Chapter 2 Dance Rhythm Martial Soul "Can...can we exchange QQ numbers..."
The city-level Mid-Autumn Festival gala that I attended in my first year of junior high school was of a very high standard.
Zhu Qingting's experimental middle school is collaborating with a sports school in the same district to prepare for a large-scale martial arts dance program called "Dance Rhythm and Martial Spirit," which aims to combine strength and gentleness to showcase the beauty of tradition.
With her outstanding dance skills and her mother's influence in the local arts scene, Zhu Qingting became the lead dancer in the dance segment.
Early dance training took place in the dance studio at their own school.
However, because Zhu Qingting, the lead dancer, has to perform in a duet with the martial arts leader, she goes to the neighboring sports school with her instructor to practice on weekends.
It was in that training room at the sports school that she first met Chai Yundu.
He was selected from the sports school as the boy with the best martial arts performance, and he was responsible for performing a duet with her on a large red drum with a diameter of two meters during the climax of the show.
When I first met him, he was wearing a white training uniform, had a buzz cut, and his skin was a healthy wheat color from years of outdoor training. He stood tall and straight like a young poplar tree, but his eyes had a calmness that was rare for a boy his age, and you could even say that he was... dull.
When the instructor introduced the two, he only glanced at her before lowering his eyes again, staring at the tips of his sneakers as if they held some kind of ultimate martial arts manual.
The climax of "Dance Rhythm and Martial Spirit" is the fusion of martial arts and dance.
She represents "dance rhythm," and he represents "martial spirit."
To the beat of rousing drums, she needs to perform a difficult leap while being lifted up by him, mimicking a phoenix spreading its wings;
She needs to be held by the waist, bend backward, and show flexibility and trust;
You need to intertwine your arms with his, make eye contact, and convey a sense of mutual support and harmony.
For Zhu Qingting, who has been dancing for many years and is used to physical contact with her male teammates, these movements are nothing special.
But she discovered that her partner was having problems.
At first, Chai Yundu's martial arts demonstration on the red drum was smooth and natural, but as soon as there was any close contact such as holding hands or touching her waist, his body would instantly stiffen.
"Chai Yundu, relax! Don't be shy, she's your partner," the instructor said with a hint of helplessness. "You need to show a sense of protection and dance together, not the tension of being on a PK stage!"
The other mischievous male students from the sports school, who were peering out the window, burst into loud laughter.
Chai Yundu pursed his lips, his wheat-colored cheeks flushing with embarrassment, and said softly, "I'm sorry, teacher."
But the lift still failed.
The instructor was also helpless, fearing that he had been too pressured and the little boy couldn't adapt in time, so he let them rest and relax, and went outside to get some fresh air.
Chai Yundu knew he had slowed down the progress, so he didn't dare to rest for a moment and began practicing the movements the teacher had just taught him in front of the huge mirror.
Zhu Qingting sat cross-legged on the wooden floor, drank a few sips of water, massaged her calves to relieve the sore muscles, and her gaze drifted toward the figure who could make up for his lack of talent through hard work.
“Chai Yundu,” her voice was clear and bright, “do you hate me? Do you think I dance badly and am not worthy of performing with you?”
Chai Yundu froze, and after a long while, he replied in a dry voice, "No, it's just that I've never had any contact with girls before."
Zhu Qingting understood.
Having lived in an all-male environment in a martial arts team for many years, it must have been quite difficult for him to suddenly engage in such intimate actions with a girl.
“It’s okay,” she smiled, trying to ease the tension. “Just think of me as a guy, your teammate. We’re doing a combination move. Look, put your hands here,” she walked over to Chai Yundu, naturally taking his wrists and placing them loosely on her waist for leverage. “This is your support point. You need to stay steady, but I’m not relying on you entirely. I have my own core strength…”
She patiently explained the principles of force generation and key points of coordination for the movements, trying to get the other person to focus on the technique rather than her gender.
Chai Yundu was initially a little uncomfortable, but he gradually relaxed as she explained things to him. He wanted to treat Zhu Qingting like a long staff and martial arts knife that she practiced on the spot.
“Let’s do it again, in slow motion, without using any force, just go through the general movements,” Zhu Qingting suggested.
"Okay." He finally looked up at her, his eyes filled with more seriousness and gratitude.
When the instructor returned, he found that Chai Yundu was no longer resisting contact with Zhu Qingting.
Under the teacher's guidance, the two learned the complete set of collaborative movements. Subsequent practice focused on making the movements more fluid and graceful.
After the formal rehearsal ended that day, Zhu Qingting left with her dance teacher carrying her schoolbag, but suddenly remembered that she had left her water bottle in the practice room. So she said goodbye to her teacher and said she would go find the water bottle and go home by herself.
Then she discovered that Chai Yundu had not left, but was repeatedly practicing the movements he had just done in front of the full-length mirror.
Especially in the duet part, he had no dance partner, so he gestured to the air, sometimes frowning, sometimes pausing to think, adjusting the angle of his arms and the stride of his steps.
Zhu Qingting's competitive spirit led her to join in, saying, "Don't even think about practicing alone. The teacher will praise your rapid progress tomorrow!"
The two started practicing together, repeating the hugging, lifting, and spinning movements over and over again in front of the mirror.
From initial occasional stumbles to later tacit understanding. Sweat soaked their practice clothes, leaving dark marks on the floor.
With the performance approaching, the teachers from the Experimental Middle School no longer required the girls to attend academic classes every afternoon. Instead, they took the 20-odd girls to the sports school to practice for the entire performance.
During group rehearsals, Zhu Qingting met other male students from sports schools and discovered that Chai Yundu was different from others.
It wasn't just that his punches and kicks were sharper and more beautiful than others'; he also lacked the restlessness and slickness common among boys, possessing a stubbornness just like his own.
During practice, as soon as the instructor said "take a break," the other boys would immediately rush out of the gym as if granted a pardon, laughing and playing around.
Chai Yundu always practiced silently and attentively, striving to adjust the movements that the teacher had just suggested to the most perfect state.
After the costumes were finished, the teacher had them change into them and rehearse.
The boys in the martial arts team changed into golden silk training uniforms, with cinched waists and wide sleeves. Their movements were powerful and energetic, like a group of spirited young lions.
Zhu Qingting's outfit caught the attention of all the boys, causing a small commotion.
It was an extremely exquisite dance costume.
The inner garment was bright red, resembling an ancient-style bellyband, tied with thin straps behind the neck, exposing large expanses of smooth back skin. Over this, she wore a long, thin yellow gauze robe embroidered with subtle gold patterns, its hem fluttering as she danced.
There was a moment of silence in the practice room when Zhu Qingting changed her clothes and walked in.
She was already beautiful, and this outfit made her skin look even whiter and her figure even more slender.
"Wow! Junior Tingting, your outfit...it's hot!" A senior from the sports school whistled, his tone flippant. "Hey, free this weekend? How about hanging out with us? How about being my girlfriend?"
Her words drew laughter from more boys, who then gave her inappropriate looks.
The tone was undisguised, full of judgment and mockery, and utterly disrespectful.
Zhu Qingting's face flushed instantly, anger welling up inside her. She clenched her fists, wanting to retort, but felt somewhat intimidated by the tall and strong sports school students.
Just then, a figure blocked her way.
It is Chaiyundu.
He was half a head shorter than the senior who had led the commotion, and his figure was also slightly thinner, but his back was straight, like a long spear that would rather break than bend.
"Senior brother, I apologize." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a strange strength.
The senior brother was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting his usually quiet junior brother to step forward. Then, feeling he had lost face, he sneered, "What are you apologizing for? Can't I even crack a joke? It's none of your business!"
“Please apologize to her.” Chai Yundu repeated, his eyes fixed sharply on the other person, showing no sign of backing down. His hands, hanging at his sides, quietly clenched into fists, the knuckles turning white.
The atmosphere instantly became tense. The other boys who had been egging them on also quieted down.
The senior brother felt a little uneasy under his gaze, but refused to back down in front of everyone, still spewing vulgarities, "What? You want to protect the flower? Don't you know your own limitations..."
Before he could finish speaking, Chai Yundu suddenly moved!
Instead of attacking, he suddenly took a step forward, looked up, and almost nose-to-nose with his senior brother. The fierce aura honed in martial arts training suddenly erupted, and his eyes were as cold as ice.
"I'll say it one last time, I apologize." He spoke slowly and deliberately, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth.
The senior brother was stunned by his sudden aura and subconsciously took half a step back, a hint of panic flashing across his face.
The surroundings were completely silent.
After a few seconds of stalemate, the senior brother finally realized he was in the wrong, or perhaps he was frightened by Chai Yundu's reckless gaze, and muttered sullenly, "Fine, fine, sorry, okay?" Then he slunk out of the training room.
Chai Yundu then slowly turned around and looked at Zhu Qingting. The coldness in his eyes quickly faded, and he said in a low voice, "It's alright now."
At that moment, as Zhu Qingting looked at the young man who had stood up for her, her heart felt as if it had been gently struck by something, and a strange, slightly sweet emotion quietly spread through her.
The grand Mid-Autumn Festival gala was held as scheduled, and "Dance of Martial Arts" was an unprecedented success.
On the red drum, she, in a red and yellow dance costume, moved gracefully like a startled swan, while he, in a golden outfit, moved nimbly like a swimming dragon. The interplay of strength and gentleness, power and beauty, created a breathtaking scene.
The end of the performance also signifies the end of the collaboration.
Back then, the most popular communication software was Tencent QQ.
So when the group disbanded, Zhu Qingting mustered her courage and caught up with Chai Yundu, who was about to leave.
“Chai Yundu,” her voice was a little tight, “could we…could we exchange QQ numbers? We can…keep in touch in the future.”
Chai Yundu stopped and turned to look at her. After a few seconds of silence, he said in a low voice, "I don't have a computer or a mobile phone. So I don't have a QQ number."
He spoke calmly, as if he were not lying.
Zhu Qingting took out a notebook from her backpack, quickly wrote down a string of numbers, tore off a piece of paper, and handed it to him.
"This is my QQ number. You can add me after you register," she said with a bright smile.
"Okay." He glanced at her, then turned and joined the group of sports school students, never looking back.
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