I Struggle to Survive in a Girl Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 26

Wen Ling quickly stepped forward to help her up.

“Are you okay? Hahahaha.”

Shen Siqi: ???
You’re laughing? What about team spirit?

Wen Ling coughed lightly twice. “Sorry, couldn’t help it.”

An Qing trembled as she pointed toward the little girl, her words stumbling.
“Her mouth is pointy no, her teeth.”

Yu Tingbai shot her an exasperated look and dragged her forward.

Yi Zhuo was also startled but quickly calmed down. As she was thinking about how to get the little girl to speak, she heard Wen Ling ask, “Are your teeth so long that it’s hard for you to talk?”

The little girl seemed stunned by the question, freezing in place for a moment.

Wen Ling: “Eight hundred soldiers rush to the northern slope, northern slope artillerymen run side by side. Say it.”

The little girl:

Yu Tingbai also walked over, dragging a little tail behind her.
She sized up the little girl, who immediately abandoned Wen Ling and bared her teeth menacingly at Yu Tingbai. Under the cover of night, it really had the vibe of a horror movie.

Yu Tingbai looked at the little girl with a smile, suddenly reached out, and pulled An Qing, who was hiding behind her, forward.

Before An Qing could figure out what was happening, she felt a push from behind, followed by Yu Tingbai’s cheerful voice: “Got any money? I’ll trade her for you.”

An Qing: ?
Selling your fiancée? Yu Tingbai, have some humanity!

She was so angry she forgot her fear and was about to argue, but when she saw those beautiful eyes twinkling with mischief, the words died on her lips.
Forget it, if it makes her this happy, being teased once isn’t so bad.
An Qing told herself.

“Okay.”

The little girl suddenly spoke her first word.

What’s going on? Is the essence of this game selling out your teammates?

An Qing was both shocked and saddened but was pulled behind by a slender arm.

Yu Tingbai subtly shielded her, a hint of seriousness in her usually casual gaze.
She asked the little girl, “Okay what?”

“There’s a toy over there.”

The little girl’s stark black-and-white eyes stared straight at them. She pointed at a nearby tree, then at An Qing.
“If you help me get it back, I’ll give you money.”

Just then, with a soft “beep,” their wristwatches lit up simultaneously.

[Task accepted: Help Nancy retrieve the toy (0/1).]

It’s a task, and it doesn’t sound hard! They’re getting money!

“No problem.”

An Qing was practically moved to tears, peeking out from behind Yu Tingbai. “Is it in the tree? What kind of toy is it?”
She looked at Nancy’s petite figure, puzzled. “How did you get it up there?”

“Not me.”

Nancy grinned, her stark white fangs gleaming in the night.
Her tone was dead serious: “Alice wanted to go up there herself.”

An Qing: “Okay, I get it. Stop smiling.”

With that, she ignored Nancy and quickly walked to the tree. She tied up her loose hair in a few swift moves and tossed her backpack to the ground.

She looked up the tree wasn’t too tall, its massive canopy dark and shadowy. Faint, fragmented moonlight filtered through the leaves. The dense branches seemed to hide many silent secrets.

“Can you climb trees?”

By then, the others had also gathered. Yi Zhuo stood beside her, frowning.

She wasn’t particularly close with An Qing, but she didn’t want her to push herself and get hurt over a game either.

An Qing smiled. “No problem.”

She had been active since childhood, and climbing trees was a piece of cake for her. As an experienced tree climber, she could tell at a glance that this tree had plenty of branches to serve as footholds, making it very easy to climb. It was clearly chosen by the production team specifically for the convenience of the guests.

Besides, Nan Xi had just specifically asked her to go. What if they switched people and didn’t get the gold coin?

Just as An Qing was about to set off, someone pulled her back from behind.

“Wait,” Yu Tingbai said. “Yi Zhuo, let me use the flashlight.”

Yi Zhuo was momentarily stunned but quickly understood and handed over the flashlight.

Yu Tingbai pressed the switch, and a beam of white light instantly illuminated the patch of ground beneath their feet. She raised her hand, directing the beam toward the tree trunk, and the intricate network of grooved branches suddenly became clearly visible to everyone.

On a thick forked branch hung a small, human-shaped shadow, swaying gently in the night breeze.

Wen Ling said, “It’s a cloth doll.”

It looked as if it had been hanged there…

An Qing couldn’t help but shiver twice.

“So scary! An Qing, you go! It’s your chance to shine!”

Shen Siqi, firmly remembering An Qing’s earlier words about “leaving the scary NPCs to her,” gave her a push from behind and urged her on.

This was truly digging her own grave.

An Qing felt like crying but had no tears. There was no backing out now she had to brace herself and face it.

“Alright, watch me.”

Feigning calm, she stepped forward and steadied herself against the tree trunk. Still uneasy, she pointed at Nan Xi and turned back to remind her teammates, “If she tries to bite me, you guys have to handle it.”

Shen Siqi, hiding behind Yi Zhuo, readily agreed, “Don’t worry, just climb!”

It’s not the risk itself that defeats people, but their fear of the unknown.

As An Qing climbed upward, this saying involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

The leaves ahead, illuminated by the flashlight, shimmered with an eerie dark green glow, as if coated in a layer of glossy white wax, making her slightly dizzy.

An Qing steadied herself and quickly climbed up to the branch where the cloth doll hung.

The beam of light followed her, settling on the doll’s stiff face.

From the outside, the doll looked quite ordinary its dress was made of coarse fabric, and its pale yellow hair was braided into two messy pigtails. Its face, made of silicone, was pale, and under the white flashlight beam, it appeared even more ghastly.

Up close, she realized the doll wasn’t actually hanging from the tree. It seemed to have glue on its back, stuck to the trunk.

“An Qing, you can do it!”

Shen Siqi’s excited shout came from below.

An Qing steeled herself, reached out, yanked the doll down, and tucked it into her arms before descending the trunk the way she came.

Just as she was about to reach the ground, the doll pressed tightly against her chest suddenly twitched.

Then, a strange sound emerged from the doll’s body.

“Welcome, welcome, welcoooome.”

The sound began to stutter, creating a bizarre, glitchy effect.

An Qing: WTF?

Her grip on the trunk faltered, and as she landed, she couldn’t steady herself, her whole body tipping backward.

Just as An Qing sadly thought she was about to fall, a sudden warmth enveloped her from behind, and she found herself caught in a warm embrace.

The flashlight rolled on the ground as Yu Tingbai held her back, steadying her in an intimate posture. An Qing lay entirely in the crook of her arm, and above her line of sight, a pair of jet-black eyes gazed gently at her.

But this gentleness was fleeting. After helping her stand steady, the other quickly let go and naturally took the cloth doll from her arms.

Hah, so you just wanted the doll, didn’t you?

An Qing snorted inwardly.

The cloth doll was still babbling something, its voice hoarse, like a rusty music box.

“Are you hurt?”

“An Qing, you’re amazing!”

By then, Wen Ling and the others had gathered around. After confirming that An Qing was safe and sound, they began examining the cloth doll together.

The doll must have had a wireless microphone inside, allowing it to utter simple words, continuously spouting nonsense. One moment it said, “Welcome,” the next, “Goodbye,” and then it started wailing and crying.

The sound was rough, noisy, and eerie.

Just as Yi Zhuo was growing irritated by the noise, she saw Wen Ling pat the doll’s head and say, “Shut up.”

It was unclear which switch Wen Ling had triggered, but the doll obediently fell silent.

Yi Zhuo:

Seriously? That worked?

Yu Tingbai turned the doll over and over, inspecting it but finding nothing unusual. She then took it to negotiate with Nanxi, who had remained silent until then.

Soon, they reached an agreement. Nanxi took the doll and pulled a handful of gold coins from her small bag, handing them over.

The watch’s notification sounded again.

[Task completed: Help Nanxi retrieve the toy (1/1).]

The gold coins were made of metal, heavy in hand. Yu Tingbai counted them exactly ten.

She said, “Let Wen Ling manage the money.”

She said this while looking at An Qing, as if worried she might object. After all, these coins were earned through An Qing’s hard work of climbing the tree.

“Sure, then it’s up to our captain.”

An Qing didn’t mind at all and agreed casually.

She wasn’t good at math and was happy to avoid the responsibility. Besides, Wen Ling had always been frugal, so the money would likely last longer in her hands.

Wen Ling didn’t refuse either. She took the coins, counted them carefully once more, and stored them in her backpack.

Nanxi stood quietly to the side, watching the group intently discussing nearby.

Holding the cloth doll, her eyes were deep and unfathomable, the tips of her sharp teeth slightly visible between her lips.

Nanxi felt somewhat defeated. Although she was only eleven this year, she was already a seasoned actor in Dream Town, with rich experience and excellent acting skills. She had always been able to make guests scream in fear.

But in front of these beautiful older sisters, her presence seemed to be fading. Forget fear no one even seemed to notice her in this atmosphere.

Compared to her, who was clearly not a normal being, they were far more concerned about how long these gold coins would last.

Unwilling to accept this, Nanxi pursed her lips, adjusted her emotions, and walked over with a smile.

“I will choose one person to take me home alone.”

Her thin lips parted, revealing a few sharp teeth as she tried her best to appear eerie and terrifying.

“It’s dark now. It’s not safe here.”

During her time as an NPC, Nancy had encountered countless people. With just one glance, she could tell that among the guests this time, only Shen Siqi and An Qing were afraid of her. The other three remained calm and composed, but out of politeness, they occasionally wore expressions that said, “Thanks, I’m terrified.”

Nancy had already succeeded in making Shen Siqi cry, so now she focused on targeting the other weak link An Qing.

An Qing: ???

How dare you say it’s unsafe? I think it’s unsafe precisely because of you!

Nancy closed in step by step, almost reaching An Qing.

She looked at An Qing and spoke again, “Sister, take me home.”

What the hell? Why me?

What is it about me that attracts you? I’ll change it, okay?

An Qing’s face turned pale, but she didn’t want to sleep on the streets tonight. Her desire to earn money was urgent. So, steeling herself, she asked Nancy, “How much is the reward for taking you home?”

Nancy replied, “2 gold coins, because only one person is participating.”

Climbing a tree is worth 10 gold coins, but taking someone home is only 2? Does the production team think climbing a tree is harder? Taking Nancy home alone requires way more courage, doesn’t it?

Just as An Qing hesitated, a figure suddenly stepped in front of her.

Yu Tingbai looked at Nancy, pointed at An Qing, and said gently, “Little girl, do you want Yu Tingbai to take you home? She’s very timid, you know.”

“Princess” had debuted just over a month ago and hadn’t gained international fame yet. Plus, Nancy was young, and as long as she completed her tasks smoothly, the production team didn’t pressure her to memorize the guests’ details.

So, Nancy only knew that the five people in front of her were members of a famous girl group from a certain country, but she couldn’t match names to faces.

Yu Tingbai had pointed at An Qing while asking, her tone gentle and persuasive. Nancy didn’t suspect a thing and fell right into the trap.

“Yes, today I want Yu Tingbai to take me home. No one else will do.”

As soon as Nancy finished speaking, the watch on Yu Tingbai’s wrist lit up.

[Task accepted: Take Nancy home (0/1).]

Wait? Which one is Yu Tingbai?

Nancy stared wide-eyed as the beautiful woman in front of her curved her eyes into a friendly smile though the smile only touched her lips, while a faint chill lingered in her gaze.

Her dark, profound eyes seemed to merge with the cool night, carrying an inexplicable sense of pressure.

“Then let’s go. Even though I’m very timid, I’ll still protect you.”

Nancy:

Doesn’t your conscience hurt?

By then, Yu Tingbai had already reached out and gently taken hold of Nancy’s arm. The temperature had dropped considerably in the evening, and her touch was light, her fingertips icy cold, sending shivers down Nancy’s spine instantly.

“Wait!” Nancy, like a bristling kitten, shook off Yu Tingbai’s hand. Her tone was firm. “Let’s all go together!”

Yu Tingbai smiled gently. “Sure, but that’ll cost extra.”