Chapter 44: Wearing a Suit to a Dance is Common Sense
After making a fuss for a while, with Xiao An’s comfort, Bing finally gave up on recognizing me as… giving up on being Xiao An’s uncle willingly.
To ease the atmosphere, A Ji changed the subject and asked me.
“By the way, Juncheng, are you going tonight?”
“Huh? Going where?”
I pressed the grilled meat on the grill with my chopsticks and looked up at A Ji in confusion.
His expression was also bewildered, and he said with a twitch of his mouth.
“Of course, it’s tonight’s dance. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”
“Oh, speaking of which, today is the opening ceremony…
Time really flies by. I originally thought it was something far in the future, but after being imprisoned for many days and regaining my freedom, it unexpectedly arrived right before my eyes, catching me off guard.
“I’m really speechless… The opening ceremony is just listening to nonsense. If I can avoid it, I won’t participate voluntarily. The dance afterward is the real highlight. Did you get an invitation?”
“Got it, but I don’t have it now. Lily gave me two invitations before, and I left them at Na’s house. I originally planned to bring them back when I returned to school. Who knew that I’d be imprisoned by Lan halfway through! I fled to the school with Xiao An directly and didn’t have a chance to go back and get the invitations. At this moment, I realized the piece of meat I was holding down was burnt. I quickly flipped it over, only to see a lump of black.”
“What am I doing…”
A Ji picked up the burnt piece of meat and put it in his mouth… “Ah, it’s burnt…”
“Ugh… it seems you haven’t gotten an invitation. Then I have an extra one, so I’ll give it to you.”
“Huh? Can I?”
“Of course. I was just worried no one would accompany me.”
“But what about Bing and Bo…”
“I hate crowded places.”
“Same here.”
“…..”
Those weren’t reasons at all.
“It was clearly just an excuse to help me out.”
“If I want to go, I can get an invitation myself. If you want to go, Bing, I can get you one too.”
“Forget it. I’ll stay and watch Ling. I’d rather play Mario Kart with Lingling in the dorm than go to a place that makes me uncomfortable and sweat nervously.”
“…Alright. Then I’ll accept it.”
When Lan captured and imprisoned me, I thought I would never see Lian Bing again. But things took a surprising turn. Not only did I escape, but I also got another chance to see Lian Bing…
“Is it fate that arranged for me to see you, Ai… But, this Lian Bing in the spiritual world will never recognize me. What’s the point of seeing her then…”
Thinking of her smile made me miss her immensely. It seems I can never go against my inner feelings.
“I want to see her.”
A Ji smiled and handed me an invitation from his table.
“It seems you’ve made up your mind.”
I took it and said.
“Yeah, I was overthinking it. The reasons don’t matter at all.”
“Heh heh, that’s right. Reasons don’t matter. What matters is your own feelings. Then let’s get ready to go after we finish eating. It’s quite a long way to the Music Academy.”
At this moment, Xiao An tugged my sleeve and asked me.
“Daddy, where are we going?”
How should I answer here? Heh, of course it’s…
“To your mom’s…”
Half an hour later, A Ji and I arrived at the dance venue indicated on the invitation, which was held in the theater on the second floor of the Music Academy.
Looking at the row of luxury cars in the parking lot, and then down at the shared bicycles my and A Ji were riding, we could only exchange bitter smiles.
After parking the bicycles, A Ji scratched his head and said to me.
“Wow, are these people here to show off their wealth? It’s just on campus, is there any need to drive here.”
“I think it’s probably to showcase their capital to girls. Moreover, if they can successfully hook up with a girl at the dance, they can directly drive her home after it ends.”
“Huh? Is that possible?! Wow, you’re a bit exaggerated. It seems you’re really hiding your depth.”
“Ah ha…”
“Before, when I had to pretend to be Lily’s boyfriend, I practiced simulating the thinking and behavior of those rich second-generation guys, so I wouldn’t seem out of place.”
“And speaking of this kind of place… I looked down at my casual wear, and A Ji was wearing the same.”
“Since we’re going to dance, shouldn’t we wear suits? But it’s too late to go back and change now.”
A Ji showed no worry and cheerfully gave a thumbs up, handing the invitation to the usher at the door.
“Don’t worry. Did you think everyone inside would be in suits? That’s outdated. Modern rich second-generation young masters like to emphasize individuality and pursue the unconventional. Don’t network novels all write like this? The protagonist wears casual clothes in such occasions and is favored by the female lead. They want to be different! So, these young masters, to prevent themselves from becoming sacrifices for someone’s humble show-off, will definitely wear casual clothes too.”
“It seems to make some sense, but I feel like something is wrong somewhere.”
I handed the invitation to the sunglasses-wearing older brother at the door with a sense of disbelief. The usher nodded, indicating that it was fine, and A Ji beckoned me to hurry up.
“Is this really okay?”
A Ji gave a cool smile and patted my shoulder.
“Don’t worry. Look, I’m a genuine rich second-generation guy. And the two ushers didn’t laugh at us just now, did they? Okay, the dance hall is ahead. Let’s go in.”
“…”
“I have a feeling that although the usher didn’t laugh at us on the surface, his eyes under the sunglasses showed pity.”
“It was as if the two of us were about to become clowns.”
However, just as I was about to stop A Ji, he had already walked into the dance hall first.
“Melodious music echoed in my ears. Unlike the noisy and lively atmosphere of a bar, this place seemed more relaxed.”
“However, this relaxed atmosphere didn’t last long. Immediately, all eyes were on us, and I tensed up nervously.”
“The dance was open, so people would come in continuously. Therefore, no matter when you entered, you wouldn’t attract too much attention. But now, A Ji and I have attracted all the attention.”
“The main reason is that everyone in the hall is either in a suit or formal attire. There’s no trace of the rich young masters who pursue individuality by wearing casual clothes as A Ji said.”
“A Ji and I, these two strange creatures, are like white dots in the black, very conspicuous.”
“Lightly touch.”
“I nudged A Ji with my elbow and asked in a low voice.”
“…Heh. Didn’t you say people don’t wear suits anymore… But now, the only two idiots in the whole place not wearing suits are you and me.”
A Ji replied awkwardly.
“Uh, I didn’t expect it to be so formal…”
“…Good. It seems this time we can only stay obediently in a secluded corner and watch the show.”
“However, because this time there’s another purpose, which is to select the official campus belle, the invited girls are naturally of high caliber. They are wearing formal dresses of various colors and styles, with light makeup, and each looks like a princess dancing gracefully.”
“I’ve completely given up on dancing. Not to mention I’m not good at dancing, and besides, my purpose for coming here isn’t to pick up girls, but to see Lian Bing.”
“Therefore, I simply walked to the food and drink table, stuffing food into my mouth while watching the men and women dancing in the ballroom.”
“…”
“You guy, you just ate grilled meat, and now you’re eating again.”
“I didn’t eat much earlier. Didn’t you notice there was meat all the time? Who do you think grilled it?”
“I grilled the meat the whole time. Boko helped. The best parts were naturally saved for Xiao An.”
“Oh, speaking of which, it’s true that every time exactly when she… Wow, I suddenly understand why you, Juncheng, are so popular.”
“She’s the best one… Your ability to improve girls’ favorability is terrifying! You’re a warm guy! You inadvertently do these small details that improve girls’ favorability.”
“How could that be…”
A Ji wanted to say something else, but from behind him, a beautiful woman with long straight black hair in a black formal dress walked up, put her hands on his shoulders, and turned him around.
“A Ji! Why did you come dressed like this? Do you have any common sense at all!”
“Uh, Class Monitor…”
“Why are you still calling me Class Monitor? Although I did become the Class Monitor again, we’re not in the same department!”
“Uh, Xia…”
“I’ve suddenly become passive. You’re so timid, A Ji.”
This heroic girl seemed to have a good relationship with A Ji, but judging by the atmosphere, she wasn’t his rumored childhood sweetheart. Then she must be the other girl who is pursuing him? This dignified aura is a bit like the principal from the original world, but without that coldness. She’s a prefect-type girl.
“Ah, is this your friend? Hello, my name is Natsuki. Are you A Ji’s… friend? At least a friend for now.”
The girl named Natsuki gave me a polite smile and extended her hand. I quickly wiped my greasy hand and shook it.
“Hello, my name is Juncheng An.”
After shaking hands, we were considered acquainted.
Then, in the next second, Natsuki grabbed A Ji’s collar and lectured him.
“It must have been you, A Ji, who said something stupid again, which led to your friend not wearing a suit either! You idiot! How many times have I told you, don’t bring novel plots into reality! You otaku!”
“Uh… N-no… I was wrong. Class Monitor, please spare me.”
“Call me by my name!”
“Wow, so forceful.”
“It’s terrifying. I can already see a future of being henpecked.”
“Speaking of which, this kind of girl is pursuing A Ji, and A Ji hasn’t agreed. Who on earth is that childhood sweetheart he likes?”
Thinking this, another girl with short brown hair walked over from the side, and for a moment, I thought I saw Lian Bing.
“Clearly, their appearances are completely different, and even their hair length is different, but only their smiles are incredibly similar.”
“That ‘mask-like’ smile.”
“A Ji is always so careless. Let him off this time, Xiaodu.”
“Ah…”
“You spoil him too much, Chun Ai.”
“This must be that ‘childhood sweetheart’…”
“I see. She has the same ability to control the situation as Lian Bing, but unlike Lian Bing, she doesn’t have a twisted sense of values. What kind of experiences have she gone through to have such a demeanor?”
“No wonder A Ji is completely under her thumb. This type is indeed irresistible.”
“After all, I am also captivated by such a smile.”
“Juncheng!”
A slightly trembling female voice sounded from behind me. I immediately found it familiar and turned to see a beautiful and graceful figure rushing into my arms.
“Oh dear, my [childhood sweetheart] has also arrived.”
As I held her, I patted her head and said.
“I’m sorry, you worried. Yu Hui.”
