Traveling through the second dimension, the joy system encourages me to laugh heartily!

Judging from Edna's tone, she genuinely believed the situation was quite serious.

But honestly, Alice's reputation in this area has long since reached a point of being 'embarrassing' to some extent, hasn't it?

Chen Ming muttered to himself.

After all, this red-haired young lady has always been regarded as the "embodiment of violence" in the local aristocratic circles, and her fierce deeds are well-known far and wide. In everyone's mind, it would be considered an extraordinary performance if she could attend banquets in an orderly manner without overturning tables or beating up guests.

So, the fact that she can't dance gracefully in front of others is such a minor problem. Compared to her past "great achievements," what is there to be ashamed of?

The guests might actually feel that this is the Alice they know and love, the normal Alice.

Perhaps noticing the dismissive expression on Chen Ming's face, Edna keenly realized that simply complaining might not move this unfathomable magic teacher.

So she immediately changed tactics and played the emotional card, trying to evoke Chen Ming's pity for Alice.

"Sigh... It's supposed to be such an important tenth birthday for a girl, a time to receive blessings, but our lovely Miss Alice might become the object of ridicule because of a dance... It's just too pitiful. Don't you think so, Lord Infinite?"

Chen Ming was no ordinary man; how could he not see through Edna's subtle rhetoric? He had no intention of beating around the bush, so he cut to the chase: "Speak plainly!"

Edna leaned forward slightly, clasped her hands in front of her, and said in an almost pleading tone, "...Um, Lord Infinite, you and Miss Alice are very close, and she seems to listen to you the most. Could you please help persuade Miss Alice to come back and continue practicing dancing? I really have no other choice."

Hearing Edna's request, Chen Ming did not refuse. In his view, it was indeed a simple matter. It would not only help Edna solve her current predicament, but more importantly, it would also be an opportunity to further deepen the trust and emotional bond between him and Alice.

It's a win-win situation, both for the public and for the private, so why not do it?

So he simply nodded and readily agreed: "Okay, I'll give it a try, but I can't guarantee whether I'll succeed."

"Thank you so much, Lord Infinite!"

Edna breathed a sigh of relief, and finally showed her first genuine smile of the day.

After saying goodbye to Edna, Chen Ming had a thought and used the [Search Device] he had purchased from the system store.

This handy little tool quickly pinpointed Alice's exact location—she hadn't gone far, just near the stables in the backyard of the manor.

Chen Ming strolled toward the stables. Sunlight streamed onto the gravel path, and the air was filled with the unique scent of hay, horses, and earth. Passing the neatly arranged stables, he saw a large, golden haystack piled high in the shade at the back.

At the top of the haystack, a red figure lay quietly on its back.

Alice rested her hands behind her head, her ruby-like eyes staring blankly at the azure sky, her gaze somewhat vacant, as if communicating her inner turmoil with the clouds.

Her slightly fussy dance dress, which she wore for practice, lay casually on the hay, like a rebellious flower blooming in a golden wheat field.

"Humph."

Upon noticing Chen Ming's approach, Alice seemed to have a telepathic connection and immediately let out a soft snort filled with arrogance.

She deliberately turned her head away, showing him the direction he was coming from, as if to say, "I'm very unhappy right now and I don't want to talk to you."

Chen Ming was already used to her reaction. He easily leaped onto the soft haystack and found a comfortable spot to sit down next to Alice.

The hay exudes a warm, dry aroma unique to hay that has been exposed to the sun.

Instead of immediately getting to the point, Chen Ming sat quietly with Alice for a while, feeling the gentle breeze on his face. Then, in the gentlest possible tone, he tried to begin persuading her:

"Alice, I just ran into Edna. I heard... you haven't learned the dance for the birthday ball yet? Why don't you go back and practice some more?"

"There's absolutely no need to learn to dance!"

Alice immediately retorted defiantly, her voice muffled, her gaze still stubbornly fixed on the sky: "I absolutely will not dance on my birthday either!"

Her words were full of clear rejection, like a little hedgehog cat with its quills raised.

Chapter 288: Rebellious Disciple

"But at a birthday party, as the main character, you can't not dance, can you?"

Chen Ming patiently pointed out this reality that she was trying to ignore.

After all, she wasn't alone and couldn't act recklessly without any ties.

She has a father, a mother, her beloved grandfather, and a whole bunch of relatives!

Chen Ming could easily predict what might happen: her father, Philip, would gently pressure her by citing the family's reputation; her grandfather, Sauros, might give direct orders in his characteristic loud voice; and other relatives would chime in with their own advice...

Alice's ultimate fate will most likely be to be surrounded by a bunch of reasons like "it's for your own good," "it's the rule," and "we can't bring shame to the family," and be semi-forced to dance, only to be thoroughly humiliated...

"Why should I?!"

Alice turned back and glared at Chen Ming, her face flushed red with excitement and grievance: "Why do people have to do things they can't do well and don't like at all?!"

Seeing the girl pouting so hard, looking very unhappy, Chen Ming couldn't help but feel a sense of resonance—he could deeply understand Alice's feelings at that moment. When he was in school, he often felt the same confusion when faced with subjects he wasn't interested in.

However, the harsh reality is that in many situations, the rules will not change just because an individual dislikes them.

If Alice were to escape here, she might find temporary relief, but in the near future, at that unavoidable ball, she would likely face an even more unpleasant and embarrassing scene—the pointing fingers, disappointed gazes, and even merciless ridicule from the crowd.

How can I get this stubborn girl to accept the reality that she cannot change at the moment?

Chen Ming's brain was working at lightning speed.

He knew that preachy principles like "If you don't work hard now, you'll regret it later" would go in one ear and out the other for Alice, who was going through a rebellious phase, and she simply couldn't accept them.

Because it's a theory summarized by someone who has already experienced regret.

The so-called "regret" is an emotion that can only be truly understood and experienced through personal, heart-wrenching pain. Such warnings seem pale and powerless when it comes to a future that has not yet occurred.

Then, Chen Ming had a flash of inspiration and changed his approach completely. His tone became serious and persuasive, as if stating a universal truth:

"Because you are not strong enough!"

Alice, you must remember this: when people are weak, they are always bound by all sorts of rules and forced to do many things they don't like! This is the helplessness of the weak!

Therefore, if you want to truly do whatever you want and refuse all the things you hate, the only way is to cultivate yourself diligently and constantly become stronger! When you are strong enough to set the rules, you will naturally be able to do whatever you want!

But until you possess sufficient power, you have no choice but to obediently follow the rules! That's how this world operates!

These words of "might makes right" exploded in Alice's mind like a thunderclap.

"I see!!"

Alice's eyes lit up instantly, as if two flames were burning within them! She nodded vigorously, the confusion and resistance on her face vanishing, replaced by a sense of sudden enlightenment, conviction, and excitement.

"I understand! Lord Mugen, you're right! It's because I'm still too weak and lack power!"

She muttered to herself, clenching her small fists.

Sure enough, for this little girl who admires strength and believes in the aesthetics of violence, the acceptance rate of such a statement that points to "becoming stronger" as the solution is 100%!

It is far more effective than any gentle persuasion.

Although the predicament Alice faces right now remains unchanged, her mindset has undergone a complete transformation.

If you lack power, then acquire it.

And coincidentally, the Infinite Lord beside him possessed enough power.

The next step is quite simple!

Alice looked at Chen Ming, her eyes sparkling with excitement, her heart filled with hope and longing for the freedom to do whatever she wanted after "gaining power".

So she rallied, first raising her slender, snow-white legs high, then quickly swinging them downwards. Using the strength of her core, she executed a clean and nimble flip, leaping lightly from the high haystack and landing steadily on the ground, raising a few specks of dust.

She turned around, looked up at Chen Ming who was still sitting on the haystack, his red hair burning like flames in the sunlight.

"Lord Infinite!"

"what happened?"

Chen Ming smiled and responded to her energetic appearance.

"I've made up my mind!"

Alice put her hands on her hips and announced loudly, her voice no longer filled with resistance, but with unwavering determination: "I'm going back to practice dancing. Can you come and keep me company?"

Seeing that Alice had regained her enthusiasm and even took the initiative to invite him to keep her company, Chen Ming felt very gratified.

He laughed and leaped down from the haystack, replying with a flourish, "As you wish!"

So the two of them returned to the ceremonial room together.

Etiquette teacher Edna naturally welcomed Chen Ming's offer to accompany her to the lessons with open arms, and could even be said to be overjoyed. Successfully persuading the young lady who had run away in a huff had already far exceeded her expectations; and now, the other party was even willing to personally step in and assist the young lady in learning dance. For Edna, this was like sending charcoal in snowy weather, so how could she refuse?

The gloom on her face vanished almost instantly, and her gaze towards Chen Ming was filled with gratitude.

After all, when it comes to dancing, no matter how thorough the theoretical explanations or how perfect the demonstrations, nothing beats a real practice partner. Having a dance partner who can guide her, cooperate with her, and even "suppress" her incorrect rhythms will definitely make her progress much faster.

However, Chen Ming did not know the aristocratic social dances of World 2. He had only danced with the female warrior once in World 1, and the dance styles of the two worlds were very different.

So he was a little worried at first, but to his surprise, he learned it very easily.

With his superhuman physical control and strong mental strength, he could dance those steps that Edna said required repeated practice to master, almost as soon as he watched a demonstration and tried them once or twice.

"That's amazing, Lord Mugen, you're also very talented in dancing."

Hearing Edna's praise of Chen Ming, Alice, who was standing to the side, gave a slightly embarrassed hum, a hint of guilt flashing across her face.

After all, she had been struggling with the same teaching content on and off for several months and still hadn't learned it.

However, Chen Ming wasn't simply learning to dance; he actually devoted more of his energy to carefully observing Alice—trying to analyze the underlying reasons why she was so bad at dancing.

With his exceptional insight, he quickly and accurately identified two key problems in Alice's seemingly chaotic practice:

The first reason lies in the teaching methods of the instructor, Edna.

Generally speaking, Edna's teaching methods were not particularly bad. As a standard aristocratic etiquette teacher, her level of skill was probably in the "average" category.

She used a somewhat rigid, rote-learning style of teaching—[A is A, B is B, this action requires raising your hand here, moving your foot there, in short, you just need to remember the standard posture, and then repeat the practice].

However, they rarely delve into the principles behind the design of each movement, such as whether this turn is for balancing, that step is to match a particular beat in the music, or the underlying logic of the interaction with the dance partner. These deeper aspects are almost never mentioned.

The second reason lies in Alice's own personality flaws.

Chen Ming keenly noticed that Alice's dance steps were too fast, and each step was taken too forcefully!

The feeling wasn't like dancing an elegant social dance; it was more like a rapid, stepping movement during sword training.

Her unwavering determination and pursuit of speed and power are invaluable talents that make her swordsmanship invincible, allowing her attacks to be as fierce and relentless as a storm.

However, when this personality was brought into dance, which requires delicate control and rhythm, it had the opposite effect.

Originally, many parts required stepping slowly and turning gracefully in time with the music, but Alice always tried to complete each designated movement with her fastest speed and strongest force, wishing she could do it all in one go.

As a result, her rhythm was significantly out of sync with the music's beat and, more importantly, with the pace her dance partner should have.

Moreover, Alice seems to instinctively resist having her rhythm disrupted. No matter when or where, she wants to maintain her own pace and is unwilling to be easily influenced by the outside world.

This powerful, self-centered sense of rhythm is undoubtedly an outstanding talent in battle, allowing her to maintain clear judgment and fierce attacks even in chaos.

However, in duet dances, this stubbornness became a negative factor that seriously hampered her.

Before Chen Ming arrived, Edna had always been Alice's dance partner.

As an ordinary person, Edna could perfectly keep up with the rhythm of the music and perform the standard movements, but her physical abilities, which were relatively average, were simply not enough to keep up with Alice's rapid and chaotic rhythm, which was like a wild horse running free.

One person wanted to keep to the beat, while the other was only focused on charging ahead. The result was that they pulled each other along, staggered, and became completely chaotic.

It's no wonder that Edna felt incredibly frustrated, even declaring that she had never encountered a student as "lacking in dance talent" as Alice in her teaching career.

However, simply blaming Edna for not being good enough will not solve the problem, nor will it help Alice correct her dance steps, which resemble charging into battle.

Therefore, Chen Ming took the initiative to suggest:

"Alice, close your eyes first, then try to dance to your own rhythm."

Upon hearing Chen Ming's words, Alice showed a suspicious expression—could it be that he had discovered her intention to seduce Lord Infinity in order to gain power?

The little girl narrowed her ruby-like eyes slightly, looked Chen Ming up and down, and after a few seconds of silence, asked a surprising question:

"...You actually want me to close my eyes? Lord Mugen, you wouldn't... be planning to secretly kiss me when I can't see, would you?"

Upon hearing this, not only was Chen Ming stunned, but even Edna, who had maintained a professional and gentle smile, couldn't help but twitch her cheek muscles slightly.

"...Master Infinite?"

That elegant smile instantly became somewhat distorted and stiff, her eyes revealing an incredulous astonishment, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated to speak due to her status.

Chen Ming immediately straightened his face and solemnly clarified, "...Don't talk nonsense! You two are really rude, how could you doubt an upright gentleman like me..."

He paused, looking at Alice's still skeptical eyes, and decided to stop being mysterious and reveal the truth directly: "I just want to use a kind of magic that will allow you to truly feel the rhythm of the dance."

That's the truth. He didn't intend to steal a kiss from Alice, after all, she was still young.

"Huh? Really? There's magic that can teach people to dance?!"