I Struggle to Survive in a Girl Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 22.2

Yi Zhuo raised an eyebrow, yanking Shen Siqi over and completely ignoring An Qing. “Today, I only feel like drawing on you.”

An Qing stood to the side, feeling somewhat awkward.

Was her social standing so poor that no one even wanted to partner with her for the punishment round?

“An Qing, come here.”

A pleasant female voice sounded, and then someone tugged at her arm.

She turned to see Yu Tingbai standing behind her, holding an identical marker from who-knows-where.

In a situation like this, was she supposed to say thank you?

While An Qing was still pondering, Yu Tingbai had already pulled her down to sit in the empty seat beside her.

She cupped An Qing’s face with one hand and raised the marker with the other.

That flawlessly beautiful face loomed closer, magnifying before An Qing’s eyes until she could almost see the fine, delicate fuzz on her skin. Their breaths mingled, the scent of alcohol seeping into her nostrils.

This was… way too close…

In those jet-black eyes, she could faintly see her own reflection, along with something else she couldn’t quite decipher. As the marker slowly descended, fingers brushed against her cheek, sending a faint, ticklish sensation.

A wave of tension crawled up her spine, and An Qing held her breath, not daring to move a muscle.

But why was the person in front of her smiling so gleefully?

Just then, someone’s conscience finally kicked in, and they stepped forward to speak up for justice.

“Drawing a turtle on someone’s forehead? Yu Tingbai, how could you be so mean!”

The crowd erupted into roaring laughter.

Shen Siqi, sporting two panda-like dark circles under her eyes, clutched her stomach, laughing so hard she could barely catch her breath.

Realizing something was wrong, An Qing quickly borrowed a small mirror to check.

The moment she saw the turtle drawn on her face, her expression turned into a spectacular mix of emotions.

She had been too naive, thinking Yu Tingbai would go easy on her!

Once the laughter died down, Shen Siqi drew the next card.

“How many people have you kissed, and whose names?”

An Qing raised her hand. “Mine.”

Just after being punished, she had drawn her own card was this luck good or bad?

Shen Siqi continued, “An Qing’s answer is ‘1.’ Guess if it’s true or false?”

An Qing thought it should be easy to guess after all, everyone knew about her accidental kiss with Yu Tingbai. But according to the rules, if everyone guessed correctly, she would still be punished…

Just as she was about to play the part of a flirtatious rogue to throw them off, someone beat her to it.

“An Qing, your answer is way too fake!”

“Did you forget to add a zero?”

“Giving yourself away? You’re done for, haha!”

“I say false!”

“Me too!”

“If it’s true, I’ll eat this bottle!”

An Qing: !!!

She had underestimated the situation. She never imagined that the original An Qing had such a reputation in others’ eyes!

This time, Shen Siqi had learned her lesson. After most people had made their guesses, she smiled and followed the crowd. “Then I’ll say false too. This can’t be wrong, right? Qingqing, make your mom proud!”

An Qing tried to intervene, “It’s true.”

Shen Siqi mercilessly cut her off. “Don’t even try to fool me! Everyone’s saying false, right? No objections? Let’s reveal the answer then?”

An Qing:

Don’t blame me later.

Just then, Yu Tingbai, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

“I say true.”

The atmosphere froze for a second before someone asked incredulously, “Just giving up, huh?”

Yu Tingbai smiled but offered no explanation.

The unreliable compensation system had mentioned some of An Qing’s life experiences turbulent and hectic. She didn’t think the other had the time to cultivate a romantic relationship. As for the “1,” it was likely that little accident.

Moreover, based on An Qing’s earlier expression tugging at Shen Siqi, hesitating to speak Yu Tingbai felt her judgment was correct.

Soon, this was confirmed.

When everyone saw the checkmark on the paper, they let out a collective groan.

“What’s going on?”

“The rule is you can’t lie, right?”

“Waaah, where’s the promised playgirl?”

Someone, unwilling to accept it, grabbed An Qing and asked, “No way, An Qing, is it really true?”

Facing their expectant gazes, An Qing nodded solemnly. “It’s true.”

“But clearly, someone said.”

“Said what.”

Yu Tingbai cut her off, her eyes calm, reflecting a warm orange glow from the lights.

Amidst the clamor, her voice seemed to stand out distinctly, crisp and clear.

“Rumors aren’t to be believed. Just listen, but don’t take them too seriously.”

At that moment, Shen Siqi belatedly realized another issue.

“Then this ‘1,’ could it be the one from last time with.”

Before she could utter Yu Tingbai’s name, An Qing pounced on her fiercely with a marker, giving her a matching turtle doodle.

Time ticked by, and after a few more rounds, the bottles on the table gradually emptied. Traces of drawings adorned everyone’s faces, varied and unavoidable.

An Qing wasn’t familiar with many people, and with the questions growing increasingly tricky, she kept answering incorrectly, losing track of how much she had drunk.

She raised a hand to touch her messily decorated cheek, her mind hazy and muddled.

Shen Siqi also seemed a bit drunk, squinting slightly as she read the next name on the card.

“Do you have someone you like right now? Whose turn is it?”

Yu Tingbai raised her hand and waved it twice.

Tonight’s centerpiece had been drawn, and the slightly tipsy girls perked up again, the atmosphere growing lively once more.

Shen Siqi announced the answer: “Tingbai wrote ‘no.’”

“Of course not, no need to guess.”

“I’m guessing true! True!”

“Sorry, Tingbai, I’m guessing true too!”

“I’ll go easy on you! True!”

Everyone chimed in, the noise making it impossible to tell who was speaking. Shen Siqi scanned the room, trying to restore order. “So everyone’s guessing true?”

“I guess false.”

A hand rose weakly as An Qing lay slumped over the armrest of the sofa, her head resting on her other arm. The alcohol had flushed her cheeks a soft pink, and her eyes shimmered like precious sapphires.

Shen Siqi was taken aback. “An Qing, are you drunk? Guessing false means you think Tingbai has someone she likes. Don’t get it mixed up.”

An Qing lowered her hand and nodded nonchalantly. “I’m guessing false.”

Though her head was spinning, her basic logic remained intact. Yu Tingbai’s question was too straightforward she was kind to everyone but kept a certain distance from them all. Besides, the trainees had spent nearly half a year together in the training camp and knew each other well.

Yu Tingbai was wholly dedicated to her career, something everyone could see, including An Qing, who had only arrived less than a month ago.

She guessed false simply to spare Yu Tingbai from punishment.

Whether it was because Yu Tingbai had helped her earlier or because she’d had too much to drink, in An Qing’s eyes, Yu Tingbai looked exceptionally beautiful tonight.

Such a pretty face it would be a shame to ruin it with doodles.

Moreover, Yu Tingbai had already been made to drink quite a bit by the production team before the game started. If she drank any more, An Qing feared she wouldn’t be able to handle it.

An Qing wasn’t the delicate type she’d endured plenty of hardships and could handle a lot. But Yu Tingbai was different. She came from a well-off family, had never done much manual labor, and had nearly fainted from low blood sugar just the night before. It was only right to look out for her.

“Siqi, hurry up and give the answer!”

“Don’t mess this up, please.”

“An Qing, don’t scare us.”

As Yu Tingbai’s roommate, her answer made the others a bit wary, but they quickly brushed off their concerns.

An Qing wasn’t surprised to hear Shen Siqi recite the correct answer. She poured herself a glass of wine, downed it in one go, then tilted her head and fell asleep on the sofa.

Just before losing consciousness, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind.

The one-month contract, seemed like it was about to expire.

The empty glass rolled onto the carpet with a dull thud.

The girls laughed and gathered around, working together to add another mark to her face.

Yu Tingbai didn’t move. She lowered her gaze slightly, looking at that sleeping face.

She suddenly wanted to confirm something again.

Were the words An Qing had said before still valid?

Yu Tingbai swiped the keycard and opened the door, struggling to support the person beside her into the room.

Drunk people were always particularly heavy. Yu Tingbai walked to the bedside, carefully laid An Qing down, and then went to the door to insert the keycard into the wall slot.

A soft sound echoed in the room, and several wall lamps lit up.

Yu Tingbai glanced at the time 4 a.m.

According to the production team’s arrangements, they could rest here until noon before returning to the dorm to pack their things.

There were two beds in the room. The one near the door was occupied by An Qing. Yu Tingbai sat down on the other bed, opened a bottle of mineral water placed on the bedside table, and took a sip.

The cool liquid flowed down her throat, dispelling the heat brought by the alcohol.

She closed her eyes and leaned against the headboard for a while, then suddenly heard a rustling sound.

She looked up and found that An Qing had sat up at some point. The scribbles on her face had been wiped off, her silver hair softly cascading over her shoulders, making her look like a beautiful doll again.

Under the dim light, she opened her hazy, misty eyes and stared straight at Yu Tingbai.

Yu Tingbai didn’t move and asked, “What’s wrong?”

An Qing said, “I’m thirsty.”

Her voice was hoarse, carrying a muddled, unclear tone clearly still drunk.

Yu Tingbai chuckled softly, opened another bottle of water from the bedside, stood up, and handed it to her.

An Qing didn’t take it. Instead, the moment Yu Tingbai approached her, she wrapped her arms around Yu Tingbai’s waist.

Yu Tingbai paused slightly and instinctively tried to push her away.

But she couldn’t.

An Qing hugged her waist tightly, burying her face in the fabric of Yu Tingbai’s clothes, and whispered two words.

“Don’t go.”

Yu Tingbai freed herself from An Qing’s grasp and pressed the water bottle into her hand.

“You’re drunk. Drink some water.”

An Qing held the bottle but didn’t drink. Instead, she tugged at the hem of Yu Tingbai’s clothes, her tone stubborn. “Don’t go.”

She looked up, her eyes fixed pleadingly on Yu Tingbai.

“It’s almost been a month. Renew the contract.”

She actually remembered the so-called verbal agreement.

Yu Tingbai was surprised and looked down at her.

The girl was drowsy and confused, a small tuft of silver hair sticking up on her head like a swaying little sprout.

She was clearly heavily drunk. No matter what she said now, she wouldn’t remember it tomorrow, right?

“I’m not going. Let go first.”

Upon hearing this, An Qing obediently released her hand.

Yu Tingbai sat down on the edge of the bed, placed her phone on the bedside table, and said, “I’m going to ask you a few questions. If you don’t lie, I’ll renew the contract with you, okay?”

Her voice was gentle, carrying an irresistible, mesmerizing tone.

An Qing nodded dazedly. “Okay, I won’t lie.”

Yu Tingbai’s eyes were deep and intense. “I’ll ask the questions, and you only need to answer true or false, just like before. Understand?”

Facing a disoriented drunk, this questioning method could effectively improve efficiency. Moreover, she remembered the perfunctory system had mentioned not to bring up the topic of transmigration. She was also afraid An Qing might accidentally say something she shouldn’t, dragging both of them into trouble.

An Qing continued to nod. “Understood.”

She narrowed her eyes, her gaze struggling to focus on those plump, moist red lips.

It seemed soft, and sweet too.

The next second, the red lips before her parted and spoke the first question.

“Your name is An Qing, you’re 18 years old true or false?”

An Qing didn’t hesitate. “True.”

“You love the stage true or false?”

“True.”

Yu Tingbai asked a few more simple questions, waiting until the person across from her was completely relaxed before moving on to the main topic.

She stared into those blue eyes, glistening with moisture.

“You are my fiancée true or false?”

“True.”

A flicker of light stirred in those calm eyes, then quickly settled back into stillness.

After a moment of contemplation, Yu Tingbai asked the question she had posed when they first met.

“You like me true or false?”