Chapter 82
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Chapter 82: You Wouldn’t Want Little Shu to Discover Your True Identity, Right?
This little incident was quickly passed over.
In secret, the other three young girls all sensed something different in the air.
Xie Qingxuan’s beautiful eyes drooped. She had tasted warmth from Chu Yuanqing several times before, and with meditation enhancing her ability to gather subconscious information, she swiftly detected the varying depths of affection.
Strangely, unlike the last confrontation with Little Sakura, there was no sour jealousy brewing in her chest this time—no ugly, unspeakable envy. Instead, there was only a quiet confusion, like a lost swordsman gazing around.
Like a thief hiding by the fireplace, catching glimpses of others’ joyful happiness, she had no right to be jealous, no desire for more rights.
So, she remained silent.
Conversely, the subconscious information she retrieved—sensing this motherly love—grew larger, constructing numerous personality fragments rapidly, gradually piecing together one-third of the Dream Puzzle.
Liang Xiaoxiao lacked external meditation like the others, nor did she possess Tang Liuli’s “Heart Flow” or Little Sakura’s sharp intuition. But those who lack love often have an acute sensitivity to it.
Chu Yuanqing’s tenderness, like a compassionate deity overlooking all beings, willing to offer her pity, only meant that you were worthy of pity—not that you were special.
But she was clearly different with Chu Wang Shu.
The affection directed toward that person was unique, always overflowing, and heavy with meaning.
Liang Xiaoxiao didn’t dwell on the reasons. She simply ignored it, quietly. Her expression remained unchanged, a soft smile lingering on her lips, as if telling herself that for someone as ordinary as she was, as long as she received a little care from Little Qing and wasn’t abandoned, it was enough.
Also—never expect too much from anyone. Otherwise, sooner or later, you will be consumed by empty despair.
That was the only lesson her family ever taught her.
Liang Xiaoxiao remembered it well. She wouldn’t forget.
The girl cut into the chicken breast on her plate, seamlessly continuing the conversation.
Chu Yuanqing found herself curiously engaged. Everything the girls around her talked about was fresh, a novelty, and she occasionally displayed a seriousness akin to being in class, as if she needed to absorb this information for something important.
Although she concealed it well, her reactions were always more animated when certain topics arose, eventually revealing her genuine interest.
As a result, she had now almost completely grasped the key points of her conversations with others.
On the other side, Tang Liuli’s mind was in turmoil.
In her emerald-green eyes, a flickering mist of suspicion was beginning to spread. The warmth of empathy had not yet fully soaked through her, and the emotions that surfaced suddenly transformed into shame and panic, cutting off abruptly.
A sharp pain struck her, making her legs—previously moving on their own—halt in regret. Her delicate brows furrowed, her pretty face sinking like a gloomy little kitten. Quietly, she looked at Chu Yuanqing beside her, then at Chu Wang Shu—the “big grain producer”—and murmured skeptically in her heart:
“Chu Yuanying, Chu Yuanqing?”
“Honey Qing and Little Shu’s dad have names that differ by just one letter?”
“Is this a coincidence? No! Absolutely not! This is definitely not a coincidence!”
The more Tang Liuli thought about it, the more excited she became. She momentarily forgot her intense hunger and resolved to use her extraordinary intelligence—the invincible wisdom of Holmes—to crack this super difficult puzzle.
Well, first of all, based on the simplest logic, Little Shu’s dad couldn’t possibly be Honey Qing herself.
Then came the question.
Why did Honey Qing become so frightened, ashamed, and uneasy upon hearing the words “looks a lot like her dad”?
This question actually indirectly confirmed the chaotic relationship she had imagined last time!
In other words, she could critically combine her previous reasoning, systematically filter and judge, and ultimately deduce the most likely answer.
Tang Liuli’s eyes turned serious. Her expression grew solemn. As she continued eating her salad, the truth gradually became clearer. After finishing the last bite of perilla, she suddenly had a revelation, finally dispelling the last bit of confusion.
I get it! Honey Qing is actually Little Shu’s dad’s sister!
Chu Yuanqing and Chu Yuanying’s names differed by only one letter because they were siblings. It made perfect sense for them to have similar names.
Honey Qing must have viewed Little Shu with a guardian’s mentality because she was her aunt, naturally inclined to dote on her.
Because of her complicated family situation, Honey Qing couldn’t reveal it. She even feared exposure. When she heard those words, she felt scared, anxious, and even ashamed—guilty, even!
Tang Liuli replayed her reasoning in her mind, greatly astonished. The logic was flawless! For a brief moment, she felt particularly proud. She even began wondering if she was actually a detective genius distracted by acting!
At that moment, a wave of pride surged in Tang Liuli’s heart.
She glanced around the table. Her expression shifted from the defeated anger of a loser to the disdainful gaze of a winner.
Lost everything?
Haha, it’s a win-win-win!
From now on, all she had to do was say: “You wouldn’t want Little Shu to discover your true identity, would you?” and Honey Qing would have no choice but to surrender.
Tang Liuli could now tell herself many bedtime stories, feeling utterly unstoppable, free to do as she pleased.
Haha, does Xie Qingxuan know about this leverage? Can Liang Xiaoxiao understand it? Can Little Sakura see through it?
Tang Liuli was overjoyed—but suddenly, a faint loneliness crept in.
It was the kind of loneliness that came from standing too high, from being too far ahead in a competition where no one else could keep up.
She had successfully widened the gap between herself and the others with her superior intelligence.
Oh, how distressing it was to be too smart.
The green-eyed cat, inflated with pride, pursed its lips in fake melancholy, constantly shaking its head as if sighing. But the corners of its lips curled upwards, and even her emerald eyes shimmered with joy, looking particularly playful and cute.
Chu Yuanqing turned to look at her and, without thinking, reached out to rub her head. It felt as if she were petting a super cheerful kitten—one that, when stroked the right way, purred obediently, making it impossible to stop petting.
– Little Liuli seems to be in a great mood today, doesn’t she?
Not wanting to be outdone, Chu Wang Shu quickly finished her salad and scooted closer to Chu Yuanqing, snuggling up like a pet vying for affection. She lifted her head, blinked her bright eyes, and asked:
“Qing Qing, Qing Qing, do I have something dirty on my head?”
Chu Yuanqing didn’t think much of it. She carefully combed through the girl’s hair with her fingers, searching intently. Each time she was about to say she found nothing, she was persuaded by Little Shu’s pleading “keep looking,” prolonging the breakfast time in such a cunning way.
Tang Liuli didn’t mind at all.
After all, Honey Qing showed the same indulgence toward Little Shu, and she enjoyed watching it, too.
Win-win is also a win. Winning too much!
And so, Tang Liuli, basking in her victory, wobbled out of the cafeteria—legs weak from an overwhelming sense of triumph.
Although she had never experienced it herself, every time she tasted the warmth of maternal love, it was more joyful than she could have ever imagined.
Tang Liuli’s legs went weak from eating breakfast.
When she finished eating and left, she could barely keep herself together. Walking to the back by the wall, she slid against it and fell twice.
However, still indulging in the joy of winning big, she stood up with a strong presence, looking proud and silly at the same time. But as soon as she met a stranger, her strong aura would shrink into a ball, losing all dignity and appearing very timid.
Chu Wang Shu followed behind, observing this childhood idol, feeling puzzled yet finding it amusing and curious.
Tang Liuli was very popular on the internet. She had transformed from a shy and scared girl into a bright and cheerful person, like a little sun with a warm and cute smile. Almost everyone in the country had watched her grow up.
If she hadn’t left the entertainment industry back then and continued until now, she would probably be the most popular artist among her peers in Daxia Country.
Why did she change into who she is now? Everyone was very curious about the story behind it.
Chu Wang Shu was no exception. She quickly let Tang Liuli enter her social circle. Maybe it was the deep influence of childhood idols, but she had no thoughts of rejecting her approach, which made their interaction inexplicably familiar.
Now, Tang Liuli’s silly and cute behavior gradually broke the filter of a childhood idol, making her feel more lively and real in Chu Wang Shu’s heart.
Because of this, their relationship naturally became closer, talking and going to the practice room for daily training.
Meanwhile, Liang Xiaoxiao and Xie Qingxuan also returned to the practice room, starting their training.
Like dance and many other skills, it’s like rowing against the current—you either advance or fall behind.
Especially the basic skills. Flexibility and stretching of the whole body still required regular practice. After the performance, they would face unknown challenges. Their training time and intensity couldn’t fall behind their competitors.
Chu Yuanqing was the same. It had only been about a week since she joined the show, but she still lacked in various aspects.
Without the efficient learning method from “Heart Flow,” which was unexpectedly useful for self-learning dance, even learning a minute of chaotic deer jumping was a huge challenge for her.
Of course, as someone who believed she was a sure winner in the first round of elimination, she wasn’t here to make rapid progress or increase her chances in the competition. She simply wanted to prevent mistakes during the performance and continue practicing the dance of the theme song.
Entering, swiping the card.
This practice room was very spacious. Its layout, overall style, and real-time projection screens were completely different from the practice rooms Little Sakura was familiar with.
It was evident that “Dazzling Stage” had provided each top-level practice room with different design elements while maintaining the same functions, making them impressive.
The ability to freely customize the set through the virtual system also made the practice room feel warm and homely—
Because there were truly furnished bedrooms and bathrooms here.
For example, Little Sakura’s seaside torii gate, Great Devil’s bamboo forest and pavilion on the lake, Miss’s stage and office, Tang Liuli’s European castle and gallery, Ji Shuzhu’s kaleidoscope maze.
Hmm, their custom scenes truly reflected their uniqueness.
As for Chu Yuanqing…
Since she wasn’t interested in custom scenes, her room looked quite ordinary for now.
After changing into her tight dance outfit, Chu Yuanqing enjoyed practicing alone in the studio with no one around. She didn’t bother covering up her figure with loose short sleeves, relishing the solitude as she did her warm-up exercises.
She found a yoga mat, knelt on it, and straightened her posture. Her breathing was deep, with a subtle tremble, and the slight swaying of her body was mesmerizing. She tried hard to keep her knees and heels aligned, her back curving gracefully, the overall view even more stunning from a distance.
Three minutes later, she changed moves.
This time she remained kneeling, but instead of hooking her feet, she pressed her toes with her knees, ensuring they were on the same level for maximum exercise effect.
Despite the intense tearing sensation throughout the process, her high tolerance for pain kept her expression unchanged. She silently calculated the most suitable exercise time.
Then, she went through two more sets of different moves.
Not only were her toes exercised, but the muscles on the tops of her feet were gradually stretched.
According to Kirimi Miyuki, successfully completing these stretches meant that when sitting with legs extended, one’s toes could touch the ground.
Chu Yuanqing had been practicing for a week and had made significant progress.
At first, these exercises often led to cramps, spasms, and even intense bone pain. Now, while she still felt the tearing and pain, it was much more manageable.
She persisted for a while longer, waiting until she was lightly sweating before getting up to rest and massage her muscles.
She estimated that in another two or three days, she would be able to stretch the muscles on the tops of her feet to Kirimi Miyuki’s standards.
It was only 8:00 AM after the stretch, with four hours left before the results were announced at the Carry Center.
Chu Yuanqing had no worries about the competition.
She believed that her first-place ranking in the voting round was due to the other 167 contestants in “Dazzling Stage” being isolated from external opinions.
With Xie Qingxuan and Kirimi Miyuki eliminated, it seemed like someone had maliciously manipulated the votes. She strongly suspected that some contestants had transferred the votes intended for those two to themselves, leading to her unexpected first-place ranking.
In other words, it was a completely unforeseen event full of coincidences and surprises!
But public voting was different. Chu Yuanqing believed she had the support of millions of fans, so such an unexpected event wouldn’t happen again. The Carry Center had nothing to do with her fate—
That was impossible. It was laughable!
With this mindset, she first went through the usual voice training. Then, during her music theory studies, she tried out the AI Mentor for the first time and found it incredibly beneficial.
Two hours later, she changed into a special training suit made of lightweight material worth a million dollars. Following the guidance of the AI lights, she placed each wireless electrode on the corresponding parts of her body to experience surreal training technology.
The background music of the theme song began.
Chu Yuanqing started dancing, and at the same time, a shadow formed beside her, replicating her moves.
Within three minutes, she felt that every time her moves were unbalanced or incorrect, the electrodes on her body would control her nerves and automatically correct them.
Just a few repetitions later, the clear progress in muscle memory gave her a deep sense of accomplishment.
This virtual reality dance accelerator was truly amazing. Practicing the song “Candy” once with it was more effective than practicing ten times in a normal dance studio.
So, she barely rested, dancing until the AI detected that her safe usage time was up. Then, she finally took off her expensive training suit, placed it in a special cleaning device, took a quick shower, changed, had a hasty lunch, and arrived at the multimedia classroom.
Chu Yuanqing arrived at 11:58, showing her diligent punctuality.
The classroom seating was arranged based on a new rating system.
She climbed to the top row and sat among the five Grade A players, each possessing remarkable skills. Feeling the many eyes on her, she tried to remain unaffected.
At exactly 12:00, Dream Weaver Rabbit appeared through virtual projection.
Its red eyes met the top six contestants, a smile appearing on its lips. Then, it snapped its fingers, projecting its hologram before everyone with a wicked grin.
Dream Weaver Rabbit happily greeted the audience and said,
“Hello, everyone! How did you sleep last night?”
“Even though 90% of you are probably losers who couldn’t sleep, causing trouble for the program group due to mistakes during the performance if you really couldn’t sleep.”
Dream Weaver Rabbit chuckled nastily and continued,
“So, I’ll share some good news with you all today.”
“First, in the two episodes of ‘Dazzling Stage’ in Sea City, where you are located, the hype is currently the highest. Due to the outstanding performance on the secondary rating stage, the data in Kyoto has been surpassed in almost every aspect.”
“In other words, the traffic flowing to all of you here will also increase. Currently, some of you have achieved amazing results with nearly ten million new followers in a week.”
As the voice fell silent, the whole room buzzed with excitement.
Even though the country is backing “Dazzling Stage,” the data still seems somewhat exaggerated.
Normally, the second episode of a talent show wouldn’t have aired yet, but just based on the first episode and live broadcast, it has already gained so many fans. Who can imagine how many more fans this person will gain in the future?
This person is entering the entertainment industry at a top level right from the start, almost like defying destiny, and soaring to great heights.
As for breaking through on stage, most people think it’s mainly because of Chu Yuanqing’s amazing performance, with Little Sakura’s contribution to the “Heart Flow” level stage being secondary.
Dream Weaver Rabbit continued, saying:
“Next, after the performance ends, the program group will allow you all to leave the underground base for half a day of free activities, limited to Zhelong Town. During this time, you can freely call your immediate family members.”
This news was like a bombshell, causing a chorus of excited whispers among the pretty girls.
Upon hearing this, Chu Wang Shu’s heart raced. She couldn’t help but grasp her skirt with a small hand, her eyes lowered, a mix of strong anticipation, nervousness, unknown fear, and missing her father, all blending together into a bittersweet feeling.
The girl hesitated and muttered to herself quietly:
“Dad, what will his reaction be?”
“Will I be able to talk openly and honestly with him this time? It would be great if Little Qing could come and support me.”
