Chapter 38: Skill Extraction, Heavenly Voice

Hearing that they hadn't started driving lessons yet, Gao Xiaosong was a bit surprised. "If you focus on learning to drive, it goes quickly. It's just the second and third tests—if you don't fail, you can get your license in a month. I think you both could reserve a spot first."

Lu Mengyao said nothing, waiting for Cheng Yao to speak.

Cheng Yao took a sip and said, "If it's Aurora Blue, we wouldn't get the car anytime soon, right?"

"That's right. Since it's a custom paint job, it'll take about a month."

"We'll come back after the third test, then. We can leave a deposit now."

"Of course, if you leave a deposit, it'll be easier for us to set up your customization," Gao Xiaosong said with a smile.

Lu Mengyao quietly drank her tea, neither speaking nor making requests.

She understood that the decision was up to Cheng Yao.

Cheng Yao didn't bargain. The car would cost around two million yuan in total, and he left a deposit of one hundred thousand.

By the time they left the dealership, it was past seven.

They took the subway to Xianlin Golden Eagle, then strolled along the nearby streets, chatting to pass the time.

"Does your school have a Top Ten Singers competition?"

"We held one last year, but it was at the end of the semester. Not sure when it’ll be this year. Has yours already started?"

"Yeah, I’ve already signed up. The registration ends next week, and then it begins."

Cheng Yao thought his singing wasn’t especially strong, but his guitar skills were world-class—if not the best, then among the best—so it shouldn’t be a problem.

Lu Mengyao's eyes lit up. "Then I’ll come cheer you on. Chen Qian is with your roommate now, right? That’s a good enough reason, isn’t it?"

"Sure. Let's get a late-night snack and then head to the hotel to handle some real business."

"…"

Lu Mengyao held onto his arm, her cheeks flushed. This time, she wasn’t as shy or embarrassed as before; she was getting used to it, but she was still a little afraid of what might happen.

Do guys really spend all day thinking about such improper things?

Unable to do anything about Cheng Yao, Lu Mengyao ultimately decided to focus on the material benefits.

After their midnight snack, they went to the hotel, where the atmosphere was intimate and romantic.

In the spacious bathtub, two lovers played in the water.

That night, the sheets of the Platinum Hanju Hotel rustled repeatedly with faint sounds, as if mice were sneaking about, the noises carrying on into the depths of the night.

Afterward, Lu Mengyao lay under the covers, playing on her phone.

Just then, her phone rang, and her expression changed. "Hello?"

"Lu Mengyao, when are you coming back?"

"Mmm… ah…" Suddenly, something unexpected happened. Lu Mengyao covered her mouth, eyes wide.

"Could you bring something back for me… Lu Mengyao?"

Lu Mengyao’s face was burning, her eyes dazed. "I… I’m out running…"

"Running? Can you bring me some pads…"

"Sorry, I might not come back tonight. Something came up, mmm…"

Lu Mengyao gritted her teeth, struggling to keep quiet.

"Oh, then tomorrow morning. Sorry, I’ll hang up now!" Her roommate must have sensed something odd in her voice, got nervous, and quickly hung up.

Beep, beep, beep…

…

…

Affection +1

[Congratulations, your girlfriend’s affection for you has risen to 90. You may extract a life or professional skill from her.]

After satisfying Lu Mengyao, her affection finally reached ninety.

Cheng Yao took a shower and ate something, finally feeling comfortable again.

[Would you like to extract a skill?]

[Congratulations, you've gained the skill 'Heavenly Voice'—the ability to perfectly control pitch, tone, rhythm, breath, and range.]

As the prompt sounded, Cheng Yao’s eyes lit up.

"This is like having a pillow handed to you right when you’re sleepy."

He glanced at Lu Mengyao. After all, she was a music major. It wasn’t surprising that he’d get a music-related skill; but now, was there even a point to the campus Top Ten Singers competition?

This guy, coming right to his door to let him show off?

Cheng Yao could laugh in his dreams. He had no intention of becoming a star; his path was to go further as an internet celebrity.

With ‘Heavenly Voice,’ his singing instantly reached a peak level.

Cheng Yao put on his headphones and began humming along to the rhythm.

As he sang, the feeling surged up inside him, as if a retired soldier were returning to the battlefield—he just needed a little time to adjust.

Soon, he was completely in his element.

Lu Mengyao slept deeply, and Cheng Yao’s voice was soft. He flipped through old songs, feeling more and more inspired, more able to grasp the meaning within the lyrics.

Mao Buyi’s "Someone Like Me" had simple lyrics, a simple melody, and a simple delivery, but it expressed the deepest feelings of ordinary people.

Because it was simple, it resonated.

That night, Cheng Yao hummed alone in the bathroom until late in the night.

The next morning, Lu Mengyao looked at him with a strange expression. "What were you doing in the bathroom last night…"

"Singing."

"?"

"I just suddenly felt like singing. Is that a problem?"

"...” Lu Mengyao shook her head. Who sings in the bathroom? She’d wanted to use the bathroom in the middle of the night but was worried Cheng Yao might act up, so she held it in for a long time, feeling miserable.

She couldn’t understand what was going on in this man’s mind.

They each returned to their schools. Cheng Yao arrived fairly early, put on his headphones, and began to hum.

Zhou Ziqing recognized the melody. "JJ Lin’s 'If Only'?"

"Yeah, the Top Ten Singers contest is about to start, just practicing a bit."

"How do you think you'll place?"

Cheng Yao was certain he’d get first place. Even if the campus singers were strong, he was on a different level. But he only smiled and replied, "I think top ten is pretty safe."

"So confident? I heard there were over five hundred contestants last year, all going for the five-thousand-yuan prize, the certificate, and the crystal trophy. It’s really competitive…"

"The prizes are decent. Some schools only give out certificates."

Last night, he’d heard from Lu Mengyao that her school’s prize last year was a Xiaomi phone. Each school had different prizes, depending on the funding.

Their financial university wasn’t bad.

At a place like Zhang Ya’s music academy, the prize was a custom piano, a certificate, and over ten thousand in cash. After all, it was a prestigious school.

And those schools were full of experts, not even the same level of competition. Some private middle and high schools even offered scholarships worth hundreds of thousands.

Hundreds of thousands in scholarship money was wild, but with tuition close to a hundred thousand a year, it made sense. The wool comes from the sheep’s back, after all.

Wang Wenbo sat down next to them with a fried dough stick. "All that is secondary—the main thing is campus fame. Not only can you show off, but you get first pick of partners. You can choose any pretty girl you want."

"Shallow," Zhou Ziqing gave him a look.

"I’m telling you, that’s how we guys are. Don’t pretend you like ugly ones."

"I…"

Cheng Yao shot Wang Wenbo a strange look. "I thought you’d only show up this afternoon."

"Teacher Li is giving me so much face, I can’t skip his class. I’d never be late for his!"

…

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