Chapter 53 Return
Coming out of the waiting area, Baiyin opened her mouth, trying to relax her tense jaw. Even the base of her tongue felt like it was cramping. Third place, judging by her score, was a decent performance, but she was incredibly nervous, so nervous she could barely hear the music at first.
She hesitated at the dialog box on her phone.
Should I tell Sister Le about my performance? But she completely forgot about the dance moves while on the ice. Her mind was focused on spinning and leaping, relying entirely on muscle memory for the movements. Even earlier, during practice, she could still recall the Liang Zhu story Sister Le had told her, the classical dance versions she'd performed in the studio, and find the rhythm and breath in the music.
But this is not possible in official competitions.
It seemed as if she had let down the dance studio teacher who had recommended Sister Le to guide her, and also let down Sister Le's patience.
After hesitating, I edited a message and sent it.
Baiyin: Sister Le, I came in third in the free skate this time. I'm still very nervous, but I'll continue to practice hard and won't let your guidance down. I wish you all the best in your interview.
She checked the time and thought it was time for bed. Without waiting for a reply, she put her phone away with peace of mind.
Baiyin's consideration was correct. Le really didn't have time to reply to her message right now. It wasn't because he went to bed so early, but because she was a little too busy right now.
【Well, I believe you.】
As soon as she said this, Yuzuru Hanyu hugged her tightly in his arms. He rested his head on her shoulder and his voice became a little nasal.
"That's great, that's great... I was scared to death..." He murmured in her ear, repeating these words over and over again.
"Yuzuru...what's wrong with you?"
She raised her hand and touched the back of his head.
Yuzuru Hanyu said nothing, simply burying his face deeper into her neck. He didn't want to tell her that since waking from last night's dream, he had been in a state of deep anxiety. He knew exactly where her heart lay, and no one else could understand more than he did the courage it had taken for her to persevere until now. Because of this, no matter how he reasoned, dating him seemed to push her towards everything she feared.
He can confidently say that he supports her choice in work, but what if he is also one of the options?
The room was silent for a moment, his nasal breathing particularly noticeable. Le patted his back comfortingly and left his embrace. She gently wiped the tears from his face with her fingertips and leaned in to kiss him.
She gently licked his soft lips, which still tasted bitter from tears. He also cupped the back of her head and kissed her earnestly. Each kiss was filled with love.
When they separated, Le looked at his red eyes, curled the corners of his mouth, and spoke in a gentle voice.
"Do it?"
In Hanyu Yuzuru's somewhat surprised eyes, she still looked at him firmly and gently, and leaned over and kissed his lips again.
"I want..."
Before you could finish your words, she was carried sideways into the bedroom.
He gently placed her on the bed. The light from the lamp beside her was much brighter. Le raised his arm to his eyes and squinted to avoid looking. But she had no idea that her current appearance had already attracted Yuzuru Hanyu's attention.
"Does it hurt? I'll go slower." A low, hoarse voice pressed against her forehead.
She raised her hand to stroke his sweat-stained bangs. In the dim light, her eyes filled with tenderness, she traced his features, as if silently carving his appearance in her heart. She leaned over and kissed his cheek, then shook her head.
"It's not sad. Because it's you, I'm happy."
Her heartfelt confession took Yuzuru Hanyu's breath away. He stared blankly at the person beneath him, then suddenly understood what she meant. He didn't need to ask any further questions; his uneasiness had already been answered.
Because it was him, she was prepared for everything.
"So cunning, Le." He repeatedly accused in a low voice.
The nights in early spring are still a little chilly, and the sweat on my body is gradually carried away by the cool and dry air, and I feel a hint of coolness.
"It's so heavy..." She complained softly and pushed him.
He got up and carefully wiped Le Jianjian with a tissue. He pulled the quilt over her and then sat with his back to her.
He would occasionally raise his hand to rub his face, then tilt his head back and sniff. He looked like he'd suffered some terrible injustice. He didn't know who was that person who just now looked like he was about to rip someone apart.
Le smiled helplessly, stood up and hugged him from behind.
"I'm a little cold, and it's uncomfortable to feel sticky all over." She rubbed her head against his slender neck.
"Let's go to the hot springs and warm up." Hanyu Yuzuru sniffed hard, picked up the yukata that had been thrown aside, put it on Le, carefully gathered the collar for her, and then simply put on his own. He carried her to the private bath in the courtyard.
What Yuzuru Hanyu was most satisfied with about the hot spring hotel he booked was probably the Japanese-style garden. The private hot spring was surrounded by stones that were scattered in an orderly manner to create the feeling of a natural hot spring, and there was also a cherry tree next to it.
The cherry blossoms had just opened at this time of year, and a few petals fell in the breeze, appearing even more quiet and beautiful under the moonlight.
Le's long hair was tied up, and she felt a little sleepy under the embrace of the hot spring water. She leaned on Yuzuru Hanyu's shoulder and her eyelids were twitching.
"Don't sleep in the hot spring~" He scooped up a handful of water and sprinkled it on Le's face. She pouted and sat up straight.
She took a deep breath, cheered herself up, looked at the cherry blossoms swaying in the breeze in front of her, and remembered the decision she had made when she was soaking in the hot spring alone before dinner.
"Yuzuru, I've made up my mind. I've decided to join K Troupe's new dance drama project." She raised her hand to catch a cherry blossom petal that floated into her hand. "I don't know if I can do well, and I don't know how far I can go in the future. But I don't want to give up the opportunity, and I don't want to regret it. As for the media and everything, I have to try to face it. What do you think?"
"If you don't want to, you don't have to learn." He held her hand tightly underwater.
"Let me try, if it doesn't work I'll run away again." She smiled.
"Okay. Just don't run away from me." He said, holding her shoulders tightly. "I won't let go."
"Silly..." She leaned on his shoulder and scolded him with a smile.
Yuzuru Hanyu pouted and shook his head without arguing with her. Instead, he continued to talk according to his own thoughts.
"And I think that with Yi Le's strength, there will definitely be a lot of fans supporting you. At least I do. I will mobilize 20,000, no, 200,000 people to support you!" He said with exaggerated gestures and patted his chest.
"You idiot." Le nudged his chin with his head.
"Why do you always call me stupid? Can't you just say you love me next time?"
"What?" Her face suddenly turned red.
"I've discovered it a long time ago. Idiot means loving me, right? Right?" He smiled like a fox with his eyes curved.
"That's unreasonable..." Le complained, blushing. Amidst his laughter, he decided to put his escape plan into action. He quickly stood up from the hot spring and prepared to leave. "I'm not going to soak anymore. I'm going back to sleep."
Yuzuru Hanyu saw through the escape plan in an instant. He quickly grabbed a bath towel placed beside him and wrapped it around himself, then took another one to wrap her up and carried her back to the room.
"You just said you were tired. Let me give you a massage."
It was only natural to enjoy the service that was delivered to her door. Le lay down contentedly, directing the novice technician to press here and knead there. Hanyu Yuzuru knew he had gone too far in his bullying, so he obediently followed her instructions and provided her with meticulous care.
Le was shy, too, but her triggers were always strange. Her mixed Eastern and Western upbringing left her with a sometimes confusing outlook on love. She could readily accept requests for a relationship, yet blushed at the mere mention of long-term plans. She could passionately respond to his embraces and kisses, yet shyly cover her eyes in his embrace. Therefore, despite being together for so long, this was the first time I'd observed her so closely.
The dim light from the table lamp in the room was ambiguous, and under the light and shadow, the lines on Le's waist and back were more firm. He massaged her little by little along the direction of the muscles. Although women are naturally soft, the slender muscles on her body felt very strong.
"Hey customer, you look like an athlete~" He joked, massaging her waist and back. "Especially your calves, they're so strong. I never noticed before."
"If you can see it, how can I still go on stage?" she replied with a smile.
Yuzuru Hanyu's hand movements froze. Grandpa Kikuchi once told him that every muscle in his body existed for figure skating, developed bit by bit through figure skating training. And wasn't that true of Naraku as well...
I touched her calves and then her feet. If I touched carefully, I could feel the muscles on her arch and the thin calluses on her toes.
Why is my hard work unrewarded? This is a question he's been asking himself and Le these days. But he's forgotten that Le might be more worthy of asking this question than he is.
"sorry……"
"Huh?" Le turned his head curiously, "What's wrong with you?"
"Le, have you ever thought about the fact that your efforts in ballet have not been rewarded?" He looked at her sadly, "I have always been concerned about my own affairs and my own sadness, and have never thought about your feelings."
"I don't think it's without reward." She raised her hand and patted his head. "Ballet is the key to opening the door to my life. Through ballet, I found a career I love, encountered interesting and amazing things like the Winter Olympics, found someone like Guan Yue who is interesting and kind to me, and" she raised her hand and stroked his cheek, "it also allowed me to meet my love."
After she finished speaking, she lay down shyly again, no longer looking at him before continuing, "So there is obviously a reward. And you will find it too. The sadness now is only temporary."
Since she couldn't see Yuzuru Hanyu's expression behind her, she spoke more easily and naturally.
"Have you ever been confused like this before? When you couldn't find the answer?"
"Yes~ It was a very sad time. So I can understand that you are unhappy now."
"Then how did you manage to hold on..." he asked softly.
She didn't reply immediately, tilting her head and thinking for a moment. "I forgot... but I had a dream last night, one of those nightmares I used to have all the time. I dreamed that I was back in the most painful and confused time. But last night's dream was different. Someone told me to hold on, just hold on, and everything will be fine."
In fact, she remembered who the person in her dream was. His beautiful and outstanding features matched his. Most importantly, the deep love and care in his eager eyes made her almost instantly judge that the person in her dream was Yuzuru Hanyu.
However, his habit of being shy in strange situations kicked in again. Le buried his face in his elbows again, acting like an ostrich.
The hand that was massaging her back suddenly withdrew, perhaps because her words had startled him. As she was thinking this, a warm kiss suddenly landed on the back of her neck.
"Thank you, thank you for sticking with it."
She said he was her lover, she said he was in her nightmares. He wanted to cry again.
"Well, Yuzuru...don't..."
"Le is going too far. I'm talking about something so important and emotional, but Le's mind is full of strange things."
"This is incredible. I discovered something incredible today." He swallowed hard and leaned over to whisper in her ear. His hand still didn't let go of her. Seizing the opportunity to win was his motto.
The room didn't become completely quiet until the sky in the distance gradually turned white. The two of them fell asleep in each other's arms, contentedly.
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