To everyone’s surprise, Jiang Shifan turned out to be Grandma’s student. He had come to the local elementary school for a charity performance today. Just after getting off the bus, he happened to meet Grandma, and they ended up coming home together while chatting.
He witnessed Jian Zhi dancing.
The boy who used to secretly cry under trees because he couldn’t dance well had not only managed to lift her—now physically impaired—but was also using her own past words to teach her a lesson…
Since Jiang Shifan had another performance in the afternoon, he only stayed at Grandma’s house for a short while, drank a glass of water, and then left, promising to return for dinner after the evening show.
Jian Zhi’s passion for dance had been reawakened today, leaving her restless. She spent the entire afternoon in her practice room.
She practiced some very basic movements, but her stamina quickly gave out. She sat on the floor to rest, repeating this cycle several times until the afternoon passed and Jiang Shifan finished his performance, coming over for dinner.
When Jiang Shifan arrived, she was still in the practice room, having just finished another round of exercises. She sat there sweating and catching her breath.
“Senior!” he called out cheerfully as he entered the practice room, sitting cross-legged opposite her.
“Was the performance a success? You seem so happy,” Jian Zhi remarked, noticing the gleam in his eyes, brighter than the setting sun outside.
He chuckled. “It was successful, but that’s not why I’m happy.”
Jian Zhi knew what he was going to say and fell silent, not pressing further.
“Senior, I heard the sound of life reviving,” he said, his eyes sparkling.
Jian Zhi frowned slightly, not understanding his meaning.
He fluttered his arms gracefully a few times. “A butterfly—the sound of breaking free from its cocoon.”
Jian Zhi finally understood. He was referring to her starting to dance again…
But could this even be called dancing? Even a moth fluttered more gracefully than she did.
“Don’t be like that. You haven’t practiced in five years, and you’re already doing great today. Really, it’s beautiful, so beautiful. If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you.” Jiang Shifan took out his phone, found their chat, and sent her a video.
It turned out he had recorded their dance session earlier…
“I didn’t bring my phone with me,” Jian Zhi said, spreading her hands.
“Then watch it on mine.” Jiang Shifan handed her his phone to show her the video.
Jian Zhi watched herself on the screen and shook her head with a bitter smile. How could someone once praised as “Little Swallow” allow herself to dance like this?
“It’s already beautiful. You’ll always be the most beautiful Butterfly Sister, really. Even with flaws, breaking free from the cocoon allows new wings to grow, Senior…”
Although Jiang Shifan’s comfort didn’t fully ease her frustration at dancing so poorly, it resonated with her own thoughts. She would grow new wings, and life didn’t have to revolve solely around dancing.
She sat by the window, the sunset casting a golden glow on her face. She smiled, and in that golden light, her smile held a radiant beauty.
It was at this moment that Wen Tingyan entered the practice room. He saw her smile, more intense than the sunset, and noticed her and Jiang Shifan leaning close together, watching the phone.
Wen Tingyan had been married to her for five years, yet this was his first time stepping into this practice room. Before, it had always been locked, and he had assumed it was a storage room.
Now, as he glanced around the empty glass room, the practice barres and mirrors, and saw Jian Zhi in her dance attire and the two of them huddled over the phone, his expression instantly darkened.
Jian Zhi sensed something amiss, an inexplicable pressure gradually closing in. She looked up and saw Wen Tingyan standing against the backlight, still wearing the same clothes from yesterday.
Hah, didn’t come home all night? Didn’t even change clothes? Taking care of Luo Yucheng without a moment’s rest?
He looked terrible—exhausted, with disheveled hair. As he walked toward her step by step, the sunset behind him seemed to blaze, and the fire in his eyes appeared equally fierce.
“I’ve been calling you all day. Your phone was off?” He was clearly suppressing his anger.
Jian Zhi didn’t understand where his anger came from. Wasn’t he busy enough? He still remembered to call her? And he was angry that her phone was off? She hadn’t even gotten angry about him taking care of Luo Yucheng—what right did he have to be angry?
“Oh, I didn’t think you’d call,” she said flatly, gazing out the window at the sunset. It must be the sunset hurting her eyes, not the lipstick stain on his collar and neck.
The Wen Tingyan she had loved for so many years, the marriage she had guarded through all the humiliation—had it finally become completely tainted?
“You didn’t think I’d call?” Wen Tingyan glanced at Jiang Shifan sitting nearby and gritted his teeth. “I’m your husband. If I don’t call you, who will?”
She shook her head, leaning on the barre to stand up. “Who knows? I don’t have any ex-boyfriends.”
His expression shifted, and he frowned. “Jian Zhi…”
But she picked up a pack of wet wipes from the floor and, still limping, calmly walked over to him. She pulled out a wipe, wiped his neck, and then tucked the lipstick-stained tissue into his shirt pocket. “Grandma made beer-braised duck. It smells amazing. Time for dinner.”
Finally, she turned back and added, “You should change your shirt or wash it before coming inside. It’ll be hard to explain if Grandma sees. Of course, if you don’t care to explain at all, that’s fine too.”
She had wondered if Wen Tingyan might have an intimate relationship with Luo Yucheng, but she never expected that when the day actually came, she would be this calm—calmly hurting, calmly pressing a hand to her chest…
She had to press it.
She was still afraid—if this pain overwhelmed her like a tidal wave, how could she pretend to be happy?
“Jiang Shifan, dinner’s ready,” she called out after leaving the practice room.
That kid and Wen Tingyan were glaring at each other—she hoped they wouldn’t start a fight.
It wasn’t that she felt sorry for Wen Tingyan. She could calmly tell Grandma about her divorce later, but she didn’t want Grandma to witness the chaos of her life.
“What right do you have to eat here?” Wen Tingyan didn’t even bother pretending anymore, directly confronting Jiang Shifan.
Jiang Shifan just smiled. “Have you ever seen Jian Zhi dance?”
Wen Tingyan froze. Even with his adeptness in the business world, he couldn’t grasp the meaning behind Jiang Shifan’s words.
Jiang Shifan laughed heartily and followed Jian Zhi into the house.
Five minutes later, Wen Tingyan also came in, his collar damp, as if he had washed it.
“Grandma,” Wen Tingyan greeted her as soon as he entered.
“Oh, Tingyan’s here. Sit, I’ll get you a bowl and chopsticks,” Grandma said with a smile.
“No need, Grandma, you sit. I’ll get them myself.” Then, looking at Jiang Shifan, he added, “It’s not like I’m a guest.”
True to his word, he rushed ahead of Grandma to the kitchen to fetch a bowl and chopsticks. He even brought a soup ladle, serving soup for Grandma, then for her, and even attempting to serve Jiang Shifan—acting every bit the host.
Jiang Shifan politely declined, but the other man insisted on serving him soup. The two men went back and forth over this bowl of soup for quite some time.
Jian Zhi directly took another bowl and handed it to Jiang Shifan. “If he likes that bowl, just give it to him. You can use a different one.”
Wen Tingyan glared at her, remaining silent for a long while.
“Tingyan, you should focus on your own meal. We can all serve ourselves,” Grandma finally interjected.
Perhaps because Grandma’s character was entirely different from her parents’, Wen Tingyan had always respected her. Moreover, he enjoyed Grandma’s cooking, though clearly today’s dishes weren’t spicy enough for his taste.
“Tingyan, we didn’t know you were coming, so I didn’t prepare any spicy dishes. Next time, I’ll make something delicious just for you,” Grandma said.
Wen Tingyan was taken aback. “Grandma, do you not eat spicy food when I’m not here?”
“That’s right,” Grandma replied with a smile. “I prefer mild flavors, and Zhizhi has been dancing since childhood, so she also favors lighter meals.”
“Then…” Wen Tingyan turned to look at Jian Zhi.
At that moment, the phone Jian Zhi had taken out to charge when she returned for dinner automatically powered on from the nearby table.
Wen Tingyan’s gaze happened to catch the startup process and the messages that popped up after it turned on.
He picked up the phone, unlocked it with a swipe in front of Jian Zhi.
Before Jian Zhi could stop him, he opened the video Jiang Shifan had sent.
In the video, Jian Zhi and Jiang Shifan were dancing “Butterfly Lovers,” with Jiang Shifan lifting Jian Zhi in a pose resembling two butterflies flying together.
“Have you ever seen Jian Zhi dance?”
These words echoed in Wen Tingyan’s ears as his gloomy eyes fixed on Jian Zhi.