A Little Hot

Xu Yini's expression froze a little.

"Huaiyu, are you going to dance?"

No one had ever gotten him to dance on such an occasion before.

Lu Huaiyu lifted his chin slightly, and an idle smile appeared on his elegant and noble face.

"I'm the one who brought her here, so if she's going to dance, I'll be her partner."

While Xu Yini hesitated for a moment, Lu Huaiyu had already walked toward the center of the dancefloor with Ning Li.

The light fell on their bodies.

Lu Huaiyu stood still in front of Ning Li as he reached his hand toward her.

Then, Ning Li rested her palm on his.

His palm was thick, strong, long, and warm. 

Tiny sparks, that burned wildly yet silently, ignited the moment their skins touched.

Lu Huaiyu paused for a second before he swiftly moved half a step toward Ning Li. He then wrapped his hand around her unbelievably slender waist and hugged her in his arms.

In an instant, the distance between them shrunk.

It was as if an invisible barrier between them was crushed.

Ning Li could even feel the incessant heat on Lu Huaiyu's body, and she was so shy that her ears burned.

Holding onto her breath, Ning Li rested her other hand on Lu Huaiyu's shoulder.

Lu Huaiyu lowered his head and inched closer to her. "Just follow my steps later."

Ning Li agreed to him softly.

Lu Huaiyu then lowered his eyes, where he could see her tiny hair whorl and her thick, long lashes moving as she blinked. He felt as though something had swept his heart away. 

Ning Li was a sweet girl.

He could still feel the delicate curves of her slender waist on his palm, even though there was a tulle between them.

He tightened his hand slightly. 

...

A piece of soothing music rang out.

Cheng Xiangxiang clenched the wine glass and sneered. "How daring of her to dance in front of everybody. I'd like to see how she can pull off!"

A glint flashed across Ye Ci's eyes when she heard the tune.

That piece of music started off slow and gentle, but its midsection was relatively fast-paced, which made it challenging to dance to. Even professional dancers found it hard to dance to that piece properly.

The Cheng family had initially planned for Xu Yini to perform it, so they purposely picked that piece.

Yet now, it proved that their choice had caused a little trouble.

Ning Li might very well embarrass herself in front of all the famous and well-known individuals from Yunzhou.

Ye Ci chuckled and said, "Big Sister Ning Li is smart. I don't think it'll be a problem for her since she agreed."

On the dance floor, Lu Huaiyu put his hand on Ning Li's waist as he moved his long leg toward her.

As with partners who had good chemistry, Ning Li stepped back a little at the same time.

Lu Huaiyu raised his brows a little.

With their bodies so close to each other and their footsteps surprisingly in sync, their dance looked rhythmic and beautiful.

The both of them did not look like they were dancing together for the first time.

This was especially true for Ning Li. Contrary to the crowd's expectations of her scrambling around, Ning Li's steps were light and her movements were agile. She could even coordinate perfectly with Lu Huaiyu as well.

Soon, they were at the section of the piece where the pace was faster.

Lu Huaiyu let go of her, and Ning Li tiptoed as she spun.

As she spun, her dress spread open, drawing a perfect curve, and the glitters on her gown shone as bright as the stars.

Many in the crowd were shocked.

"Isn't Ning Li from Lincheng? And didn't she used to be poor? How does she know how to dance?"

"If she can pull off such a move, she must have trained hard for years, right?"

"The beginning part was not that difficult. Ning Li should be able to perform well if someone is there to guide her. But the tricky part is toward the end––"

The pace gradually hastened. That section would be repeated several times, and it had a fast tempo yet loud, powerful tone.

One of Ning Li's hands was holding onto Lu Huaiyu's hand tightly, and as she moved her feet, she lifted off into a turn that spun around for a few times.

Every turn she did was on the beat, and her tulle gown fluttered as she spun.

It looked easy to do a jump into several spins. However, those with keen eyes would know that those moves required great strength for the performer to complete the move beautifully.

Ye Ci clenched her fists subconsciously.

Cheng Xiangxiang's expression had stiffened as well.

Ning Li… knew how to dance?

The music eventually reached its climax, and Ning Li's movements were getting increasingly quicker as well. Yet, it was unbelievably clean and gorgeous.

The 17-year-old Ning Li in her past life definitely did not know how to dance.

At Ye Ci's celebration party, she was made fun of by everybody because of it. 

Ning Li trained hard in private the next few years, drenched in sweat. 

Despite that, no one invited her to dance again later.

The only time was… 

Ning Li stopped all of a sudden when it reached the climax. Then, she bent her waist backward into an unbelievable arch. 

Lu Huaiyu moved closer to Ning Li so she could fall into his arms.

He was so tall and husky that it seemed like he had her enveloped in his arms.

Ning Li could almost hear his heartbeat.

When the music ended, the massive lobby plunged into dead silence.

After a moment, Cheng Xiyue was the first one to return to his senses, and he immediately applauded them with a smile.

With his clapping breaking the silence, more clapping sounds rang out before soon, it flooded the entire lobby.

"Little Ning Li, is this what you meant by just a little?"

Cheng Xiyue clicked his tongue.

If that was what she meant, then all of them were considered amateurs.

Cheng Xiyue could not tell that Ning Li was actually hiding her light under a bushel.

However, Xu Yini's expression looked terrible.

Cheng Xiangxiang scowled as she murmured, "Lil Ci, didn't she have to work to earn a living back then? Where does she have the money to learn how to dance?"

Ye Ci shook her head.

"I'm not sure where she got the money from…"

If she knew that Ning Li would take the spotlight, she should have just seized the opportunity for herself just now.

However…

Ning Li stepped away from Lu Huaiyu's arms. She was so exhausted from the dance that her breathing was hard and even her cheeks were blushed.

Lu Huaiyu took a glance at Ning Li before he quickly withdrew it.

Not noticing him, Ning Li smiled as she said, "It's all thanks to Second Brother for guiding me well."

Old Master Cheng laughed at them.

"Don't give this brat too much credit! He's already so arrogant! What will happen if you compliment him more?"

Lu Huaiyu curled up his lips into a smile. "Yes, Lili danced perfectly just now."

Both of them were perfectly in sync in that performance, it made for a splendid opening dance.

Old Master Cheng waved his hand and said, "As long as you two had fun."

The music started again, and this time, the guests slid onto the dancefloor.

At that, Lu Huaiyu and Ning Li left the dancefloor.

After they were some distance away, Lu Huaiyu led Ning Li to the seating area.

"Take a break here. I need to make a call. I'll be back in a while."

Ning Li simply nodded at him, without a question. She took a glass of juice and sat down.

Lu Huaiyu then strode toward the direction of the balcony.

He pushed open the French window and the wind blew in.

Lu Huaiyu stood still and lifted his hand to loosen his tie. However, the burning sensation in his heart had yet to fade away.

At that moment, somebody walked over from behind.

"Second Master Lu?"

Lu Huaiyu turned his head to the side and realized it was Gu Tinglan.

As he met with Gu Tinglan's concerned gaze, Lu Huaiyu asked, "Do you have a cigarette?"

Gu Tinglan's gaze shifted. "You're not feeling well?"

Lu Huaiyu did not look good, but he did not seem to be sick…

Lu Huaiyu admitted with a hoarse voice.

He felt irritated and stuffy. It was as if something was wanting to break free.

In fact, Lu Huaiyu had been able to control his emotions very well recently, yet it seemed that he could not do so tonight.

His fingers trembled a little. He could still feel the warm and delicate feeling from her touch.

Lu Huaiyu did not seem like he could suppress it.