Astonishing the Entire Room

Chapter 4

The staff handling the Imperial Palace omega coming-of-age gala were mostly young betas.

Every omega guest invited to the ceremony was accompanied throughout by a dedicated beta staff member.

On the day the guest list was finalized, Aili also received the profile of the omega guest she would be responsible for welcoming.

Unlike the other omegas turning eighteen this year, the guest assigned to her, Ye Nanxun, was nineteen.

At first, she thought there had been a mistake. Only after checking with her supervisor did she learn that this guest had missed the Imperial Palace coming-of-age ceremony last year due to illness.

The omega in the photograph was already stunning enough, but when she saw him in person, Aili was once again shocked by his beauty.

The photograph had given no indication that this young, elegant omega was actually so tall.

The white and sapphire-blue ceremonial attire flowed with magnificent, dazzling radiance beneath the night sky. Yet on the tall, straight-backed omega, its brilliance was firmly overshadowed by his own beauty and nobility.

It was not just the splendor of his clothes. Every light in the venue seemed to fade into blurred patches of color.

Only the omega standing before her remained clear and luminous.

The force of confronting such beauty head-on made her head spin. Fortunately, Aili was a sufficiently professional Imperial Palace staff member.

She quickly composed herself and gave the omega a gentle, warm, polite smile. "Hello, Mr. Ye. My name is Aili, and I'll be responsible for assisting you throughout today's ceremony. If you need anything, just let me know. It's too cold outside, so let's head in first!"

"Alright, Aili. Thank you," Ye Nanxun said.

As they walked inside, Aili introduced the upcoming ceremony's schedule to Ye Nanxun.

Ye Nanxun did not speak much, but he softly responded after each of Aili's explanations.

"This is the program. Before the ball begins, I'll take you to where you'll play the piano. There's still some time before the ball, so you can have something to eat in the lounge."

"Thank you."

Aili suddenly smiled. "Don't be nervous. This is your evening. Enjoy tonight's food and music to the fullest."

Ye Nanxun had already tried his best to conceal his nervousness, yet she had still seen through him.

Feeling Aili's friendliness and kindness, Ye Nanxun's taut nerves relaxed slightly.

He nodded, a trace of warmth surfacing in his eyes. "I will."

The ball had yet to begin, but the guests had already taken their seats one after another.

On a platform at the upper right of the dance floor, the Royal Orchestra performed magnificent pieces live.

In addition to the seats surrounding the dance floor, private boxes had been set up on the second floor of the hall.

The omegas participating in the coming-of-age ceremony had not yet appeared. While drinking and chatting, most guests occasionally turned their gazes toward the second-floor boxes.

The second-floor boxes were not necessarily occupied, but anyone seated inside was undoubtedly among those at the pinnacle of power and wealth in Dream City.

Ji Yunqi lowered his head to look at the watch on his wrist. "Why hasn't His Majesty arrived yet? The ball is about to begin."

Song Ren, who was pouring wine, said, "Those omegas are too young. His Majesty probably can't bring himself to make a move."

Zhu Yucheng sat beside a refined, scholarly alpha. As he attentively poured him juice, he pointed toward the performance stage below. "Professor Jiang, once the orchestra leaves and the ball begins, any omega who didn't sign up to dance will perform music there."

Most omegas generally chose to dance. However, some did not enjoy dancing or did not have a partner they liked, so they could choose to perform onstage instead.

But the performance stage was positioned at the upper right of the dance floor, tucked away and far less conspicuous than the dance floor itself.

Not a single person had chosen to perform at the previous three Imperial Palace omega coming-of-age ceremonies. This year, only one omega would take the stage to accompany the dancing.

Just as Zhu Yucheng finished speaking, waves of applause rose from below, and the orchestra members on the stage began leaving one after another.

Jiang Yuenian watched the stage intently. The conductor leading today's orchestra was one of his students. After the omega finished performing a piece, the orchestra would return to the stage.

He had mainly come at his student's invitation. As for the omega's solo performance, Jiang Yuenian had not held much expectation.

The lights in the hall gradually dimmed. A tall silhouette could vaguely be seen on the accompaniment stage, standing straight and walking steadily before sitting down at the piano.

Ji Yunqi raised his voice. Bracing one hand against his right knee, he leaned forward slightly as he looked at the blurred figure on the stage. "That height is rare among omegas. Could his spiritual power level be SS?"

"An SS-level omega?" Song Ren paused with his wineglass at his lips. "There is one omega with SS-level spiritual power turning eighteen this year, but he isn't as tall as that person."

"Could there be a second SS-level omega coming of age this year?" Zhu Yucheng raised an eyebrow. "How come I've never heard of him?"

On the performance stage, a beam of light shone diagonally from behind onto Ye Nanxun.

At the same time, slender fingers gently pressed the keys.

Amid the soothing, graceful piano music, young omegas arm in arm with their dance partners emerged from behind the doors and, under the lights and applause, made their way one by one toward the dance floor in the center of the hall.

Applause rang throughout the hall, but the few people in the second-floor boxes were not watching the young omegas dancing gracefully on the floor.

"So beautiful." Watching Ye Nanxun play the piano, Jiang Yuenian suddenly said this.

Zhu Yucheng, who had been gazing at Professor Jiang's profile in rapt admiration, instantly furrowed his brows. Quite displeased, he looked toward Ye Nanxun with hostility.

"What's beautiful about—alright, fine, he is a little beautiful. But Professor Jiang, how can you praise someone else for being beautiful right in front of your husband?" Zhu Yucheng's jealousy had completely boiled over.

Jiang Yuenian glanced at the alpha beside him, who reeked of jealousy, and laughed. "I meant that his piano playing is beautiful."

Song Ren said, "For Professor Jiang to praise him personally, this omega's piano skills must indeed be exceptional."

"His playing is beautiful, and he really is beautiful too." Ji Yunqi raised a hand and swiped through the air, and a light screen appeared before them.

Ye Nanxun, nineteen years old.

Male, SS-level omega.

"Ye Nanxun? That name is unfamiliar." Zhu Yucheng said. "I never expected Dream City to have an SS-level omega hidden so deeply. But why is he nineteen?"

When the piece ended, Ye Nanxun rose and bowed in thanks.

Seeing several people approaching with roses in their hands, Ye Nanxun did not hesitate in the slightest. He turned around and left the hall with Aili, who had been waiting nearby.

In the lounge, the young omega who had just played the piano onstage sat quietly on the sofa, holding a cup of warm water.

"These are flowers sent by the guests. They really want to meet you, but if you don't wish to see them, that's fine too. I'll handle it."

Aili had brought in quite a few flowers from outside. He had only played one piano piece briefly at the ball, yet the young omega seated before the piano had attracted the attention of so many people.

Those who sent flowers included not only alphas, but also omegas and betas.

Human appreciation for beauty and music had never been limited by gender.

His hands holding the cup struggled to suppress their slight tremble. Ye Nanxun returned her a faint smile. "Mm, thank you for the trouble, Aili."

Aili readily said, "Then I'll head out. You can contact me if anything comes up. If you don't want to stay in the hall, you can also take a walk in the garden."