Oops! I Became a Fan of My Rival Idol! - Chapter 5

Was she… just flirted with by her idol?

 

Qiao Huihui’s hand holding the candy was trembling. She didn’t dare look into the other person’s eyes, her head bowed so low it seemed like she wanted to bury herself in her clothes.

 

She was being an ostrich, deceiving herself.

 

Her idol was too sexy—it was literally killing her softly.

 

Unbeknownst to her, the blush on her face had spread to the back of her ears, and Le Xingshan, sitting above her, saw it all clearly.

 

Le Xingshan felt as if a feather had been placed in her heart, unbearably charmed by the sight.

 

This little fan was just too adorable!

 

As the contestants took the stage one after another to perform, the first day of recording finally came to an end. Xia Niao, who had been exuberant earlier, now looked utterly drained. She weakly rested her head on Qiao Huihui’s shoulder, like a scholar whose essence had been sucked dry by a female demon.

 

Not only were the contestants exhausted, but the mentors were even more so. Unlike the others who only needed to sit and watch or applaud, they had to carefully observe each performance, grade the contestants, and point out their strengths and weaknesses.

 

Chu Junling stepped onto the stage with a faint smile. Seeing the lifeless atmosphere below, she couldn’t help but raise her voice—

 

“Students, how was your first day?”

 

The audience perked up, each putting on a show for the cameras.

 

“It was amazing! Everyone performed so well!”

 

“A visual feast!”

 

“All the girls are so pretty, hehe…”

 

But amidst a sea of contestants either acting cute or showering praise, an extremely discordant voice suddenly emerged.

 

Xia Niao drawled out: “So—tired—”

 

Instantly, all eyes turned to her.

 

There she was, looking utterly drained, “delicately” leaning on Qiao Huihui’s shoulder in a way that was inexplicably hilarious.

 

Chu Junling burst out laughing on the spot.

 

She brought the microphone to her lips and said with a smile, “Xia Niao, is it really appropriate for someone as tall as you to be leaning on Qiao Huihui like that?”

 

Before Qiao Huihui could even process that Chu Junling was teasing her about her height, Xia Niao suddenly perked up at the remark.

 

She insisted, “Appropriate! Totally appropriate! This is what you call the most adorable height difference—a match made in heaven~”

 

“Hahahaha, the most adorable height difference~”

 

“Now that you mention it, Qiao Huihui is kinda short.”

 

“But she looks so kawaii!”

 

Hearing the whispers around her, Qiao Huihui’s face flushed bright red again. Her height had always been a sore spot, and having it brought up so openly felt like being publicly judged, making her wish she could vanish into thin air.

 

Chu Junling seemed to notice her embarrassment and kindly came to her rescue. “From where I’m standing, Qiao Huihui isn’t that short. She’s probably around the average height for girls.”

 

Xia Niao couldn’t resist adding fuel to the fire: “Mentor, I bet Huihui isn’t even 160 cm tall!”

 

Qiao Huihui shot her a glare, secretly pinching Xia Niao’s waist under the table while maintaining a shy, demure expression. A tiny voice came through her mic: “I-I am 160 cm tall.”

 

Her earnest declaration only made everyone laugh even harder, and even the mentors struggled to suppress their smiles.

 

“Ah—Mentor! I want to report Qiao Huihui for secretly attacking her friend!” Xia Niao’s exaggerated cry added more fuel to the joyous scene, and the laughter grew even more merciless.

 

Xia Niao was like that one rebellious student every class has—always interrupting in class and defying discipline, yet somehow the teachers still liked her, and she always managed to bring joy to everyone.

 

Chu Junling finally managed to stop laughing and said to Xia Niao, “Be good and stop talking.”

 

“Otherwise, I’m afraid Qiao Huihui might chase you down until the competition ends.”

 

Amid the cheerful atmosphere, one girl sat in her seat with a look of frustration.

 

Shu Bailian glanced at the flustered Qiao Huihui and cursed silently in her heart.

 

Damn! My persona’s been stolen!

 

After all these years, this was the first time she’d ever lost in the art of being a “green tea” (a term for someone who feigns innocence to manipulate others).

 

She thought that by always appearing alone on camera, she could leave an impression of fragility and loneliness, evoking sympathy from others.

 

Never did she expect that the “green tea” tactics had evolved.

 

Now, the most advanced strategy was to find a loud, attention-grabbing accomplice to draw everyone’s gaze, then subtly reveal oneself—ensuring a stark contrast with the said accomplice.

 

How had she not thought of this?!

 

Shu Bailian lamented inwardly once more.

 

This was truly a lesson learned.

 

Her internal grumbling went unnoticed by Qiao Huihui, who at the moment just wanted to smack Xia Niao’s head off.

 

This woman had a knack for hitting sore spots—her height was a particularly sensitive topic.

 

Because… she really wasn’t even 160 cm tall!

 

But when filling out the registration form, her hand had “accidentally” trembled, and she’d written 160 cm instead.

 

She swore it wasn’t intentional, Qiao Huihui thought guiltily.

 

“Alright, alright, let’s all settle down. After a full day of filming, I’m sure everyone’s exhausted. Now, all the trainees who’ve advanced, please follow the staff to your assigned dormitories for some rest!” Chu Junling announced into the microphone, signaling the end of the day’s recording.

 

“Dorm time! Charge!” Xia Niao grabbed the still-dazed Qiao Huihui and dragged her toward the door, her energetic demeanor a far cry from her earlier sluggishness.

 

“Hey—hey, wait?!” As Qiao Huihui was forcibly pulled along, she could only glance back in a panic at Le Xingshan, who was still seated.

 

She… she hadn’t even said goodbye to her idol yet…

 

Coincidentally, Le Xingshan also turned to look her way at that moment. Noticing her expression, she smiled and winked at her.

 

The production team of The Dazzling You had substantial resources and funding, so naturally, they didn’t skimp on the trainees’ living conditions.

 

The dormitories were located at the easternmost edge of the filming site, while the main shooting area was at the western end. This meant the trainees had to trek back and forth daily—without any transportation, relying solely on their own two legs. Qiao Huihui had a strong suspicion this was deliberately arranged by the production team to add to their challenges.

 

By the time the two reached the end, Xia Niao, who had started off full of vigor, was so exhausted her legs had turned to jelly, and she ended up clinging to Qiao Huihui the rest of the way.

 

“How are you so strong?” Xia Niao gasped, staring at the petite Qiao Huihui in disbelief after being “dragged” all the way to the dorm building.

 

Qiao Huihui smiled faintly. “I grew up in the countryside. Feeding pigs often required lifting them.”

 

It was the truth—aside from school, she’d spent most of her time in her rural hometown.

 

However, Xia Niao didn’t know the truth, so she suddenly became too hesitant to speak.

 

In her mind, her little friend who looked like a princess must have had a very tough life, likely often going hungry between meals.

 

And she even had to shoulder the heavy responsibility of feeding pigs.

 

Even the faint smile on her little friend’s face now seemed so simple and unadorned.

 

For once, the usually quick-witted Xia Niao couldn’t come up with any playful banter and could only dryly exclaim, “Wow, that’s amazing!”

 

She also tried her best not to show any unusual expression, afraid of hurting her little friend’s feelings.

 

As they talked, the two of them arrived at their assigned dormitory—Room 401.

 

The trainees’ dormitory was a tall building covered in ivy. It was the height of summer, and whenever a breeze blew, the lush green leaves swayed, creating a refreshingly cool sensation.

 

Inside, it was arranged like a university dormitory, with four floors in total, each lined with rooms.

 

However, the room assignments varied.

 

They were divided by class rankings—A, B, C, D, and E.

 

Each class had 20 trainees. The fourth floor housed the A-class dorms, the third floor was for B-class, and so on. The first floor was slightly different, with both D and E classes sharing the space, making it a bit more crowded.

 

Naturally, the A-class accommodations were the best.

 

Qiao Huihui pushed open the dormitory door and found someone already inside—a girl who was cleaning.

 

The girl turned around expressionlessly, broom in hand, and when she saw their faces, her expression remained completely indifferent. Her icy gaze seemed capable of freezing people solid.

 

Hiss—

 

Despite the blazing sun outside, when Qiao Huihui met her eyes, she felt as if the air around her had turned cold.

 

Xia Niao grabbed her arm excitedly and exclaimed, “Ah! It’s that girl from earlier—”

 

Indeed, it was someone they recognized—Shen Nanqing, the one who had stunned the entire audience with her performance earlier.

 

Up close, she seemed even more aloof, like a person carved from ice, devoid of any emotion.

 

Instinctively, Qiao Huihui put on a well-behaved smile and introduced herself, “Hello, I’m Qiao Huihui. It’s nice to be your roommate.”

 

The cold beauty remained expressionless but responded nonetheless.

 

“I’m Shen Nanqing.”

 

Beside her, Xia Niao hastily added, “Hi, I’m Xia Niao.”

 

This time, Shen Nanqing’s response was even more concise—just a faint “Mm.”

 

Qiao Huihui secretly wondered in her heart—the scene from earlier in the recording hall felt like a dream. Compared to this icy Shen Nanqing before her, the warmth she had sensed earlier now seemed like an illusion. Which side of her was the real one?

 

Xia Niao, never one to read the room, blurted out cheerfully, “From now on, we’re all friends! Let’s get along well!”

 

But awkwardly, Shen Nanqing simply continued with her cleaning without responding to her at all.

 

Xia Niao: “Uh…” She wisely shut her mouth.

 

Perhaps because the atmosphere had turned chilly, none of them spoke further. Instead, they each found their assigned beds and began unpacking in silence.

 

Qiao Huihui’s bed was by the window—an upper bunk—where sunlight could just reach the foot of the bed. She quite liked it.

 

And as luck would have it, Xia Niao was right below her in the lower bunk.

 

Shen Nanqing was also on the top bunk, their beds pressed tightly together without a single gap in between. This discovery made Qiao Huihui pause for a moment. Having always slept alone since childhood, this was her first time living in a dormitory, and she never expected her bed to be so close to her roommate’s.

 

At this point, what difference was there between this and sharing the same bed?