The Dance

When Mrs. Reynolds saw the news of the plane accident on TV, she felt as though her heart were about to leap out of her chest. Fortunately, the broadcast said that the damaged plane was still circling above the city. She figured that if she had seen words like "crashed" at the time, she might have gone into shock on the spot.

Thankfully, that never happened. Her heart rose and fell like she was on a roller coaster the entire time, only settling back into her chest when the announcement finally declared that the plane had made a successful emergency landing "thanks to the pilot's extraordinary performance." Pale-faced, she sat at the dining table for quite a while, as though she had just finished a ten-thousand-meter race.

Naturally, the legitimate TV media once again said nothing about the mysterious outside force that had helped the plane. Although some citizens who had witnessed the incident insisted they had seen someone holding up the aircraft and helping it land, their claims were dismissed for lack of evidence and never made the papers. Only a few blurry cellphone videos spread rapidly across the internet, sparking a wave of "Superman is back" among Metropolis netizens.

But that was all later. Even after Mr. Reynolds returned home, he was still badly shaken. The moment he entered, he tightly embraced Mrs. Reynolds, whose eyes were swollen and red. Then he turned to Jay and asked, "You were there, weren't you? You caught that plane?"

Mr. Reynolds had guessed it, but that was to be expected. Jay nodded. "It was me. I was a little flustered at the time. Sorry I didn't do better."

Mr. Reynolds smiled warmly and gave him a big hug as well. "Thank you, son."

Mrs. Reynolds prepared a lavish meal to celebrate her husband's safe return. She opened a bottle of brandy, and the three raised their glasses at the table.

After her third glass of brandy, Mrs. Reynolds finally could not hold back any longer. "Charles, you really need to talk to us. Did this accident have anything to do with that interview you said you were going to do?"

Mr. Reynolds stared blankly at his plate for a long while. Then he drained his glass and shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe... maybe it had nothing to do with it."

Mrs. Reynolds shook her head. "You're a terrible liar, Charles. We've been together for so many years. I know what you look like when you lie. And do you really expect me to believe this was a coincidence? The only plane accident Metropolis has had in six years, your strange behavior these past few days—you expect me to believe none of that is connected?"

Mr. Reynolds said nothing and poured himself another full glass of brandy.

"Let me help you, Charles," Mrs. Reynolds continued. "Let Jay help you. We're family, aren't we?"

"Thank you, Jane," Mr. Reynolds said wearily. "But it's not time yet. Trust me."

The mood became somewhat heavy. For several minutes, all three simply kept their heads down and worked on dinner, with no one speaking. Mr. Reynolds seemed to feel he needed to break the awkward silence, so he perked up and deliberately changed the subject. "The dance is coming up soon, right? Jay, how are your preparations going?"

"Pretty well," Jay answered casually.

"You should find time to practice your dance steps. I think she's a pretty great girl." Mr. Reynolds smiled. "If I were you, I'd seize the opportunity."

Jay looked a little embarrassed. "Kara and I... we're just going to dance. I don't have plans like that yet."

"Are you sure? Because it's written all over your face." Mr. Reynolds teased, making Jay feel like he ought to find a mirror and take a look.

Mrs. Reynolds said unhappily, "You're the least qualified person to say that, Charles. Have you seen what you look like when you dance? I can barely find words suitable enough to describe it. I really don't understand how you managed to fool me back then."

As she spoke, she began sighing as though she felt her whole life had been a terrible loss. Mr. Reynolds's face reddened, and he defended himself to Jay. "Don't listen to your mom's nonsense. Back in high school, people used to call me Elvis!"

"You?" Mrs. Reynolds said skeptically. "With that beer belly?"

Imagining Mr. Reynolds with his beer belly dazzling everyone on the dance floor, Jay could not help laughing out loud.

"I said back then!" Mr. Reynolds shouted. "I was a sturdy young man in those days!"

Mrs. Reynolds stopped paying attention to him and turned to Jay. "Most of what he says is nonsense, but he does have one point. Dancing is the best chance to show a girl your charm, so you need to make the most of it."

Jay felt there was probably no way he could explain himself to the two of them, so he surrendered and gave up arguing, letting them say whatever they wanted. The two old folks had practically already treated Kara as a potential daughter-in-law, and now they were even passionately discussing Jay's future as though it were already set in stone.

The day of the banquet arrived.

Only when Jay came to the venue in person did he truly understand what Ms. Grant had meant when she described the banquet as "grand." An enormous venue in downtown Metropolis had been rented out in its entirety. Once night fell, dazzling crystal chandeliers lit up behind every floor-to-ceiling window. The building looked like a villa standing in the heart of the city, separated from the neon-lit metropolis around it, its walls tightly wrapped in granite. High barrel vaults supported a luxurious reception corridor, where greeters wearing professional smiles stood on both sides to welcome every guest.

Across both his lives, this was Jay's first time attending an occasion like this. As he stepped into the grand hall, gilded by the glow of crystal lights, he inevitably felt a little nervous. Guests in suits and gowns streamed through the doors one after another, every word and gesture exuding the elegance and confidence unique to people of high society, creating the distinctive atmosphere of the banquet.

Jay brought along Mr. Reynolds's beloved DSLR camera. When Mr. Reynolds had first brought the treasure home, he had shown it off to Jay for quite a while, bragging about its high pixel count and complete manual controls. But Jay knew the thing did not really count as top-of-the-line equipment. Mr. Perry from The Daily Planet pulled him over to take pictures of himself with several important figures Jay did not recognize, told him to remember to have the photos developed before next week, then went off to chat with Metropolis's movers and shakers.

Jay ran into Ms. Grant and Kara at the buffet. Ms. Grant seemed to be in an excellent mood and took the initiative to greet him. "You look sharp. Mm, I knew I had a good eye for people."

"Ms. Grant, Kara." Jay greeted them with a faint smile. "I was looking for you two."

"I heard about what happened to Charles. I'm very sorry that accident happened." Ms. Grant asked, "Is he all right?"

"Thank you for your concern," Jay said politely. "He's fine. He just needs some time to rest."

Ms. Grant nodded. "That's good. Poor Charles. He's a good man, and he used to be a good reporter too. It's a pity that time has worn down his edge. But it's hard to blame him for that, because most people are the same. As one gets older, one has more and more concerns."

She shook her head as she said that, stopping there before changing the subject. "It'll be time for dancing soon. I need to go say hello to Mr. Ferros. Kara, tomorrow's itinerary, and the arrangements for the return trip."

"Yes, I'll have everything ready before tomorrow," Kara said, nodding repeatedly.

Satisfied, Ms. Grant left, finally leaving just the two of them.

Jay felt they ought to have a lot to talk about, but he did not know where to begin. Kara looked beautiful today in a sky-blue dress suit and a silk blouse, her soft golden hair falling neatly down her back, with nearly transparent crystal heels on her feet. The only flaw was that she still stubbornly wore those silly glasses, which slightly ruined the overall effect.

"You look... really beautiful today," Jay said, hoping it would open up the conversation.

"Thank you," Kara said. Jay realized that she looked rather nervous too. "You look good too."

"Is this your first time too?" Jay asked. "Dancing?"

"Mm, not exactly." Kara pressed her lips together in a smile. "I attended a graduation dance on Krypton once, but it was very different from this."

Jay smiled too. "Yeah, I can imagine."

The banquet quickly moved on to its next event. Curtains were drawn back from the rooms on both sides of the second-floor circular structure, revealing orchestras seated symmetrically behind them. A resounding overture filled the entire venue. The guests found their dance partners and entered the floor in pairs, linking arms and dancing to the flowing music.

Jay quickly cast aside his nervousness after stepping onto the floor and immersed himself in the dance. He could tell Kara was doing the same. They had not practiced together beforehand, and they had only known each other for a few days, yet they moved together with remarkable chemistry. Every movement landed precisely on the beat, polished and exact as though they had been refined through countless rehearsals. Kara's sky-blue dancing skirt spun with the music like an orchid in full bloom.

"And you said you couldn't dance." Holding her hand, Jay teased her with a smile.

"I really couldn't before this," Kara said. "I only learned over the past two days. You wouldn't believe how nervous I was."

"You did amazingly well," Jay said.

After they danced for a while longer, he asked, "By the way, you disappeared for so long that day. Did Ms. Grant say anything to you after you went back?"

At his mention of it, Kara seemed to recall an extremely miserable experience. She sighed. "You should have seen what she looked like then. The only thing separating her from a demon was the lack of horns."

Jay burst out laughing. "But she still didn't fire you, did she?"

"...No."

"I think that means she values you." Jay smiled. "I think she thinks highly of you. Maybe she saw her younger self in you."

"She thinks highly of me? Seriously?" Supported by Jay's right hand, Kara spun around once more. "You think this is how she shows it?"

Jay shrugged. "I don't know. Humans can be pretty complicated sometimes. But Ms. Grant—even though she often acts fierce—I don't think she's a bad person. Maybe she really is doing it for your own good. She wants you to grow into someone who can stand on her own."

"Mm... perhaps that's possible." Kara looked thoughtful. "She really has been pushing me hard."

"I heard what she said just now." Jay smiled. "Planning itineraries, huh? Looks like you're pretty busy."

"Let me tell you a secret." Kara gave him a radiant smile. "Actually, I can get it done very quickly. Super Speed, you know."

"Hey, that counts as cheating. But does that mean you don't have any other plans tonight?"

"You mean after the banquet?" Kara reminded him. "Ms. Grant said I could leave on my own once all the events were over, but... don't you think that would be a little late?"

"Late? Are you kidding?" Jay laughed. "Wouldn't the night only just be getting started then?"

Kara laughed softly as well.

"Since you put it that way, all right. I don't have any other plans. Unless you do."