"Everyone hid this from me!" Han Luo proclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me before?"
"It's because we knew that you would be nervous. Look at yourself now – you are pale and can't even talk properly. How could we bear to tell you that?" Mo Yuan stroked her head gently. "Don't worry, everything will be fine."
"H-how will it be fine…" She could barely speak now. 'When I'm on stage, can I still dance?' She was skeptical.
"So, are you saying that if you knew beforehand, you would've quit? Do you want to run away now? Hmm, Ah Luo?" Mo Yuan touched her chin and made her look at him.
"…I…" Han Luo looked at his clear, deep, gentle eyes. For a moment, she was mesmerized.
She recalled her childhood when he used to play piano and she used to dance. They both started playing the piano and dancing almost at the same time. They worked hard to come at this stage. She recalled Han Sheng Ming cheering her up and encouraging her.
'How can I back down when big brother Yuan is working hard? I cannot disappoint mom, Noah, big brother Ming and big brother Yujin,' Han Luo thought deeply until she resolved her mind. 'To hell with the broadcast! Who cares about that? I'm doing it to defeat Jared. I cannot back down like a coward.'
She looked at Mo Yuan firmly and declared, "I won't back away even if millions of people watch me dancing. I want to go to the finale with you."
A smile crept on Mo Yuan's lips. "That's my girl." He knew she wouldn't run away; she was braver than she thought she was.
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The second round was held five days later. Only fifty participants were chosen. For the third round, they had to dance as a pair. Han Luo was partnered with Jared.
Jared looked at her scornfully. "Remember, you only came this far because of your luck. Don't drag me down with your lousy performance in the next round."
"The same goes for you." Han Luo also snapped at him.
Both of them glared at each other, making it impossible for others to approach them.
A choreographer was assigned to them and they practiced day and night without resting. The next round was a week later so they didn't have enough time; that's why they worked harder. Though Jared and Han Luo didn't like each other, when it came to dancing or coming up with a new move, they surprisingly got along well.
In the third round, Jared and Han Luo danced the tango. At first, their movements were slow and romantic as if they were in love. Slowly, the music changed and both of their moves became faster and aggressive. It was almost like they were trying to kill each other. The performance ended with Han Luo taking a dagger and piercing it through Jared's back. His body shook and blood was smeared all over his back.
"Ow!"
Everyone stood up in surprise. They held their breath.
Han Luo mercilessly let go of him. He fell onto the floor and didn't make a single movement. Even after the music ended, there was no sign of him getting up and the blood even started to leak onto the ground.
The audience was astonished and at the same time, their hearts were beating fast. They were expecting the worst.
"Someone call an ambulance!" one of the judges called out.
Some crew members from backstage came forward and tried to move him. Jared opened his eyes and stood up with a mischievous grin on his face.
The judges and the audience were stunned before the sound of applause overtook the silence.
The judges sat down and one of them said, "Hey, you two, don't give us a heart-attack like that! That acting was too realistic."
"Are you all right?" another judge asked worriedly.
Jared took the microphone and replied, "Yes, I'm fine, thank you."
A judge asked, "So, what was the plot? Explain it to us please."
"It's about a girl and a boy who fell in love with each other and got married. However, no one knew that both of them were actually trying to get revenge. The girl wanted to take revenge for the boy's father killing her parents to take her property and the boy wanted to take revenge because the girl pushed his mother from the stairs, causing her to die instantly. Both of them didn't think that they knew each other's crimes. Even still, the boy fell for her charm and because of his slight hesitation the girl took the chance and killed him." Jared described it beautifully.
"That's a wonderful plot!" The judges praised the idea.
They asked, "So, who came up with the plot?"
"Luo Han," Jared answered truthfully. "I'm not good at coming up with stories like that."
"That's impressive coming from a twelve year old girl."
"Thank you!" Han Luo blushed slightly.
"Not only the storyline, but the way you guys danced and acted – it was expressed so clearly that we could tell half of the story, but we couldn't guess why they hated each other. But at some point, we realized that that boy was falling for her. It was truly marvelous! You both deserve to be in the finale." The judges kept praising them.
"Thank you! Thank you!" Han Luo and Jared thanked them repeatedly.
After being praised multiple times, Han Luo and Jared left the venue.
"Good work," said Jared.
"You too," Han Luo replied. She gave him a polite smile and walked past him. She acted as if they were strangers.
Jared was hurt and quickly took her hand.
Han Luo looked back and asked, "Is there something you want?" She sounded distant.
Jared hesitated and declared, "Back then, I was wrong. I shouldn't have said that about your parents and Yujin. I know you are not that kind of girl and you work very hard. I'm sorry for hurting you with my harsh words."
Han Luo was stunned. She didn't think he would apologize to her. She smiled and uttered, "Apology accepted. What's done is done so don't worry about it anymore.. But just because you apologized, don't think I'm going to go easy on you."