Chapter 36 (1/2)

Published

at 9th of September 2019 10:15:04 PM

Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Yin Lin contacted me one week later. “Yan Xiao, this afternoon I’m bringing someone over to see you. I think you’ll want to meet her.”

Ever since I slowly recovered my memories, I was trying to run away from it all. I didn’t want to see en pointe shoes, let alone practice ballet. I was even afraid of hearing cla.s.sical music. I just wanted to let everything go, shrink back into my sh.e.l.l, and not think about the future.

However, I was shocked when I saw the person Yin Li brought over.

“This is Miss Shu Lang,” Yin Li smiled as he introduced her.

Shu Lang stood to shake my hand. I had always known of her. She had gone abroad at a young age. Given that she was born into a poor family, to be able to go abroad for ballet was a miracle. But she had persisted to realize that miracle. After performing in Europe, she received an invitation to join the San Francis...o...b..llet troupe. At the time, this was an honor for an Asian. Perhaps she kept too low of a profile because all these years, I rarely heard her name.

“I’ve heard my mother mention you. She used to dance with you.” I squeezed my voice out. It wasn’t just that. My mother wanted me to see Shu Lang as a role model. She had always told me stories of Shu Lang—how Shu Lang gave her youth for ballet, how she practiced 10 hours every day, and how she gritted her teeth and persevered. My mother was jealous of her.

Growing up, the name “Shu Lang”was ever present. I had never met her but it was like I had known her—this strong, determined woman—all my life.

Yin Li seemed to have told her my background. She smiled in understanding. “Thank you. I also miss your mother. We were so young back then.” She then lowered her gaze. “I just never thought that she would die so young… Sorry, it also makes me sad.” Reminiscing the past was painful but she never forgot to smile at me apologetically. Her demeanor was graceful and magnanimous. Though she should have been around 50 years old, she still seemed tall and slender, and she still carried herself well.

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As she stood, I saw the little boy sticking close to her side. He was observing me with shy yet curious eyes.

Shu Lang followed my gaze and glanced at him. She rubbed his head and lovingly said, “This is my grandson Ning Bao. My daughter and her husband are out of the house, so I’m looking after him. This child likes sticking close to me so I brought him along.”

The boy named Ning Bao smiled at me. His features were defined and he looked very much like Shu Lang. He clearly wasn’t adopted, and he seemed about 4 or 5 years old.

By this logic, Shu Lang must have married very young. This had me in disbelief.

Mother had told me that Shu Lang only loved dancing. Shu Lang was someone without desires and only wanted to give her life for ballet. Given her talent and the opportunities available, if she had persisted there would have been no limits on her future, whether that future be in China or internationally.

“I married at 21 and had a child at 22,” Shu Lang saw my doubts and calmly explained. “It was a girl. After marriage, I still danced but only for fun. After I gave birth, my body’s condition wasn’t at its peak and I stepped down from being princ.i.p.al dancer. But I still danced. Sometimes it would be the corps de ballet, other times I would do ch.o.r.eography. I didn’t care. Dance made me happy.”

She spoke lightly and casually. It wasn’t like she was talking about her profession at all.

I felt a mixture of emotions welling up in my chest but in the end, I only asked one question. “Do you regret it?”

Shu Lang smiled. “No, I never regretted it because I never gave up on either ballet or having my own life.” Then she looked meaningfully at Yin Li and me. “Mr. Yin, may you allow me to talk with Ms. Yan one-on-one?”

Yin Li didn’t expect this but still nodded and respectfully left.

Shu Lang winked and smiled. She had a profound look in her eyes. “I know what he invited me here for. He doesn’t want you to give up ballet. But he also wants you to marry him and have children with him.”