This One I Truly Like

Knock, knock, knock!

Hearing the sound, Hong Ran smiled and said, "Yuqing is here, come in!"

Su Yang looked at Qin Su: "Susu, pause it for me for a second."

"Okay."

Click. The private room door opened, and a tall, slender girl walked in.

This was Hong Ran's friend, He Yuqing. She had long black hair, delicate makeup, fair skin, and refined features.

She wore a black off-shoulder tube top, paired with a denim skirt, and black strappy heels on her feet.

Because she was already tall, combined with the heels, her legs looked as if they had a long-leg filter applied — long and straight.

"Hello~ Ranran." He Yuqing waved at Hong Ran, who was sitting near the door, with a beaming smile.

"You're here."

"Yeah. Are you guys just the three of you?"

"A few more haven't arrived yet. Come on, let me introduce you." Hong Ran pulled He Yuqing and looked toward Su Yang, who was sitting in the middle of the sofa.

"Whoa, who's this handsome guy?!" He Yuqing's eyes lit up the moment she saw Su Yang.

Actually, when Hong Ran had texted her earlier to invite her out, she'd already mentioned that there would be a total hottie tonight.

At first, He Yuqing couldn't have cared less. Mainly because she wasn't that young anymore — she was 26, had been in several relationships, and had seen plenty of handsome guys. So just talking about it didn't interest her at all.

But when Hong Ran directly said this guy was on par with the Yan Zu and Guan Xi level of handsomeness, she finally agreed.

And so, she naturally went all out getting ready. She rarely dressed like this, only when there was a good-looking guy in the mix.

The moment she saw him, her throat moved as she couldn't help but swallow.

"This is the super handsome guy I told you about — Su Yang!" Hong Ran looked at Su Yang and introduced him with a smile.

Su Yang stood up and nodded: "Hello, beautiful. What's your name?"

"Um... you can call me... call me." He Yuqing had a habit — when she first met a guy she was especially into, she'd get nervous and her speech would become a bit clumsy.

Hong Ran naturally knew this. She tugged He Yuqing and laughed: "Her name is He Yuqing, she's my bestie."

"Got it. So should I call her—"

"Just call her Yuqing."

"OK." Su Yang smiled faintly and called out in his head.

— Activate.

[He Yuqing, Age: 26]

[Height: 168cm]

[Weight: 50kg]

[Looks: 86]

[Figure: 85]

[Relationships: 4, Single]

[Body Count: 2]

[Traits: Extrovert, talkative, loves going full throttle]

— Hmm, about what I expected. Solidly a great beauty, but not quite goddess level.

For looks, Su Yang had his own grading system.

75 to 79 was a regular pretty girl, 80 to 84 was a very nice beauty, 85 to 89 was a stunning beauty, 90 to 94 was a goddess, and 95 and above was rare perfection.

Currently, only a few had ever gone above 95.

— Pretty good anyway. At least it's pleasant to look at.

He Yuqing gave an awkward little laugh: "S-sorry about that, Su Yang, handsome."

"No worries, have a seat."

Just then, Qin Su looked at He Yuqing and waved: "Hello Yuqing, we've met before."

He Yuqing smiled lightly: "You're Qin Su, right? I remember you."

"That's right."

With that, He Yuqing sat down next to Hong Ran, and the two began chatting quietly.

Su Yang sat back down and looked at Qin Su: "Susu, you can play it now."

"Alright."

Qin Su restarted the song, and the intro came to a quick end.

Su Yang picked up the microphone and began to sing.

— I'm sad, because I've been pent up for too long...

The moment his voice came out, the three girls who had been chatting instantly looked up at him.

[Ding, Host has been detected casually showing off a little. Mood lifted. Reward: 3,000,000]

Su Yang was already used to the system's constant notification sounds.

He wasn't affected and kept singing, while the three beside him stared at him with furrowed brows, their faces full of disbelief.

His voice right now sounded incredibly similar to Jay Chou, but listening more closely, it was different — it had more of his own unique tone mixed in.

It felt like adding an extra buff on top of the original version — it sounded fantastic.

Although Jay Chou's songs are notoriously hard to sing, Su Yang handled it with ease. It was like he was the original singer of the song.

Qin Su's mouth hung open as she stared blankly at Su Yang.

Hong Ran was in complete shock, while He Yuqing looked completely entranced. She'd already been blown away by Su Yang's looks, and now with his enchanting voice...

Her heart suddenly raced. She felt like she was falling for him at first sight. This night was definitely worth it.

Soon came the chorus, and Su Yang raised his pitch.

— I don't understand your dark humor!

The moment those lyrics hit, goosebumps spread across the three girls' skin.

Through the entire chorus, he switched flawlessly between chest voice and falsetto, and there wasn't even a trace of breath noise.

Breath control like that is extremely hard even for professional singers. Only a select few can pull it off.

The song quickly reached the final chorus. By now, the three of them were completely dumbstruck, frozen as if paused.

Su Yang raised the pitch slightly above the original key, soared through the highest climax, and then immediately brought it down gently for the last two lines.

The song ended. He let out a soft breath, set down the mic, and looked at the three girls beside him.

All three of them had the exact same expression, their mouths slightly open, as if their souls had been sucked away.

Su Yang tilted his head and waved his hand in front of them: "Hey! What's up with you guys?"

"Huh?" Qin Su snapped out of it first. She looked at Su Yang and smacked her lips: "You... you're this good at singing?"

"It's mainly because I really love this song. I've practiced it a lot, so I'm pretty familiar with it."

At that point, Hong Ran and He Yuqing returned to their bodies.

Hong Ran clapped her hands, applauding as she looked at him with admiration: "Great, great! Is this what you call not going off-key? Damn, this is the best version of 'Dark Humor' I've ever heard other than the original."

He Yuqing nodded with a sweet smile: "Exactly. I even think it sounds better than the original."

"Not at all, not at all. This is peak Jay Chou — no one can surpass that." Su Yang smiled and picked up a piece of fruit with a fork, popping it into his mouth.

"Still being modest. Your level here completely surpasses professional singers. I was listening carefully earlier — not a trace of breath sound, smooth falsetto transitions, and you can belt high notes too! Amazing!" Hong Ran didn't hold back on the praise.

"Ranran, does he have a girlfriend?" He Yuqing suddenly leaned close to Hong Ran's ear and whispered.

Hong Ran shook her head: "No idea. Why, you interested again?"

He Yuqing bit her lip: "This one, I genuinely like!"

"Don't even think about it. He's Susu's friend, and Susu hasn't said anything yet."

He Yuqing tilted her head and stole a glance at Su Yang: "I don't care. I'm going to try!"

Hong Ran sighed helplessly: "I don't think you've got a chance. He and Susu clearly like each other. Don't go making trouble for yourself."

......