Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen: The Beauty That Passed By

Women are sensitive, and Guo Xiaoling noticed Li Yi's wandering gaze and absent-minded expression, feeling it deeply in her heart. Following his gaze, she saw a face of stunning beauty. Even she felt inferior in comparison, no wonder he was staring so intently.

Guo Xiaoling felt a surge of anger. She hadn't finished dancing and, feigning a headache, she sat back in the rest area, sulking.

Li Yi, of course, understood her thoughts, but at that moment, his mind was not on Guo Xiaoling. After all, Guo Xiaoling was the dream of the deceased Li Yi, while his dream was the enchanting and extraordinary Liu Ruosi.

However, he didn't dare to approach her rashly, fearing she might mistake him for a lecherous man and leave a bad impression. Yet, he didn't want to miss this rare opportunity.

Liu Ruosi's face was filled with deep melancholy, just as it had been in her later years, leaving a lasting impression on Li Yi.

She wore a simple white dress that couldn't hide her natural beauty.

If Tong Jun were here, he would recognize that this dress was sold from his stall, and he would remember the price: nine yuan.

Because this girl was so beautiful, beautiful enough to be unforgettable.

In fact, the dress cost twelve yuan, and Tong Pàngzi usually priced it at thirty, selling it for at least fifteen.

But the girl just wrinkled her pretty nose, feeling a bit shy and reluctant, and said, "I only have nine yuan. I'll come back next time to buy it."

The usually shrewd Tong Pàngzi, as if possessed, replied, "Nine yuan it is. I'll sell it to you."

Watching the girl's radiant smile in the sunlight, Tong Jun also smiled foolishly, as if he had made the biggest deal in the world.

If Tong Pàngzi could see her now, he would feel even more that the deal was worth it. Look at her, wearing the dress he sold her, noble like a lotus, pure like snow, and elegant like a plum blossom!

The sandals on her feet were quite ordinary, with many parts worn out, but on her feet, they became Cinderella's glass slippers, so beautiful! Because of her feet, those worn-out shoes seemed to become the brightest spot in the world.

Li Yi stood there quietly, lost in the scenery of his dreams, completely unaware that his dance partner had left in a huff.

Liu Ruosi had long felt the man's intense gaze, but she was already numb to it, having developed a strong resistance. She had reached a state of indifference.

She was worried about her own affairs. Even as she passed by Li Yi several times, she didn't spare a glance, not even a pitying one, at this dazed man.

The dance music suddenly stopped.

Li Yi was jolted back to reality and walked silently to Guo Xiaoling's side, saying softly, "I'm sorry, I was out of line just now, and I made a fool of myself."

"Is she very beautiful?" Guo Xiaoling asked, her voice tinged with jealousy. Of course, she wouldn't admit it.

"I think I've seen her in my dreams," Li Yi said.

"So, she's your dream girl, then!" Guo Xiaoling's tone was sharp, even surprising herself. She couldn't understand why she had lost her composure. Didn't she dislike him? Her recent kindness was just to repay his life-saving favor. But why did she feel a sourness in her heart?

She had never been in love and didn't know what this feeling was.

"Are you angry?"

"Angry? How could I be angry? Is it worth my anger?" She returned to her usual cold demeanor.

"Um, I thought I wasn't worth it," Li Yi said lightly, deliberately sitting a few seats away from her.

Did he hurt his pride? Guo Xiaoling wondered uneasily. So what if he did? Who made him hurt me first? How could I be hurt by him? No way!

Li Yi's gaze was still drawn to Liu Ruosi. For the next two dances, he didn't go on the floor, and Guo Xiaoling refused the invitations of several boys, including Yao Lin.

Liu Ruosi danced with the same man for several rounds, a middle-aged man who looked at least forty, shorter than Liu Ruosi by half a head. But he was dressed in expensive, well-fitting clothes, with a thick gold necklace around his neck and a large gold watch on his wrist, the image of a nouveau riche.

Whenever someone tried to invite Liu Ruosi to dance, a man in black with sunglasses would point a brick-like mobile phone at the boy's chest, signaling him to leave.

The nouveau riche man, holding Liu Ruosi, was not at all restrained with his left hand, constantly touching her. Liu Ruosi tried to avoid him but didn't dare to refuse too much, struggling.

Li Yi frowned, wanting to pull her away, but what right did he have? She didn't even know him, and what was her relationship with the nouveau riche man? Li Yi didn't know. What if they were consensual? He didn't want to ruin a good thing.

Sun Wei came over and laughed, "Li Yi, what's wrong? Tired?"

Li Yi shook his head, "No, nothing. Let me treat you to a dance."

Sun Wei laughed, "Sure."

After another half hour of dancing, including a wild disco, everyone's passion was fully released. They were hungry and went out to find a late-night snack stand.

Li Yi shook his head vigorously, as if trying to clear his mind.

Let it be! Li Yi suddenly felt cheerful and started chatting and laughing with everyone again.

Young people's troubles come and go quickly. Guo Xiaoling soon forgot the unpleasant moment and smiled again, thanks to Li Yi's jokes.

Sun Wei even secretly reached out and pinched Li Yi's waist under the table, making him almost cry out in pain. She smiled triumphantly, "If you ever look at other women in front of me again, I'll pinch you like this!"

Li Yi smiled bitterly, "Please, miss, is our relationship that serious?"

"Even if it's just a classmate relationship, you should respect me!"

"My goodness, who would marry you and be tied to one tree for life?"

"Hmph, I'm a rare and valuable tree, one that can match an entire forest!"

Li Yi was drenched in sweat, thinking that even the wisest women can talk nonsense.

After eating the late-night snack and chatting about various topics, it was already past two in the morning. Everyone laughed and headed to the karaoke bar.

Li Yi quietly asked Zhu Feng and Bi Zhengguang, "How's it going? This is a rare good opportunity, you two should seize it."

Zhu Feng blushed and said, "When I held the girl, I felt my heart would fly out."

Bi Zhengguang looked disdainful, "Is that all? I got to know her better, and she seems to have a good impression of me. Thanks a lot, Li Yi. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have had such a good chance to get so close to them."

The girl dancing with Bi Zhengguang was named Liu Hui, and she was his dream girl!

This was truly unexpected for Li Yi, and he encouraged him, "Pluck the flower while it's in bloom, don't wait until there are no flowers left to pick."

Laughing, Yao Lin's excited voice rang out, "Brothers and sisters, a great place to sing! We're here!"

Everyone cheered. Compared to dancing, they preferred the freedom and spontaneity of singing.

The karaoke bar had a beautiful name: Romance.