Seeing Lin Xiaoyu like this, Jiang Ling couldn’t help but raise her hand and brush aside the fine strands of hair on her face.
Almost instantly, that flushed little face was fully revealed, the usually cold and distant eyes flashing with obvious panic, the corners slightly reddened.
“I told you.” Lin Xiaoyu gently lifted her eyes, her gaze shimmering, “Don’t look at me now.”
But her hand gripped Jiang Ling’s clothes tightly.
Jiang Ling stared curiously at the vivid color on her face. Lin Xiaoyu now seemed somehow different from before.
It was as if the invisible wall between them had quietly broken down.
“Are you even listening to me?”
Lin Xiaoyu mumbled again, a bit embarrassed as she tried to pull back the fingers clutching her clothes.
“Rumble—!”
“Eh!”
Jiang Ling looked at Lin Xiaoyu, who let out a strange cry and threw herself trembling into her arms, feeling a bit helpless.
There really were people afraid of thunder.
Thinking that, she felt Lin Xiaoyu’s small body shiver slightly and awkwardly wrapped her arms around her back, slowly patting and speaking softly: “Alright, don’t be scared.”
“I told you, I’m not scared.”
Lin Xiaoyu raised her hand and lightly tapped Jiang Ling, but it was weak, like a feather tickling.
Seeing this, Jiang Ling couldn’t help but let out a light laugh.
What’s going on? She’s actually kind of cute.
The thunder outside continued to roar, sounding like it would last for quite a while. Jiang Ling thought for a moment, then moved her arm from Lin Xiaoyu’s back up to cover her ear, gently shielding it.
Lin Xiaoyu immediately felt much quieter beside her ear, and her tense body involuntarily relaxed.
“Now you can’t hear it.”
Jiang Ling slowed her speech and looked into Lin Xiaoyu’s eyes.
“Mm.”
Lin Xiaoyu nodded, her fingers slowly moving up from clutching Jiang Ling’s clothes, passing over her collarbone, neck, and finally reaching her lips, which had just parted from speaking. Her fingertips pressed down, feeling the softness.
“Hmm?”
Jiang Ling made a vague, questioning sound, warm breath puffing onto Lin Xiaoyu’s fingers.
She silently shook her head, then moved her hand to Jiang Ling’s earlobe, stroking it gently.
This motion made Jiang Ling even more puzzled but she didn’t resist, just chuckled softly: “What are you doing? That tickles a bit…”
After fiddling with her ear for a while, Lin Xiaoyu withdrew her hand and head, burying herself again into Jiang Ling’s embrace.
“When I couldn’t sleep before, my mom would let me touch her ears. Warm… it makes people feel very at ease.”
She murmured, and Jiang Ling immediately froze.
Lin Xiaoyu continued: “I’m afraid of thunder because when I was little, I didn’t do something right and got locked alone in the dance studio on a rainy night, listening to the thunder for a long time.”
“How could that happen?”
Jiang Ling immediately frowned, very displeased.
Lin Xiaoyu looked up.
“That’s why today I’m very scared—not just of the thunder, but also my foot injury. Though it’s not serious, it means I can’t dance for a while.”
“But dancing is all I have.”
As she finished speaking, a flash of lightning streaked outside the window.
Bright enough to illuminate Lin Xiaoyu’s expression.
What kind of expression was it?
Jiang Ling felt that with her limited vocabulary, she could hardly describe it, nor truly empathize with another’s experience—at most, she could only feel her heart ache.
So Jiang Ling didn’t speak for a long while, quietly staring into Lin Xiaoyu’s moist eyes.
Then she covered Lin Xiaoyu’s ears again.
Firmly, tightly—so tightly that Jiang Ling was sure Lin Xiaoyu couldn’t hear what she was saying.
Her throat inexplicably felt dry, but she still followed her heart and spoke.
“Though we haven’t known each other long and I’m not qualified to say this yet, what I want to say is—ah, you can’t hear me anyway—”
“You still have me.”
After saying this, she immediately let go, smiling softly: “Shall we sleep now?”
Lin Xiaoyu gave a faint nod.
Moonlight slipped through the curtains’ cracks and fell on the bed, stretching their shadow long as they embraced.
From the exhausting practice, Jiang Ling soon fell into a deep sleep.
Lin Xiaoyu, however, quickly opened her eyes again.
She looked at Jiang Ling, who had unconsciously turned over and nestled into her arms, her gaze growing softer.
Idiot, we’re so close, how could you not hear what I said…
The next day.
When Jiang Ling woke up, as usual, she found herself entwined by Lin Xiaoyu’s octopus-like grip. Skillfully, she untangled her hands and got out of bed with a somewhat complicated expression.
After hearing a bit of Lin Xiaoyu’s past yesterday, Jiang Ling’s gaze involuntarily softened with tenderness.
No wonder she danced so well—there was a reason behind it all.
Had she planned to dance her whole life since she was very young?
Though curious, Jiang Ling knew these weren’t things she could pry into now, so she turned to the bathroom to freshen up, preparing for another day of practice.
At the dance studio, Jiang Ling saw Mo Ran tidying equipment, seriously dealing with the tangled cables on the floor.
“You’re here so early?”
Jiang Ling said casually, suddenly recalling that she had wrongly blamed Mo Ran yesterday, her face flushing as she walked over and bent down to help organize.
“I just needed to practice, so I tidied up at the same time.”
Mo Ran’s tone remained calm, showing no sign of anger. Jiang Ling felt more and more ashamed.
She had really assumed the worst of her!
Muttering quietly to herself, she said: “I’m sorry.”
Mo Ran paused her hands and looked up, puzzled, meeting Jiang Ling’s apologetic gaze: “Sorry for what?”
“For not dancing well yesterday and making you explain things to me over and over.”
Jiang Ling glanced at the neatly arranged cables on the floor and quietly explained.
“I’m not angry.”
Mo Ran raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Did you misunderstand something…”
“Yes, exactly because I misunderstood that I want to apologize. I’m really sorry! And also sorry for being so sensitive! I’m working on it!”
Jiang Ling rambled on, folding her hands in front of her chest with a very sincere expression.
After a brief silence, Mo Ran chuckled.
“What’s that, did Xiaoyu tell you?”
She stood up, connecting her phone’s Bluetooth to select a song: “I wouldn’t get mad over such a silly thing. I’m strict with you because the performance is coming up soon. Better to be scolded by me than by others, right?”
Listening to her relaxed tone, Jiang Ling felt reassured and nodded firmly. Together, they rehearsed their group dance.
Though there were only two of them, they seriously went through the positions and movements once.
After the song ended, Mo Ran looked at Jiang Ling with a gaze full of approval: “Phew… not bad, much better than yesterday. Did you practice secretly?”
“Hehe, I practiced a bit.”
Jiang Ling smiled shyly, not denying it.
Mo Ran watched the recorded video with satisfaction, then casually pointed out a few minor details for Jiang Ling to remember.
Time quietly passed, and soon it was lunchtime.
“There’s probably not enough time to cook now. I’ll grab something at the noodle shop nearby and then hit the convenience store. What about you?”
Mo Ran packed up and asked.
Jiang Ling thought for a moment and didn’t refuse. It was the same wherever she ate.
The two quickly arrived at the noodle shop. Mo Ran ordered a bowl of clear broth beef noodles, and Jiang Ling, feeling too lazy to decide, ordered the same.
While waiting for their noodles, Mo Ran fiddled with her phone, then looked at Jiang Ling as if she’d suddenly remembered something.
“Oh right, do you know Sister Bai Xue’s birthday is coming up?”