Chapter 1

The year 2008 is destined to be a year that leaves a deep impression in the hearts of a generation.

That year, the nation mourned as its land was shattered. The devastation and grief of the Wenchuan earthquake, pierced the hearts of every Chinese through the shaking of rooms and the live television broadcasts. The flags on campuses, flown at half-staff, and the long lines at the donation boxes made young Zhao Jinglu feel for the first time the weight of life and the deepest connection between her family and her country.

That same year, passion burned, the world watched. The Olympic flame ignited the pride of the entire nation. The words "One World, One Dream" echoed through the streets. Crowds gathered around television to watch the stunning performances at the opening ceremony, cheering for every gold medal won by Chinese athletes, their national pride surging in their hearts.

In this era of mixed sorrow and joy, Zhao Jinglu also completed her own coming-of-age ceremony.

On the Gaokao battlefield, she delivered a performance worthy of herself and the weight of her bag of review materials. When she finally received her acceptance letter to the Animal Science program at Beijing Sport University, she knew a new chapter in her life had begun. This major perfectly complemented her interest in the arts and her intellectual strengths; it was a perfect fit.

It is worth mentioning that senior Sun Wei is also in this school and has become her direct senior in name and in reality.

University life was free and colorful. Here, she could finally rediscover her love for dance, long suppressed by the Gaokao. Without hesitation, she joined the school's hip-hop dance club, like a fish returning to the ocean.

The street dance club's performance was one of the highlights of the welcome party. Sun Wei had heard about the program ahead of time and called Ling Peng and Zhang Hao directly: "Hey! Hurry up, come to our school! Tonight's welcome party has a blockbuster program that's guaranteed to blow your minds!"

"What kind of program is this? It's so mysterious?" Zhang Hao yelled on the other end of the phone.

"You'll know when you get there. Stop talking nonsense and hurry up!" Sun Wei kept the suspense, his tone full of uncontrollable excitement.

Ling Peng and Zhang Hao were curious and actually ran over.

The atmosphere was lively. When the host announced the next program, "Power" by the Street Dance Club, the audience erupted in anticipation. The lights dimmed, then came back on to reveal a vibrant group of dancers already on stage.

Ling Peng and Zhang Hao's eyes casually swept across the stage until - their sights simultaneously fixed on the dazzling figure in the center of the stage!

That's... Zhao Jinglu?!

The two could hardly believe their eyes.

She was completely different on the stage from her usual gentle girl with no makeup, wearing school uniform and having a cute smile!

With her long hair down and a stylish baseball cap, her makeup was delicate and subtly cool. She wore a fitted white sports vest, a loose denim jacket, and stylish overalls. This outfit perfectly blended the softness of a young girl with the coolness of a street dancer, creating a sexy yet powerful look.

As the music started, her movements exploded. Every beat was precise, every movement brimming with control and power. Her eyes were no longer her usual gentleness, but now held a calculated, sometimes lazy, sometimes provocative, allure. As she swept across the audience, she drew waves of uncontrollable screams—not just from the boys, but even more cheers from the girls who were captivated by her handsomeness!

She was completely immersed in the music and dance, confident, shining and in control of the whole scene.

Ling Peng, Zhang Hao and Sun Wei were all stunned.

"Oh...oh my god..." Zhang Hao opened his mouth wide enough to fit an egg in it, and stabbed Ling Peng with his elbow. "Brother Peng! That's the little teacher?! This, this, this...is too handsome!"

Ling Peng didn't answer. His gaze was fixed on the luminous figure on the stage. His heart felt as if it were suddenly gripped by some force, then began to beat violently again. He had seen her teach dance seriously, seen her blush shyly, seen her playfully joking, but he had never seen her like this... radiant, full of fatal attraction.

An unprecedented sense of shock and appreciation swept over him.

The performance ended with thunderous applause and whistles. Zhang Hao was still babbling excitedly: "It was amazing! It was truly amazing! What kind of dance were we doing back then? It was like splattering ink on the Little Teacher's signboard! Sorry, Little Teacher! We embarrassed you!" Sun Wei nodded vigorously.

Ling Peng finally let out a slow breath, his lips curled up in a complex arc, a mixture of amazement, self-mockery, and hard-to-disguise admiration: "Yeah... I'm only now admitting that I did ruin her reputation back then."

However, unlike Zhang Hao and Sun Wei who were purely excited and surprised, Ling Peng was experiencing a silent earthquake in his heart.

Just in those few minutes, he watched her every powerful and beautiful movement, looked at her confident and dazzling eyes, and the labels of "little friend" and "junior high school girl" in his heart were completely and violently torn apart.

A new and powerful cognition emerges.

For the first time, he saw her so clearly and distinctly in his heart as a charming and fascinating woman.

The party ended, and the crowd began to flow. Ling Peng stood there, looking at Zhao Jinglu, who was celebrating with her teammates by the side of the stage, smiling and high-fiving. His eyes were deep and he didn't move for a long time.