When She Stops Being Dramatic novel Chapter 256

Chapter 256: Chapter 104: The Top Star of the ’60s Cultural Troupe (43)

He Qingran thought about it and laughed, feeling as if a weight that had been pressing on her heart for days had suddenly been lifted.

"Yunyun, you should get some sleep. You have to perform tomorrow, so you need to rest and save your energy."

Xia Zhaoyun nodded, stepped forward with a smile to hug her, and then went to bed.

Early the next morning, when Xia Zhaoyun woke up, He Qingran had already made breakfast: the hand-pulled noodles she had been working to perfect for the past few days.

"Finish up and head straight to the troupe. I’ll watch the kids. And don’t forget, we’re having lunch together," He Qingran said, handing her a bowl.

The noodles were uniform in thickness, perfectly chewy, and carried a rich wheat aroma. A fried egg, golden-brown on both sides, lay on top, surrounded by a ring of lightly stir-fried toppings: crushed peanuts, shredded cucumber, carrot, and bean sprouts. The whole dish was drizzled with a spoonful of prepared sesame sauce.

The broth was savory and delicious—it had a dried shrimp base. Xia Zhaoyun smiled and gave a thumbs-up. "Ranran, you’re a master at this!"

He Qingran beamed, her eyes crinkling. ’If Brother Kun comes by later and hasn’t eaten,’ she thought, ’I’ll make him a bowl, too.’

Hearing the commotion, the children got up as well. They all sweetly wished Xia Zhaoyun good luck, hoping her performance would win first place.

When she arrived at the arts troupe, the other young women were already there. They were all neatly dressed and full of energy, their eyes shining like little lightbulbs, batting their lashes in a way that could melt your heart.

Xia Zhaoyun kept her words brief. After a few simple instructions and a quick pep talk to lift their spirits, she led the group directly to the factory’s main auditorium.

The show was set to begin at 8:30 a.m. With twenty acts, it would last about three hours. Mr. Xue had drawn their performance slots the day before; as usual, they had one act near the beginning and one near the end.

However, Mr. Xue was quite democratic. Upon returning to the troupe, he called over the lead dancers from Group One and Group Three and had them draw lots to decide their order. Xia Zhaoyun was lucky, drawing the fifth slot, which put them between a large chorus and a folk dance.

After finding a spot backstage, Xia Zhaoyun started doing everyone’s makeup.

A few of the young women from Group Two still hadn’t given up. They approached Xia Zhaoyun and said, "Ms. Xia, if a dancer gets injured and doesn’t recover properly, it can be very difficult for them to ever return to the stage."

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