After Her Death, They Begged for Forgiveness - Chapter 4

Xu Bingqi, who suspected she had a malignant brain tumor, and Song Guanjin, who was suspected of having an intellectual disability, met again in the imaging department.

Song Guanjin sat quietly, waiting for her test results, while Xu Bingqi stood nearby browsing a real estate app for suitable properties.

She planned to move out of the villa this week, cutting ties with everyone she had ever known.

Over the years, she had composed music for many songs and saved up a modest amount. Xu Bingqi intended to buy a small apartment near the city center.

This would leave her with some savings to cover treatment costs if she were diagnosed with glioblastoma.

While Xu Bingqi was researching home-buying tips, she suddenly felt someone poking her gently in the waist from behind. She turned around and met Song Guanjin’s curious and admiring gaze.

“You’re amazing, the songs you compose are so beautiful.”

Song Guanjin pointed to her earphones, indicating she was listening to Xu Bingqi’s music.

Xu Bingqi tried to ignore the feather-like tickle at her waist and smiled politely, subtly creating some distance between them. “Thank you.”

It had been a long time since anyone had praised her so directly in real life. Xu Bingqi felt her face grow warm, and a strange warmth flowed through her heart, like sunlight breaking through the clouds.

Song Guanjin and Xu Bingqi received their brain imaging reports one after the other.

After getting her report, Song Guanjin grew noticeably quieter. She walked slowly toward the neurology department, earphones on, holding her results.

Xu Bingqi walked briskly, eager to have the doctor review her CT report. If it were early-stage glioblastoma, she could start treatment as soon as possible.

As she hurried forward, she suddenly felt someone tug at her sleeve.

“Sister, I’m scared.”

Xu Bingqi was taken aback to see Song Guanjin, head bowed, clutching her sleeve. She then smiled softly and comforted her gently, “It’s okay.”

“Can I go with you, Sister?”

Xu Bingqi thought for a moment. “Of course.”

They walked in silence, soon arriving at the neurology department.

Yet both clearly knew they weren’t walking alone, they had each other’s company, facing the uncertain outcome together.

After leaving the neurology department, the two exchanged a smile.

Her body was still healthy. For the first time, Xu Bingqi understood what it felt like to be lucky. She thought she could now afford a slightly larger apartment.

“Sister, now I can join the cast of ‘On the Sea,’” Song Guanjin said with excitement. “I’ll be playing the fourth female lead. I hope you’ll support me!”

“Wishing you a smooth journey to stardom.”

Xu Bingqi smiled and congratulated her, silently noting that another “hopelessly illiterate” person was about to enter the entertainment industry.

Then, the familiar title “On the Sea” stirred distant memories in Xu Bingqi.

“On the Sea” was Jiang Ruo’s first leading role and the starting point of her glorious career in the entertainment industry. From then on, Jiang Ruo became a new legend, both a rare acting genius and a savvy business heir.

As a crowd-pleaser, Jiang Ruo became close friends with every cast member she worked with, and all her co-stars were captivated by her charismatic personality.

Xu Bingqi subtly took a step back, creating distance between herself and Song Guanjin.

She could already foresee that soon, this girl who now called her “sister” would become wildly infatuated with Jiang Ruo. After that, she would realize Xu Bingqi was universally disliked and, once disillusioned, would join the ranks of those who saw her as worthless.

Just like all the others who had briefly been her friends, after their falling out, they would view their past friendship as a stain and vindictively slander her to completely sever ties.

Every heartfelt bond she had ever formed gradually turned to ashes, leaving behind only a bone-chilling coldness.

Xu Bingqi didn’t want to go through it again. For her, losing something after having it was far more painful than never having had it at all.

She thought to herself that once she left the hospital, she would delete Song Guanjin’s contact information, as if they had never met.

“Sister, so this is where you are.”

It was Jiang Ruo’s voice.

Xu Bingqi’s fingers abruptly clenched.

How did Jiang Ruo find her here?

With a hint of surprise, Xu Bingqi looked at Jiang Ruo, meeting her smiling eyes.

Jiang Ruo watched Xu Bingqi’s feigned composure with amusement. She knew all too well that Xu Bingqi’s heart was in turmoil, the slight tightening of her fingers was proof.

No one understood her sister better than she did.

“Is Sister feeling better?” Jiang Ruo slowly closed the distance between them, her gaze fixed on Xu Bingqi like a hunter eyeing her prey. “It’s almost noon. Why don’t you come directly to my birthday party?”

Xu Bingqi shook her head slowly. “I’m not going.”

This version of Jiang Ruo was completely different from the one in Xu Bingqi’s memory. Her sister had always been gentle and serene, just as described in the novel Beloved and Doted-On Crowd Favorite, not like this her eyes brimming with confident, oppressive intensity.

Jiang Ruo chuckled softly, stopping just a step away from Xu Bingqi. “Don’t be so stubborn, Sister.”

“Ruo Ruo, why were you in such a hurry? You were almost speeding on your way here.”

Xu Qingci hurried over, her gaze filled with doting concern as she looked at Jiang Ruo. “You’ll worry your mother.”

Then, following Jiang Ruo’s gaze, she turned to Xu Bingqi. “Bingqi, why haven’t you gone to your sister’s party yet? You even made her come all the way here.”

There was no concern at all about why Xu Bingqi was at the hospital entrance.

Xu Bingqi gradually calmed down.

She thought there was no need to care about Jiang Ruo’s true personality, because soon, she would cut all ties with Jiang Ruo and the others and start a new life.

Right now, the most important thing was to figure out how Jiang Ruo had tracked her down.

She refused to believe it was a coincidence or a chance encounter.

So, Xu Bingqi asked the first question she had for Jiang Ruo since her arrival: “How did you know I was here?”

Jiang Ruo didn’t answer, merely looking at Xu Bingqi with a spring-like smile.

“Bingqi, your mother enabled location tracking on your phone a while ago,” Xu Qingci replied casually. “You’re always causing trouble. I have to keep tabs on you to feel at ease.”

Xu Bingqi’s heart grew colder than the early winter air.

She had thought that simply moving out of the Xu family home would be enough to cut ties, but looking back now, it seemed incredibly naive.

Moreover, even though Xu Qingci clearly didn’t care about her at all, she still brazenly violated her privacy under the guise of preventing her from “causing trouble,” as if she were nothing more than a lifeless object.

“Since when?”

Xu Bingqi struggled to control her emotions, but her voice still carried a slight tremble.

“Bingqi, Mom is doing this for your own good,” Xu Qingci replied impatiently. “If you were as sensible as your sister, would I have to go to such lengths? Look at you, over twenty years old and still achieving nothing. You didn’t even attend your sister’s birthday party.”

Xu Bingqi understood that Xu Qingci hadn’t taken her question seriously at all, so there was no point in expecting an answer.

She sighed, losing the last shred of desire to continue the conversation with Xu Qingci.

“She’s not a failure.”

Song Guanjin refuted earnestly.

After sending a message to her agent, she had originally planned to return to the agency immediately to submit the test report. But the faint sound of an argument from Xu Bingqi’s direction made her pause.

As she approached, she overheard Xu Bingqi’s mother criticizing her.

“Auntie, have you ever listened to Bingqi’s compositions? They’re really beautiful,” Song Guanjin explained seriously.

Xu Qingci looked Song Guanjin up and down with the scrutinizing gaze typical of a businessperson.

After a moment, she turned to Song Guanjin with a condescending politeness. “And you are?”

Xu Bingqi’s heart tightened. If Song Guanjin revealed her name, she was certain that Song Guanjin would lose her chance at the role in “On the Sea.”

“Who I am isn’t important. What matters is that Bingqi’s compositions are truly wonderful.”

Song Guanjin finally found a use for the classic lines from TV dramas she’d stored in her mind. She applied them on the spot, successfully leaving the middle-aged woman speechless.

“I’m afraid only a few people share that opinion.”

After a moment, Xu Qingci shifted her gaze away from Song Guanjin and back to Xu Bingqi. “Bingqi, you should make some normal friends. Abnormal friends will only lead you further astray.”

Xu Bingqi shook her head. “Mom, if you’re worried that my failures will affect you, you can disown me as your daughter in advance.”

Just like in her previous life.

Xu Bingqi lowered her head to turn off her phone’s location tracking, then looked up again. “Ruoruo, happy birthday. It’s clear I won’t be attending your birthday party today, and I won’t be attending any in the future either.”

Xu Qingci’s face turned ashen. In a public setting, she had to maintain her image of sophistication and couldn’t lose her temper, but inwardly, she was utterly fed up with her unruly and disappointing daughter.

Jiang Ruo’s reaction was entirely different from Xu Qingci’s. She maintained a graceful smile, her eyes flickering with a hint of barely concealed interest, as if she had stumbled upon something amusing.

A birthday party wasn’t exactly a critical plot point anyway. She had plenty of time to make Xu Bingqi regret her choices today.

Besides, maybe this universally disliked person could add a little excitement to her otherwise dull life.

Xu Bingqi swept her wind-blown hair back from her forehead and prepared to leave. Then, remembering Song Guanjin, she added, not wanting to drag anyone else into her troubles, “She’s not my friend.”

After that, she didn’t spare another glance for Xu Qingci or Jiang Ruo, striding away directly as if leaving behind the shabby, controlled and mocked life of her past.

Song Guanjin winked at Xu Qingci: “I’m not Sister Bingqi’s friend. I’m her fan, oh wait, I’m just a casual passerby.”

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