After Her Death, They Begged for Forgiveness - Chapter 36

An hour later, Xu Bingqi fell into deep contemplation.

The glass bottle that had once held mulberry wine was now empty, with only a few residual drops clinging to its surface like crimson teardrops. Through the bottle, the flickering light on the other side of the glass swayed gently.

Xu Bingqi’s mind was perfectly clear, devoid of the soft, hazy sensation that usually accompanied mild intoxication.

Out of caution, she consulted various sources on the symptoms of drunkenness and confirmed that her current state was far from even being tipsy.

So how had she mistaken Song Guanjin for a cat earlier?

Moreover, she vividly recalled that after her first bout of drunkenness, she had seen cat ears on Song Guanjin’s head, the delicate fur at the tips distinct and shimmering under the light, as if brushed with a thin layer of gold.

Someone truly drunk wouldn’t have observed such details so clearly, nor would they have remembered them so vividly afterward.

If she had been sober at the time, then…

Crash!

A sharp sound shattered the silence.

The precarious glass wobbled a few times before slipping free from her fingertips, tracing a short arc through the air before smashing onto the floor, emitting a crisp, ringing noise.

Yet the owner of the glass paid it no mind.

Xu Bingqi couldn’t believe the absurd hypothesis that had just surfaced in her mind.

But as far-fetched as it seemed, it was the only plausible explanation.

She recalled that when they first met, Song Guanjin had worn a pair of cat ear accessories in her hair, identical to the cat ears she had seen during her two drunken episodes.

The tangled threads of her thoughts slowly straightened into a clear line, and Xu Bingqi began searching for more details to support this seemingly outrageous conjecture.

Yet the image of those delicate, triangular cat ears lingered persistently in her mind.

During their previous meal together, she had almost reached out to touch them.

Those ears must feel incredibly soft, her fingertips sinking into them as if into a fluffy cloud. When gently squeezed, they would likely spring back slightly.

Xu Bingqi forcibly halted such untimely fantasies, attributing them to withdrawal symptoms from not having petted Shiliu for a while.

After all, Shiliu’s ears were the most satisfying cat ears she had ever touched.

At this recollection, Xu Bingqi’s thoughts stalled once more.

Shiliu’s ears they seemed remarkably similar to the cat ears she had seen on Song Guanjin during her drunken state.

Moreover, she had never seen Shiliu and Song Guanjin appear together not even a single photo of them in the same frame.

She remembered once asking why the angles in Shiliu’s photos were so fixed and why Song Guanjin never appeared in any of them.

At the time, Song Guanjin had paused briefly before smiling, linking arms with her and raising her phone: “Why take photos with a cat? I only like taking pictures with you, sis.”

Xu Bingqi wearily massaged her temples, as if trying to suppress the chaotic thoughts swirling inside.

She was far too exhausted today. Everything would have to wait until she had rested and could think more clearly.

Besides, she was meeting Song Guanjin for lunch tomorrow. If Song Guanjin really was a cat, observing her closely would surely reveal some telltale signs.

Xu Bingqi let out a helpless sigh, her gaze falling on the scattered shards of the broken glass on the floor. The sharp fragments seemed to embody her chaotic state of mind.

The idea that Song Guanjin might be a cat was still too absurd for her to accept.

She sighed silently again, then carefully swept up the broken glass she had accidentally dropped. After finishing her nightly routine, she collapsed weakly onto the bed.

The moment she closed her eyes, Xu Bingqi fell into a deep sleep.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself sitting across from Song Guanjin.

The table was laden with various bottles of alcohol and glasses, and the faint aroma of wine lingered in the air.

Song Guanjin’s demeanor was completely different from usual. She tilted her body slightly, picked up a glass with an alluring grace, and swayed over to Xu Bingqi’s side. Her smile was captivating, as if it could steal one’s soul. “Sister, why aren’t you drinking? Do you want me to feed you?”

Before Xu Bingqi could refuse, the glass was already pressed to her lips. The deep red wine swayed gently inside, shimmering with a mesmerizing glow.

“I see, sister wants me to feed you personally.”

Song Guanjin’s crimson lips, stained with wine, slowly drew closer. The rich scent of alcohol mingled with the warm, sweet fragrance of the woman.

Xu Bingqi froze, watching as those crimson lips inched closer and closer. Out of the corner of her eye, she could still see Song Guanjin’s seductive, hazy gaze.

She remembered the kiss in the car earlier, when Song Guanjin’s lips had brushed against her fingertips.

It had felt both fiery and tender.

In that brief moment of distraction, the enchanting woman beside her vanished.

The sweet, intoxicating fragrance still lingered around her. Puzzled, Xu Bingqi looked at the spot where the woman had been.

In her place was a cat, crouching obediently beside her. Its emerald-green eyes shimmered like gemstones in the dim light, and its fluffy body rose and fell gently with each breath.

Xu Bingqi abruptly averted her gaze, realizing she was in a dream of her own making.

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes again.

She was still in her hotel bed. Glancing down, she could see the empty bottles from the night before still scattered across the floor.

Xu Bingqi sat up, a determined glint flashing in her eyes. She resolved to uncover the truth today.

Surely, something as bizarre as a cat transforming into a human couldn’t possibly exist in this world?

The aloof composer, driven solely by her obsession to uncover the truth, gave no thought to how she would interact with Song Guanjin if she really were a cat.

[Sorry, would it be alright if we meet at your place at noon? I have to deal with an invitation for a music variety show in the afternoon.]

[Of course!]

Song Guanjin replied to Xu Bingqi’s message almost instantly, then set down the script she had been rehearsing from.

[Alright, I’ll bring some ingredients with me.]

After hesitating for a moment, Xu Bingqi sent the edited message, feeling as though she was exploiting Song Guanjin’s trust for something underhanded.

But if she didn’t bring alcohol to their meeting, she wouldn’t be able to confirm her suspicions, and they would continue to prick at her heart like a thorn.

She decided to bring a bottle of low-alcohol mulberry wine. That way, Song Guanjin wouldn’t get too drunk, and she could still test her theory.

After buying ingredients for hotpot and barbecue for lunch, Xu Bingqi also picked up the salmon and Arctic surf clams that Song Guanjin loved. She stood hesitantly in front of the wine cabinet displaying bottles of mulberry wine for a long time but ultimately decided to take one.

She was still curious about Song Guanjin’s identity.

During their first encounter at the hospital, Song Guanjin had mentioned that her agent suspected she had intellectual issues because, at the time, she couldn’t even write or perform slightly complex mathematical calculations.

Yet, in less than two months, Song Guanjin had made rapid progress. Xu Bingqi had once seen the script Song Guanjin was working on, next to the lines were extensive notes analyzing the character’s personality and psychology.

If Song Guanjin were a normal person, how could she have spent the first twenty years of her life completely ignorant of basic common knowledge, to the point of being suspected of having intellectual issues, only to become indistinguishable from an ordinary person in just over a month?

Even after parking the car, Xu Bingqi was still recalling the details of her interactions with Song Guanjin.

But she truly didn’t want to uncover the truth through deception without Song Guanjin’s knowledge.

Xu Bingqi sighed, carrying the lunch ingredients as she got out of the car and soon arrived at Song Guanjin’s home.

“Sister, you bought so much food!”

Xu Bingqi subtly avoided Song Guanjin’s gaze.

“But it seems like you didn’t bring anything to drink?” Song Guanjin’s attention was entirely focused on the shopping bag Xu Bingqi was carrying. “But it’s fine, we still have plenty of drinks at home.”

Xu Bingqi smiled with a hint of relief. “Okay.”

After much internal conflict, she had ultimately decided not to bring the mulberry wine with her.

In truth, whether Song Guanjin was human or the “cat demon” from her wild speculation, Xu Bingqi would always regard her as her closest friend. Their relationship wouldn’t change because of Song Guanjin’s identity.

Xu Bingqi didn’t want to compromise her principles for the sake of speculation, nor did she want to taint her relationship with Song Guanjin with distrust.

Perhaps when the time was right, Song Guanjin would confide in her voluntarily.

Oblivious to Xu Bingqi’s emotional turmoil, Song Guanjin was fully focused on enjoying her meal. To her, hotpot paired with barbecue was the most perfect combination in the world!

The hotpot was spicy and aromatic, its crimson broth bubbling vigorously, the rich scent of spices wafting straight into her nostrils. The freshly baked grilled fish sizzled with oil, its savory aroma mingling with the fragrance of cumin, creating a feast that any cat would find utterly satisfying.

After the meal, the contented cat seemed to remember something. She took a few exquisitely wrapped chocolates from the snack tray and, under Xu Bingqi’s puzzled gaze, placed them in her palm.

“They’re supposed to be delicious.”

The cat picked up another chocolate from the snack tray, carefully unwrapped it, and was about to take a bite to taste it when her eyes fell upon a section of pale wrist exposed by Xu Bingqi’s thin sweater.

“Are you sure you want to eat chocolate?”

Song Guanjin forced her gaze away from the wrist and asked in confusion, “Why not?”

Xu Bingqi’s tone sounded as if she were asking, “Are you sure you want to eat poison?”

Xu Bingqi didn’t withdraw her hand, which was still blocking Song Guanjin’s wrist, as if she were struggling with her thoughts.

She couldn’t simply pull up an educational post to explain to Song Guanjin that cats shouldn’t eat chocolate, because she couldn’t be entirely sure that the person sitting beside her was, in fact, a cat.

“Chocolate isn’t very good for your teeth. Maybe it’s better not to eat it for now?”

This reason wasn’t enough to dampen Song Guanjin’s enthusiasm for eating chocolate.

“It’s fine. Once we start filming, I won’t be able to eat it anyway. Don’t worry, I’ve eaten chocolate many times, and my teeth are perfectly fine.”

The wrist blocking her way withdrew. The cat meticulously peeled off the last layer of the chocolate wrapper and contentedly placed the chocolate into her mouth.

Perhaps because Song Guanjin wasn’t in her cat form at the moment, it was okay for her to eat it. Xu Bingqi was trying hard to convince herself of this, until a sudden warmth brushed against her lips, like the gentle sweep of a feather.

“Big sister, I’ve unwrapped another one. Open your mouth, ah!”

Xu Bingqi had never experienced anything close to being “fed” like this before. Such scenes were only fitting for Xu Qingci and Jiang Ruo, or Gu Xiaozhou and Jiang Ruo never something that would involve her.

After a few seconds of hesitation, she slightly parted her lips.

The smooth, rich texture of the chocolate gradually spread, and along with it came another familiar, mellow flavor.

It was a liquor-filled chocolate.

The cat, already on her second piece of chocolate, was gradually becoming addicted. She proceeded to unwrap the third, then the fourth.

A familiar, light-headed sensation washed over her again, but Song Guanjin was certain her sister would think she was the one getting drunk, so she paid it no mind.

There was no way anyone could discover her identity as a cat!

Xu Bingqi noticed the familiar ears emerging once again from the sides of Song Guanjin’s hair and stopped her from eating more chocolate. “Don’t eat too much.”

In her slightly tipsy state, Song Guanjin probably didn’t remember that filming officially started the day after tomorrow. It would be best to remind her.

“Just one more piece.”

Lost in the pleasant haze brought on by the alcohol, Song Guanjin belatedly realized that her fingers peeling the chocolate wrapper had gradually transformed into a cat’s paw pads.

With the last shred of sober consciousness, she earnestly said to her sister, “Big sister, you’re drunk.”

Only then did she peacefully close her eyes.

After reciting lines all morning and enjoying a delicious hotpot and barbecue meal, the cat, tired and satisfied, fell asleep.

Xu Bingqi gazed intently at the softly snoring cat, carefully comparing it to the photos of Pomegranate she had saved on her phone. Finally, she accepted the fact that Song Guanjin was indeed Pomegranate.

Song Guanjin’s strong opposition to Pomegranate getting a check-up and being spayed now made sense.

Xu Bingqi sighed silently. The lingering, dreamy memories from the previous night instantly shattered and vanished completely from her mind.

Helplessly, she picked up the sleeping cat from the pile of scattered clothes, carried her to the bedroom, laid her on the bed, and closed the door.

Past experiences had taught her that the cat would surely revert to human form upon waking.

However, she definitely wouldn’t bring up the idea of petting Pomegranate to Song Guanjin again.

The thought that the cat she had been petting all along was actually her good friend left Xu Bingqi with an indescribable, lingering sense of strangeness.

Xu Bingqi couldn’t decide which was more shocking: the realization that she had been petting her friend, or the belated discovery that the one who had kissed her fingertip in the car yesterday was a cat.

She could only explain the latter as the sleeping cat unconsciously licking her fingertip, which eased the shock somewhat.

Then, Xu Bingqi let out another sigh, tinged with a hint of pity.

As a cat, Song Guanjin had been working hard to integrate into human society, even memorizing lines and diligently filming as an actor, truly no easy feat.

I wonder if Song Guanjin has any friends or family who have also integrated into human society?

Otherwise, it would be too lonely.

The soft-hearted composer decided to keep Song Guanjin’s secret for now.

At the very least, she would wait until Song Guanjin woke up and remind them never to drink alcohol in public.

Xu Bingqi could guess that the entertainment industry likely involved many social engagements, and she wanted to prevent Song Guanjin from unconsciously drinking at the production kick-off banquet.

Sitting on the sofa, Xu Bingqi straightened up and picked up her phone. While waiting for the cat to wake up, she planned to think over whether to accept the invitation to this music variety show.

Titled The Best Song, the show was set to invite three types of participants: singers, composers, and lyricists. These participants would form teams to collaboratively create a song, which would ultimately be performed by the singer. Before team formation, singers, composers, and lyricists would compete separately, with some eliminated based on their professional skills.

Xu Bingqi was very interested in The Best Song. In her previous life, after carefully studying the show’s details and production team, she had believed it was a perfect fit for her.

Although everyone around her had been mocking her, she had still actively responded to the invitation.

Unfortunately, just as the final decisions were being made, her already mixed online reputation took a sharp downturn, and she faced widespread backlash within just a few days.

At that time, pressured by public opinion, Xu Bingqi had voluntarily informed the production team that she would withdraw from the show.

She didn’t want to cause trouble for the entire crew, and she was already accustomed to sacrificing her own interests so, as usual, she sacrificed herself once again.

In the plot of The Group’s Darling, it was depicted as justice triumphing over evil: the universally disliked, delusional dreamer ultimately failed, while The Best Song aired smoothly and became the most popular music variety show of its time.

Pulling herself out of her memories from her past life, Xu Bingqi lifted her gaze, her expression calm and her eyes unruffled. A moment later, her slender fingers moved lightly as she began typing a reply to the email on her phone screen.

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