Chapter 18 Peach Blossoms: "Can I officially pursue you?"...
Perhaps it was the matchmaker who finally remembered Zhu Qingting, the red thread that had been forgotten for so long, because her life recently has shown signs of blossoming romance.
That afternoon, she was summoned to the troupe leader's office. Pushing open the mahogany door, besides the amiable troupe leader, a distinguished-looking gentleman was also sitting in the office.
He wore a thin white shirt with a light blue cashmere cardigan casually draped over his shoulders, and silver-gray casual trousers that accentuated his long, straight legs. Most striking were the gunmetal gray narrow-rimmed glasses on his nose, which added a touch of refined elegance befitting an artist.
When the person looked up at the doorway upon hearing the sound and their eyes met, Zhu Qingting felt a strange sense of familiarity.
"Qingting, you've arrived." The troupe leader stood up with a smile and introduced the two, "This is Teacher Tian Jiayou, the composer we specially invited for this performance. He is very famous both at home and abroad. Jiayou, this is our troupe's principal dancer, Zhu Qingting, who is also the lead dancer for this performance."
"Senior Tian?" Zhu Qingting called out, somewhat uncertainly.
"Qingting, it's been a long time." Tian Jiayou stood up, his smile gentle, his eyes filled with warmth, and extended his hand.
The group leader was quite surprised to see this. "Oh? You know each other?"
Tian Jiayou explained with a smile, "Commander Chen, Qingting and I are high school classmates, both from the Municipal Art School. We even collaborated on a program for the school's anniversary celebration back then."
"So that's how it is! That's wonderful!" The troupe leader's tone became even more enthusiastic. "Here's the thing, Qingting, for this year's Lotus Cup National Dance Competition held in [location], our troupe is preparing to create a new classical dance piece. As for the choreography, we invited Teacher Tian to be in charge of the music. We've invited you here today so that you can get to know each other and discuss the creative ideas."
Zhu Qingting felt a long-lost excitement. The "Lotus Cup" was a top-tier dance competition in China, and being able to lead a team to participate and create a new piece was a great recognition of her abilities. And her collaborator was none other than her long-lost senior, Tian.
After a brief conversation in the troupe leader's office, Zhu Qingting led Tian Jiayou to her private training room. The room was spacious and bright, with a huge mirror on one wall, polishing the barre, and a comfortable set of beige sofas and a small coffee table placed by the window on the other side.
"Senior, please sit down." Zhu Qingting gestured for him to sit on the sofa, then turned around and poured him a glass of warm water.
"Thank you." Tian Jiayou took the water glass and looked around the practice room that was filled with her personal touch. There were some photos of her dance performances and posters on the walls, and a yoga mat and a foam roller for relaxation in the corner.
"Senior, it's been so long." Zhu Qingting sat down on the single sofa opposite him, her tone tinged with emotion. Time seemed to have instantly been pulled back to their high school days.
In that school that brings together students with various artistic talents, students who study traditional folk music such as the erhu will more or less face some discrimination.
Many students felt that traditional folk music was unsophisticated and not as cool as popular instruments, and they even jokingly called them "Blind Abing" in private.
But Zhu Qingting doesn't see it that way. She has studied Chinese dance since childhood and has a deep-seated affection and identification with traditional Chinese culture. She feels that the erhu's timbre is poignant and melodious, extremely expressive, and a sound that flows in her blood.
When the school was holding a program competition for the anniversary celebration that year, she took the initiative to find Tian Jiayou, the senior who played the erhu best at the school but was somewhat marginalized because it was an unpopular instrument, and proposed to collaborate on a program.
She choreographed, he played, combining the moving melodies of the erhu with the graceful movements of classical dance.
On those evenings when they rehearsed together every day for the show, in the empty dance studio, Tian Jiayou played the violin with focused concentration, while Zhu Qingting danced gracefully to the music.
The mournful and clear sounds of the erhu were visually extended in her dance, and that artistic resonance and tacit understanding drew Tian Jiayou's heart closer.
Ultimately, their collaborative performance shone brightly at the school anniversary gala, ranking third among the most popular programs.
On the night after the successful performance, Tian Jiayou mustered up his courage and confessed his feelings to Zhu Qingting in the quiet corridor after the show.
However, at that time, Zhu Qingting still had a vague image of the silent boy who stood up for her in the training room of the sports school when she was thirteen years old.
More importantly, she has an almost obsessive pursuit of dance, believing that she cannot be distracted by emotions during the crucial period of learning dance.
So she politely but firmly declined, explaining, "I'll think about relationships after I'm on the Spring Festival Gala stage."
Although Tian Jiayou was disappointed, he respected her choice. After graduating from high school, he applied to the world-renowned Berklee College of Music with his outstanding talent and hard work, and went overseas to study music composition.
After returning to China after completing his studies, he devoted himself to the field of music production behind the scenes. With his solid skills and unique musical aesthetics, he quickly rose to prominence, participating in the production of OSTs for many popular TV dramas and albums for well-known singers, and became quite famous in the industry.
But in his heart, he never forgot the girl who danced to his piano music on the school anniversary stage.
This year, he saw Zhu Qingting, the lead dancer of "The Vermilion Bird Breaks at Dawn," on TV. At that moment, the words she had spoken when he was young echoed clearly in his ears.
He realized that this might be a second chance given to him by fate. So, he took the initiative to contact friends in the industry and, through various connections, facilitated this collaboration with the Haicheng Song and Dance Troupe.
After catching up, the conversation naturally turned to their upcoming collaboration.
"Does the senior have any initial ideas?" Zhu Qingting asked.
Tian Jiayou countered, “You are the lead dancer, so you should be the one to propose the core imagery and ideas first. My music serves your dance.”
Zhu Qingting walked to the window and looked at the greenery sprouting in early spring outside. An idea popped into her mind.
She turned around, her eyes sparkling with creative inspiration. "It's spring now, and the competition is in June, right between spring and summer, when the lotus flowers are just beginning to bloom. My name also contains the characters 'Qingting,' which sounds like 'dragonfly.' I was thinking, perhaps I could create a dance with 'dragonfly' as its theme? It could depict a dragonfly in a summer lotus pond, flitting between lotus leaves and flowers, sometimes lightly touching the water, sometimes pausing to gaze, showcasing that agile, free, and vibrant beauty."
As Tian Jiayou listened to her description, his eyes gradually lit up. He clapped his hands lightly and exclaimed, "This imagery is wonderful! 'A small lotus bud has just emerged, and a dragonfly has already alighted on it.' It has the artistic conception of classical poetry, and is also very visually appealing and dynamic, making it very suitable for dance."
He became more and more excited as he spoke, “Musically, we can use the clear and bright sound of the flute or the guzheng to simulate the agility of the dragonfly’s wings, and the long, drawn-out sound of the erhu to express the tranquility of the lotus pond and the elegance of the dragonfly when it rests. I can even go on stage myself and accompany you live.”
"Really? That's wonderful!" Zhu Qingting exclaimed in delight.
The two discussed the dance's structure, emotional fluctuations, and musical style and sections in depth, finding themselves increasingly compatible and sparking inspiration as they talked until the sky outside the window gradually darkened, realizing that it was already past closing time.
“It’s gotten so late without me realizing it.” Tian Jiayou glanced at his watch and extended an invitation, “Qingting, it’s been so many years since we last met. How about we have dinner together? Consider it a get-together for old classmates, and we can also chat about the details of the creative process.”
Zhu Qingting recalled her previous decision and decided not to resist invitations from other high-quality men.
She nodded and said with a smile, "Okay."
The restaurant that Tian Jiayou booked was an elegant French restaurant located on the Bund.
Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the dazzling night view of the Huangpu River unfolds, with the Oriental Pearl Tower and the skyscrapers of Lujiazui shining brightly.
The restaurant was softly lit, and a violinist played melodious music, creating a romantic and pleasant atmosphere.
The two drove off separately. When Zhu Qingting arrived at her reserved window seat, guided by a waiter, Tian Jiayou was already waiting there.
He stood up, holding a beautifully wrapped bouquet of flowers, and handed it to her.
"I think this bouquet suits you very well," he said with a gentle smile.
Zhu Qingting accepted the bouquet with some surprise. It was a bouquet made of pale purple hydrangeas, white lisianthus, and light green eucalyptus leaves, with a fresh and elegant color scheme that perfectly matched her usual style.
Unlike the bouquet Chai Yundu had given her before, which was red and yellow, vibrant and eye-catching like a burning flame, although stunning, it always made her feel somewhat at a loss.
"Thank you, senior, it's beautiful." She lowered her head and sniffed the air; the delicate fragrance of the flowers helped her relax her tense nerves a little.
Dinner proceeded in a pleasant atmosphere. The two chatted about their experiences over the years.
Tien Chia-Yu shared anecdotes and the pressures of studying at Berkeley, as well as the challenges and achievements he encountered in the music production industry.
Zhu Qingting shared how she honed her skills in dance competitions, how she practiced a difficult move repeatedly until late at night, and how she eventually became the youngest principal dancer in the group based on her strength.
They seemed to have endless topics to discuss, from artistic creation to life insights, and the atmosphere was so harmonious that it was as if they had never been separated for so many years.
During dessert, Tian Jiayou put down his silver fork, his gaze becoming serious and profound. He looked at her and asked, "Qingting, do you still remember what you said to me after the school anniversary competition?"
Zhu Qingting paused slightly in her hand holding the water glass, then nodded.
"You said you'd only consider relationships after you've performed on the Spring Festival Gala stage," Tian Jiayou said nervously. "Now, you've achieved your dream and are standing on the highest stage. So, are you willing to give me a chance? To let me formally pursue you?"
Zhu Qingting's heart skipped a beat. She looked at the mature, outstanding, and well-known man in front of her, who also worked in the arts. What he offered seemed to be exactly the stable, reassuring, and sun-drenched relationship she longed for.
She thought of Chai Yundu again, and of the public opinion storm. Their brief time together was like a gorgeous but dangerous dream, beautiful yet unsettling.
She took a deep breath, following her decision to open her heart and let things take their natural course, and said softly, "Senior, I really think it's time to start thinking about relationships. I also admire you. We can... start as friends, get to know each other better."
Although he didn't immediately get the title of boyfriend, the fact that he was willing to get to know him was already a pleasant surprise for Tian Jiayou.
His eyes lit up instantly, and his smile became even brighter. "Okay, okay! That's enough! Can I ask you out for dinner or hang out sometime?"
“Sure.” Zhu Qingting smiled relaxedly. “There are no big performances this month. I usually get off work at six o’clock in the afternoon and rest on Sundays and Mondays.”
"That's great!" Tian Jiayou immediately seized the opportunity. "It's Sunday in three days, and I happen to be free. I heard there are giant pandas at the wildlife park, they're very cute. Do you want to go see them together?"
Seeing the expectation in his eyes, Zhu Qingting nodded, "Okay."
On the way back, Zhu Qingting drove while thinking.
Tian Jiayou's appearance was like a timely rain, nourishing her heart, which had become anxious and uneasy because of Chai Yundu.
He is equally talented, equally knowledgeable about art, and lives a relatively simple and peaceful life behind the scenes. Being with him, one seems to have no worries about sudden storms or ubiquitous gazes.
For me, it couldn't be more suitable.
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Author's Note: Tomorrow (December 10th) will be a paid chapter, starting from Chapter 17. There will be small red envelopes for comments!
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