Transmigrated Into the Stand-In of the Tragic Novel’s Heroine - Chapter 40

Chang Yishao’s exhaustion lasted only a moment. She didn’t lean on Xie Qingtang’s shoulder for long before getting up, ready to wash away the smell of alcohol.

Xie Qingtang sat on the sofa, admiring the bamboo woven fan, unable to put it down. As the light flickered, she suddenly recalled the scene on the fan—perhaps a photo Chang Yishao had taken that day. Her eyelid twitched, and an inexplicable emotion slowly filled her heart, but her hunger prevented her from figuring out what kind of emotion it was. After putting down the bamboo fan, she stretched and got up.

When Chang Yishao emerged, still damp from the shower, Xie Qingtang was eating a bowl of egg noodles.

“You didn’t eat dinner?” Chang Yishao’s eyes were lowered, her whole being shrouded in moisture, making her voice sound hazy.

Xie Qingtang slowly glanced at her, stating matter-of-factly, “I was hungry again, it’s a late-night snack.” She certainly wasn’t going to starve and wait for Chang Yishao to come home like a resentful woman.

The alcohol had made her drowsy. By the time Xie Qingtang had tidied up and returned to the room, Chang Yishao was already curled up in a ball under the blanket. However, her sleep was light; she woke up when she heard the movement. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she sat up and looked at Xie Qingtang, asking, “What time is it?”

Xie Qingtang looked at her with amusement and replied, “Half-past eleven.” A moment later, she softened her tone, saying gently, “Go to sleep.”

Chang Yishao hummed, and with a rustling sound, she lay back down.

Xie Qingtang had long since adapted to having another person beside her. Her movements when getting into bed were skilled and swift. After turning off the light, distant sparks of light could be seen through the window. She covered her mouth and yawned, faintly hearing Chang Yishao open her mouth: “My friends want to meet you. Do you want to go?”

After a moment of surprise, Xie Qingtang said with a slight, mocking smile, “No. Am I a giant panda?” Her relationship with Chang Yishao probably wasn’t suitable for her to enter Chang Yishao’s circle. She felt an invisible rope reaching out to her, binding her little by little.

She was going to happily distance herself from Chang Yishao’s circle and head to Shencheng to live a different kind of retirement life!

The next day was Chang Yishao’s day off.

When Xie Qingtang heard Chang Yishao’s invitation again, she realized that it hadn’t been a drunken mumble last night; Chang Yishao was genuinely thinking about it. She chuckled softly, her eyes holding a hint of a smile, and her refusal was identical to the previous night. Last night, shrouded in darkness, she couldn’t see Chang Yishao’s expression, but this time, face-to-face, she finally detected subtle disappointment and regret in her eyes.

Thinking of the contract and the exquisite bamboo fan, Xie Qingtang felt a pang of guilt, but she quickly shook it off. If she were constrained by a “soft heart,” how could she live the retirement life she dreamed of? She knew this world wasn’t a supposed retirement world; she had to constantly battle against a series of difficult people.

The distance from the sofa to the entrance was not far, yet Chang Yishao managed to walk those short steps with a sense of desolation and melancholy. She didn’t look back. Xie Qingtang watched her retreating figure, and that sense of guilt surfaced again. Still, a meeting was out of the question. She blurted out, “Call me when you come back. I’ll pick you up.” Having a meal with friends usually meant drinking some alcohol, so she would reluctantly be the designated driver.

This invitation from Tang Rong had been postponed by Chang Yishao several times, but at this point, it could no longer be put off. The Tang family was in Yucheng, but Tang Rong’s heart wasn’t there. She had come to this old place only to meet old friends, not to return to the Tang family that had caused her pain and anger. Her vacation was short, and to avoid running into the Tang family, her stay in Shencheng couldn’t be long either.

Tang Rong was temporarily staying at Lu Li’s place, so the two of them naturally appeared together. When Chang Yishao arrived, the two were engrossed in a mobile game, repeatedly proving how true the phrase “bad at playing but still loves to play” was. Chang Yishao thought of Xie Qingtang; she played games casually, but her in-game character wielded the fastest blade and killed the most arrogant foes.

“Only one Qi Er is missing now,” Lu Li put down her phone, her gaze sweeping over Chang Yishao, and then she curiously asked, “Why didn’t that person come?” She and Qi Yu had both met Xie Qingtang, but Tang Rong hadn’t. Speaking of which, it was Tang Rong who had suggested this gathering; she wanted to see Chang Yishao’s current partner who resembled He Yanjin.

She wanted to see how crazy Chang Yishao had become.

“She didn’t want to come,” Chang Yishao said calmly.

Lu Li pouted and clicked her tongue. After Chang Yishao had done that, she felt it was inappropriate, but this person was extremely stubborn; no one could change her mind once she had decided something. Over the years, the Chang family had breathed a sigh of relief, no longer worrying about Chang Yishao playing those life-threatening games, but her friends still bore an unnamed pressure.

“Your feelings for her…” Tang Rong looked at Chang Yishao, whom she hadn’t seen for a long time, and indulged her gossip streak, but after thinking it over, she couldn’t find the right words, only letting out an “um,” and continued, “Then… then He Yanjin… you’re not thinking of getting back together, are you?”

It wasn’t just Tang Rong; Lu Li had once thought this, and even He Yanjin himself held a sliver of hope, thinking Chang Yishao was merely finding a substitute because of her heartbreak, oscillating between ruining others and self-destruction, unable to break free.

“No,” Chang Yishao said succinctly.

Tang Rong sighed in relief upon hearing this. She said, “That’s good.” Because of the band, she had spent a considerable amount of time with He Yanjin, and she knew Chang Yishao had helped He Yanjin compose some works. But back then, it was all consensual, and outsiders couldn’t say much. As for the scandal that broke out recently… she thought He Yanjin was probably accustomed to being a plagiarist.

Qi Yu wasn’t late for too long. She walked briskly, her cold expression only slowly thawing like solid ice when she met her old friends.

She had no interest in delving into the old matters between Chang Yishao and Xie Qingtang; she just looked at Tang Rong and asked, “How’s the time in Shencheng?”

Tang Rong propped her chin and sighed, “Everything’s fine, as long as we don’t talk about design drafts.” Qi Yu had brought up bad memories of her work, and some ridiculous incidents. She patted her head and added, “Look at my memory! Qi Er, I even ran into one of your fans in Shencheng. I took on a promotional design a while ago, and the client was incredibly picky, and in the end, they pulled out one of your old works, pointing to it and saying they wanted that style.”

“Pffft—” Lu Li laughed unkindly.

Tang Rong looked distressed, adding, “It’s a good thing she wasn’t the one in charge; it was her old father, otherwise our team would have lost all our hair. There’s a natural boundary and generational gap between painters and designers, isn’t there?”

Qi Yu didn’t laugh as she looked at Tang Rong. She said seriously, “I have a lot of fans.”

Lu Li and Tang Rong both nodded perfuntorily. If Qi Yu didn’t have many fans, there wouldn’t have been a new round of major debates regarding originality.

As old friends reunited, the shadows of each other always remained in the past, inevitably touching upon many old stories. Among them, Chang Yishao’s were the most numerous. She sat to the side, absent-minded and silent, only occasionally chiming in with a “yes” or “no.”

“Such a good person, how was she fooled by He Yanjin?” Tang Rong lamented greatly, shaking her head, and then said, “In hindsight, it’s partly our fault. We were the ones egging it on back then.” The former Chang Yishao was fierce, like a blooming rose, with countless admirers, but the one who truly persevered day after day was probably only He Yanjin. She showed her good side, yet inadvertently let people see her disastrous family, making people feel sorry for her plight and wanting to pull her out of the mud.

Oh, the innocent days of youth!

This day of leisure was for old friends.

Chang Yishao only had a few drinks, her mind was clear, with no hint of intoxication. Qi Yu had not touched a drop of alcohol and was capable of driving everyone back. However, Chang Yishao recalled what Xie Qingtang had said when she left. She tilted her head slightly, looking up at the dark sky, a flicker of confusion in her eyes.

Will she come to pick me up? Why would she pick me up?

With a sense of unknown anticipation, Chang Yishao still sent Xie Qingtang her location.

“Shaor, look over there, doesn’t that person look like—” Lu Li was too drunk to stand steadily, half her body leaning on Tang Rong, who was supporting her weight.

Chang Yishao’s thoughts were interrupted by her words. She frowned as she looked toward the man and woman walking towards them, her brow furrowing even tighter. The man was unfamiliar, and the woman was He Yanjin. It was clear she was completely unconscious, being dragged along by the man like a ragdoll.

“He Yanjin,” Qi Yu’s voice was calm and sober.

Chang Yishao nodded, “She’s dead drunk.”

“You—” Qi Yu looked at Chang Yishao, her eyes flickering.

“We should help her,” Chang Yishao said. If He Yanjin were conscious right now, then this matter would have nothing to do with them.

Qi Yu slowly nodded, following Chang Yishao’s pace, and quickly reached the man dragging He Yanxin. The strong scent of alcohol mixed with smoke, making the air seem murky. The man looked at the two women blocking his way, his gaze unrestrained and frivolous.

“She is our friend. We’ll take her back,” Chang Yishao didn’t expect Qi Yu to speak up. She didn’t look at He Yanjin, her gaze as sharp as a knife.

“Is that so?” The man raised an eyebrow flippantly, smirking, “It’s not too much for me to take my own girlfriend back, is it? How come I’ve never seen you two?”

He Yanjin was deeply entangled with Zhou Yunmeng, and she needed to rely on Yunmeng Entertainment. Even if she truly had a “boyfriend,” she wouldn’t be so unrestrained. People came and went in the bar, their eyes constantly turning towards this spot, but aside from a few bartenders, no one was willing to intervene. Chang Yishao couldn’t be bothered to argue with the man and said directly, “Put her down, and you can leave.”

“Hey, you’re telling me to let her go, I—hiss—” The man’s words were cut short by a painful gasp. His face immediately darkened, and a string of curses escaped his mouth. The bar manager gestured to one side, and soon security guards followed, nodding to Chang Yishao and the others. They stared aggressively at the man, completely disregarding his threats and shouting.

He had a little money, but compared to these women, he was insignificant.

“How do we handle this?” Qi Yu felt a headache looking at the person passed out on the sofa.

Chang Yishao was also troubled; there was no way she could take He Yanjin back. After a moment, she said, “Let her sober up, and contact Zhou Yunmeng.” She looked at Qi Yu, assuming she must have Zhou Yunmeng’s contact information.

“What happened?” A familiar tone cut through the noisy bar and entered their ears. Chang Yishao turned around instantly upon hearing it, forgetting about He Yanjin for a moment. Xie Qingtang was languid, walking with long strides through the constantly changing colorful lights, heading straight towards her. Chang Yishao’s eyelid twitched. She stepped aside, gently explaining what had just happened.

Xie Qingtang covered her mouth and yawned, her expression completely indifferent.

She didn’t think Chang Yishao had done anything wrong; if she were to walk away at this moment, it would make people think she was cold and cruel.

At a time like this, He Yanjin wasn’t her ex-girlfriend, but merely a woman.

He Yanjin woke up before Zhou Yunmeng arrived.

Xie Qingtang observed her indifferently.

“Yishao, I—” She pressed a hand to her chest as if she was about to gag, her face flushed, and her eyes swimming with tears. “I feel terrible,” she murmured.

Xie Qingtang discreetly stepped back, wanting to give her and Chang Yishao some space.

Chang Yishao had been paying attention to Xie Qingtang’s movements, and suddenly, she grasped her hand.

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