2.1w nutrient solution bonus for the competition

Chapter 72

Meng Yingying was still a little confused. All she knew was that Yang Jie was a big shot, and one who could comment on "Changqing's Guide".

However, the other party had been focused on Shen Meilan, so she decided to take advantage of the situation before Shen Meilan took the stage.

She wanted to sneak off to the restroom so she could watch the game later, but little did she know that Yang Jie would stop her before she even got there.

"Turn around once??"

She asked a question in return.

Yang Jie: "Yes."

"Can I take a look?"

Yang Jie was a very clean and pure woman. Even at forty-three years old, her eyes remained clean and gentle.

The accompanying request was also one that was open to discussion and compromise.

There was no coercion.

Meng Yingying then came to her senses and instantly understood the other party's intention. Coach Zhao, who was standing next to her, was already urging her to hurry up.

Meng Yingying bit her lip and whispered, "Comrade Yang, can I go to the restroom first?"

From this morning until now, we've been trying to find Yang Jie to be a judge, but she hasn't had time to go out. It's rare that everyone has time now, and Shen Meilan hasn't come up either.

Upon hearing this, Coach Zhao and the others became worried for Meng Yingying. Did she even know who Yang Jie was in front of her?

Although she left the Central Ballet of China, it doesn't mean she's just an ordinary person.

To those present, Yang Jie remained an unapproachable figure.

When everyone thought Yang Jie would be angry, to everyone's surprise, Yang Jie, whose face was usually as cold as ice, smiled and said, "Go ahead, the world is vast, but going to the toilet is the most important thing."

Meng Yingying smiled and quickly went to the restroom.

When she came out, Yang Jie hadn't gone to the judges' table yet; she seemed to be standing at the corner of the seating area, waiting for her.

Meng Yingying was a little embarrassed. She smiled at Yang Jie and said, "Teacher Yang."

The layman sees the spectacle, but the expert sees the details. As soon as she opened her mouth, Yang Jie could tell from her voice whether she had the talent to sing.

"Your voice is quite good too."

After only a brief encounter of less than a minute, Yang Jie had already made a judgment.

Meng Yingying thought for a moment, "Indeed, I think my voice is better than my dancing."

However, outsiders didn't realize it and thought she was joking.

"Could you turn it around so I can see?"

Yang Jie examined Meng Yingying's limbs; the so-called "turning around" was to test Meng Yingying's flexibility.

Meng Yingying stayed in the middle aisle of the seats. It was too narrow and she couldn't move around freely, so she took two steps back and moved to a more spacious area.

Once she had a spot, she gently stretched out her arms, touched the ground with her toes, and spun around gracefully, as light as a swallow.

The movements were very casual and fluid, yet Yang Jie couldn't help but notice, "She's a promising talent."

Of the more than one hundred people in the entire competition, only Meng Yingying could be considered a promising talent.

Seeing that Shen Meilan's face was a little dark, He Chang, who was standing next to her, tried to smooth things over, "Comrade Yang, Comrade Shen is about to go up to perform, please go to the judges' table."

"As for Comrade Meng, you will have plenty of time to chat with her after the competition."

Even though Director He had already extended an invitation, Yang Jie was still a little reluctant to part. She turned to look at Meng Yingying and asked, "Child, what's your name?"

To be honest, Yang Jie looks quite young; she's only twice as old as Meng Yingying. But when Yang Jie calls her "child," it always makes Meng Yingying feel a little awkward.

However, since it was an elder or teacher asking, Meng Yingying naturally couldn't refuse to answer. "Meng Yingying, my name is Meng Yingying."

"Mencius's Meng means 'oriole flying and grass growing'."

After hearing it, Yang Jie couldn't help but exclaim, "It's a good name."

Seeing that they wanted to continue their conversation, Director He, who was usually decisive and efficient, couldn't hold back anymore. She would have gotten angry with anyone else, but since it was Yang Jie, she couldn't bring herself to get angry at her.

Director He could only humbly say, "Comrade Yang, you see, the contestants are waiting, and the judges are waiting too. They're all waiting for you to come over and give your feedback."

Yang Jie then nodded and waved to Meng Yingying, "I'll come find you when I get back."

He is very approachable.

Meng Yingying nodded and returned to her seat. Only then did she realize that Yang Jie had gone to the judges' table, but her eyes were still lingering on her.

Meng Yingying looked down at herself and found that she wasn't wearing dirty clothes or had a dirty face. She just didn't know why Yang Jie kept staring at her.

"Yingying, if Comrade Yang comes to you, you must agree to whatever she says."

Coach Zhao said this; she had witnessed what had just happened.

Meng Yingying immediately realized what she meant. "You mean?"

Coach Zhao nodded, "Yes, Comrade Yang has a lot of influence in the capital."

"No matter what she asks you to do, you have to agree to it."

With a hint of seriousness.

Meng Yingying wanted to ask, "If I agree to his request, what about you?"

She couldn't get the answer out of him.

Meng Yingying lowered her eyelids and remained silent. Coach Zhao sighed softly, took her hand, and said, "Yingying, as your coach, there's so little I can do to help you. I hope you can climb high and go far in this field in the future."

"Even if you find someone else to be your coach, I'm willing to accept it."

Meng Yingying remained silent. She lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting shadows on her eyelids. Her skin was so fair that the blue veins at the corners of her eyes were even visible.

Pale and fragile.

Knowing she was upset, Coach Zhao didn't bring up the topic again. She patted her hand and comforted her, "Alright, let's go watch Shen Meilan dance on stage. She came from the Capital Song and Dance Troupe. She's performing 'Evergreen Points the Way,' which none of us have ever seen before."

Meng Yingying then nodded and perked up to look at the stage.

At this moment, the announcements on stage have changed.

—Please welcome contestant number two, Shen Meilan, to perform the dance "Evergreen Points the Way".

As soon as he said that, the lively scene fell silent. Ninety-nine percent of the people present had never actually seen the dance "Changqing Points the Way".

So when Shen Meilan came on stage, everyone held their breath and stared intently at the curtain behind the stage.

As the narration ended, Shen Meilan stretched out a slender white hand and lifted the vermilion curtain, then appeared on the stage.

The lights snapped off, leaving only a ring of white overhead light chasing after Shen Meilan.

She was wearing a short gray military uniform with a red leather belt around her waist, and her toe shoes were painted snow-white with a red star on the toe.

He slowly walked to the center of the stage.

At this moment, Shen Meilan raised her head slightly, lowered her shoulders, raised her chest, pressed her right hand tightly against the seam of her trousers, and clenched her left hand into a fist with the tiger's mouth facing outward. It was the standard "Women's Army" salute in the model opera, instantly dragging the audience into the crisis trench where Chang Qing was pointing the way.

The audience immediately cheered, followed by a burst of applause.

After Shen Meilan saluted, music started playing from the side of the stage. First, the person sitting in the audience playing the banhu made two soft sizzling sounds, followed by a long, resonant note from the banhu.

Immediately following, the little drum next door also joined in, making two familiar "da-da" sounds—the "Changqing Points the Way" from "The Red Detachment of Women"—and the sound instantly rang out.

But that's not enough.

The band on the side of the stage consisted entirely of veterans from Changchun Film Studio, including master suona players. Their lips slowly swelled up like pufferfish, and the next second, the sound of the suona suddenly soared, instantly filling the room with the smell of gunpowder.

Shen Meilan moved, following the prelude to the music.

First, she lightly touched her toes with small, quick steps, and the ballet circle instantly followed. Her steps became faster and faster, and her gray trousers were lifted by a gust of wind, as if she were gliding across the stage on ice skates.

Immediately afterwards, she leaned forward slightly, landed firmly on her feet, and suddenly spread her arms wide, unfurling two feet of red silk from her sleeves, forming a straight line that could be seen even from the farthest back rows of the audience.

"Good!" Director Liu couldn't help but slap the armrest, his voice cracking.

Although he doesn't know the dance "Evergreen Points the Way," he still has the basic skills as a judge.

Shen Meilan's series of actions were already dazzling enough to make people's eyes pop.

Director He, standing nearby, couldn't help but nod in agreement. "Indeed, it's quite good."

She observed Yang Jie's expression. Yang Jie stared at the stage, expressionless, making it impossible to discern her emotions.

Director He sighed softly. This was the difference between a local area and the capital.

When the judges saw a contestant perform a good move, they couldn't help but cheer for them, but Yang Jie didn't.

Throughout the entire process, her expression revealed nothing about whether the student was good or bad.

Below the stage, Ye Yingtao murmured, "Is this Changqing pointing the way? Yingying, why didn't you include this dance when you performed The Red Detachment of Women?"

"This is so different from the one I did before."

If we really have to make a comparison, one is the difference between a junior high school student and the other is the difference between a college student.

Meng Yingying was still looking at the stage very seriously, "No, but she danced quite well."

But it's far from being amazing.

Shen Qiuyue glanced at her and thought to herself, "Even Shen Meilan danced like this, but Meng Yingying still said it was alright."

That's really talking big.

Watching Shen Meilan dance like that, she was honestly incredibly nervous. After Shen Meilan, it was her turn, and Shen Meilan was performing Changqing's Guide, a highly difficult dance. For Shen Qiuyue, this was nothing short of adding fuel to the fire.

She felt so nervous that her heart was about to jump out of her chest.

How could Shen Meilan dance so well? It's so disheartening.

What was even more despairing was yet to come, as the music on stage gradually rose in intensity.

Shen Meilan gradually got into the zone, and the snare drum in the band next to the side curtain struck three times.

She quickly stepped forward with her right leg and extended her left leg back into a lunge position.

His right hand was also busy, with his fist at his waist and his left hand pointing forward, displaying a heroic and dashing posture.

At this moment, she is striking the classic pose of "Changqing Pointing the Way" from the dance drama.

As the drumbeat subsided, Chen Meilan froze, beads of sweat dripping from her chin onto the wooden floor, splashing up a small circle of light.

This wasn't the end. She then took a big leap, her gray trousers flying up like an umbrella, the red silk ribbon lightly biting her mouth, her hands forming two straight lines.

With the individual as the center, each rotation produces a "ding" sound as the heel touches the ground, like keeping time for music.

Her speed increased, and finally, she resembled a kite about to drift away.

Like an eagle soaring through the sky.

The judges' panel erupted in chaos.

With a snap, the tip of He Chang's pen broke, leaving a large black dot on the scoring sheet. She didn't bother to replace it, staring intently at the stage, not missing a single movement from the other person.

Shen Meilan abruptly pulled her foot back, stopping with a snap. Her gray trousers slowly fell down, resembling a flag that had just won a battle.

She stood ramrod straight, her chest heaving, sweat dripping from her chin to the tips of her shoes, the red star soaked with sweat like a flower.

After a three-second silence, applause erupted like a clattering thunderclap, as if a whole bag of soybeans had been poured into an iron pot.

Tong Jialan sat in her seat, her face pale, her fingers unconsciously clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned blue.

She was always arrogant, but at this moment she had to admit defeat—Changqing's guidance was truly remarkable.

The eagle soars through the sky, as swift as a dragon.

It's probably nothing special.

Shen Qiuyue was even more direct, her eyes reddening. Her face was deathly pale as she stared at the person in the center of the stage, and she murmured, "What...what's the point of me going on stage..."

Commander Cao went through countless hardships to secure a substitute for her, sacrificing the coach and everyone else.

Even she herself had to abandon her pride and dignity before the competition to beg He Chang to replace Su Mingda, thus gaining the opportunity to play.

However, with Shen Meilan as a shining example, she is now as inconspicuous as a firefly.

"Qiuya".

The person behind Shen Qiuyue patted her shoulder, and Shen Qiuyue was startled to realize what was happening. Tears streamed down her face, and for the first time, she felt somewhat lost. "Hongxing, do you think we should continue to participate in the competition?"

Li Hongxing didn't know that she was in despair, just like Shen Qiuyue.

"Qiuya, if only the coach were here."

If Qin Mingxiu were here, she would definitely teach them how to do it. Unfortunately, Qin Mingxiu is not here, and Commander Cao has been taken away. They are all like orphans who have lost their backbone.

It was unattended.

Shen Qiuyue wiped away her tears and went to look at Meng Yingying. She found that Meng Yingying was just staring at the stage with little expression on her face.

Shen Qiuyue realized she had lost her composure. She took a deep breath and said, "Let's hear how the judges score her first."

That's all we can do.

At this moment, on the judges' panel, Director He said to Yang Jie, "Comrade Yang, I thought Shen Meilan's performance of Evergreen Pointing the Way was really good. I'd like to give her 9.9 points."

To be able to perform such a difficult dance to this level is truly remarkable.

Yang Jie hummed in agreement. She stared at the stage for a while before looking away. "You don't need to look at me when you're giving your score. We can each give our own score."

"What about the others?"

Director He probed.

Yang Jie said, "Since you're all judges, let's score together. Laymen watch the show, experts watch the details. Score based on your feelings."

His tone was very easygoing, and he wasn't difficult to talk to.

Director He was even a little distracted. Yang Jie had such a good personality, how could she have left the Central Ballet Troupe?

Of course, she didn't dare ask that question.

"Then let's each give our own scores."

Yang Jie hummed in agreement, then lowered her head to write on her own evaluation sheet. Everyone else had scores of 9.9 or 9.8.

Yang Jie was the only one who gave it a score of 9.7.

It's not high, but it's not low either.

Changqing's directions, which seemed perfect to others, were full of flaws in Yang Jie's eyes.

After Yang Jie finished writing the score, she handed it to Director He. Director He was shocked when she saw the score of 9.7. "Comrade Yang, may I ask? Wasn't her jump good enough?"

She asked tentatively.

Yang Jie hummed in agreement, "There were a few minor mistakes, but overall it was alright."

"I wouldn't give it a low score of 9.7."

"If her dance to Evergreen Pointing the Way were judged in the capital, it would be a 9.5 at best."

After hearing this, Director He had only one thought: the capital city is truly a gathering place for geniuses.

Shen Meilan's "Evergreen Pointing the Way" move makes her a contender for the championship in this competition.

But when we got to the capital, we couldn't even get a 9.5 pm taxi, which was really cruel.

He Chuchang took a deep breath, not daring to imagine just how amazing Yang Jie, who could be considered a genius in the capital and then leave the Central Ballet Troupe on her own, really was.

"Teacher Yang," Director He even changed his form of address, "then I'll score Shen Meilan's performance according to this score?"

Yang Jie nodded, feeling a bit bored, and wanted to leave. She glanced in Meng Yingying's direction and asked, "What number is Meng Yingying going on stage?"

Number five.

"And the last one."

"Oh." Yang Jie, who had been bored and about to get up and leave, sat down again, playing with the score sheet in her hand, and said in a light tone, "Then you go and give the scores, I'll wait."

What are we waiting for?

Director He was a smart man. In an instant, he knew who Yang Jie was waiting for. When she got up, she glanced at Meng Yingying.

He thought to himself, "Is Meng Yingying about to ascend to heaven?"

Unfortunately, not many people know about this, and Director He has more important work to do and cannot share it with others.

What a pity.

When He Chuzhang stepped onto the stage, he waved his hands, and the audience instantly fell silent.

"Now, I will announce Shen Meilan's score. After removing the highest score of ten and the lowest score, it is nine points and seven."

"The final score is 9.9 points."

The moment those words were spoken, the scene erupted in chaos.

Shen Meilan burst into tears of excitement, knowing that with her score, she was practically guaranteed the championship.

It was worth it for her to change the song before going on stage, despite all the pressure she was under.

The people below also erupted in anger.

"Yingying, her score is so high," Ye Yingtao murmured. "I feel like the championship is hers."

This score is so high that it's almost impossible for anyone to achieve it.

Meng Yingying stared intently at Shen Meilan, her eyes blazing with intensity, and said, word by word, "It's not over yet, and it's still unclear who will win the championship."

Shen Qiuyue burst into tears of nervousness. She was next to go on stage, while Shen Meilan had scored the highest score of the entire competition, which put her under so much pressure that she was trembling all over.

But the broadcast on stage didn't seem to intend to let her off the hook.

The announcement on stage rang out—Please welcome contestant number three, Shen Qiuyue, to the stage. She will be performing the dance "Butterfly Lovers".

Shen Qiuyue didn't know how she got onto the stage. All she knew was that the stage she was always familiar with now looked like a monster, baring its fangs at her.

She was clearly participating in the competition herself, and she should have been dancing the Butterfly Lovers dance, but all she could think about was the Evergreen Pointing the Way dance that Shen Meilan had danced before.

This caused her to make a series of mistakes while performing the Butterfly Lovers dance, and it wasn't until the fourth time that she made a mistake.

Hearing the laughter from below, Shen Qiuyue could no longer hold back. She covered her face in shame and anger and fled the stage as if she were escaping.

And so he became a deserter.

This left everyone in the audience stunned.

You have to understand that Shen Qiuyue was a substitute. Commander Cao paid a heavy price for her, but in the end, she deserted on stage.

She didn't even finish dancing the Butterfly Lovers dance.

This is absolutely hilarious.

Shen Qiuyue knew she had lost face. After going behind the scenes, she slumped to the ground, hugged her knees, and burst into tears.

"Teacher, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"I was so nervous. When I got up there, my mind went completely blank. I had no idea what I was supposed to do."

She never imagined that after all her hard work and perseverance, it would end like this.

Extremely bleak.

When her teammates saw Shen Qiuya jump halfway through her dance and then run away from the stage, they all had only one thought in their minds—it's over.

They're finished.

He finally managed to get a substitute position, and then went from being a substitute to a regular starter to compete in the game.

In the end, Shen Qiuyue gave up on her own.

This would mean all previous efforts were wasted.

As soon as she gave up, Director He from the judges' panel gave her a zero. Her face was a little sour. "This is the first time I've seen a female soldier from the cultural troupe give up dancing on stage."

The other judges were not to be outdone, all giving their first-ever score of zero.

As for Yang Jie, she didn't even participate or give a score.

Ultimately, Yang Jie was only invited to evaluate Shen Meilan. As for why she hasn't left yet, it's because she still wants to see Meng Yingying.

She even wanted to give Meng Yingying a score!

After contestant number three failed, the announcer immediately called on contestant number four, Chen Xiaoxiao, to take the stage.

Perhaps influenced by Shen Qiuyue, Chen Xiaoxiao was also a little nervous after going on stage, in addition to having been taken away for interrogation earlier.

So much so that when she looked at the crowd below the stage, she always felt that they were mocking her underwear for being secretly hidden by Su Mingda.

Therefore, Chen Xiaoxiao always felt that they were all laughing at her.

Under such intense tension and shame, she danced very poorly, but in the end, she managed to stumble through the entire dance.

But his grades were even worse.

Director He gave it a passing grade, "eight points".

The others followed suit and scored 8.5, but in the end, none of the five judges gave a score above 9.

Chen Xiaoxiao knew that she was finished too.

She missed the final.

The consecutive losses of two competitors dampened the atmosphere at the venue.

The judges were getting a little impatient, and the audience was starting to get restless.

But the last contestant hadn't even taken the stage yet, and everyone was still struggling to keep going. All eyes were on Meng Yingying.

At this moment, Meng Yingying became the focus of everyone's attention. Everyone wanted to know whether Meng Yingying would follow in the footsteps of Shen Qiuyue and Chen Xiaoxiao, or challenge Shen Meilan's highest score!

Facing the gazes of everyone, Meng Yingying took a deep breath and prepared to stand up.

The next second, the announcer's voice came from the stage—

Please welcome contestant number five, Meng Yingying, to the stage. Her dance is "The Celestial Maiden Scattering Flowers"!

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Author's note: Bonus chapter for 21,000 nutrient solution, sorry for the lateness.

Waaah, I know you guys were waiting, I was a little slow writing, so I'll send you all 100 red envelopes as compensation. Goodnight~