Chapter 35: Do Not Meet Someone Too Breathtaking in Your Youth

In a lavish, black-and-gold themed private suite, a man in a loose T-shirt sat in the center of the sofa. His clothes were common high-end brands, but the Royal Oak watch on his wrist and the two attractive, well-built female companions beside him clearly signaled his wealth. These women were likely not professional hostesses from the club, but minor internet influencers. In truth, there wasn't much difference; these influencers often took the initiative to socialize with wealthy men they encountered, and if the situation was favorable, they would readily engage. This often led to the reality that while other women their age were already raising children, these influencers were still busy indulging in more illicit appetites.

Besides the influencers and hostesses, there were two other men in the room. One was dressed quite trendily—Lu Yao had a vague impression of him, perhaps as a former star performer at NFA. The other was far more ordinary, likely a lackey under the boss of ST.

Seeing Zhu Junyan lead Lu Yao and the others inside, the young boss of ST immediately rose to greet them: "Welcome, welcome! Everyone here tonight is a friend! Make yourselves at home!"

The young boss seemed intent on controlling the room's energy, but Zhu Junyan stepped in immediately, smiling, "Let me introduce everyone."

Zhu Junyan first introduced Rong Nianqing and Gan Xiaoxi, then Jian Xiaojie, Ms. Wang, and finally, Lu Yao. Upon hearing Rong Nianqing’s name, the ST boss visibly froze for a moment.

Zhu Junyan continued, "This is the boss of ST, Liu Da." He then gestured to the plain-looking man beside him. "This is Boss Liu’s good brother, Zhang Wei, and the current star singer of ST, Wang Hao."

Wang Hao nodded at the group with a haughty air, while Zhang Wei offered a fawning, enthusiastic greeting. Once the introductions were over, Zhu Junyan took charge, ushering everyone to their seats. People began ordering drinks and songs, and the spacious, opulent room quickly became lively. The influencers and hostesses were particularly skilled at maintaining the atmosphere—a basic requirement in such high-end commercial karaoke venues.

As the mood grew vibrant, Zhu Junyan pulled Liu Da aside. "Whether tonight works out or not, keep things polite."

Liu Da gasped, sucking in a cold breath. "Is it really that family?"

Seeing Zhu Junyan nod, Liu Da scratched his head. "I don't get it! Why would that family show up?" Before reaching out to Lu Yao, both men had done their background checks. Lu Yao appeared to be an ordinary guy with an average background who had simply latched onto a wealthy woman.

Was it worth such a grand display just to satisfy a fickle appetite?

Zhu Junyan felt a headache coming on. "Perhaps the young man truly has some special talent." Women were, after all, emotional creatures. Even Eileen Chang once said, "The fastest road to a woman's heart is through that path." What if the kid was a modern-day Lao Ai?

Liu Da was incredulous. "Lao Ai only had to deal with one! Can he handle all of them by himself?"

Zhu Junyan sighed, "Didn't Rasputin have that same ability back in the days of the Tsar?"

Liu Da fell silent.

With Zhu Junyan’s warning, Liu Da suppressed many of the tactics he had originally planned. Instead, he approached Lu Yao’s group with a smile, blowing off steam, drinking, and playing games. Because Rong Nianqing was present, Liu Da even volunteered to sing a song to show his hospitality. Although he was the host, he was jumping around so much it looked like he was the one working there. His singing, however, was truly abysmal.

Before he could finish, Jian Xiaojie shooed him away. She leaned into Lu Yao, purring, "Lu Yao, show them what you've got!" As she spoke, she began to flirt, her hand slipping inside Lu Yao’s shirt.

Ms. Wang’s eyelids twitched as she watched from the side. However, since they were relying on Jian Xiaojie’s connections to anchor the night, she silently pulled out her phone and opened her notes: "Date: Today. Milk-cleanser girl tried to cop a feel of Lu Yao. I’m keeping score!"

Lu Yao quickly disentangled himself from Jian Xiaojie and said, "My songs haven't been released yet, so they aren't in the system. How about I sing a cappella?"

Jian Xiaojie propped her chin on her hand, blinking up at him. "Can you play and sing?"

Lu Yao had learned that during his training at NFA. However, his two publicly performed songs weren't well-suited for guitar accompaniment. After a moment's thought, he said, "As it happens, I have a new song I haven't performed yet. I’ll make a fool of myself for you all today."

"Yay!" Jian Xiaojie led the applause.

Boss Liu Da immediately summoned a waiter to fetch a guitar, and Lu Yao asked for a harmonica as well. The difference between high-end venues and ordinary ones showed in that moment: they actually kept musical instruments on hand, and high-quality ones at that.

Lu Yao tuned the guitar, clipped the harmonica to the mic stand, and took his place on the stage. He leaned into the microphone. "This song was inspired by recent feelings. I call it 'Don't Meet Someone Too Stunning When You Are Young.'"

The title was intriguing. Even Rong Nianqing and Gan Xiaoxi looked toward Lu Yao with curiosity. Lu Yao played the harmonica first, a melodic and haunting tune drifting through the suite. A moment later, he began to strum the guitar and sang softly:

"I have never seen a village where the aurora appears, nor have I seen anyone setting off fireworks in the dead of night."

"The evening stars are like your eyes, burning and killing; you said nothing, and the wild wind disturbed me..."

The imagery-rich lyrics painted a picture of a stunning first encounter. The technique... Rong Nianqing, dressed in a sharp, black, androgynous outfit, raised an eyebrow, looking at Lu Yao with surprise. She hadn't expected this "kept man" to possess such talent. Gan Xiaoxi looked at Rong Nianqing in astonishment, her wide, glistening eyes resembling a deer in the forest.

"Three thousand miles away, I happened to see you; on the roadside, a dress fluttered in the wind."

"Under the lights, the dawn shook off, on a certain day in a certain month of 2013..."

Under his lyrical, almost chant-like delivery, everyone in the room seemed transported to a specific scene. The stunning beauty of that first meeting seemed to manifest before their eyes. For others, it was mere immersion, but for Ms. Wang, Lu Yao was singing her memories.

That night, she had received his message and risked driving while drunk to see him. And that night... they had met on the side of the road, and she had been wearing a dark red dress.

So, was this song written for her? But why was the underlying tone so mournful, even tragic? Unconsciously, the buried memories in her heart began to overlap with the Lu Yao before her... her eyes gradually grew moist.

"If you have time, come and see me. See how the heavy snow ages, and how my eyes melt away."

"If you see me, please turn away and be surprised; I fear my tears and my white hair are like a shameful joke."

As Lu Yao finished those lines and transitioned into a guitar solo, Ms. Wang fought back the ache in her heart, apologized, stood up, and hurried out of the room.