“I can’t believe you two have been secretly hooking up behind our backs.”
In the living room, Mo Ran clutched her chest dramatically, looking deeply hurt.
“For the last time, this person is just restless when sleeping!”
Jiang Ling explained until her mouth was dry, her face flushed as she turned to Lin Xiaoyu:
“Xiaoyu, say something!”
Hearing the commotion outside, Bai Xue walked out of her room groggily, her white silk pajamas slightly slipping off, revealing her slender shoulders and fair skin.
Yawning, she asked, “So energetic this early in the morning?”
Jiang Ling immediately averted her eyes, her head throbbing:
“Put your clothes on properly before talking!”
“So it’s Xiaoyu who’s restless when sleeping?”
After Jiang Ling’s painstaking explanations, practically begging on her knees, Mo Ran finally listened patiently and asked with sudden realization.
“Exactly!”
Seeing Mo Ran drop the teasing, Jiang Ling let out a sigh of relief.
She seized the moment to turn to Lin Xiaoyu: “So, can you please stop sleeping naked from now on, at least…”
“No.”
Lin Xiaoyu refused outright, more serious than ever before.
Jiang Ling was dumbfounded:
“No way, not at all?”
“Not at all.”
At that, Lin Xiaoyu shook her head firmly, her gaze resolute as if she were about to join some secret organization.
“But… it’ll, like, touch, doesn’t that matter?”
Jiang Ling pursed her lips, posing a soul-searching question.
“We’re all girls, what’s the big deal?”
Lin Xiaoyu replied breezily, leaving Jiang Ling to cover her face in exasperation.
That’s exactly the problem!
“Anyway, is this settled?”
Bai Xue, now changed into proper clothes, came out and placed a schedule on the table, gesturing for everyone to review it.
“This is what we need to do over the next two months. Take a look.”
“Wait, what’s this roadshow thing? It wasn’t mentioned before.”
Mo Ran raised her hand, pointing curiously at the schedule, where the word “roadshow” appeared almost weekly, one to two times, spanning a month.
“That’s the arrangement I wanted to discuss today,” Bai Xue said calmly, beginning to explain:
“Although we’ve promoted online, as idols, live song and dance performances are more effective at attracting passersby. So, I’ve decided the group will do street roadshows once or twice a week to boost our visibility and prepare for our debut performance.”
She finished and looked around: “Any questions?”
The schedule reached Jiang Ling, who quickly skimmed it.
It outlined weekly dance practice and roadshows, continuing until two days before the debut performance.
“If there are no questions, our first roadshow is next Saturday. Everyone prepare a three-minute solo talent segment. We’ll also rehearse two group dances—they won’t be too hard. I’ve already notified Nannan, and she’s on her way.”
At this, Jiang Ling’s mouth involuntarily drooped.
Group dances were fine; she could shamelessly ask Lin Xiaoyu to teach her.
But the three-minute solo talent segment…
She instantly felt the sky was falling.
Noticing the dark circles under Bai Xue’s eyes from staying up late, Jiang Ling didn’t voice her concerns.
Instead, she lowered her head, planning to secretly search for solutions online later.
In the practice room:
“If there’s nothing else, let’s start today’s training. You can suggest ideas for the group dance, but if there are no specific requests, I’ll decide,” Bai Xue said, gathering opinions as everyone, including the newly arrived Fang Wannan, changed into practice-friendly clothes.
“I think for two songs, it’s better to showcase different styles,” Mo Ran said thoughtfully.
“For example, one cute and one sexy?”
“A slightly cool, powerful dance could work too,” Lin Xiaoyu chimed in.
Fang Wannan listened quietly to their suggestions without commenting.
“…Can it be simpler?”
Jiang Ling added hesitantly after some thought.
Otherwise, she’d struggle to learn it in such a short time!
Imagining herself as the clumsy dancer in an otherwise polished group, she trembled, her eyes hollow.
Bai Xue chuckled softly, giving Jiang Ling a reassuring look before explaining:
“The roadshow songs can’t be too difficult. First impressions are critical, and passersby often form stereotypes. If our debut performance doesn’t meet expectations for certain songs, we’ll face criticism.”
“That makes sense. How about something simpler, maybe cute-style?”
Mo Ran nodded, suggesting two moderately popular songs with relatively easy choreography.
“I think that’s fine. What about you all?”
Bai Xue nodded in approval.
Lin Xiaoyu and Fang Wannan had no objections, while Jiang Ling had no grounds to object—she didn’t even know the two songs…
With the songs decided, dance practice began naturally.
Jiang Ling only then learned that Lin Xiaoyu was the official dance leader of their group, NOVA.
No wonder she taught so effortlessly before and now stood at the front, guiding everyone through moves and formations.
Lost in thought, Jiang Ling missed an eight-count, her eyes darting around in panic.
Seeing her looking around, Mo Ran gently tapped her arm and demonstrated the moves slowly.
Jiang Ling, too focused to thank her, watched intently, memorizing each move clumsily but thoroughly before repeating it on the spot.
Unlike the others, she was decent at singing but a complete beginner at dancing.
As the saying goes, “the clumsy bird flies first,” so Jiang Ling was prepared to practice relentlessly.
“Not bad, but pay attention to the details later,” Mo Ran said, giving her a thumbs-up and signaling her to keep listening to Lin Xiaoyu’s instructions.
About an hour later:
“That’s roughly it,” Lin Xiaoyu said, pausing the video on her phone and turning to the slightly sweaty group.
“This song isn’t hard, but the moves are a bit intricate, and there’s a lot to memorize. I suggest practicing whenever you have time.”
As she spoke, she seemed to glance at Jiang Ling unintentionally.
Jiang Ling tensed up, silently resolving to train in the practice room after dinner.
“For now, practice freely. If you have other things to do, go ahead. I’ll check your progress in three days.”
Bai Xue glanced at her watch, grabbed her bag, and hurried out, as if she had something urgent.
Fang Wannan and Lin Xiaoyu began training with focus.
Jiang Ling sighed softly, about to move to a corner to practice in front of the mirror, when someone tapped her shoulder.
Turning, she met Mo Ran’s smiling face:
“Come to my room for a bit?”
“Huh?”
Confused but curious, Jiang Ling followed Mo Ran out of the practice room and into her bedroom.
As soon as she stepped in, a fresh, girlish scent hit her, making Jiang Ling’s eyes widen.
She cautiously looked around.
Surprisingly, Mo Ran’s room was extremely minimalist, with a gray-white-black color scheme and a simple layout.
Aside from essential furniture, there were hardly any decorations.
Jiang Ling was taken aback.
She’d always imagined Mo Ran’s room would be pink and full of girly charm, not so… lifeless.
Her confusion grew as she heard Mo Ran lock the door with a click.
“Hm?”
Jiang Ling’s puzzlement deepened.
Why lock the door?
Mo Ran rolled up her sleeves, revealing neat, clean fingers, and looked at the bewildered Jiang Ling.
“Alright, take off your clothes.”