“Shen Zhiqiu?!”
The click-clack of high heels hurried over to her. Fan Xue gently patted Ye Zhiqiu on the shoulder. “It really is you! I thought I was seeing things.”
“Are you here for the advanced training too?” Fan Xue sounded very surprised. “Didn’t you just have a baby?”
“I wanted to say this last time. You just had a baby, you should be taking good care of yourself. Why are you still pushing yourself as hard as before?”
Fan Xue leaned closer to Ye Zhiqiu and nudged her arm. “Besides, you’re a general’s daughter-in-law now. Wouldn’t it be nicer to just relax at home? Why come and compete with us for this spot?”
Ye Zhiqiu just smiled and didn’t say anything. She and Fan Xue were the type where even a few words felt like too many.
Fan Xue was from the Qianjin Song and Dance Troupe. Unlike their troupe, which was struggling with a gap between generations and where most people weren’t very skilled, the Qianjin Troupe not only had more people but also many talented ones.
Even though Fan Xue could be a bit gossipy, she was exceptionally beautiful and very strong professionally. Whenever there was a large celebration gala, their two troupes would always run into each other, and the Qianjin Troupe always came out on top. The only times their troupe could barely hold their own against the Qianjin Troupe were during Kang Zhimiao’s final performance and two of Ye Zhiqiu’s previous performances.
But looking at the overall picture, the Qianjin Troupe was still superior. This time, their troupe had only sent her, while the Qianjin Troupe had sent three people: Fan Xue, Wen Shengnan, and Jiang Miao. Earlier on the plane, she had seen Wen Shengnan and Jiang Miao, but not Fan Xue.
“How about you and I share a dorm room? What do you say?”
Fan Xue, acting familiar right away, tried to take Ye Zhiqiu’s arm. Ye Zhiqiu sidestepped. “I’ll follow the arrangements.”
“Why are you still so boring? I seriously wonder how Yue Mingyuan ever saw anything in you.”
“Hey, did you know?”
Fan Xue’s enthusiasm wasn’t dampened at all by Ye Zhiqiu’s coolness. She covered her mouth with her hand and whispered to Ye Zhiqiu, “Wen Shengnan and Jiang Miao both like Yue Mingyuan. Especially Wen Shengnan. It was love at first sight for her. She’s had a crush on him for a long time.”
“Mm.” Ye Zhiqiu gave a soft reply.
“What kind of reaction is that?” Fan Xue blinked, looking at Ye Zhiqiu in disbelief.
Ye Zhiqiu blinked back, a little confused. “What kind of reaction should I have?”
“Wait a minute. Both Wen Shengnan and Jiang Miao have their eyes on your man, and you don’t feel even a little bit threatened?”
Fan Xue raised her hand and lightly tapped the back of it against Ye Zhiqiu’s cheek. “Okay, you’re warm. For a second I thought you were cold-blooded, without a heart.”
“If Mingyuan liked someone else, he wouldn’t have married me. And since he married me, he won’t start liking another woman.”
Ye Zhiqiu was quite confident about that.
“Shengnan, Miao Miao.”
Just as Fan Xue and Ye Zhiqiu turned a corner in the corridor, they saw Wen Shengnan and Jiang Miao up ahead. One of them was staring at Ye Zhiqiu, the other glaring at Fan Xue.
“Big mouth,” Jiang Miao said, hands on her hips, scolding Fan Xue. Clearly, they had both heard what Fan Xue said.
But Fan Xue showed no embarrassment at being caught gossiping behind their backs. She just shrugged. “I wasn’t wrong.”
Wen Shengnan was a cold beauty. The phrase “ice-pure and jade-clean” was practically embodied in her.
Even as a woman, Ye Zhiqiu found Wen Shengnan stunningly beautiful. Every time she saw her, it felt like looking at a perfect work of art. Her gaze was usually cold and indifferent, but the way she looked at Ye Zhiqiu now was full of resentment, as if Ye Zhiqiu had stolen her man.
Actually, not long after she married Yue Mingyuan, Ye Zhiqiu had already known about Wen Shengnan’s feelings for him. The last time they shared the same stage, Wen Shengnan had looked at her exactly like this. She hadn’t understood it at first, but with someone like Shen Liya around, it was hard to miss. Shen Liya got most excited about this kind of thing. Even if Ye Zhiqiu had no interest in a topic, Shen Liya would chatter in her ear about it for ages, acting as if Yue Mingyuan was her own husband and any woman interested in him was a vixen.
Nearby, Fan Xue and Jiang Miao started arguing. But Jiang Miao was like a cat showing its claws, no matter how angry she got, hitting Fan Xue felt like punching cotton. Fan Xue was impervious to reason or criticism, which only made Jiang Miao angrier.
Ye Zhiqiu nodded slightly at Wen Shengnan. To her surprise, Wen Shengnan’s eyes suddenly reddened, leaving Ye Zhiqiu utterly baffled. Noticing a small side path nearby, she grabbed her suitcase and moved away from the brewing storm.
Dormitories were generally assigned by unit. Since Ye Zhiqiu was alone, she was placed in a room with another woman who had also come by herself, Han Siyang.
“Hello, I’m Han Siyang.”
Han Siyang had arrived at the dorm before Ye Zhiqiu. Seeing Ye Zhiqiu enter, she stepped forward and proactively extended her hand. Ye Zhiqiu shook it lightly. “Hello, I’m Ye Zhiqiu.”
Han Siyang asked Ye Zhiqiu, “Which arts troupe are you from?”
“Guojing Red Star. And you?”
“I’m from Jiangning Xinghai.”
Ye Zhiqiu’s heart tightened. The Jiangning Xinghai Song and Dance Troupe was also very accomplished. She thought for a moment and suddenly realized she remembered Han Siyang.
“Were you a backup dancer for Professor Tang?”
Han Siyang nodded. “Yes, but that was years ago. How did you know?”
“I saw you in an article about Professor Tang.”
“Wow, your observation and memory are really good.” Han Siyang gave Ye Zhiqiu a thumbs-up and teased her, “You could be a military scout.”
“Hey, there’s no schedule this afternoon, right? Do you want to go out and do some shopping? I can take you.”
Han Siyang explained, “I actually need to go home this afternoon.”
“Thanks, but I don’t need to.”
She planned to wait until the training was finished before going out to buy some things to take directly home.
With no plans for the afternoon, she went to the training room to do her daily flexibility exercises.
Han Siyang left before lunch. Ye Zhiqiu followed her usual routine: after eating, she took a half-hour nap, then got out her crochet hook. She had already finished crocheting Yaya’s little bunny shoes. Now she was thinking of making Yaya a little bunny hat and a little bunny dress to match. Later, she would find Tian Man to help her draw up a pattern. She also wanted to crochet some kitten patterns for Yaya.
At exactly two o’clock, she arrived at the training room. She was in the middle of a backbend when she heard someone enter. She quickly straightened up. Because the person was backlit, she couldn’t make out their face clearly. But when she stood up and saw who it was, her heart started racing so fast it felt like it might jump right out of her chest.
“P… Professor Tang!” Ye Zhiqiu was incredibly excited. She hadn’t expected to meet her idol so soon.
“Are you a student here for the advanced training?” Tang Xuejun looked Ye Zhiqiu up and down.
Ye Zhiqiu was unusually nervous. Her voice trembled when she replied, “Yes.”
“I’m not some monster, don’t be scared.”
Tang Xuejun walked over to Ye Zhiqiu’s side. “I’m here to train too. So, the two of us, you practice what you’re working on, and I’ll practice what I’m working on. We can chat a bit while we’re at it.”
Ye Zhiqiu hadn’t expected that the Professor Tang she had been longing to meet would be so warm and approachable.
