I Don’t Want To Be Popular - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Guess The Song

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

They had ample time in the afternoon.

Chen Chuan found a coffee shop. He ordered a drink and sat beside the window. He felt at ease enjoying the cool air from the air conditioner while sunning himself.

He felt at ease partly because of the cherry in his drink. The cherry made him feel energized and clear-headed. 

A second and more important reason why he felt at ease was that he was entitled to unlimited [Expenditure Cash Return]. Therefore, he would not be troubled by his living wage. 

For instance, he had no hesitation in ordering this cup of cold-brewed coffee which cost 40 yuan. In this case, he even got a cashback of 80 yuan. After deducting the 40 yuan he spent, he got an extra 40 yuan in his account.

As for those young office workers, they stood in front of the counter for a while after entering the shop. They were torn between cappuccino and cold-brewed coffee. After all, a cup of cappuccino cost only 24 yuan, and it would be worthwhile to spend the remaining 16 yuan on mousse cake. 

Therefore, Chen Chuan was content.

…

He was going to start university in a few days time.

In these few days, Chen Chuan had been following the discussion of his geography teacher, who had just given birth to a baby, in the seniors’ group chat. The teacher’s name was Sima Xiangyi, and she hailed from Sichuan. About three months after she had delivered her baby, she was hit by a car while crossing the road, which led to her leg being slightly injured. Although it was not a serious matter, she had trouble taking care of her baby. She had gotten a divorce, and furthermore, her mother was not around. She was alone with her hands full. 

The monitor asked in the group chat. [For those who haven’t started university, go and visit Ms. Sima when you’re free to help her out. Help to look after her baby for one week at most. After that, her mom will be here.] 

At this point, most of their classes had commenced, and they had gone overseas to study.

Only a few who studied in the local universities had some time to spare. Chen Chuan was one of them.

Chen Chuan got up early the next day. He first went to the supermarket to get a can of milk powder before heading to Ms. Sima’s place. 

Ms. Sima’s place was located in an old neighborhood. When Chen Chuan arrived on the ground floor, he noticed that Lixin, the class monitor, and a few girls had arrived.

They went upstairs, and Ms. Sima was overjoyed to see them. At noon, they prepared lunch and had it together. After that, they worked cooperatively in tidying the rooms, doing the laundry, and looking after the baby. Some had a chat with Ms. Sima. 

Although the house was not big, it was filled with a friendly atmosphere. A harmonious relationship between the teacher and students was present. 

The class monitor and a few other girls left in the evening. 

It was only Chen Chuan and Lixin who stayed on to help out.

It was 6:00 pm. 

After dinner, Ms. Sima soon went to her bedroom to breastfeed her baby and put him to sleep.

The house became dim as the sun started to set.

There was an old television in the living room that made static noise. 

Luckily, Chen Chuan brought along his Iriver audio player and headphones, on which he spent 60,000 yuan a few days ago.

Lixin was playing with her cell phone while lying on the old two-seater couch in the living room.

Chen Chuan, on the other hand, was listening to music while lying on the rattan chair on the balcony.

After a long day, both of them finally had proper rest.

It was summer in late August. Situated by the sea, this place was slightly warm though luckily it did not get stuffy.

The drizzle that began during the day eventually stopped. 

A breeze blew in, giving a cool feel after the rain. 

The television program about spring water was being aired, and Lixin was engrossed in it.

After a while, she said, “Chen Chuan, look at the spring. It’s quite amazing. The water keeps flowing through the cracks in the rocks. Where does the water come from?” 

As Chen Chuan was wearing his headphones, he only partially heard what she had said. He then replied, “I’m not sure as well.” 

“What music are you listening to? I’d like to listen to it too. Come over here. Let’s listen to it together.” Lixin straightened her body to leave some space on the couch for him.

Chen Chuan came over and shared a headphone with her.

After listening to it for a while, Lixin suggested, “Let’s play Guess The Song where songs are played in random order. We’ll see who can say the name of the song first based on the prelude.”

“Sure. I’ll turn shuffle on,” said Chen Chuan.

With the online streaming feature incorporated in the AK380ss audio player, it was definitely worth spending 30,000 yuan on the device. 

“To make the game meaningful, let’s bet. If I lose, I’ll give you the Pandora Ocean Heart on my left wrist.” Lixin tapped her left hand, then she showed her silver bracelet which had a blue cat’s eye stone on it. The bracelet looked beautiful. “If you lose, you’ll give me your MP3 and headphones. Is that okay?”

Chen Chuan was stunned.

“Why? Are you afraid to bet?” Lixin gave him a provocative stare.

“How much is your bracelet?” asked Chen Chuan.

“1,198 yuan. This imported bracelet is made of pure silver, and the cat’s eye stone is natural,” replied Lixin. 

“What about my audio player?” Chen Chuan then asked, “Do you know what brand it is?” 

Lixin shook her head and answered, “I have no clue about digital stuff. Or do you want to bet something else?”

“Fine. I’ll just bet my audio player,” Chen Chuan agreed generously. 

Chen Chuan was rather confident. After all, he did listen to music quite often. 

Ding-ding dong-dong, ding-dong ding-dong, ding dong-dong, plunk plunk plunk…

The prelude of a song was played.

Five seconds later, Lixin rushed to answer, “Bubble by G.E.M!” 

Chen Chuan did a facepalm. He found the rhythm familiar, yet he could not bring the song to mind right away.

The next song began.

Langgeleigenlanglang…

“This song is…” Chen Chuan could almost call it to mind. 

“Langgeligelang!” Lixin slapped her thigh and stood up. “Yeah, that’s right! Langgeligelang, langgeligelang, langgeligelang…”

Another song began.

Ding dong-dong, ding dong-dong, dong ding-dong…

“This is… the star’s song, Fleet of Time!” Lixin rushed to respond again. “Hey, we’ve agreed on the best-of-seven playoff, and I’ve almost gotten the game point.” 

Chen Chuan refused to believe what had just happened. He knew the first three songs, but he was just a bit slow in reacting to them. ‘Come again.’ 

The fourth song began.

After the prelude was played for a second, Lixin slapped Chen Chuan’s thigh.

“Red high heels…

What’s the most appropriate way to describe you

What can I compare you to so that you feel special

I have strong feelings for you

But I don’t actually know much about you; it’s just a hunch 

You’re like the coziness of nestling under a quilt

But you’re also elusive like the wind…”

She was moving her slim waist in the living room at sunset. She seemed to have fun moving around. 

After a few rounds, Chen Chuan won some points and earned a draw with Lixin.

…

It was 9:00 pm.

Chen Chuan and Lixin played two more rounds. After that, they got a little hungry, probably because they had played the game for too long. Both of them then suggested having supper downstairs.

Ms. Sima and her baby were sound asleep in the room.

Chen Chuan and Lixin went downstairs to look for a shop to have supper.

They entered the Haidilao restaurant near the next junction. Luckily, it was already nine-ish and they did not have to queue. 

They finally experienced the so-called excellent service offered by the restaurant. The staff was extremely responsive.

The meal cost an average of 200-plus yuan per person. It was slightly more expensive compared to that of other hotpot restaurants. The beef soup base alone cost 112 yuan. 

However, Chen Chuan did not find it very expensive. As he was eligible for unlimited [Expenditure Cash Return], he was able to gain 800 yuan upon spending 400 yuan.

Lixin could take very spicy food. She drenched the beef, pork aorta, tripe, and shrimp completely in red chili sauce. 

She swallowed the food without hesitation. It looked like she enjoyed it.

After a while, she got up to get more chili sauce. 

“Where’s the chili sauce?” Lixin asked the server.

“Here,” the server immediately replied.

“Ah, it’s right here. I must be blind,” Lixin mocked cheerfully. 

“No. It’s the sauce that’s blind. It didn’t see you,” the server quickly explained.

Upon hearing what the server said, Lixin raised her thumb looking at Chen Chuan. Indeed, this kind of service was excellent. 

During the meal, Lixin showed Chen Chuan a video that had been posted in the group chat. She said with laughter, “Look, our schoolmates are singing excitedly at a karaoke bar. Do you want to join them? Let’s get there by taxi, shall we?” 

Through the video, Chen Chuan saw a few schoolmates singing and drinking with excitement in a dim karaoke room. 

While watching the video, Chen Chuan dipped a slice of beef in the sauce and put it into his mouth. 

‘Ah, this is spicy!’

Chen Chuan cast a glance at the sauce with his head kept low. He realized that Lixin had lifted her own cup of sauce in front of him. 

“Ha ha, I adjusted the sauce. It’s spicy, huh?” Lixin asked laughingly. 

Chen Chuan would usually refuse to try it. However, being absorbed in the video, he was not aware of it.

Amid the plumes of steam from the hotpot, Chen Chuan glanced at the vivacious girl opposite him. She had a pretty face, and her eyes were bright. The silver hair that she dyed was chic, and it made her look like a fairly rebellious girl. 

After finishing the hotpot, both of them walked out of the restaurant. The sky was already covered with stars.

Chen Chuan noticed that this place was distinct from the world he had come from. The differences were that the sky here was particularly blue and that the stars were particularly shiny.

It had been ages since he last saw a starry sky. He could even see the Galaxy across the sky over here.

“Can you see it? It’s the Milky Way.” Lixin pointed to the night sky.

“Oh, you call this the Milky Way,” Chen Chuan subconsciously said. 

“What?” Lixin did not grasp his message.

“Ahem, I said… You actually know what the Milky Way is too,” replied Chen Chuan.

Lixin rolled her eyes. “Nonsense. I even know the constellations Andromeda, Cetus, and Pegasus. Look, those are the Pegasus’ wings.”

Lixin moved so close to Chen Chuan that her face almost touched his face. She was pointing seriously to the sky to show him. 

Chen Chuan smelled the fresh fragrance of her perfume, and his face flushed. “Yeah, I see it. The universe is just large. How amazing.”

“Exactly. It’s large, so there must be many unknown living organisms in the universe. I’m curious about it. It’d be great if human technologies could make interstellar travel possible one day. How I wish to explore it.” Lixin gazed at the night sky hopefully. 

A cool sea breeze blew, bringing in a slight chill. 

Lixin shrunk her neck and rubbed her hands.

Both of them stood under the streetlamp on the roadside. When a taxi driver drove past, he reduced his speed and honked.

“Heh, the taxi driver assumed that we’re a couple who’s planning to sleep together,” Lixin said with her eyes fixed on the taxi that was leaving, whereas Chen Chuan was still staring at the night sky.

The thin mist, which was drifting under the pale yellow light, enfolded the two of them.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The cars whooshed by on the road.