Shen Xunye arrived a step late after confirming that the video had saved. "Are you still dancing?"
"Of course." Chi Li raked a hand through his hair. "It was only one song. I haven't even warmed up yet."
"More girl group dances?" Shen Xunye asked with a tilt of his head and a smile.
"No." Chi Li shook his head.
He had learned girl group dances to gain better control of his body, not because he had any particular interest in them. He couldn't keep doing them forever.
...Not even if the audience liked them.
"You heard him, right?" Wei Xuan said to the phone in his hand. "You got one dance, so be satisfied. Don't bite off more than you can chew."
Seeing him approach, Chi Li asked with concern, "Did you get enough for five hundred memberships?"
"Yes, yes!" Wei Xuan was positively delighted. "They went up by over two thousand in one go. Everyone said they wouldn't watch for free."
"Good." With the goal reached, Chi Li could relax. "Want to practice with us?"
"Sure." Wei Xuan now looked at Chi Li as though he were the God of Wealth. "Let me say goodbye to the viewers."
Chi Li nodded, then turned to Shen Xunye. "Do you want to learn a little too?"
"Do I look like promising dancer material to you?" Shen Xunye politely declined.
He preferred watching a certain someone dance to learning himself.
Jiang Lele came over and joined the conversation. "What do you actors usually do for practice?"
Shen Xunye, the fake actor, raised an eyebrow and made something up offhand. "Watch films with a learning mindset, practice acting in front of a mirror?"
"I practice managing my expressions in front of a mirror too," Jiang Lele said enthusiastically.
Shen Xunye turned straight to Chi Li. "Do you practice that too?"
Jiang Lele: "..."
"Of course." Chi Li glanced at him, then took Jiang Lele's phone to pick a song. "It's a basic skill for an idol."
"Mm." Shen Xunye nodded thoughtfully.
In other words... Chi Li might have practiced those expressions in front of a mirror.
He knew exactly how to be the most alluring.
"Right, our teachers emphasize that in class too," Jiang Lele said, squeezing in a word.
Shen Xunye showed no intention of responding.
Chi Li handed the phone back to Jiang Lele after choosing a song. "We've learned plenty, but unfortunately, we haven't had anywhere to put it to use yet."
Jiang Lele looked awkward. "...Yeah."
After saying goodbye to his viewers, Wei Xuan joined Chi Li and Jiang Lele's little dance practice team.
Shen Xunye retreated to a viewing spot. He was just about to start recording on his phone when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the two people on the other side of the studio... dancing hotly against each other.
He closed his eyes and rubbed between his brows, then opened them again.
It wasn't an illusion.
Their hips were almost pressed together as they moved.
Zhou Yang's palm was sliding slowly down Xie Weishui's spine, stopping at the small of his back to trace suggestive circles.
...Disgusting.
Shen Xunye quickly looked away.
On the other side, Chi Li and the others had started dancing too.
Shen Xunye's gaze instantly locked onto his waist.
The hem of his T-shirt rose and fell with his movements, offering glimpses of taut abdominal muscles each time.
Chi Li braced one hand against the floor and leaned backward, his waist and abdomen stretched into a perfect bow.
The light swept across his sweat-damp skin, which trembled slightly with exertion.
Shen Xunye's Adam's apple bobbed. He shifted his gaze to the other pair, trying to counter his desire with disgust.
Unfortunately, the two seemed to have finished practicing.
Xie Weishui held his phone with his head lowered, his fingers swiping nonstop as he searched for something.
Zhou Yang, meanwhile, was staring fixedly at the center of the floor.
Shen Xunye was one hundred percent certain that he was watching Chi Li.
How strange.
Chi Li loathed Zhou Yang, yet Zhou Yang occasionally showed infatuation with Chi Li.
Why would that happen?
The answer didn't seem hard to guess.
...Fine.
Now even looking at Zhou Yang's face made Shen Xunye feel sick.
He withdrew his gaze and looked at Chi Li again.
Chi Li happened to reach a marked beat in the choreography, resting one hand on his waist as he executed a beautiful body wave.
Shen Xunye stared at that waist, which someone else might once have held, and clenched his back teeth until they ached.
The moment the music ended, he stood up.
"I suddenly feel like learning to dance," Shen Xunye said.
Chi Li took the water Wei Xuan handed him, twisted it open, and smiled. "Did watching me look so cool make you want to show off too?"
"Do you know the dance they were doing?" Shen Xunye indicated Zhou Yang and Xie Weishui with his eyes.
Chi Li tipped his head back to drink. "I didn't see. What were they dancing to?"
Jiang Lele answered, "Tame Me."
"Tame Me" was a famous hot duet dance track in the industry, practically a standard number for every CP.
Xie Weishui had already used this move on Zhou Yang?
And why did Shen Xunye want to learn it?
...To sell some bromance?
...Most likely.
Chi Li hadn't expected Shen Xunye to be even more invested in "selling bromance" than he was.
But this couldn't be rushed.
"I do." Chi Li nodded. "But you can't start with that dance. You'll have to practice some basic moves first."
Shen Xunye answered instantly, "Then let's practice."
He'd get to learn it someday anyway.
"All right..." Chi Li screwed the cap back on, his tongue darting out to sweep away the water at the corner of his mouth. "I'll put together a brief lesson plan while they're dancing."
Shen Xunye stared at Chi Li's slightly damp lips, where his tongue had just appeared, and grew distracted again.
"Mm..."
Chi Li didn't notice his strange expression. He pulled him aside, leaving the middle of the floor to Xie Weishui and Zhou Yang.
Soon, the music for "Tame Me" began.
Chi Li kept his head down, putting together the lesson plan, and didn't spare them a single glance from start to finish.
Shen Xunye, however, endured his disgust and watched intently from the first second to the last.
[Can I ask, does this mean the Jinshui CP has officially gotten a BE?]
[What if there's another twist tomorrow?]
[Amniotic Fluid CP! Rise up!]
[What the hell, Amniotic Fluid? I'll curse out anyone who uses that CP name.]
[Impotence CP! Rise up!]
[...That's enough, you guys! [Covers eyes]]
[They only have their badly chosen names to blame.]
[They're putting so much effort into that dance, and you're here debating whether their CP name should be Impotence or Amniotic Fluid... [Vomit]]
[Thanks to you lot, I can't watch a second of what should've been a hot dance.]
[I'm dying laughing.]
"You danced so well." Wei Xuan gave them two thumbs up as soon as they finished. "You should do a proper version for the viewers."
Jiang Lele smiled and added, "Who knows how many people will start shipping you two today."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" A trace of sincerity actually entered Xie Weishui's fake smile. Clearly, he was pleased with his performance just now. "It's been ages since I've moved like that. I have to thank my junior for guiding me. Ju...nior?"
Xie Weishui was about to pass the conversation to Zhou Yang, but when he turned around, he discovered that Zhou Yang had gone over to Chi Li at some point.