Chapter 353: Burying Flowers

"Huh? Liu Qingyan?"

Li Qingshan also looked back and saw her, speaking in surprise.

"You know her?" Chen Ling asked.

"I've seen her a few times. She's also from our Liu Town." Li Qingshan nodded slightly. "Her family used to be in the silk business. Although they weren't extremely wealthy, they lived a decent life. But I heard that something happened later... After her father died, the family owed a huge debt, and all the relatives and friends who used to rely on them ran away, and they fell into the abyss overnight.

I remember last winter, she was still pulling a cart alone, knocking on doors one by one in the heavy snow to sell silk. She was only sixteen or seventeen at the time, right?

Sigh... our family's living situation wasn't very good at the time, otherwise, I would have had to buy some."

Chen Ling nodded slightly, looking at the girl's back as she walked forward, thoughtful.

Liu Qingyan kept her head lowered, seemingly not daring to look at anyone. After stumbling through the aisle, she sat silently in the audience seat at the very edge.

However, just as she sat down, a shout came from the front:

"Number 16? Where is number 16??"

Liu Qingyan's body trembled slightly. She stood up slowly with her hands on the chair, holding the sign with "Number 16" on it, and moved her legs as fast as she could toward the stage.

"I... I'm here," she said in a small voice.

"Why are you so slow? Hurry up and perform, don't waste everyone's time."

A judge spoke coldly.

Liu Qingyan walked onto the stage step by step. At this moment, she was wearing a dark-colored wide-sleeved top and a black pleated skirt that went past her knees. Her hair was braided into several thin strands that hung over her shoulders, swaying slightly with her steps.

She walked to the center of the stage, swept her gaze across the front row of the judge's table, and seeing the appearance of several of them, her body trembled slightly, and she immediately lowered her head.

"Number 16 Liu Qingyan, what are you still waiting for??" Seeing that she hadn't started yet, the judge became even more irritable.

Liu Qingyan took a deep breath, forcing herself to close her eyes... The next moment, she moved.

Her slender arms swayed gently, like parting lotus flowers in the water, swaying gracefully in the breeze. The black pleated skirt spun on the stage with her light steps, like an elf dancing lightly on the bluestone path, tugging at the hearts of all the audience.

Completely different from number 15's flirting, even Chen Ling could see that this girl had excellent dance talent. Every dance step was natural. At this moment, the entire audience was attracted by her movements, and even their breathing became light.

The hazy black braided hair scattered during her movements. Liu Qingyan seemed to be intoxicated by it. Her figure leaned backward softly, naturally outlining the girl's curves—not dry, not flirtatious, but with a captivating beauty.

"What a beautiful dance." Even Li Qingshan couldn't help but praise. "She was simply born for dance... Even in the Red Dust Main City, there shouldn't be many people who can dance as well as her, right?"

Other applicants in the audience also whispered, seemingly shocked by Liu Qingyan.

The judges below the stage were also stunned, seemingly not expecting Liu Qingyan's dance to be so good. But then, their gaze toward the girl on stage became even more heated.

As Liu Qingyan's dance steps gradually accelerated, more and more high-difficulty movements were added. Just as she was about to leap lightly, a sense of powerlessness came from her legs.

Thump—!

Under the greedy and lewd gazes of several people, the dancing girl ultimately failed to leap and fell heavily to the ground.

This dull sound woke everyone from their immersion. They looked in shock at the girl's figure falling on the stage, curled up like a wounded fawn. Under the disheveled black hair, that pale face had no blood color under the lights...

Even so, no one went up to help her. Several judges sat in the front, their heated gazes cutting through her body like bone-scraping knives. Seeing her fall and scatter, they became even more excited.

Liu Qingyan took all of this in. Her hands supporting her body tightened involuntarily, and thick unwillingness and anger appeared in her eyes.

She pursed her lips, climbed up from the ground with difficulty. Her knees were already bruised, but she still finished the performance stumbling... She finally stood on the stage covered in injuries and bowed deeply to the crowd below.

Applause rang out!

"Comprehensive score 6.5. Congratulations on passing."

As this voice sounded, Liu Qingyan walked off the stage silently. She kept her head lowered, still not daring to look anyone in the eye, only when she passed by Chen Ling, their gazes met for a moment.

Chen Ling looked at Liu Qingyan's stumbling back as she left, a faint light flickering in his eyes.

Liu Qingyan's passing was not unexpected to Chen Ling. Compared to applicants like Li Qingshan who hadn't seen the situation clearly, this girl not only had talent but also understood the darkness within, and even had the courage to take this step... Chen Ling didn't have the slightest contempt or disdain for her; on the contrary, he admired this girl.

Talent, intelligence, and decisiveness appeared in a seventeen-year-old girl at the same time, but this also meant that she would endure pain and torture far beyond ordinary people.

The next few contestants were nothing to watch. Li Qingshan was also constantly reviewing nervously on the side because it was almost his turn, striving for perfection in every line and every movement.

Finally, he walked onto the stage at the judge's call.

Seeing his opera robe and meticulous "Sheng" role makeup, several judges lowered their eyes, not even intending to look at him directly.

"What era is this? Who still watches traditional opera..."

"Yeah, now it's all about singing and dancing, all about looks. Not many people love to listen to people yapping away."

"The quota from headquarters came down this year. Among the twelve spots, traditional opera only accounts for one... or even none. I see there are quite a few good seedlings among the others this time, why don't we..."

"I share the same view. It's very difficult to become a famous star on this path now, and don't even think about making money."

"Those old guys in the main city are also almost done for..."

"This Li Qingshan, he's been coming for four years in a row, right? Why is he still so ignorant?"

"I think his appearance is also quite good, a 'Sheng' role, hehe... It's a pity I hinted at him before, but he didn't seem to understand at all. What an idiot, he can't even use the opportunities given to him."

"By the way, why hasn't Supervisor Sun arrived yet? What time is it..."

“……”

Li Qingshan stood on the stage, unable to hear what these people were saying. He just set his stance, took a deep breath, and his clear opera voice had great penetrating power, echoing clearly in every corner of the venue.

"Flowers fall and fly, filling the sky,

Who pities the red fading and fragrance breaking;

Holding a flower hoe, I step out of the embroidered curtain,

How can I bear to step on the falling flowers, the falling flowers..." (Note 1)

No judges listened, and only a few people in the audience were watching. The chatter and vocal warm-ups of others rose and fell outside the door, extremely noisy.

But even so, Li Qingshan still straightened his back, his eyes full of tenderness, his voice clear. His penetrating power alone overwhelmed all the noise, performing on stage as if no one else were there, intoxicated by it.

Among the busy crowd, Chen Ling, draped in a bright red opera robe, watched Li Qingshan quietly, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.

As Li Qingshan's emotionally charged performance ended, a cold voice followed:

"Comprehensive score 3. Next."

Li Qingshan on stage trembled slightly.

On the stage that no one paid attention to, the figure in cyan stood for a long time.

He gave a self-deprecating smile, unhurriedly bowing to the crowd below the stage...

…………

Note 1: Taken from "The Burial of Flowers"