Chapter 48, Number 48: He gave her a kiss.
The hand showed no intention of leaving; instead, it pressed down on his shoulder in that position.
The shoulder she touched seemed to gain a lot of weight, making it impossible for the knight to ignore this strong presence. He lowered his eyes to hide the surging emotions in them.
The knight exhaled softly to calm his thoughts. In the instant he turned to confront the prince, he didn't notice that his breath, barely perceptible, had landed on the princess's hand.
The hand resting on his shoulder trembled slightly at the fingertips, curled up briefly, then relaxed before returning to normal. With the knight's tall frame obscuring her view, the princess's gaze shifted slightly to the side, landing on the high, straight bridge of his nose in profile.
The cold light from the stage ceiling hung straight down, and Xu Wu could even clearly see the tiny downy hairs on his nose under the light and shadow.
The first act ended with the princess and prince's first encounter. The curtain was drawn again, and the ball props were quickly carried onto the stage and arranged by volunteers.
The entire stage was plunged into darkness, with a single beam of light illuminating only the princess and prince dancing to the melodious music.
The knight stood quietly to the side, waiting. Only when the two dancers were close to him did the light from the lamplight shine on his clothes as if it were a favor.
From a distance, none of the audience noticed the knight's tense body or how tightly he gripped the sword hilt with his left hand, so tightly that his fingernails turned white.
Jie Yingwei looked at Shang Xu's hand on Xu Wu's waist with a sullen face. His expression was not good, but fortunately, no light or shadow illuminated his facial expression, so no one noticed.
Xu Wu was really thin; her waist was very slender, and when Jie Ying wrapped his arms around her from behind, he could encircle her with one hand.
And now, the person openly embracing her waist is Shang Xu, enjoying applause and cheers in front of thousands of people.
It was blindingly bright, yet it stared at me relentlessly, as if seeking torture, refusing to look away even a fraction of an inch.
Jie Ying pursed her lips, her chest heaving as she looked up, her eyes meeting Xu Wu's.
Shang Xu had his back to him, while Xu Wu was facing him from afar, nestled in his arms.
Jie Ying was slightly stunned. The background around him became increasingly desolate and dark, with only the princess's figure gradually becoming clear in the beam of light until he looked into the depths of her eyes.
The collision in the air was a secret, fleeting moment, lasting only two or three seconds, before the princess quickly looked away.
But the prince seemed to have discovered her ulterior motives, and he gripped her hand even tighter, squeezing it even more firmly right under the knight's nose.
Fu Xi, who was watching from the side of the stage and occasionally raising his phone to take close-up shots, was obviously unaware of this subtle chemical reaction. After taking another picture, he handed it to Chu Lian next to him, proudly asking him to evaluate his photography skills.
“That’s good,” Chu Lian nodded fairly, “much better than that one on stage who only shows favoritism.”
"Of course," Fu Xi said smugly, then looked at the stage where the ball was about to end and said with a sigh, "Luckily, the aversion wasn't too severe, otherwise what would have happened to the ball?"
“Speaking of which,” Chu Lian looked down at Fu Xi and asked in confusion, “has she always been resistant to contact?”
“I don’t know her very well either. She was like this when I first met her. She did some desensitization training for the New Year’s Day performance and she got much better,” Fu Xi answered truthfully.
Desensitization?
"yes."
"With whom?"
"There are only two people on stage, guess for yourself."
As they were talking, Fu Xi casually snapped another photo, quickly counted the number in the album, and only stopped when he felt that was about right. He then called Chu Lian to go offstage and wait for the performance to end.
The two had barely found an open spot downstairs when the ball scene upstairs was almost over.
The ballroom lights suddenly went out, and before anyone could react, the prince gave the order to have his guards surround the ballroom.
The invited nobles began to panic, and the old king was so frightened that he hid behind his chair with his hands covering his head. Only the princess remained calm and composed, fanning herself with her fan.
Surrounded by enemies on all sides, the prince was perplexed and asked the princess, "Aren't you afraid?"
The princess laughed too: "What's there to be afraid of?"
"I approach you, plotting against your country. Shouldn't you be afraid?"
"That's something to be afraid of."
The princess remained noncommittal, but stepped back in front of the prince, keeping pace with the approaching knight, who once again protected her behind him.
She opened her fan to cover half her face, revealing only a pair of strategic eyes. Her body was extremely close to the knight, so close that she could feel his stiffness and tension.
The princess habitually placed her hand on the knight's hand gripping the sword hilt, and said softly with a smile that concealed a knife, "You're going to die."
She was referring to the prince's life or death. The knight was not surprised to hear this and hummed in agreement. The hand covering the back of his hand, using the body as cover, slipped a finger into his palm and gently scratched it.
The fingers were cunning, only skimming across the palm like a dragonfly skimming the water, and the lingering warmth mixed with a few ticklish sensations quickly surged up.
Xu Wu clearly noticed that Jie Ying paused, her breathing became heavy for a few seconds, and her gaze turned to him was dark and unfathomable, with a silent flame deep in her pupils, flickering yet burning fiercely.
It was completely intentional; his eyes conveyed that accusatory meaning.
Xu Wu understood, and the eyes that were revealed beneath the fan were incredibly cunning.
The princess said, "After he dies, you must hold a ball for me."
A concise and to-the-point command.
The knight replied, "Yes, sir."
The rebellion was suppressed, and the princess, together with the king who was pretending to be weak but actually strong, took advantage of the situation to conquer the neighboring country that was eager to make a move, and successfully obtained the title of heir.
The curtain falls, the curtain rises.
It's that familiar dance hall again.
The final scene.
The princess and the knight walked out face to face, and the princess asked him, "Did you succeed?"
The knight stared at his beautiful mistress, his Adam's apple bobbing, and replied in a hoarse voice, "I did it."
Hearing the satisfactory answer, the princess's smile deepened.
She then asked, "So what reward do you want?"
"Anything is fine?"
"Within my power."
The knight gave the princess a deep look, and then—
He took a few steps forward, and under the watchful eyes of everyone, Jie Ying took Xu Wu's hand and knelt down on one knee amidst the astonished gazes and the deafening screams and gasps from all around.
The hand he was holding was cold; the chill rubbed against the warmth of his skin.
"Wait a minute," Fu Xi, who was watching from below the stage, was stunned. She turned to Chu Lian and asked incredulously, "Is this scene in the script?"
According to the script, the final scene should have ended with the knight kneeling down to pledge his loyalty after the princess asked about the reward; they didn't get that close at all.
"It's an on-the-spot reaction," Chu Lian said, his lips twitching.
Fu Xi had a headache; this was just too much trouble.
Soon after, the playground, which had been silent for a few seconds, erupted into a deafening roar that nearly lifted the roof off.
She suddenly looked up—
The knight bowed his head reverently and pressed the princess's noble hand against his vile lips.
The breath that escaped between his teeth sprayed onto his skin, and his warm and soft lips touched him only once. Then, a dense heat emanated from his fingertips, gradually dispelling the chill that surrounded his body.
Xu Wu was stunned. The whistling sound in her ears was ignored, and all she could see in her lowered gaze was Jie Ying's bowed head.
On a stage known to all, he gave her a kiss.
The curtain falls.
In the audience, most of the girls in the front row stared wide-eyed and whispered among themselves.
"My goodness, the food on this year's show is so good?"
"I'm going to try my luck on the confession wall."
"This is much more interesting than song, dance and speeches."
Backstage, Xu Wu felt a little awkward and avoided making eye contact with Jie Ying. After the performance, she bypassed him to go to the dressing room to get her backpack, and then went to the restroom to change out of her complicated performance costume.
After coming out of the restroom, she stood in front of the mirror and placed her hand under the faucet, waiting for it to sense her and automatically flush.
After washing my hands, I put them in the hand dryer on the wall for a while until they were completely dry before taking them out.
She was the only one in the restroom at that time, and the noise from the playground couldn't reach her.
Xu Wu looked up at herself in the mirror, and even with makeup on, her cheeks were still slightly red.
Everyone would assume that scene was scripted and nothing would happen.
But......
She braced herself against the sink, closed her eyes, and exhaled heavily. The cold wind blowing from the countertop made her thoughts rather muddled. In the brief moment of waiting for the lockdown to be lifted, she unexpectedly remembered something.
It seems that Jie Ying made a similar move during a previous rehearsal of this scene.
He knelt down then, trying to grab her hand, but she dodged it without leaving a trace.
If that's the case, Xu Wu frowned. Was this a long-planned conspiracy?
Realizing that he had planned to do this, Xu Wu's face turned terribly sour.
Do you need to put on some clothes?
The sudden sound pulled her back from her thoughts. Xu Wu opened her eyes and turned around, bumping right into Jie Ying, who was standing outside the door holding a down jacket.
"You..." she exclaimed in shock, "This is the women's restroom."
Jie Ying blinked and said, "I didn't go in."
"......"
It's not a question of whether we can get in or not; just standing outside is terrifying enough.
"You came to deliver clothes?"
"Hmm." Jie Ying stretched the clothes in her arms forward a little.
"That's all?"
"That fog hopes, hopes that I should, should do something?"
Unlike himself, Jie Ying was still wearing his knight's uniform, and Xu Wu stared at him intently.
She had to admit that she was indeed a little captivated by his attire.
But it's only human nature to be attracted to beautiful things.
but-
Don't wear that outfit and then smile at her with that kind of face.
For some reason, Xu Wu felt that the back of his hand, which had been kissed by him on stage, was still faintly hot.
The burning sensation intensified, spreading upwards to her neck and causing a red flush.
"Does the reward from just now still count?" he suddenly asked.
Xu Wu didn't react.
Jie Ying walked in and stopped in front of her, the distance between them getting closer and closer.
He looked down at Xu Wu, and after a long while, he sighed. It felt like a hole had been torn open in his heart, and some of the bad traits that were not usually shown began to emerge.
“I don’t like him touching you,” he said in a low voice, silently atoning for himself, but his words remained unchanged. “Even if, even if it’s just an act.”
I'm sorry, Jieying wants to kneel down and beg for forgiveness.
He knew perfectly well how much Xu Wu enjoyed that kind of stage, yet he foolishly said he couldn't accept that person meeting Xu Wu.
Jealousy and other intense emotions unseen by Xu Wu lay dormant beneath the calm waves, poised to erupt and engulf him completely, causing his thoughts and actions to be abandoned by his irrational mind.
After a two-second silence, Xu Wu asked, "So?"
“Cover it up.” He looked directly at her.
Her hand was held again, and then a clear, gentle voice entered her ears once more—
"May I kiss you this time?"
Author's Note: 520 Short Stories—Resonance Doll.
Xu Wu has been having a strange feeling lately. Every time before going to bed, she feels her wrist or palm being gently pinched.
It wasn't a very strong force, it was even as light as a dragonfly skimming the water, and it dissipated in an instant. What puzzled her was that it actually left a red mark on her wrist that disappeared in just two or three seconds.
So she decided to confide this trouble to Fu Xi.
"They've been bewitched," Fu Xi commented.
......
I doubt I'll get any information out of them.
Xu Wu sighed, his gaze wandering aimlessly until he inadvertently caught sight of Jie Ying walking towards them from not far away, along with the little bear pendant he was holding.
Seeing the teddy bear she had discarded, Xu Wu was clearly reminded of unpleasant memories. She snorted coldly and gave him a sour look.
I was trying to change my posture, leaning against the low wall with my hands resting on it, but I accidentally hit it hard with too much force.
"Hiss—" Xu Wu gasped as a sharp pain shot through her arm.
"Are you alright?" Fu Xi was also startled and quickly came over to check on him.
but-
Whether it was a misperception or not, Xu Wu noticed out of the corner of his eye that the teddy bear pendant in Jie Ying's hand seemed to shake violently before he pulled it back into his palm.
The instant this action occurred, Xu Wu actually felt someone pull her arm around her and draw her into their embrace.
...
night.
Xu Wu sat cross-legged on the bed, lost in thought, recalling all the incredible things that had happened that day. Suddenly, as if realizing something, her pupils widened in disbelief.
After hesitating several times, she finally picked up her phone and sent a message to Jie Ying.
"Five: Why did you bring your keychain to school today?"
Don't you usually keep it very carefully in your bedroom?
Although he knew it was inappropriate to ask this question, Xu Wu couldn't help but want to verify his conjecture.
Fortunately, Jieying recovered quickly.
"Stalker: I don't feel safe leaving him at home."
"Stalker: Afraid of bumps and scrapes"
"Five: It's clearly just a keychain, isn't it?"
The other party was silent for a moment, then replied—
"Stalker: It's different, I'm afraid of you."
The moment Xu Wu saw those two words, it indirectly confirmed her absurd and unbelievable guess in her mind.
She asked—
Five: You've been sleeping with it these past two days.
The screen shows that the other party is typing, but there is no reply.
Xu Wu closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying his best to calm his chest, which was heaving due to his rising anger. The bruises on his hand joints still seemed to be throbbing slightly.
"Five: If you dare use it for anything disgusting, I will definitely kill you."
"Five: Give it back to me tomorrow, immediately, right now!"
The reply from the other side was irrelevant.
"Stalker: Is Fog's hand feeling better?"
"Five: Don't change the subject. From now on, you'd better not touch this accessory."
Otherwise, even with the two words still in the typing box, her typing hand would pause for a second.
Suddenly, I felt a warm, soft touch on my hand joint for two seconds, as if something soft had touched it and then quickly moved away. Surprisingly, the bruise that was just aching had now inexplicably lost most of its pain.
Jie Ying ignored her warnings and did something.
Xu Wu blinked a moment later, her earlobes turning red with a belated embarrassment.
Only later did I realize that it was Jieying's kiss.
-
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