After Her Death, They Begged for Forgiveness - Chapter 15

After Xu Bingqi released detailed video evidence and a complete timeline, Song Guanjin was the first to repost it using her main account.

Noticing Xu Bingqi’s puzzled expression, Song Guanjin smiled and explained, “My account has over a hundred thousand followers. This will help spread the information faster.”

Although a significant portion of those followers had been bought by her company.

After Xu Bingqi posted the evidence using her newly created alternate account, she quickly noticed the number of comments multiplying in the comment section.

【There’s another twist?】

【Is this staged by herself?】

【She’s already left the industry, it’s unlikely she’d stage something like this, right?】

【Who knows if she really left or not? Do you believe everything she says?】

【Could this be related to wealthy family drama? Feels like there’s more to this.】

【Makes sense. I heard Xu Bingqi was kicked out of the Xu family a long time ago. It’s possible someone is deliberately targeting her.】

Jiang Ruo scrolled through the comments. The situation had escalated to this point, it was no longer something that could be resolved by simply suppressing keywords.

Her sister had become more capable than in her previous life.

Due to Xu Bingqi’s clarification, the plot corruption value quickly rose to 30%.

Jiang Ruo clenched her fingers, her knuckles protruding slightly from the excessive force. The originally pink joints instantly turned deathly pale.

She was still on set and couldn’t afford to let her expression betray even a hint of her emotions.

Jiang Ruo struggled to maintain a polite and appropriate smile, as if wearing an exquisitely crafted mask that could never be removed.

No one on set dared to discuss the matter in front of Jiang Ruo, but faint whispers echoed in her ears.

The indistinct voices intertwined, making it impossible for her to discern exactly what was being said, yet it only fueled her growing restlessness and anxiety.

Just as Jiang Ruo’s mind was in turmoil, her phone rang. Glancing down, she saw that it was Xu Qingci calling.

“Ruo Ruo, do you know what’s going on with today’s hot search?”

Xu Qingci’s voice carried a barely concealed weariness.

“I saw the hot search, but I have no idea how this situation escalated.”

Jiang Ruo adjusted her tone, infusing her voice with a thick layer of concern, like a dense fog.

“Do you think Bingqi staged this herself?”

Xu Qingci was half-convinced and half-doubting about Xu Bingqi’s claim that someone had installed remote monitoring malware on her computer. She and Jiang Ruo naturally wouldn’t do such a thing. The housekeepers had worked for them for years and were loyal and trustworthy, they didn’t seem like the type to do this either.

After much thought, Xu Qingci felt it was more likely that her eldest daughter had orchestrated the whole thing.

Jiang Ruo tilted her chin up slightly, a faint, elusive smile playing at the corners of her lips.

When someone poses a question with a preconceived assumption, they are more likely seeking validation than genuinely listening to a thoughtful analysis.

“I don’t know either. If Sister staged this, what would her motive be?”

Jiang Ruo casually guided Xu Qingci to voice all her thoughts, just as she had done many times before.

“Probably to get our attention. She must have suffered alone outside. That child, really.”

Her tone was full of complaint, yet not entirely so.

In Xu Qingci’s complaining tone, Jiang Ruo detected a trace of barely noticeable affection.

For a moment, Jiang Ruo was slightly dazed, but then she realized this was a perfect opportunity to restore the plot.

“Then let sister come back. I miss her too.”

As long as Xu Bingqi could return to the Xu family, she could completely control the subsequent plot developments.

Gu Xiaozhou’s incompetence meant he still hadn’t found Xu Bingqi’s whereabouts, but Xu Qingci could.

Once Xu Bingqi was found, she would firmly keep her sister confined at home, no matter how tearfully she begged to be let out.

Xu Qingci wasn’t as eager as Jiang Ruo for Xu Bingqi’s return.

Xu Bingqi might be suffering now, but since she still had the ability to stir up buzz on social media, it meant she was far from being at the end of her rope.

Xu Qingci believed Xu Bingqi hadn’t yet reached the point of truly recognizing her mistakes.

She could accept Xu Bingqi begging to return home on her own, but she couldn’t accept using her own resources to find Xu Bingqi and ask her to come back.

“Ruo Ruo, let’s discuss this another time. At the very least, wait until I return before handling it.”

Xu Qingci seemed to have many matters to attend to. After hurriedly comforting Jiang Ruo a few times, she ended the call.

Jiang Ruo set down her phone, feeling somewhat disappointed. She didn’t even have the desire to check the trending searches again.

[Ms. Xu, will you come back to compose music?]

[Actually, Xu Bingqi isn’t as useless as the rumors say. Her PR response was pretty quick.]

[Her statement was very clear and logical. I’m starting to crush on her intellect.]

[I’ve always liked her looks, to be honest.]

[Doesn’t anyone else think she’s actually quite driven? She’s been constantly improving her composition skills.]

[Driven? How can anyone sympathize with the wealthy elite?]

[Is Xu Bingqi even considered elite? She’s not taking over the Xu family business.]

Xu Bingqi glanced at the top comment asking if she would continue creating and pondered for a long time but ultimately didn’t reply.

She even quickly deleted the newly created account.

Having endured too much ridicule, she didn’t dare face the enthusiastic inquiries from netizens.

Xu Bingqi feared that if she replied, she would be mocked with comments like, “So she’s itching to make a comeback after not making enough money.”

She knew all too well that the scars of her past hadn’t faded as quickly as she’d hoped.

She needed more time to heal.

[Is there any substitute for Xu Bingqi’s compositions? I really like her rational style of music.]

This was a great opportunity to help Xu Bingqi gain more recognition.

Song Guanjin quickly tagged @CoffeeIsInspiration under the comment and typed, [This is my new substitute.]

As she commented, she guiltily glanced at Xu Bingqi, making sure she wasn’t looking at her phone before stealthily setting it down much like a cat sneaking away after stealing a fish.

Xu Bingqi noticed Song Guanjin’s flustered movements and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Song Guanjin’s green eyes darted briefly to the left as she tried to stay calm. “The screen’s a bit glaring. I’m taking a break.”

Xu Bingqi had only asked casually and didn’t pay it much mind.

Still, she found Song Guanjin’s actions oddly familiar, especially the way she nervously glanced to the left. It felt like a scene from the depths of her memory, flashing by once before.

Perhaps she’d seen Song Guanjin make the same gesture before.

Xu Bingqi didn’t dwell on it. Instead, she focused on figuring out who had installed remote monitoring software on her computer.

After retrieving her old computer from the cybersecurity expert, she had only backed up the evidence of remote monitoring without delving into who was behind it.

She was deeply reluctant to suspect anyone in the Xu family and had no desire to stir up trouble over this matter. Moreover, having been reborn, she only wanted to start a new life, which was why she chose to set the issue aside for the time being.

But now, Xu Bingqi had a lead.

She vividly remembered Gu Xiaozhou’s gritted teeth threat from last night: “Xu Bingqi, don’t you dare regret this in the future.””

Perhaps Gu Xiaozhou was aware of this, and it wouldn’t even surprise her if Gu Xiaozhou was the mastermind behind it all.

What Xu Bingqi wasn’t sure about was whether Xu Qingci and Jiang Ruo knew anything about this.

Xu Bingqi reopened the trending searches and found that all speculations related to the Xu family had been deleted.

But that didn’t prove anything.

So the only breakthrough still lay with Gu Xiaozhou.

Xu Bingqi focused her thoughts for a moment, and only when she picked up her phone again did she realize that her follower count and composition likes had skyrocketed.

【It really is a Xu Bingqi substitute, this girl is such a treasure when it comes to composing!】

【Too bad she doesn’t show her face, but I bet she’s really pretty.】

【This is top-tier! Following her now means being an OG fan later. I bet this little coffee will blow up someday.】

【Wuwu, until my white moonlight returns, I’m camping here.】

Xu Bingqi scrolled down and finally found the source of it all.

Song Guanjin had @-ed her in multiple comments, some of which already had tens of thousands of likes.

What was this?

Had she ended up boosting her own popularity?

Xu Bingqi looked at Song Guanjin suspiciously, to which Song Guanjin replied with a straight face, “So many people in the comments were volunteering themselves, so I just helped boost your visibility.”

“Besides, my recommendation is the most fitting. Who could be a better substitute in terms of style than the original?”

It sounded oddly logical, like Xu Bingqi winning first prize in an “Impersonate Xu Bingqi” contest.

Xu Bingqi sighed helplessly before suddenly remembering something. “Thank you, but please delete them.”

“Why?”

Song Guanjin widened her eyes slightly, like a little kitten unable to understand why someone would willingly give up a fish treat already in their grasp.

“Because you used your main account to recommend me, and I’m worried Gu Xiaozhou might discover my newly created account.”

She wasn’t afraid of Gu Xiaozhou, but she loathed the feeling of being relentlessly pursued by her, like maggots clinging to bone.

It was like a repulsive spiderweb, exuding a foul stench with even the slightest approach.

In fact, Gu Xiaozhou had already discovered it.

The situation had spiraled out of control, completely deviating from the carefully planned trajectory Gu Xiaozhou had envisioned. She had rehearsed the unfolding of events countless times in her mind, with every detail under her control, and victory seemed almost within reach.

She had been waiting for Xu Bingqi’s downfall.

But when Xu Bingqi’s ironclad evidence for clarification appeared before her without warning, Gu Xiaozhou’s mind went blank.

Since when had Xu Bingqi discovered all of this…

Her provocation last night must have seemed like nothing more than a clown’s performance in Xu Bingqi’s eyes.

Gu Xiaozhou’s fingertips trembled slightly as she touched her phone screen. She mechanically scrolled through the comments until, inadvertently, she stumbled upon a familiar real-name ID.

It was Song Guanjin’s account, tagging someone in a comment and claiming it was her newly discovered substitute composer.

But no one knew better than her whether it was a substitute or the real person.

Gu Xiaozhou clicked on the account with the username “Coffee is Inspiration” and chuckled softly when she saw the IP location.

She had finally found it.

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