I Struggle to Survive in a Girl Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 15

After the team assignments were finalized, You Shuang stopped causing any more trouble. On the surface, she even got along quite well with everyone, including An Qing.

As for her attempt to ride the wave of a CP for popularity, although Yu Tingbai didn’t say it outright, she made her rejection clear through her actions. She wasn’t stupid she could see right through it.

You Shuang was shrewd, knowing when to cut her losses and secure the best possible outcome for herself.

Yu Tingbai was definitely going to debut. Even if the deal fell through, there was no need to burn bridges.

With harmonious interpersonal relationships, their training progress advanced by leaps and bounds. After a week, the stage performance was nearly perfected, with only minor details left to polish.

Just as the training was in full swing, the production team brought more good news.

As a pre-finals perk, the trainees’ confiscated phones would be returned to them for a full hour. They could use this time to contact the family and friends they had missed for so long.

The announcement was met with cheers throughout the room.

An Qing, however, didn’t react much. After all, she had never met her parents in this world they were strangers to her. And in her original world, her family life had been far from happy, so the concept of “home” held no special meaning for her.

So, at the moment, she was more concerned with two things:

First, how to quickly extract useful information from the phone to better understand the original owner and avoid unnecessary slip-ups.

Second, who to call and what to say when she did.

Also, since Yu Tingbai was her fiancée, her parents would surely ask about how she was doing, right?

Thinking this, An Qing stole a glance at Yu Tingbai beside her.

Yu Tingbai was chatting with Shen Siqi, her smile light and effortless, showing no particular excitement.

As for their relationship, An Qing had been feeling pretty good about it lately.

Even though Yu Tingbai often teased and messed with her, giving her new surprises (or shocks) every day, she hadn’t actually done anything to harm her or deliberately freeze her out.

An Qing didn’t expect Yu Tingbai to like her, but at least not hating her would be nice. Well, maybe she still disliked her a little. But at least she wasn’t the most disliked You Shuang was still there to take the bottom spot, leaving her comfortably in second-to-last place.

Just then, a staff member brought in a plastic storage box and placed it on the table at the front.

The trainees immediately buzzed with excitement, lining up as instructed to retrieve their phones. Once they had them, they scattered to find quiet spots to make their calls. The follow PDs quickly raised their cameras and trailed after them, eager to capture emotional moments for footage.

After getting her phone, An Qing didn’t immediately call anyone. Instead, she first opened WeChat and quickly scrolled through the chat history.

Starting with her parents. From the conversations, it was clear they were gentle and polite people, but they spoiled their child excessively, which had led to the original owner’s domineering personality. Only those who were doted on had the privilege of being willful. Reading their concerned messages, An Qing suddenly felt a pang of envy.

Her fingers paused, then tapped on a pinned group chat.

The group’s name was “Stirring Up Trouble, Wreaking Havoc”clearly not a serious bunch. Including her, there were only four members, all girls, likely the original owner’s close friends.

The most recent pages of the chat history happened to be about her.

Little Fox: Yu Tingbai’s been pretty popular lately, huh.

Little Fox: Did you guys see it?

Maa Maa Sheep: Not watching, not interested.

Takoyaki: Is her family counting on her debuting to make money and turn things around?

Takoyaki: Hilarious.

Maa Maa Sheep: I think they’re counting on An Qing to turn things around.

Maa Maa Sheep: Just throwing themselves at her, huh?

Little Fox: Stop dreaming, it’s not happening.

Little Fox: An Qing said if her family keeps pushing it, she’ll make sure Yu Tingbai wears a green hat every day.

Takoyaki: HAHAHAHAHA.

Maa Maa Sheep: I’m dying, classic An Qing.

What the hell is all this?!

An Qing felt like she was suffocating. She could hardly imagine just how many awful things the original An Qing had said to Yu Tingbai.

Given the situation, it seemed everyone close to them knew she hated Yu Tingbai. Her path to survival was still long and arduous.

But time was tight, and she had more important things to do now.

An Qing quickly skimmed through her chat history with her parents again, then dialed her mother’s number.

“Mm, I’m doing fine.”

“You and Dad take care of yourselves too.”

After saying these two lines, Yu Tingbai hung up and waved off the follow PD who had been filming nearby.

She had just spent over ten minutes on the phone, so there should be enough footage for her segment. The rest of the conversation wasn’t something she wanted recorded.

The crew member took the hint and moved on with the camera to find the next target.

Yu Tingbai thought for a moment, then walked to an empty space under the staircase on the first floor and turned off the microphone clipped to her chest.

This show took contestants’ privacy very seriously. During training and daily life, it was inevitable that some conversations weren’t meant to be recorded. In such cases, they could mute their mics as long as it didn’t interfere with key footage.

She stood quietly with her phone for a few seconds, then dialed her mother’s number again.

The call was answered almost immediately. “Bai Bai, can you talk now?”

Yu Tingbai took a deep breath. “Go ahead.”

“How have things been with An Qing lately? Is she still as hostile toward you as before?”

Yu Tingbai paused before answering, “It’s alright, a bit better.”

The new An Qing really wasn’t bad at least, she hadn’t noticed any issues so far.

But her feelings for An Qing barely qualified as friendship.

Back then, her parents had arranged the engagement without even consulting her and had been pushing for it ever since, which had been a huge headache. On top of that, the original An Qing’s terrible personality had left her with serious psychological scars.

Yu Tingbai didn’t consider marriage and family to be necessities in life. She had her own territory, a safe space that belonged solely to her. No one could enter, and she had no intention of letting anyone in.

Even though An Qing had said she liked her, plenty of people liked her their feelings came and went quickly. Rather than getting emotionally invested, it was easier to keep things light and fun on the surface. Less complicated for everyone.

“I’ve told you, you need to take the initiative. An Qing is young it’s normal for her to be immature and playful. You have to be more forgiving…”

Her mother’s tone shifted from the earlier gentleness, her breathing growing rapid as she launched into a long lecture.

“You know how things are with our family right now. The fact that An Qing’s parents haven’t called off the engagement is already more than we deserve. Don’t let your emotions get the best of you. Mom just wants you to have a good future.”

“I’m tired.”

Yu Tingbai interrupted her, her voice carrying a rare hint of emotion.

“You child, why are you so unreasonable? Bai Bai, you weren’t like this before.”

Holding the receiver, Yu Tingbai found it utterly ridiculous.

One moment they were saying it was normal for An Qing to be immature and needed tolerance, the next they demanded their own daughter to be sensible and not act impulsively. The double standard couldn’t be more blatant.

“Time’s up. Let’s talk next time.”

With that, Yu Tingbai hung up the phone and turned it off.

In the end, this was nothing more than a mutually beneficial marriage of convenience.

The only fortunate thing was that An Qing’s parents were good partners, at least they hadn’t abandoned her at this moment.

She slowly sat down, leaning against the wall. The cold sensation gradually spread from her back, making her shiver involuntarily.

A person rotting from the inside out.

That was Yu Tingbai’s self-assessment.

Or rather, a once-glamorous puppet already hollowed out by corrosion.

From the moment she was born, she faced endless demands from those around her.

Work hard, be ambitious, be sensible, be mature and steady, live up to your parents’ sacrifices.

But no one ever considered what she herself truly wanted.

In others’ eyes, she was perfect, omnipotent, never out of control, always dazzling. She just needed to maintain this facade and she had always demanded this of herself.

As for the dark emotions growing within her day by day, no one cared. Even she often deliberately ignored them.

Just then, she heard faint footsteps from the stairs above, followed by An Qing’s soft voice.

“Hey, Mom? There’s no one around me now. Go ahead.”

Yu Tingbai froze, unpleasant memories flashing through her mind.

The last time she was here, she had heard the original An Qing speak those malicious words firsthand.

But what did this new An Qing want to discuss with her parents, hiding from everyone else?

This little impostor had quite the nerve, unafraid of being exposed.

Yu Tingbai frowned.

“Yeah, Tingbai is a good person. I know.”

Yu Tingbai, suddenly handed a “good person” card: ???

They were talking about her?

Not entirely surprising. An Qing’s parents had liked her from the start, hoping she could guide An Qing and rein in their precious daughter’s willful temper. In their eyes, she was far more composed than An Qing a reliable partner.

“We get along pretty well.”

An Qing’s voice continued, tinged with a hint of concealed grievance, as if recalling something.

“I haven’t bullied Yu Tingbai. Don’t talk nonsense.”

An Qing chatted a bit more, all trivial family matters, clearly already quite comfortable in her role.

Yu Tingbai stood up, brushing the dust off her clothes, about to leave when An Qing mentioned her again.

“Mom, can our family help Tingbai? Financially, I mean.”

“Yeah, it’s fine even if we sell some properties under my name.”

Yu Tingbai’s body stiffened abruptly.

She knew her family urgently needed financial support. But such a large sum even for close friends would be difficult to produce at once.

They had only known each other briefly. Why would An Qing go this far for her?

Though the system had said An Qing was truly a good.

“Anyway, Yu Tingbai is someone I’ll marry into the family eventually. We’re all family here.”

Yu Tingbai: “…”

What a confident person indeed.