The Tragic Heroine Fell in Love with Me - Chapter 33

Xiao San raised her head, then quickly lowered it again.

Her fingers swept haphazardly across the desk as she twisted her chair back and forth, her anxiety rendering her utterly clueless about what to do. Meanwhile, Zheng Qi sat comfortably in Zhang Peng’s chair, leaning in so close that Xiao San could even feel Zheng Qi’s breath.

She resignedly closed her eyes.

Even without looking,

she could imagine the expressions on the faces of those around her.

The job she had worked so hard to find was likely about to vanish.

“Is San’er not feeling well?”

You’re asking on purpose.

Xiao San looked at Zheng Qi, wanting to say exactly that.

But seeing the concern on Zheng Qi’s face, she had to suppress her anger.

She was the female lead, after all.

Even though Xiao San was upset about Zheng Qi’s sudden departure without a word, she was the heroine of a tragic romance gentle, kind-hearted, and forgiving, no matter how many times she was hurt.

She could criticize Zheng Qi for being love-struck, or even call her a pushover.

But she couldn’t bring herself to truly blame Zheng Qi.

Zheng Qi must have asked out of genuine concern.

“Yeah, a little.”

She heard her own voice reply stiffly.

What she really wanted to ask was, “Why didn’t you call even once in two years?”

She let out a self-mocking laugh. This was a fictional world, not reality. In reality, people could always call or text, but in novels, characters often disappeared for years, always with some hidden reason.

She didn’t want to know what Zheng Qi’s hidden reason was.

Mostly, she didn’t want to forgive Zheng Qi because of it.

“Shall I take you to rest?” Zheng Qi reached out a hand.

Xiao San immediately pulled away. Watching Zheng Qi awkwardly withdraw her hand, she said, “It’s nothing. It’s just my first day at work, so I’m not quite used to it yet.”

“But San’er wanted to work, didn’t you? Why are you feeling unwell?”

“I’m just a little uncomfortable.”

“When will San’er get used to it, then?”

Xiao San didn’t even know what she replied.

She desperately wanted to escape, even if it meant causing a scene. It was all so strange exchanging these repetitive words, the closer Zheng Qi tried to get, the more frightened she felt.

“Boss.”

That voice saved Xiao San. She looked over gratefully. “Your subordinate is here for you.”

“Oh.” Xiao San heard the disappointment in Zheng Qi’s tone.

“You two have things to discuss. I’ll step out.” Xiao San hurriedly fled. As she reached the door, she heard Zheng Qi reprimanding the man in a chillingly cold tone. Xiao San paused and glanced back.

“San’er, were you calling me?” Zheng Qi’s voice was gentle again.

Xiao San quickly turned her head away and strode off.

It must have been her imagination. How could Zheng Qi possibly speak like that? In Xiao San’s mind, even when Zheng Qi scolded others, her voice should be soft, filled with gentle admonishment.

As soon as Xiao San stepped out, Zhang Peng stopped her.

“Xiao San, is she a relative of yours?”

Xiao San shook her head.

“Oh, don’t be scared. We’re not jealous types. Even if she is your relative, we won’t say anything. You’re not some rich second-generation heiress, are you?”

Xiao San shook her head again.

“I heard that’s the company’s latest investor, putting in twenty million. I heard about it earlier,” Zhang Peng leaned in mysteriously. “Originally, they were supposed to come for an inspection this time, and our leaders were really nervous, hoping to secure this investment. Because of you, it’s definitely secured.”

Xiao San suddenly felt an invisible pressure.

“No, it has nothing, nothing to do with me.”

“Don’t be modest. Seeing how close she is with you, just now that.” Zhang Peng gestured toward the room with his chin and said, “was the boss’s secretary. That secretary said you and her boss are very close friends.”

Zheng Qi’s subordinate said they were very close?

Xiao San pursed her lips, unsure how she should feel about Zheng Qi.

Xiao San was afraid Zheng Qi would drag her along for lunch too, but fortunately, that didn’t happen.

By the afternoon, Zheng Qi had already left with the inspection team.

Before Xiao San could even breathe a sigh of relief, she was surrounded by the company’s leadership, who kept encouraging her and essentially treating her like a mascot.

Xiao San could already foresee how chaotic her life was about to become.

She decided to resign.

Even though this job hadn’t been easy to come by, she simply couldn’t continue working here.

With just over half an hour left before the end of the workday, Xiao San carried her laptop and went to find HR Guo Pianpian.

Of course, she did this behind Zhang Peng’s back.

Zhang Peng was just too enthusiastic, and it was the kind of simple enthusiasm that didn’t carry any flattery. Because of that, Xiao San found it even harder to handle.

No wonder Guo Pianpian said he was easy to get along with.

As soon as Xiao San knocked on the door, Guo Pianpian opened it and let her in.

Guo Pianpian’s attitude had become much more respectful.

Before, she had looked at Xiao San like a little sister just entering society, even with a hint of guidance. Now, it was as if she were facing a leader.

Xiao San gave a bitter smile.

She placed her laptop on the table. “Pianpian, I want to resign.”

“No, you can’t think that.”

Before Xiao San could even finish the word “resign,” Guo Pianpian immediately cut her off.

Guo Pianpian hurried to the door to close it, then turned back and said, “Miss, is it because Zhang Peng is too noisy? I can definitely assign you to someone else. Please don’t even think about resigning.”

“But I—”

“So it is because of Zhang Peng? Don’t worry, I’ll transfer him far away so he won’t bother you.”

Xiao San felt a bit helpless. “That’s not what I meant. Brother Peng is great; he takes good care of me, and I’m very grateful to him. I just feel like I might not be suited for this job.”

“Not suited? I think you’re perfectly suited! Besides, today is only your first day; you haven’t even gotten into the actual work yet. Promise me you’ll work hard, you’re definitely going to love this job.”

Seeing how determined and anxious Guo Pianpian was, Xiao San had no choice but to nod. Maybe leaving now wasn’t the right time; she could bring up resignation again tomorrow.

Guo Pianpian ushered Xiao San back to her workstation. Zhang Peng had just returned and, seeing Guo Pianpian, greeted her with a smile, “Oh, Sister Pianpian, what brings you to our workstation? Any instructions?”

Before he could finish speaking, Guo Pianpian grabbed Zhang Peng and pulled him aside to a secluded spot.

Xiao San craned her neck, only to see Guo Pianpian looking extremely angry, pointing at Zhang Peng and scolding him furiously.

It seemed she had caused trouble.

She ended up waiting for over an hour. The people around had already clocked out and left, with only Xiao San still at her workstation, waiting for Zhang Peng and Guo Pianpian’s conversation to end.

As time went on, Guo Pianpian seemed to calm down, but Zhang Peng appeared to grow angrier.

Sure enough, when Zhang Peng returned, he shot Xiao San a glare.

“Peng Ge…” Xiao San said softly.

Zhang Peng: “Seriously, how could you do this? It’s such a small matter. I just talk a bit too much, but you don’t have to resign over it, do you? Are you deliberately trying to embarrass me?”

Xiao San shook her head so vigorously it almost blurred.

“No way, I absolutely didn’t mean that.”

“Didn’t mean it? Then why did you say you want to resign because I talk too much?”

Xiao San: “I really didn’t say that. I only said I wanted to resign.”

Zhang Peng: “You want to resign there must be a reason, right? You’ve only been here for one day. If it’s not because of me, then who is it because of?”

Zhang Peng’s voice gradually grew louder, and people around started looking over.

Xiao San was so ashamed she wished she could crawl into a crack in the ground. She could only pull Zhang Peng and urge him to sit down. “Peng Ge, Peng Ge, please keep your voice down.”

“Why should I keep my voice down? I’m so unlucky. I was so enthusiastic toward you, and you say you want to resign because I talk too much?”

Zhang Peng looked like he was about to cry.

Xiao San felt even more ashamed. She definitely hadn’t meant that, nor had she intended to resign because Zhang Peng talked too much.

“Peng Ge, I really don’t think that way.”

“Then tell me, why do you want to resign if it’s not because of me?”

Fortunately, it was already after work hours; otherwise, Xiao San would never have been able to stay. On her first day at work, she had managed to make a colleague cry.

Xiao San had no choice but to explain, “It’s because of that thing during the day. I’m afraid it might affect our company.”

“What’s the big deal? If my friend or relative were an investor in our company, I’d be laughing in my dreams every day. Who would dare to say anything if I came in late or left early?”

Xiao San gave Zhang Peng a complicated look, feeling that his ambitions were quite lofty.

Zhang Peng: “Are you worried people will think you got in through connections and that’s why you want to leave? What era is this? Are we still doing undercover inspections?”

Seeing Zhang Peng’s speculations getting more and more outlandish, Xiao San quickly stopped him from continuing. “That’s completely not the case. How could it be me? It really was just a coincidence.”

“Not you?”

“Not me?” Xiao San detected a hint of gossip in Zhang Peng’s tone.

Zhang Peng wasn’t one to keep things to himself. “I’ve long heard that a relative of a higher-up was coming to our company. I thought it was you. It’s not?”

“It’s probably not me,” Xiao San said uncertainly.

If it had been before today, Xiao San would have confidently said it wasn’t her.

After all, what connections did she have? But after what happened today.

Could it be that Zheng Qi had found her this job?

Otherwise, with her educational background and work experience, how could she have coincidentally landed an internship at Hebo IT? Although Hebo IT isn’t a top-tier company, it’s a legitimate publicly listed one.

Zhang Peng mentioned that his computer hadn’t been replaced in ages, yet as a newcomer, she was assigned such a high-quality machine right after joining.

If someone told her she hadn’t gotten in through connections, she wouldn’t believe it herself.

Beyond her resentment toward Zheng Qi and her fear of the female lead, Zheng Qi was, after all, her good friend.

Xiao San sighed inwardly sure enough, she was too soft-hearted.

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