Holding hands
Zhu Shiyi followed Pan Yue: "You've managed to slip away?"
He was like a determined leader despite his physical disability, forging ahead tenaciously.
“I’ve read the tutorial,” Pan Yue said. “I’m feeling the reaction force on my feet.”
Zhu Shiyi: ...
He always had a faint air of human-machine interaction about him.
How can we make physical contact?
Or should we pretend to fall?
No, that would damage her image as a master!
On the weekend, the ice rink was quite crowded, with passersby gliding by and creating gusts of wind.
Another gust of wind swept across the trouser leg.
"Ah—" A little boy lost his balance and was about to fall to the ground.
"Watch out!" Zhu Shiyi reached out to help, but couldn't reach it.
Suddenly, a pair of long hands reached out in front of him. Pan Yue grabbed the little boy, but lost his balance and fell to the ground on one knee.
Zhu Shiyi quickly stepped forward and squatted down: "Are you alright?"
Pan Yue steadied himself and shook his head.
Zhu Shiyi helped the little boy up again: "Little friend, does it hurt?"
Although Pan Yue pulled the little boy up, and the little boy was wearing protective gear, he probably still hurt himself from the fall and was crying loudly.
"Don't cry, don't cry!" Zhu Shiyi pulled the little boy up and led him to a safe place.
"Mom—" the little boy cried his heart out.
Zhu Shiyi glanced at Pan Yue and saw the same helplessness on his face as she did.
She glanced back at the rest area outside, and a young woman came running towards her: "Jun Jun!"
The little boy turned around: "Mom!"
The young woman's eyes were urgent, and the child's attitude was obvious. After a quick glance, Zhu Shiyi was certain that this was the child's mother.
She took the little boy's right hand and slowly walked towards the entrance of the ice rink.
The child was still crying and wouldn't take more than a few steps, so Zhu Shiyi was having some difficulty holding his hand.
The pressure on his hand suddenly eased.
Zhu Shiyi glanced sideways. Pan Yue, holding the handrail, took the little boy's other hand and slowly took a step.
Zhu Shiyi's eyes crinkled into a smile.
The child wasn't even as long as Pan Yue's legs.
Pan Yue accompanied her and together they escorted the little boy out of the venue.
"Thank you!" The young woman said, hugging the little boy with immense gratitude.
After seeing off the little dumpling in the middle, there was some distance between the two people, making them seem a bit awkward.
Zhu Shiyi silently moved closer to his hand.
"Is your knee alright?" She looked up at Pan Yue. "I'll go buy you a pair of knee braces."
“It’s alright,” Pan Yue said, looking down. “I didn’t fall.”
Their eyes met, and his eyes were filled with warmth and a gentle demeanor. Zhu Shiyi forgot to look away.
Pan Yue tilted his head and coughed lightly: "Your trousers are too long."
"What?" Zhu Shiyi suddenly came to her senses. She turned her head and lifted her heel. "Is it long?"
Today she is wearing a pair of loose white glutinous rice pants. The design of these pants is that the pant legs are slightly longer, covering the top of the shoes as much as possible, but not dragging on the ground. They are not in the way and make her legs look longer.
Pan Yue looked down at her trouser leg: "Someone might trip you up."
"It's alright," Zhu Shiyi waved his hand dismissively, "I won't..."
The unspoken words transformed into a gust of wind, swallowed into the chest, and became a powerful heartbeat.
Pan Yue squatted down beside her feet, one knee touching the ground. He loosened her shoelaces, lifted her trouser leg, and tucked it into her roller skates. He then wrapped the skates around the uppers again and tightened the shoelaces.
Zhu Shiyi's ears turned red.
“Alright,” Pan Yue stood up, “Safety first.”
Zhu Shiyi straightened his mind and said softly, "Oh."
Mom... someone's flirting with me!
She stole a glance at Pan Yue; he was diagonally in front of her, but she couldn't see his face clearly.
The depleted energy gathered again, and Zhu Shiyi, in one go, grabbed Pan Yue: "That..."
"Let me show you around."
Pan Yue turned around: "How should I take it?"
The incandescent light reflecting off the ice rink shone in his eyes, making them flicker.
Zhu Shiyi swallowed hard, suppressing the restlessness in his heart: "I'll pull you."
Pan Yue lowered his eyes, his gaze lingering on her hand that was tugging at his sleeve.
Zhu Shiyi abruptly pulled his hand away, feeling inexplicably guilty.
What kind of look is that? It's like she's about to molest him!
"What's wrong!" Zhu Shiyi tried to sound tough, her mind racing, a brilliant idea popping into her head. She squatted down, "Did you just touch my shoes?"
Pan Yue raised an eyebrow: ?
"yes."
What's going on here?
Zhu Shiyi pressed his hands against the ice rink floor and rubbed them hard.
Pan Yue stared blankly: What is this all about?
Zhu Shiyi suddenly tugged at his trouser leg: "You squat down too."
Pan Yue didn't understand, but he did as instructed.
"Come and wash your hands," Zhu Shiyi said, rubbing her palms and the backs of her hands. "You touched my shoes, so you should wash them even more often!"
Pan Yue narrowed his eyes, utterly perplexed. A helpless sigh escaped his chest as he exclaimed, "This actually works?"
He really wanted to know what was going on in this little girl's head.
"They're both H2O, so why not?"
Pan Yue chuckled: "People come and go on the ice rink, aren't you just touching other people's shoes?"
Zhu Shiyi was taken aback: "That seems to be true."
She suddenly moved a few steps to the side and squatted down in a corner: "The ice here is clean, come and touch it!"
Passersby glanced at him with strange looks.
Pan Yue had no choice but to follow, not daring to open his eyes.
A damp, cool sensation covered the back of my hand.
"I'll give you some." Zhu Shiyi touched his hand.
Pan Yue frowned: "Stop touching me."
"Huh?" Zhu Shiyi blinked, somewhat stunned.
She quickly let go of Pan Yue's hand.
Waaah, he won't let me touch him!
Pan Yue grabbed Zhu Shiyi's arm and lifted her up, asking, "Is your period over?"
Zhu Shiyi was slightly taken aback: "Not yet."
Pan Yue tightened his lips and stuffed her hand into her coat pocket.
"...and you don't mind the cold," he said softly.
Zhu Shiyi opened his mouth slightly, and a gurgling spring flowed into his heart.
He cares about her!
“…” Pan Yue glanced down at it, “Let’s go ice skating.”
"Wait a minute!" Zhu Shiyi said urgently. He'd already touched it, so what was one more word?
She raised her chin, as if facing death: "Let me pull you up."
Pan Yue's eyelashes fluttered.
Zhu Shiyi thought he was going to refuse, so she shook her head and crossed her arms again: "Before I take you ice skating, you should wash your hands first."
Pan Yue: ...
He smiled, but it was hard to tell what he was feeling.
...
Only after Pan Yue squatted down and symbolically touched the ice did Zhu Shiyi extend his hand with satisfaction.
"Just treat me as a handrail," Zhu Shiyi patted his wrist. "Take it one step at a time, you help me slide first."
She wasn't sure if her target was willing to hold hands, so she decided to observe and gauge his attitude first!
Pan Yue's gaze was deep and unfathomable.
He reached out and touched her wrist, applying pressure as he slowly slid down.
"Yes, that's it!" Zhu Shiyi stared intently at Pan Yue's steps. "You can slow down a bit, and open your legs a little wider."
A sudden, heavy force settled on his wrist.
Pan Yue held her tightly as he took a long stride, but lost his balance and fell straight to the side.
Zhu Shiyi exclaimed in surprise and instinctively grabbed Pan Yue to steady him.
...
My mind went blank for a moment.
A tingling warmth fell into my palm.
She took his hand.
My heart skipped a beat.
Zhu Shiyi didn't dare to turn her head too much; she turned her eyes and secretly glanced at Pan Yue.
Pan Yue's ears turned slightly red. He lowered his eyes and remained motionless, as if lost in thought.
With her heart in turmoil, Zhu Shiyi dared not breathe deeply. She took a shallow breath and pretended to be fine: "You're doing pretty well. How about you try again? I'll help you."
Pan Yue lifted his eyes and met her gaze.
As if an electric current had passed through them, the two turned their faces away for a moment, understanding each other without saying a word.
Zhu Shiyi coughed twice to cover his face.
Depend on……
Should I loosen my grip or not?
"Which foot should I step with first?" Pan Yue's voice suddenly rang in my ears.
Zhu Shiyi: ?
This is like asking, "Which leg do you step with first when walking?" Why would anyone ask this question?
"Either is fine," she replied, understanding that Pan Yue was a novice and might not really understand the question.
"Okay." Pan Yue gripped her hand tightly and slid it forward slowly, his eyes fixed straight ahead.
Zhu Shiyi quietly tightened his grip, not daring to move his fingers rashly.
His hands were so big and warm, like holding a freshly baked sweet potato, warm and cozy.
Passersby gliding by stirred up a gust of wind. Zhu Shiyi, riding on the ice, felt his emotions surge like winter smog meeting a clear breeze and bright sunshine.
She couldn't resist and gently pinched it with her fingers.
Beyond sight.
Pan Yue smiled slightly.
He never knew that her hands were so soft and so small.
...
"Hey you two over there," a staff member shouted from his roller skates, "holding hands is prohibited on the ice rink!"
Zhu Shiyi looked in the direction of the sound, but didn't react.
“Yes, it’s you guys,” a staff member slipped over, “holding hands while ice skating is a very dangerous thing to do.”
"Oh!" Zhu Shiyi's face flushed, and she let go of his hand, still somewhat reluctant.
What a loss! How can there be such a rule? She hasn't held hands enough yet...
Pan Yue tightened his lips and slowly lowered his hand.
Zhu Shiyi glanced sideways, and their eyes met.
“How about,” Pan Yue opened his mouth, “you slip away by yourself first? I won’t hold you back.”
"Where was the delay?" Zhu Shiyi quickly replied.
Is this straight man really here to ice skate?
However, since they couldn't hold hands, it was indeed difficult for her to take him out.
"I'll go rent you a skating aid," Zhu Shiyi suggested.
"Slippery aid?"
“Yes,” Zhu Shiyi pointed to the distance, “that’s it.”
Pan Yue's eye twitched slightly, and he forced a smile: "Never mind."
"Don't calculate!" Zhu Shiyi said playfully.
...
Looking at the large, yellow, childlike dolphin in front of him, Pan Yue covered his forehead: "It's for kids."
“Who said that? Adults can use it too, okay?” Zhu Shiyi held the little dolphin’s tail and glided around easily. “Look, I’ve used it, so you can use it too.”
Pan Yue's eyes were filled with complex emotions.
Zhu Shiyi persisted, "It works really well! You should try it."
When she was little, she really wanted to use a little dolphin! But renting a skating rink cost money, and Liu Lu thought she could skate, so it wasn't necessary. Zhu Shiyi never used one.
She forcibly shoved the fish tail into Pan Yue's hand.
Pan Yue was forced to accept this recommendation.
“…Okay,” he raised his chin, “you go skate, I’ll practice by myself for a while.”
Zhu Shiyi pursed her lips: "Okay."
He brought it up a second time, so it wouldn't be appropriate for her to object again.
Zhu Shiyi ignored Pan Yue and put on his headphones, then started skating around the ice rink.
After a few songs, Pan Yue suddenly appeared beside her.
“I know,” he said.
Zhu Shiyi tilted his head, while Pan Yue curled his lips, his eyes revealing a hint of interest.
She was slightly dazed; before her stood a spirited young man she had never seen before.
Pan Yue pushed the gliding aid, extended his long legs, and glided steadily for a few steps.
“You can do it,” Zhu Shiyi said, taking the little dolphin and gliding it to his side. “Wow, you’re amazing, you learn so quickly.”
Pan Yue remained silent, his eyes lowered, and a slight smile played on his lips.
“Then I’ll return the baby dolphin,” Zhu Shiyi said, stroking the dolphin’s tail. “I’m reluctant to part with it!”
She couldn't help but look away, her gaze falling on the child sitting on a small dolphin not far away.
Pan Yue's gaze followed, and he glanced at Zhu Shiyi. Her direct gaze revealed her thoughts.
He took the dolphin back, turned it around, and positioned it so that its back was facing Zhu Shiyi: "Sit down."
Zhu Shiyi's eyes lit up. She blinked and said softly, "Will you push me?"
My heart felt like it had been scratched by a kitten.
A gentle light unconsciously filled his eyes, and Pan Yue nodded: "Mm."
Zhu Shiyi bit her lip.
Can adults sit here?
She looked around and saw several adults sitting on it.
She immediately stopped worrying about it.
Zhu Shiyi stepped onto the dolphin's back, turned around, and asked Pan Yue, "Can you do it?"
Pan Yue lowered his eyes, raised an eyebrow, seemingly displeased with her doubts: "...You won't fall."
Zhu Shiyi hugged her and grinned foolishly, scratching her cheek: "Then I'll have to trouble you."
Pan Yue curled his lips, looked straight ahead, and pushed her to slowly slide.
Zhu Shiyi sat quietly without saying a word.
Pan Yue surveyed the scene and said, "Hold on tight."
He sped up.
Sunlight streamed through the glass window, a gentle breeze caressed my cheeks, and as I faced the wind, it felt as if colorful butterflies were dancing freely, each step a blossoming flower.
Zhu Shiyi's playful mood was aroused, and she stretched out one arm—
She wanted to seize the opportunity of today's wind.
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