The original ancient-style song didn't come with a choreographed dance, only an illustrated PV, but when Pei Qi learned that Ling Miaohan was joining the talent show, he immediately arranged for a top-tier dance instructor to create a routine. With Pei Qi's extensive resources and connections, he secured the best instructors.
Since the competition was team-based, Pei Qi wasn't going to tamper with the choreography to sabotage his own team. And since there was no conflict between Yu Shuman and Ling Miaohan at this stage, the dance teacher wasn't instructed to sideline Yu Shuman. However, as Pei Qi's employee, the instructor naturally favored Ling Miaohan, giving her more attention and care. The other teammate, who had a background in traditional dance, also picked up the moves quickly, even without extra help from the instructor. This left Yu Shuman struggling. Although she wasn't uncoordinated, the difference in attention meant that, while she kept up with the steps, she fell behind when compared to Ling Miaohan.
Qin Ran noticed this discrepancy while watching the vlog footage. During training sessions, agents couldn't accompany their artists, and even assistants weren't allowed, so the only monitoring came from the studio's dance room cameras. Li Jie forwarded the footage to Qin Ran, indicating that it was her call to make. With other artists, Li Jie would have stepped in and arranged for additional coaching. But Yu Shuman was different; with the top boss constantly hovering over her like a satellite, Li Jie felt it necessary to report every detail to Qin Ran for final decisions.
After some thought, Qin Ran recalled that one of her company's artists was close with the dance instructor in question. She instructed Li Jie to arrange a dinner between this artist and the instructor, aiming not for favoritism but for a bit more diligence when teaching Yu Shuman. Li Jie followed through, and soon enough, Yu Shuman's progress noticeably improved.
As the saying goes, "A master leads the way, but the practice is up to the individual." As long as the instructor did their job, the rest depended on the student's effort.
Yu Shuman wasn't dumb—if she were, she wouldn't have gotten into a top university. Not only was she smart, but she was also what others would call a top student. Where talent lacked, Yu Shuman made up for it with hard work. She wasn't too proud to ask for help and sought guidance from anyone who seemed better. She constantly shadowed the teammate who excelled at traditional dance, absorbing every bit of knowledge she could. Even when met with eye-rolls, Yu Shuman would laugh it off, insisting that she didn't want to drag down the team's overall score.
Knowing that a weak link could ruin the entire performance and lower their score, the teammate eventually relented and allowed Yu Shuman to follow along, as long as she didn't cause too much disruption.
Yu Shuman wasn't confident in her singing, so she turned to Ling Miaohan for guidance. At this point, Ling Miaohan hadn't come to see Yu Shuman as a rival, so she had no reason to refuse and offered some pointers. Though younger, Yu Shuman addressed Ling Miaohan affectionately, calling her "Ling Mei."
However, her pronunciation was a bit off, sometimes making it sound like "Lin Mei," which prompted Ling Miaohan to laugh, clarifying that she wasn't some fragile, willowy figure. To this, Yu Shuman would reply, "But Ling Mei, with your cold and elegant demeanor, you do remind me a bit of Lin Daiyu."
Yu Shuman had a way of getting along with everyone as long as there wasn't any pre-existing hostility. As her practice sessions got busier, her time with Qin Ran grew limited, but she still made it a point to join Qin Ran in their usual corner for lunch whenever possible.
During these lunches, Yu Shuman never ran out of things to talk about, often sharing tidbits about "Ling Mei." While Qin Ran listened, she couldn't help but feel uneasy. Why was a "villainess" getting so chummy with the female lead? The closer they became, the more heartbreaking it would be when things eventually soured.
Qin Ran wasn't good at hiding her emotions, and her displeasure must have shown on her face because Yu Shuman suddenly reached out and poked her cheek. Qin Ran was in the middle of chewing, her cheeks puffed up like a hamster. Startled, she paused mid-bite, swallowed her food, and asked, "What are you doing, Shujie?"
"Aww, is my little Xue Mei getting jealous? Worried I'll forget about you if I get too close to someone else?"
Qin Ran's thoughts were embarrassingly close to the truth, so she turned her head away, refusing to engage. Yu Shuman, however, wouldn't let it go. She reached out and pinched Qin Ran's cheek, chiding, "Look at you, getting so skinny. You never ate well before, and now with all the work you're doing, you're still not eating properly. No wonder you're losing weight."
"Isn't being skinny a good thing? Everyone says being thin is beautiful these days."
"Nonsense. Being thin as a stick isn't attractive at all. Look at me—I'm an entertainer, but I still eat my meals regularly. You know what they say: 'Food is the god of iron; a meal missed leaves you starved!'"
"Yet you were just saying you're an entertainer and need to watch your figure, so you deliberately ate less the other day."
Qin Ran didn't hesitate to expose her. Flustered, Yu Shuman retaliated by grabbing Qin Ran's face with both hands, playfully squishing her cheeks. Qin Ran, who had been turned away, had no choice but to face Yu Shuman again, though she muttered under her breath, "Shujie's such a liar."
"Liar, huh..."
Yu Shuman mumbled softly, but after a moment, she let out a gentle laugh and said, "Actually, Xue Mei, you seem to have gained a bit of weight recently. That's good—your face is filling out." Hearing this, Qin Ran's eyes widened in disbelief—had she really gained weight?
She quickly pulled her face away from Yu Shuman's hands and began to poke and prod her cheeks herself, worrying that she might have indeed put on weight. Seeing this, Yu Shuman teased, "Oh, so my little Xue Mei does care about looking good after all? Then why do you keep hiding your pretty face under those bangs?"
As she spoke, Yu Shuman reached out and pushed Qin Ran's bangs back, revealing her entire face.
Qin Ran was truly beautiful. Even in the entertainment industry, where looks were abundant, she stood out. In high school, her face had been a bit sharp, but now, with a bit more weight, it had rounded into a perfect oval. Her eyes, hidden behind glasses, still shone with clarity and a beautiful shape; her small nose and delicate lips made her a true beauty if she ever decided to embrace it.
But instead, she hid behind long bangs and thick glasses, covering up her natural charm.
Qin Ran lightly swatted Yu Shuman's hand away, letting her bangs fall back into place. She wasn't one for the limelight and didn't enjoy being the center of attention. Comfort always came before looks for her. Cute dresses might look nice, but they weren't practical for running around, working, or even bending down without worrying about an accidental wardrobe malfunction.
Thanks to Yu Shuman's distraction, Qin Ran had almost forgotten why she had been upset in the first place. As they finished eating, she finally remembered and cautioned Yu Shuman, "Shujie, you shouldn't get too close to Ling Miaohan. I think there's something off about her." Maybe she was being paranoid, but Qin Ran couldn't shake the feeling that Ling Miaohan wasn't as simple as she appeared. If Yu Shuman let her guard down, she might get hurt.
But Yu Shuman just smiled and reassured her, "Don't worry. You'll always be my best Xue Mei."
Qin Ran froze for a moment, feeling her cheeks warm, but quickly stammered out, "That's not what I meant, Shujie!"
After finishing her meal, Yu Shuman was called away by Li Jie to try on her outfit, so she waved Qin Ran goodbye and promised to catch up later. That evening, Qin Ran received two photos of Yu Shuman's finalized look for the second public performance. One was a detailed report from Li Jie, and the other was a selfie from Yu Shuman herself—surprisingly flattering, even from a low angle.
But something about the styling didn't sit right with Qin Ran. She couldn't shake the feeling that it didn't fully highlight Yu Shuman's strengths, though there was no denying she still looked stunning.
Ling Miaohan's song, "Dance of the Sands," was based on the Dunhuang culture, so her styling followed a celestial goddess theme from the murals. The colors were primarily red and green, with a lowered saturation to avoid overwhelming the eyes, and touches of yellow to balance the overall palette.
The makeup was also in the Dunhuang style.
A bold sweep of red eyeshadow extended outward, the eyeliner drawn in a long, sharp wing, and the lips painted a rich red. It was a beautiful look, but Qin Ran felt it didn't quite suit Yu Shuman. The hairstyle, in particular, was a problem. All of Yu Shuman's hair was swept up into a high bun, leaving her entire face exposed. While she was undoubtedly beautiful, the style felt too ordinary, lacking the impact of her previous two looks.
In a crucial moment like the second public performance, this look simply wouldn't do. But with the song choice locking her into this aesthetic, the makeup team, even with Li Jie's guidance, couldn't come up with anything better. Qin Ran couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong, so when Li Jie asked for her input, she didn't have a clear answer.
Qin Ran then requested photos of Ling Miaohan and the other teammate's styling. Seeing them only made her more frustrated. Ling Miaohan looked perfect in the low-saturation celestial goddess costume—her naturally cool demeanor made her seem like she was born to wear it. The other teammate, with her traditional dance background, also looked amazing in the outfit.
But when it came to Yu Shuman, while she still looked good, she didn't stand out.
The problem was that high bun. Yu Shuman's face was small and delicate, so pulling all her hair back made her head look disproportionately large, detracting from her natural beauty.
Qin Ran narrowed her eyes. There was no way she was letting Yu Shuman go on stage with this styling. She stayed up all night researching how to fix the hairstyle. Finally, at three in the morning, she found a solution and immediately called Li Jie.
Li Jie, rudely awakened by the call, didn't hold back her frustration. She completely forgot Qin Ran was her boss and launched into a tirade: "Qin Ran! Do you know what time it is?! It's three in the morning! I still have a good five hours before I'm supposed to be up for work! How are you going to make up for this?!"
"I'll give you a paid week off after the show ends. You can even go on a trip. I'll cover it."
"…You got it, boss. What can I do for you?"