Chapter 60: Lu Xiaoshuang’s Invitation

“Sheng Ning, what are you thinking about?” Zhang Hongmei tugged at Sheng Ning’s sleeve. “Are you worried that you might not pass the joint training?”

Zhang Hongmei was very strong and fit and had the least to worry about in the joint training. Sheng Ning, on the other hand, was different. She’d always been delicate. In the past, she fainted a few times from their trainings.

“Not at all!” Sheng Ning shook her head and smiled. “I’ll work hard. You have to perform well too!” She couldn’t remember if Zhang Hongmei had managed to make it into the production in the previous life, but she fervently hoped she would be able to this time around.

“I will. That was a good answer! Oh, right! By the way, everyone’s saying that your self-criticism was very well written!” Zhang Hongmei gave her a silly smile.

Sheng Ning blushed with embarrassment at the sudden compliment. “Let’s hurry to our training! I still have canteen duties later.”

“All right!”

The daily high-intensity training was what Sheng Ning had hated the most in her previous life. She had lacked patience then, but not anymore.

Immediately after lunch in the canteen at noon, Sheng Ning returned to the training room for her fundamental training. There were a lot of people in the room, and most of them had someone leading them in their dance training.

Qin Cuifen and Li Xiaoshuang, together with their posse, were practicing the dance moves for “Butterfly in Love with Flower.” The last time they performed that dance, although an embarrassing incident had taken place, the performance had still been successful. Therefore, everyone was of the same mind; in addition to practicing for their performances, they were going to focus their attention on perfecting this dance.

“Sheng Ning, would you like to dance with us?” Lu Xiaoshuang approached Sheng Ning and asked her, as if she were a charity case. “You look really sad training on your own. Why don’t you come over and join us?”

Sheng Ning was in the middle of doing a handstand. When she heard Lu Xiaoshuang’s voice, she maintained her position, closed her eyes, and pretended not to hear her.

“Sheng Ning, I was talking to you. Didn’t you hear me?” Lu Xiaoshuang began to lose her temper. Lu Xiaoshuang was born in the city, and her parents were apart of the working class. She was used to being pampered and having her way. What she hated most was being ignored by someone when she spoke to them.

“I heard you.” Sheng Ning did a backflip with one hand and switched from a handstand to a split.

There was a hint of astonishment in Lu Xiaoshuang’s eyes when she saw Sheng Ning’s movements. She had always looked down on Sheng Ning. In addition to disliking her personality, she was also contemptuous of her dance ability.

But the coherent and smooth transition she just executed was something Lu Xiaoshuang herself couldn’t do.

How had she done it?

Lu Xiaoshuang rubbed her eyes, convinced she had imagined it.

“Would you like to train with us?” she asked.

“Team Leader, why are you asking her to join us?” someone asked disdainfully.

“Shut your mouth!” Lu Xiaoshuang turned around and glared at the person who’d just spoken. She turned back around and looked at Sheng Ning. “Will you at least say something?” she asked, somewhat aggressively.

Sheng Ning shook her head. “I have no desire to fall off the stage again, so I won’t be joining you.”

“What… what is that supposed to mean?”

“I’m sure you know what I mean. There’s no need to rehash everything that happened on the stage that night, but I was the only one punished for it.” The punishment on its own wasn’t that significant at the moment. But when it came to future promotions and opportunities, she would no longer be eligible for any of them.

Unless she was able to make a huge contribution.

Everyone in the song and dance ensemble knew this, including their team leader, Lu Xiaoshuang.

“You…” Lu Xiaoshuang’s face reddened as she suddenly recalled what happened on the stage. Sheng Ning had been pushed by Qin Cuifen but was the only one punished for it in the end.