Caught off guard by the slightly embarrassed look on her face, Jiang Ling froze for a moment.
Then she steadied herself and said softly, “I’ll go get you a glass of water first. We can talk when I get back, alright?”
As she spoke, she glanced at Lin Xiaoyu, testing her reaction.
Hearing this, Lin Xiaoyu fell silent for a moment, then sniffled quietly and gave a muffled “mm,” releasing her slightly trembling hand.
Jiang Ling’s heart clenched at once. She rushed out to fill the kettle, hurried back in just a few steps, closed the door, and poured the water—all in one swift motion.
She held out the still-warm cup to Lin Xiaoyu, remembering to remind her, “Careful, it’s hot. Finish drinking, then we can talk.”
With her lips to the cup, Lin Xiaoyu took a few slow sips, her complexion improving quite a bit.
Seeing her face gradually return to its usual look, Jiang Ling finally sat beside Lin Xiaoyu, her voice a bit cautious, “You said you felt a little uneasy—what’s making you feel that way?”
At the mention of this, Lin Xiaoyu’s eyes darkened a little, but she still spoke slowly, “Even though my mom said she would come, it never really felt real to me. I even thought she was just stringing me along. But just now, she messaged me to ask about the time and place of the convention…”
“To be honest, it makes me a little anxious. In my heart, she’s not the type to be so easy to talk to.”
As she spoke, Lin Xiaoyu frowned unconsciously. “Why do I feel like I’m being dramatic?”
She picked up another bite of spicy hot pot and, before Jiang Ling could dissuade her, ate it all at once. Unsurprisingly, she immediately started coughing. “Cough, cough, cough!”
“Aiya, seriously.”
Jiang Ling could only helplessly pat her back while refilling her cup, “If you can’t handle spicy food, just don’t eat it. And this isn’t being dramatic—you’re just not used to Auntie changing, are you?”
“Something like that.”
Lin Xiaoyu wiped her lips with a tissue, nodding silently. “Maybe I’m overthinking things. I keep worrying about how she’ll react after my stage performance—stuff like that just makes me uneasy.”
Her expression didn’t really change as she said this, still as cool as ever. If someone wasn’t familiar with Lin Xiaoyu, they’d probably think she was joking.
But Jiang Ling was different—after sharing a bed for so long, she could already pick up on even the slightest emotional shifts in Lin Xiaoyu’s expressions.
Like now—she was definitely hesitant and uneasy.
Jiang Ling let the words of comfort linger on her lips for a while, but in the end could only offer, dryly, “How about we practice the moves a few more times?”
Seeing Lin Xiaoyu look up in surprise, she quickly added, “Dancing can help relieve stress too—it doesn’t always have to be about eating crazy spicy hot pot. Oh, and I just thought of a super great facial expression. Help me try it out—”
Jiang Ling could only try to distract Lin Xiaoyu in this clumsy way, looking at her with hopeful eyes as she reached out.
Seeing this, Lin Xiaoyu was stunned for a moment, then the corners of her mouth naturally curved into a pretty smile.
“Really, I can’t do anything with you.”
The day of the convention.
Their performance slot was in the afternoon, so Jiang Ling didn’t bother getting up early. Instead, she and Lin Xiaoyu slept in peace until ten, only waking when Mo Ran knocked on their door.
“Knock, knock, knock—“
Mo Ran looked helplessly at Jiang Ling, who was moving sluggishly on the bed, and at Lin Xiaoyu, who was still clinging to her, eyes closed and resting. “Isn’t it about time to wake up? Let’s eat, and then get ready to go.”
“Mmm-hmm…”
Jiang Ling mumbled, slowly got up with both hands and feet, and skillfully moved Lin Xiaoyu’s arm off her. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she said, “Got it. We’ll be out in a bit.”
After washing up, the two came out to find everyone already seated at the dining table.
“Were you two worn out last night? Sleeping so late,” Bai Xue glanced at Jiang Ling and Lin Xiaoyu’s faces, handing them chopsticks and a bowl.
Jiang Ling yawned as she took them. “It’s fine, mostly it’s just Xiaoyu’s moves are a bit too quick…”
From the morning, Xu Nuo had been out of it, but hearing this, her eyes immediately brightened and her mouth started firing off like a machine gun, “Didn’t expect you two to have this kind of relationship behind our backs!
“Damn, as a solo stan, I should be crying and screaming ‘I’ve lost, I’ve lost’, but when I imagine Lingling-chan being all weak and helpless at a time like that, I can’t help but—ah, ouch!”
Before she could finish, Fang Wannan, sitting beside her, smacked her hard on the head.
Withdrawing her hand, Fang Wannan looked exasperated. “First thing in the morning and your head’s full of dirty thoughts. I should toss you in the washing machine for a good spin.”
“I agree.”
Jiang Ling was too sleepy to bother complaining—she just replied and started shoveling food into her mouth.
After lunch, Bai Xue looked at the prearranged itinerary and reminded them again, “The scheduled time for our performance is four in the afternoon. Before that, you’re free to look around, but don’t agree to any autograph or photo requests—we have those arranged later.”
“Also, Xiaoyu and Lingling, your stage is scheduled at the end of our performance. There won’t be much time to change outfits in between, so be aware of that.”
Once the reminders were finished, Bai Xue looked around at everyone. “Any questions?”
“No.”
Seeing that no one objected, Bai Xue finally withdrew her gaze, her voice calm. “By the way, our outside activities might start becoming more frequent soon, so I bought a business van. Not too expensive, but good enough.”
Even though Fang Wannan wouldn’t care about such minor things, it really wasn’t fair to keep making her drive the members around.
“Wow, when did you buy it?”
Jiang Ling was stunned—she hadn’t heard anything about this.
“Around the second day after getting the convention invite.”
Seeing Jiang Ling’s mouth hanging open, Bai Xue grinned and hooked her finger under Jiang Ling’s chin. “Well? Want to sit in the front with your big sis?”
“Yes!”
Jiang Ling admitted her feelings honestly and managed to snag the front seat.
She gazed at the understated, luxurious, and tastefully decorated interior, unable to help but sigh, “So, so cool!”
Seeing her looking so dazed, Bai Xue chuckled, leaned in, buckled her seatbelt for her, and murmured in her ear, “Is big sis really that impressive?”
“…Bai Xue, I suspect you’re flirting while driving, but I have no evidence!”
Jiang Ling blushed and glared at her, flustered.
“I am driving, though,” Bai Xue answered calmly, turning the wheel, leaving Jiang Ling speechless as she turned her flushed face away.
There wasn’t much traffic, so they arrived smoothly at the convention venue.
Since they were early, the place was nearly empty both inside and out. Bai Xue led everyone straight to the dressing room prepared for them as agreed.
It was called a “dressing room,” but it was really just a small single room—not spacious, but fully equipped. It seemed the organizer’s fans had given them some special treatment.
“Let’s run through the dance. The photo and autograph session is for later. If anything comes up, come to me right away.”
After a short break, Bai Xue spoke up.
No one had any complaints, and they all started going over the dance and songs they’d practiced, right there in the not-so-large dressing room.
As time passed, the venue gradually grew livelier. Jiang Ling could even hear the bustling sounds outside through the not-very-soundproof walls.
“It’s about time. Let’s go,” Bai Xue checked her watch and led the way out.
Since they were in stage costumes, they immediately attracted a lot of attention, including from their own fans.
“Ahhh, it’s NOVA!”
Of course, there were also some passersby who didn’t know them well.
“Who’s that, a new girl group?”
“I heard they’re an underground idol group. Are they performing later? Kinda looking forward to it.”
With all the curious looks, Jiang Ling felt a little nervous—compared to a concert full of fans, there were way more strangers here.
Just before going on stage.
The MC was reading from a prepared script on stage, while everyone below exchanged glances, their fighting spirit clear. Bai Xue was the first to reach out her hand, and everyone else followed, stacking their palms together.
The warmth flowed from one person to the next. Jiang Ling glanced at Lin Xiaoyu, who stood by her side with downcast eyes, silent, and leaned closer, whispering so only the two of them could hear, her tone firm:
“We’ll definitely make her see you in a new light!”