NOVEL NEXT Chapter 19 - Can you form a CP with me?
Aside from Tang Yuan and Jiang Zi, there were six other trainees heading to the practice rooms.
“Everyone, choose your dance track first. Are there any groups that need to choreograph a dance now?”
One group raised their hand.
“Anyone else? For those who are modifying existing choreography, please sort out your ideas first. I respect everyone’s thoughts, so the group doing original choreography can come over here first. The rest of you, start practicing on your own first.”
The dance studio was large and spacious. Hou Yuan Zhan led the two girls to a corner to avoid disturbing the others.
The other two groups, seeming intentionally aloof, huddled together and took up the remaining space, dissuading Tang Yuan’s thought of initiating social interaction.
Tang Yuan shrugged. “Looks like everyone’s pretty introverted, not into socializing.”
Tang Yuan took out a tablet, and she and Jiang Zi sat down, playing the hottest relevant dance tutorials.
The live stream camera followed current events.
The live broadcast, already popular due to Hou Yuan Zhan, saw a surge of viewers who had come after seeing Tang Yuan’s scandal. The bullet comments were mostly derogatory toward Tang Yuan.
【Her teammate is Jiang Zi? Isn’t Jiang Zi the girl she bullied?】
【I’m horrified after watching the video where she choked Jiang Zi and pushed her into the water. That’s bullying? That looks more like attempted murder!】
【Why would the show even invite someone like her? Just because she has money?】
【And now they’re still letting Jiang Zi be her teammate? Isn’t this just another threat?】
【Xiao Hou even taught such a person. You really dared to earn any money when you were young!】
【You can criticize her all you want but don’t hurt the innocent. Taking my Xiao Hou away.】
【Get Tang Yuan out of this show!】
Manager Sister Qing had other artists under her care and was busy with various activities, so she only noticed the online uproar when the black trending searches started appearing.
Tang Yuan, an actress with relatively little fame, without her agent’s intervention, and the company’s PR team wouldn’t intervene in the artist’s trending searches, including negative ones, unless directed to. This led to the current situation.
After all, in the entertainment industry, such tactics are common and are often used by artists to gain visibility.
Sister Qing anxiously called Tang Yuan repeatedly.
Tang Yuan had her phone on silent and only noticed the screen lighting up by chance. After placing the tablet in Jiang Zi’s lap, she stepped out to take the call.
“Sister Qing…”
“Do you know about the black trending searches on Weibo?”
“Huh? What black trending searches?”
Sister Qing spoke rapidly, “Someone maliciously leaked your negative information. Don’t look at it for now; I’ll have PR handle it. I just need to ask you one question: What’s your relationship with Jiang Zi?”
Tang Yuan paused momentarily, feeling that she understood, she said, “Our relationship is very good.”
“Then you don’t need to worry about the rest,” Sister Qing had calmed down. After years of experience as a manager, she quickly formulated a preliminary plan in her mind, not only to clear Tang Yuan’s name but also to take advantage of this opportunity to boost her visibility.
After hanging up, Tang Yuan checked the trending searches and saw several entries about her.
Hou Yuan Zhan’s student Tang Yuan
Tang Yuan drama crew bullying
Clicking in, she saw the clip where she had pushed Jiang Zi into the water. Her expression in the video was indeed quite fierce.
Tang Yuan remained silent. Not only the netizens, but she had also just transmigrated at that time; she was also terrified.
Seeing Tang Yuan looking dispirited when she came back, Jiang Zi came over and sat beside her. “What happened?”
Tang Yuan shook her head. Holding her legs with both hands, her eyes filled with guilt, “Jiang Zi, I don’t think I’ve ever apologized to you.”
The original Tang Yuan hadn’t hurt anyone else, but her bullying of Jiang Zi had been continuous, from school to the drama set.
Jiang Zi suddenly felt a sharp pain in her palms. The pain spread from her hands to her heart, and even though her clenched palms were bleeding, she didn’t know. “You don’t need to apologize. You don’t owe me anything.”
Instead, it was she who had always owed her junior sister, always.
Tang Yuan didn’t notice Jiang Zi’s abnormality. “Tang Yuan did cause you a lot of harm in the past. Now that we’re friends, I will definitely treat you well from now on.”
Tang Yuan was apologizing on behalf of the original Tang Yuan, but she felt inexplicably relieved. She thought, even though she was an outsider, she was using the original’s identity and should be responsible for what the original had done.
【Pretender!]
【She must have gone out to take her manager’s call, and now she comes back spouting all these insincere words.】
【Jiang Zi said there’s no need to apologize. My heart is breaking; she must have been threatened. My poor beauty.】
【No, why do I feel like their relationship isn’t as bad as the rumors say?】
【Look at Jiang Zi’s hand! The bandaged one, why is it red? Is that blood?!】
Tang Yuan only noticed Jiang Zi’s hand when she took back the tablet. She gasped and quickly pulled Jiang Zi over to check.
“Did the wound reopen? We need to take care of it first.” Tang Yuan’s face was stern as she pulled Jiang Zi up from the ground.
Jiang Zi’s eyes were dark, fixed on Tang Yuan. Emotions churned beneath the surface as she unconsciously gripped Tang Yuan’s hand tightly, the pain from the wound seeming inconsequential as the red on the bandage spread further.
Tang Yuan felt her palm grow sticky. “Relax, does it hurt a lot? Don’t grip so tight.”
Jiang Zi lowered her head and obediently followed Tang Yuan.
Tang Yuan first checked in with Hou Yuan Zhan before taking Jiang Zi to the medical station arranged by the show’s crew; this time, it was the doctor who re-wrapped the bandage.
“After you go back, don’t lift heavy objects or grip things tightly. If the wound reopens, it could get infected. Apply the medicine again tonight and avoid getting it wet.”
Tang Yuan waited beside Jiang Zi, nodding along to everything the doctor said, and then led Jiang Zi back.
Tang Yuan walked half a step ahead of Jiang Zi, hands on her hips. “Did you remember everything the doctor said? Don’t let the wound reopen!”
Jiang Zi reached out to hook her arm, trying to get her to hold hands, with a barely noticeable smile in her eyes. “You remember it for me.”
Tang Yuan pulled away from Jiang Zi’s touch and shot her a glance. “The internet says we don’t get along.”
Jiang Zi responded, complying, “They just have poor judgment.”
“But it’s not their fault they don’t know we’re good friends.”
Jiang Zi’s smile faded slightly, her tone ghostly, “You’re not wrong.”
[Mission Triggered: Please use the current popularity to achieve 10k CP fans within seven days. Mission Reward: Reduce Male Lead protagonist halo by 3%. Failure Penalty: Increase Female Lead’s self-destructive value by 10%. Note: System upgraded; you can now check the female lead’s self-destructive value. Current: 70%.]
Tang Yaun screamed in shock, “What?!”
Jiang Zi was startled and looked at her with confusion, “What’s wrong?”
Tang Yuan’s lips twitched. The self-destructive value probably means self-harm like last night, and if it reaches as high as a hundred percent, it probably means she’ll commit suicide.
Tang Yuan suddenly grabbed Jiang Zi’s hand, her expression very awkward, “Can you form a CP with me?”
Jiang Zi’s expression froze, and she stared at Tang Yuan in shock. At this point, there were only two steps to the dance studio door, where the cameras would catch them.
Tang Yuan, embarrassed, couldn’t bring herself to say more. After all, creating a CP was also a form of deception for the audience.
She sighed and led Jiang Zi into the dance studio.