Chapter 8

"Also, why did Mr Smith look at you as if he was looking at an acquaintance? Have you two had some exchanges before?" Manager Mike's questions came one after another, but Sarah didn't mind. Nonchalantly, she replied, "No exchanges. We just met today." That wasn't technically a lie— after all, this was her first real meeting with Wilfred in this world. She answered frankly and naturally, but Manager Mike always felt like she was hiding some big secret from him. Oh well. If she didn't want to say it, Manager Mike didn't bother to ask.His concern for Sarah was only because he thought of his own son who had run away from home and had never been heard from since. Thinking of his son,Manager Mike spoke more gently, "Little Peach, I know you're not as simple as you look, but I still have to remind you, don't be so impulsive in the future, alright? "If you happen to provoke someone with a bad temper again, I won't be able to clean up the mess for you every time." Though his tone was a bit preachy, it wasn't annoying. On the contrary, it made one feel as if a warm current had filled their heart. Such a good elder. Sarah nodded and headed downstairs. "I'll follow your advice, okay, I'm going to sing now, I've been gone for so long." "Go, go." Back on stage, the cheering from the crowd erupted once again. In this bar, Sarah was evidently popular. Meanwhile, upstairs, Mr. Johnson had just recovered from Sarah's unattractiveness and turned his gaze back to the stage. He couldn't help but comment, "Ugly, she is indeed a tad bit ugly, but her stage presence and charisma are indeed undeniable." Then he turned to Wilfred on the opposite side, pouring him a glass of wine, "Mr. Smith, I apologize for the shock tonight. How about we forget her looks and focus on her singing?" Wilfred, looking at the dark golden liquid in his glass, remained silent. His gaze lowered, and he watched Sarah from his superior vantage point. Each time her fingertips strummed the bass strings, screams surged like thunder. She shone so brightly on stage, seeing Sarah like this stirred complex emotions within Wilfred on the second floor. As Mr. Sarah had said, this woman was indeed good at singing. She seems fed with talent by nature. Even Sherling paled in comparison to her. Sherling had tried everything to debut. Her acting was unsatisfactory, and her dancing was uncoordinated. Thus, they had fashioned her into a sweet singing idol, spending a large sum of money on several pop songs. Once released, the heat quickly spiked due to the manipulation of professional managers. However, it was fundamentally different from the singing of the woman in front of them. Sherling's singing voice was forged through the hard work of dozens, if not hundreds, of team members. Yet this little peach merely sang a few bars in a casual manner, but they were enough to captivate one's heart. Compared to her, what Sherling had was not worth mentioning.It's just a pity that she's a little unattractive. He lifted the glass of wine that Mr Johnson had just poured for him, downing it in one go before directing his gaze away. As he watched Wilfred, who was drinking in silence with an unusually serious expression, Mr Johnson's heart couldn't help but flutter in agitation. Just as Wilfred was about to stand up and leave, he could no longer hold himself back and quickly followed. "Mr Smith!" he asked, "As for the cooperation between our two companies, what do you think?" Wilfred glanced at him indifferently and responded in a deep voice, "Someone will inform you the day after tomorrow." Why, again, postpone it until the day after tomorrow? Mr Johnson had received information that Wilfred's company is going to welcome a new big client from the capital tomorrow! If the Smith Group gets into business with them, where would that leave him? Just as he was thinking of saying something more, Wilfred's assistant stayed behind and stopped him. The assistant advised gently, "Mr Johnson please don't be too anxious. Mr Smith is indeed very busy at the moment. As soon as he gets some free time, he will definitely seriously consider the cooperation with your company." "But..." Mr Johnson was still not willing to let it go. "Mr Johnson the assistant's smile turned frosty, "If not for Mr. Smith's good mood today, he probably wouldn't even bother to reply to you. He said he would inform you the day after tomorrow, all you need to do is wait for the news!" Mr. Smith's face was filled with shock. His poker face presence, all the time, almost froze him to death. And yet, the assistant called this a good mood? He even let him see Anita's face which shocked the world. He wasn't frightened, but instead, he seemed quite happy. However, thinking about it, it's understandable that a person like Wilfred has a peculiar taste. He didn't expect, Wilfred actually like this type. With these thoughts in mind, Mr. Johnson immediately had someone call Manager Mike over. "Manager Mike." "I'm coming, Mr. Johnson!" Manager Mike jogged up to his side, smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry, Mr. Johnson, it was Anita's mistake just now. I've warned her to try and avoid appearing before you and Mr. Smith in the future. I hope both of you can be generous and not take it to heart with a young girl..." "Well, there's nothing to hold against her." Mr. Johnson waved his hand dismissively, and a small stack of bills was thrown in front of him, "Anita sang so well today, this is her tip!" "Wh-what? A tip?" Just scared like that and he can still tip? Manager Mike feels that he is becoming increasingly unable to understand these rich people. "Let her know that she sang very well tonight, and I will come and cheer for her in the future!" Mr. Johnson couldn't help but sigh, "Little peach, you have found a gem." Manager Mike also felt the same. He nodded repeatedly, "Mr Johnson rest assured, I will certainly pass on your words to her!" Around eleven o'clock, Sarah's performance ended. She got off the stage and just got backstage when Manager Mike proactively handed her a serving of chicken hamburger and coke "Are you hungry, little peach? Come have something to eat." Having sung for so long, Sarah was indeed very hungry. Appreciating Manager Mike's thoughtfulness, she sat down, thanked him, and started eating without restraint. Manager Mike placed a stack of money in front of her: "This is your salary for today, plus the tip from Mr Johnson. Exactly three thousand pounds." Earning three thousand pounds in one night was already a lot. Sarah happily pocketed the money.Seeing that Sarah found the hamburger not satisfying Manager Mike got up to find a soup box in the refrigerator. After heating it in the microwave for a few minutes, he placed it in front of Sarah. "The barbecue is quite small, right? Here, have some of the soup I've made, don't choke." Sarah drank the remaining coke in one go, her eyes falling on the bowl of soup. It was a sweet corn and pork rib soup. The soup was clear, corn kernels plump and inviting, pork ribs utterly tantalizing, an irresistible sweetness wafted in the air. Its aroma quickly caught the attention of others nearby, who all crowded over, accusing Manager Mike of favouritism. "Manager Mike, the soup is cooked so deliciously, and you're only offering it to Little Peach?" "Exactly what they said! Little Peach is just a newcomer, we have been here for so long without even tasting your culinary feats!" After saying that, they jeered, "Manager Mike, are you smitten by Little Peach?" Upon hearing this, Manager Mike's kind expression hardened, making a move to hit them, "Go away! Thinking about not working? Keep talking nonsense, and I'll dock your pay!" They were all on good terms with Manager Mike and knew he was only trying to scare them off, so no further comments were made, and they all went back to their rooms. Once they had dispersed, Manager Mike sat back down, chuckling as he reassured Little Peach, "Don't mind their gibberish, Peach. You remind me of my son. You two look so similar." Sarah took a sip from the soup, "What is your son up to now?" The smile on Manager Mike's face slowly faded, leaving only weariness in his eyes. "He's gone. Left to pursue his dreams and freedom. Once he left, he never returned." Left home? Sarah arched an eyebrow, "Just like his father." Manager Mike didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "I've been too busy, didn't have time to look after him. He's always been resentful towards me. Later... later on, his mother got into a car accident. I didn't even manage to see her one last time before she passed away." "From then on, my son developed a hatred towards me." As he spoke, a trace of tears surprisingly welled up in the eyes of this weather-beaten middle-aged man. "It's not his fault. I truly haven't been a competent father." Hearing the regret in his voice Sarah paused her soup drinking. In the end, all beings suffer. All are pitiful. She raised her hand, and gently patted Manager Mike on the shoulder. Sarah had never been good at consoling people, she simply said, "If you miss him, just give him a call. You two are each other's only family left. If you continue to be at odds like this, it serves no purpose other than wasting time that could have been spent happily together." Those words, for some reason, truly hit a soft spot in Manager Mike's heart.Indeed, if he doesn't take this step, when will he and his son remain at odds? Thinking this, he couldn't help but take out his mobile phone. Staring at the word “Son” in his contacts for a long while, he hesitated to make the decision. Sarah leaned over and said, "If you can't bring yourself to do it, I can help you." Manager Mike is sure that sarah would do something like this, so he quickly put his cell phone back in his pocket. "I-I'll call after work," he diverted his gaze. Sarah ate a piece of rib, smiling lightly at him, and said, "You'd better."