Chapter 41: My Grandma Wants to Meet You
When Lin Yuxi was four years old, she attended her grandmother's final solo dance performance with her parents for the very first time.
Everyone grows old eventually.
Lin Lan was no exception.
She was getting too old to dance.
This would be her final performance.
"Xixi, look! Grandma dances so beautifully!"
"Shhh..."
Little Lin Yuxi raised a tiny finger to her lips.
Her innocent eyes were filled with fascination.
Onstage, the dancer moved gracefully to the sound of the zither.
Dressed in flowing white robes, with ink-black hair cascading behind her, she wielded colorful silk fans that fluttered like clouds.
At times, her jade-like hands stretched gracefully through the air.
At others, she lowered her brows and lifted her wrists in elegant rhythm.
Her posture drifted like floating clouds.
Her light footsteps resembled butterflies dancing among flowers.
Every movement carried the quiet elegance of an orchid blooming beneath fresh snow.
The little girl stared at the woman dancing onstage, unable to look away.
At that moment...
It felt as though every other person in the audience had disappeared.
She knew...
That woman was her grandmother.
"I want to learn how to dance."
She whispered softly.
...
"I want to learn dance!"
The slender elderly woman looked seriously at her granddaughter.
"Why?"
"Because I like it!"
The little girl's bright, crystal-clear eyes gave the simplest answer imaginable.
Simply because she loved it.
"Good."
"Very good."
The wrinkles between Lin Lan's brows finally relaxed.
"As long as you love it..."
"That's enough."
Little Lin Yuxi raised her head proudly, gazing up at her smiling grandmother.
There was another reason...
One she never said aloud.
She wanted to become...
A dancer as extraordinary as her grandmother.
...
"Does it hurt?"
"No, Grandma."
Looking at the tears welling up in her granddaughter's eyes, Lin Lan felt her throat tighten.
Silly child...
How can anyone practice dance without pain?
"To master dance..."
"It takes two years to shape the body."
"Four years to form the posture."
"Eight years to grasp the technique."
"Twelve years to capture the spirit."
"The pain you suffer today..."
"You must endure it."
"I understand."
The little girl wiped away her tears with the back of her hand...
Then continued practicing.
...
"Wasn't the dance troupe good enough?"
"Why do you insist on dancing on television?"
"Grandma..."
"I want more people to see dance."
"The media industry is growing rapidly—"
"Nonsense!"
Lin Lan slammed the table so hard that her entire body trembled.
Lin Yuxi possessed astonishing talent.
Even the notoriously strict old master would occasionally smile and praise her.
She firmly believed that if Xixi continued walking the same path she had...
She would someday surpass her grandmother.
Yet now...
Instead of remaining with the dance troupe...
She wanted to enter the entertainment industry.
How could Lin Lan possibly accept that?
"Grandma..."
"You're the person I respect most."
"And one of the reasons I dance."
"But..."
"I want to walk my own path."
Tears filled Lin Yuxi's eyes, but determination remained on her face.
"Fine."
"Very well."
It was as if Lin Lan's soul had suddenly left her body.
She collapsed weakly into her chair.
"Grandma..."
Lin Yuxi hurried forward to support her.
But the old woman gently stopped her hand.
"If you want to walk your own road..."
"Then go."
In an instant, she seemed to age several years.
"But from now on..."
"If anyone asks..."
"Don't tell them I taught you how to dance."
"I can't afford the shame of someone abandoning their roots."
"Grandma?!"
It felt as though something had suddenly gripped Lin Yuxi's heart.
It hurt.
"Do... do you not want me anymore?"
The old woman remained silent.
She slowly closed her eyes...
And refused to speak another word.
"...Grandma doesn't want me anymore."
Murmuring those words to herself, Lin Yuxi walked away in a daze.
The dance from her memories.
The person from her memories.
Had abandoned her.
"Xixi..."
"If you've chosen your own path..."
"Then go."
Sitting alone in the old wooden chair...
The elderly woman slowly opened her eyes.
They were filled with tears.
The traditional model of dance troupes and stage performances had greatly limited the spread of dance.
For most people...
Dance simply meant performances shown on television gala programs.
Lin Yuxi understood this better than anyone.
She firmly believed...
Only by adapting to the times could traditional dance be seen and appreciated by more people.
She might be a celebrity now.
But deep inside...
She was still, first and foremost...
A dancer.
Since entering the entertainment industry...
She had never once neglected her training.
Whether attending major galas or the smallest events...
She always performed a dance with complete dedication.
Lin Yuxi didn't know whether the road she had chosen was the right one.
But she knew...
It was a road she had to try.
Perhaps following her grandmother's footsteps would eventually lead to success.
But she simply couldn't bear to watch traditional dance gradually fade into obscurity.
"I should wake up early tomorrow to practice."
Having just finished watching Episode Three of the show, Lin Yuxi was preparing to go to bed early.
Suddenly...
Her phone rang.
Picking it up, she answered the call.
"Mom?"
"It's so late. What's going on?"
"It's not me."
"Your grandmother wants to talk to you."
The voice on the other end disappeared, apparently passing the phone over.
"...Grandma?"
Lin Yuxi suddenly became nervous.
Ever since that incident...
A wall had existed between them.
Although they still talked from time to time...
Their conversations had remained superficial.
A direct phone call like this...
Was a first.
"Ahem."
The old woman's aged cough came through the speaker.
It only made Lin Yuxi more anxious.
"Hello, Grandma."
"It's me, Xixi."
"It's nothing important."
The elderly woman cleared her throat awkwardly.
"How have you been lately?"
"I've been doing well."
"Thank you for worrying about me."
The tension in Lin Yuxi's heart instantly eased.
She knew very well...
Her grandmother belonged to the type who looked cold on the outside but had a soft heart.
"I heard from your mother..."
"That you wrote an essay about me during your recent exam?"
"Yes."
"Your life story appears in essay prompts all the time."
"I suppose you're already used to it."
Lin Yuxi laughed softly.
"Mmm."
"Send it to me."
After a brief pause, the old woman added somewhat awkwardly,
"I just want to see..."
"...how you described this old lady."
"You'll know once you've read it."
Lin Yuxi left the call running in the background, took two photos of her answer sheet, and sent them to her father's phone.
Her grandmother had always refused to learn how to use smartphones.
If she sent it to her father...
The old woman could continue talking on the phone while reading the essay.
As expected...
Her father immediately understood.
Without even glancing at the essay himself...
He handed the phone straight to his mother.
Family hierarchy...
The old woman narrowed her eyes and began reading.
Throughout the essay...
Lin Yuxi referred to her as "Ms. Lin Lan."
Every line overflowed with admiration and respect.
From the opening theme of remaining true to one's original aspirations...
To perseverance through countless setbacks...
To the conclusion of self-fulfillment...
The essay portrayed Lin Lan's life with extraordinary detail.
Without personally knowing the subject...
No one could have written something so vivid.
It was an exceptionally fine composition.
"This essay..."
"Only got second place?"
"Yes."
"One of my classmates wrote an even better one."
"I've read it."
"It left a profound impression on me."
Xixi's essay was already excellent.
Her understanding of me was so detailed and insightful.
Could someone truly have written an even better essay?
The cloudy eyes of the elderly master suddenly brightened.
"What..."
"Did your classmate write?"
"He wrote that..."
"...you carry the responsibility of preserving and promoting our nation's traditional culture."
"...Hm?"
...
Pu Tong's private messages were practically exploding.
Almost everyone he knew had come asking the exact same question:
"What did you write?"
Buzz.
His phone vibrated again.
He frowned, feeling utterly exhausted.
Here we go again...
He glanced at the notification.
This time...
It was Yu Wanwan.
She already read my essay.
Surely she's not here to stir up trouble too...?
Fine.
I'll make an exception and chat with her.
Yu Wanwan: Recommended contact: Lin Yuxi.
Pu Tong: What's this about?
Yu Wanwan: She says she needs to talk to you.
Needs to talk to me?
Pu Tong opened his friend requests.
Only then did he realize...
Lin Yuxi had already tried to add him earlier.
He simply hadn't noticed.
Now she'd even asked Yu Wanwan to recommend her as an intermediary.
It seemed...
She really had something urgent to discuss.
At a time like this...
What could she possibly want?
After hesitating for a moment...
Pu Tong finally accepted the friend request.
Pu Tong: What's up?
Lin Yuxi: My grandma wants to meet you.
(End of Chapter)
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