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ntranslator: baumkuchen editors: serefina, glitterypanda

nDong Ge lent He Changsheng a pair of ice skates. The two of them changed into skin-tight black training clothes and went onto the ice once more on New Year’s Eve.

nEven during practice, He Changsheng didn’t forget to put on gloves.

nAfter getting onto the ice, He Changsheng said, a little at a loss, “How should we do this.”

nDong Ge said, “Start anyhow. Take me as your partner, a prop. I’ll go along with you, and see if I can help you find your inspiration.”

nHe Changsheng did as Dong Ge said.

nFor this program, the choreographer had chosen the theme of “Tango of Secret Love” for them.

nSecret love needed one to be “restrained”, but the tango needed one to be “bold”. Handling this gap between “restrained” and “bold” was where the difficulty lay.

nIn the beginning, He Changsheng just skated back and forth on the ice with his eyes closed, occasionally making tango moves and trying to find the feeling. His slender legs alternated on the ice. The cold wind blew apart his bangs, exposing his clean, bright forehead.

nDong Ge followed alongside him, like a silent and graceful swallow.

nBut he wasn’t just blindly or mindlessly following him.

nBy the side of the rink, the OST of the movie 《The Scent of a Woman》was playing. Dong Ge cross rolled along with the beat, one foot forward, one foot back, his movements clean and confident. The blades of his skates etched out white lines that twisted and turned, blossoming into icy flowers on the thick surface of the ice.

nHe Changsheng looked up at him.

nThe youth was looking back.

nThe two were like a shy, young couple, each trying to feel out the other with their dance.

nAfter capturing a hint of the feeling, Dong Ge found some inspiration.

nOne of his traits was being good at using props, so before getting onto the ice, he’d tied a little necktie around his neck.

nHe raised his pretty fingers with their delicate joints and loosened his necktie, giving He Changsheng a big smile at the same time.

nFor a time, He Changsheng almost forgot to breathe.

nDong Ge’s charm had passed the test of countless competitions and countless cameras.

nOff the ice, he was cold, proud, and careful with his words and smiles; on the ice, he was like an entirely new person, seeming to have the power to turn himself into the spotlight.

nBut even on the ice, he rarely smiled.

nThe rare few times he’d smiled had all been meticulously captured and saved by his fans and were used as precious source material for repeated use in many a face-con’s face-licking video compilations.

nThis was his first time feeling Dong Ge’s charm at such a close distance. He Changsheng’s heart started pounding uncontrollably.

nHe thought back to the youth scratch spinning on the ice rink, the youth who fell down over and over again and stood back up each and every time, the youth who was habitually silent, the youth whose every slight glance held a stubborn sharpness……

nHe Changsheng didn’t have the time to think any deeper on it.

nThe person before him made his drained inspiration start to flow freely once more. He instinctively grasped onto this opportunity, skating over towards Dong Ge, but he didn’t seem overly rushed.

nThe purpose of this dance was to inspire He Changsheng’s creativity, so Dong Ge also wasn’t in a hurry, just placing all his effort into playing a qualified partner, gliding sideways along with him face to face, giving him a light kiss with his gaze.

nAfter many years of guidance from Chi Xiaochi, a professional actor, Dong Ge’s artistic comprehension had become much better than before. On the ice, he could convey tens of thousands of words with a look.

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nHis glance made He Changsheng’s body heat up. His limbs were as if they were being stimulated by small electric currents, becoming numb and limp.

nAfter a moment of circling around each other, as if inseparable in their love, He Changsheng moved.

nHe raised his hand and kissed his own right index finger.

nThe finger that had touched his soft lips seemed like it was going to land on Dong Ge’s lips, but after a moment of hesitation, it landed lightly on Dong Ge’s collarbone.

nThe two of them were acting as a pair of youths at the start of their relationship, each wanting to invite the other to dance.

nThey were currently acting, but there was a little truth within.

nDong Ge had just been drinking black tea, so his mouth and fingers both had a slight woody fragrance. As the two of them skated past each other, noses almost brushing, their hands entwined.

nThe music playing on loop in the background reached its climax once again. According to He Changsheng’s original arrangement, it should be a complete set of mirrored arabesques. The two of them should have been mirror images of each other, but Dong Ge’s movements were a little slower than He Changsheng’s.

nHe Changsheng thought that it was probably because they didn’t have enough of a tacit understanding.

nHowever, his excellent dynamic vision was enough for He Changsheng to see each of Dong Ge’s micro-expressions clearly.

nDong Ge watched He Changsheng closely, admiration, unease, shyness and intense, burning desire mixing in his eyes.

nThe teen was clumsily imitating his beloved’s movements, chasing after his back.

nEven if he was a little slower, he still persistently refused to give up.

n&#k2014;&#k2014; He transformed what were originally mistakes from “not having enough of a tacit understanding” into the natural emotions contained within the dance.

nHe Changsheng rarely saw someone with this kind of ability to perform rapid, on-the-spot remediation.

nA good partner would also let He Changsheng quickly enter the right emotions. He slowed his steps slightly, and after matching up with Dong Ge’s rhythm, as the music sped up, they embraced.

nHe Changsheng’s burning fingers were placed against Dong Ge’s back. Only then did he realise, the butterfly bone of the youth before his eyes was even more perfect than Fang Xiaoyan’s.

nTango, ballet, jazz, they’d learned all kinds of dances, and because the two had never dared to solely rely on talent, they could each guess the other’s next move from the slightest movement of their bodies.

nTwo pairs of incredibly long, slender legs moved forward and back together, moving in parallel simultaneously, occasionally entangling, with simple touches like a dragonfly touching the water, before separating once again.

nAfter a dazzling tango, this pair of enamoured lovers on the ice separated once more, skating in the same direction.

nThis time, Dong Ge was already able to catch up to He Changsheng’s footsteps, no longer needing the other to stop and wait for him.

nAfter skating halfway across the rink, the two had a sudden meeting of minds. After exchanging just a quick glance, in the next second, they simultaneously sprung up into the air, each executing a singles jump.

n……He Changsheng did a 4lz.

n……Dong Ge did a 3T.

nThe two elf-like figures were light as clouds, jumping up, landing, their rhythms matching like one cloud was merging into the other.

nWhen He Changsheng landed, he was so happy that he almost yelled.

nAnd Dong Ge’s face blushed red.

n……Probably due to a coincidence of fate, the two, together, had actually did the two jumps that had ended Dong Ge’s career in his last life.

nBut this time, their jumps were absolutely perfect.

nAs the program came to an end, they fell into the most classic pose, with the man supporting the woman’s waist, and the woman in the man’s embrace, both staring deeply into the other’s eyes.

nDong Ge was playing the role of the female partner, so He Changsheng placed his leg against his waist in a practised motion, helping him bend over.

nWho would have thought that the youth would actually boldly reach out his hand, hook it behind He Changsheng’s head, grabbing his hair, and aggressively push his head down.

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nHe Changsheng’s face almost pressed against Dong Ge’s, like they were kissing, yet not kissing.

nThe dance was over, the two of them caught their breath, and both began to pant slightly.

nThe youth’s head of black hair fell like a curtain, brushing against He Changsheng’s arm, making it a little itchy.

nBut because they were far too excited, neither made the first move to let go.

nDong Ge lay in He Changsheng’s arms, stars shining in his eyes.

nHe Changsheng’s eyes were also shining with a moving radiance.

nWhen skating together with Dong Ge, He Changsheng always felt that the feelings Dong Ge gave him were completely different from the feelings he got from Fang Xiaoyan.

nAfter calming down, he finally figured out what was different.

nWhen he and Fang Xiaoyan were acting as lovers in their performances and exchanging loving looks, Fang Xiaoyan’s eyes would always be filled with the love of a young girl, while for He Changsheng, who had never been in a relationship before, his enthusiastic gaze was entirely filled with his love for skating.

nBut Dong Ge’s gaze was the same as his.

nThose extremely intense emotions, were from his love of skating, from his attachment to this shining, sparkling ice rink.

nAs He Changsheng dazed off, the Dong Ge who was lying lightly in his embrace asked quietly, “Qianbei, are we done?”

nWalking off the stage, Dong Ge once more turned back into that frosty Dong Ge.

nBut for some unknown reason, when the word “qianbei” was whispered from his mouth, there was a hint of inexplicable ambiguity, making He Changsheng’s heart race.

nHe Changsheng didn’t want to let Dong Ge leave, so he said, “Not yet, wait a little while longer.”

nAfter saying this, he felt his teeth ache, and his blood rushed back onto his face, turning that handsome, pale face into a rush of red.

nDong Ge relaxed his hand that was gripping onto He Changsheng’s hair, then, slightly embarrassed, smoothed down the hair that he had messed up. He lowered his gaze, yet couldn’t hold back the uncontrollable trembling of his eyelashes.

nBoth of them couldn’t control the pounding of their hearts.

nBut because their hearts were beating at the same pace, each thought that those thumping, terrifyingly loud heartbeats were coming from their own chest.

nIn 061’s body, Chi Xiaochi, having watched the entire stream live, began to give out his comments quietly, “Wow, they’re really giving it all they’ve got.”

nDong Ge, “……”

nChi Xiaochi, “Xiao Dong Ge ah, are you feeling happy tonight? About as happy as how you would feel celebrating the Lunar New Year, right?”

nDong Ge, “……”

nChi Xiaochi, “My family’s pig can not only dig out cabbages now, but can also dig out good cabbages. He really has great taste.”

nThis time, 061 effortlessly received a string of “blushing” signals, so concentrated that he almost couldn’t bear to watch anymore. “Xiaochi, don’t embarrass him.”

nChi Xiaochi, “I’m praising him.”

n061, “……You’re calling him a pig.”

nChi Xiaochi thought for a moment. “My family’s Cha can steal watermelons now?”

n061, “……” Is that any better?

nOnly after hugging for a long time did He Changsheng finally completely come out of the act.

nHe let Dong Ge go. “Are you alright? Do you want to vomit?”

nDong Ge shook his head.

nBecause he’d handed control over the body entirely over to Dong Ge during the performance, those intimate touches had much less of an impact on Chi Xiaochi.

nHe Changsheng’s ears were red. “……En. Then that’s good.”

nDong Ge’s ears were also red. He was still trying to get the topic back on track, “Qianbei can try adding some props to this performance, like maybe have the female partner wear a mask, then in the end, she’ll finally remove the mask……”

nHe Changsheng said, “Good idea.”

nThose two people who had been so free and unrestrained on the ice were now as pure as high school students. As they talked, both were unwilling to meet the other’s eyes from the beginning to the end.

nThey faced each other in silence.

nAfter a while, Dong Ge suggested, “It’s a little cold. Qianbei, let’s go back.”

nHe Changsheng, “En.”

nAfter that, Dong Ge raised his hand, touching it to his collarbone.

nHe was just adjusting his necktie, but who knew that when He Changsheng saw this movement, he then thought of that indirect kiss to his collarbone, and his face soon began to burn red.

nDue to that, he didn’t notice that in the distance was a malicious gaze staring straight into the backs of the two leaving side by side.

nThe ice rink was surrounded by a barbed iron fence.

nOutside, Lou Sifan tightened his grip on the railing.

nThe railing had long since frozen over, emitting the fresh scent of rust. With his tightened grip, dark red flakes of rust peeled off one after another, falling to the ground.

nIn order to find He Changsheng to apologise, Lou Sifan had run through the entire town.

nHe called, but He Changsheng had turned off his phone.

nThe train station didn’t have any trains going to the capital of the province at the moment, so he searched all the waiting rooms, finding nothing.

nHe then ran to the bus stop, which had already closed for the night. Just like before, he found nothing.

nHe didn’t dare to think of the possibility that “He Changsheng went to find Dong Ge”, so Dong Ge’s skating rink was the last location he came to, after going through all of his options and being left with no way out.

nThat was when he saw the two people dancing together in the empty rink.

nLou Sifan’s hands grasped the railing in a death grip. The freezing pain was already nothing to him.

n……Surnamed Dong, you’ve stolen so much from me, wasn’t it enough?

nWhy did you still have to steal He Changsheng??

n061 originally didn’t want to say too much, but he was unable to bear Lou Sifan’s gaze. It was really too unsubtle. “……He still hasn’t left.”

nChi Xiaochi stared at the rapidly rising regret value, hurriedly exchanging cards from the storehouse. “I felt it already, it’s like that of a sniper’s. I can assure you, if there was a gun in his hand, he would have immediately blown off my head.”

n061, “……I don’t think he means well.”

nChi Xiaochi said casually and carelessly, “Look at you saying this, old man. Has he ever meant well towards Dong Ge?”

n061 laughed.

nHe already understood Chi Xiaochi now.

nThis person would always sound like he didn’t care about anything, but in truth, he took everything to heart.

n……He would always be here for them. There was no need to worry.

nUpon thinking of this, 061 had the slight urge to laugh.

nClearly it was him who was the system who often gave people reassurance and support, but the Chi Xiaochi who had no special abilities whatsoever was more reassuring than him.

nAt 3 am that night, their wait for the New Year having come to an end, Dong Ge and his family had all went to sleep.

nBut in the guest room, He Changsheng tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

nAfter bearing it to the point that tears had formed in his eyes, he carefully got up with intense guilt in his heart, opened his suitcase, spread several layers of his clothes out onto the new sheets, climbed back into the quilt with slightly stiff movements, and smoothly covered himself with it.

nSoon, low, muffled moans came from inside, making one’s heart itch, “Mm, mm hng……”

nFor a while, the image before his eyes was Dong Ge flying up like a god on the ice; for a while, it was his cold and proud appearance, tormenting him, making his heart fill with flames and his damp eyes turn red.

nHe Changsheng thought bitterly, why was it like this?

nNext door, 061 heaved a sigh.

n……Ai, young people.

nHe set the sound insulation of He Changsheng’s guest room to its highest, then continued to watch his 《The Matrix》.

nThis movie was about the protagonist, Neo, who unintentionally realised that there was something strange about his world. Then, after constant investigation, he found that he was actually in a virtual reality controlled by artificial intelligence.

nAs far as storytelling was concerned, this movie was brilliant and also reflected on the possible impact technological progress might have on human beings.

nBut why did Chi Xiaochi suddenly mention this film to Dong Feihong?

n061 thought, could it be that he’d noticed Dong Feihong was a “virtual reality” created by him?

n……But why wouldn’t he directly ask him?

nAccording to Chi Xiaochi’s personality, if he were to find out, there was a high chance he would casually call Dong Feihong “Liu-laoshi”, then laugh loudly as he admired his wide-eyed, tongue-tied expression.

nBut Chi Xiaochi hadn’t.

nAnd in the moment that he talked about the movie, his eyes were filled with a touch of melancholy and self-depreciation.

n061 thought, these kinds of emotions shouldn’t appear in Chi Xiaochi’s eyes.

nHe wanted to be his doctor, and cure all of his illnesses.

nBut even if had more power than he had now, he didn’t have the key to Chi Xiaochi’s heart.

nSo he watched the movie over from the beginning, again and again.

n……He wanted to find that key.

nThe author has something to say:

n#Liu-laoshi’s score sheet#

nChi Love Score: 80 (Out of 100)

nChi Praise Score: 70 (No upper limit)

nChi Vinegar Score: 70 (No upper limit)

nFake Lou: For you, I endured the cold, harsh wind, but you were actually picking up sisters.

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nsere: 😏😏😏HCS ;))) fake lou so obnoxious but let’s focus on the good parts 😏😏😏

nbaum: I somehow missed *that part* the first time I read this hahaha

nalso, because I have midterms, there’ll only be one chapter next week, on Friday! sorry guys orz

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