Chapter 24

Without any accompaniment, two incense burners were placed on either side of the stage, filling the air with a captivating fragrance.

On both sides, beautiful women were playing instruments.

In the center of the stage, Liu Mengxun lowered his head, waiting for the music to start. He was barefoot, and his feet, as finely sculpted as white jade, peeked out from under his skirt, evoking many fantasies.

The music began, and Liu Mengxun suddenly lifted his head, revealing his beautiful face and a pair of lively eyes that seemed to speak and spark with electricity.

She began to dance to the music.

"She used her long eyebrows, her beautiful eyes, her fingers, her waist, the flowers in her hair, the pleated skirt around her waist, her delicate steps, the tinkling of the bells, moving slowly like a light cloud and spinning rapidly like a whirlwind, to dance out the joys and sorrows, the partings and reunions described in the poetry."

Bing Xin's words quickly surfaced in Zhang Tianyuan's mind.

He was not a literature student, so he could not describe such beauty with his own words. He had never imagined that dance could be so captivating and enchanting.

Zhang Tianyuan was not a connoisseur of dance, nor did he understand classical music. However, at this moment, he saw a story that was hard to forget in Liu Mengxun's every frown and smile.

Every movement, every expression, every turn, every shift seemed to be expressing a deep emotion.

Whether it was sorrow, joy, anger, or shyness.

At this moment, Liu Mengxun seemed to have forgotten everything around her, even herself, entering a state of self-forgetfulness as described in Daoism. She was just trying to use her body language and expressions to interpret the essence of the "Feathered Robe Dance."

It was hard to imagine that a layman could see so many different things in the dance.

A gracefully dancing fairy, a crane soaring in the sky, grass swaying in the wind, a frightened animal fleeing, and even a sudden, heavy thunder from the heavens.

This was strange, and Zhang Tianyuan was completely entranced. At this moment, he was no longer admiring Liu Mengxun's beauty but the beauty of the dance, a beauty that was hard to imagine.

To describe it with Li Taixuan's poem:

"Her dance moves scatter and gather with the wind, her voice resonates like a chime, deep and serene. A thousand times she follows the rhythm, her eyes like waves flowing into her hair."

...

When the dance ended, the entire third and second floors of the Hundred Arts Pavilion fell into a deathly silence. Some were still entranced, some were dumbfounded, and others were completely absorbed.

This was a mood, an atmosphere. If anyone were to break it at this moment, it would be truly annoying.

"Good! Danced well! Danced very well! Hahaha!" An annoying voice still rang out, not from Xu Gang, because even Xu Gang could feel the charm of the dance. Or rather, anyone with a heart would not easily break such a beautiful atmosphere. But some people just had no heart.

Zhang Tianyuan frowned and saw that the person clapping and cheering was none other than the young man who had mocked him as a "country bumpkin" outside the Hundred Arts Pavilion.

At this moment, the young man seemed to have forgotten his female companion, looking at Liu Mengxun with a nearly fanatical gaze, a gaze that was very repulsive, as if he wanted to strip Liu Mengxun of her clothes, not out of appreciation but out of lust.

Zhang Tianyuan could not stand such people. It was not that he was a hypocrite; the key was that he liked Liu Mengxun, so he did not like others looking at her with such eyes.

The beautiful atmosphere was broken, and everyone was somewhat annoyed, looking at the young man with disapproval.

But the young man did not care at all and laughed, "You won't be able to see the dance today. I want to invite this young lady for tea. But don't worry, I'll cover all your expenses here today. No need to worry about it!"

Such words were even more unacceptable.

Who among those who came to the Hundred Arts Pavilion was poor? Who cared about a little tea money and food money? This man was so rude, treating everyone like beggars.

Old Li was the first to be displeased. He stomped his cane on the ground and coldly snorted, "Ignorant brat, who needs your stinky money? Sit down obediently. If you anger me, I'll throw you down the stairs!"

"Hey, old man, you're jealous, but it's a pity. You're old and wrinkled, and the young lady probably doesn't like you. If you don't want me to pay, I don't want to serve you either," the young man sneered.

Old Li was about to stand up but was persuaded down by Zhang Tianyuan.

"Dealing with such a person doesn't require you to act personally, lest you hurt yourself. Let me handle it!" Zhang Tianyuan was also seething with anger. He knew the best way to deal with such a person.

This person probably thought he was great because he had some money, assuming everyone would follow him and do as he pleased.

But Zhang Tianyuan knew that Liu Mengxun would not fall for such tricks, so he came up with a good plan to anger the young man and also to get closer to Liu Mengxun.

After calming Old Li, he walked to the stage and, in front of the young man, extended his hand to Liu Mengxun.

"Miss Liu, may I have the honor of sitting with you and having a drink?"

Clearly, he was saying this deliberately for the young man to hear.

Liu Mengxun naturally understood his meaning, smiled, and did not refuse Zhang Tianyuan's invitation. She extended her hand, allowing Zhang Tianyuan to lead her to their table.

"Tsk tsk, what a perfect match. That guy was just making noise," someone said loudly.

In fact, whether Zhang Tianyuan and Liu Mengxun were a perfect match was not what this person cared about. His goal was just to anger the arrogant young man.

There is a saying in the world: "A person without shame is invincible."

Seeing Liu Mengxun follow Zhang Tianyuan, the young man even abandoned his female companion and ran over, bowing politely to the others.

Especially to Old Li, the young man chuckled, "Old sir, I really offended you just now, I really offended you!"

"I can't accept that! You treated everyone here like beggars with just a few words. I, an old man, can't accept your apology, for fear of shortening my life," Old Li's words were quite sharp, but Zhang Tianyuan liked hearing them.

Xu Gang even laughed out loud, and Mou Ying covered her mouth, trying hard to suppress her laughter.

"Cough, cough!" The young man coughed dryly, laughed awkwardly, and then looked at Liu Mengxun, taking out his business card and saying, "I am Jia Zhengjing, the general agent of Longmei Clothing in Shangpu. This is my card! When I saw you dance just now, I was instantly filled with admiration. I wonder if you would be willing to join our Longmei Clothing as a model? The annual salary is at least 100,000!"

This was the first time Zhang Tianyuan seriously observed a man. Jia Zhengjing, the young man, was probably around 30, a few years older than himself but not much. He was dressed entirely in foreign brands, and everything about him, except for himself, seemed to be imported.

It was hard to say; these days, there were many "banana people," and this person might even be a foreigner with a yellow skin and a white heart.

Evaluating a man by another man was really difficult. In Zhang Tianyuan's view, Jia Zhengjing looked a bit effeminate, with a face that was almost oval. With a bit of makeup and a wig, he could probably pass as a cross-dresser.

Perhaps women would find such a man handsome, but Zhang Tianyuan's evaluation was simply that he was effeminate, nothing more.

"Longmei Clothing? I see you're dressed in Pierre Cardin, and it's all made in France. Why don't you wear the clothing you represent?" Mou Ying asked with a smile.

Jia Zhengjing replied, "I forgot to mention, all our Longmei Clothing is women's wear, not men's wear."

"That makes sense. I think your build and face would suit women's wear quite well. No need to trouble Miss Liu," Xu Gang's words were even more venomous. He was doing this for Zhang Tianyuan, as he knew that Zhang Tianyuan liked Liu Mengxun.