8

The Sunday Class

Cecilia was lost in thought as Nick drove them to their destination. Every so often, he would steal glances at her and wondered what connections she had with his cousin Kevin, a well-known neurosurgeon. Was his cousin the person involved in Cecilia's accident? Why did he not hear about any of this? Usually, news travel like fire in his family - especially during his large family get-together dinners. If he recollected correctly, he faintly remembered noticing a negligible injury on Kevin's forehead. When he asked about it, Kevin said it was a minor injury from his carelessness, which he emphasized, was nothing to worry about. Respectfully, Nick had chosen not to ask Cecilia about her accident until she gave him clues to implore. Zhang Xiao and Nick had just begun getting acquainted with each other so Nick was careful about trespassing where he should not.

Xiao Xiao's mind was lost in her own world as Nick drove through the busy and hectic traffic. She tried to put together pieces of her memories. When she regained consciousness, she remembered asking her mother what had happened. Based on several he-said-she-said stories, her mother stated that she was involved in an accident when she was last having an argument with her boyfriend. Cecilia remembered that moment quite clearly herself. It was a memory that had replayed in her mind frequently when she had woken up in the Kang Xi's reign.

She remembered being upset at Huang Di for cheating on her with her friend, Xiao Mei. Although Huang Di denied such a claim, Cecilia had already made up her mind that he was cheating on her when she saw them kissing. There was no way he could have defended himself from his crime unless he was found nearly dead and was receiving CPR from Xiao Mei. Unfortunately for him, that was not the case. When a construction man interjected their argument by siding with her boyfriend, he ended up making her even more furious. She remembered thinking that men were nothing more than greedy pigs. So in that short-temper moment, Cecilia heedlessly slapped the construction man's open water bottle out of his hand. The water spilled out of the bottle and short-fused some wires that the construction man had previously warned her to stay away from. Within a split second, some wires came alive like a sea serpent, hissing untamed sparks. Startled by such an event, Cecilia blindly stepped off into a curb. At that moment, a driver stepped onto his break too late. This was when she flew off into the billboard. Because there were many witnesses that the fault was on Zhang Xiao's behalf, there was little mentioning of who the driver was.

Cecilia also faintly remembered having an unknown visitor who oftentimes sat by her bedside. She wasn't sure if this was part of her illusion or dream until she realized that that visitor must have been the neurosurgeon, Ba Ye. Whenever she asked her nurses if anyone dressed in white had come to see her, her nurses would belittle her question by made comments such as, "You must have dreamt that, Miss." Her medical fees were also anonymously paid in full. Who else would have that much money to spare? Why he wanted to remain anonymous, was beyond what she could comprehend.

Zhang Xiao looked at Nick apologetically when his car slowed down in front of the Japanese restaurant. Just then, she realized that she had been silent throughout their drive. He returned her glance with his courteous smile, a smile that Ruo Xi had learned to love. Her heart ached. In that precious moment, she remembered what Si Ye had once said to her.

Si Ye playfully flicked her forehead. She stopped crying and looked at him, half-confused, half-surprised. She had just had an argument with the Fourteenth Prince. They must have been enemies of many lives for every time they shared the same space, their sharp words would surely start an argument, may it be over a silly matter or not.

"Ruo Xi," Si Ye said in his gentle and deep voice. "You must not let your emotions get the better of you. In order to survive from meddling eyes, you must not let others know what you are thinking or feeling. You must remain calm and unaffected."

Si Ye was right. Ruo Xi was very expressive and thought little of how she lets her emotions take over. Perhaps it was this freedom of expression that caught so many Prince's attention - she stood out from the majority of girls who were monotonously virtuous.

She quickly "shifted gears" and changed her state of mind. They both have been looking forward to this dining and she must not take his presence for granted. Cecilia had already learned too painfully, what it feels like to lose someone so dear to her.

Their dining experience was pleasant. The food was as good and savory as Nick had boasted and they both conversed without any awkwardness. Their "date" ended well as though nothing had happened before they met up. Cecilia felt that the chances of them seeing each other again was promising. Because she wanted a new life, she was willing to accept what may come. She had given up the notion of predicting the future. What good would an eternal wallow do? Ruo Xi and Zhang Xiao both deserve a chance to be free and happy. This time, Zhang Xiao will follow her heart as though her past has been burnt to ashes.

The following day, Zhang Xiao stood in her mother's dance studio and embraced her memories as though she had just reincarnated. She remembered her childhood of learning ballet from her mother who was skillful in both ballet and piano. It was this useful skill of dancing that had helped her grown into a graceful person...when she has no reason to be upset, that is. Everyone knows that when Zhang Xiao is upset, Earth shakes. Ever since her mother had left on a musical journey with her sister, Cecilia had inherited her mother's studio. Xiao Xiao was a smart girl. Like a sponge, she was eager to learn and excel at anything she puts her mind to. Although she was not excellent at ballet enough to be an actual famous ballerina, she was still good enough to teach young children how to dance. Her mother had opened this studio before she was even born. It was in this very same studio that her mother's love story began. And that, will be another lengthy story for another rainy day.

Since her accident, she has not had the chance to attend to these Sunday, ballet classes. She taught once a week to children from kindergarten to elementary. Her students were beyond excited to see her return. Many hugged her tightly and asked what seemed to be a million questions about her whereabouts. She promised them that she will tell them if they all behaved and dance well.

Her one-hour class ended rather quickly. Cecilia did not realize how much she missed dancing. When she was in the Kang Xi world, she would oftentimes try to sneak off to dance under the bluer, clearer sky. With no gyms or yoga classes available, she could only dance to slim down. Since she lived with Ba Ye, their food were rich in fat and nutrients. If she did not exercise, she would easily gain weight. Her maids and sister had always wondered how Ruo Xi had rosy, lively cheeks compared to others who were pale in complexion. Most girls were not fit and would pant after a short run but Ruo Xi could always out run many boys. People just thought Ruo Xi was blessed to be born as a healthy and energetic Manchurian girl.

One of her younger students, Wan Wan, grabbed her hand after class. This 7-year-old child dragged Zhang Xiao over to the guest bench where families watched their children learn. "Zhang Lao Shi! Follow me! I want you to meet someone!"

Cecilia let go of Wan Wan's hand when she saw the person who was sitting on the bench. She had forgotten about God's jokes until this moment.

Shi Ye...?