Chapter 11: Sweet Delusion That Can't Be Escaped 4
Under the escort of the driver, the three of us quickly arrived at the school's small auditorium. The usually quiet small auditorium seemed very lively today, with the lights particularly dazzling in the night and music constantly coming out of it. People queuing at the door were looking around, waiting to enter, and the scene looked very lively.
After we entered the venue, I realized that the reason why Hongze didn't cause a sensation when we were queuing outside must be because the lights outside the door were too dim. As soon as Hongze entered the venue, a spotlight hit him, instantly exposing him to everyone. There was a sudden cheer in the venue, and Zhou Mian next to him was ignored.
Of course, except Ling Jiao. Ling Jiao was the first to come over and greet us: "Are you here?" After saying that, she dragged Zhou Mian away.
I stared at Ling Jiao in amazement. Before I could say anything, she dragged Zhou Mian and disappeared into the crowd. When I turned around again, the girls seemed to be inspired by Ling Jiao. They rushed up and surrounded Hong Ze, vying to dance the first dance with him. In just a moment, I was magically squeezed out from Hong Ze. I could only barely see Hong Ze's head sticking out from the center of the circle of girls.
"Hongze, dance the first dance with me!"
"Why? Who are you? Hongze wants to dance the first dance with me!"
"Why don't you go find your own dance partner? Is your own dance partner just a pretext for you to get in?"
"That's right! Can you guys go find your own dance partner? I'm Hongze's dance partner!"
"Hey! Stop pulling my hair!"
"Ah! You stepped on my skirt!"
"Get away from me, bitch!"
The girls surrounding Hongze were still reserved at first, and I didn't know who started it first, but suddenly a group of girls twisted and fought. I wanted to hide to the side, because in such a situation, I always try to hide as far away as possible, but Hongze was in the middle, and I couldn't get too far away.
I looked at the group of girls with some annoyance, and slowly some boys came up to pull them apart and took their female companions away. It was then that I realized that Hongze was gone!
"Hongze!" I nervously squeezed over, pushed through the crowd, and looked for Hongze, but I never saw him.
"Hello!" Suddenly, I heard Hongze's voice behind me. I turned around quickly and saw that it was Hongze.
Hongze held a plate in each hand, which was filled with cute snacks of various colors. He said with a smile: "I made a profit today, there are so many snacks. Have some!"
"Where did you go just now? I looked for you everywhere." I took a pink macaron and said with some complaint.
"Where did I go? I want to ask you where you went!" Hongze seemed even more dissatisfied than me, and asked half-questioningly, "Why didn't you help me just now? I wanted to eat the blue one."
I hesitantly reached out to pick up the blue macaron cookie, looked at Hongze's open mouth, and my face turned red. I put the macaron cookie back on the plate and took the plate instead.
"I was squeezed out by them. They were so scary." I shrugged, indicating that there was nothing I could do.
Hongze picked up the macaron cookie and muttered, "Aren't you going to feed it to me?"
My hand holding the plate shook, and I almost spilled the snacks. I glared at him and said, "What are you talking about?"
Hongze wanted to say something, but Ling Jiao's voice came from the speakers: "Everyone, please come to the front of the stage. Our dance party is about to begin. Please find your dance partner. We are about to have the first dance. Please gather in front of the stage."
"Let's go over there." I took the small plate from Hongze's hand and casually placed my own plate on the table next to me.
"Student Hongze, I solemnly invite you, are you willing to dance the first dance with me?"
"That's the opposite!" Hongze looked at me unhappily, and turned his right hand to make an invitation gesture, "Ms. Lingmiao, can I invite you to dance the first dance?"
I nodded shyly, placed my hand gently in Hongze's palm, and smiled.
Soon, everyone gathered together, about a hundred people were crowded together. As the music started, everyone automatically formed a big circle and danced together.
Soon I was in so much pain that I couldn't speak. I had a sad face and didn't know how many times Hongze had stepped on me. "What on earth did you learn from Zhou Mian?"
"Dancing." Hongze said without any self-awareness, shaking his body stiffly and stepping on my foot again.
"Ouch, you're stepping on my feet and making them swollen." I shrank my feet, deeply regretting that I wore a pair of shoes with exposed toes.
"I didn't mean it." Hong Ze curled his lips and said with his neck stiff, "Zhou Mian said that I took a crash course, and this level is already very good."
"Okay, okay, be careful." Hongze said so, and I didn't know what to say, so I had to change the subject, "I'm the only one dancing in my coat, and I feel it's even more embarrassing this way."
"Where's embarrassing? I think this is pretty good," Hongze turned his head to look elsewhere and stepped on my foot again.
"Ah!" I was almost knocked down by the step. It was only with Hongze's support that I was able to stand firmly. "Can you be more reliable? I definitely won't be able to walk when I get home today. You stepped on me so hard."
We were bickering when the music entered its second section, and it was time to swap partners. Hongze raised his hand and made an arch, and I spun around and was picked up by the boy next to me, completing the first swap of partners.
Although I had expected this, as I turned around and around, I saw myself getting further and further away from Hongze, and Hongze changed his dance partner one after another. I looked at the happy expressions on their faces when they danced briefly with Hongze, but I couldn't see Hongze's expression, and I couldn't help but mutter in annoyance: "Didn't they get their feet stepped on?"
"Whose foot was stepped on? I...I didn't step on you, did I?" the male dance partner in front of me asked nervously.
"Huh? No, no, you didn't step on me."
I explained quickly, fearing that he would misunderstand.
He breathed a sigh of relief, stuck out his tongue at me, and said, "I was stepped on several times, but it's not easy for girls either. They must be dizzy to turn a 15-meter circle. I'm a little tired too, let's understand each other."
"Ah? This circle is fifteen meters?" I couldn't help asking, but I felt a little rude. "This song is a bit long, and changing partners on such a large scale is indeed tiring."
He smiled softly: "Yes, this circle is fifteen meters long and there are dots painted on the sides. You may not have noticed, but I'm happy to dance with you." After he said that, he raised his hand to make an arch, and I spun around again and was passed to the next boy.
I wanted to smile politely, but I really couldn't laugh. There was only one thought in my mind: Hongze could escape the restriction of the Soul Binding Cage!
When the song was about to end, I finally returned to Hongze and saw his expression. Hongze looked a little tired. I looked at his eyes and eyebrows carefully, but I felt a little strange. A strong sense of unreality came over me.
Did Hong Ze know that he could escape the Soul Binding Cage or not? If he knew, why didn't he tell me?
"Um, the Soul Binding Cage..." I hesitated, not knowing how to start. After the song ended, I stood there staring blankly at Hongze.
"Ah? What's wrong? Don't worry about it. We are here to have fun today. Don't worry, I'm so strong, nothing will happen!" Hongze laughed, took me to the table with snacks, picked up a cookie and stuffed it into my mouth.
I was caught off guard by a mouth full of food. Such intimacy made me a little shy, but the questions piled up in my heart also made me a little confused. The two emotions intertwined, and I still asked: "Are you no longer restricted by the Soul Binding Cage?"
Hong Ze, who was drinking milk tea, spit out all the milk tea in one mouthful, and wiped it with a tissue in panic. His eyes were evasive, and his hands moved around as if he had nowhere to put them. After a long time, he finally made up his mind, took a deep breath, and said loudly: "Yes, I have actually walked out of the restriction of the Soul Binding Cage, and it has been a while."
I pursed my lips and nodded, confirming that my guess was correct. I didn't respond, but waited quietly for his next words.
Hongze's voice became smaller, and he seemed a little unconfident: "Although I have walked out of the restriction of the Soul Binding Cage, but... well, you won't chase me away, right?"
I burst out laughing, tears couldn't help falling, big drops fell on my coat, I grinned: "Is this why you didn't tell me because you were worried about it?"
Hongze seemed a little embarrassed, his hands trembling as he tried to grab the tissue. He scratched his head sheepishly: "Well... I am..."
"No, of course I won't chase you away. You are an important family member to me!" I buried my head in Hongze's arms, hugged him tightly, and said in a muffled voice, "I am so happy. The relationship between us is no longer the kind that is tied together only because of the Soul Binding Cage."
Hongze hugged me back tightly and said proudly, " Well, even without the restriction of the Soul Binding Cage, if you promise to keep cooking steak for me, I can still consider staying."
"Hehe." I smiled foolishly in Hongze's arms, feeling his warmth, "Yes, yes, you stayed because of the steak."
"What nonsense are you talking about? I stayed here because of you." Hongze was not stingy with his confession. He rested his chin on the top of my head and spoke seriously.
I looked up at Hongze, his ears were already red as if they were about to bleed, I laughed secretly. I touched my face, it was also terribly hot.
I lowered my eyes and saw the water stains on Hongze's suit. I felt a little embarrassed: "My tears and snot are all on your clothes."
Hongze waved his hand nonchalantly, rolled his eyes, and said with a smile: "Jiheng bought it, don't worry about it."
After laughing for a while, I suddenly remembered to ask Hongze: "When did you know about this?"
"Not long after Ji Heng brought the Zhenyun Sword, I often played around with it and felt that I recovered very quickly. I didn't know when, but I had fully recovered." Hong Ze turned his hand to show me a small black sword lying in his palm. "Of course, the main reason is that I am very strong."
"Yes, it's mainly because you are so strong." I reached out and touched the small black sword in Hongze's hand. I could feel the energy flowing in the sword. "This is my luck."
Hongze took my other hand and apologized to me quietly: "I'm sorry, I didn't tell you. I was afraid that after I told you, there would be no reason to stay."
"Now there is a reason. You are the reason. "
I held Hongze's hand back and whispered.
"Hey! Fu Lingmiao, are you dancing in a coat on purpose?" Ling Jiao came over with Zhou Mian, and took off my coat without saying anything. After seeing my dress, she teased Hong Ze, "I thought you were wearing something else. You are so stingy! Come on, I will punish you to dance solo!"
With Ling Jiao's encouragement, Li Weiwei immediately joined in: "Solo dance! Solo dance! I have never seen anyone dancing in a coat. Lingmiao, you are so mean!"
"Lingmiao, you two look so good together." Ai Jia behind Li Weiwei also said with a blushing face.
Li Zimei also came over with her male partner: "Ling Miao must not want to do that. When we were exchanging partners just now, Hong Ze stepped on me twice."
Zhou Mian stood aside and watched the show, clapping and laughing. Gradually more and more people gathered around and started to make a noise.
"Just dance, I'll let you see the grace of the dance king!" Hongze was not shy at all and pulled me to the center of the dance floor.
I was stunned for a moment, and then I stood up and said, "Hey, isn't it you who's dancing?"
"We are together." Hongze laughed heartily, "Music!"
The music started, and we danced along. The lights became softer, and I could only see Hongze. The light shone on Hongze's face, and his long eyelashes cast a shadow, but it couldn't cover his gentle eyes. The corners of his mouth were raised, with a gentle smile, and my figure was reflected in his shining eyes.
With my friends gathered around me, it was like a dream, making me feel so happy that I almost felt dizzy. The right hand tightly clasped with Hongze's was sending me constant warmth, so I didn't feel cold in this early winter night.
When the song ended, everyone applauded us enthusiastically. In the distance, the New Year's bells could be heard faintly. Someone shouted "It's snowing", and everyone ran out of the small auditorium cheering, and snowflakes floated in with the wind.
Hongze and I were the only two people left in the small auditorium. I looked at him and whispered, "Hongze, Happy New Year."
Hongze looked at me and whispered, "Happy New Year."
