Chapter 64: A Man Stands a Head Taller
“I want to…” A sly and alluring smile flickered in her bright eyes, and Sun Yanzhen unexpectedly began singing Ren Suxi’s “I Want You”: “You’re by my side; I want you to dress up for me; the night wind blows, teasing my heart, my beloved, I’m in a foreign land, staring at the moon…”
Huang Guolun was so amused by Sun Yanzhen that he nearly choked on his own saliva.
Transforming into Old Wolf, he replied with great interest, singing along with Sun Yanzhen: “Sending you beautiful clothes? Watching you, putting on flower makeup before the mirror? The night is too tense? Time too long? My girl, where are you, dawn is approaching…”
Each line Huang Guolun sang carried a questioning tone, making Sun Yanzhen laugh out loud: “Haha, if anyone saw us singing at the door, they’d definitely think we’re crazy.”
“You started it!”
“Seriously though, I want you to help guide our class for next month’s choir competition. You probably know, as a follow-up to the school anniversary, the ten sophomore classes will hold a choir contest. Whichever class stands out will represent the school at next year’s district-wide choir competition.”
Huang Guolun knew about this and asked, “Isn’t Teacher Meng in charge?”
“Teacher Meng will guide the final winning class for the district competition, but before that, she doesn’t interfere—each class organizes itself. I’ve already rehearsed with my students, and the effect… well, it’s unbearable. Aside from Zhang Jing, who plays the guzheng beautifully, there’s only one boy who can play piano—the one I mentioned to you before, Dongfang Liang. The rest aren’t musically inclined. If we want to stand out, we need something special. I think your songwriting is fantastic, and you’re great at coaching students. If they could be taught by you, they’d perform really well. Ideally, they could sing one of your songs for the contest, which would really make us shine.”
“You want your class to sing ‘Sad Old Wang’ in the competition?” Huang Guolun, his head a bit fuzzy from drinking, asked this rather off-kilter question, half in jest.
“Stop fooling around!”
Sun Yanzhen, nearly kicking Huang Guolun’s shin with her high heel, exclaimed, “I mean, write a new song or adapt a classic for us. That would give us a much better chance. You know our class is always strong in arts and sports—I don’t want us to fall behind this time. So, will you help us? Think of it as a birthday gift for me.”
“You’re exaggerating. Even if it wasn’t your birthday, I’d help as soon as you asked.”
“That’s wonderful!” Sun Yanzhen’s joy showed in her brows. “Then starting next week, you must spare some time to help us rehearse!”
“Alright, no problem. You should head back before you catch a cold. My car’s here, I’ll head out. Have fun.”
Before leaving, Huang Guolun reminded her, “Don’t drink too much—don’t end up like me, puking and miserable.”
Sun Yanzhen smiled gently. “Don’t worry. Most of what I drink is black tea, with just a splash of alcohol. I won’t get drunk.”
“You’re smart, haha. See you at school next week. Happy birthday.”
“Say hi to Taozi for me. Tell him I miss him!”
“Got it. Now go on, get inside.”
Sun Yanzhen watched Huang Guolun board his private car before returning to the bar for her birthday party.
Originally, Sun Yanzhen wanted to relax and enjoy herself, but after Huang Guolun left, it was as if half her spirit had been dragged away; she couldn’t get into the mood. Less than an hour later, she left and went home to sleep.
On Huang Guolun’s side, after singing “Sad Old Wang,” fate seemed to play tricks on him—the private car driver he’d booked was also surnamed Wang, a “mad” Old Wang in his forties.
Whether out of excessive enthusiasm or some divine oversight, after driving silently for a while, the driver, apparently bored, asked Huang Guolun if he wanted to hear music.
Leaning back in the seat, Huang Guolun did want some soothing tunes to calm his mood and agreed.
But instead of playing radio music, Old Wang launched into a dramatic performance: “Love isn’t something you can sell, just because you want to buy! Let me break free, let me understand, let go of your love!”
Huang Guolun sobered up instantly, as if doused with cold water.
This guy’s nuts!
Seeing how crazed the driver was, Huang Guolun didn’t dare interrupt his “artistic passion.”
Old Wang grew increasingly animated, singing and calling out, “Friends, where’s your applause?”
Huang Guolun, startled, was about to clap, when Old Wang honked the horn several times, giving himself a round of applause!
But that wasn’t the climax.
The real peak was when Old Wang shouted at the end, “Friends up front, let me see your hands!”
Puzzled about how to show his hands, Huang Guolun watched as Old Wang cleverly activated the windshield wipers… swish… swish… swish… swish…
Huang Guolun was utterly shell-shocked…
By the time he got out, his legs felt weak.
Returning to the old apartment in Bell Alley, his nerves finally settled.
After a quick shower, exhausted, he flopped onto the bed, hoping to sleep.
He tossed and turned, unable to drift off.
He missed Huang Tao.
Normally, he’d sleep with Huang Tao beside him.
Not having the boy around these past two days, Huang Guolun’s heart felt a little empty.
After all, his own flesh and blood.
Despite Huang Tao’s usual antics, separation made Huang Guolun miss him dearly.
He wondered if the boy had caused trouble for his grandparents.
Recalling how Huang Tao told guests the story of “Two Tigers” over the phone, he guessed the kid must’ve had another eventful weekend.
He should be asleep by now, right?
Was he dreaming sweetly?
Would he wake himself up laughing again?
No one knows a son like his father.
No one understands Tao like Guolun.
Huang Guolun’s guess was spot on.
At that moment, Huang Tao was blowing snot bubbles, enjoying a delightful dream.
The aunt who put him to bed that night clearly didn’t realize Huang Tao’s passion for animals extended to every meal.
Before sleep, she told him the story of a tadpole searching for its mother.
So that night, Huang Tao dreamed of tadpoles finding their mother, only to discover she’d been transformed into mildly spicy, medium spicy, and insanely spicy flavors…
The next morning.
Huang Guolun’s biological clock was finally shut off by alcohol.
He slept until the sun was high in the sky before waking.
Once awake, his head felt heavy and ached faintly.
The mix of drinks from last night was fermenting inside him, leaving a nasty aftertaste.
He didn’t do much all morning—recorded a few songs, but wasn’t satisfied, so he rested to recover.
By afternoon, missing Huang Tao terribly, he decided to go early to the northern suburb villa and pick him up.
When he called, Granny Zhou asked him to bring Bai Yao as well, but Huang Guolun thought Bai Yao deserved a restful weekend, so he didn’t interfere.
He decided to fetch Huang Tao himself.
Just as he was about to leave, Yao Dajun called.
After his wife confiscated his secret stash, Yao Dajun was desperate for cash. Last night, he’d told their boss about selling the car to a friend, even negotiating an extra twenty thousand off. The boss wanted to get rid of the Phaeton quickly, so fifty-eight thousand was ready to transfer.
Yao Dajun asked if Huang Guolun could transfer the money that afternoon to finalize the deal.
Huang Guolun happened to have a bank card with seventy thousand yuan, money a friend had repaid him. His investment account was at Minsheng, but he rarely used the bank card.
The amount was trivial to him, so he’d left it there, not bothering to transfer it.
Now, since Yao Dajun needed the money urgently, he decided to transfer it from the card, putting his friend at ease.
After gathering his things and taking the bank card, Huang Guolun headed to the neighborhood’s bank branch, intending to use the ATM before driving to pick up Huang Tao.
That afternoon, there weren’t many people handling personal banking, but two lines had formed at the ATMs.
Huang Guolun dutifully queued up.
At the front of his line were two neighbors—Sister Ma from the neighborhood committee and her husband, Old Li.
When it was their turn to withdraw money, Sister Ma said, “I’m about to enter the password; move aside!”
Old Li obediently stepped away.
Huang Guolun found it amusing, thinking Sister Ma was as assertive at home as in the committee—she managed all the finances. Just like Yao Dajun’s wife, it seemed Chinese wives love handling money.
His sharp ears picked up three beep sounds as she entered her password, then Sister Ma turned to Old Li and said, “Done, I’ve entered mine—now you enter the last three digits.”
Wow! Huang Guolun’s eyes lit up. Turns out Sister Ma didn’t have total control—they mutually supervised each other, each entering three digits, so neither could withdraw money alone! That’s clever!
But then something unexpected happened.
Old Li approached the ATM, secretly pressed the backspace key three times, then swiftly entered a six-digit code and withdrew the money.
Every sound reached Huang Guolun’s ears.
He was stunned!
This was truly a case of “the higher the mountain, the deeper the valley”! Old Li, usually so jovial, was actually quite cunning, fooling even someone as formidable as Sister Ma.
Yet the drama wasn’t over.
After handing the money to Sister Ma, she smacked Old Li’s face with the wad: “You little rascal, adding tricks! You think I’m deaf? Everyone else enters six digits, you enter nine! I’ve noticed several times—you think you can keep fooling me?”
Huang Guolun was dazzled by the couple’s wit.
Sister Ma really was formidable! She saw right through Old Li’s tricks!
Old Li, flustered, turned red as the crowd laughed, but under Sister Ma’s glare, he dared not play games, and nervously revealed the six-digit code: “438438…”
“Pfft!”
Everyone in line burst out laughing.
Sister Ma’s face turned green, ready to transform into a raging Hulk. Huang Guolun quickly left the scene, not wanting to waste time, and chose another ATM to make his transfer.