Chapter 888: Dance Party

Li Xin asked, "Do you all know who is going to be our Deputy Director?"

Ma Rui shook his head, looking completely indifferent.

Li Xin's voice carried a hint of excitement: "Rumor has it that Teacher Qi is going to be promoted."

Ma Rui didn't care about such things, but to liven up the atmosphere, he still said with a grin: "Teacher Qi is moving up? Then Chen Family Cave is in luck. That is her most prized disciple."

Liu Wei said, "Actually, Teacher Qi is quite good to you, too."

Ma Rui didn't take the bait. In the Performance Department, aside from not getting along with Deputy Director Liu, his relationships with other teachers were decent, but he wouldn't call them particularly close.

Li Xin suddenly said, "There's a dance party at school tonight, let's all go."

The boys had just had a bit to drink and were feeling bold, shouting with the help of the alcohol: "You girls go, we definitely have to provide an escort. What if someone from another department sets their sights on you? That would be a disaster."

Ma Rui didn't actually want to go, and hesitated: "I still have things to do at my company."

Liu Wei glanced at him and urged: "Just go for a little while and then leave, no one is asking you to stay all night. Don't spoil everyone's fun."

Only then did Ma Rui nod.

The group came out of the private room, most of them already soaked through with sweat.

Ma Rui unbuttoned two more buttons on his shirt collar; the night breeze blew in, cool and quite comfortable.

Liu Wei walked beside him and asked casually, "Did Yang Jing go out to film?"

Ma Rui nodded: "Her job this time is quite tough; she went to the Northwest to film a movie."

Liu Wei whispered: "What kind of movies is your mom's company filming? I want to go out and film during summer break to earn some money."

Ma Rui thought for a moment: "There are two films starting production during summer break. One is an adaptation of a Gu Long novel, and the other is 'Ghost Blows Out the Light', which was halted a while ago. It was originally going to be a movie, but now it's being adapted into a TV series."

Liu Wei suddenly became excited: "I've seen 'Ghost Blows Out the Light'! Can I act in it?"

Ma Rui shook his head: "Since you've seen it, you know it's basically all men, with only one woman. And that woman needs to have the temperament of someone who has lived abroad; you don't really look the part."

Liu Wei glared at him: "How do you know I don't look the part? I can audition."

Ma Rui sighed: "Fine, fine, fine. I'll tell my mom to give you a fair chance to compete."

Only then was Liu Wei satisfied: "That's good."

The group entered the dance hall.

This was the Film Academy's student cafeteria, where the student union held a dance party every week.

The curtains were drawn tight, and the light inside was very dim.

On the small stage, several colored lights spun around, casting red and green spots of light that hit the faces of the dancers, flickering on and off like a group of wandering ghosts.

Liu Wei directly put her hand on Ma Rui's shoulder: "Come on, let's dance one."

Ma Rui had no choice but to put his arm around her and slowly sway.

When the song ended, Ma Rui sat on a chair, flipping through his pager.

Liu Wei sat beside him and leaned in: "Ma Rui, it's already May, when can I go audition?"

"You can go anytime, but the director's current film isn't finished yet. Right now, the company only has the assistant director in charge of preparations. Even if you go now, you'll have to wait for the director to return."

As the two were talking, a man in his thirties with a slightly chubby build wandered over.

He was wearing a floral shirt, and the gold chain around his neck flashed under the colored lights; his whole body reeked of alcohol.

He walked straight up to Liu Wei, his tone carrying a sense of entitlement: "Classmate, can I have this dance?"

Liu Wei waved her hand: "Sorry, we're in the middle of discussing something."

The smile on the man's face froze instantly.

He hadn't expected to be rejected, especially in front of so many people.

"Slut," he muttered, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for those around him to hear.

Liu Wei stood up abruptly, her face flushed red: "Watch your mouth! Who's a slut? Just because I won't dance with you, I'm a slut?"

The man couldn't save face; the alcohol made his head hot, and he reached out and shoved Liu Wei.

Liu Wei stumbled backward, but was caught by Ma Rui.

Ma Rui steadied Liu Wei and looked up at the man.

He didn't speak, but in that instant, the air pressure around them dropped.

The man felt a bit unnerved by that gaze, but alcohol gave him false courage, and he stiffened his neck and took a step forward: "What are you looking at?"

Ma Rui didn't say a word and kicked him.

The kick was fast and ruthless, landing squarely in the man's stomach.

His whole body was like it had been hit by a car; his feet left the ground, and he fell backward, sprawling out, the back of his head hitting the floor with a dull thud.

Screams erupted in the dance hall, and the dancers scattered to get out of the way.

Before Ma Rui could even stand steady, four people rushed out from the side and surrounded him.

They looked like the man's accomplices, all with red faces and thick necks, clearly fueled by alcohol.

Ma Rui glanced at them and understood the situation. He pushed his sleeves up.

The first person swung a punch, but Ma Rui dodged to the side, grabbed the arm, and used the momentum for a shoulder throw.

The man's body arched through the air and "smacked" onto the ground, gasping in pain.

The second person lunged from the side, and Ma Rui kicked him, landing right in his stomach.

The man retreated several steps, knocking over a stack of chairs, which crashed down in a heap.

A gust of wind sounded behind his head.

Ma Rui ducked, and an arm swung over his head.

He kicked backward, hitting the shin of the person behind him; the man screamed, dropped to one knee, and clutched his leg, grimacing.

Just as the fourth person was about to rush forward, Ma Rui's classmates finally reacted.

Seven or eight people swarmed in and pinned the guys who still wanted to fight firmly to the ground.

The music stopped as well.

The entire dance hall suddenly became eerily quiet.

Then, the incandescent lights overhead all snapped on with a pop, so bright that everyone was unable to open their eyes.

The dance party was completely ruined.

The cafeteria was as bright as day; the men and women who had just been embracing under the ambiguous lighting were now all exposed under the stark white light, each with a bewildered expression.

Then, everyone swarmed over in a rush, as if watching a monkey show.

Ma Rui walked over, grabbed the man in the floral shirt by the collar, and asked, "Where are you from? How come I've never seen you before?"

The man grimaced in pain, but still wouldn't let up: "You... you just wait, I'll kill you another day."

Upon hearing this, Ma Rui laughed.

It was the kind of laugh that made one's back go cold.

"You bastard, am I giving you too much face?"

Before the words had even faded, he raised his hand and delivered several heavy slaps.

The man in the floral shirt was instantly stunned, standing there in a daze.

The four accomplices were pinned to the ground by Ma Rui's classmates, still struggling and cursing, but none could break free.

At this moment, a man in his thirties ran over and said, "Brother Ma Rui! Brother Ma Rui! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Ma Rui tilted his head and glanced at him.

The man hurriedly introduced himself: "My name is Liu Song, we've eaten together before, and I'm quite close with Zhao Hu. I'm truly sorry, we're from the same film crew, we just wrapped up shooting today and had a bit to drink, so I brought them in to join the fun. My friend here has a violent temper and gets carried away when he drinks too much; please don't hold it against him."

Ma Rui looked at him and recognized him. He had indeed seen him before; this man had been at a dinner party organized by Zhao Hu.

Just as Ma Rui shifted his attention to Liu Song.

The man in the floral shirt, not knowing where he found the nerve, swung a fist at Ma Rui's face.

Ma Rui tilted his head, and the fist brushed past his ear.

His eyes turned completely cold.

The next second, the man was thrown to the ground again.

Ma Rui straddled him, swinging his hands back and forth, slapping him one after another.

"Let him go! Let him go!" Liu Song shouted from the side; his mouth was anxious, but his feet didn't take a single step forward.

He knew clearly what Ma Rui's family did. In the Beijing film and television circle, who didn't know that his mother was He Yushui and his uncle was He Yuzhu? It wasn't worth offending this person for a drinking buddy from the same crew.

So he just stood to the side, persuading him with his words, while his feet remained rooted to the spot.

Ma Rui slapped him a dozen times, stopping only when the man's face was swollen beyond recognition.

"This is a dance party hosted by the school; coming in is one thing, but to act wild—who spoiled you with such foul habits?"

The surroundings were deathly silent.

No one dared to answer.

Ma Rui let the man in the floral shirt go; the guy stumbled toward the entrance, and only after running several steps away did he dare to look back, "I'll remember you, just you wait! See how I deal with you!"

Liu Song also hurriedly took the other four people and slipped away.

Liu Wei walked over from the side, tugged at Ma Rui's sleeve, and whispered, "Ma Rui, I heard from a classmate that that kid has some background, you should be careful!"

Ma Rui shook his head, "So what?"