I Struggle to Survive in a Girl Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 19

“I’m ready, go ahead.”

The zipper of the light gold dress was half-open, revealing a small section of the girl’s smooth, fair back. The owner of the dress seemed a bit nervous, holding her breath and sitting bolt upright as she waited quietly.

An Qing raised her hand and tentatively tried to pull up the stuck zipper, shaking her head repeatedly.

“No good, you need to suck in your stomach a bit more.”

“I’m tired. Just let me perish.”

Shen Siqi deflated all at once, slumping weakly over the vanity. The morning sunlight streamed through the window, casting a small, bright spot on her cheek.

It was seven in the morning, and the dressing room was bustling with people coming and going. Fortunately, the number of trainees had been reduced to fifteen. Before the fifth performance, they had to queue up for group makeup, but now everyone had a seat.

Tonight was the finals, with a live stage performance and online voting open throughout. Amid their excitement, the trainees were all a bit nervous.

An Qing had arrived early and already had her full makeup done. Today, she was wearing Hanfu in a fresh color palette of white and icy blue. Her hair was styled into two adorable buns atop her head, adorned with cute snowflake hairpins, while the rest of her silver hair cascaded over her shoulders. An Qing was singing the winter part, and this outfit suited the theme perfectly.

Shen Siqi, whether she had eaten too much or something else was wrong, found that the dress that had fit perfectly during yesterday’s rehearsal simply wouldn’t zip up. She had come pitifully to An Qing for help.

“I’ve actually lost a few pounds, but this dress just has it out for me,” Shen Siqi complained discontentedly. Her gaze drifted to a certain point and suddenly paused.

She said, “Why does Yu Tingbai look so much thinner?”

An Qing was taken aback and followed her gaze.

Yu Tingbai was sitting not far away, mostly already dressed and made up. She was also wearing Hanfu, with a classic cross-collar design that revealed two slender collarbones. The light red skirt was adorned with exquisite maple leaf embroidery, elegant and beautiful.

An Qing murmured, “She does look pretty. I mean, she’s lost a lot of weight.”

Yu Tingbai’s waist was so slender it seemed as if one could encircle it with a single hand, and with her astonishingly thick hair, her dark locks cascaded down her back, almost covering it entirely. Perhaps because she hadn’t been feeling well yesterday, her complexion was still somewhat pale, giving her a delicate, pitiable appearance.

Just then, An Qing suddenly felt a strange chill.

As if someone was staring at her.

Frowning, she scanned the room. Some trainees were applying makeup, some were on their phones, and others were chatting idly, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Was it just her imagination?

Shen Siqi let out a long sigh, interrupting her thoughts. “I’m so jealous of Yu Tingbai for not gaining weight no matter what she eats.”

An Qing composed herself, withdrew her gaze, and encouraged her, “Stand up, let’s try one more time!”

Shen Siqi immediately slipped into drama queen mode, lifting a trembling hand with exaggerated sorrow. “An Qing, don’t worry about me. Just go on without me.”

An Qing: “? Okay then, I’ll go.”

Just as she was about to forcibly pull Shen Siqi up from the chair, a small bottle of essential oil was handed to them.

A clear female voice spoke up, “Siqi, try this.”

It was Wen Ling.

An Qing rubbed her eyes, almost not recognizing her.

To match the style of “Prejudice,” Wen Ling had gone for heavy makeup today, her long hair tied up high, with two black ear cuffs gleaming with a heavy metallic sheen. A dark red jacket hung open casually, and knee-high suede black high-heeled boots accentuated her perfect leg lines.

Though it didn’t match her usual temperament, she still looked quite beautiful.

Wen Ling didn’t look at An Qing, merely pushing the essential oil further into Shen Siqi’s hand.

A wave of inexplicable guilt washed over An Qing, and she tactfully took half a step back.

She hadn’t interacted much with Wen Ling, but she could sense that Wen Ling probably didn’t have a favorable impression of her. Only when they bumped into each other face-to-face would Wen Ling offer a faint greeting.

And Yi Zhuo, who often stayed close to Wen Ling, was even more overt in her hostility. With Yi Zhuo’s naturally aggressive appearance, forget about chatting every time An Qing got even slightly close to her, she had the illusion that she might get hit the next second.

“Thanks.”

Shen Siqi, noticing nothing amiss, thanked Wen Ling, took the oil, and shoved it into An Qing’s hand, instructing her, “Quick, put a little on the zipper for me. Be careful not to get any on the clothes.”

“Got it.” An Qing opened the cap, dabbed a bit with her fingertip, and carefully applied it to the zipper.

“Alright, stand up.”

Shen Siqi obediently stood up, took a deep breath, and An Qing lifted the zipper upward it slid smoothly into place. Overjoyed, the two were about to high-five in celebration when a somewhat low female voice came from behind.

“Wen Ling.”

Yi Zhuo strode through the crowd, her thin lips pressed tightly together, her eyes colder than the metal pendant around her neck.

She glanced at Wen Ling, then at Shen Siqi and An Qing beside her, and asked, “What’s going on?”

Wen Ling sensed her displeasure and smiled at her. “It’s nothing. Siqi’s zipper had a problem, but it’s fixed now.”

An Qing hurriedly closed the cap of the essential oil, intending to return it to Wen Ling, but a hand with distinct knuckles brushed it aside mid-air.

Yi Zhuo shot her a glance, her tone devoid of emotion. “Keep it for yourself.”

With that, she pulled Wen Ling along and turned to leave.

An Qing:

Was it because she had touched it?

Clutching the bottle of essential oil, she stood frozen in place, completely at a loss.

Shen Siqi was also stunned, taking a moment to snap out of it before feigning sudden understanding.

She consoled, “An Qing, don’t take Yi Zhuo’s targeting personally. Back when you mocked them, you really didn’t hold back.”

Truth be told, Shen Siqi had also been on the receiving end of An Qing’s sharp tongue a couple of times before. But she was good-natured and didn’t hold grudges. Besides, An Qing had been acting so normally lately and had been very friendly toward her, never hesitating to help where she could, making Shen Siqi almost forget those unpleasant past incidents. Everyone makes mistakes, what matters is changing.

An Qing: ???

What had she mocked? She must have skipped over that part while reading the book, as she had no memory of it at all.

Seeing her confused expression, Shen Siqi widened her eyes in disbelief. “No way, you don’t remember?”

Afraid of raising suspicion, An Qing steeled herself and piled on even more blame.

“Sorry about that. I was immature back then and mocked too many people, how could I possibly remember them all?”

“True.” Shen Siqi nodded thoughtfully and helpfully jogged her memory. “It was just that Wen Ling and Yi Zhuo used more affordable stuff, and sometimes you’d make sarcastic remarks. Things like, ‘Why are poor people even joining a talent show?’, ‘Addicted to being cannon fodder?’, ‘What’s there to act all high and mighty without money?’ Stuff like that. Hmm, let me think if there was more.”

“Don’t think about it anymore. It was all my fault. I’ll change.”

An Qing looked pained. She truly couldn’t understand how someone like the original host had managed to survive this long without getting beaten up.

According to the novel’s setting, Wen Ling came from a wealthy family and might not bother to hold a grudge against her, but Yi Zhuo had genuinely climbed her way up from the bottom. By saying that, wasn’t she precisely hitting a sore spot?

Shen Siqi patted her and comforted her, saying, “It’ll be fine. We live in a society governed by law. Even if Yi Zhuo wants to hit you, she’d have to think twice.”

An Qing: “Thanks, I feel much better.”

Whatever, they’d be in the same group from now on anyway. There would be plenty of opportunities to make up for it.

Before the final rehearsal, the three team captains each drew lots. Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, Yu Tingbai drew number 3, meaning she would perform last. Shen Siqi was first, while Yi Zhuo and Wen Ling were second.

Since there were only three teams on stage, the intervals between their performances were relatively short. So while the first team was performing, the remaining two teams crowded backstage, ready to go on at any moment.

“An Qing, my belt seems loose. Can you help me tie it?”

Yu Tingbai reached behind to feel it and called out to her.

“Coming.”

An Qing obediently walked behind her. Sure enough, the belt was loose and about to slip off. She reached out and carefully adjusted the belt embroidered with red maple leaves but suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.

Again?

An Qing turned around warily but still found nothing.

Thinking about what had happened earlier, she couldn’t help but glance in Yi Zhuo’s direction.

Yi Zhuo was talking to Wen Ling, her expression relaxed and a smile on her lips. When Yi Zhuo smiled, her intensely aggressive aura softened considerably, transforming into a radiant and stunning presence.

Although Yi Zhuo and Wen Ling were quite individualistic, they were good people with strong professional skills. If the original host hadn’t messed things up earlier, she probably could have gotten along well with them by now.

An Qing sighed regretfully, and in her distraction, she accidentally tied the belt into a tight knot.

Yu Tingbai noticed something was off, reached back to feel it, and turned to look at her.

Only then did An Qing snap out of it and hurriedly reached to undo the knot.

“Sorry, I was distracted.”

Yu Tingbai withdrew her gaze and waited quietly as An Qing tied the belt again. This time, there were no mistakes. The golden silk belt, embroidered with red maple leaves, was tied into a beautiful knot, with both ends hanging gracefully.

An Qing breathed a sigh of relief. “Done.”

“What were you thinking about?”

Yu Tingbai suddenly asked.

She lowered her gaze to look at her, her eyes flickering with what seemed like concern.

An Qing was pleasantly surprised, and her mind went blank as she blurted out, “I was thinking about Yi Zhuo.”

Yu Tingbai: ?

Her eyes instantly returned to their usual calm, the warmth in them vanishing without a trace.

An Qing suddenly realized how ambiguous her words sounded daring to say she was thinking about another woman in front of her fiancée. She quickly grabbed Yu Tingbai’s sleeve, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, “I meant, it seems like Yi Zhuo really dislikes me.”

The warm breath against her ear felt unfamiliar. Yu Tingbai paused but didn’t pull away.

She heard An Qing continue, “Of course, it’s understandable that she dislikes me. After all, I used to.”

“It’s fine.”

Yu Tingbai turned her face away and lowered her voice as if to comfort her.

“Yi Zhuo isn’t a petty person. It’ll pass.”

An Qing felt a warmth in her heart and nodded gratefully. However, before this feeling could last more than a few seconds, Yu Tingbai’s next words froze the smile on her lips.

“Compared to Yi Zhuo, you should be more careful with You Shuang.”

Yu Tingbai’s gaze swept past the others, landing on that face not far away that wore a flawless smile.

“She’s cunning and enjoys stepping on others to climb higher.”

An Qing immediately grew worried, her small face scrunching up like a bun.

“What should I do then? I don’t think I have any tricks up my sleeve.”

She had always been straightforward, how could she possibly outmaneuver You Shuang?

“You have. never mind.”

Yu Tingbai sighed softly and raised her hand as if wanting to touch An Qing’s furrowed brow.

But in the end, her fingers merely brushed past the side of An Qing’s face, gently tucking a strand of soft silver hair behind her ear.

She smiled faintly. “You don’t need to, anyway.”