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Chapter 21: Hot Dance
Liu Bing didn’t believe in fate. There were many talented people in the world, many with outstanding looks, and many with gentle, humble, and diligent personalities. However, when all these qualities were concentrated in one person, the probability was almost like winning the lottery.
Moreover, Xiao Chi had been fortunate enough to be noticed by Ji Chenxuan and picked out from the vast sea of people.
Such a person, if they didn’t become famous, would be going against the heavens.
Liu Bing thought to herself. Was this guy really that talented? There had to be some flaws, right?
With a subtle feeling of expectation, Liu Bing led Xiao Chi to the dance studio located on the same floor. The space was spacious enough for movement, with a mirror wall and light brown wooden floors spotless and dust-free.
It was near the end of the workday, and the dance studio was empty, unoccupied.
Liu Bing unlocked the door, turned on the sound system, and the entire wall of the dance studio was instantly covered by a holographic screen, easily creating an immersive atmosphere.
“Pick a song you’re familiar with,” Liu Bing lazily leaned against the console, propping her elbow on the desk, while her other hand rubbed her chin, her gaze following Xiao Chi’s finger as it moved across the song selection screen.
These dance tracks were all songs by Xiao Chi, the virtual idol from the AI company…
Liu Bing noticed this and raised an eyebrow in surprise. Was he a fan of that virtual idol? Come to think of it, upon closer inspection, they did look somewhat similar, and both had the last name Xiao.
Could they be long-lost twin brothers?
Liu Bing observed his side profile, secretly amused at his own random, unfounded thoughts.
Xiao Chi’s finger finally stopped on a hot, fiery rock song.
“Found one?” Liu Bing glanced down at the selection, it was Bewitched, the most popular song by virtual idol Xiao Chi, known for its dance and vocal intensity, and also one of the most difficult.
Unlike the song Chaka Moonlight Lake, which emphasized vocal techniques and difficulty, this song’s challenge lay in its use of the virtual idol’s synthesized voice, pushing the speed and rhythm to a level that nearly exceeded the limits of the human voice.
The climax featured an extremely long vocal ornamentation, with nearly fifty seconds of sustained breath, and countless singers with confidence in their lung capacity had failed one after another, falling short during this section of the song’s chorus.
Moreover, while maintaining vocal output, the dancer was also required to execute large, intense dance movements, making the challenge even greater.
All online cover versions of Bewitched were edited and shortened, cutting out or simplifying the climax.
No one had yet performed it perfectly.
Seeing that he had chosen this one, Liu Bing furrowed her brows. “I know you’re great, but you don’t need to pick an impossible song to show off. Let’s pick something more practical.”
“This one’s fine, I’m familiar with it.” Xiao Chi responded matter-of-factly. According to his database, this song had the highest number of performances and fan ratings, so he was naturally very familiar with it.
“Since you insist, fine.” Although Liu Bing was skeptical, he didn’t show it on her face as he had before. After all, if he were to be proven wrong later, that would be quite embarrassing.
The entire dance studio had already switched to a holographic stage projection, with dazzling lights and dynamic effects.
Xiao Chi took off his jacket and stood quietly in the center of the dance floor, wearing only a long-sleeve printed T-shirt and ash-colored jeans. His hands hung loosely by his sides, and as the music intro began, he lightly tapped his toes to the beat, exuding a relaxed and free-spirited aura.
The song began with a strong melody played on the electric piano, followed by the rhythm of the drums. Xiao Chi stood with his back to Liu Bing, his long limbs moving with the music, each step perfectly timed with the beat.
When the first line of lyrics rang out, he suddenly turned around, lowering his waist and bending his knees slightly in a poised but detached manner. His dark eyes shone brightly, his gaze rising from the bottom up, locking directly into Liu Bing’s eyes.
Such a look was incredibly striking, and Liu Bing instinctively tilted her head back slightly, avoiding the intensity of his gaze.
The fast-paced energetic song and powerful dance steps almost instantly changed Xiao Chi’s aura.
The once gentle and sunny “little lamb” was gone, replaced by a sharp, aggressive “wolf cub.”
With each twist of his waist, each stomp of his foot, his hips moved rhythmically to the strong beat, his movements agile and swift, dazzling to the eye.
In the high-intensity dance, Xiao Chi’s chest didn’t show any noticeable rise and fall. Every note was perfectly executed, his breath steady to a frightening degree.
Liu Bing felt as though her gaze was captured by him, woven into a tight web of his fiery dance moves and beautiful singing voice. He was the one trapped in the web, his every breath unknowingly following the rhythm he set.
Bewitched, no one was more suited to perform this crazy and fiery song than him.
Finally, the most difficult part—the chorus—arrived. Xiao Chi made an obvious contraction of his abdomen, preparing to hold his breath. Liu Bing, hands clasped tightly, nervously swallowed. Could he sing it all in one breath? Would he fail?
Boom, boom, boom… the rapid drumbeats quickened!
Xiao Chi reached his peak, and then—exploded!
The resonance flowed from his abdomen to his chest, rising to his head, a long and steady breath, layer upon layer of air, and the pure, transparent tone of his voice, even when raised to a level that made his scalp tingle, remained rich and full, unbelievably smooth!
Twenty seconds… thirty seconds…
Liu Bing subconsciously held his breath in sync with his voice, his cheeks flushed bright red. Unable to hold it anymore, he hurriedly took a few deep breaths, but the climax was still going strong!
… Forty seconds… forty-five seconds!
The long high note finally came to an end. Xiao Chi froze in that moment, moving from extreme motion to stillness with a single spin.
Then came a group dance segment, one that required coordination with others to complete.
During virtual idol performances, other characters would accompany the dancer, but now, Xiao Chi was alone.
Liu Bing was still lost in the long, drawn-out climax, unable to recover, when Xiao Chi suddenly moved in close, catching her off guard. He yanked his arm with force, and the next second, he was flung into the dance floor.
Yes, flung.
With one arm pulled by Xiao Chi, he was forcibly “dancing,” spinning twice before his vision started to blur.
Lost in the dance, Xiao Chi had completely turned his manager into his virtual dance partner.
His gaze was dark, his movements sharp and fluid like a panther in the wild, or a precisely calibrated machine. He wrapped her waist, pressed his face close, spun him around—each movement meticulously executed, without hesitation.
Liu Bing hadn’t exerted himself like this in a long time. His body was as limp as a rag doll, unable to control his arms or legs, completely at his mercy.
He didn’t seem like a dance partner at all, but rather a burden. Yet Xiao Chi was somehow able to take this burden and shape it, molding it as he pleased.
Liu Bing couldn’t for the life of her figure out why this guy had so much strength!
—
When Ji Chenxuan stepped out of the elevator, he passed by several female staff members, who all greeted him, their eyes occasionally flicking to the pink scarf around his neck. Ji Chenxuan nodded, ignoring their shocked gazes and the whispers that followed behind him.
The practice room that Zhou Tong had reserved for Xiao Chi was empty. Ji Chenxuan furrowed his brow—where did they go?
As his trusted assistant, Zhou Tong was not only responsible for work-related tasks but also often handled some of Ji Chenxuan’s personal matters. He had also dealt with Xiao Chi’s identity details, so he knew a bit of the inside story.
Of course, aside from the major secret that Xiao Chi was the missing virtual idol, although Ji Chenxuan had some doubts about Xiao Chi’s real name, Zhou Tong had wisely refrained from asking too many questions, especially since the name wasn’t particularly rare.
He had already told Zhou Tong to make proper arrangements, but after sending a message, there was no response. Where could they have gone?
Just then, familiar music drifted from the dance studio.
It was Bewitched—wasn’t this the song Xiao Chi used to top the Dance Pioneer chart?
Ji Chenxuan quickened his pace toward the back door of the dance studio. The door wasn’t locked, and he gently pushed it open. The dazzling lights and intense dance music immediately hit him.
Ji Chenxuan’s gaze froze, fixed on the man in the center of the dance floor, his movements full of energy. Ji Chenxuan had always known Xiao Chi was good-looking, but he hadn’t realized that, illuminated by the lights of the dance floor, he could be so striking. Even the stage-like lighting from the ceiling couldn’t outshine him.
It was hard to call him innocent—it was too mild, yet calling him seductive seemed too heavy. He struck a delicate balance between youthful boldness and mature sharpness.
As Xiao Chi’s movements grew more intense, the hem of his T-shirt lifted with the momentum, revealing a taut, flexible waist, and thin abdominal muscles that extended into his low-waisted pants.
His long-sleeve T-shirt was rolled up to his elbows, exposing strong forearms, so finely sculpted that his pores were almost invisible. Only Ji Chenxuan knew how much terrifying strength those arms held when clenched into fists.
It was as if some spell had been cast on him—Ji Chenxuan couldn’t tear his gaze away, frozen in place, unable to move.
But Xiao Chi was completely immersed in the music and dance, paying no attention to Ji Chenxuan’s presence. Instead, he viewed Liu Bing as his only audience, every smile and frown directed solely at her.
Ji Chenxuan gripped the door handle tightly, a sense of restlessness rising within him. He wanted to make some noise, to make Xiao Chi notice him, yet he was unwilling to interrupt what seemed like a nearly perfect performance.
That was, until Xiao Chi actually began to pull Liu Bing into a duet dance?!
Ji Chenxuan’s eyes widened in shock as he watched the two of them dance intimately together on the floor. Before he could even speak up, a light laugh suddenly sounded from behind him:
“Is this the new talent that Liu Bing has brought back? He seems to have a lot of potential. President Ji really has a great eye.”
Ji Chenxuan turned around abruptly, a hint of surprise raising an eyebrow. “…Xie Ting?”
It was nearly time to get off work, and employees were starting to trickle out of the office. Some of them noticed the two figures standing at the door of the dance studio—one was Ji Chenxuan, and the other was none other than the top star of the entertainment industry, King Xie Ting!
What were they doing at the door of the dance studio?
Huh, there’s music playing. Is someone dancing in there?
The explosive gossip spread like it had sprouted wings, instantly flooding all kinds of group chats. Employees who were originally about to leave for the day turned around and ran back to watch, almost blocking the entire floor.
Meanwhile, Xiao Chi’s dance finally reached its climax—the last frozen pose.
Liu Bing had finally made it to the end of the song, and just as he was about to sigh in relief that he could catch his breath, without warning, his feet were lifted off the ground. Xiao Chi had picked him up in a single arm, lifting him into a backbend—
“Oh my God! My old bones! They’re going to snap! They’re going to snap!”
The sound of countless phone flashes clicked nonstop as the female staff members nearby screamed, taking photos of the scene, which startled the two people in the dance floor.
Xiao Chi turned his head and locked eyes with Ji Chenxuan’s deep, dark gaze. Instinctively, he loosened his grip—
Hmm, had he just been holding something?
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JustMeow18[Translator]
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