"You..." Duan Mufeng froze, his expression helpless.
"Fine, fine." The man sighed, leaning back lazily in his chair. "I'd like to hear it too."
A flicker of anticipation crossed Lu Mingxu's eyes.
Jiang Wanrou and Jiang Keyan looked over as well.
Seeing that they really intended to listen, Wen Yanyu choked up for a few seconds, swallowed his last mouthful of roasted sweet potato, and tossed the skin into the bonfire.
"How about Lana Del Rey's 'Salvatore'? I quite like that song."
No one objected.
Wen Yanyu thought for a moment, then looked up at the sky, a skyful of starlight falling into his eyes.
He was silent for a few seconds.
Closing his eyes briefly, Wen Yanyu recalled the melody, then tapped out the beat and softly began singing the lyrics.
"Everything looks better from above, my king."
"Like aquamarine, oceans blue."
"Ah-ah-ah-ah."
"Ah-ah-ah-ah."
The ethereal, dreamlike melody intertwined with his exquisite voice, as though the curtain were slowly rising on an ancient, decadently beautiful dream.
The others and the cameraman all fell silent the moment his singing began.
The wood in the bonfire crackled as the flames burned, and the summer evening breeze blew gently past, carrying the song and melody into the distance.
His long black hair trailed down his back. Wen Yanyu gazed at the burning bonfire before him, his thoughts drifting farther and farther away with his song.
An air of careless languor unconsciously crept into his expression, or perhaps it was the weariness of being lost in memories.
There was little technique to it, just ordinary singing, yet his voice was exquisite and gentle, and singing in a language not his own lent it a distinctive inflection that captivated the soul.
"I was so wrong not to tell, Medellín, tangerine dreams."
"Catch me if you can, working on my tan, Salvatore."
"Dying by the hand of a foreign man happily."
"Ah-ah-ah-ah."
His cool, beguiling voice was steady and distant, sounding as though he were softly singing of an ancient, solemn dream.
Yet that gently unfolding voice, soft and lingering, seemed to beckon you closer to sink into the dream with him.
The lingering final note dissolved into a sigh.
Flames burned in his eyes, red mingling with silver, the bright moon reflected in their depths as though the entire starry sky had spilled into them.
Whether intentionally or not, the cameraman held the shot there for a long while without cutting away.
The song ended, but no one stirred for a long time.
After a brief silence, the live comments exploded.
[Mom, I think I finally know what love at first sight means.]
[Bunny Baby, how did you secretly turn into a succubus behind Mommy's back? I guess I'll just have to reluctantly be your top.]
[Does anyone get it, aaaah! It sounded kind of eerie and creepy, but somehow a little comforting too, and those last few verses sounded like a love song, aaaah! He's seducing me!! He's seducing me!! He's seducing me!!]
[Holy shit, I've always known he was gorgeous, but it never really hit me that hard before. Just now, it hit me so damn hard in an instant.]
[My novel-reader DNA has been activated. He's seriously like some fairy deep in a dreamcore fairytale forest, beautiful and dangerous, but the kind who'd save you at a crucial moment. Does anyone get it, aaaah?]
[Aaaah, I've never loved this song this much before. Baby is so pretty! I'm switching to a girlfriend fan. No more shipping from now on. Baby is mine alone.]
Wen Yanyu lifted his eyes and swept his gaze over the people sitting around in a daze. Tilting his head slightly, he asked in confusion, "Was it bad? Or did I sing off-key again?"
They were still staring blankly, and a question mark slowly formed in Wen Yanyu's eyes.
I always get too immersed when I sing. I used to go off-key all the time during the talent show. Don't tell me I went off-key again...
It's fine. I don't make my living from this anymore. Once I finish filming these episodes, I'll go home, retire, and wait to die.
Yeah, it's fine.
Duan Mufeng stared for a long moment, his Adam's apple bobbing as the corners of his mouth rose uncontrollably into an exaggerated grin.
No one around him spoke.
Wen Yanyu turned his puzzled gaze toward Lu Mingxu beside him. The instant their eyes met-
Lu Mingxu's ears suddenly turned scarlet, and he frantically averted his gaze as though startled into a stress response.
Wen Yanyu: "?"
Surely it wasn't that awful?
[I'm dying laughing. Wen Yanyu is about to question his whole existence. Why has everyone stopped talking?]
[That suddenly reminded me, back in the early stages of the talent show, Bunny Baby would get really immersed when he sang. He often went off-key without realizing it. He probably thinks he went off-key.]
[Oh, I remember. Baby only made it to the later rounds because his face was so ridiculously gorgeous that he got tons of audience votes.]
Jiang Wanrou was the first to recover, her smile gentle and admiring. "Such a beautiful song. That was lovely."
Jiang Keyan followed close behind, ripples spreading through her clear eyes as her gaze flickered wildly. "I loved it."
Wen Yanyu rubbed his nose, lowered his head, and took a bite of the warm sweet potato in his hand, unable to stop himself from feeling moved.
So delicious.
Back when I was locked up, I barely ever had a decent meal.
For good food, I feel like I could live a few more years.
Jiang Keyan glanced sideways, sweeping her gaze over the two men who still had not recovered before calmly looking away.
"Yanyu, Li Qianhua told me you're really good at telling stories. Let's look after the children together tomorrow. I want to hear your stories too. Can I? Please? Pretty please?"
The girl's smiling eyes narrowed slightly, her lips curving as she leaned closer and took the young man's arm coaxingly.
Wen Yanyu paused. "Sure. I'll tell stories to all of you tomorrow."
"Yay!" Jiang Keyan nodded obediently.
As a girl who had grown up doted on in a prominent family, she was naturally kind, cheerful, and "innocent."
But as one of the twins who would sooner or later inherit the vast family business alongside her older sister, she had never learned only how to dress up and enjoy herself.
There was also-
Control and taking what she wanted.
She had always known what she wanted.
Jiang Keyan smiled sweetly.
The bonfire crackled.
Sang Yu recovered from that strange melody and looked up at Lu Mingxu.
The moment she raised her eyes, she saw his thoroughly red earlobes illuminated by the little lights in the courtyard.
Her heart lurched.
Her gaze unconsciously shifted left, landing directly in the man's eyes.
In that instant, she felt as though all the blood in her body were flowing backward, her heart plummeting to rock bottom.
There, she saw something she had once seen in the mirror: feelings so concealed that even the person harboring them had yet to notice.
Sang Yu took one last look at Wen Yanyu, who was chatting with the person beside him, then lowered her head, various emotions mingling in her eyes.
Confusion and helplessness, pain and bewilderment churned wildly in her eyes, finally turning into resentment and jealousy. Without her realizing it, her fingertips had already dug into her palms.
Before you continue