Scene 6: Stars and Flowers (1)

“Why should I dance with you?”

“Is it because you don’t dare to invite those pretty girls?”

Lu Mingfei and Fingel hugged together, dancing the tango beside the dance floor… The strong head-shaking action was done very well by both of them, with a fierce look in their eyes, like two weasels fighting for eggs.

Near them were the boys’ black formal clothes and the girls’ white formal dresses. The boys’ hair was all combed with classical elegance and olive oil, the girls’ hair had been taking cared more meticulously, which presents by elegant curl with all sorts of different perfume.

The polished black shoes of the boys and the white high-heeled dancing shoes of the girls trampled on the polished, mirror-like wood parquet floor, which reflected the huge crystal chandelier. From time to time, the lights were obscured by the skirts that spread out as they rotate.

It’s a long story about why they are dancing… Back to the time Nuo Nuo pulled the thief Lu Mingfei and innocent passer-by Fingel went straight to the door of Amber Hall, and Caesar stood in front of the door in white to watch them with applauding. Caesar’s ice blue eyes flow with cold light, behind him stood the minister of the six departments of the student union, as neat as a thousand armed soldiers.

“Just in time.” Caesar glanced at his Philippe watch on his wrist and smiled faintly.

“Caesar smiles at you!” Fingel made a fuss.

Lu Mingfei was shocked because he suddenly saw love in that smile…

“I have a ballet class in the afternoon.” Nuo Nuo went up.

Caesar put his hands gently around her shoulders and gave her a most elegant cheek kissing. “You look brilliant. I’ve never seen you wear this before.”

“I bought it with Professor Guderian on his business trip to China,” Nuo Nuo shrugged. “You can’t have seen all my clothes. I still had those ghost customs during Halloween, do you want to see?”

“I’ll definitely give you candy if you knock on my door in that dress,” Caesar said graciously, and took Nuo Nuo’s hand, entered the hall like an emperor.

In this process, he did not look at anyone else, and when his eyes flashed over others, it was like a sharp blade cutting the air. They were the only two left in front of the door after Lu Mingfei and Fingel talked privately and raised their heads. It was embarrassing for Ricardo M. Lu and his eighth-grade senior brother Fingel, who had just summoned the courage to shake hands with Caesar.

“Is that a severity shown by him?” Fingel wondered.

“Shouldn’t we heroes value face above all else?” Lu Mingfei turned around, “He does not give us face, we do not give him face! We turn our heads and go!”

“Don’t! Dude, you need to hold on at this moment!” Fingel twisted him back, gave him the thumbs-up, encouraged the dignified schoolboy like a brother and pushed his shoulder, “Get in! You’ve been invited. What are you afraid of?”

Lu Mingfei held on tight to Fingel’s thumb. “Senior brother, I trust you! I’m just as good a hero as you, Fingel! Let’s go together!”

“No problem! I, Fingel, as the oldest student in the school, has dropped to level F, would I fear Caesar?”

Inside, the student union members in charge of signing saw Lu Mingfei and Fingel shaking hands, face to face, and looking at each other just like a passionate couple dancing the tango and entering the hall of Amber Hall.

The sumptuous buffet was soon enough to convince the roommates that their courage was not in vain. Fingel quickly counted the number of people in Amber Hall, and Lu Mingfei counted the number of lobsters. They got a critical result instantly: This is a socializing activity that mainly involves eating. The generous host had an Australian lobster for each of them, and the red-covered animals were lying on the ice, their backs open to reveal a glinting white flesh. Fingel and Lu Mingfei put down their vigil and brandished their knives and forks. Their momentum can be described as “tigers dashing down the mountain”.

Until a white-gloved student union member rang a brass bell and the black-clad boys and white-skirted girls showed up, they were enjoying themselves.

The bell rang and the student union members in the hall stopped talking. Crystal chandeliers lit up in the center of the hall, and on two curved staircases lead to the second floor, handsome black cloth boys walked down with white cloth girls in silk gloves. The room was quiet and the dance was about to begin. People don’t dance had already exit to different corners, except for the two guys standing in the middle of the hall with plates, brandishing knives and forks in front of a red lobster.

The two guys suddenly mentioned the scene, they stopped eating, talking loudly and wiped their mouths.

“Seriously? Dancing?” Lu Mingfei stunned and swallowed the lobster in his mouth.

“The one with mustard on his mouth… Is he the new ‘S’ level?” A girl on the stairs sounded surprised.

“It is said that he was a child from a poor family.” Said her partner. “But he works hard!”

“What is ‘he works hard’? Is this a commentary on children from poor families?” Lu Mingfei thought, “It’s my parents’ business!”

“He looks really creepy… The one next to him… Creepier.” Another girl frowned. “That cheap suit… The texture is terrible.”

“It is said that he is the illegitimate son of the principal, who has always been an outcast.” Said another.

“The principal has such an illegitimate son? The principal’s impression has gone down in my heart… “

“Sir, please leave the space. It’s the social dance section.” The waiter came to remind them politely.

Lu Mingfei was hanging his head and was ready to run, as he got such an amnesty hearing this sentence. But he couldn’t run away. He was caught by Fingel!

“Haven’t dance for a long time!” Fingel clapped his hands and uttered the words that would make him a lifetime to search for a remedy of regret. “I was the Elvis Presley when I entered the college!”

The waiter stared at the guy, stunning.

“Why look at me? Am I a social misfit? I’m here to dance!” Fingel stared, straightened his bow tie, and snapped smartly.

Fingel looked up and down the stairs of the ladies, Lu Mingfei understood that he was cornered. He had to choose a partner to dissolve the awkward moment.

But the field was full of pairs, no girl was idle. Also, every girl saw Fingel turned her head with a collective “oh,” as if she had seen a pile of cow dung.

Only Lu Mingfei and he were two “redundant” men.

On the second floor of a side of the crimson curtain was pulled open, a small band was doing an audition, leading by the conductor, who’s the chef who brought Lu Mingfei and Fingel food last night. It seems that he is indeed versatile. The chef, who’s the part-time conductor was about to wave his baton when he turned his head and saw the two men in the centre of the spotlight and was hesitated. So, the members who didn’t receive orders can only repeat the beginning again and again.

“It’s Tango! That’s my strong point!” There was a decided look in Fingel’s eyes. “Don’t be ashamed my buddy, hold on! You and I, let’s show a path to Caesar!”

“Excellent, point out your way!” Lu Mingfei echoed his senior brother’s courage.

“Your ambition let me happy surely, so dear junior brother, you can dance female step…” Fingel grabbed Lu Mingfei’s waist, grabbed his hand and snapped to the conductor on the second floor. “Let’s rock!”

It was the first time Lu Mingfei had ever seen Fingel exudes such intensity, such a brave man, that a woman who had a soft spot for gangsters might suddenly fell in love with this scruffy man. But Lu Mingfei wasn’t a woman, and it turned out that every time Fingel becomes very confident, they were going to be in a corner… A dead-end corner.

Music starting and the dress spinning. The two weasels, under great external pressure, could only hug each other.

The air was filled with the ethereal scent of perfume, and it was clear that the guests had all taken the same dance class, taught by the same teacher. The dance was graceful and well-positioned, forming a rectangular array at one time and dispersing into a circle at another. The black suit boys were in the outer circle and the white dress girls were in the inner circle.

The only incongruity is that… Lu Mingfei was also in the inner circle… Dancing lightly.

“Damn, is this the scene that we are the royal concubines of the Austro-Hungarian emperor? I’ve seen Sissi and it’s the same!” Lu Mingfei regretted that he didn’t kick Fingel’s face at the moment he was caught and ran away. By the time they were surrounded, it was too late.

Beside him, the white dress with lace edges rotated with the girls, like huge white flowers blooming.

“Cassel is a German school, you’re right about Austria-Hungary. We have superior court dance teachers.” Fingel danced with great commitment.

“Is this what you called ‘the pathway’? Please, we’ve lost all the face we can!”

“Use your head. It’s a classical European social dance. They’ll exchange partners!” Fingel stepped strongly and lowered his voice, “They’re pairs of XY chromosomes, and we’re two YY chromosomes… Genetically we’re definitely going to win, you know the YY chromosome? Think about what you learned in high school biology class,” he said, serious and academic. “This means that no matter how we exchange partners, we are still YY at least, we will never fail!”

“I can’t imagine that you have so many physiology lectures and optimism in your head, and you still think we are invincible.” Lu Mingfei is pulling the thick, bear-like waist of Fingel, hesitating to want to do that high split movement like those beautiful girls around. Other people’s dancing postures are too tacit. He felt that since they all split legs, he should split too.

“No,” said Fingel mournfully, “I mean we can’t fail, like a stock at its bottom. Plus, I think you can give up the idea of doing a split since they’re wearing dresses and you’re wearing pants, your crotch seams will be the one to split… “

Without answering, Lu Mingfei suddenly felt a little crow flying over his head, croaking.

“This is the moment! The target is the girl with the butterfly hairpin!” As the music changed, Fingel gave the order to start the war.

The two men, manly and gamely, clasped arms and in one place, like a cannon waiting to be fired, went straight at the pretty girl about ten metres from them. That girl is in the chest of a tall and thin schoolboy to rotate with a blooming white skirt, her shape below the skirt is gentle and beautiful.

“Senior brother, good taste!” Lu Ming was impressed.

That boy’s expression first changed, then followed the girl’s, that pair of white high-heeled shoes almost trip together, the girl was supported by the boy to stand normally. It was a normal reaction, anyone who saw the cannon of two men approaching, filled with murderous terror, would have been horrified.

“Hey! Lady! Don’t fall before I hold you!” Whispered Fingel.

The uniform steps of the court dance forced the couple to approach Fingel and Lu Mingfei, closer and closer, five meters, four meters, three meters, two meters…

The girl stepped out of the beautiful rotation, girls and boys cut off their hands and the opportunity flashed, the chance is in a moment!

The two-man cannon also separated, they leaning forward to pull the girl’s hand like two weasels simultaneously. The outstretched hand of the boy, who was determined to hold his partner and finish the dance, was completely ignored. His swallow-tailed coat fluttered and whirled past the weasels.

“I go first!” Fingel pushed Lu Mingfei on his shoulder.

“Can you have some comity to the younger!” Lu Mingfei gritted his teeth.

The push created a small gap, the girl’s whirling skirt flashing through the gap. At the same time, the boys’ and girls’ hands overlapping again as Fingel tried to raise his legs to kick Lu Mingfei.

Perfect shift; the butterfly hairpin was relieved to be far away. The cannon duo took one look at each other. They sighed heavily and regrouped helplessly.

Not far away came a laugh, Lu Mingfei looked up in frustration, Nuo Nuo had put her hand in the hands of a Japanese boy wearing white gloves. She is spinning, as light as a purple swallowtail butterfly. It’s the kind of little witch smile at your worst time. The smile is neither cute or annoying, then stepped on your embarrassed face several times. For the moment Lu Mingfei was a bit angry, also a bit sad.

It’s exactly the same clothes, just like that day in the VIP hall of the cinema. The door opened, the light came in and the girl entered like an angel.

But now she’s laughing at you for you looking so silly.

“Damn, why do you fight with me? The result is still the same, YY is still YY!” Fingel was angry.

“Fuck off! If it’s not you did this first, would we be so embarrassed?” Lu Mingfei withdrew his gaze.

“There will be bread, and there will be girls! We must first unite ourselves. Next time you can go first!” Fingel sighed.

But there was no next time. The quick wit of the first pair inspired everyone else. For each time they change partners, white skirts will fly from the edge again and again. The cannon group fought on all sides and were repeatedly defeated. Nuo Nuo was not alone anymore, elegant laughter falls and rises, which spreads among all people like a plague. Lu Mingfei doubts that if it were not for the stupid nobility etiquette that requires these students to complete the dance, several girls would have laughed and fell.

“What about this?” Lu Mingfei had to count on Fingel’s quick wit.

“What?” Fingel sighed with impending relief. “Listen to the dance: It’s close to the end. Congratulations on being the first person to dance the whole dance with me… My male partner.”

The music began to fade, and couples bent over each other in courtly elegance.

“Go Go Go!” “Fingel ordered.

At this time, the band suddenly refreshed. They did not interrupt but re-opened a new overture, music appears to be highly motivated. The partners looked at each other in surprise. Music didn’t stop, so the dance didn’t end. They worked together and took each other’s hands again.

It’s a new tango.

“I wanted to kill the conductor’s family…” Fingel held Lu Mingfei firmly and sighed.

A touch of eerie violin changed tone as if a blade tearing the whole song, people were frowning to look at the second floor. At Cassel, where everything was of the highest quality, even the orchestra leading by a chef should be first-rate, and such mistakes shall not appear.

When the concertmaster had finished the long note, she stood up, placed her fiddle on his chair, and turned to go downstairs.

It was a girl with light blond hair, dressed in a silver gown inlaid with crystal. Her skin was almost transparent, and she was small, somewhere between a child and a girl. Lu Mingfei stared at her shape, it was a bit familiar.

The dance went on, and everyone was concerned about the sound of footsteps coming down from the top. The music went on because the well-trained second violin took over as chief conductor while the concertmaster didn’t look back.

“Clump!”

A pair of silvery high-heeled shoes were put on marble ground, the brilliant diamonds got refraction like the crystal shoe in the fairy tale. The concertmaster, or the ice girl whom Lu Mingfei met in the 3E exam, took off her black leather shoes and stepped into the high heels. Her originally petite figure suddenly stood up against the high heels, her tight abdomen and chest made her look graceful. She was an amazing girl, but her face was still like ice without expression.

Slowly she raised her arm, raised one leg and stopped. It was a classic ballet move, like the death of a swan. It was so beautiful that it made people’s hearts tremble.

She dances the standard tango with strength and power. She twirled, cutting into the circle in a straight line, straight to the center of the circle where Lu Mingfei and Fingel were. Everyone made a way for her. The circle was cut by the girl like a silver knife. No one could resist her coming, for her dancing was so perfect that she overwhelmed them all with a queen-like vigour.

“I think… She’s not for me.” Fingel said regretfully, “After all, you’re the hot one.”

He did an unexpected thing to Lu Mingfei, that is, he pushed Lu Mingfei to the Russian schoolgirl, but himself… Spinning, too, cutting through the crowd in the opposite direction with the same vigorous dance as the girl. Lu Mingfei had to admit that Fingel is also a good dancer, probably he was indeed an “Elvis” before.

Russian girl put her hands on Lu Mingfei’s. At this moment, the dance entered the climax paragraph manly, with a strong sway, Lu Mingfei corrected his dancing posture under the girl’s powerful arms.

The laughter and the exclamations died down, the truly magnificent dance had begun.

Lu Mingfei never thought he could dance the tango smoothly. He gets all the dance training only for three months, for the Spring Festival performance. The dance teacher shook his head, again and again, commented that Lu Mingfei clearly belonged to the incongruous type kid: If he moves his hands, his legs will be in the wrong position, vice versa.

It’s not good to think of anyway.

Lu Mingfei was able to stick to it because his partner in the group dance was Chen Wenwen.

But under the control of the girl and the suggestion of her eyes, Lu Mingfei immediately followed the rhythm. All the movements were engraved in his mind, such as how to put his arms and how to walk under his feet. There’s no need for him to think, he just needs to follow the dancing queen. Their dance is free and unrestrained as if they have practiced it for many years. The silver skirt flew and reflected the light of the whole hall.