I was born and listened to my neighbor's older sister talk about her family of origin.

Chapter 25 Graduation Season

In June, the cicadas had just begun to sing.

The graduation season for the primary school has arrived as scheduled.

Every year, the school has a tradition of graduation parties, with sixth-grade graduates taking center stage. However, representatives from each grade also perform, making it a school-wide celebration.

Ji Xiaoxiao went home early after school that day.

The reason was that Chen Mei took her to see a dentist because one of her baby teeth just wouldn't fall out, while the new tooth was already peeking out from behind. It was like a rebellious new generation eager to take over, while the older generation was stubbornly refusing to leave.

Before leaving, Ji Xiaoxiao clung to Jiang Ye's desk, her face filled with sorrow.

"Ah Ye, if I don't come back, remember to hide the potato chips in my drawer for me; they'll steal them."

"Going to get a tooth pulled isn't like you're going to the execution ground."

"That's different! I'm afraid of pain!"

"hehe."

Jiang Ye gave a wicked smile.

"...I won't hide it for you. I'll eat it all. Anyway, you won't be able to eat these things after you have your teeth pulled."

"No!!!"

Ji Xiaoxiao reached out to Jiang Ye and Er Kang, but in the end, Chen Mei still dragged her away.

The classroom immediately quieted down considerably.

Jiang Ye packed his schoolbag and strolled upstairs.

Third floor, sixth grade corridor.

He heard the sound from afar.

"Zhiyu, please help me out! The whole school knows you're a great dancer, and it's just one performance, three minutes long!"

The speaker was a girl with a ponytail, not very tall, with a round face, and her face was flushed with anxiety.

She was holding a stack of program schedules, looking just like a service provider being repeatedly tormented by the client.

Xu Zhiyu stood by the window, her profile illuminated by the light at the end of the corridor.

The school uniform was faded from washing, but it still fit her perfectly.

At twelve years old, Xu Zhiyu already had the features of a young woman, with exquisitely beautiful features.

There were always letters slipped to her by boys in the same grade in her desk, which she returned unopened.

At this moment, her expression was calm, but she did not appear arrogant.

"I told you, I'm not going."

"But there was a problem with the planned program; the student who plays the guzheng injured their finger, so we're missing a performance—"

"Find someone else."

"You're the only one in sixth grade to have won a city-level award! No one else is qualified!"

Xu Zhiyu remained silent for two seconds.

"Then cancel the program."

The round-faced girl was almost in tears.

She is the class's arts and culture representative and the leader of the graduation party organizing committee. If she messes this up, the homeroom teacher will definitely not let her off the hook.

"Knowing Fish—"

"She said she wouldn't go, and she meant it."

Jiang Ye's voice came from the other end of the corridor.

They both looked over at the same time.

Jiang Ye, carrying a schoolbag and with his hands in his pockets, strolled over slowly.

The round-faced girl knew him.

Jiang Ye, who has consistently ranked first in his grade since first grade, is practically a living advertisement at this school. His name is always pinned to the very top of the exam results bulletin board, without fail.

In addition, because of her good looks, even the younger girls have started forming "Jiang Ye Support Groups".

"You are... Jiang Ye?"

"Hello there."

Jiang Ye responded politely, then walked straight to Xu Zhiyu.

Xu Zhiyu looked at him, the tension in her eyes easing slightly. She took a bottle of milk out of her bag and handed it to Jiang Ye.

"Here you go, this is for today."

Jiang Ye happily accepted it.

This is a mysterious prize that appears on Xu Zhiyu's desk every day. Nobody knows who gave it to her, and she can't find the sender at all.

Xu Zhiyu didn't want to drink it, but didn't want to waste food, so he drank it all.

Anyway, he's at the age where he's growing and needs this milk to supplement his nutrition.

I don't know which guy was so unlucky that all the milk delivered to him ended up in his stomach.

"Smack."

Jiang Ye inserted the straw into the milk carton and gulped it down in a few mouthfuls.

He precisely tossed the empty milk carton into the trash can and then took Xu Zhiyu's schoolbag from her.

"Let's go home."

The round-faced girl opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something, but Jiang Ye glanced back at her and she immediately swallowed her words.

A ten-year-old boy shouldn't look at people with such a deep gaze, but he just has that kind of aura that makes people afraid to say anything.

The round-faced girl, clutching the program, awkwardly took two steps back.

"Then... Zhiyu, would you like to reconsider?"

Xu Zhiyu didn't respond and followed Jiang Ye downstairs.

The two walked out of the school gate and back along the shade of the plane trees.

The wind in June is hot, the leaves are curled up by the sun, and the cicadas' chirping is annoying.

After walking for a while, Xu Zhiyu spoke.

Aren't you going to ask me why I'm not going?

"If you don't want to talk about it, there's no point in asking."

Xu Zhiyu's lips twitched, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

"I started learning when I was five years old. I practiced for two hours every day, doing splits, backbends, and hip stretches. I wasn't allowed to cry when it hurt; if I cried, I had to practice more."

Her tone was indifferent, as if she were talking about someone else's business.

"Later, after I won the award, she said silver wasn't good enough, she wanted gold. So I practiced for another six months, and my ankle got fluid buildup. The doctor said I needed to rest, but she told me to take two painkillers and keep going."

Jiang Ye slowed his pace, a strange feeling rising in his heart, a mixture of heartache and doubt.

He found Xu Zhiyu acting strangely today.

She would never tell me these things before; she always bore it all alone.

When I'm in front of him, I always put on the front of "I'm fine".

It was as if he was silently competing with Ji Xiaoxiao.

Xu Zhiyu stopped and turned around to look at him.

The setting sun shone from behind her, making it difficult to see her expression clearly.

"Actually, A-Ye, I don't dislike dancing."

She paused for a moment.

"But every time I stand on stage, only one image comes to mind—my mom sitting in the practice room, watching me, the timer ticking."

"The entire routine must be completed within three minutes and twelve seconds; otherwise, it has to be started over. She said that professional dancers aren't afraid of the cold, even practicing in just a thin layer of clothing in winter, which resulted in chilblains all over their hands and feet."

"Later, when I was standing on the stage, the lights shone down, and I couldn't see the people in the audience, but I always felt that she was watching me."

"It's not appreciation, it's inspection."

Xu Zhiyu lowered her head and looked at her toes.

"So I don't want to go on stage. It's not that I can't dance, it's that once I'm on stage, I'm no longer dancing."

"I am... completing a mission."

silence.

The cicadas' chirping suddenly seemed very distant.

Xu Zhiyu actually loved to dance, but sadly, she never danced for herself in her entire life. Every time she looked at her reflection in the mirror in the dance studio, she only saw a puppet on a string.

[Task: At the graduation party, let her break free from her inhibitions and dance happily one last time.]

[Task Reward: Appearance +10.]

...Why are all the tasks related to Xu Zhiyu rewarded with good looks?

Jiang Ye stepped forward and stood next to her.

He didn't say anything like "You don't have to force yourself."

Because Xu Zhiyu doesn't need comforting.

What she needs is an answer.

"Little Fish."

Xu Zhiyu looked up.

"If one day you stand on this stage, it's not for your mother."

He turned his head to look at her.

"But if you wanted to jump for yourself, how do you think that would feel?"

Xu Zhiyu was stunned.

She had never thought about this question.

From the age of five, the word "dance" has been associated with "Cheng Jinglan".

She never opened them.

Jump for yourself?

What does that feel like?

she does not know.

Jiang Ye didn't urge her to answer, and the two continued walking forward.

When they reached the entrance of the residential area, Xu Zhiyu suddenly called out to him.

"Ano."

"Um."

"On the day of the graduation party."

She paused for a moment, her voice sounding somewhat uncertain.

Will you be in the audience?

Jiang Ye turned around and laughed.

"Nonsense, fourth graders also have performances. If I'm not in the audience, where am I? In the sky?"

Xu Zhiyu was taken aback by his words, then her eyes crinkled into a smile.

This was the first time she had smiled today.

"Let me think about it some more."

She turned and went upstairs.

Jiang Ye stood downstairs watching her figure disappear around the corner, and stood there for a while longer.

He took out his phone and sent a message to Ji Xiaoxiao.

Have you had your tooth extracted?

The reply came instantly.

Officer Xiaoxiao: [They pulled it out!!! It hurt so much, waaaaah! I bled so much! The nurse said I was very brave! She gave me a sticker!]

Then another message came: [Aye, did you leave with Sister Xiaoyu today? You promised to come see me at the hospital!]

Another one: 【I'm ignoring you now!!】

A few seconds later.

Officer Xiaoxiao: [Aye, are you coming to my house for dinner today? My mom said she's making sweet and sour pork ribs.]

Jiang Ye looked at the barrage of messages on the screen and twitched the corner of his mouth.

What happened to ignoring him? Did your memory disappear along with that baby tooth?

He put away his phone and looked up at the window of Xu Zhiyu's house on the third floor.

The lights came on.

But there was only one person's shadow in the living room.

Cheng Jinglan is not at home.

Xu Hai wasn't there either.

It's just me again.

Jiang Ye withdrew his gaze and returned home.

When he opened the door, Hao Mei was humming a song in the kitchen.

"mom."

"Hmm? You're back? Wash your hands and eat."

Can you dance?