The Real Heiress Just Wants to Be a Lazy Fish - Chapter 75

Chapter 75: Confession

Tao Yitong felt as if she had experienced a long and chaotic dream. At the beginning of this dream, she saw many unimaginable scenes: earth-shattering floods, immortal clouds surrounding ancient towering trees, fragmented visions of gods and humans, clashing iron cavalry, and eras of peace and prosperity…

It seemed to be a memory spanning an immense amount of time. This certainly didn’t belong to her; to have lived in such a distant past, these memories likely belonged to the Taotie.

As these visions faded, her consciousness fell back into chaos. However, she wasn’t entirely unaware of the outside world. After regaining a bit of clarity, the memories of this recent period gradually flooded her mind…

Then she discovered that she had been acting like a total hoodlum, pinning her sister down to kiss her every single day! And her sister had indulged her. These days were as beautiful as a dream; indeed, Tao Yitong had treated them as one. Because it was so perfect, it made her feel as though she were daydreaming.

Since it was a “dream,” everything happening became rational. She couldn’t have her sister in reality, so she could only voice her love in this dream. Like treating a fragile, soon-to-be-lost treasure, she kissed her sister gently and longingly. The sister in the dream seemed to sense her further intentions; she pushed her slightly in resistance and whispered, “Don’t.”

Fine if Sister likes someone else in the real world, but must she reject me in my dreams too? Tao Yitong felt an inexplicable sense of grievance. Choking with emotion, she whispered the secret she had kept hidden in her heart into Jiang Zitan’s ear.

“Sister, I like you.”

Perhaps because she held no hope, Tao Yitong was prepared to be pushed away. But upon hearing her voice, Jiang Zitan paused, and finally, she gently embraced her.

During this period, only a dozen or so people remained. The company didn’t add any new trainees to this batch, and the final group lineup was gradually becoming clear. Tao Yitong already knew who her teammates would be, so there was no suspense, but she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness seeing the girls who had practiced so hard burst into tears upon elimination.

It wasn’t that they weren’t outstanding enough; the competition for debut spots was simply too cruel, growing more arduous as it reached the end. Whether there would be another chance at a different company was a big question mark. Missing an opportunity is sometimes final; it’s very hard to reclaim.

Chen Zixin likely found out about her identity later, as he was very polite to Tao Yitong from beginning to end. After the shoot, they exchanged contact information and returned to their respective dorms—one preparing for a solo career, the other waiting for the final group list.

Three days later, the much-anticipated debut list was posted:

• Official Visual: Jiang Qishuang, 169cm, 22 years old, Lead Dancer. She has a bright, beautiful face with a hint of edge, but is actually a bit ditsy and still gets lost in the dorm after living there for a long time.

• Main Vocal: Ji You, 163cm, 22 years old. Her looks aren’t particularly striking, but she is the group’s rap lead. She was quite introverted during training, rarely speaking except when performing, but her rap is top-tier her talent truly stood out among the crowd.

• Maknae: Tao Yitong, 167cm, 20 years old. The only public trainee in the group. She follows a sweet and soft image but is essentially the ACE, being flawless in singing, dancing, and rapping.

• Rapper: Tao Yitong’s most familiar acquaintance, Yao Xichen.

Yao Xichen was the teammate in the plot who used the original host’s influence to bully others within the group. Before getting to know her, Tao Yitong thought she was someone with deep schemes, but it turned out she wasn’t very bright—Tao Yitong had seen through her when she tried to suck up to her for the MV lead role. However, the girl’s malicious streak was annoying. If Tao Yitong could choose, she’d rather have Jiang Sicui as a teammate. At least Jiang Sicui, though cold-faced, had no bad intentions.

After the list came out, everyone signed new contracts and moved into a new dormitory. The next day, they were to begin the music video shoot immediately. The dorm was a three-bedroom apartment. Before Yao Xichen could try to become her roommate, Tao Yitong proposed drawing lots to ensure fairness, letting the leader prepare the slips.

Tao Yitong secretly communicated with the system, and sure enough, she didn’t end up in a room with Yao Xichen. She didn’t care about a single or double room; she just didn’t want to be with someone like Yao Xichen. Seeing Yao Xichen’s displeased face after the draw, Tao Yitong hid a smirk.

Jiang Zitan received a new message that night.

Little Green Tea: Moved into the dorm today! Feels like I’m one step closer to my dream! Shooting the MV was tiring, and we continue with our own tomorrow, but I’m so happy! [Little Green Tea]: Anyway, thank you for your help, Sister! Mwah mwah! Heart fingers.jpg.

Jiang Zitan couldn’t help but type “What on earth are you thinking all day?” but thought better of it and deleted it, preparing to clear the “cheesy” chat log. However, the moment she retracted the message, she received another.

Little Green Tea: I’m thinking…

“Xiao Tong has a knack for manipulating the atmosphere; her stage control is strong. She is confident but not arrogant. Her overall performance flow and stage positioning are commendable.”

Practice? Jiang Zitan thought back to a previous event. She forgot the exact time, only remembering a graduation ceremony where she had a bit too much to drink. While being arranged to rest in an off-campus dorm, she saw a girl dancing nearby. Upon closer look, it was Tao Yitong.

Jiang Zitan wasn’t a dance major; she was just temporarily managing the joint girl group project at EM Entertainment. Even so, she could tell that Tao Yitong’s movements back then weren’t this precise or powerful, and her rhythm was off—especially since she was swaying drunkenly.

At that time, Jiang Zitan had just been recognized by the Tao family. Her mother said they would meet soon, but she had already seen Tao Yitong’s file. Tao Yitong didn’t greet her then. The drunken girl simply staggered into her room, asked “Can I sleep with Senior?” and, upon receiving consent, stripped off her outer layers and collapsed onto the bed unconscious.

Jiang Zitan had frowned but gave her a simple cleanup. She hadn’t wanted to sleep in the same bed, but eventually, exhaustion won, and she fell asleep too. Tao Yitong left the next morning without a word. Their next meeting was at home.

The “Little Green Tea” seemed to have done a 180-degree turn in attitude since then… No, she was getting off track.

“We didn’t have much interaction before,” Jiang Zitan replied concisely. Though Fu Ying was a bit skeptical, she moved on. “Regarding this stage, do you think they can take first place?”

“That’s a good question.”

Tao Yitong walked off stage, drenched in sweat. The first performance was quite good; she could feel that all her energy had been released in that moment. As for the ranking, that wasn’t something she could determine now. The team returned to the dressing room under Chen Li’s lead. Tao Yitong gulped down water and checked her phone, finding Jiang Zitan’s reply.

[LIN]: Watched it.

Tao Yitong typed quickly: “Does Sister have anything to say after watching?”

The other side showed “typing…” for a while before:

[LIN]: Very good. Keep it up.

“Keep it up”? Tao Yitong was a bit unhappy. She didn’t like such perfunctory responses, especially from the person she felt so complicated about. Just as she was thinking of how to get more feedback, Jiang Zitan sent a long message.

LIN: No stage fright. The solo part at 1:23 showed solid vocals. The high note was explosive. No vocal shakiness during the live singing. You have a strong sense of awareness for positioning and camera capture during lighting transitions. The ending pose was creative, showing a contrast between power and beauty. Overall performance was excellent.

“Xiao Tong,” the manager said, coming in to call her for touch-ups, “what are you smiling at?” “Nothing, just saw a funny post.”

The fleeting thought in Tao Yitong’s mind was that Jiang Zitan was a bit cute that long message must have been referenced from some professional guide, as the praise sounded quite technical. However, she didn’t want to share this feeling. She snapped her fingers and thought to herself: I forgive you. She then went out for makeup, too busy to reply.

After the remaining performances, the groups played a game of blindfolded musical chairs. Unlike the sharp, rhythmic girl on stage, Tao Yitong off-stage was like a soft puppy, barely using any force against the other girls. She ended up wandering dizzily and sat on thin air once, making the audience roar with laughter.

Chen Li helped her up. When the game ended, she gave a sweet, healing smile that made the live-stream viewers go wild.

A new wife has appeared, how can I stop now? The contrast between her stage and off-stage persona is so healing. This girl is so cute! That puppy-eyed wink is a killer! Sweet girls are eternal! The joint MT and EM girl group is officially a visual group. Official Visual Jiang Qishuang and Fan-favorite Visual Tao Yitong anyone disagree? No? Then I’m taking my wife Tongtong home.

The semi-transparent scrolling comments were clear on the screen. Jiang Zitan had been sitting at her computer for a long time. After skipping other groups, her gaze landed on Tao Yitong again.

The “Little Green Tea” really did have a sense for variety shows. An idol’s main charm comes from the stage, but personality and variety skills are key to retaining fans. With her harmless, cute looks and sufficient talent, Tao Yitong was bound to carve out her own path. Jiang Zitan had to admit her impression of the girl had changed significantly. Especially after that rhythmic stage performance—that pure yet seductive look was a direct hit.

Jiang Zitan touched her cold coffee cup. MT was arranging a banquet for them tonight. Tao Yitong needed resources since she just debuted, but such banquets were often mixed bags. She knew the manager wouldn’t let Tao Yitong do anything untoward out of respect for her, but she didn’t know if Tao Yitong would be foolish herself as per the original plot.

Thinking of a key plot point involving Jiang Yang, Jiang Zitan typed a few sentences but retracted them within thirty seconds. Finally, she sent a hotel location.

“I’ll be here tonight. If anything happens, you can come find me.”

[Little Green Tea]: I’m thinking about trying to make Sister like me a little more, is that okay?

The woman frowned with disdain, but ultimately, her finger didn’t press the delete button. After the light turned off in the darkness, a new person entered dreamland.

When Tao Yitong woke up and checked the favorability levels, the app showed a rare, pitiful 0.5 increase from Jiang Zitan. But 0.5 was enough. Ever since their last interaction, Jiang Zitan’s favorability had reset to zero, making the awkward Tao Yitong want to throw her phone away. This 0.5 was like coal in a snowstorm it warmed her heart and made her feel that her efforts to please Jiang Zitan weren’t in vain.

She always felt Jiang Zitan’s attitude was strange. It wasn’t exactly hatred; after all, they had slept together, yet she acted as if nothing happened. Then she would help her. Tao Yitong initially thought it was a setup, but Jiang Zitan didn’t seem as ruthless as she imagined.

If she were a straight-talker, Tao Yitong would ask her directly, but asking Jiang Zitan likely wouldn’t yield an answer.

“That’s great!” Jiang Qishuang smiled shyly. “Senior Fang was supposed to do the cameo, but she had a conflict. Since Miss Jiang Zitan is here today, Senior Fang asked her to help out. It’s only a ten-second appearance anyway.”

Tao Yitong understood the girl’s expression. She sighed inwardly; it wasn’t just a small gap. Until the mole in the Bureau was found, destroying the Ogres was just a joke. When the Taotie set her up, Tao Yitong realized someone had revealed her weakness someone high up in the Bureau, otherwise they wouldn’t know her situation.

She was new and unfamiliar with the personnel in H Province. Finding the mole was like searching in the dark, but looking at yesterday’s events, it seemed someone had already made a move. Was it Director Mo? Or…

Tao Yitong sent messages to two contacts. Director Mo didn’t reply, but Liu Yue did.

Recovered? Rest well at home for a while. I have arrangements for the things you’re worried about.

It was Auntie Liu. That was good if she didn’t have to worry, she had more time to spend with Sister.

Even though they had only been apart for a short while, she already missed her.

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