70: The Frog Prince

The room was meticulously decorated, with candlelight illuminating the city's night view—it was romantic, but perhaps not quite right for them.

"Uncle Pei, we're divorced now. You don't need to waste your time on me anymore. I really won't go back. You can go find someone new. Don't you like new experiences?"

Shang Zhi sighed softly. She couldn't understand why this old man, who had everything he wanted, couldn't find someone else to fleece. Why did he have to keep such a close watch on her, even after the divorce?

"Alcohol or orange juice?"

"You didn't drug me, did you?"

"This service is not available at the moment."

"Orange juice."

“I’ve loved this orange juice since I was little, hee hee.” Pei Yanxiu filled the glass in front of Shang Zhi.

“When I was little, my family’s refrigerator was full of drinks, with all kinds of flavors from different countries. My favorite was this orange juice. Later, when I grew up, many orange juices and other drinks appeared in supermarkets, but I still chose this orange juice.”

"I know that other drinks have their own merits, but the quality of this orange juice is also irreplaceable. I love this orange juice and don't want to try anything else. Even if I go abroad, even if I go to a very far place, I will continue to search for this orange juice."

"So, you are an old-fashioned person."

"You could say that I don't like making choices, nor do I like changing my choices."

"If this orange juice is no longer produced, and you can no longer find it, you will still look for other orange juices."

"Then I might just stop drinking orange juice."

"Anyway, people can survive without orange juice."

Shang Zhi paused in her cutting of steak, and when she looked up, her eyes met his. Her heart pounded.

"You can't not drink orange juice. Everyone drinks orange juice, how can you not drink it? Besides, you've never tried other orange juices before. I think you should try some..."

“This is your birthday present, Xixi.” Pei Yanxiu stood up, took a box from the cabinet next to him, and spread it out in front of Shang Zhi. Inside were stacks of documents.

"What's this?"

"Freedom? You don't want freedom."

“I bought you an island in the South Pacific. I built a holiday home on it and applied for a flight route. It can be just the two of us there. We are absolutely free, and no one can bother us. As long as you agree, the island is ours, and you can have whatever you want.”

"You bought an island?" Shang Zhi really didn't expect this to be her birthday present.

But she couldn't have it.

“I can’t take your island. We’re divorced. I can’t run an island with you. Uncle Pei, thank you. You bought the island, so it should belong to you. I just want to ask you to help me resolve the issue of the resident permit.”

Pei Yanxiu felt a sense of defeat. She wasn't even spending his money anymore, which was clearly a way of cutting ties with him.

"Why should I help you? What can you give me? Or rather, what are you willing to give me?" Pei Yanxiu reached out and picked up a rose, placing it in Shang Zhi's palm.

“We used to be husband and wife, so it was only natural for me to help you. Now that we're divorced, shouldn't you pay some price for asking me to do things?”

"What do you want?" Shang Zhi suddenly had a bad feeling, sensing that this old man had some ill intentions.

"In that case, I won't make things difficult for you. You can have a month to do whatever you want with me, okay? Of course, that excludes your class and practice time. I'm a very kind person and not that demanding."

Shang Zhi: ......

"If you agree, I'll take care of the membership certificate right away. If you don't agree, then forget it. It seems you're not in a hurry."

"I agree." There was no other choice at the moment. She had already sacrificed so much for her family, so this was the only way Shang Zhi could comfort herself.

"It's only a month, I'm at your beck and call. What do you need me to do now? Massage your shoulders and legs, or serve you tea and water?"

"First task: accept your birthday present, Xixi. I know you'll like it." Pei Yanxiu sat on the sofa, crossing his long legs. In the night, he looked somewhat tired.

"Except for this."

"If you don't even intend to do the first thing, then please do as you please." Pei Yanxiu's tone was much colder. He didn't like Shang Zhi's attitude of trying to distance herself from him. After so many years, the lines between them were already blurred. He no longer cared about what he had given, and he hoped she wouldn't care either.

"There's only this one task for today. Once you've completed it, you can leave."

Shang Zhi eventually signed her name on the document.

"Go back and send me your class schedule so I can arrange my time accordingly."

"oh."

-

There was a rehearsal before the official performance of the dance drama. Perhaps because she hadn't been on a formal stage for a long time, Shang Zhi was already nervous two days before the rehearsal.

Even though she had practiced many times, she still worried about not dancing well and about embarrassing herself on stage. The experience of twisting her ankle was like a curse, and it would happen in her dreams from time to time.

Perhaps, what you fear most is what will happen. During the rehearsal, she made a mistake and suddenly stopped at a certain movement. Her mind went blank, and Shang Zhi couldn't even cry.

She herself couldn't understand why she couldn't do those movements, those movements she had practiced ten thousand times.

She fled as if she were escaping.

Shang Zhi stayed home for two days, unable to figure out where the problem lay. Was it because she wasn't trying hard enough? Or was it that she just couldn't do it well, no matter how hard she tried?

Shang Zhi even considered sending a message to the professor saying that she would quit dancing and drop out of school, perhaps because she really wasn't suited for it.

After staying at home for two days, she was so hungry that she couldn't stand it anymore and went out to find a place to eat. There was a person wearing a frog doll standing by the roadside. Shang Zhi saw it but didn't pay attention to it at first. However, the frog walked towards her and stopped next to her, which startled her.

"Is there something you need?" Shang Zhi asked cautiously.

The frog didn't speak, but gently touched Shang Zhi's hand. Then, on the street, in front of everyone, it began to dance. It was the very dance that Shang Zhi was supposed to perform. Although it danced very clumsily, it was clear that it had just practiced and had a lot of problems. Its awkward movements attracted the attention of many passersby.

But it was so proud that it paid no heed to their voices.

As Shang Zhi watched the frogs dance in front of her, a part of her heart was rekindled with renewed energy.

She put too much pressure on herself. She always wanted to do her best, but the more she tried, the worse she did. Actually, it's enough to just do it; it doesn't matter if she makes a fool of herself.

"Who are you?" After finishing a dance, the frog puppet turned to leave, ignoring Shang Zhi's calls from behind.