Chapter 462: How to Deal with Literary Women (8100 words)

That was a matter of the previous life.

Chen Nuo remembered that it was about this time that he went to the small tavern for the first time. It was brought by a friend of a friend.

He had already forgotten the name of that girl, and the details of the whole event were also very blurry.

What can be remembered now is that when he drove to pick her up, she was dressed in a Bohemian style, which made him, a country bumpkin who hadn't been abroad much, see for the first time in reality what a literary youth in a big city was.

That night, after eating, she took him to that small tavern that became very famous later.

Specifically, it was still that sentence, time had passed too long, he had already forgotten some.

Chen Nuo just remembered that the storefront of that shop was very small, and you wouldn't notice it if you weren't careful. The interior and exterior decoration were all pitch black. In the eyes of literary youth, this might be called personality, but in his eyes, there was a kind of uncomfortable gloom. On the wall inside, there were some incomprehensible fancy paintings, and some old photos. There was a very small stage. When he went, there was a person with long hair singing on it, and below was a group of young people dressed in fancy and clawing, crowded together, swaying together.

This was his first impression of the small tavern.

There were no seats. Afterward, they were at the dark and narrow bar counter, and the girl helped him order a glass of wine. He also forgot the name of the wine, but the taste was bitter and spicy, hard to swallow, just like the crowded and noisy environment, he didn't like it at all.

That night ended just like that. He finished that glass of wine standing, felt in a bad mood, and left directly.

When walking out of the house, he looked back. Through the glass, he saw that she had already integrated into the crowd who were shaking their heads and dancing crazily.

And then he left, without staying any longer.

Later, he heard from his friend that the girl married to a place like Puerto Rico or Bolivia to pursue her freedom, and never returned, with no news.

Oh, right, at that time in the small tavern, a glass of wine sold for about 25 or 30 yuan.

"I want a Flame Wild Rose."

"I want a Midnight Little Hunter."

"Okay~ please wait a moment." The little waiter sister said with a smile, and then took the wine list to the bar.

The heating in the bar was very sufficient, and there was a big temperature difference with the outside. Gao Yuanyuan took off her scarf at this time, took off the down jacket she was wearing, and only kept the newsboy cap on her head.

Under the dim and flickering lights in the room, the woman's eye contour was hidden under the brim of the hat, only a pair of bright eyes reflecting a little golden light could be seen, and her nose and mouth were exposed, which had a hazy feeling, like an impressionist painting slowly revealed from the fog of the northern winter.

Chen Nuo saw her movements were neat and generous, and immediately prepared to take off his mask, but was stopped by Gao Yuanyuan with a reach.

"Don't, I've been here a few times before, the people here don't know me." She lowered her voice and said with a smile, "But you... you'd better forget it, don't take it off."

Chen Nuo didn't insist either, just took off his down jacket, smoothed his hair that was pressed flat by the down jacket hat, and then pulled the mask down a little, revealing his mouth and nose, smiled at her: "Do you come here often?"

"Not often." Gao Yuanyuan whispered, "This shop actually just opened, about a month or so. Before, this was a music water bar. Including today, I have been here... hmm, three times in total. I think the environment is good, there are few people, come to listen to songs, drink, can relax."

Chen Nuo nodded, and looked up at the surrounding environment again. He could indeed see some traces of transformation. The original counter was transformed into a bar counter, and the one standing behind mixing drinks was the little waiter sister who came to order just now.

Gao Yuanyuan noticed his gaze and said a little embarrassedly, "A few days ago when I came, the one mixing drinks wasn't her. It is estimated that it's almost New Year, the original bartender is on vacation. If it's not good to drink, don't force yourself to drink. This time I treat you."

Chen Nuo laughed: "Okay, then you treat me, thank you. Actually, even if it's good, I can't drink much."

Gao Yuanyuan also smiled: "I saw you didn't you drink a bottle of champagne as soon as you appeared at the Golden Globes?"

"A bottle?"

Gao Yuanyuan covered her mouth, "Sorry, said it wrong, it was a glass."

Chen Nuo smiled: "Actually, when rehearsing, the director originally prepared for me to drink whiskey. I said if you want me to drink a glass of whiskey, I would lie on the ground and sleep at that time. As a result, those Americans didn't have a sense of humor and were scared by them, saying they would pour me a glass of fruit juice to pretend. I said fruit juice was too fake, so champagne, one glass is just right."

"So you only drank one glass? But you seem to have said you drank three glasses?"

"One glass, three glasses are all set words." Chen Nuo glanced at her and smiled: "Watched quite carefully, where did you watch it, remember all these?"

Gao Yuanyuan couldn't help but lower her head and smile: "Watched the original version once, translated it and watched it again. Compared it, and found that my English level is still a bit poor, some jokes still have to rely on others to translate to understand."

"Weibo? Bilibili?"

"Weibo. There is a blogger, called something 'DaBaiHua', translated very well. Every time you are interviewed abroad or on some programs, he will translate the clips, and the fans are going to break a million, more than me."

Chen Nuo laughed after hearing it, "Do you watch it often?"

Gao Yuanyuan seemed to want to avoid his gaze, but still tried to calm down, without lowering her head.

Chen Nuo was more and more certain that this person had something hidden in her heart.

At this time, the waiter little sister mixing drinks brought the wine tray over. "Your Wild Rose, your Little Hunter."

The waiter put a deep red cocktail in a triangular high-footed glass in front of Gao Yuanyuan, and put a milky white one in front of him.

Sure enough, she didn't know Gao Yuanyuan, and her eyes slid over Gao Yuanyuan's face without any reaction, smiling: "Please drink slowly, the two of you."

"Thank you." Gao Yuanyuan said very politely.

Chen Nuo looked at the cocktail in front of him, a little surprised at its color.

Clearly called Midnight Little Hunter, why is it milky white?

Doesn't fit the theme.

Unless, this... could it be that meaning? No way.

Thinking of this, Chen Nuo couldn't drink it. Naturally, he took the one in front of Gao Yuanyuan to his front, changed this milky white Little Hunter to her, smiled at Gao Yuanyuan, "Change and drink, I like the color of this one." After speaking, he picked up the glass and took a sip.

Cold, sour and sweet, although there is a wine taste, it can't be said to be good, but it's okay.

At this time, a low male voice on the stage said: "The first song today, a song 'People', sent to the friends who came to 'Go' today."

Then a burst of chords sounded, and a hoarse voice began to sing: "People have cars, people have houses, people have large deposits into the account. People are flowers, people are princesses, people can't be wronged, eating bitterness with you..."

Gao Yuanyuan listened to him say this, and didn't say anything more, picked up the wine glass, took a sip of the milky white Little Hunter, and frowned slightly.

Chen Nuo saw her expression was a bit painful, and asked: "The taste is not good?"

"A bit bitter."

After Gao Yuanyuan finished speaking, she took a light sip again, tasted it, and then said: "A bit bitter and a bit astringent, and there is a strange smell, but... hmm, actually it's okay."

Saying that, she took another sip, this time drinking a bit more, and the wine leaked a little from the corner of her mouth. Gao Yuanyuan seemed to have felt it too, stuck out her tongue, and licked it at the corner of her mouth.

"Didn't lick it, a bit to the left." Chen Nuo reminded.

Gao Yuanyuan's tongue went a bit to the left, hooked it with the tip of her tongue, and this time licked that drop of milky white wine into her mouth.

Chen Nuo nodded, "Okay." And then persuaded: "Drink slowly."

Gao Yuanyuan was a bit embarrassed, "Don't know what's going on, the more I drink, the better it tastes."

"Then do you want to order another glass?"

"Talk about it later."

That young man's hoarse singing voice was still echoing in the bar: "I am just a poor boy, life is simple like a stone, I am just a singing child, as long as I can fill my stomach..."

At this time, the door was pushed open, and several young people walked in, looking like two couples. They looked around, and finally sat down in a position near the door.

The atmosphere of the bar suddenly became active, laughter, talking, and singing intertwined, breaking the previously slightly quiet atmosphere.

"You came back this time, did you go to Shanghai?" Gao Yuanyuan asked.

Chen Nuo shook his head: "I guess there is no time this time, can only wait until next time I come back to go."

"She... is she really being brought by Fan Bingbing herself?"

"Right."

"I didn't dare to believe it when you told me in the hospital in Los Angeles last time."

"Hehe."

"She should have been born in November, right? In a blink of an eye, she is more than a year old. Fan, it's really not easy for her to raise the child alone until now. But she is so busy usually, where does she have time? Aren't you afraid of being discovered by media reporters?"

"Actually, it's not as complicated as you think. When working, give it to the nanny, just like going to work normally. And our company has already greeted those newspaper media, let them not stare at our people all the time. Besides that, hire more security, pay attention when going in and out, basically there is no problem."

"Do you plan to raise her in China all the time? Don't consider sending her abroad?"

"No."

"Why?"

"No reason, Chinese people are not in China, where are they?"

Gao Yuanyuan smiled again, "Then... do you feel happy?"

"What?"

"Having a child."

Chen Nuo thought about it, his smile softened, and nodded: "Quite happy."

Gao Yuanyuan took a sip of wine.

At this time, there were gradually more people in the bar, sitting about half.

She looked around, didn't continue the previous topic, and turned to be a bit surprised: "What's going on, so many people today?"

"Maybe it's for the singer. Singing quite well." Chen Nuo said.

"Ah?"

Chen Nuo wondered: "Didn't you listen?"

"...... It's not that I didn't listen, my attention was all on you."

"Aren't you the one who likes listening to folk songs the most? This person's voice is quite good, quite like me, just the song is not good."

Yes, Chen Nuo really felt the song was not good.

For example, the lyrics sang, "People have cars, people have houses, people have large deposits into the account", he felt like it was yin and yang mocking himself, very unpleasant.

Gao Yuanyuan oh-ed, and said: "Then let's listen to the last song and go."

"Okay."

"Come, bump one."

Chen Nuo felt that Gao Yuanyuan was really a bit abnormal tonight, couldn't say where it was wrong, but just felt it was wrong. Thinking about it, he could only think that this woman might have a literary youth disease.

Holding the idea of caring for patients, he picked up the wine glass and bumped with her.

Cold, it really tastes better the more you drink. Flame Wild Rose is ice, Midnight Little Hunter is white, hehe. A bit interesting.

At this time, that male singer on the stage spoke: "Want to ask, are there any southern girls here today?"

For a time, the whole venue was silent, no one answered.

Chen Nuo smiled.

Gao Yuanyuan's face was hidden in the shadow, but it felt like she had been paying attention to him. As soon as he smiled, the woman immediately asked: "What are you laughing at?"

"I laugh at him." Chen Nuo lowered his voice, "It's almost New Year, there is a hair of southern girls, southern girls have all gone home for the New Year."

As soon as his voice fell, he heard a voice from the door: "I am, what's wrong."

It was one of the girls in the two couples who came in second, besides them, at this time she raised her arm high.

"Giggle giggle giggle, hahaha..." Gao Yuanyuan immediately laughed, bent over and lay on the table, her face buried in her arms, her shoulders shaking constantly.

Is this so funny?

Chen Nuo touched his nose a bit awkwardly.

The singer on the stage said at this time: "Thank you for coming to our bar, next this song is called 'Southern Girl', it is a song in my album, I like it very much. Now, I dedicate it to this southern girl."

After speaking, a chord swept, and he opened his mouth to the microphone and sang: "A southern girl lives in a northern village, she always likes to stand by the road wearing a flowered skirt. She doesn't talk much, but her smile is so calm and elegant. What is in her weak eyes? It is the sadness of missing..."

Good songs always have a power that accelerates time. A song finished quickly.

In these few minutes, Gao Yuanyuan listened very carefully. After listening, she only felt that her eyes were a bit moist. Although she was a 100% northern girl, in that singing voice just now, she seemed to have

As the song ended, she joined the other bar patrons in applauding the singer on stage vigorously.

Shortly after, she heard people at several nearby tables discussing the singer's identity.

This person really seemed to be a fairly well-known folk singer; words like "2011 new album" and "14th place in Super Boy" drifted into her ears.

After listening for a while, she said, "So he really is a singer. But this name, it's my first time hearing it—Zhao Lei, Zhao Lei... How about we listen to one more song before we leave?"

Only after she finished speaking did she notice the expression on the person beside her.

The pulled-down mask covered his chin and his highly recognizable jawline, revealing only the features in the middle. His brows were furrowed, as if he were deep in thought about something.

Clearly, he hadn't taken in a single bit of the song or the mood it conveyed.

This caused her enthusiasm to dissipate by more than half. "... How about it?"

After she finished speaking, the other person finally snapped back to reality, though his face remained expressionless. He looked at her and nodded, somewhat absent-mindedly: "... Fine, let's listen for a bit longer."

In the end, they listened to three more songs.

After Gao Yuanyuan paid the bill, the two walked out of the door one after the other.

The night wind was bone-chillingly cold. Gao Yuanyuan suddenly felt a vague, indescribable sense of loneliness in her heart. She looked up, exhaled a puff of white mist, and watched it slowly dissipate into the night, thinking wistfully:

Perhaps there aren't really that many perfect soulmates in this world; it's just that amidst the coming and going of people, we occasionally meet one, and before we have time to truly understand them, we mistake them for destiny.

Chen Nuo did not notice the woman's mood beside him.

He was still immersed in his own thoughts.

As they left, he noticed that the tattered poster at the entrance had been taped back up by someone at some point. On it was the photo and name of the male singer from the stage—

Zhao Lei.

The man in the photo was identical to the one singing in the bar just now; his features were ordinary—not ugly, but definitely not handsome either. To Chen Nuo, he was just a stranger.

But adding in the two familiar songs he had just heard—the first being "Southern Girl," the second "Painting"—the possibility of it being a case of same-name coincidence was basically ruled out.

He had just been reminiscing about the small tavern, and as it turned out, he had encountered the very culprit who would later make that tavern famous throughout the land right here in this bar?

This was truly too much of a coincidence.

Was Zhao Lei famous at this time?

Probably not, otherwise he wouldn't be performing as a resident singer in such a small bar.

If not for that song "Southern Girl," he wouldn't have realized who this was either.

Chen Nuo felt a bit moved and had no interest in talking for the moment. He walked silently with Gao Yuanyuan for a while before the phone in his jacket pocket vibrated.

It was Ma Dong.

"Hello, Director Ma?"

Ma Dong's voice was anxious, and he spoke very quickly: "Chen Zong, can you get online over there? We've organized the new song list. I just sent it to your email. Could I trouble you to download it and listen as soon as possible? I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, but we're really out of time, and I have to trouble you."

Chen Nuo turned his head and asked, "Do you have a computer at home?"

Gao Yuanyuan nodded and said, "Yes."

Chen Nuo said into the phone, "Send it, I'll go back and check it right now."

"Okay, okay, thank you, thank you."

Half an hour later, the two returned to Gao Yuanyuan's home. She opened her laptop, and Chen Nuo logged into his email, downloaded the songs sent by CCTV, and began playing them.

One has to admit, CCTV is CCTV; as long as they take things seriously, their efficiency and quality are absolutely up to standard.

In a short amount of time, the three songs selected were all quite good—the melodies were pleasant to the ear, and the lyrics were thoughtful; they were the standard "mass-appeal" type of works.

Chen Nuo listened once, then turned to ask Gao Yuanyuan, who was sitting to the side: "What do you think?"

Gao Yuanyuan listened carefully and nodded: "It's quite good."

"Which one do you like best?"

"I can't really say," Gao Yuanyuan said earnestly. "For the songs you sing, the most important thing is that you like them."

Chen Nuo sensed the woman's low mood but didn't ask further. He nodded and played the songs again, this time silently singing along in his heart. He didn't dare open his mouth, fearing he'd be laughed at.

After following along once, he was certain.

The songs were good, but they were still quite far from his requirements.

The "simplicity" he spoke of was Yang Mi singing "The One Sitting Next to Me." But the simplicity of Ma Dong and the others was like Han Hong singing "Jade."

This was simply not the same concept at all.

What was he to do?

Unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want his first collaboration with CCTV to end in such a fizzle.

Moreover, if there were no other way, that would be one thing, but now... after long deliberation, he finally took out his phone and dialed Ma Dong.

After saying a few words, he got straight to the point: "I just went to a bar near Tuanjiehu in Chaoyang District and heard a singer performing. I think it's quite good, and it's somewhat suitable for me..."

Just as he said this, Chen Nuo was suddenly interrupted by a gasp from beside him.

He turned his head to look and saw that Gao Yuanyuan had suddenly changed her expression, looking at him with surprise.

Chen Nuo really couldn't understand what these literary young women were up to all day, nor did he know if Ma Dong on the other end of the phone had heard it, but he didn't care and continued: "... Why don't you guys go take a look?"

Chen Nuo felt that this was the only way to put it.

"Suitable."

A subjective opinion that no one could pick apart.

He couldn't very well say that his level was at best similar to Yang Mi's. When Yang Mi sang "Love's Offering" at the Mango TV New Year's Gala, the whole country rolled on the floor laughing. As for him, if he didn't rely on lip-syncing at the Spring Festival Gala and sang those three songs live, the effect would probably be about the same—the whole country might spit out their New Year's Eve dinner.

Conversely, back in the day, in order to woo that literary beauty, he had put in a lot of hard work, practicing songs like "Chengdu," "Ideal," and "Southern Girl" until he was quite proficient.

"... They probably haven't finished their set yet. If you hurry, you might still be able to see them in person. However, I just don't know if it would be too much trouble for you?"

"No trouble, no trouble at all!" Ma Dong's tone sounded like a huge weight had been lifted. "Chen Zong, please text me the address. I'll call Director Ha Wen to take people over there right now."

"Okay."

The call ended, and Chen Nuo was just about to ask Gao Yuanyuan for the address.

But he saw that the great beauty beside him had transformed into a different person. The vague gloom that had been there all night now dissipated silently like snow under the sun. Her whole person was radiant, her temperament as if she had just broken through some bottleneck and suddenly leveled up—to use a metaphor, it was like a cultivator stepping past the Foundation Establishment stage, with spiritual energy overflowing and an ethereal aura beginning to show.

Those large eyes, which were at least in the top three nationwide, were now so moist they seemed like they could drip water. Under the soft indoor lighting, they looked like two pools of spring water, gazing at him with tenderness.

"Let me write it," Gao Yuanyuan said softly.

Chen Nuo handed over his phone. He watched as the woman's ten fingers flew; in less than a few seconds, she had edited the text message and sent it out. Then she slowly looked up, looked at him, and asked: "Are you really planning to sing the song from the bar just now?"

"Ah, yeah."

"Why?"

Chen Nuo looked at Gao Yuanyuan's appearance.

If he still didn't understand at this point, he might as well find a building to jump off of.

It was at this moment that some past events from his previous life in the small tavern suddenly became clear in his memory.

In the end, when he said he was leaving, that literary girl he had chased for two weeks, who dressed in bohemian style and wore her hair in tiny braids, had wanted to leave with him, but he had turned cold and rejected her. In the end, the girl clutched his sleeve, her eyes turning red as she choked back sobs watching him push the door open—it was comparable to a Qiong Yao drama. At the end, he even heard what sounded like a glass being smashed.

Later, going dancing and such, that was just to vent after having his heart broken.

Thinking of this, he also suddenly remembered how to deal with literary young women like Gao Yuanyuan.

The primary secret is that one must never be straightforward when talking to them.

If she leaves you confused, you must leave her shrouded in mist.

Every sentence needs to have gaps, letting the other person fill in the blanks themselves; say half and leave half, stopping just at the right point. This is what is most attractive to literary women. In many cases, there's no need to waste breath; they can move themselves. As long as you master this technique, these women are actually easier to deal with than gold-diggers, and it costs no money.

So Chen Nuo smiled faintly and said nonchalantly: "Don't you like listening to it?"

Just that one sentence, nothing more.

Gao Yuanyuan was stunned, as if she had been struck by lightning.

After a while, seeing that she didn't react, Chen Nuo touched her shoulder lightly. The woman seemed to have lost the bones in her body, leaning over and hugging his waist, burying her head in the space just below his chest.

Chen Nuo took the opportunity to stroke the woman's long, soft, jet-black hair.

He heard Gao Yuanyuan whisper: "I'm sorry, I thought before... that it was my problem, I..."

Chen Nuo didn't know what this woman was talking about, but it didn't matter if he didn't understand; he knew what he should say—this was the time for the "Three Hundred Best Lines for Picking Up Girls" to come in handy.

"It's okay. If there were no misunderstandings between people, life would be like a plain without undulations—how boring that would be."

Gao Yuanyuan's voice suddenly became soft and sweet, feeling like it could melt a person's bones. "That's so well said, I love that sentence. Did you think of it yourself?"

"Mm."

"You're really..." Gao Yuanyuan paused, seemingly weighing her words, and then said: "So talented."

Then she sighed, adjusted the position of her face, and leaned in closer. "I just can't think of things like that. Sometimes, I have a lot of things in my heart that I really want to say, but I just can't get them out; I have to keep them bottled up, and I don't know how to express them at all. It's very uncomfortable, but I don't know what to do either."

Chen Nuo quickly picked another line: "Actually, the person who truly understands you doesn't need you to say it; they will understand."

After hearing this, Gao Yuanyuan's breathing suddenly became somewhat heavy and rapid. The breath pricked at Chen Nuo's stomach, itchy and numbing, making him suddenly feel a bit uncomfortable.

Gao Yuanyuan, who was inches away, clearly noticed his discomfort immediately and adjusted her posture.

After a while, Chen Nuo let out a sound from his throat.

This seemed to be some kind of encouragement, and Gao Yuanyuan became increasingly active.

After about ten minutes, Gao Yuanyuan lifted her head. Her makeup was a bit smudged, and the lipstick on her lips was a complete mess. "Do you want to go take a shower?"

Chen Nuo's consciousness was a bit hazy at this moment.

His vision was also a bit blurry, and he couldn't see very clearly.

In his eyes, it seemed as if the two of them had returned to the bar.

Gao Yuanyuan was once again holding the long stem of that wine glass with her hand, taking a large gulp of wine. This time, she drank it too quickly, and some leaked out from the corner of her lips.

However, unlike last time, the woman didn't need him to remind her; with a flick of her tongue, she accurately found the spot and curled that little bit of wine back into her mouth.

Which song of the night was this?

Zhao Lei couldn't quite remember.

After that tall, stylish-looking couple left, he had sung for a long time.

But this was already second nature to him.

Ever since he got his first guitar at 13, started busking in the underground passages of Beijing at 17, and later went to perform in bars, it seemed he had spent every night like this.

Once, for a wage of 80 yuan a day, he could sing forty or fifty songs in a single night at his peak.

Later, at the age of 20, he went from Beijing to Lhasa, then to Chengdu, to Lijiang, and back to Beijing; it had been five years so far. Along the way, he seemed to be singing tirelessly forever.

Singing until he had grown up, singing until the person he loved most had passed away, singing until his home was bare and he was riddled with debt, he had never stopped.

After finishing the last song of the album he had released himself by borrowing 600,000 yuan from friends, he saw his cousin Yingzi give him a wink from the bar counter.

Zhao Lei understood immediately and said into the microphone: "Thank you all for coming here today. The New Year is almost here, so I'll wish everyone a Happy New Year in advance. This is a bar opened by my cousin; I hope everyone will support us more in the future. Thank you."

"Good~"

"No problem!"

Sparse responses came from the audience.

"So tonight, there is one last song. This song is one I just finished creating not long ago. Tonight is the first time I'm singing it in public, and as the New Year holiday is about to arrive, I dedicate it to everyone present here today..."

He hadn't finished speaking before he was interrupted.

Because the bar door was suddenly pushed open forcefully from the outside, and a middle-aged woman with short hair and a lot of presence led the way as four or five men and women filed in.

The commotion was not small, immediately attracting the attention of everyone in the bar. Including Zhao Lei, everyone turned to look.

The short-haired woman didn't care about the atmosphere in the room at all. She looked Zhao Lei up and down, and then, in a very uncomfortable tone, said condescendingly: "Are you the one who has been singing here all night?"

Before Zhao Lei could reply, Yingzi came over, holding her phone, and said somewhat guardedly: "I'm sorry, we are about to close, we aren't taking new guests. Is there something you need?"

"I have some business with him." The woman pointed at Zhao Lei on stage. "You guys stop here for tonight; the others can leave. I have something to discuss with him."

Yingzi frowned and said: "Who are you? If you don't explain yourself, I'm calling the police."

Zhao Lei saw the woman curl the corner of her mouth, revealing a dismissive smile, and lean over to whisper something in Yingzi's ear.

Then, he saw Yingzi's eyes widen suddenly, her mouth agape, as if she had heard something incredible.

(End of chapter)