The Tragic Heroine Fell in Love with Me - Chapter 23

“Could you ask Ah Qi to come out? We really have something to discuss with her,” Yu Shan said cautiously, eyeing Xiao Gai’s baseball bat. When she tried to shift her position, the bat followed her nose, forcing her to offer another strained smile.

Xie Xinyue hid behind Yu Shan like a brooding quail, refusing to budge.

“Whatever you have to say, you can say it here. I’ll pass it on for you,” Xiao San replied.

Yu Shan insisted, “It would be better if Ah Qi came out to hear this herself.”

Xiao San retorted, “If you don’t want to say it, then leave. If you do, hurry up. Brother!”

Xiao Gai stepped forward, slapping the baseball bat rhythmically against his palm.

Xiao San added, “My brother is a sports major, all muscle. If he accidentally hits one of you in the face, we won’t be held responsible.”

Yu Shan’s smile grew even more servile. “Since Ah Qi isn’t here, we’ll come back when she is.”

With that, Yu Shan hurriedly turned to leave, Xie Xinyue trailing behind her, neither daring to look back.

Xiao San triumphantly gave Xiao Gai a thumbs-up, but as she raised her hand, she noticed Zheng Qi standing not far away.

Her smile froze.

“Ah Qi, come over quickly. You have no idea how impressive we were just now,” Xiao Gai said proudly, tilting his chin up.

Zheng Qi smiled, still appearing gentle as ever. “You should call me ‘sister.'”

Xiao’s mother looked at Zheng Qi sympathetically and lightly tapped Xiao Gai’s arm. “Stop talking nonsense and go back to your room to finish your homework.” Worried that Zheng Qi might be upset by the scene, she pushed Xiao Gai away.

As he walked off, Xiao Gai grumbled, “You weren’t like this when you needed me. Are you even my real mom? Using me and then tossing me aside.”

“Shut up. If you say another word, I’ll pull your head off,” Xiao’s mother threatened.

Watching her mother and brother leave, Xiao San awkwardly scuffed the ground with her shoe. When Zheng Qi approached, she pursed her lips.

For the past few days, she had treated Zheng Qi as if she were invisible, refusing to speak to her.

But today, with Zheng Qi standing there, she didn’t know how to maintain that pretense.

She didn’t want to, either.

The thought that Zheng Qi still had feelings for Shen Lin, just like in the original novel, made her feel both upset and uncomfortable.

There were so many other male characters in the original novel, all of them decent. Even being alone for life would be better than being with a violent maniac.

She couldn’t understand what had gotten into Zheng Qi’s head.

Xiao San let out a deep sigh.

Especially when she saw the hurt in Zheng Qi’s eyes, standing just a step away, looking at her so pitifully like an abandoned puppy.

Ah.

Xiao San hung her head in defeat, raising both hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, I give up. Is that enough?”

She lifted her head and looked at Zheng Qi seriously. “Can’t you just not like Shen Lin? The two of you aren’t compatible, and besides, he doesn’t like you anyway.”

“He does like me. I know. Every time, I can feel myself getting closer to his heart.”

“But why?” Xiao San put her hands down, looking as if she had just run dozens of kilometers. “Why? If you say he’s handsome, I think he’s just average. If you say he has a good personality oh, forget it. With that terrible temper of his, I really, I don’t even know how to describe it. What exactly is it about him that makes you feel you have to marry him?”

“But he’s Shen Lin.”

Xiao San stared intently at Zheng Qi. “Are you serious?”

Zheng Qi: “I’m serious.”

Xiao San clutched her chest, genuinely feeling as if she were having a heart attack.

She considered Zheng Qi a close friend, and now she had to watch her friend jump into a pit of fire, with no way to stop it.

“Alright, if you insist.”

Xiao San nodded helplessly.

If Zheng Qi was determined, what could she do? Could she really stop Zheng Qi from being with Shen Lin? Not to mention she came from an ordinary family and had no means to confront Shen Lin. Even aside from that, she couldn’t even persuade Zheng Qi herself.

“San’er.” Zheng Qi suddenly stepped forward, taking Xiao San’s hand as if to confirm something.

Xiao San looked at Zheng Qi, puzzled by her sudden movement. “Huh?”

“Nothing,” Zheng Qi said, her lips curling stiffly. “I just thought.”

For a moment, she had thought Xiao San was about to vanish. In that instant, time seemed to freeze, and Xiao San before her had almost dissipated like mist.

“What did you think?” Xiao San asked.

“I thought you wouldn’t acknowledge me as a friend anymore.”

Xiao San nodded, then shook her head. “Honestly, I really don’t want to be your friend,” she said, watching Zheng Qi’s increasingly hurt expression. She sighed. “But who said we’re friends? If you’re determined to be with Shen Lin, I can only wish you happiness. But if he ever treats you poorly.” Xiao San didn’t know how to finish the thought, feeling that her efforts were futile. “Just leave him, okay?”

From then on.

She would truly just be an NPC.

Now that The CEO’s Wife Won’t Run Away: A Love That Pierces the Bone had returned to its original plot, it only proved that her butterfly effect hadn’t been powerful enough.

All she had to do was play her supporting role well. Perhaps someday, for some unknown reason, the two worlds would separate, and she would return to her ordinary life as an ordinary person. Or maybe, if Zheng Qi ever encountered difficulties in the future, she could still lend a hand.

Xiao San cheered herself on and began planning again to buy a house and move away from the Shen family.

On the surface, Xiao San and Zheng Qi seemed to have restored their former friendship.

Only Zheng Qi knew that something had fundamentally changed. Even though Xiao San said she wished her happiness with Shen Lin, Xiao San would never be as gentle with her as before.

“San’er, school is about to start. We…”

Xiao San turned around, her gaze noticeably more distant. “Oh, oh, oh, I almost forgot. I haven’t finished my summer homework yet.”

Zheng Qi’s raised hand dropped. “San’er, you don’t have summer homework.”

Xiao San turned back, awkwardly rubbing the back of her head. “Really? I totally forgot.”

“You don’t want to talk to me, do you?”

“Don’t overthink it, I’m just a bit nervous with school starting soon,” Xiao San quickly said, speaking as she hurried into her room. “Oh, I haven’t even packed my things yet. You go ahead with what you’re doing, I’ll go sort out my stuff.”

Once back in her room, Xiao San patted her chest vigorously.

She really didn’t know what to say to Zheng Qi; it all felt a bit strange part frustration at her lack of progress, and part guilt over her own behavior.

Xiao San smacked her own head.

“It’s totally normal for the female lead to fall for the male lead, so why am I so worked up? Besides, even though she goes through all sorts of hardships, doesn’t she end up with a happy ending with the male lead?”

“Ah, I’m just an NPC, a character who doesn’t even appear in the original plot. What is there to worry about?”

“Even though we’re good friends, to maintain a friendship, you have to know when to hold back. If I keep spouting negative stuff, sooner or later, A Qi will get sick of me.”

Xiao San just felt agitated.

Every time she saw Zheng Qi, she wanted to shake her head and make her think clearly: Why on earth did she like Shen Lin? There are so many men in the world, and being single isn’t so bad either.

So she could only avoid Zheng Qi, afraid that she might accidentally shake her head and blurt out what she was thinking.

“Maybe I can play matchmaker for Zheng Qi and Shen Lin, create more opportunities for them to be together. They’re destined to be a couple, after all. Ah, that’s right!” Xiao San punched her palm. “I was overcomplicating it. If I help the male and female leads get together more, and there are no misunderstandings between them, then there won’t be any angsty drama. A Qi won’t have to suffer. Why didn’t I think of this earlier?”

Xiao San was a woman of action.

Once she had an idea, she had to act on it immediately. She rushed out of her room and ran toward Zheng Qi.

Zheng Qi’s gloomy expression hadn’t even had time to change before Xiao San crashed into her. “A Qi, I’ve got it! I’m going to set you up with Shen Lin. Don’t worry, in my past life, I successfully matched several couples. This time, it’ll be a piece of cake!”

Zheng Qi reached out and hugged Xiao San.

It had been a long time since Xiao San had looked at her like that.

“Come on, A Qi, let me doll you up, and then we’ll go see Shen Lin!”

At a roadside café, Zheng Qi and Shen Lin sat facing each other.

Shen Lin didn’t look particularly happy, and Zheng Qi wasn’t faring much better.

Shen Lin had asked Xiao San out. He had been eagerly awaiting her arrival, but he never expected her to bring Zheng Qi along.

He did have some feelings for both Zheng Qi and Xiao San, but compared to Zheng Qi, he preferred Xiao San.

Xiao San.

Shen Lin had long understood that he could never marry Xiao San, the Shen family would never allow him to wed a chauffeur’s daughter. But he liked her. Aside from marriage, he could give Xiao San everything she wanted.

Yet now, Xiao San was pushing him toward Zheng Qi.

He was glad that the two of them got along well, but seeing Xiao San show not a hint of jealousy made him unhappy.

Just how long was Xiao San going to keep playing hard to get?

Zheng Qi stirred the brown liquid in her coffee cup, the bitter scent wafting up her nostrils and seeping into her heart.

Maybe it was because she had been spending too much time with Shen Lin lately.

Now, when facing Shen Lin, Zheng Qi’s heart held not even a trace of excitement.

In just a few days, looking at Shen Lin felt like gazing at a stranger from a distant past.

She should have been happy, yet when she appeared before Shen Lin, she couldn’t muster any joy, as if all the words she had told Xiao San about liking Shen Lin were nothing but lies.

But they were the truth. She kept telling herself that.

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