The Abused Heroine Stops Pretending [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 1

Tang Jing sat in the car, waiting.

Her index finger tapped lightly on the steering wheel as her gaze occasionally drifted to the window. A film crew was shooting up ahead, and naturally, she was here to wait for someone.

Outside, the sky had completely darkened. This area was close to the countryside, devoid of streetlights, leaving the surroundings pitch black.

By the time she glanced at the dashboard for the Nth time, a figure appeared at the end of the road, using their phone as a flashlight as they approached.

Tang Jing pushed the car door open and stepped out, walking toward them. “Sisi.”

“Tang Jiejie!” Sun Sijia smiled as she hurried over. But in her haste, she stumbled, nearly falling before Tang Jing swiftly caught her. “Be careful.”

“Sorry, Tang Jiejie, I was walking too fast just now.” Sun Sijia’s eyes reddened slightly, guilt washing over her for the misstep.

“It’s fine.” Tang Jing softened her tone. “I was just worried you’d fall, so I sounded a bit harsh. I apologize.”

Sun Sijia grinned. “Not at all! Tang Jiejie is the best to me!”

On the surface, Tang Jing patiently supported her as they walked back to the car, but inwardly, she was grumbling to System 6.

“This is just too much! I was so close to completing the mission and going back, but the main system says I failed and have to start over?!”

Thinking about it, she could almost cry for herself. In every world, she played the role of the main gong, the one who never got a happy ending and always met a tragic fate.

And the ones responsible for her miserable outcomes were always the main shou of each world whom she collectively referred to as “scum shou” or “trash shou.”

The woman she was currently supporting was this world’s trash shou, a hypocritical, two-faced green tea bitch.

In this world, the main gong shared her name, Tang Jing, and had been infatuated with Sun Sijia for five years. She had always been the one silently giving, showering the other with resources and endorsements, treating her like a little princess.

Anyone could tell what her actions implied, and Sun Sijia herself was well aware.

Yet she feigned ignorance every time, while still accepting all the resources and endorsements Tang Jing threw her way. From an outsider’s perspective, it was clear she was playing hard to get, stringing Tang Jing along to keep the benefits flowing.

Five years ago, Sun Sijia had been a fresh-faced newcomer to the entertainment industry no acting skills, no notable works. It was Tang Jing who poured in resources, step by step elevating her to her current status as a rising star.

The industry had long assumed they were a couple, but Tang Jing always insisted she was still pursuing her. Meanwhile, Sun Sijia would just smile at such remarks, neither confirming nor denying, creating the illusion that they were indeed lovers.

Then one day, Sun Sijia brought a friend along to dinner with Tang Jing. At the table, she asked Tang Jing to pull some strings and get her friend into the variety show Diverse Life.

Though Sun Sijia was a regular guest on the show, she had only gotten in through Tang Jing’s connections in the first place. She had no real influence with the production team, and the director certainly wouldn’t do her any favors.

Learning that Meng Xue was Sun Sijia’s senior from school who had taken good care of her, Tang Jing agreed to help.

To give Sun Sijia’s senior more exposure, she who had never participated in variety shows before decided to experience this program as a guest star. Apart from the production team, neither the audience nor the regular cast knew about it, maintaining the mystery to surprise everyone later.

The surprise was indeed delivered, but for Sun Sijia, it was more of a shock.

She had originally planned to reconnect with her senior during the show and, if the opportunity arose, confess her feelings. Now, all those plans were ruined.

What she didn’t know was that her beloved senior actually had feelings for Tang Jing. However, Tang Jing was notoriously hard to approach. After several failed attempts on the show, the audience began to see Meng Xue as someone desperately trying to cling to the famous actress Tang Jing, labeling her as overly ambitious.

Seeing her favorite senior being mistreated, Sun Sijia privately confronted Tang Jing, asking her to be nicer to Meng Xue since netizens were criticizing her. Because of this, Tang Jing’s attitude toward Meng Xue did improve. Just as Meng Xue was feeling pleased, she overheard a conversation between Tang Jing and Sun Sijia and realized that the kindness she received was all because of Sun Sijia’s intervention.

The person she adored most was being manipulated by Sun Sijia, her junior. Unable to bear seeing Tang Jing deceived, Meng Xue told her that Sun Sijia didn’t actually like her and was just using her.

But Tang Jing only saw it as Meng Xue trying to sow discord. Disgusted, she believed Sun Sijia had been nothing but kind to Meng Xue, only to be falsely accused in return. She immediately had the director remove Meng Xue from the show.

Having just returned to the country and entered the entertainment industry, Meng Xue was blacklisted before she could even establish herself. Depressed, she shut herself away at home. Sun Sijia kept visiting her, and the sight of her sweet smile drove Meng Xue mad with jealousy. Yet, coming from a scholarly family, she couldn’t bring herself to do anything extreme. In the end, she succumbed to depression and took her own life in the bathtub.

When Sun Sijia received the news, she was devastated especially upon learning that her senior’s depression stemmed from Tang Jing. At that moment, her hatred for Tang Jing reached its peak. She vowed to destroy Tang Jing to avenge her senior.

Tang Jing, somewhat naive in love, fell right into the trap of the scheming Sun Sijia. In the end, she lost both fame and fortune, was hounded by netizens until she left the industry, and was later terrorized by an obsessive fan who doused her home in gasoline. By sheer misfortune, someone carelessly tossed a cigarette butt, igniting the house. Tang Jing, trapped inside, clawed desperately at the door in a futile attempt to escape, her nails torn off from the effort.

Her gruesome death left netizens sighing over how someone once so glorious could meet such a tragic end.

She had already completed this world’s mission once. The agony of being burned alive was unbearable, but after dying in countless bizarre ways across different worlds, she had long grown numb to pain.

[66: Host, the main system has sent feedback on your first mission. Please review.]

While fastening her seatbelt, Tang Jing quickly skimmed through the feedback.

Mission No. 3572 – Tragic Romance Feedback:

-Heartbroken Scum’s Regret: 75% (Pass)

-World Progress: 100%

-Male Lead’s Resentment: -100% (Fail)

Out of the three feedback points, two came with additional notes.

The Scum Shou’s Unresolved Feelings 75%

She knew that every time the mission progress reached 100%, the percentage of the scum shou’s unresolved feelings never increased. No matter how tragically she died in the end, it couldn’t make the scum shou feel even a little more regret.

Since it was her first mission and she lacked experience, she had tried everything she could to raise it but failed. Eventually, she gave up passing was enough.

But now, seeing the column for the protagonist gong’s resentment, she instantly understood why she couldn’t raise the percentage.

Still, there were way too many things to complain about. She muttered inwardly to System 66, “Why wasn’t this mentioned when the mission was assigned?”

During her first mission, she had only seen the first two requirements. Now it seemed the third one had been hidden.

[66: The gold-medal instructor covered this during training.]

Tang Jing: “…” Fine. Blame herself for being too busy ogling the seniors back then and not paying attention.

In the passenger seat, Sun Sijia was happily chatting with someone on her phone, her lips curled in a smile ever since they got in the car.

“Who are you messaging? You look so happy,” Tang Jing glanced at her.

Sun Sijia’s smile stiffened, but she quickly schooled her expression and casually turned off her phone screen. “It’s a senior from high school. She’s coming back from abroad tomorrow, and I wanted to treat her to a meal.”

Tang Jing feigned nonchalance. “Which senior? I’ve never heard you mention her before.”

The car exited the narrow road and merged onto the main avenue, picking up speed. The flickering streetlights cast shifting shadows across their faces.

Sun Sijia tensed. If it were just an ordinary senior, she wouldn’t have been so nervous, she could’ve just said it outright. But this senior was different. She was the one Sun Sijia had secretly loved for years, the one she had been waiting for day and night to return.

Her silence dragged on a little too long. Tang Jing glanced at her. “You don’t have to say if you don’t want to.”

Afraid she might anger Tang Jing after all, she’d be the one suffering the consequences Sun Sijia quickly softened her voice. “Sister Tang, don’t overthink it or get upset. This senior took really good care of me in high school. When I was sick, she even carried me to the infirmary and looked after me the whole time.”

This little green tea was as nauseating as ever. Tang Jing had already been considerate enough to tell her she didn’t have to explain, yet here she was, twisting it into Tang Jing overthinking things and getting jealous.

Weren’t you pretending not to know the original host liked you? So why are you acting all worried about your partner getting jealous now?

And what’s this about your senior taking care of you in high school? So I haven’t taken care of you at all?

It’s the middle of the night, your drama just wrapped up, and I drove all the way out to this backwater to pick you up yet I haven’t heard a single “thank you” from you.

So your senior takes care of you once, and you remember it for years, but I’ve been supporting you all this time, and I’m just the fool who got played?

Tang Jing mentally cursed a storm but kept her expression indifferent. “Let me know when you meet her. I’ll treat her myself, to thank her for taking care of you back then.”

Something about her tone felt off. Sun Sijia glanced at her, but the woman’s face was as unreadable as ever. Maybe she was overthinking it.

She smiled. “I’ll thank Sister Tang on her behalf. But I can treat her myself too.”

So, she was being guarded, afraid Tang Jing might notice something between her and the senior.

Tang Jing curved her lips slightly. At a red light, she reached over and ruffled Sun Sijia’s hair. “Sure. I’d probably just make things awkward for you two. Go ahead and have your meal alone.”

“Thank you, Sister Tang.” Sun Sijia said sweetly, “Sister Tang is the best!”

Sun Sijia suddenly remembered something and asked, “Sister Tang, was it difficult for you to get me into the Diverse Life variety show back then?”

Tang Jing replied, “Not too bad.”

“Are you planning to treat me to a meal?” Tang Jing glanced at her through the rearview mirror, a smile playing at the corners of her lips.

Sun Sijia’s smile stiffened for a moment before she quickly came up with an idea and nodded with a grin. “Yes, you worked so hard to help me make connections. It’s only right that I treat you to a meal.”

A whole year had passed before she brought this up. If it were the original Tang Jing, she might have genuinely believed the woman had finally grown a conscience. But the current Tang Jing knew better Sun Sijia had another agenda.

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