I Struggle to Survive in a Girl Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 21

Even after the competition ended, An Qing’s mind remained in a daze as she sat in the car on the way to the celebratory dinner.

The moment Yu Tingbai placed the crown on her head, the entire venue seemed to freeze, as if the air itself had stilled. After a brief silence, deafening cheers and screams erupted.

The main voices came from the fans of An Qing and Yu Tingbai. An Qing’s fans were moved by the recognition their idol received from the group’s center and the most popular member, while Yu Tingbai’s fans had simpler thoughts: Yu Tingbai, with her talent and integrity, would only endorse someone equally deserving, so they naturally cheered loudly.

Moreover, Yu Tingbai had a strong reputation among casual viewers. Since she openly supported An Qing, many neutral observers also voiced their approval.

But for Yu Tingbai to go this far for her was something An Qing had never dared to imagine.

Had Yu Tingbai already considered her a friend?

The person in question was sitting just across the aisle to her left, casually leaning back in her seat, occasionally chatting and laughing with a few other trainees. Outside the window, colorful neon lights flashed by one after another, swirling and shifting in glowing halos.

An Qing gazed at that flawless profile, carefully organizing her words in her mind, but in the end, she only softly uttered, “Thank you.”

The noise inside the car immediately drowned out her voice.

But Yu Tingbai seemed to have heard her anyway. She nodded slightly without saying a word.

An Qing leaned her head against the window, feeling quite content.

The dinner was held at an upscale club in the city center, lavishly decorated in a style that dazzled with golden hues.

After toasting and joking around with the other trainees for a while, An Qing found a quiet corner and pulled out her phone.

Weibo’s trending list had exploded, filled with topics related to the debut of Princess.

At the very top was the hashtag “#RainClearsSkyCrownedNight#,” followed by a dark red “explosive” symbol.

Clicking on it, a photo immediately appeared on the screen.

Yu Tingbai held the crown in both hands, her eyes smiling. An Qing, with her head slightly raised, had a clear, pure gaze, untainted by any worldly distractions. The two of them locked eyes, while the dazzling lights and the exuberant crowd faded into the background.

“My mom asked me why I was kneeling while watching the livestream!!”

“Late to the party, is this a wedding ceremony?”

“Let’s bless the newlyweds!”

It really did… look like the real deal.

Perhaps the room was too noisy, but An Qing felt her heart burning. She made up an excuse and slipped out of the private room alone to get some fresh air.

The club’s backyard was a meticulously maintained garden, with winding paths, small bridges, and flowing streams perfect for a stroll.

The air was filled with the fresh fragrance of flowers and plants, quickly dissipating the scent of alcohol on her.

A winding path paved with white pebbles meandered through the greenery, with several elegant pavilions faintly visible among the trees. After wandering aimlessly for a while, her phone, tucked in her pocket, suddenly vibrated.

The screen displayed an unfamiliar number.

Who could it be at this hour?

Puzzled, An Qing answered tentatively, “Hello?”

An enthusiastic female voice came from the other end. “Hello, is this An Qing?”

“Yes, it’s me,” An Qing replied, then asked, “May I ask who’s speaking?”

“I’m Yu Tingbai’s mom. You silly child, didn’t you save my number?”

An Qing’s tipsiness vanished instantly. She tightened her grip on the phone and unconsciously straightened her posture.

“Auntie, hello.” She first greeted, then explained as naturally as possible, “Hahaha, of course I saved it. I answered in such a hurry just now that I didn’t get a good look at the screen.”

“No wonder,” Yu’s mother didn’t suspect anything and asked, “Is Baibai busy right now? I’ve been calling her, but no one’s picking up, and she’s not replying to my messages either.”

Although the other party’s tone was gentle, An Qing could still detect a faint sense of pressure, making her involuntarily tense up.

She suddenly recalled the family background of Yu Tingbai in the novel. Her father was a successful businessman, completely devoted to his career and almost indifferent to his wife and daughter. Her mother was a housewife a strict woman with a strong desire for control.

Yu’s mother had always held extremely high, almost harsh, expectations for Yu Tingbai, and Yu Tingbai had indeed lived up to them. Since childhood, she had been the “model child” that everyone admired.

According to the original plot, Yu Tingbai wasn’t entirely obedient to her mother. She was willing to study hard and pursue a career as an idol, as she wanted to gain independence quickly, and singing and dancing were passions of hers. However, when it came to the engagement with An Qing, despite her mother’s strong encouragement, Yu Tingbai grew increasingly resentful. Their relationship gradually became so strained that even mentioning it would lead to arguments, adding plenty of twists and turns to the storyline.

“An Qing, An Qing, are you listening?”

“Auntie, I’m listening.” An Qing snapped back to attention and quickly replied, “Baibai is at a social event tonight. She’s the guest of honor.”

As soon as she said it, she startled herself. Why had she unconsciously used Yu Tingbai’s nickname?

Yu’s mother didn’t notice her discomfort, assuming the two were just close. She said, “An Qing, I really like you, but Baibai is becoming less and less obedient to me lately. If there’s anything she doesn’t do well, please be patient with her.”

“Not at all,” An Qing hurriedly denied. “She treats me very well, Did you watch the livestream? She even helped me out earlier.”

“I did, and that’s the least she should do.” Yu’s mother sounded pleased. “About the money, I haven’t had the chance to thank you yet.”

She was referring to the time An Qing sold her property to lend money to the Yu family for cash flow.

After a moment’s thought, An Qing replied, “Auntie, there’s no need to stand on ceremony. With the engagement, we’re practically family.”

She deliberately emphasized the word “engagement,” hoping to solidify her precarious status as the fiancée.

Hearing that An Qing was willing to honor the engagement, Yu’s mother was overjoyed.

She chided lightly, “Why still call me ‘Auntie’? You’re being too formal, child.”

An Qing:

This is moving way too fast!

But for the sake of survival, she played along, obediently and shyly calling out “Mom,” which left Yu’s mother thoroughly satisfied.

After hanging up, An Qing let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as though her life was now a little more secure.

She smiled slightly and was about to head back the way she came when she heard footsteps behind her. Then someone called her name.

That voice it was You Shuang?

Frowning, An Qing turned to look.

She saw You Shuang walking along the garden path, step by step, coming toward her.

She had changed out of her performance outfit and was now wearing a white dress, her eyes shimmering as if holding back tears, resembling a delicate and pitiful dodder flower.

This is really too much.

Although An Qing was a bit scatterbrained, she had still been in the entertainment industry and wasn’t completely naive. Plus, Yu Tingbai had specifically warned her to be careful of You Shuang, so the moment she saw this person, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of disgust.

“An Qing, I’m sorry, I never expected something like this to happen.”

You Shuang spoke cautiously, biting her lip as if to prove her sincerity.

“I’m willing to make it up to you.”

In the WeChat chat window, there was a long string of unread messages.

“Bai Bai, why aren’t you answering my calls?”

“Call me back when you see this.”

“Then I’ll go find An Qing.”

After a while, the last two messages read:

“No need to reply, you’re busy.”

“You should take the initiative. An Qing has already started calling me ‘Mom’.”

When she saw the last line, the faint coldness in Yu Tingbai’s eyes involuntarily flickered.

An Qing.

She silently repeated the name in her heart.

It had only been a few days, how had she already started calling her “Mom”?

Could it be that the little imposter really liked her that much?

Her heart stirred slightly as she scanned the crowd for that familiar figure, but found nothing.

Where had An Qing gone? It seemed like she hadn’t been around for a while.

Noticing that You Shuang was also missing from the private room, Yu Tingbai frowned. Ignoring the inquiries from those around her, she stood up and walked out.

Soon, she spotted her target in the garden behind the club.

Not far ahead, on an open patch of ground, stood two figures, both facing sideways toward her.

The dense trees lining the path perfectly concealed Yu Tingbai’s presence.

Under the moonlight, An Qing’s silver hair remained as striking as ever. After a moment of silence, she said to You Shuang, “How do you plan to make it up to me?”

You Shuang spoke in a gentle, placating tone, “An Qing, how about I post an apology on Weibo? I’ll make it clear that this was all due to my failure to guide my fans properly, and I’ll immediately reorganize the fan club. When the time comes, could you cooperate and reply to my Weibo post?”

“And if you have any other requests, like material compensation, I’m willing to agree to them as well.”

She really knew how to trim her sails to the wind.

Yu Tingbai sneered inwardly.

The situation was already clear, public opinion was clearly on An Qing’s side. You Shuang’s proposal, while framed as an apology, was really just an attempt to whitewash her own image.

If it were the original An Qing, she would probably have been thrilled to hear this. She wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed and would have simply taken it as You Shuang backing down, feeling proud of herself.

But the current An Qing shouldn’t be foolish enough to play along with You Shuang’s attempt to clean up her reputation, right?

As Yu Tingbai mulled it over, she couldn’t help but feel a little concerned.

“How many followers do you have on Weibo?”

After a moment of thought, An Qing suddenly asked.

You Shuang was taken aback but answered truthfully, “Over five million. Why?”

“Nothing, it’s just a bit low.” An Qing grinned at her. “You should still post the apology, and I’ll reply to show my understanding and forgiveness.”

You Shuang had felt a pang of irritation when An Qing remarked on her low follower count, but hearing the latter part immediately lifted her spirits. As if afraid An Qing might change her mind, she pulled out her phone and eagerly showed the pre-written PR statement.

“An Qing, take a look. Is this draft acceptable? If not, I can revise it.”

An Qing read it over and found nothing unusual the content was pretty much what You Shuang had just described. She nodded. “It’s well-written.”

You Shuang’s face immediately lit up with delight.

As expected, An Qing was still easy to handle, just give her a sense of pride, and she’d comply. As for the material compensation she mentioned earlier, someone like An Qing, born with a silver spoon in her mouth and full of arrogance, would never accept it anyway.

Truly, she’s the kind who would help count the money even after being sold.

Yu Tingbai’s eyes darkened, and she couldn’t help but step forward.

But just then, she heard An Qing speak again.

“However, we need to add one more line.”

Things were going so smoothly that You Shuang let her guard down and replied breezily, “Sure, what do you want to add? I’ll go along with whatever you say.”

An Qing declared firmly, “Yu Guo Tian Qing szd!! Someone come and kill me to liven things up for them!”

You Shuang: ???

What the hell are you talking about?