The Aspiring Dancer and the Unavoidable Marriage

“Jian Ye!”

A shout interrupted Jian Ye’s internal musings, and he instinctively called out, “Here!”

Tang Ying watched this student, who had barely attended any of her classes, with keen interest. Her delicate lips parted.

“Seeing the look of pure enjoyment on your face while doing basic training, come up and demonstrate all the movements continuously for everyone.”

Jian Ye: ?

[Jian Ye: Was my expression of enjoyment that obvious?]

[System 748: Do you need me to play back the host’s ecstatic expression from just now?]

[Jian Ye: You need to regulate your vocabulary! Be careful, or I’ll report you!]

At that moment, the entire class’s gaze was fixed on him. Jian Ye felt like a duck herded onto a shelf, pushed to the very front.

He straightened his posture, smoothly performed a split, and began the sequence from the basic training sitting position. The subsequent series of movements flowed like water.

“Holy smokes, this kid’s really showing off.”

“He even has to do a split before sitting down. Can’t he just sit properly like a normal person?”

“Hey, hey, hey, is that the point? The point is, he doesn’t need any buffer time between two movements!”

“Didn’t they say he hardly came to class last semester? Did he get private tutoring from a teacher?”

“What are his bones made of? I want them.”

“Even though a vertical split is a basic skill, my inner thighs still hurt every time I do it.”

“Exactly! He’s actually enjoying it. I can’t understand. I only make that kind of face when someone’s giving me a massage.”

After Jian Ye completed all the movements, he cautiously glanced at the beautiful woman beside him.

His expression clearly conveyed, ‘I’m done, what do you think?’ This innocent look thoroughly amused Tang Ying.

Tang Ying, usually known for her sharp, sarcastic wit, actually reined it in this time. Uncharacteristically, she praised him. “Student Jian Ye did very well just now. His movements are more standard than all of yours. From now on, if you want to standardize your movements, follow his example.”

Everyone was astonished.

What had they just heard? Little Teacher Tang, the notorious flower-wrecker, actually praised someone? And it was this kid who barely attended class?

“Don’t be unconvinced. Some people are simply born for this profession. Don’t feel it’s unfair. If you have the conditions, utilize them well. If you don’t, then work harder.”

“Do you think it’s extraordinary that Jian Ye still has solid basic skills after not attending classes for half a semester? So what? Try him skipping another class this semester! No matter how monstrously talented he is, he won’t graduate!”

“Most of his credits from last semester have already been deducted. If he loses more this semester, he’ll have to repeat his freshman year.”

The entire class burst into laughter.

Jian Ye: “…”

Sure enough, she was still Tang Chili, the one who gave no quarter. He had momentarily harbored the illusion that she was gentle with him.

Her words, however, ignited a fighting spirit within Jian Ye.

He, Little Jian Ye, hereby vowed!

“Teacher Tang, I promise not to miss a single class this semester, nor will I be late or leave early. I ask you and my classmates to supervise me. If I violate this, I’ll…”

Tang Ying interjected, “You’ll do a front handspring from the dance academy all the way to the main sports field.”

The entire class gasped, sucking in a collective breath.

While their dance academy wasn’t extremely far from the main sports field, it was still over eight hundred meters away.

A front handspring was barely a meter or so. To handspring all the way to the sports field would mean performing… eight hundred front handsprings.

Their heads would spin dizzy… No, it would literally kill a person! Even astronauts wouldn’t dare to do that!

Suddenly, everyone looked at Jian Ye with deep sympathy.

Their expressions either pleaded, ‘Little Teacher Tang, please show mercy,’ or ‘Don’t do that, he’s just a child.’

Jian Ye, however, only paused for a second before nodding resolutely. “Alright.”

Everyone’s eyes widened. What a beast!

Tang Ying saw the determined spark in the youth’s eyes and found it even more intriguing.

This student seemed different from when she last saw him last semester. She wasn’t sure what he had experienced to undergo such a transformation, but none of that truly mattered.

Jian Ye was a promising talent, and now that he possessed ambition, it was a good thing.

As their professional instructor, Tang Ying was confident she could unearth their potential.

Jian Ye also understood Teacher Tang’s meaning. This beautiful teacher, though sharp-tongued, was incredibly diligent and responsible.

Since he had taken over the original owner’s identity, he would seize this opportunity to properly learn about the field of dance, which he had never touched before.

After class, students who hadn’t been very familiar with Jian Ye before all gathered around to ask him for pointers.

In just one professional class, Jian Ye had transformed from an obscure presence to someone known by everyone, securing the initiative in making friends.

Jian Ye added all their WeChat accounts and kindly answered every student’s questions, whether about the class content or unrelated topics. He replied patiently to everything.

This caused everyone’s favorable impression of Jian Ye to unconsciously rise.

[System 748: Wow! Host is amazing! You’ve gained a lot of green tea points!]

[Jian Ye: Of course. Ever since I figured out that green tea points are linked to favorability, I’ve planned to conquer the world with my good temper.]

[System 748: Was the host’s temper always this good?]

[Jian Ye: Uh… pretty much. Few people can make me angry. If I get really angry, I just silently recite the ‘Don’t Get Angry’ mantra. After all, life is like a play, and no one can replace you if you get sick from anger.]

[System 748: I’ve learned something. Host, your broad perspective is worth promoting in the system group chat.]

[Jian Ye: You systems have group chats?]

[System 748: Yes, and Moments. Every day I see updates from systems in other dimensions. I told them my host is excellent, and they mocked me.]

Jian Ye felt that System 748’s admiration for him had been increasing lately, and its filter was getting thicker. It seemed a bit simple-minded, even a little foolish.

[Jian Ye: I’ll call you ‘Er Tong’ from now on. Your system code name is inauspicious; I can’t bring myself to say it.]

[System 748: Huh? Whatever, it’s just a name. But why ‘Er’ [Two/Foolish]?]

Jian Ye spoke utter nonsense with a serious expression.

[Jian Ye: This nickname means you’re very cute.]

[System 748: Shy.jpg]

Jian Ye: …

It was sending emoji packs in his mind again. And it believed that? Truly foolish beyond measure.

And so, Jian Ye diligently attended classes for a week at school.

The classes he attended this week combined were more than the total times he showed up last semester.

His classmates grew increasingly familiar with Jian Ye, often inviting him to meals or outings.

This was the joy of leaving a scumbag behind!

If the original owner had discovered the beauty of the world sooner, his personality wouldn’t have become so melancholic.

Giving up on a twisted tree meant gaining an entire forest.

“Ah Ye, tomorrow’s the weekend. We’re going to the arcade in New World. Want to come?” In the dorm room, Li Xiangchi proactively invited him.

Jian Ye awkwardly declined. “Sorry, I have to go home tomorrow. There are some things I need to handle.”

“Oh, really? That’s a shame, then. Next time it is,” Liu Mingchang chimed in, then looked at Zheng Yan. “Then the three of us will go.”

Although they had grown quite familiar over the past week, Jian Ye had never revealed anything about his family.

His roommates also didn’t know that Jian Ye’s parents were no longer alive.

Jian Ye indeed had matters to attend to; he wasn’t merely brushing them off.

Looking at the various ‘caring’ messages from the Jian family elders on his phone, Jian Ye gave a cold smile.

Time passed quickly. Unbeknownst to him, it was already time to meet that young master from the Yi family.

The Protagonist Gong of the entire novel probably had a domineering, ‘Dragon Aotian’ type personality…

Before transmigrating into the book, Jian Ye had rushed through this serialized novel, primarily seeking out the plotlines related to the ‘cannon fodder Jian Ye’ who shared his name.

In the parts involving the Protagonist Gong, his attitude towards ‘cannon fodder Jian Ye’ was invariably one of disdain and disgust.

The two never shared a room during their forced marriage. The Protagonist Gong would leave early and return late, never being seen in the house throughout the day, as if breathing the same air as ‘cannon fodder Jian Ye’ was an insult.

After being neglected, ‘cannon fodder Jian Ye’ grew even more sullen. Since he couldn’t change the situation, he decided to firmly establish his position as the Third Young Madam of the Yi family, much to the annoyance of those who despised and looked down on him.

That’s why, later, when the Protagonist Gong’s White Moonlight returned to the country intending to be with him, ‘cannon fodder Jian Ye’ obstructed them in every possible way, resorting to all manner of unscrupulous tactics, even planning to drug the Protagonist Gong and climb into his bed.

Although he ultimately failed to get into bed, it still disgusted a multitude of readers and netizens in the comment section.

The book lovers didn’t care what bullying ‘cannon fodder Jian Ye’ had suffered in places they couldn’t see, nor did they care how pitiful his background was, ostracized by his family and left helpless after his parents’ deaths.

They only believed: ‘Those who oppose the official CP shall be punished, no matter how far!’

That’s why, when Jian Ye opened the comment section, all he saw were remarks demanding that ‘cannon fodder Jian Ye’ be written out of the story.

Jian Ye didn’t know how to evaluate this book.

To say ‘cannon fodder Jian Ye’ was merely cannon fodder, he survived for 300,000 characters. To say he was a somewhat significant supporting character, his character design truly didn’t merit it.

The author likely intended to write a very long series, so the early pace was slow, and the main plot stretched out. As a result, even at 300,000 characters into the serialization, the Protagonist Gong and Protagonist Shou’s love remained fraught with difficulties, constantly hindered by ‘cannon fodder Jian Ye’.

In any case, when Jian Ye read up to the latest serialized part, the Protagonist Gong had just declared his intention to divorce ‘cannon fodder Jian Ye’, ordering him to pack his things and get out of the Yi family immediately.

Whether the divorce actually went through afterward was unknown.

It must have gone through, right? Otherwise, how could the Protagonist Gong and Protagonist Shou’s tumultuous romance develop?

Yes, it absolutely had to have happened.

The Protagonist Gong, enduring humiliation for his family and his beloved White Moonlight, marries someone he dislikes. When his wings are fully grown, he finally stops hiding his sharpness, draws his gun from the furnace, strikes with deadly precision, kicks away the cannon fodder, deals with the villains, and finally, the lovers are united. With both love and career flourishing, he becomes the man who stands at the pinnacle, a true king!

Jian Ye automatically fantasized about the unwritten content, the scenes gradually shifting towards a chuunibyou-esque, passionate narrative. He almost wished he could pick up a pen and complete the story for the author.

Unfortunately, the reality was that he transmigrated into the book at the point of its serialization. Imagination, after all, remained just imagination.

The next day, the appointed day arrived.

Jian Ye checked the location sent in the Jian family group chat and directly refused Butler Zhang’s escort.

The location wasn’t very far; he could just scan a shared bike on the roadside and go.

Spring had arrived, and the weather was warming. Jian Ye quite enjoyed a bike ride on a sunny day.

Jian Ye thought to himself, if today’s meeting could directly make the Protagonist Gong give up on marrying him, that would also…

[System 748: Host! You can’t have thoughts like that! The plot that’s already been written in the original work cannot collapse!]

[Jian Ye: Oh, I was just thinking casually, why are you so nervous? I’ll get married!]

Er Tong was acting like an old mother…

Knowing he couldn’t deviate from the main plot, Jian Ye adjusted his mindset and quickly set off.

He wasn’t dressed formally, but neither was he overly casual. He wore a clean shirt and jeans, appropriate for his age, and carried a black men’s sports sling bag.

The young man cycling on the road became a vibrant and youthful sight.