Transmigrated Into the Stand-In of the Tragic Novel’s Heroine - Chapter 56

Chang Yishao’s merciless words shattered He Yanjin’s self-constructed spiritual world. She seemed to suddenly realize the meaninglessness of her actions. No matter how much she consoled or rationalized herself—she knew that Chang Yishao would never look back at her, and she had to face this fact.

The collapse of her spiritual world was not the end of this matter, but a brutal beginning. Zhang Yi’s figure stopped appearing; the news was that he could barely fend for himself—He Yanjin naturally didn’t care about him, but she was terrified of her own future path.

She was at a dead end in this circle. Those who had coveted her were now avoiding her like the plague. She didn’t know whether to be happy or disheartened.

Zhou Yunmeng, in a fit of revenge, had held onto her contract tightly, but now, they had finally relented, but in exchange for a pile of debts—she should thank Zhou Yunmeng for her benevolence, as the repayment amount was exactly her last savings, preventing her from being thrown into a desperation where she couldn’t even survive.

The circle couldn’t tolerate her. The abuse she was willing to endure was a byproduct of fame and fortune, but when fame and fortune ceased to exist, she was no longer willing to bear the pain. He Yanjin had no choice but to flee the circle in a panic.

“Let bygones be bygones. Whatever you do in the future is fine, but don’t let me see you.”

Only Zhou Yunmeng’s words echoed in He Yanjin’s mind, and in a daze, she superimposed Zhou Yunmeng’s face with Chang Yishao’s.

After a breakdown and a good cry, she packed her things and fled Yuzhou in haste, as if disappearing from the face of the earth.

Lu Li’s news was well-informed, and it was not hard to see whose hand was in this matter. She couldn’t help but gossip in the group chat, incidentally revealing another piece of insider information.

“It’s finally over. It’s good that she left. She can live a better life now. She would only get dirtier in that big dye vat.” Tang Rong’s words carried a few more shades of emotion. Lately, she had been rushing to finish the posters Chang Yishao had assigned, which made her feel resentment toward Chang Yishao. She couldn’t resist tagging Chang Yishao in the group and asked, “Does your certain someone know what you did?”

“She’s not even her certain someone yet,” Tang Rong added another jab before Chang Yishao appeared.

Lu Li: “…” She was tired of Chang Yishao’s love-hate drama. She fished out the lurking Qi Yu and asked, “Miss Zhou seems to be interested in you.”

Qi Yu: “That’s her business, it has nothing to do with me.”

“She’s taking revenge on He Yanjin for you,” Lu Li added.

Qi Yu was like a broken record: “It has nothing to do with me.” She didn’t like He Yanjin, but she never thought of revenge or anything of the sort. However, Zhou Yunmeng using her name was indeed distasteful. Moreover, she couldn’t be certain if it was true.

“Then what about you and her…”

“Absolutely impossible.” Qi Yu’s reply was clear and concise.

Tang Rong sent a mocking emoji and said, “How can you expect a heart of stone to bloom?”

Hearing this, Lu Li felt relieved. Those two strange and dangerous people had left her circle of friends, so she no longer had to worry about someone suffering because of their antics. Although they were acquaintances, there was a hierarchy of closeness between people, and she naturally hoped her friend would have a brighter future.

Xie Qingtang was completely uninterested in He Yanjin’s affairs. Once the plotline of this world collapsed, she stopped caring.

She focused entirely on her retirement life of planting flowers and drinking tea in her leisure time.

“Little Xie, what are your plans for the future?” The old master in the museum district, who had spent a long time with Xie Qingtang, understood her intentions. They appeared normal on camera, but when they were idle, they mentioned the edited videos with an honest smile and a touch of shyness. In addition to this, they didn’t forget to inquire about Xie Qingtang’s life.

A short apprenticeship couldn’t truly teach much. When the old masters passed on their skills in the past, there wouldn’t be much talking; just tasks like grinding knives could be assigned to them for two or three years. Xie Qingtang was currently filming, visiting various craft sections, but if she were to truly stay here as an apprentice to learn a craft, she couldn’t grasp everything.

“If Elder Jiang allows it, I’ll stay here as a publicity ambassador,” Xie Qingtang curved her eyes, her smile relaxed. The old master wasn’t too disappointed to hear this. Seeing Xie Qingtang’s demeanor, they knew she was someone who worked in this field. They chuckled and then asked, “What about Little Chang? The girl who’s often with you, she’s quite skillful. I heard that old man Qi Wang even wants to snatch her away as his goddaughter.”

“Her? She’s my assistant,” Xie Qingtang blinked.

“I see, I see. She’s the supportive partner behind the scenes,” a burst of laughter erupted. The old masters’ words were laced with teasing. Xie Qingtang was startled, realizing the ambiguity of the phrase “supportive partner,” and her heart stirred, giving rise to other emotions. This Artisan’s Heart video series could continue thanks to Chang Yishao’s help behind the scenes.

Chang Yishao’s kindness… it felt like she was accepting it as a matter of course, as if it were perfectly natural.

This was not good.

Half a year felt like half a lifetime—her plan was to turn and leave when the “white moonlight” appeared, but she had completely deviated from the track. Chang Yishao had been entirely ‘kidnapped’ by her to Shencheng. Their days continued on in this calm, neither-good-nor-bad manner.

She chose not to dwell on it, but what about Chang Yishao? Were they going to let this relationship continue indefinitely?

The coolness of autumn differed from that of early spring. The rustling wind swept up the half-green, half-yellow fallen leaves, paving a path tinged with a sense of desolation. This autumn chill was endless, like the withered leaves, and even the faint, solitary moon hanging in the sky was draped in autumn’s crispness and coldness.

After riding a bicycle to drop off and pick up Chang Yishao once, Xie Qingtang fell in love with this mode of transport. The figures under the streetlights were stretched infinitely long, overlapping with the shadows of the trees. Xie Qingtang’s riding speed was neither fast nor slow, possessing a leisurely ease, while Chang Yishao’s hand moved from her waist to the hem of her clothes. It was as if they had never been close.

The roaring of car horns lessened, and Xie Qingtang’s voice was scattered by the wind, yet fragmented phrases still reached Chang Yishao’s ears.

“It’s going to get cold soon, how’s the house coming along?”

Chang Yishao had thought Xie Qingtang had moved past this issue, but she brought it up again. She opened her mouth, but the word “no” wouldn’t come out. After a moment, she sighed and whispered, “It was ready before.”

Xie Qingtang let out an “Oh,” vaguely remembering them discussing this before. After a while, she finally asked a question that had been lingering in her heart for a long time: she asked, “When do you plan to move in?”

Chang Yishao desperately wanted to pretend her words were scattered by the wind and hadn’t reached her ears. The hand gripping the hem of Xie Qingtang’s clothes tightened slightly, her lips pressed together, and a trace of worry and unwillingness flashed across her lowered eyes and brows. But if she didn’t answer—when they returned to the room, Xie Qingtang would surely bring it up again, wouldn’t she? Wouldn’t it be more awkward face-to-face then?

“When I have some free time,” Chang Yishao’s emotions were low.

Upon hearing this answer, Xie Qingtang didn’t feel the lightness she had anticipated, not even the slight joy she had felt when traveling from Yuzhou to Shencheng. What was she planning when she came to Shencheng? A business trip? “Resigning” a month early? None of her plans had materialized; instead, she had allowed Chang Yishao to re-enter her life and continue to leave traces. She felt somewhat dazed, lowering her eyelashes, and began to dislike her current indecisiveness.

“What are your plans? Are you going to keep living in this dorm?” Chang Yishao was silent for a moment, then forced herself to ask. It was only a dormitory, after all. She could sense that when Xie Qingtang was in the room, she lacked a certain spontaneity and ease; at the very least, she would think twice before buying many things, clearly preparing for a future move.

“Buy a courtyard, plant some flowers, keep a cat…” Xie Qingtang sighed in relief, her eyes narrowed as she envisioned it.

“Won’t the cat ruin the flowers?” Chang Yishao asked in surprise. Although she hadn’t kept a cat, she knew they weren’t compatible with plants and flowers. Before Xie Qingtang could reply, her thoughts jumped to another matter. Had she bought the house too soon? If it was to buy a courtyard, where would be the most suitable place?

Xie Qingtang merely hummed lightly. She said, “If the flowers are gone, I can replant them. Baby’s breath, lilies, roses, lotus, green bamboo, winter jasmine… I want them all.”

Chang Yishao: “…” After a long while, she finally replied, “That kind of life is not bad.” She could easily have it, but given Xie Qingtang’s personality, she certainly wouldn’t be willing to accept her gesture of goodwill.

“Teacher Chang.” Xie Qingtang suddenly spoke. Familiar buildings appeared before them. Bright lights illuminated the not-too-wide path. Xie Qingtang stopped the bike and locked it to the side. Under the light, a small clump of wild chrysanthemums bloomed alone in the corner of the wall. Xie Qingtang lowered her eyes and looked at the vibrant flowers and plants, and her heart was filled with a sense of freedom and lightness.

“Hmm?” Chang Yishao brushed aside a strand of hair, her gentle gaze fixed on Xie Qingtang, seeming to look right into her heart.

“I originally intended to cut ties with you,” Xie Qingtang decided to be honest. A cheerful smile was on her face, her eyes curved, “But I’ve changed my mind now. When I have a courtyard, you can come over and sit.”

Chang Yishao: “…” She pursed her lips, unsure whether to be happy or sad about Xie Qingtang’s words. She took a step forward, moving closer to Xie Qingtang—the distance between them suddenly narrowed. Xie Qingtang’s back hit the wall. She blinked, a hint of confusion and bewilderment in her eyes.

“Xie Qingtang.” Chang Yishao’s expression was serious, her lips tightly pressed. Their shadows intertwined, and Xie Qingtang’s face was alternately bright and dim.

“What’s wrong?” When faced with a serious Chang Yishao, Xie Qingtang’s voice unconsciously became softer and gentler.

“Between us…” Chang Yishao’s words trailed off, her brows furrowed as if enduring immense pain.

Xie Qingtang wanted to escape from this oppressive atmosphere.

Chang Yishao didn’t stop her, but just as her feet moved, she suddenly heard the rest of Chang Yishao’s sentence.

“Can it only be this way?”

Her footsteps abruptly halted. She looked up at Chang Yishao, finding her own reflection in those chestnut-colored eyes.

Between them, could it only be this way?

Chang Yishao was far less gentle than she portrayed, instead carrying a sharp edge, just like in this moment—

Xie Qingtang didn’t answer her question immediately, but looked at her and smiled.

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