steadily
The day after returning to Yi'an, Yang Zheng took Shen Anxia to meet Zhang Shumang, the head of the Yi'an Dance Troupe. Upon seeing Shen Anxia, Zhang Shumang immediately grabbed her hands and sat her down, excitedly looking her up and down: "I've finally met you in person!"
"Commander Zhang, hello. I've wanted to visit you for a long time, but I've only just finished the formalities." Shen Anxia said humbly and sincerely.
Zhang Shumang still held Shen Anxia's hands tightly and asked kindly, "Have all the formalities for Xinfeng been completed?"
"Yes, it's all taken care of. I've come to visit Commander Zhang right away today." Shen Anxia said with a smile.
"Hey, stop calling me 'Zhang Tuan' and just call me 'sister'!"
Shen Anxia readily agreed: "Sister."
"Hey! Anxia, you have no idea, I've watched all your performance videos online. Ever since our dance troupe was just starting out, I've wanted to recruit you. I asked so many people but it didn't work out. Then one day, the higher-ups suddenly said they had recruited you. I was so happy. I asked you several times when you could come. Today, I've finally waited for you."
Shen Anxia smiled and said, "Thank you for giving me this opportunity, sister."
"When can I start work?" Zhang Shumang asked.
Shen Anxia thought for a moment and said, "Tomorrow?"
"Can't we do it today?" Zhang Shumang asked anxiously.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Shumang was in such a hurry. Shen Anxia glanced at Yang Zheng in surprise, and seeing Yang Zheng silently smiling with his hand on his forehead, she turned back to Zhang Shumang and nodded: "Today is fine too."
Following Shen Anxia's gaze, Zhang Shumang looked at Yang Zheng standing to the side and asked, "This must be the legendary Little Yang!"
Yang Zheng, who hadn't been able to say a word since entering the room, finally found a chance to speak and said to Zhang Shumang, "Sister Zhang, it's me, Yang Zheng."
Zhang Shumang then took a good look at Yang Zheng and smiled, "He is indeed a handsome man." Then she looked at Shen Anxia and said, "Anxia, let's go and complete the formalities, and then we can discuss the follow-up work."
Shen Anxia nodded: "Okay."
"Xiao Yang, you go back first. I drove here, so I'll take Anxia directly to the regiment for a visit." Zhang Shumang pulled Shen Anxia to her feet and prepared to leave.
"Sister Zhang," Yang Zheng hurriedly called out to Zhang Shumang, "An Xia injured her ankle and can't dance for a while."
Zhang Shumang was startled and quickly looked at Shen Anxia's ankle. Then she noticed that Shen Anxia also had injuries on her knee and arm. She asked, "What happened?"
"I tripped and twisted my ankle, but it's nothing serious, I didn't break any bones."
Zhang Shumang thought for a moment and suggested, "Then let's go to the troupe first, get the formalities done, and then I'll introduce you to the people in the troupe. We'll make some adjustments to your work recently, so you won't be participating in performances for now. Instead, you can cooperate with the troupe's publicity work, which will help you avoid high-intensity activities and prevent further injury."
With Zhang Shumang having made suitable arrangements, Yang Zheng did not refuse again, and Shen Anxia smiled brightly: "Please trouble Sister Zhang to make the arrangements for me."
Zhang Shumang patted Shen Anxia's hand: "From now on, we'll be working together more often than we'll be with our families, so this is only natural."
Shen Anxia looked at Yang Zheng: "Then, will you pick me up after get off work?"
Seeing that Zhang Shumang genuinely liked An Xia, Yang Zheng felt a slight sense of relief. He had been worried that An Xia wouldn't adapt well to the new environment she had been in. He could also understand Zhang Shumang's desire for An Xia to get to work as soon as possible, and smiled, "Okay, I'll pick you up after get off work."
Zhang Shumang quickly stopped Yang Zheng: "Xiao Yang, we definitely need to have a welcome dinner for An Xia after get off work. Eating and having fun together will help strengthen our relationship. I'll take her home after we're done."
Shen Anxia was stunned: "..."
Seeing that Zhang Shumang wanted to take on all the delivery work, Yang Zheng laughed and said, "Sister Zhang, Anxia has finally come back, so I have to fulfill my responsibilities as her boyfriend. You guys have fun, and I'll come back to pick up Anxia when it's almost over."
The lingering fear from before still haunted Yang Zheng; he was truly worried about having someone else escort Shen Anxia.
Zhang Shumang said cheerfully, "That's fine then, I'll show Anxia around."
Yi'an Dance Troupe enjoys a prime location, situated on the edge of the city center. Perhaps due to its recent establishment, unlike the antique charm of Xinfeng Dance Troupe, Yi'an Dance Troupe is all about fashion and modernity, from its architectural style to its promotional methods to its logo, exuding youthful vitality.
As soon as she entered, Shen Anxia noticed several people hiding in the corner of the corridor, seemingly there specifically to see her.
Zhang Shumang also noticed these people and said to Shen Anxia with some helplessness, "They are all your fans. They heard you were coming, so they probably couldn't continue rehearsing and are crowding over there to watch."
Shen Anxia was never a social butterfly. In the past six months, her online popularity had been a source of trouble for her. She realized that as a dancer, she could indeed benefit from the popularity of online traffic, but she knew her own direction and would not blindly follow the crowd. However... now that she had returned to Yi'an, she could not rely on Yang Zheng to plan for her forever. She had to maintain many relationships herself.
Fortunately, her work experience over the past year has helped her escape the ranks of the "socially anxious" group. The social skills she has learned are enough to handle various situations. If she encounters something she can't solve or doesn't want to solve, her parents and Yang Zheng are there for her. Thinking of this, Shen Anxia paused for a moment while filling out the form. She had unconsciously included Yang Zheng in the scope of her family. Although she was still not quite used to relying on him for everything, she had actually done so.
After filling out the form, Shen Anxia handed it to her colleague Huang Lan in the HR department. She also gave Huang Lan the files and other documents that she had with her. Upon seeing the social security documents, Huang Lan said to Shen Anxia, "Give me this one in about a month. At that time, you will be able to directly process the work seniority transfer. I will also need your signature."
“Okay.” Shen Anxia took back her social security documents.
“It will take three days to make the name tag. I’ll bring it to you when it’s done,” Huang Lan said, handing Shen Anxia a stamped copy of the employment contract. “There are three copies of the contract.”
Shen Anxia accepted the contract and expressed her gratitude.
"The company provides employee meals, but currently only lunch is provided. Breakfast and dinner are said to be provided by the end of this year. The meal fee is 200 yuan per month, which will be deducted from the salary. Do you want to sign up?" Huang Lan asked.
"Can I register anytime?"
"Yes, but 200 will be deducted every month, so it's better to register at the beginning of the month."
Shen Anxia thought for a moment. There were still a few days left in the month, and she had just returned to Yi'an and was not yet used to everything. She decided to postpone her application for lunch. She said to Huang Lan, "I will postpone my application for now."
Huang Lan nodded: "Then Zhang Tuan and I will take you to meet your colleagues."
Zhang Shumang asked, "Is everything done?"
Huang Lan hummed in agreement: "It's done."
The three of them walked out of the office together. As Zhang Shumang introduced the group, she said, "Anxia, our group is newly established, so it is definitely not as perfect as the newly established Feng. You have seen more, so if there is anything that can help us improve rapidly, just tell me. That way, we can surpass others in the shortest amount of time."
Shen Anxia said with delight, "I really didn't expect our group to be so well-organized. It's clear you've put a lot of thought into it."
Zhang Shumang was overjoyed: "Tomorrow we'll start media promotion, fire the first shot, and before long our group will be famous and become more and more popular."
Shen Anxia also smiled and said, "It will definitely prosper."
"Yes! Things are thriving!"
As Zhang Shumang and Huang Lan watched the troupe's rehearsal in the rehearsal room for a while, Shen Anxia's heartfelt appreciation and professional praise made the girls beam with joy. By the time of the evening gathering, everyone had become noticeably more familiar with each other, clinking glasses, laughing, chasing, and having a great time. Shen Anxia even drank several bottles of cocktails with everyone, feeling dizzy but trying her best to stay sober.
When the event ended, Yang Zheng was already waiting outside the door.
After saying goodbye to everyone, Yang Zheng took Shen Anxia directly back to Peacock City.
Shen Anxia fell asleep halfway there. When the car was parked, Yang Zheng carried Shen Anxia out. Shen Anxia was very drunk. She leaned against Yang Zheng's chest and smelled the familiar scent of strawberry shower gel. She opened her eyes slightly, saw Yang Zheng, and then closed them again. She snuggled against him a couple of times, found a comfortable position, and put her arms around his neck.
Yang Zheng opened the door, carried Shen Anxia upstairs, and placed her on her own bed.
Yang Zheng walked to the coffee table next to him, poured himself a glass of water, took out the hangover medicine he had bought on the way, and then helped Shen Anxia up to lean on his shoulder. His tone was as gentle as when they first met: "Anxia, drink the hangover medicine."
Shen Anxia obediently drank the medicine, leaned against Yang Zheng, and said with some unclear speech: "Yang Zheng, it's a good thing you're here, otherwise my parents would be dreaming of picking me up and scolding me if they saw me drunk like this."
Yang Zheng held Shen Anxia, who was as soft as a milk cake, tightly in his arms, afraid that she was uncomfortable, and asked, "Are you feeling very unwell?"
Shen Anxia nodded drunkenly: "I feel unwell."
Do you feel nauseous?
"I want to take a shower, I feel sticky."
It turns out it was because the stickiness was uncomfortable.
"Yang Zheng," Shen Anxia called out to him groggily.
"Um?"
"I think I'm too old."
Yang Zheng: "..."
What is An Xia saying? Who is she comparing herself to? If she is old, then isn't she old, being five years older than An Xia?
"What are you talking about?" Yang Zheng asked inquiringly.
Shen Anxia felt dizzy and tried to express herself incoherently: "Before, in Xinfeng... it was okay. The dancers in Yi'an were only about twenty years old on average. I... am too old."
It turned out that the people in the dance troupe were young. Yang Zheng said, "In a few years, they will be the same age as you."
Shen Anxia thought about it carefully and felt that Yang Zheng made sense, so she stopped worrying about the matter that had been bothering her all night. However, the stickiness on her body still made her irritable, and she said somewhat resistantly, "I don't like socializing."
Yang Zheng felt a little sorry for her and coaxed her, "Then we won't socialize anymore."
“But you have to get used to it eventually,” Shen Anxia said in a muffled tone.
Yang Zheng sighed softly.
There are some things he can bear for Shen Anxia, but there are some things he simply cannot do for her. But whenever this happens, he is always enveloped by a feeling that is neither anxiety nor worry nor helplessness, and his chest aches slightly. Knowing that there is no solution to this problem, he has to force himself to slowly adapt.
"Yang Zheng," Shen Anxia called him again in a low, buzzing voice.
"I'm here." Yang Zheng noticed that Shen Anxia would keep giving her opinions after drinking, so he listened attentively to what Shen Anxia was about to say.
I like you.
"..."
Yang Zheng hadn't finished processing the emotions he had just suppressed when he was suddenly confessed to. He was a little incredulous and, after a moment of confusion, he quickly helped Shen Anxia up, wanting to ask her what was going on. But he saw that she had already fallen asleep again after saying those words.
"Anxia?" Yang Zheng gently shook her, trying to bring her back to her senses.
Shen Anxia rolled over and fell directly off Yang Zheng's arms. Yang Zheng quickly caught her upper body, which was about to lose its balance, and gently laid her flat.
Yang Zheng sighed and muttered to himself helplessly, "He only said half of what he wanted to say, and didn't even give the other person a chance to confess."
Then I remembered that Shen Anxia had said before that she felt sticky and uncomfortable all over.
He went into the bathroom and searched for a while before finding Shen Anxia's makeup remover wipes. He remembered that Shen Anxia would use these wipes to clean off sunscreen and makeup base before washing her face.
I removed her makeup, mimicking Shen Anxia's style, and then used a hot towel to wipe her arms and legs.
Glancing at the pajamas hanging nearby, Yang Zheng felt it wasn't quite appropriate to help her change, given the different circumstances compared to before.
Fortunately, the outfit she wore today won't make her too tired to sleep in.
After tucking her in, adjusting the air conditioner temperature, and turning on the nightlight, Yang Zheng closed the door and went back to his own room.
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