While it was brightly lit along the corridor, the lights were out in the studios situated on both sides.
The quiet hallway gave way to the noise coming from Group F’s studio. Someone was dancing.
Shen Xi went up and gently pushed the door. The girl in the studio was earnestly yet clumsily trying to keep up the pace with Gu Yang on the big screen.
It was unclear how long she had been practicing. Sweat was slipping off her soaked hair, past her flushed cheeks, and all the way down to the floor beneath her feet.
The sight of the girl brought Shen Xi back to her previous life when Shen Xi first saw her on TV. She was a well-behaved and shy young girl.
Ye Weiyang had always been this way, coming across as gentle, sensible, and kind. However, the girl on stage was a different side to her. She was a queen who poured her life and soul to shine on stage.
It had been proven that this was the case. She debuted at nineteen and rose to fame with a single hit song a year later. Ye Weiyang fought through obstacles, earning awards and titles in China’s Music Hall of Fame as she conquered China and then the world. She was the pride of China for winning the greatest honor in music – a Grammy. She single-handedly put China on the map in the music scene.
Alas, her life ended at the tender age of 23, left frozen in time on that fateful cold snowy night.
That was right.
She committed suicide.
At 23, she was at the peak of her singing career. Everyone believed she would be China’s brightest star, taking local music to great heights.
Nevertheless, she died. Ye Weiyang suffocated herself by burning charcoal in an unventilated room. She donated all her estate and posthumous royalties from concerts to the Society of Mental Health Care, a local charity.
Two months before the suicide, she signed up to donate her organs. Ye Weiyang may have departed this world in the cruelest way to herself, but she left behind the last kindness to the world and those who needed it.
No one thought the meek and sensible girl in front of the media, the girl with the sweetest smile, the girl with tremendous stage presence, was plagued by depression.
She fought a vigorous battle with the Reaper until the day she could not take it anymore and made the tough decision of ending her life. Before she did the deed, Ye Weiyang had everything set, completed all her tours, and organized her last concert.
It never occurred to anyone that the concert was her last farewell. Her fans went mad while everyone who had ever crossed paths with her lamented over her death.
A year after her death, someone managed to dig out her past struggles.
Her mom passed away when she was three. Her dad remarried but her stepmother was unkind to her. The constant verbal and physical abuse from her stepmother was the reason why Ye Weiyang was shy and lacked self-confidence.
By the age of eighteen, she was working as a personal shopper in a mall when she was discovered by her manager, Xiao Xinjie, and thus began her legendary yet short life.
Everyone said she had Xiao Xinjie to thank for, but it was later found out that the so-called talent scout was the culprit who pushed her off the cliff and into oblivion.
During the time, Ye Weiyang had dropped out of school since her stepmother refused to pay for the tuition fees. She was driven out of her home to work. However, as a kid who did not know better, she was coaxed to sign a “slavery contract” with Xiao Xinjie.
From the time she debuted until the day she left the world, Ye Weiyang only received the minimum wage of ten thousand yuan a month. This ridiculous number was a slap in the face to the hottest superstar.
The truth came to light when her will surfaced following the donation of her assets and copyrights. A global megastar with China at the tip of her fingers merely had fifty thousand yuan in inheritance.
Out of the songs she wrote, Ye Weiyang only had the copyrights to three songs.
She was so exceptional and brilliant that everyone was captivated by her talent, radiance, and cheerful outlook to notice her broken heart.
Thud.
The loud sound in the studio disrupted Shen Xi’s train of thoughts. She looked over to find the girl on the ground swiftly picking herself up. With a resolute look on her face, Ye Weiyang kept up with the beat and continued dancing.
“Go and get some rest. You can pick it back up tomorrow.” Shen Xi pushed the door open and approached her.
It gave Ye Weiyang a scare. She lifted her chin and nervously gazed at Shen Xi before blurting, “I’m sorry.”
Shen Xi asked, “What did you do wrong?”
Ye Weiyang must have developed the habit of apologizing from a young age. Regardless of who was at fault, she would blame herself.
“I…” Ye Weiyang cautiously glanced at Shen Xi as nervousness tightened her chest. It took a while before she answered, “I danced horribly.”
She blew it again.
How foolish of her to think she could do anything right.
“Work on it then. No one aces everything they do on the first try.” Shen Xi looked into her eyes. “You don’t have to apologize for putting in the effort.”
Shen Xi could not imagine the demeaning and belittling treatment the child went through to think so low about herself.
Ye Weiyang was taken aback for a moment. By the time she lifted her head, her eyes were filled to the brim with tears while her grateful voice was shaky. “Thank you, Mr. Yun Xiao.”
Shen Xi drew close and picked up the remote to replay the music video. She turned to Ye Weiyang. “Do you have the strength to dance one more time?”
All of Ye Weiyang’s nerves were replaced by joy and thrill as she nodded. “Yes!”
Shen Xi gave a nod, gesturing for her to begin.
Ye Weiyang embarrassedly gazed at her. Like a misbehaved child, she hung her head low and whispered, “I dance to a 0.25x speed.”
She was not bright enough to keep up to Mr. Gu Yang’s pace, even at the slowest speed.
As though she heard nothing, Shen Xi hit play.
The music video started playing.
With no guts to say anything more, Ye Weiyang focused intently on the video since she could not afford even a second of distraction. Following Gu Yang’s rhythm in the video, she danced clumsily.
In the beginning, her body movements appeared stiff probably because she felt the pressure with Shen Xi watching her. Nevertheless, she quickly found the rhythm and kept to the beat, albeit the movements were not quite there.
Shen Xi watched keenly. The child may not have good groundwork, but her body was flexible. She did well to learn up to this point.
With her heart at her throat, Ye Weiyang anxiously looked at Shen Xi, waiting for the verdict.
Instead of talking about the dance, Shen Xi was curious about something. “How many times have you watched?”
Although it was not the assessment she was waiting for, Ye Weiyang replied obediently, “I’m not sure myself.”
Han Yan was the one who told her they reached a hundred times. She never did count since she began the practice.
“How do you feel?” Shen Xi ensued with another question.
“I can clearly identify the dance moves in my mind when my limbs are not responding the same way.” Ye Weiyang revealed her true thoughts.
She knew the routine well, but it could not be translated into her movement.
“Seeing and dancing are two separate things. You can’t expect to know the dance right away. It takes constant practice.” Shen Xi looked at her. “Dance with me this once, and then go straight to bed.”
Ye Weiyang’s eyes lit up as she incessantly bobbed her head. The invitation to dance together kept echoing in her ear.
Everyone said Mr. Yun Xiao was a loser who did not know music or dance, but Ye Weiyang had a different view.
Shen Xi turned off the music video. There was no need to watch other people’s demonstrations when she choreographed the dance herself. She turned and glanced at Ye Weiyang. “Do you know how to sing the theme song?”
Ye Weiyang excitedly nodded her head. “Yes.”
It usually took her listening to a song once or twice to get a hang of it. Having listened countless times to this song, it was already stuck in her head.
The studio.
Shen Xi took Ye Weiyang through the dance at an appropriate speed.
Ye Weiyang showed no signs of slowing down despite juggling between dancing and singing. Other people would have collapsed from the amount of training.
The door to the studio.
Han Yan’s jaw dropped in utter disbelief.
Mr. Yun Xiao was… dancing!
Mr. Yun Xiao danced!
Han Yan had a bit of background in dancing. Although she was not a professional, she could distinguish between an amateur and a pro. She was certain that Mr. Yun Xiao was not just a dancer but a highly trained dancer.
The song came to an end.
Shen Xi suddenly turned to the door and said, “Come in.”
Hiding behind the door, Han Yan had not gotten over the shock. Caught by Shen Xi, Han Yan was in two minds to run off or enter the studio. After giving much thought, she pushed the door open and went in. “Good evening, Mr. Yun Xiao. I came by to check on Ye Weiyang since she hasn’t returned to the dorms.”
She got up to go to the loo when she realized Ye Weiyang was still not back. She came by the studio to look for Ye Weiyang only to find Mr. Yun Xiao was there too.
Moreover, Han Yan stumbled upon a big secret. Mr. Yun Xiao, who they thought was irresponsible and knew nothing about dance, was nothing as they had imagined.
“I’m sorry.” Out of habit, Ye Weiyang uttered.
Han Yan felt embarrassed. “It’s fine. We’re friends after all.”
Shen Xi glanced at them and solemnly said, “Get back to bed.”
With that, she turned to leave.
Han Yan mustered up the courage to call her. “Mr. Yun Xiao.”
Shen Xi stopped in her tracks.
Han Yan was caught tongue-tied for a moment before shouting at the top of her lungs. “I watched the theme song a hundred times!”
She had no idea why these words slipped her mouth, but right now, she was at a loss for words.
Truth be told, Han Yan saw Mr. Yun Xiao going into the studio and overheard the conversation between him and Ye Weiyang. She knew then the instruction to watch the music video a hundred times was not to mess with them.
“Keep up the good work.” Shen Xi then took off.
Han Yan, “…”
