The atmosphere in the dormitory became slightly awkward.
All three roommates turned to look at Elena.
Elena hesitated.
“…Maybe he’s just angry because I broke up with him.”
The girl from the neighboring dormitory let out a startled gasp.
“What? You and Adrian broke up?”
Elena nodded.
The girl still looked unconvinced.
“Seriously…?”
Still, Adrian did seem angry. Judging by his expression, it almost looked as though he had come to settle a score with someone.
The thought made her feel uneasy.
Elena didn’t want to explain anything else. She casually grabbed a jacket and headed to class.
To avoid Adrian, she deliberately avoided the main entrance.
Instead, she climbed out through a first-floor corridor window.
Elena reached the academic building just in time.
The tiered lecture hall was already packed with students.
Most of the seats in the middle and back rows were taken, so she had no choice but to sit in the middle of the second row and listen as the professor began his lecture.
Her arrival caused a small stir.
Students seated behind her immediately began whispering among themselves, wondering who she was.
“…She’s even prettier in person! I really shouldn’t have skipped class before. I could’ve seen her a few more times!”
“It’s fine. I heard she skips class pretty often too. I come almost every time, but I think I’ve only seen her twice…”
Many of them had no idea who she was, but that didn’t stop them from being impressed.
“Who is she?”
“If someone told me she was the prettiest girl on campus, I’d believe it. I used to joke that universities don’t really have campus beauties or heartthrobs…”
Elena sat there, bored.
She couldn’t hear the whispers behind her and had no idea they were talking about her, so her attention gradually began to drift.
She was two years older than the original Elena and had already graduated before transmigrating into this world.
She had studied much of this material before.
Naturally, she wasn’t particularly interested in the lecture.
Resting her chin on one hand, Elena absentmindedly touched the tiny diamond studs in her ears with the other.
A few minutes later, she took out her phone and opened the chat with the black profile picture.
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Elena: Mr. Sterling, I made it safely back to campus. I’m about to attend class.
After sending the message, she added a little dancing-cat emoji.
Elena hadn’t actually expected Richard to reply.
At least, not immediately.
And yet, after sending the message, she couldn’t help checking her phone again and again.
Three or four times in less than a minute.
Then a red notification dot suddenly appeared.
Richard: Okay.
Just one word.
Not even a punctuation mark.
And yet Elena still couldn’t help smiling.
The corners of her lips lifted slightly, a faint spark of delight appearing in her eyes as she became completely absorbed in that little secret moment of happiness.
She didn’t even notice what was happening at the front of the room.
“…The young woman in the second row wearing the light-colored jacket.”
Elena startled.
She quickly placed her phone face down on the desk.
At the front of the room, the elderly professor adjusted his glasses.
He didn’t seem angry.
Instead, he smiled and gestured toward her.
“We’re discussing the way the human figure is portrayed in classical European art. You’re a dance student, aren’t you?”
Elena hesitated.
“Yes.”
“Then perhaps you can help us with something. Do you know any classical movements from European dance? Why don’t you come up and demonstrate a few for everyone?”
The lecture hall immediately erupted in good-natured cheers.
The course, Appreciation of European Classical Dance and Art, was a general elective. Students from all kinds of majors attended it—history, fine arts, literature, and many others.
Elena was sitting near the front, and the professor could tell from her posture and physique that she was probably a dance student.
“…I can.”
Elena slowly stood.
“But my skills are pretty limited—”
The cheering from the back grew even louder.
The professor was delighted by her response.
She hadn’t refused. In fact, she was willing to come up and demonstrate.
Theory classes could be rather dry, so having an actual dance student demonstrate the movements was exactly what he had hoped for.
He quickly played a graceful piece of classical music through the multimedia system.
“Come on. Up here.”
Elena gently slipped off her slightly oversized jacket and walked toward the front of the room.
Every eye in the lecture hall immediately followed her.
Several students openly stared.
Those in the back stretched their necks to get a better view, while students in the front leaned closer to their desks.
A few even quietly pulled out their phones and zoomed in, trying to get a better look.
The young woman standing at the front possessed an almost fragile, delicate beauty that made her difficult to look away from.
She was just under five foot seven, but her slender frame and fine-boned figure made her look light and graceful, like a spring flower still glistening with dew.
The music began.
Elena slowly shifted her weight and moved into the opening position.
Her slightly loose shirt followed the graceful lines of her body as she moved.
European classical dance was all about controlled lines, graceful extensions, precise balance, and subtle shifts of weight.
Elena curved gently through the waist, allowing the movement to flow naturally from her shoulders through her hips.
Her gaze softened as she lowered her eyes beneath her lashes.
Her wrists turned with delicate precision, her fingers forming an elegant classical hand position before extending naturally with the movement.
Every gesture was controlled, graceful, and fluid.
It was only a short, improvised demonstration.
Yet combined with her innocent, beautiful features, every movement carried a subtle, mesmerizing charm.
The music gradually faded.
Elena completed the final movement and straightened, glancing somewhat shyly toward the professor.
For two seconds, the enormous lecture hall remained completely silent.
Then thunderous applause erupted.
A few loud male voices even shouted their approval.
“Perfect! That was textbook!”
The professor applauded enthusiastically, his eyes full of appreciation.
“Everyone, take a look. This is exactly what I mean by controlled classical movement. Notice the posture, the balance, the extension through the arms and legs, and the way each movement flows naturally into the next. Her demonstration was excellent…”
Elena gave him a small smile.
“Thank you, Professor.”
The excitement in the lecture hall lingered.
During the break, several students immediately gathered around Elena, asking for her contact information.
She declined each request in a soft, gentle voice, never losing her polite smile.
Even after being rejected, the boys didn’t seem embarrassed.
If anything, they looked strangely pleased with themselves.
“…Even her voice is beautiful.”
“Do you think she has a boyfriend?”
“Oh, right. I heard she does. Isn’t he some kind of mathematics student?”
A sudden commotion came from outside the lecture hall.
Elena looked up.
The crowd near the doorway began to part.
A tall figure walked in.
It was Adrian Cole.