Running Over The Head Of My Ex [Rebirth]

Chapter 21

In Tao Jinghan’s rehearsal room.

“Very good, not bad. Jingyi, you sang well this time; you’re getting it.”

“Thank you, Captain!” Chen Jingyi couldn’t hide her joy when she was praised by the top-ranked member recognized as the strongest in the “Idol Era.”

“Squeak—”

The door opened.

Apart from Tao Jinghan, the other five looked curiously at the sound’s source.

A woman with delicate makeup, long black curly hair draped over her shoulders, walked in holding a folder. She had a slender figure, about 1.65 meters tall, and every step she took exuded a captivating presence.

She held her head slightly high, revealing a beautiful, full chin. Her slightly upturned lips made people instinctively feel positive about her. She had the perfect first-love face, an almond-shaped face, fair porcelain skin, and looked around twenty years old.

“What are you looking at? Come on, focus.”

Tao Jinghan couldn’t help but knock on the floor.

“Jinghan.” A sudden Korean sentence sounded behind her, followed by light laughter. Broken Chinese spilled out from her lips: “Jinghan has grown up.”

Tao Jinghan was stunned; her pupils contracted slightly. She turned around abruptly, and upon seeing the person, the familiar address slipped out instinctively: “Unnie?”

“Why are you here, Unnie?” Tao Jinghan jumped up, scattering the lyrics on her lap all over the floor, but her eyes never left the woman in front of her.

Tao Jinghan spoke in Korean, but Bian Suitong, insisting on blending in with the local customs, responded in her imperfect Chinese: “Didn’t you listen to what Teacher Yan Huan said about the rules? I am the assisting member.”

Tao Jinghan frowned slightly, looking steadily at Bian Suitong for a while. Bian Suitong met her gaze without flinching. Eventually, Tao Jinghan was the first to look away.

Her eyes flickered, and feeling helpless, she noticed the scattered papers on the ground. She quickly bent down to pick them up individually, shaking off the dust and gathering them together.

Grief and hurt flooded her heart, shattering her calm mood completely. A nameless rage occupied her body, but seeing the cameras around the room, she suppressed her emotions.

Still, she felt stuck, blocked, and very frustrated.

She casually asked, “Are the other three members also joining?”

Bian Suitong shook her head. “It’s just me and Shuyi. Why are you unhappy to see me, Jinghan?”

Tao Jinghan gritted her teeth, forced a smile, and squeezed out a response through her teeth: “Happy, why wouldn’t I be happy?”

Bian Suitong’s lips curled gently, and her smile was as gentle as a spring breeze on paper. “That’s good. Shuyi also wanted to come here, but I abused my power to refuse her.”

Tao Jinghan: “…” Thank you very much.

Instead, if it had been Pei Shuyi, she would probably feel more at ease.

No one wants to be around someone who recently rejected them, and Tao Jinghan was no exception.

Of the seven members originally selected for W.S., only Bian Suitong was older than Tao Jinghan, so she called her “Unnie,” a term filled with commercial intent and personal bias.

Because only she called Bian Suitong, it seemed like their relationship was unique.

Bian Suitong was a dedicated idol, never rejecting her or even cooperating with her. Whether in front of the camera or in private, she unwaveringly supported Tao Jinghan’s affectionate actions, which inevitably stirred a bit of hope in Tao Jinghan’s heart.

She was even prepared to confess, but accidentally discovered that the other party was secretly dating a male actor. She angrily confronted her.

But the other’s bewildered response, “Aren’t we a commercial CP?” left her retreating in confusion.

A commercial CP—that’s how she defined their relationship.

So everything was just her wishful thinking.

She watched fan edits over and over again alone at night, listening to the song “Truth Is False” with tears streaming down her face.

The gentleness you saw was false; the love was all fake; the embraces you witnessed were false; and the longing you guessed was false.

The happiness you saw was false; the secrets you guessed were false; the mutual glances you captured were false; and the reunions you heard were false.

I quickly woke up from this dream, realizing that the companionship was false, the love was false, the story you wrote was false, the past you hid was false, and I did not fall in love with him.

I did not fall in love with her.

Then she returned to her home country.

Wanting to forget her and also giving herself a chance to start over.

However, this person also came to China.

Tao Jinghan didn’t want to give herself hope, only to be disappointed again. She dismissed the idea that “she also likes me,” thinking instead that she wanted to restore their friendship, her heart sinking to the bottom.

The whole day, Tao Jinghan felt uncomfortable, realizing for the first time how time could drag on when being with Bian Suitong.

However, Bian Suitong’s professional skills were indeed strong. She handled all of Tao Jinghan’s team’s tasks effortlessly, and by the afternoon, she had won over her team members, all of whom called her “Sister Suitong” affectionately, making Tao Jinghan’s headache.

Or perhaps she couldn’t help but feel jealous. When could she also admire her purely for her personality charm or outstanding professional skills without mixing in any feelings of love?

Tao Jinghan couldn’t help but mock herself. The girl who once made her proud and boastful has now become a permanent thorn in her heart. Just thinking about her made her heart ache.

Finally, night came, and Tao Jinghan breathed a sigh of relief.

It was finally over.

She changed clothes, shouldered her bag, and walked to the door. “Unnie, I’m leaving now.”

“Wait, I’ll be ready soon.”

Tao Jinghan suppressed her emotions, her eyelashes trembling slightly. After a while, she whispered, “Okay.”

The night sky in City A was beautiful, filled with numerous tiny diamonds, and the bright moon adorned the deep blue sky like a beautiful painting.

Peach Juice routinely waited on Tao Jinghan’s way home, escorting her with gentle care.

For more than a month, every night was like this, and Tao Jinghan couldn’t help but feel grateful, softly answering the fans’ questions as they walked.

Bian Suitong wore a mask, covering her face tightly. The official “Idol Era” blog hadn’t announced her joining, so even W.S. fans only glanced at her without recognizing anything unusual, assuming she was a new staff member.

After saying goodbye to the fans, neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere between them became a bit awkward.

“Jinghan…”

“Unnie…”

When they spoke simultaneously, they looked surprised.

Tao Jinghan lowered her eyes and said, “Unnie, why are you here? Company arrangement, or…”

“Yes, company arrangements.”

Tao Jinghan nodded, smiling faintly, her tone subtly melancholic. “I see…”

“Yes…”

Another strange silence followed.

Tao Jinghan’s eyelashes trembled. She couldn’t help but glance at the girl, hesitantly asking, “You… are not mad at me anymore?”

Bian Suitong hadn’t spoken to her since the company announced her withdrawal from the group to join “Idol Era”; even in front of fans, she treated her coldly as if she had done something wrong.

At that time, just after confessing, she was too embarrassed and didn’t coax her, so they remained at a stalemate.

Before returning to China, Tao Jinghan only said goodbye to the other five members and hadn’t contacted them since moving. So, they hadn’t spoken in almost three months.

Although Bian Suitong said it was the company’s arrangement, Tao Jinghan thought that if Bian Suitong was still angry, someone else would naturally replace her.

Sure enough.

“Hmm, I’m not angry anymore.” Bian Suitong pressed her lips together and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I was too willful before. I apologize. This is a good platform; it’s great that you came.”

“Hmm, really great.” Bian Suitong repeated, looking down and laughing lightly. “It’s strange. I am the older one, and the other members think I am a good sister. but in front of Jinghan, I can’t help being willful, as if Jinghan is the older one.”

Tao Jinghan’s heart softened, and her eyes gradually became gentle. She smiled and wanted to ruffle the girl’s hair as usual, but hesitated, her white hand pausing in mid-air before letting it fall casually back to her side.

There was a dull, oppressive pain in her heart.

Tao Jinghan blinked and lowered her eyes, hiding her sadness. “Silly, you’re only eight months older than me.”

Bian Suitong pouted her delicate nose and stared at Tao Jinghan with beautiful eyes, looking a bit childish and cute. “I’m a year older! You have to call me unnie!”

“Okay, unnie.”

Tao Jinghan shrugged helplessly and then said, “What did you want to tell me just now?”

“I just wanted to ask… When will Jinghan return to the team?” Bian Suitong seemed nervous, speaking quickly with a bit of her hometown accent. “The show forms a temporary group that lasts two years; if the development is good, it may extend, but the members can refuse.”

“So, when will Jinghan return?”

Tao Jinghan listened in a daze, looking confused, but she understood the last sentence!

“Maybe… I won’t go back.” Tao Jinghan lowered her head, twisting her fingers, feeling a wave of bitterness.

Didn’t she want to go back?

But after saying those words, what reason did she have to return?

She couldn’t be as good as Bian Suitong at managing her expressions, pretending as if nothing had happened.

“Not going back?”

“Hmm.” Tao Jinghan smiled naturally. “Korea is a wonderful country. I learned a lot there and met many important friends, but this is my homeland, where my family and friends are. I’m 23 now; it’s time to come back.”

Bian Suitong stopped in her tracks, her eyes red and reflecting the dim light, full of grievance and sadness. She stood there, unable to control her tears.

She felt deeply wronged and thought Tao Jinghan was a big liar.

“So what about us? Aren’t the six of us your friends? Are you just going to abandon us?”

She didn’t know why, but hearing this answer made her heart ache. It felt as if someone was gripping her heart tightly, and with a slight squeeze, she couldn’t stop trembling.

Tao Jinghan didn’t know what Bian Suitong was thinking and didn’t care about keeping her distance. She just felt her heart ache almost unbearably.

She clumsily wiped Bian Suitong’s tears with her sleeve, looking at her with guilt. “Don’t cry; I’m sorry.”

Bian Suitong choked out, “You said the seven of us would always be together.”

“I lied; I’m sorry.”

Bian Suitong’s crying broke Tao Jinghan’s heart. Unable to bear it, she gently embraced Bian Suitong, just like before, softly patting her back to comfort her.

“Is it because of me?” Bian Suitong gently pushed Tao Jinghan away, tightly gripping her arms and looking up at her. “Is it because of what happened that day? I apologize; I shouldn’t have.

Tao Jinghan shook her head, putting a finger to Bian Suitong’s lips to stop her.

Her voice was hoarse and low, with a slight nasal tone. “No, it’s my fault; I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault; you just don’t like me.” Tao Jinghan bit her lip, forcing a light smile. “Maybe I mistook my feelings for love because I haven’t interacted with others for so long?”

She feigned a troubled expression. “Thinking about it now, it seems like that. See, I was embarrassed that day, but now I’m just a little sad.”

“Just a little.” Tao Jinghan indicated a small amount with her fingers. “After all, being rejected, whether it’s real love or not, always makes one a bit sad.”

Tao Jinghan guessed that Bian Suitong felt guilty and reluctant because she thought her rejection made Tao Jinghan return home.

But she couldn’t bear to see Bian Suitong sad, so she downplayed her feelings to comfort her.

“And my return is inevitable. I had to come back eventually. ‘Idol Era’ was a good opportunity, so I took it. Don’t overthink.”

“But even if I leave the group, we’re still friends, good friends. We’ll have many chances to meet. With technology so advanced, we can see each other in a few hours by plane. Also, when you and Chan Hyun get married, I can be your bridesmaid.”

Tao Jinghan warmly ruffled Bian Suitong’s hair, acting as she always had, though her heart felt like it was bleeding.

She didn’t want this girl to be sad, however. She tried to support Bian Suitong’s happiness, no matter the cost.

Bian Suitong thought she would laugh after hearing this, so she tried to smile.

However, strangely, she didn’t feel relieved, but rather frozen in place, as if she had fallen into an icy lake in February, cold from head to toe.

Was it vanity?