In the street dance practice room, there was a young man who kept dancing along with the music.
It was lunchtime, and the spacious practice room was occupied only by him, repeatedly practicing the dance moves to a song he must have rehearsed countless times.
This was the song for his debut.
The moves had become second nature to him.
As soon as the music played, no matter what he was doing, he could accurately execute the next rhythm.
Soon, the door of the practice room opened.
The person who came in was also a member of their boy group.
His suitcase was left outside the dance studio.
Seeing Qi Yuan still dancing, his groupmate sighed.
At this point, Qi Yuan was exhausted.
When he saw the visitor, Qi Yuan stopped, too: "When are you leaving?" His tone was flat.
But his groupmate could sense a tinge of reluctance in his flat tone.
"Today."
This was a rare opportunity, with the boss currently at the company.
They used to be aspiring idols, but they never hit it big, and online searches for them were scarce.
Previously, they were popular in a talent show, and every entertainment company wanted to launch some boy or girl group.
Anyway, there was no cost to signing them, so they trained them at the company for a while before sending them to various talent show stages.
But in recent years, talent shows have frequently flopped.
The hype isn't as high as it used to be.
So there was a backlog of trainees at the lower levels.
Some could afford to pay the termination fee and leave.
But those like them who couldn't afford it had been there for four or five years.
The company spent a hundred thousand yuan to have industry professionals create a debut song for them.
Hoping to give it a try, if they succeeded, they'd make a comeback, and if not, it was just a hundred thousand yuan.
These guys were genuinely happy when they received the debut notice.
They practiced this song over and over again.
It was ingrained in their bones by then.
After their debut, they became a flop with no job offers.
They were also getting older, with only a few dozen fans.
One of the main members was even more active in the fan group than the admin, but still couldn't revive the dwindling group.
It was evident that persisting further was pointless.
Moreover, at this age, these young men faced certain pressures in life.
There was no way to stave off real life with vague dreams.
Originally, they would have had to pay a sum to terminate their contracts.
But the new boss was quite benevolent.
He promised that they could terminate their contracts for free as long as they didn't continue in the entertainment industry.
Taking advantage of this, many had already terminated their contracts.
Now they didn't need to pay anything to terminate, and they were free agents - how great!
So, seven or eight of their group members had left, leaving only him behind.
The entertainment world can sometimes be quite complex.
For those who aren't popular, it's pitch black, as if they'll never see the light.
Qi Yuan let out an "oh" sound.
Then he continued practicing the dance moves.
His groupmate didn't expect him to be so stubbornly persistent, saying, "Qi Yuan, accept reality!"
They had argued before, but they were still friends. They were no longer young, and they had no chance of becoming popular again.
"We're not the young kids we were 5 years ago. Our age, physical strength, and creative abilities are no longer up to par. Don't persist."
His words were like a knife, cutting open Qi Yuan's heart.
At that moment, Qi Yuan collapsed onto the dance studio floor.
As the bright ceiling light stung his eyes, he used one hand to shield them.
But his groupmate clearly saw the tear streaks on his face.
The groupmate said, "After I leave, I plan to open a street dance studio. You're the best dancer among us. Do you want to join as a partner or something?"
Qi Yuan said, "No, I've already been contacted by another workplace."
His groupmate was surprised, "What workplace is it, so secretive? I asked you before, but you never said."
Qi Yuan said, "A kindergarten, to teach them dance."
His groupmate didn't approve, "Why a kindergarten? Your skill level is so high."
Qi Yuan said, "Starry Sky Kindergarten." He had accidentally come across it before.
After discovering it, he had been following it for a while and noticed that this kindergarten kept making headlines.
Upon hearing this, his groupmate said, "I wish you success."
Then he nodded.
After his groupmate left, Qi Yuan wiped his eyes and went upstairs to sign the resignation contract and a non-compete agreement.
He knew that once he signed this contract, it would be difficult for him to return to the entertainment industry.
But did it matter? He was virtually unknown in the entertainment industry anyway.
Afterward, he went to sign up at Starry Sky Kindergarten.
The final street dance performance was truly spectacular.
Although Wu Feng was also a dance teacher, he taught classical dance.
Street dance was a different genre.
Qi Yuan's timing and musical phrasing during the dance were very accurate, and his facial expressions were well-managed.
He was simply dazzling, like a seasoned idol performing a fan meeting.
Despite being alone, he radiated brilliance as he stood there.
Shen Wei was also delighted and immediately signed a contract with him for a monthly salary of 20,000 yuan, plus a 100,000 yuan contract for the rights to his image and likeness.
She also told him that he would receive two referral bonuses as part of the benefits package.
Qi Yuan thanked her.
He had been an unknown for so long that these terms sounded glamorous.
In reality, he had to pay out of his own pocket for all the trendy clothes.
He didn't have much money.
This job was the first time he felt the joy of earning money.
...
The drama teacher Shen Wei hired was the professional Ms. Meng Zhi from a theater academy.
When she arrived, even Doctor Lu didn't believe it, "Is this for real? She's a TV personality!"
There was a performance-focused reality show previously, and Ms. Meng Zhi served as the mentor for the female contestants, interacting with celebrities.
To have her come as a performance instructor at a kindergarten was too extravagant.
During Doctor Lu's sick leave, she had binge-watched that entire reality show.
To have Ms. Meng Zhi here was truly shocking.
Shen Wei didn't expect her to accept the invitation either.
Evidently, the people at Starry Sky Kindergarten weren't the only ones confused.
Even Ms. Meng Zhi's colleagues were perplexed to see her, asking, "Why are you going to teach at a kindergarten?"
Meng Zhi said, "To make money."
Last year, she had earned a fortune.
After her previous exposure on the performance reality show, she had made a lot of money from various training institutions.
This year, training institutions were being cracked down on.
The performance reality shows had lost their popularity.
All she had left was her meager university salary.
Meng Zhi had just received an invitation from Starry Sky Kindergarten. She immediately accepted it. The salary and benefits offered were not bad - $2,000 per month, with red envelopes (bonuses) for overtime work.
Everyone was puzzled as to why Meng Zhi, who clearly did not lack money with her mansion, luxury cars, and everything else, would take a job at a kindergarten.
But Meng Zhi did not explain. To her, money was never too much.
Her first $100,000 came from taking on all kinds of jobs, big and small, and saving up diligently.
She didn't discriminate when it came to making money.
An invitation from anyone was a recognition of her talents.
Moreover, she particularly enjoyed the sound of money hitting her account.
She even felt comfortable with the smell of cash.
After Shen Wei added her on WeChat, she sent Meng Zhi some outstanding clips from their drama troupe's performances.
Meng Zhi watched them whenever she was free.
She was soon exhilarated, slapping her thigh in excitement.
"What talented seedlings!" she exclaimed, her eyes shining.
So it was true that masters were among the masses.
Although these performers had not received professional guidance, they threw themselves wholeheartedly into their roles.
While Meng Zhi had initially come for the money, she now found an additional source of interest and enjoyment.
