Chapter 68: Unexpected Meeting
Actually, Li Mu had never been to a karaoke place in his whole life.
Even though he used to be cheerful and outgoing when his family was still around, he never liked singing and didn’t care much about KTV.
He only made it through the first round of auditions because Yu Fan did a great job. At least he wasn’t so bad at singing that he messed up Yu Fan too.
They went back to the dorm first. After showing his face to Chen Zhihao, Li Mu changed into his own clothes and then went with Yu Fan to a KTV near the school.
The KTV looked just like what he had seen on TV, dim lights, a lively atmosphere. As they walked past the rooms, they could hear loud singing from inside, some of it really painful to listen to.
But he didn’t see any of those "hostess" types that often appear in news stories.
“When Monday comes, you have to tell your classmates that your singing contest teammate changed to a girl,” Li Mu said as he walked into the small karaoke room and sat on the couch. He looked up at Yu Fan, who was choosing songs on the touchscreen.
“Is that really necessary?”
“Yes,” Li Mu said, taking off his shoes and putting one bare foot on his thigh as he gently massaged his ankle. “You’ve been telling people I’m your partner for the contest. If I go on stage dressed as a girl, they’ll still know it’s me.”
Yu Fan looked confused. “Did I tell a lot of people? I only told the person who sits next to me... and maybe their desk mate.”
“All my dorm mates know now.”
“Not my fault. It must be Wu Lei, he has a big mouth,” Yu Fan quickly blamed someone else. “Also, since you’re here anyway, after we sing, help me by being my model for a bit.”
He picked the song “Beautiful Myth”, looked up, and said to Li Mu, “I brought my drawing paper and pens. They’re in the scooter. I’ll go get them later.”
Li Mu stayed quiet for a moment. Recently, he had learned a bit about the art contest Yu Fan mentioned.
It had nothing to do with school. It was a portrait drawing contest hosted by the provincial art association. The people joining were either art students preparing for college entrance exams or students from art schools.
Li Mu hadn’t even looked at the prize details. It was clear that for Yu Fan, this was more of a hobby thing. He was just joining for fun.
“Fine. But you must help me get into the top ten for the singing contest,” Li Mu said, tying Yu Fan’s promise to a reward. “And you cannot let anyone find out it’s me.”
He had to say it clearly, or else Yu Fan might end up spreading it again, and Li Mu’s image at school would be stuck as “that guy who wears girls’ clothes.”
Yu Fan gave an OK sign and said, “Don’t worry! I’m great at singing! Just let me warm up with Xiao Jing today, and top ten will be no problem.”
Well... I hope so.
Yu Fan always acted super confident no matter what he was doing.
Beautiful Myth was actually a pretty good song for Xiao Jing, or at least, for when Xiao Jing "took over" and spoke with that mature-sounding voice.
The original female singer of the song had a strong, elegant voice like that too.
But there was a problem, this song came out over ten years ago. Back then, Xiao Jing was only about two or three years old and had probably never heard it.
“Okay then, I’ll let Xiao Jing take over,” Li Mu said as he lowered his leg, put his socks and shoes back on, and added, “Don’t bully Xiao Jing.”
“Do I look like that kind of person?”
Probably not...
The next second, the cold look on Li Mu’s face disappeared and was replaced by an innocent, excited smile.
He jumped up, full of energy, but the pain in his ankle stopped him immediately, and he had to sit back down on the couch, looking a bit deflated.
“Here, microphone,” Yu Fan said, tossing it next to Li Mu. Then he looked up and mumbled, “Xiao Jing really doesn’t match your body at all. The vibe is totally different.”
“No way! I think it’s really good!” Xiao Jing looked up and studied Yu Fan, then made a face and said with a bit of dislike, “Why would Li Mu choose you as a teammate?”
Yu Fan sat down on the sofa with the microphone too, but when he did, Xiao Jing scooted away from him like she had seen a ghost.
Yu Fan didn’t know whether to laugh or be confused. “What? Is there a problem?”
Xiao Jing hunched her shoulders and said in a scared voice, “You’re a pervert…”
Yu Fan had seen the usual Li Mu with a cold, serious face, and he had also seen the shy Li Mu who once confessed to him. But this nervous, timid Li Mu, who seemed like he didn’t feel safe, actually looked more natural and easy to get along with.
The only issue was, the change in personality was too big, and it felt a little strange.
“Don’t talk nonsense! I’m a healthy, patriotic young man who fully supports the country and develops in every way, morally, intellectually, physically, and artistically,” Yu Fan bragged about himself.
Then he added, “I guess Li Mu just wanted someone to embarrass himself with. He always pulls me into whatever he’s doing.”
“I see…”
Xiao Jing mumbled, then picked up the microphone. “Let’s start singing. If I don’t get into the top ten, I’m coming after you!”
“Yes, yes,” Yu Fan replied in a tone like he was trying to calm down a child.
Xiao Jing, using Li Mu’s body to sing, wasn’t quite used to it. She couldn’t hit the high notes or the low notes well. Singing clearly needed both training and talent, and it was giving her a bit of a headache.
For a full half hour, Xiao Jing and Yu Fan kept practicing the same song again and again.
“I’m gonna use the bathroom.”
Yu Fan stood up, his throat dry, and asked Xiao Jing, “Want something to drink? I’ll stop by the convenience store.”
“Anything’s fine.” Xiao Jing looked toward the room’s door, a hesitant look on his face.
“What’s wrong?”
Xiao Jing looked down awkwardly and asked, “Do you have any coins? You can get them back from Li Mu later. I want to try the claw machine outside.”
“You can use your phone to scan and play now,” Yu Fan said, opening the door. “Come on, I’ll help you add some money. Ten tries should be enough, right?”
“Okay.”
While scanning to pay at the machine, Yu Fan asked curiously, “When you’re inside his body, can you see what’s happening outside?”
“Yeah, kind of like watching TV. I can hear and see whatever he sees.”
Maybe because they had spent a lot of time together, Xiao Jing was no longer so guarded with Yu Fan. She leaned over curiously to peek at his phone and added, “Right now, it feels like I’ve really come to life. But if he wants, he can take back control of his body anytime.”
“That’s pretty similar to how it is with Lin Xi,” Yu Fan said, stepping back after paying. “Go ahead and play. I’ll be back from the bathroom soon.”
Xiao Jing looked at the control panel lighting up and nodded excitedly. Then she focused all her attention on the claw machine.
But honestly, this thing was more like a type of gambling than a game of skill. After using all ten tries, she didn’t catch a single toy.
Just then, a surprised voice called out, “Hey! Li Mu? You’re here too?!”
“Huh?” Xiao Jing turned around, confused, and saw it was Wu Lei.
Wu Lei was also surprised. He noticed that something seemed off about Li Mu.
Normally, Li Mu would never show such a surprised face. And even though he already looked a bit girly, today he even felt more like a girl.
But before he could say more, Li Mu’s whole vibe suddenly changed, his face turned cold again, like a block of ice.