant pearl, attracting everyone's attention.

Layers of seating surrounded it, lifting the stage as if stars were holding up the moon.

This arrangement was cleverly and ingeniously designed, allowing every customer who came here to feel the charm of the music up close, making it easy to become immersed and resonate with the performance.

Especially when the singers performed those popular classic songs, the atmosphere quickly ignited; hundreds of people sang in unison, and applause roared like a tide—it was truly explosive.

In that moment, people seemed to forget the worldly troubles and fatigue, wholeheartedly indulging in this grand carnival.

Souls were released, hearts became incredibly light, and time seemed to solidify and flow slowly at that moment.

This wonderful experience was ineffable yet truly palpable.

There was also a dance floor in the corner, where, under the dim lights, whether through a drunken tango or casual clubbing, the mind could find relaxation and solace.

"How is it? What do you think?"

Liu Xiaofei poured a cocktail and took a sip herself.

Her current state seemed a little mismatched with her usual style.

She drank quite fiercely, occasionally clinking glasses with Wu Fan's drink and then downing hers in one go.

She truly had a small frame but great energy.

Wu Fan looked at her slightly flushed face, paused, and said, "It's good, but the bars in our Island City aren't any worse than this place."

Liu Xiaofei said disbelievingly, "Really?"

"Really. Although Island City is small, the entertainment industry is quite advanced."

"Why is that?"

Wu Fan lit a cigarette.

He truly couldn't stand the smoke smell from an old man next to him, so he had to light one up too.

He moved his bar stool closer to Liu Xiaofei. "The fishermen of the island are the main force behind the island's entertainment venues. When they go fishing, they need to drift on the ocean for anywhere from half a month to several months. Once they return, they just want to relax properly."

"Bars, KTVs, card rooms, and so on are their main places of recreation. Do you understand now?"

Liu Xiaofei drank another glass of wine and said somewhat indistinctly, "So fishermen come back and just eat, drink, whore, and gamble, right?"

"You could say that."

"Wu Fan, are you like that?"

Liu Xiaofei seemed a little tipsy.

Her eyes became even brighter, and her cheeks were crimson, displaying a unique charm.

They say a drunken woman is the most beautiful, and Wu Fan felt that applied perfectly to her.

"Of eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling, I only account for three."

Liu Xiaofei smiled sweetly, looking at him with hazy eyes. "Which three?"

"Everything except gambling, hahaha."

Liu Xiaofei raised her hand and lightly patted his shoulder, saying unexpectedly, "A man should be like that, nothing wrong with it."

Hearing this, Wu Fan couldn't help but laugh out loud. This woman was quite interesting.

The red-haired beauty playing the guitar and singing in the middle of the stage finished a song, stood up, and prepared to toss the embroidered ball.

This was a signature mini-game at the bar.

Whoever caught the embroidered ball would get their table free. However, they had to go on stage and perform an act as a 'penalty.'

Wu Fan sized up the red-haired beauty: denim shorts, a black crop top revealing a large expanse of white skin around her waist, and a pair of black knee-high leather boots.

She was fashionable yet somewhat seductive.

She shouted into the microphone, "Is everyone ready?"

The guests yelled, "We are ready."

Their voices were messy but loud, and screams occasionally rang out.

A staff member blindfolded the red-haired beauty with a black cloth and started the countdown: "Five, four, three, two, one..."

Liu Xiaofei reminded him, "Wu Fan, you're tall, you have to try hard!"

Wu Fan said, "There are so many people, we'll leave it to fate."

The red-haired beauty had already raised the embroidered ball high above her head.

After being blindfolded, she slowly spun around a few times, and when she heard the command "One," she tossed it hard.

The customers below began to stir.

Wu Fan looked up and saw the fiery red embroidered ball flying straight towards him.

He stood up and caught it effortlessly.

The surrounding guests gasped "Wow" and then cast envious glances his way.

Liu Xiaofei excitedly hugged Wu Fan tightly. "You are amazing!"

Happy like a child, she kissed his cheek without hesitation.

The red-haired beauty removed her blindfold and looked gently at Wu Fan. "Handsome Guy, congratulations, your table is free tonight."

She glanced at Liu Xiaofei, who was hugging him. "Your girlfriend is truly beautiful. You are a talented man and a beautiful woman; you make a perfect match."

Wu Fan felt a bit awkward being addressed like this, but finding it hard to explain, he simply accepted the assumption.

Liu Xiaofei seemed very excited. "Wu Fan, what are you going to perform later? Singing or dancing?"

"Uh... I haven't thought about it yet."

The neighboring guests started cheering, "Go up together, go up together!"

Seeing this, the red-haired beauty spoke up, "How about the two of you go on stage and perform a number together?"

The guests cheered again, "Yes! Go on stage!"

"Go up together!"

... Liu Xiaofei stood up, smoothed her hair, and, pulling Wu Fan's hand, walked toward the stage.

She was graceful and poised.

After getting on stage, she bowed to the guests.

Wu Fan simply wrapped his arm around her slender waist.

Liu Xiaofei nestled sweetly against Wu Fan's chest, like a delicate bird relying on him.

The audience below cheered again.

"Kiss her..."

"Kiss her..."

Liu Xiaofei didn't hesitate at all. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Wu Fan's thin lips.

Her expression of bashful beauty was lovely.

This caused another round of screaming and cheering from the guests below.

"Kiss her again..."

"Kiss her again..."

Liu Xiaofei did not agree this time, covering her mouth and smiling while waving her hand.

Wu Fan gently raised his hand and stroked her head.

The little loli had great courage; she was very unrestrained.

The red-haired beauty held the microphone up to Wu Fan's mouth. "Handsome Guy, what is your surname?"

"Wu, the character for 'mouth' and 'sky'."

"Oh, Handsome Guy Wu, what act are you planning to perform? Have you decided?"

Wu Fan lowered his eyes and looked at Liu Xiaofei.

"How about a duet?"

Liu Xiaofei readily agreed. "What can you sing?"

Wu Fan thought for a moment, leaned in, and whispered, "Do you know 'Lady Shexiang' by Phoenix Legend?"

Liu Xiaofei said, "Sure, no problem."

Besides work, she loved going to music bars and singing.

This was her hobby, and a part of her life.

Her singing and dancing skills were both high, and she wasn't shy about performing; she was very uninhibited.

Wu Fan then told the red-haired beauty, "We will sing 'Lady Shexiang'."

The red-haired beauty's eyes visibly brightened as she looked at Wu Fan. "Alright, everyone! Mr. Wu and his girlfriend will perform a duet of 'Lady Shexiang' for you all. Let's give them a round of applause!"

"Oh... Oh oh..."

Screams and applause erupted loudly.

Wu Fan looked at Liu Xiaofei, then asked the red-haired beauty, "Can I play the guitar and sing?"

Both Liu Xiaofei and the red-haired beauty were very surprised; not many people performed this song accompanied by a guitar.

"Yes, of course you can."

The red-haired beauty was excited and looking forward to it.

She was also a singer who played the guitar, so she naturally loved the idea of performing with a guitar accompaniment.

Liu Xiaofei quietly asked, "You can play the guitar too? I never would have guessed."

Wu Fan lowered his eyes and gave her a slight smile.

He turned and scanned the stage, seeing a guitar resting next to a chair in the middle.

He walked straight over, slung it over his shoulder, and strummed the strings, producing a rich, deep sound.

The guests below started screaming "Whoa..." again.

There were many girls in this music bar, and seeing Wu Fan's handsome and cool demeanor, they lost their composure.

"He's so handsome, and he can play the guitar! He's truly a high-quality man."

"The little loli is so lucky. How did she meet such a treasure of a boy?"

"I really want to meet him."

"Ah, he's so cool."

Many young girls became infatuated.

Wu Fan pulled over a high stool and sat down.

He rested one foot on the rung of the stool, played a few notes, and tuned the instrument.

The red-haired beauty stepped back a few paces and led the applause and cheers.

The guests below also clapped to add to the excitement.

Wu Fan whispered, "Liu Xiaofei, are you ready?"

Liu Xiaofei glanced at him with admiration in her eyes. "Let's start."

Wu Fan pressed the strings with his left hand and strummed with his right, and beautiful, unique notes slowly flowed out.

Wu Fan: Cliffs face each other above Luojiao River, buckwheat flowers bloom across Weining Grass Sea. Who hung the moon in the sky, illuminating the words I want to say, flowing into a sea, flowing into a sea, flowing into a sea, flowing into a sea.

Liu Xiaofei: Crossing the continuous high mountains, crossing the endless deep sea, if expectation still remains, spring always returns until the flowers bloom. Please stay quietly, let dreams sweep away this dust, fragrance drifting outside the carriage, playing the beautiful music of nature... Wumeng Mountains connect mountains beyond mountains, moonlight sprinkles down onto Xiangshuitan. Can anyone tell me, is it the heavens calling out to you? Crossing one mountain and one river, thousands of mountains and waters will never be lonely...

Wu Fan's husky voice combined with Liu Xiaofei's clear and pleasant tone, creating a seamless collaboration.

Their duet carried a unique flavor and was very pleasant to listen to.

Wu Fan played the guitar and sang slowly, very steadily.

As Liu Xiaofei sang, she gently swayed her body. Accentuated by the qipao, she became a beautiful sight that people couldn't take their eyes off.

Her beauty was adorable, almost unbelievably so.

After the song ended, the guests below were surprisingly quiet, unable to emerge from the music for a long time.

It wasn't until the red-haired beauty shouted, "Great!"

That thunderous applause finally erupted, lasting for a long time.

"Perfect, awesome."

"One more song."

"One more song."

"Wonderful!"

"That was too wonderful..."

The guests began to scream and cheer excitedly.

Liu Xiaofei's pretty face was slightly flushed, and she gazed deeply at Wu Fan.

At this moment, she was completely immersed in this happiness.

She had felt favorable toward Wu Fan since the first time they had a car accident.

At that time, Wu Fan was gentle and refined, spoke softly, handled matters calmly, and was very much a gentleman.

Later, after exchanging phone numbers and adding each other on wechat, she kept waiting for Wu Fan to ask for compensation, but he never did.

This showed that the man was generous and wouldn't haggle over small things.

As time passed, her feelings for Wu Fan grew better and better.

This time, when he passed through Shanghai, she seized the opportunity, making it possible for them to be together, and she felt very fortunate in her heart.

The red-haired beauty said, "How about the two of you perform one more song?"

Wu Fan thought it shouldn't get too late.

Furthermore, looking at Liu Xiaofei's condition, tonight... for her, things should happen naturally, so why waste time here?

"I'm sorry, but we have somewhere else to be. Apologies."

Wu Fan directly refused.

The guests below were clearly disappointed.

The red-haired beauty was also reluctant, but since Wu Fan had said so, she smoothed things over, "Mr. Wu, the next time you come here, you must come up on stage and sing another song for us, alright?"

Wu Fan nodded and agreed readily. "Sure, no problem."

He stood up, took off the guitar, and put it back where it was.

Liu Xiaofei quickly walked over and actively took Wu Fan's hand.

Wu Fan and Liu Xiaofei waved to the guests together and stepped off the stage.

The two discussed it and decided to leave immediately.

Hand in hand, they walked toward the bar entrance.

A new resident singer immediately took the stage and began the next round of performances.

The red-haired beauty actually chased them out. "Mr. Wu, please wait a moment."

Wu Fan and Liu Xiaofei stopped.

"Hello, my name is Gu Yanyi, and I am the owner of this music bar. It's an honor to meet you both."

She politely extended her hand and shook hands with both of them.

Wu Fan and Liu Xiaofei exchanged glances, not understanding what she wanted.

Gu Yanyi said, "I would like to hire you both to be resident singers here. I hope this isn't too sudden?"

"Don't worry, it won't affect your current jobs. You just need to come to the bar in the evening and sing one or a few songs. I can offer eight thousand yuan a month. Would you like to consider it seriously?"

She was a smart person. Seeing Wu Fan and Liu Xiaofei's stunning performance, she was completely won over.

If they became resident singers, the bar's business and reputation would definitely rise to the next level.

She was someone who deeply understood music. Based on Wu Fan's guitar playing skills alone, she believed he had completely surpassed all other musicians in the country...