Chapter Ninety-Five: Classical Dance

The first page

Xia Wanqing said with pride, “My Ranran is radiant even without makeup.”

A faint smile tugged at Shangguan Renran’s lips. In truth, lately she had been like this in everything she did, often lost in thought.

She could no longer laugh as freely as she used to, because for reasons she herself did not understand, there was always something weighing on her heart, leaving her unable to smile.

“Ranran, I’m going to wear a dress in an ancient style later. What are you wearing? I still have two dance dresses I’ve never worn, and one qipao too!”

“Then I’ll wear the qipao. It suits the guzheng.”

“That works too.”

Shangguan Renran had brought her guzheng with her. Worried that it would be inconvenient for Ye Zuo to come along, she had asked him to stay at the villa and look after Ye Xin.

Ye Xin no longer needed anyone to care for her, as long as no one touched that injured arm.

Although Ye Zuo knew she was only going to record a program, he was still afraid the earlier incident might happen again, so he secretly arranged for two members of the Dark Night to protect her all the way there.

After Xia Wanqing finished her makeup, she handed the qipao to Shangguan Renran and told her to go change.

The program was already on its fourth performance, and they were sixth, second to last.

When Shangguan Renran came out after changing into the qipao, she stunned everyone.

The pure white qipao was embroidered with Shu brocade. At the side of the bodice there were three rows of delicate buttons, and the slits on both sides rose to her thighs, revealing long, slender, snow-white legs without a trace of excess flesh. Her waist was cinched close, her entire figure forming a perfect S-curve, breathtakingly beautiful.

Her delicate face was clean and bare, untouched by powder, perfectly revealing the sharp, sculpted beauty of her mixed heritage. Her long flaxen hair fell to her waist, truly like a moonlit beauty at the edge of the tavern, her fair wrists as polished as frost and snow.

“Ranran, you’re absolutely gorgeous. How can you not show your face?”

Xia Wanqing was thrilled. Her Ranran was truly stunning.

Even her agent was more excited than she was, her professional instincts kicking in.

“Hello, Miss Shangguan. Would you be interested in developing a career as an entertainer? Mulberry Star Entertainment would offer Miss Shangguan the very best treatment and resources. If Miss Shangguan were to act, I’m sure winning an award for best actress would be no problem. Would you consider it?”

Xia Wanqing rolled her eyes and pointed at herself. “Sister Li, did you forget that your artist is standing right here?”

Shangguan Renran smiled and shook her head. She could not act; she had no intention of entering the entertainment industry.

Song Qingli looked rather dejected. What a pity, such a beauty, and she could not be brought into their company.

Xia Wanqing truly could not stand her agent in this state; she looked as though she had been robbed blind.

She and Ranran were getting ready to go on stage, so they ignored her and let her suffer alone.

The second page

“Next, please welcome our sixth performance, a piece of ancient-style dance for everyone.”

The host introduced the act onstage, while some of the audience below had already grown bored. In the VIP section, a tall man quietly took his seat. His aura was cold and forbidding, keeping everyone within three meters at a distance.

The stage lights dimmed. All the crowd could see was a graceful silhouette carrying a guzheng onto the stage, with another woman in a red dress behind her.

The stage lighting shifted, a beam illuminating the woman in red. Then another beam fell upon the folding screen.

Through the screen, the audience could see the elegant figure seated behind it, playing the instrument, her form outlined against the antique, fragrant screen.

Then the melody of Fishing Boats Sing at Dusk rose from behind it.

The tune was beautiful and captivating, smooth and crisp, beginning slowly and then quickening, instantly drawing everyone into a fairyland of poetry and imagery.

Fishing Boats Sing at Dusk comes from one of the finest lines in Wang Bo’s Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng: “Fishing boats sing at dusk, their voices echoing all along the banks of Pengli.” It vividly paints a delightful scene of lake and mountains, with fishermen singing in harmony.

The woman in red turned with exquisite grace, lifted her leg, and completed many difficult dance movements. Her handsome little face was occasionally revealed before the crowd.

Most clever of all was the touch of vermilion at her brow, complementing the red dress and making her look as dazzling and delicate as peach blossoms.

Before the audience had even fully reacted, the performance had come to an end.

The two hosts then stepped onto the stage, and the lights brightened.

Only then did the audience burst into enthusiastic applause, while behind the screen, the figure had already vanished.

By the time Shangguan Renran finished, she had already carried her guzheng offstage. A passage connected the backstage area and the stage, so no one had noticed.

No one except He Puchen, who had been watching her the entire time.

“Thank you, Miss Xia, for that wonderful performance. Why don’t you introduce yourself to us?”

“Hello everyone, I’m Xia Wanqing, a newcomer who has only just entered the industry. As for the musician who collaborated with me, she is my friend and not someone from the entertainment world, so I won’t introduce her to everyone.”

“Mm, Miss Xia truly brought us an extraordinary dance! Even your friend’s playing was so delightful.”

“Yes, tonight’s performance was truly moving, brilliant, and remarkable!”

…

Shangguan Renran said goodbye to Xia Wanqing’s agent, Song Qingli, and left with her guzheng in her arms.

Outside, she was only wearing her own white coat; beneath it was still the qipao from earlier.

The third page

Shangguan Renran placed her guzheng in the car and started the engine.

The sound of ignition became the only noise in the silent night.

She had gone only a short distance when headlights suddenly shone on someone ahead. Her eyes widened involuntarily, and her body reacted instantly as she slammed on the brakes.

Before the car had even come to a proper stop, she was already out of it.

Running over in her high heels, she staggered slightly, then stood in the darkness and shouted at the man with abandon:

“He Puchen, have you lost your mind?”

The man’s eyes turned red, and a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. It was the first time he had smiled in a month.

He looked carefully at the girl’s brows and eyes, her nose, her mouth, not missing a single detail.

Shangguan Renran was frightened to the point of tears; she had almost crashed into him just now.

She rushed forward and pounded hard against his chest, her voice choked with sobs. “He Puchen, are you trying to die?”

The man’s voice was hoarse. “Then is Ranran trying not to want me anymore?”

“When did I ever say I didn’t want you?”

She cried out, tears streaming down her cheeks, both hands clutching at his clothes.

He Puchen used the pad of his thumb to gently wipe them away. “Then, Ranran, can you stop being afraid of me? I will never hurt Ranran. Even if I go mad, even if my mind is destroyed, I would never hurt you. How could I bear it?”

The person he held deepest in his heart.

The person he had searched for for sixteen years.

How could he ever hurt her?

In truth, Shangguan Renran was no longer afraid of him. She no longer even wished to recall that scene.

Because now, her Mr. He had her in his heart and eyes alone.

Compared with fearing the sight of him killing someone, she feared far more that something might happen to him. She was also afraid that she might have crashed into him just now; if that had happened, she would have lived in agony for the rest of her life.