Hard to Escape Chapter 23.1

In truth, even up to now, I still didn't know my Chinese name. I only deduced from the name "Alicia Tang" that my last name was probably Tang (唐). There were very few French media reports on me. There was only a few clipped phrases from when Madame Taylor took on new pupils. Afterwards, there apparently were no article features. Even with my disappearance, there was only the police announcement. Even more strange was that among the materials Frank gave me, other than the recordings from his doc.u.mentary master tape, there weren't any recordings of my public performances.  

The mysteries were piled one on top of the other.

Why would an accomplished ballet dancer not perform on stage even once for over 8 years, not even attend a single ballet compet.i.tion, and not even exist in the ballet social circle? It was like she was purposely suppressed. These 8 years it was like she was hidden in a blanket of snow and wearing a "Madame Taylor's beloved pupil" cloak. She originally could have relied on this to climb the mountain and become a dancer in the spotlight. Yet she completely faded from the public eye.

No matter if it's the post-amnesia me or pre-amnesia me, the mark we've left on the earth is so frail.

Contrarily, Yin Xuan wasn't like this. The fas.h.i.+on tabloids loved to gossip about her the most. Her compet.i.tion awards could be traced back all the way to when she was 10. She was a young lady of note among the upper echelons of French society. The television was now playing the high-profile interview she gave after returning to the country. The interview publicized the fact that she would soon be starring in "Alone I Dance", a huge blockbuster film.

I sat in the Yin residence looking at Yin Xuan's young and proud face on the screen.

"I've tried acting for the first time because the subject matter is just to my taste. Ever since I started dancing at the age of 4, dance has been the fire in my life. I very much like the script. I will be appearing as the female lead. I'd like to thank the directors for giving me this opportunity."

The host of the show smiled and asked, "I've heard that Director Meng has planned for this movie for three years already, but never found the appropriate actress. I imagine that he has looked for a long time to find such a perfect person like Ms. Yin to cast. Ms. Yin's ballet accomplishments are even noteworthy in France. In the whole of Chinese history, there hasn't been another person who has achieved your level of ballet skills and name recognition at such young of an age. "Alone I dance" will have many ballet dance shots. To be able to find Ms. Yin is the fortune of us all. We don't even have to pay the price to be able to appreciate such a elegant, refined ballet performance."

Yin Xuan comfortably accepted the host's praise. Her expression read of a self-righteous n.o.bleness and a stern pride, as if all was as ought to be. This sort of life was rightfully hers. With Yin Li as protector and the Yin Corporation as backing, she could pursue anything she wanted. Everything she thought a nuisance would be crushed to smithereens.

Even to this day, there was not a trace of regret to be found on her face, let alone shame or fear. For the most part she deeply trusted in her brother, and trusted that I had been pulled out of the wide open ocean into a quagmire, and no matter how hard I tried I would never be able to make any ripple again.

Her road was full of glory and splendor, and her future was just as bright. In contrast, I didn't even know what I did in the past.

"Yan Xiao, dinner is ready." Yin Li's voice was tender. When he opened the door and entered, he also saw Yin Xuan on the screen. I glanced at him and then turned off the television. Yin Xuan's face abruptly disappeared.

Yin Li probably felt a bit awkward. He rubbed my head and bent over to kiss my forehead. "Yin Xuan originally came back just to shoot this film. If you don't want to see her, I'll have her permanently stay in France."

He was very confident that I wouldn't use the law to punish Yin Xuan.

Sitting down to eat, I felt like I was chewing wax. Everything was tasteless. After a few bites, I threw down my chopsticks. "Yin Li, I want to see Yin Xuan's ballet studio."

Yin Li tidied the table and then nodded and brought me over. He couldn't figure out what was on my mind, and could only look at me with a slightly doubtful look.

When the door to the ballet studio opened, we were met by a wave of dust. This was the second time here, yet my mood was completely different.

On the wall, there was still the row of photos of Yin Xuan beautifully striking those ballet poses.

"Can you explain the background behind each picture?" I turned and asked Yin Li. "I feel like that kind of life, learning ballet from such a young age, must be wonderful. What was it like when Yin Xuan was learning?"

Later on, I would ask Yin Li about my past. But the results would leave me disappointed. He didn't fully understand it and could only lightly sketch out the part when Yin Xuan crossed paths with me. However, he knew Yin Xuan very well. Every bit, from Yin Xuan's youth to her today, from her childhood to her growth to her transformation, was carved in his memories.

"This photo is taken when Yin Xuan was 15. The next one is half a year later. She grew quite a bit."

"This is the theatrical photo of when she was Esmeralda in the production of ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame'. It was that performance that she entered Paris Opera Ballet. Before that performance, she had never performed on a stage with an incline. At first, she was unaccustomed and fell so much that she could only take a cortisone shot and continue dancing." Yin Li had originally planned to maintain a simple, calm tone to describe all this. But his feelings still slipped out from within his words. Yin Xuan was his one and only sister. As he stared at the photos on the wall, even if he tried to keep a neutral demeanor, his pride for Yin Xuan leaked out unnoticed.