After Her Death, They Begged for Forgiveness - Chapter 52

While resting on set, Jiang Ruo saw the message from Xu Qingci and curled her lips in disdain.

She had never harbored any genuine affection for Xu Qingci in the first place. The so-called care Xu Qingci had shown her over the past twenty-plus years was nothing more than a one-sided delusion.

Logically, the plot shouldn’t have completely collapsed. Even if it had, given Xu Qingci’s personality, she wouldn’t have been so ruthless.

Had Xu Qingci uncovered something?

Or was she finally resorting to drastic measures to win back her daughter?

A faint sense of urgency stirred within Jiang Ruo.

If possible, she still wished Xu Bingqi remained that isolated, universally disliked figure only then could she become the beacon of light in Xu Bingqi’s life.

But now, aside from Song Guanjin, who stayed by Xu Bingqi’s side, even Gu Xiaozhou and Xu Qingci had changed their attitudes and were beginning to make amends.

Even on social media, Xu Bingqi’s reputation had long since improved, and she was now hailed by netizens as the “white moonlight” of the music composition world.

In light of this, her own love seemed even more insignificant in Xu Bingqi’s eyes.

Yet, across all the missions she had undertaken and the countless novel worlds she had traversed, whenever the male lead treated the female lead this way, the female lead would always respond with gratitude and devotion!

As long as the female lead was left isolated and helpless, even the slightest kindness from the male lead would make her cling to that small sweetness, that was how it was always written in the novels.

In many of those worlds, no matter how harshly the male lead oppressed the female lead, as long as he showed the slightest hint of regret, the female lead would eventually soften.

So why, when she recreated such scenarios for Xu Bingqi, did Xu Bingqi remain completely unmoved?

Where had she gone wrong?

Wait!

Frustrated, Jiang Ruo slammed the script onto the table, paying no mind to the obvious unease her action provoked in those around her.

It seemed she had finally realized something.

The reason Xu Bingqi hadn’t fallen for her was that Xu Bingqi was now thriving, unlike before her rebirth when she had been trapped in an irredeemable situation.

Having received ample admiration and applause, Xu Bingqi no longer saw her love as anything special.

“It must be because she’s no longer universally disliked that she won’t love me, that she won’t even glance my way.”

Muttering to herself, Jiang Ruo stood up, consumed by an urgent desire to destroy Xu Bingqi once more. The thought burned through her like lava, leaving her restless and unsettled.

“Ms. Jiang, you still have scenes to film later. Your progress has already fallen behind since you took leave the day before yesterday.”

The director instinctively bent his waist, adopting an extremely humble posture as he spoke to Jiang Ruo.

The persona crafted by the wealthy was indeed a facade. While everyone praised Jiang Ruo for her gentleness and politeness, only the director knew the bitterness he endured.

Despite the substantial investment in the production, Jiang Ruo, as the lead actress, frequently took leave, repeatedly delaying the filming schedule. All he could do was watch helplessly as the money spent on set construction flowed away like water.

Jiang Ruo paid no attention to what the director said. To her, these people were nothing more than NPCs.

[Host, before her rebirth, Xu Bingqi was indeed universally disliked, but she never fell in love with you back then, either.]

The system had realized that the host no longer cared about the transmigration mission at all. As a model well-versed in maximizing gains, it had no intention of letting the host off easily, so it effortlessly shattered Jiang Ruo’s illusions.

Having partnered with the host for so long, it knew all too well where her vulnerabilities lay.

Suddenly, a loud crash left everyone present speechless.

Jiang Ruo smashed the filming equipment and strode away under the stunned gazes of the onlookers.

“Is she insane?”

Only after Jiang Ruo had left did the crew members begin whispering among themselves.

“No, you’re lying. She must have loved me before the rebirth. I’ve always treated her the way a male lead in a novel treats the female lead. There’s no mistake.”

Jiang Ruo stubbornly refuted the system.

The system must be deliberately saying this to prevent her from pursuing her sister. She couldn’t fall for its tricks.

[Did Xu Bingqi ever visit the host on set? Did they ever live together?]

The system continued to prod at Jiang Ruo’s sore spots. Although the transmigration mission had stalled, Jiang Ruo’s own obsession remained unattainable, and the system felt a sense of balance.

[Host, do you remember the way Xu Bingqi looked at Song Guanjin the night you met? Has your sister ever looked at you that way?]

Jiang Ruo took a deep breath, struggling to maintain her composure. “None of that matters. Once Song Guanjin is dead, she’ll naturally look at me with that loving gaze.”

It was all Song Guanjin’s fault. Once Song Guanjin was gone, everything would return to normal.

She had already set things in motion on Song Guanjin’s set. Although her previous attempt to use points to eliminate Song Guanjin had failed, this time she would succeed.

[Even if Song Guanjin dies, there are still Xu Qingci and Gu Xiaozhou. She still won’t be the universally disliked person she was before the rebirth.]

Moreover, the system knew very well that Song Guanjin wouldn’t die.

Everything the host was doing was destined to become nothing more than a stepping stone for Xu Bingqi and Song Guanjin’s growing relationship.

Jiang Ruo paused in her steps. In the cold wind, a slightly eerie smile suddenly appeared on her face. “Yes, there are still Xu Qingci and Gu Xiaozhou.”

“But it doesn’t matter. I’m going to see Xu Qingci now.” Jiang Ruo quickly got into her car. “Does she think that by driving me away, her daughter will return? I’ll make her face reality.”

Xu Qingci hadn’t expected Jiang Ruo to return so soon.

“Ruo Ruo, are you here to pack your things?” Although Xu Qingci no longer wanted to treat Jiang Ruo as her daughter, habit made her continue to show concern. “There’s no need to rush. Don’t you have filming today?”

Jiang Ruo leisurely sat down on the sofa, her eyes devoid of their usual obedience and sweetness. “Ms. Xu, you don’t actually think that doing this will bring my sister back, do you?”

After her rebirth, Xu Bingqi had always referred to Xu Qingci as “Ms. Xu.” Jiang Ruo deliberately used the same address, hoping to provoke a furious reaction.

However, Xu Qingci only froze for a moment, as if seeing Jiang Ruo in a new light, before gently shaking her head. “I don’t think that.”

Jiang Ruo was addressing her as “Ms. Xu,” her gaze filled with cold indifference, yet Xu Qingci felt no particular anger or sadness.

Only when she recalled Bingqi calmly calling her “Ms. Xu” did her heart ache with a sharp, twisting pain.

In truth, she no longer cared as much about Jiang Ruo’s attitude toward her as she had once imagined.

“Stop deceiving yourself.” Jiang Ruo mercilessly pierced through Xu Qingci’s illusions. “You treat your own daughter worse than a stranger. There’s no way she’s coming back.”

Xu Qingci looked at Jiang Ruo. The girl, usually docile and gentle, now had a fierce glare in her eyes, gradually diverging from the impression she had held all these years.

After raising two daughters for over twenty years, she finally realized neither was who she had believed them to be.

She had thought Jiang Ruo was quiet and obedient, but the real Jiang Ruo was cold and distant. She had assumed Xu Bingqi was incompetent and greedy, not close to her, but in truth, the real Xu Bingqi had long been worn down over these twenty-plus years, with the last shred of familial affection for her completely eroded.

Xu Qingci rubbed her temples. She felt as though she had aged many years overnight. Though only a single day had passed, it seemed like she had endured years of torment, leaving her utterly exhausted and haggard.

“Ms. Xu, do you know why I’m so certain Xu Bingqi won’t return?” Jiang Ruo showed no sympathy upon seeing Xu Qingci’s weary expression. Instead, she felt a perverse satisfaction, as if everyone else shared her misery.

The current Xu Bingqi despised herself, and she equally despised Xu Qingci and Gu Xiaozhou.

She wasn’t the only one who had failed.

“Why?”

A flicker of unease stirred in Xu Qingci’s heart. She had a vague premonition that Jiang Ruo was about to reveal something unpleasant. Yet, despite her apprehension, she couldn’t suppress the urge to know.

“Ms. Xu, you remember the car accident that left you in a coma, don’t you?” Jiang Ruo smiled, her eyes curving as if she were still that obedient daughter. “During that time, it was indeed Xu Bingqi who took care of you in the hospital.”

Xu Qingci shuddered involuntarily. Although the house was always kept at a constant 30 degrees, she suddenly felt as if she had been thrown into an icy wilderness, her entire body frozen stiff.

“What do you mean?”

Xu Qingci’s eyes, already bloodshot, suddenly turned crimson. “You lied to me back then?”

When Xu Bingqi and Jiang Ruo were in their teens, Xu Qingci had been in a coma after a car accident. When she woke up, the first thing she saw was Xu Bingqi’s swollen, red eyes, followed by Jiang Ruo cowering anxiously in the corner of the luxurious hospital room.

Xu Bingqi threw herself into her arms, sobbing about how worried she had been while Xu Qingci was unconscious. But Xu Qingci had vaguely sensed something else.

Later, the butler told her that it was actually Jiang Ruo who had been by her bedside the entire time, only to be pushed into the corner by Xu Bingqi right before she woke up. Xu Bingqi had done it solely to claim credit.

Looking at Xu Bingqi’s puffy eyes, Xu Qingci gradually grew disgusted by what she perceived as her daughter’s opportunistic behavior.

Without hesitation, she had the butler take Xu Bingqi home, leaving Jiang Ruo alone with her in the hospital room.

Jiang Ruo’s account matched the butler’s word for word.

She chose to side with Jiang Ruo, believing her and the butler’s story.

And from that moment on, she began to despise Xu Bingqi for her cunning nature, resenting even more that while she lay unconscious, Xu Bingqi had only been thinking about fighting for inheritance.

But now Jiang Ruo was telling her that everything she had believed was a lie.

“Ms. Xu, you brought this upon yourself.” Jiang Ruo shook her head with a smile. “You didn’t even trust your own flesh and blood. Who else can you blame?”

Xu Qingci collapsed weakly onto the sofa, her mind hazy and disoriented.

Jiang Ruo was right. If she had trusted Xu Bingqi back then, none of these mistakes would have happened.

“Ms. Xu, your daughter has actually died once before.” Jiang Ruo narrowed her eyes with pleasure. “When she died, you didn’t care at all. Yet if you truly loved your daughter, she wouldn’t have died alone in some neglected rental apartment.”

After speaking, Jiang Ruo felt a sense of emptiness wash over her, this matter was also an unpleasant memory for her. “You can just treat this as me talking nonsense.”

Blood slowly began to seep from Xu Qingci’s eyes. In an instant, she recalled that terrifying nightmare.

Her emotions were so intense that the small blood vessels in her eyes ruptured, causing blood to trickle out slowly.

Jiang Ruo sighed with a faint smile. “Why are you getting so worked up just hearing this? You raised me for over twenty years, so I’ll call an ambulance for you. But this time, your daughter probably won’t come to visit you in the hospital.”

“If you have even a shred of shame, don’t bother asking your daughter to see you. She’s likely preparing for a music competition now and won’t have time to deal with your troubles.”

After saying this, Jiang Ruo felt a wave of relief.

If she was suffering, Xu Qingci would suffer too. Let them all endure this hell together, no one would escape it before Jiang Ruo did.

The siren of the ambulance blared urgently and sharply, speeding toward a location not far away.

Xu Bingqi felt a sense of unease.

The direction the ambulance was heading seemed to be the filming set where Song Guanjin was shooting.

It couldn’t be Song Guanjin, could it? She was a cat girl she must still be diligently filming.

Xu Bingqi stared at the sheet music, but the notes twisted into distorted symbols in her vision, leaving her mind blank.

Could it be that Jiang Ruo’s accumulated points had been cashed in? Probably not.

She must be overthinking things.

Xu Bingqi closed her eyes and paused for a long moment, trying hard to calm herself.

Just then, her phone vibrated abruptly. It was another call from an unknown number.

Xu Bingqi stared at the unfamiliar number for a few seconds, confirming it wasn’t the same one that had called twice in a row before.

She wasn’t in the habit of answering calls from unknown numbers, but this time, her trembling hand pressed the answer button.

“Hello, may I ask what your relationship is with Song Guanjin?”

The person on the other end sounded anxious and continued without waiting for Xu Bingqi to respond, “Ms. Song fell from the wire while filming. Could you come to the hospital to see her?”

“I’m her friend.”

Xu Bingqi’s voice trembled as she asked, “How serious are her injuries? Which hospital is she at? I’ll head over right now.”

She was so panicked she nearly dropped her phone. After getting the address, she quickly opened a navigation app to book a ride.

Staring at her uncontrollably shaking hands, Xu Bingqi knew she was in no state to drive to the hospital.

She tried to reassure herself that Song Guanjin would be fine, but she couldn’t stop herself from wanting to rush to the hospital immediately to see her.

Her catgirl must be terrified.

She would stay by her side until she fully regained consciousness.

The director’s hands were also trembling. She had never imagined something like this could happen.

The lead actress had fallen from a height of seven or eight meters. She couldn’t bring herself to tell the caller how severe the injuries were.

When Song Guanjin fell, she lay motionless on the ground. There didn’t seem to be any visible bleeding, but the director knew this was even more troubling, it likely meant serious internal injuries.

And this person was the only non-work contact in Song Guanjin’s phone, saved as “Sister.” She must be Song Guanjin’s closest family.

How am I going to explain this?

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