The Tragic Heroine Fell in Love with Me - Chapter 17

After a while, voices drifted up from downstairs again.

It was the sound of Zheng Qi’s mother talking with Yu Shan.

Yu Shan wasn’t related to her by blood. If they had to define their relationship, she could be considered Zheng Qi’s stepmother.

Yu Shan was the mistress of Zheng Qi’s father, Zheng Quanqiang, yet she lived openly in the Zheng family home. Not only that, but to ensure Yu Shan’s son could smoothly enter university, Zheng Qi’s mother had to divorce Zheng Quanqiang.

“Xiao Qi, did you have an argument with your aunt?”

Zheng Qi had only been sitting for a short while when her mother, Xie Xinyue, pushed the door open and came in. As soon as she entered, she began scolding Zheng Qi, “Why are you so disrespectful? No matter what, she is your elder. How could you be so rude?”

Zheng Qi turned her head and looked at Xie Xinyue.

She tried hard to detect even a trace of disgust for Yu Shan on Xie Xinyue’s face.

She struggled to find a sliver of warmth in those familiar features.

Unfortunately, there was nothing.

“By the way, your brother will be moving in soon. This room has the best lighting. Since you’re always staying at school anyway, we’ll clear this room out for your brother.” As she spoke, Xie Xinyue glanced around at the simple furnishings in the room. “Your room is too plain. It needs to be tidied up, otherwise it won’t be convenient for your brother to live here.”

Xie Xinyue pointed at the somewhat worn-out bed frame. “This bed was bought over ten years ago, right? Nowadays, everyone uses those coconut shell beds. This style is completely outdated, it probably needs to be replaced.”

She ran her hand over the scratched desk. “Ah, these chairs and desks aren’t comfortable to sit at either. We should get one of those adjustable desks and an ergonomic chair.”

Xie Xinyue then turned her gaze to the wardrobe. “This was bought when I got married. It’s so outdated now, but it brings back memories. I wonder if we need to replace it. Xiao Qi, do you think your brother would like this wardrobe?”

Zheng Qi remained dazed, as if detached from everything around her.

“You child, you just don’t like to talk. You’ve been like this since you were little, always so quiet. How will your future in-laws ever like you? Ah, I’m really worried about you.”

Zheng Qi let out a cold laugh and stood up. She walked over to the desk, where a small ceramic whistle sat.

Though it was an outdated toy, it was something she treasured deeply.

She gently rubbed the ceramic whistle, shaped like a crouching bird lazy and unremarkable, much like herself. “When should I move out?”

“Your brother will arrive the day after tomorrow. It’s best if you move out today, otherwise there won’t be enough time to prepare the room for him.”

Zheng Qi looked at Xie Xinyue. “Then where will I live after this?”

The question didn’t sound like a inquiry but more like a statement, a declaration of her lack of value in this home.

Xie Xinyue’s voice caught for a moment. After a long pause, she said awkwardly, “Aren’t you going to school? It’s not like we haven’t paid your tuition.”

“Oh, Mom,” Zheng Qi asked, “do you know it’s summer vacation right now?”

“What’s there not to know?” Xie Xinyue raised her voice, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, immediately showing her claws. “Of course, I know it’s summer vacation. Your brother is in his second year of high school, about to start summer break. After the break, he’ll be a senior.”

It was clear that Xie Xinyue was actually restraining her anger. Her words grew sharper, yet she inexplicably tried to keep her tone calm. “Don’t think just because you’re in college now, you can look down on me. Even though I only have an elementary school education, I’m still your mother. I will always be your mother.”

Zheng Qi hummed in response. It sounded like a bitter laugh, a few syllables forced from her throat, almost like a sob.

She tried hard to lift her head, but no tears fell.

She looked at Xie Xinyue, whose face still showed defiance.

Xie Xinyue was jealous.

Zheng Qi could always clearly sense her jealousy.

Jealous that Zheng Qi could live in a wealthy family, attend an elite private school, and meet so many rich people, potential wealthy husbands.

“Mom.”

She murmured the word.

“Go ahead and pack,” she said as she passed by Xie Xinyue. Their shoulders were only a few centimeters apart, their clothes not touching, yet it felt as if some invisible thread bound them together. No matter how far she fled, she could never cut that thread.

All because of the word “Mom.”

She gripped the ceramic whistle tightly, as if doing so could give her infinite strength.

“Alright, I understand,” Zheng Qi said flatly, looking at Xie Xinyue. “Aren’t you leaving?”

Xie Xinyue snapped, “We haven’t seen each other in so long. Can’t I just want to be close to you?”

“Aren’t you just here to supervise me while I pack? Don’t worry, there’s nothing here for me to take anyway.” Zheng Qi glanced around, her lips curling into a deeply sarcastic smile.

Xie Xinyue fumed, “Look at you, always speaking with such sharp words. I don’t know who you learned that from.”

She left, as if something were chasing her.

Zheng Qi ignored her and went to the walk-in closet to retrieve her suitcase.

There wasn’t much to pack. She didn’t need to take any clothes, and she hadn’t brought anything back from school. The only things she had were the whistle that had been with her for over a decade and a single photograph.

She traced the figures in the photo, a woman and a little girl.

The woman bore some resemblance to Xie Xinyue, which was why Zheng Qi always hoped to find a trace of warmth in Xie Xinyue’s face.

By the time Zheng Qi went downstairs, Zheng Quanqiang had already returned.

“So, you finally decided to come back,” Zheng Quanqiang scolded first. He was very particular about maintaining his authority as a father, needing to assert it at every moment, especially in front of Zheng Qi.

“Honey, don’t be so harsh. She’s still just a child,” Yu Shan said softly, her delicate hand patting Zheng Quanqiang’s chest gently. “If you’re angry because of me, it breaks my heart.”

“Enough! A doting mother ruins the child. You’re always spoiling her. If it weren’t for you all indulging her, would she have turned out so unruly and lawless?”

Zheng Qi looked at Zheng Quanqiang but said nothing.

After all, she didn’t need to make any expression. Zheng Quanqiang would always find reasons to prove she was a disobedient, unreasonable, and even rebellious daughter.

“What kind of look is that? I am your father!”

It seemed like every one of them kept emphasizing their identities.

If they didn’t emphasize it, she might have already forgotten who these people were.

Zheng Qi took a deep breath and turned to walk out the door.

As long as she held the whistle tightly, she would have the strength to leave this place.

Behind her came Zheng Quanqiang’s even more furious roar.

“Xiao Qi, how can you treat your father like this? Come back and apologize right now!” Xie Xinyue shouted with a mix of smugness and resentment. Her shrill voice gave Zheng Qi a strange illusion that the person shouting was not her biological mother, but an unrelated stranger.

Yu Shan didn’t shout.

Because Yu Shan was a gentle, virtuous woman, the kind of delicate and submissive type Zheng Quanqiang adored.

The only one who could shout like that was the rustic, vulgar mother of Zheng Qi.

Zheng Qi fled from this “home.”

It was during the summer vacation.

Fortunately, there was still a lot of money in her bank card.

Unfortunately, her bank card wasn’t in her possession it had never been in her possession. Her mother, afraid she would spend recklessly, had taken control of the money.

Zheng Qi wandered aimlessly through the streets.

“How wonderful,” she murmured as a light drizzle began to fall from the sky.

She lifted her head to the sky, letting the fine raindrops land on her face, slowly gathering into tiny streams that flowed from the corners of her eyes, past her temples, behind her ears, and down her neck.

At least, Shen Lin had returned.

She clutched the whistle in her hand tightly, the whistle she treasured.

She brought it to her lips and blew into it softly.

The whistle, preserved carefully for over a decade, still produced a cheerful sound even now.

She walked toward the building where Shen Lin lived.

She didn’t know where else to go. If there had to be a place, it would be Shen Lin’s home.

But when she reached Shen Lin’s door, she hesitated.

She didn’t have an access card. She had followed someone else into the building but could only stand outside Shen Lin’s door.

She crouched down by the door. Shen Lin was probably home resting, eating, or maybe playing games?

Just thinking about it warmed her heart and made it feel like it could still beat.

“You…”

Zheng Qi’s mind felt hazy, as if she could hear Shen Lin’s voice.

When she woke again, she was inside Shen Lin’s room, tucked neatly into bed with a warm blanket over her. On the bedside table sat a glass of water and a few white pills.

She struggled to sit up, her entire body aching as if she had been beaten. She picked up the pills, placed them in her mouth, and swallowed them with a sip of water.

The plain water quickly spread the bitterness of the pills. She took another sip or two to suppress the unpleasant taste.

Leaning against the headboard, she dozed off for a while before throwing off the covers and getting out of bed. A pair of shoes was neatly placed by the bedside.

She had always known that beneath the rough exterior and harsh words, Shen Lin was gentle and tolerant just like the person she had once known.

Lost in thought, she reached for the whistle, only to find her hands empty.

Zheng Qi had always been gentle, her expression perpetually serene as if bathed in spring breeze. She never showed tension or fear, and even when she smiled, the warmth never reached her eyes.

She was like a pre-programmed robot, performing the role of a flawless person.

But now, terror gripped her. Her hands clenched tightly, nails digging deep into her palms.

“Creak!” The door to the room swung open, and a shadow fell over her.

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