A voice message arrived from the other side, sounding exceptionally excited: “You haven’t watched it yet?! Go watch it right now! Oh my god, I’ve turned from a hater to a fan. She’s a goddess! Damn, I really want to spoil it for you, hurry up and watch so we can discuss it. She’s already trending on search, this girl is cool as hell.”
Wen Shike couldn’t help but cough twice, covering her face. As expected, hearing such high praise out loud was still quite embarrassing.
“What is this…” a girl nearby muttered.
“Holy crap, she’s actually got skills.”
“She wrote the lyrics?”
“That’s insane. I thought she was just an uneducated rich second generation kid?”
The girl nearby finished watching the entire performance, took a sharp breath, and opened WeChat again. “Unreal. How do people spread fake rumors every day? Wen Shike ranked third in the entire province for the College Entrance Exam, that info is usually online. Why didn’t I check it back then and just believed the rumors?”
“I seriously suspect I’m dreaming,” the girl added.
Her friend replied instantly: “Go look at Weibo, she’s on the trending searches. You’re really out of the loop today.”
“I’m not feeling well today, I’m still at the hospital. I don’t know when it’ll finally be my turn in line.” The girl sighed. “I can’t believe she got a B. I truly can’t understand it.”
“Me neither. I feel so bad for her. I’m planning to ‘pick’ Wen Shike this time! Let me send you the list of benefits for stanning her! Wait a sec.”
“What benefits?” the girl asked, puzzled.
Listening in, Wen Shike felt a bit curious. She lowered her voice to make it sound deeper and leaned over slightly, whispering: “Hey, can I watch with you? I’m a bit interested too, but my phone was confiscated.”
She figured she wouldn’t be recognized after all, she was fully geared up in a mask and a hat.
The girl paused for a moment. “Ah… okay.” This was probably her first time meeting someone with such “social butterfly” energy.
“Thanks.” Wen Shike smiled and tilted her head slightly, though she kept a respectful distance.
The friend finally sent over a picture. The background was a photo of Wen Shike. Wen Shike hadn’t expected these people to be so fast. She looked at the content of the image.
Wen Shike’s face flushed red instantly.
[Wen Shike: An Investment You Won’t Regret]
Visuals are Top-tier: Photos from her childhood are all over the web, eliminating any risk of plastic surgery rumors.
Wealthy Background: Comes with her own resources and a reliable company. No need to fight for gigs or worry about her being bullied. Pure, stress free stanning.
Performance Power: Based on the first stage, her singing and dancing are TOP 3 in the show. She can compose and write lyrics, no need to worry about “talentless” labels.
True Scholar: No risk of a fake “smart person” persona failing. Someone has already verified with students at University A, her freshman GPA ranked in the top three of her class.
No Real Dirt: Not a single substantiated scandal can be found on the internet.
Early Party Member: Joined the Party in high school (Verified).
Clean Family Background: Her father has won Outstanding Entrepreneur awards. No risk of her career being ruined by family scandals for now.
“So… thorough?” Wen Shike was shocked. She felt a bit sentimental, when people like you, everything about you is great, but when they hate you, even the way you breathe can be criticized.
“Whoa,” the girl beside her also marveled.
“Thanks.” Having finished reading, Wen Shike pulled her head back.
“No problem,” the girl waved her hand, immediately looking back down to message her friend without a second glance.
Wen Shike saw the staff nearby and walked over. “Are the test results out?”
“Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), nothing serious. She’s awake and on an IV drip. Miss Wen, should we send you back first?”
“Okay, I’ll go see her first.” Wen Shike nodded. Now that she was sure Sun Yuexi was fine, there was no point in staying, she couldn’t help much anyway.
Because Sun Yuexi was awake and hospital beds were tight, she was sitting in a chair in the IV area. A staff member was with her, and she was eating something when Wen Shike arrived.
Seeing Wen Shike, Sun Yuexi felt a sudden wave of trepidation. How could she deserve a “rich young lady” accompanying her to the hospital? “Thank you.”
“Nothing to thank me for. It’s what any normal person would do.” Wen Shike looked at her. “Eat more in the future. You’re already very thin; there’s no need to lose more weight.”
“Um…” Sun Yuexi pursed her lips.
“I’m heading back now.”
“Okay,” Sun Yuexi nodded immediately. “Safe travels.”
Wen Shike narrowed her eyes. Was she that eager for me to leave? How annoying.
The girl from before was still sitting there. She squinted at a new message from her friend.
Er Bao: Holy crap! Wen Shike was spotted in the IV area of A-City General Hospital. Aren’t you there?! If you’re in the ER, you might run into her!
Da Bao: ???
Er Bao: Sending you a photo. Looks like her roommate got sick and she followed (since she left the set early).
The girl stared at the photo for a long time in silence, then remembered the person who had just been sitting next to her: !!!
Da Bao: I might have just experienced something terrifying.
Er Bao: ?
The girl slapped her thighs twice, then remembered what she had just said out loud. She covered her face: “This is way too embarrassing.”
Having no phone, Wen Shike was already in the car, completely unaware that her “mask” had slipped. Because she had been showered with praise, she was in a great mood, a bit excited and not sleepy at all.
Of course, that excitement vanished the moment she entered the dorm. She was still tired. It was past midnight, and the other two still hadn’t returned.
Wen Shike sighed at how hard they were pushing themselves, then quickly showered and went to bed.
Since it was a group activity, Wen Shike woke up a bit early. She opened her eyes at 8:00 AM and arrived at the practice room by 9:00 AM. Everyone else was already there.
“You know the song yet?” Zhou Yueran glanced at Wen Shike.
Wen Shike nodded, and the other girl said nothing more.
Because time was tight and the teammates’ skill levels were uneven, Wen Shike was forced to stay and practice over and over again. Fortunately, coffee was provided.
“An Ya, you’ve been resting for forty minutes. You’re the only one who doesn’t know this part, even Ming Wangxue has it down.” Zhou Yueran looked at An Ya, who was sitting in the corner, and frowned. “It’s 11:00 PM already. We’re all waiting on you.”
Ming Wangxue looked up when she heard her name but didn’t argue. She continued dragging Wen Shike to help her learn the next section.
“You guys can leave first,” An Ya bit her lip, shrinking further into the corner.
“Then say that sooner,” Zhou Yueran sneered.
Wen Shike glanced at Zhou Yueran. This girl truly didn’t hide her emotions at all. For those who liked this personality, it was very charming; for those who didn’t, every word Zhou Yueran said would become a weapon used against her.
An Ya looked up at Zhou Yueran. “Why can’t you speak nicely? You always put so much pressure on me. I’m sad too, I don’t know what to do, I…”
“It’s ‘you all’ now? You make it sound like we’re bullying you.” Another girl said dissatisfiedly, “Keke, Jingwei, and Ranran all taught you when you didn’t know the steps. And this is how you talk?”
An Ya bit her lip and said nothing.
“Let’s call it a day then. Go back and rest,” Wen Shike said, glancing at An Ya. “When you live long enough, you’re bound to meet all sorts of people.”
“Some you like, some you don’t. Just get used to it,” Lu Jingwei added in a light, airy tone.
An Ya looked toward Wen Shike and Lu Jingwei.
Wen Shike looked at her calmly, her expression unreadable. Lu Jingwei looked straight ahead, not glancing at her at all while drinking a carton of milk.
An Ya knew they were talking about her. Everyone else knew it too. Ming Wangxue almost burst out laughing.
Wen Shike grabbed her coat and shook it out. “Let’s go.”
Within minutes, the room was empty.
An Ya bit her lip and took a deep breath.
A few girls passed by the classroom door and were surprised to see only An Ya there.
“Just you? Where is everyone else?”
Author’s Note: Please stop nitpicking the female lead being a Party member. I’ve met 18-year-old members myself, my college classmates. I remember it clearly because our teacher announced it so loudly. Theoretically, you can join at 18, so they exist. Let’s just enjoy the story!
Term Glossary:
Initial C: The center for the first theme song.
Left and Right Guardians: The people standing on either side of the Initial C.
TOP Obsession: Someone who always wants to be number one (Our MC belongs to the type who wants to be #1 through her own hard work).