Qin Ze really disliked this Li Zemin. He had no idea whether the man was truly accomplished at a young age, but being young and arrogant was definitely true.
A petty man wielding power, never ceasing his clamor.
That was exactly the kind of person he was.
Just listen to what he said: "I'm very taken with Qin Baobao, so give up." "In another three years, you won't even dare speak at an occasion like this."
What kind of person was he? At most, he was a gold-collar worker. Did he really think he was the emperor?
Qin Ze tossed Li Zemin a mocking, disdainful smile, then turned to drink with Wang Zijing. Wang Zijing had a bad stomach and didn't drink, so she poured herself a cup of black tea. The two chatted and laughed together.
With that, Qin Ze had offended both Li Zemin and Director Xu.
But Qin Baobao's singing drew everyone's attention. Her voice was soft, seductive, and magnetic. She was talented at singing, and after more than half a month of professional training, she had already reached a respectable level. Even Qin Ze felt that his sister deserved a fresh look after just one day apart.
Li Zemin only regretted that it wasn't a love-song duet. Otherwise, he would definitely have made beautiful harmony with Qin Baobao.
Qin Baobao sang a classic old song, with one lyric that went: "Love has clouded my mind, and you've made me sink ever deeper." Li Zemin felt it described his current self perfectly.
When the song ended, the room erupted in applause.
Qin Baobao's cheeks were flushed, a smile lingering at the corners of her lips. Her phoenix eyes sparkled brightly, her every glance radiant. She was extremely happy.
Mm, I'll treat this as a rehearsal before I go onstage. Tonight, I'll sing to my heart's content.
Chu Feng came over with a drink and handed it to Qin Baobao. Smiling, he said, "Bao Bao, you sang amazingly. Our President Li is also great at singing. How about the two of you sing a duet? Qinghong, hurry and pick a song."
Qin Baobao accepted the beer, but refused the duet. "My voice is tired. I need to rest for a while."
Chen Qinghong watched coldly from the sidelines. She neither encouraged nor opposed it. She had long seen that Qin Baobao had no interest in Li Zemin at all, but Li Zemin was the direct superior of her and Chu Feng, so it was hard to refuse him. Besides, her boyfriend Chu Feng was very proactive about currying favor with his boss. The first rule of the workplace: flatter your superiors.
What else could she say?
Even if they couldn't date, they could still be friends.
Li Zemin said disappointedly, "Then I'll sing one by myself first and get into the mood. Hmm, what should I sing?"
As he spoke, his gaze lingered on Qin Baobao's pretty face. Qin Ze immediately looked down on him. Even a virgin like him knew that when judging whether a woman was top-notch, the figure came first, and the face came second.
"Sing 'Unrivaled Under Heaven,'" Chu Feng praised. "President Li's 'Unrivaled Under Heaven' is absolutely incredible. The original singer has a good voice, but lacks momentum. When President Li sings it, that's what you call awe-inspiring and full of grandeur."
Director Xu immediately smiled and chimed in, "That's really not exaggerating. Once, I went singing with President Li, and when he opened up his voice—oh boy, it was amazing. He truly had an imposing presence that surpassed even the master."
Li Zemin was in high spirits. Holding the microphone, he modestly said, "No, no. Don't praise me to death."
Chu Feng grabbed a microphone. "President Li, we're really not overpraising you. After hearing you sing 'Unrivaled Under Heaven' last time, I couldn't feel anything when I listened to the original singer again. Your singing is no worse than a professional's. If you don't believe me, sing it for everyone."
Zhang Ya snorted with laughter. "Are you two performing cross-talk?"
Her boyfriend shot her a fierce glare.
"Unrivaled Under Heaven" was the opening theme of a famous historical drama, telling the story of Qin Shi Huang unifying the six states during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. The song had been very popular a few years ago and was now a classic old tune. It was called an "emperor's song" and was especially popular among middle-aged men.
"Then shall I sing it?" Li Zemin turned to look at Qin Baobao. Her cheeks were rosy, her eyes glimmered, and she smiled like an incomparably beautiful fairy. His blood surged, and heroic spirit welled up within him.
A sonorous, powerful melody began, accompanied by the neighing of warhorses.
On the screen appeared a grand music video of tens of thousands fighting in bloody battle and vast armies clashing.
After more than ten seconds of opening music, the scene shifted to a man clad in a pure black dragon robe embroidered with gold, wearing a crown.
He stood proudly atop a mountain, overlooking the land below.
Li Zemin closed his eyes and built up his momentum.
The music began.
"A great nation, commanding the west."
"The world lies within my grasp."
"Flying swords cleave the drifting clouds, and all lords come west."
"The common people entrust their tears to me."
"Beacon fires and wolf smoke compete for the realm."
"Good!" Chu Feng shouted, waving his little hands as they clapped loudly. Chen Qinghong also cheered. A smile blossomed on her elegant face, both to support her superior and because he genuinely sang well. Right from the start, his momentum was fully on display. His voice was rich, and his emotions abundant.
"Not bad," Zhang Ya evaluated fairly.
"It really is good," her boyfriend said with a smile.
Qin Baobao nodded slightly. She had to admit that Li Zemin sang well. This song was actually quite difficult, demanding a great deal of lung capacity. While singing with momentum, one also couldn't let the voice turn hoarse. When ordinary people sang this song, they were just yelling blindly. The momentum was there, but the details were completely lacking. Li Zemin had managed to keep his voice steady while maintaining a powerful presence.
Soon, the song reached its climax. The music suddenly rose in intensity, and Li Zemin's voice climbed higher with it, bright, domineering, and deep.
"Heaven's mandate, I accept with bold pride."
"To establish the realm, blades run wild and swords rage madly."
"I, having received Heaven's mandate, shall live long and prosper eternally."
"Watch as I sweep the six realms with my sword."
Chen Qinghong, Zhang Ya, and the others were fired up. Influenced by the music, they felt boundless ambition filling their chests. Some screamed, some shouted, completely swept up in the mood.
It really wasn't empty boasting. It was both domineering and pleasant to hear, no worse than the original singer.
With this singing skill and this ability, he could become a karaoke king.
Qin Baobao was astonished. She had been listening with a critical attitude, especially during the climax, where it was easiest to make a mistake. One slip and the voice would crack. Li Zemin had not cracked once.
At the ending, Li Zemin sang in a sorrowful, sighing tone tinged with a trace of heroic spirit:
"Why be content to become a ghost beneath the Yellow Springs?
Shake off the yellow dust and astonish the world.
I swear to become the greatest emperor through the ages!"
Applause, whistles, shouts...
Everyone was hyped.
Director Xu laughed heartily. "See? I told you he's no worse than the original singer."
Chu Feng immediately said, "He's clearly three times better than the original singer."
Director Xu said, "That was wrong, wrong. He's absolutely no worse than the original singer."
Li Zemin was glowing with pride, though he put on a humble front. "You flatter me, you flatter me."
Then he changed the subject and gazed affectionately at Qin Baobao. "Bao Bao, let's sing a duet."
Chu Feng eagerly took on the role of a foot soldier. "I'll pick the song. What should you sing?"
Wang Zijing suddenly said, "Qin Ze, you should sing one too."
The great beauty had spoken, and everyone looked over.
"Me?" Qin Ze was stunned.
"Sing one too. What's the point of just sitting there?" Wang Zijing's eyes shifted, her smile faint. "Qin Ze is amazing. He can write lyrics and compose music, so he must sing well too."
Who told you that being able to write lyrics and compose music meant you could sing well?
Qin Ze waved his hand. "I won't sing. Not interested."
I just want to quietly watch you all show off.
Zhang Ya snorted with laughter. "Qin Ze, you can write lyrics and compose music too? Stop bragging."
Qin Ze shot her a glare.
Qin Baobao flopped onto the sofa, crawled over, and tightly wrapped her arms around Qin Ze's arm. "A Ze, sing one too. Just one song, and your sister will reward you with a kiss."
Qin Baobao had drunk quite a bit. Her nerves were excited, and she had fewer inhibitions. Without a care, she kissed Qin Ze's cheek with a loud smack.
Li Zemin's face darkened. Qin Baobao was his goddess. Who could tolerate seeing their goddess kiss another man?
"The young man can write lyrics and compose music? That's rare. How about doing one on the spot?"
Qin Ze did not answer.
"Forget it. We came out to sing and have fun. Writing lyrics and composing music was just a joke. Young man, what song do you want to sing?"
Qin Baobao defended him like a mother protecting her calf. "He really can write songs."
It would have been better if she had said nothing. The moment she spoke, she drew even more resentment toward Qin Ze.
"Bao Bao, I really don't believe it. Could your friend actually be a lyricist and composer?" Li Zemin snorted twice. "I'm not asking him to write lyrics and compose music on the spot. If he can sing 'Unrivaled Under Heaven' again, I'll be impressed."
Chu Feng immediately said, "President Li, with your masterpiece before us, who would dare make a fool of themselves?"
Director Xu said, "Exactly, exactly. The young man should sing a song he wrote himself. At least that would be something new."
Qin Ze still said nothing.
Wang Zijing gave him a deeply disappointed look. "I was just joking with everyone. I made up the part about writing lyrics and composing music."
Qin Ze's calm face suddenly bloomed into a smile, though there was no warmth in it. "I happened to write a song a few days ago. I'll sing it for everyone."
A moment earlier, the system's notification had sounded in his mind:
Ding! Mission prompt: Show Off in Public (5/15). It's time to display your true skills. Go for it, brave host.
What kind of bullshit mission prompt was that? Go for it? Go for what? It didn't even give the most basic mission details.
But Qin Ze knew what he was supposed to "go for," because he had conducted a little experiment. The mission's activation condition was related to the desires in his heart, wasn't it? He had remained silent just now, actually suppressing himself and allowing his urge to slap them in the face to steadily intensify. Then, sure enough, the mission came.
The result of this little experiment was that Qin Ze could influence the mission to a certain extent.
I can suppress myself and indirectly trigger missions.
Holding the microphone, Qin Ze walked to the large screen. Wang Zijing and Qin Baobao suddenly high-fived, both wearing little fox-like smiles.
"Bao Bao, my provocation worked, right?"
"Not bad, not bad. Your sister will give you a verbal reward."
"But what if Qin Ze sings badly? That would be embarrassing."
"Who cares? Isn't a little brother supposed to block bullets and take the hits for his sister?"
"You don't like Li Zemin, so just say it."
"You can't say things like that directly. After all, Qinghong is my sister, and I have to give her some face. Miss Wang, you really don't understand social etiquette, do you?"
The two of them had tacitly set Qin Ze up.
Li Zemin selected "Unrivaled Under Heaven" again for Qin Ze to sing. The sonorous, powerful music began.
Everyone sat on the sofa, listening as Qin Ze opened his voice.
Li Zemin remained composed. He had put considerable effort into singing "Unrivaled Under Heaven." Over the years, whenever he went to karaoke, he always picked this song. He rarely encountered an opponent. Whenever he sang it, he immediately became the center of attention and basked in the spotlight.
In his eyes, Qin Ze trying to compete with him using this song was simply overestimating himself. In internet slang: asking to get slapped in the face.
The intro ended.
The song began.
Qin Ze closed his eyes, followed the music, and opened his throat:
"Following the gentle curves of the rising and falling rivers and mountains"
"Letting love race free across the Central Plains, the Northern Country, and Jiangnan"
"Facing ice blades, snow swords, wind, and rain, with passion as my companion"
"Cherishing the golden years Heaven has bestowed upon me"
Li Zemin froze.
Zhang Ya froze.
Chu Feng froze.
Chen Qinghong froze.
Qin Baobao froze as well.
Wang Zijing blinked, staring in astonishment at Qin Ze as he sang at the top of his lungs.
The moment Qin Ze opened his mouth, everyone was both confused and stunned.
What song was this?
This wasn't "Unrivaled Under Heaven" at all.
Before you continue