After the Fake Heiress Died, She Was Filled with Regret - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: What Else Can We Do? Let’s Elope!

Xia Shinan had always been vaguely worried that Tang Yin was dating her out of pity, but at this moment, she felt her heartbeat at the same frequency as Tang Yin’s. Besides nervousness, there was mostly joy.

Tang Yin liked her too.

The May Day holiday was fast approaching. The campus was already filled with a holiday atmosphere. Roommates were discussing their plans for the break. Some had bought tickets to go home the next morning, and others were planning trips with friends.

In the middle of the conversation, someone asked Tang Yin.

“Sister Yin, what are your plans?”

Tang Yin turned and smiled, “I’m going to a countryside resort with my film club classmates. I’ll just go along with their arrangements.”

Her roommates were surprised as if they had discovered a new continent: “You usually either work part-time or spend time with your grandma during May Day. Why are you going out this time?”

“Exactly! We’ve been roommates for three years and have never gone out together. Every time we ask, you say you’re busy. Why are you free this time?”

“Could it be because of Xia Shinan?” One of the roommates asked with a sly smile. She had recently become a big fan of the Tang Yin and Xia Shinan pairing and couldn’t help but fantasize that all of Tang Yin’s changes were because of Xia Shinan.

Tang Yin curved her lips into a smile, “Xia Shinan is indeed going, but it’s not entirely because of that. I also want to relax a bit.”

Roommate: “I know, I know. No need to explain.”

Hehehe, this is such sweet gossip!

Since Xia Shinan was mentioned, Tang Yin couldn’t help but check her phone.

She had received a message from Xia Shinan early that morning.

Mom is back in the country and told me to go home for dinner. We might not be able to meet today…

Little cat crying.jpg

Although she was disappointed that they couldn’t meet, Tang Yin was more concerned about whether that cold and strict lady would lecture Xia Shinan about the past incident.

The good girl assured her confidently: Don’t worry, I’ve already thought of a countermeasure. It’ll be fine!

Tang Yin: Okay, then call me when you have a moment.

Xia Shinan: I’m serious! You don’t need to worry about me…

Tang Yin sent a voice message: “I miss you.”

After a long pause, a little cat blushing emoji was returned.

Tang Yin scrolled through their previous chat history, a smile involuntarily lifting the corners of her mouth. But seeing the current time, she frowned. It was already dinner time, and Xia Shinan still hadn’t called her.

At the Xia family home.

Xie Wan sat upright on the sofa, her posture and movements elegant and composed. She picked up a cup of tea in front of her, sipped it slowly, and nodded with satisfaction.

“The tea from the Ming family in Jiangcheng truly lives up to its reputation. Tong, you are so thoughtful.”

Xie Wan looked at the woman in front of her, who was wearing a smart suit and skirt, and a fleeting look of distaste crossed her eyes, though it disappeared quickly.

Xia Tong was Xia Shentu’s younger sister. She was rumored to have lived in the countryside as a child. Perhaps because of this, she always carried a trace of a rustic aura.

Xie Wan looked down on this sister-in-law from the bottom of her heart, but thankfully Xia Tong didn’t live in A City, so an occasional visit was manageable.

“As long as you like it, Sister-in-law.”

Xia Tong didn’t notice the emotions in Xie Wan’s eyes, her face full of concern: “Sister-in-law, did Shinan upset you? You made her kneel as soon as you returned. It’s been over an hour. A girl’s skin is delicate. What if her knees get hurt?”

“Knees can be healed by a doctor, but if her heart runs wild, it will be impossible to bring her back,” Xie Wan said calmly. “You don’t know, this niece of yours is getting more and more disobedient. She won’t listen to me, and she dares to refuse to do what I ask.”

Xia Tong: “It’s normal for children to be rebellious. You’ve scolded her and punished her. She must know she was wrong. It’s almost dinner time. Let her come out.”

Xie Wan pursed her lips and didn’t speak. The thought of Xia Shinan made her furious. Was her usual timid appearance all an act?

The first thing she did upon her return was to punish the assistant for not watching Xia Shinan and taking her to the airport. The second thing was to tell Xia Shinan to come home and kneel in the study.

However, even a rabbit will bite when cornered. If she managed her too strictly, something bad might happen. Lin Yu was returning home, and the wedding date was approaching. She didn’t want any trouble.

Xia Tong’s words offered a way out. Thinking of this, she nodded, “Alright, have Aunt Zhang tell her to get up.”

“I’ll go,” Xia Tong stood up. “I’ll talk to her properly.”

Xie Wan smiled: “If you can talk some sense into her, and she becomes obedient and stops making me angry, I’ll truly thank you.”

The study.

Xia Shinan was kneeling on the cold wooden floor. Her legs were already sore and numb, but her mind was elsewhere.

As soon as she got home, Xie Wan called her to the study, and the mother and daughter had their first argument.

“I’ve raised you all these years, and I never thought you’d be so capable, having no regard for the Lin family or the well-being of the Xia family.”

“Mom, the Xia family is my home. How could I not care? But I genuinely don’t like Lin Yu. My tone was poor when I spoke to you that day, and I apologize… but every word I said was true. Please respect my feelings!”

“Respect?” Xie Wan was enraged. “You dare say I don’t respect you? Fine, you can kneel here. When you understand your mistake, you can get up.”

Xia Shinan immediately knelt down without any intention of admitting fault.

It’s just… her phone was still in her bedroom. She hadn’t had a chance to let Tang Yin know that she might not be able to call her.

The study door opened, and unfamiliar footsteps entered. Xia Shinan glanced over and smiled, “Aunt.”

Xia Tong looked at Xia Shinan and sighed, “I never knew you had such a stubborn temper. It’s rare for you to make your mother this angry. Get up quickly. Stop kneeling. It breaks my heart to see this.”

Seeing Xia Shinan hesitate, Xia Tong pulled her up: “Your mother has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. She told you to go downstairs for dinner. Don’t hold a grudge against her.”

Hold a grudge? Did everyone think she was just throwing a tantrum? Xia Shinan shook her head: “Aunt, I’m not holding a grudge. I know exactly what I’m doing and saying. I don’t want to be a button used to solidify the relationship between the Lin and Xia families. I want freedom.”

Xia Tong was surprised, a hint of astonishment in her eyes: “Silly child, what do you understand about freedom?”

Xia Shinan lowered her eyes and bit her lip. She didn’t know what freedom was, but… she knew she wasn’t free right now.

Xia Shinan only had five minutes to compose herself before heading to the dining room for dinner. Returning to her room, she quickly grabbed her phone and saw a WeChat message from Tang Yin. She immediately called her.

“Shinan.” The phone was quickly answered.

“Tang Yin, where are you?” Xia Shinan could hear noise on Tang Yin’s end.

“I’m at the cafeteria, about to have dinner with my roommates.” Tang Yin walked to the stairwell of the cafeteria, where it was slightly quieter, and asked, “Are you okay? No messages all afternoon. I was worried about you.”

Hearing the words “I was worried about you,” Xia Shinan felt warmth in her heart, a feeling completely different from the moment she was kneeling in the study.

At that moment, she felt lost about the future, wanting to be happy with Tang Yin but also afraid that her resistance against the Xia family would be futile.

But hearing Tang Yin’s voice, she felt that everything was possible.

“Tang Yin, I have a question for you,” Xia Shinan recalled her aunt’s words. “What is freedom in your opinion?”

Tang Yin leaned against the wall, surprised by the question, then smiled: “Everyone’s desired freedom is different.”

Xia Shinan thought for a moment, “Then what is the freedom you want?”

Tang Yin was silent. The freedom she wanted was financial freedom, something vulgar but very realistic, something Xia Shinan had had since birth.

After a soft sigh, she smiled, “Hard to say. What about you?”

Xia Shinan lay sideways on the bed, hugging a small bear, “I don’t know either. If I can see you whenever I want, maybe that counts as freedom?”

Tang Yin chuckled, “Do you miss me?”

“Mhm,” Xia Shinan closed her eyes and answered softly.

If she liked someone, she had to say it. If she missed someone, she had to say it. She wouldn’t hide her feelings anymore.

A knock on the door and Aunt Zhang’s voice came from behind: “Miss, Madam said to come downstairs for dinner.”

“Hurry and go eat,” Tang Yin said, having heard the voice.

“Bye.” Xia Shinan reluctantly hung up the phone and then went downstairs.

The usually quiet dining table felt a little more lively because of Xia Tong’s presence. At least Xia Shinan wasn’t so resistant to eating dinner.

“How long will you be staying in A City, Tong?” Xie Wan asked with concern.

Xia Tong took a sip of soup, “About a week. Didn’t Brother say he’s coming back next week? I have to see him before I leave. I also have company matters to discuss with him.”

A trace of sarcasm showed in Xie Wan’s eyes, “Your brother is busy with work. He was on a business trip abroad a while ago. He just returned and didn’t even settle down before leaving for Jing City again. I’m afraid you won’t be able to see him even next week.”

“It’s alright, then I’ll wait longer,” Xia Tong looked at Xia Shinan, “It’s the May Day holiday soon. Do you have any plans? Are you going out?”

Xia Shinan’s heart skipped a beat. Just as she was thinking about how to mention going out with the club tomorrow, she heard Xie Wan say: “What plans could she have? She’s coming with me to apologize to the Lin family tomorrow.”

To the Lin family?!

Xia Shinan’s eyes widened, “Mom, you never told me that before! I already made plans to go out with my friends tomorrow. Can I please not go to the Lin family…”

“Of course not,” Xie Wan glanced at her. “You left Lin Yu at the airport last time. Don’t you think you should apologize?”

Xia Shinan recalled Tang Yin’s words and whispered, “He’s a grown man with hands and feet. Can’t he manage alone at the airport?”

“What kind of nonsense is that!” Xie Wan put down her chopsticks. “Lin Yu is your fiancé. You are supposed to be with him! It seems I’ve spoiled you too much. Going out with friends? Those so-called friends of yours are all disreputable!”

“You will come with me to the Lin family to apologize first thing tomorrow morning. Don’t make me have the bodyguard drag you there!”

Xie Wan left the dining table, unwilling to listen to anything else Xia Shinan had to say.

“Honestly, why do you keep making your mother angry?” Xia Tong sighed helplessly. “I never expected your mother to become so forceful these past two years.”

Xia Shinan lowered her head, tears welling up in her eyes. Xie Wan had actually always been like this. It was just that as she grew up and developed her own opinions, Xie Wan felt she couldn’t control her, so she became even more forceful.

She quietly asked:

“Aunt, am I very cowardly?”

“How could you be? You’ve done very well,” Xia Tong gently stroked her hair with sympathy. “Your mother doesn’t understand you. Don’t worry about it too much. Do whatever you want to do.”

Xia Shinan looked up at Xia Tong. Do whatever I want? Can I?

“Alright, don’t be sad. Eat quickly,” Xia Tong placed some food on her plate. “I remember your birthday is next month? I’ll send you a gift then. You’ll surely love it.”

Xia Shinan gave a faint smile. The gift she wanted most was probably the cancellation of the engagement.

After dinner, Xia Shinan hid in her room. She messaged Tang Yin, saying she might not be able to go out with everyone tomorrow. But Tang Yin might be busy and didn’t reply.

She had nothing to do while waiting for a message, so she sat down at the piano to play.

She actually loved playing the piano. She could always find a sense of peace in the notes. All the melodies came from her fingertips fast, slow, light, heavy…

Only at times like this could she feel a sense of self.

At nine in the evening, Xie Wan changed her clothes and prepared to go out. She frowned when she heard the continuous piano music from the second floor. The rhythm was wrong, the dynamics were wrong. It was simply random noise.

If she didn’t have to leave, she would definitely go upstairs and lecture her properly. Finally, she walked out the door in displeasure.

When the piece ended, Xia Shinan had played to her heart’s content, and her mood had improved considerably. The sound of a door opening came from downstairs. Xia Shinan walked to the window and saw Xie Wan and Assistant Li leaving.

The moment she saw her mother leave, she felt the invisible shackles that bound her suddenly disappear.

Xia Shinan sat back down at the piano bench, ready to play another piece, but her phone rang. It was Tang Yin.

“Tang Yin!”

“Mhm…” The voice on the other end was lazy, sounding quite happy.

Xia Shinan quietly tapped the piano keys, “What are you doing? I messaged you just now, and you didn’t reply.”

Tang Yin’s laughter came through the receiver, “I was listening to you play the piano, so I didn’t reply.”

Xia Shinan pursed her lips and tapped doremi twice, “I messaged you an hour ago, not now.”

But Tang Yin said: “I know. I’ve been listening for an hour.”

Xia Shinan froze. The voice on the other end said another thing, “I’m downstairs at your house.”

Downstairs?

Xia Shinan quickly looked out the window. Her room’s window conveniently overlooked the road outside the villa. Tang Yin was really there!

“Why did you come to find me?”

Tang Yin smiled: “Didn’t you say you missed me? And I saw you mention that you had to go apologize to your fiancé’s family tomorrow, so I came to find you. Miss Xia, fiancé or girlfriend, which one do you choose?”

Xia Shinan’s heart pounded. She looked at the figure outside the window and murmured, “Of course, I choose you. So, what should I do now?”

She asked Tang Yin, knowing that Tang Yin would definitely give her an answer.

She had probably guessed the answer, but she still wanted to hear Tang Yin say it.

Sure enough, Tang Yin spoke with a smile: “What else can we do? Let’s elope!”

Time was tight. Xia Shinan changed into comfortable clothes, grabbed a small bag, and tiptoed downstairs. Just as she reached the door, she heard a voice behind her.

“Miss, where are you going?”

Xia Shinan froze. Aunt Zhang should usually be cleaning the study at this time. With a firm gaze, she rushed out the door without looking back.

“Miss!” Aunt Zhang was about to chase, but the guest room door on the first floor opened. Xia Tong adjusted her glasses and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Aunt Zhang was anxious: “Miss went out! Madam specifically told me to watch her!”

Xia Tong sighed: “Sister-in-law manages Shinan too strictly. It’s normal for a girl her age to want to go out. Don’t chase her. Just say you don’t know when she left. I’ll talk to Sister-in-law tomorrow.”

Xia Shinan ran out of the villa and saw Tang Yin standing there. She was still wearing the black windbreaker and sweatpants, like an angel descending in the darkness to personally unlock her cage and set her free.

She ran over. Just before reaching her, she stretched out her hands and threw herself into Tang Yin’s arms. “Is this a dream? This is not a dream!”

“Of course, it’s not a dream,” Tang Yin laughed. “You hit my chest, and it hurts.”

Xia Shinan looked up at her, “I’m sorry, I’m just too happy.”

Tang Yin lowered her head and kissed the girl, “Let’s go before someone comes out to catch you.”

Xia Shinan then noticed a silver-black metal motorcycle parked next to Tang Yin. It looked familiar, “This…”

“Qian Yu lent it to me. She was so happy when she heard I was coming to take you away that she immediately gave me the keys,” Tang Yin patted the seat. “I’ve ridden motorcycles before, so I have experience. Are you scared?”

Xia Shinan shook her head. With Tang Yin by her side, she wasn’t afraid of anything.

Soon, a silver-black motorcycle drove onto the dark blue road. Like a silver bullet in the night, it weaved into the traffic.

Xia Shinan sat in the back, holding Tang Yin tightly. Her body was warm, and holding her provided a full sense of security.

She closed her eyes, feeling her hair flying, the wind whistling past her ears, and her own heartbeat.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Tang Yin looked at Xia Shinan through the rear-view mirror and asked.

Xia Shinan hugged her even tighter.

“Tang Yin, I feel it—freedom.”

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