Jiang Man turned down all her afternoon tea invitations. The hypocrisy of the social scene left her deeply exhausted, making a solitary stay at Songyuan feel far more relaxing and carefree.
During her days of physical recovery, the oven became a giant toy she tinkered with every day.
Every afternoon, she would bake different flavors of cookies.
Qi Zhicheng was the sole connoisseur of these experiments. No matter how late he returned home, he would seriously taste the cookies she left behind.
Aside from passing the time by making cookies, Jiang Man would also watch dramas in the villa’s private audiovisual room.
After losing four years of her memory, she discovered that the American television series she had painstakingly followed for five years had actually concluded.
The final season maintained the high standards of the previous ones, featuring an exciting and tightly paced plot. The giant screen occupying an entire wall paired with the surround sound provided an excellent viewing experience, so much so that when Qi Zhicheng walked in, Jiang Man was still completely immersed in the story.
She only noticed him when the adjacent sofa sank slightly.
The two sat on opposite ends of the sofa, separated by a distance that was neither too close nor too far, maintaining a comfortable sense of boundaries.
“Not sleeping yet?”
“Yeah, I’m not sleepy.” Jiang Man adjusted her sitting posture. “Are you finished with your work?”
“Just finished. I have an international video conference in a moment.”
Jiang Man knew Qi Zhicheng must have been incredibly busy lately. Sometimes when they had breakfast together in the early morning, she could see the fatigue written across his face.
“You should pay attention to resting too.”
Qi Zhicheng smiled gently. “Thank you for your concern, Manman.”
Seeing his thoroughly delighted expression, the tips of Jiang Man’s ears grew slightly warm.
She hadn’t really shown that much concern for him; she had merely told him to rest out of polite courtesy.
Turning her head back toward the large screen, she awkwardly forced a change of subject. “Eric won’t just written off like this, will he?”
“He won’t,” Qi Zhicheng explained briefly. “He was saved by the organization and will appear again later.”
“You’ve watched it?”
“Yes, I watched it with you once before.”
Jiang Man fell silent.
The appeal of this kind of suspense drama lay in its step-by-step progression and the tense atmosphere created by layers of mysteries. If someone had already watched it once and knew who the mastermind was, watching it again would only feel entirely tasteless.
“Since you already know the ending, don’t you find it boring to watch it again?”
“As long as it’s with you, the content of the story doesn’t matter.”
When people find themselves in an awkward situation, they always pretend to be busy. Jiang Man didn’t respond to him, uncomfortably lowering her head to adjust the fleece blanket on her lap as she gave an unrelated reply. “The surround sound effect here is quite good.”
Qi Zhicheng let out a soft laugh, shifted his gaze back to the screen, and spoke no further.
In this space belonging only to the two of them, a subtle emotion flowed between them.
As the episode concluded, the ending theme song began to play.
“Manman.”
“Yeah?” Jiang Man turned her head to look at him.
“The project over in New York has dragged on for a bit too long.” He spoke calmly, the light from the screen flickering in his eyes. “The team has been waiting for me, so I need to make a trip back. It might take a few weeks.”
“Okay,” she nodded.
He looked at her, appearing somewhat worried.
Jiang Man said, “Don’t worry about me. Aside from being unable to remember past events, I have pretty much recovered.”
Qi Zhicheng said, “If you need anything while I am away, tell the assistant directly. You can also contact me. I might not always be able to answer the phone, but you can send me messages.”
On the screen, the system had already automatically skipped to the next episode. Jiang Man gave a soft soft response.
Time slowly slipped past.
Another episode ended, entering the closing credits as the English subtitles scrolled across the screen.
Qi Zhicheng turned his head. Beside him, Jiang Man had already fallen asleep.
She curled up within the wide sofa, her head tilting slightly to one side, still clutching a cashmere pillow in her arms.
He leaned in close, replacing the fleece blanket that had slipped down to her waist.
He quietly gazed at her peaceful sleeping face.
She looked just like an injured little bird, resting inside the nest he had built for her.
During the month after Qi Zhicheng left, Jiang Man’s life at Songyuan proceeded as usual: reading, watching dramas, practicing ballet stretches, and baking cookies in her spare time.
However, since those cookies no longer had a taster, she had no choice but to pack them all into glass jars.
Gradually, the storage rack was on the verge of being filled with the jars.
On this particular afternoon, Jiang Man received an invitation from the Huaiing Ballet Theater.
The email invited her to attend the closing gala of the Huaibai Autumn Performance Season.
The Huaicun Ballet Theater was a top-tier ballet troupe in the country, producing numerous outstanding dance dramas every year and enjoying a high reputation in the international dance community.
And her current self happened to be the prima ballerina of Huaibai.
Over the weekend, the Huaicun Oil Painting Institute stood quietly in the twilight. Inside the banquet hall, glamorous figures mingled while classical instrumental music flowed slowly, and waiters moved silently through the crowd.
In a corner of the banquet hall, several dancers gathered to chat.
“Do you think Principal Dancer Jiang will show up tonight?”
“Why would she come? In previous years, did she ever attend the performance season gala even once?”
A female dancer wearing a mermaid gown rolled her eyes. “To put it bluntly, an occasion like this is just for people like you and me to put on a smiling face and display our value so those bosses will happily pull out their money to invest. Principal Dancer Jiang doesn’t need that at all, okay?”
“That’s true. The person behind her only needs to leak a tiny bit from between his fingers, and it’s enough to keep our ballet troupe running for over half a year.”
“Hey, I heard she got amnesia after hitting her head in a car accident. Is that true?”
“Don’t talk about that anymore. Director Gu explicitly instructed us not to mention it.”
Meanwhile, inside the private dressing room at the other end of the Oil Painting Institute, a different scene of tranquility unfolded.
Jiang Man sat before the vanity mirror while the hairstylist behind her managed her long hair.
“Sister Man, your hair texture is truly excellent.” The hairstylist’s fingers moved through her hair, her words carrying a trace of subtle flattery. “I have styled the hair of so many celebrities and models, but I rarely see anyone with hair like yours.”
Jiang Man looked at herself in the mirror. Her makeup was exquisite, and her long, curled hair draped behind her.
The person before her eyes was vastly different from the self in her memory; her chin was sharper, her eyes held more allure, and she possessed a mature charm that she hadn’t had before.
Just as the hairstylist was about to wrap a lock of hair around the curling iron, Jiang Man raised her hand and gently brushed it away.
“That’s enough, let’s leave it like this.”
Jiang Man stood up and walked out of the dressing room. On her way to the banquet hall, many unfamiliar faces showed slight surprise upon seeing her, each nodding slightly to greet her.
“Sister Man.”
“Principal Dancer Jiang.”
“Sister Man.”
The corridor leading to the main hall was lined with a vintage, soft carpet, her high heels making rhythmic sounds as she stepped forward.
An elegant middle-aged man walked toward her from the opposite direction. He quickened his steps, offering a concerned smile.
“Xiao Jiang, has your body fully recovered? Everyone has been very worried about you.”
Before attending the gala, Jiang Man had reviewed the troupe’s information in advance, recognizing him as Gu Yan, the artistic director of Huaibai.
“Director Gu,” she replied with a smile, “I have pretty much recovered.”
Director Gu nodded, his gaze naturally sweeping behind her. “Where is Mr. Qi? Did he not accompany you tonight?”
“He’s away on business,” Jiang Man said. “In New York.”
Hearing this, the eagerness in Director Gu’s eyes dimmed visibly, though it didn’t show on his expression. “Ah, so far away… then it seems he won’t be able to make it tonight.”
Promptly, he added, “No matter, no matter. We are also very happy that you could come.”
He stepped aside to clear the path. “Go ahead to the banquet hall first. I need to go receive a few investors.”
Jiang Man nodded. “Please attend to your business.”
The Southern European-style banquet hall featured a luxurious crystal chandelier, crowded with people and radiant with light.
When Jiang Man made her appearance, many people froze for a brief moment.
Very quickly, a group of people enthusiastically surrounded her.
“Sister Man! I didn’t expect it to really be you, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me!”
“Sister Man, Sister Man, it’s so good to see you here. During this period when you were away, we all missed you so much. The rehearsal hall felt quite empty…”
Jiang Man responded composedly, matching each face before her with the photos on the troupe’s profile cards.
Wave after wave of pleasantries grew overwhelming, so she took the opportunity to find an excuse to leave the crowd, catching her breath briefly.
Exquisite pastries were arranged on the buffet table, while the bar area on the other side presented the champagne and red wine sections.
Jiang Man stood alone before the table to take some food when an unfamiliar female voice suddenly came from behind her.
“Jiang Man, have you recovered from your illness?”
She turned around to face a beautiful woman dressed in a red gala gown, her extremely thin high heels accentuating her long, straight calves.
She recognized her as the troupe’s other principal dancer, Xu Yining.
She was a few years older than her and possessed more seniority in the troupe.
Xu Yining sized her up from head to toe.
“It seems the car accident didn’t leave any sequelae, Mrs. Qi.”
As she spoke, she deliberately emphasized the words “Mrs. Qi.”
“You look just as radiant as before.”
Jiang Man detected the ill intent in her words, replying properly with a smile, “You too, Principal Dancer Xu.”
“Weren’t you suffering from amnesia? You can still recognize me.” She selected a salad from the food table behind Jiang Man, speaking without turning her head. “Then do you still remember the way you used to dance?”
Jiang Man turned back in confusion.
Having finished making her selection, Xu Yining walked past Jiang Man, bringing a gust of fragrant scent with her.
Upon leaving, she left behind a sentence in a light, airy tone.
“The old you looked like an emotionless robot every time you took the stage. Aside from your technical precision being online, there was absolutely nothing worth watching.”
The banquet quietly commenced, and the guests took their seats one by one.
Jiang Man was arranged to sit at a main table with an excellent view, directly facing the stage.
Seated to her left was the troupe’s artistic director, Gu Yan, while the seat to her right remained empty.
Even though the owner of this seat failed to show up, the waiter still arranged a complete set of dining utensils before the empty space.
The banquet opened with dance displays from various dancers, every turn and leap demonstrating the troupe’s extremely demanding professional standards.
Before long, Gu Yan, the director and artistic director of Huaibai, took the stage to deliver a speech.
He enthusiastically thanked all parties for their support and reviewed the results achieved during this performance season.
The large screen played a summary video of the season, which even included clips of Jiang Man’s performances.
The screen depicted a very classic rendition of the Sicilian female variation from Emeralds.
She quietly gazed at the unfamiliar self on the screen, suddenly understanding the sentence Xu Yining had left behind.
Every single one of her turns and leaps was nearly perfect, yet no emotion toward the character could be seen.
Different from pure showmanship, she merely executed every movement mechanically, looking as though she were simply completing a task—she was precisely an emotionless dancer.
Jiang Man felt a stuffiness in her chest, so she stood up and left her seat.
After staying in a restroom cubicle for a few minutes, she tidied her clothing. Just as she was about to push the door open to leave, the sound of chatting and laughter outside caused her movements to halt.
“Say, our Principal Dancer Jiang just has a good life.”
“She dances when she wants to, and rests when she wants to. She’s incredibly willful.”
“Who told her to marry well? She has Mr. Qi backing her up from behind. Unlike us who have no support whatsoever, we have to fight for every single role through our own hard work.”
“Marrying well is also a skill. After all, even if we dance until our legs break, we still wouldn’t be able to afford the pair of pearls on her earlobes.”
“Say, why can’t she just obediently be a tycoon’s canary? Why does she have to put on a strong career woman persona?”
“Hey, don’t say that. Since Mr. Qi didn’t show up today, her sitting there all by herself truly makes her look just like a vase.”
“Didn’t she get injured in a car accident? The director wouldn’t still give her the lead female role to dance for next season’s performance, would he?”
“When the time comes, let’s just hope she doesn’t turn the new repertoire into a rehabilitation training session.”
“Hahaha, that cracks me up.”
The two let out a burst of soft laughter.
Inside the cubicle, Jiang Man stood rooted to the spot, her fingers tightening around the door handle.
When she returned to the venue once more, the banquet had already entered the free socializing period.
The lights dimmed down, the illumination around the venue growing soft. Inside the orchestra pit, the band began to play.
The guests stepped into the dance floor in twos and threes. The troupe’s executives led several dancers to mingle among sponsors and critics.
In truth, an occasion like this was a form of resource exchange; the sponsorship amount for the next season and the ownership of a certain role all reached preliminary intentions during seemingly casual clinking of glasses.
“This is our troupe’s principal dancer, Jiang Man,” Gu Yan introduced her to an investor, then added nonchalantly, “She is also the wife of CEO Qi from Qiheng.”
Every time this happened, the gaze of those investors would hold a bit more scrutiny, the smiles on their faces deepening, and even the handshakes became exceptionally solemn.
“So it’s Mrs. Qi.”
“Mrs. Qi indeed possesses an outstanding temperament.”
“How has CEO Qi been lately?”
Their form of address for her shifted from Dancer Jiang to Mrs. Qi, and the topic skipped from ballet to regards for Qi Zhicheng.
At this banquet, the dancers were labeled one by one and displayed before the investors. These businessmen evaluated their market value just like scrutinizing a commodity.
And the label of Mrs. Qi on her person was undoubtedly the most valuable commodity.
Night had grown deep by the time Jiang Man returned to Songyuan. She kicked off her high heels, and without even bothering to change out of her gown, she plunged headfirst onto the sofa.
Lying on the soft sofa, the discussions about her from her colleagues in the restroom kept popping up in her mind.
She retrieved her phone and searched her own name on Weibo.
The first thing that popped up was a video of her dancing the Black Swan Odile solo variation.
Clicking open the comment section below the video, several top-voted comments had already been pushed to several thousands.
【Why is Jiang Man still hopping around in Huaibai, completely speechless】
【Didn’t everyone notice that the last few rotations went off-axis? It was clearly crooked and unstable, is this the level of Huaibai’s principal dancer】
【How bold, you dare to question our cosmic principal, do you want to lose your life?】
【Cracking up, a wandering chicken who can’t even complete 32 rotations】
【Who still remembers the grand leap from the year she was deified, it was simply unmatched, but her peak period was way too short】
【Just about to buy tickets, can anyone tell me which performances feature Jiang Man so I can avoid landmines】
As Jiang Man scrolled down the comments, her heart grew cold bit by bit, and her expression turned darker and darker.
She was angered to the point that her fingers were trembling slightly.
She had graduated from the affiliated middle school at seventeen and entered the ABT, taking only two years to reach the position of principal dancer. She had won countless awards during her career, and ballet masters praised her as a dancer born for ballet, naturally meant to live and dance gracefully inside a music box.
She was entirely unwilling to believe that she was truly as incompetent as the netizens claimed.
What on earth had happened during the four years of her amnesia?
Could it be that after getting married, she truly indulged in pleasure, leisurely acting as a wealthy tycoon’s wife while neglecting her dancing?
She obsessively scrolled through the comments one by one in the comment section, attempting to find some information about the past, falling asleep unconsciously as she watched.
When she woke up again, a woolen blanket had been added over her body, and a servant was dimming the lights.
“Madam, you’re awake,” the servant said. “Mr. Qi has returned. Seeing that you were asleep, he did not disturb you.”
He was back?
It seemed the work over in New York had already been wrapped up.
“Understood.”
Jiang Man stood up, preparing to head to the bedroom to sleep.
Her drowsiness was heavy, and she walked down the second-floor corridor in a daze.
Pushing the door open, what greeted her eyes was a study decorated in cold color tones.
Qi Zhicheng stood before the black French window, his back turned to her.
He had clearly just stepped off the plane not long ago, carrying a worn-out sense of fatigue from traveling. His suit jacket was tossed casually over the armrest of the sofa, and his phone was pressed against his ear.
He was currently engaged in a phone call with someone.
Realizing she had entered the wrong room, Jiang Man was just about to retreat when the man’s icy voice caused her footsteps to freeze.
Cold, maniacal.
It was as if he had transformed into a completely different person.
“Jumping off a building?”
He let out a sneer, making no attempt to conceal his sarcasm. “Which day does Wall Street not have a few people jumping? If every loser deserves sympathy, then there would have been no one working in the New York buildings long ago.”
Qi Zhicheng casually loosened his tie. “Tell him that instead of bargaining with me here, he might as well check what other assets he has left to mortgage.”
The other end of the phone seemed to be frantically attempting to persuade him.
“Listen well,” his voice turned entirely cold. “I don’t care whether he wants to jump off a building or hang himself, I want to see him obediently sign the papers before nine o’clock tomorrow morning. If he dies, then let his heir continue to sign.”
Having said that, he hung up the phone cleanly and decisively.
Upon turning around, the mocking smile still lingered on his face.
And exactly at this moment.
He spotted Jiang Man standing at the doorway.