Yang Xueyi completely ignored Ying Yun’s speechless look and boldly shoved her phone at him.
Fortunately, this annoying guy really did need her help this time.
In the end, the two successfully struck a deal.
Watching her daily income instantly increase by ten thousand, Yang Xueyi felt absolutely delighted.
Dancing was no problem, but…
Yang Xueyi looked down at her business suit.
“What am I supposed to dance in? This outfit?”
“Of course not. Where did you even dig out that business suit? You look like someone pouring tea at a big conference.”
The crisis of Ying Yun having no one to dance the opening dance with was resolved, but this annoying guy immediately started nit-picking again.
He glanced over Yang Xueyi’s outfit with a face full of disdain, then lowered his head to make a phone call—
“Send over a dance dress. Color? Red, I guess. Wait, red is too flashy—”
He glanced at Yang Xueyi.
“Never mind, she’ll pull it off. Just don’t make it too revealing.”
Before hanging up, Ying Yun seemed to think of something else and added, “And send a black masquerade half-mask, with black dance shoes, size 36.”
Ying Yun’s memory was pretty impressive; he even remembered Yang Xueyi’s shoe size.
Yang Xueyi hadn’t expected the half-mask, but since Ying Yun didn’t want people to know he was dancing with her, she certainly didn’t want others to recognize her either.
He thought she was beneath him, but she found him to be bad luck.
Neither wanted to be associated with the other.
A mask was perfect.
Time was tight. The dress and shoes arrived just in time. Yang Xueyi changed and found that the fit was pretty good.
She quickly put her hair up, stuck a matching red flower accessory by her bun, applied bold red lipstick, and switched her makeup to a more dramatic style.
She would only put on the black half-mask right before going on stage.
With makeup so different from her usual look, she doubted anyone would recognize her.
But when she looked in the mirror and saw that bold, striking face, even Yang Xueyi was taken aback for a moment.
She rarely did full makeup, since her features were already naturally striking.
She almost never used makeup that emphasized her features even more.
Now, seeing herself like this, she realized just how visually impactful this style was—almost excessively alluring and seductive.
Perhaps because she looked so different from usual, when Yang Xueyi finished changing and stepped out, even Ying Yun—waiting outside the dressing room—froze for a moment.
His gaze lingered on her face, and his expression darkened.
“Where’s your mask?”
Yang Xueyi waved the mask in her hand.
“I’ll put it on right before we go out.”
But Ying Yun was thoroughly unreasonable, his expression unpleasant as he insisted, “Put it on now. Right now.”
Seriously?!
Was it that embarrassing to be seen with her?
Besides, this was backstage in the dressing room—no one was even around.
Yang Xueyi gave Ying Yun a glare, but considering this young master was about to pay her twenty thousand for a dance, she held her tongue and put the mask on without complaint.
But as soon as she finished adjusting the mask, Ying Yun glanced at her red dress and had more to say.
His brows furrowed, lips pressed together, face darkened again.
“Didn’t I say no revealing styles? Why is it still so revealing?”
Yang Xueyi looked down at the red dress.
It was already a knee-length style.
The skirt had several layers of red silk and tulle, floating gracefully as she walked and giving a sense of sophistication and subtle allure.
When dancing and spinning, there was no need to worry about exposing her thighs—only a small bit of her calf would show, making the skirt look beautiful in motion.
As for the top, tango is a passionate South American dance, with bold steps and lots of arm movement.
How could you wear something that covers you up completely?
The current spaghetti-strap style didn’t seem over the top to Yang Xueyi.
The dress was actually well-designed, with no deep V-neck, just a small, diamond-shaped cutout below the chest—suggestive but not overt, sexy yet playful.
If anything, the back was a bit more open, but even Yang Xueyi herself didn’t mind, so she had no idea what Ying Yun was so hung up about.
It’s tango, for heaven’s sake—why so conservative? What era is this, you old fossil?
Yang Xueyi shot him another look. At this moment, the annoying guy was already dressed in his own tango outfit.
Compared to Yang Xueyi’s red dress, Ying Yun only wore a long-sleeved white shirt with a V-shaped neckline and black pants.
Both were stretchy styles, allowing for easy movement, but honestly, it wasn’t much different from his usual shirt-and-suit combo.
The fitted white shirt and black pants hugged his figure, making him look even taller and his legs more shapely.
Especially that white shirt, which showed off the definition of his chest—he looked pretty attractive, honestly.
Looking at Ying Yun like this, Yang Xueyi suddenly felt like time had rewound ten years.
The first time she saw Ying Yun in dance attire, she’d also been deeply struck.
After all, even if Ying Yun had a bad temper and lousy personality, he was undeniably handsome and well-built.
Yang Xueyi was a normal person; she couldn’t help but judge by appearances and had been flustered and nervous before.
But now…
Now, looking at the even more upright and coldly elegant Ying Yun before her, Yang Xueyi only wanted to roll her eyes, feeling more annoyed than anything.
This scumbag Ying Yun—after tonight’s dance, maybe he really would finally find himself a girlfriend.
With looks like his, no matter how annoying he was, someone would still be eager to go for him.
Though he was clearly dissatisfied with Yang Xueyi’s dress, there was no time to change it. Yang Xueyi watched as Ying Yun impatiently called over a staff member.
“Change the music to that tango from ‘Take the Lead.'”
Hearing that familiar name, Yang Xueyi finally started to feel like she was really about to dance.
‘Take the Lead’ was actually an old movie about a dance teacher who used traditional ballroom to inspire underprivileged kids to love dance from the heart. It was a particularly motivational film that Yang Xueyi loved.
She was deeply captivated the first time she watched it and ended up rewatching it over and over.
She saw it so many times that Ying Yun, passing by, once teased her that he could almost recite the lines by heart.
What Yang Xueyi loved wasn’t just the spirit conveyed in the film, but also the passionate atmosphere of the dancing itself.
Unlike Ying Yun, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, Yang Xueyi’s childhood was almost lacking in material comfort.
She never had the spare money for hobbies like dance. But the magic of movies is that they let you dream.
That film made Yang Xueyi feel that maybe, just maybe, she too could one day get the chance to learn dance.
She even got up the nerve to ask her mom—
Madam Yang Meiying’s answer was, of course, practical. She told Yang Xueyi tiredly that they simply couldn’t afford it.
Yang Xueyi couldn’t even remember what she replied back then, but she clearly remembered her feelings of shame and guilt.
Worst of all, after she finished speaking, she realized Ying Yun had been crouched on the floor, getting ice from the freezer.
The kitchen island had perfectly blocked his figure, so Yang Xueyi had no idea he was there when she asked her mom.
Luckily, Ying Yun didn’t say anything—he just glanced at her, dropped the ice into his cola, and walked off.
He probably didn’t care much.
At the time, Yang Xueyi thought she’d never get the chance—that learning to dance would be a distant dream.
But sometimes, luck turns, and opportunities come unexpectedly.
The tango that Yang Xueyi and Ying Yun once practiced was her favorite among all the dance scenes in the movie.
She watched it over and over.
With a few modifications, the steps weren’t too hard for beginners—the real challenge was the chemistry and cooperation between the two dancers.
Back then, Ying Yun just happened to need to dance this piece with a partner at his international high school’s graduation ball. But his partner sprained her ankle and couldn’t practice, so he turned to Yang Xueyi.
The graduation ball at Ying Yun’s private international high school was a big deal, so he’d even hired a dance instructor.
As long as Yang Xueyi practiced with him, she could learn for free.
At that time, Yang Xueyi had already been trying to get on Ying Yun’s good side for a while, and they were on relatively good terms.
She wanted to stay in his favor and also get some free dance lessons, so she agreed to practice with him.
To this day, Yang Xueyi still remembered Ying Yun’s original dance partner—her name was An Xin.
Madam Yang Meiying had met her once and couldn’t stop praising her, saying she was beautiful, elegant, gentle, and polite.
She always complimented Ying Yun’s taste and used the opportunity to scold Yang Xueyi a few times.
At first, Yang Xueyi was indignant, but after accidentally seeing An Xin once, she fell silent for the first time.
An Xin was like a princess out of a fairy tale, dressed in a preppy, aristocratic school uniform.
Every pleat of her skirt was perfect, embodying her owner’s elegance and nobility.
She was tall and graceful, dignified and poised.
Every gesture was gentle and refined—not like those stereotypical noble but vicious female characters in movies.
An Xin was truly kind, the very definition of a well-bred young lady.
This annoying Ying Yun—at least his taste wasn’t blind.
At that time, Yang Xueyi knew Ying Yun and An Xin called each other often.
But whenever Yang Xueyi showed up, Ying Yun would immediately become guarded and hang up the phone.
Yang Xueyi snorted inwardly, wanting to tell Ying Yun to relax—his parents hadn’t paid her to break up couples, and she had no intention of meddling.
If Yang Xueyi guessed right, Ying Yun really liked An Xin back then.
After all…
Even after the choreography was simplified, the tension of the dance was unmistakable.
Even Yang Xueyi, who was eager to learn, sometimes regretted agreeing to practice with Ying Yun.
It was just a graduation ball—who in their right mind would pick such a sultry tango for a partner dance?
And Ying Yun was always so uptight!
Yang Xueyi remembered how they practiced that dance together for months and wanted to go back and slap her younger, foolish self awake.
She felt so cheated!
Ying Yun didn’t even like her; he was just using her as a stand-in for practice.
Yet she still eagerly volunteered, hoping he would accept her and make life easier for her mom in his house.
Though, to be fair, when they danced, Ying Yun was sometimes less cold, which made Yang Xueyi think, “Wow, the young master can actually smile!”
But it didn’t last—soon he was back to being icy and distant.