Pei Huaiye looked quite surprised. “You found your way?”
Wu Hui replied, “The sign for the restroom is so large that anyone who is not blind can see it.”
To ensure the lighting at the ball did not affect visibility, the school had hung a colorful, vibrant, and visually striking indicator sign outside the restroom.
“Do not speak for a moment,” Wu Hui said. Acting like a secret agent, he grabbed Pei Huaiye and pulled him outside. “Let us get out of here first.”
Pei Huaiye asked, “Is there a spy inside?” He followed him, lowering his voice to match. “Do we need to call the police?”
“It is not a spy.”
Spies would be much easier to deal with.
As they walked, Wu Hui organized his thoughts. “You know how Guan Yu stopped Sun Wukong before he fought Lady White Bone? It was because Lady White Bone and Xiao Qiao were in love, but were broken up by Lu Zhishen, so they all ran off to the Peach Garden to form an alliance of six.”
“Wait, wait.”
Pei Huaiye brought him to a stop and instructed a nearby staff member, “Bring me a thermometer.”
“And while you are at it, have security check the restroom. Someone is fighting inside.”
The security guards went in. The thermometer was brought over.
Pei Huaiye sat Wu Hui down in a chair and tapped his forehead with the infrared thermometer. The device beeped.
Wu Hui remained silent.
Pei Huaiye checked the reading. “37.1 degrees; you have a slight fever.”
Wu Hui began unbuttoning his tuxedo jacket. The suit jacket framed his well-proportioned figure, and the ruby brooch glittered brilliantly under the flickering lights.
“The 37.1 degrees is because the auditorium heating is turned up too high.”
He took off his jacket, draped it casually over the chair, and looked up at the impeccably dressed man before him, his eyes filled with provocation.
“Senior, why do you not touch me below to see if my heart is burning hot?”
Pei Huaiye set the thermometer aside. “Where is it burning?”
He knelt on one knee in front of Wu Hui, straightened his slightly messy shirt, and used his physical advantage to trap him between himself and the chair, his eyes dark and swirling with complex emotions.
Wu Hui’s knees nudged him. “Senior, do not touch me through my clothes.”
Pei Huaiye pressed down on his restless knees and leaned in close. “Why are you burning up here?”
“The senior is here, so I cannot help myself.”
A commotion erupted not far away. The security guards had finished their check and ushered several people out of the restroom. They were all acquaintances. These people gathered outside, unable to imagine what kind of chaos had actually transpired inside.
Pei Huaiye glanced over. “What are you all doing in the restroom? Is the massive dance floor not enough for you?”
Wu Hui pretended not to see them. “They were paying homage to Guan Yu.”
Pei Huaiye asked, “Then who stopped the fight just now?”
Wu Hui looked at him slowly. He took the thermometer and checked Pei Huaiye’s forehead as well.
The group from the restroom was still arguing incessantly. Wen Tanyi was caught in the middle, listening to two different sides nag at her until her head throbbed.
“Interfering in other people’s relationships is unacceptable, Wen Tanyi, did you hear that!”
“Goddess, Goddess, who did you come with?”
“The Crown Princess is a zero, you will not have a good ending if you like him!”
“Goddess, Goddess, may I invite you to dance?”
Wen Tanyi was about to explode. She had been on so many dangerous missions where she had stared death in the face; she had thought that having this task canceled would allow her some peace, but this was actually hell mode. Could she just knock them all unconscious?
The system warned, “Host, hitting people deducts from your performance score.”
Turning her head, she saw Wu Hui and his lover watching the show, which only made Wen Tanyi angrier. Seeing the fire about to spread their way, Wu Hui stood up and reached out to Pei Huaiye.
“Are you willing to dance with me, Senior?”
Pei Huaiye took his hand. “It would be my pleasure.”
They stepped into the misty dance floor. The auditorium music happened to be playing the famous The Blue Danube, and the crowd automatically parted to make way for them.
One in black, one in white, they stood in the center of the dance floor. Pei Huaiye, in his black formal wear, held the young man’s waist, their gemstone brooches refracting dazzling starlight under the lights. As the melodious violin prelude began, they moved in proficient steps, despite never having practiced.
The two gazed into each other’s eyes, as if the rest of the world had ceased to exist. Their magnificent and romantic waltz attracted more and more people to join the dance floor.
Amidst the noise, Nian Zhi pulled out her phone. “Arguments paused, I am recording a video!”
Jiang Liexing felt envious and aggrieved; he wanted to dance with the goddess too.
Wen Tanyi sighed in relief; the world was finally quiet.
“I did not know you were so proficient at dancing, Senior,” Wu Hui moved through the waltz steps. “Did you practice in secret?”
Pei Huaiye’s eyes were deep. “I learned it a long time ago.”
Wu Hui hummed. “True, the Crown Prince is a master of all trades. I had only just finished primary school when you were unifying the empire.”
“Where did you hear these rumors again?”
As the heir to the Pei family, he was expected to be top-tier in everything. Countless eyes watched him; if he made a mistake, he would be met with silent or disappointed expressions. No one there ever smiled, and the atmosphere was oppressive and dull day after day. The Pei family estate, which so many people longed for, was merely a cage.
“I am just an ordinary person.”
A flash of light passed through Wu Hui’s light brown pupils. “Is there anything you want to do in the future, Senior?”
Pei Huaiye’s eyes were filled only with him. “I want to kiss you.”
Wu Hui choked. “That is not what I asked.”
“Future matters can be discussed later,” Pei Huaiye said. “Right now, I only want to kiss you.”
They were surrounded by people, with several cameras aimed at them. If they kissed here, it would not only cause a sensation at Aliston University but across the entire country.
Wu Hui spun with him. “The Senior always knows how to surprise me.”
The brilliant lights fell upon them, and the two on the dance floor seemed to glow. There were fewer people in the dining area and more on the dance floor. They were so dazzling that they created the illusion for others that “I can do that too.” This led to several tripping incidents.
Someone confidently asked their dance partner, “Elegance never goes out of style. How about it? Do I look cool while dancing?”
“You stepped on my foot, you idiot.”
Tonight, Aliston University was streaming live on the school’s official website. Students who had not attended the ball stumbled upon the stream and regretted giving up the credits.
The Blue Danube ended, but people continued to crowd the dance floor. The protagonists in the center had already quietly exited.
Nian Zhi blinked, and the camera frame was empty. “Where did they go?”
She quickly saved the video.
Outside the auditorium, the cold wind could not penetrate the fortress of the building. The biting wind felt icy against the skin, the few streetlights provided only faint illumination, and there was hardly a soul on the path.
Wearing Pei Huaiye’s jacket, Wu Hui was pulled by the man into a deserted corner and pressed against the wall. The surroundings were dotted with starlight, but where they stood, it was pitch black. Behind them was the auditorium filled with song and dance.
“May I?”
In the darkness, Pei Huaiye’s eyes were as bright as the stars. Veins were visible on the back of his hand, yet he still asked with impeccable manners.
“I want to kiss you.”