“Be gentle, it hurts there…”
“No, ugh… Sister, don’t use so much force…”
“It’s going to break…”
In the room, Jiang Ling gripped the bedsheet tightly, her eyes dazed and her voice as faint as a whisper.
“How about this amount of pressure?”
Mo Ran chuckled softly, increasing the strength of her kneading hands.
“Mmm, just right.”
At that moment, Jiang Ling was lying flat on the soft bed, feeling the soreness in her shoulders and neck, her expression tinged with pain as she let out a low cry:
“Yes, yes, right there—”
“I noticed earlier that your posture seemed off, and sure enough, there’s a big problem here.”
Mo Ran didn’t stop her movements, pressing slowly and firmly on the muscles in Jiang Ling’s shoulders, easing them while speaking earnestly:
“You need to be more careful in the future. Always stretch after dance practice, got it?”
“Beginners like you are the most prone to injuries.”
“Ugh, got it… ouch, ouch, ouch! Can you skip my legs?”
Jiang Ling was leisurely enjoying the massage when she suddenly felt a tingling sensation in her calf, followed by an unbearable wave of pain that swept through her body.
She immediately started wriggling, trying to escape.
“No moving.”
With surprising strength, Mo Ran held down the struggling Jiang Ling, smiling as she firmly relaxed the muscles in her legs.
“Ah!”
Jiang Ling let out a sharp scream, her face flushed as she frantically flailed her arms and kicked her feet:
“Sister, spare me! I know I was wrong!”
“Wrong about what?”
“…I didn’t even do anything!”
After struggling to no avail, Jiang Ling, ashen-faced, resigned herself to Mo Ran’s forceful massage, tears of humiliation streaming down her face.
“All done, relaxed now.”
Mo Ran grinned and let go, stretching her own muscles in the process.
“Phew, saved at last…”
Jiang Ling collapsed on the bed, drenched in sweat, looking as though she’d just gone through something unspeakable, her expression dazed as she gasped for breath.
After a brief rest, Jiang Ling mustered enough strength to prop herself up with her arms.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a small bottle on the nearby table.
The bottle was clear and clean, containing about half a bottle of white pills.
“What are you looking at?”
Mo Ran walked to her side, noticing Jiang Ling’s curious gaze.
She suddenly realized and said, “Oh, those? Vitamins. Want some? They’re good for you.”
She casually picked up the bottle to pour some out for Jiang Ling, who immediately protested:
“No, no, no! I hate taking vitamins.”
With that, Jiang Ling slowly got up, her body frail and exhausted, and said wearily, “I don’t think I can practice dancing today. I should probably think about what to do for my solo talent performance.”
“Oh, speaking of that—”
Jiang Ling looked at Mo Ran pitifully, her eyes full of pleading.
“Could you give me some suggestions?”
Hearing this, Mo Ran patted the spot next to her, gesturing for Jiang Ling to sit.
Once Jiang Ling obediently settled down, Mo Ran thought seriously: “First, you need a general direction. Singing, dancing, or something else?”
“I think I’d rather avoid dancing. The two group dances are already enough for me to handle.”
Jiang Ling hung her head dejectedly.
If she could, she’d love to show off her energetic dance moves, but her condition simply didn’t allow it.
“Then singing? I remember you’re in the music department. Do you play any instruments?”
Mo Ran asked after a moment’s thought.
“I can play some piano.”
Jiang Ling answered honestly.
That was true.
Even before her hospitalization, she had practiced the piano during her teenage years to show off a bit.
While she wasn’t as skilled as a professional, she could play from sheet music without any issues.
“I think singing while playing the piano would be great. As for the type of song, I suggest you first figure out your personal style.”
Seeing Jiang Ling’s relatively confident demeanor, Mo Ran nodded approvingly and continued, “Everyone has something they’re good at or something unique about them. For example, Sister Bai Xue positioned Nan Nan as the ‘tsundere rich girl idol.’”
“The type who calls you an idiot but secretly cares about you behind your back.”
Jiang Ling couldn’t help but picture Fang Wan Nan, with her twin tails, haughtily berating her with a sneer.
Hiss, it actually felt kind of… exciting?
She instantly grasped Mo Ran’s meaning and, thinking quickly, responded, “So Sister Bai Xue is the mature, elegant older sister type, right?”
“Exactly.”
Mo Ran nodded with satisfaction, tapping Jiang Ling’s forehead.
“Take your time to think about it. I’m off to dance practice.”
Jiang Ling saw her off to the dance studio, then returned to her own room.
She couldn’t help but walk to the full-length mirror, scrutinizing herself with a critical eye.
Her style, huh?
By conventional standards, she was probably best suited for a cute style.
But something like this was probably better discussed with someone else, right?
Jiang Ling picked up her phone but hesitated over her contact list.
The few people she considered friends were probably all at dance practice right now.
Oh, wait, there was one more…
Her fingers trembled slightly, but she finally tapped on Song Meng’s chat.
Looking at the last message where Song Meng had teased her playfully, Jiang Ling’s ears reddened again.
After carefully choosing her words, she sent a message:
[What do you think of me?]
“Ding!”
An almost instant reply.
Was this girl glued to her phone or what?
Jiang Ling grumbled to herself and opened the unread message.
[Bit sudden, but I accept your confession.]
[Who’s confessing to you?!?!]
Jiang Ling furiously typed three exclamation marks to emphasize her annoyance.
[Getting shy? No need to feel inferior for loving me.]
Reading Song Meng’s near-harassing remarks, Jiang Ling found it hard to reconcile the person typing with the gentle, charming girl she knew.
Unable to take it anymore, she hammered at the keyboard.
[I’m asking what kind of style you think suits me! Geez, can you be serious?]
[An order from the group leader?]
[…Why do your words always feel so weird?]
No response.
Bored, Jiang Ling scrolled through her phone and ended up in Song Meng’s social feed.
Only three days of posts were visible, with no extra updates.
By the way, Song Meng’s profile picture and background were both of a lazy, charming cat smiling at the camera, giving off total “good girl” vibes.
“Ding!”
[If your heart’s dirty, everything looks dirty.]
[Didn’t expect you to be that kind of idol.]
…
Good girl, my foot!
[But I think you’d suit a ‘gap moe’ style? Looking pure and cute but actually super sultry, with a head full of stuff too spicy to air.]
[Thanks for the suggestion. You’re banned from giving suggestions ever again.]
Jiang Ling angrily turned off her screen.
In the end, she still hadn’t come up with a solid plan.
The next day.
In the dance studio, everyone except Fang Wan Nan gathered together.
“Nan Nan didn’t show up, and she’s not answering her phone.”
Bai Xue frowned tightly, dialing the number again, but it still went unanswered.
“With all the maids at her house, she should be fine, right?”
Mo Ran asked, puzzled.
“Maybe she’s sick?”
Jiang Ling suddenly recalled hearing Fang Wan Nan coughing heavily during yesterday’s practice and spoke up.
At that, Bai Xue immediately turned her gaze to Jiang Ling.
“In that case, the task of checking on her falls to you.”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.