Chapter 2

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to all of you, from all of us here at Xtraordinary Translations!

Here is a special gift from us; the long awaited start of GHRA. Please enjoy.

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“Gulp.” Xu Heran swallowed her saliva and awkwardly got up. She had been kneeling for a while, and her knees were a bit numb, making her movements not very agile. “Xi, Xi Nuo?!”

In reality, Xi Nuo was even more beautiful than she appeared on the screen. Her dense black hair was tied up in a ponytail, and she wore a baseball cap with a cold and indifferent expression beneath the brim, making her seem hard to approach.

A strange feeling briefly crossed Xu Heran’s mind. Xi Nuo… wasn’t she supposed to have a warm personality?

But the excitement of being able to see Xi Nuo up close made her quickly forget about this insignificant thought.

Xi Nuo was also observing her. When she entered the room, she heard Xu Heran scolding someone, and the target of her scolding seemed to be… herself?

Impossible!

She probably got angry at some trainee who had moved up in the rankings again, and that trainee was most likely named Xi Nuo.

Xi Nuo’s expression remained neutral.

“Xu Heran.”

Xi Nuo called Xu Heran. Her voice was slightly hoarse, as if intense emotions were suppressed deep in her throat. Her voice was beautiful, like a rose submerged in a transparent vase—quiet and soft, the petals stretching clearly within the calm water, exuding a subtle charm.

Xu Heran had already experienced this through the video, but she couldn’t help but be fascinated even now, her ears turning slightly red.

Xi Nuo’s tone was also subdued. “You’re looking for me?”

“Ah, I’m looking for you?” Xu Heran asked dumbly.

Xi Nuo pressed her eyelids, slowly raised her gaze, and looked at Xu Heran.

So, the once adorable and cherished little princess can play dumb too? Wasn’t she the one who barged into her dorm early in the morning, shouting that everyone should meet at the warehouse tonight and who wouldn’t come would be a coward?

The princess of the Xu family, just like a street-style girl.

Xi Nuo sneered inwardly. She still had to go practice dancing; she didn’t have time to clash with her. She kept her words brief and to the point as a reminder.

“Tonight, at the warehouse?”

Xi Nuo was inviting her to meet!

Xu Heran’s heart “thumped” and she exclaimed eagerly, “Okay, okay, okay!”

Xi Nuo raised an eyebrow slightly, gave her a nonchalant glance, then turned and left.

Xu Heran reluctantly watched her departing figure until, two minutes later, another woman walked in and looked at the scattered bottles and cans on the floor.

“Heran, I’ve already contacted the director’s team. The video for the sixth episode has been re-edited and released,” the woman said. There were some fine lines at the corners of her eyes. She wore a fitted casual suit and had a staff badge hanging on her chest, which read “Universal Entertainment – Cui Qi.”

Xu Heran nodded, agreeing with her words. The original owner had both talent and beauty, and she didn’t need to rely on unspoken rules to debut. Moreover, she had financial backing. 《Starlight Girls》 was exclusively sponsored by the Xu family. Yet, the original owner still insisted on acting recklessly as a malicious supporting character!

Seeing Xu Heran obediently agreeing, Cui Qi, who had expected her to throw a tantrum, looked at her in surprise and noticed the tear marks on Xu Heran’s face. The girl with red eyes appeared quite pitiful, and her beautiful face evoked sympathy.

Sighing inwardly, Cui Qi offered some advice, “It’s just the 15th place. Train hard, and you’ll surely climb back to the top spot. There’s one more thing…”

She hesitated for a moment before continuing, “Don’t pay attention to others. They’re not worth your concern.”

Xu Heran’s rankings had been continuously dropping. She held a grudge against Xi Nuo, who had been shining brightly in the show and showed her enmity openly during normal filming. Editing couldn’t save Xu Heran anymore. Her scenes were being cut, but quick-eyed viewers had already captured clips of Xu Heran’s performances and spread them around. Even gifs of Xu Heran rolling her eyes had been compiled!

Many viewers who were initially dazzled by Xu Heran’s beauty cried out in realization that they had been deceived. Her votes kept decreasing, and her rank continued to plummet. Xu Heran remained angry and frustrated… a vicious cycle.

“Alright—huh?” Xu Heran made a strange sound in her throat. She took a deep breath, her chest heaving heavily. She suddenly realized the current timing.

The second round of eliminations, Xi Nuo had risen to the fourth place, while the original owner was now in the fifteenth place. And just a moment ago, Xi Nuo had invited her to the warehouse!

Sigh… Isn’t this from the book? The scene where, infuriated by her own declining rank, she takes it out on the original owner, humiliating her in the warehouse and even slapping her across the face?

However, all of this was captured by a passing assistant director who happened to be live streaming. It was faithfully presented to the show’s avid fans.

The original owner’s despicable actions stirred up controversy and led to her being boycotted by the entire internet community. She withdrew from the competition, but her behavior only grew more audacious after that. She hired internet trolls to smear the original owner’s reputation and set various traps for the female lead. Eventually, her own misdeeds were exposed, and amid a barrage of criticism, she fled overseas. Her life spiraled into a state of debauchery, and she eventually got involved in something absolutely forbidden, leading to her gruesome demise.

It was precisely because of the backlash she faced and her subsequent withdrawal from the show that the Xu family stopped sponsoring《Starlight Girls》 The new CEO of the show’s sponsor was one of the many wolves who lusted after the female lead. The long and dark path of the female lead’s life was about to unfold in the warehouse tonight.

“No, this can’t happen, absolutely not!” Xu Heran suddenly exclaimed. Since she had come into Xi Nuo’s world, how could she bear to watch Xi Nuo endure such disgusting things? She paced around her room anxiously, tugging at her hair.

Cui Qi thought she might be changing her mind again and furrowed her brows, silently putting away her tablet. Fine, if she doesn’t want to listen, then she doesn’t have to. She was just assigned to Xu Heran by the Xu family as her manager, and she knew the temperament of this little princess. She couldn’t control Xu Heran.

“Sis, I’m going out for a bit. I’ll be back if there’s anything!”

Xu Heran rushed out, colliding with a passing girl in the hallway.

“I’m so sorry, I apologize,” Xu Heran quickly grabbed the girl and apologized. After the girl waved her hands in reassurance, Xu Heran asked, “Excuse me, where is the warehouse?”

The slender girl was shorter than her and had been hunching her neck. When Xu Heran asked, she timidly looked up at her, fear in her eyes. She tremulously raised her finger and pointed in a direction.

“Thank you!”

Watching Xu Heran’s hurried figure, the girl opened her mouth, turned to look back at the room, and said to Cui Qi, who was watching with an indifferent expression, “She… she called me sis.”

Cui Qi didn’t seem to like her much and sneered.

The girl didn’t care at all about Cui Qi’s attitude. She clenched her fist and couldn’t help but curl up a smile at the corner of her mouth. “Did she recognize me?”

“She didn’t even notice who you were. Xu Yanran, know your place and don’t try to flaunt yourself in front of Heran. Otherwise, don’t blame me for not being polite.” Cui Qi threatened.

Xu Yanran’s face turned pale. She lowered her head, pressed her lips against the wall, and silently left. Just as she left Cui Qi’s line of sight, the pale-faced girl suddenly lifted her head, curled her lips into a smirk, and a trace of disdain flashed in her eyes.

“Let’s see how long you can stay smug, hm!”

Xi Nuo walked out of the bathroom, barefoot on the floor, gazing at the fogged mirror.

On the misty mirror surface, a vague silhouette could be seen. Suddenly, Xi Nuo tilted her head back, her eye sockets red. A transparent tear slid down her damp face, dropping onto the glistening white ketone body, merging with the post-shower water droplets.

She had truly returned, back to where everything began, back to when her mother was still alive.

Xi Nuo lifted her palm and pressed it against the cool mirror, wiping away the condensation little by little. The world in the mirror gradually became clear. The girl stared at her reflection coldly, remaining silent for a long time. Suddenly, she ripped off the towel, causing a hint of allure to ripple through the mirror’s world.

Xi Nuo silently surveyed her young, unblemished body, her mouth slightly curling into a mocking smile. She fixed her gaze on her own eyes, her slender fingertips tracing along her flat abdomen, brushing against the continuous droplets of water, gliding over her collarbone, and encircling her graceful neck.

“Don’t hold back, okay?”

The girl in the mirror smiled sweetly.

The moon quietly rose, harmonizing with the lively lights of the training camp. At this moment, only the warehouse, piled high with filming props to the west, was engulfed in darkness.

A person walked along the path beside the warehouse, holding broadcasting equipment. The assistant director smiled and waved at the camera before turning it forward. She was in charge of today’s live streaming task, introducing the basic facilities of the training camp to the “Star-Making Mentor” – the fans, of course. Most importantly, she was capturing footage of the trainees, increasing their exposure.

“The trainees have finished their day of training and have gradually returned to their dorms. However, some diligent trainees are still in the practice room ‘overtime.’ I’ll take you to see these lovely girls later. If you want to see a specific trainee, let me know in the barrage.” The assistant director’s tone was lively.

She looked at the barrage below the live stream, and sure enough, the comments started flooding in rapidly. Many names passed by in quick succession, interspersed with various expressions of affection. Among them, the ones with the most comments were the top-ranking trainees of the camp, and they had the most fans.

“The little princess has so many fans, impressive.” The assistant director silently thought to herself. However, today’s live stream wouldn’t include Xu Heran. Her attitude toward certain trainees was too negative, and the production team was worried that Xu Heran might say something inappropriate. This was a live broadcast, and there was no way to edit. In the end, the production team would be blamed by the Xu family, which wasn’t worth the risk.

At this moment, a slender figure walked under the moonlight, pausing briefly in front of the camera before entering the warehouse. Fans immediately recognized her as Xin Nuo, who had ranked fourth in today’s released episode. Excitement swept through the crowd as they started flooding the barrage with Xin Nuo’s name, urgently urging the assistant director to hurry up and film Xin Nuo.

The assistant director furrowed her eyebrows slightly. What was Xin Nuo doing in the warehouse at this hour?

The dark warehouse was eerily quiet.

The girl with a ponytail stood by the window, with the white moonlight casting onto her flawless face, enveloping her body in a gentle glow. She appeared lazy, comfortably leaning against the window, squinting her eyes as if basking not in moonlight, but in sunlight.

Seeing someone enter, Xu Heran crossed her arms and pouted. “Why are you so slow?”

I couldn’t wait to see you!

Xu Heran wore shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, her straight and long legs even whiter than the moonlight. When she spoke to Xin Nuo, she seemed quite familiar, her tone less like a question and more like a coquettish remark.

Xin Nuo hesitated in her movements, glancing at Xu Heran with suspicion. After adjusting her hat and positioning herself, she looked at Xu Heran.

Even though Xin Nuo despised Xu Heran, she had to admit that Xu Heran possessed astonishing beauty. Her mixed-race advantages and her extraordinary eye color had sparked discussions online, and based solely on her appearance, she had taken the top spot among the trainees. Not to mention the profound background of her family – she practically had everything that anyone in the world could dream of.

“Such a waste of a good hand.” Xin Nuo thought mockingly. Now, she was about to tear apart Xu Heran’s proud facade.

Xu Heran, welcome to the world of darkness.

From the corner of her eye, Xin Nuo noticed the shadow falling at the entrance. Her lips curved slightly as she tossed her long hair and lowered her head slightly, exuding a bewitching allure. Bathed in the gentle moonlight, the enchanting beauty of the girl was evident as she smiled lightly at Xu Heran.

“You called me here. What did you want to say?” She softly inquired, the content identical to what she had said before.

Xu Heran’s gaze was glued to Xin Nuo and she couldn’t look away. She stared intently at Xin Nuo’s smile, her heart pounding. It wasn’t until Xin Nuo raised an impatient eyebrow that Xu Heran snapped back to reality, licked her lips, and raised her fist.

Xin Nuo’s gaze grew colder as she looked at Xu Heran’s raised fist. Her heart mockingly sneered, wondering if this time, instead of a slap, Xu Heran would use her fist –

“Xin Nuo, I like you!”

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The author has something to say:

Xin Nuo: ?

【Favorability System Activated】(Just for fun)

Xu Heran to Xin Nuo: +999999999

She is your faith, your idol, the focus of your gaze, the harbor where you reside. She is your inviolable sanctuary, your loyal aspiration.

Xin Nuo to Xu Heran: -999999999

She is the key to your darkness, the giant hand that drags you into the abyss, your hatred, your anger, the darkness you never want to look back upon in your life.

Congratulations to Xu Heran for achieving the achievement: Unrequited Love

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Sinensis

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