After Her Death, They Begged for Forgiveness - Chapter 26

Seeing Xu Qingci’s hesitant expression, the housekeeper grew anxious and said, “Madam Xu, surely you’re not softening toward her? It’s only been a little over a month since she left, and the household has just settled down.”

Yet in just a moment, the hesitation on Xu Qingci’s face completely vanished.

“You seem to have quite the opinion of Bingqi.”

A wave of resistance rose in Xu Qingci’s heart. She didn’t want to hear anyone speak ill of Xu Bingqi at least not now.

“It’s just that the young mistress is too unreliable, and her character is questionable. I’m worried she’ll upset you again if she returns.”

Though the housekeeper knew Xu Qingci might not want to hear criticism of Xu Bingqi at this moment, she was even more afraid of Xu Bingqi’s potential return. Xu Bingqi had already discovered the remote monitoring of her computer and might suspect her involvement.

If Xu Qingci allowed Xu Bingqi to come back, the vindictive young woman would surely target her. In that case, she could very well lose this well-paying job, an outcome she absolutely could not afford.

No matter what, she had to dissuade Xu Qingci now.

“How many years have you worked for the Xu family?”

Xu Qingci listened calmly to the housekeeper’s assessment of Xu Bingqi before asking this question.

“Almost nineteen years.”

The housekeeper didn’t understand why Xu Qingci suddenly asked this. Suspicion swirled in her mind, and she hesitated before answering cautiously.

“After all these years in the Xu household, it seems you’ve forgotten your place.” Xu Qingci’s gaze was sharp as a blade, her voice icy. “Bingqi is my daughter.”

The housekeeper hadn’t expected Xu Qingci’s reaction to be so intense. Caught off guard, she stood frozen, unsure how to respond.

In the past, Xu Qingci had always tolerated her criticisms of Xu Bingqi, letting them slide without comment. But recently, why had Xu Qingci’s attitude toward Xu Bingqi begun to shift?

While the housekeeper hesitated, Xu Qingci had already lost patience.

“Take a few days off,” Xu Qingci said coldly, leaning back. “Make sure to hand over your duties properly before you go.”

The housekeeper understood this was a measured reprimand, a precise warning.

If she ever spoke so freely about Xu Bingqi again, Xu Qingci would likely fire her.

But if Xu Bingqi returned to the Xu household, her job would still be in jeopardy.

Gu Xiaozhou hadn’t contacted her for a long time either, and she hadn’t received any payments from that side in ages.

The housekeeper secretly regretted her recent recklessness at the gambling tables, sinking once more into the quagmire of debt. The money now hung over her head like the Sword of Damocles, its cold gleam piercing her nerves every second, filling her with anxiety.

If only she could come into some unexpected wealth soon.

As the housekeeper was about to leave, Xu Qingci called her back.

“When you first applied for the job, I wasn’t in any hurry to hire a new housekeeper,” Xu Qingci sighed. “But you said it was hard for you to make your way in the city, and Bingqi took pity on you, she asked me to keep you.”

“Think carefully about that when you go back.”

The housekeeper nodded respectfully, but inwardly, she dismissed the idea. She had gotten the job because of her own outstanding skills and good fortune, what did that weak and incompetent Xu family young mistress have to do with it?

Right now, I still need to find a way to make money quickly. Maybe I should ask that young CEO Gu if he still needs my help with anything after I get back.

Gu Xiazhou frowned. The Xu family’s butler, whom she hadn’t been in contact with for a long time, had reached out to her again.

[CEO Gu, Madam Xu wants to bring Xu Bingqi back to the Xu family.]

In an instant, Gu Xiazhou’s heart raced violently, like an out-of-control drumbeat, urgent and powerful.

The Gu and Xu families had deep ties. If Xu Bingqi returned to the Xu family, they would inevitably run into each other on certain occasions, and Xu Bingqi would have no reason to accuse her of deliberately seeking her out.

Just the thought of seeing Xu Bingqi again made Gu Xiazhou’s lips curl into an unconscious smile.

This butler usually kept a low profile, but the information she brought was always of critical importance.

In high spirits, Miss Gu transferred 100,000 yuan to the butler from another account.

[Is there anything else you need me to do?]

Overjoyed by the transfer, the butler knew that Gu Xiazhou had always disliked Xu Bingqi and would surely try to obstruct this matter.

This way, she could both receive payment from Gu Xiazhou and continue working for the Xu family.

[Not for now.]

Gu Xiazhou’s mind was completely occupied by the thought of Xu Bingqi’s imminent return to the Xu family, leaving no room for anything else.

The butler felt a sudden chill, as if doused with cold water.

If Gu Xiazhou no longer needed her help, she would lose this source of income.

A mere 100,000 yuan was nothing but a drop in the bucket compared to her mountain of gambling debts, how could it possibly solve her urgent problems?

But she didn’t dare disturb the notoriously temperamental Miss Gu again.

She would have to find another way.

After replying to the butler, Gu Xiazhou immediately blocked and deleted her.

Someone who had lost their usefulness had no place in her contacts.

Then, Miss Gu opened the music platform app again to check if “Coffee is Inspiration,” the account she followed, had released any new tracks.

She had never been willing to spend time listening to Xu Bingqi’s music before, scoffing at it disdainfully. But ever since Xu Bingqi registered this new account, Gu Xiazhou could easily loop one song all morning, completely enveloped by the atmosphere the melody created, as if trapped in a dream she never wanted to wake from.

Most importantly, although Xu Bingqi didn’t want to see her in real life for now, online, she occasionally replied to fans’ comments. So, in her spare time, Miss Gu often left comments in the section, hoping to interact with Xu Bingqi.

To avoid being recognized by Xu Bingqi, she had even created a new account specifically for this purpose.

But lately, as Xu Bingqi released more songs and gained more followers, securing a spot in the top comments had become increasingly difficult.

Gu Xiazhou felt a twinge of envy toward that “vase.”

No matter what that “vase” commented, Xu Bingqi would patiently reply.

Once, in the early hours of the morning, the “vase” had even commented with just a single word: “Meow.” And Xu Bingqi had replied with a head-pat emoji.

Who did she think she was, acting all cute? A woman in her twenties pretending to be a kitten!

That day, Gu Xiazhou was so angry she turned off her phone before even finishing the song.

Even other fans joked that “Coffee is Inspiration” and “My IQ is Normal” must know each other in real life and were very close friends.

Gu Xiaozhou curled her lips disdainfully. Could knowing someone for just over a month really count as a close relationship? She and Xu Bingqi had known each other for over twenty years unlike that flashy vase, she wasn’t one to flaunt things.

What truly shattered Gu Xiaozhou’s heart, however, was that “Coffee Inspires” had recently posted about helping a friend take care of a cat. That silly cat had the same green eyes as that vase.

The moment Gu Xiaozhou saw the post, she felt certain that the friend Xu Bingqi mentioned had to be that detestable vase. Only such a useless vase would go to such lengths to capture Xu Bingqi’s attention.

Not content with competing for favor herself, she even dragged a cat into it such despicable tactics!

Even if Gu Xiaozhou was aware of these schemes and methods, she would absolutely never.

Adopt them.

Especially now, with Xu Bingqi likely to return to the Xu family soon. If she could raise a cat cuter, smarter, and more well-behaved than that vase’s feline, Xu Bingqi’s attention would undoubtedly be captured in no time.

By then, that vase named Song Guanjin would be cast aside by Xu Bingqi, along with her dopey cat.

Miss Gu’s eyes grew distant, and the corners of her lips unconsciously lifted as she sank deeply into the beautiful vision of being forgiven by Xu Bingqi and reconciling as if nothing had happened.

She decided to strike first.

In truth, compared to Aunt Xu and Ruoruo, she had already quietly gained a slight advantage.

After discovering Xu Bingqi’s new account through the comments of the person she despised the most, Miss Gu’s first instinct was to register a new account to follow Xu Bingqi. Not only did she not want Xu Bingqi to know she was following her, but more importantly, she wanted to prevent others from tracing Xu Bingqi’s new account through her.

Moreover, she had even lied to Jiang Ruo.

Gu Xiaozhou now believed her actions were justified. After all, Xu Qingci was Xu Bingqi’s biological mother, and Jiang Ruo was Xu Bingqi’s sister. Xu Bingqi might have left the Xu residence in a fit of anger, but once she cooled down, she would surely forgive them easily.

She couldn’t possibly hold a grudge against her own mother and sister forever, could she?

But Gu Xiaozhou was different. In terms of closeness, she knew she couldn’t compare to Xu Qingci and Jiang Ruo in Xu Bingqi’s heart, so she had to put in more effort.

The next day, as Gu Xiaozhou arrived in person at the city’s top cattery, these thoughts crossed her mind.

There, she unexpectedly ran into Xu Qingci, who was also attentively listening to the cattery staff’s introduction to the cats.

The moment their eyes met, polite yet slightly awkward smiles appeared on both their faces.

“What a coincidence, Xiaozhou. Since when have you been interested in cats?”

Xu Qingci was genuinely puzzled, curious about why Gu Xiaozhou had shown up at the cattery. In her memory, Gu Xiaozhou didn’t seem particularly fond of small animals.

“I’ve been under a lot of stress lately, and I thought keeping a cat for company might help.”

Xu Qingci nodded understandingly. “Young people should work hard, but it’s also important to balance work and rest. Keeping a cat to relieve stress is a great idea.”

She then added with a smile, “Lately, with Ruoruo and Bingqi not at home, I’ve been thinking of getting a cat to keep me company too.”

Gu Xiaozhou’s lips curved into a polite smile, though it didn’t reach her eyes, which held a trace of wariness.

Had Xu Qingci also discovered Xu Bingqi’s new account?

Otherwise, there was no explanation for why Xu Qingci had suddenly and abruptly decided to buy a cat. She refused to believe that Xu Qingci was the kind of lonely empty-nester in need of companionship.

Gu Xiaozhou frowned slightly. She needed to work even harder today, she would pick two, no, three cats.

Surely, one of them would grow into the kind of cat that would capture Xu Bingqi’s heart.

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