Transmigrated Into the Stand-In of the Tragic Novel’s Heroine - Chapter 21

Xie Qingtang had no intention of participating in Chang Yishao’s future.

Those strange and bizarre things should be left to He Yanjin and Chang Yishao.

Seeing He Yanjin fuming with anger, Xie Qingtang felt happy. After He Yanjin left, she comfortably lay back down in the chair, continuing to enjoy the coolness under the shade. Sunlight was like leaping fragments of gold, filtering down through the gaps in the trees. The dappled shadows were stirred by the wind, and everything returned to normal.

Xie Qingtang’s consciousness became somewhat hazy; for a moment, she thought she had fallen into a dream, but a moment later, she emerged from it.

She blinked, realized that it wasn’t early, and stretched before standing up.

Her current identity was that of a kiln worker, and although she participated in the practical activities, she didn’t eat with the school group.

Holding her meal tray, Xie Qingtang’s mind began to wander to dinner—in the past few days, Chang Yishao hadn’t conducted her routine daily inquiry, seemingly waiting for her to ask a question herself. But having passed through countless small worlds and tasted virtually all manner of delicacies, she didn’t have anything she particularly wanted to eat.

“No appetite?” Qi Yu’s voice chimed in.

Xie Qingtang glanced back at the great artist Qi, who had transitioned from being “reluctant” to being “in her element,” fully adapting to her identity as a helper here. “No,” Xie Qingtang shook her head with a smile, turning her attention back to her lunch.

“Did you run into He Yanjin?” In Qi Yu’s eyes, Xie Qingtang’s current posture seemed lonely and downcast. It wasn’t hard for her to connect this with He Yanjin, whom she had encountered earlier. After all, with He Yanjin’s personality, upon seeing Chang Yishao’s current girlfriend, she would surely say a few cutting remarks.

Xie Qingtang quietly looked at Qi Yu, nodding to satisfy her curiosity, and replied, “I did.” And I made her leave in anger, she added in her mind.

Qi Yu frowned. She said, “Don’t pay attention to her. That person is—” After a long thought, she said, “flawed.”

Xie Qingtang perfunctorily murmured in acknowledgement, thinking to herself that it wasn’t just He Yanjin who was flawed, but Chang Yishao as well. Qi Yu ate quickly, like a tempest sweeping through, and after finishing, she didn’t leave with her tray but waited for Xie Qingtang. Chang Yishao usually acted this way, but for some reason, when it was Qi Yu, she felt a slight discomfort. She silently quickened her pace.

“Aren’t you going to paint?” Xie Qingtang walked out of the cafeteria side by side with Qi Yu.

Hearing this, Qi Yu knitted her brows, a hint of annoyance in her tone. She said, “I have no inspiration.”

Xie Qingtang nodded, looking at Qi Yu with a little more sympathy; lack of creative inspiration was indeed a painful thing.

Qi Yu was another type of quiet person, and the topics between her and Xie Qingtang were pitifully few.

The awkward atmosphere grew as they walked. Xie Qingtang pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Qi Yu’s face, picking a topic she was interested in. She asked, “What was Chang Yishao like before?” The Chang Yishao described by He Yanjin was somewhat arrogant, unrestrained, and a bit wild, bearing no resemblance to the current “peaceful and tranquil” version.

“I don’t remember,” Qi Yu replied. She stopped walking, thought for a moment, and answered seriously, “Very different from now.” Since He Yanjin appeared, their circle of friends gradually split, and perhaps only Lu Li remained steadfastly by Chang Yishao’s side. Lu Li and the others talked about Chang Yishao, saying she had changed into this state because of He Yanjin. But to her, it didn’t seem quite like that. He Yanjin also harbored intense dissatisfaction with Chang Yishao.

Xie Qingtang nodded thoughtfully. So, did her personality change drastically after heartbreak? Or was she slowly molded into her current appearance by someone else, only to be ruthlessly abandoned?

“She had a wide range of interests and was very quick to learn.” Qi Yu smiled. She raised her head slightly, and the sunlight sprinkled on her face. “She was probably the ‘child from another family’ that the old man talks about.”

Xie Qingtang said, “Oh,” and smiled lightly. In Qi Yu’s eyes, Chang Yishao presented a completely different image.

“What do you think of her?” Qi Yu asked in return.

“A little bit—” Xie Qingtang’s words stopped abruptly. She looked up and saw Chang Yishao standing not far away, arms crossed, looking at her, and swallowed the word “boring.”

Qi Yu nodded toward Chang Yishao and said, “I’m going to paint.” Then she turned and walked away as if a beast were chasing her.

Xie Qingtang: “…” Paint what when you have no inspiration? Just sighing at the canvas?

At this moment, Chang Yishao was already striding toward her.

Xie Qingtang squinted at Chang Yishao. She was backlit, and her face appeared vague and indistinct.

“Have you eaten lunch?” Chang Yishao’s voice was soft, like a gentle breeze blowing past the ear.

Xie Qingtang nodded. She retracted her gaze and said casually, “Don’t you need to keep the students company?”

Chang Yishao said, “Their class teacher is there.”

“Then—” Then aren’t you going to look for He Yanjin?

The words reached her lips, only to be swallowed back by Xie Qingtang in time, secretly thinking, That was close. After clashing with He Yanjin, bringing it up with Chang Yishao would just make her seem sarcastic, the kind of “tool” that invites a slap in the face.

“Then what?” Chang Yishao continued to gaze gently at Xie Qingtang, patiently asking.

“Nothing.” Xie Qingtang shook her head, resolutely refusing to say what she was thinking. “A walk?” Xie Qingtang suggested. She had already prepared Chang Yishao’s reply: she would gently reply with “No, thank you,” every word revealing distance.

“Okay.” Chang Yishao’s gaze deepened a little as she looked at Xie Qingtang. She nodded, her expression calm, and agreed readily.

Xie Qingtang: “…” Why wasn’t she following the script? Could it be to run into He Yanjin? Xie Qingtang thought it over and believed she understood Chang Yishao’s intention. She suddenly realized and looked at Chang Yishao with a mix of sympathy and pity.

Truly refusing to give up until the very end, even though the other person already had a current partner? And was cheating—worth forgiving?

Xie Qingtang’s eyes were strange and direct. Chang Yishao was startled. She looked down at her clothes, thinking something might be amiss.

Before she could ask, Xie Qingtang took the initiative to shake her head and said, “Nothing.”

Chang Yishao blinked, even more bewildered and confused.

Being looked at by her eyes, Xie Qingtang suddenly felt a surge of shame. She seemed to genuinely possess the potential to be a “bad person.” She felt like someone full of malice, watching Chang Yishao step by step toward the abyss, with no intention of pulling her out.

“Do you plan to stay here at the Qi family and help out indefinitely?” Chang Yishao asked. She had inquired with Qi Yu; the Pingyao area needed apprentices and temporary workers, and Xie Qingtang might not be suitable.

Xie Qingtang sincerely shook her head. She had come here for inspiration and would leave once she was done.

“Then what are your plans afterward? Continue live streaming?” Chang Yishao asked slowly and softly.

Xie Qingtang let out an “Ah,” her heart suddenly trembling as she met Chang Yishao’s gaze. Couldn’t she just be a “salted fish” and retire? The contract didn’t state she had to have future plans!

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