After Her Death, They Begged for Forgiveness - Chapter 37.1

After carefully reviewing the wording of her reply email, Xu Bingqi clicked “send” without hesitation.

This music variety show held significant weight in the plot of “The Group Favorite” novel, and she had already prepared herself for potential twists and setbacks along the way.

During her last unpleasant encounter with Jiang Ruo, Xu Bingqi had faintly detected clues from the other’s attitude.

Jiang Ruo was urgently pushing for her return to the Xu family.

This urgency differed from Xu Qingci’s sudden, belated “guilt.” It wasn’t driven by emotion but was filled with purpose.

Every word Jiang Ruo spoke seemed meticulously crafted, carrying a resolute determination to achieve her goal at any cost.

So the sister she had once believed to be the most innocent and kind-hearted in her past life had a hidden dark side.

The gentle and considerate image of Jiang Ruo from her memories instantly shattered like a bubble, replaced by that of an ambitious schemer lurking in the shadows, skilled in deception.

Xu Bingqi didn’t particularly dislike ambitious people as long as they pursued their dreams within their own lanes and didn’t plot against her.

The most likely reason Jiang Ruo was so eager to push her back to the Xu family was probably to correct the already disrupted plotline, right?

After all, as the female lead of the novel, Jiang Ruo also knew the storyline of “The Group Favorite” and most likely hoped to follow the original plot to achieve the happy ending for the male and female leads.

Her moving out of the Xu family contradicted the plot of “The Group Favorite,” where she was supposed to stay with the family all along, which was why Jiang Ruo was trying to force her return.

At this thought, Xu Bingqi frowned.

She had a premonition that Jiang Ruo would go to great lengths to prevent her from participating in “The Best Song” music variety show. Merely being cautious during this period wouldn’t be enough.

Xu Bingqi opened the mind map she had long committed to memory. On the second day after realizing she had been reborn, she had organized all the key plot points of the novel into a mind map for reference.

In this novel, “The Group Favorite,” only the outcomes of events and their timelines aligned with her past life experiences. The development of events and the personalities of the characters held little reference value.

According to the timeline, Jiang Ruo’s drama “On the Sea” still had two months left before wrapping up. Before that, she would be fully occupied as the female lead filming on set, so logically, she wouldn’t have time to interfere with Xu Bingqi’s plans.

However, after experiencing Gu Xiaozhou’s framing, Xu Bingqi clearly realized that this world had a bizarre correction mechanism. Sometimes, certain things didn’t require the protagonist to take action personally, other members of the protagonist’s circle could serve as Jiang Ruo’s pawns.

So, was Jiang Ruo’s personal visit yesterday due to a shortage of usable pawns?

Or was it because, with the plot disrupted, the pawns were beginning to slip out of her control?

After all, whether in her past life or in the plot of “The Group Favorite,” Xu Qingci and Gu Xiaozhou’s attitudes toward her had grown increasingly hostile, with no signs of improvement.

Although Xu Bingqi wasn’t sure what had caused their sudden change in attitude toward her, she truly had no interest in understanding their thought processes. After ruling them out, she narrowed down the possibilities further.

Finally, Xu Bingqi specifically marked Jiang Ruo’s future boyfriend, Xiao Hua.

This is currently the most likely suspect. Unlike Xu Qingci or Gu Xiaozhou, this person doesn’t act based on personal preferences every action is driven by self-interest.

In her past life, she had vehemently opposed Jiang Ruo’s relationship with this morally questionable man, repeatedly urging Jiang Ruo to reconsider. Though this was portrayed in the novel as “the universally disliked Xu Bingqi envying Jiang Ruo for finding her destined love,” the outcome was that she earned even more of Xu Qingci’s disdain and came into direct conflict with Xiao Hua.

In that previous life, Xu Bingqi had eventually uncovered tax evasion issues in Xiao Hua’s company, but before she could gather the evidence to report him, she was already ruined.

This act was described in the novel as “Xu Bingqi’s scheme to frame the male lead backfired, and she ultimately reaped what she sowed.”

Thinking about this utterly absurd novel, Xu Bingqi let out a self-mocking laugh.

Now, aside from showcasing her talent in a music variety show to clear up the misunderstanding that she’s a “good-for-nothing,” she also needs to gather evidence as quickly as possible to send Xiao Hua to prison.

After completely dismantling the ridiculous ending of this novel, perhaps the world would finally return to its proper course.

“Sister.”

Song Guanjin’s groggy voice drifted from the direction of the bedroom, like a sweet summer evening breeze tinged with confusion and haze.

Xu Bingqi set down her phone and tablet, stood up, and poured a glass of warm water for Song Guanjin.

Crash!

Another sharp shatter echoed through the room.

In less than twenty hours, Xu Bingqi had once again dropped and broken a glass and this time, it was Song Guanjin’s.

Xu Bingqi’s eyelids slowly lowered, her thick lashes casting a small shadow on her cheeks. Then, she slowly turned, leaving Song Guanjin with a bewildered back.

The flustered cat demon glanced at her own hands, confirmed they were human fingers, mustered her courage, carefully avoided the shards of glass on the floor, and ran over barefoot to grab her sister’s hand.

“Sister, what’s wrong?”

Song Guanjin pressed herself against Xu Bingqi from behind. Xu Bingqi felt the warmth from her back, as if an electric current was rapidly spreading through her spine.

A faint blush crept onto Xu Bingqi’s cheeks, spreading from her ears down to her neck. Her mind went blank, leaving only confusion and helplessness.

When Song Guanjin received no response, she nuzzled Xu Bingqi’s neck. “Why aren’t you talking to me?”

“Put some clothes on first.”

Xu Bingqi’s voice, usually as cool and clear as a mountain spring, now carried a hint of hoarseness, like a zither string dampened by night dew.

She regretted having simply hung the clothes that had fallen on the floor earlier. If she had known it would come to this, she should have draped them over the cat right away.

The intoxicated cat, her mind still foggy, had only managed to remember to transform into her human form to appear before her sister but forgot that humans needed to cover themselves with clothes beyond their “fur.”

A single oversight in a hundred precautions.

With Xu Bingqi’s back turned, Song Guanjin couldn’t see her expression, only the skin behind her ears, which had flushed a deep red as if brushed by the fiery hues of the sunset.

“It’s too hot at home. I accidentally forgot.”

Knowing she was in the wrong, the cat quickly released her hold on Xu Bingqi and slowly stepped back, intending to make a swift exit from the scene.

Feeling the warmth behind her gradually fade, Xu Bingqi let out a soft sigh. “Be careful of the glass shards on the floor.”

In her shock at that moment, the glass in her hand slipped and shattered on the floor. She worried that the flustered Song Guanjin might accidentally step on the shards.

However, Xu Bingqi had underestimated Song Guanjin’s mental fortitude. The cat was merely regretting having forgotten the human habit of wearing clothes, without experiencing any complex emotions like shyness.

Would a cat feel ashamed in front of other cats for being unclothed?

Of course not.

The nimble feline deftly avoided all the broken glass on the floor and hurried back to the bedroom to put on clothes not out of embarrassment, but out of fear that Xu Bingqi might slip away unnoticed in the meantime.

“Sister, I’m dressed now.”

After getting dressed, Song Guanjin rushed back to the living room and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Xu Bingqi still standing there with her back turned.

Xu Bingqi cautiously turned around, catching a glimpse of Song Guanjin’s sleeve out of the corner of her eye before fully facing her.

“You must always put on clothes before seeing anyone in the future.”

Her thoughts had completely stalled at the sight of Song Guanjin’s body, pale as the morning frost in winter. Instinctively, she turned away without a second glance, but not everyone possessed her sense of morality and boundaries.

The cat replied nonchalantly, “But you’re not just anyone, Sister.”

“You must wear clothes when meeting anyone other than me. Do you understand now?”

Song Guanjin had never heard Xu Bingqi speak to her in such a tone before.

Though Xu Bingqi’s voice was usually cool and detached, no matter how strange Song Guanjin’s actions were, she would only sound resigned or even slightly indulgent. She had never been this stern before.

In other words, the cat had never encountered such a harsh tone from Xu Bingqi.

Song Guanjin slowly lowered her head, a little frightened by her sister’s severity.

Seeing Song Guanjin with her head bowed, Xu Bingqi was reminded of the cat she had held just hours earlier.

The one standing before her was merely a cat who had only recently integrated into human society. Perhaps she shouldn’t have been so harsh with a feline.

“I’m sorry, my tone was too sharp just now. But you must remember to wear clothes from now on.”

Xu Bingqi softened her voice, patiently reasoning with the silent, downcast cat.

Only then did Song Guanjin lift her head, looking aggrieved. “I understand, Sister. You sounded so stern just now.”

Yet she didn’t resent Xu Bingqi’s tone; instead, she felt a sense of satisfaction at being cared for.

Xu Bingqi was the first person who genuinely cared about her.

Her agent and assistant only saw her as a potential cash cow, but Xu Bingqi truly cared for her as a person.

Song Guanjin took her sister’s reminder to heart and decided to post anonymously online later to ask netizens how serious it was to forget to wear clothes in front of someone you loved.

“Also, don’t drink anymore from now on, and no more alcohol-filled chocolates either.”

Song Guanjin, still basking in the sweetness of being cared for, abruptly looked up.

Why was her sister forbidding her from drinking? Had she discovered something this time?

Xu Bingqi’s expression remained calm, the earlier blush on her ears having long faded, as if nothing had ever happened.

If her sister knew she was a cat demon, she surely wouldn’t be this composed, right?

So, perhaps the reason for forbidding her to drink was simply to prevent her from waking up drunk and forgetting to wear clothes again?

Song Guanjin quickly convinced herself that her identity hadn’t been discovered. Adopting an attitude of tolerating humans and avoiding trouble, she continued responding, “Okay, understood.”

Drinking alcohol in front of humans was indeed dangerous, the slightest carelessness could expose her true identity.

Xu Bingqi looked at Song Guanjin, who was gazing obediently back at her, and sighed silently.

Her goals had now shifted to: showcasing her musical talent, sending the male lead of the novel to prison, and taking care of a certain cat struggling to make her way in human society.

“And don’t trust others so easily.”

Xu Bingqi felt that, after learning Song Guanjin was a cat spirit, she had become less like a friend and more like a teacher guiding her on how to blend into human society.

“Sister isn’t considered ‘others,’ right?”

Support