"Really?"

"Really!" Li Xiang said earnestly.

"In that case, I’ll drop the act. Ugh, being so prim and proper is exhausting!" Yao Yao instantly relaxed, and that wild, uninhibited vibe of hers returned. Li Xiang nodded. This was the Sister Yao he knew, the one who always hyped things up. It was much more comfortable to see.

It wasn’t that he had a preference for her type, but he felt it was always better for people to be themselves, to be natural.

"How are the preparations for the National Style Tavern coming along?" Li Xiang asked.

"That’s what I came to report to you about today. Here, this is the plan and list I’ve written up. Take a look, and then we can discuss it." As she spoke, Yao Yao sat down on the stone bench next to Li Xiang and took a notebook from her bag.

Li Xiang took it, and his eyes lit up as he flipped it open.

Never mind that her grades were poor and she didn’t get into college—her handwriting was truly excellent. Li Xiang felt it was even better than his own.

He had seen her signature before, but a signature can be different from regular handwriting. Some people have beautiful signatures but terrible penmanship otherwise.

Yao Yao swayed her upper body, looking quite pleased with herself. She stood up and tried to move her bench closer to Li Xiang, but it was made of stone and wouldn’t budge. So she sat back down, but leaned her upper body toward him instead.

The two of them discussed the plan as they looked it over. Li Xiang offered some of his own suggestions, and Yao Yao nodded along, taking out a smaller notebook to jot down the key points.

"Li Xiang, today’s February 14th, Valentine’s Day. Shouldn’t we go out and do something?" Yao Yao asked.

Li Xiang shook his head. "No, let’s not. There’s not much to do around here, anyway." Although the countryside was scenic, he saw it every day. It was still pleasant to look at, but after a while, even beautiful scenery becomes ordinary.

It’s like having a river-view or ocean-view apartment. No matter how beautiful the view is, you’d get tired of it if you lived there day in and day out.

And as for going into the city, he hadn’t bought a car yet, so it was inconvenient.

"Alright, then." Yao Yao pursed her red lips, slightly disappointed. Then she spotted the Big Red Bullhide War Drum lying flat not far away. She excitedly ran over, took off her shoes and socks, and climbed onto it barefoot.

"Li Xiang~! Come and admire my dancing!" Yao Yao waved and called out loudly, then began to move with light, graceful steps, her body flowing into a dance.

"Be careful you don’t fall off!" Li Xiang shouted.

The drum was quite high off the ground. The body of the drum itself was eighty centimeters tall, and with the stand, its total height was over 1.3 meters.

Although the drum’s maximum diameter was 1.4 meters, that was measured from its bulging belly. The diameter of the drumhead on top was only 1.2 meters.

It was true that a person could stand on the drum; Li Xiang had tested it by jumping on it himself when he stretched the drumhead. Many children had climbed up to play on it before, but there were always adults watching over them, and children are short anyway.

Yao Yao was over 1.6 meters tall, after all. A fall from that height would be disastrous. So Li Xiang quickly walked over.

"It’s fine, I’ll be careful! Film a video for me. I want to post it online," Yao Yao said, bouncing a few times. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"Alright." Seeing that her balance was quite good, Li Xiang relaxed a little, took out his phone, and got ready to film.

"Hold on, let me put on some music."

Soon, the instrumental music for "Pure Land of Bliss" began to play. Yao Yao raised her left hand, and her right hand took flight from it, dancing up to her right. Then, like Guanyin sprinkling water with a willow branch, she performed a series of four beautiful hand flourishes, moving progressively downward... At the same time, her feet began to move in a cheerful butterfly step.

Her figure was graceful, her bare feet immaculate. With a radiant smile, she stepped, tiptoed, and spun on the drum’s surface... It was, admittedly, a beautiful sight.

Li Xiang had a feeling this video would get a lot of views. The only problem was his camerawork was mediocre, so he wasn’t sure how the final product would turn out.

As the dance reached its climax, Yao Yao got into the zone. Her movements quickened, especially the butterfly step, which became a dizzying, fast-paced blur. Suddenly, she cried out, "Aiya!" and toppled sideways.

’Shit!’ Li Xiang jumped, startled. He shot forward and scooped her up. Thankfully, he managed to catch the falling Yao Yao in his arms.

Yao Yao had also been scared out of her wits, the color draining from her face. It had been a real fall, not a deliberate stumble. For a split second, she was sure she was done for, her mind completely blank.

By the time she came to her senses, she was already lying in Li Xiang’s arms.

A masculine scent washed over her. She could clearly feel the hard muscles of his body, and when she looked up, she saw his handsome face. A wave of Dizziness hit her, her body went soft, and for a moment, she didn’t want to leave.

"What are you two doing?" Zhao Xueqing had arrived in Li Xiang’s backyard and couldn’t help but shout the moment she saw the scene.

Yao Yao immediately struggled out of his arms. But the moment she was on her feet, she regretted it. ’Why did I get down? I should have held on to Li Xiang and pissed that green tea off!’

But it would be inappropriate to throw herself back into his arms now.

"Are you okay?" Li Xiang asked.

"I’m fine. Perfectly fine," Yao Yao said, rotating her ankle.

"Good thing you didn’t sprain it."

"Thank you," Yao Yao said quietly. Looking back, she was still a little shaken.

Li Xiang turned to Zhao Xueqing, who was walking over, and explained, "This girl was dancing on the big drum and fell off. Luckily, I caught her in time, or she might have knocked her teeth out!"

While pulling on her socks, Yao Yao retorted petulantly, "You’re the one who’s going to knock their teeth out!"

Zhao Xueqing couldn’t help but roll her eyes and say sarcastically, "It’s expensive to get your teeth fixed, you know!"

Dental fillings aren’t covered by insurance, after all.

Yao Yao pouted. "Well, then Li Xiang can file it as a work injury for me. After all, it happened for work, filming a video for the company."

Zhao Xueqing shot back, "Well, I didn’t fall when I was standing on a stool on one leg!"

"Oh, so you’re so amazing, so incredible..."

As the two bickered, Li Xiang quickly snapped his fingers to stop them. "This drum is too high and too small," he said. "I’ll make a bigger one—hmm, one with a 1.8-meter diameter—and make it lower to the ground. We can put it directly in the National Style Tavern, and you can perform on it there."

That way, if you fall, you’ll just fall onto the drum itself. And even if you fall off the edge, since it’s lower and we can put some rugs around it, you won’t get hurt.

Zhao Xueqing said, "Li Xiang, my National Tea House needs drums too, but not that big. Something with a forty to fifty-centimeter diameter, like a stool you can sit on, would be fine. After all, my National Tea House is more respectable. We won’t have any of those foxy dances."

"You..." Yao Yao was choked with anger. After a moment’s thought, she turned to Li Xiang with a sweet smile, clapped her hands, and said, "Li Xiang’s idea is the best! Why didn’t I think of using a big drum before? You’re so smart, Li Xiang, and so considerate of little old me!"

Zhao Xueqing nearly gagged. She cursed inwardly, ’So shameless.’