Wait, I Got in the Wrong Car (GL) - Chapter 37

The next day, Mo Ying was woken by Yu Xuan. Groggily blinking, she glanced around the pool and realized she was the only fish left.

“Where are Second Brother and Third Brother?”

Yu Xuan gently patted her head, but her fingers brushed against something cold and hard. Lifting Mo Ying’s long hair, she discovered a blue pendant tangled in a green ribbon, entwined among strands of shimmering gold. The pendant flashed in and out of view as the light caught it.

When Yu Xuan saw the green silk ribbon, she immediately guessed it was Ye Moli’s doing.

“What a strange obsession. It’s bad enough he’s got green all over his own head, now he has to put some on someone else.”

Mo Ying tilted her head in confusion. She caught sight of the blue pendant Lou Anran had given her, but the silver chain had been swapped for a green ribbon. Her eyes widened.

“Ah! Lou Xiaohei is going to break the door down!”

Yu Xuan frowned at the mention of Lou Anran.

“Stop thinking about your little girlfriend all day. She doesn’t even think about you that much. Ye Moli keeps giving you all these weird things to wear in your hair. Doesn’t it feel heavy?”

Mo Ying shook her head. Now that the silver chain had been replaced with the ribbon, it felt much lighter.

“I want to change it back!”

Yu Xuan scowled at the sight of the green silk.

“Want Fourth Sister to change it for you?” She took a few steps out of the room and suddenly paused. “Xiao Wu, your phone’s been ringing nonstop out in the hall. I think someone named Tianxin has been calling. Is she your friend?”

Mo Ying froze for a few seconds before suddenly remembering their plan from the night before. She rushed out, scrambled for her phone, and found more than a dozen missed calls. Her messaging app was overflowing with voice messages from Wanqi Tianxin, each one sounding more desperate than the one before.

Mo Ying stared blankly at her screen.

“Ah, I overslept and forgot our plan…”

She was already over an hour late.

Kong Rulan noticed the stunned look on Mo Ying’s face as she clutched her phone.

He gave her shoulder a light pat. “For you.”

Mo Ying’s eyes lit up. She dashed to the upstairs dressing room in Yu Xuan’s building and changed into a new outfit. Then she practically dragged Kong Rulan with her.

“Second Brother, I’m about to join the semi-finals. Can you help me make a new outfit? No, actually, make four! All brand new!”

Kong Rulan replied, “I can.”

Once in the car, Mo Ying chattered nonstop about the three new friends she had made. Kong Rulan listened quietly the entire time, only speaking once they reached a long red light.

“Lou Anran.”

Mo Ying blinked.

“Second Brother, what are you trying to say?”

Kong Rulan reached out toward her lower abdomen but pulled back before touching her. After hesitating, he finally asked what had been bothering him since last night.

“President Lou?”

He had returned to the country after several invitations from Lou Anran. Back then, he hadn’t suspected her at all. Their first meeting had been far too chaotic, especially with the sudden appearance of a little mermaid. Everyone’s thoughts had been thrown off track.

If he hadn’t gone back that day and seen the almost identical interior design of Lou Anran’s home, along with that hidden secret door, he might never have figured out who the real culprit was.

Mo Ying’s face lit up with a sweet smile. She even clapped.

“Wow, Second Brother, you’re so clever.”

When the red light turned green, Kong Rulan sighed and only managed to mutter a word near their destination.

“Naughty.”

Mo Ying puffed out her cheeks.

“Second Brother, when Fourth Sister finds out, she’s definitely going to be furious. When that happens, can I hide at your place with Lou Xiaohei?”

Kong Rulan blinked. “???”

Afraid he didn’t understand, Mo Ying decided to share a not-so-secret secret.

“Lou Xiaohei is my little girlfriend now. Fourth Sister doesn’t seem to like her very much… So when she finds out they’re the same person, I think she’s going to throw Lou Xiaohei into the sea and feed her to the sharks.”

Kong Rulan slammed the brakes. “Little—Little—”

Mo Ying continued, “Second Brother, Lou Xiaohei is my very first little girlfriend. As her girlfriend, I can’t just abandon her to save myself.”

Kong Rulan rubbed his forehead and suddenly remembered the harsh words Ye Moli had said yesterday.

“Lou—Lou—”

Mo Ying waited patiently, her wide eyes circling with curiosity and anticipation.

“Lou Xiaohei?”

The more anxious Kong Rulan got, the harder it was for him to speak. He finally gave up and tapped his phone screen.

Mo Ying’s eyes lit up with realization.

“You weren’t talking about Lou Anran? You meant Lou Annie?”

Kong Rulan, “Ye—Ye—”

Mo Ying tilted her head. What could her Third Brother possibly have to do with Lou Annie?

Suddenly, her expression changed.

“Second Brother, are you saying Lou Annie is Third Brother’s little girlfriend?”

Kong Rulan, “…”

Mo Ying groaned.

“I don’t like Lou Annie. I don’t think my little girlfriend likes her either. If they accidentally run into each other later, do you think they’ll fight?” She thought seriously for a while. “Maybe… it’s best if they just don’t meet for now.”

Still silent, Kong Rulan continued driving. He did not say another word until they reached their destination.

Mo Ying invited him along.

“Second Brother, we’re going to work on lyrics and choreography today. Do you want to join us?”

Kong Rulan parked the car. He had already spotted three girls with distinct styles walking toward them.

“Clothes.”

Mo Ying clapped her hands.

“Second Brother, you’re so smart.”

Wanqi Tianxin immediately noticed the beautiful person standing next to Mo Ying. Her style was bold and unusual, yet surprisingly elegant.

“Wow, wow, who is this beautiful sister?”

Mo Ying stepped back in confusion and glanced at her Second Brother. His half-blue long hair did make it easy to mistake him for a girl. She blinked.

“My Second Sister.”

Kong Rulan smiled politely and nodded at them.

“Hello.”

Wu Si stared in wonder.

“Xiao Yu’er, your family genes are too good. Your Third Brother, your Second Sister, and you… Wait, that means you must have a First and a Fourth sibling too, right? They must all be gorgeous. That’s so unfair.”

Mo Ying hesitated, wondering whether to reveal that her Fourth Sister was actually Yu Xuan. After a long pause, she still could not decide.

“Where are we going to work on the choreography?”

Chen Ruiling jingled a set of keys.

“I rented a room with some equipment. We’ve been waiting for you.”

Inside the room were some basic musical instruments. The four of them began their work with clattering sounds. Kong Rulan found a quiet corner to sit and occasionally glanced at the girls while sketching designs in his notebook.

Wanqi Tianxin and Wu Si worked on the choreography, while Mo Ying and Chen Ruiling focused on rewriting the lyrics. Everyone took on their tasks, and once the new lyrics were done, they practiced together.

The choreography demanded strong stamina, and at first, they had worried that Mo Ying, with her airy singing voice, might not keep up. To their surprise, it was Chen Ruiling who struggled.

Sweating heavily, Chen Ruiling moved aside to stretch her legs.

“Sorry. I’ll do my best not to hold everyone back.”

Wanqi Tianxin gave her a gentle punch.

“What are you saying? If Wu Si and I had to match a folk dance with you and Xiao Yu’er, we probably wouldn’t have had such good coordination. Right, Wu Si?”

Wu Si kept practicing her steps.

“We don’t have much time, and we only formed our group recently. The fact that we’ve gotten this far shows that we already have great chemistry. No need to be perfect.”

Mo Ying glanced at the sweat dripping into Chen Ruiling’s eyes and took out the lyrics to revise them again. Halfway through, she rested her chin in her hand and stared at Kong Rulan with a pout. He was still focused on his sketches, completely undisturbed by their noise.

She leaned over and peeked. Four dance outfits were already sketched.

“Wow, Second Brother, you’re so fast.”

Kong Rulan labeled each design with a simple name.

“Tomorrow.”

Her Second Brother had always been this way, speaking in a slow and gentle manner that made him seem easy to push around. But when it came to getting things done, he was swift and decisive, with a clear vision.

Wait a minute…

“Second Brother!”

Kong Rulan looked up. Mo Ying was already skipping over to Wu Si.

“Why does Ah Rui need to follow everyone’s pace? We can divide the dance into two sections. One will be fast and the other slow. That way, Ah Rui can conserve her energy.”

Wu Si nodded.

“If we split it, the difficulty definitely drops.”

Mo Ying did not quite agree. In her mind, doing both a fast and a slow routine required a higher level of coordination and skill. But she chose not to argue.

“I’ll go write the music.”

After another four or five rounds of singing and dancing, the group finally achieved a faint sense of rhythm and harmony.

Kong Rulan arrived carrying two meals. When he saw the girls sprawled out on the ground like fallen stars, he said, “Eat. Have something.”

Mo Ying was starving. She took a few bites of a burger but quickly lost her appetite. “Second Brother, I want to go back to the filming site today. Can you take us?”

Kong Rulan noticed she stopped eating after only one bite and asked in concern, “President Lou?”

Chen Ruiling, who had been so tired her eyes were about to close, suddenly opened them wide.

Mo Ying rubbed her belly, looking glum. “I haven’t seen her in two days.”

Kong Rulan saw the troubled look on her face and asked, “Is she alright?”

Whether Lou Xiaohei was alright or not was a complicated question.

The book had described Lou Xiaohei as a major villain. Fourth Sister had also said she was a bit wicked. Even her agent had warned her.

Mo Ying had believed it too, but now she paused for a moment. “Second Brother, I’m sure Lou Xiaohei wouldn’t hurt me or baby fish. As for how she treats others, that’s hard to say.”

Especially when it came to Lou Annie.

Kong Rulan trusted Mo Ying’s intuition. Among humans, some could hide their intentions and emotions, but trying to fool their Xiao Wu was nearly impossible.

“Alright.”

Kong Rulan took the four girls to the filming site. After some thought, he pulled out his phone and sent a message to Lou Anran.

“Xiao Yu’er, once you arrive at the door, we’ll head back.”

“It’s too dangerous to live alone. Why don’t you move back in with all of us?”

“Ah Rui, why aren’t you saying anything?”

Chen Ruiling forced a small smile as she hit send on a just-finished message. “If you make it into Group A, you’ll be neighbors with Xiao Yu’er.”

After some banter, the other three girls left Mo Ying at the door.

She lingered outside for a few minutes, pressing her ear against the door to listen. There wasn’t a sound from within. The ambush she had imagined, with Lou Anran waiting behind the door to surprise her, never happened. Finally, Mo Ying pushed the door open, pouting.

That strange feeling lasted until the next day.

The rules for the semi-finals were a bit different from the preliminary rounds. Group registration and individual rankings were no longer prioritized. Everything had to be decided by drawing lots. The schedule was tighter, and with fewer contestants remaining, the competitive tension in the air became more intense.

Wanqi Tianxin noticed Mo Ying’s gloom and had Wu Si draw for her. After the draw, she became visibly nervous.

“Is it today? Tomorrow? The day after? You look so gloomy.”

Wu Si revealed the number 58.

“It’ll probably be this afternoon or maybe tomorrow if it moves quickly.”

Middle numbers came with pros and cons. The advantage was getting a feel for how strict the judges were. The disadvantage was that the longer they waited, the more nervous they could become.

While the four of them were processing this, someone unexpected approached them.

“Mo Ying, I want to talk to you.”

Mo Ying blinked at her in confusion and even took a small step back. “What do you want to say?”

Song Yuan looked nothing like her arrogant self. She seemed to have lost weight, her face caked with makeup. In just a day and a half, Wanqi Tianxin and the others barely recognized her. Though she was still the same person, her presence had completely changed. The wildness and pride she had displayed at the Zhou family’s auction were nowhere to be seen.

“Still so stubborn? Say what you need to say in front of all of us.”

Song Yuan’s eyes glistened with tears. She glanced around pitifully. “Can we talk somewhere more private?”

The four of them exchanged glances and finally agreed to move to a spot without surveillance cameras.

Wanqi Tianxin had planned to stay cold and unforgiving no matter what Song Yuan said. But when she saw how miserably Song Yuan cried, her makeup running down her face, something about it seemed more pathetic than tragic. Her heart softened.

“Say it quickly. We’re all busy.”

Song Yuan bowed repeatedly. “I’m sorry. I was blind. I didn’t realize you were all so well connected. I offended you terribly two days ago. Please, show mercy. Let me go. I have elderly parents. My mother is blind and my father has a gambling problem. If I don’t make it in this business, he’ll sell me off. My boyfriend hit me when I got back. My face is still swollen.”

“That bad?”

“…”

Wanqi Tianxin had always found it hard to deal with women who cried like wilting flowers. She looked around for help. The other three all took a subtle step back.

“What? Say something.”

Song Yuan suddenly dropped to her knees with a loud thud.

Wanqi Tianxin was shocked. She rushed forward to pull her up. “This isn’t necessary. If someone sees, they’ll think we’re bullying you. Stop crying. We haven’t done anything to you. Just stop messing with people from now on.”

Song Yuan stayed on her knees. “Can you forgive me? If not, I really can’t show my face here anymore.”

Mo Ying looked up at the floating black fabric strips overhead and seemed lost in thought.

Wanqi Tianxin sighed. “Xiao Yu’er didn’t intend to hold it against you. It’s fine. Let’s just end it here.”

Song Yuan gave Mo Ying a teary glance and bowed again and again, her voice trembling with gratitude. “Thank you. Thank you. You’re the kindest girls I’ve ever met.”

Then she turned and rushed into the restroom, covering her face.

Wanqi Tianxin watched her leave. “She really does look pitiful.”

Wu Si muttered, “Idiot.”

Chen Ruiling added, “Fool.”

Mo Ying gave Wanqi Tianxin a sympathetic look. “Why are they calling you an idiot? Never mind. I don’t get it.”

“Hey, what do you mean by that? Explain yourselves.”

When Song Yuan returned from the bathroom, she glared at them with hatred in her eyes.

“They’re not as easy to fool as I thought. But I can still pick them off one by one.”

In the lounge, the performances on the screen were intense and passionate. Every girl poured her heart into singing and dancing, fighting for a chance to debut. Some were eliminated, while others advanced.

Mo Ying was watching with great interest when Wu Si was called away. Then Chen Ruiling was called too. Neither of them noticed what was happening behind them.

Song Yuan casually sat down in Chen Ruiling’s spot and brought over a few bottles of water.

“They sound amazing. When is your group performing?”

Wanqi Tianxin still wasn’t used to Song Yuan’s presence and gave her a suspicious look. Wu Si and Chen Ruiling had only gone to the restroom, so why were they taking so long?

Song Yuan handed them two bottles of water.

“You girls seem really close. Not like me. I don’t sing as well, and my stamina’s poor too. I’ll probably get cut.”

Wanqi Tianxin had worried about that too. Her style was androgynous, and her initial evaluations had barely passed. With so many talented contestants, only a few would debut.

They shared a knowing look and began opening the bottles.

“Ow, that hurts.”

“Xiao Yu’er, what’s wrong?”

Mo Ying’s face twisted in pain. She held her stomach, her complexion turning pale and her lips a deep shade of purple. Sweat rolled down her face.

She grabbed Wanqi Tianxin’s wrist. “My stomach hurts. Am I dying?”

Wanqi Tianxin quickly capped the bottle and panicked at the sight of Mo Ying’s condition. Her hands trembled. “Call an ambulance. Now.”

Everyone in the lounge snapped to attention. They instinctively reached for their pockets but quickly realized their phones had been confiscated. Some ran to get the staff. Others gathered around Mo Ying in concern.

Song Yuan watched with wide eyes. Her plan had almost worked. But now it was falling apart. She was being jostled and shoved in the crowd.

Fuming, she grabbed the bottle of water on her right, unscrewed the cap, and took a few angry gulps.

The cold water rushed down her throat, followed by a burning sting.

Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the bottle in her hand. It looked exactly like the others. If not for the scratch on the cap that she had made herself, she wouldn’t have noticed.

She had no idea how the bottle ended up with her.

She had prepared it for those two idiots.

Ah!