Chapter 267: What's the Matter

Accompanied by the waltz of the Danube River, Yang Chen led Lin Ruoxi to the center of the dance floor.

Slowly, his hand caressed the smoothness beneath Lin Ruoxi's silk gown, while their other hands intertwined, eyes locked on each other.

To say she wasn't nervous would be a lie—Lin Ruoxi's body instinctively trembled for a moment, momentarily forgetting the initial steps of the waltz.

Despite receiving etiquette education since childhood, including various dance steps necessary for high society, Lin Ruoxi's instructors had always been women. Hence, this was her first time dancing with a man.

It was ironic that her first dance with a man was with him, especially after their recent unpleasant exchange.

Because Yang Chen and Lin Ruoxi stood out as a couple, all eyes were on them as they started their waltz.

Lin Ruoxi had always been reserved by nature and rarely attended such gatherings, let alone being scrutinized while dancing. Consequently, her body was somewhat stiff, and her dance movements were not very fluid.

"If you're too stiff, it'll look awkward," Yang Chen said with a half-smile.

Lin Ruoxi bit her lip. "Just focus on your own dancing."

With some simple exchanges, Lin Ruoxi finally began to relax. She figured it was just a dance, and being held by him didn't matter much when everyone around them was embracing each other, with some even stealing kisses.

Social dance, with recorded traditional steps dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries, originally served as entertainment for European royalty before gradually entering common folk culture after the French Revolution. It evolved into various more spectacular forms, later propagated by American society, ultimately forming what is now known as ballroom dancing, encompassing waltzes and rumbas.

Given the diversity in its forms, proficiency varied widely. Lin Ruoxi had been taught orthodox ballroom dance strictly for social etiquette, resulting in technically correct but somewhat rigid movements.

After a short segment of dancing with Lin Ruoxi, Yang Chen couldn't help but chuckle. "Darling, do you know how I feel dancing with you?"

"What?" Lin Ruoxi asked softly, wondering if she had forgotten her steps due to lack of practice.

"I feel like I've gone back to medieval Europe, attending a court ball with a nobleman's daughter, dancing the most traditional ancient social dance. It's elegant, yes, but it feels like dancing with a puppet, lacking any tension," Yang Chen said.

Lin Ruoxi wasn't clueless. She gave Yang Chen a playful glare. "You could have just said I'm stiff without beating around the bush. That's how my teachers taught me. So how should I dance then?"

3.5

"Do you want me to teach you?" Yang Chen winked at her.

Lin Ruoxi was somewhat defiant. "You're just a dancer, why should you teach me?"

"Who says I'm just a dancer? I'm only following your steps right now. Even with the most traditional dance, a few tweaks can make it quite spectacular," Yang Chen said playfully.

Lin Ruoxi naturally didn't believe him. To her, the fact that Yang Chen could dance at all was already surprising; she doubted he had any deeper knowledge.

So, amused and half mocking, she replied, "Alright, tell me what to do. But I warn you, if it's silly, I won't follow."

"It seems our Miss Lin is quite timid, especially when it comes to dancing," Yang Chen sighed.

Lin Ruoxi smirked. "You don't need to provoke me. I'll dance if I want to."

"Well then, just relax a bit. If you're so rigid, how can I guide your movements?" Yang Chen teased.

After a brief hesitation, Lin Ruoxi eased up a bit. As they moved through their steps, she gradually loosened her posture and began to dance more freely.

Suddenly, as Lin Ruoxi was about to step back, she felt Yang Chen's hand release from her waist. Almost immediately, his other hand applied a subtle force, smoothly guiding her back two steps.

"Here we go," Yang Chen muttered, and a series of movements followed in rapid succession.

Lin Ruoxi could feel Yang Chen's hands skillfully applying forces from various angles, coordinating with kicks and taps of her legs, accelerating the rhythm and expanding the amplitude of her steps.

As the music's tempo increased, the original waltz took on hints of tango. Overhead, the massive crystal chandelier began to spin rapidly, and Lin Ruoxi's body moved fluidly with Yang Chen's hands, following different trajectories. She found herself effortlessly executing movements she had never imagined before.

Their dance suddenly diverged from the typical couples around them, especially with occasional exaggerated moves that resembled professional figure skating—high-speed spins and perfect synchronization of separations and reunions. Occasionally, Lin Ruoxi felt Yang Chen's hand lifting her waist, momentarily lifting her body into the air.

In fact, due to Yang Chen's rapid movements, Lin Ruoxi hardly had time to feel what she was doing. She simply followed his various commands naturally, dancing gracefully.

Many dancers around them stopped and watched with great interest as the two performed a variety of moves effortlessly in their relaxed waltz, rich with Western folk dance style.

Lin Ruoxi's sleek black silk evening gown seemed extremely tight at this moment. Several times, she feared her dress might split open. The skirt resembled a blooming black lotus, fluttering with her steps, occasionally revealing a glimpse of her fair and slender calves.

Many young women looked on with envy at the energetic couple, while several men subconsciously decided not to dance tonight, feeling their own steps were too outdated.

The most peculiar expression belonged to Liu Yun, who had originally intended to embarrass Yang Chen. Now, Liu Yun's face wore a smile, but it was pale, his eyes reflecting the figures of the couple on the dance floor as if to burn them with his gaze.

In a corner, Tang Wan sipped her cocktail and observed for a while, as did the Cai sisters, all showing some surprise. They had never seen this side of Yang Chen before.

When the waltz finally ended, many onlookers at the sidelines were not satisfied and shouted for Yang Chen and Lin Ruoxi to dance another round.

Lin Ruoxi was panting, her cheeks flushed with a rosy hue, her eyes watery. It was her first time dancing so uninhibitedly, and towards the end, many movements were completely reliant on Yang Chen's strength to execute such high difficulty and amplitude.

In that moment of pause, Lin Ruoxi realized just how daring she had been. Her face burned even redder, and she dared not lift her head to meet Yang Chen's gaze.

Yang Chen, on the other hand, didn't feel particularly exhausted. In fact, Lin Ruoxi's foundation was quite solid, and he only needed to give a little guidance for the movements to flow naturally.

"Want to dance some more?" Yang Chen asked with a smile.

Lin Ruoxi kept her head down and shook it softly.

"Isn't this kind of dancing more interesting than the stiff routines?" Yang Chen asked happily.

Suddenly, Lin Ruoxi asked, "Have you danced like this with many women before?"

Yang Chen was momentarily speechless, clearing his throat before cautiously replying, "Why do you ask?"

"You're quite skilled at it. Have you danced like this often abroad?" Lin Ruoxi lifted her head, her expression unreadable.

Yang Chen answered carefully, "I've danced in some bars before. You know, bars overseas are more open, and dancing together is quite normal. Movements there tend to be more exaggerated."

Lin Ruoxi nodded. "I think I understand now why you are like that. You must have had quite a... quite a..."

"Quite a what?" Yang Chen asked.

Lin Ruoxi sighed. "Never mind. Let's go out. I'm tired."

Yang Chen felt helpless. Why did she always stop halfway through a conversation? What kind of habit was this? Didn't it just make people anxious?

But it seemed Lin Ruoxi wasn't going to give him the silent treatment anymore, which was a relief.

Unexpectedly, after Yang Chen's disruption, almost no one continued dancing in the ballroom. Everyone seemed dissatisfied with their own dancing and began drinking and chatting, pretending to be busy.

Seeing the situation, the host, Liu Kangbo, walked up on stage and announced that the ball was ending early, moving on to the main event of the night: a charity auction.