Chapter 517 - 351: Dancing For You Alone

Chapter 517: Chapter 351: Dancing For You Alone

He had been worrying about how to respond if this Korean girl were to confess to him too. Upon hearing her words, Lin Chen’s face immediately flushed bright red, and he waved his hands frantically to show it was alright.

At the same time, he silently cursed himself for being so narcissistic. ’She’s just feeling down because it’s late and lost control of her emotions for a moment.’

’Besides, let’s not even talk about Americans. Even for Asians, so what? What’s the big deal about a hug? Does that automatically mean she likes me?’

’Lin Chen, oh, Lin Chen, when did you get so shameless?’

Each lost in their own thoughts, neither noticed the subtle changes in the other’s expression.

In the end, it was Jin Meiyan who broke the silence, taking a deep breath and suddenly saying, "In the past, whenever I was in a bad mood, I’d dance to pass the time. Burning off the extra energy keeps my mind from wandering."

"Anyway, it’ll still be a while before our clothes are dry. I want to dance for a bit. Oppa, do you want to watch?"

"D-dance?"

Lin Chen licked his dry lips and swallowed.

’They say Korean girls are amazing dancers, and she’s even been through trainee auditions. She must be incredible. It would be a lie to say I don’t want to watch.’

’But it’s just the two of us out here, a man and a woman alone in the wilderness. Isn’t this basically a private performance just for me?’

’If this girl acts like this all the time, it’s no wonder she attracts a swarm of suitors.’

He gave a wry smile. He felt that playing dumb wasn’t a sustainable solution; sometimes, silence is a form of consent.

To figure out what Jin Meiyan was thinking, he decided to test the waters a bit.

"I do," he said, nodding and looking directly into the girl’s beautiful, big eyes. "You’re a beautiful influencer, with dance skills on par with a professional trainee. I don’t think any man would turn down the chance to watch a beautiful woman dance."

"But it’s just the two of us here. For you to dance for me alone... isn’t that a little too intimate?"

Hearing his question, Jin Meiyan’s face suddenly broke into a smile.

"Oppa, you’re really different from the Korean men I know. Don’t men from Great Xia like this kind of ambiguous atmosphere? It’s really trendy in South Korea right now."

"It’s not that we dislike it, I guess. A decent guy with normal values wouldn’t be talking to multiple girls at once. If there’s ambiguity, it’s usually one-on-one, and the next step is a confession. In South Korea, it seems you guys treat ambiguity as a way of socializing. To be blunt, it’s just a way to avoid commitment, which is why fewer people are in serious relationships."

"You’re not wrong. I can’t deny that," Jin Meiyan said with a soft nod. "It’s not just about dating; I don’t have any friends around me who even want to get married. Everyone treats romance and ambiguity as a little spice for their life. Otherwise, things are just too hard."

"Back when I was working hard on my dancing, my life was so full that I never had time to think about these things. It was only after I started working that I understood why everyone lives like this."

She looked up at the pitch-black sky. In the bright glow of the fire, she couldn’t see any stars, only the full moon hanging high above.

After standing quietly for a moment, she didn’t directly answer Lin Chen’s earlier question. A faint smile touched her lips, her charming dimples reappeared, and she simply began to dance.

Lin Chen couldn’t tell what style of dance it was. It didn’t look like the sharp, synchronized choreography of K-pop idols. The rhythm was relatively slow, somewhat like a folk dance, with a hint of ballet, and it also incorporated famous moves from many other dance genres.

She gracefully spun in circles around the fire, her steps light and nimble, her slender arms weaving afterimages in the night air.

Whenever she passed in front of him, she would intentionally pause for a moment, her bright eyes smiling as she danced in place while looking at him.

There were no sexy moves, no physical contact. It was as if an aisle separated them. He felt like a lucky guest sitting in a front-row VIP seat, watching an actress’s private rehearsal.

As he watched, his anxious heart gradually calmed down, and it felt as if the entire world had faded away, leaving only the dancing sprite before him.

During their normal activities earlier, he’d thought the girl was a bit clumsy. He had even secretly wondered if her dancing was just average, which was why she’d been cut from the auditions back then. But seeing her truly dance, he finally understood the meaning of physical coordination.

Every lift of her hand, every step she took, and every pulse of her body carried an indescribable rhythm. Just watching her gave him a ’professional’ feeling.

You have to understand, dancing is something that heavily tests one’s professionalism and hours of practice. When someone without enough skill dances, even a random person pulled off the street can tell something is wrong. To put it simply, it creates a visual effect where something just looks off.

But with the dance Jin Meiyan was performing now, even someone like him who knew nothing about dance could tell it was freestyle—an improvised performance that blended many different genres.

Improvised, meaning she hadn’t practiced it beforehand.

To be able to blend the movements so smoothly under these circumstances, there was no doubt that what she’d said earlier about her dance practice was the absolute truth—she might have even been modest.

’This level of dancing, and she couldn’t even make it as a trainee in South Korea?’

’Oh, right. I almost forgot about the age factor. If she had been two or three years younger, she definitely would have been chosen.’

Though she didn’t become a star, he believed her level of dancing was absolutely on par with currently active idols.

After a good ten-plus minutes, a light sheen of sweat appeared on Jin Meiyan’s forehead. Far from looking tired, she seemed even more excited, her eyes shining much brighter than before.

Panting slightly, she came to a stop in front of Lin Chen. She looked up at him with an expectant gaze and casually tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"How was it, Oppa? Was I good?"

"Beautiful."

He nodded without hesitation, giving her a double thumbs-up. "I’ve never seen anyone dance so beautifully. At your level, you could totally be an idol."

"Thank you~"

The girl broke into a smile, her dimples growing even more charming.

"I don’t want to be an idol anymore. That life is too exhausting and there’s no freedom. Being an influencer is pretty good too. My time is my own, I can go wherever I want, and I earn more."

"If I hadn’t become an influencer, I wouldn’t have come here to travel, and I wouldn’t have met certain people."

Lin Chen had been smiling and nodding in agreement, but as he listened, he suddenly felt that something was off.

’Is she... talking about me?’

’Seriously, what is this girl trying to say? Why does she have to be so vague and create this hot-and-cold atmosphere? Can’t she just be direct like Erica?’

He scratched his head, a strange headache coming on.

But he couldn’t just ask her directly. If it turned out she wasn’t interested in him, not only would he lose face, but her impression of him might also plummet.

...Huh?

Wait!

’Why am I worried about her impression of me?’

’If I’m not interested in her, she’s just a stranger. Do normal people worry about what a stranger thinks of them?’

’That means I’m interested in her!’

’Damn it, Lin Chen, you’re such a sucker for a pretty face! You like any beautiful girl you see, don’t you?’

After cursing himself internally, his gaze toward Jin Meiyan slowly became resolute.

"Meiyan, can I ask you a rather personal question?"

Stared at by his resolute gaze, Jin Meiyan’s heart, already beating fast from the dance, skipped half a beat. She had a strange premonition that whatever he was about to say would be very important.

She subconsciously clutched the hem of her shirt and nodded nervously. "Y-you can ask."

"Before I ask, I want to apologize first. I hope this question won’t affect our relationship."

After saying that, he gave a slight bow before continuing.

"What I want to ask is, do you... uh... sorry for asking such a narcissistic question, but do you have feelings for me?"

Even though he had already made up his mind, actually asking the question out loud still made his face burn.

’What kind of shameless person asks a girl he’s only known for a few days a question like this?!’

Hearing the question, a flash of astonishment crossed Jin Meiyan’s face. She clearly hadn’t expected him to be so direct, and a hint of panic appeared in her eyes.

’I practiced acting for years! I thought I hid it so well, yet this dense guy still saw through me.’

’Has my skill really degraded this much over the years?’

"I... I..."

She opened her mouth, her cheeks flushing crimson. Only when the words were on the tip of her tongue did she realize just how much courage it took to say something like this out loud.

’Seeing her reaction, how could Lin Chen not know his gamble had most likely paid off? It seems a man’s sixth sense can be trusted after all.’

He quickly added, "If you find it hard to answer, you can just nod or shake your head."

"No," the girl shook her head instinctively, then, as if realizing something, quickly waved her hands. "I-I, that’s not what I mean!"

"What I mean is, since you had the courage to ask this, Oppa, I can’t just be a coward."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, her eyes also shone with determination.

"That’s right. I do have feelings for you, Oppa. And they’re strong. I know saying this might make you think I’m an easy woman, since we’ve only known each other for a few days, but... I can’t control this annoying thing!"

She raised her right hand and placed it over her heart, her gaze both shy and bold as she stared straight at him.

"But I also know that you and Erica are seeing each other right now, Oppa. And she’s the one who invited me here. If I showed my feelings for you, it would look like I’m trying to steal her man. I don’t want to be that kind of awful person."

"When I heard you say earlier that you and she would have a result in two weeks, a part of me secretly hoped that you two wouldn’t get together. That way, I’d have a chance to show my feelings. I’m sorry, Oppa. I’m such a selfish woman..."

"No, no, no, don’t blame yourself. People are selfish creatures by nature. We have an old saying in Great Xia: ’Every man for himself, or be destroyed by heaven and earth.’ It’s a biological instinct."

"Besides, you didn’t do anything. I was the one who couldn’t resist asking first, wasn’t I?"