Dad, Please Try a Little Harder - Chapter 84: Qian Quan almost kissed; Qian Quan slam dunked !_1

After the barbecue buffet, Qian Quan picked up a cake from a cake shop and went with Ding Linlang to a KTV in the plaza.

“Do you want a drink or beer?” Qian Quan asked once they entered the private room.

“Are you really asking this? Of course, beer. It’s someone’s birthday,” Ding Linlang playfully chided.

“Who is ‘someone’?” Qian Quan playfully questioned her choice of words.

Ding Linlang pretended to hit him.

Qian Quan laughed, “Seriously, you never used to talk like that. I was just surprised; you sounded a bit girly.”

“Qian Quan!” Ding Linlang kept hitting.

“Stop, stop, stop! I was just worried that you drank too much and wouldn’t be able to type,” Qian Quan said, grabbing the hand that Ding Linlang was using to hit him. “Didn’t you just launch your work?”

“I have backup drafts, so I’m not worried at all, thank you,” Ding Linlang bragged.

“Alright, then let’s order a whole bottle of beer tonight. We won’t go home until we’re drunk.”

“A bottle? Are you feeding goldfish? Who is that bottle for? If the people in the next room see, they might think we can’t afford more. Get another one, one bottle each!”

“Wow! Ding Linlang, you’re quite wild.”

“It’s my birthday today; I’m the boss. I’ll do whatever I want!”

“Then I should let Mr. Ding know.”

“What? Are you going to tattle to my father?” Ding Linlang gave him a “Are you kidding me?” look. “Qian Quan, how childish can you be?”

“You don’t know. Mr. Ding once gave me a strict order: in any situation, as long as I’m present, you’re not allowed to get drunk.”

“Qian Quan, have you just met me? Get drunk from one bottle of beer?” Ding Linlang sneered. “And I think my father meant that he’s worried about me being taken advantage of when I’m drunk. We’re the only ones here; would you take advantage of me if I got drunk?”

“Of course not! I swear! Do you think you’ve just met me?” Qian Quan shot back.

“Then what are you afraid of? Are you afraid of what I might do to you when I’m drunk?”

“Alright, alright. One bottle each,” Qian Quan conceded.

Qian Quan went to get the beer while Ding Linlang selected a song to set the mood.

She chose a song by one of the best singers.

Ding Linlang’s singing talent was just average. She wasn’t tone-deaf or off-tune, but her singing was just “passable”, “bearable”, and “not laughably bad”.

“Loving an angel’s shortcomings, using a devil’s language…”

She began to sing.

She didn’t choose the song because she could mimic the original singer’s ethereal and soft voice but because she could relate to the singer’s carefree and unbothered attitude.

The most important aspect of this attitude was to sing as oneself and not consciously imitate anyone else.

This was one of the few commendable points Qian Quan found in Ding Linlang’s singing.

However, there had always been a rumor that the singer’s singing style was influenced by Dolores O’Riordan of the Cranberries, while her personal character was influenced by a great sage…

But it didn’t matter. A diva was a diva because she seamlessly integrated these influences into her unique style.

“Watching a fireworks show, with the time of a life cycle, as the Ziwei star passes by, not having time to say goodbye, it’s already a light year away from me…”

Ding Linlang was getting into the mood.

Qian Quan was selecting songs. There were already seven or eight songs queued up. All the songs he was too shy to sing in front of others were chosen today.

He didn’t have to worry about being embarrassed in front of Ding Linlang. Going off-tune or missing the beat didn’t matter.

After Ding Linlang finished, Qian Quan queued up the birthday song and said, “Let’s eat the cake first, then we can have a proper singing session.”

He prepared a birthday crown for Ding Linlang and placed it on her head.

Then he turned on the atmosphere lights, lit the candles, sang the birthday song, made a wish, blew out the candles, and ate the cake…

They went through all the birthday traditions.

When Ding Linlang was cutting the cake, Qian Quan playfully smeared a bit of frosting on her face.

This was a tradition he learned from his mother. Every year on his birthday, she would smear a little frosting on his face, a sign of good luck.

Ding Linlang, aware of this tradition, didn’t avoid it.

After both of them had a piece of cake, they opened their beers and clinked bottles.

“Happy Birthday,” Qian Quan remarked.

“Cheers to that.”

Then, they began their karaoke session.

The first song Qian Quan chose was from a popular historical drama.

For reasons unknown, perhaps a fault in his memory, Qian Quan always felt that this song wasn’t as memorable as the end-credit song.” It was the type of song where, if someone started singing it, he could hum along for a bit.

However, with the rise of reality TV shows in recent years and the surge in short videos, many nostalgic moments were revived. Internet sensations began covering old songs, reigniting interest in tunes that had once faded into obscurity.

This revival was especially powerful when combined with classic scenes from past movies and TV shows. These combinations seemed to breathe new life into old songs.

For instance, when Qian Quan sang the song, he couldn’t help but reminisce as he watched the clips of the leading roles in the video. It felt as though some connected memories were resurfacing.

Of course, some songs were transformed beyond recognition by short videos. Here wass a notable example.

The quintessential stylish man, with a slick side-parted hairstyle and a playful twist of the hips, confidently placed one hand in his pocket and sang, “My silence has dried up, filled with regrets….”