Chapter 196 - Persuasion

Ye Fan, gripping Shen Yan’s soft and smooth hand, walked towards the dance floor while softly saying, “Just a heads up, I haven’t danced in five or six years, so my moves might be a little rusty.”

Before joining the military, his family had arranged for him to learn social dances that were essential for events, like the waltz, tango, rumba, and ballroom dancing.

In particular, he had systematically studied the waltz and tango with instructors who were international dance masters.

Being out of practice for six years, a bit of rustiness was inevitable.

“Heehee, no worries.

I’m quite good at dancing.

Even if you don’t know how at all, just follow my rhythm and you’ll not make a fool of yourself,” Shen Yan chuckled lightly.

Then, she quietly asked, “You’ve learned the waltz, right?”

“Mhm.

I have,” replied Ye Fan.

“Heehee, then let’s dance the waltz,” Shen Yan smiled.

As Ye Fan and Shen Yan stepped onto the dance floor, the people already dancing conscientiously made way, providing them with ample space.

Stopping close to the center of the dance floor, Shen Yan gracefully moved her feet and twirled to face Ye Fan directly, their eyes meeting.

“Heehee, don’t be nervous.

Let’s take it slow,” Shen Yan said with a twinkle in her eyes, her delicate lips parting slightly, exuding charm.

Facing Shen Yan so closely, and with her smile as warm and inviting as flowers in bloom, Ye Fan felt no small amount of pressure.

He calmed his racing heart and said with a light smile, “Haha, I’ve got thick skin, I’m not afraid of making a fool of myself.”

As they spoke, he lifted his right hand, which had been lightly holding Shen Yan’s, raising it to the right and extending it outward.

His left hand reached over, bending back to gently rest on Shen Yan’s back.

Shen Yan, in turn, stepped half a step closer to Ye Fan, her left hand resting on the top of Ye Fan’s left arm, bringing them closer than ever before.

They could not only smell each other’s scent but also breathe in each other’s breath, and even hear each other’s heartbeat.

Once they stood in the proper dance stance, Shen Yan softly said, “Don’t be nervous, let’s start, to the right…”

Ye Fan was just out of practice, his foundational dance skills were quite solid actually.

With Shen Yan’s intentional guidance, Ye Fan gradually regained his feel for the dance.

Not only that, but being a highly skilled master of internal martial arts, he had a naturally strong and subtle control over his body movements, so he quickly recovered his rusty waltz skills.

However, Shen Yan thought that it would take at least a month of hard practice for Ye Fan to recover his former level.

Therefore, she continued to guide Ye Fan through the waltz slowly.

After about a few minutes of dancing, Shen Yan felt Ye Fan’s movements become more and more proficient, so she stopped deliberately guiding him, but they still danced at a relatively slow pace.

“Ye Fan, when you were bantering with Xiao Yichen earlier, you said that you hadn’t sung in six years until a month ago, was that true?” Shen Yan asked in a low voice.

Ye Fan was briefly taken aback, not expecting Shen Yan to have paid such close attention to what he said.

He smiled lightly and said, “What do you think?”

“I’m asking you, and you counter with a question!” Shen Yan said with a bit of playful indignation, “Answer me honestly, no lying!”

“Yes, yes,” Ye Fan answered, having a closer look at Shen Yan’s adorably indignant expression, his heart thumped suddenly, and he said with a somewhat sheepish smile, “My answer is: it’s true.”

“Wow, it’s actually true,” Shen Yan couldn’t help but exclaim.

Although she had somewhat anticipated it being true, she couldn’t help but be amazed when Ye Fan himself confirmed it.

Not having sung for six years yet maintaining such a high level of skill, such talent was absolutely extraordinary.

With such a heaven-defying talent, how could it be wasted just like that?

At this moment, she finally understood why her teacher, Yan Yusong, had stooped to plead with Ye Fan to study music with him.

In fact, singing a duet with Ye Fan was equivalent to engaging in a deep emotional exchange with him, and the act was very pleasant, somewhat resembling the harmonious melody of a Qin and Se combined.

Her fondness for Ye Fan increased greatly, which prompted her to proactively invite Ye Fan to dance.

Otherwise, if she were asked to dance with Ye Fan before the duet, she might not have agreed even if Ye Fan had taken the initiative.

“Ye Fan, what do you do?” Shen Yan asked after pondering the strategy to persuade Ye Fan.

“I’m a nine-to-five office worker,” Ye Fan replied.

“The salary isn’t high, is it?” Shen Yan inquired.

“I’ve just left the military and started working; how much could I earn?

It’s just enough to scrape by,” Ye Fan said with a laugh, a bit perplexed as to why Shen Yan was asking this.

Shen Yan continued, “So, you’re actually living a pretty ordinary life.

Haven’t you ever thought that life could be a bit more exciting?”

“I think an ordinary life is pretty good.

Fewer worries,” Ye Fan said with a light smile.

Shen Yan was momentarily at a loss for words, wanting to stomp on Ye Fan’s foot.

How dare he not play by the script when responding to this young lady!

Her momentum disrupted, Shen Yan turned her head to glare at Ye Fan, then turned back to maintain the dance posture, and said, “Ye Fan, after singing with you, I think your musical talent is really excellent.

Please don’t waste the gift given to you by the heavens, choose the path of music.

You will have a very splendid and shining life.

Also, I promise you that if you pursue music, I will support you with all I have!”

“Heh, thanks for your high regard.

But I still won’t choose the music path,” Ye Fan replied with a light laugh, not at all excited by Shen Yan’s promise.

“Why?” Shen Yan pressed on.

Ye Fan replied, “No reason, I just don’t want to.”

“Don’t you want to become a star that everyone looks up to and cheers for?” Shen Yan asked unwillingly.

“Ming an idol offers zero freedom; even when you go out to buy something a pack of paparazzi is always tailing you.

That kind of life is even more pointless,” Ye Fan replied with a smile.

Shen Yan was infuriated and felt a sense of frustrated anger, wanting to beat Ye Fan up on the spot.

Here was a future with great prospects set aside, preferring instead to be content as an ordinary office worker without his own voice!

Ye Fan also sensed Shen Yan’s anger and was touched by it; Shen Yan truly wanted to help him, but he couldn’t reveal the real reason.

He was born into a top-tier family, a veritable third-generation scion, one of the main heirs trained intensively by his family.

He was destined to shoulder the legacy, and he was sure to step into the limelight in the future, whether he entered the military or political spheres, to become a mainstay.

How could he possibly become an entertainer like a singer?

To abandon being the “Crown Prince” to become a performer?

That was absolutely impossible.

Besides, his current role as the Black Dragon in the Dragon Group didn’t allow him to be heavily exposed in the media and online, which would enable enemies to detect and track his whereabouts.

To divert the awkward atmosphere, Ye Fan suddenly suggested, “Shen Yan, I’ve now regained the feel for waltzing as I used to.

Let’s dance at a normal pace and even try some complicated moves.”

“Are you sure?” Shen Yan asked, suppressing her “anger,” not quite convinced.

“Of course.

Trust me,” Ye Fan said with a smile.

“Okay!” Shen Yan responded.