I Struggle to Survive in a Girl Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 42

The atmosphere in the conference room remained as serious as ever.

Ye Ming sat opposite the members of “Princess,” a thick stack of documents resting on the table in front of her. She pushed the pile forward slightly and said, “These are the materials related to the new album Sweet Trap. Familiarize yourselves with them as soon as possible. We’ll be scheduling the recording sessions in the next couple of days.”

None of the girls seemed surprised. Over the past period, they had all been involved in the composition and production of this album, it was the result of everyone’s hard work.

“Ting Bai, An Qing,” Ye Ming continued, “the company has decided that the two of you will sing Bone Deep.”

An Qing froze, casting an incredulous look at Ye Ming. The other woman’s expression was serious, with no hint of a joke.

Yu Tingbai smiled lightly. “Alright, we’ll prioritize practicing this song over the next few days.”

The Sweet Trap album consisted of ten tracks, spanning a variety of musical styles. Among them was the highly anticipated duet Bone Deep.

Bone Deep told a poignant love story. A cold-blooded assassin falls in love with her target, struggles repeatedly, and ultimately chooses to protect the one she loves. But she fails her lover dies saving her in battle, leaving the assassin alone to spend the rest of her life seeking revenge.

The melody of the song was intense, highly distinctive, and memorable, captivating listeners from the very first note.

It had never been confirmed who would sing it, and An Qing had assumed the company would assign such an important task to Yu Tingbai and Wen Ling. After all, based on rankings, she was at the bottom.

Ye Ming explained, “Right now, the ‘Rain After Blue Sky’ supertopic ranking has surpassed ‘White Wind Chimes’ to take first place. Giving this song to the two of you is also a way to leverage the popularity of your CP to boost album sales.”

At this point, Ye Ming glanced somewhat disapprovingly at Wen Ling. “Wen Ling, I don’t know what you’re thinking. The popularity of ‘White Wind Chimes’ has been declining steadily. Are you just going to let it slide?”

“It’s my fault.”

Before Wen Ling could respond, Yu Tingbai interjected. She looked sincerely at Ye Ming, her face full of apologetic smiles. “Managing two CPs at the same time is honestly a bit overwhelming for me.”

However, Wen Ling didn’t want her teammate to take the blame for her. She frowned and said, “It’s not Tingbai’s fault. I don’t like promoting CPs. Subconsciously, I resist it, so my performance hasn’t been good.”

Ye Ming sighed. “But you and Yi Zhuo were doing just fine, weren’t you?”

“Cough, cough.”

Yi Zhuo, who had been drinking water, suddenly choked. She patted her chest as she heard the person beside her calmly reply, “I wasn’t promoting a CP with Yi Zhuo.”

Yi Zhuo thought for a moment and added, “I just have a good relationship with our leader.”

Ye Ming: “…”

Forget it. She couldn’t control this.

For a limited-term group like Princess, contracts were inherently flexible, and the duration was only a year. Forcing members to do things they disliked would only backfire and reduce economic returns.

So Ye Ming decided to drop the CP promotion issue for now. After all, both CPs were developing quite well at the moment.

She paused, steering the conversation back to the album.

“We plan to record all ten songs and complete the filming for all the music videos within one month. Are you confident?”

The girls all nodded in agreement. A month was more than enough time for them, and doing something they enjoyed and were skilled at wasn’t difficult at all.

An Qing had initially thought the recording of the new album would go smoothly, but unexpectedly, they encountered a major bottleneck right from the start.

In the recording studio, a handsome young man frowned deeply, staring at the two girls in front of him. He hesitated to speak, then let out a heavy sigh.

The man, named Zhou Zhe, was the newly appointed music director at the company, responsible for Princess’s new album. He had achieved fame at a young age and was highly talented, which naturally meant he had high standards for his work.

Originally, the plan was to start recording with the title track “Sweet Trap.” Unfortunately, that very morning, just before the recording session was set to begin, Wen Ling suddenly developed a high fever and was unable to participate.

Wen Ling felt extremely guilty about it, and it took the others quite some time to comfort her before she finally relaxed a little and obediently returned to her room to rest.

As a result, all of Wen Ling’s parts were put on hold, and the duet “Bone Deep” by Yu Tingbai and An Qing was moved up to be recorded first.

Since their debut, Yu Tingbai and An Qing had collaborated on many stages, so this was nothing out of the ordinary. They performed at their usual level, but Zhou Zhe was still unsatisfied.

“Emotion it’s mainly an issue of emotion,” he explained patiently before sighing again. “The emotions this song aims to convey are very obsessive, extreme, and intense. Think about it: ** and her lover are willing to sacrifice their lives for each other. One dies, and the other spends the rest of their life mourning the relationship.”

He continued, “An Qing, especially you the feeling you’re giving me still isn’t right. This stage has some similarities to your previous performance in ‘Bloodthirsty Forest,’ but the differences are significant. ‘Bloodthirsty Forest’ primarily expresses a tragic sense of fate, while ‘Bone Deep’ sings of a love that pierces to the bone. You’re still lacking that something that makes it feel unforgettable.”

What did that even mean? How was she supposed to sing to make it feel “bone deep”?

An Qing was utterly confused, her bewilderment written all over her face.

Zhou Zhe looked at her helplessly and asked, “Have you ever been in a relationship before?”

In a relationship? Given her current situation with Yu Tingbai, could that count as being in a relationship?

An Qing lowered her head, lost in thought, unsure how to answer the question.

Just then, their manager, Ye Ming, who had been sitting quietly nearby, spoke up. “It’s not that she’s never been in one. I heard she always kept things casual and never took them seriously, right, An Qing?”

An Qing:

What nonsense was this “keeping things casual”? Before this, she had been a blank slate! She shot Ye Ming a resentful look. As a professional manager, couldn’t she avoid spreading such damaging rumors about her artist?

She sneaked a glance at Yu Tingbai beside her and, seeing her expression unchanged, felt slightly relieved.

Zhou Zhe nodded. “No wonder.”

An Qing was so frustrated she could almost explode, but given the original host’s notorious behavior, she couldn’t say much. She could only force an awkward, dry laugh.

At that moment, Yu Tingbai suddenly spoke up. “You’ve misunderstood. An Qing might enjoy having fun, but she’s never been involved in any ambiguous relationships. That’s why she can’t relate.”

An Qing was taken aback. She suddenly remembered the night of their debut, when Yu Tingbai had also stepped forward to clear her name, saying that rumors and gossip couldn’t be trusted.

Though she didn’t know the reason, being trusted like this felt genuinely good.

Ye Ming found it strange, were the rumors she’d heard before all false? But Yu Tingbai was mature and steady, always reliable in what she said. Moreover, since their debut, An Qing had never been involved in any scandals with anyone, always appearing well-behaved and hardworking. So, Ye Ming didn’t voice any doubts and simply smiled, tacitly agreeing with Yu Tingbai’s explanation.

“How about this,” Zhou Zhe pondered for a moment before quickly making a decision. “Wen Ling can’t record right now, and Yi Zhuo has been absent-minded all along. Why don’t we give you two days off so everyone can adjust their state?”

Happiness came so suddenly that An Qing could hardly believe her ears. But before she could rejoice for long, Zhou Zhe continued, “However, An Qing, don’t just spend your break having fun. I’ll send you a list of highly-rated romance films later. Spend these two days watching them and try to get into the mood. If the recording doesn’t go well next time, I’ll have to consider handing ‘Into the Bones’ over to Wen Ling and Yi Zhuo or maybe Wen Ling and Tingbai.”

How could that be? She had worked so hard to get to this point and couldn’t let it all go to waste now.

An Qing immediately became alert and earnestly assured Zhou Zhe, “Don’t worry, even if I have to go without food or sleep, I’ll finish watching all these films!”

Zhou Zhe hadn’t expected her to be so cooperative and nodded approvingly. “Alright, I’m looking forward to your progress.”

Before diving into the films, An Qing first bought a bunch of nourishing supplements and visited Wen Ling’s room to check on their sick leader and share the good news about their break.

Since their debut, she had received a lot of care from Wen Ling. Though Wen Ling didn’t say much, she always managed everything in the group meticulously. An Qing suspected that Wen Ling’s current illness was due to overworking herself.

Wen Ling seemed surprised by her visit but let her in anyway.

Wen Ling’s room reflected her personal style extremely minimalist, with not a single unnecessary item in sight.

Upon hearing about the break, Wen Ling didn’t show any joy, merely nodding faintly.

She looked pale and somewhat haggard, wrapped in a blanket and holding a hand warmer.

After setting down the food and drinks, An Qing urged Wen Ling to rest well and prepared to leave.

But the person behind her called out to stop her.

Wen Ling asked, “Where’s Tingbai? Didn’t she come back with you?”

“Her manager needed her for something, so she’s still at the company,” An Qing replied, then advised, “Leader, don’t worry about it. Focus on recovering first.”

Wen Ling’s expression turned complicated, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. Finally, she asked, “An Qing, are you and Yu Tingbai for real?”

An Qing: ???

What did that mean? Had she been too careless and given herself away?

Seeing An Qing’s reaction, Wen Ling already had her answer. She had noticed the unusual dynamic between Yu Tingbai and An Qing for a while and had wanted to talk to An Qing about it but never found the right opportunity.

An Qing was a good girl, but she was no match for Yu Tingbai’s level of experience. There was something Wen Ling felt she should warn her about.

Without waiting for An Qing’s reply, Wen Ling smiled faintly and continued, “Yu Tingbai likes to flirt around for fun, but she rarely takes it seriously. You should be cautious and not get too invested.”

An; Meow Meow, Wang Wang; Qing: “No way!”

Wen Ling: “Huh?”

“Captain, I’m determined to tame Yu Tingbai, that wild horse.” An Qing gazed fervently into Wen Ling’s eyes, startling her so much that she took a step back.

Anyway, her little secret couldn’t be hidden from Wen Ling, and lying on purpose would only make her seem insincere, so she might as well just admit it outright.

An Qing paused, then added, “Captain, don’t worry, I know my limits. I definitely won’t cause any trouble for the group.”

Just then, the door to the room suddenly knocked, and a familiar voice came through the door panel.

“Wen Ling, are you in?”

An Qing stepped forward and opened the door to find Yu Tingbai standing at the entrance, carrying bags and packages almost as large as herself. An Qing immediately felt a bit uneasy two women alone together, would Yu Tingbai misunderstand that something was going on between her and Wen Ling? That would be so unfair!

But Yu Tingbai didn’t seem surprised at all. She just smiled at her, casually placed the items on the coffee table, and asked, “What were you talking about with the captain?”

An Qing was at a loss for words. She couldn’t exactly say they were discussing how to tame her, the wild horse, could she?

As she hesitated, Wen Ling spoke up calmly, “We were talking about horses.”

An Qing:

Well, it wasn’t exactly a lie.

“Ahem, we were talking about horses and the grasslands,” An Qing chimed in, walking toward the door while guiltily changing the subject. “Well, I’m off to watch a movie. Gotta study hard.”

She had expected Yu Tingbai to chat with Wen Ling a bit more, but to her surprise, Yu Tingbai followed her out.

“An Qing, I’m heading back to A City for a bit. Want to come along?”

A City was where An Qing and Yu Tingbai’s families lived and where they had attended university.

An Qing was puzzled. “Why would I go back?”

To cope with their busy work schedules for the year, they had already taken a leave of absence from school. Her parents were off traveling and weren’t even in A City at the moment.

Besides, time was precious, and she still wanted to watch that movie. Nothing could dampen her enthusiasm for learning.

Yu Tingbai smiled. “My mom said she’d like to meet you.”

An Qing froze, almost dropping her jaw in shock.

She had chatted with Yu Tingbai’s mom a few times recently, and the conversations had been quite pleasant, but the idea of meeting in person so suddenly made her incredibly nervous.

Still, such a great opportunity to get closer was not something she would pass up. So, An Qing looked at Yu Tingbai with a mix of anticipation and hesitation and whispered, “So soon? I need to prepare properly.”

Yu Tingbai’s lips curled into a slight smile as she leaned in close to An Qing’s ear.

“If you don’t hurry up, how are you going to tame me?”