Chapter 140:的声音 Celestial Melody

At that moment, Lu Ming looked at Futu and asked, "What on earth is this all about?"

Futu replied respectfully, "Since Mr. Lu has arrived, it is only proper for us to welcome you."

Lu Ming shook his head and walked straight ahead.

Futu's grand display had drawn the curious glances of a large crowd outside. Feeling somewhat unaccustomed to such fanfare, Lu Ming quickly led Huo Yutong and the others inside the summit establishment.

Futu hurried to follow, personally acting as an attendant to guide Lu Ming and his group to the most luxurious Supreme Private Suite on the third floor's karaoke lounge.

As soon as they stepped inside, Lu Ming and the others were left awestruck by the interior decoration.

The private room spanned over a thousand square meters. Dreamy starlight-blue lighting filled the entire dome ceiling, exuding a futuristic aesthetic. There were holographic projection screens and a central spatial audio pickup system—no microphones were in sight; guests simply had to stand on the central stage to start singing. The projection-based three-dimensional song selection system responded instantly to a mere wave of the hand.

Eight attendants dressed in princess gowns were kneeling on the floor. Upon seeing Lu Ming and the others enter, they bowed in unison and called out, "Welcome, we are at your honorable service."

Lu Ming frowned and sat down on the sofa.

The attendants began kneeling on the floor to open drinks for everyone. Within moments, more than a dozen expensive bottles of imported liquor, including Rémy Martin, Martell, and Louis XIII, were uncorked and placed on the table.

Various rare fruits were crafted into exquisite platters and presented before them. All of this was accomplished while the eight attendants remained on their knees.

At this point, Lu Ming said to Futu, "Have them leave."

Lu Ming was truly unaccustomed to this level of service.

Upon seeing this, Futu quickly waved his hand. The eight attendants bowed, walked backward on their knees to the doorway, and only then stood up to leave.

Then Lu Ming spoke again, "Alright, you can go out too. We'll manage on our own and call you if we need anything."

Futu nodded, turned around, and stepped outside, gently closing the door before standing rigidly at the entrance like a javelin.

As soon as Futu and the others left, Qin Lan and the others immediately loosened up, heading over to select songs one after another. Even Huo Yutong joined in.

Only A Duo sat quietly to the side, looking around with wide-eyed amazement at the luxurious decorations of the private room.

Meanwhile, Niwa Miwa walked up behind Lu Ming, placing her hands on his shoulders to gently massage them.

After selecting the songs, Qin Lan went first.

Qin Lan's voice had a slightly neutral and husky tone. Though her singing skills were ordinary, she won warm applause from everyone after finishing the song.

As soon as she finished, Qin Lan immediately came over to challenge Lu Ming to a drinking contest, filling two large crystal glasses to the brim with Louis XIII.

"Come on, today I'm going to knock you flat," Qin Lan declared with unmatched boldness.

Lu Ming burst into a hearty laugh and asked, "Are you sure?"

"Damn it, you think I'm afraid of you? Bring it on." Although Qin Lan knew Lu Ming had a formidable capacity for alcohol, she showed no sign of weakness and immediately issued the challenge.

Seeing how stubborn Qin Lan was being, Lu Ming picked up his crystal glass and drank it down in one go.

Seeing this, Qin Lan showed no weakness either, downing hers in a single breath before immediately filling the cups for a second round.

At that moment, Huo Yutong began to sing. Seeing Qin Lan and Lu Ming locked in a drinking duel, Yun Ketian rushed over, poured himself a glass, and said to Lu Ming, "Brother Lu, I'll toast you."

Lu Ming chuckled, picked up his glass, and drained it.

Yun Ketian frowned and similarly chugged his down in one gulp.

Yun Ketian's alcohol tolerance was passable, but three large glasses in, his face was already flushed, and his tongue was starting to loosen up.

Foreign liquor might not taste overly burning, but its lingering strength was by no means inferior to traditional hard liquor. Three large glasses down, Yun Ketian was already reaching his limit.

Qin Lan was faring a bit better; apart from a slightly flushed face, she showed no abnormal signs and kept insisting on clinking glasses with Lu Ming.

Lu Ming's expression, however, remained completely unchanged. Even with Yun Ketian and Qin Lan teaming up, they were evidently no match for him.

Unwilling to admit defeat, the two of them rested for a moment before picking up their glasses again. Lu Ming, naturally welcoming all comers, resumed the contest with them.

By then, Huo Yutong had finished her song and glanced at the group, prompting Lu Ming and the others to applaud heartily.

Huo Yutong then noticed A Duo sitting alone to the side. Turning around, she selected a familiar folk song from the Miao region and pulled A Duo onto the center stage.

A Duo looked nervous, twisting the hem of her clothes and looking at a loss for what to do.

"Don't be afraid, there are no outsiders here. People from your hometown should all know how to sing this song," Huo Yutong encouraged.

A Duo nodded shyly.

Then, music imbued with a strong ethnic flavor began to play. It was indeed a well-known tune that A Duo had known since childhood, and the moment the melody started, she began to sing involuntarily.

The instant A Duo sang the first line, Lu Ming and the others instantly stopped their drinking contest, staring dumbfounded at the shy girl on the stage.

Huo Yutong's jaw dropped in utter astonishment.

The voice of an angel!

A Duo's voice carried a crisp yet remarkably piercing quality. Though not loud, it possessed an immense infectious charm. Enhanced by the world-class acoustics of the private room, she sounded like a genuine lark singing joyfully through the forest—her pristine voice completely free of any impurities.

The group sat transfixed, staring at A Duo in sheer shock. Unaware of their reaction, A Duo simply followed the rhythm, gazing at the screen before her as she sang.

When A Duo finished the song, everyone remained in a daze, completely immersed in her pure, flawless vocals.

Turning around, A Duo saw their expressions and assumed she had sung poorly. She lowered her head and ran to a corner of the sofa, burying her face.

After a long while, Lu Ming and the others finally snapped out of it. They walked over to A Duo one by one, staring at her unblinkingly as if they had discovered some mythical creature.

A Duo looked up hesitantly and, seeing everyone staring at her, quickly apologized with embarrassment, "I know I didn't sing well, please don't make fun of me."

Looking at the pitiful A Duo, Lu Ming sighed, "It's not that you didn't sing well—you sang remarkably well."

With that, Lu Ming took the lead in applauding, and the others quickly joined in, showering A Duo with the warmest ovation.

After a long time, the applause finally died down, and Huo Yutong asked, "A Duo, did you really not know you have such a wonderful singing voice?"

A Duo shook her head and replied, "I just liked to sing when I was little. After growing up, I was busy working and didn't sing much anymore."

"What a pity, such a rare talent just left buried like this," Huo Yutong said with deep regret.

A Duo's vocal quality was completely natural, bright, and pure. With just a little training, she could undoubtedly become an international-level singer; everyone who had heard her sing shared this absolute confidence.

Qin Lan and Yun Ketian also praised, "How many of today's popular pop stars actually rely on genuine skill to make a hit song? It's all post-production editing. A voice like A Duo's is truly a rarity."

At this moment, Lu Ming paced back and forth for a moment before saying to Huo Yutong, "It looks like training A Duo at your company might not work out after all."

Huo Yutong smiled and said, "That's fine. We certainly mustn't let me stand in the way of a future superstar."

Lu Ming nodded, beginning to ponder how to arrange A Duo's future.

A Duo's singing talent was innate and extraordinarily precious; it must never be wasted. What she lacked now were vocal techniques and professional methods. Once she found a good teacher, it wouldn't take long before she made a stunning debut.

After mulling it over, Lu Ming realized he didn't personally know any prestigious music teachers, and such a matter could not be rushed—it had to be handled slowly and carefully.

Consequently, Lu Ming said, "Let's not rush this for now. I'll ask around for a good teacher before making a decision."

Everyone nodded in agreement. There was no urgent rush anyway; with A Duo's natural gifts and their support, making a name for herself was only a matter of time.

At that point, everyone began clamoring for A Duo to sing another song, eager to hear her heavenly voice once more.

A Duo, however, shook her head shyly, indicating she didn't know any other songs, which left everyone deeply disappointed.

Reluctant to give up, Huo Yutong selected the previous song again, hoping A Duo would sing it one more time, but A Duo looked nervous and refused to step back onto the stage no matter what.

Realizing they might have been too pushy, the group remembered A Duo was still just a young girl and decided not to frighten her further, temporarily dropping the subject.

Just then, Lu Ming's phone rang. Pulling it out, he saw it was a call from Yun Shengguo.

Lu Ming muttered, "Isn't it supposed to be tomorrow? Why are they in such a rush?"

With that, Lu Ming answered the call.

As soon as the line connected, Yun Shengguo's anxious voice came through the receiver.

"This is terrible, Mr. Lu! The Dragon's Head has been stolen!"

Lu Ming was instantly startled. The Dragon's Head was kept under heavily guarded security at Yun Shengguo's place—how could it possibly have been stolen? Furthermore, tomorrow was the day the grand celebration was set to begin, bringing celebrities and prominent figures from all over the country. Wouldn't this turn into a catastrophic scandal?