Chapter 16: Transformation

“Compared to being insignificant, I’d rather say I don’t feel any repulsive aura from you.”

Jiang Ling pondered, trying her best to express her inner thoughts: “When I first saw you, I thought you were a good person. Though it’s just my personal opinion and perhaps too hasty for someone I just met, that’s genuinely what I thought.”

“Giving me a good person card?”

Bai Xue skillfully pinched her face, her tone carrying a hint of helplessness.

“Interpret it however you like.”

Seeing this, Jiang Ling broke free from her grasp and steered the conversation back: “Where’s my keyboard?”

“Uh, I think it’s somewhere around here.”

Bai Xue blinked, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

“…If you tell me it’s gone at this point, I’m really going to get mad.”

Jiang Ling tried to keep a straight face, staring at Bai Xue with a serious expression.

“Is this what they mean when they say even a rabbit will bite when cornered?”

“Ha, if I could actually bite, I’d be dying to take a bite out of you… No way! I’m not a rabbit!”

Jiang Ling raised her voice to express her fierce determination to resist.

“How about wearing bunny ears next time? Hiss, I think you have pajamas like that…”

“Are you even listening to me?!”

In the end, Jiang Ling successfully retrieved her keyboard, though the process was, well, a bit challenging.

Recalling Bai Xue’s sharp, cunning gaze—like a wolf spotting a sheep—Jiang Ling couldn’t help but feel a chill down her spine.

Oh well, nothing bad will happen, right?

Probably…

Jiang Ling shook off the cluttered thoughts in her mind, her fingers landing on the keys as she slowly played the song according to the sheet music.

The quiet atmosphere made her unconsciously immerse herself in it, and a clear, pure voice naturally followed.

The song came to an end.

“Phew—”

Jiang Ling let out a nervous breath.

Not bad.

She felt pretty good about it.

While she wasn’t a world-class singer, her voice was clean, and the performance was complete.

Most importantly, Jiang Ling poured her genuine emotions into the song, believing it could resonate with people in similar situations.

With that thought, her tense nerves relaxed significantly.

One of the two major challenges in front of her was resolved; the other was the group dance…

To be honest, she wasn’t very confident.

In the past, she probably would’ve already been avoiding it.

You definitely can’t do it.

Leave this kind of thing to more talented people.

What can a sickly person do?

Such thoughts always echoed in Jiang Ling’s mind.

She stood silently for a long time, then, with an expressionless face, opened the video Lin Xiaoyu had sent her on her phone.

A light, lively, and beautiful dance.

Jiang Ling suddenly felt ashamed of her own clumsy movements.

For a moment, she lost the courage to go to the practice room.

Instead, she stood in front of the full-length mirror in her room, playing Lin Xiaoyu’s tutorial at 0.5x speed.

She wouldn’t give up.

Finally, the day of the evaluation arrived.

In the dance practice room.

Bai Xue stood in front of everyone, her usual gentle demeanor replaced by a sharp, earnest expression.

Jiang Ling couldn’t help but lower her head, feeling a bit intimidated.

So scary!

“You probably don’t know, but when it comes to evaluations, Sister Bai Xue gets like that—much stricter than usual. If you get criticized later, don’t talk back,” Mo Ran whispered kindly to Jiang Ling.

“And no crying,” Fang Wannan added.

“Crying’s fine, but I absolutely have to record it,” Lin Xiaoyu countered seriously, waving her phone.

Before Jiang Ling could respond, Bai Xue raised her eyes and looked at Mo Ran: “Xiao Ran, you’re up first. Solo performance, then group dance.”

“OK.”

Mo Ran nodded knowingly, stepped to the center, and began her performance.

She had prepared a street dance routine as her solo.

Jiang Ling was shocked.

After all, with Mo Ran’s sweet appearance, it was hard to imagine her doing street dance.

But the truth taught her not to judge by appearances.

Mo Ran’s spectacular performance left everyone in awe, even making Bai Xue’s lips curve into a faint smile.

“Well done, perfect.”

Bai Xue gave her evaluation without hesitation, jotting something down in her notebook.

“Next, Nan Nan.”

Fang Wannan’s dance was a trendy K-pop routine.

For some reason, watching Fang Wannan’s lively movements to the music made Jiang Ling’s heart stir, perhaps the infectious energy of an idol?

Like Mo Ran, she also received high praise.

“No issues.” Bai Xue scribbled with her pen and looked up at Lin Xiaoyu: “Xiao Yu?”

As for Lin Xiaoyu, there was no need to elaborate.

She brought a jaw-dropping jazz dance, her body’s flexibility leaving Jiang Ling clapping uncontrollably.

It really felt like they weren’t in the same league…

As expected, she earned Bai Xue’s satisfied nod.

Finally, everyone’s gazes converged on Jiang Ling.

“Jiang Ling?”

Bai Xue softly called her name.

Jiang Ling nervously pursed her lips, sat on the keyboard bench, and took several deep breaths before placing her fingers on the keys.

For a moment, she forgot all the sheet music.

Anxiety flooded her heart, every cell in her body screaming with panic.

“Relax, just play as you’ve practiced,” Bai Xue, noticing Jiang Ling’s excessive nervousness, softened her voice, guiding her gently.

At that, Jiang Ling gritted her teeth, refusing to dwell on it further.

“Like the sunset burning with its final persistence…”

Her opening line was shaky—she could hear it herself—but since she’d started, she couldn’t stop.

So she pressed on, her playing stiff from nerves.

Despite practicing countless times, she was dropping the ball at this critical moment.

Jiang Ling didn’t dare look up, afraid of seeing disappointed gazes.

Like the nauseating pity the world had cast upon her when she lay bedridden.

Her fingers trembled, nearly hitting the wrong note.

Suddenly, her vision blurred.

Plip—

A hot tear fell onto the back of her hand, leaving a mark, blending into her trembling performance.

Bai Xue keenly noticed Jiang Ling’s emotional turmoil.

She gripped her pen tightly but didn’t say anything immediately, quietly observing her stiff movements.

The others frowned but watched with concern, holding back.

Jiang Ling’s ears were filled with chaotic noises.

The occasional static from the keyboard’s connection, the nurses’ regretful chatter when she lay like a wreck in the hospital bed, her parents’ accusing voices in her hopeless dreams.

One after another, they nearly pierced her eardrums.

Halfway through the song, Jiang Ling felt it was going terribly.

She didn’t dare continue playing and, summoning all her strength, looked up, intending to beg Bai Xue to stop the evaluation.

But when she raised her eyes, she found, without exception, everyone looking at her with gentle yet firm gazes.

Not the repulsive pity, but equal, warm kindness.

As if saying—

“You can do it!”

In fact, Fang Wannan shouted it out loud.

This made Jiang Ling burst into tearful laughter.

Her movements faltered a bit more but then became remarkably steady.

The second half of the song finally stabilized.

When it ended, Jiang Ling was drenched in sweat, as if she’d been pulled from water.

She took several deep breaths, then immediately stood to perform the group dance.

This time, she wasn’t nervous.

She firmly followed her practice, showing it to everyone.

“Ha…”

After finishing, Jiang Ling panted heavily, awaiting her evaluation.

But before she could wipe the mix of sweat and tears from her face, she was suddenly pulled into an embrace.

Stunned, she found herself surrounded.

Everyone was hugging her.

“That was awesome!”

Fang Wannan was the most excited, bouncing in place, her usual arrogance and haughtiness replaced by genuine joy.

The one holding her was, of course, Bai Xue.

She gently stroked Jiang Ling’s head, her tone impossibly soft: “Really excellent.”

Mo Ran pulled her from Bai Xue’s embrace, rubbing her soft cheeks and grinning: “Little Bell! You nailed it!”

Lin Xiaoyu, squeezed to the corner, showed no discontent, raising her phone to capture the moment.

“Hm, this could go on the official account.”

Jiang Ling instantly struggled: “No way! I look like a crying idiot—you’re going to post this online?!”

Amid the laughter, Bai Xue let go of Jiang Ling, contentedly marking a big check next to her name in the notebook.

Everyone passed.

“What a great day! How about we celebrate with dinner?” Mo Ran suggested, scrolling through a trending hotpot restaurant on her phone while Jiang Ling was washing her face, still sniffling.

“Sounds good.”

Fang Wannan and Lin Xiaoyu nodded in agreement.

Bai Xue had no objections, and Jiang Ling, fresh from the restroom, was “dragged” to the hotpot restaurant.

At the hotpot restaurant.

“Today, we’re gathered to celebrate Little Bell achieving her goal. Cheers!”

Mo Ran rallied everyone’s spirits, clinking glasses with refreshing fruit wine.

After all, even Jiang Ling, the youngest, was over 18.

“Yay!”

Jiang Ling downed several glasses, feeling elated.

She did it!

Last night, she was so nervous she barely slept.

The group couldn’t contain their high spirits, eating and drinking.

After some time, Jiang Ling felt a bit tipsy, her cheeks flushed.

At that moment, her phone buzzed.

She glanced at it groggily, and her buzz instantly faded.

It was a message from Song Meng.

[I’m at the table across from you. Come talk to me.]

[You know the consequences if you refuse, right?]