Zhao Nige returned to her father, Zhao Guanghui’s, hospital room. Before she could reach the door, Zhao Lanxin blocked her path.
Zhao Lanxin’s eyes narrowed in suspicion as she scanned her sister. “Where have you been?”
Zhao Nige spared her a glance. “What’s it to you?”
She tried to sidestep past, but Zhao Lanxin stepped forward to obstruct the entrance.
“Dad’s asleep. Don’t go in and disturb him.”
Zhao Nige stopped. “Can you handle this alone?”
Zhao Lanxin puffed out her chest. “Of course. I’m the one who’s been taking care of Mom and Dad the whole time before you showed up.”
Meaning, you’re the redundant one.
Zhao Lanxin looked like a woman in coarse linen boasting about her clothes to someone in silk. Zhao Nige didn’t know whether to pity her or laugh at her.
“Fine. You can keep watch. I’m leaving.”
Zhao Nige turned and walked away.
She had no interest in competing with Zhao Lanxin in a filial piety contest. Caring for her father was just an excuse, after all. Now that she’d achieved her goal, it was time to go home and get her beauty sleep.
Seeing Zhao Nige leave without even a greeting to Zhao Guanghui, Zhao Lanxin felt humiliated. She had prepared a grand performance, only to be completely ignored. She glared at Zhao Nige’s retreating figure, grinding her teeth in frustration.
***
It was after nine o’clock when Zhao Nige returned home.
Tao Rong looked up in surprise. “You’re back? I thought you and your sister were staying at the hospital.”
“Zhao Lanxin said she could handle it,” Zhao Nige said as she walked, stifling a yawn with her hand before leaning on the banister and heading up to the second floor.
***
After showering, Zhao Nige wrapped a towel around her wet hair and habitually opened the system panel.
Huh?
Another 60 points had appeared. Added to the 30 she’d earned that afternoon, her total now stood at 90.
Sitting on the edge of her bed, Zhao Nige paused her drying routine. She stared at the Heartbeat Wave Value for a long moment before bursting into laughter.
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
How quietly he’s churning.
His emotions had surged and doubled in just a few hours?
Judging by the numbers, the man must have spent the entire evening replaying their brief encounter, obsessing over why she had pretended not to know him.
The thought made Zhao Nige’s smile widen. She wanted to clap in triumph.
Her surprise attack had paid off instantly and handsomely.
Let’s see what ninety Heartbeat Points can get me, Zhao Nige thought.
But as she scanned the System Panel’s exchange list, her brow furrowed. A bottle of Nutrient Solution cost 9.9 points, and a Radiance Pill was 39.9. The cheapest way to extend her life by a year required at least two hundred points.
The Nutrient Solution only lasted twelve hours, and the Radiance Pill provided three days of sustenance. Neither was of much use to her. This meager sum of points wouldn’t even begin to solve her countdown crisis.
No matter, she thought. Slow and steady.
She had another trick up her sleeve for him. He couldn’t possibly remain indifferent to that.
Zhao Nige closed the System Panel, took a deep breath, and resumed drying her hair.
By the time she’d finished her routine, it was already past ten. She quickly blow-dried her hair, massaged her face with essential oil, and then lay down on her bed with a sheet mask on.
Nothing in the world was more important than her beauty sleep.
***
The next morning, Zhao Nige left for the Art Troupe right after breakfast.
She had to woo the male lead, but she also had to maintain her status as the Zhao family’s daughter. Showing up daily to slack off in the troupe’s ensemble was her greatest show of sincerity.
As soon as she stepped into the dressing room, Yu Qian spotted her. “Have you heard? Our troupe is performing at a military base next week.”
“A military base?” Zhao Nige’s heart stirred. “Which one?”
“I’m not sure. Probably one in Capital City,” Yu Qian said, thinking. “I don’t remember them mentioning a specific city.”
Zhao Nige’s eyes gleamed. “A performance at a military base… perfect timing.”
“But we’re both new, and we’re just in the ensemble. I don’t know if we’ll even be chosen for this performance,” Yu Qian said, her confidence flagging.
Zhao Nige changed into her dance costume. “We must be chosen.”
In the rehearsal hall, the Instructor finished teaching the day’s routine before announcing the National Day performance at the military base. She also announced the program and the list of performers.
As expected, Zhao Nige and Yu Qian—the two newest recruits—were absent from the list.
Yu Qian hung her head in disappointment. “Sigh… I really wanted to see the base.”
Zhao Nige didn’t sigh.
Performing at the base to create an opportunity to meet the male lead had been her reason for joining the Art Troupe in the first place.
Because she had been deliberately slacking off the past few days, the instructor had deemed her skill level insufficient and left her off the list. But she still had a week.
She would fight to get this opportunity back.
After rehearsal, Zhao Nige went straight to the office to find the Instructor. “Instructor, I want to perform at the military base.”
“You need more practice. Wait for the next one,” the rehearsal instructor said without looking up.
She had been given chances before, but she had deliberately thrown them away. What else was the Instructor supposed to do? The National Day performance was the military’s most important annual celebration; there was no room for error.
They needed the best dancers.
Zhao Nige knew she had miscalculated.
She had assumed the Art Troupe operated like the groups she’d performed with before—where everyone went along for the ride once they were in. She hadn’t wanted to stand out, so when the instructor had called her to the front row, she had deliberately given a mediocre performance.
She never expected it would cost her the chance to perform at the base.
This is unacceptable.
“Instructor,” she said, “if I can master every move perfectly by the end of the day, will you let me go?”
The instructor looked at her skeptically. “By the end of the day? Fine. If you can perform the routine flawlessly before we clock out, I’ll make an exception.”
“Deal,” Zhao Nige said, her voice brimming with confidence.
***
Zhao Nige’s current routine was a folk dance. As part of the Military Arts Troupe, their performances were always designed to be uplifting and inspiring, focusing on positive themes.
During the afternoon rehearsal, the rest of the group was stunned to see Zhao Nige, who had been slacking off for days, suddenly come alive. Her performance was flawless. Even from the back row, she radiated a brilliant energy that was impossible to ignore.
Not only the other dancers, but even Yu Qian watched, mesmerized.
The rehearsal instructor was delighted as he watched Zhao Nige complete the entire piece. When she truly applied herself, her movements were fluid and graceful, her poise elegant—a stark contrast to her previous lethargy.
I knew I wasn’t mistaken, he thought. With a build like hers, she was born to dance. How could she have been so terrible before?
The instructor burst into applause, immediately following through on his promise to let Zhao Nige perform in next week’s military show.
Zhao Nige offered a faint smile, ignoring the curious stares of the other dancers as she headed back to the dressing room.
After the rehearsal ended, Yu Qian hurried to her side, her eyes shining with admiration. “Nige, you were incredible! I knew you could do it! Congratulations!”
Zhao Nige didn’t have many friends here; Yu Qian was the only one who ever really talked to her. Noticing the hint of disappointment on the younger girl’s face, Zhao Nige paused. “Actually, there’s a reason I have to go to the military base.”
“What reason?”
Zhao Nige blinked, thinking for a moment. “My boyfriend is stationed there.”
Sorry about this, Eldest Young Master Lu, she thought. I’m just borrowing your future title for a bit. Don’t worry, I’ll make it official later.
***
For the next two days, Zhao Nige poured all her energy into dance rehearsals.
She held herself to a high standard. Before, she had only planned to coast through her time with the Art Troupe, so she hadn’t taken the training seriously. But now that she had fought for a chance to perform, she was determined to give her best effort, even if she was only part of the corps de ballet.
Meanwhile, Zhao Lanxin was too busy to bother her. As the lead dancer in the ballet, her rehearsal schedule was grueling.
Fortunately, Zhao Guanghui had already been discharged from the hospital, so she no longer had to waste time pretending to be a filial daughter by bringing him chicken soup every day. This gave her more time to focus on the choreography.
The two days passed without incident.
Then came the day of Grandpa Guan’s surgery.
Zhao Nige had kept the date marked on her calendar. After rehearsal ended that afternoon, she bought a fruit basket and some fresh flowers and headed to the hospital.
Guan Chu was pleasantly surprised to see her. He had assumed she wouldn’t come back.
In the hallway outside the hospital room, Zhao Nige handed him the gifts and smiled.
“How did Grandpa Guan’s surgery go?”
“It went well, though there was a scare,” Guan Chu replied. “They removed the tumor, and he can start chemotherapy now.”
“That’s good to hear.” Zhao Nige glanced through the gap in the door. The old man lay asleep on the bed, his frame gaunt and frail, with an IV line taped to his arm. She decided not to go in and disturb him.
From her conversation with Guan Chu, Zhao Nige learned that his grandfather had been a military officer. That explained his friendship with the man named Lu; their families must have been old acquaintances.
She didn’t linger. Just as if she had truly come only to visit the old man, she chatted casually with Guan Chu for a few minutes outside the door before taking her leave.
For the next two days, she returned every afternoon. Each time, she would check on Old Master Guan and then spend about ten minutes talking with Guan Chu.
Conversing with Zhao Nige was a delight.
Whether Guan Chu brought up a topic from across the globe or right at home, she could always keep up. Her wit was sharp, her humor effortless, and she always offered her own unique insights.
Most importantly, when Guan Chu told her he specialized in plant conservation, she didn’t dismiss it with indifference like others had. Instead, she showed genuine interest and shared her own views on environmental protection.
Guan Chu felt he had finally found a kindred spirit. He had never connected with a woman so effortlessly.
But each of her visits was frustratingly brief. She had her own work and family to attend to, always leaving after just a few minutes.
Finally, on her third day at the hospital, Guan Chu took the plunge.
“The beautiful Miss Nige,” he said, “would I have the honor of taking you to dinner?”
Zhao Nige smiled but didn’t answer.
Guan Chu knew that women in China were often reserved, and he worried his forwardness might cause her to refuse.
“I don’t mean anything by it,” he added quickly. “I just want to treat you to a meal as a thank-you.”
He paused, his eyes hopeful. “I have another good friend here in the Capital City. If you’d like, I could invite him to join us.”
This is exactly what I was waiting for, Zhao Nige thought.
She smiled softly and nodded. “All right. Call me once you’ve set a time.”