Didn't you go to Teyvat to earn money to support me?

She was slightly tipsy, and her smile was unusually gentle. "It's okay if you don't know how, Mom can teach you."

--------

The raven, who was dancing with a girl he didn't know, caught a glimpse of two couples heading towards the center of the dance floor out of the corner of his eye and exclaimed in surprise, "What... is going on?"

Of course, it wasn't just the ravens; almost all the guests in the chanting hall turned their gazes toward it because it was so eye-catching.

Kiana and Anna, two porcelain doll-like beauties from the Shaniat family, danced together. It's normal for two girls to dance on the supernatural side, given the gender imbalance. But one of them was the couple getting engaged! Their outfits were exactly the same; Kiana would dance the male steps one minute, then Anna the next, their coordination so seamless that it was easy to forget the groom was even at the engagement ceremony.

On the other side, even more captivating was the elegant dance performed by Maria, dressed in a bright red backless gown, and her dazzling son. Pandora, the White Flower Prince coveted by countless admirers, didn't accept any of the Valkyries at this ball, simply holding his mother's hand obediently. The mother and son's beautiful dance was captured by numerous reporters; one can only imagine what will dominate the homepage of the Saintess Lake Forum tomorrow.

"What a waste! St. Mary is so selfish. Her child is a treasure of all mankind, and she won't even let us touch him... How despicable."

Raven heard the elegant woman opposite him whisper angrily.

Her lips twitched slightly; she couldn't bear to listen.

Damn, are there really that many Valkyries who have designs on Pandora? She's still just a child!

"You think so too, don't you? I saw you tried to invite Pandora to dance as well." The Valkyrie opposite her asked in a low voice, "Maria probably thinks that we were defiling his purity by holding his hand, doesn't she? I really can't understand the mind of such a foolish woman who has a child late in life!"

Raven sighed heavily as he looked at the Valkyrie cursing at him.

"Sister, you don't think that an S-class Valkyrie can't hear what you're saying, do you?"

"Huh? Does it matter? Do you want to guess how many people are cursing here? Can Saint Maria handle it? I'm just saying! Every male superhuman doesn't belong to any one family or power. Little Pandora is the treasure of all the Valkyries! I'm going to accuse the Shaniat family of monopolizing a world intangible cultural heritage!"

The ravens could only gaze wistfully at the sky.

----------

The lights were dim, and the air was filled with the scent of girls' perfume. Hundreds of couples strolled and swayed to the music in the hall, including pairs of gentlemen and ladies, and many more ladies.

"From now on, don't be afraid to step on my skirt. I won't let you. Yes, that's it. It's very simple. You are also a superhuman. Your control over your body is far beyond that of ordinary humans. Jump boldly."

Maria and Shen Liang held hands with their left hands and danced back and forth with ease and grace.

Shen Liang adapted quickly. In most stories, the male protagonist would be clueless and constantly step on someone's feet in this situation, while the people around him would laugh at him like he was a clown. Then, the protagonist would be saved by some ultimate beautiful girl and jump out into a brilliant and wonderful chapter.

But Shen Liang's physique was nearly identical to the Valkyries', so learning such simple dance steps was a piece of cake for him. Besides, in this setting, who would be so rude as to ridicule a novice? They were all impeccably dressed and elegant Valkyries, who would dare to mock him, as they would all be relying on the Shaniat family for their livelihood in the future.

Who dares to scoff at the S-class Valkyrie Maria and her son's duet, saying it's not good?

Of course, there were some issues. Maria and his height were slightly mismatched; a normal man would put his arm around a woman's shoulder, but Shen Liang had to put his arm around Maria's slender waist. Although it wasn't a perfect match, Shen Liang had a good experience, casually watching the large, soft white slime sway back and forth while being instructed by the unusually gentle Maria.

It must be said that although Maria has a bad temper, she is not without patience. She tolerated Shen Liang's initial ignorance and forcefully brought him onto the right track.

"She learns very quickly."

"Mainly, this thing is indeed simple. Mom, have you ever heard the rhyme about tango? Tango is just walking and gliding, taking three steps and then leaping, taking two steps and then looking back."

Maria frowned deeply; the sentence translated from Chinese made her mind go blank for a moment. But upon closer reflection, she couldn't help but admire the Chinese people's ability to summarize; it seemed that the tango, a three-step dance, truly made sense when analyzed carefully.

Chapter 224 Being a Villain is Pretty Fun

"Aren't you jealous?" Maria suddenly asked.

Shen Liang, still moving along while supporting her mother's waist, looked up, somewhat confused, upon hearing this and saw her mother's slightly narrowed eyes.

"Kiana and Anna have such an ambiguous relationship, where's your jealousy?" Maria whispered in his ear. "Even if she's your sister's daughter, you can't act like this. Do you need me to stand up for you?"

Shen Liang felt both surprised and slightly warmed, but he couldn't reveal Kiana and Anna's plans, so he just smiled.

"Looks like you young people are hiding a lot of things." Maria guessed a bit from his expression, and while gently twirling along with Shen Liang's dance steps, she whispered, "Could it be that you're planning to make a big splash at the engagement ceremony? Ha, Anna, such a well-behaved child, has started to rebel after spending so much time with you guys?"

"Mom...would you like to intervene?"

“No, you young people should handle your own affairs. If elders interfere, the results will not be as good as you think. Relationships are always a matter for the people involved. Family, relatives, and friends shouldn’t be nagging and making a fuss.” Maria’s tone was a little hazy. She wasn’t a big drinker and was actually slightly tipsy. She seemed to be thinking of herself many years ago. Then she lowered her head, looked at the handsome young man in front of her, and chuckled.

“But you seem to be running a meticulously planned scheme, one step at a time. Hmph, foolish. To achieve your goal, you can't devise a plan that's so intricate and sophisticated that any mishap at any stage could alter the outcome.” Maria twirled the boy in her arms, her skirt fluttering like a red butterfly. She whispered, “Because human hearts are complex, and it's impossible to grasp everything as you think. You're scheming against Night Owl through the engagement, but do you truly understand his thoughts?”

Maria danced the tango with great strides and spoke eloquently, leaving Shen Liang completely bewildered.

Elders are indeed elders; they have so much life experience.

She was usually cold and aloof towards Shen Liang, rarely engaging in such lively conversation. But today, Maria was slightly drunk, and like a true mother, she pulled him aside and chatted with great interest.

"Does Mom mean that the owl's reaction might be unexpected?"

“No one can say for sure. You think Night Owl will give up, but he’s a man who would rather replace 74% of his body with machinery than give up his willpower so easily.” Maria’s face was flushed, but as a Valkyrie, she was still clear-headed. “Your plan might not work.”

Shen Liang remained silent for a while, lost in thought.

If Anna and Kiana's plan doesn't succeed as expected, what will Anna do to save face for everyone?

Anna... have you considered the possibility that the plan might fail?

Maria smiled faintly, looking at the absent-minded boy in her arms, and then suddenly said, "Don't think so much. Women of the Shaniat family are never so easily subdued... But you, it's not good to be thinking about other women while dancing with one. Or do you prefer dancing with girls around your own age?"

Shen Liang sighed, "But Mom, everyone else is with their partner or dance partner, all lovey-dovey and deeply in love. Only the two of us are mother and son. If you hadn't insisted that I try the top-grade lobster that I was supposed to eat for over ten thousand US dollars."

“There’s no rule in the world that says you can’t ballroom dance with your own son. On the contrary, we’re a perfect match, one of the best in the room,” Maria said. “Is dancing with your mother less valuable than a plate of lobster? Besides, you’ve already had three plates, aren’t you satisfied?”

Shen Liang was dumbfounded. He hadn't expected that Maria had been watching him all along. He had indeed eaten three servings of shrimp, each weighing twenty pounds. His food intake in that hour was equivalent to two-thirds of his body weight.

He wasn't mainly hungry; it was just that, for someone with mild social anxiety, he didn't know what to do in this situation except eat... Eating would save him from dealing with a lot of annoying things.

"It's okay. Trying to eat is actually cute in the eyes of most Valkyries, and it's not shameful. After all, most Valkyries have a bigger appetite when they're serious than you."

"Fortunately, there are few people on the supernatural side, otherwise the Earth's food supply would not be enough for you to wreak havoc."

“It’s ‘we’,” Maria reminded her.

"Okay okay."

The movement finally came to an end. The last move was for the woman to take the man's hand, gently spin around, and fall into his arms. Shen Liang had memorized the move perfectly. He caught her as she fell backward amidst Maria's cheerful steps, and then, according to the dance rules, the two exchanged an extremely gentle yet extremely affected cheek kiss.

“Actually, I kept thinking while we were dancing that you had some sashimi sauce on your face,” Maria whispered in his ear with a soft laugh. “Don’t worry, I covered it up for you while we were dancing.”

Just as Shen Liang was about to take out a tissue from his pocket, he felt a warm tongue gently wiping his cheek. He turned around in surprise and saw Maria calmly looking away.

"Why are you looking at me? I can't use my hands, they'll get my gloves dirty," Maria said calmly. "Mom has already taught you tango, now it's your turn. Goodbye, Mom, I had a great time dancing, I'm going to rest now."

Before Shen Liang could react to what she meant, the orchestra changed its tune and became even more spirited!

damn it!

Shen Liang then remembered that this was a classical German social ball, which consisted of two consecutive movements, with partners being exchanged each time! Since he hadn't left the ball with Maria, it was assumed that he was going to participate in the next dance!

Almost at the same instant, Shen Liang could feel the eyes of the girls dancing around him suddenly gleaming like wolves!

It's hard to say whether I'm like a tiger entering a flock of sheep or a sheep entering a pack of wolves!

At that moment, he spotted the night owl walking towards them!

do not know why.

Shen Liang suddenly felt that being invited by Night Owl was a hundred times better than being invited by this group of Valkyries who clearly had ulterior motives! There are many physical movements involved in dancing, and he could almost guess what these Valkyries would do without even thinking! They would definitely say things like, "I didn't mean to touch your face, I didn't mean to touch it five times, I didn't mean to put my hand inside your clothes... Oh dear, it's my first time dancing!"

It's not that Shen Liang is bothered by this, after all, the Valkyries are all quite beautiful on average. But he's in front of everyone, even countless cameras. If Bronya and Seele find out that he's tolerating this kind of groping to maintain a so-called "innocent, cute, and harmless" persona... he can forget about ever calling himself "brother" in front of them again!

You'll be looked down upon!

Shen Liang saw Ye Xiao jogging over and waved back. For the first time, he found Ye Xiao quite agreeable. Although he was a man, at this moment, being ridiculed was better than losing his dignity.

He had just smiled and was about to sweetly say "Brother Night Owl" when he heard Night Owl wave and call out "Anna" with a bright smile.

"Anna, hi, Anna, I'm here, Anna!"

Before Shen Liang could even respond, his expression completely collapsed.

"Gan!"

Shaking his head, Shen Liang prepared to step aside. At this moment, the guests on the dance floor also made way for the two newlyweds, all smiling as they watched Night Owl and Anna gradually approach.

After all, Kiana can only protect one dance, and she can't force her partner to continue the second one, as that would be against etiquette.

Shen Liang turned his head and saw Kiana frowning, looking somewhat displeased. Anna released Kiana's hand and lowered her gaze.

Others might think Anna was just shy; after all, being invited to dance by her lover's name is incredibly blissful. But Shen Liang knew that Anna was keeping her head down simply to hide her inappropriate gloom and sadness.

She didn't want to feign friendship with Night Owl.

She refused to hold the owl's hand.

But she couldn't be willful and refuse outright.

So she was very... upset.

Shen Liang looked at the chestnut-haired girl in the white off-shoulder dress. She had used so many tricks, but she still couldn't avoid contact, couldn't avoid responding, and couldn't avoid feeling helpless from beginning to end.

She could only hang her head as she was about to hold hands and dance with the man she didn't like.

If you know all this, how can you just sit idly by and watch it all happen?

“…That’s so unmanly,” Shen Liang said in a low voice.

Then, he stepped in front of Night Owl, extended his hand to the dejected newlywed girl, bowed politely, and said earnestly in a tone befitting his age, "Sister Anna, can you dance with Pandora for the next dance? Pandora just learned it from her mother."

Suddenly, all the women who were looking forward to joining hands with Shen Liang let out a cry of despair.

"Eh--"

"why is it like this--"

"My Pandora! My little Pandora! Damn the Shaniat family, won't they give us even a chance?!"