After the Top Idol Omega and I Started Living Together - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Heat waves kept crashing against the glass, but the heavy door blocked out all the warmth from outside.

The light shone directly into the recording studio, and the cool breeze made the surroundings feel like winter had arrived.

Si Liao Liao had a face that showed no hint of aggression, and even when she looked at Lu Zhao like this, it didn’t feel like she was being offensive.

She always spoke to people with that gentle, effortless calm, making her seem less like an artist and more like the neighbor’s child who excelled at studies but somehow ended up in this industry by mistake.

But how could she be a white rabbit who stumbled into this circle by accident?

Lu Zhao and Si Liao Liao joined the same management company one after the other, sharing the same manager.

Yet their fates in the company were different. Lu Zhao remained unknown, while Si Liao Liao was the company’s favored star, with resources clearly tilted in her favor. The company even sidelined a few senior artists to promote her, and with that kind of support, even a block of wood could have been made famous.

Sometimes, Lu Zhao truly admired this person. Everything she did seemed so effortless.

In school, whether it was handling club interactions or acing various exams, she always came out on top, even first.

Now as an idol, she debuted in second place, and her first solo single after the group debut sold over ten thousand copies in an hour. She had solo stages at various year-end galas, and during a group variety show, someone “accidentally” revealed her credentials as a top student from a prestigious foreign music academy, which kept her trending for days.

In comparison, Lu Zhao seemed much dimmer.

She barely made it into the debut lineup. During the final performance, her ranking dropped outside the top ten, and fans of those who didn’t debut chased and cursed her for three days and nights. Without company support, she still had no solo single, and people often used her as a stepping stone for comparison.

Yet even so, Si Liao Liao’s gaze remained firmly fixed on Lu Zhao.

On her, the advantages of being an Omega played out to perfection.

She never made a fuss about her actions, and her clean appearance was highly alluring. Behind her grandiose reasons lay her perfectly hidden motives.

Like this time, when she sang the same part with Lu Zhao, she called it: “In the past two years, she sang with everyone else, but never with Lu Zhao,” and “She’s the group’s main vocal, so she can help guide Lu Zhao.”

But where did Lu Zhao need her guidance?

The result of this duet’s tuning was nothing more than a disaster at the disbandment concert, like a mirror exposing flaws. She got cursed by Si Liao Liao’s fierce fans for dragging Si Liao Liao down, and her fanbase went through another chaotic storm.

Lu Zhao slightly tugged at the corner of her mouth, unmoved as she looked at Si Liao Liao.

The white skirt’s hem hung lightly on this person’s slender, delicate frame, as if the color was made just for this Omega.

But Lu Zhao felt nothing special. She had seen another Omega in a white dress, far more beautiful than Si Liao Liao by a thousand times.

Wisteria flowers swayed in Lu Zhao’s mind, green leaves weaving through dappled light and shadow.

The breeze gently blew, carrying a wave of warmth and a clean, untainted scent in the air.

Her thoughts flickered for a moment.

Lu Zhao knew someone would be embarrassed in this place today.

But it certainly wouldn’t be her.

“I won’t waste your time. Shall we go in and record now?” Lu Zhao asked expressionlessly.

Si Liao Liao was somewhat surprised by Lu Zhao’s bluntness, then nodded, her smiling eyes holding no warmth: “If Ah Zhao is ready, of course we can.”

“Then let’s go.” Lu Zhao’s words were simple. She didn’t wait for Si Liao Liao and stepped toward the recording room.

The heavy soundproof door closed, and Cheng Ji and the others moved to the room with the sound engineer.

The glass separated the people in the two rooms, and as the intense drumbeat started, everyone’s expressions varied.

Si Liao Liao maintained her usual composed demeanor, while Duan Xuan leaned against the wall, clearly waiting to see Lu Zhao make a fool of herself.

Xu Xiaonian was nervous for Lu Zhao, her potato chips crunching loudly in her hand. Cheng Ji worried whether Lu Zhao and Si Liao Liao could deliver the effect she wanted.

Meanwhile, Lu Zhao focused on counting the beats coming through her earphones.

To say she wasn’t nervous would be a lie. Her heart pounded, almost overlapping with the moment Sheng Jingyu’s fingers brushed her waist that day.

Then, as the accompaniment kicked in, Lu Zhao instinctively raised her palate slightly and opened her voice.

“Until you want to be with me——”

Her ethereal yet powerful voice pierced through the speakers, filled with the impact of an Alpha.

In an instant, the expressions on everyone’s faces changed.

The prolonged high note was like endless tenderness, and the coolness of fingertips glided across Lu Zhao’s throat through her memory.

She truly followed the method Sheng Jingyu taught her and sang this line steadily.

Xu Xiaonian: “Damn.”

The potato chips crunched, pitifully crushed into crumbs under the Alpha’s shocked strength.

Duan Xuan straightened up from the wall at once.

As the group’s third-best vocalist, she knew exactly how high Lu Zhao’s vocal level was, and so she turned to look at Si Liao Liao, who stood beside Lu Zhao.

The people outside wore varied expressions, but Si Liao Liao remained her usual self.

Confident in her singing, she calmly sang along with Lu Zhao.

But as they sang, Si Liao Liao’s face changed.

Her throat tightened, and she suddenly realized she couldn’t keep up with Lu Zhao’s voice.

Lu Zhao didn’t just hit the notes.

She followed Cheng Ji’s earlier suggestion, raised the key by two tones, and achieved the most perfect effect for this part.

—Since Si Liao Liao wanted “perfection,” Lu Zhao would play along to the end.

Lu Zhao sang freely, her peripheral vision glancing at Si Liao Liao.

This person still looked calm, but the hand holding her earphones showed a few faintly bulging veins.

Si Liao Liao was trying to keep up with Lu Zhao.

Desperately, even if it meant straining her voice to the point of damage, she had to match Lu Zhao.

She couldn’t lose to Lu Zhao.

Absolutely not!

Lu Zhao saw it clearly and slightly furrowed her brow.

Over the years, she grew less and less able to understand why this person insisted on competing with her.

The song ended, and Si Liao Liao struggled to finish the duet with Lu Zhao, her clenched palms covered in a layer of sweat.

Lu Zhao took off her earphones unhurriedly and looked at Si Liao Liao.

Her amber eyes lifted along the direction of the light, faintly catching a layer of golden glow.

Her voice was as considerate as Si Liao Liao’s earlier, kindly saying: “This should be fine, right? You worked hard today. Go back and rest your voice to avoid inflammation.”

A crack finally appeared in the mask on Si Liao Liao’s face.

She stared at Lu Zhao, her throat still tight and her voice hoarse: “Thanks.”

“No need.” Lu Zhao brushed it off lightly, stepping aside as Si Liao Liao walked straight out.

Duan Xuan, who had been watching from outside, noticed Si Liao Liao’s expression was off as she came out. She immediately grabbed her bag and rushed after her: “Liao Liao! Wait for me!”

Xu Xiaonian watched their retreating figures down the corridor with interest, then put an arm around Lu Zhao: “Ah Zhao, you’re amazing! I haven’t seen you in a few days, and your skills have skyrocketed!”

She ruffled Lu Zhao’s head, joking: “Let your sister check if you’ve finally gotten it?”

“What, can’t my singing improve by leaps and bounds?” Lu Zhao tilted her head slightly. “My voice is still great. A little guidance, and I got it!”

“That’s true.” Cheng Ji nodded. She always believed in ability, and her expression toward Lu Zhao was now warmer than before. “Ah Zhao’s vocal conditions were always good. A bit of practice, and she can shine.”

“Right.” Xu Xiaonian grinned sheepishly, recalling: “Captain, do you remember Ah Zhao’s English song from her debut stage? It was so good, but it’s just…”

At this point, Xu Xiaonian seemed to realize the topic was about to take a sour turn and awkwardly pursed her lips.

But Lu Zhao didn’t mind.

She picked up Xu Xiaonian’s words and spoke of that regrettable event: “If it could’ve been edited into the final cut, it would’ve been even better, right?”

“Let’s not talk about that. Time’s limited. Ah Zhao, hurry back in and finish recording the rest of your parts. I’m actually looking forward to how you’ll bring this song to life.” Cheng Ji deftly changed the subject, eagerly pushing Lu Zhao back into the recording room.

Perhaps because she finally let out some steam with her skill in this place, Lu Zhao’s recording state was exceptionally good afterward.

Cheng Ji listened, her mind buzzing with new inspiration. She skipped lunch, dragged Xu Xiaonian, and went off to write songs.

Lu Zhao didn’t live with Cheng Ji and the others. She chatted briefly with the sound engineer before leaving the studio.

It was rare to leave the studio in such a good mood, and Lu Zhao hummed Jing Yuan’s song again.

But this good mood didn’t last long. As she turned toward the nearby elevator, she saw a tall man leaning against the wall.

Her humming stopped abruptly.

This man was none other than her manager, Chen Ruozhi, whom she rarely contacted.

He was holding his phone, his fingers flying as he chatted with someone, perhaps trying to soothe them.

Lu Zhao paused her steps, seeming to guess something, then walked straight toward him without flinching.

As her manager, seeing his artist, Chen Ruozhi tensed up, then greeted her with unfamiliarity: “Ah Zhao, I heard you were in great form today?”

Lu Zhao pressed the elevator button, her smile cold: “Yeah, even though my work assistant only told me about the schedule change this morning, it didn’t delay my business.”

“She’s busy too,” Chen Ruozhi defended Lu Zhao’s work assistant.

But Lu Zhao was blunt, turning to look at him with piercing eyes: “Busy licking Si Liao Liao’s boots?”

Though she wasn’t talking about him, Chen Ruozhi jumped to warn her: “Lu Zhao, don’t talk so harshly!”

“Then don’t do such ugly things.” Lu Zhao retorted coldly, looking at this once-familiar person with icy eyes. “I was the first artist you signed. Do I deserve to be her stepping stone?”

Chen Ruozhi opened his mouth, his voice blank.

Choked by Lu Zhao’s words, he could only weakly counter: “Is it meaningful to bring up the past now?”

“Not meaningful,” Lu Zhao replied.

The elevator arrived at her floor with perfect timing.

Bright light spilled from the elevator onto Lu Zhao’s feet. She stepped into the open elevator without looking back: “Go comfort your little princess. She won’t be easy to coax today.”

.

Cicadas chirped in the woods, complaining about the lingering heat of the summer evening. Yet Lu Zhao’s steps were light, the delicate cake box swaying slightly in her fingers, unusually cheerful.

Despite a small hiccup in the afternoon, today’s work was overall pleasant.

Lu Zhao thought her success in making Si Liao Liao trip over her own schemes today was largely thanks to Sheng Jingyu’s earlier guidance.

Just saying thank you felt a bit insincere, so on her way back, she made a detour to a favorite cake shop and bought their signature small cake for Sheng Jingyu.

She’d definitely like it.

No one could resist a delicious little cake!

With this mood, Lu Zhao quickly changed her shoes at the door and headed straight upstairs to Sheng Jingyu’s bedroom.

A bit nervous, Lu Zhao raised her hand, then pulled it back to clench it.

She wasn’t great at polite, pretty words, especially with someone as aloof and lofty as Sheng Jingyu.

Afraid of rejection, Lu Zhao decided to rehearse her words at the door before going in.

But just as she started in her mind, the door in front of her suddenly opened from the inside.

The sunset crashed into Lu Zhao’s pupils, and the wet skirt’s hem clung to the skin’s color.

Sheng Jingyu gripped the doorknob, her long, dense lashes lifting upward, dripping with wet beads of water.