Sophie Su was momentarily stunned by Ryan Ling’s sudden declaration. Sure, Ryan had shown off plenty of supernatural tricks lately, but when it came to dance, nobody knew the score better than Sophie.
Her family was originally from southern Jiangsu, where the Su women had always held dance in the highest regard. From the time Sophie could remember, her mother had drilled her in folk, ballet, and jazz, making her practice nonstop. In high school she eased up a bit for academics, but even so, at an event like this, she could pull off a routine in her sleep. International awards or not, she wasn’t afraid of going up against anyone.
Having scoped out the other women’s moves, Sophie was sure she’d come out on top—no doubt about it. That’s why she’d dared to challenge Drake Long.
But now that it was a partner dance, Sophie’s confidence wavered. Looking at Ryan’s totally chill expression, it was obvious he had zero clue how deep this rabbit hole went.
Going all out solo was risky enough—dragging along Ryan, who didn’t know the first thing about dancing, was a recipe for disaster.
Drake Long, meanwhile, was clearly pleased his little provocation had worked. He grinned and said, “Alright, bro! With that kind of confidence, you must be a real dancer yourself. Otherwise, why would Miss Sophie pick you as her partner?”
As soon as Drake hyped him up, all the rich girls in the crowd caught on and started shouting again.
“Exactly! Miss Sophie won’t even look at someone like Young Master Drake, the Asian dance king. Her partner must be a world-class dance god—otherwise, he wouldn’t be worthy of her!”
“Right! This dance battle needs some serious stakes. Watches and jade? Lame. If it’s masters facing off, let’s make it brutal!”
“Yeah! Loser should either kneel and kowtow to everyone here, or strip naked and streak around the club—now that would liven things up!”
The rich girls’ suggestions had the lecherous crowd cackling and eyeing Sophie Su up and down. She might’ve still been in high school, but her looks, figure, and vibe easily outshone any so-called socialite here.
But hearing those crude bets, Sophie’s face instantly darkened. Drake Long just smiled and waved his hand, saying, “Come on, people, this is a classy venue. Those stakes are way too tacky. Here’s my idea: I’ve got a few famous tattoo artists here tonight. Whoever loses gets a little ‘souvenir’ inked. As for where and what, let the guests decide—whatever gets the most votes, that’s what goes on the loser. Sound good?”
“Nice! Leave it to Young Master Drake to come up with something bold and tasteful. Let’s all throw in our ideas!” The rich girls burst out laughing and instantly huddled up.
Ryan Ling gritted his teeth—he had to admit, Drake’s bet was seriously nasty. Getting a tattoo wasn’t a big deal; half the crowd already had some ink. But letting everyone else choose the design and spot? That could get ugly, fast.
With the crowd picking everything, the outcome was bound to be brutal. In just half a minute, one savage idea was already way ahead—if the pair lost, the guy would get a male dog tattooed on his face, and the girl a female dog.
Seeing those humiliating stakes, Sophie’s whole expression changed. Suddenly, the place felt disgusting—she wanted to bail, forget the Su family’s reputation and the ten-thousand-mu herb bases in Harbor City. Why should a teenage girl have to shoulder all this crap alone?
“Don’t panic. Seriously, it’s going to be fine.” Ryan Ling suddenly grabbed her hand and said it so calmly it almost sounded magical.
Somehow, those words worked like a charm. Sophie stared at Ryan, picking up on something new.
“Let’s hit the dance floor. We’ll face off right here—let everyone see who’s the real dance king!” Drake Long, worried Sophie might bolt, immediately blocked their way, cutting off any escape.
Not far away, Brandon Feng sneered and told the tattoo artists, “Go hard when you ink them. Don’t worry about drawing blood!”
The tattoo artists were already in on the scheme and nodded knowingly.
With Drake Long calling the shots, they figured there was no way Ryan and Sophie would leave this club on their own two feet tonight.
“Fine. All I ask is that you keep your word.” Ryan Ling said, grabbing Sophie’s hand and heading straight for the center of the dance floor.
“Relax. When I say something, I mean it. And with all these big shots from Harbor City watching, do you really think I’d go back on my word?” Drake Long sneered, yanking his own partner over. She was drop-dead gorgeous—way more sultry than Sophie—and a star ballerina from the provincial song-and-dance troupe. They’d teamed up plenty of times, and every time they hit the floor, jaws dropped. Last year, she was his partner at the Tokyo Dance King Competition, and together they took the crown.
So the moment they stepped onto the floor, thunderous applause erupted all around.
Normally, that kind of pressure would make Sophie even more nervous. But weirdly enough, with Ryan holding her hand, all her nerves vanished—she felt totally calm.
The main event of this elite ball was finally on. People stopped chatting, drinking, and playing cards, crowding around to watch the two star couples in the center of the floor.
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But most eyes were glued to Drake Long. Everyone wanted to see the Asian dance king’s real skills; even the tycoon dads were telling their daughters to pay close attention and learn.
As the music started up, Drake glided into an elegant waltz. His partner moved like a peacock, suddenly dropping into a split with her right leg high overhead—drawing instant cheers from the crowd.
This was their championship routine from Tokyo. The two exchanged a smile and moved in perfect sync—no hesitation, just pure flow. Their jumps and spins were smooth as silk.
“Now that’s what a real dance king looks like! We were just messing around before. No wonder they took the Tokyo crown!”
“Those two shouldn’t even bother. Why embarrass themselves in front of the dance king? They should just quit now!”
“Right, give up now and save some face! If they actually try, it’ll be like a toad showing off for a swan—just asking for humiliation!”
...
The crowd went wild, clapping and cheering—while shooting scornful looks at Ryan and Sophie.
“Don’t overthink it. Just follow your heart—we’re not losing tonight.” Ryan Ling shot Sophie a calm look.
Sophie nodded, realizing she’d never trusted Ryan this much before.
Then Ryan suddenly spun into action—his whole body whirling a full 720 degrees before landing lightly, bursting into moves so sharp and rhythmic it was like Michael Jackson had possessed him.
Sophie was completely stunned. Even pros would need seven or eight years to master those moves. But before she could recover, Ryan swept her up, and suddenly she was spinning like a top in his grip.
In just a few seconds, every eye in the room locked onto them—even the international dance judges were so shocked, they shot to their feet.
It felt like they were witnessing something you only see once in a century.
“No way! Jasmine, let’s hit them with our hardest scoring combo—right now!” Drake Long was stunned, but he wasn’t about to give up.
But just as they were bracing to counterattack, a voice from Ryan’s side suddenly cried out.
“Oh my god, that’s world-class! How could any Asian pull off moves that difficult…”