Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 58: Singing

Li Jingjing was simple-minded. Hearing everyone praise Jiang Shuo's prowess, she followed the trend and said a few flattering words. These words made Jiang Shuo feel even more elevated, directly sensing that Li Jingjing actually wanted to get closer to him, hoping for some benefits. He couldn't help but feel proud.

How could a janitor from a small company compare to someone like himself, a privileged son? Jiang Shuo realized he had been overthinking things before; there was no need to oppress Yang Chen aggressively.

At times like these, Jiang Shuo felt he should act mature and dignified, showing a sense of humility. So, he immediately invited everyone, "Please, take a seat. I, Jiang, will cover all expenses today. Don't be polite."

When he saw Li Jingjing, Jiang Shuo smiled gently and said, "Jingjing, you might not be familiar with this place. Why don't you sit next to me? I'll tell you everything about it. I guarantee you'll have a good time today."

"Oh?" Li Jingjing quickly waved her hand and said with a smile, "No need, Director Jiang. Everyone just enjoy yourselves. I don't know anything about singing or dancing. I'll just sit next to Brother Yang and watch."

Jiang Shuo's hopes were dashed, and he felt a bit annoyed, but he decided to treat Li Jingjing as a fledgling bird, still shy. So, he pretended to be generous and said with a smile, "Alright, you can sit next to Mr. Yang. If you need anything, feel free to ask, no need to be polite."

"Not polite, of course not. Being polite to Chief Jiang would be disrespectful, right?" Yang Chen smirked, "How about we start with a few bottles of wine to liven things up? It'll give us more energy for singing."

Jiang Shuo felt a wave of disdain inside, thinking Yang was just trying to take advantage. But a few bottles of wine were nothing to him. He casually said, "Of course, Mr. Yang, whatever wine you want, just order it."

The teachers present also became excited. Although they were financially comfortable, more free wine was always welcome.

Yang Chen looked at Jiang Shuo with admiration, then immediately went out to call the waiter. After saying a few words, he returned to his seat and sat close to Li Jingjing, saying with a smile, "Chief Jiang is indeed generous. I ordered five bottles of wine. I hope it's enough."

Five bottles? Jiang Shuo sneered inwardly. Even ten bottles wouldn't be considered much money. "Mr. Yang is too kind. Five bottles won't be enough for this many people. We'll ask for more later."

The efficiency of the service staff in the Land of Abundance was quite high. Just as they had spoken, a bucket of chilled red wine was brought in. When everyone saw the five bottles in the bucket, they were stunned!

Five bottles of 1998 Fa Country Castel red wine! Anyone with some knowledge would understand. Fa Country Bordeaux, a top-tier wine from a top-tier winery, aged for over ten years. It was worth more than a thousand. Jiang Shuo naturally knew the price of these bottles. He never expected Yang Chen to order such expensive wine, thinking it would be the usual hundred or so yuan per bottle.

Watching five or six thousand yuan fly out of his pocket, Jiang Shuo felt an urge to vomit blood. "Thanks to Chief Jiang's generosity. I wouldn't dare to think about this kind of wine on ordinary days," some clever teachers remarked, seeing through Yang Chen's intentions. They sneered in secret while praising him.

Jiang Shuo waved his hand with a somewhat stiff smile and said, "It's nothing, as long as everyone is happy."

The joyful mood that was once present now felt as turbulent as a storm-stricken island. Sneaking a glance at Yang Chen, who was chatting happily with the teachers, Jiang Shuo pondered on how to punish this ignorant fellow.

However, the teachers in the private room paid little attention. They were already getting high, taking turns singing and dancing without the dignified demeanor expected of educators. One couldn't help but wonder if their students would be shocked to see them like this.

Li Jingjing sat quietly on the sofa, listening attentively, occasionally eating a piece of fruit. Her serene expression carried a faint smile, but she didn't participate in the singing.

Jiang Shuo composed himself and noticed Li Jingjing listening intently. Immediately, an idea struck him. Taking the microphone, he said, "Today is a welcome party for our teacher Li Jingjing. As the team leader, I want to express my sincere feelings for her with a song..."

The other teachers, understanding Jiang Shuo's intention towards Li Jingjing, applauded and cheered in support.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed, Li Jingjing glanced nervously at Yang Chen beside her. Seeing his lack of reaction, she relaxed a bit.

Jiang Shuo was now full of emotion as he selected a song, saying, "I'll sing 'Crazy Love' dedicated to Miss Li Jingjing."

To be honest, Jiang Shuo's singing was decent. Although he struggled with a few high notes, his rendition of Li Shengjie's "Crazy Love" was filled with intense emotion. He must have sung it seven or eight hundred times before. If an ordinary girl were to hear it, she would undoubtedly be deeply moved.

The teachers all applauded loudly, and Li Jingjing also joined in, saying "Thank you," as she clapped.

Jiang Shuo felt somewhat proud, but suddenly noticed that Yang Chen wasn't applauding. Instead, he was pouring himself more wine, which irritated Jiang Shuo once again. With a smirk, he said, "Mr. Yang hasn't sung yet since earlier. Would you like to treat us to a song?"

"Hmm..." Yang Chen furrowed his brows, put down his glass, and awkwardly replied, "I think it's unnecessary. I'm not really good at singing."

"That won't do. Everyone else has sung. Whether it sounds good or not is beside the point. It's about participation," Jiang Shuo felt he finally had a chance to embarrass Yang Chen and continued, "After Mr. Yang sings, we'll ask Jingjing to sing as well. What do you all think?"

Since the teachers were enjoying at Jiang Shuo's expense, they naturally agreed to his small request, all shouting in agreement to have Yang Chen and Li Jingjing sing.

Although Li Jingjing was not confident in her singing, she was curious to hear Yang Chen's voice. After all, when a woman is infatuated with a man, she wants to know everything about him.

"Brother Yang, just sing a song. It's okay if you're not good. Let's all have some fun," Li Jingjing encouraged, unable to contain her curiosity.

Feeling helpless, Yang Chen scratched his head and reluctantly took the microphone, standing up gracefully. He said, "Actually, I just returned from abroad a little over half a year ago. So, I haven't really listened to many popular Chinese songs. If I must sing, please allow me to choose a song from another country..."

"Mr. Yang, are you also a returnee?"

"No way! He doesn't look like it at all!"

"Don't boast too much!"

Several teachers immediately started teasing, clearly not believing that the man in front of them was a hidden returnee. Otherwise, how could he be just an employee of a small company?

Jiang Shuo felt even more delighted at Yang Chen's evasion and said with a smirk, "It's not a big deal. Mr. Yang can choose a foreign-language song. All of us here are English teachers, so we'll understand."

"Exactly!" The teachers were all interested.

Yang Chen cleared his throat, selected a song on the computer, and played it. He smiled at everyone and said, "Sorry, I don't plan on singing an English song. The song I'm going to perform next is a Spanish song called 'Quizás' by the Latin singer Enrique Iglesias. Translated into Mandarin, it means 'perhaps'..."

The room was filled with the soothing, richly Spanish-flavored music as Yang Chen's slightly husky voice began to interpret the song...

Everyone present almost couldn't believe their eyes, especially Jiang Shuo, who felt as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed an egg.

With the mellifluous music accompanied by Yang Chen's slightly unrestrained voice, a Spanish love song immersed everyone in a wonderful and touching scene.

When the music stopped, everyone except Jiang Shuo applauded enthusiastically. Li Jingjing even had tears in her eyes, showing a blissful, intoxicated smile.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Yang Chen declined the teachers' strong request for another song, saying he was too tired to sing more.

This time, nobody suspected that Yang Chen was afraid of embarrassment. After all, everyone present was an English teacher, and they understood that being able to speak a foreign language was not the same as being able to sing in that language. Many times, a person's language proficiency could be judged by how well they could listen to foreign-language songs.

The subsequent revelry continued merrily, but Jiang Shuo, forcing a smile, kept cursing the women in Yang Chen's family silently. Unfortunately, he didn't know that even Yang Chen himself didn't recognize them. As they had started their entertainment early, and with classes to attend the next day, before ten o'clock, the teachers decided it was time to head back home. As they exited, a slight flush adorned everyone's faces, and their voices grew noticeably louder.

Yang Chen was engaged in a lively conversation with several male teachers. Just as they rounded a corner, he caught sight of a familiar figure entering a room ahead.

Why would she be here?

Li Jingjing, who had been keeping an eye on Yang Chen, noticed his frown and asked with concern, "Yang, what's wrong?"

"Oh," Yang Chen replied, smiling at her, "nothing much. Just thought I saw someone I knew, but it must have been a mistake."

As the group left the entertainment venue, Jiang Shuo grudgingly footed a bill of over ten thousand, then headed towards the parking lot. Despite his frustration throughout the evening, he hadn't forgotten his main objective. So, he briskly walked up to Li Jingjing and charmingly said, "Jingjing, how about I give you a ride back? I've bought a new car and can take you for a spin."

With that, Jiang Shuo pointed towards a gleaming silver Land Rover Discovery not far away, looking quite impressive under the streetlights. Some of the teachers couldn't help but feel envious. "That car must cost around five hundred thousand. With the current fuel prices, Jiang Group Leader still bought a new car. People compare themselves to dead people." Although the teachers' salaries were decent, most only drove cars priced around two hundred thousand like Camrys or Accords.

Li Jingjing smiled awkwardly and whispered, "Leader Jiang, I think I'll not trouble you. It's already so kind of you to treat us today. I'll just go back with Yang, he's familiar with where my house is..."

Jiang Shuo pretended to be curious and asked, "Oh? Mr. Yang drove here too? I thought he came by taxi. I wonder where Mr. Yang's ride is?"

Yang Chen burped, feeling the weight of the wine and fruits in his stomach. Even though he had regained his tolerance for alcohol, he still felt uncomfortable. His mind was still on the figure he had seen earlier. Hearing Jiang Shuo's question, he casually took out his BMW key from his pocket and pressed the unlock button.

Everyone turned their heads to look, only to see a white sedan emitting a faint glow parked in an inconspicuous spot. The blue and white propeller logo on the hood made everyone's eyes widen. The key detail was the "M" badge next to it...

"Oh my god, isn't that an M3?!" A teacher with some knowledge about cars exclaimed, eyes sparkling. "This car, fully loaded, sells for over one hundred and twenty or thirty thousand! I used to see it driven by the sons of wealthy businessmen. I never thought Mr. Yang would drive one, and it's the latest model!"

Although the other teachers didn't understand what the car model represented, they knew that seeing a BMW meant it was of a high grade.

Jiang Shuo was also shocked, his face turning pale and then flushing. Even if he was foolish, he wouldn't be so foolish as to think that someone driving a BMW M3 was an ordinary company employee. Though he was puzzled about Yang Chen's true identity, he could only muster a friendly and somewhat obsequious smile, "Mr. Yang, you're truly a hidden talent. I've learned something new today."

Damn it! Rich people pretending to be humble, acting like small employees!

"Team Leader Jiang, you're the one with great generosity," Yang Chen said with a smile. "I've had enough to drink today, thanks for the hospitality. Goodbye." With that, he took Li Jingjing's hand and walked back to the car.

The teachers all looked on enviously as the white BMW started up and drove away, feeling like they were in a dream. Yang Chen's background had become the biggest mystery in their minds.

After Jiang Shuo got back into his car and started it, he looked at the dazzling interior lights. His initial love for his new car had completely vanished. He slammed the steering wheel hard, and in the darkness, his once genteel face now looked a bit ferocious...