"Room 403, Building F."
Kiriwake Yayoi tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Her fair skin looked especially delicate, and her clear black-and-white eyes glistened. Her pure, lovely face wore a notably serious expression.
—Well, with her hair in twin tails, she was cute even when she was serious.
"I live in Room 209, Building C."
"As thanks for helping me earlier, please let me help you, too."
Chu Yuanqing was momentarily stunned by how formal the offer sounded. She asked in confusion:
"Help me?"
Kiriwake Yayoi nodded with earnest conviction.
"Mm. We can practice the theme song's choreography together."
Chu Yuanqing stared at her, deeply shaken.
Although she'd called it practicing together, anyone who'd seen Chu Yuanqing's performance would know what a humble, tactful way that was of putting it.
Kiriwake Yayoi was basically offering to be her tutor for free—and might even end up being taken advantage of in the process.
That kind of thing was uncommon even on fiercely competitive audition shows, let alone on Shining Stage.
And with Chu Yuanqing's dance skills so poor that she could barely understand the instructors' lessons, Kiriwake Yayoi's offer was like a lifeline.
But the key was, she didn't want to advance at all!
Volume One: 26. No Matter How You Look at It, It's Too Perverted.
Chu Yuanqing had her reasons for not wanting to advance.
After all, according to Shining Stage's filming and broadcast schedule, even if she got eliminated in the first round, she'd still have to stay with the Program Group for three months. Her salary would continue the whole time, which was more than enough to cover her insurance.
In other words, the sooner she got eliminated, the happier she'd be.
When Chu Yuanqing went to the auditions, she'd never planned to actually practice dancing on the show.
Come on, if she'd get paid no matter how early she was eliminated, why bother practicing? She simply couldn't bring herself to do it!
Chu Yuanqing decided to refuse Kiriwake Yayoi with righteous conviction. Adopting a solemn, considerate tone, she replied:
"No need. I'll practice on my own."
"My foundations are really poor. I'd only slow you down."
Kiriwake Yayoi shook her head and said sincerely:
"Isn't that all the more reason you should accept?"
"You said onstage that you came here for your dream. But for someone without any dance experience, learning the theme choreography in three days just isn't realistic."
"I want to help you."
In Kiriwake Yayoi's eyes, Chu Yuanqing was an out-and-out dream-chaser.
Her decisiveness in being the first to enter, the conviction with which she'd spoken about her "dream," and the earnest emotion in her clumsy performance all proved that her devotion to being an idol was absolutely genuine.
Someone like her had chosen to sit in last place of her own accord. It could only be because her respect for the stage outweighed her concern over how much screen time she'd get.
That awkward stubbornness made Kiriwake Yayoi feel as if she were seeing her former self.
Sometimes, you wanted to help someone not because you thought they were particularly important, but simply because helping them... felt like helping your past self.
Shining Stage was cruel. Once someone was eliminated, their dream would wither forever.
So call her childish, call her foolish.
Kiriwake Yayoi simply couldn't bear to see someone like that stumble at the very first hurdle.
Chu Yuanqing was at a loss for words. She could feel how sincere the other girl was.
She didn't understand where that sincerity came from, but there was no doubt about her kindness.
And because Chu Yuanqing could sense it, it was difficult to argue with her.
She couldn't exactly say, "I'm a huge liar. I don't want to be an idol at all. I couldn't care less about the stage," could she?
Even with her daughter right beside her, she'd find it hard to expose herself to that extent. And even if her daughter weren't there, she still wouldn't be able to.
It would feel like trampling on someone else's heartfelt kindness. It was just too much.
The more Chu Yuanqing thought about it, the more anxious she became. She hadn't expected the girl to go this far.
If she was only doing this because Chu Yuanqing had helped her in the rain, then she was far too grateful.
Chu Yuanqing forced herself to stay calm. Deciding not to rush, she tried her best to put herself down:
"I know, but that would be too much trouble for you."
"I've hardly ever learned to dance. The only thing I knew was the one I danced earlier. It'd be really, really hard to teach me. Let's forget it."
"If you're doing this because of what happened earlier, there's no need. It was just a small favor. Someone like me isn't worth you wasting your time on..."
Chu Wangshu wasn't happy to hear that.
What was that supposed to mean? What kind of thing was that to say!
How could Qingqing lower herself in front of some Sakura Girl?
Unable to hold back any longer, Chu Wangshu took Chu Yuanqing's hands and said earnestly, with all the loyalty of a good friend:
"Qingqing, if you think it'd take up too much of Kiriwake Yayoi's time, then let me teach you instead."
"Let's work hard together!"
Kiriwake Yayoi nodded in agreement, too.
"Chu Wangshu has a solid dance foundation. We can teach you together. It'll be fine."
That was the truth.
Chu Wangshu had trained in traditional dance for five years and had excellent fundamentals. When it came to flexibility and certain techniques in particular, she was far better than Kiriwake Yayoi, who had never received professional training and had only taught herself.
Kiriwake Yayoi's advantage was that she'd been an idol for seven years. She'd taken apart and performed countless dances onstage, so she had far more experience learning choreography and training quickly. And the styles she'd performed were closer to girl-group dances than traditional dance, making her guidance more professional in some areas.
With those two joining forces, teaching Chu Yuanqing, who knew absolutely nothing, would be more than manageable.
They weren't going to teach her everything, after all. They'd just help her review the choreography after class, offer pointers on certain moves, and give her a little extra coaching.
But...
She really didn't want to advance!!!
Chu Yuanqing was completely at a loss. This was the first time she'd learned what it meant to be unable to turn down a heartfelt offer. Her lips moved for ages, but she couldn't get a single word out. Somehow, she wound up agreeing to practice with them.
However, to anyone watching, it looked as if she'd been touched by her two good friends. It was an especially heartwarming scene.
By the time Chu Yuanqing came back to her senses,
Kiriwake Yayoi had already said goodbye politely, her back disappearing into the distance.
Seeing Chu Wangshu still standing there in a daze, Chu Wangshu assumed she'd been moved and comforted her:
"Don't worry, Qingqing. Practicing together won't take much time. Having someone else to train with will make it easier to stay motivated, too!"
The girl earnestly talked nonsense:
"Besides, I'm sure Kiriwake knows that, too. She's in a foreign country, and it's not often she gets someone to talk to. Having someone to share the stage with will help her, too."
Chu Wangshu was very pleased with how things had turned out. She didn't want the new friend she'd just made to get dragged off by someone else for one-on-one time.
This was a great outcome. Everyone won.
Chu Yuanqing, on the other hand, was at the complete opposite extreme. Her steps were so light as she walked that she seemed about to fall into an abyss. She hadn't hit her head, but her hands and feet were cold, as if her happy, carefree life of slacking off were already getting farther and farther away.
Ha. There was nothing left to fear.
Even if practicing in front of her daughter was embarrassing, there was nothing left to fear!
At most, she'd just have to crush the tentacle monster in her mind a few more times. She could put up with it until it was over!
Yes. That was it!
Chu Yuanqing accepted this painful reality and said goodbye to the energetic Chu Wangshu. Watching her daughter walk away, Chu Yuanqing breathed a slight sigh of relief.
To be honest, although filming had wrapped up earlier and she was technically off work, she could never fully relax when she was with her daughter. She was always afraid some little detail would expose a fatal flaw.
Being alone was great.
Chu Yuanqing temporarily put her worries aside and walked up to the dorm room. She knocked politely and waited a while, but there was no answer.
Hmm, just like before, it seemed her roommate hadn't arrived yet.
Chu Yuanqing hesitated a little. The thought of a middle-aged woman sharing a room with a few young girls seemed way too perverted no matter how she looked at it.
But there was no helping it. She couldn't throw her weight around with the Program Group and ask for a private room, could she?
Xie Qingxuan might be qualified for that. As a C-Class contestant, Chu Yuanqing might as well forget it and go to bed.
Right. As long as she kept her eyes shut and didn't look at anything she shouldn't, she'd be fine!
Chu Yuanqing optimistically encouraged herself and pushed the door open.
Then, a magnificent view filled her eyes.
The girl had just taken off her short-sleeved shirt, revealing a slender, supple waist. From the side, the full, rounded curve of her half-moon shape was held in place by white lace. Her platinum-blond hair looked hazy in the light, fluttering in the breeze along the edge of her underwear like soft down, partly concealing the trembling weight beneath.
She was none other than the powerful contestant hailed by the audience as the Great Demon King, the favorite to win.
—Xie Qingxuan.
Volume One: 27. It Must Be Such a Distraction When Dancing!
Bang!
Like a startled little animal, Chu Yuanqing slammed the smart-lock security door shut. She stood there blankly for several seconds, then, looking utterly stricken, knocked her head against the wall, trying to physically erase the sight of that E-cup proximity.
Damn it, were girls these days all so well-developed? Why hadn't she looked that big onstage? It had to be such a distraction when dancing!
Wait, what was she even thinking?
Chu Yuanqing pinched her cheeks until they turned bright red, barely managing to suppress her guilt. She sighed and was about to go in and apologize, but then, when she instinctively patted her chest, her hand met something wonderfully springy, soft in texture, and surprisingly heavy.
Chu Yuanqing snapped back to her senses.
To other people, she was now a beautiful young woman every bit as stunning as Xie Qingxuan. If she apologized to her, wouldn't it just seem weird?
Chu Yuanqing's emotions instantly cooled, leaving behind nothing but a profound emptiness.
She let go of her hand in a melancholy mood and pushed the door open.
The dorm assigned by the Program Group was quite spacious. Even though it was underground, the air was fresh, and even the view outside the window was a lifelike scene simulated by the base's system. The sunlight streaming in looked faintly warm, so the place didn't feel oppressive at all.
By then, Xie Qingxuan was nowhere to be seen. Water splashed in the bathroom, so she was probably in there taking a shower.
Inside the room, a girl was unpacking her suitcase, sorting her cosmetics and toiletries into separate piles.
This contestant was a little unusual. She had pretty features and a gloomy, listless expression. A beauty mark beneath her eye gave her a memorable look. When she glanced back, there was a bold, spirited beauty about her.
Most striking of all, her eyes were green.
They were lovely, and the color suggested vitality, but paired with her overall demeanor, they somehow made her seem especially gloomy, as if a tiny rain cloud were always hovering over her head.
This girl must have Gloria Country heritage, right?
As far as Chu Yuanqing knew, the little country in Northern Europe was the only place that produced so many green eyes.
Still, the girl's name was a thoroughly Great Xia one: Tang Liuli.
From her self-introduction onstage and the instructors' follow-up questions, Chu Yuanqing had heard that Tang Liuli had once been a household-name child star. She'd acted in many hit TV dramas, and even played supporting roles on the big screen. She was a classic case of a child star who'd found fame at a young age.
But for some unknown reason, she'd quit the industry at the height of her fame at age eleven. She'd deleted all her social media accounts and disappeared without a trace for six whole years. She hadn't even done any publicity when she joined Shining Stage.
If the instructor hadn't brought up her identity, nobody would have recognized her as the prodigy from six years ago.
At the time, the contestants had been in an uproar, chattering among themselves.
Of course, Chu Yuanqing also remembered her because, like Chu Yuanqing, she'd been sharply criticized by Chen Baijiu for her poor dancing.
The difference was that Tang Liuli's singing could really wake you up.
Mm, in a good way.
Tang Liuli's voice was like that of a siren: clear, ethereal, and technically flawless. She'd managed to use it to cover up her awful, half-hearted dancing and earn a B-Class rating. She was a rather specialized main vocalist—far better off than Chu Yuanqing, who couldn't do anything at all.
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