Rebirth from the Ashes - Chapter 477
Chapter 477: Second Evaluation
Xia Mi then realized that she came off as abrupt with her question. Although she felt awkward about it, there was no way to take back what she had said.
Shen Xi paused and looked ahead before talking about something else. “Ms. Xia Mi, the break is over.”
The reply came as no surprise to Xia Mi. Still, it was a pity she did not get an answer. Xia Mi smiled and got up to go.
Who was he?
Xia Mi went through all possible answers to match his identity in her mind. In the end, she concluded that Mr. Yun Xiao was likely as skillful as Guan Yue.
Guan Yue was Ms. Shu Baiyu’s student – a renowned dancer in China and a future national treasure.
Wait! There was one more person other than Guan Yue. Shen Xi!
This name was not foreign in the world of dancing. Shen Xi represented Ms. Shu Baiyu to perform in Vienna at the end of last year. Her huge success on the Viennese stage caught the attention of many.
It was said that she was most suited to follow Ms. Shu Baiyu’s footsteps, and even Guan Yue thought so. Xia Mi had asked Guan Yue if Shen Xi was Ms. Shu’s student, but Guan Yue never clarified her question. Her silence probably implied that Shen Xi was.
However, Shen Xi was a girl in her senior year. She was currently occupied with the National College Entrance Examination.
Xia Mi racked her brains but could not figure anyone else with such talent in China. There were not a lot of people in the world who were as skillful as Mr. Yun Xiao. At the end of the training session, Xia Mi swiftly asked Guan Yue and sent her a clip she secretly recorded.
Guan Yue thought someone looked awfully familiar when she watched the clip. Others may not be able to tell, but she could see who it was. She sent a message to Shen Xi. [Guan Yue: Where are you?]
Shen Xi was frank. [Shen Xi: In a show.]
Guan Yue was unsure. [Guan Yue: National Idol?]
[Shen Xi: Keep it hush-hush.]
Guan Yue then replied to Xia Mi. [Guan Yue: I’m not sure.]
Xia Mi was not going to quit despite the answer. [Xia Mi: Can I ask a favor from you to check with Ms. Shu Baiyu?]
[Guan Yue: My teacher won’t know as many people as you do.]
Xia Mi thought about it and had to agree. She was big on socializing and supposedly, would know anyone who was a somebody. In the end, Xia Mi lumped Mr. Yun Xiao as a recluse expert.
The trainees, excluding Group F and Group D who were feeling the heat of losing their spot in the competition, did not take to heart that Mr. Yun Xiao was skilled in dancing.
Sure, Mr. Yun Xiao knew how to bust a move, but so did the rest of the mentors. Ms. Xia Mi and Mr. Gu Yang were better than he could ever be!
The trainees had this impression because they were not skilled enough to witness the artistry behind Mr. Yun Xiao’s dancing.
It was a different story with the mentors. Xia Mi and Gu Yang would get together to share the latest intel at every opportunity, but the outcome was disappointing. They had nothing.
One night after the training session, the girls of Group F stayed behind to work further on their performance. With hope and a great teacher, they decided to give it a shot regardless of the end result.
Su Ruowan and He Lu also added half an hour to their training. They passed by Group F on the way back to the dorms and noticed that the trainees were still working on their moves. It was quite an eyesore to see Group F all over the place with their dancing.
He Lu tauntingly smiled while her eyes reflected contempt. “So this is the result of Mr. Yun Xiao’s teaching. Now I’ve seen everything.”
Su Ruowan watched the trainees flapping their arms in the studio. With dancing like that, Group F was delusional to think they could climb up in rating. She turned to He Lu and spoke softly, “Let’s go. Just leave them to their practice.”
Other groups were curious about Group F’s progress after being taught by the supposedly amazing Mr. Yun Xiao, but they quickly lost interest following the sighting. Even the tensed and intimidated Group D let out a sigh of relief.
Soon, no one was bothered about Group F. Since their horrible performance was insignificant to pose any threat to them, the other groups could head back and relax.
At the entrance to Group F’s studio, one of Group F members looked to the left and right to ascertain no one was watching before returning to report. “Han Yan, they’re gone. Let’s begin.”
Bobbing her head, Han Yan stepped out and pointed at the eight trainees on the left. She split the task with Ye Weiyang. “Yangyang, we’ll each take a team. You go to that side to lead them in dance.”
Ye Weiyang was apprehensive as she had never been entrusted with a heavy responsibility. Nevertheless, she was able to muster the courage with multiple pairs of eyes looking up to her as though putting their hope on her. She gave a good nod.
Group F was able to memorize the dance after a day of intense training. The only problem was their forgetfulness and less-than-suave dance moves when a teacher was not around to dance with them.
The only two people in the group who did well were Ye Weiyang and Han Yan. Han Yan proposed that she and Ye Weiyang could help everyone out after Mr. Yun Xiao was done for the day.
They could not be bothered to argue with the other trainees how good Mr. Yun Xiao was. Those people would still think nothing of Mr. Yun Xiao despite what they said.
Group F reached a decision to use their actions to prove their point instead. They were not just going to let the other girls realize Mr. Yun Xiao’s awesomeness, but they would also give them a run for their money.
As for the chicken-flapping dance just now, it was a strategy that Han Yan adopted to confuse their competitions. Truth be told, even if it was not a tactic to confuse, Group F was no better than chickens flapping their wings.
Three days went by in a blink of an eye.
All the trainees worked hard to improve the best they could in the span of three days. No one in their right mind would want to be stuck in square one, and to move one step closer and get into Group A was the way to go.
The gossip about Group F and Mr. Yun Xiao died down by the second day. No one had the time and effort for idle talk if it could be better spent on practice.
Hence, only less than a handful kept their eyes on Group F since that night. The logic was simple – they would rather polish their skills than focus on the competitions. There would be people checking Group F out while passing by once in a while, but they could not detect any major progress.
The trainees may not know it, but the mentors do. Group F progressed by leaps and bounds. The girls were pumped up, tirelessly giving their all.
It went without saying, the mentors were pleased with their advancement.
The production crew collaborated with Group F’s collective initiative. It only made things more interesting when there were twists in the show. They told the mentors to keep mums about Group F from other groups.
Occasionally, the girls from other groups would come to keep tabs on Group F, but the production crew would be on the lookout to alert Group F.
Three days later, the second evaluation began at nine o’clock sharp. The evaluation this time would decide which group was to perform right and center for the unveiling of the theme song. Group A who had the highest chance to be selected were eager to show their hand.
The mentors of every group were mobilizing and cheering their students on before the evaluation.
Group F became the oddball as they excitedly looked at Mr. Yun and shouted, “Keep it up!” before he could utter his usual catchphrase.
Shen Xi could not help but curl her lips. She switched it up by saying, “You are all the best.”
Group F turned teary by the rare encouragement. It had not been an easy road, but they finally heard the words they hoped for. “Thank you, Mr. Yun Xiao, you’re also the best.”
Curious by the commotion, the other groups turned their heads to the source of the noise. They wondered what all the shouting was about.
He Lu smirked in disdain. Was this a memorial service since they knew this was the end of the road? Well, at least they were sensible to know that.
Su Ruowan’s gaze fell on Mr. Yun Xiao. This person was Cosmos Entertainment’s lackey. She could not wait to see how the sorry excuse group would fail.
