After Rebirth, I Ended Up with My Idol [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 12

An Rong brought her instrument over, and Xu Xiaoye pulled up a chair and waited for her. An Rong’s lips curled up in a tiny, secret smile that only Xu Xiaoye saw. Xu Xiaoye smiled back and bit her lip, thinking: This brat, what is she so smug about?

Xu Xiaoye pulled up the sheet music and stood in front of An Rong, holding the tablet.

When An Rong said she hadn’t memorized it, she was telling the truth, but it wasn’t that she didn’t remember it at all; she only glanced at the screen during the parts she hadn’t mastered yet.

The performance was smooth and not slowed down at all—much better than expected. In fact, An Rong made playing the piece look effortless, appearing completely at ease throughout.

Xu Xiaoye stood by her side with a look of reflected glory, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

As the final note faded, the dance studio erupted into thunderous applause. Instruments like this aren’t mainstream; not many young people know how to play them anymore. Seeing it by chance was a novelty, especially since An Rong looked so young—she didn’t seem like the type to be associated with an Erhu or Shaoqin at all.

Yet, after watching her for a while, the feeling grew that An Rong’s temperament actually matched the Erhu perfectly. It would have felt stranger to see her with a piano or a violin.

Wang Yunshui stood nearby, clapping along, but her movements were slow. Though she wore a practiced smile, her eyes were gloomy as they swept over Xu Xiaoye and An Rong, eventually shifting to Xiao Yu.

Now that the selection process was public, there was less room for behind-the-scenes manipulation. With so many eyes watching, she couldn’t brazenly use the “back door.” Among this group, Xu Xiaoye was a guaranteed lock, Xiao Yu was likely another, and Xia Chunhua had hope. Yang Pei was also a powerhouse in dance. Out of those four, only Xu Xiaoye could sing, but she couldn’t hit the high notes, so they would definitely look for another lead singer. Right now, the best candidate seemed to be An Rong. But if she did the math, her own chances of being selected were becoming miniscule.

Wang Yunshui frowned deeply. Xu Xiaoye already had a fanbase, Xiao Yu had a unique aura, and while Xia Chunhua had a “rustic” name, she had her own style and a wealthy family. Yang Pei’s dance foundation was rock-solid. Only five could get in. She would have to start with An Rong.

The three evaluators looked somewhat surprised, but they smiled with satisfaction. Qin Yun joined the applause, her expression significantly warmer and softer as she said to An Rong, “Impressive. When I was your age, I was just starting to learn how to read numbered musical notation.”

The others were shocked. Qin Yun was the strictest evaluator; she was the type you never saw on variety shows—her Weibo was strictly for business, full of album promos and MV charts. In the two days she’d been here, she had only smiled once at the initial meeting. This reaction was the highest possible praise.

An Rong stood up with her instrument and smiled happily. She shook her head and said, “It’s different. I’ve been learning the Erhu for seven years; my master taught me well.”

Age isn’t the standard for judging ability. When Qin Yun was seventeen, she might simply have lacked the opportunity. While An Rong was happy for the recognition, she felt this kind of comparison was unnecessary.

Qin Yun was also surprised by the maturity of her answer, and her smile deepened. However, she said nothing more and simply clapped her hands. “Everyone, begin training.”

An Rong put her instrument away and returned to learn from Xu Xiaoye.

Xu Xiaoye made the fastest progress. Once she mastered a section, she would turn around to teach the others, essentially acting as a dance teacher. Song Ran didn’t look as discouraged as she had yesterday; although she was still the slowest learner, her emotions seemed much more stable.

An Rong’s muscles were screaming in pain. Every time she had to squat while dancing, she felt like she was going to collapse onto the floor, but she gritted her teeth and bore it without a single complaint.

Xu Xiaoye watched her for a long time, then walked to her side and whispered, “Are you okay?”

An Rong exhaled and shook her head. “I’m fine.”

But her breath hitched. Just as she dropped into a horse stance, her leg muscles gave out. They turned to mush, and she instantly sank toward the floor.

In the confusion, Xu Xiaoye grabbed An Rong by the waist and hauled her back up.

An Rong only felt her back press against a soft warmth, and suddenly, her heart began to flutter wildly…

Though it was incredibly ill-timed, it was completely uncontrollable! As a humble “simp,” having close physical contact with her goddess—never mind this posture—even just holding hands would be enough for her to imagine pink bubbles floating over her head.

With a posture like this, she had already decided on their retirement home and what their grandchildren would be named!

But as they say: a giant in fantasy, a dwarf in reality. An Rong was both.

So, after her heart fluttered privately for a moment, she silently stood straight because Xu Xiaoye had let go… if she continued to lean back, she might get hit.

Xu Xiaoye was a bit worried. After all, An Rong was just a teenager; this intensity of practice was a heavy load on her body.

She frowned and said, “Why don’t you go rest for a bit?”

An Rong felt instantly revitalized. She pursed her lips, her eyes wandering as she said, “It’s fine.”

A moment later, Xu Xiaoye added, “Go to the medical room for a massage; it might help a little.”

An Rong bounced a little, balled her fists, and said, “I’m really okay. Come on, let’s keep going.”

The human body naturally seeks comfort; even a tiny bit of discomfort sends frantic signals to stop. An Rong was aching all over, but because her foundation was poor, she had to push forward. She couldn’t retreat a single step.

After a day of training followed by a basic music theory class in the evening, An Rong didn’t go to rest; she went back to the gym to work out.

Xu Xiaoye exercised for a short while before heading back to wash up and sleep. As she left the gym, she looked back at An Rong, who was drenched in sweat. She felt a sincere respect; she really liked people like this, regardless of whether they became teammates.

There weren’t many people in the dorm. Xu Xiaoye covered the camera on the desk with a pillowcase before grabbing her clothes to shower.

The bathroom was silent. Just as Xu Xiaoye pushed open the door, a face suddenly appeared in front of her.

Xu Xiaoye nearly fainted from the fright. She instantly took a step back, her face turning pale. She frowned at Wang Yunshui and stepped aside to let her pass.

Wang Yunshui took a slow step forward. When she was inches from Xu Xiaoye, she stopped and said, “Let’s talk.”

Xu Xiaoye gave a polite smile and turned toward the door. “Sure, let’s talk outside.”

She had barely taken a step when her arm was grabbed.

“Right here.”

Xu Xiaoye jerked her wrist. Wang Yunshui paused before letting go. She let out a laugh and asked bluntly, “Did you know An Rong before this?”

Xu Xiaoye’s expression shifted slightly, but she quickly put back on her gentle mask. She shook her head, feigning ignorance. “No, I didn’t. Why?”

Wang Yunshui frowned, rolled her eyes, and let out an impatient “tsk.” “If you don’t know her, why are you defending her so hard? Sister Xu, since when did you become so passionate?”

Xu Xiaoye had been a trainee at TS for three years and had seen many people come and go. For three years, she had been low-profile, never offending anyone, and following all the company’s arrangements. She possessed extraordinary patience. When she stood up for An Rong this morning, Wang Yunshui was shocked. Although she hadn’t known Xu Xiaoye long, she knew from hearsay that she was a tactful “smooth talker.”

“There are no cameras in the makeup room, and the show won’t broadcast that. You can’t even use it to build a ‘righteous’ persona. Why do it?” Wang Yunshui truly didn’t understand. “It’s only been two days—don’t tell me you’ve taken a liking to her?”

Xu Xiaoye’s face changed. Her eyes turned cold, and the corners of her mouth dropped, but she still spoke to Wang Yunshui politely: “We’re just participating in an activity together. It’s not about ‘liking’ anyone. We might even be teammates later.”

“Ugh, I just don’t get it, Xu Xiaoye,” Wang Yunshui took a step closer, pressing the issue. “Do you really insist on protecting her?”

Since the words were so blunt, Xu Xiaoye didn’t want to keep playing dumb. She pressed her lips together and looked at Wang Yunshui. “I know what you’re thinking.”

Wang Yunshui arched an eyebrow, her narrow eyes tilting up slightly as she glanced at Xu Xiaoye.

Xu Xiaoye’s expression remained calm. “You want her to buckle under the pressure and quit voluntarily to free up a spot. But Miss Wang, why don’t you have more faith in yourself?”

Having her mask ripped off so directly made Wang Yunshui slightly uncomfortable, but she blinked and let it go. Not only did she let it go, she admitted it frankly. “That’s right, I’m not confident. So what? Does using this method violate any rules?”

She had no talent. The daily training was agonizing. She had found someone to teach her the evaluation songs and dances in advance, yet even with all that preparation, she still ranked behind Xu Xiaoye. What about later? With two more months to go, Wang Yunshui had no confidence. She had to get rid of one to leave herself enough room.

Xu Xiaoye’s jaw tightened. She took a breath, her cheeks hollowing slightly. She looked seriously at Wang Yunshui and said, “She won’t do.”

“Why won’t she? She has no background and no conditions. She’s the most suitable target.”

If all else failed, she would force a “black curtain” elimination on An Rong at the end, but that would be too obvious and the variables were too high. She wasn’t at ease with that.

Xu Xiaoye felt a deep disgust, but her face was cold and calm. She stared at Wang Yunshui and nodded. “I know. The show can be edited. Her footage can be cut during the broadcast. She’s an ordinary person with no backing; she can be blacklisted or kicked out at will. But Miss Wang, since you prepared so thoroughly, you should know that a complete, successful girl group needs a lead singer who can carry the load. Do you think there’s anyone more suitable than her? You?”

This blatant tone of contempt cut deep. Wang Yunshui’s eyes widened in fury. She gritted her teeth and stared at Xu Xiaoye, her jaw trembling.

The door was pushed open. Someone walked in with clothes and called out, “Hello, Sister Xu. Hello, Sister Wang.”

Xu Xiaoye gave a hum of response, her eyes still fixed on Wang Yunshui. She took a step forward, nearly pressing against her, and said in a low, suppressed voice, “You can play your little games, but you should play them a bit more intelligently.”

An Rong: Ah!! I should have been allowed to see a scene like this!