I Struggle to Survive in a Girl Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 12

After a long absence from the stage and winning the competition, An Qing was overjoyed.

She barely slept all night, hiding under the covers with her head buried in the blanket, giggling to herself. She didn’t dare laugh out loud, afraid that Yu Tingbai would find her annoying.

Unfortunately, the joy of victory didn’t last long. The day after the performance, the trainees were gathered once again to announce the results of the elimination round 30 contestants would be narrowed down to 15.

Under the bright lights, a hundred neatly arranged chairs were marked with numbers. Only thirty of them were occupied, making the scene feel a little desolate.

Jiang Chen was already on stage, holding cue cards as he delivered his opening remarks.

An Qing sat beside Yu Tingbai, glancing toward Chu Qing and Song Rongrong before turning back.

She leaned over and whispered sadly to Yu Tingbai, “Are Chu Qing and the others leaving?”

Since signing that so-called verbal contract, An Qing had gained a lot more confidence. Her courage had grown a little, and she dared to strike up casual conversations with Yu Tingbai now.

Yu Tingbai lifted her gaze to the stage, her tone tinged with faint melancholy.

“Most likely.”

Chu Qing and Song Rongrong were both skilled in singing and dancing, but their looks weren’t particularly striking in the entertainment industry, and their personalities didn’t have any standout traits either. As a result, they lacked audience appeal their rankings had already fallen beyond the top 25 last week, making their elimination almost certain.

The rankings were announced in descending order. Sitting in the audience, An Qing watched as the trainees whose names were called stepped onto the stage one by one, delivering emotional speeches. She also saw those who knew they had no chance of advancing, sitting in their chairs with slumped shoulders, quietly wiping away tears. Her heart was filled with mixed emotions. Even though she had already been through a survival show before, facing the harsh realities of competition still weighed heavily on her.

“The trainee ranked fifth has shown tremendous improvement in the fifth performance, earning unanimous recognition.”

Jiang Chen paused deliberately here, giving everyone time to react.

The moment the words “tremendous improvement” were spoken, the trainees immediately understood and turned to look at An Qing.

Yu Tingbai glanced at her too and said, “Get ready to go up.”

An Qing nodded nervously, just as Jiang Chen continued, “That is An Qing.”

Applause broke out. An Qing walked onto the stage, bowed politely to Jiang Chen, and took the microphone.

“Say a few words to everyone, An Qing.”

Jiang Chen wore his trademark professional smile, though it seemed much more sincere compared to his demeanor on stage last time.

An Qing now had both talent and backing her rise to fame was only a matter of time. Jiang Chen had been in the entertainment industry for years; he knew this all too well. So even though Wang Yuanyuan had thrown another tantrum at him yesterday, he no longer wanted to get involved in this mess and had adopted a much more courteous attitude toward An Qing.

Unaware of Jiang Chen’s complicated inner thoughts, An Qing began her thank-you speech, her gaze involuntarily drifting to Yu Tingbai in the audience.

Yu Tingbai’s face was far too striking in the crowd impossible to ignore. She wasn’t looking at An Qing, instead leaning back in her chair with her chin slightly raised, her gaze distant, lost in thought.

“I’d also like to say something to the trainees who didn’t make it.”

An Qing withdrew her gaze, her tone sincere.

“To have come this far, I believe you must have passion and perseverance. Don’t give up easily keep moving forward.”

She lifted her head, her eyes sparkling with complex emotions, yet still clear and transparent.

“May we all stay true to our hearts and live for what we love.”

An Qing’s words seemed to strike a chord with some of the trainees facing elimination. As soon as she finished speaking, a few of them, eyes reddened, began to applaud.

An Qing’s own eyes grew hot, and she nearly shed tears herself.

Before her transmigration, she had been just an ordinary girl with no background or connections, who had struggled through countless hardships just to debut. The path afterward had been even harder. By some twist of fate, she now had the chance to return to the stage and do what she loved she felt incredibly fortunate.

“Alright, thank you, An Qing, for your words. Please return to your seat.”

An Qing bowed once more, rubbed her eyes, and quietly returned to her seat in fifth place.

She had hovered around this ranking before. Though she had connections, her skills were undeniably lacking. To avoid public backlash, the production team hadn’t dared to rank her too high. This time, however, the placement felt well-deserved.

The rankings of the top few trainees didn’t change much.

Fourth place went to You Shuang. An Qing didn’t have much of an impression of her, only knowing she was fond of leeching off others’ popularity. She had narrowly missed debuting but later found decent success.

Third place was Shen Siqi, second place was Yi Zhuo, and first place remained Yu Tingbai.

Meanwhile, Wen Ling ranked just below An Qing, in sixth place.

After all the trainees had given their speeches, it was time for the emotional farewells.

The crowd immediately surged as trainees pushed through, searching for their close friends.

An Qing stood up, intending to say goodbye to Chu Qing and Song Rongrong, only to find them already surrounded by others. For a moment, she felt at a loss. Most of the eliminated trainees hadn’t even been named in the novel, so she barely recognized any of them.

So she chose to follow Yu Tingbai instead hugging whoever Yu Tingbai hugged and offering a few words of encouragement, bidding each farewell sincerely.

An Qing was someone who easily empathized with others, and she quickly became swept up in the emotional atmosphere. Seeing so many red, swollen eyes, she couldn’t help but tear up herself.

“Tingbai, An Qing.”

Chu Qing pushed through the crowd and squeezed beside them. Noticing the tear tracks at the corners of An Qing’s eyes, she couldn’t help but marvel inwardly An Qing had really grown up lately. Not only was she working hard, but she’d also learned to empathize with others.

Just as Yu Tingbai was about to offer comfort, Chu Qing cut her off.

“None of that,” Chu Qing said with a bright laugh, slapping her shoulder casually. “My personality was never suited for the entertainment industry anyway. I’ll be happier going home to herd cows.”

An Qing couldn’t help but laugh. She’d heard before that Chu Qing’s family owned a large farm and was quite wealthy locally. In recent years, they’d been developing tourism, opening many agritourism spots prairie landscapes, bonfire parties all of which sounded enchanting to her.

Rubbing her eyes, An Qing said to Chu Qing, “I’ll come visit you someday.”

The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them. Why was she being so familiar? Given the original host’s past antics, Chu Qing probably tolerated her at best this was just shameless.

“No problem.” To An Qing’s surprise, Chu Qing agreed without hesitation. “Let’s bring Tingbai along and invite Rongrong too. You all deserve the best treatment.”

In her eyes, An Qing and Yu Tingbai had initially gotten off on the wrong foot, largely due to An Qing’s behavior. Though unsure of the exact reasons, she was glad to see An Qing turn over a new leaf and get along well with Yu Tingbai now, a happy outcome for everyone.

“Sounds great. I’m looking forward to it.”

Yu Tingbai glanced at An Qing before smiling at Chu Qing, who exchanged a few more pleasantries before saying goodbye to the other trainees.

Was Yu Tingbai genuinely willing to travel with her, or was she just avoiding an awkward public refusal?

But An Qing really wanted to go she couldn’t bear to part with Chu Qing and Song Rongrong.

Sniffling, An Qing felt a mix of sadness and confusion.

The eliminated trainees left one after another, reluctant to go. The remaining fifteen who had advanced quickly ate lunch and, without a moment to catch their breath, were mysteriously led to another room for more filming.

At the front of the room was a large screen displaying the Sweetie 101 logo. Beside it stood three life-sized boards, each with five empty slots just the right size for a trainee’s nameplate.

Shen Siqi excitedly whispered to An Qing, “Song selection time!”

An Qing immediately caught on and grew excited too.

This was the selection for the final performance songs!

A well-suited song could make a huge difference on stage. Everyone wanted their ideal track, so the selection process was often fiercely competitive. Combined with the show’s unpredictable rules, it made for a thrilling segment.

An Qing wondered what criteria would determine the selection this time…

She stole a glance at Yu Tingbai beside her, who was leaning back in her chair, chatting and laughing effortlessly with You Shuang, the fourth-ranked trainee.

Of course with Yu Tingbai’s skills, no song would challenge her, and no matter the rules, she’d surely have priority.

You Shuang’s laughter drifted into An Qing’s ears. Pretending to be casual, she edged closer to Yu Tingbai, straining to catch their conversation. It seemed You Shuang was hinting at wanting to collaborate with Yu Tingbai.

An Qing instantly felt a sense of crisis. Yu Tingbai was so popular, competing to be in the same song as her would be intense.

Thinking back to their seamless chemistry in the last performance, An Qing couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment.

Would she even get to perform with Yu Tingbai again?

“I’m sure you’ve all guessed what this segment is about.”

Jiang Chen walked in with a bright smile, scanning the room. “That’s right we’re selecting the songs for the next performance, which is the finals!”

The trainees erupted in cheers, their eyes fixed on Jiang Chen.

“So, what are the rules for this round of song selection?”

Jiang Chen deliberately drew out his words, milking the suspense.

“PD Jiang, just tell us!”

“Ugh, the suspense is killing me!”

Some trainees couldn’t hold back and pleaded pitifully.

“There are three songs in total. Place your nameplates on the board corresponding to your desired track.”

“The rule this time is: selection order will be based on total votes from lowest to highest.”

As soon as Jiang Chen finished speaking, the room fell silent for a moment before buzzing with chatter.

“From low to high? The lower-ranked get to choose first?”

“Did PD Kang make a mistake?”

Kang Chen had clearly anticipated this reaction, a satisfied smile playing on his lips as he announced the next rule.

“When making your selection, each trainee can move the nameplate position of one trainee who chose before them.”