"Let's just say it's settled. I think this is a good idea." Before Jiang Hai could respond, Bernice spoke up.
Hearing her words, Jiang Hai looked at her in surprise. Did she understand what he was talking about?
"Anyway, Darlene and the others don't have much to do at home. Instead of just staying there, why not arrange some performances?" Bernice said with a smile, walking behind Jiang Hai and placing her hands on his shoulders.
Jiang Hai glanced at Darlene and Marianne. Their eyes showed a mix of doubt, nervousness, and a hint of excitement—five points doubt, three points nervousness, and two points expectation. It was clear they genuinely wanted to try.
"That sounds fine. You don't really have anything to do at home in winter, so it's good to find something to occupy yourselves," Jiang Hai said with a smile. Seeing that he was supportive, the two girls exchanged looks but didn't refuse. They truly wanted something to do besides hooking up—cough—or idling away the day at home.
"Great, it's settled then. Darlene and Marianne will have a show. But what kind of show will you put on?" Mayor Wallis, thrilled to hear about the performance, immediately pulled out his phone to jot down notes.
"We... we don't know yet," the two girls whispered to each other after a brief hesitation. Though eager to perform, they hadn't decided on a program.
"That's okay. Take your time. No rush. Just let me know a week ahead—you still have half a month," Mayor Wallis smiled warmly.
"What about the rest of you? Surely, you must have some ideas too!" he asked, looking around.
"Don't look at me—I want to protect Jiang Hai," Azarina waved him off with a grin.
"I... I don't know anything," Xiaoya hesitated, glancing at Mayor Wallis.
"No worries, Xiaoya. Sing with me," Bernice said, patting her chest confidently.
"You? Sing?" Jiang Hai raised an eyebrow. He'd never heard Bernice sing.
"I'll scare you to death. I've won a singing competition before," Bernice said proudly, rolling her eyes at him.
"Are you sure?" Jiang Hai was skeptical. Bernice's voice was a bit low and dull—not exactly pleasant. People who spoke like that didn't usually sing well. Yet she claimed she'd won a competition?
"Yes! I can prove it—it was in our community," Xiaoya quickly raised her hand, backing Bernice up seriously. Jiang Hai chuckled to himself; truly, the more talented you are, the bolder you get.
"Tsk, better than you who don't dare do anything. I'll sing, what about you?" Bernice shot a glare at Xiaoya, who just laughed, admitting defeat. Then Bernice turned back to Jiang Hai.
"As for me, I really can't sing well—I only know one song."
Jiang Hai scratched his head. He was never the artistic type. Since childhood, he'd been hiding from attention. Before high school, he only cared about games. After graduating, his interests boiled down to games and basketball. Singing was definitely not his strong suit.
"What song?" Bernice leaned in, curious.
"'Fuck Your Gay Friend in the Wind and Rain,'" Jiang Hai said, thinking hard to recall the only lyrics he knew.
Bernice stared, baffled. "What the hell?"
Jiang Hai shrugged and started to sing:
"Just licked the remaining body of my gay friend,
Welcoming the halo of sleepiness,
Fuck your gay friend in the wind and rain..."
Bernice interrupted with a kick before he could finish. "Wait, the song's called 'Fuck Your Gay Friend in the Wind and Rain'?!"
Jiang Hai grinned. "You kicked me, but I know a lot of songs, like 'Freeze the Shit Hard,' 'It's So Cold I'm Playing in the Mud in Northeast China,' 'Iron Pots Crying to Repair Themselves,' 'Broken Pots with Chips and Corners Replaced with New Pots,' and even an English one, 'Left Hand Protecting Breasts, Protect, Protect, Protect.'"
Bernice rolled her eyes with amusement. "Get lost! You learn everything, but don't learn it well. What kind of song titles are those? And 'left hand protecting breasts'? What are you doing with your right hand?"
"Hey, I think you did fine. The first song, 'Freeze the Shit Hard,' sounds Russian. The second, 'Playing in the Mud in the Northeast,' sounds English but with an Indian accent. I don't know the third one, but the fourth is Bahamian. Jiang, you've been here over a year and still can't pronounce it right. It's 'who let the dogs out,' not 'protect,' it's 'woof.'" Mayor Wallis, probably trying not to get irritated watching their antics, finally spoke up.
"Uh, expert, you can recognize that? What about this song? 'You peel a coconut skin, but you give me a pear...'" Jiang Hai continued singing.
"Uh, Maroon 5's 'Sugar'?" Mayor Wallis blinked in confusion, clearly lost.
Listening to Jiang Hai, Darlene and Marianne covered their faces. After all, it was their idea to get Jiang Hai to listen to Maroon 5, and now he was ruining their idols.
"Great, but Mayor Wallis, you got it wrong. You should say the song's so sweet it makes my teeth fall out! Then I'd say, 'It's your bad teeth, uncle.' Then you'd say, 'I have a lot of ideas, let's learn to make music...'" Jiang Hai rambled on.
Mayor Wallis just stared blankly, clearly not getting the joke. He looked to Darlene and the others for help, but they were just as baffled.
"Okay, Mayor Wallis, we'll support this plan. Jiang Hai will have a show too, but definitely not singing," Bernice said, pinching her forehead, clearly exasperated.
"Well, I mainly came to discuss this. Since Jiang Hai agreed, I'll leave now." Mayor Wallis smiled and took his leave, satisfied.
He had not only secured Jiang Hai's agreement to the dinner event but also confirmed Jiang Hai's attendance and secured three programs. Mission accomplished.
Without lingering, the American waved goodbye and left.
Watching him go, Jiang Hai looked helplessly at Bernice.
"I don't have any other talents except singing these weird songs..." Jiang Hai shrugged, feeling speechless.
Bernice ignored him and turned to Xiaoya, discussing their song choices.
"Hey, you helped me decide, but you didn't help pick the program! That's not fair!" Jiang Hai called after her, but he knew better than to expect help from Bernice.
In the end, he'd have to figure out his own program.
Leaning on the sofa, Jiang Hai casually turned on the TV and thought about his talents.
He wondered if sleeping and eating counted as talents. If so, he had plenty.
That night, there was no real conversation. Xiaoya and Bernice studied their song lists, Darlene and Marianne discussed performances. After the roads were cleared, Aphra and the others returned to their villas to check on things and warm the rooms with floor heating—otherwise the cold would be unbearable. They hadn't stayed at Jiang Hai's villa much lately. With Bernice keeping a close eye, their presence wouldn't be very effective.
Besides, they hardly went to the hot springs anymore. Though the water was still strong, the cold weather made being outside unbearable. It was fine if you hadn't experienced the hot springs before, but after enjoying them, it lost its appeal.
Luckily, the bathroom faucets in their villas were connected to the hot spring water, so there was no need to visit separately.
So Jiang Hai was alone, sleeping and pondering what to do.
In his mind, this was exactly the kind of scenario designed for novel protagonists.
They'd step on stage playing guzheng or flute, stunning the audience. Thunderous applause would follow, then a crazed fan would discover their talent and confess love.
That's how the story should go.
But Jiang Hai couldn't play flute or guzheng. Even on piano, he could only manage "Dancing Dolls and Little Bears." Definitely no showstopper.
He studied for half the night but found no talent worth showing off.
He wasn't alone in his late-night pondering. The next morning, everyone except the ever-active Azarina yawned their way to nearly ten o'clock.
After breakfast, Jiang Hai curled up on the sofa again. Robbins-Garcia had fed Xiao Xia, so Jiang Hai didn't have to worry about that and preferred staying home.
Meanwhile, Darlene, Marianne, Xiaoya, and Bernice got ready to go out. Jiang Hai watched in confusion—these girls, who usually didn't leave the manor more than once a quarter and shopped online, were suddenly venturing out.
"Where are you going? The roads outside aren't cleared yet," Jiang Hai asked, curious.
"We're going to find Cindy. We've been studying for a while but haven't picked a good program yet. She used to be a teacher—maybe she has ideas," Bernice explained.
Jiang Hai's mind sparked. "Hey, why didn't I think of that? Wait, I'm coming too."
Saying so, Jiang Hai jumped up from the sofa. Sometimes those on the sidelines see things clearer; maybe asking others would help him find a talent.
"You're coming too? Okay, hurry up!" Bernice was surprised but nodded.
She knew the connection between Jiang Hai and Cindy. In fact, she and Jiang Hai met thanks to Cindy.
If there was something between Jiang Hai and Cindy, would that be considered stealing her best friend's boyfriend? Well... that was a question for another day.
After a quick change upstairs, Jiang Hai went downstairs to drive.
The girls rubbed their hands as Jiang Hai's War Shield sat idle and cold. After warming the car, Jiang Hai drove off toward Winthrop.
Bernice, sitting beside him, kept watching his driving.
"Should I get a car too? Otherwise, it's a bit inconvenient here," she muttered.
Jiang Hai noticed. In the U.S., cars were common, but none of the women in his manor seemed to have one. Aphra and the others didn't, nor did Darlene or Marianne.
High schoolers in the U.S. usually get driver's licenses as a graduation requirement, but they hadn't attended high school.
Bernice used to have a car, but since she lived at Jiang Hai's place for so long, she hadn't gotten it delivered. So, she didn't have a car either.