"…But just because you apologized, don't think I'm going to go easy on you." Han Luo's eyes glittered.
"Likewise." Jared nodded. His stiff shoulders relaxed. "You are a good dancing partner."
"You too." Han Luo took her hand from his and turned to leave.
"Can I… be your dancing partner in the future?" Jared asked from behind.
"I will think about it after the competition." Han Luo waved her hand without looking back.
They went to their rooms, freshened up, and came out to watch other performances. Just then, they heard a voice coming from a room. Han Luo and Jared exchanged glances before they tip toed to the corridor and tried to listen to what was going on inside. When they heard a muffled voice, they quickly opened the door and went inside.
Right before their eyes, they saw a female dancer being ganged up by four other female dancers. They had yet to perform since it was lunchtime.
"What are you doing?" Han Luo asked.
The bullies were startled at first but soon got back to their senses. They looked at Han Luo and Jared before declaring, "This isn't something you should concern yourself with. As long as you guys don't bother us, we will let you go."
Han Luo spoke in a serious tone, "The competition is a fair fight. You cannot bully others to gain your position. When you do that, you become unworthy of it." She walked past them and sat beside the girl who was crying and shaking. She gently touched her and asked, "Are you injured anywhere?"
Before the girl could answer, the girl – who was the team leader – proclaimed, "Do we look like some gangsters to you? We would never hurt her."
Han Luo hugged the girl's shoulder and stood up. She looked at the team leader of the bullies and firmly said, "If you use your mouth to produce toxic words that lead people's hearts to a suicidal state, your mouth is nothing more than a weapon and you are nothing more than a killer. Next time, be careful about what you say and what you comment about others." The girl was beautiful, with blonde hair and green eyes – but her eyes were vicious.
She took the girl away and Jared followed after them. It was a girls' fight, so he didn't want to join in.
After they left, the girls gathered together and one of them asked, "Who's that b*tch?"
"Isn't she Luo Han from the UK?"
"Is she now? How's her performance?"
"It was better than the b*tch we took care of."
"Is that so?" The leader of the bullies narrowed her eyes.
Meanwhile, Han Luo took the girl to her room. She let her sit on the bed and gave her a glass of water. The girl was still trembling. She drank the glass of water and uttered, "Thank you so much for helping me!"
Jared sat on the chair and stayed silent. Han Luo sat beside her and said, "That's what I should do. Why did they gang up against you?"
The girl answered, "It's because I'm in a higher rank. They came in the top fifty because they bullied other good dancers and made sure they danced poorly. And now, it's my turn. You are Luo Han from the UK, aren't you? Since you helped me, they will make you their target too."
Han Luo replied, "Even if I didn't help you, they would still target Jared and I since we're at the top. Who is your dancing partner?"
"She is one of those girls. She couldn't do anything because we teamed up together. The fourth round would only be singles since only twenty dancers will be chosen. Ten dancers will be chosen for the quarter final and five dancers for the semifinal. They will break you little by little. Do you think you can win this?" The girl didn't seem like she had any hope for her future.
Han Luo became a little mad. "You have spent your parents' money to participate in this competition. They have high hopes for you. Everyone who cares for you wants you to be the winner. And, here you are saying that you've given up because some piece of filth tells you that you are nothing. How sad! If that's what your resolve is, you think you can ever stand up on your own? You have parents, you have food to eat, you have beautiful clothes, you have the love of your friends and relatives, you have the blessing of your parents, you are not blind, you are not deaf, you are not mute, you can walk, you can see. Many of us aren't lucky enough to have all of that! What do you lack to make you think you cannot do it? Huh?!"
Out of anger, Han Luo grabbed her shoulders and shook her body. The girl stopped crying and looked at her speechlessly.
Jared touched Han Luo's right shoulder. "All right, that's enough. You are scaring her."
Han Luo let her go and stood up. She went into a narrow space and tried to cool her head. The other two stayed silent. She stopped and declared, "You know what? I'm scared of millions and millions of people watching me. After the first round, I found out that this competition is being broadcasted all around the world. When I found that out, I was so scared that I couldn't even move. Even still, I didn't run away. I didn't give up. At first, I only wanted to defeat Jared to show him that he isn't the best dancer in our school. But my goal changed after I danced in the second round. Now, I want to win the finale. What bullies? Even their parents can't stop me from getting what I want!
"I know you cannot give them your food to eat nor clothes to wear, but you can at least give them your success. If you can do that, all their hard work will have some worth.. That's why you have to value their hard work and smiles before those who don't want you and your family to have a good life. Do you get it now?"