I Struggle to Survive in a Girl Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 1

[“Host, hello. I am the Atonement System 97041.”]

Who is that?

[“Congratulations on your binding with me.”]

Who’s speaking?

An Qing opened her eyes to a thick blanket of night.

The air was chilly, a full moon hanging in the deep blue sky. Beneath her feet was the slightly yielding texture of a rubber running track, and in the distance stood several buildings dotted with twinkling lights.

Looking around, An Qing found herself in what appeared to be a school playground, with a dense wire fence behind her, its green paint peeling in many places.

Where is this?

Lowering her gaze, she noticed she was holding a steaming cup of oden, its savory aroma wafting directly into her nostrils.

About ten meters ahead stood a low, single-story building with three bright red characters above its entrance: “Convenience Store.” The oden in her hand likely came from there.

[“Welcome to the world of the novel ‘Reigning Queen in the Entertainment Industry.’ Your identity is that of the cannon-fodder female supporting character, An Qing.”]

This time, An Qing was certain, the voice was coming from inside her head.

Wait.

“Reigning Queen in the Entertainment Industry”?

Wasn’t that the novel she’d been reading recently?

An Qing was a member of a little-known idol group. She’d noticed the book precisely because the cannon-fodder character shared her exact name.

But since both the book and her group were obscure, the tiny overlap in their minuscule fanbases hadn’t caused any stir.

She raised a hand to touch her face, the familiar contours were there, and the faint scar on her wrist from a childhood tree branch incident remained. It seemed this was still her own body.

Lifting the edge of her jacket, she spotted the white hoodie beneath with its name tag attached, and a wave of despair washed over her.

She had transmigrated into a book.

And not just any character, a cannon-fodder one.

This was a cliché entertainment industry novel, its plot following the female lead Yu Tingbai as she worked hard, overcame numerous obstacles, and ultimately achieved meteoric fame.

The An Qing who shared her name existed solely as a malicious supporting character designed to provide satisfying comeuppance moments. Yu Tingbai was the daughter of her parents’ business partners, three years her senior, attending the same prestigious film academy their backgrounds perfectly matched in every aspect.

So their parents had casually arranged a verbal engagement between them.

The engagement was temporarily kept quiet, known only to their immediate families and a few close friends. The idea was to let the two young women get to know each other first. If compatible, they would formally register their marriage once their careers stabilized.

Yu Tingbai and An Qing had no prior connection, but since An Qing’s family had once helped hers, she didn’t object. She promised her parents she would try getting along with An Qing.

But the original An Qing clearly thought differently, what era was this to still have arranged marriages? An Qing loved her freedom and had no intention of binding herself to someone else so young.

Spoiled by her doting parents, An Qing was willful and arrogant from the start, sneering at this so-called fiancée. Yu Tingbai had tried several times to talk with her, only to be rudely rebuffed.

When they first joined the survival show, An Qing had even attempted to sabotage Yu Tingbai behind the scenes. Not only did she fail, but her actions caused Yu Tingbai’s goodwill toward her to plummet further.

During the competition, Yu Tingbai’s family encountered severe financial difficulties. In their private interactions, An Qing would deliberately needle her about these painful circumstances.

After all, her family had strong connections and had already taken care of everything. Even if there were cameras around, the production team wouldn’t dare include her mocking remarks about Yu Tingbai in the final cut.

After the group debuted, she kept pushing her luck, repeatedly provoking public outrage.

Thinking of this, An Qing couldn’t help but shudder.

She had only read the novel for entertainment, not paying much attention to the details. Besides, the book had hundreds of chapters, and she had barely finished a third of it, skipping around at that. If she had known she’d transmigrate into the story, she would’ve memorized the entire thing beforehand!

An Qing racked her brain, trying to recall the plot. Based on the current situation, she must have transmigrated into the talent show where she and Yu Tingbai debuted Sweetie 101.

The training camp for Sweetie 101 was set up in a repurposed school building, and right now, she was standing on the school’s sports field.

She vaguely remembered this part of the story. After the lineup for the fifth performance was finalized, An Qing had used gastroenteritis as an excuse to skip practice with her teammates. Instead, she sneaked back to the dorm to nap and then slipped out to a convenience store for some oden.

The next part of the plot involved Yu Tingbai, who, after finishing practice, also went out to buy something and happened to run into An Qing stuffing her face. Seeing this, Yu Tingbai already exhausted from training snapped. Combined with all of An Qing’s previous antics, she flew into a rage and decided to call off their engagement.

In the novel, this was the turning point where Yu Tingbai, having reached her limit, stopped considering the kindness of An Qing’s parents and began retaliating against her.

Just then, the female voice in her head spoke again.

[The original An Qing has been sent to another world for rehabilitation. Host, please rewrite the world’s trajectory and create a happy ending with the female lead, Yu Tingbai.]

[Please do your best to mend your relationship with Yu Tingbai and ensure she does not break up with you within the next year. If she does, it will result in a death ending.]

An Qing was stunned and tried to reason with the system. I wasn’t the one who messed up, why do I have to die?

[You are already deceased in your original world.]

Immediately, a video began playing in An Qing’s mind.

In the footage, a seven-seater van collided with a truck. The impact was so violent that the girl in the passenger seat was flung through the window, crashing onto the pavement before being run over by another speeding car.

The camera zoomed in revealing An Qing’s shattered face.

Suddenly, everything came rushing back.

That’s right. She had been on her way to an outdoor commercial performance in the dead of winter, starving and freezing. She had fallen asleep in the car, and when she woke up, she was here.

[Accept the mission or be sent back. Choose now.]

“I accept!”

An Qing shuddered, her attitude shifting in an instant.

Fine, so no breakups. That’s still easier than dying on the spot.

She asked, How exactly is the breakup determined?

Technically, the original An Qing and Yu Tingbai only had a verbal engagement they weren’t even officially dating yet.

[A formal breakup is only triggered if Yu Tingbai explicitly proposes to dissolve the engagement. Casual remarks don’t count.]

[Even if you are broken up with, you will still have three days to salvage the situation consider it a stay of execution.]

An Qing: Thanks for that.”

[Note: The host must not reveal her identity as a transmigrator to anyone, nor can she mention that a breakup will trigger death.]

[Good luck. We’ll meet again in a year.]

Wait, that’s it?

This system is way too irresponsible!

Just then, a cautious yet pleasant voice called out from nearby.

“An Qing?”

Almost immediately, a tall and slender figure strode over briskly.

Was that Yu Tingbai?

An Qing’s breath hitched. She wanted to quickly dispose of the oden, but the area was too open there wasn’t a trash can in sight.

In that moment of hesitation, Yu Tingbai had already reached her.

At that instant, An Qing could clearly hear the pounding of her own heart.

Yu Tingbai was dressed in the trainee-exclusive hoodie and loose pants, layered with a long down jacket, a scarf covering half of her face. Her skin was flawless, more radiant than moonlight.

She carried a convenience store bag in her hand, her jet-black hair loosely tied back. Her dark eyes were lively and expressive, sparkling like clear water, captivating with every glance.

She was so beautiful!

Why would anyone not want such a stunning fiancée?

An Qing stared at her dumbfounded, unable to utter a single word.

Yu Tingbai studied An Qing for two seconds before her gaze landed on the oden in her hands.

She spoke, “You!”

Here it comes, the prelude to doom!

An Qing snapped back to reality. Sensing that Yu Tingbai was about to bring up the annulment, she hastily offered the oden to her like a prized treasure.

“I bought this for you.”

Yu Tingbai paused for a moment, seemingly stunned by her gesture.

“Why?” she asked.

An Qing blurted out without thinking, “Because I like you, of course.”

She didn’t want to be so flippant, but she had no choice. With her life on the line, her mind was solely focused on how to win favor, there was no room for anything else.

But given the original host’s past missteps, Yu Tingbai probably wouldn’t believe her, right? Ugh!

Yu Tingbai was momentarily taken aback, then the corners of her lips curled into a faint smile.

That smile was breathtakingly beautiful, but An Qing’s heart sank.

Because, according to the novel’s character setting, Yu Tingbai was cunning, often setting traps with a smile killing without drawing blood.

Just as An Qing racked her brain, desperately trying to figure out how to smooth things over if Yu Tingbai brought up the past, she suddenly felt a warm, fuzzy sensation around her neck.

Her eyes widened slightly.

Yu Tingbai had taken off her scarf and wrapped it around An Qing’s neck, carefully adjusting it to ensure no drafts could get through.

The scarf still carried a faint trace of body warmth and a subtle, elusive fragrance, reminiscent of fresh flowers.

How could she possibly accept this?

An Qing panicked instantly, instinctively reaching to remove the scarf and return it. But a slender, pale hand pressed down on her fingers.

The cool, soft touch sent a tingling sensation through her fingertips, making her cheeks flush.

“Keep it on. The wind is strong tonight.”

What kind of tactic was this?

Was the scarf poisoned? Could someone die from wearing a poisoned scarf?

An Qing was utterly bewildered, stammering, “I, I don’t need it.”

“Let me ask you something.”

Yu Tingbai ignored her fluster, cutting her off.

An Qing’s heart dropped. “Go ahead.”

As expected, the inevitable had arrived.

What would Yu Tingbai ask?

“Does gastritis not stop you from eating oden?”

“Is there any point in keeping our engagement?”

“Today’s an auspicious day, how about we break up?”

An Qing’s face paled at the thought. She even felt the urge to flee, but dodging the issue now wouldn’t solve anything she couldn’t escape forever.

As if sensing her hesitation, Yu Tingbai placed her hand against the wire mesh behind An Qing in the next second, completely blocking her escape route. She leaned in with keen interest, as if trying to decipher the clues from the expression on An Qing’s face.

“You just said you like me was that true?”

What?

An Qing could hardly believe her ears, lifting her gaze in shock to meet Yu Tingbai’s. Those beautiful eyes were like deep lake waters, swirling with undercurrents she couldn’t begin to fathom.

What kind of development was this?

Why did it feel so different from the script she’d been given?

An Qing was thoroughly confused, but her survival instincts kicked in, and she nodded immediately. “Of course it’s true.”

Yu Tingbai seemed pleased with the answer. With a natural motion, she reached out and gently freed a few strands of An Qing’s long hair tangled in her scarf, smoothing them down.

Her fingers brushed lightly against An Qing’s cheek soft as a feather, barely there yet impossible to ignore.

Then she tilted her head slightly, leaning close to An Qing’s ear.

“How will you prove it?”