After Her Death, They Begged for Forgiveness - Chapter 12

Gu Xiaozhou stared at the vibrant yellow irises, meticulously wrapped by the florist, but the excitement she had felt before entering the shop had long since vanished.

Her heart was now filled with a sudden, overwhelming rage.

In just one short month, Xu Bingqi had been captivated by this sharp-tongued, empty-headed pretty face and it was likely because of her that he had left the Xu family.

She had initially thought Xu Bingqi had finally realized there was no place for him in the Xu family and left out of shame when comparing himself to Jiang Ruo. But it turned out he had probably been dazzled by the outside world, lured away by sweet talk and empty promises.

Recalling the blindingly bright bouquet of sunflowers, Gu Xiaozhou curled her lips into a scornful smile.

It hadn’t even been a month, and he was already sending flowers.

Winning over a fool like Xu Bingqi was just that easy.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She even considered spreading the news far and wide, letting Aunt Xu know exactly why Xu Bingqi had left the family.

But the thought of Xu Qingci quickly cooled her down.

Xu Qingci hadn’t completely given up on Xu Bingqi yet. Bringing this up now might make her seem like she was making a mountain out of a molehill.

Besides, Jiang Ruo still couldn’t stop thinking about that useless sister of hers. If she told them about this, Jiang Ruo would quickly track down Xu Bingqi’s whereabouts.

And then, Xu Bingqi might just crawl back to the Xu family to live as a freeloader again.

So, for now, it was better not to make a big deal out of this.

After a moment’s consideration, Gu Xiaozhou decided to start by tracing the spending records of that pretty face, following the trail to uncover her relationship with Xu Bingqi.

After all, she had already learned the girl’s real name from the card: Song Guanjin.

Gu Xiaozhou composed herself. Tonight, she would first deliver these yellow irises to Jiang Ruo.

At the thought of Jiang Ruo, the dark clouds in her heart parted, and her mood brightened again.

She considered calling Jiang Ruo directly but hesitated, remembering that Jiang Ruo was still on set. After a moment’s thought, she sent a text instead: “Ruo Ruo, are you free tonight?”

Jiang Ruo’s phone vibrated twice. She glanced at the message from Gu Xiaozhou before turning back to chat and laugh with the crew members beside her.

The message Gu Xiaozhou had just sent held little value to her.

What she really hoped for was that the next message from Gu Xiaozhou would bring news of Xu Bingqi.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ruo sighed inwardly. If it weren’t for the constraints of her kind-hearted persona, she could have tracked down Xu Bingqi herself long ago, no need to rely on Gu Xiaozhou.

The thought of Xu Bingqi deleting her accounts and leaving the Xu family stirred a restless irritation in Jiang Ruo.

Her sister seemed to be misbehaving.

First, disrupting the events of her birthday banquet, and now disappearing without a trace, she definitely deserved to be taught a lesson.

A faint smile, like ripples spreading slowly, touched Jiang Ruo’s lips as she thought of her usually quiet and aloof sister.

She won’t escape.

No one can escape her control.

Noticing Jiang Ruo’s seemingly cheerful mood, a crew member continued talking about Xu Bingqi: “After Xu Bingqi deleted her contact info, my former company kept trying to find her new details. They said if she’d take on composing work, they’d offer her top-tier rates.”

She marveled inwardly at Jiang Ruo’s deep sisterly affection for Xu Bingqi. After all, previous rumors had painted Xu Bingqi as intensely jealous of her mother’s adopted daughter, scheming against her countless times. Yet when Jiang Ruo mentioned Xu Bingqi voluntarily, her eyes and brows were filled with genuine warmth.

She then grew curious about why Xu Bingqi had suddenly deleted all her accounts. “Ms. Jiang, why did Ms. Xu abruptly leave the industry? There weren’t any signs beforehand.”

The smile on Jiang Ruo’s lips faded slightly.

“My sister has been very tired lately and needs some time to rest.”

After speaking, Jiang Ruo offered a polite smile. “Please excuse me for a moment, I need to reply to a message.”

The staff member, having been in the industry for years, understood this as a subtle refusal to discuss further. “Of course, Ms. Jiang, take your time.”

After leaving, her doubts only grew. Even Jiang Ruo seemed evasive about the reason for Xu Bingqi’s departure clearly, there was more to the story than met the eye.

Jiang Ruo quickly typed a message to Gu Xiaozhou, informing her that she was unavailable today. A reply came almost instantly.

“Ruo Ruo, let’s plan for another time when you’re free. I’ve sent flowers to your set. Please take care of yourself and don’t overwork. It’s getting colder tonight make sure to dress warmly.”

To Jiang Ruo, these were nothing but empty, meaningless words. She exited the chat without bothering to finish reading.

Once again, there was no reply for a long time.

Gu Xiaozhou felt a pang of disappointment, but her concern outweighed it. Ruo Ruo had always been delicate, and with the chilly wind tonight.

Perhaps it would be better to personally buy Ruo Ruo a coat at the mall.

As soon as she drove to the shopping center, she spotted a somewhat familiar figure.

The woman’s silhouette was bathed in silver-white light, making her appear even more aloof. Dressed in a long black trench coat with the belt loosely tied, she carried an air of untamed detachment.

Familiar, yet somehow distant.

But Gu Xiaozhou recognized her instantly it was Xu Bingqi, whom she hadn’t seen in days.

Her heart raced with excitement.

After hiding for so long, she had finally run into her.

Xu Bingqi felt a heavy tap on her shoulder.

Puzzled, she turned and saw one of the last people she wanted to encounter.

But it was to be expected, she hadn’t left the city, so running into them was inevitable.

“After hiding for so long, what made you come out?”

Gu Xiaozhou’s smile was icy as her slender fingers gripped Xu Bingqi’s sleeve, as if afraid she might vanish the next second.

“Why would I need to hide?”

Xu Bingqi’s reply was calm and detached.

She didn’t mind Gu Xiaozhou clutching her sleeve, nor did she make any move to brush her hand away. She simply stood there, unfazed, letting Gu Xiaozhou hold on.

After all, the biting wind was chilling Gu Xiaozhou’s fingers, not hers.

Compared to the timid, blushing Xu Bingqi who used to stammer explanations, Gu Xiaozhou detested this indifferent version even more, the one who acted as if nothing mattered, gazing at her as though she were a stranger.

The wind carried a bone-chilling cold, but Gu Xiaozhou stubbornly refused to let go.

“You’re hiding because you’ve done something wrong, of course you would.”

Gu Xiaozhou’s fingers tightened, as if she wished she could tear a hole in the soft fabric of Xu Bingqi’s coat.

“Oh.”

Xu Bingqi glanced down at Gu Xiaozhou’s reddening fingers and thought to herself, The wind really is strong today.

She glanced at her wrist to check the time. It was almost the hour she had agreed to meet Song Guanjin for dinner, but facing Gu Xiaozhou, whose face was filled with resentment, she knew she wouldn’t be able to get away anytime soon.

“Can we talk later? I have plans to meet someone for a meal.”

Xu Bingqi calmly averted her gaze, only to feel the sleeve of her clothes being tugged even tighter. She frowned slightly in displeasure.

“If you tear it, you’ll have to pay for it.”

Gu Xiaozhou sneered, “What, meeting another pretty little girl again? If I’m not mistaken, her name is Song Guanjin, right?”

Tilting her head slightly as she scrutinized Xu Bingqi, she added mockingly, “Xu Bingqi, you’re disgusting.”

Over the years, Gu Xiaozhou’s taunts had lost their sting for Xu Bingqi. But to prevent Gu Xiaozhou from slandering Song Guanjin again, Xu Bingqi patiently explained, “We’re just friends.”

“Do you think I’m a fool? If you’re just friends, why is that vase so earnestly preparing flowers for you?”

Xu Bingqi was slightly taken aback. She hadn’t expected Song Guanjin to buy flowers as a thank-you gesture in addition to treating her to a meal.

This was the first time her kindness toward someone had been reciprocated.

Xu Bingqi fell into a brief daze. All the goodwill she had extended in the past had been like stones thrown into an abyss everyone accepted her kindness without hesitation, only to later suspect her of ulterior motives. Except for Song Guanjin.

Perhaps one day Song Guanjin might betray her too, but at this moment, her gratitude was genuine.

“What, thinking about your lover has you all flustered?”

Xu Bingqi snapped back to reality. “If friends aren’t allowed to give flowers, Miss Gu, please enlighten me, what has your relationship with Jiang Ruo been for over a decade?”

Gu Xiaozhou fell silent.

After a moment, she defended herself, “I gave yellow irises their meaning is eternal friendship. How can you and that vase compare to Jiang Ruo and me?”

Xu Bingqi gave Gu Xiaozhou a once-over and replied flatly, “Oh.”

It was almost past the agreed-upon time. Xu Bingqi decided to take out her phone and explain to Song Guanjin that she would be late. Her gaze inadvertently fell on Gu Xiaozhou’s fingers, still tightly clutching her sleeve, slender fingers swollen and trembling uncontrollably from the cold.

To confront Xu Bingqi, a person everyone despised, on behalf of Jiang Ruo, the young lady of the Gu family had let herself become so disheveled.

Xu Bingqi let out a soft scoff. “Let go. People might think you’re begging me to turn over a new leaf.”

Gu Xiaozhou looked down in disbelief and realized she was leaning toward Xu Bingqi, her fingers still gripping the other’s sleeve tightly, a posture that indeed looked like pleading to anyone watching.

She released her grip without a word. Only after calming down did she notice her fingers were swollen and flushed, a level of disarray she had never experienced before.

Xu Bingqi smoothly picked up her phone and dialed Song Guanjin’s number. “Guanjin, I’m sorry, but I’ll be a few minutes late.”

At that moment, the only thought in Gu Xiaozhou’s mind was that Song Guanjin indeed had Xu Bingqi’s contact information.

She, Jiang Ruo, and even Xu Qingci none of them had Xu Bingqi’s new phone number.

“Yes, I’ve already arrived at the mall entrance.”

After hanging up, Xu Bingqi noticed Gu Xiaozhou seemed lost in thought and began walking toward the mall.

Her sleeve was tugged again.

“Xu Bingqi, you’re so unfilial. You didn’t even give Auntie Xu your contact information. What if she worries about you?”

“If Aunt Xu is worried about you, then it means she isn’t actually worried.”

Xu Bingqi smiled lightly: “That hypothesis doesn’t hold up, Miss Gu.”

Her tone remained gentle: “I made it very clear since our last meeting you can hold whatever prejudices against me you want, I don’t mind.”

Under Gu Xiaozhou’s slightly surprised gaze, she added: “Because your opinion holds no importance to me.”

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