novellhall Chapter 1: This younger brother is definitely found.
Chapter 1: This younger brother is definitely found.
In the conference room of the Jiangcheng Song and Dance Troupe, no matter how fast the ceiling fan spun, it couldn't dispel the excitement of the crowd.
The troupe leader, Yao Ping, sat in the main seat, with a notice in front of him entitled "Notice on Holding the 1994 National Dance Art Exchange Conference".
He tapped the table: "Have you read the documents? The National Dance Art Exchange Conference is scheduled to be held in Jiangcheng next month, lasting for a week. Well-known dancers from all over the country will participate; it's a very high-level event."
He continued, "As the hosts, we have to show our best. I'm thinking of bringing up 'Chu Yun' (a collection of classical Chinese poetry).
The song and dance troupe is a public institution. While ostensibly an artistic production of "Chu Rhyme," its true purpose is revenue generation. They're using this exchange meeting as an opportunity to promote it and see if it can become an instant hit.
After saying that, he looked at director Men Wenyuan and asked, "Director Men, how's your rehearsal going?"
Men Wenyuan did not answer immediately. His gaze passed over the long table and landed on Liu Xiaoli, the mainstay of the troupe, who was deep in thought across from him.
He spent his entire life as a dance choreographer, winning numerous awards, but lacking only a national-level prize. "Chu Yun" was the biggest project he had ever undertaken, and the combination of fame and fortune made it impossible for him to refuse, nor did he want to.
If he can win a big prize this time, his professional career will be complete.
But the prerequisite is that the actor has to be able to carry the role!
However, Liu Xiaoli, who played Lady Xiang, did indeed "hold up" the role—her waistline appeared larger.
"Xiao Li," he called out.
Liu Xiaoli suddenly snapped back to reality: "Huh?"
Men Wenyuan's gaze swept over her body, finally settling on her waist and abdomen: "I just asked you, can you still dance the 'Xiang Lady' section?"
"Sure," Liu Xiaoli blurted out.
"This is a Chu opera. The King of Chu prefers slender waists; we need a graceful figure, not a fat one. You need to lose some weight," Men Wenyuan said in a nonchalant tone. He then turned to Yao Ping, "Director Yao, if you're not up to par, we'll replace you!"
Liu Xiaoli frowned. "We're not fat, we're just round."
Men Wenyuan's statement clearly lacks historical basis. The crucial point is that he publicly announced a replacement – isn't that disrespectful?
She looked directly at Men Wenyuan, speaking slowly but with each word carrying weight: "Men, 'King Chu's fondness for slender waists' refers to the waists of scholar-officials, not Lady Xiang. If Lady Xiang lived in that era, she would be a goddess, not under King Chu's jurisdiction."
The meeting room fell silent instantly!
Men Wenyuan stared wide-eyed, frozen in place.
Immediately, a surge of anger rushed to his head, making his beard tremble. He had directed dance his whole life and had never been so openly contradicted by an actor, who had left him speechless for a moment.
Dance team leader Zhao Xiuying hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.
She was in charge of the entire group's physical training, and Liu Xiaoli was the mainstay, naturally possessing striking good looks. However, after moving to the staff dormitory six months ago due to family discord, she seemed to have broken free of constraints, indulging in unhealthy eating and drinking with her daughter An Qianqian, resulting in an astonishingly large figure.
Yao Ping was also dumbfounded. After being the head of the troupe for so many years, this was the first time he had ever seen an actor argue with a director, and do so with such reason and evidence.
Men Wenyuan was hired from outside, so he naturally deserved respect. Although it's said that outsiders are better at reciting scriptures, if Men Wenyuan was unavailable, we could always find Chuang Wenyuan.
But Liu Xiaoli is a big-award-winning actress and one of our own. Audiences come for her and her dance, and the troupe has earned a lot of revenue from her over the years. If Liu Xiaoli were to leave, the troupe would suffer an even greater loss!
However, her waistline does deserve some attention, otherwise it would look like an old lady performing Yangko dance on stage—who would watch that?
Thinking of this, Yao Ping interrupted Men Wenyuan before he could respond, saying, "Old Men, 'Chu Rhyme' is not just about technique, but also about cultural depth. If you let her go on stage hungry, she might faint on stage before she even finishes dancing."
As he spoke, he looked at Liu Xiaoli and said sarcastically, "You're feeding Qianqian like this every day, are you afraid she won't have the strength to fight or what? People have already complained to me about it."
"Pfft... Haha..."
Everyone in the meeting room couldn't help but burst into laughter, and the atmosphere immediately became lively.
Liu Xiaoli's daughter, An Qianqian, is notoriously mischievous and naughty. She bullies other children every day and is a real little tyrant.
The key is that the mother and daughter have the same mouth; they can talk a lot and eat a lot.
Once everyone had stopped laughing, Zhao Xiuying pointed at Liu Xiaoli's face and winked, "Although your skills are solid, this dance of Lady Xiang is no challenge for you. But if you don't control your movements, will the audience be watching your face or your belly dancing in the future?"
Men Wenyuan sighed.
He knew his words had been a bit harsh, and Yao Ping clearly wasn't buying it. He softened his tone: "Commander Yao, this play can be performed anytime. When I said her waist wasn't slim, I meant she should control her diet, not that Lady Xiang had to starve herself to the point of being as thin as a bamboo pole."
He paused, then looked at Liu Xiaoli: "You're a professional, and I don't need to elaborate on the importance of posture for a dancer. However, since you were able to refute me with such eloquence, it shows you've put in the effort to portray the character. I won't criticize you for that."
Zhao Xiuying seized the opportunity to smooth things over: "Instructor, Xiaoli has been working hard taking care of the child alone and hasn't had much time to practice her skills. I'll make sure she practices extra and I guarantee she'll become as thin as Zhao Feiyan."
Liu Xiaoli nodded without saying a word!
However, she disagreed with the phrase "one person taking care of a child"—Anxixi is a wild child, why would she need to be taken care of? If I don't rush to eat more, she'll probably eat it all, and she'll become a little fat pig.
This topic had just ended, and Yao Ping was about to speak—
The meeting room door was suddenly pushed open, and his daughter Yao Anna poked half her body in. Before she could even call out to her father, her eyes were fixed on Liu Xiaoli. She said urgently, "Aunt Liu, please go and see! Qianqian is fighting again!"
The group exchanged bewildered glances, then smirked.
Liu Xiaoli suddenly stood up, said hello, and rushed out the door...
That night, in the staff dormitory, Liu Xiaoli lay on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Her seven-year-old daughter, Anxi, rubbed against her, searching for food: "Mommy, I don't want fried rice, I want to eat out and have a big meal!"
"Want to eat more? Do you think you can just eat your fill and then cause me trouble every day?" Liu Xiaoli pinched her daughter's round face and muttered a reason, "Mom's out of money, so we'll eat at home from now on."
Anxi, unhappy, opened her mouth and bit her mother in her arms: "Grandma said you were even more troublesome when you were little, and you even got into fights with your aunt..."
Liu Xiaoli gasped and slapped her little bottom. "How can that be the same? That was standing up for your aunt. You've only moved out a few months ago, how many fights have you gotten into? How many times have I apologized?"
"Smack!" Anxi sat up abruptly, her little hand striking her mother's belly in a counterattack: "It's all your fault for being useless, leaving me without a little brother to help me, so I have to do it all myself."
Liu Xiaoli was furious and twisted An Qianqian's ears with both hands: "You little bastard, if it weren't for you, would I have moved out? If I gave birth to your younger brother, I would have lost my job and you would have starved to death."
"Ouch... Mom... It hurts... I'll find you a little brother..." Anxixi babbled incoherently.
"Pfft!" Liu Xiaoli burst out laughing. She loosened her grip. "Looking for a younger brother? I think you're looking for a punching bag to beat up."
Anxi didn't answer, but secretly vowed—she was determined to find this younger brother!