◎Love and Bread◎
On a winter night in the south city, the wind was freezing cold. Ji Tiantian wrapped her coat tightly and walked forward faster.
After walking a few steps, she felt something strange about her shoes. She lifted her foot and saw that the sole at the base of the shoe was loose.
It was time for them to break down, and she couldn't help but think that she hadn't bought new shoes for four or five years.
She reached out and moved the sole of her shoe back to its original position, then continued walking quickly forward, facing the neon lights on the street and the aroma coming from the food stalls.
Ji Tiantian is 24 years old this year and is the main performer and choreographer of a small dance troupe. The leader of this small dance troupe is her best friend, Chen Yusheng, who she has played with since childhood.
"Tiantian, I'm sorry. My dad's investment failed... He lost a lot of money. I'm afraid I don't have the energy to rehearse a new play with you. The dance troupe's profits have been poor recently, and even the actors' salaries next month are a problem." Chen Yusheng's sad expression in the rehearsal room just now is still vivid. She spoke to Ji Tiantian with a strong nasal voice, "Or... let's just disband this dance troupe."
After graduating from dance school at the age of 17, Ji Tiantian and Chen Yusheng founded a dance troupe together. After so many years, although they are not well-off, the dance troupe, like their friendship, has remained standing. Chen Yusheng is tenacious and cheerful, and always finishes what she starts. This is the first time that Ji Tiantian has heard Chen Yusheng talk about breaking up.
"Don't worry, I'll find a way." Ji Tiantian said immediately after hearing this, "Wait for me for a few days, I'll find a part-time job to make money right away."
Although Chen Yusheng's eyes were full of hesitation when she looked at Ji Tiantian, she still said nothing.
Ji Tiantian was also confused as she walked on the road. She had no idea what she should do to help Chen Yusheng and the dance troupe survive the huge economic crisis. She would think of a solution slowly after returning home.
The phone beeped, Ji Tiantian opened it and saw it was a message from Chen Yusheng.
"My parents are getting a divorce recently, and everyone is in turmoil." Chen Yusheng sent another message after a while, "Don't tell your family about the dance troupe for now. I will think of a solution."
Ji Tiantian was silent for a while. After a while, she received another message. It was a voice message from her mother.
"Tiantian, I'm at your house!" Mom shouted in a voice full of worry, "It's already ten o'clock in the evening, why aren't you and Tang Yi at home? What are you busy with so late?"
Because Ji Tiantian is always busy outside, Ji Tiantian's mother comes over from time to time to help her with housework.
"Mom, you take a rest first, we'll be back soon." Ji Tiantian sent the message quickly.
She had sent a message to Tang Yi an hour ago, asking him when he would be home, but Tang Yi replied that she was busy and would talk to him later. After that, she could not get in touch with him.
She called Tang Yi again, but still couldn't get through. She thought about it, then turned around and walked towards an ice rink in South City.
Ji Tiantian married Tang Yi two years ago.
Tang Yi is a retired ice dancer. His current job is to be a coach at the ice rink, teaching students of all ages how to skate. Recently, the revenue of the ice rink has been declining year by year, and Tang Yi has been affected to some extent.
It was already half past ten when Ji Tiantian arrived at the rink. It was almost closing time and there were few people on the ice. She saw Tang Yi lying on his back with his eyes closed and his brows slightly frowned, his face pale. Next to him squatted his best friend Ni Chuan.
"Brother Yi, are you okay?" Ni Chuan asked worriedly.
"I just feel a little dizzy." Tang Yi raised his hand to touch his forehead, his voice light, "Don't make any noise for now."
Ji Tiantian felt her breathing stagnate. She remembered that Tang Yi had suffered a concussion in the World Championships before his retirement due to a failed lift. The sequelae of that accident had always been with him.
"I think your sequelae are quite serious. You should tell your sister-in-law. You can't always hide it from her!" Ni Chuan said, pretending to grab the phone in Tang Yi's hand, "Oh, why is it out of power? I'll go charge it for you..."
Tang Yi opened his eyes, grabbed Ni Chuan, and signaled him with a cold look not to meddle in other people's business.
"I know my sister-in-law is busy choreographing a new dance drama recently and needs to concentrate, but your health is also important." Ni Chuan had no choice but to lower his voice when talking to Tang Yi.
"Don't worry about it." Tang Yi said in a firm voice.
Ni Chuan said nothing and could only let out a long sigh.
Ji Tiantian stood at the door and lowered her head slightly. Suddenly, she thought of her wedding with Tang Yi.
That was the happiest moment in her life, because there were few people in the world who were as lucky as her to marry the idol she loved during her teenage years.
"Tang Yi, I will take good care of you in the future!" That day, she looked at Tang Yi as if she was looking at her own future, her eyes full of longing, "But I won't always revolve around you, I also have my own career, I want to build a big dance troupe with my bestie! So don't worry, I will definitely not cause you any trouble."
"sister in law!"
Ni Chuan's voice suddenly pulled Ji Tiantian back to reality from her memories. Ni Chuan saw her inadvertently.
She looked up suddenly, and met Tang Yi's eyes. Tang Yi supported himself with his hands and climbed up, put on his coat and walked towards her. Her mind was blank, and she just watched him approaching.
Under the light, he cast a tall shadow in front of her. She looked down at his shadow and thought that he was really tall, 185cm tall, which was outstanding among ice dancers.
"Let's go home together." Tang Yi stood in front of Ji Tiantian, lowered his eyes and said, "I'm fine."
Ji Tiantian didn't say anything, and followed Tang Yi. The two of them left the ice rink together and walked slowly towards the bus stop. Ni Chuan walked behind them, feeling a little nervous.
"Tang Yi, let's separate." After an unknown amount of time, Ji Tiantian spoke. Her gentle voice sounded particularly loud in the silent night.
Tang Yi stopped.
"Sister-in-law, did I say something that I shouldn't have just said?" Ni Chuan paused, ran up and talked to Ji Tiantian, "No, I was wrong, I was wrong, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He kept apologizing and slapped his mouth hard at the end.
But his exaggerated performance did not make Ji Tiantian laugh as much as before.
"No, you're not wrong, I'm wrong." Ji Tiantian paused, stood in front of Tang Yi and said, "Tang Yi, you should take medicine and go to the hospital in the future. You don't have to waste your energy on me. I don't have to worry about you all the time."
"When did you come up with this idea?" Tang Yi was silent for a moment and then asked.
"Is this important? I think separation is better for both of us." Ji Tiantian shook her head gently, avoiding Tang Yi's scrutinizing gaze.
No one except Chen Yusheng knew about her long and lonely star-chasing career. She actually met Tang Yi through a mutual friend. At that time, Tang Yi had just retired and stayed away from the competition. His life was gradually becoming peaceful and he needed a family.
She actively approached him, while he was relatively passive. The reason why he was with her was more like a choice of going with the flow, rather than out of love. Just as leaves will eventually fall, birds will eventually return to their nests, butterflies will eventually emerge from their cocoons, and he will eventually get married. He can do the same with someone else.
Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi's married life is dull and boring. The love they had in their youth is no longer passionate due to the wear and tear of the daily necessities.
Tang Yi was indeed a responsible husband. He worked hard and handed in his salary on time. But he would not tell her many things, such as the recurrence of his old injury. Maybe he thought she didn't need to know, or maybe he didn't want to spend the money on the hospital considering the family's financial situation. Whatever the reason, it was not what she wanted.
Ji Tiantian could sometimes find that Tang Yi was hiding the recurrence of his old injury. But she couldn't find it every time, and even if she found it, she couldn't take Tang Yi to the hospital every time. The dance troupe was on tour, and all kinds of strange situations would happen on the stage, and she had to worry about it all the time. And in places she couldn't see, Tang Yi's sequelae might have been getting worse.
Sometimes she would wonder if she would be different if she took a different job. If she took a more lucrative or easier job, she would be able to take better care of Tang Yi.
But there are no ifs in life. In the past, she couldn't abandon her best friend and their dream of a dance troupe. Now that her best friend and the dance troupe are in trouble, it's even more impossible for her to leave. And Tang Yi doesn't need to bear the burden of what she is facing.
"Go home first and let's have a good talk." Tang Yi said.
"No need to talk. We won't be happy together." Ji Tiantian turned her face away, not wanting Tang Yi to see the tears gradually accumulating in her eyes, but her voice was a little choked.
Tang Yi looked at Ji Tiantian, was silent for a moment, then raised his hand and rubbed his forehead.
"What's wrong? Is it still painful?" Ji Tiantian looked at Tang Yi's face, took out her phone and talked to Ni Chuan, "I'll call a car, you take Tang Yi into the car later."
"I've already told you, I'm fine." Tang Yi frowned and glanced at Ni Chuan who was hugging his arm tightly, then looked at Ji Tiantian, took a deep breath, and spoke in a low voice, "Let's go home together."
"No, let's go to the hospital first." Ji Tiantian lowered her head and spoke while looking at the screen of her mobile phone.
"We're about to break up, why do you still care?" Tang Yi pushed Ni Chuan away and grabbed Ji Tiantian's hand holding the phone.
Ji Tiantian couldn't help but look up at Tang Yi's face, tears falling uncontrollably.
I watched you grow from 16 to 26 years old. I know every game you played, every injury you had, and even where the injury was. I know it clearly.
I thought I could take good care of you, but I can't.
I’m not as great as my younger self thought I was.
I thought I could have both love and bread, but now I know that having even one of them is a luxury that requires all my effort.
"Then I don't care... I don't care anymore!" Finally, she couldn't help crying, "I don't care anymore, let me go!"
She wanted to get rid of Tang Yi's hand, but she failed. As she was pulling, she heard a sharp sound in her ears.
I don’t know which drunk driver drove the car onto the sidewalk without looking at the road, heading straight towards Ji Tiantian.
Ji Tiantian felt everything in front of her eyes suddenly go dark, and then she could not feel anything.
She didn't know how long it had been before she heard a familiar voice calling her name.
She slowly opened her eyes, and her vision gradually became clearer. Chen Yusheng's childish face appeared before her.
"Ji Tiantian, why did you wake up just now? You're going to be late for morning practice!" Chen Yusheng shook Ji Tiantian vigorously, "What are you doing? What are you dreaming about? You don't want to get up!"
"Morning practice..." Ji Tiantian looked at Chen Yusheng in confusion for a while, propped herself up with difficulty, and looked around.
This seems to be a school dormitory? She immediately climbed out of bed and looked at the mirror on the table. In the mirror, there was a cute face of a teenage girl. She then looked at the calendar and gasped: "It's... 2010 now?"
"Yeah." Chen Yusheng nodded in confusion, "What did you dream about? Are you crazy?"
Ji Tiantian covered her face and gradually calmed down from the surprise. She was reborn, and was directly brought back to the age of 13 by a car accident. At this time, she was still a sophomore majoring in ballet at the Affiliated Middle School of Nancheng Dance Academy.
Children who are interested in becoming dancers usually go to dance schools in various cities to apply for admission, accompanied by their parents, when they are about to graduate from elementary school. Excellent children will pass rigorous selection and be admitted. They will stay in the dance school for about six years, taking classes and practicing dancing day after day until they are polished into excellent artistic talents. After graduation, they can directly work in a dance troupe or continue their studies at a university with a dance major.
"I had a dream that I got married." Ji Tiantian slowly came back to her senses and smiled gently at her best friend and roommate Chen Yusheng.
"Wow, that must be a nightmare." Chen Yusheng, who has been a non-marriage advocate since childhood, showed a surprised expression.
"No, it was a beautiful dream, but... the ending was not very good." Ji Tiantian touched her nose and changed her clothes. "Let's go."
She walked out of the dormitory. Many students had just changed their clothes and were running in the corridor, making a lot of noise and full of youthful atmosphere.
It is now late April, and it is exactly one week away from her mid-month birthday.
Facing the warm yellow sunlight, she soon figured it out. Since she had a chance to start over, she would work hard to live a better life and make up for the regrets of her previous life.
At this time, Tang Yi should still be a growing teenager. Their lives have not yet intersected. If she doesn't choose to get close, perhaps they will never intersect in their lives.
Then let's not have any more contact, she thought silently, he would live a better life with other people.
And she will also work hard to run her own business and become a great one.
So, goodbye, Tang Yi. I hope everything goes well for you.
She and Chen Yusheng walked towards the classroom used for morning dance practice. On the stairs, they saw two senior students, a boy and a girl, with professional ballroom dance badges on their chests, talking and laughing by, both holding ice skates in their hands.
Ji Tiantian stopped suddenly.
Oh, she remembered that their school had a cooperation with the city figure skating team.
Figure skating is divided into men's singles, women's singles, pairs and ice dancing. Because of the shortage of talent in figure skating, especially ice dancing, some provinces and cities, as well as the national team, have begun to cooperate with dance schools to select talents across disciplines.
Cross-border talent selection means recruiting outstanding dancers to join the figure skating team, conducting intensive training at fixed times, and promoting ice dancing while selecting talents. In her previous life, she didn't pay attention to these things when she was studying, and only found out about them when she grew up.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
