EFB Chapter 33 She hopped on her tiptoes twice.
Chapter 33 She hopped on her tiptoes twice.
Choi Sulli stood in front of the easel, her brush paused slightly, and she turned to look at him. The smile in her eyes from when she finished painting the waves was still there, but she found that Jiang Yan was bent over, supporting himself on his knees, panting heavily, as if he had just been pulled out of the water.
"Jiang Yan?"
Her smile froze instantly. She hurriedly put down her paintbrush and grabbed his arm. "What's wrong?!"
Jiang Yan slowly straightened up and looked into her eyes.
His almond-shaped eyes reflected the warm yellow light of the studio and his face. There were bloodshot veins in his eyes and dark circles under them, but they were clean and bright.
The gray cocoon that had enveloped Choi Sulli for so many years finally cracked open with a tiny fissure at this moment.
Jiang Yan looked at the light shining through the crack; it was the light that belonged to the little girl with pigtails who had chased him all over the back hill of the orphanage.
He raised his hand and hastily wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, forcing a somewhat forced smile: "It's nothing, I probably had low blood sugar. I was too nervous while drawing, and my hands were shaking. As soon as you let go, I relaxed completely, so I felt a little dizzy."
Choi Sulli frowned, reached out to touch his forehead, then hesitated and withdrew her hand. "You look terrible, your lips are pale. Are you really okay? Do you want me to get you some candy?"
"I'm really fine." Jiang Yan moved to the refrigerator, took out a bottle of ice water, unscrewed the cap, and took a big gulp. The icy liquid slid down his throat, barely suppressing the lingering chill in his heart. "Teaching me to draw is more tiring than making me stay up three nights writing songs."
Choi Sulli stared at his back in confusion for a moment, then smiled and lowered her head to gently dab the undried paint from the edge of the white wave on the canvas with her fingertip.
"Then I'll teach you again when you have time next time. Teaching you is much more interesting than teaching other kids."
"Pfft...cough cough cough!"
Jiang Yan was so choked by those words that he bent over and coughed for a while, almost dropping the mineral water bottle in his hand.
Seeing his disheveled appearance, Choi Sulli immediately switched to a disgusted expression on her face.
She grabbed two tissues from the tin cart next to the easel, crumpled them into a ball, and threw them precisely at his back: "Hey, do you have to react like that? I didn't say you had to pay tuition."
Jiang Yan took the tissue and wiped the water off his chin before straightening up.
To be honest, he was actually a little scared.
The overwhelming gray fog, the countless nights she spent curled up alone, and the chill that seeped from his bones still linger in his limbs.
He instinctively wanted to get away from her.
It's not dislike, it's fear.
He was afraid that if he touched her again, he would be dragged into that bottomless darkness, and that he would drown before he could pull her out.
But when he turned his head, he saw the bright smile and undisguised expectation in those almond-shaped eyes. Seeing Choi Sulli's face, which finally had some vitality, he sighed heavily in his heart.
Forget it.
We've come this far, and we've already endured it all.
If she's really going to drown, we should wait until we get her ashore first.
"I'll learn from you again next time I have the chance."
Jiang Yan gave a vague reply, then looked at the old wall clock. The hands were almost pointing to ten o'clock. "It's getting late. I have to go back to the company to pick up Minzheng. She practiced until this late on her first day of training. I'm a little worried about her."
Choi Sulli followed his gaze to the wall clock, nodded, picked up the towel draped over the easel, and wiped the paint off her fingers: "Let's go, I'll walk you to the alley entrance."
"No need, you go back and rest first, I can walk by myself."
"It's hard to get a taxi in this alley at night, I'll take you to the main road." Choi Sulli walked to the door, took the light khaki striped suit jacket off the hook and casually draped it over her shoulders, then took out canvas shoes from the shoe cabinet and put them on. Her movements were crisp and efficient, leaving no room for refusal.
Seeing her attitude, Jiang Yan did not refuse again.
The two walked out of the studio one after the other. Choi Sulli locked the door, and the brass key turned twice in the lock, making a crisp click.
The alley was quiet, and the bluestone pavement shone with a cold white light under the moonlight.
The shadows of the two people were stretched long and short by the streetlights, overlapping and separating, and neither of them spoke.
As you turn out of the alley, the neon lights of Rodeo Street suddenly come rushing towards you.
Sulli stopped at the boundary between the streetlight and the shadow.
"I'll leave you here."
Jiang Yan turned to look at her: "Which direction do you live in? I'll take you home first."
"No need." Choi Sulli shook her head, pulled her suit jacket tighter, and tucked her chin into her collar. "At this time of day, the paparazzi are very active. There are people staking out everywhere in Apgujeong. You just joined the company and your future is bright. It wouldn't be good for you to be photographed walking with me in the middle of the night."
Jiang Yan frowned, about to say something, when Cui Xueli cut him off first: "I'm fine. I've walked this road for years, I can go back with my eyes closed. You should hurry up, or your little Minjun will be getting impatient."
Jiang Yan looked at her slender figure standing at the boundary between light and shadow, remained silent for a second, and did not insist on anything, because he knew that if she was really photographed, the one who would be most affected would definitely be her.
He stepped forward, reached out and pulled her suit jacket back up from her shoulder, gently pressed his fingertips on her shoulder and quickly withdrew them.
"Message me when you get home."
"Okay." Choi Sulli smiled and waved at him, her tone slightly mischievous. "Go on, Oppa."
The "Oppa" was called so lightly, yet it froze Jiang Yan in place for a second. Then, he shook his head helplessly, waved his hand, and strode towards the SM building.
After walking seven or eight steps, he suddenly stopped and turned around abruptly.
Choi Sulli remained standing there, her hands in her suit pockets, quietly watching his figure.
"truth."
"Hmm?" She tilted her head.
Jiang Yan stood a few steps away, looking at the half of her face illuminated by the streetlight.
The night wind blew her long hair wildly, and a few strands clung to her cheeks, but she didn't bother to brush them away.
"Don't be afraid if the company wants to sideline you because you refused that role."
"Live the life you want. You know I'm not good with words, but there's one thing I can promise you..."
He paused, pulled his hand out of his pocket, gave her a thumbs-up, and then emphatically tapped his chest.
"Your oppa is now a full-fledged producer at SM Entertainment. I have a fixed salary every month, and I also get a share of the profits from arranging music. I will do my best to let you live the life you want, so don't be afraid. Even if the sky falls, I'll be there to support you."
Sulli was stunned.
The night wind blew in from the alley entrance, making her suit jacket flutter loudly.
She stood there, staring blankly at Jiang Yan with her almond-shaped eyes.
After he finished speaking, I watched him touch the back of his neck a little embarrassedly, then I watched him turn around and walk away quickly, his figure gradually swallowed up by the flashing neon lights of Rodeo Street and disappearing into the crowd.
After a long, long time, she lowered her head and gently pressed her fingertips to the corners of her eyes, where warm liquid clung to her fingertips.
"Pabu".
"You don't even look people in the eye when you say things like that, and then you just run away. What kind of skill is that?"
She slowly turned around and walked towards her apartment, her canvas shoes making a soft rustling sound on the bluestone pavement.
After taking a few steps, her steps suddenly became lighter. She tiptoed and hopped twice. Her suit jacket slipped halfway off her shoulder, but she pulled it back and wrapped it tighter around herself.
The night breeze in March was still cool, but for some reason, she felt that this spring seemed warmer than in previous years.