A Pair of Evil Women's Love - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“It must have fallen.”

“Yilan, let’s go check the other dorm rooms in Class D.”

“It’s a four-person dorm, and there are 11 people in each class, so one room will have an empty bed.”

“Maybe our room is the empty dorm.”

Judging by their conversation, the people must have left.

Two minutes later, Fu Haitang pushed open the bathroom door and walked out. She stretched her shoulders, her high-arched eyebrows showing a rare, blatant look of triumph. But the expression quickly vanished.

Fu Yilan was standing right outside the door.

Fu Haitang’s somber expression disappeared, replaced by a polite, formal smile.

“What a surprise, Teacher Fu. What are you doing here?” Fu Yilan asked innocently.

Fu Haitang explained, “I was just using the restroom. I hope I didn’t interrupt you while you were moving into the dorms?”

“Of course not!” Fu Yilan said with a smile. “What’s wrong? You seem a little nervous?”

Fu Haitang smiled, pointing to the camera crew in the corner of the dorm. “We’re from the show, so we’re a bit sensitive. I heard everything you said. I was just worried about causing a misunderstanding.”

Fu Haitang comforted her. “It’s impossible for there not to be a bed for you. Your bed should be somewhere else. Wait a moment, I’ll go find the logistics staff.”

Fu Yilan pointed to a suitcase in the corner. “Really? Then why is my luggage here?”

The implication was clear: she was certain that someone had tampered with things. Otherwise, why would her luggage be here but her bed somewhere else?

Fu Haitang had underestimated Fu Yilan. She had thought the girl in front of her was just a naive, sweet simpleton.

“Yilan, why did you walk so fast?” Her roommates came rushing in, their expressions a mix of concern, schadenfreude, and pure gossip-seeking.

“Yilan! We didn’t see your name in the other rooms either. What should we do? Does this mean you can’t stay at the station?”

Fu Haitang spoke up at the right moment. “I’m the team leader of Planning Team B. What’s going on?”

Fu Yilan turned her head, her lips downturned in a worried frown. She looked at Fu Haitang with her clear eyes. “Since there’s no space for me, does that mean I don’t have to stay in the dorms?”

Fu Haitang controlled the twitching of her mouth and said reassuringly, “Of course not. The nameplate might have been forgotten or dropped. You can still use a bed as usual.”

Fu Yilan didn’t say anything. Fu Haitang smiled and greeted the others, then slapped her forehead as if she had just remembered something. “You guys should change first. There’s another shoot in half an hour. I have to go now.”

Fu Haitang left in a hurry. Fu Yilan nodded as she saw her off, then silently stuck out the tip of her foot as she opened the door.

Fu Haitang calmly lifted her leg and stepped over it.

“Tsk.” Fu Yilan let out a very low, almost inaudible scoff. She wasn’t sure if Fu Haitang had heard it, but she was truly getting impatient.

The training uniforms were on the windowsill, four sets per person, in sizes S and M. After everyone else had picked their clothes, only Fu Yilan was left. Her roommates stood around the windowsill, looking at each other and clutching their clothes tightly.

“What’s wrong?” Fu Yilan asked. Then she saw the empty windowsill.

The logistics staff hadn’t prepared clothes for her?

“It’s okay,” Fu Yilan said in a low, faint voice, reassuring her roommates. “I’m fine.”

Six o’clock.

The trainees went to their respective practice rooms to watch the show’s theme song and dance.

The mentor for Class D was Lu Jing.

Fu Haitang stood in the corner with the script. Fu Yilan, still in her regular clothes, stood out among the 11 people in Class D. She was tall enough, but her proportions were so good that she was on par with some of the female alphas.

In addition to her casual clothes, which were different from everyone else’s, she effortlessly stood out from the crowd.

Lu Jing held the microphone, his alpha aura intimidating. The omegas, betas, and even alphas present were all captivated.

But now, the atmosphere was quite tense.

“Number 56.”

Fu Yilan: “Here.”

Lu Jing: “Why haven’t you changed into your uniform?”

The crowd parted. The other members of Class D stepped back, leaving Fu Yilan alone. She looked up, her gaze first fixed on Fu Haitang, who was standing behind Lu Jing, and then slowly met Lu Jing’s eyes.

Lu Jing: “What, doesn’t the uniform fit?”

“No! Teacher Lu, it’s… it seems like they didn’t prepare clothes for Yilan, so she couldn’t change,” her roommate Qingqing said.

Another roommate, Deng Qian, added, “Yeah, we all looked. There really weren’t any clothes for Yilan in the dorm.”

Lu Jing frowned immediately, gestured with his hand, and Fu Haitang instantly walked out of the corner, covering her mouth and nose to quietly explain to Lu Jing. “…Everyone gets four sets, and it seems Fu Yilan’s were all missed. We’ve already notified them to replace them… yes…”

Fu Haitang’s voice wasn’t loud, but Lu Jing was wearing a microphone. Her words were clearly transmitted to everyone in Class D, including Fu Yilan.

Fu Haitang put on a pained expression and explained, “Everyone gets four sets, so that means someone else could have lent Fu Yilan a set to wear temporarily. I don’t know why she came wearing her own clothes.”

Qingqing and Deng Qian immediately looked away, lowering their heads and not daring to speak. In contrast, a small smile appeared in Fu Yilan’s eyes.

Lu Jing looked at the group of girls for a moment, then waved his hand, signaling that he wouldn’t pursue the matter for now. “Play the music and video. Let’s start rehearsing. I won’t concern myself with anything else.”

Fu Haitang snapped her fingers, then retreated to the corner to wait for instructions. The practice room began to play the theme song and dance for “Group Show 07.”

“You have three days to practice this song and dance,” Lu Jing said into the microphone. “In these three days, we will determine your first public performance’s standing based on your individual performance. Each class will have a chance to get a C position.”

The entire room gasped.

After all, everyone had assumed that this opportunity would only go to Class A.

Lu Jing: “Time is tight and the task is heavy. Everyone, start learning. Get familiar with the dance first, you can learn the song while you’re dancing.”

Everyone said in unison: “Yes!”

“Teacher!” Qingqing suddenly raised her hand. She was an omega with a cute, innocent, and cheerful look. “Teacher Lu, could you demonstrate the dance for me?”

The girls in the room burst out laughing.

Fu Haitang smiled. Having a male mentor perform a girl group dance was one of the highlights for the post-production. The girl named Qingqing had a memorable presence, so Fu Haitang made a note of it for the editing team.

Fu Haitang looked up after making her note and met a pair of cold eyes. She paused for a moment, then smiled at the clear, black-and-white eyes.

Fu Yilan looked away, focusing back on Lu Jing, who was dancing.

Fu Haitang cleared her throat and buried her face in the script. A colleague came over and asked in a low voice, “Is Fu Yilan following a script?”

Fu Haitang: “What?”

“Look at all the little things that have happened today. With all these moves, she’s getting a lot of screen time,” the colleague said, confused. “Didn’t they say this talent show was unscripted? Did your planning team do this behind our backs?”

Fu Haitang: “There’s no script.”

“Then who’s targeting her?” the colleague asked. “No clothes, no bed. Could the logistics staff make such a basic mistake? It doesn’t seem like an accident. And I saw the logistics team arguing in the group chat, blaming each other! Didn’t you look at the work group chat?”

Fu Haitang chuckled and vaguely replied, “There’s no script. With this many people, writing a script would be exhausting.”

Colleague: “That’s strange.”

Eleven o’clock at night.

The staff gradually left work. Fu Haitang reminded the trainees to go back and rest early. Then she went back to the 23rd floor for a short team meeting to coordinate with the logistics and editing staff.

Twelve-thirty in the morning.

Fu Haitang returned to the 22nd floor. The station provided late-night snacks for those working overtime. She had just finished packing her snack when a line of text appeared in her mind.

[…Everyone returned to their dorms to rest. Fu Yilan practiced until midnight before returning to the dorm. When she got back, the lights were out, and her bag was placed next to a potted plant outside the door. No one had dealt with her bed or clothes.]

Fu Haitang took a bite of her pancake and pressed the button for the 20th floor on the elevator.

[Fu Yilan picked up her bag, found a staff member from the show, and said with an air of stubborn anger, “I’m going to go stay somewhere else. Please give me my phone back.”]

Fu Haitang scrolled through her phone. A message popped up in the work group chat, saying that someone was already requesting to check the surveillance footage to see who threw Fu Yilan’s bag out.

The issue of the show bullying a trainee could escalate quickly.

…There was a commotion in the hallway. Trainees who had already washed up came out of their rooms to watch.

Gu Jingjing squeezed out of the Class A room. “What’s going on?”

An alpha immediately said, “Fu Yilan doesn’t have a bed. The other rooms are for betas and alphas. They can’t mix… so she wants to go stay somewhere else.”

Gu Jingjing was already upset that Lu Jing was mentoring Class D, and now that Fu Yilan was making a scene about leaving, she was overjoyed. She immediately laughed. “Then she should just go stay somewhere else. She could save on accommodation fees.”

Most of the people who participated in this show had some kind of background. After many years, a new talent show had finally appeared in the country. It had been widely promoted as a nationwide audition, and millions of people had signed up, so how was it that most of the spots went to people from entertainment companies?

From all over the country to the A-City TV station, entertainment companies that could sponsor did, and those that couldn’t were paid for by the trainees themselves to get a spot.

Fu Yilan was the only exception.

For no other reason than her outstanding looks. The show was willing to keep her at the main station, but she would have to handle the rest of the journey herself.

For example, accommodation and food at the station had to be paid for. The fee was 10,000 for each one-week episode. Only after the first elimination round could the remaining people get free food and lodging. By then, the show would have aired, and the remaining trainees would have some fans and be capable of attracting ratings for the show.

Capitalists never do anything for a loss.

“If you insist on leaving, the money you paid the show won’t be refunded…” A staff member chased after Fu Yilan. “You’ll also have to find your own place to stay. Number 56, have you thought this through?”

A dark camera lens was practically shoved in Fu Yilan’s face. Fu Haitang caught up and stopped her exasperated colleague. “Fu Yilan! What’s going on? I know you aren’t getting along with your roommates, but you need to calm down. If you don’t want to go back to the dorm, that’s fine. It’s only for one night. How about, how about we try to figure something out together?”

What a sharp tongue. In one sentence, she pointed out the fact that Fu Yilan was not well-liked in Class D, even though most people didn’t have a problem with her getting into a middle-tier class based on her looks.

Fu Haitang’s words made them question whether Fu Yilan had a serious personality flaw that made her unacceptable to Class D. The last sentence—”If you don’t want to go back to the dorm, that’s fine”—also pushed Fu Yilan off her pedestal.

She was put on a high horse and could neither go up nor down.

Fu Yilan stopped in her tracks, turned around, and asked, “What’s the plan?”

“This…” Fu Haitang was at a loss for words.

Oh, so there’s no plan. How embarrassing and infuriating… Fu Yilan clenched her fists. She felt like she was being played!

The atmosphere was so suffocating it was hard to describe. Half of the onlookers felt embarrassed for Fu Yilan. The cause of all this was just that Fu Yilan wanted to find out who threw her bag out.

How could a person seeking justice be portrayed as an ill-mannered shrew?

In her haste, Fu Haitang said, “Dorm number 3 still has…”

Fu Yilan: “That’s where the alphas live.”

“Haha,” an alpha chuckled, their voice filled with a hint of lewd triumph.

If Fu Yilan had a thin skin or was a hot-headed young person, she probably would have just left.

Fu Haitang couldn’t hide her guilt and lowered her head to apologize. “I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay, Teacher Fu,” Fu Yilan said, her eyes curving into a smile. She stepped closer and patted Fu Haitang’s shoulder in front of everyone. “I know you didn’t mean to. You’re just bad with words.”

The corner of Fu Haitang’s eye stiffened. Everyone who had ever interacted with her in the station said she was well-rounded, thoughtful, and gentle.

Fu Haitang: “You’re right. It was my fault. Please don’t take it to heart.”

This meant, “You’re being a little too critical.” Even though throwing the bag out had nothing to do with Fu Haitang, she accepted Fu Yilan’s accusation. Some people sighed, saying that the mentor, Haitang, was pitiful, being blamed by a trainee.

Having won a round, Fu Haitang said softly, “I’ll call the station leaders, okay? Wait for me, don’t get too worked up.”

Another label, “overly emotional,” was slapped on her.

Fu Haitang’s actions seemed to confirm that she indeed had a powerful backer at the TV station. If she really made that call, she would offend both the leaders and other trainees. Who knows how much she’d be singled out during the rest of the filming.

“No need,” Fu Yilan said, pressing down on Fu Haitang’s hand that was dialing. “According to the rules, no one can kick me out unless I voluntarily withdraw.”

Fu Haitang smiled. “Of course.” So you better be smart and leave on your own.

Fu Yilan straightened her back, and a mischievous, triumphant smile appeared on her face. “But it also doesn’t say that trainees can’t move out and live on their own, does it?”

“So this is a blessing in disguise? I can rent a place and live alone?” Fu Yilan’s eyes lit up. “A big bed and a bathroom all to myself!”

The trainees watching from the sidelines all looked jealous.

I miscalculated. Fu Haitang maintained her smile, removed Fu Yilan’s hand, and raised her phone. “I’ll call a leader.”

At this hour, the leaders above her were not in the office. Fu Haitang had a certain amount of authority, but she didn’t like to offend people. So, she needed a random person to answer the call and reject Fu Yilan. Preferably, they would say something like, “Like it or not, just get out.”

“Did you forget?” Fu Yilan suddenly leaned closer on her tiptoes. The scent of a cymbidium orchid filled the air. Her voice was very low, with a hint of mischief. “I still have leverage on you.”

Fu Haitang: “What evidence?”

Fu Yilan moved her wrist, gesturing to her smartwatch, implying that she had recorded their conversation.

The content of the book wasn’t an all-knowing perspective. Based on Fu Haitang’s observations, the written words only appeared during important plot points and when she interacted with the protagonist.

So, Fu Haitang couldn’t be sure if Fu Yilan had actually recorded her.

Very well. I can’t risk it. Fu Haitang lowered her phone, trying to keep her smile perfect.

Ten minutes later, Fu Yilan’s plan succeeded.

“I’m leaving now, teachers,” she said with a smile. She took two steps back, bowed respectfully to Fu Haitang, and left the 22nd floor with light steps.

“Wait, Fu Yilan!” Fu Haitang tried to chase after her.

Fu Yilan raised her arm and gave a chic wave to the crowd. “Teacher, I’ve signed the show’s non-disclosure agreement. I won’t leak any information to the public.”

The message was twofold.

“…”

Everyone, including Gu Jingjing, the other trainees, and all the staff present, stared at the scene in a daze.

“What’s her deal?” someone whispered. “She actually found a loophole in the show’s rules?”

What would happen to someone who challenges the show’s rules and offends everyone at the station?

Fu Haitang dispersed the trainees. She didn’t leave the company. As expected, only half an hour after Fu Yilan left, Ren Qing drove back to the station.

Sini sent her a message with some gossip. Ren Qing had received dozens of calls from trainees asking to move out of the dorms. Confused, she immediately got up and called the station.

Fu Yilan’s glorious act spread like wildfire. The higher-ups found out and instructed Ren Qing to immediately fix the loophole in the station’s rules and punish Fu Haitang!

“Team meeting right now,” Ren Qing’s call came in. “Fu Haitang, get over here immediately!”

Gu Jingjing’s interrogation followed close behind: (I told you to get rid of her! Not to get her out of the dorm and let her live in a hotel! Now you’ve let her live the good life! You’re useless! If you can’t do this, get out now!)

Fu Haitang hung up the phone and took a deep breath. The feud was officially on.