Turns Out I’m the Villain They’re Supposed to Redeem? [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 17

After dinner, Li Xuzhi returned to her room and sat on the sofa reading, while the kitten dozed off beside her.

A knock came at the door, and her mother’s voice filtered through.

“Xiao Xu, may I come in?”

Pausing her gaze, Li Xuzhi folded a corner of the page, casually set the book on the table, and rose to open the door.

Outside, her mother’s expression was hesitant.

That day, Li’s father had an important surgery and would be home late, so her mother had been strolling in the yard, waiting for him.

She had spent the entire afternoon preparing to recount the day’s events to her husband, hoping he would reconsider the marriage alliance with the Qi family.

But before her husband returned, Qi Qiuyuan and her mother arrived unexpectedly.

Both looked troubled, especially Qi’s mother, whose face was etched with worry. As soon as she saw Li’s mother, she began apologizing on behalf of her daughter.

Beside her, Qi Qiuyuan kept her head lowered, silent, and bowed deeply along with her mother’s apology.

Li’s mother was nearly stunned by the scene. Though Qi Qiuyuan had been wrong to keep her relationship a secret from her family, she and Li Xuzhi hadn’t even confirmed their relationship yet, such a formal apology seemed excessive.

Before she could speak, Qi Qiuyuan, who had been keeping her head down, suddenly looked up. Her face was bruised and swollen in several places, the once delicate and spirited features now barely recognizable.

“Auntie, I was at fault, and I won’t make excuses. But please believe me, my feelings for Sister Xuzhi are genuine.”

“That relationship was something I didn’t handle well. I wronged Sister Xuzhi, and I know I was wrong…”

Her voice choked with emotion, and Li’s mother watched in shock as the girl slapped her already injured face in remorse.

Li’s mother parted her lips in surprise, momentarily speechless.

Qi’s mother chimed in sympathetically, holding her daughter’s wrist with a pained expression, her eyes glistening.

“Qiuyuan confessed everything to me today. She and that girl were high school classmates. Young and easily tempted, she wanted to experience love, and since that girl pursued her persistently, she soft-heartedly agreed.”

At this, Qi’s mother sighed as if disappointed.

“It’s my fault for not raising her properly. How could she agree to be with someone she didn’t truly love…”

“Later, Qiuyuan realized her true feelings and immediately ended things with that girl. But she didn’t handle it well, and the girl ended up coming to our home.”

“This is her mistake, and getting beaten up was deserved. But I hope this incident won’t ruin the marriage alliance between our families. This child truly loves Xuzhi, she even declared in front of her father that she would marry no one but Xuzhi…”

Li’s mother had a soft heart and couldn’t bear to see others cry. Moved by the Qi mother and daughter’s sincere apologies and remorse, she found herself inclined to forgive Qi Qiuyuan’s actions.

It wasn’t until Qi Qiuyuan expressed a desire to go upstairs and apologize to Li Xuzhi in person that Li’s mother snapped back to reality.

No matter how much Qi Qiuyuan claimed to love Li Xuzhi, she knew her own daughter best. From Li Xuzhi’s reaction that afternoon, it was clear she didn’t care whether Qi Qiuyuan had been in a relationship with someone else.

Otherwise, today when the two of them fought, Li Xuzhi wouldn’t have been concerned about that girl named Huo Yuwan.

As for Qi Qiuyuan’s injuries, she hadn’t mentioned a single word about them today.

“Xuzhi’s forehead injury hasn’t healed yet, and she’s already resting.”

Stopping Qi Qiuyuan, who wanted to go upstairs, Mrs. Li calmly spoke.

“I wasn’t considerate enough. Then I’ll come back tomorrow to apologize to Sister Xuzhi.”

Gazing at a certain bedroom on the second floor where the light was still on, Qi Qiuyuan slowly withdrew his gaze, then responded with a gentle smile.

It wasn’t until the mother and daughter’s figures disappeared that Mrs. Li hesitantly turned and went upstairs.

…

It seemed the Qi family had already set their sights on Li Xuzhi, and Mrs. Li’s resolve began to waver.

Both families knew each other well, and Qi Qiuyuan was someone she had watched grow up. He was outstanding, and making mistakes at a young age was only human.

More importantly, he genuinely liked Li Xuzhi. Originally, Mrs. Li’s biggest worry was that the two would marry due to family pressure, and without emotional bonds, the marriage would be difficult to sustain.

But now that Qi Qiuyuan had developed feelings, it might not be a bad choice for her daughter.

In just a moment, she forgot that she had just been planning to persuade her husband to abandon the idea of an arranged marriage.

…

In the bedroom, as soon as Mrs. Li entered, she began telling her daughter about what had just happened downstairs.

Her words unconsciously began to favor Qi Qiuyuan.

As if his genuine affection were some rare and precious thing.

Li Xuzhi pressed her lips tightly together, unable to believe that the person before her was the same one who, just hours earlier, had firmly promised to persuade her father to stop pressuring her.

Her mother.

Even though she hadn’t held out much hope, witnessing her mother change her mind halfway through still left Li Xuzhi feeling unavoidably disappointed.

She didn’t speak, and the atmosphere in the room grew heavy with silence.

The cold expression on her daughter’s face was too obvious, and Mrs. Li, finally realizing it, slowly let her smile fade, her hands clasped together stiffly and unnaturally.

“Xiao Xu…”

She spoke uneasily.

“Please leave. I need to rest.”

Picking up the book that had been lying face down on the table, Li Xuzhi’s voice returned to calm.

“Mom is thinking of you, Qiuyuan…”

She tried to continue persuading her.

“Dad gave me his word, he won’t interfere with my personal life for the next three years.”

“So, please abide by that too.”

As if sensing its owner’s mood, the kitten silently crept forward and nestled in Li Xuzhi’s arms, offering comfort.

“When did this happen?”

Mrs. Li was momentarily shocked.

She had always assumed her husband was still pressuring Li Xuzhi relentlessly.

Gently stroking the fox’s smooth fur, Li Xuzhi picked it up and stood, offering no response.

Her gaze fell on the bandage on her daughter’s forehead, and she suddenly thought of something.

“This injury… did you threaten him…?”

She had always assumed her husband had lashed out that day because Li Xuzhi had angered him again, but now it occurred to her that might not be the truth.

Mr. Li wasn’t the type to easily agree to let Li Xuzhi have her freedom.

Unless there was a reason he couldn’t avoid.

Her footsteps slowly came to a halt, and Li Xuzhi turned to look at her shocked mother.

“Yes, I threatened to kill myself to get what I wanted.”

“So, from now on, please don’t interfere in my affairs.”

She no longer held any hope of having a qualified mother.

All she asked was not to be disturbed again.

Li Xuzhi had already carried the fox into the bathroom, leaving Mother Li standing dazed in place.

…

Meanwhile, at the Qi residence.

“Xuzhi has already gone to rest. I’ll accompany Qiuyuan to visit her tomorrow.”

Sitting cautiously beside her husband, Mother Qi glanced at his expression and explained in a low voice.

With a cold snort, Father Qi looked at Qi Qiuyuan, who hung her head, not daring to speak.

“Is she really resting, or does she just not want to see you?”

Pursing her lips nervously, Qi Qiuyuan forced herself to speak calmly.

“If she refuses to see me now, doesn’t that mean Xuzhi cares about me?”

“Yes, yes, it’s only natural for Xuzhi to be angry. Let Qiuyuan go apologize tomorrow and coax her a little, it’ll be fine.”

Mother Qi chimed in, speaking up for her daughter.

“Remember what you said. Don’t disappoint me again.”

As if convinced, Father Qi withdrew his gaze from Qi Qiuyuan and focused intently on the evening news playing on the television screen.

Qi Qiuyuan stood bent at his side, her lowered hair concealing the unwillingness and resentment in her eyes.

“I understand, Father.”

Father Qi had witnessed the events from noon clearly. While Qi Qiuyuan was still tending to the injuries on her face, he had stormed in and slapped her.

Associating with low-class commoners was bad enough, but she had even dared to let them confront her publicly, disgracing the family by brawling in front of everyone.

She had utterly shamed the Qi family.

Moreover, this incident would inevitably affect the relationship between the two families to some extent.

Li’s father’s promotion to dean was already a certainty, while Father Qi himself had been struggling within his own department. He couldn’t afford to jeopardize their relationship with the Li family, yet Qi Qiuyuan had dared to drag him down at such a critical moment.

Ignoring his wife’s tearful pleas, Father Qi issued Qi Qiuyuan an ultimatum: no matter what it took, she had to apologize to Li Xuzhi and seek her forgiveness. After that, she was to obediently go abroad for closed training until she secured the championship in the next provincial competition.

Upon hearing this, Qi Qiuyuan panicked. The next provincial competition was nearly a year away. A year of closed training abroad, with no one to care for or accompany her, she simply couldn’t endure it.

Moreover, she didn’t want to give up on Li Xuzhi like this.

Recalling how Li Xuzhi’s gaze had lingered on Huo Yuwan all day, Qi Qiuyuan was filled with resentment.

So she knelt before her father, begging him for another chance.

She lied, claiming that she and Li Xuzhi had been getting along well recently. If she sincerely repented, she was sure to win Li Xuzhi’s forgiveness. Perhaps it wouldn’t be long before the two families could arrange a marriage alliance.

Qi Qiuyuan’s proposal aligned perfectly with Father Qi’s interests. If she could truly make amends, it would be a win-win situation.

His future promotion would still require Li’s father’s assistance.

…

The night Huo Yuwan contacted Li Yu, she went to see her. The weather in Kaicheng in April was unpredictable, the sun had been blindingly bright during the day, but by evening, dark clouds had gathered, and the gloomy sky threatened rain at any moment.

“I know you.”

That was the first thing Li Yu said upon meeting Huo Yuwan.

Calmly nodding, Huo Yuwan showed no surprise.

During the last school sports meet, she had nearly swept all the championship medals in the girls’ athletic events, making her quite famous in the school.

It was no surprise that Li Yu recognized her.

Watching Huo Yuwan’s composed demeanor, Li Yu lowered her gaze and let out a silent, bitter smile.

Truth be told, she had considered multiple times pinning all the injustices she had endured recently onto Huo Yuwan, it would have given her a convenient outlet for her pent-up frustrations.