“Of course I don’t have that intention.”
Lu Xian initially thought Ling Tingyu was holding her back to keep her from leaving, but it seemed she’d overthought it.
Ling Tingyu had only made an offhand remark, yet received Lu Xian’s hurried rejection in response.
Lu Xian met Ling Tingyu’s gaze and said, “To avoid giving you that kind of misunderstanding about me, it’s better if we keep our distance.”
With that, Lu Xian stepped back and quickly left the stairwell corner.
Left behind, Ling Tingyu fumed, “Lu Xian, I’ll make sure you regret rejecting me.”
After the two parted, the 8 PM live broadcast competition was about to begin. Most trainees had already headed to the venue, leaving the training camp nearly empty.
As Lu Xian went upstairs, she passed Lu Li and Lin Xu at the stairwell corner.
Without pausing, Lu Xian hurried past.
Over in the corner, Lin Xu was trapped by Lu Li, her lashes lowered. “Let me go. The competition’s about to start.”
Lu Li checked the time. “We still have ten minutes. Tell me why your eyes are red did someone bully you?”
Lin Xu averted her gaze. “No one bullied me.”
From the moment Lu Li saw Lin Xu, she could tell something was off her eyes were rimmed red, looking like she’d been wronged.
“Lin Xu, don’t lie to me.”
“Lu Li, my business is none of yours. Can you just stay away from me?” Lin Xu pushed against Lu Li, but as an Omega, her strength was no match for an Alpha’s.
Lu Li didn’t budge, and Lin Xu grew increasingly frantic, on the verge of tears. “Move!”
“Alright, alright, I’ll move. Just don’t cry.”
Reluctantly, Lu Li stepped aside half a pace, watching as Lin Xu fled past her.
How many times had this happened now? Every time Lu Li sought her out, all she got was Lin Xu’s retreating back.
At the ABO Idol Group debut stage, the venue was divided into three sections, Alpha, Beta, and Omega where the ninety-nine trainees took their assigned seats.
Lu Xian chose the very back row of the Alpha tier. The live broadcast played on the large screen.
Every trainee in this survival show excelled in both looks and talent, so when the cameras panned across them, each one pulled out all the stops to capture the audience’s attention.
In her original world, Lu Xian had only ever been an extra, getting screen time of her own was a luxury.
Unfazed by the close-up, Lu Xian’s petite face was camera-ready, her dark eyes luminous, her nose bridge striking, her features effortlessly captivating.
The moment the camera swept over her, the barrage of comments instantly multiplied, with viewers clamoring to know the name of that Alpha contestant.
The lights brightened as the host introduced the four mentors.
The first three took their seats, but when Ling Tingyu stepped onstage, the venue erupted in screams.
Only Fan Yiyi’s face turned green, she’d clearly received word that Ling Tingyu wouldn’t be participating in the show’s recording. Why had she suddenly appeared?
Ling Tingyu had changed into a pale blue gown, her long black curls cascading down, soft and fresh.
“Hello everyone, I’m Ling Tingyu. From now on, I’ll witness each of your growth. Let’s work hard together!”
In the entertainment industry, Ling Tingyu was practically every woman’s dream older sister, beautiful and hardworking. Who wouldn’t want a sister like her?
The comments went wild:
[AHHHHHH Ling-jiejie, MARRY ME!!!]
Though Lu Xian knew Ling Tingyu was popular, experiencing it firsthand still shocked her.
The starry-eyed gazes of over ninety trainees were practically glued to Ling Tingyu.
Lu Xian frowned slightly, feeling inexplicably uncomfortable.
The first live elimination round was proceeding with intense competition.
The four mentors delivered sharp critiques, leaving many trainees with reddened eyes as they stepped off stage.
Yet Ling Tingyu remained gentle throughout, pointing out flaws while still offering encouragement.
Before they knew it, an hour and a half had passed. When it was Lu Xian’s turn to perform, Ling Tingyu called for a ten-minute intermission.
Lu Xian sat back down and glanced toward Ling Tingyu in the rest area.
After ninety minutes of continuous broadcasting, both the judges and audience were fatigued, even experiencing aesthetic fatigue. Ling Tingyu’s timing for this break gave the next contestant a clear advantage.
Beside her, You Yijia asked curiously, “Lu Xian, who do you think has performed best so far?”
Lu Xian replied, “Xia Wanzhou and Lin Xu, probably.”
You Yijia nodded in agreement. “Xia Wanzhou’s heavenly voice and Lin Xu’s stunning dance moves earned them straight A’s across the board for advancement.”
After the short break, the four judges returned to their seats.
Lu Xian took the microphone from the host and walked to center stage. The spotlight shone down, making her appear to glow.
As the accompanists got ready, Lu Xian gave a slight nod to signal she was prepared.
When the familiar intro played, mentor Chang Yuhuan smiled faintly, it was one of her songs.
A murmur ran through the trainees. Only those truly confident would dare perform Chang Yuhuan’s work, especially with the original singer right there judging them.
Ling Tingyu had never heard Lu Xian sing before. She’d assumed Lu Xian joined the competition just for fun, but the focused expression on Lu Xian’s face showed she’d come fully prepared.
As the melody unfolded, everyone became entranced including Chang Yuhuan herself.
Ling Tingyu watched quietly, her emotions complicated. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Lu Xian was drifting further away from her.
Perhaps after this show, Lu Xian would become a dazzling star, leaving her completely behind.
When the song ended, Chang Yuhuan smiled approvingly. “Lu Xian, have you received professional vocal training?”
“Just two months of brief study,” Lu Xian answered.
“You’re very talented,” Chang Yuhuan said.
Before Lu Xian, Chang Yuhuan had only praised Xia Wanzhou, but never this directly.
“Thank you, Teacher Chang.” Lu Xian hadn’t expected to win Chang Yuhuan’s favor, it was completely unexpected.
Ling Tingyu raised her microphone. “Lu Xian, could you share why you decided to join this competition?”
“…” Lu Xian hesitated. The truth was she’d joined for the prize money before leaving.
After a few seconds’ consideration, she realized admitting this on live broadcast would invite questions about whether she deserved to reach the top 20, with some likely accusing her of seeking attention.
Wanting to keep things low-profile for now, Lu Xian opted for the most diplomatic answer: “Because of Teacher Chang Yuhuan.”
“I’ve always loved Teacher Chang’s songs,” she continued. “When I learned she’d be a mentor, I signed up immediately.”
While not her real reason, during her reading Lu Xian had genuinely admired Chang Yuhuan, a former singer-dancer who semi-retired due to health issues but never abandoned her musical passion.
Chang Yuhuan felt touched. “I didn’t realize I had such a devoted young fan in you.”
Upon learning that Lu Xian had come for Chang Yuhuan, Ling Tingyu forced a stiff smile. Chang Yuhuan was her senior after all they had co-starred in two dramas together. While strict during work, Chang Yuhuan was gentle and easygoing otherwise.
Could it be that Lu Xian preferred someone gentle and amiable like Chang Yuhuan, who was also older?
Ling Tingyu silently calculated the age gap between them.
A full fifteen years.
She lowered her gaze. Was her own five-year age difference with Lu Xian not enough?
Next, the four judges scored Lu Xian’s performance.
The other judges all gave her an A, but Ling Tingyu alone gave her a B.
This result surprised both the host and the other three judges.
According to the competition rules, if all judges awarded four A’s, the trainee would advance directly to the top 50.
Thus, Lu Xian couldn’t qualify directly and had to proceed to the next elimination round in the B-tier to compete for a spot in the top 50.
After the live broadcast, twenty trainees had left the camp.
Lu Xian considered herself lucky.
The competition ended close to midnight, and the judges bid farewell before leaving the training camp.
When Lu Xian returned to the dorm and saw Ma Sha still there, her mood instantly soured. Sharing a room with Ma Sha was worse than death.
You Yijia had already washed up and gone to bed.
Ma Sha sneered at her in a mocking tone, “Hah, so what if Teacher Chang praised you? You still didn’t advance.”
Lu Xian closed her eyes, blocking out Ma Sha’s grating voice, and grabbed her toiletries before heading out.
She couldn’t afford to clash with Ma Sha in the training camp, cameras were everywhere, and any footage taken out of context would be impossible to explain.
Though the dorm had a bathroom, Lu Xian had no intention of showering there, fearing Ma Sha might pull something while she was vulnerable.
Her caution proved right. As she left, Ma Sha asked disappointedly, “Where are you going?”
The training camp was well-equipped, with private shower rooms in the swimming area on the top floor.
Most importantly, there were no cameras in those shower rooms.
At this hour, the swimming area was deserted. Lu Xian casually picked an empty shower stall and had just undone two buttons of her shirt when her phone suddenly rang.
Startled, she accidentally hit decline. Only after checking did she realize it was Ling Tingyu calling, so she called back.
Ling Tingyu’s voice came through, sulky and aggrieved, “Why did you hang up on me?”
Lu Xian: “It was an accident.”
“Where are you?”
Still undoing buttons one-handed, Lu Xian replied, “In the shower room on the top floor.”
Ling Tingyu made a small sound of acknowledgment. “You’re showering?”
“Yeah.”
Silence followed for a few seconds. Thinking the call had dropped, Lu Xian checked, it hadn’t.
“Ling Tingyu?” she called out.
Ling Tingyu cleared her throat. “Then go ahead.”
With all her shirt buttons undone, Lu Xian said, “Alright, bye.”
“Wait!” Ling Tingyu cut in, “Who said you could hang up? I still have things to ask.”
Holding the phone one-handed made it hard to undress. Lu Xian chuckled. “Ask first, then.”
“My questions can’t be answered in just a sentence or two.”
Lu Xian: “Hmm?”
Ling Tingyu lay on her hotel bed. “How about you shower while I talk?”
Unsure what was so urgent that it had to be discussed during her shower, Lu Xian set the phone aside. “Go ahead, I’m listening.”
Hearing rustling on the other end, Ling Tingyu asked, “What are you doing now?”
Lu Xian tossed aside her shirt and answered truthfully, “Taking off my clothes.”
“Oh.” Ling Tingyu blinked. “How far along are you?”
“Under…” Lu Xian almost blurted out.
“Under what?”
Holding the underwear in silence, Lu Xian didn’t know how to respond. On the other end of the line, Ling Tingyu let out a soft chuckle clearly teasing her on purpose.
And every time, Ling Tingyu could make her so nervous. Suddenly, Lu Xian felt like teasing her back.
She asked softly, “Does Teacher Ling really want to know?”
Even after the show, she still addressed her as “Teacher Ling.” Ling Tingyu hummed in response, “Am I not allowed to know?”
“You are.” Lu Xian turned on the shower, adjusting it to the right temperature. “Teacher Ling can know anything.”
Ling Tingyu listened quietly to the sound of running water through the phone, Lu Xian must be showering.
Lu Xian moved closer to the phone. “But voice calls aren’t very convenient.”
Thinking Lu Xian was about to hang up, Ling Tingyu was surprised when she heard her say, “Would you like to video call instead?”!?