May I invite you to dance

"This is so embarrassing~ Stop looking at me."

Han Xiaoyu's face flushed as she tugged Xia Keke's arm, hastily retreating to a nearby chair to sit with her back turned to the group.

Liu Bo, who had initially been the most resistant to the whole idea, now seemed completely unfazed—as if there was no one left in the world whose opinion he cared about.

He swung two toy swords around in the open space, slashing the air with exaggerated movements.

Su Yang turned to him with a grin. "Seems like you're really enjoying that outfit, huh?"

Liu Bo flashed a toothy smile. "Damn right. I feel like I am Yone now."

Su Yang couldn’t help but laugh. "Maybe you should change back. It’s kind of… hard to look at."

"What? Yang, you liar! You said it looked cool!"

"It is cool—just not for too long. Plus, you’re shirtless, and with that bit of extra weight… it’s giving off some serious ‘greasy’ vibes."

Liu Bo shrugged. "Don’t care. I don’t get to cosplay often. Gotta make the most of it."

"Shwa!" he suddenly shouted, charging at Zhang Ziming with both swords raised. "Die, you scoundrel!"

Zhang Ziming: ???

......

Su Yang blinked at the absurd scene, shaking his head. "This guy’s lost it."

"Hey, Lao Meng, weren’t you gonna dance?"

"...Not a chance in this outfit."

"Look at Fatty Liu—he’s already gone full send."

Meng Wenzhou sighed. "The man’s deranged. Whatever. Pass me a smoke, then I’ll change. Consider my mission accomplished."

Su Yang gave a thumbs-up. "Flawless execution."

The two lit their cigarettes as Ji Bo and Zhang Ziming walked over with glasses of champagne, taking seats nearby.

Soft music played in the rooftop garden, the mellow lighting perfect for something refined—say, a waltz.

As the four chatted, a graceful figure approached.

They turned in unison to see Qiao Xiyue, who had been quiet most of the evening.

She swayed lightly as she stopped in front of them, offering Su Yang a faint smile. "Su Yang, care to dance?"

"Huh?" Su Yang froze.

The other three immediately perked up, grinning like amused spectators.

"Uh… I’d love to, but I don’t know how."

"No worries. I’ll teach you—it’s easy." Qiao Xiyue extended her hand.

Su Yang hesitated, then placed his palm over hers and stood.

Honestly, how could he refuse? She’d taken the initiative; rejecting her would be rude. It was just a dance—no big deal.

He glanced back at his friends, now all wearing identical, knowing smirks.

"Have fun," Zhang Ziming teased.

Just then, another woman approached—the girl from the last pair to arrive.

Chen Yun.

She was striking, tall and elegant in a fitted black dress with a high slit.

Her tousled short hair and bold red lips gave off a mature, confident aura.

I thought she would invite Meng Wenzhou, but to my surprise, she walked straight up to Zhang Ziming and extended her hand: "Handsome, care to dance with me?"

Zhang Ziming was taken aback and instinctively glanced toward Shen Yixue, who was sitting nearby chatting with Lu Yun and a few others.

"...Sure~" he replied, standing up and taking Chen Yun's hand with his left before heading toward Su Yang's side.

"What the hell? Is this guy on a lucky streak today? A girl actually asked him to dance?" Meng Wenzhou muttered to himself after they left.

Ji Bo, standing nearby, chuckled. "Jealous much? Why doesn’t anyone ask me to dance?"

"Maybe you should go dance with the chubby guy then."

Ji Bo: "......"

By now, Su Yang and Qiao Xiyue, along with Zhang Ziming and Chen Yun, had reached the open space in the middle of the garden lounge area.

The dozen or so others turned their attention toward them.

Pan Ning leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, tilting her head as she watched Su Yang.

She didn’t mind this kind of thing—after all, dancing at a party was perfectly normal. She’d been to plenty of gatherings where handsome guys had asked her to dance. As long as things didn’t escalate inappropriately, it was all good.

Lu Yun and Tang Ziyun, however, felt a twinge of jealousy, though neither showed it outwardly.

Su Yang studied the girl in front of him and thought, ‘She’s probably around a 75 to 80. Not bad at all.’

"Su Yang, here—raise your left hand and open it, then put your right hand around my shoulder."

"Oh, got it."

Qiao Xiyue placed her right hand in Su Yang’s raised left and rested her left on his shoulder, their arms nearly level.

After a few minutes of following her lead, Su Yang started getting the hang of it.

"Alright, let’s try it for real now," Qiao Xiyue said, glancing toward Meng Qianyu.

"Qianyu, could you play something suitable for a waltz?"

"Of course," Meng Qianyu replied, quickly switching the music.

A soft, melodious tune filled the air as the two began moving in sync, stepping forward and back in rhythm.

A few meters away, Zhang Ziming and Chen Yun also swayed to the music.

As a rich second-generation heir, Zhang Ziming had attended plenty of these events growing up. Even if he hadn’t formally learned, he’d picked up basic waltz steps just by watching.

He didn’t need Chen Yun to guide him and soon danced smoothly on his own.

To the elegant melody, the four attractive young people glided across the floor, drawing cheers and applause from the onlookers. The atmosphere quickly reached a lively peak.

Among the seated crowd, a few more stood up and began inviting each other to dance.

The number of dancers gradually grew, with even those who didn’t know how joining in, swaying along.

This was how things usually went when the mood hit a certain point—like at a nightclub, where even the most introverted people found themselves unconsciously moving to the beat, nodding along.

Meanwhile, Xiao Liang, who had been silent for a while, suddenly perked up. He stood and made his way toward Lu Yun and Tang Ziyun.

Stopping in front of them, he leaned down slightly and smiled. "Care to dance, beautiful?"

His gaze was fixed on Lu Yun.

Lu Yun blinked, surprised by the unexpected invitation.

Embarrassed, she shook her head. "Uh, sorry… I don’t know how to dance."

"It's no problem, I'll teach you. It's really simple—you can learn it in just a few minutes." Xiao Liang had finally found an opportunity and wasn’t about to let it slip away.

"But..."

Lu Yun rubbed her hands together, trying to figure out how to turn down Xiao Liang, when suddenly Liu Bo came rushing over from the side.

"Hey man, I'll dance with you!"

Xiao Liang looked up and nearly stumbled backward. Straightening himself, he chuckled awkwardly. "Bro, uh... two guys don’t usually dance the waltz together."

Liu Bo waved his twin blades and shot Xiao Liang a glare. "What does it matter who you dance with? Come on!"

Before Xiao Liang could react, Liu Bo tossed his weapons aside, grabbed his hand, and dragged him toward the center of the dance floor.

Xiao Liang struggled desperately to break free, but as an ordinary guy, he was no match for Liu Bo’s grip.

"Wait, bro, this—this is way too embarrassing!!"

"Embarrassing? I’ve been wanting to learn the waltz anyway. Just teach me, alright? Or do you have a problem with that?"

"Well, no, but..."

Liu Bo grinned mischievously. "Then hurry up and show me the moves. Maybe I’ll impress a lady next time."

Seeing no way out, Xiao Liang reluctantly gave in. "Fine, I’ll just teach you a few basic steps, okay?"

"Deal!"

The truth was, Xiao Liang knew exactly who Liu Bo was—Meng Wenzhou’s closest friend. He didn’t dare make a scene, so he had no choice but to go along with it.

And so, the bizarre sight of two men awkwardly holding hands and shuffling across the dance floor unfolded.

Liu Bo was all smiles, while Xiao Liang looked utterly defeated.

His original plan had been simple: dance gracefully with Lu Yun, ask for her WeChat, and then arrange a nice dinner date later.

But instead of his dream partner, he was stuck with a shirtless, oddly dressed, greasy middle-aged man.

At this point, he just wanted to disappear...