Divorce Application - Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Being Trolled

The surprise in Liu Sinan’s eyes flashed and disappeared. At the same time, she also saw the confusion in Sheng Ge’s eyes.

Without changing her expression, Liu Sinan walked over with the tag, a polite smile on her face.

Feng Mingming gave her a big hug and said with a brilliant smile, “Welcome!”

Sheng Ge stepped back to a place where the camera couldn’t see her, seemingly to ask the director. She came back shortly after, with a very bad expression.

She shook her head at Liu Sinan, who gave her a reassuring smile, indicating that it was okay.

Sheng Ge was very anxious for her. It was easy for someone who danced folk dance to dance street dance in a soft and weak way, and it would look very strange. And for someone who danced street dance to dance folk dance, they wouldn’t be able to capture the charm and posture. In a nutshell, it wouldn’t feel right.

Liu Sinan motioned for her to calm down. The cameras were all filming now. She would go and ask the production team what they meant after they were done filming.

After the teams were formed, they each went to their own dance studio to discuss how to divide the dance moves and have a small meeting.

“The dance teacher won’t be here for a few days, so let’s divide the dance moves first,” Feng Mingming handed out the cards to everyone. Besides Liu Sinan and Sheng Ge, the other person was a host named Doudou, who was very graceful and friendly. “The moves aren’t difficult. We need to choose a center.”

Sheng Ge had much less to say to others. She looked down at the cards without saying a word.

Doudou, the host, was very emotionally intelligent. After looking at the cards, she waved her hands repeatedly. “This isn’t difficult? The captain is the captain. You have to help me.”

Feng Mingming’s smile was impeccable. “Of course. We’re a team, and we all have to help each other.”

“Then let the captain be the center,” Doudou went with the flow. “The captain can see all of our movements and help us check them!”

“This…” Feng Mingming hesitated and looked at the other two.

Sheng Ge put the card down on the ground. “I have no objections.”

“Me neither,” Liu Sinan smiled at Feng Mingming, then held up the card in her hand. “Let’s all do our best.”

Feng Mingming stood up with a smile and clapped her hands. “In that case, why don’t we divide the dance moves today and take our cards back to familiarize ourselves with our dance moves?”

The three of them had no objections. Feng Mingming started to divide the cards. When she got to Liu Sinan, she paused for a longer time, took away most of the cards in Liu Sinan’s hand, and said with a smile, “Ms. Liu is also very good at dancing. I’ll leave the important moves to you.”

Liu Sinan looked down. The card had a “tàn hǎi fān shēn” (探海翻身) and a “jiē dì zhuǎn chēng shēn” (接地轉撐身) move. If done correctly, it would look good, but there was a problem.

Liu Sinan’s gaze stopped on the words “chēng dì” (撐地), which meant “supporting the ground.”

The breakdown of the dance technique clearly stated that this move required a lot of wrist strength.

It wasn’t just about supporting herself on the ground. She also had to use her wrist strength to lift her entire body up.

Liu Sinan put the card away and gave Feng Mingming, who was laughing and talking with Doudou, a meaningful look.

The filming continued until noon. The production team brought them boxed lunches. The few of them went back to their own waiting rooms to eat lunch.

Liu Sinan asked Qi Qi to go and ask the production team what they meant. The production team’s reply was—the division was based on the contestants’ characteristics.

“Boss, could it be related to our runway style? The makeup and styling for CEO Li’s ‘Good or Not’ were really stunning…”

Liu Sinan felt that something was wrong, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. She just shook her head and didn’t think about it. “Just tell Lan Qi about this first. You guys eat. I’m going out for a bit.”

While everyone was resting, Liu Sinan went back to the dance studio and went over her cards again.

The “tàn hǎi fān shēn” was quite difficult. If done correctly, it would look good. But this kind of move was not for non-professionals to show off with. Unlike doing a split or a backflip, which would get you a chorus of “wow”s, the technical moves in classical dance were supposed to look light and graceful to outsiders.

Liu Sinan stretched her muscles and did a fixed-point “fān shēn” (Turn) to get a feel for her body.

A fixed-point “fān shēn” was when you stood in place and rotated your two hands clockwise and counter-clockwise, drawing a three hundred and sixty-degree circle.

One, two, three. It was okay.

She tried again. One, two, three in a row. Liu Sinan tried to walk while spinning. When she took her third step, she didn’t land steadily, and the circle was only half-drawn.

“Tsk,” Liu Sinan shook her wrist and stared at herself in the mirror. “You’re still so weak, Liu Sinan.”

“The audience can all see that Liu Sinan is very confident in her dance skills. But if you don’t practice for a day, you’ll fall behind by a thousand miles. She hasn’t practiced for… four thousand days, so she’s fallen behind by… a million miles. We know that the circumference of the Earth’s equator is only forty thousand kilometers. Liu Sinan has gone around the Earth more than twenty times in these ten years…”

As Liu Sinan spoke, she returned to her original position. After she found the feeling, she did a “xī tuǐ fān shēn”(leg-pull spin), where she lifted one leg and attached it to the other leg while spinning, tumbling, and landing.

“Bravo, bravo, bravo,” Liu Sinan clapped her hands perfunctorily. “Even though Liu Sinan has gone around the Earth more than twenty times, her recovery speed must be like a rocket. Do you think it’s because the rocket’s performance is good, or because her skills are so deep that there are still some leftovers after going around more than twenty times?”

Liu Sinan took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and imagined every movement of the “tàn hǎi fān shēn.” She raised her hands and turned. “I think it’s because she did a good job with her recovery. Didn’t you see that her wrist hasn’t fully healed yet?”

Liu Sinan was wearing protective sleeves in front of the camera, so she didn’t reveal her bandages. Now, everyone was eating, and she had taken off her sleeves for convenience, revealing the medical pressure bandage on her wrist.

“One, two, three,” her body was “exploring the sea,” spinning in the air, landing lightly. Liu Sinan paused, then bent down and turned on the ground. “So far, Liu Sinan is still doing a good job. Now, for the next part…”

Her palm and five fingers spread open. Every finger pressed firmly on the ground. Her wrist and forearm exerted force—prop.

“Thump.”

Liu Sinan had an intimate embrace with the dance studio floor face-down.

When she fell, she just lay on the ground for a while.

After lying there for a while, Liu Sinan got up helplessly. She pressed her wrist, which was still trembling uncontrollably after lying down for a while, and sighed.

Sometimes, human will is not omnipotent.

“People have to fully utilize their subjective initiative,” Liu Sinan stood up and patted the dust off her body. “But they also have to recognize their fundamental problem of being carbon-based life forms.”

…

“Some things can’t be done just because I say so,” Liu Sinan grabbed her hand and did a “tàn hǎi” in place, then sighed again. “For example, I can ‘tàn hǎi’ and do physical therapy, but I can’t stop the intense nerve pain that occurs when my wrist is forced to exert force when the fracture hasn’t healed yet. I also can’t stop my arm muscles from not being able to exert force normally when the nerves are twitching, and I can’t stop myself from falling face-down on the ground.”

Liu Sinan touched her nose and quietly leaned against the wall for a while.

When her wrist stopped trembling, she went up and tried again.

She tried a small “fān shēn,” a side “fān shēn,” and reduced her force, and so on.

After falling five times, Liu Sinan completely stopped moving.

When Qi Qi saw Liu Sinan return, she was so surprised that she could fit another egg in her mouth. “Boss, what happened to your face and your nose?!”

Liu Sinan shook her head. “I can’t help it. My nose has too many advantages. It always lands before my face.”

Qi Qi held the half-eaten egg in her hand, looking confused. “Oh… Boss, what are you talking about…”

Joey put a nutritious meal in front of Liu Sinan. Liu Sinan felt a little weak. She lifted her arm, then put it down again. “Ugh, I don’t want to eat. Get me a bubble tea.”

Joey and Qi Qi’s eyes widened at the same time. “Bubble… tea!”

When did their boss ever have such a high-sugar food?!

Was the word “bubble tea” even something that could come out of their boss’s mouth?!

“Yeah, bubble tea,” Liu Sinan leaned back against the large chair, her eyes half-closed and looking listless. “I’m too weak. I urgently need some fast carbs to replenish my energy.”

When they heard the professional term “fast carbs,” the two of them finally shut up. Qi Qi swallowed the half-eaten egg and then asked, “Boss, did you go back to practice dancing just now?”

Liu Sinan “hmm”-ed. This wasn’t a definitive “hmm.” It was a wavy “hmm,” which meant no. She closed her eyes to rest. “I didn’t go to practice dancing. I went to get slapped in the face.”

Qi Qi “ah”-ed, a very certain “ah.” She wanted to ask more, but Liu Sinan had already closed her eyes, so she had to shut up.

The afternoon filming was still ongoing. The few of them had divided the dance moves. They didn’t have to go through them together today. They would practice their own dance moves separately.

A melodious classical song was playing in the dance studio. The few of them were sweating profusely from practicing.

“You’re using the wrong hand and foot here,” Liu Sinan quickly poked Sheng Ge’s waist and leg. “And here, relax.”

“The beat here isn’t a shrinking movement. It’s an expansion. It’s to be looked at,” Liu Sinan was like a strict teacher, demanding perfection for every one of Sheng Ge’s movements. “You have to memorize it first, then practice it hundreds of times until it becomes muscle memory.”

Sheng Ge, who had almost twisted herself into a pretzel on her next misstep and was only saved from hitting the ground by Liu Sinan, requested a break.

The two of them hid in a corner where the camera couldn’t film them. They were drinking a bottle of mineral water each. Across from them were Feng Mingming and Doudou, who were still practicing in front of the camera.

Doudou wasn’t very quiet when she was doing her moves. Every move was accompanied by a sound. Sometimes it was, “Hey, it turns out it should be like this here.” Sometimes it was, “Wow, I did it.” There were also “Ah, it hurts” and “Wuwu, it’s too difficult.” In short, her emotions were very rich. She could make a colorful palette. She was worthy of being a host. It was a shame that she didn’t go into comedy.

Feng Mingming was responsible for maintaining a smile and demonstrating. She always smiled gently and gave her guidance and encouragement.

“Did you see that? Feng Mingming is probably so annoyed,” Sheng Ge nudged Liu Sinan and watched the drama. “She probably didn’t expect to run into a student with zero dance skills.”

Liu Sinan didn’t say anything. She just glanced at her and moved to the side.

“Hey, you’re so picky. It’s not like you have a girlfriend,” Sheng Ge followed her relentlessly and even bumped her thigh with her own. “But Feng Mingming’s skills aren’t that good either. I think these two are both bad. Besides acting in front of the camera, they probably find everyone annoying in private.”

Liu Sinan reminded her, “You also have zero experience.”

“But I have you as my teacher,” Sheng Ge quickly hugged her thigh. “Before our dance teacher comes, you’re my teacher. Even if the dance teacher comes, you’re still my teacher!”

“Oh.” Liu Sinan said.

“What’s with that attitude?” Sheng Ge’s attitude was very enthusiastic. It could be said that ever since Liu Sinan divorced Li Jinping and she no longer had to call Liu Sinan her grand-aunt, Sheng Ge found Liu Sinan to be incredibly likable. “But I can forgive you. After all, you just lost… no, you just got divorced!”

Liu Sinan squeezed the bottle and turned to look at her expressionlessly. She thought to herself, this person’s emotional intelligence is really in the negatives. What were you about to say? Were you about to say “widowed”? Do you know how badly Li Jinping would kill you if she heard that? Do you know how badly your grandfather would kill you if he heard that?

But she could only say dryly, “I’m not teaching you anymore.”

“Don’t be like that,” Sheng Ge said anxiously. “What’s with you? You can’t take a joke. I won’t say it anymore. I won’t mention it again, okay?”

Liu Sinan said that she was rested and got up to continue practicing.

Because the dance teacher hadn’t arrived yet, the filming was finished shortly after they started dancing again. Then Feng Mingming also said that they were done for the day.

“Everyone, go back and familiarize yourselves with your moves,” Feng Mingming said with a slight smile. “When the dance teacher comes, we can officially start rehearsing.”

Doudou cheered and said exaggeratedly, “Sister Mingming, you’re so nice! I’m so exhausted. Dancing is too difficult, but I still have to work hard!” After saying that, she gave a ‘yeah’ sign to the camera that was walking over.

The cameraman scanned them with the camera. Feng Mingming and Liu Sinan waved goodbye with smiles. Sheng Ge nodded coldly.

Everyone left separately. Liu Sinan casually picked up the empty mineral water bottles that everyone had finished and threw them into the trash can outside the door, then turned and walked out.

“Sinan, wait a minute.”

Feng Mingming came out with her backpack and waved at her.

Liu Sinan stopped and waited for her. When Feng Mingming walked over, she looked behind her. Liu Sinan smiled. “I let my PD go eat. No one’s filming now. What’s up?”

She could tell that Feng Mingming wanted to talk to her. The two of them were now standing in a corner between the doorway and the corridor, so no camera would be able to film them.

Feng Mingming’s hair was tied in a ponytail behind her head, revealing her flat facial bones. She wasn’t actually that good-looking, but her facial features were unique. The area composed of her cheekbones and temples gave her a sophisticated look. She smiled and said, “It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other. I haven’t had a chance to talk to you in private yet. I don’t know if you’re still adjusting?”

Liu Sinan just smiled and didn’t answer. After looking at her, Feng Mingming quickly looked away and said apologetically, “I’m sorry. I signed a contract with an artist management company, so I’m often not in control of myself. I’m very sorry about the trending topics a few days ago. I don’t know why the production team edited it that way. The company bought the trending topics without asking for my opinion.”

Liu Sinan didn’t intend to discuss this with her. The truth and lies didn’t matter. “I’m adjusting well.”

Liu Sinan said honestly, “The filming pace isn’t fast, and there aren’t cameras everywhere.”

Feng Mingming’s expression stiffened for a moment. Liu Sinan continued to smile. “It’s not like when we were on variety shows abroad. There were hidden cameras even in the bathroom. At the time, I was so scared that I grabbed the showerhead and smashed the camera. The production team almost made me pay for it.”

“Yes…” Feng Mingming choked up a bit, and her smile was a little forced. “I still remember when we were walking the runway together, and your high heel strap suddenly broke right before you were about to go on stage. You just walked out with one foot padded.”

“That was indeed a memorable experience,” Liu Sinan laughed, took a half-step back, and leaned against the wall. She looked relaxed. “That runway was a rough, pebbled road. My feet were rubbed raw in several places.”

“We were really tired back then,” Feng Mingming said softly. “Life is a lot better now. Even when we’re on stage dancing, we don’t have to work so hard. We also earn more money.”

Liu Sinan just smiled and didn’t say anything. She knew what Feng Mingming meant. It was nothing more than taking a shortcut on stage, making a few good-looking moves and calling it “dancing.” The audience would still praise her, and she would earn more money than before.

“Things will always get better,” Liu Sinan wasn’t one to dwell on the past. She preferred to look forward. “As long as we hold on to our dreams and our original intentions, as the days go by, whether they’re good or bad, we’ll always get something we want.”

Liu Sinan remembered when she and Feng Mingming were working together. Feng Mingming had very high standards for herself. If others could walk a certain way on the runway, she would also do it. To do so, she would tie strings to her legs, draw grids on the floor, and practice barefoot all night long.

But in recent years, Liu Sinan had rarely seen her on the runway. Like her, Feng Mingming had started to transition, acting and appearing on variety shows. She hadn’t settled on a direction yet and wasn’t as hardworking as before.

For acting, you don’t have to have perfect pronunciation like a professionally trained actor, but you still have to memorize your lines.

For variety shows, you don’t have to have a strong sense of humor, but you still have to complete the basic tasks.

She had also heard about Feng Mingming’s actions over the years. If Feng Mingming had made such a mistake or been so lazy in her modeling career, it would have been fine. After all, she had made a name for herself, and she had a certain status.

But acting and variety shows were new fields. She had no experience or foundation. If she didn’t put in her full effort, it would be difficult to make a breakthrough.

If it weren’t for the trending topics a few days ago, Liu Sinan would have probably directly told her, as a friend, to be more serious about her work. But regardless of whether it was the company’s arrangement or Feng Mingming’s own will, and regardless of whether Feng Mingming knew about it or not, the relationship between the two of them had already become tense and awkward.

Thinking of their past friendship, Liu Sinan could only say a nice thing. “Mingming, you’re a very determined and hardworking girl. I’ve always felt that people like you deserve to have a better and better life.”

Feng Mingming didn’t say anything for a long time, so long that Liu Sinan wanted to find an excuse to leave. Only then did Feng Mingming let out a light laugh and slowly look up at Liu Sinan.

“I saw that you couldn’t put the moves together all afternoon,” Feng Mingming changed the subject. “We’re a team. If you have any difficulties, you can tell me. We’ll all help you solve them.”

Liu Sinan’s brows furrowed. She did plan to tell the dance teacher about her situation when they arrived. Just as Feng Mingming had said, they were a team and should work together. She shouldn’t be the weak link.

“It’s not really a difficulty,” Liu Sinan thought about it, looked down, and squeezed her wrist. Her five fingers opened and closed. She told her honestly, “Mingming, my wrist was injured before. It hasn’t healed yet. The moves you gave me, especially the one where I have to support myself on the ground, I can’t do.”

Feng Mingming looked down at the bandage on her wrist, then subtly moved to block her wrist. After a moment, she nodded. “I understand. Don’t worry. I’ll adjust the move assignments and try to take care of you more.”

Liu Sinan felt that her words were uncomfortable. She frowned. “You don’t have to take care of me. I’m fine with all the other moves except for the wrist ones.”

But Feng Mingming didn’t say anything else. She smiled and said, “I’ll help you solve it.”

Liu Sinan didn’t know how Feng Mingming solved it. The next day, when she walked into the dance studio, she found that the atmosphere was a little strange.

Sheng Ge was sitting close to the door. On the other side were Feng Mingming and Doudou.

Yesterday, they also practiced separately, but it wasn’t as clearly defined as it was today. Especially Sheng Ge, who looked very annoyed and was barely holding it in.

When Liu Sinan saw Sheng Ge, she couldn’t help but smile. In a way, her personality was a little similar to Wu Haoxue’s. Liu Sinan subconsciously went to comfort her. “What’s wrong?”

Sheng Ge motioned for her to look at the other side.

Feng Mingming was whispering comforting words to Doudou, looking very helpless and tired.

Liu Sinan put down her backpack and walked over.

They were all on the same team. She would go and see what was happening. Just as she got close to Doudou, Doudou suddenly stood up and threw her card on the ground. “Ms. Liu, you can’t bully people like this.”

“I’m also having a hard time. I have to learn even the basic moves many times,” Doudou pointed at the cards on the ground. “Why can Ms. Liu change the moves just because she wants to?”

Feng Mingming quickly stood up and pulled her, whispering, “Don’t argue. This is my decision as the captain. If you have any complaints, you can discuss them with me. It has nothing to do with Ms. Liu.”

“How does it have nothing to do with her?” Doudou turned around. “Sister Mingming, you don’t have to speak up for her. I noticed yesterday afternoon that Ms. Liu didn’t even do this move. Why does she have to give me the moves she can’t do?”

“Is it because she’s a big shot that she can bully people with her power?”

Liu Sinan hadn’t had a chance to say a word the entire time. When she heard this, she almost laughed from anger.

When did she ever throw her moves at someone else? Is the person with the louder voice the one who’s right? Aren’t you the one bullying people with your power?

Liu Sinan thought about it quietly. After Doudou had vented, she said, “I don’t know how you guys communicated, but if there’s a problem, let’s solve it. We’re all on the same team. There’s no need to make the relationship so tense. My suggestion is, if no one can do this move, instead of leaving it as a half-finished product, it’s better to remove it or find a better alternative.”

“None of us can do this move, right?”

Doudou couldn’t even do the basic dance moves. Just like Sheng Ge, she should be given simple and easy-to-learn moves, not such a difficult move. In other words, this move shouldn’t exist in the first place.

Liu Sinan’s gaze stayed on Feng Mingming. She had no expression on her face. She thought to herself, “I don’t know what Feng Mingming, as the captain, is doing.”

After the rehearsal ended today, she planned to stop Feng Mingming. “Ms. Feng, please wait a moment.”

Feng Mingming paused, but she didn’t stop walking and quickly disappeared from the doorway.

Liu Sinan was wondering why she was avoiding her when her phone rang.

Lan Qi’s voice came from the other end of the phone, sounding serious and cold. “Boss, we’re trending again.”

It had only been a few days, and she had already been on the trending list three times.

And it was all because of “Crossover Dance Queen.”

Liu Sinan didn’t know that she was a trending topic magnet.

“This time, it has nothing to do with you,” Lan Qi’s voice was calm, but she was suppressing her anger. “The production team deliberately made a malicious edit.”

Liu Sinan had already seen the content of the trending topic. It was mainly a video of her conversation with Feng Mingming yesterday.

“The camera angle is very tricky. It was probably secretly filmed by Feng Mingming’s follow PD from the room behind you,” Lan Qi said. “The production team edited your conversation with Feng Mingming. You can watch the specific content yourself later.”

“Why is the production team targeting me again and again?” Liu Sinan’s temper also flared up. “Before the official filming, they released a malicious edit of my dance. I can let it go and assume that the production team wanted to get some attention. But this time, they’re completely trolling me just to troll me.”

“I noticed this problem even before you did,” Lan Qi said through gritted teeth. “And not only the changing of moves, but also You Yiyang’s comments about you, it was all premeditated.”

“And I’ve already found out that all of this was instructed by Zhao Qiran.”

Hearing that name again, Liu Sinan felt a sense of clarity and disgust. “Her again?”