Reborn to prepare for the college entrance exam, you're letting me retire and make a comeback?

"Time in the Bar"

Lu Qian's warm words, "Don't be afraid, I'm here," brushed against Chen Yufei's sensitive earlobe, sending a shiver down her spine.

And it was at this moment that a dramatic change occurred on the chaotic stage.

Just as the bald drunkard's hand was about to grab Wen Miao's wet arm, several security guards in black uniforms rushed onto the stage from the edge of the crowd.

Working in pairs, their movements were swift and precise. One used a chokehold to subdue the men, while the other twisted their arms behind their backs. In an instant, they brought the still-shouting drunkards under their control.

No matter how much they struggled and cursed, they were like crabs pinned down by professional grappling techniques.

"Damn it! Let me go!"

"Damn it, do you even know who I am...?"

The shouting was abruptly interrupted.

The security guards ruthlessly dragged the troublemakers off the stage, the process was clean and efficient.

Singer Wen Miao was carefully helped down by a waitress. She was soaking wet, clutching her damaged guzheng, her face pale, and she was taken to the backstage dressing room in shock.

"Distinguished guests, I am very sorry to have startled you."

The bartender immediately picked up the microphone and calmly reassured everyone: "The troublemakers have been asked to leave. Tonight, all purchases will be 30% off as a token of our apologies."

Hearing the bartender say this, the people in the audience didn't have any objections.

Some people were even glad they came today, as they could get a 30% discount.

In short, it's not a big deal.

Over here, Su Rui and Lin Xiaoman almost simultaneously let out a sigh of relief, still feeling lingering fear.

"That scared me to death..."

"Finally got rid of it..."

Then their attention shifted to Chen Yufei beside them.

Chen Yufei remained in the embraced position, almost leaning against Lu Qian's chest.

At this moment, the girl's cheeks were flushed, and her eyes held a hint of confusion and shyness...

"No, what... what's going on?"

"Why are they hugging?!"

Su Rui and Lin Xiaoman's mouths formed an "O" shape.

The fire of the Eight Trigrams burns fiercely.

"My God! This junior student is incredibly bold!"

"You accidentally kissed her hand earlier, and now you're openly putting your arm around her shoulder?"

"The key thing is, Fei Fei's reaction is strange!"

They could hardly believe their eyes.

Just now, I was only guessing that Lu Qian had some ulterior motives, but now this scene has practically confirmed that this junior is a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Who's outsmarting whom?

This is quite a contrast, isn't it?

They were all a little confused.

Just then, Lu Qian naturally withdrew his hand from Chen Yufei's shoulder and smiled easily.

"Okay, it's alright now."

His voice was clear and reassuring: "It's just a little incident, let's keep playing music and dancing."

"..."

Chen Yufei was taken aback by his sudden withdrawal and nonchalant attitude.

The sudden disappearance of the warmth and strength on her shoulder left her feeling inexplicably empty.

"Mmm, thank you..."

She didn't dare to look up at Lu Qian, only feeling her ears burning and her whole body going weak.

The love in my heart was about to overflow.

"Cough cough."

Seeing the stunned girls, Lu Qian cleared his throat and turned his gaze to the empty stage and the tilted guzheng.

"So, I guess I lost that last round?"

He pointed to the blindfolded napkin on the table, "Then I'll punish myself with a drink."

He poured himself a full glass of beer and downed it in one gulp.

After putting down his empty glass, he suggested, "I see there's no one on stage now, and the atmosphere is a bit awkward. How about I go up and sing a song for everyone, filling in for that female singer and lightening the mood?"

In fact, he already had this idea when he came to the bar and saw the singer performing there.

Now that this has happened, we might as well go with the flow.

"Huh? You...you can sing?"

Upon hearing this, Su Rui and Lin Xiaoman asked the question almost simultaneously.

They didn't think this junior student was a good singer, after all, Lu Qian's voice didn't sound like someone who had specifically studied bel canto.

Just then, Chen Yufei, her cheeks flushed, suddenly raised her head.

Looking at Lu Qian's tall and straight back and his confident profile, she instantly recalled the image of him holding the microphone and singing in the KTV room a few days ago.

Come to think of it, I've only known Lu Qian for a few days, but it feels like they've known each other for ages...

It's been so long that I've come to like him, to the point where I'm almost hopelessly infatuated...

Then let's just listen to his singing.

"Of course!"

The girl's voice was much clearer and louder than usual.

She met Lu Qian's slightly surprised gaze, her cheeks still flushed, and looked at her two best friends.

Her eyes sparkled: "His singing...it's really good! I just heard him sing a few days ago!"

"?"

Su Rui and Lin Xiaoman: "Feifei, you...you're protecting her already?!"

The two women were speechless when they saw their sister's "my man is amazing" expression.

My best friend, which side are you on?

"Haha, thank you for believing me!"

Lu Qian gave Chen Yufei a grateful smile.

Under the lights, his smile looked particularly radiant.

Without saying anything more, he turned and walked towards the stage.

At this moment, Wen Miao had already come out of the preparation room, holding her beloved guzheng, and was sitting on the edge of the stage, with a waiter handing her tissues to wipe the wine stains from her hair and face.

His body was still trembling slightly, and his eyes were vacant; he had clearly not yet recovered from the shock.

Lu Qian walked up to her and squatted down.

"Miss Wen."

He looked at the girl's pale face and wet hair: "Why don't you go down and rest for a while? Wash your face, drink some hot water, and I'll cover for you here for a bit."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Wen Miao raised her head blankly and met Lu Qian's calm eyes.

There was no pity or curiosity in his eyes.

In the midst of their chaotic and terrified state of mind, they miraculously found a sliver of solace under the gaze of those eyes.

I always felt that this boy was different from the others in some way.

As if guided by a ghost, she nodded: "Um, thank you... thank you..."

She instinctively wanted to hand her most cherished guzheng to Lu Qian.

To everyone's surprise, Lu Qian didn't take it, but gently shook his head: "I don't need this, I can't play the guzheng."

He glanced back at the stage. "Excuse me, are there any guitars here?"

Wen Miao paused for a moment, then realized what was happening and quickly pointed to a black violin case standing at the back of the stage: "Yes...yes, it's over there!"

"Okay, then lend it to me for a bit."

Lu Qian walked over, skillfully opened the guitar case, and took out a well-maintained wooden guitar.

He tested the sound, adjusted the straps, and then nodded to Wen Miao: "Alright, go and rest. Leave this to me."

"Oh, oh."

Wen Miao looked at the suddenly appearing, uniquely charismatic young man, and then at the guitar in his hand, still harboring doubts.

Clutching her guzheng, she was helped by a waiter to sit in a corner of the bar, becoming part of the audience as well.

Over here, Lu Qian, carrying his guitar, walked steadily to the center of the stage and stood under the spotlight.

The once noisy bar gradually quieted down after this unfamiliar young man suddenly appeared at the singer's location.

Countless eyes were focused on him.

Young and handsome.

but……

Can he do it?

Wen Miao was a professional guzheng player, and this young man thinks he can replace her with a broken guitar?

Is he here to save the day or to be a joke?

"Huh? They changed the person?"

"So young? Is he even capable?"

"Guitar? Wasn't that a guzheng just now? The styles are so different!"

"Who cares, as long as there's excitement to watch..."

"..."

A buzz of discussion arose from the audience, mostly expressing skepticism.

Because the boy was too young, and his demeanor didn't quite fit the bar.

But no one protested.

Perhaps that's the allure of a 30% discount.

"Can this junior student really do it?"

Su Rui and Lin Xiaoman also watched the stage nervously. Although Chen Yufei had given her assurance, they were still a little apprehensive.

Only Chen Yufei unconsciously clasped her hands in front of her chest, her eyes fixed on the tall figure under the spotlight.

My heart was still beating fast, but it was because of anticipation and excitement.

She could even hear the teasing from the booths next to her:

"Tsk, Feifei, your handsome young man seems pretty confident, huh? He really dares to go for it?"

"Yeah, Yufei, you've really struck gold! You can kiss... cough, you can comfort people, and you can even sing?"

"..."

Chen Yufei blushed even more as she listened to her best friends' teasing remarks.

But instead of lowering her head in embarrassment, she raised her chin slightly.

He lowered his voice and snorted, "Hmph, just you wait and see, he sings really well!"

The tone was as if he were defending his most precious treasure.

"Alright, I want to see how many other tricks this brat has up his sleeve!" the two best friends laughed.

At the center of the stage, Lu Qian seemed to shield himself from all the discussions and gazes from the audience.

He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, his gaze had become calm and focused.

His slender fingers gently brushed across the guitar strings, producing a few clear test notes.

"The people in the audience came for Wen Miao's ancient-style voice, so most of them probably prefer ancient-style music..."

Lu Qian's mind raced: "If I want to stabilize the atmosphere and attract Wen Miao's attention, laying the groundwork for recruiting her later, I need to choose an original song that fits the vibe here to ignite the atmosphere..."

"So, now you only have one choice—"

"Defeat traditional Chinese style with traditional Chinese style!!"

In an instant, a song title popped into his mind.

"Then...this is it!"

"If it's this song, then it has both the right atmosphere and the potential to be widely sung!"

Thinking of this, Lu Qian took a deep breath and slammed his fingertips across the strings!

A clear and story-filled guitar intro, like a stream under the moonlight, flowed out instantly, echoing clearly in the quiet bar that had just regained its tranquility.

All the murmurs from the audience abruptly ceased.

Then, the boy's clear voice slowly rang out:

A light drizzle fell in the city...

"I wonder whose memories will get soaked..."

"Listen to the gentle breeze, so tender, it stirs up ripples..."

"So many talented men and beautiful women, their fates shrouded in mystery..."