Night fell, and a stage was erected in the military district square, preparing for the evening's performance.
Cheng You followed Song Qinglan, holding Zhen Zhen's hand, and they sat in the back row.
Although the stage was a bit far, the view was good.
The opening was, as usual, a chorus, with Ruan Jiqiu standing in the center leading the singing.
Cheng You, however, noticed the girl beside her, who was charming and pretty, not at all inferior to Ruan Jiqiu.
She quietly asked, "Auntie, who is that girl? I didn't see her at the last performance."
Song Qinglan craned her neck to look at the stage, "Her? Her name is Qiu Tingting. I heard she was just recruited. This girl, I hear, isn't very popular. She has seven older brothers who spoil her."
But being able to join the cultural troupe meant she had some talent.
In the subsequent stage play, Cheng You's gaze was involuntarily drawn to Qiu Tingting.
This girl seemed to possess a natural sparkle that captivated the audience, even dimming the lead role played by Ruan Jiqiu.
As a dance concluded, Cheng You clapped her hands with genuine enthusiasm.
Zhen Zhen exclaimed excitedly, "Sister, that Qiu Tingting is so beautiful!"
Cheng You smiled and said, "I think so too!"
Zhen Zhen was like a little fan girl.
To her, the people on stage were like actors on television.
They all had an unreal quality, distant from the common people.
"Sister, can we go backstage to see?"
After just one dance, she had already considered Qiu Tingting her idol.
Song Qinglan dotingly stroked her head, "Of course, I'll take you."
When the next act came on, and Qiu Tingting wasn't part of it, Song Qinglan took them backstage.
She used to play piano accompaniment for the cultural troupe and was very familiar with their Director Jiang, so no one would stop her.
They walked smoothly backstage, where people were applying makeup and changing clothes.
People in beautiful dresses bustled about, dazzling Zhen Zhen.
"Oh, Sister, where is Qiu Tingting?"
Cheng You looked around but couldn't find her.
They didn't have much time, as the next performance was a duet between Qiu Tingting and Ruan Jiqiu.
"She might be changing."
Song Qinglan asked with a hint of confusion, "The performances on stage are more than halfway through, why isn't she ready yet?"
She casually stopped someone and asked, "Comrade, do you know where Qiu Tingting is?"
"I don't know. She's probably changing."
Cheng You said, "Where is the dressing room? Maybe I'll go and check."
"It's over there. Go and see if she needs any help."
Cheng You walked in the direction she pointed. The dressing rooms here were temporarily set up, simply enclosed with oilcloth.
She wove through the oilcloth for a while and soon became lost.
Let alone finding Qiu Tingting, she found it difficult to even get out.
Cheng You kept walking forward and accidentally stumbled into one of the dressing rooms. She saw a female comrade holding scissors, about to cut the dress she was wearing.
Cheng You's sudden intrusion startled the woman, who paused and looked over in alarm. A mole on her chin flashed by.
"Why would you cut such a beautiful dress?"
The woman seemed to be greatly startled. Her hand loosened, and both the scissors and the dress fell to the ground.
She pushed Cheng You away, lifted the oilcloth, and ran out.
Cheng You found it baffling. She picked up the dress from the ground and suddenly thought of something.
She walked out with the dress and, after finally finding her way to where the clothes were, saw Qiu Tingting searching for something.
"Qiu Tingting!"
Qiu Tingting turned around, looking at the dress in her hand with surprise.
"Why do you have my dress!"
Cheng You said, "I came from over there. I finally found you. Just now, I saw someone in the dressing room trying to cut your dress."
It was quite a coincidence.
Qiu Tingting looked at her as if she were a scoundrel, "The entrance to the dressing room is this way. How did you come from there?"
Coming from Cheng You's direction meant that any woman changing clothes might accidentally be seen by her.
Cheng You felt a little awkward, "I came to find you, but I got lost. Why don't you change and go on stage?"
Qiu Tingting looked confused, but now wasn't the time to dwell on it.
She quickly changed into the dress and walked out. Cheng You followed.
Just then, the host on stage began announcing the next act, and it was time for Qiu Tingting and Ruan Jiqiu to appear.
Ruan Jiqiu saw Qiu Tingting and exclaimed in surprise, "Why are you here!"
Qiu Tingting found it inexplicable, "We have a duet coming up. Where else should I be?"
Ruan Jiqiu composed herself, "Nothing. I just said it casually."
She glanced at Cheng You, a hidden hint of confusion in her heart.
After the two went on stage, Song Qinglan rushed over.
"Cheng You, where did you go! Where is Qiu Tingting?"
Cheng You gestured towards the stage, "She went on stage. I got lost just now."
And she had foiled a woman's misdeed.
However, she couldn't help but recall Ruan Jiqiu's expression earlier. She seemed unusually surprised by Qiu Tingting's appearance.
Could the matter of that woman cutting the dress have something to do with her?
"Zhen Zhen, do you still want to wait for Qiu Tingting to come down? If not, we can go back."
"Auntie Song, can I wait here for her to come down?"
This was her first time backstage. She had seen the beautiful sisters performing on stage up close.
"Okay, then we'll wait here."
Cheng You felt rather helpless.
Song Qinglan, not yet a grandmother, was already showing signs of doting on her grandchild.
After Qiu Tingting finished her performance and came off stage, she saw that Cheng You and the others hadn't left and ran over.
"It's good you didn't leave. Someone tried to cut my dress just now. You saw it with your own eyes, didn't you?"
Cheng You nodded, "I accidentally wandered into your dressing room and saw her cutting the dress. After I discovered her, she ran away."
Qiu Tingting glared angrily at Ruan Jiqiu, "Did you hear that? I wasn't lying! Someone stole my dress! If it weren't for her, my dress would have been ripped, and how could I have performed!"
Ruan Jiqiu sneered, "Do you believe her? Do you even know who she is, and you believe her?"
Qiu Tingting sized Cheng You up, "What's your name?"
"My name is Cheng You!"
"So you are Cheng You. We know each other now! Ruan Jiqiu, can I believe her now?"
Qiu Tingting and Cheng You shook hands briefly, indicating that they were now friends.
Ruan Jiqiu snorted, "She said someone cut your dress and you believe it? How do you know she didn't steal your dress?"
This attempt to twist the truth infuriated Song Qinglan.
"Ruan Jiqiu, who are you calling a thief? Is this how they teach you in your cultural troupe? If you don't believe it, we can tell your director to come and handle it herself!"