The battle stage not only tested the contestants’ street dance foundation but also their physical endurance and psychological quality. Teng Yi had originally been the favorite among the team captains, but now drawing the first defender position had a sense of irony.
After all, in recent years of street dance battle history, no defender had ever lasted until the end. One person against five had no possibility of winning, especially when these five were not ordinary opponents but the strongest captains of each team.
After Luo Sheng stepped down, he joined the audience. He and his teammates stood in the front row, arms crossed while watching Teng Yi on stage, looking as if they were enjoying the show. Teng Yi’s opening was steady, his dance steps and expression composed and natural, showing no trace of panic.
However, Ruan Yu could see the intensity brewing in his eyes. This intensity wasn’t rooted in fear, but excitement. While the current situation appeared precarious to everyone else, it wasn’t necessarily so for Teng Yi. Ruan Yu remembered Teng Yi saying, “What’s special about doing what everyone else can do? Only by doing what others can’t can you create your record.” And now, he was challenging himself, creating history.
The second captain was eliminated! The third captain was eliminated! The fourth captain was eliminated! Within just a few minutes, three captains were consecutively knocked out. Teng Yi’s ability to turn the tide sent the audience into a frenzy, and his versatile dance skills made even the dancers present bow in admiration. Breaking, locking, popping – he could dance each style with distinct flair and advantage. The term “all-rounder” was once again interpreted perfectly through his performance. The judges clicked their tongues in amazement, feeling both impressed by this young talent and curious about what other energy this young man would release.
The fifth captain took the stage. Compared to the fifth captain’s relaxed demeanor, Teng Yi’s temples were glistening, and his body was covered in sweat. The fifth captain was also a breaking expert. He had skills matching Teng Yi’s, but more importantly, he had one hundred percent fresh energy. Like the tortoise and hare race, the outcome seemed predetermined on paper. However, while stamina and skill were important, mentality was also key to victory. The fifth captain was arrogant and conceited, believing that after three eliminations, Teng Yi’s stamina was worse than a hunched elderly person’s, and he could easily take the defender position without much effort.
The opponent’s carelessness gave Teng Yi his opportunity. He made an ultimate counter-attack, and after his opponent made a mistake, he defended his position with a perfect windmill. Last one! Only the final battle remained! On stage, Teng Yi yanked open his jacket zipper and threw it aside. Underneath was a black T-shirt, already soaked through, clinging tightly to his body, making his physique appear more muscular and defined. Girls in the audience began screaming. Teng Yi loosened his T-shirt and removed his baseball cap, throwing it away. At this point, every piece of clothing had become a restriction, even the slightest weight felt burdensome.
Someone threw a bottle of mineral water onto the stage. Teng Yi picked it up, unscrewed the cap, took two sips, then poured the remaining water over his head… Standing in the audience, Ruan Yu’s heart was tied in knots. The continuous knee slides, flips, and handstands performed by that man on stage might look spectacular to others, but to her, they were the painful collisions of bones and flesh against the floor. She felt incredibly heartbroken for him.
Teng Yi seemed to enter a frenzied state – despite his depleted stamina, he appeared increasingly energized, his excitement reaching its peak. The final battle song was particularly intense, carrying a magnificent feeling of domination, as if tailored for Teng Yi, with every beat fitting perfectly with the moment.
The sixth captain had initially felt lucky drawing number six, but at this moment, he suddenly felt he was the most unfortunate. If he won, the audience wouldn’t acknowledge his skill, only believing that the previous captains had depleted Teng Yi’s energy. If he lost, the audience would be even more astonished – how could he lose when the previous captains had already worn Teng Yi down so much? It was difficult, truly difficult.
The sixth captain’s mind was cluttered with distracting thoughts, already losing Teng Yi in focus. He couldn’t keep up with the music, missing the beat several times. In contrast, Teng Yi, fighting with his back against the wall, though his moves were no longer as dazzling as at the start, remained incredibly steady, never losing his sense of rhythm.
“Teng Yi! Teng Yi!”
“Holy shit! Awesome!”
Many people in the audience cheered for Teng Yi. Riding this momentum, he held on until the final moment. When the judge announced the sixth captain’s elimination and Teng Yi’s successful defense, he finally collapsed. Five kills! The audience erupted in unprecedented applause. Luo Sheng and others raised their hands high above their heads, sincerely applauding Teng Yi. This moment deserved to be recorded in street dance history and deserved to be remembered by all dancers.
While others were burning with excitement, Teng Yi, who had created this passionate record, simply lay flat on the stage, eyes wide open, quietly catching his breath. The venue’s lights cast a warm glow over him, making him look like a hero from a movie who had sacrificed himself to slay a dragon, completely drained of energy as if he might be carried away by light and shadow at any moment.
Ruan Yu watched Teng Yi from afar, suddenly covering her mouth as tears stormed down her face. Moved. Proud. Even somewhat afraid. Complex emotions overwhelmed her, leaving her unable to control herself. Xiao Qing, Han Zuo, and others hugged each other, also with tears in their eyes.
“We won! We won! We won!”
“Xi You! We won!”
After quite a while, Teng Yi finally sat up from the floor. His first action after sitting up was to search for Ruan Yu in the audience. When he saw Ruan Yu crying uncontrollably, he immediately stood up and jumped off the stage. The host was about to interview him, the microphone just reaching his face, when he said, “Just a moment, I think my girlfriend is crying.” Though he spoke softly, the microphone amplified his words. Teng Yi’s thoughtfulness and tenderness contrasted sharply with his previously dominant stage presence. This contrast made the female audience members completely fall for Teng Yi, breaking into applause once again.
Ruan Yu was already wiping her tears, but unexpectedly, the more she wiped, the more tears fell. Through her blurry vision, she saw Teng Yi push through the crowd, climb over the front row seats, and run towards her… Before she could react, she was already in Teng Yi’s embrace.
“What’s wrong?” He was still catching his breath, his chest burning hot.
“Nothing.”
“Then why are you crying?”
As he asked, Ruan Yu’s tears, which had almost stopped, burst forth again.
“I’m just proud, my boyfriend is so amazing!”
“Just that?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Teng Yi couldn’t help but smile, the fatigue in his body completely disappearing as he hugged her tighter.
“Silly girl,” he murmured, completely soothing Ruan Yu’s emotions.
Ruan Yu hugged him back tightly, breathing heavily with him. The scent of his sweat made her feel grounded.
“Teng Yi.”
“Mm.”
“I’m, really, really proud of you!”
“Don’t rush,” he remained clear-headed, neither proud nor impatient, “save your pride for when I truly win.”
After speaking, Teng Yi released Ruan Yu, gave her a pat on the head, and jumped back onto the stage at the host’s call.
Everything felt like a dream, yet it happened so vividly before their eyes. What an incredible spirit of street dance. What an incredible Teng Yi.
After the quarterfinal battles, Teng Yi earned a nickname: the Omnipotent Battle God. This battle directly established his position as a powerhouse in the street dance circle. Regardless of the outcome of the World Cup domestic qualifiers, his ability was undeniable.
Xi You grabbed the last spot in the top four, and next would be the finals.
The finals followed a group dance format, and choreography was Xiao Qing’s strength. To maximize team members’ strengths while covering their weaknesses, truly uniting the team as one, Xiao Qing wracked his brain. From song selection to choreography, from choreography to rehearsal, from rehearsal to adjustments… day and night.
Teng Hao joined the excitement every day. Sometimes during tutoring, he’d excuse himself to use the bathroom but secretly run to the practice room to watch them dance, getting caught up for hours, impossible to prevent.
Ruan Yu occasionally grew curious about their rehearsal progress, but the boys were mysterious about it, always trying to keep it from her, saying it would create a sense of surprise and amazement on the day of the finals.
Since they wanted to keep it secret, Ruan Yu didn’t insist. However, she couldn’t help worrying about them. Every time they dove into the practice room, it was as if they entered another world, obsessed with dancing, sometimes forgetting to eat or drink, collapsing to sleep when exhausted.
Yesterday evening, when Ruan Yu finished work, the practice room was completely silent. Finding it strange, she quietly pushed open the door and peeked inside. What she saw startled her.
On the practice room floor, several boys lay scattered about, and not only were they sleeping on the floor, but they were also wearing short sleeves, not caring if they’d catch a cold.
Ruan Yu entered, found their jackets set aside, and carefully covered each of them.
Teng Yi was a light sleeper; the slightest movement woke him. Opening his eyes to see Ruan Yu, he gave her a slight smile and sat up.
“If you’re tired, sleep a bit more,” Ruan Yu whispered to him.
Teng Yi shook his head, and afraid of waking his teammates, pointed outside, indicating they should talk there.
Ruan Yu followed him, carefully closing the door behind them.
Without music, the corridor was especially quiet.
“Haven’t slept properly for two days, aren’t you tired?” Ruan Yu raised her hand to touch Teng Yi’s gaunt face with concern.
“It’s fine,” he said it was fine but leaned towards Ruan Yu.
Unable to bear his weight, she was pressed against the wall, his presence surrounding her.
The atmosphere instantly became intimate.
“Stop teasing, you should use this time to sleep and recover your strength,” Ruan Yu pushed him.
“Didn’t you already verify that my stamina is excellent?” he smirked mischievously.
Ruan Yu blushed: “Xiao Qing and his big mouth.”
He laughed into her neck, his hand already sliding under her clothes, gripping her waist.
“Teng Yi…”
“Been too busy lately, haven’t kissed you in a long time, right?” he brought his lips close to hers.
Ruan Yu remained silent, just firmly holding the hands at her waist, afraid he might get too frisky in the corridor.
“Do you want to?” he asked again.
“Want what?”
“Me to kiss you.”
“No.”
“Your mouth says no but your heart says yes.”
Ruan Yu turned her head away, smiling.
Teng Yi caught her chin, turned her face back, and kissed her forcefully.
He first brushed away her lip balm, then deepened the kiss, conveying his days of longing to her while drawing out her yearning.
The kiss quickly became inseparable.
Ruan Yu clung to Teng Yi’s neck, her entire body pressed against his.
Teng Yi’s hands took advantage of the moment to do as they pleased.
“Mmm.” Ruan Yu’s tongue grew numb, almost cramping.
But Teng Yi remained in perfect control, sensing her withdrawal, he began to temper his tongue’s force, no longer so dominating, gradually becoming gentler.
Strange, how could someone training all day seem to have improved his kissing technique?
When the kiss ended, they sat together in the corridor, backs against the wall, fingers intertwined, leaning against each other.
“The finals are coming up, nervous?” Ruan Yu asked.
“Not nervous. Do what we can, leave the rest to fate.”
“Those who work hard will have good results.”
“Like the top scholar miss?”
“I’m not as hardworking as you.” Ruan Yu rested her head on Teng Yi’s shoulder, “You’re the most hardworking person I’ve ever met.”
The lonely days and nights in the practice room had forged everything he was and would forge his glory.
So, in Ruan Yu’s heart, he would achieve good results.
The qualifier competition had been full of twists and turns from the start, but fortunately, they had managed to turn crisis into opportunity each time. They thought everything would go smoothly from here on, but who could have guessed that heaven had other plans?
The day before the finals, Lin Shan’s hand was accidentally injured.
The incident, as it happened, was inseparable from You Leyuan.
After breaking up with You Leyuan, Lin Shan gradually grew closer to Chen Manbai, maintaining contact but limiting it to friendship. On Valentine’s Day, Chen Manbai gathered her courage and held Lin Shan’s hand first, finally breaking through that barrier. Afterward, they began dating officially.
Lin Shan was reserved and quiet, and while Chen Manbai was lively, she wasn’t flamboyant. They both felt that love was a matter between two people, not needing to be announced to anyone, so they kept their relationship low-key. Few people on campus knew they were together, and You Leyuan certainly didn’t know.
But on the day before the finals, You Leyuan suddenly encountered Lin Shan and Chen Manbai walking hand in hand. She never dreamed that her ex-boyfriend would end up with her arch-nemesis.
At that moment, You Leyuan burned with rage, believing everything was Chen Manbai’s scheme, that Chen Manbai had deliberately broken her and Lin Shan up. Although You Leyuan didn’t particularly like Lin Shan, she still felt betrayed and jealous.
“Hey! You dogs!” You Leyuan couldn’t help but rush over to provoke them, completely forgetting that Lin Shan still held leverage over her, all previous reservations vanishing.
Chen Manbai was talking with Lin Shan and didn’t realize that the distant shout of “dogs” was directed at them. By the time she realized, You Leyuan had already rushed in front of them.
“You slut, you steal someone’s boyfriend, you’ll die a terrible death!”
You Leyuan cursed while pushing Chen Manbai, who couldn’t dodge in time and stumbled into the middle of the road.
The road was busy with traffic, and as Chen Manbai was about to be hit by an oncoming car, Lin Shan quickly grabbed her sideways, and they both fell onto the cement ground.
During the fall, to prevent Chen Manbai from getting hurt, Lin Shan cushioned her completely, his elbow hitting the ground hard, fracturing instantly.
Lin Shan groaned in pain, Chen Manbai was stunned, taking a moment to come to her senses before quickly calling an ambulance.
Seeing the trouble she’d caused, You Leyuan turned to flee but was stopped by several passersby who had witnessed everything.
“Call the police! Please, someone, call the police! She deliberately caused injury!” Chen Manbai pointed at You Leyuan.
You Leyuan turned pale, also terrified.
“I… I didn’t mean to! I just…”
“Shut up! You Leyuan.” Chen Manbai grew fierce, “If anything happens to my boyfriend, I’ll definitely report this incident along with the previous one, and sue you till you’re finished!”
The ambulance arrived wailing and took the injured Lin Shan to the hospital. After X-rays and examination, the doctor said, “Fortunately, it’s just a fracture.”
But these words were like a bolt from the blue for Lin Shan.
He had a competition tomorrow, a competition that would determine whether Xi You could step onto the international stage, a competition his teammates had poured countless hours and sleepless nights into preparing for.
A fracture?
How could he have a fracture?
How could this happen?