The Abused Heroine Stops Pretending [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 36

Tang Jing pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache coming on. Her original intention had been to leverage her own popularity to boost Meng Xue, letting Sister Ying find a drama where she could at most play a supporting role.

Now, it had worked perhaps too well. It even gave their two major CP fanbases new material to obsess over.

There was nothing wrong with fans shipping her and Meng Xue, but the internet had already photoshopped them a marriage certificate. Meanwhile, due to the system’s restrictions, she hadn’t even taken a single step forward.

Seeing the world progress stuck at 48%, she wondered if she should speed things up a little.

It had been two months since she last returned, but the villa was spotless, Sister Ying had hired a cleaning service yesterday.

As the evening grew late, Tang Jing asked, “What would you like to eat?” She opened the fridge, which was packed with ingredients.

“Anything is fine.” Meng Xue walked into the kitchen as well, washed her hands, and came over to help.

Tang Jing didn’t shoo her away, privately wanting to spend more time with her.

She took out two steaks, prepared some pasta, and even grabbed a bottle of red wine from the cabinet, raising it slightly. “Can you drink?”

During her time in H Country, Meng Xue had attended many social events and built up her alcohol tolerance. But she kept a little secret to herself. “I can have a little.”

Tang Jing nodded and poured her a small half-glass.

Not wanting to be too obvious, Tang Jing didn’t dim the lights or light candles. They simply sat across from each other normally. Raising her glass, she said, “Let’s keep it simple tonight.”

Meng Xue clinked her glass against Tang Jing’s and smiled. “Thank you for your hospitality, Teacher Tang.”

Tang Jing’s lips curled almost imperceptibly. “No need to be polite.”

They ate in silence, the only sounds the clinking of cutlery against plates.

By the time Meng Xue finished the last drop of wine, she was already tipsy.

At first, Tang Jing didn’t notice. It wasn’t until she set down her fork and knife that she realized Meng Xue had been sitting motionless for several seconds. Softly, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Hmm?” Meng Xue’s gaze was unfocused, her eyes hazy as she looked at her.

Now Tang Jing didn’t need to ask, she knew Meng Xue was drunk. A faint smile tugged at her lips as she stood up. “Let me take you back to your room.”

Meng Xue frowned, then after a couple of seconds, shook her head. “Not yet.”

Not yet? Not ready to go back and sleep?

Glancing at the time only 8 PM, it was indeed too early to sleep. But seeing her in this state, Tang Jing thought for a moment and suggested, “Then how about we watch some TV first?”

“Okay.” Meng Xue nodded emphatically.

She was already well-behaved when sober, but drunk, she was even more obedient, doing whatever Tang Jing said. Though Tang Jing’s expression remained neutral, her heart melted completely.

She guided Meng Xue to the living room, settling her onto the sofa, then picked up the remote. “What would you like to watch?”

“Blood Umbrella.”

Tang Jing’s hand paused mid-air, her voice softening. “Alright.”

This was a movie Tang Jing had starred in. During a variety show, Meng Xue had mentioned she’d seen it and from Qiao Meng, Tang Jing had learned that Meng Xue had watched it multiple times.

As the movie started, Meng Xue quickly straightened up, though her drunkenness made her movements sluggish.

Tang Jing had initially planned to wash the dishes, but seeing her like this, she couldn’t bring herself to leave. Instead, she sat down beside her.

“Coming, coming.” Meng Xue nervously grabbed her arm, squeezing a bit too hard in her excitement.

Tang Jing followed her gaze to the screen, where she saw herself onscreen, sword in hand, stepping into a bamboo grove. An ambush awaited her there, and as she entered, black-clad figures hidden in the shadows rushed out.

Meng Xue stared unblinkingly at the female warrior battling the assailants onscreen, her entire being so absorbed that Tang Jing found herself equally riveted to the screen.

Even though that person was herself.

After a flawless execution of the fight, the camera zoomed in on the warrior, who then delivered her first line: “Come out, Lord Jin.”

Meng Xue echoed, “Come out, Lord Jin.”

Her tone and expression were identical. Tang Jing was momentarily stunned before bursting into laughter. Seeing Meng Xue’s utterly serious face, the affection in her eyes nearly overflowed.

[Warning, warning, Host.]

“She’s drunk, she won’t notice,” Tang Jing interrupted the system’s OOC alert.

[System: …] The host was exploiting loopholes again.

Worried the rigid system might issue more warnings, Tang Jing reined herself in.

Just then, the phone on the coffee table rang. She leaned over, picked it up, and glanced at the caller ID, her brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

Meng Xue remained undisturbed by the ringtone, completely immersed in the movie.

Not wanting to interrupt her viewing, Tang Jing took the phone to the balcony.

After she left, Meng Xue glanced in her direction, her eyes clear and sober, no trace of drunkenness to be seen.

Tang Jing, with her back turned, didn’t notice. Listening to Sun Sijia’s words on the phone, her expression grew irritated.

Sun Sijia sobbed, “…Sister Tang, I was wrong. I don’t expect your forgiveness, I just want to see you one more time.”

Over the past month, Sun Sijia had gradually sobered up. The years of being showered with resources by Tang Jing had left her intoxicated, but this month had brought complete clarity.

The high-profile endorsements, regular variety show appearances, and even the scripts she was about to sign, all of them had vanished over the past month. The losses were staggering. Both she and Manager Lin had been chewed out by CEO Li multiple times, who even threatened to terminate her contract if things continued this way.

After all, Tang Jing held shares in Jingcheng Entertainment. The company had previously indulged Sun Sijia out of deference to Tang Jing. Now that she had offended Tang Jing, the company no longer had any reason to spare her face.

Tang Jing was about to refuse, but when she saw the stagnant world progress on the system interface, a glint of calculation flashed in her eyes. Coldly, she said, “Where?”

“Huh?” Sun Sijia was momentarily stunned before hastily providing an address.

After hanging up, Tang Jing glanced back at the living room. Meng Xue was still engrossed in the movie, her focused expression making Tang Jing feel a twinge of regret.

She had seen Meng Xue in every state, except drunk. Tipsy Meng Xue was a little silly, a little adorably docile.

But the world progress weighed on her mind. With a deep breath, she steeled herself and walked back into the living room.

Meng Xue was so absorbed she didn’t even look up when Tang Jing entered.

Tang Jing sat beside her, and only then did Meng Xue turn to her with a smile. “Teacher Tang, the best part is coming up. Let’s watch it together.”

Since the meeting with Sun Sijia was still some time away, Tang Jing stayed to watch the rest of the movie with her before seeing her back to her room.

“Xiaoxue, I have something to attend to and need to go out. You should go to bed early,” Tang Jing said, standing by her bedside.

“Okay,” Meng Xue nodded from under the covers.

Once Tang Jing left and closed the bedroom door, Meng Xue frowned.

Truth be told, she had just seen who called Teacher Tang. And precisely because she knew, hearing that Teacher Tang was going out made her feel unhappy and a little dejected.

She pulled the blanket over her face, hiding her expression.

When Tang Jing arrived at the agreed-upon restaurant and saw Sun Sijia sitting by the window in the corner, a trace of mockery flashed in her eyes.

Not for any other reason, but because that spot was the perfect exposure point paparazzi outside could easily capture them.

Even though the glass would muffle their conversation, just a photo of the two of them dining alone would be enough to stir up public attention.

It had been a month since the incident with Sun Sijia, and so much had happened since then that people had long forgotten about it.

But if they were photographed now, regardless of the reason, she would be affected.

Yet, this was exactly what she wanted.

Sun Sijia, pretending to be bored while waiting, glanced around to spot any hidden paparazzi outside. Even if there were none, Lin Jie in the car across the street would capture everything.

Tang Jing acted as if she knew nothing and walked over.

The moment her figure appeared at the restaurant entrance, Lin Fen had already started taking photos, documenting every step from the door to Sun Sijia’s table.

Looking at the images on her camera, Lin Fen felt both nervous and excited, murmuring under her breath, “I just hope this can stir up some more hype.”

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