Chapter 33
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Chapter 33: Daidai, you charmer (1)
The stage was magical. It possessed this kind of power that, as long as the audience witnessed a powerful performance, they couldn’t escape its deadly lure. When the audience had seen Qiao Dai’s performance with their own eyes, not voting for her had become difficult. This was the wonder of the stage, as long as they could live up to it and respected it, it would never fail anyone.
Step by step, Qiao Dai walked up to the top of the crystal stairs and sat in the first position in the dazzling light. Petals and colored paper fell from the ceiling on her and Qiao Dai gave a big smile to the camera. At this point, the first public performance officially ended.
The contestants surrounded Qiao Dai and there was a small celebration party; after so many days of intense practice, the girls deserved a short break. And when Ruan Tao came back from the hospital, it was already early in the morning.
There was no one in the dormitory and everything was very quiet. Ruan Tao walked to the villa with the help of the staff and saw a teammate coming down from the second floor, looking like she was heading out.
“You… You’re back?”
When the girl saw Ruan Tao, her expression froze for a second and she slowed down her descent. When she reached the last step, her eyes fell on Ruan Tao’s legs and her eyebrows raised, before hesitantly asking: “How is your leg?”
Ruan Tao thought the attitude of her teammate was a bit strange but couldn’t tell why. After a short silence, she replied: “It’s nothing, just a sprain. I need to take a few days off.”
Her injury was far from as big as it was said on the Internet. After going to the hospital, they had found out it was an ordinary sprain; with a little rest and some medicine, she could go back to her usual training and there was nothing to worry about.
“Oh.”
The girl nodded, picked up her things, and before she could leave, Ruan Tao couldn’t help but stop her and ask: “Where is everyone? Why is no one there?”
Ruan Tao looked back and forth in the room for a while and found out there was really nobody inside their dormitory, only this teammate who was about to leave. She also noticed that the lights were mostly turned off and the villa was silent.
“Everyone went to celebrate. If you want to go, just check the location of the group. I can’t take you there, I am going to help Lin Xiaoxiao move.”
Ruan Tao raised her eyebrows in surprise and opened her mouth: “Move? What happened to Xiaoxiao?”
As she said that, she suddenly realized her good friend Lai You was not waiting for her here. According to their friendship, she should have been the first to welcome her back but she hadn’t seen her figure since she had come back.
“Did you see Lai You?”
Hearing Ruan Tao’s question, the other girl’s expression changed. She looked as if she had just stepped on a minefield; she bit her lips tightly, looking like she wanted to say something but chose against it in the end. She looked at Ruan Tao a little baffled and replied in a cold voice: “Lai You was eliminated and the others went to see her off. Xiaoxiao went to Class C this time and I am helping her move her things.”
Ruan Tao could hear the indifference in the voice of her teammate. Before she could investigate her change of attitude, the girl had already started walking to the door.
“You have a good rest.” She left without looking back and Ruan Tao became the sole person in the huge villa.
An eerie silence filled the room. Ruan Tao felt pain in her ankle and fell on the chair beside her, trying to gasp for breath and calm her mood a little. Xiaoxiao went to class C? Lai You was eliminated?
As she thought about everything she had just learned, she realized that she had not cared about any of the teammates she had left behind when she was in the hospital. She had just been focused on her own sadness and disappointment at not being able to perform despite all of her hard work; she hadn’t thought once about the panicked girls who had lost their C position just before going on stage.
Ruan Tao inhaled deeply and took out her phone after mentally preparing herself to check the Internet for everything that had happened when she was gone.
The faint light of the screen illuminated Ruan Tao’s face in the dark. After countless hot searches and discussions, she finally pieced the whole process together: Jiang Fengchi had replaced them on the stage, Qiao Dai had supported Lin Xiaoxiao in the audience, and finally… Qiao Dai had climbed to the top and took first place in the ranking.
Ruan Tao’s heart beat faster and a layer of sweat took place on her forehead. Her eyes were fixed on the screen, every sharp comment piercing her like a needle, and everything felt painful.
[Ruan Tao got first place online and surpassed Qiao Dai by so many votes but still didn’t win in the end. How big is the navy?]
[Sure enough, the eyes of the audience are discerning. Daidai deserves first place!]
[To be honest, I got goosebumps when they announced she was first. She has this inexplicable aura that makes people excited, this is the kind of stage in a draft that I like!]
Many netizens were dissatisfied with the fact Ruan Tao had not appeared on the stage but still won the online popularity vote. They were not all Qiao Dai’s fans but after seeing such a performance, with countless girls sweating, crying, and laughing, their hearts were touched and they could not accept that someone absent for the whole journey could get so many votes.
After the wave of sympathy that had taken the Internet earlier tonight, as they watched the eliminated players leave, some viewers couldn’t help but feel bad about it and expressed their feelings.
[Suddenly, I feel so uncomfortable watching them leave.]
When this topic was first started, more and more people joined the discussion.
[Everyone worked so hard.]
[Yes, I was there when they sang the theme song and many little sisters were crying.]
[Most of the eliminated players were ordinary girls. And most of them will return to normal life after that and we might never see them again on the screen.]
In the midst of these emotions, someone finally couldn’t help but type this message: [I’m sorry. I regret it, I should have voted for them.]
At that time, everybody had voted for Ruan Tao out of sympathy but once the atmosphere had fallen down, they gradually returned to their senses and realized they actually didn’t like Ruan Tao that much. The overwhelming press releases on the Internet had infected them, causing them to follow the trend and vote for her in a trance. And now that they were faced with this wave of regret for the departing players, they felt bad for letting the little sisters down.
[I regret it too.]
[+1]
[+2]
In the comment area, many people added their support. At this moment, they felt like they were supposed to vote for people who needed it more and deserved it more instead of becoming insignificant data for a frustrated player.
These messages looked like scarlet letters dripping with blood in Ruan Tao’s eyes. The girl opened them wide before quickly closing them in pain, trying to keep everything away. As long as she couldn’t see it, she wouldn’t feel so bad. But those questioning and accusing words were like a mad dog pursuing her and she couldn’t seem to avoid it.
She was hurting. Why were so many people questioning her? Did she injure herself deliberately? Did she want to fall? If Lin Xiaoxiao and the others were facing tremendous pressure, what about her? But what Ruan Tao really worried about was what Jiang Fengchi thought about her.
Would he be disappointed like the rest of the Internet? Or would he be sympathetic? Ruan Tao’s reason for participating in the draft had never been about debuting. Thanks to her background, as long as she asked, she could get all the resources she wanted at any time. The reason she had joined the competition and put herself in a position to be judged by everyone was only to see Jiang Fengchi again. She originally wasn’t anxious he would not remember her at all at first, but now, she couldn’t help but worry. So after calming down for a while, Ruan Tao pushed open the door of the dormitory, dragged her injured right leg, and rushed into the night.
“Teacher Jiang.”
Ruan Tao found Jiang Fengchi near the celebration venue. He looked like he was about to leave and Ruan Tao shouted his name anxiously.
“Ruan Tao?”
Jiang Fengchi stopped and his eyes fell on the girl’s injured ankle. In a soft voice, he said: “You should pay attention to rest and get well soon.”
It was very late now and Jiang Fengchi sounded a little sleepy. He stood some distance away from Ruan Tao and didn’t try to get closer. Ruan Tao stopped in place too; there was nobody around and she just looked at the man, trying to find out whether he was sincere or not. Did he really care or did he feel she was dragging her teammates just like everyone else?
Seeing she wasn’t speaking, Jiang Fengchi waited patiently for a while before frowning slightly and preparing to turn around and leave. He wasn’t sure if it was his illusion or not at first, but he always felt Ruan Tao’s attitude towards him was a little unusual. At first, he had thought it was a fan in front of her idol but after she had come to him in private several times, he had realized it was more than that. Jiang Fengchi didn’t want the mentor/student relationship to become complicated and wanted to keep his distance as much as possible.
At this moment, Ruan Tao’s faint voice was heard and for some reason, the originally soft tone sounded a little strange tonight.
“Teacher Jiang, wait a minute. I want to tell you something.”
Chapter 33: Daidai, you charmer (2)
After the first public performance, a short three-day holiday was given to the players.
“Children, I’m here to pick you up!”
After packing their luggage, Qiao Dai and the other COCO trainees saw their agent Ling Na standing in front of the car, waiting for them. Her face was full of smiles and more energetic than before, and she was accompanied by the new assistant the company had assigned to her. The assistant was a young man and he rushed to help the girls with their luggage as soon as he saw them.
“Thank you.”
When Qiao Dai thanked him, he blushed all over and dragged the luggage even faster to the car. Ling Na couldn’t help but pat his shoulder and she smiled as she said: “He is a fan of yours. He had five phones with him yesterday to vote for you.”
The assistant secretly thought that there were more than five; he had also turned on two computers to support Qiao Dai.
Ling Na looked at the five girls with a lot of emotions in her heart. She had not expected all of her trainees would be promoted after the first performance, let alone having two of them grab the top three seats. This was simply an incredible and unexpected surprise! She looked at Qiao Dai with a lot of joy and told the five girls: “Everyone saw your performance and lately, the company has received lots of endorsements for you. I have picked a few good ones for you to check out. However, the time is a bit tight and the filming will start in two days.”
Once everybody was in the car, Ling Na gave documents to each of them. Although most of the demands were invitations from small brands or collective advertising, these were already great resources for newcomers. Everyone was rather surprised by the amount and a little excited; happiness was written on all the girls’ faces. This was just what the first public performance had brought to them and if they could go further in the competition, their exposure would become even bigger and they would get even more opportunities. At that time, they would get advertising, endorsements, variety shows, and even movie and TV shows roles! Everything was possible.
“By the way Qiao Dai, I have another piece of good news to tell you!”
Ling Na took another file from her bag and after inhaling deeply, she passed it to Qiao Dai. Her voice kept rising slightly, showing her excitement: “The North Island officially invited you to film the Deep Blue Star Sea promotional video! The filming is scheduled for tomorrow, so you have to prepare!”
Ling Na tried to restrain herself and told her more about anything related to the shooting. After that, she took out a few tickets and handed them to her with a smile: “The North Island also sent some tickets, you can invite your friends to go play.”
Now that the North Island had just officially opened, it was using limited entries and a reservation system, which could only accommodate a certain number of tourists each day; this was a way to ensure their good experience instead of crowding each attraction. Many netizens were currently complaining about the fact tickets were difficult to get and going to the North Island had become hugely popular on the Internet.
Ling Na sent the five girls back to the company’s trainee dormitory to let them rest. Tomorrow, she would pick up Qiao Dai and head to the North Island.
After she left, the other trainees who were waiting not far away walked to them and congratulated them with envious looks. After a while, Qiao Dai, Shi Qing, Luan Zhen, Lin Lang, and Jiang Ruowei finally returned to the dormitory.
“The tickets for the North Island are very expensive.”
Shi Qing took a ticket from Qiao Dai and looked at it. Seeing the four-digit price, she gasped and realized how lucky they had been to go there to shoot their official portraits there before.
“Do you want to go? Sister Ling Na gave me a lot of them.”
Qiao Dai knew no other people besides the friends she had met in the company and in the draft. Even if Ling Na told her to bring her friends and go to the North Island together, she couldn’t find the others and she simply wanted to distribute the tickets here.
At this moment, Jiang Ruowei spoke too: “Can I have one too?
Jiang Ruowei rarely spoke to anyone but Lin Lang and had been silently standing by the window. After a while, she finally asked in a small voice. Once the words came out, she felt a little embarrassed and looked away before adding: “You can sell it to me. My parents wanted to check it out after the first performance but I forgot to buy tickets.”
Luan Zhen and Shi Qing’s expressions became a little subtle when they heard this, surprised at Jiang Ruowei’s change of behavior. Jiang Ruowei became awkward after she finished talking and her cheeks were red. She felt a little annoyed but understood why; the relationship between her and Qiao Dai had never been good and not long ago, she was still ridiculing her. Because of that, she wanted to buy the tickets from her instead of just asking but she believed Qiao Dai would still refuse.
However, Qiao Dai was very different from anything Jiang Ruowei had believed. She took three tickets out and handed them to the girl: “It’s okay, I can give them to you.”
She looked at Jiang Ruowei and added indifferently: “I don’t know anyone else.”
Qiao Dai didn’t think much about this situation but as soon as her words fell, Jiang Ruowei felt as if her heart had been prickled. What did she mean by only knowing them? Were they Qiao Dai’s only acquaintance in the city? And despite her awful attitude towards her before, she was still willing to give her the tickets for free? Looking back now, Jiang Ruowei realized that Qiao Dai had never done anything bad or against her; she had been the one mocking her every action like she couldn’t accept someone from the countryside could be more talented than her. But after seeing so many things with her own eyes, she couldn’t lie to herself anymore and keep telling herself she was better than Qiao Dai. People who worked so hard should become more popular and Jiang Ruowei finally admitted she had lost.
Her voice was stuck in her throat and after a while, she said awkwardly: “Thank you.”
Jiang Ruowei was from the city and didn’t need to live in the dormitory. She held the tickets in her hand and looked as if she wanted to escape from the slightly nervous atmosphere. She coughed a bit and ran away without looking back.
Luan Zhen was a little perplexed when she saw her reaction and looked suspiciously at where Jiang Ruowei had been standing just a minute ago.
“What’s wrong with her?”
Shi Qing chuckled and answered with a smile: “Isn’t she just shy?”
The “culprit” was sitting on the bed, with an ignorant face. When she noticed Luan Zhen and Shi Qing looking at her, she blinked. Shi Qing went to her to hug her and buried her head in her neck, before saying with emotion: “Daidai, you are such a charmer!”
Qiao Dai: … Ah?
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Chapter 33: Daidai, you charmer (1)
The stage was magical. It possessed this kind of power that, as long as the audience witnessed a powerful performance, they couldn’t escape its deadly lure. When the audience had seen Qiao Dai’s performance with their own eyes, not voting for her had become difficult. This was the wonder of the stage, as long as they could live up to it and respected it, it would never fail anyone.
Step by step, Qiao Dai walked up to the top of the crystal stairs and sat in the first position in the dazzling light. Petals and colored paper fell from the ceiling on her and Qiao Dai gave a big smile to the camera. At this point, the first public performance officially ended.
The contestants surrounded Qiao Dai and there was a small celebration party; after so many days of intense practice, the girls deserved a short break. And when Ruan Tao came back from the hospital, it was already early in the morning.
There was no one in the dormitory and everything was very quiet. Ruan Tao walked to the villa with the help of the staff and saw a teammate coming down from the second floor, looking like she was heading out.
“You… You’re back?”
When the girl saw Ruan Tao, her expression froze for a second and she slowed down her descent. When she reached the last step, her eyes fell on Ruan Tao’s legs and her eyebrows raised, before hesitantly asking: “How is your leg?”
Ruan Tao thought the attitude of her teammate was a bit strange but couldn’t tell why. After a short silence, she replied: “It’s nothing, just a sprain. I need to take a few days off.”
Her injury was far from as big as it was said on the Internet. After going to the hospital, they had found out it was an ordinary sprain; with a little rest and some medicine, she could go back to her usual training and there was nothing to worry about.
“Oh.”
The girl nodded, picked up her things, and before she could leave, Ruan Tao couldn’t help but stop her and ask: “Where is everyone? Why is no one there?”
Ruan Tao looked back and forth in the room for a while and found out there was really nobody inside their dormitory, only this teammate who was about to leave. She also noticed that the lights were mostly turned off and the villa was silent.
“Everyone went to celebrate. If you want to go, just check the location of the group. I can’t take you there, I am going to help Lin Xiaoxiao move.”
Ruan Tao raised her eyebrows in surprise and opened her mouth: “Move? What happened to Xiaoxiao?”
As she said that, she suddenly realized her good friend Lai You was not waiting for her here. According to their friendship, she should have been the first to welcome her back but she hadn’t seen her figure since she had come back.
“Did you see Lai You?”
Hearing Ruan Tao’s question, the other girl’s expression changed. She looked as if she had just stepped on a minefield; she bit her lips tightly, looking like she wanted to say something but chose against it in the end. She looked at Ruan Tao a little baffled and replied in a cold voice: “Lai You was eliminated and the others went to see her off. Xiaoxiao went to Class C this time and I am helping her move her things.”
Ruan Tao could hear the indifference in the voice of her teammate. Before she could investigate her change of attitude, the girl had already started walking to the door.
“You have a good rest.” She left without looking back and Ruan Tao became the sole person in the huge villa.
An eerie silence filled the room. Ruan Tao felt pain in her ankle and fell on the chair beside her, trying to gasp for breath and calm her mood a little. Xiaoxiao went to class C? Lai You was eliminated?
As she thought about everything she had just learned, she realized that she had not cared about any of the teammates she had left behind when she was in the hospital. She had just been focused on her own sadness and disappointment at not being able to perform despite all of her hard work; she hadn’t thought once about the panicked girls who had lost their C position just before going on stage.
Ruan Tao inhaled deeply and took out her phone after mentally preparing herself to check the Internet for everything that had happened when she was gone.
The faint light of the screen illuminated Ruan Tao’s face in the dark. After countless hot searches and discussions, she finally pieced the whole process together: Jiang Fengchi had replaced them on the stage, Qiao Dai had supported Lin Xiaoxiao in the audience, and finally… Qiao Dai had climbed to the top and took first place in the ranking.
Ruan Tao’s heart beat faster and a layer of sweat took place on her forehead. Her eyes were fixed on the screen, every sharp comment piercing her like a needle, and everything felt painful.
[Ruan Tao got first place online and surpassed Qiao Dai by so many votes but still didn’t win in the end. How big is the navy?]
[Sure enough, the eyes of the audience are discerning. Daidai deserves first place!]
[To be honest, I got goosebumps when they announced she was first. She has this inexplicable aura that makes people excited, this is the kind of stage in a draft that I like!]
Many netizens were dissatisfied with the fact Ruan Tao had not appeared on the stage but still won the online popularity vote. They were not all Qiao Dai’s fans but after seeing such a performance, with countless girls sweating, crying, and laughing, their hearts were touched and they could not accept that someone absent for the whole journey could get so many votes.
After the wave of sympathy that had taken the Internet earlier tonight, as they watched the eliminated players leave, some viewers couldn’t help but feel bad about it and expressed their feelings.
[Suddenly, I feel so uncomfortable watching them leave.]
When this topic was first started, more and more people joined the discussion.
[Everyone worked so hard.]
[Yes, I was there when they sang the theme song and many little sisters were crying.]
[Most of the eliminated players were ordinary girls. And most of them will return to normal life after that and we might never see them again on the screen.]
In the midst of these emotions, someone finally couldn’t help but type this message: [I’m sorry. I regret it, I should have voted for them.]
At that time, everybody had voted for Ruan Tao out of sympathy but once the atmosphere had fallen down, they gradually returned to their senses and realized they actually didn’t like Ruan Tao that much. The overwhelming press releases on the Internet had infected them, causing them to follow the trend and vote for her in a trance. And now that they were faced with this wave of regret for the departing players, they felt bad for letting the little sisters down.
[I regret it too.]
[+1]
[+2]
In the comment area, many people added their support. At this moment, they felt like they were supposed to vote for people who needed it more and deserved it more instead of becoming insignificant data for a frustrated player.
These messages looked like scarlet letters dripping with blood in Ruan Tao’s eyes. The girl opened them wide before quickly closing them in pain, trying to keep everything away. As long as she couldn’t see it, she wouldn’t feel so bad. But those questioning and accusing words were like a mad dog pursuing her and she couldn’t seem to avoid it.
She was hurting. Why were so many people questioning her? Did she injure herself deliberately? Did she want to fall? If Lin Xiaoxiao and the others were facing tremendous pressure, what about her? But what Ruan Tao really worried about was what Jiang Fengchi thought about her.
Would he be disappointed like the rest of the Internet? Or would he be sympathetic? Ruan Tao’s reason for participating in the draft had never been about debuting. Thanks to her background, as long as she asked, she could get all the resources she wanted at any time. The reason she had joined the competition and put herself in a position to be judged by everyone was only to see Jiang Fengchi again. She originally wasn’t anxious he would not remember her at all at first, but now, she couldn’t help but worry. So after calming down for a while, Ruan Tao pushed open the door of the dormitory, dragged her injured right leg, and rushed into the night.
“Teacher Jiang.”
Ruan Tao found Jiang Fengchi near the celebration venue. He looked like he was about to leave and Ruan Tao shouted his name anxiously.
“Ruan Tao?”
Jiang Fengchi stopped and his eyes fell on the girl’s injured ankle. In a soft voice, he said: “You should pay attention to rest and get well soon.”
It was very late now and Jiang Fengchi sounded a little sleepy. He stood some distance away from Ruan Tao and didn’t try to get closer. Ruan Tao stopped in place too; there was nobody around and she just looked at the man, trying to find out whether he was sincere or not. Did he really care or did he feel she was dragging her teammates just like everyone else?
Seeing she wasn’t speaking, Jiang Fengchi waited patiently for a while before frowning slightly and preparing to turn around and leave. He wasn’t sure if it was his illusion or not at first, but he always felt Ruan Tao’s attitude towards him was a little unusual. At first, he had thought it was a fan in front of her idol but after she had come to him in private several times, he had realized it was more than that. Jiang Fengchi didn’t want the mentor/student relationship to become complicated and wanted to keep his distance as much as possible.
At this moment, Ruan Tao’s faint voice was heard and for some reason, the originally soft tone sounded a little strange tonight.
“Teacher Jiang, wait a minute. I want to tell you something.”
Chapter 33: Daidai, you charmer (2)
After the first public performance, a short three-day holiday was given to the players.
“Children, I’m here to pick you up!”
After packing their luggage, Qiao Dai and the other COCO trainees saw their agent Ling Na standing in front of the car, waiting for them. Her face was full of smiles and more energetic than before, and she was accompanied by the new assistant the company had assigned to her. The assistant was a young man and he rushed to help the girls with their luggage as soon as he saw them.
“Thank you.”
When Qiao Dai thanked him, he blushed all over and dragged the luggage even faster to the car. Ling Na couldn’t help but pat his shoulder and she smiled as she said: “He is a fan of yours. He had five phones with him yesterday to vote for you.”
The assistant secretly thought that there were more than five; he had also turned on two computers to support Qiao Dai.
Ling Na looked at the five girls with a lot of emotions in her heart. She had not expected all of her trainees would be promoted after the first performance, let alone having two of them grab the top three seats. This was simply an incredible and unexpected surprise! She looked at Qiao Dai with a lot of joy and told the five girls: “Everyone saw your performance and lately, the company has received lots of endorsements for you. I have picked a few good ones for you to check out. However, the time is a bit tight and the filming will start in two days.”
Once everybody was in the car, Ling Na gave documents to each of them. Although most of the demands were invitations from small brands or collective advertising, these were already great resources for newcomers. Everyone was rather surprised by the amount and a little excited; happiness was written on all the girls’ faces. This was just what the first public performance had brought to them and if they could go further in the competition, their exposure would become even bigger and they would get even more opportunities. At that time, they would get advertising, endorsements, variety shows, and even movie and TV shows roles! Everything was possible.
“By the way Qiao Dai, I have another piece of good news to tell you!”
Ling Na took another file from her bag and after inhaling deeply, she passed it to Qiao Dai. Her voice kept rising slightly, showing her excitement: “The North Island officially invited you to film the Deep Blue Star Sea promotional video! The filming is scheduled for tomorrow, so you have to prepare!”
Ling Na tried to restrain herself and told her more about anything related to the shooting. After that, she took out a few tickets and handed them to her with a smile: “The North Island also sent some tickets, you can invite your friends to go play.”
Now that the North Island had just officially opened, it was using limited entries and a reservation system, which could only accommodate a certain number of tourists each day; this was a way to ensure their good experience instead of crowding each attraction. Many netizens were currently complaining about the fact tickets were difficult to get and going to the North Island had become hugely popular on the Internet.
Ling Na sent the five girls back to the company’s trainee dormitory to let them rest. Tomorrow, she would pick up Qiao Dai and head to the North Island.
After she left, the other trainees who were waiting not far away walked to them and congratulated them with envious looks. After a while, Qiao Dai, Shi Qing, Luan Zhen, Lin Lang, and Jiang Ruowei finally returned to the dormitory.
“The tickets for the North Island are very expensive.”
Shi Qing took a ticket from Qiao Dai and looked at it. Seeing the four-digit price, she gasped and realized how lucky they had been to go there to shoot their official portraits there before.
“Do you want to go? Sister Ling Na gave me a lot of them.”
Qiao Dai knew no other people besides the friends she had met in the company and in the draft. Even if Ling Na told her to bring her friends and go to the North Island together, she couldn’t find the others and she simply wanted to distribute the tickets here.
At this moment, Jiang Ruowei spoke too: “Can I have one too?
Jiang Ruowei rarely spoke to anyone but Lin Lang and had been silently standing by the window. After a while, she finally asked in a small voice. Once the words came out, she felt a little embarrassed and looked away before adding: “You can sell it to me. My parents wanted to check it out after the first performance but I forgot to buy tickets.”
Luan Zhen and Shi Qing’s expressions became a little subtle when they heard this, surprised at Jiang Ruowei’s change of behavior. Jiang Ruowei became awkward after she finished talking and her cheeks were red. She felt a little annoyed but understood why; the relationship between her and Qiao Dai had never been good and not long ago, she was still ridiculing her. Because of that, she wanted to buy the tickets from her instead of just asking but she believed Qiao Dai would still refuse.
However, Qiao Dai was very different from anything Jiang Ruowei had believed. She took three tickets out and handed them to the girl: “It’s okay, I can give them to you.”
She looked at Jiang Ruowei and added indifferently: “I don’t know anyone else.”
Qiao Dai didn’t think much about this situation but as soon as her words fell, Jiang Ruowei felt as if her heart had been prickled. What did she mean by only knowing them? Were they Qiao Dai’s only acquaintance in the city? And despite her awful attitude towards her before, she was still willing to give her the tickets for free? Looking back now, Jiang Ruowei realized that Qiao Dai had never done anything bad or against her; she had been the one mocking her every action like she couldn’t accept someone from the countryside could be more talented than her. But after seeing so many things with her own eyes, she couldn’t lie to herself anymore and keep telling herself she was better than Qiao Dai. People who worked so hard should become more popular and Jiang Ruowei finally admitted she had lost.
Her voice was stuck in her throat and after a while, she said awkwardly: “Thank you.”
Jiang Ruowei was from the city and didn’t need to live in the dormitory. She held the tickets in her hand and looked as if she wanted to escape from the slightly nervous atmosphere. She coughed a bit and ran away without looking back.
Luan Zhen was a little perplexed when she saw her reaction and looked suspiciously at where Jiang Ruowei had been standing just a minute ago.
“What’s wrong with her?”
Shi Qing chuckled and answered with a smile: “Isn’t she just shy?”
The “culprit” was sitting on the bed, with an ignorant face. When she noticed Luan Zhen and Shi Qing looking at her, she blinked. Shi Qing went to her to hug her and buried her head in her neck, before saying with emotion: “Daidai, you are such a charmer!”
Qiao Dai: … Ah?
Chapter 33: Daidai, you charmer 1The stage was magical. It possessed this kind of power that, as long as the audience witnessed a powerful performance, they couldn't escape its deadly lure. When the audience had seen Qiao Dai's performance with their own eyes, not voting for her had become difficult. This was the wonder of the stage, as long as they could live up to it and respected it, it would never fail anyone.Step by step, Qiao Dai walked up to the top of the crystal stairs and sat in the first position in the dazzling light. Petals and colored paper fell from the ceiling on her and Qiao Dai gave a big smile to the camera. At this point, the first public performance officially ended.The contestants surrounded Qiao Dai and there was a small celebration party; after so many days of intense practice, the girls deserved a short break. And when Ruan Tao came back from the hospital, it was already early in the morning.There was no one in the dormitory and everything was very quiet. Ruan Tao walked to the villa with the help of the staff and saw a teammate coming down from the second floor, looking like she was heading out.You You're back?When the girl saw Ruan Tao, her expression froze for a second and she slowed down her descent. When she reached the last step, her eyes fell on Ruan Tao's legs and her eyebrows raised, before hesitantly asking: How is your leg?Ruan Tao thought the attitude of her teammate was a bit strange but couldn't tell why. After a short silence, she replied: It's nothing, just a sprain. I need to take a few days off.Her injury was far from as big as it was said on the Internet. After going to the hospital, they had found out it was an ordinary sprain; with a little rest and some medicine, she could go back to her usual training and there was nothing to worry about.Oh.The girl nodded, picked up her things, and before she could leave, Ruan Tao couldn't help but stop her and ask: Where is everyone? Why is no one there?Ruan Tao looked back and forth in the room for a while and found out there was really nobody inside their dormitory, only this teammate who was about to leave. She also noticed that the lights were mostly turned off and the villa was silent.Everyone went to celebrate. If you want to go, just check the location of the group. I can't take you there, I am going to help Lin Xiaoxiao move.Ruan Tao raised her eyebrows in surprise and opened her mouth: Move? What happened to Xiaoxiao?As she said that, she suddenly realized her good friend Lai You was not waiting for her here. According to their friendship, she should have been the first to welcome her back but she hadn't seen her figure since she had come back.Did you see Lai You?Hearing Ruan Tao's question, the other girl's expression changed. She looked as if she had just stepped on a minefield; she bit her lips tightly, looking like she wanted to say something but chose against it in the end. She looked at Ruan Tao a little baffled and replied in a cold voice: Lai You was eliminated and the others went to see her off. Xiaoxiao went to Class C this time and I am helping her move her things.Ruan Tao could hear the indifference in the voice of her teammate. Before she could investigate her change of attitude, the girl had already started walking to the door.You have a good rest. She left without looking back and Ruan Tao became the sole person in the huge villa.An eerie silence filled the room. Ruan Tao felt pain in her ankle and fell on the chair beside her, trying to gasp for breath and calm her mood a little. Xiaoxiao went to class C? Lai You was eliminated?As she thought about everything she had just learned, she realized that she had not cared about any of the teammates she had left behind when she was in the hospital. She had just been focused on her own sadness and disappointment at not being able to perform despite all of her hard work; she hadn't thought once about the panicked girls who had lost their C position just before going on stage.Ruan Tao inhaled deeply and took out her phone after mentally preparing herself to check the Internet for everything that had happened when she was gone.The faint light of the screen illuminated Ruan Tao's face in the dark. After countless hot searches and discussions, she finally pieced the whole process together: Jiang Fengchi had replaced them on the stage, Qiao Dai had supported Lin Xiaoxiao in the audience, and finally Qiao Dai had climbed to the top and took first place in the ranking.Ruan Tao's heart beat faster and a layer of sweat took place on her forehead. Her eyes were fixed on the screen, every sharp comment piercing her like a needle, and everything felt painful.Ruan Tao got first place online and surpassed Qiao Dai by so many votes but still didn't win in the end. How big is the navy?Sure enough, the eyes of the audience are discerning. Daidai deserves first place!To be honest, I got goosebumps when they announced she was first. She has this inexplicable aura that makes people excited, this is the kind of stage in a draft that I like!Many netizens were dissatisfied with the fact Ruan Tao had not appeared on the stage but still won the online popularity vote. They were not all Qiao Dai's fans but after seeing such a performance, with countless girls sweating, crying, and laughing, their hearts were touched and they could not accept that someone absent for the whole journey could get so many votes.After the wave of sympathy that had taken the Internet earlier tonight, as they watched the eliminated players leave, some viewers couldn't help but feel bad about it and expressed their feelings.Suddenly, I feel so uncomfortable watching them leave.When this topic was first started, more and more people joined the discussion.Everyone worked so hard.Yes, I was there when they sang the theme song and many little sisters were crying.Most of the eliminated players were ordinary girls. And most of them will return to normal life after that and we might never see them again on the screen.In the midst of these emotions, someone finally couldn't help but type this message: I'm sorry. I regret it, I should have voted for them.At that time, everybody had voted for Ruan Tao out of sympathy but once the atmosphere had fallen down, they gradually returned to their senses and realized they actually didn't like Ruan Tao that much. The overwhelming press releases on the Internet had infected them, causing them to follow the trend and vote for her in a trance. And now that they were faced with this wave of regret for the departing players, they felt bad for letting the little sisters down.I regret it too.+1+2In the comment area, many people added their support. At this moment, they felt like they were supposed to vote for people who needed it more and deserved it more instead of becoming insignificant data for a frustrated player.These messages looked like scarlet letters dripping with blood in Ruan Tao's eyes. The girl opened them wide before quickly closing them in pain, trying to keep everything away. As long as she couldn't see it, she wouldn't feel so bad. But those questioning and accusing words were like a mad dog pursuing her and she couldn't seem to avoid it.She was hurting. Why were so many people questioning her? Did she injure herself deliberately? Did she want to fall? If Lin Xiaoxiao and the others were facing tremendous pressure, what about her? But what Ruan Tao really worried about was what Jiang Fengchi thought about her.Would he be disappointed like the rest of the Internet? Or would he be sympathetic? Ruan Tao's reason for participating in the draft had never been about debuting. Thanks to her background, as long as she asked, she could get all the resources she wanted at any time. The reason she had joined the competition and put herself in a position to be judged by everyone was only to see Jiang Fengchi again. She originally wasn't anxious he would not remember her at all at first, but now, she couldn't help but worry. So after calming down for a while, Ruan Tao pushed open the door of the dormitory, dragged her injured right leg, and rushed into the night.Teacher Jiang.Ruan Tao found Jiang Fengchi near the celebration venue. He looked like he was about to leave and Ruan Tao shouted his name anxiously.Ruan Tao?Jiang Fengchi stopped and his eyes fell on the girl's injured ankle. In a soft voice, he said: You should pay attention to rest and get well soon.It was very late now and Jiang Fengchi sounded a little sleepy. He stood some distance away from Ruan Tao and didn't try to get closer. Ruan Tao stopped in place too; there was nobody around and she just looked at the man, trying to find out whether he was sincere or not. Did he really care or did he feel she was dragging her teammates just like everyone else?Seeing she wasn't speaking, Jiang Fengchi waited patiently for a while before frowning slightly and preparing to turn around and leave. He wasn't sure if it was his illusion or not at first, but he always felt Ruan Tao's attitude towards him was a little unusual. At first, he had thought it was a fan in front of her idol but after she had come to him in private several times, he had realized it was more than that. Jiang Fengchi didn't want the mentor/student relationship to become complicated and wanted to keep his distance as much as possible.At this moment, Ruan Tao's faint voice was heard and for some reason, the originally soft tone sounded a little strange tonight.Teacher Jiang, wait a minute. I want to tell you something.Chapter 33: Daidai, you charmer 2After the first public performance, a short three-day holiday was given to the players.Children, I'm here to pick you up!After packing their luggage, Qiao Dai and the other COCO trainees saw their agent Ling Na standing in front of the car, waiting for them. Her face was full of smiles and more energetic than before, and she was accompanied by the new assistant the company had assigned to her. The assistant was a young man and he rushed to help the girls with their luggage as soon as he saw them.Thank you.When Qiao Dai thanked him, he blushed all over and dragged the luggage even faster to the car. Ling Na couldn't help but pat his shoulder and she smiled as she said: He is a fan of yours. He had five phones with him yesterday to vote for you.The assistant secretly thought that there were more than five; he had also turned on two computers to support Qiao Dai.Ling Na looked at the five girls with a lot of emotions in her heart. She had not expected all of her trainees would be promoted after the first performance, let alone having two of them grab the top three seats. This was simply an incredible and unexpected surprise! She looked at Qiao Dai with a lot of joy and told the five girls: Everyone saw your performance and lately, the company has received lots of endorsements for you. I have picked a few good ones for you to check out. However, the time is a bit tight and the filming will start in two days.Once everybody was in the car, Ling Na gave documents to each of them. Although most of the demands were invitations from small brands or collective advertising, these were already great resources for newcomers. Everyone was rather surprised by the amount and a little excited; happiness was written on all the girls' faces. This was just what the first public performance had brought to them and if they could go further in the competition, their exposure would become even bigger and they would get even more opportunities. At that time, they would get advertising, endorsements, variety shows, and even movie and TV shows roles! Everything was possible.By the way Qiao Dai, I have another piece of good news to tell you!Ling Na took another file from her bag and after inhaling deeply, she passed it to Qiao Dai. Her voice kept rising slightly, showing her excitement: The North Island officially invited you to film the Deep Blue Star Sea promotional video! The filming is scheduled for tomorrow, so you have to prepare!Ling Na tried to restrain herself and told her more about anything related to the shooting. After that, she took out a few tickets and handed them to her with a smile: The North Island also sent some tickets, you can invite your friends to go play.Now that the North Island had just officially opened, it was using limited entries and a reservation system, which could only accommodate a certain number of tourists each day; this was a way to ensure their good experience instead of crowding each attraction. Many netizens were currently complaining about the fact tickets were difficult to get and going to the North Island had become hugely popular on the Internet.Ling Na sent the five girls back to the company's trainee dormitory to let them rest. Tomorrow, she would pick up Qiao Dai and head to the North Island.After she left, the other trainees who were waiting not far away walked to them and congratulated them with envious looks. After a while, Qiao Dai, Shi Qing, Luan Zhen, Lin Lang, and Jiang Ruowei finally returned to the dormitory.The tickets for the North Island are very expensive.Shi Qing took a ticket from Qiao Dai and looked at it. Seeing the four-digit price, she gasped and realized how lucky they had been to go there to shoot their official portraits there before.Do you want to go? Sister Ling Na gave me a lot of them.Qiao Dai knew no other people besides the friends she had met in the company and in the draft. Even if Ling Na told her to bring her friends and go to the North Island together, she couldn't find the others and she simply wanted to distribute the tickets here.At this moment, Jiang Ruowei spoke too: Can I have one too?Jiang Ruowei rarely spoke to anyone but Lin Lang and had been silently standing by the window. After a while, she finally asked in a small voice. Once the words came out, she felt a little embarrassed and looked away before adding: You can sell it to me. My parents wanted to check it out after the first performance but I forgot to buy tickets.Luan Zhen and Shi Qing's expressions became a little subtle when they heard this, surprised at Jiang Ruowei's change of behavior. Jiang Ruowei became awkward after she finished talking and her cheeks were red. She felt a little annoyed but understood why; the relationship between her and Qiao Dai had never been good and not long ago, she was still ridiculing her. Because of that, she wanted to buy the tickets from her instead of just asking but she believed Qiao Dai would still refuse.However, Qiao Dai was very different from anything Jiang Ruowei had believed. She took three tickets out and handed them to the girl: It's okay, I can give them to you.She looked at Jiang Ruowei and added indifferently: I don't know anyone else.Qiao Dai didn't think much about this situation but as soon as her words fell, Jiang Ruowei felt as if her heart had been prickled. What did she mean by only knowing them? Were they Qiao Dai's only acquaintance in the city? And despite her awful attitude towards her before, she was still willing to give her the tickets for free? Looking back now, Jiang Ruowei realized that Qiao Dai had never done anything bad or against her; she had been the one mocking her every action like she couldn't accept someone from the countryside could be more talented than her. But after seeing so many things with her own eyes, she couldn't lie to herself anymore and keep telling herself she was better than Qiao Dai. People who worked so hard should become more popular and Jiang Ruowei finally admitted she had lost.Her voice was stuck in her throat and after a while, she said awkwardly: Thank you.Jiang Ruowei was from the city and didn't need to live in the dormitory. She held the tickets in her hand and looked as if she wanted to escape from the slightly nervous atmosphere. She coughed a bit and ran away without looking back.Luan Zhen was a little perplexed when she saw her reaction and looked suspiciously at where Jiang Ruowei had been standing just a minute ago.What's wrong with her?Shi Qing chuckled and answered with a smile: Isn't she just shy?The culprit was sitting on the bed, with an ignorant face. When she noticed Luan Zhen and Shi Qing looking at her, she blinked. Shi Qing went to her to hug her and buried her head in her neck, before saying with emotion: Daidai, you are such a charmer!Qiao Dai: Ah?
