Six years of unspoken words melted into this embrace. They held each other tightly for a long while before finally letting go.
“Come. Let’s sit down and have something to drink,” Han Zuo put his arm around Teng Yi’s shoulder, then turned to look at Ruan Yu.
Ruan Yu smiled. “Now you finally think about hosting us? The tension was so thick when we arrived, it startled me.”
Han Zuo clasped his hands apologetically. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. You don’t know, but when I first came here, Teng Yi treated me the same way. He challenged me to a battle right away, exhausted me completely until my clothes were soaked with sweat before finally letting me join Xiyou.”
“So you were that mean back then?” Ruan Yu glanced sideways at Teng Yi.
“He was a special case back then,” Teng Yi replied.
“How was I special?” Han Zuo asked, puzzled.
“Back then, you were still a love rival.”
Han Zuo was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing as realization dawned: “How do you know I’m not anymore? Maybe I still have those feelings for Ruan Yu?”
Teng Yi pointed at Han Zuo’s ring finger.
He had noticed it as soon as Han Zuo entered – there was a ring on his ring finger.
“Good eye,” Han Zuo raised his hand, showing off his ring. “I just got my marriage certificate a few days ago.”
Ruan Yu and Teng Yi hurried to congratulate him.
“When will you introduce us to her?” Ruan Yu asked.
“No need to wait – you can meet her right now.”
“She’s at Xiyou?”
“Yes. She’s a student here.”
Han Zuo knocked on the door of the adjacent practice room. After a moment, a tall young woman with double buns in her hair came out with him.
“My wife, Shanshan,” Han Zuo held Shanshan’s hand. “Shanshan, this is Teng Yi, Xiyou’s founder. And that one, I don’t need to introduce – your favorite TV host, the great Ruan Yu.”
“Hello, I’ve long admired you both. I’m Cheng Shanshan.” Shanshan was very cheerful, radiating vibrant energy, and appeared quite young.
“Robbing the cradle?” Teng Yi leaned close to Han Zuo and asked quietly.
Han Zuo nodded, whispering back: “Just graduated from university.”
“You’re something else.”
“Not as impressive as you – gone for six years and still kept the great host Ruan Yu devoted to you.”
The two men shared a knowing smile.
As everyone was chatting in the hallway, they suddenly heard a deep, low voice.
“Brother Teng Yi!”
Teng Yi turned to see a familiar thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy approaching. He remembered him as one of Xiyou’s two youngest students back then – Yan Xuyang.
“Do you remember him?” Han Zuo asked.
“Of course I do, Yan Xuyang.” Teng Yi smiled at Xuyang.
“If you want to talk about impressive, this kid is the real deal,” Han Zuo patted Yan Xuyang’s shoulder proudly. “You know what? Recently, the Olympic official website announced that Breakdance has officially become a Youth Olympic Games sport. This kid was selected for the national floor dance team – he’s qualified to compete in the Youth Olympics!”
“Really?” Teng Yi was delighted.
The Youth Olympic Games were second only to the Olympics in Olympic events and were the highest-level comprehensive sports competition for young people worldwide.
Yan Xuyang shyly scratched his head: “Brother Teng Yi, I owe my success today to you and Brother Han Zuo. If it weren’t for you both, I wouldn’t have discovered street dance, let alone fallen in love with it.”
“Teachers open the door, but learning depends on the individual. It’s your persistence that brought you today’s achievements. Keep working hard and bring glory to our country.”
“Don’t worry, I definitely will!”
–_–
Today’s visit to Xiyou brought one piece of good news after another.
But in truth, these years hadn’t been easy for Xiyou.
While Ruan Yu and Cheng Shanshan were chatting, Han Zuo took Teng Yi on a tour of the practice rooms. There weren’t many students, especially on the second floor where most rooms were empty.
“The year you were here, we had the most students. Later, some stayed and some left, but few new students came to replace them. The whole facility struggled to operate – several times we couldn’t even pay the rent.”
“Don’t worry about money anymore,” Teng Yi said.
Han Zuo shook his head: “What are you thinking? I’m not asking you for money.”
“I know, I didn’t mean it that way. I just wanted to say you’ve worked hard alone these years.”
“I’ve reflected a lot during these years you’ve been gone,” Han Zuo gazed through the glass at the few students dancing in the practice room. “I think street dance shouldn’t be just one person’s responsibility. Back then, all of Xiyou, even half of Liao City’s street dance scene, was supported by you alone. When you suddenly had problems and left the scene, everything that was meant to fall, fell apart at once.”
Teng Yi remained silent.
“Do you understand what I mean?” Han Zuo spoke with some excitement. “I mean street dance is a culture, and the development and inheritance of a culture needs not only the charm of the culture itself but also the joint efforts and support of everyone in the community. We shouldn’t let one or a few people at the top of the circle keep giving and giving… Take Xiyou for example – we should let it survive on the street dance itself, not constantly rely on your money to maintain operations.”
“I understand what you mean. But this isn’t a simple matter.”
To develop well, it first needs to be accepted, recognized and loved.
“Right, it’s easy to say but difficult to change,” Han Zuo sighed. “Street dance remains too niche. After all these years, this niche status hasn’t changed at all. We call it culture, but it’s more like self-entertainment for a small group. Look at breakdancing becoming a Youth Olympic sport – such great news, but how many people even know about it?”
Teng Yi nodded.
What Han Zuo said was the cruel reality.
The only way to change this cruel reality was to promote and publicize street dance. This promotion couldn’t be like the small-scale “Return Street Dance to the Streets” movement from before – it needed more powerful platforms, top-tier traffic, and high-budget promotion.
“Teng Yi, recently when you just returned to the country, Wang Jing came to find me. He hoped I could convince you to participate in their TV station’s new variety show. I think this is a good opportunity to promote street dance.”
“Wang Jing came?”
“Yes, I didn’t contact you right away – I was waiting for you to come to Xiyou on your own. I thought when you took the initiative to find me, that would be when you had let everything go and were determined to return to the street dance scene.”
“Waiting for the rabbit?”
“Pretty much,” Han Zuo smiled. “Teng Yi, I know you’re not keen on variety shows – I don’t like them either. But this is the reality now. Without traffic and buzz, nothing can be achieved. I don’t want fame or seek exposure. I just want street dance to develop better and better. I believe you want the same.”
–_–
After leaving Xiyou, Teng Yi drove Ruan Yu home. He was lost in thought the whole way, barely speaking.
When they arrived at Ruan Yu’s door, he suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm.
“Let me come in for a bit.”
“Again?”
Ruan Yu was reluctant.
Every time he sent her home before, he said he wanted to come in for a bit, but sitting turned into doing, and he would stay the whole night. She had grown wary of him.
“Today I have something I want to hear your opinion about.”
Teng Yi looked serious, but Ruan Yu wasn’t buying it, feeling he was just being mysterious.
“Have you heard the story of the boy who cried wolf?”
“Me visiting your place is equivalent to the boy who cried wolf story to you?”
“No, you’re an upgraded version.”
“What?”
“The pervert who cried wolf.”
Teng Yi leaned in close: “If you don’t let me in, I’ll show you right now what a pervert crying wolf looks like.”
“…”
Can’t fight it, can’t fight it.
Despite her thousand attempts to block him, Ruan Yu couldn’t stop the pervert from entering. However, today he did have something to discuss.
Teng Yi said he wanted to participate in the variety show “Street Dance Maniac.”
“You want to join Wang Jing’s show?”
Ruan Yu poured Teng Yi a glass of water as they sat facing each other on the sofa. She looked surprised.
His previous cold words “no autographs, no photos, no shows” were still fresh in her mind – how did he suddenly change his mind? Men could be quite fickle too.
“Yes. I had a chat with Han Zuo today. Street dance culture has developed slowly these years, never finding a ‘breakthrough point’ or gaining wide acceptance. This variety show could bring traffic and discussion – it might be a turning point. I think it’s worth trying.”
“Are you sure about this?”
Teng Yi smiled: “It’s not like cutting flesh – not that terrifying. Besides, didn’t you want me to go before?”
Ruan Yu had previously acted on Wang Jing’s behalf, but thinking carefully now, she had her concerns.
“Using this method to promote street dance would certainly have immediate effects, and I support that, but…” Ruan Yu hesitated.
“But what?”
“But the street dance circle is all about authenticity, while entertainment industry variety shows are somewhat artificial. Pre-written scripts, post-production editing – one cut can change everything, turning black to white and white to black in unimaginable ways.”
“I’ve considered all that. It’s why I initially refused to participate in variety shows. But thinking about it now, as long as it promotes and showcases street dance, I don’t mind being used or being cannon fodder. To gain something, you have to give first.”
“Is it worth it?”
“It’s worth it. Han Zuo is right – we’re all practitioners of street dance culture. The better this culture develops, the better we’ll all be.”
Ruan Yu held his hand: “Since you’ve decided, of course I support you.”
She also looked forward to seeing him truly return to the stage.
“OK, serious business is done, time for our real business,” Teng Yi gripped her hand back, suddenly changing the topic as he pulled her forcefully into his arms.
Ruan Yu lost her balance and fell against his chest.
“Hey…”
Teng Yi ignored her protest and began kissing her intently, starting from her temple and working his way down until he captured her lips.
“Teng Yi, if you’re like this, don’t even think about coming to my place again!”
“Then we’ll go to my place.”
“…”
Fine, he won.