There's Something Wrong With My Little White Flower - Chapter 63

Chapter 63: Obscure Idol X Top Girl Group Member

Ruan Jiyun didn’t know if the ‘Sister’ would give her a chance, but she definitely had some regrets right now.

Regret that she shouldn’t have accepted Jiang Peifeng’s part division in the first place.

Mu Qing, who was in Jiang Peifeng’s team along with her, was assigned the second part of the dance performance. This part required two people to simulate the little mermaid’s initial transformation into a human, depicting her joy and longing for love. Mu Qing and Jiang Peifeng had an interactive section, using dance movements to portray a delicate and bewildering romantic scene.

This segment had a huge visual impact. Mu Qing’s neutral style, combined with the close movements with Jiang Peifeng, made Ruan Jiyun feel an almost uncontrollable pang of jealousy.

Especially since Mu Qing’s performance was quite disappointing. Several times, she failed to execute the collaborative moves properly. Seeing Jiang Peifeng’s forehead covered in sweat, Ruan Jiyun, usually calm, looked visibly upset.

“You should practice a bit more by yourself first,” she said coldly, placing her water bottle on the table with an abrasive clatter that drew glances from others.

Mu Qing was already somewhat dissatisfied with the assignment. In her view, the high-profile solo segment in the third part was more suitable for her. Her style was already similar to Jiang Peifeng’s, and dancing closely with her would undoubtedly mean being completely overshadowed, failing to show any advantage.

Now, being called out by Ruan Jiyun, she felt even more embarrassed: “If you think you can do it, why don’t you try?”

To her surprise, Ruan Jiyun immediately said, “Fine, should I swap with you?”

Their argument reached Jiang Peifeng’s ears. She smiled and smoothed things over: “Everyone’s working hard. Don’t worry, there’s still time. We’ll practice slowly.”

“Mentor, I think her suggestion is quite good.” Mu Qing had never taken Ruan Jiyun seriously. Even after their planned CP failed to gain traction, she always assumed Ruan Jiyun wouldn’t survive the third public performance. The fact that she had gained Jiang Peifeng’s favor and showed potential to become increasingly popular made Mu Qing very unhappy.

She insisted stubbornly: “Besides, I think I’m more suited for the final solo part than her.” That segment was full of tension in Jiang Peifeng’s original MV, and she believed her own performance wouldn’t be bad.

Jiang Peifeng was silent for a moment. She wanted to win more votes for her “little white flower” in the third performance, which was why she had endured the pressure to divide the parts initially. Within the scope of her authority, she had reserved the best parts for Ruan Jiyun.

“I agree to the swap,” Ruan Jiyun interjected during the tense silence. “I want to perform the second segment.”

To swap with her, even just for one time. She couldn’t bear to watch Jiang Peifeng dance this part with anyone else.

Although she had spoken with conviction, Ruan Jiyun hadn’t anticipated that her performance would be even worse than Mu Qing’s.

It was too difficult… The interactive movements with Jiang Peifeng were harder than she had imagined. When her hand lightly touched the other’s waist, Ruan Jiyun felt her brain turn to mush, burning to a fever pitch, unable to recall any movements.

Jiang Peifeng burst out laughing at her stiff movements: “You can still back out now.”

Ruan Jiyun felt even more frustrated. It wasn’t like they hadn’t collaborated before, but this song was just… too suggestive.

When Jiang Peifeng hooked her neck and leaned in again, Ruan Jiyun stumbled, completely missing the next hand-holding move.

“You seem a little afraid to touch me,” Jiang Peifeng acutely observed the problem. “This dance is about expressing love. Imagine yourself as the little mermaid; she bravely pursues love. This dance is her expression, her voice. Don’t see me as your mentor, just ignore me.”

Ruan Jiyun concealed her guilt with a forced smile: “Who could ignore you?”

Her mind was full of the images from that night—the softness of her body, the warm, wet breath that felt like a cloud of rain softly hitting her skin. Her cheeks uncontrollably flushed hot, and her heart pounded like thunder.

Jiang Peifeng looked at her embarrassed expression and suddenly smiled.

“An old dance teacher of mine once said that the best way to resolve awkwardness is familiarity. If you’re this shy practicing with me, what are you going to do when you debut and have to dance with a male dancer?”

I probably wouldn’t be this shy, Ruan Jiyun mentally grumbled, when a hand unexpectedly reached out beside her and firmly clasped hers in her palm.

“Let’s hold hands for ten minutes and get familiar with each other.” Jiang Peifeng’s face was close, her eyes smiling slightly, shining brightly.

Ruan Jiyun’s entire face instantly turned red: “This…” Their fingers interlaced and gripped tightly, the soft touch pressing against her palm. The temperature around them suddenly spiked. She desperately tried to calm her breathing, afraid someone would suddenly walk by and discover the secret behind this scene.

“I have to ask… you’re so shy, is it perhaps because I’m awake now?” Jiang Peifeng’s voice was soft and gentle, yet it hit Ruan Jiyun like lightning. “Or do you only dare to hold my hand when I’m asleep?”

The implication behind that sentence was too rich. Ruan Jiyun looked up in stunned silence, her gaze locking with Jiang Peifeng’s. Jiang Peifeng was still smiling, the smile extending to the corners of her eyes like melted candy, warm and sweet, settling at the corners of her lips, only to be held between her teeth with lingering enjoyment.

“I…” She tried to explain something, but found herself speechless.

She had indeed only dared to secretly hold that hand when Jiang Peifeng was asleep, treating it as her short, lucky secret. Who would have thought she would find out?

“Be a good girl…” Jiang Peifeng leaned in close to her ear. “I won’t tell anyone. Dance well and show your best stage to everyone.”

Ruan Jiyun was practicing furiously, while on the other side, Mu Qing’s face was grim, practically dripping water.

“So, Huansheng plans to abandon me and promote that low-class item instead?” Standing before her was her own manager, who had just delivered the company’s latest decision.

Due to her excellent performance on the show and the massive popularity of the “Feng Yun Ji Hui” CP, Ruan Jiyun was leading by a large margin in the latest round of voting. Realizing they were sitting on a hidden gem of an artist, Huansheng Media immediately convened an executive meeting, leading to the current situation.

Mu Qing joined Huansheng primarily for the high degree of freedom, so her team had always been her own. This made the Huansheng executives feel that if they stuck to the original agreement, the benefits the company could reap from Mu Qing, even if she debuted, would be very limited.

But with Ruan Jiyun, it was completely different. She was under an eight-year trainee contract, and the company held an absolute grip on her. If she successfully debuted, she would be a cash cow guaranteed to profit.

To this end, they chose to refund Mu Qing’s money and focus entirely on preparing for Ruan Jiyun’s final voting push.

Mu Qing was shaking with anger: “A bunch of ungrateful snakes!” She had already invested a significant amount of capital into participating in Road to Stardom. Losing to such a minor artist would be an unbearable humiliation.

“I’d like to see how far this Ruan Jiyun they’re counting on can go,” a malicious look flashed in her eyes. “Do they think they can promote a lucky girl who will soar to the sky… She’ll need very sturdy wings for that…”

The day of the third public performance soon arrived. The recording was scheduled to start at 3 PM. Upon receiving the notice, Ruan Jiyun didn’t dare to delay and planned to head to the practice room for a few final runs.

She had always been one of the most hardworking trainees. Now, with the elimination of many contestants, the practice room was finally less crowded than before. She habitually went to the one at the end of the corridor.

The incident happened in an instant.

When Jiang Peifeng received the news, the entire backstage lounge was already in chaos. She pushed through the crowd and saw a small figure sitting on the safety mat furthest inside. Long hair obscured her face, but she could still see that her complexion was pale.

“How bad is the injury?” She didn’t bother with anything else, immediately crouching down beside Ruan Jiyun to check on her condition.

Someone had dripped oil onto the steps leading to the practice room. In the dimly lit corridor, Ruan Jiyun hadn’t seen the slippery patch on the floor, misstepped, and fell down the stairs, twisting her ankle.

The team doctor performed emergency treatment immediately, but the dislocated joint couldn’t be moved right away. With the recording time fast approaching, all the group directors gathered backstage to discuss countermeasures.

“If her segment is cut, will it significantly affect the overall outcome?” The associate director consulted Jiang Peifeng about the on-site procedures. Ruan Jiyun’s injury clearly meant she couldn’t go on stage, which meant her part had to be canceled.

Jiang Peifeng lowered her eyes: “Has it been determined who poured the substance on the floor?”

The associate director was surprised that she cared about this first and was momentarily stunned: “Not yet… we didn’t have time. The live recording starts in three hours. The director wants to first finalize the procedures that might be affected.”

Just a trainee getting injured. He didn’t understand why Jiang Peifeng was so concerned. There were so many audience members waiting to watch the show. Was how she got injured more important than the program itself?

Jiang Peifeng tried hard to remain professional and focus on the current situation, but catching sight of the fragile-looking “little white flower” sitting on the mat, with people constantly passing by without stopping for her, she couldn’t stop her heart from aching.

“Or we could have her sing and take out the dancing part for her…” She quickly weighed the program’s configuration and argued with the associate director.

The associate director frowned heavily: “If she’s the only one standing on the side singing, the audience might not vote for her, and you haven’t rehearsed the choreography this way. What if…”

At that moment, a quiet voice spoke up.

“I can dance.” Ruan Jiyun had stood up at some point. She was leaning on the wall and said seriously, “The team doctor just said there is a way…”

“Nonsense!” Jiang Peifeng was the first to object after hearing her suggestion. “It’s not suitable to dance after getting a closed injection. If you suffer a secondary injury, do you still want to keep your foot?”

She knew perfectly well why the “little white flower” insisted on performing, but she still could not agree.

It was just a selection show. Even if she truly couldn’t perform, she could still use other methods to help her step into the public eye and prevent her from continuing to walk in the darkness.

But Ruan Jiyun remained insistent. The girl’s voice was not loud. Perhaps because of the injury, her face was pale and weak, and her lips were faintly white like dehydrated petals. Only her eyes were as bright and dark as ever, showing no sign of fear.

“Sister, please let me go on stage,” she said, word by word. “I am a dancer. This is my battlefield.”

The rest of her words, unspoken, were soaked in the watery gaze of her eyes, directly pointing to the heart, looking straight into Jiang Peifeng’s soul.

She was a dancer. She wanted to use her way to express her courage, her refusal to be defeated, and, the affection contained within.

Support There’s Something Wrong With My Little White Flower