Chapter 150: Everything Is for the Violet Star

At 9 PM, on a street outside the Mysterious Dance Hall, Liu Qingxin walked like a soul stripped of its body amidst the terrified, screaming crowd.

Because of the massive popularity of the Heaven, Earth, Yellow, and Water Dance Halls, coupled with the Mysterious Dance Hall which Red Plum had deliberately abandoned, the people flooding the major streets were excitedly listening to the distant sounds echoing from the four major halls. None of them paid any attention to Liu Qingxin.

Of course, had it not been for the preceding events, Liu Qingxin would not have been in such a dejected state.

Her "Audio-Phone" rang with a heartbeat-like melody. Glancing at the screen, she saw thirty-two missed calls.

Just as she was preparing to deliberately continue ignoring them, after a moment of hesitation, she finally answered, "Director Yang, what is it?"

Immediately, a somewhat exasperated voice came from the other end. "You finally answered! Tell me, weren't you at the scene of the Mysterious Dance Hall earlier?"

What must come will eventually come. After a brief silence, Liu Qingxin replied truthfully, "I was there. Director Yang, just tell me what you need to say."

Perhaps not expecting Liu Qingxin to face it so calmly, Yang Caihua's tone softened considerably after a short pause. "Director Zhao just called me. He wants both of us to make a self-criticism at tomorrow morning's regular meeting—a self-criticism regarding this incident with Yue Xiaotian's Ziwei."

So it really turned out this way? Heh. Liu Qingxin could not help but smile bitterly.

Having lost his majesty in front of everyone a few days ago, Zhao Dezhu still harbored resentment, even though he hadn't erupted at the time.

After all, Yue Xiaotian's furious roar had severely damaged his pride, especially in front of so many of Director Zhao's subordinates.

Perhaps out of genuine apprehension toward Yue Xiaotian's status as a Ziyang Dance God, Zhao Dezhu had refrained from showing it then.

However, following Ziwei's stage fright tonight, utilizing such a self-criticism session to reclaim some dignity within the review department was a common tactic.

Since she was the primary reviewer and the very first gatekeeper of the heartbeat evaluation—compared to Yang Caihua, who held a higher rank and faced one fewer checkpoint—she would undoubtedly be the primary target of criticism tomorrow morning.

Perhaps, if her judgment had genuinely been flawed, her conscience would feel slightly better. But Ziwei didn't even sing tonight. Alas.

Taking a deep breath, Liu Qingxin said, "I understand. Is there anything else? If not, I'm hanging up."

"Don't overthink it. Just keep a low profile tomorrow morning. After all, everyone makes mistakes."

"I know."

Hanging up, Liu Qingxin's mood plummeted to rock bottom. In that instant, she felt as though her dozen years of studying diligently by the window were truly useless.

Continuing to walk like a walking corpse, Liu Qingxin wondered whether she was even suited for this profession.

However, before she could ponder this profound question of life any further, a burst of startled shrieks snapped her back to reality.

Accompanying the series of startled cries, a blinding beam of light shone directly into her eyes.

Shielding her eyes from the glare, Liu Qingxin dodged the beam and looked to both sides, only to see pedestrians frantically leaping out of the way.

Judging by the roaring sound in her ears and the fragmentary shouts of the crowd, she realized it was a motorcycle—a motorcycle charging rapidly straight toward her.

Her consciousness froze for a brief second. Perhaps because her emotions had fluctuated too wildly just moments ago, or perhaps due to a transient panic over the sudden emergency, she stood rooted to the spot.

Around her, panicked cries began to erupt, such as: "What are the dance police doing? Where did this motorcycle come from?" "Is there a dancer lord present? Save her!" "Hurry and dodge, beauty!"

The glaring light drew closer and closer, and the roaring engine made the vehicle's terrifying speed painfully clear.

Yet, in a split second, when the motorcycle was still ten meters away from Liu Qingxin, a harsh screeching sound pierced the air.

The motorcycle executed one of the classic, must-have cool stunt skills found in novels: a drift!

Finally, just as the surrounding crowd had their hearts leap into their throats, the motorcycle came to a breathtaking stop right in front of Liu Qingxin.

At that moment, Liu Qingxin felt a lingering wave of terror.

The consequences would have been dire had she actually committed such a low-level blunder. Although she graduated from a world-renowned university and possessed a strong physique, she was not an extraordinary dancer. If she had been struck by a motorcycle traveling at such high speed, she would have either died or been crippled.

If that had been the case, she probably would never have had the chance to experience an ordinary yet happy romance in this lifetime.

Just as Liu Qingxin recovered her wits and prepared to unleash her anger, she saw the face of the person taking off their helmet.

Yue Xiaotian! Why was he here?

"Haha, almost couldn't find you. Come on, get on the bike. I'm taking you for a drink."

***

Uncomprehending why Yue Xiaotian had appeared, let alone why he would invite her out for drinks, Liu Qingxin clearly had no intention of going.

Before Liu Qingxin could speak, Yue Xiaotian, seeing right through her thoughts, said, "Don't worry, surely you aren't afraid I'll eat you up, are you? This is Dragon Emperor City. Come on, dozens of people are waiting for the two of us."

Perhaps because she had reviewed Yue Xiaotian's file during the screening process, she knew that although his temper was somewhat fiery, he had never been involved in any scandalous rumors involving women.

After all, if he truly desired it, given his strength, countless women would be begging him to take them.

However, the internet said that every woman was a different musical note. Could he really harbor improper thoughts toward her?

Just as Liu Qingxin hesitated, Yue Xiaotian gave a helpless smile. "Do I look that much like a bad guy? Let's go, I know you want a couple of drinks right now."

At that moment, a woman in the crowd stepped forward, waving her audio-phone and calling out, "Beauty, go with him! Don't worry, I recorded him. If he tries any funny business with you tonight, we'll help you fix him. He won't get away."

"Pfft." Looking at Yue Xiaotian's speechless expression, Liu Qingxin could not help but laugh out loud.

Perhaps because of this episode, Liu Qingxin's tension instantly dissolved. Finally, she stepped forward and climbed onto the bike.

Handing the helmet to Liu Qingxin, Yue Xiaotian started the motorcycle engine. "Sit tight. Be careful not to scream."

Hearing the roaring engine, the crowd had learned their lesson this time, proactively clearing a path ahead of time.

Yue Xiaotian whisked Liu Qingxin away, turning into a streak of rainbow light that instantly vanished down the street.

Ten minutes later, Yue Xiaotian brought Liu Qingxin to the banks of the Lan River.

At this hour, there were very few people by the riverbank. Not only ordinary citizens, but even local merchants had gone to watch the performances—a stark contrast to usual nights.

After walking only a short distance, Liu Qingxin spotted dozens of people sitting together, chatting and laughing, among whom was Ziwei.

Guided by Yue Xiaotian, Liu Qingxin approached the group and took a seat.

The moment she sat down, Yue Xiaotian handed her a wooden mug of wine. "Self-introductions first. You go ahead."

Since she was already here, Liu Qingxin did not act overly coy. After all, the majority of the group consisted of young girls, and the few boys present were young and harmless.

After several cups of wine, Liu Qingxin had gained a preliminary understanding of these people.

At this point, Yue Xiaotian glanced at Ziwei beside him, raised his cup, and announced, "Qingxin, I invited you over tonight for two reasons. First, to apologize. I imagine you're going to get scolded tomorrow. But there's also good news: I hope all my future submissions will be handled by you. If you handle them well, you can even scold your boss—haha."

Liu Qingxin clinked glasses with Yue Xiaotian, experiencing a great internal shock as she drank. Judging by his tone, was he planning to enter the competition?

Setting down her wine cup, Liu Qingxin smiled. "I'd love to, but that's not up to me to decide."

With a nonchalant expression, Yue Xiaotian laughed heartily. "Haha, that's precisely why I want you in charge. Only this way can you avoid losing your standing in your department because of tonight's incident. After this period, I'll be entering the competitions. I'm not boasting—world championships are effortless for me. My real goal is the audience turf war between my family's Weiwei and Red Plum. This time, I'm stepping into the arena myself!"

Watching Yue Xiaotian fiercely tearing into a chicken drumstick, Liu Qingxin finally understood.

Yue Xiaotian was acting to prevent her from becoming an innocent victim caught in the crossfire. After all, judging from his speech, expressions, and work ethic, he possessed the true demeanor of an almighty expert.

Given this premise, he certainly would not want Ziwei's mishap to cause her any professional detriment.

Or perhaps it was simply because he felt she was quite capable? Otherwise, why would he hand such a lucrative opportunity to her on a silver platter?

If he truly decided to enter the fray, his strength was obvious to all. This upcoming audience turf war would undoubtedly be a magnificent spectacle.

And just as he said, if she handled it properly and seized this opportunity, tomorrow morning's self-criticism wouldn't be about her getting reprimanded; instead, she'd be in a position to lecture her superiors—because Yue Xiaotian himself was stepping into the ring!

At this thought, Liu Qingxin smiled. "Then I'll thank you in advance. Since fellow daoist Yue Xiaotian trusts me, I won't decline."

Casting an approving glance at Liu Qingxin, Yue Xiaotian laid down his chicken drumstick, raised his wine cup, and stood up. "Bottoms up on this cup, and let's crush that heavenly queen b*tch!"

"Crush that heavenly queen b*tch!" The musicians shouted loudest of all, for they sensed hope—Yue Xiaotian was Ziyang!

After sitting back down, Yue Xiaotian cracked open some peanuts and asked, "By the way, how many of you know how to ride a motorcycle?"

"Me."

"Me."

"Me."

Voice after voice rang out as the musicians raised their hands one by one.

Taking a quick glance, Yue Xiaotian wiped his hands with a wet wipe, pulled a card from his pocket, and tossed it to the young man opposite him. "There are thirty-six of you, plus Ziwei and me, making thirty-eight. Bah, in that case, Tianhao and Yuren, you two go find nineteen motorcycles and one compact car shortly, and prepare twenty motorcycles total, to be delivered to the entrance of Feitian Hotel by 4 AM. There are one hundred thousand dance dollars on this card. If it's not enough, put it on my tab first."

With that, Yue Xiaotian swept his gaze across the group. "Listen up clearly: gather at 4 AM tomorrow morning, wear extra layers, and bring plenty of water."

Catching the bank card and pocketing it, Tianhao complained somewhat disgruntedly, "Director, so early?"

The musicians also looked somewhat astonished. "Yeah, Director, we usually wake up at 6 AM. Won't 4 AM be a bit too early?"

Yue Xiaotian chided them with a laugh, "I'm not trying to crush your spirits, but if you don't push yourselves to the absolute limit over the next six months, Red Plum that b*tch is going to trample us. Understood? Besides, if you can actually sleep, I'll take full responsibility!"

Because Liu Qingxin was present, the musicians tactfully refrained from revealing Yue Xiaotian's identity as Ziyang.

Whether Yue Xiaotian had warned them or not, and whether Liu Qingxin already knew, didn't matter. The important thing was that they kept their mouths shut.

The mere thought of training under the Ziyang Dance God Yue Xiaotian made it unlikely that any of them would be able to sleep tonight anyway.

After all, this was a half-year that could alter their destinies. Realistically speaking, regardless of the final outcome of the showdown with Red Plum, training for half a year under a director of Yue Xiaotian's caliber was equivalent to a century of bitter solitary practice—it represented a leap across entire realms of existence.

This was the strongest profession in the Hongkun Celestial Realm, or rather, a profession transcending all professions: a dancing director!

Two hours later, the thirty-six musicians headed home to prepare their training materials and calm their churning emotions.

Meanwhile, Yue Xiaotian brought Ziwei and Liu Qingxin back to Feitian Hotel. When his polite invitation for Qingxin to come up was declined, he did not press further.

After all, although it was a luxurious hotel suite with plenty of rooms, for Yue Xiaotian, it was as private as his own home.

Only Ziwei, Su芸, Sun Yuzhen, Chen Fang, and the eighty-five Star Gods of the future truly possessed the qualifications to live alongside him.

People like Mengqiu earlier, or Xiaolan and the other musicians, were not eligible.

Therefore, Yue Xiaotian held even greater appreciation for the perceptive Liu Qingxin, deciding to give her a helping hand in the upper circles.

Having made up his mind, Yue Xiaotian drove extremely slowly when escorting Liu Qingxin home. He was teaching her how to slap her superiors in the face tomorrow morning, metaphorically speaking, crisp and clear.

By the time he returned to the hotel, it was already past midnight.

Upon entering, seeing a cup of warm tea waiting on the table, he expressed profound satisfaction. "Weiwei, you must be happy now."

Ziwei nodded obediently. She felt a heartfelt joy regarding everything Yue Xiaotian had done.

Seeing that Ziwei had fully recovered from tonight's slip-up and her lingering resentment over his refusal to help Xiaolan and the others a few days ago, Yue Xiaotian was genuinely delighted.

Promptly, he said, "Go to sleep. We're going to be busy soon."

As Ziwei walked toward the bathroom, she asked, "Should Weiwei go first?"

Twitching his eyelids, Yue Xiaotian chuckled wickedly, "Bathing together with your director is much better, you know."

"Shameless!"

"Haha."

Watching Ziwei's retreating figure, Yue Xiaotian picked up his warm tea and walked toward the study. "Go straight to sleep once you're done washing up."

Ziwei's voice drifted out from the bathroom, "Aren't you going to sleep?"

"I still need to design appropriate training plans for Xiaolan and the others. However, if you want to sleep with me, I can put work aside. After all, our Weiwei's sleeping face is extremely adorable."

"Shameless! Director, if you tease Weiwei again, I'm going to be mad."

"Just teasing. Alright, I'm going to work."

"Mm."