“Saying it’s the lonely autumn’s melancholy, saying it’s the distant sea’s yearning. If someone asks about my troubles, I dare not speak your name…”
Teng Yi sat on a desk in the classroom, with Xiao Qing leaning beside him, focused on a game on his phone.
A familiar female voice on the broadcast was reciting a short poem.
“I dare not speak your name if someone asks about my troubles. Saying it’s the distant sea’s yearning, saying it’s the lonely autumn’s melancholy.”
Xiao Qing suddenly elbowed Teng Yi.
“Hey, isn’t that voice your Top Scholar?”
“Whose?” Teng Yi replied coldly.
Just thinking about that woman made him angry.
She’d left without a word in the morning after he’d especially gotten up to make her breakfast. When he went to knock on the door, he found the room spotlessly clean, with her worn clothes and used towels all washed and hanging to dry, making everything so formal, as if deliberately drawing a clear line between them.
“Teng Hao’s, which roughly makes her yours too,” Xiao Qing said.
Teng Yi remained silent.
“Hey, my Chinese isn’t great, what’s this poem about? Love?”
“Don’t know.”
“Sounds like it. Seems this Top Scholar has something going on lately. Wonder how things are developing with that love-at-first-sight brother of hers?”
Teng Yi stood up from his chair and violently kicked the trash can by the podium.
“What’s up with Zhou Xihe? Every time he goes to the bathroom, he disappears like a missing person.”
Seeing his bad mood, Xiao Qing quickly pulled out his phone: “I’ll urge him along.”
Just as he spoke, Teng Yi’s phone rang first.
He glanced at the caller ID on the screen – it was Caihong.
“Hello.”
“Boss, someone’s looking for you. When are you coming over today?”
“Who’s looking for me?”
Caihong gave a name, and Teng Yi’s expression immediately changed.
“I’m coming right now. Tell him to wait.” After saying this, Teng Yi hung up.
Xiao Qing hadn’t even gotten through to Zhou Xihe when he saw Teng Yi quickly walking out of the classroom. He hurriedly chased after him.
“Teng Yi, where are you going?”
“Back to the base.”
“Weren’t we supposed to go eat? Aren’t you eating?”
“Not anymore.”
Teng Yi hurried down the stairs.
On the broadcast, Ruan Yu was still reciting something, but he couldn’t spare attention to listen. He jogged to the school gate where his car was parked today, got in, and drove straight to the Xiyou Street Dance Training Base.
The base wasn’t officially open yet – whoever had time would come during the day, with Caihong usually managing things.
As soon as Teng Yi entered, he saw a tall figure standing by the floor-to-ceiling window.
The visitor was examining the “Xiyou” sign, seemingly very interested, staring at it for a long time without moving his gaze, until he heard Teng Yi’s footsteps and turned around.
It was Han Zuo.
The Han Zuo had exchanged WeChat contacts with Ruan Yu and went to eat at the cafeteria with her.
“Hello.” Han Zuo smiled at Teng Yi. “I’m Han Zuo.”
“Hello, Teng Yi.”
The two young men shook hands briefly.
“Teacher Tian Cheng recommended me to come here. He said this is the headquarters for street dance enthusiasts, told me to come find my people.” Han Zuo was somewhat shy.
“I know.” Teng Yi took off his jacket, hanging it over his arm, and jerked his chin toward the second floor. “Come on, let’s go up and battle.”
–_–
Han Zuo was taken aback – starting a battle as soon as he arrived?
“Battle with whom?”
“Me.”
Teng Yi walked toward the second floor, gesturing for Han Zuo to follow.
Han Zuo immediately became excited. Regarding street dance, he had many dreams, one of which was to battle with Teng Yi – presumably a dream shared by many dancers in Liao City.
Sparring with a strong opponent was both an exchange and a learning experience.
The two went upstairs.
“What style do you usually dance?” Teng Yi asked.
“Hip-hop, I’m better at Hip-hop, but I dance Breaking too.”
“Then let’s do Hip-hop.”
His tone was calm but carried an inexplicable confidence.
Han Zuo’s fighting spirit was instantly aroused. Although he knew Teng Yi was very capable, he was also confident in his own Hip-hop abilities. In this battle, he might not necessarily lose.
Caihong heard footsteps and ran out of the practice room.
“Boss, you’re here.”
Teng Yi nodded, asking him: “Is Lin Shan here?”
“Yes.”
“Get him out here to judge.”
“Oh? You’re going to battle?”
“Mm.”
Caihong looked at Han Zuo, then at Teng Yi.
“Let me be the judge,” Caihong moved close to Teng Yi, speaking in a voice only they could hear. “Boss, this guy doesn’t look friendly. If I judge, I can cut you some slack at crucial moments…”
Teng Yi grabbed the back of Caihong’s neck and squeezed hard.
Caihong howled in pain.
“Boss! Boss! I was wrong! I was wrong, okay?!”
“Hurry up and get Lin Shan.”
“Yes, yes…” Caihong broke free while shouting toward the practice room at the end of the corridor, “Shan! Boss is looking for you!”
Lin Shan walked out of the practice room.
Compared to the street-smart, clever Caihong, Lin Shan appeared much more steady, both in appearance and personality.
“That’s Lin Shan,” Teng Yi introduced to Han Zuo. “Runner-up in the Liao City Hip-hop One-on-One Championship, special judge for the SuperK College Street Dance Competition. He’s fair.”
Teng Yi emphasized the last word “fair.”
Han Zuo understood what Teng Yi meant: don’t worry, we won’t gang up on you.
“Hello, I’m Han Zuo,” Han Zuo smiled in greeting to Lin Shan.
Lin Shan maintained an impassive expression, merely nodding before turning to enter Teng Yi’s practice room.
“Don’t mind him, that’s just how he is,” Teng Yi explained to Lin Shan.
“Yeah, usually he’s as closed as an airtight jar, but when he starts dancing, he’s completely different,” Caihong added from the side.
“I don’t mind,” Han Zuo kept smiling.
Why would he mind such things? Just seeing these masters in person, whom he’d only heard about before, was enough to make him happy for an entire day. What more could he expect – warm hugs? That would be strange!
Everyone entered the practice room.
Teng Yi’s practice room was large; Han Zuo estimated it could accommodate about thirty people dancing simultaneously.
Bright lights, wide mirrors, complete sound equipment… everything was even more impressive than Han Zuo had imagined.
“Cool!” Han Zuo gave a thumbs up.
“Of course it’s cool! It’ll get even cooler!” Caihong said proudly.
“Let’s begin.”
–_–
Teng Yi threw his jacket aside and gave Lin Shan a look.
Lin Shan walked to the computer.
“Songs will be random, you’ll dance to the same song. For fairness, we’ll decide the order by rock-paper-scissors.”
“I’ll go first,” Teng Yi interjected.
“Boss…” Caihong started to speak but was cut off by Teng Yi’s sideways glance.
Teng Yi knew what Caihong wanted to say – dancing to the same song, the second person could familiarize themselves with the rhythm, going first was always disadvantageous.
“I don’t mind the order,” Han Zuo said, unwilling to back down.
“Guests first,” Teng Yi said.
They settled the order this way.
Lin Shan randomly searched online for a music library and blindly selected a song – it was Han Baoyi’s “Pink Memories,” an older, well-known song with a particularly upbeat melody.
“Summer, summer quietly passes by, leaving little secrets pressed in my heart, pressed in my heart, can’t tell you. The evening breeze blows, warming my heart, I think of you again, so sweet, so sweet, how can I forget…”
Caihong unconsciously started singing along.
Lin Shan and Han Zuo watched Teng Yi intently.
Everyone knew that Teng Yi’s Breaking was flawless in every aspect, but Hip-hop and Breaking were completely different types of street dance. Hip-hop didn’t require Breaking’s intense techniques; it emphasized groove more, celebrating natural expression. It wasn’t easy for a dancer to excel in both styles.
Teng Yi adapted to the music within seconds. He walked to the center of the practice room in time with the cheerful beat, his previously serious expression gradually melting with the lively rhythm.
Music control, groove, and freeze poses… he handled them effortlessly. Following the music’s rise and fall, speed changes, moonwalks, and several difficult waving moves were no challenge for him.
His body coordination and superior control made even Lin Shan admire him.
Indeed, excellent people excel in all aspects.
“Wow!” Caihong got hyped up. “Boss is amazing!”
Admiration appeared in Han Zuo’s eyes too, but he wasn’t overwhelmed by Teng Yi’s presence. Such a strong opponent only strengthened his determination to win.
After Teng Yi finished, Han Zuo took the floor.
Lin Shan hadn’t heard Han Zuo’s name before and automatically assumed he was just an emerging newcomer, but he quickly realized his mistake.
Han Zuo had a musical sense and dance groove completely on par with Teng Yi. His movements were varied and fluid, showing no trace of a newcomer’s immaturity or pettiness. Instead, he displayed masterful style and solid fundamentals throughout.
Clean splits, seamless style transitions – every move was eye-catching.
“Wow!” Caihong patted Lin Shan’s shoulder. “Brother, you’re in trouble!”
Lin Shan knew he was in trouble – how could he determine a winner in such an evenly-matched battle?
“Um… let’s do another song.”
Lin Shan spoke while changing the track.
“Thailand Singapore Indonesia, curry meat bone tea, Indonesian basil doing spa lighting fireworks steaming sauna Coco pineapple mango hot Pattaya sunshine scorching melon beer flower scenery beautiful as a painting night market seafood rack swimming party du du du du what ya…”
Teng Yi: “…”
Han Zuo: “…”
Lin Shan: “…”
“What kind of nonsense is this?” Caihong rolled his eyes.
–_–
Xiao Qing and Zhou Xihe arrived at the base after finishing their meal, and as soon as they entered, they heard a bizarre song coming from upstairs.
“Curry curry lightly add curry curry spicy…”
Zhou Xihe, walking in front, swayed his hips to the music first. Xiao Qing synchronized perfectly, starting to move his waist too. The two of them bobbed their heads and swayed up to the second floor.
In the practice room, Teng Yi and Han Zuo were in the heat of their battle, and Xiao Qing and Zhou Xihe joined the spectators.
This invisible battle between love rivals, which they’d thought would be tense, unexpectedly turned joyful due to Lin Shan’s unfortunate song choice.
Of course, spontaneous joy was also part of street dance’s charm.
After “Curry Curry” ended, Lin Shan still couldn’t decide the winner, so the battle continued. Song after song, physical endurance became an important factor in determining the outcome.
“Why is Lin Shan so stubborn? Boss is usually so good to him, at crucial moments when you really can’t determine a winner, just let Boss win,” Caihong whispered in Xiao Qing’s ear.
“You don’t understand, this is Lin Shan’s charm, and it’s why Teng Yi likes him.”
“…”
In the end, all the spectators had gone to take afternoon naps, and even the judge had left, but Teng Yi and Han Zuo still hadn’t determined a winner.
In the spacious practice room, the music was still playing, and the two lay spread-eagle on the floor, breathing heavily.
“Not bad, you’re really good,” Teng Yi praised Han Zuo.
“Your Hip-hop is amazing too,” Han Zuo said sincerely.
For a long time, Han Zuo had disliked the term “all-around dancer.” He felt that being all-around meant dispersed energy and unfocused training time, and these two things could only produce one result: mediocrity.
Today, Teng Yi completely shattered this prejudice.
So being all-around really could mean excelling at everything.
“Forgot to ask earlier, do I join if I win, or if I lose?” Han Zuo turned his head to look at Teng Yi.
Teng Yi didn’t answer, instead asking: “Why do you like street dance?”
Han Zuo wiped the sweat from his forehead, stared at the lights on the ceiling, and thought for a long time.
“Maybe because… street dance changed me. When I was young, my grades were poor, I was introverted and insecure, didn’t like communicating with people, didn’t like talking. My parents were afraid I’d become autistic, so whenever they had time, they’d take me out to the streets. My first encounter with street dance was real street dancing.”
Han Zuo still remembered that male dancer, with his very curly long hair and tattoos. When his mother saw someone like that, she instinctively wanted to avoid him, but that dancer saw Han Zuo’s furrowed brow and, to cheer him up, voluntarily performed robot dancing in front of him.
At that time, he didn’t understand what mechanical dance was, only thought it looked amazing. What left an even deeper impression was the dancer’s freedom from societal judgment and his straightforward kindness.
Thus, he developed a desire to learn street dance.
When he truly entered that world, he discovered it was vast and boundless, far more wonderful than he’d imagined.
His parents said he became a different person after learning street dance. The little boy who couldn’t concentrate on anything became passionate and focused, confident and brave.
The essence of street dance is release, expression, and finding oneself.
“Because I love it, I can persist. I often think I could dance for a lifetime,” Han Zuo said emotionally.
Teng Yi was drawn into his memories, moved, and remained silent for a moment.
The two lay quietly.
After a while, Teng Yi suddenly sat up.
“Do you have a girlfriend?” he looked at Han Zuo.
“This… is there some requirement?” Han Zuo was confused.
“No requirement, just asking. If you don’t want to answer, that’s fine.”
“It’s nothing really, just a bit embarrassing to say.” Han Zuo smiled. “I recently liked a girl, but she won’t even let me pursue her.”
“Won’t let you pursue her?”
“Mm.”
Teng Yi froze, and after processing for a few seconds, he suddenly jumped up from the floor and ran straight out.
As he ran, he left behind one sentence:
“Han Zuo, welcome to the team.”