I Struggle to Survive in a Girl Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 27

The street was silent and still,

with dim yellow light emanating from the streetlamps on either side.

Nancy, clutching her rag doll, walked at the front of the group, her thin shadow stretching and shrinking with the shifting light.

She hadn’t caused any more trouble along the way, barely even speaking.

But An Qing quickly sensed something was wrong.

It was too quiet.

Even at night,

there shouldn’t be absolutely no passersby.

And though it was already pitch dark,

none of the houses or shops lining the street had any lights on. Both residences and stores were swallowed by a gloomy, oppressive darkness.

Could it be due to budget cuts, reducing the number of extras?

But An Qing had seen clips of Surviving the Ghost Town, where each episode featured dozens of participants. This was the first recording of the new version, there was no reason for the company to compromise its reputation over a little money.

If that wasn’t the case, then was it a plot restriction?

Thinking this, An Qing couldn’t help but lean close to Yu Tingbai’s ear and whisper, “Are there no other residents here?”

Yu Tingbai replied, “Possibly.”

She shared the same doubts as An Qing. Reaching out, she tapped Nancy on the shoulder from behind. “I wanted to ask”

“What are you doing? Don’t scare me!” Before she could finish, Nancy shrieked and jumped, quickly scurrying a few steps forward to put distance between them before turning to glare at her warily.

Yu Tingbai:

Do you even remember your role?

It seemed they wouldn’t get any answers from Nancy.

Shen Siqi grew anxious. “Then where are we going to eat and sleep?”

Wen Ling suggested, “How about we just pick a house and go in?”

Yi Zhuo frowned. “Would staying in a free house cost us health points?”

Shen Siqi immediately backtracked, “Then never mind!”

It was a valid concern. Waking up to find their health points depleted would be a huge loss.

As they talked, the group reached their destination.

The park they’d been at earlier was near the edge of the town, while Nancy’s home was closer to the center. They had walked for over half an hour.

It turned out to be a small inn a three-story building with a modest courtyard enclosed by a haphazard fence, filled with various plants and flowers.

An LED screen hung by the entrance, its glaring red lights spelling out the word “Lodging.”

This was likely part of the program’s setup, deliberately guiding them to a place where they could rest.

A light was on in one of the ground-floor rooms, and through the window, shadowy figures seemed to be moving inside.

Nancy stepped into the yard with practiced ease and pushed the door open.

“Sweetheart, you’re back.”

A gentle woman’s voice accompanied the appearance of a tall woman with long, curly hair. An apron was tied around her waist, giving her the appearance of a devoted homemaker.

Her aura was soft and warm, she would have seemed like a perfectly ordinary innkeeper, if not for the sharp fangs she revealed when she smiled, identical to Nancy’s.

The woman paused in surprise at the sight of the group at the door and leaned down to ask Nancy, “Why are there so many people?”

According to the original script, only one guest was supposed to escort Nancy back, discover the inn, and then notify the others. Of course, that guest would also endure some scares while waiting.

Nancy evaded the question. “It’s nothing. Everyone was just being really enthusiastic.”

She couldn’t very well admit she’d been frightened by Yu Tingbai, that would be far too embarrassing.

During reality show filming, deviations from the plan were common, so the woman didn’t dwell on it. She smiled warmly at the young girls before her and asked cheerfully, “Did you bring my daughter home?”

Then she introduced herself, “I’m Shirley, the owner of this inn.”

Yu Tingbai’s wristwatch screen lit up:

【Mission accomplished: Send Nancy home (1/1).】

Wen Ling glanced at it and said to Shirley, “You’re welcome. Ten gold coins.”

Shirley:

She seemed to have guessed what was going on and pulled ten gold coins from her apron pocket, handing them to Wen Ling, who stood at the front.

Wen Ling pocketed the coins and inquired, “How much for lodging and meals?”

Shirley replied, “One gold coin per person per meal, and two gold coins per room per night.”

That’s way too expensive! What a rip-off!

An Qing clicked her tongue in disbelief. If each of them got their own room, that would be ten gold coins. Add two meals per person, and their entire twenty gold coins would be gone.

But the Nancy mission had consumed a lot of their time and energy. It was almost 9 p.m., too late to go elsewhere. Besides, they hadn’t seen any other inhabited houses along the way.

Yi Zhuo tried to bargain with Shirley, pointing at Nancy and saying, “Since we brought her back, could you give us a discount?”

When it came to business, Shirley put on a stern, impartial smile, her sharp teeth gleaming under the light. “This is already the discounted price. Can’t go any lower.”

Everyone hesitated. Shen Siqi touched the bread in her bag and mused, “Maybe we should just eat bread tonight and make do.”

Shirley chimed in, “Tonight’s dinner includes braised beef with radish, red-braised pork ribs, steamed fish, garlic broccoli, and soy sauce fried rice. All you can eat, just one gold coin per person.”

Shen Siqi immediately declared, “I think we shouldn’t skimp on meals!”

“Alright, we’ve had a long day and everyone’s hungry. Let’s have a proper meal tonight and save the bread for tomorrow morning,” Wen Ling counted out five gold coins and handed them to Shirley. “As for lodging, let’s book two rooms and squeeze in. How does that sound?”

No one objected. To be safe, they followed Shirley upstairs to check out the guest rooms.

As they walked, Shirley promoted her business, “Our sheets and bedding are changed after every stay and strictly disinfected. You’re all young girls it’s not safe to stay out at night.”

Nancy chimed in beside her, “That’s right, there are monsters around here that come out at night, right, Mom?”

Shirley smiled and nodded, “Yes, so you need to come home early too.”

The others:

Do you two have any right to say that about others?

Each room had a spacious double bed, easily accommodating two people. After some haggling, Wen Ling managed to rent a full set of bedding for one gold coin. With one person sleeping on the floor, all five of them could manage.

After all these arrangements, they had spent ten gold coins half of their total funds.

The pale dining table was laden with dishes, their aroma filling the air. Everyone had rushed from the airport to the filming location earlier and had been busy nonstop all day. They were absolutely starving.

Shen Siqi held her chopsticks, swallowing her saliva as she squeezed out a sentence with her last shred of reason: “This couldn’t be a trap, could it? What if eating this costs us health points.”

An Qing was already gnawing on a rib, replying indistinctly: “It’s not that serious. We’ve already paid are they really going to let us starve to death?”

She tossed the finished bone onto the plate beside her and picked up two more pieces of beef for herself. The beef was stewed until tender and soft, along with the glutinous tendons. One bite filled her mouth with the rich aroma of meat.

The food at this restaurant was quite affordable, with generous portions for each dish and excellent flavor. She was very satisfied.

Yu Tingbai added, “I watched the earlier videos. Even if there’s something wrong with the food here, it’s only enough to cause a gradual health drop, not an instant wipeout.”

She paused, then said with a smile, “So, if An Qing is fine, then we’re all fine.”

An Qing, who was devouring her food like crazy: ?

Was she being mocked for eating too much? Did they think she wouldn’t get it?

But she didn’t have time to argue with Yu Tingbai. Instead, she quietly piled food in front of her into a small mountain.

Shen Siqi: “Got it.”

If An Qing had eaten so much without losing any health, then as long as she ate less than An Qing, she’d be fine.

As the meal was nearing its end, a sudden commotion came from the entrance.

The inn was converted from a homestay, and the dining table faced the door directly.

The group turned toward the source of the sound and saw a tall, well-built man walk in. He stood in the entryway, changed his shoes, then nodded toward them with a smile.

In a deep voice, he said, “Welcome, guests from afar.”

Before An Qing and the others could respond, Shirley had already stepped forward to greet him.

She deftly helped him take off his coat and hung it on a nearby coat rack.

“Why are you back so late?”

The man hugged Shirley, his tone gentle: “Work held me up a bit.”

Shirley immediately broke into a blissful smile and said, “Darling, you’ve worked hard.”

She called upstairs, “Nancy, Dad’s home.”

But there was only silence from upstairs. After waiting a moment, the man’s expression darkened.

Shirley hurriedly comforted him, “Nancy must be tired from playing and has probably fallen asleep.”

The man’s expression softened slightly, but he still said, “She’s getting more and more out of line. She needs to be taught a lesson.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a loud thud echoed from upstairs, followed by the sound of pattering footsteps.

Nancy came downstairs in her pajamas, holding her cloth doll, and leaned against the stair railing, staring expressionlessly at the man.

She seemed particularly fond of this doll named Alice, never letting it out of her grasp since An Qing had retrieved it from the tree and returned it to her.

“Who are you going to teach a lesson to?”

The man’s eyes suddenly turned fierce, a stark contrast to his earlier gentleness. He rolled up his sleeves and strode toward Nancy.

Nancy remained unmoved, even letting out a scornful sneer, as if the imposing figure approaching her was nothing more than an insignificant ant.

The man advanced step by step, but a faint trace of hesitation flickered across his face, as if he were wary of something.

With tension mounting between the two, An Qing hesitated, then stood up, intending to intervene, but Yu Tingbai pulled her back.

She said, “Don’t act impulsively just yet.”

Sure enough, the next moment, Sherry snapped out of her daze and hurried after him, wrapping her arms around the man’s waist while pleading incessantly, “Cole, don’t take it out on a child.”

As she spoke, she shot Nancy a meaningful glance, signaling her to hurry upstairs.

Nancy’s expression shifted, as if suppressing something, but in the end, she obeyed her mother’s instruction and slowly carried Alice upstairs.

Cole broke free from Sherry’s grasp. He didn’t chase after Nancy but stood there, panting slightly, his gaze fixed on the direction she had left for a long time.

Their acting is way too good! I almost believed it!

An Qing applauded wildly in her heart.

Judging by the current situation, this family was far from harmonious.

An Qing pondered.

She didn’t believe a word about Cole’s so-called “work.” Forget whether this godforsaken place even had any workplaces the moment he stepped inside, she had caught a faint whiff of alcohol.

The entrance was several meters away from the dining table. For the smell to carry that far, he must have drunk quite a lot.

Yu Tingbai lowered her voice. “Cole is lying.”

Wen Ling nodded. “He probably came back late because he was drinking.”

Yi Zhuo added, “Or maybe because of a woman.”

Shen Siqi, however, was focused on something else. “Why is Cole the only one without fangs? Shouldn’t the whole family be matching?”

While the group was discussing, Sherry had already led Cole to the table and introduced him. “This is my husband, Cole.”

Cole greeted everyone warmly, asking if their rooms were ready, if the food was to their liking, and other ordinary questions, just like a dutiful host.

It was a complete contrast to his irritable demeanor just minutes before.

Wen Ling responded briefly before suddenly asking, “Aside from your family, are there other people in this town? Why didn’t we see any other residents on our way here?”

As soon as she finished speaking, the watch on her wrist lit up, and the life value in the upper left corner flickered, dropping from 100 to 95.

Everyone was startled. Yi Zhuo’s eyes darkened as he shook his head at Wen Ling, signaling her not to say anything more.

“Sorry, our family doesn’t interact much with the other residents, so we’re not too sure,” Cole replied, his smile unwavering as if completely unaware of the situation, offering a useless answer.

He added, “If you’re really curious, why not go and see for yourselves?”

With that, he nodded to the group, urged them to enjoy their meal, and followed Sherry upstairs.

“Let’s call it a day. Everyone’s had a tough time,” Wen Ling said, her tone as calm as ever, showing no sign of frustration over the drop in life points. “Let’s assign rooms first and get some rest early.”

Yu Tingbai agreed, “Alright, but from now on, let’s be careful with our questions.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Wen Ling stood up and wandered around the living room, eventually fishing out a slightly worn plastic dice from a hidden corner under the coffee table.

She dusted it off with her hand and returned to the table.

“How about we roll the dice to decide who sleeps on the floor? Then we can assign the rooms.”

“Sounds good! I’ve got great luck with dice,” Shen Siqi exclaimed excitedly, taking the dice and examining it closely before turning to An Qing. “An Qing, which of us should roll first?”

Since she and An Qing were the youngest in the group, they usually took priority in team draws like this.

An Qing didn’t hear her words at all, as she was turned sideways chatting with Yu Tingbai.

Yu Tingbai: “No snoring tonight.”

An Qing: “I never snore!”

Yu Tingbai: “Oh, then it must be your stomach growling.”

Shen Siqi:

Have you two already decided to share a room?

But since An Qing and Yu Tingbai had the task of building a CP image, she could understand.

So she wisely decided not to disturb them for now and turned to the other pair, Wen Ling and Yi Zhuo.

“Captain, should I throw first.”

But these two weren’t paying attention to her either.

Yi Zhuo was resting her chin in her hand, watching Wen Ling with a faint smile at her lips.

She said: “Captain, if you draw the floor sleeping arrangement, I could.”

Wen Ling: “What?”

Yi Zhuo smiled: “Sleep on the floor with you.”

Shen Siqi: ?

Screw this stupid game, I’m not playing anymore.