RPAGF Chapter 87 Did you hurt yourself when you fell?
Chapter 87 Did you hurt yourself when you fell?
Song Che was startled awake in the middle of the night. He took a breath and tried to go back to sleep, but he kept having lucid dreams. He sorted through the dreams he was having. In the first dream, someone killed all four of them with a kitchen knife. In the second dream, Xia Li took him out to play. In the third dream, Xia Li killed him with a kitchen knife. It seems he has a grudge against kitchen knives.
As expected, dreams are illogical.
Before, I either didn't dream at all, or my dreams were full of problems, but at least they weren't nightmares.
After being startled awake countless times, Song Che decided not to go back to sleep.
Let's turn on the lights and study.
……
Good morning, Xia Li.
Good morning, you don't look too well.
"Yeah, I didn't sleep well. I guess I've been under a lot of stress lately." Song Che shook his head. "I have a week off, so I'll get some rest during that time."
"Is it almost Chinese New Year?"
"Yeah, for high school seniors, the holiday is like Chinese New Year." Song Che was a little sleepy, but also very energetic. He was in a strange state, wanting to sleep but unable to.
What should I do if I keep having nightmares?
Song Che wasn't particularly afraid of dead people, but he was afraid when someone close to him died; he always felt it was a bad omen.
After buying breakfast downstairs, Song Che came back upstairs to see Xia Li sketching and tinkering with her potion theory. Song Che was used to it; after all, they couldn't make potions here, as long as it wasn't like last time when she boiled her phone in a pot in an attempt to make a splitting potion.
...There's no need to worry.
Xia Li has read a lot of safety knowledge.
It's also clear that electrical appliances can explode.
Song Che ignored it and continued studying.
He always studies hard during school hours and never studies during holidays. High school seniors don't have many holidays, only around the Lunar New Year. After the Lunar New Year, it's the second semester of senior year, the 100-day countdown rally, and then preparation for the college entrance examination.
If I go to a local school, I can be closer to my parents, and I can rent a place to support Xia Li.
After finishing his exams, Song Che planned to start working on the orphanage. In the meantime, he would first test whether Tao Yao's illusion magic would work. If it did, he would forge Xia Li's identity, obtain a normal identity, and then have his parents go to the orphanage to complete some adoption procedures. Song Che was not familiar with the procedures. It seemed that one needed to have the ability to raise a child to adopt. Moreover, Tao Xiang had run away from the orphanage. Could that orphanage be illegitimate?
After thinking it over, Song Che tentatively set a time.
Let's continue reviewing English.
If I write the potion formula again, my English teacher will really get angry.
"Song Che, if I kill a hundred bad guys, would I be considered to be doing a heroic deed?"
"It doesn't really count. There are people specifically assigned to deal with the bad guys here. Even if you kill them, you'll still be arrested and locked up for a while."
"...Oh." Xia Li got the answer and continued sketching on the paper.
After a while, she spoke up, "Can I do it secretly?"
"That won't work either."
"Is there surveillance footage?"
"We can't do without surveillance cameras!"
Xia Li has seen a lot now, and she even understands surveillance footage. However, her thinking is normal. Doing bad things while being monitored... doesn't seem so normal.
"Do you have enemies here?" Song Che asked, putting down his book.
"No, I'm just looking into it."
She turned the page of a sheet of paper that was already filled with drawings and continued drawing the next page.
"I won't bother you anymore, you can continue studying."
"Okay." Song Che agreed, but he kept a watchful eye on things, intending to see what Xia Li was up to.
He glanced at her furtively.
Song Che spying...
His eyes met Xia Li's.
Xia Li asked, "What are you looking at?"
"It's up to you."
"...Oh." Xia Li continued to draw.
Song Che glanced at it a few times. It was a potion recipe he had never seen before. It seemed that Xia Li was stumped. Usually, at this time, they would start experimenting and adjusting the recipe. Seeing that Xia Li was stumped, Song Che was not worried, because he would have to drink it once it was made.
Xia Li's potions taste awful.
Song Che ignored her and buried himself in reading and doing exercises according to the plan. His progress was not slow, and he should be able to finish studying and review before the college entrance examination.
As for how well he's learned, Song Che felt that he was only so-so at best, a little worse than before, and had reached a bottleneck. He couldn't compare to those geniuses.
Song Che always thought that those who scored 700 points or higher were NPCs, characters specially created by God, and that no one would actually score that many points.
Offering yourself a little comfort is good for your health.
Around noon, after lunch, Xia Li started asking more questions, asking him every now and then. Song Che patiently explained, and it felt good to be needed. Song Che might have found Xia Li troublesome before, but not now. He found Xia Li's inability to think of answers cute.
He actually still suppresses some of his emotions.
Normally, he would have been trying to take advantage of Xia Li.
It's neither completely transparent nor completely transparent; that's the most uncomfortable feeling.
Song Che is like this now. He seems to understand some things, but it's all just theory. There are too many principles in this world and too many things to accept. Even if he lives for hundreds more years, Song Che feels that he will still be the same.
Bruce on the sofa kept sleeping and waking up, making Song Che envious. He wished he were a cat. Then Tao Yao opened the balcony window, and Tao Xiang looked at Song Che with a happy smile.
"Brother, I'm back, I'm hungry."
Another day has passed.
Song Che cooked, and everything proceeded as usual.
Tidy up and go to bed.
As expected, he didn't sleep well, but he was still sleepy and unable to fall back asleep when he woke up the next day. Song Che always felt that he hadn't actually slept at all. He was actually shuttling back and forth between two worlds. In one world, Xia Li would laugh and then die repeatedly. It seemed that as soon as dusk fell, she would die in various ways. Song Che was numb from watching it.
Xia Li in this world is learning to laugh. In a few months, or at most half a year, Xia Li should be able to be similar to a modern person. Xia Li's memory is terrifying. If she were a little smarter, she would be born to take exams.
The next few days were the same as usual. The weekend was for a performance, and Song Che wanted to finish his books in advance so that he wouldn't miss the exam or the performance. He hoped to do well on the final exam next Monday. Although his parents didn't say anything to him anymore, the less they said anything, the more uncomfortable he felt.
Getting scolded would actually make me feel better.
……
On a weekend morning, the chilly air condensed into frost flowers on the windowpane.
Song Che tucked the shoulder pads from the knight costume into the bottom of his backpack. The thing was made of cardboard wrapped in silver foil, and the edges were a bit prickly.
He checked the list: the script, the princess dress that Xia Li had altered, the first aid kit (which Jiang Xiaoxiao insisted on bringing), and a small bag of mints—Xia Li had watched others eat them for a long time during the last rehearsal.
"Xia Li, let's go."
"Hmm." Xia Li came out of the bedroom, holding the two ends of the light purple scarf in her hands, trying to tie a third knot. The scarf was already wrapped around her neck in some kind of complicated topological structure, but she was still seriously trying to tuck the end into some non-existent loop.
Song Che sighed and walked over: "Stop, if you keep going you'll suffocate yourself."
Xia Li obediently put her hand down and looked up at him so he could untie her.
As Song Che's fingers circled her neck, she whispered, "I want to learn."
"Learn what, self-locking technique?" Song Che untied the knot and loosely re-wound it. "Take it slow. Learn how to untie first, then learn how to tie."
"But you said last time that tying a scarf is similar to tying a red scarf." Xia Li's tone rarely carried a hint of complaint. "I know how to tie a red scarf."
"That's a kindergarten-level three-step method... no need to tie a knot in the scarf." Song Che wrapped it simply yet warmly, took a half step back to examine his work, and said, "Alright. This time we'll walk, it'll take ten minutes."
The gate of Nanhui Middle School was much older than that of No. 1 Middle School, with some peeling paint on the walls, and the honor roll from the previous semester was still posted on the bulletin board at the entrance. Jiang Xiaoxiao was already stamping her feet at the entrance, waiting for them, her nose red from the cold.
"Brother Che, Sister Xia Li!" She jumped up and down, waving, her breath forming a small cloud in the cold air. "Everyone else is here, in the dressing room!"
The dressing room was an empty music classroom, with a piano covered with a dust cloth and pushed in the corner, and several full-length mirrors standing against the wall.
The wizard is played by Lin Xiao from the radio station, who is practicing her gloomy expression in front of the mirror. The prince is played by a boy named Zhou Mingxuan—a new character added to the adapted script. In the traditional story, the princess should be with him, but in this version, he becomes the villain symbolizing "worldly expectations."
Song Che's role is that of a knight.
More accurately, he was a little knight protected by a princess.
This adaptation came from the language arts teacher: "Let's try turning it around. The princess is strong and resilient, and the knight needs her protection. This better reflects equality and mutual support."
When Song Che read the script, he had mixed feelings.
In the play, the knight is a naive young man, full of enthusiasm but lacking experience. He repeatedly finds himself in danger, only to be saved by the princess's secret help. The climax is not the knight defeating the dragon to save the princess, but rather the princess tearing the hem of her long dress, picking up the sword the knight dropped, and standing in front of him to fight against the evil wizard.
It's really illogical; the princess must have used some kind of cheat code to defeat the wizard.
However, since it was all a stage play, he didn't dwell on how the princess trained herself after being trapped and became even more powerful than the knight. In short, he just changed it according to what his Chinese teacher said.
If we can't win the championship, the Chinese teacher will take the blame.
"What do I need to do?" Xia Li had asked Jiang Xiaoxiao seriously during rehearsals.
"You need to portray the princess's outward fragility and inner strength," Jiang Xiaoxiao said, "especially when protecting the knight, that sudden burst of aura—from being protected to becoming the protector."
Xia Li nodded without saying anything.
But Song Che noticed that she had practiced the sword-drawing action many times in private. She always used a magic wand and didn't know how to use a sword at all.
"Xia Li, let me do your makeup!" Jiang Xiaoxiao pulled Xia Li down to sit and opened her professional makeup case. Song Che was assigned to a corner, where another classmate helped him apply some powder—the knight's makeup should be more rugged, with sword-like eyebrows and a darker skin tone to highlight the feeling of having experienced hardships.
Song Che sat there letting others do as they pleased, but his gaze involuntarily drifted towards Xia Li.
Jiang Xiaoxiao is applying foundation to her.
Xia Li closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly beneath her eyelids.
Her skin was so fair that Jiang Xiaoxiao chose a warm-toned foundation and carefully applied some blush to her cheekbones. Her eye makeup was very light, using only a light brown shade, with the focus on her eyebrows—Jiang Xiaoxiao drew her eyebrows slightly upwards, adding a touch of heroism.
"Xia Li, try this lipstick." Jiang Xiaoxiao handed over a mauve lipstick. "Don't make it too red, but make sure it gives you a healthy glow."
Xia Li took the lipstick and carefully applied it in front of the small mirror. Her movements were steady, and the lip line was drawn clearly and neatly. After finishing, she pursed her lips and turned to look at Song Che: "How is it?"
Song Che paused.
Under the warm yellow light, her silver hair was loosely braided into a side braid, cascading over her shoulder. Her modified princess dress was made of moon-white satin, with silver thread embroidered on the collar and cuffs—simple yet elegant. Her makeup made her features even more defined and three-dimensional, especially her blue eyes, which, no matter how many times you looked at them, resembled two pools of deep autumn water.
But all she asked about was lipstick.
"It's nice," Song Che said. "The color suits you well."
Xia Li nodded and turned back to let Jiang Xiaoxiao fix her hair.
After changing clothes, we went over the lines one last time.
Song Che's costume consisted of a dark blue belted outer garment, a gray cloak, and a prop sword at his waist. After putting on the shoulder pads, he moved his shoulders, making a snapping sound as the cardboard cut out.
Xia Li walked over and reached out to help him adjust the straps of his shoulder pads.
"It's loose," she said, deftly tying a knot in her fingers. "This way it won't fall off."
She does know how to tie a tight knot, probably a skill she learned from wearing scarves; she ties it very firmly.
She always liked to tie the ropes very tightly.
Her fingertips brushed against the skin on the side of his neck, feeling cool. Song Che stiffened for a moment.
"Thank you," he said.
Xia Li looked up at him, her blue eyes lingering on his face for a second: "Are you nervous?"
"A little," Song Che admitted. "I'm afraid I'll slip and fall later—the soles of these boots are too slippery."
"No," Xia Li said, her tone calm but firm. "I will hold you back."
Song Che was stunned for a moment before realizing that she was referring to a scene from the script: the knight slipped on the castle steps and the princess reached out to help him.
But the expression on her face when she said that didn't look like she was reciting lines.
"The fifth program is 'Princess Silver Moon and the Thorn Knight' presented by the Drama Club of the No. 1 Middle School of the city—please enjoy!"
The curtain slowly rose amidst applause.
The stage lights come on, a cold blue and white, symbolizing a kingdom covered in ice and snow. A somber narration tells the story: A dragon has kidnapped the princess, the king has offered a bounty on a brave warrior, and a young knight embarks on a journey.
Song Che walked out from the side of the stage and proceeded to the center. In the dark audience, he could make out the outlines of several judges.
He took a deep breath and began his opening remarks:
"In the name of sword and honor, I will bring back Princess Silvermoon—"
His voice echoed in the auditorium, and remained relatively steady.
Next comes a dialogue with two junior students who make cameo appearances, gathering information before embarking on their journey—circling halfway around the stage, symbolizing a long and arduous journey.
Song Che had rehearsed this scene many times, and he was already familiar with the movements and lines. He performed the actions as designed, such as looking out, drawing his sword to be alert, and resting and drinking water. The audience's reaction was relatively calm.
Until he arrived at the castle.
According to the script, the knight needs to climb the vines, which are the hanging green strips of cloth, to enter the tower.
Song Che grabbed the strip of cloth, stepped on the protrusions on the stage backdrop, and made a climbing motion.
Just then—
The backdrop he was standing on with his left foot suddenly loosened.
It wasn't a large sway, but it was enough to shift his center of gravity. He instinctively gripped the strip of cloth, but his body leaned backward uncontrollably.
A soft gasp came from the audience.
At that very moment, a hand reached out from behind the curtain on the other side of the stage.
A fair hand, adorned with a delicate silver bracelet, steadily supported his lower back.
The force wasn't strong, but it stopped him from leaning back just right. Song Che used the force to adjust his center of gravity and regain his footing. He turned his head and, through the gap in the curtain, saw Xia Li's profile, half-hidden in the shadows.
She didn't look at him, but simply withdrew her hand and retreated into the darkness behind the curtain.
The whole process took no more than two seconds, as fast as a staged performance.
The audience thought it was part of the plot—the knight almost fell but was saved by some mysterious force.
I never expected it to be an accident.
Only Song Che knew that it wasn't in the script.
He steadied his breathing, continued climbing, vaulted over the tower window, and landed inside.
The stage lights turned a warm orange.
Xia Li sat on a chair in the center of the tower, dressed in a moon-white long dress, her silver hair cascading down her back. She looked up at him, her blue eyes clear and bright under the lamplight.
According to the script, the knight should kneel on one knee and swear allegiance.
Song Che knelt down on one knee and looked up at her: "Your Highness, I've come to take you away."
Xia Li looked at him without saying a word.
The pause lasted a second longer than during rehearsal.
Just when Song Che thought she had forgotten her lines, she slowly opened her mouth, her voice clear and cold like jade striking each other:
Why have you come?
This line is from the script, but her tone was different—not the fear or surprise of someone being saved, but rather a kind of… scrutiny. Like someone in a high position assessing the qualifications of the newcomer.
Strictly speaking, Xia Li acted incorrectly; this shouldn't have been the tone she used.
Song Che answered according to the script: "For honor, for justice, and to fulfill the oath of a knight."
Xia Li tilted her head slightly, her silver hair slipping down her shoulder.
She stood up, walked up to him, and looked down at him—from this angle, she appeared taller than she actually was.
"Then," she said, "please take care of yourself first."
She reached out her hand, not to wait for him to help her up, but to gesture for her to stand.
Song Che was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening and stood up.
The next scene was supposed to be the knight confidently stating that he could lead the princess out of the encirclement, but when Song Che was reciting his lines, he always felt that there was a hint of... helplessness in Xia Li's eyes when she looked at him.
It's like watching a child who doesn't know the immensity of the world.
Damn it, I'm actually pretty good at fighting.
On the judges' panel, the bespectacled male teacher leaned forward and wrote something on the score sheet.
The plot progresses.
The knight escaped the tower with the princess and encountered "gargoyles" sent by the wizard in the "castle corridor," which were actually two classmates dressed in black cloth.
According to the adapted script, this scene was supposed to be about the knight bravely fighting to protect the princess, but the language teacher changed it during rehearsals: the knight lacked combat experience and got into a tough fight.
Song Che wielded the prop sword and maneuvered around the "gargoyle," performing several thrilling dodges as designed.
Just as he was pretending to be cornered—
Xia Li moved.
Instead of screaming or hiding, she strode forward, lifted her skirt, and precisely stepped on the end of the black cloth trailing on the ground by the "gargoyle".
The student wearing the black cloth was caught off guard and stumbled, losing his balance.
—No, the script didn't say I was supposed to trip!
Song Che seized the opportunity and "knocked down" one. Another "gargoyle" pounced, and Xia Li calmly stretched out her foot and tripped its leg.
—No, you're coming again!
Although it was slight, it was enough to distort the opponent's movements. Song Che followed up with a sword strike, and the second "gargoyle" fell to the ground.
A few soft laughs and applause came from below the stage.
But Song Che knew that Xia Li was very skilled at tripping people.
Just like she really...is very good at creating openings in a chaotic battle.
The knight and princess fled into the forest, where the wizard Lin Xiao made her entrance. Her delivery of lines was excellent, and her eerie incantations made several younger students in the audience shrink back.
As the script reached its climax, the wizard launched an attack, and the knight stepped forward to protect the princess, only to be knocked down. Just as the wizard was about to deliver the fatal blow, the princess tore open her skirt, picked up the knight's dropped sword, and stood in front of him.
The lights focused on Xia Li.
She had her back to the fallen Song Che and was facing the wizard.
Her once smooth, flowing silver hair became slightly disheveled as she moved, with stray strands clinging to her cheeks. In her hand she held the prop sword—just a wooden stick wrapped in tin foil—but her grip was steady, her arm held horizontally, the tip of the sword slightly upturned.
She doesn't actually know how to wield a sword.
Then she looked up at the wizard.
That look in his eyes.
Song Che was lying on the ground, and from the angle looking up, the view was exceptionally clear.
Xia Li's gaze was usually calm, occasionally confused, and serious. But at this moment, there was no panic or fear in her blue eyes, only an icy calmness. It wasn't anger, nor bravery, but a kind of... self-righteous disdain.
It was as if standing in front of the weak was her innate duty.
"You shouldn't have hurt him," she said, her voice soft but clear enough to echo throughout the hall.
The original line was "You shouldn't hurt innocent people," but she changed it.
Lin Xiao was clearly taken aback for a moment, but quickly replied, "Foolish princess, do you think you can fight just by picking up a sword?"
"I don't need to know how to fight." Xia Li took a step forward, the tip of her sword steadily aimed at the wizard. "I just need to make sure you can't move forward anymore."
She spoke so naturally, so naturally, that it didn't sound like she was reciting lines, but rather like she was stating a fact.
The audience was silent.
On the judges' panel, the middle-aged female teacher held her breath, her pen hovering over the paper.
The lighting technician cooperatively shone the main beam on Xia Li. She had torn her moon-white skirt to her calves, revealing black leggings underneath—a choice she had made specifically for ease of movement. Her silver hair shimmered with a cold, metallic sheen under the stage lights.
She stood there, holding a ridiculous tin foil wooden sword and wearing a half-ripped princess dress, yet inexplicably...
It is convincing.
I believe she can truly protect those behind her.
The next "battle" was a choreographed routine. Xia Li and Lin Xiao exchanged a few moves, and finally the princess used her sword to knock away the wizard's wand. A black-painted tree branch was stuck upside down in the audience, and the wizard fled in panic.
The lights switched to a soft, warm yellow.
Xia Li turned around and looked at Song Che, who was still lying on the ground.
According to the script, the knight should struggle to his feet, the two should look at each other and smile, and walk hand in hand towards a new life.
But Xia Li didn't wait for him to stand up.
She walked to his side and knelt down on one knee.
It wasn't the princess's etiquette towards the knight, but rather an equal, face-to-face interaction.
She reached out, not to help him up, but to gently touch the spot on his costume where he had just been "hit".
"Does it hurt?" she asked.
This is not a line from a script.
Looking at her face so close to his, and at the genuine question in her blue eyes, Song Che subconsciously shook his head: "It doesn't hurt."
Xia Li nodded, then reached out to help him up. Her hand was steady and she was quite strong, pulling him up in one go.
The two walked side by side to the front of the stage and bowed to the audience.
There was thunderous applause.
The applause was louder and lasted longer than any previous performance.
Students in the audience were shouting "That's great!" and some were whispering among themselves.
As he bowed, Song Che glanced at Xia Li.
Her expression had returned to its usual calm, though her cheeks were slightly flushed from her earlier movements, and her breathing was a little faster than usual. Noticing his gaze, she turned her head and looked at him with her blue eyes.
Then, she slightly curved the corners of her mouth.
It wasn't the "princess's smile" required by the script.
It was Xia Li's signature smile—a faint but genuine "you did a good job" smile.
The curtain slowly closed.
In the final instant before it closed completely, the stage lights flickered suddenly.
Immediately afterwards—
Snapped.
The entire auditorium was plunged into complete darkness.
Power outage. Stage lights, audience seating lights, and emergency exit indicator lights are all out.
Darkness poured down like thick ink, instantly swallowing all vision. Suppressed gasps came from below the stage, and a teacher shouted, "Everyone, stay seated!" Several beams of cell phone flashlights lit up, flickering erratically in the darkness.
From backstage came the sound of hurried footsteps and whispers from staff: "Electrical box, go check the electrical box!"
In the darkness, Song Che instinctively reached out to confirm Xia Li's location.
Then he saw it.
In the center of the stage, where Xia Li stood, there was a thin, almost transparent, silvery-white glow.
It was so faint that it would be completely obscured by any other light source. But in absolute darkness, it was clearly present—like moonlight shining on her.
No, it wasn't scattered.
The light was emanating from her.
To be precise, it emanated from her long, silver hair. Each strand of hair emitted a subtle glow in the darkness, countless points of light converging to form a hazy halo. She seemed to be enveloped in a thin cocoon woven from moonlight.
Song Che's breathing stopped.
This is not a reflection.
There was no light source on the stage that could reflect her light.
This is... her own light.
Xia Li seemed to have noticed it as well.
She tilted her head slightly in the darkness, her silver hair flowing with the movement, causing the shimmering light to ripple like moonlight on a stream. She raised her hand, as if to touch her hair, but her hand remained suspended in mid-air.
Time stood still in the darkness.
Some people in the audience noticed it too.
"Is there light in the center of the stage?"
"Are you... an actor?"
"What light? Fluorescent powder?"
Whispers spread like a tide in the darkness.
Several beams of cell phone flashlights unconsciously shone onto the stage, but under the direct glare, the silvery-white glimmer disappeared—it only existed in absolute darkness.
Approximately ten seconds.
Click.
Power has been restored.
The stage lights suddenly blazed on, so bright that people had to squint.
The lights in the stands came back on, and the green lights for the emergency exits remained steadily lit. Everything returned to normal, as if the darkness and dim light from before had been nothing more than a collective illusion.
The curtain had been drawn back, and the host was on stage giving his introductions. Song Che and the other actors went back on stage for a final bow, and applause rang out once more.
But this time, the applause contained something more.
Doubt, amazement, whispers among themselves.
On the judges' panel, several teachers exchanged glances.
The female teacher was quickly scribbling something in her notebook, her brow furrowed.
Backstage, the atmosphere was both lively and strange.
Jiang Xiaoxiao was the first to rush up: "That was amazing! Sister Xia Li, your last look was incredible! And Brother Che, was that fall real or an act? The script was changed a lot... but it was a good change."
"An accident." Song Che said simply, but his gaze involuntarily turned to Xia Li.
She had already taken off her princess dress, revealing a simple sweatshirt and jeans underneath, and was removing her eye makeup in front of a small mirror. Her silver hair was now loose again, appearing as a beautiful silver-white under the ordinary backstage fluorescent lights, without any unusual luster.
"When the power went out just now..." Lin Xiao, who was playing a wizard, hesitated before speaking, "Xia Li, did you put something fluorescent in your hair?"
Xia Li looked at her in the mirror and shook her head: "No."
"That might be due to glitter in the stage makeup, causing it to reflect light," another student said. "It's a matter of the lighting angle."
This explanation sounds reasonable.
Everyone quickly changed the subject, excitedly discussing the performance, the audience's reaction, and which judge laughed a few times.
In the dressing room, Xia Li carefully wiped off her makeup with a makeup remover pad. Song Che walked to her side, pretending to tidy his backpack, and lowered his voice: "Just now..."
"Hmm?" Xia Li turned her head to look at him.
"Your hair," Song Che's voice softened, "is in the darkness..."
Xia Li looked at him quietly, waiting for him to finish speaking.
These questions are stupid. He already knew the answers.
"It's nothing," Song Che finally said. "The performance was a great success."
Xia Li nodded and continued removing her makeup.
After wiping off the last trace of lipstick, her clean face looked refreshed under the fluorescent light. She looked at Song Che and suddenly said, "You acted very well."
"Me?" Song Che was stunned. "I almost really fell."
"But you didn't panic," Xia Li said. "And you believed I would hold you back."
She was referring to the lift on the stage.
Looking at her, Song Che felt a softening in his heart.
"Hmm..." he said, "I knew you would."
During the awards ceremony, the host announced that the No. 1 Middle School Drama Club had won first place. The judges gave special praise to Xia Li, who played Princess Silver Moon: "...This student broke the traditional stereotype of the princess role, portraying a resilient, courageous, and protective female character. Especially in the moment of character transformation, the aura that burst forth from within was extremely convincing."
When Xia Li went on stage to receive the award, she was pushed to the front.
She accepted the medal and trophy—a small crystal trophy with a silver moon-shaped decoration inside.
She bowed to the audience, her silver hair falling with the movement. She was very familiar with these etiquettes, and every gesture revealed the arrogance of a nobleman.
This time, Song Che stared intently at her hair.
There were no abnormalities.
It felt as if those terrifying ten seconds in the darkness were just an illusion.
By the time we returned, it was completely dark.
One by one, the streetlights lit up, their glow spreading out in the cold air.
Xia Li held the trophy, and Song Che carried the bag as they walked side by side on their way home.
The trophy was a little cold, and Xia Li's hands were red from the cold.
When Song Che saw this, he switched the backpack to one shoulder, freeing up one hand, and naturally took her hand, stuffing them both into his coat pocket.
Xia Li's hand stiffened for a moment, but she didn't pull it out.
"Are you cold?" Song Che asked.
"A little," Xia Li said honestly, her fingers curling slightly in his palm.
Her fingertips were icy cold, so Song Che gripped them tighter, trying to warm them. The two continued walking, their footsteps clearly audible on the quiet street.
"Xia Li," Song Che suddenly spoke.
"Um?"
"If..." he chose his words carefully, "If one day, someone discovers that you... are not quite the same as ordinary people. Would you be afraid?"
Xia Li was silent for a few seconds. Her fingers twitched slightly in his palm.
"Will you protect me?" she asked.
Song Che squeezed her hand: "Yes, I definitely will."
Xia Li nodded.
"Then I'm not afraid," she said. "You'll protect me, and I'll protect you. That's enough."
She said it so matter-of-factly, as if it were the simplest truth in the world.
Song Che turned his head to look at her. The light from the streetlamp fell on her profile, giving her silver hair a soft, warm edge.
"And..." Xia Li added, her voice softening, "I... really like it here now. Although I still don't understand what you meant by confessing, I roughly understand what 'liking' means, which is why I said those two words."
Song Che's heart skipped a beat. Did she understand?
"What do you like?" he asked.
"I like cooking with you." Xia Li slowly listed her favorite things, "I like Bruce rubbing his hand against mine, I like Tao Xiang saying 'Brother, I'm hungry,' I like learning math, I like looking at the strange things in the magic mirror..."
She paused.
"I like playing the princess and protecting you."
Song Che paused for a moment.
Then he laughed, not a loud laugh, but a warm laugh that welled up from his chest.
"I like it too," he said. "I like the food you cook, I like the way you study so diligently, I like watching you struggle with your scarf, I like..."
He didn't finish speaking.
But when Xia Li turned to look at him, her blue eyes sparkled under the streetlights.
"What do you like?" she asked, mimicking his earlier question.
Song Che looked at her, at her cheeks that were slightly red from the cold, at her clear eyes, and at her slightly pursed lips as she waited for an answer.
"Three moles on the soles of my feet," he said. "They'll appear immediately."
He still selfishly wanted to possess Xia Li.
Xia Li blinked.
Then she looked down at their hands, which were stuffed into the same pocket.
She didn't speak, but her fingers gently squeezed his palm.
The two continued walking without saying another word. But Song Che's hand, still in his pocket, remained firmly gripping hers.
Xia Li understood liking in her own way. Although she still couldn't understand what Song Che meant by liking, she felt that her actions at that moment were an expression of liking.
Song Che felt a mix of worry and happiness, and Xia Li understood that their relationship truly began the moment she fell in love with him.
The sound of a television from an unknown house drifted from afar, and faint singing floated on the night breeze. Bruce and Momo should be waiting for them at home; the heating would be on full blast, and there was leftover soup from lunch in the kitchen that they could heat up.
As for the day of parting—
Let's think about it tomorrow. If it's tomorrow, then the day after tomorrow—
At least for now, on this winter night street, she is beside him, her hand in his palm, the trophy in her arms.
She said she liked it here.
I like this place because of him.
That's good.
……
"She's such a bad woman, sister, I'm going to bite her to death."
"Sister, be rational. Didn't you realize that she only threatened us this time, she didn't actually blackmail us?"
"It seems so."
"But I don't want to do it anymore. It's all about consecrating things, but I don't have any gold coins to do it."
"That's true, but she's a bad woman, so it's normal for her to do these strange things."
"Where did you hide the steamed buns last time?"
Tao Xiang didn't speak. She paused for a moment, then said, "Sister, I'll steal another one for you now."