Grab The Heroine and Run Away Ch.10

3/7

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One week later, at the performance venue.

Xu Heran sat in the makeup chair, trembling while applying makeup. The makeup artist couldn’t help but say, “Heran, stop shaking. I’m starting to shake with you!”

Xu Heran was on the verge of tears. “I’m so nervous!”

“You’ve performed twice before. Why weren’t you nervous then?” the makeup artist said helplessly. “Take a deep breath. Let me finish your makeup before you start trembling again, okay?”

Xu Heran took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

The original protagonist had performed twice, but for her, this was the first time stepping onto the stage.

In her previous life, she was alone, young, and inexperienced. Deceived by a greedy manager, she had signed an unfair contract. Her dream of becoming a singer was crushed, and she had no chance if she didn’t comply with the manager. Complying meant… She wanted to be a singer, not a commodity to be sold! But she couldn’t afford the penalty for breaking the contract due to her financial struggles. She could only work in a bar and had only sung in front of one or two hundred people at most.

However, this time’s performance was in front of a crowd of ten thousand people.

Ten thousand…

Xu Heran swallowed nervously, tremblingly opened her eyes, and her gaze gradually became determined.

She was going to sing.

This was her dream.

Seeing that she had stopped shaking, the makeup artist quickly resumed her work. The makeup room wasn’t small, but with seven people, along with the cameraman and makeup artist, it became quite crowded.

The orange lipstick blended out, the gloss shimmered, her lips slightly parted. The sixteen-year-old girl, fully made up, looked mature and enticing at this moment. Unbeknownst to everyone in the room, all their gazes were fixated on her, enchanted by her appearance.

Xu Heran didn’t dare to lick her lips. She stood up, sucked in her stomach, and sighed softly, “I’m so hungry.”

For the performance, she had hastily eaten only a couple of bites, so she wouldn’t feel sleepy or tired.

Xin Nuo, who had just changed her clothes, walked out from behind the dressing screen and caught sight of Xu Heran’s back. Separated by the camera and the makeup artist, she looked at the girl in the mirror with lowered eyes.

The girl’s naturally thick and long eyelashes curled even more, the corners of her eyes tinted with a light eye shadow, and fine glitters were sprinkled. The bright light in the room made her whole person shine, but it couldn’t compare to the brilliance in Xu Heran’s sparkling eyes.

She lowered her head, not smiling, her expression appearing somewhat indifferent. She was waiting for the wardrobe assistant to adjust the strap at her waist. When the wardrobe assistant stood up, she quickly thanked them. At this moment, she caught a glimpse of something bright red, and without hesitation, she followed the gaze.

“Nuo—Nuo Nuo!” Xu Heran’s eyes lit up, unable to hold back her excitement. “You look amazing!”

A hint of a smile appeared in Xin Nuo’s eyes, sinking into the depths of her black gaze. She walked over unhurriedly, suddenly lifted her hand, and playfully hooked Xu Heran’s sharp chin, then pulled away.

“Liar, I haven’t put on makeup yet.”

She finished speaking, squinted and chuckled lightly, and sat down in Xu Heran’s makeup chair. “Thank you for your trouble.”

Xin Nuo was an individual trainee, responsible for her own makeup on regular days. During performances, the program team assigned makeup artists to do the makeup for individual trainees. After Xu Heran found out, she immediately introduced her own makeup artist to Xin Nuo, who didn’t refuse.

“Who’s lying? It really does look good! I’m so honest!”

“Mm,” Xin Nuo coaxed her, “Honest little pearl~”

Xu Heran suspected this pearl might not be that pearl, but she had no evidence. Her naturally beautiful eyes, were fixated on Xin Nuo’s face, puffing out her cheeks.

In the mirror, they exchanged glances, a tense standoff.

“Go play,” Xin Nuo intentionally raised her hand and waved her fingers.

Like teasing a little dog.

Xu Heran narrowed her eyes, a mischievous glint passing through them. She raised her hand and playfully pinched Xin Nuo’s face, then quickly ran off.

“Hee~”

“Sss…” Xin Nuo looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her skin was fair, and the area Xu Heran had pinched had turned a light pink. Xin Nuo rubbed her face and murmured softly, “Got more brave.”

The makeup artist, who was adjusting the foundation at the moment, smiled and remarked, “I never expected you two to get along so well now.”

She had seen how Xu Heran used to treat Xin Nuo. Truly, how times had changed. Enemies had become friends.

The smile in Xin Nuo’s eyes faded slightly, her tone polite, “Mm, I didn’t expect it either. Perhaps it’s fate.”

Xu Heran was the first to finish changing and doing her makeup. She wandered around the makeup room, teasing this person and that, until she was finally chased to a chair to watch over the clothes.

“Hmph.” Princess Xu crossed her arms and glared at people in a huff. The photographer took the opportunity to approach her and take some shots. Xu Heran immediately raised her hand and blocked the lens, “I see our elegant sister Fenghua here, coming to help her with makeup. She’s really beautiful, her temperament is exceptional!”

Xu Heran raised her thumb in praise, adding a subtle compliment, “Girls who dance classical dance are all beauties!”

She asked the photographer, “Isn’t that right?”

The photographer simply chuckled, and Xu Heran promptly extended her hand to slowly press the lens, forcing the camera to agree.

“Great taste you’ve got.”

The photographer was nearly laughing to death. At this moment, a loud scream came from behind the dressing screen. Xu Heran’s chair was leaning against the screen, and she was so startled that she shivered.

“My own makeup! Let me do it myself!” Haya’s makeup artist half dragged her out from behind the screen, her arm stubbornly gripping the screen, refusing to show her head.

Xu Heran immediately stood up, “No way! You’re being delusional!”

She dashed over to help the makeup artist pull Haya.

Forced out from behind the screen, Haya covered her face, and even when she was being pushed into the chair, she continued to pretend to cry. Other members of their group who hadn’t started doing their makeup yet gathered around, clinging to her chair.

“You’re under arrest, put your hands down!” Xu Heran picked up a makeup brush and drew it back and forth on the back of Haya’s hand.

Someone else was tickling Haya’s armpits.

“Ah— you bunch of troublemakers!” Haya couldn’t stop wailing. Jian Yueyin helplessly apologized to the makeup artist, then shouted, “Stop shouting, people might think we’re inside killing someone!”

“That’s murder right here!”

Haya continued to “wah-wah-wah” cry, her two arms pinned down. In an instant, three heads leaned in close.

Xu Heran frowned, puzzled, “Tch, what’s this?”

“Just this?” Laurel sneered.

Even Jiang Qiong, who was usually honest, couldn’t help but shake her head repeatedly.

Haya’s hands trembled. This was a turn she hadn’t expected. She glanced at the three people who had moved away, then looked at the mirror. The girl in the mirror had deep eyebrows, large eyes, a high nose bridge, and exquisite features. She was incredibly good-looking.

“Let me ask you something, do you usually mess up your face like this?” Xu Heran wanted to pour out the water in Haya’s brain, “If you had gotten rid of that dark stuff on your face earlier, your ranking wouldn’t be 64!”

Others nodded in agreement.

Haya’s heart trembled, “You… you guys think I’m good-looking?”

She looked at the mirror and said with disdain, “This doesn’t even have any style! I have my own style! You guys just don’t understand!”

“Fashion! Depth of feeling!”

“Do you understand uniqueness or not?”

The makeup artist rolled her eyes. She and Haya were both participating in the program, and at this moment, she finally had a role to play.

Haya continued to yell, insisting on her own aesthetic, and demanding that the makeup artist give her the coolest, most dazzling, and most unique makeup. Xu Heran couldn’t help shaking her head, “Goodness, she’s nineteen, not nine, right? She hasn’t outgrown her teenage delusions, has she?”

Jiang Qiong sighed, then smiled, “But if Haya gets rid of that messy makeup, she’ll definitely be attractive. Her ranking will definitely rise this time!”

That’s great.

Xu Heran couldn’t help feeling happy for Haya.

Xu Heran nodded firmly, reaching out to pat Jiang Qiong on the shoulder, “You’re attractive too. Our team is the best! Let’s go!”

Jiang Qiong nodded vigorously and high-fived her.

“Let’s go!”

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“Dreams take flight, stars shine bright! Welcome everyone to the live performance of 《Starlight Girls》 for the third time!”

The host’s voice came through the suspended screen in the dressing room, and the camera zoomed out to reveal the vast stadium, filled with people. Ten thousand fans held up support items, their cheers echoing through the sky. The colorful lights blended with the stage’s brilliance, like a flowing river.

The highly anticipated world unfolded before everyone’s eyes, and the bodies of all the trainees trembled with excitement.

Ning Yunfei, dressed in a long dress, composed herself and looked earnestly at the camera. “Out of the 140 trainees, only seven will debut as members of the two-year limited-time group! The fate of which trainees will secure a spot on the debut pedestal rests in the hands of our star-making mentors!”

“Vote for your favorite trainee, who is the brightest star in your heart?”

Backstage, someone shouted loudly, “It’s me—”

Followed by laughter mixed with cries of “me, me, me.”

“A total of ten teams are participating in this performance. The training process, selected styles, and rehearsal processes are all kept secret among the teams. They are responsible only for themselves. They will give their all on this stage, in front of ten thousand star-making mentors and the live audience, testing their ultimate performance!”

“Now, I announce the competition rules,” Ning Yunfei said, “This competition will be fully live-streamed. Each star-making mentor still has seven votes, but—”

“During the competition, you will send the name of your chosen Starlight Girl via text message to the program team. For every vote cast via text message, the votes will be—doubled!”

“Ah—”

The fans in the audience couldn’t help but shout.

“The fate of your favorite trainee is now in your hands! Whether she’ll be eliminated in the next round is up to you! This text message vote does not conflict with the official website vote, and each mobile number can only vote once. This voting process will be audited and certified by relevant authorities, and the proceeds generated will be used for charitable activities. So, without further ado—”

“Start voting!” Ning Yunfei shouted, raising her hand.

“Now, let us welcome the first competing team, and they will perform the song—《Ding Dong》”

Backstage, the seven members who had finished their makeup sat in a row of chairs.

“In a way, it’s actually good that Team One is performing,” Jiang Qiong said, “If the audience likes their performance, those watching the livestream are more likely to vote for them first. As the voting goes on, the number of votes may decrease.”

“What number did we draw?” someone asked.

Jiang Qiong clenched her fist.

“Alright, we’re the finale…” Xu Heran patted her, “You’re shaking your leg.”

Jiang Qiong grimaced. “I’m nervous!”

“Your leg shaking is making me nervous too!”

“Shut up, both of you are shaking!” Haya said, her leg trembling.

“That’s enough!”

Jian Yueyin coldly raised her hand, only to have Laurel slap it down. “Captain, you’re trembling all over.”

Xin Nuo lowered her head and covered her face. Xu Heran thought she was nervous too and quickly extricated herself from Jiang Qiong and Haya, sitting next to Xin Nuo. When she lowered her head, she realized Xin Nuo was actually smiling.

“I’m going to report you,” Xu Heran whispered sneakily, “You’re making fun of your teammates!”

“Heh… my bad, sorry.” Xin Nuo laughed until her stomach hurt. It had been so long since she felt this happy. She looked up, her eyes shimmering with watery light, a captivating smile on her face as she gazed at Xu Heran, her tone gently pleading.

“Don’t report me, okay?”

Even though they hadn’t eaten much due to their performance and dared not drink too much water, at this moment, it was as if Xu Heran’s mouth had been filled with aged wine, leaving her dizzy and intoxicated.

She could almost smell the tantalizing aroma of spirits, a scent that made her parched and ignited a fiery heat within her.

Xin Nuo leaned in, her fragrant hair brushing against Xu Heran’s shoulder as she gently bumped her.

“Oh, my lady?”

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The author has something to say:

Xin Nuo: Favorability +5

Because Nuo Nuo didn’t report her, Xin Nuo increases her favorability towards you, expressing gratitude.

“My lady,” please understand it as “princess” ~

A little explanation here, “my lady” can be a respectful term used to address someone of higher status, or an affectionate term for a lover or partner. No need to doubt it, Nuo Nuo is playfully teasing Ran Ran (trying my best to explain as an English novice).

Without any surprises, I’m on the rankings now. I updated five chapters in the first week and six chapters in the second week. There will be an update the day after tomorrow. Dream has drafts saved~ Chubby~ Sending a heart emoji!

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Sinensis

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