After the Fake Heiress Died, She Was Filled with Regret - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Absolutely Not

It was already past eight in the morning. Xia Shinan woke up with a start from her sleep, sitting up in bed and gasping for breath. It took a while for her to calm down, looking at the familiar bedroom. The curtains were drawn, blocking out all external light.

She glanced at the digital clock by the bed, which showed 8:20 AM. Xia Shinan froze for two seconds and immediately scrambled out of bed.

Today was Monday, and she had class at eight in the morning. She was clearly already late! Even if she couldn’t make the first class, it would be good to catch the second one.

By the time she arrived at University A, Xia Shinan was completely sober.

She had been drinking with Tang Yin last night. She couldn’t remember when she fell asleep. Where was Tang Yin?

Her phone had died and shut down, and she hadn’t had a chance to charge it.

She reached the classroom right during the break and was looking for a seat when she was surprised to find Qian Yu sitting in the back row. Qian Yu was lazily scrolling through girl group videos. Catching sight of Xia Shinan, she immediately became energized and waved at her.

“You’re here? I thought you wouldn’t show up.”

Xia Shinan was puzzled, “Little Feather… you didn’t choose this course, did you? Why are you here?”

Qian Yu rubbed her nose, “Tang Yin contacted me.”

Tang Yin? Xia Shinan tilted her head, looking confused.

Qian Yu: “She texted me last night, saying you might not be able to get up in the morning and asked me to cover the class for you.”

Xia Shinan sat in the empty seat next to her and whispered, “What time did she message you last night?”

Qian Yu checked WeChat, “Half past eleven.”

Xia Shinan pursed her lips. The last time she remembered was eleven at night. It seemed she got drunk shortly after. Tang Yin carried her into the bedroom, cleaned up the living room, and then left.

So… since she was drunk, were those words last night real or fake?

Or was she just dreaming?

“Why is your face red?” Qian Yu leaned very close. Seeing Xia Shinan’s face noticeably flush, she found it very odd.

Xia Shinan touched her face and lied, “Maybe my alcohol tolerance is low. I’m still a little drunk.”

Qian Yu believed her explanation, “That makes sense… Let’s buy some yogurt after class. It’ll make your stomach feel better. By the way, I’m starting to think Tang Yin is pretty nice…”

Xia Shinan turned to look at Qian Yu, “Tang Yin has always been nice.”

Qian Yu: “…”

“Well, I always thought she wasn’t good enough before, but now I think she’s pretty great. She should have apologized to you after learning about your family situation, right? She was championing your roommate’s side before.”

Apologized? Not exactly.

But Xia Shinan didn’t think Tang Yin needed to apologize. It was the truth, after all.

“Anyway, thank you, Little Feather. I was very happy drinking with her last night.” Xia Shinan was never one to overcomplicate things. The reason why Tang Yin changed her mind was irrelevant to her.

They were still good friends, and their relationship was even better now. That was all she wanted, and it was enough.

Qian Yu grumbled, “You drank with Tang Yin, but you never drink with me. You’re showing favoritism.”

If it were before, Xia Shinan would immediately deny being partial, but she hesitated. She was unsure before, but now she was certain that Tang Yin and Qian Yu were different.

The class bell rang. Qian Yu simply stayed with Xia Shinan for the rest of the class. As the professor continued to explain the content on the PPT, Xia Shinan’s gaze was fixed forward, but her mind had drifted far away.

She was thinking about Tang Yin.

When did Tang Yin leave? What was Tang Yin doing? Did Tang Yin really say those words last night…?

Tang Yin had no classes this morning. She accompanied her grandmother to the hospital for a follow-up, then returned to the rental house.

“Don’t accompany me to the hospital anymore. It delays your studies.” Tang Bixia watched her granddaughter busy in the kitchen. She wanted to help but wasn’t allowed, so she could only sit on the sofa and sigh.

“I didn’t want to follow you to City A in the first place. I’m always causing you trouble.”

Tang Yin was busy chopping vegetables in the kitchen. Hearing Tang Bixia’s words, she turned back and smiled: “Grandma, stop overthinking. How can I be at ease if you stay in the town? I couldn’t even focus on studying. I might even drop out.”

“You will never be a trouble to me. On the contrary, I feel more at ease with you here.”

She quickly prepared a few dishes and carried them to the slightly wobbly small table in the living room. They ate together.

“We haven’t eaten together in a long time,” Tang Bixia couldn’t help but lament, “The last time was during the Lantern Festival.”

Tang Yin’s hand paused, and she nodded.

The last Lantern Festival, her grandmother’s illness relapsed. The two of them ate at the hospital. Her mood was at its worst then, worried that her grandmother wouldn’t live to the end of the year and that she couldn’t afford the enormous medical bills.

It was also around that time that Qi Ning found her…

Tang Bixia realized her words had upset her granddaughter and quickly changed the subject: “Do you have class this afternoon? Finish eating and hurry back to school.”

“No rush,” Tang Yin returned to her senses, smiling as she put some food on her grandmother’s plate, “I’ll make the sweet soup for you before I go back. It’ll be easier for you when you set up your stall tonight.”

Tang Bixia wanted to decline, but knowing her granddaughter’s personality, she didn’t refuse anymore.

“I haven’t asked you yet this morning, why did you smell of alcohol when you came back?”

Tang Yin didn’t return to school last night. She came back to the rental house after leaving Xia Shinan’s place. Tang Bixia was a deep sleeper and didn’t notice. When she woke up this morning and saw her granddaughter lying on the sofa, she was quite startled.

Her granddaughter rarely drank, so she was naturally a little concerned.

“Are you having a conflict with friends recently? Or is something bothering you?”

Tang Yin shook her head with a smile: “No, I’m fine. A friend was a little unhappy, so I drank a little with her. I’m okay.”

“Grandma, if a person has a wealthy family and doesn’t have to worry about food or clothes, but their parents are very cold to them and force them into an arranged marriage with someone they don’t like. Would you say they are happy or unhappy?”

Tang Bixia listened to her granddaughter’s words and smiled, shaking her head: “Yingying, you are still young. Our family is poor, and we haven’t given you a good life. But you will understand later that having enough to eat and warm clothes is the easiest thing to achieve in this world.”

Is that so? Tang Yin lowered her gaze. But for her, having enough to eat and warm clothes was far from enough. Her heart was already filled with endless desires.

Money, fame, everything, she wanted it all.

“Living in this world requires family, friends, and a loved one. Only then will life not be lonely,” Tang Bixia looked at Tang Yin earnestly, “Yingying, you are thoughtful and overthink things. In a big city, this is both a strength and a weakness. You must remember to treat people with sincerity. Don’t be secretive. Always be open and honest.”

Tang Yin poked the rice in front of her with her chopsticks and softly hummed in acknowledgment.

She returned to school a little past noon. Tang Yin had been checking her phone the entire morning but still hadn’t received a message from Xia Shinan, not even a single WeChat.

Is she still asleep? Just as she was about to call, Qian Yu called instead.

“Tang Yin, where are you? Do you want to come to the club’s activity room? Shinan and I are resting here.”

Tang Yin raised an eyebrow, “Let Xia Shinan take the call.”

After two seconds of silence on the other end, a timid voice came through, “Tang Yin, what’s wrong?”

What’s wrong? Tang Yin chuckled irritably, “Miss socialite, I took care of you with great difficulty last night after you got drunk. Why haven’t you called or messaged me all morning? I was worried about you.”

“No, no…” Xia Shinan quickly explained, “My phone died, so I couldn’t contact you. We just finished class.”

Tang Yin breathed a sigh of relief. As she walked toward the activity room, she asked with concern: “Did you go to class? Were you late?”

“I was late!” Xia Shinan said, laughing happily, “Good thing you were so thoughtful and asked Little Feather to go to class for me first. Tang Yin, you are so nice!”

Tang Yin pursed her lips and smiled, humming in agreement, “Then I put yogurt in your fridge. Did you drink it?”

Xia Shinan: “Ah? I didn’t know! I’ll go drink it when I get home!”

“Hey, can you two talk when you meet in person? Using my phone to chat isn’t cool,” Qian Yu’s voice suddenly broke in.

“Oh, I forgot!” Xia Shinan quickly said a couple of things to Tang Yin and hung up.

Tang Yin curved her lips into a smile and continued toward the activity room. As soon as she reached the first floor, she heard a girl’s voice from behind and felt a tap on her shoulder.

“Upperclassman!”

There weren’t many people in the activity room during lunchtime, making it the perfect place for Qian Yu and Xia Shinan to take a break. When Tang Yin walked in, she saw Xia Shinan looking a bit listless and downcast.

As she got closer, she heard Qian Yu and Xia Shinan whispering.

“It’s been so busy lately. If it comes down to it, just take the make-up exam, or ask your mom to talk to the school.”

“How can I do that! I don’t want to use backdoors. I’ll try first. If I fail, I’ll take the make-up exam.”

“Fail what?” Tang Yin walked over and sat down in front of them, looking at Xia Shinan, “Do you have an exam?”

Xia Shinan’s eyes lit up when she saw Tang Yin, but then she saw the girl who walked in with her and froze for a moment. That’s strange. Why would Tang Yin come with Fang Yue?

“Speak up,” Tang Yin gently nudged her hand. Xia Shinan snapped back to attention, secretly curled her fingers, and replied, “It’s just… we have a physical fitness test on Friday.”

Tang Yin thought she misheard. She looked at her with a smile in her eyes, “What’s so hard about a physical fitness test? You can’t pass it?”

Qian Yu’s eyes widened: “Passing it would be a rare event!”

Fang Yue exclaimed, “Oh no, we sophomores seem to have a physical fitness test too! Upperclassman, I completely forgot about that. Oh dear, oh dear.”

Xia Shinan whispered, “Tang Yin, you exercise often. It must not be hard for you.”

Tang Yin glanced at her: “Then let’s do some intensive exercise these few days and practice.”

Fang Yue clapped her hands, excited: “Great! Upperclassman, what time do you exercise every day? Let’s go together!”

Xia Shinan was startled, looking at Fang Yue. It seemed she genuinely liked Tang Yin.

What about Tang Yin? What does she think? Does she like Fang Yue? Does she like girls…?

Tang Yin noticed Xia Shinan spacing out, staring at Fang Yue. She didn’t know what Xia Shinan was thinking. But Tang Yin was very clear that she didn’t want Xia Shinan and Fang Yue to have too much contact, so she spoke to Xia Shinan: “I’m asking you.”

“What?” Xia Shinan blinked, not understanding what she meant.

Tang Yin: “What time do you want to go exercise?”

Her? Xia Shinan instinctively replied, “Um… in the evening?”

Tang Yin nodded: “Good, then let’s start tonight. Xia Shinan and I are a team. Fang Yue, you and Qian Yu are a team. We’ll all go for a run at the stadium tonight.”

Fang Yue’s smile froze, “Why do we have to be in pairs? Can’t we all go together?”

Tang Yin opened the thermos cup in her hand and offered it to Xia Shinan, “Try it? The sweet soup I made.” The next second, she glanced at Fang Yue, “Absolutely not.”

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