Chapter 42 The Bracelet Broken

Jin He couldn't understand what the point of forcing others to admit whether they liked or disliked someone was. Could love really sustain a life? Life isn't just about love, especially when it's a relationship destined to end. An Yi kept saying he wanted to talk to Jin He, but she always refused.

Why is it so hard to break up?

"He's just saying you're too love-struck." Lin Nian leaned back calmly on the sofa, her makeup complete, preparing for the second performance later. "Actually, I can understand what Xiao He is thinking. He's a bit stuck in a rut right now, so let's wait until he gets over this..."

Jin He – An Yi's only Waterloo in his otherwise smooth-sailing life.

"Teacher An, Teacher Lin, you can go on stage now."

"Alright." Lin Nian stood up and patted An Yi on the shoulder. "Let's deal with the work first. Don't think too much about it. There's always a way out. Xiao He is a grown woman, she can't run away, can she?"

Jin He was backstage, brandishing his longsword. Fang Xiaoke, dressed in black overalls, looked at Jin He's appearance with great envy.

"Wow!" Fang Xiaoke exclaimed, her mouth agape. "What a cool sword! So cool, so cool!"

Seeing that he was watching from his side, Jin He raised his right wrist and made a clean and neat sword flourish. He raised his chin, quite proud of himself.

"I want to learn too! I want to learn too!"

"Here, this is for you." Jin He placed the sword in his hand and taught him step by step, "First, do it like this, and then..."

Fang Xiaoke started to drift off, her eyes darting around, and asked, "Brother Xiaohe, where's your bracelet?"

"It didn't fit the stage style, so I took it off and put it in the dressing room." Jin He didn't take it to heart.

"Oh? There are so many people around, what if it gets lost?" Fang Xiaoke was a little worried when she heard this. "Is it important? If it is, let someone else keep it for you."

"It's not particularly important," Jin He said. "Let's leave it there for now. I'm going to wait in the wings. I'll be the first one there."

Actually, going on stage still causes some discomfort because there are many people and the air doesn't circulate well. In addition, the bright lights and loud sounds are a considerable challenge for people with heart conditions. Jin He almost died in the toilet stall during his first performance. But this time he was smarter and took a pill before going on stage.

After all, his ranking was relatively low, and he wasn't sure if he could stay and continue to participate in the competition, so he treated every time he went on stage as if it were the last time in his life, and this time was no exception.

On stage, a dry ice machine spewed out billowing white smoke. The curtain rose, revealing several teenagers dressed in long blue robes, some sitting, some standing. Jin He had instructed them here that because the stage performance was quite dramatic, they were not allowed to look at the audience freely throughout the entire performance!

Winking at the camera is strictly forbidden! I'm talking to you, Song Bai!

Wen Lian picked up the microphone at that moment, and just then a gust of wind came from the side of the stage, ruffling his bangs. He slowly sang the first line: "The mist hides the secret past, weaving through it, chasing a ray of light, not three thousand treasures, but a carefully planned way to get you there."

At this moment, Jin He stood under the artificial hill, a white silk ribbon covering her eyes, leaving only her smooth outline and thin lips, like a celestial being sitting high on a lotus throne, otherworldly and picturesque.

"What world is this? What mountain is this? Why are my eyes covered, making it impossible to imagine what your face looks like..."

This stage doesn't require much interaction with the audience; it just needs to draw them into the story and let them follow the performers' emotions. So the venue was practically silent, everyone immersed in the music. Backstage, Lin Nian nudged An Yi with her shoulder: "Xiao He is so beautiful, don't you think?"

"You don't need to tell me."

God knows how much An Yi wants to kiss Jin He right now; he thinks about it every single day! If he weren't afraid of getting beaten up, he would have forced himself on her. You're just being stubborn, aren't you? I'll give you a good kiss and make you weak!

But can he? No, Jin He would probably be so angry that he'd have a relapse.

At this moment, the background music stopped abruptly. Jin He raised her hand, and a long sword emerged from her left sleeve. She twirled the sword in her hand and switched it to her right hand, performing a sword dance. The dance was beautiful, with her posture upright and graceful as a dragon in flight.

"Hmm, as expected of someone I taught!" Lin Nian nodded with satisfaction, arms crossed. "I didn't expect Xiao He's basic skills to be so good after all these years. Where did he go? That side kick was really beautiful, though of course, it's still far from his peak."

"Is the amount of exercise really that much?" An Yi frowned, looking at the screen with concern. "Can he handle it?"

"Well... Xiaohe has already rehearsed many times, so there shouldn't be any major problems."

“But the rehearsal venue is not like the performance venue; the oxygen is too scarce. I’m worried he might suffer from oxygen deficiency.” An Yi was still a little uneasy. He turned around and waved to his assistant, whispering a few words in his ear before the assistant ran off.

After the song ended, the boys stood at the front of the stage to take their bows. The crowd was silent for a moment, then burst into amazing applause and cheers. Jin He was startled by the applause, then smiled and bowed to the audience.

Lin Nian stood beside them, giving them a minute to introduce themselves. Jin He didn't take up their time, simply saying, "I'm Jin He," before handing the microphone to the next person. The children excitedly began introducing themselves, while Jin He just stared at the ground, breathing heavily. He probably needed some oxygen...

He didn't have the bracelet with him, so he didn't know how he was feeling, but he had a feeling it might not be good.

"Okay, thank you for our group's wonderful performance. Please go backstage for a short rest. Our voting results will be announced after all the performances are over."

The children bowed to the audience and left the stage. Jin He returned to the dressing room and immediately looked for his bracelet. He found it still on the table and picked it up, only to realize something was wrong.

The bracelet was completely wet, as if it had been thrown into water. When she picked it up, a ring of water stains was left on the table. Jin He's heart tightened, and she thought to herself that something was wrong. She quickly tried to see if she could turn it on.

It can't be opened.

Jin He coughed while clutching his collar, his hand tightly gripping his bracelet. This was bad; the bracelet was broken. What was he going to do?

Wen Lian noticed that Jin He was not feeling well, so he came over to support him and asked, "What's wrong, Brother He? Are you feeling unwell?"

Holding his wrist, Jin He could feel his heart pounding like a drum even through the fabric of his clothes. He coughed and shook his head: "It's nothing, cough cough, the bracelet is broken cough cough cough..."

"Are you having trouble breathing?" Wen Lian asked him anxiously. "Is the bracelet broken? What should we do? Is it important?"

It was just a heartbeat monitor, but Jin He probably saw it as a source of security. He felt much more at ease when he looked at the bracelet when he was feeling unwell, but now that it wasn't with him, he felt his heart rate was about to spike to 200!