Xu Jia seemed to have taken her father's death without being overly devastated.
This made Xu Tingyu heave a slight sigh of relief.
She was most afraid that Xu Jia would be so shocked as to trigger an illness.
The Xu family couldn't afford any more blows now.
So on her way back to the Qi family's mansion, she was more relaxed than when she came.
What really cheered her up was that Director Li Yang actually called her.
"Ms. Xu, I'm currently preparing a dance variety show and would like to invite you to participate. Are you interested?"
Li Yang had been thinking about this ever since he met her last time.
Now that the show was almost ready, he finally called to extend the invitation.
This news was like a timely pillow for Xu Tingyu.
She was short of money and in need of job opportunities.
"I'm interested, Director Li. I'd like to participate."
Before making the call, Li Yang thought he would have to persuade her a lot.
After all, first, her family had just suffered a tragedy, and participating in a variety show now would put her in the spotlight.
Second, she was the daughter - in - law of the Qi family. She had quit the entertainment circle after marriage, which must have been the Qi family's decision. Would they just agree now?
But he didn't expect her to agree so quickly.
She even seemed afraid that he would change his mind.
He laughed, his voice full of cheer, "Great. Let's meet next Monday to discuss the details. Are you available?"
Xu Tingyu agreed.
In the past, she had an agency and an assistant arranged by her family.
The agency took care of all the arrangements for competitions and performances.
She just needed to focus on dancing.
After getting married, she naturally terminated the contract with the agency, and her assistant left.
Now that she was making a comeback, she had to handle everything herself.
When she got home, although Maid Zhang was a bit worried, seeing her slightly red and swollen eyes, she didn't say much.
In the evening, when Qi Shifeng didn't come back, she learned from Maid Zhang that he was on a business trip again.
She felt a bit dazed.
In the past, before he went on a business trip, he would be rough with her.
But after that, he would at least tell her his itinerary.
But recently, he no longer bothered to inform her.
In the past, she would definitely worry and send him messages, even if she didn't get a reply.
But now, she just said "oh" and then turned to look at the show's proposal sent by Li Yang.
Maid Zhang opened her mouth but finally said nothing and quietly backed off.
On Monday, Xu Tingyu arrived at the place she had agreed with Li Yang half an hour early.
She had dressed up carefully today, wearing a full - face makeup and a dark purple silk dress, looking capable and full of vitality.
Li Yang's eyes were filled with amazement. As soon as he sat down, he couldn't help but praise her.
"Ms. Xu, no exaggeration, you're the most beautiful person I've ever seen."
"It's really the biggest loss to the dance world that you haven't been in the public eye for these years."
"Thank you for choosing our show for your comeback."
Li Yang was the most popular variety show director at the moment.
Most of the artists on his shows were extremely famous.
In other words, he had seen all kinds of beautiful people.
So Xu Tingyu just regarded his praise as a courtesy and smiled slightly, "You're too kind, Director Li."
It wasn't that she was unaware of her beauty.
It was just that beauty was the least important thing to her.
As a dancer, she should convince people with her skills.
The two of them quickly got to the point.
Xu Tingyu carefully read the contract and had some concerns.
"Director Li, you know about my family. Participating in the show at this time might attract a lot of criticism. Won't it affect the show?"
She wasn't afraid of being gossiped about, but she was afraid of implicating others.
Li Yang smiled and comforted her, "Since we've invited you, we're naturally prepared. The production team is definitely okay. It just depends on you, Ms. Xu."
"Me? Since I've agreed to participate, I'm also mentally prepared."
Xu Tingyu also smiled, but there was a momentary look of confusion in her eyes.
She knew very well that participating in the show would surely bring all kinds of problems.
Getting the Qi family's approval was already a huge challenge.
Not to mention that standing under the spotlight meant exposing all her wounds for others to peek at.
But did she have a choice?
She had given part of the 5 million in her bank card to Zhang Qiu as living expenses, and the rest to Secretary Qian.
The Xu Corporation not only had various loans but also some private debts.
If she didn't show a positive attitude towards repaying the debts, the personal safety of Zhang Qiu and Xu Jia couldn't be guaranteed.
When Secretary Qian took the money, he hesitated a bit, "Miss, you and I both know that this amount of money is just a drop in the bucket for the huge debts of the Xu Corporation."
What he meant was that it would be better for her to keep the money for herself.
"I know, but if I don't show any intention of repaying the debts, what if those desperate creditors come after my mom and Jia Jia?"
She knew exactly what she was doing.
This sentence completely dispelled Secretary Qian's concerns.
This little girl he had watched grow up was far more resilient and far - sighted than they had thought.
Now, by participating in the show, on the one hand, she wanted to earn money.
On the other hand, she wanted those creditors to see that she wouldn't run away and would actively repay the debts.
This was her attitude.
Seeing her firm tone, the last trace of Li Yang's worry disappeared.
The two quickly finalized the details and signed the contract.
"We'll broadcast the show live. The first episode will be on the 8th of next month. Ms. Xu, I'm really looking forward to your performance."
When they were about to part, Li Yang reached out his hand to her.
Xu Tingyu also stood up and shook his hand.
"I'll practice hard, Director Li. I hope I won't disappoint you."
After parting with Li Yang, she went straight to the dance studio.
Although she had quit the entertainment circle after marriage, her love for dance hadn't faded.
So she had rented a dance studio for a long time and would come here to practice whenever she was free.
This was also the reason why, even though she was very unhappy in her marriage, she hardly ever went to that apartment to relax.
She had her own way of adjusting her emotions.
After changing into her practice clothes, she stood in front of the mirror and danced gracefully to the music.
Her enlightenment teacher once highly praised her in front of Xu Jianmin and Zhang Qiu, "Tingyu is the most talented student I've ever seen. If she persists on this path, she will surely achieve great success."
She had extremely high talent, but she also owed her success to hard work.
She got up at 6 o'clock every morning, day after day, year after year.
She repeated the training of jumping, turning, and flipping, sweating profusely until she was dizzy and exhausted.
In thousands of trials, she pursued the limits of physical strength, the limits of body lines, and the limits of endurance, just to present her works in the best way.
When she was young, she danced to stand on the podium again and again and receive the admiration of the crowd.
Later, gradually, she was happy, relaxed, and free when immersed in the world of dance.
Even Chen Chunyao had said that she seemed to be glowing when she was dancing.