Chapter 14

Tiantian's outburst was like a sudden storm, tearing away all the veneer of warmth and leaving a mess of heartache. With the end of the semester approaching, Feng Ling logically asked Qiqi for leave, citing the need to focus on her studies. But only she knew she needed this breathing space to digest the shocking truth and temporarily escape the two people at the center of the vortex—one who enveloped her with tenderness, the other who stared at her with silence.

She hid herself in the dormitory like a frightened ostrich. But her fingers could not help but click on the WeChat group named "Qi's Babies" over and over again. She saw Xiaodi, Feifei and the others still joking around in it, as if the conflict had never happened. Qiqi's avatar would occasionally pop up, saying a few words about dance precautions, or reminding everyone to put on more clothes when it was cold, and her tone tried to maintain her usual relaxed tone. But Feng Ling seemed to be able to penetrate the cold screen and see the gentle inquiry in his eyes and the cautious waiting behind his words. And An Hesu's black hole avatar, which was as silent as he was, never said a word and stayed quietly in the list, just like he usually existed quietly in a corner.

"I don't want to think about it anymore. I'll take the exam first." Feng Ling forced himself to close the computer and stuffed those chaotic thoughts and textbooks into his schoolbag.

A few days after the exams, the urge to dance, mixed with a deeper longing, finally overcame her fear. She missed the exhilaration of sweat soaking through her back, the resonance of music hitting her chest, and also... she missed the person who could make her heart race. She didn't dare to think too deeply about who it was.

Stepping into the Xihe Dance Club again, there seemed to be a lingering ember of awkwardness in the air. Fortunately, Tiantian wasn't there today. Feng Ling secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Qiqi's eyes caught her almost instantly the moment she walked through the door. His gaze suddenly lit up, like the sky suddenly clearing up after days of gloom. He walked over quickly, his tone deliberately casual, yet his unmistakable concern couldn't be concealed: "Are you here? Did you do well on the exam?"

"Yeah, it's fine." Feng Ling subconsciously lowered her head and stared at the tip of her shoes. She didn't dare to look him in the eye, for fear of revealing her own equally restless thoughts.

During training, the feeling of being watched intensely became even clearer. Qiqi's attention, like a precisely calibrated spotlight, was focused more on her. His guidance was no longer just verbal advice, but became more specific, even with a sense of intimate intrusion. He would walk behind her, put his arms around her, and let her body feel the trajectory of the movements; he would squat down and adjust the angle of her ankles with his own hands. He was so close, and the familiar scent of sweat and refreshing soap nuts on his body was like an invisible net, gently enveloping her. Every unintentional physical contact was like a stone thrown into the lake of her heart, stirring up layers of ripples, making her heartbeat disordered and her cheeks hot.

He no longer concealed his admiration. When she finally finished a complex paragraph with fluidity and power, he would generously give her a brilliant smile, a smile filled with pure sunshine and pride that almost melted her. Feng Ling, upon encountering such a smile, felt flustered, and she would subconsciously look away or hastily lower her head. After several times, she caught a flicker of doubt in his eyes, and then the light gradually faded, dimming bit by bit, as if covered in dust by her own hands.

The other gaze came from that fixed corner. An Hesu became even more silent, like a mountain sealed in ice and snow. But Feng Ling could clearly sense that cold gaze, always lingering on her, carrying a silent weight. During an intermission, she unscrewed her water bottle and found it was already empty. Just as she was about to get up to buy more, she turned around and saw an unopened bottle of mineral water, as if it had been cast into a spell, standing quietly next to her backpack. She subconsciously looked at the corner. An Hesu was wearing headphones, looking out the window with his head tilted, leaving her with a cold silhouette, as if everything around him, including the bottle of water, had nothing to do with him. Feng Ling's heart suddenly softened, as if something had gently bumped into her. She picked up the water, turned towards him, and whispered in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Thank you." He didn't turn around, or even change his posture, but Feng Ling seemed to see that his tense jawline softened for a moment.

Finally, class was over. Feng Ling rushed into the locker room as if to escape, quickly changing her clothes and wanting to leave this unsettling place as soon as possible. However, just a few steps out of the locker room, someone gently grabbed her wrist from behind.

The force was not great, but it carried an irresistible determination.

She turned back in surprise, meeting Qiqi's deep eyes. He seemed to have been waiting at the door for a long time, his eyes filled with so many emotions she couldn't read, yet they made her heart beat faster - anxiety, longing, a hint of resentment, and a nervousness that was hard to conceal.

Without waiting for her to react, he pulled her along and took a few steps to lead her into the small inner office of the dance club. With a click, the door closed, isolating her from the outside world.

The space suddenly felt cramped, the air thickening. Qiqi turned and pressed her against the shadow cast by the door and his body, staring at her intently. His breathing was rapid, his chest rising and falling slightly.

He sighed softly, his voice low and gentle, almost helpless, and the ending tone was like a small hook, scratching her heart: "Feng Ling, don't hide from me."

These words instantly shattered all her pretense of defense, sending uncontrollable heat surging from her ears to her cheeks. She could almost hear her own heartbeat, resounding like a drum, remarkably loud in the quiet room. Slowly, mustering all her courage, she raised her head and met his gaze.

When their eyes met, it seemed as if a tiny electric current was running through the air.

"You haven't been here these past few days," he said, his voice cracking slightly. "I... missed you so much." He twitched the corners of his mouth in self-mockery, revealing a flustered and helpless smile that didn't match his usual sunny image. "I don't know what's wrong with me. Even dancing seems boring to me."

Looking at his unusual and somewhat childish frankness, Feng Ling's heart felt as if it were soaked in warm water, softening completely.

"If I don't say something now, I might go crazy." He took a deep breath and locked his eyes with her, not allowing her to escape.

Feng Ling's heart suddenly sank, and she felt that the window paper was about to be completely pierced. Her fingers curled up unconsciously, and her nails dug deep into her palms.

"I've always been a goal-oriented person," he began, his eyes serious and focused. "If I want something, I strive to grab it. My world used to seem like it was just dance, simple and pure. But since you appeared," he paused, his gaze becoming deeper, as if containing an entire sea of ​​stars, "it's like... a different flower has blossomed in my world. When I see you, I feel like everything is full of hope, and everything becomes unknown and rich. I'm starting to have ideas I never had before, and new pursuits."

He stared at her deeply, as if he wanted to carve her appearance into the depths of his soul.

"Feng Ling... I like you." He finally uttered these heavy words, with desperate courage and uncontrollable sincerity and desire. "Can I pursue you? Not as a teacher?"

The world seemed to stop at this moment.

Feng Ling looked at him, seeing her own flustered self clearly reflected in his eyes, his beautifully shaped lips pursed slightly with nervousness. The past few months flashed through her mind—his encouraging gaze, his patient guidance, his warm embrace, the rules he'd broken time and again for her, and the unconditional affection in his eyes now. Adoration, dependence, adoration, emotion... all these complex emotions finally intertwined and converged, forming a clear and impulsive current of warmth within her heart.

A hot blush spread across her face, and her heartbeat was so fast that it seemed to be trying to break free from the restraints in her chest. Under his nervous and expectant gaze, she finally nodded firmly and gently.

"Um."

It's just a simple syllable, but it sounds like the most beautiful sound from nature.

Qiqi's eyes lit up instantly, a huge joy and disbelief radiating from them, making his entire face glow with a dazzling radiance. He felt as if he had found the world he had longed for. Cautiously and with a slight tremor, he reached out his hand and gently held her slightly cool hand.

His palm was warm and dry, completely wrapping her small hand.

The two smiled at each other, and the air was filled with a sweet and throbbing atmosphere. Even the dust floating in the corner seemed to be dancing gently.

However, in this almost perfect sweet moment, Feng Ling did not notice that in the deepest part of Qiqi's ecstatic eyes, there was an extremely subtle haze that even he himself might not have been able to clearly understand - that was due to the "new pursuit" he had just mentioned, and the gap between the two of them in the world that was not yet clear, but really existed.