Liang Zhixia had spent his whole life in a small town and had no clue how to dance. He licked his lips, intending to use that as an excuse to turn down the dare.
“I can’t dance.”
Lu Quan picked up the thread as if he’d been waiting for exactly those words. “I’ll teach you.”
Xu Cheng, standing off to the side, was baffled. “???”
What the hell was going on?
Had his brother been body-snatched or something?
He opened his mouth to ask, only to feel a sudden weight on his leg like an anchor dragging him down. Glancing down, he saw Lu Manman, lollipop stick poking out of his mouth.
Unlike his brother, little Lu Manman knew his manners. He looked up and chirped, “Brother Xu.”
Xu Cheng reached down and pinched the boy’s soft cheek. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m looking for Brother,” Lu Manman replied in his childish, babyish voice.
Xu Cheng knew all about the Lu family drama. He couldn’t forgive Lu Quan’s parents on his friend’s behalf, but he ruffled the boy’s fluffy hair with genuine affection.
At least Lu Quan was only cold and distant—not outright deranged.
Lu Quan turned to him. “I’m leaving Lu Manman with you. Keep an eye on him. Someone will come pick him up soon.”
Lu Manman piped up right away. “It’s Uncle the butler coming to get Manman~”
Along with the things Uncle the butler had brought.
Xu Cheng scooped the boy into his arms, and Lu Manman kicked his little legs contentedly.
The interruption threw Xu Cheng off, and by the time he thought to circle back to the dare, Lu Quan had vanished.
From his perch in Xu Cheng’s arms, Lu Manman had no idea what was happening. He just watched wide-eyed as Lu Quan headed upstairs to the second floor with the pretty waitress.
Xu Cheng shooed away his nosy friends and carried Lu Manman around to a table in the back. Qu Yizhou was the only one there, standing and clearing the tabletop.
Xu Cheng set the task box he’d been carrying on the table, shifted Lu Manman to his other arm, and leaned against the edge. “I specifically told them not to put any dares involving Lu Quan in the box. How the hell did she draw one about him?”
He reached to plunge his hand inside, ready to pull out every slip of paper and inspect them one by one.
Qu Yizhou quietly slid the task box out of reach. “Maybe someone mixed them up by accident. Just let it go—Brother Lu didn’t seem mad, right?”
Xu Cheng figured he had a point and dropped it.
Lu Manman tugged at his arm, wanting down. Xu Cheng set him on the ground and warned, “You can play right here, but no running off.”
Lu Manman’s little baby chub jiggled as he nodded vigorously, his voice piping up again. “I know, Brother Xu.”
Clutching a toy car, he zoomed it back and forth across the lawn.
Xu Cheng spared it a couple of glances before turning back to Qu Yizhou. “So, what do you think? See any you like?”
“Huh?”
Qu Yizhou frowned.
“Those waitresses we arranged. Aren’t they all gorgeous?”
He let out a soft tsk. “Haven’t heard Lu Quan mention his online fling lately. Did they finally break it off? And tonight he’s off dancing alone with a pretty girl—and teaching her, no less.”
Qu Yizhou just listened in silence. Brother Lu had been spot on: he absolutely could not tell Xu Cheng. The guy couldn’t keep a secret to save his life.
Weaving back and forth between the two older boys, Lu Manman suddenly bumped into a trash can on the other side. He snuck a quick glance at the pair, still deep in conversation, then stretched out his chubby little hands. He gathered up the scattered white slips of paper from the ground and tossed them into the bin.
Each slip had writing on it, but little Lu Manman was still basically illiterate—not even out of kindergarten yet. It took him forever to pick them all up, and by the end, he was pooped.
Meanwhile, on the second floor of the villa.
Liang Zhixia trailed reluctantly after Lu Quan. Sister Ai’s voice crackled in his earpiece, reminding him that completing the dare would earn him cash.
What neither of them knew was that the reward had only been added two minutes earlier.
Liang Zhixia, who’d been dogged by money troubles his entire life, curled his lip. Couldn’t he just wake up filthy rich one day?
Abruptly, the man in front of him halted. Caught off guard, Liang Zhixia walked right into his back.
He let out a faint hiss. Lu Quan’s back was rock-hard. It hurt like hell.
Warm fingertips brushed gently over his forehead, and Lu Quan’s voice came soft and gentle. “Did it hurt? Let me see.”
They were standing way too close. Liang Zhixia could feel the man’s warm breath.
He took an involuntary step back.
He wasn’t sure if Lu Quan had recognized him.
He didn’t dare ask.
What if he hadn’t? He’d be blowing his own cover.
Pitching his voice higher, he said, “No need. I’m fine.”
Lu Quan chuckled lightly. “If it hurts, just tell me. I’ll cover your medical bill.”
Liang Zhixia froze for a second, then unconsciously touched his forehead. There wasn’t even a mark.
They kept walking and soon entered a room.
Lu Quan closed the door behind them and flicked on the light.
The room was huge and spacious, with almost no furniture—an empty spare bedroom, clearly.
“It’s nice and open in here. Perfect for practicing.”
Now it was just the two of them. Liang Zhixia suddenly felt awkward and out of place. Maybe he should have turned down the dare more firmly.
Dressed as a girl, alone in a room dancing with Lu Quan? This was beyond weird.
Before he could adjust, Lu Quan was already guiding him into position.
The man’s presence loomed close, his scent enveloping him.
“What’s your name?”
“…Mu Mu.”
“Has Mu Mu danced before?” Amusement laced Lu Quan’s voice. “With anyone else?”
Liang Zhixia’s arms hung limply at his sides. He couldn’t match Lu Quan’s casual confidence, draping an arm over his shoulder like it was nothing.
He hesitated at the question.
Lu Quan’s gaze darkened abruptly, though his tone stayed gentle. “Has Mu Mu danced with someone else before?”
Feeling the scorching heat of the palm pressed to the small of his back, Liang Zhixia mumbled reluctantly, “Yeah… during the elementary school Children’s Day festival.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a low, magnetic laugh rumbled from above his head.
Such a good boy.
His cheek was pinched—not too hard, not too soft.
“Alright, let’s get started.”
Liang Zhixia clamped his mouth shut and listened as Lu Quan instructed, “Put your hands on my shoulders first.”
The man’s pleasant voice murmured right by his ear. Liang Zhixia’s fingertips curled slightly, and he lifted his hands with reluctance.
The moment his fingers settled on Lu Quan’s shoulders, lavish praise followed.
“Perfect.”
It was the tone you’d use with a child.
What Liang Zhixia couldn’t see was the faint upward curve of his own lips, his eyes sparkling like a mimosa shyly unfurling its leaves instead of staying tightly closed.
Lu Quan’s eyes lingered on that subtle smile, his own expression softening as he murmured, “Step with your left foot first. You can look down if you need to.”
At the start, Lu Quan taught with focus, and Liang Zhixia learned with equal concentration—one step at a time, mirroring each other.
Gradually, Liang Zhixia sensed he was getting the hang of the steps.
“You picked it up so fast. Mu Mu’s amazing,” Lu Quan said.
Even knowing it was just coaxing, Liang Zhixia couldn’t help curving his lips.
But once the music started, the smile slowly faded from his face.
He stared down at the growing smudges of footprints on Lu Quan’s shoes and fell silent.
“Sorry…”
It really hurt to step on someone’s foot—especially when he hadn’t held back, mistaking it for the floor.
He wasn’t anywhere near as great or talented as Lu Quan had made him out to be.
He didn’t want to finish the dare anymore. He didn’t care about the reward.
Lu Quan halted, tightening his arm around the boy just a fraction. He reached out, tilting up the lowered head with his fingers, and pinched the miserable face.
“Is Xia Xia unhappy dancing with me?”
He’d said Xia Xia—not Mu Mu.
“You…”
Those light tea-colored eyes widened in bewilderment.
Liang Zhixia’s body went rigid. He blinked slowly. “You’ve known this whole time?”
Lu Quan tugged him closer into his embrace and leaned down. “Did you really think I’d dance with a stranger?”
“…”
He’d assumed Lu Quan had the hots for a pretty girl.
Lu Quan’s amusement at his silence bubbled into a laugh, and he pinched the boy’s cheek again.
Before his identity was exposed, Liang Zhixia had been terrified. Now that it was out, a strange sense of relief washed over him.
His hands still rested on the man’s shoulders, fingertips curling into the fabric.
“Brother Lu, don’t you think this is kinda weird?”
Lu Quan led him into a turn, guiding the dance steps, and glanced down. “Everyone has the right to like whatever they want. No one gets to judge your choices.”
Liang Zhixia let out a breath and explained the whole backstory, concluding with, “Brother Lu, I don’t like dressing as a girl. I never do it in private. And don’t worry—I like girls.”
He didn’t like guys, so please don’t kick him out of the dorm.
Lu Quan smiled, but it was impossible to tell if he bought it.
The light shone down on the boy’s fluffy hair, creating halos around his head.
Lu Quan rubbed his fingers together, then pressed his palm firmer, drawing them even closer. His gaze fixed on Liang Zhixia’s face.
Liang Zhixia looked up—and locked eyes with him. They were dark and fathomless, hiding whatever the man was truly thinking.
He frowned suddenly, curiosity bubbling up. “Brother Lu, why didn’t you just refuse the dare outright?”
No one could force Lu Quan into something like this.
Lu Quan replied, “It’s Qu Yizhou’s birthday party. I couldn’t completely blow him off.”
Liang Zhixia pursed his lips. “Fine.”
If he was destined to be the last one found out, then he’d stick with completing the dare alongside Lu Quan.
He asked again, “Why didn’t Brother Lu expose me right away?”
The boy tilted his head up, his perky eyelashes fluttering like butterflies. His rosy lips glistened under the light, carrying a faint, enticing fragrance.
The pose looked particularly like he was begging for a kiss.
Lu Quan’s tongue flicked heavily over his canine tooth before he spoke. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to know.”
Liang Zhixia pressed, “Then why did you end up exposing me?”
Lu Quan replied, “Because you looked like you were about to cry.”
The sight had nearly aroused him. He imagined Liang Zhixia crying would look especially alluring.
Liang Zhixia’s face flushed crimson, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. His voice rose involuntarily. “I wasn’t about to cry!”
Lu Quan backpedaled at once. “My mistake. It’s Mu Mu who looks like he’s about to cry.”
Mu Mu: “……”
Xia Xia: “……”
Liang Zhixia: “……”
In that moment, his low spirits evaporated without a trace. Even his dance steps felt more polished than before.
He asked, “Shall we head down and dance now?”
Lu Quan let out a soft chuckle. “Does Xia Xia want to dance with me in front of all those people?”
Liang Zhixia cocked his head, puzzled. “Didn’t the note say to dance with you?”
Lu Quan answered, “But it didn’t say anything about dancing for them to watch.”
This dance was just for the two of them.
Liang Zhixia let out a relieved breath. His body fully relaxed, and his tone turned cheerful. “So, does that mean we’ve completed the task now?”
Lu Quan arched a brow. “It counts—as long as you dance through a full routine with me.”
Just then, Lu Manman’s voice rang out from beyond the door.
“Sister, where are you? Manman’s come to find you!”
Liang Zhixia released his hand. “Your brother’s looking for me.”
Lu Quan’s lips twitched in a half-smile, but before he could respond, Zhizhi swung the door open.
Lu Manman’s delighted cry pierced the air.
“Pretty Sister—ah! Oof—”
Along with Lu Manman’s pained yelp as he tumbled down came the sound of something rolling across the floor. It came to a stop right at Lu Quan’s feet.
He glanced down.
A pink Little Genius Children’s Watch.
