Quick Wear: Cousin, Come to the Bowl Quickly

The ball had reached its climax. Unlike the slow-paced waltz at the beginning, a new piece of music began to play—a tango full of rhythm.

“A masquerade ball? That’s quite fitting.” Lin Xi listened for a moment, then turned her gaze to the men and women enjoying themselves on the dance floor, and couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile.

As she spoke, she turned to Shen Jingyuan beside her and casually asked, "Can you dance the tango?"

She asked casually, already prepared for him to shake his head. After all, although tango is a common social dance, its rhythmic pauses and flamboyant movements were quite different from Shen Jingyuan's usual serious and proper image.

Lin Xi imagined Shen Jingyuan with his wooden face and steel-like body spinning and swaying his head to the music, and couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine.

To her surprise, Shen Jingyuan stared at her for a moment, then remained silent for a while before slowly nodding.

Upon seeing this, Lin Xi was taken aback for a moment, then revealed a meaningful smile.

She reached out and patted Shen Jingyuan on the shoulder, her tone slightly teasing, "I didn't expect our serious 'Advisor Shen' to be so well-hidden."

Shen Jingyuan didn't miss the teasing in her eyes. He knew she was joking on purpose, but he didn't argue. He just pursed his lips and calmly uttered a few words, "I've learned some."

Perhaps infected by the laughter of men and women on the dance floor, Lin Xi looked up and caught sight of his serious expression, and her heart couldn't help but itch.

She rubbed her fingertips together, a wicked thought suddenly rising in her mind, and she couldn't help but want to see what other expressions would appear on his calm face.

"Shall we have a competition?" As if she had thought of something, Lin Xi suddenly stood on tiptoe, leaned close to Shen Jingyuan's ear, and said in a light voice.

Before she could finish speaking and before Shen Jingyuan could refuse, she deftly took off her lace gloves and stuffed them into his arms. Then, lifting her skirt, she gracefully glided into the dance floor where light and shadow intertwined, like a nimble fish.

At this point, the prelude ends, and the music officially enters the cheerful and dynamic main melody.

The dance floor was filled with the fragrance of lingerie and the swaying of hair. After the warm-up dances, the guests were in high spirits and began to dance along to the rhythm.

The first half of this tango consists of solo dances for men and women. The dancers need to be invited by their male partners in the middle section before they can enter the duet dance.

The male guests, like peacocks spreading their tails, put in their best efforts, trying to make their dance steps as beautiful as flowers, while the female guests, with their skirts gently lifted, danced slowly, like flowers blooming in the night.

Suddenly, a dark green figure, like a lotus leaf in summer, pushed through the bustling crowd and entered the dance floor, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

Her movements were graceful, her dance steps were rhythmic and varied, her slender neck was slightly raised, and her bright face carried a faint, proud smile.

As the music spun, her cascading black hair drew sharp arcs in the air, making her resemble a rose in full bloom, so dazzling that one dared not look directly at her, yet one could not help but be captivated.

However, what caught everyone's attention even more than her proud yet composed demeanor was her dance steps—her back was ramrod straight, her posture crisp and clean, and every move she made exuded a sense of dominance. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that she was dancing the men's steps.

At dances these days, it's not uncommon for women to dance the steps of men, but it's usually a last resort when there aren't enough people to go, and the dancers often seem awkward because they're not familiar with the steps.

However, the "Mrs. Li" who was recognized by everyone clearly did not have this condition.

Although she was dancing the men's steps, her movements were natural and her steps were fluid. There was no awkwardness on her face; instead, she exuded an indescribable confidence and swagger. Her aura made the male guests around her pale in comparison.

Who exactly is this person? Not only did she make a high-profile entrance earlier, outshining Lady Tasha, but now she's even more unconventional, dancing like a woman while walking like a man.

And yet, she danced...quite well, leaving no room for criticism, truly stealing the show.

Lin Xi was completely unaware of the gazes and speculations around her. Her sudden idea to dance the male steps was purely on a whim, just to tease Shen Jingyuan.

Since a dance is only for two people, and she danced the male steps, Shen Jingyuan would have to dance the female steps when they danced together later.

Just imagining him, so tall and imposing like a mountain, awkwardly and stiffly dancing the female steps, made her want to laugh.

Thinking this, during a break in the spinning, Lin Xi couldn't help but glance at Shen Jingyuan by the dance floor, a look that was barely suppressed by laughter.

Shen Jingyuan stood still, receiving her "malicious" gaze, and instantly guessed her intention. A hint of helplessness and amusement crept into his eyes.

He naturally understood her little scheme. The two of them had come a long way through such dangers, and now that they could finally relax a bit, he didn't mind indulging her in a little "fooling around."

But... the dance floor was crowded with people, and he was indeed unfamiliar with the women's steps. What if he accidentally stepped on her...

Recalling how pitiful she looked, limping as she twisted her ankle a few days ago, Shen Jingyuan felt a tightness in his heart.

However, if he didn't respond to her invitation in front of everyone, given Lin Xi's temper, he probably wouldn't see her in a good mood for the next few days.

Shen Jingyuan stood by the dance floor, looking down at the glove that Lin Xi had stuffed into his palm, caught in a dilemma.

As the last note of her solo dance faded, Lin Xi spun nimbly to the edge of the dance floor, then reached out to Shen Jingyuan, who was not far away, making a standard invitation gesture, her chin slightly raised, signaling him to hurry up and enter.

However, the scene of Shen Jingyuan reluctantly compromising that she had expected did not occur. He remained standing in the same spot, his brows slightly furrowed and his eyelashes drooping, seemingly caught in some kind of dilemma, completely unaware of her presence.

The guests who had been dancing alone had all paired up. The male partners elegantly extended their hands, and the female partners smiled and gently placed their fingertips on them. Only Lin Xi, like a forgotten "gentleman," had his outstretched hand hanging in mid-air, which seemed a bit abrupt.

Lin Xi was instantly furious and cursed him under her breath as a "wooden stake." She wanted to remind Shen Jingyuan, but she didn't want to call his name in front of everyone, so she cleared her throat and pretended to cough, hoping to get his attention.

But perhaps because the surrounding noise was too loud, Shen Jingyuan kept his eyes down and didn't notice Lin Xi's little movements at all.

Lin Xi was quite annoyed by his oblivious attitude. She angrily withdrew her hand, intending to simply perform the duet as a solo, and at worst, steal the spotlight again.

However, at that moment, a shadow suddenly fell in front of her, blocking part of the flowing light.

Lin Xi subconsciously looked up, and when she saw the figure in front of her clearly, a look of amazement flashed across her eyes.

Standing before me was a young man in a crisp White Russian officer's uniform. He was tall and upright with striking and handsome features. Most striking of all were his rare green eyes, which, like spring water, clearly reflected his own image.

Seeing Lin Xi looking at him, the young man smiled charmingly and spoke in heavily accented but still fairly fluent Mandarin.

“This… handsome ‘gentleman’,” he said with a slightly teasing tone, his gaze falling on her posture, which appeared exceptionally upright due to her male-style dancing, “may I have the honor of becoming your dance partner?”

Upon hearing this, Lin Xi was taken aback at first, but quickly realized what was happening and couldn't help but chuckle.

This person was quite interesting; not only did they not find it strange that she danced like a woman while taking male steps, they readily accepted the role-playing.

Sure enough, before he finished speaking, the green-eyed officer humorously squatted down slightly and made a curtsy by lifting his skirt. Although he was wearing neat military trousers, his posture clearly indicated that he was a "lady" waiting to be led.

Lin Xi was annoyed by Shen Jingyuan's ungratefulness, but seeing how sensible and humorous this man was, most of her displeasure dissipated.

She smiled sweetly, raised her chin demurely, and replied in a gentlemanly tone, "Of course, beautiful 'madam,' it is my honor."

As she spoke, she naturally reached out, one hand ready to take his outstretched hand, while the other hand instinctively reached for his waist to take the lead in the next dance steps.

Upon seeing this, the young White Russian man's eyes flashed with surprise and delight. He bowed slightly and offered his hand to Lin Xi's palm.

However, just as their fingertips were about to touch...

A large, slightly dark-skinned hand with distinct knuckles suddenly reached out from the side, precisely bypassing the White Russian officer's hand, and grabbed Lin Xi's fingertips, preemptively wrapping them tightly in its own palm.

Lin Xi turned her head in surprise and met a pair of deep eyes.

Shen Jingyuan appeared beside her at some point. His calm face still revealed little emotion, but his tightly pursed lips and the faintly menacing aura emanating from him betrayed his true feelings at that moment.

Shen Jingyuan stared at Lin Xi for a long while before slowly turning his head, his gaze sweeping over the slightly surprised White Russian officer, and speaking in fluent Russian in a deep voice.

“Excuse me, sir, I think my ‘madam’ already has a dance partner.”