After Rebirth, I Ended Up with My Idol [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 16

Xia Chunhua’s voice matched her appearance—very sweet, very youthful. Her flaw was equally obvious: her vocal range was too narrow and her tone was thin, but her “sweetness” was undeniable.

Coincidentally, the song selected for this evaluation was a sweet “girl-in-love” track. Her tone and emotion matched the song perfectly, which actually worked in her favor.

When she finished singing, many people clapped supportively. Even Wang Yunshui, mindful of the cameras, clapped along happily.

Sitting on the floor, Xia Chunhua looked up at An Rong with a face full of anticipation. “Play another one, something else.”

The afternoon training was nearly over. Everyone was exhausted and had just sat down for a brief rest. Many had the same desire but didn’t dare speak up, so once Xia Chunhua took the lead, everyone started chanting.

“One more! One more!”

An Rong acted as if she couldn’t refuse. After hesitating for a few seconds, she nodded and agreed.

Since the instrument was already out, if one piece of footage wasn’t enough, she’d provide another—buy one, get one free.

Before playing, An Rong explained: “This is an old song. Many of you might not have heard it. It’s not a professional Erhu piece; it’s a theme song from a TV drama about family bonds. It’s very short, so just give it a casual listen.”

She kept her posture humble and introduced the content of the song first, setting the stage.

As soon as Xu Xiaoye heard her words, she guessed what was coming. This is definitely going to be a sad tune. Not bad, little dummy, this method works. If she could evoke communal resonance, the effect would be great, and she’d get to showcase her skills.

The moment the first note sounded, Xu Xiaoye’s “spectator” mood vanished. Perhaps it was because the Shaoqin still carried the Erhu’s sorrowful lament, or perhaps the melody itself was intentionally moving, but the warm yet sobbing tone of the intro instantly tugged at everyone’s heartstrings.

When the music faded, suppressed sobbing could be heard from somewhere. Like a contagion, it spread from one to two, then four. The dance studio was suddenly enveloped in an atmosphere of grief.

An Rong put her instrument down, said nothing, and turned to glance at Xu Xiaoye.

Xu Xiaoye seemed to have just snapped back to her senses. Meeting An Rong’s gaze, she pursed her lips, smiled, and gave a thumbs up, appearing unaffected.

Xia Chunhua sat in front of An Rong, her face teary and her mouth pouting aggrievedly. “I miss my mom… I miss my dad, I miss my grandma…”

An Rong set the Shaoqin down and leaned over to give her a hug.

Xia Chunhua sniffled and choked out, “Can I have some of those pickles later?”

An Rong rubbed her fuzzy hair and hummed. “Of course, I’ll give them all to you.”

Xia Chunhua hugged An Rong’s neck and wailed out loud, sobbing between breaths, “You’re so good… the pickles… sob sob… are so delicious.”

An Rong sighed and comforted her: “They’re all yours. Don’t cry. You won’t be cute if you cry.”

In her previous life, An Rong only found out much later that Xia Chunhua’s grandmother was a very interesting old lady who lived in a villa, made pickles, turned her garden into a vegetable patch, and even kept a sheep. However, she had passed away from illness.

Xia Chunhua’s little fists hammered An Rong’s back as she sobbed in protest. “You… shut up. Is that how you talk to your big sister?”

Right, even at a time like this, she doesn’t forget her status.

An Rong let go, wiped the tears from her face, and coaxed: “Fine, fine, sister. You’re the big sister.”

The original somber atmosphere was completely broken by Xia Chunhua.

The girls participating in this selection were all quite young. At twenty-four, Xu Xiaoye was already a three-year trainee; Xiao Yu was twenty-three, Wang Yunshui was twenty-one, and the rest were under twenty. They were young and lacked life experience. After a week of closed “hell training” without phones or computers, they felt disconnected from the digital world. Everyone was homesick; they just hadn’t said it.

Today, An Rong’s rendition of “Family Bonds” blew the lid off. After shedding a few quiet tears, everyone’s spirits were a bit low.

Seeing this, An Rong clapped her hands and said, “It’s all my fault! Stop frowning, let’s cheer up! I’ll play another one, sing along if you know it!”

An Rong picked up the instrument and immediately launched into The Big Bridal Sedan Chair.

It wasn’t “pretty girl” style at all. It wasn’t “indie-fresh.” The melody alone radiated the rugged, boisterous passion of a country man marrying a wife.

The “pretty girls” couldn’t quite let loose yet, laughing bashfully while still wearing teardrops.

Xu Xiaoye slapped the rhythm with her hands and cut in, singing loudly: “Back to that mountaintop I walk once more / Seeing the red azaleas all over the hill / The smile in my mouth is—”

“Yo-he, yo-he, yo!”

With someone leading, everyone joined in, enthusiastically participating.

Xu Xiaoye, playing the guitar, joined in as well: “The beauty in my heart is—”

“Lang-ge-li-ge-lang!”

Even those who didn’t know the song knew those two lines. They instantly followed along loudly. Once they shouted it out, they couldn’t help but laugh while nudging each other.

An Rong played exceptionally well. This song was cheerful, with a great, simple rhythm, and the Shaoqin’s high notes were bright. The atmosphere was perfectly guided.

Xu Xiaoye led the group through the first time. By the second time, she stopped leading, fearing she’d get the lyrics wrong.

However, An Rong was constantly keeping an eye on her. Even if she sang the wrong words, An Rong could cover for her, so she wasn’t panicking at all. When Xu Xiaoye felt unsure, she’d sing it herself.

“Little sister says nothing, only looks at me and smiles / I know she’s waiting for my—”

The crowd joyfully shouted the well-known last three words: “Big bridal sedan chair!”

After shouting it, they felt a bit “sand-sculpture” (silly), so they clapped and laughed right there without reservation. For young people, emotions come and go quickly. After laughing for a while, they had already forgotten their teary-eyed homesickness from moments before.

After the song, the afternoon session basically ended. An Rong and Xu Xiaoye walked out with their instruments. Behind them, someone was still whispering “lang-ge-li-ge-lang.” The song was quite catchy; after hearing it twice, it started playing on a loop in their heads.

Xu Xiaoye gave An Rong a thumbs up, pressed her hand on her shoulder, and said with a smile, “Like.”

An Rong pursed her lips and smiled.

Xu Xiaoye said happily and curiously, “I didn’t expect you to be able to play that?”

An Rong countered, “I didn’t expect you to be able to sing that.”

Xu Xiaoye tilted her chin, gave her a playful wink, and said cockily, “Well, there’s nothing your Big Sister doesn’t know.”

An Rong didn’t want to expose her and just nodded, a “simp” with no bottom line or principles.

Back at the dorm, An Rong sent the jar of chili pickles to Xia Chunhua. Upon receiving it, Xia Chunhua couldn’t bring herself to eat it and placed it solemnly on her desk.

Returning to their cubicle, Xu Xiaoye was lying on her bed, appearing to be in a daze, lost in thought.

An Rong sat at the desk, preparing to write some lyrics. Just as she opened her notebook and picked up her pen, Xu Xiaoye suddenly asked, “Do you miss home?”

An Rong hesitated for a moment, turned around to look at Xu Xiaoye, and nodded. “I do.”

She really missed home—her parents, her younger brother, the small vegetable garden in the yard. In her previous life, they eventually became so busy they barely touched the ground; going home felt like something from a distant past.

Speaking of which, An Rong suddenly remembered that in her previous life, she had never heard Xu Xiaoye mention her family. She rarely seemed to call them. Did she have some unspeakable secret?

An Rong asked hesitantly, looking at the still-dazed Xu Xiaoye, “Do you miss home?”

Xu Xiaoye didn’t move. After a while, she closed her eyes, sighed, and said in an extremely soft voice, “I do. How could I not?”

She didn’t know if this part would be edited and broadcast, but she really did miss home. It had been nearly three years. How could she not miss it?

An Rong saw that her expression seemed a bit off. She put her pen back on the desk and tried to comfort her cautiously: “You’ll definitely be able to debut. In two months, when we’re out, you can go home.”

Xu Xiaoye turned her head to the side and let out a light laugh, as if saying, Is it your turn to comfort me now?

But when she turned back and saw An Rong’s serious and earnest expression, she realized this was a kid who took everything to heart. So she changed her tone, withdrew her smile, and looked at An Rong seriously. “Thank you.”

An Rong shook her head. “No need for thanks.”

As long as you can be happy and not heavy-hearted, I’m happy doing anything.