In order to score high on the final evaluation, most participants would naturally choose to perform their best routine.
Of course, there were a few who took a different approach, hoping to impress the judges with originality and boldness.
Wen Shengnan was one of those few. The Qianjin Song and Dance Troupe’s signature piece was Grassland Women Cavalry. Although the Red Star Troupe also performed this piece, they couldn’t quite match the Qianjin Troupe’s level.
As the lead dancer for that piece, Wen Shengnan would definitely earn bonus points if she chose to perform it.
Instead, she opted for a dance she’d choreographed herself, packed with many technically demanding moves.
Ye Zhiqiu played it safe and performed her own troupe’s signature piece, Golden Radiance.
After training with it for this period of time, she felt she’d developed a new understanding of the dance and had made some subtle adjustments of her own.
But midway through her performance, she sensed something was off. She didn’t let it distract her, though—after all, during a dance, your mind should be fully focused on the movements. Unless it was a matter of life or death, there was no reason to stop.
Rip—
“Ahh!”
A chill ran over her body, and at the sound of gasps from the audience, Ye Zhiqiu immediately realized what had happened.
Her costume had torn!
She’d checked it just last night, and there’d been no issues.
Still, she couldn’t afford to let this derail her performance. So, using the dance movements themselves, she tied the torn fabric into a knot at her shoulder and continued on without missing a beat.
After she finished, Han Siyang rushed over with a coat and quickly draped it around her.
Ye Zhiqiu took her bow, then gathered the coat around herself and stepped aside.
Once all the performances were complete, Tang Xuejun consulted with the other judges and delivered the scores.
Ye Zhiqiu took first place, followed by Han Siyang in second, Fan Xue in third, and Wen Shengnan in fourth.
Wen Shengnan was furious. She stepped forward and demanded, “I performed beautifully! Why is my score so low?”
She’d expected to at least take second place—surpassing Fan Xue and Han Siyang, maybe even Ye Zhiqiu. But instead, she’d come in fourth?
“After our discussion, we unanimously agreed that your choreography has structural issues. While it’s true that dance can showcase technical skills, relying solely on flashy moves strips the dance of its true artistic essence.”
“Technical moves are meant to express emotion—but your dance had no feeling, only cold, mechanical technique.”
“Moreover, your technique itself isn’t fully polished yet. There’s still plenty of room for improvement.”
Wen Shengnan didn’t absorb a single word of Tang Xuejun’s critique. In her mind, she’d already decided that Tang Xuejun was playing favorites with Ye Zhiqiu, and by extension, favoring Fan Xue and Han Siyang simply because they were close to Ye Zhiqiu.
Her dance was clearly excellent. Her technique was no worse than Ye Zhiqiu’s—and in her own estimation, she was better than both Han Siyang and Fan Xue, especially the latter.
Back at the troupe, Fan Xue had always been beneath her. So how did she end up outranking her here?
“And what about her?” Wen Shengnan pointed at Ye Zhiqiu. “After her costume tore, her dance moves weren’t even correct!”
Tang Xuejun responded, “Ye Zhiqiu remained calm and composed under an unexpected situation and managed to complete her performance. That kind of professionalism deserves recognition.”
“Her dance itself goes without saying—you all saw it with your own eyes. It was brilliant by any standard.”
“Professor Tang, is that really the case?” Wen Shengnan voiced what was truly on her mind. “Isn’t it just that you favor Ye Zhiqiu, so you keep giving her high scores?”
“I know that you and Troupe Leader Wu were classmates—and still close friends.”
Only Tang Xuejun and Ye Zhiqiu knew about that. If Wen Shengnan was aware of it too, there was only one explanation: she’d eavesdropped on their conversation that day.
Tang Xuejun admitted it openly. “It’s true that Troupe Leader Wu and I are good friends. But that’s not why I gave Zhiqiu a high score. She earned it.”
“Over these past few months, you’ve clearly failed to notice Zhiqiu’s progress at all—you’ve only been looking at her scores.”
“I think that’s precisely where the gap lies between you and her.”
“You haven’t been putting your whole heart into dance. Your mind is cluttered with too many distractions.”
Wen Shengnan sneered. “Professor Tang, don’t you think that’s a bit ridiculous? Who doesn’t have distractions? Ye Zhiqiu isn’t devoting every ounce of her energy to dance either—she has her husband and daughter, doesn’t she?”
“We both have other things on our minds. So how come I’m the one with ‘distractions,’ but she gets a pass?”
“Professor Tang, your standards are completely unfair.”
“If the judging is purely based on your personal preference, then what was the point of bringing us all here for this training? You should’ve just selected your people from the start.”
“Just pick whoever catches your eye and have them perform in your dance drama directly. Why go through the trouble of making us all come here just to showcase your supposed magnanimity and fairness?”
“Our time is valuable too. Being here for months means we might miss important events at our own troupes—and that means losing opportunities.”
Wen Shengnan was seething with resentment. She was convinced that Tang Xuejun had already chosen Ye Zhiqiu from the very beginning and had simply dragged everyone else along as extras.
“Since you feel it’s so unfair, I’ll have a word with your troupe leader. If any opportunity like this ever comes up again, they’d better not offer it to you—wouldn’t want to waste your time.”
Tang Xuejun was completely unbothered by Wen Shengnan’s accusations. She turned to the others. “Does anyone else feel the same way?”
None of the others had Wen Shengnan’s nerve—especially after hearing Tang Xuejun mention contacting their troupe leaders. Not a single person dared to speak up.
They all knew perfectly well that if Tang Xuejun so much as made a call to their superiors, even if she said nothing at all, it would affect their future prospects. And what she’d just said to Wen Shengnan practically amounted to cutting off her path forward.
Wen Shengnan had assumed that by pushing things this far, Tang Xuejun would, for the sake of appearances, distance herself from Ye Zhiqiu and make sure she didn’t get the lead role in the dance drama.
She didn’t necessarily expect to get the part herself—but as long as Ye Zhiqiu didn’t get it either, she’d be satisfied. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that Tang Xuejun would turn around and come after her instead.
“Professor Tang, I was just speaking casually. But you’re threatening to contact my leader—don’t you think that’s a bit petty? It might not look good for your reputation.”
Wen Shengnan had lost her earlier aggressiveness and softened her tone, though she was still laced with veiled threats.
Tang Xuejun let out a dry laugh. “You accused me of favoritism, said I dragged you all here just to fill the ranks. Of course, I have to relay those exact words to your leader—so he knows exactly how a junior like you addresses a senior like me.”
“You feel I’ve wasted your time and that this opportunity is unfair. Well, I imagine you’d feel that way about every opportunity that comes your way from now on. So naturally, you shouldn’t have to deal with such chances anymore.”
