Graduation Party (3)

Below the stage, the giant loli Zheng Yanxi was already in tears. "Wasn't I the one who sat beside him? Could he... he... he..."

The song ended, its lingering notes echoing around the rafters!

Clap, clap, clap... The applause and cheers from the audience went on and on!

The veteran music producer excitedly said to his assistant, "After the party, forget about Zhao Xiaolei for now. Contact Chen Ze for me first. I have to sign him. He's an absolute treasure!"

After a moment's thought, he added, "Forget it, I'll go myself. It'd be terrible if someone else snatched him up!" His assistant looked utterly bewildered.

Judge A said to Chen Ze, "Did you really write that song yourself?"

"Yes!" Chen Ze said. It was a little shameless, but he had copied the song from his previous life, and there was no other way to explain where it had come from.

Judge B said, "I listened carefully to your song just now, and I noticed you used a unique technique while singing. Who taught you?"

"I just tinkered with it myself. I thought it sounded better that way," Chen Ze said offhandedly.

Anyway, I'm the first person to sing this way. I say I figured it out myself. Who agrees, and who objects?

Judge C said, "The lyrics are simple yet full of emotion. They don't seem like something someone your age could have written. Have you had some special experience?"

"Uh..." How was he supposed to answer that?

"Well... it's like this. We're about to graduate, and I have a lovely deskmate. I thought about all the little things we'd experienced together, and that's what inspired me to write the song."

Chen Ze offered the somewhat far-fetched explanation while screaming inwardly, Hurry up and give me a score! What are you asking all these pointless questions for? I didn't see you asking the others before!

Judge D said, "Chen Ze, your song moved me deeply. It reminded me of my own days as a student, and all those wonderful memories! Your singing was full of feeling. Although your singing skills are still a little rough, I believe you'll go much further in the future! My score for you is..."

With that, she raised a placard bearing the number 9.9! Screams erupted throughout the venue!

Judge D added, "9.9 is the highest score I can give. The remaining 0.1 is your room for improvement in the future!"

"Thank you, teacher!" Chen Ze bowed deeply!

The remaining judges also gave their scores: 9.8, 9.6, 9.7, 9.9, 9.8, and 9.8. After the two lowest scores and the highest score were dropped, Chen Ze's final score was 9.8!

Amid a wave of applause and screams, Chen Ze and Song Ruoli walked off the stage.

As time passed, the party finally drew to a close. No one who performed afterward received a higher score than Chen Ze and Song Ruoli.

"Now, let's invite everyone who performed tonight onto the stage!" With the host's announcement, the thrilling moment finally arrived!

"Now, please give a round of applause as we invite Principal Guo to present the prize to our champions!" the host called out excitedly!

The potbellied Principal Guo walked over carrying an envelope and a beautifully wrapped gift box, which he handed to Chen Ze and Song Ruoli respectively. The two of them also bowed excitedly to Principal Guo.

"Now, please welcome the dean of students to present the third-place prize..." the host continued.

Although Zhao Xiaolei had taken second place, he couldn't feel happy about it at all. The more pleased with himself he had been earlier, the more humiliated he felt now.

Although Chen Ze couldn't compare with Chen Ze, he had beaten several of the other campus beauties, so he had achieved his goal. After the party, he believed he should be able to return to his place on the campus beauty rankings. As for who would be pushed off the list, that was no concern of his.

Surrounded by their classmates from Class 052, the two left the stage.

"Ding~ Congratulations, host. You have completed the task and received 5 points to assign to any attribute and 10,000 empathy points."

"Ding~ Congratulations, host. You have completed the task and received 10 points to assign to any attribute and 50,000 empathy points. The rewards have been sent to your system inventory!"

"Ding~ Because the host used a credit loan, 75,000 empathy points have been deducted this time. The host currently owes this system 410,000 empathy points."

Hearing the system's voice for the first time in a while, Chen Ze said in delight, "I finally finished the tasks!" Then his face darkened. "You deducted every last point. You really didn't leave me anything!"

Earlier, Chen Ze had used a credit loan to buy "Advanced Singing" from the system, spending 500,000 empathy points.

System, put all my attribute points into constitution! Chen Chen said silently.

"Ding~ Adding points for the host. Estimated completion time: three days!"

"Adding fifteen points at once actually takes three days!" Chen Ze felt a warm current slowly transforming his constitution. He could sense his strength increasing and the weakness in his body fading. His overall vitality was also visibly improving.

"System, show me my personal status panel!" A panel slowly took shape in his mind.

Name: Chen Ze

Sex: male

Age: 18

Height: 173 cm

Figure: 50

Constitution: 60

Bearing: 60

Charm: 80 (outstanding)

Skills: view another person's information lv1, Advanced Singing

"Ruoli, do you want the 5,000 yuan or the laptop?" Chen Ze asked.

"I don't want either! It was all thanks to you, Chen Ze. I can't accept it!" Song Ruoli shook her head like a rattle drum.

"Then take the cash. I have a use for the laptop, so I'll take it with me!" Without giving her a chance to object, Chen Ze stuffed the envelope into her arms.

"No, I really can't take it!" Song Ruoli stuffed the envelope back into Chen Ze's hands. What a joke! How could she accept something from a boy? If she did, what would her classmates think of her? What would all the boys at school think of her?

Seeing that Song Ruoli absolutely refused to accept it, Chen Ze glanced at the classmates around them and said, "How about this? Why don't we use the money to take everyone in Class 052 out for a meal?"

"Yay!" The surrounding classmates all chimed in!

So the group went to a barbecue stall beside the school.

"Should we drink?"

"No, we can't drink!"

"Then let's get soft drinks!"

"Okay!"

The whole class filled several tables, and cheers rang out one after another.

The giant loli Zheng Yanxi sat beside Chen Ze, looking as if she wanted to say something but couldn't bring herself to. She stared straight at him.

"If you have something to say, just say it. Don't look at me like that." Chen Ze really couldn't stand the giant loli staring at him that way, so he turned to her.

"Chen Ze, do you like me?" the giant loli asked shyly in a quiet voice.

"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough!" Her words made Chen Ze choke and break into a fit of coughing.

"Little Yanxi, what gave you that idea?" Chen Ze asked.

"Th-the deskmate in that song you sang, 'My Deskmate,' isn't that me?" the giant loli said, her face turning slightly red.

"Well, I just made it up. Little Yanxi, don't get the wrong idea. I don't feel that way about you," Chen Ze hurriedly explained.

He went on, "Little Yanxi, the song can be about remembering a person, or it can be about remembering a period in your life. I didn't know it would give you the wrong idea. I'm sorry!"

"Is that so?" The giant loli's eyes turned red almost instantly, and tears fell with a patter.

"I read too much into it. I... I have something to do, so I'll be going!" As soon as she finished speaking, Zheng Yanxi ran off, her footsteps thudding. She didn't even have time to say goodbye to her classmates.

"Th-this giant loli hasn't fallen for me, has she?" Watching her retreating figure, Chen Ze felt a little troubled. It seemed he had unintentionally hurt another girl's feelings.

But I've always thought of you as a little sister! Chen Ze wailed inwardly. That really hadn't been his intention.

Having lived two lives, he was more mature than others his age. With the added influence of the values from his previous life, he couldn't possibly be so hasty in choosing a partner. There was no foundation of affection between him and Zheng Yanxi, and he couldn't possibly find a whole group of partners at an early age like the men of this world.

In this world, where women outnumbered men, some men even engaged in the business of "selling sperm."

Simply put, a woman would pay a man to get her pregnant. Once she was pregnant, the transaction was complete, and the man didn't have to concern himself with anything. Chen Ze had been shocked for a long time when he first learned of it!

The classmates beside them had also noticed what happened. Zheng Qiang said, "What happened to Zheng Yanxi? Why did she leave?"

"She said she had something to do and left early." That was the only answer Chen Ze could give.

After that, Chen Ze was no longer in the mood for barbecue. He handed the money to Song Ruoli, casually found an excuse, and slipped away.