Chapter 11 Beauty
Qin Rao's nonchalant refusal made the fat man awkwardly stop talking.
At this moment, Zhao Shi, who was standing to the side, rolled his eyes, pushed the fat man aside, and smiled intimately at Qin Rao, saying, "Sister, don't listen to his nonsense. Those guys aren't even worthy of your attention. I just introduced a VIP in Shanghai to the principal violinist of a large orchestra. He hasn't gone there yet. Their orchestra is performing on the cruise ship tonight. That young principal is quite handsome. How about I arrange a candlelight dinner for you tonight?"
Qin Rao glanced at Zhao Shi. This kid really knows how to get things done; it wasn't for nothing that she had given him a chance back then. However…
She took a sip of her cocktail, her gaze shifting to the boy sitting in the booth with his back to them, and gradually fixing on him.
Eighteen or nineteen-year-old Yun Yao has a beautiful and slender figure unique to dancers, like a bamboo stalk or a delicate orchid, and even a glimpse of her back is enough to inspire endless imagination.
The boy's calm and pure temperament created a unique world for him amidst the chaotic atmosphere of the bar.
Qin Rao's gaze lingered on the boy's retreating figure. She absentmindedly waved to Zhao Shi beside her, "No need, I already have plans for tonight. You two go ahead."
Following Qin Rao's gaze, Zhao Shi and the others finally noticed the young man. The fat man chuckled meaningfully, "Oh~ so President Qin brought a companion this time. This physique is really impressive. No wonder she's President Qin's new favorite. Zhao Shi, don't you think so?"
Zhao Shi smiled and agreed.
Just then, Yun Yao, who felt a lot of attention on her back, casually turned her head to look.
Just this one profile, bathed in the dim, ambiguous light of the bar, was breathtakingly beautiful.
Zhao Shi and the fat man fell silent.
After a long while, Zhao Shi softly praised Qin Rao, "Sister, you truly are worthy of being my sister. Such a beauty is truly exceptional among all the beauties I've seen over the years..."
Qin Rao's eyes darkened.
"Alright, you can all go do what you need to do." She shooed away the group of wealthy idlers and walked towards the young man with her wine glass in hand.
The fat man chuckled and said, "Alright, a moment of bliss is worth a thousand pieces of gold, so let's not get in the way of President Qin's good time." As he walked, he nudged Zhao Shi with his elbow, winked and teased in a low voice, "Brother, when are you going to get us a top-quality one like this? It doesn't have to be exactly the same, just a few points similar, and we'll be satisfied."
"Get out of the way, you're not going to be left out." Zhao Shi was obviously used to joking around with the fat man, and he had no patience for this group of friends who were good for eating, drinking and having fun in front of Qin Rao. As he walked away with them, he thoughtfully turned back to look at the beautiful young man who was as captivating as the moon.
...
The pitch-black night fell into the vast, deep sea, leaving only a few stars shining brightly.
The massive Margaret, like a tiny star in the deep blue universe, slowly sailed into the unfathomable darkness.
Inside the presidential suite on the top deck of the cruise ship, a secret, unseen passion was about to erupt. Like jade soaked in crimson rouge, a hidden fire seized a moth with colorful wings. A death throes of decadent beauty bloomed in despair, only to crumble in the surging tide.
The diamond earrings, which hadn't been removed in time, jingled, and an unbearable aura spread...
In the darkness, Yun Yao slightly turned her head away, briefly avoiding Qin Rao's greedy and burning pursuit.
Accompanying each such extreme intimacy was his suppressed pain and disgust, which followed him like a shadow.
Force yourself to be like a monster, devoid of emotion, driven only by destruction.
At these moments, Yun Yao truly realized that he was not indestructible; he was a suffering mortal.
The night stripped away his disguise; the rationality and calm of the day were nothing but self-deception. Could he ever be the person he used to be? He knew he couldn't. One can't have everything…
His night sky seemed to crumble, as fragments of his self disappeared into the tide of desire and darkness.
The storm finally subsided.
A spark appeared as Qin Rao lit a cigarette. Like a satiated wild beast, she finally relented slightly from the delicious tender meat at her side.
The bright red nail polish lingered on the warm, jade-like skin of the young man, as Qin Rao lazily exhaled a puff of wispy smoke.
She leaned down and gently kissed Yun Yao's earlobe, saying affectionately, "Baby, I really love you..."
Yun Yao closed his eyes and remained silent.
Like every day for the past six months, after darkness, the sun always rises as usual.
Yun Yao gently pulled away the woman's arms that were wrapped around his waist, got up and drew back the floor-to-ceiling curtains. The cries of seagulls and the sound of waves flooded his mind, and the faint sunlight seemed to bring his soul back to its place.
Another day has passed.
When will it end? Yun Yao always wanted to see an end that she could reach.
Thinking about what the little girl had said yesterday, he felt deeply that he couldn't pretend to be that depraved. However, he had made up his mind to be an even more boring piece of wood, an empty stone statue. Perhaps, this would make Qin Rao feel bored and disgusted with him sooner.
Thinking of this, Yun Yao smiled with a rare hint of anticipation.
Qin Rao quietly opened her eyes. The boy, smiling gently in the soft sunlight, had pupils like obsidian immersed in a cold pool. When he lowered his eyes, his eyelashes cast trembling shadows like butterfly wings on his eyelids, making him look as beautiful as a dream.
She recalled the intimate bliss of their embrace yesterday, and his smile now held an even more captivating charm that made her swoon.
...
Yun Yao and Qin Rao spent ten days on the Margaret Cruises. Except for the first day when Qin Rao took him to all sorts of dazzling places, she surprisingly stopped forcing him to participate in the following days.
Yun Yao thus gained a lot of rare free time.
These days, he spends most of his time alone on the huge ocean-view balcony of their room, enjoying the boundless blue sea, reading books, practicing basic dance skills, and savoring the rare tranquility.
Occasionally, when he went outside his room, Yun Yao would try to go to the public areas open to the cruise ship, chat casually with the friendly people lying on the beach chairs, and watch the sailors fishing together... He tried to avoid those with ulterior motives and the various kinds of gazes that were attracted because of Qin Rao's identity.
Yun Yao felt that he was quite able to endure loneliness. After his mother passed away, he seemed to have lost the impulsiveness and curiosity that his peers had.
Like some overly cautious little animal, he wished he could build the most airtight nest to surround himself and isolate himself from the world forever.
Qin Rao both loved and hated his personality. She loved how obedient and pitiful he was, but she also secretly hated how indifferent the boy was to desires. How could she possibly entice him to fall into depravity?
Over the course of six months, Qin Rao felt as if she were attacking a seemingly clear but unfathomable pool of water. No matter what she threw in, the still water would silently and calmly accept everything, then return to its original state, never changing.
At this moment, on this boundless ocean, Qin Rao's opinion of Yun Yao underwent some subtle changes.
A beautiful woman's skin is easy to find, but her true beauty is rare. Having been so fortunate to unearth such a truly unique and otherworldly beauty, what reason do I have not to be more patient?
The most exquisite games, like the finest wines, require time to develop.
...
Two years later.
Nanhang Dance Academy.
The annual graduation season is approaching again. The plane tree leaves on campus still bear the fresh green of late spring, casting dappled shadows in the sunlight.
The mirrors in the rehearsal hall have reflected the figures of countless dance students practicing every morning. Now, they are filled with the rehearsal of their graduation dance drama. The wind generated by their spins makes the balloons on the windowsill sway gently.
The queue in front of the cafeteria window snaked like a long snake, and suddenly a gasp erupted amidst the clatter of trays. A group of girls stood on tiptoe to look, their ponytails sweeping past those behind them. "Look! It's Yun Yao, the senior from the Classical Dance Department! He actually came to the cafeteria?"
Before the words were even finished, a tall, slender figure was reflected in the window. The way the person was selecting ingredients with their eyes down made the people in line hold their breath. Even the wooden spoon of the auntie serving the food was suspended in mid-air. It wasn't until a voice floated over and said, "Auntie, I want to pack this up. Thank you for your help," that the gasps of surprise rose and fell.
As the person walked away, the crowd that had been secretly watching suddenly started chattering and gossiping like birds.
"Don't you all know?" A girl whispered to her companions, "Senior Yun Yao has always been at school. I've seen him practicing dance several times when I was on duty. It's just that he's very low-key and usually doesn't practice at the same time as everyone else. If he weren't hardworking and diligent, he wouldn't have won so many dance awards."
Several girls whispered excitedly. One of them, wearing a sports hoodie, exclaimed with admiration, "Senior Yunyao is so amazing and so humble! When I went to the teacher's office before, I saw the academic transcripts that were about to be released, and he was among the top students. But if you weren't paying close attention, everyone would have thought that Senior Yunyao was only good at dancing."
For these young boys and girls, Yun Yao, the legend of the dance academy, is truly a mysterious and talented figure. Besides his unforgettable appearance, his past deeds, family controversies, and his very low-key, genius-like excellence are all hot topics among the freshmen of the dance academy every year.
"Tch, just the son of a corrupt official who's in jail." A disdainful male voice suddenly appeared in the crowd. "Only you freshmen don't know how big a scandal his father's case was back then. Your so-called senior, Yun Yao, didn't dare to come to school for several months!"
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, and soon dispersed. The girl in the hoodie muttered, "What era are we living in? They're still practicing collective punishment..." before being pulled away by her companions.
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