I was instantly startled by this sudden gesture. My mind raced to figure out its meaning. But Yu Chi Cheng winked at me and said, "The young lady is inviting you to dance!"
I saw the mischief in his eyes and immediately remembered the meaning of that gesture. In *Records of the Northern Cold Customs*, it was recorded that the Chi Mo tribe had an open - minded folk custom. After reaching a suitable age, women were allowed to choose their beloved men on their own. The bold ones could confess their love face - to - face, while the shy ones could use a special etiquette during the dance party to invite a man to dance. No matter which way it was, as long as the man accepted, they could set the engagement and get married.
I looked at the Chi Mo girl in front of me, with a lovesick look and full of expectation. I couldn't help twitching the corners of my mouth. Ao Qing seemed to understand the situation after seeing my and Yu Chi Cheng's reactions. She couldn't help smiling slightly and said, "Our noble prince of Da Yong. Since you're a real man, you should accept the girl's invitation."
So... Once she said this, if I didn't accept, it would mean I wasn't a man? But the goading method didn't work on me. Besides, I was using my elder brother's name. So I gave a calm smile and made the same gesture as the girl - tapped twice on my collarbone and then pointed to my heart - pointing at Ao Qing. The girl's face instantly changed. A fierce look shot directly at Ao Qing. Ao Qing was shocked and angry and was about to respond, but the girl left without looking back.
Ao Qing was angry but couldn't vent it, looking extremely frustrated. But I was extremely delighted watching from the side. So I calmly retracted my hand and sat upright, which made Yu Chi Cheng chuckle. It was okay if he didn't laugh. Once he laughed, it immediately triggered the conflict between Ao Qing and me.
"What do you mean?" She stared at me fiercely.
I shrugged. "It means I like you."
"I don't believe it!" She was instantly disgusted by me and looked extremely tangled.
I sighed and lamented, "It turns out you never understood my heart. Actually, the reason I'm with Brother Cheng is because I like you and want to catch your attention..."
Yu Chi Cheng couldn't hold back his laughter any longer. But Ao Qing was furious. "Bah, bah, bah. Stop disgusting me!"
Just as we were arguing like this, another Chi Mo girl walked towards us gracefully. She made the same gesture to invite someone to dance, but this time the target was Yu Chi Cheng.
Yu Chi Cheng couldn't laugh anymore. But Ao Qing suddenly stood up and made that gesture with special meaning, quickly inviting Yu Chi Cheng to dance. The girl who came first was a bit shocked and angry. The hostile looks of the two girls met, and it seemed like sparks were flying. Neither of them was willing to back down. Yu Chi Cheng couldn't help sighing and made a gesture of clasping his hands together and then lowered his head.
The girl who invited him to dance instantly understood. She was a bit sad at first, but seeing that Yu Chi Cheng didn't choose Ao Qing beside him either, her unwillingness disappeared instantly. She gave a haughty snort at Ao Qing and then left.
Ao Qing returned a snort and then sat back beside Yu Chi Cheng, coquettishly saying, "Brother Yu Chi, why didn't you accept my invitation just now?"
Yu Chi Cheng put down his clasped hands and started drawing circles on the ground, remaining silent.
Come on, how could he possibly accept your invitation? I silently complained in my heart. At the same time, I understood that the gesture Yu Chi Cheng made just now was the correct way to decline. I thought for a while. Since he taught me how to decline, I should help him out. So I said, "Because he can't bear to break the bond between me and him, especially after knowing that I like you."
After hearing this, Ao Qing grabbed a clod of earth on the ground and was about to throw it at me. As soon as I saw it, I quickly dodged. Then I heard a clear female voice say, "Stop!"
I looked up and saw the lead dancer who had invited me to dance earlier had returned. Ao Qing was stunned. The girl quickly walked towards me, looking at me sympathetically, as if I was the one who had been abandoned by my beloved. I instantly realized that the three of us had presented a complicated relationship to the Chi Mo people. So I forced a smile and shook my head, indicating that I was okay.
Who would have thought that the girl would glare fiercely at Ao Qing and then reached out her hand to me again, as if she wanted to rescue me from a sea of fire.
I noticed that this time she didn't add any special gestures. So I confidently put my hand in hers. After she touched my hand, her face blushed. She shyly pulled me away. While following her, I found that many girls in the venue showed disgust towards Ao Qing.
Phew, so close. It was really right that I didn't dress up as a girl. Young Master An, you really gave me a good idea!
After seeing Ao Qing's current situation, I suddenly admired Young Master An's decision very much. Just as I was sighing, I suddenly heard the girl who invited me to dance say, "I know you're more sad than I am now, but everything will pass. I'll wait for you."
I instantly got goosebumps and quickly said, "Miss, don't misunderstand. Actually, I'm not worth your kindness to me. I..."
But the girl quickly interrupted my following words. "Don't say anymore. I know you can't accept me for the time being, but..." A strange pink suddenly appeared on her face. She tightly held my hands and led me to dance to the music. I nervously turned around with her and vaguely heard her say, "But I won't give up..."
Well, I finally understood where the debt of love came from, and also understood the pressure Yu Chi Cheng felt when being liked by someone he didn't like. So I subconsciously threw a sympathetic look at Yu Chi Cheng. Unexpectedly, he was staring at me intently with a smile on his lips.
Our eyes met. In a split - second, my heart suddenly started to pound wildly. I quickly turned my head. The lead dancer girl noticed my strange expression and looked in the direction of my previous gaze. She just met Ao Qing's provocative eyes. So she shot another fierce look...
Well, by now, I had to sigh that Ao Qing's luck today was really not good.
The lead dancer girl didn't want me to look at Ao Qing anymore. She led me to turn around, and I passed by another girl.
When we turned back, I saw that girl had pulled Yu Chi Cheng up. The lead dancer girl said, "The music is about to change."
I was just surprised and didn't know what it meant. But as soon as the music changed, all the people who had been sitting around rushed up. So I saw Ao Qing, who wanted to stop Yu Chi Cheng, being pushed aside by the crowd.
The lead dancer girl held my hand and danced more enthusiastically. The firelight made her bright eyes sparkle. Suddenly, I felt embarrassed about her deep affection.
The music speeded up, and she led me to dance more merrily. It was not until the music changed again that she said, "It's time to change dance partners."
Before I could react, I was already grabbed by another girl during the spin. The girl had a blushing face and looked at me shyly. I just realized that the temptation of my elder brother's face to innocent girls was so great.
Just like this, while I was in a daze, I was forced to change several dance partners. Finally, I was defeated by the extremely enthusiastic looks of the Chi Mo girls. Just as I was thinking about whether to end this group dance and sneak away, my hand was suddenly held by a pair of broad and thick hands. A familiar male voice came from beside my ear, "Why do you want to run away after just a short while?"