At night…


  In Fish-Catching Internet Cafe’s flagship store…


  Ma Yang and Zhang Yuan were seated against the window. As they sipped their cocktails, they watched the few customers in the shop. Somehow, this atmosphere was making them feel sorrowful.

  There were still very few customers!

  Now, two more Fish-Catching Internet Cafes were under renovation. They should be opening for business soon enough.

  However, Fish-Catching Internet Cafe’s flagship store was still steadily incurring losses.

  The volume of business had more or less stabilized. A few loyal customers already made friends with the employees in the shop. However, no matter how they calculated, these few people would not be able to sustain the maintenance of the cafe’s business.

  Between Ma Zhang and Zhang Yuan, one was the manager of Fish-Catching Internet Cafes; and one was the regional manager of the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe in Jingzhou.

  Zhang Yuan finished his cocktail in one gulp and said, “I’m going to sing two more songs.”


  Ma Yang reached out and stopped him. “Forget it. No matter how much you sing, nobody will come and listen…”


  Including the two of them, there were a total of just eight people sitting at the coffee area drinking alcohol.

  Zhang Yuan stood up anyway and said, “It doesn’t matter. I’ll sing my heart out to get it out of my system.”


  When he got to the stage, Zhang Yuan began strumming on his guitar just like he did before. He began to think about what he should sing today. The people who were seated in front of him drinking alcohol were all familiar customers. They were not shocked to see him on stage at all.

  What’s more, which internet cafe did not have regular singers? This was nothing new to them.

  Fish-Catching Internet Cafe had only opened a while ago. Every night, without fail, Zhang Yuan went on stage and sang passionately. Still, there was no use. Although the atmosphere improved, the improvement was limited.

  As time went by, he sang less and less. Tonight, under the influence of alcohol, he went up on stage.

  Zhang Yuan wasted no time exchanging pleasantries. He made the necessary adjustments and began singing. He did not sound perfect, but he sang pretty well. After all, regular singers at bars could not be that bad.

  His low, hoarse voice echoed throughout the area.

  In the past, Zhang Yuan always sang intense rock music. However, he very quickly realized that the audience was not playing along with him. They were not excited at all. Subsequently, he sang slower songs and ballads.

  This way, at least the atmosphere would not be as awkward.

  As Ma Yang sipped his alcohol, he listened to Zhang Yuan’s singing. He began to daydream. All of a sudden, he noticed a faint silhouette standing outside the glass panel. He was hesitating by the main entrance.

  It was already nighttime. The internet cafe was brighter than outside. That meant that people could see clearly into the internet cafe from the outside. However, people inside could not see the outside environment that clearly.

  Nevertheless, Ma Yang was sure he could see someone outside, pacing in front of the main entrance.

  “A new customer? He’s even hesitating outside. This means there’s a fighting chance!”


  Ma Yang immediately perked up. Although he had already become the General Manager of the Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, who was to say that he was not allowed to persuade guests to come in?

  The manager held no airs as the General Manager at all.

  He opened the entrance to the internet cafe with a warm expression. “Hey, Mister! Do you want to come in and play?”


  The young man standing at the door got a shock. While he was pacing outside the entrance thinking, he did not realize that the main door had opened. All of a sudden, there was a huge face there, staring at him.

  The young man looked embarrassed as he lowered his head. “I… I did not come here to surf the internet.”


  “That’s alright. You can come in and drink alcohol,” Ma Yang replied warmly.

  He studied the young man carefully. He looked slightly unsightly. His hair was a mess, and his clothes looked quite torn and tattered. He also looked untidy.

  The young man scratched his head of messy hair and said, “I… I want to ask if you are recruiting a resident singer here.”


  Ma Yang, “…”


  He looked disappointed. They were not short of employees; they were short of customers!

  Without customers, it does not matter how well you sing.

  The young man witnessed Ma Yang’s huge, long face fall immediately. He quickly said, “I think I am better than that man. That’s why I came to try out.”


  Ma Yang pondered for a moment and decided that there was no harm.

  Zhang Yuan was already considered the Regional Manager of the Fish-Catching Internet Cafes in Jingzhou. He could not go on stage to sing every day.

  Hiring a resident singer was not a bad idea.

  “Alright, what is your name?”


  “Chen Lei.”


  “Come, come in.”


  Ma Yang led Chen Lei into Fish-Catching Internet Cafe and to a random seat. After a while, Zhang Yuan finished singing another song. He got off the stage to take a break.

  Ma Yang gestured to the stage and said, “Go ahead. Don’t be nervous.”


  Ma Yang had no musical talent as well. He could not differentiate between good and bad. He was thinking that if the young man proved to be satisfactory, he could at least be hired to take Zhang Yuan’s place on stage.

  Zhang Yuan poured a cup of water, turned around, and found that his place on stage had been taken over.

  A young man whom he had never seen before was making adjustments to the guitar. He looked like he was preparing to sing a song.

  Zhang Yuan looked at Ma Yang, confused. “Brother Ma, who is that?”


  “His name is Chen Lei. He came to audition as a resident singer. I’m thinking if he sings well, we can let him take the stage and sing. You can rest in the future.”


  Ma Yang continued, concerned, “Your job scope is heavy. We have already recruited a new person to mix cocktails. Recruiting a resident singer would allow you to focus on managing internet cafes.”


  Zhang Yuan really wanted to say that he had nothing better to do anyway. However, on hearing Ma Yang’s kind words, he felt slightly touched.

  Ai, that’s not right. We have never recruited a resident singer.

  Zhang Yuan was just about to ask this question when he heard a clear but slightly hoarse voice echo throughout the internet cafe.

  “The flowers of spring, the wind of autumn, and the sunset of winter[1]…”


  Zhang Yuan was stunned. “He’s singing an oldie.”


  This song was very widely-known. Almost everyone in the cafe had heard it before. The moment Chen Lei began singing, almost everyone in the internet cafe who had been drinking turned to face the stage. It was almost like spring water was flowing from the stage onto the ground, surrounding everyone in the audience.

  Zhang Yuan was still dazed. He could not help but hum along to himself.

  Ma Yang continued drinking his alcohol and quietly said to Zhang Yuan, “I don’t think he sings as well as you do.”


  Zhang Yuan cast a sideward glance at Ma Yang, frustrated. “Brother Ma… he sings so much better than I do.”


  “Is that right?” Ma Yang was shocked. “His voice is neither that high nor that low. How is he better?”


  Zhang Yuan felt like he was speaking an alien language to Ma Yang. However, recalling that Ma Yang was still his supervisor, he maintained his smile. “A good voice always manages to move its audience. Ballads sung with a voice like his sound heavenly.”


  “I can’t appreciate it.”


  “If you don’t believe me, look at everyone’s reactions.”


  Ma Yang watched the audience.

  Before this, when Zhang Yuan was singing, everyone focused on their own drinks and their own conversations. Although they were listening to Zhang Yuan, it was obvious that they took him as a background singer.

  However, the moment Chen Lei began performing, everyone seemed to be captivated.

  Everyone held their glasses and sang along. No one was speaking or chatting. A few people even stared at the stage in a daze. One could only imagine what kind of memories this song had dug up in their heads.

  Zhang Yuan was moved. “Brother Ma, where did you meet such a talent?”


  Ma Yang kept quiet for two seconds. “…he came on his own.”


  “What a coincidence.”


  “Not really,” Ma Yang replied, “He said he heard you singing from outside. He thought he could sing better than you so he plucked up the courage and came to the door. I think you should take the most credit for this.”


  Zhang Yuan, “…”


  “Brother Ma, I changed my mind. Let’s not hire him, alright?”


  “No.”


  [1] This is the first line to the song ‘The Story of Time’ by Lo Ta-yu.