Quick Wear: Cousin, Come to the Bowl Quickly

As the tango music reached its climax, the rapid melody struck everyone's eardrums like a heartbeat.

The men and women in the center of the dance floor seemed to have transformed into the protagonists of the dance music, completely ignited by the carnival's enthusiastic atmosphere. Their faces were flushed, their smiles were unrestrained, and their swirling skirts intertwined with the shimmering lights, creating a dazzling vortex.

Amidst the clamor of music, Lin Xi was held tightly in Shen Jingyuan's arms, her nose enveloped in his cool yet exceptionally powerful aura, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

"Ugh—Shen Jingyuan, I can't... I can't breathe, you... you let go." Lin Xi mumbled, reaching out to try and push Shen Jingyuan.

But the person in front of her seemed to be possessed, no matter how hard she tried, he still held her tightly and didn't move an inch.

Lin Xi's face turned red from holding back her anger. Finally, she couldn't bear it any longer and pinched his waist hard. Taking advantage of Shen Jingyuan's momentary lapse in attention due to pain, she suddenly broke free from his embrace, panting heavily, her eyes shining with surprising rage.

"What's wrong with you?! You're suffocating me!"

She raised her hand to tidy the strands of hair stuck to her cheek, about to continue her outburst, when she suddenly caught a few probing gazes out of the corner of her eye. She bit her lip, forcing herself to suppress the scolding that was about to spill out, and instead lowered her voice, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between her teeth.

"Are you trying to embarrass me in front of everyone?"

Shen Jingyuan skillfully led her to avoid a couple spinning towards them. His dance steps remained steady, but he kept his lips tightly pressed together, his jawline taut, and he remained silent.

"Are you mute?!" Seeing his unyielding attitude, Lin Xi felt a surge of anger rising to her head. Taking advantage of a break in the dance steps, she raised her foot and stomped hard on his instep. "Speak!"

Lin Xi, still furious, didn't hold back at all. Her heel landed heavily on Shen Jingyuan's instep, causing him to instinctively furrow his brow and momentarily lose control of his dance steps.

But he quickly recovered and still didn't say anything. He just tightened his arms around Lin Xi's waist, as if afraid she would run away.

Seeing that he was completely unmoved, Lin Xi became even angrier. She used both her hands and feet to pinch and stomp on him, suppressing the urge to raise her voice and instead speaking in a low voice, gritting her teeth as she berated him.

"What's wrong with you? You were the one who stood there like a block of wood and refused my invitation! You embarrassed me, and now that I've been invited by someone else, you're here to ruin things, and you're giving me that deadpan look!"

As she got emotional, her eyes began to redden uncontrollably, and her voice trembled with a sob.

"These past few days I've been gathering information and taking care of you tirelessly. I finally wanted to relax and dance a bit, and you're deliberately trying to make things difficult for me?"

As she finished speaking, Lin Xi trembled uncontrollably, and a tear slid down from the corner of her reddened eye, landing with a thud on the back of Shen Jingyuan's hand that was gripping her wrist.

The cool liquid seemed to carry a scorching temperature, finally waking Shen Jingyuan from his churning jealousy. He stiffened and subconsciously looked down at Lin Xi in his arms, only to meet her eyes, which were full of tears.

Shen Jingyuan's pupils contracted, and his originally tense and cold expression instantly crumbled, replaced by panic and helplessness.

He stopped abruptly, awkwardly reaching out to wipe away her tears, but Lin Xi slapped his hand away.

"What are you doing? I don't want your fake kindness!" Lin Xi wiped away her tears haphazardly, pushed him away, and walked out of the dance floor without looking back.

Shen Jingyuan hurriedly caught up with her and led her to the shadow of the pillar, his voice urgent as he tried to explain, "I'm sorry, I didn't..."

"What do you mean, 'not'?" Lin Xi interrupted him irritably, trying to shake him off, but his hand seemed to be attached to her wrist, and she couldn't shake it off no matter what she did.

"You're not deliberately refusing to dance with me? Or are you intentionally trying to go against me? You're always so taciturn, so stingy with your words, I have to guess everything you say! Am I a mind reader? Why should I always have to read your face and figure out what you're thinking?"

In the end, the tension of the past few days, the embarrassment of being left standing on the dance floor, and his sudden assertiveness and silence all mixed together, turning into a huge sense of grievance that welled up in her heart.

"Who...who are you to me...why are you treating me like this..."

Shen Jingyuan gripped Lin Xi's wrist tightly, preventing her from breaking free, and repeated hastily, "I'm sorry, I..."

"Sorry? If 'sorry' was enough, what would be the point of having a police station?" Lin Xi interrupted him irritably. "Is 'sorry' all you can say?"

"I'm sorry," Shen Jingyuan repeated almost subconsciously.

"I'm so angry! Shen Jingyuan, you—" Lin Xi closed her eyes, her chest heaving violently, and gritted her teeth as she tried to pry open the fingers that were gripping her wrist.

"I was just... jealous."

"What?" Lin Xi's movements suddenly stopped. She blinked her eyes, which were still wet with tears, wondering if she had misheard in her anger. She repeated uncertainly, "You...you say it again?"

The music in the ballroom gradually subsided, and the song "Masquerade" was nearing its end.

In the dim light and shadow under the porch, Shen Jingyuan stared intently at Lin Xi, whose eyes were red and whose expression was blank. His gaze was so deep that it seemed as if he wanted to draw her in.

"I said, I'm sorry, I was just... jealous." His voice was deep and filled with unprecedented honesty. As soon as he finished speaking, he unconsciously tightened his grip on Lin Xi's wrist, gently pulling her a step closer to him.

“Seeing you smiling so happily at another man, and even dancing with him…” His Adam’s apple bobbed, as if he had swallowed the self-deception of the past few days, and he continued in a hoarse voice, “I just couldn’t control my jealousy.”

Shen Jingyuan's fingertips twitched slightly as he lovingly stroked Lin Xi's wrist, while his other hand tentatively and gently placed on her waist, silently shortening the distance between them even further.

“That White Russian is unsteady on his feet, he’s all show and no substance, just a pretty face in a military uniform,” he said, his brows furrowing slightly, his tone carrying undisguised contempt and a hint of jealousy.

“I just saw him flirting with another lady. He’s not a good person.” Seeing that Lin Xi seemed to be immersed in shock and did not resist his actions, Shen Jingyuan’s eyes darkened. He tightened his grip on her waist, pulling her closer to him until they were intimately close.

“If you want to dance,” his voice grew deeper, carrying an almost seductive tenderness, his gaze fixed on her slightly flustered eyes, “I’ll dance with you.”

"Xixi," he called out the name with a tone that was both unfamiliar and incredibly precious, like a slightly aggrieved plea, or a humble beg, "Just dance with me, okay?"