After a brief consideration, Jian Wei said to us, “Let’s sing ‘Close To You’.”
Upon hearing the song title, I looked at Robben. This English song with a hint of jazz blues style was a real test of piano skills.
Robben chuckled and said to me, “No big deal.”
I was relieved. I hoped that the song could be performed perfectly because it was Jian Wei’s favorite. I remember one year on my birthday, she went to the recording studio to record this song for me. I kept it on my phone, but unfortunately, I threw the phone into the moat in a drunken stupor on the day Yan Yan and Circle got married. The song sank to the bottom of the river, never to see the light of day again.
I guess when these coincidences come together, it’s what they call fate!
I took a deep breath, gave Robben a look, and we started playing our instruments simultaneously. Jian Wei’s graceful body began to sway gently to the lazy rhythm.
Robben’s playing skills were high, and Jian Wei’s voice was beautiful, full of femininity. With her fluent English, she perfectly performed this jazz blues style song. Even I, strumming the guitar, was so immersed in it that I felt inexplicably relaxed, until she sang the ending part…
“On the day you were born, the angels got together and decided to make dreams come true. So they sprinkled moonbeams over your hair and starlight in your blue eyes. That’s why all the girls in town follow you, just like me, they long to be close to you, just like me, they long to be close to you, close to you, close to you…”
Suddenly, I felt a sense of suffocation. How much she used to care about me, and I cared about her. So when she sent me that song, I listened to it on repeat for a day. Even in the darkest nights after we broke up, I wasn’t afraid of the torment of reminiscence. I listened to it over and over again while smoking, until my lungs hurt, my heart ached…
In my suffocation, I played a wrong note, which marred the perfection of the song. But the audience didn’t mind. Many even took out their phones to record Jian Wei singing this song because she was so beautiful, and her voice was even more beautiful. The impact was no less than that of Mi Cai just now.
The audience began to whisper again, naturally curious about the background of this bar. Why were there so many beautiful women singing for it? Whether it was Jian Wei or Mi Cai, they were no less than those so-called stars. For example, Le Yao, who was in the entertainment industry, could at best be considered on par with them, and she wouldn’t dare to call herself a beauty.
But I couldn’t care less about these things. I was still upset about the note I played wrong at the end. I even wanted to ask Robben and Jian Wei to play it again with me, but I knew it was impossible. The wrong note was like our love, a beautiful beginning and process, but a terrible ending that could negate everything. We were destined not to start over, so that wrong note was more like a summary, summarizing this unforgettable love.
…
After the song ended, I excused myself to go to the bathroom to get away from the scene. Then I hid in the bathroom, smoking to calm my emotions. At this moment, I was somewhat disgusted with the past that was accidentally touched, and even more disgusted with myself. Why was it that Jian Wei had started a new relationship, but I was still occasionally distracted and upset by memories?
Did I still love her?
No, I didn’t love her anymore. What I loved was the happiness and ease we once shared.
When I was about to finish a cigarette, Robben also came to the bathroom. While urinating, he said to me, “Yo, can you smell the scent of reminiscence in this bathroom…” Then he shivered and didn’t say anything else.
I immediately retorted, “You talk just like you pee.”
“What do you mean?”
“Never-ending…”
“Fuck… You really know how to hurt with words!”
I didn’t say anything, just lit another cigarette. Robben washed his hands, came over to me, took a cigarette from the box, and lit it for himself. After taking a deep puff and exhaling heavily, he said to me, “You shouldn’t have played that note wrong.”
I understood what Robben meant, and after taking a deep puff, I said, “What’s done is done. Let’s just call it flawed beauty.”
Robben seemed thoughtful and was silent for a long time before he sighed and said, “Actually, I can understand you. Although the song is about being close to you, the distance between the two people is getting farther and farther… Just like me, this time I came back to Beijing, even though I was infinitely close to her, I didn’t dare to ask about her. The distance between us didn’t get any closer because of the geographical proximity!”
I nodded. I knew that in this respect, Robben and I were both pitiful and unable to let go. Those who couldn’t understand this simply hadn’t seen our unforgettable past.
I thought: at this moment, Robben and I could objectively and unintentionally reminisce about the past, which was a rare resolution!
But those unexpected memories were too overwhelming, like the song ‘Close To You’ that was just sung again!
…
After Robben and I finished a cigarette, we returned to the event. At this moment, Little Turtle was singing, which explained why Robben had found time to go to the bathroom.However, I have to admit that his singing skills are quite impressive. At this moment, he is playing the keyboard piano and singing by himself. His performance is not inferior to that of Robben, who is a professional musician. No wonder some young girls are looking at him like infatuated fans. After all, he has a pretty face that somewhat resembles Wang Leehom, and he always looks at everyone with deep affection!
Accompanying him on the guitar is Mi Cai. The two of them have a great rapport, occasionally exchanging knowing glances. Their handsome man and beautiful woman combination has attracted more and more onlookers. Then, someone who had nothing better to do shouted, “Get together!”
Then, a group of people who also had nothing better to do echoed the sentiment…
I just watched quietly, thinking that they were quite a good match. Not only was the man handsome and the woman beautiful, but they were also from similar backgrounds. If they could get together, it would indeed be a match made in heaven.
Robben, who had been standing next to me, nudged me and said, “Zhao Yang, look at their affectionate demeanor. They might hold hands soon!”
“One is playing the guitar, the other is playing the piano. How can they hold hands?”
Just as I finished speaking, Wei Ran left the piano and walked towards Mi Cai. It seemed that the crowd’s encouragement had given him courage.
I was immediately startled and thought, “Is he going to take this opportunity to confess his feelings?”
As it turned out, I was overthinking. Wei Ran simply extended his hand to Mi Cai. She smiled and stopped playing the guitar, then held his hand. Wei Ran then began to sing a cappella, which still elicited applause from the audience.
Seeing this, Robben said to me, “Zhao Yang, don’t you want to say, ‘Let go of that girl and let me take over’?”
I replied calmly, “It’s just a hand-holding etiquette for duet love songs! It’s not a big deal. Is it necessary to say ‘let go of that girl’?”
Robben sighed but smiled, saying, “Actually, I’m quite envious of you. At least you have the desire to like another woman. I don’t know how much longer I have to suffer!”
After a while, I sighed and replied, “Perhaps your feelings are more profound… But one day, you will fall in love with another girl.” I paused and added, “I hope that girl is CC.”
Robben glanced at CC not far away, but didn’t say anything. Perhaps he was still thinking about that girl from Beijing… Sometimes I’m really curious, and I hope I have the chance to meet this Beijing girl, to see what special charm she has that can make Robben, a rebellious man, unable to forget her for so many years!
While I was momentarily lost in thought, Wei Ran and Mi Cai had finished their performance. Yan Yan, who was acting as the host, held the microphone and said to me, “Zhao Yang, it’s your turn. Hurry up and prepare your song, then choose a girl from the audience to perform with you. I think they won’t refuse on such a happy day!”
I snapped back to reality, immediately thought of a song to sing, but then I was suddenly torn. I thought to myself, “All these girls are so beautiful that it’s dazzling. Who should I choose to perform with?”