After My Death, Everyone Repented (Transmigration) - Chapter 73.1

Chi Yi’s soft voice saying she was in pain was enough to stir restlessness in Xie Shaoyun.

The love for beauty is universal, especially when that beauty was Chi Yi, whose every strand of hair exuded refinement.

The way she spoke with that voice felt like a seduction.

Xie Shaoyun couldn’t possibly remain unaffected.

This loss of rational control reminded Xie Shaoyun of another chance encounter a few days prior though she wasn’t sure if she had crossed any boundaries with Chi Yi that night.

Because, at first, it hadn’t been a dinner gathering they attended together.

Now, as she examined Chi Yi’s waist injury, Xie Shaoyun’s thoughts scattered, recalling the events of that evening in full.

It had started with Tao Man calling her, asking if she had finished the portrait.

Xie Shaoyun had been painting since childhood, gifted with natural talent. Over the years, she had participated in more and more exhibitions, her style maturing steadily. Occasionally, through referrals, she took on commissions for portrait work.

Meeting Tao Man had been a coincidence. Tao Man had requested a portrait of her friend, but with no reference material to work from, Xie Shaoyun had to rely solely on Tao Man’s sparse verbal descriptions to reconstruct the person.

This commission had dragged on for nearly a year, with constant revisions. If not for Tao Man’s generous payment and the fact that they bonded over their shared experiences of unrequited love, Xie Shaoyun would have long since overturned her palette and walked away.

At nine in the evening, Xie Shaoyun arrived at the bar.

Boss Tao was leaning against the bar’s neon sign, exhaling smoke.

When she spotted Xie Shaoyun, she turned slightly.

“What wind blew Little Xie here?” she asked.

Xie Shaoyun stayed at a distance, not even lifting her eyelids. “A fragrant one.”

Tao Man chuckled and made way for her. The two entered the bar, and Xie Shaoyun took a seat on one of the high stools at the circular counter.

Tao Man ordered the bartender to serve her a low-alcohol drink.

Xie Shaoyun refused, insisting on champagne instead.

It wasn’t about addiction, she wasn’t here to drown her sorrows.

“This establishment doesn’t cater to high schoolers,” Tao Man teased, raising an eyebrow.

Xie Shaoyun pulled out her ID and held it up. “I’m an adult.”

Tao Man ignored her and instructed the bartender to serve her a low-proof drink anyway.

Afterward, Tao Man reviewed the painting and offered plenty of critiques.

Xie Shaoyun cursed her for being annoying.

Tao Man smirked. “I paid, so I’m your boss. Be a good kid and do your job don’t argue with grown women.”

Xie Shaoyun thought to herself, You’re not exactly an adult either stop acting like some worldly lady.

Tao Man was only twenty-three. After graduating high school, she had spent five years in prison. Upon release, she inherited a friend’s billions in assets.

Yet she hadn’t touched a single cent of that fortune, donating it all to hospitals instead.

The bar she ran now was a shabby, rusted place, with wooden flower stands weathered by time, their surfaces mottled with corrosion.

The bar had a hired band an old one from years ago.

The drummer played, while the lead singer’s voice lingered on a decade-old hit, Golden Years,

Xie Shaoyun couldn’t resist mocking her. “How many years has it been? Even if you love stagnation, at least change the band they’re off-key.”

“Not that many years,” Tao Man retorted. “Only seven hundred and thirty-two days.”

Her tone cooled slightly as she spoke, her fingers instinctively reaching to adjust her hair only to pause when she remembered her long locks had been cut short. After a brief hesitation, her hand awkwardly brushed her ear instead.

Xie Shaoyun could tell, she was thinking again about the person who had landed her in prison, then abandoned her, leaving behind a fortune in inheritance.

But no matter how bitter the resentment, fate had run its course. The person was already dead, why cling to the past like this?

Xie Shaoyun thought she was more carefree than Tao Man, she had let go of Chi Yi without a second thought.

Pretending nonchalance, she tapped the table and suggested to Tao Man that if she wasn’t used to short hair, she could always grow it back.

Tao Man tilted her eternally youthful, innocent face, her smile stiff as she shook her head. After downing a glass of wine, she squinted and muttered, not particularly coquettishly, “Hair can grow back, but Liu Yu, won’t be coming back.”

Xie Shaoyun didn’t know how to respond to that. After a moment’s thought, she changed the subject. “Do you think my mom will come drag me out of here later?”

Tao Man kicked her under the table. “Then why don’t you get lost already?”

It had been two months since Xie Shaoyun last visited Tao Man’s place. After they became close, she used to frequent the bar often.

Somehow, word got around in their circle, and rumors spread that Tao Man was Xie Shaoyun’s first love.

When her mother caught wind of it, Xie Shaoyun was put under strict supervision for months.

Unfazed, Xie Shaoyun remained seated and asked Tao Man to bring more bottles.

Tao Man studied her for a moment, sighed when she realized Xie Shaoyun was serious, and obliged.

The two drank in companionable silence for a while before Tao Man asked, “So, that person of yours is back?”

“Is it that obvious?” Xie Shaoyun blinked in surprise, dodging the question.

“It’s written all over your face.” Tao Man pointed at Xie Shaoyun’s troubled expression.

Xie Shaoyun forced a smile but didn’t deny it.

“It’s annoying.”

“Annoying means you still feel something. If she’s single, go for it,” Tao Man advised. “Don’t think just because you’re young, you won’t have regrets in life.”

She spoke like a seasoned veteran, but Xie Shaoyun shook her head. “Our situation is different.”

“There’s no chance for us anymore.”

After two more drinks, a customer called for Tao Man. She patted Xie Shaoyun’s shoulder, saying she’d be right back, and took the bottle from her hand.

“Don’t drink too much.”

“I’m in college already,” Xie Shaoyun retorted. When drunk, she had a habit of seeking out more alcohol. She clung to Tao Man’s arm, refusing to let go.

That was when Chi Yi arrived.

Standing in the flickering shadows of the bar lights, her expression was unreadable.

Xie Shaoyun squinted her puppy-dog eyes and asked Tao Man, “Sis, why does that person look so much like”

Before she could finish, someone pulled her up.

Later, in the dim glow of car lights, Xie Shaoyun leaned against the headrest, her lips burning as something cool and soft pressed against them.

She must have been drunk, because through half-lidded eyes, she saw Chi Yi leaning over her, cascading hair falling like a waterfall, tangling with her own wavy locks. Chi Yi seemed furious, her eyes were red as she kissed her with a desperate intensity.

It was a side of Chi Yi Xie Shaoyun had never seen before. Unless Chi Yi had lost her mind, she would never act like that.

Thinking it was a dream, Xie Shaoyun didn’t push her away as decisively as she would have if sober. Instead, she smirked challengingly, cupped Chi Yi’s head, and murmured, “So it’s you, Chi Yi.”

“You’ve got some nerve.” Even in dreams, you dare provoke me.

But the next day, when Xie Shaoyun woke up at home and called Tao Man, she learned that Chi Yi had indeed been at the bar and it was Chi Yi who had brought her back.

Tao Man asked, “Didn’t anything happen between you two?”

Xie Shaoyun hung up.

She had been too drunk to remember whether it was real or a dream.

But whether it was a dream or not, being tempted by someone like Chi Yi was only natural.

Adults had desires it didn’t mean anything.

Xie Shaoyun didn’t deny her past feelings for Chi Yi, but now… it just wasn’t the right time anymore.

When they parted in their teens, Xie Shaojun never imagined that the person who took away her feelings and left her with unresolved emotions would return without a word just as she was about to forget her.

Truth be told, there wasn’t much animosity between them. They had been too young back then, unable to distinguish what love truly was. Xie Shaojun never confessed, and Chi Yi bore no responsibility toward her.

If they were to become friends again, Xie Shaojun couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t fall back into old habits. It might also give Chi Yi the impression that both of them were far too casual about this relationship, coming and going as they pleased, accepting or rejecting it on a whim, as if they could just pick up where they left off whenever they felt like it.

Xie Shaojun didn’t want to be that kind of person anymore.

Besides, Chi Yi already had someone she was pursuing.

So now, after the memories had resurfaced, Xie Shaojun suppressed the emotions that had flared up too easily, her heartbeat quickening briefly before steadying.

Once she felt she could withstand Chi Yi’s pained, erratic breathing without faltering, Xie Shaojun pressed down hard on the scalded patch of skin on Chi Yi’s waist. Chi Yi gasped sharply, twisting away before standing up, her back hunched in pain.

“I’ll call someone for you,” Xie Shaojun said evenly, trying to create distance. “You need to go to the hospital.”

Chi Yi could barely stand, yet her tone remained as composed as ever. The corners of her eyes curved slightly as she scrutinized Xie Shaojun. “Just checking a wound, why are you pulling away?”

“Weren’t you the one who said it? We’re both girls.”

Xie Shaojun had no retort.

Chi Yi, without hesitation, leaned weakly against her.

“If I don’t get to the hospital soon, I really won’t be able to get out of bed. Xie Shaojun, take me there.”

It was raining that day, and the roads were clogged with traffic.

On the way to the hospital, Chi Yi picked up Xie Shaojun’s driver’s license from the car and studied it for a long time.

“You drive well,” she praised before asking, “When did you get your license?”

“Got it as soon as I was old enough.” Xie Shaojun shot her a sidelong glance. “The date’s right there. Can’t you read?”

Chi Yi fell silent for a moment, then defended herself. “I was just looking at the photo. Didn’t notice the date.”

“Then don’t force conversation.” Xie Shaojun bluntly called her out.

Her words seemed to open Pandora’s box, shattering the fragile peace that had formed between them since Chi Yi’s injury and Xie Shaojun’s decision to take her to the hospital.

Three years of separation had made them strangers.

Their conversation remained superficial, polite, and distant.

The fluttering hearts of their youth had once been like clouds merging seamlessly in the sky of their teenage years, when the wind blew, they drifted together without resistance.

But now, after so long apart, those clouds had scattered into fragments. Forcing them back together only left behind jagged, overlapping creases.

Perhaps Chi Yi felt the same. She offered a strained smile and didn’t bother defending herself further. “If you’re annoyed, I’ll stop asking.”

With that, she turned her gaze out the window.

Xie Shaojun was restless, wanting to say something, but she didn’t understand Chi Yi’s wounded expression, nor did she understand herself right now.

She switched lanes, taking a shortcut down a bumpy, uneven road littered with loose gravel.

She had hoped to reach the hospital faster, but the muddy path seemed endless.

Xie Shaojun rolled down the driver’s side window, letting the damp, earthy scent of rain hit her face. She had wanted fresh air, but the briny, muddy odor only made her more uncomfortable.

Reluctantly, she rolled the window back up.

Without the influx of fresh air, the confined space amplified the scent of Chi Yi’s freesia and the sound of her restrained breathing.

The car had traveled a considerable distance, yet the silence remained suffocating. This was the quiet Xie Shaojun had hoped for, but it also seemed to carry an undercurrent of resentment and anger.

Over the past three years, buried grievances and old wounds had sprouted like bamboo shoots in spring.

The prolonged, persistent ache left by Chi Yi’s departure overpowered Xie Shaojun’s clamoring rationality.

“Chi Yi,” Xie Shaojun called out.

Chi Yi turned her face slightly.

Outside the car window, the windshield wipers swept the raindrops into long streaks. Xie Shaojun didn’t meet Chi Yi’s gaze, keeping her eyes fixed ahead as she asked, “Why did you leave back then?”

“And why did you come back?”

As if subconsciously trying to mend the broken pieces of that day, Chi Yi explained in detail.

June 22nd, sunny.

At seven in the morning, while helping Xie Shaojun check her exam supplies, Chi Yi noticed she had forgotten her admission ticket.

So, she instructed the driver to take Xie Shaojun to the exam site first while she went back to retrieve it.

Only Feng Qianqian was home at the Xie residence. Chi Yi greeted her, explained her purpose, and went straight to the second floor, entering Xie Shaojun’s room.

That year, they were so close that they could freely enter each other’s private spaces.

This was permitted by Xie Shaojun, and Chi Yi had never been one to snoop.

She opened the drawer and found Xie Shaojun’s admission ticket tucked inside a diary. In her hurry to make it to the exam, Chi Yi moved quickly but as she turned, she accidentally knocked the diary to the floor.

The pages splayed open.

Bending to pick it up, Chi Yi saw the contents written inside.

It read:

February 30th, sunny.

I ran into a few suspicious people outside Chi Yi’s house. When I asked who they were, they dodged the question. They lingered until late at night. Chi Yi was away at a competition and wouldn’t be back for three days, so I called the police.

March 1st.

I encountered the same two people again. This time, they brought a blind girl with them.

Hmm, she looks familiar.

March 2nd.

I figured out who they were, the girl who falsely accused Chi Yi of bullying her at school, along with her parents.

After falling into the water, the girl hadn’t received proper treatment, and her eyesight was ruined.

Frail and timid, she hunched her shoulders and spoke in a whisper. When a cat passed by, she clenched her fingers nervously, as if terrified.

Yet this same timid girl had once pressed a blade to Chi Yi’s heart.

I took her aside and asked why she had hidden the truth about the incident.

Trembling, she crouched in the corner, saying she didn’t understand what I meant.

The school grove was a blind spot for surveillance. I told her I had witnessed the bullying incident three years ago with my own eyes.

Chi Yi hadn’t pushed her, the girl had jumped into the water herself.

I saw it, but because of my close relationship with Chi Yi, I couldn’t testify.

Later, someone with ulterior motives edited and circulated the footage, turning it into a scandal that tarnished the Chi family’s reputation.

“Those people are despicable,” I said to her. “But what about you? You, who are too timid to even step on an ant, your silence and evasion ruined Chi Yi’s life. You’re killing her with your cowardice.”

The girl broke down in tears. She said she never meant to jump into the lake. Chi Yi was an excellent student and would patiently explain things to her, even if her tone was always cold.

Chi Yi’s gaze when looking at the girl held no contempt despite her often wearing patched clothes. The girl said she liked Chi Yi.

That day, she mustered all her courage to confess to Chi Yi, but Chi Yi was cold, telling her to focus on her studies before rejecting her.

The girl felt afraid. Timid and weak, the failure of her confession crushed her self-esteem, leaving her ashamed and desperate to cool off in the water. There was a lake nearby, so she jumped in.

“It wasn’t my fault,” the girl insisted.

I found it absurd it was her fault. She didn’t dare stand up or face the gossip, so she let Chi Yi bear the brunt of the cruel words for her actions.

I asked the girl, if given the chance, would she tell the truth.

She clutched her head and sobbed. “I can’t tell the truth. I’d be expelled, and my parents would lose their jobs. Chi Yi’s family is rich. She’s so outstanding, she can brush off the slander. But my life can’t. My eyes are already blind, maybe that’s my punishment for lying.”

Right. When the storm came, the girl had already made her choice.

Suddenly, my heart ached for Chi Yi. I should have been kinder to her.

March 5th. It rained today.

I withdrew a sum of money, alarming my father.

I’ll have to be more careful next time.

April 1st. People have no bottom line. I absolutely can’t let those people ruin Chi Yi’s high school entrance exams again.

May 2nd. After the exams are over, I’ll report it to the police.

Chi Yi probably never imagined in her wildest dreams what Xie Shaojun had secretly done for her, so she wouldn’t have to endure slander or gossip again, so she could remain upright, kind, and untainted.

The moment Chi Yi learned the truth, she stood frozen in place and murmured to the air, “You were the one who insisted on being good to me. Then be even better.”

So good that Chi Yi couldn’t bear to scheme, couldn’t bring herself to manipulate. Back when Xie Shaojun was still a clueless teenager, Chi Yi had already staked her claim occupying every role in Xie Shaojun’s life as her only friend, lover, and family.