Running Over The Head Of My Ex [Rebirth]

Chapter 2

“Today we will hold the re-evaluation exam. Each participant has only one chance and needs to complete the performance of the theme song, including both singing and dancing.”

He Qingqi sat on the ground in a daze, a stray lock of hair stubbornly standing up. Surrounding her were other girls, divided into five groups based on the color of their clothes.

The girls’ chatter filled the air with a lively atmosphere, mixing fear with excitement. Those wearing yellow and pink seemed the most nervous, eager to get started. He Qingqi, however, felt completely out of place.

At this moment, she felt she should be lying on the street.

He Qingqi clearly remembered Fang Xuanyao’s car hitting her. After being flung into the air, she rolled down onto the windshield of Fang Xuanyao’s car, finally landing on the ground, her internal organs feeling utterly shattered.

Then she died. Although her consciousness remained, she couldn’t feel any pain, so she knew she was dead.

In death, her eyes bulged, glaring fiercely in Fang Xuanyao’s direction. She heard Fang Xuanyao’s terrified scream, and a flood of memories from the past thirty years flashed through her mind. Ultimately, it seemed that all her joys, sorrows, anger, and love vanished like the wind, leaving her feeling both detached and at peace.

She remembered sleeping for a long time. But when she opened her eyes again, it was as if she were waking from a nightmare. She shot up from the floor, a uniform jacket draped over her, her back aching as though she hadn’t slept all night.

Someone she recognized but couldn’t name greeted her, urging her to get up quickly.

She stretched lazily, not understanding the situation. Following her body’s instincts, she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face.

The moment she saw her reflection in the mirror, time seemed to freeze. He Qingqi stared blankly at herself. The yellow shirt she only remembered from the past and the “B” tag on it exploded in her mind like a bomb, leaving her brain completely blank.

A moment later, He Qingqi’s consciousness returned, and she recalled where she was.

She should be 19 now, participating in a group talent show called “Idol Era.” It should be the second episode, where the theme song re-evaluation is taking place, with three months remaining until the end.

This show once sparked a wave of idol culture thirty years ago.

The production team selected 98 girls from various entertainment companies. After several rounds of PK and audience voting, the seven most popular ones would form a group and debut.

But back then, domestic companies weren’t very skilled in creating idols, and without the right resources, the show flopped by the third season.

It wasn’t until a year ago that it was revived. This time, the entertainment companies were well-prepared, sending highly competent participants who excelled in both singing and dancing, making the competition fiercer than ever.

The first season after the reboot featured a boy group, which became extraordinarily popular, and the seven who debuted became instant stars. This set the stage for even more intense competition in the girl group season.

The program emphasized both popularity and skill. This meant that if an idol lacked ability, fans would have to spend heavily to support them. Even those with enough skill felt pressured by the efforts of their competitors’ fans, ensuring the production team made a substantial profit.

Ordinarily, someone from a family like He Qingqi would choose to become an actor, singer, or work behind the scenes if they entered the entertainment industry at all. Few would participate in such talent shows, as some old-fashioned families believed joining a girl group and dancing on stage would tarnish their family reputation. He Dongche, He Qingqi’s father, was one such old-fashioned person.

However, everyone in the industry knew that He Qingqi, the second young lady of the He family, was both the most pampered and the most troublesome, rebellious, and defiant. She seemed approachable but loved causing trouble for her father and brother.

……

Despite the passage of time, He Qingqi remembered it clearly. That day, she had just returned from school to visit her grandparents.

The family of five had dinner at the old house and sat on the sofa, chatting. She peeled apples for her grandparents, making them smile brightly.

Her grandparents, born in the last century, loved watching TV, saying it reminded them of their childhood. Hence, the old house had a huge TV in the living room.

The TV happened to be airing the first season of “Idol Era,” and He Qingqi’s best friend suddenly appeared on the screen, jumping around.

“Whoa!” He Qingqi was startled, looking at the screen in shock. “Chai Chai Chai Chai Xu!”

Chai Xu, the boy who had been with her from childhood through their rebellious teenage years to the present.

He Dongche frowned deeply, clearly displeased. “How can people from our family participate in such shows?”

He Qingqi raised an eyebrow, arrogantly crossing her legs. “Why can’t we?”

Soon after, He Qingqi went to the family company, signed up, and registered for the show. He Dongche had no choice but to let her go.

…

He Qingqi couldn’t remember if she had initially just wanted to argue with He Dongche or if she was angry at his words about her friend.

However, she had always liked to oppose He Dongche. Whatever he disapproved of, she would do the next day. For instance, she chose to study directing in college, a major He Dongche disapproved of.

Yet He Dongche indulged her greatly. He would claim she was no longer his daughter one moment and then have her grandmother give her a card the next day for her film practice.

He Qingqi had grown up without a mother. He Dongche had raised her both as a father and a mother, so they should have had a good relationship. But their bond was complicated by He Qingzhou.

It was no secret that He Qingzhou was He Qingqi’s half-brother, born to He Dongche’s first love.

His first love never intended for He Qingzhou to meet He Dongche. She had kept the child only because she discovered her pregnancy late, making an abortion too risky.

But when He Qingzhou was seven, a car accident claimed his mother’s life, and with no relatives, he was sent to the He family by those who knew the situation.

At that time, He Qingqi’s mother, Jiang Yunshu, was suffering from postpartum depression. The shock of learning about He Dongche’s son led her to commit suicide.

Influenced by those with ill intentions, He Qingqi had mixed feelings of love and hate toward her father and brother. In her teenage years, she genuinely wanted to torment them, knowing they cared about her, so she rebelled in every possible way.

But after that rebellious phase, her heart softened, and she let go of her resentment.

Even her maternal grandparents told her that her mother’s death was just an accident. While they couldn’t forgive He Dongche for their daughter’s death, they acknowledged that He Dongche and He Qingzhou were innocent, and it wasn’t even the fault of the deceased’s first love. It was just bad luck.

Bad luck.

And He Qingqi thought that perhaps her mother had passed on her luck to her. Coupled with her fortune, she became a lucky person.

Lucky enough to be born into a good family, lucky enough to have a chance to start over after taking the wrong path.

But if she had another chance, could she do better? Be a good sister and a good daughter.

He Qingqi fidgeted with her fingers, first feeling lost, then joy, the kind that made her want to cry, mixed with complex emotions.

The people around her came and went, while He Qingqi remained in a daze.

“Qingqi, what are you thinking about? It’s your turn.” The girl from the morning poked He Qingqi, reminding her.

He Qingqi: “???”

She almost forgot she had to dance too!

She looked around in confusion and realized she was the last one in Class B who hadn’t danced yet. The other four classes were ready, just waiting for her.

Embarrassed, He Qingqi scratched her nose. After all, ten years had passed—could she still remember the dance moves?

But with the situation at hand, she had no choice. With so many people around and the cameras rolling, she couldn’t afford to back out.

Luckily, she had been practicing Sanda (a Chinese martial art), street dance, and parkour since childhood. Her body was flexible and agile. Even with just a week’s practice before coming to the show, she managed to get into Class B, indicating her decent talent.

Her initial evaluation was Class A, but the 14 seats were already full when it was her turn, so she had to participate in a battle.

She chose the most beautiful girl among the participants. That girl stunned everyone with a classical dance performance—smooth, unbroken, with a balance of strength and grace, contrary to her expectations of it being dragging and weak.

She intended to compete in dance, but the mentors found their dance skills evenly matched and asked them to compete in vocals instead. The girl performed an original song, and He Qingqi lost, resulting in her being placed in Class B.

So, memorizing a dance in three days wasn’t hard for her, but her mind was blank now. It all depended on muscle memory.

He Qingqi took a deep breath, dusted off her pants, stood up, and tied her jacket around her waist, looking both neat and stylish. She recalled the music from earlier and felt a bit more confident, at least remembering the melody.

“Qingqi! Qingqi, go for it!” The girls behind her cheered excitedly.

He Qingqi turned back and smiled in gratitude.

Once everyone was ready, the theme song’s music started, and her body moved reflexively. He Qingqi’s eyes lit up.

She’s got this!

“Full power on~… Ah woo yo, oh.”

Mentors: “???”

Participants: “???”

He Qingqi: “…” Apparently, she was too optimistic.

She had no idea what she was muttering; she was just following the tune with some survival instinct. Thankfully, she improvised a not-so-rap-like rap in a part with no lyrics.

Finally, she arrogantly struck a pose, showing off her willingness to risk embarrassment.

Mentors: “…”

Participants: “…”

When the music stopped, He Qingqi quickly changed her expression, collapsing on the ground with a look of utter despair, burying her face in her hands, not wanting to face anyone.

What did she just do?

“Qingqi, Qingqi…” The girl from the morning awkwardly poked her.

He Qingqi felt she could see the question marks floating above the girl’s head.

She smiled bitterly. “I was too nervous. Forgot the lyrics on stage.”

The girl nodded sympathetically, her eyes full of understanding, having experienced the blank-mind stage fright herself.

He Qingqi also felt pity for herself. She could already imagine the labels pasted on her face after the show aired:

“Vase.” (Just a pretty face.)

“Lazy.” (not working hard)

“Trust fund baby.” (spoiled rich kid)

What a miserable fate.

He Qingqi rubbed her face with a look of grievance, returning to her spot with her head hanging low.

Meanwhile, in the conference room, five business-like mentors sat around a table, petrified.

First came a silence, and then they struggled to find less direct words.

“Such a pity; He Qingqi is one of the top talents in Class B; she could even make it to Class A.”

“It must be just nerves.”

“Yes, and her reaction was good. Others have just stopped when they forgot the lyrics. “

“She danced well too, and that self-designed pose at the end was very engaging. She has ideas.”

The director behind the camera was full of black lines, feeling like a flock of crows was flying overhead.

What kind of contestants? What kind of mentors?

The five mentors were at a loss for words. Due to some recent incidents involving the show’s production team, none of them dared to upset He Qingqi. They just wanted the show to end quickly and send this VIP away. If they hadn’t already signed contracts and issued the announcements, they would have stopped filming long ago.

Thinking of their former colleague’s miserable fate, the male mentors felt a chill and wiped away non-existent sweat.

Although this girl didn’t seem unreasonable, you never know. Reputation wasn’t important; staying alive was. If the production team had handled it well, no one would know how shameless they were.

“B rank, I think B is good.”

It wasn’t a high rating, but it was far better than He Qingqi’s actual performance. The other mentors agreed.

Giving her a B was safe and not too noticeable.

Fans nowadays are very resourceful. One of them might have connections to get the original footage.

The A rank was limited. If He Qingqi displaced someone and that person’s fans exposed the footage in anger, He Qingqi could leave unscathed, but they wouldn’t be so lucky.

Looking at the girl in the pink top beside He Qingqi, the mentors sighed in relief, perking up again, openly showing their approval.

“Zhuo Zhiwei, who battled He Qingqi in the first episode, is an exceptional talent. With top-tier visuals and perfect skills, even her facial expressions are on point.”

“Though she doesn’t smile often, her micro-expressions are well-utilized, making her still very captivating. Among the 98 girls, only she can rival Tao Jinghan in comprehensive ability. She deserves a spot in Class A.”

This was high praise. Tao Jinghan had been a trainee abroad and never debuted but gained fame by winning a rap competition, skyrocketing in popularity. She was a rare all-around idol, excelling in singing and dancing and having a strong presence.

She was supposed to debut this year, but unexpectedly gave up her debut spot and returned to China. She brought half the buzz to the new season of “Idol Era.”

“Exactly; she’s a born idol.”