After My Death, Everyone Repented (Transmigration) - Chapter 6

At seven in the morning, steaming hot dishes were promptly laid out on the dining table.

The housekeeper tucked away her apron and stepped out of the kitchen, just in time to see Chi Yi descending the stairs.

The other lady of the house wasn’t by her side, likely still asleep.

The housekeeper glanced over, then turned away without needing further instructions from Chi Yi. She deftly portioned out the dishes Xie Shaojun usually favored from the tray and placed them in the steamer.

When she emerged from the kitchen again, she was surprised to find Xie Shaojun already up.

The housekeeper smiled, greeted her, and then asked Chi Yi, “Miss Chi, breakfast is ready. Should I come back at noon?”

Chi Yi said no.

The housekeeper was on-call, and Chi Yi paid her a twenty-four-month salary.

Normally, Chi Yi would schedule the housekeeper for regular cleaning. As for meals, there was only one day a week when Chi Yi would dine at home, and the timing was irregular. Xie Shaojun had a forgetful nature, so these small details were always arranged in advance by Chi Yi.

Chi Yi told the housekeeper she wouldn’t be needed for the rest of the day.

Then she fetched hot water, sterilized the utensils, and checked the dishes in front of Xie Shaojun.

As she had done countless times before meals, she took Xie Shaojun’s dishes to disinfect them herself.

But this time, Xie Shaojun refused.

The housekeeper soon left the two-story duplex apartment.

Once again, the two of them were alone in the house.

Chi Yi disliked being disturbed and would never allow outsiders to live with her and Xie Shaojun.

Compared to crowded settings, she much preferred their time alone together.

But today, the solitude was no longer pleasant instead, it was filled with a long, heavy silence.

Not long ago, Xie Shaojun had brought up divorce. The mere thought of it was irresponsible in itself.

Chi Yi had spent a long time trying to understand why Xie Shaojun would do this.

At first, when Xie Shaojun had uttered those harsh words, Chi Yi assumed it was just her emotions talking. So she stood by, waiting for Xie Shaojun to cool down.

She followed her, watching her get dressed, brush her teeth, and wash up.

An hour later, breakfast time arrived. Chi Yi went downstairs, and Xie Shaojun followed.

But Chi Yi didn’t get the reconciliation she had hoped for.

A faint, panicked anger simmered in her chest.

“Have you calmed down?” Chi Yi couldn’t help but ask.

Xie Shaojun didn’t answer. She seemed exhausted.

The tasteless breakfast ended in silence between them.

The moment Xie Shaojun set down her chopsticks, Chi Yi looked up.

Breaking the silence, she said, “Was talking about divorce just an emotional outburst?”

Xie Shaojun had thought that after all this time, Chi Yi would have come to accept the idea of divorce. But it seemed she still didn’t agree.

“No. I’m serious about this,” Xie Shaojun replied without looking at Chi Yi. Unwilling to elaborate, she stood up to go upstairs and pack her things.

Her arm was abruptly yanked back by Chi Yi.

“Xie Shaojun!”

Chi Yi called her by her full name, forcing Xie Shaojun to turn and meet her gaze.

Chi Yi said, “We’ve known each other for four years. The first time I hit you was because you skipped class to get your ears pierced and nearly missed your college entrance exams. But after that, you got countless more piercings.”

Xie Shaojun remembered and let out a mocking laugh. “The one who really knows how to fight is me. Get it straight, I’ve always been the one holding back.”

“True.” Chi Yi stood tall. “The reason you never fought back was because you were willing to let me discipline you.”

So she had known all along.

Xie Shaojun suddenly didn’t feel like talking to her anymore. She lifted her eyelids lazily, yawned, and said, “I was willing before, but not anymore.”

“Why?” Chi Yi stared at her expressionlessly, stubbornly demanding a reason.

Xie Shaojun didn’t understand why there had to be so many whys.

“Not willing is just not willing. There doesn’t need to be a reason for everything. Loving someone isn’t a lifelong commitment. I can’t explain every little detail of every moment. Feelings fade that’s just how it is.”

As she spoke, Xie Shaojun avoided looking into Chi Yi’s eyes the entire time.

It was as if she had used up all her cruelty in that one sentence an hour ago when she mentioned divorce. Chi Yi fell silent for a few seconds.

Then she asked, “Have you thought this through?”

Xie Shaojun replied, “I have.”

The duplex had been bought by Chi Yi when they got married. They had moved in just a month ago, so there weren’t too many belongings. Since she had already brought up divorce, the paperwork wouldn’t be processed that quickly.

After some thought, Xie Shaojun decided she shouldn’t stay here any longer. In her current physical state, living with Chi Yi would make it too easy for her to notice something was wrong.

After dinner, Xie Shaojun told Chi Yi they should live apart for now. She said Chi Yi could notify her whenever she had time so they could arrange to finalize the divorce.

Xie Shaojun made divorce sound so effortless. Chi Yi stared at her, neither agreeing nor refusing.

Instead, stubbornly and annoyingly, she followed Xie Shaojun around as she pulled out two large suitcases and haphazardly stuffed clothes into them.

Chi Yi instinctively frowned, but Xie Shaojun abruptly turned around, cutting off whatever disapproval Chi Yi was about to voice. “Can you stop looking at me like that?”

There was clear frustration in Xie Shaojun’s tone. Chi Yi stared at her intently, as if searching for any trace of a joke on her face, but found nothing. Eventually, she walked downstairs and sat on the sofa, lost in thought.

Packing didn’t take long. Half an hour later, Xie Shaojun came downstairs and found Chi Yi in the living room, handling work.

She hadn’t gone to the office, nor had she attended the high-stakes meetings listed in Secretary Wang’s morning itinerary. But that didn’t affect her efficiency.

Chi Yi had shifted her morning tasks online, issuing commands methodically. By the time Xie Shaojun finished packing, she had already completed all her scheduled work for the morning.

But when Xie Shaojun dragged the two massive suitcases into the living room, Chi Yi grabbed her arm, blocking all the sunlight in front of her, and said firmly, “I don’t agree.”

“What?” Xie Shaojun thought she had misheard.

Chi Yi lowered her gaze and repeated, “I don’t agree to divorce you.”

Her voice turned pleading. “I don’t understand why you’re like this. If you didn’t want to go to work with me, you could’ve refused. If it’s because I hit you, but the force was so light. You used to say it didn’t hurt before I did it.”

“If you don’t like these behaviors anymore, if you can’t stand them, I can change.”

Xie Shaojun opened her mouth but found herself unable to speak. They simply stared at each other in silence for a long moment.

Then Chi Yi slid her hand down Xie Shaojun’s arm, clasping her fingers, and whispered, “I’m sorry.”

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the sky was clear and bright.

There was no thunderstorm. No dark clouds.

Xie Shaojun watched as the oddly shaped yet pristine cloud drifted before her in the azure sky. It seemed so unreachable, yet it lingered stubbornly, refusing to leave.

For a fleeting moment, Xie Shaojun couldn’t help but soften.

She felt a deep sorrow. “I’ve been thinking for a long time, what would happen if two people with vastly different family backgrounds and completely opposite personalities forced themselves to stay together?”

Chi Yi asked, “And your conclusion?”

“An egg smashing against a rock.” Xie Shaojun rubbed her aching head and said to her, “Chi Yi, you don’t need to change anything. Just be yourself. It’s me, I’m tired. Do you understand?”

Her exhausted eyes, suddenly wide open, remained fixed in place.

Chi Yi released Xie Shaojun and watched as the other woman walked past her, reached the door, changed her shoes, and opened it…

Through it all, Chi Yi made no move to stop her. She simply stared at Xie Shaojun’s retreating figure and said, “Have you really thought this through? You don’t want me anymore?”

“That year when you were kidnapped, you were five, and I was seven. Later, my parents found me and brought me home. You said that if we ever met again, you’d stay with me for the rest of your life.”

“Xie Shaojun!”

Chi Yi’s voice was heavy as she said, “I will never forgive anyone who abandons me. If you leave, I won’t forgive you.”

Xie Shaojun gripped the door handle, her nails digging deep scratches into the red-painted wood. She didn’t stop. The door opened, then closed.

The suitcase wheels rumbled down the narrow hallway. The elevator doors parted, Xie Shaojun stepped inside, and as they closed again, they shut out all the sunlight before her.

Xie Shaojun thought, A promise I never made, why should I acknowledge it?

“I don’t need your forgiveness!”

After descending the stairs, Xie Shaojun didn’t head to the underground garage. Her G-Class was in the shop for repairs, and the other cars in the garage belonged to Chi Yi.

Xie Shaojun didn’t touch them. They had only been married for a month their shared assets were pitifully few, so the divorce proceedings wouldn’t be too drawn out.

After calling Damei, Xie Shaojun stood outside the security booth with her suitcase.

“Miss Xie?” the guard asked. “Going on a trip?”

Xie Shaojun thought for a moment, then replied, “Good idea.”

Ten minutes later, Damei screeched to a halt in front of Xie Shaojun.

A puff of exhaust barely missed her feet.

Xie Shaojun jumped back, steadying herself before snapping, “Can’t you drive properly?”

Damei grinned. “Well, you were just standing there spacing out! I called your name like five times no response.”

Xie Shaojun couldn’t be bothered to banter. She motioned for Damei to get out and help with the luggage.

“Hey, Boss Xie the Second, what’s the deal? Are your arms broken? Or are you just spoiled rotten?”

“Fine, I’ll call someone else,” Xie Shaojun threatened, stepping back.

Grumbling, Damei got out of the car, snatched the suitcase handle from Xie Shaojun’s grip, and shoved it into the trunk with both hands.

“Lucky I drove this SUV today. big enough to fit all your… Wait, why two suitcases? Are you moving out?”

Finally realizing something was off, Damei cut herself short and glanced nervously at Xie Shaojun. “Did you and Chi Yi have a fight?”

Remembering Chi Yi’s expression at the bar last night, Damei grimaced. “It’s not that serious, right? R-right? I could talk to her for you, explain things…”

Xie Shaojun draped an arm over Damei’s shoulder and said it wasn’t necessary, then urged her to drive off.

At the first intersection, Damei asked, “Where to?”

“My place.” Xie Shaojun gave the address of her own house before marriage: “Biguiyuan in the West District.”

Damei’s fingers on the steering wheel suddenly froze. She glanced at Xie Shaojun through the rearview mirror, her striking curly hair was tied loosely with a rubber band, hanging haphazardly at the back of her head.

The temperature in Nancheng hadn’t completely cooled down yet. Xie Shaojun wore shorts and a T-shirt, her slender arms and legs exposed. Damei took a look but didn’t find any bruises or signs of domestic violence on her.

Relieved, she asked, “Did you really get kicked out? Couples fight, but they always make up by bedtime.”

“This time is different.” Xie Shaojun rested her elbow on the car window, watching the receding skyscrapers outside, her tone casual as she said to Damei, “We’re getting a divorce.”

“What?” Damei’s voice suddenly rose.

At the same time, the car jerked to a stop.

The inertia nearly made Xie Shaojun cough up blood. Frowning, she grabbed a magazine from the car’s storage compartment and flung it at Damei’s face. “I called you to help me move, not to send me to the afterlife.”

Damei looked even more anxious than Xie Shaojun. Seeing her tension, Xie Shaojun winked flirtatiously and said, “Damei-jie, focus on driving, okay? I’d like to live a couple more months.”

Damei spat out, “Stop smiling, it’s ugly.”

Xie Shaojun shut her mouth.

Damei had known Xie Shaojun for years and understood her temperament. Once Xie Shaojun decided not to speak, no amount of questioning would get her to open up.

Clearly, she wasn’t in a good mood right now.

Damei decided to wait until Xie Shaojun was more stable before offering advice.

She changed the subject. “How’s the prep going for that tattoo expo in Haicheng?”

Without hesitation, Xie Shaojun replied, “Not going.”

“Huh? Didn’t you agree to be a judge for the organizers?”

“When did I agree?” Xie Shaojun lowered her eyelids, leaving no room for negotiation as she told Damei to cancel the arrangement.

Damei scolded her, “You’re practically a grandmaster in our field famous early, with a huge reputation. But you never promote yourself, just hole up at home playing the tough girl. Who’s even watching?”

Xie Shaojun ignored the comment entirely, turning her head listlessly toward Damei. “Jie, I’m planning to take a break from now on.”

Damei agreed readily, “Fine, how long do you want to relax? I’ll push back your scheduled appointments.”

“I mean I’m quitting,” Xie Shaojun said. “You’ve got two months to find a new partner.”