After Becoming An Internet Sensation For Pretending To Be An Alpha, I Turned Into An Omega - Chapter 10

“The fifth performer,” Wang Xi announced, waving the slip of paper in her hand. “The middle position is neither good nor bad. We’ll run through the rehearsal process later.”

“Not in a hurry,” Bai Yue replied, walking toward the audience seats to watch the performance for a while.

Before entering this profession, she had always loved watching performances. But after becoming an actress, she’d never had the chance to watch a complete performance from beginning to end.

“Feel free to sit down. The next three rows are reserved for GJ. Take any seat you like,” Wang Xi said, nodding toward the seats before turning to head backstage.

Bai Yue casually chose a seat and settled in to enjoy the show. Suddenly, the light on her left dimmed…

“Isn’t it boring sitting here alone?” An Leng’s voice suddenly rang out.

Bai Yue tensed up instantly, her breath catching in her throat, nearly jumping out of her seat from fright.

“President An—” Bai Yue blurted out, then quickly corrected herself, “What brings you here?”

An Leng raised an eyebrow, pulled out her phone, and opened it to show a ticket, pointing to Bai Yue’s seat. “This is mine,” she said earnestly, her voice betraying her barely contained excitement.

When I get back, I’ll have to give Xie Yijin a proper praise!

So during the actual performance, I can sit in the seat Bai Yue just occupied!

Bai Yue stared, bewildered, unsure why An Leng was smiling. Was she mocking her for stealing her seat?

“Um, do you want to sit here?” Bai Yue asked tentatively, starting to stand to make way.

“…No need,” An Leng quickly stopped her, then composed herself and said calmly, “How many seats to you?”

“Two,” Bai Yue replied, pointing to the stage. “Chen Zi is performing now, and I’m two seats away.”

“Hmm…” An Leng paused, then forced out, “Don’t be nervous.”

Bai Yue nodded. The staff bustled around them, but the two seemed isolated from the world, lost in their own bubble.

To ease the awkwardness, Bai Yue glanced half-heartedly at the stage.

Chen Zi’s song brimmed with energy, showcasing her strengths to the fullest. Her light-hearted, cheerful dance was hard not to like.

Bai Yue heard An Leng beside her let out an involuntary scoff of disdain.

“You don’t like this?” Bai Yue asked tentatively.

“Is it that obvious?” An Leng turned with an innocent look on her face.

“Pretty obvious,” Bai Yue nodded sincerely.

To avoid trouble and spare Wang Xi some trouble, Bai Yue urgently explained, “Even if you don’t like it, you can’t show any disdain! If the stream cuts to a close-up of you, trolls will roast you!”

Seeing Bai Yue’s anxious expression, An Leng couldn’t help but smile.

Bai Yue immediately snapped, “I’m being serious! Are you even listening?”

The dim lighting made it easy to commit crimes.

An Leng raised her hand to smooth Bai Yue’s messy hair, but before she could move, a sweet voice called out from afar:

“Sis Bai Yue!”

Bai Yue turned instinctively, inwardly groaning.

As soon as she looked back, she saw An Leng’s expression shift instantly, her face transforming into icy coolness, like a Sichuan opera mask.

“Sis Bai Yue, who’s this?” Chen Zi asked.

“GJ Artist Director An Leng,” Bai Yue answered officially.

“Ah! Hello, Sis An Leng!” Chen Zi hurried forward, extending her hand.

An Leng didn’t even look up, merely giving a dismissive grunt through her nose.

Unfazed, Chen Zi withdrew her hand and sat down to Bai Yue’s right.

A man in his thirties followed behind Chen Zi, his gray suit exuding professionalism. Upon seeing An Leng, he greeted her with feigned surprise: “Young President An!”

“I’d heard you’d returned to China, Young President An, but I never had the chance to visit,” Qiu Shaoyang said with a smile, sliding into the seat to An Leng’s left.

“…Are all of you from Xingye this shameless?” An Leng asked, subtly shifting closer to Bai Yue.

The corner of Qiu Shaoyang’s eye twitched, but he maintained his smile. “Ah, Young President An, you’re direct as always after returning from abroad.”

Meanwhile, the performer on stage had finished their rehearsal. The host went through the usual routine, then guided the next act onto the stage.

An Leng paid no attention to Qiu Shaoyang. She turned to glance at Bai Yue, their eyes meeting briefly. Bai Yue smiled, shrugged off her coat and draped it over the back of her chair, then headed toward the stage.

For the remainder of the performance, An Leng’s gaze remained fixed on Bai Yue.

Qiu Shaoyang tactfully refrained from interrupting her. Not only did he attentively watch Bai Yue’s performance, he even applauded during the chorus.

“How about it? Want to collaborate? We can’t let outsiders keep saying our companies don’t get along,” Qiu Shaoyang proposed immediately after the song ended. “Their pairing is pretty popular. Sharing resources would be a win-win. Think about it.”

An Leng ignored him, glancing sideways toward the direction from which Bai Yue had just returned.

Beside her, Chen Zi had been cheering nonstop since earlier. As soon as Bai Yue returned, Chen Zi sprang up to greet her, chattering away excitedly about something.

Standing so close their arms nearly touched…

“It’s not just a rumor,” An Leng said coolly, rising to her feet. “The point of pairing up is to share popularity, not for you to piggyback on our hard-earned traffic and climb the ranks.”

“Come on, Young President An, we’re all friends here! Let’s just negotiate reasonably!” Qiu Shaoyang persisted from behind.

Unfazed, An Leng picked up Bai Yue’s jacket and prepared to leave.

“Young President An!” Qiu Shaoyang called out, rising and leaning in with a sly grin. “Sometimes, you gotta be a little thick-skinned if you want to win a girl’s heart…”

With that, Qiu Shaoyang chuckled and strode away, grabbing Chen Zi as he passed.

Stung by the jab, An Leng froze in place, remaining dazed even as Bai Yue approached.

Having been too far away to hear what was said, Bai Yue now cautiously asked, “An Leng… are you alright?”

An Leng glared at her, then abruptly tossed the jacket onto Bai Yue’s head.

“Let’s go. I need to get ready,” An Leng said, striding ahead without looking back. After walking a good distance, she turned around and saw Bai Yue still standing in the same spot.

“Come on, lead the way!” An Leng rubbed her nose, exasperated.

*******

At 7:30 PM, the live audience entered the venue.

To avoid conflicts between fans of different groups, ticket sales had included a survey to determine each fan’s preferred group, ensuring that supporters of the same group would sit together.

It was 8 PM—a time when dinner was finished, the weather forecast and news had aired, and no one was fighting over the TV or computer. The live broadcast of the Idol Grand Final began on schedule.

“Welcome to the live broadcast of Idol‘s Debut Night! Who will be crowned champion and debut tonight? Let’s start by looking at the big screen!”

“These are the current vote counts. Let’s give a round of applause to An Leng!” The host announced, and the camera panned to An Leng.

The shot was fleeting, but sharp-eyed viewers still caught a glimpse of her.

On the real-time comment screen beside the stage, amidst a sea of fan cheers, a few isolated comments frantically demanded to know An Leng’s identity.

“But these vote counts are about to reset to zero! Everyone’s competing together, and you each have three votes to cast in total!” The host shouted, trying to stir up the fans. “Fans, it’s time to work hard! Quickly, vote for your favorite!”

After a group performance, the first contestant took the stage, and Bai Yue finally saw the legendary cheering video.

Each performer had a short video before their performance.

First came a tearjerking tale of the hardships of being a trainee, followed by the inevitable conclusion: “We believe you will definitely succeed!”

Bai Yue felt embarrassed just standing there. She couldn’t imagine An Leng sitting on a sofa, earnestly reciting the company’s tearjerking script with such positive energy…

In the waiting area,

Wang Xi watched Bai Yue growing increasingly anxious, pacing back and forth while wringing her hands. “Don’t be nervous,” she urged, frustrated. “You practiced perfectly. Don’t fail me now.”

“It’s not that,” Bai Yue wanted to explain, but she couldn’t find the words.

Watching An Leng’s video was way more nerve-wracking than dancing in front of a crowd, okay?!

The intercom crackled, and Wang Xi patted Bai Yue’s shoulder, encouraging her, “Go on! I’ll head downstairs. I’ll be waiting for your triumphant return!”

Wang Xi left, and Bai Yue stepped onto the stage.

The lights dimmed, and An Leng’s face appeared on the big screen, the background showing her living room sofa.

As soon as the video started, the live stream chat exploded with messages like a frenzy:

[It’s her! It’s her!]

“Hello, everyone. I’m An Leng from GJ,” An Leng said. The fans in the studio erupted in screams.

Bai Yue’s heart leaped. She understood her own fans cheering—they were there to support her…

But what’s with all the others screaming?

“Everyone can see how exceptional Bai Yue is,” An Leng continued, her gaze fixed challengingly on the camera, as if daring anyone to doubt Bai Yue’s eventual victory.

The on-site director waited for An Leng to elaborate, but when she remained silent, he realized she might have said all she intended.

“Then, Director An, do you have any special expectations for Bai Yue’s performance?” the director stammered, clearly improvising the question on the fly.

“I hope she… doesn’t become too captivating,” An Leng remarked casually, taking a sip of her drink.

Since products couldn’t be shown in the video, the logo was censored, but Bai Yue still recognized it: it was the bottle of white peach oolong tea she had given An Leng!

The on-site director clearly hadn’t anticipated such an answer. “Huh?”

On camera, An Leng sighed wistfully. “That’s clearly impossible…”

“I’ve always trusted her completely. Whatever the final stage outcome, it will be the result of her hard work.”

As she finished speaking, the big screen went black, and five bold white characters appeared: “We did our best.”

Bai Yue, who had been nervous earlier, was now desperately trying to hold back her laughter.

Asking a shy child like An Leng to give an interview was really putting her on the spot. Normally, Wang Xi would handle such things, since she had been guiding Bai Yue for much longer.

But who could have guessed that An Leng would be the one to answer?

Yet…

Wang Xi wanted to ask the same question.

Below the stage, Wang Xi found her seat just as the cheer video finished playing.

Shi Xiaoxia, sitting to Wang Xi’s left, immediately brightened upon seeing her. “Sis Xi!”

An Leng recognized the voice and turned to look, meeting Shi Xiaoxia’s gaze.

“Mute An?!” Shi Xiaoxia blurted out.

Pressing her fingers to her temples, An Leng cursed her carelessness and tried to pretend she didn’t know her.

Wang Xi froze at the nickname, then leaned closer to Shi Xiaoxia, her voice honey-sweet as she purred, “Little girl… what did you just call our Director?”

The air around Shi Xiaoxia was instantly saturated with the cloying scent of roses.

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