Chapter 40
Rebirth from the Ashes
Kun Lun carried a long coat in his arms and placed it around the manâs shoulders. âBoss, why donât you get some sleep?â
Li Yuan spoke in a husky voice, âTell Xuan Yuan to follow her.â
Kun Lun pushed the wheelchair. âOk.â
Li Yuan added, âBe discreet, make sure she doesnât find out.â
The young girl was intelligent and precocious. She had already figured out who was behind the investment of the TV show.
Shen Xi had learned to dance since she was a child and had won numerous awards from competitions in the district level, provincial level, national level and even ones that took place throughout Asia.
Two years ago, she received the most valuable award in her lifetime, the Gold Medal for the Youth Category of the Asian Dance Competition.
The Gold Medal allowed her to be selected as one of the provincial-level dancers and a national-level reserve actress.
However, after she returned to the Su family, she was always careful with what she did, in case she annoyed her family members. Thus, she dared not make any requests.
Throughout the year, she had never participated in a single, regular competition. Su Yi and Li Jingran forbade her from doing so on the grounds that her results were poor and that she should focus on her studies.
As a professional-level dancer, she made it through the preliminary round of the dance competition this time and entered the finals.
The âNational Dance Competitionâ was broadcasted on Chinese TV stations. To save time, there was only one category, which was the Professional Category. Only professional dancers were eligible to take part in it.
The agenda of the competition was simple and it consisted of the preliminary round, the final round and the award ceremony.
âXixi, this, you forgot about this, youâre so forgetful.â Yun Jinping chased after Shen Xi and stuffed a heating pad into her schoolbag. She reminded her, âPaste it on your stomach after youâve changed into your dancewear. Remember to remove it before you go on stage.â
Shen Xi had long suffered from a cold uterus[1]. If she caught a cold, she would end up with painful menstruation.
âI know, Mom, Iâm not a child.â Shen Xi smiled as she held her motherâs arm. âYou and Old Shen shall stay at home and wait for my good news!â
âAre you sure you donât want me to come along?â Yun Jinping sounded a bit dejected.
Back then, her daughter would want her mother to accompany her and to take care of her food, accommodation and transport. As such, Yun Jinping could not bear to let her go alone.
âYes, itâs fine. Iâm not going out of town, anyway. In fact, Iâll be nervous if you come along.â
âDidnât you say last time that youâll be nervous if your mom didnât accompany you?â
âAll of my classmates will be there to cheer for me. If you and Old Shen come along, they will only make fun of me for being a mamaâs girl.â
âSo what? Arenât you my girl?â
âOld Shen, itâs a cold day today. Get your wife into the car!â
Shen Xi called out to Shen Zhangqing.
âDear, letâs go.â Shen Zhangqing placed an arm around Yun Jinping and addressed Shen Xi, âDonâtâ¦â
âDonât be nervous, and friendship comes before the competition. Iâve heard this a thousand times,â Shen Xi interrupted him and waved a hand dismissively. âOld Shen, youâre so long-winded. Get in the car, Iâm heading inside now.â
Shen Zhangqing and Yun Jinping did not enter the car. They only did so after their daughter had entered the TV stationâs building.
âWhere do we go now?â Shen Zhangqing asked his wife.
âThe competition ends before noon. Instead of traveling up and down, why donât we wait for Xixi in the car?â Yun Jinping looked out of the window anxiously.
âI thought so too.â Shen Zhangqing finished speaking and consoled her with a grin, âItâs a good thing that Xixi didnât let you accompany her. Every time she has a competition to attend, youâre more nervous than her.â
[1] A condition rooted in traditional Chinese medicine. Women who suffer from this condition will have lower back pain, painful menstruation and cold limbs.