Chapter 8

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Volume 2 + Chapter 8: The Unlucky Idol

“Classmate Ouyang is truly amazing!” At this moment, classmates from Class Six gathered around and exclaimed.  

“I just got lucky with the win, that’s all.”  

“Don’t be so modest! You completely shut out your opponent in two straight matches—how can that be considered luck? But now that you’ve achieved such a victory, we absolutely must celebrate!”  

“Exactly! I heard a new KTV just opened across from the school. How about we go there and sing our hearts out?” another classmate suggested.  

“Great idea! I haven’t had enough of Ouyang’s singing yet. Let’s go to the KTV and enjoy more of her performances!”  

“Perfect! It’s still early, and midterms are finally over. This is the perfect chance to relax!”  

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”  

“Wait…” Faced with the enthusiastic invitations from her classmates, Ouyang Qianxue hesitated.  

“I… I think I’ll pass.”  

“What are you saying, Ouyang? You’re the star of this gathering! Without you, the atmosphere just won’t be the same.”  

“Yeah, if Ouyang isn’t coming, what’s even the point?”  

“But…” Ouyang Qianxue anxiously glanced toward the gymnasium entrance, only to find it empty.  

“I guess it makes sense. Someone as outstanding as Ouyang wouldn’t want to hang out with ordinary people like us,” one classmate sighed.  

“Is that really the case?” Another student immediately put on a pitiful expression, knowing full well that someone as kind as Ouyang Qianxue wouldn’t refuse.  

But then—  

“Enough, all of you!” Wang Qian suddenly shouted at them.  

“Can’t you see how exhausted Qianxue is?”  

“Do you even realize how much she’s been through? Not only did she have to study hard for midterms, but she’s also been helping out with multiple clubs. Right after exams, she had to face Ning Caiwei’s challenge! As her roommate, I know better than anyone—she hasn’t had a proper rest in ages. Now, just for your own amusement, you want to take away what little time she has left to recover?”  

Under Wang Qian’s scolding, the classmates fell silent.  

“…Sorry. We were only thinking about ourselves. Competing against an idol must have been exhausting for you, Ouyang. We’ll go without you this time—you should go back and rest.”  

After a long pause, one classmate finally spoke up with an apologetic expression.  

“I’m really sorry, everyone. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but next time, I’ll definitely join you.” With that, Ouyang Qianxue turned to leave.  

“Wang Qian, thank you,” she said before walking away.  

“Ugh, I can’t stand your doormat personality,” Wang Qian sighed. “She was clearly after your ‘School Belle’ title from the start.”  

—  

Meanwhile, in a narrow alley near Sakura High, Ning Caiwei walked alone, her steps unsteady.  

(This has to be a nightmare!) 

Even now, she refused to accept reality. Then, she stumbled and fell to the ground. Seeing the blood on her knees and feeling the sharp pain, she finally understood—this was no dream.  

“I’m already an idol… yet I was completely shut out by my opponent! Was she just that strong? No… Ouyang Qianxue denied being Wang Shiman’s disciple. She’s just an ordinary student.”  

“Am I the weak one?” For the first time in her life, Ning Caiwei began to doubt herself.  

“Sure, I won a TV talent show, but that was just a competition. Becoming an idol afterward… a lot of it was thanks to packaging. Maybe anyone could’ve become an idol if they were marketed the same way. Does that mean… I was never special to begin with?”  

“How pathetic. Just yesterday, I was so proud of my talent that I challenged Sakura’s School Belle. But someone like Ouyang Qianxue is the real deal. And here I am, a worthless fraud who dared to challenge someone like her… How naive.”  

She sighed heavily.  

“I heard there’s a quiet, cozy café around here. Maybe I’ll go there to calm my mind.”  

Wincing in pain, she stood up and walked deeper into the alley.  

Since it was her first time near Sakura High, and the alleys were a maze, she quickly got lost. Spotting three men chatting nearby, she approached to ask for directions. In her depressed state, she didn’t pay much attention to their thuggish appearances.  

“Excuse me, where is XX Café?”  

“Huh?” The man in the middle froze for a second upon seeing Ning Caiwei’s face, then grinned and pointed her in a direction.  

Once she was out of earshot, the other two immediately turned to him.  

“Hey, boss… wasn’t that the popular idol Ning Caiwei?”  

“That’s her, alright.”  

“If you recognized her, why didn’t you tell us? We could’ve taken advantage of her! With her reputation, she wouldn’t dare report it.”  

“You idiots, always thinking small. A little groping is all you want? Don’t you wanna really taste what a celebrity feels like?”  

“But boss, she’s already gone.”  

“Relax. I sent her into a dead end. We just have to follow quietly.”  

“Boss, you’re a genius!”  

—  

Meanwhile, Ning Caiwei walked further down the alley, only to find herself facing a solid wall.  

“Strange… this was the way he pointed. Oh no—!”  

Only then did she remember the men’s gangster-like appearances. And worse—she wasn’t wearing any disguise!  

She turned to leave, but it was too late.  

“Hey, superstar, where are you headed?” The three men blocked her path.  

“What do you want?”  

“We’re big fans of yours. Let’s… get to know each other better. Physically.” They stepped closer.  

“Stay back! I’ll scream!”  

“Go ahead. Almost no one lives around here, and pedestrians rarely pass through.”  

“Do you really think you’ll get away with this? I’ll call the police!”  

“Then call them. Tomorrow’s headlines will read: ‘Popular Idol Assaulted by Thugs.’ We’ll get a few years in jail at most—and hey, we’ll have bragging rights for life. But you? With a scandal like this, your idol career is over.”  

The leader shoved her to the ground.  

(Why… Why does this keep happening to me? First, I lost to Ouyang Qianxue, and now these thugs…)  

Tears streamed down her face as she lay helpless.  

“Haha, giving up already? Then let uncle give you a kiss.”  

The man’s foul breath drew closer. As his disgusting face loomed over her, Ning Caiwei squeezed her eyes shut in terror—  

“You bastards, what the hell are you doing?!”

A foot slammed into the face of the man pinning Ning Caiwei down, sending him flying in a perfect arc.