After Mistaking My Stepsister’s First Love - Chapter 38

Due to the large number of people requiring makeup and styling, Teacher Guan had notified everyone the night before to gather at 7:30 a.m. and head straight to the venue to prepare, avoiding any delays caused by traffic.

When they arrived at the venue, Ye Wenjin realized they weren’t the earliest, the backstage area was already packed with people, bustling with noise and activity.

She understood, though. After all, their group wasn’t the only one performing today. Despite Teacher Guan’s early notice, it was almost 10 a.m. by the time it was their turn for makeup.

The backstage area was chaotic, like a battlefield, loud and frenzied.

As the lead dancer, Ye Wenjin’s makeup and styling were more elaborate. So, the moment a spot opened up, the makeup artist quickly pulled her over to get started.

The woman helping her with makeup was a long-time collaborator with the academy.

She had a very distinctive style even after waking up so early, her outfit was impeccable. Every time Ye Wenjin saw her, she couldn’t help but be struck by her vibrant presence.

The woman favored bright, lively colors in her outfits, radiating an energetic vibe.

Having worked together for so long, the two were quite familiar with each other.

As the powder brush swept across her face, Ye Wenjin found herself zoning out.

Had her sister left yet?

It was still early, so she was probably still at home, maybe handling work in the study at this hour?

Though her mind wandered, Ye Wenjin still instinctively followed the makeup artist’s instructions.

Midway through the process, the makeup artist couldn’t help but chuckle. Seeing the dazed look in Ye Wenjin’s eyes, she teased her.

“What’s on your mind, Xiao Ye? You look completely distracted.”

Ye Wenjin froze, instinctively shaking her head. “N-nothing.”

“Hey! Don’t move! The sticker’s crooked now!”

Ye Wenjin immediately stiffened, not daring to move a muscle, her apology barely above a whisper. “Sorry, Xiaoxiao-jie.”

Tan Xiaoxiao shot her a reproachful look. “What’s going on with you today? Are you sure you’re okay?”

Ye Wenjin didn’t dare move, only blinking carefully. “I’m really fine!”

Tan Xiaoxiao studied her for a moment before nodding and resuming her work.

By the time they moved on to styling, it was already past 11 a.m.

That was when Tan Xiaoxiao noticed something even stranger about Ye Wenjin.

She kept glancing at her phone but never took any action. It wasn’t that Tan Xiaoxiao was deliberately watching, it was just hard to miss while working on her hair.

She noticed Ye Wenjin’s phone screen would go black, only to be unlocked immediately, then go black again, as if stuck in some inexplicable loop.

“Waiting for someone’s message?”

The sudden question startled Ye Wenjin. “No!” she blurted out, guiltily locking her screen.

Then, through the mirror, she caught Tan Xiaoxiao’s knowing look.

Ye Wenjin gave an awkward smile.

She had actually wanted to ask her sister when she’d arrive. Though it was only just past 11, she was worried Jian Mo might get delayed on the way.

But she’d already texted Jian Mo in the morning would sending another message annoy her?

Ye Wenjin didn’t want Jian Mo to feel pressured, so she’d been hesitating with her phone in hand for a while.

The closer it got to the performance, the harder it was to calm her restless heart.

Although Jian Mo had been invited to watch the performance long in advance, Ye Wenjin still hadn’t gotten used to the idea. All her mental preparation seemed to have gone to waste.

But could she really be blamed for it?

After all, this was the first time her sister would be watching her perform.

Just the thought of it made Ye Wenjin’s heart race uncontrollably.

Staring at her phone, she let out a silent sigh.

She had been hesitating for so long that even Tan Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but notice.

Tan Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but feel curious, who on earth could make Ye Wenjin, someone whose mind was usually occupied solely by dance, act so cautiously?

Watching as Ye Wenjin turned off her phone screen again, Tan Xiaoxiao found it both amusing and intriguing. “So, is it someone you like?”

At those words, Ye Wenjin’s heart seemed to skip a beat.

When she realized what Tan Xiaoxiao was implying, a faint blush quickly spread across her face.

“I… she,  um… yes! It’s someone I like.”

Her hesitant tone gradually grew firmer, though Ye Wenjin looked as if steam might start rising from her head at any moment.

Tan Xiaoxiao observed her with fascination. “You’re this shy? Xiao Ye, I have to say, if you’re this timid around someone you like, it won’t do. You’ve got to be bolder.”

Then she changed the subject. “So, were you hesitating because you wanted to invite them to the performance?”

Ye Wenjin’s face turned even redder, and she stammered, “N-no! I already invited her. I just wanted to ask when she’d be coming.”

Tan Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow and glanced at the time. “In such a hurry? The performance isn’t until 1 p.m., right? I never would’ve guessed, Xiao Ye, you’re actually quite clingy, huh?”

Ye Wenjin’s heart tightened. “Am I… clingy?”

Seeing her nervousness, Tan Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but laugh. “I was just teasing. Relax.”

Ye Wenjin fell into serious contemplation for a moment before asking earnestly, “Xiaoxiao-jie, is being too clingy,  a bad thing?”

Tan Xiaoxiao arched a brow, thinking it over before answering. “Probably? Personally, I wouldn’t like it if my partner was too clingy. Everyone has their own things to do, after all. Being overly clingy would feel suffocating, don’t you think?”

Ye Wenjin sank into deep thought, trying to recall whether she had been acting clingy.

So when her phone suddenly chimed with a notification, she startled so badly she nearly dropped it.

Tan Xiaoxiao burst out laughing but, seeing Ye Wenjin’s embarrassment, quickly coughed twice and feigned seriousness. “I’ll go find some hair ties.”

With that, she turned away to rummage through her makeup bag.

Ye Wenjin felt a little awkward, but she had more pressing matters now. She hurriedly unlocked her phone and saw that the message was indeed from Jian Mo.

But the moment she read it, she froze.

Jian Mo said something had come up suddenly, and she might not make it to the performance.

It took Ye Wenjin a long while to process the news, her disappointment impossible to hide. Still, she quickly pulled herself together and replied, assuring Jian Mo that it was fine and she should focus on her own matters.

The moment she sent the message, the smile that had instinctively risen on her face slowly faded. She stared blankly at her reflection in the mirror.

Her heart felt hollow.

When Tan Xiaoxiao returned after giving her some time, she expected to see a radiant Ye Wenjin. Instead, she was met with a little bitter melon.

“What’s wrong? Did you two fight?” Tan Xiaoxiao asked in surprise.

Ye Wenjin wilted like a limp cabbage. “Jiejie said she probably can’t come.”

Tan Xiaoxiao blinked, savoring the word “sister” for a moment before suddenly smiling. “So it’s a sister after all. That’s nice, really nice… Wait, why can’t she come? Something came up?”

Ye Wenjin nodded weakly.

She knew Jian Mo was usually busy too. Although her sister had mentioned she’d be free on weekends, unexpected situations could always arise.

Ye Wenjin understood this logically, but she couldn’t help feeling a pang of disappointment deep down.

However, after just a brief moment of gloom, Ye Wenjin quickly pulled herself together.

The performance was about to start, and she had to adjust her emotions immediately.

Tan Xiaoxiao watched in amazement as the previously wilted little cabbage suddenly perked up again and couldn’t help but marvel.

No wonder she was the lead dancer with professionalism like this, she was bound to succeed.

As the makeup and styling were nearly finished, Rong Yunshu walked in carrying two meals. Seeing they weren’t quite done yet, she quietly waited to the side.

Only when Tan Xiaoxiao signaled they were almost finished did she speak up. “Wenjin, let’s eat first.”

Ye Wenjin responded but seemed disinterested.

She didn’t feel particularly hungry, but eating now was just right there’d be enough time to digest before the performance. So despite her lack of appetite, she forced herself to eat half of the meal.

“Not eating anymore?” Rong Yunshu asked, puzzled.

The portion she’d brought was Ye Wenjin’s usual amount, but today she’d only eaten half, something was off.

Ye Wenjin paused, then shook her head. “Not very hungry. I’ll just snack for now and eat properly after the show.”

She seemed no different from usual, but Rong Yunshu couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. After studying her expression for a moment, she ventured, “You seem preoccupied. Did something happen?”

Honestly, she didn’t even need to ask. There were only a handful of people who could affect Ye Wenjin’s mood like this.

And given her current state if you looked closely, she seemed a little down.

It couldn’t be because her mother wasn’t coming, could it? So the answer was already clear.

That woman surnamed Jian probably wasn’t going to make it after all.

Ye Wenjin shook her head and smiled. “It’s nothing. I’m just a little nervous.”

Rong Yunshu hummed softly and didn’t press further.

But during the wait before the performance, she kept catching glimpses of Ye Wenjin clutching her phone, hesitating, her eyes flickering with hope.

Her heart felt like it had been doused in lemon water sour and astringent.

But the show was about to start, and Rong Yunshu knew she couldn’t afford to falter. So she forcibly averted her gaze, lowering her eyes to steady her emotions.

And Ye Wenjin did indeed still hold onto a sliver of hope, thinking that since the performance hadn’t started yet, maybe Jian Mo would suddenly message to say she was coming.

But no, even as the announcement began and they were about to step onstage, her phone remained silent.

Disappointment was hard to conceal on Ye Wenjin’s face, but with the performance imminent, she had no choice but to put her phone away and prepare to go on.

Once she stood under the spotlight onstage, all distractions vanished from her mind.

In this moment, she belonged solely to the stage.

So absorbed was she that Ye Wenjin didn’t notice the figure standing in the dimly lit doorway at the very back of the auditorium when the performance began, their gaze fixed intently on her as she danced onstage.

That person’s focus was absolute, as if the entire world had narrowed down to the performance or rather, to that one graceful, leaping figure.

Gradually, the figure before them began to overlap with the one from their memories.

The only difference was that now, this figure moved with even greater ease and mastery than before.

Ye Wenjin was growing at a visibly rapid pace, the once awkward and stumbling figure during training gradually being replaced by the dazzling presence she embodied now.

Jian Mo suddenly curved her eyes into a smile, her gaze brightening intensely.

Her phone vibrated incessantly, yet Jian Mo paid it no mind, her attention solely fixed on the radiant figure on stage.

Only when the performance concluded flawlessly did she finally turn away, slipping out silently as she glanced at the beaming, joyful person one last time.

Without her watching, Ye Wenjin seemed even more at ease.

Her performance had been a success that was enough.

The moment the passage door closed behind her, the violently vibrating phone was finally answered.

“Aunt Wu, yes, I’m fine. She’s already been restrained. I’ll handle it.”

Her voice was icy, devoid of any warmth, as if the very air around her had dropped several degrees.

A soft sigh seemed to drift from the other end of the call before Jian Mo hung up.

Originally, Jian Mo had already left according to plan, only to be interrupted midway by news of an urgent matter at the company that required her immediate attention.

Reluctantly, she had to alter her plans, deciding to deal with the issue before returning.

Time was tight. By the time she arrived at the venue, there was no chance of making it to her seat.

So she took the nearest passageway, unwilling to miss Ye Wenjin’s performance.

Yet, standing in that passage was someone who should never have been there.

The instant the woman appeared, the warmth in Jian Mo’s eyes vanished, replaced by undisguised revulsion.

Before her stood Jian Li, her nominal Alpha mother, someone who should have been confined to the villa on the mountainside yet here she was.

Jian Mo’s gaze turned frigid.

The lighting in the passage was dim, the sparse beams casting just enough light to illuminate both their faces as they stood facing each other, mirror-like in resemblance.

They looked strikingly alike, as if carved from the same mold.

But seeing that familiar face only filled Jian Mo with disgust.

Noticing her repulsed expression, Jian Li let out a low chuckle. “Xiao Mo, long time no see, my dear daughter.”

Her tone was almost sing-song, her expression tinged with amusement.

“What are you doing here?”

Jian Mo’s voice was glacial, but Jian Li remained unfazed. She tilted her head slightly, her gaze seemingly piercing through the door at the end of the passage, as if she could see the performance venue beyond.

Lost in some memory, Jian Li’s eyes brimmed with nostalgia.

“Your mother once performed here too, Xiao Mo. I’m sure you have no idea how captivating she was back then.”

Jian Mo’s pupils constricted sharply, her expression darkening instantly.

“You, what right do you have to mention her?!”

Jian Li’s lips curled slowly. Though her features appeared gentle, there was something undeniably unsettling about her.

“Why wouldn’t I have the right? We were legally wedded wives. Even if Shen Xiyun is dead, she was and always will be, my spouse. She could never escape me.”

A sudden silence seemed to envelop them. By the time Jian Mo registered what had happened, Jian Li was sprawled on the ground, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, yet her laughter was wild and unrestrained.

“Admit it, Xiao Mo. You’re just like me. You can never escape this truth half your blood is mine, half your genes are mine. Even if you’re an Omega, what does it matter?”

“See? You were drawn to her too, weren’t you?”

“Deception, pretense, ruthlessness. Xiao Mo, you truly are my daughter, inheriting everything from me.”

Outside the door, the performance was about to begin.

Yet the corridor remained eerily silent, filled only with the whispers of demons.

For a moment, Jian Mo felt as if her vision was bathed in crimson. Jian Li’s words coiled around her ears, invasive and relentless, trying to drag her into the abyss until suddenly,

Thunderous applause erupted.

Everything around her receded like a tide. Jian Mo stared blankly ahead.

The previous act had ended, Xiaojin’s performance was about to start.

She lowered her head again, then abruptly pulled out a syringe and plunged it into Jian Li’s body.

Meeting Jian Li’s shocked gaze, Jian Mo’s face remained utterly calm. “Do you like it? This habit was cultivated just for you.”

Jian Li curled her lips, mouthing silent words.

But Jian Mo no longer cared. She swiftly called for someone to take Jian Li away to her car, then pushed open the door with palpable urgency.

The moment the door swung open, a beam of light illuminated the stage.

And so, the only thing left in her eyes was Ye Wenjin, bathed in that radiant glow.

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