Perhaps she was tired from walking, perhaps her knees ached so much she couldn't continue, or perhaps the fine, dense rain from the sky robbed her of the courage to go on. Shu Yi'an looked around blankly. In the square not far away, many pedestrians hurriedly left to avoid the rain. The once bustling square seemed rather desolate.
Shu Yi'an threw the shoes aside, hugged her legs, and stared blankly at the name in pinyin on the heel. Suddenly, she burst into tears like a child.
Just how wronged she felt? She didn't know.
She only knew that she felt so suffocated that she could hardly breathe. In Shu Yi'an's twenty-odd years of life, it seemed that she had only experienced such a big crying fit when she was a child. Large drops of tears fell on her skirt, knees, and the back of her hands, as if she could not wipe them clean no matter how hard she tried.
Several kind-hearted people on the street tried to approach her to ask what had happened and if she needed help. She just shook her head haphazardly, her voice growing increasingly choked with sobs.
Because Shu Yi'an only now realized that when she was seriously injured, she actually had nowhere to go. The house in Germany wasn't her home, nor was the villa in Beijing; they were all places given to her under Chu Mu's name. She carefully survived within their marriage, without even the courage to suggest leaving first. Because in this marriage, she lived out of love.
As the rain seeped into her knees, it felt as if countless needles were pricking them, the pain reaching deep into Shu Yi'an's heart.
If you look closely, you'll notice very faint, fine scars on Miss Shu's knees. Even her kneecaps are slightly protruding, unlike most people. These scars have been deeply etched into Shu Yi'an's life since she was eighteen.
The story begins six years ago.
Shu Yi'an was born and raised in Jiangnan. Her father was a professor of philosophy at a university in City A, a young man of refined manners and lofty ideals. Her mother was also a teacher at a dance academy in City A. Her gentle and elegant demeanor stemmed from a scholarly family.
When Shu Yi'an was four years old, her mother took her to a dance academy to receive dance training. The young Shu Yi'an was very quiet and did not cry like other children. She performed the dance movements, which could be described as rigorous, with meticulous care.
It may also be related to genetics; Shu Yi-an has a unique talent for dance.
At the age of fifteen, she had already won outstanding awards in national youth dance competitions. Her parents discussed the matter carefully for a long time, also seeking her opinion. Many girls at this age give up dance to focus on their academic studies, but little Yi'an told her parents that she loved dancing and wanted to continue dancing.
Mr. and Mrs. Shu doted on their daughter and didn't have many expectations for her life. They only hoped that she could live a peaceful and quiet life, so they followed her wishes. From the age of fifteen to eighteen, Shu Yi'an was a well-known name among her peers who studied dance, because while she was constantly improving her dance skills, her academic performance was also extremely high.
She has won countless international and domestic awards.
When it came time for the college entrance examination, Shu Yi'an suddenly received an art examination notice from the Beijing Dance Academy, and if given the opportunity, she would be selected to study at an academy in Canada.
Mr. and Mrs. Shu were very happy and immediately decided to take her to Beijing for the exam.
But fate always places obstacles at the highest point in your life to change your trajectory.
The plane arrived in Beijing the afternoon before the art exams. The family of three took an airport taxi to their pre-booked hotel. However, as soon as they got off the plane, a torrential downpour began, and visibility on the highway was extremely low.
There was a section of the highway under construction without any warning signs, and the taxi driver was distracted. He drove straight through it, running right into a deep ditch. Before Shu Yi'an could react, she heard a loud scraping sound, followed by a loud crash as the car overturned.
Along with the overturned car, the bodies of Shu's father and mother were also pulled out.
The eighteen-year-old awoke from a coma to find herself next to a taxi driver lying dead amidst shattered glass, her body pinned upside down inside the vehicle. Outside, flashing police lights and the cacophony of paramedics rushing about filled the air. She struggled to stay conscious, trying to find her parents, but only felt excruciating pain in her legs.
When I woke up again, I was in the hospital.
The doctor looked at her with pity and told her that when she was being rescued, her legs were stuck in the front seat right at the knee position, and she had damaged her meniscus.
It will be impossible for him to dance again in the future, and he will need tremendous willpower and a good amount of rest to regain his basic ability to walk.
Shu Yi'an wouldn't listen to anything, her dry, empty eyes fixed on the question, "Where are my parents?"
The doctor looked at the beautiful young girl but didn't want to say anything more, because the couple being carried back from the highway was a heartbreaking scene for all the medical staff present. The doctor patted the girl's thin shoulder comfortingly, his voice long and drawn out, "Child, please accept my condolences."
These few words became the source of all of Shu Yi'an's nightmares from then on.
Because of dance, Shu Yi'an's life before the age of eighteen was incredibly brilliant. It was also because of dance that Shu Yi'an lost the right to dance again and lost her parents.
Looking at the gray sky outside the ward, she once thought in despair that if she hadn't taken the exam, if she hadn't danced, perhaps her parents would still be living happily in this world, and she wouldn't have become so lonely and isolated in this world.
Therefore, dance is a past that Shu Yi'an never wants to mention again in her life. It is her most tragic and regrettable past. She paid a heavy price for it and once swore never to mention dance again in her life.
But in her twenty-fourth year, her husband brought back memories of her past. Looking at Chu Mu's outstretched hand, she began to recall her days learning dance. She remembered herself in the empty rehearsal room, wearing a corset, turning and bending repeatedly, her mother gently wiping her sweat with a clean white towel, her father sitting in the audience with a contented smile…
But when she was about to run out and tell Chu Mu all this, she heard Tao Yunjia's words. Only then did she realize that when she used that memory to dance with him, it reminded him of the sweetest days he had spent with Tao Yunjia.
This left her at a loss.
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Chu Mu frowned as he looked out the window at the increasingly heavy rain, and once again heard the dial tone indicating a failed call.
I glanced at my watch; it was almost ten o'clock.
Tao Yunjia followed behind him with a wine glass, trying to comfort him, "You must have gone home first. It's understandable that you were angry because you were so cold to her tonight."
She wouldn't answer his calls, it was her first time in Germany and she was completely unfamiliar with the routes. She didn't speak the language and didn't even have a single friend in Germany. She left alone at night in such an eye-catching dress. These conditions quickly ran through Chu Mu's mind, and the more he thought about it, the more alarmed he became.
"Tell Harland I have something to do and I'm leaving now."
"Hello!!"
Watching Chu Mu leave without hesitation, Tao Yunjia suddenly felt utterly powerless. Because at that moment, Chu Mu's thoughts, feelings, and anger were entirely focused on Shu Yi'an; he had no regard for her whatsoever.
The phone was wet, and the screen flickered intermittently. Shu Yi'an sniffed, looked at the dark sky, and decided to get up and leave.
Shu Yi'an was the kind of person who could harden her heart and seriously hurt herself, so once she made a decision, she wouldn't cry or make a scene beforehand, nor would she put on a show like other girls. She would simply get up silently and do what she wanted to do without saying a word. Therefore, even her departure was peaceful.
When I arrived at Chu Mu's apartment, it was 10:30.
Shu Yi'an stood calmly at the door of the room and thought for a moment. It was so late and raining, so leaving tonight was obviously unwise. She might as well take a shower and get some sleep while she was in such a mess and leave tomorrow morning.
So, taking advantage of such a frustrating time, Miss Shu's thoughts were still somewhat naive. After crying and venting, things became less difficult to handle. She didn't have the typical girlfriend reaction of "Oh crap, this is so unfair!" and immediately grabbing her bag to go back and complain to her in-laws.
While soaking in the bathtub, she even closed her eyes comfortably, the pain in her legs subsiding. During this time, she didn't forget to book a flight back to Beijing on her laptop. On her email screen, an email from Su Ying flashed, prompting her to check it.
"I heard you resigned with a bang? What, has the genius decided to keep you as a pet for life??? Answer me now and tell me the truth!!!"
Looking at the words "I'll keep you captive for life," Shu Yi'an suddenly felt a pang of sadness and her lips drooped. Yes, she didn't even have a job now, and she was being sent back to Beijing. Where was the "forever" in this? And with whom was she supposed to spend her life? What was she going to do? Shu Yi'an, you silly deer…