After the Second Playthrough, the CP-Less Female Lead Kneels and Begs Me for Forgiveness [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 19

The system let out a cold snort, signaling it would handle things itself.

Shao Xibei wanted to cry but had no tears left; she maintained a calm facade on the surface. She waved her hand dismissively, “If you two like chatting, then keep at it. I’m leaving.”

Her curly, medium-length black hair was tied back, and her beautiful peach-blossom eyes narrowed slightly, her eyeliner tracing a hint of flamboyant rebellion. Her lips, perhaps stained by the wine, appeared crystal clear under the swaying lights.

Song Xin stared greedily at the scene. It had been far too long since she had been in contact with such a high-spirited Shao Xibei.

Song Xin raised her hand and gently tugged on Shao Xibei’s sleeve: “A-Xi, can I go back with you? I arrived too late and didn’t want to bother the driver, so I just called a taxi here.”

Shao Xibei touched the purple stud in her left ear, the corners of her mouth curling up like a little fox: “Whatever.”

Song Xin’s eyes curved into crescents: “Then I’ll go back with A-Xi.”

Suddenly, another voice rang out from the side: “Miss Shao, take me along too. It’s about time for me to get off work.” As she spoke, Song Xiuran looked toward the manager, who had been standing there like a wooden statue.

The manager nodded with a smile, as if sensing Song Xiuran’s intentions. He said, “Miss Shao, if it’s not too much trouble, please give Xiuran a ride. Her home is quite far, and it’s not safe for a girl to go back alone at this hour.”

In their establishment, they didn’t mind employees actively hitting on clients. However, they were trained to detect a client’s mood immediately; if a client showed even a hint of impatience, he would make the employee leave instantly.

The manager had worked in places like this for nearly ten years and had long since developed a “golden eye” for reading people. From what he saw, the Shao family’s second daughter—who was rumored to have a weird temper—was actually a little lamb!

He had wondered why Song Xiuran remained cold toward so many big bosses; it turned out she was waiting for this one.

Shao Xibei acted as if she hadn’t heard. She started walking away, and just as the manager thought his keen eyes had failed him, Shao Xibei stopped at the doorway. She tilted her face slightly: “Weren’t you two hitching a ride? Why haven’t you caught up?”

Having said that, she ignored their reactions and strode off again.

Li Chenxu scratched his head and was the first to follow: “Sister Shao, wait for me!”

A dark glint flashed in Song Xin’s eyes. she looked inconspicuously at Song Xiuran, only to find that Song Xiuran was also staring at her—and her gaze was freezing cold.

Song Xiuran let out a sneer. As she walked toward Shao Xibei and passed by Song Xin, she whispered: “You hounded her to death in our previous life. Are you trying to do it again in this one?”

Song Xin’s pupils shrank. She suddenly clenched her fists: “You—”

Song Xiuran’s tone was icy: “Song Xin, I advise you to stay away from her this time. She’s mine.” Her pale eyes narrowed, emitting a mechanical, cold light. She looked like a sharp blade—a far cry from the seductive persona she had just displayed.

Without waiting for Song Xin’s reaction, she strode off to catch up with Shao Xibei.

Song Xin stood rooted to the spot, head bowed. No one knew what she was thinking, but when she looked up again, her smile was strained. Her lips turned pale, and after only a few steps, she felt a sudden pain in her chest and fainted.

“Ah! Miss Song has fainted!”

The manager’s cry caught Shao Xibei’s attention. She looked back and saw Song Xin lying on the ground. The manager was in a state of panic beside her.

Shao Xibei frowned and turned back immediately: “Li Da, you take Song Xiuran home first.”

She didn’t offer much explanation. Seeing this, Li Chenxu sighed quietly: “Sister Shao still likes Song Xin after all. I thought her passion had cooled down just now, but she gets this worried the moment Song Xin faints.”

He then looked at Song Xiuran, intending to ask where she lived so he could drop her off, but he was startled by her expressionless face. He felt a pressure more intimidating than his own father’s, but in a flash, Song Xiuran returned to her usual expression. Li Chenxu rubbed his nose, assuming he was just seeing things because of the alcohol.

“Song Xiuran, where do you live? I’ll take you back.”

Song Xiuran declined with a smile: “Young Master Li, you go ahead. My sister fainted; I need to go check on her.” To see if she’s faking it, she thought.

Li Chenxu didn’t insist. He nodded: “Fine, suit yourself.” He didn’t like Song Xin anyway, so he left first.

“Call an ambulance first.” Shao Xibei knelt down. Just as she reached out to pick Song Xin up, the person beside her was faster.

Song Xiuran grabbed Song Xin by the collar, hauled her up, and leaned her against her own body, seemingly without effort. Shao Xibei was stunned by the maneuver.

Song Xiuran put on a worried face: “I won’t trouble Miss Shao. My sister is a bit heavy. I’ve done a lot of manual labor since I was young, so I’m quite strong. Let me carry her.”

“Oh, okay.”

The turn of events was baffling.

Later, sitting on a hospital bench, Shao Xibei was deep in thought, trying to figure out what she had missed.

When Song Xiuran returned from the restroom, she saw someone whose eyebrows were almost knitted into a knot. She found it a bit amusing; she guessed the girl was pondering something she couldn’t understand.

According to the doctor, Song Xin’s life wasn’t in danger; she had simply been triggered by a sudden shock, and because of her weak constitution, she had lost consciousness.

Song Xiuran sat down next to Shao Xibei: “Miss Shao, have you considered my proposal?” She smiled beautifully, her eyes naturally carrying a touch of elegance.

Shao Xibei glanced at her and immediately looked away. This Song Xiuran always gave her the illusion that she was being seduced. Then again, Shao Xibei felt that might be overthinking it.

However, this could indeed complete the mission in one go.

Shao Xibei leaned lazily against the back of the chair, crossing her arms. Her tone was indifferent: “Fine. Since you want it so much, we’ll sign the contract tomorrow.”

If the target had been Song Xin, she certainly would have rejected Song Xiuran. But since the target this time was Song Xiuran, the one to be rejected was Song Xin.

Song Xiuran suddenly beamed. She leaned in slightly, getting close to Shao Xibei: “In that case, can I kiss you now? Since our relationship is about to change, a kiss should be okay, right?”

Warm breath brushed against Shao Xibei’s ear. The words were so direct that Shao Xibei’s brain momentarily short-circuited.

Song Xiuran stared intently at Shao Xibei’s fair profile: “Just a kiss on the cheek.”

In truth, she longed to kiss the red lips she had craved for two lifetimes, but that would be too rushed. she was afraid of scaring her away.

Shao Xibei said nothing. In reality, her entire body had gone stiff. They had only known each other for a few hours—how could this Song Xiuran say such things so naturally?

Her “indifferent” act was almost impossible to maintain!

Just then, a phone call arrived to rescue Shao Xibei. She hurriedly pulled out her phone and answered.

After a brief exchange, Shao Xibei hung up and said to Song Xiuran, “My family wants me back. I’ve arranged for a driver to wait outside. If you want to head home, just let him know; otherwise, you can stay here at the hospital to accompany your sister.”

Song Xiuran frowned slightly. “Then I’ll stay with my sister tonight. You should head back quickly, Miss Shao—don’t keep your family worrying.”

Shao Xibei nodded without further words and left, leaving Song Xiuran sitting there alone.

Song Xiuran watched Shao Xibei’s silhouette disappear around the corner. Song Xin, oh Song Xin, it seems she doesn’t care about you that much after all.

It wasn’t until she was almost home that Shao Xibei finally breathed a sigh of relief. Being around Song Xiuran was too high-pressure; the girl seemed constantly intent on doing things that were “not suitable for minors.”

Opening the front door, she looked into the living room bathed in warm yellow light. The two people sitting on the sofa gave her a sudden sense of displacement, as if a lifetime had passed.

It was the original host’s father and elder sister.

In her previous life, both of them had died. The massive family estate was left to a talentless glutton, and naturally, it was devoured by others until nothing remained. Shao Xibei had possessed the ability to save it back then, but the system had forbidden it—it was a necessary development of the plot, an irreversible destiny.

But in this life, she should be able to save their lives from the very beginning.

Shao Xibei greeted them and unceremoniously plopped onto the sofa, grabbing an apple and taking a loud bite. Such impolite behavior didn’t bother Father Shao in the slightest; he even smiled and asked, “My darling girl, do you want some grapes too?”

In total contrast to Father Shao’s indulgence was the eldest sister, Shao Yu.

Because their mother had passed away early, Father Shao had poured all his love for his late wife onto his two daughters, spoiling them immensely. However, he had spoiled them a bit too much. While the original host had become somewhat lawless, Shao Yu had matured early. By the age of eighteen, she had taken the burden of the massive family business onto her shoulders and frequently kept the original host in check.

Without Shao Yu, Father Shao’s “I’ll pluck the stars and moon for you” attitude would have led the original host to make many more irreparable mistakes.

Shao Yu shifted some of her focus from her laptop to Shao Xibei. Seeing her sister’s lazy posture, she frowned. “Look at the way you’re sitting. Where were you out fooling around this time?”

Shao Xibei crunched on her apple. “Sis, don’t always frown. You’re starting to look like Erlang Shen (the three-eyed god).” Her tone was incredibly cheeky.

Father Shao laughed heartily. “Careful, darling, or Yu-er might beat you. I won’t step in to stop her!”

Previously, Shao Yu was called “Big Darling” and Shao Xibei “Little Darling,” but because Shao Yu had strongly demanded the nickname be dropped, only Shao Xibei was still called “Darling” now.

Shao Yu took off her silver-rimmed glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. She closed her laptop, feeling that waiting for her sister in the living room had been a mistake. “I have to go to the company tomorrow. I’m going to wash up first.”

“Go ahead, Sis! And remember, frown less!” Shao Xibei tossed the apple core into the trash and waved her sister off.

Shao Yu sighed. “If you would learn how to manage the company and help share the load, I wouldn’t have to frown every day.”

Shao Xibei curled her lip. “With great power comes great responsibility. A useless person like me is only fit to live off my elders.”

This made Father Shao roar with laughter. “Hahaha! Darling, now you’re living off your sister!”

“Hahaha, that’s right! And Dad, you’re living off your daughter too!”

The nonsensical banter between the two made it hard for Shao Yu to join in, yet the corners of her mouth were turned up. Coming home to this scene every day made her feel that all her hard work was worth it—just so her family could live freely and happily.

As Shao Xibei lay on her soft, large bed, she thought about how kind the Shao family was. In her previous life, the news of their deaths had devastated her. Afterward, the vultures and wolves of the business world had pressed down on her until she could barely breathe.

Song Xin had merely been the final straw. Shao Xibei had already wanted to “death-escape” the mission anyway, as Song Xin’s favorability rating remained negative despite her long efforts at pursuit. So, when she learned Song Xin intended to commit her to a mental asylum, she had simply leapt from the high-rise building.

Gradually, Shao Xibei drifted into a dreamless sleep.

Meanwhile, at the hospital.

Song Xiuran had not left; she was sitting right beside Song Xin’s hospital bed. When Song Xin woke up, the first thing she saw was Song Xiuran. Now that they were alone, the masks were discarded.

Song Xin slowly propped herself up, her pale lips parting. “I didn’t expect that you would be reborn too.” Song Xiuran’s earlier words had been enough to confirm this suspicion.

Song Xiuran’s expression was cold, her pale eyes devoid of any warmth. This was her true self—indifferent to the point of appearing disdainful of the world.

“Song Xin, how do you still have the face to stay by Shao Xibei’s side?”

“In our last life, you caused her family’s ruin and hounded her until she jumped to her death. I really don’t know how you have the nerve to crawl back to her.”

Song Xin’s voice was hoarse as she hissed, “Shut up!!!”

Song Xiuran mocked her without mercy. “You did those things but you can’t bear to hear them spoken? You really are thick-skinned, Song Xin.”

Song Xin slammed her fist against the bed. “What do you know?! You know nothing!”

“Heh.” Song Xiuran’s pale eyes reflected Song Xin like a clear mirror. “In this life, Shao Xibei is mine. She can only be mine.”

“By the way, Song Xin… since both of us were reborn, don’t you think it’s possible that Shao Xibei was reborn too?”

Song Xin trembled violently. Song Xiuran had voiced the deepest, most terrifying fear in her heart. Ever since she had returned, she had wondered: if she could come back, why couldn’t Shao Xibei? Song Xiuran’s presence only made that suspicion feel more like a reality.

Song Xin’s face twisted in distress. Under Song Xiuran’s mechanical, detached gaze, she felt her own ugliness laid bare.

“Get out!!! Get out of here!!!”

Song Xiuran curled her lips into a pleasant smile. In an instant, she reverted to her charming, seductive persona. She flicked her hair and mouthed a single word to the woman on the bed: Idiot.

The conversation ended in total discord.

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