Oops! I Became a Fan of My Rival Idol! - Chapter 11

“I don’t think I dance as well as Shen Nanqing. If you can’t even beat me, then it proves you truly can’t compare to Shen Nanqing.” Qiao Huihui’s words landed with resounding force, stunning everyone into silence as all eyes turned toward Xiao Ninglu.

Xiao Ninglu was furious. Of course she knew Qiao Huihui danced well—after all, their dance teacher praised her constantly in front of everyone. But Qiao Huihui’s challenge had backed her into a corner, leaving her no choice but to compete.

She retorted stubbornly, “Fine, let’s do it!” Just some coward who didn’t even dare to compete—what was there to fear? She had trained in dance for over a decade. How could she lose to someone who had only just started learning?

Yet reality was brutal. Despite Xiao Ninglu giving her all to perfect every move, she still fell short compared to Qiao Huihui’s effortless performance. Even her smoothest motions appeared slightly stiff and sluggish in contrast.

Anyone could see—Xiao Ninglu had lost.

The final result was, naturally, Qiao Huihui’s victory.

Xiao Ninglu’s arrogant attitude had earned her many enemies these past days. Girls she had bullied before now openly mocked her, their jabs thinly veiled. She stood rooted to the spot, her face cycling through shades of red and white in humiliation.

After confirming her win, Qiao Huihui didn’t spare Xiao Ninglu another glance. To her, wasting time on someone like Xiao Ninglu was pointless—she’d rather drink some water instead.

“Why didn’t you choose the center position?”

“?”

Qiao Huihui paused mid-sip, turning to see Shen Nanqing, who seemed genuinely curious. She responded with a bright smile.

“Because I didn’t want to!”

No reason—she just didn’t feel like it.

Receiving such a flippant answer, Shen Nanqing didn’t press further. She withdrew her gaze from the girl, lowering her eyes slightly.

——

Back in the dorm, Shu Bailian approached Qiao Huihui for the first time after hearing about her victory.

“You were amazing today!”

“Huh?” Qiao Huihui blinked in confusion.

Shu Bailian grinned. “I mean, you totally humiliated Xiao Ninglu! That was incredible!” She radiated pure joy, practically vibrating with excitement as she clapped Qiao Huihui on the shoulder. “Seriously, sis, if there’s anything I can ever do for you, just say the word!”

Qiao Huihui: “…That’s really not necessary.” She hadn’t confronted Xiao Ninglu for Shu Bailian’s sake.

Shu Bailian insisted, “No, no—the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Seeing Xiao Ninglu miserable makes me happy. Thanks, sis!”

Qiao Huihui: “…” Fine, whatever.

A sudden thud at the door startled them both. Qiao Huihui thought the door had fallen, but it was just Xia Niao standing there.

“Hahaha, Huihui, look what I found!”

Struggling under an armful of snacks, she squeezed inside triumphantly. “I just went for a walk downstairs and stumbled upon a convenience store!”

Shu Bailian rolled her eyes. “Are you here to compete or to fatten yourself up? Careful, or you’ll turn into a pig.”

Xia Niao dumped the snacks onto her bed and shot back, “So what? You’re just jealous I don’t gain weight. Nyeh!”

Only after speaking did she realize her words might have been a bit too broad in their attack. Flustered, she immediately turned to Qiao Huihui and Shen Nanqing to apologize.

Unexpectedly, Qiao Huihui simply picked up a bag of chips and said, “It’s fine. I’m not the type to gain weight easily either.”

She tore open the packaging and first offered it to Shen Nanqing beside her.

Shen Nanqing paused, then shook her head. “I don’t eat these.”

Then, after a moment of hesitation, she added, “You shouldn’t… eat too much either. It’s not healthy.”

Qiao Huihui immediately recalled the candy Shen Nanqing had given her earlier and thought to herself, So my roommate doesn’t dislike sweets—she just doesn’t like snacks.

With a smile, she replied, “Okay~”

Qiao Huihui agreed very sweetly, but then she and Xia Niao proceeded to mercilessly devour all the snacks. Only after stuffing the last empty wrapper into the trash did they both let out satisfied burps and sprawl side by side on the bed.

Shu Bailian watched them with disdain from the side.

Shen Nanqing glanced over and suddenly felt the scene resembled her pet hamster when it overate—rolling onto its back with a round, full belly, comfortably sprawled out, making her want to rub its tummy.

Wait… rub its tummy?!

As Qiao Huihui lay down, a sliver of her pale waist was exposed. Shen Nanqing’s gaze accidentally landed on it, and her entire body stiffened. She picked up a pen from the desk and began scribbling aimlessly, as if to cover her distraction—though her mind was nowhere near focused.

“Huihui, your stomach is so soft!” Xia Niao’s playful voice rang out. Shen Nanqing whipped her head around and saw Xia Niao’s finger poking Qiao Huihui’s belly.

Shen Nanqing clenched the pen, pressing her lips together. An inexplicable discomfort rose in her chest—that hand looked unbearably irritating, making her want to interrupt them.

After silently watching for a few seconds, she couldn’t hold back any longer. She stood up abruptly, walked to the bed, and tugged Qiao Huihui’s clothes down to cover her waist.

Qiao Huihui blinked at her in confusion.

“Ahem…” Shen Nanqing’s expression grew even colder as she said with utmost seriousness, “Your stomach will hurt if it gets cold.”

Ah… Qiao Huihui marveled inwardly. Even though she seems so aloof, Shen Nanqing is really so gentle.

Her eyes curved into crescents as she thanked her. “Thank you, Qingqing-jie~”

Shen Nanqing’s face remained pale as snow, but if anyone had looked closely, they would have noticed the tips of her ears turning faintly red.

To hide it, she coughed lightly and averted her gaze.

Then she saw Xia Niao’s accusatory expression. “My belly’s cold too! Why doesn’t anyone care about me? Qing~qing~jie~”

Shen Nanqing’s gaze gradually turned icy. She glanced at Xia Niao’s stomach, her tone freezing enough to kill. “Fine.” Then she slowly reached out.

Xia Niao suddenly felt a chill envelop her and shivered involuntarily.

Shen Nanqing’s posture didn’t seem like she was about to cover her stomach—more like she was preparing to gut her.

Xia Niao hurriedly covered her belly and forced a laugh. “Haha, never mind, never mind! I was just joking!”

……

Late at night, Qiao Huihui woke up needing to use the bathroom. Still half-asleep, she sat up and suddenly realized the space beside her was empty.

Her drowsiness vanished instantly as she stared at the vacant spot. Where did Shen Nanqing go?

She climbed down the ladder and peeked toward the bathroom—no one there either. That left only one possibility: Shen Nanqing had left the dorm.

She glanced up at the digital clock on the wall—5:00 AM.

So early. What was she going out for?

Qiao Huihui was wide awake now. Suddenly, she wanted to know the reason behind Shen Nanqing’s unusual behavior. She quickly dressed and quietly slipped out the door.

Though it was summer, the early morning air still carried a chill. The moment Qiao Huihui stepped out of the dormitory, a gust of cold wind hit her, sending a shiver down her spine.

To the left of the dormitory wall, in a rather inconspicuous spot, Shen Nanqing in a white shirt was practicing her dance moves.

Qiao Huihui stood frozen, staring at her back.

She thought of the usual Shen Nanqing—always composed, her emotions muted, making it hard to read her thoughts. She had few friends and seemed cold, yet there were moments when an unexpected gentleness would surface.

It was as if she had few desires, as if she wanted nothing. But Qiao Huihui had overlooked how hard Shen Nanqing actually worked. Every day, aside from eating and sleeping, she practiced relentlessly. The scene before her only reinforced that.

Perhaps… she had always been striving for her dreams.

Just then, Shen Nanqing turned mid-dance and spotted Qiao Huihui standing behind her. A flicker of surprise crossed her face before she quickly walked over.

“Why are you out here?”

Qiao Huihui blinked. “I got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and noticed you weren’t in the dorm…”

She then asked, “Do you come out to practice this early every day?”

Shen Nanqing nodded silently.

Another gust of wind blew past, and Qiao Huihui, wearing only a short-sleeved shirt, shivered uncontrollably. Shen Nanqing pressed her lips together, a trace of concern flashing in her eyes.

She turned and retrieved the jacket she had hung on the corridor railing earlier, shaking it out before draping it over Qiao Huihui’s shoulders. “It’s cold out. You should go back.”

But Qiao Huihui didn’t move. For some reason, an inexplicable impulse made her want to stay, unwilling to leave.

“I can’t sleep anymore. Let me practice with you!” she suggested.

Shen Nanqing frowned. “But your dance moves are already perfect. You don’t need to practice.”

Suddenly, it clicked for Qiao Huihui. “Are you practicing because you feel yours aren’t perfect enough?”

“Mm…” Shen Nanqing explained slowly, “I became the center today, but I still feel like I have a lot of shortcomings.”

Qiao Huihui frowned. “But I think you’re already amazing!”

Shen Nanqing looked at her, her tone serious and firm. “It’s not enough. I need to be even better.” This was an opportunity she had fought hard for—she couldn’t afford to waste it.

Qiao Huihui stared up at her, captivated by the light in Shen Nanqing’s eyes. A thought suddenly struck her—the most beautiful thing is the sight of someone giving their all.

Right now, Shen Nanqing seemed to radiate a dazzling brilliance, brimming with an irresistible charm.

The Shen Nanqing from before had been reserved, but at this moment, she exuded a sharp, unyielding aura, like a gemstone finally revealing its luster after being covered in dust.

Perhaps because the first decade or so of her life had been too smooth, Qiao Huihui had always approached everything casually, never putting in extraordinary effort for anything. But today, she felt the weight of the word “effort” through Shen Nanqing, and she found herself inexplicably drawn to her.

Qiao Huihui could feel her heart pounding in her chest—thump, thump…

It was just like how she had felt when she first became a fan of Le Xingshan.

For some reason, a thought crossed her mind—maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have one more idol to admire?

Such a hardworking and outstanding person, such a shining star…