It was still early for lunch, so Xu Yueliang skipped resting and headed to the rehearsal room to practice her dance moves.
The rehearsal room featured large, bright mirrors and was crowded with dancers from the evening gala.
When Xu Yueliang and Lin Qimian walked in, they drew plenty of stares. Xu Yueliang met people’s eyes with a smile. If they looked away, she’d awkwardly tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and act like nothing happened.
Not wanting to disturb anyone, Xu Yueliang skipped the music and found a quiet corner. Facing the mirror, she counted softly to herself—one, two, three, four.
Lin Qimian leaned against the barre nearby, watching her quietly.
Or glancing at the others around them.
Xu Yueliang’s dramatic turnaround yesterday—from rock bottom to overnight stardom—meant hardly anyone in the gala’s dance troupe was unaware of her story.
The initial outright scorn had given way to shock and curiosity. Now, it was mostly appraising looks, close scrutiny, and heads bent together in whispers too low to catch.
After years as a streamer, Xu Yueliang had learned to tune it all out. Lin Qimian, though, couldn’t ignore it so easily.
She cared about Xu Yueliang—and about what others thought of her. The closer she grew to Xu Yueliang, the more fiercely she wanted to shield her from anything unpleasant, keeping it at least ten miles away.
She wouldn’t let her feel even the slightest bit down.
The break room with tea and water was right next to the rehearsal space. A cluster of dancers headed over, chattering away as they filled their cups and gossiped.
Lin Qimian had eavesdropped openly like this before. She lingered by the break room door without going in, fiddling with her phone in the hallway.
It didn’t take long for their conversation to circle back to Xu Yueliang, just as expected.
But the angle they took caught Lin Qimian off guard.
They were dissecting her relationship with Xu Yueliang.
“Her manager, right? That vibe screams top-tier agent from a big agency…”
“She’s an Orange streamer, and Orange isn’t exactly a legit star factory. What kind of ace manager do they have?”
“Besides, does your manager trail you everywhere? Rehearsals, shows, lugging bags, fetching water…”
“Now that you mention it, not a manager. More like… an assistant? The super devoted kind who’s been around forever?”
A chorus of drawn-out “Pfft~~~~~~”s.
The guesser backpedaled fast: “Yeah, doesn’t add up… An assistant with her looks? Cough cough, she could be doing anything…”
“I think she’s prettier than the streamer. Her face is more my type.”
“I like the streamer better—sweet, innocent little white flower type, and she dances great.”
“That’s not what you said yesterday.”
“Yesterday I figured some sugar daddy snuck her onstage. But she proved herself, right? You see Director Zhou’s face last night? Like he struck gold…”
“When’s my turn to be gold? Sigh…”
“Hang on, what’d you say?”
“Gold?”
“No, before that.”
A beat of silence, then voices chimed in unison: “Sugar daddy…”
“Whoa, a sugar mommy?”
“With those looks, hard to say who’s bankrolling who.”
“Streamer’s raking it in, though. Little Moon’s Orange’s top earner. Using dudes’ tips to keep a beauty? Spicy.”
“But she looks loaded. That classy, icy aura, flashing the director team’s badge—total rich insider.”
“Money, looks, connections, and she’s playing fetch for a streamer? Sign me up! Gimme her digits, big sis—I’m done grinding waaah…”
Laughter exploded.
Someone chimed in: “Not necessarily rich. Just killer style. Her clothes and bag? Super basic.”
Lin Qimian glanced down at her own outfit.
Yeah, pretty basic.
“So what’s the deal with them? All that guessing, and zilch.”
“Wanna know? Go ask.”
“And snag that sugar mommy’s number too.”
“You guys are killing me with envy. Streamer’s living the dream.”
“Sigh, same. I’m one big sour grape now…”
That was enough for Lin Qimian.
Sure, the gossip included some nasty speculation, but her mood lifted anyway.
Her special attentiveness to Xu Yueliang was plain as day to outsiders. Xu Yueliang herself had to sense it on some level.
Let them envy her.
Xu Yueliang deserved all the envy in the world.
A faint smile tugged at Lin Qimian’s lips as she headed back to the rehearsal room.
Xu Yueliang was still dancing with focused enthusiasm, but in the few minutes she’d been going at it, a couple of girls had edged closer to her, clearly angling to strike up a conversation.
That was a good thing. If she could make some friends, it would brighten Xu Yueliang’s day from start to finish.
Lin Qimian didn’t join them. Instead, she chose a spot a little farther off and sat down.
Sure enough, the girls started chatting with Xu Yueliang. A shaft of sunlight streamed in from outside, bathing her face, and the exchange with her new friends left her cheeks glowing pink.
Lin Qimian felt another flicker of irritation, as if that nervous, bashful, utterly adorable Xu Yueliang was being chipped away at by someone else.
But she stayed put. She averted her gaze, deliberately shoving the feeling down.
Xu Yueliang wasn’t some possession. She didn’t belong to Lin Qimian. She couldn’t let possessive impulses pull her into a bottomless pit when they were still just ordinary friends.
Before long, more girls piled into the conversation with Xu Yueliang and her new acquaintance, forming a tight little cluster.
Xu Yueliang remained a touch reserved, but her joy was plain as day—lips curved in a smile, eyes crinkling into sweet little crescents every so often.
The actors who’d been gossiping in the break room wandered back in and spotted the scene, their interest piqued.
One of them glanced at Lin Qimian. She kept her eyes down, focused on her phone.
When she looked up again, the rehearsal room was buzzing with unusual energy.
A girl gave a guy a shove, and he stumbled right toward Xu Yueliang.
Lin Qimian’s brows knit together.
Xu Yueliang dodged out of the way. The guy turned to her with a dazzling grin.
Lin Qimian rose and headed over, catching the tail end of his exuberant pitch: “After the show’s over, let’s hit the bars! Tomorrow, I’ll take you all racing on Xinyang Road!”
Cheers erupted all around, with plenty of applause and whoops.
“Rare treat—Young Master Zhou’s picking up the tab! Nobody sit this one out!”
“Is that the car your dad promised you last time? About time we got a look.”
“We’ve got Little Moon to thank for this. It’s all because of the new girl that Young Master Zhou’s showing off his shiny new ride.”
“Guess it really took some doing to drag Young Master Zhou back to the job. Now he’s a proud cog in the machine… and the owner of a brand-new luxury whip.”
They laid it on thick.
Milking every scrap of intel.
The guy basked in the adulation from the crowd, his eyes locked brightly on Xu Yueliang. She ducked her head, inching toward the fringe of the group.
“Moon.” Lin Qimian stepped up beside them and called out softly.
The racket cut off like a switch had flipped. Nearly everyone whipped around to stare at her.
Lin Qimian ignored the lot of them. She just lifted a hand toward Xu Yueliang. “Lunchtime.”
“Hey!” Xu Yueliang chirped brightly. She wriggled through the throng to Lin Qimian’s side. “Food time~”
Someone piped up: “Heading out already? Come on, join us—we’re going…”
Lin Qimian slipped her hand into Xu Yueliang’s. “Sorry, we’ve got plans.”
She wasn’t about to bother with excuses for this bunch.
Xu Yueliang gave a little wave and a “See you,” then turned obediently with Lin Qimian, pressing close to her arm as they headed out.
The rehearsal room went dead silent behind them. In that hush, Lin Qimian slung her bag over her shoulder and led Xu Yueliang out the door.
A few steps later, Xu Yueliang’s arm shifted from brushing hers to a loose half-hug, her body nestling even closer.
Lin Qimian glanced down. “Scared you?”
“A little~~” Xu Yueliang mumbled. “I thought that big sis just wanted to be friends, but then…”
Lin Qimian let out a soft laugh. “You saw right through it.”
Xu Yueliang tilted her head up to peer at her. “I’m a sexy streamer, remember? I know what guys are after. Online or off, they’re all the same—they just slap on a disguise in person…”
Lin Qimian savored the warm, soft press of Xu Yueliang’s body against hers, a pang of guilt stirring inside.
Once Xu Yueliang finished her little rant, Lin Qimian paused, then asked, “What about a big sis, then?”
“Big sis is perfect!” Xu Yueliang shot back instantly. “We can geek out over skincare and makeup, dance and workouts, play around without a care. We get what girls like and hate, so it’s all easy and comfy—no mind games!”
Lin Qimian: “…”
She switched gears. “What do you want to eat?”
Xu Yueliang always lit up at mealtimes with Lin Qimian.
Even with a show that evening, she never bothered skimping—rock-solid faith in her iron stomach.
Xu Yueliang dug in with gleeful abandon while Lin Qimian sat there, lost in thought for a good long while.
After finishing their meal and resting for a bit, it was time to gather.
At this hour, the performers and crew were all entering through the side passage of the Broadcast Building. Lin Qimian and Xu Yueliang arrived at the Side Door right in the thick of the bustle.
Across from the Side Door was an open-air parking area.
Parked in the most central and ostentatious spot was a fluorescent green supercar.
Almost everyone who passed by stopped to admire it and let out gasps of awe.
The bolder ones stepped right up for a closer look, phones out, snapping several photos while the owner wasn’t around.
Lin Qimian halted her steps, staring at the car. Xu Yueliang stared too.
“Do you think it’s nice-looking?” Lin Qimian asked.
“It’s just so-so~~~ I don’t know cars, so I can’t really tell…” Xu Yueliang waved a hand, speaking with casual nonchalance. Her swinging arm nearly clipped someone coming up behind them, and she hurriedly apologized. “Sorry, sorry…”
“No worries.” The passerby paid it no mind, eyes glued to the supercar. “This car’s way too gorgeous. Oh my god, I’ve only ever seen one in movies…”
Xu Yueliang: “…”
The passerby dashed off to check out the car. Xu Yueliang pouted. “It is pretty good-looking, I suppose.”
Lin Qimian: “Do you like it?”
Xu Yueliang hooked her arm through Lin Qimian’s and tugged her toward the other side of the street. “Eh, like or not, it’s got nothing to do with me.”
Lin Qimian smiled without a word, letting herself be pulled across the road and into the Broadcast Building.
The pre-performance procedures were running on a tight schedule. By now, the backstage staff were the busiest. The performers arrived on time, got styled, and then waited.
Xu Yueliang’s look was unchanged from that morning. They probably still hadn’t managed to nail the effect Director Zhou wanted, so the makeup artist looked utterly deflated while touching up Xu Yueliang’s face.
A bunch of dancers were in the assigned lounge, clustered in little groups.
Xu Yueliang and Lin Qimian claimed a single-person sofa. Xu Yueliang sat properly on it, while Lin Qimian leaned against the armrest in a half-standing slouch.
Xu Yueliang fiddled with her phone. Lin Qimian’s gaze drifted downward, catching sight of what was on the screen.
Xu Yueliang didn’t hide it from her, tilting the phone to show the Work Group. Lin Qimian realized this WeChat account wasn’t Little Moon’s main one, nor the Jiaojiao account she’d friended.
Just how many accounts did Xu Yueliang have?
Lin Qimian narrowed her eyes. A message scrolled by in the Work Group—a photo of that fluorescent green supercar parked out front. Even in picture form, it was impossible to miss.
Xu Yueliang quickly angled the phone away, talking around the subject. “The station’s procedures are such a pain…”
Lin Qimian cut straight to it. “Why dodge? Let’s see what they’re saying in the group.”
Xu Yueliang’s expression soured. She murmured, “What else is there to say…”
Still, she turned the screen back so Lin Qimian could see clearly. The group was abuzz about how badass the car was, how rare, how expensive. Someone even @’d an account, begging for a joyride after the show.
Once Lin Qimian had seen enough, Xu Yueliang powered off the phone and chucked it into her bag. “Boring…”
Lin Qimian: “Mm.”
One of the dancers they’d seen at lunch entered the lounge. Spotting Xu Yueliang, she waved and came over. “Moon, dinner after the show? The more the merrier!”
Xu Yueliang—who knew what got into her—flat-out refused, but not before asking, “How many people? Is your Young Master Zhou going?”
“Yeah,” the girl said. “He’s footing the bill today.”
Xu Yueliang: “Then I’m out. Have a blast.”
The girl froze.
Xu Yueliang turned to Lin Qimian. “Tonight, how about those stir-fried shrimp tails? They sound super spicy and satisfying~~”
Lin Qimian burst out laughing. “Let’s do it.”
The girl slunk away awkwardly. Xu Yueliang yanked Lin Qimian down, forcing her to squeeze onto the sofa with her. Then, hand over her face, she leaned in to whisper, “That Young Master Zhou is Director Zhou’s nephew. Thinks he’s all that just ’cause he’s got connections and cash.”
Lin Qimian: “He’s pretty popular around here.”
Xu Yueliang: “Tch—”
It was the first time Lin Qimian had seen Xu Yueliang show such outright hostility and scorn toward anyone.
All Young Master Zhou had done was invite her out with the group—hardly worth mentioning compared to the nasty stuff she’d dealt with in her live streams. It was small potatoes.
Yet Xu Yueliang’s reaction was fierce. She kept venting her displeasure, insisting over and over that she wouldn’t lower herself to mix with his type.
Lin Qimian watched her, gazed into those bright eyes, and asked, “Don’t you want to make connections? Have someone watching your back?”
Xu Yueliang’s reply was firm and unyielding: “No!”
Lin Qimian’s brows twitched slightly, and for the moment, the topic drew to a close.
After a long and hurried wait, the gala finally began.
The audience filed into their seats, filling the Broadcast Hall with lively chatter. The host took the stage, and Xu Yueliang dashed off to join her group. Backstage, she prepared herself, then grasped Lin Qimian’s hand. Just before heading onstage, she turned to Lin Qimian and said, “Doctor Lin, I’ve made up my mind to make this change. No matter how tough this road gets, I can endure it. I can stick with it. And I’ll do it with my head held high, clean and honest.”
“Good,” Lin Qimian replied. She gazed at the girl before her, pure as crystal, and felt her own soul stained and filthy by comparison.
Xu Yueliang took the stage while Lin Qimian lingered in a shadowed corner backstage, catching only distant glimpses of her through a narrow gap.
Xu Yueliang’s performance was a triumph. She seemed born for the spotlight, thriving under the lights amid waves of thunderous applause.
Lin Qimian applauded right along with the crowd until Xu Yueliang finally stepped down.
Xu Yueliang headed for the performers’ exit channel, and Lin Qimian hurried to their prearranged meeting spot. When they met, she swept the victorious dancer into a big, enveloping hug.
In that moment, amid the bustle and their shared story, the embrace felt utterly inevitable—practiced and snug, fervent and intimate, as if each wanted to fold the other into her very body.
Xu Yueliang burst into delighted giggles, blissfully happy. Once they parted, she grabbed Lin Qimian’s hand and hurried toward the exit. “Time to remove the makeup and change clothes. The teacher leading our group said we don’t have to stick around till the end. Once our part’s done, we can go~~”
Lin Qimian: “Let’s go.”
Xu Yueliang: “I’ve got something suuuuper fun to tell you. That car parked out front? It’s not Young Master Zhou’s, hahahaha! He was bragging to everyone this morning about his ‘new ride,’ and the rumors flew until the whole group thought it was his. Wow, talk about awkward. They hyped him up all afternoon in the chat, and boom—it’s not even his, hahahaha! Why didn’t he clear it up sooner? Turns out Director Zhou was worried about the bad optics and had people spread the story himself. Really, what was the point…”
Lin Qimian: “…Yeah, what was the point.”
Xu Yueliang: “Just knowing it’s not his makes the car look a million times better. It’s so gorgeous, seriously! I’ve never seen anything like it. Wonder what the inside’s like. Do sports cars like that really fly? I heard it’s some limited-edition model, insanely expensive—you can’t even buy one with money alone. No way I’ll ever get to try it out. When we head out later, I’ll sneak another peek, hehe. Hope it’s still there…”
Lin Qimian: “…It is.”
Xu Yueliang tilted her head. “Huh? Mianmian, did you go check it out again? But you’ve been stuck with me the whole time. You didn’t ditch me during my performance to ogle the car, did you? Wuwuwu, I’m heartbroken…”
Lin Qimian shut her eyes for a beat, a mix of helplessness and melancholy washing over her. “How could I?”
Xu Yueliang: “Oh…”
Lin Qimian walked on in silence for a few steps, avoiding Xu Yueliang’s gaze, her eyes fixed on the floor ahead. “If you want to experience it… we can take it for a spin after this.”
Xu Yueliang: “？？？？”
Lin Qimian fished a set of car keys from her bag. The golden emblem caught the light, gleaming brightly.
Xu Yueliang: “！！！！”
Xu Yueliang froze solid. She stopped dead in her tracks and dropped Lin Qimian’s hand, tilting her head back to stare at her in stunned silence.
Lin Qimian met her eyes, panic fluttering in her chest for the first time.
It was the jittery panic of someone without a safety net, who’d just done something regrettably foolish—wishing she could rewind time and scrap the whole ill-advised stunt.
Sure enough, confusion crept into Xu Yueliang’s gaze, followed by doubt, bewilderment, and then worry, even alarm.
Lin Qimian clenched her fingers and looked away, forcing herself to seem casual and composed. “This morning, when I overheard them talking… I figured I’d get a nicer car to shut them up. Show them you’ve got someone even more impressive in your corner…”
“But,” Lin Qimian paused, her voice steady and resolute, “don’t worry. The car isn’t mine—I rented it. I’m not trying to say I’ve got your back. I can’t. You still have to grind it out yourself and become a big star…”
Xu Yueliang: “Rented?”
Lin Qimian nodded emphatically. “Yes.”
Xu Yueliang’s expression eased for a split second before tightening again. “How much does it cost to rent a car like that for a day? Oh my god, I can’t let you cover this. Just like the makeup fee—I’m paying you back.”
“It’s not expensive,” Lin Qimian said, pulling out her trusty excuse. “I know a guy. Five hundred bucks.”
