Chapter 41 Li Meng, I'm Sorry

After Yan Baiwei finished speaking, the training room suddenly became quiet. She noticed that Li Qingzi's pupils subconsciously shrank slightly, and suddenly realized that something was wrong with the atmosphere.

Yan Baiwei frowned slightly and then relaxed in an instant. After a little thought, she immediately understood the strange expressions on everyone's faces. What she said just now was not appropriate in front of the camera, but she was not as cautious as Li Qingzi. As the company's "cash cow", she believed that her agent would handle all the problems.

"Yeah, Brother Xingzhi feels so secure as the captain. How could we possibly be at the bottom?"

Ren Limeng smiled and continued, "Let's continue training. Yigong can't embarrass our captain!"

"Come on, Chi Chi, don't feel pressured. Bai Wei has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Everyone will be with you!"

Li Qingzi took over Ren Limeng's words. She gently grasped Yan Baiwei's right hand with a hint of earnestness in her eyes. Yan Baiwei still looked a little reluctant. She unconsciously glanced at Shen Xingzhi who was silent in front of the camera, and their eyes met.

Chen Xingzhi's lips curled slightly, and his expression was thoughtful and indifferent, as if he was smiling. Yan Baiwei was slightly startled, but in the end she did not leave directly, and said "hmm" reluctantly.

It seemed like she was giving Li Qingzi face, but Yan Baiwei was more afraid of the silent Shen Xingzhi.

Yan Baiwei was vaguely afraid of Chen Xingzhi's lack of confrontation. If Chen Xingzhi insisted on leaving footage of the dispute, she didn't know if her agent could withstand the pressure. After all, she had been a bit arrogant in front of the camera just now. Even if there was no malicious editing, her image would have collapsed if this scene was broadcast.

Yan Baiwei did not raise any more objections and continued to rehearse with a smug look on her face. However, the evening's performance still did not meet everyone's expectations. Even though the instructor tried his best and suggested that Ren Limeng and others put on their performance costumes and devote themselves to the performance, simulating a "only once" live show on the weekend stage, the movements of the five people during the performance were still a bit chaotic.

Xu Chichi felt like a high-speed washing machine, rushing through the movements between performances in a sloppy manner. His head became increasingly dizzy with the repeated mistakes in lyrics and movements. His slightly shaky feet barely managed to keep up with the lively rhythm of the dance, but ultimately, an accident occurred during one of his hurried movements.

Ren Limeng was listening to the interlude of "Song of Heaven and Earth", holding the drumsticks in both hands, drawing a cross in the air, and moving quickly to the point to the left of Shen Xingzhi. Suddenly, she felt a strong force attacking her right arm, and the staggering Xu Chizhi suddenly fell down, and the left side of her body directly knocked Ren Limeng to the left.

Ren Limeng's entire body immediately lost balance and fell uncontrollably to the front left.

The accident happened so suddenly that in the few seconds she had to react, Ren Limeng subconsciously raised her hands to hold up the drumsticks. The drumsticks she used for practice this time were performance drumsticks. The specially made banggu drumsticks were custom-made for performances that were just produced today. They were beautifully packaged, but they couldn't withstand the drop.

At least, at this moment, Ren Limeng felt that she was "thicker-skinned and stronger than a drumstick". She closed her eyes slightly and was ready for the pain.

"Chi Chi! Li Meng!"

Yan Baiwei and Li Qingzi exclaimed in unison in her ears. The next second, the expected feeling did not come. Ren Limeng opened her eyes in surprise, and all she saw was a handsome face that was familiar yet unfamiliar. When their eyes met, time seemed to freeze at this moment, and they could only see the reflection of each other's clear eyes.

Shen Xingzhi's powerful arms silently and neatly held Ren Limeng's body firmly. His eyes, as deep as a quiet lake, seemed to be disturbed by a small stone, causing faint ripples and no longer calm.

The one who was more flustered was not Shen Xingzhi.

At such a close distance, with their breaths intertwined, Ren Limeng could clearly see herself in Shen Xingzhi's eyes. Her expression of obvious helplessness was clearly reflected in Shen Xingzhi's eyes. She herself didn't know whether her panic at this moment was due to the fall.

The distance between them is too close.

She could even hear the "boom, boom, boom" sound of her heartbeat. Was it his? Or hers?

"Thank you! Li Meng, I'm sorry!"

Yan Baiwei and Li Qingzi focused their attention on Xu Chichi who had fallen to the ground. Li Qingzi stepped forward quickly and helped Xu Chichi, who looked in pain, up from the ground. Xu Chichi whispered a thank you and then looked at Ren Limeng.

Her voice was full of apology and she was flustered and at a loss. She was already stressed out by the frequent mistakes she made in practice, and the accident at this moment made her even more confused.

Xu Chichi's repeated apologies broke the silence around them. Ren Limeng clenched the drumstick in her hand and looked at the camera stand standing silently not far away. Her ankle felt a little painful, which deeply reminded her that there were more than two people present at the moment.

She took a deep breath, avoided the obscure sight in front of her, quickly stood up, and looked up at Xu Chichi with a face full of concern.

"It's okay, it's okay. Thank you, Brother Xingzhi! Sister Chichi, you didn't mean to do that. Are you okay? Did you fall anywhere?"

As Ren Limeng spoke, she tilted her head slightly to look at Chen Xingzhi. Before their eyes met again, she had already walked slowly to the right beside Xu Chichi, as naturally as if her movement was just because she was concerned about Xu Chichi's fall. There was no intention of fleeing, and there was no palpitation for a moment.

Shen Xingzhi retracted his right arm. Hearing Ren Limeng's grateful voice, he did not speak. He just silently looked at Ren Limeng's back as she turned around, and then slowly lowered his head to look at his right hand.

At this moment, the focus in the room was not on him.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry for causing trouble for everyone! I'm so stupid!"

Xu Chichi's voice sounded a little annoyed and a little aggrieved. Li Qingzi put her arm around Xu Chichi's shoulders and comforted her in a low voice.

"If you're stupid, practice more!"

Yan Baiwei stood in front of Xu Chichi, a hint of impatience flashing in her eyes. She crossed her arms and glanced at the clock on the wall. "The threshold for participating in the 'Shan Hai' program is getting lower and lower. There are only a few days left. I hope some people won't drag the team down."

Listening to Yan Baiwei's cold voice, Xu Chichi's eyes gradually filled with tears. She tried hard to make herself cry more tearfully in front of the camera. Li Qingzi glanced at Yan Baiwei helplessly and continued to comfort Xu Chichi softly.

Ren Limeng had already walked to Xu Chichi's right side. She held Xu Chichi's right arm and suddenly felt a little out of place. Li Qingzi's comfort was considerate enough, and Yan Baiwei's impatience was also impressive.

Even for Xu Chichi, the frequent mistakes were caused by the frequent focusing of the camera.

What about her?

If this is a good play, what role does she play in it?

"That's all for today."

Chen Xingzhi's voice was still cold, and Ren Limeng stared at him thoughtfully. Although they were both "background characters", no one would ignore any of Chen Xingzhi's actions. This was the difference between a nobody and a big star.

The cool breeze of the summer night blew through the tall and lush trees in the mountains. The rustling sound was intertwined with the sound of falling raindrops. The sudden rain wet the earth.

In the business car, Ren Limeng leaned quietly against the rear window, rubbing her ankles gently, listening to Xu Chichi reluctantly saying goodbye to Yan Baiwei and Li Qingzi who had arrived at the hotel earlier.

The car door closed and the room was silent. Xu Chichi glanced at Shen Xingzhi who was sitting in the passenger seat, then looked at Ren Limeng in the back seat through the rearview mirror. After a little thought, she slowly stood up and sat next to Ren Limeng regardless of the bumpy ride.

"Li Meng, I'm sorry. I was so tired last night. The dance was so difficult, and the formation kept changing. Or maybe I'm just too stupid! I felt dizzy all over. Luckily, Brother Xingzhi held you up, otherwise I would have felt so guilty! Are you hurt?"

Xu Chichi grabbed Ren Limeng's right arm. She looked at Ren Limeng who was sitting up straight, her eyes full of embarrassment.

"Sister Chi Chi, it's really okay. Everyone has worked hard today. Don't think too much about it. It might just be that you were too nervous and had problems with practice. I've noticed that you actually know all the moves. It's not a big deal. Don't underestimate yourself. We can adjust together tomorrow and everything will be fine!"

Ren Limeng spoke softly. She gently held Xu Chichi's left hand and smiled slightly.

She couldn't figure out Xu Chichi's intentions at the moment, but it didn't matter.

Ren Limeng slowly lowered her eyes. Before coming to "Shan Hai", she had been prepared to deal with all problems.

No matter how deep the water in the entertainment industry is, she will try her luck!

"Li Meng, you are so nice!"

Xu Chichi sighed with some sincerity, then looked at Shen Xingzhi, "And Brother Xingzhi, thank you! Fortunately, you held Li Meng. We are so lucky to be on the same team with you, and to have you as the captain! Sorry to bother you these days!"

The entire team is so at odds with each other, yet they still thank the captain?

Ren Limeng smiled gently in her heart, but nodded slowly, as if responding to Xu Chichi's words of gratitude. She looked up at Xu Chichi as well, and a trace of leisure in her eyes flashed as if she was watching a good show.

"You need more practice on the banggu."

Xu Chichi's eager voice did not wait for Shen Xingzhi's answer. Shen Xingzhi's sudden statement made Xu Chichi and Ren Limeng stunned. Ren Limeng looked ahead and for a moment doubted whether Shen Xingzhi's "you" referred to her or Xu Chichi.

There is no doubt about Shen Xingzhi's musical ability. Compared to him who makes a living from music, she, who once studied opera, is not so confident in her banggu rhythm. During practice, maybe she also ignored some of her mistakes?

Just like when they were co-hosts in college, he would also point out some Chinese characters that she had mispronounced during her guest appearances after the party. She obviously had no idea, but she would always unconsciously recall them as his voice, as steady as the morning bell, would sound, and her face would turn red.

However, that was all many years ago. At least now, she would never make such a low-level mistake again, and would not be influenced by a word or two from anyone.

Moreover, for non-professionals, the difference in banggu timbre does not seem that great, especially at night when there is no professional teacher to guide and everyone's attention is mainly focused on the overall stage, some details of the banggu performance are naturally ignored.