I'm Not Good at Singing

Encouraged by everyone, Xiang Kun waved his hand and said, "I can't sing. I can't find the right pitch. If it were a karaoke bar or something, I could at least belt out a few lines to fit the atmosphere, but I can't sing in this environment."

However, Chang Bin immediately replied, "Yes, yes, you can definitely do it! Before, in the bar, you didn't need any background music and just sang a cappella, and you can do it now too."

"Singing a cappella and getting applause and cheers from the whole bar? You've got some skills, Chef Xiang!" Xie Peng laughed. "Just sing the song you sang at the bar."

Xiang Kun laughed and said, "I sang a cappella because I was afraid that if I sang with the accompaniment but without the lyrics, I wouldn't be able to keep up. Hey, this isn't right. I cooked for you guys, and now I'm supposed to sing for you after the meal? No way, gentlemen, it's your turn to show off your talents to your little brother!"

At this moment, Yang Zhen'er held up her phone and turned the screen towards Xiang Kun: "Chef Xiang, look! Knowing you wanted to sing, Lao Xia agreed to my video request. That's really something!"

Xiang Kun looked at Yang Zhen'er's phone and, sure enough, saw Xia Libing on the screen.

After exchanging a glance with Xiang Kun through the screen, Xia Libing blankly raised her right hand to greet him, but it looked more like she was waving goodbye.

Xiang Kun really didn't want to sing, after all, he didn't have much talent for singing, and if he didn't use "Emotional Assimilation," it would be almost impossible for people to find his singing pleasant, and it would completely ruin his image in everyone's mind.

The reason he didn't simply refuse outright was that he wanted to continue the warm atmosphere that had been gradually built up during the meal.

Although everyone was eagerly anticipating his singing, with various encouragements and urgings, by the end of the meal, he had further refined his understanding of the other nine people, especially Xie Peng, Linlin, Wang Han, and Qin Ping, whom he had only met once or for the first time. Therefore, he quickly devised a plan to naturally shift their focus away from their expectations, directing their attention to other things, and preventing their emotions from cooling down due to extinguished anticipation.

The previous few sentences showed that Xiang Kun was following his planned approach and guiding everyone through dialogue. However, after seeing Yang Zhen'er directly video chatting with Lao Xia, he suddenly changed his mind.

Xiang Kun said, "How about this, the rest of you sing first to get the atmosphere going, and then I'll sing. Otherwise, someone as shy as me can't handle all your attention!"

Chang Bin laughed and said, "I would have believed you if you said that back in college, but who would believe it now! Would a shy person go up to a bar stage and sing? Besides, you hadn't even been drinking back then!"

"It's not the wine that makes people drunk, it's the person who gets drunk. I'm just intoxicated by the alcohol you've been drinking," Xiang Kun replied.

"Then let Nana sing a song first. Nana's singing is the most stable. In terms of singing skills, she should be the best among us. Speaking of accompaniment, Yang Lao... Third Sister, didn't you learn guitar before? You've been learning for so many years, you should be able to play one or two songs, right? Why don't you cooperate with Nana?" Xie Peng said to Tang Baona and Yang Zhen'er.

While showing Lao Xia a live stream on her phone, Yang Zhen'er glared at Xie Peng and said, "What 'Yang the Third'? Lao Xie, are you doing this on purpose?! If you call me that again, I won't let you off the hook!"

Then, as if remembering something, Yang Zhen'er said to Tang Baona, "Nana, why don't you sing that song, 'No Road to Transformation'? You've been practicing guitar for so long, you should be able to do it. If it weren't for making a video for Chef Xiang, wouldn't you have been making your own self-accompanied singing audio?"

Tang Baona said somewhat awkwardly, "I'm not quite proficient yet..."

"It's perfectly fine!" Yang Zhen'er said, going into the room to get a guitar. She carried the guitar in one hand and still held the phone she was "live-streaming" to Lao Xia in the other.

Yang Zhen'er actually bought this guitar to learn, but after strumming it a few times, she still hadn't mastered it and it was left to gather dust. It wasn't until Tang Baona became interested that she picked it up and started playing with it, giving it a new lease on life.

Tang Baona had actually studied music before, but she had only just begun to learn before giving up. Fortunately, she had a musical background, so she picked it up again quickly and mastered several songs in a few months.

After Yang Zhen'er brought the guitar over, seeing how expectant everyone was, Tang Baona stopped being coy. In fact, she quite enjoyed singing in front of others. In the past, when they went to karaoke together, she was always the karaoke queen, the one who requested everyone's songs.

Seeing Tang Baona get up from the sofa, take the guitar, and tune it, Xiang Kun went to the dining room, moved a chair, and placed it next to the TV in the living room, on the side facing the dining room. He said, "Nana, sit here and sing."

Tang Baona smiled at him, "Thanks, but I'm taking the blame for you! You'd better think about what you're going to sing! If you dare to back out later, see this big guitar of mine? It can really hurt when it hits you!"

Amidst the expectant gazes of nine people in the living room, whether from the alcohol, excitement, or shyness, Tang Baona's cheeks flushed slightly. She closed her eyes for a moment to prepare, then plucked the strings and began to sing slowly:

As night gradually fell, everything around was pitch black...

Xiang Kun stared intently at Tang Baona, listening to her singing, while simultaneously sensing a wooden carving Emotional Injection."

He placed the chair there not only because Tang Baona could easily listen to his singing while sitting on the sofa in the living room and elsewhere, but also because the bag he brought was there. Inside the bag was a box containing Xiang Kun's "Christmas gift" Xiang Kun Tang Baona. This gift was a wooden carving he had hastily made before the blood-drinking ceremony, Emotional Injection. He hoped that this carving would guide Tang Baona into some happy dreams, a small thank you for her hard work editing the videos for him— Xiang Kun knew from Little Apple that having such "happy" dreams had a positive effect on one's mood and state upon waking.

If an item Emotional Injection " comes into direct physical contact with another person, or is close enough, Xiang Kun can sense that person's emotions when he tries to sense them.

However, since the wooden carving is currently in a box and separated from the other person by a bag, and is not in close proximity, it's highly likely that most people wouldn't be able to sense the other person's emotions. But Tang Baona is different. Xiang Kun can now basically judge her emotional changes based solely on the cognitive model he has established. In this situation, as long as she is within half a meter of the object into which Xiang Kun has established "Emotional Injection," her emotions can be perceived by Xiang Kun —a situation that has been confirmed many times before.

Xiang Kun did this in order to conduct an experiment on "Emotional Assimilation".

Relying on the emotional perception established by the wooden carving next to the chair, relying on the already comprehensive cognitive model, and with Tang Baona's singing voice being truly infectious, Xiang Kun successfully immersed himself in the same emotions as her before she even entered the chorus.

"... I feel like a dragonfly wandering on the water, unable to find my way back..."

Under Xiang Kun's influence of "Emotional Assimilation," not only him, but also the other eight people in the living room were drawn into the same emotion.

Xiang Kun seemed to see himself transformed into a Little Sprite, possessing a pair of wings, traversing the dimly lit forest, experiencing a sense of solitary travel and exploration of the unknown. This loneliness was not the kind of cold, helpless, or pitiful feeling, but rather a carefree, unrestrained freedom.

Everyone imagines different scenes in their minds, but the perception brought about by emotions is the same for everyone.

After the song ended, Tang Baona was somewhat surprised to see the absorbed expressions on everyone's faces in the living room.

Xiang Kun was the first to recover from his emotions. He quickly observed the state of the others, glanced at Xia Libing's expression on Yang Zhen'er's phone, and rapidly sensed the calligraphy lyrics he had given Xia Libing. Then, he gently clapped and exclaimed, "You sang so well!"

"Nana, that's great!" Yang Zhen'er exclaimed, clenching her fist in praise. Then, she couldn't help but frown, saying, "But for some reason, when I listen to the song, I always can't help but imagine Chef Xiang with a pair of huge wings, carrying the bow we gave him, lurking in the sky above a forest, ready to pounce at any moment. I wonder if it's because I've seen too much of that photoshopped image of Chef Xiang carrying a bow and arrow..."

"Yes, I feel the same way. I always feel like this song is sung by Nana to Xiang Kun, as if she's singing in a castle, standing by the window, watching Xiang Kun turn into a big butterfly and fly far away into the night sky," Tang Baoting said with a smile.

Gao Yao shook her head and whispered, "If it flew away from the castle, it should be a bat, not a butterfly."

Xie Peng laughed and said, "Butterflies and bats? How can you tell if it's Xiang Kun? Can you tell he's bald? But to be honest, this song really matches the photo of Chef Xiang carrying a bow and arrow through the crowd that went viral online. After listening to Nana sing for a while, I thought of that photo."

It wasn't just the few of them listening to the song; even Tang Baona, who initially focused her emotions on herself, seemed to shift her focus as she sang, just as others had said, to Xiang Kun.

Is this song really so suitable for Xiang Kun?

Tang Baona couldn't help but start to have some doubts.

Having detached himself from his emotions, Xiang Kun had been constantly observing everyone and updating their cognitive model data, so he naturally knew their situation.

It wasn't that the song suited him, but rather that during his "Emotional Assimilation," he perceived the emotions Tang Baona sang, immersed himself in those emotions, and transformed them into his own. Thus, after he adopted Tang Baona's emotions, the emotional carrier naturally became himself.

In this way, the emotions that others perceive when listening to the song do not come directly from Tang Baona, but are "second-hand emotions" passed on by Xiang Kun.

Moreover, after taking Tang Baona's emotions and making them his own, Xiang Kun also influenced Tang Baona's emotions in return—her singing remained consistent in emotion, but the target of her emotions became Xiang Kun.

This also proves that, regardless of whether it is through "Emotional Injection" objects or other means of perceiving other people's emotions, as long as Xiang Kun can truly immerse himself in them, he can transform them into his own emotions and influence others through these transformed emotions.

After recovering from his emotional state, Xiang Kun immediately tried to sense the calligraphy of the song lyrics to see if he could perceive Xia Libing's emotions, but unfortunately, there was still no reaction. The video footage in Yang Zhen'er's hand also showed no sign of Xia Libing being affected. It was clear that this "Emotional Assimilation" couldn't work through real-time video, at least not for Xia Libing.

After laughing and joking around for a while, the group started urging Xiang Kun to sing.

"Xiang Kun, sing that song you sang at the bar. There must be a reason why the whole bar applauded," Tang Baoting said curiously.

Xie Peng laughed and said, "You can sing whichever song you want, or even 'Someone Like Me' that you sang at karaoke last time!"

Linlin said, "Or Mao Buyi's 'Drowning Sorrows'?"

"No! -- Please don't Drowning Sorrows '! Any song will do!" Yang Zhen'er exclaimed immediately. She still clearly remembered the fear she felt when Xiang Kun played "Drowning Sorrows" during their first card game.

"Oh? If you put it that way, then I'm going to sing ' Drowning Sorrows 'Drowning Sorrows anyway!" Xiang Kun said deliberately.

Yang Zhen'er stared at him for a moment, then looked down at Xia Libing on her phone and said, "Sis! If I can't hold on any longer, I'll just leave you behind and run away. If you can't take it either, just end the video call. Don't force yourself to keep going..."

Tang Baona laughed and patted her, "It's not that exaggerated!"

Xiang Kun didn't sing "Drowning Sorrows" again, although he believed that if he sang it now, it wouldn't be as tragic as it was back then.

He took the initiative to discuss it with Tang Baona and chose a song from the few songs she could still play.

Xiang Kun chose Wu Bai's "Meeting Again". Tang Baona looked a little nervous, her eyes fixed on her guitar strings, because compared to the previous song, she had practiced this one before and wasn't very familiar with it.

However, when Xiang Kun used a banana disguised as a microphone and started singing, Tang Baona stopped being nervous. Instead, she laughed and strummed along with the others, because she knew that no one would pay attention to whether she played accurately or not; their attention was all on Xiang Kun.

Xiang Kun didn't sing particularly well, unlike when he sang "Someone Like Me" and "The Real Man," which immersed everyone who heard the song in the same emotions as him. He was very careful not to let himself get into the emotions, so as to avoid "Emotional Assimilation" again.

But before Xiang Kun decided to sing "Meeting Again," he quickly built a cognitive model of the song in his mind.

Yes, not only people and things, but also a sound, a picture, a memory, an event—as long as there is multi-sensory information, it can be used to build a cognitive model.

Just like when he's cooking, he can build a cognitive model for each dish—a combination and synthesis of sensory visual patterns, abstract logical patterns, data algorithm patterns, and various other structural patterns. Based on this model, he can easily derive all sorts of methods to solve problems in the most efficient way.

Just like with the song "Meeting Again," after building an imperfect cognitive model by recalling Wu Bai's voice, the song's audio and music video, and Xiang Kun's own fragmented musical knowledge, he immediately knew how to best perform the song with his current vocal abilities—that is, imitation.

So Xiang Kun was basically imitating Wu Bai's singing of the song in his memory. He imitated the voice and rhythm very closely and brought out the characteristics of the original singer's voice.

In the eyes of Chang Bin, Wang Han, Tang Baoting and others, the more accurate Xiang Kun's imitation was, the more hilarious it was—because it contrasted so much with his usual self.

Yang Zhen'er, in particular, was laughing so hard that the phone in her hand was shaking. Xia Libing, on the other side of the screen, frowned and couldn't help but tilt her head to one side along with the phone.

After Xiang Kun finished singing, Xie Peng immediately said, "Chef Xiang, your Wu Bai imitation is really good! You could go on a celebrity imitation show! Your pitch is much better than when you sang 'Someone Like Me' last time, and your breath control is more stable too. However, the emotion wasn't as good as last time. Actually, if you didn't imitate Wu Bai's voice, singing with your own voice might have been much better..."

Linlin interrupted with a laugh, "Do you think you're a judge on a talent show? You're just a game designer! You might not even be able to sing as well Chef Xiang!"

Xiang Kun immediately said, "I don't believe that. I heard Nana say that you and Brother Xie sang together at a high school gala back then! Come on, it's your turn to perform!" As he spoke, he shoved the banana he was using as a microphone into Xie Peng's hand.

Next, under Xiang Kun's deliberate guidance, everyone "performed" a "talent," creating a lively atmosphere. No one could refuse, and naturally, no one asked him to sing anymore. However, when Chang Bin was forced into a corner, he pulled Xiang Kun up to be his straight man and told him a crosstalk routine by Yue Yunpeng.

Wang Han, Linlin, and Xie Peng all sang quite well, and even Gao Yao could do a little beatboxing. But the most surprising performance was by Yang Zhen'er's classmate, Qin Ping, who played "Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies, Vast Skies" using a spoon, chopsticks, a bowl, and a water glass. Although it was intermittent, the experience was truly unique.

Around 11 p. m., Xiang Kun cooked two more dishes and heated up some leftovers for everyone to have a late-night snack.

During a casual chat, Qin Ping mentioned that she had received offers from two companies and was unsure which one to choose.

Xiang Kun naturally wouldn't offer any opinions on this kind of issue; he would just listen to other people's analyses, since workplace situations differ in different fields.

However, when Xiang Kun heard that one of the companies that offered Qin Ping a job was "Shenxing Technology", he immediately became interested.

Thank you so much Huan Yu, for the Silver rank!