21: Even the system couldn't stand it anymore.

Inside a luxurious private room at the Emperor Club.

Zhang Wei held the microphone, passionately singing Jay Chou's “Back to the Past.” As he sang, Zhang Wei's gaze intentionally or unintentionally drifted towards Zhu Xinyao.

Jay Chou was considered the eternal idol in the hearts of female university students of that era. Zhang Wei, having dated Zhu Xinyao for a while, naturally knew that she liked Jay Chou during her university days. Therefore, he specifically chose this song, subtly hinting that he wished to return to the past with Zhu Xinyao and rekindle their old flame.

However, to Zhang Wei's disappointment, Zhu Xinyao was currently sitting close to Qin Shou, with a faint hint of displeasure on her face, still sulking over Qin Shou's cold attitude. She didn't even spare a glance for the self-absorbed Zhang Wei.

Ever since they entered the KTV room, Zhu Xinyao had actively sat beside Qin Shou and initiated conversation with him. But Qin Shou remained unresponsive; no matter how she tried to show him favor, his replies were extremely cold, and his expression was indifferent.

Yet, it must be said, the colder Qin Shou acted, the more Zhu Xinyao found an indescribable charm emanating from him. Her competitive spirit was fully ignited, and she increasingly wanted to attract Qin Shou's attention, wanting to re-conquer this 'simp' who had once been so obedient to her.

So, even though Zhang Wei sang his heart out on stage, Zhu Xinyao had no intention of listening. She didn't even look at Zhang Wei; her attention was completely focused on Qin Shou.

To be fair, Zhang Wei had some skill to participate in the Campus Star singing competition. His singing was indeed good, with accurate pitch and rhythm, earning him a round of enthusiastic applause.

“Great! brother wei sang so wonderfully! It's almost comparable to the original! He truly is our Campus King of Songs from back then!”

Zhang Hui, Le Xiang, and a few other sycophants immediately seized the opportunity, like they were injected with chicken blood, showering him with a string of nauseating compliments. He had merely won a 'consolation prize' back then, but these two exaggeratedly hailed him as the Campus King of Songs.

“Hehe, you flatter me, you flatter me. I haven't really sung properly in so many years, my skill is not what it used to be, a bit rusty.”

Upon hearing the praise, Zhang Wei's face showed a smile that was both smug and feigned humility. In his heart, however, he was overjoyed, his vanity greatly satisfied.

“brother wei, don't be so modest! You sing so well, it's professional level! If you ask me, how about a duet love song! I remember Yaoyao used to be our 'KTV Queen' in the girls' dorm too. She especially loves Jay Chou, so why don't you two sing a duet to liven things up for us, what do you say?”

Zhang Hui naturally didn't forget Zhang Wei's earlier instructions to her outside the private room. She immediately seized the chance, strongly urging Zhang Wei and Zhu Xinyao to sing a love song duet.

“Yes, yes, sing one, sing one! A duet between brother wei and Yaoyao, that would definitely be the biggest treat tonight! We all really want to hear it!”

Most of the others present, also wanting to curry favor with the wealthy Second-generation rich Zhang Wei, naturally joined in the clamor, hoping to gain his goodwill through this opportunity.

“Ah—! I'll pass! Whoever wants to sing can sing, I don't really feel like singing today, my throat is a bit uncomfortable.”

Seeing this, Zhu Xinyao waved her hands repeatedly, refusing.

At this moment, Zhu Xinyao's mind was completely on Qin Shou. All her thoughts were focused on him, fearing that singing a duet with Zhang Wei might cause Qin Shou to misunderstand, or make him think she still had feelings for Zhang Wei. She chose to refuse without hesitation.

“Yaoyao, don't be such a spoilsport! It's rare for everyone to be in such high spirits, and it's everyone's shared wish. Just give everyone some face and sing one song!”

As Zhu Xinyao's 'good best friend,' since she had taken Zhang Wei's money, Zhang Hui naturally had to do her best, so she immediately spared no effort in persuading her.

“Exactly, Yaoyao! It's rare for our brother wei to be in such high spirits today! And I remember you two were an enviable couple back in university. Now that everyone is single again, singing a love song together can be a perfect ending to our youth, letting everyone reminisce about the good old days, how wonderful!”

Le Xiang also followed closely, adding fuel to the fire with his persuasion.

“Yes, Yaoyao, I remember you especially liked Jay Chou's 'Rooftop' back then. How about we sing 'Rooftop' together?”

Zhang Wei also struck while the iron was hot, looking at Zhu Xinyao expectantly, full of hope.

“This...”

Zhu Xinyao felt a little swayed hearing so many people trying to persuade her. She hesitated, looking at Qin Shou beside her, wanting to see his reaction. She saw that beneath Qin Shou's handsome profile was an extremely indifferent expression. He seemed completely oblivious to everything happening around him, quietly cracking sunflower seeds by himself.

“Hmph! What's with the calm act? I don't believe you truly don't care about me at all!”

Seeing Qin Shou's cold reaction, the stubbornness deep within Zhu Xinyao surged up again. She secretly gritted her teeth, feeling a rebellious urge, wanting to deliberately provoke Qin Shou to see if he truly had no feelings for her left.

“Alright, then I'll sing one song, just one.”

After saying this, Zhu Xinyao immediately turned to look at Qin Shou, only to see that he still had a calm expression. Her eyes dimmed, and she secretly sighed, wondering if she truly had no charm left for him.

“Great! This is wonderful! Zhang Wei, why are you still standing there? Hurry up and hand the microphone to our Yaoyao! Honestly, you have no common sense!”

Zhang Hui, seeing that Zhu Xinyao had finally agreed, immediately clapped her hands excitedly.

“Hehe, coming, coming, Yaoyao, here's the microphone!”

Upon hearing Zhu Xinyao agree to sing a duet, Zhang Wei was overjoyed. He immediately scurried over, diligently handing the microphone in his hand to Zhu Xinyao.

As the music started, Zhu Xinyao deliberately stood very close to Zhang Wei to provoke Qin Shou. However, even so, with Zhang Wei now sporting a large beer belly, standing next to the sexy and slender Zhu Xinyao, the scene looked extremely uncoordinated, truly lacking any 'couple' vibe. Zhu Xinyao felt a bit of disgust for Zhang Wei, who now only knew how to flaunt his wealth. But she still suppressed her discomfort, forcing a faint smile on her face.

Zhang Wei, however, was thoroughly enjoying it, completely immersed in the joy of singing a duet with his goddess, completely oblivious to Zhu Xinyao's subtle changes in expression.

He looked at Qin Shou with an arrogant expression, his pompous demeanor almost as if he was riding on his face. He thought to himself, “You dare to snatch my goddess, you stinking loser, why don't you pee and look at yourself in the reflection! Do you even deserve her?”

[Ding! The system detects that the host harbors resentment towards his first love and is being provoked by a pretentious show-off, severely impacting the host's physical and mental health. A temporary mission is hereby issued: Win over your first love goddess, Zhu Xinyao, and thoroughly slap the face of the pretentious show-off, Zhang Wei. To assist the host in completing the mission, a Profound-tier skill 'God of Song' is granted. With a single song, it can instantly captivate countless beautiful maidens.]

“What the heck! It's even giving out skills? It seems I have to make a move today even if I don't want to! Since the system can't stand it anymore, I'll just have to reluctantly curb this show-off's arrogance.”

Qin Shou felt a bit speechless when he heard the system's prompt. He hadn't expected the system to 'help' him in such a way. However, since there was a free skill to be gained, and he could also teach that pretentious show-off Zhang Wei a lesson, Qin Shou was naturally happy to do so.