Shang Lu watched as she excitedly entered the dressing room, holding the dress, and his heart was filled with anticipation of how she would look in it.
These days, she had been diligently practicing her dance, and immersed in the world of dance, she looked exceptionally beautiful. He knew that with just one glance, she could captivate anyone. When she put on the elegant and well-fitted dance dress, her beauty would be beyond imagination.
A few minutes later, the dressing room door was slowly pushed open, and the girl in the dance dress emerged.
Su Banxia gracefully glided out, her sleeves flowing, and she lightly danced on tiptoe. She twirled the elegant hem of the dress and excitedly asked, “How do I look? Is it beautiful?”
The classical-style long dress seemed to have been tailored specifically for her, and as the hem of the dress swayed with her movements, it shimmered like flowing light. Her slender legs were partially hidden within the skirt, and it was difficult to tell whether the dress complemented her or if she enhanced the beauty of the dress.
Su Banxia spun around for a while, not hearing Shang Lu’s voice. She stopped and looked at him, asking, “Why aren’t you speaking? Is it not suitable?”
She felt a bit anxious; the dress was beautiful, and she would be disappointed if he didn’t like it.
Shang Lu snapped out of his trance, his eyes burning as they remained fixed on the hem of her dress. He spoke in a low voice, “It’s very beautiful.”
Captivated by her beauty, he couldn’t bear to look away.
Su Banxia, like a graceful butterfly, joyfully fluttered in front of him, her clear eyes filled with anticipation as she said, “Shang Lu, I will wait for you. You must come.”
She loved dancing and wanted to perform for him, to dance for him.
During these days, little by little, he had been making changes for her, opening his heart to accommodate her presence.
She hoped to occupy his entire heart.
She had so much to say to him, so much she wanted to experience with him, to heal the wounds from his past, and to make him happy, spending a joyful lifetime together.
The Flower Deity Cup competition took place at the Hai Cheng Grand Theater, a venue that could accommodate tens of thousands of people.
This edition of the Flower Deity Cup had attracted nationwide attention, with spectators including students and their parents, renowned dance instructors, and many unexpected audience members.
To ensure fairness, the academy had authorized a video platform to livestream the competition so that more viewers could watch it.
Su Banxia had changed into her dance dress backstage and was sitting in the dressing room. Due to the large number of girls participating in the competition, the makeup team in the dressing room was extremely busy.
Because of Mu Ruxue, Su Banxia’s reputation in the academy was not very good, and many classmates disliked her for being a bullying “big sister.” As a result, no one in the dressing room was talking to her.
The girls in the dressing room were all competitors in the competition, and when they saw Su Banxia in her gorgeous dress, a hint of jealousy flickered in their eyes. They were surprised that in just a few months, Su Banxia had become so beautiful, and they couldn’t help but wonder if she had undergone some cosmetic procedures somewhere.
“Really envious, huh? Having money is great. Even if you used to be ugly, you can become beautiful by spending money on plastic surgery.”
“Did you see that dance dress she’s wearing? It’s definitely a high-end designer piece, at least several hundred thousand yuan. It’s so well-designed; she’s getting bonus points for sure.”
Su Banxia overheard these comments filled with envy and sarcasm. She raised an eyebrow, glanced at the time, and realized that if the makeup artist didn’t come soon, it might delay her time to go on stage.
As Mu Ruxue, the student most favored by the instructor, she was scheduled to perform last. She wore a dance dress customized by Shang Jingyao and arrived fashionably late.
“Miss Mu, come over here. Let me do your makeup…” The makeup artist welcomed her enthusiastically.
Mu Ruxue, dressed in a light blue dance dress, walked toward the makeup table with the makeup artist’s guidance. Her gaze swept the room, and when she saw Su Banxia sitting at the makeup table, she couldn’t hide her astonishment.
Even though she tried to conceal it, Su Banxia could still see the surprise in Mu Ruxue’s eyes. A subtle smile tugged at the corners of Su Banxia’s lips.
Mu Ruxue was obviously startled. She must have noticed that Su Banxia’s face had improved significantly, not reaching its peak beauty but still stunning.
As their eyes met, Mu Ruxue quickly averted her gaze and sat down, allowing the makeup artist to start working.
Mu Ruxue fiddled with her fingers, feeling extremely anxious. The system’s ability had malfunctioned. Even though she had taken away Su Banxia’s luck, Su Banxia’s face had unexpectedly returned to a state of natural beauty without any makeup.
Mu Ruxue examined herself in the mirror. She had a few pimples on her face that couldn’t be covered with makeup. At first glance, there seemed to be no problem, but upon closer inspection, her eyes were smaller than before, and her nose had become flatter.
All of this was because she was gradually looking more and more like her biological father, the deadbeat who had abandoned his wife and daughter.
“System, was Su Banxia’s luck taken back?” She screamed her question inwardly.
The system remained silent.
“System, say something! Is it true or not?”
After a pause, a cold, mechanical voice responded, “The system cannot detect the cause. Failed attempts to strip luck can lead to backlash.”
Mu Ruxue was in complete panic and urgently asked, “What should I do then?”
The system advised, “It is recommended that the host give up the target individual and choose someone else.”
Mu Ruxue vehemently disagreed, “No!”
She hated Su Banxia with all her heart, blaming her for obstructing her life, whether it was in her previous life or this one.
“I want to take away her luck. Someone as malicious and arrogant as her deserves misfortune.”
The system remained silent, refusing to appear no matter how she called for it.
In the afternoon, around 5 o’clock, Zhou, the special assistant, finished reporting his work and asked, “Mr. Shang, Su Miss will be competing at the Hai Cheng Grand Theater this afternoon. Are you ready to depart now?”
This matter had been scheduled into Shang Lu’s agenda a few days earlier. Seeing that the time was approaching, it seemed that Shang Lu had not moved a muscle. He had to remind him verbally.
Dance competitions were important events, and girls usually hoped that their significant others would come to watch, preferably with a bouquet of flowers.
Shang Lu’s situation was somewhat unique. He didn’t enjoy appearing in public, especially in crowded places, unless it was a matter of utmost importance. He avoided social activities whenever possible.
Shang Lu’s special assistant, Zhou, had observed that Shang Lu’s relationship with Su Banxia seemed to be warming up, and he felt it necessary to remind Shang Lu so as not to upset Miss Su.
The office was quiet.
Shang Lu didn’t respond immediately, keeping his gaze lowered, lost in thought.
Zhou, the special assistant, couldn’t help but say, “Mr. Shang, Miss Su really hopes you’ll come to watch her competition. If you leave now, you can still make it.”
Shang Lu raised his gaze and spoke with his usual dispassion, “Go and order a bouquet of flowers.”
“Mr. Shang, you don’t mean to have someone else deliver the flowers to Miss Su and not go yourself, do you?” Zhou asked.
Shang Lu remained silent, recalling Su Banxia’s words to him, “She likes pink roses.”
Zhou hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Shang Lu, saying, “Understood, Mr. Shang. I’ll have Secretary Yang arrange it immediately.”
…
The competition was about to begin, and the grand theater was packed with people. The enthusiastic voices seemed like they could bring the ceiling down.
After the host’s opening remarks, the first performer was announced, and backstage, you could hear the musical accompaniment. Once the performance was over, it would be the judges’ scoring and commentary on the performers.
Su Banxia didn’t wait for the makeup artist to arrive; she decided to do her own makeup. She pinned up her hair and added elegant hair accessories.
During the waiting time, feeling a bit bored, she took out her phone and messaged Shang Lu.
【Little Lu Lu, I’m going on stage at 6:30. Don’t be late, okay?】
【I’ll be angry if you’re late.】 She added a playful emoji showing someone getting hit at the end of the message.
Time passed by, and one by one, the performers went on stage from backstage. At 6:29, the host announced that the next performer would be her.
Su Banxia took a deep breath, lifted the hem of her dress as she passed by Mu Ruxue, and made her way toward the stage through the dimly lit passage.
Her classmates who were watching her from backstage murmured, “She’s changed so much over the summer. Su Banxia looks so graceful.”
Mu Ruxue clenched her fists, and her fingernails were almost drawing blood from the palms of her hands.
As Su Banxia gracefully stepped onto the stage with light and elegant steps, the audience erupted in applause.
“She’s so beautiful. Which class is this girl from?”
“I was getting a bit sleepy watching the previous performers. Their looks and dance were quite average. Finally, we have a stunning contestant.”
“She hasn’t even danced yet, but she’s already caught our attention.”
The stage lights dimmed, and a white spotlight shone on Su Banxia, giving her a faint and radiant glow.
The accompanying music began to play, and Su Banxia entered her state. Her delicate and fair toes lightly touched the stage floor, her body moved with the music, and her dress flowed with her graceful dance.
The mentors were breathless, their eyes fixed on the girl on stage. Her presence, her dance, her expression, and the emotions she conveyed were so captivating that it drew people in, and her beauty was simply breathtaking.
As the music concluded, the audience erupted in thunderous applause, screams, and cheers. It felt like a concert for a superstar, with people passionately shouting her name.
Standing on the stage, Su Banxia couldn’t clearly see the people in the audience. She scanned the venue, searching for the person she hoped to see.
Shang Lu, did he come or not?
Did he see her performing her passionate dance on stage?
Suddenly, a figure approached the stage.
The host, who was supposed to appear later, held a large bouquet of pink roses and handed it to her with a smile. “Miss Su, these roses are from your fans.”
When Su Banxia saw the pink roses, she was pleasantly surprised. But when she heard they were from fans, she felt a bit disappointed. She politely smiled and thanked them before accepting the flowers.
After leaving the stage, Su Banxia couldn’t wait any longer. She searched the theater while holding her phone and called Shang Lu.
The call connected, and the man’s deep, magnetic voice came through. “Hello.”
Su Banxia held the bouquet of flowers with one hand and asked, “Did you send these flowers?”
“Do you like them?” Shang Lu responded with a question.
Su Banxia felt a mix of joy and bitterness. Why didn’t he come? So she replied with a tone that contradicted her true feelings, “I don’t like them.”
“You said you really liked pink roses,” Shang Lu hesitated to speak.
Su Banxia snorted and was about to say something when she heard a noisy sound on the other end of the phone. She asked, “Did you really not come to see me dance tonight?”
“Sorry,” Shang Lu said in a deep voice.
“Don’t lie to me!” Su Banxia, dressed in a beautiful dance gown and holding pink roses, hurriedly spoke. “Stay right where you are! I’m coming out right now!”
She hung up the phone.
Xiang Lei asked, “Mr. Shang, should we get in the car?”
Shang Lu pursed his thin lips and looked at the nearby grand theater. He had been here since the afternoon, waiting for her to perform on stage. He had watched her dance like a fairy in the corner of the theater. When he saw her accept the flowers, he finally drove away in his wheelchair.
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