The Tragic Heroine Fell in Love with Me - Chapter 21

“I grew up with my aunt.”

Xiao San didn’t speak, only listened quietly while gently stroking Zheng Qi’s back.

Because she was the female lead, her life was bound to be anything but ordinary.

She had to go through experiences that ordinary people would never encounter. It seemed that only after brushing past all kinds of suffering could she bloom like a flower.

She had to be a lotus growing in the mud.

If she came from a poor family, perhaps she would have family members who encouraged each other but were plagued by misfortune. If she came from a relatively wealthy family, it would only be a facade of splendor, with the inside filled with schemes and deceit. If she was born into a prominent family that others could hardly reach, it would inevitably be full of intrigue and betrayal.

Xiao San had always felt heartache for Zheng Qi.

Because she knew how gentle and kind Zheng Qi was. She had always longed for her mother’s love, but unfortunately, in the world of the novel, Zheng Qi would never be able to obtain it.

So, Xiao San was there for her.

At first, Xiao San had only observed Zheng Qi from a distance.

But after spending so much time together, Xiao San had come to regard Zheng Qi as her best friend.

She wanted to protect Zheng Qi well.

“When I was little, my aunt often took me to the amusement park without buying tickets. We’d crawl through dog holes or climb over walls. We were often caught, and my aunt would carry me on her back or in her arms as we ran away really fast.”

Those scenes that had once been frightening now seemed to be tinged with a warm, yellowish hue in her memories, so warm that they no longer felt like the reality she remembered.

“Later, Zheng Quanqiang won the lottery. He used the money to buy a house and started investing. Our family gradually became wealthier.”

“That house, the one Zheng Quanqiang lives in now, I really loved that place.”

Zheng Qi’s aunt?

Xiao San didn’t recall any mention of Zheng Qi’s aunt in the novel.

Perhaps it was just an insignificant side note in the story, but for Zheng Qi, it must have been an important memory.

“What are you two doing?”

Shen Lin opened the door and walked in, only to see Zheng Qi and Xiao San hugging each other in the living room.

What was going on?

Xiao San rolled her eyes at Shen Lin. “Can’t you see Ah Qi is upset?”

Shen Lin was speechless. He was the one who should be upset, okay?

He had originally wanted to show off his thoughtfulness in front of Xiao San, but ever since she appeared, her attention had been entirely on Zheng Qi. Not only did she pay no attention to him, but even Zheng Qi ignored him.

This made Shen Lin extremely unhappy. So, to get some attention from the two of them, he stood up and left.

This was his home, after all.

If it were anyone else, they would at least come out and ask why he was upset or why he was leaving.

But no neither of them cared enough to check on him.

What made him even angrier was that after he had finally managed to console himself and come back, the two of them were hugging each other like this in the living room.

For a moment, Shen Lin didn’t know which of them to be more wary of.

Shen Lin let out a sigh, and his gaze accidentally swept over the dining room.

Well, the food on the dining table had already been eaten.

He was the host, and while he was out, these two had helped themselves to the meal.

They could have at least called him to come back, but instead, they finished eating on their own!

Shen Lin felt even more stifled.

Xiao San rolled her eyes at him, thinking his mood was truly strange. Why was he getting angry again out of nowhere? She hadn’t done anything wrong.

“Ah Qi, are you feeling better now?” Xiao San gently patted Zheng Qi’s shoulder and asked softly.

Zheng Qi lowered her head, wiping away her tears. “It’s nothing. Sorry you had to see me like this.”

Xiao San shook her head without saying a word, but Zheng Qi understood her meaning none of this was a laughing matter.

“What exactly happened?” Shen Lin said impatiently.

He felt like an outsider, completely unable to join in the conversation between the two. This emptiness in his heart made him appear even more irritable and restless.

“My mom showed up out of nowhere,” Zheng Qi said indifferently. “She thought I was being kept as a mistress, so she said some unpleasant things.”

“Why would she think that?”

“Probably because I’m living in such a nice place?” Xiao San glanced around the room.

“Huh? Seriously? Is she out of her mind? Just because you live in a place like this, she assumes you’re being kept?” Shen Lin looked around the villa in confusion. In his eyes, this place wasn’t particularly impressivejust a small villa he occasionally stayed in for a few days.

If it weren’t for the fact that Zheng Qi was staying in the apartment and he felt the two rooms were too cramped, Shen Lin wouldn’t have bothered coming to this villa at all.

“She must be out of her mind,” Xiao San agreed, nodding. “Ah Qi, why don’t you come stay at my place? Now that she knows you’re here, she might come looking for you again.”

“Stay at your place?” Before Zheng Qi could respond, Shen Lin immediately scoffed, “Your place already has four people living in it. Don’t you think it’s crowded? And you want Zheng Qi to move in too? Do you even have enough space?”

Xiao San rolled her eyes.

“We’re just ordinary folks, not as extravagant as you, living in a place like this. Yes, four people live in our home. Sorry if that offends your wealthy sensibilities.”

“Xiao San, why are you so hostile toward me? I’ve never once looked down on you for being a driver’s daughter. Even if your home is small, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t affect our friendship.”

Xiao San responded to Shen Lin with a cold, “Hmph.”

She had wanted to say it for a long time every time Shen Lin looked at her, there was always a hint of condescension in his eyes.

It was as if his mere presence in front of her was an act of charity. Every time he spoke to her, it felt like a king tossing a gold coin to a beggar.

Every single time.

Xiao San might be naive, but she wasn’t stupid.

“Xiao San!” Shen Lin grabbed her arm, about to say something, but Zheng Qi pried his hand away.

Shen Lin looked at Zheng Qi, confused. “Zheng Qi?”

Zheng Qi took a step to the side, shielding Xiao San behind her. “Thank you for letting me stay here these past few days. I’ll be leaving with San’er today.”

“What do you mean?”

Shen Lin felt as if he had been betrayed.

A surge of anger rose in his chest. It wasn’t as if he had to let Zheng Qi stay at his place, but he had moved from the apartment to this villa for her sake. And for Xiao San, he had prepared so much even spending over half an hour just choosing the menu.

Why did it feel like these two were treating him as if he were disposable?

“Ah Qi is moving out, what do you think that means?” After saying this, Xiao San quickly pulled her head back.

She felt quite comforted inside.

The fact that Zheng Qi would stand up for her like this, even to the point of falling out with Shen Lin, showed something, it showed that the strange feelings the female lead had for the male lead definitely hadn’t developed yet. In Zheng Qi’s heart, Xiao San was still more important.

Xiao San was smug.

It hadn’t been in vain, all the effort she’d put into building a good relationship with Zheng Qi these days.

Watching Xiao San and Zheng Qi leave with a suitcase, Shen Lin felt as if all his sincere feelings had been thrown to the dogs.

“You think I care about you? What a joke,” Shen Lin sneered.

But the hurt on his face and the occasional twinge of pain in his heart reminded him that he wasn’t as indifferent as he appeared.

He picked up his phone and dialed his troublemaking friend’s number. “Got time? Let’s grab a drink.”

On the other end, Qi Yan sighed helplessly, rubbing his forehead. “What happened?”

“Just tell me if you’re coming or not.”

“Should I call Huang Xi?” Qi Yan asked.

“Yeah.”

Four in the afternoon.

Shen Lin had rented out an entire bar.

The bar staff had just started preparing to open when Shen Lin reserved the whole place.

By the time Qi Yan and Huang Xi arrived, Shen Lin was already nearly blackout drunk.

As soon as he saw Qi Yan and Huang Xi, he sprang up like a rabbit that had bumped its head, stumbling and swaying back and forth until he finally made it in front of them. He pointed at Huang Xi, “You, why do you have two heads?”

Huang Xi rolled his eyes and swatted Shen Lin’s finger away. “How much have you had to drink?”

“Not much! Hic…” He held up one finger.

“Just one bottle and you’re this drunk?” Huang Xi was annoyed but still helped Shen Lin inside to a booth, dumping him onto the sofa.

Only when he looked down did he notice the coffee table in the booth was covered with glasses of all kinds.

“A whole table,” Shen Lin giggled.

“Are you insane? You’re going to end up in the hospital getting your stomach pumped, you know!” Qi Yan quickly grabbed Shen Lin’s hand, just as he was about to pour another drink into his mouth.

“I’m not insane,” Shen Lin burst into tears again. “I’m heartbroken, I’m miserable.”

Huang Xi glanced at Qi Yan.

“Don’t even think about taking out your phone,” Qi Yan immediately frowned, warning Huang Xi. “If you record this, I can’t help you.”

Huang Xi shrugged, hunching his shoulders in a gesture of helplessness.

He threw his hands up and slumped heavily onto the sofa. “Ah, boring.”

Qi Yan sighed and signaled to the bartender nearby to bring some hot water.

“Shen Lin, if your father sees you like this, you’re dead,” he said, trying to use the person Shen Lin feared most as leverage. Unfortunately, Shen Lin was already too drunk to recognize anyone.

“I liked her so much even though she’s just a driver’s daughter, when did I ever look down on her?”

“And Zheng Qi, wasn’t she the one clinging to me? Why, why did she just leave like that? I let her stay at my place because she begged to live there.”

“You’re drunk,” Qi Yan said, glancing at Huang Xi, worried he might stand up and slap Shen Lin.

“Why? How could they just leave and ignore me?” Shen Lin kept rambling.

“What about Nuanyan? What is Nuanyan to you?” Huang Xi lowered his head, hiding his expression.

Hearing the familiar name, Shen Lin lifted his head, his face flushed red from the alcohol. He thought for a long time before finally locating the name “Nuanyan” in the corner of his mind. “Nuanyan? Nuanyan is my sister.”

“Your sister?” Huang Xi gritted his teeth. “Do you sleep with your sister? Would you let your sister wait for you abroad while she’s pregnant?”

“That was just an accident.”

Support