A loud knocking on the door completely interrupted Fang Zhi's thoughts; it was the waiter bringing the food. After the waiter quietly served the dishes and left, the private room fell silent again.
Fang Zhi's voice was gentle, and her bright eyes were fixed on him with great seriousness. "Senior Xia, you don't need to be sad. A true scholarly family will respect other people's professions and choices."
Xia Mianyi looked at the serious-looking girl and smiled faintly. It's so good to be young. Although her brother was sickly, he protected her very well and had no class consciousness.
The family of her former lover didn't disapprove of her profession; they disapproved of her as a person.
Because she lacked a wealthy family background to support her and could not bring them any value, as for the man she loved, he was witty on the outside but weak and selfish at heart.
After weighing the pros and cons, he chose to abandon her.
A strand of hair fell down, and Fang Zhi tucked it behind her ear while staring at the woman. "But I don't understand, you clearly had the opportunity to return to the stage..."
She swallowed the rest of her words.
Xia Mianyi understood what she wanted to ask: since she had already lost her love, why didn't she work harder in her career?
She lowered her eyes and said softly, "Back then, the drive in my heart dissipated. Staying in this city, staying in this country, I felt like I was hollowed out. I lived each day in a daze, so I chose to change my environment to forget the past."
Did anyone come to comfort her at that time?
I advised her to make the most of her career and seize the opportunities that life still offers her, and reminded her that one can lose other things, but one must never lose oneself.
It's been so long, she's forgotten. It's only been a little over a decade, but it feels like an eternity.
Fang Zhi wanted to comfort her, but he was tongue-tied and couldn't utter a sound no matter how he opened and closed his mouth.
Xia Mianyi was amused by her comical appearance and said gently, "Don't worry, I've already let it go."
After speaking, she straightened her expression and looked at Fang Zhi, her tone solemn, "I see another version of myself in you, like me yet unlike me. Although you are limited, you have a heart that truly loves what you pursue, and I want to help you."
The things she couldn't finish, she watched as the people she personally chose completed them for her. Wasn't that a kind of fulfillment?
Help her out? Fang Zhi didn't quite understand her words, a hint of doubt showing in her delicate eyes.
"What do you mean, Senior Xia?"
Xia Mianyi touched the teacup with her hand, met her gaze, and spoke each word clearly.
"I have an opportunity here that's perfect for you. Would you like to give it your all for the art you love?"
“The current management of the National Theater once owed me a favor. I can write you a letter of recommendation. You will be graduating next year, and your internship period will begin after the Lunar New Year this year.”
"Fang Zhi, don't you want to try to become the principal classical dancer?"
Xia Mianyi's words were like a bombshell dropped into an already rippling lake, stirring up huge waves.
"I..." Fang Zhi paused for a few seconds, "...I think..."
Of course she wanted to.
The National Theater is the highest temple that a dance artist strives for. She is just one of the many ordinary people, pursuing the same goals as most others.
“You can consider it. In my eyes, you are very talented and one of the best in the classical dance world. But among the billions of people and tens of thousands of dancers, there are many more talented people than you and me. You will face long-term closed training, which may not be much better than going to jail.”
After hearing Xia Mianyi's words, Fang Zhi's fair and beautiful face calmed down as she seriously considered what she had said.
In fact, whether it was imprisonment or confinement, these were words she was all too familiar with, and she could endure them.
The key lies with... my brother...
Xia Mianyi was in no hurry to ask her for an answer right now.
She knew in her heart that the little girl's brother, her partner, would be the biggest obstacle to this decision.
"Let's eat first," Xia Mianyi called out to her. "My plane ticket is for Friday night, you have a few days to think about it."
She then added meaningfully to Fang Zhi, "A hundred-times-forged steel is not as good as a silken thread; perhaps the problems you are worried about are not problems at all."
......
Fang Zhi and Xia Mianyi finished their meal five minutes before eight o'clock, and chatted for a while longer.
At eight o'clock sharp, a well-dressed man in a suit and tie appeared on time to pick Fang Zhi up to go home.
Looking at the man's handsome profile, she realized that he had been waiting somewhere in the restaurant for a long time.
The autumn night breeze brought a chill, and as they stepped out of the restaurant, a black Bentley pulled up in front of them.
Qi Shen loosely put his arm around Fang Zhi's waist, his deep eyes looking at Xia Mianyi with a refined and gentlemanly demeanor. "Teacher Xia, it's getting late. How about Zhizhi and I take you home?"
“No need to trouble you, Mr. Qi.” Xia Mianyi smiled and shook her head, then looked at the bustling streets and brightly lit shopping malls in the distance. “It’s been too long since I’ve been back. I’d like to wander around the neighborhood by myself for a while.”
Qi Shen nodded slightly, took Fang Zhi a step forward with his arm, looked down at the girl's face, which appeared even whiter in the night light, and said in a deep, gentle voice:
"Zhizhi said goodbye to Teacher Xia."
"Hmm." Fang Zhi and Xia Mianyi exchanged glances, a brief look in their eyes, the unspoken meaning between them both understood.
She said softly, "Goodbye, Senior Xia."
The latter waved and said, "Goodbye."
Xia Mianyi left first, while Fang Zhi stood there watching her departing figure, with Qi Shen accompanying her.
The evening breeze rustled Fang Zhi's knitted skirt, the hem of the dress clinging to her graceful figure. Her long, black hair was tousled by the wind, a strand of which drifted down to the man's face.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com