After Mistaking My Stepsister’s First Love - Chapter 82

With a nervous heart, Ye Wenjin followed the staff into the training facility, a place resembling a sports complex with several halls. Yet, the corridors were eerily empty, and she guessed everyone must be busy training at this hour.

After scanning her surroundings, Ye Wenjin exhaled softly, her tension creeping back in.

Following the staff’s directions, she arrived at an office to check in. Just as she entered, she noticed another girl ahead of her completing the process. Ye Wenjin glanced briefly before averting her gaze, quietly joining the line behind her while trying to calm her nerves.

When the girl in front finally finished, Ye Wenjin stepped forward only to freeze as the girl turned around. The moment their eyes met, the stranger looked utterly shocked, her gaze locked onto Ye Wenjin without blinking.

Uncomfortable, Ye Wenjin pressed her lips together. When the girl still didn’t react, she finally spoke up helplessly, “Excuse me, could you let me pass?”

The girl snapped out of her daze at the sound of her voice, quickly moving aside while murmuring an apology.

Ye Wenjin wasn’t angry, just puzzled.

Seeing the girl’s expression, she had frantically searched her memories but found no trace of her. They shouldn’t have known each other.

Yet, the girl’s reaction clearly suggested otherwise, she seemed to recognize Ye Wenjin, given how stunned she had looked.

Though confused, Ye Wenjin had no time to dwell on it and hurried forward to complete her check-in.

After finishing, she checked her assignment and saw she had been placed in Room 303 on the third floor. Her heart skipped a beat.

Earlier, Teacher Mei Yan had mentioned her intention to expand the dance troupe, selecting a group of students for this training camp to undergo further screening.

Ye Wenjin had known about this, but she hadn’t expected so many participants.

Though each dorm room housed two people, the entire building was reserved for trainees five rooms per floor across six stories.

If fully occupied, that meant sixty participants.

Ye Wenjin took a slow, deep breath.

Sixty trainees, but certainly not all would be accepted. The question was, how many would Teacher Mei Yan actually take?

A quiet pressure settled over her. But now that she was here, she wouldn’t back down, no matter what.

After all, she had made a promise to Jian Mo one day, she would become the principal dancer.

To achieve that, she knew her first step was to stand out among these sixty and secure a spot in Teacher Mei Yan’s troupe. Otherwise, all her dreams would remain just that dreams.

Just as she resolved herself and prepared to head to her dorm, she looked up and realized the girl from earlier hadn’t left, she seemed to be waiting for her.

Ye Wenjin paused mid-step.

Before she could decide whether to approach her, the girl walked over instead.

“Hello, Ye Wenjin. I know you.”

Ye Wenjin stiffened, her confusion deepening.

So the girl really did know her. But for the life of her, Ye Wenjin couldn’t recall ever meeting her before.

After a moment of contemplation, Ye Wenjin decided to ask directly, “You… know me? Sorry, but I don’t seem to recognize you. Have we met before?”

The other person chuckled. “Haha, looks like you don’t remember me. But that’s alright now’s a perfect chance to reintroduce ourselves. I’m Luo Xi, and I’m really happy to see you again.”

The moment she heard the name, Ye Wenjin felt a sense of familiarity, but she couldn’t quite place where she’d heard it before, so she fell into deep thought.

Noticing her struggle, Luo Xi laughed heartily. “Seems like you’re really puzzled. Well, let me tell you then. We used to practice at the same dance studio. You might’ve forgotten me, but I remember you quite well. We even competed together, does that ring a bell?”

A fleeting image flashed through Ye Wenjin’s mind, and her eyes widened in realization.

“Luo Xi? You’re that Luo Xi?!”

Luo Xi grinned and nodded. “Looks like you’ve finally remembered.”

Ye Wenjin stared at the girl before her in disbelief, momentarily stunned.

The reason was simple: Luo Xi had changed so drastically from what she remembered that she couldn’t connect the two at all. Even now, she still felt a bit dazed, as if it wasn’t quite real.

“This is unbelievable. You’ve changed so much, I’m really sorry I didn’t recognize you.”

Luo Xi waved it off. “No worries. I have changed quite a bit, but so have you. I was pretty shocked when I first saw you just now.”

“Ye Wenjin, you seem so much more confident now, it’s like you’re a completely different person compared to before.”

Ye Wenjin froze, not expecting to hear such words from someone from her past. She couldn’t help but smile. “People grow. You’ve changed just as much.”

So much that I didn’t even recognize you.

Though it was a distant memory, Ye Wenjin still had some recollection of Luo Xi from back then and the contrast between then and now was like night and day.

The reason she remembered Luo Xi at all was that, back in the dance studio, the two of them had been somewhat out of place in their own ways.

Ye Wenjin had always been quiet and reluctant to socialize, so others labeled her as aloof.

Luo Xi, on the other hand, stood out because… she was overweight.

Normally, dancers needed to maintain a relatively slim figure to ensure agility.

But Luo Xi was different, she was genuinely heavy.

Rumor had it that she had fallen ill and had to take a lot of hormones in a short period, which led to rapid weight gain.

Unlike Ye Wenjin, though, Luo Xi had an incredibly cheerful personality so much so that it was almost baffling.

Most people who went through such experiences would harbor some degree of insecurity, unwilling to face their changed selves.

But Luo Xi was different. It was as if she didn’t have an ounce of insecurity in her. Even when she overheard people gossiping about her weight, she wouldn’t take it to heart. Instead, she’d often confront them head-on.

Ye Wenjin had seen her argue with others before calm, logical, and never resorting to foul language, yet leaving the other person speechless. She couldn’t help but admire Luo Xi’s courage in standing up to those who talked behind her back.

Ye Wenjin, however, lacked that bravery. Timid by nature, she preferred to turn a blind eye and pretend not to hear.

Luo Xi’s kindness even extended to defending Ye Wenjin when others criticized her, so the two had actually gotten along quite well back then.

However, their time together in the same dance studio wasn’t long. After participating in one competition together, Luo Xi left.

Yet, Ye Wenjin had never heard Luo Xi mention anything about leaving beforehand. When she left, she didn’t even leave a single word for her. It was just an ordinary day when Ye Wenjin arrived at the studio and noticed Luo Xi was no longer among the trainees.

At first, she thought Luo Xi had fallen ill again and planned to ask the teacher why she hadn’t come. But before she could, she overheard someone say Luo Xi had gone abroad, apparently for some kind of surgery.

Upon hearing this, Ye Wenjin abandoned the idea of asking further. Suddenly, it all felt pointless.

She couldn’t help but think that since Luo Xi hadn’t told her about leaving, perhaps, in Luo Xi’s heart, she wasn’t even considered a friend.

Ye Wenjin couldn’t deny the sadness she felt. She had thought she’d finally made a friend, but maybe it had just been her own wishful thinking.

After that, she never heard any news about Luo Xi until now, when the two unexpectedly reunited at Teacher Mei Yan’s training camp.

On one hand, Ye Wenjin found the coincidence almost unbelievable. On the other, she felt a faint awkwardness. After all, it had been so long since they’d last seen each other. The thought that she had unilaterally considered them friends while Luo Xi had left without a single word made her unsure how to face her now.

In contrast, Luo Xi was as warm and lively as ever. Within moments, she had effortlessly closed the distance between them, walking side by side with Ye Wenjin toward the dormitory.

Ye Wenjin wasn’t quite used to Luo Xi’s enthusiasm, but she had no reason to refuse, so she reluctantly followed her upstairs.

She had thought things would settle once they reached the dorm. But just as she was about to speak at the door, Luo Xi stepped inside first.

Ye Wenjin froze. “Luo Xi?”

Luo Xi smacked her forehead. “Oh, right! Did I forget to mention? Haha, what a coincidence, I’m in Room 303 too! From now on, we’re roommates. Ye Wenjin, let’s get along!”

Ye Wenjin: “……?”

Huh?

Ye Wenjin stood there, stunned.

Meanwhile, Luo Xi had already entered, glancing around before turning back. “Seems pretty nice! Which side do you want, Ye Wenjin?”

Ye Wenjin snapped out of it and took a proper look. The dorm conditions were indeed good, over thirty square meters, thoughtfully divided into two rooms. Though the bathroom was shared, it was manageable since there were only two of them. Plus, having separate rooms meant their privacy was well-protected. It was more than enough.

“They’re about the same. You pick first.”

Luo Xi didn’t hesitate, choosing one of the rooms before cheerfully hauling her luggage inside to unpack.

Ye Wenjin finally exhaled in relief, carrying her things into the other room to settle in.

Still, the thought of being roommates with Luo Xi weighed on her.

She had no idea how much Luo Xi remembered but no matter how much it was, Ye Wenjin couldn’t shake the awkwardness.

As she was nearly done unpacking, there was a knock at her door. Unsurprisingly, it was Luo Xi, inviting her to the cafeteria together.

After a brief hesitation, Ye Wenjin agreed to go.

She had come to realize that, no matter what, the two of them would have to spend some time together. Besides, it was actually a good thing that her roommate was someone she already knew. At the very least, she was aware that Luo Xi had a pleasant personality, making their cohabitation relatively worry-free.

The two of them went to the cafeteria for a meal and then wandered around a bit, noticing that the number of people had increased significantly.

“There are more and more people,” Ye Wenjin remarked with a sigh.

Luo Xi smiled and said, “Yeah, although running into you here was quite a surprise, I’m not at all shocked that you got selected.”

Ye Wenjin looked at her curiously. “Why?”

Without hesitation, Luo Xi replied, “Because back in the dance studio, you were the most skilled among our group of trainees. As long as you kept dancing, you’d never let an opportunity like this slip by. With your abilities, getting selected is only natural.”

Ye Wenjin was genuinely taken aback, she hadn’t realized Luo Xi held her in such high regard. For a moment, she was at a loss for words.

Luo Xi chuckled. “No need to feel embarrassed. Talent is talent. Excessive modesty isn’t a good thing. I consider you my strongest competitor, after all.”

Unsure how to respond, Ye Wenjin could only smile faintly.

Luo Xi gave her a meaningful glance but didn’t press the topic further.

By seven in the evening, once everyone had arrived, they all received a notice to gather in the auditorium.

Sixty people were no small number, and the auditorium buzzed with noise. Just then, a sharp feedback screech from the microphone on stage abruptly silenced the crowd. Then, Mei Yan’s voice rang out clearly.

“You should all be well aware not everyone will get to stay. So, work hard, kids.”

With just that one sentence, the fighting spirit of everyone present was ignited.

No one wanted to leave, and Ye Wenjin was no exception. She was determined to give it her all.

Meanwhile, Jian Mo was far from idle either.

Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, she gazed at the bustling traffic outside and said calmly, “Tong Yan, no more delays. It’s time to end this.”

The woman behind her chuckled lightly. “In a hurry, CEO Jian?”

Without turning around, Jian Mo replied, “They’re too much of an eyesore.”

Tong Yan smiled. “Since CEO Jian has spoken, how about three days from now?”

Originally, given the substantial benefits Jian Mo had offered, Tong Yan had intended to gift her something special. She figured that since they were enemies, the sight of her adversary in dire straits would make for an excellent present. That’s why she had deliberately dragged things out, preventing the Yin family from going bankrupt immediately.

But now, it seemed the other party wasn’t particularly interested in watching. In that case, there was no need to delay any further.

Jian Mo frowned slightly, lost in thought, before her expression relaxed moments later.

“Fine.”

Tong Yan raised an eyebrow, sensing there was more to Jian Mo’s plans, but she didn’t ask. After all, no one liked a nosy collaborator.

Her task now was simply to wrap things up as quickly as possible.

The office soon returned to silence. Jian Mo lowered her gaze and suddenly let out a soft sigh.

It had only been a day, and she already missed her A-Jin.

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