Chapter 163: One Symptom, Two Manifestations

Chapter 163: One Symptom, Two Manifestations

Da Fei had an appointment with Brother Pao, and just as they were about to go grab some skewers, Meng Fan’s call came in, so they hailed a cab to the address provided.

Three minutes into the ride, Da Fei looked puzzled. "Brother Pao, weren't we going for skewers?"

Brother Pao scratched his head. "Didn't you say we were going to sing karaoke?"

"I suppose someone did ask me to go singing..."

It took a long moment for Da Fei to recall Meng Fan. Once he did, he breathed a sigh of relief, only to immediately fall into self-doubt: had he been working too hard lately?

Before long, Da Fei and Brother Pao arrived at Meng Fan’s private room.

"Just you?"

Both Da Fei and Brother Pao were quite surprised.

Meng Fan nodded, stating with brutal honesty, "That’s why I called you guys."

Brother Pao was even more blunt. "How are you even more pathetic than Brother Fei?" He paused, then added, "Hey, where’s your maid legion?"

Meng Fan replied with a straight face, "A grown man going out to sing with a bunch of women? What would that look like?"

Brother Pao stared at him for a long time. "Are you really saying that with a straight face?"

Da Fei, however, wore an "I understand" expression. He pulled Brother Pao aside and whispered, "My bro is probably heartbroken. Remember that super pretty girl from last time? Can't you tell he was into her? He probably got rejected, so... well, men have their own ways of licking their wounds."

Brother Pao accepted this theory. "True, you would know all about being heartbroken."

Da Fei felt instantly depressed; that was a sore spot. He sat down and began to drink in silence.

"I just wanted to sing a song, how did I end up heartbroken?"

Meng Fan was equally bewildered by their exchange. Hearing Brother Pao’s implication that Da Fei was fresh off a breakup, he couldn't help but look at him with curiosity.

"Don't mind him, Brother Fei is in a state of heartbreak all year round," Brother Pao said, waving a hand to dismiss the matter before pulling out his phone. "Brother Tie, should I call a few more people? One guy is heartbroken, the other says he isn't, I’m afraid the vibe is too depressing!"

Meng Fan had no objections. As for the heartbreak rumor, let them believe it; slipping away to pick songs and sing was the real priority.

About ten minutes later, a group of young women filed in—all of them, and quite attractive at that. Meng Fan counted six.

The girls greeted Brother Pao with radiant smiles, then nodded at Meng Fan and Da Fei, and the atmosphere instantly heated up.

What was going on?

Meng Fan looked at Da Fei, puzzled. "Did Brother Pao call all of them?"

Though these girls were clearly outgoing, they certainly didn't look like they were hired for the night.

Knowing Da Fei, Brother Pao, and the guy in the pink hat, Da Fei and the pink-hat guy were objectively better looking than Brother Pao. In terms of wit, emotional intelligence, and personality, they also seemed more likely to attract women.

So why was Da Fei perpetually heartbroken while Brother Pao was surrounded by girls?

Meng Fan’s understanding of the world was losing its bearings.

Da Fei looked at Brother Pao with a hint of jealousy and sighed. "Who knows! Maybe it’s just fate. When others are blunt, girls get offended in a heartbeat, but when Brother Pao is blunt, they find him cute and manly!"

Meng Fan thought for a moment and asked, "Does it have to do with the origin of his nickname? 'The Gifted Little Cannon'?"

Da Fei laughed. "Forget it! Brother Pao is still a virgin! Plenty of girls have invited him to do 'that,' and he’s rejected them all with righteous indignation, claiming he’s saving himself for his wedding night. Maybe that’s part of his appeal, I don't know, it’s incomprehensible! As for the nickname, it’s because he once tried to light a firecracker with a cigarette and ended up throwing the cigarette away while keeping the firecracker in his mouth."

"My respects!"

Meng Fan went over to share a drink with Brother Pao before returning to his singing.

Honestly, Meng Fan hadn't expected Brother Pao to bring six pretty girls; this was really going to drag down his quest progress.

Even with a mission to complete, Meng Fan couldn't hog the microphone forever. If a girl wanted to sing, he could join in—especially with the "black-tech" microphone boosting his vocals and charisma—but he couldn't just refuse to share or pull out a third mic.

Even with energy gels to repair his vocal cords, he couldn't sing indefinitely; he needed breaks.

But these six girls weren't just here to drink and play games; there were some serious karaoke addicts among them!

"Bro."

Da Fei, whose mood had brightened the moment the girls arrived, had been flitting around like a busy bee. Exhausted, he sat down next to Meng Fan after watching him hand the mic to a girl.

He opened a beer for him and said, "I think I finally understand why you’re single and heartbroken! So many pretty girls, and you’re just staring at the microphone—are you stupid? Don't just sing, get hyped! Even if you sing well, you need to give them a chance to know you. How? By drinking and chatting! Don't just sing! Do you think you can express all your emotions through song?"

He sighed again. "Sigh, we’re two manifestations of the same symptom. Both single dogs—I’m too proactive, you’re too passive! I really don't get women; do they like the proactive ones or the passive ones?"

Meng Fan was too lazy to explain his previous point, but he gave the question serious thought. "Electric?" He reconsidered, "Or maybe 'they do the work themselves'?"

Da Fei stared at him for a long time. "With a mindset like that, you should really reflect on why you don't have a girlfriend!"

With that, he buzzed off like a diligent little bee again.

After a while, Da Fei looked back and froze. The prettiest girl in the group was sitting right next to Meng Fan, and she hadn't moved an inch.

They were singing duet after duet, clinking glasses between songs. It was clear as day that she was smitten with him!

Damn, so singing really could express feelings and pick up girls at the same time?

He tapped his head and thought it over. His bro had a four-maid legion; of course he had charm!

So, maybe he wasn't heartbroken at all—he just wanted to sing?

And maybe he wasn't a "leftover" single dog like him, but a "single aristocrat" by choice?

This was bullying!