Feimeng Girls · Conversa

Facing the mirror, Qiao Kexing practiced the exact same spin for the hundredth time. Her foot caught, and she crashed onto the floor. Her knees hit with a dull thud, but she gritted her teeth, got back up, and hit the play button once more. "Practicing that again?" A head poked out from the neighboring balcony—it was Chu Jinghao, who lived downstairs. He waved a pink, rabbit-shaped gadget in his hand. "Someone told me to give this to you." Kexing took the bunny. Suddenly, its eyes snapped open, and it came to life. "I'm Fendu," it said. "Are you Qiao Kexing? The next one chosen by Lin Na—" "You know Lin Na, the Feimeng Star?" Kexing's hands trembled slightly. Fendu hopped onto her shoulder and looked out the window. In the distance, the spires of Feimeng Academy gleamed in the setting sun. Kexing stared in that direction, remembering the performance she had watched three years ago on a television in a hospital corridor. "Can I really do it?" she asked in a whisper. Fendu nuzzled her cheek with its fluffy little head. At that very moment, the mirror in Feimeng Academy's dance studio reflected Song Shiyu's taut arches. She executed a flawless pirouette, her calf trembling ever so slightly the moment she landed. She frowned—the entrance audition was tomorrow. She knew she was dancing well enough, but why did it still feel like something was missing? In a quiet corner of the library, Yang Song'er cranked her headphone volume all the way up. She hummed quietly along with the instrumental track, hitting every single pitch with precision. A student pushed the door open, and she fell silent immediately, pretending to read a math textbook. Only after the student left did she slowly pull off one earphone, letting out a soft sigh. In front of the floor-to-ceiling windows at the end of the student council hallway, Ning Xueyan traced her fingertips over the reflection of the word "Dolls" on the glass. Her phone screen lit up with a message from her mother: "I'll be watching the livestream of this weekend's competition." She stared at the words until the screen went dark. Then, she turned around and headed toward the practice room. And across town, Qiao Kexing turned off the music and placed Fendu by her pillow. In the dark, her eyes remained wide open as she smiled up at the ceiling.