Oops! I Became a Fan of My Rival Idol! - Chapter 59

Her thoughts were interrupted as Qiao Huihui laughed and nudged her shoulder. “Why are you suddenly asking this?”

Shen Nanqing lied without batting an eye. “Just preparing you in case this situation comes up later.”

Qiao Huihui froze for a moment before bursting into laughter, clutching her stomach.

“Hahahaha, Teacher Shen, you’re hilarious! Is this some kind of cold joke?”

Shen Nanqing didn’t respond. Instead, she gently smoothed a stray lock of Qiao Huihui’s hair and watched quietly as she doubled over laughing.

From a distance, Yu Xiaoman bit her lip uneasily as she observed their cheerful interaction.

Today had been an utterly surreal day, the dance team members thought.

First, they had witnessed Qiao Huihui’s monstrous talent—despite being two days behind in practice, she had caught up and surpassed them all in a single afternoon, shattering the confidence of the self-proclaimed prodigies among them.

Second, Qiao Huihui and Shen Nanqing hadn’t fought over the center position.

Third, Qiao Huihui had patiently taught Shen Nanqing dance moves, while Shen Nanqing fed her water, patted her head, and wiped her sweat…

The contestants were all dazed, wondering if their eyes were playing tricks on them. This was nothing like the scenario they had imagined!

One girl timidly raised her hand and whispered to the others, “Maybe… they’re just pretending? To clean up their reputations?”

The others suddenly understood.

“Right! Didn’t they sign with the same agent? Maybe this was the agent’s idea!”

“Exactly! I knew there was no way they suddenly got along overnight.”

“You scared me—for a second, I actually thought they’d always been close and we just misunderstood them. Thank goodness that’s not the case.”

Unfortunately, their hushed conversation was heard loud and clear by Qiao Huihui, who was sitting right behind them.

She twitched her lips and glanced at the teammate who had spoken last, thinking: Congratulations, girl. You accidentally stumbled upon the truth.

Shen Nanqing finished washing her hands at the sink and was drying them with a paper towel when she noticed another figure in the mirror. She turned and saw Yu Xiaoman standing beside her, her expression complicated. Yu Xiaoman wasn’t looking at her—instead, she stared at the mirror and murmured, “I really like Huihui.” Shen Nanqing replied coolly, “What a coincidence. I like her too.” Yu Xiaoman’s face twisted with conflict before she hesitantly asked, “Are you… her good friend?” Shen Nanqing nodded. Yu Xiaoman’s face instantly brightened with hope as she looked at Shen Nanqing. But then came the cruelest blow— “Unfortunately, just a few days ago, I was promoted to her girlfriend.” Yu Xiaoman’s expression froze. The light in her eyes dimmed, and her face paled. She opened her mouth but couldn’t speak. After a long silence, she lowered her head dejectedly. “If… if I had been braver and confessed earlier, would things have been different?” Shen Nanqing arched a brow and coldly shattered her delusion. “Not a chance.” Yu Xiaoman studied the woman before her, who seemed to radiate hostility, and whispered, “Were you putting on that show this afternoon just for me to see?”

Shen Nanqing openly admitted, “A beautiful flower has an owner; let’s stamp a seal to declare the ownership.”

Yu Xiaoman’s face turned even paler, feeling somewhat shaken by the blow.

Having said all that, Shen Nanqing took one last look at her before turning to leave.

Even as the target of the blow, Yu Xiaoman had to admit that Shen Nanqing’s scheme was executed very well. Perhaps before she received the other party’s verbal confirmation, she still held onto a glimmer of hope, but now… she could not simply brush off this conversation and continue pursuing Qiao Huihui as if nothing had happened.

It was impossible; she was not that kind of person, nor could she do such a thing.

She forced a bitter smile and raised her head, seeing the reflection in the mirror was already filled with tears.

Falling in love with someone is easy, but forgetting someone is very hard. This doomed unrequited love might take a long time to let go.

However, there was one thing she did not regret.

Shen Nanqing pushed open the practice room door. The others had left when they heard the dismissal, leaving only Qiao Huihui sitting by the window waiting for her.

Seeing her return, Qiao Huihui’s eyes lit up. “Why did you take so long in the bathroom?”

She trotted over, originally intending to leap into Shen Nanqing’s arms, but hesitated and glanced at the camera, stopping a few steps away from her.

Shen Nanqing found it amusing.

She had no intention of revealing what had just happened, so she skillfully played her part, maintaining a calm expression as she said, “Hmm, there were too many people in the bathroom, so I waited a bit.”

Qiao Huihui only asked casually and did not pay much attention to such trivial matters. She said, “Then let’s head back to the dormitory.”

“Okay.” Shen Nanqing smiled and walked alongside her.

In the dormitory, Shu Bailian was lying in bed sleeping, while Xia Niao sat at the desk fiddling with something.

When they returned, Xia Niao happily rushed over. “Ah, ah, ah, you guys are finally back!”

Qiao Huihui quickly covered her mouth. “Shh, keep it down, don’t wake up Xiaolian.”

Unexpectedly, Shu Bailian sat up and explained, “It’s fine, I wasn’t asleep.”

Qiao Huihui quickly walked over and touched her forehead with the back of her hand. “You don’t seem to have a fever. How are you feeling now?”

Shu Bailian spoke with a thick nasal voice, “Much better, just a bit dizzy.”

Qiao Huihui nodded, just as she was about to get up to fetch a cup of hot water, someone handed her a cup from behind.

It was Shen Nanqing.

She was momentarily stunned, exchanged a knowing smile with her, then took the cup and brought it to Shu Bailian’s lips.

Shu Bailian: “…”

Looking at the cup of hot water filled with the scent of dog food, she was momentarily at a loss for words, even feeling that her cold had worsened.

Was it really necessary to show off like this? Why be so cruel to a sick person!

After weighing it for a long time, she still took the hot water, took a sip, and then huffed heavily, “Caring for single dogs is everyone’s responsibility!”

Qiao Huihui showed a hint of surprise on her face. “You still haven’t gotten Jian Luobai sorted out?”

Shu Bailian: “…”

Qiao Huihui: “Aren’t you known as the ‘Straight Man Hunter’?”

Shu Bailian: “…”

Stop it, stop it; her heart was about to be pierced through.

Thinking of all the past hardships, she suddenly felt a wave of sadness.

“I suspect… Jian Luobai has transcended the realm of humans; just calling her a straight woman doesn’t do her justice. She should be referred to as a master!”

“A master like the ones in temples!”

She was indeed trying to flirt, but the other party simply wasn’t biting. No matter what method she used or what coincidences she engineered, the response was always one of detached serenity, as if completely above worldly desires.

Even when she pretended to trip to engineer an accidental kiss, Jian Luobai’s first reaction was to calmly help her up, then dust her off without so much as a blush, before asking with utter innocence, “Are you okay? Did you chip a tooth?”

Just thinking about it made Shu Bailian’s blood boil. Today, the sickeningly sweet aura of the couple had provoked her so much that she ended up venting everything to Qiao Huihui.

After listening to her complaints, Qiao Huihui looked at the exhausted Shu Bailian and hesitantly said, “Uh… but have you ever considered—if her reflexes are so good, why couldn’t she avoid the ‘accidents’ you set up?”

Shu Bailian: “???”

“Also, she’s usually really nice to you. Like… it doesn’t feel like how friends normally interact.”

Shu Bailian: “!!!”

She jerked upright, eyes wide as if shocked to the core.

Seeing her so agitated, Qiao Huihui added, “Not necessarily the truth, just my guess. You’ll have to figure out the real reason yourself.”

Not wanting to further distress the already dazed Shu Bailian, Qiao Huihui stood up and turned—just in time to see Xia Niao stepping in from the balcony.

She was holding a plate of freshly washed grapes and grinned at her. “Huihui, want some grapes?”

Qiao Huihui: “…”

The one chance to hear the truth had slipped away again. Classic Xia Xiaoniao, the ultimate foodie.

With mixed feelings, she walked over, took a few grapes, and sat down beside Shen Nanqing.

Then Shen Nanqing handed her a washed peach.

These were all things the two of them had bought on their way back today. Li Bin had even teased them for bringing such old-fashioned souvenirs after a long trip, but judging by this, the gifts were actually quite fitting.

Except for Shu Bailian, who probably couldn’t stomach anything right now.

Xia Niao was never one to sit still. Having just polished off a plate of grapes, she immediately jumped up, eager to show off her new skills to her best friend.

“Huihui, I’ve been learning rap these past few days. Check out this freestyle!”

Holding her peach, Qiao Huihui watched her with amused interest.

Xia Niao cleared her throat, struck a pose, and launched right in: “Hey, yo!”

“Stars in the night, clouds in the blue, deer in the woods, fish in the sea—nothing in this world compares to you! May you bloom like flowers, sweet as candy, never fading, never bitter! Skr skr~”

Finishing, she looked expectant. “So? How was it?”

Qiao Huihui: “…”

Though it was all flattering praise aimed at her, she couldn’t bring herself to lie.

Shooting a pleading glance at Shen Nanqing, the latter immediately understood and offered a measured critique: “Not bad. Plenty of room for improvement.”

Xia Niao beamed. “Hehe, Mentor Qiu said the same thing!”

Qiao Huihui choked silently, her heart aching for poor Mentor Qiu.

But Shu Bailian, who had been listening, suddenly sneered, “That was a mess. No rhyme at all. Good thing you didn’t pick the rap group, or Mentor Qiu wouldn’t have just politely praised you.”

Xia Niao flared up instantly, turning to glare at her. “Just you wait, I’ll write a diss track about you.”

“Hey! Yo! The sky’s so blue, the water’s so clear! Such a lovely mood ruined—which damn frog is croaking, which damn fly is buzzing around!”

Finally, she even stuck her tongue out at Shu Bailian, taunting shamelessly: “Skr skr~”

The next second, Shu Bailian—who had been lying weakly in bed just moments ago—suddenly sprang up, slipper in hand.

Seeing the danger, Xia Niao quickly bolted.

Watching Xia Niao, who had already taken two hits to the backside, Qiao Huihui silently sighed.

Never mistake a tiger for a sick cat…