Good heavens, this could ruin our careers!

Wei Fan slipped out of a dark corner, now dressed in the Moonlight Pavilion's uniform.

"Phew..."

He let out a long breath. That had been close. Had he run any slower, Chen Xin would have discovered him. Fortunately, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud could conceal his aura.

"Wei Fan!"

Tang Yuehua's voice came from behind him.

Oh no!

His face darkened. After dodging so many powerful experts, he was actually going to end up caught by this woman.

"Where did you run off to?"

"Do you know I've been looking for you this whole time?"

Tang Yuehua had been worried sick.

Wei Fan had disappeared as soon as they entered the palace.

She had spent over two hours searching the palace, practically walking her legs thin.

This fellow never gave her a moment's peace.

"Yuehua, I came out to use the restroom, then got lost..."

Wei Fan chuckled sheepishly.

"You're coming back with me right now!"

"The Moonlight Pavilion's performance is about to begin. Everyone's waiting for you."

Tang Yuehua clamped both her delicate hands around Wei Fan's arm, afraid he would run away.

"Yuehua, I'm not going onstage."

"Aren't there enough of them dancing already?"

Wei Fan refused to go onstage and dance.

His purpose in spending the past six months at the Moonlight Pavilion had been to scout the palace's layout. As for those so-called aristocratic dances, he hadn't learned a single thing.

If he went onstage to perform, in front of so many people at that...

His notoriety would probably eclipse what it had been two years ago by the very next day.

"The dance we selected needs exactly this many people. We can't do without anyone."

"You have to come back with me."

Tang Yuehua tightened her grip on Wei Fan's arm.

"Fine, I'll go back!"

Wei Fan could only compromise. After all, he still needed to leave the palace with the Moonlight Pavilion's musicians later.

But whenever he thought about having to go onstage and dance...

What a headache!

"Wei Fan, where did you go?"

"Why are you only getting here now?"

Seeing Tang Yuehua return with Wei Fan, Xue Ke hurried forward a couple of steps and asked.

"To the restroom. I got lost!"

Wei Fan brushed her off with the same lie again.

The students behind her wanted to snicker, but when they remembered what Wei Fan had suddenly displayed that day, they all held it in.

"You should've said so."

"I could've taken you there."

Xue Ke spoke with a blush.

"You?"

Wei Fan's expression turned odd.

Spare me!

He really couldn't trust someone with absolutely no sense of direction to lead the way.

"All right, everyone, check whether there's anything else you need to prepare. We're going onstage in ten minutes."

"Give it your best."

With that, Tang Yuehua turned and left the room.

As the head of the Moonlight Pavilion, her seat for the event was in the audience.

"Quiet down, everyone. I have something to say."

Once Tang Yuehua left, Wei Fan drew everyone's attention to himself.

"There's been a change to the Moonlight Pavilion's upcoming performance. The dance we prepared is scrapped."

"When we go onstage, we'll do the Square Dance."

At the words "Square Dance," everyone's expression changed, including Xue Ke's.

Heavens!

Was he joking?

This was the Heaven Dou Empire's annual Celebration, arguably the empire's grandest occasion.

And they were going to perform that Square Dance, something unfit for any elegant hall, onstage?

That scene...

Just imagining it made their scalps prickle!

"No! We've spent so long preparing this dance. How can we just change it?"

"Exactly! Even if we change the dance, we can't perform something so unbearably vulgar."

"We don't agree!"

"..."

Everyone voiced their objections.

Dancing it on an ordinary day would have been fine, but this would be right in front of Xue Ye.

If the emperor was displeased, how could any of them expect an easy life afterward?

"Wei Fan, stop fooling around!"

Xue Ke tugged at Wei Fan's sleeve and whispered.

"I'm not fooling around!"

Wei Fan spoke quite seriously.

"Look, since we disagree, why don't you go up and dance without me?"

"How about it?"

Wei Fan asked.

"You're not going onstage?"

"How would that work?"

"We can't complete this performance with even one person missing."

The others rejected that proposal too.

"Then listen to me. We'll do the Square Dance!"

"It's so simple, and I've been teaching you for six months."

"Surely none of you still haven't learned it?"

As far as Wei Fan was concerned, there were only two choices: the Square Dance, or him going onstage.

"Little princess, shall we do the Square Dance?"

Wei Fan lightly lifted Xue Ke's chin, a bolt of lightning flashing through his bright eyes.

"...Okay!"

Xue Ke blushed faintly and nodded.

With Wei Fan looking at her like that, she felt as if her little heart would leap out of her chest.

Uh...

Everyone else was dumbfounded!

Princess Xue Ke would agree to a request like that?

Wasn't this utterly absurd?

This was the Heaven Dou Empire's Celebration! Every person of standing was seated out there watching.

"Princess Xue Ke, if we do the Square Dance, you won't get to play your instrument."

"You've prepared for this Celebration for so long. How can you just give it up?"

The nobles changed tactics, intending to bring Princess Xue Ke over to their side first.

"It's fine!"

"Let's do the Square Dance. If anything happens, I'll take responsibility. Father won't blame you."

With Xue Ke saying that, there was nothing they could do, even if they still objected.

Still, they felt deeply disappointed. The performance they had worked so hard to prepare had been replaced by the Square Dance just like that. They had hoped to shine brilliantly at this Celebration.

But this...

What the hell was this supposed to be?

"Next, the Moonlight Pavilion presents the court dance-June Arc!"

Tang Yuehua smiled faintly from below the stage. It was finally the Moonlight Pavilion's turn.

Her gaze swept around before settling on Wei Fan. Seeing him obediently follow the group onto the stage eased her mind somewhat.

Wei Fan had been the part she was most worried about!

Once they were onstage, everyone except Wei Fan and Xue Ke looked rather grim.

They could already imagine the expressions on the nobles' and ministers' faces when they saw the Square Dance.

Good heavens, this could ruin our careers!

Wait!

Why was Wei Fan standing at the very front?

That spot clearly belonged to Princess Xue Ke. Why was Wei Fan there instead?

Everyone else's positions were wrong too. This wasn't the formation for June Arc.

The instruments were wrong, the request was wrong, their demeanor was wrong...

Everything was wrong!

Tang Yuehua panicked!

Wei Fan was definitely up to something again, but they were already onstage. Even if she wanted to stop them, it was too late.

It was her fault!

She should have escorted them onto the stage herself. Then nothing would have gone wrong.

Xue Ye noticed the same clues Tang Yuehua had spotted.

His darling princess had always stood front and center before. Why had that suddenly changed today, with a boy taking her place?

But he didn't dwell on it. Presumably, Pavilion Head Tang had arranged it specially.

She wanted to surprise him!

He would wait!