After the Fake Heiress Died, She Was Filled with Regret - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Dating a Girl, to Piss Her Off…

The sky rumbled with thunder a few times, followed by the pouring rain. Xia Shinan led Tang Yin into the apartment complex, asking her to wait until the rain lessened before leaving.

“Wait a moment.”

Xia Shinan told Tang Yin, then opened the door and walked in in the dark. After fumbling around for a couple of minutes, she reappeared, turned on the light, and offered Tang Yin slippers.

“What were you doing just now?” Tang Yin asked while changing her shoes.

Xia Shinan looked embarrassed, “Turning off the security cameras.”

The main reason Xie Wan agreed to let her live alone without a housekeeper following her was that she had long installed cameras in the apartment. There were cameras in the living room, bedroom, and study.

This way, she could know what Xia Shinan was doing at any moment.

It was precisely because Xia Shinan was filming at school over the weekend, and Xie Wan couldn’t find her, that she appeared downstairs yesterday, wanting to personally see what her daughter was doing.

Xia Shinan was worried something bad would happen if her mother saw Tang Yin. So, she took the plunge and unplugged all the cameras in the house while it was dark.

Tang Yin scanned the well-decorated apartment and quickly spotted one of the cameras on the living room wall. If she had doubted Qian Yu’s words before, she had to believe them now.

Her heart began to wonder what kind of person that mother was.

She was outwardly dignified and elegant, but inwardly harsh and unfeeling. Seemingly gentle and loving towards her daughter, but perhaps she was just cold and icy.

“What’s wrong?” Xia Shinan saw Tang Yin’s silence and couldn’t help but look at her face. Tang Yin was truly beautiful. Standing quietly like this, she still exuded a unique aura that drew Xia Shinan closer.

Perhaps, what Tang Yin possessed was exactly what she lacked and envied.

That’s why she was so attracted to Tang Yin.

“Nothing.” Tang Yin collected her thoughts, looking at Xia Shinan, “What will you say if your mother asks about it?”

Xia Shinan chuckled, “She won’t check her phone in the car. I’ll just plug them back in after you leave. If she really asks, I’ll say the power suddenly went out and I don’t know why.”

Tang Yin smiled at her words, “You’re quite clever.”

Xia Shinan was stunned for a moment, “I am not. I’m very clumsy and cowardly. People compliment me on the surface, but I know they look down on me in their hearts, saying I have nothing but a good family background.”

No brains, no backbone.

A vase, or a gilded cage bird.

“Who said that?” Tang Yin lifted her gaze slightly, “Those insincere roommates of yours? You certainly can’t believe their words. You have many strengths.”

Xia Shinan bit her lip, looking at Tang Yin expectantly, “Then tell me, what are my strengths?”

Tang Yin blinked her long lashes, carefully examining the girl in front of her. Putting aside her private emotions, she slowly said, “First, you are beautiful. Secondly… being able to get into University A on your own defeated many people, so your academic excellence is also a strength. You are either diligent or intelligent, at least one of them.”

“You are also very kind.”

That time at the restaurant, they didn’t know each other at all, yet Xia Shinan spoke up for her and even secretly told the manager not to fire her.

Because of that action, she managed to save a small amount of money that summer, which covered her living expenses for two months at University A.

Tang Yin paused here, then finally smiled, “In short, don’t look down on yourself so easily.”

Xia Shinan lowered her head and softly hummed in agreement. When Tang Yin called her beautiful, she felt a little shy. It wasn’t that no one had complimented her, but Tang Yin’s compliments felt different, making her feel completely tingly and slightly lightheaded.

The two sat on the sofa watching TV, and it was quiet. The rain outside seemed to have lessened, and the room was starting to feel stuffy. Tang Yin looked around and stood up. Xia Shinan quickly followed: “Are you leaving?”

“No.” Tang Yin smiled at her, “It’s a little hot. I wanted to find the remote to turn on the air conditioner.”

“Oh, oh…” Xia Shinan quickly handed her the remote, “It’s here.”

Tang Yin looked at the remote Xia Shinan offered but didn’t take it. Instead, she asked, “Xia Shinan, do you want me to leave?”

Xia Shinan hesitated for a few seconds, then spoke truthfully, “No.”

She felt very comfortable being with Tang Yin. She liked chatting with Tang Yin. Even though her heart inexplicably beat faster when she was around her, she still didn’t want Tang Yin to leave.

Tang Yin raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Then wait for me for five minutes.” She then left the apartment.

Xia Shinan blinked, unsure what Tang Yin meant.

Five minutes later, Tang Yin returned with a shopping bag, walked into the living room, “Tonight, we’ll stay up all night watching TV, playing games, and doing all the things your mother dislikes the most!”

Xia Shinan laughed heartily, her eyes curving like crescents: “Okay!”

The latest variety show was playing loudly on the TV. Tang Yin put the sofa cushions on the floor, telling Xia Shinan to sit there. She then poured all the snacks from the shopping bag onto the coffee table and finally opened a can of cocktail with one hand and gave it to her.

Xia Shinan was curious but a little hesitant to try it: “Does it taste good?”

Tang Yin blinked, “You try it? Give it to me if it’s not good.”

Under Tang Yin’s gaze, Xia Shinan took a small sip. The chilled, carbonated rush went straight down her throat, and she couldn’t help but let out a burp…

“Ah!” Xia Shinan quickly covered her mouth, burying her head in embarrassment.

“That’s normal,” Tang Yin smiled. She opened a can for herself, let out an even louder burp, and then asked, “Want to toast?”

Xia Shinan reluctantly looked up and softly said, “Yes.”

This time, she copied Tang Yin and took a large gulp. An indescribable coolness and comfort rushed to her brain, “Tang Yin, it tastes so good!”

Tang Yin looked at her excited expression but still kindly reminded her, “Even if it tastes good, don’t drink too fast. Although the alcohol content is low, since it’s your first time, there’s still a risk of getting drunk.”

Xia Shinan nodded, but a layer of sadness clouded her eyes.

“Isn’t there a saying about ‘drowning your sorrows in drink’? Does getting drunk make you forget all the unhappy things? If so, getting drunk is quite nice.”

Tang Yin looked at her and said softly, “It’s useless. When you sober up, all the problems that troubled you will still be there. You’ll still have to face them.”

“You’re right,” Xia Shinan sighed, looked up at Tang Yin, and mustered her courage to say, “Sometimes, I really wish I could be a bad child. Not listen to my parents, not study diligently, and just follow my heart and do as I please.”

Tang Yin curved her lips, “But you can’t do that.”

Xia Shinan nodded vigorously, “You’re right! But… I don’t dare. I’m used to being obedient.” She smiled, “The bravest thing I’ve ever done was the day I met you, when you helped me climb over the wall.”

Tang Yin’s smile lessened, and she continued to listen as Xia Shinan talked about her childhood.

As long as Xia Shinan could remember, her father, Xia Shentu, was always busy and never home. Xie Wan placed all her hopes on her, often telling her: “Shinan, the reason your father is out and not home is because you are not well-behaved. So you must be more obedient, and then Daddy will come home.”

Obedience, was almost Xia Shinan’s mission.

Be obedient, and Daddy will come home, and Mommy will be happy.

“But I’ve been very obedient, and Daddy still hasn’t come home,” Xia Shinan took a big gulp of the cocktail, exhaled the warm air, and blinked as she asked Tang Yin, “This isn’t my fault, is it?”

“No,” Tang Yin said softly.

Xia Shinan looked defeated, “You understand, but those adults don’t.” She talked about so many other things, like being forced to participate in various competitions and learn certain dances since she was a child, even though she didn’t like any of it.

And then, her eighteenth birthday coming-of-age gift was a fiancé.

“That Lin Yu is fat and has a big head, looks like a pig. Every time he looks at me, he’s leering. I hate him so much!” She shook her head, “No, he’s not even as good as a pig!”

Tang Yin shook her head with a smile, “Exactly. ‘Pig’ is a good word; that person doesn’t deserve it.”

“Mhm!”

They sat close together. Tang Yin only needed to slightly turn her head to see Xia Shinan’s flushed cheeks and her lips moistened with the drink.

Realizing she had been staring at Xia Shinan for a long time, Tang Yin quickly snapped out of it, opened another can of cocktail, and drank it, trying to calm herself down.

But Xia Shinan was clearly quite drunk. She finished her cocktail and still wanted the one in Tang Yin’s hand.

“More…”

Perhaps due to the alcohol, those two words sounded different in Tang Yin’s ears, carrying an unusual tone.

Tang Yin held the can, looked up at Xia Shinan, and asked softly, “Were you happy drinking today?”

“Happy!” Xia Shinan smiled and nodded, “If my mother found out, she would definitely be angry. Just thinking about her being angry makes me happy.”

Silly girl…

Tang Yin chuckled inwardly, “Then how about we be even more rebellious, to make your mother even angrier?”

Xia Shinan tilted her head. Her eyelids had become heavy at some point, but she still tried hard to keep her eyes open, asking innocently, “What is it?”

Tang Yin looked at her face, took a deep breath, and slowly uttered a sentence: “Dating a girl, to piss her off.”

Xia Shinan tilted her head, “But… what about that fiancé?”

Tang Yin smiled wryly, “What are you afraid of? You have me.”

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