After My Death, Everyone Repented (Transmigration) - Chapter 4

As they neared the exit of the bar, Xie Shaojun spotted Damei giving her a thumbs-up from afar, probably praising her as a true warrior for being able to stay with Chi Yi for so long.

Xie Shaojun countered Damei’s biased view of Chi Yi with a glance.

They crossed the street and walked to the crowded parking space marked by white lines on the ground. Chi Yi’s car was at the very end. Xie Shaojun let Chi Yi help her into the car and settle in, followed by Chi Yi’s assistant.

Chi Yi frowned and glanced back at the assistant. “Did HR not inform you that if Xie Shaojun drinks, you’re responsible for driving us home?”

Xie Shaojun idly thought that Chi Yi must be dissatisfied with the new assistant’s performance.

The assistant looked very young, likely fresh out of college, and now shrank awkwardly, unsure where to put his hands and feet after making a mistake. He didn’t even have the presence of mind to respond.

After sizing him up, Xie Shaojun genuinely wanted to help the newcomer in the workplace.

She leaned half her body against Chi Yi’s shoulder, trying to divert her attention.

However, Chi Yi didn’t offer her arm for support, and with Chi Yi’s breathing, Xie Shaojun kept sliding down.

Through the fabric, Xie Shaojun had to hook her hand around Chi Yi’s slender waist to steady herself, immediately feeling Chi Yi’s body stiffen, her expression seeming to vanish in an instant.

The assistant was the first to be affected by Chi Yi’s odd demeanor. He instinctively retreated from the car.

Like most people who found Chi Yi intimidating and unapproachable, the assistant didn’t dare meet her gaze. He apologized in a voice barely louder than a mosquito’s hum, “It’s my oversight. I do have a driver’s license, P-President Chi… I’ll get you home safely.”

Chi Yi tossed the car keys to the assistant and watched him scurry to the driver’s seat.

Only then did she have a moment to push Xie Shaojun away slightly, but before she could act

The assistant, in his almost inaudible voice, asked again, “President Chi, I don’t know your home address.”

Oh no. Xie Shaojun turned her head.

She saw Chi Yi reply expressionlessly, “Then get out. Perhaps a nice arcade owner will hire you as an assistant arcades might not require employees to know how to drive.”

Pressed against Chi Yi, Xie Shaojun’s body was warm, which seemed to impair Chi Yi’s rational thinking. After dismissing the assistant, Chi Yi rolled down the window, stood up, and looked outside the car.

In the darkness, when her eyes met the assistant’s pitiful, pleading gaze again

Chi Yi’s tone left no room for negotiation.

She told him, “Stop crying. This is the workplace. If you’re unprepared, opportunities go to those who are.”

At that, the assistant’s tears welled up and fell straight to the ground.

Chi Yi paid him no further mind. Instead, she turned to Xie Shaojun, who was staring at her, and asked, “I’ll drive. Can you sit in the back seat by yourself?”

Xie Shaojun wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but Chi Yi’s tone didn’t carry the same cold detachment she’d used with the assistant.

It often seemed that after handling matters or reprimanding subordinates, Chi Yi would quietly turn her attention back to Xie Shaojun, asking in a patient, meticulous manner

“Is this okay?” or “Do you agree?”

This frequently led Xie Shaojun to misunderstand that Chi Yi’s sharp, unapproachable demeanor was reserved for others, that she was special to her.

Distracted, Xie Shaojun gazed at Chi Yi’s lips. When she spoke, they always looked soft, and her eyes were intensely focused.

Even though her words often made people want to slap her, she had never abandoned Xie Shaojun even once.

Xie Shaojun was dazed, so Chi Yi had to repeat the question she had just asked.

Xie Shaojun could only nod. Then, under the dim overhead car light, she watched as Chi Yi stepped out of the vehicle and mercilessly kicked the stunned assistant out of the car.

A moment later, Chi Yi took the driver’s seat.

“If one day I do something that upsets you, just like him, will you fire me too and leave me on the cold streets?”

As Xie Shaojun spoke, her eyelids felt heavy. She had drunk too much tonight, and her mind couldn’t quite twist back to think clearly.

She had just seen the abandoned assistant in the rearview mirror, crouched by the roadside, covering his face as he sobbed. Somehow, she projected herself onto him, stubbornly convinced that the treatment she received might be different.

“You do things that upset me every single day,” Chi Yi replied.

There was no refuting that. Xie Shaojun was a role-player she had to maintain the daily persona of the villainess, or else the plot would collapse even faster.

She dressed provocatively, had many bad habits, was incorrigible, and idled around aimlessly.

Even her profession as a tattoo artist was categorized as deviant, another thing that displeased Chi Yi.

“Then why did you agree to marry me in the first place?” Xie Shaojun couldn’t help but ask. What she really wanted to hear was Chi Yi saying, “Because I love you.”

But Chi Yi didn’t. She said, “You’re different to me.”

Different, not loved.

Suddenly, Xie Shaojun didn’t want to humiliate herself by asking what kind of “different” Chi Yi meant. She had enough self-awareness.

Their relationship had been a lie from the start.

Chi Yi had met Xie Shaojun because she was searching for Childhood Friend No. 1, the one who had shared hardships with her in their youth.

During their first encounter, Xie Shaojun was wearing Jian Qing’s necklace.

Chi Yi had mistaken her for someone else. Bound by the demands of the plot, Xie Shaojun couldn’t bring herself to reveal the truth.

That was how they came to know each other.

Xie Shaojun wasn’t No. 1 Jian Qing was.

If the plot was destined to remain unaltered, given Chi Yi’s zero-tolerance nature, she would never forgive deception.

They would inevitably break up. There were no exceptions.

George Orwell once said that deception is a short-lived victory, while the truth is an eternal triumph.

The moment Xie Shaojun broke character and fell for Chi Yi, she was destined to lose.

Her ending was always meant to be a quiet exit.

So she couldn’t keep her anymore.

This decision left Xie Shaojun miserable all day. She couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud, so she could only replay Chi Yi’s countless flaws in her mind over and over.

Aside from being beautiful, intelligent, and financially powerful, Chi Yi always spoke in a way that negated Xie Shaojun, made decisions for her unilaterally, and judged her actions like some higher-tier human being.

She really was the worst.

“Forget it,” Xie Shaojun muttered softly. “I don’t like you anymore.”

Even though she said it quietly, Chi Yi still heard it. Through the rearview mirror, Chi Yi studied Xie Shaojun for a long moment.

Finally sensing something was off, she pulled over at the next traffic light. During the thirty seconds of waiting, she engaged the parking brake, leaned over from the front seat, and faced Xie Shaojun directly. Then she reached out and clasped Xie Shaojun’s hand in her own.

“What’s wrong?” Chi Yi stared into Xie Shaoyun’s eyes and said, “You look terrible. Why don’t you want me anymore? Did I do something wrong?”

“Are you leaving me for someone else?” A barrage of questions poured out before Xie Shaoyun could even respond.

Chi Yi continued, trying to correct Xie Shaoyun’s dangerous remarks: “I really can’t understand why you’re so angry. I didn’t completely forbid you from drinking, nor did I punish you for it. I just rationally thought that if you were going to drink, you should have taken me with you ”

Xie Shaoyun’s eyes grew moist.

Noticing this, Chi Yi’s voice softened. She didn’t smile, nor did she continue speaking. Her peach-blossom eyes lowered slightly as she met Xie Shaoyun’s gaze, her expression tender and focused so much so that Xie Shaoyun felt, within Chi Yi’s social standards, she was the exception to the rules.

Chi Yi was inherently gentle with her, not harsh.

In the darkness of the car, Chi Yi couldn’t fully see Xie Shaoyun’s face. She didn’t know what was wrong, so she unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned closer, gently brushing her thumb against Xie Shaoyun’s palm.

Suddenly, Xie Shaoyun felt an overwhelming sadness. Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to fall. She could only lower her head and bury her face against Chi Yi’s chest, breathing in the subtle, restrained scent of freesia on her.

“Chi Yi,” Xie Shaoyun called out.

Chi Yi responded, “Hmm?”

“If I leave you, don’t be sad,” Xie Shaoyun said.

At that moment, the traffic light turned green, and the blaring horns of cars behind them interrupted their conversation. Chi Yi kissed Xie Shaoyun’s cheek before returning to the driver’s seat, releasing the parking brake. Once the car was moving steadily again, she said,

“Then you’d better think carefully before making that decision. Because once you don’t want me, I won’t want you either.”

Xie Shaoyun murmured, “Mm. I know.”

“What do you know?” Chi Yi sounded annoyed. “If you’re thinking about things like this every day, it means your life is boring and empty. You could always come to work with me.”

She made the suggestion earnestly, even though she didn’t think Xie Shaoyun could be of much help. But having Xie Shaoyun nearby in the office would stabilize Chi Yi’s mood, make her happier, and improve her efficiency.

The countless plane tickets between the northern and southern cities in the past proved that Chi Yi loved being with Xie Shaoyun, even if Xie Shaoyun often did things Chi Yi disapproved of, like engaging in pointless activities or cursing in ways that weren’t the least bit elegant.

Yet Chi Yi never tired of teaching her. Later, when Xie Shaoyun got into Southern University, Chi Yi switched to regulating her sleep schedule. And then came the ban on bars…

In short, Chi Yi enjoyed managing her, and she never grew tired of it.

The rest of the ride passed in silence.

After returning home, Xie Shaoyun went to the bedroom to shower, while Chi Yi headed to the study to work.

Their schedules rarely aligned. Chi Yi had little time to rest, there was always so much work to do.

Xie Shaoyun didn’t wait for her and turned off the lights to sleep.

Three hours later, a housekeeper from the Chi family delivered a hangover remedy. Chi Yi helped Xie Shaoyun sit up, supporting her back until she finished the bowl, then prepared to leave again.

“Aren’t you sleeping with me?” Xie Shaoyun asked, squinting.

“Next time,” Chi Yi said.

Xie Shaoyun replied, “Got it.”

She didn’t cling to Chi Yi as usual, nor did she shamelessly slip her hands under Chi Yi’s clothes to grope her waist.

For the first time, Xie Shaoyun respected Chi Yi’s time, showing restraint and magnanimity by letting her go to work.

She obediently released Chi Yi’s hand, turned over, and closed her eyes with her back to her.

Chi Yi walked to the door, her expression turning oddly strange. She glanced back multiple times at the lump under the covers on the soft bed, even wasting three seconds lingering at the doorway yet Xie Shaoyun didn’t shamelessly beg her to stay as expected.

Chi Yi’s brows furrowed, and she shut the door with more force than necessary.

At six in the morning, Xie Shaoyun, half-asleep, was dragged out of bed by Chi Yi to walk Xie Guangqi and Feng Xiaoqing’s dog.

Xie Shaoyun was furious. “I’m not going.”

Shaking off Chi Yi’s arm, she gave her a cold look for the first time. “Are Xie Guangqi and Feng Xiaoqing your parents? If you’re so filial, why don’t you go live with them?”

Chi Yi stood by the bed dressed in business attire, looking less like she was going to walk a dog and more like she was heading to a morning meeting.

Faced with Xie Shaoyun’s attitude, Chi Yi returned the icy stare. “First, they’re not related to me by blood, they’re your parents. The request to walk the dog was directed at you, not me. Second, if you don’t want to do it, refuse them yourself. Don’t make it my problem. Your parents called me to remind me to take Jian Qing out, which I find highly inappropriate. That’s why I decided to wake you up.”

Xie Shaoyun’s fingers dug into the sheets, her brows tightly knit.

Remembering the same thing had happened the day before, she let out a cold laugh, grabbed her phone, and called Feng Cinian.

As soon as the call connected, before the other side could speak, Xie Shaoyun snapped, “Since Jian Qing came back, you’ve stopped being a mother, haven’t you?”

“Do you even know how much Chi Yi contributes to the GDP in an hour? Most of the country’s 5% annual tax growth comes from her. And you’re asking her to walk your dog, who’s going to compensate for the loss in national revenue?”

“Even if you don’t know that, fine, I’ll excuse your ignorance. But what kind of mother sends her daughter’s wife and adopted daughter out to walk a dog at the crack of dawn?”

“Never mind Chi Yi’s feelings, what about mine? Chi Yi likes women, and so does Jian Qing. Ever heard of boundaries? Or should I just tell you straight up which shade of green looks best on your head?”

Xie Shaoyun was beyond furious, unloading a barrage of sharp-tongued accusations that squarely placed Feng Xiaoqing in the unforgivable category of homewreckers.

Chi Yi stood by, watching her rant. Xie Shaoyun’s naturally curly hair had a rebellious morning cowlick sticking up, making her look both ridiculous and oddly endearing.

Chi Yi’s frown flickered before easing.

She was close enough to snatch the phone from Xie Shaoyun’s ear and stop her from further disrespecting her parents, but maybe Chi Yi was a little wicked herself. She stayed put, curious about how Professor Feng would react to this tirade.

After Xie Shaoyun’s unpleasant outburst, a voice finally came through the line laced with amusement.

“It’s Jian Qing here.”

Xie Shaoyun: “…”

“Aunt Feng is in the kitchen. Should I pass the phone to her?” Jian Qing was struggling to suppress her laughter, clearly finding the situation amusing. She said, “But Yunyun, how did you figure out I like women? All these years, I thought you were completely clueless about these things.”

Xie Shaojun ignored her comment entirely and scolded impatiently, “Seems like all your sense of respect and hierarchy got left behind abroad after all these years. How dare you call me ‘Yunyun’?”

“Alright then, jie jie,” Jian Qing cooed, laying on the sweetness thickly, addressing Xie Shaojun as “big sister” repeatedly in a way that was deliberately grating.

“It’s all my fault. Don’t blame Auntie. It’s been four years since we last saw each other, and I missed you so much. I just wanted to see you, so I used walking the dog as an excuse.”

Before Xie Shaojun could even start berating her, Chi Yi snatched the phone away and hung up for her.

Xie Shaojun looked up, utterly confused.

Chi Yi lowered her gaze, her expression clearly displeased. Just as Xie Shaojun was about to ask what was wrong, she suddenly felt a push on her arm and was pinned down onto the bedsheets by Chi Yi.

Propping herself up on her elbows over Xie Shaojun, Chi Yi kicked off her shoes and climbed onto the bed, then glared coldly at her and demanded, “Why does she call you jie jie?”

Xie Shaojun: “…”