As people age, they often realize that imagination and reality rarely align, leading to the saying, "Life is mostly unsatisfactory." This time, however, things were different.
After just one night in the USA, the girls of the National Style Arts Troupe, who had previously felt that this job was too good to be true, discovered that reality far exceeded their expectations. Everything was so much better than they had imagined that most of the girls stayed up all night, too excited to sleep, exploring the villa like cats in a new home.
This wasn't just any dormitory—this was a mansion that resembled a castle.
Aside from the luxurious bedrooms, which even the least worldly among them could recognize as excessive, the villa boasted a library, game room, gym, indoor bar, and a private movie theater. The private theater, located on the basement level, could seat 100 people and housed a film library with an uncountable number of 35mm film copies, amounting to at least a thousand movies. When they asked the ever-patient maid accompanying them, she explained that the theater had been specially designed for their use.
The girls, exploring every corner of the place like a treasure hunt, even discovered the wine cellar.
It was a spacious, vintage-style underground room with towering five-meter-high wooden wine racks. Arranged like books in a library, the racks were filled with wines of all kinds—10,000 bottles in total, according to the maid. And, as with everything else, they were free to enjoy any of it.
Morning arrived.
When she awoke, Chen Xingwei glanced at her watch: 6:15 a.m. Sitting up, she took a moment to reorient herself.
Sunlight seeped in through a gap in the curtains. It was a beautiful summer day.
She glanced over at the other side of the bed; Li Youhu was already gone.
If there was one downside to this job, it was probably this.
For some reason, from the time they were still in China, the 100 girls had been split into 50 pairs, and each pair shared a single bed. Despite being the same gender, many weren't used to this arrangement.
Chen Xingwei was one of those who found it uncomfortable.
After all, even though they'd known each other for years, she and Li Youhu had never been particularly close.
But now, it didn't seem to matter much.
With a life this privileged, sharing a bed with someone, even with four people, wouldn't meet much resistance from anyone.
Barefoot, Chen Xingwei got out of bed and removed her silk nightgown. Just as she was about to head to the bathroom, she paused and removed the Van Cleef & Arpels watch on her wrist. It was something she'd received yesterday as part of a complete set of personal items, covering all aspects of her daily needs. Many of the girls were ready to discard the belongings they had brought from home.
Living in such an environment, their personal items from back home felt embarrassingly out of place.
After washing up and even taking a quick shower, she wrapped herself in a towel, opened her wardrobe, and found it filled with brand-new women's clothing. Yesterday, one of the girls had listed out the brands, both familiar and unfamiliar, and every luxury brand was present.
After some indecision, she finally chose a black Fendi dress.
There was a chance she'd meet him today.
Imagining that the other girls would likely be dressed to impress, she opted for a more modest dress, hoping it would set her apart.
She paired it with a pair of black high heels from the shoe rack, applied light makeup at her dressing table, then put the Van Cleef & Arpels watch back on, grabbed a wine-red Hermès purse, and left her bedroom. It was already past seven.
In the next room, she discovered that Li Youhu hadn't left; she was sitting at the computer by the balcony, completely engrossed in the screen.
She wore only a simple black slip, her slim waist and long legs showcased the graceful figure developed over years of dance.
Both of them were able to wake up early because, unlike most of the others, Li Youhu had been sensible or reserved enough to resist the urge to explore the villa all night. She had gone to bed promptly at 10 p.m., scoffing at the "bunch of country bumpkins who'd never seen the world."
Although just as curious, Chen Xingwei had forced herself to follow Li Youhu's lead.
When she saw Li Youhu at the computer, Chen Xingwei asked, "What are you doing?"
"There's something wrong!"
Chen Xingwei was puzzled. "Hmm?"
After fumbling a bit on the keyboard, Li Youhu turned to her. "Xingwei, don't you think all this…well, everything around us…don't you think it's a bit too much? I looked up the value of the Vacheron Constantin watch I got yesterday—it's $16,000. Based on my salary in China, I'd never be able to afford it, even in 20 years. I think this might be a setup."
Chen Xingwei approached, standing behind her to look at the LCD screen, something she had never even seen in China. She saw a translation interface with information about Simon Westeros. Glancing over it, she asked, "So, what did you find?"
Li Youhu shook her head. "Nothing specific, but this all feels off."
"Alright," Chen Xingwei said with a slight smile. "Why don't we keep it simple? Do you think there's anything about us that Mr. Westeros would find worth scheming over?"
Li Youhu thought for a moment, then looked her up and down before saying, "Xingwei, you're still…you know, right?"
Seeing her gaze, Chen Xingwei glared at her. "Why are you bringing that up?"
"So am I," Li Youhu replied. "And I now understand why Zhuo Yue was eliminated after the second medical exam. She and her boyfriend secretly got a hotel room together."
Zhuo Yue had been another colleague of theirs at the Oriental Dance Troupe.
Hearing this, Chen Xingwei asked, "And does that have anything to do with the 'problem' you discovered?"
"Of course. You just asked what we have that would interest Simon Westeros," Li Youhu said with a slight twist of her slender figure in the chair. "Well, that's it."
"Then there you have it. Why are you so hung up on this?"
"I wasn't finished," Li Youhu added. "That's just one possibility, but if it's only that, I still think… it's not enough of a reason. This feels like a setup, and I have a feeling there's more to come."
Though less straightforward than Chen Xingwei, even she had had some private doubts. But unlike Li Youhu, she wasn't dwelling on them. After all, if all this was really about one thing, and if that man truly wanted it, she felt she wouldn't refuse.
Besides, what else could she have that someone like him would covet?
Considering what she was already getting, she felt it was worth it. And even if she walked away with nothing, if she could secure U.S. citizenship in the process, that would be enough. Growing up, she had left her hometown to study dance in Beijing, so she was self-reliant. With American citizenship, even if everything fell apart, she was confident she could manage well enough on her own.
After all, this was the USA.
With that, Chen Xingwei patted Li Youhu on the shoulder. "Stop overthinking it. Hurry up, get ready, and head down for breakfast. Miss Chen will be here in the morning…" She paused, thinking she should probably mention that he might also be there.
But she decided against it.
Li Youhu didn't seem to be in a hurry, either, glancing at her new Vacheron Constantin watch from yesterday. "It's still early. Oh, by the way, Xingwei, I looked up the watch you're wearing too."
"Oh?"
"It's $3,000."
"What?!"
Li Youhu's face lit up in amusement. "You picked first yesterday, remember? You only have yourself to blame. My Vacheron Constantin is worth $16,000. Your Van Cleef & Arpels? Just $3,000."
She typed a bit more, pulling up the prices for both watches on the screen.
Before Xingwei could respond, Li Youhu got up from the chair, about to head back to her room. Noticing the stunned look on her roommate's face, she felt a bit sorry for her. But if Xingwei wanted to trade her $16,000 watch for Xingwei's $3,000 one, she wouldn't. Then she saw the Hermès bag on the table and added, "But Xingwei, your Hermès is more expensive than my Gucci. Yeah, you got the better one."
The comment didn't have much conviction.
She'd looked it up, too. Hermès might be the king of handbags, but Xingwei's wasn't a top model, just a $3,000 bag, while her orange Gucci handbag had cost $1,800.
With a fresh T-shirt and jeans, Li Youhu found her roommate gone when she went downstairs to the dining room. Taking the menu from a server, she ordered breakfast and began chatting with the others, all of whom were impeccably dressed.
It didn't take long for her to understand why they were so eager.
They were all anticipating that Simon Westeros might show up today. Now she understood her roommate's choice of attire.
Although a bit brash, she wasn't dense. After breakfast,
she was almost convinced to go back upstairs and change but was informed that Chen Qing would be arriving soon and they were to gather in the nearby practice room.
They'd already toured the estate yesterday.
Apart from the main villa, there were three other auxiliary villas for staff. To the west of the main villa, past a hedge, there was a new single-story red-brick building, nestled between a lake and a forest leading to the ocean on the southern edge of the property. Although it looked like an old warehouse from the outside, it had been artfully designed to blend with its surroundings, creating the feel of a rustic retreat.
This would be their new practice space.
Originally, they'd considered using a room within the villa itself, but it would have been cramped. Hence, they had built this dedicated practice hall.
Yesterday, they had only looked at the outside. Now, entering the hall, Li Youhu and the others felt a sense of awe. Despite being single-story, the practice room boasted an 8-meter-high ceiling, and the square layout of 50 meters on each side housed five studios of various sizes, along with changing rooms, a medical room, and a lounge.
Soon, they gathered in the largest studio.
This room faced the lake, with wide glass windows along the western side offering a view of the serene green water. Across the lake, the sparse vegetation made the opposite bank seem closer, revealing glimpses of other villas among the trees.
The open space felt completely different from back home.
China was so densely populated that even in remote areas, people lived closely together, and you'd rarely experience such a sense of openness.
As they idled around, a girl by the window pointed up. "Look, a helicopter's coming."
"Oh wow, it is! There are two of them."
"Let me see!"
"Are they headed our way?"
"They might be. They're getting lower."
"These look like military helicopters. Civilian ones aren't usually this big."
As they speculated, the two massive black helicopters flew over the practice hall, circled northward, and began to descend on the lawn of the estate.
So, it was confirmed.
No one ran out to gawk—that would be too obvious. But they couldn't help discussing it. Someone pointed out that if such unusual helicopters were here, it was very likely that Simon Westeros himself had arrived, leading many to discreetly check their outfits and makeup.
Standing in her casual T-shirt and jeans, Li Youhu was suddenly filled with regret.
This was bad.
It wasn't likely she'd be able to dash back to change.
She still clung to a little hope; after all, Miss Chen hadn't mentioned anything yesterday about Simon coming. However, when the tall, handsome young man entered the practice room accompanied by Chen Qing and a few others, her hopes were dashed. She slinked toward the back of the crowd, silently praying he wouldn't notice her.
At that moment, everyone realized a new problem.
Simon Westeros had entered, and they were still chattering among themselves. Although he didn't seem to mind, Chen Qing's expression showed clear disapproval. After Simon greeted the choreographers, she walked over to instruct the girls to gather in the seating area along one side of the studio.
This largest studio was roughly 500 square meters with a five-tiered seating area on the south side. Following her instructions, the girls quickly took their seats.
Then they all looked toward someone.
In the corner of the seating area, Li Youhu tried to blend in, but she couldn't help keeping an eye on Simon and his interactions with a certain Ms. Liu. To her disappointment, she didn't observe anything unusual.
After greeting the choreographers, Simon turned to the group, clapping his hands and addressing them in fluent Mandarin. "Are you all settling in?"
The girls all thought the same thing: Yes! With conditions like these, anyone who couldn't settle in would have to be crazy.
However, no one dared to speak up, only managing a few polite smiles in his direction.
Simon didn't press for a response, his smile still warm. "Alright, let's get to the main point. I've established the National Style Arts Foundation, which will be managed by you and will focus on various charitable activities. I'll be making an initial donation, but going forward, you'll raise funds through your performances."
He gave them a moment to digest this before continuing. "Now, regarding the tour. This was already decided during the retreat in Yangshuo. It's late May now, and you'll have six months to prepare. Originally, I was planning to give you a year, but considering you're all top dancers, six months should be sufficient. I hope you'll each contribute ideas. Outstanding performances will be rewarded. Additionally, this year's theme will be inspired by The Book of Songs. You'll create dances based on its chapters, like The Gathering of the Vetch, which we'll reserve. You need to finalize a 90-to-120-minute program. At the end of the year, you'll premiere in New York. If it's well-received, a global tour will follow. If it fails, well, there won't be any 'next time.'"
When Simon finished speaking, many girls' gazes turned to the young woman in the black Fendi dress—Chen Xingwei.
It was her comments during that conversation at the mountain villa that had led Simon Westeros to change his mind and decide on a public tour. He had even joked that if the show bombed and embarrassed him, they'd be fired.
In the months since, everyone had almost forgotten about it due to his lighthearted tone.
Now, Simon's words, "If it fails, there won't be any next time," felt like an echo of that conversation.
How could they be sure foreign audiences would appreciate a dance based on The Book of Songs? Most of them barely knew much about the ancient text themselves.
They'd signed five-year contracts. Just five years in a place like this would be enough to last them a lifetime.
Now, that time frame might suddenly shrink to six months.
How could they be content with that?
Feeling the pressure, Chen Xingwei regretted her earlier remarks.
As for the foundation, the girls didn't pay much attention to it since they knew little about Western foundations. Their minds were focused on finding a way to keep their jobs.
Simon noticed where they were looking and, with a slight smile, asked, "Any questions?"
The girls looked at each other.
They had a lot of questions.
However, none dared speak up for fear of drawing unwanted attention, as Chen Xingwei had.
After a few seconds of silence, Simon clapped his hands again. "Alright, Chen Qing will discuss your daily schedule."
Just as he was about to leave, a hand shot up from the corner.
Simon looked over. "Youhu?"
The last thing Li Youhu had wanted was to be noticed, but her curiosity was eating at her. Knowing now was better than waiting six months only to be disappointed, she asked, "Mr. Westeros, if we fail in six months, will we really be fired?"
Simon could feel all hundred pairs of eyes suddenly locked on him. After a brief pause, he replied, "No. However, if the performance flops, you'll be dancing just for me. That doesn't mean you should get complacent, though, because if I stop enjoying it, the National Style Arts Troupe will cease to exist."
The collective sigh of relief was palpable.
Chen Xingwei nearly burst into tears.
Without that reassurance, she could imagine how miserable her days would have been.
With the biggest issue settled, the atmosphere relaxed. Another girl raised her hand.
Simon looked over, easily recognizing her. "Sanchi?"
"Mr. Westeros, since we're mainly here to dance for you, when will you be watching us?"
Simon chuckled. "Whenever I feel like it."
"Do you have time today?"
"Yes, I do."
"Actually, I've been working on a solo piece."
Show-off!
What a sly move!
The unspoken grumbles from the other girls were almost audible.
"Oh? Well, let's go to the practice room next door, and I'll have a look," Simon said, smiling as he agreed. He then turned to the group and added, "That's it for now. Chen will explain the rest."
He gestured for Sanchi to follow him and left.
The usually soft-spoken, directionally challenged girl wasted no time standing up, hopping down from the bleachers, and following him out.
Show-off!
What a sly move!
Watching her leave, the girls' minds were filled with envious, jealous thoughts. They suddenly realized that Sanchi wasn't even wearing the expensive designer clothes they had been given but a vintage-style dress with an Eastern flair. She'd clearly planned this.
If only they'd thought of it too.
Each of them had been handpicked from tens of thousands of candidates, each an accomplished dancer with their own unique ideas.
But the opportunity had slipped by.
Chen Qing didn't give them time to act on their regrets and stepped forward to outline their upcoming schedule.
It was simple enough.
Their work week would start next Monday, from nine to five, Monday to Friday, with the afternoons devoted to English classes for the first three months. Outside of work hours and on weekends, they'd be free to do as they pleased.
Chen Qing added one last thing.
If the girls wanted to perform well in the upcoming public show, they'd need to put in extra time, though this wasn't a requirement. It was entirely up to them.
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