Chapter 16

Li Qian’s face was red as an apple when she reached the table. “Excuse me… handsome, could I add your QQ?” Her voice was taut, and her fingers trembled against the hem of her uniform.

Everyone froze. Wu Kai held his milk tea in midair, mouth open. Wang Guowei’s phone screen glowed, but his eyes were fixed on Li Qian. Boasting was one thing. Had Liu Xun actually done it?

Liu Xun tapped the table. “Paper and pen.”

Li Qian was prepared. She produced a blank receipt and pen from her pocket and handed them over with both hands. Shen Man’s mouth hung slightly open. She looked from Li Qian to Liu Xun, her surprise gradually giving way to calm.

She’d considered whether he’d used money, but the Qing University beauty had a spotless reputation and was famously aloof. If money worked on her, she wouldn’t be working at a milk tea shop. There was only one explanation: they knew each other, and well.

The others remained stunned even after Li Qian returned to the counter. Li Lei recovered first, gulping milk tea and swallowing the pearls without chewing. He swore three times in succession.

Shen Man looked back at Liu Xun. “You know each other?”

“If I said no, would you believe me?”

She gave a cold laugh and folded her arms. “Forget it. Whether you know each other or not, I lost.” She picked up her barely touched drink and stood. “I’m leaving!”

Li Lei panicked. He sprang up and followed her, words tumbling out. “Shen Man, Liu Xun was joking! Don’t take it to heart. I’ll talk to him!”

She walked out without looking back. Li Lei rushed back and seized Liu Xun’s arm. “Xun, you have to help me! My future happiness depends on you! What if she’s angry and won’t come out with us again? Please, say something nice for me! I’ll be your servant from now on!”

“Relax. She isn’t angry.” Liu Xun patted his shoulder and followed. Her reaction looked less like anger than an intention to honor the bet.

West Street was still packed. Night was its busiest time, with groups of young people everywhere, laughter mingling with music from phones. A crowd surrounded a stepped plaza in the middle of the street. Lee Hyori’s “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” played over a speaker while several girls danced in the open space below the steps. A young man stood at the front holding red roses, apparently waiting to give them to one of the dancers.

Shen Man stopped at the crowd’s edge, handed her milk tea to Li Ying, folded her arms, and tapped her toe to the beat. Li Lei realized what might happen. He stiffened, then excitement surged through him. He tugged Liu Xun’s sleeve. “Holy shit, she isn’t going to…”

Liu Xun said nothing, though his lips moved in a smile.

The girls finished. The speaker switched tracks, and the opening beat of HyunA’s “Change” struck harder and faster. Shen Man walked straight into the open space and stood in front of the other dancers. At five foot eight, she towered over them by half a head, blocking them from view.

They stared in surprise. Then the drums hit, and Shen Man dropped her weight and sprang up as though the beat had flipped a switch. Three broad, forceful swings followed, each movement controlled and sharply finished. Her long legs swept arcs through the light, smooth and toned from years of dance, leaving onlookers dry-mouthed.

The boys were transfixed. Wang Guowei kept repeating, “Amazing… fucking amazing.” Wu Kai forgot his milk tea and stretched his neck like a goose. At the front, Li Lei paced and waved his arms in excitement.

The crowd swelled. From forty or so, it multiplied several times before half the song was over. People filled the steps, and even snack vendors stopped working to peer over. Voices rose around them.

“Is she from Qingdian’s Korean dance club? Since when did they have someone that beautiful?”

“No way. I know all the beauties at Qingdian!”

“Which school? Anyone know her?”

“Who’s going to ask for her QQ?”

Few dared. The force of Shen Man’s dancing and her aggressive bearing kept many boys at a distance.

When the last drumbeat ended, she straightened and tossed her long hair, revealing a sweat-damp forehead and sharply defined features.

“One more!”

“Dance another!”

Ignoring them, she walked out through the parting crowd, took her milk tea from Li Ying, and sipped. Then she glanced at Liu Xun. “I’m not in the mood today. I’ll dance again next time. I still owe you nine!”

Hands in his pockets, he nodded. Several bold boys gathered around. One in a white T-shirt ventured closer. “Beautiful, can I add your QQ?”

She didn’t lift an eyelid. “Move.”

Li Lei reacted instantly. He stepped in front of the boys, spreading his arms to block them, nervous and proud. “Make way! She’s with us!” They were delayed just long enough for Shen Man to brush past.

She walked with the same energy, back straight, long strides quick and steady. She removed the lid of her drink, swallowed twice, and looked back to glare at Liu Xun. Then she told Li Ying, “Come on. Back to the dorm!”

Li Lei followed with his chest out and longer strides than usual. Those boys had asked for Shen Man’s QQ and been snapped at. When he’d added her, she hadn’t snapped at him. He must be different to her.

Liu Xun didn’t follow. He watched the group disappear into the crowd, then turned the other way. The night breeze carried the smoky scent of barbecue stalls. He took out his phone. A new message from Li Qian lit the screen:

“Sorry. Today you said a personal assistant should have a briefcase. I wanted to buy one myself, so… I came back to work.”

Under a streetlight, Liu Xun read the message and slowly smiled. “Silly girl.”