Romantic Stories: Love In The Mortal World
On June 29, 20xx, at the China Dream Show Dream Gala Awards, Li Yan and Man Lingling’s “Xiang Ai Duo” shoulder ballet duo won the annual grand prize—the “Most Popular Dream Chaser Award.” Lingling’s words, “A house is not a home, a car is not a home, wherever you are, that is home,” became a famous declaration of true love.
A Dance “Fairy”
He fell in love with the stubborn and strong girl.
In December 20xx, at the Cannes Performance Hall in Paris, France, Li Yan and Man Lingling, dressed in pure white, danced gracefully to beautiful music, performing their self-created shoulder ballet “Destiny.” On stage, Lingling danced lightly on Li Yan’s shoulders, as elegant as a white swan.
However, back in the dressing room, Lingling suddenly curled up on the ground in pain, sweat pouring down her face, and Li Yan rushed her to the hospital. After an examination, the doctor told Li Yan seriously, “The patient’s waist tendons are severely strained, and there are multiple fractures. If she continues to dance, it will be very harmful to her body!”
Lingling was still unconscious in the hospital bed. Li Yan buried his head in the sheets, tears silently falling. In their hometown, a 27-year-old woman would have been married with children. Yet, he had given Lingling nothing and even caused her to be injured while wandering with him. Was this the love he offered her?
For the first time, Li Yan began to feel a resistance to dance. Li Yan and Lingling were classmates; they had danced together for 20 years and had been in love for 20 years. Li Yan was born in 1985 in an ordinary family in Yingkou, Liaoning, starting gymnastics at eight and joining the Shenyang Art School at eleven.
In 20xx, 16-year-old Li Yan and 15-year-old Lingling were both retained to teach at the school and were often sent abroad for performances and training.
Though in the same school, Li Yan and Lingling initially had little contact. In July 20xx, just back from a performance in Norway, Li Yan was notified to participate in a large performance. While changing backstage, he saw the troupe leader anxiously pacing.
Lingling’s ballet performance “Fairy” was next, but she had recently fallen during a performance in Japan, suffering a compression fracture of the lumbar vertebrae and unable to perform on time.
Just as the troupe leader was negotiating with the sponsor, Lingling appeared and calmly told the leader, “I’ve had a painkiller shot. I can perform tonight!” Lingling’s stubbornness and strength left a lasting impression on Li Yan.
Three months later, Lingling returned, having gained weight up to 120 pounds. The teacher wanted to find a partner for her to perform double ballet, but the male students were silent, hesitant about partnering with the now chubby Lingling. Only Li Yan raised his hand without hesitation.
From then on, 128-pound Li Yan had to lift 120-pound Lingling on his tiptoes. Due to the heavy load, the skin on Li Yan’s shoulders was rubbed raw. Day after day, the bloodstains turned to scabs and then to thick calluses, but Li Yan gritted his teeth and endured silently. Lingling saw all this, moved to tears many times. To ease Li Yan’s burden, she worked hard to lose weight, regaining her slender figure after four months.
As time passed, with daily dance practice, their hearts grew closer. During one performance of “Sleeping Beauty,” Lingling accidentally fell, and Li Yan quickly caught her, holding her in his arms for a long time, terrified. Seeing the unmistakable love in Li Yan’s eyes, Lingling shyly closed her eyes. Naturally, they fell in love.
Their romantic days were poor but simple and joyful. Whenever they had time, they would lie side by side on the top floor of the practice room, overlooking the night view of Shenyang. Li Yan often asked, “We’ve been learning dance for so many years, when will we become famous? How many people like our dance?” Lingling joked, “If we don’t make it, we’ll open a noodle shop.
At least we can eat every day. Look at the noodle shop owner downstairs, chubby and happy every day!” “Hey, Boss Ling, give me a bowl of noodles!” Li Yan would immediately shout in a funny voice, making Lingling laugh heartily. Under the starry sky, they shared each other’s beautiful dreams.
Shoulder Ballet: Love Dancing with Injuries
Nine years of training together passed quickly. In the Spring Festival of 20xx, the famous dancers Wu Zhengdan and Wei Baohua’s shoulder ballet “Swan Lake” debuted on CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala. “Shoulder Ballet” was a Chinese innovation, making ballet break free from the ground for the first time.
The female partner danced gracefully on the male partner’s shoulders, back, and head, blending high-difficulty acrobatics with light and graceful ballet, providing a fresh visual impact.
Lingling was immediately captivated by the elegant, romantic, and thrilling shoulder ballet! She excitedly called Li Yan, “Did you see ‘Swan Lake’ on the Spring Festival Gala? We can also combine acrobatics with ballet to create soulful dances!”
Li Yan was startled, “Very few people in the country can dance shoulder ballet. We don’t have a teacher to guide us, and you have to dance on my shoulders, head, and arms as if on solid ground, performing various high-difficulty moves. It’s too dangerous! Besides, you’re 25 and have been injured so much. Can you do it?”
Lingling insisted, “We’ve danced for so many years with little success. Do you want to remain unknown all our lives? Precisely because I’m older, I must fight one last time and not leave any lifelong regrets!”
Li Yan was moved. As dancers, who wouldn’t want to reach the pinnacle of art? In the summer of that year, Li Yan and Lingling resigned from school to fully devote themselves to the research and creation of shoulder ballet, naming themselves the “Xiang Ai Duo.”
Shoulder ballet is a dance prone to injuries. During the first practice, Lingling fell off Li Yan’s shoulders within a minute, severely straining her leg muscles, while Li Yan’s shoulders ached unbearably. To make his shoulders wider and stronger, Li Yan repeatedly used dumbbells, barbells, and other equipment for auxiliary strength training. His shoulders’ skin turned black with thick calluses after being repeatedly stepped on and bled.
Lingling, prone to gaining weight, ate only cabbage and never ate her fill to reduce Li Yan’s burden. Her long-term malnutrition led to low blood pressure and low blood sugar.
Besides mastering balance, Lingling had to perform various high-difficulty moves in the air, wrapping her body around Li Yan like a vine. During one practice, she heard a “crack” in her waist and collapsed, and Li Yan rushed her to the hospital. It turned out that high-intensity training had aggravated her old injuries, causing spinal dislocation, and Lingling was bedridden for another three months.
The rigorous training also damaged her tendons, preventing her from touching her shoulders with her hands.
Seeing Lingling covered in injuries, Li Yan couldn’t help wanting to give up. But Lingling remained as stubborn and strong as before, “Keep going; we’ll achieve our dream!” So, in hesitation and struggle, Li Yan and Lingling persisted, and their shoulder ballet skills became increasingly refined.
In 20xx, their “Xiang Ai Duo” was invited to perform at the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival’s opening ceremony and the Beijing TV Spring Festival Gala. They also toured in France, Germany, Japan, and other countries. As their career flourished, Lingling’s body was at its limit. Covered in injuries, any exertion caused her excruciating pain.
Before every performance, she had to warm up and stretch painfully; otherwise, her tendons wouldn’t relax after the dance. Unexpectedly, before a performance in France at the end of 20xx, Lingling was hospitalized again due to injuries.
The doctor’s words that day were like a wake-up call for Li Yan. The stage wouldn’t belong to an actor forever, with many following in their footsteps. But Lingling had only him. Even though they had just enjoyed the joy of artistic success and were still materially poor, it was time to leave the stage for Lingling’s health.
After returning from France, Li Yan secretly declined all performance invitations. He spent days online looking for other opportunities, only to find he knew nothing but dance! He had to let Lingling rest at home while he continued dancing.
However, with several new partners, Li Yan struggled to get into the right state. Some liked shoulder ballet but lacked the perseverance, while others were willing to endure hardships but couldn’t perform even the simplest lifts. Li Yan’s left shoulder blade had an old injury, and Lingling always carefully avoided it, but new partners often stepped on it, causing excruciating pain.
The pain constantly reminded Li Yan that the one standing on his shoulders wasn’t his beloved. Unable to force himself to dance shoulder ballet with a new partner, Li Yan realized he and Lingling were inseparable like fish and water.
Meanwhile, as Lingling gradually recovered, her requests to perform were repeatedly denied by Li Yan, making her increasingly uneasy and sad. She noticed Li Yan’s mysterious behavior, leaving early and returning late, avoiding her questions. After over a decade of close companionship, Lingling could tell something was wrong, feeling more and more uneasy. Had Li Yan developed feelings for someone else? This thought suffocated Lingling.
What was Li Yan busy with? On Valentine’s Day 20xx,
the frustrated Li Yan stood on the practice room rooftop, recalling past dance scenes with Lingling, feeling nostalgic. Lingling’s words echoed in his ears, “When we get old, we’ll open a noodle shop and live a simple life!” Yes, why not open a noodle shop? This thought lifted his spirits.
Early the next morning, Li Yan began planning the noodle shop. However, after running around for ten days, he realized opening a noodle shop wasn’t easy. Renting a storefront in a remote area of Changchun cost tens of thousands, plus renovation and labor, far beyond their savings. Li Yan’s mood plummeted again.
On March 12, a frustrated Li Yan wandered to the square. While pondering their future, he noticed the large TV playing “China Dream Show.” The host passionately spoke, “Many people have extraordinary dreams in their ordinary lives.
Their unwavering passion and hope inspire them to believe life can become better…” Li Yan had a sudden insight: they were dreamers! Perhaps this show could help them achieve their dream! He immediately called the “China Dream Show” team and signed up. To avoid Lingling getting injured, he registered a solo act: imitating Xiao Shenyang.
Then he told Lingling about his decision and asked her to cheer for him from the audience. Lingling felt both comforted and a bit lost. For the first time, he was chasing their dream alone.
Dreaming Beyond “China Dream Show”
On May 11, 20xx, after numerous auditions, Li Yan finally stood on the “China Dream Show” stage. Despite his best efforts to imitate Xiao Shenyang, the host and judges showed no interest. After the first three-minute talent display, Li Yan was eliminated.
Two months of hard work ended just like that? Seeing Li Yan’s dejected look on stage, Lingling’s heart ached in the audience. For 20 years, they had faced all difficulties and successes together, but this time she had left Li Yan alone on stage to face failure.
As Li Yan prepared to leave, the host asked curiously, “You said you started learning to dance at eight, so why didn’t you showcase your best talent but chose to imitate?” A simple question touched Li Yan’s sensitive nerve. He briefly told the story of his love with Lingling and her injuries.
“Oh? You and your girlfriend can dance shoulder ballet?” Li Yan’s answer piqued judge Zhou Libo’s interest. Shoulder ballet was rare in China, and Li Yan’s earlier crude performance was starkly different from the elegant art form of shoulder ballet. He immediately invited Li Yan and Lingling to perform shoulder ballet on the spot.
Lingling, invited on stage, first hugged Li Yan, then whispered, “Even if we get eliminated today, I won’t dance shoulder ballet anymore to ease your worries. But today, I hope to dance for the audience, making it a beautiful farewell memory.”
As the music of “Xiang Ai” began flowing like a clear spring, their first fluid move captured everyone’s attention. Lingling and Li Yan’s dance was harmonious and smooth. Lingling, on her tiptoes, danced confidently on Li Yan’s shoulders and head, light as a butterfly. The graceful and thrilling moves conveyed the despair and resilience of fate.
As the music ended, Li Yan, with 20 years of emotion, deeply kissed Lingling.
The audience, unable to hold back, rose and applauded. Many were moved to tears. Dance, the best language, allowed the audience to understand the deep love between Li Yan and Lingling.
As they prepared to leave the stage, Zhou Libo pressed a red button quietly, “Sorry, I have the right to reverse. I don’t want you to continue dancing shoulder ballet, but I hope you achieve your dream of opening a noodle shop!” The unexpected result made the audience cheer, and Li Yan and Lingling, overjoyed, hugged and kissed. They were one step closer to their dream.
Everyone anticipated Li Yan and Lingling’s wedding, hoping their love would blossom. Facing online inquiries, Li Yan felt helpless. His parents were delighted with Lingling as their future daughter-in-law, but Lingling’s parents wanted her to find a boyfriend with a stable job. So, they had been secretly dating.
As Lingling aged, her parents frequently called to introduce boyfriends. Li Yan, posing as a colleague, accompanied her home to sabotage the matchmaking.
After the show aired, Lingling’s parents called, “We heard you and your dance partner have been dating for 20 years. Why didn’t we know?” This question put Li Yan in a tough spot. He knew if he continued to avoid it, he’d betray Lingling’s trust and love.
In mid-June, Li Yan, alone with gifts, quietly went to Lingling’s hometown to apologize. In the quiet rural yard, seeing Lingling’s kind and simple parents, Li Yan’s palms sweated as he introduced himself. He didn’t know how they’d punish him for “taking” their beloved daughter for 20 years and causing her countless hardships.
Lingling’s mother recognized him immediately, “Aren’t you the colleague who helped Lingling with matchmaking?” Li Yan was speechless. Lingling’s father suddenly asked, “Why didn’t Lingling come with you?” Li Yan was overjoyed, “Did you and Auntie agree to our relationship?” “Young people dating, if you’re happy, why would we oppose?
Besides, after watching TV, we know how hard you’ve had it. It’s been tough on you!” Lingling’s father said calmly. Li Yan’s heart finally settled. He had expected a difficult proposal but was relieved by the parents’ acceptance.
On June 15, 20xx, Li Yan and Lingling returned to the “China Dream Show” stage, performing a more challenging shoulder ballet, captivating the audience.
When the host announced that a renowned Beijing entertainment company invited them to join, promising fame and success, Li Yan declined without hesitation, “Thank you! I don’t want Lingling to get hurt again.” They moved the entire judging panel, winning unanimously with 300 votes.
Li Yan secretly invited both families and proposed to Lingling on stage. This couple, in love for 20 years, finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
On June 29, at the China Dream Show Gala, Li Yan and Lingling won the “Most Popular Dream Chaser Award” with the support of stars like Yang Lan, Zhang Ziyi, and Han Hong, as well as 1,200 observers, receiving a 500,000 yuan sponsorship. On July 30, Lingling happily told reporters that their noodle shop near Changchun Railway Station was under renovation.
With love in their hearts, their dreams are no longer distant.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
