CHAPTER 114: CHAPTER 111 DINNER TIME

"Lai Ruoxuan, Li Shihan, there’s an advertisement that you two need to shoot." At this moment, a staff member walked over.

The two, who were happily eating pastries, froze for a moment before their hearts surged with joy.

This is an advertisement for the Penguin Corporation! It’s the kind of opportunity reserved for celebrities.

Everyone around immediately cast envious glances their way. People could understand why Li Shihan would be chosen to shoot the ad—she is the center position, after all. But Lai Ruoxuan? She’s far less prominent.

"No wonder she’s called Penguin Corporation’s favorite daughter," a girl muttered quietly.

"Favorite daughter?" The girl across from her looked puzzled.

"The company Lai Ruoxuan is with—Penguin Corporation is its major shareholder."

"Damn, no wonder she’s getting the first shot at an advertisement."

The news about shooting the advertisement spread through the base like wildfire in less than ten minutes. Along with it, the gossip that Lai Ruoxuan was Penguin Corporation’s ’favorite daughter’ began circulating.

Some were already predicting that the debut positions would definitely include someone from the Moon Girl Group.

"Lu Xiaoman, what are you doing here?" Upon returning to the new dormitory, Chen Yinghan’s face immediately turned icy, her gaze sharp like daggers.

"I got demoted, so here I am." Lu Xiaoman approached with an innocent smile. "Lv Fangxin, looks like it’s going to be the three of us from now on."

"Three of us?" Lv Fangxin stared at her blankly.

"Hehe! What’s wrong? You don’t like it?" Lu Xiaoman’s smile carried a tinge of wickedness.

"Enough, Lu Xiaoman. There’s a camera here. Don’t say anything reckless."

"I’ve unplugged the camera wires. This is our break time," Lu Xiaoman’s expression turned cold as well. She mockingly called out, "Fangxin? You call her so affectionately—does your friend even know about your... preference?"

"Lu Xiaoman, are you seriously going to throw away even the last shred of dignity?"

"Is it me who’s throwing away dignity, or you who left without giving an explanation?"

"Explanation? What explanation do you want? Who did you go to the Maldives with last April? And now, you keep badgering me like this—don’t tell me this is still about trying to get your hands on that Deep City project!"

Chen Yinghan’s words made Lu Xiaoman’s face darken dramatically.

"Yinghan, please let me explain. Last year, my family’s company faced major problems, so..."

"Enough. Stop acting. I see through your true intentions crystal clear."

Chen Yinghan grabbed Lv Fangxin and walked out, leaving behind Lu Xiaoman with an expression as cold and deadly as a snake.

The fire escape—it’s the only spot free of cameras.

"Yinghan, what’s really going on between you and Lu Xiaoman?"

Lv Fangxin couldn’t hold back anymore. Her mind was in turmoil, and she realized she might not know her friend as well as she thought.

Chen Yinghan let out a long sigh. That flawless face of hers revealed a trace of painful recollection. "Xiaoman and I met at a business cocktail party. We both liked music and dreamed of becoming stars, so we grew close."

"Grew close? That kind of close?" Lv Fangxin nervously asked, eyes locked on her.

"We became good friends," Chen Yinghan replied with a bitter laugh.

"But then, I realized she had ulterior motives for getting close to me, so I distanced myself from her," she continued.

"Yinghan, is your family really rich?"

"...It’s okay. Since I was young, I’ve always had people around me who wanted something—from me, or from my family’s money." Chen Yinghan’s face was tinged with sarcasm.

"Yinghan, I..."

"I know you’re not like that. That’s why I chose to be with you. I’ve never met anyone like you before—pure, kind, like a rough gem."

Chen Yinghan tightly grasped Lv Fangxin’s hand, tilting her face upward, her eyes shimmering with a certain expectation.

"I’m sorry, Yinghan, I... I’m not..."

"It’s fine. I know you’re not. I just hope you stay by my side—as my closest friend."

Looking into her friend’s expectant eyes, Lv Fangxin couldn’t bear to refuse.

She didn’t have many friends to begin with, and in this extraordinary environment, it was comforting to have someone she could lean on, confide in—a safe harbor.

"Try this—it’s delicious." Yang Ni offered a slice of mushroom to Meng Meixuan from her self-heating lunch box.

"Why aren’t you sharing with me?" Wu Zixuan exclaimed playfully, pretending to sulk.

"There’s plenty here; you can grab some yourself!" Though Yang Ni said that, she still picked up a piece for her.

They were all gathered in Ye Yuwei’s dorm, having dinner together. Besides them, Qiang Yueting, Guo Xia, Gao Ziyi, and Fu Xiaoyu were also present.

"These days have been exhausting. I can’t understand what the production team is doing—why couldn’t we have practiced for a few more weeks?" Yang Ni complained after sipping some grape juice.

"Yeah. If we’d had more time, we wouldn’t have embarrassed ourselves like today," Gao Ziyi muttered while taking a bite of her chicken drumstick.

"That Zhu Riri was way out of line. There’s pushing for screen time, and then there’s whatever that was." Qiang Yueting shook her head, clearly baffled by Zhu Riri’s antics.

"I was scared out of my wits in the moment. My mind went completely blank—I thought, ’I’m done.’" Gao Ziyi held her chicken drumstick with a look of utter defeat.

"Fame and fortune really change people in ways you wouldn’t imagine." Guo Xia mused thoughtfully.

"I’ve trained so many years just for fame and fortune. I don’t want to go back to eating instant noodles in that tiny rental room of mine," Fu Xiaoyu stated unreservedly, her ambition crystal clear.

Ye Yuwei glanced around at them, finding these girls far more genuine than the ones in Hanoi. Perhaps the temporary nature of their group allowed each person to speak freely, without filters.

It was almost miraculous for them to have come together, given they weren’t from the same social circles originally.

Gao Ziyi wasn’t particularly liked—even her companions who came with her, Jiang Mengqi and Han Qiuhua, didn’t interact much with her. Only Yang Ni, who genuinely enjoyed socializing, maintained a close friendship with her.

So when Ye Yuwei invited Yang Ni over to join the meal, she chose to bring Gao Ziyi along as well.

"I wonder when we’ll get to shoot an advertisement, too," Wu Zixuan sighed, poking at her lamb as if it had lost its flavor.

"Zixuan, you’ll definitely get to shoot one. You’re so popular." Yang Ni reassured with a smile.

"I wonder when our edited footage will be released. The wait is torture." Meng Meixuan chuckled as she chimed in.

"Yuwei, if your footage does come out, you might just blow up. Your performance was incredible," Qiang Yueting praised, grinning.

Gao Ziyi’s eyes betrayed a fleeting hint of envy at the compliment directed at Ye Yuwei.

She never considered herself capable of becoming a sensation—her skills weren’t strong enough. Yet, hearing praises for others made her feel inexplicably bitter.

"Haha, everyone will shine. Come on, let’s toast." Ye Yuwei raised her glass of orange juice.

"If only we had some alcohol—drinking juice all the time is so boring," Yang Ni lamented, setting her glass down in defeat.

"Alcohol? If you dared drink it, the dorm supervisor would sniff it out and bust us in no time," Wu Zixuan joked.

"Once we leave here, I’m throwing a massive drinking party," Yang Ni exclaimed enthusiastically.

Ye Yuwei took note of how Meng Meixuan and Wu Zixuan seemed less inclined to speak to each other. From her perspective, it was likely due to rivalry between them, being from the same company.

"Yuwei, Galaxy is such a big company. Surely you guys have guaranteed debut spots, right?" Gao Ziyi suddenly asked.

"Haha, I wouldn’t know. I just follow whatever orders my boss gives," Ye Yuwei replied with a smile.

"How’s your group? I heard Galaxy has over three hundred girls—that must be chaos, like living in a ’court drama.’" Gao Ziyi’s curiosity burned brightly.

"Not really. We have our disagreements here and there, but overall it’s alright. Plus, we’re all split into different groups, not three hundred people crammed together," Ye Yuwei explained.

"So that vote today... Lu Bingbing must’ve cast hers for you." Gao Ziyi casually mentioned something inappropriate for the setting.

Sure enough, the room fell silent instantly. Qiang Yueting glanced at Gao Ziyi with visible dissatisfaction—her vote had gone to Fu Xiaoyu.

"That was just blind voting. Honestly, aside from a few people I truly care about, I didn’t even watch most of the dances," Fu Xiaoyu quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

"Exactly. There’s still the first public performance ahead—that’s what matters most," Guo Xia added.

Realizing her mistake, Gao Ziyi felt self-conscious for disrupting the joyful dinner atmosphere.

"The important thing is the fans. Yuwei dances so well—she’ll definitely attract viewers," Wu Zixuan pitched in.

"Thank you for comforting me. Honestly, I felt a little down at the time. But now, I’ve come to terms with it. Some things are best left to fate—you can’t force them," Ye Yuwei said, her gaze sweeping across everyone with the clarity of untarnished sincerity.

"Haha, exactly. It’s all about letting go. You can’t expect everyone to like you!" Yang Ni burst out in laughter.