The Tragic Heroine Fell in Love with Me - Chapter 20

Upon hearing that Xiao San would be coming, Shen Lin had prepared early.

He had even made a list of dishes, ticking and crossing them off, and after more than half an hour, he finally finalized the menu. All these dishes were ones Shen Lin had heard from Xiao San’s father that she liked.

By the time Xiao San arrived at Shen Lin’s home, Zheng Qi had just finished placing the dishes on the dining table.

As soon as Xiao San entered, Zheng Qi, acting like the lady of the house, greeted her warmly, “San’er, look at the dishes I made. Do you like them?”

Shen Lin stood to the side, having missed his chance to speak. Even though he had planned the menu, it now felt awkward to claim credit.

“Wow, Ah Qi, you’re amazing!” Xiao San exclaimed in surprise, eyeing the dishes on the table: braised chicken with potatoes, red-braised pork, oyster sauce lettuce, dry-fried shrimp.

The braised chicken was garnished with finely chopped green onions, the meat glistening as if coated in a translucent brown caramel. The potatoes were golden and tender, their tiny granules seemingly about to melt onto the plate.

The red-braised pork had a deep red hue, resembling burnt red glass, and the sauce coating it shimmered and wobbled with the slightest movement of the table.

The vibrant green oyster sauce lettuce looked as if it had just been freshly picked from the garden. Minced garlic, mixed with bits of meat, released an aroma so fragrant it could be clearly smelled even from the entrance of the living room.

Xiao San couldn’t help but swallow her saliva, completely missing whatever Shen Lin had said.

She eagerly took a seat at the dining table, and when she looked up, she noticed Shen Lin staring at Zheng Qi with an unreadable expression.

“Haha, sorry about that. Come on, sit down,” Xiao San said with an awkward laugh, urging Shen Lin and Zheng Qi to join her.

Shen Lin replied, “I have something to take care of. I’ll step out for a moment.”

Before Xiao San could say anything, Shen Lin turned and left.

“What’s wrong with him?”

“Maybe he just felt like having a smoke,” Zheng Qi said casually as she arranged the plates, her tone suggesting it wasn’t a matter of importance. She quickly changed the subject, “You must be hungry. Let’s eat first.”

“Is that really okay? Shouldn’t we wait for Shen Lin? After all, we’re at his place.”

“It’s fine. He won’t mind.”

Xiao San observed Zheng Qi, who seemed to have taken complete control of the situation.

Had letting Zheng Qi stay with Shen Lin these past few days caused her to develop feelings for him again?

In the original novel, Zheng Qi’s initial obsession with Shen Lin was only briefly mentioned.

Everything Xiao San was experiencing now happened before the events of the novel. Although she hadn’t witnessed Zheng Qi’s obsession with Shen Lin yet, who knew if the plot would repeat itself?

That was why, as soon as her father’s health had improved slightly, Xiao San rushed over, hoping to distance Zheng Qi from Shen Lin.

Shen Lin…

I know it’s not right to treat you as a tool.

But you are the male lead, after all, and you’re in love with Lin Nuanyan. Since you don’t care about Zheng Qi, you probably won’t mind if I take her away, right?

As she ate, Xiao San urged Zheng Qi to leave Shen Lin’s home, “Ah Qi, my dad has been discharged from the hospital. Do you want to come stay at my place?”

Xiao San fixed her bright, hopeful eyes on Zheng Qi, pausing her meal as she waited for an answer.

“Eat more,” Zheng Qi said, placing more food into Xiao San’s bowl.

Sensing Zheng Qi’s reluctance, Xiao San leaned closer, “Ah Qi…”

Knock, knock, knock!

Just as Xiao San was about to continue speaking, a sudden knock came from the door.

“Probably Shen Lin forgot his keys,” she thought. She had no idea what had gotten into Shen Lin, suddenly deciding to go outside for a smoke. The mere thought of smoking made Xiao San instinctively hold her breath, as if the air had already begun to fill with the coarse scent of tobacco.

Zheng Qi nodded, stood up, and walked to the door. As soon as the door cracked open a sliver, a hand shot in, pushed it wider, and a figure slipped inside.

Zheng Qi’s face stiffened. The person standing before her was none other than her biological mother, Xie Xinyue.

Xie Xinyue was carrying a vegetable basket. Her face was weathered, as she disliked skincare and was always busy with chores, making her look much older than her actual age.

The wrinkles on her face seemed to twist and shift as she stepped onto the floor, leaving a trail of footprints. It took her over a dozen steps to reach the far end of the living room, which only made her beam with delight.

“Where did you get the money to buy such a big house?” Xie Xinyue marveled, looking around.

“Don’t touch anything,” Zheng Qi said, grabbing her mother’s hand as she reached for a vase. “This is my friend’s house.”

“You have friends like this?” Xie Xinyue exclaimed happily, her eyes sweeping over the living room from top to bottom.

The coffee table looked like solid wood, the sofa appeared to be genuine leather, and the chandelier hanging from the third-floor ceiling was clearly not cheap sparkling so brightly it seemed to be worth a fortune.

Xie Xinyue clicked her tongue in admiration. “I never knew you had such skills, managing to latch onto someone so wealthy?”

“What do you mean by that?” Zheng Qi frowned, glaring at her mother.

“Come on, I’m your mother. Would I ever do you harm? No wonder you didn’t want to live at home and moved out, you’ve found yourself a husband,” Xie Xinyue said knowingly. “But you shouldn’t go for someone too old.”

She pushed Zheng Qi’s hand away. “I won’t touch anything, I’m just looking.”

Setting the basket aside, Xie Xinyue examined the room’s decor. “He should at least be younger than your dad. If a man is too old, he can’t have children, and then you’d have wasted your time with him.”

“Listen to your mother. Have a child first. Once you have a baby, the man will be tied to you. Even if he gets tired of you later, he’ll still have to pay child support.”

“Your dad was even thinking of setting you up with someone, but it turns out you’ve already found a suitable match. No wonder they say girls these days have their own ideas much better than in my time.”

Xie Xinyue rambled on, full of reassurance and advice for Zheng Qi.

Xiao San hid in the dining room, nearly ducking under the table to avoid being noticed by Xie Xinyue.

“Do you live here alone? Should I come stay with you? This place is so much nicer than our home,” Xie Xinyue chirped, trotting over to Zheng Qi. “You brat, are you even listening to me?”

“I heard you,” Zheng Qi replied flatly, her tone devoid of emotion.

“I’m doing this for your own good. Make as much money as you can while you’re young. Don’t wait until you’re old and no one wants you.” Xie Xinyue seemed to be reflecting on her own life and sighed deeply. “Does he have a wife?”

“Who is it?” Zheng Qi asked.

“Stop pretending. Isn’t it your partner? What’s there to fear about them having a spouse? Your father, your stepmother, and I we’re doing just fine. I think you should stop being so picky. This one seems pretty good to me.”

Zheng Qi sneered coldly, “Don’t assume that just because you’re like this, everyone else in the world is the same.”

“What do you mean, ‘like this’?” Xie Xinyue retorted irritably. “Are you looking down on me now?”

The Xie Xinyue who used to explode at a single glance from Zheng Qi now seemed to have cultivated some inner peace, showing no signs of anger at all.

“If you have nothing worthwhile to say, get out of here quickly. My friend will be back soon.”

“Hey, hey, are you afraid of running into your partner? What’s there to be afraid of?” Xie Xinyue giggled, her face radiating cheerful and gleeful, schadenfreude.

“Get out.”

“Fine, I’ll leave. Why so angry?” Xie Xinyue said happily, running her hand over the furniture one last time, though there was nothing she could take with her.

“Oh, and even if you’ve climbed to a higher branch now, you still have to go home and meet the match your father arranged for you.”

Zheng Qi looked at Xie Xinyue with disgust. “Are you trying to sell me off again?”

“What do you mean, ‘sell you off’? That young man is outstanding, he studied abroad. He just returned home after a minor incident overseas. Honestly, you wouldn’t even be in the running if his family hadn’t insisted on an educated wife. That’s why they want you to meet him.”

“Hmph.”

“Don’t be angry. Plenty of people are lining up to meet this gentleman. Even your father’s other daughters are fighting for the chance. I had to work hard to secure this opportunity for you. Your father only agreed to let you meet him first.”

After explaining, Xie Xinyue added, “At the very least, he’s much younger than your current partner. I’m telling you, you should keep your options open. You might find someone even better. Don’t tie yourself down to just one person.”

As Xie Xinyue rambled on, Zheng Qi opened the door and pushed her out.

Zheng Qi turned around expressionlessly to find Xiao San standing not far away, quietly watching her.

“I don’t need your pity,” Zheng Qi said, a tone she rarely used with Xiao San.

“Mm.”

Zheng Qi looked at Xiao San in surprise, carefully studying her eyes. There was concern there, but no pity.

Strangely, she could clearly decipher the meaning behind Xiao San’s expressions.

Then again, Xiao San always wore her emotions on her sleeve whether happy or sad, she expressed them openly, without a hint of concealment.

“Don’t you have anything you want to ask me?” Zheng Qi asked, feeling an unusual urgency to hear questions from someone else.

Xiao San shook her head. “you’ll tell me when you’re ready. Right now, you don’t want to.”

Zheng Qi lowered her head and laughed once, then twice.

It was as if she couldn’t hold back her laughter anymore.

“You act like you know me so well,” Zheng Qi said mockingly.

Xiao San walked over, placed a hand on Zheng Qi’s shoulder, and pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Ah Qi, I’m here.”

Defeated, Zheng Qi rested her head on Xiao San’s shoulder.

She wasn’t truly moved by Xiao San’s actions. She simply felt weary and needed a shoulder to lean on and Xiao San happened to be that shoulder.

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