The Tragic Heroine Fell in Love with Me - Chapter 22

Shen Lin clutched his head, looking unwilling to say more.

“Hah, now you act surprised? Who forced you and Nuanyan to go abroad? Who forced you and Nuanyan to have a child? Surprised? Do you think a simple ‘surprised’ can whitewash yourself?”

Qi Yan pulled Huang Xi back. “Alright, stop talking.”

“And don’t you pretend to be the good guy either. Don’t think I don’t know what’s on your mind. Don’t you like Zheng Qi? If you like her, go after her. Why pretend to be some righteous friend? Just because Zheng Qi likes Shen Lin, you’re being all magnanimous, huh? Always acting like just an ordinary friend?”

Huang Xi shoved Qi Yan aside and looked at the two of them with disdain.

Qi Yan felt thoroughly embarrassed. Pushing Huang Xi, he didn’t respond to his words. “He’s drunk like this now. Even if you say anything, he won’t remember it tomorrow. Let’s just go back for now.”

Qi Yan was filled with regret. If he had known, he wouldn’t have called Huang Xi over. Why did things have to escalate like this?

“Let him speak! Why shouldn’t he? Hah, you’re all laughing at me! You’re all laughing at me!”

Huang Xi sneered, “So what if we’re laughing at you? Aren’t you just asking for it?”

Qi Yan, unable to handle the two of them, had someone keep an eye on the already drunk Shen Lin while he dragged Huang Xi outside. After much effort, he finally managed to put Huang Xi in a taxi. When he turned back to check on Shen Lin, Shen Lin was already fast asleep, completely unconscious.

Qi Yan had no choice but to take Shen Lin back home. After a long and exhausting effort, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Once everything was settled, Qi Yan took out his phone and sent a message to Zheng Qi about Shen Lin.

[Shen Lin is fine. I’ve already taken him back.]

It wasn’t just him, even Huang Xi would sometimes pass information to Zheng Qi.

Although the group of them couldn’t exactly be said to have grown up together, a certain incident had connected them in some way. This was especially true for Huang Xi. Despite often speaking coldly and harshly to Zheng Qi, he had long regarded her as family.

Only Shen Lin.

Qi Yan pondered for a moment, then typed a few more words.

[Nuanyan is pregnant overseas.]

He didn’t specify whose child Lin Nuanyan was carrying, but he figured someone as sharp as Zheng Qi would surely understand.

He waited for a long time, but no reply came from Zheng Qi.

He let out a bitter laugh, shook his head, turned off his phone, and put it in his pocket.

Nuanyan is pregnant.

Those words made Zheng Qi’s eyes sting with pain.

Just as Qi Yan had expected, she immediately understood that Lin Nuanyan’s child must be Shen Lin’s.

For a moment, she didn’t know what expression to wear.

Xiao San came back from her shower, drying her semi-damp hair. “A Qi, what’s wrong?”

Zheng Qi put down her phone, her fingers tapping on the screen as she deleted the messages related to Qi Yan. “It’s nothing. You’re done showering? I’ll go take a bath too.”

“Mm, the pajamas are in the closet. Feel free to use anything in the bathroom. If you’re not comfortable with anything, we can go buy what you need tomorrow.” Xiao San sat on the edge of the bed, drying her hair as she briefed Zheng Qi.

Zheng Qi gave a soft “Mm” in response.

Xiao San hadn’t been able to find a summer job this vacation, missing out on quite a few opportunities to earn money.

Just as she was about to lie down on the bed, her phone suddenly lit up.

[Xiao San, I order you to appear in front of me.]

It was a message from Shen Lin.

Ah, no.

Does Shen Lin have a few screws loose or something?

At first, I thought Shen Lin was a decent person, but the more time I spent with him, the more I felt like there was something wrong with his head.

Xiao San rolled her eyes and closed her phone.

When Ah Qi comes out, I must tell her that Shen Lin is absolutely no good and that she should keep her distance from him.

Xiao San lay on the bed, casually opened a certain app, and scrolled through it, browsing boring videos.

After a long while, Zheng Qi returned from her shower.

“Ah Qi, I—”

“San’er, I have to tell you something.”

Xiao San froze. She had intended to badmouth Shen Lin, but she didn’t expect Zheng Qi to suddenly speak so seriously. She tilted her head in confusion. “Huh?”

“What I’m about to say might sound unreasonable to you, or you might think I’m crazy, but I really need to tell you.”

“Go ahead,” Xiao San nodded. Could it be that you’ve fallen for Shen Lin and won’t settle for anyone else?

Zheng Qi lowered her head, then suddenly lifted it, looking seriously at Xiao San.

“I like Shen Lin.”

Xiao San’s smile gradually stiffened.

After a long while, Xiao San finally found her voice again.

She looked Zheng Qi up and down, from head to toe, from left hand to right hand, carefully examining her.

“You mean, you like Shen Lin?”

“That’s right, I like him. I won’t settle for anyone else.”

“Why? You two barely have any interactions. Besides, you. I always thought you didn’t like him. You even roll your eyes when you see him!” Xiao San couldn’t believe it. She always felt that Zheng Qi sometimes disliked Shen Lin, so why would she like him?

Could it be that the female lead falling for the male lead is an unchangeable fate?

“I… I’ve liked him for a very, very long time. Since I was a child, I’ve decided that I would marry Shen Lin in this lifetime.”

“I know this sounds abrupt, but I still wanted to tell you.”

“You’re my best friend, and I want you to know that I like him.”

“Oh.”

Xiao San let out a faint acknowledgment.

She didn’t look at Zheng Qi’s expression now because she didn’t dare to.

She was afraid of seeing Zheng Qi’s serious expression.

She felt like a fool, trying to separate Zheng Qi and Shen Lin, always badmouthing Shen Lin in front of Zheng Qi just so she would realize that Shen Lin wasn’t someone worth being with.

But in the end, was it still impossible to change anything?

“San’er?”

“It’s fine. You can like him. I don’t mind.” Xiao San could no longer force a smile.

She held her phone tightly, afraid that a message from Shen Lin on the screen might accidentally be seen by Zheng Qi.

Is this what it means to be a tragic romance heroine with a love-struck brain?

I don’t understand, and I’m utterly shocked.

What Xiao San didn’t know was that Zheng Qi’s feelings at that moment were even more anxious and strange than hers.

She didn’t know why she had said those things, as if affirming her own beliefs. She had always believed that getting close to Shen Lin was the right thing to do. She was willing to deceive someone who cared about her and use her to get closer to Shen Lin, convinced that it couldn’t possibly be a mistake.

Shen Lin was gentle, the boy from her memories who would gently take her hand and lead her away from fear. How could he be the way he was now?

Even after witnessing Shen Lin’s questionable actions time and time again, Zheng Qi still held unwavering trust in him.

Perhaps those wild, unreasonable, or even disgusting behaviors were just a facade. The real him was hidden beneath that exterior, waiting for her to awaken him.

She impulsively told Xiao San because she was certain that her waiting had a reason, a justification.

She wanted Xiao San’s blessing, not just passive observation. She wanted Xiao San to genuinely believe that everything she was doing was right.

Only then could she console herself, believing that all of it was worthwhile.

And so, Xiao San didn’t speak to Zheng Qi for several days.

Partly because she didn’t know what to say, and partly because she felt Zheng Qi was beyond saving. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to cut ties completely, this was Zheng Qi, after all, the one who had accompanied her through college entrance exams, part-time jobs, and skipping classes together.

Even though she knew Zheng Qi was the heroine of a novel, even though she had initially intended to keep her distance, Zheng Qi had been her friend for four years. She couldn’t just treat her as a two-dimensional character from a book.

Finally, as the start of school approached, she thought she could have a few days apart from Zheng Qi, at least giving herself time to figure out how to face her. But then, Zheng Qi’s family showed up at her door.

Yu Shan and Xie Xinyue came together.

The two of them looked like mother and daughter from different generations, or like an employer and her maid.

Yu Shan stood half a step ahead of Xie Xinyue and was the first to enter Xiao San’s home.

Xiao San’s mother had opened the door, her smiling face still hanging in the air as she was about to ask what brought them there. Before she could even speak, Yu Shan was already standing in the middle of the living room.

Yu Shan covered her nose with a handkerchief, as if she had smelled something strange. She waved the handkerchief slightly and fixed her gaze in the direction of the bedroom. “Where’s Zheng Qi? Is she not home?”

“Who are you? Are you looking for Ah Qi?”

Xie Xinyue’s face twisted. “Who are you to call her Ah Qi so affectionately?”

Xiao San’s mother looked at Xie Xinyue. This woman bore some resemblance to Zheng Qi. Recalling what Xiao San had said that although Zheng Qi had parents, they were utterly unworthy, and that Zheng Qi’s mother and the “other woman” lived together quite harmoniously, she realized these must be the two.

Xiao San’s mother immediately wiped the smile off her face. “What does it matter who I am? Who are you two, barging into my home? You’d better leave now, or I’ll call the police.”

“Call the police? Go ahead. I’m here to find my daughter. What does it have to do with you? You’re not some human trafficker or part of a scam, are you? Hiding our Ah Qi here to do something shady?” Yu Shan was much sharper than Xie Xinyue. With just a few words, she shifted the blame onto Xiao San’s mother.

As soon as Xiao San came out, she saw these two bullying her mother. Taking a closer look, she recognized one of them as Zheng Qi’s mother, whom she had met before. Everything became clear.

She immediately stepped forward, shielding her mother, and said to the two women, “Are you here to shovel manure? Why are you flinging dirt at people so recklessly?” She then turned to her mother and said, “Mom, just call the police. Why waste words on them? Not everyone understands human language.”

As soon as Xiao San finished speaking, Xie Xinyue began to stomp her feet in anger.

“Who do you think you are, talking like that?”

“Mind your own business, I’m way better than you’ll ever be.” Xiao Sanbai shot Xie Xinyue a glare and yelled loudly, “Xiao Gai, Xiao Gai! Come out quickly, someone’s trying to hit your mom and your sister.”

Xie Xinyue had just raised her hand when a tall teenager burst out of the bedroom. He looked about 1.7 meters tall, sturdy and muscular, wearing a sleeveless half-length T-shirt, black boxer shorts, and a pair of worn-out flip-flops that seemed ready to fall apart.

His face was dark and fierce-looking, with a scowl already forming. The moment he saw Xie Xinyue, his eyebrows shot up, and he gripped a long baseball bat in his hand.

“Who dares touch my mom and my sister?” Xiao Gai waved the baseball bat toward Xie Xinyue and Yu Shan’s faces. “Is it you two?”

Xie Xinyue immediately backed down, quietly retreating behind Yu Shan.

Yu Shan’s smile froze as she looked at Xiao Gai. She tried to sound tough but quickly softened her tone.

“We… we’re just here to find Ah Qi. We’re Ah Qi’s…” Yu Shan pointed at Xie Xinyue. “This is Ah Qi’s mom, her biological mom.”

“And who are you?” Xiao Gai lifted his chin, gesturing toward Yu Shan with his jawline.

Yu Shan: “I’m Ah Qi’s aunt, her auntie, haha.”

Xiao Gai: “Aunt? Biological aunt?”

Xiao San pressed her lips together, afraid she might accidentally laugh out loud.

Aunt?
What a joke.

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