Chapter 186: Chapter 186: Slow, Slow Tune

Jiang Qin chuckled. “Congratulations, Miss Wen. You got it right.

“Be sure to pick up a small gift at the front desk on your way out.”

Wen Jiaqi was so happy to get a response she felt like she was about to faint.

It wasn’t because she’d answered correctly, or because of the small gift. It was because Jiang Qin actually remembered her!

’She recognized me even in this dim light. How could I not be touched by that?’

Everyone in the booth with her stared, a mix of envy and jealousy in their eyes.

’A gift from Jiang Qin… they desperately wanted one, too!’

Those who had graduated from or were currently studying ancient culture felt like they had just missed out on the opportunity of a lifetime.

“The first song I’ll be singing today is in that very dialect.

“The song is called *A Languid Tune*. I hope you all enjoy it.”

With that, she lowered her head and began to play the pipa.

Crisp, melodious notes rang out.

*Green bricks by lacquered tiles,*

*A white horse treads on fresh mud,*

*Mountain flowers and banana leaves, twilight dyes a red scarf,*

*From the eaves, the raindrops fall~~*

If the audience hadn’t understood what she meant by that gentle, melodious dialect before, they certainly did now.

It was yet another new style.

Her voice was like a steady drizzle, seeping gently into everyone’s ears.

It was less like singing and more like her voice was cooing affectionately in their ears.

It wasn’t a cloying sweetness, but one that was clean and refreshing.

With this accent, even though she was singing evocative lyrics to a beautiful melody, it still felt like a sweet, soft whisper.

The Spiritual Bodies of the females in the audience once again drifted from their physical forms.

One by one, their cheeks flushed pink and their eyes grew hazy.

A floral deer walking in circles, a snake staggering about, an eagle whose flight path resembled a clubgoer’s wild dancing, and a rabbit with drool dripping from its mouth.

They all seemed tipsy and light-headed.

This was mainly because their owners were all gazing at Jiang Qin, their eyes practically popping with hearts.

But the one whose heart was pounding the hardest had to be Yun Xie, who stood closest to Jiang Qin.

He leaned against the wall, exhaling a cloud of smoke. His gaze was rapt and intense, roiling with a suppressed possessiveness.

However, that predatory glint in his eyes vanished after just a few seconds, pushed back down.

’His love was by his side; that was the greatest fortune he could ever have.’

’If he hadn’t met Jiang Qin, he’d likely be a dead Flood Dra by now. How could he possibly dare to ask for more?’

’He couldn’t possess the moon, but he could be the star that orbited closest to it. That was more than enough.’

’Besides, it was perfectly normal for a partner or two to die every so often and be replaced.’

’Who knew? In a few years, maybe that bear and that cat would run into some… trouble.’

…

*In dreams there are flowers, a meadow of green,*

*Long hair trailing stirs ripples unseen,*

*White cloth unfurled upon the stone pier~*

Her soft, clear voice wormed its way into countless hearts.

And her pipa performance—how many in the entire Interstellar era could compare?

Mo Lan was completely stunned.

’So this was the hypnosis her brother and Si Xu were so suspicious of?’

’Seriously? With this much talent, why would the female on stage even need hypnosis? Wouldn’t a crook of her finger be enough to have countless people scrambling to kneel at her feet??’

’Even she… a newly graduated Psychologist just starting her career… seemed to have been captivated.’

’Oh, my god… What a heavenly voice!!’

’Compared to this soothing master, she felt like she wasn’t even the same gender.’

Si Xu was similarly in a trance.

He knew the female was a good singer, but this was still a shock.

Even though he wasn’t the type to follow celebrities, he couldn’t help but feel the urge to become a fan. And… in the air, there was Calming Power.

He’d been too tense yesterday to notice, but it turned out this female… no, rather, the combined Calming Power from all the females in the venue was incredibly effective.

He suddenly understood why those people had left before the second half of the show.

After being soothed so thoroughly, who would bother sticking around for the paltry effects of the second act?

And the main reason… was probably the rumor that the other two performers didn’t get along with Jiang Qin, which would explain the audience’s disdain, right?

If the two of them were reacting this way, Mo Chen’s reaction was even more pronounced.

He seemed completely frozen. But once the song ended, he snapped out of it, his sharp intellect coming back online.

“Did you find anything unusual?”

They both shook their heads.

Mo Lan said, “She’s not using hypnosis, and I can’t smell any drugs.”

Hypnosis wasn’t that easy to pull off. At the very least, she’d never heard her mentor mention anyone capable of hypnotizing three million people with their voice alone.

’If someone had that ability, would a soothing master like her really be working in a bar?’

’She’d have been sent to the battlefield long ago.’

However, if someone’s beast form had a confusion-type ability, it might be possible to control multiple people instantly.

But Jiang Qin remained in her human form the entire time, and without the use of drugs, an ability that powerful was simply impossible.

“Then… what happened to me?”

Mo Lan chose her words carefully. “Er, is it possible… that those were just your genuine, innermost thoughts?”

“Impossible!”

He was far too busy. If not for this undercover investigation, why would he spend two or three hours in a bar every day?

He must have missed something. The key had to be in that hidden area they hadn’t found yet!

He couldn’t give up. He couldn’t let some unknown factor erode his vigilance.

With this in mind, he stared intently at Jiang Qin on the stage, trying to spot anything out of the ordinary…

’Oh, well,’ Mo Lan thought. ’He’ll learn his lesson when he finally hits a wall.’

***

For her second song, Jiang Qin chose *Singing Yangzhou in Smoke and Rain*.

*The endless rain, the lingering affection,*

*So many stories held within the heart,*

*In the misty May rain, singing of Yangzhou…*

She once again sang in the soft, melodious Wu dialect.

As she sang, an image formed in Jiang Qin’s mind: Du Bingyan under her red wedding veil.

She was one of the heroines from the drama *Wrong Carriage, Right Groom*.

Since *Singing Yangzhou in Smoke and Rain* was the show’s opening theme, singing it brought flashes of scenes featuring the two heroines to her mind.

’When I have time,’ Jiang Qin thought, ’I could film this drama, too.’

…

After her two songs were finished, she chatted with her fans for a bit, as was her custom, then left the stage.

The moment she was gone, the customers began to scatter.

Mia, who was scheduled to perform next, was seething with helpless rage. She couldn’t get near Jiang Qin, she couldn’t stop the customers from leaving, and she couldn’t get her time slot changed.

All she could do was watch the bar’s revenue plummet day after day, her anxiety mounting.

She despised the glamorous Jiang Qin, who was adored by all.

’Jiang Qin was just a C-level female, yet she lived a better life and was far more popular!’

’And she was sick of Ping Yiqin, who was always putting on airs and doing nothing to help their earnings, expecting Mia to do all the work.’

Jiang Qin had learned to ignore Mia’s venomous glares.

’Besides, all Mia could do was glare. With Yun Xie and the others around, she had no chance to try anything.’

Yun Xie, however, was not pleased. He shot Mia a look, his eyes dark and heavy.

The look sent a chill down her spine.

But with the Female Protection Act in place, Mia wasn’t the least bit scared. She even snapped, “What are you looking at, you disloyal male!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep