After Teasing the Heroine and Running Away, I Was Forced into Love - Chapter 43

The two continued chatting for a long time, eventually agreeing on a time to meet the day after tomorrow. Throughout the entire conversation, Shi Qing remained silent in her corner, not uttering a word.

She should trust her sister.

But the suspicion in her heart refused to dissipate, spreading like the laughter and chatter between the two women.

The lengthy phone call finally ended, and Shi Qing could no longer hear that irritating voice. Her heart instantly relaxed.

“Xu Wangjin invited you to her house?” Shi Qing asked, unable to resist the question. She knew she had no right to ask, but she couldn’t help but act spoiled, wanting to test the limits of the person before her.

“Mm-hmm.”

“Are you going?”

He Roushuang smiled.

Silly girl, she thought. The Female Lead’s little schemes were so transparent; she could see right through them.

As expected, having read the novel and being older than Shi Qing, she had the experience to easily handle the girl before her.

“Is it okay?”

“Won’t it be too much trouble for you?”

Shi Qing seemed genuinely surprised, her eyes widening like a puppy being allowed outside. She was practically whimpering with excitement.

“It won’t,” He Roushuang assured her. “Everyone already knows about our relationship. What’s there to worry about?”

Xu Wangjin came from a noble and scholarly family. In the original novel, she had toyed with the Male Lead like a cat with a mouse, yet never fell in love with him or anyone else.

How could she possibly be interested in me? He Roushuang thought, retaining a healthy dose of self-awareness.

The Original Owner’s reputation had been utterly tarnished, and she had only managed to keep Shi Qing by dangling a few paltry coins.

Those coins are absolutely essential, He Roushuang reminded herself. She couldn’t predict whether the Female Lead would distance herself in the future, nor whether the Male Lead would ever rise again.

But one thing she absolutely couldn’t afford to lose was her current status and position.

Therefore, every connection she could exploit had to be utilized.

He Roushuang felt she was maintaining a delicate balance. At least Shi Qing wasn’t puffing up like an angry pufferfish, and her relationship with Xu Wangjin had grown slightly closer.

The appointed day arrived. He Roushuang decided to dress somewhat formally, but not in a full gown—such formality was unnecessary for a private gathering.

A suit would be too stiff, so after much deliberation, she settled on a long dress.

Looking at her reflection, He Roushuang noted that the Original Owner’s skin had been better. After all, the Original Owner had spent over a hundred thousand yuan on her face every month.

He Roushuang’s eyebrows twitched when she first saw the beauty salon’s itemized bill.

She crossed out the riskier procedures, leaving only the safer treatments.

“Fortune favors the bold,” she thought, “and beauty often lies on the operating table.”

Still, He Roushuang couldn’t bring herself to let a surgeon slice open her face.

When Shi Qing emerged from changing, she saw He Roushuang. Shi Qing was wearing a simple shirt.

Yet because of her natural beauty, even draped in a bedsheet or clad only in three leaves like Eve, her pure and captivating charm remained undeniable.

But as she gazed at the person before her, Shi Qing froze.

She blinked softly, her heart pounding so hard she instinctively patted her cheeks, which felt burning hot, like the roasted sweet potatoes sold by street vendors on winter corners.

How could someone be burned by their own face?

Shi Qing experienced this sensation for the first time.

Too beautiful…

Even from the back, she could see the slightly exposed shoulder, rounded like a pearl yet radiating a healthy pink glow.

But… this dress wasn’t meant for her.

It was for Xu Wangjin.

At first, Shi Qing would have been furious. But now, she felt no such anger. Not out of resignation, but because she thought, If it doesn’t belong to me, why not just take it?

Although Sister He hadn’t fully opened up to her, Shi Qing didn’t mind. The fact that the other woman was willing to share even one percent of her story felt like a victory.

Shi Qing quietly rummaged through the closet. Having lived here for quite some time, she was familiar with the arrangement of the clothes.

She pulled out a lightweight blazer, its silky texture tempting her to stroke it a few more times before shaking it open.

Draping it completely over He Roushuang’s bare shoulders and collarbones from behind, she covered the exposed skin.

If He Roushuang were dressing like this for any other occasion, Shi Qing wouldn’t have felt such intense jealousy. Her anger was entirely directed at Xu Wangjin.

After all, that woman looked too much like her.

I’m only fooling myself.

And that won’t end well.

Feeling the warmth envelop her shoulders, He Roushuang turned to look at Shi Qing, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

“Shi Qing, how did you get here?”

And so silently.

If she hadn’t heard even the slightest sound, He Roushuang would have wondered if she’d gone deaf.

“Just now.”

“Sister, even in summer, it can get chilly sometimes. The weather forecast has been predicting rain these past few days. You should stay warm.”

Shi Qing awkwardly avoided telling the truth.

In truth, she hadn’t even checked the weather forecast on her phone.

But… coincidentally, He Roushuang had never checked it either, so she easily believed the other woman’s fabrication.

“Thank you for your concern,” He Roushuang said, smoothing the lapels of her blazer and straightening it in front of the mirror. She gazed at her reflection, feeling a flicker of unfamiliarity.

But the feeling quickly dissipated.

From now on, she would be the president of the Tianze Group, no longer the ordinary person she once was.

He Roushuang mentally brainwashed herself.

She had no system, and the only way she could think of to return to her original world was suicide. But she didn’t dare! Every method of suicide was excruciatingly painful.

Jumping from a building would splatter her into a bloody mess. Even overdosing on sleeping pills wouldn’t guarantee a painless death; she would likely drift into a confused, death-seeking state.

Some people’s bodies might even react violently.

No matter the method, death was inevitably agonizing, never easy.

“I’m so happy,” Shi Qing said, pulling He Roushuang closer. She remembered Qin Wenlu’s advice: “When necessary, express your affection instead of bottling it up. Otherwise, people won’t know how you feel.”

“Happy about what?” He Roushuang turned, her face close to Shi Qing’s.

“That you’re willing to take me with you, Sister He.”

“Xu Wangjin will probably be startled when she sees two faces that are identical, don’t you think?”

Even Shi Qing, who had already seen the photos and knew the truth, felt a momentary sense of disorientation.

“She probably will be.”

“But you’re not her. Your personalities are completely different.”

Most pet dogs in the world look similar, especially Border Collies, whose stable genetics result in minimal variation.

Yet, upon closer observation, it becomes clear that each dog has a unique personality, almost never duplicated.

The same principle applies to humans.

Even identical twins with identical genes will have different thoughts and feelings.

“I like you better.”

Compared to the aloof moon in the sky, the passionate red rose, burning with love, was far more tempting to pluck, approach, and kiss.

This time, He Roushuang didn’t hesitate. She stood on tiptoe, taking the initiative to tease.

Her lips gently nipped at Shi Qing’s earlobe.

It was a fleeting moment, yet Shi Qing instantly understood the desire woven into the gesture.