“Wen Shengnan, opportunities are something you fight for yourself, not something you wait around for others to hand to you.”
“And besides, this world has never been fair. Was it a fair move when you framed Jiang Miao and got her kicked out before?”
Tang Xuejun hadn’t really wanted to bring this up, but Wen Shengnan’s behavior had really gotten under her skin.
Wen Shengnan’s heart gave a jolt, but on the surface, she put on a pitiful act. Her eyes reddened, and she burst into tears. “Professor Tang, how can you say I’m slandering you, just because I raised a small question? First you threaten to contact my superiors, and now you’re accusing me falsely?”
“What does Jiang Miao’s departure have to do with me? How did I frame her? It was obvious she was unhappy with Ye Zhiqiu!”
Wen Shengnan pointed at Ye Zhiqiu. “She used an electric heater without permission, and she set her own father up to go to prison! You don’t say anything about a person like her, but you just keep hounding me!”
“Whether you did it or not, you know it in your heart, and we all know it perfectly well too.”
Tang Xuejun wasn’t interested in wasting any more words on Wen Shengnan. “Wen Shengnan, whether you’re upset about it or you think it’s unfair, after the things you just said, my dance drama simply can’t accommodate someone like you.”
“And as for your performance here, I’ll certainly be reporting it truthfully to your superiors. As for what really happened, they can investigate that for themselves.”
Tang Xuejun shifted her gaze away from Wen Shengnan and looked at the others. “Training uniforms don’t just rip for no reason. I’ll be looking into this incident as well.”
“You’re not focusing on your training, but you’re all very good at taking the crooked path. People with such poor personal morals don’t deserve to be on stage, no matter how well they can dance.”
“No matter what you do, first and foremost, you have to learn how to be a decent person. If you can’t even manage that, how can you call yourself a dancer?”
“Professor Tang, it was me!”
A girl timidly raised her hand. “I’m the one who cut up Ye Zhiqiu’s training uniform. But I did it because Wen Shengnan put me up to it!”
The girl pointed at Wen Shengnan. “She told me that if I ruined Ye Zhiqiu’s uniform, her results would be disqualified, and that would mean I could stay.”
“She also said she’d already been secretly chosen to play the lead in the dance drama, and that she’d definitely give me an important role.”
Wen Shengnan hadn’t expected to be sold out. She whipped her head around and glared at the girl. “Wang Xiaohong, are you crazy? What nonsense are you spouting?!”
“I’m not talking nonsense! You said all those things to me!”
Wang Xiaohong was shaking uncontrollably, whether from anger or fear. “I overheard some of the things you said to Jiang Miao before too.”
“Professor Jiang, I… I heard what Wen Shengnan said to Wang Xiaohong. That night, I had a stomach ache and got up to use the bathroom, and they were talking right there by the toilets,” another girl spoke up quietly.
“You… you’re all ganging up on me to frame me!”
Wen Shengnan was furious. She whipped her head around and glared at Ye Zhiqiu. “Ye Zhiqiu, did you put them up to this?!”
“You stole Mingyuan away from me, and now you’re slandering me like this!”
Ye Zhiqiu took off her coat, walked up to Wen Shengnan in a few quick steps, and slapped her hard across the face—twice. “Who’s really slandering who here?!”
“Wen Shengnan, stop dreaming. Yue Mingyuan has nothing to do with you!”
“If you keep slandering my and Mingyuan’s good names, I’ll sue you for destroying a military marriage!”
“You… you shameless woman, how dare you hit me!” Wen Shengnan tried to fight back, but Han Siyang and Fan Xue rushed over and stopped her.
Wen Shengnan then turned her anger on Fan Xue. “Fan Xue, whose side are you really on? We’re in the same troupe! What kind of spell has Ye Zhiqiu cast on you, that you’d take her side over mine?!”
“Wen Shengnan, are you crazy? Just because we’re in the same troupe, I’m supposed to enable your bad behavior?”
“The things you’ve done—even being in the same troupe as you makes me feel ashamed. How did our troupe ever end up with a rotten apple like you?!”
Fan Xue wasn’t about to coddle Wen Shengnan. She let her have it, and good.
Tang Xuejun waved her hand, and someone came forward to take Wen Shengnan away and lock her in the detention room.
As for Wang Xiaohong, since she had maliciously cut Ye Zhiqiu’s training uniform, she would certainly have to face punishment too.
Tang Xuejun really hadn’t expected so much drama to unfold.
“I’d like to think that all of you who came here for this training have learned something and made some progress.”
Tang Xuejun scanned the people present. “But I hope what you’ve learned is about dance, not about scheming and backstabbing.”
“You’re all still very young, in the prime of your lives. You have a long road ahead of you.”
“Everyone’s path in life is walked by themselves, and how you walk it is your own choice.”
“Naturally, I hope you’ll keep dancing. But if one day you give it up, as long as you truly loved dance at some point, that will always be a beautiful memory.”
“This training session officially ends today. After this, you can pack up your things and leave.”
“As for who will be selected for the dance drama rehearsals, I’ll notify each of you separately.”
Back in the dormitory, Ye Zhiqiu and the others were all in high spirits. They quickly changed into casual clothes and got ready to go shopping.
Jiangning was much more bustling than Guojing, and the whole city felt more stylish and cosmopolitan.
Han Siyang led Ye Zhiqiu and Fan Xue straight to the shopping mall.
“Wow, this place is huge.”
Fan Xue covered her mouth in amazement. She’d visited several malls in Guojing, but this one alone was bigger than all of them put together.
“What’s that?” Fan Xue pointed at the spiral escalator, clearly curious.
“Come on!”
Han Siyang took the two of them onto the escalator. Fan Xue’s eyes sparkled with wonder—everything here felt new and exciting to her.
Coming to Jiangning had truly been an eye-opener.
They naturally headed straight for the women’s clothing section. All three of them were beautiful with great figures, so they looked good in anything—especially Ye Zhiqiu.
Ye Zhiqiu’s skin was especially fair and radiant. Even without a trace of makeup, she stood out in a crowd.
Fan Xue and Han Siyang were both envious of her complexion. One of them had a slightly sallow skin tone and the other had a browner one, so certain colors didn’t look great on them. Ye Zhiqiu, on the other hand, looked good in everything.
Eventually, Han Siyang and Fan Xue couldn’t even be bothered to try on clothes themselves. They just stood by and watched Ye Zhiqiu try things on—it was pure eye candy.
Ye Zhiqiu tried on several outfits and liked them all. But when she checked the price tags, they were much more expensive than in Guojing.
She genuinely loved everything, but she hesitated about whether to buy it all. Han Siyang leaned in and whispered, “Zhiqiu, if you’re short on cash, I’ve got you covered.”
Ye Zhiqiu nodded. “I have enough.”
“Then just get them all! My mom always tells me that when you’re young, that’s the time to wear nice things. Don’t keep putting it off for ‘later’—by the time later comes, you’re old, and nothing looks good anymore.”
“Anyway, if I like it, I buy it. Wear it while you’re young, eat well while you can, and go out and have fun whenever you get the chance.”
Fan Xue threw an arm around Han Siyang’s shoulder. “You’ve got a unique way of thinking.”
“What’s so unique about it? I think this is what life is all about!”
