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Qian Qian increasingly felt that Wen Xin did not consider her a friend, and her expression darkened. She no longer had the mood to make things difficult for Bai Tang, but instead kept glaring at the smiling Bride, thinking that she would clarify things with Wen Xin as soon as she got the chance, whether it meant helping her find a new job or ending their friendship.
Without Qian Qian's interference, Bai Tang's relationships with others, though not particularly close, were amicable. They reminisced about various amusing incidents from middle school, and the atmosphere at the two tables was quite cheerful.
After chatting for a while, the wedding march began to play, and the bride and groom walked into the banquet hall together. Next came a series of wedding rituals. Bai Tang found the host's exaggerated voice and Wen Xin and Shaoliang's lovey-dovey display of affection boring; she thought the dishes on the table were far more interesting!
"The bouquet toss is happening! Come on, let's go grab it!" Cao Xue excitedly grabbed Bai Tang's arm and dragged her away from the table.
Just as Bai Tang picked up a shrimp ball, it fell onto the table. She watched in wide-eyed surprise as the shrimp ball rolled around on the table before falling off. Putting down her chopsticks, Bai Tang pulled her hand out of Cao Xue's grasp. "I'm not going. You go ahead!"
"Why not?" Cao Xue asked in surprise.
"I don't have a boyfriend; there's no point in catching the bouquet."
"You might catch it and find a boyfriend right away! The bouquet can bring you good luck."
Bai Tang shook her head firmly, refusing to go. Cao Xue had no choice but to let it go. Seeing that the Bride had already turned around to throw the bouquet, she rushed to the center of the banquet hall to compete for a good position with other girls. The girls' competitive spirit left the men astonished, but in the end, Cao Xue's determination proved stronger as she managed to grab the bouquet and proudly brought it back to show Bai Tang.
"Your boyfriend will probably propose to you right away when he sees this bouquet!" Bai Tang said with a smile. During their conversation, she knew that Cao Xue's boyfriend was her college classmate; they had been together for two years and were just one step away from getting their marriage certificate. Cao Xue returned from Magic City to Provincial Capital not so much because she wanted to go back home but because her boyfriend was transferred there for work. She specifically applied to follow him.
"Hehe!" Cao Xue beamed with happiness. "I originally planned to return to Provincial Capital tomorrow, but now that I've caught this bouquet, I've decided to go back tonight so he can share in this good fortune."
"Don't forget to invite me when you get married," Bai Tang said happily for Cao Xue.
"I won't invite you," Cao Xue replied with a change in tone. "You're going to be my bridesmaid, not just a guest!"
"Alright, I'll be waiting to be your bridesmaid!"
"My love, why do you stay out all night? Don't say it's because of socializing and getting drunk again. You don't answer my calls or reply to my messages. It's not that I want to make things difficult for you... Husband, do you know I'm doing all this for someone? My care and concern for you are more than just comfort; I don't ask for you to always be by my side. Understanding each other and being healthy is more valuable than anything else. Wife, I know you're doing this for someone too; even though I haven't given you the comfort you want, I will strive to follow you in our future days together. As long as you're happy and content, I'll give you everything..."
The newcomers on stage sang a love song. Wen Xin and Shaoliang both had good voices, and their performance of "The Wife Sings, The Husband Follows" was very heartfelt, earning applause and praise from the guests. Wen Xin smiled proudly, her gaze landing on Bai Tang, a glint of calculation flashing in her eyes as she whispered something to the host.
The host laughed heartily, "The newcomers have performed for us; shouldn't we return the favor?"
"Yes!" Many people eager to join in agreed.
"How about this: we'll play a game of passing the flower while the music plays. When the music stops, whoever has the flower comes up to perform a program. How does that sound?" The host asked with the microphone in hand.
"Great!" The young people responded loudly, while the older guests expressed their unwillingness to participate. Excluding the five tables of elders and older guests, the remaining ten tables of young people joined in regardless of their willingness. The first to take the stage was Shaoliang's cousin, an eighteen-year-old girl who loved to show off. She sang an upbeat song; although she missed two notes, her energetic jumping and bouncing earned her much praise.
Wen Xin signaled to the host, and soon the flower landed in Bai Tang's hands.
"Haha, another beauty!" The host laughed. "This beautiful lady should hurry up on stage; it's your turn to perform."
Bai Tang's face darkened slightly. It was clear that Wen Xin had colluded with the host to set her up, wanting to see her make a fool of herself. Bai Tang had no talents; as her high school classmate, Wen Xin knew this very well. While other students spent time learning piano, calligraphy, or dancing, Bai Tang was busy reading comic books. Aside from her good academic performance, she had no other strengths. Even when it came to singing, although her voice was decent, she often sang off-key due to her lower register. She had never participated in any class performances except for group singing.
"How about reciting a poem?" Cao Xue quietly suggested in Bai Tang's ear.
"No need; I have a plan," Bai Tang replied calmly, not wanting Wen Xin to laugh at her. She stood up confidently and walked onto the stage.
The host asked for Bai Tang's name and her relationship with the newcomers before smilingly asking, "What will our beautiful Bai perform for us?"
Bai Tang said, "Can I have a stick? I want to perform a sword dance."
Although Bai Tang had no talents, she did have a system. The system interface had various movements and expressions; once selected, her body would be controlled by the system to perform those predetermined actions automatically. The sword dance was one of those sets of movements.
"A stick?" The host was taken aback and awkwardly replied, "There are no sticks in the hotel."
"That's troublesome." Bai Tang's gaze swept over to the cart holding the Wedding Cake, where a long knife measuring about one foot and two inches lay.
"I'll just use the cake-cutting knife! But the effect won't be great, so everyone bear with it!"
Bai Tang picked up the long knife and pressed the button for Sword Dance, and her limbs and body immediately began to move uncontrollably in a dance.
Thrusts, jabs, downward slashes, upward cuts, spinning strikes, horizontal sweeps, left arcs, right arcs... At first, everyone could still see Bai Tang's movements clearly, but soon all they could see were glimmers of silver filling the stage, forcing the host to retreat offstage. The silver sparkled like falling snow, beautiful yet carrying a hint of coldness, making it clear that this was not just a dance but also a display of martial prowess.
"In ancient times there was a beauty from the Gongsun clan, her sword dance moved the four corners. The spectators felt as dejected as the mountains' colors dimmed, the earth bowed low for a long time. Fire blazed like Yi shooting down nine suns, graceful as dragons soaring among the emperors. She came like thunder to quell anger, and ceased like rivers and seas gathering their clear light..."
Cao Xue watched with shining eyes, murmuring Du Fu's "Observe the Dance of the Sword by Gongsun's Disciple," feeling that Gongsun Dajiang's sword dance must have been like Bai Tang's.
Others watched in rapt attention, continuously exclaiming in awe; what a masterful performance—better than any martial arts film on television.
In contrast to everyone else, Wen Xin nearly ground her teeth in frustration. She intended for Bai Tang to make a fool of herself, not to steal the spotlight. How infuriating that Bai Tang could perform so well! Noticing that Shaoliang beside her was also mesmerized, Wen Xin snorted coldly and elbowed him. Shaoliang let out a muffled sound and looked innocently at the Bride.
Wen Xin shot him a glare: "What? Are you smitten? If you like her, we’ll get divorced immediately!"
Shaoliang chuckled awkwardly and said, "How could that be? What kind of taste do I have to fall for Bai Tang? I only have eyes for you, such a great beauty. You're all I see in my heart!"
Though he said this out loud, Shaoliang secretly regretted not noticing before how charming Bai Tang could be. Bai Tang had once liked him; if he flirted with her behind Wen Xin's back, would she fall for him? After all, he had money—keeping three or four wouldn't be an issue. Haha, this was typical of someone who didn't know their own worth. Fortunately, Bai Tang was unaware of Shaoliang's thoughts; otherwise—Shaoliang would have to fend for himself.
"You've got some sense!" Wen Xin was satisfied but still looked at the stage with jealousy and malice.
Bai Tang's body was accepted by the system; however, her senses and Divine Sense remained her own. She easily detected Wen Xin's malice and coldly snorted, plotting in her heart. She was not someone who would let others bully her without retaliation; if someone wronged her by even a little bit, she would repay them tenfold.
As the Sword Dance neared its end, after completing the final move, Bai Tang regained control of her body. Suddenly slicing through with the knife in hand, Wen Xin felt a wave of murderous intent rushing toward her that startled her into a scream.
"Ah—"
"A Xin, what's wrong with you?" Shaoliang asked in confusion as he supported Wen Xin's shoulder, feeling a hint of dissatisfaction rise within him. How could Wen Xin suddenly scream and embarrass herself in front of all the guests?
"She stabbed me with a knife!" Wen Xin angrily pointed at the stage.
"What are you talking about? Bai Tang finished her performance a long time ago; how could she stab you?" Shaoliang whispered sharply. Although Wen Xin didn't like Bai Tang, she shouldn't accuse her in front of everyone.
Wen Xin looked up at the stage and saw that Bai Tang had already finished her movements, calmly signaling for the host to come up, returning the cake knife to him, and then walking off the stage under the admiring gaze of the host.
Could it have been just her illusion? Wen Xin felt puzzled.
After the initial shock, everyone immediately erupted into thunderous applause. Many young people rushed to Bai Tang's table, expressing their admiration, while some even indicated their desire to learn from her. Bai Tang smiled and politely declined but couldn't stop the enthusiasm of the young people. Seeing that the dishes on the table were nearly finished, Bai Tang decided to leave the banquet hall early. Cao Xue followed her out.
"I didn't expect you had such skills!" Cao Xue looked at Bai Tang with admiration. "Why haven't I seen you show this before? When did you learn it?"
"Long ago. I practice martial arts to strengthen my body, not for performance. If it weren't for Wen Xin causing trouble today, I wouldn't have revealed it."
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