Wait, I Got in the Wrong Car (GL) - Chapter 40

Four people crouched in the corner, quietly watching as Ye Moli escorted Lou Annie to the private room. He then took a few steps back in a gentlemanly manner. “Beautiful lady, please allow me to invite you to dinner to make up for my earlier offense. If you refuse, I may be forced to keep pestering you until you say yes.”

Wanqi Tianxin and the others were stunned.

He was the only one they had seen who could make the word “pester” sound so effortlessly charming. Somehow, it didn’t feel completely unpleasant.

Lou Annie stood inside the room, so they couldn’t see her expression. But the tension between the two was palpable. Then came her raspy voice, dripping with defiance. “Fine. Who’s afraid of whom?”

Wanqi Tianxin tugged on Mo Ying’s sleeve. “When did your third brother get so chummy with Lou Annie? I swear, I could feel sparks of love flying off them.”

Mo Ying waited until her third brother had walked off before peeking out. “I have no idea.”

Chen Ruiling frowned. Mo Ying was clearly not focused. “Let’s deal with the competition first. We can talk about this after facing the mentors.”

The four of them were a group called Girl. Fifteen minutes before their performance, they slipped into the restroom to change into their specially tailored dance outfits, courtesy of Kong Rulan. The fabric was soft and clung comfortably to their skin.

“Wow, wearing this, I feel like a queen,” someone marveled.

Mo Ying chimed in with praise. “My second brother’s craft is unbeatable.”

Chen Ruiling paused slightly. “I thought he was your second sister?”

Wanqi Tianxin and Wu Si exchanged puzzled looks. “That stunning beauty with the flowing hair and impeccable fashion is a man?!”

Mo Ying blinked and quietly took a step back. “Second sister, second brother… it’s all the same.”

The trio instantly remembered the time they had mistaken him for a woman. They had collapsed onto the floor without restraint, completely uninhibited and lacking any sense of grace.

“Same how?!”

Mo Ying tried tiptoeing toward the exit, only to be blocked on both sides by Wu Si and Wanqi Tianxin.

“Trying to run?”

“Not that easy.”

They closed in, fierce and menacing, but Mo Ying wasn’t fazed. “What are you going to do?”

Suddenly, Wanqi Tianxin lifted her leg and swiftly kicked off her shoe. “You’ll get to try my specialty. You’ll love it, guaranteed.”

The other two held her down as each of them took turns tickling Mo Ying. Her ten pretty, pale toes curled in protest from the unbearable tickles.

“Ahhh, hahaha! Stop, stop it! I’m going to get mad!”

Chen Ruiling noticed a streak of golden light flash across Mo Ying’s eyes as she laughed. She rubbed her own eyes and looked again. The girl’s emerald gaze had returned to normal. Was I seeing things?

Mo Ying kicked, hard, and broke free after a few tries. “Hahaha! You’re terrible! I’m not playing anymore!”

Wu Si and Wanqi Tianxin’s hands tingled from the strain. They stared at their own trembling palms, shocked.

Luckily, it was almost time for the competition. The four regrouped backstage for a quick prep.

The laser lights on stage flickered in a cascade of colors. With a rhythmic monologue, the four girls, each with distinct style, stepped onto the stage.

The mentors were already quite familiar with Mo Ying. It was not only due to the attention her initial livestream had drawn, but also because of her remarkable talent for replicating other contestants’ songs during the auditions. Seeing the group name, Zhuang Yun even joked, “This is the group I’m most excited for. I never imagined Xiao Yu’er would choose a power-dance routine, which seems like her complete opposite. She really knows how to surprise.”

Dong Yue had also been impressed with Mo Ying during the preliminaries. She had assumed Mo Ying was a sweet little girl suited to light and sugary styles, but that earlier performance had already overturned that idea. This time, she decided to watch and see. “Teacher Zhuang is clearly fond of Xiao Yu’er. Looks like she’s headed for Group A.”

Su Bai smiled gently and added, “Xiao Yu’er has great potential. I hope she stuns everyone again today.”

Liu Feiang commented, “The other three also performed well. Definitely worth the anticipation.”

Compared to Mo Ying, who had the rare ability to write lyrics, compose music, and replicate songs, the other three could not help but be slightly overshadowed. Chen Ruiling stood out as particularly disadvantaged, especially in the power-dance segment. It was obvious to anyone paying attention.

Chen Ruiling opened with a solo monologue and was the first to step into the spotlight. Her graceful movements and their striking outfits brought a wave of admiration.

“They put a lot into these costumes.”

“Totally. Just from the outfits, I thought they were about to perform ballet.”

As the elegant monologue ended, the tempo abruptly picked up. It was like a torrential downpour hammering against glass. Wanqi Tianxin and Wu Si, both power-dancers, strode in, lighting up the stage. Thunderous sound effects added to the rush. Then Mo Ying’s piercing dolphin note soared, electrifying the crowd.

Fast, then slow. Slow, then fast.

Each time the crowd relaxed, Mo Ying’s unique dolphin notes jolted them back to attention. In that moment, the four girls, with their vastly different styles, moved in perfect sync. The intense rhythm and unified steps wove them into one fierce presence.

When the performance ended, the mentors’ minds still echoed with the haunting dolphin sounds.

Liu Feiang clutched his chest dramatically and slumped over the table. “Your song, your moves, they’ve left my heart racing. I even want to join in! Kids these days are bursting with energy. We old folks just can’t keep up.”

Zhuang Yun looked at Mo Ying with surprise. Her face wasn’t flushed, her breath steady. She’d already returned to her obedient girl appearance. There was no sign she’d just pulled off an aerial spin with three girls in tow. Not even a drop of sweat. In contrast, Wanqi Tianxin and the others were panting. It was clear her singing and dancing foundation was exceptional.

“Xiao Yu’er, do you feel satisfied with your performance this time?”

Mo Ying tilted her head, glancing at the others with a puzzled look. Wanqi Tianxin and the rest mirrored her confusion. Among the mentors, Teacher Zhuang was the strictest. While others might joke around, her questions cut straight to the heart of the matter.

Mo Ying paused to think. “I don’t know what counts as satisfying. But the four of us had fun.”

Wanqi Tianxin’s eyes crossed in disbelief. Had fun?!

Zhuang Yun laughed. “I’m honored. Watching you all on stage brought me joy as well.”

Su Bai asked, “Did you rework this song? The slowed-down section felt familiar, especially during Chen Ruiling’s solo.”

Chen Ruiling replied, “Teacher Su, Xiao Yu’er composed this song herself and revised it many times. She customized that section just for me so I could keep up with their tempo. I believe there’s nothing else like it in the world.”

Su Bai nodded thoughtfully. “Then perhaps I remembered wrong.”

Dong Yue asked, “You four formed this group recently. You have amazing chemistry. Have you considered staying together long term?”

Wu Si answered, “We haven’t thought about it yet, but we’ll discuss it after this.”

It was a fair answer. The mentor team deliberated and finally gave them excellent scores: an A, two Bs, and a C.

Wu Si had missed a beat and only earned a C. “Why the long faces? You’re making me feel guilty. I promise I’ll fight my way into Group B for the semifinals. Then we can live together again.”

As more contestants were promoted, Mo Ying’s solo villa became a shared space. Wanqi Tianxin and Chen Ruiling claimed the rooms beside hers, enjoying the perks of upgraded lodging.

But this new arrangement made private moments with Lou Anran more complicated.

“Lou Xiaohei, go hide in the room. Don’t let them find you.”

“No. Am I not your official girlfriend?” Lou Anran pouted for once. She even tugged at her collar, revealing part of her chest and shoved the freshly marked skin in Mo Ying’s face. “Look for yourself. Isn’t this your handiwork, still warm?”

The knock on the door continued. Outside, Wanqi Tianxin called, “Xiao Yu’er, are you asleep? Isn’t it a bit early? Come out and party!”

Mo Ying played dead, pulling Lou Anran’s shirt back into place with exasperation. “Lou Xiaohei, you’re way too clingy.”

Lou Anran calmly pulled her into her arms and lay back on the sofa. “I can’t help it. This is all the time I get with you. As your girlfriend, don’t I deserve a little attention?”

Mo Ying found the reasoning acceptable. “Lou Xiaohei, are you scared of my fourth sister and third brother?”

The moment Lou Anran saw Mo Ying’s mermaid tail, she had guessed the fourth sister was probably a mermaid too. As for Ye Moli, she hadn’t interacted with him much, only read about him in reports. She kept her voice even. “Are they really that scary?”

Mo Ying put on a serious face. “They are very, very scary. If they get mad, they might gobble you up in one bite. Are you scared, Lou Xiaohei?”

Lou Anran detected a hint of bluffing. She feigned fear and trembled as she clung to the girl in her arms. “Oh no. Your sister and brother eat people? I’m terrified. You have to protect me.”

Books were wrong. Mo Ying’s righteous spirit exploded. She patted Lou Anran’s shoulder. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you.”

Lou Anran’s lips curled into a satisfied smile. This little one was way too easy to fool.

…

Wanqi Tianxin leaned against the door, listening. “Where could Xiao Yu’er have gone?”

Chen Ruiling stared into space against the wall. She hadn’t been listening. Only when Wanqi Tianxin tapped her did she snap out of it. “What?”

“I said, where could Xiao Yu’er go? She only knows a few people.”

Chen Ruiling offered a quiet reminder. “Did you forget who we saw before the performance?”

Ye Moli had invited Lou Annie to dinner right in front of the other trainees. The news had spread like wildfire. Everyone wanted to know who Lou Annie was and what Ye Moli’s background was. A handsome man and a pretty woman making such a grand display was bound to become gossip.

Wanqi Tianxin suddenly understood. “Got it. Xiao Yu’er doesn’t like Lou Annie, so she’s going to crash their date. Let’s go find her. We might witness some real drama.”

Chen Ruiling stayed silent.

Wanqi Tianxin was practically bouncing with excitement at the idea of drama and dragged Chen Ruiling away without another word.

As she left, Chen Ruiling cast a glance at the light slipping through the door crack.

Mo Ying had spent the whole night wrapped in her girlfriend’s arms. The next day, she headed to the private room in high spirits, ready for food. It had become her usual routine at the filming site. She would enjoy some music, satisfy her hunger, and accomplish both at once.

But the moment she stepped into the familiar room, the mood surrounding Wanqi Tianxin and the others was undeniably strange. Mo Ying tilted her head and pondered before slowly walking over.

“You guys look upset. Did something happen?”

Wu Si kicked a chair aside to make space. “Xiao Yu’er, ignore them. They’ve been acting all passive-aggressive since I got here. I asked what’s wrong, but they won’t say a word.”

Mo Ying blinked blankly. “Oh.”

She had only just sat down when Lou Annie stormed into the room. Chatter instantly swelled, and the atmosphere grew lively. Mo Ying slurped her food quickly and kept her head down, pretending not to see her.

Lou Annie glanced around before heading straight for Mo Ying’s group. She kicked a chair aside and, shedding her usual clinginess toward Mo Ying, casually plopped down beside Chen Ruiling. “Chen Ruiling, I know who you are now. I have to admit, you were really good at pretending.”

Chen Ruiling didn’t flinch. “I don’t know you.”

Lou Annie rolled up her sleeve and held out her arm. “Look at this bite mark and tell me again you don’t know me.”

The three girls peeked over in perfect sync. On Lou Annie’s pale wrist was a deep bite mark. It was small, not from an adult. It looked more like something a child would leave.

Yet from this tiny bite, their imaginations spun a drama worthy of ten thousand fanfics.

Mo Ying’s head filled with shock. Lou Annie and Ah Rui are in a relationship??? What about my third brother???

She had struggled to accept her second brother’s claim that Ye Moli and Lou Annie were involved. Now she found herself more distressed by the idea that Lou Annie would abandon someone as amazing as her third brother for Ah Rui.

Then again, Ah Rui was also pretty great.

Mo Ying’s little fish brain was already overwhelmed by the chaos of this tangled triangle. She shook her head. “You people are such a mess.”

Chen Ruiling didn’t even glance over. “I don’t know you. Please stay away from me.”

Lou Annie, irritated by the cold shoulder, mocked herself. “Does Lou Anran know what you’ve become? Can’t she show you a little pity and let you live more freely? You two used to be so close. Just look. You bit me that hard for her, and how is she treating you now?”

Mo Ying’s eyes widened. “!!!”

She patted Wu Si beside her. “Swap seats with me.”

Wu Si looked confused. Before she could respond, she found herself being shifted aside. A moment later, Wanqi Tianxin was moved just the same. Mo Ying, who had shown no interest earlier, shifted into the seat between Lou Annie and Chen Ruiling with alert curiosity. “Keep going. I want to hear more.”

Lou Annie, “…”

Chen Ruiling,: “…”

Clap. Clap. Clap clap.

A staff member entered the room, clapping to gather everyone’s attention. As all eyes turned to him, he stepped aside.

Ye Moli strode in wearing a sleek suit. One hand was in his pocket like a runway model. The other lightly brushed his lips before he blew a kiss to the room full of women. “Hello everyone. I am Ye Moli.”

Wanqi Tianxin froze, then tugged Mo Ying’s sleeve. “This guy feels completely different from your third brother. Are you sure they didn’t swap him out? You still have a big brother and a fourth sister who haven’t shown up…”

Mo Ying pouted. She had wanted to hear Lou Xiaohei’s gossip, but her third brother ruined it. “Yeah. He’s always been like that.”

Ye Moli waved kindly at Wanqi Tianxin’s group, then tossed another kiss toward Lou Annie, whose face had turned stormy. He looked every bit the playboy who waded through crowds of women. A charming scoundrel.

Lou Annie rolled her eyes dramatically. “What a joke. Think having money makes you something special? I have plenty of money.”

Mo Ying shot her a sympathetic glance.

Caught in that look, Lou Annie grew flustered. “What are you staring at, little beauty? Don’t you know how rich I am?”

Mo Ying scratched her head. But her fourth sister had said Lou Annie was tricked by her girlfriend and kicked out of the Lou family board. She had even gotten into the show through backdoor means. “Fourth Sister wouldn’t lie to me…”

The staff proudly introduced Ye Moli’s dazzling resume. “This is Teacher Ye, specially invited by our sponsor to teach you how to pair jewelry. He will be instructing you on etiquette and accessory coordination over the coming weeks. Please learn diligently.”

Everyone was stunned. His golden résumé had completely won them over.

“Miss Lou Annie, I would like to pursue you. I hope you’ll give me a chance.”

“…”

This man was insane.

Now, everyone was staring at Lou Annie with scrutiny, trying to figure out what on earth made her worthy of such attention. She squirmed under their gazes, wanting nothing more than to stab the lunatic in front of her. “Teacher Ye, please have some respect.”

Ye Moli clearly enjoyed the moment. “Dear Miss Annie, allow me to sincerely apologize for yesterday’s irresponsibility. Please give me another chance to invite you to dinner.”

He was truly relentless.

Lou Annie’s teeth nearly cracked from how hard she gritted them. She had waited for half an hour at their supposedly agreed-upon location yesterday, only for him to never show. They hadn’t even known each other before. One car accident, and this man had spun an entire romantic saga out of thin air. Now it looked like they really had something going on. “Fine. But Teacher Ye, don’t you dare chicken out like yesterday. You make a lot of noise, but can you follow through on your promises? A real man would just—ah, what are you doing!”

Ye Moli trapped her against the wall with one arm. His smile was gentle, and the affection in his eyes was so intense it looked like it might spill over. Most women would have crumbled at the sight of it. The four-girl spectator group had wisely moved away from the center of this drama.

Wanqi Tianxin looked at the awestruck crowd. Every girl had their eyes glued to Ye Moli. “Is he seriously that blind?”

Mo Ying would have let it slide, but now that it was mentioned… Her gaze drifted between Ye Moli and Lou Annie, then lingered on Lou Annie and Chen Ruiling. She let out a long, conflicted sigh. “It’s too messy. I need to ask Lou Xiaohei.”

Ye Moli’s ears twitched. He let Lou Annie go. “I’ll be waiting for you, Miss Annie.”

All day long, Chen Ruiling could feel Mo Ying’s intense gaze on her. Each time she turned around, the girl would quickly look away. Yet the moment Chen Ruiling returned her focus to the performance screen, that prickling feeling came right back.

Everyone’s thoughts were scattered. Whether it was Ye Moli’s unexpected arrival or something else, the group seemed deeply distracted.

As the crowd dispersed, the four girls remained lost in their own thoughts.

Wu Si finally snapped. She hated this heavy atmosphere, especially with their looming separation. “Can you all stop hiding things? Are you avoiding me because I didn’t make the cut? Do you not see me as a friend anymore?”

Wanqi Tianxin replied, “What are you talking about?”

Chen Ruiling’s expression turned cold. “Actually, there is something, but I wasn’t sure whether to bring it up.”

Mo Ying and Wu Si immediately perked up.

Chen Ruiling took one look at them and realized Wu Si had been playing the pity card. “I just didn’t want to drag you all into it. But Wu Si, if you ever say something like that again, we really might stop being friends.”

Wu Si nodded. “Well, what did you expect? You all kept things from me. That’s not what friends do.”

Wanqi Tianxin gave her a pinch. “Do you think it’s something fun? Last night turned my entire worldview upside down. Let Ah Rui tell you.”

Last night, Wanqi Tianxin had insisted on dragging Chen Ruiling to find Ye Moli and Lou Annie. During their search, they had stumbled upon a former contestant and a mentor making a private deal. If not for their phones being confiscated, they would have captured it all. They had almost been caught. After running back in a panic, they had been out of sorts ever since.

Wu Si shrugged. “Isn’t that kind of normal?”

Wanqi Tianxin exploded. “What do you mean normal? You think private deals between contestants and mentors are normal?”

Wu Si said, “It’s just a transaction. We saw someone like Song Yuan, right? Flaunting her sponsor’s power, looking down on everyone. If she hadn’t run into someone like Xiao Yu’er, she’d still be acting like a queen.”

The scandal involving Song Yuan’s fake poisoning had only just died down. Now this secret deal brought another blow. For someone like Wanqi Tianxin, who genuinely loved music, it felt like a betrayal.

Mo Ying sat quietly, listening to their heated debate. “Is there really anything wrong with private deals?”

The three of them, “!!!”

Chen Ruiling answered, “It’s not about right or wrong. Everyone has different access to resources. That affects the return they can get.”

Wanqi Tianxin shot her a glare. “Of course it’s wrong. We all come from humble backgrounds and joined this show with the hope of fairness. These secret deals destroy that fairness. We have to expose them.”

Wu Si added, “Xiao Yu’er, don’t overthink it. This kind of thing happens all the time.”

Mo Ying looked at each of them, noting how their faces held completely different expressions. Her thoughts only grew more tangled. In the end, she still could not figure out whether secret deals were right or wrong.

Later that night, she blocked Wanqi Tianxin from entering her room. After the doors beside hers shut, she quietly opened hers again. As expected, her little girlfriend sat calmly on the carpet, talking into her laptop. Mo Ying crept up and pounced.

“Lou Xiaohei.”

Lou Anran had been so focused that she nearly threw her laptop. Thankfully, she caught it just in time. She apologized in English, which Mo Ying could not understand, then closed the screen. “Baby, were you trying to surprise me?”

Mo Ying half-hung on her, rubbing affectionately. “Lou Xiaohei, we ran into a problem. The more they talk, the more confused I get. You’re so smart. Can you tell me if it’s right or wrong?”

Lou Anran listened carefully. Once she understood, she gently explained, “There’s nothing inherently wrong with secret deals. The problem is they did it in the wrong place.”

Mo Ying tilted her head in confusion.

Lou Anran offered a simple example. “Let’s say I own two malls. One allows shoes to be sold. The other doesn’t. If someone throws shoes into the wrong mall, do you think that’s right or wrong?”

Mo Ying’s eyes lit up. “Wow, Lou Xiaohei. I think I’m starting to understand.”

Lou Anran gazed into her sparkling eyes, so clear and innocent it felt as if they were meeting for the very first time. She could not resist placing a gentle kiss upon them. “There’s no absolute right or wrong. But once rules are in place, breaking them becomes wrong.”

She didn’t mention the unwritten rules in this industry. In truth, deals behind closed doors were common.

Mo Ying asked, “So does the show allow it?”

Lou Anran answered seriously. “Of course not. Otherwise, how could it claim to be fair and just?”

Mo Ying followed that logic. “Then they were wrong.”

Lou Anran nodded. “Exactly. You are so smart, baby. Leave this to me. I’ll take care of it.”

Mo Ying felt a weight lift off her chest. The two of them lay on the sofa, whispering to the baby fish in her belly. Lou Anran’s gentle side profile glowed under the warm light. She stroked and kissed her with devoted care.

Then she casually asked, “Did anything interesting happen today?”

She was hinting at Ye Moli.

Unexpectedly, Mo Ying had a dramatic reaction. She suddenly remembered the unfinished conversation between Lou Annie and Chen Ruiling. Her expression turned fierce. She broke free from Lou Anran’s embrace with the dramatic flair of a wife catching her husband in an affair. Placing her hands firmly on her hips, she snapped, “Lou Xiaohei, did you sneak off to find another girlfriend behind my back?!”