KMYB | Chapter 63

Xi Shui only drifted off in the early hours of the morning, hugging his phone and not wanting to hang up even as he was on the verge of sleep.

After Xi Shui had completely fallen asleep, Zhou Zeqi called out to him a few times. Only after confirming that Xi Shui really was asleep did he hang up.

–

In August, New York was a little chilly in the early morning. Xi Shui put on Xi He’s trench coat, and Xi He led him and Lan Lan to the director’s office.

The New York Ballet Company belongs to the New York Opera House. The company has a total of one hundred and seventy-eight ballet dancers, and the dancers are clearly and strictly divided into principals, soloists, corps de ballet, and trainees. Anyone who wants to move up has to go through rigorous selection.

The internal structure of every company is more or less the same, but the division of labor is extremely clear.

Besides the company director, a few of the company’s teachers were also in the office. When they saw Xi Shui and Lan Lan, the director gave both of them a very warm hug.

A woman with an elegant bearing sitting on the sofa looked Xi Shui over for a while, then asked the director, “Is this the Chinese student you said you really admired a month ago?”

Xi Shui looked around and noticed that among these teachers, only one had an Asian face, while the rest were all standard blond-haired, blue-eyed Westerners. There was only one man, and they all looked fairly old. Most company teachers were former outstanding dancers who had retired from the company. Their gaze at Xi Shui and Lan Lan carried not only the scrutiny of seniors, but also the appraisal and pickiness of locals.

After Xi Shui finished introducing himself, the director told Xi He to take them to the rehearsal room for trainee dancers, where a teacher was already waiting.

Xi He glanced at Xi Shui. “You okay?”

Xi Shui had his domestic canvas bag slung over one shoulder. “What’s not to be okay about?”

Anyway, none of these people knew him, so there was no such thing as good or bad.

The opera house was huge. The main theater was connected to a delicate four-story little building that served as the rehearsal rooms. Behind it was a park, where a pale purple flower was blooming at its most exuberant in the center. Next to the park stood the staff dormitory building, where people could live if they wanted to, or not.

Xi He pushed open the trainee dancers’ rehearsal room. There were quite a lot of people inside, more than double the number in one of Xi Shui’s university classes. Of course, the rehearsal room was at least three times larger than their practice hall. The teacher’s count was loud and clear, mixed with the sound of a cane striking through the air. Mirrors covered all four walls, allowing the dancers to check whether their movements were standard from every angle.

When Xi He arrived, the teacher signaled for everyone to stop first.

Xi He had only just passed the audition for the provisional soloist position in mid-July. He was young, with a brilliant future ahead of him.

Xi He brought Xi Shui and Lan Lan here, said a few simple words to the teacher, and then left. The teacher tucked the cane under one arm. “Call me Jane.”

“Before you officially take part in rehearsals, I need to assess your professional level. Which one of you wants to go first?” Jane wore light makeup. Her hair was pulled back without a single strand out of place, secured with a hairnet, and her face carried the stern rigidity of a teacher.

Lan Lan looked at Xi Shui. “I’ll go first.”

Lan Lan’s jumps were exceptional, even without music.

At 173 centimeters, she had excellent proportions, and her presence was no weaker than theirs.

Xi Shui sat on the bench. A man and a woman came over beside him.

“Hello.” Their New York accent was very standard, and their eyes carried a faint, barely concealed sense of superiority.

“Hello.” Xi Shui answered politely as well.

The dance teacher Li Wanzhi had hired for him before was born in New York and grew up in the Manlei District of New York, so Xi Shui had picked up the standard pronunciation of the Manlei District from him as well.

When the two heard Xi Shui’s completely unbroken English, they exchanged a look and lit up.

“You’re not Chinese?”

“I am.”

“Well then,” Amanda shrugged. “Are you really good at dancing?”

Xi Shui’s build was not that of a powerful, muscular man. He wasn’t particularly tall, and his frame was slender, but his bearing was exceptional, far above many others. As for his professional level, it was still unknown in these people’s eyes.

Before Xi Shui could answer, Alan beside Amanda said, “Chinese people are all very modest. You should ask him in a different way.”

Amanda looked at Xi Shui.

Xi Shui rested both hands on his knees. He said slowly, “I’m really good at dancing.”

The smile on Alan’s face gradually disappeared. He opened his mouth several times, but Xi Shui just looked at him calmly.

“I’m not modest.”

On this side, things were getting tense, but Lan Lan’s little assessment had already ended. When applause rang out, Xi Shui knew it was his turn.

Xi Shui danced the male lead’s variation from *The Dancer* that had only recently been performed at the Beijing Grand Theater. He would not deliberately show off or let his emotions run out of control just because others looked down on him or provoked him. That was not what a qualified dancer did.

When he performed, he was not Xi Shui. Everything around him had nothing to do with him. Aside from a faint discomfort, these people could not affect him at all.

*The Dancer* was internationally recognized as extremely difficult, and a ballet passage that had gained a certain name in the industry. The performers were all excellent dancers with many years of experience.

Considering that they were still students, Xu Wei and Jiang Die had intentionally adapted the movements to make them a little simpler. But Xi Shui’s variation was left completely unchanged. The steps were the same over and over, but a dancer’s emotions could give the character richer feeling and convey something more genuine and moving to the audience.

Soror was a deeply contradictory man. He loved the dancer, yet married the princess. After the dancer died, he was in unbearable agony.

Xi Shui’s dance had feeling. You could sense how guilty the male lead was, how much he missed his dead lover, how he gradually descended into madness.

Jane was the first to applaud. A smile spread across her face. “Wonderful!”

Jane said, “I’m going to tell Brian to keep you.”

Xi Shui looked at Lan Lan. Lan Lan spread her hands, her expression clearly saying, Wasn’t that obvious already?

The hard life of studying abroad officially began on the first day of the eighth lunar month.

Everyone gradually came to know that the pretty Chinese boy in the trainee class was only there for an exchange, and posed no pressure to them. He was also Xi He’s younger brother, and Xi He had recently been getting close with Giovanni, so everyone in the company was happy to be friendly with Xi Shui. First, because they felt Xi Shui danced very well, and though he was a little inexperienced in some places, they could learn from each other. Second, because Xi Shui was really adorable, and they liked him a lot.

Xi Shui also ran into those people who had bullied Xi He before. Indeed, they were taller than Xi He and sturdier than Xi He. They came looking for Xi Shui during a break, but Xi Shui confused them with a barrage of questions. When they tried to lay hands on him, Xi Shui reached out and pressed the fire alarm.

“…”

Besides Xi He and Lan Lan, Xi Shui also made new friends in class, one of them a very introverted Asian boy named Noah, who was a little taller than Xi Shui. He arrived the earliest every day, left the latest, and practiced the hardest.

Xi Shui admired and liked hardworking people. He observed Noah for a while and found that although Noah did work very hard, Jane… no, it wasn’t just Jane. In this line of work, everyone only looked at results, and half of Noah’s ten tests were failures.

He may have been outstanding before, but here, strong people were everywhere. Noah was quiet and kept to himself. No one bullied him because he wasn’t good enough. No one liked him because he wasn’t good enough.

He was a bit like Lin Xiaojin back then.

Mistakes in exams were usually not because one’s fundamentals weren’t solid enough or because one hadn’t practiced hard enough, but because a teacher coughed, or classmates whispered to each other, and he would panic, thinking he had made a fool of himself.

Xi Shui took the initiative to get to know him and discovered that although Noah was introverted and shy, he was truly kind, and he would even make delicious dishes from all sorts of countries for Xi Shui. His cooking was excellent.

Although life studying with the company was rich and fulfilling, Xi Shui still missed Zhou Zeqi every single day. With the ten-hour time difference, they hardly had time to call each other, and even their messages were intermittent.

–

Zhou Zeqi was also very busy. His dad hadn’t let him enter the company and immediately live the life of a pampered young master. Instead, he was interning in the business department with the other trainees. Everyone knew he was the company’s future successor, so they were a little polite to him, but not overly so. His father had told them in advance not to be too polite.

He clocked in at nine in the morning, wrote proposals at the company, held department meetings, business meetings, team meetings, and trainee study sessions. In the afternoon, he had to go out and run business, and at night he might even have to drink and eat with clients for business.

[Pretty Wife: Are you working overtime tonight too?]

[Zhou Zeqi: I’m accompanying my dad to a charity banquet tonight.]

[Pretty Wife: Qiqi, I miss you so much.]

[Zhou Zeqi: Me too. In another half month it’ll be National Day. I’ll come see you.]

[Pretty Wife: Then I’ll pick you up then!!!]

[Zhou Zeqi: Okay.]

[Pretty Wife: I’ve made some new friends here. Everyone really likes me. Third Brother still wants to win so badly. I told him that his therapist definitely isn’t professional, but he still didn’t believe me. When you come, I’ll take you to eat something delicious. But I still want to eat the food you make the most. I can never seem to get enough to eat here.]

Xi Shui held his phone and waited. The dusk outside was thick. He had to sleep. In China, it was lunchtime now. What was Zhou Zeqi doing?

Zhou Zeqi was caught playing on his phone in the restroom by the department head. The head pulled him out. “You already had your salary docked out last month, and you’re still playing?”

The head had a doctorate in business administration from Jing University and had graduated several years ago. He could be considered Zhou Zeqi’s senior, and he usually took special “care” of him.

Zhou Zeqi shoved his phone into his pocket. “Dock it, then. If they dock it, my mom will just transfer ten times that amount onto my card.”

The department head choked. “What’s so great about being a rich second-generation kid?”

Zhou Zeqi returned to his workstation and fiddled with the photo frame on his desk. “I don’t even care about that few thousand yuan. My dad didn’t send me here to make money anyway. As long as I learn something, that’s enough. I get docked for playing with my phone, so why aren’t they docking yours?”

The department head leaned against the edge of the desk and looked at the photo frame several times. “I’ve wanted to ask this for a while. What are you doing with a ballet photo on your desk? Do you like ballet?”

The photo in the frame showed a boy on one knee on the floor, the stage around him pitch black. A beam of light fell on the crown of the boy’s head, and half of his face looked almost transparent, carrying a sacredness as untouchable as a god’s.

Zhou Zeqi laughed. “That’s my boyfriend. My boyfriend dances ballet.”

The department head stared blankly, then reached out to touch Zhou Zeqi’s forehead. “You must be so single you’ve gone fuzzy in the head.”

“Everyone knows. You’re the only one who doesn’t.”

“Really?”

“Really. He’s my boyfriend, but he’s not in China right now.”

Seeing Zhou Zeqi’s expression suddenly turn faint, the department head knew the topic had probably gone off track. He cleared his throat. “Alright, alright, work hard, study hard, and don’t forget about tonight’s banquet. You’ll go with Mr. Zhou, and I’ll be there too.”

“Mm.”

After the department head left, Zhou Zeqi took out his phone again. The surveillance camera was just above and to the side of him, but Zhou Zeqi didn’t care at all. He leaned back in his chair, spinning it while replying to Xi Shui’s messages.

[Pretty Wife: Are you still there?]

[Pretty Wife: Then I’m going to sleep. We have a performance at the opera house tomorrow. Jane helped me get a corps de ballet spot.]

[Pretty Wife: Good night~]

Zhou Zeqi replied good night, then started looking at flights to New York for National Day. He checked almost every day, even though he knew he couldn’t go now. Just looking was enough to make him feel better.

The evening banquet.

Zhou Zeqi changed into a full set of black formalwear. He was tall and imposing, and when he didn’t smile, his sharpness was striking. His three-dimensional features made his aura even more cutting, completely unlike the him who wore a tank top and baggy shorts at school.

These banquets were all just for show. Zhou Zeqi followed behind his dad, drinking one glass after another with this uncle and that older brother. He drank quite a bit. Seeing that he was distracted, Zhou’s dad waved a hand. “Scram, scram. You’re no longer needed here. Go tend to your romance.”

Xi Shui was rehearsing at the moment and didn’t have time to deal with Zhou Zeqi, so Zhou Zeqi took a bottle of wine and lounged on the sofa, sipping slowly.

All he could think about was Xi Shui.

He hadn’t missed him this badly even before they got together, but after they did, even if they were apart for a few hours, he’d miss him until his heart and liver ached.

“Zhou Zeqi?” A low male voice came from behind him.

Zhou Zeqi turned his head slowly to look. The other person was wearing a white suit, his eyes bright with surprise. His delicate face and clear eyes gave off a kind of innocent, fawn-like sweetness.

Zhou Zeqi withdrew his gaze and continued watching his wife’s dance video while drinking his wine.

“You don’t remember me? We used to play together when we were little. My name is Mengmeng.”

“…” Zhou Zeqi moved a little farther away, keeping his distance. “Stay away from me.” His voice, soaked through with alcohol, had a distinct rasp to it. After leaving campus, he had grown and changed rapidly, gradually developing the mature-sexual aura a grown man should have.

Mengmeng’s legs were almost going weak. “Why?”

Zhou Zeqi lifted his eyelids, took a half-mouthful of wine, and swallowed it unhurriedly. “Don’t act coy with me here, or don’t blame me for not saving you any face.”

Mengmeng’s face went pale. “We played together when we were little.”

“I played with a lot of people when I was little. Am I supposed to remember all of them?” If Zhou Zeqi couldn’t tell what the other person was after, then he’d been wasting his life. He picked up the wine bottle and stood. “So annoying.”

During this period after separating from Xi Shui, Zhou Zeqi had been suppressing his irritated mood without showing it. In reality, though, he was hair-trigger. One spark and he’d blow up.

Mengmeng chased after him unwillingly. “Auntie said you already have a boyfriend. She meant for me not to bother you, but I still won’t accept it. Does he love you as much as I do? I’ve liked you silently for so many years.”

Zhou Zeqi popped a piece of chocolate into his mouth. “He loves me to death.”

“…” Mengmeng pressed on, “How do you know?”

“Why do you care?”

Just then, Zhou Zeqi’s phone rang in his pocket. He’d had alcohol, so his reactions weren’t as quick as usual. Mengmeng, lightning-fast, snatched the phone from his pocket and answered it.

It was a video call.

Mengmeng stared wide-eyed at the boy on the screen, wearing stage makeup. He was beautiful to the point of being unbelievable, with several white feathers贴 on both temples.

“Why is he so good-looking?” He looked at Zhou Zeqi in disbelief.

Zhou Zeqi took the phone back from him expressionlessly and turned to leave.

“I thought I dialed the wrong number.” Xi Shui lowered his eyes. His eyelashes were dusted with glittering sequins. “Who is he?”

“My mom’s best friend’s son, an idiot. I’m at a banquet, and he should be on the guest list too.” Zhou Zeqi looked at Xi Shui. “What’s wrong?”

Xi Shui touched the feathers. “I’m about to go onstage. This is my first performance since I came here. It’s a pity you can only watch it live. They don’t have a livestream. I’m showing you my feathers.”

“What role are you dancing?”

“Little swan. Lots of little swans. I’m one of them too.” Xi Shui was excited and happy beyond belief.

So it was one of the corps de ballet. The corps de ballet was also an indispensable part of a company. Trainee dancers didn’t even have the qualification to dance in the corps. Xi Shui had only come here to study, yet he had been able to get a corps de ballet opportunity. No one knew how much effort he had put in, and he himself was very happy too.

But Zhou Zeqi couldn’t smile. Xi Shui had always been the star in China, but after going abroad, he was overjoyed over a corps de ballet spot. Yes, Zhou Zeqi understood the status those major companies held in the industry, but privately, he felt that Xi Shui deserved the best, and that Xi Shui would always be the main character.

Xi Shui sat on the floor, occasionally greeting the others. His attention was still mostly on Zhou Zeqi. “Then that boy just now, does he like you?”

“It’s not that simple. Maybe he wants to pool resources.”

An arranged marriage between wealthy families, this was a common setup in novels. Xi Shui understood what Zhou Zeqi meant. After a pause, he leaned closer to the phone and asked softly, “But I don’t have any resources for your family.”

“Our family doesn’t do that. My mom already spread the word that I’m not single.”

“Then stay far away from that person in the future,” Xi Shui said.

“You’re jealous?” Zhou Zeqi raised an eyebrow, his eyes and brows overflowing with smiles. At some distance away, Zhou’s dad and the department head were exchanging pleasantries with others. Out of the corner of his eye, the department head saw Little Zhou smiling so broadly he could see all his teeth, and he let out a little huh in his heart. He really wasn’t lying. He really did have a boyfriend.

Xi Shui touched his face. “Of course I’m jealous. I definitely have to be jealous.”

Zhou Zeqi was smiling, about to speak, when in the video, a young man crouched down beside Xi Shui. He looked a few years older than Xi Shui, the refined type. He patted Xi Shui on the shoulder. “Come on, it’s time to rehearse.”

Xi Shui nodded at Noah, then looked at Zhou Zeqi. “This is Noah. I told you about him. My new friend.”

Noah had already stood up and walked off. Zhou Zeqi took a sip of wine. “I’m jealous.” His words were brief and to the point.

“Huh?”

“I said I’m jealous.”

“This is a new friend.”

Zhou Zeqi looked at Xi Shui and didn’t say anything for a long time. Over there, they were calling Xi Shui. Xi Shui hurriedly said to Zhou Zeqi, “I’ll call you after my performance ends, bo bo~”

The video call ended. Zhou Zeqi put his phone away expressionlessly.

He knew that Xi Shui and that Noah had nothing going on. He was jealous only because Xi Shui had met people he didn’t know in a place he couldn’t see or touch.

Canines had a sharp instinct for this. They didn’t like their own possessions carrying other people’s scent.

–

National Day was a holiday, but not overseas. Xi Shui had never felt time pass so slowly before. The process of waiting for Zhou Zeqi became incomparably long.

After a full day of rehearsals, Xi Shui barely ate a few bites of salad for dinner, then washed up and lay down on the bed, staring at the time and counting how many more hours it would be until Zhou Zeqi arrived.

He wouldn’t get there until noon tomorrow.

But Xi Shui was already unable to sleep. He rolled around on the bed countless times, hoping he could fall asleep quickly so he could go to the airport tomorrow full of energy to see Zhou Zeqi.

But it still didn’t work.

Past midnight, he got up again and rummaged through everything.

Over these two months, he and Lan Lan and Noah often went out shopping, buying a lot of styles he had never tried before. What should he wear? Xi Shui thought, standing barefoot on the floor. He wanted to make Zhou Zeqi die from how handsome he looked.

Zhou Zeqi should have gotten even more handsome too, right? But he worked overtime so often. Maybe he’d gotten tired and ugly?

Xi Shui lay back down on the bed. With his eyes open, every minute and every second felt stretched into infinity.

Under this thirsty, desperate anticipation, Xi Shui vaguely fell asleep.

The window wasn’t closed, and the sound of the wind outside drifted into the room. Xi Shui hugged the quilt and slept deeply. Even when the room door was gently pushed open from outside, he had no idea.

Zhou Zeqi stood beside Xi Shui’s bed, covered in the dust of travel, looking at Xi Shui’s sleeping face. The light on the terrace hadn’t been turned off, and a soft glow fell over Xi Shui’s features, making Zhou Zeqi feel a kind of hesitation mixed with joy, like a traveler finally reaching home but too moved to step forward.

Perhaps because they were too close to each other, Xi Shui sensed Zhou Zeqi’s arrival even in his dream. He slowly opened his blurry eyes, and when he saw the vague outline of Zhou Zeqi’s figure, he murmured, “Am I dreaming?”

After he finished speaking, Zhou Zeqi bent down and kissed him. Zhou Zeqi’s lips were a little dry. When they collided, even their lips and teeth stung and went numb a little. His cool palm slipped under the blanket, and only then did Xi Shui know it wasn’t a dream.

Xi Shui sat up and hugged Zhou Zeqi tightly. He could hear their chaotic breathing and heartbeats. Xi Shui’s voice was hoarse, with a faint cry in it. “I missed you so much. Why did you come secretly like a little thief? I didn’t go to pick you up. What if you got lost?”