After Her Death, They Begged for Forgiveness - Chapter 2

A long, drawn-out dream.

In the dream, Xu Bingqi flipped through a novel titled Favoritism: The Beloved Darling of the Masses, where every character corresponded to someone in real life. In the story, the character named Xu Bingqi was a malicious, universally despised villain.

Not only did she constantly bully her adopted sister Jiang Ruo, but she was also a habitual plagiarist. After being exposed by everyone, she lost her reputation and resorted to desperate measures, scheming to seize her mother’s wealth. In the end, she contracted cancer, endured unbearable suffering, and ended her sinful life.

In the book, Xu Bingqi’s mother, Xu Qingci, had long been utterly disappointed in her and paid no attention to her death. It was the kind and innocent female lead, Jiang Ruo, who set aside past grievances and buried Xu Bingqi’s body.

Xu Bingqi pondered over the novel for a long time. Aside from the evil deeds committed by the fictional Xu Bingqi, which she had never done herself, her own experiences and fate were exactly the same as those of the character in the book.

As she turned to the last page, she saw the kind and charming female lead and the talented male lead inheriting the mother’s vast fortune, living happily ever after.

It was a classic tale of a beloved darling, while she herself was the foil, a malicious, universally despised character used to highlight the protagonist’s favor.

But she had never committed any of those wicked acts, yet she still ended up with the same fate as the Xu Bingqi in the book. Closing the novel, Xu Bingqi slowly digested the fact that she was merely a malicious supporting character in a story.

Faintly, the ticking of a wall clock echoed in her ears.

Xu Bingqi’s eyelashes fluttered slightly before her eyes snapped open. Once again, she was faced with the familiar bookshelf that took up the entire wall. On the upper shelves, crystal trophies were arranged in an orderly yet staggered fashion, and exquisitely framed certificates were stacked layer upon layer. However, they seemed untouched for some time, covered in a thin layer of dust. The shelves were crammed with books on music theory, sheet music, and classic albums, the corners of each book frayed, silently testifying to how many times their owner had flipped through them.

On the work desk sat a high-performance computer, next to an old-looking piano, a wooden guitar, and several music notebooks filled with annotations.

Xu Bingqi blinked in disbelief, unable to accept that she was still in her old room.

Hadn’t she died in the end?

Though her mind was hazy, Xu Bingqi struggled to sit up. After a moment, she realized her thoughts were gradually clearing, and her body no longer carried the dull pain she had felt before her death.

Recalling the bizarre dream, for a moment, she couldn’t even tell if she was still dreaming.

She picked up her phone. The date displayed was November 16, 2029. She was still the unnoticed girl in everyone’s eyes, the useless heiress wholly immersed in music, indifferent to the Xu family’s business.

There were still three years before she would be accused of plagiarism. In fact, the songs she would later be accused of copying were only just taking shape as inspirations in her mind, not yet composed.

Xu Bingqi let out a soft sigh and smiled faintly.

No dream could be this vivid, not even the grain of the wooden guitar matching reality perfectly.

Perhaps she had truly been given a chance to start over.

Her heart pounded violently. Xu Bingqi took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. In this life, her only wish was to avoid repeating past mistakes and clear the injustice that had tainted her name.

Just then, the doorbell rang urgently. Xu Bingqi inhaled deeply, steadied herself, and picked up her phone to check the surveillance feed. On the screen stood a girl in a pale pink satin coat, its intricate patterns woven with gold and silver threads by hand, making her delicate, doll-like face shimmer like a luminous pearl.

It was Gu Xiaozhou, Xu Bingqi’s former closest friend.

And every person Xu Bingqi had once been close to required the qualifier “former.” Over time, her relationships with everyone crumbled and drifted apart. Becoming distant strangers was the best outcome; the worst was ending up as bitter enemies.

Her relationship with Gu Xiaozhou had fallen into the latter category.

Xu Bingqi took another deep breath, hesitated for a moment, and opened the door.

It wasn’t because she held any illusions about their friendship, but because she wanted to test whether she could break free from the predetermined path set by the novel Favoring the Doting, Naive Sweetheart.

Gu Xiaozhou’s gaze was distant. “Do you remember that today is Ruoruo’s birthday party?”

“I remember.”

Xu Bingqi answered casually, glancing at her wristwatch as she debated whether it was better to go out for a meal or order takeout.

“As Ruoruo’s sister, shouldn’t you be helping with the preparations at this hour? Do you really need someone to come and fetch you?”

Gu Xiaozhou detested Xu Bingqi’s indifferent tone. She looked up at her. Xu Bingqi’s skin was as smooth as porcelain, her lips pale, but her entire aura made her seem like a different person from before.

Leaning against the doorframe, Xu Bingqi stood there calmly, without the usual ingratiating smile, detached from any worldly concerns.

This was not the Xu Bingqi Gu Xiaozhou remembered.

“Sorry, I have something to do today.”

Xu Bingqi brushed aside the stray hairs on her forehead and chuckled softly at the thought that this was the first time she had ever refused Gu Xiaozhou’s request.

She wondered how she had endured it for so long in her past life.

“What could be more important?”

“Personal matters.”

Xu Bingqi checked her watch again, making her intention to end the conversation clear. “Is there anything else?”

Gu Xiaozhou’s unease grew. In her memory, Xu Bingqi had always been timid and eager to please, never as aloof and cold as she was today.

“I,I just…”

Gu Xiaozhou felt she should ask what had happened to Xu Bingqi, but for years, she had looked down on her former friend this unmotivated, spiteful person who seemed to target Jiang Ruo at every turn. She faltered for a moment, then chose to continue her accusations, hoping to force this unfamiliar Xu Bingqi back into her old mold.

“What could possibly be more important than your sister’s birthday party? You’re clearly targeting Jiang Ruo out of jealousy!”

Xu Bingqi smiled tolerantly. “If that’s what you think, there’s nothing I can do.”

Perhaps that novel truly reflected this world, because ever since Jiang Ruo became the Xu family’s adopted daughter, everyone around Xu Bingqi had automatically assumed she was jealous of Jiang Ruo.

If Xu Bingqi showed concern for Jiang Ruo, it was with ulterior motives; if she didn’t, it was out of jealousy. In short, everything was interpreted as Xu Bingqi holding a grudge against Jiang Ruo.

In her previous life, Xu Bingqi had struggled, had tried to prove her innocence by laying herself bare, but people’s prejudices only deepened. So in this life, she simply stopped struggling.

“If believing I’m jealous of Jiang Ruo helps you maintain your logical consistency, then you can keep thinking that way. I have no objections.”

After saying this, Xu Bingqi felt much lighter.

In her past life, she had been obsessed with proving herself, but after being reborn, she had gained perspective. Everyone in her life was merely a passerby; there was no need for her to care so much.

Gu Xiaozhou hadn’t expected the words that had always worked like a charm to fail this time.

Before, whenever she said, “You’re jealous of Jiang Ruo,” Xu Bingqi would obediently do as she asked just to deny the accusation. But now, Xu Bingqi’s gaze was frank and open, and her attitude of acknowledgment felt even more unsettling than a direct denial.

“Xiaozhou, we were friends once,” Xu Bingqi added after a moment’s thought. “At least, that’s what I always believed.”

“Regardless, I’m still grateful for the companionship we shared.”

Xu Bingqi intended to give this friendship a dignified ending: “I hope you all have a great time at the birthday party.”

Gu Xiaozhou left the Xu family villa with a troubled expression.

She had long been ashamed to admit that Xu Bingqi was her friend, but when Xu Bingqi truly cut ties with her, she didn’t feel relieved. Instead, a faint unease settled in her heart.

Gu Xiaozhou attributed this to her own soft-heartedness and gradually put the matter aside, throwing herself wholeheartedly into the preparations for Jiang Ruo’s 20th birthday party.

Xu Bingqi closed the door again and let out a soft sigh of relief. To some extent, she had broken free from the constraints of the novel’s plot.

In the novel, Jiang Ruo’s 20th birthday party was described in great detail, and a key part of it was the universally despised and malicious Xu Bingqi, who was supposedly jealous of the attention lavished on Jiang Ruo hypocritically accepting Gu Xiaozhou’s invitation, only to deliberately sabotage the party and face the consequences of the plot.

Xu Bingqi ordered a cup of bubble tea and muttered to herself while waiting for the delivery, “What deliberate sabotage? I was just pushed and accidentally spilled a cup of water.”

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