Chapter 78: In Short, Just Surround Him for Me!
"Ah, Director Xu, you’re being too kind. I’m already deeply grateful that you thought of me this time—just pay whatever you see fit for the appearance fee."
"NNQT is a well-trained boy group with a solid dance background, and I’m also quite familiar with President Liu from the sponsoring company."
"We’re ready to sign the contract anytime—don’t worry, these guys are professionals when it comes to singing and dancing. Yes, yes, thank you so much."
Zhang Hua’an hung up the phone.
A flash of excitement crossed his eyes.
Perhaps this is what people mean when they say fate never closes all doors.
He had finally found a chance to beat him, just once.
A subtle smile curled at the corner of Zhang Hua’an’s mouth.
That call just now was from the producer of the Oil Depot variety show.
They wanted members of NNQT to appear on their show.
If this had been any other time, Zhang Hua’an would have put on airs, said he’d need to consider it, and tried to negotiate for a higher price.
But this time was different.
No matter how little they offered, he had to send his group.
Because this was a show sponsored by Liu Qiangxi’s brand—the variety show “Now That’s Street Dance.”
If he couldn’t win in the field of television dramas,
Then he’d win in another arena!
As an old rival, Zhang Hua’an knew a fair bit about Su Mu’s abilities.
He knew that Su Mu was somewhat lacking in singing and dancing.
But the guys he managed had all survived grueling trainee selections.
When it came to street dance, their talent was undeniable.
Wasn’t this a sure win?
The more Zhang Hua’an thought about it, the more exhilarated he became.
He could already imagine how, after the show aired, fans would tear into Su Mu’s poor performance online.
And the look of defeat on Qian Jida’s face after being beaten by him.
“This time, I have to win!”
Zhang Hua’an made up his mind.
He turned, ready to share this exciting news with the members of NNQT.
But in the next second,
He heard four voices behind him:
"Wow, Fan Xian is really that handsome? Can he really beat the archer?"
"Wu Zhu helped him. Wu Zhu is actually the boss of this series!"
"No, no, Emperor Qing is the real deal! Didn’t you see the behind-the-scenes clips? He’s a master!"
"I disagree, I suspect Chen Pingping is the strongest. Maybe he’s not really lame, he’s just pretending. Hey! What was that for~!"
The four of them were arguing about who was the strongest character in Su Mu’s drama.
They started playfully hitting each other’s chests with their fists.
The scene was almost beautiful.
Zhang Hua’an: “…”
He was seized by the sudden urge to die—immediately, on the spot.
But if it weren’t illegal to kill a celebrity,
Zhang Hua’an would have liked to strangle all four of them first, and only then himself.
Damn it, here he was groveling for work,
And yet they were engrossed in watching the rival’s drama!
On a battlefield, this would be outright defection!
Just a moment ago, he’d been brimming with fighting spirit.
Now, his own people had doused him with a bucket of cold water.
Zhang Hua’an suddenly lost some confidence.
Could these four really beat his rival?
“Zhao Feng, Sun Han, Li Hang, Zhou Yang! All four of you, get over here!”
“!!!”
“!!!”
“???”
“???”
Zhang Hua’an roared, “Look at yourselves! Where’s your shame? Where’s your pride? You’re getting dragged through the mud and you still have the nerve to watch TV? I just landed us a spot on ‘Now That’s Street Dance.’ After this, you’re all going straight to the studio to practice!”
“Now That’s Street Dance?”
“Boss Zhang, is that the show Su Mu is on?”
“We’ll be on the same program as him—talk about trending!”
“Hey, maybe we can ask him on set who the strongest is in the drama?”
“Shut up!” Zhang Hua’an felt on the verge of a breakdown, swallowing back his urge to cough up blood. “Listen up! It’s fine if you can’t act, but dancing—that’s your bread and butter. Don’t you dare mess this up. Anyway, this time I want you to surround Su Mu and outshine him!”
…
…
Dance studio.
Right now, Su Mu was dancing skillfully to the rhythm of the music.
After a period of relentless practice and steadily increasing his basic attributes,
He now looked, to the untrained eye, like someone who’d already been dancing for years.
At the very least, the quality of his popping was on par with, if not already surpassing, Vandy.
His body control and the transition of rolling spins had also developed into a smooth and practiced routine.
Beside him, Vandy watched in a daze, questioning his entire worldview.
Could he really be a natural talent?
But it hadn’t even been that long—only a month, at most.
Could his popping vibrations and the sense of isolation in his stops really have reached this level so quickly?
Vandy found it hard to believe.
He knew that even mastering the most basic popping muscle contractions required time and immense practice—improving quickly was virtually impossible.
The top popping dancers all practiced at least one or two hours every day for years just to maintain their current level.
But aside from being unable to fully master and segment the music,
Su Mu already nailed most of the other elements, even incorporating some advanced moves.
After a long while,
Vandy couldn’t help but ask, “Su Mu, are you sure you haven’t done this before?”
Su Mu pondered for a moment, then offered a sincere smile. “Sorry, Teacher Vandy. I was worried you wouldn’t teach me thoroughly, so I kept it to myself—actually, I already knew a little.”
[Expression Control +1]
[Skill Point +0.01]
Vandy suddenly understood: “Ah, that explains how you improved so quickly. I can’t believe you fooled me—you’re quite the actor.”
Su Mu replied, “Sorry, Teacher. I just wanted you to teach me systematically.”
Seeing Su Mu’s earnest explanation, Vandy felt no resentment whatsoever.
He waved it off.
“It’s fine, I’m just amazed at how fast you improved. To be honest, your fundamentals have already surpassed mine.”
“Teacher Vandy, you’re too kind. I still have a long way to go.”
“You’re going to join a street dance variety show this time, and the participants will all be professionals. In the professional world, it’s really about your battle skills.
So, the last thing I want to teach you isn’t about moves or style, but about musical segmentation.
You can watch some professional street dance competitions at home—at higher levels, the details matter more and more. You need to interpret the ebb and flow of the music and hit every explosive moment right on the musical effects.
A lot of street dance tracks are remixed by DJs; in a normal four-eight count, the last two beats often have sound effects for the dancer to improvise.
But in some battle tracks, the rhythm changes and becomes harder, testing your freestyle ability. It all depends on how agile your mind is—can you grasp the music in the moment and come up with the best moves…”
…
Su Mu spent the entire day absorbing Vandy’s lessons.
It was only late in the afternoon that their lesson ended.
But he didn’t head straight back to his place; instead, he went with Qian Jida to check out the new studio.
The location was quiet.
Over 300 square meters—not large, but enough for now.
The décor was decent, and the rent reasonable.
They could move in and start work right away.
Su Mu said, “Not bad, let’s take it.”