I Struggle to Survive in a Girl Group [Transmigration] - Chapter 50

“Why have you been following me all this time?”

After circling the venue for more than half a lap, Chu Ning finally couldn’t hold back anymore and turned to ask the young girl behind her.

Since free activities began, Shen Siqi had been trailing her watching her study the rules, observing her trial runs, and even eagerly offering help when she needed a partner. During solo parts, Shen Siqi obediently stood to the side, claiming she was “learning from the experience.”

Suddenly being spoken to by her idol, Shen Siqi was so excited she immediately straightened up and answered earnestly, “Teacher Chu, I’m your fan.”

As she moved, the red silk bow on her head trembled slightly.

What kind of approach is this?

Chu Ning gave her a bewildered look, utterly confused inside. It wasn’t that she hadn’t encountered situations like this before, but since the two teams were in a competitive relationship, she couldn’t bring herself to be completely open. So she merely nodded faintly and said, “Thank you, I’m honored.”

She was aware of Shen Siqi from “Princess” a girl born with a natural singing voice, made for music. She’d also heard that Shen Siqi had an innocent personality, which sometimes led her to act without thinking. In that regard, she was a bit like the two younger members in her own group.

But with two already giving her enough headaches, she really didn’t need a third.

“No need to thank me, it’s nothing worth thanking!” Shen Siqi giggled and hopped forward a couple of steps, falling into stride beside her. “Teacher Chu, you’re being way too polite!”

Chu Ning: “…”

She had just said it casually, why did this girl have so much to say?

Rubbing her temples with a headache, Chu Ning asked, “Where are your teammates?”

Shen Siqi glanced around, then pointed in a certain direction and answered cheerfully, “They’re with your teammates!”

Chu Ning: ?

She followed Shen Siqi’s pointing finger and sure enough, saw her own two hopeless younger members gathered around Yu Tingbai, laughing happily as if they were the best of friends.

What are they up to now? Chu Ning’s lips twitched.

Shu Qingyu and Jiang Ran might look mature and glamorous, but in reality, they were decisive and often acted on whims.

Should she go over and check on the situation?

Just as Chu Ning hesitated, someone suddenly tugged at the corner of her clothes.

She looked down to see Shen Siqi gazing at her with hopeful eyes.

“Teacher Chu, I really love the songs you wrote ‘Sakura Wine,’ ‘Breaking the Cocoon,’ ‘Butterfly Dream,’ ‘Reaching for the Stars at Dawn,’ and also ”

“Are you reciting a menu?” Chu Ning cut her off bluntly, a bit impatient. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

Shen Siqi froze, her clear black-and-white eyes quickly misting over with a thin layer of tears.

As the youngest in her group, she was usually doted on by everyone. No one had ever spoken to her so harshly before. And to think it came from the idol she had always admired, it made her even more upset, and she was on the verge of crying right then.

Why did she have to be so mean? Waa,

Her voice trembling with tears, she said, “I just, I just wanted to sing for you.”

Chu Ning was even more baffled than Shen Siqi. Shu Qingyu and Jiang Ran were the carefree, thick-skinned types who never held grudges. No matter how much she scolded them for their mistakes, they’d forget all about it within five minutes and come bouncing back to bother her again.

In their group, this had always been their way of interacting, shouting back and forth at each other. Earlier, she had been preoccupied with making sure the two naive ones weren’t led astray by Yu Tingbai, which made her a bit impatient, so her attitude hadn’t been the best.

But why had the girl started crying just because her tone was a little harsh?

Chu Ning was someone who responded better to softness than force, and she was especially helpless when faced with a girl crying, especially such an adorable one. She rummaged through her pockets but couldn’t find any tissues, so she had to gently wipe away the tears that had escaped the other’s eyes with her fingertips.

She tried to speak in the gentlest tone possible, “Why are you crying? Weren’t you going to sing for me?”

Shen Siqi pressed her lips together, her eyes red as she nodded.

“Shen Siqi, right? I know you the one with the amazing singing voice.” Chu Ning wiped her tears again and said softly, “Go ahead and sing. I’ve been wanting to hear you sing for a long time. That song you sang during the audition, ‘Your Prisoner,’ I’ve listened to it so many times.”

Her idol actually remembered which song she had sung and had listened to it repeatedly!

What kind of life winner was she?

Shen Siqi immediately brightened up, cleared her throat, and began singing the chorus of “Cherry Blossom Wine.”

Her voice was pure and clear, with a beautiful tone that instantly captivated the listener. The chorus of “Cherry Blossom Wine” was quite challenging, but Shen Siqi sang it with such ease and confidence.

As Chu Ning listened, an expression of awe unconsciously appeared on her face. She had heard many of Shen Siqi’s live performances, but she hadn’t expected the girl to sound so incredible even when singing a cappella it perfectly matched her own musical taste.

No wonder netizens praised Shen Siqi as having “a voice kissed by God.” It truly lived up to its reputation.

After finishing the song, Shen Siqi looked at her eagerly and asked, “Teacher Chu, how was it?”

“It was beautiful.” Chu Ning wanted to offer some feedback but couldn’t find the right words. It felt as though any praise would fall short, so she simply repeated, “It was beautiful, truly beautiful.”

Shen Siqi was overjoyed, bouncing on the spot as she said, “Then I’ll sing another one for you.”

“Take a break and rest your voice,” Chu Ning chuckled, advising her. “We start recording officially tomorrow. What if there’s a music battle segment?”

Shen Siqi sighed regretfully, “You’re right.”

After a moment’s thought, she pulled out her phone and tentatively asked, “Then, Teacher Chu, could we exchange WeChat? I can sing for you again later, and you can give me more guidance.”

How had things escalated to this point step by step?

Chu Ning was utterly baffled but didn’t dare refuse. She was afraid of making Shen Siqi cry again, which could lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.

So, she had no choice but to open WeChat and add Shen Siqi as a friend.

Shen Siqi lowered her head and carefully typed “Teacher Chu” into the contact name field.

Seeing this, Chu Ning said, “Don’t call me Teacher Chu anymore. Just call me Chu Ning.”

“How could I do that?” Shen Siqi’s hand trembled, and she shook her head repeatedly. “Teacher Chu, you’re my idol and my senior. I can’t just call you by your name.”

But the title felt awkward. If Shen Siqi kept calling her that on the variety show, it might give others the impression that Chu Ning was acting superior or didn’t fit in with the rest.

Chu Ning fell into thought.

In the “Destiny” group, she usually addressed the two younger members as Qingyu and Xiaojiang, while Shu Qingyu and Jiang Ran referred to her as Captain. However, Shen Siqi wasn’t part of their group, so calling her Captain didn’t seem appropriate either.

Seeing that Chu Ning had suddenly fallen silent, Shen Siqi asked softly, “Teacher Chu, you.”

“Call me sister,” Chu Ning interrupted her. “No need for formalities, just call me sister.”

Then, realizing her tone had been too abrupt, she quickly added, “Calling me sister feels much more intimate. ‘Teacher Chu’ sounds too distant.”

Shen Siqi’s eyes curved into happy crescents as she nodded emphatically. “Got it, sister!”

An Qing took a running start and leaped forward, landing with a soft “duang” on the plush hotel bed.

The mattress wobbled slightly under her weight, forming a shallow indentation where she landed.

An Qing closed her eyes contentedly, thinking to herself that the happiest moment of the day was undoubtedly the feeling of slipping into bed after a refreshing shower.

She rolled over, wrapping herself tightly in the blanket like a silkworm cocoon.

After the trial run earlier that afternoon, they had rehearsed the program’s flow once more, finishing only after 9 p.m. The production team had booked a hotel nearby for everyone, as they needed to wake up early the next morning for makeup and styling before the official recording.

The rehearsal had gone smoothly, but An Qing couldn’t shake off a sense of unease.

After Yu Tingbai had sent her away earlier, she couldn’t resist sneaking a few glances at the other girl. To her surprise, she noticed Yu Tingbai chatting happily with two members of the “Destiny” group.

Throughout the rest of the rehearsal, the two girls had remained particularly close to Yu Tingbai, laughing and joking together, hardly the behavior one would expect from rivals.

Moreover, after her conversation with those two girls, Yu Tingbai had seemed distracted, as if pondering something serious, and hadn’t spoken much to An Qing. This made An Qing suspect they were secretly plotting something, though she wondered if she was just overthinking it.

Seriously? Making up an excuse to send her away, only to cozy up to other girls right after?

Yu Tingbai, you heartbreaker I’ve got my eye on you!

The more An Qing thought about it, the angrier she became, and she punched her pillow in frustration.

She wanted to confront Yu Tingbai directly and ask what was going on, but she was afraid of pushing too hard and making the other girl resent her. After all, her fate was still in Yu Tingbai’s hands, leaving her too cautious to act out or make a scene. How pathetic, wuwu.

Lost in her tangled thoughts, An Qing couldn’t come to any conclusion. Just as she was about to turn off the lights and sleep, a soft knock sounded at her door.

Her heart skipped a beat. Barefoot, she hurried to the door and peered through the peephole.

There stood Yu Tingbai in her pajamas, holding something in her hand.

Hah, so now you remember me?

Fuming, An Qing decided to pretend she was asleep and ignore the knock, turning to head back to bed.

But before she could take two steps, Yu Tingbai’s voice came through the door.

“Qingqing, did you run over without shoes? I could hear your footsteps.”

An Qing:

Yu Tingbai, you should become a detective!

Puffing her cheeks in annoyance, An Qing yanked the door open, avoiding eye contact with the person outside. She dashed back to the bed in a few quick steps and burrowed under the covers, wrapping herself up like a sushi roll.

Yu Tingbai: ?

She stared in bewilderment at the girl’s retreating back, then closed the door and walked over to sit by the bed.

An Qing lay with her back to her, unmoving, as if she didn’t exist at all.

Yu Tingbai poked the sushi on the bed and asked, “What’s wrong, Qingqing?”

An Qing buried her face in the blanket, her voice muffled. “Nothing.”

Yu Tingbai chuckled softly and suddenly reached out, rolling the person on the bed over once again.

Originally, An Qing had been lying on top of the blanket, half-wrapped in it while the other half trailed off the bed. With Yu Tingbai’s roll, she was now completely enveloped in the blanket, wrapped up tightly and unable to move at all.

“What are you doing?” An Qing exclaimed in surprise, struggling to free her arms from the blanket when something was suddenly spooned into her mouth.

She instinctively tasted it and soon revealed an expression of pleasant surprise.

“Mmm, it’s ice cream. How did you know I wanted this?”

Yu Tingbai smiled and fed her another spoonful. “Didn’t you mention it this afternoon?”

This afternoon? An Qing suddenly remembered. During the rehearsal earlier, she had complained about the heat and mentioned wanting matcha ice cream from a certain brand. But she had only said it offhandedly and never expected Yu Tingbai to take it to heart, even going out of her way to buy it for her after work.

Hmph, thinking she could be bribed with just ice cream. Well, maybe she could be bribed a little.

An Qing couldn’t help but let a smile tug at the corners of her lips. She stopped struggling and obediently waited for the next spoonful after finishing the ice cream in her mouth. But suddenly, a shadow fell over her vision.

Soft strands of hair brushed against her face, carrying the fresh scent of shampoo. Yu Tingbai leaned down, encircling her in her arms, and gently pressed her lips to An Qing’s.

What was she doing? She hadn’t even been properly appeased yet!

An Qing tried to push her away, but her arms were tightly wrapped in the blanket, and she was held firmly in place, completely immobilized. Soon, however, she found herself lost in the gentle, lingering kiss.

Yu Tingbai held her close, kissing her again and again before finally loosening her grip a little. Then, with a smile, she gently stroked An Qing’s forehead and whispered, “Qingqing, you’re so sweet.”

An Qing couldn’t hold back her laughter any longer. She deliberately turned her head away, avoiding the other’s gaze, and murmured, “I just had ice cream. Of course I’m sweet.”

“You’re sweet even without it,” Yu Tingbai replied, relieved to see her finally smile. The tension in the air eased slightly. “So, what were you upset about?”