First Challenge(3)

Being the last team to perform had its pros and cons. The biggest con was that by now, the judges' focus was waning, and the audience was clearly fatigued. The air in the auditorium was heavy with the exhaustion of the day.

But there was a silver lining. Having watched every other team perform, they knew they weren't the worst. This knowledge fueled their confidence, pushing them to give it their all.

As the performance began, Ying Yue noticed the judges shifting in their seats, trying to muster their remaining energy to focus. The audience clapped, but it lacked the enthusiasm seen earlier. Despite this, the team executed their routine flawlessly—until Xia Wen's heel broke.

It happened in an instant. Xia Wen hesitated for just a fraction of a second, but she recovered quickly, kicking off both heels and continuing to dance barefoot as if nothing had happened. The recovery was smooth, almost unnoticeable to the untrained eye, but the shift in energy was undeniable. The performance lost its edge, the momentum faltering ever so slightly.

"And the winner for this round is Sun Qiang's team," Hou Ling announced with a wide smile, his voice filled with enthusiasm that felt slightly out of place considering the circumstances. He wrapped up with a congratulatory speech for the winners and a more subdued 'better luck next time' for the losers.

Instead of going to their respective dorms, Ying Yue and her teammates went to their assigned practice room. Xia Wen kept wriggling her fingers the whole way back to the dorm. Ying Yue felt the tension from Xia Wen. When she offered some water to Xia Wen backstage right after the performance, Xia Wen avoided her gaze with 'It's fine.' that made Ying Yue suspicious. However unable to look into her eyes, Ying Yue couldn't read her thoughts.

With a heavy heart, they all came to the practice room where they practiced nonstop, only for them to lose. For a few moments, everyone was silent. The fluorescent lights buzzed faintly, casting a harsh glare over the polished wooden floor, as if reflecting the unspoken tension present in the room." The silence was suffocating, pressing down on them like a weight. Finally, Xia Wen broke down, tears spilling silently down her cheeks. She wasn't sobbing, but the quiet, shaky breaths she took spoke volumes about how deeply she was hurting.

"Guys, I'm really sorry. Because of me, we lost this round.

"It's not your fault. Anyone's heel can break. Our luck was bad this time." Ying Yue said with a hand on Xia Wen's shoulder trying to console her, despite the chill in the air.

"A -2. It will affect us greatly," said Lai Yan in a whisper looking at the floor.

"What's done is done. We can't change it." Ruolan said with a slight smile, trying to ease the tense atmosphere.

"She should've been more careful. Ying Yue, didn't you check every costume? How did this happen?" Lai Yan asked, her voice as quiet as ever.

The accusation in her voice was impossible to miss, each word laced with a quiet but undeniable bitterness. It stung, but Ying Yue held her ground.

"I don't know," Ying Yue replied, her tone firm as she met Lai Yan's eyes. "When I checked, everything was fine. I would've noticed if something was wrong." She spoke with the confidence of someone who knew her job inside out, someone who had checked every single costume not once, but three times.

"Actually, I... I exchanged my heels," Xia Wen admitted, her voice trembling with guilt.

The other three, who had been staring at the floor, snapped their heads up in unison, eyes wide with shock.

"With whom?" Ying Yue asked, her voice steady but laced with urgency. The costumes provided were top-notch; they shouldn't have failed so easily.

"Tan Rong," Xia Wen whispered, her voice barely audible.

Ying Yue's mind raced. She must have tampered with them, she thought, but she bit back the words. The atmosphere was already taut with tension, and adding fuel to the fire wouldn't help.

Lai Yan's eyes blazed with fury as she spun toward Xia Wen, her voice rising in anger. "Why would you do that?"

Xia Wen shrank back, her fear and guilt evident. "A few minutes before her performance, Tan Rong came to me, saying her heel broke. Her performance was before ours, so she begged to wear my heels. She gave them back just before we went on stage. I never imagined she'd do something to them."

Looking in her eyes, Ying Yue knew how truly guilty Xiawen felt. But no matter how genuinely sorry Xia Wen was, it couldn't change the cold, hard truth—they had lost because of her mistake.

Lai Yan looked at Xia Wen in disbelief. "And you didn't even consider informing us about it. How could you?"

"It was a last-minute thing and she literally begged me. I couldn't say no." Xia Wen said, trying to justify her fault, more to herself rather than the others.

"Begged you? And you didn't think to tell us? Do you even care about winning?" Lai Yan said moving closer to Xiawen.

 "Guys, let's not—" Ying Yue tried to calm things down.

No, Ying Yue. Clearly, winning doesn't matter to her. But it's everything to me."

Lai Yan immediately regretted her words, but it was too late—words, once spoken, could never be taken back.

"What are you saying, Lai Yan?" Ying Yue's voice was laced with disbelief and disappointment. "Do you even hear yourself? We may not have known each other for long, but you should know how much winning means to all of us."

The room fell silent, each girl retreating into the thoughts that had brought them here. After they were grouped, the four of them had shared fragments of their lives, revealing the dreams and struggles that drove them to become idols. Considering the life of 18-year-old Ying Yue, she had the easiest life among them.

Lai Yan, an orphan living with her aunt, faced the imminent reality that this was her last chance to pursue her lifelong dream before her aunt moved to the US. Ruolan, coming from a family stricken by poverty, was the eldest of three siblings. She had to earn money to keep her younger brother and sister in school, and the only way she knew how was through dance and song. Xia Wen had only mentioned that her mother was a trainee who had to give up her dreams just before debuting due to "unfortunate events." But Ying Yue, knowing Xia Wen from her previous life, understood the full truth. Xia Wen's mother had chosen to abandon her career when she discovered she was pregnant with Xia Wen. That unspoken sacrifice weighed heavily on Xia Wen, driving her to fulfill the dream her mother had relinquished.

Ying Yue, on the other hand, had merely said that being an idol was her dream and goal. But in reality, it was much more than that. In her past life, she had lost everything for this dream. Now, in this life, she was determined to protect what she had lost and achieve the dream that had once been the cause of her death.

"Guys, let's all calm down," Ying Yue cut in before the situation could spiral further out of control. "What's done is done. We can't turn back time, so let's focus on the next rounds. This is just the first competition."

Outwardly, she projected a calm, composed leader, but inside, a storm raged. She was angry at Xia Wen for the mistake, but even more furious with herself. I should have checked right before going on stage. This could have been avoided, she berated herself.

Fear gnawed at her too. Was she really skilled enough for this? Doubts clouded her thoughts. But she pushed them back, repeating in her mind like a chant: I've regressed and come back. No one is more skilled for this than me.

"Yeah, Lai Yan, let's just drop it," Ruoruo chimed in, her wide, innocent eyes pleading for peace. Despite her own frustration, Ruoruo was trying to soothe the tension, and Ying Yue felt a pang of gratitude. Ruoruo might look naive and cute, but there was a quiet maturity about her that Ying Yue deeply appreciated.

Knowing Xia Wen, Ying Yue realized she hadn't meant to cause any harm. Tired of the conflict, Ying Yue softened her tone, "Alright, it's over. There's no point in fighting about it. Besides, our teams will be changing soon anyway. Let's just get some rest."

Lai Yan was the first to leave, followed closely by Ruoruo. The room was left in a heavy silence, with only the muted hum of the fluorescent lights breaking the stillness. Xia Wen and Ying Yue remained, neither of them moving or speaking for a long moment.

Finally, Xia Wen broke the silence, her voice trembling slightly. "I didn't know something like this would happen. I'm really sorry."

Ying Yue turned to her, her expression softening. She offered a reassuring smile. "It's okay, Xia Wen. I know you didn't mean for any harm. What's done is done. We'll just have to work harder in the next rounds to make up for this one. Let's head back now. You must be exhausted."

Xia Wen managed a faint smile, gratitude evident in her eyes. "Thanks, Ying Yue." With that, she turned and walked out, leaving Ying Yue alone in the dimly lit room.

The next day, they were called into the auditorium.

The four judges were already sitting behind a table.

Hou Ling started talking, "Welcome everyone. Today your groups were supposed to be changed. But unfortunately, there has been a slight change in the rules. Your groups will not change. It means till the group evaluation ends, you will stick to the group assigned to you."

After the announcement, everyone returned to their dorms. The exhaustion from the past week had taken its toll, and they all decided to take a much-needed break.

As Ying Yue rested, she received a call from the reception. Someone was there to see her. Confused, she assumed it might be her mother or grandfather. Excitement and relief washed over her at the thought of seeing family after such a turbulent time.

However, when she went to the reception area, her expectations were shattered. She could barely believe her eyes. Her vision blurred with unshed tears as she saw him standing there, his presence as familiar as ever.

He said with his signature bright smile, " How have you been, Ying Yue?"