After My Death, Everyone Repented (Transmigration) - Chapter 22

After returning home, Xie Shaojun didn’t get up immediately.

The disorienting sensation of soul separation was never pleasant usually, the severe dizziness and splitting feeling would last for half an hour.

But this time, there was no discomfort at all upon her return. In fact, having slept soundly in Chi Yi’s palm that afternoon, Xie Shaojun found herself wide awake late into the night.

She got out of bed, walked to the living room, grabbed a slice of toast from the fridge, and held it between her teeth.

Then she went to the study, sat at the desk, turned on the computer, and typed “depression” into the search bar, followed by “Chi Yi.”

The search results for both terms were extensive.

After skimming through them, Xie Shaojun concluded: Chi Yi’s behavior tonight didn’t seem like depression. She worked and communicated normally, even managing her life with meticulous order.

While Xie Shaojun could only eat toast in her room, she recalled Chi Yi opening the fridge earlier and taking out an abundance of ingredients, she must have cooked herself a proper dinner tonight.

A high-achieving woman who loved life and work didn’t match the unstable mental state Xie Qingcheng had hinted at.

Closing the browser, Xie Shaojun was left with this lingering doubt.

Back in her room, she still couldn’t figure it out, so she decided not to waste any more time on it. After showering, Xie Cangxing called her.

She answered.

“Finally decided to pick up my call, huh?” Xie Cangxing said with a smile, though her tone was far from pleasant.

Remembering that her sister had called earlier that morning, Xie Shaojun felt a little guilty and coaxed her with a few words before Xie Cangxing let it go.

“Mom’s sixtieth birthday is next month,” Xie Cangxing said, then asked, “I spent this month’s allowance on merch. Can I borrow some from you?”

Xie Shaojun was speechless. After the Xie sisters came of age, their mother, Xie Cheng, gave them company dividends as an allowance. over a hundred thousand yuan. On top of that, Xie Cangxing was a well-known psychologist with a substantial monthly salary.

In an average household, that would be more than enough to live comfortably, even with savings. But Xie Cangxing had a habit of spending on fan merchandise and chart-topping campaigns every month.

She was even more of a slacker than Xie Shaojun!

Narrowing her eyes, Xie Shaojun left no room for negotiation. “I don’t have money either.”

Since waking up, Xie Shaojun hadn’t felt much artistic inspiration. Her last painting, titled Death, a black hole piece from half a year ago, had sold for a high price, but ever since, she seemed to have lost the urge to create.

Now, the art world mocked her Xie Shaojun, the young female painter who rose to fame in her teens, had run out of talent.

Last month, when Xie Shaojun was feeding dolphins in Sri Lanka, the topic had trended on social media, with Xie Cangxing stepping in to shut down the trolls.

Yet, just a month after declaring, “It’d be best if the Xie sisters ran out of talent then they’d have to go home and inherit the family fortune,” Xie Cangxing was now shamelessly asking to borrow money.

Xie Shaojun remained firm. “Tell me what gift you want to get Mom, and I’ll pay for it directly. Borrowing money is out of the question.”

“Fine,” Xie Cangxing said, pretending to accept it. After three seconds of silence, she laughed, lowering herself to beg. “Little sister, please? Just this once. I’ll pay you back next month, I swear.”

Unmoved, Xie Shaojun asked, “What do you need so much money for anyway?”

Her sister replied, “I want to get a tattoo. Just a small one, but it’ll cost 250,000.”

“So much?” Xie Shaojun frowned. “I don’t understand tattoo art, which tattoo artist would charge this much for a single design?”

“Twilight Studio.” Xie Zangxing enthusiastically explained just how impressive this studio was.

It once boasted a world-class tattoo artist, but after her untimely death, no one in the industry could match her artistic level. As a result, her remaining original sketches became highly sought-after treasures.

“Every time one of her sketches is sold, there’s one less in the world. The price I paid for this one is actually a steal.” Clearly being taken for a ride, yet still counting the money for the seller.

Xie Shaojun clicked her tongue.

Xie Zangxing, as if brainwashed by a pyramid scheme, proudly declared how lucky she was. The late artist’s works usually went for millions, but she had managed to snag this one for just 250,000 a total “friendship discount” from the owner.

First, the owner was her patient. Second…

Here, Xie Zangxing abruptly paused, hesitating before awkwardly asking, “Little sis, what do you think about your future sisters-in-law? Would you be okay if they were the same gender?”

Xie Shaojun finally caught the hidden meaning in that last sentence, Xie Zangxing had a crush on someone.

No wonder she was willing to be swindled.

“What era is this? Since when do I care about that?” Xie Zangxing on the other end of the line audibly relaxed. But Xie Shaojun, feigning mischief, dragged out her words: “But”

She drew out the pause, teasingly adding, “I do prefer artists. You’re highly educated, I’m highly educated, and big sis is highly educated too. When we sit down for meals, we have common topics. A tattoo artist probably wouldn’t fit in with our family.”

“How wouldn’t they fit in? What’s wrong with tattoo artists? You can’t discriminate against professions. Dami’s late best friend’s paintings were all better than yours. Third sis, I suggest you come here and apprentice under a tattoo artist to improve your drawing skills.” Xie Zangxing stopped laughing and, throwing facts out the window, began mindlessly praising how professional and amazing her crush’s tattoo studio was.

“Oh, so Second Sister-in-Law’s name is Dami.” Xie Shaojun cut her off with a laugh. “When do I get to learn from her? For Mom’s 60th birthday, you should bring her home so we can all meet.”

Only then did Xie Zangxing realize she’d been tricked into revealing too much. “You little brat, all my love for you was wasted,” she grumbled.

Xie Shaojun didn’t care having a new sister-in-law was a good thing.

Xie Zangxing usually hid her feelings better than anyone, but when it came to romance, she was surprisingly naive. Flustered, she told Xie Shaojun to stop joking. “It’s not like that. She has a white moonlight in her heart someone she really likes.”

“You said it yourself a white moonlight, not a spouse. If you like her, go for it.” Xie Shaojun encouraged her. “It’s not a big deal. If you can’t win her over, I’ll help you when I get back.”

“Good sister.” Xie Zangxing’s voice warmed with laughter, and she finally found the mood to ask about Xie Shaojun’s recent stint in detention.

“That beauty who picked me up after my soul returned, she fell for me at first sight.” Xie Shaojun told her honestly. “But I didn’t agree to it.”

“So she got mad and accused you of trespassing?”

Xie Shaojun hummed in agreement. Her sister laughed. “After being picked up so many times, how come you’ve never liked any of them?”

Xie Shaojun felt the remark was mocking and didn’t want to engage further.

But thinking of Chi Yi, whom she had encountered that evening, Xie Shaojun couldn’t help but ask, “Second Sister, you have a patient named Chi Yi, right? I’m supposed to take her on a seven-day trip to Sri Lanka soon. Can you tell me the reason behind her depression?”

Xie Zangxing didn’t answer. “I can’t say.”

“Why not?” Xie Shaojun wanted to understand so she’d know what to say or avoid saying during the trip.

But Xie Zangxing flatly refused. “Professional ethics. I can’t disclose patient privacy.”

Xie Shaojun had no choice but to drop it. “Fine.”

After a pause, Xie Zangxing asked, “You’ve been in contact?”

Xie Shaojun thought for a moment. “You could say that.”

“This is the first time you’ve ever asked me about someone. Big Sister and I only asked you to accompany her, not to develop feelings for her.”

They hadn’t even met yet, how absurd was Xie Zangxing to jump to that conclusion?

“You’re insane.”

Despite Xie Shaojun’s reaction, Xie Zangxing still warned her, “In terms of looks, wealth, and demeanor, Chi Yi is exceptional truly exceptional. It wouldn’t be surprising if you liked her. But little sister, let me say this upfront: I don’t recommend falling for her. She’s not the right fit for you.”

Xie Shaojun ignored her and hung up.

The day Chi Yi arrived, the weather was far from ideal dark clouds loomed overhead.

The stifling heat made Lan Tian refuse to eat in the morning. Xie Shaojun took leave and rushed back to the zoo to help the vet settle Lan Tian properly.

It wasn’t until 2 p.m. that she finished her tasks.

By then, Chi Yi had already landed at the airport.

When the call came, Xie Shaojun had no choice but to ask if Chi Yi could wait an hour for her.

Chi Yi fell silent. For a long time, she said nothing only deep, measured breaths could be heard through the phone.

Xie Shaojun assumed she was upset and earnestly explained the unexpected circumstances of her day.

Still, there was no response. Xie Shaojun wasn’t known for her patience either. She cut straight to the point: “If you’re dissatisfied with me, I can arrange for a local travel agency to assign you a different guide. Would that work for you?”

Chi Yi’s lips parted slightly, as if startled by the suggestion. She exhaled heavily before tentatively asking, “Xie Shaojun… were you inside the skull necklace last night?”

Her voice trembled with unease, and even through the phone, Xie Shaojun could hear the caution in her tone.

Xie Shaojun was speechless.

She distinctly remembered introducing herself before leaving yesterday. So this woman hadn’t even bothered to remember.

Unsure whether Chi Yi was genuinely clueless or just pretending, Xie Shaojun decided to mess with her. “Miss Chi, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh.” Chi Yi’s voice instantly darkened. She sounded deeply anxious, repeating Xie Shaojun’s name twice more.

Xie Shaojun muttered “psycho” under her breath and hung up.

A driver friend came to pick Xie Shaojun up.

She sent the license plate number to Chi Yi.

Forty minutes later, a knock came from outside the car window.

Chi Yi wasn’t alone she had brought an entire entourage.

She stood at the very back of the group. When the car door opened, the first person Xie Shaojun noticed was Chi Yi’s assistant, who stared at her face for a solid five seconds before introducing himself as Secretary Wang.

Throughout the exchange, his lips trembled, his complexion shifting between pale and ashen.

Her words also became less fluent, “Tha…”, “Thank…” she stammered for a long time, her tongue refusing to cooperate.

Xie Shaojun nodded politely at the assistant.

Looking behind the assistant, she couldn’t help but inwardly criticize the entourage Chi Yi had brought along. This group was clearly not here for a vacation dressed in professional suits, nearly every one of them carried thick stacks of documents in their arms.

So! Xie Qingcheng had claimed Chi Yi came to Sri Lanka to see the ocean and even worried she might take her own life…

Xie Shaojun instantly reached a conclusion: she had been fooled by Xie Qingcheng!

Of course, running away now would be impolite. Up ahead, Secretary Wang was staring at her unblinkingly, and two executives in the crowd were also giving her the same horrified look. It made Xie Shaojun wonder if there was something on her face. She quickly checked her outfit in the rearview mirror pink polka-dot pants paired with a dark green ice-silk short-sleeve.

Her long, wavy hair was down, her puppy-dog eyes slightly lowered, exuding a lazy, charming, and radiant vibe.

Nothing was wrong. Xie Shaojun ignored the group’s stares.

“Hello, everyone. My name is Xie Shaojun.”

Ran out of time, didn’t actually finish writing. Aunt Flo arrived, and I wasn’t planning to write, but then I thought, if I don’t, I’ll be flaking again, and that’s not a good look.