From Trashy A to the Heiress’s Little Son-in-Law After the Idol Competition (GL, ABO) - Chapter 42

Chu Luo turned off the TV broadcasting the third performance.

She could see that when Xiao Yanjin was performing, the camera cut to Ji Yunuo’s face. It was clear that Ji Yunuo was trying to restrain her expression, but it was still different from when she watched others perform.

There was a hint of adoration in her gaze.

It was the first time Chu Luo had ever seen such a look in someone’s eyes.

Her body trembled uncontrollably as waves of jealousy surged through her.

The bitterness in her heart spread, and finally, Chu Luo couldn’t hold back any longer, she let out a furious scream.

“A-Luo, what’s wrong?” Hearing the commotion, Chu’s mother, Wei Yunqiu, descended the stairs wrapped in a black silk robe. Chu Luo suppressed her anger and obediently went to greet her.

“N-Nothing, Mother.”

Wei Yunqiu’s sharp eyes quickly caught onto the reason for her daughter’s rage.

“Why did you withdraw from the competition?”

Chu Luo: “I was just tired of the rankings. Besides, I can afford the withdrawal fee, so there’s no need for you to worry.”

“No, silly child. Don’t lie to me. I can see the anger on your face. Who provoked you? The Ji heiress? Or that shameless Xiao Yanjin?”

At the mention of Xiao Yanjin, Chu Luo’s eyes burned with fury, her teeth clenched as she spat out, “It’s Xiao Yanjin! I hate her! I hate her!”

Wei Yunqiu sneered. “So it’s her. Since she dared to provoke my daughter, I won’t let her off easily. Though I find it strange, the Xiao family’s century-old estate was actually sold to the Ji family.”

Chu Luo was taken aback. “There’s such a thing?”

“It doesn’t matter, child. The house isn’t important, but Xiao Yanjin… I won’t let her thrive in the entertainment industry. In fact, I won’t even let her debut. How dare she bully my daughter?” Wei Yunqiu gently stroked Chu Luo’s brows. The mother and daughter shared the same eyes at a glance, they appeared alluring, but upon closer inspection, they held the cold, ruthless disdain of a capitalist.

Rankings were announced.

Ji Yunuo remained in first place, while the rankings below saw significant shifts.

“Xiao Yanjin, thirteenth place.”

When Ji Mian read out Xiao Yanjin’s ranking, he paused, thinking he had misread. Only after double-checking did he confirm it.

Xiao Yanjin had previously ranked within the debut spots multiple times, even rising to second place after Chu Luo’s withdrawal. Hearing this ranking, she was completely stunned.

Logically, her fanbase should have been growing many casual viewers had recognized her talent and converted into fans. How could her ranking possibly be this low?

“Xiao Yanjin, thirteenth? How is that possible?”

“Yeah, she was even ranked second at one point. Her fans may not be as strong as Yunuo or Shi Zhengyi’s, but they’re still formidable. How did she drop to thirteenth, not even making the bottom of the debut lineup?”

“Seriously? Is she really just a filler contestant like netizens say? Well, with all her scandals, debuting would be bad for the group anyway.”

From a distance, Ji Yunuo studied every subtle shift in Xiao Yanjin’s expression, her fists tightening unconsciously.

After filming ended, Ji Mian retreated to his private lounge. As soon as the lights flickered on, a cold voice spoke.

“Hello, PD Ji.”

Ji Mian stiffened slightly, glancing over to see Xiao Yanjin sitting quietly on the sofa, toying with a Rubik’s cube. In just nine seconds, she restored the scrambled cube to its original state.

Impressive skill.

Xiao Yanjin got straight to the point without pleasantries: “Sorry to bother you so late, Producer Ji.”

Ji Mian smiled. “What’s on your mind?”

“Don’t you find the ranking situation strange?”

Ji Mian replied, “I’m just the host announcing the rankings. How would I know about any behind-the-scenes dealings?”

“No, you know because you were last season’s center position.” Xiao Yanjin stared at her intently. “I refuse to believe you’re unaware of the inside story.”

Ji Mian felt unnerved by the gaze. This carefree girl suddenly seemed to radiate the commanding presence of a business tycoon when serious.

“Our season only had ‘privileged contestants’, no vote manipulation. Otherwise, someone from an ordinary background like me could never have been voted to first place.” Ji Mian sighed. With her wife Xu Zhixia’s family connections and company resources, she could have easily secured the top spot. But back then, public voting determined everything, tampering would have caused an uproar.

The so-called “privileged contestants” were essentially vote manipulation in disguise, their rankings were swapped with higher-ranked trainees. Ultimately, those eliminated due to rigged votes suffered the most.

“So my current ranking might be manipulated?” Xiao Yanjin pondered.

Ji Mian nodded. “Comparing your recent performance to past rankings, this drop makes no sense. With your growing fanbase, your rank should only rise, not fall. Someone’s clearly targeting you.”

“It’s Chu Luo.” Xiao Yanjin stated decisively. “Her family holds considerable power in the entertainment industry, they’ve likely pulled strings with the executives. Pushing my rank too low would backfire publicly, but… they might manipulate the finals to make me barely miss debut.”

Ji Mian frowned. “I can’t confirm the Chu family’s involvement. Their film company is one of the industry’s big three, with extensive connections. Beyond that, I don’t know much else.”

Xiao Yanjin took a deep breath and scrambled the Rubik’s cube in her hands.

“Regardless, I will debut.”

Ji Mian’s heart trembled. “But if they’ve rigged the votes, what can you do?” Suddenly, this girl reminded her of her sister from her original world, stirring an unexpected fondness.

Xiao Yanjin remained silent. Having come this far in the competition, she was prepared to go all out. Whether she debuted wasn’t entirely up to her but making the Chu family lose face was absolutely essential!

…

The live finals were about to begin.

The atmosphere was both harmonious and tense yet also strangely peculiar.

Take Jiang Nan and Shen Ya’s relationship, for instance.

It started when Shen Ya accidentally fell, scraping her hand slightly.

Jiang Nan reacted as if facing a crisis, anxiously applying ointment while murmuring, “The floor’s slippery, be more careful.”

Shen Ya blushed softly and whispered an agreement.

Shi Zhengyi and Xiao Yanjin watched nearby. As fellow alphas, they had to admit Jiang Nan displayed remarkable patience.

There had been an earlier “ideal alpha type” vote.

Shi Zhengyi received one vote.

Hearing this, she complained tearfully to Xiao Yanjin: “During my first performance, the audience went wild for me! How did I only get one vote now?”

Xiao Yanjin explained: “Because while your stage presence is explosive, you don’t exactly scream ‘ideal partner material.'”

She was different, she had two votes.

In this era, the “soft A” style was all the rage. Xiao Yanjin certainly looked the part with her delicate appearance, but her personality was the complete opposite. The Omegas behind her back often criticized her as a “straight A” who didn’t understand romance, with a sharp tongue that never spared an Omega’s feelings.

But Jiang Nan was different. Not only did she have an adorable, doll-like appearance that made people want to dote on her, but her personality was also sweet and gentle. She spoke softly and acted cutely, and when it came to Omegas older than her, she practically wanted to cradle them in her arms and take care of them.

As a result, she was voted the most ideal Alpha in the entire competition.

Thanks to her performance in the second round, Jiang Nan also formed a CP with Lan Yuanning, skyrocketing her popularity.

Though they themselves didn’t take the CP seriously, others saw nothing but pink bubbles between them.

Shen Ya, who was in the same group as Jiang Nan, grew closer to her after the injury incident, which led to a bit of friction among the three.

Because the Jiang Nan x Shen Ya CP was on the rise.

Lan Yuanning and Shen Ya were both Omegas with similar personalities gentle, nurturing older sister types, though one was more refined while the other was more assertive.

Xiao Yanjin couldn’t help but sigh. Jiang Nan, Shen Ya, and Lan Yuanning all had names that fit the delicate, southern aesthetic, and their temperaments matched perfectly.

But compared to Shi Zhengyi and He Rou’s names, theirs still carried a more dignified yet gentle air.

Today, a minor incident happened in the cafeteria.

Xiao Yanjin, Shi Zhengyi, and Jiang Nan, the Alpha trio came to eat after training, drenched in sweat and wolfing down their food ravenously.

After getting together with Ji Yunuo, Xiao Yanjin had become increasingly conscious of her image, so compared to the other two, she ate much more elegantly.

Shi Zhengyi finished quickly and let out a satisfied burp.

Jiang Nan, having finished her own dish, glanced at the braised pork in Xiao Yanjin’s bowl and asked, “A-Jin, can I have a piece of your pork?”

Xiao Yanjin, being protective of her food, teased her, “Call me ‘good sister,’ and I’ll give you one.”

Just as Jiang Nan was about to speak, a piece of braised pork landed on her plate.

Shen Ya, sitting beside her, smiled warmly. “Here, have mine. I can’t finish it anyway.”

Jiang Nan beamed. “Thank you, good sister!”

Shi Zhengyi nearly choked. This girl!

Shen Ya blinked in surprise, then laughed, her eyes softening with the same fondness Ji Yunuo often showed Xiao Yanjin.

At that moment, Lan Yuanning and Ji Yunuo arrived with their trays.

“Is this spot clean? Mind if we join you?” Lan Yuanning asked politely, pausing when she saw Shen Ya and Jiang Nan chatting.

Xiao Yanjin waved at Ji Yunuo, grinning like an idiot. “Of course!”

Ji Yunuo naturally sat beside her, and the moment she did, Xiao Yanjin’s smile never faded.

Noticing Ji Yunuo’s plate, stir-fried cabbage, carrots, and broccoli, with not a single piece of meat, Xiao Yanjin frowned.

Even after training so hard, she’s still eating vegetarian? She could afford to indulge a little!

Determined not to let her ruin her health, Xiao Yanjin pushed her braised pork toward Ji Yunuo. “Nuo-jie, you should eat more.”

Instantly, all eyes turned to them.

Xiao Yanjin didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty, taking care of Ji Yunuo was only natural.

Ji Yunuo merely blushed, thanked her quietly, and ate it without another word.

Shi Zhengyi cleared her throat. “Where’s He Rou?”

Lan Yuanning said, “She’s not planning to eat. She’s going to a café for coffee to perk herself up.”

“Such intense training, and she’s skipping meals?” Shi Zhengyi frowned, deciding to go give her a piece of his mind.

After Shi Zhengyi left, the atmosphere suddenly turned icy.

Over there, Shen Ya and Lan Yuanning flanked Jiang Nan, who was obliviously eating like a fool, completely unaware of the two stunning Omegas fussing over him.

Xiao Yanjin couldn’t help but freeze for a moment, lost in thought.

“What are you looking at?” Ji Yunuo asked softly beside her.

Xiao Yanjin shook her head. “Nothing, I just…”

“Aside from eating, you don’t seem to be in a good mood.”

Xiao Yanjin smiled. “Sister Nuo, we’re not even in the same training room. How would you know I’m not in a good mood?”

Ji Yunuo wiped her hands. She hadn’t finished her meal, but she stopped eating.

“Sometimes, when I go to the restroom, I take a detour just so I can catch a glimpse of you through the floor-to-ceiling window outside your training room.”

Xiao Yanjin was stunned. “How come I never noticed?”

“I only dared to look for a second. After all, I don’t go to the restroom that often,” Ji Yunuo explained.

Xiao Yanjin felt an indescribable warmth in her heart. Despite being so focused on training, Ji Yunuo still made time to come see her.

“What about you? Have you found any way to come see me?” Ji Yunuo asked. Thinking about it, Xiao Yanjin hadn’t visited her much either.

Lowering her voice, Xiao Yanjin grinned. “Sister, have you forgotten? At night, we often sneak off to camera-free spots to kiss, don’t we?”

Ji Yunuo’s face instantly flushed red.

They hadn’t been together for long, but Xiao Yanjin was always so impatient.

It was as if she couldn’t control herself, always carving out time, just to ask for kisses.

Ji Yunuo used to find intimate acts like kissing disgusting, but with someone she loved, it wasn’t just bearable, it felt strangely comforting.

It wasn’t just Xiao Yanjin who wanted it. She did too.

Glancing up, she caught Lan Yuanning looking at her. In an instant, her body temperature spiked, and Ji Yunuo hurriedly lowered her head, overwhelmed by an unprecedented sense of awkwardness.

“If you’re still worried about that ranking incident, don’t be,” Ji Yunuo whispered, secretly reaching down to squeeze her hand.

Xiao Yanjin hummed in acknowledgment.

“If it really was rigged, I’ll do everything in my power to help you.”

Though Xiao Yanjin didn’t look at her, her gaze grew resolute.

“It’s fine. I can handle it myself. You have to trust me.”

“But how do you plan to solve it?”

“Sister,” Xiao Yanjin smiled reassuringly, “don’t forget, ever since my debut, I’ve been called ‘that bitch Xiao’ every single day and I still made it through. What problem could possibly stump me?”

Xiao Yanjin chuckled inwardly. To others, Ji Yunuo was an untouchable ice queen aloof, detached from worldly affairs. Born into wealth, she had no reason to risk her standing for anyone.

Yet here she was, willing to throw everything aside just to help her. Xiao Yanjin knew Ji Yunuo truly loved her. But how could she, of all people, deserve to let her fight alone?

After all, aside from the two of them, everyone else believed their relationship was just for show. No one would ever believe a high-society princess like Ji Yunuo could genuinely fall for someone like her.

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