Chapter 89 It's Not Your Problem
Outside the door, Li Chuyue, who was listening to the entire conversation, felt an uncontrollable chill all over her body. Her complicated eyes were fixed on the tightly closed office door in front of her. Through the narrow crack in the door, she seemed to still be able to imagine the harmony and intimacy inside at the moment.
Her heart seemed to be tugged at by an invisible force. Sorrow and indignation, injustice and unwillingness... It was hard to describe the suffocation that welled up in her heart. So many anxious emotions mixed together...
Li Chuyue breathed lightly, her expression dazed. She knew clearly that Mengmeng and Teacher Qi had never avoided anyone in their relationship. Mengmeng had never been proud of her parents and had never taken any shortcuts. No matter what selection or competition it was, Mengmeng was open and honest.
But at this moment, she still felt indescribably uncomfortable, like a shriveled sponge that had been drenched by a rainstorm and then exposed to the scorching sun. She just wanted to quickly escape from this suffocating place and not see Ren Limeng who was about to show off her spirits.
The fluctuating emotions followed the intimacy of Ren Limeng and Qi Yunxi's laughter and joy, and finally turned into a lonely figure leaving.
Ren Limeng and Li Chuyue lived in the same dormitory, which was a six-person room. Except for Yan Fangshu who was a day student and only took naps in the dormitory, everyone could only go home on weekends. Many children like Li Chuyue who came to the county to study did not even go home all year round. Their whole world was filled with training and study.
"Yueyue, why are you here? Let's go. I thought you would be waiting for me at the door. Teacher Qi said that my parents will not be at home tomorrow weekend. Do you want to come to my house and play?"
Ren Limeng found Li Chuyue stretching her legs in the training room. It was already six o'clock in the afternoon, and they were about to go to the class for evening self-study. In the drama school, they not only had to practice acting, but also had to take care of academic studies. Ren Limeng was a little surprised by Li Chuyue's sudden training. She leaned against the door with her arms folded, looking at Li Chuyue who was looking down at her toes.
"No, I'll be staying at school this weekend. Why are you in the training room? Are you here to practice Peach Blossom Fan?"
"Why would I train for that?! I almost threw up from training before the challenge. My muscles have already been trained, enough for next Friday. I came to find you. The school is so small, I guessed you were here. Hehe, am I smart?"
Ren Limeng didn't notice the abnormality in Li Chuyue's eyes. She looked at Li Chuyue with a smile, and continued to seduce her unwillingly, "Then I'll go to Fangfang's house on the weekend, Yueyue, it's the weekend! Don't you really want to go out and play? The cafeteria only has the same few dishes every day, and they're not very tasty. How about we go to Meixiang for lunch together? I'll treat you and Fangfang! Anyway, my mom..."
"Anyway, your mother is an actress at the Meixiang Theater, a mainstay! She can keep accounts with a card, Mengmeng, you've said it many times!"
Li Chuyue interrupted Ren Limeng's smiling words somewhat rudely. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down and not lose control.
"Yueyue...are you in a bad mood?"
Ren Limeng's smile froze. She stood up straight, a look of bewilderment on her face. She was anxiously thinking, had she said something wrong when she said she'd treat them? Had she accidentally hurt Yueyue's pride?
They had been studying opera together for so long that they knew more or less about each other's family situation. Ren Limeng didn't do it on purpose. She just wanted to have a good meal with her good friend on the weekend. She thought that if she invited Yan Fangshu, Li Chuyue wouldn't think too much about it.
The canteen of the drama school only has a few windows, and the food is the same every day without any novelty. However, the canteen of the Meixiang Theater next door has three floors. Not only does it have a variety of self-service meals, rice and flour cakes and other regular windows, but it also serves stir-fry, hot pot, barbecue, etc., and even the Western food is not inferior to that of a Western restaurant.
But Ren Limeng still quickly walked in front of Li Chuyue, with some guilt in her eyes, and tried to pull up Li Chuyue's right arm with both hands, "I'm sorry, Yueyue, I was wrong..."
"It's not your problem!"
Li Chuyue subconsciously retracted her hand and wanted to pull her arm back, but when she looked up at Ren Limeng, who had a pure and innocent face, and saw her nervous and annoyed eyes, she finally froze for a moment.
She felt depressed. It wasn't Ren Limeng's problem, nor was it her problem. So... whose problem was it?
"...I'm fine, it's just that the end of the semester is almost here, and I've been having trouble mastering the movements in this play. I'm afraid I'll fail the exam."
Ren Limeng looked at Li Chuyue, whose eyes were red, with a worried look on her face. She gently hugged Li Chuyue tightly in her arms, pretending to be lively and comforting her repeatedly.
"Don't worry, you've practiced plenty of times, so there's no problem! Besides, I'm here for you. I'll practice with you again this weekend. There's still more than half a month until the finals, so with me here, it won't be a problem!"
Ren Limeng had originally planned to spend the weekend at Yan Fangshu's house, except for meals and sleeping, and spend the rest of her time practicing acting with Li Chuyue. However, on Saturday afternoon, Li Chuyue suddenly rejected her.
"What's wrong?"
Bringing cake snacks made by Yan Fangshu's mother, Shen Yiran, Ren Limeng and Yan Fangshu came to the drama school training room hand in hand, ready to practice with Li Chuyue.
Ren Limeng's family and Yan Fangshu's family are very familiar with each other. Yan Fangshu's father, Yan Xunli, is also an actor at the Meixiang Theater, and his mother, Chen Yiren, is a logistics staff member of the theater. The division of labor between the two, "men work outside and women work inside", has always made Ren Limeng envious since childhood.
Her parents are often not at home because they are busy with work, but Yan Fangshu's mother, Shen Yiran, is always at home to accompany Yan Fangshu and cooks lots of delicious food. The two families are neighbors, and Ren Limeng often stays at Yan Fangshu's house all year round. She feels that she is half a daughter of Shen Yiran, and has long called her "godmother" with a smile.
"Mengmeng, Fangfang, you don't have to come all the way here, thank you! I'll be having final exams soon... I've gained almost two kilograms recently, so I need to watch my weight. Take these food back with you! Thank Aunt Shen for me, too."
"It's okay. We have to practice anyway. There's a big mirror in the training room. My mom told me that 'Peach Blossom Fan' has been picked up by the provincial government and looks like it could be nominated for a national award. So, can you guys get accepted to the drama academy? Why are you still practicing for the finals?"
Yan Fangshu picked up two pieces of cake from the bag, handed them to Ren Limeng first, and then started eating. She and Ren Limeng sat on the lounge chairs on the side of the training room, and no one left directly because of Li Chuyue's refusal.
They have known each other for many years and are so familiar with each other that they all know that Li Chuyue is just embarrassed and feels that she has troubled them. Similar things have happened many times over the years. Even though both of them have expressed many times that they don't care, Li Chuyue is often still cautious. They respect this caution, but they will also tacitly "cross the line" and run into Li Chuyue's life with a smile.
"Don't even mention it! I'm speechless just thinking about it. Teacher Qi said there's going to be an audition next Friday, and Yueyue and I have to choose one. It's our Peach Blossom Fan, but only one of us can participate. I really want to curse. How could they do such a shameless thing?"
Ren Limeng took a big bite of the cake, looking indignant.
"Huh? What the hell?"
Yan Fangshu sat up straight and looked at Ren Limeng, who had already started to complain non-stop. After listening to Ren Limeng's exaggerated version of the story, she couldn't help but frown, "What a trick! I won't act anymore. Who cares about the award!"
"But... school is difficult, and we will cause trouble for Teacher Qi and the others."
Li Chuyue finally stopped practicing. She pursed her lips and sat to the left of Yan Fangshu. Subconsciously, she looked at Ren Limeng who was sitting on her right and continued to persuade her, "We can just refuse directly, but it would be difficult for the teachers to do so being caught in the middle. Teacher Qi also has a point. It would be too rash for us to act on our anger."
Li Chuyue clenched her hands and looked at Ren Limeng who was listening to her nonchalantly. She finally mustered up the courage to speak out her inner voice, "Mengmeng, let's have a fair fight!"
Noticing that Ren Limeng's eyebrows were slightly raised, as if with confusion, Li Chuyue pursed her lips and slowly but firmly stared into Ren Limeng's eyes, "This is also a good opportunity. Having teachers from the theater serve as judges will be very helpful for our improvement. You... don't have to let me, let's have a good competition!"
From the drama troupe in elementary school to the drama school in middle school, Li Chuyue has always been in the same class with Ren Limeng and Yan Fangshu. Ren Limeng almost always ranks first in the class exams.
Li Chuyue knew in her heart that what Teacher Qi said in the office yesterday was true. Ren Limeng's level has always been above hers, above the same grade in the school, and even above the same age group.
But in order to maintain good results, she spent all day in the training room, not daring to slack off year after year. Those efforts should not be forgotten.
Li Chuyue recalled the past when Ren Limeng often practiced acting with her. Although they were training in the same content, Ren Limeng could always grasp the emotions between the lines faster than her and grasp the details of the movements better.
She knew that Ren Limeng, who was born into a family of opera, was more talented and had been influenced by it since childhood, but she... was unwilling to accept it!
She obviously worked so hard, immersing her whole body and soul in opera!
Li Chuyue wanted to try again. The admission quota was so precious, she wanted to try her best to compete with Ren Limeng.
"Yueyue, are you serious?"
Noticing the seriousness in Li Chuyue's eyes, Ren Limeng's eyes flashed with surprise at the words that did not sound like a joke. Then she frowned slightly and looked seriously into Li Chuyue's eyes.
"First of all, I must say that I've never given in to you, not even considered it, because you're excellent, Yueyue. Don't underestimate yourself! I wasn't serious about the Peach Blossom Fan because I didn't understand the so-called 'decision from above,' so I admit I did want to slack off. But Yueyue, if you want to take this opportunity to compete with me in a fair fight, no problem! I'll definitely give it my all!"
Ren Limeng's smile was bright and warm, and the training room recovered from the sudden silence and stagnant atmosphere.
"Whoever loses is not allowed to cry! Fangfang, you must be our witness. This is a rare opportunity for a hearty match, and whoever wins gets to treat us! Don't break your promise!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
