He wanted to etch every aspect of her into his heart, her every frown and smile, every move she made.
"Boss, let’s head back!"
"Okay!" Meng Ping opened his eyes, and his gloomy eyes burst forth with an astonishing brightness, "Come with me to the State Guesthouse." His sworn brother had come over from Hong Kong yesterday and was staying at the State Guesthouse.
"What? You’re going where? No, no, no... Chairman Meng would break my legs if he found out." The little fat man, terrified, jumped back several steps.
"Never mind then!" Meng Ping stood up and decided to go on his own.
"Wait for me... I’ll go, isn’t that okay?" The little fat man was on the verge of tears. How could he have forgotten how difficult his boss could be?
After the General Union Dance Troupe’s comforting performances and their presentation at the General Union had concluded, they finally had some respite. It was said that the President’s mood had been foul lately, making the atmosphere throughout the General Union unbearably tense. In such a climate, all performances were naturally called off.
Politics is an extremely sensitive matter; the faintest hint of change in the mood of the leadership could steer the direction below. The thick stack of performance plans was suspended, and everyone from top to bottom in the General Union Dance Troupe breathed a sigh of relief.
There was no choice, the frequency of recent performances was too high, and many could not keep up. Take Hai Lan, for instance! She had already taken leave three times this month, making her the most delicate member of the troupe.
Without performances, there were still no days off; various rehearsals and fundamental training carried on as usual. The play "Hope Field," which Teacher Qiu Bai had put on hold for over a month, was restarted. Many speculated privately that Sheng Ning must be returning; why else would they restart "Hope Field"?
When Sheng Ning had her surgery initially, everyone thought Hai Lan could take her place, but Hai Lan faced a severe setback. Teacher Qiu Bai would rather stop the production than use Hai Lan.
The proud Hai Lan had never been so embarrassed in her life; for the past month, she had constantly thought about how to take revenge, how to redeem her pride.
"Look, someone is getting restless again." Lu Dabao whispered to Yang Xiaoman, "I wonder why I find Hai Lan so annoying?"
"If you don’t like her, of course you’ll find everything about her annoying," Yang Xiaoman retorted, glancing over at Hai Lan, who was dancing at a distance. She had to admit Hai Lan’s figure was well-suited for ballet, and her dance was graceful. She could be a pillar at any other place, but it was her misfortune to come to the talent-filled General Union where she met the most critical Teacher Qiu Bai; it was simply bad luck.
"No matter how she dances, she’s never as good as Sheng Ning," Lu Dabao muttered under his breath. As he reached into his pocket hoping to find something to snack on, he found it empty and sighed, "Life is unbearable now, without Sheng Ning at home I have nothing to eat."
"Have some ambition..." Yang Xiaoman said with disdain.
"This is all the ambition I have. If you really bore me, I won’t hang out with you anymore. I’m going to find Wu Youli." Lu Dabao scrambled up from the ground and dashed towards the door. Hai Lan was practicing her turns, wearing a white dance dress that blossomed with every step she took on the floor, beautiful like a delicate doll.
She watched as Lu Dabao passed by her left side, and without a change in expression, she shifted three paces to the left.
"Bang..." The thunderous sound of a fall caused everyone to halt their movements. Tripped up, Lu Dabao tumbled nearly ten meters, his body rolling several times across the floor.
"Ah..." Lu Dabao’s pained cry turned everyone’s face pale with shock.
Then came an even more agonizing scream that could be described as hysterical. "Ah..." Hai Lan’s high-pitched scream nearly pierced through people’s eardrums.