“Come in.”
As soon as Yu Wei stepped inside, someone came forward to greet her.
Zhao Lili smiled warmly.
“Oh my, you’re finally here. It’s not easy getting to see you.”
Yu Wei linked arms with her and smiled.
“Come now. Here she is—the girl I told you about who’s here to audition for ballet.”
Zhao Lili pursed her lips.
The truth was, she’d auditioned several ballet dancers over the past few days, and none of them had been remotely satisfactory.
Since Yu Wei was her friend, she kept her tone gentle.
“If you’d spoken to me a few days earlier, it would’ve been better. Unfortunately, all the openings for folk dance and yangko have already been filled. Ballet is much more demanding, so I can’t show favoritism.”
Yu Wei smiled with practiced composure.
“Treat her like everyone else. Don’t make any exceptions just because of me.”
Hearing that, Zhao Lili relaxed and turned her attention to the young woman before her.
“Your facial features are excellent, but that trench coat hides your figure. Miss, take off your coat.”
Xu Nianchu removed the outer coat without hesitation, revealing her long, slender legs, graceful neck, and light, elegant figure.
The only flaw…
…was that her chest was a little too large. It would’ve been perfect if she were just a bit slimmer.
It was Zhao Lili’s first time seeing someone with such outstanding physical conditions.
Excited, she grabbed Yu Wei’s hand.
“Xiao Wei, thank you so much! Where did you find someone with such incredible potential?”
Yu Wei nearly choked.
Had her friend already forgotten everything she’d said yesterday?
She’d specifically asked her to just go through the motions.
Was she actually planning to recruit Xu Nianchu?
Seeing the excitement shining in Zhao Lili’s eyes, Yu Wei wanted to remind her of their agreement.
Before she could speak, Zhao Lili had already stepped forward.
She squeezed Xu Nianchu’s calf.
“Your muscles still need more training. Work on that in the future. All right, get on stage and let me see your fundamentals.”
The girl had even worn shorts and a T-shirt underneath her coat for the audition.
That alone showed preparation.
Zhao Lili appreciated people who paid attention to details.
She believed this girl wouldn’t disappoint her.
She walked onto the stage, clapped her hands, and called to the performers practicing there.
“Everyone, stop for a moment. We have someone here for an audition.”
The female soldiers had been happily stretching, practicing splits, and loosening up.
Being interrupted like this left everyone exchanging puzzled glances.
This was the first time an audition had interrupted everyone’s rehearsal.
Even Su Ting, the lead ballet dancer, hadn’t received this kind of treatment when she’d first joined.
Su Ting frowned.
“Director Zhao! We have another performance later today. Is it really appropriate to delay everyone’s progress for someone who hasn’t even been accepted yet?”
The others shared the same doubts, though they kept their dissatisfaction to themselves.
The warmth disappeared from Zhao Lili’s face.
“If I’m asking you to watch, then there’s naturally a reason. Take a good look at her physical conditions and compare them with your own. Find your weaknesses.”
She then gestured for Xu Nianchu to step onto the stage.
“Show everyone the dance you’ve prepared.”
Yu Wei sat below the stage watching.
This was the first time she’d seen her friend become so enthusiastic over a junior.
In her eyes, however, Xu Nianchu was simply a pretty girl with a good figure.
Girls like that were the type most likely to rely on their looks to get ahead.
She refused to believe Xu Nianchu actually knew ballet.
The higher everyone’s expectations…
…the more humiliating her failure would be.
She quietly settled into her seat, waiting to watch the embarrassment unfold.
Xu Nianchu stepped onto the stage calmly and confidently.
The audience couldn’t help gasping at her beauty.
How could someone have such ideal physical conditions?
But…
What exactly were they supposed to learn from that?
As if they could simply copy it.
Their mothers hadn’t given them bodies like hers.
Were they supposed to crawl back into the womb and be reborn?
Especially Su Ting.
Watching Xu Nianchu walk onto the stage, a powerful sense of crisis surged within her.
If this girl joined…
…she might lose her position as principal dancer.
Before she even had time to think of a solution, Xu Nianchu had already finished warming up.
Zhao Lili signaled for the accompanist to start the music.
The piece she chose was The Red Detachment of Women.
Back in the modern world, Xu Nianchu had been the cherished daughter of a wealthy family.
Since childhood, her parents had forced her into countless extracurricular classes.
She hadn’t understood their intentions back then.
Now…
…she was incredibly grateful.
At the very least, those lessons had given her a path to survive.
Hard work never betrays those who put in the effort.
She had already choreographed the dance the previous night.
Combining the style of this era with techniques from the future, she added far more movements emphasizing strength and power.
If Zhao Lili had merely admired her before…
…now she was standing there with her mouth hanging open in shock.
How could someone be this exceptional?
Even that overly generous bust…
…was no longer a drawback.
Because her dancing was simply too good.
As the music ended, Xu Nianchu’s breathing grew heavy.
This body still wasn’t accustomed to such intense physical exertion.
She wiped away the sweat.
Before she could even step off the stage, Zhao Lili rushed over and grabbed her.
“Comrade! Did you choreograph this dance yourself?”
It looked infinitely better than anything they’d created before.
She could already imagine the thunderous applause when they performed it for the troops.
The soldiers’ cheers would probably deafen them.
Su Ting stood frozen in shock.
When she finally recovered, her heart sank.
She had to admit…
Sometimes, dance really depended on talent.
No matter how hard she worked…
…could she never surpass someone naturally gifted?
She almost wanted to fight all these talented people.
How infuriating!
In one month, they would perform for the soldiers at the military base.
She’d heard many high-ranking officers would attend.
She had even hoped to find herself a husband there.
With Xu Nianchu around…
How was she supposed to attract anyone?
Wouldn’t all those men’s eyes be fixed on Xu Nianchu’s chest?
Director Zhao was such a hypocrite.
What had she said when Su Ting first joined?
She’d claimed that women with larger chests weren’t suitable for ballet.
And now…
…she wanted to recruit someone with an even bigger chest!
Bitterness flooded Su Ting’s heart.
She used to be Director Zhao’s favorite.
From now on…
…that place would belong to someone else.
She forced herself to speak.
“Director Zhao… her chest is so large. Isn’t she unsuitable for ballet?”
Zhao Lili was still asking Xu Nianchu where she’d gotten her inspiration.
Caught off guard, she answered instinctively.
“Of course.”
“Then why are you still recruiting her?”
“Oh, because every other aspect of her is simply too outstanding. I have to admit she’s a rare talent!”
Xu Nianchu paused in the middle of wiping away her sweat.
She admitted she had a little talent…
…but hearing such praise still embarrassed her.
Zhao Lili, however, believed every word.
Su Ting’s question had reminded her of something.
She needed to secure this talent before anyone else did.
She immediately grabbed Xu Nianchu’s hand.
“Child, come to my office with me. We’ll settle everything today.”
The other dancers, still stunned, finally found their voices.
“Director Zhao, when we joined, we had to fight through countless competitors and pass round after round of examinations. Why does she only have to dance once?”
Zhao Lili put her hands on her hips and barked,
“If anyone has a problem with it, then get up there and outperform her! Otherwise, should I let one of you be the director instead?”
“I’ve been far too lenient with all of you.”
“Today’s practice is extended by another two hours!”