Behind the red door was a long corridor leading to the backstage area, carpeted in thick red and adorned with gilt-edged mirrors. Li Qing quickly weaved through the crowd and slipped inside. Li Hao, panting, was just locking the door from the inside.
"Are you crazy?" she hissed, pulling off her high heels and almost hitting Li Hao in the face.
"Better than getting caught by Tang Qiming's men." Li Hao panted, stripping off his sailor uniform. "I have to be gone before they catch up."
"So you decided to wear my dress?"
"Do you have any other ideas?" Li Hao had already grabbed the spare gown she had brought.
Li Qing glared at him, then tossed her makeup bag and a spare wig. "Three minutes for makeup, I'll do it."
"This dress is too tight, I can't fit into it."
"Just put it on, it doesn't have to be comfortable!"
Three minutes later, a "Li Hao who looked like Li Qing," with a barely clinging wig and clearly ill-fitting high heels, slowly shuffled out of the red door. The hem of the dress hung high on his legs, revealing two long legs, which, if looked at closely, showed a few red marks.
He slowly pushed open the door to the ballroom. It was the height of the ball, the music abruptly changed, and everyone turned to look towards the center.
And Tang Yu was already standing in the center of the dance floor, waiting for him.
"You suddenly left just now." Tang Yu gently approached, his voice low and soft. "I thought you didn't want to dance this one."
Li Hao stiffened, nodding and trying to keep his voice muffled. "I... I needed to change my shoes."
"Good thing you didn't leave. I'd be really embarrassed if no one danced the opening dance with me." Tang Yu smiled and gently led him into the rhythm.
Li Hao danced with a look of utter despair, the high heels on his feet almost driving him crazy. The shoe size was clearly one smaller, feeling like clamps pinching the top of his feet.
"Yesterday you said when you were little you most wanted to be a...?"
Tang Yu suddenly spoke.
Li Hao froze. "Huh? Me? When I was little... I most wanted to... be a baker."
"Didn't you say you wanted to be a diver?"
"Oh right! I wanted to bake bread underwater." He continued without batting an eye. "Underwater fermentation is a bit... slow-paced."
Tang Yu looked at him and suddenly chuckled softly. "You're really special tonight."
Li Hao's heart sank: It's over, he knows I swapped.
Just as he was about to end the awkward dance with "I don't feel well," Tang Yu suddenly whispered, "You... actually didn't want to come to the ball, did you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm just guessing—you don't seem to care about the occasion like everyone else. You're more like... you're hiding a secret."
Li Hao quickly adjusted his tone and smiled calmly. "Everyone has secrets, the key is whether you want to know them."
Tang Yu gave him a fleeting glance, as if about to say something, but was interrupted by the host's voice:
"Ladies and gentlemen, the first dance has concluded. Next, we will proceed with tonight's dinner segment..."
Li Hao felt a huge sense of relief. He lowered his head, preparing to leave, when he heard Tang Yu softly say, "Wait, your shoe—"
Snap.
At that moment, the left high heel finally gave way, the strap completely broken.
The exaggerated, blue crystal-buckled high heel rolled along the edge of the dance floor and stopped at a guest's feet.
Li Hao froze for a second. Without saying anything more, he grabbed his dress and ran off without looking back.
He heard Tang Yu call from behind him, "What's your name—"
"Guess!" Li Hao yelled as he ran, one shoe dangling on his foot, making him feel like he was stepping on a bar of soap, so slippery he almost fell.
Behind him, the entire hall of guests watched in shock; on him was his sister's too-snug gown; in his mind, it was all about the moment he almost blew his cover.
"Oh my God..." He crashed into the backstage area, panting like a drowned fish.
Li Qing, wearing his sailor uniform, was drinking water. Seeing him enter, she almost choked with laughter.
"You... your face is pale."
"Your sister's shoe almost killed me." Li Hao collapsed onto the floor. "I'll never make fun of you for wearing high heels again."
Li Qing handed him a towel, but couldn't hide her smile.
"Don't worry, tonight you've definitely become the most watched 'lady' in the whole place."