The Abused Heroine Stops Pretending [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 15

In the game of “Draw and Guess,” one person draws a picture based on a given prompt, and the other guesses what it is based on the drawing.

The production team set up three rounds. Each person would draw three times and guess three times. The team with the most correct guesses would win.

Since there were only two players, technically, the one drawing could make it impossible on purpose by making the pictures too vague. But Tang Jing and Meng Xue played sincerely, exchanging honesty for honesty.

One drew carefully, and the other guessed with impressive accuracy.

“Two birds with one stone.” As soon as she saw the drawing on the board, Meng Xue guessed it correctly.

The viewers immediately reacted.

“That was way too fast. Tang Jing was only halfway through the drawing.”
“Do they share a brain? They guess right every time.”

Out of ten questions, Meng Xue guessed nine correctly.

Then they switched roles. Meng Xue started drawing while Tang Jing guessed.

Meng Xue glanced at the prompt, picked up the pen, and quickly began sketching. Tang Jing took one look and said, “Great luck and prosperity.”

The board showed an orange and a lychee.

The audience began to catch on to their pattern.

One after another, Tang Jing kept guessing correctly. Sometimes she paused for a moment, but she always got it in the end.

The first round ended in a tie.

The second round had a twist. This time, the prompts were scenes from Tang Jing’s past works, or famous moments from interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.

This was when the audience clearly realized that Meng Xue was not just a fan. She was a devoted one.

“As a loyal Tang fan myself, I have to admit Meng Xue puts me to shame.”
“She seriously adores her.”

Even Tang Jing was a little surprised. Some of the moments the production team picked, she had forgotten herself. Yet Meng Xue remembered them all.

Catching her gaze, Meng Xue felt both proud and shy. She knew that kind of behavior could easily be seen as obsessive if taken the wrong way.

But she still answered all ten correctly.

When it was Tang Jing’s turn to guess from Meng Xue’s drawings, she struggled a bit. Not because the drawings were unclear, but because she had not known Meng Xue before filming the show. Naturally, she was unfamiliar with Meng Xue’s work.

“Why does this feel a little heartbreaking?”
“Meng Xue loves Tang Jing so much, but Tang Jing knows nothing about her.”
“This feels like a tragic unrequited love story.”
“Tang Jing better kneel on a washboard when they get back.” said the fans of the Meng-chasing-Tang ship.
“You hurt her too much, Tang Jing. Make it up to her properly.” added the fans of the Tang-leading-Meng couple.
“I love how seriously everyone takes this.”

Regardless of what wild theories the viewers had, the game had to go on.

In the end, Tang Jing only got four answers correct.

She looked a little apologetic. “Sorry about that.”

But Meng Xue gently shook her head and smiled. “It’s just that our career paths are different. It makes sense that you wouldn’t know.”

Tang Jing realized she was being comforted and responded, “I’ll make sure to watch your work when we get back.”

Meng Xue didn’t mind. “It’s alright if you don’t.”

“In case it comes up again,” Tang Jing said as she glanced toward the director’s team.

Meng Xue thought for a second and nodded. “I have some of it on my tablet. I’ll send it to you later.”

“Sounds good.”

So, the second round went to Meng Xue.

Then came the third round.

As soon as Tang Jing saw the new prompt, her hand holding the pen paused. It was not because the content was difficult, but because the subject was Sun Sijia.

Meng Xue noticed Tang Jing’s hesitation and asked softly, “What’s wrong, Tang laoshi? If it’s too hard to draw, you can skip it.”

“It’s nothing,” Tang Jing said, steadying herself before beginning to draw on the board.

Everyone else in the room, including the live stream viewers, could see the prompt clearly. Only Meng Xue could not.

“Wow, the production team is really stirring the pot now.”
“I thought we were finally going to enjoy some peaceful bonding between these two. This came out of nowhere.”
“Completely blindsided by this twist.”
“The producers really know how to manipulate emotions.”

The cozy atmosphere from earlier had completely shattered. Even Tang Jing seemed visibly weighed down.

Meng Xue noticed the shift in her expression. At first, she thought it was because Tang Jing had lost the previous round. But that didn’t make sense. Tang Jing was not the type to be bothered by something so trivial.

She remembered seeing a behind-the-scenes clip once. A young actress had kept messing up a scene with Tang Jing, causing repeated takes. Not once did Tang Jing lose patience. She never showed irritation, never said a harsh word. When the young actress was scolded by the director and started crying, Tang Jing handed her a tissue and gently explained how the scene should be acted, guiding her through the emotional layers.

At that moment, Tang Jing had seemed to shine with warmth. The unintentional kindness she revealed stayed in Meng Xue’s heart. She had replayed that clip countless times. In fact, she had even watched it while doing things she would never admit out loud.

That memory made her cheeks turn slightly pink, though thankfully everyone’s attention was still on Tang Jing and not on her reaction.

Once Tang Jing finished drawing, she stepped aside.

Only then did Meng Xue remember they were still playing the game.

She stared at the drawing, brows furrowed in concentration. After a moment of thought, she guessed, “The Forest and the Sea?”

Tang Jing nodded.

Meng Xue didn’t fully understand. It wasn’t until Tang Jing erased the drawing and started the second one that she realized what the prompt had been.

During her years abroad, Meng Xue’s junior, Sun Sijia, frequently messaged her. Many of those messages were about Tang Jing’s performances. Among them was The Forest and the Sea, one of Tang Jing’s notable works.

Thinking about Tang Jing’s sudden shift in mood earlier, Meng Xue’s heart also began to feel heavy.

For the first time, she felt a bit envious of her junior. Tang Jing had treated Sun Sijia with special kindness for five whole years.

That gentle side of Tang Jing, the one Meng Xue had only seen through repeated clips in behind-the-scenes footage, might have been something Sun Sijia experienced regularly.

Just imagining Tang Jing being that gentle with her junior made Meng Xue’s heart ache with jealousy, sadness, and even a hint of resentment.

The person she deeply admired had been used and mocked behind her back by someone she trusted.

She wanted so badly to tell Tang Jing to stop caring about Sun Sijia. But every time that thought crossed her mind, a voice inside her would ask, what right do you have to say that?

Was she not just like Sun Sijia in some ways? Watching Tang Jing’s videos and photos and doing things she was too ashamed to speak about.

“Meng Xue.”

Tang Jing had just finished drawing and turned to find Meng Xue lost in thought, her expression filled with sadness and defeat.

When she heard Tang Jing call her name, Meng Xue looked over, still caught in the emotional storm that had not yet settled. Her response came a moment late.

“Tang laoshi.”

Her voice was a little hoarse and suppressed. A flash of concern passed through Tang Jing’s eyes.

“Are you alright?”

Meng Xue shook her head with a weak smile. That smile looked pale and fragile.

After Meng Xue finished guessing in the third round, it was her turn to draw while Tang Jing guessed.

When she saw the first prompt prepared by the production team, her hand holding the pen paused for a second. The movement was small enough that no one noticed.

She lowered her eyes and focused on the drawing with care.

In the previous two rounds, Tang Jing could generally understand what Meng Xue drew. Although she guessed fewer answers correctly in the second round, most of her guesses were close. If it hadn’t been for the time limit, she likely could have gotten them all.

But now, no matter how hard she tried, she could not make sense of what Meng Xue was drawing.

Even the viewers were confused.

“Wait, weren’t they super in sync just a moment ago?”
“Is the production team trying to stir up drama again? Why are all the third-round prompts related to Sun Sijia?”
“Especially the one Meng Xue just got. It’s one of the old rumor topics about Tang Jing and Sun Sijia.”

Over the past five years, every time Sun Sijia was seen with Tang Jing, the paparazzi captured it. Those photos would trend online, giving birth to countless rumors.

Now, the show had dug up all those past topics and used them in the game. Even the viewers were caught off guard.

Tang Jing, one of the people directly involved, could not guess a single one of those prompts correctly.

“Could it be that Tang Jing never paid attention to any of those rumors?”
“To be fair, Meng Xue’s drawings are really hard to guess.”
“Honestly, I’m glad Tang Jing is missing them. I just want to see her and Meng Xue grow closer. We don’t need a third wheel.”

There were ten prompts in total, and in the end, Tang Jing only guessed two correctly.

By the second drawing, she already suspected something was off. Meng Xue was clearly trying to match the prompt, and the drawings were technically accurate, but they were deliberately obscure. It would be almost impossible to guess them within the time limit.

If it had been any other round, Tang Jing might have thought this was just how Meng Xue drew. But now, with the earlier rounds for comparison, she could tell it was intentional.

As for why Meng Xue would do that, Tang Jing could guess a few reasons after seeing the topics on the prompt cards. Though she could not be sure, she had her suspicions.

Still, realizing what Meng Xue had done, she found it oddly endearing.

Sun Sijia was the kind of cunning, manipulative girl she wanted to stay far away from. But according to the system’s rules, she was not allowed to break character before the world progress hit fifty percent. That meant she had to go against her own feelings at times.

Now, thanks to her senior’s help, she had found a loophole around the system’s rules.

The system’s voice, usually calm and robotic, had gone completely silent.

And just like that, Meng Xue won the third round and earned the eighty points awarded by the production team.

With a total of 385 points, their team now held the highest score among all three groups.

After the game ended, the sky gradually turned dark. Since their mission required them to stay on the mountain for an entire day, they would be spending the night here.

They had rented a double tent, which meant they would be sharing it tonight.

At the foot of the mountain, they had each stayed in separate rooms. But here, there was no choice but to sleep side by side.

When the audience heard this, they erupted with excitement.

“Finally, some real closeness.”
“Even if we can’t see what happens in the tent, just imagining it is sweet enough.”

There was still some time before night fully settled in, and the scenery on the mountain was breathtaking. Lying on the tablecloth spread across the grass, looking up at the starlit sky, it felt like they were part of the moment.

“Tang laoshi, can I ask you something?”

Meng Xue’s voice broke the peaceful silence.

The audience immediately focused their attention again.

Tang Jing turned her head toward her and answered softly, “Yes?”

Meng Xue shifted her gaze away from the stars and looked at the woman beside her.

“How did you meet my junior, Sun Sijia?”

That question piqued not only her own curiosity but also that of the viewers. Everyone leaned in, waiting for the answer.

In past interviews, this question had been asked before, but Tang Jing always found a way to avoid it. Would she finally answer it now?

Sun Sijia, despite being a top trending celebrity today, was nowhere near Tang Jing’s level in terms of status and capability.

Five years ago, Sun Sijia had not even entered the public eye. She had no fans, no works, and hardly anyone knew her name.

At that time, Tang Jing had already won the Golden Rooster Award for her performance in Bl00d Umbrella, becoming a full-fledged Best Actress.

Their positions in the entertainment industry were like night and day. How could the two possibly have crossed paths?