A close-contact dance...
Guan Qingtong had never taken dance lessons due to her family background, but that didn't mean she was unfamiliar with the concept, especially with the wealth of information available online.
As the name suggests, a traditional close-contact dance involves just the face touching, with no body contact. However, in many social settings, the dance becomes an excuse for intimate body contact, with the participants engaging in closely entwined movements.
Given Su Yirao's description of the dance involving a lot of hugging and holding, it was clear that they were preparing for a social event where the dance would be a facade for something much more intimate.
Nervous and unsure of herself, Guan Qingtong asked, "Sister, I don't know how to dance. Can you teach me?"
Su Yirao nodded slightly. "I planned on teaching you the dance when I asked for your help."
She paused, as if remembering something, then added, "The dance steps aren't that important. What's crucial is that you embody the role of my girlfriend. You need to get used to my presence and bring out your best performance, like an award-winning actress!"
Despite the difficulties she anticipated, Guan Qingtong was eager to learn.
"Alright!"
...
Su Yirao, ever attentive to detail, took a shower after dinner to freshen up before finding a basic tutorial video on close-contact dancing on her phone.
After Guan Qingtong emerged, freshly showered, Su Yirao ensured she could see the dance details by casting the video from her phone onto the TV screen.
Standing on the soft carpet, she pressed play, and the soothing music filled the room through the surround sound speakers.
On the TV, the two dancers moved closer, their hands on each other's waists, holding one another.
"Come here."
Guan Qingtong hesitated, then said, "Sister Yirao, how about I hold you instead?"
She had no problem initiating contact with Su Yirao, but being on the receiving end felt different and uncomfortable.
"You? Holding me?" Su Yirao raised an eyebrow. "That won't do. The point of practicing in advance is to cure my girlfriend of her reluctance to let me get close."
Clearly, Su Yirao hadn't forgotten the night when she had touched Guan Qingtong's waist, causing her to jump away.
"Sister Yirao, what do you want to do?" Guan Qingtong's face took on a light blush, perhaps from the hot shower, making her look delicate and shy.
There was something about that shy, vulnerable look that made Su Yirao want to tease her even more.
Her thoughts moved faster than Guan Qingtong's reactions, and she quickly bent her elbow, pulling Guan Qingtong close.
Their breaths mingled, and the temperature between them seemed to rise.
Guan Qingtong's body tensed, her breathing slowed, and she froze, not knowing how to respond.
"Tonight, your body seems a bit stiff, not as soft as before."
Sensing her tension, Su Yirao tried to ease the situation by making light of it, hoping it would relax Guan Qingtong.
But her words had the opposite effect.
Guan Qingtong's face flushed a deeper red, her head lowered, avoiding eye contact.
"At this rate, people might think I'm forcing you," Su Yirao sighed with a smile, lifting Guan Qingtong's chin to meet her gaze.
"Girlfriend, your acting is terrible tonight. If our practice is this bad, how will we pull it off at the event?"
"Sister, your words and actions are a bit too forward. You should at least give me time to adjust..." Guan Qingtong's voice grew softer as she spoke.
"Forward?"
Su Yirao's lips curved into a playful smile.
"What kind of adjustment period do you need?"
The music from the TV picked up in tempo, and the two dancers moved gracefully in sync with the rhythm.
Guan Qingtong bit her lip and hesitantly suggested, "Maybe we could start by just holding hands?"
Holding hands?
That pace was far too slow for Su Yirao's goal of quickly acclimating Guan Qingtong to her touch.
But then she noticed Guan Qingtong's fingers tentatively reaching out.
With a quiet chuckle, Su Yirao took the initiative, intertwining their fingers.
"Fingers intertwined—check," Su Yirao said with amusement. "We're not really dating, so there's no need to be nervous."
Feeling the warmth and softness of Su Yirao's hand, Guan Qingtong hesitated to tighten her grip, still too anxious to reciprocate fully.
"I'm just... not used to it."
"Tonight, we're curing your aversion to my closeness," Su Yirao said with a gentle smile. "If we practice well tonight, our performance will be even better."
"Okay..." Guan Qingtong's thoughts were still on their intertwined fingers, debating whether to grip back.
Before she could decide, Su Yirao had already let go, moving on to the next step.
"The dance at the event involves a lot of close contact and embracing, so we need to practice that."
With that, Guan Qingtong found herself once again pulled into Su Yirao's embrace.
This time, it wasn't as sudden, and she didn't find it as jarring.
"Put your hand on my waist. Like this..." Su Yirao's breath was warm against Guan Qingtong's ear, making her earlobes tingle.
But before she could even process that sensation, Su Yirao's gentle hands were already on her waist, swaying her in time with the music, coaxing her stiff movements into something more fluid.
"Don't get distracted, just follow my lead."
In that moment, something clicked for Guan Qingtong. She raised her hand and placed it on Su Yirao's slender waist, matching the gentle sway with her own.
Such a lovely scent.
Was it from the shower gel or perfume?
Guan Qingtong couldn't tell, nor did she care to figure it out.
All she knew was that it was a fragrance she had never experienced before—one that felt almost addictive, drawing her in deeper, making her want to stay close and breathe it in longer.
This was... kind of strange.
The thought brought her back to reality, and she quickly said, "Sister, I think I've got the hang of it."
"We're just getting started." Su Yirao said, "Let's continue with the video."
"Okay."
Fortunately, the dance was simple and didn't require any prior dance experience, making it easy for Guan Qingtong to learn. It didn't take long before she grasped the essence of the slow, swaying movements.
Su Yirao then switched to another song.
"The previous songs were gentle. Let's try something with a stronger beat. The gala will likely feature more upbeat music, so it's good to practice with that."
As the new, energetic rhythm filled the room, Guan Qingtong felt her spirits lift with the beat.
The dancers on the screen were clearly more advanced, their movements more synchronized and dynamic.
This seemed like a routine worth learning.
Su Yirao pulled Guan Qingtong into the dance, and they clumsily followed the steps, getting into the groove of the upbeat music.
As the song reached its climax, the dancers on the screen began to incorporate more intense, full-body contact with a strong sense of sensuality.
Guan Qingtong, feeling awkward, quickly moved her hand away from Su Yirao's waist and hips.
Even Su Yirao's composed expression faltered slightly.
"Sister, we..."
"We won't learn the rest," Su Yirao released Guan Qingtong, "We'll just observe."
Guan Qingtong nodded, glancing at Su Yirao.
She noticed that even Su Yirao, who rarely showed embarrassment, seemed a bit flustered, though she hid it well.
Guan Qingtong refocused on the TV.
The dancers' moves were becoming increasingly suggestive...
Luckily, Su Yirao had decided not to continue learning from this video, or else they would both be mortified.
"What was that?" Su Yirao said, trying to mask her discomfort. "I'm amazed the video platform even approved something this inappropriate for the dance section."
...
After switching to a different video, they continued practicing for a while.
By bedtime, they had made decent progress in their practice, enough to satisfy Su Yirao's goal. At least now, Guan Qingtong no longer instinctively recoiled from Su Yirao's touch.
After saying goodnight and returning to her room, Guan Qingtong found herself unable to sleep, her mind replaying the scenes of dancing with Su Yirao.
In her dreams, she spent the night continuing to dance with Su Yirao.
Even the more intimate, embarrassing moves were part of the dream, with Su Yirao guiding her through each one.
It was a dream full of tender intimacy, and if not for Su Yirao knocking on her door to wake her for work, she might have stayed lost in it.
"I'm up."
Guan Qingtong jolted awake, shaking off the lingering sense of loss, and quickly got ready for the day.
At the breakfast table, Su Yirao handed her a glass of milk.
"I just toasted some bread for breakfast. It's simple, but it'll do."
As Guan Qingtong reached for the glass, her hand paused slightly, her fingers lightly brushing against Su Yirao's.
Why had she just wanted to hold Su Yirao's hand?
This isn't right.