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On the afternoon of Lunar New Year's Eve, Ruan Yu woke up from her nap and drew back the curtains, only to be dazzled by the silvery white light all around her.
The snowflakes, like fluttering willow catkins, drifted and swirled in the sky, accumulating a thick layer on the ground and buildings, as if trying to cover everything in the world.
The black and white cat she was holding yawned a long yawn, its tail brushing against her wrist.
Ruan Yu then came to her senses, bent down and rubbed the cat, put it back in its cat bed, and changed into the dress that the housekeeper had sent last night. She then sat down in front of the dressing table and began to put on makeup.
The Shen family's New Year's Eve banquet was held at the largest five-star luxury hotel in Z City. Entry was not allowed until 6 p.m. It was still early. Ruan Yu had finished her makeup and even completed half of an English test paper. Just as she was about to look at the cloze test questions, she heard a familiar knock on the door.
She hurriedly put down her pen and went to open the door.
As soon as the door opened, Wen Yun squeezed in, helped close the door, and looked at her with a troubled expression.
“This dress… is worn in a rather unusual way.” Wen Yun turned around, touching the buttons on the back of the dress, and said awkwardly, “I need your help.”
Her smooth back was completely exposed, which made Ruan Yu pause for a moment. As she picked up her clothes to button them up, she couldn't help but take the opportunity to gently press the back of her hand against her skin.
Smooth and delicate, it also carried the temperature she was most familiar with.
If she could, she would even want to press her face against it.
Her movements were so gentle that Wen Yun inexplicably felt a tickle on her back, but she held back and didn't make a sound. Only after she had buttoned up her clothes did she thank her.
"You're welcome, but isn't this outfit... a bit too revealing?" Ruan Yu asked tentatively. "Do you have a matching jacket?"
"Yes, I do." Wen Yun lifted her skirt and walked out. "I'll go back and put it on right away!"
After she left, Ruan Yu realized how absurd she had been and how selfish she had been. She lowered her eyes in shame, slapped her own unruly hand, and then wanted to slap herself, but was afraid of ruining her makeup and not having time to redo it, so she instead slapped her head.
She's not even an adult yet, and she's already losing control of her controlling nature...
By the time Wen Yun finished getting dressed, it was already 4:15.
Another driver hired by Wen's father drove the extended luxury car to the Wen family's door, and the family of five got into the car one after another and headed to a luxury hotel in the city center.
The snow was still falling heavily. As the car drove along the winding mountain road, Wen Yun took many photos of the snowy scenery in the mountains. She also added a photo of Ruan Yu wearing a dress and holding a cat at home, making it a total of nine photos. After retouching them, she posted them on her WeChat Moments.
Cloud: [The first and last snowfall of the year. So glad to share it with you! @欲语迟]
Ruan Yu was gazing absently at the snowy scenery outside the window when she suddenly felt her phone vibrate in her bag. When she took it out, she saw the nine pictures that had tagged her. She immediately turned her face away, not wanting anyone around her to notice the blush spreading across her cheeks.
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Fortunately, the Shen family's New Year's Eve banquet was not as complicated as Wen Yun had imagined.
Indeed, as Wen Lu said, the guests were free to sit quietly, drink and enjoy the music, or walk around and make friends.
Upon realizing this, she chose to gracefully—bury herself in her food.
A free, luxurious meal—why not take it?
Ever since Ruan Yu heard that the banquet was for marriage purposes, she had lost all interest in it. She ate with Wen Yun, and even asked the waiter for a "Cinderella" cocktail that she had longed for in her past life. She put down her chopsticks and slowly savored it.
The "Cinderella" wine has a rich and layered fruity flavor, sweet and sour, with a lingering coolness from the ice. Ruan Yu's eyes lit up after just one sip, and she instinctively placed her glass in front of Wen Yun, softly asking, "Want to try some?"
Wen Yun had actually tried "Cinderella" at a bar before, but she complained that it had no alcohol taste at all and was rather boring to drink, so she thought she might as well get drunk.
But she accepted the protagonist's kindness, carefully wiped her lips clean, and under Ruan Yu's gaze, turned the cup to the other side and took a sip.
...It tastes pretty good, I wonder if it's because of the different skill levels of the bartenders.
Considering that Ruan Yu should really like this cocktail, Wen Yun only took one sip before putting the glass back in its original place. Just as she was about to give Ruan Yu feedback on her experience, she suddenly heard a male voice call out to her with a laugh: "Miss Wen."
Wen Yun's heart skipped a beat, but she calmly looked up and saw a young man in a dark blue suit standing next to her seat, holding a wine glass in his hand, looking at her with a pair of amorous peach blossom eyes that seemed to be smiling but not smiling.
The original owner's memories returned, telling her that the man in front of her was the second young master of the Shen family.
Wen Yun composed herself, stood up demurely, and asked, "What brings you here, Young Master Shen?"
"May I invite you to dance?" asked the Second Young Master Shen.
Recalling the original plot, Wen Yun felt a chill run down her spine. She was frantically flipping through tea-talk templates to politely decline when her hand, which was at her side, was suddenly grabbed by someone behind her.
"Yunyun, you just promised me you'd dance with me."
A gentle voice came from behind, soft and slightly aggrieved, "I feel so lonely when I think about leaving me here all alone."
Wen Yun:? ? ?
Who stole her "green tea" template?!
A note from the author:
The first update is here!
Chapter 48
Shocked as she was, Wen Yun reacted quickly and said apologetically to Young Master Shen, "I'm sorry, I promised my family that I would dance with them after dinner, so I probably won't be able to respond to your invitation tonight."
Young Master Shen glanced at her, then at Ruan Yu, and, as if thinking of something, smiled gently and said, "It's alright, I wish you both a pleasant evening."
No sooner had he left than Wen Yun sat down, took Ruan Yu's hand, and sighed, "You really know how to surprise me!"
Her tone and words almost made her think that the protagonist had been possessed by Wen Yun!
The girl blinked and asked softly, "If I hadn't stopped you, would you have gone dancing with him?"
"No." Wen Yun shook her head decisively. "Since you don't mean it that way, you shouldn't give any people who try to chat you up hope."
Seeing Ruan Yu's relieved smile, Wen Yun frowned in confusion, then reminded her, "But this means we'll have to go dancing, and we'll have to dance in front of a lot of rich kids."
She had specifically saved up items like the "High-End Banquet Duet Dance Limited-Time Experience Card" for banquet-themed storylines, but she never expected that her first dance partner would be the protagonist.
“Then let’s jump.” Ruan Yu seemed to have no psychological burden. “I will carefully observe the surroundings and not allow anyone to find an opportunity to embarrass us.”
After saying that, she picked up the "Cinderella" glass in front of her, and as Wen Yun looked towards the ballroom, she inexplicably pressed the side that Wen Yun had drunk from against her own lips.
“If you want to refuse completely, you might have to jump for a while longer.” Wen Yun looked away, but didn’t notice Ruan Yu’s subtle movements. “It will probably take about an hour. Can you handle that?”
“I’m fine,” Ruan Yu nodded.
Wen Yun then extended her hand to her, "Then... I'm going to cast a spell, okay?"
Ever since the day she enrolled, when Ruan Yu asked her if the props' special effects were the magic she had cast, she felt that Ruan Yu could accept this premise. So, whenever she used a prop involving Ruan Yu, she would remind her of this.
The girl obediently placed her hand in her palm.
As the two stood up together, Ruan Yu felt a warm current surge from the man's palm and spread throughout her body.
The next second, she felt a heartbeat that wasn't her own, pounding in her chest.
At the same time, Wen Yun suddenly felt her heart racing, so fast it was unbelievable. After a few seconds of stunned silence, she said to Ruan Yu shyly, "Ah... I think I'm a little nervous."
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt her heart beat even faster.
"..." Wen Yun suspected it was a side effect of the prop, but when she opened the details and saw the words "Dancer Empathy", she realized that it was actually Ruan Yu's heartbeat.
She quickly reassured Ruan Yu, "Don't be nervous, relax, believe in magic!"
However, she also knew that this tension was inevitable and difficult to eliminate. So when she entered the dance hall with Ruan Yu and felt that the other person's heart was beating very fast, she was not worried or panicked. She calmly followed the system prompts and made an invitation gesture to the other person.
As the waltz began, and the props activated, they began to dance slowly among the crowd.
The props for the duet dance are assigned to the two characters according to certain rules. Wen Yun originally thought that she was taller than Ruan Yu and would be assigned to be the guide. However, after taking a few steps, she found that she had become the one being guided.
She was led forward and backward by the girl, her steps unhurried, her back steadily supported by a hand. She stepped out, turned to the side, and began to spin in perfect sync with the girl's rhythm.
Ruan Yu was practically breathless with excitement. To be able to hold that person so tightly, and dance with him in public like this, was something she only dared to imagine in her dreams!
Unexpectedly, the magic made the dream a reality. Her dancing became more serious, and her gaze shifted from her wary surroundings to the person's face, occasionally meeting his eyes.
Because of the magic, she could sense that the person's heart was beating fast, but she knew that it wasn't because he was in love, but because he was nervous.
But so what?
My passion, my feelings buried deep in my heart, have been conveyed to the other person and planted a seed in their heart.
Given the right opportunity, and given that person's recollection of the details afterward, it's only a matter of time before they realize that their feelings for her have already evolved.
Wen Yun was indeed very nervous at this moment.
She had never been exposed to such an elegant and rigorous dance in her previous life. Even with the enhancement of the system's props, she was worried that she would step on Ruan Yu's feet and make a fool of herself, whether it was progress or spinning.
Fortunately, that didn't happen. As she danced, she found herself and Ruan Yu becoming the focus of everyone's attention.
...That's true, in this dance hall, almost all the ballroom dancers are a man and a woman.
It did seem odd that the two women were dancing together, both dressed in formal attire.
But in order to make it clear to all the rich kids that they were all busy dancing with each other tonight, Wen Yun gritted her teeth and went ahead with the dance. When the half-hour time limit was almost up, she even bought another set of props.
So they danced for another half hour, and before the props ran out of time, Wen Yun quickly prepared a closing move.
Ruan Yu immediately followed, and after spinning around with her once, they moved to a more open position, where they stopped dancing almost simultaneously, their feet touching.
A burst of applause came from somewhere, and then people started clapping along.
Wen Yun thought to herself, "Oh no. I didn't offend anyone tonight, but I've inadvertently attracted strange attention."
She remained elegant and reserved, bowed to everyone with Ruan Yu, and then quickly pulled Ruan Yu away from the ballroom.
The props' empathy was still working. On the way back to her seat, Wen Yun could still feel Ruan Yu's heart beating very fast, and at the same time, she could feel her hand being held very tightly.
...Is Ruan Yu still nervous?
Or perhaps it's the excitement of having one's dance moves recognized?
"Have you heard about the emotions expressed in 'Für Elise'?" Ruan Yu suddenly asked.
"Shouldn't it be about expressing and responding to love?" Wen Yun replied, wondering why she suddenly brought this up, since the dance accompaniment just now was clearly not "Für Elise".
The theme melody of this piece repeats itself, conveying a range of emotions, like an urgent outpouring, yet also gentle and soothing, joyful and magnificent, just like the various stages of love from first meeting, falling in love to passionate romance.
Ruan Yu didn't say anything more, but her steps became lighter. She quickly took Wen Yun's hand and led her to the piano that no one was playing. She asked the staff member in charge of looking after the piano, "Hello, may I play a few pieces?"
After receiving permission from the staff, she sat down at the piano, took a deep breath, and placed her hands on the keys, her fingers and palms forming a beautiful semi-circular arc.
As her fingertips touched the black keys, the soothing and lingering melody of "Für Elise" entered Wen Yun's ears.
A note from the author:
"Für Elise"