He gave in to Jiutiao Meijie temporarily, considering his parents who had raised him for sixteen years and had been farmers for most of their lives.
"Let’s not talk about money and status for a moment, when ordinary people see them dressed in expensive and beautiful gowns, they generally feel the other party is an unapproachable entity," Kiyono Lin suddenly lowered her head in contemplation, "That’s right, you acted very naturally at the tea party last time, so it seems you don’t need to worry about this step."
"Then it’s easy," she relaxed slightly, "As long as you don’t regard the other as superior mentally, your actions and manners will be natural. Just make sure you don’t suddenly start dancing the ’Sakura Momo’ or whistling ’Jingle Bells.’ After all, it’s not an especially serious occasion."
"Do you really need to spell it out like that? What’s wrong with ’Sakura Momo’ and ’Jingle Bells’? They’re world-class music!" Dubian Che argued indignantly, defending both.
"Nothing much, it’s just that those upper-class people look down on them," Kiyono Lin dismissed Dubian Che’s discontent, "Alright, now stand up straight and do as I say."
There wasn’t much to say about his posture, Kiyono Lin simply gave a few pointers on correcting his habit of yawning whenever he got bored.
"Upper-class people are really anti-human," Dubian Che sarcastically quipped.
"I can’t deny that," Kiyono Lin nodded, "For table manners, you can just mimic ’Downton Abbey.’ Though there are also inappropriate behaviors there, many of the wealthy people with a long history, like your Jiutiao Mei, now only follow some simplified etiquette, the more complicated ones have been eliminated."
"I’ll take a close look when I get back."
"Next, master the dance steps. Before attending the ball, you must learn some of the classic dance steps often used at balls, like the waltz. Considering your girlfriend might deliberately make things difficult for you, it would be best to also practice the basics of dances like tango, samba, rumba, salsa, and fox trot."
"That many?" Dubian Che exclaimed in surprise, "I thought, on TV, you just wrap an arm around the waist, hold hands, and take a few steps, right?"
Kiyono Lin gave him a look, flitting between discussing novels and TV series, she really had nothing to say to Dubian Che anymore.
It was just like a patient telling a doctor: I looked it up online, and it’s not this illness, could you possibly have misdiagnosed?
Irritatedly, she said, "Instead of wasting time talking, why not start practicing right away. Raise your hands!"
They practiced until eleven o’clock before everyone went home.
The next morning, Dubian Che encountered Kiyono Lin by the shoe closet, and she handed him a small booklet.
Kiyono Lin yawned with restraint, "Learn it by heart."
Dubian Che opened it to find many notes about ballroom etiquette.
Such as greeting the host of the ball before eating, holding drinks with the left hand, remembering to put the shared utensils back in their place after selecting food, having no more than four types of food on your plate, wiping your mouth more diligently with the napkin after eating...
"Why is it all about eating?"
"The rules for inviting dance partners and others are in the back."
Just as Kiyono Lin was about to say something else, she couldn’t hold back and yawned again, parting her pink lips.
Dubian Che’s heart was filled with gratitude, so he said, "Kiyono, you look quite charming and cute when you’re lazy..."
"No need for pleasantries," Kiyono Lin waved dismissively, her face full of aversion.
Dubian Che memorized the entire booklet Kiyono Lin had given him during the time the teacher was analysing the final exams.
Nevertheless, merely having learned it by heart didn’t necessarily ensure he would get everything right at the ball the next day.
After all, if remembering things meant never making a mistake, human civilization would have, at the very least, already ventured beyond the Solar System by now.
The dance steps were also passable, as he had so many to learn, he could only manage a rough idea of each dance.
Dubian Che was prepared to step on Jiutiao Meijie’s feet, after all.
In the blink of an eye, the day of the ball arrived. After the principal’s speech in the gym and the big clean-up, summer vacation began.
Amidst the cheerful atmosphere of other students, Dubian Che, with a sense of unease, followed Jiutiao Mei to her villa in Chiyoda.
"Your dress has been prepared; go change," Jiutiao Meijie pointed to a room.
"Um, Meiji," Dubian Che hesitantly spoke, "Just in case, I mean just in case I step on you while dancing, will you dry me up?"
"Hmm—" Jiutiao Meijie folded one arm across her chest and stroked her chin with the other hand, feigning thoughtfulness, "It mainly depends on my mood. If I’m in a good mood, I’ll let you be comfortable; if I’m not, you’ll end up comfortably dead."
"I’ve noticed you’re quite poetic!"
Faced with Dubian Che’s poor attempt at flattery, Jiutiao Meijie said with a smile, "There’s nothing that spoils my mood more than embarrassment."
"Looking forward to your performance."
Standing before the full-length mirror, Dubian Che adjusted his cuffs.
The reflection showed a young man neatly dressed in a suit, handsome and upright, but with a furrowed brow, his expression serious, as if contemplating something of great importance.
After adjusting his bow tie, Dubian Che left the room and walked toward Jiutiao Meijie’s room.
He needed to confirm once more.
No one came out to stop him this time, and Dubian Che smoothly entered Jiutiao Meijie’s room.
"Just in time, come here," Jiutiao Meijie, facing the mirror and without turning her head, commanded.
She was wearing a burgundy long-sleeved shirt with very beautiful and intricate pleats on the chest and cuffs;
The shirt was tucked into a very extravagant and luxurious black long skirt, which puffed up around the hem, lightly fluttering with the movement of its wearer;
The black skirt came with a waistband, as wide as Dubian Che’s palm, tightly cinching Jiutiao Meijie’s waist and perfectly outlining the prominence of her chest.