Chapter 21 BURNING PRIDE
Godiva’s POV
I quickly stood up. Mama’s warning kept ringing in my head. I wanted to explain myself to him, but he angrily got up and walked away hurriedly.
I stood there for a second before going after him, only to bump into Jerald, who looked like he had been standing there since forever.
I ignored Jerald and chased after Leo, but he was already out of sight. I didn’t know where he had gone. I stopped running and carefully strolled back toward the hostel, thinking about all sorts of things.
I began regretting why I pushed him away, especially since I had always imagined and prayed for the day we would share our first kiss.
The moment Dina sighted me at the entrance of the hostel, she looked shocked.
“What? I didn’t expect you back this early,” she said as she walked toward me.
“Why are you crying?” she asked, wrapping me in a warm embrace.
The pity party only lasted a few minutes. Dina already managed to make me feel better with her crazy ideas, as if she were acting in a ZeeWorld movie.
“Don’t let anyone ruin your mood. We’ve anticipated this day, girl,” she added.
Before getting dressed for the culture night, we went around admiring the other girls’ Qipao. Eventually, we returned to our bedside laughing. We were certain none of the Qipao were as beautiful as ours. We silently felt grateful to Ben and Jerald for helping us pick the best ones.
When we arrived at the Da Yu Hall, where the cultural night was being held, everyone suddenly went crazy with cheering and laughter. Dina and I looked around in confusion as we sat down, still trying to understand what was happening.
We were in shock the moment Ben and Jerald stood up wearing the same Changshan as us.
Jerald’s Changshan looked exactly like my Qipao, and Ben’s Changshan looked exactly like Dina’s Qipao.
“These men are crazy,” I said to Dina, laughing in disbelief as I watched them approach our table.
“How do we defend ourselves?” Dina asked, looking shocked.
The crazy screams of the students increased the moment they sat at our table.
“This can’t be a coincidence,” a guy’s voice rang out from behind us, and the clapping and screams only increased after what he said.
“What in heaven’s name happened here?” Dina asked, staring at Ben.
“It was merely a coincidence. This was the only Changshan they were able to get,” Jerald said, grinning from ear to ear.
“Is that why you guys took us around the market until we got this Qipao?” I asked, still in disbelief.
“You should feel honored,” Jerald added as he adjusted his outfit.
“Forget these boys. We’re still going to have fun today,” Dina said, raising her hands from the opposite side of the table for a high five.
The hall finally became very quiet the moment Mr. Curtis and the culture teacher walked in.
The night started with a performance from a group that acted a short play about the legendary Hua Mulan. After their performance, we were given wish lanterns and asked to write a wish on them, just as it had earlier been demonstrated to us by a woman.
The hall became busy with everyone trying to hide their wishes from each other.
For several minutes, Jerald, Ben, Dina, and I sat quietly staring at our lanterns.
“Why do we all look moody?” Dina asked before turning away from us to write her wish.
I wasn’t bothered because I already knew what her wish would be.
Shortly after, Jerald turned away and wrote his wish, followed by Ben, and lastly me.
We were then asked to step outside and say a small prayer before lighting our lanterns and letting them fade into the beautiful night sky.
While praying, I slightly opened my eyes. That was when I saw part of Jerald’s wish.
“I want to be loved and love.”
That was all I could read. The rest was written in Chinese, which made it impossible for me to understand.
I noticed how unusually sad he looked as he released his lantern into the air. I felt equally sad after seeing his wish. I knew something was going on with him, something he always concealed with a smile. I just didn’t know what it was.
“Hey, you okay?” I asked, nudging Jerald with my elbow.
“I’m good,” he replied with a smile that was obviously fake.
After the wishes, it was finally time for the solemn traditional Chinese dance, and we were supposed to partner up for it.
Ignoring Jerald, who was beside me, I went to find Leo so we could dance together. I hoped I could make things right by giving him a kiss during the dance.
I quickly turned back when I saw Leo already paired with a girl in his class. I felt dispirited as I stood in one corner, watching everyone beautifully paired up.
“I’ve come to help you save face again,” Jerald said, stretching his hand toward me.
At first, I was reluctant. But seeing how happy Leo looked with his partner, I finally held Jerald’s hand with a small smile.
When the dance started, it was chaotic because no one truly knew how the dance was supposed to go. We had only watched a short clip of it earlier.
Jerald did his best to teach me the steps carefully as I gradually caught on, doing my best, even though it wasn’t very good.
I had never laughed as hard as I did that night while Jerald coached me and acted all high and mighty at the same time.
After the dance, they began playing hip-hop music. That was when Dina and I unleashed our real selves to the public for the first time ever.
We instantly became the center of attraction as we danced crazily. Other tourists passing by even stopped to watch us while we danced in the middle of a strangely formed circle.
As we danced, I could hear Jerald’s voice cheering loudly, calling my name and Dina’s name at intervals.
The walk back to the hostel was done in pairs, with everyone chattering excitedly.
“I never knew you were such a great dancer,” Jerald commented as we walked, counting our steps.
“Enough of the hype,” I said, smiling hard. I wasn’t used to receiving compliments, so I didn’t know the best reply to give.
“Hey,” I said, getting Jerald’s attention.
“Today could have possibly ended badly for me if you hadn’t helped me out,” I added.
“I sincerely appreciate you, and I will forever be indebted to you,” I continued, patting him lightly on the back.
“I’m in your life to make it better,” he replied seriously as I felt his warm palms cover mine with a tight grip.
But that small moment of serenity was suddenly interrupted by one cold stare.
Yeah. It was from Leo.