NOVEL NEXT Chapter 21 - How’s your waist?
“She’s gone. You can let go of me now.” Tang Yuan said softly, not noticing when Jiang Zi had slipped her hand around her waist, holding her soft waist. No wonder Gao QiaoMan’s gaze was so peculiar.
Jiang Zi obediently withdrew her hand, her expression calm but with a hint of mischievous teasing.
Tang Yuan stood up and pulled her up. “Alright, it’s almost time. Let’s practice quickly; I’ll help you get familiar with the dance steps.”
By eleven in the evening, everyone else had gradually left. The staff came to turn off the equipment, and the live stream was also about to end.
For Tang Yuan, mastering the dance steps was a piece of cake, so this time was mostly spent helping Jiang Zi correct her movements. As a result, it was Jiang Zi who was exhausted, while Tang Yuan hadn’t even broken a sweat.
Jiang Zi grabbed the white towel from the chair and wiped the sweat off her face, then draped it around her neck. She picked up a new bottle of mineral water, twisted off the cap, and took a sip.
A drop of water trickled from the corner of her mouth down to her chin. She used the back of her hand to wipe it away, screwed the cap back on, and turned to look at Tang Yuan.
Realizing she had been caught peeking, Tang Yuan felt a bit awkward. “Um… Shall we head back? Let’s get some early rest.”
Jiang Zi, amused by Tang Yuan’s sheepish look, smiled. “Let’s go back.”
The path from the dance studio to their residence took them through an open courtyard. On either side of the sidewalk, there were neatly arranged green plants, and a small stream meandered through the garden.
The flowing water shimmered under the warm yellow lights, and the stream flowed into a pond filled with lotus flowers, which glistened silver under the moonlight.
With only the two of them on the path, the serene night seemed to deepen their tranquillity.
Tang Yuan glanced up at the streetlamp, squinting, and suddenly asked, “Sister, do you know ‘City of Love’?”
Jiang Zi tilted her head and responded with a hum, “Isn’t that a movie?”
“There’s a dance in it that’s free, passionate, and carefree.” Tang Yuan glanced down at their shadows, her eyes lighting up with excitement as she pulled out her phone. “How about we give it a try?”
Jiang Zi looked down at the video Tang Yuan was showing. “This isn’t the original version?”
“The original version is a bit difficult,” Tang Yuan said, replaying the video twice before putting her phone away. She took Jiang Zi’s hand and led her to the light, her smile radiant and sweet, somewhat intoxicating. “Let’s just have some fun and dance a bit.”
In reality, Jiang Zi wasn’t very sensitive to dance steps, and she’d only seen the video twice. Even with a good memory, her movements lagged behind her memory. But Tang Yuan was so enthusiastic, so she decided just to enjoy the moment.
There was no music, no beat.
Tang Yuan led her to a lamp post, released her hand, and took a few steps back. With a smile full of joy, she raised her hands and twirled gracefully. The evening breeze brushed against her flowing hair, which shimmered softly in the light, coming close and then drifting away.
Jiang Zi’s gaze was dazed, her heartbeat growing heavier with each passing moment. She twirled based on memory, always half a beat behind Tang Yuan. Her eyes followed Tang Yuan’s every move, filled with an almost palpable longing, infatuated.
Tang Yuan came to a halt, bending her slender waist as she placed her fingers gently on Jiang Zi’s palm, lightly touching the bandages wrapped around her hand. The touch was soft, and Jiang Zi instinctively tightened her grip, pulling Tang Yuan close.
The moment happened too quickly for Tang Yuan to react. She stumbled and fell straight into Jiang Zi’s embrace.
As she looked up from within Jiang Zi’s arms, her lips brushed against Jiang Zi’s chin. A tiny shift would bring her lips just a hair’s breadth away from Jiang Zi’s.
Tang Yuan’s eyes widened in shock, and she hurriedly withdrew from the embrace, panicking while trying to regain her balance.
“I-I didn’t kiss you…”
[No, why didn’t I kiss her! What a perfect opportunity!]
For Jiang Zi, at this moment, Tang Yuan’s inner thoughts felt like an enchanting spell, urging her to follow her heart. The intense feelings were impossible to calm, and instead, they ignited desires.
“Let’s hurry back. We need to wake up early tomorrow,” Tang Yuan said, regaining her composure and heading back to their residence.
She was always like this—bold in thought but nothing but a wimp in action.
Jiang Zi had no choice but to let go of her thoughts and follow behind her.
This time, Tang Yuan went back to her room, took a proper bath, and, after finishing, went to Jiang Zi’s room to help with changing the bandages.
Seeing Tang Yuan diligently finish the bandage change and prepare to leave, Jiang Zi couldn’t help but call out to her.
“Are you not going to sleep here tonight?”
Jiang Zi’s invitation caught Tang Yuan off guard, stirring up her dark inner thoughts again.
This was Jiang Zi inviting her, not her stubbornly insisting on staying.
Tang Yuan cleared her throat, trying to suppress her smile. “Sure, why not?”
She didn’t even attempt to refuse.
She rushed to the door, locked it, and then immediately lay down on the bed, skillfully pulling half of the blanket over herself.
Jiang Zi watched her smooth movements, noting that Tang Yuan seemed completely at ease, with no psychological burden at all.
Today, when Tang Yuan suddenly proposed to (CP)ship them as a couple, Jiang Zi guessed it might be another mission from the system. If completed, it would likely reduce the constraints of the plot on her, just like before.
But Tang Yuan…
Jiang Zi looked at her, noticing that Tang Yuan had already closed her eyes and fallen asleep without a care. She couldn’t help but sigh.
She wasn’t sure if Tang Yuan had a clear concept of what a lesbian relationship is. After such a prolonged back-and-forth, Tang Yuan gave her the impression that, while she called her “wife,” it seemed like anyone could be her wife!
It was more like an admiration for beautiful women, unrelated to love.
Jiang Zi pulled back the blanket and lay down, turning off the room’s light. She could feel Tang Yuan unconsciously moving closer to her side. The air conditioning in the room was set low, making it a bit chilly.
She wanted Tang Yuan to understand that their relationship was different. She was determined to break through that barrier and make Tang Yuan acknowledge the nature of their relationship.
It wasn’t something that could be replaced by just any girl.
The following day, Tang Yuan and Jiang Zi got up right on time. With how busy they’d been, seems there wasn’t enough time for them to put on any makeup.
After Tang Yuan returned to her room to wash up, she came out to find Jiang Zi already waiting for her. Jiang Zi’s clothing style was indeed monotonous: a loose grey t-shirt paired with sweatpants.
Tang Yuan glanced subconsciously at her waist. “How’s your waist feeling today?”
Jiang Zi raised an eyebrow; what kind of question was she asking?
Tang Yuan reached out and pinched her waist, feeling the firmness. “I mean, is your waist sore?”
Jiang Zi grabbed her hand to stop her from teasing. “No feeling.”
“What kind of physique do you have? Do you work out often? With the intense training yesterday, it’s surprising you’re not sore.”
Jiang Zi chuckled lightly and responded, “My waist is fine. That bit of exercise won’t wear me out.”
Tang Yuan hadn’t even realized that she and Jiang Zi were holding hands as they went to eat breakfast and later held hands again on the way to the dance studio.
And just like that, they walked right into the live broadcast camera.
【Someone should have seen a certain video on the internet, like me.】
【Even though it was secretly filmed, the vibe between the two in the video is really strong.】
【They’re so close, I bet they are definitely lesbians.】
【My Lesdar (Lesbian radar) is very accurate. They really look like a couple.】
【Is no one going to mention it? No matter how you edit that video, it doesn’t sync with the rhythm at all. It totally lacks dance flow.】