The Tragic Heroine Fell in Love with Me - Chapter 7

Dad Xiao slapped Xiao San on the head. “Stop making jokes like that. Next time, I’ll really have your mom deal with you, you can’t just say whatever you want.”

Xiao San covered her head, putting on a pitiful expression. “Wahh!”

Dad Xiao knew she was faking it and paid her no mind, walking ahead without looking back.

Sure enough, Xiao San quickly caught up.

“You really don’t love me anymore,” she whined, trailing behind him.

“Enough, hurry up,” Dad Xiao said with a sigh. This girl was always so unserious, he had no idea who she took after.

The hotel, glowing with soft light, was dazzling. Smartly dressed doormen stood on either side of the entrance as cars and people came and went. No one noticed that, not far from the hotel, a shadowy figure was holding a phone, fingers repeatedly zooming in on the screen and pressing the shutter button.

Xiao San was completely unaware of all this.

She was just surprised to find that Shen Lin was among the exchange students this time.

The male lead certainly had the power to influence the exchange program between the two universities.

But Xiao San didn’t think he would do it, especially since the girl he liked had already gone abroad with her.

If it wasn’t the male lead, then who was it?

That was the question.

Xiao San was extremely curious but hesitated to share this gossip with Zheng Qi.

Mainly because she was afraid Zheng Qi still had feelings for Shen Lin, even though she hadn’t shown any signs of liking the male lead recently.

What if Zheng Qi still had lingering feelings and was just suppressing them? Seeing him again might rekindle old emotions, and that would be a disaster.

Thinking this, Xiao San quickly sent Zheng Qi a text: “Don’t come looking for me these next few days. I’ll come find you, okay?”

After a while, Xiao San’s phone buzzed with a reply.

“Okay :)”

Putting down her phone, Zheng Qi could no longer hide the chill emanating from her.

Shen Lin was here, and because of that, Xiao San didn’t want to see her.

She wasn’t sure if her current mood was due to Xiao San’s refusal to meet or Shen Lin’s sudden arrival.

Zheng Qi struggled to suppress the malice rising inside her. She lowered her head, her fingers gripping the phone so tightly it seemed it might shatter at any moment.

Her possession was starting to play tricks again.

She curled her lips into a smile, but there was no trace of joy in her eyes.

“Zheng Qi, we don’t have classes this afternoon. Do you want to go shopping with us?” a roommate called out suddenly.

The voice broke through Zheng Qi’s cold aura. She slowly turned around, a gentle smile spreading across her face. “No, I have to go to work.”

“Oh, alright then. We’ll plan for another time,” the roommate said, turning away to gather her things.

Once her roommates had left, Zheng Qi tossed her work uniform onto the bed, opened her phone, and expressionlessly requested time off from her supervisor.

Without waiting for a response, she sat motionless in her chair, staring at her phone.

It was another phone, this one had only one contact: Shen Lin.

Zheng Qi’s feelings for Shen Lin were no secret.

Everyone knew she liked him so much so that she would humbly beg for his attention or destroy everything around him just to make him see her.

But Shen Lin liked Xiao San.

She had realized it a long time ago.

His gaze always lingered around Xiao San. He would proudly boast that Xiao San only cared about him.

He arranged for Xiao San to be in the same class as him. Whenever Xiao San encountered the slightest issue, he was always the first to appear.

But Shen Lin would never admit it.

Because Shen Lin knew very well that Xiao San was not worthy of him.

She was merely the daughter of a driver someone who offered Shen Lin no help, someone who could easily be manipulated.

She wore all her emotions on her sleeve, trusting everyone easily. If someone showed even a hint of sadness, she would apologize guiltily.

At first, when she approached Xiao San, she looked down on her.

Someone like Xiao San, to put it nicely, was guileless; to put it bluntly, she was foolish, downright stupid!

She had never met anyone so foolish.

Xiao San…

She was foolish, yet she had managed to hide a secret for so long.

Zheng Qi fiddled with two phones. If Xiao San didn’t like Shen Lin, that would be one thing. But if Xiao San did like Shen Lin.

I’m sorry.

She said coldly. She rarely uttered these three words sincerely, but if Xiao San truly stood in her way, she would have no choice but to apologize to her sincerely.

Xiao San shivered for no reason.

“Has the weather turned colder recently?” Xiao San wondered, glancing around. The pedestrians on the street were dressed warmly, while only a few of them, due to the school administration’s request, had to dress like hostesses to welcome the exchange students.

“San’er, we are hostesses, not just dressed like them,” Lü Yu explained beside her.

Xiao San couldn’t help but groan softly, “Why? Why does the guitar club have to act as hostesses? Shouldn’t it be the etiquette club?”

“Do we even have an etiquette club?” Lü Yu asked.

Xiao San shook her head, pouting. “No, we don’t. I just had a tiny wish. It would’ve been great if there was an etiquette club.”

“Alright, stop overthinking it. The exchange students will be here soon. I heard there are plenty of handsome guys among them.”

Xiao San sighed dejectedly, “Don’t you already have Du Yitong? Why are you still so fixated on checking out handsome guys?”

Lü Yu rolled her eyes at Xiao San. “Don’t pretend. We all know you’re a sucker for good looks too. Just try not to drool when you see them later.”

“I won’t! I’m not the type to lose myself over handsome guys. I’m a principled, serious person who isn’t swayed by good looks.” Xiao San patted her chest, speaking with righteous conviction.

Just as she said this, firecrackers went off at the school gate, and a line of luxury cars drove in.

The school administrators waiting at the gate to greet them didn’t notice in time and had to jog after the cars as they drove past.

“Haha, this is hilarious,” Xiao San said, struggling to keep a straight face.

“Keep it down. If we get caught, they’ll deduct our credits,” Lü Yu reminded her.

Xiao San subtly made an “OK” gesture with her fingers. “Don’t worry, I can hold it in.”

Soon, the luxury cars lined up along both sides of the school pathway.

People in the passenger seats stepped out, dressed in black suits and black sunglasses. They efficiently opened the rear doors, placing one hand above the doorframe to prevent the occupants from bumping their heads as they exited.

Xiao San stood on her tiptoes.

“Hey, tone it down a bit. You say you’re not superficial, but don’t be so obvious about it,” Lü Yu whispered.

Xiao San didn’t have the heart to admit that she was actually searching for her dad among the crowd.

Unfortunately, all the cars looked pretty much the same. Even though she had ridden in the Shen family’s luxury cars several times, her compliments were merely lip service. She had no real idea what made those cars special and hadn’t even noticed the license plate numbers. So, she just stood on her tiptoes, unable to spot which car her dad was in.

There were twelve cars in total, and twelve people stepped out of them.

They were dressed in well-fitted suits. Though they wore suits just like the bodyguards, theirs were tailored more elegantly, and their every movement exuded the grace of “aristocrats.”

Xiao San couldn’t help but describe them that way.

After all, among the students at A University not that she looked down on them whenever anyone wore a suit, they ended up looking like insurance salesmen.

Maybe this was just the disparity of the fictional world.

The school administrators, who had hurried over with quick steps, followed behind them, their faces beaming like a field of chrysanthemums, lavishing the twelve students with excessive flattery.

“Holy crap, the school leaders are practically groveling!” Even Lü Yu couldn’t hold back her astonishment.

Xiao San replied, “Well, they are the money gods, all twelve of them.”

If it were her, she’d have to suck up to them too.

Lü Yu fell silent as the school administrators led the twelve money gods in their direction.

Xiao San, just like Lü Yu, flashed a row of pearly white teeth, smiling like a mannequin in a shopping mall.

Suddenly, a pair of leather shoes stopped right in front of Xiao San.

Her gaze traveled upward.

Polished, gleaming leather shoes, a pair of long, straight legs, a perfectly tailored tailcoat.

Did this guy just come back from a tap dance performance?

Xiao San met the man’s eyes.

They were a striking azure blue, set deep in their sockets. He had a tall, straight nose, thin lips that hinted at indifference, the sharp jawline typical of Westerners, and a head of golden hair.

He stood before Xiao San, his eyes filled with mockery perhaps not just for her, but for everyone.

Instinctively, Xiao San disliked the man in front of her. He was looking at her as if she were some kind of plaything.

“Teacher, this one for me,” he said in heavily accented Mandarin, pointing at Xiao San as if requesting a toy, addressing the school administrator.

The crowd reacted with expressions ranging from unease to disdain.

But he seemed delighted. “This one, my study companion.”

“Monde Helger!” A cold, angry voice cut through the air. “You really don’t want to cause trouble here.”

Monde Helger turned to see who had spoken. It was none other than Shen Lin, who was among the exchange students.

“Lin, you say that, but it hurts me. I just need a study companion.”

The school administrator quickly stepped in to mediate. “Mr. Helger, we can arrange the matter of a study companion later. For now, let’s head to your dormitories and take a look.”

Monde Helger shrugged and walked ahead casually, as if the warning had never been directed at him.

Shen Lin slowed his pace, his eyes turning toward Xiao San, seeming to hold a thousand unspoken words.

Xiao San smiled at him in gratitude. Unexpectedly, Shen Lin immediately turned his head and said with a nasty tone, “Don’t try to seduce every person you meet. He won’t take responsibility for you.”

Xiao San’s smile gradually stiffened, and she gritted her teeth. “Thank you so much for the reminder, my dear young master.”

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