Chapter Thirteen: The Weekend Ball

At six o’clock in the evening, under the gentle tugging and pulling of Li Hui and Gu Xiaohan, Dong Yanyan arrived early at the ballroom on the sixth floor. This was the largest auditorium in the school, the venue for every artistic event held here. Tonight’s hosts were Senior Lin Mei from the class of ‘96 and Du Zixuan, the arts committee member from the class of ‘97 broadcasting department. Lin Mei wore a long white gown with sparkling high heels, as flamboyant as ever. Standing beside her was the tall and beautiful Du Zixuan, who was no less dazzling. To avoid wearing the same dress as her senior, she chose a sleeveless blue minidress, matched with adorable platform shoes—a style both cute and alluring. Her long, straight, alabaster legs beneath the short skirt were so captivating that it was impossible to look away. Truly, she was the embodiment of an angelic face and a devilish figure.

“What a beauty…” Dong Yanyan felt as though she was about to drool. “If only I could be that tall.”

“How old are you? Still hoping to grow? Maybe in your next life,” Li Hui teased with a smirk.

Even if it was true, did she have to put it so bluntly? Dong Yanyan glared at her, displeased. “You never know! Some people shoot up at twenty-three, some fill out at twenty-five. I’m only seventeen—plenty of time to grow! Isn’t that right, Xiaohan?”

Gu Xiaohan, being about the same height, immediately chimed in, “Of course! I believe in you! Let’s go find Fourth Sister!”

Their fourth roommate, Leng Yue, and Second Sister, Yu Xia, were seated in a corner of the ballroom, whispering in each other’s ears. The eighth, Lu Tian, had already bounced to the center of the floor to warm up, surrounded by several boys from other classes. Nicknamed Sweetie, Lu Tian was the cute and lively type, always full of energy and never short of admirers.

As for Seventh Sister Xinran, Dong Yanyan held no hope for her. At this moment, Xinran was still changing clothes. With her snail-like pace, it would be at least an hour before she finished dressing. Even if she did show up, it wouldn’t matter—throughout these four years—no, it should be “these four years” now—she was content to be part of the background, always standing quietly to the side.

Across the stage, class monitor Lin Feng was practicing a slow waltz with the arts committee member, Yang Lili. He wore a crisp white shirt and black trousers—a classic combination that gave him an air of refined elegance. It couldn’t be helped; Dong Yanyan had a weakness for men in dress shirts and was utterly defenseless against them. Yet, no matter how much she swooned, it was pointless. Someone else was already by his side, and she sighed in disappointment.

Surveying her own class’s section, she noticed that all the girls had made a special effort to dress up, while the boys were uniformly clad in white shirts and black trousers.

“This is too much!” Dong Yanyan muttered, rolling her eyes. Then she spotted Xu Cheng, who had once again tucked his shirt neatly into his trousers—so hopelessly unfashionable! His proportions were almost perfectly divided, and this style only accentuated the flaw. Yet, he wasn’t short; leaving the shirt untucked would give him a much more relaxed and handsome air. She had been trying to break him of this habit for a decade, often driven to exasperation, yanking the shirt out herself. But he never changed. Now, she couldn’t very well walk over and pull at his pants in front of everyone, but just looking at it annoyed her. Dong Yanyan turned away in irritation. So what if he was her ex-husband? His lack of style was none of her concern!

Suddenly, the stage lights dimmed, and swirling colored spotlights lit up the room. A familiar rush of excitement flooded her heart. Watching the youthful, familiar figures on the dance floor, Dong Yanyan was suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to cry. Oh, to be young! she thought with heartfelt longing.

“Fifth Sister, let’s go dance!” Li Hui came over to drag her along. This girl never dared dance with boys, so she always needed a roommate to accompany her. But tonight, Dong Yanyan had no interest in being her dance partner.

“I’ll sit a while longer. You go with someone else,” she said, settling into her seat.

“Honestly, what’s so embarrassing about dancing? Fourth Sister, let’s go!” Li Hui scoffed, dragging Leng Yue off to the dance floor.

This was a social dance, after all, and there was no shortage of boys in the class. Why waste time dancing with another girl? Dong Yanyan cast a glance at Li Hui and the pitiful Fourth Sister, then spent the rest of her time watching Lin Feng spin around the floor with Yang Lili, alternating between envy, jealousy, and resentment. Zhang Lei and Liu Qiang came by to invite her to dance, but seeing her lost in thought, they found other partners. Eventually, a senior from the broadcasting department came to ask her to dance. She couldn’t refuse and forced a sweet, innocent smile, admitting, “I don’t know how.”

“I’ll teach you! My mission tonight is to teach all the junior girls who can’t dance,” the handsome senior replied good-naturedly, taking her hand. Surrounded by dancing couples while she was the only one sitting, she felt a bit silly and so stood up happily, deciding to finish this dance first. After all, Lin Feng wouldn’t spend the entire night with just one partner.

This senior was indeed good-looking, but try as she might, she couldn’t recall his name. The boys and girls from the broadcasting department were all eye-catching. She had admired them from afar, sneaking glances from her own classroom, so it was perfectly normal not to remember them all.

Honestly, there was little to learn in this dance—just a few steps forward, a few steps back, as long as she didn’t bump into anyone. With the senior’s patient guidance, it wasn’t long before Dong Yanyan was swaying along merrily.

“You’re a quick learner,” he praised generously.

“It’s because you’re a good teacher,” Dong Yanyan replied without thinking. Suddenly, she saw Lin Feng and Yang Lili coming their way. A surge of irritation welled up inside her. She decided to bump into them and, closing her eyes, charged forward as quickly as she could. Since her senior partner’s back was to them, he wouldn’t see—though he’d become her unwitting human shield. Just as she was reveling in her little act of sabotage, she suddenly felt a strong arm tighten around her waist. She was spun half a turn, nearly stumbling.

“Sorry, I stepped on you,” she apologized awkwardly.

“It’s fine. Everyone’s like this when they first learn. You’ll get the hang of it,” the senior replied, still smiling disarmingly.

The dance ended. Before Dong Yanyan had a chance to make another move, Lin Feng was already whisked away by an upperclasswoman. She had no choice but to return to her seat and sit listlessly in the dark corner, barely aware when the music stopped. The sound of someone testing the microphone echoed; a boy from the broadcasting department was fiddling with the audio equipment near the stage.

“Hey, could you plug in the power cord?” he shouted. “You! The one who likes Wu Yuanheng! The outlet’s right behind your chair!”

Startled by the impatient voice, Dong Yanyan suddenly realized he was speaking to her. She quickly located the plug and inserted it. Instantly, the lights blazed on, and booming dance music filled the ballroom. The boy took the hand of a beautiful girl beside him. With a graceful twirl, she spun like a butterfly into the center of the stage.

Other students gradually gathered in the middle as well. Dong Yanyan decided to step out for some fresh air—the music was simply too loud.

She hurried through the crowd and, at the door, ran into Lin Feng.

“Dong Yanyan, where are you going? There’ll be more dancing soon!” He caught her by the wrist, smiling at her.

Better lucky than good, she thought. Her face blossomed into a radiant smile. “If you invite me to dance later, I won’t leave!”

“I’ll invite you now! Let’s go back in—without you, the class just isn’t lively enough!” Lin Feng’s answer made her heart soar with joy.