Chapter 57: Is This the Joy of Nurturing?

“When the curtain rises and falls, with lowered brows and gently moving sleeves…”

“The audience below stirs, just to catch a glimpse of the lady’s graceful elegance…”

As this song played in the meeting room of Top Entertainment, nearly all the noise vanished.

In its place was only that tender, water-like voice and the ancient, melodious tune.

“Delicately tracing the eyebrows, with cinnabar on the forehead…”

“Her waist like a slender willow in the breeze, casting glances that capture the dreams of infatuated souls…”

Upon hearing this, many were already immersed in the story told by the lyrics.

At this moment, in the recording studio.

Listening to Jiang Ning’s lyrics full of admiration, Qi Wen was a bit dazed.

It was as though she was the dancer in the lyrics.

The play began, the dance ended.

With lowered brows, the shadow swayed; her waist like a breeze.

At that very moment, a dramatic, soul-piercing aria suddenly came from Jiang Ning’s mouth.

“With heavy makeup, the play begins…”

“All joys and sorrows on stage are sung by me alone…”

In an instant, Qi Wen’s eyes reddened.

Tang Tu’s eyes welled up.

Even on the other end of the phone, Liao Liao felt as though her heart was struck by a heavy hammer.

This was how the aria could be sung?

This thought echoed in the minds of everyone at the top of Top Entertainment.

Anyone who could sit here was a person with a unique understanding of music.

Even Fan, who was in charge of the project, had a certain appreciation for music.

However, even this discerning group of people was struck dumb upon hearing the music, transmitted through the static sound.

They sat quietly, listening to the song, without a word.

But just then, the music, which had been playing so smoothly, suddenly cut off.

This unexpected incident stirred things up in the meeting room.

“What happened?”

“Why did it cut off?”

Hearing the noise, Liao Liao belatedly picked up her phone, looking down.

Cut off?

Then, she dialed the number again.

But the result was…

“Hello, the number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later…”

Liao Liao, stunned, looked up at Guo Xiangyang and murmured, “Her number… it’s out of service…”

Out of service!?

In an instant, Guo Xiangyang’s face changed, and he immediately barked at Fan: “Go! Right now! Immediately! Put more money on the phone!”

“But… the newsstand downstairs has closed for business…” Fan said, looking troubled.

Upon hearing this, Guo Xiangyang nearly swore, but his reason stopped him from letting his emotions get the better of him.

He turned back and asked the company executives, “What do you think of that song just now?”

“Not bad,” said Li Qiang.

“The arrangement was good,” a senior from the composition department agreed, then added, “The lyrics were great too.”

“And the singing was also excellent.”

A few words of praise, but what Guo Xiangyang wanted to hear wasn’t this.

He stared intently at Liao Liao.

“And what do you think?”

“Well produced, it’s a song of quality on par with ‘Passing by the Mortal World,'” Liao Liao’s expression was serious, almost solemn.

Upon hearing this, Guo Xiangyang smiled.

“Liao Liao, I’ll give you two days to buy this song.”

“No.”

Guo Xiangyang’s eyes gleamed with a sort of ambition.

“I want you to buy both the person and the song!”

—

Liu Liang felt that his luck today had been terrible.

Earlier that morning, when leaders from the provincial and city education bureaus came for an inspection, the driver nearly took the wrong route.

As a result, they took a detour and ended up arriving at the school half an hour late.

Then, when they were reviewing the class bulletin boards, the one from the senior year was mistakenly cleaned by the janitor.

Liu Liang nearly lost his temper.

Thankfully, another bulletin board from Class 1-3 was well done, and the principal’s mood improved a little after the leaders praised it.

The speech went on without issue.

The principal and the leaders exchanged a few words, and Liu Liang even managed to squeeze in a comment. The process seemed to go perfectly.

However.

The relaxation didn’t last half an hour.

During the final performance in the afternoon, another issue arose.

The music teacher, Du Xinrui, who was coordinating the music, had to be rushed to the hospital due to acute gastroenteritis.

This caused disruptions in the afternoon performances, with music often skipping or getting mixed up.

There was even a recital without background music, causing laughter from some of the students below.

At this point, Liu Liang dared not look at the principal’s expression.

If this continued until the last dance performance, Liu Liang wasn’t even sure if he could keep his position as the director.

At that moment, Liu Liang inwardly groaned in despair.

He even began to consider what would happen if he got dismissed.

Then.

The performer for the last program stepped onto the stage.

It was a girl.

Her hair was tied in a ring, her face adorned with a delicate red makeup, and she wore a round-necked red long-sleeve gown. As she walked, her movements swayed gently in the breeze.

At a glance, she resembled a fairy stepping out of a painting.

When Liu Liang saw the girl in this attire, his despair almost vanished entirely.

Honestly, even if this girl only moved a little on stage, Liu Liang thought the performance could already serve as a perfect finale.

A beauty like jade needed no further words.

At that moment, the students in the audience were also affected by the girl’s grace.

They instinctively stopped talking.

Gradually, the entire auditorium fell into an inexplicable silence.

Hundreds of eyes were fixed on the girl standing in the center of the stage.

Suddenly, soft music began to play.

Then, the girl moved.

Her movements were as graceful as a willow in the wind, twisting into an elegant classical dance pose that left everyone mesmerized.

At that moment, Liu Liang’s anxiety finally dissipated.

Instinctively, he glanced at the principal.

When he saw the principal’s smile, he too couldn’t help but smile.

Then, as the music played on, the girl’s movements seemed to linger like a phantom in everyone’s heart.

After a long while, when the girl completed her final move…

The entire auditorium was silent.

For several seconds, it was as if not a single sound could be heard.

Finally, someone started clapping, and soon, thunderous applause echoed through the hall.

The applause continued until the girl silently retreated backstage.

In the backstage area, the girl, like a butterfly, flew into another girl’s arms.

“Jiang Jiang! I did it! Jiang Jiang!!”

Qi Wen, excited, her eyes reddened, hugged Jiang Ning tightly.

This was her first time performing in front of such a large audience.

And receiving so much applause.

Even now, backstage, she could still hear the applause from the front.

“Jiang Jiang! Woo woo! Jiang Jiang!”

Hearing Qi Wen’s choked voice of joy, Jiang Ning, like a father, patted her back.

Feeling the smoothness like jade while also sensing the gazes around them, Jiang Ning’s heart suddenly filled with a strange satisfaction.

Is this the joy of nurturing a young girl?

(End of chapter)