After Redeeming the Female Lead, I Faked My Death and Escaped - Chapter 28.1

As dusk settled, Ying Xu stood by the window, the snow behind her long since melted by the warm sunlight.

She looked at Shan Qiaoyun, who stood before her with her head lowered, her attitude far more subdued than ever before, and raised a brow slightly.

Behind the Beta, Lin Zheng’s expression was particularly grim, as if she were lost in thought.

Ever since returning to the ward, she had been in this state, as if just that brief encounter with Gu Qingzhu had left a deep shadow in her heart.

Ying Xu repeated Shan Qiaoyun’s earlier words.

“Ms. Shan, you said you wanted to take me to see Qingzhu.”

“Yes.”

Shan Qiaoyun did her best to avoid meeting Ying Xu’s gaze.

Who had told Gu Qingzhu about this no longer mattered. What mattered was that Ying Xu could not meet Gu Qingzhu now.

Indeed, as Gu Qingzhu had said without her, Shan Qiaoyun was nothing.

“Ms. Ying, I know you’re worried about Qingzhu, and she cares about you too.”

Before her, the Beta’s face was pale, yet she still tried to soften her tone, attempting to appear sincere.

To Ying Xu, the scene was utterly absurd. Amused, she cut off the other’s rambling without hesitation: “I refuse.”

Three words, spoken lightly. For a moment, Shan Qiaoyun thought she had misheard.

Several seconds passed before her eyes widened: “Ms. Ying ”

“I’ve already said it once this matter is resolved, I will leave Qingzhu.”

“Just as Ms. Shan wished.”

“I thought this was something we both understood and agreed upon, the best way for Qingzhu.” Ying Xu’s eyes held a trace of confusion, as if genuinely puzzled. “Why the sudden change of heart?”

Ying Xu spoke slowly, deliberately.

In contrast, the Beta’s face was tense, her agitation putting her at a disadvantage.

She was clearly aware of it too, struggling to maintain composure, yet her expression grew increasingly strained as Ying Xu spoke.

Every word she had said in the past now boomeranged back to strike her.

This conversation was nothing like what Shan Qiaoyun had imagined. She had assumed she would dominate as before, but the loss of control only fueled her frustration: “That was before, Ms. Ying. Qingzhu’s condition is very serious now.”

Whether Gu Qingzhu’s condition was truly dire, Ying Xu didn’t know.

But if Shan Qiaoyun kept spouting nonsense, she would undoubtedly crack before Gu Qingzhu did.

Ying Xu took pleasure in watching her unravel. After observing for a while, she mimicked Shan Qiaoyun’s usual smile: “No matter what, I will keep my promise. If Qingzhu is truly in as bad a state as you say, she probably wouldn’t want to see me now either.”

“Someone as proud as her, how could she want others to witness her at her weakest?” Ying Xu paused before continuing, “Ms. Shan, you know her better than I do. Why would you do this to her?”

In just a few sentences, Ying Xu regained control.

Shan Qiaoyun sensed it. She fell silent for a moment, took a deep breath, and was about to speak again when a sharp ringtone abruptly cut through the air.

The shrill sound shattered her thoughts.

The Beta’s fingers trembled. On the screen, a five-minute call had just ended.

When she saw the name of the new caller, Shan Qiaoyun’s face changed.

Seconds later, the door slammed shut with such force that it shook loose the snow clinging to the eaves.

Twilight filled the room, and it was only then that Lin Zheng finally snapped out of her daze.

The echoes of their earlier argument still lingered in her ears.

She was unusually tense, hesitating before finally speaking: “I.”

“If you’re fine, Xiao Zheng, you should go back too,” Ying Xu said softly.

The reason Ying Xu had rejected Shan Qiaoyun was simple.

She didn’t trust her.

If this woman could lock her away in this hospital, who was to say that once she left this ward, she wouldn’t be thrown into another cage?

She would meet Gu Qingzhu but not now.

The immediate priority was still to leave this hospital.

The nurse Ying Xu had contacted only worked night shifts. In a few minutes, she would come on duty to change her bandages and update her on the status of her communication with Cheng Jun.

The plan was still in motion. Even if Cheng Jun proved unreliable, there were others who could help her.

No matter what, Shan Qiaoyun was not the best solution.

Her tone was gentle, her face still carrying a faint smile, but her attitude was resolute unyielding.

Lin Zheng watched her, pressing her lips together.

Earlier in the ward, from the conversation between Gu Qingzhu and Shan Qiaoyun, she had quickly pieced together Ying Xu’s relationship with the Omega. She finally understood why, despite Ying Xu’s kindness, the public opinion about her was so vicious.

Lin Zheng wanted to comfort Ying Xu but couldn’t find the right words.

After all, standing before Ying Xu now was, in itself, the greatest hurt she could inflict.

“I’m sorry, Ying Xu.”

In the end, Lin Zheng left with only those words.

Ying Xu heard them and was deeply moved not by the apology, but by the fact that even a stranger could feel guilt, while the one who truly owed her an apology remained absent, as arrogant as ever.

It was disgusting.

Ying Xu closed her eyes briefly.

But thankfully, it would all be over soon.

Before the sound of the door opening reached her, she looked up. But the person who entered wasn’t the nurse.

It was Shan Qiaoyun, her expression even darker than before.

“Qingzhu wants to see you,” she said hoarsely.

Ying Xu froze, about to refuse, when a woman’s voice reached her ears.

“Ying Xu, come here.” Gu Qingzhu’s voice was as cold as ever, devoid of any emotion, bearing no resemblance to the “longing” Shan Qiaoyun had mentioned earlier. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”

It was like a curse.

Ying Xu stared at the screen as the call ended abruptly.

She looked at the Beta, who offered a stiff smile, as if telling her.

This time, it wasn’t a lie.

The hallway was eerily quiet.

Assistant Lu stood guard outside the door, her gaze flickering anxiously toward the ward from time to time.

Beside her, Sheng Changming, still impeccably dressed in his suit, watched her with an earnest smile. “Qingzhu is just taking her medication. There’s no need to be so worried.”

Assistant Lu was ice-cold.

From the first day Gu Qingzhu was admitted, she had been taking medication every few evenings. Assistant Lu didn’t know the specifics of the drugs until one day, noticing the doctor’s nervous expression, she secretly photographed the pills and looked them up, only to discover they were for treating hallucinations.

Having been by Gu Qingzhu’s side for years, she knew full well that while the Omega’s emotions were unstable, she had never exhibited such symptoms in reality.

Taking medication for an illness she didn’t have, what kind of logic was that?

She had tried to tell Gu Qingzhu, but every time they met, there were always others around, preventing any real conversation.

For the sake of “caring” for Gu Qingzhu, Assistant Lu also lived in the hospital, equally cut off from the outside world.

Like a prison.

Every morning, waking up on a cold bed, Assistant Lu would recall this phrase, trembling all over.

She could only watch helplessly as Gu Qingzhu changed.

Despite having taken the medication only a few times, the woman’s condition had visibly deteriorated.

Compared to the day she first regained consciousness, the Omega had become increasingly sensitive, paranoid, and prone to anger. The slightest thing could trigger her displeasure, leading to a storm of fury.

Today’s Shan Qiaoyun was a prime example.

The Gu Qingzhu of the past would never have treated those around her like this.

Except for Ying Xu.

The Alpha was like an exception unique and indescribable.

Assistant Lu lowered her head, not daring to imagine how Ying Xu might be treated if Gu Qingzhu’s condition had already worsened to this extent.

Before her, Sheng Changming continued speaking: “Speaking of which, how long have you been working by Qingzhu’s side? Three years?”

“Two years,” she replied softly.

“Two years that’s certainly long enough. Her last assistant only lasted a few months.”

Gu Qingzhu’s previous assistant had a physical disability. After being berated by Gu Qingzhu on set for no apparent reason, she took to the star network to expose Gu Qingzhu’s two-faced nature. The incident had dominated the trending lists for days, becoming one of the rare public scandals involving the Omega.

Rumors said she eventually accepted money from Qinghong to settle with Gu Qingzhu. But after deleting all her posts, the former assistant completely vanished from the online world…

Was this a threat? It had to be a threat!

Assistant Lu felt her body tremble even more. Swallowing her fear, she whispered, “I once promised Qingzhu that I would always be her assistant.”

“Oh? Did Qingzhu bring it up herself?”

As if Gu Qingzhu would ever suggest something like that.

In daily life, apart from work, the only person she ever seemed to pay attention to was Ying Xu.

Just as Assistant Lu was steeling herself to respond, footsteps approached from behind. In front of her, Sheng Changming’s gaze shifted elsewhere.

Following his line of sight, she saw Ying Xu, wrapped in a long coat. The pure white fabric draped over her only accentuated her striking beauty. Aside from her unusually pale lips, everything about her seemed unchanged from before.