Chapter 25: Too Criminal
“Jiejie~(older sister)” A sweet, crisp voice came from outside the door. Lu Li raised an eyebrow. “Jiejie?” He looked the Class Monitor up and down. She didn’t look like an older sister at all.
“She’s my cousin, but she likes to call me ‘Jiejie’.” Silly Goose opened the door to the audio-visual room, and the little girl immediately jumped into the Class
Monitor’s arms, shaking her head like a playful puppy. “Jiejie, what are you doing with Jiefu(Older sister’s husband)?”
Chu Jingyi, easily embarrassed, patted Long Jing’s bottom. “Don’t call him that, or I won’t hug you anymore! Who’s your Jiefu?”
The little girl rolled her eyes and giggled, reminding Lu Li of Jerry from Tom and Jerry. She pointed at Lu Li. “Isn’t this handsome Gege my Jiefu? That’s what Auntie said~” Chu Jingyi jumped in a panic. “How, how could she say that? Lu Li is not your Jiefu! I hate him the most!”
“I’m so heartbroken.” Lu Li pretended to wipe his eyes, even turning them red.
“Ah, no, not that I hate you that much.” Silly Goose hurriedly turned back to comfort Lu Li, but seeing his unconcealed smile, she snorted and went downstairs, carrying Long Jing. “I’m going to help Aunt Wang. We have many guests today, she can’t handle it alone. Stinky Lu Li, stay here by yourself.”
The little girl, however, broke free from Silly Goose and ran towards Lu Li. “Jiejie, you go ahead. I want to play with Jiefu~”
“Don’t call him Jiefu.”
“Jiefu, Jiefu, Jiefu, Jiefu!” Long Jing laughed so hard that her mouth opened wide, and Lu Li noticed that she was missing a front tooth, which made him lose his composure.
After the two sisters bickered for a while, Chu Jingyi went downstairs to help Aunt Wang. The little girl skipped over to the computer, pointed at the screen, and asked, “Gege Lu Li, are you and Jiejie just listening to music alone together?” Lu Li gave the girl a strange look. Were kids so precocious these days? She was so well-behaved in the car before, was this her true nature showing?
Lu Li wasn’t a master of alchemy and didn’t want to discuss such topics with this little girl. He simply steered the conversation towards music. “Yes, do you usually listen to music?”
“I’m a very good singer.”
“That’s amazing.” He said it flatly, without any emotion, his mind preoccupied with the adorable Chu Jingyi, not focused on coaxing a child. However, Long Jing angrily climbed onto the computer desk, put her hands on her hips, and stood in front of Lu Li, looking down at him. “Hmph, Jiefu, you don’t believe me!” This habit of putting her hands on her hips was exactly like Silly Goose.
“Come down quickly, look at the footprints you’re making. Jingyi will be furious.” Lu Li finally understood how it felt to be a father. When a child acted up, it was hard to know whether to discipline them or not. Long Jing was wearing slippers and stepping directly on the membrane keyboard, humming and sneering smugly, looking very pleased with herself!
“No!” The little girl bared her teeth, missing a front tooth. “Jiefu, listen to me sing. If you don’t, I won’t come down.”
“Okay, okay, okay.” After all, she was a guest. If they were at his house, Lu Li would definitely hold her upside down and not let go until she cried for her parents. He took back his previous statement. Daughters could be troublesome too.
Long Jing showed a proud expression, having gotten her way. After dawdling for a long time, she finally started singing properly. Lu Li thought it was just a child’s usual antics to get attention, but after listening to a few lines, he felt his ears itch, not physically – the little girl was singing a foreign pop song. Her pronunciation was average, but for some reason, it was extremely catchy. After just the first two lines, Lu Li couldn’t help but show a shocked expression.
Technique in art was valuable, but genuine emotion was even more precious. The younger the artist, the more they tended to favor flashy techniques. On the other hand, artists who had been tempered by time preferred genuine expression in their works. Long Jing’s singing technique wasn’t particularly advanced, but she poured her heart and soul into the song, her expression intoxicated, her demeanor graceful. She didn’t look like an eight or nine-year-old girl, but like a soprano singing on a theater stage.
Lu Li was mesmerized. He couldn’t help but sit down, close his eyes, and let the images conjured up by the song fill his mind.
When the song ended, Lu Li felt a sense of longing for more. “Did you sing that?”
“Are you stupid, Jiefu? I sang it right in front of you.” The little girl looked at him with disdain.
The atmosphere was perfect, the stage effect was excellent, it was just that the singer was too young, her voice was too childish, and the song choice was too mainstream. But the flaws didn’t detract from the overall beauty. Long Jing was definitely the most talented person Lu Li had ever seen –
Wait! He remembered!
He suddenly knew who Long Jing was.
The little girl suddenly noticed that Jiefu’s eyes had become intense, staring at her with a burning gaze. She couldn’t help but jump off the computer desk and back away timidly. “Jiefu, you’re being too criminal. Why are you looking at me like that?”
In his previous life, there was a phenomenal singer who rose like a comet and quickly disappeared, her stage name was Longjing Tea. With her song “Sunday’s Sweet Water,” she swept the Chinese music scene, conquering the entire Shenzhou nation with her incredibly infectious singing. Unfortunately, this Longjing Tea(Lóngjĭngchá) mysteriously disappeared after releasing two albums. Her agent’s explanation was that she went back to college. But until the year Lu Li was reborn, Longjing Tea never made a comeback.
No wonder he felt that this little girl looked familiar. Lu Li had worked with Longjing Tea in his previous life and had met her once. Thinking back carefully, her features were seven or eight points similar to this little girl’s.
This is it. Lu Li had a flash of inspiration. This was the first selling point of his game! As long as he could trick this little girl into working for him, ah, no, invite her to contribute a song, his game would definitely become a hit.
“Jiefu… if you keep looking at me like that, I’ll call Jiejie.” The little girl was indeed precocious. She had already retreated to the door, as if ready to bolt out at any moment.
A child’s a cappella singing and a horror game were a perfect match. The stark contrast would create an amazing atmosphere. Lu Li was still thinking about the game, unaware that his smile had become a little creepy. “Little girl, that, you sing very well.” Little girl? Why did that make him sound like a pedophile?
Lu Li cleared his throat and said seriously, “Little Jing, have you had vocal lessons? You sing so well.”
“Jiefu, you’re drooling.”
“Ah, that’s because I’m hungry.” He lied without blushing.
Just then, Silly Goose’s voice came from downstairs. “You two, come down for dinner!”
The little girl made a face at Lu Li and muttered, “Pervert Jiefu,” before dashing out the door, giving Lu Li no time to react. Lu Li stared at the little brat’s back in astonishment, wondering if he had been too obvious? The opportunity was too rare. If he could trick the future national singer into working for him…
He shook his head, suddenly feeling that he was being too impatient. He patted his cheeks, adjusted his mentality, and went downstairs leisurely. As soon as he came down, he bumped into Chu Xiaodong, who had just returned home.
Chu Xiaodong smiled warmly. “Xiao Lu, come over more often. Treat this place like your own home. I’ll go wash my hands first, you guys start eating.”
He took two steps, passing Lu Li, and then the Prime Minister suddenly turned back. “Oh, Xiao Lu, walk with me after dinner?”
Lu Li’s spirits lifted. He must have something to say to him, right? Was it about An Gulai?
“Okay.”
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