Chapter 3
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Volume 2 + Chapter 3: Accepting The Challenge
“Phew, finally done with everything.” At that moment, Ouyang Qianxue was walking back to her classroom from the music room. Ever since she won first place in the city-level piano competition, the advisor of the music club had frequently asked her to give piano performance guidance to the club members. Though it was said to be for guidance, in truth, the advisor just wanted to hear her play again.
“Hopefully nothing troublesome happens today…” But just as she arrived at the classroom door, her classmates immediately surrounded her.
“Huh? What’s going on?” Ouyang Qianxue quickly asked her classmates.
“Do you know? Just now, the current idol Ning Caiwei asked us to pass on a message to you—she wants you to stake your school belle title and have a showdown with her.”
“Current idol Ning Caiwei?”
“You don’t know? She’s the popular idol who recently made a splash on that idol competition show! She just transferred to our Sakura Academy today, in Class 4.”
“So that popular idol wants to challenge me…”
“Of course! She’s after your school belle title. You don’t know how prestigious the Sakura Academy’s school belle title is. In previous years, the school belle would receive offers from major film academies before even graduating!”
“So that’s why she wants to compete with me for it…”
“But don’t worry, Ouyang, compared to that kind of traffic idol, we definitely support you more!”
“That’s right!” The classmates chimed in one after another.
“Qianxue!” At that moment, a figure squeezed through the crowd.
“Wang Qian? What are you doing in our class?” Ouyang Qianxue looked at her in surprise.
“I have something important to tell you—come with me.” Wang Qian said as she dragged Ouyang Qianxue to the rooftop.
“What is it that’s so urgent?”
“She’s already come knocking on your door, and you still ask me why I’m anxious? Do you even know how formidable Ning Caiwei is as an idol?”
“I don’t. I don’t usually pay attention to that stuff…”
“If you don’t know, then watch.” Wang Qian took out her phone and played a video for Ouyang Qianxue.
“This is a live video from two years ago, during the final round of the talent show she participated in.”
On the screen, the girl looked slightly immature, but her pure and sweet appearance left a deep impression. Not only that, her dancing and singing were impeccable. After the performance, all the judges gave high scores.
“She’s amazing. Great sense of music, perfect rhythm in both dance and singing, and… she’s really cute too.”
“Go die!” Wang Qian stomped hard on Ouyang Qianxue’s foot.
“What are you doing!” Ouyang Qianxue rubbed the top of her foot, eyes tearing up.
“She’s your opponent now, and you’re being captivated by her looks? And you’ve never complimented me this seriously, even after all this time we’ve spent together!”
“S-sorry…”
“Forget it. As long as you know that this opponent isn’t someone you can easily deal with.”
“Can I just not accept the challenge? It all sounds like such a hassle.”
“No way. If you refuse, others might think you’re afraid to compete with a current idol, and it might damage your popularity—maybe even threaten your school belle title.”
“Then what should I do?”
“My aunt told me, if you’re not motivated, I should say this: Have you forgotten that you still have a seriously ill mother and a younger sister in middle school? If you lose the school belle title, it means you’ve failed your mission. Think carefully about the consequences!”
As soon as Wang Qian said this, the laid-back look on Ouyang Qianxue’s face turned serious.
“She also said your talent is unparalleled, and you’ve received professional training since you were young. In terms of skills, there’s no way you’d lose to a traffic idol who rose to fame through a talent show. She wants you to be confident and not let her down.”
“Tell your aunt I definitely won’t disappoint her!”
With that, Ouyang Qianxue turned and left, the confusion in her eyes completely gone.
Watching her back, Wang Qian sighed with emotion.
“Ah, you really are just like Aunt said… only when you’re fighting for your mother, your sister, or others, do you become truly serious.”
At that moment, Ouyang Qianxue arrived at the door of Class 4.
“Isn’t that our school belle, Qianxue-sama?” Her visit immediately drew attention from the Class 4 students.
“It really is! Why would the school belle come to our class?”
“Ah, Qianxue-sama is as beautiful as ever!” The students of Class 4 cheered upon seeing her.
“Excuse me, is Ning Caiwei here?”
“Ning Caiwei, the school belle is looking for you!” a student at the door called into the classroom.
At the time, Ning Caiwei was still chatting with classmates. Upon hearing that Ouyang Qianxue had come, she immediately looked toward the classroom door. But the moment she saw her in person, she froze.
The girl standing at the door had a slender figure and golden hair cascading down to her waist. Her skin was flawless and pale like a milkshake mixed with strawberry syrup.
But the most captivating thing was her face—flawless features, long eyelashes, almond-shaped eyes, a tall nose, and lips pink as peach blossoms—she looked like a fairy straight out of a fairytale.
(Such an unbearable thought… I couldn’t even think of a word to describe her beauty right away! This is the school belle of Sakura Academy?)
Then, Ning Caiwei noticed something even more shocking—Ouyang Qianxue didn’t appear to be wearing any makeup at all.
As an idol, Ning Caiwei often wore makeup, so she could easily tell when someone had it on or not.
(She’s this beautiful without any makeup?!)
At that moment, Ning Caiwei’s confidence began to waver.
(Can I really outshine this girl and take the school belle title from her? No! I’m a popular idol, Ning Caiwei! How can I be stunned by someone else’s beauty!)
Forcing herself to stay calm, she mentally cheered herself on.
(She’s just a slightly prettier normal student. I have no reason to fear her!)
She stood up and walked over to Ouyang Qianxue.
“I’m Ning Caiwei—the one who challenged you to stake your school belle title against me.”
“But the school belle is chosen by the School Belle Committee. Even if I agree to give it up if I lose, they may not accept it, you know?”
“Is that so? Doesn’t matter. As long as I can defeat you, the committee will naturally realize who deserves the title more.”
