The Abused Heroine Stops Pretending [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 15

“Draw and Guess” was naturally a game where one person drew the corresponding image on a board based on the given prompt, while the other guessed the original content from the drawing.

The production team set up three rounds, with each person drawing three times and guessing three times. The side with the most correct guesses would be the winner.

Since there were only two people, the one drawing could easily cheat by making the drawings too difficult for the other to guess.

However, Tang Jing and Meng Xue played the game with complete sincerity.

One drew earnestly, while the other guessed with remarkable accuracy.

“Killing two birds with one stone,” Meng Xue immediately guessed upon seeing the drawing on the board.

[…That was way too fast! Tang Jing only drew half of it.]

[Are these two sharing a brain? They guess correctly every time.]

Out of ten prompts, Meng Xue guessed nine correctly.

When their roles were reversed, with Meng Xue drawing and Tang Jing guessing, Meng Xue glanced at the prompt board, picked up the pen, and quickly sketched the image. Tang Jing took one look and said, “Good fortune and great profit.”

On the board were an orange and a lychee.

The audience quickly caught on.

After that, Tang Jing guessed several more correctly in a row. Even when she didn’t get it right the first time, she would think for a moment and then guess correctly.

The first round ended in a tie.

Next was the second round, where the production team provided prompts related to Tang Jing’s past works or iconic moments from interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.

This time, the audience got a firsthand look at just how much of a devoted fan Meng Xue was.

[As Tang Tang’s die-hard fan, even I feel slightly outmatched by Meng Xue.]

[Meng Xue is just too in love.]

Tang Jing was also a little surprised. Some of these iconic moments were things even she had forgotten, yet Meng Xue remembered them all.

Under Tang Jing’s gaze, Meng Xue felt both proud and shy. After all, if she wasn’t careful, her behavior could easily be mistaken for that of an obsessive fan.

She answered all ten prompts correctly.

When it was Meng Xue’s turn to draw, Tang Jing struggled not because of anything else, but simply because she hadn’t known Meng Xue before the show and wasn’t familiar with her works.

[Wuwuwu, why does this feel kind of tragic?]

[Meng Xue loves Tang Jing so deeply, yet Tang Jing knows nothing about her.]

[What kind of angsty love story is this?!]

[Meng Xue, make Tang Jing kneel on a washboard when you get back.] The “Tang Jing Returns to Meng Xue” shippers chimed in.

[Tang Jing, you’d better comfort Meng Xue properly when you get back. You’ve hurt her too deeply.] The “Tang Jing Teases Meng Xue” shippers quickly followed.

[Hahaha, you guys really know how to ship.]

No matter how wildly the live audience’s imaginations ran, Tang Jing and Meng Xue still had to continue the game.

In the end, Tang Jing only guessed four correctly.

A little embarrassed, Tang Jing said, “Sorry.”

But Meng Xue just shook her head gently and smiled at her. “It’s mainly because our fields of expertise don’t overlap. It’s normal that you wouldn’t know.”

Realizing Meng Xue was giving her an out, Tang Jing said, “I’ll watch them when we get back.”

Meng Xue didn’t mind. “It’s fine if you don’t.”

“Just in case we need it later,” Tang Jing added, glancing at the production team.

Meng Xue thought for a moment and nodded. “I have them on my tablet. I’ll show you when we get back.”

“Deal.”

Meng Xue won the second round.

Next up was the third round.

After seeing the content on the prompt board, Tang Jing’s hand holding the pen paused for a moment not for any other reason, but because the content was about Sun Sijia.

Meng Xue, noticing Teacher Tang’s hesitation, asked in confusion, “What’s wrong, Teacher Tang? If it’s too difficult to draw, you can skip it.”

“It’s fine.” Tang Jing steadied herself and began writing on the topic board.

Apart from Meng Xue, everyone present could see the content on the prompt board, as could the live-stream audience.

[Damn, the production team is really stirring the pot.]

[I thought since Sun Sijia wasn’t here, I could enjoy watching these two beauties interact. Didn’t expect this twist.]

[Totally caught off guard.]

[The director team sure knows how to create drama.]

The previously harmonious atmosphere was now completely shattered, and the usually radiant Tang Jing had turned somber.

Meng Xue sensed Teacher Tang’s shift in mood and wondered if it was because of their loss in the second segment. But upon reflection, that didn’t seem right, Teacher Tang was generous and never one to dwell on small setbacks.

She remembered a behind-the-scenes clip where a rookie actress, struggling with her performance, had to retake a scene with Teacher Tang multiple times. Yet Teacher Tang patiently acted alongside her, never showing frustration or saying anything harsh. When the rookie actress was scolded to tears by the director, Teacher Tang even handed her tissues and gently guided her on how to approach the scene emotionally.

In that moment, Teacher Tang seemed to glow, her inadvertent tenderness making Meng Xue replay that clip over and over even to the point of doing that while watching it.

At the thought, her cheeks flushed slightly, though no one noticed her reaction as all attention was on Tang Jing.

After Tang Jing finished drawing the prompt’s content, she stepped aside.

Only then did Meng Xue remember they were still in the middle of the task.

Frowning at the drawing, she thought for a moment before guessing, “Forest of the Sea?”

Tang Jing nodded.

It took Meng Xue a second to process. By the time Teacher Tang erased the drawing and started the next one, realization dawned on her.

During her years abroad, her junior Sun Sijia had frequently messaged her, often sharing details about the projects she had acted in, Forest of the Sea being one of them.

Thinking back to Teacher Tang’s sudden shift in mood earlier, Meng Xue’s spirits also sank.

For the first time, she felt a pang of envy toward her junior. Teacher Tang had treated Sun Sijia exceptionally well for five whole years.

The gentle side of Teacher Tang that Meng Xue could only glimpse through repeated viewings of that clip, did Sun Sijia get to see it every day?

The mere thought of Teacher Tang showing that tenderness to Sun Sijia filled her with jealousy, bitterness, and even hatred.

The Teacher Tang she adored so deeply was being used and mocked behind her back by her junior.

How she wished she could tell Teacher Tang to stop caring for Sun Sijia. But whenever such thoughts surfaced, another voice inside her asked what right do you have to say that?

After all, wasn’t she just as despicable as Sun Sijia? Watching Teacher Tang’s past videos and photos while indulging in those shameful acts.

“Meng Xue.”

Tang Jing turned after finishing her drawing, only to find Meng Xue lost in thought, her expression both desolate and sorrowful.

Hearing Teacher Tang’s call, Meng Xue turned her head. Her emotions were still tangled in the earlier turmoil, and she hadn’t fully adjusted yet, so her reaction was a beat slower. “Teacher Tang.”

Her voice sounded subdued and hoarse. A flicker of concern passed through Tang Jing’s eyes. “Are you okay?”

Meng Xue shook her head and smiled, though the smile looked rather pale.

For the third segment, after Meng Xue finished guessing, it was her turn to draw while Teacher Tang guessed.

When she saw the first prompt word prepared by the production team, her hand holding the pen paused slightly. But the movement was so subtle that no one noticed.

She lowered her eyelids and began drawing carefully on the sketchpad.

In the first two segments, Tang Jing had been able to understand what Meng Xue was drawing. Although they hadn’t guessed many correctly in the second segment, the ones they missed were still close enough had there been more time, she probably could have guessed them all.

But now, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t figure out what Meng Xue was drawing.

Netizens were baffled.

[Hey, weren’t they totally in sync just a moment ago?]

[The production team is really stirring the pot. How come all the prompts for Tang Jing and Meng Xue in the third segment are about Sun Sijia?]

[Especially Meng Xue’s, it’s about the past gossip between Sun Sijia and Tang Jing.]

Over the past five years, every time Sun Sijia and Tang Jing crossed paths, paparazzi would snap photos, and each time, it would trend on social media, fueling endless gossip among netizens.

Now, the production team had dug up all those old topics, leaving netizens feeling a bit dazed.

As one of the involved parties, Tang Jing couldn’t guess a single one of these prompts.

[Could it be that Tang Jing never reads the gossip about her and Sun Sijia?]

[The bigger issue is that Meng Xue’s drawings are so hard to guess.]

[Honestly, I’m glad they couldn’t guess. I just want to see Tang Tang and Meng Xue sticking close, I don’t want some little green tea popping up between them.]

Out of ten prompts, Tang Jing only guessed two correctly.

By the time Meng Xue was drawing the second one, Tang Jing had already sensed something was off. Though Meng Xue was drawing diligently and the sketches did match the prompts, they were deliberately hard to guess within the time limit.

If not for the first two segments, Tang Jing might have thought this was just Meng Xue’s drawing style. But now, with the contrast, she knew it was intentional.

As for why? When she saw the prompts, she could guess the reason, though she didn’t dare say for sure.

But once she figured it out, she found Meng Xue’s little scheme utterly adorable.

She wanted nothing to do with someone like Sun Sijia, that little green tea. But the system’s rules dictated that she couldn’t break character before the world’s progress reached 50%, forcing her to act against her true feelings.

Now, with Senior Shi’s help, she had successfully bypassed the system’s constraints.

[66: …]

Meng Xue won the third round, earning 80 points from the production team.

With 385 points now in their account, they were the highest-scoring team among the three groups.

By the time the drawing-and-guessing game ended, the sky had darkened. Since the challenge required them to stay on the mountain for a full day, they would be spending the night here.

They had rented a two-person tent meaning the two of them would be sharing it tonight.

When they were at the foot of the mountain, the two had separate rooms, but now they had no choice but to sleep together.

The audience erupted in excitement upon hearing this news.

[Ahhh, this is the real deal, close contact!]

[Even though we can’t see the two beautiful sisters snuggling up, just imagining it is so sweet.]

It was still early, and the night scenery on the mountain was breathtaking. Lying on the picnic blanket spread out on the ground, gazing up at the starry sky above, it felt as if they were immersed in the moment.

“Teacher Tang, can I ask you a question?” Meng Xue suddenly spoke up.

The audience’s attention was instantly drawn to them.

Tang Jing turned her head toward her and gave a soft “Mm” in response.

Meng Xue’s gaze shifted from the starry sky to the person beside her, and she asked quietly, “How did you and my junior sister meet?”

This question piqued not only Meng Xue’s curiosity but also that of the live-stream audience. Everyone was eager to hear the answer.

In past interviews, hosts had asked this question before, but each time, the award-winning actress Tang had skillfully avoided it. Now, would she finally answer?

Sun Sijia was currently a top-tier rising star in the industry, but compared to someone of Tang’s caliber, it was hard to imagine how the two could be connected.

Especially considering that five years ago, Sun Sijia had been an unknown, lingering outside the eighteenth tier no notable works, no fanbase, her name unheard of by most.

Back then, Tang had already won the Golden Rooster Award for her role in Blood Umbrella, skyrocketing to the status of an award-winning actress.

Their positions in the industry were worlds apart, one in the heavens, the other in the dirt. How could their paths have possibly crossed?

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