After Redeeming the Female Lead, I Faked My Death and Escaped - Chapter 36.1

By the time the two returned to the residence, the private doctor had already been waiting for quite some time. It was clear that Gu Qingzhu had contacted them early on during the journey.

As the doctor treated Ying Xu’s injuries, Gu Qingzhu watched the entire process. However, her gaze was no longer as aloof as before. Instead, it lingered on Ying Xu’s hands, and she even took the initiative to ask about the effects of the medication.

Ying Xu found herself forced to endure this atmosphere of concern, silently wondering, when Gu Qingzhu saw her own doctor, would she also be this attentive?

Most likely, she would simply close her eyes, refusing to listen, look, or think, letting the doctor handle everything.

Before dinner, the doctor left, and Ying Xu emerged from her drifting thoughts, unconsciously letting out a sigh of relief.

She was accustomed to superficial pleasantries, but genuine concern from others was something she struggled to adapt to.

Especially when that concern came from Gu Qingzhu the discomfort only intensified.

The dining table was once again set with exquisite dishes, yet neither of them made a move to pick up their chopsticks. In the silence, Gu Qingzhu took out another card.

This time, however, she didn’t wait for Ying Xu to reach for it. Instead, she placed it directly in front of the alpha.

“The password is the same as last time.”

Only after a long pause did Gu Qingzhu speak, her voice dry as she explained her action.

The entire journey back, a belated sense of guilt and suffocation had wrapped around her heart like threads, making it impossible to breathe.

Gu Qingzhu realized she had made a mistake. In her mind, an apology required compensation and coaxing. She couldn’t bring herself to voice an apology, and coaxing was something she had never done before. The only thing she could offer was compensation.

After speaking, Gu Qingzhu wanted to lower her gaze. But she desperately wanted to see Ying Xu’s reaction whether it was good or bad, happy or sad. Like a child who had made someone cry for the first time and was stubbornly seeking an answer, she wanted to hear forgiveness.

Ying Xu didn’t look at the card. Instead, she kept her eyes on Gu Qingzhu, her lips curving slightly as she picked up the card with her bandaged fingers, as if holding a flower or a cigar, there was something morbidly beautiful about it.

“Is this an apology gift?”

Gu Qingzhu froze. “You can interpret it that way.”

Ying Xu arched an eyebrow.

Perhaps Gu Qingzhu truly didn’t know how to comfort someone, which was why she always defaulted to using money to solve problems.

But “Ying Xu’s” personality was such that she wouldn’t rashly accept monetary gifts. So whether it was money, property, or cars, Gu Qingzhu had always taken pains to fabricate reasons forcing Ying Xu to accept them, whether willingly or unwillingly.

This time, however, Gu Qingzhu had no suitable excuse. She was even somewhat flustered, urgently wanting to use money to prove something.

Since she had no justification, Ying Xu naturally wouldn’t accept it, she wouldn’t leave any room for suspicion.

“Then I’m sorry, Qingzhu. I can’t take this.”

The next moment, the woman returned the card. Gu Qingzhu stared at her, only to find Ying Xu’s expression turning serious as she spoke deliberately, word by word: “Qingzhu, I don’t need an apology gift because you haven’t done anything wrong. There’s no need for guilt.”

Haven’t done anything wrong. No need for guilt.

Such light, dismissive words were exactly the “forgiveness” Gu Qingzhu had imagined. Yet instead of feeling relief, she only felt an inexplicable tightness in her chest, as if something were lodged there.

Gu Qingzhu believed she had hidden her emotions well. Her lack of response was simply because she was thinking of how to reply.

Ying Xu seemed to have read all her thoughts. She gazed directly into Gu Qingzhu’s eyes, the smile on her face fading at some point, her brows slightly furrowed. “You don’t believe me? Actually, my hand has healed quite a bit it just looks scary, that’s all.”

What Gu Qingzhu had done was merely rub the skin between her fingers raw with a tissue.

An alpha’s recovery speed far surpassed that of ordinary people. After applying medicine, even if the wounds hadn’t fully healed, they were mostly better.

Everything Ying Xu said was the truth.

She knew it, and perhaps Gu Qingzhu knew it too.

Ying Xu didn’t mind exposing her wounds to Gu Qingzhu, she even enjoyed observing the omega’s various reactions.

But Gu Qingzhu couldn’t handle it.

She couldn’t face the consequences of her own actions. The moment the alpha’s fingers touched the bandage, she abruptly stopped her. “Enough.”

“What I choose to do is my own business it has nothing to do with you.” Gu Qingzhu avoided the stunned look in the other’s eyes, her voice icy. “You don’t need to project your own thoughts onto me. I never said what I did was right.”

Her expression was cold, her tone venomous, every bit of pretense was executed to perfection, as if she genuinely despised Ying Xu’s ill-timed “cleverness.”

Yet the moment Gu Qingzhu spoke, the system had already alerted Ying Xu to the increase in affection points.

Ying Xu thought, what was the point of this charade? The moment Gu Qingzhu spoke up voluntarily, the outcome was already decided.

“I’m sorry, Qingzhu.” Ying Xu’s face was pale as she forced a stiff smile. “I just… wanted to make you happier. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

Gu Qingzhu didn’t understand why her intention to make things easier for Ying Xu only led to the opposite result.

She didn’t get it. She was furious, glaring at Ying Xu with almost humiliated anger. The words to retaliate were stuck behind her lips, but all that came out were three hurried words.

“Do as you like.”

After Gu Qingzhu went upstairs, Ying Xu remained seated for a while longer, letting the servants who had overheard their argument look on with pity. Only after she had milked enough sympathy did she finally go upstairs.

After wrapping up filming, Ying Xu’s daily routine consisted of staying at the mansion, preparing for the upcoming shoot at the orphanage.

The children’s profiles and preferences to ensure nothing went wrong during filming, the actors had to memorize them all.

It was also during this time that Ying Xu noticed Luo Zhu had left her a message, asking if Sheng Qiuyu was with her.

In the text box, there were still unsent words from Ying Xu.

She deleted them with a single tap and directly called Luo Zhu instead. After Luo Zhu’s cautious explanation, Ying Xu learned that Sheng Qiuyu had actively sought her out. But at that time, she had been with Gu Qingzhu.

Several hours had passed, and Sheng Qiuyu had long been found by her manager in the dressing room.

“My dressing room?” Ying Xu paused, she hadn’t forgotten Cheng Jun’s issue.

She had left in a hurry and naturally didn’t know what Cheng Jun had done afterward. Several hours had passed, and the alpha hadn’t sent her any messages either.

“Yes.” Luo Zhu fell silent for a moment before adding, “Cheng Jun was there too. They argued again and parted on bad terms.”

Ying Xu followed her words with her thoughts, unconsciously pressing her fingers to her temples. But since the omega had been taken back by Liu Sui, it meant her mood was stable enough no need to worry.

As for Cheng Jun, alphas could regulate their own emotions.

Thinking that both of them were doing relatively fine, Ying Xu smiled. “That’s good then.”

Recalling the omega who had a heated argument with Liu Sui in the dressing room, Luo Zhu didn’t see what was so great about it, but she wisely chose not to press further. Before hanging up, she suddenly remembered something and said seriously, “By the way, the drama will be released on streaming platforms in the next few days. Make sure to repost the promotional posts when the time comes.”

Only then did Ying Xu realize that the crew had been editing while filming all along. Even during the production halt, post-production had stayed busy, and now only the final touches remained.

The investors didn’t care what kind of public backlash the show’s release might bring Ying Xu. On the contrary, the more criticism it attracted, the more it would prove the investment was justified.

After saying this, Luo Zhu was the one who felt a pang of bitterness and fell silent.