Why Suffer for This Distress (GL) - Chapter 16

Su Xiyan was dragged into the dance floor by He Jingmo, who was gripping her collar. She staggered, following He Jingmo’s steps. Her mind stopped thinking as she looked at the fierce person in front of her. She completely lost self-awareness and could only passively follow He Jingmo’s movements.

He Jingmo was no longer the reserved and polite mentor from the campus. Since Su Xiyan wanted to play, she would let loose and play with her. Fueled by the alcohol, she swung her long hair, transforming all her grievances and bitterness into this one dance. She draped one arm around Su Xiyan’s neck, looking at her with a seductive, smiling gaze that made Su Xiyan feel utterly weak. Moving forward with the dance steps, He Jingmo occasionally brushed against Su Xiyan’s body. The surrounding crowd was stimulated by this sudden scene; whistles and shouts rose and fell. He Jingmo’s hair was scattered over her shoulders. She was naturally tall and, having trained in standard ballroom dance, she was poised and captivating when she danced. Her alluring long legs and seductive eyes brought the atmosphere to a climax. Su Xiyan, on the other hand, watched her, her brows slightly furrowed. He Jingmo ignored the change in her expression, pulled her arm in her direction, and yanked her into her embrace.

Gradually, the dance steps changed. With a graceful flick of her hand, He Jingmo broke away from the ambiguous distance with Su Xiyan. She strode forward, tossed her long hair, and, under everyone’s gaze, smiled softly and began to dance solo.

Now, even Xiao Moyan, who had been sitting on the sidelines enjoying the show, widened her eyes.

Her long legs, sparkling as they were refracted by the lights, combined with the rapid, rhythmic heaving of her chest, and the fierce hip movements brought the atmosphere to its peak. More importantly, it was He Jingmo’s expression; she seemed to be smiling at everyone, yet in the blink of an eye, she turned cold, glamorous, and enchanting. Her nimble dance steps allowed all her charm to burst forth at that moment. Xiao Moyan’s eyes were glued to her. No wonder they said a reserved woman, when she finally lets loose, is terrifying! Seeing Teacher He, she finally understood! Look at that figure, look at those mesmerizing eyes!

Soon, the music ended. He Jingmo executed the final dance step perfectly, without the slightest hint of lingering. She smiled, shook off the men and women who came up wanting to dance with her, walked with her long legs to the sofa, sat down, picked up a cocktail, and sipped it gently.

Her composed demeanor made Xiao Moyan’s jaw drop into an O-shape. He Jingmo looked at her with a smile, “President Xiao?”

“Oh, oh…” Xiao Moyan realized her blunder. She drank a gulp of ice water, looked at He Jingmo, who still had a lingering smile in the corner of her eyes, and shivered inwardly. This is different from my wife. This one seems genuinely fierce.

At this moment, Su Xiyan, who had been forgotten on the dance floor, also walked back. Her face was ashen. She plopped down on the sofa and took a deep breath.

“Well, um, my wife called me home. You two chat. I’m leaving first. Just call me when you want to go back.”

Xiao Moyan was the best at reading the room. She loved watching drama, that was true, but it didn’t mean she enjoyed watching arguments. Su Xiyan’s anger and He Jingmo’s composure were too much for her to handle, so she decided to disappear as quickly as possible.

President Xiao had left, but the two, who could have been holding hands and quietly eating a late-night snack, were frozen. Su Xiyan drank one strong cocktail after another, while He Jingmo watched her with cold eyes, silent.

“When did you start dancing?” Su Xiyan’s face was flushed from drinking, and her tongue was thick. He Jingmo raised an eyebrow, looking at her. “Are you asking me?”

Back in college, the school organized a Dance King competition. A show-off like Su Xiyan certainly wouldn’t forget it. Not only did she join out of boredom, but she also dragged He Jingmo along. When He Jingmo danced one number on the spot, she regretted it instantly. Sure enough, the Dance King that year was He Jingmo. Because of this, He Jingmo’s love letters also increased exponentially. For this, Su Xiyan was green with regret. At that time, using the excuse that He Jingmo had stolen her Dance King title, Su Xiyan tore up quite a few of her love letters. He Jingmo always smiled and tacitly allowed her behavior, never showing anger, which undoubtedly fueled Su Xiyan’s arrogance, making her tear up the love letters with even greater relish.

“You’re dancing in a place like this?” Su Xiyan’s voice was tinged with anger. She knew she shouldn’t be angry and had no right to be angry, but when she saw the captivating He Jingmo surrounded and embraced in the center of the crowd, the sourness and vexation that surged in her chest almost tore her apart.

“I’m dancing in a place like this?” He Jingmo had also drunk quite a bit. Usually, she could control her emotions, but seeing Su Xiyan, after drinking, completely disregard her feelings just now and question her like this, her mood plummeted, and her voice was terrifyingly cold.

“Are you the same as me? You’re a mentor!” Su Xiyan was picking a fight. He Jingmo looked at her expressionlessly, stood up, and walked out.

“Where are you going?” Su Xiyan hurried to follow her out. She had drunk too quickly, her head spun, her foot slipped, and she nearly fell. But she didn’t care about that. Pushing through the crowd, she chased after He Jingmo. This woman drank so much and just left like that. Isn’t she afraid of running into bad people?

He Jingmo walked very quickly, fully utilizing her advantage of being the Dance King with long legs. Su Xiyan refused to be left behind, biting her lip and desperately chasing her, using all her strength.

So, on the bustling street, under the surprised gaze of the onlookers, two beautiful women with long hair, wearing long dresses and high heels, one clutching her bag and the other clenching her fist, engaged in a 100-meter speed walk competition. This race lasted for ten minutes.

“Jingmo, Jingmo, stop…” Su Xiyan’s lungs were about to burst. She was panting heavily, clutching her waist, unable to run anymore. He Jingmo finally stopped. Her chest heaved rapidly, and beads of sweat dripped from her forehead. All the effects of the alcohol had dissipated with the sweat, but her expression remained stubborn, and her eyes were full of resentment as she looked at Su Xiyan.

“You—why are you running so fast?” Su Xiyan couldn’t even speak clearly. She gasped for air, looking at He Jingmo. He Jingmo was equally uncomfortable. She raised her eyebrows and glared at Su Xiyan. “Mind your own business?”

“If I don’t mind you, who will? You run out alone like this, aren’t you afraid of being chased by perverts?!” Su Xiyan was furious. He Jingmo wasn’t falling for that, and she coldly snorted, “Aren’t I already being chased by one now?”

“What do you mean?” Su Xiyan’s voice also turned cold. Was she calling her a pervert? He Jingmo ignored her and turned around.

“Fine, I won’t mind you! Do whatever you want, jump if you want to jump, go crazy if you want to go crazy! Who am I to you to mind your business! I must be crazy!”

This run seemed to have exhausted all of Su Xiyan’s strength. She looked at the stubborn He Jingmo, became enraged, and spoke without thinking. After angrily spitting out a few sentences, she turned and walked away. He Jingmo turned around, silently watched her angry departure, and bit her lip.

She really wanted to ask Su Xiyan if she was never allowed to be tired? If she didn’t even have the right to be jealous?

The cold wind dried the sweat on her forehead and also chilled her heart. He Jingmo murmured “Xiyan,” and slowly crouched down on the ground, hugging herself tightly with both arms.

The wind blew in gusts over her thin body, and tears flowed silently down her cheeks. He Jingmo lowered her head, biting her lip, crying silently. She was so tired. She had persevered and endured for so long, yet this person still acted like a stubborn block of wood with no response. She clearly had feelings, so why couldn’t she take a step forward? She also wanted to, wanted to just express the love in her heart, but she was afraid, afraid of losing her, afraid that they wouldn’t even be friends anymore, afraid that everything was just her own wishful thinking. Su Xiyan was her everything. She would rather forever bear the burden of their vague, ambiguous relationship than suffer the pain of losing her completely. It was all because she cared too much. Xiyan, Xiyan, Xiyan…

Just as He Jingmo was completely despairing and in pain, a pair of warm arms hugged He Jingmo. That familiar embrace brought her peace. She closed her eyes, leaning into that person’s arms, utterly exhausted.

“Jingmo, I’m sorry…”