Grab The Heroine and Run Away Ch.27.1

“Wang Defa! Wang Defa! Wang Defa…”¹

In the hall, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared blankly at Xu Heran, who was holding a corn cob, making a funny expression and singing. Haya rushed over and stood in front of Xu Heran, delivering a “freestyle” performance.

“Ack!” The director’s megaphone fell to the ground with a clatter, leaving him dumbfounded.

“Director… Director!” The assistant director looked up in horror. “The live broadcasts have been blocked!”

“Director!!”

Director Liu struggled to stay calm, picked up the megaphone from the ground, and shouted hoarsely, “Which live broadcasts have been blocked?”

“Three of them! All three have been blocked!!” The assistant director also shouted hoarsely. “Can’t you control her?!”

Director: “…”

A surge of frustration welled up in his chest. The director raised the megaphone before his metaphorical demise and roared in indignation.

“Xu Heran—”

“Xu Heran!”

Xin Nuo rolled up her sleeves, grabbed Xu Heran’s ear, and pulled the girl who had been dancing and singing 《WTF》 with Haya back.

“What kind of song did you play?” Xin Nuo’s voice was stern, but the fingers that pinched Xu Heran’s ear were gently kneading her skin, and a mischievous glint flickered in her deep black eyes, like a spring welling up from beneath a stone, “Gudong, gudong,” … bubbling up.

Little Pearl wasn’t an easy target to mess with.

She chuckled inwardly, her gaze lightly falling on Xu Heran’s face, savoring the mix of purple and blue hues, along with the frustration and anger that were unable to form a single word on her exasperated face.

Well, she had just played a song, without mentioning names or pointing fingers. Surely nobody would actually take it personally, right? No way, right?

Xu Heran grinned playfully, lifting her hand to hold Xin Nuo’s hand. She had been excited all day, and even after dancing with Haya, the adrenaline hadn’t subsided. As she held Xin Nuo’s soft and slightly cool hand, without hesitation, she lowered her head and pressed her lips to the junction of Xin Nuo’s knuckles and the back of her hand.

“Mua!”

A deep kiss gesture.

Xin Nuo: “…”

Without thinking, she playfully smacked the back of Xu Heran’s head.

As the live broadcast resumed, fans who were still berating the super moderator and caught off guard by this scene exclaimed:

“!!!”

“???”

“The live broadcast was blocked for less than three minutes, right? How did they start kissing?”

“What… Who’s kissing? Where’s the kissing happening? What kissing?”

The director had just crawled back from the brink of despair and saw Xu Heran causing trouble again. He thought to himself that his time had come, grabbing the assistant director’s sleeve. “Get the phone back for me!”

“Quick, where’s Xu Heran’s manager? Call Teacher Cui over!”

“Can’t control the situation anymore!”

The assistant director hurriedly patted the director’s back, saying, “It’s okay, take a breath, deep breath. Do you want me to bring you an oxygen tank? Besides, there’s Xin Nuo, she can handle it!”

Xu Heran watched as Xin Nuo picked up the phone from the table and returned it to the sweaty staff. She grinned mischievously, not even sparing a glance for the lonely figure of Xu Yanran standing nearby.

She ignored Xu Yanran, and Xin Nuo wouldn’t bother with her either. The two of them sat at the table and resumed wrapping dumplings.

Xu Yanran gritted her teeth in anger, her eyes turning red with frustration. She stormed back to Team Two and crushed the dumpling leaves in her palm. The others in Team Two glanced at her, shrugged their shoulders, and focused on their own tasks.

The live broadcast viewers were puzzled. “Did Xu Yanran just glare at Little Pearl?”

“No way, Xu Yanran is usually gentle and easily brought to tears. She used to only have to put up with Xu Heran’s scolding. How could she dare to glare at Xu Heran?”

“Not true, I really saw it!”

“Me too…”

“It’s a bit strange. So, Little Pearl intentionally played 《WTF》 and directed it at Xu Yanran? Do they have a grudge?”

“Unexpected, right? Little Pearl is quite daring! Nuo Nuo, you should give her a good scolding!”

On the internet, news about the Starlight Girls’ live broadcast being suspended climbed the entertainment headlines and search rankings. Netizens took a look, commenting “Your live broadcast is in trouble again,” and clicked into the article, then immediately shared and laughed.

Thanks to Xu Heran’s clever move, the live broadcast’s popularity and the show’s buzz skyrocketed.

As the two-hour countdown ended, the hall was filled with a tantalizing aroma, and dishes from each team were placed on the table. Everyone’s dumplings were neatly wrapped as well.

The trainees from each team signed their names on cards and placed them on the table along with their dumplings.

Xu Heran rested her palm on the table, leaned forward, and admired the scene for a moment. She realized that her technique had turned out quite well, and she began to proudly shake her body – the program looped the Starlight Girls’ theme song endlessly.

“Next, the judges will taste the food from each team and then vote to decide the order of the next stage’s performance,” the director announced.

A staff member brought in a blackboard, and the tasting panel, each holding a bowl and a pair of chopsticks, lined up to enter the stage.

Xu Heran rested her arm on Jiang Qiong’s shoulder and began to explain, “As you can see, there are a total of six teams, and each team has a traditional Chinese dish on their table – tomato and scrambled eggs! I think this is also everyone’s beginner-level cooking homework, right?”

“That’s right!” Jiang Qiong played along, “So, Pearl, do you prefer sweet or salty tomato and scrambled eggs?”

Team Kill!

Xu Heran’s expression remained unchanged. “Whether I like it or not doesn’t matter. What matters is which flavor our friends in the live broadcast room prefer.”

The live broadcast viewers playfully started to “argue.”

Xin Nuo crossed her arms, lowered her head, and tried her best not to let her laughter show too much.

“Alright, now the judges are entering. The first judge is picking up his chopsticks! He’s eating, he’s eating – very good. We can see that this judge shook his head and is moving on to the next team. Hiss, the judge looks really troubled. He’s hesitating before taking a bite. He’s made his choice! He’s eating! He’s spitting it out!”

“Hahaha—”

The trainees looked at the staff members who were making faces as they spit out the food and burst into laughter. The trainees from Team Five, who knew that they had created some dangerously chemical concoction, quickly handed mineral water to the staff members, apologizing profusely to earn some goodwill.

Each team had three dishes and a soup. The staff members randomly picked one dish to take a bite of, then hurried to the next team. Before long, the first staff member, the one who had been made sick by Team Five, arrived at Team One’s table with a pale face.

He simply lowered his head to take a look and couldn’t help but exclaim, “Wow!” After passing by three tables of dark and strange-smelling food, he suddenly saw a table with not only normal color but also an especially enticing aroma. He was extremely surprised.

“Please.” Laurel’s expression was neutral as she lifted her hand and pointed. “This dish of potato and chicken stew has been simmering on low heat for two hours. Would you like to try it?”

The gaze of the other six members of Team One immediately fell on that dish. The chicken legs were tender, and the potatoes were soft, perfectly melded together with the thick sauce. It looked almost as good as something from a restaurant.

The staff member quickly picked up a communal chopstick, picked up a piece of chicken and potato, blew on it to cool it down, and put it in his mouth.

Xu Heran cautiously poked her head out, “Is it delicious?”

Staff member: “!!!”

“…Delicious!” He was so moved that he almost cried. He raised his thumbs up, “Really delicious!”

Behind him, the other staff members who had suffered through the ordeal perked up, their eyes filled with hope.

They had initially thought it was a treat from the director, but it turned out to be a punishment. Tears welled up silently in their hearts. Why did they have to endure this suffering? No wonder the director didn’t come to taste the food himself!

Dog director!

Deservedly cursed by everyone online!

“Hmph.” Laurel still had that deadpan expression, but her eyes looked quite smug.

“Exactly!” Xu Heran chimed in.

The moment the dishes were ready, she secretly tried a bite. If it was delicious, she almost felt like hugging Laurel and calling her “mom.” She glanced at the staff members and exchanged a look with Jiang Qiong.

Both of them stealthily pulled out disposable chopsticks from their sleeves, leisurely unwrapping the paper packaging.

“Hey!” One young staff member lowered their head and saw the chopsticks being swiftly retracted with a “swoosh.” They were shocked and alarmed, “Director, Xu Heran and Jiang Qiong are sneaking food!”

“No sneaking!” The director immediately yelled through the megaphone.

Cui Qi, who had hurried over, said, “Xu Heran!”

“I didn’t do it!” Xu Heran licked her lips and innocently said, a faint brown sauce still lingering at the corner of her mouth.

“You’ve mistaken, it was Jiang Xiaoqiong!”

Jiang Qiong was shocked and glared at Xu Heran. The friendship within the Woof Woof Squad was hanging by a thread!

Xin Nuo, who was discussing the performance order with Lin Weining, sighed helplessly.

“Taking care of kids is exhausting, right?” Lin Weining asked her with a smile, her eyes narrowed. “You can’t relax for a moment, can you?”

“Heh.” Xin Nuo squeezed her fingers tightly. “Deserves a spanking.”

Unruly pups only understand the rules after being disciplined.

Lin Weining watched her turn to scold Xu Heran and bent her eyes.

Well, she felt that someone was clearly enjoying this situation and hadn’t shown impatience from beginning to end. From another perspective, Xu Heran was certainly keeping Xin Nuo well-fed.

“Behave.” Xin Nuo pulled out a tissue and dabbed at the corner of Xu Heran’s mouth. She slightly lowered her head and whispered, “Laurel saved some food for you guys. Don’t snatch it from the staff.”

“Really?” Xu Heran’s eyes lit up. Her gaze shifted, and she slowly leaned closer to Xin Nuo, her voice sweet, “Nuo Nuo, when do you plan to go home?”

“When you go home, will your mom make a lot of delicious food for you?”

“So much delicious food, can you finish eating it all? Do you need me to help you out?”

She hadn’t forgotten about going home with Xin Nuo.

Xin Nuo fell silent for a moment and softly said, “I’m not going home.”

“My mom… is in the hospital.”

“Ah…” Xu Heran paused, her eyes immediately lit up, “Do you want someone to bring you a lot of delicious food?”

Xin Nuo felt that if she didn’t agree, a certain Pearl would come up with some other idea.

“Then should I thank you on behalf of my mom?” Xin Nuo chuckled.

Xu Heran’s eyes lit up even more. She was so excited she almost jumped up, grabbing Xin Nuo’s hand and playfully pinching it. The camera captured this moment, and the fans in the live chat couldn’t help but accuse a certain Pearl of “improper” behavior, demanding that she come on camera and show them!

“I want to pinch Nuo Nuo’s hand too, sob sob sob. Nuo Nuo’s hand looks so nice!”

“Let’s form a group to sneak up on Little Pearl! I want to pinch Pearl’s face!”

“I’m different, I want to hug from both sides! I want both of them!”

“You want to eat shit! Here, have a chicken claw to gnaw on!”

“Well, this style must be Pearl Mom fans!”

The fans joked and laughed about the staff’s miserable state, and after a full ten minutes, the voting results were announced. In the darkness, the main team of one performed outstandingly, and Laurel bowed to the applause.

“Now, Team One, please decide the performance order,” the director said.

Xin Nuo placed her palm on Xu Heran’s shoulder.

The three cameras responsible for the live stream immediately focused on Xu Heran’s face. In the unretouched lens, her fair and flawless complexion, delicate as porcelain, lifted slightly at the corner of her eye, and her dreamy blue-purple pupils shone brighter than the vast expanse of stars.

“Team One, sixth to perform.”

Laurel secured victory for their team, and this time, they still chose to be the finale.

“For the first to fourth performance order, please play Rock-Paper-Scissors. As for the fifth…”

Xu Heran suddenly turned her head to look left and right.

Among the remaining five teams, countless people silently prayed in their hearts, hoping not to perform before Team One.

“I choose, Team Two.” Xu Heran stood up straight, smiled, raised her head towards Team Two, her gaze passed through the crowd, landing on Xu Yanran, who was at the back of Team Two.

Come on, I really want to compete with you again.

A straightforward competition, without any calculations involved.

Xu Yanran’s face turned pale, and she clenched her lips tightly. Thinking about Xu Heran’s last performance, an inexplicable fear arose in her heart.

At the end of the livestream, each team took turns in front of the camera to campaign and selected ten comments during the countdown to send out their team’s rice dumplings.

“Happy Dragon Boat Festival, please support our contestant Xin Nuo! Thank you!” Xu Heran waved and smiled at the camera.

With a “click,” among the ten captured comments, five were confessions to a member of Team One. The remaining five included four praising the “beautiful friendship” of the “Xinran Sisters,” and one forlorn fan boldly squeezed into a corner under the name “Pengran Xindong,” determinedly holding their ground.

“Click! The livestream ends, thank you everyone!”

Both the recording and livestream came to a halt, and the staff began to clean up the set.

“Now, the break begins. All trainees should return to the dormitory by 8 PM tomorrow night! We have another recording the day after tomorrow! Please return home safely, be cautious online, and refrain from making careless remarks. Thank you for your cooperation!” the staff announced loudly.

“Heran, come here.” Cui Qi waved to Xu Heran, “Have you not contacted your family in a long time? Go write a letter to your family.”

She said this after discussing it with the production team.

The broadcast of 《Starlight Girls》was not only to promote Xu Heran, but also to promote Universal Entertainment and the Universal Group. The new head of the Xu family had plans to enter the Chinese market.

Xu Heran was momentarily stunned, nodded, and instinctively turned around, lifting her hand, “Nuo Nuo.”

Cui Qi was taken aback, watching as Xin Nuo placed her hand in Xu Heran’s palm. The two of them held hands and walked towards a quiet corner.

The responsible camera crew quickly approached.

“Thank you.” Xu Heran took the phone, plopped down on the steps, and licked her lips. Xin Nuo flipped her hair and sat outside the camera’s view, looking at the girl whose emotions were written on her face with curiosity.

Who is she calling…

Xu Heran was tangled up in her long contact list, scrolling back and forth.

Grandma?

Is Grandma resting? Grandpa must be fishing for sure.

Mom, sister?

No, no, it can’t be the sister!

Suddenly, a cold and icy face intruded into Xu Heran’s mind. Her hand trembled, and she tapped on another name.

A cheerful ringtone sounded, and Xu Heran licked her lips. She was conflicted, wondering if the call would be answered. She appeared somewhat flustered. However, when the person on the other end picked up the phone, without hesitation, she exclaimed just like she had shouted it a million times before, “Hello, Xu Junran!”

“What’s up?”

The clear and handsome male voice made Xin Nuo raise an eyebrow.

Xu Heran’s heart sank into her stomach in an instant. She shifted into a more comfortable position, leaning against the steps, holding her phone, and said with a cheerful smile, “What are you up to? I was live streaming. Did you watch?”

The person on the other end of the call said speechlessly, “Who would watch your live stream.”

“Oh.” Xu Heran wasn’t disappointed either. She began to inquire, “How about Grandma?”

“Sleeping.”

“Grandpa?”

“Fishing.”

“Mom?”

“In a meeting.”

“Older sister… Oh, no need to ask her, she must be in a meeting.” Xu Heran wiggled her feet, “Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival. Remember to eat dumplings. Please wish everyone a safe and happy holiday for me. By the way, I sing well, right?”

She asked unexpectedly, and Xu Junran subconsciously replied, “It’s alright, just so-so.”

Xu Heran: “You did watch my show! Did you secretly watch the livestream too?”

Xu Junran: “…Hang up!”

“Haha.”

“Hmph.” Xu Junran’s attitude seemed displeased as he hung up the phone, but just before ending the call, he murmured, “See you in China.”

Upon hearing his last words, Xu Heran suddenly realized, “Oh, right, Xu Junran is returning to China this year for the college entrance exam!”

“College entrance exam?” Xin Nuo asked in confusion, “Is he your older brother?”

Xu Heran shook her head, “He’s my younger brother. We’re twins.”

Taking the college entrance exam at only sixteen?

Xin Nuo looked at her in surprise.

“My younger brother is a good student. He’s returning to China this year for the college entrance exam. He likes Peking University,” Xu Heran stood up and handed her phone back to the staff, smiling as she explained to Xin Nuo, “My grandfather always wanted to return to his roots, my mother, my younger brother, and I are all Chinese citizens. My older sister is also a young prodigy, she graduated early and joined the company to help my mother. I’m the only one with poor academic performance in the family.”

Actually, that’s not true. In her original world, she relied on scholarships and financial aid to attend a top-tier university nationwide, which was completely opposite to the Xu Heran of this world.

“Well… it seems I’m the worst now,” she said with a furrowed brow in distress.

“How can that be?” Xin Nuo said in surprise, raising her hand to cup Xu Heran’s soft face and saying with a light laugh, “In this world, where else can you find such a dazzling pearl like yourself?”

“You’re really something.”

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Sinensis

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1. “Wang Defa” is used as an exclamation or an emphasis to express surprise or disbelief, similar to saying “what the heck” or “what the f**k.” ↩︎