Chapter 6 — The King's Voice is Very Good

We met at 6pm to have dinner. When I entered the restaurant's private room, Co Du was already sitting there, looking neat, her hands tensely clutching the hem of her shirt, as if trying to keep herself calm. “Teacher Le!” – he stood up, a bit awkward, like a student being called to the blackboard. I ordered a few simple dishes, but the whole meal... no one really enjoyed it. The food is so delicious, but no one feels the taste, each person has their own feelings. I have never seen Co Du so stressed before. Even though I haven't heard his heart these past few days, just looking at his face, I can guess that he's probably screaming in his head. “Are you full?” – I asked softly. His bowl had long been empty, but Co Du still held the spoon and pretended to scoop it into his mouth, not knowing what the air in the bowl tasted like. “Ah… I'm full.” – It took a moment for him to react in surprise, his face immediately turning red like a ripe tomato. “So… let's go for a walk?” – I suggested. "Okay!" – he answered, so quickly that he was stunned. We walked together on the crowded street, crowded with people. At night, warm yellow light spills onto the street. In the sea of people, no one seemed to pay attention to us. Even though we weren't wearing masks, we still seemed hidden in our own world. “Teacher Le.” – he called softly. "YES?" – I tilted my head slightly. “Can… hold my hand?” – His voice was as small as a mosquito's, but clearly carried nervousness. "…Okay." The moment he heard the answer, he breathed a sigh of relief, then carefully reached out his hand. First, just use your pinky finger to gently hook my finger, as if testing for a reaction. Seeing that I didn't move away, Co Du took a deep breath, then boldly grabbed my hand. His hand was warm, so hot that it spread to my palm. At that moment, amidst the noisy crowd, suddenly... there was only the sound of our two hearts beating. He didn't say anything more, but in the middle of the night he was alone in his head, making me so noisy that I couldn't sleep. The next morning, looking in the mirror, I saw two dark circles as black as a panda, scaring the manager to death: "Oh my god, my little ancestor! How did it become like this?! No matter how beautiful my skin is, I can't stand this kind of torture!" I... of course can't tell the truth, that I lost sleep because I listened to Co Du all night wondering what to wear on a date. “It's okay, I just had a bit of trouble sleeping last night.” – I replied casually. At noon, I took a long nap, then applied a thick layer of concealer, then went to film a diamond advertisement. The busy days passed very quickly, and in an instant it was the weekend. The strange thing is... these past few days, I no longer hear Co Du's heart. We met at 6pm to eat. When I entered the restaurant's private room, Co Du was already sitting there, looking neat, her hands tensely clutching the hem of her shirt, as if trying to keep herself calm. “Teacher Le!” – he stood up, his voice hoarse and full of tension. I casually ordered a few dishes, but throughout the meal, no one really enjoyed them. The food is so delicious, but no one can taste it, each person has their own story. I have never seen Co Du so stressed before. Even though I haven't heard his heart in recent days, just looking at his face, I can still guess that his mind is definitely screaming in confusion. “Are you full?” - I asked softly. His bowl had long been empty, but Co Du still held the spoon and pretended to scoop it into his mouth, not knowing what the air in the bowl tasted like. “Ah… I'm full.” – It took him a while to regain his composure, his face immediately turning as red as a ripe gac. “So… let's go for a walk?” – I try to suggest. "Okay!" – he answered, so quickly that he was momentarily stunned. We walked together on the crowded street, crowded with people. At night, warm yellow light spills onto the street. In the sea of people, no one seemed to pay attention to us. Even though we weren't wearing masks, we still seemed hidden in our own world. “Teacher Le.” – he called softly. "YES?" – I tilted my head slightly. “Can… hold my hand?” – His voice was as small as a mosquito's, but clearly carried nervousness. "…Okay." The moment he heard the answer, he breathed a sigh of relief, then carefully reached out his hand. At first, just use your pinky finger to gently hook my finger, as if testing for a reaction. Seeing that I didn't move away, Co Du took a deep breath, then boldly grabbed my hand. His hand was warm, strong enough, holding tightly as if afraid I would disappear. At that moment, amidst the noisy crowd, suddenly... there were only the two of us left and our hearts were racing. His hand was warm, large and firm, the joints clear and beautifully elongated. It was easy to see, all of Co Du's attention was on the hand that was clasped tightly around mine, to the point that his whole body looked distracted from the outside world. We both just walked around, not buying much. Just when passing by a small flower shop, I suddenly stopped and picked a red rose in full bloom. Under his eyes of anticipation and surprise, I gently held the flower towards him: "Do you like it?" Co Du trembled a bit, as if she had lost her voice. His throat moved slightly, he silently reached out his hand to receive the rose, but was speechless. Then suddenly, I was hugged completely. “Le Du.” – His voice was hoarse, a bit choked. "I'm here." – I replied softly, the smell of roses creeping into my breath. “I like you…” – he squeezed a little harder, “…like it very much, like it a lot.” "I know." – I curled the corners of my lips, my voice was calm. “So… can you… like me too?” – he asked, shaking slightly, like a child afraid of being rejected. I replied without hesitation: "I like you. Maybe right now it's just a temporary fluttering feeling, maybe it's because I like being loved by you. But... I think, you will make me like you forever." His arms tightened with each word, but the hug was soft and gentle, as if he just wanted to confirm that I was really here, not just a dream. I could clearly feel his heart beating fast and strong, almost transmitting that heartbeat to me. I even noticed that his body was trembling slightly. Sometimes, I still wonder... It's only been two days together, is it too fast? Is the feeling I have for you the same as the feeling I had for that teenager? Or just a little attachment, an awakened memory? But for Co Du, all of those things... were not important at all. As long as I'm by your side, no matter what reason, you feel satisfied. We officially made it public. Simply post a photo holding hands. No matter what outsiders say or discuss, we don't care. Because… Thing The most important thing is —— we are together.