Chapter 22
There was no one else in the shower room. Damp moisture lingered in the air, making the space feel secluded and somehow vaguely suggestive.
Light spread in from behind Xu Xiaoye as though it lacked the strength to reach any farther, barely stopping at her shoulders. Her body blocked the rest of it, leaving An Rong enveloped beneath her. An Rong knew this wasn’t an embrace, but she still couldn’t stop her head from spinning.
An Rong swallowed, her throat bobbing. Impulse slowly awakened, stirring every nerve in her body. The pounding of her heart and pulse grew louder and louder, almost echoing through the slightly empty room.
People came out of the restroom, their indistinct voices drifting in as they passed somewhere not far outside.
It almost seemed to be telling her—That’s right! There’s no one here. The people outside definitely can’t hear what they’re saying or doing.
An Rong lowered her head slightly. The faint scent of some kind of laundry detergent or body wash lingered around the tip of her nose, light and subtly sweet, continuously stimulating her brain to send out impulsive signals.
Hold her! Kiss her! Claim her!
Xu Xiaoye braced her right hand against the door beside An Rong’s shoulder, half her body leaning over An Rong. Only after the sounds outside gradually disappeared did her brows relax slightly. Lowering her voice, she said, “There are some things that aren’t convenient to tell you outside. You saw what happened today too. Right now, the company is determined to guarantee Wang Yunshui’s debut. But I’m still worried about you. You look obedient on the surface, but you’re stubborn and hardheaded. No matter what happens from now on, don’t go head-to-head with Wang Yunshui.”
Xu Xiaoye spoke with painstaking sincerity, every word earnest.
An Rong’s hand hanging at her side pressed tightly against the door. A sliver of light leaked through and illuminated her whitening fingers.
Her rationality struggled desperately along the edge of madness. An Rong’s back was pressed firmly against the door, and half her body gradually heated beneath Xu Xiaoye’s shadow. Only one light was on in the shower room. Its glow couldn’t reach very far, merely diffusing faintly across the white wall before falling indistinctly over Xu Xiaoye’s ear.
An Rong slowly raised her head and looked at Xu Xiaoye with an obscure, complicated expression.
“What are you spacing out for?” Xu Xiaoye straightened up and tapped An Rong’s forehead, frowning. “I’m telling you something important. Did you hear me? From now on, you are not allowed to get into conflicts with Wang Yunshui. She can be awful all she wants; just ignore her. The relationships behind this are complicated, and I can’t explain them clearly in a short time. Anyway, Wang Yunshui has someone backing her. You don’t. If you clash with her, you’re the one who’ll suffer.”
An Rong lowered her head and quietly exhaled inside. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, her heart filling with tenderness. “You’re worried about me?”
Xu Xiaoye nodded openly. “Yes. I’m worried about you.”
She really was worried. Wang Yunshui had called her clever, low-key, and socially adept, but that was only because Wang Yunshui had met her too late.
Three years ago, when Xu Xiaoye had first joined TS, she had chosen the company because it was a famous major name in the industry. Its resources and reputation were among the best. She had naively believed that a large company like this wouldn’t be so easily interfered with by the Xu family, and that she could rely on her own ability to achieve her dream and fulfill all the bold declarations she had made.
Back then, Xu Xiaoye had also been full of passion and hope. For twenty years, she had always believed she was someone blessed by heaven who never needed to bow her head to anyone. But then… reality taught her otherwise.
In short, the reason she had dragged things out until now without debuting could really be summed up in one sentence—she had been young, reckless, and far too naive.
“Boy groups, girl groups, every singer in the company—even Qin Yun—has to cooperate with the company’s arrangements.” Xu Xiaoye frowned deeply, thinking about how she could explain this without crushing the little fool while still making sure she listened.
It was surprisingly difficult.
An Rong raised a brow, suppressing the heavy impulse and disappointment in her heart. “You brought me here just to tell me this?”
Her fan-like lashes lowered, their shadows concealing her eyes.
Xu Xiaoye’s heart stirred slightly. Thinking that some stubborn thought had gotten stuck in An Rong’s head again, she quickly reached out and hugged her. Lowering her head beside An Rong’s ear, she sighed. “The gap between reality and dreams really is cruel. You’re still young. You’ll understand in the future.”
In this industry, capital was everything. If capital wanted to promote someone, it could send them soaring to the top. If it wanted to ignore someone, it could quietly bury them forever.
Caught completely off guard by the hug, An Rong was surrounded by Xu Xiaoye’s warmth and scent. That faint disappointment instantly transformed into strands of sweetness, like molten sugar pulled into fine threads, hot and delicate as they wrapped around her again and again.
An Rong couldn’t help thinking again: It’s over. I’m possessed. There’s no saving me.
“You haven’t seemed quite right today.” Xu Xiaoye stroked the side of An Rong’s neck with one hand, soothing her like she was petting a cat. “Are you angry? Don’t be so stubborn. This world isn’t made up of nothing but right and wrong, and there aren’t purely good people and purely bad people either. Everyone has their own position. If you don’t like it, then don’t get involved. We might all be on the same team later, seeing each other every day, so it’s better not to make the relationship too ugly. But… don’t let yourself be wronged too much either.”
Being soothed like that made An Rong feel so comfortable she could practically bubble with happiness. Forget this—at this moment, if Xu Xiaoye asked her to climb into the sky and pluck down a star, she could agree without blinking.
An Rong hesitated before nodding, then asked, “Sister, did something like this happen to you too?”
In her previous life, An Rong had performed very ordinarily during the selection at first and only started improving later. She had been chosen mostly because of her age and vocal qualities, so making the final group had actually been somewhat unexpected. Back then, Wang Yunshui had never paid any attention to her, and none of these frustrating incidents had happened.
So Xu Xiaoye had never mentioned any of this to her in her previous life.
Now that An Rong had asked, Xu Xiaoye let go. Her fingers lingered briefly on An Rong’s cheek, the tips gently brushing across her skin in an extremely soft, delicate touch.
An Rong blinked, nearly holding her breath, not daring to make even the smallest movement.
Xu Xiaoye suddenly pinched the soft flesh of An Rong’s cheek and shook it, smiling as she asked, “Why are you asking so much? You’re acting weird. Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for me, hm?”
She looked exceptionally beautiful when she smiled. Her eyes were gentle as water, the corners of her lips slightly curved with a naturally alluring trace of sensuality.
An Rong’s heart sped up. She only looked for two seconds before immediately shifting her gaze away and calmly denying it three times in a row. “Misunderstanding. No. Not at all. I’m just curious.”
Xu Xiaoye pinched her cheek again.
It really felt nice, soft and springy.
Xu Xiaoye pinched her two more times before finally letting go and casually saying, “What’s there to be curious about? Come on, let’s go.”
An Rong covered the door lock with her hand.
Hey.
Now the initiative was in her hands!
Xu Xiaoye was about to open the door and, caught off guard, touched An Rong’s hand instead.
An Rong raised her head to look at her, her voice soft and gentle as she acted spoiled. “You can’t even tell me?”
Xu Xiaoye looked into her clear eyes and blinked. She took hold of An Rong’s wrist and pulled her hand away, avoiding the subject as she deliberately teased, “It’s not that I won’t tell you. There’s genuinely nothing to say. Don’t act so… girly and coy.”
An Rong: …
What kind of strange description was that?
Did it even fit?
Since Xu Xiaoye didn’t want to talk about it, An Rong tested the waters once and didn’t insist. She simply followed Xu Xiaoye’s lead and let go.
The two walked out of the shower room and happened to run into Xiao Yu coming out of the restroom.
Xiao Yu raised a brow and gave the two of them a slightly amused look. Then her gaze passed beyond them toward the shower room behind them before returning with even more suggestive amusement, finally landing on the pink mark on An Rong’s cheek. She hinted meaningfully, “Oh—moving pretty fast, huh? Go wash your face.”
Xu Xiaoye and An Rong both froze.
Wash her face?
Xiao Yu pointed to her own cheek, at exactly the same spot as the mark on An Rong’s, then gave Xu Xiaoye an ambiguous smile before turning and walking away.
Xu Xiaoye froze for a moment.
Then realization suddenly struck.
She turned to look at An Rong’s cheek.
This kid’s skin was way too delicate. Xu Xiaoye had only pinched her twice, and it was still a little pink…
Wait.
Xu Xiaoye rubbed a finger across her own lips.
She was stunned.
Exactly the same color.
So Xiao Yu’s reaction just now meant… she thought the mark on the kid’s cheek had been left by Xu Xiaoye kissing her?????
An Rong had realized it too, but she was extremely good at keeping a straight face. Pretending not to understand, she asked Xu Xiaoye, “What’s wrong?”
The subtle ugliness that crossed Xu Xiaoye’s expression stabbed lightly at An Rong’s heart.
Xu Xiaoye rubbed her fingers together, wiping away the lipstick stain on her fingertip. Frowning, she shook her head. “Nothing. Come on. Go back and get familiar with your new teammates.”
She deliberately avoided the subject. An Rong lowered her eyes slightly and softly responded without asking anything else.
Xu Xiaoye turned her head and noticed that An Rong seemed a little disappointed. Suddenly, something uncomfortable twisted inside her, but she had no idea where the feeling came from. After thinking it over and over, she frowned in frustration.
Had her attitude been too harsh?
Or had she pinched An Rong too hard and hurt her?
After returning to the dorm, An Rong unusually didn’t go work out. It was almost ten anyway, and they still hadn’t received the task for the next evaluation. An Rong decided to give herself one night off, practice her instrument, and rest for a while.
She didn’t think there was anything strange about her behavior.
But in Xu Xiaoye’s eyes, An Rong was obviously unhappy—sulking by herself, not going to work out, and refusing to talk.
Xu Xiaoye sighed inwardly.
Those things from the past really weren’t worth bringing up anymore. Explaining them would be tangled, complicated, and extremely long.
Besides, they were all in the same industry. They would inevitably run into one another in the future. Xu Xiaoye didn’t want An Rong to develop a preconceived negative impression of other people because of her and have it affect her future career.
An Rong was reading sheet music when Xu Xiaoye dragged over a stool and sat beside her, leaning over the table to stare at An Rong.
An Rong turned her head and raised a brow in confusion.
Xu Xiaoye tapped her finger lightly against the tabletop.
Being stared at made An Rong a little uncomfortable. She shifted slightly and asked, “What?”
Xu Xiaoye stopped tapping.
After hesitating, she lowered her voice and drawled, “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you. It happened a long time ago, and it can’t really be explained in one or two sentences.”
Only then did An Rong realize that Xu Xiaoye was still thinking about that.
She pressed her lips together in a smile and lowered her own voice. “It’s okay. I understand.”
Xu Xiaoye must have her own considerations.
If she didn’t want to say it, An Rong wasn’t actually going to force her.
Maybe it simply wasn’t the right time yet.
Otherwise, Xu Xiaoye wouldn’t have gone through their entire previous life without ever mentioning it.
Xu Xiaoye breathed a sigh of relief, completely failing to realize there was anything unusual about how worried she had been.
Suddenly, a loud commotion came from outside, with many people talking.
Xu Xiaoye stood up. “I’ll go take a look.”
An Rong put down her sheet music and followed.
At some point, Qin Yun had returned.
She was alone, holding four tablets in her arms. The moment she saw An Rong, she called to her, “Come here. Time to hand out your homework.”
An Rong walked over and asked, “Do we just pick one at random like last time?”
Qin Yun shook her head and directly handed her one.
An Rong took it and looked at the back.
A label was stuck there with her name written on it.
Qin Yun distributed the other three tablets as well, then said directly, “This evaluation will use the same format as the last one, but the material will be slightly more difficult. Prepare well.”
She didn’t seem to be in a good mood.
Wang Yunshui had just approached and called softly, “Teacher Qin…”
Qin Yun ignored her completely, turned around, and walked away.
Wang Yunshui was left standing awkwardly in place.
Everyone else ignored her too, pretending they hadn’t seen anything before turning away and dispersing.
The moment Qin Yun left the building, she made a phone call.
As soon as it connected, without even listening to what the person on the other end said, she spoke coldly and went straight on the attack.
“Sister Yu, tell the company this for me. If Wang Yunshui keeps acting this willful and refusing to know her limits, I won’t care whose face I’m supposed to save. This show isn’t only being broadcast for company employees, and not all three evaluators belong to our company. Since someone already leaked the evaluation material to her in advance, then please tell her to behave herself and stop reaching her hands so far. Does she think the rest of us are dead?”
Qin Yun had no intention of listening to any explanation.
The moment she finished speaking, she hung up.
Author’s Note:
An Rong: …I’m really exhausted. I can’t take it anymore!
Comments 0
You must be logged in to comment.
No comments yet. Be the first!