Amateur talent show? Top mentors are my students.

The dance studio remained quiet for a long time.

After saying his last words, He Xu leaned against the wall and stopped looking at Jiang Yanbai, his gaze falling on his own reflection in the mirror opposite him.

He waited for Jiang Yanbai to speak.

It took a long time because the other person simply didn't know how to respond to that conversation.

Then Jiang Yanbai's voice came from three or four steps away, his tone serious: "Aren't you tired of talking so much?"

He Xu's eyelashes twitched.

He turned his head to look at Jiang Yanbai—the man was still sitting by the wall, in the same posture as before, his back against the mirror, his legs stretched out and resting on the floor.

But his fingers, resting on his knees, were slightly curled, his knuckles white, as if he were restraining something.

"...You ask me if I'm tired?" He Xu's voice was slightly hoarse. "I just finished telling you about my past, and the first thing you ask me is if my throat is tired?"

"Otherwise what?" Jiang Yanbai leaned against the mirror, her gaze fixed on his face. "Your voice hasn't been recovered for long, and you've said so much in one go today. Are you sure you're alright?"

He Xu was silent for two seconds, then he opened his mouth and realized that he did seem to be a little hoarse.

But compared to the hoarseness caused by injury, it seems more like normal fatigue after overusing one's voice.

There was a slight, warm, tingling sensation on the surface of my vocal cords, but it didn't hurt.

"...It's alright," he said, "just a bit dry."

Jiang Yanbai stood up, walked to the corner of the wall, bent down to pick up an unopened bottle of mineral water, unscrewed the cap, walked back and handed it to him.

He Xu took the water and drank a sip. The warm water slid down his throat, and the slightly hot and sore feeling was reduced.

He held the water bottle in his hand, looked down and stared at the label on the bottle for a while.

"He Xu," Jiang Yanbai said.

He Xu didn't look up, but the fingers holding the water bottle tightened slightly.

"You just said—you've said so much, just let me finish listening," Jiang Yanbai's voice was even lower than before, "I can't do that."

The dance studio fell silent for a moment.

He Xu held the bottle of water, turned his head to look at him, and his lips twitched slightly.

"...You're saying you can't do it?" He Xu's tone had returned to its usual calm. "Then what do you plan to do? Help me get revenge on them?"

Jiang Yanbai leaned against the wall, remained silent for a moment, and then said seriously, "I mean, now that you've finished speaking, I won't pretend I didn't hear it. Now someone knows about all the things you carried alone before—do you know what that means?"

He Xu looked at him but didn't reply.

"...Don't fucking look at me like that, I can't stand it." Jiang Yanbai looked away, his voice a little muffled, "I just wanted to tell you that you don't have to be alone anymore. I'm here, even if you 'can be alone,' I'll always be by your side."

"He Xu, I don't care what you were like in the past. You need to know that in my eyes, you will always be the smart, proud, responsible, and lovable He Xu."

He Xu tightened his grip on the water bottle slightly.

He lowered his head, staring at the fine threads on the bottle cap, and remained silent for a few seconds before speaking: "...Why are you so serious today? It's not like you."

"I can be serious sometimes, okay?" Jiang Yanbai's voice carried his signature smug tone, "But that's all. If you make me say it a second time, I can't say it."

He Xu's lips finally curved slightly, a very slight smile, but it was indeed a smile.

Jiang Yanbai looked at his curve and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Then he shifted his posture, sitting up a little straighter, and his tone returned to its usual joking manner: "But seriously—you just said you beat someone so badly they broke their nose?"

He Xu looked up: "...Hmm."

"You've got a strong grip." Jiang Yanbai looked down at his hand. "Does that mean I can't mess with you anymore? I'm afraid you'll pin me against the wall and beat me up one day."

He Xu looked at him, a hint of speechlessness in his expression: "You're only just finding out?"

"I've always known, but I used to think you wouldn't lay a hand on me." Jiang Yanbai shrugged. "Now that I've heard what you've done, I think I need to reassess our relationship—from now on, I'll do whatever you say, and I'll never dare to look things up behind your back again."

He Xu paused for a second: "...Are you really afraid I'll hit you?"

"I'm scared to death." Jiang Yanbai shrank back, his expression contrived as if someone had a gun pointed at him. "You can even fracture my nose, and this face of mine is going to be on the cover of a magazine. If you do that to me, I'll have to cancel all my work next month."

Looking at his exaggerated expression, He Xu finally couldn't help but laugh, saying helplessly, "...Don't give me that. I won't hit you."

"real?"

"real."

"Then swear it."

"Jiang Yanbai, are you out of your mind? Why should I swear an oath?"

"Because you just mentioned your glorious record of beating people up, I feel very insecure now."

He Xu took a deep breath, picked up the water bottle beside him, and pretended to throw it at him.

"Look, you're about to hit me right after you said that!" Jiang Yanbai immediately raised his hands. "I was just kidding! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I won't say it again!"

He Xu put the water bottle down, leaned back against the wall, bent down and screwed on the cap, his movements more relaxed than before.

"...You just said you wouldn't investigate me anymore?" He Xu asked.

"I won't investigate anymore." Jiang Yanbai's voice returned to seriousness. "If there's something you don't want me to know, I won't ask anymore. I'll listen when you're willing to talk."

He Xu didn't reply, but he loosened his grip on the water bottle.

The two sat on the dance studio floor for a while longer.

The sky outside the window had changed from light gray to deep blue.

He Xu stood up first, stretched his knees which were stiff from sitting for so long, picked up the empty water bottle and threw it into the trash can in the corner.

"I'm leaving," he said. "I'm going back to eat; I'm hungry."

Jiang Yanbai stood up from the ground, brushing the dust off his pants: "What do you want to eat?"

"casual."

"Choosing randomly is the hardest."

"Then let's go to that restaurant you took me to before."

Which one?

"That one, the burrito shop."

Jiang Yanbai was taken aback for a moment: "...You still remember?"

"I remember." He Xu picked up his coat from the piano bench. "The wraps from that place were really delicious."

Jiang Yanbai looked at him, and the corners of his mouth slowly curved up: "Okay, let's go to that restaurant then. It's on me, order whatever you like."

"Nonsense, of course you're treating." He Xu didn't even turn his head, opened the door of the dance studio and walked out.

The cool night air of Los Angeles swept in, carrying the faint sounds of traffic from the distant highway and the scent of grass and trees.

Jiang Yanbai followed behind him, locked the door, and the two of them walked down the stairs one after the other, crossed the parking lot, and got into the car.

After the doors closed, the carriage was quiet for a moment.

Jiang Yanbai started the car, turned her head to look at him, and said, "He Xu."

"Um."

"...You just said so much, are you sure your throat is okay?"

He Xu leaned back in the passenger seat, turning his head to look out the window: "I'm just a little tired."

"...Then don't say so much at once next time. There's plenty of time in the future."

He Xu didn't reply, but the corners of his mouth curved slightly in the reflection of the car window.

The streetlights swept past the car window one by one, alternately illuminating the silhouettes of the two people before disappearing into the shadows.

He Xu looked out the window, and after a while suddenly spoke: "...You're right."

"What?"

"You said I would never go back to that 'I can do it alone' state again." He Xu's tone was very calm. "I used to think that way. But... now it feels like things are really different."

Jiang Yanbai's fingers tightened slightly on the steering wheel, but he didn't turn his head to look at him: "Of course it's different. If you want to be alone in the future, I won't let you be alone. Even if you try to kick me out, I won't leave."

He Xu paused for a moment, then said, "...What you're saying is disgusting."

"I'm serious."

"Even when you're serious, it's disgusting."

Jiang Yanbai chuckled and said nothing more.

As the car rounded the last bend, the sign of the burrito shop shone with a warm yellow light on the street corner ahead.