I Struggle to Survive in a Girl Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 34

“How should I compensate?”

An Qing froze for a moment.

But she quickly remembered something,

rolled off the bed, pulled something out of her coat pocket, and then returned to sit beside Yu Tingbai.

She opened her palm and held the item out in front of Yu Tingbai.

It was a small tube of ointment with minimalist packaging.

Yu Tingbai asked, “What is this?”

“It’s for promoting blood circulation and reducing bruising, with no side effects.” An Qing thought Yu Tingbai might look down on such a simple item and hurriedly explained, “I’ve been using it myself these past couple of days. It works really well.”

An Qing was naturally active and often bumped into things. A couple of days ago during an event, she accidentally knocked her knee against a table corner, leaving a bruise. Although the production team had confiscated most of their personal belongings, necessities like this were still allowed.

Yu Tingbai nodded thoughtfully. Thinking she was willing to accept it, An Qing quickly pushed the ointment into her hand.

“You apply it for me.”

An Qing: ??? What did you say?

She looked up in astonishment at the person before her, who wore a faint smile on her lips but had a serious expression in her eyes, as if she wasn’t joking.

Yu Tingbai’s tone was innocent: “I’m very tired today. If I have to do these miscellaneous tasks, my low blood sugar might act up.”

Alright, whatever you say is right, but…

An Qing’s fingers unconsciously tightened, denting the soft packaging of the ointment.

She didn’t have any cotton swabs. If she applied the ointment, wouldn’t that mean she’d have to touch her fiancée’s thigh?

“What, you don’t want to?”

“No, no.” A surge of survival instinct made An Qing shake her head repeatedly as she said, “I’m afraid I might hurt you.”

After saying this, she realized how weak it sounded after all, the injury on Yu Tingbai’s leg was caused by her in the first place. Qaq.

Sure enough, Yu Tingbai shot her a sidelong glance: “So you do know to be afraid?”

An Qing pretended not to hear. Steeling herself, she opened the cap of the ointment, squeezed a bit onto her finger, and noticed that the other person showed no intention of moving.

Blushing, she had to remind her: “Could you lift your skirt a little.”

“Can’t you do it yourself?”

An Qing:

Was she trying to torment her to death today?

But afraid that any further delay would test the other’s patience, she mustered her courage and carefully lifted a corner of the nightgown.

Under the warm orange light, the skin appeared fair and smooth, with the purple bruise standing out prominently.

An Qing raised her hand and applied the ointment with the lightest touch. Even so, she thought it must still sting a little. But she had to admit, it was really soft…

She glanced up quickly to check Yu Tingbai’s expression. Those beautiful dark eyes were lowered, just meeting her gaze.

An Qing’s heart raced suddenly. Not daring to look up again, she quietly finished applying the ointment.

She let out a long sigh, thinking it was all over, when suddenly her foot was lifted.

Her right leg, which had been resting on the edge of the bed, was picked up by Yu Tingbai and placed on her own lap.

Before An Qing could process what was happening, Yu Tingbai had already taken the ointment from her hand.

She pointed leisurely at the bruise on An Qing’s knee and said with a smile, “One good turn deserves another.”

The next moment, the cool sensation of the ointment spread over her knee.

An Qing:

She had already applied some after her bath earlier.

Now it wasn’t just her face her whole body felt intensely hot, leaving her utterly flustered.

An Qing tried to stop this bizarre behavior: “Just now, Yu Tingbai, my thigh is fine, no need to apply anything!!”

Yu Tingbai chuckled softly, putting away the ointment, her eyes betraying a hint of lingering reluctance.

At that moment, a faint rustling sound suddenly came from above their heads, like the dragging of something heavy across a carpet.

An Qing was startled and instinctively pulled the blanket tighter around herself.

Yu Tingbai paused slightly, listening intently.

The sound continued for a while before fading into silence.

Just as An Qing was about to relax, a few pained whimpers came from upstairs, sounding particularly eerie in the dead of night.

An Qing’s face turned pale, but then she suddenly realized something.

Their guest room was on the second floor of the inn, while the third floor was occupied by Nancy and her family.

At that moment, the wristwatch on the bedside table lit up, displaying two lines of text:

[You hear strange noises coming from upstairs.]

[Maybe… you should go take a look.]

Yu Tingbai had already gotten up and was standing by the door, peering through the peephole for a moment before turning back. “Let’s go,” she said. “Come with me.”

An Qing was terrified, but then she heard Yu Tingbai say calmly, “If neither of us goes out, wouldn’t their performance be wasted?”

An Qing: !!!

That made perfect sense, and with Yu Tingbai’s words, the situation suddenly felt much less frightening.

So she got out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and walked over to Yu Tingbai, naturally taking her hand.

Lately, Yu Tingbai had been holding her hand often as they walked around, and she’d grown used to it.

Sure enough, Yu Tingbai showed no discomfort either, tightening her grip slightly.

As soon as they opened the door, they ran into a family of three Shen Siqi, holding Yi Zhuo with one hand and Wen Ling with the other, her face a picture of despair.

“I don’t want to go. Can’t I just skip this scene?”

Wen Ling replied, “Then do you want to stay in the room alone?”

Wouldn’t that be even scarier?

Shen Siqi froze for a moment before lamenting, “Fine, just protect me, okay?”

The staircase leading to the third floor was unlit, its end swallowed by darkness, appearing like a gaping void.

Yi Zhuo turned on a flashlight and took the lead, scouting the way.

In the dead of night, their footsteps on the wooden stairs were unnervingly clear. Though no one spoke, the group sticking close together made the eerie atmosphere dissipate somewhat.

The third-floor hallway was also dark, with doors tightly shut on both sides. Only the door at the end of the corridor was slightly ajar, a sliver of light spilling out in a faint arc.

Exchanging glances, they instinctively softened their footsteps as they approached the light.

The girls stopped at the door, crowding around the crack to peek inside.

In her nervousness, Shen Siqi accidentally pushed the door open a little further. The two actors inside remained professional, pretending not to notice and resisting the urge to laugh.

“Cole, do you know what you did wrong?”

Nancy stood with her back to the door, her tone and gaze icy. On the small wooden table beside her lay a dagger, its thin blade glinting under the light.

The man before her sat on the floor, leaning against the wall, his hands tied behind his back. Despite his burly frame a stark contrast to Nancy’s petite figure he appeared utterly powerless.

He hesitated and said, “I shouldn’t have gotten drunk.”

Nancy nodded. “And?”

Cole, who now seemed like a completely different person from his arrogant daytime self, lowered his head and answered meekly, “I shouldn’t have lost my temper with Shirley.”

Nancy appeared quite familiar with such situations. She idly toyed with the ** in her hand and said calmly, “If you knew it was wrong, why did you do it?”

Cole muttered, “I didn’t mean to. I just lost control in the heat of the moment. With guests around, as the head of the household, I wanted to save face in front of outsiders. I usually don’t dare to lose my temper you know that.”

An Qing felt a wave of confusion.

Why did Cole seem so afraid of Nancy?

She suddenly recalled Shirley’s strange behavior earlier that night. When Shirley bit Cole’s neck with her teeth, he hadn’t struggled at all and had appeared utterly terrified.

Moreover, Cole claimed he usually didn’t dare to lose his temper, and Nancy hadn’t refuted it…

Could it be because both Nancy and Shirley had unusually sharp teeth? Did those sharp teeth have some kind of intimidating power over Cole?

Cole’s eyes were filled with fear, and as he spoke, two tears even rolled down his cheeks.

“Please forgive me, Dad will definitely change next time. You know I love Shirley, and I love you too, my daughter.”

Nancy remained silent for a moment, not responding.

Seeing her quiet, Cole thought his words had taken effect and continued to plead, “Nancy, you can hit me or scold me whatever you want. I promise I won’t make this mistake again.”

Isn’t this the classic line of an abuser? Resorting to violence over minor issues, then tearfully apologizing to win the victim’s sympathy, only to revert to their old ways a couple of days later.

An Qing was so furious she even forgot her fear.

Acting on impulse, she pushed the door open and strode inside.

Pointing at Cole, she declared righteously to Nancy, “There’s no such thing as just one instance of domestic violence it’s either zero or countless times. Don’t be fooled by him. If you forgive him now, he’ll just go back to treating you the same way as before!”

Nancy paused, then slowly turned around and made a ferocious expression.

Qaq! So scary!

An Qing shrank back but bumped into a warm embrace.

Yu Tingbai’s arm encircled her waist, the warmth seeping through the thin fabric of her pajamas, instantly making her feel much safer.

Bolstered by this, An Qing mustered her courage and continued, “He’s nothing but a scumbag. Tell your mom to divorce him!”

Just then, her other three teammates also filed into the room. Standing together, they formed a silent show of support.

Nancy stared at the group for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

In the next instant, everyone’s wristwatch screens lit up simultaneously, displaying: Health Points +5.

What an unexpected reward!

An Qing’s face immediately lit up with joy, and even Nancy’s sharp teeth seemed a lot more agreeable now.

Beside her, Shen Siqi shook her arm admiringly, exclaiming repeatedly, “An Qing, An Qing, you really are a pro! I knew I wasn’t wrong about you!”

An Qing felt quite pleased and nodded with feigned composure. “Not bad. You should learn a thing or two.”

Just then, Nancy suddenly picked up the ** beside her.

Holding the **, she walked step by step toward Cole.

What’s up with this kid? Her thinking is way too extreme!

Startled, An Qing tried to dissuade her, “Young lady, don’t go down the path of crime.”

Cole struggled in terror, begging incessantly.

But the words he uttered were: “Don’t bite me, don’t bite me, don’t bite me.”

It seems he was more wary of Nancy’s teeth than the **.

However, Nancy simply walked up to Cole, crouched down, and cut the rope binding his wrists. Staring into Cole’s eyes, she spoke with a threatening tone: “I’m keeping you alive because I don’t want to upset Mom.”

She paused, gently grinding her teeth, producing a spine-chilling grating sound.

“Remember that?”

Cole nodded repeatedly. “I remember, I remember.”

Just then, the door to the room was pushed open again.

Sherry, wearing a nightgown, peered inside with a puzzled expression. “What is everyone doing in the study?”

Cole glanced at Nancy’s expression and remained silent for a moment.

The moment the door opened, Nancy had already hidden the ** under the cabinet behind Cole. She blinked and transformed back into that innocent, adorable little girl.

“The guests wanted to chat with me and Dad, right, Dad?”

She looked at Cole, her eyes carrying a hidden warning.

Cole nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes.”

“That won’t do.”

Sherry frowned. “Nancy, Dad drank too much tonight and needs to rest early. And you should be in bed too, or you won’t grow tall.”

Nancy obediently nodded. “Mom, I’ll go to sleep right away.”

Sherry smiled with relief. “Help your dad to rest. I’ll take care of the guests.”

Nancy quickly led Cole away, while the others followed Sherry to the living room and sat down on the sofa.

Sherry politely poured each of them a cup of warm milk and asked, “What do you want to know?”

An Qing was taken aback.

She suddenly recalled the story Wen Ling had shared earlier.

At the psychic Christine’s place, Wen Ling had exchanged 25 life points for valuable information the post office newspaper. So, with Sherry, would they also need to spend life points?

The others likely had the same thought, as no one spoke up immediately.

Sure enough, Sherry said, “I can answer your questions, but you’ll have to trade life points for them.”

She turned sideways and pulled a stack of black cards from a small drawer under the table.

“I have some cards here, each with a background story.”

“Choose the story you want to know, and I’ll tell you how many life points it costs. Whether you trade, and whose points you use, is up to you.”

Among those present, aside from Wen Ling, who had 75 life points, everyone else was relatively safe. After replenishing 5 points, Yu Tingbai, An Qing, and Yi Zhuo all had their life points maxed out at 100, while Shen Siqi had slightly fewer at 95. Naturally, everyone pushed Wen Ling to the back, not intending to involve her.

There were five cards in total, each with a textured feel and intricate silver patterns along the edges. In the center of each card was a line of text:

“Christine and Beth.”

“Rosa and Arthur.”

“Nancy’s Family.”

“About Dreamland Town.”

“About That Accident.”

Everyone exchanged glances and said in unison, “About that accident.”

According to reports, a bus crashing through a guardrail and rolling down a hillside was extremely dangerous, even at a low altitude and with some cushioning.

That accident was likely the cause of the “deceased” and was currently the most pressing concern for everyone.

With five of them and five background stories, if the cost wasn’t too exorbitant, acquiring all of them wouldn’t be too difficult.

“Alright.” Shirley nodded, flashing a sharp-toothed grin.

“‘Regarding That Incident’ requires 90 life points and must be borne by a single person. Whose life shall we exchange?”