Chapter 31: Sprained Ankle Part 1
Upon hearing the words, Yan Zige chuckled and said, “Now that you mention it, I really want to see Le Chengzhe’s face when he’s driven to tears.”
Yan Zige openly favored Lou Ting, and as an instructor, he had the right to choose his preferred trainees. Moreover, he had never exploited others’ interests while showing this favoritism, so no one had anything to say about it.
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“Xb, cu vbl oyu, R dsvknle vbyv xydu sq uswa qydp yal blal. Gqvla uswa rlaqsaxydnl, alxlxcla dsv vs zlyhl vbl pvytl kxxlekyvlzu. Fyu y qlo osaep sq vbydjp,” Zyd Hktl alxkdele.
“Yu qydp?” Nsw Mkdt blyae vbl vlax “qydp” yde psxlbso alnyzzle vbl vkxl obld bl qkapv vaydpxktayvle, qllzkdt zsdlzu yde blzrzlpp, okvb sdzu y qlo pkzldv pwrrsavlap. Wasx vbld wdvkz dso, kd zlpp vbyd y xsdvb, vbl xlytla dwxcla sq qydp bye vwadle kdvs shlaoblzxkdt pwrrsav qasx yzz shla.
“Xq nswapl,” Zyd Hktl nsdvkdwle, pllkdt vbyv Nsw Mkdt pllxle wdyoyal sq vbl pkvwyvksd, “Mbl qkapv lrkpsel sq vbl pbso ykale ulpvlaeyu. Pked’v usw oyvnb kv?”
Nsw Mkdt pbssj bkp blye. Tl bye clld raynvknkdt bkp eydnl aswvkdlp ewakdt vbkp rlakse yde byed’v ryke xwnb yvvldvksd vs sdzkdl dlop.
“You should check it out online and see your fans,” Yan Zige suggested, pausing for a moment. Feeling that his description might not be accurate, he added, “I mean, your former fans.”
This emphasis made the sentence intriguing.
After finishing his makeup, Lou Ting sat back in his chair and unlocked his phone.
The lock screen displayed a simple sentence: “Welcome back, Lou Ting.”
In an instant, a touch of bittersweet emotion welled up in Lou Ting’s heart. He pressed his hand against his chest, wondering if the feelings were from the original host influencing him.
Those words were like opening arms to embrace him, someone who had endured countless hardships.
All the grievances surged up at once.
Upon clicking further, Lou Ting’s solo picture replaced the background image of the entire Weibo page.
With every refresh or when clicking into other topics, a completely different picture of him would appear.
Some of the pictures even included Lou Ting’s green and inexperienced appearance from his debut.
The previously silent official fan club Weibo of Lou Ting also began to update again.
The owner of the Weibo account cleared all previous content, leaving only the latest post.
Lou Ting Official Fan Club V: “Welcome back, Lou Ting.”
There was also a video included.
Not too long, Lou Ting decided to watch it since he had some time before going on stage.
The first scene showed a moment before his appearance on the show “Youth Returns.”
“What is your purpose for participating in this program?” the interviewer asked.
“I want to reclaim my own stage,” Lou Ting replied.
Then the video rapidly flashed through moments of Lou Ting’s early career, showcasing the awards he received, movies, TV dramas, variety shows, his original songs, and stage performances. These were all high-energy moments captured from his performances, edited together into a complete video.
Moreover, the fan club did not omit the variety show he participated in, which they considered him to have willingly joined despite the disguise on his face, without any embellishment.
Perhaps, in their eyes, this experience was also an indispensable part of Lou Ting’s life.
In the final scene, the moment Lou Ting received a perfect 3S score on stage, the spotlight shone down on him, and his current self merged with the youthful and inexperienced face from when he first debuted.
The entire video was accompanied by the melody of a song Lou Ting had recently sung during a live broadcast.
The combination of the touching music and the gracefully narrated life seemed to tell a story of bitter experiences.
Yan Zige patted Lou Ting’s shoulder and said, “Your fans went all out this time.”
It goes without saying how much it costs to have an ad on the Weibo home screen for a day, but turning the entire browsing background into Lou Ting’s photos was a move no other celebrity’s fans had ever done.
This was no longer something that money could solve.
Lou Ting was indeed deeply moved, not because of the expense, but because many of the scenes in the video were no longer available online. Some of the clips were even absent from the original host’s memories, yet they were included in this video. It showed how difficult it must have been to make this video.
“Are you touched?” Yan Zige teased with a smile. “Have you thought about how to thank your fans?”
Lou Ting was genuinely touched. After a moment of contemplation, he decided to repost the official fan club’s Weibo post and commented, “[Thank you all for your support! Let’s do a giveaway of @AmySisiMilkTea, one box per person, with 300 boxes in total.]”
Yan Zige: “???”
“I asked you to thank the fans, who told you to advertise!”
As an instructor, Yan Zige was the first to be notified if any trainee appeared in an ad. He naturally knew that Amy Sisi Milk Tea was the product Lou Ting promoted in a previous ad.
This guy, the ad hasn’t even been released, and he’s already promoting it.
Lou Ting felt helpless. He was introverted and used to keep things in his heart. After a while, he didn’t know how to express his gratitude. For his fans, his progress, efforts, and success were the greatest rewards. The milk tea was just one aspect.
Lou Ting thought to himself that hard work was the right path.
“I’ve tried this milk tea, it’s super delicious! Love Lou Lou forever!”
“Ah – this milk tea is so expensive! Lou Lou’s popularity is just rising, let’s not buy such expensive things! The thought is enough!”
“Exactly, the milk tea doesn’t matter.”
…
Lou Ting was about to reply, saying that it was alright, and he could get the milk tea at a discounted price internally. But before he could type anything, he received a text message from the director of the milk tea commercial.
Director: “I saw the Weibo post, and the sales have doubled today! You’re amazing! I paid for the milk tea we sent out. If it’s not enough, just let me know!”
Yan Zige was standing behind Lou Ting, originally intending to discuss the price of the milk tea with him. However, after seeing the message, he patted Lou Ting’s shoulder and said, “You’re really something.”
Lou Ting wanted to say something, but before he could speak, the director knocked on the door and said, “Lou Ting, get ready, it’s your turn on stage.”
“Okay,” Lou Ting replied.
Lou Ting had already changed into the outfit for his stage appearance, and the stylist handed him the shoes, which were part of the coordinated outfit.
The black and white striped canvas shoes were suitable for performing big movements.
Lou Ting had tried them on once before, but now he felt something was off when wearing them.
Seeing his puzzled expression, Yan Zige asked, “What’s wrong?”
Lou Ting shook his head and said suspiciously, “I feel like the shoes are much heavier than before.”
“Hmm? Let me have a look,” Yan Zige said, reaching out to inspect the shoes.
Lou Ting quickly dodged and said, “It’s nothing, probably they added some decorations to the shoes after, making them heavier than when I tried them on before.”
Yan Zige replied, “As long as it’s okay, let’s go on stage.”
“Sure.”
Lou Ting walked out of the rest area and waited backstage until the host finished the introduction. Only then did Lou Ting step onto the stage.
In the audience seats, the real fans were behind the third row, while the first three rows were occupied by the instructors and other trainees.
In other groups, there was no such competition for the center position (C position). It was generally accepted that the most popular and senior members would stand in the C position to avoid conflict and offending each other over such a matter.
However, the situation in the dance group was unique. Everyone was more or less at the same level, and their popularity before joining the show wasn’t significantly higher. Thus, the competition for the C position arose.
Lou Ting stood at the center of the stage, looking at the fans waving their lightsticks for him. In his usually composed heart, a hint of excitement arose.
He had practiced this dance repeatedly, over a hundred times.
Every movement was etched into his muscle memory.
As the music prelude began, Lou Ting raised his hand, poised, and danced. Each movement displayed absolute perfection.
Seemingly straightforward, but precisely timed, every arc of his jumps and every turn of his head matched the instructor’s version to the letter.
Ba Yanchen rested his chin on one hand, appearing somewhat lazy and disinterested. On the other hand, Xie Rongrong followed the music with enthusiasm and performed two dance moves. Seeing this, she nudged Ba Yanchen and asked, “What’s going on? Isn’t he dancing well?”
Although Xie Rongrong wasn’t a dance expert, her eyes were fixed on Lou Ting, and she could tell that his performance was impressive.
Ba Yanchen shook his head and replied, “The better he dances, the more my heart aches.” Then, he sneakily glanced at Yan Zige, silently saying, ‘You see, if it weren’t for you taking Lou Ting away, he would have been the C position in our group!’
Yan Zige noticed Ba Yanchen’s gaze and slowly turned his head. In that brief moment when their eyes met, Ba Yanchen quickly looked away and applauded for Lou Ting, saying, “Well done!”
Xie Rongrong: “…”
You two silly guys.
Accompanied by Ba Yanchen’s shout, the audience below also followed with loud cheers.
Just then, on the stage, Lou Ting executed a graceful and slick turn, and the strands of hair falling on his forehead lifted with the movement. In that instant, the scene seemed to slow down, capturing everyone’s attention.
As the music reached its climax, Lou Ting suddenly leaped!
Excited screams erupted from the audience, “Ah ah ah!”
However, as he landed, Lou Ting’s right foot unexpectedly slipped to the side. The balance in the air was already unstable, and upon landing, he couldn’t adjust in time and lost his balance, falling heavily to the right.
Yan Zige’s pupils contracted in shock.
Lou Ting reacted swiftly, rolling to the right and using the momentum to push himself back up with three consecutive drumming sounds (‘bon, bon, bon’). He stood back on his feet.
A sharp pain radiated from his right ankle, but Lou Ting’s face remained expressionless, devoid of any signs of pain.
He continued the dance’s second half in a composed manner until the music ended.
Lou Ting didn’t show any traces of exhaustion, although he was usually not even tired after repeating a simple dance multiple times. But this time, just this once, he was panting heavily, covered in sweat.
Lou Ting bowed towards the judges and the audience. Without saying anything to his fans, at Yan Zige’s signal, he quickly left the stage.
Ba Yancen said, “Did they change the choreography in the middle? He did well, very smooth. No wonder he’s a student of Teacher Yan.”
Yan Zige smiled and replied, “Your student is not bad either.” He didn’t mention the mistake on stage.
He turned and exchanged a few words with the director before discreetly leaving the judges’ seats and heading towards the backstage area.
Lou Ting walked slowly, and by the time Yan Zige reached him, he was still taking slow steps toward the rest area.
Seeing Lou Ting’s slow pace, Yan Zige hurriedly went up to support him. But as soon as he touched Lou Ting’s back, he realized that Lou Ting’s clothes were soaked with sweat.
Although Yan Zige was worried, he could only help Lou Ting move forward step by step. “What happened?”
Lou Ting replied, “My foot slipped when I landed.”
He wasn’t entirely sure what exactly happened either.
Yan Zige helped Lou Ting back to the rest area and said, “I’ll go get the healing device.”
In this futuristic era, minor injuries could be easily treated with a healing device.
But Lou Ting hurriedly replied, “Teacher Yan, I’m allergic to the healing device. I can’t use it.”
“Oh? Then what should we do with your…” Yan Zige’s face showed a bit of dilemma.
Lou Ting said, “I’ll be fine. Just rest for a while, and my sprained foot isn’t severe. The recording is still ongoing, and it would be problematic if you’re absent. Go back quickly.”
As Yan Zige went down, the director cut the shot, leaving only the other two mentors on the screen. Being absent for a while might be acceptable, but continuously being absent wouldn’t go unnoticed. The next one to go on stage was also his student, and the director would definitely give him close-up shots. He couldn’t be absent.
After considering it, Yan Zige said, “Contact me if you have any problems.”
“Okay.”
With Lou Ting’s affirmation, Yan Zige finally left the rest area.
The room fell silent, and Lou Ting wiped the sweat from his forehead. He wasn’t invincible; he could feel the pain, but he chose to bear it in silence.
He rolled up his pants, and from the time of the sprain to finishing the dance and leaving the stage, it was probably about twenty minutes.
*********
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