The Substitute Bride: Indulged by the Obsessive CEO

Chapter 314: If It’s Meant to Be, You’ll Be Family. Otherwise, Walk Away.

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Fu Jin rubbed his forehead, perplexed over Ye Lan’s bullheadedness.

He let out a soft sigh and stood up. He was taller than her, so he appeared fiercer when he said, “The dance studio is a place of work, Ye Lan. My personal feelings have no place there. Who I choose is my private matter and none of your business.”

Ye Lan’s voice quavered as she reiterated, “I thought that if I became better, you’d see me.”

“Is it because I’m not beautiful enough, not gentle enough, not good at dressing up, or because I don’t come from a powerful or rich family?”

Ye Lan wasn’t stupid. She knew very well that Fu Jin wasn’t a man who needed a woman to get to the top.

But she wanted to find an excuse to confirm that she wasn’t all that bad, and he didn’t choose her because of her external qualities.

Fu Jin looked at her for a few seconds before he slowly sat down and looked at the stage with an indifferent expression.

“Your admiration for me is like your hatred. They do not affect me in the slightest. Ye Lan, as a loser, you should reflect on your shortcomings.” The word “loser” shattered Ye Lan’s heart.

She couldn’t hold it in anymore and lashed out like a trapped animal that couldn’t find relief, “Fu Jin, I hate you so much!”

Her unrequited love had turned sour.

If II

Tang Beibei and Ruan Qi moved aside in shock when they saw Ye Lan run off in tears.

Tang Beibei whispered to Ruan Qi, “So, Ye Lan likes Fu Jin.”

Ruan Qi looked at her strangely. That was public knowledge at the dance studio, but Tang Beibei still didn’t see it.

Sigh, no wonder Fu Jin and Lu Fan both failed to pursue her.

Her emotional awareness was out of this world!

“When Ye Lan kept asking Fu Jin why it wasn’t her, what did she mean? Does Fu Jin have a girlfriend now?”

Ruan Qi patted her heart and let out a dramatic sigh. “Fu Jin and Fang Han have announced their relationship. You don’t know?”

“Huh, when did it happen? I have no idea.”

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Ruan Qi rolled her eyes. In her nerdy friend’s brain, there were only reading, dancing, and her husband. All other gossip would fall by the wayside.

“Fang Han and Fu Jin are quite compatible.”

“Compatible?”

Fu Jin suddenly turned to look at Tang Beibei. “You mean you think that we have a chance?”

Tang Beibei was startled by his sudden questions and nodded in a daze.

“Fang Han looks at you with restrained infatuation. There’s a deep sense of longing and a hint of reliance.”

Fu Jin looked at her curiously. “How can you tell?”

This level of perception was beyond Tang Beibei given her low EQ.

Tang Beibei was confused. “Can’t you tell? I thought you knew.”

Fu Jin thought about how Fang Han would stick to him whenever she saw him.

She was always acting cute in front of him, completely unlike her domineering persona when she was in her usual circle. The corners of his mouth curled into a smile.

Everyone was cute in their own way.

Tang Beibei was cute because of her naivety.

Fang Han was cute too. She was cute because of her contrasting personas.

She was a domineering CEO and a formidable woman in front of everyone. But in front of him, she behaved like a cute little princess.

“I can’t tell, but I would like to find out.”

The elimination round continued for a few hours. Out of the fifteen trainees from Fu Jin’s dance troupe, except for Ye Lan who had been eliminated and Tang Beibei who hadn’t performed, the other thirteen trainees all made it to the next round.

Everyone gathered around Tang Beibei and said that they wanted to cheer for her, but Tang Beibei wore her earphones and found a corner to practice over and over again.

She didn t mind that many people were watching.

She only took out her earphones when she heard the emcee announce her name. When she saw Ruan Qi waving at her, she smiled and waved back.

She readied herself backstage, tidied up her costume and took a few deep breaths.

When the entrance music started, she walked onto the stage like a nimble bird leaped into the air after two steps and did a somersault in the air before she landed steadily next to the emcee.

The emcee was stunned. He immediately clapped his hands, making pounding sounds on his handheld microphone.

This contestant is truly special. She cherishes every second onstage and wouldn’t even give the entrance music a miss.”

Tang Beibei nodded with a smile. “Hello, everyone. I’m contestant Number 90 Tang Beibei.”

She winked at Ruan Qi and Fu Jin in the audience area.

Fu Jin had told her that the elimination show would be broadcasted on television. If she wanted people to remember her, she had to make a good first impression.

Therefore, she must cherish every second onstage.

Tang Beibei, what dance will you be performing today?”

“It’s a modern dance. ‘Your Answer’.”

Her succinct answer had stolen the emcee’s lines.

The emcee felt a little helpless too. Of course, he knew the title of her dance. He asked her the question to get her some airtime so she could say something to make the audience remember her.

He prompted her. “What do you want to express with your dance? Is it love, kinship, or friendship?”

“It’s all the above. It’s about our attitude towards people and things.”

She remembered Ye Lan’s indignant tone and said seriously, “We are all ordinary people, but we are unwilling to accept mediocrity. Yearning, disappointment, and not giving up even if we fail.”

“If you can’t get hold of love, then get hold of yourself. If you can’t achieve friendship, then achieve something for yourself. As for kinship, we can’t force it. If it’s meant to be, you’ll be family. Otherwise, walk away.”

The emcee was very touched by what she said and looked forward to her dance.

He gave the stage to Tang Beibei.

The lights dimmed and Tang Beibei’s soundtrack started.

The music was very soft in the beginning. There were sounds of a baby crying,

followed by laughter, time passing and growing up.

Onstage, Tang Beibei went from being an ignorant baby to a grown-up who feel happiness and sadness. Only then did the music become louder.

“Perhaps the world is just like this, and I’m still on my journey with no one to talk to. Perhaps I can only remain silent as tears well up in my eyes, but I’m will not give up… The light of dawn will transcend the darkness and take away my fears. I will find my answer. Even if I have to go against the light and dispel the darkness…”

At first, it was just Tang Beibei onstage but as she performed, many people in

the audience also felt her desire to grow up and become a better version of herself.

Modern dance didn’t rigidly adhere to any style, but it could express our inner worlds more deeply.

Tang Beibei’s forte was classical dance, but she weaved in different dance styles in her performance. She oozed feminine charm, but she was powerful.

When the music stopped, the dancer at the center of the stage stood on one foot like a peacock hoping to take flight but couldn’t because it wasn’t capable enough. But it didn’t give up and kept trying as it looked forward to the day when it would take flight.

Her answer was that she would never compromise her youth. She would always

fly upwards toward that light!

Applause rang out from below the stage. The judges looked at her in surprise

again and applauded her sincerely.

Had she only trained formally for half a year?

But her foundation didn’t look weaker than dancers who had trained for more than a decade!

The dance teacher judge, Mu Zhi, asked skeptically, “Tang Beibei, did you make up this dance too?”