Dream Dance Gracefully - - - -

Zhang Wan’er was heading home. It was already quite late, and she was just going back to see the river near her house and the home she had never left since childhood. She wanted to look at the stars, spend a night there, and that would be enough for her. It seemed that she wouldn’t return here again; there was nothing left for her. All she wanted now was to go back and take a look.

Her monthly salary was high, so she didn’t have to worry about not having a place to live. This place was perhaps just a collection of memories.

The moon was bright, and the stars shone brightly as well. She arrived at the river by her home and gazed at the flowing water, reminiscing about the years she had spent here.

As she watched, she noticed something floating on the river’s surface. As she looked closer, she saw it was a person.

When the figure floated closer, she recognized him: it was Chen Tianqi!

This shocked and frightened Zhang Wan’er, and she almost burst into tears. “Tianqi, Tianqi, what happened to you…”

Without thinking twice, she jumped into the river. The water was shallow along the banks, so she wasn’t afraid; even if it were deep, she would have jumped in without hesitation!

She swam over and embraced Chen Tianqi, not knowing where she found the strength, and began pulling him to the riverbank step by step.

“Tianqi, Tianqi, please don’t scare me. Talk to me… Wuwu, how did you end up in the river?” The moment Zhang Wan’er saw Chen Tianqi, she felt like her whole world was about to shatter.

“It’s going to be okay, it’s going to be okay. You’ll be fine.”

Seeing the bruises all over Chen Tianqi’s body only made her heart ache more. She pressed on his chest, even attempting mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, but there was no sign of improvement. She could confirm he still had a heartbeat, but it was growing weaker. Just then, Chen Tianqi coughed and expelled some water, which eased her mind a bit. He would be okay; he was not going to die.

As the situation stabilized, Zhang Wan’er began to speculate: Was someone trying to set Chen Tianqi up? She was no longer the same Zhang Wan’er from before; she was on the path to becoming a strong woman, and her thoughts had become more complex.

At that moment, she shook her head. Seeing Chen Tianqi’s breathing return to normal, she thought for a moment. He wouldn’t want to end his life on his own, so there had to be a reason. Someone must have tried to frame him. But who? Was it Tiger? Or someone else?

Thinking of this, Zhang Wan’er took a deep breath to calm herself down. She quickly hoisted Chen Tianqi onto her back and made her way to her old home. The house had been there for a long time and was quite unremarkable, so she hoped no one would come by.

Once she got Chen Tianqi into the house, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Tianqi, just wait a moment, okay? I’m going to call the doctor. Hang in there!”

With that, Zhang Wan’er stepped outside and locked the door. Regardless of whether the door was good or bad, locking it made her feel more at ease.

There was a small clinic nearby, so Zhang Wan’er called the doctor over. After a thorough examination, the doctor looked at her and said, “Fortunately, we got him here in time. If it had been any later, the consequences could have been unimaginable. From what I can see with the patient’s symptoms, his body is still in good condition. The bruises were likely from something he hit while floating down the river. However, there is a noticeable bump on his head. I recommend you take the patient to the hospital as soon as possible; this situation is indeed concerning.”

“Thank you, doctor, for coming out here so late. I really appreciate it.”

After the doctor left, Zhang Wan’er felt conflicted about whether she should tell anyone about the incident. It was nighttime, and his family must be very worried.

Just as she was debating what to do, Yang Xue called.

“Wan’er, where are you? I haven’t seen you!”

“Uh, Xue-Jie, I’m at my house. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Wan’er, have you seen Tianqi? His dad came home and didn’t see him, so he started calling everyone. We’ve checked with Xu Meng, and he wasn’t there either. Have you seen him?”

Zhang Wan’er thought for a moment and decided she had to speak up.

“Xue-Jie, I need to tell you something, but please don’t panic.”

“Just tell me. I’m not panicking.”

“Tianqi is here with me… but… he’s unconscious!”

When Yang Xue heard that Chen Tianqi was with Zhang Wan’er, she relaxed slightly. However, when she heard the second part, her concern immediately kicked in.

“Unconscious? What happened? How could he be unconscious without any reason? Did something happen?”

“Xue-Jie, please don’t panic; just listen to me,” Zhang Wan’er said, feeling anxious herself. “I came back here tonight to check on things, and when I got to the riverbank, I saw Tianqi floating on the surface. I don’t know what happened. I thought to myself, there’s no way he would jump into the river willingly. That left only one possibility: someone set him up, someone wanted to harm Chen Tianqi. So, I brought him back to my house and called a doctor. He said it’s not too serious, but there’s a head injury, and it’s best to take him to the hospital. I really don’t know what to do; should I take him to the hospital or not?”

At that moment, Yang Xue, Chen Tianyou, and Chen Hui were all sitting in the living room. Yang Xue had put her phone on speaker, so everyone could hear.

Chen Tianyou grew increasingly anxious. “Hurry and take him to the hospital! Saving his life is the priority!”

Yang Xue was worried too, but then Chen Hui spoke up. “No, we can’t take him to the hospital.” His expression was unreadable. “Tianqi has been framed. If he shows up again, he’ll be discovered, and he may still fall into the trap. Let him stay with you for a while longer. I’ll call a doctor to come with me to check on him. If absolutely necessary, we can take him to the hospital then.”

“Dad, I want to go too.”

“No, the fewer people, the better. The enemy is in the dark while we’re in the light; you need to understand that.”

“But he’s my brother…”

“He’s my son as well. You and Xue should stay here. Just tell me where Wan’er’s house is, and I’ll be back soon. If anything happens, I will let you know.”

Chen Tianyou knew he couldn’t argue with Chen Hui and could only agree.

Yang Xue reassured Zhang Wan’er over the phone, “Don’t worry. Tianqi’s dad will go. Just take good care of him for now.”

After hanging up, Chen Hui hurried out of the house.

Zhang Wan’er looked at Chen Tianqi lying on the bed, unsure of what to say. She murmured softly, “Tianqi, please wake up soon; everyone is waiting for you…”