In the auditorium of the 718th Army, the performance was nearing its end.
The announcer walked to the front of the stage and said in a spirited and passionate voice:
"Now, please enjoy the female solo performance of 'Mountain Rhododendron'!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers in the audience burst into thunderous applause.
This song is so popular not only because of its beautiful lyrics and pleasant melody, but also because it is an insert song in the movie "The Red Star" which was released only two years ago.
As an excellent patriotic war film, it has been screened in military districts of all provinces and cities. Set against the backdrop of the Second Revolutionary Civil War, it tells the touching story of "Party's child" Pan Dongzi, who receives education and help from the Party in harsh and difficult environments, battles with the local tyrant Hu Hansan, and gradually grows into a young revolutionary hero.
Many soldiers were moved to tears while watching the movie, and the beautiful melodies interspersed in the movie were sung by everyone in the army.
The sound engineer heard the thunderous applause coming from the front backstage, and couldn't help but worry for Shao Jingque.
This song is so popular that if she fails to sing it properly, the negative impact will be even greater.
Shao Jingque stood calmly behind the curtain, raised the corners of his mouth to reveal a standard smile, nodded to Master Sun, and then walked onto the stage with ease.
As soon as she appeared, the soldiers below couldn't help but exclaimed -
This singer is so beautiful!
She is tall, with fair skin, a pair of big watery eyes that seem to be able to speak, and a small mouth as red as a cherry on the tree, which makes her feel sweet to the heart. Her black braids are thick and long, hanging by her ears, adding a bit of girlish beauty.
Yao Wenbin, the head of the Cadre Section, quietly nudged his friend with his elbow:
"Oh, this girl is so pretty!"
Lu Zhan frowned and pushed him away without leaving a trace:
"Watch your words and actions. If you're like this and you're still doing cadre evaluations, I think you'll be the first one to fail."
Yao Wenbin was choked by the rebuke, glanced around, and sat up straighter, imitating Lu Zhan's behavior, muttering unconvincedly:
"You're just too rigid and stiff at all times. We should have different mental outlooks in different occasions. Why should we be so serious when watching a performance..."
After he finished speaking, he saw Lu Zhan staring at the stage without paying any attention to him, and he secretly complained in his heart:
"You say I'm not up to standard, but you're the one who's staring at pretty girls!"
In fact, when Lu Zhan learned that an art troupe would come to the military region to perform today, he thought of Shao Jingque, but he was not sure whether she would come, let alone whether she would perform on stage.
It was a rare opportunity for him to watch the performance carefully for the entire afternoon. Every time an actor appeared on stage, he would unconsciously search for Shao Jingque's figure. Although he had some expectations in his heart, when he saw Shao Jingque's stunning appearance, his usually steady heart couldn't help but beat faster.
Lu Zhan tried hard to maintain his composure on the surface, ignoring the little movements of his friends around him, his attention completely attracted by the shining Shao Jingque on the stage.
She's a singer...
Accompanied by melodious accompaniment, Shao Jingque amazed everyone as soon as he opened his mouth.
Her voice is clear, sweet, yet graceful, and her low singing is filled with rich emotions, as if bringing the scenes of the movie to everyone's eyes again.
Many young soldiers stared blankly at the girl on the stage, their faces flushed and their eyes full of admiration.
Even Political Commissar Liu, who was sitting in the first row, couldn't help but nod slightly, and looked at Shao Jingque with admiration in his eyes.
Qiao Yulan, who was hiding backstage waiting to see Shao Jingque make a fool of himself, was stunned. It took her half a minute to come back to her senses. She rushed to the sound engineer and asked loudly:
"Master Sun! Who is helping her sing?! How dare you lie in front of the military district leaders? Aren't you afraid of making a mistake?!"
Master Sun was listening with rapt attention when Qiao Yulan's sharp voice suddenly interrupted his reverie. He replied unhappily:
"What are you yelling about? Who's cheating? This is Xiao Shao singing it himself!"
"Impossible! I don't believe it! There must be someone singing behind the scenes! I'm going to expose you!"
Listening to the applause and cheers coming from the front desk from time to time, Qiao Yulan was almost furious. She reached out and pulled the other wires connected to the speakers. Teacher Sun and the others had never expected her to do this and had no time to stop her.
"Buzz—"
There was a sharp buzzing sound and the accompaniment stopped abruptly.
The soldiers in the audience didn't know what was going on. After two seconds of silence, whispers began to be heard everywhere.
Some of the normally daring new recruits even stood up, deliberately trying to attract attention:
"Don't be impatient, everyone. It's just a song, right? If you want to hear me sing one for you guys first!"
A group of brothers around him started to cheer and applaud, and the scene suddenly became a little chaotic.
Political Commissar Liu frowned. These new recruits had just arrived at the camp and had not been trained enough. If they relaxed a little, they would easily become complacent.
At this moment, a tall and straight figure stood up, his voice steady and commanding:
"All of them, sit down and keep quiet!"
As soon as his voice came out, the scene immediately became quiet.
On the stage, Shao Jingque, who had come back to his senses from his shock, looked in the direction of the voice, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes - it was Lu Zhan!
Lu Zhan happened to be looking at her, and their eyes met in the air unexpectedly.
Lu Zhan, who had a serious face just now, suddenly felt his face getting hot. The next second he avoided Shao Jingque's gaze and sat down with a stern face.
Yao Wenbin beside him winked at him:
"You're quite good, kid. You've already seized this opportunity to show off in front of such a beautiful woman. It seems I've really underestimated you."
"Hey, hey, look, that beautiful lady is smiling at you! Look!"
Lu Zhan tightened his lips. He was worried that Yao Wenbin would poke him again and he would really lose control of his expression. This feeling was really strange. He clearly didn't think what Yao Wenbin said, but he had to admit that he was inexplicably in a good mood at the moment.
Shao Jingque smiled sweetly in Lu Zhan's direction, which immediately made the soldiers in the audience dizzy.
She quickly recovered from her brief moment of shock, checked the microphone to see if there was still sound, and immediately came up with an idea:
"It's the middle of the night, looking forward to the dawn."
"In the cold winter, I long for the spring breeze."
"If you want to wait, the Red Army will come."
"Azaleas are blooming all over the hills."
Shao Jingque sang a cappella without any accompaniment. While singing, he walked down from the stage and came to the side of the soldiers.
Just as the soldiers were surprised and nervous, she walked over to the troublemaker who had just stood up and said with a smile:
"If you want to wait for the Red Army to come——"
Then he handed the microphone to the troublemaker's mouth, and this unintentional move made the troublemaker's tanned face turn red in an instant.
Shao Jingque smiled and nodded at him to show encouragement.
The troublemaker was like a chicken with blood, he made up his mind and went over to sing:
"Azaleas are blooming all over the hills—"
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