After My Death, Everyone Repented (Transmigration) - Chapter 50

Jian Qing walked out of the stairwell with the police officer and stood by the elevator shaft, waiting. A few minutes later, the doors opened.

Xie Guangqi stepped inside.

“Uncle Xie,” Jian Qing called out.

Xie Guangqi adjusted his reading glasses on the bridge of his nose, his gaze settling on the officer behind Jian Qing. A glint of sharpness flickered briefly in his clouded eyes.

“This is ”

“Nothing serious,” Jian Qing said. “This is Officer Wang from the West District Police Station. There was a suicide case on my rooftop tonight, so I need to go with him to the station for a statement.”

Xie Guangqi hesitated, glancing between the two as if he had something to say.

Jian Qing couldn’t help but ask, “Is something wrong?”

This was the first time Xie Guangqi had been willing to see her since their falling out in the teahouse. Given Jian Qing’s understanding of Professor Xie and his wife, if Xie Guangqi had come looking for her this late, it must be urgent.

She was curious, what could possibly be so urgent that Xie Guangqi would seek her out at this hour, if not something related to Xie Shaoyun?

Jian Qing exchanged a few polite words with the officer, who tactfully stepped back to give them privacy before retreating to a corner to wait.

Since the coroner had already conducted a preliminary autopsy and ruled Lu Xi’s death a suicide, the police only needed Jian Qing’s statement to determine the motive. She wasn’t being taken in as a murder suspect, so the officer had no grounds to restrict her freedom.

Once the officer had stepped away, Jian Qing and Xie Guangqi moved to the stairwell entrance and closed the door behind them.

Xie Guangqi got straight to the point. “I heard you held a fashion show in the South District tonight?”

Jian Qing confirmed, “Yes.”

She asked, “Since when did you start paying attention to things like this?”

Xie Guangqi replied, “One of your aunt’s students dropped by tonight and mentioned it in passing.”

“Oh.” Jian Qing studied Xie Guangqi’s hesitant expression. “What do you want to know?”

“Xie Shaoyun, ” Xie Guangqi barely got the name out.

“Hm?” Jian Qing reacted sharply, cutting him off as she scrutinized him.

Xie Guangqi’s composure faltered. He coughed and corrected himself, “The lead designer of the show’s logo, that painter, Xie Haoyun. You must know her. Could you introduce me to her?”

“Your aunt and I would very much like to meet her.” Xie Guangqi met Jian Qing’s gaze.

Silence stretched between them. Jian Qing’s expression darkened before she let out a derisive laugh. “What, do you think she resembles my sister?”

“But so what?” Jian Qing’s tone turned mocking. “She’s not my sister. Can’t you and Auntie handle even this much pain? Finally showing your true colors, looking for a substitute to ease your guilt over your own daughter? Don’t even think about it not with me.”

Xie Guangqi’s hands trembled with anger. He struck the ground with his cane, steadying his breath before speaking. “Jian Qing, what’s happened to you?”

“What’s happened to me?” Jian Qing sneered. “Don’t you feel any shame? You were the ones who drove her to her death. Now you see someone who looks like her and come running to soothe your guilt? What does that make her death?”

“Shut your mouth!”

Xie Guangqi raised his hand and slapped Jian Qing across the face. Her head snapped to the side, her expression darkening.

She lifted her eyelids, adopting a mocking smile one eerily reminiscent of Xie Shaoyun’s. The moment she mirrored that expression, Xie Guangqi deflated like frostbitten leaves, unable to bring himself to strike her a second time.

The two stood in place as Jian Qing turned to leave. When she reached the doorway, Xie Guangqi called out to her: “After all these years of raising you, your aunt and I would like to meet that child.”

Jian Qing paused but didn’t turn around. She asked, “Give me a reason to convince myself.”

“Do you remember the iris tattoo on your sister’s leg?”

Jian Qing froze for a moment before replying, “I remember.”

“Jun Jun left a sketch at home. Last week, your aunt was sorting through her belongings and found that drawing. Strangely enough, its linework bears a striking resemblance to the oil painting ‘Iris’ by the young artist Xie Haoyun, which I purchased two years ago. I had my students verify it both pieces were done by the same hand. The one your sister drew is wild and unrestrained, with rough strokes, while the oil painting at home is more refined and expansive.”

Jian Qing was stunned. After a few seconds, she turned back in shock.

“What are you implying?”

Xie Guangqi gave her a definitive answer: “Your aunt and I have seen her, not just videos of her online, but in person. You must have seen her tonight too”

The silver-haired man’s voice grew labored as he leaned on his cane. Under the dim yellow light, his shadow stretched crookedly across the floor. Hunched over, Xie Guangqi said, “Xiao Qing, she is your aunt and my daughter. No parent fails to recognize their own child.”

After Jian Qing was taken away, the room fell into deathly silence.

No one was around.

As a doll, Xie Shaoyun could have manipulated her limbs to hop around the table and survey the surroundings. But having just witnessed the entire process of Lu Xi’s death, she lay motionless like a corpse, staring blankly under the desk lamp.

The pale green lamp cast a feeble glow, its bulb coated in a thick layer of dust that dimmed the light, leaving much of the area in shadow.

So Xie Shaoyun lay flat, fixating on that faint glimmer as her thoughts wandered. She didn’t believe Jian Qing would face judgment for being taken away by the police.

Since Lu Xi’s death was a voluntary act of suicide, that scum wouldn’t be punished only a life pointlessly wasted.

Xie Shaoyun wasn’t sure what expression to wear. Lu Xi’s final words to Jian Qing made her reflect on her own choices back then.

If given another chance, would she make the same decision?

The answer was clear: she would.

Whether Lu Xi had a choice, Xie Shaoyun didn’t know, she wasn’t Lu Xi. But back when Xie Shaoyun donated her kidney to Jian Qing, she had no choice.

She was going to die anyway whether a month later from recurring cancer, silently fading away, or as that “selfless benefactor,” forever a thorn lodged in the hearts of the living.

Yet now, Xie Shaoyun realized it still wasn’t enough.

Having witnessed Lu Xi’s death in its entirety, she felt a flicker of anger.

Zhu Maomao was like this, Zhu Sicheng was like this… and now Lu Xi. It seemed everyone who crossed Jian Qing met the same fate bullied to death.

The world’s rules of cause and effect were self-justifying. Every one of Jian Qing’s actions deserved a thousand cuts, yet she remained unscathed, effortlessly evading consequences all because she was this world’s protagonist.

Xie Shaojun let out a soft, slow scoff in her throat, only for the bedroom door to suddenly swing open. Startled, she looked up to see Jian Qing returning unexpectedly with police officers in tow.

“Your home ” The officer asked in surprise, “has no bed?”

“Ah.” Jian Qing didn’t bother hiding it, answering nonchalantly, “Two years ago, my sister passed away on the operating table. I was there and witnessed the whole thing. Since then, I’ve developed traumatic psychological barriers.”

Her words, paired with her understated makeup, evoked sympathy from the officer.

“My apologies.”

Jian Qing said it was fine and walked over to the desk, picking Xie Shaojun up with both hands.

She cradled her carefully in her palms.

“Sorry, officer, for making you come all this way for nothing.” Jian Qing handed the doll to the officer, who scanned it with a detector. After confirming there were no listening devices or dangerous items, he returned it to her.

Jian Qing naturally slipped Xie Shaojun into her pocket.

As they reached the door, for some reason, Jian Qing went out of her way to explain to the officer, “This doll is a bit worn out. It was a gift from my sister. Since she passed away two years ago, I can’t bear to be apart from it for too long. I have to carry it with me every day.”

The officer said, “That’s understandable.”

“As long as you don’t find me troublesome.”

They chatted a bit more, and the officer’s impression of Jian Qing softened. The young officer then asked gently, “Ready to go now?”

“Mhm.”

A police car was waiting outside the residential area. Once they got in, the flashing lights of the police car intersected with an Audi driving past.

At that moment, Xie Shaojun happened to be taken out by Jian Qing, so their gazes crossed, and she caught a glimpse of the Audi’s license plate.

She couldn’t help but think gloomily, Chi Yi was probably going to make another wasted trip.

Her hair was tugged by Jian Qing, but Xie Shaojun ignored her, keeping her large, lifeless eyes wide open.

As long as she didn’t make a sound or move her limbs, she was just a soulless doll.

Getting no response didn’t stop Jian Qing. She fiddled with the doll’s arms, then its hair, even lifting its little skirt to check if it was wearing underwear.

Xie Shaojun thought Jian Qing was asking for a beating.

Too bad she was now a harmless doll with no offensive capabilities.

Still, Jian Qing at least stopped rudely holding her by the scruff of the neck and instead cradled her carefully in both hands.

After finishing her series of shameless actions, Jian Qing stared at the doll, lost in thought.

Xie Shaojun remained silent, letting her look, revealing no flaws.

It wasn’t until they arrived at the police station and the officer asked to temporarily store the doll in an outside storage box under police custody that Jian Qing leaned in, pressing her face against the doll’s cheek, and asked abruptly

“Xie Shaojun is it you?”

Xie Shaojun’s heart trembled, but her expression gave nothing away.

Her ability to remain composed under pressure had been honed during her time as a skull thanks to Chi Yi so she didn’t slip up at all.

In truth, Jian Qing was only testing her.

The reason she suspected her doll might house Xie Shaojun’s soul was that after seeing Xie Guangqi off, Jian Qing couldn’t calm down. So she forcibly called Qin Wan, desperate to get all the information she could about Xie Shaojun.

During the twenty-minute conversation, she gleaned an interesting detail from Qin Wan’s disjointed account: after the car accident, Xie Shaojun suffered from sequelae and frequently fainted.

The Xie family had consulted numerous metaphysical masters specifically to treat Xie Shaojun.

Once, when Qin Wan visited Xie Shaojun in the hospital, she overheard a conversation between one of these masters and Xie Qingcheng near the emergency exit as she was leaving.

“That master was spouting nonsense and hardly credible. Young Xie has weak vital energy, and her unconsciousness is caused by soul displacement. She will attach herself to personal items belonging to those who come into contact with her.”

These were Qin Wan’s exact words, but she immediately followed up by telling Jian Qing not to take it seriously: “I often touch Xie’s arms or hands, but I’ve never seen her faint in front of me. So just take it with a grain of salt.”

If Qin Wan had been present, she probably would have called Jian Qing crazy.

But what if it were true? Jian Qing, acting on a whim, decided to test the theory and abruptly questioned the doll.

Unfortunately, the doll remained as lifeless as a lump of cheap cotton, showing no reaction.

Jian Qing herself began to think she might be losing her mind. After waiting a while and seeing no evidence that the doll was human, she reluctantly abandoned the idea.

She handed Xie Shaojun over to the officers and turned to enter the interrogation room.

Just as Xie Shaojun breathed a sigh of relief, Jian Qing suddenly turned back and exchanged a few words with her private lawyer. Soon, the lawyer negotiated with the police.

Five minutes later, Xie Shaojun, now a mere mascot, was placed on the red lacquered wooden table in the interrogation room.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, there was nothing a doll could do.

The police questioning dragged on a series of monotonous, emotionless queries to which Jian Qing gave half-truth answers.

Xie Shaojun grew impatient listening to her lies and, after a few sentences, dozed off.

She woke up again when she was abruptly jolted by the shrill, almost maniacal sound of threats ringing in her ears. She found herself hanging from Jian Qing’s crossbody bag, surrounded by a crowd of police officers.

“Don’t move! Take one more step, and I’ll take her down with me!”

The police froze in place.

During the two-minute standoff, Xie Shaojun assessed her situation, she was in a precarious position, dangling from Jian Qing’s bag while Jian Qing herself was held hostage, her vulnerable neck gripped by the assailant. In his left hand, the man brandished a highly dangerous bottle of concentrated sulfuric acid.

“Stay back!” The man kept shifting his stance, warning the approaching officers.

The ambush had occurred right outside the police station. No one had anticipated the man charging out with sulfuric acid and seizing Jian Qing by the throat.

The next three minutes were chaotic. Nearly the entire police force mobilized, but none could guarantee a safe rescue. The sulfuric acid dripped onto the withered leaves on the ground, corroding them into black ash almost instantly.

The police raised a loudspeaker: “Let’s talk this through.”

Jian Qing’s throat was clamped shut, rendering her unable to speak. When the officers asked the assailant why he had taken Jian Qing hostage and what his demands were, he only uttered one sentence: “Ten billion.”

He was highly agitated, insisting he wouldn’t negotiate with the police, only with someone who had the authority to provide the money.

Soon, a response came.

From behind the barricade of police shields, a figure emerged. Xie Shaojun, who had been scanning the surroundings, suddenly saw Chi Yi step forward from the crowd.

Xie Shaojun held her breath, furious at the sight of Chi Yi.

What was she doing here in such a dangerous situation? Jian Qing’s mess had nothing to do with Chi Yi. Was she out of her mind?

Xie Shaoyun glared angrily at Chi Yi, who was also staring back at her.

Xie Shaoyun was currently a doll, but the way Chi Yi looked at her was no different from how one would regard a person, completely ignoring the two actual humans present.

After confirming the doll’s safety, Chi Yi finally addressed the main issue. Coolly meeting the kidnapper’s gaze, she said, “The money can be given to you now. I want the bag on Jian Qing. The others are yours to deal with.”

Her unexpected demand caused a stir behind her.

Chi Yi’s demeanor was deceptively composed. She had a slender figure and graceful poise, her long hair elegantly tied up. The silver-rimmed chain glasses accentuated the delicate contours of her face. Her tone was neither submissive nor arrogant, exuding an air of conviction.

Standing beneath a large tree in the darkness, with plane tree leaves scattered at her feet, her unwavering gaze remained fixed on the kidnapper. Even in the night, her negotiator’s stance was unmistakable.

“Lu Xi’s suicide has left you unsettled understandable. These are the grievances between Jian Qing and you two. I don’t care about anyone else’s fate, but that bag on Jian Qing contains my late wife’s belongings. I must take it with me. The money and the yacht can be arranged for you.”

Chi Yi maintained a measured distance, giving the kidnapper ample space to consider.

The kidnapper, visibly agitated, snapped, “I want this bitch dead. Do you agree?”

Chi Yi gave him a strange look. “That’s not my decision to make. As I’ve said, I only care about the bag. If you want cash, ten billion is impossible for one person to carry. I suggest you think realistically. Two million in unmarked bills, I can arrange that for you immediately.”

The offer was too tempting to refuse. The kidnapper hesitated.

After two seconds of standoff, Chi Yi didn’t press further. Instead, her eyes remained locked on the doll, as if fearing it might be hit by the kidnapper’s sulfuric acid. Her nerves were stretched taut ready to lunge forward at the slightest hostile move.

Xie Shaoyun actually wanted to speak up, to tell her not to worry.

But Jian Qing suddenly spoke. Held by the neck, her voice hoarse, she asked Chi Yi, “She’s in my bag, what is she?”

Chi Yi ignored her. By then, the kidnapper had made up his mind. Snapping at Jian Qing to shut up, he turned back to Chi Yi. “Where’s the money?”

Soon, Secretary Wang emerged from the crowd, carrying a silver suitcase. When opened, it revealed stacks of cash neatly arranged like bricks.

After verifying the amount, the kidnapper nodded, ordering them to close the case and prepare a car to take him to the dock.

As he spoke, he tightened his grip on Jian Qing’s neck, demanding she hand over the bag. Jian Qing lowered her head, fingers brushing the chain strap. Then, in a sudden twist, she broke free from his hold.

At that moment, the police fired.

“Bitch!” the kidnapper roared. A bullet struck his left arm. In a final act of desperation, he flung the sulfuric acid toward Jian Qing.

But Jian Qing was too quick. The police swiftly closed in.

As she ran, only a few drops of acid splashed onto the hem of her clothes and the doll dangling from her crossbody bag.

Five minutes later, the crisis was resolved. The kidnapper was subdued by the police, and the chaos subsided.

Jian Qing bent over, panting, as Chi Yi approached.

Xie Shaoyun felt nothing, just an overwhelming exhaustion. When she looked up, she saw two faces filled with panic staring back at her.

Xie Shaoyun followed her heart and looked at the one she wanted to see. However, Chi Yi’s expression began to change strangely her peach-blossom eyes widened, her lips parted slightly and remained agape, her small face filled with an overwhelming confusion… unmistakably, and even more despair.

Xie Shaoyun really wanted to ask, “What’s wrong?”

But she was too exhausted. Staring into Chi Yi’s eyes, she struggled to speak.

“Don’t be afraid.”

“It’s okay.”

Yet the words wouldn’t come out.

Chi Yi stood rooted in place, digging through the black ashes on the ground with her hands, her lips repeating something over and over.

Xie Shaoyun leaned closer and saw two broken metal chains lying on the ground. The tattered doll that had once hung from the crossbody bag had turned to ashes, lifted by the cold night wind, scattering into Chi Yi’s hair.

Chi Yi’s expression remained frozen, unchanged for a long time. Her gaze bore down with a fateful weight of hopelessness and helplessness.

She didn’t cry. But as time passed, the unshakable confidence on her beautiful face was replaced by endless defeat and surrender.

With great effort, Xie Shaoyun finally deciphered Chi Yi’s lips. Chi Yi was apologizing: “I’m sorry.”

Cradling the ashes of the doll, she called Xie Shaoyun’s name: “I promise you, I won’t appear before you again, I won’t interfere with your mission, I won’t hope for reconciliation. I just want you to live, okay?”

Her heart ached unbearably. Xie Shaoyun didn’t understand why Chi Yi would say such things.

She didn’t know why Chi Yi was so despairing so despairing that she didn’t even need to turn back and look at Xie Shaoyun lying unconscious in the hospital, as if she already knew she would lose her.

Why?

Before losing consciousness, Xie Shaoyun thought in confusion