In Xu Zhu's brief 25 years of life, there were numerous shining moments.
When the city was constructing the subway years ago, they accidentally dug up an ancient tomb, leading to a shortage of manpower. Xu's pregnant mother was sent to inspect the situation, only to discover that it was a thousand-year-old imperial tomb. With great emotion, she gave birth to Xu Zhu right on top of the emperor's tomb, and his loud cries echoed through the thousand-year-old burial chamber, lasting for three days.
At the age of 6, Xu's mother took him to a newly opened bakery to buy a cake. A ferocious dog entered the shop and frightened the children, but Xu Zhu, holding a baguette larger than himself, rushed forward to battle the dog and drove the enemy away with an undaunted and fierce spirit...at the cost of breaking his arm in three places, causing him to miss the first day of first grade.
At the age of 12, Xu Zhu’s father made a fortune from a construction project, and Xu Zhu was kidnapped on his way home from school. However, he managed to escape by jumping out of the car and swimming several kilometers to shore despite his hands being bound. When the city TV station came to interview him, a journalist jokingly asked him about his relationship with the Emperor's baby born in the tomb twelve years ago.
At the age of 19, when Xu Zhu filled in his college preferences for the entrance exam, he chose a major in funeral management, much to the dismay of his father who chased him through the streets with a broom, resulting in precious photos capturing this moment. From then on, whenever they disciplined their own children, the neighbors would often say, "Look at the kid from the Xu family next door, so rebellious, and he still got his leg broken by his father."
At the age of 21, after living a wild life for more than 20 years, Xu Zhu suddenly saw through the mundane world. He practiced meditation in the dormitory, published articles in the school newspaper to enlighten the masses, but somehow, he took a different path and became a confidant to solve the love problems of men and women, earning the title of "Campus' Top 10 Most Popular Figures" for three consecutive years, and was renowned as "Brother Xu" in the community.
At the age of 25, Xu Zhu and the renowned Wei Ming and Du Zong became good friends after a few meetings. In their fourth gathering, amidst a crowd of strangers, they sang a sweet duet in a KTV room.
As the song title appeared on the screen, Xu Zhu smiled confidently, his hand holding the microphone steady. The warm gaze of the onlookers couldn't faze him, nor could the cold aura of a certain CEO 5 centimeters away extinguish his enthusiasm. Like a king reigning supreme, he solemnly raised the microphone and sang the first line:
"The warm spring flowers~ take away the winter's sadness~~"
Given the CEO's first time singing this song, he didn't stop until he completed the first chorus and the English verse. Then, he turned to look at the person next to him with a clear indication, "It's your turn."
Du Zong glanced at him, and also brought the microphone to his lips, opening his mouth to sing:
"The summer's passion, moves the spring's laziness……"
Xu Zhu couldn't feel his summer passion at all. His voice was clear and calm, with a hint of trembling, indicating that he rarely sang, but surprisingly, the rhythm and melody were flawless, suggesting a strong background in instrumental music.
Leaning back on the sofa, Xu Zhu stole a glance at him from the shadows. Du Zong's eyes were fixed on the lyrics on the screen and he always seemed to start a half second after the accompaniment, as if he were concentrating intensely to recall the melody he had just heard and apply it to the current lyrics.
Xu Zhu's gaze slowly shifted down to Du Zong's left hand resting on the edge of the couch, his pinky tapping the sofa in rhythm. With such long and well-defined knuckles, he must be good at playing the piano, Xu Zhu thought.
Du Zong glanced at him and Xu Zhu immediately continued with the next line. He sang the female part, and after two rounds of duet, they entered the second round of the chorus:
"At this moment, how I want to embrace you, listen to me……"
After the duet came the rap part, which Xu Zhu took on voluntarily, followed by another duet, and then a continuous four lines of, "Today you will marry me~"
As the MV on the screen ended with laughter, the lead actors shyly waved goodbye. Xu Zhu put down the microphone during the gap before the next song, and the silence in the private room was unsettling, making one wonder if this was truly a KTV room.
"Who's next?" Xu Zhu broke the silence, calling out to the stunned onlookers. "Wu Dao, weren't you saying you wanted to sing?"
"Ah, yes! I'll do it!" Wu Dao woke up from his daydream, eagerly taking the microphone from Xu Zhu’s hand, and besides, cheekily taking the microphone from Du Zong's hand and handing it to an unlucky spectator. "There! Let's sing one too!"
The others also regained their senses, drinking, playing games, talking about love, as if those few minutes before had never existed, and the private room became lively again.
Xu Zhu let out a sigh of relief, feeling like he had successfully saved the day, but he also realized that he had brought this upon himself. He stood up and said, "Wu Dao, we still need to settle our bill. I have to go."
"No problem, let's make another appointment!" Wu Dao bid him farewell gratefully, following the new music as he hummed and danced amidst the prelude.
Xu Zhu took a deep breath and did some mental preparation, nodded to Du Zong, indicating that he was leaving. Du Zong looked back at the screen with the same indifferent expression, as if he had no interest in the surroundings.
He truly lived up to being a CEO, maintaining his usual demeanor!
After exchanging a glance with William who was not far away, Xu Zhu left the luxurious private room, and as the door closed, shutting out the loud music, he could hear his heart pounding in his chest. No matter how composed he appeared on the outside, he was actually quite nervous.