Chapter 26: Illusion

Qiao Yanxin’s face was livid. I knew it was because Secretary Zhang had brought up what happened last night, and she was embarrassed into a rage.

Yet, I couldn't understand: if Qiao Yanxin felt that what she did last night was shameful, why did she do it in the first place? And after doing it, she felt ashamed and chose to take her anger out on an innocent person.

Last night, Gu Tingchu and Qiao Yanxin were alone in a room, and Qiao Yanxin had been drinking. It was self-evident what would happen. If Secretary Zhang had even a shred of awareness, she wouldn't have woken Qiao Yanxin up this morning to send her to Xicheng to find me. Now, Secretary Zhang was being reprimanded because of this.

"Change the route. Book a flight to the neighboring city, and once we arrive, we’ll drive to Xicheng."

"Understood, Ms. Qiao."

Beside them, Gu Tingchu’s eyes darted around upon hearing this.

"Yanxin, why don't I go to Xicheng with you this time? I know Brother Yunzhou might have some misunderstandings about me. If I go with you, perhaps he will calm down and come back with us." He lowered his head, looking dejected. "I don't know why Brother Yunzhou has such hostility toward me, but I truly have never done anything to wrong him."

Qiao Yanxin looked at him with a face full of heartache. "That’s not your fault; it’s all Qiao Yunzhou’s fault. Don’t I know what kind of person he is?" She gritted her teeth. "He just has such a massive temper. I don't know where he gets it from—who spoiled him like that? If he were even half as sensible as you, I wouldn't be this busy right now."

As she spoke, the disgust on her face deepened. Hearing her words, I found it somewhat amusing. What do you mean I have a bad temper? I grew up in the Qiao household living with extreme caution; who ever spoiled me? She turned a blind eye to the things Gu Tingchu did to me, and even when I told her, she wouldn't believe it, yet she blamed me for having a bad temper.

Looking at the two of them, a chill crept into my heart. These two were truly colluding like thieves, birds of a feather.

***

Gu Tingchu smiled with understanding. "It’s alright. Brother Yunzhou is probably just jealous because you and I are too close, so he’s intentionally getting close to another woman, hoping to make you change your mind. If you two have a good talk, the misunderstanding will surely be resolved."

Gu Tingchu’s words sounded earnest, but Qiao Yanxin keenly sensed a different meaning behind them.

"What do you mean by that? Qiao Yunzhou is seeing another woman?"

"Ah." Gu Tingchu covered his mouth with a feigned, affected gesture. "I’m sorry, I didn’t say anything just now. Yanxin, you heard nothing."

Gu Tingchu’s attempt to cover his tracks only made Qiao Yanxin feel more suspicious. "Tingchu, tell me exactly what happened."

Gu Tingchu looked conflicted. "Yanxin, it’s not that I don’t want to tell you, but if I do, it will surely cause an even greater misunderstanding between you and Brother Yunzhou. I don't want you two to keep fighting because of me."

Hearing this, Qiao Yanxin’s expression grew even uglier. She was almost certain that whatever Gu Tingchu was about to say had to do with me.

"It’s okay, Tingchu, just tell me. I won’t blame you. And I won’t go looking for trouble with Qiao Yunzhou." As she said this, she clenched her fists tightly at her sides.

I was becoming interested, too. I wanted to hear what else could come out of Gu Tingchu’s mouth.

I saw Gu Tingchu looking torn, as if he had finally made up his mind. "It’s like this: a friend of mine in Xicheng told me that the woman Brother Yunzhou was dancing with last night is someone he spends a lot of time with. It’s rumored that the woman is exceptionally skilled in bed, and many men who have slept with her can't help but want to stay with her, even if it means just being her lover." He added, with a worried expression, "I don't know what their relationship is, but I imagine they are just friends."

Qiao Yanxin’s face turned deathly pale, and she bit her back teeth with such force that her cheeks tightened. "Qiao Yunzhou, how dare you? How dare you betray me?!"

Gu Tingchu consoled her with feigned understanding. "It’s okay, Brother Yunzhou shouldn't be that kind of person. Yanxin, don't be too angry. But Brother Yunzhou... even if he’s out playing, he could at least make a phone call or send a message, right? He couldn't have been so lost in the moment that he couldn't even manage that?"

Qiao Yanxin didn't speak; she simply jumped off the bed.

***

"Pack your things quickly; we are leaving immediately."

It seemed Qiao Yanxin had been deeply provoked by Gu Tingchu’s words. She was unwilling to waste even a second and set off on the journey to find me. The two flew to Ningcheng, a city near Xicheng, and then Gu Tingchu drove Qiao Yanxin all the way toward Xicheng.

I sat in the car, admiring the scenery outside. I never had the time to properly travel while I was alive, never imagining I would be touring after death. I had always yearned for Xicheng; I heard the scenery was incredibly beautiful and the area sparsely populated. At the time, my emotional state was very unstable, and my doctor had suggested I go to a quiet place to travel and clear my mind. After much research, I chose Xicheng, but I never expected to die on that rainy night before I could ever go.

Now that I am dead, my frame of mind has changed. Seeing this scenery again brings a touch of melancholy. However, I couldn't help but think that Qiao Yanxin is truly an idiot. If the Qiao family were handed to her in the future, it would likely go bankrupt within a few years. If she had even bothered to check the flight manifests, she would have known I never went to Xicheng. But she didn't check; she was blindly convinced that I had betrayed her. How could such a hollow-headed heir manage a large company like the Qiao Corporation?

As I thought this, another figure appeared in my mind. Perhaps Qiao Zhuxin could.

I suddenly noticed that my form seemed to be fading slightly. Perhaps the only reason I remained by Qiao Yanxin’s side was that my obsession with her was too deep. Now that my obsession is fading, perhaps it won't be long before I can be reincarnated.