"To be honest, I think you’re being silly," Tan You said bluntly. "When a lot of girls see a player or a scumbag, their first reaction is always, ’I have to save him,’ or ’I have to make him change his ways.’"

"But honestly, does a guy like that need you to save him? Does he need you to redeem him? He doesn’t."

Ji Li paused, then broke into a smile. "You’re right. He doesn’t need me to redeem him, and he doesn’t need me to save him. It’s hard enough just getting my own life in order. How could I possibly save someone else?"

"So, from now on, I’ll do my best not to waste my energy on men."

"Instead of dwelling on that, you should be thinking about how to shoot your next video." Tan You didn’t want to talk with Ji Li about men any more than she had to. ’Petty romances are pointless,’ she thought. ’It’s all about building a career.’

"Got it. I’ll focus on my filming and my dancing." Ji Li immediately straightened up, full of resolve. "I’ll go make lunch now, and then I’ll practice this afternoon."

"But Youyou, I don’t know how to choreograph..."

Tan You drummed her fingers, a smile suddenly spreading across her face. "You want my help?"

"Yes," Ji Li admitted candidly. "I want to be able to dance like you do, with all those stunning routines. Don’t worry, I’ll stick with it, no matter how hard it gets."

Tan You didn’t doubt Ji Li’s resolve. She was a determined girl; once she set a goal, she would pour all her effort into achieving it.

"Alright. As long as you take your life seriously and practice hard, of course I’ll help you become a better version of yourself." Tan You wasn’t one to be stingy. This experience of nurturing someone was actually quite nice.

Watching her client improve day by day under her influence felt like tending to a flower. Seeing her grow more and more radiant filled Tan You with a sense of pride.

"You’ve been... pushing yourself so hard lately, haven’t you?" That afternoon, Ji Li was drenched in sweat from practicing in the dance studio. Xu Liang handed her a glass of water and sat down beside her, his gaze probing.

"Did I not push myself before?" Ji Li glanced at Xu Liang. "I just want my dancing to be more graceful. It’s worth any amount of effort."

"You’ve always worked hard, but not like this," Xu Liang mused. "Before, you seemed relaxed and at ease. But now, you’re like a tightly wound string. You’re too tense."

Ji Li wiggled her fingers. "Maybe so. I guess I need to learn to relax, to make it look effortless, as they say?"

Xu Liang was pleased that she caught on so quickly. "Exactly. You’re already very good. I honestly don’t understand why you’ve been so tense lately. You need to slow down."

Ji Li pushed herself to sit up. "Thanks for the advice. I’ll try."

Ji Li wasn’t slow on the uptake, and with guidance from both Xu Liang and Tan You, she soon managed to relax. She was no longer like she had been when she first returned, desperately trying to make every single thing perfect.

Nurturing a person is like tending a flower—a truth Tan You understood well. Seeing Ji Li improve day by day, Tan You was genuinely happy for her.

「Two years passed in the blink of an eye.」 Ji Li’s life wasn’t drastically different. Her fanbase continued to grow steadily, and her video style remained one-of-a-kind.

Her videos were a mix of everyday life and dreamy, poetic aspirations. It wasn’t that people didn’t try to copy her style, but perhaps because she herself was so exceptionally beautiful, no one could ever quite capture its essence.

"Congratulations," Ji Li said, giving Wang Jue a hug, her smile radiant.

Wang Jue hugged her back. "I didn’t expect you so early! The wedding isn’t until next week."

"I promised I’d be your bridesmaid, so of course I had to come early to get familiar with the venue. I’m taking my duties very seriously," Ji Li said with a laugh. "But really, I also just wanted to get out and about."

"It’s about time you came out," Xu Liang said, taking Ji Li’s suitcase. "You’ve been cooped up in that village for too long. It might be a paradise, but you still need to see the outside world every now and then."

"Hey, I’m out now, aren’t I?" Ji Li said in mock surrender. "You know, Wang Jue and I were friends first. I never thought I’d end up playing matchmaker for you two."

Xu Liang looked smug. "Naturally. Our souls are a perfect match."

Wang Jue linked her arm through Ji Li’s. "How long are you staying? Hey, why don’t you come with us on our honeymoon?"

Xu Liang’s face immediately contorted. Ji Li laughed. "What a terrible idea. I’m not about to be a third wheel. Besides, I’ve already spoken with your grandfather. I’m going to spend some extra time at his studio."

Wang Jue sighed. "Grandpa’s temper must have really mellowed out. The fact that he can even bear to watch you do dough sculpting is proof."

Ji Li said self-deprecatingly, "Maybe he just wants to see for himself what a hopeless case I am."

Tan You had taken an interest in dough sculpting, so naturally, Ji Li had given it a try as well. But after one attempt, Ji Li knew she was even worse off than Tan You. Her artistic imagination was far more limited.

Tan You, at least, could look at Wang Jue’s notes and sculpt a little Ahfu. But not Ji Li. Even with Tan You guiding her hands, the things she made were still hideously ugly.

Wang Jue said, "That’s nonsense. You’re just not built for it. If you asked me to dance, I wouldn’t be able to do it either. I can’t even do the splits or a backbend."

Ji Li smiled. "You’re still so good at making people feel better. I’m not going to get discouraged over it. Right now, I’m just hoping your grandfather and I can get along for a while."

Xu Liang found this funny. "That might be tough. When was the last time he contacted you?"

Ji Li calculated. "About a week ago. The gap was two days shorter than the time before that, so his tolerance for me is clearly growing. But we’ve only ever talked over video. Now that we’re meeting in person, how many days do you think he’ll be able to stand me?"

"As long as you don’t touch the dough, Grandpa actually likes you a lot," Wang Jue said matter-of-factly. Ji Li was the perfect example of someone who was terrible at something but loved doing it anyway.

Ji Li burst out laughing. "No way. This is my first time spending time with him in person. How could I pass up such a golden opportunity?"

Xu Liang shook his head. "Fine, we won’t say any more. Just as long as you can handle his sharp tongue."

Ji Li said, "I’m not scared in the slightest. At worst, if I really manage to tick him off, I’ll just have to sweet-talk him back into a good mood."

Wang Jue linked her arm through Ji Li’s. "How have you been lately? I was worried back then that my being with Xu Liang would affect your work."

"I’ve been doing just fine," Ji Li said practically. "I couldn’t ask you two to have a long-distance relationship just for my own selfish reasons. How cruel would that be?"

Xu Liang tapped Wang Jue on the head. "I already told you, she found a new cameraperson. Skill-wise, she’s... maybe just a tiny bit worse than me. But she understands Ji Li better than I do. She always manages to film her beautifully."

’Of course she understands me,’ Ji Li thought. ’In the entire world, no one understands me better than Tan You.’