The Tragic Heroine Fell in Love with Me - Chapter 34

Xiao San walked out of the office building and saw Zheng Qi standing by the car from afar. The moment their eyes met, Zheng Qi’s eyes curved into a smile.

If it had been just a moment earlier, she would have fled.

But now, Xiao San felt she shouldn’t run away at the very least, she needed to make things clear with Zheng Qi.

She couldn’t be friends with Zheng Qi anymore.

Yet she couldn’t find a reason.

Perhaps Zheng Qi would be deeply hurt, but Xiao San truly couldn’t continue their friendship.

“San’er.”

Zheng Qi jogged over. She was dressed in a well-fitted women’s suit, her hair tied back neatly, wearing only light makeup and frameless glasses. Her entire demeanor seemed cold and detached. But as she ran over, she looked like a carefree young girl, her face brimming with joy. She stood playfully in front of Xiao San, gently taking her hand. Her eyes were cautious, her movements slow, like a flower admirer afraid of startling a butterfly. She stood before the flower with a restrained expression, fearing that even a single breath might scare the butterfly away or cause the flower to wither.

“Ah Qi.”

“You finally called my name again, San’er.”

“Let’s talk.”

Zheng Qi suddenly released Xiao San’s hand. She lowered her gaze, her expression fading away.

“Where should we talk?”

Xiao San noticed that Zheng Qi seemed on the verge of tears, but she didn’t realize that Zheng Qi’s sorrow grew even more apparent when she saw the necklace Xiao San hadn’t taken off. Her expression grew even more aggrieved.

Whether it was an act or genuine emotion, only Zheng Qi herself truly knew.

Xiao San wanted to speak directly perhaps it would be better for Zheng Qi if she did.

“I don’t want to be friends with you anymore.” Such simple words just say them outright.

But her throat felt as if it had been glued shut by super glue, and she couldn’t open her mouth no matter how hard she tried. So she followed Zheng Qi and got into her car.

Watching the scenery fly past outside the window, she thought perhaps finding a quiet place to talk would be best.

The car sped up faster and faster, and only then did Xiao San realize something was wrong.

The car was moving far too quickly. The navigation system kept emitting warning sounds, but Zheng Qi showed no intention of slowing down.

“Ah Qi,” Xiao San called out.

“Ah Qi.”

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Ah Qi, Ah Qi, Ah Qi.”

“Ah Qi, I’m scared.”

Call after call.

Finally, Zheng Qi released the accelerator. She turned her head, and in those few moments, Xiao San clearly saw a sinister expression on Zheng Qi’s face, one she had never seen before.

Zheng Qi pulled the car over to the side of the road. Cars whizzed past around them as Zheng Qi slumped over the steering wheel, her face now hidden from Xiao San’s view.

She couldn’t even begin to guess what expression Zheng Qi wore as she leaned against the steering wheel.

Was it as gentle as before, or as sinister as she had just seen?

Xiao San clenched her hands tightly, not even daring to reach out and touch Zheng Qi.

“San’er, my grandmother passed away.”

“Huh?”

“My grandmother, my only remaining family, is gone.”

Xiao San had never heard Zheng Qi speak of her family. The only time she’d mentioned them was when her parents were getting divorced. Zheng Qi had been upset then, but it hadn’t seemed as devastating as this.

But now, Zheng Qi seemed as though she had been abandoned by the entire world.

“Ah Qi, you please accept my condolences.”

“You must be curious why I’ve never mentioned my grandmother before.”

Xiao San wanted to hum in agreement, but in the end, she made no sound. Instead, she gently placed her hand on Zheng Qi’s nape and softly stroked downward along her spine, over and over.

Zheng Qi remained completely still.

She spoke like this.

“I grew up with my grandmother and my aunt.”

“Because I was a girl, because my father didn’t like me, because a fortune teller said I would have a hard life, because well, for many reasons.”

“No one wanted me, so I was raised by my aunt. She would take me out to play wildly, and when we returned home, my grandmother would scold us before serving the meals she had prepared long in advance.”

“Many times, we came back very late, but the food was always warm.”

“Later, my aunt passed away she died saving me. After her funeral, my grandmother aged more than ten years.”

“Back then, I thought, even though my aunt was gone, at least I still had my grandmother.”

“What did it matter if they didn’t like me? I didn’t like them either.”

“At least, I still had my grandmother.”

Zheng Qi lifted her head and looked at Xiao San, her eyes filled with sorrow.

She didn’t even shed a tear, but Xiao San could see she was deeply distressed, a pain that tears could never express.

Xiao San couldn’t bring herself to speak.

She couldn’t tell Zheng Qi that she didn’t want to be friends with her anymore.

Xiao San knew.

Zheng Qi had no friends around her.

Because she was the female lead in a tragic story, if she had friends, she would have support, and she wouldn’t be able to fulfill that role.

It was precisely for this reason.

That Xiao San had wanted to become Zheng Qi’s friend, hoping to help her escape the fate of a tragic heroine.

And now, was she going to abandon Zheng Qi too?

Xiao San’s heart softened.

She had always said she didn’t want to know Zheng Qi’s hardships because it would make her soft-hearted.

And now, she had softened.

She didn’t know how to comfort Zheng Qi.

Or perhaps Zheng Qi just wanted to confide and didn’t really need Xiao San’s comfort.

So, Zheng Qi dropped Xiao San off at her doorstep. Without getting out of the car, she drove away swiftly.

In the end, Xiao San never spoke the words she intended to say.

“Maybe I should at least thank her.” She had thought Zheng Qi had forgotten about her after not reaching out for so long, but now she realized Zheng Qi must have had her own difficulties. Moreover, she had even arranged a job for her.

Zheng Qi probably never considered that speaking so boldly to her at work might affect her future career.

After all, Zheng Qi had always been so outstanding.

Xiao San didn’t get the chance to resign.

Not only because the company didn’t want her to leave, but also because she didn’t want to let down Zheng Qi’s kindness.

Opportunities like this didn’t come often.

Xiao San cheered herself on.

Being ostracized was probably something that only happened in the real world, the world of fiction should be more innocent, right?

Unfortunately, Xiao San was mistaken, because the ostracism in fictional worlds was truly representative.

As soon as Xiao San arrived at the company entrance, someone blocked her way.

The person glanced at her disdainfully, deliberately bumped into her, and said in a gloating tone, “Oh, I’m so sorry, I accidentally bumped into you.”

He had already apologized, so even Xiao San couldn’t say anything.

Xiao San hurried into the office.

As soon as she entered, the noise in the office died down.

Yesterday, when Xiao San had come to work, the office had been empty. It wasn’t until 9:30 that people started trickling in.

But today, even before 9 o’clock, the office was already full.

Xiao San glanced around in confusion. The others quickly lowered their heads, as if afraid to meet her gaze.

Even Zhang Peng did the same.

Xiao San walked over to Zhang Peng, turned on her computer, and sent him a message.

Zhang Peng glanced at Xiao San, then began typing furiously on his keyboard, almost as if he were angry.

[Now I understand why you want to resign. These people are just awful they’ve been badmouthing you all morning.]

[Well, it’s not entirely their fault. It’s mainly because our boss is an idiot, praising you in the group chat for arriving early on your first day.]

[Who isn’t excited on their first day? Isn’t that normal? But he had to go and mention it in the group chat. Now the whole office resents you.]

[Ah, honestly, you’re really unlucky.]

As he typed, Zhang Peng let out a sigh, almost as if he were mourning for Xiao San.

Reading the rapid-fire messages, Xiao San felt a sense of resignation, this was exactly what she had expected.

Although it was technically her first official day at work, she wasn’t completely naive about office politics.

She had just held onto a sliver of hope, wishing that the novel’s world would skip over such plot points, given how many illogical things happen in novels.

But alas!

Even though she had transmigrated into a novel world,

she hadn’t enjoyed any of the conveniences or privileges that usually come with it. Instead, she had to endure all sorts of misfortunes, the pressures of the real world and the ostracism of the novel world.

Sigh.

In the end, Xiao San resigned. She packed up her computer and her resignation letter.

The last time she had resigned so decisively was during her sales job, when she had to deal with a bald, incompetent boss.

This time, however, she felt a deep reluctance.

Zhang Peng sent her another message.

[Don’t worry, with your strong connections, this little job is nothing. You can easily land a better one with just a snap of your fingers.]

Xiao San turned off her phone screen.

If only things were as simple as Zhang Peng made them sound.

Just as she stepped out of the office building, Zheng Qi was waiting for her again, just like yesterday.

This time, Zheng Qi didn’t rush over. Instead, she walked slowly toward Xiao San.

Xiao San could sense that Zheng Qi was secretly observing her. Whenever Xiao San’s lips turned down, Zheng Qi’s steps would slow; when Xiao San’s lips curved up, Zheng Qi would quicken her pace.

Xiao San couldn’t explain it.

She couldn’t articulate why she wanted to end her friendship with Zheng Qi.

Seeing Zheng Qi like this only made her feel sad, regretful, and heartbroken.

She felt like some kind of emotional manipulator was it really right to treat Zheng Qi this way?

“San’er,” Zheng Qi said softly as she approached, taking Xiao San’s hand and intertwining their fingers.

Because Xiao San didn’t pull away, Zheng Qi smiled like a child.

They got into the car together.

“I resigned.”

“Ah,” Zheng Qi sighed softly, then continued, “It’s okay. I have money now. Do you want to work in IT? I can set up an IT department for you.”

Xiao San looked at Zheng Qi and asked, “Are you planning to invest in Hebo IT?”

Zheng Qi shook his head, his tone tinged with hesitation. “I’m still observing the situation. Right now, I’m just working for someone else, so I can’t make decisions on certain matters.”

“You!”

Xiao San wanted to ask, “You wouldn’t target Hebo IT because of me, would you?” But after a moment’s thought, she felt that voicing such a question would be strangely embarrassing.

After all, she was the one who had resigned voluntarily. The management had tried to persuade her to stay, but she hadn’t wanted to remain. If she were to imply that Hebo IT was being targeted because of her, it would just seem absurd.

“Well, where should we go?” Xiao San asked instead.

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