Page 18

The style of this dance arrangement, with Peking Opera movements mixed into street dance, was something Lu Hengzhi had never seen in his life. But for Tang Shi, these were all moves he had seen and practiced countless times in his previous life. As a result, Lu Hengzhi was invisibly left far behind during rehearsals. Unable to achieve perfect coordination, the two had to repeat the routine over and over like a spinning wheel. After several days, forget mastering the dance—they had not even completed a third of it.

Even worse, Tang Shi, whose stamina had never been particularly good, twisted his ankle again during one rehearsal. Such minor injuries were commonplace when practicing dance; a couple days of rest and some medicated ointment would heal it. But Lu Hengzhi did not see it that way.

This was practically the last straw that broke the camel's back. Lu Hengzhi exploded on the spot. As he helped Tang Shi sit on the floor and applied ice and medicine to him, he lowered his head and said dejectedly, "It's all because I'm useless. I keep making you practice with me again and again, and that's why you got hurt. What if it still isn't healed by the Qualifier Round?"

Tang Shi reached out and patted Lu Hengzhi's shoulder, smiling as he said, "Don't overthink it. It's just a twisted ankle. Some medicine and two hours of rest will fix it. It's not that serious."

Lu Hengzhi kept a dark face and said nothing. Lin Zhaoran and Song Lijia, who were practicing next door, noticed the commotion. After watching for a while, they hesitantly came over to ask what had happened.

Tang Shi smiled as he dealt with the two of them, while also keeping an eye on Lu Hengzhi's mood. He kept saying he was fine and only needed a little rest.

Yet Lu Hengzhi's mood only worsened—

Normally, Lu Hengzhi was much better at dancing than Tang Shi. Back when they had decided to learn dancing and enter the competition, Lu Hengzhi had been the one dragging Tang Shi along. But now that they were actually competing, his performance in every aspect had fallen short, and he had even become the one holding them back. Anyone would have felt bad about that.

Not to mention that Tang Shi had now been injured because of him.

Lu Hengzhi knew how delicate Tang Shi was. His ankle must have hurt terribly right now. But to spare Lu Hengzhi's feelings, Tang Shi still had to endure it and say it did not hurt—if Mama Tang found out that Tang Shi had suffered so much while with him, she would surely worry too, wouldn't she?

The more he thought about it, the guiltier Lu Hengzhi felt. The way he looked at Tang Shi became increasingly filled with unbearable shame. After holding it in for a long time, he finally stammered, "How about... you go back and rest for a while first? You don't need to stay with me. Once I've practiced enough on my own, I'll come find you."

After all, most of their routine was synchronized dancing, with identical movements. There were not many parts requiring the two of them to coordinate directly. As long as Lu Hengzhi could thoroughly grasp the whole routine, the rest would only need a little adjustment given how well they understood each other.

As he spoke, Lu Hengzhi ignored Tang Shi's response, bent down, and hoisted Tang Shi onto his back to carry him back to the dormitory. Tang Shi hurriedly tried to talk him out of it—

Although Lu Hengzhi had been proud and ill-tempered since childhood, he had never lost his temper with Tang Shi. Even when he was truly angry, he would only hide off to the side and sulk. Once he had cooled down, he would come rubbing back over, wagging his tail, to keep playing.

In Tang Shi's heart, Lu Hengzhi had always been the sort of person who held his head high and spoke with ease, livelier and more cheerful than Tang Shi, sharp and clever. Seeing him so dejected today was truly rare, and it made Tang Shi feel even worse. He knew that without the cheat of time, without the extra ten-plus years of experience and memories that had appeared out of nowhere, he would never have been better than Lu Hengzhi. All he could have done was trail far behind Lu Hengzhi, watching his increasingly brilliant figure and trying desperately to catch up, only to never succeed.

He understood Lu Hengzhi's talent better than anyone else, and knew more clearly than anyone what heights this person would eventually reach.

But Lu Hengzhi did not know that. He only knew that overnight, his little partner had begun to shine with dazzling brilliance. If he did not work hard to catch up, he feared he would be left farther and farther behind until he could not catch up at all.

At that point, would he still have the chance to stand beside Tang Shi?

Seeing the increasingly tense atmosphere between them, Lin Zhaoran and Song Lijia fell silent in unspoken agreement. They had not been particularly familiar with one another to begin with. Besides, in their eyes, Tang Shi's injury barely counted as one. Dancers all had bruises and injuries all over their bodies. Lu Hengzhi's degree of concern was what truly surprised them.

Lu Hengzhi carried Tang Shi back to the dormitory with a dark expression all the way. While packing things, he insisted on taking Tang Shi to the hospital. Tang Shi really did not want to waste that money, but he could not overcome Lu Hengzhi's stubbornness. After the two remained deadlocked for a long time, they finally compromised and found the medical staff hired by the production team. After a round of pressing and kneading, the medic concluded that Tang Shi had neither fractured anything nor suffered any serious injury. He only needed to take his medicine on schedule and rest for two days.

Lu Hengzhi's expression finally eased somewhat. He also settled down and practiced even more desperately.

However, Tang Shi did not spend every day lying in bed recuperating as the medic had instructed. He had Lu Hengzhi carry him to the dance studio. Whenever Lu Hengzhi practiced, he sat to the side typing out his writing. Occasionally, he offered Lu Hengzhi a suggestion or two, then followed him to the cafeteria for lunch and dinner and back to the dormitory afterward.

Because they were unused to Southern food, Tang Shi and Lu Hengzhi had not been accustomed to the cafeteria meals during their first few days. Fortunately, after they became familiar with the cafeteria chef, the chef agreed to let them enter the kitchen outside meal hours and make their own food. Normally, Tang Shi took charge of cooking.

But now that Tang Shi had twisted his ankle, Lu Hengzhi could not possibly let him "work while injured." Fortunately, Lu Hengzhi could cook a couple of dishes himself. Though they did not taste as good as Tang Shi's cooking, they were edible enough for home-style food.

Since only the four dancers from the auditions had arrived at their dormitory so far, the four of them usually practiced and ate together. Lin Zhaoran and Song Lijia, both born-and-bred Southerners, naturally could not stop praising Tang Shi after trying his Northern dishes. Later, after eating Lu Hengzhi's cooking, they also unanimously continued to praise it.

After Tang Shi and Lu Hengzhi ate the pickled field snails Lin Zhaoran had brought, supposedly made by his grandmother herself, their appetites were greatly whetted. They finally believed that Southern food could also be delicious. Perhaps food lovers naturally gave off a particular kind of affinity. After sharing several meals, the four became increasingly familiar with and fond of one another, while the friction and resentment from when they had first met seemed to vanish like clouds in the wind.

Three days later, the swelling in Tang Shi's foot finally subsided. After another examination by the medical staff confirmed that he was fine, Tang Shi finally resumed training.

Everyone knew their own situation best. Though he had somehow gained ten extra years of accumulated experience, making him seem like a very good dancer at first glance, his physical condition from ten years ago was still limited. The only reason Lu Hengzhi was not dancing smoothly yet was that he had not adapted to this rhythm. But with his solid street dance foundation, along with the Peking Opera basics he had practiced since childhood because his grandfather was a Peking Opera enthusiast, adapting to this style that blended street dance with Peking Opera was only a matter of time.

If Lu Hengzhi's unfamiliarity with the style was merely making his dancing less fluid, then Tang Shi had a fundamental weakness in his physical condition. More than ten years of experience and memories in his mind could enrich his knowledge, but they could not directly improve his body. Before, he had only been living off those memories. As Lu Hengzhi's brutal training over the past two days began to show results, the gap between them grew smaller and smaller. Meanwhile, Tang Shi's own shortcomings, such as his poor stamina, gradually became apparent.

For a time, Tang Shi grew anxious as well. He was afraid that if he did not hurry up and practice, then once Lu Hengzhi adapted, he himself would become the one holding them back.

Lu Hengzhi had nothing to say in response to Tang Shi's worries. The only reason they were working so hard was to perform better in the competition. Since neither of them wanted to be the one holding the other back, working hard together was the best answer.

Still, understanding that in his heart was one thing. Lu Hengzhi, unable to fully relax, continued reminding Tang Shi to be careful with his ankle, not to force himself too much, and not to overexert himself. So in addition to burying himself in dance practice, Lu Hengzhi took on the task of massaging Tang Shi's ankle. Tang Shi tried to stop him several times without success and could only let Lu Hengzhi have his way.

Whether it was because the saying that good things took time had finally begun to prove true, or because Lu Hengzhi had suddenly figured it out, no one knew. In any case, the following dance rehearsals went extremely smoothly. By the time the fifty-to-thirty Qualifier Round began, the two were already perfectly in sync.

The expression on Lu Hengzhi's face finally no longer looked as dark and oppressive as the sky before a storm.

Meanwhile, the other forty-six contestants in the Southern Division gradually arrived before the program recording. After the top fifty dancers selected in Apple City for the Southern Division spent another three days rehearsing together under the guidance of choreography teachers hired by the production team, the day of filming finally arrived.

Yet Tang Shi and Lu Hengzhi, busy rehearsing their dance day after day, had both overlooked something. Only Cui Yujin, who had nothing to do, noticed the piece of news while reading the newspaper at home that morning—

In an instant, Cui Yujin's heart churned as if someone had poured a pot of hot oil into it.

☆ If someone had the chance to win five million, how would they feel upon learning that they had won? And if someone had clearly had the chance to win five million, but lost the money because of their own actions, how would they feel?

So regretful his intestines were practically turning green, Cui Yujin had no appetite for breakfast. He hurriedly said a few words to his grandmother, who had just returned from the morning market, then grabbed the newspaper, slung on his schoolbag, and headed to the employee dormitory building in Apple City.

It was not even eight in the morning yet. Tang Shi and the others had just washed up and were about to head to the cafeteria for breakfast when someone began pounding on the door with loud, urgent bangs. The sound clearly revealed the visitor's restless anxiety.

Tang Shi opened the door with a puzzled expression. Before he could speak, Cui Yujin rushed in, clutching a newspaper in one hand and Tang Shi's collar in the other. He shouted incoherently, "You won! You're rich! Five million! How am I so unlucky? Why didn't I listen to you back then? My five million is gone!"

Though Cui Yujin's words made little sense, Tang Shi, who had long been mentally prepared, understood in an instant. His mind went blank. He grabbed Cui Yujin's hand and asked bluntly, "The winning numbers are out? Where are they? Let me see!"

Without waiting for an answer, he snatched the newspaper from Cui Yujin's hand and frantically searched through it. Lu Hengzhi stood beside them blankly for a moment. Then, seeing Tang Shi trembling with excitement, so flustered that he could barely turn the pages properly, he quickly strode over and bent down to search with him.

If what Cui Yujin said was true, then Tang Shi was not the only one who had won five million. So had he.

Lin Zhaoran and Song Lijia understood what was happening as well. They immediately came over to congratulate them, both envious and excited, loudly demanding that Tang Shi treat them to a meal. Several heads crowded over the tiny newspaper, blocking the sunlight in the room. In the dim light, the increasingly blurred print made Tang Shi feel as though he could barely breathe.

Cui Yujin remained beside them, muttering regrets nonstop. With a deeply remorseful expression, he repeatedly smacked his own head and kept blaming himself for not listening to Tang Shi back then. He went over the same words again and again, his eyes reddening with desperation.

A few minutes later, Tang Shi's eyes—so excited that they could barely focus—finally spotted, in a tiny section at the bottom left corner of the newspaper, the exact same winning numbers as those on the Lottery ticket in his hand. His mind instantly went blank. Wild joy and disbelief surged up from the depths of his heart, and he unconsciously let out a foolish "Hehe" laugh.

The next second, Lu Hengzhi, equally excited, threw an arm around his shoulders. The two little partners let out uncontrollable wolfish howls, hugged each other, and shouted, "We're rich! We're rich!"