Chapter 5: Not the same kind of people
As one of the earliest karaoke establishments to open in Xiahai City, Ding Sheng Karaoke City was also the largest KTV.
The extravagance of nightlife played out here in no small measure. The parking lot beside it was packed with cars, mostly angular, bricklike models stamped with the character of their era: Santanas, Nissans, Xialis, Mazdas, and Toyota Little Overlords. If a Benz or BMW appeared at a time like this, a crowd would soon gather around it, marveling as though they were looking at a giant panda.
As for Bugattis, Aston Martins, and Maseratis, in an age when Hummers had yet to be manufactured domestically and car magazines had not yet reached Xiahai in large numbers or become popular, their appearance would actually have caused little stir. Few people in this small city would have recognized them.
At the time, Xiahai City lay deep in the economically underdeveloped southwestern interior, and its development was extremely slow. Had it not merged with several nearby administrative counties, calling it a county-level city would hardly have been an exaggeration. Many of the ways things were done here were essentially no different from those in a county town.
Ding Sheng Karaoke City, for instance, held a leading position among the major entertainment venues. Conflicts occurred here frequently, though serious bloodshed was rare, as were large-scale brawls. Up on its second floor, however, the first violent incident of the day was unfolding.
The middle-aged man was named Feng Youfu, the office director of the Xiahai Armed Forces Department. He had been having a fine time here with a group of friends that evening, and his conversation with one of the drinking hostesses had grown increasingly warm. Since KTV rooms had no toilets in those days, a