Page 32

"You're nothing but a minor contestant from a talent show. Do you really think you've become some A-list superstar? You dare haggle with Apple TV Station and pick and choose? You're not qualified!"

"Which contestant here hasn't obediently accepted the production team's arrangements? You two are the only ones making trouble. Do you think only your safety matters? Did no one else consider these things? Why is everyone else keeping quiet while only you two jump out? You really think too highly of yourselves!"

Tang Shi calmly watched Qian Fujiang stomp his feet and curse in front of him. He quietly listened until the man had finished every nasty word he had to say, then casually picked at his ear and said, "Can you stop throwing a tantrum like some auntie at a wet market? You have no class at all."

Tang Shi had still felt a little guilty about not wanting to use the wire harness, but watching Qian Fujiang curse like that wiped away every trace of it.

"Who are you calling classless?" Qian Fujiang disliked the two of them even more after hearing that. "I think you two are the ones without professional ethics. You've gained a little fame and already forgotten who you are!"

Tang Shi had always been the type to yield to softness but not force. Seeing Qian Fujiang seize on the matter to make a scene, he no longer felt guilty. Raising a brow, he sneered, "Don't talk so big when it isn't you taking the risk. You sound so righteous now, but can you guarantee that the wire harness is absolutely safe? What if a contestant makes a mistake while hanging from it, breaks an arm or leg, or even becomes disabled? Can you take responsibility?"

"Why can't I take responsibility—"

"Take responsibility, my ass." Tang Shi suddenly remembered the more than ten years of disability in his previous life. Anger surged in his chest as he cursed, "Can you take responsibility for someone's whole life? Can you find them a wife and support their parents, or compensate them with two perfectly healthy legs? Why can everyone else consider the contestants' safety, while you treat other people's lives like a joke for a little program effect? When we signed up for this competition, we were told it was a street dance contest. We only had to dance. No one asked us to risk our lives to create a gimmick for you!"

Tang Shi's words were a little too severe. Not only Qian Fujiang, but many of the people present changed expressions.

Tang Shi simply pointed at the other contestants watching the show and said to Qian Fujiang, "Everyone is here, so let's put it all out in the open. Dare you guarantee anyone that if the wire harness malfunctions and a contestant breaks an arm or leg, becomes disabled, or even dies, you can support them for the rest of their life and support their parents for the rest of theirs?"

That single sentence made Qian Fujiang flush bright red. The other contestants also set aside their private thoughts and began seriously considering Tang Shi's words.

It might have been somewhat inconsiderate of the bigger picture... but it did sound reasonable. Their relationship with the production team could be described favorably as one between a talent scout and a prized steed, but in practical terms, they were simply taking what they each needed. Using wire harnesses in the opening dance sounded cool, but whether the effect turned out well or not, the production team would benefit the most. Meanwhile, they were the ones taking enormous risks... The risk and reward really were not proportional. Thinking about it that way, making it safely through the competition was the most practical choice.

With that thought, several contestants who had secretly complained that Sugar Juice Duo was being too domineering finally let it go and stopped dwelling on it.

Qian Fujiang saw that the contestants, who had all remained silent until then, had been stirred by just a few words from Tang Shi. Li Mei, who had never gotten along with him, merely stood there with her arms folded, watching without a word. He immediately flew into a rage out of humiliation. He knew that staying any longer would do him no good, so he seized on the matter and sneered, "Fine, fine. I'm not qualified to take responsibility for you. But I believe everything must take the bigger picture into account. I will truthfully report today's events to the station director."

After saying that, Qian Fujiang did not wait for anyone's response and hurriedly left the studio hall.

The people present watched this abrupt and baffling disturbance unfold, all feeling somewhat confused.

Li Mei gave Tang Shi a disapproving glance and softly said, "You really said too much."

She knew Tang Shi had not meant anything else by it, but if someone overly suspicious heard those words, they could not help but read too much into them.

Thinking this, Li Mei cast a very subtle glance at Qiao Lin, who stood to the side without speaking.

Qiao Lin smiled when she saw it and said directly, "When I first suggested using wire harnesses, it was only an immature idea. I admit that I didn't consider the safety issue at the time. I also overlooked the fact that these contestants aren't professional actors, so I apologize to everyone here."

Only then did Tang Shi suddenly realize that his earlier words had, intentionally or not, included Qiao Lin in his criticism. He could not help feeling uneasy.

Lu Hengzhi glanced at Tang Shi and smiled. "Actually, Sister Qiao Lin's suggestion was for everyone's benefit. Who doesn't know that dancing while descending from the air on wire harnesses would be incredibly cool? And for professional actors, using wire harnesses is no big deal at all. Didn't Sister Qiao Lin perform on one during her capital concert last year, singing as she descended from thirty meters in the air? That scene was such a classic! It's only because the two of us are so inexperienced, like country bumpkins making a fuss over everything, that we worried about all this and let down Sister Qiao Lin's good intentions. We even caused all this extra trouble. If anyone should apologize, it should be us."

Qiao Lin waved her hand dismissively and laughed. "All right, let's stop apologizing back and forth. It's a waste of time."

After a pause, she added to Tang Shi, "But you should pay more attention in the future. In this line of work, the most important thing is not offending people. You really do talk too much. Today, it was only me. If it had been someone else, they might not say anything aloud, but they would still feel uncomfortable inside."

After hearing Qiao Lin's words, Tang Shi and Lu Hengzhi both relaxed. They knew Qiao Lin truly did not mind what had happened. Tang Shi scratched his head sheepishly and said, "Sorry, Sister Qiao Lin, I was too—"

"All right!" Qiao Lin waved her hand understandingly and smiled. "I know your personality. I won't blame you. But you really, really need to pay attention to this issue, or you'll suffer for it in the future."

Tang Shi obediently nodded. He also knew that his behavior did not fit the professional image expected of a newcomer: docile, obedient, and unconditionally accepting arrangements. He consciously tried to restrain himself, but some habits were hard to change. When faced with certain things, he could still be impulsive and willful.

Take today's wire harness issue. Others could call him selfish and reckless, or accuse him of disregarding the bigger picture. Perhaps his reaction seemed like making a mountain out of a molehill. But having lived a second life, he acted this way only to ensure absolute safety.

After all, this concerned the fate of the rest of his life. Some things had been buried in his heart for far too many years. After accumulating and being suppressed over time, they had become like a hidden abscess—one poke hurt, one mention made it burst.

And in the process, Qiao Lin had innocently become the target of his displaced anger.

Tang Shi looked at Qiao Lin with even more guilt. Qiao Lin grinned and rubbed his head, deliberately changing the subject to discuss the opening dance. Everyone understood what she meant and tacitly picked up the conversation.

With that tacit understanding as a foundation, the three judges discussed the matter and ultimately settled on the opening dance plan proposed by Teacher Mo Zi, combining floor performance, lifting platforms, and wire harnesses. After adding a few details, they began assigning suitable performance roles to the thirty contestants with the production team's help.

The entire incident appeared to have been calmly steered back onto the right track. Yet some contestants looked at the judges onstage and Sugar Juice Duo, who stood nearby helping offer suggestions, and as they exchanged glances, they could not help sensing an undercurrent.

From a positive perspective, the entire process reflected the three judges'—and even the entire production team's—more humane considerations in producing the show. It showed their assessment of the contestants' overall abilities and even their concern for the contestants' safety.

But in the eyes of certain contestants, all they could see was that the three judges had so quickly replaced a plan that had originally been perfect, innovative, and eye-catching just because Tang Shi alone objected. Even opposition from another senior member of the production team had been ineffective... That made them feel uncomfortable.

Before coming to Apple City for the National Qualifier Round, everyone had more or less heard rumors that Dance Miracle had backstage dealings, that Sugar Juice Duo knew senior executives in the production team, and that everyone favored them...

Since they were all contestants from the various regional divisions of Dance Miracle, they naturally paid close attention to such news. They had not thought much of the media reports before. But after personally witnessing the production team's and judges' attitude toward Sugar Juice Duo today... honestly, some contestants still felt quite uncomfortable.

As the ancients said, people do not fear scarcity; they fear inequality. That saying really did make sense.

Standing below the stage, Sugar Juice Duo instantly felt numerous scrutinizing gazes laden with complicated meanings, along with some openly hostile rejection. They exchanged looks and shook their heads with bitter smiles.

The matter of the opening dance was ultimately resolved satisfactorily. With fewer than seven days remaining, the contestants' training became exceptionally grueling. Not only did they have to practice the opening dance well, but more importantly, they had to work with their newly chosen partners and face the first competition among the national top thirty.

Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Sugar Juice Duo's partners this time were still Three Girls Group. Since they had collaborated once before, their group naturally had better coordination than the other contestants. Unfortunately, Three Girls Group's coordination was fundamentally poor, and they could not quickly adapt to dance styles outside street dance. Worse still, the dance style their group had drawn this time was the relatively difficult classical dance...

After discussing it for a long time, the two groups ultimately decided to preserve their usual strength—taking an unconventional path.

First, they would put effort into the music selection. In other words, Tang Shi would continue with his antics and write another new song for their dance. Tang Shi's talent for songwriting and composition had already won everyone's approval, so when they learned that he could produce another new song, everyone was half relieved.

Although only dancing was judged on the Dance Miracle stage, the judges actually placed considerable emphasis on well-rounded development. After all, the ultimate goal of the competition was to inject fresh blood into the entertainment industry and discover a new generation of idols with deep potential. So long as Tang Shi's song was at least above average and their dance did not have any major mistakes, advancing smoothly would definitely not be a problem.

Tang Shi had also heard that in this national top thirty to top twenty competition, several other contestants besides them had chosen to record songs themselves as dance accompaniment. However, unlike Tang Shi, they lacked the ability to write original songs and could only cover other people's music, making them far less innovative.

Second, Tang Shi put most of his energy into the choreography. Unlike many of the other contestants, although the production team had invited professional choreographers to create dances for each group after they entered the national finals, and had hired more stylists to redesign the contestants' looks, Tang Shi still preferred for everything to be original creations by himself.

The dances Tang Shi had presented before had received approval from the choreographers, including Teacher Mo Zi. Thus, everyone respected Tang Shi's wishes in terms of originality.

As a result, Sugar Juice Duo and Three Girls Group had plenty of talking points, but correspondingly, the pressure placed on Tang Shi became even greater.

Fortunately, Lu Hengzhi, who had studied Peking Opera, could draw parallels when it came to classical dance and offered Tang Shi many good suggestions. And for some reason, Su Minghe often came over to guide Sugar Juice Duo as well. Although Tang Shi still harbored reservations about Su Minghe, he had to admit that with Su Minghe's help, their group's rehearsals went much more smoothly.