Chapter 40: On This Day, Xiao Heqing Grew Up

Chapter 40: Chapter 40: On This Day, Xiao Heqing Grew Up

As the stage lights converged, Jiang Xueli finished her song. Panting softly, she looked out at the audience, listening to the roaring applause.

The glaring lights made it impossible to see the audience’s faces, but she knew with absolute certainty that a certain big idiot was smiling at her right now.

Once the performance ended, Jiang Xueli took a bow and stepped off the stage to find Lin Zhengran.

In a quiet corner outside the seating area, Jiang Xueli wanted to show off how amazing she was while simultaneously trying to play it cool. "Big idiot, how was my singing? It was pretty good, right?! Let me tell you, when I was standing on that stage..."

Jiang Xueli giggled and chattered on and on to Lin Zhengran about her post-performance feelings. This entire scene was witnessed from start to finish by Xiao Heqing, who was sitting in Class Three’s audience section.

She couldn’t hear what the two of them were talking about, but her innocent almond eyes stared blankly in their direction. She watched Jiang Xueli’s joyous expression and saw Lin Zhengran occasionally responding to her.

Xiao Heqing clasped her pale little hands together and muttered, "Lin Zhengran..."

The evening’s program hadn’t even fully concluded before the female boss of Child Star Studio, unable to contain her excitement, went straight to the contestants’ backstage area to find Jiang Xueli. Seeing the singing girl chatting with a boy, she walked over without hesitation and handed her a business card.

"Hello there! I’m the owner of Child Star Studio. Our company has an ongoing partnership with your school. I listened to your performance just now and absolutely loved it. Was that an original song? Your breath control was so steady and your technique was incredibly proficient. Have you received professional vocal training somewhere before?"

Jiang Xueli hadn’t expected someone to approach her so quickly. Hiding her hands behind her back, she nodded, feeling a bit constrained. "It’s an original, yes, but I haven’t had any professional vocal training. I just practice at home with my friend..."

The female boss was even more astonished upon hearing this. If she had such professional technique without any formal training, with just a little cultivation, she would absolutely shine in the music industry.

With that, she launched into an impassioned, lengthy pitch.

The gist of it was asking if Jiang Xueli had signed with any talent agency. If not, she wanted her to join their studio. She promised to contact her parents the following day, assuring her that it wouldn’t take up any class time—she would only be called in for shows during holidays or weekends. She could also go to the studio to practice singing whenever she had free time, and if she joined, she would receive a very generous cut of the performance revenue.

Jiang Xueli appeared to be listening intently, but in reality, she kept stealing glances at Lin Zhengran standing beside her. When it came to matters like this, she was extremely self-aware. She knew she was still young and would definitely get scammed if she blindly agreed to anything. She figured she would just let the big idiot make the decision for her later.

"So, shall we leave it at that?" the female boss asked. "Tomorrow, I’ll take the initiative to visit your parents, and we’ll contact you then."

"Okay."

After bidding farewell to the boss, Jiang Xueli skipped over to Lin Zhengran’s side. "Big idiot, did you hear everything that person just said?"

Lin Zhengran crossed his arms. "What she said was pretty much in line with what I expected. The terms and conditions are quite good, and it seems she genuinely appreciates your talent. I think it’s a solid opportunity, but what do you think?"

Jiang Xueli looked up at him and replied with a haughty little huff, "I think... it’s fine too. Mostly because I trust you when it comes to this kind of stuff." She giggled. "I’ll just do whatever you tell me to do, big idiot."

Lin Zhengran let out an exasperated sigh. It was blatantly obvious that Jiang Xueli hadn’t absorbed a single word the female boss had actually said to her. But it didn’t really matter. As long as she listened to him, she wouldn’t make any major mistakes.

"I really envy you for having such an omnipotent friend like me," Lin Zhengran teased.

Jiang Xueli blinked blankly, then turned her head, mimicking his crossed-arms posture as she scoffed. "Well, I envy *you* for having such a pretty and patient childhood sweetheart! If any other girl had to deal with how dense you are, she would have died of anger by now. It’s only because I have such a great temper that I never take it to heart."

The very next day, staff from Child Star Studio went straight to Jiang Xueli’s parents. When her mother and father watched the recording of the school performance, they were astounded by how dazzling their daughter was on stage—so much so that she had even been scouted by a professional company.

After a few days of hesitation, background checks, and consulting their daughter’s wishes, Jiang Xueli successfully signed with the local Child Star Studio, officially taking her first step on the path to becoming a pop star.

Meanwhile, as Jiang Xueli’s major turning point concluded, He Qing and Han Wenwen’s own master plan officially launched.

A Sunday in the girls’ dormitory, half a month before winter break.

Wearing cartoon pajamas, Xiao Heqing sat crouched on her bed like a little chick. She hugged a pillow tightly to her chest, her aggrieved expression looking incredibly adorable.

Han Wenwen sat on the edge of the bed, munching on potato chips. "Didn’t Lin Zhengran go to Taekwondo practice with you yesterday? Why have you been moping around all morning?"

He Qing’s big, watery eyes stared intently at her pillow. "I’m not moping. I was really happy being with him yesterday. He practiced with me all day and even had lunch with me. He kept me company the whole day."

"And? You’re happy when you’re together, but the second he’s out of sight, you’re sad again, right? The effects of this ’medicine’ wear off way too fast."

Xiao Heqing finally voiced the anxieties weighing on her heart. "It’s mostly because we’ve been doing these same things for years. Practicing, eating together, even hanging out at his house. It was like this when we were kids, and it’s still like this now. There hasn’t been any progress at all! On the other hand, look at Jiang Xueli... It hasn’t even been that long, but I feel like the two of them are getting closer and closer."

She looked up at Han Wenwen. "Haven’t you noticed how much Jiang Xueli likes sticking to Lin Zhengran lately? And for her birthday last time, Lin Zhengran gave her a really nice pair of headphones."

Han Wenwen tilted her head. "Her birthday? Oh, right. Didn’t the two of us get her gifts too?"

"We gave her gifts because we’re her classmates, and it’s completely normal for girls to give gifts to other girls. But Lin Zhengran..." Her voice trailed off into a whisper. "He’s never given *me* headphones."

"Well, yes, but... I’m pretty sure that’s just because you don’t listen to music," Han Wenwen pointed out, poking her lip playfully like a cunning fox.

Xiao Heqing squeezed her pillow even tighter, curling her entire body up into a tight little ball. "Anyway, I’m just scared that if this continues, one day I’ll wake up, open my eyes, and he won’t need me by his side anymore. Being separated for four years really was just too long."

Seeing that she was on the verge of tears, Han Wenwen wrapped her arms around He Qing to comfort her best friend. "Alright, alright, don’t cry. Shh, it’s okay."

In Han Wenwen’s eyes, although Qingqing had always been soft-spoken and gentle back in elementary school, she had never been this heavy-hearted before. Clearly, Lin Zhengran was simply too important to her.

Han Wenwen’s lips curled into a smirk. "Since things have come to this, it looks like we have no choice but to pull out our trump card. Over the past while, I’ve actually analyzed exactly why the progress between you two has completely stalled, and I’ve come up with the ultimate solution!"

She gave Xiao Heqing a meaningful look and handed her what looked like a handwritten martial arts manual.

"Take a look. The contents of this book are the result of my agonizing deliberation, summarizing and compiling the wisdom of our predecessors. I call this sacred manual..." Han Wenwen paused, enunciating every syllable. "The He-Lin Secret Manual!"

Xiao Heqing accepted it with a bewildered look. "What’s the He-Lin Secret Manual? I’ve only ever heard of Henan braised noodles."

Han Wenwen clicked her tongue. "Those are two completely different things, okay? Do you think this is a cookbook? As long as my dear Qingqing follows the instructions in this manual to the letter, I guarantee that within three years—no, within one year!—you will absolutely capture the heart of our handsome Lin Zhengran!"

Driven by curiosity, He Qing slowly flipped open the book. However, after carefully reading just a few pages, her cheeks flushed a visible, bright red. With a loud SMACK, she hastily slammed the book shut.

Stammering, her face completely crimson, she asked, "W-What in the world is this, Wenwen?! Where did you even find all this?"