After My Death, Everyone Repented (Transmigration) - Chapter 3

After calling out Xie Shaojun’s name, the person stopped twenty meters away and didn’t come any closer. Xie Shaojun thought she had mistaken them for someone else.

So, she averted her gaze.

The newly opened bar had a variety of gimmicks, including a midnight special: pole dancing.

The dancer wore a red chiffon dress, her translucent skin swaying to the suggestive music. The uneven lighting cast across the excited faces of the crowd, as if unleashing the most primal desires of the night.

“Whoo-hoo!”

Damei stared unblinkingly at the stage, even as she casually snatched the bottle from Xie Shaojun’s hand. “Stop drinking, watch the show.”

Xie Shaojun didn’t react at all and reached for another drink.

Half of the bottles scattered haphazardly at their feet were Xie Shaojun’s doing. Even with her high alcohol tolerance, if she kept drinking like this, she’d end up with a stomach perforation by tomorrow.

Drowning sorrows in alcohol after a marital spat was one thing, but harming her health was another.

Damei felt that Xie Shaojun’s unhappiness didn’t warrant such self-destructive behavior.

She knew Xie Shaojun well, her inherently defiant nature made her resistant to lectures. So instead of directly advising her, Damei grabbed Xie Shaojun’s arm and leaned in, raising her voice over the music. “The dancer up front has a great figure. Let me take you for a closer look. Your wife probably won’t hit you for it.”

Without waiting for a response, Damei stood up, trying to pull Xie Shaojun along.

Xie Shaojun was seated on the outer side of the booth and didn’t budge, so Damei ended up standing alone. Her field of vision widened, and she immediately locked eyes with a woman standing ten meters away.

The woman was strikingly beautiful, half the bar was staring at Xie Shaojun, the other half at her.

Only a small fraction of the crowd was still watching the stage.

She stood straight amidst the chaotic, gyrating crowd, dressed in a muted beige silk blouse and a figure-hugging pencil skirt.

Her delicate features and graceful demeanor were like a breath of fresh air, there was a term for it: “elegance personified.”

Her entire aura clashed starkly with the raucous surroundings. Though an intruder in this space, her mere presence made even the colorful lights seem dull and tawdry in comparison.

“Ch… Chi Yi?” Damei stammered her name, her greeting sounding more like she’d seen a ghost.

Chi Yi nodded, indifferent to Damei’s nervousness. Her gaze swept over Damei’s face, as if trying to place her identity, then shifted to the hand Damei had resting on Xie Shaojun’s shoulder.

She only glanced at it once.

Damei’s hand jerked away from Xie Shaojun’s shoulder as if electrocuted, pressing flat against the wall as she distanced herself.

Chi Yi stood at a measured distance from the booth and spoke. “Hello.”

She addressed Damei. “May I take Xie Shaojun with me?”

What kind of question was that? She’s your wife, no one has more right to her than you. Just take her and go.

The words were on the tip of Damei’s tongue, but she hesitated, carefully choosing her phrasing.

Despite having seen Chi Yi pick up Xie Shaojun countless times, Damei still couldn’t manage to speak to her with ease.

Under the weight of those cool, expectant eyes, Damei stuttered and quickly handed Xie Shaojun over. “Be my guest.”

At this point, Xie Shaojun, perhaps already drunk hadn’t even looked up. Damei wanted to nudge her, to remind her that her wife was here and not to chicken out now.

But the moment her hand twitched toward Xie Shaojun’s shoulder, Chi Yi’s disapproving gaze stopped her in her tracks. Damei curled her fingers and quickly abandoned any thought of physical contact.

After reaching an agreement, Chi Yi took her coat off her wrist and tossed it to her assistant. In a few quick strides, she was by Xie Shaoyun’s side.

Only when she got closer did she realize just how revealing Xie Shaoyun’s outfit was for a nightclub.

A strappy tank top paired with hot pants.

The iris tattoo that Chi Yi loved to kiss was boldly displayed on Xie Shaoyun’s right thigh, making her blend seamlessly into the neon-lit, decadent night.

Xie Shaoyun’s breathing was shallow, the scant black fabric barely covering her, rising and falling in a way that exposed her fair skin almost entirely to the predatory gazes in the bar.

Normally, Chi Yi might have let her antics slide, but dressed like this in a lesbian bar? Too much.

Gritting her teeth, Chi Yi didn’t speak immediately. Instead, she signaled her assistant to hand her the coat again.

“Xie Shaoyun,” Chi Yi called down to her, voice cool. “Can you stand?”

Hearing Chi Yi’s voice, Xie Shaoyun froze for a long moment, as if unsure whether she was really here. Her puppy-dog eyes blinked open, staring at Chi Yi without any of her usual mischief so intently that it was impossible to see her as the wild socialite she often pretended to be. Chi Yi’s anger softened slightly as she draped the coat over Xie Shaoyun.

Xie Shaoyun tilted her head to look at her, struggling to focus on the increasingly magnified, beautiful face before her.

It was definitely Chi Yi her nose bridge not as delicate as Xie Shaoyun’s, lips soft, her skin a cool porcelain white that, even in the dim bar light, made her look like a medieval vampire aristocrat.

Chi Yi zipped the coat up to Xie Shaoyun’s neck, frowning as if dissatisfied with how little it covered.

Xie Shaoyun suspected that if the coat were longer, Chi Yi would have even tried to tuck her head inside it.

That was exactly the kind of thing Chi Yi would do this woman was obsessed with stamping out every one of Xie Shaoyun’s bad habits, including dressing provocatively.

The zipper was yanked up forcefully, pinching Xie Shaoyun’s skin. She hissed in pain.

Chi Yi let go and stood up, not bothering to ask if she was hurt.

Her soft lips pressed into a thin line as she stared down at Xie Shaoyun, expressionless.

Under normal circumstances, that look meant her anger hadn’t subsided.

Having been under her rule for so long, Xie Shaoyun instinctively stood, ready to endure Chi Yi’s lecture once they got home.

But today, Chi Yi was unusually difficult to placate. She lowered her voice and said, “Whether you’re drunk or not, I’ve told you a hundred times about the dangers of reckless drinking.”

A hundred times already? Xie Shaoyun tried to lighten the mood with a quick apology. “Sorry.”

She forced a smile, but the expression only invited more brazen stares from the bar’s prowling crowd.

Chi Yi’s mood soured completely. “‘Sorry’ means nothing to you. Your apologies lost all value after countless empty promises.”

With icy disdain, Chi Yi critiqued Xie Shaoyun’s behavior, then pulled out her phone and opened a spreadsheet, as if to prove her point. The document listed a hundred receipts of Chi Yi settling Xie Shaoyun’s bar tabs.

She turned the screen toward Xie Shaoyun, recounting every instance her drinking had caused trouble.

Since she was stating facts, her tone remained steady. Even angry, her composure was unshaken, no different from when she used to tutor Xie Shaoyun, correcting mistakes in practice exams.

It had never bothered Xie Shaoyun before. But tonight, whether it was the alcohol or the weight of impending mortality

Xie Shaojun barely glanced at the spreadsheet before closing it and handing the phone back to Chi Yi. Chi Yi refused to take it, insisting that Xie Shaojun listen to the litany of her own transgressions.

For a moment, Xie Shaojun wondered if she wasn’t Chi Yi’s partner but rather an unruly student Chi Yi had once taught or a problematic subordinate from one of her companies.

Even so, Xie Shaojun listened again.

She had promised Chi Yi to behave properly after marriage. Since she had broken her word first, Chi Yi had every right to be angry.

Xie Shaojun tried hard to build a solid foundation of “tolerance” in her heart, but Chi Yi’s next words shattered it with a resounding crash.

“You reek of cheap alcohol, and I can’t stand it,” Chi Yi stated matter-of-factly, delivering her verdict. “I won’t help you home.”

“Chi Yi,” Xie Shaojun couldn’t help but look up, meeting Chi Yi’s eyes. “Are you overstepping?”

Chi Yi seemed oblivious to the sarcasm in Xie Shaojun’s tone.

She continued reasoning, trying to align Xie Shaojun’s thoughts with her own: “You should feel lucky that I care about you. Do you know why I cut my business trip short and came back early today?”

Of course, Xie Shaojun knew, but she didn’t want to bring up Jian Qing.

“Because you were too busy indulging in idle pleasures to pick Jian Qing up from the airport on time. She called me and even asked if she should phone your parents.”

There was a faint trace of smugness in Chi Yi’s voice as she said, “I want you to grow up. This time, I covered for you—even turned down a two-hundred-million-dollar contract. But what about next time? What if I’m not available? How would your parents scold you then?”

Chi Yi slipped her phone into her handbag, poised and elegant as she looked at Xie Shaojun, her eyes even carrying a hint of expectation, as if waiting for Xie Shaojun to say gratefully, “Darling, you’re too good to me.”

Xie Shaojun found herself speechless. She sat in silence, her lungs clogged with an invisible weight, suffocating.

A melodramatic thought echoed in her mind: Did you ever ask what I wanted?

Chi Yi’s early return to pick up Jian Qing wasn’t due to some twist of fate, it was because Xie Shaojun had been “too busy indulging” to remember.

She had done so much for her. Should Xie Shaojun even thank her?

The absurdity of it all struck her. Logically, she should be content, even grateful for Chi Yi’s sacrifices, those sweet, loving gestures in a relationship. But it had happened too many times. Chi Yi’s relentless “doing what’s best for her” made Xie Shaojun question if something was wrong with her own character.

Too demanding, too ungrateful.

Chi Yi was still lecturing, but Xie Shaojun could no longer focus. If she listened any longer, she feared she might say something cruel.

Suddenly, Chi Yi asked, “Did you have something to say when you called this afternoon? Let’s talk at home.”

Xie Shaojun had already stood up, but after this confrontation, she sank back into her seat.

“Go ahead without me,” Xie Shaojun said lazily, leaning back against the sofa cushions, avoiding Chi Yi’s gaze. She just wanted a few seconds of quiet, so she murmured, “I’m drunk. I can’t stand.”

“Only children throw tantrums,” Chi Yi said softly, nudging Xie Shaojun’s arm. When Xie Shaojun didn’t react, she reluctantly crouched down to her level.

With utmost seriousness, she said, “There are so many people watching. Aren’t you embarrassed?”

Xie Shaojun couldn’t help but want to slap her. She raised her hand to Chi Yi’s face, determined that if she dared utter one more word, she would strike immediately right then and there.

Chi Yi had never been hit in her life, and it was only because she had the misfortune of meeting someone as patient as Xie Shaojun, a veritable ninja turtle.

As Xie Shaojun was lost in thought, Chi Yi suddenly grabbed her hand, pulling it over her shoulder until Xie Shaojun’s entire arm rested on Chi Yi’s slender frame.

Before Xie Shaojun could react, Chi Yi, with visible effort, hoisted her up and took a few unsteady steps forward, dragging Xie Shaojun along.

“You just said you wouldn’t help me home,” Xie Shaojun said spitefully, deliberately shifting her full weight onto Chi Yi.

Chi Yi frowned but didn’t answer immediately, nor did she drop Xie Shaojun to the ground.

She was clearly struggling. Though tall herself, she wasn’t as tall as Xie Shaojun, and her usual lack of exercise made supporting Xie Shaojun an exhausting task.

Breathing heavily, she exhaled hot, rapid breaths annoyingly persistent against the front of Xie Shaojun’s neck.

Xie Shaojun glanced down at her.

Chi Yi averted her gaze, refusing to back down. “Out of all the things I said, that’s the only one you remember? Is it so hard to agree with me? Fine. You reek right now, so I’ll cut you some slack for being in a bad mood. It’s not like I can just abandon you.”

Xie Shaojun: “…”