After My Death, Everyone Repented (Transmigration) - Chapter 24

In Xie Shaoyun’s impression, Chi Yi was not someone who spoke incoherently.

She was smarter, steadier, and more outstanding than Xie Shaoyun. Apart from her terrifyingly low emotional intelligence in conversation, she excelled in other social interactions, such as negotiations and business dealings. She could handle them effortlessly, maintaining emotional stability and presenting her views with clear logic and reasoning, effortlessly earning others’ trust.

But now, Chi Yi’s words were something Xie Shaoyun couldn’t fully comprehend.

Moreover, Xie Shaoyun felt a bit offended and irritated by them.

Chi Yi said she didn’t want Xie Shaoyun looking at her, but the truth was, Xie Shaoyun didn’t particularly want to see her either.

So, she promptly withdrew her gaze and glanced around, wondering how to put some distance between them.

The driver had already started the car, making it too late to get off.

The vehicle was an eight-seater, arranged in a 2-3-3 layout. The front row had two seats, where Chi Yi and Xie Shaoyun sat together.

The back had two rows of three seats each, occupied by Chi Yi’s company executives, while Secretary Wang sat beside the driver.

The car was packed full of people. Xie Shaoyun scanned the seats and gave up on the idea of switching, eventually settling by the window, drawing a clear boundary between herself and Chi Yi.

Chi Yi called Xie Shaoyun’s name several times from beside her but received no response. Anxiously, she stared at Xie Shaoyun’s profile, her internal struggle lasting only a few seconds before she reluctantly conceded in a pitiful tone, “Fine, you can look as long as you want.”

The words sounded irritating. Xie Shaoyun lifted her eyelids slightly, shooting Chi Yi a warning glance to stop her from speaking nonsense otherwise, she wouldn’t hold back, even in front of so many people.

Only after confirming that Chi Yi understood her meaning did Xie Shaoyun look away.

But Chi Yi stayed quiet for just three seconds.

Her fingers reached down to grasp Xie Shaoyun’s hand.

The moment Chi Yi touched her, Xie Shaoyun reflexively slapped her hand away.

Then, annoyed, she turned back to meet Chi Yi’s slightly lowered eyes.

Chi Yi, who had never apologized to anyone before, spoke first in a soft voice, “I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant.”

Her long lashes cast shadows over her snow-soft eyelids.

She didn’t look directly at Xie Shaoyun, and there was no humility in her apology, just deep anxiety, as if repeating these illogical words of regret could momentarily ease her tension.

Xie Shaoyun frowned, studying her for a few seconds before coldly averting her gaze again.

After that, she ignored Chi Yi entirely.

Chi Yi didn’t offer any further explanations either, focusing instead on her work. Xie Shaoyun caught a glimpse of the documents beside her draft contracts for the sale of company shares.

Thinking of what the system had said, that Chi Yi might take her own life, Xie Shaoyun turned her gaze outside the car, into the needle-fine drizzle.

She wondered: Should she save her?

Unaware of the number of people in advance, the driver had only booked one room. He turned back to ask Xie Shaoyun what to do next.

Xie Shaoyun, unwilling to take responsibility, tossed the problem to Chi Yi.

Secretary Wang informed Xie Shaoyun that they had already booked a hotel beforehand and didn’t need the tour guide to arrange accommodations.

Truthfully, Xie Shaoyun wanted to tell them that if the hotel was already arranged, they didn’t need a tour guide after all, Chi Yi had her all-capable secretary with her.

But such petty words were something Xie Shaoyun might say to Chi Yi in private. In front of everyone, her upbringing dictated that she couldn’t embarrass Chi Yi in front of her subordinates.

Out of the corner of her eye, Xie Shaoyun glanced at Chi Yi, whose work efficiency remained sluggish, and couldn’t resist mocking her: “You’re on vacation, why did you bring your work team along?”

Chi Yi looked up, meeting Xie Shaoyun’s gaze, and flashed an annoyingly bright smile. “I have an important equity transfer contract to discuss in person the day after tomorrow. Once everything’s settled, I can finally forget about everything and go see the ocean.”

“Xie Shaoyun,” Chi Yi suddenly called out to her, “Will you come with me that day?”

Xie Shaoyun avoided her gaze and didn’t respond.

She didn’t ask Chi Yi why she wanted to see the ocean either, instead turning her eyes back to the steady drizzle outside. Raindrops pattered against the car window, blurring the view.

Xie Shaoyun said softly, “Chi Yi, don’t be like this.”

Her voice was so quiet that Chi Yi didn’t hear her, as she was already holding up a document with discrepancies and discussing it with an executive behind her.

The window was a little cold. Pressing her cheek against it, Xie Shaoyun didn’t stay like that for long before leaning against the glass and letting out a yawn.

“You can borrow my shoulder,” Chi Yi said, pausing her work. The distance between them was too great.

Chi Yi shifted slightly closer not too much, maintaining a space that wouldn’t irritate Xie Shaoyun. Xie Shaoyun was taller than Chi Yi, and her seat was slightly higher, so she had to look down to meet Chi Yi’s eyes.

They stared at each other for a long moment before Xie Shaoyun yawned again. Her wandering soul left her perpetually exhausted.

Seeing the tears of fatigue welling in Xie Shaoyun’s eyes, Chi Yi finally stopped waiting and moved closer, offering her shoulder.

“Xie Shaoyun,” she urged.

Xie Shaoyun glanced at her, then rested the back of her head against the seat cushion.

“No need,” she refused.

Chi Yi didn’t seem embarrassed by the rejection. Lowering her eyes, she returned to her work before murmuring after a while, “Honestly, sleeping like that will give you a stiff neck.”

For a fleeting moment, Xie Shaoyun thought Chi Yi had recognized her. But Chi Yi didn’t look up, she even picked up a pen and marked a question on the third draft of the contract, jotting down revisions she thought were necessary.

After their face-to-face interaction, Xie Shaoyun couldn’t ignore the strangeness. As much as she hated to admit it, Chi Yi’s mental state was… off.

The drive from the airport to Colombo’s central square took forty-five minutes.

Halfway there, Xie Shaoyun’s phone rang.

It was Yu Hua calling. Xie Shaoyun answered.

Yu Hua was at Yala National Park. “Xie Shaoyun, come here,” she said.

“What’s wrong?” Xie Shaoyun asked.

Just two hours earlier, she had been at the aquarium. As a part-time caretaker for Dolphin Blue Sky, she had finished handing over her duties before leaving.

Yu Hua said it wasn’t about that.

“Ms. Lin is here on a business trip, and she insists on seeing you. Otherwise, she’s threatening to sue you for ‘irresponsibly waking up in her bed three months ago and then ghosting her.’” Yu Hua sounded gleeful. “Xie Shaoyun, you’re done for. You’ve managed to provoke the most notorious playgirl in the capital. Just so you know, she says if you don’t show up, she’s not leaving today.”

Xie Shaoyun’s face went blank. “What nonsense. Tell her the story’s creative, but next time, she should skip the art gallery and become a writer instead.”

Once the joke had run its course, Yu Hua admitted she wasn’t at the venue today and couldn’t help Xie Shaoyun entertain Lin Dan.

“You’d better come over in person,” Yu Hua suggested. After all, Lin Dan hadn’t sought out Xie Shaojun just for idle romance, both were grown women with responsibilities. Lin Dan had several exhibitions lined up for her art gallery in the latter half of the year, and Xie Shaojun’s paintings were among the invited works.

After hanging up, Xie Shaojun tilted her head to glance at Chi Yi, only to find Chi Yi already looking back at her. Xie Shaojun asked, “Can you head back first on your own?”

“No,” Chi Yi refused firmly. “We’ll take you there.”

It wasn’t until the driver made a U-turn at the next traffic light that Xie Shaojun realized something was off. The car and driver she had called were, in Chi Yi’s words, suddenly being framed as her doing Xie Shaojun a favor.

But Xie Shaojun genuinely didn’t want to engage too much with Chi Yi. She was irritated and worried she might waver, inviting endless complications. So she responded with a cold hum, shutting down further conversation.

When Lin Dan received Xie Shaojun’s call saying she was almost there, she waited right at the entrance of the complex, holding two cups of mocha.

Xie Shaojun stepped out of a black business van, and someone remained inside the vehicle. After getting out, Xie Shaojun paused at the entrance to exchange a few words with the person inside, her mood visibly subdued.

As Xie Shaojun approached, Lin Dan shoved a mocha into her hand.

“Thanks,” Xie Shaojun said.

Lin Dan peered behind her. “You brought someone?”

Chi Yi hadn’t gotten out, but the eight-seater van clearly held another figure.

Xie Shaojun nodded without elaborating.

Lin Dan owned multiple art venues, but her family’s business in the capital was actually in film production.

She told Xie Shaojun that this trip to Sri Lanka was personal—she was negotiating resources for a major star under her father’s management.

Removing her sunglasses, Lin Dan’s platinum-gray short hair and earrings—more excessive than even Xie Shaojun’s during her villainess era—gleamed with sapphire studs, giving her a sharp, almost un-feminine edge, perfectly befitting the rebellious arrogance of an art curator.

Xie Shaojun complimented her new hair color and earrings.

Lin Dan grinned wider, reaching out to hook a finger under Xie Shaojun’s chin—except Xie Shaojun stood a good half-head taller.

Mocking her, Xie Shaojun said, “You look like some cocky butch T trying to flirt with an equally cocky, stunning femme T.”

Crossing her arms, Xie Shaojun took a step back. “Sis, we’re the same type.”

“TTL is fine. I don’t mind.”

“I really don’t see you that way,” Xie Shaojun added helplessly.

“You can start seeing me that way now.” Unfazed, Lin Dan let her gaze shamelessly drift over Xie Shaojun’s chest.

“Nice.”

Xie Shaojun shot her a glare, itching to smack her, and turned to leave. “Can we not do this?”

Only then did Lin Dan reluctantly withdraw her gaze with a sigh. “Xiao Xie, about what we discussed last time—”

Finally getting to business—but before she could finish, she was interrupted.

“Lin Dan.”

Chi Yi called her name expressionlessly, stepping out of the van. With a few long strides, she positioned herself beside Xie Shaojun.

To Xie Shaojun’s surprise, Chi Yi and Lin Dan seemed to know each other.

First, Chi Yi asked Lin Dan when she’d arrived.

“This afternoon,” Lin Dan replied.

Then she glanced at Xie Shaojun, as if itching to pull her behind her and hide her away.

But Chi Yi stood in the middle, forcing Lin Dan to give up. The smile on her lips was somewhat strained, though not out of rivalry, she and Chi Yi were quite familiar, having been friends in the same circle before.

So there was no hesitation in her words, just familiarity. Lin Dan said to Chi Yi, “Weren’t you busy negotiating business with Lawrence recently? How do you have time to come here?”

“Can’t I come if I’m busy?” Chi Yi replied with ease, then patiently pointed to a nearby business area and explained, “I brought my team along.”

“You really are something,” Lin Dan sighed. “You don’t live like a normal human at all.”

“Oh, right.” Lin Dan had been observing Chi Yi’s expression, but Chi Yi didn’t seem the least bit surprised by Xie Shaoyun, who bore an eighty percent resemblance to her ex-wife.

Playing dumb, Lin Dan introduced Xie Shaoyun, who had just stepped out of the same car, to Chi Yi: “Let me introduce you to a very interesting young friend from the Lin family…”

“No need for introductions,” Chi Yi interrupted. “Xie Shaoyun is my…”

Chi Yi’s words trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished.

Lin Dan picked it up: “You know each other?”

Chi Yi nodded. “We’ve known each other for a long time.”

After exchanging a few brief words with Lin Dan, Chi Yi turned back and softly explained to Xie Shaoyun, “Don’t misunderstand. Lin Dan and I grew up together. There’s nothing else between us. She’s quite the playgirl, averaging fifteen girlfriends a year.”

Xie Shaoyun didn’t understand why Chi Yi felt the need to explain this to her. As a newly acquainted traveler and tour guide, Chi Yi shouldn’t be saying such things. She was already somewhat suspicious that Chi Yi had recognized her, but Chi Yi’s words and actions remained perfectly normal and composed.

Moreover, she kept asking, “Will you come again tomorrow?”

Some of her words sounded disjointed, and Xie Shaoyun couldn’t make sense of them, so she didn’t respond. She merely gave a soft “Mm” in acknowledgment.

Seeing that Xie Shaoyun wasn’t angry, Chi Yi turned back to Lin Dan and said, “Do you still have business to attend to? If not, I’ll take her with me.”

Lin Dan blocked Chi Yi’s path, her eyes darting between the two of them. After a moment, she said, “Of course. I need to talk to Xie Haoyun about something important.”

Chi Yi’s expression remained unchanged as she said, “But what you were doing to her earlier didn’t seem like a discussion.”

Lin Dan took a step back, intimidated, avoiding Chi Yi’s cold, peach-blossom gaze. They had been friends for years and knew each other’s temperaments well.

This wasn’t a confrontation it was just that whenever Chi Yi encountered Xie Shaoyun, things tended to go awry.

Trying to make Chi Yi realize that the person before her wasn’t her ex-wife but Xie Haoyun, Lin Dan said firmly, “The person involved didn’t object. What right do you have to oppose it?”

Chi Yi’s lips moved slightly, but she didn’t make any decisions for Xie Shaoyun this time. She seemed to be struggling to hold back, but in the end, she turned to Xie Shaoyun and waited for her to refuse.

The way Chi Yi looked at Xie Shaoyun made her feel uneasy, so Xie Shaoyun lowered her gaze, avoiding eye contact, and said truthfully, “I do have something to discuss with President Lin.”

“See? I wasn’t lying,” Lin Dan chimed in, raising an eyebrow.

Chi Yi’s lips moved again, her soft lips pressing tightly together. She seemed desperate to say something, to voice her opinion.

But after staring at Xie Shaoyun for a brief moment, her long lashes lowered, and she said belatedly, “Then I’ll wait here. How long will your discussion take?”

Xie Shaojun took in every expression on Chi Yi’s face. This time, she didn’t make any progress because she relented, saying to Chi Yi, “It’s raining outside. Go wait in the car.”

There was a café nearby. Xie Shaojun and Lin Dan entered and found a booth to sit down.

They were there to discuss the art exhibition scheduled for the second half of the year. Lin Dan’s gallery had a highly anticipated exhibition coming up, but it was missing a centerpiece. She wanted to request a painting from Xie Shaojun.

Xie Shaojun refused. “I’m afraid I can’t. I haven’t been able to produce anything satisfactory lately. Even my solo exhibition at your gallery might have to be postponed.”

Lin Dan, serious about business, didn’t exaggerate her expressions. She said, “Xiao Xie, I wouldn’t advise you to wait. Online rumors are already spreading about your unstable condition. But the truth is, you’ve just been experimenting with a new style. It’s because your artistic skills have reached such a high level that you feel you can’t improve further, making you think your work isn’t good enough. Just give me your usual drafts for the exhibition.”

Xie Shaojun remained silent. Lin Dan kept persuading her for a long time before Xie Shaojun finally agreed not to postpone her solo exhibition. However, she politely declined to provide the centerpiece.

After settling the matter, Xie Shaojun didn’t leave. She thought for a moment, staring at the milky-white foam in her coffee cup, and asked casually, “Are you and Chi Yi friends?”

Lin Dan replied, “Yes.”

“Then do you know why her attitude toward me seems… strange?” Xie Shaojun asked.

“You noticed, huh?” Lin Dan didn’t intend to hide it from her. “It’s because you look almost identical to her late wife. When I first saw you last year, remember? I was so shocked I couldn’t speak that’s why.”

Xie Shaojun let out an “Oh,” but this wasn’t what she wanted to hear.

Stirring her coffee, Xie Shaojun steered the conversation herself, asking Lin Dan if she could share more about Chi Yi.

“She mentioned wanting to see the ocean. My second sister suspects she might be considering suicide.”

Lin Dan froze, then suppressed the urge to storm out of the café and confront someone. Instead, she began telling Xie Shaojun about Chi Yi.

Through Lin Dan’s words, Xie Shaojun learned a little about Chi Yi’s state after her own death.

Lin Dan said that at first, after Xie Shaojun’s death, Chi Yi showed no signs of abnormality.

She was still busy because, during the time of Xie Shaojun’s passing, Haimi’s core technical data had been stolen, putting the company at risk of collapse.

“Back then, Chi Yi flew all over the world and found a new partner within two months. The entire leadership of the company was overhauled. After handling the crisis, she returned home.”

Lin Dan thought Chi Yi had recovered. But one day, when Lin Dan wanted to stay over at Chi Yi’s place, Chi Yi refused.

During a business trip, at three in the morning, Lin Dan accidentally took the wrong key card and entered Chi Yi’s room. Chi Yi wasn’t sleeping—she was watching a video, replaying it over and over without pause.

Later, Lin Dan realized this wasn’t a one-time occurrence. Chi Yi would play the same video every sleepless night, listening to it repeatedly.

Xie Shaojun asked, “What video? Can I see it?”

Lin Dan thought for a moment, typed a few keywords into the search bar, and quickly pulled up the video, handing it to Xie Shaojun.

The video was only three minutes long, and the quality was poor, the footage shaky as if filmed on a moving subway.

It was a scandal about giving up a seat.

The main characters are Xie Shaojun and the guy with dyed hair. That day, Xie Shaojun came out of the hospital and took Metro Line 2. The train was packed, and she felt nauseous standing up, so she asked the guy with dyed hair nearby to give up his seat. The guy gave her a strange look and asked, “Which gang are you from?”

She lazily replied, “Sakuragi Hanamichi.”

Perhaps the person filming the video burst out laughing, as the footage shook violently a few times before stabilizing.

The guy glared at her fiercely: “What’s wrong with you, demanding I give up my seat? Are you pregnant or disabled?”

She said flatly, “Worse than that. Brain cancer.”

After watching, Xie Shaojun took a deep breath. When she looked up again, Lin Dan’s eyes were glistening with tears. She said to Xie Shaojun, “You know what?”

“That day, Chi Yi’s ex-wife had just been diagnosed with late-stage cancer. She was taking the subway to work when she asked the young man in the video to give her his seat. The next day, the video went viral, and almost everyone who saw it criticized her for being arrogant and domineering, a young woman with no ambition or discipline.”

At this point, Lin Dan paused. She said, “But that wasn’t the truth. She really did have late-stage cancer. Maybe, in her final days, she just wanted a shred of kindness from others.”

“But in that moment, she got none. No one could understand why a seemingly healthy young woman would demand a seat. Among those who couldn’t comprehend was Chi Yi herself.”

“For two years, no one could pull Chi Yi out of that self-blame.”

“Aren’t you going to ask why she only watches this one video?”

Xie Shaojun lowered her gaze to the froth floating on her coffee and asked softly, “Why?”

“Because Chi Yi has no other videos left to watch.”

At noon in Sri Lanka, there was no sunlight just rain outside, fine as needles, tapping against the window.

Xie Shaojun heard Lin Dan say, “They were both very young when they met. That year, Xie Shaojun was retaking her high school exams, while Chi Yi was just starting her career.”

“Because they met, the following year, while drinking, Chi Yi told us she wanted to stay with that person forever. But given the circumstances, it would have been unfair no matter what.”

The Chi family would never allow Chi Yi to marry a woman, so she had to break free from her family on her own.

“Everyone said Chi Yi worked herself to the bone for her dreams, for the sake of advancing chip technology.” Lin Dan said to Xie Shaojun, “But I think that’s wrong. Chi Yi was just trying to build a stable marriage for her ex-wife and herself one free from family interference.”

“So she was always busy. Their time together was often compressed into a day, a few hours, scattered here and there.”

“Sometimes, Chi Yi would fly to New York, then take a late-night flight to Nanchang just to tutor Xie Shaojun for a day before flying back. Back then, Chi Yi wasn’t much older herself. To others, she had always been steady, reserved, intelligent, and capable. People assumed she was naturally meant to excel at everything, to push herself to the limits of adulthood.”

Lin Dan continued, “From diagnosis to death, Xie Shaojun only had a month. During that time, Chi Yi worked as usual busy, never noticing the signs. She thought they would always be together. She was striving to create a life free from interference… but…”

“She made a mistake, one she couldn’t forgive herself for. So for two years, she hasn’t asked anyone for forgiveness. Because she hasn’t forgiven herself first.”

Lin Dan’s voice choked up as she recalled last year’s New Year’s Eve dinner with friends. Chi Yi had been sitting there calmly chatting with socialites from their circle.

“That night when I drove her home, she glanced at the dark sky and said to me: ‘Honestly, even during the New Year, she couldn’t be bothered to scold me in my dreams.'”

Xie hasn’t forgiven her here, because the reason they were about to break up in their love and marriage was Chi Yi’s attitude toward Xie, and Xie’s attitude toward Chi Yi. It’s too early to bring this up now, let the crematorium burn first.

Let me address the issue of disabling comments again. I’m sorry, my dears, this isn’t directed at anyone personally. Last year I nearly fell into depression, longtime readers would know this because of which I had to put “The Movie Queen” on hiatus for half a year before recovering. The intense comment section recently kept me awake for four days and nights, affecting me tremendously to the point where I became afraid to even write each new chapter.

So, I’ve decided to close the comment section. Even if ten thousand people enjoy my work, just ten calling it trash is enough. This “cowardly” author is shutting down comments to focus on writing, updating daily, and creating good stories. Thank you all for your understanding.