Failed to Transmigrate, I’m Back Again - Chapter 7

There was no barrage of insults, nor did Tang Wuyun see the undisguised disgust she had expected on Shi Shuwu’s face.

Tang Wuyun stared in stunned silence for a long moment.

A hallucination?

Tang Wuyun let out a dry laugh, as if she had heard the most absurd joke imaginable.

She desperately wished that the ten repetitions of torment had been a hallucination.

“If you say it didn’t happen, then it didn’t,” Tang Wuyun said. “I have no ulterior motives. I just want you to show me some basic respect. Even if you hate me, just endure it. Things are fine as they are now. Once the show’s over, I’ll leave.”

Anything was better than dealing with the prickly Shi Shuwu.

Tang Wuyun couldn’t help but care about Shi Shuwu’s attitude.

Though her emotions were running high, her rationality remained intact. Tang Wuyun sensed something was off; Shi Shuwu’s current behavior felt completely out of character.

Shi Shuwu was infuriated by Tang Wuyun’s dismissive tone. If you say it didn’t happen, then it didn’t? The words were infuriating.

“You—” Shi Shuwu sputtered, too angry to speak. She genuinely wanted to curse Tang Wuyun, whose recent behavior had been utterly baffling.

“What about me?” Tang Wuyun retorted. “Are you angry? Then stay away from me.”

This only fueled Shi Shuwu’s rage.

Shi Shuwu took a deep breath, forcing herself to soften her tone. “Can we talk properly?”

Tang Wuyun refused, turning her face toward the window and presenting Shi Shuwu with the back of her head, a clear sign of her unwillingness to communicate.

Shi Shuwu: “……”

Tang Wuyun’s talent for infuriating people was truly remarkable.

Undeterred, Shi Shuwu tugged at Tang Wuyun’s hem and called out in a muffled voice, “Tang Wuyun.”

Hearing the unhappiness in Shi Shuwu’s voice, Tang Wuyun’s ears softened instantly. She had been about to harshly tell Shi Shuwu to get lost or simply ignore her, but now she stiffly pulled her clothes back and turned around. “You, you can’t sit next to me.”

The words had barely left her lips when Tang Wuyun saw Shi Shuwu’s wounded expression, her eyes looking utterly wronged.

Tang Wuyun’s heart clenched. Had she gone too far?

Shi Shuwu’s hurt triggered Tang Wuyun’s instinctive self-reflection, and her protective instincts surged. She opened her mouth, almost about to lower her head and coax Shi Shuwu, when a sudden realization twisted her face. She still had feelings for Shi Shuwu!

Tang Wuyun raised her hand and pounded her chest twice, the blows heavy and desperate, as if trying to beat herself to death.

She was truly sick, completely irrational. Falling for a straight girl was exactly what she deserved!

Tang Wuyun genuinely feared she was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Witnessing Tang Wuyun’s sudden, erratic behavior, Shi Shuwu froze for several seconds, almost forgetting her own distress.

Is she really gone mad? Still raving after all this time?

Shi Shuwu was about to ask Tang Wuyun what had suddenly gotten into her when she saw Tang Wuyun frown, turn on her microphone, and then slump her head dejectedly, her face etched with misery.

Shi Shuwu stared at Tang Wuyun in bewilderment for a long moment before realizing something: she had inadvertently cheered herself up by comforting the person who should have been the one feeling down.

Well, if Tang Wuyun has gone mad, I won’t hold it against her.

Yes, Shi Shuwu decided to forgive the crazed Tang Wuyun, even starting to think about recommending a doctor to her after work.

Unaware that the person beside her had already arbitrarily diagnosed her mental state, Tang Wuyun was inwardly berating herself. She was deeply unhappy, disgusted that she still felt something for Shi Shuwu. She loathed her own behavior.

After wallowing in self-pity for a while, she secretly cursed Shi Shuwu in her mind: Damn succubus! So annoying!

The two women weren’t sure if their earlier conversation had been recorded during the live stream. If they cared, they wouldn’t have discussed such a topic at that moment. But if they didn’t care, why had they both muted their microphones?

Tang Wuyun was actually somewhat concerned, but she also felt like she might as well die. This half-dead, half-alive attitude made her act carelessly. If the viewers didn’t hear, great. If they did, so what? When you’re covered in lice, a few more bites don’t matter.

They had no idea that their group’s livestream room was about to explode. They couldn’t hear a thing—not a single word!

As soon as the two women muted their microphones, the production team cut off the audio, leaving only the visuals.

The production team has such good sense, I’m crying…

Director, are you there? (Knife emoji) I’m not kidding, come out here! (Angry emoji)

They seem to be having a tiff. I could sense it from the moment I saw them, and now I’m sure of it.

A tiff? This is clearly a full-blown argument.

I see it now. So they really do have something going on, right?

Is it even a question? It’s so obvious!

Shi Shuwu looks angry. What’s Tang Wuyun’s attitude? Can’t she just talk properly?

Take Shuwu away from her! Stay away!

Huh? What did my wife say? Her wife looks kind of sad.

Still don’t get it? Your wife’s attitude is terrible. She’s making her wife unhappy.

Wait, you guys… (Sweat emoji)

Oh my god! Why did she suddenly hit herself?

Why can’t we hear anything? I’m sobbing.

What did Ji Mingyin hear? Why does she look so anxious and heartbroken? I have a theory.

It’s too similar, exactly like how I looked when I found out my OTP had ended in tragedy.

Though the two women spoke in hushed tones, their voices carried clearly in the quiet car, and Ji Mingyin, sitting closest to them, heard everything.

Ji Mingyin: “……”

They really don’t treat me like an outsider, not even trying to hide anything. Is this what it means to be completely uninhibited, like someone who’s given up entirely? Is this the carefree spirit that made them go viral?

The staff member riding in the car with them was also struggling to maintain composure. Though they hadn’t heard everything clearly, they could guess the gist of the conversation.

“Ahem, are you done chatting?”

Finally, the staff member, who had been waiting for them to turn on their mics, seized the opportunity to interject.

The three women looked up in unison. The staff member quickly handed a Mission Card to Ji Mingyin, who seemed the most approachable.

“This is the Mission Card. You can open it and take a look.”

*Congratulations on arriving at The Last 24 Hours.

This episode’s guests have been divided into four teams, each member with only 24 hours left on their life countdown.

Explore the story’s background yourselves. The mission objectives, requirements, and individual roles remain unknown. Within each team, only one member is the team leader (teacher), while the other three are students. You have one hour to identify your roles. Failure to do so will result in a 30-minute reduction to your life countdown.*

In summary, they were given no information whatsoever and had to figure everything out on their own.

After they finished reading the Mission Card, a staff member announced, “Please confirm your identities within the next 52 minutes.”

Shi Shuwu raised an eyebrow, implying that the one-hour mission timer had already started ticking the moment they boarded the bus.

It seemed the task wouldn’t be too difficult; the clues were likely hidden somewhere on the bus.

Before they could even make a move, the staff member spoke again.

“The Red Team has used a Time Reduction Card on Tang Wuyun, reducing her life countdown by 30 minutes.”

Tang Wuyun: “……”

They’re already targeting me, huh?

The Red Team… who could that be?

Before Tang Wuyun could finish analyzing who it might be, the staff member continued.

“The White Team has used a Pause Card on Tang Wuyun. Upon arrival at the destination, Tang Wuyun will be paused in place for ten minutes before re-entering the game.”

Tang Wuyun: “……”

Got it. This is all karma. I deserve it.

Shi Shuwu and Ji Mingyin exchanged sympathetic glances with Tang Wuyun. They had a feeling that if the other team obtained similar penalty cards, they would likely target Tang Wuyun as well.

Tang Wuyun let out a barely audible hum, her face frozen in its usual expressionless mask. She remained silent.

Shi Shuwu asked the staff member, “Is this card given to everyone who successfully verifies their identity?”

After asking, she nervously wiped her brow for Tang Wuyun. If everyone could get one, Tang Wuyun would likely be burdened with a mountain of debuffs.

The staff member replied, “Only the first member of each team to verify their identity receives the reward.”

The three understood. Shi Shuwu and Ji Mingyin simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief for Tang Wuyun. Thank goodness only one card was given per team; otherwise, Tang Wuyun would have been doomed.

Tang Wuyun’s expression remained numb.

Shi Shuwu tried to reassure her, “It’s okay. At least we won’t use it on you.”

Just as she finished speaking, the staff member cleared his throat.

“We’ve just received notification that the Blue Team has used an Acceleration Card on Tang Wuyun. This card doubles the rate of time passage, but only during the final two hours of the life countdown.”

Shi Shuwu: “……”

Tang Wuyun: “……”

Ji Mingyin asked, bewildered, “Wait, who? We haven’t even started the mission yet.”

Aren’t they the Blue Team?

Shi Shuwu rubbed her forehead, reminding them, “There are only three of us here.”

Team One had four members, making it clear that the fourth member was responsible.

That person had undoubtedly been offended by Tang Wuyun. Ignoring the fact that Tang Wuyun was their teammate, they immediately used the Mission Card.

Tang Wuyun stared blankly ahead, then remembered something. She pulled out the small blue ball she had kept in her pocket—the staff hadn’t asked for it back.

She twisted it open easily. Inside were tiny, densely packed characters that required her to lean in close to read. This identity was clearly no ordinary one.

The other two in the car instantly understood her actions.

The first mission was indeed simple; the staff hadn’t made it difficult at all. No wonder the other teams had completed it so quickly.

After reading the instructions, they wrote their identities on the Mission Card provided by the staff.

The staff announced, “Ji Mingyin’s judgment is incorrect. Thirty minutes have been deducted from her life countdown.”

Ji Mingyin’s eyes widened in disbelief as she pointed at herself.

“Me?”

Tang Wuyun and Shi Shuwu also turned to look at her curiously.

The staff member nodded with a wide, eight-toothed smile.

Ji Mingyin pulled out her small sphere and examined it repeatedly, still convinced she hadn’t made a mistake.

But her stubbornness was of no use.

Tang Wuyun’s eyes flickered as she reached out to Ji Mingyin, feigning concern. “Why don’t you let me take a look? Maybe you overlooked something?” she coaxed gently.

Shi Shuwu lowered her gaze to the hand extended before her, her expression thoughtful.

Tang Wuyun sat by the window, while Shi Shuwu and Ji Mingyin were seated on the aisle side. Any interaction between the two would inevitably involve Shi Shuwu being sandwiched between them.

After Ji Mingyin foolishly handed her sphere to Tang Wuyun, Shi Shuwu moved swiftly. She grabbed Tang Wuyun’s wrist just as she was about to retract her hand.

The two women froze in a tense standoff.

Shi Shuwu smiled sweetly. “I’ll help too. I’m quite good at this game.”