Running Over The Head Of My Ex [Rebirth]

Chapter 6

It was clear that Zhuo Zhiwei was a sentimental person.

He Qingqi never imagined that Zhuo Zhiwei would remember such a minor matter for such a long time. This made her think of Fang Xuanyao, the woman she had loved for a long time.

She believed she had treated Fang Xuanyao well and was a good partner: loyal, obedient, wealthy, and attractive. Her career as a director also flourished. The only downside might have been her clinginess if that could even be considered a flaw in a wife.

They had lived together for many years, yet in the end, Fang Xuanyao did not appreciate her at all.

But for ten years, Zhuo Zhiwei had remembered such a small thing.

He Qingqi once believed that these two were similar: both were beautiful, proud, and distant. But now she realizes they are different.

Her feelings were complex—a mix of spontaneous emotion and impulse. She wanted to better understand this familiar but unknown girl from her past life.

There was also an overwhelming sense of guilt and remorse. Such a good girl had suffered undeserved misfortune and slander because of her.

It was all her fault.

As she had said before she died in her past life, she would repay Zhuo Zhiwei in this life.

He Qingqi took a deep breath and suppressed her turbulent emotions. Her eyes softened as she approached Zhuo Zhiwei, wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and gently ruffled her hair, finding the texture pleasant.

He Qingqi cast a glance at the girl, who appeared eight years younger than her actual age. He Qingqi couldn’t hide her guilty expression, and her voice softened.

“Okay, I understand. You don’t need to thank me. In the future, don’t bow to people so easily. You might scare them. It’s not a big deal.”

It was like comforting a child.

Zhuo Zhiwei pursed her lips and nodded.

He Qingqi was a little surprised. She blinked. Was it because she was still young? How come she couldn’t sense the coldness that would keep people at a distance in the future, Zhuo Zhiwei?

Could she believe that she was special and that Zhuo Zhiwei saw her as one of her own? She had to admit that it felt pretty good.

He Qingqi couldn’t help but smile. It turned out that this person was so easy to please. In her previous life, she must have been blind to perceive Zhuo Zhiwei as cold.

The two of them stayed in this position until they reached their new dorm. Zhuo Zhiwei took the initiative to unlock the door.

The new dorm was spacious, with four vanity tables, only two of which were filled with makeup products. There were wardrobes, a sofa, and a TV, but the TV could only show “Idol Era,” and there was only one episode available, which was a benefit for the A-class contestants.

Zhuo Zhiwei took the initiative to show He Qingqi around and opened a door: “There’s also a small kitchen here.”

“Not bad,” He Qingqi smiled and said. “We can have a snack if we get hungry at night.”

“You’re overthinking it,” came a clear voice from the bathroom, belonging to He Qingqi’s other roommate.

“There’s a kitchen, but no ingredients, so it’s useless.”

Tao Jinghan walked out, smiling, and extended a hand to He Qingqi: “Please take care of me, new roommate.”

He Qingqi raised an eyebrow, shook her hand, and smiled: “Please take care of me.”

The top three of “Idol Era,” who were also the show’s most commercially valuable contestants, have gathered in this small room, standing in a triangle, as they had done during the day.

Their eyes shone with determination, and they were energized, as if they were issuing a challenge in advance, excited and nervous for the next competition.

He Qingqi couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Tao Jinghan lived up to her reputation. Despite her immense popularity, she never underestimated any opponent. No wonder she could make a name for herself in the declining music industry in the future, rivaling even Zhuo Zhiwei in influence.

This day had been like a rollercoaster for He Qingqi, making her heart pound and leaving her mentally exhausted. Coupled with continuous practice of singing and dancing, even a steelman would struggle to keep up. She tidied up her dorm, took a quick shower, and at 10:11, the lights went out, allowing her to fall into a deep sleep.

…

When she woke up, it was already 9:30. Despite the absence of her two roommates, she found a packed breakfast in a meal box on her bedside table, accompanied by a note:

“Remember to eat breakfast.”

The sharp handwriting was undoubtedly Zhuo Zhiwei’s. The meal box was still warm.

The cafeteria served breakfast until 9:00, so Zhuo Zhiwei must have noticed He Qingqi hadn’t gone to the practice room yet; she had bought it and brought it back for her.

As she opened the meal box, she touched the note with her fingertips, revealing a faint smile.

“This kind of treatment makes one feel flattered,” He Qingqi remarked, smiling with genuine happiness.

After breakfast, He Qingqi changed into her pink training clothes and went to the designated dance studio. She sat cross-legged and continued to watch the dance that the show’s producers had designed.

It was very cool and explosive, with a “bang-bang” boy group vibe.

Her teammates soon arrived. After greeting each other, the seven of them sat in a row and studied the dance.

He Qingqi cleared her throat: “Everyone has seen the video. This song is in English, but the main challenge is the dance, not the language.”

“The pronunciation and transitions in this song are unique. If not done well, it can make the song sound strange instead of powerful.”

“So, which parts do you all want to sing? Let’s discuss.”

After listening to the song a few more times and discussing it, He Qingqi made a decision based on everyone’s input:

“Let’s split it like this: I’ll sing the first and second lines, and Ning Zhao will sing the third and fourth lines since her voice has a bit of a classical touch. The fifth and sixth lines go to Xiao Yu.”

“Nice, Qingqi. You’re acting like a team leader,” Zhang Xiaoyu patted He Qingqi.

“Of course,” He Qingqi joked, lifting her lyrics book, “Yesterday, I moved into the dorm with the two big shots and was inspired by them.”

“How are they? Do the big shots speak with an air of mystique?” Zhang Xiaoyu inquired.

He Qingqi nodded and patted her chest as if she had survived a great ordeal.

“Absolutely. Big shots are indeed big shots. Despite being so tired, they still got up early today. I really admire them.”

Qiu Ming, who was also in the B-class, laughed along. Although the other five weren’t familiar with He Qingqi and Qiu Ming, seeing them so down-to-earth made them join in the banter.

Two weeks were not too rushed. After practicing until nine o’clock, He Qingqi’s team dispersed and headed back to the dorm together.

Zhuo Zhiwei and Tao Jinghan didn’t return until almost ten o’clock. They washed up and changed into their pajamas. He Qingqi assumed that they would switch off the lights and retire for the night.

However, as planned, the two sat at the table, took out an iPad, and started listening to their next performance’s song on repeat, occasionally pausing to mimic the moves on the video.

He Qingqi, standing on the stairs, was puzzled and hesitated: “Aren’t you going to sleep?”

“Hmm?” Tao Jinghan took off her headphones and asked, “Are you going to sleep? We’ll keep it down.”

He Qingqi bit her lip, struggling internally. She wanted to sleep but didn’t want to fall too far behind her competitors. Moreover, she had declared she would win first place.

After a brief struggle, He Qingqi gritted her teeth, took a step back, and walked over in her slippers, mumbling, “You guys are too dedicated! There’s still a whole two weeks left. With your skills, you won’t run out of time.”

Tao Jinghan shrugged innocently: “If it were just us, no problem. But we need to work hard to help our teammates.” It’s my responsibility to be a team leader.”

He Qingqi looked up in surprise, lifting her eyes from the paper, shocked.

“Idol Era” was undoubtedly a battle royale-type variety show where everyone was a competitor. Being teammates now didn’t mean they’d always be teammates. Each person could become an obstacle to another’s progress.

In the past decade, He Qingqi has seen many cases where people turned against each other over minor roles in movies. Helping competitors like Tao Jinghan and Zhuo Zhiwei was rare, but it did exist.

She couldn’t tell if they were confident or just kind-hearted, but they certainly had a grand demeanor.

After a moment of surprise, He Qingqi understood the key point and smiled: “Jinghan, were you like this when you were overseas too?”

Tao Jinghan paused, then shook her head with a slight smile. For some reason, He Qingqi sensed a hint of bitterness in that smile.

“Not really. That’s the team leader’s job. Despite our teachers’ guidance, she maintained a high level of responsibility. I was just a rapper.”

“Anyway, let’s get to work.” Tao Jinghan pulled over a chair, motioning for He Qingqi to sit. She grabbed an iPad from the drawer and found the song.

He Qingqi blinked, hesitating for a moment, but seeing her competitors working so hard, she couldn’t fall behind and started listening too.

She used to think this song was super cool and powerful. After listening to it over twenty times, she felt like throwing up.

She wondered how these two managed to endure it.

At eleven o’clock, the two stopped to prepare for bed. He Qingqi sighed with relief, glanced at her notes, and experienced a feeling of accomplishment.

“Qingqi, can I see your notes?” Zhuo Zhiwei pointed to her notebook.

“Sure.”

Zhuo Zhiwei worried that He Qingqi, doing this for the first time, might lack experience. To her surprise, He Qingqi had written numerous notes from a director’s perspective, looking more professional than she had expected. The song’s meaning was simple, so there were no issues.

He Qingqi understood Zhuo Zhiwei’s intent, feeling touched, and smiled as she put a hand on Zhuo Zhiwei’s shoulder, explaining, “Zhiwei, I studied directing and have followed film crews before.”

Zhuo Zhiwei felt a bit embarrassed, staying silent for a moment. “Alright.”

Knowing Zhiwei’s shy nature, He Qingqi said, “Can I borrow your notes?”

“Of course.”

Zhuo Zhiwei had chosen a classic girl group song, “Trick,” which was very sexy and alluring.

He Qingqi pictured Zhuo Zhiwei performing this song and couldn’t help but click her tongue. The restrained yet sexy style would captivate many viewers. With her near-perfect face, the crowd would go wild. Zhuo Zhiwei had excellent taste in songs.

They shared a headphone each, their heads close together, watching the iPad.

He Qingqi felt the posture was too intimate, but glancing at Zhuo Zhiwei’s calm demeanor, she didn’t mind and maintained the position.

Seeing He Qingqi turn her head, Zhuo Zhiwei relaxed, her lips slightly pursed and her ears a bit red.

She wasn’t used to being so close to others, but it didn’t feel bad. Zhuo Zhiwei’s body relaxed further.

Zhuo Zhiwei’s talent and effort were evident in the unanimous praise from the mentors. In just one night, she almost mastered the song’s choreography for seven people, making He Qingqi marvel.

They shared their thoughts on the song. Later, Tao Jinghan also joined in.

The three young women, each holding a pen, were focused and huddled together, gesturing and discussing like students preparing for finals. Unlike at school, they were engaged. When midnight came and it was time to go to sleep, they still felt reluctant to stop.