Chapter 13

Xu Xiaoye had been waiting far too long for an opportunity like this. She had seen the power of capital, and she had lost to that power before. But this was her dream. She couldn’t let it go, and she couldn’t turn back. So the moment this variety-show-style competition appeared, Xu Xiaoye had immediately sensed that there would definitely be something going on behind the scenes.

During the open auditions, Xu Xiaoye had stayed backstage watching, and eventually she spotted Wang Yunshui.

She and Wang Yunshui had actually known each other for some time. More precisely, Wang Yunshui had come to the company for training the previous year, though it had been more of a casual, just-for-fun thing. She seemed to have some kind of connection with the company’s upper management, though Xu Xiaoye wasn’t entirely sure what that connection was.

But one thing was very clear to her.

The fact that this program had been created and Wang Yunshui had been brought in as a contestant meant that, behind the scenes, Wang Yunshui was expected to debut.

If Wang Yunshui wanted to target someone, Xu Xiaoye couldn’t really stop her.

But this group was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Xu Xiaoye. She had to seize it, and she couldn’t let the final group become a complete mess.

Her three-year deadline was almost up.

Three months from now would be her twenty-fourth birthday. If she still failed to debut this time, then she would have no choice but to honor her agreement and go home to work in an industry she neither liked nor had any talent for.

She could tolerate Wang Yunshui getting into the group.

But at the same time, she absolutely had to have An Rong too!

She was determined to have her!

By the time An Rong finished working out, there was no one left in the gym. She was drenched in sweat, even her clothes completely soaked through. Standing alone in a corner, she sniffed herself.

There was definitely a bit of a sweaty smell.

She sat outside for a while and waited until most of the sweat had dried. Then she entered through the other door beside the restroom, circled around into the shower area, rinsed off quickly, and only then put her clothes back on and returned to the dorm.

The light in their little cubicle had been covered, leaving everything dim and hazy. It didn’t spill very far outside.

An Rong figured Xu Xiaoye should already be asleep by now.

She tiptoed inside and quietly reached over beside the bed for her pajamas.

Half asleep, Xu Xiaoye asked in a hoarse voice, “What time is it?”

An Rong jumped in fright. She checked the time and whispered, “One o’clock. Go back to sleep.”

“Mm—” Xu Xiaoye made a faint sound, rolled over, and said, “Hurry up and sleep too. We still have training tomorrow.”

An Rong gave a quiet “Mm.”

She walked on tiptoe to wash up and change clothes, moving as quietly as possible, and washed her clothes while she was at it.

Training here meant she had to wash her clothes every day.

Otherwise, the sweat smell would be too strong.

Only the lights were on in the shower room. There wasn’t a single person inside.

An Rong had no idea what had happened here several hours earlier.

She took another quick shower, washed and changed her clothes, then quietly returned to the dorm.

The desk lamp had been covered with a piece of cloth, leaving only a faint glow. Beside it, the second hand of the small clock made a soft ticking sound.

Using the weak light, An Rong looked at Xu Xiaoye sleeping in the darkness.

She didn’t know what Xu Xiaoye was dreaming about, but her brows were still faintly furrowed.

She must be under a lot of pressure.

In her previous life, An Rong had never considered at first that Xu Xiaoye might be under pressure too.

Back then, Xu Xiaoye had practically been a guide to her—a strong and perfect captain, a gentle and affectionate Sister. In front of the cameras, she had always been calm and graceful.

Thinking about it now, An Rong realized she must have overlooked a lot of little details.

She had to work harder.

Grow faster.

Become someone Xu Xiaoye could rely on.

An Rong turned off the lamp, then took the towel that had been covering it and draped it over the little clock instead, muffling the faint ticking sound.

The next morning, when An Rong woke up, Xu Xiaoye had [unauthorized copy]already finished her makeup again. She looked radiant and energetic, sitting below with one leg crossed over the other while drinking coffee.

An Rong’s entire body was still sore, even worse than the day before. The pain felt almost like needles pricking into her muscles.

Hearing movement, Xu Xiaoye looked up at her.

“Stop spacing out. Hurry down, wash up, and go eat.”

“Oh.”

An Rong slowly climbed out of bed, still not fully awake. She dazedly rubbed her eyes as she walked toward the doorway.

Then she turned back and said, “You don’t have to leave the light on for me tonight. There’s still a little light outside at night. I can see.”

Xu Xiaoye was a light sleeper. The slightest noise or brightness at night could keep her awake.

Steam was still rising from the coffee in Xu Xiaoye’s cup.

She looked at An Rong and gave her a sidelong glance.

“Are you nocturnal or something?”

An Rong shook her head and muttered, “No. I’m just afraid you won’t be able to sleep.”

Warmth spread through Xu Xiaoye’s heart.

She smiled slightly.

“You sure think about a lot of things. It’s fine. Just take it easy yourself. Even if you’re young, you can’t abuse your body like this.”

An Rong gave a quiet “Mm.”

After washing her face and coming back, Xu Xiaoye pointed at the chair.

“Sit down.”

There was a whole row of bottles and jars lined up across the table.

An Rong hesitated for a moment before slowly walking over and sitting down.

Xu Xiaoye held An Rong by the chin and tilted her face up, doing her makeup for her.

“Once we finish breakfast, you won’t need to go to the makeup room.”

An Rong remembered running into Wang Yunshui there yesterday, and her brows furrowed slightly.

Xu Xiaoye clicked her tongue.

“Don’t move.”

An Rong’s brows immediately relaxed, and she didn’t dare move at all.

After breakfast—after breakfast, the two of them went to the dance studio.

An Rong secretly searched for Wang Yunshui with her eyes.

Wang Yunshui was leading her team through their choreography. Her movements already looked extremely smooth, and her progress seemed to be about the same as Xu Xiaoye’s.

How strange.

She clearly wasn’t particularly talented. So why was she progressing so quickly this time?

Xu Xiaoye stood beside An Rong, bent down, and leaned toward her shoulder, her face nearly brushing against An Rong’s.

Following An Rong’s stolen contentline of sight, she asked in a low, drawn-out voice, “What are you looking at?”

An Rong jumped.

Startled, she instantly turned her head, and her lips brushed across Xu Xiaoye’s cheek as she stumbled a step backward.

Xu Xiaoye froze slightly.

An Rong blinked uneasily.

Looking at the faint smear of lipstick she had left on Xu Xiaoye’s cheek, she felt so guilty that she didn’t even dare look directly into her eyes.

Xu Xiaoye raised a hand and wiped her cheek with her thumb.

Looking at the faint pink mark on the pad of her finger, the corner of her mouth lifted.

With deliberate flirtatiousness in her smiling eyes, she asked An read the original at bailiantales.comRong, “Am I really that scary?”

An Rong immediately shook her head.

Her heart was racing, her breathing quickening.

Not scary at all.

If anything…

Xu Xiaoye reached out and gave her a soft little push.

Pouting coquettishly, she said, “You’re so annoying. That’s twice now. Are you trying to take advantage of me?”

An Rong’s heart went into complete chaos.

Had Xu Xiaoye figured it out?

No, no, no.

If Xu Xiaoye had figured it out, she would probably beat her to death on the spot.

There was no way she would be talking to her like this.

An Rong’s tongue quickly swept across her lips. Nervously, she shook her head.

“No. It was a misunderstanding. I wasn’t.”

For a moment, the atmosphere grew strangely heated.

An Rong’s heart was racing and her breathing was shallow, yet her face remained calm and expressionless as she tentatively said, “Why don’t you go wash your face?”

People nearby were already looking over at them.

Xu Xiaoye tossed her hair, her gaze damp and glimmering like tiny hooks as she looked at An Rong.

She gave a soft huff.

“No need.”

Then she used the pad of her finger to rub the mark on her cheek until the color gradually blended away and disappeared.

An Rong swallowed.

Afraid that her gaze might become too greedy and expose her, she hurriedly looked away.

Only after several seconds did she turn back again.

“You scared me.”

Xu Xiaoye pinched the soft flesh of her cheek and said sternly, “Then who told you to be distracted instead of focusing on training?”

An Rong’s mouth was dry.

She didn’t argue and only kept nodding.

Xu Xiaoye let go and put on the air of a proper team captain.

An Rong immediately became obedient, attentive, and completely focused as she went back to practicing.

Across the room, Wang Yunshui frowned as she watched Xu Xiaoye.

What, was An Rong some kind of precious treasure now?

Why was Xu Xiaoye protecting her so tightly?

Who was she putting on this performance for?

Author’s Note:

Xu Xiaoye: Little Rongrong is so much fun to tease~~