After Redeeming the Female Lead, I Faked My Death and Escaped - Chapter 39.2

Two faces overlapped, and in the next second, Gu Qingzhu jolted awake from her dream.

The room was dimly lit by a single yellow lamp.

Almost the moment she saw the light, she raised her arm to shield her eyes. Only after realizing it wasn’t as bright as she’d imagined did she slowly lower it, inch by inch.

“Yes, Qingzhu is resting.”

“When will her fever break?”

The woman’s voice was soft, murmuring faintly from outside the door.

Gu Qingzhu heard it clearly, but her mind was sluggish, even pausing to wonder Who has a fever?

The next second, the scorching heat of her own skin made her pull her arm away, her brow instinctively furrowing.

These recurring minor illnesses might not be serious, but they always made Gu Qingzhu feel like nothing more than a vessel for sickness something she despised.

Taking a deep breath, just as she was about to give in to frustration, another scent reached her first, soothing her instantly.

Almost immediately, Gu Qingzhu recognized it Xu Ying’s pheromones.

Her gaze dropped unconsciously, only then noticing that her formal dress had been changed into pajamas at some point, soft and warm against her skin.

A glance at the clock on the wall showed it was 3 a.m.

Though Gu Qingzhu had long forgotten what time they’d left the hotel, she instinctively knew several hours had passed.

Just a trace of Xu Ying’s pheromones had been enough to grant her a deep sleep.

Realizing this, Gu Qingzhu’s fingers curled slightly. What embarrassed her more was that her room had been invaded by another’s pheromones, yet she hadn’t noticed immediately.
Those scents were too familiar, like a drop of water merging into a lake. No one would ever detect the difference.

Before she could dwell on it further, Xu Ying ended the call and pushed the door open.

When their eyes met, Gu Qingzhu noticed the obvious exhaustion on Xu Ying’s face. In private, Xu Ying was far from the bright, composed image she presented to others, her lips pressed into a tight line, unmoved by anything, exuding a detached coldness.

Until she saw her.

The alpha instinctively curved her lips into a smile, identical to the one in Gu Qingzhu’s dream.

Gu Qingzhu’s breath caught.

The next second, as Xu Ying walked toward her, Gu Qingzhu instinctively averted her gaze only to force herself to stop.

Xu Ying’s eyes lingered on Gu Qingzhu’s face, naturally catching that fleeting moment of evasion.

But she didn’t press. Instead, she maintained a safe distance and asked calmly, “The kitchen made some congee. Would you like some?”

Xu Ying’s gaze never wavered from Gu Qingzhu’s face, not even for a second.

The more she did this, the more certain Gu Qingzhu became Xu Ying had seen her in that ugly moment of forcing herself to vomit.

The shame of it made Gu Qingzhu lift her chin. Despite the emptiness in her stomach and the gnawing hunger, she replied coldly, “No”

But before she could finish, Xu Ying turned away, even pressing a hand to her ear in a clear gesture,

Not listening.

In her field of vision, only the pale door remained, light spilling in unchecked. It was then, in her shock, that Gu Qingzhu understood.

Xu Ying hadn’t been asking for her opinion she’d been informing her.

Her authority had been challenged, and Gu Qingzhu felt displeasure rise. But the alpha’s childish act of covering her ears was so blatant that Gu Qingzhu couldn’t summon any real anger. Instead, she even thought.

It’s kind of… cute.

She paused for a few seconds, closing her eyes, burying that other emotion as deep as she could.

It whispered that a little vulnerability might not be so bad.

Without needing to be hysterical, she could effortlessly obtain anything she desired.

Wasn’t this what she had always wanted most? So why was she hesitating now?

In the darkness, her senses grew even sharper.

Gu Qingzhu faintly heard the sound of servants conversing with Ying Xu. The alpha must have responded with something, eliciting soft laughter.

Long ago, Gu Qingzhu had noticed that these servants were unusually close to Ying Xu. They showed no fear of her, even willingly seeking intimacy.

Gu Qingzhu had once suspected that Ying Xu was feigning kindness to win favor. But facts outweighed sophistry, anyone who truly knew Ying Xu would inevitably grow fond of her.

Gu Qingzhu opened her eyes, recalling Ying Xu’s earlier words.

The porridge made in the kitchen.

Gu Qingzhu never drank such thick, mushy things, and the servants wouldn’t be so tactless as to urge her to “be brave and try.”

The only one who would do this was Ying Xu herself.

Perhaps those people thought the alpha was special, which was why they hadn’t stopped her.

When Ying Xu entered the room, Gu Qingzhu was flipping through a book.

The device remained untouched beside her, showing no signs of having been moved.

It seemed the omega still didn’t realize how drastically public opinion had shifted online.

But that was just as well.

Compared to the sight of her losing control, Ying Xu preferred watching Gu Qingzhu read quietly.

A soft clink sounded as a steaming bowl was placed on the table.

The turning of pages paused. Gu Qingzhu glanced at the bowl and spoke coldly, “Take it away.”

“I never said I wanted it.”

Ying Xu sighed softly. “Qingzhu.”

Just two syllables, yet they brimmed with resignation, as if she were the one at fault.

For a moment, Gu Qingzhu was thrown off. She set the book aside, staring at Ying Xu’s face before suddenly asking, “How did you find me?”

Ying Xu alone couldn’t have located her in such a short time.

Among the people around the alpha, Assistant Lu had most likely mentioned the Gu family’s “useless ones.” Cheng Yun lacked the means, and the only one with any real influence was Sheng Qiuyu.

But even she could only borrow Sheng Changming’s power. The alpha had no reason to help Ying Xu in fact, given Ying Xu’s stance, he should despise her.

Unless Qinghong had reached out first.

Sure enough, just as she suspected, Ying Xu replied in a low voice, “It was President Sheng. He said he knew your location.”

“The price was letting Ms. Shan return to Qinghong.”

Gu Qingzhu’s expression darkened instantly. “He planted a tracker in my device?”

During her time in the hospital, her devices had been strictly monitored. If someone had tampered with them then, Gu Qingzhu would never have noticed.

Seeing the omega react exactly as she’d anticipated, Ying Xu exhaled quietly in relief.

The sudden knowledge of her location was riddled with inconsistencies, she had to redirect suspicion.

Sheng Changming was the perfect scapegoat.

He had indeed sent a message demanding that Gu Qingzhu release Shan Qiaoyun.

But it wasn’t an exchange, it was a pure threat. A blunt warning that if she didn’t let Shan Qiaoyun go, tonight’s public backlash would only be the beginning.

Once Gu Qingzhu learned the full story, she would never voluntarily reach out to Qinghong, let alone seek reconciliation.

The chances of this lie being exposed were practically zero.

Ying Xu didn’t elaborate further, leaving it at that and letting Gu Qingzhu draw her own conclusions. “I don’t know the details. I just went there immediately… Luckily, you were there.”

But as those last four words fell softly, Gu Qingzhu’s expression shifted once more.

She didn’t show the anger Xu Ying had anticipated. After a few seconds of distraction, she suddenly turned to Xu Ying and asked, “He told you I was there, and you just went? What if Sheng Changming was lying to you, using this as an opportunity to harm you, or even”

Kill you.

Just like he did to her.

Gu Qingzhu didn’t say it out loud, but her breathing had already quickened with her rising tone.

She stared into Xu Ying’s eyes and repeated, “Xu Ying, why?”

The barrage of questions caught Xu Ying off guard.

After the initial shock, she instead felt a strange calm.

Gu Qingzhu seemed to be questioning herself, but it felt more like an interrogation directed at Xu Ying.

If something happened to Gu Qingzhu tonight, who would take responsibility? Who even could?

Xu Ying lowered her eyes. “I’m sorry, Qingzhu.”

This answer clearly didn’t satisfy Gu Qingzhu. She seemed about to lash out, but Xu Ying cut her off: “But you’re exhausted. Eat a little and rest.”

Not an objective reason like “it’s late,” but “you’re tired.”

Such a blatant evasion was something Gu Qingzhu had never experienced before. Her tone sharpened. “Did you not hear what I said?”

“I heard you,” Xu Ying replied smoothly, as if suddenly fluent. “I just don’t know what answer would make Qingzhu happy.”

“I just thought… your safety was more important than mine. So I acted that way.”

As if an invisible hand had gripped her throat, Gu Qingzhu’s voice carried a trace of confusion when she spoke again. “Why?”

She didn’t finish the sentence, but Xu Ying understood.

The woman looked up at her, hesitating as if unsure whether to answer.

Only when Gu Qingzhu pressed did she finally murmur, “Because… I li—”

The alpha bit her tongue, swallowing the next word, and amended, “Because I care about you, Qingzhu. Why do I care? Because I want to care.”

She’d even prepared a response to the inevitable follow-up question.

Gu Qingzhu suddenly forgot the priority of handling the situation. She wasn’t sure whether to be indignant at Xu Ying’s sidestepping answer challenging her authority or to linger on that half-uttered “like.”

Silent, she finally picked up the spoon.

The congee was warm, thick and smooth, sliding down her throat as if warming her body from within.

Not far away, Xu Ying’s gaze shifted from cautious to gentle.

The emotions in those eyes were overwhelmingly tender, as if Gu Qingzhu wasn’t just eating but accomplishing some grand challenge.

For a fleeting moment, Gu Qingzhu even felt a spark of amusement at the thought.

Until she lowered her eyes, refusing to meet that gaze.

This was a rare moment of relaxation for Xu Ying.

Perhaps Gu Qingzhu herself didn’t realize it, but every time she ate, her expression turned particularly grim. As if the bowl contained not food but unadulterated poison.

Today, for some reason, the omega’s expression had softened slightly.

Softened, but not by much. To her, the food had merely gone from poison to poison dusted with sugar.

Eating was still an ordeal.

Gu Qingzhu was clearly distracted, lost in thought though it was unlikely to be anything pleasant.

She was painfully thin, her collarbones prominent, yet for the first time, Xu Ying found a peculiar kind of charm in it, a strange sort of endearment.

Gu Qingzhu only managed half a bowl.

That was her limit. One more bite, and she’d retch.

Ying Xu noticed her discomfort but didn’t intervene. She knew Gu Qingzhu would speak up when she couldn’t take it anymore.

The next second, the omega lifted her eyes and asked irritably, “What are you still doing here?”

Ying Xu apologized, and Gu Qingzhu set the spoon back down.

The movement was so light that there wasn’t even a sound as it touched the bowl.

Ying Xu leaned over and casually picked up the bowl. At such close proximity, Gu Qingzhu could catch the scent of her pheromones sandalwood, always soothing to the senses.

“Rest early, Qingzhu.”

“If you need anything, just call me anytime.”

The voice was soft, like a gentle breeze brushing past, yet it roused Gu Qingzhu from her slightly drowsy state.

At first, she didn’t understand why Xu Ying had said “anytime.”

It wasn’t until 6 a.m., when a faint light seeped through the crack of the door, illuminating the carpet, that Gu Qingzhu hesitantly stepped out of her room.

The light was still on. She thought Xu Ying had forgotten to turn it off before leaving.

But as she walked out, she saw the alpha lying on the sofa, eyes closed, breathing steadily.

She seemed to be asleep, yet even in her dreams, she appeared restless, unconsciously curling into herself.

Beside her hand lay a book, one-third of the way through, its cover identical to the one Gu Qingzhu had been reading earlier.

Staring at the woman for a few seconds, Gu Qingzhu reached out and picked up the thin blanket from the other side of the sofa.

In silence, she draped it over Xu Ying.

Gu Qingzhu knew it was a meaningless gesture. The room was at a comfortable temperature even without the blanket, Xu Ying wouldn’t catch a chill.

But she did it anyway, just as she had months ago when she used that perfume-soaked tie to bind Xu Ying’s neck. No reason was needed. She simply wanted to.

This time, however, Gu Qingzhu felt an indescribable emotion flustered and at a loss, as if the one who had been carefully restrained and cared for all along wasn’t the harmless, sleeping alpha before her.

But herself.

The moment the door clicked shut, Xu Ying opened her eyes.

In her ears, the notification of increased favorability had already sounded for the third time.

[Gu Qingzhu’s favorability increased by 20. Current favorability: -38]
[Gu Qingzhu’s favorability increased by 10. Current favorability: -28]
[Gu Qingzhu’s favorability increased by 30. Current favorability: 2…]

Though the favorability had finally turned positive, Xu Ying’s expression remained far from pleased.

On the lit screen before her, a trending topic that had skyrocketed to the top just minutes ago was displayed:

#Xu Ying’s Live Apology: The Full Story#

Thud, thud (prostrating in apology)