The Abused Heroine Stops Pretending [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 16

“She saved my mother in the hospital,” Tang Jing said for the first time in public, explaining how she and Sun Sijia had met.

“The hospital?” This was something Meng Xue had never expected.

The live-stream audience was equally stunned. Everyone had assumed that since both were in the entertainment industry, their first meeting must have been on a film set. No one had imagined the truth would be a hospital.

Tang Jing leaned back on her arms, gazing at the starry sky as her memories drifted back five years. “My mother wasn’t in good health. Whenever she went out, she was always accompanied by a caretaker. But that day, she went out alone. By the time the caretaker noticed, half an hour had already passed. When she called me, I had just received a call from the hospital, my mother had been in a car accident.”

Meng Xue widened her eyes, staring at Teacher Tang’s calm profile. For some reason, her heart clenched, aching with a dull pain.

She didn’t interrupt, choosing instead to remain a silent listener.

Tang Jing continued, “When I arrived at the hospital, she was waiting outside the operating room, her hands covered in blood.”

The “she” here, of course, was Sun Sijia.

“Fortunately, she got my mother there in time, and she survived. I was so grateful to her. My mother kept reminding me afterward, insisting that I repay her properly.”

[Damn, no wonder Tang Jing has been securing all kinds of resources for Sun Sijia these past five years. It was to repay a life-saving favor.]

[Ugh, I still can’t accept it. Even if it’s about repaying a debt, shouldn’t it be settled by now? Over these five years, the resources Tang Jing gave Sun Sijia could last another artist two lifetimes.]

“But unfortunately…” At this point, Tang Jing’s lips curled into a bitter smile, and her gaze, which had been fixed on the sky, lowered.

Meng Xue’s heart tightened. She had a feeling that what Teacher Tang was about to say next wouldn’t be good.

“My mother passed away two years ago. Knowing my orientation, she made me promise before she left to marry Sun Sijia.” Tang Jing’s tone was eerily flat, as if she were talking about someone else, not herself.

[So… Tang Jing’s recent confession was just to fulfill her mother’s dying wish?]

Same-sex relationships had been legalized five years ago, and there were many LGBTQ+ couples in the industry. So, the audience wasn’t shocked by Tang Jing coming out after all, her rumored relationship with Sun Sijia over the years had already led people to assume her orientation.

What truly stunned them was the revelation that her confession had been motivated by her mother’s last request.

[All I can say is, Tang Jing is way too filial.]

[So, Tang Jing might not actually like Sun Sijia, but because of her mother, she’s willing to keep being good to her, even when Sun Sijia keeps leeching off her fame and using her?]

[Hmm… after hearing this, doesn’t Tang Jing seem a little blindly filial?]

[No matter how filial you are, shouldn’t your own feelings come first?]

When Meng Xue heard that Teacher Tang might not truly like her junior, she had felt a flicker of hope. But the mention of a mother’s dying wish extinguished that spark, leaving her heart cold and lifeless again.

She could tell how much Teacher Tang valued her mother. And that single wish was an insurmountable barrier.

She wanted to open her mouth to comfort Teacher Tang, but as soon as she parted her lips, she nearly choked back a sob. Clenching her teeth tightly, she turned her face away.

She was grateful that it was so dark, no one could see the tears on her face or the sorrow in her eyes.

A romance that had barely begun had already run aground. This time, she wasn’t just jealous of her junior; she envied her too.

Just as Meng Xue was lost in her sadness, and the audience was chattering endlessly about the matter of repaying kindness, Tang Jing spoke again, “Do you think I should still follow my mother’s dying wish?”

Meng Xue froze, and the barrage of comments in the livestream paused as well.

Quickly wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, Meng Xue turned to look at her and asked softly, “Teacher Tang, what’s wrong?”

No matter how hard she tried to hide it, the slightly subdued and choked tone in her voice was still caught by Tang Jing and by the audience in the livestream.

Because there was no light, the viewers couldn’t see the expressions on their faces, but hearing Meng Xue’s voice now, they suddenly realized:

[Did Meng Xue just cry?]

[Why did she cry? Was it because of Teacher Tang’s late mother, or because of her mother’s dying wish for her to marry Sun Sijia?]

After all, the wishes of elders could sometimes be truly insurmountable.

[Whatever the reason, my heart aches for Meng Xue crying silently just now.]

Tang Jing’s face had been blank with confusion, but upon hearing the change in Meng Xue’s voice, her tone unconsciously softened. “You’re crying?”

“No, I just got some sand in my eyes,” Meng Xue said, forcing a lighthearted tone.

Tang Jing sat up and moved closer to her. “Let me blow it out for you.”

“I—” Meng Xue had meant to refuse, but seeing Teacher Tang’s face so close to hers, she couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

There was no sand in her eyes, of course, it was just an excuse she’d made for herself. And now, under that pretense, she was drawing close to Teacher Tang, greedily savoring the proximity.

But she knew this person would never truly be hers. Just this brief minute would be enough. After this minute, she would let go completely.

“Thank you, Teacher Tang.” Because her feelings had shifted, Meng Xue’s words became more polite.

Tang Jing’s acting skills had always been praised in the industry, and the awards she’d won were proof of her talent.

But this acclaimed skill wasn’t achieved overnight. It was the result of years of observing, learning, and analyzing characters’ thoughts, emotions, and psychology, all of which had shaped her into the actress she was today.

So no matter how well Meng Xue tried to hide it, Tang Jing could still detect this subtle change in her.

The audience, however, remained oblivious. At that moment, they were still swooning over the heartwarming scene of the two leaning close together, one blowing sand out of the other’s eyes each of them wearing an expression of “I ship it.”

“You!” Tang Jing seemed about to ask something.

But Meng Xue steered the conversation back to the earlier question. “Teacher Tang, what did you mean by what you just said?”

What did she mean by “still follow my mother’s dying wish”? Could it be that Teacher Tang no longer wanted to?

Meng Xue shook her head inwardly. She had already decided to let go. She couldn’t allow herself to hope again just because

“I’ve realized that these past five years, I haven’t been happy.” Tang Jing remained seated close to her, watching her.

At this distance, they could see each other’s expressions clearly.

When Teacher Tang said this, her expression was earnest. Meng Xue’s heart, which had just settled, surged with an impulse she could no longer suppress.

“I deeply respect and love my mother. The achievements I have today are all thanks to her support, which allowed me to come this far. But…” Tang Jing’s face showed confusion and distress. “Her dying wish has been haunting me every day.”

“Teacher Tang, loving your mother and refusing her wishes are not mutually exclusive,” Meng Xue said. “Your mother must have loved you dearly too, otherwise she wouldn’t have supported you all the way in pursuing acting.”

How many mothers in this world are willing to support their children in entering an industry they love? Most mothers hope their children will secure stable government jobs with steady incomes and state benefits.

Not to mention the entertainment industry not everyone is as fortunate as Sun Sijia, who had Teacher Tang’s help right from the start.

How many people spend ten years in this circle and still remain obscure? How many spend their entire lives as extras without ever landing a supporting role?

So the fact that Teacher Tang’s mother supported her on this path all along shows just how much she loved her child.

Meng Xue’s words were like a revelation to Tang Jing, clearing up something she had never fully understood before.

A rare, relaxed smile appeared on her face. “You’re right. My mother wanted me to marry Sun Sijia, but more than that, she wanted me to be happy.” She looked at Meng Xue and laughed. “I’ve been so fixated on this.”

[Wuwuwu, Meng Xue’s words finally made Tang Jing see the light!]

[I’ve decided, you two should just be together. Locked in forever, and I’ve swallowed the key.]

[Exactly! My mom often tells me that while she hopes for certain things, what she truly wants is for me to be healthy and happy.]

[Same with my mom.]

[Wuwu, I’m so glad Tang Jing figured it out. There are many ways to repay Sun Sijia for saving her mother back then she doesn’t have to sacrifice her own life for it.]

[I always wondered how someone like Sun Sijia deserved Tang Jing’s care. She kept taking advantage of Tang Jing’s kindness, and Tang Jing always let her. Turns out she was just leveraging that old debt.]

[Ugh, what a scheming hypocrite.]

The two then chatted about various other random topics until they grew tired. After a quick wash, they crawled into their tent.

Since filming wasn’t allowed inside the tent, the cameraman called it a day, and their livestream ended. Viewers quickly migrated to the other two teams’ streams.

Inside the tent, Tang Jing watched as the system kept judging and then retracting, as if stuck in a loop.

[66: Host, you’re cheating! (crying)]

Tang Jing replied mentally, “How am I cheating? The original host took care of Sun Sijia to repay a debt, didn’t she?”

[66: But you can’t just.] It stalled mid-sentence because, according to the main system’s judgment, this wasn’t a violation.

In the darkness, Tang Jing smirked. She was no longer a novice and knew exactly how to exploit loopholes.

She didn’t have to wait until the world progress reached 50% to change the plot. She could do it earlier, as long as the changes were subtle enough.

In the original story, this scene existed too, but the original host didn’t elaborate, leaving the public curious about her relationship with Sun Sijia.

This also led to the situation where, when Sun Sijia later accused her of harassment, not a single netizen sided with the original protagonist.

But now, things were different. Netizens had learned that her kindness toward Sun Sijia was all out of gratitude even the confession a few days ago, which had been mocked relentlessly online, was merely to fulfill her mother’s dying wish.

With just a few words, the public opinion about her relationship with Sun Sijia completely shifted. And that ambiguous statement at the end? It made many netizens believe that Sun Sijia’s future resources would no longer be so abundant, let alone allow her the luxury of cherry-picking the best opportunities.

Tonight’s casual conversation between the two on the mountaintop instantly rocketed to the top of the trending searches. The speed and impact of this topic surpassed all previous discussions, rivaling even the frenzy back when Tang Ying was first photographed by paparazzi having dinner with Sun Sijia.

Ying Tianhe, who had originally planned to go home and spend time with her husband and children, immediately abandoned them upon hearing the news and rushed to the company. She ordered the operations team to push the topic to the top of the trending list and keep it there for three whole days.

If the city hadn’t banned firecrackers, Ying Tianhe would have set off a dozen strings in celebration.

For the past five years, Sun Sijia had been a constant thorn in her side. But Tang Ying had never spoken up, leading her to believe that Tang Ying genuinely liked Sun Sijia, why else would she endure being exploited and hurt over and over again?

Turns out, it was all because Tang Ying had been obsessively following her mother’s dying wish.

After replaying the video countless times, Ying Tianhe sighed in admiration once more. “That child Meng Xue is truly a lucky star.”

Ever since Meng Xue appeared, Tang Ying’s trending topics had been free of Sun Sijia’s shadow. Ying Tianhe’s restless heart could finally settle.

Meanwhile.

Meng Xue tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

The revelations from tonight had thrown her thoughts into chaos. What she had assumed was a hopeless one-sided crush had suddenly taken an unexpected turn. From Teacher Tang’s words, she could infer that, emotionally, Teacher Tang had likely given up on Sun Sijia.

But since nothing had been explicitly stated, she feared this might just be another delusion. If it all turned out to be a dream, the disappointment would surely hurt even more than today’s heartache.

Rolling onto her side, she gazed at Teacher Tang. The darkness obscured most details, leaving only a faint outline, but the cool fragrance of the other woman’s scent filled her nose, reminding her that they were lying side by side.

Though there was a two-fist gap between them, her heart still pounded wildly.

Her hand crept forward tentatively until her fingers brushed the hem of Teacher Tang’s clothes. Clutching that tiny piece of fabric, she closed her eyes in contentment and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Meng Xue woke in a daze, her body trapped in a tight embrace.

When she opened her eyes, she found Teacher Tang’s face mere inches from hers. Still groggy, she stared blankly for several seconds before her mind finally cleared and then panic set in.

When… when had she rolled into Teacher Tang’s arms?!

She tried to wriggle free, but Teacher Tang’s brow furrowed slightly. Terrified, Meng Xue froze, holding her breath.

Once she was sure the other woman hadn’t woken, she carefully extricated herself, moving as quietly as possible. Not daring to look back, she quickly dressed and bolted out of the tent.

The cameraman had just started his shift, and the camera happened to pan over to this side.

The live-stream audience, still yawning and chatting about random topics, suddenly witnessed this scene.

【？？? What happened inside? Why is Meng Xue blushing again?】

【Ahhhh, another suspenseful moment where we have no idea what’s going on.】

【The last one from over ten minutes ago hasn’t been resolved yet, and now here comes another.】

【Sniffles… Something definitely happened between them, I just know it. I really want to see!】

At this moment, Meng Xue had no idea that the live-stream audience, seeing her flushed face, had already conjured up tens of thousands of words’ worth of steamy fanfiction in their minds.

She was so embarrassed right now. If she hadn’t left quickly earlier, she would have completely lost her composure. And if Teacher Tang had seen her like that, it would have been utterly humiliating.

Little did she know, after she left, Tang Jing, who had been seemingly asleep opened her eyes, her gaze clear and alert, as if she had been awake for a long time.

After all, in this world, Meng Xue was her senior martial sister, and her senior martial sister was Meng Xue.

With the person she admired and respected most lying right beside her, how could Tang Jing possibly sleep? Last night, after Meng Xue had fallen asleep, Tang Jing had watched her for a long time. If not for the fact that they had to record the show the next day, she could have kept watching even longer.

An eternity wouldn’t have been enough.

She sat up, crossing her legs as she asked the system, “Little Six, what’s the world progress at now?”

【66: 30%.】

Tang Jing sighed, got dressed, and stepped out of the tent as well.

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