When She Stops Being Dramatic

Chapter 250: Chapter 102: Top Star of the ’60s Art Troupe (41)-2

"How could you doubt how much I care about you?"

"What did I tell you before? I told you to just focus on your dancing and leave the rest to me. I promised I’d get you into the Central Political Department, and I will. It’s only been one day. How could you be so impatient?"

Jie Xiaoqin covered her face and started to cry. "Auntie, I’m scared..."

"I don’t know what came over me then. I just acted on impulse. I... I never meant to take a life! I’ve never even heard of tetanus..."

"Auntie, Xia Zhaoyun knows it was me. She’s just waiting to confirm the evidence before she has the police take me away. I can’t go! If I get taken away, will there still be a place for me in the troupe when I get back?"

"My whole life will be ruined. Auntie, I’m begging you, please help me..."

Master Yuan gazed at the girl, a complicated look in her eyes. She was a mirror of her own younger self. "Little Qin, be honest with me. Did you really not know about tetanus?"

Jie Xiaoqin trembled slightly but shook her head firmly. "Auntie, you know what I’m like. The sight of a book gives me a headache. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have just scraped through high school to pursue dancing."

"I had never even heard the name ’tetanus’ before. I really just didn’t want them to perform as scheduled..."

Master Yuan sighed. "Little Qin, I’m not against you being cunning, but you have to be smarter about it. You can’t leave behind any loose ends."

"How am I supposed to help you when you’re this sloppy?"

Jie Xiaoqin grabbed her wrist and said pitifully, her eyes welling with tears,

"Auntie, I know you can handle this. In my heart, you’re like a second mother to me. You’ve always cherished me, tolerated my faults, and looked out for my best interests with all your heart—more than my own parents do."

"You’re the first person I think of whenever I’m in trouble. Auntie, if you get me through this, let me become your goddaughter, okay? I’ll take care of you in your old age and see you off when your time comes!"

Visibly moved, Master Yuan pulled her into an embrace. "Silly child, I don’t ask for anything in return. I just want you to have a safe and peaceful life, the life you’ve always wanted."

"Alright. Since this is what you want, Auntie will stake all the goodwill I’ve built up over the years to make this go away for you."

"But this is the first and last time. I’m not as powerful as you think."

Jie Xiaoqin nodded again and again. "Don’t worry, Auntie. I’ve learned my lesson. I’ll be much more careful from now on. I’ll put my energy into working harder on my dancing instead of these underhanded tricks."

Master Yuan stroked her hair, pleased. "That’s right. In the troupe, talent is what ultimately matters. Child, in terms of your natural ability, talent, and hard work, you’re at the very top. If Xia Zhaoyun wasn’t always holding you down, you would be our star performer."

"But it’s a big world. There are many people better than you, but there are also many who can’t compare to you."

"When I was young, I got fixated on the wrong things, made a lot of mistakes, and ended up with too many regrets. I don’t want you to repeat my history."

Jie Xiaoqin agreed obediently, but her downcast eyes revealed she wasn’t taking any of it to heart. Now that she had what she wanted, she had no patience for Master Yuan’s tired old lecture. After a few half-hearted replies, she headed for the door.

But as she pulled the door open, a chill shot through her. Xia Zhaoyun was standing right there in the doorway. Xia Zhaoyun even smiled at her before swaggering past her and into the room.

Master Yuan struggled to suppress her guilty conscience, her voice turning cold. "The performance is happening Postnatal. Instead of training every second you have, what are you doing here?"

Xia Zhaoyun chuckled and stepped forward. She reached into the pocket of a coat hanging on the rack. When she withdrew her hand, she was holding an object about two fingers wide.

She toyed with it casually. "Oh, I must have accidentally left something in your pocket this morning. Now that I remember, I’ve naturally come to get it back."

As she spoke, she fiddled with it, and a staticky, intermittent voice crackled from the black object: "Why are you here... Little Qin..."

But Xia Zhaoyun only let two phrases play before quickly switching it off. She looked at the ’mother-daughter’ pair, whose expressions had changed in perfect unison, with a smirk. "Brother Hao gave me this little gadget. It’s my first time using it. I hope it didn’t record anything... sensitive, did it?"

"You—" Master Yuan lunged forward to grab it.

Xia Zhaoyun dodged deftly. "Director Yuan, what are you doing? Don’t tell me there’s really something on here we shouldn’t hear? If so, I guess I’ll have to let the people at the police station have a listen."

"You planted a bug in my pocket!" Master Yuan nearly fainted.

Xia Zhaoyun smiled, her lips pressed together. "It’s just an old-model recording pen. Brother Hao was worried I might get taken advantage of, so he got it for me. I treasure it, so my apologies, Director Yuan, but there’s no way I’m letting you get your hands on it."