Singing in a Dance Hall

As the lights began to shine, the entertainment street's various dance halls started to come alive.

Lina, hugging her knees, squatted on the damp street after the rain.

There was a street vendor selling skewers nearby. She sniffed the air, and her stomach began to rumble.

She regretted being so naive, giving all her money to Kairo. Now she was penniless, and dinner was a concern.

Talon, along with his gang, had been taken away by the police. She had no idea where to find him now.

Lina sighed, stood up, patted her stomach, and entered the nearest dance hall.

The dance halls of that time were similar to today's discos and bars, albeit with simpler facilities. The floor was decorated with patterned tiles, and the ceiling was adorned with starry lights. Rotating disco balls reflected colorful light spots.

There were booths by the dance floor with foldable tables and chairs, and a few oscillating fans lazily blew air.

People danced in the center, not the wild dancing seen in modern bars, but ballroom dancing.

Lina approached the dance hall manager, asking if there was any work available.

The manager asked, "Can you promote and sell drinks?"

Lina shook her head blankly.

"Can you handle accounts?"

She shook her head again.

"What can you do?"

"I can sing."

The manager, busy attending to customers, dismissed her, "We don't need singers here."

Lina looked at the woman singing and dancing on stage and honestly said, "I sing better than her."

Hearing this, the manager glanced back at her, noting her dirty clothes and downtrodden appearance. He laughed, "Don't boast. Yara is our professional singer here. Who do you think you are, claiming to sing better than her? Don't overestimate yourself. Leave and don't disturb my work."

Several waitstaff nearby looked at Lina with disdain, as if watching a joke unfold.

"Yara is the most popular singer here. Claiming to sing better than her? Isn't that just causing trouble?"

"She's just bragging."

"If she really gets on stage, I bet she won't even be able to utter a word."

Lina ignored their mockery. She never liked arguing with people.

She knew she sang better than the woman on stage. It wasn't an exaggeration. Her sweet voice was truly a gift.

In her previous life, after she became popular singing folk songs in live broadcasts, many agencies wanted to sign her. However, Talon firmly opposed it.

He even locked her up to prevent her from pursuing it.

Lina argued and even went on a hunger strike, but Talon remained resolute.

She heard from Tim Liang that her father's aversion to the entertainment industry had something to do with her mother's death.

Recalling the countless nights when Talon sat on the sofa smoking, looking lonely, she finally stopped arguing with him.

She gave up her dreams and what she loved most.

Being reborn in the year 2000 might be her chance to reclaim those dreams.

As Lina was lost in her memories, the "most popular singer" Yara faced some trouble. Some guests interrupted her performance.

"Why are you singing the same songs? Can't you sing something new?"

"We're tired of these songs. Sing something fresh."

Yara, interrupted and annoyed, frowned at them, "What do you want to hear?"

"Something new."

"These are the songs on the list. If you want something new, why don't you come up and sing?"

This comment angered the guests, "How can you talk like that? If we come up to sing, what's your purpose here?"

Yara, used to being pampered, had a temper. She dropped the microphone and declared, "Listen or don't."

Seeing the situation escalating, the manager, in a panic, remembered Lina and quickly called her over, "You said you can sing, right? They want a new song. Can you do it?"

New songs? She knew plenty. The songs she sang in her previous life's live broadcasts, which were hits, would be considered new now.

"Yes, but didn't you say I was overestimating myself?"

The manager, desperate, said, "Look, if you can save the situation, name your price for tonight."

Had it been the old Lina, she might have teased the manager. But now, starving, she simply took the stage.

The manager asked, "What accompaniment do you need?"

"None. You won't have the one I need."

Lina noticed a piano on stage and sat down, adjusting the instrument.

Yara watched with mixed emotions.

She was the star here. If she refused to sing, no one else would entertain the guests.

She had expected the guests to beg her to return, but the manager had quickly found a replacement. And this substitute could play the piano?

In that era, playing the piano wasn't common. It was a skill associated with wealthy, well-educated young ladies, not just anyone off the street.

Lina began to sing, choosing several of her favorite love songs. Everyone in the hall, men and women alike, turned their attention to her.

The songs were indeed new, popular hits from her recent past, beloved by the younger generation.

Most importantly, these were songs they had never heard before.

Lina's voice was clear and touching, and combined with the lively piano melody, the atmosphere in the dance hall reached a new high, livelier than ever before.

Kairo happened to be passing by the entrance of the dance hall. He leaned against the door, watching the girl playing the piano in the center of the stage.

She had a sweet smile, dimples on her cheeks, and clear, innocent brown eyes.

He knew at a glance that she was a sheltered rich girl. Only those who had been pampered since childhood would have such a cheerful demeanor.

Unlike him, who even when smiling, always had a hint of cunning.

Kairo looked away and lit a cigarette.

-- -

The manager paid Lina thirty yuan for her performance. In an era when a bowl of noodles cost two or three yuan, thirty yuan was enough for several days.

The manager, feeling like he had struck gold, was ecstatic. He wanted Lina to become a regular singer at their place, offering her any price she wanted.

Lina glanced at the resentful Yara and declined with a smile, saying she might consider part-time work if she had the time.

The manager agreed, mentioning that talent scouts often visited their dance hall. With Lina's angelic voice, she was bound to be discovered.

But for her, the most pressing matter was to find her father.

Lina, with her money in hand, went to a late-night food stall and ordered a bowl of lamb soup noodles, hungrily digging in.

She figured she could afford a night in a small hotel, avoiding sleeping on the streets.

Technically, this thirty yuan was the first money she had ever earned.

She remembered the past when she and her girlfriends would spend thousands, even tens of thousands, on a single night out, living a lavish lifestyle.

It felt like a lifetime ago.

As Lina was reminiscing, several motorcycles roared to a stop in front of the food stall.