Lu Mingfei didn’t reply. He suddenly felt like a little crow flew over his head, cawing as it passed.
“This is it! Our target is the girl with the butterfly hairpin!” The music changed, and Finger issued the battle order.
The two men, their spirits high, interlocked their arms, resembling a mortar ready to fire, charging towards the pretty girl who was about ten meters away. The girl was spinning in the embrace of a tall, slender boy, her white dress blooming as her legs revealed graceful lines.
“Senior Brother, you’ve got great taste!” Lu Mingfei praised.
The boy’s expression changed first, followed by the girl’s. Her feet in the white high heels almost tripped over each other, and she only managed to stay upright because the boy caught her. It was a natural reaction—anyone would be frightened seeing two men charging at them with the force of a mortar, filled with aggression.
“Hey! Junior Sister! Don’t fall before I get to hold you!” Finger whispered.
The orderly court dance steps forced the boy and girl closer to Finger and Lu Mingfei. Closer and closer—five meters, four, three, two…
The girl spun beautifully, her hand leaving the boy’s. The opportunity came—it was only a fleeting moment!
The two-man mortar split up simultaneously, each lunging forward to grab the girl’s hand like two hungry weasels going after a chicken. The boy, who was determined to hold on and complete the group dance, was completely ignored as his tuxedo tails flew in the air, spinning past the two weasels.
“Me first!” Finger pushed against Lu Mingfei’s shoulder.
“Can’t you show some courtesy to your junior?” Lu Mingfei gritted his teeth and held on.
That push created a small gap, and the girl’s twirling dress passed through it. Just as Finger was about to kick Lu Mingfei, the boy and girl’s hands joined again.
A perfect switch—the butterfly hairpin was relieved to get away. The two-man mortar looked at each other, sighed heavily, and reluctantly regrouped.
There was an audible laugh from nearby, and Lu Mingfei looked up, dejected. Nono had placed her hand in the white-gloved hand of a Japanese boy. She spun, light as a purple swallowtail butterfly. It was that witch-like smile—observing from the sidelines at his worst moment, a smile that was both cute and annoying, one that would step all over his embarrassed face. For a moment, Lu Mingfei felt both angry and a little sad.
The dress was identical, just like that day in the VIP room of the cinema when the door opened, light poured in, and that girl walked in, like an angel.
But now she was laughing, laughing at how silly he looked.
Actually, actually, actually… Lu Mingfei had thought about it, with a little bit of luck, saying that Nono would not come to save him again. In this campus full of nobles and handsome guys, he really doesn’t understand anything. Because of those strange shit luck, he has become famous and doesn’t even have the chance to be a turtle. He also encountered an unscrupulous senior brother and was forced to dance with a man. How nice it would be if Nono came to hold his hand at this time, no one could laugh at him. Those girls in white dresses are all gorgeous, but no one can suppress that majestic girl.
That’s what Nono is like, so majestic.
But Nono was holding Caesar’s hand, so Caesar was like the emperor here, and Nono was the queen.
The Queen should be able to laugh at the Clown, right?
It’s just that the clown will be disappointed.
“Damn it, fighting with me for it—now no one can get it, it’s still YY!” Finger was furious.
“Get lost! If it weren’t for your impulsiveness, would we be in this awkward situation?” Lu Mingfei looked away.
“Bread will be there, girls will be there too! Stick together, buddy! This time, I promise, you go first!” Finger sighed.
But there was no next time. The quick thinking of the first pair of partners had inspired everyone else. Every time they switched partners, the fluttering white skirts brushed by without letting them grab hold. The two-man mortar fought on all fronts but was repeatedly defeated. It wasn’t just Nono laughing now—elegant laughter echoed continuously, spreading like a plague among the crowd. Lu Mingfei suspected that if it weren’t for the aristocratic etiquette requiring the students to complete the dance, a few girls would have already laughed until they collapsed on the floor.
“What should we do?” Lu Mingfei hoped Finger could come up with a solution.
“What do you mean, ‘what should we do’?” Finger looked as if he was about to be freed from a great burden. “Listen to the music, it’s almost over… Congratulations, you’re the first male partner to finish a whole dance with me.”
“This honor makes me want to die!” Lu Mingfei thought that as soon as the music ended, he would rush to the door like lightning and leave this damn dance. It didn’t matter whether he joined the freshman fraternity or hugged Chu Zihang’s thigh! But… wouldn’t all this be on the school news network again?
The music gradually faded, and the dance partners bowed to each other in an elegant courtly salute.
“Retreat!” Finger gave the order.
At that moment, the band suddenly perked up—it didn’t stop but rather began a new prelude. The music sounded full of fighting spirit. The dance partners exchanged surprised glances. The music hadn’t stopped, which meant the dance wasn’t over. They cooperated seamlessly and took each other’s hands again.
Another tango.
“I want to kill the band conductor’s entire family…” Finger held Lu Mingfei tightly, letting out a long, despairing sigh.
This change made the new dance partners unable to keep up for a while. By the time they reacted, they had been surrounded in the center of the dance circle. The situation was even more embarrassing than before.
“Forget it! We might as well turn around and leave! What’s the point of etiquette? What’s the point of saving face?” Finger finally exploded with heroism.
“Well, that’s fine, even though the ugliness is all over.” Lu Mingfei said as he searched for the purple dress in the crowd, but there were too many people and he couldn’t find a single trace. The strange violin change seemed to tear through the entire dance music like a sharp blade, and everyone in the ballroom frowned and looked up to the second floor. In Cassell Academy, where everything is high quality, even the band conducted by the cook is first-class, and such mistakes should not happen.
The first violinist finished the long note, stood up, placed the violin on her seat, and turned to walk downstairs.
It was a girl with light golden hair, wearing a silver dress inlaid with crystals. Her skin was almost transparent, and her petite figure hovered between that of a child and a young woman. Lu Mingfei found her back somewhat familiar.
The dance continued, but everyone was now paying attention to the footsteps descending from above. The music continued as well, with the well-trained second violinist stepping into the role of the first violinist. Despite the conductor silently urging her to return, the first violinist never looked back.
“Clack!”
A pair of silver high heels was placed on the marble floor, the water diamonds refracting dazzling light—like Cinderella’s glass slippers. The first violinist, or rather, the girl Lu Mingfei had seen during the 3E exam, took off her black leather shoes and stepped into the high heels. Her petite frame suddenly became upright with the support of the heels, her tight abdomen and raised chest giving her an enchanting and stunning presence, transforming her into an astonishing young woman. However, her face remained as frozen as ever, without any expression.
She slowly raised her arm, lifting one leg and pausing—a classic ballet pose, like the dying swan. It was so beautiful that it tugged at the heart.