Volume 4 Chapter 7

Volume 4 + Chapter 7: Parting Draws Near

In the morning, Wang Qian gave Qianxue a nudge and said, “Qianxue, if you don’t get up, you’ll be late.”

“Mmm~ it’s already this late,” Qianxue said, rubbing his eyes before starting to change his clothes.

Just as Qianxue had halfway taken off his pajamas, the sharp-eyed Wang Qian seemed to notice something. She suddenly circled around behind him, reached both hands toward Qianxue’s fair, snow-white belly, and gave it a pinch.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” Startled awake by Wang Qian’s *** behavior, Qianxue, who had still been groggy, immediately snapped to full alertness. However, with his clothes half-removed and his arms still trapped in his pajama sleeves, he couldn’t stop Wang Qian for the moment.

“Qianxue, you’ve put on some weight! I can actually pinch this much soft flesh on your belly!” Wang Qian exclaimed in surprise.

“N-no way…?” Qianxue guiltily averted his eyes. During this time, Bai Yuxuan had been extremely attentive to him. Every night, she waited near Wang Siman’s company for Qianxue, disguising herself differently each time to avoid being discovered.

Moreover, she never showed up empty-handed, always bringing all kinds of medicinal tonics and nourishing soups. Qianxue had initially refused, but those dishes were prepared by renowned chefs from Xijiang City’s finest restaurants at Bai Yuxuan’s request. The mere scent of them made his body betray him.

“Have you been secretly eating extra meals behind our backs? Come clean!” Wang Qian then turned her hands into claws and began tickling Qianxue’s waist.

“Haha… stop… ha… Don’t tickle me! I got hungry after training for so long, so I bought some late-night snacks. Fine, fine… next time I’ll bring you some!” Qianxue quickly surrendered.

“No need,” Wang Qian said, releasing him upon seeing his surrender.

“Do you think I’m like you? Your figure is so slender and graceful that even I, a sports major girl, feel inferior. If I had late-night snacks like you, I’d definitely lose my shape!”

After saying this, Wang Qian cast an envious glance at Qianxue’s physique. Though he had filled out a little compared to not long ago, it didn’t make him look fat. In fact, before, Qianxue had been so thin and frail that he gave off the impression of a delicate, sickly beauty. Now, with a bit more flesh, he actually looked even better than before.

It is said that practicing dance can make one’s body curves more beautiful and also enhance one’s temperament. Wang Qian had been skeptical at first, but seeing the perfect contours of Qianxue’s figure before her, she couldn’t help but believe it. 

(Ah, I should have stuck with dancing back then.) She regretted it inwardly.

Thus, the way Wang Qian looked at Qianxue grew even more resentful, until her gaze swept over his flat chest, finally granting her a sliver of balance.

But then, looking at her own not-so-large chest, Wang Qian suddenly felt a sense of crisis. She quickly grabbed Qianxue and asked, “Qianxue, have you noticed any chest development lately?”

“That’s impossible!” Qianxue roared.

Meanwhile, in the lobby of Wang Siman’s company, more than a dozen young girls sat nervously in two rows as Wang Siman’s secretary addressed them.

“President Wang will be here shortly. Perform well. If you can satisfy her, the company will send you to the capital to develop.”

Upon hearing that they might go to the capital, several girls jumped for joy, because compared to Xijiang, the capital offered far greater opportunities. Countless stars and divas had shot to fame on that grand stage.

“But!” Before the girls could celebrate for long, the secretary’s tone suddenly turned stern.

“Not everyone will get the chance to go to the capital. The cost of sending you there is extremely high, so President Wang will select only the most outstanding one among you.”

The secretary’s words sent a jolt through the hearts of the girls present. Even though they had understood the cruelty of the entertainment industry when they chose this path, hearing that only one could go to the capital still filled them with dread. And just then…

“What? Scared already?” Accompanied by a voice as clear as silver bells, a stunning woman dressed in fur and wool slowly walked in from the door.

The woman’s steps were steady, her bearing elegant and noble. With just a few ordinary strides, she exuded the aura of a runway model.

The girls were nearly mesmerized. (This is Wang Siman!) 

Those few steps alone made them realize the gap between her and themselves. Had they not seen it with their own eyes today, they would never have believed this was someone who had retired from the entertainment industry for nearly twenty years.

“Hello, President Wang!” At the secretary’s greeting, the other girls promptly followed suit.

“Mm, enough small talk. Show me what you’ve got. Singing, dancing, whatever you like,” Wang Siman said with a cold snort, taking an evaluation form and sitting down in front of them.

Facing Wang Siman, the girls mustered every ounce of their energy, desperately displaying all they had learned before her.

Yet the very first performer was stopped by Wang Siman in less than thirty seconds. Without even a word of criticism, Wang Siman waved her hand dismissively. None of those who followed satisfied her either.

“A bunch of useless trash!” After the last trainee was driven off the stage, Wang Siman angrily flung her list to the floor.

“How did you select them? The singers have erratic rhythm and off-key pitches, the dancers have stiff movements and loose footwork. You actually plan to send this motley crew of mediocre fish and shabby shrimp to the capital? Do you know how deep the waters run there? Sending them would be an utter embarrassment to me!”

“Please calm down, President Wang. If you’re unsatisfied, I can retrain them from scratch,” the secretary quickly said, picking up the list.

“Sigh, what’s the use of retraining people who lack talent?” Wang Siman let out a deep sigh. Then her eyes flickered as something came to mind.

(Right. Even though these girls won’t do it, I do have another excellent candidate!)

As evening arrived, Qianxue had just stepped out of the club classroom, heading to Wang Siman’s company for training, when he saw Wang Qian in the hallway.

“Wang Qian? What are you doing here?”

“I came to tell you something…” Wang Qian’s expression was gloomy, tinged with sorrow.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Seeing Wang Qian’s face, Ouyang Qianxue asked with concern.

“My aunt asked me to tell you that starting today, you don’t need to go to the company anymore.”

“What? Did she give up on me because I never signed that contract?” Hearing Wang Qian’s words, Qianxue immediately panicked.

“I wish she had given up on you, but it’s the opposite. She said that Xijiang’s conditions are no longer meaningful for your further training. Next, she’s sending you to the capital.”

“What about the three-year campus idol program…?”

“She’s already arranged that for you as well. You’ll transfer to a school in the capital to continue the three-year idol program while training. The paperwork will be ready tomorrow, and the plane tickets are booked, the day after tomorrow, you’ll leave Xijiang.” As she spoke, Wang Qian’s eyes were filled with reluctance.

“I see,” Qianxue said softly.

“Thank you for taking care of me all this time. Even though we got to know each other because you had to cover for me at school, I’m really glad to have a friend like you.” With that, Qianxue turned and walked away.

As Wang Qian watched Qianxue’s retreating figure, the tears she had held back for so long finally fell.

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