Chen Xiaoxiao glanced at Chu Yuanqing in the camera lens beside them.
Her beauty was flawless from every angle. Her skin looked even more delicate after exercising, and her gaze held the calm of someone who had seen the world. She was the very picture of a stunning young heroine from a coming-of-age novel.
Of course, she would look even more stunning after washing up, fixing her hair, and putting on makeup. But even now, she had a sort of "beauty that rises like a lotus from clear water, untouched by artificial adornment."
Whew, she was gorgeous.
Hehehe, this job was great. I hope they assign me to interview pretty girls every day.
Chu Yuanqing didn't notice anything odd about the proper, older assistant. She only asked:
"Will the interview take long?"
"Not long. Around ten minutes or so."
"Then there's no need. I'm fine like this."
Chen Xiaoxiao nodded to signal that filming was starting, then began asking her questions.
Interviews like this were common while the show was being filmed.
Whether the footage was edited into the main episodes or used for behind-the-scenes clips and bonus content, it gave the episodes and livestreams something distinct, making them more competitive and less vulnerable to audience attention being split.
So, aside from Chu Yuanqing, the other First A-Class contestants and some particularly memorable trainees would all be interviewed in turn.
It was just that the underground base was enormous, and all 168 trainees were in different practice rooms. Without electronic devices, news traveled slowly between them, so the interviews hadn't spread around.
Chen Xiaoxiao glanced at her script and asked:
"Chu Yuanqing, you're the only one among the 168 contestants who has consistently appeared on camera without makeup. May I ask why you chose to do that?"
It was a question she was genuinely curious about.
There were plenty of contestants on Flash Dance who could hold their own without makeup. But even trainees as beautiful as Xie Qingxuan would put on makeup to enhance their looks whenever they needed to appear on camera.
Because sometimes, whether someone looked good on camera was truly a matter of luck.
Some people's nine-out-of-ten beauty dropped by three points as soon as they appeared on camera. And since the big screen magnified everything, pretty girls with good skin but less-than-perfect bone structure could easily look three points heavier, ruining the harmony of their features.
That was why makeup and contouring, to reduce the risk of an unflattering shot and make one's looks more camera-ready, were an essential part of every entertainer's career.
Chu Yuanqing thought about it, then answered honestly:
"Makeup is too expensive. I can't afford it, and I don't know how to use it."
That was the absolute truth.
All Chu Yuanqing could think about was saving money. Even to get to the show, she had dragged her suitcase onto the subway and then a bus, making the three-hour trip in the most frugal way possible before arriving at the film base in Zhelong Town. There had been something poignantly beautiful about her poverty the whole way.
So she'd bought the cheapest clothes and underwear, and only brought two sets of each to change into. Makeup, that confusing and troublesome luxury, had never even crossed her mind—not to mention buying any.
But while she said it calmly and naturally, to other people it sounded pitiful and heartbreaking, as if she didn't even realize how sad it was.
Chen Xiaoxiao was struck so hard she nearly fell apart. Remembering Chu Yuanqing's background, she suddenly wished she could slap both Dream Weaver Rabbit, who'd written the question, and herself, for asking it.
Waaah, Qing Bao, I'm sorry! Mom didn't mean to poke at your wounds!
The assistant felt terribly guilty. She hid her distress and looked at the pretty girl in front of her, who seemed to have long since grown used to it and showed no reaction. She tried her hardest not to let any pity show, though her heart ached and she felt deeply saddened.
In that instant, she—who had once fallen into becoming a DD collector after too many scandals in the Chinese Entertainment Industry—felt herself on the verge of being purified into a devoted one-push fan!
The power of a succubus was terrifying indeed.
The interview continued. As a survival talent show, yuri interactions were a signature feature that simply couldn't be left out. So the relationships between the trainees and their roommates were well worth exploring and playing up.
Chen Xiaoxiao asked Chu Yuanqing what she thought of her roommates.
Chu Yuanqing was just as honest in her answers. With her old-fashioned mind that couldn't keep up with the times, she thought yuri fanservice and shipping couples were strange, unfamiliar concepts. So, innocently believing there was no need to lie, she answered each question one by one.
"Xie Qingxuan? I feel like she's a girl who doesn't get enough love. Calling her the Great Demon King feels a little lonely to me."
Chen Xiaoxiao's heart stirred.
—Qing Bao can be friends with the Great Demon King, too. She's so gentle!
"Xiaoxiao works hard and she's cheerful. She laughs a lot, just like her name, but deep down, she's under a lot of pressure and has a vulnerable side, too."
"I really admire her. In her, I can see how much she longs for the stage and her dreams."
Chen Xiaoxiao was even more moved.
—Waaah, what kind of trainee praises someone else like this in her own solo interview? She's so kind!
Chu Yuanqing sounded like a kindergarten principal introducing her students to a visitor, or a young wife in an apron at home, telling someone all about her daughter's good points. She listed them one by one:
"And there's Liuli. She's a little awkward, like a small animal hiding in its burrow, and she keeps a strong wall between herself and other people."
"But even so, she's been very kind to me. She helped me mark up the sheet music, patiently taught me music theory, and told me some things about the industry. She even gave me an autograph when we first met. She's a good girl who seems cold on the outside but is warmhearted underneath."
Chen Xiaoxiao was almost in tears.
Chu Yuanqing had grown up in a place without love. An environment like that should have made someone awkward, narrow-minded, insecure, sensitive, and worldly.
But what was she actually like?
She could face her poverty calmly and accept her own shortcomings without making a fuss. She cared about her roommates, who were also her competitors. And during a solo interview, she could have brushed the others aside with a few words, but still chose to earnestly say what she thought of them.
Damn it, how could there be such a wonderful girl?!
Chen Xiaoxiao's DD soul was about to be converted. She quickly steadied herself, her mind flashing through the faces of all 168 pretty girls like a 3D printer, and only then did she barely recover her ambition to have a harem of three thousand beauties.
Chen Xiaoxiao was a little scared. She felt she couldn't be alone in the same room with Chu Yuanqing.
There was something terrifyingly captivating about this girl. Just looking into her eyes made it impossible not to get lost in them. And her personality was practically cheating. If Chen Xiaoxiao stayed any longer, how could she go on to be a DD fan of all the other 167 girls?
Let's wrap up this interview already!
Thinking that, Chen Xiaoxiao sped up the questions. She asked about Chu Yuanqing's hobbies, dietary restrictions, goals, thoughts about the mentors, and opinions on the show's elimination mechanism. At last, she reached the final question.
"Chu Yuanqing, why did you decide to compete?"
Chu Yuanqing froze for a moment, then nearly burst into laughter.
What was a godsend opportunity? This was a godsend opportunity!
Wasn't this the perfect chance to shatter her public image, disappoint her fans, turn them all into haters, and have them kick her out of Flash Dance while she was down?
Thinking this, Chu Yuanqing hurriedly considered her wording. Suppressing her delight, she clarified seriously:
"I'm sorry. I lied to the mentors earlier."
"The reason I entered the competition is that the Program Group pays really well. That's the only reason."
Chu Yuanqing paused, then said softly:
"The stage and being an idol aren't things I'm pursuing."
With that, she felt lighthearted and cheerful.
Yay! That means I can clock out after the Public Performance, right?
The hand holding Chen Xiaoxiao's script trembled slightly.
Chu Yuanqing was mature and calm, sincere and kind, like the first snow untouched by the mundane world.
She was wonderful, and she deserved to be loved.
But up to that point, Chen Xiaoxiao had still been able to keep her feelings under control.
Because Chu Yuanqing was too perfect.
That perfection was like a child who never cried, someone people were apt to overlook until...she said those two things:
—[The show pays really well.]
—[The stage and being an idol aren't things I'm pursuing.]
Only then did Chen Xiaoxiao suddenly realize how different Chu Yuanqing was from the other contestants.
She'd come to Flash Dance to make a living. She didn't have the right to try to get close to her dream.
In her heart, she probably believed that someone like her, with no dance training, no vocal training, no fame to speak of, and not even the ability to put on makeup, could never stand on a real stage and become an idol in the spotlight.
That was why she'd said she lied earlier.
Yes, Chu Yuanqing had indeed lied.
But she hadn't lied onstage, or to the mentors, or to the audience. She'd lied...to herself.
—"My dream."
—"I came here for my dream."
Chen Xiaoxiao remembered the way she'd said those words: so firmly that she hadn't needed to think, without the slightest hesitation, as if she were following her heart and simply letting the words tumble out.
And when the mentors had asked what had inspired that dream, the girl who'd been so certain just moments before had seemed to wake from a dream. She'd hesitated for a moment before answering.
—"Because...I envy those girls on TV who shine so brightly."
Maybe this was where it had started.
Chu Yuanqing realized she'd said something "self-indulgent."
From the very beginning, she'd understood how cruel reality could be. Maybe even while entering Flash Dance, she'd kept telling herself not to reach for the things that were impossible.
She was like Cinderella, knowing the magic would disappear at midnight. As she gazed at a world of splendor she'd never seen before, she hid her envy and disappointment and kept telling herself it was all right.
But how could it really be all right?
The stage and being an idol were clearly her dream.
Why did she have to be so mature?
Why did she have to be so sensible?
Didn't she train for hours every day?
Didn't she love the stage so much that she'd even given up the A-Class privilege within her reach?
Chen Xiaoxiao felt as if a crack had suddenly split open in her heart. A knife-like ache rose from deep in her chest, surged into her throat, and left it burning. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't swallow it down.
The assistant's eyes grew damp. She sniffled.
She signaled the staff nearby to stop filming. The interview was over. Looking at Chu Yuanqing, who still showed not the slightest hint of emotion, as if she'd long since grown used to enduring and losing, Chen Xiaoxiao parted her lips, but for a long time, she couldn't say a word.
What should she say? Tell her to work harder?
But she was already working so hard. She was learning music theory and how to recognize dance styles, building her dance foundation from scratch, training her voice from scratch, spinning like a top that wouldn't stop until its fuel ran out.
Or tell her that lots of people outside supported her, that she could be more confident and have hope?
But with rules as cruel as those on Flash Dance, hope was no different from poison. Her passion and anticipation would only deepen the wounds in her heart when her dream shattered.
So, in the end...
Chen Xiaoxiao hesitated for a long time. It was only when she'd walked Chu Yuanqing to the practice room door that she finally offered her a sincere wish:
"Dream Weaver Rabbit said that idols are people who overcome every unfairness and still shine onstage."
"Chu Yuanqing, I believe you're that kind of person."
Yes. As a fan, all you had to do was believe. Believe that the idol you'd chosen could do it. Believe that the person you'd chosen really could shine.
After saying that, Chen Xiaoxiao hurriedly said goodbye and left, paying no mind to Chu Yuanqing's confusion.
In the assistant's mind, the faces of the other 167 pretty girls blurred with every step she took. At last, they collapsed into inked lines and dots, forming the image of a certain Savior lowering his eyes with a smile.
And so, a fallen DD collector was successfully converted into a fanatical one-push believer.
That day.
Chu Yuanqing quickly forgot the assistant's strange words.
She still couldn't dance candy from start to finish smoothly, so to avoid a stage mishap at the Public Performance, she had no choice but to spin through practice over and over like a top.
The practice rooms and cafeteria were open twenty-four hours a day.
Chu Yuanqing practiced the breakdown moves for candy by herself over and over. It wasn't until after eight in the evening that she felt she'd gotten a little more familiar with them. She looked at herself in the mirror in front of her and sighed.
The girl's eyes were dewy, her delicate face soft and pink, and wisps of black hair rested by her ears.
She wore a beautifully designed white crop top. The fabric outlined her graceful curves, and a fullness long hidden beneath it stretched the middle slightly. Since the hem was already rather short, it struggled to cover her soft, slender waist. Whenever she stepped into a dance move, her shirt fluttered to reveal her cute, vertical belly button.
As for her lower half...
Her white miniskirt was quite revealing, leaving her long thighs in full view. Her delicate, milk-white skin drew the eye even more beneath the sweat and lights.
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