Chapter 226: Chapter 94: The Top Star of the 1960s Art Troupe (33)

"Wrong. The only reason I’d marry him is because he’s good to me. If he ever had a change of heart, there’s no way I’d degrade myself and let our love be tarnished," Xia Zhaoyun said self-righteously.

"My point is that you all need to protect yourselves. Don’t be some sweet, naive girl who gets coaxed into bed with a few pretty words. The betrothal gift and the marriage certificate are our guarantees, our self-respect. Just consider this a friendly reminder."

Peng Shulan couldn’t help but retort, "Comrade Xia Zhaoyun, what gives you the right to lecture us? We’re all adults. We don’t need you to teach us anything."

Xia Zhaoyun chuckled. "I’m just worried that after I take you out to see the world, you’ll get completely swept off your feet and then turn around and blame me for trying to help you become outstanding too."

"I prefer to lay out the ugly truth first. If you willingly debase yourselves, lack self-respect, and can’t control your impulses, that’s on you, not me."

Even though the girls were still naive, her words made them feel as if they had already committed some terrible transgression.

They all bared their teeth, looking adorably fierce. "Impossible! We’re not easy girls like you, Comrade Xia Zhaoyun. We would absolutely never get intimate with a male comrade before getting a marriage certificate. It’s a matter of principle!"

"Mr. Mao said that any romance that isn’t for the purpose of marriage is just hooliganism..."

Xia Zhaoyun nodded. ’These girls are the most flighty of the bunch,’ she thought. ’They come from decent families and have never had to work hard for anything. Some are looking for true love, others for a better life, and they’re all scheming to get it. Half of them will end up with scumbags and live miserable lives.’

’Seeing them and remembering what’s in store for them, I can’t help but think of myself. That’s why I have to use these harsh, extreme, and realistic words to slap them awake. I can’t let them end up losing their lives, their money, and their reputations!’

After that little scene, the group’s attitude toward Xia Zhaoyun shifted. Now they were all holding back their anger, waiting to see how she planned to make something out of them—a bunch of useless mud that couldn’t even stick to a wall.

Xia Zhaoyun paced among them with her hands behind her back. "We’re all old colleagues, so we all know what each other is worth. I may not have seen you preparing for this consolation performance, but I saw the first two groups, and I can pretty much guess how you’re doing."

"Your fundamentals are weak. You can’t execute many of the high-difficulty moves properly, and perfect synchronization is a pipe dream for you! Therefore, I’m going to have each of you perform a solo!"

The moment she finished speaking, the room erupted. "Comrade Xia Zhaoyun—"

"Please call me Teacher Little Xia. Thank you," Xia Zhaoyun said, tilting her chin up. Her lofty, arrogant posture made everyone’s hands itch. "I don’t care what you call me outside of practice, but during training, I expect you to remember that I am your teacher. Anyone who calls me by the wrong name will do an extra hour of fundamentals!"

"Otherwise, you can see yourself out of the studio. Since I’ve taken you on, I also get to decide which of you won’t be participating in this performance."

’So tyrannical!’ Everyone was so furious they looked like they were about to inflate into pufferfish.

"Teacher Little Xia," Zhao Si’en said through gritted teeth, "are you serious about making us perform solos?"

"No matter how bad we are, we’ll at least make it past the preliminary round. When we make a fool of ourselves, it won’t just be us and you who lose face. It’ll be Teacher Su, the other troupe leaders, and our entire factory!"

Xia Zhaoyun shrugged nonchalantly. "Ultimately, you’re the ones holding the ’iron rice bowl’ but not doing the work. You’re the ones bringing shame all the way back to your own doorstep, yet you’re trying to drag others down with you."

"If you really end up that disgraced, you’d better be prepared to resign."

"But we could just stick to Teacher Su’s choreography. We might not place, but at least we wouldn’t be completely humiliated," Peng Shulan argued, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"Failing to place is the same as just being a placeholder. You have the gall to stay here, freeloading off the organization, being kept like pampered pests?" Xia Zhaoyun scoffed. "I’d be too embarrassed to even watch!"

Ugh, there was no arguing with that!

The dancers exchanged glances. They all decided to play along for now and see what kind of stunt Xia Zhaoyun was trying to pull.

’We’ll cooperate with her reasonable requests,’ they schemed. ’When we’re all humiliated on stage, it’ll be her fault for arrogantly taking over all the choreography. We’ll see who has to resign then!’

Seeing that the group had become compliant, Xia Zhaoyun chuckled softly and sized them up.

Although everything before her felt unreal and dreamlike, like viewing flowers through a mist, she found that with a little effort, she could still roughly recall the circumstances of the seventeen girls in the room.

The Zhaoyang Clothing Factory had high standards for every position. Even these girls had once worked their tails off to secure a smooth entry. It was only after they got in the door that they started to slack off.

With outstanding, diligent employees taking the lead, they were content to take it easy, focusing more on dressing up and spicing up their social lives.

Under their teacher’s strict supervision, their fundamentals weren’t so bad as to be a complete lost cause.

They might not execute high-difficulty moves perfectly, but long-term immersion in dance had given them a graceful and pleasant posture. Their stage presence was barely passable, and their rhythm and flexibility were good enough to fool an amateur audience. All this was more than enough to place in the top three at the joint performance hosted by the other factories!

If Teacher Su’s strategy for Jie Xiaoqin’s group was to score high with a series of difficult-looking moves designed to wow a layperson audience, then Xia Zhaoyun planned to innovate on the narrative front.

’Back when I was a Ghost Cultivator, I watched countless eras of Xiahua dance evolve. My head is full of practical knowledge.’ Once she found a clear direction, ideas came flooding out.

Since this was a consolation performance for the workers, jointly hosted by all the major factories in the north district, they could embody specific jobs and perform a musical. It could be chaotic yet brimming with youthful abandon and a zest for life. It would break free from the dull conventions of the traditional stage and give every dancer a chance to shine.

’People in this era are starved for inspiration. A single sentence, a look, a small story is enough to fill them with emotion and passion. Even on a new year’s gala in the future, a musical like this would hit audiences with an overwhelming wave of youthful energy and hope!’

’And with these girls’ constant desire to show off—a desire that outweighs even their willingness to work hard—they’ll absolutely nail this musical!’

Xia Zhaoyun told them to keep practicing Teacher Su’s routine. She, meanwhile, sat on the floor, cross-legged with her back against the wall, and took out a pen and notebook to start sketching and writing.

Holding the pen in her left hand, she wrote a title at the top of the page: *North City District Work Summary and Commendation Conference*. Each dancer would have a role and wear a corresponding costume. She would then design unique, catchy music and dance moves for each profession.

She would use the multiple elements of story, music, and professions to compensate for the group’s technical shortcomings in dance.

In just half the afternoon, Xia Zhaoyun had already designed the roles and choreography for all eighteen dancers, including herself. All she needed to do was pair it with music and hash out some plot details, and it would be basically complete!

Seeing how serious Xia Zhaoyun looked, the others started to feel a little embarrassed about their attitude.

"Teacher Little Xia," said Comrade Yao Yunying, who often acted as the group’s spokesperson. She couldn’t help but step forward and whisper, "Really, you don’t have to go to all this trouble for us. Never mind the other factories’ dance troupes, even the comrades in our first two groups are way better than us."

"Rehearsing with us will just drag you down. Why don’t you ask the troupe leader for a solo spot? You’re guaranteed to be selected. Even if you lose points for having fewer performers and don’t place, isn’t that still better than not getting to perform at all because of us?"

"I heard that the rankings from this show determine who gets to go to the municipal arts performance in August!"

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