“!!!”
He got countered!
Yu Qing felt the heat on his cheeks surge dramatically.
The blush of a teenager said it all, but at this moment, there was nothing he could say.
The most important thing was to get the junior to erase his name quickly!
“I’m not… fine! I admit it, I’m shy! The junior is too beautiful! Getting too close makes me embarrassed!”
Throwing caution to the wind, all the previous strategic plays vanished.
As long as he could avoid participating in the School Anniversary, he was willing to do anything!
“So, junior, can you cancel that application? Please, it really means a lot to me!”
Yu Qing pressed his palms together, bowing his head. None of the apologies he had made today felt as sincere as this one.
After all, if he wasn’t sincere enough, he would face the tragic fate of social death!
“No way, senior. Once it’s submitted, it can’t be changed~”
But Fu Yi gave him no chance, picking up the half-drunk coffee on the table and wiping the water marks off the rim with a tissue.
Her tone became light and cheerful, as if the matter had already been settled: “So it’s decided then. Senior, you’re going to dance with me. If you succeed, I’ll give you some rewards. If you fail, that’s fine too—just consider it punishment for being dishonest with me. How’s that~ Senior? Fair enough, right?”
She cupped the coffee cup in her hands, looking at the petrified Yu Qing, blinking as a rare smile flickered in her eyes.
“I’ll send you the specific practice time and place later, senior. Remember to keep an eye on your phone. If you don’t show up, I’ll be really disappointed, you know.”
With that, Fu Yi turned elegantly, leaving behind a slender figure with a hint of mischievous charm, and gracefully walked away.
Little senior, easy to handle~
Fu Yi had understood Yu Qing’s personality perfectly from the start.
A slightly socially anxious, love-starved young man, yearning to be noticed and depended on, with some ability to act and a desire to perform, yet afraid of standing in the spotlight.
His heart was conflicted and often needed an external force to ignite his potential.
That was why Fu Yi never told Yu Qing that no matter how badly he practiced, she wouldn’t actually bring him onstage, because Fu Yi hadn’t signed up—she didn’t have time to attend such a boring School Anniversary.
The so-called Chat Record was merely a role play that she and Zhou Min had planned in advance.
From the moment Wei Wei told her that Yu Qing seemed to care about her, constantly asking what she liked to eat or read, Fu Yi had already formed the idea of pulling a prank on him.
Since Yu Qing didn’t believe she would use such a big event as the School Anniversary to mess with him, she made all the preparations meticulously, leaving Yu Qing no choice but to believe it.
The waltz was real, and the weekly lessons were real. Only participating in the School Anniversary was fake.
Of course, Fu Yi herself wouldn’t teach him.
She would find a professional dance teacher for Yu Qing to receive proper training.
As for the “practicing together” she mentioned, it probably only meant she had time to check on him after she finished her daily work.
Putting in so much effort just to tease a senior she had only recently met, Fu Yi didn’t even know why she wanted to do it—she just did.
As for whether Yu Qing would break his promise, Fu Yi never worried about it.
She knew his personality too well, to the point it made her speechless.
Given such a flashy opportunity to shine, even with great risks, Yu Qing would still try.
He would use excuses like “there’s no other way” or “I was forced” to numb himself and accept it. In reality, he never thought about how to refuse because deep down, he really wanted this chance.
Before leaving, Fu Yi glanced back once.
The large coffee shop was now left with only Yu Qing frozen in his seat, as if his soul had been drained.
She chuckled softly before pushing the door and walking away.
Meanwhile, Yu Qing still couldn’t snap out of the confusion about being dragged into the School Anniversary.
At that moment, all the noise in the coffee shop seemed to vanish.
Only two characters thumped wildly in his mind.
Finished!
Not only had he failed to easily handle the junior, but he was also countered.
Besides having to find time to practice dancing, he now had to spend time alone with her.
Waltzing? They really thought highly of me.
Yu Qing forced a bitter smile.
Back in high school, Yu Qing had been lucky enough to watch the Music Teacher’s solo waltz up close.
It was one of the few entertaining courses in his high school life, and he still remembered the graceful figure of the female teacher.
Thinking about those inevitable waist embraces and handholds in the waltz…
Yu Qing felt like he was about to suffocate. Holding and embracing a beauty like the junior, sometimes looking into each other’s eyes…
A twenty-year-old virgin let out a sharp, shrill scream!
Was it too late to regret now?
He wanted to rush out and tell Fu Yi that he was just all talk, then kneel and beg her not to make him die such a humiliating death.
If someone like him were to appear on stage, it would be the biggest insult to the School Anniversary.
It was fine if Yu Qing lost face, but if the junior and the school’s reputation were also damaged, wouldn’t that be unforgivable?
No, no way.
Yu Qing hopelessly covered his face.
Too embarrassing.
If he really did that, the last bit of dignity he had would be completely lost.
From then on, he might never be able to raise his head in front of the junior, let alone plan anything else.
Besides, just looking at the junior’s half-smiling, half-smirking gaze, it was obvious she was dead set on messing with him!
Yu Qing slumped in his chair, staring lifelessly at the ceiling.
So, what does this mean?
Lost the lady and the battle?
He had only gone to Lin Wei to gather some information and ended up getting reported, losing a month or more of physical and mental health and risking social death?
Should he blame Lin Wei?
He wasn’t that bad. Lin Wei was the junior’s friend and naturally suspected he was prying into matters about her best friend.
Passing that along was perfectly normal.
Should he blame the junior?
Same reasoning.
Outmatched and outplayed—he couldn’t blame anyone else.
He was mentally outmatched by the junior, and her methods were better, too.
Both sides had secrets, and his only advantage was hidden in the shadows, unable to be revealed easily.
The only advantage was that the enemy didn’t know his thoughts, so she wouldn’t be on guard.
Now he only needed to bide his time, steadily improve himself, and eventually he might succeed.
And this dance practice might just be an opportunity.
If, as the junior said, they practiced every night together, it would definitely be a chance to learn, imitate, and understand her better.
He could also use it to draw closer and build trust.
But.
Why did such a small matter of asking Lin Wei about the junior’s situation blow up like this?
Logically, after apologizing, shouldn’t it have been over?
Besides, he even bought a coffee.
He had been caught off guard by the junior taking the initiative and didn’t react in time.
Even if he had spoken up, he probably would’ve been led onto this School Anniversary path anyway.
Maybe from the moment they met today, the junior had already made up her mind.
Had he accidentally walked into some kind of trap?
If he could choose, he wanted to die as a human, not as a naked monkey being watched on a circus stage!
Yu Qing seemed to already see himself standing side by side with the junior on the School Anniversary stage, under the spotlight, clumsily spinning the radiant Fu Yi like a top—a catastrophic scene.
“Sigh…”
A long, desperate sigh of resignation escaped Yu Qing’s lips.
He slowly took out his phone, tiredly opening his messenger.
Left swipe, right swipe, not knowing what to do, just swiping incessantly.
Seeing the encouraging message the junior had sent him moments ago, his heart grew heavier.
No choice, forced and helpless.