I Struggle to Survive in a Girl Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 2

Is this a life-or-death question?

An Qing was someone who cherished life timid and extremely afraid of death. She clung tightly to the cold wire mesh, her hands gripping the gaps firmly, like a spider.

If she didn’t know the answer, she’d force one out. Better than leaving it blank.

So An Qing stubbornly blurted, “Time will prove my love!”

The moment the words left her mouth, she saw the other woman’s stunning face twist slightly, clearly cringing at the cheesy pickup line.

Then Yu Tingbai’s eyes curved into a smile, and she suddenly laughed, her gaze softening considerably.

“You look exactly like Wang Nana right now.”

Who the hell is Wang Nana? And why is she looking at me like that when mentioning her?

Alarm bells blared in An Qing’s mind, and in an instant, she conjured up all sorts of messy scenarios.

Like “unrequited love that lingers,” “you’re just her replacement,” “the white moonlight in the boss’s heart”.

Then she heard Yu Tingbai continue, “Every time I caught her sneaking ham sausages, she had the exact same expression as you do now.”

An Qing: ???

May I ask who Wang Nana is?

Yu Tingbai noticed her confusion and kindly explained, “She’s my Samoyed. She’s five this year.”

What kind of respectable family names their dog Wang Nana? Are you out of your damn mind?!

An Qing couldn’t help but roll her eyes hard and Yu Tingbai caught it immediately.

Ugh, been out of the game too long, can’t even manage expressions properly now.

Just as An Qing was silently berating herself, Yu Tingbai asked, “Are you mad?”

As if she dared to be mad.

An Qing thought for two seconds and decided to play cute to dodge the question. Covering her chest, she sniffled, “Not mad but sometimes, I feel like my place in your heart isn’t even as high as a dog’s.”

An Qing was a quarter mixed-blood, with a sweet and adorable appearance. Her eyes were round, her lashes long and curled, and her irises a watery blue. Her just-past-shoulder-length hair was dyed silver, the ends slightly wavy. Under the moonlight, she looked like a little princess straight out of a fairy tale or an angel fallen to earth.

Because of her fear of death, tears had already welled up in her eyes without her realizing, her thin lips pressed together, making her look pitiful.

“Don’t be sad.”

After a moment of contemplation, Yu Tingbai still offered her comfort.

An Qing was thrilled.

Playing the pity card actually worked! Her damn irresistible beauty!

But her joy lasted only a few seconds before Yu Tingbai continued with a smile, “Wang Nana’s been with me for five years. We’ve only just met it’s normal that you can’t compare.”

Is this how you comfort someone?

Might as well just say she’s worse than a dog.

An Qing was so mad she could spit blood, but for the sake of her life, she swallowed her pride and muttered, “Mm, I get it.”

“Let’s go, back to the dorm.”

Yu Tingbai picked up the convenience store bag and took the oden from An Qing’s hands.

In her original world, An Qing had been starving before she died. Now, watching the food being taken away, she felt even hungrier.

But she’d already said it was for Yu Tingbai, and the original owner had even taken leave using “gastritis” as an excuse—there was no way she could ask for it back now.

This was just unfair. Pure unfairness.

“Eat. I’ll hold it for you.”

A steaming cup was handed to her. Before her brain could even process it, her body had already acted on instinct, pulling out a fish cake skewer and taking a huge bite, devouring half in one go.

Along the way, Yu Tingbai slowed her pace, walking quietly by her side.

Every time she finished a skewer, the cup would reappear right under her eyes.

By the time they reached the dorm, the cup held nothing but a pile of empty sticks.

When someone is ravenously hungry, they don’t think about anything else while eating. It wasn’t until An Qing was full that she realized, she hadn’t left a single bite for Yu Tingbai and had even turned her into a mobile trash bin.

What should she do now.

Just as An Qing was panicking, her eyes suddenly caught sight of the cameras mounted on the dorm walls.

Saved.

She let out a sigh of relief.

In these talent shows, the dorms are always equipped with cameras. No one knew about her engagement to Yu Tingbai, and the two weren’t even dating. Bringing it up publicly would only cause trouble for both of them. So, as long as the cameras were around, Yu Tingbai probably wouldn’t bring up breaking off the engagement.

The competition was nearing its fifth live performance, and the eliminated contestants had already left, leaving the dorm somewhat empty and quiet. The white walls were spotless, and against them stood four bunk beds. Only the two lower bunks had bedding; the rest were bare.

Beside the beds was a long table cluttered with daily necessities, slightly messy.

Yu Tingbai didn’t seem inclined to hold the oden incident against her. Instead, she picked up a lyric sheet from the table and asked, “Have you memorized the lyrics?”

An Qing froze for a moment before realizing Yu Tingbai must be referring to the song for the fifth performance.

She nodded guiltily. “Pretty much.”

Truthfully, she didn’t even know the song’s title.

Yu Tingbai glanced at her, then at the pristine, unmarked lyric sheet in her hand, but didn’t call her out on the spot.

“That’s great,” Yu Tingbai smiled. “I’ll take a shower, and then we can practice together.”

Seriously? Why was she being quizzed the moment they got back?

But An Qing didn’t dare refuse. Skipping training to buy oden under the pretense of being sick was one thing, but not knowing the song at all, what value did she even have as a fiancée?

“Sure, I’ll practice a bit first,” An Qing replied calmly. “Take your time showering, no rush.”

The moment Yu Tingbai stepped into the bathroom with her pajamas, An Qing lunged for the table and grabbed the music player.

The trainees’ phones had been confiscated, so they could only use the players provided by the show to listen to music.

An Qing put on the headphones, studying the lyrics as she listened.

Their group’s fifth performance song was titled Bloodthirsty Forest. From the lyrics, it seemed to tell the story of monsters slumbering in a forest. Every thousand years, the forest would plunge into eternal night, awakening the monsters who would then fight and slaughter each other before falling back into slumber. An endless cycle.

[A]
Crimson spreads,
Moonlight bows to the night.
The best hunters
Appear in the guise of prey.

[B]
Asleep for a thousand years,
A rusted longsword.
Every cycle
Is a chain wrapped around the heart.

[C]
A butterfly with broken wings,
Gnawing at a bloodstained cheek.
At time’s end,
A circle forms a loop with no release.

[D]
Whose obsession is this?
Who made this futile vow?
Before dawn breaks,
The end will once again become the start.

[Chorus]
After a thousand years, we don the masks once more,
Marching without hesitation to a grand feast.
A splendid throne adorned with bones and gore,
Greedy eyes reflecting the divide of light and dark.

Trapped inside the devil’s cage,
Day and night, I beg the gods for grace.
In the final moment, a silent wish I make
May the blood I shed bring warmth to your fingertips.

[E] (Rap)

The song had a fast tempo and a strong, distinctive style, making it perfect for a dance performance.

They were a group of five, and the lyrics had already been divided into five parts, but it hadn’t been decided yet who would sing which section.

The rap section in part 【E】 required them to write their own lyrics, so it was left blank for now.

An Qing quickly skimmed through the lyrics, following along with the music in her headphones, and realized the song wasn’t particularly difficult for her. With a couple of days of solid practice, she could handle any part without issue, which eased her mind a little.

Before she transmigrated, she had been a member of a girl group. The members were talented, each with a stronger personality than the last. At first, the group had been doing well, but later, their refusal to play by the industry’s unspoken rules offended some powerful people, leading to the group’s rapid decline.

Even though the group flopped, they had continued to focus on making music, and their professional standards never slipped.

An Qing turned up the volume slightly, listening intently, and soon got into the groove, humming along softly.

In the bathroom, Yu Tingbai turned the shower to its strongest setting. She tilted her head back slightly, letting the hot water cascade over her delicate, porcelain skin. Only after standing under the spray for a while did she feel the soreness in her muscles begin to ease.

An Qing.

Yu Tingbai silently repeated the name, her expression gradually growing complicated.

This farcical engagement had been a done deal before she even knew about it her parents had settled everything before informing her. An Qing’s parents were refined and cultured, and they had even done her family a favor in the past. She couldn’t outright refuse and embarrass them.

Yu Tingbai closed her eyes, recalling the conversation she had accidentally overheard during lunch break earlier that day.

There was a small, empty space beneath the staircase on the first floor, a blind spot not covered by the cameras. Whenever Yu Tingbai needed a moment to breathe between practice sessions, she would go there to clear her mind.

At noon today, just as Yu Tingbai had leaned against the wall to sit down, she heard two voices speaking above her.

“An Qing, there’s something I need to warn you about.”

The male voice sounded familiar probably someone from the production team.

Yu Tingbai frowned. She knew An Qing had connections and didn’t want to get involved in any drama, so she started to get up to leave. But the next words froze her in place.

“You need to take the initiative to get along with Yu Tingbai.”

Then came An Qing’s incredulous voice: “Hah? Why should I?”

The man explained, “Don’t underestimate the audience. The editing team has already been favoring you, but Yu Tingbai’s fans have still picked up on the tension between you two. Lately, clips of your interactions have been spreading like wildfire online. Do you know how much effort the production team has put into promoting you? If you still want to debut smoothly, you need to tone it down.”

An Qing scoffed. “She has fans, and so do I. If things really blow up, wouldn’t that just give the show more hype?”

The man sighed. “Yu Tingbai’s popularity is in a league of its own. At least half of your votes are inflated, and you’re barely holding onto the top five. If this escalates, you won’t even be able to control the narrative in your favor. And people are already digging up dirt on you don’t think the little tricks you’ve pulled against Yu Tingbai left no traces. If this keeps growing, you’ll be the one who suffers.”

The air fell silent for a moment. Just as Yu Tingbai thought An Qing might finally relent, she heard a cold laugh.

“In your dreams. Not a chance.”

Not only was An Qing completely unbothered, but her voice even carried a hint of amusement.

“Her family is almost bankrupt. So what if she debuts in the center position? She can’t compete with me for future resources. Without strong backing, she’ll fade into obscurity soon.”

At that moment, Yu Tingbai suddenly felt as if the last taut string in her heart had snapped.

Just when she thought she and An Qing were locked in a fight to the death, an unexpected turn of events occurred.

Recalling how An Qing had puffed up her cheeks while eagerly devouring oden moments ago, the corners of Yu Tingbai’s lips curled into a faint smile.

This new little impostor was far more adorable than the original.