Chapter 64 I Will Win Against You (First Update + Second Update...)

Chapter 64

Her tone was so nonchalant that Coach Zhao was somewhat taken aback. "You really want to do this?"

Meng Yingying nodded, "Yes."

"Otherwise, my Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers technique won't be powerful enough."

This is the root cause. There were already signs of it during the preliminary rounds. She failed countless times during the practice of performing the Red Detachment of Women.

It's not that she can't remember the movements, nor that her expression is inadequate.

Rather, it's a lack of strength. She's only been in the industry for three years, and she was previously overweight, but then suddenly lost weight, which resulted in insufficient core strength.

In addition to binding her wrists and ankles with sand, she now also does some exercises to increase her core strength.

These are all jobs other than dancing.

Coach Zhao looked into Meng Yingying's eyes and saw their unwavering determination. She knew she couldn't persuade her otherwise. "Come with me, I'll get you some sandbags."

Meng Yingying nodded. As soon as she and Coach Zhao left, everyone else went wild.

They all gathered around.

"Did Meng Yingying really say she was going to tie sandbags to her wrists and ankles?"

"Yes, I heard it too."

Ye Yingtao was too lazy to answer, she was so annoyed. "You'll see her when she gets back, won't you?"

"If you ask me now, I'm not sure either."

Everyone encountered a setback, albeit a mild one.

They didn't look too good.

Ye Yingtao also realized that she seemed to be getting a little emotional, and then she remembered that her original intention was to build good relationships with these geniuses.

He took a deep breath and suppressed his temper. "I'm sorry, I was a bit harsh just now. I was really flustered by Yingying's sudden action."

Tong Jialan waved her hand, "It's alright, you're right, we'll know when Meng Yingying arrives."

She kept glancing towards the door while practicing her dance.

This wait lasted for more than half an hour.

Coach Zhao took Meng Yingying to find Director Liu. Sandbags, needles and thread, and sand could only be obtained by the person in charge of Changchun Film Studio.

These people are, after all, outsiders.

However, after Coach Zhao and Director Liu finished speaking, Director Liu's expression became somewhat subtle. He looked at Meng Yingying's slender wrist and asked, "Are you sure?"

“The smallest sandbag weighs four ounces, and then gradually increases to about one pound, which is no small amount.”

Meng Yingying nodded, "I'm sure."

Director Liu went to see Coach Zhao, who sighed and said, "Listen to my student."

In reality, she, as a coach, didn't have much say in many situations.

Director Liu couldn't help but chuckle. He turned and had someone bring him sand, cloth, and needles and thread. Coach Zhao received the needles, thread, and cloth and began cutting.

Watching from the side, Meng Yingying thought that Coach Zhao's hands were really skillful. In no time, a piece of cloth was turned into a bag, a long and thin one that could just wrap around the wrist.

After sewing it up, Coach Zhao didn't rush to fill it with sand. Instead, he placed it on Meng Yingying's wrist and gestured around it, saying, "This size is fine."

"Come on, help me put the sand in."

Meng Yingying used her hands to scoop up the sandbags, one handful at a time, starting with four ounces each. After making one, she tested it on her wrist; it was rather light.

"Should we add some more emphasis?"

Coach Zhao refused decisively, "No, you may not realize it at first, but you need to wear this sandbag all the time. If it gets too heavy over time, it will hurt your wrist, and then it will be a loss."

Meng Yingying then gave up and assisted him. In just over an hour, Coach Zhao had filled four sandbags.

All of them were tied to Meng Yingying's limbs. As soon as the four sandbags were tied, Meng Yingying immediately felt a weight on her wrists and ankles.

However, this is the result she wanted.

"Thank you, coach."

Coach Zhao gave her a deep look. "You don't need to thank me. I'm the one who should thank you."

Of all these students, only Meng Yingying could go to such lengths for the competition.

Meng Yingying flexed her wrists and smiled, "Coach, if you keep thanking me like this, it'll seem like I'm not your student."

With the sandbags on, the movements weren't as smooth, but Meng Yingying didn't mind. "I'll go to the practice room and try it out first."

Coach Zhao hummed in agreement and watched Meng Yingying leave. Director Liu, who was standing next to him, said, "Your student is a promising talent."

Talented and hardworking, such a person will definitely stand out in this industry in the future, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Coach Zhao was proud, saying, "She's a promising talent, but I, as her coach, have actually held her back."

Director Liu smiled and said, "I think you did a good job. At least you treated the students like human beings."

Many coaches don't actually treat their students as human beings; they see them merely as tools in their hands, tools to win games.

In this respect, Coach Zhao is far superior to others.

When Meng Yingying returned to the practice room, because it was summer, the dance costumes exposed her limbs, so the sandbags on her wrists and ankles were almost completely visible.

As soon as she arrived, everyone's eyes turned to her.

Ye Yingtao and Tong Jialan were the first to run over, and when they saw the sandbags tied to Meng Yingying's wrists, they both fell silent.

"Yingying, you actually tied sandbags to your clothes?"

Is it heavy? Does it hurt?

It was Ye Yingtao who asked this question, her eyes filled with obvious heartache.

"It's not heavy, and it doesn't hurt."

In front of Ye Yingying, Meng Yingying flexed her wrists and said, "See, it doesn't affect my daily life or my dancing."

"Let's go, I'll try the 'celestial maiden scattering flowers' long silk ribbon dance again."

She might not last five minutes this time, but that's okay. Just keep trying until she can last ten minutes.

Once the sandbags are removed again, it will be the time when she can fully control the long silk.

Watching Meng Yingying put on sandbags and immediately begin practicing.

Everyone else remained silent for a long time.

After a long while, Tong Jialan finally said, "She's so hardworking."

In the dance industry, they all have a tendency to be lazy. They might say they'll stretch their legs for half an hour, but they might want to give up after only fifteen minutes.

He said he would jump ten times, but after three times he didn't want to jump anymore.

I promised myself I'd eat less and stay slim, but when it came to actually eating, I just couldn't control myself.

People think that dancing in a performing arts troupe is a good career, but that's not actually the case.

Many of the things in this story are against human nature.

These geniuses had all resisted being lazy time and time again, but seeing Meng Yingying doing this, even going so far as to tie sandbags to her wrists and ankles in order to master the long silk, they were all amazed.

This is simply beyond human capability.

Chen Xiaoxiao, who had always looked down on small towns, also had a complicated expression. She turned to look at Shen Qiuyue, "Is this how you were defeated by her back then?"

Shen Qiuyue was still in a daze. She had been lost in thought ever since Meng Yingying came in with sandbags tied to her back.

When Chen Xiaoxiao asked her that, Shen Qiuyue asked blankly, "What did you say?"

Chen Xiaoxiao shook her head, thinking to herself that Shen Qiuyue's spirit had dissipated; she was no longer the radiant Shen Qiuyue of three years ago.

Now, she has fallen into silence.

That defeat in the preliminary round became a mental demon for Shen Qiuya, and everyone understood that at that moment.

Chen Xiaoxiao withdrew her gaze and paid less attention to Shen Qiuyue.

Shen Meilan from the Capital Song and Dance Troupe said, "With Meng Yingying's diligence, she will succeed in whatever she does."

Because Meng Yingying not only has the ability to remember everything she sees, she can also train hard to address her weaknesses.

In this respect, she is better than all of them.

It's truly terrifying when someone is both talented and hardworking.

Su Mingda from the Changchun Film Studio said, "Indeed, Meng Yingying, a newcomer, is working so hard. If we don't catch up, it won't be long before she leaves us behind."

At first, they looked down on Meng Yingying somewhat because she came from a small town and was a newcomer.

A newcomer who only managed to surpass Shen Qiuyue by sheer luck.

Such a person might be exposed as nothing again next time, but after practicing together, she saw Meng Yingying's talent and diligence.

They had only one thought.

This opponent is terrifying.

Suddenly, the trainees in the training room felt a greater sense of urgency, unlike the geniuses who had previously been inconsistent in their efforts.

They all started to work hard as well.

In response, Director Liu said to Director He, "Comrade Meng Yingying has set a good example. Nowadays, students spend almost all their time practicing, except for eating and sleeping."

"The competition started almost immediately."

Previously, these teams were all outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds. Teams from the capital looked down on the provincial song and dance troupe, while people from the provincial song and dance troupe looked down on the local cultural troupes.

That's good now.

Meng Yingying single-handedly eliminated all the disdain in the room.

Everyone now has only one goal: to roll as fast as they can and not fall behind the other team!

Meng Yingying is already so swollen, how can they still have the nerve to rest?

Director He also saw this, and she was happy to see this situation. "Indeed, this is a positive impact."

"Let them keep jumping like this for now, and see how long they can keep it up."

Director He originally thought that these people could only last for a week at most, which would be considered a great achievement.

But she didn't expect that she would persist for half a month.

The sandbags tied to Meng Yingying's body also increased from four ounces to one pound.

The long ribbon she swung out has gone from lasting three minutes at the beginning to now lasting a full fifteen minutes.

Keep in mind that she was also wearing sandbags.

If the sandbags were removed and she were no longer restrained, she could probably last for more than twenty minutes, which would mean the most difficult step in the "Scattering Flowers" exercise.

She overcame it.

September 1st, three days until the competition.

Meng Yingying approached Coach Zhao, "Coach, I want to remove the sandbags."

Coach Zhao had wanted her to remove it for a long time, but Meng Yingying was too opinionated. Later on, she didn't say anything, so he didn't dare to speak up.

If Meng Yingying were to suggest removing the sandbags, Coach Zhao would be more than happy to oblige, saying, "They really should be removed."

"You need to know that there are only three days left. You need to give yourself three days to adapt without the power and rhythm of the sandbags."

Meng Yingying nodded and watched as Coach Zhao untied the ropes from the sandbags before heading to the practice room.

However, there are many people in the practice room, six teams, totaling about a hundred people, so she won't be performing the "Fairy Scattering Flowers" dance in front of everyone.

Even if the sandbags were removed, she wouldn't be able to. This was her trump card, and trump cards are usually saved for last.

"Yingying, have you taken the sandbag off?"

Meng Yingying nodded, "I'll take it."

She moved her wrists around, and without the sandbags, dancing and making movements became much easier.

"and you?"

Ye Yingtao whispered to her, "Want to do the 'Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers' dance?"

Meng Yingying shook her head, "These past two days I've been practicing the Yimeng Ode with you all."

Hearing this, Ye Yingtao breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good. I was worried that if you practiced 'Scattering Flowers in the Sky' in front of so many people, they might cause trouble if they saw you dancing too well."

Meng Yingying nodded, "I won't dance. I'll come and dance tonight after everyone has rested."

"During the day, I'll dance the Yimeng Song with you."

This is a dance for the team competition, and she is the lead dancer, so she is indispensable in the team competition.

“We’ve almost finished practicing Ode to Yimeng,” Ye Yingtao said. “To be honest, Yingying, the Ode to Yimeng that we chose for the team competition is probably a bit inferior to the pieces that other teams use for their team competitions.”

The team competitions that others are dancing to are all quite difficult.

Take the Capital Song and Dance Troupe for example; they directly chose the excellent Menba dance on the snow-capped mountain, a choice they had previously hesitated to make.

Meng Yingying pursed her lips, "It's okay, we just need to make sure we don't get into any trouble."

"Cherry, as long as we don't have any problems, it means we have a chance to make it into the top three."

In terms of team strength, their team was inherently weaker than other teams, which is an indisputable fact.

Whether it's the coach, the environment, or the dancer's individual skills and talent, it all comes down to this.

They've already shortened their path; they can't let the capabilities of external teams change their original, step-by-step approach.

In that case, it's very likely that the losses outweigh the gains.

Ye Yingtao knew that she had been provoked by the people around her.

Whether it's the Capital Song and Dance Troupe, the Provincial Song and Dance Troupe, or the Fengtian Song and Dance Troupe, these people all have better dance skills than them.

Actually, everyone felt quite desperate during the practice.

There was a fierce determination hidden beneath the despair; everyone was holding their breath, determined to win the competition.

As a result, even Jiang Li, who was usually good at playing tricks, lost her temper.

As for Li Shaoqing, Ye Yingtao was once worried that Li Shaoqing would cause trouble, like Jia Xiaoli before her, and deliberately drag others down.

Don't drag Meng Yingying into this.

As a result, Ye Yingtao kept an eye on Li Shaoqing for half a month, and the other party was surprisingly well-behaved. Not only did he not cause any trouble, but he also practiced diligently from beginning to end.

This made Ye Yingtao very uncomfortable.

Li Shaoqing seemed to know that Ye Yingtao was watching her, and waited until he saw Meng Yingying take off the sandbags and come to participate in the team competition practice.

She took advantage of the moment when everyone else went to rest and went to the toilet.

Li Shaoqing walked over to Meng Yingying's side. As soon as Ye Yingtao saw her coming, she immediately turned her eyes to the side and protected Meng Yingying.

Li Shaoqing smirked. "It wouldn't be that bad. I wouldn't go so far as to lay a hand on Meng Yingying in public. Don't worry, I'm not as stupid as Jia Xiaoli."

Utterly foolish.

Ye Yingtao sneered and retorted, "Who knows?"

"cherry."

Meng Yingying called out, and Ye Yingtao, who had crossed eyes, immediately fell silent. She took a step back, in a protective stance, ready to immediately subdue Li Shaoqing if he made the slightest mistake.

Li Shaoqing saw through it. She paused for a moment before saying, "I called you here so you wouldn't have to worry about me. Don't worry, I won't trip you up like Jia Xiaoli did."

Meng Yingying didn't say whether she believed it or not. She was also resting, sitting on the ground to stretch her legs. "And then?"

The nonchalant tone of his voice actually made Li Shaoqing feel somewhat frustrated.

She took a deep breath. "Whether you believe it or not, my ultimate interests are aligned with yours."

"I hope the team wins the championship."

Only in this way can she achieve her goal.

Meng Yingying keenly sensed something. She looked up, her eyes clear and innocent. "Are you trying to use the team championship as a springboard to climb higher?"

It gets straight to the point in one sentence.

Li Shaoqing was somewhat surprised by Meng Yingying's keen insight. She lowered her eyes and hummed in agreement, "The performing arts troupe was never my ultimate goal."

Otherwise, she wouldn't have left in the first place. When she returned, she was only with the Harbin Cultural Troupe, and this time she won the championship in the preliminary round.

She only returned to participate because she had the opportunity to enter the Northeast China League.

Meng Yingying didn't really understand the benefits behind this, just as she didn't understand why the youth team of the Capital Song and Dance Troupe would participate in the joint competition of the three northeastern provinces.

The levels are different; it's like a high school student taking an elementary school exam.

Meng Yingying was puzzled, so she asked directly, "Is there anything special about this competition?"

Li Shaoqing hesitated for a moment and then shook his head. "All I can say is that we should try our best to win both the team championship and the individual championship."

"If we can't win, then we'll aim for the top three."

Clearly, Li Shaoqing has more sources of information than ordinary people like them.

Meng Yingying lowered her eyes, lost in thought.

"Anyway, all you need to know is that if we can win the championship, it will be to my advantage."

"Under these circumstances, if I were to still target you, the leader, I would be incredibly stupid."

She didn't like Meng Yingying, but she was interested in personal gain.

She would naturally not resort to underhanded tactics against someone who could bring her benefits.

Because the interests of both parties are aligned.

After saying this, Li Shaoqing left. Ye Yingtao glared at him before turning to Meng Yingying and saying, "Yingying, don't actually believe her nonsense."

"What if she's just trying to appease you and lower your guard before making her move?"

Meng Yingying's calves had loosened up considerably, so she got up and stretched her muscles. "Cherry, what she said is true."

"Why?"

Meng Yingying watched Li Shaoqing's departing figure and said, "She won't come back to the art troupe for nothing. The art troupe is just a temporary place for her. If she wants to climb up, she'll need me to lead the way and help the team win the championship."

"Even if we don't win the championship, we should at least get into the top three."

"But," she smirked, a mischievous grin playing on her lips, "I'm just wondering, with so many people in the top three of the team, will it really be effective?"

Actually, what Li Shaoqing really wanted to replace when she came back was her position as an individual competitor. However, since the individual competition position was already taken by the champion, she had to move to the team competition.

If Li Shaoqing was still eager to compete for her individual competition position before coming to Changchun Film Studio...

After arriving at Changchun Film Studio and seeing all these talented individuals gathered there, Li Shaoqing probably gave up completely.

That's why they started showing him kindness.

Because Li Shaoqing's talent isn't top-notch, even if we give her the spot in the Harbin Art Troupe's individual competition.

She might not even be able to win first place, let alone make it into the top three.

Shen Meilan, Chen Xiaoxiao, Tong Jialan, and Su Mingda are all formidable opponents, and Li Shaoqing would have no chance of winning against them if they were to face each other alone.

That's why she came to him to make amends.

What are the benefits of winning both the team and individual championships?

Ye Yingtao asked a question.

Meng Yingying shook her head, then a thought flashed through her mind, "Perhaps this is related to why Commander Cao would go to such great lengths to send Shen Qiuyue and the others in as substitutes."

"Should we ask Coach Zhao?"

Ye Yingtao tentatively asked.

"Don't."

Meng Yingying smiled and said, "Even if you ask the coach, she won't know. To some extent, neither she nor we are key figures, and we wouldn't get such crucial information."

"Whether you know it or not doesn't matter; what matters is the result."

"If we can win the championship, everything will fall into place."

Ye Yingtao thought about it and agreed.

She was somewhat resentful, "This is what a marginal team is like. Even our coaches and leaders have no say."

Perhaps, only when they stand in the champion's position will their coaches and leaders gain more say.

Meng Yingying nodded, "Continue practicing Yimeng Ode. I will come to the practice room to practice Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers alone after midnight."

This means they'll have to work hard behind the scenes.

"I'll go with you?"

"Need not."

Meng Yingying shook her head and said, "I can practice by myself."

At midnight, just as she had agreed during the day, she waited until all her roommates were asleep before slowly getting up and tiptoeing to the practice room.

The practice room was quiet at midnight.

Just when Meng Yingying thought there would be no one around, she unexpectedly ran into Shen Qiuyue and Tong Jialan here.

Both of them were practicing intensely.

Tong Jialan was performing the Manchu court dance "Qingfeng Xiangling," and she was wearing platform shoes. When the platform shoes stepped on the spring pine floor, they made a clattering sound.

It sounds really good.

Shen Qiuyue was practicing Butterfly Loves Flowers, her posture was very graceful, and she was very focused on the thirty-two fouetté turns in ballet.

Meng Yingying arrived at this moment. As soon as she entered, Shen Qiuyue and Tong Jialan both looked over.

The two gradually stopped their movements and eventually came to a halt.

Meng Yingying was somewhat surprised and asked, "You're here too?"

She thought that if she secretly came to work hard at midnight, she would be the only one there.

Tong Jialan stopped and ran over on her flowerpot shoes. "The competition is in two days. Qiuya and I are under a lot of pressure and can't sleep at all."

"I simply practiced from 11:30 pm to 1:30 am every night."

Practice for two hours more than others.

Shen Qiuyue seemed a little unhappy that Tong Jialan had revealed their secret practice.

"Alright, Qiuya, even if I don't say anything, Meng Yingying will see it herself if she secretly jumps with us."

Meng Yingying hummed in agreement. She could still talk to Tong Jialan, but when it came to Shen Qiuyue, she really had nothing to say.

After nodding, she turned around and went to practice the "Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers" technique.

Shen Qiuyue bit her lip, unable to concentrate. She had no choice but to give up practicing. She ran to Meng Yingying, took a deep breath, and gritted her teeth, vowing, "Meng Yingying, I will beat you!"

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Author's note: There will be more this afternoon, everyone!