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On Monday morning, Yang Zheng tidied the blankets on the sofa, then gently pushed open the bedroom door, only to see that Shen Anxia had already sat up.
Shen Anxia also saw Yang Zheng at the same time.
"Why are you awake?" Yang Zheng walked in, touched Shen Anxia's forehead, and found that the temperature was just right.
"I felt like you were about to leave." Shen Anxia was still a little sleepy when she saw Yang Zheng sitting on the edge of her bed, and she leaned right next to him.
Yang Zheng had finished washing up and smelled of facial cleanser. Shen Anxia took two deep breaths and felt more awake.
"Sleep a little longer, it's still early." Yang Zheng gently pecked Shen Anxia's lips, then hugged her tightly. "The car is downstairs, I'll come over on Friday."
Shen Anxia released him, nodded, and instructed, "Message me when you arrive."
"Okay." Yang Zheng got up and went out, closing the door behind him.
Shen Anxia stared at the ceiling for a long time before falling asleep again.
When she opened her eyes again, it was already past seven o'clock. Yang Zheng had sent her a message half an hour earlier: "I've arrived."
Shen Anxia replied to him: "Remember to eat well and think of me often."
Then it's time to get up.
The next second, Yang Zheng made a video call.
Shen Anxia answered the call.
"woke up?"
"Hmm, didn't you take a break? Aren't you supposed to start work at nine?"
"I can't sleep. I have too many things to do. I plan to check on you again before I go to work."
Shen Anxia teased him, "Then let's see now! Otherwise you'll forget about me when you get busy."
Seeing that Shen Anxia's complexion seemed normal, Yang Zheng asked, "She hasn't had a fever again, has she?"
"No, no."
"Be sure to tell me if you feel unwell."
"I'm afraid that opportunity won't come."
Yang Zheng was amused by her: "An Xia, there's something I've wanted to tell you for a long time."
"Um?"
"Remember to eat well and think of me often."
"..."
Shen Anxia went to get off work and came home as usual. When she had free time, she read English and when she was busy, she practiced dancing. On Wednesday night, after taking a shower, she was about to send Yang Zheng a video when she saw dozens of messages in the dance troupe's group chat.
Curious, she opened the group message to see what had sparked such a heated discussion. However, she saw her own name and phrases like "it's trending" and "it's brought glory" in several messages. She quickly scrolled up to the very top, only to find that a colleague had posted a video. Looking at the screenshot, the person in the video seemed to be Yang Zheng, who had reached out to her in the Western restaurant.
Shen Anxia held her breath and clicked on the video.
In the video, Yang Zheng stands tall under the spotlight, as upright as a bamboo stalk braving frost, as noble as snow on a high mountain, and as cool as the moonlight in late autumn. Only the direction his eyes are gazing at deserves his watery gaze.
The next instant, he appeared in the camera's view and danced for four minutes.
I didn't notice these things at the time, but now, watching this scene through someone else's lens, I feel a little embarrassed, and a sense of security arises in my heart that we can spend our lives together.
Judging from the angle, this photo was probably taken by a customer who was dining at the restaurant that night.
She went back to the group chat to check her colleagues' messages, but before she could read more than two, she saw a voice call from Jia Yunjie come in on the screen.
Shen Anxia answered the phone: "Yun Jie?"
"Anxia, have you seen the message from the group?"
"...I just saw it."
"Do you know you're famous? There are videos of you dancing all over a certain platform now, and you're already in the top ten trending topics! The whole group is going crazy. None of our group's performances have been this popular. Now a lot of people are starting to dig up your information. I reckon it won't be long before they find our group."
Shen Anxia: "..."
"Take a look at the group chat later! Everyone's pretty happy to see how popular you are, but..." Jia Yunjie hesitated.
"how?"
"You've suddenly become famous. Bai Yan might mind a bit. After all, she's the top student, and you've actually become more popular than her. Besides, she's not exactly someone easy to get along with."
Shen Anxia wasn't worried about this. She only cared about whether she could dance, not how well she could dance. After all, the process of working hard was more important, and the result was up to fate.
She comforted Jia Yunjie, saying, "No one can shake Bai Yan's position as the top student. The things that happened online will be over in a couple of days, and she won't care."
"Sigh, how can I put this to you?" Jia Yunjie seemed to find Shen Anxia's appearance infuriating and said helplessly, "You still don't understand the dangers of the workplace. I know you're usually quite easygoing, but our dance troupe isn't exactly a benevolent place. The rumors were already horrible enough when you were able to stay. It wasn't until you performed those two extremely difficult shows that you proved yourself, and then people stopped gossiping so much. But it's different for the principal dancer. Your previous performances were already too good, which made people wary, and now they're probably even more cautious."
Shen Anxia reminded Jia Yunjie to recall: "But didn't I also participate in performances with the troupe a few years ago? And it was quite challenging."
Jia Yunjie spoke with the arrogant tone of someone with a government-affiliated position: "Back when you were an extra, who would pay attention to you? At most, they might think you were pretty. They only noticed you after you stayed with the troupe. Do you think people with government-affiliated positions would look down on people from a different social class?"
Shen Anxia suddenly realized that when she met Yang Zheng, he had never looked down on her for not having graduated yet. So, people are different; not everyone within the system thinks this way.
However, Shen Anxia was grateful to Jia Yunjie for saying these words to her, and her voice was full of warmth: "Yunjie, thank you so much for telling me these things today. I will be careful."
“I can also tell that you are not a very flamboyant person, and you are quite distant in your interactions with others, but the bad things in this world will not avoid you or spare you just because you are careful.”
"Yes, I understand, and I'm not a weak person either."
"There's one more thing," Jia Yunjie teased, "Is that the guy playing the piano your boyfriend? He looked a lot like him in your WeChat Moments the other day. I heard he works in the municipal government?"
Shen Anxia was clearly taken aback: "Municipal?"
"That's right! Didn't I just tell you that after everyone recognized your abilities, some rumors started circulating that your boyfriend was in the municipal government? Apparently, it's because some municipal leaders had spoken to the group. Otherwise, why do you think Li Nan, who used to pursue you, stopped pursuing you?"
Shen Anxia: "..."
Shen Anxia was indifferent to this matter.
She didn't know where her stubborn idea came from. She had never liked male dancers since she was a child. Moreover, she had rejected Li Nan before, but he clearly thought she was playing hard to get. Even after she clearly rejected him, he wouldn't stop. In addition, Shen Anxia was completely immersed in the fact that she had fallen for Yang Zheng but it didn't work out, so Li Nan made her feel uneasy all day long, which was really annoying.
Then one day, this person suddenly kept his distance from her, and Shen Anxia thought that this person had really come to terms with it.
I never expected that such rumors would circulate within the group.
But she didn't intend to explain.
After all, using someone else's strength against them can save you a lot of trouble.
After Jia Yunjie hung up the phone, Shen Anxia quickly browsed the chat history in the group, then downloaded the platform that Jia Yunjie had just mentioned from the app store. After a few swipes, she indeed saw the video.
She knew that the waiter had filmed the video with Yang Zheng's phone that day, but she was so engrossed in Yang Zheng's kisses that she forgot to watch the video.
Indeed, male beauty can be a trap.
Recalling that day, Shen Anxia bit her lower lip, her cheeks flushed.
She looked at it again carefully, this time focusing on Yang Zheng playing the piano in the shadows.
In the video, he was behind the piano, out of the stage lights, so the online discussion about him wasn't as obvious as it was about him. However, some netizens did notice him, especially at the beginning of the video, when he stood in the stage lights and gentlemanly reached out to me. Although it only lasted a few seconds, it was discussed by many people.
Looking at the person whose gaze never left her, even Shen Anxia didn't realize that her eyes were smiling. She really liked this person, and she could also feel how much he liked her.
When you turn on the live chat, the screen is filled with comments from netizens—
"Wow, is this a professional dancer? I can feel every muscle in her body moving!"
"The way the pianist looked at the dancer was hardly innocent."
"They're probably a couple, and the guy is so handsome!"
"I'm a dance major, and this girl's basic skills are really solid."
"A visual feast!"
"I suddenly really want to learn to dance."
"One minute. I need all the information about this woman..."
...
Shen Anxia ended the video call with Yang Zheng, who answered immediately: "Finished showering?"
"Hmm, have you eaten?"
"You've eaten. Did you miss me?" Yang Zheng asked, noticing Shen Anxia's cheerful demeanor. "Why are you so happy?"
Shen Anxia laughed: "Mr. Yang Zheng, you're famous now."
Yang Zheng showed no surprise, but Shen Anxia was puzzled: "You knew?"
"Yeah, I heard from them that there are people online urging others to get married on the spot, so I took a look."
Shen Anxia: "..."
So, did you miss me at all?
Shen Anxia ignored his words and asked, "I knew you could play the piano, but I didn't expect you to play it so well."
"It's been many years since I've practiced, and this is the only piece I can play that's presentable."
“A colleague of mine said my boyfriend works for the municipal government. So, where is this virtual boyfriend?” Shen Anxia thought of this question.
“Hmm,” Yang Zheng said somewhat awkwardly, “Second Brother spoke to someone Xin Feng knew beforehand and asked them to help take care of you.”
"Wasn't that last year? Didn't we stop contacting each other last year?" Shen Anxia wasn't going to let him off the hook.
"I'm worried that things won't go well for you at work." Yang Zheng felt a little embarrassed that he had been found out.
"Isn't it because you're afraid I'll be chased away by someone else?" Shen Anxia pressed aggressively.
"...I'm also afraid."
"Well, Yang Zheng, I didn't expect you to be so cunning." Shen Anxia said angrily.
Looking at the sullen Shen Anxia, Yang Zheng cautiously asked, "Are you angry?" Yang Zheng was a little incredulous, after all, he felt that Shen Anxia would not be angry about something like this.
Unexpectedly, Shen Anxia replied with a serious expression, "Yes, I'm angry."
Yang Zheng: "..."
“Unless…” Shen Anxia said arrogantly, “Tell me, when exactly did you fall in love with me?”
Yang Zheng rubbed his temples, lost in thought for three seconds: "Actually, this is a bit embarrassing to talk about..."
He secretly looked up at Shen Anxia, only to see that the girl who had been "angry" was now staring at him with a curious expression, showing no sign of anger at all.
Yang Zheng realized that the girl was pretending to be angry, and he almost laughed at her, but he suppressed it and said instead, "An Xia, you have to exchange this secret for when you fall in love with me."
Shen Anxia: "...I'm not going to tell you, you scheming boy."
Yang Zheng raised an eyebrow: "Then I'll tell you whenever you're ready."
Shen Anxia said angrily, "I'm going to sleep now, you should get some rest too."
"Okay, I'm going to sleep now."
"Don't go to some nightclub while I'm not looking. After all, Mr. Yang Zheng, you're five years older than me. Staying up late all the time will make you age faster," Shen Anxia advised.
Yang Zheng promised with a smile, "Okay, I won't go out to play, I'll only ask you out."
Shen Anxia was very content. She sighed and said earnestly, "Yang Zheng, I really miss you."
Yang Zheng felt a pang of sorrow and wanted to hug the person on the other side of the screen tightly, but he couldn't do anything about it.
A hint of melancholy crept onto his brow as he softly said, "Anxia, I miss you too."
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