Chapter 194: Traveling Between Two Places, Time Management

For the next two days, Hua Qing spent her time in Ding Heng's gentle company.

At 6:30 a.m., the sky in the capital was already bright.

Hua Qing stood in front of the dressing mirror, ran her fingers through her hair, gathered her long hair into a bunch, and then tied it tightly with a rubber band, her movements skillful and efficient.

On the last lap, she tilted her chin up slightly, tightened her ponytail, and revealed her long, fair neck.

Ding Heng lay on his side on the bed, squinting as he observed Hua Qing's retreating figure, and lazily asked, "Senior, shall I pick you up at noon?"

Hua Qing straightened her stray hairs in front of the mirror without turning her head: "Training is all day now, until around four in the afternoon."

"Oh...I understand."

Ding Heng yawned and buried his face in the pillow again.

Hua Qing turned around, walked to the bedside, and squatted down: "It's already Monday, aren't you going back to Xingcheng?"

Ding Heng turned his head, revealing one eye, and said with a half-smile, "What, senior, don't you want me to keep you company?"

"I'm worried you'll fail your course."

Hua Qing pursed her lips: "Also... you can't just keep ignoring Yan hope and Wen Jing forever, can you?"

"Don't worry, senior, I know what I'm doing."

Ding Heng turned over, looked up, and gently patted Hua Qing's head: "You don't need to worry about me too much."

"Who cares about you!"

Hua Qing always felt ashamed and indignant whenever Ding Heng treated her like a "pet" or a "child".

She got up and walked quickly out of the bedroom. As she passed through the living room, Black Bean jumped down from the cat tree and rubbed against her feet.

Hua Qing bent down, scooped up the black bean, and kissed it on the head.

"Sweetie... Mommy's going out now, to find Daddy."

Meow~

Black Bean responded softly.

At the same time, in Xingcheng.

The presidential suite on the 27th floor of the Chujiang Hotel.

Wenjing had just finished washing up and was sitting on the living room sofa in a pink slip dress, holding a glass of warm milk and sipping it slowly.

The bedroom door was pushed open, and Zhao Yanxi walked out yawning.

She wore the same light blue slip dress as Wenjing, with thin straps hanging on her pink shoulders.

She walked to the sofa, slumped against Wenjing, and buried her face in the two soft mounds of the little white rabbit.

"Good morning, Jingjing..."

"morning."

Wenjing was pushed to the side by Zhao Yanxi, and reached out to push her head.

"Go wash up, you have class later."

"Um... I don't want to go... How about we skip class today?"

Zhao Yanxi mumbled incoherently.

She continued to linger in Wenjing's arms, slowly sat up, rubbed her eyes, yawned, and walked towards the bathroom.

The water was splashing loudly, and when Zhao Yanxi came out again, she felt much refreshed.

Her ponytail was tied high, revealing her clean and bright face.

She sat cross-legged next to Wenjing and casually picked up a strawberry and popped it into her mouth.

"Xiao Jingjing, have you got your visa sorted out yet?"

"That's about it."

Wenjing put the milk glass back on the coffee table: "It should be done the day after tomorrow."

"That's fine then."

Zhao Yanxi picked up another strawberry and fed it to Wenjing, saying, "You've never been abroad, have you?"

"without."

Wenjing opened her mouth and took a bite of the strawberry, chewing as she asked, "What about you?"

"I've been to Singapore in Southeast Asia before, but this is my first time in Europe."

Zhao Yanxi mumbled, "For this summer trip to Switzerland, Sister Man has already arranged the hotel accommodations and itinerary, and even had us review our English beforehand."

After saying that, she took out her phone, opened the file sent by Lin Man, swiped it a few times, and shoved it in front of Wen Jing.

"Look... when you open the door, you'll see the Alps. The hotel balcony faces the Jungfrau, and when you open the curtains in the morning, you can see the golden sunrise on the mountains."

Sister Man said that from July to September, that place is one of the most livable places in the world, with temperatures in the low twenties, neither too hot nor too cold, green grass, blue skies, and fresh, invigorating air.

Wenjing took the phone and looked down at the pictures.

The snow-capped mountains gleamed silvery-white in the sunlight, and at their foot lay vast expanses of lush green meadows, dotted with wildflowers like a giant velvet carpet.

The Alps.

Aside from geography class, she had only ever seen the name on lollipop wrappers.

Twenty days later, she will personally travel to the foot of the Alps.

Wenjing handed the phone back to Zhao Yanxi, leaned back on the sofa, and looked somewhat dazed.

It would be a lie to say I wasn't excited; I felt more like I was in a dreamlike trance.

And the beginning of this dream was a chance encounter at a comic convention last summer...

"What are you thinking about?"

Zhao Yanxi's words brought Wenjing back to reality.

"It's nothing."

Wenjing snapped out of her reverie, picked up her milk glass, and took another sip. "By the way, has Ding Heng been spending time with Sister Man these past few days?"

No, I don't think so.

Zhao Yanxi shook her head: "I just asked Sister Man yesterday, and Brother Ding Heng didn't go to see her."

Wenjing asked, puzzled, "Where could he have gone?"

"Who knows..."

Zhao Yanxi pouted, put her long, straight legs on the coffee table, and sank into the sofa: "Is it another vixen?"

Don't make wild guesses.

Wenjing reached out and lightly patted Zhao Yanxi's thigh.

"Am I just guessing?"

Zhao Yanxi sighed, "Otherwise, where do you think he could have gone these past two days? He's not attending classes, he's nowhere to be seen, and he's slow to reply to messages... He's acting all mysterious."

"Maybe the man has something important to do. Doesn't he have a company in Hong Kong?"

Wenjing, as always, considered things from Ding Heng's perspective.

Men must have careers to keep them busy, otherwise where would they get the money to support their wives' eating, drinking, and entertainment?

So try to be more understanding and avoid suspicion...

Zhao Yanxi was both amused and exasperated, and gently pinched her round little face.

Zhao Yanxi was both amused and exasperated, and gently pinched her round little face.

"You..."

Before he could finish speaking, the door was suddenly pushed open.

Ding Heng strode in, his hair still messy, as if he had just woken up: "What are you saying?"

Zhao Yanxi and Wen Jing turned their heads at the same time, their eyes wide open.

"Brother Ding Heng?!"

Zhao Yanxi jumped up from the sofa, looking surprised: "When did you get here?"

"Is this important?"

Ding Heng walked over, bent down and lifted Zhao Yanxi off the sofa, then hoisted her onto his shoulder.

Zhao Yanxi was taken aback by Ding Heng's actions and subconsciously reached out to pat his chest, her two long white legs dangling in mid-air.

"What are you doing... I just finished showering and I have to go to class!"

"They escaped."

Ding Heng said in a flat tone, picking up Zhao Yanxi and heading towards the bedroom: "Why are we having classes for finals?"

"Brother Ding Heng~"

Zhao Yanxi made a symbolic struggle, her tone soft and delicate.

Ding Heng ignored her, turned around and grabbed Wen Jing, who was still stunned on the sofa.

Caught off guard, Wenjing was pulled forward and stumbled into the bedroom, where Ding Heng threw her onto the bed.

The little white rabbit lay on her back, her skirt riding up a lot, revealing a pair of round, fair thighs.

Immediately afterwards, Zhao Yanxi was also abandoned by Ding Heng. Just as she was about to sit up, he slapped her back down.

"Smack."

It landed on her thigh with a crisp sound.

"Don't move."

Ding Heng's tone left no room for refusal.

Having spent two days as a monk at Hua Qing's place, I'm seething with anger!

It's just that the little white rabbit and the kitten will suffer.

……

capital.

Four o'clock in the afternoon, in the theater rehearsal hall.

Several girls stood in a row, all wearing the same Mazu performance costume.

A moon-white, cross-collar long dress, covered with a layer of light blue gauze, with a silver palace sash tied at the waist, and delicate wave patterns embroidered on the hem.

The same clothes, but completely different vibes.

Hua Qing stood on the far left, her back straight, her expression aloof, like a statue of Mazu that had stepped out of a temple.

Shen Tingwan stood next to Hua Qing. Although they were of similar height and had similar features, Shen Tingwan seemed to lack something.

Originally, there were seven people to be selected, but now only five remain, as two have already withdrawn.

One felt hopeless and used injury as an excuse.

One of them was reportedly poached by another theater troupe, preferring to be a big fish in a small pond rather than a small fish in a big pond...

There are still twenty days until the official selection is finalized, but those who remain know in their hearts that the lead dancer will most likely be either Hua Qing or Shen Tingwan.

The reason why others are still willing to run alongside is simply to compete for a substitute spot, or if they are lucky, to get a supporting role.

Qi Yanran stood at the front of the line, holding a folder in her hand.

"The results of today's official rehearsal are out."

She said calmly, "First place, Hua Qing, with a total score of 98.5."

Hua Qing remained expressionless, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

98.5.

It was a little higher than she expected.

"Second place: Shen Tingwan, with a total score of 98."

Shen Tingwan tried her best to remain calm, but a fleeting look of disappointment crossed her eyes.

Third place, Fan Chenxi, 90.

Upon hearing her score, Fan Chenxi immediately sighed in dejection, making no attempt to hide her emotions.

90 points.

In previous training sessions, the gap between the three was within 3 points, but unexpectedly, in today's official rehearsal, the gap widened to a full 8 points!

Is there absolutely no hope left...?

After adjusting her mindset, Fan Chenxi approached Hua Qing and sincerely congratulated her, "Hua Qing! You're number one again! 98.5, are you cheating?"

Hua Qing smiled awkwardly: "No... I was just lucky today."

Fan Chenxi chuckled: "I think it's the power of love."

"Don't talk nonsense, Chenxi."

"Hey...you must get quite a bit of 'pleasure' from your boyfriend every night, right?"

Shen Tingwan, who was standing to the side, heard the conversation between the two clearly, lowered her eyes and took a deep breath.

She had been consistently outmatched by Hua Qing for eight days in a row, but today was the day she was in the best condition!

Back in April, she practically considered the lead dancer a sure thing, and she didn't see Hua Qing and Fan Chenxi, who were always at the bottom, as rivals at all.

Only a month and a half has passed...

"Listen tonight!"

A gentle female voice rang out at the entrance of the rehearsal hall.

Hua Qing and Fan Chenxi turned their heads to look at the same time.

A middle-aged couple stood at the door, dressed smartly and exuding an air of refinement.

A woman in her early fifties who takes good care of herself.

The man was half a head taller than her, with a calm face and a resemblance to Shen Tingwan in his features.

Shen Tingwan jogged over, stopped in front of the woman, and softly called out "Mom".

The woman reached out to straighten Shen Tingwan's clothes, her movements gentle and her eyes full of affection.

A murmur of discussion arose in the rehearsal hall.

"Those must be Shen Tingwan's parents?"

"I heard her father is a former leader of the General Song and Dance Troupe, and also has connections at the National Centre for the Performing Arts..."

"Really?"

"It's definitely true, everyone in the industry knows it."

"No wonder she has such good resources; she even did a national tour right after graduation."

"That's their skill; what does it have to do with their family?"

"Come on, without family support, how could she have started a national tour at twenty-two? What were you doing when you were twenty-two?"

Hua Qing withdrew her gaze and did not participate in the discussion.

Fan Chenxi leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Hua Qing, what do you think her parents came for today? To watch their daughter rehearse?"

Hua Qing replied calmly, "Maybe."

"Shen Tingwan was ranked first every day for a while, why haven't we seen them here?"

A short while later, Shen Tingwan walked back to Qi Yanran and said politely, "Teacher Qi, my parents would like to invite you over for a few words."

Qi Yanran was taken aback, subconsciously looked at Hua Qing, and then turned to look at the door.

Shen's mother was smiling at her, her smile polite and unhurried.

Qi Yanran let out a soft breath, her face expressionless.

"it is good."

She handed the folder to her assistant and walked towards the door.

Hua Qing stood there, watching Qi Yanran's figure disappear through the doorway.

The rehearsal hall was quiet for a few seconds before murmurs began to rise again.

Do you think Teacher Qi might...?

Don't make wild guesses.

"I'm not just guessing; this kind of thing has happened before."

Hua Qing didn't speak, her fingers unconsciously tracing the sash around her waist.

A few minutes later, Qi Yanran returned.

That's all for today's training.

She spoke in her usual tone and gave the same instructions once again.

"There are only twenty days left, everyone practice hard. First, don't be complacent, and last, don't give up. Everyone has a chance! Even if you don't get selected as the main dancer, you can still strive for the opportunity to participate in the entire tour... being a substitute, supporting role, ensemble dancer, etc., are all valuable stage experiences."

Everyone nodded in agreement and began packing their things.

Hua Qing and Fan Chenxi walked out side by side. Fan Chenxi took Hua Qing's arm and walked much faster than usual, as if she had a lot to say.

Stepping out of the rehearsal hall, she finally couldn't hold back anymore.

"Huaqing."

"Um?"

"What do you think Shen Tingwan's parents said to Teacher Qi?"

Fan Chenxi lowered her voice: "Won't Teacher Qi end up being powerless against the powerful in the end...?"

Don't make wild guesses.

Hua Qing interrupted Fan Chenxi, her tone serious: "Teacher Qi isn't that kind of person."

Fan Chenxi stuck out her tongue: "They're just worried about you, aren't they? Everyone has seen your performance; you're number one, why should you let someone else have it?"

"It's not over yet."

Hua Qing slowed her pace: "Besides, your performance today wasn't bad either. If it weren't for that mistake, your score would definitely be above 95."

Fan Chenxi scratched his head: "A mistake is a mistake, there's no 'what if'! That's where I'm worse than you and Shen Tingwan. You guys never make obvious mistakes. I just can't. From April until now, I still make mistakes in my movements."

Hua Qing thought for a moment and asked, "Speaking of which, did you change a few moves today?"

Fan Chenxi paused, then nodded.

"yes."

"That side spin in the third section?"

"Um……"

Fan Chenxi stopped, turned around to face Hua Qing, and began to gesture.

"Teacher Qi designed it like this... Mazu turns her head, her eyes looking into the distance, her posture conveying a sense of compassion for all living beings, very divine."

But I feel... although Mazu eventually became a goddess, she started as a mortal. She was a woman from a fishing village who sacrificed herself to save her father and fellow villagers. Her compassion wasn't divine compassion, but human compassion.

Fan Chenxi's speaking speed gradually increased.

"Her gentleness towards mortals stems from empathetic 'understanding,' not condescending 'pity.' She is not high above, but stands beside you..."

Hua Qing stood there, stunned.

Fan Chenxi was still gesturing and muttering to herself.

"And then there's the turn later, I changed the angle of her arms. Teacher Qi designed her arms to be fully extended, like wings spreading out, very grand. But I changed it to her arms being slightly drawn in, like a preparatory gesture for an embrace... She's not high above, but standing at a distance, waiting for those who suffer to come forward and embrace her, rather than making people look up to her."

Hua Qing swallowed hard, speechless for a moment.

It felt like something exploded in my mind, a sudden and profound realization.

During this period, she and Shen Tingwan worked hard on the precision and fluidity of their movements.

But they never thought about it—who is Mazu?

Only Fan Chenxi was thinking; she understood the core of the character better than either herself or Shen Tingwan.

"Hua Qing? Are you alright?"

Fan Chenxi waved her hand in front of Hua Qing.

"N-nothing."

Hua Qing snapped out of her daze and took a deep breath: "Continue."

Fan Chenxi waved her hand: "I won't say anymore, it would be like showing off my limited skills before an expert. You dance so much better than me, it would be too embarrassing for me to give you pointers."

"no."

Hua Qing shook her head, her tone serious: "I think your approach is correct. We can discuss it with Teacher Qi."

Fan Chenxi chuckled, feeling a little embarrassed by Hua Qing's praise.

The two girls walked out of the theater one after the other, and a woman walked towards them.

Shen Tingwan's mother.

"Huaqing."

Shen's mother approached Hua Qing and said politely, "Hello, I am Shen Tingwan's mother."

Hua Qing was taken aback, then nodded politely.

Hello, teacher.

"I watched you rehearse inside just now, you danced really well."

Shen's mother looked Hua Qing up and down, and said sincerely, "Actually, I heard four years ago that you were very talented. Teacher Qi often praised you in front of us... Now that I see you, it is indeed true that you live up to your reputation."

"Thank you, teacher."

Hua Qing had absolutely no idea how to handle compliments from her seniors, so she could only respond politely.

Shen's mother smiled, then changed the subject: "By the way, you're coming to the Beijing Dance Academy next semester, have you chosen your advisor yet?"

Hua Qing blinked and answered truthfully, "Not yet."

"Teacher Qi is in charge of the tour, so she may not have much time to teach students."

Shen's mother spoke as if she were having a casual chat, yet also seemed genuinely worried about Hua Qing: "She has mentioned to me several times that you are at a crucial stage right now and need a teacher who can calmly guide you."

Hua Qing didn't say anything.

Shen's mother took out her phone from her bag and opened the QR code.

"How about we add each other on WeChat? If you need any help, just let me know. You're such a promising talent, your future is definitely limitless."

Hua Qing looked at the square QR code at the top of Shen's mother's phone screen, hesitating.

"Huaqing."

A familiar voice suddenly rang out, and Hua Qing turned her head.

Ding Heng stepped forward and grabbed Hua Qing, giving her no time to react.

"Walk!"

Hua Qing stumbled as Ding Heng pulled her, and instinctively looked at Shen's mother, giving her an apologetic look.

Shen's mother showed some annoyance, but quickly recovered and turned to ask Fan Chenxi.

"Who is that?"

"Hua Qing's boyfriend, that teacher... I have to go now too."

Fan Chenxi felt the pressure and quickly tried to slip away.

Once in the car, Hua Qing asked worriedly, "Ding Heng, weren't you being a bit rude just now?"

"What else can we do?"

Ding Heng fastened his seatbelt: "Wait until she adds you on WeChat, then subtly pressures you to withdraw from the competition, painting you a bunch of empty promises?"

Hua Qing frowned: "Maybe they didn't mean it that way? After all, she's a respected senior in the dance world..."

"Someone with a reputation?"

Ding Heng chuckled and reached out to pinch Hua Qing's cheek, pinching it harder than usual.

"Ouch... Ouch!"

Hua Qing winced in pain and turned her head to try to avoid it.

Ding Heng, however, persisted, his tone serious.

"Senior! How come you're not as good as Wenjing at this kind of thing? Do you really think everyone is like you, a complete dance fanatic?"

He let go of Hua Qing, picked up his phone, swiped a few times, and handed the screen to her.

Hua Qing looked down.

Shen Tingwan's Super Topic.

Number of followers: 220,000.

Number of posts – over 300,000.

The pinned video is a fan-made mashup video titled "[Shen Tingwan's National Tour Highlights Compilation]".

The number of views has exceeded one million.

Fans are already discussing how Shen Tingwan will become the lead dancer in "Looking at the Sea," embark on a huge national tour, and eventually enter a variety show.

Hua Qing asked incredulously, "Shen Tingwan already has a supertopic?"

"What do you think? Shen Tingwan and you are not on the same wavelength at all!"

Ding Heng put away his phone and said calmly, "For someone who can participate in a national tour after graduating from university at the age of 22, this 'Looking at the Sea' is just a stepping stone for her!"

She became a nationally famous lead dancer, then entered the entertainment industry and made a fortune. Now you're standing in her way to wealth. What do you think her parents will do?

Hua Qing pursed her lips.

"Then... what should we do?"

The ethereal fairy, no longer bound by worldly concerns, finally began to sense the crisis and asked uneasily, "Just like Chenxi said earlier... the arm can't twist the thigh?"

Ding Heng held Hua Qing's hand, his thumb gently pressing on the back of her hand. .

"Senior, do you believe me?"

Hua Qing raised her head and met Ding Heng's gaze.

The man's eyes were calm, as if he was certain that he could control everything.

Suddenly, Hua Qing felt that Ding Heng was unfathomable.

She remembered Liu Jianming's matter...

He felt wronged at the time, but before dawn the next day, Liu Jianming was already in jail.

After figuring things out, Hua Qing was no longer worried about being treated unfairly. Instead, she began to worry about the situation getting out of control and going too far.

"Ding Heng, let's not go too far, okay?"

Hua Qing hesitated for a long time before finally pleading, "I just need a fair chance to compete, if..."

Before she could finish speaking, Ding Heng scoffed.

In Ding Heng's view, human consciousness is subjective, and there is no such thing as absolute fairness in scoring.

"OK."

Ding Heng squeezed Hua Qing's hand tightly: "I promise, senior!"