Transmigrated Into the Stand-In of the Tragic Novel’s Heroine - Chapter 7

Seeing the drop of blood between Xie Qingtang’s fingers, Chang Yishao suddenly thought of He Yanjin.

Sometimes, He Yanjin would deliberately create small bleeding injuries to stage a dramatic scene. At those times, He Yanjin would drop her usual hysteria, puff out her cheeks, and gaze at Chang Yishao, crying out in pain.

It was just that Chang Yishao didn’t understand. If it wasn’t self-inflicted, what was a little sting? Couldn’t she just bear it? Was it necessary? Chang Yishao lowered her eyes in thought. In the moment these thoughts flowed silently, Xie Qingtang had already circled past her, like a breeze passing through a hall.

Chang Yishao’s gaze returned to the semi-finished brush pot. Her fingers twitched, and she really wanted to lightly stroke the bamboo strips, but she ultimately suppressed the urge to pick it up, hiding that bit of desire deep within her heart.

Xie Qingtang had already wiped the blood from her finger. This small wound was gone with a blow.

She stretched lazily. Hearing footsteps behind her, she didn’t turn around and asked directly, “What happened? You seem to be in low spirits.”

Chang Yishao pondered for a moment before answering, “A student in my class was caught by the homeroom teacher for dating early. She was criticized in front of the whole class and cried for an entire period.”

Xie Qingtang: “…” She wasn’t too familiar with school matters and didn’t feel it was appropriate to comment. She turned around to look at Chang Yishao and said casually, “Didn’t Teacher Chang ever date early?”

Chang Yishao’s jacket was casually tossed onto the sofa. She was wearing a fitted white shirt with the top two buttons undone, subtly revealing jade-colored skin. Chang Yishao was loose and languid at this moment, possessing a touch more allure than usual. Xie Qingtang couldn’t help but look at her a few more times until a moment later, she realized Chang Yishao was silent. Then, she let out a chuckle of ambiguous meaning, subsequently withdrawing her gaze.

“I did.” Just as Xie Qingtang was losing interest, Chang Yishao’s voice unexpectedly sounded. He Yanjin was her high school deskmate. But she didn’t say that out loud. Instead, she chose another topic and asked, “You know how to weave?”

Xie Qingtang glanced at Chang Yishao sideways. Didn’t she already see it? What was the point of asking the obvious? The corners of her mouth curved into a faint smile, and she replied, “I’m a jack of all trades.”

Chang Yishao: “…” This kind of confidence was something He Yanjin lacked. At first glance, she felt a slight similarity, but after a few more glances, she felt that He Yanjin—Chang Yishao reached out to press her temple. Perhaps stimulated by the school incident, she thought of He Yanjin more often today. She frowned, and after a long while, finally let out a sigh of relief.

Silence was the main theme between them.

Perhaps because Chang Yishao had spoken up, Xie Qingtang felt a little unaccustomed. She fixed her gaze on Chang Yishao, not missing the slightest change in her expression, and finally came to a conclusion: she missed her ‘white moonlight’; a fake is just a fake after all.

She crossed her legs and started a game. After the prompt tone, she casually said, “I want to order takeout today.”

Chang Yishao looked at her in surprise.

If it were He Yanjin, she would probably only urge her to hurry up and go to the kitchen, completely ignoring her mood. But Xie Qingtang was completely different from her.

The injured finger combined with the dragging teammates obviously elevated the game to “hell difficulty.”

The only thing that could cause a drastic shift in Xie Qingtang’s mood right now was the win or loss of the game. Just as she revived and returned to the city, preparing to endure the slight sting and go forward to fight, her phone was suddenly taken away.

She didn’t know when Chang Yishao had walked up to her. That clear, faint fragrance made her feel a little distracted.

“I’ll help you play.” Chang Yishao’s voice was as gentle as ever.

With three teammates going AFK (Away From Keyboard), this was a guaranteed loss. A few minutes later, the defeat notification sounded. Xie Qingtang wasn’t surprised at all. She was even prepared to face the miserable battle record, but the result was a bit unexpected.

She looked at Chang Yishao in surprise, with an expression that said, “You’ve been secretly practicing behind my back.”

Chang Yishao’s face straightened. She said seriously, “I don’t play games in the office.”

Xie Qingtang nodded carelessly.

Chang Yishao looked at her, feeling somehow that her words couldn’t make any ripple in Xie Qingtang’s heart. However, they were irrelevant to each other anyway.

After this interlude, Xie Qingtang lost the mood to continue playing. She resignedly ordered takeout and turned back to the study to continue her unfinished “work.”

Chang Yishao was a little lost in thought. She pressed her fingers against her temple, and deep fragments from several years flashed quickly in her mind. How much time did it take to go from holding hands to parting ways? Was she sad? No, she was just relieved, feeling as if a huge stone had been lifted from her heart.

Did she hate He Yanjin? Naturally, there was some of that too. She could tolerate He Yanjin’s volatile temperament, but she couldn’t tolerate He Yanjin treating her like a fool.

All these emotions, upon hearing that He Yanjin was returning to the country, intertwined into a strange impulse. It was exactly at this time that Xie Qingtang entered her sight.

The ringing of the phone broke Chang Yishao’s contemplation.

“I found something good; I’ll bring it over for you in a couple of days!” Lu Li’s words were full of excitement.

“You weren’t cheated, were you?” Chang Yishao said helplessly. She walked to the French window, gazing at the deepening night and the flickering lights.

“How could I be!” Lu Li said, then suddenly changed the subject, “How are things with that little sister?”

Chang Yishao was silent for a moment before letting out a low chuckle, “She is completely different from He Yanjin.”

“Then why are you still playing along?! Hurry up and end this improper relationship! Oh, wait, since she agreed to such an absurd suggestion, she must have an agenda! Be careful!” Lu Li emphasized her tone.

Chang Yishao thought about it and felt it was unlikely. She chuckled softly and replied, “She probably treats this as a job.”

“…” Lu Li hadn’t expected Chang Yishao to describe it that way. She had grown up with Chang Yishao and knew that under her gentle exterior lay endless stubbornness and willfulness. She knew she couldn’t persuade Chang Yishao, but she still couldn’t help but speak up.

A moment later, Chang Yishao’s voice came from the other end again. “He Yanjin is coming back soon.”

Lu Li was silent for a while, then her tone became sincere when she spoke again: “I suggest you change your password lock.”

Chang Yishao nodded, “I will.” She had broken up with He Yanjin nearly a year ago; she was finally free. How could she possibly still use the old password?

After hanging up the phone, Chang Yishao turned around and happened to meet Xie Qingtang’s eyes. That look, mixed with some curiosity and pity, made Chang Yishao a little uncomfortable. She opened her mouth but said nothing. Xie Qingtang didn’t ask either. She looked away, not meeting Chang Yishao’s eyes. It wasn’t that she deliberately came to listen to their call; it was just that she was too hungry, and her hands were weak, so she might as well lie comfortably on the sofa.

“I know a friend who is an inheritor of bamboo silk fans,” Chang Yishao slowly began.

Xie Qingtang felt a little confused. The old Chang Yishao wasn’t this talkative. But since the other person hired her, she had to satisfy her request and chat, right? She nodded and took the cue, saying, “Bamboo silk fans are as thin as cicada wings and crystal clear—they are a nice piece of art.” Her tone was light, her demeanor calm and relaxed, without any hint of difficulty on her face.

Chang Yishao paid attention to the change in her expression, and the smile in her eyes deepened a few shades. She followed Xie Qingtang’s words and continued, “I met the old master at an exhibition. I went there with He Yanjin initially, but she—” Chang Yishao paused, frowning slightly, and said, “She didn’t really like it.”

Hearing Chang Yishao mention the “white moonlight,” Xie Qingtang became interested. She recalled the setting for He Yanjin’s personality in this world and nodded in agreement after a long pause, responding, “She probably wouldn’t like it.” But noticing Chang Yishao’s slightly surprised gaze, Xie Qingtang regretted her excessive words. How was she supposed to know whether He Yanjin liked it or not?!

Chang Yishao’s brow smoothed out, and her smile was faint, her curved eyes looking like a crescent moon. “If you like it, I’ll help you get one.” She said again. Xie Qingtang automatically substituted this sentence for Chang Yishao liking it herself. She nodded, said “Mm,” and then stopped talking.

Waiting for the takeout, every minute and second was stretched indefinitely.

For the first time, Xie Qingtang felt time was a bit long. After drifting in thought for a while, her mind turned back to Chang Yishao. Chang Yishao at this moment had put away her gentle smile, and there was a hint of coldness in her eyes that kept people at a distance. Her lips were pressed together, as if she were troubled by something. Could it be that she, the “girlfriend,” wasn’t doing her job well enough? She cleared her throat and was just about to speak when the word “you” had barely left her mouth before Chang Yishao interrupted her.

“You’re not streaming your singing anymore?”

Chang Yishao knew a little about Xie Qingtang and knew she did live streaming on the Moya platform—but she had never entered the live room to listen to Xie Qingtang sing. In fact, she wanted to ask this question when she entered the study and saw Xie Qingtang’s “tools,” but it was diverted by other topics and was delayed until now.

They weren’t friends, so this topic was actually a bit inappropriate.

Xie Qingtang didn’t have such concerns. She raised an eyebrow, glanced at Chang Yishao, and said lazily, “Occasionally. I don’t feel like writing songs.”

“You write songs too?” This time, Chang Yishao’s surprise was more obvious. She thought Xie Qingtang was just a regular cover singer streamer.

Xie Qingtang smiled, raising her eyebrows, and countered, “Is that not allowed?” After a moment, she added, “Am I qualified to be a music teacher at your middle school?”

Chang Yishao: “…”

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