The content of this article is excerpted from the first chapter of Tai Yu-chen's novel "Uncontrollable Melody: This is just the Beginning." "Uncontrolled Melody" is a work still in progress, and "this is just the Beginning" is one of its chapters. "Just the Beginning" is further divided into six sections, which will be updated monthly here. You are welcome to join the program for reading. Both the Chinese and English versions will be available after joining the program.
As soon as the admission session for the dance class ended, Mandy collapsed on the ground, feeling utterly drained as if all her energy had been sapped away.
"Mandy, we've already arranged everything and tidied up. Could you close the classroom later? " said Liang, holding the props and laptops used by students during the information session.
"Ok, you guys can go back to my classroom and I’ll close it on my own," Mandy replied, still sprawled on the ground.
The exhausting days of preparing for the information session had finally come to an end. Mandy had volunteered countless unpaid hours for the event.
She thought about everything that had happened over the past few days, and her mind drifted back to the scene from last Saturday when she angrily slammed Leon's car door and stormed out. She had never felt so humiliated in her life.
"I must be insane to have feelings for him," Mandy muttered to herself as she sat up, removing her hair tie and running her fingers through her thick, dark curls.
Mandy got up to start organizing the materials, but the lights in the dance studio suddenly dimmed.
"Who's there? I'm still in the classroom!" Mandy shouted, feeling slightly annoyed as she scanned the corners and doorway of the room.
The school was already deserted, and holding the information session on the day before winter vacation was unprecedented.
However, because Mandy also is section chief of counseling, she had been too busy to schedule it earlier and had to settle for the last day of this semester.
Looking around the empty dance studio and then at the row of regular classrooms, Mandy felt a twinge of fear creeping in. She hurried back into the dance studio to pack up her folder.
Refusing to entertain any thoughts, Mandy just wanted to leave the dance studio as quickly as possible.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps.
Mandy froze, her body tensing up as the footsteps approached her, one step at a time.
Regaining her composure, Mandy summoned the courage to turn around, but she saw no one.
"Teacher Mandy," a small voice broke the silence.
"Ah! You scared me!" Mandy exclaimed, realizing that Yu-tong, a second-grader, was standing in front of her, tiny and delicate.
"Yu-tong? Why haven't you gone home yet? Didn't your mom come to pick you up? Did you turn off the lights?" Mandy squatted down, looking into Yu-tong's large eyes.
"I was hiding in the bathroom. Teacher Mandy, are you going home now? What are you going to do when you get home?" Yu-tong bombarded Mandy with questions, as usual.
"Of course, I'm going home. Come on, let me walk you to the school gate," Mandy said, hastily stuffing the papers into her folder and extending her hand to Yu-tong.
Yu-tong took Mandy's hand, and they walked out of the dance studio together.
"Wait here. I have to lock the door," Mandy said, placing her folder on a nearby shoe rack and reaching into her pocket for the key, which accidentally slipped and fell.
"Teacher, who's that man?" Yu-tong's voice reached Mandy's ears.
"What man? There's no one here. Everyone has gone home for the winter break," Mandy replied, picking up the key and looking around, seeing no one.
"The man ran away," Yu-tong said coldly, looking behind them.
"It's the security guard, Yu-tong. How can you not recognize uncle Daren?" Mandy chuckled, unfazed, as she locked the door to the dance studio and turned to lead Yu-tong to the elevator.
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