Chapter 21 : Nearly Twisted My Waist Off

Hearing this, Xie Zhuran was momentarily stunned, then quickly shifted the conversation with a strong survival instinct, saying, “Let’s not talk about that. By the way, Song Qiuyu, what type of girls do you like? Are you interested in anyone dancing out there?”

After saying this, as if afraid of being interrupted, he looked at Jiang Xiao and added, “And you, Jiang Xiao, what type do you like?”

Lin An adjusted his glasses, sometimes unable to help but admire how fast this guy’s brain worked.

It had saved him from several beatings.

But Xie Zhuran’s question had a deeper intent, didn’t it? It seemed like he was trying to probe into Song Qiuyu and Sang Tian’s situation.

Jiang Xiao, as usual, was out of sync, staring at his phone, ignoring the dancing girls and everyone else.

Song Qiuyu, meanwhile, narrowed her eyes, inwardly wanting to roll them.

Why was Xie Zhuran asking this too?

Was love and romance all this batch of college students could think about?

But since Xie Zhuran had asked, she said, “Fine, I’ll be kind enough to answer you. I…”

Her expression was deadly serious.

Before she could finish, she caught sight of a girl from the dance group in front of their formation wiping sweat from her face, throwing a glance their way, and returning to her group.

Song Qiuyu’s words caught in her throat, her lips twitching slightly.

Then, from the neighboring formation, a tall, lanky guy stepped out.

The solo dance turned into a duet, and the guy was dancing even more flamboyantly than the girl.

Whistles and teasing laughter erupted in waves, everyone thoroughly entertained.

This guy might have won the dance, but he’d probably sacrificed his dating prospects for the next four years!

The flamboyant guy, amidst his performance, flashed a smile at them: “Is your class up for it, or are you just satisfied watching?”

The atmosphere in the directing department’s Class 1 formation instantly lit up, with everyone laughing and shouting in unison, “Class 2, bring it on!”

The pressure on Class 2 of the directing department suddenly skyrocketed.

How cocky!

At that moment, a buzz-cut guy spoke up: “Xu Tongtong, why don’t you give it a try?”

The words ignited the formation like a lit fuse, with a chorus of voices suddenly chanting Xu Tongtong’s name, accompanied by enthusiastic clapping.

Xu Tongtong’s face flushed slightly, and she lowered her head, her voice soft: “Don’t do this, I can’t…”

“How will you know if you don’t try? Xu Tongtong! Xu Tongtong! Xu Tongtong!”

The buzz-cut guy clapped vigorously, grinning cheekily.

Xu Tongtong coughed lightly twice, looking conflicted, her face fully flushed as she stood up and stepped out of the formation.

But she didn’t start dancing right away.

Instead, she turned around, clearly intending to find a guy to dance with her.

Seeing this, everyone’s gazes knowingly shifted to Jiang Xiao, assuming she’d invite him.

Lin An and Xie Zhuran thought so too.

They couldn’t help but cringe on her behalf, already predicting Xu Tongtong’s cold rejection.

Sure enough, Xu Tongtong walked toward Jiang Xiao.

Some were already preparing to cheer.

But then, Xu Tongtong extended her invitation—to Song Qiuyu.

“Huh?”

Song Qiuyu blinked.

The others were equally stunned, instinctively speculating about the deeper meaning behind Xu Tongtong’s move.

Based on Xu Tongtong’s previous behavior, it was clear she had a crush on Jiang Xiao.

Yet now she was inviting Song Qiuyu.

Had she changed her mind in less than a day?

Sigh, women.

“Song Qiuyu, would you like to dance with me?” Xu Tongtong asked softly, formally extending her invitation.

Song Qiuyu raised an eyebrow.

So this was her plan—using Song Qiuyu as a stepping stone to get Jiang Xiao’s attention.

Quite the clever move.

She parted her lips, about to refuse.

But then, remembering her recent practice with the dance team, she stood up and accepted the invitation: “Sure, I’d be honored!”

As she stepped out of the formation, Jiang Xiao’s attention shifted from his phone screen to her.

The image of Song Qiuyu practicing Mongolian dance with the dance team replayed in his mind like a film in reverse, frame by frame.

The dance team instructor hadn’t exaggerated—Song Qiuyu’s flexibility was genuinely impressive.

It was almost a pity she wasn’t in the dance department.

Song Qiuyu danced a Mongolian dance.

Four people were dancing, but the three wildly flamboyant dancers only accentuated her graceful and unrestrained movements, like a butterfly fluttering across a highland, breathtakingly beautiful.

Xu Tongtong’s lips curled into a faint, icy smile.

With so many dances to choose from, she had deliberately picked the most distinctive Mongolian dance.

Her plan wasn’t bad—Song Qiuyu was indeed cunning!

Recalling how Song Qiuyu had seemingly kindly taught her to open a bottle cap earlier, Xu Tongtong twisted her waist even more vigorously, chuckling inwardly.

How interesting.

Song Qiuyu only knew how to dance Mongolian dance; her knowledge of dance was too shallow.

Those casual dances she played around with weren’t impressive at all.

So Xu Tongtong unhesitatingly showcased the results of her afternoon’s practice.

The instructors of both formations watched, nodding in approval as they observed.

They could tell this kid had put genuine effort into the dance team’s rehearsal today.

The freshmen in both formations could barely tear their eyes away from her lively movements, their left and right brains battling, unable to pin down her gender.

You’re telling us this soft, flexible body belongs to a guy?

It wasn’t just the two directing department classes drawn to Song Qiuyu’s performance.

People from formations all around turned to look, some boldly running over, phones raised, filming away.

“Within three minutes, I want this girl’s contact info!”

“She’s campus beauty-level!”

“This is documented in the pinned highlight post on our NCPA forum!”

“Oh no, I think this is a guy—I’m questioning my orientation for the first time!”

“Chengdu lives in everyone’s heart as a piece of Sichuan.”

The chatter rose and fell, but Jiang Xiao just watched quietly, his expression unchanged.

He wasn’t surprised—these praises and attention were well-deserved for Song Qiuyu.

As time passed, more and more freshmen gathered to watch Song Qiuyu dance.

As the one who invited Song Qiuyu to dance, Xu Tongtong’s icy gaze was nearly impossible to conceal; she was starting to lose her composure.

Tch, miscalculated.

She’d hoped to see Song Qiuyu make a fool of herself, but instead, she’d lifted a rock only to smash her own foot!

Soon, Song Qiuyu’s Mongolian dance came to an end.

The three flamboyant dancers beside her had, at some point, conceded defeat, stopping their own dances to watch her.

The four-person dance had become her solo performance.

They’d nearly twisted their waists to pieces, yet they couldn’t outshine a single Mongolian dance.

But still.

It was a glorious defeat.

This dance was undeniably stunning.

As Song Qiuyu finished, she reached up, removed her military training cap, and let her shoulder-length black hair cascade down, fluttering in the breeze.

The bright lights caught her eyes, sparkling like the brightest stars in the night sky.

Then, with a radiant smile, she tossed her cap into the air.

It was still drizzling outside, and all the freshmen were training indoors.

Her strength wasn’t enough to make the cap touch the ceiling; it reached its peak mid-air and began to fall.

The crowd, brimming with excitement, followed the cap’s ascent and descent with their eyes.

The cap didn’t return to Song Qiuyu’s hands.

Instead, it landed in the hands of the one person who had been exceptionally quiet throughout—Jiang Xiao, who caught it steadily.

Jiang Xiao lowered his gaze to the cap in his hands, saying nothing.

Song Qiuyu paused for a moment.

Taking two steps at once, she strode over and sat beside him.

Before she could speak, he handed the cap back.

“Thanks!”

She grabbed the cap and cheerfully put it back on.

Jiang Xiao stayed silent.

But the onlookers couldn’t stay calm—they hadn’t had enough! It was over already? Could she dance again?