Zhou Qishen reached out with great force, lifted her skirt, and slapped her hard on the buttocks. "You've gone too far!"
Zhao Xiyin cried out in pain, tears streaming down her face, "Domestic violence!"
This scoundrel showed no remorse whatsoever. Instead, his expression became inscrutable as he bent over and said in a vulgar and shameless manner, "I'll give my wife a kiss."
Zhao Xiyin kicked him, accurately and hard, hitting Zhou Qishen's brow bone, making it swell up like a bun. Boss Zhou couldn't face anyone, so he took three days off and locked Zhao Xiyin in the house for three days to discipline him.
Two weeks later, Zhao Xiyin learned that he had a fierce argument with his father the day he got drunk. The WeChat voice messages Zhou Boning sent him were full of words like "scum" and "bastard," and the last one was, "Go out and kill yourself tomorrow."
At this moment, Zhao Xiyin couldn't say much. She stood up and said, "You should rest. I have to go. I was supposed to go shopping with my dad, but it's still early, so I need to spend some time with him."
Zhou Qishen stood up, feeling extremely apologetic. "I'll see you off. I'll apologize to Teacher Zhao."
Zhao Xiyin decisively refused, "No, it's not appropriate. I'm afraid he'll worry again."
That one straightforward sentence extinguished Zhou Qishen's last bit of courage.
Zhao Xiyin left, and Zhou Qishen sat alone in the living room, watching the light outside the window fade from bright to pale. The setting sun was a golden yellow, which was reflected by the glass facade of the tall buildings and turned into an even more dazzling red.
The phone rang; it was the secretary calling. "Mr. Zhou, Dr. Lin has made an appointment for you at 10 a.m. on Tuesday."
Zhou Qi closed his eyes briefly. "Okay."
——
A week later, in the conference room of Fantian Entertainment's headquarters building, Dai Yunxin accompanied director Pang Ce to review the dance team's group training videos. The only difference was that these were all filmed without prior notice. A return to simplicity, a presentation in its most natural state.
Meng Weixi joined in the latter half of the competition and was placed in the seventh group. Pang Ce gestured, and Dai Yunxin then zoomed in on Zhao Xiyin's part.
After watching for a while, Pang Ce turned his head and said, "Okay."
Dai Yunxin was dissatisfied, "He relaxed his grip when landing."
Pang Ce laughed and said, "Teacher Dai is strict. Xiao Meng will feel sorry for him later."
Dai Yunxin then noticed Meng Weixi's presence. She wouldn't give face to anyone and insisted, "It's indeed not the best; it needs further consideration."
Pang Ce's eyes shone brightly as he looked at Meng Weixi with a smile.
Meng Weixi replied calmly, "With Teacher Dai overseeing things."
Dai Yunxin smiled slightly, feeling somewhat gratified.
Pang Ce said, "Tomorrow night, have the film crew come over and meet with the dance troupe. They'll be filming together eventually, so it'll be good for them to get to know each other." He still had a slight preference, "Let Su Ying and Ruan Dai meet Xiao Zhao."
Dai Yunxin remained unmoved. "No need. Don't get involved in that circle too early if you haven't reached that level. Su Ying has won four gold medals in dance, and Ruan Dai won the Best Actress award last year. They are stars and big names. Zhao Xiyin is far inferior to them. She is not worthy of her position and cannot accept it."
Pang Ce sighed, "Teacher Dai, I've finally met someone even more stubborn than me."
The dance troupe was thrilled when the news was announced.
I'm going to meet a big star, a real celebrity.
Cen Yue, being a little girl, couldn't hide her feelings and kept asking questions, "Can I get an autograph?"
Zhao Xiyin doesn't quite understand the issue of idol worship, but she still respects people, saying, "Everyone wants it, so you should too."
They were all young women, their hearts brimming with dreams, eager to take flight. Who didn't want to make a name for themselves? The dazzling entertainment industry was like a magic box, containing fame, fortune, status, and the spotlight.
Zhao Xiyin's mind was as still as a stagnant pool. She asked Cen Yue, "Why do you dance?"
Cen Yue chuckled, "So I can grow taller. What about you?"
Zhao Xiyin smiled, revealing her pearly white teeth. "When I was born, the doctor said I had high muscle tone. My dad thought about it and decided to send me to dance class. Dancing was too hard. My bones were stiff and my muscles couldn't relax. I would always come home shivering. Later, my dad scared me by saying that if I didn't practice dancing, my muscles would atrophy and I would turn into a caterpillar crawling on the ground."
Cen Yue exclaimed, "Ugh, that's disgusting!"
Zhao Xiyin nodded. "That's why I was fooled."
Cen Yue understood. "So you dance so you don't turn into a caterpillar."
The two girls chatted about silly things, which was both innocent and adorable.
At 7 p.m., everyone eagerly awaited the arrival of the two big names.
Ruan Dai rose to fame at a young age, starting as a model and gaining popularity in Japan and South Korea. Later, she was scouted by a mainland Chinese agency with a hefty sum, repackaged, and given a pure and innocent image. Her striking looks led to a surge in popularity. Later still, they started to emphasize her acting skills, promoting her as a talented young actress. Zhao Xiyin had watched the drama that won her the Best Actress award; Zhao Wenchun had thoroughly enjoyed it, but Ruan Dai thought it was just so-so.
Ruan Dai is so beautiful; every smile and frown is captivating.
There was no airs of a celebrity; they chatted with the young girls in the dance troupe, and even casually pointed to one, commenting on her beautiful eyes. Finally, the staff gave everyone a gift and conveyed the message that everyone was family, looking out for each other and learning together.
Inside the beautifully packaged box, everyone gets a bottle of SK-II Facial Treatment Essence.
The big star's time was precious, and he left in less than ten minutes, but everyone was captivated by him, praising Ruan Dairen's kindness.
After she left, another performer arrived late.
Su Ying, hailed as the successor to a new generation of dance masters, is quite famous, boasting numerous awards, having performed at the Olympic Games opening ceremony, and touring the world to sold-out shows. Su Ying possesses a unique kind of beauty, with cool, aloof eyes and brows, reminiscent of the Little Dragon Girl from the Ancient Tomb Sect.
Just like now, she came in, walked around, didn't say more than a few words, and looked down at a bunch of useless people with a disdainful gaze. Only when Dai Yunxin spoke to her did she lower her head slightly and soften her expression.
Su Ying came coldly and left without any emotion; don't expect her to leave any warm gifts.
The crowd buzzed with discussion, their personal preferences clearly evident. Knowing the occasion was appropriate, everyone kept their voices down and carefully chose their words. Only Ni Rui, oblivious to the situation, let out a loud, booming laugh that could be heard from three meters to the left and right: "Did you see Su Ying's expression? Like she hasn't had sex in eight hundred years!"
No one echoed her sentiments, and those around her subtly moved a step away, not wanting to stand too close to her. Ni Rui, oblivious, laughed heartlessly. Little did she know, standing at the door was Su Ying's assistant, who had forgotten something and returned to retrieve it.
On Saturday, Zhao Xiyin called and said she wanted to come over for dinner.