Chapter 121: "Hey There, Fat Sheep Across the Way"

The sudden interjection from the beggar, who was wearing blind spectacles, caught both Zhou Miao and Zhao Li completely off guard.

Zhao Li waved a hand in front of the man's face. "You can see, can't you!"

The blind beggar froze. Oh no, he had been exposed!

However, he remained unfazed and replied calmly, "I didn't see; I guessed. There are many street performers like you in Wangfujing every day, and people often forget to bring their payment QR codes."

Zhao Li accepted this with a skeptical "Oh," but Zhou Miao suddenly interjected, "Your payment code has been flipped over by the wind."

"Huh?" The beggar instinctively looked down. "No, it hasn't."

The moment the words left his mouth, the beggar stiffened again. He glared at the pair in frustration, stood up, and moved far away.

"Hey, why did he leave? I hadn't even thanked him yet," Zhao Li said with a touch of regret. If it weren't for his reminder, they wouldn't have known when they would have realized it themselves.

Zhou Miao pulled out his phone to display their payment QR code, brushed off his pants, and said, "Back to work."

Looking at the crowd of fashionably dressed people, Zhou Miao picked up his guitar and gave a deliberate, loud cough. Amplified by the speaker, it drew the attention of many passersby—exactly what Zhou Miao was waiting for.

His fingers lightly brushed the strings as he began to sing joyfully:

"Hey, girl across the way, look over here,
Look over here, look over here.
The performance here is wonderful,
Please don't pretend not to notice.
Hey, girl across the way, look over here,
Look over here, look over here.
Don't be scared by how I look,
Actually, I'm quite cute!"

The breezy, fun lyrics and the catchy melody instantly hooked the passersby. The girls, specifically addressed by the lyrics, stopped and gathered around.

The larger the crowd, the stronger Zhou Miao’s urge to perform became. He walked up to the girls with his guitar, singing directly to them at close range. Under his persistent approach, the girls blushed in embarrassment.

"I look left, I look right, I look up, I look down,
Turns out every girl is quite complex.
I think and think, I guess and guess,
A girl's heart is truly a mystery!"

Zhao Li clapped along to the rhythm, her head swaying from side to side—a delightfully dorky Ultraman.

The lyrics were so fitting that it felt as if Zhou Miao had written them right on the spot. Although the melody and lyrics were simple, they were incredibly cheerful and captured the lively psychology of a young boy in the midst of his first crush.

Before they knew it, a crowd had gathered, all drawn in by the unfamiliar yet pleasant melody.

As the song ended, the audience applauded enthusiastically. The guy in the Ultraman mask looked like a lunatic, but he could actually sing quite well.

Zhou Miao bowed deeply, then grabbed his phone to start his sales pitch. "Uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters, if you thought that song was decent, please toss a little support my way. I’d be incredibly grateful!"

As soon as money was mentioned, more than half the audience immediately walked away, but quite a few people took out their phones to scan the code. Zhao Li pressed her palms together, continuously thanking the generous onlookers.

After the crowd dispersed, the two huddled together, looking at the balance with high expectations. The moment they saw the figure, their faces fell.

"How is it only a little over a hundred..." Zhao Li said, dejected. Plenty of people had given money, but most had only contributed five or ten, and some had even given fifty cents.

"It’s not bad for a start," Zhou Miao said optimistically. Making over a hundred on a single street performance was quite decent.

"What was that song called?" Zhao Li asked, more interested in the music.

"Look Over Here, You Fat Sheep," Zhou Miao replied.

Zhao Li gave him a look of disdain from behind her mask. "I’m asking seriously."

"You really don't have a single cell of humor in your body. It's 'Look Over Here, Girl.' Happy now?" Zhou Miao sighed.

"The lyrics were so fitting. Did you write them on the spot?" Zhao Li asked curiously.

Zhou Miao flicked her mask lightly. "Guess."

The two took turns performing. Their level of skill, clearly a cut above the other street performers, drew the crowd in, making some of the regulars envious.

A band at the corner of the street exchanged glances, hoisted their instruments, and walked over.

The group approached aggressively. Zhou Miao noticed them immediately and calmly stepped in front of Zhao Li, who was mid-performance.

They didn't start a fight; instead, they set up their instruments directly opposite the pair and stared at them provocatively.

Zhou Miao raised an eyebrow. A musical duel? Interesting!

Just as Zhao Li finished her song, the keyboard of the opposing band started up. The intro was one Zhou Miao knew all too well.

"Not a hero, don't read the Three Kingdoms; if you are a hero, how can you not understand loneliness..." the long-haired lead singer sang with his eyes closed, projecting deep emotion.

As one of the hottest songs of the year, the moment the singer started "Cao Cao," he easily captured the audience's attention. Unlike Zhou Miao, they had a full setup: guitars, bass, drums, and keyboards.

Although their singing was average, the rich sound of a full band provided an experience that a single guitar couldn't match. Soon, the audience gathered in front of Zhou Miao and Zhao Li drifted over to the other side.

Zhao Li was unhappy, hands on her hips in a pout. They could have at least given money before leaving!

"Tiga, a little monster has appeared. What should we do?"

"Take him down!"

As the band finished "Cao Cao," the lead singer turned around, revealing a large payment QR code printed on his back with the words "Seeking Sponsorship!" written underneath.

But before he could even speak, a shout from Zhou Miao drew the attention of the audience members who were just taking out their phones to scan the code.

"Don't go, love me~
If you say you don't love me!
Don't let me hear you say it for real,
Give me a little more tenderness!"

To steal the spotlight, Zhou Miao belted out the chorus of "Don't Go, Love Me" with powerful high notes. Once the crowd had gathered, he strummed his guitar simply and smoothly transitioned back into the regular intro.

As he played, he skillfully used his palm to tap the guitar body, creating a percussion effect that filled the void of having only a guitar.

The audience didn't quite understand what they were seeing, but it stunned the band across the way. Guitar percussion wasn't impossible, but the way Zhou Miao executed various techniques with such ease, blending them perfectly into the melody, was rare.

They had thought he was a novice based on the simple "Look Over Here, Girl" performance earlier.

Now, they realized he hadn't been taking it seriously at all. They had bumped into a master of fingerstyle guitar.