Chapter 85 Active Support
A theater without a performance always seemed particularly empty, not to mention the backstage entrance at this moment. Tohara and Jiu leaned against the wall, cigarettes in their mouths, watching the smoke drift away to relax their nervousness.
Everything that had just happened was still replaying in his mind, like petals scattered on the stage, so beautiful as they fell, yet so hideous as they became the culprit for someone's slip. But the moment he turned around, out of his sight, there was a thud...
Falling is a common occurrence for ballet dancers, but Lio sat on the ground and couldn't get up.
She sprained her ankle, and it quickly swelled up, making it impossible for her to fit into her pointe shoes, let alone stand on her toes.
"Hejiu!"
The sound of music interrupted his thoughts. He looked up, watching her running towards him through the smoke. He recognized the car parked not far away; he thought Yuzuru Hanyu must be sitting inside.
"What are you doing here?" He frowned and stubbed out the cigarette in his hand. "You're not the primary person responsible for this gala, and you're just rehearsing our show..."
"Don't talk nonsense," Le interrupted him with a wave of his hand, "How are things going now?"
"What else can we do?" He Jiu chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Lio's ankle is so swollen that she can't fit into her shoes. We don't have a plan B right now, so the show is canceled."
A seemingly casual remark sealed all possibility. Le silently swallowed her doubts about whether Lix would still insist on going on stage. She pondered for a moment, and just as she was about to speak, the heavy back door creaked open. Matsuno-senpai emerged, clutching a pack of cigarettes. Seeing the two of them froze for a moment, he quickly regained control of his expression, smiling warmly and politely.
She tightened her sports jacket and walked over to He Jiu.
"Did Tohara invite Suginohara to be his savior?" She lit the cigarette in her hand, took a breath, and slowly exhaled the smoke. "Yes, it was Tohara who helped Suginohara when his choreography was not going well. It's only right to return the favor."
Le could naturally hear the hidden meaning in Matsuno-senpai's words. Ever since he wasn't chosen as the lead actor in the original dance drama, Le knew she had offended this senior member of the troupe. His sarcastic remarks were to be expected. Just as she was about to speak, He Jiu grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him.
"Since senior is so concerned, why don't you come and save me?" He Jiu said with a polite yet fake smile, "If it were you, senior, you wouldn't even need rehearsal and could save me right away."
Senior Matsuno naturally heard the hidden meaning in Kazuki's words and shook his hand.
"I don't have that ability. Why don't you look for Suginohara behind you instead of me?" She tilted her head, looking directly at Le, past He Jiu's obstruction. "Everyone is looking forward to your return to the stage, right, Director Suginohara?"
"What are you talking about, Senior?"
It was still Kazuki who answered, which made Matsuno-senpai frown in dissatisfaction.
"Suginohara, Tohara is so protective of you. He needs support now. Are you really not going to help?"
"Don't worry, senior. If the director allows and thinks I can do the job, I will definitely help Hejiu. Thank you for your concern for Hejiu." Le came from behind Hejiu in his surprised eyes and looked straight into his eyes without any fear.
"Then I'm really looking forward to it."
Senior Matsuno left these words, extinguished the cigarette in his hand, opened the backstage door and went in. The smoking area returned to silence, with only the mint smell of cigarettes lingering.
"You're too impulsive. Matsuno just wants to see you make a fool of yourself. Can't you see that?" He Jiu frowned and turned to look at Le. "Everyone is talking about how you always choreograph your own demos. You're just obsessed with the stage. Even when the media interviewed you, they deliberately pointed them in this direction. Haven't you noticed?"
"I've figured it out, and I'm not stupid." Le glanced at him coldly, "But do you have a better idea now? The promotion assessment may not matter to you, but isn't Armand the role you've always wanted? You've been looking forward to it since you were at Emperor Entertainment Group, and you're going to give up this time?"
“…”
He Jiu's thoughts were exposed in one sentence, and he couldn't say anything to refute it for a while.
"Okay, do you have any better options?" Le didn't give He Jiu any chance to hesitate. He made a quick decision, forcefully opened the backstage door, and raised an eyebrow at him, "Let's go find the director to save your show."
Yuzuru Hanyu sat in his car, gazing out the window at the distant backstage entrance, as if he were watching a silent movie. The tension was palpable from the postures and demeanors of the main characters, and he briefly considered opening the door and heading inside. After much hesitation, he remained seated. Only when Le opened the seemingly heavy door and the two of them vanished through the doorway did the "movie" essentially end.
What will happen?
He couldn't help but feel anxious while sitting in the car, staring at the closed door while holding his cell phone.
With a creak, the door finally opened again. The person who emerged wasn't the one Yuzuru Hanyu was expecting, but it was a familiar face. Looking at the car keys tucked between his fingers, Yuzuru Hanyu had already guessed where things were headed.
"Don't look at me with such a grumpy face. I don't want to do that either. I also want to take care of Rio. But Le-chan said to send you back first. Do you want to get a driver's license?" Morimoto Kosuke fastened his seat belt and started the car under the cold gaze of Yuzuru Hanyu.
"Why are you here? Aren't you waiting to come on the day of the performance?" Yuzuru Hanyu couldn't help but ask as he watched the car drive out of the theater. "Also, where are we going?"
Morimoto Kosuke drove intently, his gaze fixed on the road ahead. He also gave him a quick, knowing glance, indicating he didn't want to answer the first two questions. "I said I came to see my most important patient. Do you believe me?" Hearing Hanyu Yuzuru snort, he also laughed. "If you don't believe me, forget it. I'll take you home now. I have to take care of Rio later."
The answer was given, but the person who listened obviously did not hear the specific information and sat silently in the passenger seat in protest.
A phone call broke the deadlock in the car.
"Er... um... well... I can't go to that store with you today. I have to take Li Xu's place, so I need to hurry up and practice with Jiu. I'll tell you the details when I get home tonight, okay?"
The voice on the phone was very low, and it sounded as if there were other people around, making it inconvenient to talk. She was even hesitant to say hello.
"Well. You..." Before he could finish his words, the person on the other end of the phone hung up in a hurry, leaving only a busy tone.
Yuzuru Hanyu just stared at the call records on the screen in a daze without saying a word, which made Morimoto Kosuke nervous.
"Um... Le-chan's situation is a bit complicated, and she might not have the time to explain it to you in detail." He didn't hear their specific conversation, but after all, the call was so short, so she definitely didn't say anything specific. "I don't know if Le-chan told you, but Lio told me a few words. The senior members of the troupe weren't very optimistic about Le-chan's new play. They thought it was difficult and they didn't want to take risks, so they didn't cooperate. Le-chan is also a person who never gives up, so she gave the leading role to Lio instead of the senior members. As a result, the new play was reviewed beyond expectations, and together they have offended quite a few people."
As Kosuke drove, he kept on telling Hanyu Yuzuru all the information he had gotten from Rio, presenting it to him like a treasure, completely unaware of his increasingly serious expression.
"You and Le Tiantian are together every day, don't you know anything about these things?" What does it mean to bring up things that are not related to the topic? Morimoto Kosuke is a typical example.
How could he know? He didn't know... because Le hadn't said anything. Thinking of this, his face darkened a little.
"Then I think you need to reflect on yourself." Xiaojie shrugged. "You should also pay more attention to Le-chan's condition. Lio told me this because I saw that she was under a lot of pressure and was not in a good state, so I asked her."
Xiaojie's words stunned Yuzuru Hanyu. He had never thought about this question before.
"Raku-chan's support for you wasn't just about you yelling, was it?" As they spoke, the car had already parked in the apartment's underground parking lot. Xiaojie finally turned around to face Hanyu Yuzuru and saw his face. The look of obvious reflection suggested he wasn't wrong. He patted his shoulder earnestly, "Okay, we're home now. Think about it."
"Don't think about it. I'm not going home. You accompany me." Yuzuru Hanyu adjusted his sitting position and raised his chin to signal Xiaojie to drive.
In the practice room, music played over and over again. Hinata Rio sat on the sidelines, her bandaged foot propped high on a stool. Her sprained ankle must still be aching, but nervousness and guilt made her forget all about it. She sat there dutifully adjusting the music for the two people practicing.
Morimoto Kosuke had just suggested that she go back and rest, but whether out of guilt or worry, she couldn't go home and lie down peacefully, so she followed Suginohara Raku and the others to this practice room.
This was Li Xu's first time coming to the dance studio of this amateur ballet studio. He Jiu told her that this was the dance studio where he usually taught classes, and he opened it with a friend.
This was also the first time Rio had seen Tohara Kazuku and Suginohara Raku rehearse so seriously. Previously, when they were rehearsing a ballet together, she had seen Suginohara Raku briefly partner with Kazuku for demonstration purposes. The simple lifts and coordination, in just a few seconds, had honed their rapport so well that Rio had become a firm believer in the Raku Raku duo. She even used Suginohara-san's video footage to edit a few videos for her own benefit.
Now seeing how seriously they are rehearsing, it really makes them look even better together! They look perfect together!
The lifts were all done cleanly and neatly, revealing the trust between the two. The coordination of the lifts and movements made Suginohara look like a weightless elf, his toes gently tapping the floor as he leaped and danced to the notes. This duet was very friendly to the audience's eyes, except...
It's just rehearsal now, and they have already performed it from beginning to end three times without interruption. Each time they performed it completely with all their strength and emotions. Can they really keep up with it physically?
This dance studio was located in the basement, so as not to disturb others. Moonlight filtered in only through a narrow row of windows at the very top of the wall. These windows allowed for a small vent, but it didn't alleviate the inherent dampness of the basement. The two people practicing looked even more exhausted than usual. Although their expressions didn't reveal it at all...
Why did we have to choose this place to rehearse? The dance studio back at the company is so spacious and bright...
While Lio was lost in thought, the fourth rendition of Spring Waltz concluded with Hejiu lifting Le high up in the air. This time, Hejiu's movements were less gentle. He had been practicing from the beginning, rehearsing the movements and then performing the entire ensemble several times in a row, and his physical strength was nearing its limit. Lio had obviously noticed this and was about to remind them to stop and rest for the day, but applause from the doorway interrupted her.
"Bravo!" Yuzuru Hanyu hadn't had time to take off his mask and hat, and a bulging food bag was still hanging on his elbow, obviously hung on his elbow temporarily for applause.
The seal-like applause was echoed by the music in the center of the room. She adjusted her breathing and, with a serious expression, moved towards Yuzuru Hanyu, her fingertips creating a beautiful arc and an elegant salute. This modest dance studio suddenly felt like a dynamic interaction between the stage and the audience.
But this sense of déjà vu did not last long, because the heroine ran lightly towards the applauding people in the audience, breaking the boundaries of the stage.
"Why are you here?" Her eyes were full of surprise.
"I figured you guys must be rehearsing here, so it's convenient for me to come over here." His eyes curved with a smile, and he raised his hand to wipe the sweat off her forehead with his palm. "Are you tired?"
"Tired." Le's answer was very frank.
"Then take a break," he said, pulling her aside. The two of them sat on the ground together. He handed the food bag in his hand to Le like offering a treasure, "I'll go pack up the food from the store we didn't go to today. Come and have some~"
Yuzuru Hanyu was always considerate, especially when Tohara and Kyu were around. He enthusiastically invited everyone present to join him. Rio joined him, supported by Kosuke. Now, with only five people in the dance studio, Kyu felt particularly redundant. He casually accepted a sandwich that Yuzuru Hanyu kindly offered him and took a bite while sitting aside.
"Don't you want to eat?" Yuzuru Hanyu asked with a frown as he saw Le hesitantly picking a few French fries from the pile of food and eating them in small bites.
"Eat, but if I eat too much, I might not be able to dance later..." Le glanced at the food in front of her in embarrassment. She was indeed hungry, but...
"First of all, you can't practice today. More haste, less speed. Who told me that before?" Hanyu Yuzuru said seriously. "Secondly, you don't dare to eat because you're worried that our Tohara can't lift it? You underestimate him! Don't you agree, Tohara?"
"..." When Tohara Kazuki was named, he just wanted to roll his eyes. He suddenly began to doubt a question: was this promotion necessary?
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