As soon as she went back to her hotel, Hui Yin took a quick shower and threw herself on the small bed.

She had picked the cheapest hotel near Liu Jun's penthouse, so the accommodations were basic at the most.

Tired from the dance lessons, Hui Yin quickly fell asleep.

When she opened her eyes around six o'clock in the evening, Hui Yin had to blink a few times to remember where she was.

So, it was a dream?

Hui Yin buried her face into a pillow.

"I must be more tired than I thought."

In her dream, the red headband she wore when they were shooting <Captive> twisted and lengthened like a snake, wrapping around her ankle. No matter how fast she ran, it caught up with her, almost as if it was a string holding down a kite. Hui Yin could not make sense of it.

They say dreams come from the subconscious, so maybe it was born out of the worries that had been plaguing her for the past few weeks?

Hui Yin shook her head and went into the bathroom to take a second shower. She had promised Liu Jun a free dinner tonight, to thank him for teaching her how to dance. The male singer had truly been a great friend to her, despite the fact that they had only known each other briefly.

But this warm thought of Hui Yin didn't last long.

When Hui Yin met up with Liu Jun later inside the lobby of the building that housed his penthouse, she was surprised to see him wearing a mask and very 'hip-hop' looking clothes.

"Mao Ye, I prepared a surprise for you tonight. You're going to treat me to dinner right? Well, I want to eat dinner in a nightclub! And then we can go dancing afterwards!"

What...what...for a full minute, Hui Yin thought that her ears must have deceived her.

What 'I want to eat dinner in a nightclub'?

What 'then we can go dancing afterwards'?

Clearly, this wacky male singer was only trying to find ways to torture her further!

What could you even order inside a nightclub that could pass for food? Vodka and tequila? Her limbs were still feeling sore, her joints aching. To be safe, Hui Yin pretended not to hear anything.

"There's a restaurant near here," she began, but Liu Jun did not let her finish.

"Mao Ye, how can you be so ungrateful! I poured sweat, tears, and blood to help you, but you won't even listen to my preferences. Mao Ye, why are you so heartless? I want to eat dinner in a nightclub, so you need to respect my opinion. I thought we were friends? Mao Ye, I feel so disappointed..."

Mao Ye this, Mao Ye that, it was better back when he was calling her Miss Hui! Hui Yin felt that ever since Liu Jun attached this nickname to her, he had become slightly evil.

"Fine, go to the nightclub by yourself and send me the bill later. I'm going back to the hotel."

"Mao Ye, how can you bear to make me go by myself? Don't you know that when I'm alone, I get a heart attack every time I see people staring at me? I start thinking, ah, that girl looks like a fan of mine. If she sees me like this, alone and vulnerable, then she can't help but fall in love with me. Except I can't, because I signed a contract of non-dating..."

Hui Yin rubbed her temples. She had really misjudged this singer. Liu Jun was only pretending to be simple and easygoing, when in fact he was anything but. Hui Yin blamed the circumstances of their first meeting for her misconception.

The moonlight streaming from the windows of the music room had given Liu Jun a saintly glow, so that she did not notice the forked tail wagging behind him.

It was truly the 'halo' effect at work. [1]

Hui Yin and Liu Jun got into a taxi cab, which took them to the Xuhui district. Liu Jun led her to a dark tunnel full of people wearing the same kind of clothes, and after paying a small cover charge, the two of them went in.

Hui Yin spotted graffiti on the walls and couldn't help but ask, "Is this a former bomb shelter?"

Liu Jun nodded. His eyes were shining.

"Mao Ye, you're going to love this place! They play the best music, and if you look closely at the dance floor..." He pointed it out to her.

There were already a lot of gyrating bodies in front of them. The pulsing bright lights briefly revealed girls tossing their long hair, guys bouncing on their heels, and couples revelling under the shroud of darkness to show their affection to one another.

Hui Yin looked away.

"Both foreigners and the locals come here, so you can watch new cutting-edge dance acts from all over the world," Liu Jun continued, unaware of Hui Yin's unease. "It'll be good practice for you."

"I'm not really dressed for this..."

Liu Jun laughed. "Mao Ye, I doubt they pay much attention to the dress code. It's a casual nightclub, so there are no restrictions to a customer's outfit. Come on, I'll buy the first round of drinks."

Hui Yin let herself get dragged to the bar, where Liu Jun paid 30 RMB each for their drinks.

"Mao Ye, the first step on becoming a great dancer is for you to stop being so self-conscious. Don't worry, I won't drink much. Just freely enjoy tonight, and lose all your inhibitions. I'll protect you if anything happens."

[1] The tendency for an impression created in one area to influence opinion in another area. Basically, first impressions last forever.