Entertainment: Since 1990

Chapter 137 I Want to Learn a Foreign Language (Please Subscribe)

The Japanese girl in front of me looks to be in her early twenties. She has delicate skin and bright, expressive almond-shaped eyes. Even though she is not wearing any makeup, she is still very beautiful.

The woman didn't speak, but glanced at Cao Jian, who was wearing sunglasses, and then made way for him to pass.

But Cao Jian did not move.

He also unexpectedly ran into a legendary Japanese singer at the game expo.

This girl named Izumi Sakai is a very strange presence in the Japanese music scene. She has only appeared in public seven times, making her more mysterious than the Emperor.

But her music is known to almost everyone.

Even the character Haruko Akagi in "Slam Dunk" is said to be based on her.

Her outstanding looks were also the reason why she was initially signed by a modeling agency.

Now that I've met this woman here, I certainly can't miss the opportunity to get to know her.

Even exchanges related to music are fine.

Hello, who are you?

Cao Jian doesn't speak Japanese, so he can only greet people in English.

Unfortunately, he didn't know how to pronounce Izumi Sakai's name in English.

But he hesitated for a moment, then took off his sunglasses, revealing his handsome face.

"You are...you are...Cao...Cao Jian?"

The girl loved music and immediately recognized the man in front of her as the singer and lyricist of her favorite song, "Goodbye Kiss," and the Chinese man who had defeated Sojiro with music.

"It's me. You're a singer too, right? Nice to meet you."

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Cao Jian put his glasses back on and said with a smile, "I've heard your songs. Do you have some free time? I'd like to invite you for coffee so we can chat. I wonder if you would do me the honor?"

"Want some coffee?"

Izumi Sakai is rather introverted, and she hesitated when a man invited her for coffee on their first meeting.

"We'll only talk about music."

"Ok."

Finding the Chinese man's eyes sincere and his English fluent, Izumi Sakai hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

There are cafes near the exhibition hall, specifically for exhibitors to relax.

The two arrived at the coffee shop, where Cao Jian ordered two coffees and sized up the pretty girl in front of him.

Cao Jian has seen many Japanese women, especially many hard drive goddesses, some charming, some lively and cute, and some aloof.

But it's rare to find a beautiful woman like Izumi Sakai, who has a pure appearance, is somewhat shy, and is also talented.

The girl felt a little embarrassed by the stares and just kept stirring her coffee with her head down.

After a while, Cao Jian asked, "I've heard your song 'Incredible,' you sang it very well. I wonder what kind of music you've been studying lately?"

Izumi Sakai finally raised her head: "I'm the lead singer of the band, so of course I study rock music."

"I actually like rock music quite a bit, but unfortunately I'm not suited to singing rock."

Cao Jian humbly replied, "I still prefer love songs, but my recent album didn't sell well. Do you have any suggestions?"

“I’ve heard your songs. Your voice is very versatile. You could try singing rock.”

Izumi Sakai had not only heard Cao Jian's "Goodbye Kiss," but also "Walk Away in Style," and what she said was true.

"is it?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Jian laughed and said, "I had a bit of inspiration a while ago and wanted to try something different. Why don't we study it together?"

He doesn't speak Japanese, so of course he can't sing Japanese songs.

However, Cao Jian was very familiar with the melodies of several of Izumi Sakai's most famous songs.

For example, he has listened to the first very popular song "Don't Give Up", the ending theme of Slam Dunk "My Friend", the theme song of the anime "Cooking Master Boy" "I Can't Breathe", and the theme song of "Detective Conan" "Turning the Wheel of Fate" many times.

After all, I've watched the anime countless times.

Many people may not know who Izumi Sakai is, but they have definitely heard these songs.

"Studying songs?"

"Yes, are you free?"

Cao Jian glanced around: "We can't exactly conduct our research here, can we?"

"That's true. Can I hear your inspiration first?"

Although Izumi Sakai had heard Cao Jian's songs and instrumental music, she couldn't rule out that the man had other intentions.

"Then you listen first."

As Cao Jian spoke, he hummed the melody of "Don't Give Up." He just hummed it; there were no lyrics, because he genuinely didn't know them. He could occasionally remember a few Japanese pronunciations, but he didn't want to show off his limited skills in front of native Japanese speakers.

But Cao Jian had only hummed half of it when the originally shy Izumi Sakai couldn't help but sway her head gently along with the melody.

He was even muttering to himself, as if he were thinking about song lyrics.

"This woman is indeed exceptionally talented."

Cao Jian secretly admired Izumi Sakai for being able to quickly recall the lyrics based on the melody.

The woman then noticed the Chinese man looking at her curiously and quickly said, "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself."

"It's okay, I sometimes feel that way when I think of a good melody."

Cao Jian easily defused the woman's embarrassment, asking, "How about we find a place to work together on this song? I'll compose the music, and you can write the lyrics?"

"Ok."

Izumi Sakai really liked the melody that Cao Jian had just hummed, and finally agreed to find a place to study the song.

Stepping out of the coffee shop, she asked, "Where are we going?"

Cao Jian spread his hands: "I don't know. I'm just here to attend a game expo. I'm not familiar with this place. This is your country, so you're in charge."

"That"

This is putting Izumi Sakai in a very difficult position.

As a seasoned homebody, she just wanted to check out what fun games were available, and then go home; she had nowhere else to go.

After a moment's hesitation, she said, "I wonder if Cao Sang has time to go to Tokyo. I have a place to stay there and musical instruments. Let's go to Tokyo."

Is Tokyo hot?

"A little."

Izumi Sakai thought Cao Jian was asking about the temperature, and nodded, "I have air conditioning where I am."

"All right."

Cao Jian wasn't surprised that the other party didn't understand.

He first took Izumi Sakai to his game company's booth, gave them a few instructions, said that he was going to Tokyo and that he would leave things here to Mo Huaimi and the others, and then left.

After leaving the exhibition hall, Izumi Sakai asked curiously, "Cao-san, you also make games?"

"Games are very profitable. Look at Nintendo and SNK, they are big companies. I want to make money too."

"Cao Sang, I think you are very talented. You should focus your energy on music."

"Music is something we should make, but we're not gods, we still need to eat, you."

Cao Jian wanted to say, "Didn't you also work as a model?" but he swallowed the words back.

After thinking for a moment, he changed his words: "When I first started out, I sang in nightclubs and only earned a dozen dollars a day. So, making money was just as important to me. Only by eating my fill could I create better music."

These words immediately made Izumi Sakai feel a sense of shared misfortune.

I used to be a model, just to make a living.

And this man, now one of Hong Kong's Four Heavenly Kings and a star who is famous throughout Southeast Asia, actually sang in nightclubs.

It seems that as long as you have talent, you might be able to be just like him.

Izumi Sakai speaks good English, and the two felt an instant connection as they chatted.

Arriving at the train station, I bought two Shinkansen tickets from Osaka to Tokyo.

This was in the 1990s. Looking at the bullet-shaped trains, even if Cao Jian hated Japan and the nation, he had to admit that they were indeed ahead of the world in high-speed rail.

Fortunately, more than 20 years later, China caught up and even surpassed Japan.

On the way, the two talked almost entirely about music.

But Izumi Sakai discovered that the man in front of her not only knew traditional music, but also had some knowledge of R&B, blues, and country music.

Even rock music has some insights.

"Cao-san, I was a little skeptical when I heard that you defeated Sojiro, but now it seems that you haven't shown your full strength yet."

"You flatter me, it's not that impressive."

Cao Jian smiled shyly as well: "Since I'm free anyway, why don't you teach me Japanese? Once I've learned it, I'll sing a Japanese song too."

"Okay."

Although Izumi Sakai is a homebody, she also has a carefree side.

She has few friends, but that doesn't mean she doesn't want to communicate with people she gets along with.

So the two stopped talking about music and started learning foreign languages.
(End of this chapter)