Chapter 185
Hua Wuyou had not slept at all during the night. Before five o'clock in the morning, he drove to the Dance Academy.
First, he went to the hotel where Han Yanzhao was staying and woke him up directly, angering Han Yanzhao to the point of wanting to kill!
"Hua Wuyou! I swear I'm going to beat you up!" Han Yanzhao opened the door, looking like he was about to devour someone.
"When does your next round of auditions start?" Hua Wuyou asked.
"Not until nine o'clock! Nine o'clock! It's only five o'clock now! Why don't you just go to heaven?"
Hua Wuyou walked in and sat directly on the sofa. "So late? No wonder your work efficiency is so low."
"..." Han Yanzhao closed the door. "Ancestor, what did you come so early for?"
"What tune did Xia Miaomiao play during her audition yesterday?" Hua Wuyou asked.
Han Yanzhao was stunned for a moment, not expecting it to be about this person named Xia Miaomiao again.
He immediately sat down beside Hua Wuyou, his gossipy heart having chased away any sleepiness. He smiled, "Old Hua, you seem a bit unusual. Why are you suddenly so invested in this person?"
Hua Wuyou smiled at him. "Didn't you say she plays the Jade Flute well? I just want to see how good she really is."
"Oh, the tune she played yesterday was the one you used to play in the training room. I found it quite strange. When I asked you about it back then, you said it was your own creation. I didn't expect her to be able to play it, so I gave you a call."
Upon hearing this, Hua Wuyou couldn't help but be stunned, with some memories from the Palace of No Worries surging up.
Xia Miaomiao clearly still remembered him, so why did she only now play the Jade Flute?
"Hey, what are you spacing out for? Are you and this Xia Miaomiao acquainted?" Han Yanzhao asked.
Hua Wuyou looked at him. "Yeah, we know each other."
Han Yanzhao was surprised, opening his mouth wide. "Really? Then what's your relationship? You even taught her that tune? Back then when I asked you to teach me, you flatly refused!"
Hua Wuyou smiled, standing up. "Of course, it's... an unusual relationship. You can go back to sleep. I'll go take a look around the academy first."
Hua Wuyou said this and left.
"..." Han Yanzhao was so angry he wanted to hit someone. His sleepiness was gone, so how could he sleep?
However... Hua Wuyou and that Xia Miaomiao definitely had some gossip!
He immediately took out his phone and sent a message to Wang Zhiqing.
...
Hua Wuyou arrived at the academy, but he didn't know where Xia Miaomiao lived. His Jade Pipes could only sense the Jade Flute was in this Dance Academy, but not its exact location.
If Xia Miaomiao played the Jade Flute a few more times, perhaps he would be able to sense it.
It was still early, and there were almost no people on campus. But occasionally, someone would see Hua Wuyou and be very surprised, immediately taking out their phone to snap a photo of him and posting it to the group.
"Ahhhh, I saw Old Hua at school! He must be here for the audition! Classmates, let's go!"
Within the morning, the news of Hua Wuyou coming to the Dance Academy had spread throughout the entire school.
Xia Miaomiao naturally saw it too, a post sent to her by Chen Yi.
"Miaomiao, wasn't this the Old Hua you were asking about before? He really came! Look at this photo a passerby took, he's so handsome! Ah, I really love his eyes, they're too bewitching!" Chen Yi was totally fangirling. Xia Miaomiao looked at the photo in the post, her heart feeling anxious. Hua Wuyou had come to the academy. Was it because she played the Jade Flute last night?
Would she encounter him during today's second round of auditions?
Throughout the morning, Xia Miaomiao's heart was tense. Her number was later in the order, so she estimated she wouldn't audition until the afternoon.
At noon, to prevent crowds from gathering, the three of them didn't go out for lunch. An assistant brought them boxed meals instead.
"Don't say it, but the food from the Dance Academy's cafeteria actually tastes pretty good. It's better than what we used to eat during training. This fish is quite well done," Han Yanzhao said as he ate.
"Old Hua, I remember you didn't seem to like fish, did you?" Wang Zhiqing said from the side.
"That's right, give it to me then!" Han Yanzhao immediately transferred the fish from Hua Wuyou's bowl to his own.
Hua Wuyou looked at the fish in his bowl, lost in thought.
It wasn't that he disliked eating fish. On the contrary, he quite enjoyed eating fish.
It was just that the fish made outside could never compare to the deliciousness of Little Bunny's cooking, so he didn't like eating it.
The phone suddenly rang, interrupting Hua Wuyou's thoughts. Hua Wuyou answered the call reflexively, and an outraged shout came from the other end!
"Old Hua, you're really something! You're playing hide and seek with me, aren't you? From last night until today, how many calls have I made to you?" Wan Xiang was practically going crazy.
Hua Wuyou paused, looking at his phone. Since last night, his mind had been completely on Xia Miaomiao, and he hadn't noticed how many calls Wan Xiang had made to him.
"Sorry about that, Old Wan. I'm at the Dance Academy with Han Yanzhao and the others for the audition."
"Didn't you say you weren't going? Forget it, I can't be bothered to deal with you anymore. I just wanted to let you know that your rumor with Wang Zhiqing has spread all over Weibo!"
"What?" Hua Wuyou frowned slightly, looking towards Wang Zhiqing. He had been busy filming commercials abroad and hadn't paid much attention to online news.
"I asked the company yesterday. Apparently, it was the company's idea to dispel the rumor that you're gay! Heh..." Wan Xiang laughed. "Now, me and Han Yanzhao can finally clear our names!"
Hua Wuyou hung up and looked at Wang Zhiqing, who was eating. "Did you know about this rumor between us?"
"Yeah, I knew!" Wang Zhiqing responded with a smile. "I don't mind helping you clear your name!"
"Old Hua, there are quite a few rumors online that you're gay and had flings with your manager Old Wan and even me. This isn't good for our image and reputation. I think the company didn't do anything wrong. It's just a rumor, not reality, right? Zhiqing." Han Yanzhao chimed in supportively.
Wang Zhiqing elegantly put down her chopsticks and smiled teasingly, "It's not my fault, you know. Do you know how badly I was criticized for this rumor with you? People were saying I'm not good enough for you! But since the company made people do it, I can't really come out and clarify it. If you can't accept it, you can go clarify it on Weibo yourself!"
Hua Wuyou didn't say anything more. He walked to the window and looked down. Many people had already gathered below.
In the vast crowd, Hua Wuyou's gaze locked onto a girl with buns under the shade of a tree.
He took out his phone, zoomed in the camera several times, and took a photo of that girl.
Han Yanzhao turned and glanced at Hua Wuyou, leaning towards Wang Zhiqing and saying, "Old Hua definitely has something going on! He and that Xia Miaomiao from yesterday must have some secret!"
Wang Zhiqing smiled. "Whether they have a secret or not, we'll find out soon enough."
Hua Wuyou suddenly came over and took away their boxed meals. "Don't eat anymore, the auditions can start now."
"..."
What kind of person was he? Han Yanzhao hadn't finished eating yet!
Well, it didn't matter. For the sake of gossip, he could eat a little less!
The afternoon auditions began. It wasn't until around three o'clock that it was finally Xia Miaomiao's turn.
Hua Wuyou immediately straightened his body, feeling inexplicably nervous.
Xia Miaomiao entered and, upon seeing the three of them, her gaze immediately fell on Hua Wuyou.
Hua Wuyou also looked at her unabashedly, their eyes meeting in a gaze that seemed to last an eternity.
Those familiar azure pupils opened up Xia Miaomiao's memories in an instant.
She stood frozen on the stage, not saying a word for a long while.
Hua Wuyou's hand under the table tightly clenched, but his expression remained exceptionally calm, and he didn't speak either.
The two people beside him seemed to have noticed something. Han Yanzhao deliberately coughed. "Ahem... Xia Miaomiao, you can start now."
Xia Miaomiao was awakened with a start, immediately regaining her composure and averting her gaze.
The performance began, and this time Xia Miaomiao performed a dance.
Her graceful and captivating movements, her perfect form, caused Hua Wuyou's gaze to darken slightly.
The memory of Xia Miaomiao's drunken state that night came flooding back to Hua Wuyou, his heart skipping a beat as her blushing, shy, and adorable face filled his mind and heart.
As the dance ended, Xia Miaomiao politely bowed.
"You danced very well, your voice and dance are both truly remarkable, you'll surely have an illustrious future ahead," Wang Zhiqing praised.
"Thank you, Teacher Wang Zhiqing," Xia Miaomiao courteously replied.
"Student Xia Miaomiao, you performed perfectly!" Han Yanzhao deliberately nudged Hua Wuyou, "Old Hua, what do you think? Say something too, don't just stare without saying a word. Were you captivated by this student's dance?"
Upon hearing Han Yanzhao's words, Xia Miaomiao couldn't help but blush, instinctively glancing towards Hua Wuyou.
Hua Wuyou looked at her and finally spoke, "I heard you played an impressive tune yesterday, where did you learn it?"
"..."
Xia Miaomiao was dumbfounded, not expecting him to ask this question.
"It was... a friend who taught me..." Xia Miaomiao forced out.
"Oh? A friend?" Hua Wuyou chuckled, "What friend?"
Xia Miaomiao bit her lip, unsure of how to respond, remaining silent for a long while.
Seeing Xia Miaomiao's reaction, Wang Zhiqing realized she might not want to answer this question and stepped in, "Old Hua, that's a rather personal question, don't you think? The young lady might not want to answer personal queries."
"Alright, let me rephrase. When did you learn this tune?"
"Two months ago..." Xia Miaomiao truthfully replied.
Hua Wuyou paused, two months ago?
So they had only returned from their time travel two months ago?
He seemed to understand something, suddenly feeling relieved, and he chuckled, "Let me ask you one more question, do you have a boyfriend now?"
Wang Zhiqing and Han Yanzhao: "..."