There were many things Shu hadn't noticed, such as Kiana's eyes.
Compared to Shu's current state, Kiana's brain was spinning at top speed.
Slightly tipsy combined with the flow state, Shu was currently like a computer set to "Do Not Disturb" mode. He only processed the most direct information. All those convoluted thoughts—looking ahead and behind, constantly weighing the pros and cons—were automatically filtered out by his system.
Who knew, this state might vanish in the very next second.
Or perhaps, if she asked a question that was even slightly too stimulating, Shu would reflexively retreat back into his shell.
Now was her only chance.
Kiana took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling with the action.
She let go of his arm, stood up, and eagerly walked over to the coffee table. She fished the unfinished bottle of sparkling wine out of the ice bucket and refilled Shu's glass until it was eighty percent full.
Bubbles rose from the bottom of the glass, looking like a cup full of shattered stars under the purple lights.
This was her first time pouring a drink for someone else... or was it her second time?
The true first time was Shu's glass just now, but it didn't make a difference. Either way, Shu was the first person she had ever poured a drink for. Aunt Himeko and her stupid dad...
Idiots who immediately turned into fools after drinking didn't deserve to drink the alcohol she poured!
She attentively offered the wine glass to Shu. "Have a little more!"
Shu took the wine and took a sip completely naturally, then frowned slightly at the taste.
Shu really doesn't like drinking, does he!
Kiana rejoiced that Shu's facial expressions were so on point right now; she could tell at a glance that he had major grievances with the taste of the alcohol.
And to think this guy had just tricked her into believing the wine tasted amazing, trying to make her jealous!
But she absolutely couldn't let Shu put down the glass just because of the taste right now!
"Shu, did you know that your singing just now was sooo good!" She sat down beside him, her expression as sincere as a die-hard fangirl.
Phew, good thing she had experience being a fangirl... Thank you, Yun Mengxi!
"It was really, really good! Better than a lot of people I've heard!" This was the truth... Shu's vocal hardware was already pretty good to begin with, and while in this state, how could he possibly sound bad?
Shu's hand, which was preparing to put down the glass, paused and froze mid-air.
The action of putting down the glass was overridden by the "praise." Shu looked up, gave Kiana a serious look, and then smiled and nodded.
As long as she likes it... Of course, it's impossible for me to say that out loud...
"As long as you like it."
Huh?
Did something feel off?
Shu's recently relaxed brows furrowed once again. He instinctively sensed that what he just said was somehow off—it was ambiguous, too straightforward, too explicit, prone to misunderstanding, and bound to invite trouble...
Meanwhile, Kiana almost let out a piercing squeal in her heart.
What? Shu actually eats up praise?!
This Shu has to be a fake!
No, opportunity knocks but once; now or never!
Kiana leaned in even closer, her tone shifting directly into one of absolute worship.
"Really, really! You're actually super amazing! I even got goosebumps! If you don't believe me, look... Wow... You have to believe me, you're truly, incredibly amazing. Better than everyone else!!"
Shu's hand seemed to tremble slightly, but he feigned composure, took another sip of his wine, and gave a gentle nod.
"Is that so?" The frivolous, joking tone in his voice seemed to be his final shred of reserve. "Then I really am pretty amazing, huh."
Kiana almost jumped up.
What do you mean 'pretty amazing'? You're clearly—
Kiana decided to dial up the intensity. Today, she absolutely had to pull Shu's confidence all the way up!
"What do you mean 'pretty amazing'! As long as you perform normally, back where we're from, you'd absolutely be the undisputed champion!" She was so anxious that she even started digging idioms out of her brain.
"No, being the champion isn't enough, you should be a judge! The kind who has their own special grand prize and sits down there giving scores!"
Shu blinked. He felt Kiana was being so serious...
So he believed her.
I really am... uh... hiss...
No, wait...
"Shu! You are the absolute most, most, most, most, most amazing person I have ever met in this entire world!"
He stared at her in silence.
"...Yeah."
Shu gently raised his wine glass and, with a smile, downed the remaining liquid in one gulp.
Maybe... I really do have some talent?
With lightning-fast reflexes, Kiana poured Shu more wine, then picked up the microphone again.
"Sing another one!" She spun around and lunged at the song selection screen, her fingers swiping rapidly. "What else are you good at? Sing them all!"
Shu didn't refuse.
He just stared blankly at the automatically refilled wine in his hand and subconsciously asked:
"Have you ever heard The Wind Rises?"
[T/N: "The Wind Rises" (起风了) is a highly popular Chinese cover of a Japanese song by Yu Takahashi, known for its nostalgic and emotional tone.]
Kiana hadn't heard it, but that didn't stop her from bragging.
"I can tell just from the name that it's a great song! Added!" Her movements were so fast, it was as if she was afraid Shu would change his mind.
"Anything else?"
"Uh... What Can I Use to Keep You?"
[T/N: "What Can I Use to Keep You" (我用什么把你留住) is a melancholic Chinese indie-folk song by the band FloruitShow.]
"Added, added! You definitely have to sing it! Anything else?"
"Then how about Fairy Tale?"
[T/N: "Fairy Tale" (童话) is a classic Mandopop ballad by Michael Wong about holding onto hope and believing in happy endings.]
"Add, add, add, add!"
Kiana's fingers tapped away at top speed. The playlist quickly grew from one song to three, all coaxed out of Shu by Kiana's repeated "Anything else?".
It wasn't until Fairy Tale was added to the list that Shu finally realized Kiana had no intention of stopping. He urgently threw in a "That's enough for now," which finally put an end to her song-adding spree.
Kiana was a little disappointed, but that quickly turned into joy.
Three songs...
Every song was a piece of Shu's unspoken words.
Shu had just said he felt incredibly satisfied singing... she hoped he truly did feel that way.
Every sip of alcohol, every song, could bring her closer to Shu's true heart, and that was exactly what she was hoping for right now.
And it was what Shu was hoping for, too...
Once these three songs were finished, and Shu had a few more glasses of wine, she would...
She urged Shu to pick up the microphone. Shu gave her a strange look, then withdrew his gaze and looked at the lyrics of the first song.
He was actually a little confused as to why he had chosen these songs... but he quickly found the answer.
Why did I choose them?
Because I like them, of course.
Could there really be reasons like being afraid of embarrassment, or afraid of being hated?
With that thought, he brought the microphone closer to his mouth and sang the first line of the lyrics in time with the rhythm.
Beside him, Kiana swayed along with the music, familiarizing herself with the rhythm.
She had declared earlier that she was going to sing with Shu. Even though she hadn't heard a single one of the songs he mentioned, well... did it take that long to learn a song?
As long as she listened carefully the first time around, wouldn't it be super easy to just blend in during the second chorus?
Even if pulling her out of the mix would instantly reveal her true colors, wasn't this exact atmosphere what Shu wanted anyway!
So—
She was happy to do it!