The 31st Chapter: The Hongmen Banquet

When Niu Xuan shouted, seven or eight classmates turned to look, making Gao Yang feel very uncomfortable. He quickly scanned the room and found the birthday girl, Wan Sisi.

Wan Sisi was surrounded by two close female friends, sitting on a long sofa.

On the glass coffee table were snacks, a fruit platter, drinks, and beer, and beside it stood a luxurious cart with a beautiful three-layer cream cake that clearly wasn't cheap.

Wan Sisi had dressed up carefully for today. Her usually simple medium-length hair was slightly puffy, giving her a playful vibe. She wore a Japanese-style polka-dot dress with thin straps, exposing her fair shoulders and collarbones. A black lace choker adorned her slender neck, looking like a cute and obedient kitten.

This outfit was a standard Japanese sweet-girl style, but for Wan Sisi, it was quite bold. She had only dared to try it under the encouragement of her two female friends.

It turned out to be a great success. Today, the boys who came couldn't help but freeze for a moment when they saw her and then shyly complimented her.

Wan Sisi smiled and looked down, her confidence slowly growing. She was becoming more and more eager to see Gao Yang's reaction when he saw her.

After waiting for a long time, Gao Yang finally arrived. When he walked in, Wan Sisi's cheeks immediately flushed, and her heart raced, but luckily the lighting was dim, so no one noticed.

Since they had agreed not to bring gifts, Gao Yang didn't buy anything but stopped by a dessert shop to pick up a matcha cheesecake. He placed the packed dessert on the coffee table and said naturally, "Xiao Si, happy birthday. I wasn't sure what you like, so I got you a dessert."

"Thank you." Wan Sisi was about to say something when a girl wearing glasses beside her immediately got up, "I'll go choose a song. Gao Yang, just sit wherever."

Gao Yang saw the empty seat next to Wan Sisi and immediately realized: this "help" was too obvious.

He hesitated about whether to sit down when Qing Ling's voice came from the corner of the room, "Gao Yang, come here."

Gao Yang turned around, and Qing Ling was sitting on a two-person sofa in the corner, arms crossed, looking calm. She wore a simple, form-fitting coffee-colored tracksuit with a high ponytail and no makeup. Yet, she still outshone everyone, with a goddess aura around her.

"Oh." Gao Yang walked over and obediently sat beside Qing Ling.

Wan Sisi's smile froze on her face before it could fully spread. She quickly tilted her head and adjusted her hair, pretending to talk casually with others.

Qing Ling had called Gao Yang to talk business, but before she could speak, she was interrupted by a voice.

Niu Xuan shouted, "Gao Yang, you're the only one late. Aren't you going to show some appreciation?"

"Yeah!" A few boys chimed in.

"Come on! Sing a song!" Niu Xuan stretched the microphone toward Gao Yang, smiling, though his eyes showed disdain. Niu Xuan knew he wasn't a great singer, but Gao Yang was worse, and today, he just wanted to see Gao Yang make a fool of himself.

At first, Niu Xuan had no real grudge against Gao Yang, but in the last half month, he had become more and more annoyed with him!

Li Weiwei's death had suddenly gained him a lot of attention from classmates. Almost everyone knew that he and Li Weiwei had been childhood friends. At first, Niu Xuan even felt a bit sorry for him. But after Li Weiwei died, Gao Yang became the big winner of life.

First, the goddess Qing Ling, who no one had the guts to pursue, started getting closer and closer to him.

Back when they were in first year, Niu Xuan had tried to pursue Qing Ling, but every time he made a move, he was rebuffed. Then rumors spread that she was a lesbian, so Niu Xuan had the decency to back off. After all, he wasn't lacking in girlfriends.

Now, Qing Ling, who would never be pursued by a man, was getting close to Gao Yang.

A few days ago, some classmates even saw Gao Yang holding hands with Qing Ling outside school as they entered the subway station together. This caused quite a stir. The boys privately praised Gao Yang, saying he was so charming that he could turn a lesbian straight.

And no one knew whether it was the "goddess aura" effect, but Gao Yang, who used to have an average appearance, was now starting to look more handsome the more they looked at him. His previously ordinary demeanor had changed too. Now, he always seemed somewhat distant from everyone, which ironically worked on the girls.

Today was Wan Sisi's birthday. In the past, Niu Xuan wouldn't have attended. But recently, he'd found Wan Sisi to be more and more charming.

He had just broken up with his ex-girlfriend and hadn't tried this cute, petite soft-girl type before, so he suddenly became interested. He had ordered a 999-yuan three-layer cream cake and a bouquet of roses, showing his intentions clearly.

Niu Xuan knew these tricks were cliché, but they worked.

He thought: All women are vain, right? There's nothing money can't solve. If it can't be solved, it just means I haven't spent enough money.

When the roses were delivered ten minutes ago, everyone started teasing. Niu Xuan thought he had the upper hand, but Wan Sisi stubbornly refused the flowers, looking troubled.

Niu Xuan was good at changing tactics and didn't press the issue. After cracking a few jokes, he moved on. He then observed Wan Sisi's every move while singing. Today, although Wan Sisi seemed to be chatting with her classmates, she appeared somewhat distracted, as if waiting for someone.

Soon, Gao Yang entered the room.

Wan Sisi's eyes immediately lit up, and she radiated with happiness. It must be said, at that moment, Wan Sisi was so beautiful that she nearly overshadowed Qing Ling.

Niu Xuan immediately understood everything and his anger flared up.

Gao Yang! It's always Gao Yang!

I'm going to deal with you today!

"Hey! Sing a song! Don't spoil the fun for everyone!" Niu Xuan said sharply.

The attentive classmates immediately sensed the tension but didn't expose it, casually eating sunflower seeds while watching the drama unfold.

Wan Sisi was also eager to hear him sing. She had heard from classmates that Gao Yang couldn't sing well, but she didn't believe it. He was such a gentle person, surely his singing would be lovely. Even if it wasn't, it would be cute.

Gao Yang exchanged a glance with Qing Ling: "Talk later?"

Qing Ling returned the look: "Talk later."

"Alright," Gao Yang said, standing up.

Gao Yang walked past the not-so-large room, and under the "eyes of the crowd," he went to the karaoke machine to choose a song. Soon, he selected a song by Milk Tea King, "Can't Open My Mouth."

"Oh, an old song," Niu Xuan sneered. "Looks like we've got an old karaoke king here! Brothers, listen up!"

"Ha, no problem!"

"Waiting for the singing god!"

"Let the singing god take the stage!"

The boys all laughed sarcastically.

Gao Yang knew he couldn't sing well. He was about to just get it over with and let his pride take the hit. But Niu Xuan was pushing it too far.

The soft prelude began, and in less than ten seconds, Gao Yang was about to sing.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He impulsively closed his eyes.

[Beep—]

[Entering system]

[You have gained 1 lucky point, total remaining lucky points: 26]

—What attribute can make singing sound better?

[Charm, which enhances your talent in the voice domain. You currently lack this talent, so it's not recommended to add points.]

—Add all 26 points! Confirm!

[Points added]

[Stamina: 27 Endurance: 28]

[Strength: 17 Agility: 27]

[Spirit: 67 Charm: 55]

[Luck: 132]

[System closed]

…

Gao Yang opened his eyes, feeling a tingling sensation in his throat and a burst of energy in his chest. He knew the attribute points had taken effect, and the change lasted for about 30 seconds.

"Why isn't the singing god singing yet? Everyone's waiting!" Niu Xuan urged.

Gao Yang took a deep breath and started singing seamlessly: "Through the clouds, I try to run towards you, love only reaches you, but you're already in someone else's arms…"

He paused, stood up, held the microphone with both hands, and sang with deep emotion: "I just can't open my mouth to let her know, just a few simple words can make you smile, my heart hangs in midair, I can only watch from afar. I can do all this, but that person is no longer me…"

The song finished.

The room fell into a strange silence, and the classmates who had been waiting for a joke slowly realized they had actually listened through the whole song.

Gao Yang's singing, while not professional, was excellent for an amateur. More importantly, his emotions were fully invested.

This song was quite fitting, given that Li Weiwei had just passed away. Everyone felt Gao Yang's sadness of "couldn't speak before, and now there's no chance to speak" through a filter of grief, and many were deeply moved, including Wan Sisi.

Wan Sisi's emotions shifted quickly—she first felt joy, then sadness at Li Weiwei's death, and finally a faint sense of loss: Gao Yang must have liked Li Weiwei; after all, they had grown up together.

However, even if Li Weiwei was his forever "white moonlight," she wouldn't give up. She believed that companionship was the longest confession…

Wan Sisi lowered her head, lost in her grand yet sorrowful monologue.

Niu Xuan sat frozen on the sofa, a look of frustration on his face, his mind swirling with angry thoughts.

Gao Yang handed the microphone to the next person, silently sighing, feeling regretful: Impulse is the devil. For a little vanity, I wasted 26 valuable lucky points.

After the performance, Gao Yang returned to his low-key self, quietly sitting in the corner beside Qing Ling.

"You sang well," Qing Ling said.

Gao Yang was surprised. He hadn't expected Qing Ling to care about things beyond just becoming stronger. "You're exaggerating. What were you going to say?"

Qing Ling leaned closer, lowering her voice, "I was going to tell you…"

"Gao Yang!" Niu Xuan shouted loudly, "Come here!"

Qing Ling was interrupted twice, her expression darkening. She felt like she might draw her sword and cut off Niu Xuan's head any second.

"Qing Jie, calm down…" Gao Yang quickly stopped her from standing. "No need, really. I'll handle this."

"Quickly resolve it," Qing Ling said with displeasure.

"Yes."