After My Death, the Female Lead Breaks the Heartless Path - Chapter 48

As soon as Yin Ruolan heard the news of Xu Jingqiu’s return, she immediately handed over her tasks to Liu Ruichu, quickly tidied herself up, and went to wait at the main gate of the Demon Palace for Xu Jingqiu.

Ever since Xu Jingqiu’s corruption had resurfaced, Yin Ruolan’s heart had been hanging in the air even after Xu Jingqiu had returned to normal. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what could have happened to trigger Xu Jingqiu’s corruption again.

According to what they said, Xu Jingqiu’s power was on par with that of the Outer Gods. In Yin Ruolan’s view, there was only one possible cause, the Outer Gods, specifically the [Heavenly Dao], had come to cause trouble again.

Had Penglai been living too comfortably lately? Yin Ruolan thought irritably, dark energy swirling around her, causing the patrolling guards to instinctively keep their distance.

Only when the vehicle came into view, drawing closer and closer, did she see that Xu Jingqiu’s expression was normal and her aura steady. It truly seemed like nothing had happened, and Yin Ruolan finally relaxed a little, successfully reining in her demonic energy.

She smiled and raised her hand to greet Xu Jingqiu. Unexpectedly, Xu Jingqiu seemed to snap out of a daze, only giving a slight, somewhat perfunctory wave, looking utterly listless.

As soon as Xu Jingqiu got out of the car, Yin Ruolan approached her. Seeing Yin Ruolan, Ye Shuran, on the other hand, didn’t know how to face her. Noticing that Xu Jingqiu still seemed distracted, she subtly tugged at the hem of Xu Jingqiu’s clothes.

Xu Jingqiu snapped back to attention, her eyes lowering slightly. “Sorry, I’m a bit tired. I’ll head back first.”

Tired? Yin Ruolan instantly clenched her hands, her worry mingling with concern as she asked, “Are you injured, or did you expend too much energy? Do you need me to prepare anything? Should I accompany you or help in some way?”

Yin Ruolan was so anxious that she wanted to check on Xu Jingqiu directly, but not knowing what was wrong, she forced herself to hold back.

Meanwhile, Ye Shuran was also watching Xu Jingqiu with concern, afraid that she might accidentally reveal the truth ahead of time. She tugged at Xu Jingqiu’s sleeve again, hoping she would remember their current situation and what they had discussed earlier.

Xu Jingqiu pulled her sleeve back, indicating that she understood. Facing Yin Ruolan’s worried gaze, she remained silent for a moment before shaking her head, unconsciously adding a touch of distance to her tone. “Don’t worry, I’m fine. I just need to be alone and rest for a while. I’ll go ahead.”

With that, Xu Jingqiu stepped out of the car and brushed past Yin Ruolan, ignoring both Yin Ruolan’s outstretched hand and Ye Shuran’s pleading gaze, heading back alone. Yet, no matter how Yin Ruolan looked at it, Xu Jingqiu’s retreating figure didn’t seem fine at all.

Well, there was still another person involved. Yin Ruolan fixed her gaze on Ye Shuran, who had just finished parking the car and was walking over.

Ye Shuran had been adjusting her sleeves when she suddenly felt someone staring at her. She shivered and looked up to see Yin Ruolan. “What’s wrong?” Tch, that unreliable friend just ran off on her own!

“What happened over there? Is she, really okay?” Yin Ruolan asked urgently, her anxiety evident even in her tone.

Ye Shuran suddenly felt too afraid to answer. She had witnessed firsthand how much Yin Ruolan cared for Xu Jingqiu, but what if those two were actually the same person? And if they weren’t, how should she even explain it?

After weighing her options, Ye Shuran decided to take the lead and test the waters first: “She has an ex-girlfriend. Did you know that?”

Then, Ye Shuran saw Yin Ruolan freeze in place, her brow tightly furrowed, looking as though she wanted to ask something but was hesitant and unsure how to phrase it.

Hmm, no signs of a guilty or abnormal reaction, but further observation is still needed. I wonder if she’s just acting.

Ye Shuran continued speaking: “Xiao Qiu was the one who pursued her ex-girlfriend back then. Honestly, I didn’t have high hopes for it from the start. After all, the other person was a wealthy young lady, and the gap in their family backgrounds was just too vast. But there was nothing we could do the other party agreed, and Xiao Qiu was deeply in love, so we had to accept it.”

“Later, I went abroad for further education. Unexpectedly, two families collaborated to cover things up and fed me false information, making me believe she was doing well. But in reality? She couldn’t even continue her studies and was constantly targeted and hunted down.”

“If the wealthy young lady had stayed by her side, things might have been different. But later, I don’t know if the wealthy young lady couldn’t endure it anymore she broke up with Xiao Qiu, returned to her family, and then completely vanished. After that, some unexpected incidents occurred, causing Xiao Qiu to lose almost all of her previous memories. She’s only just recovered them recently.”

As she spoke, Ye Shuran carefully observed Yin Ruolan’s expression, but the woman showed no change at all. Left with no other choice, she decided to unleash her ultimate move.

“Later, we discovered that the wealthy young lady had been taken to another world,” Ye Shuran said, staring intently at Yin Ruolan.

Feeling the intense gaze, Yin Ruolan looked back and nodded expressionlessly. “Mm.”

Ye Shuran: “…And as luck would have it, we found out that the coordinates of the world she was taken to match this one exactly.”

Yin Ruolan: “…”

Ye Shuran: “And she looks exactly like you.”

Yin Ruolan: “…”

Seeing how calm Yin Ruolan remained, Ye Shuran began to genuinely doubt whether she had guessed wrong perhaps Yin Ruolan wasn’t that person, or maybe she hadn’t regained her memories.

In truth, Yin Ruolan understood exactly what she was talking about. She knew all those events.

She was certain she had regained all her memories after Xu Jingqiu’s first “death.” She finally remembered the lover she had longed for day and night, the one she couldn’t stop thinking about and she had personally witnessed that same lover fall before her blade.

She sensed that Xu Jingqiu hadn’t truly died but had instead fallen into a deep slumber in some way. Frantically, she began searching for a method to bring Xu Jingqiu back.

Especially after she discovered that the [Heavenly Dao] was also searching for Xu Jingqiu, not just her soul but her physical body as well.

After Xu Jingqiu successfully returned to her body, Yin Ruolan could tell from her actions that she had regained some memories and abilities from the modern world. This made Yin Ruolan even more afraid to reveal her identity.

She was afraid. Her decision to leave without a word back then had been a mistake. She shouldn’t have treated Xu Jingqiu so coldly, nor should she have made that decision on her own, believing it was for Xu Jingqiu’s own good.

So, she chose to conceal the truth, burying it deep inside. She planned to wait until the true culprit the [Heavenly Dao] was completely dealt with before finding the right moment to confess. No matter how Xu Jingqiu reacted then, she was willing to accept it, as long as Xu Jingqiu was safe and well.

But she never expected that Xu Jingqiu would find out so soon. What should she do now? Could it be that Xu Jingqiu’s earlier descent into darkness was because she had remembered the past?

Yin Ruolan’s frown deepened the more she thought, and in Ye Shuran’s eyes, it seemed like a perfectly normal reaction so much so that she didn’t detect anything amiss at first.

Even if they weren’t the same person, perhaps she had simply forgotten the past? But if she had truly forgotten, things would be tricky. How could she direct her anger at someone who remembered nothing?

Maybe she should ask her senior later if there was any way to determine whether two people were the same or how to restore memories. Ye Shuran rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

This matter couldn’t be delayed any longer. Resolving it would be beneficial for both of them, and it might even help reverse Xu Jingqiu’s descent into corruption.

Before Ye Shuran could reach any conclusion, Yin Ruolan confessed: “I am her ex-girlfriend.”

“Oh, so you’re? Wait, what?” Ye Shuran reacted as if she had just heard something shocking. “You mean you’re the same person? Since when…?”

“After her first death. That’s when all my memories returned.” Yin Ruolan admitted directly, unconsciously lowering her head slightly.

Ye Shuran blinked, then realized that it was right after that incident when headquarters detected Xu Jingqiu’s condition and sent her over. If she had regained her memories back then, why wait until now? “Then you?”

Yin Ruolan: “I didn’t intend to keep it a secret forever. I planned to wait until after dealing with the Heavenly Dao before finding the right time to tell her. I couldn’t rest easy until the Heavenly Dao was eliminated. It’s too unpredictable.”

“Besides, I don’t know how to face her. I was the one who made mistakes back then terrible mistakes. I shouldn’t have made so many decisions on my own and hurt her so deeply. That’s why I’m afraid? I don’t know what to do.”

This was the first time Ye Shuran had seen the proud young lady of the Yin family bow her head so humbly, genuinely feeling fear.

But just as she couldn’t offer Xu Jingqiu any precise advice, she didn’t know what to say to Yin Ruolan either. Besides, the fact that she hadn’t punched her already showed remarkable restraint.

“Let me ask you one thing first: Have you always loved Xiao Qiu?” Ye Shuran thought for a moment and decided this was the safest question to ask.

Yin Ruolan nodded without hesitation: “Yes, I’ve always loved her. In the past, now, and in the future as well.”

Ye Shuran felt that Yin Ruolan wasn’t being insincere, so she waved her hand dismissively. “I won’t pry into what happened between you two. That’s your private matter, and as an outsider, it’s not my place to know. So, I can’t give you any effective advice, this is between you and her.”

“However, I do have one suggestion. Since she already knows about the past, honesty is the best approach for you. She’s been disappointed once before and can’t bear a second time. And now, it’s already the second time.”

“If you confess now, there might still be room for reconciliation. But if she finds out on her own, don’t even think about going back to how things were.”

Yin Ruolan understood that, given Ye Shuran’s position, this was the most help she could offer. The fact that she hadn’t punched her on Xu Jingqiu’s behalf was already an act of mercy. “Thank you.”

After learning that Yin Ruolan was the same person, Ye Shuran found her gratitude somewhat novel, but her anger remained. “Still, I must warn you as her older sister, don’t let me see you hurt her even the slightest bit again.”

This time, Yin Ruolan shook her head firmly. “It won’t happen. It definitely won’t happen this time, and it will never happen again.”

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