After Rebirth, I Discovered the Whole World Wants to Harm Me [GL] - Chapter 20

In the grey, hazy world, the scene was no longer Xiao Shixin’s office.

Tang Xiaoran was suddenly pulled into this world. She stood frozen for a long time before she reacted and began to investigate her surroundings.

This was a massive room. The interior design made heavy use of dark wood—from the bookshelves occupying an entire wall in the distance to the floorboards beneath her feet. The deep brown logs gave off a steady, atmospheric style, but after staying a while, it also felt somewhat oppressive.

She tilted her head to look at the ceiling; it was about five meters high, making the space feel even more expansive. As she circled the strangely large room, a question circled her mind as well.

Why is it that when I touch other people, I can only hear their voices, but when I touch Sister Xin, I’m pulled directly into her world?

“According to sources, the tenant in the rented room was the daughter of the former chairman of the Gaosheng Group, which recently declared bankruptcy. Police have confirmed the identity of the deceased, and the details of the case are currently under further investigation…” The sudden sound of a news broadcast pulled her attention back. She reflexively looked toward the television.

There was a cubicle hidden behind a row of shelves. She walked over quickly, her eyes fixed on the TV—the camera shook, filming the exact small rented room she had lived in before.

Tang Xiaoran swallowed hard. She felt suffocated by the overwhelming grey tones and the memories triggered by the news.

In the next second, the light of the TV screen vanished.

She vaguely saw a flash of white in front of her. Turning her head slowly, she saw the person sitting behind a large rectangular wooden table. A pale arm rested on the table, fingers still pressing the remote. Light leaked diagonally through the blinds, falling on her arm and making that patch of skin look dazzlingly white.

After the TV was turned off, the room was far too quiet—so quiet that Tang Xiaoran could only stare at the fine dust floating up and down in the light, mentally adding the sound of wind to their movements.

The grey color seemed to render the world in black and white. Tang Xiaoran looked at Xiao Shixin, looking at the contrast of her ink-black pupils against her snow-pale face. Those dark eyes were bottomless; one look made her feel like she was staring into an abyss.

She sat there silently, lips pressed tight, looking like a stunning black-and-white photograph that had been stripped of all superficiality.

Tang Xiaoran knew she couldn’t be seen. She walked closer and realized the woman’s gaze was still fixed on the television. After a thought, Tang Xiaoran reached out her hand, hovering it empty over Xiao Shixin’s eyes.

She twitched her lips and muttered to herself, “The news is fake. It’s fake. I’m living perfectly fine; I can even run here right now…”

Even though Xiao Shixin couldn’t see her, she didn’t know why, but she felt she had to do this. Only this could soothe the tightening ache in her chest.

But soon, she couldn’t continue.

Because on the face of the person whose eyes she was shielding, two lines of clear tears suddenly flowed down.

Tang Xiaoran moved her palm away bit by bit.

On the woman’s exquisite, cold face, those chilling dark eyes were tightly shut. Thick black lashes were dampened by crystals, and transparency continued to fall from the corners of her eyes.

Even though her breathing rhythm hadn’t changed, Tang Xiaoran found this sight unbearable. A silent sorrow pressed down on her, as heavy as the endless grey of this world. It carried a despair that could not be shaken.

It was as if Tang Xiaoran’s death had left this person’s world with nothing but grey. From then on, there would never be another trace of joy.

Tang Xiaoran half-knelt in front of her, her lips parting and closing with anxiety and heartache: “Don’t cry. Please don’t cry…”

Xiao Shixin, Xiao Shixin, don’t cry.

When you cry, I don’t know what to do.

Back in the real world, Tang Xiaoran hadn’t quite recovered. Xiao Shixin had stopped because the person beside her had suddenly halted. When she turned to look, she was met with a face that looked like it was about to burst into tears.

Xiao Shixin: “…?”

Tang Xiaoran had her brows knitted tight, her deep brown, almost black eyes filled with pure heartache. She stared at Xiao Shixin without a word, making President Xiao feel quite bewildered.

In the next second, the girl ripped the earphones out of her ears. Then, a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around Xiao Shixin’s waist. The sudden, tight embrace made Xiao Shixin’s body stiffen.

“Sister Xin, let me hold you for a bit.” Tang Xiaoran rubbed her somewhat pointed chin against Xiao Shixin’s shoulder. Even though she was still holding Xiao Shixin’s bag, it didn’t hinder the tightness of the hug at all.

Her fingers were hooked tightly at the small of the other’s back, close enough that she could smell a faint, crisp scent of fruit from behind the woman’s ear.

Her original intent to comfort the other was distracted by that trace of elegant sweetness. As she held her, Tang Xiaoran actually felt a bit of admiration: Sister Xin smells so good.

The person being held tightly suddenly felt the panic in the hug quickly turn into relaxation. The girl even began to slightly adjust her posture to make the embrace more comfortable.

But Xiao Shixin’s stiffness didn’t vanish. Her breath hitched. She raised her hands in the air before finally resting them on Tang Xiaoran’s arms, patting them gently. She asked, “What’s wrong?”

Tang Xiaoran didn’t speak. She just tilted her head, and the snow-white skin on the side of Xiao Shixin’s neck fell into her view. Her breath fell against the neck, warm and a bit moist, then cooling rapidly.

President Xiao’s body grew even stiffer. She seemed frozen, forgetting that she hadn’t received an answer to her first question as she threw out another: “Want… late-night snacks?”

Tang Xiaoran couldn’t help but let out a chuckle from her nose, the vibration of her chest traveling directly to the other woman. She had finally had enough of the hug. She let go, stood straight, and replied happily, “Okay.”

Watching Xiao Shixin’s back as she walked away, Tang Xiaoran rubbed her chin. She wondered: Does Xiao Shixin want to eat every time her mood changes? Or do I just look like a total foodie to her? Does she think any problem can be forgotten if there’s food?

In fact, Xiao Shixin just instinctively wanted to cook when she got nervous. Unaware of Tang Xiaoran’s rich inner monologue, she—ever the focused one—was already mentally scanning which restaurants near S-University’s night market had the best flavor.

Twenty minutes later.

Tang Xiaoran sat in a brightly lit shop, looking at the light-colored wooden table that had been wiped reasonably clean. In front of her were two bowls of steaming wontons that had just been served. Fresh green onions and minced shrimp drifted in the clear, tart soup. Over a dozen thin-skinned wontons rolled gently in the liquid, exuding an inviting aura of: I’m delicious, one bite each, hurry up!

Xiao Shixin picked up her spoon, scooped up a wonton, blew on it gently, and brought it to her lips. Then, under Tang Xiaoran’s expectant gaze, she gave a brief evaluation: “The taste hasn’t changed. It’s good.”

Tang Xiaoran flashed an expectant smile, picked up her spoon, and sent a wonton into her mouth. Inside the thin skin was fresh meat that had been minced countless times; it was scooped up quickly after hitting the soup, giving it a bit of a springy texture between her teeth.

When she felt a bit full of the meat, she took a spoonful of the vinegar-flavored soup. At the bottom, a clump of seaweed floated up. The light, fresh flavor instantly cleared the meat taste from her tongue, making her feel like she could eat ten more.

Delicious food always soothes a bad mood. After confirming that Xiao Shixin had finished her bowl, the worry Tang Xiaoran felt from seeing that terrible vision of the past life receded slightly. It felt as if Xiao Shixin was the one they should be more worried about, rather than herself.

Back in the car, Xiao Shixin asked: “Going home?”

Only then did Tang Xiaoran remember what she wanted to say. After answering, she turned around and looked seriously at Xiao Shixin’s profile. In a tone three times more earnest than her gaze, she called out: “Sister Xin.”

Xiao Shixin didn’t answer, but her slanted glance prompted her to continue.

“If there’s anything making you unhappy, you must tell me. Don’t hide away and cry by yourself.”

Xiao Shixin initially thought she had misheard. Hide away and cry?

She turned to look at the passenger seat. The immature girl’s expression was completely serious, her eyes full of expectation as she waited for an answer.

Xiao Shixin found she couldn’t bring herself to say “I won’t.” After a long while, she could only reply with one word: “…Mm.”

She felt a bit of a headache and a bit helpless. What exactly did I do to leave Tang Xiaoran with such a fragile impression? Hide away and cry? She couldn’t even imagine a scene of herself doing such a thing.

However, recalling how the girl had demanded a hug for no reason earlier, President Xiao chose not to ask.

Keeping things like this… is also quite nice, she thought silently to herself during a gap between traffic lights, noticing the girl in the passenger seat humming a soft tune in a good mood.

Walking into the Tang villa, Tang Xiaoran’s mood was still floating in the clouds. Consequently, she didn’t hide in her room immediately but sat on the living room sofa with a grin, propping her face in her hands as she watched Tang Xiaoyu play games.

Seeing him suddenly fire at the second floor of an empty house, only for a kill count to pop up a second later, Tang Xiaoran tapped him. “How did you know someone was there?”

Tang Xiaoyu took a second to reply: “Brains.”

Tang Xiaoran smiled. “I’ll give you one more chance to behave like a human.”

Tang Xiaoyu manipulated his character to look around. There were no other enemies, so he took the time to explain casually while pointing at the screen: “Look, a car is parked at that entrance. The taillights are still on, which means someone drove here and is currently looting inside—”

Halfway through his sentence, he looked at Tang Xiaoran and suddenly lost his voice. The girl was still propping up her face waiting for him to continue. Seeing his expression, she asked blankly, “And then?”

An indescribable expression appeared on Tang Xiaoyu’s handsome face, as if he’d seen a ghost. He stared at her for a few more seconds and asked with concern: “…Does your face ache?”

Now that he mentioned it, it did feel a bit sore. Tang Xiaoran reached out to pinch her own face, frowning in confusion. Not just sore—it actually felt a bit painful.

How strange.

Just then, Tang Xiaoyu let out a cold snort: “You’ve been grinning like an idiot since you walked in. Speak up—who are you dating?”

Tang Xiaoran looked innocent and bewildered: “…I have no idea what you’re talking about.”