The Key of Golden Lake in the evening was like wearing a coat of gold.
The glass of the high-rise buildings reflected the setting sun, casting patches of golden light.
Next to the Key of Golden Lake office building, connected to the Golden Lake Grand Hotel, the circular, ring-like structure was imprinted on Golden Lake, just like the handle of a key.
In the luxurious reception room on the upper floors of the grand hotel, An Zhi sat on a leather sofa by the wall, her gaze passing through the glass table to look at her clasped fingers.
“Good, thank you for making the trip. Take the team to Yuehe Tower for dinner tonight, just send the bill directly to my email. I’ll join after I finish some personal matters, probably tomorrow afternoon.”
The woman wearing a black silk suit sat opposite, her pitch-black eyes fixed directly on An Zhi as she instructed the person on the phone to book plane tickets in advance.
She was An Zhi’s mother, the dancer Xu Shijie.
Just sitting on the sofa, she exuded a powerful aura that made it hard for An Zhi to lift her head.
She had just flown back from the northern capital.
The busy New Year’s Day performances recently had left her somewhat fatigued.
“An Zhi, just when are you going to put my mind at ease? You’re almost 25! For a dancer, age is the lifeline! You’re in your prime growth period now; your condition will start to decline in a few years. You need to seize the time!”
“Mom, thank you for helping me.”
An Zhi said weakly.
The moment Xu Shijie learned that An Zhi owed 500,000 in breach of contract compensation, she had her assistant go to the northern capital headquarters of Wings Star World’s parent company, Baiyangwan Mutual Entertainment, and resolved the matter.
Wings Star World subsequently took the initiative to state they would immediately send someone to deliver An Zhi’s various personal belongings to the front desk of the Golden Lake Grand Hotel.
But their request to personally come up and apologize was firmly rejected by Xu Shijie.
An Zhi never imagined that the matter which had caused her and Li Mingshan so much anxiety, her mother had resolved without even needing to show her face.
“You promised me you would study abroad and practice dancing seriously. Don’t forget.”
Xu Shijie’s knuckles lightly tapped the tabletop.
“Mhm… it’s just, I still need a little more time to prepare…”
“Tomorrow at 3 PM. I’ll wait for you until then at most. The plane tickets are already booked. You’ve played around enough these two years; it’s time to end your rebellious phase!”
“I know I still have a lot to learn. I need to go out and train…”
“First, fix your habit of speaking too softly! Stuttering and hesitating, what kind of image is that? Even a small subsidiary company could manipulate you!”
“But… no one ever taught me those things, it was all him who told…”
Xu Shijie stood up and walked over to An Zhi, tossing down a key card.
“Sleep honestly in the hotel tonight! Stop bringing up men to me; you can’t even take care of yourself properly!”
“Mhm. But Mom, you and Dad back then also…”
An Zhi forcefully twisted her fingers, gathering her courage to retort.
Xu Shijie paused slightly, her expression hardening.
“Your father performed at the Vienna Golden Hall Arts Festival when he was young. He’s won more awards than I have. He’s still in Austria preparing for a performance and can’t make it back.”
She didn’t ask any questions, only threw out this sentence, then left without looking back.
An Zhi watched her retreating figure, unable to utter a single word.
She had wanted to try her best to persuade her mother, to let her stay in the country, but her mother hadn’t given her any room to maneuver.
Why couldn’t she have it both ways?
Her simple mind couldn’t figure it out.
She had thought that as long as she argued back more bravely than before, she could get her mother to yield, or at least earn a word of praise.
But she was still met with cold indifference.
That night, after retrieving her personal belongings, An Zhi was alone in the hotel suite, holding her phone.
Looking at the messages Li Mingshan had sent before, she silently cried.
She thought about at least sending Li Mingshan a message to say she was safe, but the thought of tomorrow’s events made her fingers tremble so much she could barely type.
The central air conditioning blew gusts of warm air, causing mist to form on the floor-to-ceiling windows.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead, but her heart remained icy cold.
*
I opened my eyes groggily.
A beam of light from outside the window illuminated the folds of the comforter.
I got up and folded the quilt, seeing Su Xixia sprawled out on her back on the bed, the blanket kicked to the side.
My shirt was suffering a terrible fate on her prominently rising chest; the top two buttons had popped off and flown who knows where.
That shirt wasn’t even small on me! And she really has no sense of caution, letting me see all that…
I went to the bathroom, splashed cold water on my face to dispel the morning’s usual physiological reaction and clear my head.
An Zhi still hadn’t come back. Would she today…
Knock knock A faint knocking sound suddenly came. I rushed to open the door and saw An Zhi’s flowing long hair, unable to contain my excitement.
“Mingshan…”
But she sobbed, collapsing forward into my arms.
The fabric over my chest was quickly soaked.
She kept sniffing, crying loudly in my embrace.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen? Did those people harass you again!?”
I asked anxiously, gently patting her back.
“They won’t come anymore… sob, sob… my mom… she paid the money, sob—”
An Zhi had indeed contacted her parents.
“Then isn’t it all right? Calm down first.”
“Mingshan… Mingshan…”
She called my name over and over.
I closed the door first and carried her into the room, seeing Su Xixia standing by the bed, looking at us seriously.
“I’ll go change in the bathroom, and I need to wash up first… it’ll take a little time…”
Passing by Su Xixia, she said this as she walked into the bathroom and closed the door.
I had An Zhi sit on the edge of the bed and handed her tissues.
“You went to see Auntie Xu, right? Did you get your documents and everything back?”
She nodded, still unable to speak for the moment, constantly tapping her phone screen and wiping away tears.
Then my phone vibrated. Picking it up, the screen showed a transfer notification—over 60,000 yuan deposited.
“An Zhi, what are you doing?”
I asked hurriedly, not looking closely at the amount.
“For when you have difficulties in the future… you can use it.”
She said.
“You have many uses for it yourself if you keep it. You don’t need to transfer it to me.”
“I… I won’t need it. This… can help you in the future. I can help you too…”
I tried to understand her words.
She meant this money could help me in the future in her place?
What about her herself?
She herself would no longer be by my side.
My heart trembled.
This day had finally come.
“Explain clearly, what do you mean? You…”
I should have realized earlier.
“I’m leaving… at noon. I have to take a plane tonight, with Mom… to go abroad.”
I already knew!
I had to hear it from her own mouth to finally accept it.
Once she sought help from her parents, this outcome was inevitable.
These past few days, she deliberately avoided mentioning it, which ironically made me guess this result was coming.
But no matter what, I couldn’t mentally prepare myself.
So, at this moment, my heart suffered a heavy blow.
It’s my lack of ability! I couldn’t help her!
I can’t keep up with her…
“Mingshan… I tried. Mom wouldn’t listen to me… I wanted to stay in the country, but I couldn’t do it.”
“During those two days I went back with you, I was no help at all… When you jumped into the river and were about to drown, I wanted to jump in too, but I can’t swim… I wanted to find someone to help, but didn’t know who to ask… Other times, I was just ignorant, could only stand there dazed, hiding by your side… like a fragile vase.”
“I, I can’t forgive myself for being so timid and afraid—! Sob, sob… I, I can’t bear to see you get hurt because of useless me anymore! And I can’t… give up my dream of continuing to dance… I can’t keep hiding in your arms, being willful anymore.”
“So, I want to train myself. Two days ago, I made up my mind… to do this.”
Listening to her constantly criticizing herself felt like leaving scars on my own heart as well.
It was agonizing.
I was wrong.
By myself alone, I couldn’t protect her, help her grow, guide her toward the beautiful future of her dreams.
After all, I couldn’t even persist in my own dreams, straying further and further down a crooked path.
“An Zhi… it’s okay, I don’t blame you.”
I stepped forward and hugged her.
“I held you back.”
Since when had I only thought about being with her, accompanying her to fulfill her dreams?
It was probably after reuniting with her, living that sweet cohabitation life, I became utterly immersed in it, forgetting our original intentions when we fell in love.
Both of us are not people willing to exist dependent on others.
When one of us changes for various reasons, it inevitably holds the other back.
After realizing this, An Zhi chose to step back to improve herself and persist in her dreams, while I became immersed in the cohabitation life, gradually losing my way.
I just wanted to be with her.
I tried my hardest, but this was all I could do.
Looking back, if I had decisively advised her to seek help from her family after her contract breach, perhaps I wouldn’t be in so much pain now.
Overestimating my abilities, I hindered her steps.
“It’s me… I couldn’t help you. I’m not good enough either.”
I whispered in her ear.
“No, Mingshan… you taught me a lot, showed me how to live independently. To help me save up the compensation, you were willing to get hurt yourself, desperately protected me, stayed with me… I remember all of that in my heart…”
“I’m understanding more and more what love is… Even if we’re not together, we can both keep moving forward, and I can keep liking you. But, I don’t want you to feel lonely anymore… I’ll let go.”
She hugged me back, whispering through tears in my ear.
“Don’t be sad. Mingshan, it’s not your fault, don’t blame yourself… You’re always like this, how can I possibly let go?”
Just then, the bathroom door opened, and Su Xixia’s voice came:
“An Zhi, don’t forget our agreement! There’s not much time left before noon now.”
“Mhm. Can you go out for a little while first?”
An Zhi said, her tone becoming firm.
“Fine, fine, I won’t get in your way!”
Bang With the sound of the door closing, only An Zhi and I were left in the apartment.
“There’s still time until noon, Mingshan. Do you want to keep hugging… or, do something embarrassing one more time?”
She wiped her tears, speaking softly.
“I want to remember… how you feel.”
“……”
Before my brain could react, she kissed me.
“I like you… I like you…”
She murmured.
My body yearned for her.
At least in these final moments, she was still within reach.
There’s still time!
If I start supporting her from now on, seeing her off with a smile toward a better future, there’s still time.
I’ll pull myself together too, pick up the dreams I’ve hidden in my heart, and keep moving forward.
Even if our starting lines are far apart, as long as I persist, there will come a day when I catch up to her, and then we can fly side by side to even greater heights.
Her body temperature and touch kept transmitting, filling the cracks in my emotions.
For us, love is an accessory on the road to pursuing our dreams.
So let go—