After Her Death, They Begged for Forgiveness - Chapter 10

Businesspeople are always smooth and tactful, and the conversation naturally veered back to praising Jiang Ruo.

However, Xu Qingci keenly caught the momentary astonishment on the others’ faces the moment the words were spoken.

She was lost in thought for a moment, her memories traversing years of extreme aversion toward Xu Bingqi before returning to the time when she had cared for Xu Bingqi with meticulous attention during her childhood.

She had once given Xu Bingqi the best love.

But later, Xu Bingqi disappointed her time and again, especially when Xu Bingqi was with Jiang Ruo. Countless times, she wondered why Jiang Ruo wasn’t her biological daughter.

When compared side by side, Xu Bingqi and Jiang Ruo were like a ditch and the bright moon.

Every time she saw Jiang Ruo, she couldn’t help but feel renewed disgust for her own biological daughter, who achieved nothing and had ill intentions.

It had even reached a point where she could no longer control it.

Xu Qingci swirled her wine glass, forcibly pulling her thoughts back.

Amid the flattery of the crowd, Xu Qingci silently drank a lot.

Everyone noticed that President Xu, who was usually unreadable in business settings, seemed to be in a low mood.

Thus, the banquet ended hastily.

Xu Qingci had always been calm and self-possessed, but this time, she ended up intoxicated after the banquet.

Even after the driver dropped her off at her doorstep, her mind remained hazy.

The housekeeper had already received the news, but she was still startled to see Xu Qingci so drunk and disoriented.

Xu Qingci brushed aside the housekeeper’s helping hand and walked in, swaying slightly.

In her drunken state, Xu Qingci was very quiet, as if enveloped in a tranquil veil. She lifted her gaze slightly, her eyes resting on the bowl of sobering soup the housekeeper had brought over. After a moment, she shook her head gently.

“Have you heard Bingqi’s composition?” Xu Qingci suddenly asked after a long silence in the living room.

The housekeeper’s mouth fell slightly open. Xu Qingci rarely inquired about Xu Bingqi’s affairs, and she hadn’t expected the president to suddenly show concern for Xu Bingqi after drinking.

“I’ve heard it’s quite popular,” the housekeeper said, cautiously observing Xu Qingci’s expression before quickly adding, “Would you like to listen to it, President Xu?”

Xu Qingci didn’t speak, neither nodding nor shaking her head. She remained quietly reclined on the sofa. But the housekeeper understood this as a sign of interest and soon played the game’s promotional song.

The lively and cheerful melody, like a flock of joyful birds breaking free from restraints, quickly filled the room.

Xu Qingci shook her head. In her memory, Xu Bingqi had always been gloomy and silent. It was hard for her to connect this composition with Xu Bingqi.

Xu Bingqi was gradually diverging from the image in her memory, and Xu Qingci suddenly felt a faint sense of panic.

But she forcibly suppressed this thought.

“Why didn’t Ruoruo come back today? She’s so busy with work doesn’t she worry about harming her health?”

Hearing Xu Qingci’s affectionate complaint about Jiang Ruo, the housekeeper smiled with a hint of relief.

Concern for Xu Bingqi was merely a fleeting moment of drunkenness; Jiang Ruo was the one Xu Qingci truly held dear in her heart.

The housekeeper chimed in with a smile, “Xiao Ruo is very driven. She’s afraid her first drama won’t be good enough, so she’s been consulting veteran actors late into the night. But don’t worry, Xiao Ruo knows her limits and can take care of herself.”

Xu Qingci nodded, pausing for a moment before saying with concern, “This child is just too determined. In reality, all the family assets are hers. There’s no need for her to work so hard. I’d rather she took it easy.”

The housekeeper smiled, speaking casually as if making small talk, “Actually, it might be a good thing that the young lady has left home. Otherwise, she would always cling to unrealistic fantasies. Now that she’s moved out and can be independent, it’s for the best.”

Xu Qingci nodded subconsciously, but then, recalling someone at the banquet mentioning that this seemed to be Xu Bingqi’s farewell work, she grew somewhat impatient with the housekeeper.

The housekeeper’s words inexplicably stirred a sense of unease in her.

How could Xu Bingqi possibly be capable of independence?

“If only she wouldn’t be so jealous of Ruoruo in the future, the family might still tolerate her.”

Xu Qingci sighed, pressed her temples, and stood up. “I’ll be away on business for the next few weeks. If Xu Bingqi comes back, just let her in. Don’t stop her.”

The housekeeper nodded with a smile, watching as Xu Qingci returned to her room to rest before averting her gaze. After a moment, ensuring Xu Qingci wouldn’t come out again, she slowly made her way back to her own room.

Once she had locked her bedroom door, she took out her phone.

[President Xu hasn’t truly given up on Xu Bingqi. Xu Bingqi could return at any time.]

Gu Xiaozhou was browsing the comments under the trending topic about Xu Bingqi no longer composing when she quickly noticed the incoming message and opened it.

After reading it, she frowned deeply.

Even though Xu Bingqi leaving the Xu family was the best outcome for everyone, why would Aunt Xu still want her to return?

Everything should rightfully belong to Ruoruo, yet Xu Bingqi always insisted on snatching it away.

Ruoruo was pure-hearted and kind. If Gu Xiaozhou didn’t help her from the shadows, it wouldn’t be long before the recently subdued Xu Bingqi made a comeback.

Frowning at the gradually improving comments about Xu Bingqi on the trending topic, Gu Xiaozhou suddenly relaxed and smiled.

She didn’t believe that Xu Bingqi, whose reputation was slowly recovering, would have the heart to abandon the account she had worked so hard to build.

There would definitely be a next time, Gu Xiaozhou thought.

And what Aunt Xu despised most were people with ill intentions.

The next time Xu Bingqi composed a song, Gu Xiaozhou would make her experience the feeling of falling from heaven back into hell.

She would completely sever the last shred of affection Aunt Xu held for Xu Bingqi.

By then, Xu Bingqi would have no hope of ever turning things around.

Gu Xiaozhou smiled faintly. For now, she didn’t mind if Xu Bingqi’s reputation improved slightly, she might even help make it better.

That way, Xu Bingqi would fall even harder.

After finishing her thoughts, Gu Xiaozhou let out a sigh of relief, then a bitter smile spread across her lips.

Everything she did for Jiang Ruo, Jiang Ruo would never know just like the overwhelming feelings she harbored for her, destined to remain buried deep underground forever.

After a moment of silence, Gu Xiaozhou seemed to remember something.

She opened the chat with the housekeeper: [If Xu Bingqi returns, be sure to inform me immediately.]

After receiving the housekeeper’s confirmation, Gu Xiaozhou felt completely at ease. She slipped out of bed barefoot, turned off the light, and the room plunged back into darkness.

As if nothing had ever happened.

When Xu Bingqi woke up, she found that the hashtag #XuBingqiNoLongerComposing was still trending, and many new tags had even appeared.

Staring in surprise at tags like #XuBingqiHiddenGem, #XuBingqiComposingWorldsWhiteMoonlight, and #XuBingqiClassicCompositions, which seemed to have come out of nowhere, confusion slowly brewed in her heart.

Especially when she saw the top comments were overwhelmingly positive:

“Xu Bingqi has always been my niche treasure composer, finally discovered by everyone today.”

“Did she really leave the industry? Her previous compositions really suited my taste.”

“I’ve had this on repeat for the nth time, and each listen gives me a different feeling.”

These were comments she had never received before, and her confusion slowly grew.

Her previous composing style wasn’t particularly popular, and her personal reputation was extremely poor. How could the mixed reviews from last night have almost completely turned positive overnight?

It seemed as though someone was manipulating things behind the scenes, intentionally steering public opinion.

Xu Bingqi wasn’t sure who was behind it. Her first thought was the promotional team from the gaming company.

But she quickly dismissed that idea in her heart.

Gaming companies are profit-driven. If they were promoting something, they should focus on the promotional song she had composed. Why would they create so many topics related to her but unrelated to the promotional song?

Moreover, the marketing expenses for these trending searches likely far exceeded the gaming company’s promotional budget.

Xu Bingqi racked her brains but couldn’t figure out who would do something so strange.

She continued scrolling through the comments and even spotted a familiar ID.

“My IQ Is Normal: Sister Bingqi’s compositions are the best.”

“Finally, you all understand now.”

“Where are those clueless haters from before? Why aren’t they speaking up now?”

The user kept replying to their own comments to bump the thread.

Xu Bingqi sighed helplessly, rubbing her forehead. She even suspected that Song Guanjin, still in the learning phase, was overly fond of using idioms that seemed sophisticated to her.

As she scrolled further, she noticed only a handful of negative comments, each with dozens of rebuttals underneath.

But in any case, her account would be completely deleted in five days. None of this had anything to do with her anymore.

And this final shift in public opinion could be seen as a perfect conclusion to that soon-to-be-abandoned account.

After all, none of it had anything to do with who she was now.

Xu Bingqi closed the trending searches, which she found utterly boring. After exiting the app, she noticed her email inbox had over 99 unread messages.

Clearly, the gaming company’s promotional team had shared her email address with others. Her inbox was now flooded with composition requests.

Scrolling through, she even saw invitations from the studios of well-known singers, all offering substantial fees.

Xu Bingqi calmly deleted the email account.

She knew very well that someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Her best strategy now was to stay put and respond to changes by remaining unchanged.

Sooner or later, the person behind it would lose patience.

Although she didn’t know whether that person was a friend or foe, she understood the need to tread carefully. Otherwise, she might inadvertently get entangled with the main storyline of that popular novel.

Her newly registered account had no visibility yet. Xu Bingqi planned to participate in some online composition competitions where she wouldn’t need to show her face, hoping to rebuild her reputation.

Thinking of her new home, she let out a soft sigh.

Having never left the Xu family before, she was now realizing for the first time how complicated it was to find a rental, pay for it, and handle the renovations.

She had originally thought she could move into her new home after staying at the hotel for just over ten days, but now she realized how naive that idea was.

Although her bank balance was still sufficient, Xu Bingqi, having experienced a life of financial hardship in her previous existence, had developed a strong attachment to money.

She needed to see her bank account balance maintained above a certain threshold to feel at ease.

As a result, she couldn’t accept the idea of staying in an expensive hotel for several months.

It seemed that for now, she would have to rent a suitable apartment as a temporary solution.

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