HBWMA -Chapter 162 Sorry, I Can Do This~

Jiang Huashan’s mouth twitched.

If only she could ghost-step straight into the crowd right now, then Shen Lanxi would have no choice but to pretend he just happened to pass by her and obediently invite her as the best possible option.

While she was thinking this, Shen Lanxi extended his hand toward her.

A perfectly gentlemanly invitation gesture.

“……”

Jiang Huashan pursed her lips, then smilingly took off the two speakers from her waist and handed them to him, using her eyes to signal:

[Get lost. Know when to stop, or we’ll all end up embarrassed.]

Shen Lanxi calmly took the speakers and casually passed them to the onlooking Fu Sui’er.

“?”

Fu Sui’er looked confused, glancing between Jiang Huashan and Shen Lanxi. In the strangely tense atmosphere, she ended up holding the two speakers.

A faint smile appeared on Shen Lanxi’s lips. He rarely smiled, but under the light, that smile was almost breathtaking—like snow melting in spring, like a saint stepping into the mortal world.

People in the crowd whispered: “God, he’s so indulgent. He even helped his little sister take off her speakers.”

“……”

Jiang Huashan wasn’t fooled by this “divine sight,” because she knew very well this was Shen Lanxi’s smug provocation after a successful scheme.

Fine. Then she’d just hit them with a frog dance and make him regret it for life.

Chin slightly raised, Jiang Huashan placed her hand into Shen Lanxi’s palm.

“Too much! Brother Lanxi is going too far!” Xiao Lanlan nearly cried in anger when she saw this.

That morning in the main hall, her grandfather had clearly agreed with Brother Lanxi that she would be his first dance partner tonight.

She had prepared for a whole month just for this dance—carefully dressing up, determined to shine at tonight’s banquet.

And now? She had lost even the “princess” role, and even her first dance had been taken away. She had completely become a joke.

“This is outrageous!” Shen E was also furious, her gaze cold and vicious as she stared at the two figures under the spotlight.

When the Shen family began preparing the banquet, she had already approached Old Master Shen, hoping that Xiao Lanlan would be chosen as Shen Lanxi’s first dance partner.

Shen Lanxi was the most sought-after young heir of the Shen family. Since he was not engaged, the girl who could dance the first dance with him would naturally be the one most favored by the Shen family.

Xiao Lanlan was already sixteen. Shen E had long been selecting suitable young men from prominent families.

After careful consideration, she had settled on Zhou Yanheng of the Zhou family.

The Zhou family controlled the legal system of Country A and was the most deeply rooted aristocratic clan besides the Shen family. Zhou Yanheng had been raised under the strict guidance of the Zhou patriarch since childhood, trained as a true heir.

In terms of status match, the Zhou patriarch would likely choose either Su Jia’s Su Miao or Shen Mianzhi. In any case, Xiao Lanlan still fell slightly short.

Because of this, Shen E had gone to great lengths to secure Xiao Lanlan’s “first dance” opportunity. Only by convincing the Zhou family that Xiao Lanlan was the most favored girl in the Shen household would Zhou’s patriarch consider choosing her over Shen Mianzhi.

But no amount of scheming could beat someone who simply refused to cooperate.

“Mom, it’s all your fault! Didn’t you say Grandpa and Brother Lanxi already agreed? I already said it out loud—now everyone is going to laugh at me!”

Xiao Lanlan turned to leave. She had been the center of attention since childhood, and being forced to watch her spotlight stolen was more unbearable than death.

“Lanlan.” Shen E quickly grabbed her, raising her brows with a hint of mockery. “Don’t panic. If Shen Lanxi doesn’t choose you, he’s only humiliating himself.”

She didn’t believe it. Could a wild girl from nowhere even know how to dance the waltz? Everything Fang Mei had accumulated over the years in the Shen family was probably spent on herself—how could she possibly raise a daughter who could stand on such a stage?

Hearing this, Xiao Lanlan seemed to realize something, and her arrogance returned.

Exactly. She had trained in ballet since childhood, refined her posture, and received elite etiquette education.

What right did Jiang Huashan have to compare with her?

She would just stand here and watch them embarrass themselves—let them learn the consequences of going against her.

Shen Jiao held a glass of red wine, her gaze lightly sweeping over Shen E. After dealing with her for so many years, she could see through her intentions at a glance.

Shen Jiao lowered her gaze and took a light sip of red wine, her eyes carrying a hint of thoughtfulness.

Even if Lanxi didn’t want to be led by the Second Branch, he still shouldn’t have chosen Shanshan. If things went wrong and she embarrassed herself, it would still be the Shen family who bore the consequences.

Jiang Huashan followed Shen Lanxi to the center of the banquet. At that moment, the stage of the performance belonged entirely to them, and even the spotlight seemed to be following only them. Under the beam of light, the girl’s delicate features looked suddenly vivid and alive.

Only then did people realize that the seemingly immature girl seemed to have a light of her own—one that belonged solely to her. Even standing beside the ethereal Shen Lanxi, she did not lose out in the slightest.

Romantic and elegant waltz notes rose into the air.

Jiang Huashan lifted her gaze, her eyes passing through the crowd and landing briefly on Shen Zhuang’s face. But after only a glance, she slowly lowered her eyelids again.

As the prelude fell, their fingertips parted. Jiang Huashan took a breath, stepped forward on her toes, and executed three Viennese left turns as her skirt of petals fluttered outward.

Sorry.

This question—she knew how to answer it.

In her previous life, after Grandpa announced her engagement to Shen Lanxi, in order to please him, she tried to become a qualified “young madam” of the Shen family. She studied high-society ballroom dancing seriously, learned table manners, followed every Shen family rule, and did everything she could to be proper and compliant. And yet, even so, Shen Lanxi never had her in his eyes. He didn’t even want to attend events with her.

Life really did like to play tricks on people.

There was a hint of surprise in Shen Lanxi’s eyes. When Jiang Huashan reached out her fingers, he nearly missed her hand by a beat.

But he quickly adjusted his breathing, brushed against her fingertips, and placed a light supporting arm around her waist, guiding her into a right spin on the spot.

Jiang Huashan’s dance was graceful and fluid, yet carried a subtle ease. She even held a pink rose in her hand, like a silver-pink butterfly shimmering under the spotlight.

Shen Lanxi, on the other hand, brought elegance to its absolute peak. He was like a courteous gentleman leading this butterfly of light through the beam.

Originally, Xiao Lanlan had wanted to watch them make a fool of themselves, but instead she witnessed an astonishing dance performance with her own eyes. She trembled with anger.

The romantic music gradually approached its end, and the two prepared for their closing pose.

Shen Lanxi placed one hand over his chest and slightly bowed. Jiang Huashan rose onto her toes, spun away to create a two-step distance, and then extended the flower toward the crowd.

“Ah!”

From somewhere in the crowd, someone let out a sudden scream.

In the dim shifting light, a person raised a hand and caught the pink rose.

Shen Lanxi turned his gaze.

Just then, the hall lights came up, and the banquet hall was once again filled with dazzling neon brilliance.

The boy stood holding the rose, smiling boldly.

“Brother Lanxi, not bad.”

Lights on. Applause like a tide.

Jiang Huashan crossed her arms and glanced sideways at Shen Qingyu. “What kind of eyes do you have? I was the one who danced well.”

Shen Qingyu lowered his gaze to the rose in his hand, pondered for a moment, then lazily looked back at her.

“Weren’t we supposed to perform the frog dance with a backpack speaker? Why did you suddenly change your mind?”

Jiang Huashan waved a hand dismissively. “Do you even know me? I never follow the plan.”

The frog dance would’ve been easy. Making Shen Lanxi lose face would’ve been easy too—but… she couldn’t hurt Grandpa’s feelings.

Shen Lanxi’s gaze kept shifting between the two of them. Seeing them chatting and laughing, he then looked at the pink rose in Shen Qingyu’s hand again.

【Knight】chooses the 【Princess】?

So… in the end, the person Jiang Huashan chose was Shen Qingyu?