Chapter 2198 - 2399: Happy Birthday!!!

In just a few brief seconds, the two of them reached a consensus—their target was Hao Jian. Now that Liang Xiaohan and Zhang Danlin, the two great goddesses, had both sung songs, and even performed a rare duet, Hao Jian, after arriving, had done nothing but drink a few glasses of wine without singing a single song. They had never heard Hao Jian sing before and naturally wanted to see how his singing skills were.

The two exchanged glances and began to "collude," teaming up together. Hu Lai immediately stood up and said to Hao Jian, "Boss, I've always heard that you sing really well. How about singing a song?"

Before Hao Jian could respond, Fatty chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, I've wanted to hear you sing for a long time. Since it's Sister Danlin's birthday today, why don't you sing a song to liven things up?"

Everyone else got interested upon hearing this, and Zheng Jun laughed, "Yeah Brother Hao, see, Sister Danlin and Sister Xiaohan both sang. If you don't sing, wouldn't that be disrespecting them?"

"Sing one, Brother Hao, sing one…" the crowd egged on.

Seeing this, Hao Jian wasn't stupid. Just looking at Hu Lai and Fatty's expressions, he knew they had teamed up to mess with him. When did anyone ever say he sang well? It was clearly nonsense. He was decent at most things, but singing was really just so-so; these guys just wanted to see him make a fool of himself.

However, it didn't matter. Although his singing was average, at least it wasn't off-key to the point where it was unbearable. It was somewhat bearable, maybe even a bit better than average.

Considering the eager looks he was getting from Zhang Danlin and Liang Xiaohan, who clearly wanted him to sing, and the fact that everyone else wanted to hear it too, it wouldn't do to ruin their fun. After all, singing a song wasn't a big deal, and he wasn't someone so shy that he couldn't handle being in the spotlight.

When it came to being thick-skinned, nobody could compare to him. He smiled and said, "Alright, alright, I'll give it a try then."

Hu Lai immediately handed over the mic, and Fatty ran over to the karaoke machine, eagerly asking, "Boss, what do you want to sing?"

Hao Jian thought for a moment, then said, "Let's go with GAI's 'Hot Pot Base'."

Recently, that Chinese hip-hop thing was quite popular, and this song was pretty hot too. Hao Jian, while lounging on the sofa playing with his phone, had heard it and found the melody and lyrics quite catchy and to his liking. If he was going to sing, might as well go for a song that could ignite the atmosphere, and this song was just perfect for that.

When Fatty heard Hao Jian choose this song, he got excited and said, "Got it!"

The intro started playing immediately. Since it was a hip-hop song, some parts required a quick pace, and slowing down would mean falling behind. However, since Hao Jian was confident enough to choose this song in front of so many people, he must have the confidence to do it well. Otherwise, it'd be like shooting himself in the foot and embarrassing himself.

Because no one had heard Hao Jian sing before, they all looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to start.

"I eat hot pot, you eat the hot pot base…"

"Ah! Wow!"

As soon as Hao Jian started singing, he lit up the room instantly. Everyone was astonished, not expecting Hao Jian to sing this song so well or to have such a good voice. It really astonished them. Just one song completely changed the atmosphere.

Hao Jian continued to sing, and most people began to sway with the music. Hao Jian didn't just sit there singing; he moved around, looking quite professional, which impressed everyone even more. Liang Xiaohan looked equally surprised, having been around Hao Jian so long without knowing he had this talent. If she had known how well he sang, she'd have dragged him out for karaoke when she was bored.

A few minutes later, the outro ended, and the song was finished, met with a round of applause. Hao Jian put down the mic and returned to his seat.

At this moment, Hu Lai shouted, "Boss, I've always heard you sing well, but I didn't expect it to be this good. I'm really impressed."

Hao Jian rolled his eyes at him, while Fatty chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, why not sing another one, Boss, it's just too unbearably good."

If he weren't so far away, Hao Jian would have kicked him. He wasn't about to sing again—singing isn't effortless. One song was enough; if they asked him to sing another, he wouldn't do it.

Seeing Hao Jian's expression, Fatty dared not continue egging him on. But the atmosphere had been ignited by Hao Jian's song. Since he wasn't singing anymore, everyone else rushed to pick songs, each singing their own, and the songs kept coming. Even He Qiqi, who usually seemed shy, was dragged up to sing several songs.

At this point, Hao Jian was watching the fun but didn't have any intention to join in. He was someone who liked to enjoy the excitement without participating in it. For instance, now, he just wanted to sit quietly in the corner, watching them have fun and be happy, without the desire to join in the revelry.

It seemed like Zhang Danlin wanted to come over and chat with Hao Jian several times, perhaps to thank him for attending her birthday party and celebrating with her. However, since she was the host of the gathering, being her birthday, all the focus naturally fell on her. She wanted to come over and talk to Hao Jian but didn't get the chance.

Soon enough, she was pulled away by the crowd, either to sing together or to play games, busily enjoying herself. But since she had company and was having a great time, she was all smiles, gradually forgetting about wanting to talk to Hao Jian, joining in the fun.

Liang Xiaohan never stays idle at such gatherings. Tonight, besides Zhang Danlin, she was the second focal point of the crowd.

Seeing them happy, Hao Jian also appeared cheerful.

Well, since it's a birthday party and everyone is gathered together happily, alcohol was surely involved. They continued to drink, with a lot of alcohol on hand, and they drank quite a bit. Losing a game meant drinking a glass, and soon enough, they had gone through several boxes of liquor, with some girls already flushed from drinking.

Among the girls, Liang Xiaohan undoubtedly had the best tolerance for alcohol, seemingly drinking recklessly without getting drunk. As for Zhang Danlin, Hao Jian had witnessed her drinking capacity before; she once drank so much she vomited all over him. Knowing the state she's in after getting drunk and seeing her drinking nonstop, he suddenly felt a twinge of fear.

Initially, he wanted to stop them, suggesting they drink less, but then he thought it was her birthday, and since it's a birthday, it should be a bit indulgent. Drink happily, drink freely; he didn't want to spoil everyone's fun. So he just sat by and watched. This didn't last long, though, because when they saw him sitting there not drinking, they rushed over to drag him into the fun.

Unable to refuse their kind offer, he had no choice but to join them, singing, playing games, drinking – all in a merry mood.

"Here you go, I'm going to the restroom." Liang Xiaohan suddenly handed Hao Jian a half-finished bottle of alcohol and then walked outside.

"Wait for me, I'm going too." Zhang Danlin said, and followed her out. The two girls went to the restroom together.

Hao Jian shook his head helplessly and started drinking the bottle of alcohol Liang Xiaohan handed to him: "Come on, keep going, loser drinks."

The group had a lot of fun, and before long, Liang Xiaohan and Zhang Danlin returned, continuing to play. In this manner, they played for a few hours, from the end of their evening self-study to now. Hao Jian looked at the time—it was almost midnight, specifically 11:57 p.m.

He quickly said, "It's almost twelve; come and blow the candles and eat cake."

Upon hearing that it was almost twelve, everyone quickly set aside their games and rushed over. The cake was already prepared, candles inserted and lit. With a glance, Hao Jian signaled Fatty to turn off the lights, and everyone watched the cake's glow with eager anticipation.

As time ticked away, it was soon 11:59, and everyone watched the seconds pass by. With thirty seconds remaining, Zhang Danlin closed her eyes to make a wish.

"Five, four, three, two, one..." Everyone counted down together.

When they reached one, Zhang Danlin blew out all the candles in one breath.

"Happy Birthday!" everyone said in unison.

Then they started singing the birthday song, looking harmonious and happy. When the song ended, everyone wished her "Happy Birthday" again.

Zhang Danlin looked especially happy; it was the happiest Hao Jian had ever seen her. Her happiness made Hao Jian happy too, thinking this was the best way it could be.

"Um... Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes, and thank you for spending my birthday with me tonight. I'm really grateful to all of you, thank you..." Zhang Danlin said heartfeltly.

"Sister Danlin, what are you saying? Don't mention this time; next time, the time after that, and even the time after that, we'll always be here to celebrate your birthday with you. How about that?" Fatty said to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, every year we'll celebrate it together," Hu Lai said.

Zhang Danlin was so moved she was speechless. Even her parents had forgotten her birthday today, but she had such good friends celebrating this wonderful birthday with her; she couldn't be happier.