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JJW and MSY - Ice cream shop (match-less)
Ji Jingwu's lips were curved up in that characteristic smirk of his, but his eyes seemed to have a glint of extra amusement to them. Across from him was Mu Siyang, brows furrowed, expression serious as he faced down his latest challenge.
"Honestly, Siyang. By your expression, you'd think this was something more serious than spumoni ice cream."
"No ice cream I've ever encountered looks like that."
The Yu Qing captain tried his best to hide his trepidation as he continued to eye the layers of green, pink, and brown. And was he seeing chunks of something embedded in there?! He gripped his leg under the table.
"I know you'd never go back on your word, Siyang. You beat us, so now you have to treat me to a dessert of my choosing. I choose spumoni ice cream, and being the generous soul that I am, I insist on sharing."
"Well, seeing as this ice cream is for you, I insist that you have the first bite."
"Oh, but since you're treating me, I think it would only be fair to let you sample things first."
Behind the counter, the confused shop owner watched as the ice cream slowly melted as the two pushed the dish back and forth between them. At least they'd already paid for it.
FIN
Xu Xing Zi and Qi Ying - girl talk (hawopro)
Safely ensconced in their dormitory, Qi Ying decides it's time to ask her roommate some serious questions after having been interrogated herself.
"And what about you and Qiao Chen zhuezhang?"
Xing Zi does her best to look nonchalant, but can feel her cheeks heating up as her heart starts beating faster at the mere mention of his name.
"What do you mean?"
Xing Zi knows Qi Ying isn't fooled for a second as the younger girl's eyes narrow slightly.
"Don't pretend you don't know. I've seen how you look at him. And not just that, I can tell he's crazy about you too!"
Xing Zi hugs her pillow tighter, feeling hopeful but at the same time scared to get her hopes up.
"Do you really think so?"
Qi Ying gives an emphatic nod. "He always gets this sad look when you leave, or stop paying attention to him. Or do you ever notice how happy and excited he is when you show up?"
Xing Zi giggles. "Really?! He does that? I'm too busy trying not to trip over myself, and play it cool when I see him to notice these things."
Qi Ying giggles too. "If it wasn't disrespectful to my zhuezhang, I'd say he's like a little puppy around you."
The girls erupt into a fit of giggles as they imagine Qiao Chen as an excitable but loving puppy.
A week after training camp ends, Xing Zi asks Qi Ying to pass Qiao Chen a small package. When Qiao Chen opens it, he's mystified when Qi Ying breaks down in laughter when he holds up the keychain from Xing Zi that has a cute, stuffed puppy dangling off the end.
FIN
Siyang and Jiale - acrobatic plays (sandreen)
Chi Dayong isn’t quite sure what to make of things when he sees his doubles partner and captain each bent over watching something on their phones, clearly absorbed in whatever it is. Dachi quietly inches closer, appreciating the intense look of concentration on both their faces. He’s a bit puzzled to see them studying video of each other: Jiale is watching and re-watching videos of Siyang using Absolute Area, while Siyang is watching various clips of Jiale performing acrobatic plays during a match.
Like a sixth sense, Jiale knows when his partner has arrived and doesn’t even look up from his screen as he calls out. “Hey Dachi, it’s a good thing you’re here. You need to help duizhang with his acrobatic play.”
“W-wait...what?!” If Dachi was confused before, that feeling has doubled. He immediately looks to Siyang, who sighs thoughtfully before meeting the vice-captain’s bewildered gaze.
“We are trading play styles for the day. Ah Yan said it would be good for our growth to try a style that is in direct opposition to what we usually do.”
“Uh...okay…” Dachi nods slowly before facing Jiale. “So, why do you need me? How am I supposed to help in this?”
“Because my acrobatic plays are at their best when I’m with you, so you need to play with duizhang for him to unlock his best acrobatic plays.”
Dachi is pretty sure that’s not how it works, but since Siyang isn’t disagreeing, he goes along with it and follows the others out to the courts.
They rally for a bit, 2 on 1, to warm up before getting down to the business of swapping styles. It’s awkward and difficult for everyone involved, frustration showing on both sides.
“Jiale, you need to tone it down. Focus and minimize your movements.” Siyang tries to offer some words of advice.
“Duizhang, you’re forgetting that Dachi is there with you! You can be more reckless, Dachi won’t let anything bad happen.”
As they continue, things do improve a bit and Dachi catches Jiale trying his best to duplicate Absolute Area. He can see the beginnings of it happening, and feels incredibly proud of his partner. He knows Siyang can see it too, and that means the captain is going to double down, not wanting to be outdone. A shift starts to happen in Siyang’s play as he starts to take more risks. It feels a bit stilted, but as their session continues, he picks up some of Jiale’s natural flair. And that’s when Dachi sees it - that glint in Jiale’s eyes that tells him they are about to be tested.
Sure enough, Dachi sees the lob coming and knows this is the perfect opportunity for Jiale’s patented vaulting smash. Siyang seems to know it too, his expression set with determination as he’s not about to back down from Jiale’s blatant challenge. No one except Dachi seems to realize that this is a terrible idea given the height difference between Jiale and Siyang.
“Wait! Siyang!” But his warning comes too late, so he braces himself. It starts out fine, and Siyang manages to get airborne after pushing off Dachi with his arms. But the extra length of his legs don’t clear Dachi’s crouched form, and Jiale watches in half-horror, half-amusement as captain and vice-captain tumble to the ground in a heap of tangled limbs. Jiale is laughing as he jogs over to them, but that is quickly replaced by dread as he sees Dachi massaging his wrist after detangling himself from Siyang.
“Go ice it.” Siyang’s curt words cut through the air, and Dachi nods obediently before smiling at Jiale as if to say “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
Jiale gives Siyang an imploring look, to which the captain responds by nodding slightly. With that, Jiale races after Dachi as they head toward the club office to fetch an ice pack.
After dusting himself off, Siyang goes to intercept Yan Zhiming. “Ah Yan, no more style swapping.” His tone brooks no argument, and Zhiming simply nods before scribbling furiously in his notebook.
FIN
Qi Ying and Peng Shang- little white lie (Aricia)
Peng Shang tells herself that it’s no big deal, that she only has a small crush. She’s fine with being a part of Lu Xia’s little fan club with her best friend Qi Ying. When Xiao Ying’s infatuation starts to get more serious, Peng cheers her friend on from the sidelines, teasing her when she buys little gifts for the rookie all-star. On the inside, it stings a little. Now that Qi Ying has pretty much declared her intentions, Peng knows that the best friend code means she has to stand aside.
As time goes on, she does her best to forget about things: she goes on dates with other guys, but no one really captures her attention. The more she hangs out with Qi Ying and Lu Xia, the deeper she seems to fall, and what started as a crush turns into something more. It’s near the end of their second year when Lu Xia and Qi Ying finally make things official and start dating. And if she’s honest with herself, Peng will tell you watching it all unfold hurts the same way as being repeatedly stabbed with small needles. When she hugs her friend and says “I’m so happy for you!”, she knows it's a bit of a white lie. Yeah, she’s happy that Xiao Ying is happy, but she’s not happy with the reason for it.
Peng pulls Lu Xia aside after class one day to talk. This is it, she’s going to lay all her cards out on the table.
“Lu Xia,” her voice is curt and to the point, her expression stern. “If you make Xiao Ying cry, I’m going to end you.”
FIN
Qiao Chen and Xing Zi - Firefly (me and Aricia)
Xu Xing Zi doesn’t tell a lot of people about it, but she’s an amateur model in her spare time. She’s appeared in a few tourist brochures, and some flyers for local clothing stores; nothing to write home about, but it makes for nice pocket change. She’s thrilled when she’s selected to take part in a photo shoot to advertise the upcoming QiXi Festival being held by the city, but more than surprised when she’s selected to be the one to portray the Weaver Girl. There will be no hiding in the background this time.
It takes over an hour to get her ready for the shoot. Xing Zi has never worn such an elaborate hanfu outfit before, or seen her hair done up in such intricate formations. She hopes that she’ll get to keep some of the shots because they will undoubtedly be some of the most unique ones in her portfolio.
She breezes through the solo shots, but starts running into trouble when she has to do the ones with the model selected to be the Cowherd. Sure, he’s good looking, but she can’t seem to figure out how to school her expression into “lovesick” for someone she’s just met. They take a break for a bit to adjust the lights, so she goes for a quick walk around the set to clear her head.
Purely by chance, she notices that Qiao Chen is leaving a burger place nearby so she calls out to him, waving him over. He looks very confused for a moment, and she realizes that she probably looks very different from usual.
“Qiao Chen! It’s me, Xing Zi!” She looks around to see if she’s needed on set before once again gesturing for him to come over. His eyes go wide as saucers and he drops the burger he’s holding as he rushes over to her. He can’t help staring for a moment before he finds his words. Well, sort of.
“Wow...I mean...wow…” Qiao Chen can’t believe how inarticulate he’s being, and his face starts to heat up. “Xing Zi, you look amazing.”
Xing Zi giggles and hides her face demurely behind one of her voluminous sleeves. “Thanks. I’m doing a photo shoot right now.” She gestures to the lights and equipment in the area, before sighing. “I’m having some trouble though.”
“Anything I can help with?” Qiao Chen has no idea what her troubles might be, and has even less idea of what happens at a photoshoot, but there is no way he can stop himself from offering assistance when she’s in trouble.
“I dunno...maybe I just need a friendly face with me. C’mon. I’ll see if they’ll let you hang out with me on set.”
They take their time walking back toward the main set. The sky is slowly turning from dusk to dark, with fireflies starting to dot the riverside. Xing Zi can feel her spirits lifting just having him near. She’s called to set and she takes a deep breath to prepare. Before she gets too far, she turns towards him one last time, and Qiao Chen forgets how to breathe. The fireflies dance about, the light surrounding her is warm, and she’s smiling at him with the gentlest, kindest, most grateful looking smile he’s ever seen. Neither of them notice the tell-tale sounds of a shutter clicking. (They do figure it out when the photo of Xing Zi shows up in the promo material)
The rest of the shoot goes smoothly, though Qiao Chen doesn't do a very good job of hiding his displeasure when the Weaver Girl and Cowherd are touching or holding hands. Right before they wrap, the photographer waves Qiao Chen over.
"I'll take a few shots of you and your girlfriend, just for fun"
Qiao Chen's brain pretty much short circuits, and he has no idea how to respond. Thankfully, Xing Zi has her wits about her despite the massive blush on her face, grabs his sleeve and tugs him over. When her shy smile fills his view, he forgets everything and feels his own lips curve into a smile just for her.
The photo is amazing, but both of them are too shy to show it to anyone.
FIN