She coughed lightly, drawing everyone's attention to herself.
She said calmly, "I'm volunteering to be the team leader. Does anyone have any objections?"
Everyone else was stunned. Wang Can also looked over in surprise. She hadn't spoken before because she was the captain in her original team. If no one was willing to be the captain in the end, she would definitely have to step forward.
But she didn't expect that Xia Shiyu would take the initiative to step forward and even volunteer to be the team leader.
Instead, a sense of defiance welled up in Wang Can's heart. She pursed her lips and said, "I used to be the leader in the group, and I can be the leader too."
The other three team members were dumbfounded. They never expected that while other teams were unwilling to be the captain, their own team was now vying for the position.
Xia Shiyu wasted no time and turned to the three of them, saying, "Then the three of you can vote."
As she spoke, she turned her back to her.
After hesitating for a long time, the three team members finally decided to choose Xia Shiyu, since she was the first to step forward.
Xia Shiyu didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Since I am now the captain, for the sake of the team's performance, I don't recommend wasting too much time on selecting people. I will directly designate the center position."
Her statement was a complete statement, without any hint of negotiation.
Wang Can seemed to understand, and gritted her teeth inwardly. She wondered why Xia Shiyu was suddenly so eager to be the captain, because she wanted to compete for the center position.
She was about to retort when she heard Xia Shiyu speak crisply and decisively.
"Wang Can, you're in the center position."
Author's Note: Happy Qixi Festival, my little angels!
Chapter 149
Wang Can was stunned, and even the other three could hardly believe their ears.
Xia Shiyu, however, had already begun making arrangements as if nothing had happened.
"Wait!" Wang Can quickly interrupted her, "Why?"
Xia Shiyu turned her head and said matter-of-factly, "Your dance skills are very good and your expressiveness is strong. If you were in the center position, it would be better for our group."
Wang Can: "I'm not..."
She clearly didn't mean that, but she couldn't say it in front of the camera, so she could only bite her lip and keep quiet.
Although "Sinking" is a dance piece, it also has singing parts, especially a very difficult high note in the middle.
Xia Shiyu consulted with the four of them and assigned them the singing parts.
Because the instructors had limited time, they all had to learn on their own first. Compared to the two of them, the other three were obviously not progressing as quickly. So Xia Shiyu assigned Wang Can to be in charge of the dance part, while she took charge of the singing part. The two of them worked together to try to teach the other three by tomorrow.
Wang Can wasn't particularly willing. She was fine with performing in front of the camera, but Xia Shiyu clearly meant for her to be fully responsible for the dance of the other three.
Xia Shiyu didn't even need to look to guess Wang Can's thoughts, and calmly said, "Actually, I can teach them together too, if you don't want to..."
Xia Shiyu's calm expression, however, seemed undeniably provocative to Wang Can. In a moment of impulsiveness, she interrupted her, saying, "No need! I'll teach you!"
Xia Shiyu: "Oh, then I'll leave it to you."
Wang Can: "..."
Now that Wang Can had cleared his head, he looked at Xia Shiyu suspiciously, feeling annoyed that he had been tricked by Xia Shiyu again.
Xia Shiyu pretended not to see Wang Can's expression and clapped her hands: "Okay, let's start training."
So while other groups were still scheming and fighting over who would be the team leader and who would be the center, their group had already quickly gotten into practice.
-
During the break, Xia Shiyu went to the restroom, and Wang Can quickly followed her out, blocking her in the bathroom.
"Why are you doing this?!"
Xia Shiyu glanced at her sideways and said calmly, "I told you, you have strong dance skills..."
"You know that's not what I'm asking!" Wang Can couldn't help but say. Now that they weren't in front of the camera, she didn't need to pretend anymore and pressed on, "What exactly do you want? I don't need you to give up the center position. I can get the center position myself through my own abilities. In short, I won't be grateful to you."
Xia Shiyu didn't even turn her head: "Oh."
Wang Can felt as if he had punched a pillow, becoming increasingly frustrated: "Isn't all you want to do is gain a good reputation in front of the audience?"
Xia Shiyu seemed to chuckle.
Wang Can, who was already very sensitive, immediately reacted as if he had been provoked: "What are you laughing at?!"
Xia Shiyu slowly washed her hands, then turned her head slightly away: "Is it that important?"
"What?"
Xia Shiyu smiled and said, "So what if I give you the center position? What shines is never the position, but the person."
Wang Can was stunned.
She had always felt that Xia Shiyu had ill intentions, but since Xia Shiyu had given her the center position, she still felt a little awkward. That's why she followed her over, wanting to know what Xia Shiyu's intentions were.
But she never expected to hear such words from Xia Shiyu.
Her face flushed with anger as she looked at Xia Shiyu in disbelief: "You mean, even if you weren't in the center position, you would still perform better than me?"
Xia Shiyu: "You can understand it that way too."
Wang Can: "...We'll see!"
After uttering those harsh words, Wang Can angrily turned and left the bathroom.
Xia Shiyu dried her hands and seemed to sigh, "Young girls these days are too easily provoked."
The girl in the mirror had slightly curved eyebrows and an innocent expression.
She didn't realize that her expression was exactly the same as Pei Ran's, both cunning and infuriating.
-
When Wang Can returned to the practice room, all her anger had turned into a competitive spirit. She secretly made up her mind that she must beat Xia Shiyu, whether in a competition or when teaching others to dance, she would make Xia Shiyu lose convincingly.
When Xia Shiyu returned, Wang Can was already full of fighting spirit and had begun teaching the others to dance.
She nodded in satisfaction.
She had long seen that Wang Can was a very competitive person, so she used a little trick, and it seems to be working quite well now.
Seeing her like this only fueled Wang Can's anger. He then put in even more effort, becoming more demanding of the others' dance moves, determined to outdo Xia Shiyu in every aspect.
While Wang Can was working incredibly hard, the three dancers were the first to give up.
A girl named Hu Ya was the first to give in, collapsing onto the ground with a thud: "I can't take it anymore, I really can't..."
This was like a chain reaction; the other two also fell to the ground.
Wang Can frowned and said, "It's not time to rest yet. Get up quickly and don't slack off."
Hu Ya and the other two were exhausted and under a lot of pressure these past few days, their nerves were already on edge, and Wang Can's words were like lighting a powder keg.
Taking advantage of the fact that the cameras were off, Hu Ya directly mocked, "We are all ordinary people, not as good as you, Miss Wang, with your profound dance skills. If you want to establish a helpful persona, you can just pretend in front of the camera. Now that the cameras are off, who are you going to perform for?"
Although Wang Can is the team leader, most things are handled by her manager. She had never encountered this situation before and was momentarily stunned.
Hu Ya regretted her words as soon as they were spoken. She had been too tired lately, and Wang Can was too strict, criticizing them mercilessly if they did anything wrong. She couldn't stand it and blurted out her words. But since the words were already out, she couldn't bring herself to apologize, so she walked away to the side.
Wang Can had already come to her senses, and her eyes immediately reddened.
She felt extremely wronged. She thought she had helped them without reservation, but she never expected them to think of her this way.
Wang Can held back her tears and was about to leave the practice room when the door opened and Xia Shiyu walked in with a stack of sheet music.
Xia Shiyu sensed the tense atmosphere as soon as she opened the door. She glanced at Wang Can, whose lips were tightly pursed and eyes were red, then at the other two with awkward expressions and Hu Ya, who had walked to the corner. She already had some guesses in her mind.
But Xia Shiyu didn't say anything, pretending nothing had happened, and pulled Wang Can back.
She held up the sheet music in her hand: "Teacher Yu and I discussed it and reassigned the singing parts according to your vocal conditions, and also made some changes to the arrangement. We may have to work a little harder to coordinate again."
Wang Can felt that he had embarrassed Xia Shiyu, so he just lowered his head and didn't say anything.
Hu Ya also felt awkward, and only the other two tried to smooth things over.
Xia Shiyu put down the sheet music, her voice turning colder: "What just happened? Has anyone told me?"
Over the past few days, the five of them have been practicing together all the time, and they have become much more familiar with each other. Xia Shiyu has arranged everything perfectly, and their progress is much faster than other groups. They have also gradually come to accept Xia Shiyu as their captain and are relying on her more and more.
In private, Xia Shiyu is gentle and sweet-looking, making it easy for people to lower their guard. However, during practice, she is very serious and her silent demeanor is quite intimidating.
This contrast made the team members unconsciously a little afraid of her.
At this moment, Xia Shiyu's expression turned cold, and the group felt a little uneasy, especially Hu Ya. Before Xia Shiyu could ask a second time, she told them everything that had happened.
Xia Shiyu looked at Wang Can again.
She had seen Wang Can's hard work and responsibility over the past few days, so she asked, "Is there anything else you'd like to say?"
Wang Can pursed her lips tightly. She was already feeling wronged, and now that the matter had come to Xia Shiyu's attention, she felt even more embarrassed. She didn't know where the resentment came from, but she shouted at Xia Shiyu directly: "Yes! It's my fault! I can't compare to you in your social skills and respect! You must be very proud of yourself now that I've been scolded!"
She wiped away her tears, feeling extremely ashamed, and turned to run out of the practice room.
Xia Shiyu shouted sternly, "Stop!"
Wang Can froze, standing still.
Xia Shiyu glanced at Hu Ya and the other two who were gloating, and said calmly, "Do you think Wang Can did something wrong?"
Hu Ya and the other two felt a jolt when she glanced at them with her clear, sharp gaze, and they stammered as they lowered their heads.
Xia Shiyu's voice carried a hint of sarcasm: "Do you think that just because I don't get along with Wang Can, I'll unconditionally side with you?"
Hu Ya and the other two blushed when she directly exposed their thoughts.
Xia Shiyu said calmly, "Now Wang Can is in charge of the dance part, so her words are the standard. You think she's doing it wrong and want to criticize her? Sure, wait until you beat her in the dance."
Wang Can was so surprised that Xia Shiyu would speak up for him that he forgot to wipe away his tears and stared at her blankly.
Hu Ya was stunned, and couldn't help but retort, "That's simply impossible..."
"Then shut up," Xia Shiyu said mercilessly. "Do you think we're in school now? There's no second chance if you fail a test?"
“In this industry, opportunities are extremely precious. No one is responsible for you. In fact, to some extent, we are all competitors.” She paused. “Oh, just me and Wang Can, you don’t count.”