Chapter 87 Retreat, retreat, retreat!
"oh?"
Shen Xingzhi raised his thick eyebrows and glanced at Ren Limeng with a smile. The silver spear in his right hand was spinning casually at Shen Xingzhi's fingertips, drawing lazy arcs in the air at will.
"Brother Guan He, stop joking~"
Ren Limeng's eyes were not on Shen Xingzhi. Her calm face was covered with a generous smile, and beneath her joking words was a serious explanation.
Guan He’s seemingly ambiguous answer is too unclear. Could it be that Guan He also wants to create a couple relationship with her?
Guan He will definitely regret it after seeing Shen Xingzhi's "special" behavior of being so close yet so distant to her. The gossip and scandal between her and Shen Xingzhi have been on the hot search for the past two weeks. It really takes a lot of courage for Guan He to hype it up like this.
Ren Limeng sighed inwardly. She only wanted to collaborate with Guan He on a stage performance of an opera. Apart from the collaboration, she had no intention of being on the hot search again. Regardless of whether Guan He had ulterior motives, she now had only one thought - don't get close to me!
Be it Chen Xingzhi or Guan He, get out of her way!
Ren Limeng casually picked up the double-headed gun beside her. The double-headed gun jumped and flew in her hand. The movements in her palm were casual and familiar. The double-headed gun fluttered like a colorful butterfly in her careless hands, light and graceful.
Chen Xingzhi's eyes couldn't help but look at Ren Limeng's white palms with distinct finger bones. Her skin was as white as warm porcelain and as white as jade, but her movements were graceful and powerful, and her full control was hidden.
"Teacher Li Meng, did you use two guns before? Your movements are very beautiful!"
"After practicing for a while, Teacher Han, you can just call me Li Meng. Chu Yue and I were classmates before, so there's no need to be so unfamiliar with each other!"
"Okay, then don't call me Teacher Han. I just heard from the theater that you, Li Meng, have such a deep background in opera. I'm a little overwhelmed by the title Teacher Han. I'm really in awe. Just call me Han Tai."
Opera background?
Ren Limeng smiled without changing her expression, but she felt that she had heard some hidden meaning. Han Tai's eyes were a little strange. Ren Limeng thought, he should be referring not only to her growth experience of studying opera since she was a child, but also to her family, her parents who came from a family of opera performers.
"Han Tai brother."
In front of the camera, Ren Limeng just continued to smile, lowered her eyes and waved the double-headed gun between her fingers. The extremely sharp double-headed gun in her hand seemed like a child's toy. Compared with the sharpness of opera performances, it was more rounded and elegant. Guan He, who was teaching Shen Xingzhi the movements next to him, paused unconsciously and fixed his eyes on Ren Limeng's hand.
"Guan He."
Shen Xingzhi was also a little distracted. To be precise, he felt that neither he nor Guan He was focusing on teaching. However, his expressionless face perfectly hid all his thoughts. Compared with Guan He, who was showing his emotions, he seemed even more indifferent and calm.
"I'm sorry, Brother Xingzhi!"
Guan He suddenly came back to his senses and apologized repeatedly. He scratched his head embarrassedly and subconsciously whispered in Shen Xingzhi's ear, "Li Meng's movements are so beautiful."
Guan He's attention was still unconsciously looking at the graceful Ren Limeng, and he didn't notice that Shen Xingzhi's eyes suddenly turned cold. "Do you like Limeng?"
Chen Xingzhi's cold voice was like the biting cold wind in winter, but it also carried a subtle induction and reminder. Guan He's thoughts were suddenly exposed, and he shuddered all over. He immediately withdrew his gaze in panic, and when he turned his head, he met Chen Xingzhi's deep and pond-like scrutiny. He was startled and subconsciously looked around at the scene that was still being recorded.
Everyone else was chatting and practicing the basic movements of Huangmei Opera, as if no one noticed his conversation with Shen Xingzhi, but the rye around his waist was heavy, and the silence of the focused camera could not be ignored.
How should he answer Shen Xingzhi's question?
Guan He smiled bitterly in his heart, somewhat understanding the slightly complicated look in Ren Limeng's eyes when she mentioned Chen Xing last night. He wanted to ask Chen Xingzhi the same question in return, but thinking of Chen Xingzhi's status in the circle, Guan He could only sigh in his heart.
He can't afford to offend.
"Who doesn't like sparkling people? Whether it's you and Sister Chen Xi singing, or Li Meng at this moment, I like them all."
Guan He smiled and ignored Shen Xingzhi's question, with a look of sincerity and yearning, and quickly got away with it.
After the little episode, the recording lasted until 7:30 in the evening and finally finished. Shen Xingzhi and the other three decided to gather for training at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning.
"Li Meng, do you want to go back to the B&B together or go with your friend?"
Chen Xi looked at Yan Fangshu who was looking at them from behind the monitor. Ren Limeng was waving slightly at Yan Fangshu, her eyes full of joy at getting off work.
"Thank you for your concern, Sister Chen Xi. I...will see if I can go back on my own!"
Ren Limeng plans to discuss with the program crew. Mei City is not Lin City. They are in the city center, not a small mountain town. Since the main recording has ended, as a Mei City native, she wants to take the opportunity to go home. She believes that the program crew will not be so unkind.
Before Ren Limeng could walk over, Li Ming had already walked towards the scene.
"Dear guest teachers, those who want to go back with the car can go back first. If you want to visit the night view of Meishi, please tell the program team in advance. We will send staff to follow you. Please pay attention to safety and report any hidden camera photography in a timely manner."
Chen Xi and Ren Limeng chatted for a while, and Shen Xingzhi had quietly walked behind the camera and had a brief discussion with Li Ming about the evening recording. Li Ming was a little hesitant at first, but finally compromised when he saw Shen Xingzhi's deep eyes. Although the program was recorded 24 hours a day, the guests were not machines, and in many cases, the program crew would turn a blind eye.
Ren Limeng was slightly stunned, and she raised her eyelids slightly to look at Chen Xingzhi on the side. Some guesses arose in her mind, but in the end she just smiled and walked towards Li Ming to report her evening schedule.
Ren Limeng changed back into her regular clothes and handed the backpack to Yan Fangshu, "Fangfang, wait here for a moment. I'm going to the bathroom."
"Okay, do you want me to take you there?"
"No need, Meixiang, I'm familiar with you. Just wait for me in the elevator. It'll be quick!"
Ren Limeng lowered the dark blue baseball cap on her head and walked quickly to the women's restroom on the far right of the second floor of the theater. There were many rooms and exhibition halls on each floor of the theater, and the corridors were winding.
Although people have urgent needs, she will not go to the toilet unless necessary during the long recording process, and will even consciously reduce her liquid intake before recording.
When Ren Limeng walked out of the bathroom, she felt a sense of joy at having finished get off work completely. Looking at the once familiar theater corridor, she slowed down her pace and glanced at the stills hanging on the walls on both sides.
The corridors of Meixiang Theater have always had the traditional custom of hanging performance photos. When she was a child, she knew every photo on every floor like the back of her hand, but now they seem a little unfamiliar to her. She has not seen many plays and has not seen many people either.
"Mengmeng..."
Li Chuyue walked around the corner of the corridor and saw Ren Limeng walking quietly by the wall at first sight. Even though she was wearing a low-key black casual outfit and her baseball cap covered most of her eyebrows and eyes, Li Chuyue recognized her immediately just by looking at her posture.
Li Chuyue stopped and stood at the corner two paintings away from Ren Limeng. Ren Limeng looked at her, her eyes slightly stunned, and the two of them stared at each other in silence.
This was the first time they had spent time together in private today. There was no pretense of politeness in front of the camera. After so many years, Li Chuyue's steps suddenly became heavy. She clenched her hands unconsciously into a ball at her sides, and hesitated to move forward, biting the corners of her lips.
"Chu Yue, congratulations, you performed Peach Blossom Fan very well today!"
"......Thanks."
It was still Ren Limeng who spoke with a smile. She slowly walked to Li Chuyue's side, but apart from polite greetings, they seemed to not know how to get along with each other, and an awkward atmosphere quietly spread in the air.
"Well... Fangfang and I have a dinner date, so I'll be leaving first."
Ren Limeng pointed to the source behind Li Chuyue, spoke calmly, and prepared to leave.
Li Chuyue looked at the calm Ren Limeng, then suddenly lowered her eyes and spoke softly, "Meng... Limeng, I'm sorry."
For so many years, she has always owed her an "I'm sorry". Many things can gradually move forward with time, but the memories of them can never go back to the past -
Winter 2019
"Ren Limeng, Li Chuyue, I'm calling you here for that matter. Didn't you win the championship in last year's Opera Fenghua Challenge? The province has officially decided to re-stage your final performance of 'Peach Blossom Fan' and submit it for awards and exhibitions. However... our city can only send one person, and the other must be selected from the neighboring Zhushi Opera School."
In the drama school office, Qi Yunxi, the homeroom teacher of Ren Limeng and Li Chuyue, looked at them with a guilty look on his face and hesitated to speak. Last year's Opera Style Challenge was not only the first time that a Meishi Huangmei Opera was named champion, but it was also a new breakthrough in the youth awards in the entire Jingchu drama community. The province attached great importance to it, but because it attached so much importance to it, many things had to be considered more.
"This is our play, why do we have to include outsiders? If you want to play yourself, go and participate in the competition! If you were timid on the field, what's the point of picking peaches now?"
While Li Chuyue was stunned, Ren Limeng's brows knitted together, and she couldn't help but complain, "Teacher Qi, this play was clearly rehearsed and submitted by our school. We put in so much effort, how come it suddenly became a collaborative performance?"
"What it means."
Qi Yunxi looked at the two bright girls in front of him, hesitant slightly, but still vaguely explained the deeper reasons. "As you know, our city's Huangmei Opera is the most outstanding. The higher-ups hope we can lead other cities. Only when the opera market in each city prospers can Huangmei Opera become better... Anyway, we've been striving for a long time, but in the end, you can only send one person."
"Whoever you like can go up there!"
Ren Limeng spoke with a playful smile, her eyes showing indifference. Qi Yunxi thought of her mentor Wu Murong, sighed with a headache, and continued patiently.
"This play is very likely to win a national award. According to the current college entrance examination rules, whoever stars in it will be directly admitted to a Chinese opera university. I know you are all very talented, but there is only one chance to take the Chinese opera art exam, and no one can guarantee that they will perform at their best on the spot. Li Meng, don't be so careless and take it lightly!"
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