One evening, Mo Xixi alone took care of two dozen beers.
"Amazing," marveled Mo Xixi, her belly now filled with beer, patting her stomach, but the compliment wasn’t for her drinking ability; it was directed at Xia You, who was singing.
Who would have guessed, Xia You turns out to be a microphone hog.
"You even know such old songs," in order to better accomplish the "Golden Splendor" task, Mo Xixi suggested practicing some singing skills.
Xia You knows many old songs because Xia Yun likes music a lot, and at the Xia family’s restaurant, whether during business hours or not, a jukebox is always playing old songs. Xia You, having listened to these a lot and having hummed tunes to put Xiao Maiqi to sleep, was quite confident with old songs.
"It’s one thing to know old songs, but the fact that you handle new songs so well and remember the lyrics without even mentioning, just listening a few times and you don’t go off tune," Mo Xixi, though frequenting KTVs, usually just blends into the background because she sings out of tune and forgets lyrics a lot, sometimes even staring at the screen she’d forget everything.
Mo Xixi really wanted to crack open Xia You’s brain at this moment to see what it’s made of.
"I remember lyrics because I used to practice typing to read faster and learned some quick memory techniques. Keeping the beat is because I’ve always been practicing rhythm," Xia You also admired Mo Xixi very much, this young girl of similar age and experience, her mind filled with pop culture information, simply incalculable. She could recite personal profiles of hundreds of trendy singers and celebrities at once.
And could also name the most popular internet songs of the season. Perhaps it was because her memory was so good that it made Mo Xixi easily distracted when doing serious work.
Hearing Xia You, Mo Xixi noticed that while singing, Xia You’s left hand holding the microphone, her index and middle fingers would rhythmically twitch according to the pace in the karaoke machine.
Every new song that plays, she wouldn’t immediately start singing along but listens first three times; first listen for the melody, second for the lyrics, and the last to combine both. This way, she can master almost every song within three tries.
"Someone like you should easily fit into Golden Splendor, but now there’s one problem, your hair..." Mo Xixi pressed the service bell again, ordering a dozen chilled beers and accompanying snacks. They spent over four hours in the KTV, Xia You continuously practicing singing while Mo Xixi kept stuffing food and pouring drinks into her mouth.
"Princesses" of Golden Splendor had requirements that were difficult yet easy: Under 25 years old, university graduates, taller than 160cm, with a pleasant voice, well-proportioned facial features, and long hair.
Xia You initially met all these criteria; she just graduated not long ago, and it’s only over a month since she entered the military region. Outside her department, not many people had seen her, which is why Lin Yi chose her among many candidates.
Now the issue is, Xia You, due to military training, had her flowing long hair cut, and it’s uncertain if this would affect her interview later.
"Just go and see how it goes, and try to drink less," Xia You told Mo Xixi as she opened a few more bottles of beer, advising her earnestly.
"Just like you, I’m also practicing. With my voice, I definitely can’t become a princess, so I have to find another way." Mo Xixi drinking was almost unbelievable for a woman. After two and a half dozen beers, she still had a clear mind and no red face or ears. Since she can’t be a princess, she’d have to look for another female role at Golden Splendor, such as a beverage promoter.
Three days later, the unforgettable Xia You and the never drunk Mo Xixi walked into Golden Splendor one after another.
From the name Golden Splendor alone, one could guess that the interior of this KTV must be utterly luxurious.
When Xia You entered Golden Splendor, it was still around three in the afternoon, and the KTV was quite empty. Unlike ordinary KTVs that targeted students and office workers as their main clientele, Golden Splendor operated throughout the night, with nighttime being its truly "splendid" hours.
Upon entering, they were greeted by floor tiles of white marble as beautiful as jade. All the stone materials in Golden Splendor were Italian imported marble. Near each tile, there was an 18K gold frame, reflecting the luxurious image of the customers as they walked past, on both the stone and the gold surfaces.