Chapter 20

Chi Rui returned the phone to Xi Yaozhi. “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. Sister Tang Yu is my senior. Of course I’ll help her out. If anything happens in the future, just come find me.” Xi Yaozhi patted Chi Rui on the shoulder.

“All right. Thank you, Sister Yaozhi.”

After returning from Xi Yaozhi’s side, Chi Rui took a detour back to the dorm and dug out the bag Tang Yu had given her.

Inside was an entire row of sports knee pads. Tang Yu had probably considered that Chi Rui would need to dance for long periods, so she had bought a relatively thin and light style.

Aside from the knee pads, there was also a medicine kit underneath. After opening it, apart from common medical supplies like bandages, gauze, and alcohol, there were many medicine bottles. Cold medicine, painkillers, liver-protection tablets—everything Chi Rui could and could not think of was fully prepared.

She had to admit, Tang Yu’s level of attentiveness had reached the point where even Chi Rui was amazed. What kind of manager was this? She was practically a virtuous wife and loving mother.

The color of the bruises on her knees had already faded a lot compared to yesterday, but visually, they were still somewhat frightening. Chi Rui thought about it, then opened a pair of knee pads and put them on, just right to cover up those eyesore marks.

“All right. This way, I won’t get scolded again, right?”

From childhood to adulthood, what Chi Rui feared most was being nagged by elders. That was why she had always wanted to be the best-behaved one, to avoid unnecessary trouble.

……

After soaking in the practice room for several more days, on the afternoon of the theme song self-recording, cameras were set up in every class’s practice room. Each person took turns filming one by one. After the recording was finished, the staff would send the videos to the mentors for grading.

“Mother Chi, are you going up?” Su Wanwan stood beside Chi Rui. “If you’re not, I’ll go first. Once I finish dancing earlier, I won’t have to be nervous for so long.”

During the initial evaluation stage, the mentors had been watching in person. Now that it was a self-recording, what did she have to worry about?

“Then you go first. I’m not in a hurry.” Chi Rui had not planned to be the standout bird every single time either.

Su Wanwan raised her hand and went up first.

The theme song was a light and lively style that suited being watched in summer. This matched Su Wanwan’s appearance very well. When ordinary people did heart gestures, they might look a little forced, but on her, it was fresh and sweet.

However, sweet was sweet, but Su Wanwan’s movements were definitely not soft. Every beat was swept through cleanly and sharply. Even while singing and dancing all the way to the second half, she did not pant much. Her expression management was still intact, even so perfect that the timing of her wink seemed as if it had been calculated in advance.

If Chi Rui had not been in the same dorm as Su Wanwan and trained with her every day, she would also have found it hard to imagine that this little girl who smiled cheekily all day could be this charming when she danced.

“An A is locked in for you.” Chi Rui handed Su Wanwan, who had returned to sit down and rest, a bottle of water. “Don’t drink too much at once.”

“Thank you, Mother Chi.” Su Wanwan patted her chest. “It’d be great if I can still get an A. I still want to stay in the same dorm as you.”

Chi Rui said, “How do you know I can still stay in A?”

“Damn, if you practiced to this level and still don’t get an A, I’ll directly bring a knife to Boss and demand an explanation for you.” Su Wanwan’s eyes widened roundly, speaking as if she really meant it.

“Then thank you in advance.”

Three hours later, everyone had finished recording the theme song. An assistant held a megaphone at the side and began shouting.

“All trainees, please gather in the hall.”

Everyone let out a long “ah” and dragged their sweat-soaked T-shirts toward the gathering location.

Bai Chang, dressed in white and looking full of immortal air, was already waiting there. Beside her was an entire black mass of staff members standing in a row.

The moment this formation appeared, anyone could tell that the production team was about to stir up trouble.

Bai Chang held the microphone, her smile faint. “How has everyone’s training been?”

Every girl had disheveled hair and looked as if she was close to collapsing. No one knew who had started it first, but it had caused the different classes to compete over who practiced longer and harder. As a result, even though they had only entered the camp a few days ago, they had already fallen into being piggy girls who no longer knew how to get up early and do makeup. The most tragic part was that Bai Chang, with exquisite makeup, just had to be standing there as a contrast.

“It’s very tiring, right?” Bai Chang stood on the stage, easily taking in every change in everyone’s expressions. “But I hope that three months from now, when you look back, you’ll be glad your hard work during this period was worth it.”

“Yes!” the girls answered in unison.

Bai Chang smiled. “So, in order to reward you for your hard work during this period, the production team will make an exception and give you one chance to use your phones. Fifteen minutes. Go call your family and let them know you’re safe.”

“Ahhhhh! Without my phone these past few days, I almost forgot this was the twenty-first century! Hurry, hurry! I only need one minute to call home. I want to use the other fourteen minutes to go online and eat gossip!”

“Only phone calls are allowed,” Bai Chang added.

“Ah… Teacher Bai, please have mercy…”

Very soon, staff members began handing out phones one by one.

Chi Rui took her own phone into the soundproof room, her finger hesitating on the screen, unsure who she should call.

VJ: “Not calling?”

“Can I not call?” Chi Rui looked at him with some expectation.

VJ: “Probably not…”

“All right.” Chi Rui sighed and tapped open Tang Haimei’s number.

Coincidentally, the very second her finger pressed down, a call came into her phone. The VJ quickly shoved the camera closer, and on the screen, two large, clear characters appeared—“Plague God.”

Chi Rui’s first reaction was to cover the phone. “It seems like a spam call. I’ll hang up and call again.”

But… how did she hang up?

Why did the iPhone incoming call screen only have “slide to answer” and no hang-up button!

“Is Chi Rui here?” someone outside knocked on the door.

Chi Rui muted her phone, stood up, and opened the door. Standing outside was Xi Yaozhi. She was also holding a phone and seemed to be on a call. Since she had found the soundproof room Chi Rui was in and knocked on the door, she had probably also been entrusted by someone.

“Why aren’t you answering the phone?” Xi Yaozhi looked at Chi Rui and asked. “There are only ten minutes left. Hurry up.”

Chi Rui had bitterness she could not voice. “Sister Yaozhi, can I not record this segment?”

She would rather not fight for this kind of screen time.

“That won’t do. Everyone has to record it. It’ll be separately placed into derivative behind-the-scenes footage later.”

“…All right, understood.”

Chi Rui sat back down, her face ashen as she slid the answer button. “Hello?”

“It’s me.”

Chi Rui: Like I wouldn’t know it’s you!

But she still had to act surprised. “Teacher Bai, why is it you?”

Bai Chang cooperated very well with the act too. “Uncle and Auntie had matters to handle and couldn’t get away. They told me to look after you, so I made an exception.”

I really thank you for your thoughtfulness. I’m moved to tears!

“Then please send them my greetings. Just tell them I’m doing quite well here and they don’t need to worry.”

“Mm, I will. The premise is that I have to confirm you’re really taking good care of yourself.”

“I’m taking care of myself pretty well.” Not only was Chi Rui taking care of herself, she had even taken on the entire dorm’s bed-making duties.

“Are your knee injuries better? Did you wear the knee pads?”

“My knees are doing pretty well, and I’m wearing the knee pads too.” To prove she was not cheating, Chi Rui even gave her legs two clear slaps. “Hear that sound? Does it sound nice? If it sounds nice, then they’re good knee pads. Teacher Bai, please have mercy too, and stop tattling to my mom.”

After being lectured by Tang Yu that morning, Chi Rui would absolutely not believe that it had not been Bai Chang who “tattled.”

The person on the other end of the phone froze for a moment, then began laughing softly. Bai Chang’s voice over the phone sounded a little different from usual, carrying a sexy low depth and magnetism. When she laughed, the airy breaths that brushed against the receiver somehow made Chi Rui’s ears go numb and burn fiercely.

Perhaps she had been led astray by Chi Rui’s occasional childish remark, because when Bai Chang spoke again, her tone unexpectedly carried a little gentleness like she was coaxing a child. “Then consider this deal settled.”

At the end of the call, Chi Rui hesitated but still opened her mouth. “Teacher Bai, let me discuss something with you.”

“Say it first. Then I’ll consider it.”

“Can you talk to post-production and ask them to help delete the part where they filmed my note for you when editing this segment?” Chi Rui suggested very sincerely.

She had already been cursed badly enough by Bai Chang’s fans. If the matter of her saving Bai Chang’s contact as unauthorized copy“Plague God” spread too, was she still supposed to live?

“What note?”

“It’s just… I accidentally filled in the wrong note for you. If it airs, it won’t be good if people misunderstand.” Only after Chi Rui finished speaking did she realize there was no sound from the other end. She waited for a while, then hesitantly spoke again. “Hello, Teacher Bai, are you still there?”

“Mm, I’m here.” Bai Chang’s voice sounded as if it had completely lost the springlike softness from just now. She enunciated word by word, “So I’ve become Plague God now?”

“……” Who was it that tattled this quickly!

Ten minutes later, the trainees who came out of the small rooms were all crying beautifully like pear blossoms in the rain. Only Chi Rui could not cry even if she wanted to.

After offending Bai Chang, could she still live well in the camp from now on…

Author’s Note:

Bai Chang: You can live well. Especially well.