Chapter 12

A burst of teasing laughter and whistles erupted from below the stage.

Cheng Lang clutched his guitar, looking wary. "I sell my talent, not myself."

The female customer toyed with the wineglass in her hand and asked with a half-smile, "What if I insist? Don't you like money? I'm willing to pay for you."

Chapter 12

"Eee—"

"Ooh~"

"Hey!"

"Woo!"

In an instant, every kind of exclamation surged up from below the stage like a landslide and tsunami. Applause thundered through the room, and some people, delighted to stir up trouble, cupped their hands around their mouths like megaphones and shouted, "Say yes! Say yes!"

The commotion on the dance floor reached the VIP area on the second floor. Those who had not noticed the scene also turned to look. Han Mingchen, sweating profusely, glanced downstairs and explained awkwardly, "That Cheng Lang just loves pulling stunts. I don't know what's gotten into him, but White Jade Capital's customers all fall for it."

Han Mingchen was telling the truth. He had never realized before that White Jade Capital's customers loved making a fuss so much.

Qin Mu's ink-black eyes flicked lightly toward Cheng Lang, who was bouncing about onstage. The corner of his lips curved into an almost imperceptible smile.

What a noisy little thing.

For some reason, Qin Mu thought of the little Husky his family had kept when he was young.

It had been just as energetic, unable to stay quiet for even a moment.

If Cheng Lang could have heard the big boss's thoughts, he would definitely have felt terribly wronged. With Cheng Lang's personality, he truly wanted to be a quiet, handsome man, leisurely watching flowers bloom and fall in the courtyard, idly following the clouds drifting across the sky. Unfortunately, life was full of disappointments, and fate never went as people wished.

Cheng Lang hugged his guitar and trembled, whimpering to the system in his heart, "I'm just an ordinary villainous cannon fodder. Why does this kind of domineering CEO forcibly claiming someone plot have to happen to me?"

The system retched in Cheng Lang's mind, then directly blocked its outrageously flirtatious partner.

"What are you standing there for?" A customer below the stage urged him maliciously. "Don't tell me you want to turn down your big sister?"

He would not dare!

Cheng Lang snapped back to his senses. Hugging his guitar, he looked pleadingly at the rich older woman below the stage. He appeared weak, pitiful, and helpless. "Big sister, I really can't."

"Why not?" The female customer raised her brows and smiled. "There's nothing in this world money can't solve. If it can't be solved, then add more money."

For some reason, Cheng Lang found those words strangely familiar.

The heckling from below the stage grew even louder.

Cheng Lang forced himself to say, "No means no. There are still things in this world that money can't solve. It's not something you can overcome just by exercising subjective initiative. Objectively, it doesn't work either."

The female customer looked at Cheng Lang's pathetic little puppy expression. They said beautiful faces were a dime a dozen, but interesting souls were one in a million. Given her status, she had seen plenty of handsome men with six-pack abs. But someone so good at coaxing people and making them laugh was rare. Her heart stirred. If her earlier words had been merely a whim to tease Cheng Lang, she was now genuinely a little tempted.

"I said, add more money. Keep adding until you agree."

Cheng Lang's face turned bright red. Hugging his guitar, he whimpered, "How can you be like this? I already told you, a man objectively can't do it! Can't means can't! This isn't about adding money!"

A man objectively couldn't do it?

The customers below the stage were stunned for a moment before they understood what Cheng Lang meant. The entire bar fell silent for an instant, then suddenly erupted in laughter.

The female customer took a second longer to react before she could not help bursting out laughing.

"I say, President Lü, stop making things difficult for the kid." Another male customer spoke up for Cheng Lang. "Look at him. You've pushed the poor child this far."

But then again, White Jade Capital's newly hired star performer really had a bizarre style. And he was truly shameless!

The female customer carefully wiped away the tears welling at the corners of her eyes. Though she was still somewhat tempted, she knew not to overdo things.

Seeing that the female customer was no longer pressing him, Cheng Lang let out a sigh of relief. He plucked the strings twice and was about to sing when the male customer who had helped him out said casually, "Sing 'Silence Is Golden.' Do you know that song?"

Cheng Lang nodded. Requesting "Silence Is Golden" at a bar—this male customer must have had a story too.

At some point, the system had removed the block. It said gloomily, "Or maybe he's trying to tell you that silence is golden."

Cheng Lang turned a deaf ear. He plucked the strings and had only just begun the intro when the female customer stopped him again.

"This counts as a song request, right?" The female customer looked at Cheng Lang with a half-smile, unable to resist teasing him. "He just helped you out, yet you're using your mass-produced tenderness to brush off his devoted affection. Isn't that a little inappropriate?"

Cheng Lang felt a sharp pain in his chest. At last, he understood what Honghu Lake's Waves Beat the Waves meant—each wave was stronger than the last.

The male customer also caught on and chuckled. Looking at Cheng Lang, he teased him, half-serious and half-joking, "Looks like I like you too. After all, my wallet is willing to open itself for you."

With a stab, another blade sank into his heart.

The system laughed gleefully in his mind.

Hugging his guitar, Cheng Lang reflected deeply and said in a mournful tone, "If I'd known you were all so good at talking, I wouldn't have said anything."

In the blink of an eye, his whole vibe had turned into Lin Daiyu.

The male customer said with a smile, "We're not good at talking. We just have pretty good memories."

Cheng Lang: "..."

The female customer said with a smile, "Since you like talking in crosstalk so much, sing 'Exploring Clear Water River' later."

Cheng Lang hugged his guitar, utterly lifeless. He felt that, given his mood right then, he ought to play "Moon Reflected on the Second Spring" on an erhu.

The customers below the stage had already laughed themselves crazy. Someone even offered Cheng Lang an idea: "Since your boss won't let you take money for singing, and won't let you drink the alcohol customers order for you either, why not just perform crosstalk onstage? If it goes well, everyone can tip you together, without letting the middleman pocket the difference."