After Her Death, They Begged for Forgiveness - Chapter 69
The music variety show that Xu Bingqi was participating in finally announced its lineup.
However, Xu Bingqi’s slot was marked only by the silhouette of a mystery guest.
The show itself was already quite popular, and the buzz around the mystery guest grew even more intense. Online polls speculating about the mystery guest’s identity had already garnered hundreds of thousands of participants.
The only clue revealed about the mystery guest was their gender.
Almost everyone thought of Xu Bingqi.
【I have a feeling it might be Xu Bingqi.】
【But she hasn’t made any public appearances in a long time.】
【That’s exactly why it makes sense for her to be the mystery guest, it’ll create a lot of buzz when the show actually airs.】
【I also think it could be her. After all, she deleted all her social media accounts, so there’s no way to tag her anyway.】
【Could this be Xu Bingqi’s grand return?】
【Personally, I’m hoping it’s our Coffee Teacher. Her compositions are really nice too.】
【Why not have both? I’d love to see a “Wanwan Lei Qing” situation.】
Song Guanjin was also enthusiastically discussing the topic with netizens. Even though she already knew the mystery guest was her sister, that didn’t stop her from happily joining in the speculation.
【I’ll enjoy watching no matter who it is!】
【Let’s set our reminders now!】
After all, it was her sister.
The kitten was overjoyed to see the mystery guest topic climb to the top of the hot search list. Satisfied, she searched for the topic and dove into the discussions, liking comments left and right.
The director noticed Song Guanjin’s radiant smile and asked, puzzled, “Did you win the lottery or something?”
Song Guanjin’s smile vanished. She thought the director was being utterly annoying.
But just as she picked up her phone again, she noticed that the mystery guest topic was no longer the fastest-rising trend.
Instead, it was a topic about Jiang Ruo.
The initial rumor was that Jiang Ruo had quit her role, but later discussions suggested she had gone missing.
No one from Jiang Ruo’s film crew could get in touch with her, and her phone number had been deactivated.
“No way, she just quit such a great script like ‘On the Sea’?”
“Missing? That seems too extreme for a publicity stunt, doesn’t it?”
“Are you all that out of the loop? Haven’t you heard about her suicide attempt?”
“Suicide?”
“How could she possibly attempt suicide? That’s just too far-fetched.”
“Why not? I think she might be using this to threaten Xu Qingci. After all, Xu Qingci seems to have changed her attitude toward her biological daughter. Maybe she’s planning to leave her fortune to her real daughter.”
“Is the mystery guest on that music show Xu Bingqi? If it is, maybe these two things are connected.”
The entire crew was buzzing with speculation, but Song Guanjin remained unusually calm amidst the chatter.
Her sister had already told her about Jiang Ruo’s wrist-cutting incident.
Still, Song Guanjin hadn’t expected Jiang Ruo to delete all her accounts and vanish without a trace.
“Teacher Song, wasn’t it Xu Bingqi who often visited you on set? Do you know any inside information?”
During breaks, the crew loved to gossip. Someone noticed Song Guanjin’s calm demeanor and couldn’t help but wonder if she knew more than she was letting on.
“I don’t know anything,” Song Guanjin replied instinctively, disliking the topic. “But how could this possibly have anything to do with my sister?”
“Just asking.”
Song Guanjin’s face showed clear annoyance, and the others tactfully stopped linking Xu Bingqi and Jiang Ruo together.
“I’m sure it’s not a real disappearance. With how advanced the internet is now, how could there be absolutely no trace of her?”
“Besides, Jiang Ruo has such a gentle personality, how could she possibly commit suicide?”
“How come you all know nothing? When we were filming The Sea, she often took leave.”
“I heard it’s because of a relationship issue. Apparently, she fell for a guy, but her family strongly disapproved.”
“Are you just making this up? You talk as if you were right there in Jiang Ruo’s home.”
“It’s just gossip take it as entertainment. Who cares if it’s true or not?”
Song Guanjin couldn’t bear to listen any longer, but the chatter kept forcing its way into her ears. For the first time, the cat demon resented her own keen hearing.
“Alright, alright, it’s time to shoot the next scene,” the director’s voice cut in at just the right moment. “The The Sea crew must be in chaos right now. We need to shoot even better.”
For the director, nothing was more invigorating than seeing a competitor fail.
Although their crew could hardly be considered a rival to The Sea, the director had an inexplicable confidence in the script and the lead actors, already fantasizing about a bright future.
No one had the heart to dampen the director’s enthusiasm. Even though their crew was a ragtag group with props constantly breaking down, everyone secretly harbored dreams of success. So, they all took their positions.
Most importantly, the Lunar New Year’s Eve was just three days away. Once they finished shooting today, they could start their holiday.
Keeping the director happy meant they could wrap up early and enjoy the break.
Song Guanjin shared the same thought. She was more eager than anyone to finish early so she could properly prepare for her sister’s arrival.
Thanks to everyone’s efforts, the afternoon shoot went exceptionally smoothly, with many scenes completed in just one take.
“I knew our crew had potential,” the director said, satisfied after reviewing the afternoon footage. “Wishing everyone great wealth in the coming year! See you next year!”
Even though “next year” was only seven days away.
[Sister, I’ve finished filming!]
Back at the hotel, Song Guanjin couldn’t wait to message Xu Bingqi.
Today, she could shower early and change into a beautiful outfit to show off to her sister.
As a cat demon, she had naturally excellent flexibility and had diligently mastered various human poses. High-difficulty positions were no challenge for her.
Her only worry was whether her sister could handle it.
But after what happened last night, she felt confident enough to try a few poses today.
Yet, after waiting for what felt like an eternity, she still hadn’t received a reply from Xu Bingqi.
She waited and waited, until it was time for her usual bath.
Countless times, she lit up her phone screen, but there was still no message from Xu Bingqi. She tried calling a few times, but her sister didn’t answer.
The afternoon discussions at the crew came to mind, and a sense of unease crept over her.
Jiang Ruo was missing, but Song Guanjin knew Jiang Ruo wouldn’t die.
Song Guanjin disliked Jiang Ruo, she could sense that Jiang Ruo seemed to have no principles.
Had her sister been taken control of by Jiang Ruo?
The thought made Song Guanjin so anxious she wanted to call the police. But she knew that, under human laws, adults had to be missing for 24 hours before a report could be filed.
If I go to the police now, I’ll just be seen as a lunatic who reports a friend for not replying to messages for just two hours.
The kitten could only hold her phone, anxiously waiting.
Time seemed to pass unusually slowly. Song Guanjin had already opened the app to check return flight tickets.
If her sister didn’t reply today, she would book a flight for tomorrow to go back.
Even so, the kitten was still worried that she might be too late.
If only she had already dual-cultivated with her sister then she could sense her sister’s location.
The kitten stared at the earliest flight available tomorrow, hesitating whether to book it now.
But the bad news was far worse than Song Guanjin had imagined.
Outside the window, scattered snowflakes had begun to fall, and her phone buzzed with a red alert for an impending blizzard.
Tomorrow’s flight would most likely be canceled.
One piece of bad news after another hit her, and the kitten was already pacing anxiously.
The weather alert warned that the blizzard would last at least two days. Even if her sister had simply missed her messages today, the flight on New Year’s Eve would likely be canceled too, meaning her sister wouldn’t be able to make it in time.
Not to mention, she had no idea whether her sister had already been restrained by Jiang Ruo.
The only comfort for Song Guanjin was that Jiang Ruo probably wouldn’t kill her sister her life would be safe.
But Song Guanjin’s mind kept conjuring strange scenarios of dark confinement, and her unease didn’t lessen in the slightest.
Just as the kitten’s thoughts spiraled, she received a call from Xu Bingqi.
Song Guanjin’s slender, elegant fingers trembled uncontrollably. She even wondered if it wasn’t her sister calling but someone else.
Flustered, the kitten pressed the answer button, took a deep breath, and didn’t dare speak.
“Sorry, Guanjin. I was on a flight earlier and didn’t know you called so many times.”
It was Xu Bingqi’s voice.
Song Guanjin let out a soft sigh of relief, feeling as if a heavy stone had finally been lifted from her heart. “It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m just glad you’re okay, sister.”
“Wait, on a flight?”
Xu Bingqi’s voice sounded weary. “Yes, and right now, I’m on my way to find you.”
Song Guanjin was struck by this sudden, overwhelming joy.
“That’s wonderful! I’ll go take a shower first!”
It would still take some time for a taxi to bring her sister from the airport to her hotel. She had to shower in advance, she was determined to make her sister lose control today and finally dual-cultivate with her!
The kitten had full confidence in her body.
Song Guanjin timed it perfectly. Just as Xu Bingqi knocked on the door, she stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel.
Droplets of water from her hair dripped into the hollow of her collarbone. The towel was deliberately tied loosely, as if the knot could come undone with the slightest carelessness.
The moment Xu Bingqi entered Song Guanjin’s hotel room, she was met with this sight.
She quickly closed the door behind her.
Song Guanjin had prepared many things to say to her sister, but upon seeing her, she simply stood still.
The droplets on her collarbone trembled with her uneven breaths. Song Guanjin clutched the edge of the towel, her knuckles turning white. Her thick lashes cast delicate shadows over her emerald-green eyes.
After a moment’s hesitation, Song Guanjin bravely lifted her head and met Xu Bingqi’s gaze. “Sister, I’m wet.”
The cat’s damp fingers unconsciously rubbed the edge of the towel, her deliberately lowered voice carrying a husky temptation: “Sister, want to touch?”
Xu Bingqi gently brushed aside a strand of Song Guanjin’s still-dripping hair, softening her voice: “Let me use the hairdryer for you.”
Song Guanjin lowered her gaze, what she needed wasn’t the hairdryer, but her sister.
Yet she obediently nodded, allowing her sister to pick up the hairdryer.
Xu Bingqi set the hairdryer to the lowest setting. The warm air swept through Song Guanjin’s hanging locks, carrying the fragrance of shampoo as it rose. Xu Bingqi’s fingertips, holding the hairdryer, inadvertently brushed against the reddened tip of her ear. She heard a muffled groan from in front of her and looked down to find Song Guanjin gripping the edge of the towel, her knuckles turning white.
It seemed the cat quite enjoyed having her hair dried?
Xu Bingqi proceeded to dry the cat’s hair even more meticulously.
Song Guanjin’s ebony-like long hair finally lost its damp sheen, gleaming with a silky softness under the warm yellow light. Xu Bingqi gently placed the hairdryer on the sink, her fingers tracing the ends of the hair to confirm not a trace of moisture remained before withdrawing her hand: “There, all dry.”
The moment Xu Bingqi set down the hairdryer, Song Guanjin hooked her sister’s pinky finger, her voice trailing off slowly with a seductive tremble: “Sister, my hair is dry, but another place is still wet.”
Jiang Ruo held her phone in her right hand, intently staring at the official announcement of the music variety show.
She hadn’t properly treated her injury and had chosen to leave the hospital early; now her left wrist, where she had cut herself, had almost no strength left.
But Jiang Ruo wasn’t hysterical or frantic her lips even held a faint, elusive smile, making her appear calm. Yet it was an eerie calm, the kind that precedes a storm.
“Sister, we will be together forever.”
Jiang Ruo murmured gently: “I know where this music variety show is being recorded. I will go find you, I will find you.”
Ever since losing the system, Jiang Ruo could only talk to herself, her tender, lingering tone growing increasingly chilling: “I’ve changed my mind. I only want to die with sister.”
“That way, sister can only be my sister, just like before.”
Without hesitation, Jiang Ruo bought a plane ticket to the city where the music variety show was being recorded. The police hadn’t started investigating her yet; she had to buy the ticket while she still could.
As long as she held on for another ten-plus days until the show’s recording, she could be with her sister forever.
No Song Guanjin, no Gu Xiaozhou only her and her sister.
Just like long ago, when she was flustered during her first mission and met the sister who reached out to her.
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