Chapter 258 - 105: Prima of the 1960s Cultural Troupe (44)
Chapter 258: Chapter 105: Prima of the 1960s Cultural Troupe (44)
The vice-dean let out another long sigh. Who says men don’t gossip?
He was the vice-dean, and in his daily work, he interacted most with the nurses. They were a powerful legion of gossip, their influence boundless. Even an old scholar like him had gotten hooked.
He lowered his voice, yet managed to make it just loud enough for those around him to hear:
"Do you all remember what happened with Director Song from the workshop, the whole switched-at-birth incident?"
Everyone leaned in and nodded.
"Of course. Wasn’t that the talk of the town for a while?"
"They said that young comrade had a vicious personality for her age. Not content with usurping the nest, she waited for the true heir to arrive and then pushed her down the stairs right in front of the Song Family."
"But then other rumors started, saying the Song Family abused the little girl. That she was covered in scars, old and new. A truly ill-fated child."
"Otherwise, they couldn’t have forced her to keep vigil for Little Hero Huo, even when she knew he was gone..."
After the group had their fill of gossiping, they turned their attention back to the vice-dean, who then said:
"A month ago, right after the Song Family kicked her out, her face was beaten swollen, and her left ear suffered irreversible traumatic nerve deafness."
"And on the same day, she went to surgery for her right hand. Such a beautiful hand, full of glass shards. Some of the glass had severed tendons. She’ll have impaired joint movement in her fingers from now on. She might not even be able to hold a pen."
"TSK TSK, a young girl, a dancer no less, and both her right hand and left ear are ruined. For her to be able to perform a dance like that... it’s truly inspiring!"
Hearing this, the crowd’s hearts went out to Xia Zhaoyun, and they felt waves of regret for her.
A perfect dancer, now with imperfections. That beauty wasn’t diminished in their eyes at all. Instead, it was sublimated, becoming something profound.
"Sigh. I was afraid the little girl wouldn’t be able to handle the blow, so I never dared to speak of it. I’m glad she’s gotten back on her feet and can still bring us such a spectacular performance."
"It’s only now that my troubled heart feels some relief. But, you all shouldn’t spread this around."
"After all, a crippled hand and a deaf ear... for a young girl, it’s a cruel reality. We shouldn’t be rubbing salt in her wounds, right?"
Everyone nodded in agreement, but in their hearts, they felt they’d just gotten some excellent material for conversation.
The young girl’s perseverance despite her disabilities was an especially good example to use for teaching the younger generation.
And when they ran into Little Comrade Xia in their daily lives, they should be sure to take extra care of her.
Thinking of the Song Family, who had caused the young girl to suffer so much, they couldn’t help but curl their lips in disdain.
"The Song Family is really something else. They claim Comrade Xia Zhaoyun pushed the real daughter down the stairs? Given how they treated Comrade Xia Zhaoyun, they obviously can’t stand to see anyone else do well. If it were really true, you think they wouldn’t have called the police?"
The vice-dean nodded. "Exactly. The Song Family’s child was sent to the hospital that day too. The fall wasn’t serious. Just a scraped forehead, a dislocated wrist, and a few bruises elsewhere."
"Besides, haven’t the comrades from the Women’s Federation already debunked the rumor? They said the Song Family’s child fell by accident and wasn’t pushed by Xia Zhaoyun."
"That’s how it is. Only when you fall on your own do you instinctively brace yourself and protect vital areas. That’s why the injuries were so minor."
Everyone clucked their tongues. "If you ask me, a dragon begets a dragon, a phoenix begets a phoenix, and a mouse’s child will know how to dig holes. The Song Family’s child turns out to be a venomous-minded person, too."
"If she didn’t like having Comrade Xia Zhaoyun in the house, she could have just said so. Who would overstay their welcome?"
"Instead, she had to frame her, brand her with the vicious reputation of a cruel, ungrateful person who tried to murder her own sister, and then sweep her out the door!"
"Do they really take us all for fools, thinking we’ll believe whatever they say?"
After a bit more discussion, the story of Xia Zhaoyun’s perseverance despite her disabilities had spread through more than half the auditorium before the performance even ended!
When Liu Mingkun heard this, he was so angry he clenched his fists.
They had investigated Xia Zhaoyun. After all, before meeting her, they had never even heard of where this girl had come from.
But in the file they had on her, Xia Zhaoyun was already a pitiful creature. He never imagined she could embody the word "pitiful" so completely!
He never knew that this beautiful, lively, and multi-talented young woman had her left ear and right hand ruined. ’If it were me,’ he thought, ’wouldn’t I have become a depressed wreck, unable to face anyone? Wouldn’t I have become so irritable I’d lash out at everyone I met?’
Offstage, Xia Zhaoyun held a bouquet of flowers, no longer paying attention to the final results. She forced herself to be patient and play along with Wang Huiwen and the others until the end.
Yao Yunying and Zhao Si’en supported Wang Huiwen, whose face was pale with pain and who had nearly fainted several times, and rushed towards the hospital.
She gave everyone a few words of caution, telling them not to let their guard down and to ensure their own safety at all times. That was the absolute top priority!