Chapter 9
New Year's Day was approaching, and rehearsals were drawing to a close. The heating in the high school activity center always seemed to be cranked up too high. Zhao Jinglu arrived at the rehearsal room early, looking at her slightly flushed cheeks in the mirror. She couldn't tell if it was the heat or the unspeakable secret she was carrying.
The boys arrived one after another. After a few runs in, everyone was obviously more familiar with each other. As soon as they came in, they each found a place to stretch. Zhang Hao and Sun Wei were still arguing about a goal in yesterday's NBA game.
Ling Peng was the last one to come in, still carrying the sports bag. His eyes habitually looked for the figure of the "little teacher". Seeing that she was already there, he nodded to her slightly as he did the previous times.
Zhao Jinglu's heart skipped a beat. She subconsciously avoided his gaze, lowering her head and quickly pressing the play button on her MP3 player. "We're in the final section today, so the formations will change a lot. Everyone, please pay attention." Her voice sounded more businesslike than usual.
She found herself unable to look at Ling Peng as naturally as before. Every time she locked eyes with him, Su Xiaowen's words, "Don't steal from me," would echo in her ears, making her feel like a thief with ulterior motives. This inexplicable sense of guilt forced her to avoid him.
The music started. The choreography for the final section was indeed complex, requiring a high degree of coordination, movement, interplay, and coordination. Zhao Jinglu stood at the front, trying to focus completely on everyone's movements and the overall formation.
"A little too late!"
"Move a little to the left!"
"Range of movement!"
Her instructions were still clear, but she rarely went over to anyone to personally correct their movements, especially Ling Peng. Even if she saw that his movements were still not relaxed enough, she would just shout from a distance, "Relax your wrists! Feel them sink a little deeper!"
Ling Peng seemed to have sensed something. During a crossover maneuver requiring coordination between the two of them, he nearly bumped into Zhao Jinglu while trying to figure out his route. Zhao Jinglu suddenly leaped back like a startled rabbit, her movement so dramatic that everyone else looked over.
"S-Sorry," Ling Peng froze for a moment and apologized subconsciously, "I wasn't looking at the road."
"No...it's okay." Zhao Jinglu quickly lowered her head, pretending to adjust the hem of her clothes. Her cheeks burned fiercely, as if what had just happened wasn't a touch, but rather the embarrassment of being exposed on the spot. "Everyone, pay attention to your position! Keep an eye on the people around you!"
During breaks, she squatted by the speakers, pretending to study music, no longer listening to Zhang Hao and the others' banter as she used to. Ling Peng, holding a water bottle, glanced several times at the small figure who was clearly avoiding him, his brows furrowed slightly, seemingly puzzled.
Zhang Hao came over and whispered, "Brother Peng, have you noticed? The little teacher seems a little off today. It's like she's trying to avoid us."
Ling Peng withdrew his gaze, screwed the bottle cap on, and said expressionlessly: "You think too much. Just dance." In fact, he also noticed it, but he didn't understand why. He could only simply and directly attribute it to a change in teaching methods or a "child's temper."
In the second half of practice, Zhao Jinglu maintained an even more deliberate distance. She found that when she treated Ling Peng purely as a teaching task to be completed, rather than a guy who had been "reserved" by her best friend and made her feel flustered and a little bitter, she was able to focus more.
Finally, practice was over. Zhao Jinglu almost immediately dismissed the class and quickly began to pack her things.
"Thank you for your hard work, little teacher!" the boys shouted and left one after another.
As usual, Ling Peng was the last one to arrive. When he reached the door, he stopped as usual, as if he wanted to say something.
Zhao Jinglu's heart suddenly began to tighten.
But he said nothing in the end. He just looked at her again, said "bye" and turned away.
The door closed gently. Zhao Jinglu breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the cool mirror. Her palms were surprisingly damp.
It will be over soon, come on.
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