Ye Heng spoke in his usual flippant manner, nudging Ning Songyi as he said, "Who knows, by the time it comes to that, this might be the real headache you have to deal with, Auntie He."
"I don't care about him. If he can't find a wife, he can blame that foul temper he inherited from his father."
He Fang took a thick stack of banknotes from her drawer and shoved them into Ye Heng’s hand. "Take this."
"Auntie He, I can't take this!"
"Take it!" He Fang insisted, forcing the money into his grasp. "This was left in my care by Old Master Ye. You can only look after the Old Master properly if you have this money on you."
Realizing the logic in her words, Ye Heng had no choice but to tuck the money into his pocket.
"All right, that’s all I needed to see you for. Get back to work."
As Ning Songyi rose to leave, his gaze was suddenly drawn to something in the corner.
"What are you looking at? Let’s go!"
Ye Heng turned to leave, but noticing Ning Songyi hadn't moved an inch, he walked over and tapped him on the shoulder. Ning Songyi finally shoved his hands into his pockets and headed toward the door.
"Oh, and tell your sister she needs to turn in a thousand-word self-criticism by tomorrow. If she dares to eavesdrop again, that’s another thousand words."
Ye Heng stopped dead in his tracks, sucked in a sharp breath, and exchanged a look of helpless resignation with Ning Songyi before hurrying out.
Zhao Yu left He Fang’s office. Hoping to regain her dancing form over the next couple of days, she decided not to go out and instead headed straight to the training room.
As she pushed the door open, she saw someone already practicing in silence. Zhao Yu walked in, and seeing that the person ignored her, she began her own basic warm-ups in quiet solitude.
"You gave up the lead dance position to someone else, so what are you still practicing for?"
Zhao Yu was startled. She turned around to find that Ning Songyun, who had been quite a distance away, had snuck up beside her. In her past life, she had no idea how she had offended Ning Songyun; every time they met, she was either met with a sharp roll of the eyes or a cold, disdainful glare.
Why was she striking up a conversation now?
"What are you staring at? I asked you a question." Seeing that Zhao Yu hadn't made a sound for a while, Ning Songyun raised her voice. "What? After being blinded by a scumbag and having your heart clouded, has your hearing gone bad, too?"
"I didn't give up the lead position, so of course I have to practice hard," Zhao Yu replied.
"You didn't give it up?!"
Ning Songyun was suddenly agitated, but seeing Zhao Yu’s confused look, she immediately coughed twice, trying to cover her tracks. "Good for you. At least you’re smart enough not to be tricked by that scumbag and that woman."
"You seem very concerned about whether I gave up the lead or not."
"I have nothing to be concerned about!" Ning Songyun bristled like an angry cat. "I just think it’s an insult to me if you win, only to hand the spot to someone incompetent! Why would I care about you?"
Seeing Ning Songyun’s reaction, a flash of realization crossed Zhao Yu’s eyes. *So that was it. No wonder she acted that way in my past life.*
Still, her tsundere act was actually quite cute.
Zhao Yu deliberately drew out her tone. "Ohhhhh... I understand now."
"You!"
Flustered, Ning Songyun stomped her foot, sat down with her back to Zhao Yu, and hugged her knees, pouting.
After finishing her basic stretches, Zhao Yu crept over and crouched down beside her. "I haven't practiced for a few days and feel a bit rusty. Could you practice with me?"
Ning Songyun hummed, turned the other way, and continued to ignore her. Zhao Yu feigned a look of disappointment, lowering her eyes. Seeing this, Ning Songyun’s lips parted, and she let out an "ugh" before standing up.
"What are you just standing there for? Aren't you coming over?"
Zhao Yu couldn't help but chuckle as she stood up and began to practice with Ning Songyun to the music. She had assumed that after decades without dancing, she would be hopelessly rusty. But the moment the music started, her muscles seemed to wake up automatically; every movement and step landed precisely on the beat.
When Ning Songyi and Ye Heng arrived, they were greeted by the sight of the young girl dancing gracefully.
"Your little sister’s dancing is not bad at all," Ye Heng said, arms crossed, throwing a casual compliment toward Ning Songyun.
Ning Songyi, however, kept his eyes fixed on Zhao Yu, unable to look away. Sunlight spilled into the practice room, casting a warm glow over Zhao Yu, making her very fingertips seem to shimmer.
Ye Heng noticed Ning Songyi’s unusual behavior. He looked back and forth between Zhao Yu and Ning Songyi, then a look of sudden enlightenment dawned on him. He coughed lightly and began to circle Ning Songyi, his voice humming with teasing intent.
"'I don't know... so noisy... I don't need it...' Tut-tut-tut, who said that again? And what exactly are you looking at right now?"
His mocking tone earned him a sharp elbow to the ribs from Ning Songyi. Ye Heng, caught off guard, stumbled straight into the door with a loud thud, drawing the attention of the two girls.
"Brother? Why are you here?" Ning Songyun trotted over to Ning Songyi.
"Hey, the little girl didn't even notice her Brother Ye." Ye Heng ruffled Ning Songyun’s hair, grinning as she struggled. "We’re here to tell you to write your self-criticism. Auntie He found out about you eavesdropping. One thousand words, due tomorrow."
"Ah?" Ning Songyun’s delicate features crumpled into a knot. She muttered under her breath, "I ran so fast, how could I still get caught? Such bad luck."
Seeing her like this, Zhao Yu trembled, struggling to hold back her laughter. Suddenly, a pair of long, slender fingers appeared before her. In his hand was a familiar-looking hair clip.
Zhao Yu reached up to her hair and realized the clip she had been wearing was gone.
"Thank you." Zhao Yu took the clip back and put it on. Though one was missing, it was a gift from her mother; finding even one was a relief. When she looked up, she found Ning Songyi’s ink-black eyes fixed on her.
She nervously looked away, feeling momentarily dazed. *Where have I seen those eyes before?* But when she looked back to investigate, she only saw his retreating back.
Ye Heng, sensing the unspoken tension between the two, rolled his eyes, shot Ning Songyun a suggestive wink, and turned to follow Ning Songyi.
"Do you know my brother?" Once they were out of earshot, Ning Songyun couldn't suppress her curiosity and began to pry.
Seeing Zhao Yu shake her head, Ning Songyun disappointed, picked up her bag, and prepared to head home to write her self-criticism.
"You wouldn't have been punished for eavesdropping just because you were listening in on me, would you?"
Zhao Yu’s sudden question made Ning Songyun stiffen.
"What? Who? Listening in on whom?"
Seeing her reaction, Zhao Yu knew she had guessed correctly. It made sense; otherwise, word of her stepping down hadn't spread yet—how else would she have known?
Zhao Yu walked over to Ning Songyun and took the bag off her shoulder.
"What are you doing?"