After Rebirth, I Ended Up with My Idol [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 9

By the time An Rong and Xu Xiaoye arrived, there were very few people left in the dining hall. Everyone had left early and finished their meals long ago.

Looking at the vegetables on An Rong’s tray and a tiny portion of rice, Xu Xiaoye asked in surprise, “Is that all? Are you going to be full?”

After such a massive amount of exercise all day, and at an age where she was still growing, she hadn’t eaten much at lunch. Now, she was choosing food that was low in calories and sugar.

An Rong gave a hum of acknowledgment. “It’s okay. Mainly, I need to lose weight.”

She chewed slowly, eating her rice grain by grain. After swallowing, she added, “Even though I don’t have a foundation, it’s not that I don’t care. I want to win.”

The things Xu Xiaoye had said in the dance studio earlier truly reflected her mindset at the start of her previous life. But people change. The later version of her no longer wanted just a short-term wage of two hundred yuan; she wanted a career—or rather, the dream she had back then. It was a strange feeling, but she desperately wanted this opportunity.

Her words caught Xu Xiaoye slightly off guard, but upon reflection, it made sense. After all, she was already here. Xu Xiaoye looked up and asked her seriously, “Do you want to win this competition, or do you want to debut in a girl group?”

An Rong looked firmly at Xu Xiaoye and said, “I want to debut. This time.”

With you.

If she couldn’t debut with Xu Xiaoye this time, her intersection with Xu Xiaoye might end right here.

Her serious expression didn’t seem faked or like a joke, but could a seventeen-year-old high school student really decide the trajectory of her life?

Xu Xiaoye was a bit skeptical. Although she had recognized An Rong’s immense talent from the start, choosing a path that influenced one’s entire life was never that simple for an underage girl.

However, knowing there were likely cameras around, Xu Xiaoye frowned slightly before smiling and saying, “Then let’s work hard together! I believe in you.”

An Rong knew she was just being polite, but she was still incredibly happy.

After eating, the two returned to the dorm. Before they even stepped inside, they heard a chorus of laughter and chatter. Young people bond easily, and since they had already been divided into teams, people from the same team tended to stick together when choosing dorm areas. After a day of training, they had plenty to talk about at night—getting to know each other or discussing the day’s training.

An Rong took out her instrument and began to tune it.

Seeing this, Xu Xiaoye leaned in curiously. As she watched, she asked, “Is that an Erhu?”

Xu Xiaoye didn’t have much contact with traditional instruments. It looked like one; aside from an Erhu, what else looked like that?

An Rong adjusted the strings, placed the instrument on her lap, and shook her head with a smile. “No. I used to play the Erhu, but I switched to this last year. It’s a Shaoqin. It’s similar to an Erhu, but the sound isn’t as muffled, and the bass range is richer.”

Xu Xiaoye could play guitar and had heard Erhu music, so she understood. It was an “improved version.”

How could An Rong miss this chance to show off? She immediately arched an eyebrow and asked with a smile, “Want me to play a song for you?”

Xu Xiaoye stood up and rummaged through her suitcase for a packet of instant coffee. “Wait, let me prepare first. I feel like listening to this requires tea, but I don’t have any. This will have to do.”

She took an electric kettle outside to boil water and returned shortly. The slightly bitter aroma of coffee soon drifted to An Rong’s nose.

Xu Xiaoye sat upright at the desk, holding a white porcelain mug with a very formal attitude, making An Rong a bit unaccustomed to it.

An Rong opened the tablet on the desk and told Xu Xiaoye, “I haven’t memorized the sheet music yet; I need to look at it.”

Xu Xiaoye put down her cup, took the tablet from An Rong, and placed it on her lap. She leaned forward to look, but the height wasn’t quite right. She crossed her legs to prop up her knee and rested the tablet vertically against it. “Is this okay?”

An Rong blinked and frowned slightly.

Xu Xiaoye enlarged the page a bit and scrolled down.

An Rong nodded. “Yes.”

The sound of the Shaoqin was bright. As the intro began, the voices outside grew quieter. An Rong played while Xu Xiaoye hummed along softly. Before the first verse even ended, several people had gathered at the door to watch the performance.

An Rong had started learning the Erhu at age ten and had played for seven years. Two years ago, her master bought a Shaoqin and found it had advantages over the Erhu. But having played the Erhu for decades, he eventually went back to it once the novelty wore off, feeling the Erhu’s flaws were part of its character—much like a parent looking at a biological son. So, he gave the Shaoqin to An Rong.

An Rong had always been patient, musically gifted, and a fast learner. She loved it too. Since she was a child visiting her godmother’s house, while others went out to play, she would sit and listen to Hu Gensheng play the Erhu. Eventually, she officially became his apprentice. Hu Gensheng was her godmother’s husband, but after the apprenticeship, they kept the titles separate—An Rong called Mrs. Hu “Godmother” and Hu Gensheng “Master.”

The onlookers at the door, originally drawn by the sound, ended up staying until the very end. When An Rong finished, they burst into a round of applause.

An Rong was startled, leaning back reflexively, momentarily at a loss for words.

Xu Xiaoye turned around with a smile and asked the people crowded at the door, “Was it good?”

Xia Chunhua took the lead in shouting, “It was great! Encore!”

An Rong began to pack away the instrument, her eyes stealing a glance at Xu Xiaoye.

Xu Xiaoye held the tablet in one hand and raised her voice, while still keeping it low enough not to be a disturbance. She joked with a grin, “That’s it for tonight! Everyone disperse! Come back early tomorrow!”

An Rong had already packed up the instrument. Though she didn’t speak, her actions made it clear she didn’t want to play anymore. After a bit of teasing, the crowd dispersed.

Xu Xiaoye turned back, gave An Rong a thumbs up, and said with curled lips, “Awesome!”

An Rong pursed her lips and smiled shyly.

In her previous life, after Xu Xiaoye had heard her play many times, she would constantly ask An Rong to “whip one out.” She called playing the strings “whipping the strings,” and would say, “Rong-er, whip one out for me.”

Starting over and suddenly returning to this initial formality made An Rong a bit uncomfortable.

But this state wouldn’t last long…

Xu Xiaoye asked curiously, “How long have you been learning this?”

An Rong replied, “Six or seven years. Seven years now.”

Xu Xiaoye praised, “Impressive, impressive. Incredible.”

An Rong’s lips twitched upward. She was happy to be praised and even wanted to play another for her, but it was getting late.

An Rong looked at the small clock on the desk. “It’s past nine. I won’t play anymore; some people might sleep early.”

Living in a collective dorm with different schedules, it was best not to disturb others.

Xu Xiaoye picked up her now-temperate coffee, drained it, and nodded. “Mhm, right. Wash up and head to bed.”

An Rong pointed to the tablet and asked, “Can I borrow that for a bit?”

With five people in a team, there was only one tablet. It was usually kept with the captain, and though anyone could take it if they needed it, no one had yet, so it stayed with Xu Xiaoye.

Since An Rong asked, Xu Xiaoye nodded, then asked, “Are you going back to dance?”

An Rong shook her head. “No, I want to exercise for a while and listen to some songs.”

Xu Xiaoye arched her eyebrows in surprise. In a single day, so many things had happened that she was beginning to see her little roommate in a new light. She looked like a “quiet jar,” but turned out to be so multi-talented and hardworking.

Not bad. She has a future.

Xu Xiaoye felt she had praised her too much today and didn’t want to mention it again. She just nodded at An Rong. “Alright, go ahead. Take it easy and remember to stretch, otherwise you’ll be ‘paralyzed’ tomorrow.”

An Rong remembered. She even put her hands on her hips and waved her hand to the other side on the spot—exactly like a primary schooler facing the sun in the morning. It was almost too painful to watch.

Xu Xiaoye suppressed a laugh and waved her off. “Alright, alright.”

An Rong turned and ran.

Xu Xiaoye leaned against the back of her chair and thought: Ugly-cute, ugly-cute.

The gym across the hall was empty, so An Rong took off her earphones and played the music out loud. The singing gained a boost in the empty room, sounding extra loud, so An Rong turned the volume down and set it aside.

She had been on the elliptical for half an hour when Xu Xiaoye walked in. She was frowning and standing at the door staring at An Rong.

Feeling a bit guilty under the stare, An Rong slowly stopped, wiped the sweat from her face, and asked in confusion, “Why are you here too?”

Xu Xiaoye wiped her face helplessly and walked in. “The coffee was too strong. I can’t sleep.”

She had already washed up and changed, but she just tossed and turned in bed. She didn’t have her phone, and the tablet had been taken by An Rong. After staring at An Rong’s instrument case for a long time, she decided to come find her.

Even though her insomnia wasn’t directly her fault, An Rong still felt guilty. She stepped off the elliptical, panting, and asked Xu Xiaoye tentatively, “Should I give you a massage? My massage skills are also very good.”

Xu Xiaoye did a few stretches on the spot, then dropped into a plank. She gritted her teeth and declined, saying to An Rong, “No need. I’ll just move around. I’ll fall asleep when I’m tired.”

An Rong turned the tablet’s volume up a little bit. Fearing it would reach the hallway, she went to close the door.

Xu Xiaoye held the plank for over a minute before collapsing. She then started side planks. She still had the energy to talk to An Rong, though her voice wavered slightly. “Have you ‘opened’ your shoulders?”

An Rong knew her current self hadn’t, so she pretended not to understand. “What is opening shoulders?”

When her time was up, Xu Xiaoye lay on the floor for a moment to catch her breath. She stood up and said, “Opening shoulders means opening the shoulder joints and stretching the ligaments and muscles. You need open shoulders for dancing, but it hurts a bit.”

An Rong blinked in confusion and asked, “I don’t understand. How do you open them?”

Xu Xiaoye walked to the wall to demonstrate. Standing sideways with her arm and shoulder against the wall, she said, “There’s no standard position. Just place it like this. If it feels easy, move your arm up until it reaches a point where it hurts, then stop and hold it.”

An Rong went to the wall. As soon as she lifted her hand, it touched the wall, but her body wasn’t perfectly sideways and her arm wasn’t straight. She looked at Xu Xiaoye and said, “I can’t see my hand. Is this okay?”

Xu Xiaoye: “…”

Demonstration was useless, so Xu Xiaoye had to come over herself. She pressed on An Rong’s shoulder to correct her body position and held her arm against the wall with the other hand, slowly moving it up inch by inch.

Both had just exercised; their bodies radiated heat and carried the faint, damp scent of sweat.

Xu Xiaoye had long, slender fingers. The pressure on the shoulder was firm, but the hand holding the arm was soft, and her movements were as gentle as possible.

“How about this? Does it hurt?”

An Rong spaced out for a moment. She suddenly realized with a start that even after rebirth, she was still a “simp.” Ah, this humble love.

The door suddenly opened, directly facing An Rong.

Song Ran pushed the door open, her eyes widening as she looked at An Rong and Xu Xiaoye. It took her a while to find her voice. “I… I wanted to ask if you guys were still using that tablet…”

Xu Xiaoye let go of her hand, and An Rong “peeled” herself off the wall. The two answered in unison: “No.”

Everything was normal, but the atmosphere seemed to undergo a subtle, split-second change.

“I’m going back to sleep.” — Xu Xiaoye.

“I’m going to shower.” — An Rong.

The two voices overlapped perfectly. Consequently, the subtle atmosphere became a degree more awkward.

Song Ran swallowed, walked in cautiously, picked up the tablet from the floor, and said, “Then I’m leaving?”

To prevent further awkwardness, Xu Xiaoye and An Rong simultaneously remained silent.

As a result, the awkward atmosphere became a degree more eerie.

Until Song Ran walked out and closed the door.

An Rong looked sideways at Xu Xiaoye. Her gaze darted away quickly, but her peripheral vision lingered reluctantly. She was the first to break the silence. “It hurts a bit. I’ll practice a while longer.”

Xu Xiaoye smacked her lips, feeling the previous unease was simply inexplicable. Tracing it back to the source, it was all An Rong’s fault for playing the strings!