The Tragic Heroine Fell in Love with Me - Chapter 52

Zheng Qi’s grandmother was a wiry little old woman. Her silver hair was casually piled atop her head, secured by an ancient-looking hairpin, while stray strands at her temples were slicked down against her scalp with her own saliva.

Her drooping eyelids formed distinct triangular eyes, and sparse, disorderly silver-white eyebrows perched above them. With nearly all her teeth gone, her mouth appeared sunken, as if everything before her displeased her.

Though quite advanced in years, she walked with a trembling yet steady gait. To prevent falls, she always carried a walking stick, which she had left by the door upon entering. But fearing someone might steal it, she soon retrieved it and brought it inside with her.

The moment she stepped into the room, she began nitpicking. “A place like this, tsk, a place like this is this even fit for people to live in?”

Xiao San noticed mud caked on the soles of the old woman’s shoes and splatters of dirt on her trousers. Her clothes seemed so worn-out from repeated washing that they had faded into a dull, grayish hue.

Xiao San fetched a glass of water from the kitchen and set it before the old woman.

“Ah Qi said her grandmother passed away long ago.”

The old woman immediately flared up. “What nonsense! I’m alive and well. They’re all just wishing me dead, but I’m perfectly fine!”

Though her words were filled with rage, Xiao San spotted turbid tears welling in the corners of her eyes. She was crying, seemingly heartbroken.

And rightly so, to be spoken of that way by her own descendant.

After drinking the water, the old woman lay down on the sofa, showing no intention of leaving anytime soon.

Despite her verbal disdain for the place, she seemed utterly delighted as she reclined on the sofa, patting it affectionately as if it were a rare treasure. After admiring the sofa, her eyes wandered to the coffee table. Had Xiao San not been nearby, she might have scurried over to the television to check if she could haul it away.

This assumption wasn’t unfounded even with Xiao San present, the old woman rummaged through drawers and cabinets, stuffing anything pocket-sized into her pockets.

Sewing thread, toothpicks, the remote control, batteries, assorted wet wipes, tissues, and even half-eaten snacks from earlier purchases, all were crammed bulgingly into her pockets.

As the saying goes, it’s easier to invite a deity than to send one away. Xiao San knew it wouldn’t be simple to get the old woman to leave now. Besides, she ought to let the woman stay until Zheng Qi arrived. Whether Zheng Qi had lied to her or there was some unresolved conflict between the two, they needed to hash it out face-to-face.

“If you really are Zheng Qi’s grandmother,” Xiao San took a deep breath, distancing herself from any connection to Zheng Qi, “Zheng Qi owes me twenty thousand yuan. Can you repay it for her?”

“What money?” The old woman’s eyes lit up instantly. “What money? I don’t have any.”

Xiao San gestured around the room. “You see, Zheng Qi rented this place from me, but she’s been missing for a long time and hasn’t paid the rent. Since you’re her grandmother, shouldn’t you cover it for her?”

Xiao San crossed her arms, putting on an unapproachable demeanor. “If you pay the rent, I wouldn’t mind you living in this house. After all, she’s your granddaughter, isn’t she?”

“Huh?” The old lady scrutinized the house even more critically. “This shabby place is worth twenty thousand? Don’t talk nonsense. I wouldn’t even want to live here for five hundred yuan.”

“If you don’t want to live here, plenty of others do. But you have to repay the money Zheng Qi owes me first. Otherwise, don’t even think about leaving this house.” Xiao San deliberately blocked the old lady’s view of the door, making it harder for her to see the exit.

The old lady immediately panicked.

She had forced her way in earlier, but now, hearing Xiao San’s words, she trembled as she stood up, clutching her cane.

She waved the cane in Xiao San’s direction a couple of times. “Don’t think just because I’m old that I’m no match for someone like you who only knows how to eat, drink, and have fun. If you dare lay a hand on me, I’ll beat you to death!”

The old lady hobbled toward the door, but since Xiao San had closed it, she fumbled for a long time without managing to open it.

Unable to open the door, the old lady broke into loud, heart-wrenching sobs. “You’re all just bullying an old woman like me! I’m so old, and neither of my daughters will take care of me. The granddaughter I raised from childhood ignores me, and now even an outsider is picking on me. I don’t want to live anymore, I don’t want to live!”

Xiao San had initially felt relieved to see her leaving, but now, with the old lady crying so dramatically as if she were truly being held captive, she had no choice but to go over and open the door. “Stop crying. If you dirty my floor, I’ll make you pay for it too.”

The old lady scrambled to her feet, stood at the top of the stairs, turned around, and spat at Xiao San. A thick glob of phlegm landed squarely on Xiao San, who had never expected such a move and didn’t even think to dodge.

“Shameless bitch! When my granddaughter comes back, I’ll make sure she beats you to death and sells you off to a brothel!”

The old lady shuffled away, her movements both ridiculous and infuriating.

Xiao San closed the door, the fierce act she had put on completely gone.

She looked down at the phlegm on her clothes with a bitter smile. Served her right for pretending to be the villain.

Xiao San went inside, took off her clothes, thought about washing them, but felt too disgusted. In the end, she rinsed them with water and threw them in the trash.

She didn’t go back to work.

She wanted to wait for Zheng Qi to come and ask her why she had lied.

Everyone tells lies; no one can claim they’ve never lied in their life. But when Xiao San thought about the scene of Zheng Qi lying, and how she had cried so genuinely back then, it wasn’t something that could just be brushed off as a simple falsehood.

Xiao San wanted to know what reason Zheng Qi had for deceiving her like that.

Xiao San sat quietly alone on the sofa. The TV was on, filling the room with a hollow sense of liveliness. She watched the people on screen arguing intensely, but not a single sound reached her ears, the noise seemed to filter past her automatically.

“Stop arguing,” Zheng Qi said coldly.

She sat on the stool, facing the old woman who was clutching her pocket and furiously hurling all sorts of insults at Zheng Qi. The words were far harsher than what she had said in front of Xiao San, yet Zheng Qi listened without even a frown.

“You think you’re so great now, making money and even denying your own grandmother. You go around telling people I’m dead. If I were really dead, it would be better. If I were dead, I’d haunt you every day, torment you to death!”

Zheng Qi let out a cold laugh and said maliciously, “If you were dead, with all the evil you’ve done, do you think you’d have the leisure to come find me? I’d actually look forward to the day you die.”

The old woman shuddered in fear. The more she looked at Zheng Qi, the more terrified and disgusted she became. “You’re exactly like that woman nothing good. She latched onto a rich man back then, and now you’re doing the same. You’ve learned well, really well.”

“Don’t you dare call her ‘that woman.’ You’d better not mention my aunt, or I don’t know what I might do.” Zheng Qi stiffened instantly and stood up. “If it weren’t for my aunt, do you think you’d still be alive today?”

“Murder is against the law!”

Zheng Qi snorted with laughter. “Murder is against the law, but sending a mentally ill old woman to a hospital shouldn’t be, right?”

“You, you can’t do that!”

Zheng Qi wasn’t afraid of the old woman’s venomous curses. If curses really worked, the old woman wouldn’t be standing so healthy before her now.

The old woman launched into another tirade of vulgar insults, cursing until she was thirsty. Zheng Qi had someone bring her a glass of water. When the old woman cursed until she couldn’t stand, she sat on the floor, flailing her arms up and down.

This was a warehouse Zheng Qi had recently purchased, not yet in use. There wasn’t a soul around, only a surveillance camera.

No matter how much the old woman cursed, no one would hear her. If she happened to drop dead from her tirade, Zheng Qi had evidence to prove it had nothing to do with her.

Unfortunately, though the old woman was advanced in years, she was remarkably robust, showing no signs of dying anytime soon. After crying and cursing, she even dozed off on the floor for a while.

Zheng Qi simply watched her carry on.

Once the old woman had finished crying and making a scene, she stretched out her hand and demanded, “Give me money. If you give me money, I won’t come looking for you anymore. You surely don’t want others to know you have a grandmother like me, do you?”

She had some self-awareness, at least.

Zheng Qi smiled. “It’s fine. Go ahead and make a scene. I enjoy watching you make a fuss. It feels like reliving my childhood. I don’t mind others knowing I have a grandmother like you.”

The old woman was speechless. This was exactly why she hated coming to see Zheng Qi. But each time, Xie Xinyue forced her to come and extort money from Zheng Qi before giving her any funds. She had no choice.

Just like before, she left empty-handed, slinking away in defeat.

At the very least, she had managed to upset Zheng Qi.

The old woman thought it over and decided the trip wasn’t a total loss.

Turning back for one last look at Zheng Qi, she noticed Zheng Qi’s expression hadn’t changed at all not even the slightest curve to her lips.

She truly looked exactly like Xie Xinyu, as if carved from the same mold. If she hadn’t known that Zheng Qi was Xie Xinyue’s biological daughter, she would have suspected that Zheng Qi was actually Xie Xinyu’s daughter.

The old woman tottered away.

At her age, earning a little money wasn’t easy. At this stage of life, she needed to save up. In a couple of years, her legs and feet might not work as well, and she wouldn’t be able to earn money anymore.

She pondered how to speak ill of Zheng Qi in front of Xie Xinyue, thinking that would earn her more money.

People are truly strange.

Xie Xinyue was clearly Zheng Qi’s biological mother, yet she couldn’t stand to see Zheng Qi have even a little bit of happiness.

The old woman shook her head, as if all of this had nothing to do with her.

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