The ball (Part one)

The group took the elevator to the ballroom.

The elevator doors opened with a ding, and a warm, fragrant scent greeted them. Gentle music played from the stage, and the guests on the dance floor swayed gracefully to it.

Music and the scent of champagne filled the air, instantly putting them more at ease.

Since this was a small ball aboard the spaceship, it was fairly informal. Everyone wore everyday clothes, which made their own outfits seem rather overdressed.

Especially Su Yue's.

His expression seemed unchanged, but the air around him felt considerably heavier.

The song neared its end shortly after they entered. Some guests left the dance floor to rest, while others stayed to wait for the next song. People around them smiled and clapped along to the beat, making for a wonderful atmosphere.

The next song was livelier, and the overhead lights changed with it, shifting faster.

Their group stood out. Zheng Yu tried inviting Asta to dance, but when Asta politely declined, he said nothing more.

He shrugged and said, "I'm heading in!"

Then he stepped eagerly onto the dance floor and started moving.

A handsome, elegant older gentleman also bowed and invited Yu Manman to dance. She gave the others a meaningful look, placed her hand in his, and left with him.

The remaining four exchanged looks. Lin Yuxi swallowed. "Um, I'm going to sit over there for a while."

They hadn't even started having fun yet. Why did she need a rest?

Seeing her clutch her stomach, Shi Zhou thought he understood and said quietly, "I'll go with you."

Su Yue and Asta said nothing, intending to follow them, but in the brief time they turned to pick up glasses of champagne, someone hurried over from behind and stopped them.

"Hello, are you Asta?" the person asked tentatively.

Asta frowned slightly and turned around.

Several people, both men and women, looked excited. Some were even taking pictures with their phones as they squealed:

"It's him! It really is!"

"See? See? I told you it was Asta when we made that bet! Someone photographed him today!"

Many had seen the candid footage that afternoon and boarded the spaceship hoping to run into the champion. They hadn't expected him to actually be here.

Seeing the fans screaming in front of him, Asta quickly raised a finger to his lips.

Unfortunately, it was already too late.

Although many of the older guests didn't follow Startrack Downhill, the moment they heard an Interstellar Olympic champion was aboard, they crowded over to take a look.

The ballroom was already packed, and the crowd naturally formed a circle around the two of them.

"Which one? Which one?"

"The most handsome one."

"But both men up front are handsome."

"Holy shit, we ran into a champion! I wonder if we can get an autograph!"

Asta felt helpless, but immediately put on his public-facing smile. "Take it easy, take it easy. I can sign autographs."

"Everyone will get one. Please try to keep your voices down-"

"Yes, I'll do my best in the competition. I hope everything goes well for you, too."

Meanwhile, Shi Zhou looked in surprise at the crowd that had suddenly gathered behind them and asked a crew member, "What's going on?"

The crew member was puzzled too. "Zhouzhou, stay with Yu Xi while she rests. I'll go take a look."

With that, he squeezed into the crowd.

Shi Zhou let it be. He helped Lin Yuxi sit down first, then went to find her a hot drink.

The ballroom had a soaring ceiling, with an enormous chandelier hanging beneath its dome. Warm light shifted with the music, falling like flecks of gold onto the scarlet velvet carpet.

Su Yue and Asta stood surrounded by the crowd, one standing straight while the other signed autographs with an easy smile, occasionally glancing their way.

Lin Yuxi held the drink Shi Zhou had pressed into her hands rather stiffly, happily admiring the two men's faces. So handsome. So handsome.

She was usually too embarrassed to stare at them on the show, but today, with the two men standing in front of the dance floor, she could finally look openly!

Ah, a feast for anyone who loved a pretty face!

Shi Zhou sat down and asked softly beside her ear, "Are you feeling unwell? We can head back and rest first."

Lin Yuxi took a sip and turned toward him. Oh, I like this one too!

Too bad I can't openly stare at him forever. He's so cute. I want to kiss him to death!

Ah, if only I could wake up tomorrow with a certain extra appendage.

She looked down. So disappointed.jpg.

A shy smile rested on Lin Yuxi's sweet face, giving no hint of the alarming things running through her mind.

When she only gave a dazed "Huh?" Shi Zhou had no choice but to repeat himself.

Unexpectedly, that made Lin Yuxi, who had been sipping her drink without thinking, choke terribly.

"Cough, cough! Cough, cough, cough!"

Her face and neck turned red from coughing. Shi Zhou hurried up to get her some tissues from nearby. "Sorry. Take your time."

Shi Zhou felt a little guilty. He had wanted to ask because he'd had friends who suffered terrible pain every month, but he'd forgotten she might be embarrassed about it.

Lin Yuxi hurriedly waved her hand. "I'm fine. I'm fine."

"You can dance anytime. Girls should take good care of themselves during those days," Shi Zhou said.

Warmth filled Lin Yuxi's heart as she finally understood what he meant.

She said awkwardly, "That's not it... My stomach hurts when I get too nervous, and I get hiccups too."

She couldn't tell the other male guests about this, but she could tell Shi Zhou.

She didn't know why, but her instincts told her Shi Zhou wouldn't mock her or look down on her like her former classmates and teachers had.

Sure enough, Shi Zhou paused, then smiled, a few strands of hair falling over his bright, cheerful face.

"That's great. As long as you're not unwell."

Lin Yuxi let out a long breath, suddenly feeling both a sting of sadness and deep gratitude. She lowered her head and took a sip to hide it.

"It's because I'm not very good at dancing."

Once she'd said that first sentence, the rest seemed to come naturally.

"When we were rehearsing for a school dance as kids, I got too nervous-"

Just like today.

"So my stomach hurt. The more people looked at me, the more embarrassed I got, and the worse it hurt. I was sweating all over, and then my dance partner got disgusted and left me there."

She had lain on the stage, clutching her stomach, her face pale. She couldn't stand up at all. With all those eyes fixed on her, she had felt humiliated and wanted to cry.

She'd thought the teacher would call a doctor or help her somewhere to rest. Instead, the teacher had merely given her a disgusted look and told someone to get her off the stage quickly so rehearsals could continue without delaying the performance.

Perhaps plenty of things simply made no sense. After that, she found herself seemingly ostracized by her classmates.

No one spoke to her. They only whispered and pointed behind her back, and they would go out of their way to avoid her desk after class.

When her parents found out, they went to the school, had a huge argument with the administration, and transferred her elsewhere.

She'd thought so much time had passed that she'd long since let it go. Yet the moment she entered a similar setting, she immediately felt unwell.

Thankfully, Shi Zhou was there.

Shi Zhou gently nudged her with his arm, indicating the camera overhead.

Lin Yuxi shook her head. Looking into his concerned eyes, she took another sip of her drink and felt warm from head to toe.

"It's all right. I don't care anymore."

Her large eyes curved into crescents as she smiled at Shi Zhou.

When she remembered going to a ball in the future, her memories would be full of Shi Zhou and the others!

She might not know how to dance, but she had a pretty dress and new friends who cared about her.

Shi Zhou looked at her earnestly and said, "This wasn't your fault."

The live comments were filled with indignation too. Viewers comforted Lin Yuxi or recalled the injustices they themselves had suffered.

Only a handful of comments tried to blame the victim, and everyone else thoroughly tore into them.