I Struggle to Survive in a Girl Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 24.1

“An Qing,

You have to set your goals a little higher to meet expectations.”

This was something An Qing’s high school math teacher had once said, and she could still vividly recall the scene.

That day, she stood trembling before the teacher’s desk, clutching the corner of her test paper. The evening sunlight slipped through the gap in the curtains, illuminating the bright red “50” on the paper.

The teacher spoke sternly, “If your goal is 80 points, you’ll probably only score 70. But if your goal is 60 points, you’ll likely end up like this failing.”

An Qing, heartbroken and remorseful, declared, “Teacher, I understand! Next time, I’ll work hard and aim for a hundred points!!”

The teacher:

He had wanted to say that one shouldn’t aim too high either it’s important to know one’s limits. But seeing An Qing’s fiery, determined expression, he swallowed those words. In the end, he merely sighed softly and said, “Alright, then do your best.”

An Qing felt that, to ensure her own survival, she needed to set a goal higher than “merely not breaking off the engagement.” That way, she could guarantee that a year from now, she would still be a lively and beautiful young woman.

After a moment of contemplation, An Qing quickly reached a conclusion.

The method was simple: she just had to make Yu Tingbai fall in love with her. It didn’t have to last forever just a brief year of love to secure the engagement would suffice.

But how could she make Yu Tingbai fall in love with her?

Yu Tingbai kept everything locked in her heart. An Qing couldn’t guess what she was thinking, nor did she know if her efforts over the past months had sparked even a hint of goodwill in the other girl.

After much deliberation, a sudden idea struck An Qing.

The original host’s so-called “friends” seemed quite experienced in matters of the heart. Why not ask them?

So, she opened the “Troublemakers” group chat and carefully typed a message.

“Anyone here?”

Within seconds, chat bubbles popped up one after another.

Little Fox: Here
Little Fox: Awoo~

Mie Mie Yang: What’s up?

Takoyaki Ball: 11111

They seemed pretty free, who knew what they did for a living? An Qing set that thought aside for the moment and voiced her confusion.

Qing Qing: If two girls are engaged, but one of them did something wrong in the past, making the other hold a grudge. The one who made the mistake deeply regrets it and is trying hard to make amends, but the other person hasn’t shown any reaction. She doesn’t know if her efforts are working,what should she do?

Mie Mie Yang:
Mie Mie Yang: Beating around the bush so much
Mie Mie Yang: Just say it’s you and Yu Tingbai’s ID numbers

Takoyaki Ball: Qing Qing, you’re done for
Takoyaki Ball: You’ve really fallen for her

Little Fox: Wuwu, Qing Qing is going to abandon us

Qing Qing:
Qing Qing: Just answer me
Qing Qing: [licking a blade.jpg]

The group fell silent for five minutes.

Mie Mie Yang: How far have you two gotten?
Mie Mie Yang: Have you slept together?

Takoyaki Ball: If you’ve slept together, there’s hope!

Little Fox: Mhm mhm!

As if she needed them to tell her that.

An Qing’s lips twitched.

She thought back carefully and realized that the most intimate moment between her and Yu Tingbai was that accidental kiss. But Yu Tingbai hadn’t been willing, so it didn’t count. Then there was the time they were both drunk, and she shamelessly clung to Yu Tingbai while sleeping but that wasn’t in a sober state either.

So she replied: Emmmm Actually, we haven’t done anything at all.

Miemie Yang: No way?

Miemie Yang: You haven’t even held hands?

An Qing replied mournfully: Does linking arms count?

Takoyaki:

Little Fox: Qingqing, you’re no good at this.

Little Fox: You can’t be this innocent!

Miemie Yang: Try some physical contact.

Miemie Yang: If she doesn’t reject it, there’s a chance.

Physical contact?

An Qing froze for a moment, then asked: Specifically what?

Miemie Yang: Holding hands, hugging, kissing, getting in bed.

Miemie Yang: Don’t just stick to platonic stuff.

Miemie Yang: Get a little more practical.

Takoyaki: That works!

Little Fox: Sounds reliable!

Qingqing:

Qingqing: Okay, I’ll give it a try!

Meanwhile, in a secret three-person group chat.

A heated discussion was underway.

Little Fox: Miemie, how do you know so much?

Miemie Yang: How would I know?

Miemie Yang: I read it in a story, hehehe.

Takoyaki: Whose story?

Miemie Yang: Seven Thousand Acts of Romance.

Takoyaki: Seven Thousand Acts of Romance? Doesn’t she write smut?

Takoyaki: Are these things you mentioned all done in one chapter?

Miemie Yang: So what?

Miemie Yang: Feelings are all pretty similar; sleep together and you’ll have them.

Miemie Yang: It’s not that complicated.

Little Fox: Qingqing really is something.

Little Fox: Why is she asking us three lifelong singles about relationship problems?

An Qing carefully memorized the advice her “bad influence” friends had given her, feeling she had grasped the essence. Then she thought about the key event her manager Ye Ming had mentioned earlier that afternoon and immediately devised her first battle plan start with holding hands, increase physical contact, and work hard on building the CP.

By now, it was late at night. Only a few wall lamps were on in the room, casting a dim light.

An Qing rolled out of bed and sat down in front of her computer.

The company had arranged for their group to live in a three-story villa, simply and comfortably furnished with all the necessary amenities. The second and third floors each had three bedrooms. An Qing and Yu Tingbai lived on the third floor, while the other three had chosen the second.

An Qing registered a side account on Weibo, first followed all her teammates, and then clicked into the “Rain After Clear Sky” CP supertopic.

This supertopic hadn’t been around for long, but it already had 2.3 billion views, 70,000 posts, and ranked third.

Even though it was past midnight, the place was still lively.

An Qing casually refreshed the page, and several new posts immediately appeared.

“Bloodthirsty Forest is eternal! Today is another day of dying from shipping!”

“May the two beautiful sisters be forever in love!!”

“LOL, I don’t even dare to sleep. I’m afraid I’ll wake up to their official announcement.”

“Some people actually said they didn’t get along before are their faces swollen now?”

“I’m rewatching the ‘Battle of Love’ again, sob, it’s so good!”

“Please let ‘Coronation Night’ take the stage!! What kind of fairy-tale romance is this?”

The “Battle of Love” post featured a picture from the arm-wrestling match. An Qing sat at the table, staring intently at her opponent, her gaze intense. Yu Tingbai stood behind her, smiling, with one hand resting lightly on her shoulder.

The poster had drawn a pink heart around the two of them.

The “Coronation Night” post had two pictures.

The first was from the debut night stage, with the background softened to create a gentler effect. An Qing stood with her back to the roaring audience, her expression one of unconcealed surprise. Yu Tingbai stood on a higher step, placing a dazzling silver crown on An Qing’s head.

The second image had a blank background with only one sentence written on it.

“I stand at the top, only to protect you better.”

An Qing rested her chin in her hand, staring at the words for a while, and suddenly began to understand the charm of fanfiction.

Perhaps because she was one of the main characters, if she had just looked at the image alone, she wouldn’t have felt much. But once the accompanying text was added, it was as if there was something real between these two people, giving her an inexplicable flutter in her heart.

She rubbed her slightly flushed cheeks and clicked into the “White Wind Chime” super topic.

Read count: 8.8 billion. Posts: 320,000. Rank: 1.

An Qing: =Dish=!!

Wasn’t she already losing at the starting line?

The content in the “White Wind Chime” super topic was much more subtle. Probably because Wen Ling’s outward demeanor was cool and reserved, most posts had a literary tone like “A true friend is hard to find, a kindred spirit is hard to meet.” The highlighted section, aside from the forum rules, included several fanfictions.

The writing was elegant, the plots were intricate, and they were utterly captivating. By the time An Qing snapped out of it, she realized she had unknowingly finished reading one and was left wanting more.

The comments below were enthusiastic.

“White Wind Chime is lucky to have you!!!”

“Please keep creating, author, we’re begging you!”

“Wahh, author, your child is starving to death!”

An Qing skimmed through a few other articles, and they were all equally engaging. Some even came with fan-drawn illustrations, making it easy to immerse oneself in the story. As she read on, her expression gradually grew serious.

Why? Why were the fans of other pairings so talented at writing and drawing, while her own pairing’s fans could only type things like “Ahhh,” “Wahh,” or “Hahaha, so sweet!”?

This couldn’t go on.

She registered a side account on Weibo and followed the “Rain After Clear Sky” super topic.

Heh, this barren land she would sow the seeds of creativity here herself.