Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei Returns from Sekiro

In the studio on the second floor, there was a bunch of professional equipment. The lighting technician was watching the monitor intently, ready to adjust the instruments at any time.

"The makeup process is complete. Ladies, you have entered and are taking your seats. We expect to finish in one minute. All units, please conduct final adjustments."

...

Lu Mingfei sat in the audience.

At this moment, the lights went out, and a white fluorescent light, like moonlight, enveloped the entire venue. In the hazy light, the pianist began to play music again, and a female voice sang in a low voice.

It is the first movement of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata," a deep and serene melody. Closing your eyes, it feels like being alone by a lake in the dead of night, the water reflecting the moonlight, shimmering and carrying a faint sadness and melancholy, like a lament from the moon.

On the stage, mahogany benches were neatly arranged, and about 40 ladies entered and sat down wherever they liked.

Each lady was wearing a white robe and a veil.

There were about 200 people at the Norton House gathering today, all of whom were invited by Caesar and Ye Sheng. More than half of them were couples.

Most of the couples participated in the event, but Nono and Caesar did not, as they knew it would be Ye Sheng's show. Chu Zihang and Su Xi were even less likely to attend, as they were just friends.

The rules of the event were simple: the ladies could not make a sound or make any suggestive gestures; they just had to sit quietly on the bench and wait for their boyfriends to take them away.

The white veil had very poor light transmission, obscuring the female guest's face. Her body was also covered by a loose robe that trailed all the way to the ground, covering her shoes and feet, and her hands were also concealed by long sleeves.

But some things weren't addressed, like the scent of perfume and the hairstyle.

If you know your girlfriend well, you can always find her if you spend some time, but only the first couple to step off the stage will receive a prize.

Whether or not you win an award is secondary. What you fear most is pairing up with the wrong person. Not only will you lose face, but you might also get beaten up by someone else's boyfriend and end up breaking up with them.

This event is very unfriendly to some people, such as smooth talkers who say they love you to the end of the world but are actually just lusting after your body. It would be an impossible task for them to find you in a crowd by your hairstyle and smell.

It was not easy for the first couple to leave the venue.

First, you can't pick the wrong person; you have to be careful. Second, there are about 40 couples here, so you have a lot of competition, and there's also an element of luck involved. Maybe your girlfriend is very close to you, and you'll see her at first glance, or maybe she's very far away and you'll have to search for her for a long time.

Lu Mingfei couldn't help but feel a pang of worry for Ye Sheng.

As the male guests entered, "Moonlight Sonata" began its second movement. This piece has three movements in total. The first movement is a continuous slow tempo, a gentle and lyrical piece in sonata form. The second movement is an allegretto, very light and beautiful, and only half the length of the first movement, creating a striking stylistic contrast.

The music conveys a fluctuating mood, as if a person is pacing anxiously, just like the male guest on stage who is blindfolded and feeling uneasy.

Each male guest wore a blindfold over his eyes. The host led them into the venue and had them spread out to form a circle, covering the ladies sitting on the benches.

The benches were spaced far enough apart that everyone could pass through.

Lu Mingfei found Ye Sheng, but couldn't tell who Jiu Deyaji was.

He felt that all the girls looked the same, wearing the same robes and veils. Although their hairstyles were different, there were only minor differences between them.

The female guests on stage had blonde hair, black hair, and brown hair, and the number of them was about the same. To be honest, their hairstyles were all pretty much the same. Whenever Lu Mingfei went to the hair salon and looked at the photos of permed hair hanging on the wall, he couldn't feel much difference, especially in this dim lighting where the hairstyles were hard to distinguish and the hair color was close to black.

However, some people still have a natural advantage. Several women have short hair, which makes them stand out. After their boyfriends take a look, they can quickly narrow down the selection range to the minimum.

But Aki Shuto doesn't have short hair; she has very standard long, straight black hair. There are too many people with long, straight black hair on the stage; you can spot 7 or 8 at a glance.

They didn't know if Ye Sheng was capable or not, since they hadn't done anything wrong.

The female guests chose their own seats, and all participants were volunteers. There was no behind-the-scenes manipulation, and at least in terms of the process, absolute fairness was guaranteed.

If Ye Sheng had been a step too late, all his efforts would have been in vain.

Lu Mingfei wondered if he could have such courage.

That's a diamond ring worth 300 million! If he were to devise the plan, it would probably be the classic Korean drama trope of hiding the diamond ring in a cake. After his girlfriend finds the ring in the cake, he would kneel down on one knee, gaze deeply into her eyes, and say, "I love you, marry me."

It's cliché, but it's also quite romantic, isn't it?

If it were him, even if such a proposal were made, he probably wouldn't dare to implement it, since the risk is too great. He has never liked risk and only likes stability.

But what girl wouldn't want a grand proposal?

The feeling of being firmly chosen, the feeling of being declared to the world by the person you love—just thinking about it fills me with happiness.

"Now, everyone, you may remove your blindfolds after I count to three." The host spoke into the microphone and stepped off the stage. A spotlight shone on the spot where he stood, and a black gift box containing a diamond ring lay quietly on the awards stage to his left.

A cold sweat trickled down the back of the emcee. He was one of the key participants in this plan. Once he confirmed that the groom had received the ring, he would press the communicator hidden in his sleeve to send a signal to everyone.

If it weren't Ye Sheng who came here, then the fireworks and drones would be put on hold, all plans would be terminated, and an unrelated person would take the ring.

Regardless of the outcome, his salary will not be reduced, but everyone who knows the plan is very nervous. If Ye Sheng fails, wouldn't all their five days of preparation be in vain?

They were all looking forward to the moment when fireworks would burst in the sky and the sight of drones flying overhead.

"Keep it up," he thought to himself.

On the surface, he still wore his signature professional smile, showing great dedication.

Some of the male guests' Adam's apples were bobbing up and down, and some were gripping their clothes, clearly showing their nervousness.

Perhaps it's because of that $300 million diamond ring, which has a much higher probability than winning the lottery, and it's not based on luck; you can completely take the opportunity into your own hands.

Not everyone at Kassel College is as wealthy as Caesar. Many students come from middle-class families. The college admits less than 50% of its new students from the preparatory program each year. The remainder come from mixed-race families, but most come from mixed-race families that do not belong to any particular power. They are admitted through interviews.

Even ordinary, unrated hybrids can produce offspring with excellent bloodlines. Many of them are unaware of the dragon world; their names are simply recorded in Norma's files, and every year, specialists secretly review the situation of their offspring.

For example, Susie is like this. Her rare bloodline gave her parents an advantage over ordinary people. Usually, such families are not too bad off, but they are not too good either. Their total assets are around $150 million, fluctuating by $30, according to big data statistics.

The Kassel commissioners will interview them when they turn 18. If they pass the interview, they will be told the truth about the world and given the choice to either step into the new world or forget about it and go back to a normal life.

Because of the "sorrow of blood," very few lonely hybrids would refuse.

For most of the people standing on the stage, the diamond ring was worth more than their parents' and family's lifetime savings.

Dragons are known for their greed and greed. In many myths and legends, dragons have a fondness for sleeping in piles of gold coins and gems, and are extremely stingy, unwilling to share even a single gold coin.

However, treasure is just a symbol. In thousands of years of human research on dragons, it has indeed been discovered that dragons have a love for "wealth". This "wealth" can be money, objects, or a certain preference or place. Once you touch the dragon's "wealth", it will trigger its relentless pursuit and boundless rage.

For example, a dragon likes to bathe in a hot spring at three o'clock every afternoon. If you disturb it and prevent it from bathing, it will become furious. But usually, their hobbies are not such harmless things as bathing; they are often accompanied by bloodshed and killing.

Some hybrids who have been consumed by their bloodline go to extremes, using certain "symbols" as "wealth." There was once a guy in Japan who liked young women's fingers. He would cut off a woman's hand entirely, discard the rest, and bury it in his yard.

He called his severed hand "sweetheart," fed himself sandwiches with it, and even sucked the butter off his fingers. He lived a normal life until his hand started to smell bad, at which point he would look for his next target.

In the subsequent evidence collection and autopsy analysis, it was determined that his bloodline concentration was fluctuating repeatedly at the critical point. He did have a hand fetish, but he only began to release his inner desires when he was on the verge of going berserk, or rather, the dragon blood allowed him to release his desires in advance.

Later, he was completely consumed by dragon blood, lost his mind, and became Deadpool, specializing in killing young and beautiful women, cutting off their severed hands and hiding them in the refrigerator's crisper drawer.

Dragons are a very obsessive species, and this obsession is also inherited in the blood of hybrids.

This means that at this moment, the diamond ring is no longer just a simple diamond ring. Its monetary value is secondary. The most important thing is that by obtaining it, you hold "love" in your hands.

Mixed-race individuals are always more sensitive to this kind of psychological stimulation than to the allure of money itself.

If you told them the winner of the event would receive a check for $300 million, they probably wouldn't be too emotionally affected, but if it were a diamond ring symbolizing eternal love, that would be a different story.

The host made some opening remarks before starting to heat up the atmosphere and increase the tension in the room.

Waiting is always agonizing. As time slowly passed, more and more male guests began to get restless. Even without making any small movements, you could tell from their pursed lips that their mood was far from calm.

"Please get ready." The host took a deep breath.

"3, 2, 1!" he shouted, waving the microphone in his hand. "Go!"

In that instant, the scene immediately descended into chaos.

The male guests took off their blindfolds and walked around the benches to observe. Some even squeezed into the gaps between the seats and paced back and forth.

After looking around, the group seemed to have made up their minds and strode towards a certain location.

When the third movement of "Moonlight Sonata" is played, the exciting Allegro in C-sharp minor, 4/4 time, expresses a feeling of indignation and high fighting spirit with its stormy melody. The high difficulty and tight rhythm are a great test of the pianist's skill.

Lu Mingfei's gaze remained fixed on Ye Sheng.

"Is this the bond between you two?" Lu Mingfei said softly.

When the starting gun fires, the athletes on the track will begin their race.

Without the slightest hesitation, Ye Sheng didn't even take off his blindfold. When the host shouted "start," he resolutely jogged off in one direction.

Regardless of the rustling of the wind or the hurried footsteps and figures passing by him, he didn't stop for a moment. Nothing could distract him. While others were still observing his hairstyle, he had already grabbed the girl's hand, pulled off the blindfold covering his eyes, and led her towards the only spotlight.

The girl held up the hem of her robe with one hand as she ran alongside him, her veil fluttering in the wind, leaving everyone else behind.

Quiet murmurs immediately arose from the audience.

Ye Sheng stepped into the spotlight, revealing his right wrist. At the same time, he lifted the girl's right wrist, revealing a black bracelet with the number 17 engraved in gold. Both of them were 17, so without a doubt, he was the first place winner.

The host raised Ye Sheng's hand, "Congratulations to this gentleman! Let's give him a round of applause!"

A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience. The girls on stage took off their veils, looked towards the spotlight, and asked the people around them what had happened.

"Is there anything you'd like to say?" the host asked.

Ye Sheng grabbed the microphone: "This victory was within my expectations."

He started spouting nonsense right from the start.

"I'm not saying this to be mean, but you guys are far from good enough." His words sounded really irritating. "When I went on stage, I knew I was going to win. I didn't even need to take off my blindfold. I found her immediately. Everyone else had to use their eyes to find her, but she and I were telepathically connected."

"It's not that you're too weak, it's just that I'm too strong." As he spoke, his expression suddenly became serious.

"It seems our winner is very confident." The host handed over the gift box. "Congratulations, it's yours now."

"Thank you." He handed the microphone back and took the gift box.

Then he released the girl's hand, took a deep breath, turned to face her, and slowly knelt down on one knee.

"So, Aki, will you marry me?" Ye Sheng opened the lid of the gift box, and the dazzling diamonds sparkled under the spotlight.

Chapter 135 Marry Me

He's proposing!

Instantly, the audience was thrown into a state of panic.

Ultimately, the people attending the ball tonight are still just college students. Their world is mostly confined to the small campus. They attend classes during the day, rush to finish papers and assignments at night, and spend their holidays interning with graduating seniors. Occasionally, they dress up like adults to attend the ball in their ivory tower.

They haven't even left campus yet, and haven't grown into capable executive specialists.

Young people aspire to a life of dragon slaying and heroism, and a passionate and exciting future. The word "marriage" is too far away for them, and they haven't even thought about it.

But without a doubt, this moment deserves applause and cheers; love is always something people sing praises of.

Everyone was clapping.

"Say yes! Say yes!" Lu Mingfei led the chant.