When She Stops Being Dramatic

Chapter 241: Chapter 99: The Top Sister of the 1960s Song and Dance Troupe (38)

After the cheerful commotion died down, the message of the performance hit home: no job is inherently better or worse than another. Every person is a vital part of society, and each one is indispensable.

Everyone swayed to the final, joyous piece of music. The rhythm was powerful and infectiously catchy, compelling everyone to move. The choreography was bold and stylish, yet laced with a uniquely feminine allure that completely won over the audience.

As the dance number ended, the young women had a light sheen of sweat on their foreheads, and their eyes sparkled with a brightness never seen before.

They realized that chasing a dream was a truly blissful experience. The feeling of casting everything aside to strive for something with pure effort was simply intoxicating!

For three seconds, the audience was silent. Then, the entire auditorium erupted in applause.

From the sound and stage effects to the core theme, the dancers’ technique, and their emotional expression, the performance was absolutely flawless and impeccable.

With the audience eagerly awaiting the verdict, the judges couldn’t bring themselves to give low scores against their conscience. Besides, they genuinely loved the performance. They all readily raised their scorecards, each displaying a score above 9.5, which instantly propelled the young women of Group Three into first place!

Upon hearing the result, the women of Group One and Group Two felt no joy that their own troupe members had taken first place. Instead, their faces were masks of unconcealed resentment, jealousy, and disbelief.

Group Three, the dark horse, had knocked Group One out of the top three, and the pain felt like their pride had been shattered. The same women who had been so aloof and contemptuous toward Group Three were now the ones left humiliated and disgraced in the dust.

As for the women of Group Two, despite their solid performance, they knew that the factory had to make room for its affiliated organizations. This meant one of the factory’s own three groups was bound to be cut, and it would inevitably be them.

’We worked so hard, and our performance was just as good as anyone else’s! Why should we be the ones to be sacrificed?’

’It’s so unfair!’

The joy and pride they had felt at securing seventh place was instantly wiped away, replaced by nothing but bitter resentment and fury.

Barring any surprises, the rankings from this audition would almost certainly be the same for the final performance.

This was especially true for the routine Xia Zhaoyun had choreographed for Group Three. It was innovative and spectacular, ingeniously highlighting each dancer’s strengths while masking their weaknesses, allowing every single one of them to shine on stage.

’How could a performance like that possibly be surpassed in such a short time?’

A group of underdogs had leaped past everyone to claim first place simply because of some innovative choreography. For the other two groups in the troupe, the blow was devastating.

Moreover, the women of Group Three came from good families and were used to being doted on, giving them rather direct personalities. After being put down for so long, they had accumulated a fair bit of pent-up frustration. Now that they finally had a rare chance to turn the tables, they let it all out without holding back.

”Oh my, I’m always half a beat slow when I dance. I didn’t drag everyone down, did I?” Yao Yunying asked with feigned distress, covering her mouth.

”Not at all,” a smile touched Xia Zhaoyun’s lips. ”Your timing was perfect this time.”

Yao Yunying chuckled and nodded. ”It’s because Little Xia is such a great teacher. I just count half a beat ahead in my head each time, and it puts me right in sync with everyone else...”

Peng Shulan also chimed in with a smile, ”I’m terrible at splits, not much better at a horse stance, but my back is really flexible. I finally got a chance to show that off...”

Each of the young women had a special skill they were proud of, and this stage was their chance to show it off. They had enjoyed the performance from beginning to end. The past half-month with Xia Zhaoyun had been filled with joy, just like the daily life they had imagined when they first joined.

’We have to be even more perfect in the final show,’ they resolved. ’We can’t let down Little Xia’s efforts. We have to make sure she gets to participate in the city’s arts festival in August!’

Beaming with pride and satisfaction, He Qingran led her children out, linking her arm through Xia Zhaoyun’s. Her voice was thrilled and excited as she gushed about how brilliant the performance was, adding:

”Yunyun, you should have seen the look on Song Zhenbao’s face! She looked like she could kill someone, but she had to pretend to be happy for you. It was so satisfying.”

”I can’t stand how two-faced she is. If you’re jealous, just be jealous. Who’s going to blame you? But she insists on putting on this magnanimous act... Tsk, tsk...”

The two little ones chimed in with praise, ”Mommy, you were so amazing just now! You jumped so high and looked so pretty...”

”Uncle Zhang the reporter took lots of pictures. We told him to take extra ones of you, and we’ll have Dad pay him for them later...”

Xia Zhaoyun chuckled softly and ruffled their hair, but a hint of worry touched her expression.