After Her Death, They Begged for Forgiveness - Chapter 16

Gu Xiaozhou clicked on the profile of the account with the ID “Coffee is Inspiration.”

With a sense of aversion, she tapped on the latest post and suddenly paused.

It had been a long time since she last heard Xu Bingqi’s compositions.

The structure of the music was rigorous and orderly, like the architectural layout of an ancient castle, with every part supporting one another in perfect harmony. Yet, it cleverly incorporated modern rhythmic elements, infusing the music with a sense of vitality and liveliness amidst its steadiness, as if adding a vibrant modern touch to an ancient scroll.

Had Xu Bingqi’s compositional style always been like this?

Gu Xiaozhou pondered for a long time before realizing she could no longer clearly recall Xu Bingqi’s creative style.

She couldn’t even remember the last time she had listened to Xu Bingqi’s music.

It was as if that period of time had been shrouded in the fog of years, leaving barely a trace of certainty.

The only thing she remembered was during their high school days, when Xu Bingqi would cheerfully hum melodies for her. But back then, Gu Xiaozhou was too preoccupied with tutoring Jiang Ruo in physics after school to pay any attention to Xu Bingqi’s tunes.

“Shut up, do you know how annoying you are?”

She glared coldly at Xu Bingqi, who immediately fell silent and retreated quietly to the side.

But Gu Xiaozhou pressed on: “You have no talent for creation at all, so why do you keep bothering others? Do you think you’re being cute?”

“Sorry, it won’t happen again.”

At the time, Xu Bingqi struggled to maintain the smile frozen on her face, though the corners of her lips trembled uncontrollably.

Gu Xiaozhou couldn’t be bothered to look at Xu Bingqi’s timid and disappointed expression. Her brows furrowed with impatience as she brushed past Xu Bingqi and walked away quickly.

After that, Xu Bingqi never shared her self-composed songs with Gu Xiaozhou again.

Gu Xiaozhou remained silent for a long time, almost too hesitant to continue listening to Xu Bingqi’s music. Her finger paused slightly, but in the end, she didn’t press the stop button, allowing the unfamiliar melody to continue flowing.

The filter of time had once dimmed her impression of Xu Bingqi, but upon closer reflection, perhaps Xu Bingqi wasn’t as unbearable as she had remembered.

Gu Xiaozhou gently closed her eyes and slowly let out a sigh.

Xu Bingqi’s newly created account was like a rising star, with its follower count growing rapidly. She had also made new friends, and it seemed she had no intention of returning to the Xu family.

Gu Xiaozhou knew that the bond between Xu Bingqi and the Xu family had likely been quietly severed without anyone noticing.

The once-familiar Xu family mansion might very well have become a place Xu Bingqi would never set foot in again.

“This is for the best.”

Gu Xiaozhou murmured to herself, “It seems she won’t be competing with Ruo Ruo for the family inheritance anymore.”

Xu Bingqi not returning to the Xu family was the best outcome for everyone.

It also meant that Gu Xiaozhou would likely have few opportunities to see Xu Bingqi again.

Unless, like the last time, they unexpectedly crossed paths in the vast sea of people.

But recalling the icy, indifferent look in Xu Bingqi’s eyes during their last encounter, Gu Xiaozhou lowered her gaze.

For no apparent reason, she felt a faint sense of loss, which lingered until Jiang Ruo called.

Jiang Ruo rarely initiated calls, so this sudden phone call stirred a ripple in Gu Xiaozhou’s heart. She cleared her throat softly, ensuring her voice sounded gentle and natural, before answering the call.

“Xiaozhou sister, have you found any news about my sister?”

Every syllable Jiang Ruo uttered seemed tightly wrapped in anxiety.

“Not yet. Let’s wait a while longer.”

Gu Xiaozhou rarely lied to Jiang Ruo, so she paused for a few seconds, quietly adjusting her emotions and tone.

After a moment’s thought, she added, “Ruo Ruo, maybe it’s not such a bad thing that Xu Bingqi isn’t returning to the Xu family. Whether she’s there or not doesn’t really make a difference to you or Auntie Xu.”

She was speaking the truth, but her words carried a different meaning to Jiang Ruo’s ears.

Jiang Ruo instinctively felt that Gu Xiaozhou was mocking her.

After all, the plot deviation value had already risen to 35%.

This had surpassed the critical threshold of 30%.

When the plot deviation value remained below 30%, the novel’s storyline possessed a certain self-correcting ability, and the characters’ personalities would still align with their original settings. But once it exceeded 35%, their personalities would gradually drift from their predetermined roles, slowly reverting to their true selves.

By the time it reached 100%, the entire constructed plot of the novel would shatter like an illusory bubble.

Moreover, in the current storyline she was experiencing, the female lead had been adopted by the Xu family from the very beginning. The characters’ past memories belonged to areas beyond the novel’s plot control like mysterious corners hidden behind a mist, drifting away from the established narrative.

Logically, for a novel like Favoritism: The Beloved Crowd-Pleaser, which she had replayed countless times in similar storylines, she should have been completely at ease.

But in the end, she had developed desires she shouldn’t have.

That person was utterly different from anyone she had ever encountered before, unlike all the foolish and boring male leads she had manipulated like puppets. She had fallen helplessly into this obsession.

She didn’t regret anything she had done in the past.

Now, it felt as though she were on a one-way street with no way back. There was no other choice she had to keep moving forward.

“So, you’re not going to help?”

The brightness in Jiang Ruo’s eyes dimmed, clouded by shadows.

Startled by Jiang Ruo’s icy tone, Gu Xiaozhou forced an awkward smile. “Ruo Ruo, it’s just that I feel you’ve been acting a bit strange lately.”

She never directly answered whether she would continue to help, but her refusal to commit was an answer in itself.

“Sister Xiaozhou, I’m really worried about my sister. She’s been your close friend for years, aren’t you concerned about her at all?”

Gu Xiaozhou fell silent for a moment, lost in thought.

In her mind, the cold expression Xu Bingqi had recently worn flashed before her eyes, frame by frame.

Were they still friends?

Xu Bingqi hadn’t explicitly cut ties with her, so the thread of their friendship probably hadn’t completely snapped yet. Did that mean they were still friends?

“She’s an adult; she has her own considerations.” Gu Xiaozhou patiently tried to reassure Jiang Ruo. “Maybe she doesn’t think returning to the Xu family is a good thing?”

Jiang Ruo sighed silently.

Indeed, a 35% plot deviation value was already beginning to subtly influence the characters’ personalities.

In the past, Gu Xiaozhou would never have refused her requests.

“Alright.”

After calming herself for a moment, Jiang Ruo didn’t press Gu Xiaozhou further. Instead, she adhered to her kind-hearted character setting and replied gently, “I have nothing else to discuss. Thank you, Sister Xiaozhou.”

After hanging up the phone, Gu Xiaozhou inexplicably felt a sense of relief. By the end of her conversation with Jiang Ruo, she had even started to worry that Jiang Ruo might force her into something.

But in the end, Jiang Ruo didn’t do it.

Xu Bingqi carefully combed through the list of new followers from the past five minutes and breathed a slight sigh of relief upon confirming that neither Gu Xiaozhou nor Jiang Ruo were among them.

Song Guanjin had already deleted all her comments that mentioned Xu Bingqi and said uneasily, “Sister, I’m sorry, I didn’t consider that bad person at the time.”

Xu Bingqi, knowing Song Guanjin had meant well, didn’t blame her. A gentle smile touched her lips as she replied, “It’s alright. It’s probably not that much of a coincidence anyway.”

“Sister, we have to get back at them.”

The thought of such dirty tactics made Song Guanjin’s fur bristle, the hat on her head even trembled slightly as the fur on her ears fluffed up.

She pressed down on the brim of her hat with a fingertip, then glanced guiltily at Xu Bingqi to make sure she hadn’t noticed before continuing, “She threw mud at you and got away without any consequences, how is that fair!”

If Gu Xiaozhou were also a cat, Song Guanjin would have already unleashed her invincible cat punches, sending her opponent scrambling away with a bloodied mouth.

Unfortunately, this was human society, where such primal and fair methods as cat fights couldn’t be used.

Song Guanjin sighed, wistfully thinking how wonderful it would be if human society could evolve to have the advanced fighting theories that feline society enjoyed.

“Of course, we’ll get back at them.”

Xu Bingqi paused briefly before speaking each word deliberately.

In her past life, she had been like a docile lamb, tolerating everything from everyone. But that hadn’t earned her kindness in return instead, it seemed to open the floodgates of malice, with more and more mud being thrown her way.

In everyone’s eyes, she had become nothing but a filthy mud figure.

By the end, even an unintentional glance from her was interpreted as harboring ill intentions toward Jiang Ruo or others.

“But I don’t want to wrong them either,” Xu Bingqi said with a light laugh, though there was no trace of amusement in her eyes. “I need to find evidence.”

Having experienced the pain of being wronged herself, she was unwilling to wrong others lightly. She refused to pass judgment based solely on subjective assumptions or one-sided claims. Only after finding solid evidence would she reveal the truth to the public.

“If it really was the heir of the Gu family who did this, then the Gu family’s stock price should take a severe hit too.”

Xu Bingqi seemed to recall something, and a bitter tinge crept into the mocking smile on her lips.

The cat stared blankly at Xu Bingqi, utterly captivated, unable to tear her eyes away.

Thanks to Song Guanjin’s earlier efforts to boost Xu Bingqi’s visibility, more and more people were calling her a “hidden gem,” and from time to time, someone would passionately recommend “Coffee is Inspiration” in the comments section.

In just one morning, Xu Bingqi had received over a dozen commercial requests for composing music as a result.

“It seems having too much work can also become a nuisance.”

After carefully selecting a few suitable commissions, Xu Bingqi smoothed back the stray strands of hair that had fallen loose from leaning forward for so long.

Her silk-smooth hair slipped through her pale, slender fingers, tracing a small arc in the air as light and shadow intertwined. Her well-defined fingers slowly lowered, the movement tender and lingering.

Song Guanjin’s gaze was instantly captivated, and for a moment, she couldn’t look away.

The cat was a bit puzzled about whether the magic in the human world was real or not. She suspected that Xu Bingqi might have cast a spell on her that made it impossible to look away.

“Why are you spacing out?” Xu Bingqi chuckled. “Thanks for today. Lunch is on me.”

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