Chapter 167: My Future Is Not a Dream ⑤
Wei An Hui was wearing Ming Dynasty attire, with a ponytail tied on her head, adorned with several ribbons.
Upon hearing this, Huang Yan and Nie Qiu, along with Zhao Bao Cui, began searching for ribbons for Wei An Hui. Huang Yan, with her sharp eyes, spotted a ribbon in Li Kai’s hand. Although it wasn’t pink but a light purple, it was better than nothing. She rushed over, snatched the ribbon from Li Kai’s hand, and handed it to Zhao Bao Cui, saying, “Let’s use this for now! It’s much better than having nothing in the ponytail.”
Li Kai frowned and walked over to Zhao Bao Cui, reaching out, “Give it to me!”
Zhao Bao Cui’s hand trembled, and the ribbon almost fell to the ground. “An Hui… An Hui’s ribbon on her head is missing…”
Zhang Haiyang’s solo performance time had arrived. He couldn’t keep chasing Huang Yan, but he also wanted Huang Yan to watch him dance. So, he hurried to Huang Yan, who was stunned by Li Kai’s shout, and pulled her to the curtain where performers were about to go on stage. “Stand here and don’t move!”
“Ah? Why?” Huang Yan was still dazed, nervously standing on tiptoe to look past Zhang Haiyang’s shoulder at Zhao Bao Cui, who was talking to Li Kai.
“I’m going to dance in a moment, and you’ll be able to see from here.” Zhang Haiyang seized Huang Yan’s momentary daze and held her hand. “Stand here and don’t move, I’ll dance for you.”
“Oh!” Huang Yan nodded blankly, still standing on tiptoe to look past Zhang Haiyang’s shoulder at Zhao Bao Cui and Li Kai. Nie Qiu had already walked over, and the three of them seemed to be discussing something.
The intro music for Zhang Haiyang’s dance had already started. He squeezed Huang Yan’s hand, reluctant to let go, and before Huang Yan could react, he walked onto the stage.
Amidst the explosive music, Zhang Haiyang danced with his entire body, every part moving obediently with his will. His waist swayed gently like a weak willow in the wind, and then suddenly, it erupted with a soul-stirring power.
The song “Beat It” had been popular for a while, so as soon as Zhang Haiyang stepped onto the stage, he perfectly combined the song’s softness and hardness, its charm and coolness, flawlessly interpreting it.
At this moment, he seemed to be a natural focal point. A slight movement on stage was enough to instantly capture everyone’s gaze, their experienced gazes.
The atmosphere at the venue soared with his dance. The applause that erupted seemed capable of lifting the roof of the auditorium, but this applause was intermittent because the only flaw was…
When Zhang Haiyang reached the climax of the song, he spun and kicked towards the back curtain more than once. Once or twice was fine, but by the third time, the audience was getting impatient. Why was the most exciting part being danced towards the curtain instead of the audience?
Huang Yan was stunned by Zhang Haiyang! To be honest, she had been watching Li Kai and the others, but she was drawn by the screams in the auditorium. She slightly parted the curtain and saw Zhang Haiyang dancing passionately on stage.
Twisting, thrusting, the lights… it looked no less impressive than an international superstar on stage. But she gradually realized, why… why was Zhang Haiyang dancing towards her?
Huang Yan looked towards her class. She saw Teacher Yang, sitting in the front row of their class, frowning displeasedly. She quickly closed the curtain and walked back.
Of course, there were other classes performing, so while Zhang Haiyang was dancing outside, others were also quietly watching from backstage. But Zhang Haiyang couldn’t see Huang Yan anymore, so he returned to normal. Sweat flowed, and he danced more and more freely.
“Give it to me! This ribbon is mine.” Li Kai stared at Zhao Bao Cui.
“No way? Li Kai… why did you buy a ribbon?” Zhao Bao Cui clutched the ribbon in her hand. “An Hui’s ribbon is missing, so just lend your ribbon to An Hui!” Zhao Bao Cui deliberately emphasized the two words “you.”
“No! This ribbon can’t be given to her!” He had bought this specifically for Nie Qiu, so how could he give it to someone else?
Wei An Hui tightened her grip on the pink ribbon and stood up with a smile. “It’s okay, Bao Cui. If Li Kai won’t give it, then so be it. We can just tie a ponytail.”
“But just a ponytail won’t have that flair!” Zhao Bao Cui almost jumped. She called out to Nie Qiu, who was adjusting a hat hair clip for another girl, “Nie Qiu, come here for a moment.”
Since Nie Qiu and Huang Yan were mostly in charge of arrangements during rehearsals, Zhao Bao Cui naturally believed Nie Qiu had the right and obligation to resolve this matter.
The girl in front of her was wearing a slit qipao from the late Republic of China era. To give her more of that era’s flair, Nie Qiu had her buy a hat hair clip the size of a fist with black feathers. While searching for ribbons earlier, this girl had asked Nie Qiu to adjust it for her.
As soon as Nie Qiu finished adjusting it, she heard Zhao Bao Cui calling her. After excusing herself to the girl, she walked over to Zhao Bao Cui. “What’s wrong?”
“An Hui’s ribbon is missing, right? Huang Yan saw Li Kai had another ribbon, so she asked me to give it to An Hui as a temporary solution, but…” Zhao Bao Cui glanced at Li Kai and said to Nie Qiu, “But Li Kai won’t agree. Nie Qiu, you tell him! It’s just for a short while, and he’ll get it back after the dance.”
Nie Qiu looked at the ribbon in Zhao Bao Cui’s hand. Seeing the two different colored ribbons, and knowing Li Kai had given it to her, she understood a little and looked at Li Kai.
Li Kai felt a little guilty under Nie Qiu’s gaze. He glanced at Wei An Hui, turned, and walked away.
Zhao Bao Cui smiled, pushed Wei An Hui back into her seat, and said, “Sit tight, I’ll tie your ponytail and weave the ribbon into it.”
Wei An Hui sat unnaturally in front of the mirror. Zhao Bao Cui, unaware, picked up a comb and began to brush Wei An Hui’s hair.
Huang Yan returned from behind the curtain, clapping her hands. “There are still ten acts before ours. Anyone who wants to watch can go watch, and anyone who needs to go to the toilet should go now. Don’t tell me you’re in a hurry on stage. Even if you pee on stage, you still have to finish your dance.”
Nie Qiu chuckled. Other performers backstage from different classes couldn’t help but laugh too. Someone from another class, who seemed to be the art committee member, also clapped their hands like Huang Yan. “Did everyone hear that? Those who need to go to the toilet, go now. Otherwise, even if you pee on stage, you have to finish your performance first!” After saying that, they burst into hearty laughter.
The backstage area instantly erupted in laughter. Those who were about to go on stage for the first time felt less nervous and were even looking forward to it.
Huang Yan didn’t feel embarrassed. She felt she hadn’t said anything wrong!
Nie Qiu stepped forward and affectionately hugged Huang Yan. Huang Yan didn’t often use vulgar language. When she occasionally swore, it was usually because Zhang Haiyang had pushed her too far. But the word “pee” seemed vulgar no matter how you looked at it. Despite its vulgarity, it also carried a sense of innocent childishness, like a child calling meat “rou rou,” flowers “hua hua,” or pens “bi bi.”
