CHAPTER 334: CHAPTER 333: NO LONGER WHAT IT USED TO BE

Zhen Yu looked at the list of classic old songs, all of which were very familiar to her.

Just humming a couple of lines, she would find that most of the rest had long been forgotten.

"Ah?" Zhen Yu suddenly saw a name, and her memory instantly came alive.

"The sand brought by the wind, passing through all the memories... Let’s go with this one!" Saying that, Zhen Yu stood up and walked over to the female boss.

"Hey? Xiao Yu has made her choice! Let me go see!" Gu Qing saw Zhen Yu go to select a song and hurriedly followed.

"Have you chosen? Which song will you sing?"

"Boss, put on ’Weeping Sand’ by Gao Shengmei, please."

"Ah! It’s this song! I like it too!"

Zhen Yu smiled without saying a word.

The reason she liked this song in her past life was because of her unspoken love for Han Mingyue. When one’s emotions are suppressed for too long, they tend to favor listening to sad love songs.

Today, she chose this song purely because—she missed him.

Just now, just at the moment she saw the song title, she suddenly felt a strong longing for him.

Less than a month left until New Year’s, and it should be time for the winter break soon. She wondered if she would have the chance to see him during the holiday.

With these thoughts in mind, Zhen Yu quietly listened to the music.

Before long, the prelude to "Weeping Sand" began to play, and Gu Qing shoved the microphone into Zhen Yu’s hands.

"Having studied vocal for so long, you should let us hear how well you sing!"

Zhen Yu stood up, took a breath, and began singing, "You are my most bitter waiting, filling me with joy yet fear for the future..."

"Wow!!"

"It sounds good!"

Experts will know if its good the moment they open their mouth, and the audience voiced their praise.

Zhen Yu herself had a very accurate pitch, and with nearly half a semester of vocal training by her vocal teacher, her singing had improved significantly. If she were to participate in the Siying School’s cultural performance now, she would undoubtedly clinch the first place with ease!

As the song ended, not only the audience, but even the female boss applauded.

Gu Qing persuaded Zhen Yu to choose two more songs, but she refused to do so no matter what.

Having no other choice, Gu Qing had to turn and invite other friends to select songs.

——

"Little sister." Zhen Yan saw his sister sitting idly on the side, quietly moving closer.

Zhen Yu turned her head silently, signaling him to speak if he had something to say.

The class leader was screaming into the microphone, a group of girls were laughing in a huddle, and Lu Huai sat nearby with a mischievous smile on his face.

No one was paying attention to the Zhen siblings.

Zhen Yan hesitated for a moment, then straightforwardly asked, "Does learning vocal really make singing sound better?"

Zhen Yu: "..."

Zhen Yan, who never cared about his tone-deafness, was suddenly asking this, clearly because he cared about someone’s opinion!

Although Zhen Yu understood her brother’s intentions, she still mercilessly crushed his hopes without hesitation.

"If you’re tone-deaf, no matter how much you learn to sing, it won’t sound good!"

Zhen Yan’s face darkened instantly upon hearing those words.

Zhen Yu pretended not to notice and continued, "Everyone has their own strengths! There’s really no need to always focus on your shortcomings! Remember, a flaw does not hide the good qualities. Instead of spending time learning to sing, why not use it to further enhance your strengths!"

"I... What strengths do I have..." Zhen Yan said dispiritedly.

Zhen Yu immediately nodded, "Yeah, that’s true! You’re not the brightest, your grades are only mediocre, and your hobby is martial arts, which girls don’t fancy. Indeed, you don’t have much in the way of strengths..."

"Zhen Yu!" Zhen Yan whispered in protest, his face full of grievance, "Who talks about their own brother like that!"

Zhen Yu had no intention of coddling him and suggested, "How about you sign up for a dance or art class after you get into university?"

Zhen Yan: "...No need."

He shouldn’t have come to his sister for psychological comfort! When it came to hitting where it hurts, his little sister was definitely the champion in the family!

——

That night, mother and daughter lay side by side in bed, and Zhen Yu asked about her mother’s and Gu’s father’s plans.

"Mom, have you and Uncle Gu decided when to get your marriage certificate? What are your plans for the wedding?"

"We’ll get the certificate next Tuesday on the tenth. Since it’s a second marriage for both of us, we’re keeping it simple. Just gathering friends from Qi City for a meal should do! The place for the meal is all set!"

Zhen Yu understood immediately, "At Uncle Gu’s place?"

"Yes! He said he’d find a couple of colleagues to help with the banquet!"

"Have you decided on the day to host the meal?"

"We need to shop for new clothes next weekend! Plus, we have to wait for you two to be on holiday, so we’ve scheduled it for the Sunday after next. It falls on the twenty-second, a good day!"

"Where will you two live after the marriage?"

Mrs. Zhen hesitated before saying, "Uncle Gu suggests moving to his place. I,"

Zhen Yu quickly interjected, "Then you should move there! It’s not far, and I know martial arts! You don’t need to worry about me!"

"Are you out of your mind? Your brother only comes home on weekends, and all the overnight tenants downstairs are men!! How can I not worry?! I worry to death!" Mrs. Zhen said angrily, "No way can I leave you living here alone!"

"So, what should we do?"

"Uncle Gu suggests that the two of us move in with him, and you’d share a room with Gu Qing."

"I," Zhen Yu opened her mouth to speak but was immediately interrupted by her mother.

"I haven’t agreed! Don’t I know my own daughter? With your petty pride, there’s no way you’d willingly share a room with a stranger! Besides, our shop is open in the evenings! We need someone from the family to stay here!"

Zhen Yu’s face showed embarrassment in the darkness.

After a while, she asked, "So, did you come to a conclusion?"

"We have. Uncle Gu will move over here! Let his nephew come along, he can stay in your brother’s room! If your brother prefers, he can go back to his dorm on weekends. You move to the wonton shop and take the room Uncle Gu and Xiao Gu were in! We’ll lock the door for you two girls from the outside before we leave at night! You can bolt it from the inside as well."

"...I,"

"No ’I’! You must move whether you like it or not!" Mrs. Zhen promptly interjected, cutting her daughter off. "Xiao Gu and Gu Qing might be cousins, but you can’t judge a book by its cover! Uncle Gu didn’t intend for you to move initially; it’s me who’s not at ease! Have you forgotten what happened when you were little?!"

Zhen Yu fell silent.

A few seconds later, she quietly consented, "I’ll move."

Mrs. Zhen sighed in the dark, "Ah... I understand you don’t want to move into someone else’s home, but,"

"Mom!" Zhen Yu interrupted, "What do you mean someone else’s home! It will all be one family soon! It’ll be quieter over there at night too! I can sleep in on weekends without being disturbed, it’s nice!"

Mrs. Zhen understood her daughter was trying to comfort her and reached out to touch her hair, "After the New Year, once we’ve saved enough money, I want to buy another house!"

Zhen Yu immediately responded with a laugh, "That’s a possibility!"