Not long after returning backstage.
A girl rushed in excitedly, sharing loudly with the person beside her: ”I just saw a really handsome man. Seriously handsome, so charismatic.”
Swooning, she continued: “His proportions are amazing, he was wearing a high-end tailored suit, and he had this intense presence—like someone with enormous power.”
The person next to her asked: “Is he really that impressive?”
“You’ll see him when we go on stage. He’s sitting right in the center of the front row. The principal personally invited him in—his status must be anything but ordinary.”
Yun Qing had only just recovered from her encounter with Liang Xiheng, and now seeing other girls so interested in him, her mood turned sour.
It was as if she had discovered a treasure she was determined to claim, only to find someone else eyeing it too, stirring up a sense of crisis in her.
She took out her phone and sent Liang Xiheng a text.
—Xiheng-ge, after the performance, could you wait for me where you parked? I have something I want to tell you.
……
By this time, the audience seats were nearly full. All the equipment in the grand auditorium was ready, and the YunCast livestream had been connected, so viewers who couldn’t attend could watch in real time online.
Liang Xiheng sat in the front row.
A leader beside him handed him a program. “Mr. Liang, this is tonight’s program.”
The lighting in the venue was dim, with only the glow from the stage spilling over, but he quickly locked onto the two characters “Yun Qing” among the lines of text.
At that moment, the hall fell into a hush.
Faint murmurs could be heard nearby.
“I just saw Yun Qing’s makeup and costume. She’s absolutely gorgeous—like a goddess stepping right out of a mural. I can’t wait for their performance tonight.”
“Didn’t you see the posts on the school forum a while back? She’s hooked up with some powerful man, doing such indecent things outside our dorm building, and you’re still a fan of hers.”
“I think someone was just maliciously spreading rumors. The poster even deleted the post out of guilt.”
“They only deleted it because they were afraid of offending the powerful. She was in that car for so long—nothing happened? I definitely don’t—”
The girl’s words cut off abruptly, and she trembled all over, startled by the leader’s voice.
“What are you two chattering about over here?”
The girl hurriedly said: “Nothing.”
“What are you standing here for?”
The girl replied: “A senior told us to keep watch here.”
A barrier line had been set up in front of the stage, and they were stationed there to remind unauthorized people not to cross.
The leader ordered: “Keep quiet. Go stand behind the steps.”
“Okay.”
After answering, the two obediently moved behind the steps.
Those few words were grating to the ear.
Liang Xiheng’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Yun Qing. Powerful man. Malicious rumors…
Several words strung together.
It was obvious the young lady had run into trouble at school recently.
He looked at Assistant Xu standing nearby.
One glance was all it took.
Assistant Xu immediately understood his meaning, walked over to the two students who had been gossiping by the barrier line, and arranged to speak with them privately.
The two students were badly frightened.
Whatever Assistant Xu asked, they answered truthfully.
Only when he stopped pressing did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.
After learning the whole story, Liang Xiheng said nothing.
His deep, jet-black eyes carried the commanding air of control habitual to a man of power.
The performance officially began.
He looked up toward the half-castle-style stage.
At that moment, Yun Qing stood behind the black curtain, waiting for her cue, separated from the audience by nothing more than a single drape.
She walked to the side of the wall and, through a gap in the curtain, immediately spotted Liang Xiheng in an elegant, refined suit, long legs crossed, seated in the very center of the front row.
His seat offered the best view in the entire auditorium—from there, he could clearly see the expressions and movements of everyone on stage.
Under the stage lighting, the man’s deep, distinguished features shifted between light and shadow.
The performers on stage were the stars, yet he too seemed to have a beam of light falling on him, the vast sea of people behind him reduced to nothing but his backdrop.
As if sensing something, his gaze turned—unerringly—toward her.
Yun Qing’s heart tightened slightly. She stepped away from the curtain and turned back to her position.
Seeing her expression, Ye Feifei asked with concern, “What’s wrong?”
Yun Qing shook her head. “Nothing.”
She was actually a little nervous—not from fear of making a mistake on stage, but because of the man sitting in the audience.
But she quickly readjusted her state of mind.
They waited until the piece “Azure Green” ended.
Then “Whirling Dance” took the stage, and cheers instantly erupted from the audience.
Twelve figures slowly emerged in the mottled golden light.
Yun Qing stood still beneath the flying apsara murals, dressed in red robes with green silk sashes, radiant and graceful.
As the music began, the backup dancers spread out from her side, and she stepped forward barefoot, singing as she danced.
A beam of light fell upon her, and she executed a breathtaking backbend mid-air in an exquisite apsara pose.
The moment she landed lightly, she transformed into an even more intense spin.
Her beautiful figure whirled like the wind, her skirt blooming in an instant into an enormous pomegranate flower, so lively and ethereal that no one could look away.
Beams of light fell upon the others, one after another.
Coming down from a light spin, Yun Qing’s eyes inadvertently met Liang Xiheng’s in the audience.
The corners of her lips lifted slightly, and without breaking her breath, she pressed out a smile.
Her bright, vivacious eyes were like invisible threads, pulling and entwining.
Every spin, every backbend, even the high-difficulty leaps into the air—each was devastatingly beautiful.
The climax rose.
Eleven dancers surrounded Yun Qing in a circle, spinning in unison, ribbons swirling around them, instantly creating a dazzling visual feast.
The dense drumbeats gradually drew to a close.
Twelve dancers froze in different poses, forming a breathtaking mural.
Thunderous applause erupted on the spot.
On YunCast, likes and comments scrolled endlessly.
[So beautiful, so ethereal—she spins like a wind-fire wheel]
[Her fundamentals are incredible, especially when the lead dancer leapt through the air in a phantom embrace of the pipa. Absolutely stunning]
[This dance is extremely exhausting, a huge drain on stamina. The lead dancer’s control of strength is superb—so satisfying to watch]
[Dunhuang flying apsaras brought to life]
[Admin, turn on tipping—I want to tip Yun Qing]
[Yun Qing Yun Qing Yun Qing…]
[…]
The next segment was a showcase of technical skill, and Yun Qing remained on stage.
The lead dancers of each chapter charged onto the stage amid thunderous drumbeats, each displaying their talents. The atmosphere instantly reached a fever pitch, the scene nothing short of spectacular.
Some clapped and cheered, some shouted encouragement, and one person even cried out at the top of their lungs: “One glance, and a city falls!”
The crowd was clearly well warmed up.
The dance ended.
Yun Qing bowed deeply to the audience.
As she straightened up, she couldn’t help but glance toward where Liang Xiheng was sitting.
The man who had been dressed in a suit had, at some point, taken off his jacket.