Chapter 108: Rewards of Choice
The entrance door closed gently, and Akiko deftly removed her boots, her heels tapping softly against the floor. She glanced around the living room, where she and Jiu sat in a corner of the sofa, their figures blending into the dim light. The wine glass in his hand was almost empty. He didn't look up, simply stroking the glass gently with his fingers, as if savoring the taste, or perhaps numbing himself with the monotonous touch.
"I'm coming in," Akiko said casually, her voice relaxed, as if to say, "It's a nice day today." She didn't expect a response, and indeed didn't wait for one. She walked around to the wine cabinet, picked out a bottle of red wine, opened it, and poured herself a glass.
She sat down on the other side of the sofa, glass in hand, and lit a slender woman's cigarette with a quick, casual movement. The flame flickered in the dim living room, sending wisps of smoke emanating from it. Akiko took a drag, then casually picked up her phone and swiped open the screen. A notification popped up about a trending search, along with a preview of an image. She glanced at it, a faint smile curling her red lips.
"Hey, do you want to take a look?" She held the phone in front of Kazuki. In the photo on the screen, Yuzuru Hanyu caught Suginohara Raku in front of the car in the parking lot. The picture of their hug was frozen just right, and the lights made them look like a celebrity couple surrounded by people.
He Jiu didn't take the phone, nor did he reply. His gaze was fixed on the bottle of wine on the table, his expression showing no noticeable change. Zhao Zi, however, didn't seem to mind. She chuckled, put down her phone, and leaned back on the sofa. "Do you think she feels like the protagonist at a time like this?"
“She was the protagonist.”
"Oh~ Sorry, I said the wrong thing," Akiko said, exhaling a puff of smoke. Her apology was particularly perfunctory, and she casually stopped scrolling on her phone. The photo—Suginohara Raku, embraced by Yuzuru Hanyu under the spotlight—was like a statement that could not be ignored. Still, she raised an eyebrow and sighed, "I'm so envious. Yuzuru Hanyu looks so gentle, isn't that why she likes him? What do you think?"
As soon as she finished speaking, He Jiu suddenly reached out and snatched the phone from her hand. The screen flickered in the dim light, then it slammed heavily onto the coffee table with a dull thud. Before Zhaozi could say anything, He Jiu had already rushed over, his hands on her shoulders, pressing her firmly into the sofa. His eyes were downcast, as if trying to hide some emotion that was about to overflow.
"That's enough," he said, his voice low, but unable to conceal his irritability and depression, "I don't want to know at all."
Akiko didn't look frightened, she leaned back on the sofa and looked lazily into Kazuki's eyes. The smile on her lips deepened, as if she had found some kind of amusement.
"Oh, such a big reaction." She tilted her head and said lazily, "She's so obviously resisting. Is it because she's really quite enviable?"
He Jiu's eyes suddenly darkened and his fingers tightened suddenly.
Seeing this, Zhaozi laughed even more wildly. She leaned close to Hejiu's ear and said with a half-smile, "But, I think I need to seriously reiterate something today—" She paused, a sly glint in her eyes, "Old rules, no matter who you're thinking of, if you dare call the wrong name, get off me."
Her voice was neither hurried nor slow, with a certainty and frivolity that was hard to ignore.
"You talk too much today." He Jiu frowned, took the cigarette from her hand, and threw it into her unfinished red wine glass. The sparks died out, but the temperature in the room became hotter.
The same moonlight, the same moonlight, shines through the gauze curtains of another living room balcony, falling quietly on the sofa.
The sound of running water in the bathroom gradually died down, and the door was gently pushed open, letting steam and a warm, moist air flow into the living room. Yuzuru Hanyu was casually draped in a dark bathrobe, his hair still dripping with water. As he exited the bathroom, his eyes strayed to Le, who was lying on the sofa.
She leaned back on the sofa, clutching her iPad. The screen cast a soft glow, casting a shimmer of light and shadow on her face. She lowered her head, flipping through the screen slowly, tears silently falling onto her embracing knees. The light outlined her figure, fragile yet with a touch of resilience. Hanyu paused, and in that instant, his mind flashed back to the final scene on stage—Margaret leaning back on the chaise longue, clutching her diary, the light of life fading from her body. Le's appearance unexpectedly overlapped with that image, and a strange, stabbing pain ripped through his chest.
"What, what's wrong?" He walked over quickly, his tone unconsciously flustered. He put down the towel, squatted in front of her, brows furrowed, and asked tentatively, "Did you see something unpleasant to comment on? Or... did the media write about the backstage affairs again?"
His eyes quickly scanned the iPad in her hand, but he couldn't catch the words on the screen. He remembered that when he first came home, she was in a good mood, even humming a cheerful tune in the bathroom, but now, why was she suddenly crying?
"Tell me, is someone writing something wrong again?" Yuzuru Hanyu lowered his voice, his worry evident, tinged with simmering anger. He raised his hand to snatch her iPad, but paused mid-flight, as if afraid of disturbing her.
Le raised her head, her eyes moist. She sniffed and tried to force a smile. "No..." She shook her head, her tone a little hoarse. "There's no random writing, and no bad comments."
Yuzuru Hanyu's hand finally rested gently on the side of her face, his fingertips wiping away her falling tears. His brows were still furrowed, his eyes filled with anxiety and confusion. "Why is that? You seemed quite happy before..."
I was so happy that I ignored the flashing lights and walked over the crowd to hug him.
Le didn't answer immediately, only sniffing as he looked at the person squatting before him. His hastily brushed hair was still tangled on top of his head, the ends of which were wet with water droplets that would fall, dripping onto his brows, which were furrowed in worry, and sliding down his nose like a tear.
Seeing that she didn't answer, he quickly took the iPad from her arms.
@EtoileWatcher:
Tonight's performance of "La Traviata" was the first time I felt how deeply intertwined a dancer and a character could be. Suginohara Raku's Marguerite wasn't just a character on stage, but a reflection of herself—innocent, brave, yet burdened by gazes others couldn't understand. She didn't interpret Marguerite through acting; instead, she reshaped the character through her own experiences, imbuing her with an unprecedented sense of authenticity.
Margaret's life was scrutinized through countless tinted glasses, her sincere efforts shattered at every turn, yet she always chose to respond with love. The same is true of Suginohara Raku. She possessed such a pure heart, yet rumors and misunderstandings once drove her into hiding. But tonight, she bravely stood center stage, telling us through her dance that she had long since transcended those constraints.
She's playing Margaret, but more like herself. Every gaze, every pause, every movement of her arms outstretched, seems to recount the path she's walked. She's not just acting; she's engaging us with a part of her being.
I feel deeply fortunate to have seen her like this. Through her story and her dance, Suginohara Raku demonstrates the most moving power of ballet: a resonance that transcends the stage and a profound expression of the essence of life. I hope more people will see her and understand her. Tonight, she is not only Margaret, but also Suginohara Raku herself.
After reading every word, Yuzuru Hanyu seemed to understand the source of her tears.
"Yuzuru Hanyu." She suddenly called his name.
"Um?"
"Hanyu Yuzuru." She was dissatisfied with his simple nasal response and called out again.
"Yes." This time he understood and responded to her seriously.
"I did it." She smiled with her eyes curved, tears welling up in her eyes and falling like pearls from a broken string. "I did it. Isn't it great?"
Yuzuru Hanyu was stunned, his movements frozen for a moment, before he wiped the tears from her face even more carefully, his fingers trembling slightly. His tone softened, "Yeah, it's really great." He looked down at her, his eyes filled with mixed emotions, as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately chose silence.
Le did not hesitate any longer. She slowly approached him and gently kissed his lips.
The light in the living room shone quietly on them, the sound of the wind outside the window became distant, and the whole world seemed to freeze at this moment. Warmth and emotion intertwined in a silent kiss and flowed slowly.
A gentle scent lingered between the two, their embrace still warm. Le leaned against his chest, listening to his rising and falling breathing and strong heartbeat, feeling reassured. After such a thrilling performance, and then such a willful display, even after months of intensive physical training, Le felt a bit overwhelmed. She leaned against his chest, her eyelids drooping.
"happy……"
The sound vibrated through her chest and reached her eardrums, and she subconsciously answered him with a nasal hum.
"sorry……"
"Hmm? What's going on?" She closed her eyes and frowned, not responding to the strange turn of events.
"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have to work so hard to face the things you fear and avoid." He caressed her smooth back with heartache, his fingertips gently smoothing her hair. Seeing that she didn't respond, he thought she was tired and asleep, so he spoke more unscrupulously, "That time when we were fighting with He Jiu, he said that if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have to dig out that piece of rotten meat. I'm so proud to see you standing on the stage today, but I also blame myself... I know how much you have paid, I know it better than anyone... But am I really worth it... Let you..."
"Yuzuru Hanyu."
She suddenly called his name and spoke, startling him.
"You've started it again!" She frowned and climbed to her feet, looking down at him seriously. "Do you understand how proud and happy I am of the choices I've made and everything I've done? Do you understand?"
"I understand!" he explained hastily. "I'm proud too. I really am..."
The moment she stood in the center of the stage, accepting the audience's applause, he was truly incredibly proud... but also incredibly guilty... Especially, when he saw He Jiu's eyes looking at her through the telescope, his mind couldn't help but wonder what if...
If it wasn't him, but He Jiu...
This road doesn't need to be so difficult...
"Hiss—ah! What are you doing!" His wandering thoughts were interrupted by the sudden pain in his chest. "Why did you bite me?"
"What kind of nonsense are you thinking about again?" She was so angry that she wanted to bite him on the other side. "If it weren't for you, if I hadn't seen Yuzuru Hanyu standing up on the ice that day, almost suffocating, gritting his teeth, I wouldn't even think about facing the sunlight again the next day. If you didn't always ask me to discuss the feeling of artistic expression, I wouldn't even want to continue polishing my performance. If you didn't need to explore new training methods, I might have given up long ago! Do you understand?"
She suddenly spoke a lot of words at an extremely fast speed, which stunned Yuzuru Hanyu. He could only blink blankly, trying to make his brain process her information.
"It's because of you that I realized I still wanted this stage. I changed from just finding a job that I was good at to pursuing something I didn't want to waste my talent and effort on. It's because of you that I have the courage to face all this. Do you understand?" Looking at his stunned expression, Le was furious. He said a lot of things in a row, but when he saw that he still didn't answer, he was so angry that tears came out. He simply stood up and didn't want to waste time talking to him.
As soon as I stood up, he grabbed my waist and pulled me back.
"I love you!" He hugged her from behind and shouted his confession loudly
"You're crazy!" Le didn't buy into this nonsensical way of coaxing her. He struggled to tear her hands off his waist. "I've said so much, but you don't understand! There are so many people who like me! Let me go!"
"I don't! I like you! And you like me too!" Yuzuru Hanyu simply started to act like a spoiled child. "And you just said it yourself, you actually liked me the first time you saw me, right?"
The struggle suddenly stopped...
"Stop talking nonsense..." His voice was obviously weaker, and he seemed a little unconfident.
However, when the two sides are in confrontation, as long as one's arrogance weakens a little, the other will be caught.
"I didn't... you said it, all these years, it's all because of me... didn't I like it?"
"You're the reason I'm in trouble... Stop it, I'm angry..."
...Finally there is that...takeout~
"Besides, I like you and I love you. This is the answer just now, do you understand?"
He didn't understand. Yuzuru Hanyu was completely devastated.
Seeing his silly look, Le lowered her head and smiled, then when she looked up again, she leaned over and kissed his soft lips.
"I chose you, I chose this path. I know all the hardships and costs that need to be paid, but I still chose you, chose this path. Do you understand? Now it's the same. I choose you."
The takeaway is delicious.
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