After the cheerful commotion died down, the message of the performance hit home: no job is inherently better or worse than another. Every person is a vital part of society, and each one is indispensable.
Everyone swayed to the final, joyous piece of music. The rhythm was powerful and infectiously catchy, compelling everyone to move. The choreography was bold and stylish, yet laced with a uniquely feminine allure that completely won over the audience.
As the dance number ended, the young women had a light sheen of sweat on their foreheads, and their eyes sparkled with a brightness never seen before.
They realized that chasing a dream was a truly blissful experience. The feeling of casting everything aside to strive for something with pure effort was simply intoxicating!
For three seconds, the audience was silent. Then, the entire auditorium erupted in applause.
From the sound and stage effects to the core theme, the dancers’ technique, and their emotional expression, the performance was absolutely flawless and impeccable.
With the audience eagerly awaiting the verdict, the judges couldn’t bring themselves to give low scores against their conscience. Besides, they genuinely loved the performance. They all readily raised their scorecards, each displaying a score above 9.5, which instantly propelled the young women of Group Three into first place!
Upon hearing the result, the women of Group One and Group Two felt no joy that their own troupe members had taken first place. Instead, their faces were masks of unconcealed resentment, jealousy, and disbelief.
Group Three, the dark horse, had knocked Group One out of the top three, and the pain felt like their pride had been shattered. The same women who had been so aloof and contemptuous toward Group Three were now the ones left humiliated and disgraced in the dust.
As for the women of Group Two, despite their solid performance, they knew that the factory had to make room for its affiliated organizations. This meant one of the factory’s own three groups was bound to be cut, and it would inevitably be them.
’We worked so hard, and our performance was just as good as anyone else’s! Why should we be the ones to be sacrificed?’
’It’s so unfair!’
The joy and pride they had felt at securing seventh place was instantly wiped away, replaced by nothing but bitter resentment and fury.
Barring any surprises, the rankings from this audition would almost certainly be the same for the final performance.
This was especially true for the routine Xia Zhaoyun had choreographed for Group Three. It was innovative and spectacular, ingeniously highlighting each dancer’s strengths while masking their weaknesses, allowing every single one of them to shine on stage.


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