CHAPTER 247: CHAPTER 142: A BIRTHDAY SONG FOR YOU (PART 2)

Xia You still remembered the dark eruption she felt in her body the last time she listened to "Death Track". She was feeling somewhat irritable today; it would be best not to listen to that kind of music.

Mo Xixi followed Harley to their rehearsal room. Xia You sat alone in the living room; Xiu Na hadn’t come down yet. Thinking for a bit, Xia You decided to walk to the villa’s courtyard.

In contrast to the minimalist style of the villa’s interior decor, the courtyard was planted with an array of various plants, with needle-leaved crops from cold regions and short plants from tropical areas. They weren’t specially tended to; each type of plant was just randomly piled to one side.

Suddenly, a noisy bustle reached her ears. Xia You lifted her head to locate its source; it came from the second-floor balcony.

Xiu Na’s figure flitted past the balcony window, and a man’s impatient voice said, "I’ve already told you, I’m not going to sing any birthday songs."

"It’s just for one day, remember, you promised someone," Xiu Na mentioned as she had taken out that document earlier, after which Yimo simply stopped rehearsing.

"That’s just this one time, no more exceptions," Yimo said, and, in frustration, grabbed a bottle of alcohol and took it outside.

A bottle smashed to the ground right next to Xia You’s feet.

"!!" To dodge the bottle, Xia You stepped back quickly and lost her balance, falling to the ground. The bottle by her foot shattered, releasing a chill distinctive of chilled alcohol, even though it was already winter.

"Dark beer?" Xia You touched the spilled liquid, feeling a strange sense of familiarity surge within her.

Xiu Na should be coming down soon. Xia You patted the dirt off her clothes and walked back to the living room.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting," Xiu Na politely brought Mo Xixi down from the rehearsal room and relayed their discussion outcome to Xia You and the others.

A mix of grievance and satisfaction appeared on Mo Xixi’s face. She was disheartened that Yimo didn’t remember seeing her a few days ago, yet she was pleased that she had finally got to interact closely with Yimo and even successfully shook his hand.

"And I tell you, Yimo looks really handsome even without makeup, with long eyelashes, and even his drinking posture is cooler," boasted Mo Xixi while driving back home.

"He uses his hands to drink, and likes to gulp it down, right?" Xia You offhandedly replied.

"Huh? How do you know that?" Mo Xixi wondered.

"Just a guess, most people who drink dark beer like to drink it that way," Xia You felt a wave of dizziness, as if the dark beer bottle that fell from the upstairs had hit her on the forehead.

Inside the rehearsal room, Yimo had just emptied a bottle, annoying Harley remarked, "The fan who just came isn’t bad-looking, heard she’s a non-commissioned officer, I got her number."

"I’ve told you many times not to lay hands on fans," Yimo’s remark met with derision from Harley.

At the outset when they formed the band, they agreed not to mix with fans to avoid affecting their work. But back then, they did not know about Xiu Na and Yimo being a couple. Harley had a liking for Xiu Na, something Yimo was aware of.

"If you’re dissatisfied, just leave the band; there are many who can replace you," Yimo was notoriously short-tempered, and his interactions with the band were always straightforward. Yet it was the truth he spoke; without "Death Track," Yimo was still Yimo, but Harley wouldn’t be able to survive without "Death Track," not even in small bars.

"Okay, okay," intervened the drummer, seeking to smooth things over, "Yimo, Harley was just joking. You really don’t remember that female fan? Last time during the concert, the girl who was with her even reminded you. Harley thought you were interested in that girl, so he deliberately let her friend come up."

"Which girl?" Yimo retorted, Xiu Na had only told him that Rand Military District had sent someone over, but didn’t mention that Ding Ling had also come.

"The one with a boyish haircut, but quite attractive. We even asked her name, it’s Xia You." As soon as the drummer finished speaking, Yimo stormed out like a whirlwind. After a few steps, he turned back. Could he question Xiu Na? Women always have a sense of jealousy; no wonder Xiu Na hadn’t told him.

Unexpectedly, after traversing half the globe, Ding Ling’s new identity was a female soldier from Rand. It was ridiculous; the military district that almost consumed her life now controlled her again. They were bound to meet again eventually; why should he rush?

"No need to practice the new song now, Xiu Na must have told you, we’re attending a gala at Hua Country Military District two weeks from now. At that gala, we are required to sing." As soon as Yimo finished speaking, the other band members burst into laughter.

"Yimo, are you kidding? Us, performing in front of those by-the-book soldiers? What are we singing, "Black Terror" or "Heart Explosion"?" After Harley finished, the other members also expressed their agreement with their instruments, causing a surge of musical clattering in the rehearsal room.

The laughter of his bandmates brought a smile to Yimo’s face.

"Neither, we’ll sing a song that will never go out of style," Yimo was forced to agree to sing that song, but now he couldn’t wait to perform it, even eagerly anticipating the expression on her face when the "Happy Birthday" song was sung.

Ling, happy birthday. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we invite you to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for it, or buy a monthly pass. Your support is my greatest motivation.)