Divorce Application - Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Rehearsal

There weren’t many cars on the road, and there was still some time before boarding. The flight was on schedule, landing twenty minutes ahead of the scheduled time.

Liu Sinan was very good at disguising herself. Plus, she used the VIP channel, so apart from a few sharp-eyed passersby and a handful of die-hard fans who recognized her, she didn’t cause any commotion along the way.

Qiqi dropped Liu Sinan and her luggage off at the hotel and put the room key card in front of her. “Ms. Liu, what would you like to eat tonight? We can go get it.”

Liu Sinan hadn’t had much of an appetite recently, so she asked in return, “Does the hotel have a restaurant?”

“There’s a small buffet restaurant on the top floor. The hotel also has a small kitchen, so you can call and order something, and they’ll send it up.” Qiqi said.

Liu Sinan nodded, with no other requests. “The rehearsal is tomorrow. Just order me a low-fat salad for tonight. I won’t eat anything tomorrow morning so my stomach won’t swell up. It doesn’t look good. You can order whatever you want for yourselves. Put the bill on my room.”

Knowing that they probably wanted to walk around City A, Liu Sinan gave them half a day off. But Lan Qi was strict, so they didn’t dare to all leave. They took turns staying with Liu Sinan in case something came up and they needed to respond.

Liu Sinan’s room was a large suite with a small gym and a wall of large mirrors. Liu Sinan was quite satisfied. She changed into her dance clothes and went inside to practice.

Qiqi and Joey were in the living room outside, each with a laptop, working.

It wasn’t until the evening that Liu Sinan ordered dinner for them. After they finished eating and talked about the show for a while, she sent them back to their rooms.

The pace of work had always been fast, and Liu Sinan’s ability to get into the zone was also quick. She didn’t give herself much time to transition and didn’t allow herself to stop.

The bandage on her wrist needed to be changed. This kind of elastic bandage was supposed to be changed regularly anyway, and since Liu Sinan practiced for hours at a time, the wound was healing much slower than before.

There were also messages on her phone from her dance teacher. She had spent most of the afternoon on a video call with her dance teacher, a very experienced modern dance expert in the country. The last few run-throughs had been flawless, which made Liu Sinan let out a long sigh of relief.

The dance teacher had been recommended by Wu Haoxue. They had a good relationship, and Liu Sinan hadn’t been formal with her. She bothered her whenever she had a question, and over time, they became quite close.

U: I’m starting work now. See you in China.

nan: Have a great new day.jpg

The dance teacher was currently in Cambridge, a city in eastern England, for a dance troupe’s tour. She would be back in a few days. It was 7 a.m. there.

She had pretty much stayed up all night with Liu Sinan.

Liu Sinan thought for a moment and transferred a red packet to Wu Haoxue, asking her to thank the teacher properly.

Wu Haoxue was probably busy with her parents and didn’t reply.

The studio was not far from their hotel. Liu Sinan didn’t take her medication that night, re-bandaged her wrist, practiced for two hours, and then fell asleep.

“Ms. Liu,” the next day at the rehearsal, as soon as they got out of the car, a crew member came to greet them. She was a young woman with a low ponytail, who looked very much like a TV station intern. “We’ll go this way. Your dressing room is here. I’ll give you the order of appearance in a bit. I’ll let you know when it’s almost your turn.”

Liu Sinan nodded. The rehearsal was quite serious, which made it feel real. She hadn’t been nervous at all, but after the young woman’s explanation, she started to feel a little uneasy.

The show’s crew was quite famous. Several directors had good variety show portfolios, and the judges were all heavyweights. Overall, it was a very professional show. The only downside was that a professional show like this, with questionable entertainment value, didn’t have many sponsors willing to invest money in it.

Originally, an old domestic brand that sold sesame paste wanted to sponsor the show, but for some reason, the boss behind the show’s crew suddenly became Zhao Qiran.

In Liu Sinan’s memory, Zhao Qiran liked flashy capital games, and her entertainment company leaned more towards entertainment-based reality shows, not non-purely entertaining shows with professional elements like dance, music, recitation, acting, and food.

Last time, Zhao Qiran had cornered her in a car and threatened to pimp her out. Although Liu Sinan didn’t respond or make a scene, she just had Lan Qi find a way to sever ties with Zhao Qiran afterward. But that didn’t mean the matter was over in her mind.

She was weak and didn’t want to actively cause trouble for Zhao Qiran, but Zhao Qiran had now popped up in front of her again, which was clearly ill-intentioned.

“Please have a seat.” The young woman led them to a dressing room, turned on the lights and air conditioner, and left.

Joey came in a few steps behind everyone else, put the bag on his back to the side, and said in a low voice, “I saw another dressing room around the corner. It’s bigger than ours.”

Qiqi unscrewed her thermos, poured a cup of warm water for Liu Sinan, and said, “That must be Ms. Han Lanxi’s room. The crew invited her this time.”

Han Lanxi was last year’s Best Actress, a genius who appeared out of nowhere with exceptional talent in acting.

If Liu Sinan was a model who was naturally gifted, then Han Lanxi was on par with her in acting. They were both the kind of people that God fed with a spoon but still had to be coaxed to eat.

“I don’t think so,” Joey shook his head. “Ms. Han is still in Fiji today. She’s not participating in the rehearsal. The room is empty, but the lights are on. I guess someone will arrive later.”

Liu Sinan took a sip of warm water, clenched the indistinct bandage on her wrist, and silently flexed the muscles in her wrist, feeling how much strength she could exert.

“That’s strange,” Qiqi said, pulling out a folder and looking through it. “I remember that besides Ms. Han, there’s no one with a bigger name than ours.”

“Could it be Sheng Ge? Although she’s a powerful singer, she doesn’t have a lot of fans. Our Ms. Liu is a top-tier star in both skill and popularity…”

Liu Sinan pressed down on Qiqi’s hand, closing the folder. “Don’t worry about others. Go ask if the order of appearance is ready, who the judges are today, and who the directors are.”

Qiqi’s train of thought was interrupted, and she quickly got back on track. “Oh, okay.”

The group waited for more than half an hour, and it was finally Liu Sinan’s turn to go on stage.

There was no fixed order for the rehearsal. Whoever was ready first went first.

When Liu Sinan went out, she looked around. There were cameras set up above the hallway. It was likely that the rehearsal content would be released as bloopers or a preview later on.

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The rehearsal room was very large, with a smooth floor in the middle and a row of judges opposite. There were five or six of them.

There probably wouldn’t be that many when they officially started filming.

Liu Sinan looked over and saw a lot of familiar faces, including a very old dance artist who had been active on the Spring Festival Gala stage since she was a child. Half of her hair was white, but her demeanor was still as elegant as ever.

Liu Sinan felt a small pang of envy.

“Please introduce yourself, contestant.” The judge in the middle was about the same age as Liu Sinan. She had a professional dance background and had won many awards. She was very popular online and was likely to serve as both a judge and host on the show, bringing up topics for discussion.

Liu Sinan cleared her throat and said,

“My name is Liu Sinan. I’m a model and an actress.”

Wang Wan’er continued to ask, “Why are you here? What is your goal?”

Liu Sinan knew this was a selling point for the show. “Crossover” meant crossing over from one’s area of expertise, but not completely. Everyone who came to the show had their own goals.

The person who went on before her was Sheng Ge, a talented singer. Her wish was that she wouldn’t walk out of sync during her concerts or on stage to receive awards, and that she wouldn’t step on her male lead’s foot in music videos.

The person before that was a not-so-famous actress in her thirties. Her wish was to explore her potential and challenge herself.

The person before that was a “veteran” idol who should have been good at both singing and dancing. Her wish was to change her style and become more advanced and skilled.

Before going on the show, Liu Sinan had also thought about what her own goal was.

A career change? That was too direct.

An actor in an awkward phase wouldn’t say directly that she wanted to broaden her acting range so that more directors would see her and give her roles. An outdated idol wouldn’t say that she wanted exposure and screen time for fear that her audience and fans would forget her over time and she would never become popular again. Naturally, Liu Sinan couldn’t just say that she felt modeling wouldn’t last for many years and she wanted to transition.

Moreover, her idea wasn’t a simple and utilitarian career change.

Why did she choose dancing?

Liu Sinan was quiet for a few seconds, picked up the microphone, and said slowly and clearly, one word at a time, “I want to fully express my charm.”

Whether they were models or dancers, as long as they were on stage, the spotlight was their battlefield.

They would show themselves off to their heart’s content, with their beautiful bodies and enchanting auras, captivating the audience below.

Liu Sinan wanted the audience’s attention. She wanted every second she was on stage, every move she made, every smile she gave, to make the audience go wild for her.

The judges had apparently never heard this kind of demand before. They were stunned for a few seconds. Wang Wan’er was the first to react and smiled. “Express your charm, huh? That’s a high standard. You may begin your performance.”

The music started, and Liu Sinan began to move with the rhythm. The movements she had practiced countless times had become muscle memory. She didn’t even have time to be nervous before she finished the dance.

Because it was a rehearsal, Liu Sinan was wearing a creamy V-neck cashmere sweater with a pair of white slim-fit trousers. Although she wasn’t in her dance clothes, her performance was very fluid and effective.

After she finished, the judges didn’t give any comments, but their expressions showed they were very satisfied. From the initial slight glance, to being completely captivated, their reactions and eyes didn’t lie.

The director standing by nodded. “Ms. Liu, thank you for your hard work. You’re very well prepared. Get some rest these next few days. We’ll contact you when it’s time for the official filming.”

“Next.”

After all, it was just a rehearsal. Besides seeing how well the dancers were prepared and letting the contestants get used to the atmosphere so they wouldn’t perform terribly and affect the filming, the remaining parts would have to wait until the day of the official filming.

Liu Sinan came out, rubbing her wrist. Qiqi quickly handed her a small hand warmer.

She took the hand warmer and placed it on her wrist. As she was walking back to her dressing room, she suddenly heard someone call out to her from behind. Liu Sinan turned her head and saw Feng Mingming and a crowd of people entering the hallway.

They were coming from the direction of the dressing room Joey had mentioned. It was large and in a good location, meaning it was for someone with a high status or a lot of popularity.

The hallway wasn’t very wide. It was likely that the crew hadn’t been able to get another studio. It was just wide enough for Liu Sinan, Qiqi, and Joey to stand abreast. The appearance of Feng Mingming’s group, which consisted of no less than ten people, instantly put a lot of pressure on the space.

The person who called out to her was Feng Mingming’s agent. Liu Sinan didn’t recognize her. The agent stepped forward and smiled. “Hello, Ms. Liu.”

Liu Sinan nodded to her. Not knowing what she wanted, she stood there and waited for her to speak.

The agent smiled and then stepped back, revealing Feng Mingming in the middle.

She was wearing a very thick and loose outfit, a hoodie with a turtleneck underneath.

A thread of doubt rose in Liu Sinan’s mind. This kind of outfit that covered her from head to toe and was baggy and did not show off her figure was completely contrary to their usual style of dress.

It was like an idol could have bad acting skills but couldn’t be on camera without makeup; a beauty blogger could be without makeup, but couldn’t be ugly with makeup on; a fashion blogger could be without makeup, overweight, or ugly, but couldn’t dress to look ugly; a fitness blogger could be without makeup, have ugly makeup, or ugly clothes, but couldn’t be overweight; and a model’s professional ethics—no makeup, no ugliness, no overweight, and no dressing to look ugly.

The last one was especially important. If a brand saw you wearing their clothes and looking short, poor, and uncool, they would probably terminate the contract immediately.

And Feng Mingming, besides not being ugly, had checked all the other boxes.

Feng Mingming was also very seriously sizing her up, from head to toe.

Liu Sinan was fine with being looked at. She was the type of person who would let you look at her, and if it made her uncomfortable, she would stare back, knowing you couldn’t out-stare her anyway.

Plus, since Li Jinping had been the one to inexplicably make her cut ties with Feng Mingming, Liu Sinan still felt a little guilty and apologetic when facing her former good friend. So she let her stare impolitely.

Feng Mingming was silent for a few seconds and then suddenly smiled, making small talk. “It’s been a year since we last saw each other.”

Seeing her speak, Liu Sinan also smiled, trying her best to ignore the inconsistency in her outfit. “It has. We last saw each other at the Baru in France. A year has passed in a flash.”

“You’re still in such great shape,” Feng Mingming’s eyes quickly scanned her body, and her gaze flickered almost imperceptibly. “I’m so envious.”

Liu Sinan didn’t notice anything. She returned the compliment with sincerity. “You look good too.”

After that, both of them fell silent. Liu Sinan didn’t know what Feng Mingming was thinking. She simply had nothing to say.

The director from the rehearsal room came out when he heard the commotion and said to Feng Mingming, “You’re here. You’re the only one left, so we can start whenever you’re ready.”

Feng Mingming nodded to the director but didn’t go in. Instead, she glanced at Liu Sinan.

Liu Sinan was looked at for no reason, but she was quite interested in Feng Mingming’s dancing. She stood by the door, not leaving, seemingly wanting to watch.

“This is,” Feng Mingming’s agent came out to smooth things over. “Ms. Feng has been rushing to catch her flight today, and she’s not in a good state. Can she rehearse a little later?”

The director was a little hesitant. He went back into the rehearsal room to discuss it with the other directors for a while and reluctantly agreed. “Alright then.”

Liu Sinan shrugged. If she couldn’t watch, she couldn’t watch. She said goodbye to Feng Mingming. “I’m leaving now. See you later.”

After Liu Sinan and her group had completely left, Feng Mingming’s agent went to the director to get ready for the rehearsal.

“Boss, I asked, and we have three days until the official filming,” Joey said, bringing a cup of coffee for Liu Sinan. He also told her the information he had gathered. “There are a total of 12 people. Besides Feng Mingming and Sheng Ge, we haven’t had any professional interactions with the others, so it’s okay to not be familiar with them on camera.”

Qiqi had been in the entertainment industry for a long time and was very familiar with how show crews operated. “Out of the 12 people, 6 are washed-up idols. The rest are you and Feng Mingming, who are models; Sheng Ge, a singer; and Han Lanxi, Li Chaoran, and Feng Nini, who are actresses. The first public performance will be to eliminate four people, so it’s likely they’ll be the washed-up idols.”

Qiqi remembered Sheng Ge and reminded Liu Sinan, “Sheng Ge sang the opening and closing theme songs for many of the movies you acted in. I’ll make a list in a bit. Even if you haven’t interacted with her before, you can’t act like you don’t know her at all.”

Sheng Ge? The little granddaughter?

Liu Sinan looked up with a complex expression. “No need. I know. I know her. We have contact.”

“Huh?” Qiqi was holding her tablet and looked surprised. She was in charge of Liu Sinan’s schedule. When did she have contact with Sheng Ge?

Liu Sinan was silent for a moment and then sighed. “Sheng Ge’s family is rich. Her father brought her to a new product launch banquet, and… Li Jinping and I were there that day.”

Qiqi’s ears perked up, but then she recoiled. She clearly wanted to hear the gossip but was also a little afraid.

Liu Sinan was very reluctant to mention that name now, but things always went in an unexpected direction.

Li Jinping would reappear in her memories in all sorts of ways.