After Her Death, They Begged for Forgiveness - Chapter 64

“Host, host.”

The mechanical voice of the system echoed in her ears. Jiang Ruo struggled to rise from her drunken stupor, accidentally knocking over the wine glass beside her.

“What is it?”

Pressing against her throbbing temples, Jiang Ruo pushed herself up, completely indifferent to the shattered fragments littering the table and floor.

The system fell silent for a moment. “Host, I previously established contact with the main system.”

Her consciousness wavered between clarity and confusion. It took her a moment to process the system’s meaning. When she spoke, her breath reeked of alcohol. “Oh, and then?”

She had already guessed what would happen next. The system only now informed her about contacting the main system earlier likely because it was now confident it could control her in her frenzied state.

Or perhaps the main system had already decided on her punishment, and the system was merely notifying her now.

But maybe it was the alcohol Jiang Ruo felt no fear, as if she had always known this day would eventually come.

“The main system stated that as punishment, all of your abilities and points will be revoked. You will revert to an ordinary person and remain in this world forever.”

Jiang Ruo was silent for a moment. “Is that all?”

She had already prepared herself for immediate eradication.

“That is all.”

The system was composed of a vast database of code. All its programmed functions were designed solely to assist the host in completing tasks and to monitor any factors hindering progress in real time. Yet, it had done something even it found inexplicable.

It had secured the lightest possible punishment for its host.

Although this was ultimately futile, it had already predicted Jiang Ruo’s final outcome. Even as an ordinary person remaining in this world, the best she could hope for was spending the rest of her life in prison.

“What about you?” Jiang Ruo let out a careless laugh. “Will you be assigned to another host to continue tasks?”

“Yes.”

Her temples still throbbed with pain, but she withdrew her fingers from them and reached for a new glass to pour more wine. “Then get lost already.”

Stomach acid churned upward. The muscles in her arms ached with weakness. She failed to grip the new glass firmly, and it slipped from her numb fingers, the second glass to shatter. Shards of glass even cut her ankle.

But she had no intention of tending to the wound.

“Host, there is something I need to tell you.”

The system’s mechanical voice remained as calm as ever, devoid of any anger. “Before Xu Bingqi was reborn, I loaded the data of the ‘Group Pet’ novel into her mind. So she knew she was inside the ‘Group Pet’ novel.”

“Additionally, her memories from before the rebirth were not erased but that was likely done by someone else.”

There was no real need for it to reveal this before departing. This felt more like a human act of retaliation.

“Why did you do this?” Jiang Ruo indeed erupted into frenzy, just as the system had predicted, her voice grating like sandpaper. “If you hadn’t done this, she would never have thought to break free from the novel’s plot!”

Then her sister would have remained trapped in helpless isolation as before. Only she could have saved her sister, and her sister would have stayed with her.

“If your goal was simply to complete the novel’s plot, why did you do something like this?”

Jiang Ruo struggled to brace herself against the table, refusing to let her weakened body collapse. “Why on earth did you do it?”

【Host, take care of yourself.】

The system did not answer Jiang Ruo’s question. Instead, it initiated the process to reclaim all data from this world: 【This world will no longer serve as the setting for the novel The Beloved. The next host will be assigned to a world that better aligns with the storyline.】

Warm droplets of blood began to trickle down the bony curve of her ankle. Detecting her physical state one last time, the system delivered its final message: 【Host, farewell.】

The data retrieval was swift. Before Jiang Ruo could utter another word, the system had already departed from this world and begun loading data related to the next host.

This transmigration mission had already failed once. It needed to assist the next host in successfully completing the task as quickly as possible.

As for why it had revealed information about the novel The Beloved to Xu Bingqi that was a promise made long ago. At the time, it had never anticipated that this promise would interfere with Jiang Ruo’s transmission mission.

Realizing the system had truly left, Jiang Ruo pressed hard on her injured ankle, her nails digging deep into the bleeding wound. She let out a muffled groan, curling her body inward. Only after feeling the sharp, genuine pain did she gradually calm down.

None of this mattered, Jiang Ruo tried to reassure herself. Without the meddling system in her way, she could now openly pursue what she truly wanted.

She would not be imprisoned she was certain of it. She had spent over a decade living side by side with her sister. Her sister would never be so heartless toward her.

Jiang Ruo forced herself to stay calm, her gaze fixed blankly on the shards of glass scattered across the floor.

The fragments glittered with a cold light, like shattered stars strewn across the ground. Their sharp edges exuded a chilling aura, like hidden blades lying in wait.

A faint smile touched Jiang Ruo’s lips. It seemed she had found a way to test whether her sister would truly show her mercy.

She picked up a diamond-shaped shard, its sharp edge gleaming coldly. Staring at it for a long moment, she pushed up her sleeve, revealing her slender, pale wrist.

Without the system’s pain-blocking function, Jiang Ruo held her breath for a long time before pressing the sharp edge of the glass against the faint blue veins on her wrist.

The moment the glass shard sank deep into her flesh, a warm surge of blood gushed forth, blooming like a macabre flower across her pale skin.

Tears of agony beaded on Jiang Ruo’s long lashes. After a moment, trembling, she picked up her phone. Her blood-stained fingers left chaotic smears across the screen. Groaning softly, she wiped the screen with her bloodied sleeve for what felt like an eternity before finally managing to dial for emergency help.

Her sister would surely soften. She would definitely come to see her.

If her sister had visited Xu Cinqi over something as trivial as a bleeding eyeball, she would certainly come for something as serious as a slit wrist.

As she lost consciousness, a weary yet satisfied smile spread across Jiang Ruo’s face.

“Ruo Ruo, why did you do this?”

When she awoke, the first person she saw was not Xu Bingqi, but Xu Cinqi’s worried face.

Xu Qingci truly did not wish to see Jiang Ruo again, but having raised her for over twenty years, she still held some affection for her. Thus, her voice trembled with emotion: “Ruo Ruo, why did you do something so drastic?”

She had never imagined Jiang Ruo would resort to slitting her wrists.

As Xu Qingci gazed at Jiang Ruo’s pale, bloodless face, her mind flooded with the memory of Xu Bingqi’s lifeless body lying peacefully on the ground his complexion had been just as pallid.

After her suicide attempt, Jiang Ruo was exceptionally weak and had no desire to waste what little strength remained on conversing with Xu Qingci: “I want to see my sister.”

With that, she closed her eyes again, ignoring Xu Qingci’s conflicted expression.

Though the novel’s predetermined plot no longer existed, Xu Qingci’s feelings for her, cultivated over so many years of care, were not entirely dictated by the story’s framework.

In her current fragile state, Jiang Ruo knew Xu Qingci would inevitably feel some pity for her.

Moreover, Jiang Ruo was well aware that Xu Qingci herself wanted to use Jiang Ruo’s suicide attempt as a legitimate reason to contact Xu Bingqi.

If she missed this opportunity, Xu Qingci had no idea how long it would take to see Xu Bingqi again.

“Alright, Ruo Ruo.” Jiang Ruo heard Xu Qingci sigh. “I’ll try to get in touch with Bingqi.”

No sooner had Xu Qingci spoken than a rhythmic knock sounded at the hospital room door.

“It’s Bingqi.”

Xu Qingci was all too familiar with her daughter’s knocking, yet a trace of complexity flickered in her eyes.

She had only just arrived to visit Jiang Ruo, and now Xu Bingqi had come as well. The last time Xu Qingci was hospitalized, it had taken Xu Bingqi a long while to visit.

Did her daughter value her sister more than her own mother?

Although Jiang Ruo had been admitted to the hospital after attempting suicide, Xu Bingqi’s arrival seemed unusually swift.

Xu Qingci paused for a moment before rising to open the door.

Xu Bingqi’s expression was calm, devoid of any concern for Jiang Ruo’s condition. To Xu Qingci, her daughter’s detached demeanor was no different from attending a distant acquaintance’s banquet.

This was not the expression one should wear when visiting a patient.

Yet, for some reason, Xu Qingci felt somewhat more at ease.

“Sister.”

Jiang Ruo’s lips were as pale as paper, her weak voice laced with labored breaths.

Her sister had come to see her, she had won the gamble.

After a brief pause, Xu Bingqi approached Jiang Ruo’s bedside. “Jiang Ruo, I came here only to tell you one thing.”

“Xiao Hua has been taken in by the police for investigation.”

A faint smile touched Xu Bingqi’s lips as she continued, “There’s a transaction record in his bank account linked to that staff member. Although the staff member previously claimed it was financial support from Xiao Hua, I believe he’ll come up with a more plausible explanation.”

She didn’t specify who the staff member was, but Jiang Ruo knew it was the one who had tampered with Song Guanjin’s safety harness, causing her to fall from a height.

In an instant, Jiang Ruo’s face grew even paler.

Xu Bingqi had deliberately waited until today, after Xiao Hua was taken in for questioning last night, to inform Jiang Ruo. She had assumed Jiang Ruo already knew, but judging by her reaction, it seemed she was completely unaware.

Yet, the dark circles under Jiang Ruo’s eyes were unmistakable she had clearly been awake all night.

Xu Bingqi looked at Jiang Ruo, who was now weak, and couldn’t shake the feeling that something seemed off about her.

She knew very well that, given Jiang Ruo’s personality, she would never genuinely want to commit suicide. For Jiang Ruo, suicide was merely a means, not an end. Yet, Xu Bingqi truly couldn’t figure out what Jiang Ruo hoped to gain by attempting it.

In the original novel’s plot, there was no scene where Jiang Ruo attempted suicide. Moreover, Xu Bingqi had the distinct impression that Jiang Ruo no longer seemed to care about the storyline of The Beloved Darling at all.

But none of this concerned her anymore. As long as Jiang Ruo remained unpunished, Xu Bingqi would never feel at ease.

Only when Jiang Ruo was locked behind bars would Xu Bingqi be completely reassured.

Xu Qingci’s gaze shifted back and forth between Xu Bingqi and Jiang Ruo’s faces. After a long silence, she finally broke it: “Ruo, Jiang Ruo’s injuries haven’t healed yet. These matters can be discussed later.”

Xu Bingqi’s expression remained unchanged. She glanced at Xu Qingci and replied calmly, “But she may not have much ‘later’ left.”

On the hospital bed, Jiang Ruo trembled uncontrollably. It seemed she now understood why the system had warned her to “take care.”

Her sister was planning to personally send her to prison.

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