Transmigrated Into the Stand-In of the Tragic Novel’s Heroine - Chapter 38

Chang Yishao didn’t know when Xie Qingtang came out, or how much she had heard, so she could only remain silent on the way back.

Xie Qingtang could probably guess Chang Yishao’s burden, as Zhou Yunmeng’s words weren’t exactly complimentary to her. Once they were back and seated in the private room, she rested her chin on one hand, watching Chang Yishao peel shrimp, and then slowly said, “Miss Zhou is not as gentle and harmless as she appears. Her words sound… hmm…” Xie Qingtang thought for a moment before adding, “sharp.”

Zhou Yunmeng was full of barbs, rushing to drag herself and Chang Yishao into a circle, seemingly to make herself feel better? She had actually encountered similar people in the small world. You could say she was cowardly because she was afraid of facing rejection, but you couldn’t call her unbrave. In certain matters, her fangs were sharp—hateful yet pitiful.

Chang Yishao looked up. Hearing Xie Qingtang say this, she knew the other woman had heard everything. She sighed softly, and after a moment, said, “Love or hate, she’s just looking for an emotional anchor.” The situation with the Zhou family was what it was. As the Zhou family’s daughter, she was both self-abasing and arrogant. Chang Yishao couldn’t control what happened between her and He Yanjin in the end, but at least, it shouldn’t affect others, right?

She was thinking about Zhou Yunmeng, while Xie Qingtang’s thoughts suddenly shifted back to Chang Yishao. She countered, “And what about you? Are you also looking for an anchor?” Like a drifting cloud. It was hard to imagine her stimulating past through her current appearance, but the descriptions from others could still sketch a picture. If life is as calm as stagnant water, one seeks stimulation. The current gentleness is probably just superficial, with a turbulent undercurrent that might sweep in a storm at any moment.

Chang Yishao was stunned. She lowered her head, responding to Xie Qingtang’s question with silence. Her past life was tumultuous. She found brief peace after meeting He Yanjin, but soon after, it stirred up another kind of dangerous and violent upheaval. She probably became completely disillusioned at that moment and continued to treat life as a game.

She was different from Zhou Yunmeng, but that didn’t mean she was an upright person.

Seeing Chang Yishao remain silent, Xie Qingtang quietly “tsk-ed.” Her gaze fell upon Chang Yishao’s beautiful hands, encased in transparent gloves—now stained with oil from peeling shrimp, though still retaining much of their grace. Looking at the increasing pile of shrimp meat on the plate, Xie Qingtang chuckled, “Teacher Chang rarely peels shrimp? This peeling is quite ‘uneven’.”

Chang Yishao pursed her lips, slowing her hand movements slightly, as if measuring the size of the shrimp heads and tails to make the next one consistent with the last. Her eyes swept over the mess beside Xie Qingtang—the shrimp heads and tails were a miserable sight. How could Xie Qingtang, a person who barely knew how to peel shrimp, have the nerve to comment on her? “Eat,” Chang Yishao pushed the shrimp meat towards her, then took off her gloves and meticulously wiped the grease with a wet wipe.

Xie Qingtang “sighed,” picked up a piece of shrimp, but hesitated to put it in her mouth.

“Do you have to strive for perfection even when eating shrimp?” Chang Yishao shot her an amused glance.

“No,” Xie Qingtang shook her head. She looked at Chang Yishao and said earnestly, “I’m just wondering where I’ll find someone to peel shrimp for me in the future.”

Chang Yishao lowered her eyes. After a while, she said, “If you don’t mind, you can come to me.”

“What? You want to be a shrimp-peeler for life?” Xie Qingtang looked at Chang Yishao, curious. Miss Chang was surely someone who shouldn’t have to lift a finger, but that thought quickly vanished. Having been spoiled by Chang Yishao with good food and drink all this time, she was probably the one who was living like a pampered lady.

Chang Yishao remained silent for a long time. Xie Qingtang smiled wryly and said again, “A lifetime is too long.” She shrugged, continuing with an indifferent attitude, “Who knows what the future holds?” If He Yanjin and Chang Yishao got back together, wouldn’t she, the stumbling block, have to run as far away as possible? Otherwise, would she wait for them to retaliate together? Although, judging by Chang Yishao’s demeanor, the chances of reconciliation seemed slim.

The food at the private restaurant was not cheap, and the taste was exactly as guessed. However, thanks to Chang Yishao paying the bill, Xie Qingtang’s little savings were protected, and she ate very happily, feeling full as she walked out of the establishment.

Approaching summer, the night curtain fell very slowly, but at this moment, it was finally dark. The city was illuminated by lights, and vehicles flowed endlessly, entering another kind of hustle and bustle.

Xie Qingtang spotted Zhou Yunmeng’s group, with an unfamiliar man added to the mix. She hadn’t noticed him originally, but due to Chang Yishao’s gaze, she scanned them a few more times, and a sense of vigilance suddenly rose in her heart.

Chang Yishao noticed Xie Qingtang’s expression. After they walked away, she said in a low voice, “That’s Zhang Yi, the good-for-nothing young master of the Zhang family.” Xie Qingtang realized it instantly. Wasn’t he the “sugar daddy” who harassed her on the platform and even tried to blacklist her when she first arrived in this world? Why was he with Zhou Yunmeng and the others?

“They might be looking for investment,” Chang Yishao said casually. He Yanjin’s status was not good. In the short term, major platforms would likely be unwilling to cooperate with a tainted artist again, especially since this artist was not a top star; they had countless alternatives. They were driven by a merchant’s considerations, but some people, like Zhang Yi, were not. The money he had was not for earning money but for squandering.

“So that’s it,” Xie Qingtang nodded, she understood. In any circle, people with a bad track record are not necessarily completely expelled; there are always people who disregard justice and stand behind them. Those people only see what they want to see, and as for anything else, what does it have to do with them?

“Zhang Yi is a good-for-nothing, and with his vision, the possibility of recovery is almost nonexistent.” Chang Yishao’s critique of Zhang Yi was not polite, nor did she conceal her distaste for him. She knew He Yanjin had some talent in lyrics and composition and still had a chance to bounce back after a slump, but acting—with so many beauties from professional training, why would she be indispensable? Fading into the crowd is the only outcome.

“She is your ex-girlfriend after all, are you just going to watch indifferently?” Xie Qingtang raised an eyebrow, looking at Chang Yishao under the light, as if in jest, but also with a sincere question.

“Everything about her is irrelevant to me,” Chang Yishao said succinctly.

Xie Qingtang nodded. She thought about her initial assessment of Chang Yishao; whether they got back together or not in the future, the label of “heartless” was definitely going to stick. Her gaze fell on Chang Yishao’s sleeve, which was folded up from peeling shrimp. She quietly moved closer to Chang Yishao, suddenly reaching out to smooth down her sleeve. She then looked up to meet Chang Yishao’s slightly surprised eyes and smiled, “Teacher Chang, it’s better to be a heartless person after all.”

The distance between them suddenly closed. The breath blowing on her face was warm and ambiguous, but before she could catch that trace of emotion, the person who moved closer suddenly drew away, taking with her the wavering emotion. Chang Yishao looked at Xie Qingtang, her eyelashes lowered, and she softly “Hmm-ed,” as an acknowledgment.

The pace of their return was much faster than their arrival. After dark, everyone goes home. The dim yellow light in the park coated the ground full of locust flowers with a warm yellow layer. The person handing out flowers with a basket was no longer there.

“Does Teacher Chang like roses?” Xie Qingtang asked casually.

Chang Yishao didn’t have a favorite flower; givers of flowers were everywhere, but they all ended up in the trash. But the rose from before seemed to scorch her heart, branding a rose mark on her. She knew Xie Qingtang’s question was casual and that she might not even want an answer, but she still gazed at Xie Qingtang and spoke softly, “I like them.” After saying those two words, she was afraid of ending their conversation and asked back, “And you? What flower do you like?”

It was Xie Qingtang’s turn to ponder. She loved everything, finding it hard to give a single answer. After a long time, she met Chang Yishao’s gaze and chuckled, “I love a sparse silhouette slanting under the bright moon and snow, and I also love the passionate bloom of a clump of roses by the wall.”

Chang Yishao’s eyelids fluttered, and she slowly nodded.

Xie Qingtang added, “The only things I don’t like are withering and fading.”

“Is that so?” Chang Yishao’s voice was very soft, as if she was asking Xie Qingtang, and also asking herself.

The retirement life Xie Qingtang yearned for was a relaxed life, without having to rush around for a livelihood and being exploited by capitalists.

Under Chang Yishao’s care, in a sense, she could be considered to have entered a retirement life, but now it seemed to have gone to another extreme—paralyzed on the sofa like a piece of garbage.

Games were boring, and she wasn’t in the mood for live-streaming. She wanted to take a trip to Shen City as Old Man Qi suggested, but now that she was here, she couldn’t bring herself to be the one to break the contract. Honestly, she hadn’t sacrificed anything after signing this contract; on the contrary, she had benefited greatly. Leaving at this point would be too unprincipled.

While she was struggling with indecision and wavering, the other party, for reasons unknown, chose to go pick Chang Yishao up at her end time.

Horns honked, and cars occasionally drove out of the school. Once in a while, a teacher carrying books could be seen walking—but none of them were Chang Yishao.

At certain moments, Xie Qingtang’s patience was virtually zero. After waiting for a quarter of an hour, she chose to show her ID card to register and walk directly into the campus.

The less than one-hundred-meter tree-lined avenue led to the teaching building. Most students were heading to the cafeteria, and a few were going to the small convenience store at the other end. The area near the teaching building was quiet.

Xie Qingtang lifted her eyelids and immediately saw Chang Yishao and the shameless pest behind her.

“Teacher Chang, didn’t you break up a long time ago? That woman is with my cousin now.”

“No matter what the past was like, in the end, you have to return to life. You’re not young anymore, you should find someone to rely on—”

Xie Qingtang got goosebumps listening; the greasy and confident man was worse than a pig. Chang Yishao clearly saw her, raising a hand to push up her glasses, her eyes casting a glance towards her. Xie Qingtang frowned and quickly walked up to Chang Yishao, pulling her behind her. She glared at the persistent Zhang Shang and said without reservation, “Rely on your head. Where did this chauvinistic pig come from? Are you worthy?”

Zhang Shang’s face paled. He stammered as he looked at Xie Qingtang, then suddenly thought of a possibility. He still had a slight impression of Xie Qingtang. After a long pause, he shrieked, “Who are you?” He scrutinized Xie Qingtang’s clothing, his eyes full of contempt. His voice was high-pitched and sharp, like a thorn, “I have a master’s degree, an annual salary of 200,000, two houses, three luxury cars, and my family owns a company. I can give a woman a good life.”

Xie Qingtang burst out laughing. Calling this dog of a man in front of her a displaying peacock would be an overestimation.

“I can’t give Teacher Chang a good life, but Teacher Chang can support me, can’t she?” Xie Qingtang winked at Chang Yishao. She said, “A day’s pocket money can be 200,000, right?”

Chang Yishao’s face was full of smiles. She nodded and said, “Yes.”

Zhang Shang’s face turned red with anger. He glared viciously at them, then turned and left.

Xie Qingtang sneered. A moment later, she turned to Chang Yishao and asked, “How did you get tripped up by a pig?” It didn’t seem like her style.

“It wasn’t because of him,” Chang Yishao said. Her brows suddenly furrowed. She wasn’t sure if she should tell Xie Qingtang about the school matter.

Xie Qingtang still looked at her with a smile.

Chang Yishao sighed. She whispered, “A student in the next class had a crush on a classmate, got too aggressive, and self-harmed when the love was unrequited.”

Xie Qingtang dropped her smile, her expression also becoming serious. This was indeed not a small matter.

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