Long Lasting Dreams Chapter 7

The makeup remover water was cold, but Ryan Bai's hands felt warm through the cotton pad. His movements were not very skilled, but at least he could see it, and he was not like Ethan Jiang, who rubbed himself so hard that his face became clown-like.

Ethan Jiang seemed to feel itchy when his eyebrows were rubbed, and he actually laughed twice.

Bai Jin looked at him and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Ethan Jiang was not as scared as he was at the beginning. He dodged for a moment: "Itchy..."

Ryan Bai frowned again: "Why are you so delicate?"

Ethan Jiang didn't want to be called delicate anymore, so he stood straight and didn't move. He waited for Ryan Bai to wipe his face with a cotton pad before he washed it a few more times with the water. After washing, he raised his head, leaned close to Ryan Bai and asked: "Is it clean?"

Ryan Bai took the boxing gloves and just put them back on. Seeing that his face was too close, he raised his fist and gently pushed Ethan Jiang's cheek away. Ethan Jiang was caught off guard and pouted under the pressure of the boxing gloves: "...What are you doing?"

Ryan Bai seemed to think that this was more fun, and he didn't put his fist down, and continued to ask: "Aren't you going to dance?"

Ethan Jiang said vaguely: "I'll go after I wash my face."

Ryan Bai: "How old are you?"

Ethan Jiang: "I will be 9 years old in June this year."

Ryan Bai: "Oh."

Ethan Jiang glanced at him and asked, "You are younger than me?"

"Who said that?" Bai Jin put down his fist, "I'm also 9 years old."

Ethan Jiang smiled. Although Ryan Bai looked fierce, he was not a bad person. He waited in the corridor for Ethan Jiang to pack up his things and come out. The two walked to the classroom together. Ryan Bai seemed to be curious about his dancing shoes. He kept looking down and finally couldn't help asking: "Doesn't the piece on the front of your shoes hurt your feet?"

Ethan Jiang lifted his foot: "I was a little uncomfortable with it before, but I'll get used to it after wearing it for a while."

Bai Jin glanced at his shoes and said nothing.

Ethan Jiang seemed to want to chat with him a few more words. After all, he was the only boy in the dance studio, and he couldn't participate in many of the girls' topics and ideas. Even if he liked dancing, it was still very lonely at such a playful age without a playmate.

Bai Jin didn't say much, just listened to Ethan Jiang talking all the way. When they were almost at the boxing ring, a man came out and was stunned when he saw Bai Jin and Ethan Jiang together.

"Hey, what are you doing?" The other person looked quite old, a head taller than Ethan Jiang, "Who is he?"

This was obviously asked to Ryan Bai.

"The little swan next door." Ryan Bai answered, and he looked at Ethan Jiang, "You should go dance."

Ethan Jiang said "Oh" and looked at the boy who was a head taller than him. The other boy was also looking down at him with a smile.

Song Xin shouted at the door of the dance studio: "Ethan Jiang! Come in quickly!"

Ethan Jiang ran over quickly: "Coming." He couldn't help but look back as he ran. Ryan Bai seemed to know that he would look back, and raised his eyebrows with a look of greatness.

Song Xin pulled Ethan Jiang into the classroom, and said in a displeased tone, "Didn't I tell you not to go play with them?"

Ethan Jiang returned the makeup remover and cotton pads to Teacher Emma: "We just happened to meet. Who is that tall boy?"

Song Xin whispered in his ear, "The champion of the youth category in this year's city boxing competition is called Lai Song." After thinking for a moment, Song Xin continued, "He is older than us, and is in the second or third year of junior high school. Don't mess with him."

Ethan Jiang agreed with a "yes", and was surrounded by the girls and stood in a row. Teacher Emma explained a few things to learn today, and then asked the students to disperse and warm up. She called Ethan Jiang to her side and said gently: "Today we will start to press the toes. If you feel uncomfortable later, tell the teacher."

Ethan Jiang seemed to understand: "What is tiptoe pressing?"

Teacher Emma explained: "Ballet has footing, but you can't stand up all at once." She gestured to Ethan Jiang to hold the pole and lift one leg, "Keep your calf straight...Okay, straighten your instep as well." She wrapped her palm around Ethan Jiang's instep and slowly pressed inward with his toes, "Keep it tense, hold on, okay."

Ethan Jiang held his breath and stretched his toes as far as he could. He didn't know how long he held out before Teacher Emma let go of his legs.

"You are really patient." Teacher Emma looked at him and smiled, "You can say something when you feel uncomfortable."

Ethan Jiang blushed: "It's not uncomfortable..."

Teacher Emma shook her head and motioned for Ethan Jiang to sit down with his legs straight: "Take off your shoes."

Ethan Jiang took off his shoes obediently. When Teacher Emma saw his toes, he exclaimed, "What's wrong with your big toe?"

Ethan Jiang: "I bumped into something at home today, it doesn't hurt."

Teacher Emma sighed and became serious for once: "From now on, your toes are your life, so you must protect them well."

Ethan Jiang nodded quickly, and continued to tighten his toes as Teacher Emma requested, trying to bend his toes inwards of the soles of his feet.

"You have to practice like this every day in the future." Teacher Emma held his heels and said slowly, "After you go home, eat more chicken and beef, boil them without oil, use less salt, eat more eggs, eat less sugar, and drink milk... Did you remember it?"

Ethan Jiang finally reacted: "Ah?"

Teacher Emma laughed and said, "Forget it, I'll talk to your mother."

Hannah Tan came to deliver food in the afternoon and went to the dance studio to watch her son practice dancing. Teacher Emma brought a laptop, played a dance clip of "Erquan Yingyue" and taught the children basic body movements.

Ethan Jiang studied very hard. His arms were soft and powerful, and the arcs they spun were beautiful. After practicing a few more times, he really got the hang of it. Hannah Tan looked out the window for a while and couldn't help laughing. She went to the door and called Teacher Emma a few times in a low voice. Teacher Emma saw her and came out.

"These are the vegetables we just harvested today." Hannah Tan enthusiastically pushed a few bags of seasonal vegetables over to her, "Teacher Emma, take them back and try them."

Teacher Emma was really embarrassed: "Sister Hannah Tan, you always give me so many gifts every time you come. I don't feel comfortable doing this."

Hannah Tan: "You are so nice. Our family still needs your care."

"Ethan Jiang is so obedient, I am happy to take care of him." In order to reassure Hannah Tan, Teacher Emma still collected the dishes and turned around to tell him what to let Ethan Jiang eat. Hannah Tan looked surprised: "Do you have to eat so much?"

Teacher Emma didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "It's not that I eat so much in one meal, but I will mainly eat these from now on."

Hannah Tan frowned thoughtfully, and Teacher Emma advised: "Dancing also requires strength. Eating these can help boys grow strength and muscles. Ethan Jiang must persist."

After the afternoon class ended, Ethan Jiang took the initiative to stay and clean the dance studio. He would take advantage of this time every day to practice basic skills again, humming a tune and tapping the beat. Finally, when he went to return the bucket, he passed by the boxing gym and saw Ryan Bai again.

Lai Song was also there, and both of them went up to the boxing ring. Lai Song was holding a baffle in his hand. Bai Jin swung his fist at an extremely fast speed, and the sound of the punch hitting the baffle was scary. As for the rest, Ethan Jiang couldn't understand it. He leaned over and looked inside for a while, and Lai Song discovered him first.

"Little Swan." Lai Song's two obvious canine teeth are exposed when he smiles. "Why are you here?"

When Bai Jin turned his head, he saw his face covered with sweat again. He raised his arms and lifted them with his sleeves.

Ethan Jiang: "I'm cleaning up and getting ready to leave."

Lai Song walked to the edge of the boxing ring, half of his body hanging on the ropes, and waved for him to come over.

Ethan Jiang put down the bucket and walked over slowly.

Ryan Bai took a kettle and drank some water, then asked, "Are you alone?"

Ethan Jiang looked at his kettle curiously: "Yes."

Lai Song laughed: "What are you looking at?"

Ethan Jiang looked away embarrassedly. Lai Song understood and joked, "You've never seen a kettle like that, have you? Bai Jin's family is very rich, and they use branded water for drinking."

Bai Jin kicked him and said, "You are the one who talks too much."

Lai Song didn't dodge and scolded with a smile: "I am your senior, please show some respect."

Ethan Jiang was standing there watching the two of them quarrelling and unable to get a word in. Lai Song suddenly looked him up and asked, "Looking at your family situation, it should be average, right?"

Ethan Jiang's face felt a little hot. In fact, he spoke with an accent and his clothes were not good. He knew very well what his family was like, but he had never cared about it and didn't think there was anything wrong with being poor. But when Lai Song brought it up so bluntly, the situation was different.

"You and Bai Jin are both quite strange." Lai Song had no ill intentions. He pointed at him and said, "As the saying goes, children from rich families don't box, and children from poor families don't dance. You are the opposite."

Ryan Bai spoke up: "If he loves dancing, why doesn't he dance?"

Lai Song: "Boys dancing Swan Lake? Have you ever seen it?"

"Yes, yes." Ethan Jiang suddenly stuttered, "I, I checked."

Ryan Bai and Lai Song looked at each other and their eyes fell on Ethan Jiang's face.

Ethan Jiang blushed again and said very seriously: "I will dance for you when I learn it later."