Zhao Xiyin brushed her hand away and said in a very cold tone, "Not at all, you have a bright future now, you're a senior now."
Lin Lang didn't mince words, and said cheerfully, "We'll be able to fight side by side again from now on."
Zhao Xiyin gave a perfunctory smile and calmly walked towards the door amidst the many inquiring and curious gazes. A short while later, Cen Yue found her by the window in the hallway; the autumn wind was strong, and the chill of late October was already in the air.
"What's wrong? Are you in a bad mood?" Cen Yue asked considerately.
"fine."
"Are you two really classmates?"
"Um."
"I know her; she has quite a few followers on Weibo. But I think she doesn't dance as well as you, and she's not as pretty either. She became famous for a set of artistic dance photos, supposedly candid shots taken by passersby, but I think they were staged. The marketing accounts reposted them a lot, with really weird titles—'Fallen to the mortal world, no longer yearning for heaven.' It gave me goosebumps!"
Zhao Xiyin raised the corners of her mouth slightly, lowered her head, and let her long hair cover her face.
Cen Yue said, "It seems she's signed with a talent agency, and she's probably using this role to officially enter the industry. Xiao west, have you ever thought about going down this path too?"
"No," Zhao Xiyin said firmly, "I just like dancing."
Cen Yue sighed, "I also like dancing, but I only like pole dancing."
Zhao Xiyin smiled, "That's really good. I've never learned this before. Could you teach me next time?"
Cen Yue puffed out her chin and held out her hand, "It's a deal."
A high five rang out, and both girls burst into laughter. They stood by the window; the autumn dusk was languid, the sky was slightly dark, and the world seemed a little more peaceful. Cen Yue suddenly exclaimed, pointing to her right, "Xiao west, isn't that Ni Rui?"
Ni Rui happily got into a white sedan from the back door, which was located by the street.
Zhao Xiyin has a good memory; Ni Rui's family also seems to drive a white car, but the license plate number is clearly not this one.
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The second floor was a bit far away, and Cen Yue couldn't see it clearly, so she asked her repeatedly.
Zhao Xiyin replied calmly and confidently, "No, you've mistaken me for someone else."
After Lin Lang made a brief appearance that day, she didn't show up for two or three days. It was said that she went to shoot a promotional poster for a product, and everyone was enthusiastically scrolling through her Weibo, all feeling envious.
Dai Yunxin came to the training room in the afternoon to provide guidance to the group, and afterwards she kept Zhao Xiyin behind alone.
"Do the sleeve-flicking motion again. Your arms aren't raised high enough, and your supporting leg isn't taut enough." Dai Yunxin was always very strict with her. "Pull your breath into your dantian and use the explosive power from your chest to drive your lumbar spine. Why are you standing up so fast? Do it one vertebra at a time."
Zhao Xiyin repeated the movement seven or eight times as she asked, without making a single mistake, before complaining, "When I was doing this move this afternoon, a mosquito bit my butt, and I didn't get it right the first time, and you caught me."
Dai Yunxin held the pointer as if to lightly slap her buttocks, saying, "You're just being cheeky!"
Zhao Xiyin laughed and dodged, hopping barefoot on the ground, "Master, spare me!"
Before Dai Yunxin could even speak, it was too late; Zhao Xiyin bumped into someone. She was quite strong, and stumbled backward, but was firmly caught by a pair of hands. Meng Weixi's expression was calm as he said, "Be careful."
Zhao Xiyin quickly stood up straight. "Thank you."
Dai Yunxin approached and said, "The young master has come to inspect in person."
Meng Weixi laughed, "Please don't make fun of me."
Dai Yunxin didn't have time to deal with the young people; her time was precious. "I have something to do, I'm leaving."
Meng Weixi saw her off, saying, "Teacher Dai, please take care."
Only the two of them remained, and time and space suddenly became quiet.
Meng Weixi turned her head to the side. "Want to have dinner together?"
Zhao Xiyin said, "No, I'll practice some more."
Meng Weixi didn't force her, nor did he leave; instead, he stood aside, keeping a low profile. Zhao Xiyin didn't mind either, and went to the horizontal bar to do a split. Meng Weixi was very patient; he was well-mannered, and no matter how long it took, his posture was always upright and proper. After more than an hour, Zhao Xiyin finally rested. She glanced at Meng Weixi, her eyes filled with helplessness, "You really didn't need to wait for me."
Meng Weixi said gently, "I really didn't wait for you. I have a video conference at 9:30, so I can neither take you home nor treat you to dinner."
Zhao Xiyin paused for a moment, then nodded, "I was being petty."
This situation between the two made Meng Weixi particularly sad. He composed himself and said, "Xiao west, you don't need to worry too much about Lin Lang coming to the troupe. Until it's officially announced, rumors don't count. I had a meeting with Director Pang a few days ago, and he has always favored you."
“Meng Weixi,” Zhao Xiyin suddenly interrupted, her clear and bright eyes looking at him. “I think you’ve misunderstood. I really, really, really have no interest whatsoever in whether or not I’m the lead dancer.”
"I came here to dance, just to dance. It has nothing to do with how amazing this project is or how good its prospects are. Do you understand?" Zhao Xiyin said calmly and decisively, "Thank you for your kindness, but this is not what I need."
In her eyes, one could almost see the radiant girl from years ago—confident, glowing, and full of spirit. Today, times have changed, but her backbone remains unchanged. Forever free-spirited, forever steadfast and self-reliant.
Meng Weixi was silent for a moment, then whispered, "Okay."
Zhao Xiyin smiled without a care in the world, nodded, and said in a low voice, "Thank you."
For a moment, Meng Weixi's ears were ringing, the world was in chaos, and he couldn't distinguish between the past and the present. It wasn't until Zhao Xiyin called his name twice that he gradually came back to his senses.
Zhao Xiyin said, "You go ahead with your work, I'm going home now."
Meng Weixi suddenly said, "Ni Rui, if I remember correctly, you are your mother's daughter?"
Zhao Xiyin stopped in her tracks. "Hmm?"
"I didn't want to bring this up, but she's your sister, so I wanted to tell you anyway. Try to talk to her more when you have time."