Chapter 51: Chapter 49 Qiao Jing’s Astonishing Photographic Memory
 

Her appearance instantly captured the attention of everyone present, men and women, young and old.

The girl, holding a sword, walked gracefully towards the crowd, like a fairy descending from the ninth heaven, stepping into the mortal world, too beautiful to seem real!

Zhan Qipei did not know when he had risen to his feet, but since Qiao Jing had changed into her dress, his gaze had remained on her, never shifting even for a moment.

The jacket and skirt that the girl wore were the same as those on Lou Xinrou, but hers completely outshone Lou Xinrou by a long shot.

If nothing else, just consider the figure alone.

Lou Xinrou had a decent figure, able to hold her own, and was indeed beautiful.

But Qiao Jing, with her exquisite and radiant appearance, wasn’t just about holding her own; it was more like “standing atop the peak, gazing down at all the small hills”!

Zhan Ruiting and the others were also utterly mesmerized.

Even Deng Yunyi, who had refused to give Qiao Jing his WeChat earlier, couldn’t control his gaze, keeping his eyes on her the entire time.

To say he was “looking” was an understatement; it was more like “admiring.”

The beauty was truly stunning!

Yet, he would not be seduced by mere beauty.

Lou Xinrou watched Qiao Jing with clenched teeth and fury, thinking, what does it mean there’s no harm without comparison?

This was exactly that moment!

“Hmph, what’s the use of dressing nicely? Just wait for her to make a fool of herself later!”

Lou Xinrou comforted herself inwardly.

“Miss Qiao, are you ready? Shall we start the battle?”

She couldn’t wait to see Qiao Jing embarrass herself.

“It’s fine now,” Qiao Jing had just turned around to go on stage when she was stopped by Lin Xiuxiang.

Lin Xiuxiang whispered in Qiao Jing’s ear, “Qiao Qiao, you have never learned sword dance, are you… are you sure you can do this?”

Although Lin Xiuxiang’s voice was soft, it was still overheard by Lou Xinrou.

Lou Xinrou nearly laughed out loud.

So Qiao Jing had never even learned it yet she dared to battle with her in sword dance?

That was hilarious!

Qiao Jing raised her hand and pointed at her head, “I remember everything here. Trust me, it’s possible.”

Remembered everything?

Lin Xiuxiang paused, remembered what exactly?

The sequence Lou Xinrou had performed earlier?

That must be it.

Of course, others wouldn’t know, but she understood very well. Her Qiao Qiao had an eidetic memory. She recalled the children’s day performance at the orphanage.

The teacher organized dance for them; it took them a long time to learn, but Qiao Jing got it after just one look.

With this in mind, Lin Xiuxiang was no longer worried.

“You got this!”

“Mhm.” After Qiao Jing nodded, she and Lou Xinrou went up on the stage together.

Beneath the stage, everyone’s eyes were focused on them.

Zhan Ruiting was muttering worriedly, “This Lou Xinrou is definitely looking for trouble on purpose. Doctor Qiao couldn’t stand Lou Xinrou picking on her friend, and that’s why she stepped forward to stand up for her friend.”

If Zhan Ruiting could see that, then Zhan Qipei had realized it even earlier.

Zhan Qipei’s thin lips were tightly sealed, and the gaze that fell upon Lou Xinrou brimmed with barely concealed coldness.

“Humph!” Zhan Yuanshan snorted coldly, his displeasure evident as he looked at Zhan Qipei, “Qipei, listen to me, I can’t force you to like someone, but if you ever bring that girl Lou Xinrou home, I will no longer acknowledge you as my grandson!”

Standing nearby, Lou Xinrou’s grandfather, Lou Pinshu, heard Zhan Yuanshan’s words loud and clear. As he looked at Lou Xinrou on stage, his old eyes were filled with disappointment.

The child he had watched grow up was actually not too bad, just a bit confused when it came to love. Indeed, her actions had been somewhat over the top.

The music started.

The battle began!

Qiao Jing and Lou Xinrou almost simultaneously leapt into action, their movements identical.

“This is— ” Zhan Yuanshan’s eyes lit up, and he followed with a hearty laugh, “That girl, no wonder she dared to step on stage for a Sword Dance, hahaha— ”

Xu Hongzu stroked his beard, watching Qiao Jing with evident pride.

“Identical?!” Zhan Ruiting stared, dumbfounded, at the astonishing scene before him.

“Not identical.” Zhan Qipei was also watching with a look of surprise.

“Ah? Not identical?” Zhan Ruiting squinted at the two figures on the stage, “But their movements are exactly the same, aren’t they?”

Zhan Qipei narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixing on Qiao Jing’s graceful and somewhat heroic dance.

“She dances better than Lou Xinrou. Lou Xinrou is too soft. The force behind her sword thrusts isn’t enough, and she doesn’t have the flowing ease of Qiao Jing, who moves smoothly and in one breath.”

Hearing this, Zhan Ruiting finally understood why he had felt that Qiao Jing’s dance was more captivating. Now, with Zhan Qipei’s explanation, he could see it was indeed as Zhan Qipei had said.

Although Lou Xinrou’s movements and posture were good, they were too gentle. In contrast, Qiao Jing’s swordplay was like a white snake spitting its tongue, hissing as it cut through the wind, or like a dragon weaving in and out, moving with agility. Sometimes light as a swallow, her sword would touch down, and other times as swift as lightning, leaves swirling in her wake.

It was mesmerizing, hard to keep up with.

How could this be?

Lou Xinrou’s attention had been diverted to Qiao Jing as soon as she began to dance.

And at that glance, she was wide-eyed with shock.

Dancing exactly like her? How is that possible? This choreography was custom made for her by a professional ancient-style dance instructor, how did Qiao Jing manage it?

Could it be that Qiao Jing learned it after watching her dance just once?

This thought came to mind, but Lou Xinrou immediately denied it.

“Impossible!”

There was no way Qiao Jing could have learned it in one look. Lou Xinrou herself had taken a full week to dance this Sword Dance smoothly. She had spent another half a month consolidating her skills to achieve the superb form and dance she had now.

Lou Xinrou continued to watch, growing more and more astonished.

Why did she feel that Qiao Jing was dancing even better than her?

What Lou Xinrou found hardest to accept was that Qiao Jing had attracted the attention of everyone present, including Zhan Qipei.

At that moment, Zhan Qipei watched Qiao Jing without blinking, as though she was the only person in his world.

Seeing this, Lou Xinrou was so agitated that she moved with the same hand, the same leg; her foot slipped, and her sword shot straight towards Qiao Jing’s face.

“Be careful! Dodge!” Zhan Ruiting shouted out loud.

Zhan Yuanshan and the others were all frightened.

Although it was not a real sword, if it were to strike Qiao Jing’s face directly, especially the eyes, the consequences were unthinkable!

Everything happened so suddenly, Qiao Jing had been intensely focused on emulating Lou Xinrou’s movements, recalling the Sword Dance Lou Xinrou had just performed.

Thus, when the accident occurred, her reaction was half a beat slower than everyone else’s.

By the time she realized the danger, the blade was mere inches from making contact.

Just at this critical moment, her wrist was suddenly grabbed and with a pull and a tug, she exchanged places with the man.

As Qiao Jing was pulled into the man’s embrace, she heard a muffled grunt of pain.