By the time training ended, it was already evening, and everyone returned to the dormitory to rest.
Although they had only trained for one afternoon, exhaustion came crashing over them. After changing into their pajamas and washing up, the three of them lay on the sofa, applying face masks while meditating.
Jiujiu suddenly said, “I want to go home.”
Gu Tang asked, “It’s only the first day. What’s wrong, do you miss your parents?”
“Not really,” Jiujiu shook her head. “I didn’t bring the foot bath basin from home. Normally, I soak my feet while putting on a face mask.”
Xu Piaopiao became interested too. “Does it really work? So many people have been recommending foot baths lately.”
“It feels amazing.” Jiujiu cupped her face, getting mask essence all over her hands, then, feeling reluctant to waste it, carefully rubbed the remaining liquid onto her neck. “I’ll send you the link.”
Gu Tang picked up her phone too. Besides the link Jiujiu had sent, there was also a message from someone else.
Yin Fan: Remember to register a new Weibo account. Voting will be conducted on Weibo. Post photos and videos regularly and interact with your fans.
That teacher really was taking his responsibilities seriously.
Gu Tang replied with an OK, then looked up and reminded the other two, “Girls, hurry up and register your Weibo accounts. Post some photos and things like that.”
After replying to Yin Fan, Gu Tang felt that her response had been a little too cold. She thought for a moment before forcing out a few more words:
You don’t have to worry about me too much either. The teachers here are all pretty good. You should focus on your work too.
The moment she pressed Send, Xu Piaopiao suddenly said, “Yin Fan.”
Already feeling guilty for some reason, Gu Tang jolted.
“W-What is it?” Gu Tang asked, raising her head.
“She knows Yin Fan,” Xu Piaopiao pointed at Gu Tang. “I don’t follow that drama.”
“Love Missing You by Fate ended yesterday!” Jiujiu’s hands were trembling. “I completely forgot about that. My entire homepage is filled with GIFs of Yin Fan taking a bullet for the female lead… I absolutely love Yin Fan’s acting!”
Does anyone still remember that Love Missing You by Fate was supposed to be a school idol drama? What kind of ridiculous plot involves someone taking a bullet?
Gu Tang refreshed Weibo as well, and sure enough, she saw Yin Fan trending. When she clicked in, she found people praising Yin Fan’s godlike acting, while others complained that he was overacting.
Jiujiu was probably half a Yin Fan fan. Her fingers flew across Weibo much faster than Gu Tang’s.
“Ugh! He gets criticized even when he acts properly and gives his all? They’re calling him a scene-stealer? What a bunch of trash haters!”
“He really is unlucky,” Xu Piaopiao agreed. “The male lead’s acting in this GIF is terrible. How did he even become the male lead?”
“That guy is apparently the campus heartthrob of some school. He became famous early, and a lot of Yin Fan’s haters are actually fans of his pretending to be ordinary netizens,” Jiujiu shouted to the two of them. “If you see a post praising Yin Fan, give it a like. Don’t let the haters take over the trending rankings!”
“Got it,” Xu Piaopiao shook her head. “Reality, huh.”
Gu Tang noticed that the hot discussions had all started last night, and the buzz had continued into today without dying down. There was no way Yin Fan did not know about it. Yet last night, he had acted as though nothing had happened and had not mentioned it at all.
“Yin Fan is like gold, he’s bound to shine,” Jiujiu said with a grin. “Actually, I hadn’t planned on signing up in the first place. I’ve only ever learned singing, and I’m a little chubby too. But then I thought, what if Yin Fan happens to see me on TV? Wouldn’t that be a huge win for me?”
“Oh~,” Xu Piaopiao whistled. “Working hard for your idol, huh?”
Jiujiu let out a “hehe,” her face full of happiness.
For some reason, seeing Jiujiu’s sweet, sugary smile gave Gu Tang the same kind of happiness a mother might feel. Just then, her phone vibrated, and Gu Tang saw Yin Fan’s reply.
【Mm.】
…So cold. If she had known, she would have just replied with “OK” earlier. For some inexplicable reason, she felt like she had lost.
“How much longer?” Xu Piaopiao asked Gu Tang.
“Ten minutes.” Gu Tang knew she was asking about how long she had to keep the face mask on. She casually tossed her phone onto the sofa and walked outside. “Does anyone want a Coke?”
Food was restricted, but there was a vending machine selling drinks outside the dance practice room.
“Me~.” Jiujiu desperately waved her hand. “Love you! Coke~!”
“Me.” Xu Piaopiao was still sprawled out in her Ge You position. “Herbal tea, please.”
…Gu Tang really did not understand why this rock-style girl was drinking health tea.
“You’re still wearing a face mask. Is it really okay to go outside like that?” Xu Piaopiao asked in a faint, leisurely tone.
“It’s fine. Everyone’s resting now, so there won’t be anyone outside.” Gu Tang glanced at herself in the mirror. Her face had already been covered completely in a black sea-mud mask. “Even if I run into someone, they won’t recognize me.”
Gu Tang stepped outside. The lights in the corridor had already been turned off, leaving only two dim yellow lights.
It took around ten minutes to walk from the dormitory to the dance practice room. Gu Tang regretted throwing her phone onto the dormitory sofa. At least she could have used its light to see.
When she arrived outside the dance practice room, Gu Tang inserted a coin and bought a bottle of Coke. She noticed that the practice room door was not fully closed, and a sliver of light was leaking through the gap.
Walking up to the door, Gu Tang pushed it open and saw someone’s figure inside.
It was a back view, but Gu Tang recognized her easily… The girl was really not very good at dancing.
Hearing the door open, Lin Yueyue turned around as well. She had only switched on half the lights in the dance room. The warm-colored light fell across her body, while the other half remained in shadow.
Gu Tang walked closer. “You’re still not sleeping?”
At first, Lin Yueyue was slightly dazed by Gu Tang’s face mask. Then she recognized her from her voice. “Gu Tang!”
Gu Tang also remembered that she was still wearing the mask. “Let me go wash my face first.”
After coming out of the restroom, Gu Tang asked Lin Yueyue, “It’s just you here? Where’s Lu Yijing?”
“She doesn’t know I’m here.” Lin Yueyue looked a little embarrassed. “I have to rely on myself for everything. I can’t keep troubling her all the time, right?”
“Then can you really manage practicing like this by yourself?” Gu Tang began to have her doubts. “Besides, it’s already pretty late. You still have to get up early tomorrow to study singing.”
“I-I can do it.” Lin Yueyue took out her phone and showed Gu Tang. “I recorded Teacher Chen Xing’s video! I can practice by following the teacher’s video!”
The two of them sat on the floor with their legs pulled up. After seeing the video, Gu Tang’s lips twitched.
Lin Yueyue had recorded the video when Chen Xing was demonstrating the moves to everyone. She must have been standing toward the back, with two or three rows of girls between her and the teacher. The movements were not captured completely, and the camera was constantly shaking.
“Although the video is a little blurry, I think my practice has been really effective.” At this point, Lin Yueyue’s originally gentle gaze seemed to brighten. “When I’m alone, I can really calm down and focus. I memorized a lot of the moves tonight.”
Gu Tang felt conflicted. She still could not see where Lin Yueyue had improved, but considering how hard the girl was working, it did not seem very nice to say something discouraging. “Then keep it up.”
“I definitely will!” Lin Yueyue nodded repeatedly. “It’s getting late now. You should hurry back to the dorm and get some rest!”
Spring nights were still a little cold. Lin Yueyue was still wearing the training shorts provided by the production team, and Gu Tang noticed her legs trembling slightly from the cold.
“Aren’t you going back?” Gu Tang asked.
“I…” Lin Yueyue lowered her head somewhat awkwardly. “I’ll practice a little longer. I’m too far behind everyone else.”
In fact, most of the people in the group had been somewhat lax today. They were still students and were all still young. They were ordinary people carefully selected by the teachers because they lacked the “entertainment industry vibe.” Against that backdrop, Lin Yueyue, who was working so hard, seemed rather unusual.
“Why did you decide to participate in this show?” Gu Tang asked.
For a moment after Gu Tang asked the question, Lin Yueyue looked flustered. It was the kind of awkwardness that came from having a weakness exposed.
Gu Tang continued waiting for her answer.
Lin Yueyue’s eyes reflected Gu Tang’s face. At this moment, Gu Tang had no makeup on. Her face was clean, the corners of her eyes naturally tilted upward with a seductive charm, and her lips were naturally a little red. Her appearance alone was enough to make her competitors feel pressured.
There was a natural coolness in Gu Tang’s gaze when she looked at people, making her seem somewhat distant rather than particularly warm.
“My family owes money, and I need to pay it back,” Lin Yueyue answered.
That was enough. There was no need to say more.
Lin Yueyue had never even told Lu Yijing about this, yet she found it relatively easy to say it to Gu Tang.
Perhaps it was because Gu Tang did not look like someone who enjoyed gossip, and she did not seem particularly enthusiastic about Lin Yueyue either.
Perhaps Lin Yueyue felt that Gu Tang was completely different from herself, which somehow made it easier to tell her the truth.
“Oh.” Gu Tang nodded after hearing her answer, accepting it without question. “Then that must be pretty tough.”
She responded calmly, without questioning her or showing any sympathy, as though what the other girl had said was something completely ordinary.
Lin Yueyue bit her lip, unsure whether she should be happy about Gu Tang’s reaction.
Meanwhile, Gu Tang’s gaze drifted into the distance, drawn toward something. In one corner of the spacious practice room, she spotted a small black dot. It was a camera.
During the day, the cameramen always managed to attract people’s attention, so the cameras that had already been installed in the practice rooms were rarely noticed.
Gu Tang’s stare caught Lin Yueyue’s attention. She followed Gu Tang’s gaze and saw the camera as well.
Lin Yueyue did not linger on the camera. Instead, she met Gu Tang’s eyes.
Gu Tang’s eyes were still alluring, with a faint watery sheen and a hint of seductiveness brought on by her drowsiness. She covered her mouth and yawned, then casually turned her head as though nothing had happened.
There was another camera not far from her. Gu Tang could easily locate it, and she could just as easily guess who Lin Yueyue had really been speaking to when she said those things moments ago.
After a brief silence, their eyes met again.
At that moment, Lin Yueyue lowered her head, her fingertips turning white from the force with which she clenched them.
Originally, she had only planned to practice dancing alone here and let the cameras capture her hard work.
After Gu Tang arrived, Lin Yueyue had seen an opportunity. She showed Gu Tang the video of Chen Xing that she had recorded from a poor position, then looked toward the camera and said with utmost sincerity and determination that her family owed money.
All of this would be captured by the cameras. It was her “advantage.”
It had been a rushed and risky move, and Gu Tang had seen straight through it.
As for Gu Tang herself, although she looked completely calm, she was actually freaking out internally.
Why, why did she suddenly feel like drinking something? Did she have a death wish?
Look what happened! This time, she had actually interacted with the female protagonist in the true sense of the word!
In the silence, the longer Lin Yueyue remained still, the more a sense of crisis welled up inside Gu Tang.
“Th, then I won’t disturb you while you study on your own. Keep going, keep going, I’ll leave first!” Gu Tang sprang to her feet and immediately made a run for it.
Just as Gu Tang stood up, the other girl grabbed her wrist tightly.
In a spot hidden from the camera, Lin Yueyue’s brows and eyes curved into a smile. The light fell across her face, creating an interplay of brightness and shadow.
“We’re good friends, right? Don’t do anything unnecessary. Otherwise, neither of us will look good…”
It was already an unmistakable warning.
Those words made Gu Tang’s fleeing posture falter. She turned back and reassessed Lin Yueyue.
From that pitiful, delicate-looking face to those eyes that could not conceal her ambition, Gu Tang lowered her gaze.
In the original novel, Lin Yueyue had been so innocent and kind that she was almost foolish. The Lin Yueyue here, however, was not only clever, she also possessed the ruthlessness to threaten others.
Lin Yueyue still wore an innocent and gentle expression. After all, she was still facing the cameras.
Gu Tang let out a soft laugh, tinged with a hint of sympathy for Lin Yueyue.
Lin Yueyue should have been pure and kind, protected by Lu Yijing, then eventually transformed into a princess when her Prince Charming gently kissed her hands. From then on, Cinderella would put on her glass slippers and live a life as clear and flawless as crystal.
But now, the glass slippers had been stained with dust, and the exquisite gown had rotted away, leaving behind only a dull sheen. Lin Yueyue’s appearance was delicate and harmless, yet the grip around Gu Tang’s wrist had not loosened at all. At this moment, her smile was as sweet as a poisonous apple.
“Lin Yueyue,” Gu Tang said, her voice mature and composed, “I was the women’s shot-put champion in high school. If you don’t let go, I’ll carry you out of here.”
The atmosphere was tense when the tightly closed door suddenly opened and someone walked in.
Xu Piaopiao looked at Gu Tang standing there, then at Lin Yueyue kneeling on the floor and refusing to let go of her. After hesitating for two seconds, she turned to Gu Tang and asked, “Oh my god, what happened? Did you beat her up?”
Lin Yueyue let go. “…No.”
Gu Tang covered her forehead in despair.
Xu Piaopiao looked around, then pointed at the surveillance camera with an exasperated expression and asked Gu Tang, “Is a place with cameras everywhere really a good place to make a move? Why didn’t you go to the bathroom?!”
Gu Tang yelled back, “You sound like you’re very experienced!”
Author’s Note: Mini Theater:
Gu Tang, more heartbroken than anyone else: Give me back my sweet, innocent female protagonist! My sense of crisis is through the roof, okay?!
Xu Piaopiao, confidently: You have me.
Gu Tang: If it weren’t for you, I would have won!