Chapter 122 Replicating the Rare Dance of Rhododendron Mountain, ...
Chapter 122
The scene fell silent instantly.
The applause still exploded in the air, like lingering gunpowder smoke.
Suddenly, a dull thud was heard, and Gu Xiaotang fell straight down in the center of the circle of light. The heavy sound of her hitting the ground was so jarring that it was hard for anyone to ignore it.
"Little Tang!"
Lin Rujuan was the first to react; she screamed, her voice cracking.
She was the first to emerge from the first row of the audience, staggering onto the stage, her high heels clicking on the wooden floor.
She rushed to Gu Xiaotang's side, her fingers trembling as she checked his breath—he was still breathing, but so weakly it seemed as if he might stop at any moment.
Her eyes turned bloodshot in an instant; she regretted that the dosage of the medication this time seemed to have really exceeded the limit.
She was a little scared and reached out to pinch Gu Xiaotang's philtrum, but there was no response.
Everyone else in the audience reacted quickly and rushed onto the stage, asking, "What happened to Gu Xiaotang?"
The host reached out to touch Gu Xiaotang's nose and breath. "She's still breathing."
He turned and shouted to the security guards, "Someone come here, quickly take Gu Xiaotang to the hospital."
This is the real way to solve the problem.
"We can't send it!"
Lin Rujuan almost screamed, but she didn't dare to, because if she did, she would be completely exposed.
Giving students medication before a competition is inherently improper. If she then complains that she can't go to the hospital, she will be suspected.
Thinking of this, Lin Rujuan changed her words to, "I'll take this child to the hospital, so as not to delay everyone's competition."
Even at this point, she was still thinking about the competition; that's truly admirable.
As a result, many people admire her.
“My daughter Xiao Tang can’t move right now. Call someone to bring a stretcher and take her to the hospital.”
Before she could finish speaking, the security guards arrived with a doctor and a white stretcher.
The stretcher was carried by the doctor and rushed into the side curtain. A white sheet swayed, blocking the view from the outside.
Where is the patient?
Lin Rujuan snapped out of her daze, her face full of concern, "The patient is here."
She pointed to Gu Xiaotang, who was lying on the ground, his life hanging in the balance, and knelt down before the doctors with a pleading look in her eyes. "Doctors, doctors, please save my student."
"She's only twenty-two years old this year. She's still young and has plenty of time ahead of her. She can't just let it all slip away like this."
The doctor squatted down, reached out and looked at Gu Xiaotang's eyelids. Beneath the lifted eyelids were deep red eyes. The doctor frowned slightly. "Did you do any strenuous exercise before?"
"She was just in a dance competition." Lin Rujuan nodded, then tentatively asked, "What happened to my apprentice?"
"It's not clear yet. The initial guess is that it was fainting due to strenuous exercise. We'll have to take him to the hospital for tests to find out the exact cause."
At this point, the doctors worked together to lift Gu Xiaotang onto a stretcher.
Lin Rujuan was worried, so she staggered after him, her nails digging into her palms.
Only she knew that Gu Xiaotang had taken a stimulant just two hours earlier, and she wondered if the hospital checkup would detect it.
Lin Rujuan was in a state of confusion, and followed the stretcher out step by step. Everyone thought that she, as a teacher, was concerned about Gu Xiaotang's accident.
Only she and Zhou Lanxiang knew that wasn't the case.
As the stretcher passed the corner backstage, Zhou Lanxiang leaned against the wall, her face paler than the stage lights.
She saw Lin Rujuan pass by, her lips trembled, and her voice was almost inaudible, "Teacher... I've disposed of the medicine."
Lin Rujuan suddenly grabbed her wrist, turned to look at her, her eyes icy cold, "Shut up, shut up."
Zhou Lanxiang nodded, but her nails dug deeply into her palms. She was afraid, so afraid that her breathing trembled, but she was even more afraid of the abyss that would follow if her secret were exposed.
She never expected Gu Xiaotang to faint on stage.
She was even more afraid that if Gu Xiaotang was diagnosed after being sent to the hospital, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Will she be implicated as well?
Outside the stands.
Yang Jie ran a few steps alongside the stretcher, then was forced to retreat back to the side of the stage.
All she saw was Gu Xiaotang's pale face.
Just then, Lin Rujuan turned around, and their eyes met. Her competitive spirit was ignited. "Yang Jie, my apprentice will beat your apprentice."
Gu Xiaotang's performance on stage was truly remarkable. In fact, Lin Rujuan dared to say that among all the students present, no one danced better than Gu Xiaotang.
Hearing this, Yang Jie found it ridiculous. "Lin Rujuan, in your eyes, the safety of your students is more important than the competition, right?"
Lin Rujuan, whose lung tube had been punctured, suddenly changed her expression, cursed under her breath, and turned to leave quickly with the stretcher.
She was afraid that if she stayed too long, she would be easily exposed.
Yang Jie didn't see Lin Rujuan's fleeting panic. She turned to look at the stage, her brow furrowed, and muttered to herself, "Why did she suddenly faint? Was it just exhaustion?"
If the person is physically exhausted, pinching their philtrum or feeding them some brown sugar water will wake them up.
But no.
She could tell that both Lin Rujuan and the doctor had performed emergency treatment on Gu Xiaotang several times before.
But it didn't work.
It's completely useless; otherwise, we wouldn't have sent Gu Xiaotang to the hospital for emergency treatment at this time.
"How about it?"
There were too many people, and Meng Yingying couldn't squeeze in, so she went to ask Yang Jie. Yang Jie shook her head, "Gu Xiaotang is on a stretcher and was taken to the hospital by the doctor. Lin Rujuan went with him."
Meng Yingying pursed her lips. Even though she and Gu Xiaotang were rivals, at this moment, she still sincerely hoped that nothing would happen to Gu Xiaotang.
After a brief commotion, the competition was to continue on the judges' panel.
"Comrades, Comrade Gu Xiaotang has been temporarily sent to the hospital due to physical exhaustion. Our competition will now continue."
The host's words brought the chaotic crowd back to the competition.
The judges' panel returned to normal. "Comrade Gu Xiaotang was so engrossed in the competition that he was rushed to the hospital."
"But we cannot ignore the sweat she sheds on stage."
"Based on Comrade Gu Xiaotang's performance of 'The Neighing of War Horses,' the highest score of 9.99 was removed, and the lowest score of 9.78 was removed, resulting in a final score of 9.92."
This was the highest score achieved in the live competition.
As soon as the score was announced, the entire audience fell silent, followed by thunderous applause that resounded throughout the stage.
Even though Gu Xiaotang wasn't there, this moment of glory belonged to Gu Xiaotang.
"Gu Xiaotang".
"Gu Xiaotang".
"Gu Xiaotang, you're a genius!"
The chaotic rumors started circulating again, and at that moment, everyone thought Gu Xiaotang was a genius.
Such a high score, a precipitous drop in score, made everyone feel that Gu Xiaotang truly deserved the honor.
Below the audience seats.
Upon hearing the score, Zhou Lanxiang let out a soft sigh and murmured, "Gu Xiaotang, your medicine wasn't wasted."
They all knew that if Gu Xiaotang hadn't taken that stimulant, she wouldn't have been able to dance "The Neighing of Warhorses" so well.
It's impossible to get such a high score.
Zhou Lanxiang even thought that Gu Xiaotang's fainting spell at the end of the dance was an excellent reaction.
If she hadn't fainted, and hadn't devoted herself to the stage to the very end, she wouldn't have gotten such a high score.
It's true, Gu Xiaotang was dancing with her life on the line; everyone had that thought the moment she collapsed.
Ning Lu, sitting in the back row, turned deathly pale upon hearing Gu Xiaotang's score. She clenched her fingers so tightly they turned white, her nails digging into her flesh until they bled, but she didn't react at all.
Ning Lu's expression was rather unpleasant. She didn't understand why, despite her desperate efforts, she still couldn't catch up with Gu Xiaotang in the end.
She scored 9.8, while Gu Xiaotang scored 9.92, which is a precipitous drop in score.
Ning Lu even thought that Gu Xiaotang's score directly broke the previous score record in the Red Star Cup competition.
Ning Lu's face showed a hint of despair, "Gu Xiaotang."
This name will weigh down on everyone like a mountain, making it hard for them to breathe.
The area next to the Capital Song and Dance Troupe was deathly silent. When Gu Xiaotang's score came out, the one under the most pressure was probably Meng Yingying.
Gu Xiaotang is contestant number four, while Meng Yingying is contestant number five.
After Gu Xiaotang achieved such a high score, everyone knew that it would be virtually impossible for Meng Yingying to beat him.
"Yingying".
Wu Yanzhou called out.
Meng Yingying didn't speak; she lowered her head, and no one could see the expression on her face.
Yang Jie gently shook her head.
Han Mingbing wanted to say something, but at this moment, she didn't know what to say.
Actually, she really wanted to persuade Meng Yingying to give up.
After hearing Gu Xiaotang's score, she knew that Gu Xiaotang was an insurmountable mountain in her life.
Despite everyone's concern, Meng Yingying remained calm and said, "I'm fine."
She looked up, her soft eyes now filled with determination. "We can't give up until the very last step, can we?"
"Moreover, Gu Xiaotang's performance of 'The Neighing of War Horses' is excellent, and my performance of 'Azalea Mountain' is no worse than hers."
The dance she performed on Azalea Mountain is a one-of-a-kind dance.
She will do everything in her power to fight Gu Xiaotang from afar.
Meng Yingying's words seemed to reassure everyone.
As the song ended, the announcements came over the loudspeaker on stage again.
—Please welcome contestant number five, Meng Yingying, from the Capital Song and Dance Troupe. She will be performing "Azalea Mountain."
As soon as the announcement ended, the audience erupted in cheers.
"Azalea Mountain? Is it the Azalea Mountain I imagined?"
"Among the red ballets, isn't there only one that can be called 'Azalea Mountain'?"
"But don't I remember that this song, 'Azalea Mountain,' is out of print? Even the film reels have been collected by the authorities."
"The best time to dance was when Teacher Zhang Haimei danced, but after she passed away in a car accident, her dance of Azalea Mountain became a one-of-a-kind."
"Because the difficulty of the Dujuan Mountain dance was too high, and her death was sudden, this dance was not properly passed down at that time."
"What's the name of this contestant number five?"
"I think her name is Meng Yingying. She wants to jump off Azalea Mountain. Could she be trying to trick us?"
"That's right, and I've never heard of this name before, nor is he a genius from the capital."
"I know her. It seems she got in through connections at the Harbin Cultural Troupe."
As soon as he said that, the audience burst into laughter. "Someone who got in through connections wants to jump off the unique Rhododendron Mountain? Isn't that a joke?"
The sound was quite loud; it would be difficult for the people from the Capital Song and Dance Troupe not to hear it even if they wanted to.
Han Mingbing's face turned ugly, and he wanted to go up and argue, but Meng Yingying stopped him, saying, "No need."
"Whether you dance well or not, you'll know once you're on stage."
"If I dance well, they'll shut up in a bit."
Han Mingbing thought about it and agreed. She sneered at the group, "Just wait until my Yingying goes on stage and dazzles your eyes!"
No one believed him when he said that.
Meng Yingying ignored them. She took off her military overcoat, leaving only a thin dance costume. A chill instantly hit her face, and goosebumps rose on her exposed skin.
She took a deep breath, undeterred by the cold weather, and walked sideways out of the audience seats, step by step along the narrow path in the middle towards the back of the stage.
"She is Meng Yingying?"
"I think her body proportions are great, perfectly balanced with three long and one short figure."
"Hmm, just by looking at her figure, you can tell she's a skilled dancer."
"However, isn't she from a small town? We'll only know if she has real skills when she goes on stage."
Meng Yingying listened to the whispers around her, but her expression remained unchanged. She walked steadily with each step until she reached the top of the stairs and walked behind the red curtain.
Quietly waiting for the rhythm of the music outside.
The cold wind and chill air rushed into her body, which made Meng Yingying's mind calmer than ever before. She looked up at the red curtain falling from the sky.
She had only one thought.
She wanted to win.
I want to win beautifully.
It's that simple.
As the outside world fell completely silent, the prelude to the music slowly faded away.
The lights on the auditorium's dome also went out with a snap.
Only a faint ray of light pierced through the gap in the red curtain, slicing the stage at an angle.
Like a knife's edge on Rhododendron Mountain in 1930, it cleaved the darkness in two.
After a period of silence, the accordion player in the band started with three bass notes, each beat perfectly in time with the rhythm.
Thump—da
Thump—da
Thump—da
Like muffled thunder on Dujuan Mountain, it rolled over pebbles, over gun barrels, and over the worn-out soles of the female soldiers' straw sandals.
Meng Yingying appears in the third episode of "Ember".
She wasn't wearing a traditional ballet tulle dress, but rather a faded gray military uniform with a leather belt around her waist and a red silk ribbon wrapped around her left arm.
Although the red silk was less than a foot long, it was as red as all the azaleas on the mountain blooming at once.
She wasn't wearing dance shoes; instead, she was barefoot, her soles covered in pine resin from previous rehearsals, like a thin layer of frost.
Snow-white and delicate.
The scene fell silent instantly.
It was an absolute, deathly silence, with everyone's eyes fixed on Meng Yingying.
It's as if through Meng Yingying I saw the female warrior who walked on the Azalea Mountain back then.
Meng Yingying stood still, feet together, and first saluted the audience and judges present.
The next instant, the sound of an accordion began, without rhythm, only a hissing sound, like a broken lung tube, and the scene instantly became solemn.
Meng Yingying took a deep breath, the air carrying the rusty smell of dust that had accumulated on the stage over the years.
The breath that went down her throat felt like a thin icy thread, keeping her heart from leaping out prematurely.
The dome lights suddenly lit up, just one beam, round like a full moon, falling in the very center of the stage.
The rest of the place was black, so black that she could even hear her own eyelashes trembling.
Meng Yingying walked out from behind the side curtain, step by step, just the right moment, into that beam of light.
She landed with her left foot halfway down, as if gently inserting a needle into wood, while her right foot trailed behind, the instep stretched into a straight line, her knee pressed against the inside of her left thigh, her posture almost perfect.
This is a "Tieshan Station" that she learned in the cultural troupe when she was a child. It was also a night ambush by guerrillas. The worst thing was that their knees would tremble, so they had to keep them tightly clenched.
Meng Yingying had her back to the audience, her shoulders and back slender and thin.
The first move was just this simple stop.
But no one in the room dared to cough.
"Her movements are so precise."
"Yes, I saw it. In fact, I feel that this opening alone is even more solid than the one on the film featuring Zhang Haimei."
"You're overestimating me. This is just the beginning. Let's keep watching."
On stage, Meng Yingying finally moved. She stepped to the beat of the drums and shot backward with one leg at a full ninety degrees, as straight as a gun barrel.
With the other leg squatting down until the foot touches the buttock, the "shooting goose squat" is immediately followed by the "facing the wind stretch," but the ribs suddenly contract the moment the drumbeat stops.
The whole person bent into a reverse bow shape.
The back of his head was touching the ground.
This is not a bridge from classical ballet, but rather a bow used by guerrillas in the mountains to listen for sounds while marching at night.
There were gasps of shock from the audience.
"A reverse bow bridge!"
"Good heavens, she actually jumped out of the reverse bow bridge."
"What's this?"
Some people may not know this yet, after all, the dance "Azalea Mountain" is relatively obscure, and even rare.
"There are two of the most difficult moves in Dujuan Mountain. The first is the reverse bow bridge. Not only does it require a flexibility of 180 degrees, but it also requires maintaining a high level of alertness. Just look at her reverse bow bridge move; it goes against the direction of the body."
"The most difficult part is yet to come: cliff jumping and the reverse bow bridge. Some people have learned these before, but cliff jumping is really too difficult. Many people have failed at this step, which is why the Dujuan Mountain dance had to be shelved."
"Could she jump off the cliff?"
Nobody knows.
On stage, Meng Yingying was completely absorbed in her performance. She took seven small, quick steps to the beat of the drums, which was the sound of a cuckoo.
Each step she took landed precisely on the rim of the drum, with strides differing by less than two centimeters, yet she always managed to land perfectly on the beat.
The seventh step is not yet fully completed.
She suddenly stopped, and with a snap, opened her left leg 180 degrees—a side leg control.
When her control height was at the fourth row, her upper body was simultaneously doing a chest-up rotation.
This movement required so much force that her entire chest cavity was opened to its limit, her collarbone was almost parallel to the ground, and her cervical spine also tilted backward.
This caused her gray cloth collar to be so tight that it revealed a sharp triangle around her Adam's apple.
The oldest judge on the panel, Director Chen, slammed her pen into the floor with a whoosh, took a half-step forward, and looked on in shock. She turned around and said, "This...this is Hai Mei's loop lever control from back then! This is the loop lever control!"
"No one but Zhang Haimei could do it!"
"The reason why Dujuan Mountain has become a unique dance is because outsiders say that the cliff jump is difficult, but in my opinion, that's not the case. The most difficult part is the looping control, which requires a high degree of flexibility and control of the body. If you are not careful, you may become a paraplegic."
But right under her nose, Meng Yingying actually replicated Zhang Haimei's signature move.
Even more so, there is a sense that the student has surpassed the teacher.
How could Commander Chen not be shocked?
"Where is she from?" Commander Chen quickly returned to his seat. "I need this child's information."
"Xiao Zhang, go out right now and get me this child's information. I need to see it within five minutes."
This child is a genius.
He's absolutely a genius.
Gu Xiaotang is a genius, but so is this child in front of him. In fact, Commander Chen thought that compared to the excited Gu Xiaotang, this child was even more brilliant.
The girl on stage was the most composed.
With the calmest and most composed demeanor, she performed a dance move that is now a thing of the past.
Some of the people present were still puzzled, not understanding why Commander Chen was so agitated.
Because not many people present understood the Azalea Mountain, but unfortunately, Commander Chen did.
Because she and Zhang Haimei used to be best friends.
After Zhang Haimei left, Director Chen also thought about having someone pass on her good friend's signature dance skills.
But no.
For many years in a row, no one has been able to jump out of Dujuan Mountain. Commander Chen is worried that the last remaining film will also be wasted.
They then proposed to their superiors that Azalea Mountain be completely sealed off.
But unexpectedly, today, at this moment, on the stage, she saw Dujuan Mountain make a comeback.
So how could Commander Chen not be excited?
"She's that amazing?"
Someone asked in a low voice.
"Nonsense, didn't you hear what Commander Chen said? That young lady up there even jumped out of the rare Rhododendron Mountain."
"That's equivalent to a prodigy."
"Gu Xiaotang is indeed skilled, but she dances a dance that everyone is familiar with. However, the person on stage performed a dance that is now extremely rare. Do you know what that means?"
"What?"
Those who are slow to react haven't figured it out yet.
"So you think her memory and talent are absolutely top-notch? Rare dances can't be lent out. Where did she see this dance and then replicate it?"
"The Cultural Affairs Bureau!"
"Yes, we all know that the film reels sealed by the Cultural Bureau are not allowed to be taken away. Even viewing them is only allowed in the Cultural Bureau's publicity room, and you only get one chance."
"Meng Yingying on stage, she must have only seen it once, but she managed to reproduce this rare and unique 'Azalea Mountain'."
"She is the real genius."
--hiss.
A chill
"Just listening to her voice makes me think she's incredibly strong."
Yang Jie, standing nearby, also felt gratified at this moment, saying, "Yingying's efforts have not been in vain."
"There are some discerning people here who immediately recognized Yingying's talent."
Everyone was happy.
Zhou Lanxiang, however, began to worry, "Teacher, Meng Yingying is too amazing."
"Will her score surpass Gu Xiaotang's in the end?"
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Author's note: I'll stop here. I can't finish writing anymore. I'm so hungry, so hungry that my heart is racing. I'm starting to lose strength and can't sit still anymore. I'm going to eat now. That's all for today.
In the next chapter, Yingying will win the championship; we'll have to wait until tomorrow.
P.S.: I checked myself for typos after each piece, but there were still some I missed. Could you please help me find them? There's a reward for finding them! Thank you all!
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