Su Ying left first, while Dai Yunxin and her assistant stayed behind. After the group disbanded, many members greeted Dai Yunxin warmly and respectfully, hoping to receive some guidance from her.
Zhao Xiyin dawdled as she changed her clothes and packed her things, waiting until most people had left before finally stepping outside. She peeked out first, looking around to make sure no one was there, then breathed a sigh of relief. Walking down the corridor and turning towards the elevator, Dai Yunxin's voice rang out leisurely: "How long are you going to hide from me?"
Zhao Xiyin was startled and took a big step back.
Dai Yunxin was angered by her reaction and couldn't help but raise her voice, "Zhao Xiyin, you're just an ungrateful little wolf cub."
Zhao Xiyin pursed her lips, displaying an uncompromising stubbornness. She turned her head away, deliberately avoiding eye contact with her. "Teacher, you are always right."
Dai Yunxin sneered, "Don't think I can't tell you're being sarcastic."
Zhao Xiyin felt a lump in her throat, angry that her most respected master hadn't chosen to understand and support her in the face of such a crucial matter. She was angry that the person she regarded as a deity, even as a second mother, would waver in his stance for worldly gain.
"I withdrew the lawyer's letter, and I won't sue anyone, but Teacher Dai, do you know what your friend did?" Zhao Xiyin's words were firm and unyielding. "He got a girl pregnant, forced her to have an abortion, and then tried to shift all the blame onto her, then walk away, and hypocritically go and harm the next one—don't you know any of this?"
Dai Yunxin remained unusually calm, her expression unmoved. She showed no remorse whatsoever, not even a hint of shame. After a long silence, she finally spoke: "This circle isn't a fairytale town, and I'm not a champion of justice. Zhao Xiyin, do you know what your greatest weakness is?"
"Extremely idealistic. You've already paid the price once for this, because of your stubbornness, you missed out on six of your most precious years. Six years, the best years of a dancer's life. You are talented, and thankfully, your talent sustained you through those six years. You can be willful with yourself, but you can't be willful and demand that the world operate according to your ideas."
After saying that, Dai Yunxin turned and left.
Zhao Xiyin stood frozen in place, her heart surging with emotion one second, and now utterly despondent the next.
Dai Yunxin's assistant hesitated for a long time before letting out a sigh. She said to Zhao Xiyin, "Teacher Dai just returned from the United States. She worked non-stop for a week and didn't even adjust to the time difference. She came directly here from the airport."
Zhao Xiyin lowered her head, her fingers picking at the hem of her clothes.
"She knew Su Ying was coming to the troupe today, and she also knew Su Ying was picky. She was worried and thought she would stand by and support you. First, she wanted to test Su Ying's impression of you, and second, she wanted to say a good word for you. After all, you and Su Ying will have a lot of opportunities to work together in the future, and if she has any prejudice, you will be the one who suffers the most."
"Teacher Dai has her own reasons, but she really cares about you."
——
Stepping outside, the sudden exposure to the cold autumn wind made Zhao Xiyin's mind go blank. The wind lashed her face, seemingly carrying fine sand. Zhao Xiyin squinted, sand getting into her eyes and rubbing against her conjunctiva. She painfully closed her eyes, enduring the dampness before opening them again.
Before we knew it, it was five o'clock.
Zhao Xiyin felt sluggish and depressed, but she didn't dare forget her business. She finally managed to flag down a taxi, but it took another twenty minutes. The traffic jams during Beijing's evening rush hour were truly staggering. Zhao Xiyin knew she was getting anxious. "Driver, how much longer until we get there?"
"At least forty minutes."
Zhao Xiyin was terrified, her whole body drenched in sweat. That morning, Zhao Wenchun had repeatedly reminded her that her aunt would arrive at six o'clock sharp, specifically requesting imperial cuisine. She told her to keep an eye on the time, head over after training, and not to be late.
Zhao Wenchun rarely acted with such apprehension, except perhaps towards her younger sister. She was like a queen, her temper flaring faster than turning the pages of a book, and her insults could fill a dictionary. Zhao Xiyin dared not be late.
"Hey? Miss, do you recognize the car behind us? It's been following us since the Jingguang Bridge area, and it's even flashing its headlights at me," the driver suddenly said.
Zhao Xiyin looked back but couldn't see clearly, so she straightened up by supporting herself on her knees against the back seat.
The black Cayenne with its arrogant license plate was the one Zhou Qishen rarely drove.
Chapter 43 You're a real scoundrel (4)
Zhao Xiyin didn't have time to figure out what this person was thinking. She only begged her master, "Please hurry up, or I'll be on the guillotine."
"Hey Gu, did you pass your driving test with connections? Can't you even drive? Can't you just step on the gas and move forward a little? See that? Another car cut in front of you." Zhou Qishen was sitting in the passenger seat, his anger barely contained by the seatbelt.
Gu Heping was in the wrong first, and now he was trying to atone for his mistake, so he should have been meek and submissive. "A little electric scooter was weaving through the gaps, and I couldn't stop it. Should I just run into it?"
Zhou Qishen's face was grim, his eyes fixed intently on the taxi in front of him.
Last night's fall in the bathroom had severely injured him; he twisted his back and couldn't use his legs. Gu Heping was dragged along to be the driver, and even though the young master knew the situation was serious, he didn't dare to say anything sarcastic.
"You're just going to follow them like that?"
"Otherwise what?"
"No, Brother Zhou, their aunt is back, and it's a happy family gathering. What right do you have to go? Wouldn't that just make people dislike you?"
Zhou Qishen sneered, "That's all thanks to you."
Gu Heping immediately shut up, looking cowardly.
As if traffic were congested, after finally getting through two traffic lights, Zhou Qishen said in a low voice, "Xiao west isn't answering my calls, and her dad has blocked me too."
Gu Heping sighed, "The December execution list is yours. What, is it really over?"
Zhou Qishen remained silent for a long time, his head bowed, the notch on his brow bone still tinged with a deep red. New flesh grows out and needs time to integrate and repair with the old skin. He knew whether there was any hope or not; the scales were tipping towards "no," but a stubborn streak held him firmly to the other side, refusing to surrender.
After a long pause, Zhou Qishen calmly said, "At least, I won't let her misunderstand again."
The topic swung around in circles and came right back to where it started.
Zhou Qishen felt increasingly aggrieved and continued to berate Gu Heping, "Look what you've done!"
Gu Heping also felt wronged and cautiously defended himself, "I really meant well in helping you, but who knew that Xiao Xi would see us like that. No, Zhou Qishen, what are you putting on airs for? I found you a caregiver, not a lover. You let someone else put your clothes on you? Your hand isn't broken. If Xiao Xi had come any later, would she have seen the girl putting your pants on?"
"I was on the phone with a client! The woman grabbed my coat and started putting it on me before I even realized what was happening." Despite his anger, Zhou Qishen was truly annoyed with himself.
"You, you could have let her go."
“I’ve had so many tests done these past two days, this one and that one. And my legs aren’t very mobile, so I need someone to push my wheelchair.”
Gu Heping sighed, "Sorry, buddy, this time I really meant well but messed things up. Next time you go to the hospital, I'll find you a male nurse, over fifty years old, there's absolutely no chance of him having any scandals."
Zhou Qi closed his eyes briefly. "Can't you wish me any better?"
Gu Heping realized he had made himself laugh so hard.