novelraw Chapter 65: You won't post this kind of photo, right?
Chapter 65: You won't post this kind of photo, right?
After taking a shower, Hua Qing changed into the pure white cotton bathrobe provided by the hotel and returned to the living room.
The meal was already laid out on the table: a simple three dishes and a soup.
Ding Heng patted the chair next to him: "Come sit down."
Hua Qing walked over silently, sat down next to the man, picked up her chopsticks, and ate without saying a word.
Ding Heng remained silent.
The two ate quietly, but Hua Qing's nervousness didn't lessen at all.
So far, Ding Heng seems very patient, and his behavior shows no sign of impatience.
But the more she thought about it, the more afraid she became.
She couldn't imagine how brutally Ding Heng would treat her once he stopped suppressing his emotions.
Ding Heng suddenly asked, "What's wrong, senior? Are you not used to the food?"
Hua Qing thought for a moment and carefully considered her words: "No, it just feels a little strange."
"What's strange?"
"I'm not used to eating too close to each other."
Ding Heng smiled.
"You'll get used to it."
Hua Qing didn't respond and continued picking up food with her head down.
Ding Heng didn't touch his chopsticks, he just stared at her.
Hua Qing felt uncomfortable under his gaze, but didn't know what to say, so she pretended to be focused on eating, chewing slowly.
"Senior."
Ding Heng called out again.
Hua Qing looked up and saw Ding Heng pointing at his own mouth.
Feed me.
"What?"
Feed me.
Ding Heng replied matter-of-factly, "Isn't that how all couples are?"
Hua Qing tightened her grip on the chopsticks slightly, then picked up a piece of tender fish and slowly brought it to Ding Heng's lips.
Ding Heng opened his mouth to catch it, chewed it, and exclaimed, "Delicious!"
Hua Qing lowered her head, her ears turning a subtle red.
She didn't say anything, but just continued to serve him food.
A small piece of pork rib.
A piece of green vegetable.
A spoonful of egg drop soup.
Ding Heng accepted all the food offered and ate to his heart's content.
Hua Qing continued feeding him, her movements initially stiff and awkward, but gradually becoming more natural, though the redness at the base of her ears never faded.
After finishing his meal, Ding Heng put down his chopsticks and clapped his hands contentedly.
"Let's go."
Hua Qing was stunned.
"Walk?"
"Yeah, back to school."
Ding Heng had already walked towards the door.
Hua Qing was dumbfounded: "You...I..."
Ding Heng turned around and, seeing her rambling, teased, "Senior, I'm only a freshman, it's only the beginning of the semester, my dorm will be checked."
Hua Qing opened her mouth, and her face flushed red.
"Then what you just did...?"
"What happened just now?"
Ding Heng asked knowingly, "Does Senior Sister want me to do something else?"
Hua Qing's face burned completely.
She stood up quickly, grabbed her pile of clothes, and rushed into the dressing room almost as if fleeing, without changing her clothes in front of Ding Heng.
The door was tightly shut.
Ding Heng leaned against the door frame, listening to the rustling sounds inside, a slight smile playing on his lips.
On the way back, Ding Heng took over driving.
Hua Qing sat in the passenger seat, saying nothing.
She couldn't figure it out.
Ding Heng laid so much groundwork—investigating her foot injury, preparing a dance dress, booking a presidential suite, having her dance, feeding her, engaging in intimate interactions…
And then you just send her back like that?
Just to see her dance?
A dance she performed ten years ago?
She glanced away, secretly observing Ding Heng.
The man was focused on driving, his profile illuminated by the streetlights.
What exactly does he want to do?
Hua Qing bit her lower lip, but in the end she couldn't resist.
"Ding Heng".
"Um?"
"How...how do you know about what happened to me ten years ago?"
She asked very carefully, her tone wary and guarded.
Ding Heng adjusted his breathing, as if lost in a memory, and began his performance.
"Senior, have you ever been truly amazed? You know, that feeling of being completely blown away by something you know absolutely nothing about?"
Hua Qing didn't answer, and Ding Heng continued making things up.
"I don't know anything about dance. I'm completely clueless about techniques, choreography, and styles. But ten years ago, when I was eight, I accompanied my cousin to a competition—something like the Youth Dance Competition!"
Hua Qing's breathing paused slightly.
"Anyway, I've forgotten the specifics, and I don't remember how my cousin danced either."
"I was sitting in the audience, so bored I was about to fall asleep."
"Then……"
Ding Heng paused for a moment, then his tone became serious.
Then a girl went up on stage.
"She was wearing a dress, a deep purple gauze skirt, pomegranate red, and a golden hair ornament on her head. I was young then and didn't understand anything about Tang and Han styles, but I just thought...it was beautiful, exceptionally beautiful."
"The music started, and she began to dance."
"I don't know how to dance, I really don't. But at that moment, I just stared at her, not wanting to blink."
"When she twirled, her skirt spun out like a flower."
"When she leaned back, I felt like she was going to fall, and my heart was in my throat."
"When she laughs, I feel like laughing too."
"When she stopped, I was sitting in the audience, and it took me a long, long time to realize—she'd finished dancing?"
Hua Qing's breathing suddenly stopped.
Ding Heng continued his story, a perfectly timed self-deprecating smile playing on his lips.
"I didn't know her name or who she was at the time. But that image has stayed with me forever."
"Later, as I grew up, I met many people and experienced many things, but I never forgot the girl on that stage."
"Sometimes I find it funny myself—a single glance, and I've remembered it for ten years."
The carriage was extremely quiet.
Hua Qing sat in the passenger seat, her mind buzzing.
Even if she lacked emotional intelligence, she could still understand that the girl was referring to her at that moment.
But she didn't know whether she should be happy or afraid.
What's delightful is that Ding Heng's "ulterior motives" towards her were actually because of her dance!
Because of her love for the place, everything related to "dance" automatically becomes viewed through a filter in Hua Qing's eyes.
What's frightening is that Ding Heng is capable of going to such lengths for a ten-year-old obsession.
Ding Heng secretly observed Hua Qing's reaction out of the corner of his eye.
A system notification appeared in my mind.
【Azure Cold Sword Immortal: Hua Qing】
[Current Status: A Fairy Who Has Lost All Her Cultivation Power]
[Progress of romantic entanglement: 4%]
[Progress of severing emotional ties: 0%]
Four percent.
Ding Heng secretly let out a breath.
It finally moved.
Sure enough, we were on the right track!
What amazed me ten years ago?
Back then, he was playing house with Long He every day, imitating the Young and Dangerous movies. He didn't have time to watch a bunch of kids dance.
But no way.
Hua Qing's shell is too hard.
It can't be knocked open or smashed.
To find a breakthrough, you have to make up some lies.
"I can't forget you because of your dance" - this plot is a bit far-fetched, but it's still much better than "a rogue lusting after a beautiful woman".
And so far, the results seem to be quite good!
For a woman like Hua Qing, who appears tough on the outside but is soft on the inside, once you find even the slightest opening, things will be much easier...
The car continued its journey through the night and finally arrived at Hubei University.
Ding Heng parked the car on the side of the road and turned off the engine.
"I'm leaving now."
Hua Qing gave a soft "hmm," reached for her seatbelt, and prepared to sit back in the driver's seat.
With a "click," the seatbelt buckle popped open, and a large hand reached out and gently pressed down on Hua Qing's wrist.
Hua Qing turned her head, and Ding Heng's face was inches away from hers.
"Senior, is it okay for couples to kiss?"
Ding Heng slowly approached, his breath brushing against Hua Qing's face.
It was warm, with a hint of minty coolness; it was the gum he had just chewed.
Hua Qing closed her eyes.
one second.
two seconds.
three seconds.
At the last moment, she still raised her hands and placed them against Ding Heng's chest.
"Can we wait a little longer?"
Ding Heng stopped just centimeters away from Hua Qing, his eyes filled with amusement.
"Since you're still not willing, we won't force you."
After saying that, he turned around, pushed open the door, and got out of the car without the slightest regret or lingering attachment.
Goodnight, senior.
Ding Heng closed the car door, made a few footsteps, and disappeared into the night.
Hua Qing sat motionless in the passenger seat.
Much later, she noticed a tube of ointment lying quietly on the driver's seat.
There was no packaging, no label, just the same as the one Ding Heng gave her last time.
Hua Qing picked up the ointment, her heart filled with turbulent emotions.
Shock, disorientation, wariness, regret... and a touch of bitterness she had never experienced before.
In short, it's a long story.
On his way back to his dormitory, Ding Heng kept his eyes fixed on the system interface in his mind.
【Azure Cold Sword Immortal: Hua Qing】
[Current Status: A Fairy Who Has Lost All Her Cultivation Power]
[Progress of romantic entanglement: 10%]
[Progress of severing emotional ties: 0%]
[Ding! The progress of the romantic connection has exceeded 10%, and the stage goal has been achieved!]
[Rewards: 1000 Divine Merit Points, +6 to Constitution, and the skill "Sword Heart Clarity" is officially activated!]
As the tasks become more difficult, the corresponding rewards also increase.
As for the use of the skill "Sword Heart Clarity", just like the "Dragon's Might" that was unlocked last time, Ding Heng dared not test it casually for the time being, for fear of causing any trouble.
Pushing open the dormitory door, three heads turned around at the same time.
"They're back! They're back!"
Liu Chiwang was the first to jump up: "Old Ding, confess and you'll be treated leniently!"
Qian Pu chimed in, "Who's that Hanfu-clad beauty? Tell us quickly!"
Ding Heng tossed the keys on the table and calmly walked past them toward his bed.
"A senior from the school next door came to see me about something."
"Senior?" Liu Chiwang looked incredulous. "Just a senior?"
"Otherwise what?"
"Do you think I don't know who she is?"
Liu Chiwang chuckled and answered his own question: "Hua Qing, right? From the School of Music and Dance at Hunan Normal University, known as the number one classical beauty at the foot of Yuelu Mountain."
Ding Heng raised an eyebrow: "How do you know everything?"
"Of course!"
Liu Chiwang puffed out his chest smugly: "My intelligence network covers the entire Yuelu Mountain University Town. As soon as she appeared at the entrance of our teaching building today, several people recognized her, and the photo has already spread throughout the group chat."
He took out his phone, swiped it a few times, and shoved it in front of Ding Heng.
Sure enough, it was a photo of Hua Qing waiting for him at the door, and it was quite clear.
Qian Pu leaned closer, his face full of envy: "Old Ding, you eat so well?"
"What do you mean, 'eat'?" Ding Heng slapped his hand away. "Don't overthink it. Our relationship isn't at that level yet."
Liu Chiwang and Qian Pu exchanged a glance, revealing an "I understand, I understand" expression.
"temporary."
Liu Chiwang emphasized his words.
"It hasn't come to that."
Qian Pu repeated it.
The two of them chuckled together.
Ding Heng ignored them and picked up a towel to wash up.
"Oh, right."
Liu Chiwang suddenly remembered something: "Bai Zhiya from our class is planning to cause some trouble when school starts."
Qian Pu asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
Liu Chiwang clicked his tongue and said, "She signed up to speak as a freshman representative, and I heard she's also applying for a position in the student council. It's only been a few days since the start of the semester, and she's already putting on quite a show."
Chen Mo rarely spoke up: "It seems you're determined to become a campus celebrity."
Qian Pu shook his head: "You don't understand, do you? We journalism students, this is called getting into the zone early, accumulating experience, building a persona, and graduating straight to the top."
"I've got you figured it out."
Liu Chiwang smiled and teased.
The group chatted idly before heading off to wash up.
Ding Heng was the first to finish washing up, climbed into bed, and leaned against the headboard.
The bed curtains were drawn, creating a small private space.
He took out his tablet and opened the photos he had taken that day.
From the moment Hua Qing stood there in a daze in front of her dance dress, to every moment when she started dancing.
He flipped through the photos one by one, selected dozens to import into his photo editing software, and began retouching.
The stylus glides lightly across the screen.
Correct skin tone, adjust lighting and shadows, and crop the composition.
Ding Heng meticulously edited the dance scene, in particular.
The crimson and gold-red brocade skirt stood out even more against the dark background.
Finally, try to bring out Hua Qing's contradictory yet charming temperament little by little by capturing those unintentional glances in her eyes—dreamy, intoxicated, stubborn, vulnerable...
Ding Heng worked until 2 a.m. and created a new folder called "Hua Qing".
Then I opened Hua Qing's chat window and sent all the photos in a package.
The file transfer will take about five minutes.
【Flower Sea Sunny Day】: Your photography skills are quite good.
Ding Heng couldn't help but laugh again.
Even when she was trying to praise someone, Hua Qing's writing still had a cold, detached quality.
The scariest thing is that she may be completely unaware of it and even think that she has high "emotional intelligence".
[Ding Heng]: Thank you for the compliment, senior. I like these two the most.
He chose to send two pictures, both of which were of Hua Qing changing clothes in the hotel living room.
The picture reveals everything, both what should and shouldn't be shown, making it the kind of image that would likely fail to pass censorship on a legitimate platform.
【Flower Sea Sunny Day】: You promised me you wouldn't send indecent videos or photos!
[Ding Heng]: It was you, senior, who made the request. I didn't say I agreed.
[Ding Heng]: And what's indecent about this photo? Look at the lighting, the composition, it's art, isn't it! I spent a lot of time editing it!
【Flower Sea Sunny Day】: Don't go too far!!!
Ding Heng stared at the three exclamation marks, and the corners of his mouth curved into a smile.
He didn't reply again, put his phone and tablet aside, and prepared to go to sleep.
Ten seconds, twenty seconds, one minute.
Ding Heng turned over when his phone vibrated.
Another tremor.
Shake it again.
After the fourth vibration, Ding Heng finally picked up his phone and turned on the screen.
【Flower Sea Sunny Day】: You wouldn't post this kind of photo, would you?
【A Sunny Day Amidst a Sea of Flowers】：?
【A Sunny Day Amidst a Sea of Flowers】: Ding Heng?
【Flower Sea Sunny Day】: Anything is fine, just don't post this kind of photo!
Ding Heng could almost picture what Hua Qing looked like on the other end of the phone.
With a tense face and furrowed brows, fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed. After finishing, he felt it wasn't right, so he deleted it and retyped it, only to end up with the same stiff, unnatural sentence.
[Ding Heng]: We'll see how you perform next, senior.
After sending the message, he shoved his phone under his pillow, and it vibrated again.
Ding Heng yawned nonchalantly, and a moment later, a soft snore began to rise...