Chapter 70 Tong Jialan's High Score
Chapter 70
As the announcement on the radio ended, Tong Jialan stood up from her seat, and her teammates next to her made way for her.
Tong Jialan took a deep breath before coming out.
During this time, as she passed Coach Zhou, he looked at her with tears in his eyes and said, "Tong Jia, just do your best."
The events of this competition have now exceeded Coach Zhou's expectations. She never imagined that the child who had always been well protected under her wing would suffer so much in just a few days.
They suffered such a great injustice.
Tong Jialan understood what the coach meant, and she nodded, "Coach, I won't just try my best, I will give it my all."
That dance career she almost gave up to compromise.
She will pick it up again and stand on the stage once more.
Upon hearing this, Coach Zhou was relieved at first, and then she felt a surge of energy. She was genuinely worried that Tong Jialan, who had a fever, might get into trouble for pushing herself so hard on stage.
She watched with some worry as Tong Jialan went onto the stage.
As Tong Jialan passed by Meng Yingying, the two exchanged a glance. "Go for it, Tong Jia!"
Tong Jialan nodded and then went up.
Shen Qiuyue, who was standing next to her, felt that something was going on, but she was being kept in the dark, which gave her a very strange feeling.
She watched Tong Jialan go on stage, and to be honest, she hoped Tong Jialan wouldn't try to cheer.
Currently, there are four contestants in the individual competition. Under these circumstances, if Tong Jialan performs exceptionally well, her chances of making it into the top three are slim.
She was even praying that Chen Xiaoxiao would wait until the match was over before coming in, otherwise it would be too late.
Unfortunately, things will not change according to Shen Qiuyue's personal will.
Everyone was watching the stage.
Before the gongs and drums even sounded, the vermilion curtain was already emitting bursts of bell sounds.
Tong Jialan stood behind the stage, with a fever of nearly 39 degrees Celsius. She took a deep breath and listened to the announcements outside.
She stomped her foot on the flowerpot sole, and the three-inch gold bell embedded in the heel jingled with each step, making a particularly pleasant sound.
Tong Jialan had mentally prepared herself, and following the rhythm outside, she raised her hand and lifted the curtain to emerge. The moment she stepped out from behind the curtain, the lights blazed on, and the audience below fell silent instantly.
She first gave everyone a Manchu greeting, and said in a gentle voice, "Hello, judges and audience. I am contestant number one, Tong Jialan, and I will be performing 'Qingfeng Xiangling' for you."
A cheer erupted from the audience.
With a flick of her wrist, Tong Jialan unfurled two green ribbons, which rippled like water under the light.
Director He was writing on the scoring sheet when she saw this scene. Her pen paused, and she couldn't help but exclaim "Oh dear!"
Music started playing on the radio.
Tong Jialan's mind was filled with music; she wanted to win, she wanted to stand at a higher level.
She wanted to win the championship; she wanted to stand in a high position and crush Su Mingda.
Thinking of this, Tong Jialan didn't know where she got the courage, she took two small steps, touched the ground with the bottom of the flowerpot, and jumped up—a big jump!
It split in the air like a shooting goose, and the silk ribbon stretched into a semicircle, yet it landed perfectly still.
They made a big move right from the start.
Shen Qiuyue was stunned in the audience, her handkerchief almost twisted into a pretzel. She murmured, "If this is how we start, how are we supposed to dance the rest of the time?"
Because Tong Jialan set the pace at its highest from the very beginning, capturing everyone's attention.
She was initially relieved that there were only four individual competitors, but the mere presence of Tong Jialan doubled the pressure.
Shen Meilan from the Capital Song and Dance Troupe next to her also looked serious. "Is Tong Jialan increasing the difficulty?"
By placing the "Shooting Swallow Jump" at the beginning, and raising the initial rhythm, the subsequent movements can only become more difficult.
Meng Yingying remained calm. She even turned to Ye Yingtao, who was puzzled, and said, "Tong Jia changed her dance moves. She plans to use her first-place position to give the judges a stunning impression and get a high score."
The first player to compete has both an advantage and a disadvantage.
The disadvantage is that it starts too early, and the judges haven't seen the later performances yet, which makes them more likely to lower the score when giving the first score.
However, this also has its advantages. The judges haven't seen the rest of the performance yet. If Tong Jialan amazes the audience from the very beginning, then without any reference standards, the judges are very likely to give her a high score.
Clearly, Tong Jialan intended to take this approach, but it was somewhat risky.
The "Shooting Swallow Jump" in the "Wind and Bells" sequence is clearly a minor climax in the middle. The fact that she put it first means that for the subsequent minor climaxes, she obviously needs more difficult moves to surpass the "Shooting Swallow Jump".
Meng Yingying was a little worried, "She already has a high fever, how can she continue to perform such difficult moves?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the music on stage rose in pitch.
Tong Jialan suddenly bent down and landed, her water sleeves clinging to her back, using the flowerpot soles under her feet as an axis to perform three consecutive somersaults.
Each time it flips, the bell tail swings into a horizontal circle, and the green silk surface is pressed into a full moon by centrifugal force.
The drummer beat the drum faster and harder, and with three loud thuds, the drum landed right on the bell ring.
At this moment, Tong Jialan's movements, the sound of bells, and the drums all merged into one.
As soon as the drumbeat stopped, the entire venue seemed to be paused, even the breath seemed to stop for a beat.
The judges' panel was the first to erupt in anger.
"Good!" Director Liu slammed his hand on the edge of the table, his previous dejection completely gone. "The gentle breeze and the ringing bells, truly worthy of the name!"
At that moment, he even forgot that Su Mingda, the star performer of his own film crew, had been arrested.
The magnificent sound of the wind chimes is truly a feast for the eyes.
He Chuchang also spoke highly of the matter, saying, "It's really good."
"Tong Jialan is only nineteen years old, and it is quite surprising that she can make Qingfeng Xiangling to this level."
Judge Li, who was in charge of technique, stood up and leaned over the railing to get a closer look. "Tong Jialan's 'fish pose' had her knees less than two inches off the ground, yet her center of gravity didn't move an inch—does this girl have bearings in her feet?!"
It's absolutely shocking.
The veteran judges exchanged glances, making only "tsk tsk" sounds as they all lowered their heads and began to write their scores on the evaluation forms.
When the number 9.8 was written with such force that it seemed to penetrate the paper.
Everyone present knew that Tong Jialan's risky move was the right one.
The audience below the stage was even more lively.
Shen Qiuyue covered her mouth, her eyes wide, and said in a complicated tone, "She...she has a fever, and she's spinning so fast? Does she have a death wish?"
Tong Jialan's performance put a lot of pressure on Shen Qiuyue, who had only gotten the chance to play because she had picked up Su Mingda and Chen Xiaoxiao.
She also harbored the idea of being superior to others, at least to defeat Meng Yingying. However, Tong Jialan's performance made her somewhat uncertain.
She was questioning herself: was it really the right thing to take advantage of a bargain?
There are only four people in total, and it's a four-to-three competition. If she comes in fourth, it would be a real laughing stock.
Shen Meilan, who had always been aloof, slowly lowered her arms from her chest, her expression unusually serious. "As expected of a genius in court dance."
She murmured.
I originally thought she was from the Capital Song and Dance Troupe's youth team, but she came to the three northeastern provinces to participate in the league. It seemed like a complete mismatch.
However, Meng Yingying had already put pressure on her during the training camp practice, and the pressure wasn't over yet.
Tong Jialan immediately added pressure to the audience as soon as she stepped onto the stage.
She probably understood why Chen Xiaoxiao had been staring at Tong Jialan and Meng Yingying with cross-eyed eyes.
The former was a genius in court dance, while the latter, Meng Yingying, was an all-around genius.
This made Shen Meilan frown slightly. She was next on stage, which was extremely disadvantageous for her.
Lin Qiu and Ye Yingtao didn't say anything, but their mouths were agape in shock. "Is Tong Jialan that strong?"
In their entire Harbin cultural troupe, apart from Meng Yingying, no one could rival her.
Ye Yingtao went even further, teasingly asking, "Yingying, do you regret it?"
What is there to regret?
They all knew perfectly well that if Meng Yingying hadn't saved Tong Jialan that morning, she wouldn't be standing on the stage now, performing a dance that amazed everyone.
Meng Yingying shook her head. She just stared at the green silk on the stage that was still trembling slightly. Her eyes were first shocked, and then a fire ignited in them.
It's the kind of joy that comes from meeting a worthy opponent.
"No regrets." She turned to look at Ye Yingtao and said very seriously, "Yingtao, I'm so glad I was able to help her. Tong Jialan, who has such talent, shouldn't be ruined by a man."
Tong Jia, who appeared on the DVD videotape, was like a fleeting flower, stunning everyone before fading away.
However, Meng Yingying hoped that Tong Jialan in front of her could go further and further in court dance.
Her talent should not be buried deep underground.
She should shine brightly on stage, just like she does now.
As the music ended on stage, the lights dimmed, leaving only a single beam. The bell's tail trembled gently, and the lingering sound echoed in the air.
Tong Jialan held her knees and took a couple of breaths. Beads of sweat dripped down her chin, soaking the bottom of the flowerpot.
She bowed deeply to the audience, and as she stood up, her gaze passed over the judges in the front row and landed directly on Meng Yingying. She looked at her, tears welling up in her eyes, and said, "Meng Yingying, thank you."
This time, it doesn't matter how many points she gets.
She wouldn't care anymore, because she had done her best.
All she knew was that without Meng Yingying, she might be rotting and stinking in some corner, instead of standing on the stage shining like she was now.
The crowd was puzzled, but Coach Zhou and Ye Yingtao understood what Tong Jialan meant.
Meng Yingying stood up, opened her arms to Tong Jialan, and smiled slightly.
She didn't say a word, yet she made Tong Jialan burst into tears instantly.
Between her and death, there was only one Meng Yingying.
On the judges' panel next door, as Tong Jialan finished her song, all the judges buried their heads in scoring.
After adding and subtracting the original fractions, a final fraction was obtained.
Director He stood up and began announcing the scores, "Remove the highest score of 9.8 and the lowest score of 9.7."
"Contestant Tong Jialan scored 9.75 points in the end."
Her score broke the previous record right from the start. The previous individual champion only scored 9.7 points.
This immediately silenced the entire scene.
Shen Meilan's face instantly turned ugly. She clenched her hands, unable to finish speaking. She was contestant number two, and Tong Jialan's score, which was comparable to the previous champion's, would directly affect her mindset for the rest of the competition.
Shen Meilan did not speak.
Coach Zhou's eyes were a little moist. She knew better than anyone that it was truly remarkable that Tong Jialan could achieve such a high score under these circumstances.
This child is only nineteen years old, an age when love is just beginning to blossom. Not only was he betrayed, but he was almost used to death.
And now, she can still stand on the high platform and achieve this result.
Coach Zhou couldn't help but choke up. She was the first to applaud, saying, "Tong Jialan, you are the pride of all of us."
The applause seemed contagious; after Coach Zhou started, everyone else joined in.
Everyone was calling out Tong Jialan's name, their voices rising louder and louder.
Shen Qiuyue, who was standing next to her, didn't speak. Her junior sister asked her, "Qiuyue, are you alright?"
Shen Qiuya is number three.
After Shen Meilan, she was about to take the stage. Tong Jialan's high score put pressure on Shen Meilan.
This must have put pressure on Shen Qiuyue as well.
Her face turned a little pale, and she subconsciously pushed through the crowd to look at Meng Yingying, who still had a smile on her face.
This made Shen Qiuyue pause for a moment, then she gritted her teeth and said, "It's alright."
"fine."
“If Meng Yingying isn’t afraid, then she certainly won’t be afraid.”
Shen Qiuyue never felt that she was inferior to Meng Yingying.
These words made the person next to him breathe a sigh of relief. "Qiuya, even though Su Mingda and Li Xiaoxiao are gone, I still feel a lot of pressure."
Whether it's Tong Jialan, Shen Meilan who will appear next, or Meng Yingying, they are all enough to make one's scalp tingle.
Shen Qiuyue didn't speak. She took a deep breath, turned around and glared at him, "It hasn't even started yet, so don't say such discouraging things."
The announcement came over the loudspeaker again—please welcome contestant number two, Shen Meilan, she is a good Monpa from our high mountain.
No sooner had she said that than Chen Xiaoxiao came running in, panting, "Wait!"
Her face was pale and her forehead was covered in sweat. Her shout drew the attention of Shen Meilan, who was supposed to be on stage.
The scene froze for a moment.
It was still He Chang who came over and said, "Shen Meilan, you go on first, it won't affect the game."
"Chen Xiaoxiao, come here right now! Can't you see the match has already started? What are you yelling about?"
Chen Xiaoxiao was too anxious. After finally being interrogated, she practically ran all the way from the office.
That's when they finally arrived.
She felt a little wronged after being scolded by Director He. "Boss, I made it in time. I was late, but I still made it. Can you let me go on stage?"
It's clear that Chen Xiaoxiao is much more obedient than before after being interrogated.
Previously, when she was looking down on people, she always relied on her position in the provincial song and dance troupe and looked down on them.
Director He frowned. "The lottery period has already passed."
Chen Xiaoxiao immediately tried to appease her, saying, "It's fine if I play last. I won't cut in line or try to take other people's spots. I just want to play."
Director He remained silent.
Chen Xiaoxiao's coach came over and said, "Director He, why don't we let Xiaoxiao play? She's been training for so long, it would be a shame to give her up. Besides, she was also a victim in the Su Mingda incident."
Although he didn't mention underwear, Coach Zhang's suggestive remark still made Chen Xiaoxiao's face turn somewhat awkward.
She lowered her head, looking at her toes, and pleaded softly, "Director He, please, give me another chance."
"I swear, I won't affect anyone else."
While Director He was still pondering, Coach Zhang glanced back at Coach Zhao and Meng Yingying, and then brought up the old story again, "If I remember correctly, the Harbin Cultural Troupe was also late for the preliminary rounds, wasn't it?"
"And they were very late, but they still got to play in the end, didn't they?"
"Director He, please give Xiaoxiao a chance."
Coach Zhang is pleading for Chen Xiaoxiao, and Director He is also wavering. On one hand, there's the previous exception, and on the other hand, there's the dirty stuff Chen Xiaoxiao did in private.
In front of Coach Zhang, Director He said to Chen Xiaoxiao, "I took the thing off Chen Meilan's collar beforehand."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaoxiao's face turned pale. She hadn't expected that something she had done so secretly would be discovered by Director He.
"What is that?"
Coach Zhang was clearly still in the dark.
Director He said irritably, "Go ask your good student. For a man, she even dared to frame her fellow contestants. What kind of person is she?"
Coach Zhang understood as well. He frowned and looked at Chen Xiaoxiao, "Is what Director He said true?"
Chen Xiaoxiao lowered her head and stammered for a long time, "Coach, I was wrong, I was really wrong."
Coach Zhang raised his hand, about to slap Chen Xiaoxiao in the face, but he held back. He took a deep breath and said, "Director He, in the provincial song and dance troupe's individual competition, only Chen Xiaoxiao is capable. If she doesn't participate, our provincial song and dance troupe will be left empty-handed in the individual competition this time."
"As you know, this competition is very important."
"Director He, let's put these personal grudges aside for now and let Chen Xiaoxiao go up and compete."
Director He naturally knew all this, and that was where she hesitated. She looked at Chen Xiaoxiao's pleading face.
Considering the current situation of the provincial song and dance troupe, it is indeed impossible to continue using the Air Force name. If things continue like this, the provincial song and dance troupe will completely lose its status in the three northeastern provinces.
"You can go up."
Director He said, "If I find out you're using such despicable means to harm people, you're out of the provincial anthem."
Chen Xiaoxiao's face turned pale. She nodded, "I know, Director He, I will never do it again."
"Go to the audience seats, I'll discuss this with the judges, and we'll announce it to the public later."
Chen Xiaoxiao bowed and left, bowing as she went to the audience seats.
During this time, Meng Yingying and the others saw it and frowned slightly. Ye Yingtao even whispered, "Why is she participating in the competition?"
Meng Yingying hummed in agreement, then looked away and continued to look at the stage, "Because of Su Mingda's act of secretly hiding female comrades' underwear, Chen Xiaoxiao is the victim."
"Now that the truth has been revealed, she has been released."
"But—" Ye Yingtao was about to mention what was hidden under Shen Meilan's shirt when Meng Yingying shook her head, "Director He has already taken care of it for her."
Otherwise, he wouldn't have revealed in public before the competition that Shen Meilan had hidden something in her collar.
Lin Qiu suddenly understood something. She glanced thoughtfully at Director He and said, "Then she's not as fair as she claims."
During the preliminary rounds, Director He stood up for them and helped Coach Zhao get justice. She thought Director He was a fair and just person.
Meng Yingying smiled and said, "He's a good person, but even good people have selfish motives."
"She is a good person, not a saint."
If Chen Xiaoxiao weren't part of the provincial song and dance troupe, she wouldn't have helped clean up her mess.
Now that Director He has cleaned up Chen Xiaoxiao's mess, he still has to ask around and pull strings to get the late Chen Xiaoxiao onto the stage to compete.
It's simply that their interests align; if Chen Xiaoxiao can't participate in the competition, the provincial song and dance troupe will also lose face.
When good results cannot be achieved, Director He, as the leader in the matter, will also be criticized.
They're essentially still on the same rope.
After listening, Lin Qiu frowned. "These intricate relationships are really complicated."
They're so lucky; they only have to worry about dancing every day.
Ye Yingtao murmured, "This is the duty of a person in a position; many times, one is not in control of one's own destiny."
Sure enough, they saw Director He, who was always decisive and efficient, moving among the judges and constantly saying nice things.
Will the judges agree?
The one who asked this question was Ye Yingtao.
Meng Yingying nodded, "Yes."
“Everyone’s interests are aligned.” The obedient face was full of calm. “This league hasn’t even started yet, and these kinds of big scandals have already occurred one after another. As judges, they have also failed in their duties. If the competition cannot produce truly talented and capable people, then in the end, all of them will be punished.”
The interests are essentially aligned. Although there may be some twists and turns along the way, the final result will still be the same.
Sure enough, as soon as Meng Yingying finished speaking, Director He got the result he wanted.
However, her smile seemed somewhat forced. "Everyone, please pause for a moment."
On stage, Shen Meilan had already gone up and was waiting backstage, but she didn't expect to be interrupted for the second time.
She was somewhat annoyed, but there was nothing she could do.
"I'll take up a minute of your time to tell you something."
"Since Chen Xiaoxiao arrived in time, and since the problem was not hers, after discussion, we decided that she would be the last to participate in the individual competition."
As soon as he said that, the scene instantly became lively.
"Can you still participate even if you're late?"
"If we're always late from now on, where's the director? I wonder if we could get in through the back door to continue the competition?"
He Chang remained calm. "As long as you don't make any obvious mistakes, the judges will give you a chance."
“For example,” she said, focusing her gaze on the Harbin Cultural Troupe, “the Harbin Cultural Troupe was late for the last preliminary round, and they entered the competition in this manner.”
It seems they've brought up all the past issues involving the Harbin Cultural Troupe.
Meng Yingying knew that the matter was settled and there was no room for change. She asked, "Then will our serial numbers still be changed?"
It was Meng Yingying who asked this question.
Director He shook his head, "Chen Xiaoxiao is in last place, she won't affect everyone's competition order."
Meng Yingying glanced down at her number card, then handed it over. "I'm number five, but there are only four of us."
Director He looked down and said, "It really is."
She glanced at Chen Xiaoxiao, offered a solution, and then threw the problem back at her.
"There are two options. First, Meng Yingying, you can give her card number five, and she will be the fifth to go on stage. Second, you can stick to the original card numbers, and she will go on stage before you."
"What do you think you should choose?"
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Author's Note: I've been writing too much these past few days, and my wrist hurts, so I'm writing very slowly. I've put on a medicated plaster; I'll see how it helps. As for posting time, I'll basically post as soon as I finish writing, between 12 PM and 6 PM. I might be a little late, sorry!
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