bdsm-fiction Chapter 29, Second Prize, Featured in the News
Chapter 29, Second Prize, Featured in the News
People were coming and going in the corridor outside the dressing room. Students who had just finished performing were pouring in from all directions in twos and threes.
Some people were carrying costumes, others were carrying dance shoes, their makeup still on and glistening under the fluorescent lights.
Several little girls in ballet dresses squeezed past Li Si'an, chattering away.
Li Si'an leaned against the door frame, glanced down at her watch, and saw it was almost 7:30.
"Hurry up, my uncle and the others are still waiting outside."
Zhang Ziyi sat in front of the dressing table, her makeup remover pads stained with red blush, tossing them one by one into the trash can. Without even looking up, she muttered, "Almost done, almost done, don't rush me."
"You've said that three times already."
"Then don't listen to it."
Li Si'an didn't respond, but called out towards the locker room, "Tang Yun, are you done yet?"
Tang Yun's voice came from inside: "Right away."
After a while, Tang Yun came out of the dressing room, changed back into her own clothes, and her hair was still up in a bun. Li Si'an reached out and pulled off one of the hair clips in her hair, and half of her hair came loose.
"Tear it down before you leave. It's windy outside, and if it gets blown away, it'll just make things more chaotic."
Tang Yun took the hair clip and began to untangle her hair. Zhang Ziyi stuffed the mirror into her bag, stood up, and patted her pants.
"Walk."
Three people came out from backstage, and a family of three was standing at the entrance of the auditorium.
Zhou Weidong was wearing a dark gray jacket, his hair was neatly combed, and next to him was his wife Ma Xiaoqin, who was wearing a maroon coat and carrying a bag.
Cousin Zhou Yu stood beside her. He was only half a year younger than Li Si'an, about the same height, and wore a dark blue school uniform with the words "BJ No. 4 Middle School" printed on his chest.
Li Si'an walked over and greeted them: "Uncle, Aunt."
Zhou Weidong looked him up and down and nodded. "The show was good. Did you write the song? And choreograph the dance?"
"Um."
Zhou Weidong looked at him and smiled with satisfaction.
"Okay, it seems those six years of studying weren't a waste."
Ma Xiaoqin came closer, grabbed Li Si'an's arm, but her eyes kept glancing at Tang Yun and Zhang Ziyi.
"They danced so well! Your uncle and I were sitting right there, watching with our eyes glued to the screen. That girl in the red dress, with that swish of her skirt, wow, it was so beautiful! And that one in black, she looked like a little boy, so neat and tidy, she was beautiful too."
Zhang Ziyi smiled beside her. "Thank you, Auntie."
Ma Xiaoqin glanced at Tang Yun again, her mouth never stopping. "This girl is so beautiful, like a painting."
Tang Yun, carrying her dance costume, nodded to her aunt with a blush.
Zhou Yu stood to the side, silent. His gaze swept from Tang Yun's face to Zhang Ziyi's, then to the crowd coming and going at the entrance of the auditorium.
The girls from the Affiliated High School of Beijing Dance Academy came out from inside, in twos and threes, tall and short, thin and plump, and walked down the steps.
His eyes weren't enough; he had to look from left to right and then from right to left.
Ma Xiaoqin patted him on the shoulder. "What are you looking at?"
Zhou Yu turned his gaze away and said to Li Si'an, "Anzi, after the college entrance exam, I'll come to your shop and help you mind the store."
Li Si'an glanced at him sideways and sneered, "Da Yu, I don't even want to expose you. Are you planning to help me mind the shop? You're just there to see the pretty girls, aren't you?"
Zhou Yuchong winked and chuckled twice.
Zhou Weidong glared at the two brothers, said nothing, and turned to Li Si'an, saying, "Let's go, let's find a place to eat."
"No need, Uncle..."
"Don't mention it, let's go."
Li Si'an glanced at Tang Yun, but Tang Yun remained silent. Zhang Ziyi spoke first, "Then I won't be polite, thank you, Uncle."
Zhou Weidong smiled. "Let's go."
The group exited the auditorium, and Zhou Weidong's car was parked across the street. He opened the car door and glanced back at Li Si'an. "We're happy today, let's have something good to eat."
The car drove to Baiyi Road, near the Hubei Building. The Nine-Headed Bird sign hung at the entrance, red background with gold lettering, looking much more upscale than the roadside restaurants.
As Ma Xiaoqin entered, she muttered under her breath, "This place isn't cheap." Zhou Weidong didn't respond and instead asked the waiter to lead him to a private room.
When the dishes were served, Ma Xiaoqin pulled Tang Yun and Zhang Ziyi aside to chat, asking them where they were from, how many years they had been studying dance, and what they planned to do after graduation.
Zhang Ziyi was quick to speak and chattered away, while Tang Yun didn't say much. She answered Ma Xiaoqin's questions in a low voice.
Zhou Weidong picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, chewed it twice, put down his chopsticks, and looked at Li Si'an. "I listened to your song, it's quite novel, I've never heard anything like it before."
Li Si'an smiled. "I just want to think about something new."
Zhou Weidong nodded, picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and glanced at Zhou Yu beside him. "Your brother doesn't have your talent for causing trouble. Luckily, his grades are pretty good; he'll probably get into a good university."
After saying that, he pointed at Li Si'an with his chopsticks and said, "So, don't take him to see any pretty girls, at least not before the college entrance exam. Got it?"
Zhou Yu was picking up food when he heard this, his chopsticks paused, and he wisely kept quiet.
Li Si'an was delighted.
"Uncle, don't worry! If Da Yu dares to come to my shop before the college entrance exam, I'll definitely beat him out with a stool!"
Zhou Weidong glared at him and didn't continue the topic.
After finishing their meal, Li Si'an stood up to pay the bill at the front desk. Zhou Weidong followed and reached out to stop him. "What are you doing? I said it's on me."
Li Si'an handed over the money, then turned to Zhou Weidong and said, "Uncle, it'll be the beginning of the month in a couple of days. I'll deduct this money directly from your share. Consider it your treat."
Zhou Weidong paused for a moment, then laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "You little rascal."
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Tuesday, April 30th.
During the morning exercise break, a crowd gathered in front of the school bulletin board. Li Si'an came out of the teaching building and saw Zhang Ziyi tiptoeing in, her ponytail swaying in the crowd.
He walked over, and Zhang Ziyi had already crawled out, her face showing the expression of someone who had won the lottery.
"Second place!" She slapped him on the shoulder. "We're second!"
Li Si'an tiptoed and glanced at the bulletin board. It listed the winners of the 1996 Beijing Dance Academy Affiliated High School Graduation Performance, with the piece "Puppet Show" winning second prize.
"Who won first prize?" he asked.
"A selection from Swan Lake by the ballet class." Zhang Ziyi pursed her lips slightly as she said this, but immediately smiled again, "Who cares, we're second!"
Tang Yun squeezed through the crowd and walked to their side. Her face was a little red, whether from the pressure or from happiness, it was hard to tell. Zhang Ziyi put her arm around her shoulder and shook her a couple of times.
"Getting second place will lower your score considerably. Tang Yun, you should be fine getting into the Beijing Dance Academy."
Li Si'an stood to the side with a smile and said:
"And there's more good news! Beijing News will be airing our segment tonight! Director Liu called me last night and said it's in the final cut; your stage time is about half a minute!"
"Half a minute?" Tang Yun was taken aback.
"Really half a minute?" Zhang Ziyi emphasized the word "half a minute."
"When I participated in the Taoli Cup before, Beijing TV also reported on it. Do you know how long I was on screen? Less than two seconds! The camera panned across me and I was gone. My mom said that if it weren't for the fact that my practice clothes were a different color, she wouldn't have recognized me."
Li Si'an chuckled. "Will your mom recognize you this time?"
"If you can't recognize her in half a minute, you must be blind."
Tang Yun laughed beside her. Zhang Ziyi held her shoulder tightly, and the three of them stood in front of the bulletin board. Sunlight shone down from the top of the teaching building, casting short shadows.