Chapter 80: Is It Really That Important for Tang to Dance?

Chapter 80: Does Tang Zhong Have to Dance?

Once again, Tang Zhong carried Jiao Nanxin out, and the campus truly awakened. Some slipped into sportswear and headed for basketball courts, others carried kettles to fetch hot water, buying two buns and a cup of soy milk for breakfast. The girls were up, grooming and dressing themselves.

Taking advantage of the gate lady bending to clean the room, Tang Zhong dashed inside with Jiao Nanxin in his arms. When they knocked and appeared at the dormitory door again, the three girls who were busy doing their makeup all looked over in astonishment.

"Nanxin, what happened to you again? Are you hurt?" one girl asked. "The more you train, the quicker you get injured? Are you faking it to get guys’ attention?"

"Wow, the handsome guy with glasses carried you back again—Nanxin, you’re so lucky," another girl, who was drawing her eyebrows, put down her brow pencil, her face full of excitement.

"Get together, get together! Tang Zhong, Nanxin, if you two don't end up together, I’ll give up on love altogether," said Yu Jing, a classmate of Tang Zhong and Nanxin.

"Don’t talk nonsense," Jiao Nanxin snapped. How could she stoop to such a shabby trick to attract a guy? And even if she did want to fake a fall, she wouldn’t do it in front of Tang Zhong—she was frustrated herself. Why did nothing good ever happen when they met? Clearly, their fates clashed.

Tang Zhong, however, remained composed.

He carried Jiao Nanxin to her bed, gently set her down, then took from his pocket the bottle of Yunnan Baiyao ointment he’d used earlier. "Apply this three times a day—morning, noon, and night. If you can’t reach, have them help you," he said.

Then, smiling at the other girls, he added, "Nanxin’s foot is hurt, so it’s hard for her to walk. Could you please help her buy meals?"

"No way, we’re busy! How do we have time to get her food? If anyone should buy it, it’s you," Yu Jing teased, grinning.

"Exactly! When a girlfriend is sick, it’s the boyfriend’s time to shine. What’s it got to do with us?"

"You should bring her meals—and snacks, lots of snacks! Win us over first, then we’ll put in a good word for you."

They had clearly misunderstood their relationship, which left Tang Zhong helpless. He could only plead, "Please, I’m counting on you."

With that, he hurriedly retreated from the dormitory.

"Nanxin, come clean—are you and our class president together?" Yu Jing sat by Jiao Nanxin, ready to interrogate her.

"No," Jiao Nanxin replied.

"How can that be? He’s carried you back twice already—" Yu Jing was unconvinced.

"Really, no," Jiao Nanxin wished she could swear an oath. Every time they met, they argued, nearly coming to blows. When they attended class together, it gave their grandfather headaches. How could they possibly be together?

"Actually, the class president isn’t bad," Yu Jing mused. "He might seem a bit unkempt, but he’s got a certain masculine charm. Remember how he handled Lu Yifei’s provocation? ‘I have no declaration, only a warning.’ My god, even I, as a woman, felt fired up by that—almost ready to throw myself at him. Aren’t you tempted?"

"Not at all," Jiao Nanxin replied with utmost firmness. "Absolutely not."

"Alright then," Yu Jing grinned. "Since you don’t want him, I’ll take advantage of the opportunity. Tomorrow I’ll ask him out to dinner."

"Go ahead," Jiao Nanxin said, propping her pillow behind her. "I can’t make it to class today, help me ask for leave."

"Honestly, you’re too much." Yu Jing pinched Jiao Nanxin. "What were you and the class president up to? Why didn’t you ask for leave before, and now you’re asking me?"

Only then did Jiao Nanxin remember that Tang Zhong was now her class president. If she wanted to take leave in the future, she’d have to speak to him.

This realization left Jiao Nanxin feeling utterly miserable.

Just as Tang Zhong pushed open the dormitory door, Hua Ming and Liang Tao, who were eating fried dough sticks, rushed over.

"Second brother, since when did you get so close to Jiao Nanxin? How far have you gone? Have you done… you know?"

"We’re just acquaintances. She hurt her leg, so I brought her to get it treated," Tang Zhong explained simply.

Jiao Yuheng had warned Tang Zhong not to reveal any details about his relationship with Jiao Nanxin. Having promised, Tang Zhong kept his word.

But Hua Ming and Liang Tao were clearly skeptical. Liang Tao pointed at Li Yu, saying, "He went running with you too. Why is it you, not Li Yu, carrying Jiao Nanxin back?"

"Maybe Li Yu didn’t think he could manage," Tang Zhong said with a straight face.

"Shameless," Hua Ming snorted. "Second brother, be honest—do you like the campus belle, or the department belle?"

"What campus belle, department belle?" Tang Zhong asked.

"Don’t play dumb. The campus belle is Su Shan, everyone knows that. The department belle is Jiao Nanxin. I suspect you have something going on with both—come on, give it to us straight. Which one do you like? We need to know so we can make our move accordingly."

Tang Zhong smiled wryly. The psychology department had only a few dozen girls, yet they’d managed to crown a ‘department belle.’

What a low bar for a title.

But thinking it over, Tang Zhong realized Jiao Nanxin was indeed outstanding—beautiful, independent, strong-willed, with a kind of wild allure rarely seen in girls.

"I have nothing going on with either of them," Tang Zhong replied with a laugh. "You two should feel free to try your luck."

Hua Ming and Liang Tao exchanged glances. Hua Ming said, "Why do I feel like he’s really saying, ‘They’re both mine, so back off’?"

"I get that feeling too," Liang Tao agreed.

---

When Tang Zhong arrived at the entrance of Ziyuan Community by taxi, he glanced around before getting out, relieved not to see Gao Shan.

Last time, Gao Shan had said he’d been noticed by an entertainment company in Yanjing. He should have left for Yanjing by now.

"Good luck to him," Tang Zhong thought to himself.

At the electronic gate, he pressed the intercom. With a click, the gate opened from within.

As Tang Zhong entered, he saw Bai Su, A-Ken, Lin Huiyin, and Zhang Hepburn all sitting in the living room, their expressions grave.

"You called me back in such a hurry—what’s going on?" Tang Zhong asked with a smile.

Bai Su pointed to the sofa. "Sit down, Tang Zhong."

"You can talk now," Tang Zhong said, settling into the designated seat.

Bai Su hesitated, then spoke. "Tang Zhong, I’ve refused all new bookings to avoid exposing you. The ones Huiyin or Hepburn can cover, I haven’t bothered you with—otherwise, you wouldn’t be this free."

Tang Zhong nodded in understanding. If a star group like Butterfly had as much free time as he did, their agents and the stars themselves would starve.

"But some jobs were agreed upon before you joined Butterfly," Bai Su went on seriously. "Those I can’t change."

Hearing her tone, Tang Zhong sensed trouble. Bracing himself, he asked, "What do you want me to do?"

"Dance," Bai Su replied.

"Dance?" Tang Zhong’s expression turned odd.

"Yes. Dance." Seeing his reaction, Bai Su thought she was putting him in a difficult spot, and apologized, "In half a month, it’s Mingzhu TV’s 200th anniversary gala. We’ll be guest performers for the opening dance—and, of course, singing too. We can tell the TV station your throat isn’t well so you can’t sing live. Huiyin and Hepburn can cover your parts, or we can just use a backing track."

"Lip-sync?" Tang Zhong asked in surprise.

"Don’t look so shocked," Bai Su laughed. "It’s common in this industry. If there’s ever a show without lip-syncing, that’s unusual. Don’t worry about the vocals. I’m more concerned about your dancing. You have to go on stage—no one can replace you. But if you’re on stage, you have to dance. Can you handle it?"

"Well… I can try," Tang Zhong said.

"That’s what I hoped," said Bai Su. "I have a video here for you to review. Then Huiyin and Hepburn can walk you through the moves. Since your identity is secret, I can’t bring in a choreographer. The dance is already familiar to Huiyin and Hepburn—you’re the only one new. Luckily, we still have half a month. With practice, it should be enough to get by for one show."

"I’ll do my best," Tang Zhong nodded. "Let me watch the dance video first."

"Hepburn, queue up the video," Bai Su instructed.

Zhang Hepburn rummaged through her computer, found a video file, hit play, and set the laptop in front of Tang Zhong with a wicked grin. "Practice hard. This dance is cool—you have to learn it. We’ll perform it on stage."

Ignoring her taunt, Tang Zhong focused on the screen.

It was the choreography for one of Butterfly’s signature songs, "Growing Up for You." The dance was lively and dynamic, and with the group’s distinctive voices, the song had been a hit for some time.

I never had a dark childhood
My doll’s dresses never overlapped
A pink princess dress tied with a bow
Happiness never seemed far away
Just because Grandma said
The neighbor boy bringing flowers is just an act
Dear sister, marriage is a change of face
The sweet uncle’s gifts are cigarettes
Grandma’s nagging words are right on time

---

After it ended, Tang Zhong said, "Let me watch it again."

So Zhang Hepburn hit play once more.

"Again," Tang Zhong said.

"Tang Zhong, just watching won’t help," Bai Su said. "We can’t expect to master it in one go. The choreography is complex. Get familiar first, then Huiyin and Hepburn can break down the moves for you. We’ll learn one move at a time, then string them together."

Tang Zhong said nothing and pressed play himself.

After the third viewing, he said, "I’ll try dancing it once. Point out any mistakes, please."

"You’ll dance it now?" Bai Su stared, eyes wide.