121 Steps And Stairs

"1, 2, 3, 4..."

At the first beat of the music, Hui Yin raised her head and slid sideways as the other girls did the same, going to their designated spot in the formation.

Yu Qiang took up the center position with Hui Yin standing on her right, and Bao Bai to her left. They each struck their poses, Hui Yin shyly blowing a kiss at the camera.

As the intro of the song ended, all of them turned around and stood in a line, with Yu Qiang at the very back.

'We both fell in love

And then we fell apart

Failing to let go

And not moving on—'

Each of them alternatively stepped on either the left or right, creating a V-formation with Yu Qiang at the very center. She was lip-syncing to the lyrics, while the seven of them danced in unison.

Hui Yin heaved a secret sigh of relief when she saw that she was following the pace of Bao Bai just fine. Because the two of them were on either side of Yu Qiang, they could easily be spotted among the crowd of girls.

The seven of them were all wearing pink tennis skirts, and matching white shoes. Only their sweaters differed, as Yu Qiang wore a pink one while the rest of them were in white.

'Going back and forth

I try to walk slowly

So if you want to

You could run after me'

The song they were dancing to was called 'Stairs and Steps', written exclusively for the show. It was composed by a songwriter Director Peng knew, and would serve as the 'debut song' of their C-pop girl group. Hui Yin knew nothing of music, but she thought that despite the sad lyrics, the tune was upbeat and catchy.

Yu Qiang switched places with Bao Bai, since it was her turn to sing the song. Their voices were already pre-recorded and edited, so all they had to do was to move their lips silently in synchronisation with the words.

'Climbing these stairs

Walking these steps

Ey, I'm stumbling

But I'm slowly moving on—'

After Bao Bai finished singing her piece, Hui Yin moved in front of her. She swished her hips, letting her skirt flare around her legs. Hui Yin did a dance shuffle in place, sliding back and forth as her white shoes glided smoothly on the wooden floor.

When she reached the last word of the chorus that she needed to sing, Hui Yin tilted her head and winked at the camera.

The poor cameraman fell in love with her right then and there.

Although Hui Yin appeared calm, she was inwardly panicking. Liu Jun's voice echoed again and again in her mind, repeatedly saying, "You dance like a beheaded chicken."

In reality, Hui Yin's worries were in vain. In addition to Liu Jun's training and her determination to improve, her dancing skills had completely risen up to a whole new level. It could even be said that aside from Bao Bai, she was the best dancer in the group.

...

"Cut! Perfect! Take a break first, and then we'll continue with the next scene."

When they heard Director Peng's shout, all of the seven girls relaxed as they picked up their water bottles. Yu Qiang sat next to Hui Yin, laying her head on her shoulder.

Hui Yin pushed her away. "You're sweaty."

Yu Qiang pouted, her bangs sticking to her forehead. She grabbed Hui Yin's arm and wrung it.

"Ah! I hate being Chen Lin. Not only do I have to exercise day and night while dieting, these nonstop dance practices are killing me. I also smell like a pig!"

"Wipe your sweat first." Hui Yin handed her a tissue. "Well, we're living like idols after all. It's natural that we have to follow their average routine. And we've already been doing this for two weeks, so why are you only complaining just now?"

"It's because I couldn't take it anymore today!"

Hui Yin chuckled. With Yu Qiang frequently behaving like a child, she had to take on a sister-like role to balance her.

Bao Bai must have heard Yu Qiang complaining, because she walked over to them.

"Aren't you the group leader? You should be the one to motivate us to work harder."

Yu Qiang crossed her arms. "Baobao, I think you're immersing yourself in character too much. I'm not Chen Lin!"

Bao Bai flicked her on the forehead.

"Stop calling me Baobao. In what way do I resemble a baby? I should be the one calling you that."

Yu Qiang crossed her arms and puffed up her chest, ready to retaliate.

"Why don't we eat out tonight?" Hui Yin interrupted, not wanting to see the two girls fight. They were opposite of each other's personalities, so clashes here and there couldn't be avoided.

"I like that idea!" An Chu Hua joined their conversation. She gestured at the girl behind her. "Guo Liqin, let's eat dinner with them!"

Ever since their fight two weeks ago, Guo Liqin had stopped bothering Hui Yin. This was mostly because she realized how good the other girl was at acting after watching a couple of her scenes.

In the show, Gao Mei was frequently bullied in her school by a couple of mean girls that hated her for her looks. There were a lot of complex emotions that needed to be depicted on those scenes, but Hui Yin pulled it off perfectly. Even Guo Liqin couldn't say for certain if she could do the same.

Since she was unable to prove her acting skills to be superior, she decided to stop hassling Hui Yin in the meantime.