After My Death, Everyone Repented (Transmigration) - chapter 27

From falling unconscious to waking up, Xie Shaojun encountered two individuals in quick succession people she once thought she would never see again, those with whom she had severed all ties in painful, bone-deep ways.

First, there was Chi Yi, who had lost her sanity, and then Feng Cinian, who would panic and become incoherent at the sight of her.

Xie Shaojun realized that her level of disgust toward the two was different.

Disgust for Feng Cinian could be resolved immediately by switching hospital rooms to make her disappear, but disgust for Chi Yi was utterly useless.

It had been a long time since Xie Shaojun had dwelled on the past, but once she started, she had a bad habit, she would recall the entire event until its conclusion.

Zhu Sicheng was released from prison in the autumn, on September 27th.

Remembering this date wasn’t because it held any particularly unforgettable memories for her. In truth, this was the day that deepened Xie Shaojun’s disgust toward Jian Qing, Xie Guangqi, and Feng Cinian.

That day, it rained heavily. Feng Cinian and Xie Guangqi returned home very late, they had attended an important academic conference, not a banquet.

Yet when they came back, Xie Guangqi, as if drunk, smashed a teacup and kicked over the sofa.

He was furious, gripping a black disciplinary whip studded with jagged barbs, still wearing his dress shoes as he stormed upstairs. Feng Cinian followed behind him, her expression equally grim. Along the way, she only made a token effort to stop Xie Guangqi for a second, urging him to wait until morning to punish Xie Shaojun, after all, he wasn’t young anymore, and anger could harm his health.

At the time, Xie Shaojun was heading downstairs with her phone, intending to grab bandages and anti-inflammatory medicine from the liquor cabinet in the living room.

Because that afternoon, Zhu Sicheng had shown up at their doorstep with a knife, and Xie Shaojun had run into him.

On this day, Jian Qing had pushed Zhu Sicheng to the brink, turning him into a lone wolf ready to spill blood.

He wanted to take Jian Qing, who had swindled his mother into borrowing three million in high-interest loans down with him. But Jian Qing had already fled the country.

Zhu Sicheng couldn’t find her, and he no longer wanted to live. From the moment he saw the loan sharks nearly beat his mother to death, he had only one thought: to take someone down with him.

Since Jian Qing wasn’t around, he turned his rage toward Xie Guangqi and Feng Cinian, the parents who had failed to teach their child properly.

Xie Shaojun intercepted him at the door, spending a long time trying to talk him down. But Zhu Sicheng’s blade still slipped, leaving a five-centimeter-long gash on Xie Shaojun’s calf. Later, she covered the scar with an iris tattoo, making it fade.

As a role-playing task executor, Xie Shaojun didn’t possess Xie Haoyun’s memories. However, the personality and values she was born with had been shaped by Xie Cheng and Feng Qianqian.

Feng Qianqian had raised her well, so in Xie Shaojun’s worldview, family was an essential part of life. No parent would fail to love their child, and children, in turn, should protect their parents.

So when she stopped Zhu Sicheng that day and promised to help him resolve his troubles, Xie Shaojun didn’t think she had done anything wrong.

Yet that night, Xie Guangqi raised his whip and lashed at her, while Feng Cinian tearfully demanded that Xie Shaojun kneel and apologize to her father.

Standing in the darkness, Xie Shaojun began to question her own actions. Defiant, she asked them, “Why should I apologize?”

She couldn’t quite remember the exact words exchanged.

All she knew was that Xie Guangqi’s anger was absurd. That evening, at the conference he had attended, a professor had expelled a doctoral student for having a tattoo on their arm.

When several professors were discussing the incident, Xie Guangqi learned that the tattoo artist who had ruined a doctoral student’s future was named “Xie Shaojun.”

Xie Guangqi lashed out at Xie Shaojun, shouting, Do you have any idea how many people are laughing at us behind our backs?

Xie Shaojun didn’t want to speak to them. Seeing the disappointment in Xie Guangqi and Feng Cinian’s eyes, she suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of disillusionment toward them as well. Sometimes, not every pair of parents is capable of being good parents. worthy of their children risking everything to shield them from unknown dangers.

That night, without the memories of her life as Xie Haoyun, Xie Shaojun felt lost and adrift.

Now, looking back on the situation as an outsider, Xie Shaojun could easily understand why she felt not an ounce of sympathy for Feng Nianci.

Because, in the end, even though Xie Shaojun’s mind was filled with the teachings of so many great figures, even though her upbringing had instilled in her so many loving values she had discarded them all in the end. She had become petty, abandoning the belief that she should protect her parents, wanting them to suffer too.

The rain poured all night. Xie Shaojun rushed out of the house.

Standing in the cold, rainy darkness, she called Chi Yi. Chi Yi answered her call immediately.

This didn’t mean Chi Yi was idly scrolling through her phone, she was currently attending an exhibition at a technology park in France.

Once the call connected, Xie Shaojun no longer had the chance to hang up in regret. The moment Chi Yi’s voice came through the line, Xie Shaojun’s nose stung with unshed tears. Suppressing her emotions, she forced a playful tone and joked, “Sister Chi Yi, I feel awful.”

Xie Shaojun rarely called Chi Yi “sister.” Most of the time, she used this term because she didn’t want to reveal her more vulnerable side to Chi Yi, because Chi Yi was the kind of woman who was emotionally stable, intelligent, and successful.

In comparison, Xie Shaojun was too ordinary, like a small dog standing before a giant, the insurmountable height filling her with an innate sense of inferiority and hesitation.

So Xie Shaojun never showed this side of herself to Chi Yi. She masked her fragility with a careless tone, desperately trying not to expose her immaturity in front of her.

Chi Yi didn’t ask what had happened. She stepped outside the exhibition hall, and the surroundings grew quiet.

Her voice softened as she called Xie Shaojun’s name.

“Xie Shaojun.”

“Mm.”

“Don’t feel bad,” Chi Yi said. “You have me.”

Xie Shaojun hummed in response, then mumbled that she was fine, that she had just played a late-night game with someone and was traumatized by their terrible skills. She had called just to see what Chi Yi was up to.

Chi Yi seemed to genuinely believe her. Still using that gentle, soothing tone, she meticulously recounted her day to Xie Shaojun, how she was in France, had attended an important business negotiation at ten, toured a factory at two in the afternoon…

Xie Shaojun said, “Then you should get back to work. I’m fine now.”

Chi Yi said she wasn’t busy. “Keep the call on. A kid who got wrecked in a game deserves some company for a while.”

Xie Shaojun didn’t respond.

Chi Yi added, “You don’t have to talk.”

At three in the morning, the door of Xie Shaojun’s hotel room was knocked on. When she opened it, Chi Yi stood at the threshold, her long hair dripping against her cheeks, her white wide-leg pants splattered with mud up to the calves.

Xie Shaojun leaned in to touch her hand, Chi Yi’s knuckles were icy, like a slightly softer version of an ice cream bar.

Xie Shaojun asked, “Weren’t you supposed to be handling things in France?”

Chi Yi replied, “I was.”

Xie Shaojun froze. She didn’t want Chi Yi to delay her affairs just because of her momentary emotional outburst. But Chi Yi’s next words were: “What happened to your hand?”

That entire night, Chi Yi was the only one who noticed why Xie Shaojun was in pain and silently tended to her wound without a word.

Xie Shaojun didn’t tell Chi Yi it was a knife wound. Instead, she claimed she had accidentally fallen and scraped herself on a rusty metal plate.

Chi Yi lifted her gaze and gave her a sidelong glance. “If you can’t lie, then don’t.”

After saying that, she lowered her head again, rummaged through her bag, and pulled out a sugar-free lollipop. She unwrapped it and stuffed it into Xie Shaojun’s mouth.

Only after doing this did Chi Yi slowly begin to unravel the haphazard bandages Xie Shaojun had wrapped around herself earlier.

Though her wound-dressing skills weren’t much better, she handled the task with extreme care, despite it being something she wasn’t proficient in.

Once the bandages were redressed, Chi Yi stared expressionlessly at Xie Shaojun, likely angry at how deep the wound was.

Xie Shaojun nudged Chi Yi’s hand again, tentatively interlacing their fingers and pressing Chi Yi’s palm against the cold glass. She watched Chi Yi’s expression. When Chi Yi didn’t resist, Xie Shaojun kissed her.

Now, as she recalled this moment, Xie Shaojun briefly lost herself in thought.

It suddenly occurred to her that every time they kissed, Chi Yi never really reacted much, but her eyes held a wealth of emotion. They would flicker with confusion, focus, impatience, or even a damp, pleading gaze.

Perhaps there truly was a lot of irrationality tangled up in it all. When it came to Feng Cinian, Xie Shaojun could coldly watch her break down in tears. But with Chi Yi, no amount of resentment seemed to make a difference.

Running into Feng Cinian that day was just a minor episode after Xie Shaojun woke from her coma. Feng Qianqian refused to let Xie Shaojun stay in the same room as the mentally unstable middle-aged woman in the neighboring hospital bed.

At 8:30 a.m., the doctors made their rounds. By 9:00, Xie Shaojun was discharged.

In truth, all the tests had been unnecessary. Her family knew perfectly well that Xie Shaojun had no physical ailments. her coma had been caused solely by a soul displacement.

Now, in the car, with no outsiders around, Xie Shaojun asked, “Why did you suddenly send me to the hospital?”

Feng Qianqian was driving.

Xie Zangxing answered, “You were unconscious for too long. We didn’t know when you’d wake up. The body can’t go without nutrients for extended periods you needed IV fluids to maintain normal metabolism.”

Xie Shaojun propped her chin on her hands and let out an “Oh,” then smiled at the two of them.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

“How can we not worry?” Feng Qianqian shot Xie Shaojun a stern but not unkind glare. Xie Shaojun wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but her mother’s gaze was filled with concern.

When the car stopped at the next traffic light, Feng Qianqian said firmly that the reason she had come to Sri Lanka was to take her home.

“If your second sister hadn’t called you repeatedly the other day with no answer, none of us would’ve known you’d been unconscious for two days in a foreign country.”

Feng Qianqian’s worried eyes met Xie Shaojun’s in the rearview mirror. “It’s been six months, Xiao San. Come home.”

Xie Shaojun didn’t meet their gazes. She kept her eyes downcast, her fingers tapping idly against her knee.

Then she spoke up, asking if she could have a one-month extension. She said she still had things to do in Sri Lanka, like reclaiming her lost inspiration. As the caretaker of the dolphin named “Blue Sky,” which was particularly attached to Xie Shaojun, she told Feng Qianqian that if she left abruptly, the dolphin might starve to death.

“Yala National Park is a 5A-rated scenic spot in Sri Lanka. The care of all animals in the park won’t halt just because a part-time employee resigns,” Feng Qianqian ruthlessly dismantled Xie Shaojun’s excuse. “Besides, you have an art exhibition next month. Going back now will give you time to prepare.”

A brief silence settled in the car.

“Mom,” Xie Shaojun said helplessly, as if bringing it up casually, “I also have a tour guide job.”

“I’ll take over for you,” Xie Zangxing’s voice came from the side. She turned to Xie Shaojun and said, “President Chi’s mental state isn’t stable. You’re no longer suitable to be her guide.”

Xie Shaojun asked in surprise, “You have time to take her out?”

Xie Zangxing left no room for hope. She said she had postponed all her recent counseling sessions.

Xie Shaojun fell silent, lowering her gaze to the streets flashing by outside the window. Sri Lanka was a famous tourist city on clear days, the sky was blue, the sea vast, and the streets bustling with people.

Truthfully, there wasn’t much to see. Xie Shaojun had lived here for half a year and had walked every street. She wasn’t the sentimental type, she could love something intensely and then discard it just as quickly. After seeing the same scenery for six months, of course, it no longer held any novelty.

But she didn’t speak the entire way, just stared at the passing scenery with downcast eyes.

This time, Feng Qianqian was resolute. She booked Xie Shaojun’s return flight for that same day.

There was no room for negotiation. Xie Shaojun kept her eyes lowered, and Xie Zangxing could tell she was unhappy.

At noon, Xie Zangxing tried to lighten the mood by suggesting they have hot pot.

Xie Shaojun asked offhandedly, “Aren’t you taking Chi Yi out?”

Xie Zangxing didn’t want to discuss Chi Yi in front of Xie Shaojun and vaguely replied that Chi Yi had work to attend to.

They went to a Chinese restaurant for hot pot.

When the waiter asked about the soup base, Xie Zangxing ordered a spicy one.

Xie Shaojun changed it to a split pot half spicy, half mild.

Xie Zangxing asked, “Don’t you love spicy food the most?”

Xie Shaojun opened her mouth, then suddenly remembered, she could eat spicy food now. She didn’t have cancer anymore, and no one was policing her diet. Neither her mother nor her second sister would stop her.

“Too many times you’ll get inflamed right after eating chili.”

“Last month, after hot pot, you got cold sores the next day, and they didn’t heal for a whole month.”

“So… could you eat less? Or at least rinse the chili in the broth first?”

These words echoed in Xie Shaojun’s mind. So when she dropped the spicy beef into the mild broth, Xie Zangxing shot her several strange looks.

Returning home was a sudden, involuntary decision. Xie Shaojun had very little time to handle the necessary arrangements.

Since Feng Qianqian had work back in China, they booked a flight for the next day at 6 p.m.

There was too much to settle. At noon, Xie Shaojun went to her landlord to terminate the lease, and in the afternoon, she went to Yala Park to complete her resignation formalities.

By 6 p.m., she had wrapped everything up.

Yu Hua arranged a farewell gathering for her at the Unawatuna Shipwreck Diving Site on the southern coast.

It was already late, and Xie Shaojun didn’t want to go, but Yu Hua insisted, saying, “Consider it your send-off. Night diving tickets are hard to come by these days.”

“You’ve been wanting to experience this for a while, haven’t you? Next month, you’re returning home for your art exhibition, and who knows when you’ll have time to come back again.”

Xie Shaojun rested her chin on her hand, hesitating. Yu Hua put on a pitiful expression and said, “Come on, let’s go. I really want to do this.”

“Haven’t you gone diving often before?” Xie Shaojun asked.

Yu Hua replied, “Tonight is different.”

“How so?” Xie Shaojun pressed.

“I have a classmate who’s also coming,” Yu Hua said, a faint blush coloring her cheeks as she mentioned this classmate.

Xie Shaojun caught the subtle change in her expression and followed up, “You’ve never mentioned her before.”

“Well, after graduating from Stanford, I went to the university where she was doing her Ph.D. for a two-year program. We weren’t particularly close, though. I had a one-sided crush on her.”

Xie Shaojun was surprised. Yu Hua didn’t seem like the type to silently pine away, enduring the bitterness of unrequited love, too shy to confess.

“Why didn’t you tell her?” Xie Shaojun asked.

Yu Hua’s face flushed slightly. “How do I put it? I wanted to confess from the moment we met, but she was just… too extraordinary. I don’t even know how to describe her like an untouchable academic goddess.”

Xie Shaojun thought her words were a bit exaggerated. In this world, perhaps only someone like Chi Yi, a high-caliber human, would warrant such praise.

“You’re pretty outstanding yourself,” Xie Shaojun reassured her.

Yu Hua laughed. “Actually, it’s just that I liked her too late. By then, she already had someone she deeply cared about, a little sweetheart.”

“Better to fall in love and marry early, because all the good cabbages get snatched up by pigs,” Xie Shaojun quipped, handing Yu Hua a coconut with a straw stuck in it. She changed the subject, saying, “I think I’ll buy some golden coconuts to take back later.”

She had noticed that golden coconuts tasted much better compared to green ones, and Xie Cheng loved eating them.

Yu Hua picked up on Xie Shaojun’s deliberate shift in topic and couldn’t help but smile. “That was too obvious, Junjun. If I’m asking you to come with me to see her, it’s because she’s definitely single now. Otherwise, I wouldn’t make a move.”

Xie Shaojun clicked her tongue and wished Yu Hua luck. “May you get what you desire.”

Unawatuna on the southern coast was a renowned shipwreck diving spot.

The water was exceptionally clear, and night diving was popular, though equipment had to be reserved in advance at the dive shops along the shore.

It was outside one of these shops that Xie Shaojun first saw the classmate Yu Hua had been secretly in love with. Having earlier joked about “good cabbages being snatched by pigs,” Xie Shaojun felt a strange twinge when she laid eyes on Chi Yi.

Yu Hua introduced them: “This is Chi Yi, my classmate.”

“And this is Xie Shaojun, my best friend.”

It was the first time Xie Shaojun had seen Yu Hua so nervous, fidgeting as she tried to drape an arm over Xie Shaojun’s shoulder. Xie Shaojun sidestepped just as Chi Yi spoke, redirecting Yu Hua’s attention to herself.

“Nice to meet you both,” Chi Yi said. Then she added, “I have another companion with me.”

Not long after, Xie Shaojun heard Xie Zangxing’s voice calling from the beach nearby.

“Xie Xiaosan, Mom told you to pack your bags for tomorrow’s flight home. Do I need to repeat the order?”

Xie Shaojun was thoroughly annoyed. As Xie Zangxing approached, she gave her a light kick and frowned. “Can you stop calling me ‘Xiaosan’ in public? How many times do I have to tell you?”

As she spoke, she noticed Xie Zangxing squinting, subtly observing Chi Yi’s reaction.

Xie Shaojun followed her gaze and looked over as well.

Chi Yi’s expression was remarkably calm. She stood on the steps about a meter away from Xie Shaojun, not particularly staring at her, as if they were meeting for the first time. Her face maintained a composed, polite demeanor, tinged with a hint of aloof detachment.

Had Xie Shaojun not seen her diary, or had she not encountered that incoherent, erratic version of Chi Yi on the first day they met, she might have completely believed Chi Yi was a normal person. Chi Yi’s current state must be what she described in her diary as “the dream has ended.”

Everything seemed to have turned out perfectly, Xie Shaojun thought. Xie Zangxing had come to Chi Yi’s side and could use her expertise in psychological counseling to guide her. And Chi Yi would finally no longer direct those unsettling, pitiful expressions at her.

Then there was Yu Hua, good-natured, with a stable career, not a flirt, and well-mannered. She even shared the same study-abroad background as Chi Yi. If Yu Hua pursued Chi Yi, their relationship would be far more reassuring to Xie Shaojun than Chi Yi’s pairing with Jian Qing.

Xie Shaojun smiled faintly and turned to retrieve her diving gear from the shop. Chi Yi showed no intention of entering the water. Instead, she held her phone, continuously searching for the perfect shot.

Yu Hua approached and asked, “Do you want me to take a photo for you?”

“No,” Chi Yi declined politely. “I’m trying to find the spots my ex-wife visited when she came here two years ago, the places she photographed and admired the view.”

Yu Hua let out a disappointed sigh. “Do you need help? This area is quite vast.”

Chi Yi replied, “It’s alright. I can take my time searching.”

Xie Shaojun went diving. When she emerged from the ocean, she didn’t see Xie Zangxing or Yu Hua but instead spotted Chi Yi.

The diving instructor, a local, gave her a thumbs-up, praising her for lasting so long on her first dive.

Xie Shaojun grinned and said, “Don’t flatter me too much, or I’ll get carried away.”

She climbed out of the water and sat on the beach, peeling off her wetsuit and removing her gear. Still smiling as she stood up, she turned and noticed Chi Yi watching her.

Her smile didn’t fade. Instead, she naturally curled her lips and joked, “Like what you see?”

Chi Yi frowned, staring at her without a word.

Xie Shaojun stepped closer and casually remarked, “Still looking? Don’t tell me you still mistake me for your ex-wife?”

At that, Chi Yi seemed momentarily lost in thought before lowering her gaze and saying, “You really do resemble her. But you seem happier.”

“So you’re not seeing me as a hallucination anymore?” Xie Shaojun asked, locking eyes with her.

“You’re not her,” Chi Yi answered.

Xie Shaojun raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

Chi Yi considered for a moment before explaining, “I have depression. Your second sister must have told you, it’s reached the stage of delusions. So I mistook you for her. But you’re not her. She wasn’t as happy as you are. Or perhaps, if she had grown up in a loving family like yours, she might have turned out just like you.”

Chi Yi forced a strained smile, then hurriedly told Xie Shaojun that she was done with her evening ocean viewing.

Her steps were rushed, as if she couldn’t bear to spend another moment with Xie Shaojun.

Xie Shaojun pressed her lips together tightly. A few seconds later, she sent Xie Zangxing a text:

[Your patient just left the beach alone.]

Xie Shaojun: Chi Yi seems to have returned to normal, so I can go back home without worries.

Chi Yi: One last indulgence.

Wuwuwu, can’t hit 10k words today, so the angst will have to wait for the next chapter. Honestly, writing these flashbacks already had me crying my eyes out, even though they’re supposed to be sweet. Next chapter might just wreck me completely. This story hurts. Every single chapter makes me want to sob.