Chapter 33 Lin Yuwei's comforting words His gaze swept quickly and deeply across...
The excitement from the drumbeats had not yet completely dissipated, and the villagers were preparing for the next interactive activity, a two-person cooperative game simulating planting and harvesting. Director Liu's face was still beaming with the joy of the perfect cooperation between the "golden boy and jade girl" just now, and he subconsciously wanted to call out to Zhou Xubai and Lin Yuwei again.
However, this time, someone was faster than her.
Just as Zhou Xubai smiled and took half a step towards Lin Yuwei, preparing to naturally team up again, a dark blue figure took a step ahead with steady steps and stood beside Lin Yuwei.
It's Gu Qingyan!
Lin Yuwei had originally planned to politely decline Director Liu's enthusiastic recommendation, but this unexpected turn of events made her swallow her words. If it were Gu Qingyan, perhaps she shouldn't have withdrawn; otherwise, the misunderstanding with him would only deepen, affecting her future cooperation with Qichen.
Gu Qingyan stood tall and straight, side by side with Lin Yuwei. Although there was no physical contact, an undeniable sense of alliance was formed between them. He first gave Zhou Xubai a slight nod as a greeting, then turned his gaze to Director Liu and the village chief, who looked surprised. His tone was calm and even, yet carried an undeniable and steady strength: "I would also like to participate in and experience the next project!"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the farm tools and props beside him, before continuing, "President Zhou has been deeply involved and perfectly interpreted the previous segment. As for this segment," his gaze finally settled on Lin Yuwei's slightly surprised face, his voice softening slightly but still maintaining a businesslike tone, "'The digital preservation and promotion of the Muyun Festival' is an important issue for evaluating cooperation. I need to personally experience the details of each core segment in order to better assess how to use technology to present its essence. Ms. Lin is the head of art design, and I think that working with her will allow for a more efficient understanding of its cultural connotations."
These words were reasonable and logical. They acknowledged Zhou Xubai's previous contributions and cleverly elevated his own participation to the level of "work requirements" and "project importance." They even implied recognition of Lin Yuwei's professional abilities, making it difficult for anyone to refute them.
Zhou Xubai paused, his gentle smile momentarily faltering, but quickly returned to normal. However, the smile didn't penetrate his eyes. He looked at Gu Qingyan and Lin Yuwei, who were now standing together, a faint hint of surprise and amusement flashing in his eyes before transforming into a gentlemanly demeanor. He gracefully took a half-step back, gesturing for them to proceed, and said in a relaxed tone, "President Gu is right. Firsthand experience is essential for successful digital transformation. In that case, this opportunity should naturally be given to President Gu. Yuwei, you must cooperate well with President Gu." He then turned his gaze to Lin Yuwei, his smile remaining warm.
Lin Yuwei glanced at Zhou Xubai, then looked up at Gu Qingyan. Gu Qingyan was standing very close to her, so close that she could clearly feel his cool aura again, which was completely different from the feeling Zhou Xubai had given her earlier. Her heart skipped a beat for no reason, especially when Gu Qingyan so formally and openly asked her to be his partner. A subtle and indescribable flutter of emotion swept through her heart.
Director Liu opened his mouth, looked at Zhou Xubai, then at the imposing Gu Qingyan, and finally swallowed back his words of matchmaking, forcing a dry laugh to smooth things over: "Ah, yes, yes, yes! President Gu is so dedicated! Great experience, great experience! Yuwei, you'd better cooperate well with President Gu!"
Gu Qingyan seemed oblivious to the various expressions on the faces of those around him. He simply turned his head slightly and whispered to Lin Yuwei, who was still somewhat dazed beside him, "Then, I'll have to trouble you, Teacher Lin." His tone remained calm, but a barely perceptible, almost triumphant glint flashed in his deep eyes.
The next project is a collaborative game simulating planting and harvesting. The rules require two people to work in a group. One person holds a small wicker basket filled with grains, symbolizing the sower, while the other person holds a small hoe. They need to work in sync with the drumbeats. The person holding the hoe pretends to dig, while the person holding the basket needs to accurately put the "seeds" into the "small pits" that are formed in an instant. After the drumbeats change, the two people quickly exchange tools and work together again to use the small hoe to simulate harvesting the golden straw bundles on the ground into the basket.
As the tools were distributed, Lin Yuwei reached out and took the small basket. She could clearly feel the lingering low pressure around Gu Qingyan beside her, even colder than the morning mist in the mountains. Recalling his indifferent back as he turned away and the fleeting loneliness in his eyes earlier, she made a decision about what to do next.
The drumbeats resumed, bright and rhythmic.
Gu Qingyan had already begun digging in rhythm. His movements were clean and efficient, with an almost mechanical precision. His face was expressionless, as if he were simply carrying out a necessary research task.
Lin Yuwei steadied herself, banishing all distractions. Seizing the opportunity, she deftly flicked her wrist, accurately dropping the grains into the "pit." Once, twice… she did it with exceptional care, not only to keep up with the rhythm, but also to silently respond to Gu Qingyan's earlier words, "Thank you for your trouble, Teacher Lin," with this focused concentration.
During a break in the exchange of movements, the drumbeats paused briefly, and she naturally looked up at him, her voice soft: "Is this rhythm alright? Should we slow it down a bit?" Her tone carried a working-like inquiry, but a subtle, almost imperceptible concern was also revealed, as if she were confirming her partner's comfort level.
Upon hearing her gentle words, Gu Qingyan paused slightly in his digging. He didn't turn his head immediately, his gaze remaining fixed on the dotted ground, but his taut jawline seemed to soften.
“No need,” he replied softly, his tone steady but no longer cold: “This speed is just right.”
The drumbeats changed, signaling the arrival of the harvest season.
The instructions to exchange tools changed with the drumbeats. Lin Yuwei handed over the small wicker basket in her hand, and at the same time prepared to take the small hoe from Gu Qingyan's hand. In the process of handing it over and receiving it, her fingertips inevitably and lightly brushed against his palm.
In that instant, a subtle electric current surged from her fingertips, and Lin Yuwei's heartbeat quickened instinctively. Her first instinctive reaction was to immediately pull her hand back, as if she had been burned by something—such contact was too ambiguous and too easy to arouse imagination in front of everyone.
However, just as she was about to pull her hand away, a thought suddenly flashed into her mind: if she were to so obviously back down now, wouldn't that only deepen the existing gap and misunderstanding between them? What would Gu Qingyan think? Would he think that she was deliberately avoiding him, or even that she disliked his touch?
She didn't want it to be like this.
In that split second, Lin Yuwei forcefully suppressed the urge to pull her hand away. Instead of backing down, she followed the feeling in her heart that she did not reject, allowing her fingertips to linger on the cool palm for a moment longer. The contact between the two was no longer a hasty brush, but a brief but clear touch with a sense of testing and reconciliation.
Lin Yuwei could even feel the lines on his palm and his slightly lower body temperature, which was different from her own. Her cheeks flushed uncontrollably, but she tried to keep her expression natural, as if it were just an ordinary handover that was a little slow. However, her slightly trembling eyelashes betrayed the unease in her heart.
Just as Lin Yuwei's fingertips lingered, Gu Qingyan's movement of handing over the small hoe paused almost imperceptibly. The touch that he expected to immediately flee did not disappear; instead, it carried a hesitant, soft warmth, clearly imprinted on his skin.
This brief, unexpected contact was like a pebble thrown into the still lake of his heart, instantly creating ripples. A fleeting look of surprise crossed his deep eyes, and then something seemed to quietly crack open in his usually icy gaze. He subconsciously tightened his fingers, not to push it away, but more like an unconscious action to confirm or even hold onto that fleeting warmth.
Gu Qingyan's gaze swept quickly and deeply over Lin Yuwei's slightly flushed face, which she was trying to keep calm, and her trembling eyelashes. As if he understood something, he didn't speak, but the cold, oppressive aura around him dissipated silently. Gu Qingyan's voice seemed to soften a bit when he spoke next, and when he completed the subsequent actions, the stiffness of his businesslike manner faded away, replaced by a smoother and more natural flow.
An indescribable tacit understanding quietly flowed between Gu Qingyan and Lin Yuwei. Unlike the harmonious relationship between Lin Yuwei and Zhou Xubai under the sunlight, their tacit understanding was a deeper resonance based on mutual understanding and cooperation. Every glance and every movement they made was just right, as if they could perceive each other's intentions without words.
The game ended with another drumbeat.
Applause erupted around them, not as enthusiastic as last time, but filled with sincere appreciation—for this calm and efficient teamwork.
Gu Qingyan straightened up and handed the wicker basket back to the villager next to him with a calm and composed demeanor. He turned to Lin Yuwei, his tone still polite and indifferent, but the previous frost had melted away: "This time the cooperation went very smoothly. Teacher Lin's timing and error correction of these actions are very helpful for modeling. Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Lin."
This time, when he uttered the words "Teacher Lin," there was less deliberate distance and more genuine warmth.
Seeing his softened expression, Lin Yuwei finally relaxed a little. It seemed that she had finally used this method to gently dissolve the estrangement between them that might have arisen from their personal emotions.
Throughout the afternoon, various games with distinctive local characteristics were in full swing. The members of the inspection team and the villagers of Longquan Village laughed and chatted, creating a warm and harmonious atmosphere. As night quietly fell, the village's celebrations reached their climax.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
