When She Stops Being Dramatic

Chapter 187: Chapter 82: Top Star of the 1960s Song and Dance Troupe (21)

Unless a contestant had immense mental fortitude.

Xia Zhaoyun felt that the performance order was secondary. It was highly likely that someone had deliberately arranged it for their own convenience. ’Since someone’s making a move, they’ll surely try to knock me out in one blow, right?’

She put on a show of practicing like everyone else, flipping through her script and reciting it over and over, while Huo Tianhao sat beside her, seemingly catching up on sleep.

The woman’s recitation was utterly half-hearted, tinged with a casual, perfunctory air. Yet, it was like a soft feather, brushing against his ear intermittently, sending a shiver of comfort all over his body.

It also gave rise to the absurd feeling that all was right and peaceful with the world.

Halfway through the competition, a staff member suddenly ran over in a panic, panting as he said, ”Comrade Xia Zhaoyun, I’m so sorry. A new comrade just made a mistake and erased your tape.”

”Do you have another copy?”

Xia Zhaoyun smiled, pulled another tape from her bag, and handed it over, saying with exceptional warmth and generosity, ”It’s no problem. I brought a whole pack, enough to handle any unexpected situation.”

The staff member gave an awkward smile. ”You really thought of everything.”

Once the man left, Huo Tianhao stood up and said in a low voice, ”Just focus on the competition. I’ve already arranged for the piano and the loudspeaker. I’m going to go borrow some candles now.”

Xia Zhaoyun pursed her lips in a slight smile, still in the mood to joke. ”I’m worried that by the time the finals come, we won’t be able to borrow a piano. What then?”

This was just the semi-finals, and they hadn’t managed to take her down. ’What other ’unexpected situations’ would pop up during the finals?’

Huo Tianhao played along with a smile. ”Then I’ll just drive a piano over for you, how about that?”

”But the finals definitely won’t be this haphazard. Otherwise, those people wouldn’t risk being reported and purged just to pull so many tricks in the semi-finals, even trying a second and third time after the first attempt failed.”

”Leaders from the Ministry of Culture will be present to watch the finals, so you have to give it your all this time.”

The contestants went on stage one by one. Soon, the host called the name of the second-to-last contestant and told Xia Zhaoyun to get ready.

The stage lights were soft, not too harsh, and a ring of small lights lined the perimeter of the auditorium. The contestant on stage recited with passionate fervor along with the music, but Xia Zhaoyun could just make out a hint of fatigue and hoarseness in her voice.

Xia Zhaoyun liked to observe people—a habit she’d picked up from her time as a Ghost, making her completely capable of seeing and hearing everything around her.

She analyzed the contestants bit by bit, striving to know her enemies and herself, so she could emerge victorious in every battle!

However, just as the contestant was reaching her powerful conclusion, all the lights were suddenly extinguished. The microphone in her hand went dead, and the entire auditorium erupted into chaos. Who would be in the mood to keep listening to her now?

Someone shouted, ”Director Xu, the power’s out! It looks like something burned out. Someone’s already been sent to find an electrician.”

”It probably won’t be fixed anytime soon.”

Everyone backstage heard this clearly. While feeling relieved for themselves, they couldn’t suppress their schadenfreude. Some ”well-meaning” people even started consoling the contestant who had just come off stage with tears and snot streaming down her face, as well as the dazed and clueless-looking Xia Zhaoyun.

”Electrical repairs are complicated. They have to check section by section for the burned-out spot. It’ll probably take at least two or three hours to fix.”

”You two are definitely going to miss your chance at the finals now. The judges, all the staff, and the family members—there’s no way this many people are going to just sit around waiting for the power to come back on for the sake of you two, right?”

”But it’s okay, just try to look on the bright side. Think of it as gaining experience. You can try again next year. I’m sure you’ll get into the finals without a hitch then...”

”Actually, we’re quite envious of you. The Golden Microphone is held every year, but barring special circumstances, any contestant who makes it to the finals has to wait three years before they can enter again. This year is packed with experts, so you’ll have much less pressure next year. Who knows, you might even win the championship with ease...”

Just as everyone was enthusiastically offering their ”consolation,” Huo Tianhao walked over, stood at the edge of the crowd, and announced, ”Our props team has overcome the difficulties of the power outage. The competition can proceed as normal. I wonder if the two comrades will choose to continue or to withdraw?”

The female comrade, who had been crying so hard she could barely breathe, froze, her sobs making it hard to understand what he was saying.

Xia Zhaoyun nodded first. ”I’ll continue.”

After speaking, she turned to the other woman with a light smile. ”Comrade, how are you feeling right now? How about we switch places? You can calm yourself down and then deliver a brief conclusion to your performance.”

The woman nodded repeatedly, still unable to control her sobs. ”Th-Thank you...”

Xia Zhaoyun pointed to a cup of water. ”Have some water first, then take a few deep breaths. You should be able to calm down quickly.”

With that, she stood up and, to everyone’s dumbfounded astonishment, walked proudly onto the stage.

The group was stunned for only a moment before they all crowded behind the curtain to peek. When they saw what was happening, every one of them was green with envy!

The auditorium doors were guarded by security, preventing anyone from entering or leaving at will to avoid a dangerous stampede.

Staff from the cultural palace soothed the audience row by row, asking them to remain calm and wait patiently for ten minutes.

The audience had been there all day; they didn’t want to leave with regrets by missing the last one or two contestants. Ten minutes wasn’t a long time to them, so they calmly chatted with those around them while keeping an eye on the side door.

A few young men easily carried a piano in and placed it slightly to the left on the stage.

A long electrical cord was uncoiled, snaking its way onto the stage.

A group of people bustled back and forth with the setup. They had said ten minutes, and it was exactly ten minutes to the second. Suddenly, a ring of dim, yellow lights in the shape of a heart lit up around the piano, twinkling slowly in sequence. A romantic atmosphere instantly enveloped the stage.

Xia Zhaoyun emerged from backstage. She first bowed to the judges and the audience, then walked to the piano and sat down.

She had anticipated the possibility of a power outage. No matter how difficult the conditions, she wouldn’t have admitted defeat easily, even if it meant using a crackling loudspeaker to be heard.

’I never expected Brother Hao to be so capable.’ In just half a day, he had somehow managed to run a power line from somewhere, set up a microphone stand by the piano, and even use decorative light bulbs to create a special atmosphere.

Everything was truly satisfactory, with no trace of hardship to be seen.

Xia Zhaoyun placed her long, fair hands on the cool metal of the keyboard. With her eyes slightly narrowed, she began to play, cycling through one familiar, heartfelt song after another—all well-known to everyone present.

After someone started it, the crowd began to hum along. Order was restored to the auditorium, and the atmosphere was even comparable to how it had been that morning when the curtains first opened!