Chapter 160: Karaoke King

Chapter 160: The Mic Hog

"Ding! Judgment failed. Unable to obtain Championship Honor Points."

Meng Fan had gradually grown accustomed to this.

It was not that he was particularly unlucky; on the contrary, his luck was decent. He had previously secured a Championship Honor Point with only a 30% success rate, proving he wasn't the type of competitor who required odds over 50% to succeed. After all, even the unluckiest of gifted souls couldn't be that hopeless.

With only a 10% success bonus, failing the judgment was something he could easily accept.

That said, he also accepted Senior A-Ning’s invitation to celebrate that evening. He had slipped away a few times before, but this time he couldn't. However, when A-Ning mentioned they should dress to impress—

"Farewell!"

Meng Fan raised a hand, turned on his heels, and bolted.

Of course, with three layers of people surrounding him, he couldn't get far unless he donned a hat.

Wear a hat?

That was a bit much.

His attempt to flee was merely a joke.

As for cross-dressing, it wasn't something Meng Fan could do himself, but that didn't mean he couldn't accept others who were masters of the craft. The Qing Dynasty had long since fallen; this was an era where even one's orientation was a matter of freedom, let alone one's choice of attire.

It was just that Senior A-Ning looked so stunning in women's clothing that some feared they might lose their composure and fall for him.

Much like how many people suffer from homophobia, it was really just a fear of being unable to resist their own hidden inclinations!

Naturally, A-Ning was joking too. Cross-dressing was his hobby, and while he never cared for the judgmental stares of others, he wouldn't force anyone to feel uncomfortable because of his preferences.

He would wear such outfits at home for his own amusement; he wouldn't exactly wear them to a foot massage.

Besides, you might not believe it, but A-Ning was heterosexual.

When they went to dinner and then to the KTV for foot massages that evening, A-Ning brought along a beautiful girl, introducing her as his girlfriend and mentioning their plans to get engaged by the end of the year. The basketball team members and the cheerleaders, including Qu Jingjing, were stunned.

"Senior A-Ning, did you get straightened out?" the red-haired lad asked with blunt honesty.

A-Ning let out a laugh as boisterous as Zhang Fei’s and countered, "Do you know the story of the Butterfly Lovers?"

The room full of people looked blank. Who didn't know that? What did it have to do with anything?

A-Ning spoke as if reciting a joke: "It’s a story about Liang Shanbo, who, upon discovering he had been 'straightened out,' committed suicide. It’s easy to be bent, but being straightened out is life-threatening. With a cautionary tale like that, how could I dare to take the risk?"

The group was still confused, so A-Ning laughed and said, "Actually, I was always straight; I was never bent to begin with. It’s just that because you see me as a cross-dressing master, you subconsciously assumed otherwise. And I didn't feel the need to explain myself to everyone."

He paused, held his girlfriend’s hand, and added, "Are you all idiots? Why do I cross-dress? Because it looks good! I truly believe women are beautiful—ten thousand times more wonderful than men! You think I dress up for men to look at? It’s purely for my own self-appreciation and intoxication! I almost hate being a man myself; do you really think I’d be interested in men?"

The logic was flawless!

The group stood up and bowed in reverence!

After the interlude, the KTV session livened up.

Then, A-Ning unleashed his death metal vocals—deafening and earth-shattering. To save their ears and the microphones, the group scrambled to challenge him to games or force him to drink, determined not to let him have a free hand to grab the mic.

A-Ning’s girlfriend sang beautifully, her voice as sweet as her appearance. The group was mesmerized. Later, they learned they had bonded over music and formed a duo—one sweet, one death metal. The image was unimaginable!

They hadn't started dating until long after the duo formed. A-Ning’s girlfriend mentioned that she, too, had initially thought he wasn't interested in women, only to find out later...

Halfway through the session, everyone realized there was another person who needed to be restrained: Meng Fan!

Meng Fan was usually quite outgoing, but because his singing was truly mediocre—none of his family, including Meng Caiwei, could carry a tune—he had been shy at first. But after a few drinks and being pushed to sing "Sudden Self," he became unstoppable.

The KTV weakling had suddenly become a mic hog!

What is a mic hog?

One type is like A-Ning’s girlfriend, who sings so well she knows every song. The other is like Meng Fan, who refuses to let go of the microphone.

He dared to sing along to anything; if he didn't know the lyrics, he’d improvise!

By comparison, A-Ning’s death metal vocals hurt the ears, but Meng Fan’s singing was lethal!

The scariest part was that you could restrain A-Ning, but you couldn't stop Meng Fan!

After hogging the mic for eight full songs, Meng Fan felt a twinge of shame. He sang two more and finally surrendered the microphone.

The moment he handed it over, damn it, a quest triggered!

"Ding! Quest [Mic Hog] triggered."

"Quest requirement: Occupy the microphone in a KTV and sing 1,000 songs."

"Quest completion grants the title [Mic Hog] (Singing Skill +5, Vocal Charisma +3)."

The quest had only one stage, with a bonus of 1,000 points upon completion.

Beneath the quest was an equipment slot, identical to the one from the previously triggered [Concert Killer]: a high-tech microphone with the same functions.

Attribute bonuses: Singing Skill +1, Vocal Charisma +1.

It could connect to any audio equipment, featured built-in backing tracks, and remote control capabilities.

"Brother Tie, let’s drink!"

Seeing Meng Fan looking dejected as he handed over the mic, the red-haired lad snatched it away and passed it to someone else before Meng Fan could change his mind, then dragged him off to drink. Brother Tie, your voice sounds like a blacksmith at work; better to stop singing!

Meng Fan was indeed dazed.

When he triggered [Concert Killer], the key attribute rewards were in Presence and Camera Sense. There were singing skill rewards, but they were negligible, so he hadn't paid much attention.

After all, that quest was incredibly difficult, requiring him to cause chaos at a dozen or more concerts.

Relying on the stages alone, a single point in singing skill wouldn't help much.

His family simply had no musical talent; even Meng Caiwei had given up after taking vocal lessons for a while.

Adding one or two points to singing skill made no difference.

Besides, Meng Fan had never expected to achieve anything in music; he was just thankful not to be despised at KTVs.

But now, here was [Mic Hog].

The quest wasn't difficult, yet the attribute rewards were significant. Singing Skill +5, combined with the high-tech microphone’s bonus, would instantly elevate him to the level of a KTV professional. He would never have to worry about karaoke again.

Of course, what attracted Meng Fan wasn't just the singing skill. Even at a pro level, he’d only be comfortable at karaoke; the real prize was the Vocal Charisma!

Having experienced the effects of Smile Charisma, it was impossible for him not to be excited about Vocal Charisma!

Meng Fan had little interest in becoming a singer through singing skill rewards.

But the prospect of becoming a voice actor through Vocal Charisma? That was a dream come true!