The Tragic Heroine Fell in Love with Me - Chapter 74

Snapping back to reality, Xiao San realized she had been quite impolite. The sudden fear she felt toward the kind stranger before her instantly vanished.

“Sort of. My friend grew up here, so I wanted to see what her childhood environment was like.”

The man nodded weakly. He appeared extremely frail just listening to her words and giving a slight nod seemed to drain him, as if he might collapse at any moment.

Xiao San cautiously asked, “You don’t seem to be from this country.”

“No, I’m from F Country.”

“Really? Your accent is excellent. I have a friend from F Country, but he’s nowhere near as good as you.” Xiao San suddenly thought of Mond Helge. Perhaps because of that association, she felt this kind stranger from F Country bore some resemblance to Mond Helge.

It wasn’t in appearance or scent it was more like their aura.

Yes, their aura. Even though they were both just sitting there, the vibe they gave off felt somewhat similar.

Though she found it strange, Xiao San even considered asking if this F Country stranger knew Mond Helge.

But she quickly dismissed the absurd thought.

F Country wasn’t that small, what were the chances they would know each other?

The man lowered his head and chuckled. “He must not have had a very good teacher.”

“Is that teacher someone very important to you?”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because it feels like you really admire that teacher. Just thinking about them makes you seem so gentle.” Xiao San instantly noticed the man’s suddenly softened smile, like a hedgehog revealing its soft belly.

The man was taken aback. “Is that so? This is the first time I’ve heard someone say that.”

“Really?” Xiao San rubbed the back of her head, feeling a bit embarrassed. From his words, she sensed a hint of praise. “I’m sure many people have noticed, it’s quite obvious.”

The man shook his head. Suddenly, he broke into a violent cough. Just as Xiao San grew anxious and leaned in to check on him, he had already straightened up. He didn’t seem bothered by the sudden coughing fit neither concerned about his condition nor apologetic for the abrupt rudeness.

“Whenever I mention her, people always say I’m being hypocritical.”

“Hypocritical?” Xiao San’s eyes widened as if she were about to hear something astonishing.

On one hand, she felt it wasn’t right to pry into someone else’s personal affairs. On the other hand, having heard the beginning, she was intensely curious about the rest of the story.

“She’s my lover’s child. In your culture, she’d be called a niece.”

“You even know the word ‘niece’?” Xiao San couldn’t help but be surprised. During holidays, she had so few relatives that she could never keep straight who was a maternal grandmother, who was a paternal grandmother, who should be called an uncle, and who should be called a cousin.

Foreigners often didn’t distinguish between paternal and maternal relatives, so for someone from F Country to know the term “niece” was truly remarkable.

“Hahaha.” The man laughed. “You’re such an easy person to read everything shows on your face. If only she were like you, how wonderful that would be.”

The man coughed again, forcing him to stop laughing. “My name is Corey. Although I’m a foreigner, I’ve lived in this country for over a decade. I can still distinguish between relatives.”

Xiao San blushed slightly. She had long known her expressions were too transparent. Ah Qi had told her before that someone like her could easily have their thoughts read. She wanted to appear more reserved, but she simply couldn’t master Zheng Qi’s ability to control her expressions.

“Uncle Corey, what brings you to the mountains? Are you traveling?” Xiao San fanned her face with her hand, trying to reduce the redness. Her gaze drifted elsewhere as she attempted to change the subject.

The person before her was none other than Corey Helge.

Similar to Xiao San’s desire to explore Zheng Qi’s childhood, Corey wanted to revisit his own memories.

He didn’t have many days left to live, and while he could still move, he wanted to see the place he had lived in for so long and missed for so many years.

He never expected to encounter such an interesting person.

He had worked hard to pave the way for Zheng Qi, and his final wish was simply to see her happy.

“Not for travel. I used to live there. Now that my health is deteriorating, if I don’t go now, I’m afraid I’ll run out of time.”

The topic seemed somewhat heavy, but looking at Count Corey’s expression, there was no trace of fear on his face. Instead, he seemed almost happy about his impending death.

Xiao San tilted her head. Another piece of evidence seemed to confirm that Uncle Corey was a vampire, just like in TV dramas or novels all immortal vampires seemed to yearn for a future where they could finally die.

“You lived here too?” Xiao San avoided the topic of death. “My friend also grew up here. Maybe you two have even met.”

“Tell me your friend’s name. Maybe we really do know each other.”

“Zheng Qi,” Xiao San said, looking at Count Corey with anticipation. She was thrilled at the possibility of someone knowing Zheng Qi. “Do you know her? She grew up here.”

Count Corey froze for a moment, studying the bright and cheerful girl before him. His mind instantly conjured up numerous assumptions: this girl had ulterior motives for approaching him, she intended to harm Zheng Qi, she…

Count Corey paused before saying, “I haven’t heard of her but there are many people with the surname Zheng in this village. Perhaps you can ask around when you get there.”

“Ah,” Xiao San sighed in disappointment, slumping back into her seat. She had been so excited earlier that she had leaned forward, hoping to glean some information about Zheng Qi from Count Corey. “Well, it’s true. What are the chances you’d actually know her?”

“Is she your friend? Why didn’t she come with you?”

“She’s working. I thought…” Xiao San felt she had broached the topic poorly, as it seemed to lead directly into discussing her relationship with Zheng Qi.

Acceptance of homosexuality wasn’t particularly high in the country, and she herself hadn’t had much exposure to it before. But being with Zheng Qi felt so natural that she couldn’t bring herself to feel any aversion.

Although she was with Zheng Qi, she hadn’t yet made plans to come out.

“My friend said the people here are incredibly simple and honest, so I wanted to come and see for myself, what kind of place could be such a beautiful hometown? I also wanted to see the kind of mountains and rivers that could shape someone as gentle and strong as Ah Qi.”

Count Corey shook his head and couldn’t help but chuckle.

Perhaps it was someone with the same name. After all, from Xiao San’s description, it was impossible to match it with Zheng Qi, let alone talk about this place being simple and honest. If it were Zheng Qi, she would probably curse this place.

“I can tell your friend is indeed a very gentle person,” Count Corey remarked.

“That’s right, Ah Qi is truly the most perfect, the gentlest person,” Xiao San said, her spirits lifting as soon as she started talking about Zheng Qi. Whenever Zheng Qi was mentioned, she felt happy and had endless things to say.

But Count Corey was too tired. The bumpy road made him cough almost constantly, and after talking with Xiao San for so long, he couldn’t hold on any longer and drifted into a deep sleep.

A smile touched his lips. It had been a long time since he had felt so happy or slept so soundly.

He had lost count of how many sleepless nights he’d endured.

Perhaps it was because Xiao San was so optimistic that Count Corey felt at ease, and he ended up snoring loudly beside her.

By the time they were nearing their destination, three or four hours had passed.

Through the car window, they could already see the village nestled among the mountains, forests, and rocks. The village seemed to blend seamlessly with the trees and stones. If not for the wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys, one might not even notice such a beautiful place.

The mountain air was far fresher than in the city. Xiao San took a deep breath and felt instantly energized.

As soon as the car stopped, Count Corey woke up.

He wasn’t fully alert yet and stared in confusion at the scenery of the village before him.

“Sir, we’ve arrived.”

A person dressed in black athletic wear approached the car window, and as soon as he appeared outside, Count Corey snapped awake.

“How long did I sleep?” he asked.

Xiao San, who had been in the car the whole time, looked a bit pale and her mood had gradually soured. “Over three hours, Uncle Corey. You slept so soundly, but I was so tired and couldn’t fall asleep with all the shaking and bumping. Ugh~” She yawned, looking utterly drained.

In contrast, Count Corey seemed much more refreshed after his nap. “Three hours, it’s been a long time since I’ve slept that long.”

“Spring drowsiness, autumn fatigue, summer naps, and the endless sleepiness of winter every season makes you tired,” Xiao San said, covering her eyes as she yawned again. “I couldn’t sleep for three hours in the car, but you managed it, Uncle Corey. You’re something else.”

Xiao San automatically interpreted Count Corey’s comment about not sleeping that long as referring to not sleeping that long in a car.

“Thank you, Uncle Corey. By the way, when are you all heading back?” Though she seemed a bit embarrassed, she thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to hitch a ride back with them.

“Probably in two or three days. My niece is getting married, and I need to go back for the wedding. I can give you a ride back then.”

“Congratulations!” Xiao San quickly thanked him and added, “Should we exchange phone numbers so we can get in touch later?”

Count Corey retrieved a walkie-talkie from a hidden compartment beside his seat and handed it to Xiao San. “The phone signal is poor in the mountains. Take this, I’ll contact you when I’m ready to return.”

Xiao San accepted the walkie-talkie with flattered disbelief, holding it carefully in his hands. The well-equipped setup felt so surreal, almost like a dream.

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