Chapter 65 Selection

The seventies and eighties were not only a golden spring for literature, but also a vibrant springtime for the music world.

Many singers skyrocketed to overnight fame across the country simply because of a single hit song.

In 1979, Teresa Teng released "Sweet Honey," a song adapted from an Indonesian folk melody with lyrics penned by Zhuang Nu. Released in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other regions, it immediately claimed the top spot on the Chinese song charts of Commercial Radio Hong Kong, and upon its release, it became an instant sensation throughout Southeast Asia.

Later on, "Sweet Honey" was selected by *Southern Weekend* as one of the ten classic songs of the first thirty years of China's reform and opening up.

There was also "Velvet Flower," the interlude sung by Li Guyi for the film *Little Flower* released last year: "There is a beautiful flower in this world, and it is youth blooming in all its glory!"

Even before the film was screened in theaters, the song was already being broadcasted on China National Radio's "Song of the Week" program, and Li Guyi's gentle, tender vocals swiftly swept across the length and breadth of the country.

The female comrades present were dancers living in an increasingly open era, actively pursuing new ideas, and they naturally came into contact with these fresh trends more than most.

Whenever a new song appeared, everyone vied to learn and sing it.

Though not professional vocalists, singing was largely a matter of natural vocal talent; whether one had formal technique often hardly mattered.

Upon hearing that a superior leader was going to select a female comrade from the troupe to record a song, everyone excitedly raised their hands, clamoring, "Pick me! Pick me!"

Hu Yanzhang stood among the crowd, feeling an identical surge of excitement.

"The opportunity has arrived! I must fight hard for this and not let it slip away!"

"You have to realize there are only three programs for the entire song and dance theater, and here comes a direct solo! That shows an extraordinary level of importance!"

"And it's going to be broadcasted on the radio! Who knows, maybe I'll become famous all over the country just like Li Guyi!"

She believed her big break had arrived. She wasn't just a dancer; she could sing too, and she firmly believed her voice was exceptionally pleasant.

If she were truly chosen!

Would a mere Liu Xiaoli even remain in her eyes?

Hahahaha!

Once she became famous, she would transform into a major star and go to Beijing to sing!!

Instantly, Hu Yanzhang cast a combative gaze toward Liu Xiaoli not far away.

In her view, the only person among this group capable of competing with her for this spot was Liu Xiaoli; she was her sole rival.

???

Why are you looking at me?

Liu Xiaoli found that look rather inexplicable. The higher-ups were here to pick someone to sing—why was a dancer getting so worked up?

"Xiaoli-jie, this is a wonderful opportunity! I'm going to sign up and try my luck too! I always sing when I take a bath, and it sounds so pretty, right, Xiaoli-jie?"

Wang Danping pumped herself up on the side, looking eagerly at Liu Xiaoli, attempting to extract a sense of agreement.

"Well... you certainly sing quite nicely."

Liu Xiaoli coughed lightly, praising her against her better judgment.

Although her pitch drifted entirely off into foreign territory, at least she got the lyrics right.

"Oh, come on, Danping, aren't you tone-deaf?"

"It sounds like a ghost wailing."

Xiao Caiyun and Zhang Yi nearby burst out into giggles.

"Dreadful!"

That infuriated the young girl, who brandished her small fists in mock protest.

Watching the three of them playfully bickering, Liu Xiaoli looked up toward Teacher Zhou Xiaomin and Teacher Jiang Ling. While she felt the opportunity was rare, she wondered why on earth someone looking for a singer had come all the way to a dance troupe.

We are dancers, not singers, aren't we?

How very strange.

...

"Alright, quiet down! All this squabbling—if the leaders see this, they'll think something is terribly wrong!"

Zhou Xiaomin pressed her hand downward in the air, her expression quite stern.

The lively atmosphere in the dance studio instantly subdued.

"Our theater only has three programs for the gala, and now the leaders are picking one from our dance troupe. That means one more program than the other units! Everyone must treat this seriously; it concerns this year's selection for the advanced unit," Teacher Jiang Ling said loudly.

"Precisely because it is so important, I believe the candidates must be strictly vetted. Not just anyone is qualified to participate—for instance, those who openly violate regulations."

Zhou Xiaomin crossed her arms, her sharp gaze sweeping across the dozen or so female comrades in their twenties, her eyes lingering especially long on Liu Xiaoli.

So she has finally fallen into my hands, hasn't she? Liu Xiaoli...

Zhou Xiaomin thought with a sinister inward smile. Liu Xiaoli had rejected the blind date, and Zhou Xiaomin hadn't even reported back to the An family yet.

Tonight was the agreed-upon time for the blind date, and out of sheer desperation, she had turned to ask Hu Yanzhang for help. Fortunately, the latter had agreed readily enough.

Upon receiving the notification from the leaders regarding the selection, Zhou Xiaomin had immediately resolved to prevent Liu Xiaoli from being chosen.

...

"Swish, swish, swish..."

Everyone in the dance studio heard these words and tacitly exchanged glances toward Liu Xiaoli, well aware that Zhou Xiaomin was referring to her.

Some were worried, some felt a malicious sense of glee, and others remained indifferent.

"Hahaha... That's what you get for scolding me just now! Now look at you! You, Liu Xiaoli, don't even qualify to be selected. My Aunt Zhou still holds a grudge; if she says you can't participate, you don't participate! Not only was my blind date snatched away by me, but now even this singing opportunity is going to be stolen by me as well... Could this be the legendary blessing of Professor An?"

Hu Yanzhang stood with her hands on her hips, laughing uproariously in her heart.

Director Zhou's remark was a divine assist!

It effectively aimed to crush Liu Xiaoli, her biggest rival, in one single stroke!

Clearly, Director Zhou found her utterly insufferable.

Listening to this, Liu Xiaoli frowned deeply and asked calmly, "What does Director Zhou mean by that? What do you mean by violating the theater's regulations? Do you still take us for teenage girls who haven't graduated yet?

Let me tell you, we are official dancers of the Jiangcheng Song and Dance Theater! Where in the theater's regulations does it say that official dancers are not allowed to date or get married? If that were forbidden, you'd probably be the very first person to violate the rule!"

"Exactly! You're merely logistics personnel; anyone who didn't know better would think you were the president, Director Zhou?"

"Isn't this just abusing public office for private revenge and retaliating against someone? Your mindset is seriously flawed!"

Wang Danping and a few other friends chimed in with sharp retorts.

"How are you speaking? What kind of attitude is that? I didn't even name anyone; I was just talking about certain individuals, I didn't mention your name."

Hearing this, Zhou Xiaomin's face instantly paled with fright. She mumbled a few vague phrases and tried to gloss over it.

"Alright, that's enough!"

Teacher Jiang Ling sighed, stopped the group, and waved her hand. "Everyone go change your clothes first and come to the performance hall. It's too cramped in here to move properly. We might have to do trial singing later, so get yourselves ready."

"Understood, Teacher Jiang!"

With Teacher Jiang Ling putting a stop to the bickering, the group shouted in unison.

No matter what Director Zhou thought, she wasn't part of the dance troupe and didn't have jurisdiction over them; they ultimately listened to Teacher Jiang Ling, who had raised and mentored them since they were young.

However, Hu Yanzhang and Zhou Xiaomin felt a lingering sense of regret. The group changed into warm clothing and headed to the performance hall.

Standing among the crowd, Liu Xiaoli saw three people already seated inside: two middle-aged men and a tall, slender young man wearing a hat.

"Who is this person? He looks somewhat familiar,"

Liu Xiaoli muttered inwardly.

Over on the side, Editor-in-Chief Yang raised his eyes and saw a dozen graceful, singing-bird-like female comrades walking over. His gaze locked onto a tall girl in the crowd with skin as flawless as mutton-fat jade. His eyes flickered before he announced loudly, "Line up in a row, everyone, and don't be nervous."

The group obediently lined up, looking at Editor-in-Chief Yang and Professor Tong with expectant expressions in their eyes.

Professor Tong first introduced himself and then announced the rules: "Let me explain. The recording of this song is of great significance; it will be performed as a solo at the Spring Festival Gala. Although the song is not difficult, our requirements for the performer are very high. First, her personal image must be good; second, her singing cannot be poor. Those are the two criteria. Does anyone have any questions?"

Upon hearing that this Professor Tong was the vice president and professor of the Hubei Institute of Arts, the final anxieties lingering in everyone's hearts vanished.

"No!"

The girls shouted in unison, their momentum remarkably strong.

"Mm, good. The morale is usable."

Yang Shu'an nodded in satisfaction.

Teacher Jiang Ling stepped over from the side. "Leaders, may we begin now?"

"Begin."

Editor-in-Chief Yang and Professor Tong then stepped forward to appraise the group. There were over twenty girls in their twenties in the dance troupe, and a comprehensive sweep was made of all of them.

They picked out a dozen or so with relatively good appearances, and then had each of them sing a few lines of lyrics.

"The fifth one, Comrade Hu Yanzhang, try singing a song of your choice."

"Yes! Leader!..."

Hu Yanzhang felt a start, then began to sing. Instantly, a melodious, sweet, and soft-textured voice filled the air.

Yang Shu'an and Professor Tong nodded with satisfaction. "Not bad, her voice is very pleasant."

Hu Yanzhang was overjoyed and hastily bowed in gratitude. "Thank you, Teacher. Thank you, Teacher."

"... Next."

"Next, Comrade Liu Xiaoli!"

"The evening breeze gently brushes Penghu Bay, white waves chase the sandy beach. There are no coconut trees casting shadows in the setting sun, just a vast expanse of blue, blue sea. Sitting on the low wall before the door, yearning again and again..."

Liu Xiaoli stepped forward by half a step, letting her hands hang relaxed at her sides. That calm and serene temperament alone left Editor-in-Chief Yang extremely satisfied.

Editor-in-Chief Yang then examined the girl's features, thinking with internal admiration that it was no wonder Cheng Kaiyan had gone to such lengths; she truly possessed a skin as clear as ice and bones of jade, bright eyes and white teeth—she was indeed a person endowed with the finest spirits of nature.

When the song ended, Liu Xiaoli gripped her delicate hands together; she was somewhat nervous, as this was an opportunity for her as well.

"Mm, both her voice and image match the heroine in our lyrics."

Editor-in-Chief Yang smiled, nodded at her, and gave his evaluation.

Liu Xiaoli breathed a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, upon hearing Liu Xiaoli receive a review somewhat similar to her own—and even a grade higher than hers—Hu Yanzhang found it difficult to stand still.

She asked anxiously, "Leaders, exactly who are you going to choose?"

"Hmm?"

Professor Tong cast a single look her way, and Hu Yanzhang instantly wilted.

After having the remaining female comrades try out as well, Editor-in-Chief Yang and Professor Tong waved their hands and said, "That's enough for now. We'll disperse for the moment and announce the final choice later."

"Leaders, how was it? Which female comrade do you think is better? More outstanding? Every single girl in our dance troupe is bright, lively, and exceptional," Teacher Jiang Ling said as she walked over.

"Don't rush."

The two men spoke, then took a piece of paper back to their seats to converse with the other young man.

Over on the dance troupe's side, Hu Yanzhang walked over to Director Zhou and whispered, "Aunt Zhou, who do you think will ultimately be selected? I'm a bit worried."

"Don't worry. If you ask me, it's bound to be you. If it turns out to be Liu Xiaoli, I'll have a word with the leaders right away and tell them that Liu Xiaoli's ideological conduct is subpar and she isn't suitable,"

Zhou Xiaomin said with a cold, mocking smirk, her harsh triangular eyes fixed on Liu Xiaoli not far away.

Hearing this, Hu Yanzhang finally relaxed and looked at Liu Xiaoli with a smug gleam of gratification. "Even if I don't get it, don't even think about having an easy time of it either."

A few minutes later, Editor-in-Chief Yang walked over holding a piece of paper with scores written on it. "Everyone quiet down. I now announce that our final choice is Comrade Liu Xiaoli!"

Editor-in-Chief Yang looked at the scores on the paper: Liu Xiaoli had scored nine points, whereas that Comrade Hu Yanzhang was a bit short in height and had only scored eight points.

Therefore, even without Cheng Kaiyan's recommendation, Comrade Liu Xiaoli's score would still have ranked first.

As soon as these words were spoken, the girls of the dance troupe reacted with a mix of jealousy, well-wishes, and感慨.

"Liu Xiaoli!"

"It's Xiaoli-jie! I told you so, Xiaoli-jie would definitely make it."

Wang Danping said with a cheeky grin; she had been eliminated immediately because of her tone-deaf singing.

"Congratulations, congratulations."

"It's just luck, sheer luck."

Several friends and Teacher Jiang Ling smiled and offered their congratulations to Liu Xiaoli, who was inwardly overjoyed.

Just when everyone thought the matter was settled, Zhou Xiaomin and Hu Yanzhang were boiling with frustration.

"Leaders, I have something I need to report to you."

Zhou Xiaomin gave Hu Yanzhang a reassuring look, then stepped forward and spoke loudly.

Hu Yanzhang looked at Zhou Xiaomin with hopeful anticipation. If Liu Xiaoli couldn't have it, wouldn't the spot naturally fall to her?

At this declaration, the performance hall instantly fell completely silent. Everyone stared intently at Zhou Xiaomin, well aware of what she was about to do.

"Isn't this inappropriate, Director Zhou? How can you act like this?"

Teacher Jiang Ling shouted, her anger instantly flaring.

"Exactly! This is nothing more than malicious retaliation!"

"How utterly hateful!"

While the girls of the dance troupe might have had petty friction and bumps among themselves on ordinary days, now that the candidate had been decided, they could clearly distinguish right from wrong on a matter of such major importance.

Editor-in-Chief Yang shook his head. "This is Director Zhou, correct?"

"Yes. In my view, this Liu Xiaoli has problematic ideological conduct. Recording a song is an important task assigned by the higher-ups; naturally, we cannot choose someone with a problematic background to sing it. Don't you agree, leaders?"

Zhou Xiaomin said with a righteous air.

"What kind of conduct issue? Do enlighten us. You mentioned yourself that this is a task assigned by senior leaders; the elders taught us that whatever the matter, we must rely on evidence and state the facts. We cannot afford to wrong our comrades! Speak the truth, and we will conduct a thorough investigation. We have enough time for that.

If such a thing truly exists, we naturally will not choose Comrade Liu Xiaoli. But if this is a false accusation and intentional retaliation, you won't escape consequences either!"

Editor-in-Chief Yang let out a cold snort and said.

"This... Leaders, I-I-I... I just..."

Zhou Xiaomin was instantly dumbfounded, her words tumbling out incoherently.

She truly hadn't expected the leaders to launch an investigation over this!

"Speak!"

"Leaders... I just heard it from someone else, I don't really know anything!"

Zhou Xiaomin stammered, her eyes darting shiftily about.

"If you don't know, keep your mouth shut! You don't understand the first rule of conduct—how on earth did you even become a director?"

"Yes, yes, yes... I don't understand the rules..."