The Tragic Heroine Fell in Love with Me - Chapter 79

“You are…” Xiao San stared at Count Corey in shock, “You’re Ah Qi’s uncle?”

She looked at Count Corey with confusion. The niece he mentioned turned out to be Zheng Qi, which was difficult for Xiao San to accept. What made it even harder to bear was remembering Count Corey’s mention that Zheng Qi was about to get married.

“Yes, hello, friend of Ah Qi. I’m Ah Qi’s uncle.” Count Corey coughed twice, his face finally showing some color.

He seemed unaware of Xiao San’s unusual reaction and happily shared, “Ah Qi is getting married in a few days. Do you know him? A guy named Shen Lin.”

He closed his eyes, as if speaking too much had drained his energy. “Although I’m not entirely satisfied with him, since Ah Qi likes him, I can only agree. I don’t have much time left, I just hope to see Ah Qi happy before I die.”

“Is that so?” Xiao San’s spirits sank. “Maybe it’s not the same Ah Qi.”

She didn’t even dare to verify. If she didn’t seek confirmation, she could at least hold onto the thought that this Zheng Qi wasn’t the same person as the one in her heart. But if she verified it, wouldn’t they turn out to be the same person?

The entire journey back, Xiao San was filled with despondency.

After following Count Corey’s car to the city center, Xiao San thanked him and declined his offer to ride back together.

She bought her own ticket. While walking to the station, she couldn’t resist sending a message to Li Ailun.

“Yes.”

That was Li Ailun’s reply.

A single word seemed to shatter all of Xiao San’s defenses into pieces.

She took out her phone, wanting to ask Zheng Qi what exactly she had been hiding from her, but in the end, she didn’t send the message.

Looking at the dozens of messages she had sent to Zheng Qi that had gone unanswered, there was no need to ask this one either.

By the time Xiao San reached the residential complex, it was already the afternoon of the next day.

She hesitated to enter the complex, let alone their shared apartment, but matters needed to be resolved.

Xiao San opened the door, both afraid of encountering Zheng Qi and hoping to see her.

The moment she opened the door, the quietness inside made it seem as if no one had lived there for a long time. A sense of melancholy washed over her, this was exactly what she had expected.

She had never felt the apartment so cold and desolate before. In the past, she had considered it a warm little nest. Although she had once hesitated about being with Zheng Qi, she had never regretted it. But now…

All the warmth seemed to have been nothing but her own wishful thinking.

Xiao San walked into her room, then into Zheng Qi’s room.

Zheng Qi’s room was decorated warmly, but Xiao San could almost see the coldness of what it used to be.

She couldn’t help but take out her phone. The words she had intended to send to Zheng Qi were instead sent to Lü Yu.

Throughout this journey, Lü Yu had been her best friend and the person who had supported her the most.

[What should I do?]

“Buzz~”

The sound of her phone vibrating from a notification.

In the past, Xiao San wouldn’t have paid attention to such a sound, but now her heart was in too much turmoil. The surroundings felt too quiet, making her immediately notice the vibration.

She looked at the phone on the bedside table. Its screen had only lit up briefly, barely noticeable in the warm-toned room.

Xiao San walked over, her fingers touching the phone’s screen.

She had an absurd suspicion.

Placing her hand on the screen, she woke the phone, and the display brightened.

She stared at the messages she had sent to Lü Yu, now clearly displayed on the screen.

So that was it.

She let out a soft, bitter laugh.

No wonder, she and Lü Yu had communicated so frequently, yet whenever they happened to meet, Lü Yu’s expression was so distant.

Turns out, the person she had been contacting wasn’t Lü Yu at all.

She didn’t know what expression to wear to bear all of this.

But it didn’t matter, no one was watching her anyway.

“San’er?”

Xiao San turned her head and saw Zheng Qi, who had appeared out of nowhere. She forced a smile.

She thought this Zheng Qi before her was an illusion, a comforting illusion that made her want to smile.

Xiao San considered herself an optimistic person. She always believed that a smile could help her overcome any obstacle.

But at this moment.

Even without looking in a mirror, she knew her smile must look terrible.

If all their interactions had been lies, then what about their so-called love was it real or fake?

It wasn’t until Zheng Qi stepped forward and grabbed her hand that she realized the person before her was real.

“San’er, what’s wrong? Your hands are so cold.”

Xiao San didn’t even have the strength to push Zheng Qi away.

In the past, seeing Zheng Qi’s concern would have made her happy, even moved.

But now, she couldn’t help wondering was this concern from Zheng Qi genuine or just another act?

Once trust was broken, everything crumbled. Every gesture became a hypocritical performance.

“San’er? San’er?” Zheng Qi waved a hand in front of Xiao San’s face, leaning closer. But as soon as she took a step forward, Xiao San reflexively shoved her away.

“San’er?” Zheng Qi staggered but steadied herself, moving toward Xiao San again. “San’er, what’s wrong with you?”

“Let me be alone for a while,” Xiao San raised a hand, stopping Zheng Qi from coming any closer.

“Are you angry?” Zheng Qi’s expression turned strange. Her gaze swept over the phone on the bedside table, then roamed over Xiao San’s body. Her tone was no longer gentle, now laced with coldness and suspicion.

“I’m not angry,” Xiao San struggled to suppress the trembling in her body. “I’m just tired. I just got back from a business trip and need to rest.”

Staggering, Xiao San moved around Zheng Qi, unable to keep her expression from falling.

As she passed by Zheng Qi, she instinctively widened the distance between them on her way to the door. With every step, she fought to maintain her composure, each movement filled with difficulty.

Along the way, she thought about many things.

Those moments of dissonance during her time with Zheng Qi every time they spoke, the stubbornness hidden beneath Zheng Qi’s gentleness.

In Zheng Qi’s eyes, did she seem like a fool?

She couldn’t help but ask herself.

If everything Zheng Qi had shown was just an act.

Then everything she had done for Zheng Qi was it all just a joke in Zheng Qi’s eyes?

Right.

Zheng Qi was the female lead. She must still be in love with Shen Lin, because Shen Lin was the male lead.

They were supposed to get married.

But why did Zheng Qi have to come and provoke her?

She was just an ordinary person, utterly ordinary, an insignificant commoner in society.

Xiao San’s head ached. She lay in bed, dazed and muddled, and when she woke up, she heard the clatter of a spatula coming from outside.

She changed into her pajamas, grabbed a towel, and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

Now, she had no capacity for thought. She was merely following her old routines, like a walking corpse.

After showering, she went back to her room to get dressed, picked up her backpack, and headed toward the front door.

“San’er, what are you doing? You haven’t eaten yet,” Zheng Qi said gently.

Xiao San turned around and saw Zheng Qi wearing loungewear and an apron, holding a spatula. Only then did Xiao San notice the smell of cooking oil from the kitchen and hear the sizzle of oil in the frying pan.

Zheng Qi’s face was so gentle, as if nothing had happened at all.

Xiao San could have doubted maybe Zheng Qi was just slow to understand. After all, how could someone so kind and gentle comprehend the darkness behind the word “scheme”?

Unfortunately, she didn’t need to doubt. Zheng Qi definitely understood everything.

Xiao San stared at Zheng Qi’s face, trying to detect even a hint of pretense or a trace of guilt.

But there was none.

Absolutely none.

How could there be none?

Xiao San narrowed her eyes and took two steps back, avoiding Zheng Qi’s outstretched hand.

“I’m going to work.”

“Weren’t you exhausted yesterday?” Zheng Qi approached gently, as if Xiao San’s resistance didn’t exist, and firmly grasped her wrist. “I’ve already asked for leave from your company. Rest well at home first, and go to work when you’re feeling better.”

“I’m not tired. I want to go to work.”

“San’er, I don’t want you to make yourself uncomfortable because of work. Be good.” Zheng Qi pressed Xiao San into a chair at the dining table.

She turned and walked into the kitchen, skillfully plating the food.

Xiao San watched Zheng Qi’s back. Her wrist hurt badly, and only now did she realize how strong Zheng Qi was as a highly skilled martial artist.

She lowered her head, not daring to look up at Zheng Qi. Her heart felt deeply torn.

The Ah Qi before her was so gentle, yet the real her was full of lies.

“You’re getting married!” Xiao San said. Or rather, it wasn’t really a question just a simple statement.

“My San’er is so clever. You know everything.” Zheng Qi bent down to look at Xiao San, reached out to stroke her chin, and when her gaze shifted to Xiao San’s wrist, her expression cracked for a moment.

“Does it hurt?”

Zheng Qi walked around the table to Xiao San’s side, gently took her hand, and softly blew on it.

Xiao San resisted the urge to pull her hand back. “Didn’t you do this?”

“San’er is angry,” Zheng Qi said, lowering her head to gently kiss Xiao San’s wrist. Her movements were incredibly tender, as if she were holding a precious treasure. “I’m sorry. There won’t be a next time.”

Xiao San couldn’t help but push Zheng Qi away.

Was it really okay to act as if nothing had happened?

Zheng Qi wasn’t angered by San Xiao’s actions. She gently pressed on San Xiao’s shoulder and said, “Alright, even if you’re upset, you should eat something.”

San Xiao looked at Zheng Qi, opened her mouth as if to speak, but ultimately stood up. “I have no appetite. You eat by yourself.”

In truth, she just wanted an explanation. If it came from Zheng Qi, San Xiao would surely have accepted any reasonable justification.

Unfortunately, there was no explanation at all.

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