Chapter 47 Retaliation

The Second-generation rich followed closely, shaking the luxury watch on his wrist, his tone flamboyant: "Chen Qian, don't spoil their fun. I'll dance with you. If I don't dance well, I'll treat you to every Michelin-star restaurant in the city."

Chen Qian didn't look up again, just calmly flipped a page of the book in her hand, not even bothering to respond.

The low pressure around her made the Second-generation rich stand there awkwardly for a few seconds before he finally had to slink away.

Wang Hao's footsteps halted, and the bit of confidence he had vanished instantly. Even the campus hunk and the Second-generation rich had been rejected; with his own limited abilities, going up there would just be asking for humiliation. He could only retreat to the dance floor dejectedly, forcing a smile at the girl he was with before, though his heart was full of resentment.

No one noticed that while Chen Qian appeared to be reading, her gaze occasionally landed on Lin Chen.

She watched him leaning against a pillar the entire time, never having taken the initiative to invite any girl. Even when a few bold girls approached him blushing to invite him, he just smiled and waved his hand, his tone gentle but firm: "Sorry, I'm not very good at dancing, and I'm afraid I might step on you."

Although the girls felt regret, they were moved by his gentle attitude and didn't pester him further.

The reason Lin Chen wasn't dancing was, firstly, that he really wasn't very good at it, and secondly, he felt this kind of forced socialization was too tedious; it was better to just stay quietly by himself.

The waltz melody gradually slowed down.

Lin Chen took out his phone, wanting to check for messages. Just as his fingertip touched the screen, a crisp, melodious female voice suddenly rang in his ear, carrying a hint of gentle probing, yet clear enough to drown out the surrounding noise: "Classmate Lin Chen, I wonder if I have the honor of inviting you to dance?"

Lin Chen looked up sharply, a flash of caught-off-guard surprise in his eyes.

Chen Qian was standing right in front of him, her light white skirt hem brushed by the breeze, creating tiny wrinkles. The aloofness from before was gone from her eyes and brows, a faint smile played on her lips, and her eyes were clear and bright as she looked at him gently, her right hand extended softly toward him.

This scene happened to be seen by Wang Hao on the dance floor.

His movements froze instantly, the smile on his face solidified completely, and his eyes were full of disbelief.

The opportunity he had tried his absolute best to get, Chen Qian had actually taken the initiative to approach Lin Chen and invite him to dance?

The surrounding noise seemed to stop instantly. The gaze of most of the boys was focused on the two of them—there was shock, envy, and resentment, especially from those who had been rejected by Chen Qian; the look they gave Lin Chen was full of complexity.

Lin Chen was stunned for a few seconds, suppressing the surprise in his heart. Looking at the hand Chen Qian extended, his fingertips moved slightly, and his tone carried a touch of imperceptible gentleness: "I don't dance well, and I'm afraid I'll do you an injustice."

Chen Qian smiled, a scattering of light rippling in her eyes, and shook her hand gently: "It's okay, I can teach you. Consider it keeping me company to relax."

Lin Chen nodded and gently took her hand. Her hand was very soft, her fingertips slightly cool. The moment they touched, a tiny ripple stirred in his heart.

The two walked side by side onto the dance floor. Chen Qian gently rested her hand on his shoulder, patiently guiding his steps: "Take it slow, follow the melody, step with your left foot first, no need to rush."

Lin Chen learned quickly and gradually kept up with the rhythm. His gaze landed on her features, and a faint smile rose unconsciously at the corner of his mouth.

Wang Hao, beside the dance floor, watched this scene, grinding his teeth in anger but feeling helpless. He could only watch helplessly as the two danced side by side, becoming the most dazzling focus of the entire banquet hall.

The glory he had gone to such great lengths to show off was, to Lin Chen, nothing more than a bit of favoritism that Chen Qian had proactively offered. This gap was even more humiliating than being rejected directly.

The lights in the ballroom were resplendent, and the ballroom dance melody wound gently around. Wang Hao, however, hid behind a pillar with his fists clenched, jealousy and resentment surging in his eyes. He stared at the figures in the center of the dance floor, his teeth clicking together.

Lin Chen was holding the hand of the campus belle, Chen Qian. Even though his dance steps were a bit rusty, his posture was still upright. A faint smile lingered on Chen Qian's lips, and her eyes were full of composure.

"Why?" Wang Hao cursed inwardly. Since the start of the semester, he had approached Xia Wanrou time and again to show his favor—bringing water, passing notes, asking her out for meals—only to be met with either perfunctory responses or direct ignorance. Yet Lin Chen, who clearly looked indifferent to everyone, could make Xia Wanrou look at him differently, and now he was even dancing on the same stage with Chen Qian.

A thought crossed his mind, and a sinister idea suddenly popped up. The corner of Wang Hao's mouth curled into a calculating smile: "Hmph, you dare to dance with the campus belle? I'll send the photos to the class group chat and let Xia Sisters see them all!"

The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. "If Xia Wanrou sees it, she'll definitely be jealous and angry. Then won't she hate you? Once she despises you, won't my chance come?"

Afraid of missing the opportunity, Wang Hao quickly took out his phone, adjusted the angle, and took several photos in a row—both panoramic shots of them dancing hand-in-hand and close-up pictures of them in the same frame. After confirming they were clear, he immediately opened the class group chat and sent them all at once. Feeling it wasn't enough, he also posted them on the school forum.

The originally quiet class group chat was instantly blown up by these photos, with messages popping up one after another. At the same time, the school forum also became lively. Some busybodies even uploaded footage of the two dancing, posting complaints, and in just a few minutes, it had gathered quite a few comments.

Wang Hao stared at the activity in the group chat, feeling it still wasn't enough, and typed another line to send: "Lin Chen is dancing with the campus belle, Chen Qian."

His fingertips paused, and he deliberately added a sarcastic remark: "Looking at the pot while eating from the bowl!"

Once these words were out, the class group chat completely exploded, and messages scrolled by rapidly: "What the?" "For real?" "Lin Chen is actually dancing with Chen Qian?" "That's the campus belle!" "F-cup! Right before our eyes." "Doesn't Chen Qian never dance ballroom with guys?" "How did she agree to Lin Chen?" "By 'eating from the bowl,' Wang Hao means Xia Wanrou, right?" "After all, everyone knows Xia Wanrou seems to like Lin Chen." "Help, is this a case of two-timing?"

On the other side, in the girls' dormitory, several girls were huddled together scrolling through their phones. One of them saw the group message first and immediately crowded over to Xia Wanrou, shouting urgently: "Wanrou, look quick! The Lin Chen you like is dancing ballroom with our college's campus belle!"

The girl next to her immediately chimed in, her tone indignant: "What a jerk! He knows you like him, and yet he dares to dance with another girl, and it's the campus belle at that. Is he doing this on purpose to make you angry?" "Exactly!" "Just because he's handsome, can he go around flirting with everyone?" "Wanrou, don't like him anymore; he's just a scumbag!"

Xia Wanqing stretched out her finger and gently poked her sister's forehead, helpless and with a touch of sarcasm: "Look at the Prince Charming you like. You can't guard against him, can you? Just because you weren't feeling well due to your period and didn't accompany him to the party to dance, he's already hooked up with the campus belle in just one night!"