As Wang Ye saw Vice President Li off, the students who had performed the previous night at the Baikal Hotel in the city were also boarding buses, preparing to return to their respective schools.
Tonya pulled a small suitcase as she walked out of the hotel with Lilia, ready to board the bus.
Before getting on, however, she stopped and looked around for quite a while.
Lilia understood what she was looking for and sighed. "Couldn't you just make a phone call? You'd rather suffer than lose face!"
Tonya shook her head. "It's not about pride. You wouldn't understand..."
With that, she boarded the bus somewhat disappointed, having failed to see the person she wanted to see.
Lilia secretly rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "Of course I don't understand. Otherwise, why did the Speaker only take a liking to you and not me..."
As she was muttering, Tonya turned around from ahead. "What did you say? Get on already, we're leaving soon."
Lilia hurried forward a couple of steps and replied with a smile, "Coming, coming."
Their school was not in Irkutsk proper, but in a small city dozens of kilometers away.
The bus bumped along for over an hour before finally taking them back to school.
After returning, Tonya received enthusiastic praise from the school leadership and the faculty of her department. Everyone said she had performed brilliantly this time and brought honor to the school!
Naturally, the school leaders especially mentioned how Speaker Mikhail had personally presented her with flowers. They said it represented the Moscow leadership's recognition of Tonya's dancing, as well as recognition of the school's teaching standards!
Finally, the leaders solemnly stated on behalf of the school that Tonya would be commended and rewarded for her outstanding performance...
Tonya understood that her