Chapter 67: Softened

"You dancing a girl's dance... pfft... hehe... mm... hahaha..."

Shui Bing'er went from covering her mouth with a light giggle to being unable to stop herself from laughing out loud; her entire face seemed to bloom.

This is what is meant by the saying, "a smile as beautiful as a flower."

Tiny ripples stirred in the lake of her heart, but Qin Jian did not notice.

He just shook his head and laughed: "That's why I said, I can only teach you this kind of dance hand-in-hand; ask me to demonstrate? Not a chance!"

Seeing Shui Bing'er still laughing non-stop, Qin Jian couldn't help but put his hands on his hips and say huffily: "What are you laughing at? Everything that needs to be said has been said; now let's start practicing the dance. Don't forget, tomorrow you have to teach those six girls yourself..."

"Ah... I have to teach them?"

Shui Bing'er finally stopped laughing, and a look of difficulty slowly appeared on her beautiful face: "I... I don't know how to teach people..."

"Even if you don't know how, you have to. Don't tell me you want me to go and teach them one by one?" Qin Jian said.

Shui Bing'er's eyes lit up instead: "That would also be very good; you could teach them too."

"Just like with you, teaching them hand-in-hand?" Qin Jian tilted his head and said.

Shui Bing'er blurted out at this moment: "No!"

That voice was so decisive, it didn't sound like her usual self at all...

"Oh? Why not?"

A smile appeared on Qin Jian's face.

Shui Bing'er only then realized what she had said, and her face instantly turned as red as if it were burning.

Didn't the meaning of those words imply that only she could be taught hand-in-hand, and others couldn't?

The ambiguous implication was so obvious; Shui Bing'er had no idea how she could have had such a reaction...

"So, my method is better after all, isn't it?"

Qin Jian didn't make things difficult for her anymore, but instead changed his tone: "Then I'll teach you, and you teach them, how about that?"

"Okay..." Shui Bing'er said with lowered eyes and a submissive expression.

"What kind of dance are we going to practice?" she asked.

Extremely distant memories surfaced in Qin Jian's mind, and his face was full of nostalgia: "It's a very sweet, very beautiful, and very alluring team dance. The accompaniment is titled... 'TiAmo'."

"Ah? Ti-a-what?" Shui Bing'er asked blankly.

"This is a local language. Translated into the expression we commonly use, it means..."

Qin Jian's face was full of gentleness, and he said softly: "... I love you."

As if a tiny bolt of lightning had struck her, Shui Bing'er trembled all over.

But when she secretly looked at Qin Jian, she discovered that although his gaze was on her, it lacked focus...

"So he wasn't looking at me when he said it..."

Shui Bing'er's gaze suddenly became full of inquiry: "Who exactly is he looking at right now? Is it Ning Rongrong?"

Her two small hands couldn't help but clench together tightly...

She knew that she had actually always had a special fondness for Qin Jian, which was why she didn't mind his actions, and even tacitly allowed his hand-holding and hugging.

"But if there is already someone in the most important place in his heart, then I..."

Subconsciously, she wanted to retreat, but a different voice came from deep within her heart: "Why retreat? Shui Bing'er! You have never been inferior to anyone! Don't let your father's suppressive words affect your whole life! If you want something, go fight for it!"

She took a deep breath, and when Qin Jian's gaze refocused, she said very seriously: "Captain, please teach me this dance."

"Hm?"

The aggressive gaze Shui Bing'er held at this moment made Qin Jian feel quite unfamiliar, yet it perfectly displayed her inherent temperament.

A unique, breathtaking charm radiated outward, and Qin Jian's gaze became somewhat unfocused again...

"So he really likes me looking like this more..."

Shui Bing'er blinked her beautiful eyes, and a little bit of joy welled up in her heart.

She knew that this time, Qin Jian's gaze was for her, no longer for anyone else...

"Is it okay?"

She took another step forward and looked up slightly at Qin Jian; a faint, fragrant scent wafted over—elegant, poised, and beautiful!

"Hoo..."

Qin Jian exhaled lightly, looked into her eyes, and said: "This is the most perfect you."

Shui Bing'er smiled happily...

But she couldn't maintain this state for long, because Qin Jian began to teach her the dance moves...

"Come, stand here first..."

Qin Jian stood behind her.

"The first move is very important; it will attract all the attention..."

He took hold of Shui Bing'er's two small hands.

"You need to put your hands behind your back, and then sway gently with your body..."

Qin Jian fiddled with her small hands with one hand, while the other pressed against her waist.

"No, too stiff. The key to this move is to be alluring. Come, let's try again..."

Shui Bing'er's face grew redder and redder; the fleeting 'cool older sister' temperament from just a moment ago had long since been lost to who knows where.

Because Qin Jian refused to demonstrate himself, he performed all these moves by leading her hand-in-hand.

Not only was her entire body touched all over, but she was also held from behind by him while performing the poses several times...

After the first quarter-hour of practice, Qin Jian put Shui Bing'er on the bed, laughing despite himself: "Your body is so soft you can't even stand straight; your combat power is lacking. Rest for a while, and then we'll continue."

"Slap!"

Shui Bing'er hung her head and fled into the bathroom, quickly shutting the door.

Having practiced for only this short while, it was of course impossible for her to be out of energy; it was merely the sensitivity of a young girl, having been touched until she went soft...

Shui Bing'er turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on her face for quite a while, only then raising her head to look at herself in the mirror...

"This... is this really me?"

The self in the mirror had hazy eyes and a face full of rosy color, looking... delicate and dripping with charm...

"Ugh... how can I let him see me like this..."

Shui Bing'er lowered her head and splashed water on her face fiercely once more: "Calm down, calm down, I cannot let him look down on me!"

"Bing'er, are you rested?"

At this moment, Qin Jian's voice came from outside the door: "Come quickly and continue learning; you must learn some of it yourself so you have something to teach them tomorrow."

Qin Jian called out three times in a row before Shui Bing'er finally shuffled out of the washroom.

Seeing her appearance, Qin Jian was slightly stunned.

Was this delicate and charming young girl really the timid and insecure Shui Bing'er from before?

He quickly shook his head and pulled her to the center of the room: "Come, let's do the previous movement one more time..."

Perhaps it was an illusion, but this time Shui Bing'er's movements were incomparably alluring, making Qin Jian's mouth go dry.

"Bing'er, the overall style of this dance is healing, fresh, and beautiful..."

He held back for a moment, then said: "So, even though this movement is very alluring, you need to restrain it a bit; don't make the range of motion too large..."

"Ugh..."

As soon as he said this, Shui Bing'er immediately covered her face and wanted to rush into the washroom...

But she was caught by the waist by Qin Jian: "What are you running for? We've only practiced once, you aren't allowed to run! Keep practicing!"

Under his semi-coercive circumstances, Shui Bing'er was dragged back by him and began to practice again, acting shy and awkward...

(End of this chapter)