Xu Shuo carefully avoided the puddles as he walked towards the building in the drizzling rain.
The gloomy sky was becoming darkened by a thick cloud drifting in from afar. It seemed the rain would not only continue but grow heavier.
As the wind lifted her skirt, Xu Shuo withdrew her gaze from the sky and looked down at the back of her hand.
The spot where the priest had touched her still felt a bit hot, unlike the other parts of her body, which were pale and cold. The back of her hand was slightly pink, as if scalded.
This sensation was like encountering a loathed natural enemy, such that even her body stiffened in that instant.
Xu Shuo glanced again at the building with the pointed roof not far from her. It seemed she now had to avoid places like churches, yet Qiuzi wasn't a believer in a city where nearly everyone was.
She wasn't a follower of some other faith either; she was just an ordinary girl who danced ballet.
But ballet wasn't her dream.
Originally, when Qiuzi came to the city all by herself to become a ballet dancer, it was Lanruo who had brought her here.
The two had been good friends since childhood. Qiuzi followed when Lanruo shared her dream and said she was afraid of being alone and wanted someone to accompany her.
In that era, two drop-out girls made what could only be described as a crazy decision to head north in pursuit of their dream.
However, the impulsive Qiuzi turned out to be even more talented.
...
The dance studio.
At noon, the vast and vacant room was lit by a sole incandescent light, half bathed in brightness, half in darkness, the rotating girl's silhouette flickering.
Her dance moves were graceful and beautiful; she truly was the Swan.
As she stopped following a final, elevating motion, Xuena turned her head toward the person in the corner who had appeared at some point, and she was somewhat surprised.
"Teacher."
She stood up straight, bowing her head slightly, her expression somewhat uncomfortable.
The woman in a black dance outfit was hidden in the dim light, blending into the darkness, her expression grim and indecipherable. After a long moment, she took a step forward.
Taller than the already statuesque Xuena by a head, the woman, usually stern, had a surprisingly gentle expression now.
"Your foot is still recovering, so it's better to reduce this kind of practice," Changying advised softly.
"It's okay. I'm worried that if I slack off, I'll never return to my previous condition," Xuena bit her lip, pleadingly said, "Teacher, I still want to try for it..."
Xuena instinctively surveyed every part of the girl, from her neck to her graceful figure, and finally to her slender and pale ankles.
The black Mary Jane shoes interwoven with paleness gave off a bizarre feeling.
The girl's shadow lay under her feet in the dim light, appearing even darker, like the deathly white, was dead black.
"Have you had your fill?" Suddenly, a ghostly voice came from close by.
In a daze, Xuena suddenly looked up to see that the girl had somehow closed the distance again, her dark pupils fixed on her, utterly devoid of emotion.
Xuena opened her mouth, then stumbled back several steps, hitting the wall of the corridor.
She lowered her head, and her thick hair concealed her cheeks, her eyes wide open in shock, but no sound came from her silent scream.
But soon, she composed herself and looked up again, forced a smile and said apologetically, "I'm sorry Qiuzi, you seem to have become even more beautiful."
As she spoke, Xuena couldn't help but glance at her again.
Xu Shuo smiled faintly, "Don't stare at me like that, it's rude."
"Oh, right, sorry..." Xuena quickly looked away, awkwardly straightening the hair that had fallen over her forehead.
She was desperately trying to restrain her impulses, but here in this oppressive and oddly suffocating corridor, there was an eerie desire in her heart, driving her to cast her gaze over there, even to touch the girl, and even to...
Time seemed to thicken at that moment, darkness spreading from the depths of the corridor, the light above their heads becoming gloomy, their pitch-black shadows huddled at their feet.
This isn't right!
If she stayed any longer, she would become disturbed!
Taking a deep breath, Xuena once again stepped back along the wall, her shadow shifting with her movements, as she said, "Qiuzi, if there's nothing else, I'm going to the hospital now."
"Actually, I don't want to fight with you, Xuena," the girl said, her demeanor suddenly normalizing, with a coy expression and a sigh, "But there's a lot to say about this matter. Come to the dance studio tonight, and I'll tell you about it."
"Tonight... isn't that a bad idea?" Xuena blinked.
"It's related to the performance, you'll be interested," Xu Shuo chuckled softly.
Xuena frowned, not responding, forced a strained smile, and then hurriedly left as if fleeing.
Xu Shuo watched her retreating figure with a meaningful look, dropping the frightening, grim stance.
"Pretty fast reflexes."
Certainly faster than Officer Zhang's reflexes, she must be a player, right?