Ji Li smiled. "It’s me. I’m honored you’re a fan. Are you here to eat too?"

Ruan Tang was still in a daze. "Yeah, I came with my roommates. They’re over there."

Ji Li looked over and saw three girls sitting there, every one of them smiling at her. Ji Li smiled back. "Are you going to perform too?"

Ruan Tang nodded. "Yeah. That pearl is gorgeous, and I was thinking I could make a necklace for my mom if I won it. But I don’t know if I stand a chance. It looks like a lot of people signed up."

"It’s almost my turn. Ali, I have to go for now. Let’s talk later!"

After a few hurried words, Ruan Tang rushed off to prepare. Ji Li shook her head. ’Running into a fan while I’m just out for a meal... and such a young girl, too. This is pretty interesting.’

In truth, the prize itself wasn’t particularly valuable. People were participating just to have some fun together. As for whether Ruan Tang could win, Ji Li, to be honest, didn’t rate her chances highly.

Sure enough, Ruan Tang’s talent performance was singing a song. In such a noisy environment, an upbeat track might have been more effective at getting the crowd excited.

Of course, the audience was supportive enough; at the very least, the applause was decent. But that’s all it was—decent. Ji Li could see the disappointment on Ruan Tang’s face as she stepped off the stage.

After a moment’s thought, she walked over to the owner. "Where did you buy a pearl of this quality? I’d like to buy it from you."

The owner glanced at Ji Li, then over at the dejected Ruan Tang. "There’s a plentiful supply on the market. But from what I can see, the one she wants is this specific one right here."

Ji Li clearly understood the owner’s implication. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Is it still possible to sign up?"

The owner immediately raised an eyebrow and let out a low whistle. "Confident, are we? Of course you can, but you’ll be the last one. The later it gets, the less interested people become. Just speaking from experience." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Ji Li smiled. "Then we’ll just have to wait and see."

She glanced at the girl performing a sultry dance in the center of the stage, her expression calm. The dancer’s moves were provocative, drawing all sorts of cheers from the crowd. She’d gotten the most applause of anyone so far.

The owner also glanced toward the center of the floor. "Don’t mind how men pretend to be perfect gentlemen on the surface. Deep down, this is what they all like."

Ji Li remained perfectly calm. "This isn’t what it means to be seductive and alluring. At least, not in my book."

’In my opinion, true allure and sensuality come from the eyes, not just from physical movements.’ Chi Mo had already set the benchmark for allure, and in Ji Li’s heart, no one could surpass her—least of all with these risqué, borderline dances.

The owner paused, his tone tinged with amusement. "Oh? In that case, I’ll be waiting to see what you’ve got."

Just as the owner had said, the later it got, the more the audience’s enthusiasm waned. At the end of the day, it was all just singing, dancing, or playing instruments. After the girl’s sultry dance, the crowd’s reactions became even more muted. After all, it was getting harder and harder to stir their emotions.

Just as the atmosphere grew sluggish, Ji Li walked gracefully onto the stage. The roommates who had been comforting Ruan Tang saw her and immediately nudged their friend. "Your idol is going up!"

Ruan Tang’s head shot up. "Really? Wow, I’m so lucky! I can’t believe I get to see Ali dance live."

Seeing her mood instantly brighten, the roommates exchanged a glance. They hadn’t expected her to bounce back so quickly. ’Well, this is good,’ they thought. ’At least she’s stopped sulking like a little mushroom.’

Ji Li walking onto the stage took everyone by surprise. The moment they got a clear look at her face, the sluggish atmosphere vanished, and someone immediately started to clap.

Ji Li’s eyes curved into a smile. She had classic peach blossom eyes—cool and distant when she wasn’t smiling, but like melting ice the moment she did. A wave of sharp inhales swept through the audience.

The autumn night was growing cool. Ji Li had come out wearing a trench coat over a long-sleeved black dress. The hem fell just past her knees, giving her an air of elegance and sophistication.

She gave the owner a slight nod, and a moment later, a dance track with an exotic flair began to play. As the music started, Ji Li slowly began to move her body.

"Belly dancing?" A jolt went through the crowd. Her movements were unmistakably those of a belly dancer, yet even without the costume, an overwhelming wave of sensuality and allure swept through the venue.

Ruan Tang excitedly held up her phone, all traces of her earlier disappointment completely gone.

The more Ji Li danced, the more liberated she felt. It was true she’d never danced in front of so many people before, but so what? ’As long as I feel beautiful and I’m having fun, who cares about anyone else?’

She performed an alluring, passionate dance on the stage, yet her gaze toward the crowd remained cool and distant, as if no one could possibly enter her world. She didn’t interact with the audience for the entire performance, completely immersed in a world of her own.

"That’s the most covered-up belly dance I’ve ever seen. Bar none."

"I guess it’s true. You don’t have to wear less to be seductive and alluring."

The roommates whispered among themselves, but Ruan Tang was in no state to listen. Her face was flushed with excitement. ’How can my idol be this incredible?’ She had never, ever seen this side of Ji Li before.

The performance had a time limit, of course. When the belly dance was over, Ji Li stood perfectly calm, not even flushed or out of breath. Three seconds after she stopped, the venue erupted in thunderous applause.

Ji Li smiled, her eyes crinkling. "Thank you, everyone. Enjoy your meal."

As she stepped down from the stage, the owner was waiting for her. He handed her the small prize. "Congratulations. You were right. *That* isn’t what it means to be seductive and alluring."

Ji Li accepted the prize. "Thank you."

In a few quick strides, she walked over to Ruan Tang and handed her the small box. Ruan Tang froze for a moment before suddenly throwing her arms around Ji Li in a bear hug, even planting two unreserved pecks on her cheeks.

Ji Li let out an amused laugh. "You’re... very enthusiastic."

Still hugging Ji Li, Ruan Tang grinned sheepishly. "Hehe, Ali, you’re just the best. If you were a guy, I’d totally marry you. I’m so happy I’m your fan!"

Ji Li gently pinched Ruan Tang’s round cheeks. "I’m honored to have your support, too. It’s not often we get to meet like this, so let me treat you all to dinner tonight."

Ruan Tang immediately pulled out an adjacent chair. "I’d be so honored! To get to eat with you, Ali... If the other fans found out, they’d die of envy..."

Ji Li chuckled. "It’s not that dramatic. I’m just an ordinary person. Are you a university student? You probably have a curfew, right?"

A girl with a cool demeanor smiled. "We just have to be back at the university by ten. We’re not in a hurry."

The girl with glasses next to her also chimed in with a smile, "Yes, yes! You were so beautiful just now, miss. I never imagined someone could be so captivating with just their eyes. You’re incredible!"