After the Fake Heiress Died, She Was Filled with Regret - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Is Being Just Friends Enough?

In the quiet classroom, the blackboard displayed the words “Smooth Start-up” written by Duan Xiaofei earlier, with their names in the bottom right corner. The windows were wide open, letting a refreshing breeze into the stuffy classroom.

Xia Shinan looked down at the small bread in her hand. It was a very ordinary small French bread, but because it was given by Tang Yin, she felt it was quite special.

“Aren’t you going to eat it?” a girl’s voice came from the side.

Xia Shinan looked up and saw the girl sitting on the windowsill desk, her long legs dangling and swinging back and forth.

“Didn’t they say they would bring food back? I guess I won’t eat it,” Xia Shinan whispered.

Tang Yin looked at her and raised an eyebrow: “What, does the young miss look down on my ordinary bread?”

“Of course not!” Xia Shinan stood up immediately, startled like a kitten. The small bread even fell to the floor. She quickly picked it up, gently patted the wrapper, tore it open, and without a word, shoved the entire bread into her mouth, as if to prove she really didn’t mind.

Tang Yin watched Xia Shinan, who usually ate in small, delicate bites, stuff a whole bread into her mouth. She looked comical and cute, but the next second, her entire face scrunched up because she couldn’t swallow it, and she looked at Tang Yin for help.

It was exactly like when she had hoped Tang Yin would stay with her earlier. For some reason, looking into Xia Shinan’s eyes always gave Tang Yin a strange feeling in her heart. Perhaps it was just her being too kind to bear the sight.

Tang Yin sighed, quickly pulled out a few tissues, and handed them over, “Don’t eat it. Spit it out.”

Xia Shinan took the tissues but still didn’t spit it out. Instead, she struggled to swallow the bread piece by piece, then gently wiped her mouth.

She whispered: “Tang Yin, I really don’t look down on you. Please don’t think that.”

Tang Yin: “…”

“Are you an idiot? You could have explained and eaten slowly, but why shove the whole thing in your mouth?”

Xia Shinan lowered her head, “I was afraid you wouldn’t listen to my explanation. I was afraid that in your heart, you had already labeled me with many tags.”

Tang Yin was speechless.

She had indeed put many labels on Xia Shinan.

A princess accustomed to luxury, a compliant girl with no initiative, a young miss who only relied on her mother.

But… kind, pure, and beautiful were also descriptions of her.

Xia Shinan walked up to her, “Tang Yin, I know you must think I used my family connections to retaliate against my roommate, but I really didn’t want to do that. My mother didn’t tell me about these things beforehand, and I didn’t even have time to stop her!”

Tang Yin’s beautiful almond-shaped eyes stared quietly at Xia Shinan, “Why are you explaining all this to me? First, I’m not your roommate. Second, the matter has already happened and can’t be undone.”

Xia Shinan: “But I don’t want to deepen your misunderstanding of me. I want to be good friends with you!” She smiled, “Even though you were mad at me, you still gave me the little bread and stayed here with me.”

“Tang Yin, are you not so mad at me anymore?”

Tang Yin looked at her and laughed softly, lowering her head.

Xia Shinan, you’ll never know that I’m not mad at all; I’m mostly jealous.

Jealous that she has a good mother who defends her, a mother who would even use her power to retaliate against others because her daughter was wronged. Whether this behavior is right or wrong, Tang Yin was genuinely and truly jealous.

Tang Yin remembered everything: the years in school when classmates mocked her for not having parents, and when teachers subtly hinted that she lacked proper upbringing. She remembered everything. Her grandmother’s penny-pinching for her, which led to others looking down on her, she remembered that, too.

“You’re right. I… I’m not so mad at you anymore.” Tang Yin calmed her emotions, looked up at her, “We’re still friends.”

“Good!” Xia Shinan happily agreed, her eyes bright like stars.

Tang Yin thought of looking at the stars in the night sky with her grandmother in the countryside when she was little. At that time, she felt her future was boundless.

“Grandma, I’ll study hard. When I make a lot of money, I’ll take you on an airplane, and we’ll look at the stars from the sky.”

“That sounds wonderful. I’ll wait for Yingying to grow up.”

But now she had grown up, yet she still had no money, still hadn’t taken an airplane, and was even constantly worried that her grandmother might not live to see that day.

Regarding the matter of identity, perhaps both she and Xia Shinan were innocent victims, but at least Xia Shinan had already received many things that Tang Yin had never possessed in her twenty years.

Money, motherly love…

Tang Yin looked at Xia Shinan’s face and gave a faint smile.

So, after you know the truth, I hope you won’t blame me.

“We’re back! We brought you fried rice and rice noodles!” Weiba opened the classroom door first, her voice arriving before her. Seeing Xia Shinan and Tang Yin talking and laughing, she couldn’t help but associate them with the script again.

“Tsk tsk tsk, they’re truly compatible.”

Duan Xiaofei, passing by, glanced at her, “That’s because I’m good at casting.”

Weiba nodded: “Yes, yes, yes, President, you’re the best!”

Duan Xiaofei scoffed, put the food on the table, “Take your time eating, no rush. The sun is very strong outside right now. We’ll film the next scene a little later.”

“Okay.” Xia Shinan smiled happily, proactively offering the food to Tang Yin, letting her choose first. They sat side by side, eating and going over their lines, the atmosphere much more harmonious than in the morning.

The afternoon shoot at the basketball court went even more smoothly, ending even earlier than expected.

Duan Xiaofei suggested everyone eat together, but Tang Yin said she had a part-time job that night and couldn’t go.

Xia Shinan glanced at Tang Yin, “Then I won’t go either. I have homework to do.”

Duan Xiaofei put her hands on her hips, “Both lead actresses aren’t eating with us. Did you secretly plan a meal together?”

Xia Shinan quickly waved her hands: “No, no. We really didn’t plan it.”

Duan Xiaofei chuckled, “Just kidding. Everyone do your own thing. If we want to eat together, we will. But… I want to tell you all that it’s my birthday on Monday night. I’m inviting everyone to go singing. No need for gifts, just come and join the fun!”

Xia Shinan nodded in agreement: “No problem!”

Tang Yin thought for a moment, “I’ll talk to my boss tonight to see if I can switch shifts. If I can come, I definitely will.”

“Great! No pressure!”

With that, everyone dispersed. Xia Shinan quickly jogged to Tang Yin’s side, “Tang Yin, let’s walk together!”

Tang Yin looked at her curiously, “Aren’t you going back to the dorm?”

Xia Shinan paused, then whispered: “I’m not staying in the dorm. I moved out to live nearby. It’s on the way to the BBQ restaurant where you work!”

Tang Yin nodded, “Oh.”

It makes sense. After such a major conflict with her roommates, no one would be comfortable staying there.

Near the BBQ restaurant… Tang Yin thought of a nearby residential area with a comfortable environment. Xia Shinan probably moved there.

The two walked unhurriedly. Suddenly, a girl popped up, holding a stack of brochures, “Student, are you planning to take the postgraduate entrance exam? This is the XX Self-Study Room. You can take a look!”

Xia Shinan smiled and took the flyer, “Thank you.”

The girl, as if she had found a savior, said, “Student, student, can you help me add you on WeChat? This counts as performance for my job!”

“Sure.” Xia Shinan thought there was no harm in helping and lowered her head to take out her phone from her bag.

“Watch out!” A surprised shout came from not far away. Before Xia Shinan could react to what was happening, she saw Tang Yin blocking them, followed by a muffled grunt.

A basketball dropped to the ground. Xia Shinan immediately understood that someone had thrown a basketball, and Tang Yin had taken the hit for her!

“Are you okay!” Xia Shinan looked at Tang Yin’s wrist, which was red from the impact of the ball, and asked anxiously.

The girl beside them was also startled, her face pale. After recovering, she also looked at Tang Yin, “Student, are you hurt?”

Tang Yin frowned. Her arm was stinging, but she still shook her head.

“Student, my hand slipped. I’m sorry!” A boy in sportswear jogged over, a smile on his face, “Is it serious? Should I take you to the infirmary?”

“No need.” Tang Yin moved her arm, confirming that nothing was seriously wrong. The pain on her skin would subside soon.

The boy said “oh” and then glanced at Xia Shinan standing next to them, “Are you her friend? How about adding me on WeChat? Tell me if anything happens, and I’ll compensate you however I can.”

Xia Shinan was stunned, not understanding why he was asking her for WeChat. She wasn’t the one who was hurt!

Tang Yin squinted at the boy, then sneered, “The basketball court isn’t close to us. How bad is your skill level to shoot the ball this far? Or is it…”

She looked at Xia Shinan and said confidently: “You did it on purpose.”

The boy was startled, his eyes filled with panic: “What are you talking about? I didn’t!”

Tang Yin had already seen through him, “Then your skill is poor. If your skill is poor, I suggest you practice when no one is around at night. Don’t come out and hurt people during the day.”

The boy was speechless. He watched Tang Yin pull Xia Shinan away without saying another word.

His friend ran over and slapped him on the shoulder, “Well, did you get her WeChat?”

“No…” The boy said, annoyed, “Let’s go, let’s keep playing!”

“Tang Yin, are you really okay? Should we go to the infirmary?” Xia Shinan had to jog to keep up with Tang Yin’s pace, feeling extremely worried.

Hearing her urgent voice, Tang Yin finally slowed down, “I’m fine.”

Xia Shinan looked at her hand, feeling guilty: “I’m sorry. It’s all my fault…”

“What am I blaming you for?” Tang Yin said irritably, “Anyway, my hand isn’t pretty, so it’s better than hitting your face, right?”

No. If Xia Shinan had been hit by the basketball, that boy would probably be gone from University A tomorrow. Thinking about it, she had actually saved that boy.

“Student!” The girl who had been handing out flyers also ran over, her eyes fixed on Tang Yin: “Thank you so much. You helped me just now. That’s why I wasn’t hit by the basketball.”

Tang Yin glanced at her, not even remembering that the girl had been standing next to Xia Shinan earlier. She smiled awkwardly: “You’re welcome.”

“Can we add each other on WeChat? I feel so bad. It’s all because I stopped you to ask for help with the customer service QR code,” the girl’s eyes were sincere, and her face was full of guilt.

“It’s okay. The boy was just careless!” Xia Shinan proactively comforted her, but the girl insisted, and eventually, they exchanged contact information.

The girl was very happy and looked at Tang Yin: “My name is Fang Yue, Accounting major, Sophomore. What about you?”

“Tang Yin, Junior.”

“Oh, you’re an upperclassman!” Fang Yue rejoiced, “Hello, upperclassman! If you’re planning for the postgraduate exam or any other exam, you can come to our self-study room! It’s quiet and has a dedicated desk…”

Tang Yin checked the time and realized it was getting late, so she nodded: “Mhm, we have to go now.”

“Goodbye, upperclassman!” Fang Yue smiled and waved goodbye. Xia Shinan smiled and nodded, then closely followed Tang Yin out of the school gate.

“Tang Yin, if your hand starts to hurt later, you must tell me!” The two had reached the pedestrian street, and Tang Yin was heading to work at the BBQ restaurant.

“What good would telling you do? Would you cover my shift?” Tang Yin asked with a smile.

Xia Shinan nodded without thinking, “I can! As long as you don’t mind that I’m clumsy.”

“Tch…” Tang Yin put her hands in her pockets and smiled: “I said I’m fine, so don’t worry about it. Hurry back. I’ll watch you leave before I go in.”

“Oh… okay.” Xia Shinan looked back every few steps. Each time she looked back, she saw Tang Yin standing there, waving at her, until she turned the corner and could no longer see her.

Back at the BBQ restaurant, Tang Yin skillfully changed into her work uniform, put on her mask, and washed her hands.

Her wheat-colored skin was contrasted by her right arm, which was unusually red and somewhat purplish.

She looked at her right arm in silence.

Actually… she could have easily dodged that basketball, but in that split second, she hesitated and intentionally let the ball hit her arm.

It hurt, but wasn’t that how the Kugou-kei (Plea of Suffering) worked? If she was hurt because of Xia Shinan, wouldn’t Xia Shinan feel distressed? This way, it might even deepen Xia Shinan’s trust in her, allowing her to get closer to Xia Shinan and the Xia family.

It turned out her judgment was correct.

The pure and kind Xia Shinan would naturally feel distressed about her injury and even be willing to cover her shift, doing this arduous job.

Thinking of Xia Shinan’s concerned eyes and her worried glances over her shoulder as they parted, Tang Yin smiled again. She wondered how the Xia family had raised their daughter to be so naive.

Footsteps came from outside, and Tang Yin collected her thoughts and started working.

The boss walked into the back kitchen, cursing: “I only paid them yesterday, and now Chen Li isn’t coming in today. You college students have no sense of responsibility!”

Chen Li? She quit? Tang Yin found it strange but didn’t say anything.

After the boss vented for a while, he cleared his throat: “Tang Yin, I’ll need to schedule you for two more days of work.”

Tang Yin raised her eyes slightly, “Boss, I’m a student, and I have a lot of things to do at school. I can only accept my current part-time hours. If you schedule me for two more days, I might be the next one to quit.”

“You…” The boss was utterly blocked and had to turn around and leave, “College students, completely unreliable!”

Tang Yin sneered under her mask. This miserly boss didn’t want to hire more people and didn’t want to pay more wages. It was no wonder employees wouldn’t stay in the long run.

If she didn’t need this job right now, she would have quit a long time ago.

Her phone vibrated on the side. Tang Yin took off her glove and glanced at it. It was a WeChat message from the contact saved as “Aunt Qi.”

Are you busy with studying and work these days? Rest more if the pressure is high.

Tang Yin paused for a few seconds before starting to type: Pretty good. I’ve become friends with Xia Shinan.

Aunt Qi: You always manage to do everything. Our plan can continue then.

Tang Yin immediately replied: No, it’s not enough.

Is being just friends enough?

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