The Abused Heroine Stops Pretending [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 14

The mountain path was steep. At first, the ascent was manageable, but the higher they climbed, the more their stamina drained, and their pace gradually slowed.

Tang Jing had been keeping a close eye on Meng Xue. When she noticed Meng Xue slowing down, she matched her pace and eventually came to a stop. “Let’s take a break before continuing,” she suggested.

Meng Xue didn’t argue. With a soft “Okay,” she walked over to a relatively flat step and sat down.

Only after sitting did she realize how weak her legs felt. Her throat was dry and sore from breathing too heavily.

“Have some water,” Tang Jing said, settling beside her. She pulled her backpack onto her lap and took out a prepared thermos.

The temperature on the mountain was noticeably cooler, and both of them wore jackets over their short sleeves.

After sipping some water to soothe her throat, Meng Xue finally felt much better. She glanced at the steps behind them and frowned slightly. “I wonder how far we’ve come.”

Tang Jing asked a staff member and learned they were already more than halfway up, with about twenty minutes left to the summit.

Meng Xue sighed in relief. Knowing the end was in sight gave her a sense of security and renewed motivation.

After resting for about ten minutes, they packed up and continued their climb.

The tents had already been delivered to the top by the staff, so the two of them only carried a single backpack with snacks inside, which Tang Jing had been shouldering since the foot of the mountain.

Tang Jing reached her hand back.

Meng Xue, following behind, hesitated for a moment before placing her hand in Tang Jing’s. The older woman’s hand was larger than hers, warm and firm as it pulled her upward.

Maybe it was because Tang Jing was leading her, or maybe because all her attention was fixed on their intertwined hands, but the last twenty minutes of the climb passed in what felt like no time at all.

By the time they reached the summit, Meng Xue was still a little dazed, wondering how they had gotten there so quickly. At the same time, she knew their hands would have to part now.

Just as she reluctantly prepared to let go, Tang Jing tightened her grip and turned to look at her. “The path up here is a bit rough. I’ll hold your hand so you don’t slip.”

Meng Xue’s fingers, which had been about to loosen, paused at these words before curling back around Tang Jing’s. “Okay,” she agreed.

The sky had brightened slightly by now, making the path beneath their feet clearer. Standing atop the mountain and gazing into the distance, the layered peaks resembled an ink-wash landscape painting, serene and far removed from the noise of the world.

[Ahhhh, it’s so high up here!]

[I watched the whole time as Tang Jing held Meng Xue’s hand.]

[Meng Xue glanced at their joined hands at least twenty times along the way.]

[If I didn’t know better, I’d think this was some kind of dating show!]

[Another day of shipping “Jing Over Snow.”]

[No, our “Snow Over Jing” flag will never fall!]

“Jing Over Snow” clearly positioned Tang Jing as the dominant one and Meng Xue as the submissive, with the word “over” carrying intriguing implications.

Meanwhile, “Snow Over Jing” flipped the dynamic, with Meng Xue as the dominant and Tang Jing as the submissive. The character “over” here, meaning “against the current,” was interpreted by fans as a reversal of roles.

Since the premiere of Diverse Lives, the fanbases for both ships had grown exponentially. In just one day, countless fan-made edits had surfaced, not to mention the dedicated hashtags on Weibo, where the number of shippers multiplied by the hour.

The CP fans on both sides were engaged in a fierce battle, while the two main subjects themselves had just found an open space where the production team had set up a tent for them.

Taking advantage of the fact that the sun hadn’t risen yet, the two quickly began assembling the tent. With Tang Jing taking the lead and Meng Xue assisting, they worked in perfect harmony and soon had the tent set up.

Meng Xue straightened her back, about to relax for a moment, when she noticed a glimmer of light appearing on the horizon.

“Teacher Tang, the sun’s coming up!” Her voice rose with excitement, startling the drowsy viewers in the livestream, who suddenly perked up and inexplicably grew excited as well.

Tang Jing immediately put down what she was holding, grabbed the camera borrowed from the production team, and began filming the sun slowly rising over the distant horizon.

The ascending sun marked the beginning of a new day.

Climbing to the summit and watching the sunrise, these two tasks were now complete. The next step was to spend the day at the mountaintop.

The pastries they had eaten after waking up had long been burned off from their strenuous activity.

As the sun rose, the temperature on the mountain gradually warmed up. The two took off their jackets and sat by the tent, silently eating the pastries from their lunchboxes while gazing at the distant mountains.

The cameraman captured their silhouettes against the backdrop of the mountain scenery.

[Sniffles, what a beautifully poetic scene.]

[Oh my god, even just their backs look so sweet.]

After sitting for a while, the sun grew stronger, and they began wandering around the area.

The third task on their mission card was to spend a day at the summit, but it didn’t specify staying in one spot.

The mountaintop was vast, and the view of the opposite peaks varied from different angles. Tang Jing carried the camera, capturing both the scenery and Meng Xue standing within it.

The sunlight bathed the woman in a golden glow, making it impossible to look away. Through the lens, it seemed as if all attention was irresistibly drawn to her.

Tang Jing couldn’t help but call out her name, “Meng Xue.”

Hearing her voice, Meng Xue, who had been admiring the distant mountains, turned her head. Her eyes, still lingering in the beauty of the moment, appeared pure and radiant, a sight Tang Jing captured perfectly with her camera.

By noon, the sun was at its peak, and the tent had grown unbearably hot. Instead of staying inside, they found a shaded spot, spread out a tablecloth, and laid out their food before sitting down.

The chirping of unknown insects and the occasional gentle breeze accompanied them as they leisurely enjoyed chilled fruit salad.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this relaxed,” Tang Jing said, leaning back on her hands and watching the sunlight filter through the swaying branches above.

Meng Xue, savoring the durian Tang Jing had prepared for her, nodded in agreement. “Me too. During my years abroad, there were times I couldn’t even get a full night’s sleep.”

Tang Jing turned to look at her. Whether it was the scenery or the rare moment of tranquility, her expression was soft, her eyes bright. The dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves scattered across her face and body.

For a fleeting moment, Meng Xue thought it was all a dream.

“Will you be staying in the country from now on?”

Tang Jing’s words snapped her back to reality. She lowered her lashes, concealing the emotions that had nearly surfaced in her eyes, then looked up again and nodded. “Although I lived there for five years, it always felt like drifting never really settling down.”

At this point, Meng Xue smiled and said, “But coming back home was different. On the flight back, I was so excited I barely slept a wink. When I got off the plane, I almost cried.” She seemed a little embarrassed as she said this.

The apprehension of returning home every wanderer who comes back knows this feeling.

“Developing your career domestically is a great choice too,” Tang Jing remarked. “Sister Ying is very kind. You can bring up any requests you have with her.”

Only then did the audience remember that Tang Jing and Meng Xue were under the same manager.

[So is Tang Jing taking care of Meng Xue because of their manager’s request?]

[Nooo, I don’t want to hear that! I just want to ship them as a couple!]

[Meng Xue has only just met Tang Jing, our Sijia has been with her for five years!]

[Get lost! Even if it were ten or twenty years, your idol still wouldn’t be worthy of our Tang Jing!]

The comments section inexplicably erupted into arguments again.

The assistant director nervously monitored the situation, genuinely worried about the audience steering the narrative.

Fortunately, after a while of bickering, everyone fell silent when Tang Jing and Meng Xue were shown lying side by side on screen.

Tang Jing had a habit of taking afternoon naps. The scenery was lovely, the temperature comfortable, and she had been feeling drowsy for a while now.

She had woken up too early that morning, so this was finally her chance to rest her eyes.

Meng Xue wasn’t particularly tired, but not wanting to disturb Tang Jing and figuring she might as well rest too, she decided to take a short nap.

Tang Jing slept for over an hour.

During that time, Meng Xue was called aside by the production team for an interview.

When she returned, she saw that Tang Jing was already awake, sitting there with her head slightly bowed.

“Teacher Tang?” Meng Xue called softly as she approached.

“Hmm?” Tang Jing was always a little groggy upon waking up. Right now, her gaze at Meng Xue was hazy and unfocused.

In an instant, Meng Xue recalled the scene from early that morning in Tang Jing’s bedroom. Her face flushed red, and her eyes darted around awkwardly before she grabbed her bag to hide her slightly flustered expression.

Her blushing face was captured live for the audience to see.

[Why is Meng Xue blushing just from seeing Tang Jing wake up?]

[Wild guess: something must have happened between them during those ten-plus minutes in the bedroom this morning.]

[Ahhh! What was it? Something we viewers aren’t allowed to see!]

The audience was practically itching with curiosity even the production team was intrigued.

But out of respect for privacy, although there were cameras in the bedrooms, the artists had the right to cover them. No matter how curious they were, they couldn’t find out.

Tang Jing sat there for nearly ten minutes before fully waking up, her expression returning to its usual cool and distant demeanor.

Yet, in just this day and a half, the audience had already glimpsed how adorably vulnerable she could be, especially when she first woke up, enough to make people want to tease her a little.

In the afternoon, the two followed the production team’s arrangements and played a game.

After all, simply filming them wandering around aimlessly wouldn’t hold the audience’s interest.

The game was called “Draw and Guess.”

“How many points is it worth?” Tang Jing asked pragmatically.

The assistant director announced, “The winning team gets 20 points.”

“Too little. Not playing.” Tang Jing decisively turned to leave.

[HAHAHA Tang the queen is so iconic.]

[“Too little. Not playing” LMAO]

[HAHAHA how are you this adorable?!]

Meng Xue hadn’t expected Teacher Tang to pull this move. Seeing the assistant director’s frozen smile, she covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.

The assistant director negotiated, “Fine, 50. That’s the highest I can go.”

“100,” Tang Jing said, unenthused.

“80,” the assistant director gritted his teeth, looking pained.

Tang Jing smirked and declared, “Deal.”

Assistant director: “…” He had a strong suspicion she’d been waiting for this.

But since the deal was struck, there was no going back.

Tang Jing glanced at Meng Xue, meeting her bright smile. With a slight tilt of her head, she signaled, “Let’s go earn those 80 points.”

Meng Xue instantly caught her drift and followed.

They were a team, after all no matter who won, the points would go to their group.

The assistant director was now drowning in regret, but for the sake of the livestream’s entertainment value, he decided to let it slide. No need to clamp down too hard.

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