Genius Club-Chapter 600 - 21 I Have Been Here Before (Two in One Big Chapter)_5
...
Lin Xian lowered his head, looking at the lively and festive crowd.
Huang Que, do you ever envy them?
Envy them for having families, friends, liveliness, and joy.
Envy them for being able to attend parties, to shout unrestrainedly, and to dance together without caring about appearances.
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Just then,
the intense foreign dance music abruptly stopped. The dancing crowd on the rooftop across the street hadn’t even had the chance to stop when a soothing piece of music began to play.
This music...
Lin Xian couldn’t help but perk up his ears.
He hadn’t heard wrong.
It was the soundtrack from a Mi Country movie in the Marvel series, "It’s Been a Long Long Time," which translates to "Long Time No See."
[Long Time No See.]
This seemed to be the phrase Huang Que always said every time they met.
Every time, it was long time no see.
In the superhero movie "Captain America," Captain America and a female spy Peggy Carter fell in love, but due to unfortunate timing, they never finished their dance at the ball.
Afterward, the war broke out.
Captain America was frozen under the sea for over 70 years, and by the time he woke up, the world had entered the rapidly developing 21st century.
He was still that robust young man, untouched by the passing of time.
But Peggy Carter was different.
The ninety-year-old Peggy Carter had already become a feeble old grandmother lying on her deathbed.
Time is such a cruel thing.
Never looking back, never slowing down.
Missing that one chance to dance, the superhero Captain America and the legendary spy Peggy Carter... they would never finish that blues dance.
Just like when they saw each other 70 years later, the vast changes, the years lost and 70 years of deep longing, would ultimately just turn into a faint,
"Long Time No See."
...
Lin Xian turned around.
Facing Huang Que.
He raised his right hand.
Making an inviting gesture.
With his right palm facing up.
Looking into Huang Que’s eyes,
"Would you like to dance?"
Huang Que turned her head in surprise,
Blinking,
Looking at Lin Xian incredulously and burst out laughing,
"Are you inviting me? This seems a bit informal."
Lin Xian smiled slightly, understandingly.
He took a step back, bowed slightly, and raised his hand in the gentlemanly gesture he had used countless times in the general education classes at East Sea University to invite senior female students to dance, skilled and graceful:
"Lady, may I invite you for a dance?"
Huang Que, as if amused, looked away, looking at the sky, at the moonlight.
But eventually...
She turned her head back, her eyes softening.
Looking at Lin Xian.
She extended her right hand, her fingertip touching Lin Xian’s palm:
"That’s more like it."
The loudspeaker music across the street suddenly sounded gentle and no longer disturbing, like a lullaby bringing sublime tranquility.
The rhythm of the blues dance is very slow, a type of slow four-step dance.
There isn’t a splendid hall here, just the moonlight over the noisy old town rooftops.
There aren’t elegant dresses here, just Lin Xian in sportswear and Huang Que in a coat.
There aren’t masterful dance steps here, just both of them dancing the blues steps not very expertly.
But it doesn’t matter.
Lin Xian suddenly felt, the realization he had earlier in the room downstairs was right.
Dance and music.
That’s how it should be.
It is the purest form of art.
There is no division of borders, no class hierarchy, no distinction between nobility and commonness.
Pure art, what arrives, is only purity.
Lin Xian, holding Huang Que’s hand, spun under the moonlight, and the clouds drifting by danced along with them; on this rudimentary yet pristine rooftop, it seemed regrets and loneliness blended together in their twirl, crossing the limits of time and space, clasping hands and reconciling.
There was no applause,
no cheers,
no audience,
even the accompanying music was borrowed.
But...
Clearly, Huang Que was very happy, her smile much lighter than before:
"I really didn’t expect you to take the initiative to invite someone to dance."
"It’s also the first time," Lin Xian released Huang Que’s right hand, letting her spin on her high heels to the music, then again grasped her right hand, pulling her back:
"I’m not really good at these things."
"So... "
Huang Que blinked her eyes, slowly regaining their blue glow:
"In the past, were you always invited by ladies to dance? That’s not very gentlemanly; never let a lady initiate the invitation to dance."
"So isn’t this me taking the initiative?" Lin Xian stepped forward, smiling:
"But isn’t it terrible to dance in such a place?"
Hmph.
With a meaningful chuckle, Huang Que withdrew her forward step and placed her palm in Lin Xian’s hand, completing a semi-circular glide:
"I’ve read a phrase that says, as long as there’s someone willing to be embarrassed with you, embarrassing things aren’t embarrassing anymore."
"Similarly, no matter how bad something is, if someone is willing to go through it with you, it’s not truly bad."
"You’re still such an enigma," Lin Xian said softly.
"But you really dance well; I didn’t expect you to be able to dance to this song... Well, this dance piece isn’t a traditional one, it’s quite new, only out for a few years, but your rhythm is very accurate."
"Because I’ve seen that movie."
Huang Que blinked, looking at Lin Xian:
"’Captain America’, right? Even though I’m not interested in superhero movies, I still made an effort to watch several of them in a row."
Lin Xian was a bit surprised:
"If you don’t like it, why watch it? Why torture yourself?"
"You can’t say that, Lin Xian."
Huang Que, in the final crescent of her dance, completed the last spin, steps came to a halt, pulling Lin Xian’s hand to stop in place.
The closing music crescendoed, then abruptly stopped.
The piece concluded.
Huang Que also ended her final pose, withdrew her fingers, stood up straight, and from a step away looked at Lin Xian
"You don’t like Copenhagen, but here you are, aren’t you?"
She smiled, looking down.
Then she stepped back.
She adjusted her coat, swept all her windblown hair back, shook her head, and refocused on Lin Xian:
"Thank you for dancing with me, I’m glad."
"It’s late, let’s go back to rest, we still have many places to visit tomorrow."
Saying that, she wore her high heels again, walking lightly towards the rooftop staircase.
As she entered the stairwell door:
She turned back, giving Lin Xian one last look:
"Good night, Lin Xian... have sweet dreams."
...
The next day.
Everything was as usual.
Lin Xian and Huang Que visited many places in downtown Copenhagen, museums, art galleries, and they were even lucky enough to catch a performance at the national opera house in the grand theater, appreciating the somewhat incomprehensible art.
At night, the two dined in a well-reviewed local restaurant.
To their surprise, the food was quite good.
At least Lin Xian found it much tastier than the food from the previous day.
But...
Huang Que seemed somewhat distracted.
She barely ate,
and went to the restroom numerous times.
Her gaze often aimlessly drifted towards the window, distracted.
"What’s the matter with you?"
Lin Xian asked, placing down his knife and fork.
After a moment of silence, Huang Que’s gaze returned from the window:
"There’s another sight I’d like to see."
"Alright,"
Lin Xian casually replied:
"Now?"
Huang Que nodded.
Lin Xian didn’t make much of it, wiping his mouth with a napkin:
"Then let’s take a taxi there, there’s one at the door... By the way, which sight do you want to visit?"
Though Copenhagen was a big city, Lin Xian thought they had already visited all the well-known sights in the last two days; could there be one they missed?
"[The Little Mermaid statue]."
Huang Que said:
"The one we saw yesterday, that Little Mermaid statue by the seaside promenade."
Lin Xian was a bit surprised:
"Right... didn’t we already go there yesterday? Do you want to see it again?"
"Yes."
Huang Que smiled:
"As I told you at Andersen Cemetery, I really love the ’The Little Mermaid’ tale, so... let’s look at that mermaid again."
"Though we truly did see it yesterday, wouldn’t it be a regret not to take a photo, now that we’re here in Copenhagen?"
She looked up, her deep blue eyes as bright as ever, staring at Lin Xian across:
"Let’s go to The Little Mermaid statue, and you can take a picture for me."
"At least as a memento, to signify... that I was once here."
