Peerless Dancer

Chapter 2: Urgent Matters

I actually know about her past. She once had a boyfriend, and they were close to discussing marriage.

One day, Long Dan went out and returned without notifying him, heading straight to his place. There, she witnessed a clichéd scene straight out of a TV drama: the guy in bed with another woman.

Surprisingly, Long Dan wasn’t angry. She simply smiled and said, “I wanted to see if men are reliable. They are not.”

Then she left. The man later publicly begged for her forgiveness multiple times. Long Dan found it odd. Why seek forgiveness?

She didn’t hate him; there was no need for forgiveness because she never loved him in the first place. She just wanted to experience what it felt like to be a normal person in a relationship.

Some might think Long Dan was being pretentious, but having been her best friend for 29 years, I know whether she truly didn’t love him or was just being stubborn. Long Dan is that kind of woman.

Rumor has it that the man was deeply hurt and never dated again.

The reason was simple: the woman he thought was deeply in love with him had never loved him at all and had merely used him as a test subject.

Since then, she has never touched a man. She says Jia Baoyu was right: men are made of mud and are dirty.

She only wants to be a woman as pure as water.

Despite Long Dan's elegant and flawless public demeanor, in front of me, she immediately tears off that beautiful mask, revealing a witch-like persona. She never lets a point go, always arguing until the end.

In this regard, we are different. I am a scatterbrained, neurotic, and clueless little woman. We always argue, but we forget about it right after.

Long Dan's father and my father were old comrades who have both passed away. We grew up together, doing everything together—from participating in outdoor activities to pursuing our graduate and doctoral studies. We've always been a pair.

With our mothers constantly nagging about how their daughters aren't married yet, we formed an alliance and moved into a shared apartment.

But we left out one thing: chasing men.

Long Dan says I'm like the marriage-obsessed character in "Pink Ladies," but not even as lucky. At least that character has the chance to meet handsome men. I'm just unlucky. Not only do I not meet them, but even with a lantern, I couldn't find one!

I don't think it's that bad. She just sees things differently than I do.

This time, I've met a well-mannered man who gets along with me. I've told myself a thousand times not to miss this chance!

I must hold on to him! He turns out to be a local too, also on a business trip in Shenzhen! Isn’t this a match made in heaven?

I was ecstatic but didn't tell Long Dan. She’s already tired of my countless breakups and reconciliations.

“You're 29! You’re already a leftover woman, and you still want to get married! Stubborn! Marry! Marry! All you think about is getting married!”

Long Dan has berated me many times, but fortunately, I have thick skin and remain unmoved.

She describes me as a scatterbrain and a neurotic. I don't mind being labeled that way.

She has the composure to remain unmoved amidst chaos. I’m different from her.

I hurriedly finished washing up and rushed to my computer. That man had already sent me many messages.

Overjoyed, I typed furiously. Time flies when you're engrossed! Glancing at the clock, it was already eleven o’clock.

Suddenly, the phone in the living room rang sharply. Long Dan never keeps her phone on at home, so it must be for her.

Ignoring it, I continued typing away, a silly smile on my face.

“Hey!” Long Dan opened my bedroom door without me noticing, her head peeking in. “Hey! Something's up! Change your clothes, quick!” She gestured with her left hand in a circle.

Seeing that circle made my head spin, but I eventually understood.

Before pursuing our graduate studies, we had two years of field archaeology experience, facing life-threatening situations several times. Drawing a circle was our special signal for potential danger. Strangely, the night before each danger, I dreamt of a person in a white robe drawing circles, warning me to be extra cautious the next day.

Confused, I asked, “What’s going on?”

“Get to the research institute within thirty minutes!” Her tone brooked no argument as she pointed to my wardrobe.

My head felt twice as big.

Pointing to my wardrobe meant I needed to change into my black, tight-fitting archaeological outfit.

This outfit was custom-made by my father when I was seven or eight. Amazingly, it fit me perfectly over a decade later, being waterproof, moisture-proof, extremely durable, and highly elastic.

Seeing her serious expression, I knew arguing was pointless.

Although we often caused chaos together, Long Dan's rigorous academic spirit was unquestionable.

Once in the taxi, I finally asked, “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know either. Long Hui called and said we both must go, especially you!”

Full of questions, I remembered Long Hui is her cousin who has worked at the institute for years.

With her experience and status, she wouldn’t call us urgently without reason.

Twenty-five minutes later, we arrived at the institute entrance. Long Hui, dressed casually, was already waiting. Seeing us, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, “No questions, just follow me!”

We followed her through the lobby to the third floor.

Seeing her head straight to the specimen room, Long Dan was shocked, “Cousin, didn’t you say it was a painting? Why bring us here?”