Hard to Escape

Chapter 41

That night, I brought Yin Li to my mother's grave.

I took off the ballet shoes I wore for the performance and lay them on the grave, along with flowers. Yin Li stood in the wind tightly wrapping his hand around mine. I planned to return to China with him. I wouldn't settle in Paris. Perhaps, this was a farewell to my mother.

I felt so many things standing in front of the grave.

I was always thankful for my mom.

"Her dream was that one day, my autographed ballet shoes would fetch a record-breaking price at a charity auction." I saw my mother's face engraved in the tombstone. "To a dancer, that was a status symbol. My mother hoped I would become a dazzling dancer that lived for her profession."

I crouched and rubbed the tombstone engraving. "Mom, at that time I really thought that achieving your dream would be achieving my own. But I can't. I later discovered that it wasn't what I really wanted. I gave the first half of my life to ballet. Now, I want to live the second half as I wish."

I spoke with my heart as I faced the tombstone. I firmly believed that somewhere out there, she forgave me for abandoning ballet halfway through and had given me her blessing. My mother was strict. I could be injured and she would still have me dance. She forbid romantic relationships and attending performances. But I remember how worried she looked when I fell sick. In the end, she loved me.

"You gave me my own piece of the ballet world to exist in. Now it's time for me to go beyond the borders."

The cemetery at night was quiet and serene. My heart softened and I felt sad. My mother would never reply. I only heard the insects chirping.

The next day I had planned to fly back with Yin Li. However, Li Jing had an accident.

He was recently commissioned to fix up a church's mural. After the performance, he had drunk wine and then continued working. Unexpectedly, he fell off the scaffold. He broke his right hand and tore his muscles. But because he was drunk and tired, he fainted in the church. He wasn't discovered in time and his wound became infected. Besides those "brothers" who fought to rob him of his inheritance, he didn't have anyone else nearby. With no other choice, the private doctor flipped through his phone records and found me.

"He's frequently come to the hospital. Last month, he drank too much causing his stomach lining to erode. He's recently cut back. But after receiving the church mural commission, he's been working to his bone. Every day, he's been painting like crazy. I'm sorry to call you over so late at night, but his mother has gone to southern France. He also didn't want his mother to worry." The doctor was helpless. "Your number was on speed dial. I'm really sorry, but I can't do a major surgery. It'll still be safer to quickly send him to the hospital."

Yin Li and I sent Li Jing to the hospital. Once we saw the surgery room's lighted sign turn on, it was already morning and we had already missed our flight.

"No worries, it's just a normal bone fracture. It's not that bad." Yin Li passed me a hot cup of milk tea. I still couldn't help but worry. I knew the dangers of infection better than him. There was even a possibility of amputation.

Three hours later, the doctor announced that Li Jing's hand didn't have major issues. I breathed a sigh of relief. Soon after, Li Jing's anesthesia wore off and he wanted to see me. Yin Li naturally wouldn't join me, but he gave me a hug before I went in. He was still guarded when it came to Li Jing, but he wouldn't mention that.

In the hospital room, Li Jing's face was still a little pale. He smiled at me. "Sorry. You even had to make a trip to the hospital in the middle of the night because of me." As he spoke, he tried to stand and I helped him up.