twenty four.
Chu Qingling's resolute departure was like a sudden cold snap that swept through the entire production team. The joy of the second ranking announcement was diluted, replaced by an indescribable sense of depression and regret.
Immediately afterwards, the tasks for the third performance were announced.
"The third performance - the original challenge!" Instructor Luo Wei stood on the stage and announced the new rules. "For this performance, there will no longer be a set repertoire. You will need to choose your own direction: original arrangement, original choreography, or original rap lyrics and music. Each direction will be guided by professional teachers, but the creativity and core of the performance will depend on you!"
As soon as the rules were announced, the audience erupted in an uproar! This challenge was more difficult than any previous one, completely testing the contestants' creative abilities and overall qualities.
During the selection session, the atmosphere was a bit dull.
The remaining three members of the "Swordsman" group—Mi Xi, Wu You, and Ruan Xu—almost subconsciously gathered together again. They were still missing one person.
"Let's... choose the choreography," Mi Xi began, her voice steady and reassuring. Choreography was their strongest area, and it would also best continue the rapport they'd built from "Swordsmanship."
Wuyou had no objection and nodded, but his expression was less lively than before.
Ruan Xu lowered his head, his eyes still red, and whispered "Okay" with a heavy nasal tone. He was truly heartbroken, not only because he had lost a strong teammate, but also because he had witnessed such a decisive departure, which made his heart ache.
At this moment, the tenth student in Class A, an individual trainee who excelled in choreography, took the initiative to come over.
"Teacher Mi Xi, Teacher Wu You, Ruan Xu, can I join you? I want to choose choreography." His attitude was very sincere.
The four-member team gathered again, but that cold figure was absent.
In the practice room
The new team began its first discussion, and the atmosphere was somewhat stagnant.
Ruan Xu sat in the corner, hugging her knees, clearly downcast, and barely speaking. Wu You tried to liven things up, but it wasn't effective. The new team members were also a bit reserved.
Mi Xi watched all this and knew that someone had to break this deadlock. He walked over to Ruan Xu, squatted down, and looked him in the eye.
"Ruan Xu," Mi Xi's voice was soft, but it reached his ears clearly. "Qing Ling chose to leave in order to pursue what he wanted. We should respect his choice."
Ruan Xu raised her head, her eyes red again: "But...my idol, he's alone...the penalty for breach of contract is so high..."
"That's his battle." Mi Xi patted his shoulder, her tone firm, "And our battle is here, on this stage. Carrying his seriousness and persistence on the stage, and going on together, is the best response to him. Do you want him to see us devastated because of him?"
Ruan Xu was stunned. Looking into Mi Xi's calm yet powerful eyes, she sniffed hard and nodded heavily: "...I understand! Idol! We will do better!"
On the other hand, the storm caused by Chu Qingling's departure is far from subsiding.
He deleted all of Xie Sui's contact information, including phone calls, WeChat, and even followers on various social media platforms. He did it cleanly and neatly, leaving no room for doubt.
Xie Sui used every possible means to search for him, but to no avail. Chu Qingling seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth, completely vanishing from his world. This complete loss of contact, more than any arguments or accusations, filled Xie Sui with panic and despair.
In the Xie family villa, Fu Li looked at his son's distraught look with bloodshot eyes, feeling distressed and angry.
"You feel bad now? What were you doing before?" Fu Li slammed the teacup on the table, his tone tinged with anger. "I've told you before, Lingling may look cold, but deep down, he's more stubborn than anyone! Those nonsense you said were like pushing him away! He doesn't even want LYRA anymore, he doesn't even want his identity as an artist! Are you satisfied?!"
Xie Sui sat on the sofa, his hands tucked into his hair. His throat tightened, unable to utter a single word. He had never regretted so much as he did now. He thought he had control over everything, but he couldn't control the fate of the person he had held in his heart since childhood.
"Mom... I can't find him..." Xie Sui's voice was hoarse, with a barely perceptible tremor.
Fu Li looked at him like this, and in the end, his heart ached and he sighed, "Give him some time, and give yourself some time too. Think carefully about what you really want. Once you figure it out, go get him back. But whether he forgives you or not by then is another matter."
"Chasing wife to the crematorium" is no longer a joke for Xie Sui, but a cold and cruel reality that he is experiencing.
The challenge of the three public performances has begun, and the "Swordsman" team has embarked on the journey with regrets and new determination.
And in the distance, where will those who resolutely leave settle down?
The story is divided into two lines, each extending its own way, waiting for the day when they will intersect again.
————
The new four-person team began a difficult process of adjustment. Without Chu Qingling's almost instinctive grasp of artistic conception and body rhythm, they needed to put more effort into choreography.
Mi Xi naturally took on the leading role. With clear ideas, he separated the "form" and "spirit" of the knight in "Swordsman" and guided the discussion.
"A knight-errant isn't just aloof; he can also be heroic, uninhibited, and even... a bit sleazy." Mi Xi drew a simple movement diagram on the whiteboard. "We can try using different paragraphs to show different sides of the knight-errant."
Although Wuyou occasionally complains about the "trouble," his strong learning ability and stage presence are indispensable. Many of the difficult moves are based on his improvisations. He is like the "strong liquor" of the team, spicy but powerful.
After Ruan Xu calmed down, he displayed remarkable resilience. No longer the fanboy who simply followed Mi Xi around and called her "idol," he now actively offered his own ideas, particularly when portraying the knight's agility and passion, contributing a wealth of ingenuity. He was like the "clear spring" of the team, pure and vibrant.
The tenth new member, Lin Ci, possesses solid fundamentals and a lively choreographic mindset. He provided numerous professional transitions and formation suggestions, making up for the team's technical shortcomings. He is the team's cornerstone, steady and reliable.
Four people, four different personalities, slowly spark new ideas through repeated debates, attempts, overthrows, and reconstructions. While the practice room lacks its ultimate coolness, it instead gains a warmth of shared struggle.
During the break, Ruan Xu was scrolling through her phone when she suddenly exclaimed, "Ah!"
"What's wrong?" Wuyou came over.
Ruan Xu showed everyone her phone screen. It was a blurry photo, seemingly snapped by a passerby. The background depicted a Jiangnan-style water town, with bluestone pavements and flowing water. The subject of the photo was a slender figure dressed simply in a white T-shirt and khaki trousers, bent over the riverbank, seemingly looking at something. Her champagne-blond, wolf-tailed hair stood out in the sunlight.
It’s Chu Qingling.
The poster of the photo captioned: "I ran into a very elegant young man in Xitang! He seems to be a celebrity? Does anyone know who he is?"
Someone in the comment section has already revealed Chu Qingling's identity, causing a lot of sighs.
"He went to Xitang..." Ruan Xu murmured, her tone filled with relief and nostalgia.
Mi Xi looked at the photo. The person in the photo looked relaxed, completely different from the tense loneliness he had felt in the practice room before. He breathed a sigh of relief. At least, he was free now.
"It seems he's doing well." Wuyou raised an eyebrow. "That kid knows how to find a place."
This accidental news, like a gentle breeze, blew away the last shroud of gloom hanging over the team. Knowing that he was safe was enough.
Meanwhile, Xie Sui also received the photo immediately. He almost immediately sent someone to Xitang, but all he got was that Chu Qingling had only stayed in the town for a day before disappearing again.
He seemed to be wandering aimlessly, deliberately avoiding all possible paths where he might be found.
Xie Sui looked at the photo his subordinate had sent him of Chu Qingling bending over to watch the flowing water. His heart felt like it was being tightly grasped by an invisible hand, aching uncontrollably. The person in the photo was so far away from him, as if separated by thousands of mountains and rivers.
For the first time, he realized so clearly that he might...really lose him.
The panic brought about by this realization almost overwhelmed him.
The creation of San Gong continues and a new stage is brewing.
People far away are looking for inner peace in their wandering.
The two lines run on their respective tracks, waiting for the next accidental intersection of fate.
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