Ellie was discharged from the hospital two days later.
On the evening of January 7th.
Ellie practiced her dance for the last time in her room.
This was a performance she was supposed to do before she got sick in her first year of high school, but she fainted suddenly and missed the opportunity to perform on stage.
After that, she never stepped on stage again.
She had practiced this dance many times, and a year had passed.
She thought she would forget.
But when the music started, she unconsciously followed the rhythm and danced.
At the end of the song, Ellie had a thin layer of sweat on her forehead, but she still couldn't resist opening the chat interface with William.
She typed a few words and deleted them.
In the end, she didn't send the message.
She wanted to ask, "Will you come?"
But she felt he wouldn't come.
...
On January 8th.
In the largest theater of City A.
Ellie was backstage getting her makeup done.
The makeup artist looked at Ellie's translucent, fair skin and said, "Your skin is so good, I don't know where to start. I feel like you don't need any decoration, you look beautiful just as you are."
Ellie said thank you.
Many people in the makeup room were looking at Ellie, just because this girl was so stunning.
Ellie sat in front of the mirror and styled her hair.
Her hair was secured with a wooden hairpin, on which there was a small rose that seemed to be about to bloom.
She was performing a classical dance, and her prop was a processed umbrella with a light pink tie-dyed surface, hanging with many white thin cloth strips.
She put on her dress, a pure white dress that made her waist extremely slender, her eyes were extremely clear, like a deer in the forest.
Her neck was slender and white, with a thin chain around her neck. If you looked closely, you could see that the small pendant was in the shape of a butterfly.
She only applied a little lipstick, and she was stunningly beautiful.
While waiting backstage, many boys unconsciously looked at the girl in the corner.
White down jacket, the exposed skirt was also white, with black hair styled with a wooden hairpin at the back of her head, a very straight nose, curled eyelashes, and red lips.
Ellie just lowered her eyes, wearing headphones to watch what she looked like dancing a year ago.
"Which number are you going on stage?"
Ellie took off her headphones and politely said, "What did you just say?"
"I said, which number are you going on stage?"
"Number twenty."
The boy showed Ellie his number card and said, "I'm on stage one before you, my name is Owen."
"Ellie."
Owen was wearing a black hoodie with a military green work pants underneath, and a black hat on his head, revealing a few strands of hair.
He looked at Ellie for a while and said, "You're doing classical dance?"
Ellie nodded and then said, "Street dance or jazz?"
"Jazz."
Chloe had arrived early, but after explaining to the staff for a long time, they still wouldn't let her enter the backstage.
She had to take her seat with the rest of the audience.
Ellie received a message from Chloe, saying "Go for it."
She replied with an "Okay," and added a smiley face.
Owen saw her smiling slightly while looking down and said, "Is your boyfriend here too?"
"Not a boyfriend, a good friend."
Owen smiled upon hearing this.
...
Soon Owen was on stage.
Ellie looked at the audience from behind, but she didn't see William.
She felt a bit disappointed.
She watched Owen's performance on stage, which was very dynamic, and the screams from the audience were continuous.
It was soon her turn to go on stage.
She took off her down jacket and left it backstage.
All the lights on stage went out.
When they came back on, a girl in a white dress was standing in the middle, the skirt just reaching her calves, her slender and white ankles exposed, holding an umbrella.
Ellie smiled sweetly at the audience, bowed.
William was in the dark, dressed in black, wrapped up tightly, watching Ellie on stage.
As soon as she appeared, the people below were stunned.
Then there was an outbreak of discussion around.
"Damn, who is this fairy on stage? She's fucking beautiful."
"Wow, wow, wow, look at that waist, it's fucking amazing, I can hold it with one hand."
"So pure."
"Beautiful, I'm speechless."
"Finally understand what 'lotus face, waist like willow' in the poem looks like, this is so fucking pure, I'm going to get the beautiful sister's contact information."
...
Ellie on stage was completely different from usual Ellie.
Usual Ellie was very well-behaved.
But Ellie on stage had a sweet smile, confident as if every hair strand was shining.
Her skirt fluttered, every gesture was captivating.
Her dance was gentle, just like her personality.
The pure white water sleeves moved gently with her movements.
She held the umbrella, turned a few circles with the music, the girl's pure skirt fluttered lightly.
Her umbrella fell to the ground.
She gently raised her head, the sweet smile on her face was gone, like a free and pure white swan being restrained.
Struggling and passionate.
Without any words, it also makes people feel deep compassion and desolation.
William saw the silver necklace on her neck that shimmered under the lights, which he had given her for the Spring Festival.
He had never seen this side of her.
Everyone thought she was as pure as jasmine.
Pure and beautiful.
But William thought she was like a proud little rose.
Beautifully stunning, proudly unparalleled.
The dance ended.
The girl's skirt fluttered, she bowed gently to the audience.
In a daze, she felt like she saw William.
Looking into the crowd again, that figure disappeared.
The audience who had been holding their breath watching the stage burst into warm applause.
William watched her go off stage, a boy gave her a thumbs up.
It was a boy he had never seen before.
He watched Ellie leave the stage.
...
Owen watched her put on her down jacket after coming off stage and said, "You're definitely going to be first this time."
Ellie shook her head: "No, I won't."
"You're too modest, just wait and see, it's definitely you."
...
When it was time to receive the award, Ellie, as expected, won first place.
She walked to the center of the stage under everyone's gaze.
The host asked her, "Do you have anything to say?"
Ellie held the microphone, looked at the audience, and said, "I have a good friend, I wanted to dance this for him to see, although I don't know if he can see it."
Her life was already very limited.
But she hoped he would thrive towards the sun.
Forever passionate and beautiful.
To be as unrestrained and flamboyant as his name.
William, who heard this, looked at Ellie on stage in a daze.
The girl in the white dress was pure and beautiful, William tightened his scarf and fled.
...
"Add a friend?" Owen looked at Ellie and said.
"Sorry, not anymore, because I won't dance anymore either."
Owen felt a bit regretful but still politely said, "It's okay, just feel a bit of a pity, your dance is so good."
Ellie just smiled lightly, then said, "Congratulations on getting third too."
"Compared to your first place, it's nothing."
...
On the way out.
"Chloe, I think I saw him."
Chloe knew who she was talking about, wrapped her scarf around her neck, and said, "Baby, don't think about it."
Ellie looked up and said, "Okay."
But she still felt that she really saw William.