Chapter 369: Please Forgive Me

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Sitting in the car, Ye Rong wore a complex and hesitant expression.

“Go home.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Ye Rong sat in the car, her hand unconsciously covering her heart.

Her heart was beating fast, causing her entire body to chill, and she didn’t realize when her back had become drenched in cold sweat.

“Wait.”

“Miss, your orders, please.”

Ye Rong took a deep breath. “Go to the Peach Lotus Cup.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Meanwhile, the Royal Dance bus was traveling on the road.

Gu Qingcheng sat next to Ziyu, silent.

The slender Ziyu was curled up like a quail, her head down, secretly wiping away tears.

She had hoped Principal Gu would scold her, but Gu Qingcheng said nothing, just sitting beside her.

Up close, she could smell Gu Qingcheng’s faint fragrance, gradually relaxing her.

But every time she relaxed, she would remember Gu Qingcheng’s angry and fierce demeanor, and she would become too frightened to move.

Throughout the journey, Gu Qingcheng did not speak to Ziyu.

Li Jing, sitting next to Gu Qingcheng, gave her a look, signaling her to talk to Ziyu.

Gu Qingcheng saw Li Jing’s gesture, knew what she meant, but still did not say a word to Ziyu.

Today was the final of the Peach Lotus Cup, and the media were waiting early to interview Jiang City’s most famous principal—Gu Qingcheng.

However, Gu Qingcheng did not let the media interview her. She got off the bus, took Ziyu by the arm, and entered her makeup room.

“Do you still want to compete in this contest?” she finally broke the silence to ask Ziyu. “If you don’t want to, I can apply for your withdrawal right now.”

Ziyu stiffened, and her head, which had been lowered, suddenly raised, her eyes wide with shock.

“Prin… Principal…”

“What?” Gu Qingcheng asked calmly. “Speak clearly, what’s with the hesitancy?”

Hearing Gu Qingcheng’s words, Ziyu’s face turned pale. She bit her lower lip and said, “Principal, I don’t want to withdraw. I want to compete.”

Gu Qingcheng pointed to a mirror. “Do you look like someone who’s here to compete?”

Ziyu looked in the direction of Gu Qingcheng’s finger.

In the mirror, her face was pale, with a worried and pained expression, her back slightly hunched, looking listless and lacking confidence—not at all like someone about to compete in the finals of the Peach Lotus Cup.

Gu Qingcheng watched Ziyu’s dazed appearance, her brows slightly furrowed.

She wanted to strangle Gu Mei!

Gu Mei’s tactic was clever. Regardless of whether Ziyu went back to her stepfather’s house or not, her mother had already affected her mood. If Ziyu lost, it would be a victory for Gu Mei over her.

Since her rebirth, she had always crushed Gu Mei underfoot, never letting her win a single round.

Even today, she would not allow herself to lose to Gu Mei.

Even if Ziyu won the championship, she would still consider it a loss to Gu Mei.

But for her, who knew the outcome of her past life, Gu Mei’s cruel and vicious schemes were futile.

She already knew the result of the Peach Lotus Cup.

“I’d rather you withdraw than watch you compete in this state,” Gu Qingcheng told Ziyu. “You have no drive to win. Why bother going through the hardship of dancing? Just withdraw.”

Hearing this, Ziyu instinctively straightened her back, her spirit slightly revived.

She shook her head. “No, I don’t want to withdraw. I’ve made it to the finals; I can’t give up now.”

“Why can’t you withdraw?” Gu Qingcheng asked calmly.

“I’m not willing to give up,” Ziyu blurted out. “I’ve come from the preliminaries to the finals, and I’m close to winning the championship. How can I withdraw now? This is my glory; I’m not willing to give up.”

Gu Qingcheng’s eyes flickered.

Unwillingness.

She understood the weight of those words too well.

Unwillingness—it reminded her of the moment of her car accident, not willing to die and let the murderers, Qin Jun and Gu Mei, get away with it.

So, she survived. She would make Qin Jun and Gu Mei, and Chu He pay…

“Principal Gu, I know I was wrong,” Ziyu pleaded, looking at Gu Qingcheng. “I really know I was wrong. Please don’t make me withdraw. I want to compete. I remember your teachings; I want to live as myself, not as someone ruined by my mother and stepfather. Please give me a chance.”

Gu Qingcheng looked straight at Ziyu, seeing her unwillingness and the desire to compete and win in her eyes.

“You said you were wrong,” she asked Ziyu. “Where were you wrong?”

“I was wrong to kneel and beg my mother. I was wrong to be unconfident on the day of the finals,” Ziyu said spontaneously. “I was wrong. I knew my mother was beyond saving, yet I still hoped for her. Instead, she hurt me deeply with her words today.

“Principal, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me,” she begged, crying. “I’m sorry for letting down your training and for you rescuing me from my stepfather’s house. Trust me, I can win the championship. Please give me a chance.”

“Granting you a chance is not impossible,” Gu Qingcheng implied. “You said you would definitely win the championship, right?”

“Yes,” Ziyu said decisively, her demeanor firm and confident. “I can do it. I will win the championship for you, Principal.’

So she survived, determined to defeat Qin Jun, Gu Mei, and Chu He…

“Principal Gu, I know I’ve made mistakes,” Ziyu pleaded with a look of earnest remorse. “I really understand my errors. Please don’t let me withdraw from the competition. I remember your teachings, and I want to be my true self, not the person my mother and stepfather have tried to ruin. Please give me this

chance.”

Gu Qingcheng looked intently at Ziyu, seeing the unwillingness to give up and the strong desire to compete and win in her eyes.

“You say you were wrong,” she asked Ziyu, “Where exactly did you go wrong?”

“I was wrong to kneel and beg my mother; I was wrong to be unconfident on the day of the finals,” Ziyu answered swiftly. “I erred in still harboring hope for my mother, even though I knew she was beyond help. She completely disregarded my feelings on the day of my final competition and said things that deeply hurt me.”

“Principal, I realize my mistake. I beg you, please forgive me,” she implored tearfully. “I’m sorry for not living up to your training, for not appreciating your effort to rescue me from my stepfather’s house. Believe me, I can win the championship. Please give me this chance.”

“It’s not that I can’t give you a chance,” Gu Qingcheng said meaningfully. “You say you will definitely win the championship, right?”

“Yes,” Ziyu affirmed with determination, her expression full of resolve and confidence shining through her. “I can do it. I will win the championship for you, Principal..”