After Mistaking My Stepsister’s First Love - Chapter 46

Ye Wenjin didn’t know what she was thinking, but she could sense something from her expression.

At that moment, Ye Shuyao’s demeanor didn’t seem to indicate she was thinking of anything good. After all, they had lived together for so long, so Ye Wenjin could pick up on some things.

However, Ye Wenjin would never have guessed that Ye Shuyao’s thoughts were actually quite simple, simple enough to be amusing; her only goal was to make Ye Wenjin return to the Yin family after feeling wronged, to ask for her help.

But Ye Shuyao probably forgot that since growing up, Ye Wenjin hadn’t sought her help in a long time. In fact, it was Ye Shuyao who encouraged her to be independent.

Yet, in Ye Shuyao’s perception of Ye Wenjin, it seemed she was still stuck in her childhood.

Because when Ye Wenjin was little, whenever she felt wronged outside, she would always rush home first, throwing herself into Ye Shuyao’s arms for comfort.

This was the most natural dependence a child has on their mother.

Every time she heard Ye Wenjin’s childish words, Ye Shuyao would feel both amused and helpless, but at the same time, she would feel happy because of that dependence.

Little Ye Wenjin was truly adorable, and recently, Ye Shuyao often found herself reminiscing about those times.

So she believed that if Ye Wenjin felt wronged like before, perhaps she would come back.

Being alone in the Yin family sometimes felt very lonely. Although it was a blended family, this was also Ah Jin’s home.

They were all family, so why couldn’t Ah Jin be a bit more magnanimous?

Perhaps her thoughts were too chaotic; Ye Shuyao not only frequently recalled little Ye Wenjin but also often had nightmares, dreaming that Ye Wenjin was drifting further away from her, and no matter how much she called out, the other person wouldn’t turn back.

At the moment she woke up, Ye Shuyao felt a deep sense of loss, often filled with panic, but she suppressed it.

She knew she couldn’t wait any longer; Ah Jin was genuinely angry. She had to coax her first; as long as she soothed her a little, Ah Jin would surely return to how she used to be.

Ye Shuyao had always known that her Ah Jin was easy to manage since childhood, and even as she grew up, she was very reassuring, so it must be the same now.

However, Ye Wenjin was no longer a child; she had grown up and was no longer the little girl who would let things go with just a few comforting words from Ye Shuyao. In fact, due to Ye Shuyao’s recent behavior, Ye Wenjin’s heart had already grown cold.

Thus, no matter what Ye Shuyao said or how much she pleaded, Ye Wenjin remained indifferent, her gaze flat and emotionless, simply watching her quietly.

Ye Shuyao felt her heart begin to panic again and couldn’t help but call out, “Ah Jin? I…”

Ye Wenjin interrupted her, asking, “How much do you know about what happened to me recently?”

Ye Shuyao’s face stiffened, instinctively resisting the question and unwilling to answer.

However, Ye Wenjin didn’t let her escape and continued to press, “Why are you silent? You had plenty to say just now.”

Hearing her words, Ye Shuyao involuntarily took a step back, feeling a sense of unfamiliarity from Ye Wenjin. Moreover, she didn’t know how to defend herself in this situation, so she could only look at Ye Wenjin with a sorrowful expression, unable to speak.

Ye Wenjin pressed her lips together, feeling powerless once again.

Fortunately, she wasn’t alone this time. After witnessing yet another outrageous act from Ye Shuyao, Chu Yunsheng couldn’t hold back any longer.

“There’s no one else here, Auntie. That expression of yours isn’t fooling anyone. Instead of wasting time with this act, why not just speak plainly? I’m genuinely curious, do you always rely on this act to manipulate Wenjin? My god, with communication skills like this, you’d be fired in minutes at my mom’s company. Everyone’s busy here, so cut the nonsense, alright?”

Ye Shuyao’s face flushed red for a moment before she finally dropped her “loving mother” facade. “How dare you speak so rudely, you insolent child? I’m talking to my daughter, what business is it of yours?”

Chu Yunsheng’s eyebrows shot up, ready to fire back, while Ye Wenjin’s gaze turned icy as she prepared to speak. But to everyone’s surprise, the first to respond was Zhou Wuhuan, the one who usually faded into the background and once she started, she left no room for interruptions.

“You’re the rudest one here, pretending to be some innocent victim when people call you out. No one can top you acting like a delicate young girl at your age, so fake it’s nauseating. Weren’t you so talkative earlier? Now you’re speechless? Guilty conscience, huh?”

“Oh, right, it’s not that you’re talkative, you’re just good at brainwashing. If I didn’t know you’d gotten married all these years, I’d think you’d been training in a pyramid scheme with those low-tier manipulation tactics. If Wenjin didn’t care about you, your tricks would be utterly useless.”

“Honestly, I’m starting to doubt if Wenjin is even your biological daughter. Do you hate her that much? Can’t stand to see her happy? What kind of mentality is that? Right now, what you need isn’t to spout nonsense, it’s a doctor. If you really cared about her, the best thing you could do is stay far away. The less you’re around, the happier Wenjin would be.”

She delivered the entire speech without pausing, leaving everyone stunned into silence.

Then, with a completely earnest expression, Zhou Wuhuan added, “Oh, and one more thing your eyesight seems pretty bad too. While you’re seeing the doctor, get your eyes checked. Otherwise, you won’t even be able to read people’s expressions.”

Dead silence followed.

All eyes turned to her in shock.

Ye Wenjin was among the stunned. After all, in her memory, Zhou Wuhuan had always been shy and soft-spoken!

Was her mother… just that infuriating? How else could she provoke even the timid and silent Zhou Wuhuan into such an eloquent outburst?

And it wasn’t just her, Chu Yunsheng and Rong Yunshu were equally dumbfounded.

Clearly, none of them had ever seen this side of Zhou Wuhuan before.

Rong Yunshu’s expression was complicated. After a long pause, he finally murmured, “You’ve been holding that in for a while, huh? Must’ve been tough.”

Chu Yunsheng’s reaction was even more exaggerated, gaping at Zhou Wuhuan in awe. “Holy shit, that was amazing! Who knew you had this in you, Zhou Wuhuan? You’ve been hiding some serious skills!”

Zhou Wuhuan, only now realizing what she’d just said: “…”

Embarrassed, she instinctively reached to adjust her glasses only to remember she wasn’t wearing any. Her hand hovered awkwardly in the air, making the moment even more cringe.

As for Ye Shuyao, she was completely dumbstruck. Though she glared at Zhou Wuhuan with fury, her lips trembled without producing a single word, her eyes flickering with something like fear.

Proof of just how devastating Zhou Wuhuan’s verbal assault had been.

And far from being upset, Ye Wenjin felt as if a weight had been lifted from her chest suddenly, everything felt clearer.

These were words she had long wanted to say to Ye Shuyao, but because the other party was her mother, no matter how heartbroken she felt, she couldn’t bring herself to voice them.

Zhou Wuhua’s bluntness, however, had unexpectedly left her feeling lighter than ever before.

Ye Wenjin’s gaze was calm as she looked over. “You always used to say the outside world was dangerous, that I shouldn’t go too far for school, afraid I’d be bullied, that you were the only one in this world who truly loved me. But when I finally stepped out, I realized that wasn’t the case at all. There were many people who showed me kindness, while in the Yin family, I often felt the harm you brought upon me.”

She had truly been lost for a long time. The beliefs instilled in her by Ye Shuyao clashed violently with the reality she encountered, and it could be said that the person she had become was largely shaped by her mother.

“Mom, this is the last time I’ll call you that. I’ve been thinking a lot lately over the years, you did spend time and money raising me. I’ll calculate it as soon as possible and transfer the amount to you in a couple of days. After that, we’ll be even.”

Pausing, Ye Wenjin lowered her lashes, her voice soft but firm. “When Yin Yu locked me up, I still held onto hope for you. I hoped you would let me go but you didn’t.”

“That was when I started wondering were you really still my mother? Maybe, after the divorce, I had nothing left. I should have realized it sooner.”

Seeing the resolve in Ye Wenjin’s eyes, Ye Shuyao felt a sharp pain in her chest. Overwhelmed by unprecedented panic, she grabbed her daughter’s wrist, her grip unconsciously tightening. “Ah Jin! What are you saying? I won’t allow it! No matter what, you’ll always be my daughter! I love you so much, why can’t you believe that?”

Ye Wenjin sighed inwardly and slowly pulled her hand free. Her voice was quiet, but her words mercilessly shattered Ye Shuyao’s illusions.

“You don’t love me. You just love yourself. And I’m nothing more than a bargaining chip for that love. Is it really so hard to admit?”

Ye Shuyao shook her head frantically in denial. “No, that’s not true! I do love you, you’re my daughter, how could I not? It’s impossible for me not to love you! Everything I’ve done has been for your sake! Why won’t you believe me? Ah Jin, don’t say such hurtful things, I don’t want to hear them.”

Her tone carried a hint of pleading, and for a moment, her expression even seemed genuine.

Ye Wenjin looked at her and suddenly felt a deep sorrow not just for Ye Shuyao, but for herself.

Sorrow for not seeing the truth sooner. Sorrow for the fact that Ye Shuyao had gradually become someone she no longer recognized.

Ye Wenjin had no desire to drag this out any longer.

“I’ve made myself clear. If you insist on clinging to your delusions, there’s nothing more I can do. But from now on, if you try to contact me, I won’t see you. If you force your way into my school, I’ll call the police. And even if they don’t intervene… I still have my sister.”

After a brief pause, she added, “I won’t forget my promise to repay you. I’ve said all I needed to say.”

“Let’s… It’s best if we don’t meet again.”

With that, Ye Wenjin felt as if a weight had been lifted. “Let’s go. It’s time to head back.”

Chu Yunsheng was the first to respond. Having endured this unpleasant confrontation, she was more than ready to leave the woman who had completely upended her perceptions. Cheerfully, she followed after Ye Wenjin.

Zhou Wuhua followed closely behind, pausing briefly with a conflicted look as she passed Ye Shuyao, but she didn’t stop, quickly speeding away.

Rong Yunshu walked at the rear, glancing at Ye Shuyao’s dazed expression before indifferently averting his gaze. This time, he didn’t even leave a single word behind as he strode off.

From a distance, Ye Shuyao could hear the group chatting idly, seemingly discussing whether to grab a bite to eat. After a moment’s thought, Ye Wenjin said she wanted to have spicy hot pot.

Ye Shuyao froze.

Didn’t Ah Jin need to watch her figure? How could she eat spicy hot pot? That stuff is heavily seasoned, she shouldn’t like it…

Right, Ah Jin never liked food that was too strong or greasy, yet every meal at the Yin household was practically lavish feasts.

And Ye Wenjin… she always ate very little. But Ye Shuyao had never noticed or perhaps she had, but simply didn’t care, even urging Ye Wenjin to endure it.

Because she was afraid of causing trouble for others, afraid of making things difficult.

The voices of their conversation gradually faded, but she could still faintly hear Ye Wenjin’s laughter.

Ye Shuyao felt a sudden disorientation. It had been so long since she’d seen Ah Jin smile, when was the last time?

How… how could she not remember?

It felt like a hollow space had opened in her heart, whistling emptily in the evening breeze.

Yet, Ye Shuyao’s thoughts had already been completely forgotten by Ye Wenjin. As soon as the group reached the banquet hall entrance, they saw Jian Mo stepping out.

Ye Wenjin was surprised. “Sister? Why did you come out?”

The moment she saw her unharmed, Jian Mo visibly relaxed.

Even though the hotel was hers, there were always moments she couldn’t oversee everything. Afraid of a repeat of last time’s incident, she had come out to check when Ye Wenjin didn’t return for so long.

Only after asking did Ye Wenjin realize, Jian Mo must have come out looking for her.

A smile unconsciously spread across her face, accompanied by a hint of guilt. She lowered her voice and said, “I made you worry, Sister. I’m sorry.”

Jian Mo naturally reached out and pinched her earlobe, but her gaze seemed to say, I’ll deal with you later.

Ye Wenjin gave an ingratiating smile.

Jian Mo sighed helplessly, but then her eyes caught the red marks on Ye Wenjin’s wrist, and her brow furrowed slightly.

“Why is your wrist red?”

Only then did Ye Wenjin notice it herself. She was a little surprised, but after a brief recollection, she understood, it must have been from Ye Shuyao’s earlier agitation.

“It’s just a faint mark. It’s nothing serious.”

A shadow flickered through Jian Mo’s eyes. She gave a soft hum. “Let’s go back.”

Ye Wenjin had a feeling that, though Jian Mo’s expression was neutral, her mood wasn’t great. But now wasn’t the time to ask, so she suppressed her questions, planning to bring it up after the banquet.

Besides, she also had something to discuss with Jian Mo.

But before that, Ye Wenjin received a pleasant surprise.

It was an internship spot in Mei Yan’s dance troupe.

Support