A pleasant first encounter
Colorful lights swirled and changed overhead, and the melodious music never stopped. Even the musicians wanted to watch the two dance for a little longer.
Having not met her match in a long time, Qingcheng held Song Li's waist and swayed her body hand in hand. Under Song Li's guidance, Qingcheng gradually found the knack. Suddenly, Song Li opened her arms and leaned back. Qingcheng grabbed her waist and pulled her back in time. For a moment, the two were whispering sweet nothings to each other, like lovers who had been separated for many years reunited.
Song Li seemed to sense Qingcheng's change, and his hands slowly moved down her waist. At this moment, Song Li breathed hot air into Qingcheng's ear and asked, "Why did you think of bringing that man along? Have you ever seen an opium dealer smoke opium himself?"
Qingcheng didn't answer, but her eyes gradually turned red with burning passion. Not to be outdone, she used her high heels to press against the other's green velvet high heels, forcefully guiding the other to follow her rhythm, expressing her dissatisfaction with Song Li through a tug-of-war dance.
With two more beautiful back kicks, Song Li finally broke free from Qing Cheng's guidance. The two of them circled each other with their upper and lower bodies pressed together. Song Li said, "What are you being so temperamental about? A man's promises to you are like spiritual opium. If you believe them, you will be doomed."
Qingcheng glanced at Song Li sideways: "So you insist on doing things your way, huh?"
"What else? I'll distract that man so you can find a new male companion." Song Li deftly brushed his calf against the other's "trouser leg," and just as he was about to pull his leg back, Qing Cheng grabbed his thigh. Their eyes met briefly, but then snapped away as if electrocuted.
"No need, you can use your beauty trap yourself, don't drag me into it." Qingcheng said, releasing the other's leg. The two then held hands and, stepping in the same way, performed a mirror-like back kick in front of each other.
"Then you need to be careful. A man's jealousy and possessiveness will hinder your progress." Song Li glanced at Qing Cheng, who maintained a smile without much emotional change.
“The brave are fearless, I—believe in him.” Qingcheng said, tossing Song Li aside. The musicians, seeing this, knew it was time to wrap things up, and as the last note fell, Qingcheng glided along, guiding Song Li’s dance steps, making him spin around before he obediently lay in her arms.
After a brief silence, enthusiastic applause erupted both inside and outside the dance floor, and flowers rained down on the stage. Qingcheng helped Song Li up, and then the two of them, hand in hand, gracefully and confidently bowed to the audience and judges to express their gratitude.
"Believe it or not, someone will come up and ask me to dance later." A sly smile flashed across Qingcheng's face as she deliberately showed Song Li the yellow rose in her hand. "And this rose, I think you don't need it."
Upon hearing this, Song Li touched her mask, but it was completely bare. He Qingcheng, meanwhile, was left only with her receding figure.
The soft, seductive music inside was incessant, but the lighting was really bad. Qingcheng squinted and searched for a long time after taking off her mask before finally spotting Gao Junxiao's profile mixed in with the crowd. Beside him were Chen Yao in red and…
Huh? Qingcheng could hardly believe her eyes when she saw that white figure. Her temples were throbbing. Xu Xi was sitting at her table chatting and laughing with two other men. The atmosphere was very harmonious. How did the three of them end up together?
Plans never keep up with changes. Qingcheng guessed that with her excellent dancing skills, Xu Xi would be itching to ask her to dance, but what's going on now? Even though she was so nervous that she felt like vomiting, she had to suppress it.
"Never mind, let me have a drink to calm my nerves first." Various drinks were scattered on the self-service bar. Qingcheng casually picked up a cocktail and downed it in one gulp; dancing was too exhausting.
At this moment, someone on the left scolded, "Who drinks like that? Take it easy."
The bar was packed with people, and He Qingcheng didn't even notice that there was a familiar face next to her, such a cute and petite person. It was her good friend Tan Baozhen. Qingcheng changed her previous mood and hugged her, teasingly saying, "Hmm, my darling Tan Baozhen still cares about me the most."
A melodious female voice, like that of a nightingale, rang out from the right: "Don't drink anything cold after dancing, drink something hot." Before Qingcheng could react, Gu Zisu pretended to be angry, took the wine glass from Qingcheng's hand, and replaced it with freshly poured hot water.
Qingcheng couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "Mr. Tang has such great influence that even the old-fashioned Medicine King Gu brought his daughter out." Qingcheng deliberately asked, "Mother Su, which young master were you chatting with just now?"
"Shh, my dad's still over there." Following Gu Zisu's gaze, she saw Uncle Gu talking loudly with someone not far away. The mask he was wearing contrasted cutely with his usual serious demeanor, but it seemed that only Qingcheng thought so.
"Don't be afraid, the music is so loud, Uncle Gu can't hear you. Why didn't you go dancing just now?" Qingcheng was a little puzzled. With Zisu's family background and beauty, why didn't any men invite her to dance?
"Once people see my father, that imposing doorman, there, who would dare to invite me to dance?" Zisu's expression was downcast, and her voice grew softer and softer. The most awkward thing at a ball is when no one invites you to dance, especially for young ladies.
"No one asked you to dance? Hmm—let me think about it." Qingcheng stroked her chin, lost in thought. Zisu, with her dignified nature, would neither wander off nor actively seek out a dance partner, and Uncle Gu was always a heavy-handed person who, under normal circumstances, couldn't be dismissed.
Looking at the dejected Zisu and then at the men in the distance, Qingcheng suddenly had a flash of inspiration. Great! All the problems could be solved. She told Gu Zisu to take off her mask first. Although Gu Zisu was puzzled, she obediently took off her mask as Qingcheng instructed.
Men are all like peacocks; you have to attract their attention immediately. Sure enough, after taking off her mask, Zisu's gentle and graceful appearance won the admiring glances of many men. Qingcheng told Zisu to sit properly, promising that men would come to invite her. Zisu, who had just been feeling down, was overjoyed to hear Qingcheng's promise and happily grabbed her friend's hand, nodding vigorously.
As the lights suddenly came on at the last rest of the movement, the first match came to an end. Most people stood up to stretch their limbs, and as the crowd surged, Qingcheng moved silently toward the three men.
"Gentlemen, what are you talking about?" Qingcheng appeared in front of the three with Tan Baozhen, pretending to recognize Xu Xi as a fan. "Oh, isn't this Mr. Xu Xi? Could you give us each an autograph later?"
"Signatures are nothing. The important thing is that our dance queen is back. Please have a seat." Xu Xi immediately stood up to give up his seat when he saw Qingcheng. If they hadn't met before, Qingcheng would have suspected that he was just a natural-born friend.
"There's no such thing as a dance queen. They just had one performance, and we don't even know who won or lost yet." Qingcheng glanced at Gao Junxiao beside her out of the corner of her eye. Xu Xi was being so attentive, but he didn't seem to react at all. Heh heh, he likes to act all profound when there are strangers around.
Chen Yao, seeing that Tan Baozhen was still standing, hurriedly offered him his seat. Tan Baozhen greeted him shyly, "Mr. Chen, Mr. Gao, Mr. Xu, hello."
"Don't be so formal, don't call me Mr. Chen. Just call me Chen Yao," Chen Yao said generously, putting down his wine glass.
"It's not very polite to call someone by their first name." Zhenzhen seemed a little embarrassed, after all, they weren't very familiar with each other; they had only met once at Tan Dachuan's birthday party.
“Miss Baozhen is our junior sister, so just call me Brother Chen. If Miss Qingcheng calls me that, I’m worried some people will feel uncomfortable.” Chen Yao looked at Gao Junxiao provocatively and patted his chest.
"Hehe, he's a pretty easygoing person. Calling him whatever you want is already giving him credit. It's fine if you don't call him that at all," Gao Junxiao said with a smile, swatting Chen Yao's hand away.
"Brother Chen," Tan Baozhen replied with a sly smile.
"Hey, I'll take this little sister. If you ever come to Hangzhou, just look for me, and I'll make sure you have a great time," Chen Yao said confidently.
“Our Brother Chen’s courtesy name is Muqiu, so you can call him Brother Muqiu,” Xu Xi added.
"Whether you call me Brother Muqiu or Brother Chen, you have to include me when you take your other sisters sightseeing. There's heaven above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below, and I don't want to miss out." Qingcheng felt that it was just a matter of address, and it was always good to make more friends, especially since the other person was indeed older than her.
"Oh my, the great writer is acting as my little sister! Quick, help me see if I have gold growing on my face," Chen Yao asked Gao Junxiao deliberately, leaning close to him.
"Yeah, why is there gold leaf on this donkey's face? It's kind of creepy." Gao Junxiao turned Chen Yao's face over to take a look and retorted without any politeness.
"Damn it! How dare you! You wretched creatures, don't even think about becoming my brother-in-law. I will never agree to it." Chen Yao raised his chin, put his hands behind his back, puffed out his chest, and said in the tone of an old scholar.
Chen Yao's tireless performance made everyone laugh, and Xu Xi said with a smile, "Brother Mu Qiu, why don't you consider developing in the direction of a comedian?"
"Hey, Xu Baixi, you're itching for a beating, aren't you? Give me ten autographs first, I want to sell them for money." Chen Yao, the money-grubber, stepped forward and patted Xu Xi on the shoulder. Qingcheng, sitting in front, guessed that "Baixi" was Xu Xi's courtesy name.
"No way! My hands start shaking when you ask for my autograph. I thought you were going to make me copy the military regulations again, 500 times before I could sign them. My hand is about to break!" Xu Xi begged for mercy like he was praying to Buddha.
"Haha, I'm giving you a chance to practice your handwriting, otherwise how could your signature be so beautiful now?" Chen Yao came back to his senses. "I haven't introduced you yet. Xu Xi was actually my student at Whampoa Military Academy. Later, he switched careers and became a movie star."
"Stop talking about it, I'm just a burden, it's too embarrassing." Xu Xi seemed to think that he couldn't bear to talk about the past. Qingcheng thought of his academic qualifications on his file. She was wondering at the time why Xu Xi had changed careers so drastically, from a military officer to a movie star.
Later, after hearing from his cousin that Xu Qiao disliked his younger brother for being unruly, he used his connections to send him to a military academy for training, Xu Xi was initially unwilling to go, but after learning that he could escape his older brother's abnormal control, he happily went to register. After graduation, in order to spite his brother, he deliberately resigned and became an actor, but who knew that he really had a talent for acting.
“Actually, Gao Zexiu was also working as an instructor during that time, but unfortunately he looked down on the job of a teacher and ran away after less than half a year. Luckily you didn’t fall into his hands, otherwise you would thank me for my gentleness back then.” Chen Yao proudly introduced his brother.
Qingcheng looked at Gao Junxiao curiously. So he had been an instructor before. Gao Junxiao followed Chen Yao's words and said, "In my case, it's not enough to just copy the military discipline 500 times. You have to add at least 20 kilometers of cross-country running."
"Hahaha, Brother Zexiu was so scary, did I escape death?" Xu Xi's eyes widened, his face still shaken.
Amidst everyone's laughter, Qingcheng remembered to introduce herself: "Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet either. My name is He Qingcheng, Qingcheng meaning clear and bright water, and her name is Tan Baozhen, meaning to embrace simplicity and preserve truth."
"It's an honor to meet you two ladies. You want autographs, right? Here you go." Xu Xi took out a fountain pen from his pocket, but upon opening it, he saw that the nib was forked and unusable, obviously broken from the fall earlier. Xu Xi awkwardly put the cap back on, and Qing Cheng immediately handed him a new pen and paper, which she had already obtained from the waiter.
"By the way, I need to discuss something with you." Qingcheng glanced at the three men, their faces showing difficulty, but she didn't say what it was about.
Chen Yao seemed to be an impatient person who couldn't stand being kept in suspense, so he asked impatiently, "Qingcheng, just say what you want to say, we're all listening."
“I have a close friend who is beautiful and well-behaved, but no one dares to invite her to dance when Father is sitting next to her. You are all gentlemen, could you go and invite her?” Qingcheng asked, pointing to Gu Zisu. “Whoever invites her, I can dance with that gentleman for the third time.”
"I'll go, I'll go. Miss He, you must accompany me for the third performance." Xu Xi raised his hand to show his willingness.
"Hey! That's it. I don't need you to come with me to the third round. Come on, junior sister, let me ask you to dance first." Chen Yao extended an invitation to Tan Baozhen, and then said to Gao Junxiao in a cheeky tone, "Zexiu, you can stay here and watch the bag."
"What are you looking at, Mr. Gao? Would you be interested in dancing with me?" Qingcheng smiled and took out the yellow rose she had swiped and presented it to Gao Junxiao.
Gao Junxiao paused, his hand holding the wine glass still. After a few seconds of silence, everyone started urging him to agree. Gao Junxiao lowered his gaze to the flowers, covering his mouth as if trying to suppress a smile, but a faint one crept onto his face.
"Aren't you going to give me to someone else?" Kiyosumi pretended to withdraw her hand, but was gently pulled back by someone.
Gao Junxiao lowered his head to take the yellow rose and muttered softly, "Don't break my flowers."
"Brother, you're lacking in spirit. Maybe you should take some traditional Chinese medicine to boost your energy, so you don't fall short at crucial moments." Chen Yao once again spoke without considering the occasion.
“I think you need to take medicine more, preferably both Chinese and Western medicine. Who knows, you might be able to grow a new brain. You’re lacking that right now,” Gao Junxiao replied with a beaming smile, protecting the delicate flower in his hands.
"Huh? Wait a minute, wait a minute, Xu Xi, your flower and Qingcheng's flower are the same type, which adds points to your score. You're getting a good deal, kid." Chen Yao said in surprise.
"What a coincidence! Then I must help Miss He win the dance queen title." Xu Xi then asked, "Is your sister the girl who wasn't wearing a mask and was wearing a purple gauze dress?"
After receiving a positive answer from Qingcheng, Xu Xi couldn't wait to make arrangements. Meanwhile, Chen Yao took Tan Baozhen to the dance floor to register for the competition.
Watching the three leave, Gao Junxiao, who was left behind, returned to his usual demeanor, propped his head up with one hand, looked at Qingcheng, and asked, "Miss He, will dancing with you earn me points?"
"Don't be so materialistic. You don't want to dance with me just because we haven't split the score?" Qingcheng winked playfully at Gao Junxiao, trying to appease her own peacock.
Gao Junxiao gave him a knowing smile: "I really don't mind you dancing with other people."
"Oh, so you don't want to dance with me? Never mind then, I won't force you." Kiyosumi changed the subject without responding to his words.
"Let's go, Miss He! One must keep one's word." A glint of light flashed in Gao Junxiao's eyes, and the upturned corners of his mouth couldn't hide his joy. The two put on masks and walked hand in hand toward the dance floor.
The flashing stage lights and white searchlights intertwined, the rapid drumbeats and the clamor of the French horn, coupled with the jazz pianist's fluid fingering, created a wonderful piece that pierced the eardrums and went straight to the soul.
The participating guests can sway their hips to their heart's content and release their suppressed true selves. Even those who are not participating in the competition are infected by the music and either sway their bodies or quietly tap their feet to the beat.
In the corner, a pair of lifeless eyes coldly stared at the stage. At that moment, a man in black, bending low, cautiously approached the man and waited to be summoned. Just as the performance on stage was about to end, the man slowly turned his neck, glanced at the man in black, and asked, "Did you find anything?"
The man wearing gold-rimmed glasses was Xu Qiao. The man in black lowered his body even further and mumbled, "This subordinate is incompetent. There were just too many people today, and I couldn't find anything."
"Useless trash." Xu Qiao glared fiercely at the man in black. Another tall man in black also ran over, his back bent. Xu Qiao waited for the man's report with an icy expression.
The tall man in black was still panting. He swallowed hard and managed to say, "There are a lot of people today, so we really couldn't find anything."
Just as he was about to curse, the tall man in black caught his breath and spoke again: "But I compared the testimonies of several waiters, and the young master was called away by a burly male waiter who was about the same height as him."
"A burly man? Is he Song Li's informant?" Xu Qiao adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting an eerie white light under the lamplight.
"No, um...it might be an informant she doesn't use often, and there are quite a few burly male waiters today, so we'll have to spend time investigating." The man in black lowered his head in shame.
"And what about that woman who caused all this trouble?" Xu Qiao casually picked up his wine glass, but he exuded a chilling aura that even made the woman in red next to him shiver.
"We couldn't find anything. The eighth floor is operating normally, with just as many people coming and going as here. How about we cancel the dance and say we're investigating the CCP?" The shorter man in black hurriedly stepped forward to ask for a task, seemingly trying to make up for his earlier incompetence.
"Idiot, with so many people here, if you don't give Mr. Tang face, do you still want to make a living in Shanghai?" Xu Qiao cursed angrily. Then his gaze was locked on He Qingcheng on the stage. "Investigate the woman in the yellow dress who was dancing with Song Li just now."
"Oh, that's a female writer named He Qingcheng. We checked her before; she just returned to the country and is perfectly clean, with no problems." The tall man in black answered with his head down, then nudged his colleague next to him.
The short man in black immediately chimed in, "Yes, yes, she's a rich young lady who writes pretentious articles. Doesn't Miss Lulu know her?"
"Um, I've only acted in the stage play she wrote; we're not that familiar," Zhang Lulu quickly clarified.
"A writer? What's her relationship with Song Li?" Xu Qiao asked, puzzled.
"One of them is surnamed He, and the other is surnamed Song. At least on the surface, they have no relation. Besides, how dare we investigate Captain Song's whereabouts? She is the beloved disciple of Special Envoy He from Nanjing," the tall man in black replied uncertainly.
"Idiot, do you and your cousin even share the same surname? Besides, it's questionable whether Song Li was originally surnamed Song." Xu Qiao rubbed his temples. He had only brought two idiots with him today, and he had to take matters into his own hands, otherwise he wouldn't be able to swallow this insult.
Based on his understanding of Song Li, this woman was extremely averse to strangers and very guarded, yet she easily agreed to dance with that writer, and the degree of physical contact between the two had long exceeded the psychological limit of intimacy.
In addition, Song Li's eyes were unusually gentle. A person's eyes can inadvertently reveal their true feelings, so they must not be meeting for the first time, and may even have an intimate relationship that he is unaware of.
Hmph! This woman, Song Li, not only framed him and made him lose face in front of his brother, but she also dared to seduce him. Both of his major taboos have been violated by Song Li. Since he can't deal with that woman, he'll start by targeting the people around her.
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