The Heroine Pays Me to Fall in Love (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 55

After the episode aired, the incident where Su Jin got hit made it onto the trending searches.

A widely circulated clip came from an audience member at the scene that day. The angle wasn’t very close and the resolution was a bit grainy.

But you could still clearly see the phone falling from the second floor, see the blood that streamed down Su Jin’s forehead after it struck her, and even hear the impact—bang—followed by the surrounding crowd’s screams.

It looked terrifying. Everyone couldn’t help but wonder just how badly that must have hurt.

Yet despite all that, she still insisted on finishing the competition. Another original song, just as beautiful as ever, earning her an excellent score.

This time, Su Jin’s fan count rose even faster than before. The little girls who adored her were heartbroken over her injury, diligently voting for her every single day—they didn’t want to see someone so earnest and hardworking be overlooked.

By the time they recorded the next episode a week later, Su Jin’s popularity had already surged to the top.

A singer with both talent and popularity—she was bound to have a long career ahead of her.

Jiang Zhinan watched with her own eyes as Su Jin took first place in the group round, first in the knockout round, and all the way fought her way into the finals.

And in the end—unsurprisingly—she won first place there, too.

Her fans online were ecstatic, celebrating as if it was the New Year. They all agreed Su Jin deserved every bit of her success, each one jubilant as though they had won an award.

By that time, Su Jin’s follower count had grown to nearly four million—and was still climbing at a rapid pace.

It felt like overnight, everyone suddenly knew her name.

With that came the ripple effect: more and more invitations from various shows, and even big-name brands reached out, wanting her as their spokesperson.

She had truly achieved both fame and fortune.

But Su Jin knew she couldn’t stop there. If she focused only on immediate gains and stayed content with her current success, she would eventually be replaced.

She needed to produce more works—prove herself with real skill—and silence all those who doubted her.

As a result, she became increasingly busy, sometimes disappearing for an entire month without a trace.

Jiang Zhinan wasn’t having an easy time either. Besides working hard to expand her company’s strength, she attended endless meetings, opening ceremonies, and business events—traveling constantly, barely ever staying in one place.

This went on for half a year, and gradually, both of them realized that something didn’t feel quite right.

“Do you have time tonight?” Su Jin texted after finally finishing work and earning a few days off. “Let’s have a proper talk?”

“Okay,” Jiang Zhinan replied almost instantly. “Things have finally slowed down for me too. Let’s talk.”

So, at nine o’clock that evening, the two of them finally—rarely—sat down together face-to-face.

The word talk was broad. Too broad. It could cover any number of topics.

And because of that, neither of them knew how to start. They sat there facing each other, blinking, neither speaking for a long time.

The system nudged in Jiang Zhinan’s mind: Hey, don’t make the atmosphere so tense. It’s not a board meeting.

“Right, right.” Jiang Zhinan nodded, relaxing her shoulders. She scooted a little closer to Su Jin and took her hand.

It had been so long since she last held it that she hadn’t even noticed—Su Jin’s palm had developed thin calluses.

“Training must be really tough, huh?” Jiang Zhinan lifted her eyes to meet hers, sighing softly a moment later. “I haven’t been paying enough attention to my girlfriend lately.”

“No,” Su Jin shook her head, her tone tinged with guilt. “I should be the one apologizing. I’ve been so busy I’ve neglected you.”

The scene was unexpectedly awkward—though they’d been together for years, at that moment they felt like a pair of newly-dating teenagers.

Su Jin stared at Jiang Zhinan for a while, then slowly leaned forward and rested her head on her shoulder. In a soft voice, she asked, “How much profit does your company usually make in a day?”

“Why are you asking that?” Jiang Zhinan raised her hand and gently smoothed her hair.

“Just curious,” Su Jin murmured.

“I see.” Jiang Zhinan nodded, mentally calculating for a moment before giving her a number.

“Mhm. That’s about what I thought,” Su Jin said as she sat back up. Then she reached into her pocket and took out a card, placing it on the table.

“What?!” Jiang Zhinan jumped, utterly startled. For a split second she really thought Su Jin was going to break up with her—and that this card was the breakup fee.

“I know it sounds a little embarrassing,” Su Jin said, her ears faintly reddening. “But, I want to ask you to stay with me for two days.”

“This is what I’ve earned recently. It’s more than your company’s weekly revenue.” She lowered her voice. “Can I use it to buy two days of President Zhou’s time?”

“Or borrow it, that works too.” Probably afraid that Jiang Zhinan would think she was being unreasonable, Su Jin hurriedly corrected herself, “You’ll pay me back later.”

The words were far too humble—pitiful even—and enough to make one’s heart ache.

Jiang Zhinan took a long breath, the corners of her eyes going misty. She asked softly, “And have you decided what you want to do in these two days?”

“I want to watch a movie with you,” Su Jin said. “Come to think of it, I don’t think we’ve ever seen a movie together. Let’s make up for it this time—treat it like a real date.”

“Just a movie? That won’t do.” Amused, Jiang Zhinan curved her lips into a smile. She turned around, grabbed her briefcase, pulled out one of her own cards, and slapped it onto the table.

“There’s more money on this one than on yours,” she said. “My girlfriend is this cute—at least let me add popcorn.”

“Sounds good.” Su Jin perked up as well. She reached for her wallet again and pulled out another card. “Then after the movie, dinner together?”

“Sure.” Jiang Zhinan laid another card down at the same time she spoke, continuing to “invest.” “Then a trip to the arcade?”

“How about including a claw-machine session too?”

“And a photo booth sticker set?”

By the time they were done, the cards on the table had formed two tall piles.

Even the system was shocked—let alone Jiang Zhinan and Su Jin themselves. Neither had expected they owned that many cards or earned that much money.

“Still want to compare?” Jiang Zhinan rummaged through her briefcase again. “I’ve still got several car keys.”

“No more.” Su Jin shook her head. “This is enough.”

“True.” Jiang Zhinan laughed, then pounced onto Su Jin and simply lay on top of her.

Su Jin wrapped her arms around her, and neither spoke again. They just enjoyed the rare, peaceful quiet.

Time slipped by. Soon it was past ten-thirty. After a full day of work, Jiang Zhinan was getting drowsy, yawning repeatedly as she nestled into Su Jin’s embrace.

But she still refused to move, clinging tightly as if trying to make up for all the lost time from the past six months in one night.

“Want to go to bed?” Su Jin asked, lowering her head to kiss Jiang Zhinan gently on the cheek.

“Mm.” Hearing the suggestion, Jiang Zhinan finally nodded.

But she still didn’t get up. Instead, she stretched both arms forward, clearly wanting Su Jin to carry her.

“Alright, I’ll carry you.” Su Jin chuckled, stood up from the sofa, then bent down and scooped Jiang Zhinan up by the waist.

Jiang Zhinan looped her arms around her shoulders, pressing her cheek against Su Jin’s. She even pecked her on the lips.

“Our date is tomorrow,” she said softly, smiling—happy and content.

“Yeah.” Su Jin’s eyes softened, filled with anticipation. “A date.”

“I need to think more—make sure I didn’t miss anything,” Jiang Zhinan murmured sleepily into her ear, her voice growing lighter. “We have to go everywhere tomorrow.”

“Alright.” Su Jin answered gently, laying her down on the bed and tucking the blanket around her. “Think about it in your dreams. Sleep well.”

“Mm.” Jiang Zhinan curled up into a ball, turning her back to Su Jin. “Come here.”

“I’m here.” Su Jin took off her shoes, climbed into bed, and pulled her tightly into her arms. “Good night.”