Chapter 7: Was it the male protagonist who gave her this opportunity?

Sitting backstage, Jiang Fei was even more nervous than Jiang Qingrou. She felt like Jiang Qingrou had been acting strangely all day—so many things had gone completely against her expectations. Even the dance was a surprise.

Silently, Jiang Fei began to pray.

And soon, it seemed her prayers were answered—a burst of laughter erupted from the stage. Jiang Fei breathed a sigh of relief.

Qin Lulu muttered, “Seeing how confident Jiang Qingrou looked earlier, I almost thought she’d been secretly practicing.”

Someone else chimed in, “Poor thing. If that were me being laughed at on stage, I’d die of embarrassment.”

Jiang Fei sneered inwardly, just waiting for Jiang Qingrou’s embarrassingly low score to be announced.

But after waiting for a while, though there was some commotion at the front of the venue, no score came out.

What’s going on? Was the score too embarrassingly low to even announce?

“Commander, this girl’s dancing is kinda… interesting,” one of the subordinates beside Cen Shi chuckled.

Interesting was right—such an ethereal, fairy-like face doing a funny, comedic dance. But it was obvious her body was incredibly flexible and coordinated. It was intentional comedy, performed with skill.

Cen Shi quickly wiped the small smile from the corner of his lips and said seriously, “Don’t talk about people like that.”

“Oh…” The subordinate pouted a little, but the memory of Jiang Qingrou’s dance moves made him stifle another laugh.

The judging panel at the front was filled with murmuring.

A female teacher said, “Her dance moves were clearly improvised, nothing like an authentic Dai ethnic dance. You absolutely can’t give her a high score.”

Yu Siming replied, “The dance itself is secondary—we’re evaluating basic skills. And hers were very solid.”

Although he had laughed earlier, he didn’t think Jiang Qingrou was a total airhead. The flexibility of her movements and the natural flow of her routine clearly showed talent. She was a promising dancer.

The female teacher protested again, “But her dance was downright ridiculous!”

Another judge replied slowly, “Still, those high-difficulty moves she pulled off showed real technique.”

That full split, the core strength, the fluidity of her limbs—it might’ve been a bit funny, but it was clear she had practiced extensively. Plus, the switch to ethnic dance had only been announced two days prior. For someone who doesn’t normally train in this style, it was understandable that the routine wasn’t perfect.

The higher-ups had also stated clearly: scoring should be based on fundamentals and personal potential. And Jiang Qingrou’s basic skills—and looks—were excellent.

A female judge sitting at the end of the table hadn’t taken her eyes off Jiang Qingrou the entire time. “Also, she’s really good-looking. Appearance matters too in our selection process, doesn’t it?”

The female teacher froze, subconsciously touching her own face before letting out a cold laugh.
“So where’s the fairness in that? A dance student who cobbled together a routine gets ahead just because she’s pretty? And all those hardworking girls are just ignored?”

With that, she gave Jiang Qingrou a very low score.

Yu Siming sighed quietly to himself. Looked like Jiang Qingrou would miss out on the literary troupe after all.

Still, he didn’t feel too bad about it. Based on what he’d heard from Jiang Fei, Jiang Qingrou wasn’t exactly a good or hardworking student, and her performance today did carry some element of opportunism.

However, his score reflected his respect for the art of dance itself. The assessment wasn’t about choreography—it was about fundamentals. The ethnic dance category was merely a way to showcase them.

Fundamentals mattered most.

So he gave her a decent score.

Watching the arguments happening up front, one of the subordinates behind them couldn’t help but whisper again,
“Commander, are you really not going to score this? It’d be a real shame if this girl got eliminated.”

Cen Shi said nothing. His long, slender fingers remained still on the scoring pad.

The scores were quickly compiled. When the scoring assistant saw that one noticeably low score, they sighed.

It seemed this beautiful girl wouldn’t be joining the troupe.

On stage, Jiang Qingrou quickly sensed what was happening. She picked up the microphone and calmly said,
“Judges, I know my dance just now didn’t fully meet the exam requirements. Ethnic dance isn’t my strongest style, so my performance may have been lacking. May I perform a piece I’m more proficient in instead?”

She had been in the entertainment industry for years—even if she couldn’t hear the murmuring, she could easily read the mood. She had to fight for herself. Even if she was rejected in the end, at least she would have tried.

The female judge who had praised her looks quickly raised her hand in agreement.

Yu Siming hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand as well.

Naturally, those who had given her low marks were against the idea. Two more voiced their disagreement.

With another late vote of agreement, the count stood at three in favor, three against.

The subordinate looked again at their commander, but when he saw Cen Shi’s naturally stern expression, he didn’t dare say a word.

Fine, then—guess beautiful girls and our unit are just never meant to cross paths.

Just as the deciding moment was approaching, a low, calm voice came from the back row of the audience:

“I agree.”

All the judges at the front turned around at once.

What?! Wasn’t Colonel Cen just dozing off? Why now, of all times—

The judge who had given the low score, Chen Li, muttered angrily under her breath,
“Of course a pretty face can wake even a fake sleeper.”

Then she kicked her chair back, stood up, and snapped at Cen Shi,
“Since Colonel Cen is awake now, there’s no shortage of judges. I’m not feeling well—I’m going to rest.”

Cen Shi replied flatly,
“If you’re not feeling well, why didn’t you say so earlier? Request denied.”

As someone who commanded an entire regiment and dealt with countless soldiers every day, he could spot a flimsy excuse a mile away.

Chen Li’s expression changed instantly, and just as she was about to argue in her defense, she was pulled back down by Yu Siming beside her.

The other judges all looked at her with guarded eyes, as if being very cautious. Chen Li bit her lip and reluctantly sat back down.

But the majority had spoken. The host nodded and signaled to Jiang Qingrou that she could begin her basic skills performance.

Jiang Qingrou withdrew her probing gaze and began to seriously demonstrate the basic skills she had trained in for over ten years. She even had the mental space to let her mind wander a little. Her eyes drifted back toward the one who had just given her this opportunity.

But since the stage was quite far from the judges’ seats, Jiang Qingrou couldn’t tell who was who, nor could she hear what any of them were saying.

She only knew that the male lead from the original novel was among the panel. Just now, she had been scanning the judges to figure out which one he might be. They were all dressed in similar, neatly fitted Zhongshan suits—clean-cut and hard to tell apart.

At first, Jiang Qingrou assumed it must be the refined, handsome man sitting in the front row.

But she hadn’t expected there to be someone even more striking in the back row.

According to the novel’s description of the male lead: a crane among chickens, uniquely handsome, artistic director of the literary troupe’s performing arts department, exceptionally talented.
She couldn’t judge talent from looks alone, but if she had to go by appearance…

Clearly, the man in the back was better looking.

Those deep-set eyes, the high-bridged nose, the jawline like a sculpted blade… Honestly, he was even more attractive than the male actors Jiang Qingrou had worked with before—and completely her type.

So the one who gave her this chance—was that the male lead?

A touch of regret flickered in Jiang Qingrou’s eyes.

Though he was dressed modestly and conservatively, his upright posture hinted at a strong physique underneath.
Such a shame—handsome as he was, he was also, unfortunately, blind.

In the novel, the male lead was utterly devoted to Jiang Fei, willing to sacrifice anything for her.

After that moment of pity, Jiang Qingrou found herself puzzled again.

If she remembered the plot correctly, the male lead and Jiang Fei should have already met by now.
So why would he give her this kind of opportunity?