Everyone Regrets It After My Death - Chapter 13

Chapter 13: No One Stood by His Side

The “future star,” Qi Xinghe, raised his head haughtily amidst a round of applause. “I’m exhausted. This piano isn’t as good as the one at home.”

Su Mo said dotingly, “It’s certainly not as good as the one at home, but you played beautifully.”

The surrounding employees cheered.

“It sounds wonderful! It’s a pity there are only scores and no lyrics yet.”

“It’ll definitely sound even better with lyrics. We’re looking forward to Young Master Qi releasing his song!”

The investor Su Mo had specially invited also seemed satisfied. “Not bad. There’s potential.”

Su Mo hurriedly added, “Regarding the contract, we—”

Before he could finish, Su Mo caught sight of Su Mingran walking straight toward the piano. Under the gaze of everyone present, Mingran picked up the musical score and tore it to shreds.

The score was transcribed on ordinary paper; in an instant, it became a flurry of scraps.

The room fell silent. The only sound was Su Mingran’s voice: “Qi Xinghe, why do you always have to steal from me? Do you have no hands of your own, or no brain?”

Mingran’s face was calm and his voice didn’t waver, but upon closer inspection, his entire body was trembling.

Qi Xinghe ignored him with utter disdain. He turned and threw himself into Su Mo’s arms, his eyes welling with tears. “Brother, why is he framing me? I wrote that piece myself. How could I lie to you about something like this?”

Because the investor was still there, Su Mo maintained a polite front toward Su Mingran. He shot Mingran a warning look, then smiled at the guest. “Just children playing around. Forgive us for the scene.”

The investor was happy to do Su Mo a favor. “I shouldn’t interfere in family matters. We can discuss the details of the contract tomorrow.”

“Thank you for your time.”

Su Mo gestured to a subordinate, who understood and escorted the investor out.

The moment the door closed, Su Mo’s expression shifted into something cold and sharp. He glared at Su Mingran. “Su Mingran, you knew a VIP was here, yet you chose to sabotage us. Does it make you happy to see me embarrassed?”

Su Mingran kept his eyes lowered as the weight of every judgmental gaze in the room fell upon him.

Su Mo looked down at him. “Repeat what you just said. Who stole from whom?”

Standing safely behind Su Mo, Qi Xinghe poked his head out smugly. He mouthed silently at Mingran: Go ahead, say it. Even if you tell Brother I took yours, do you think he’ll believe you?

Mingran’s eyelashes trembled. This wasn’t the first time.

In high school, Mingran and Xinghe attended the same school but were in different classes. Both were selected for a provincial essay competition. Mingran spent over a month perfecting his essay. When the results came out, only Qi Xinghe’s name was on the list of winners.

At first, Mingran thought he simply wasn’t good enough and prepared to try harder next time. It was only when the school distributed copies of Xinghe’s winning essay that he realized with a shock: it was his own writing. Xinghe had swapped them, and Mingran had submitted a blank page.

Mingran had turned to his teacher, who claimed to be unable to help. He had turned to Su Mo.

At the time, Su Mo was busy with work and interrupted him impatiently. “Su Mingran, that’s enough. How could Xinghe possibly steal your essay? With your level of talent, what could you possibly write that’s worth stealing?”

To prove himself, Mingran had collected all his rough drafts, bound them together, and placed them on Su Mo’s desk. Su Mo had thrown them into the trash.

Now, Qi Xinghe had openly stolen his music and claimed it as his own—a perfect echo of years ago.

Suddenly, Su Mingran understood. He asked Su Mo, “Brother, is it fun to play me like this?”

He had experienced this over and over, yet he never learned. He still held onto unrealistic fantasies about the Su family, believing Su Mo would actually help him become a singer, believing he had finally found hope. In reality, he was just a tool—a foil used to make Qi Xinghe look better.

“You humiliate me in front of a client and then dare to ask if I’m ‘playing’ you? Su Mingran, don’t push it!”

Mingran lost all desire to explain. He simply murmured, “Brother, are we actually biological brothers?”

Knowing no one would answer, he let out a mocking laugh, his eyes drifting. “Were we switched at birth? Otherwise, how could a biological brother treat me like this?”

Su Mo didn’t care what Mingran felt. Seeing Qi Xinghe clutching his sleeve with a wronged expression, his disgust for Mingran only grew.

He shouldn’t have given Mingran even a shred of kindness. He was only preparing to let him debut, and already he was framing Xinghe. If he actually became a star, he would surely bully Xinghe even more.

Su Mo said with loathing, “Su Mingran, at least pick a lie people might believe. Xinghe is a music student. You just know how to play a few songs and read a bit of music—you think you can compose?”

No one knew Mingran had been taking classes at the Conservatory. Su Mo didn’t even know which university Mingran attended.

Su Mo pulled Xinghe into a protective embrace. “I asked you to come today, and you were late, leaving our client waiting. Xinghe stepped in to save the situation and keep the client interested.”

“Instead of thanking him, you accuse him of plagiarism. Look around—does anyone here believe you?”

The room was filled with company employees. Since Su Mo was their boss, they naturally took his side.

“I heard President Su’s other brother was annoying, but he seems rotten to the core.”

“I’m a good judge of character—one look at him and you can tell he’s crooked.”

“Poor Young Master Qi, being bullied just because he has a different surname. Luckily, President Su is reasonable.”

“How disgusting.”

“Shameless!”

The cacophony of voices rushed into Mingran’s ears. He remembered when Xinghe won the award for his essay. While Xinghe stood on stage, Mingran had begged his teacher for help.

“Teacher, I really wrote that essay. You saw it, didn’t you? Please, tell the principal. Qi Xinghe is a thief. He stole my work.”

But the teacher had only replied coldly, “Do you have proof? Me seeing it isn’t proof. I’m your teacher, not Xinghe’s. People will think I’m biased toward you. Besides, a plagiarism scandal would ruin the school’s reputation. It’s just an essay prize—not a college entrance bonus. Just let him have it.”

No one believed him. No one stood with him. Past, present, and perhaps future—it was always the same. He lived in Qi Xinghe’s shadow, forever a stepping stone for others.

Mingran was tired. Suddenly, nothing mattered anymore. As long as he could find Sister Xiao Ling, he would leave this family.

“So?” Mingran looked at Su Mo, his eyes dull and lifeless. He only wanted to know the outcome. Could he still debut? Could he find Sister Xiao Ling?

The question made Su Mo pause for a second. “The investor likes Xinghe, so he has to debut too.”

For some reason, the way Mingran looked at him made Su Mo feel a twinge of guilt. He suppressed it immediately and said righteously, “It was an accident that Xinghe was chosen. Don’t worry, I’ll still help you debut, as long as you don’t cross him.”

“You are both Su family members. I won’t hold today against you, but this can never happen again. Do you understand?”

Su Mo’s face was cold and stern as he gently patted Xinghe’s shoulder to comfort him.

Mingran ignored everything Su Mo said except for one thing. “I’ll do whatever you want. Sister Xiao Ling… Brother, did you actually look for her?”

The name “Sister Xiao Ling” was clearly unfamiliar to Su Mo. He looked toward his assistant with uncertainty.

The assistant stepped forward to speak for Su Mo. “Of course we did! President Su searched very seriously and went to a lot of trouble!”

Mingran didn’t believe him. He stared at the assistant. “What’s the progress? What was her situation when I left?”

The assistant had no idea. He stammered, “She… she…”

“I knew it…” Mingran whispered to himself. He had been so naive. How could Su Mo possibly help him?

His straight back suddenly slumped. “You never looked for her at all, did you?”

The assistant remained silent. No one spoke. The assistant racked his brain for a way to fix the lie, as they still needed to keep Mingran under control.

Qi Xinghe, however, was curious. “Who is ‘Xiao Ling’? Su Mingran, is she your mistress?”

“You’re quite the romantic, searching for a lover for so long. Someone from your childhood? Did you two sleep together?”

Su Mo frowned, about to stop Xinghe’s crude remarks, but in the next second, Su Mingran’s fist flew into Xinghe’s face.

Mingran seemed to have snapped. Even Su Mo, who was standing closest, didn’t react in time. He watched as Xinghe took a punch before he rushed to restrain Mingran.

But Mingran fought anyone who tried to stop him; he even landed a blow on Su Mo.

The crowd was stunned for a moment. Then, under the assistant’s roar, they all moved to pin Mingran down.

In the chaos, Su Mo shielded Xinghe and grabbed Mingran’s head, slamming it down onto the coffee table.

Mingran’s head struck the sharp corner of the table. He began to bleed.

The frantic atmosphere turned cold. Everyone stood panting, looking at Mingran, who lay motionless against the table. They were shaken.

Qi Xinghe broke the silence. “Brother, I’m scared. My face hurts so much.” His cheek was badly swollen as he sobbed. “Brother, I hate Su Mingran! Why does he have to be in my house? I really hate him!”

Su Mo wiped Xinghe’s tears, his expression slightly panicked. “I hate him too. Be good, Xinghe, don’t cry. I’ll take you to the hospital.”

Su Mo protected Xinghe as he glanced back at Mingran. “No one touch him or help him today. Let him stay here by himself and reflect on what he’s done.”

The assistant was worried something was wrong, as Mingran hadn’t moved an inch. “President Su, should I take him to the hospital? What if he…”

Su Mo cut him off sharply. “Then he got what he deserved.”

“Everyone saw it, right? He hit the table himself, and he started the fight. Even at the police station, it’s just a case of him provoking trouble. It has nothing to do with me or Xinghe.”

The room was silent for a beat before voices chimed in.

“Yes, I saw it. He hit it himself.”

“I saw it too. He tripped and hit the table.”

“He deserved it!”

“President Su is just educating his brother. It’s hard work for him.”

Everyone left the office. Soon after, they clocked out and went home. No one spared a thought for Su Mingran, who lay curled against the coffee table, perfectly still.