Chapter 41 Numb.41 I want to kiss you

"!"

Jie Ying took a step back abruptly, almost stumbling and falling due to her panicked steps. She barely managed to regain her balance before looking at Xu Wu with a lingering sense of shock, the blush spreading from her cheeks to her neck.

"I, I..." he stammered, trying to explain.

Xu Wu withdrew her hand and glanced at him sideways: "Just kidding."

"..." Jie Ying unconsciously licked her lips, not daring to meet his gaze.

In fact, the moment Xu Wu uttered those words, his mind went blank for a moment, and he even absurdly considered the possibility of this.

kiss.

I've been seen through again.

Jie Ying felt a sense of defeat. He felt as if he had always been naked and unprotected in front of Xu Wu.

With just one glance, Xu Wu could easily see through his disguise.

This kind of thing was not unfamiliar to him; he had rehearsed it countless times in his dreams.

Or perhaps it's a way of revealing his wolfish ambitions through dreams, a way of no longer pleading with the gods.

In his dream, he held the girl in front of him tightly, who controlled his heart, buried his head deep in the crook of her neck, desperately absorbing her unique scent, and greedily wanted to kiss the two moles on her face.

"Wow, you're here so fast!" Footsteps approached from afar, accompanied by a surprised and cheerful female voice.

Jie Ying silently swallowed back those rebellious thoughts.

"You guys are too slow." Xu Wu's gaze passed over Jie Ying and landed on Fu Xi, who arrived late.

It was a bit of a surprise to see Chu Lian by her side.

"Is it so strange that I'm here?" Chu Lian raised an eyebrow rather rudely when he saw Xu Wu's look, and went to the corner to pick out a chair and sit down.

"It's not that it's strange, it's just that I can't remember the last time I saw you in the club." Xu Wu shrugged.

"I'm wondering if you're planning to go through those exam papers together."

"Oh, you're really being rude," Chu Lian retorted.

Xu Wu shrugged.

"I've asked Shang Xu to bring the rest of the clothes over later," Fu Xi said, pointing to the several unopened sets of clothes lying on the ground. "The prince, princess, and knight outfits are here first. Since you two are here, why don't you try them on?"

"Hey," Chu Lian spoke up just in time, "Have we found our photographer yet?"

Xu Wu took the clothes from Fu Xi, flipped through them casually, and replied, "Found it."

Chu Lian looked over with a puzzled expression, only to see Xu Wu point forward without even looking up.

So, his gaze naturally fell on Jie Ying—and the camera in his arms.

"Your camera..." Chu Lian glanced at the brand and exclaimed in shock, "HAR?!"

"What?" Fu Xi, who was still tidying Xu Wu's clothes, turned around immediately upon hearing this, his pupils widening: "Ha'er's?"

"It's such a waste to use this camera to photograph us," Chu Lian remarked.

It's no wonder he was so surprised. These cameras also have different prices. Among the portable ones, Haar is the most expensive, but it also has the best quality and performance.

"Are you really okay?" Chu Lian looked at Jie Ying with concern.

"Um, it's okay," he replied, tightening his grip on the camera.

"Will it really be filmed beautifully?"

"Uh-huh......."

Upon hearing this, Fu Xi turned his head and said disdainfully, "You're asking now, it's not like I'm taking pictures of you."

"Alright, even the president won't get a chance to appear on camera." Chu Lian pouted.

“Actually, there wasn’t one to begin with,” Fu Xi said.

Chu Lian said irritably, "Yes, yes, who would dare to prevent our Miss Fu from appearing on camera?"

This little bickering didn't affect Xu Wu. She found it amusing to watch Jie Ying gripping the camera so tightly, as if someone was really going to snatch it away, like a frightened bird.

Since there was still some time before the remaining people arrived, Fu Xi told her to go to the dressing room with Jie Ying to try on the costumes. If anything was not suitable, they could take it back to be altered.

The club's changing room has a full-length mirror, and Xu Wu stood in front of the mirror to tidy her appearance after changing.

She spent most of the day putting on her petticoat, as she was genuinely not used to wearing this type of clothing. The dress was entirely inspired by costumes from classic Western fairy tales, with a gold color scheme. Unfortunately, her loose hair looked out of place, leaving only her face visible.

When she pushed open the door and returned to the club, she found that the rest of the members, including Shang Xu, had also arrived and were distributing clothes.

Hearing the commotion, the group turned to look at her, and their chatter stopped abruptly.

Fu Xi was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses and said sincerely, "Wu, this outfit really suits you."

Xu Wu has a high waistline and is not short, which makes this ordinary dress look like a high-fashion gown that just came off the runway.

"No wonder she can play a princess." Shang Xu also chimed in with a smile, his eyes scanning Xu Wu, who was wearing a princess dress, with a shifty look in his eyes, and he unconsciously swallowed.

“Perfect timing, let’s call Jie Ying over to take a picture of you when he comes out,” Chu Lian replied.

Hearing this, Xu Wu happened to lift her eyes and meet Shang Xu's gaze. Shang Xu still had his costume draped over his arm. He smiled at her silently, then turned and went to the dressing room.

"When did you two become so close?" Fu Xi asked, curiously joining in the conversation.

"You mean me and him?" Xu Wu asked, puzzled. "How come I didn't know we were close?"

“Hmph,” Fu Xi said meaningfully, “our fog is quite popular, isn’t it?”

"...Speak normally."

The club rehearsal lasted a short time tonight, and most of them were already familiar with each other. Even the dance steps were briefly reviewed by Xu Wu and Shang Xu, and there were no instances of stepping on the instep.

Jie Ying was in charge of filming here, and in addition to some individual photos, she also filmed some group videos.

"Well," Fu Xi said hesitantly, looking at the photos one by one with his camera, "they're quite good, but something just feels off."

"What's strange?" Xu Wu had changed back into her old clothes and was now sitting on a red plastic chair, holding a script and fanning herself intermittently.

"The way he photographs you is completely different from how he photographs others."

"What's different?"

"On the surface, it doesn't seem like anything, but it gives people a different feeling."

"How does it feel?"

"A feeling of disgust."

".......?"

"Ah," Fu Xi belatedly covered his mouth in horror, "Did I say it out loud?"

“Hmm,” Xu Wu said expressionlessly, “You said it.”

"......"

"Anyway, I've looked at all the photos here." As he spoke, Fu Xi leaned closer and winked at her. "Someone is really stingy. Not a single group photo of the ball rehearsal was taken. The only one is a solo photo of you. Tsk tsk tsk."

Even knowing it was blatant teasing, Xu Wu couldn't help but chuckle: "Anyway, it's just behind-the-scenes footage. There will be school photographers during the official performance, so it's fine."

Rather than saying nothing happened, it's more accurate to say, as Fu Xi said, that Jie Ying is a petty and stingy person.

Just now, when she was dancing with Shang Xu, not only could you see it out of the corner of your eye, but even that unblinking gaze that followed her directly onto her back, and then moved to the back of her hand that was on Shang Xu's shoulder.

It was hot and stinging.

This was a blatant, dark jealousy, the threads of envy burning within her, yearning to tightly bind and entangle her.

Shang Xu was obviously not that oblivious, and naturally noticed it as well, but he didn't say anything, only tightened his grip on Xu Wu's waist.

Caught off guard, Xu Wu was pulled forward a little by his action, and the two bodies got close.

She froze, momentarily stunned; the air seemed to freeze for a split second.

The next second, an overwhelming wave of hatred and rage surged toward Shang Xu, as if they wanted to force his very bones and blood out of him.

But... she actually experienced something within that strange emotional state—

The feeling of comfort is a shiver that runs from head to toe, almost reaching the very soul.

Thinking of this, Xu Wu took out her phone and glanced at the time on the screen. There were still ten minutes left before school ended.

People in the club were leaving one after another, except for Chu Lian, who was still sitting in the corner after playing a game.

"Why aren't you leaving yet?" Fu Xi asked him, one hand on his hip.

Chu Lian, focused on his work, replied casually without looking up, "I was waiting for you. Are you done yet?"

"Alright, alright, get up quickly, I'm going to lock the door," she urged.

Right now, the only people still in the club are her, Xu Wu, Chu Lian, and Shang Xu, who is sitting on the other side replying to messages.

As the last light switch was turned off, the clubhouse door closed at the same time, leaving only the corridor lights still on.

Chu Lian and Shang Xu walked in front, while Xu Wu and Fu Xi followed closely behind them, with Xu Wu even walking a little slower.

"I'll select the photos and submit them to the school in a couple of days," Fu Xi said, his hands in his pockets.

"Can you Photoshop it?" Taking advantage of a lull in the death, Chu Lian turned around and asked with a hint of anticipation.

"You wish!" Fu Xi coldly extinguished his silent expectation.

Xu Wu didn't interrupt their conversation. As she was walking down the stairs and about to turn the corner, because she was the last one there, before she could catch up, her wrist was suddenly grabbed and she was forcefully pulled backward—

Her eyes widened, and her mouth was covered by the person behind her, preventing her from making a sound. She could only watch helplessly as Fu Xi and the other two walked away talking, completely unaware of her presence.

My heart was in my throat, my eyes were filled with terror, and scenes from more than a dozen horror movies I had seen flashed through my mind. But the next second, I caught a faint whiff of the aroma of sea salt and oranges.

Xu Wu seemed to have taken some kind of reassurance and gradually relaxed.

She frowned, her hand about to pry open Jie Ying's hand covering her mouth, when suddenly the other's chest pressed against her back.

Xu Wu's pupils contracted sharply, and he didn't dare to move.

"you......."

"It's a bit late to say that," he said, his lips brushing against her ear. As he spoke, the tingling, warm breath sprayed onto her delicate ear, making Xu Wu almost collapse.

"but-"

I want to kiss you.

Author's Note: There's more...