The Tragic Heroine Fell in Love with Me - Chapter 67

Xiao San didn’t necessarily have to go shopping with Zheng Qi; she just felt that even though the two of them were living in the same room, there was a growing sense of distance between them.

Perhaps it was because she felt more sympathy for Zheng Qi now. Understanding Zheng Qi’s past made her realize what Zheng Qi had lost before, and she wanted to give Zheng Qi something better. Yet, because of this, she found it hard to face Zheng Qi with a normal mindset.

There was also the uncontrollable worry and sense of unreality that lingered in Xiao San’s heart, something she couldn’t shake off.

Xiao San desperately wanted to do something.

“Ah, maybe I’m just overthinking it,” Xiao San mused, resting her chin in her hands as she sat on a stone pillar at the entrance of the mall. “Love really is such an elusive thing.”

Just as Xiao San was lost in thought, a shadow fell over her. She looked up happily, only to find that the person standing before her wasn’t Zheng Qi, but someone who looked vaguely familiar.

The woman was accompanied by a man who appeared somewhat older than his age.

“Xiao San, I didn’t expect to run into you here,” Guo Pianpian said with delight. She had a good impression of Xiao San. Even though Xiao San had left Hebo IT as a “connection hire,” Guo Pianpian, as the HR, still remembered her.

It took Xiao San a moment to recall who Guo Pianpian was, but then she broke into a pleasantly surprised smile. “Oh, it’s you! Are you here shopping too?”

Xiao San scratched her head in slight frustration. What else would one do at a mall besides shop?

As she raised her hand, she subtly glanced at the man beside Guo Pianpian. There was something about him that made her uncomfortable, and she didn’t want to interact with Guo Pianpian too much.

“Yeah, are you waiting for someone here?”

Xiao San nodded. “I’m waiting for my friend.”

After exchanging greetings, Guo Pianpian tugged at the man beside her and said, “We’ll head in first. How about we grab a meal together later?”

Xiao San quickly waved her hand. “No, no, I’m not sure when my friend will arrive.”

Guo Pianpian smiled. “Alright then, we’ll go ahead.”

Xiao San waved goodbye, watching them leave.

Unbeknownst to her, the man beside Guo Pianpian turned back and gave Xiao San a thorough once-over.

He knew about Xiao San.

Although Guo Pianpian was just an HR at a small company, she knew a lot of gossip.

One piece of gossip was about Xiao San.

Xiao San was a “connection hire” specifically brought into Hebo IT by Shen Lin of the Shen Group. Guo Pianpian had mentioned it casually, but her boyfriend, Zhang Yibin, had taken note of it.

Zhang Yibin’s family had some money, though it was nothing compared to the Shen Group. Still, he was a clever man who knew how to cater to others’ preferences and understood how to gain the favor of those in power.

Although Hebo IT wasn’t a subsidiary of the Shen Group, it was heavily invested in by the Shen Group, making it almost equivalent to one.

To win Shen Lin’s favor, Zhang Yibin had even stooped to pursuing an HR from a small company.

Fortunately, Guo Pianpian was still young, so it wasn’t much of a loss for him.

Unaware of any of this, Xiao San continued sitting on the stone pillar. By the time Zheng Qi arrived, Xiao San was almost fuming from waiting so long.

“Why didn’t you wait inside?” Zheng Qi looked at Xiao San, who was drenched in sweat, with a heart full of concern. “I was only a little late, and you’re already covered in sweat. If I had been any later, you might have fainted from heatstroke.”

Xiao San shook her head, her bright smile dazzling enough to blind even the gloomiest of souls. “How could that happen? If it got too hot, I would have gone inside.”

She grabbed Zheng Qi’s arm. “Come on, don’t be mad.”

Zheng Qi had no way to resist her. He could only tap Xiao San’s nose lightly and say, “Let’s go in.”

Hand in hand, the two walked inside. As soon as they entered the mall, the cool air made Xiao San’s cheeks flush even more. Worried, Zheng Qi took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. “Going from hot to cold like this, you need to be careful.”

Xiao San gave a simple, honest laugh. She hadn’t thought that far ahead; she just felt like waiting there, so she did.

The two wandered aimlessly through the mall, going from the first floor to the second.

What mattered wasn’t buying anything, but the chance to chat and walk together that was the best part.

Their fingers were tightly intertwined, and Xiao San used her other hand to play with Zheng Qi’s fingers as they strolled around. By the time they reached the fifth floor, Xiao San’s stomach was growling loudly.

“What would San’er like to eat?” Zheng Qi immediately noticed her hunger.

Xiao San shook her head. “I don’t know. Let’s take another look around.”

Zheng Qi chuckled. “I think you want to try a bit of everything.”

Xiao San rubbed her stomach. “I feel like I could eat a whole cow.”

“Your eyes are bigger than your stomach. Listen, your belly is already protesting.”

Xiao San grinned. “Let it protest all it wants. I’ll make my own choices. I won’t let its complaints interfere with my grand plans.”

Zheng Qi shook his head. “Let’s go to the hotpot and barbecue place up ahead. You can have as much as you want.”

“Oh, why didn’t I think of that?”

“After we eat, we can have ice cream later.” Zheng Qi knew exactly where Xiao San’s eyes had wandered and quickly pulled her forward. “Most people want to eat everything until they’re full, but you even though you want to eat, you’d rather starve yourself until you can’t stand it, and you still don’t know what to choose first.”

“It’s just a little indecisiveness,” Xiao San complained. “Really, just a tiny bit of indecisiveness.”

“Let’s go.” Hand in hand, they headed toward the restaurant, only to run into an acquaintance.

It was none other than Zhang Yibin, the man Guo Pianpian had been with. But this time, Zhang Yibin wasn’t accompanied by Guo Pianpian but by another woman.

Xiao San stared at Zhang Yibin, squinting for a long moment before confirming she hadn’t mistaken him.

This was definitely the man who had been with Guo Pianpian.

She had suspected this older man might be Guo Pianpian’s brother, boyfriend, or father.

But if it were either of the latter two options, the intimate gestures Xiao San now saw between Zhang Yibin and this woman were not a good sign.

Before Xiao San could figure out what to do, the woman beside Zhang Yibin stormed over. She looked Xiao San up and down, her disdainful expression completely unconcealed. “What are you staring at? If you’re trying to seduce my boyfriend, take a good look at yourself first.”

The moment the woman rushed forward, Zheng Qi had already pulled Xiao San behind her.

Hearing the woman’s words, Zheng Qi’s expression stiffened.

Zhang Yibin quickly came over to pull the woman back. “Liu Ruo, what are you doing?”

Zhang Yibin moved much closer to Xiao San and Zheng Qi, the distance between the three now less than a meter.

Although Zhang Yibin appeared somewhat aged, one could tell he had been quite handsome in his youth. Standing over 180 cm tall, his skin was a bit loose, but his features were sharp and well-defined. His face was square, yet his eyes carried a frivolous air.

As he leaned in, he bent halfway, almost pressing against them.

“I’m really sorry. My friend has been in a bad mood lately, so please don’t take it to heart.”

Liu Ruo whined from behind, “What do you mean, friend? Are you interested in these two women?”

Xiao San rubbed her forehead, never expecting to run into such a situation. No matter how you looked at it, it was incredibly awkward. She tugged at Zheng Qi. “Let’s go.”

It was better to avoid trouble, especially since the woman named Liu Ruo didn’t seem easy to deal with, and the man didn’t come across as a good person either.

“Stop talking,” Zhang Yibin snapped at Liu Ruo without turning around. “What’s all this fuss in public? It’s disgraceful.”

He then turned back to apologize to Xiao San and Zheng Qi. “I’m truly sorry. How about I treat you two beauties to a meal as an apology?” His gaze shifted to Xiao San. “I’m sure Miss Xiao won’t refuse, right?”

Zheng Qi narrowed her eyes. “Do you know her, San’er?”

Xiao San quickly shook her head. “No, I don’t.”

“Miss Xiao, you must be joking. Pianpian always says she’s on good terms with you. After all, you’re colleagues at the same company. As Pianpian’s brother, treating my sister’s friend to a meal is nothing to worry about.”

Zheng Qi paused. “Pianpian?”

Xiao San explained, “The HR from my previous company. I saw them together earlier.”

“Pianpian had to leave urgently, otherwise she would’ve definitely treated you to a meal too.”

Xiao San forced an awkward smile. “No need, we’ll just grab something ourselves.”

If she had known, she would’ve chosen a different mall. Even if Guo Pianpian were here, Xiao San wouldn’t have gone to eat with them, let alone now that Guo Pianpian wasn’t around.

Zhang Yibin, however, showed no embarrassment at being rejected and only grew more persistent. “Miss Xiao, are you planning to eat at this restaurant? It’s owned by a friend of mine. I can get you a discount.”

Xiao San felt even more awkward. Zheng Qi patted her shoulder reassuringly.

“Step aside,” Zheng Qi said bluntly.

She should’ve done this earlier but had held back for fear of startling Xiao San.

Just as Zhang Yibin was about to step forward again, before he could move, a group of men in black suddenly appeared and clamped down on his shoulders.

Terrified, he turned around to see Liu Ruo had already screamed and run far away. A crowd of onlookers quickly gathered around.

He had never been treated like this before.

“What are you doing? This is illegal, do you know that?!”

“Let me go, let me go!”

Xiao San glanced back, looking puzzled. Zheng Qi covered Xiao San’s ears with both hands. “Let’s go in and eat. Don’t let this dirty your ears.”

Zheng Qi’s expression suggested everything before her was perfectly normal, but to Xiao San, it was completely abnormal.

How could so many people in black suddenly swarm in?

“Are these all Ah Qi’s bodyguards?”

Zheng Qi nodded.

Xiao San gave Zheng Qi a thumbs-up. “So impressive! Where were they hiding? I had no idea.”

Zheng Qi’s serious expression suddenly broke. She laughed and ruffled Xiao San’s hair. “San’er’s thoughts are always so unique.”

“Don’t mess up my hair,” Xiao San pushed Zheng Qi’s hand away. “What’s so unique about that? Ah Qi is amazing, it’s not strange at all for her to have bodyguards.”

“I really wonder just how special I am in San’er’s eyes.” Zheng Qi leaned in ambiguously and whispered softly by Xiao San’s ear.

Xiao San replied, “In my eyes, Ah Qi is of course the most special. You’re so wonderful, the best person in the whole world.”

“Really? What if I’m not as good as you say?”

“As long as Ah Qi doesn’t lie to me. Even if you do, as long as you confess to me yourself, I suppose I could forgive you.” Xiao San said reluctantly, though she didn’t really believe Zheng Qi would deceive her. At most, Zheng Qi might have a past that was hard to talk about, but Xiao San was confident that, with her efforts, she could eventually help Zheng Qi open up.

Xiao San thought with great confidence.

Support