The Tragic Heroine Fell in Love with Me - Chapter 73

Zheng Qi let out a cold laugh. “What, did you use your so-called ‘authority’ again?”

She crossed her arms in front of her chest, her toes pointed toward the door, her entire body tense as she stood before Count Corey.

Count Corey looked at Zheng Qi as if she were a misbehaving child. “Ah Qi, you must believe that everything I do is for your own good.”

Zheng Qi stormed out of the room. She had no desire to speak further with Count Corey. The moment she stepped outside, Li Ailun approached her. “Did you talk to him?”

“I did.”

Li Ailun breathed a sigh of relief, patting his chest. “I thought you were really going to marry that scoundrel Shen Lin. How heartbroken Miss Xiao would have been.”

“He didn’t agree.”

“Ah?” Li Ailun couldn’t understand. “Why? Why wouldn’t he agree?”

Zheng Qi shook her head.

Li Ailun pressed, “You like Miss Xiao, not Shen Lin. What right does he have to disagree?”

Judging by Li Ailun’s demeanor, if Count Corey refused to approve this marriage, he might even consider assassinating the Count.

Zheng Qi shook her head again.

“What do you mean by shaking your head?”

“I didn’t tell him about San’er’s existence.”

“Why not?” Li Ailun was baffled. “Do you really think Miss Xiao isn’t as good as Shen Lin?”

Li Ailun looked at Zheng Qi with disdain. How could she like Shen Lin but be afraid to mention Xiao San’s name? Was Shen Lin really that much better than Xiao San?

Fortunately, Zheng Qi didn’t notice his expression at that moment. Her mind was in turmoil. “If I mention San’er’s name, wouldn’t that just give him a reason to target her? All he wants is to control me, to make me as lonely and isolated as he is. I will never let him harm San’er.”

Li Ailun’s expression shifted from disdain to helplessness. “I’ve told you before, maybe Count Corey isn’t as bad as you think.”

But Zheng Qi, consumed by fear, didn’t hear a word Li Ailun said.

From the moment she learned that Count Corey had arrived in the country, she had been terrified. She hated Corey Helge, but she was also afraid of him. No matter how well she pretended, the two years of “training” had left her scarred and broken.

During the “training,” she had become completely numb.

Every day, she would think back to the times when Shen Lin had been by her side, how he had carried her out of the kidnapping site.

And every time, she would recall her aunt lying in a pool of blood, the crimson liquid slowly turning black, drying up, and growing cold. In her world, Shen Lin was the only one left.

Day after day, she lived in fear.

She had once longed for death, believing that dying would reunite her with her aunt. But when death loomed close, she realized how terrified she truly was.

Everyone thought she had topped the training because of her calmness and cold-bloodedness. They didn’t know that the reason she endured was largely because she had grown numb so afraid that she became numb.

Zheng Qi had sent Xiao San far away. She would never allow Corey Helge to appear before Xiao San.

As for Xiao San,

Unable to reach Zheng Qi no matter how hard she tried, she grew increasingly worried. But when she called Li Ailun, he told her that Zheng Qi was fine, just that someone she disliked had shown up, which had put her in a bad mood lately.

Xiao San wanted to return quickly, but Li Allen gave her an address, the village where Zheng Qi had spent her childhood, a place Xiao San had long wanted to visit.

Li Allen kept urging her to uncover Zheng Qi’s past.

At first, Xiao San was reluctant. She felt Zheng Qi was already wonderful enough. If Zheng Qi wanted to tell her something, she would; if Zheng Qi chose to hide it, it must be because she had carefully considered it and decided it wasn’t something Xiao San should know.

But when she noticed Zheng Qi occasionally zoning out or fearing that Xiao San would leave her sight, Xiao San began to feel that doing this was necessary.

So she set out to explore Zheng Qi’s past, hoping to understand her better, to let Zheng Qi be completely open in front of her without pretense or fear.

“Since I can’t get in touch with Ah Qi, I’ll just go to the village where she grew up.”

Thinking about how Zheng Qi had so many childhood friends who must know plenty of her embarrassing stories, Xiao San had a mischievous idea: once she learned those stories, she’d tease Zheng Qi about them when they met.

After packing her bags and shouldering her backpack, Xiao San embarked on the journey to Zheng Qi’s childhood village.

The road was far from easy. After taking a train and a bus, she finally reached the town, only to learn that the mountain path to the village was rugged and treacherous. There was no direct bus; she’d have to wait for someone driving there to give her a ride.

“How long until someone goes?” Xiao San asked.

A kind local vendor replied, “About seven or eight days. Old Zhang, who delivers goods to the village, went yesterday? Or the day before? Anyway, trips to that village only happen once every ten days or so. It’s a really remote place, those who manage to leave never go back. Young lady, I’d advise against going. ‘Trouble brews in barren lands,’ and someone like you could easily get kidnapped.”

“Huh? Is it that dangerous?” In Xiao San’s imagination, the village where Zheng Qi had lived was a picturesque place with clear waters, singing birds, simple folk, and a peaceful life.

“Well, it’s better now, but ten or more years ago, college students like you often got trafficked there!” The vendor clicked his tongue. “Things are different now, but there are still more men than women. You need to be careful you might end up locked away and forced to have children.”

Xiao San gasped again. She thanked the vendor, but her heart grew tense, and she started seeing everyone as a potential kidnapper.

She began to have second thoughts. She had trusted Zheng Qi’s depiction of her childhood, but the vendor’s words sounded convincing too. Maybe Zheng Qi had a nostalgic filter because she grew up there, or perhaps the vendor was just trying to scare a young girl.

To protect herself, Xiao San managed to buy an electric self-defense baton in town and filled a spray bottle with chili oil.

“I hope this works.”

After delaying for two days, Xiao San still hadn’t found anyone heading to the village. The town had so little foot traffic that in just two days, almost everyone knew about the girl waiting for a ride into the mountains.

“Little lady, a few people have arrived in town saying they want to head into the mountains. Would you like to go ask them?” The kind-hearted innkeeper came over to share the good news with Xiao San. Delighted, she immediately nodded. “Where are they? I’ll go ask right away.”

After the innkeeper told Xiao San where the group was, she hurriedly packed her things, afraid that if they agreed to take her, they might change their minds if she kept them waiting.

Carrying her luggage, she approached the vehicles, three towering off-road cars splattered with mud, evidence of a rough journey.

The group was washing the cars when they noticed a young woman in her twenties jogging toward them with her luggage. They exchanged glances, their expressions turning wary.

“Hello,” Xiao San called out from a distance. “I heard you’re heading into the mountains. Could I possibly hitch a ride? The village I’m going to is right along your way.”

“The town sends a bus to the village every ten days. You could take that,” said a dark-skinned man with a local accent, speaking in Mandarin. He was the group’s guide and, sensing these people weren’t exactly on the up-and-up, didn’t want Xiao San tagging along.

Xiao San replied apologetically, “But the bus left four days ago. The next one isn’t for another six days. I only have five days off, and if I wait any longer, I’ll have to head back without going.”

“Pay a bit extra, and we can take you there.”

“But Brother Zhang broke his leg, so he really can’t drive me,” Xiao San explained, though she felt awkward. This was a rare opportunity, and she didn’t want to miss it. “Please, sir, just let me ride along. I can pay you when we come back.”

Cough, cough, cough! A fit of harsh coughing came from inside one of the vehicles.

“Let her come. There’s still some space in my car,” said the person inside.

At the sound of his voice, everyone around immediately bowed their heads respectfully.

Xiao San guessed this must be the group’s leader and quickly expressed her gratitude. “Thank you, thank you so much!”

A man in a sleek black tracksuit, who had previously ignored her, stepped forward and took her luggage. Another similarly dressed man opened the car door.

Xiao San saw that the interior of the off-road vehicle was surprisingly spacious. Through the open door, she caught sight of a pale-faced man bundled in heavy clothing.

He didn’t look old, but he gave off the aura of someone nearing the end of his life, frail and aged. His sickly appearance, paired with eyes that seemed both youthful and ancient, made it hard to guess his true age.

“Hello, I’m Xiao San. Sorry to trouble you on the journey ahead,” she said, thanking him as she clumsily climbed into the car.

The back seat, designed for two, felt excessively roomy. The interior had been modified so that the driver’s area was completely separated from the back, with no visibility between them.

Xiao San pressed herself against the door, careful not to take up too much space or annoy anyone with her movements.

She cautiously glanced at the man beside her. From outside, she hadn’t been able to see him clearly, but as her eyes adjusted to the dim light inside the car, she realized he didn’t look like a local, he seemed to be a foreigner.

A tall, straight nose bridge, deep-set eye sockets, and a head of silver-white hair, if vampires in novels had a real-life counterpart, this man would undoubtedly be one of them.

His lips were far too pale, like a vampire who hadn’t fed in a while.

Xiao San felt a shiver of fear. A belated thought struck her could the person before her actually be a vampire, one who had come seeking prey to satisfy his hunger.

“Are you here as a tourist?”

The man’s voice was soft, yet it struck Xiao San’s heart with a direct force, startling her into a jolt.

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