After Her Death, They Begged for Forgiveness - Chapter 38.2

Xu Bingqi followed Song Guanjin’s train of thought completely, forgetting that Song Guanjin was a cat spirit and cats were naturally good at keeping their balance.

“Alright then.”

Xu Bingqi kept reassuring herself that entering the bathroom wasn’t really awkward. Besides, she was human, and Song Guanjin was a spirit, two different paths. Song Guanjin ought to understand that better than she did.

Having mentally prepared herself, Xu Bingqi slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door.

Amid the swirling steam, Xu Bingqi kept her head lowered as she stepped forward, her gaze falling upon a pair of slender, pale ankles.

Song Guanjin’s ankles were elegantly curved, her skin so fair it seemed almost translucent, faintly reflecting the light through the hazy mist.

As Xu Bingqi drew closer, even with her head down, she could see the graceful lines extending upward from the ankles to the calves, the skin as smooth and soft as milk.

Xu Bingqi stopped in her tracks and stretched out her arm, holding the towel.

“Guanjin, can you take it now?”

Through the lingering steam, Song Guanjin saw Xu Bingqi’s face flushed from the heat. Unfortunately, though, Xu Bingqi’s eyes remained calm and clear, like a still, undisturbed deep pond not a single ripple of desire to be seen.

Song Guanjin felt a twinge of disappointment, but then she reconsidered: the path to success was bound to be strewn with thorns. This minor setback meant nothing she needed to be adaptable.

If the mountain won’t come to me, then I must go to the mountain.

If her sister wouldn’t come to her, couldn’t she go to her sister instead?

With light, confident steps, Song Guanjin took a stride forward and noticed Xu Bingqi’s hair falling loose as she bowed her head even lower.

Xu Bingqi lifted the towel and tossed it toward Song Guanjin before slowly stepping back.

But when she realized Song Guanjin was still following her, step by step, Xu Bingqi finally couldn’t hold back any longer: “Song Guanjin, are you going to use the towel or not?”

Song Guanjin stood disappointingly just a step away from the door, shaking her head regretfully as droplets of water from her hair nearly dripped onto the wooden floor outside.

Did her sister call her by her full name because she was a little angry?

Xu Bingqi couldn’t be bothered to ponder the psychological motives behind the cat’s strange behavior. She took a step back, turned around, and silently walked back to the living room, sitting on the sofa to wait for this boundary-lacking cat to finish drying off and put on clothes.

But as she sat down, she could hear the frantic beating of her own heart.

Xu Bingqi picked up her cup from the coffee table, poured some water, and prepared to take a small sip to calm her tense, fluttering nerves.

Then she heard footsteps growing steadily closer.

Xu Bingqi looked up and saw Song Guanjin, wrapped in a towel, walking into the living room.

This time, the glass didn’t shatter Xu Bingqi had already placed it back on the coffee table in time.

“I just finished my bath, and I’m thirsty.”

Song Guanjin blinked her innocent green eyes while spouting nonsense.

Xu Bingqi nodded weakly. After these two days of interacting with Song Guanjin, she felt her tolerance had improved significantly.

Since stepping out of the bathroom, it was hard for her to see the seemingly innocent but mischievous cat demon in front of her as just a simple cat anymore.

Yesterday, she had thought Song Guanjin’s forgetfulness about wearing clothes was due to naivety. But today, judging by how Song Guanjin had nearly chased her out of the bathroom, it was clear that she herself had been the naive one.

This cat demon clearly knew far too much.

A faint blush spread across Xu Bingqi’s cheeks, and her breathing grew slightly rapid.

All because of that persistent cat demon’s antics.

Seeing Xu Bingqi like this, Song Guanjin mistakenly thought her seduction was beginning to take effect. Her sister’s flushed face and rapid breathing must mean she was captivated by her alluring figure and charming demeanor. But knowing when to stop was key, she happily sashayed back to the bedroom to get dressed.

Strike while the iron is hot, she had to work hard today to change her image as weak and naive in her sister’s eyes!

After Song Guanjin returned to the bedroom, Xu Bingqi even entertained the thought of immediately leaving her home.

But remembering that this cat demon had no one else to rely on in human society and that she was her only close friend, her resolve quickly wavered.

Perhaps Song Guanjin had been dazzled by human society and couldn’t distinguish between friendship and love, which was why she was acting so absurdly.

As the cat’s caretaker and the cat demon’s friend, it was her duty to correct Song Guanjin’s misguided notions and steer everything back on track.

Xu Bingqi took a deep breath, preparing to patiently explain things to this inexperienced cat demon once she returned to the living room.

Otherwise, if Song Guanjin made other friends on set, her behavior would surely scare them off.

Back in her bedroom, Song Guanjin couldn’t resist rolling back and forth on the bed a few times.

She felt there was no need to follow the netizens’ advice to take things slowly. Instead, she could speed up the process and seize the moment to confess her feelings to her sister while the iron was hot.

After all, her sister didn’t have any other women around her. Being so close gave her the advantage, and her chances of success were quite high.

Confidently, the cat sashayed back into the living room.

“Guanjin, I feel that you’re still young and might not be able to tell the difference between friendship and love.”

At this point, Xu Bingqi had also prepared her thoughts. To avoid hurting the cat spirit’s self-esteem, she chose a tactful way to phrase it: “But actually, for friends, your behavior just now might not be entirely appropriate.”

Song Guanjin nodded. “I know.”

Meeting Xu Bingqi’s surprised gaze, she said with a touch of pride, “But in front of my wife, that kind of behavior is perfectly appropriate.”

She had finally found the chance to replace “sister” with “wife”!

Xu Bingqi repeated in disbelief, “Wife?”

“Yes,” the cat spirit explained earnestly. “I like you, sister, and I want to make you my wife. What’s wrong with that?”

Xu Bingqi’s usually narrow phoenix eyes widened abruptly.

Her original intention in coming here today was to comfort the frightened cat spirit, not to listen to a confession from her without any preparation.

Neither in her past life nor after her rebirth had she ever experienced being confessed to this was the first time.

And it was from a cat spirit, no less.

They had always been good friends since when had Song Guanjin started liking her?

But Xu Bingqi knew this wasn’t a question she should voice. If she were to ask, Song Guanjin might misinterpret her confusion as shyness after accepting the confession.

The cat spirit was still new to human society and likely hadn’t yet grasped the complexities of human emotions.

Xu Bingqi decided to reject her outright to prevent any unnecessary illusions.

Humans and spirits were fundamentally different Song Guanjin’s lifespan would surely be far longer than hers. Even if they were to fall in love, they couldn’t accompany each other until old age.

Moreover, she had always regarded Song Guanjin as her closest friend and had no intention of suddenly starting a romantic relationship with her.

“It’s really not possible.”

Looking into Song Guanjin’s hopeful eyes, Xu Bingqi chose to reject her directly: “I’ve always seen you as my best friend. I can’t turn friendship into romance.”

It felt like a bolt from the blue. Song Guanjin froze in place.

She had thought victory was within reach, almost tangible, only to realize it was nothing but a mirage she hadn’t even managed to brush the hem of success.

“And you need to think about yourself, too,” Xu Bingqi sighed. “You’re about to start filming. If you were to get into a relationship and it were discovered, wouldn’t all your hard work go to waste?”

Having learned from the harsh lessons of her past life, Xu Bingqi understood the importance of a career. Human emotions were fickle; only a career was real.

If she hadn’t persisted with her music career in this life, she wouldn’t have had the means to buy her own home. She might have had to compromise with Xu Qingci, struggling within the absurd plot of that novel and repeating the miserable experiences of her past life.

These were truths the cat spirit couldn’t yet comprehend.

Song Guanjin shook her head, making one last effort: “I can hone my acting skills and become a serious actress. I don’t need fans, no one would care whether I’m in a relationship or not.”

Xu Bingqi remained seated, her back straight and posture rigid, as still as a statue. Yet inside, she felt an overwhelming urge to flee.

She wanted to leave immediately! She didn’t want to hear any more of Song Guanjin’s confessions! Nor did she want Song Guanjin to make such pointless sacrifices!

Song Guanjin was still too young and naive, lacking any clear career plans. She couldn’t let Song Guanjin act recklessly because of so-called love.

Since her rebirth, Xu Bingqi had always feared sudden, unconditional major sacrifices from others.

Through her past life experiences, she had learned that most sacrifices came with conditions. Just like the gentle maternal love from Xu Qingci in her childhood, or the passionate friendship Gu Xiaozhou had shown her, both eventually turned into moral capital that heavily weighed her down.

Becoming friends with Song Guanjin had already consumed nearly all the courage she possessed after rebirth. She had no more courage left to accept anything further.

Song Guanjin’s feelings came on too intensely, she could only retreat.

She neither had the means nor the confidence to respond to such intense, pure emotions.

Countless experiences from her past life taught her that all intimate relationships around her would eventually shatter like broken glass on the ground.

She could brace herself for friends leaving, but she couldn’t face the collapse and fragmentation of love.

Xu Bingqi had already envisioned the worst outcome in her mind: if she rashly started a relationship with Song Guanjin, it would eventually rupture, leaving them unable to even remain friends.

Then she would be alone again, repeating the cycle of making friends only to cut ties.

She couldn’t bear it.

“No, I think being friends is already good enough.”

Xu Bingqi stood up, her face pale, and repeated mechanically, “Being friends is good enough.”

Song Guanjin was still immersed in the sadness of her rejected confession, but even so, she noticed Xu Bingqi’s unusual state. Panicked, she grabbed Xu Bingqi’s hand: “Sister, are you okay?”

Xu Bingqi shook her head, forced her breathing under control, and managed a bitter smile: “I’m fine.”

She just really needed to schedule an appointment with a psychologist for counseling.

She couldn’t put it off any longer.

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