When She Stops Being Dramatic

Chapter 256: Chapter 104: The Top Star of the ’60s Cultural Troupe (43)

He Qingran thought about it and laughed, feeling as if a weight that had been pressing on her heart for days had suddenly been lifted.

”Yunyun, you should get some sleep. You have to perform tomorrow, so you need to rest and save your energy.”

Xia Zhaoyun nodded, stepped forward with a smile to hug her, and then went to bed.

Early the next morning, when Xia Zhaoyun woke up, He Qingran had already made breakfast: the hand-pulled noodles she had been working to perfect for the past few days.

”Finish up and head straight to the troupe. I’ll watch the kids. And don’t forget, we’re having lunch together,” He Qingran said, handing her a bowl.

The noodles were uniform in thickness, perfectly chewy, and carried a rich wheat aroma. A fried egg, golden-brown on both sides, lay on top, surrounded by a ring of lightly stir-fried toppings: crushed peanuts, shredded cucumber, carrot, and bean sprouts. The whole dish was drizzled with a spoonful of prepared sesame sauce.

The broth was savory and delicious—it had a dried shrimp base. Xia Zhaoyun smiled and gave a thumbs-up. ”Ranran, you’re a master at this!”

He Qingran beamed, her eyes crinkling. ’If Brother Kun comes by later and hasn’t eaten,’ she thought, ’I’ll make him a bowl, too.’

Hearing the commotion, the children got up as well. They all sweetly wished Xia Zhaoyun good luck, hoping her performance would win first place.

When she arrived at the arts troupe, the other young women were already there. They were all neatly dressed and full of energy, their eyes shining like little lightbulbs, batting their lashes in a way that could melt your heart.

Xia Zhaoyun kept her words brief. After a few simple instructions and a quick pep talk to lift their spirits, she led the group directly to the factory’s main auditorium.

The show was set to begin at 8:30 a.m. With twenty acts, it would last about three hours. Mr. Xue had drawn their performance slots the day before; as usual, they had one act near the beginning and one near the end.

However, Mr. Xue was quite democratic. Upon returning to the troupe, he called over the lead dancers from Group One and Group Three and had them draw lots to decide their order. Xia Zhaoyun was lucky, drawing the fifth slot, which put them between a large chorus and a folk dance.

After finding a spot backstage, Xia Zhaoyun started doing everyone’s makeup.

A few of the young women from Group Two still hadn’t given up. They approached Xia Zhaoyun and said, ”Ms. Xia, if a dancer gets injured and doesn’t recover properly, it can be very difficult for them to ever return to the stage.”

”I know you have your reservations about us, but our dance has the best chance of winning. You have to think about the big picture. Please, let me take Wang Huiwen’s place on stage.”

Before Xia Zhaoyun could even open her mouth, Wang Huiwen spoke up coolly. ”This has nothing to do with Ms. Xia. I’m the one who insisted on performing. It’s only a few minutes. I can handle it!”

”Even if it ruins my leg, I won’t blame anyone. To perform on a real stage is every dancer’s dream. I finally have a chance to dance a solo, and you’re trying to take it from me?”

”My own partners haven’t said a word against it, yet you all can’t wait to swoop in?”

”It makes me wonder if you had something to do with my injury.”

Well, that did it. That one sentence shut the pushy young women up.

They waved their hands frantically. ”Wang Huiwen, you’re overthinking things! We... we were just thinking about the honor of the collective. If... if you don’t want to step down, and your partners don’t mind, then of course it’s no big deal to us.”

Xia Zhaoyun smiled and said, ”There’s no such thing as a free lunch. We in Group Three have been working for this for a long time, and every single one of us will be performing on that stage. If you have the time, you’d be better off practicing your fundamentals.”

”Your skills put you squarely in the middle of the pack. Likewise, your minds are too cluttered. You can’t devote yourselves purely to your work, so you’ve stopped making progress.”

”If you take my advice, you’ll put in the hard work and drill your fundamentals. I believe that when an opportunity does arise, you’ll be able to seize it.”

The young women from Group Two secretly pursed their lips. ’Aren’t we more talented than the people in Group Three?’

’When have we ever slacked off during practice?’

’Xia Zhaoyun just doesn’t want to use us, so she’s making up excuses. It’s ridiculous.’

Their resentment also landed on Song Zhenbao. ’If it weren’t for her,’ they thought, ’maybe Xia Zhaoyun would have chosen someone from Group Two first. Then we’d be the ones on stage, receiving the audience’s admiration and praise.’

The members of Group Three were extremely cautious. They went everywhere in pairs or groups, and they kept all their water bottles, clothing, and other belongings together, guarded by someone they trusted. They were determined not to give anyone a chance to cause trouble.

Soon, it was their turn. Everyone took a deep breath. Even after mentally preparing for so long and making it through the initial selection round, most of them were still inexperienced. Now, they trembled, all their previous confidence and ambition gone in a flash.