Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 288 Keep Winning
The term "Dance C" does not refer to the name of a specific dance, but rather to a shorthand given by Han Zhou and Gu Zheng.

There's no special meaning to it; it's simply because it's easy to remember—that's what the guzheng says.

For this ball, she specially found four kinds of duets, some gentle and some lively. They were all not very difficult and did not require much basic skill. She practiced the most dance A, which is suitable for most occasions, while she only practiced dances B, C, and D a few times.

Han Zhou has a photographic memory, so he naturally remembers what kind of dance C is. It should be similar to the tango in his previous life, only with a slower rhythm. The reason he says "should" is because he has no interest in dance in either his previous life or this life, and his knowledge of it is extremely limited.

If Han Zhou were to differentiate them, he would say that compared to other types of dance, the main characteristic of Dance C is that it involves more physical contact, with dancers holding hands and wrapping their arms around each other's waists almost the entire time, resulting in a relatively intimate posture.

Remembering how sullen Guzheng had been after returning, Han Zhou understood. Although she hadn't said anything, it was clear that she was still upset about not being able to participate in the social event with him that afternoon, especially after hearing about the hand-holding activity. That's why she came up with such a lame excuse to suggest dancing to dance C.

Seeing the girl trying to hide her embarrassment, he smiled silently: "We've only practiced dance C three times in total. What if we embarrass ourselves?"

“We’ve at least practiced. Many people have never danced before, but they still came to the ball, didn’t they?” Gu Zheng rolled her eyes at him. “Don’t worry, you can dance with me. You won’t embarrass yourself.”

Han Zhou was somewhat surprised: "That's rare. You used to compete with others to see who could walk faster, even if you just went out for a walk. Now you're satisfied as long as you don't embarrass yourself. Have your standards lowered?"

"Didn't you say this was just a fun dance party? Besides, you were always clumsy during practice, and I was only accommodating you," Guzheng said arrogantly.

Han Zhou laughed: "Then should I thank you for not disliking me?"

"of course."

"..."

"Han Zhou, over here!"

As the two were chatting, they suddenly heard someone call out from not far away. The tall Zhang Tao squeezed through the crowd and said with delight, "I saw you waiting for someone outside the dance hall the other day, and I was wondering if you would attend today's dance. I was just about to wander around when I saw you."

He seemed to have dressed up specially tonight, with his hair styled with hair wax, wearing a well-fitting black suit, and even a tie. Years of exercise had given him a tall and straight posture, making him quite eye-catching in the crowd.

Han Zhou exchanged a few pleasantries with him, then asked with a puzzled look, "Senior Zhang Tao, are you dressed like this for a dance? You shouldn't be interested in this kind of thing, right?"

In his view, Zhang Tao was a typical example of someone who "had no woman in his heart but was a god when he drew his sword," and whose mind was almost entirely occupied with extreme sports. How could he possibly dress so formally to attend the ball?

Could it be that he has someone he likes?

"I told you not to call me 'senior,' it's too formal. Just call me by my name." Zhang Tao smiled wryly. "I didn't want to come in the first place, but something a member of my club said reminded me that tonight's dance party will definitely attract a lot of people. If we can recruit new members here, it might be quite effective."

Han Zhou and Gu Zheng exchanged a glance, then hesitantly asked, "Recruiting new members... is that even possible?"

"Of course there is. We just need to let everyone experience the charm of extreme sports," Zhang Tao said with a confident smile.

"I see."

Han Zhou didn't know what method this "reckless" person planned to use to let everyone feel the charm of extreme sports, but he nodded as if he suddenly realized something and asked curiously, "But Zhang... Brother Tao, so you have members in your club."

"Of course, but rather than a member, he's more like my assistant. I'll introduce you to him sometime."

Gu Zheng asked curiously, "So your dance partner today is your assistant?"

"A dance partner?" Zhang Tao was taken aback. "Do you need a dance partner to dance?"

Han Zhou pointed to the title on the wall.

Zhang Tao glanced at it and his expression changed slightly: "Can't I dance solo?"

"I don't know."

Han Zhou shook his head. It seemed that Zhang Tao had prepared a shocking solo dance in extreme sports, intending to showcase the charm of extreme sports.

I must say, he was quite curious.

Zhang Tao hesitated for a moment, then took out his phone and made a call.

"Was that a call to your assistant?" Han Zhou asked.

"Yes, let's prepare early. If we can't dance solo, at least we can perform together."

Gu Zheng looked curious: "The theme of the ball is inviting people you like to dance, does that mean you have feelings for your assistant...?"

“He’s a man,” Zhang Tao interrupted her.

Han Zhou and Gu Zheng were both stunned, and after hesitating for a while, they said, "So you're planning to have the two of you men dance together?"

"If solo dances aren't allowed, then this is the only way."

"Isn't this a bit too shocking... too eye-catching?"

Zhang Tao laughed nonchalantly: "Isn't what you need to recruit new people to attract attention?"

I suspect that not only will you fail to recruit new people, but you might also gain the nickname "unidentified" in the future...

Han Zhou nodded with a wry smile.

Zhang Tao soon went to the entrance of the stadium to wait for his assistant. It's unknown whether the latter will agree to dance with him after seeing the title inside the stadium.

If you agree...

hiss--

Han Zhou didn't dare to think any further.

With only two minutes left before the dance was to begin, the gymnasium was already packed with people, almost all of them paired up as a man and a woman. Those who couldn't find a dance partner had already quietly left.

There's no way around it; everyone's in pairs, and it's really an eyesore for someone to be left here alone.

When the colored lights on the title started flashing, the atmosphere in the stadium suddenly became ambiguous. Even the most ordinary and innocent male-female relationship would inevitably feel their heart race when they saw the flashing text "Invite the person you like to dance together," and they would involuntarily imagine the possibility of the two of them being together in the future.

As the atmosphere grew warmer, Guzheng's heartbeat quickened, and the changing lights illuminated her face, making the blush on her cheeks appear even more radiant.

"It's about to start, and everyone else is already standing face to face. Why hasn't Han Zhou invited me to dance yet? Although I forgot to mention it before, I don't think I need to be specifically taught how to do this..."

Lost in thought, she shuddered and found her hand suddenly being held firmly. Heat emanated from that large hand, giving her a strange electric shock sensation, and her body temperature soared.

The gradually changing lights turned into colors, and the stadium flickered between light and dark, with the frequency increasing, just like the heartbeat of a young girl at that moment.

She turned her head to look at Han Zhou's expression, but he was also looking over, his eyes gentle, and he chuckled, "It's about to begin."

She hastily averted her gaze, feigning composure as she hummed in agreement, stealing a glance down at their clasped hands, her eyes subtly curving into a smile. Han Zhou cleared his throat and said earnestly, "Beautiful lady, may I invite you to dance with me?"

"Pretentious."

Gu Zheng rolled her eyes at him and said, feigning modesty, "You've already grabbed my hand, how could I possibly refuse?"

Her eyes curved into crescents, and a bright smile bloomed on her face, but she quickly suppressed it and turned her head away somewhat awkwardly.

"Be careful not to get my shoes dirty."

As soon as the words were spoken, soft music began to play, flowing gently through the stadium like a trickle.

The lights flickered, and the stadium transformed into a giant dance floor, where couples danced to the music.

"Dance C?" Han Zhou confirmed again.

“Dance C,” Guzheng repeated softly.

Although she had prepared and it wasn't her first time dancing the C dance, she still trembled when her waist was wrapped around someone, and almost made a mistake in her steps. She quickly blamed the grinning person opposite her: "Dance properly, you almost stepped on my foot!"

Han Zhou, who had been grinning, looked suspicious. After recalling for a couple of seconds, he said uncertainly, "Isn't it you who jumped the wrong way?"

"How could that be? Follow my rhythm!" Gu Zheng said firmly, trying to hide her guilty conscience.

"Okay, I understand."

The two stopped talking and danced to the music, their bodies sometimes moving away and sometimes close. At the closest point, Guzheng could even feel Han Zhou's hot breath.
The two held hands almost the entire time. Dance C is not a common ballroom dance, but rather a dance for couples or those about to become couples. This dance comes from abroad and has a very romantic name, which translates to "eternal love," so there is no moment of "breaking up."

Gu Zheng knew this from the beginning. The reason she called it Dance C was to cover up the original meaning. She knew that Han Zhou was not interested in dance, and as a relatively niche dance, "Eternal Love" was not well-known. The probability of Han Zhou accidentally learning about it online was very low. Even if he did find out someday, it didn't matter. She could pretend that she was also finding out for the first time.

However, in reality, Han Zhou had already heard about the meaning of "C" from the senior students in the dance studio. Almost all the girls in the dance studio were helping Guzheng, but she, as the person involved, was kept in the dark and thought her plan was flawless.

"How was my skill level? Not bad, right?"

Han Zhou wrapped his arms around Gu Zheng's waist. Gu Zheng's waist was very slender. Due to long-term exercise, her body was not as soft as most girls, but more elastic. He didn't know what material her dress was made of, but it felt cool to the touch.

Gu Zheng pouted: "If I hadn't dodged it several times, you would have stepped on my foot long ago."

"But I still think there's nothing wrong with my jump..."

Gu Zheng suddenly felt guilty and said with a straight face, "If it's not your problem, is it mine?"

"Okay, it's my problem."

Han Zhou sighed, "There really is a difference between people. We've only practiced three times, but you were able to lead me in the dance, while I can't even find the beat."

"Well... it's not that exaggerated. Actually, you're not that bad, and I've secretly practiced a few times in private..."

Gu Zheng felt embarrassed by the praise, and at the same time, she was afraid of hurting Han Zhou's confidence, so she took the initiative to explain, "My dance talent is only average. The senior girls in the club are really amazing. They can learn many complicated dances very quickly, and so can my classmates. They know so much."

Han Zhou paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "After all, we are all people who were able to get into Lin University. None of us lack academic talent or hard work, otherwise we wouldn't be classmates." Han Zhou smiled.

"Yes, everyone here is a formidable opponent..." Gu Zheng sighed softly.

She knows very well that, apart from sports, she doesn't have any absolute talent in other things, including academics. She has gotten to where she is today mainly because of hard work, which means that it won't be easy for her to continue to be number one in the future.

"But you'll still win, won't you?"

Just then, Han Zhou's calm voice suddenly rang in her ears, his tone tinged with laughter, "I still remember what you said the first day we met."

Gu Zheng paused, her thoughts suddenly flashing back to that sunny afternoon. She looked at the boy in front of her for a long time and found that he seemed to be no different from back then.

Even the smiles on their faces are almost identical.

"of course."

Her eyes curved into crescents, revealing the same smile as before, and she uttered the same words—

"I will keep winning!"

"I'll wait and see," Han Zhou said with a smile.

"Just wait and see." Gu Zheng raised her chin and said confidently, "I will perform on stage at the year-end party, and I will definitely beat all the senior students and become the absolute star of the show!"

"Then I must sit in the first row to watch it."

Gu Zheng's eyes crinkled into a smile, and then, as if lost in thought, she hesitated and said worriedly, "Han Zhou, what if I don't win? Although the probability of that is very small..."

"Then let's regroup and win it back."

Following the rhythm of the music, Han Zhou pulled the girl in front of him and said nonchalantly, "Didn't I tell you? You just need to run forward, and I'll keep chasing after you. That way, I'll catch up with you eventually. Don't cry then."

The girl blushed at the face so close to hers and the heat of his breath. She quickly turned her head away and said with dissatisfaction, "I won't let you catch up with me, and I certainly won't cry."

"you sure?"

"determine."

"So much the better."

Han Zhou smiled, then suddenly asked meaningfully, "By the way, Guzheng, for you, does a draw mean winning or losing?"

Gu Zheng was taken aback and asked in confusion, "Isn't a draw just a draw? It doesn't mean losing or winning..."

"Let me rephrase the question: If someone tied for first place with you, would you feel resentful?"

"I don't know." Gu Zheng shook her head blankly; she hadn't thought about this question yet. "The probability of tying for first place must be very low, right?"

"But we can't rule out that possibility, can we?"

"That's right..."

Gu Zheng nodded, thought carefully, and a solemn expression appeared on her face.

"Then I'll regroup and be the real number one next time!"

(End of this chapter)