After Her Death, They Begged for Forgiveness - Chapter 25

Xu Qingci couldn’t understand why Xu Bingqi had suddenly asked such a question.

But after a moment of contemplation, she quickly grasped Xu Bingqi’s underlying motive.

Everything her daughter had done was merely out of spite.

Xu Qingci privately reasoned that the sensational online buzz from before was most likely a drama orchestrated by Xu Bingqi herself, a staged performance designed to capture her attention and elicit her sympathy. Bringing up the past now was nothing more than an attempt to soften her heart.

“There’s no point in speculating about impossible scenarios.”

Xu Qingci shook her head helplessly. “Bingqi, you’re being too obsessive.”

Hearing Xu Qingci’s response, Xu Bingqi showed no surprise, nor did she deliberately compose her expression to feign calm. She simply sat there expressionlessly, as if she had long anticipated such an answer.

In her previous life, she had paid with her life to learn Xu Qingci’s true feelings.

“I have nothing more to ask.”

Xu Bingqi picked up the orange that had fallen to the floor and tossed it into the trash bin, speaking calmly. “It’s getting late. You should go back.”

There had been many questions she wanted to ask Xu Qingci, but as her own life gradually found stability, she had slowly let them go.

In her eyes, Xu Qingci and Gu Xiaozhou were no different from each other.

“What do you mean? Aren’t you coming back with me?”

Xu Qingci had expected Xu Bingqi to cry, to beg, or to quietly follow her back out of a sense of guilt. She hadn’t anticipated that Xu Bingqi would simply sit there quietly, her expression so composed it seemed as though she were dismissing an insignificant guest.

This couldn’t be real. Xu Bingqi must be putting on a facade of restraint.

“Yes, I’m never going back.”

Xu Bingqi lifted her head and looked earnestly at Xu Qingci, who had already risen to her feet. “And I hope you won’t disturb me again in the future.”

Xu Qingci, who had only pretended to leave, certain that her daughter would follow, froze in place.

Her eldest daughter weren’t those words just spoken out of resentment?

She slowly lowered her gaze to her long-unseen daughter, and in that instant, a strange sense of unfamiliarity surged within her. The memory of that incompetent, timid daughter from the past seemed to belong to a different world altogether, impossible to reconcile with the composed young woman before her.

What had happened during this time that made her daughter prefer staying in such a shabby room over returning with her?

“So you’d rather live in this wretched, pitiful room?”

Xu Bingqi had been raised in luxury and comfort. Xu Qingci couldn’t believe that her pampered daughter could adapt to such a crude and cramped living environment.

“Wretched? I don’t think so.”

Xu Bingqi offered the first smile Xu Qingci had seen from her that day, though it was filled with irony.

In her previous life, right up until the very end, she had lived in the most squalid of rented rooms, a space filled with the smell of dampness and mold, where large patches of peeling wall revealed yellowed concrete beneath, and water stains crawled like grotesque monsters. The floor was uneven, with several tiles missing, exposing grime and dust-covered ground.

Why hadn’t Xu Qingci asked back then where she lived? Whether her room was wretched?

Why hadn’t Xu Qingci taken her back to the luxurious Xu family mansion to recuperate properly?

Why had Xu Qingci remained indifferent to her until the moment she died?

Xu Qingci’s visit now was either too early or too late.

The longing she once had had long been worn away by the passage of time, and everything that came belatedly felt out of place.

Xu Qingci had been confident of her success until she saw the mocking smile on Xu Bingqi’s face, which made her heart tighten abruptly.

She had been treating her eldest daughter well enough, so why was her daughter so cold and distant?

Watching Xu Bingqi remain unmoved, Xu Qingci’s forced patience was like the fine sand in an hourglass, gradually draining away.

“Do as you please. Just don’t come crying to me later.”

Xu Qingci thought that even if Xu Bingqi seemed resolute now, she had no stable source of income. Once her funds ran out and she could no longer bear the pressure of living alone, she would inevitably have to return to the Xu family as her safe harbor.

There was no need to rush; she could simply wait patiently for the day Xu Bingqi would lower her head.

Xu Qingci walked briskly to the door, intending to let Xu Bingqi reflect on her struggles over the long, arduous days ahead.

But when she reached the door, she hesitated.

Xu Bingqi looked puzzled at Xu Qingci, who was lingering by the door, and after a long while, she heard the other’s slightly impatient voice.

“Open the door for me.”

Xu Bingqi sighed softly, her slender fingers turning the old, mottled doorknob halfway to open the door for Xu Qingci.

After Xu Qingci left, Xu Bingqi checked the living room again to make sure nothing had been left behind before closing the door.

With this visit over, Xu Qingci probably wouldn’t bother her again for a long time.

Xu Bingqi reopened her phone to check if Song Guanjin had replied to her message.

When she left Song Guanjin’s home, Pomegranate was still curled up asleep in the cat bed. She wondered if the cat had woken up by now.

Song Guanjin’s fingers unconsciously brushed lightly over her phone screen as she wrestled with whether to block Xu Bingqi.

Despite the day’s torment, Xu Bingqi had spent an entire day caring for her friend’s kitten and even brought so many cat supplies. Didn’t that prove Xu Bingqi was a responsible and earnest person?

No, it wasn’t just responsibility, it also showed how much she valued their friendship.

Why had Xu Bingqi spent the whole day taking her, in cat form, for a check-up? It was because she cared about her, truly regarded her as a friend, and was willing to go out of her way for her friend’s pet.

If she hadn’t lied about “owning” herself, would Xu Bingqi have paid so much attention to a stray cat commonly seen on the streets?

Ultimately, it all boiled down to Xu Bingqi caring too much about her, which led to good intentions causing trouble something that could be understood and forgiven.

She was a magnanimous and tolerant cat and wouldn’t hold a grudge against a foolish human.

Besides, Xu Bingqi’s embrace was warm, like a soft, freshly baked pastry. She had to admit that, as a cat, she was quite attached to Xu Bingqi’s embrace, which felt like the gentle warmth of a spring sun.

The experience had passed in the blink of an eye, and she even found herself looking forward to the next time she could leap into her sister’s warm embrace.

Provided she didn’t have to go to that strange pet hospital for shots.

[Is Pomegranate awake?]

Song Guanjin saw the message Xu Bingqi had sent again.

[She’s awake.]

Ah, who could blame her? She was just a cat who softened too easily toward humans.

[Can I see her?]

Xu Bingqi really did care about her a lot just a few days without seeing her, and she already wanted to look at her selfies.

Song Guanjin took photos using the angles her manager had taught her to highlight her charm. After confirming her beauty wasn’t obscured, she eagerly sent them to Xu Bingqi.

【Very pretty.】

Xu Bingqi realized Song Guanjin seemed to have misunderstood her intention, so she tactfully added: 【Could you also show me Pomegranate?】

Song Guanjin smiled with satisfaction. She knew Xu Bingqi cared about her, so naturally, she would also care about the “pet” she was raising.

Song Guanjin placed her phone on a stand, adjusted the timer, transformed back into a cat, and sent the timed photo to Xu Bingqi.

Xu Bingqi opened the picture of Pomegranate. The kitten’s eyes were like two emerald gems, its pink nose twitching slightly, its fur smooth and glossy, shimmering like brocade under the light.

But having just seen Song Guanjin’s selfie, the sudden switch to the cat’s photo gave her an inexplicable sense of familiarity as if there was some hidden connection between the two.

Instinctively, Xu Bingqi flipped back to Song Guanjin’s selfie and stared blankly for a moment.

Song Guanjin’s eye color was identical to Pomegranate’s like two precious gems of the same hue.

【Guanjin, you and Pomegranate really share a special bond. Even your eye colors are exactly the same.】

Xu Bingqi didn’t think too much of it; she simply felt it was fortunate that Song Guanjin had found a cat with the same eye color as hers.

【Guanjin, are you busy these days?】

Xu Bingqi quickly steered the conversation toward a topic she was more interested in. If Song Guanjin was busy lately, she could openly offer to take care of her cat.

【Very busy. I’m about to start filming soon.】

After a moment’s thought, Song Guanjin added: 【But if you want to meet up before I start, I have time.】

【I see. Can I come over to see Pomegranate?】

【After you start filming, I can also help take care of Pomegranate.】

The conversation seemed to have taken a wrong turn.

Song Guanjin tilted her head in confusion, not understanding why Xu Bingqi seemed more interested in the cat.

If that were the case, wouldn’t she only be able to appear as a cat in front of Xu Bingqi?

And her human form and cat form couldn’t appear at the same time.

But she preferred to appear in human form in front of Xu Bingqi to chat with her, hold her hand, and if possible, even interlace their fingers.

She had browsed human forums and knew that many humans walked hand in hand with their closest friends, fingers intertwined.

These were things she couldn’t do when she was just a cat.

【I’ve already booked a pet sitter in advance and paid the deposit.】

Song Guanjin’s clever mind quickly came up with a perfect excuse.

【Oh, I see.】

Xu Bingqi felt a slight disappointment. This meant it would be difficult for her to pet Pomegranate once Song Guanjin started filming.

Still, she understood Song Guanjin’s perspective, she probably didn’t want to trouble her friend too often with cat-sitting.

【Alright then, good luck with filming! I’m looking forward to the day you become a huge star!】

Song Guanjin stared at her phone for a long time.

Was that the end of the conversation? What about after the encouragement?

Why didn’t she mention when they could meet before filming started?

When would she get to see Bingqi again?

Xu Qingci, who had just returned, rubbed her temples.

There were less than ten days left until New Year’s Eve. Ruoruo was spending it on set, and Xu Bingqi had also left the Xu family.

She suddenly felt the mansion was eerily empty.

Xu Qingci sighed and asked the butler beside her, “Haven’t I been good enough to Bingqi?”

The butler’s lips curved into a faint, almost imperceptible smile, seizing the opportunity with sharp awareness.

“You’ve done more than enough for the young lady,” the butler replied with apparent sympathy. “It’s just that she fails to appreciate your sincere intentions.”

Unaware of the subtle shift in Xu Qingci’s expression, the butler continued, “In my opinion, it would be best to keep the young lady away for good, so she doesn’t develop any inappropriate ideas about your estate.”

Xu Qingci sighed softly. Even the butler, who had served the Xu family for over a decade, believed Xu Bingqi was unworthy of inheriting her wealth.

Perhaps she truly hadn’t been good enough to her eldest daughter.

Support