Grab The Heroine and Run Away Ch.7

Xu Heran’s confidence shattered upon hearing the performance song, and she cowered with her limbs, wiggling her toes against the ground as if building a castle, her features scrunching together.

“What is this?” She recoiled, her fingers and toes fumbling on the ground, her facial features contorted.

“Ah ah ah, something about accompanying you under the cherry blossom tree, something about melting you… Ugh!” Xu Heran shrank into the corner of the wall.

Haya, on the other hand, was quite enthusiastic. She held up a tablet and cheerfully pointed to the intertwined fingers of the couple in the music video, imitating, “Bury our love under the cherry blossom tree, it will sprout and grow with our love. Remember, next year’s cherry blossoms, let’s hold hands and come again…”

“…” Starting with Xu Heran, the three people gathered around her all made grimaces at the same time.

Xin Nuo sat cross-legged on the floor, her hat pulled down, black hair cascading down her cheeks, the soft skin making her look even fairer. Propping up her chin, she watched Xu Heran dig a castle on the floor with her foot, a faint smile playing on her lips.

“We’re not really going to sing this, are we?” Xu Heran held her cheeks in her hands. As a singer, she shouldn’t be picky about songs, but this song was just—too sweet!

She had never sung this kind of song before!

Not even in her past life!

This was completely not her style!

“Fenghua, what do you think?” Xu Heran crawled over to where Song Fenghua sat alone against the wall, moving her tablet toward her, “Do you like this kind of song?”

She placed the tablet in front of Song Fenghua.

Song Fenghua didn’t even glance at it, “Doesn’t matter.”

Xu Heran was taken aback by her attitude. She felt her teammates in the group were so cool, one after another. She sat up, spread her legs, hands resting on her knees, and said to Song Fenghua, “Then you sing, I’ll listen.”

Song Fenghua finally moved her eyes away from the opposite wall and landed them on the tablet, following along with the lyrics.

“I want to love you, love you, love you, love you, like cherry blossoms flying everywhere, blurry yet clear. We’re sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet—”

“Stop!” Xu Heran raised her hand, interrupting Song Fenghua’s plain, emotionless singing, colder than her expression. She took a deep breath in frustration. “No, this won’t do. We need to think of another way.”

She hugged the tablet and moved back. Behind her, a trace of disappointment flickered in Song Fenghua’s eyes.

Xin Nuo’s eyes curved with a smile. As Xu Heran passed by her, she stretched out her long, straight leg, blocking Xu Heran’s path with a playful gesture.

“Is the little princess without her crown ready to become a bug?” she asked.

Xu Heran covered her face with the tablet, lying on the floor as if playing dead. “This is so hard! We’re just not suited for this song. Why did I boast to others? Ugh, embarrassing!”

Haya patted Xin Nuo’s leg and whispered, “She’s really good at acting cute.”

The smile on Xin Nuo’s face froze for a moment. She calmly withdrew her leg, sitting cross-legged and using Haya’s back as a shield. Her palm rested where Haya had patted, rubbing gently. When the restlessness in her heart and the burning sensation on her skin faded away, she finally responded, “So, she’s a little princess, huh?”

“The princess can’t handle it anymore, please save me. Knight—”

“Dragon, evil dragon! Hurry, take me away!”

At this moment, a knock sounded at the door, and a few girls poked their heads in, smiling mischievously. “Did we hear someone screaming in misery?”

“Want me, the master-level cutie, to teach you?” Sun Lingxi raised her hand, leaning against the door frame. Her other hand lifted to pretend to flip her hair, and she sent a flirtatious glance at the puzzled faces.

Xu Heran immediately stood up, “Excuse me, when it comes to cuteness, I’m at the champion level!”

She immediately imitated the movements of the girls in the music video, one hand on her hip, the other pointing and gesturing, swaying her hips, adding a touch of voice as she sang, “Love you, love you, love you, sweet, sweet, sweet, we’re sweet together~”

Sun Lingxi exclaimed, “Wow!” and raised an eyebrow in surprise. In the previous two rounds, Xu Heran had chosen cool and stylish songs. She didn’t expect her to be so damn cute!

Especially with that face, a lethal weapon!

“Alright then, good luck, everyone!”

Sun Lingxi’s gaze swept over their practice room. While she hadn’t noticed before, now she realized that the girls in Xu Heran’s team all had great looks, except for the smoky-eyed Haya. A strong sense of crisis arose in her heart. She quickly bid farewell to Xu Heran and the others and led her teammates to practice.

Among the Sun Lingxi team members who also waved to them, there was a thin and frail girl who quietly waved to Xu Heran, “Sister, goodbye.”

Xu Heran didn’t hear, lowering her head to look at the lyrics, her face twisting into a bitter expression.

Xin Nuo’s smile froze on her face. She glanced at the girl’s reluctant figure as she waved, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Xu Yanran?

Her gaze flickered, shifting to the now-frowning Xu Heran. She pressed her tongue against her teeth, a silent smile forming. “Idiot, don’t even recognize someone you hate?”

Even if she wasn’t used to this style, she still had to perform in the competition. Xu Heran sighed and joined everyone in dividing the tasks.

“I sing a lot in my spare time, hitting the low notes to the sewer and soaring to Pluto with the high notes. Although it seems like this song doesn’t need me to take everyone on a trip to Pluto,” Xu Heran said with a troubled expression.

The others showed amused smiles. Xin Nuo extended a finger, tapping on a blank paper where the lyrics were written. “I do classical dance.”

Haya shook her head, her ponytail swinging past Laurel.

“I, Haya, started dancing before I even learned to walk. I’m best at hip-hop and popping. I can also do breaking and locking. I’ve got freestyle skills too~”

When it comes to dancing, Haya was very confident. She raised her thumb proudly, saying, “I learn super fast!”

Xu Heran laughed heartily, but she didn’t doubt Haya’s confidence because she’s truly talented. Haya has won numerous dance competition awards. Xu Heran thought that Haya might be on the wrong show.

Beside Haya, Laurel, who narrowly avoided getting slapped by Haya’s swinging ponytail, lifted her chin, extended her hand, snapped her fingers, and raised an eyebrow with a deadpan look, “I’m, a rapper~”

That “per” sound came out from her chest.

“…”

There was a moment of silence.

“Hahaha!”

“Pfft—”

“Rapper~” Everyone started imitating Laurel’s pronunciation, and for a while, the room echoed with the sound of “per” and “per”.

“Alright, Guifeng¹, you’re a rapper~” Xu Heran laughed so hard she couldn’t breathe, lying on the floor panting. Laurel means Laurel and glory, and Laurel exuded an air of cold arrogance. Xu Heran… she felt like she might also be on the wrong show.

“Why didn’t you call me Cuihua²?” Laurel pouted with her arms crossed. Although her expression remained unchanged, her sarcastic tone made her seem a bit more approachable. The others burst into laughter.

“I- I’m Jiang Qiong,” Jiang Qiong wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye, and helplessly said, “I’ve only just started learning to sing and dance. I’ve been a trainee for only half a year, brought in by the production team as a placeholder, a pawn. You can simply think of me as not knowing anything.”

Xin Nuo looked at her, “I remember you performed well in the previous two rounds.”

Jiang Qiong said helplessly, “It’s that, I know a little bit of everything, so nothing stands out. Therefore, it’s like I know nothing at all. Take a look.”

She tugged at her clothes, revealing the number on her chest.

Without any surprises, she’ll probably have to bid farewell to the rankings next time.

“No no no~” Xu Heran raised her index finger and swayed it at Jiang Qiong, “Knowing a little bit of everything is called being an ace, an all-rounder! You’re the ace of our team!”

“You’re amazing!” She exclaimed.

Jiang Qiong’s mouth dropped open slightly, a blush appeared on her ears. She cleared her throat and waved her hand hastily, “No, no, I’m not!”

“You definitely are!” Xu Heran looked at her with certainty.

Jiang Qiong scratched her head, smiling embarrassedly.

Xu Heran turned her attention to the one who seemed the most distant, “Fenghua, you look really good.”

It shouldn’t be wrong to strike up a conversation and compliment someone, right? Xu Heran smiled warmly, “And your legs are so long, and you’re so slender. Are you a dancer too?”

Xu Heran remembered that in the first episode of the trainee introduction, there was a logo that said “Years of Work Studio.” Many trainees were surprised and discussed it, saying that Years of Work Studio was a famous dance group in China, where many boy and girl groups choreographed their dances. However, most of the camera time was given to the trainees explaining things, and the trainees from Years of Work Studio were briefly shown. Later, in the fifth episode, her camera time was also limited. This trainee was none other than Song Fenghua.

But she, apart from Xin Nuo, was currently the highest-ranking trainee in the team. In terms of camera time seconds, trainees with higher rankings were either good-looking or talented. Song Fenghua happened to have both looks and talent; she had a classical beauty, a cold and beautiful appearance, an icy temperament, like a plum blossom proudly blooming in a secluded mansion in ancient times.

Xu Heran couldn’t help but think that if Song Fenghua were dressed in white, holding a sword in her hand, she would definitely look like an ethereal mountain fairy!

However, her camera time was unexpectedly so limited, which was quite unfair!

Song Fenghua nodded, her gaze turning to Xin Nuo. “Classical, ballet, street dance, and some minor dance styles.”

Years of Work Studio was actually started by her older sister. She grew up surrounded by various dancers and was influenced from a young age.

“I’ve seen your performances, they’re fantastic,” Xin Nuo said sincerely.

Song Fenghua’s eyes brightened. “You too.”

The two of them shared a meaningful gaze.

Xu Heran glanced at Xin Nuo and then at Song Fenghua. Suddenly, she cleared her throat, straightened her body, and knelt down on the floor, blocking their line of sight. “There’s one more person, Jian Yueyin, younger sister—or should I say, older sister?”

She was about to commit that familiar quirk again.

Jian Yueyin had light makeup, a delicate beauty. Her smile was polite as she said, “I’m 22 years old this year.”

Including Xu Heran, everyone immediately greeted her, “Hello, Sister Yueyin.”

Jian Yueyin chuckled.

“Jian Yueyin?” Xin Nuo, who was sitting behind Xu Heran, raised an eyebrow slightly.

Angel Entertainment’s Jian Yueyin?

The versatile music producer who was forced to work as a hitman for the company, whose songs were plagiarized by the company, and who disappeared from the entertainment industry after winning a lawsuit?

Oh, so she also participated in this program. Xin Nuo propped her face up, her gaze briefly sweeping across Jian Yueyin’s face.

Everyone in this room, except for her in her previous life, was eliminated in the 70 to 42 competition. Moreover, because of the “Xu Heran” live stream incident, the Xu family withdrew their investment, and the production team had to seek funding from three different sources. However, each of these three investors was worse than the other, and shortly after, many trainees voluntarily left the program. Later, the final debut group of seven was hastily put together by the production team. There wasn’t much impact, but soon after, scandals surfaced, and the program was disbanded not long after.

Then what about her?

Back then, she was deceived, signing with a new company under one of the investors, thinking she would have a bright future. And then what happened?

Underneath her baseball cap, Xin Nuo’s eyes turned dark with resentment. She was immersed in the pain of her memories, and a storm of fury brewed within her obsidian gaze, causing the corners of her eyes to redden.

Beside her, Haya felt the sudden drop in atmosphere from Xin Nuo and helplessly scratched her head.

Meanwhile, Xu Heran was dividing the lyrics among everyone, kneeling on the ground with her butt raised. In a casual glance, she caught sight of Xin Nuo’s dark and heavy eyes. The smile in Xu Heran’s eyes froze, and she furrowed her brows.

What’s wrong with Nuo Nuo?

She tossed the lyrics paper in her hand to the ground, slightly lifted her knees, placed her hands on the ground, and pushed backward forcefully.

“Whoosh~” she exclaimed with an onomatopoeia as her body slid back due to the force. However, she hadn’t expected Xin Nuo to not resist at all, or perhaps she hadn’t reacted in time. The two warm bodies collided, and Xu Heran let out a small “ah” as she inadvertently pressed Xin Nuo beneath her.

Kneeling between Xin Nuo’s legs, Xu Heran’s long, slender arms supported her on either side, her golden-brown hair scattering rays of light in the practice room, some of which fell onto Xin Nuo’s face.

Xin Nuo slowly blinked her eyes, her thoughts suddenly emerging from the darkness. She gazed at the girl whose back was to the light, her body outlined by radiance, and she gently arched an eyebrow.

“This won’t do.”

She smiled faintly, her reddened eyes curving upward, her gaze profound like the sea under the moonlight-filled night. On the surface, the sea shimmered with ripples of light, while beneath the surface, it remained deep and unfathomable, dark and dangerous.

Xin Nuo raised her hand, extending her index finger, and lightly pressed it against the spot between Xu Heran’s collarbones. With a slight force, she pushed her back.

“Little princess, you can’t get too close.”

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The author has something to say:

Xin Nuo: Favorability -1

She doesn’t like getting too close, but because someone is good-looking, there’s a symbolic deduction of 1.

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Sinensis

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1. Guifeng: Refers to someone projecting a cool, arrogant rapper-like attitude. ↩︎
2. Cuihua: Represents someone approachable and friendly, contrasting with the cold arrogance of Guifeng. ↩︎