After Transmigrating into a Novel, I Became the Female Lead's Stepmother - Chapter 16

Xu Chun fell silent for a moment, her gaze shifting between Jiang Zhaolie and Yu Sui’an before finally settling on Jiang Zhaolie. Suddenly, she snapped viciously, “What are you staring at?!”

Jiang Zhaolie, who had come happily to accompany Yu Sui’an in selecting clothes, was baffled by Xu Chun’s unwarranted scolding: “???”

Why am I the only one getting yelled at?

Xu Chun stared unblinkingly at Yu Sui’an, whose lips were slightly pursed, her expression calm as she obediently called out, “Sister.” Xu Chun remained unmoved, her face expressionless. Fearing Xu Chun might suddenly lash out, Jiang Zhaolie instinctively moved to shield Yu Sui’an behind her. “I was the one who insisted on bringing Suisui here to pick out a dress for my grandfather’s birthday banquet.”

“If you have a problem, take it out on me. Suisui has nothing to do with this.” Her protective stance toward Yu Sui’an made Zhou Yuying, who had been standing aloof on the sidelines, visibly darken in expression.

She scrutinized Yu Sui’an behind Jiang Zhaolie’s arm, plain-looking, unremarkable, not even as pretty as Xu Chun. She couldn’t understand why Jiang Zhaolie would abandon a stunning beauty like Xu Chun to dote on Yu Sui’an as if she were some treasure. What exactly made Yu Sui’an so special to Jiang Zhaolie?

Zhou Yuying held her ground, turning to Xu Chun while screaming internally: Go on, yell at her! Keep berating her! Scold Jiang Zhaolie until she’s humiliated, then I’ll step in as the good guy, that way, she’ll like me more.

Xu Chun cast a leisurely glance at Zhou Yuying. “Oh,” she drawled, her tone slow and deliberate. “Then take her and go pick something. Why bother explaining so much to me?”

Though the speaker may not have intended it, the listener took it to heart. The moment Xu Chun finished speaking, Jiang Zhaolie noticed Yu Sui’an’s subtle, fleeting glance sweep over her. “…”

Jiang Zhaolie suddenly felt aggrieved. With just a few words, Xu Chun had successfully sowed distrust between her and Suisui. Yet, clumsy with words, she had no idea how to explain herself to Suisui. She kept repeating the same phrases, Sui’an might not be tired of hearing them, but she was tired of saying them.

Anxiety gnawed at her. Would Suisui find it more enjoyable to be with someone like Xu Chun, whose words were as sweet as honey, rather than someone as dull and emotionally dense as herself?

After all, they had once been lovers. Even though they’d broken up, Suisui was sentimental and pure-hearted. Did she still think about Xu Chun? Was she unable to forget her?

The thought of their interactions during the dating show, and the fanbase that had sprung up around their “couple” afterward, made Jiang Zhaolie restless and irritable. Her expression darkened further.

Xu Chun had no interest in engaging with either of them. She turned to leave after picking out her clothes, but Yu Sui’an called out to her, “Sister, are you here to pick a dress too?”

“Mhm,” Xu Chun replied dismissively, quickening her pace. Yet Yu Sui’an followed closely behind. “Let me help you, sister,” she said with a soft smile. “Back then, whenever you had events to attend, I was the one who personally picked your dresses.”

“You always praised my taste,” she continued, “and even said you wanted me to choose your clothes for the rest of your life.”

Yu Sui’an’s voice was sweet and soft, her enunciation clear even a deaf person would have heard her perfectly. Xu Chun reflexively stopped in her tracks, her slightly upturned, alluring eyes widening in disbelief as she turned to stare fixedly at Yu Sui’an. What the hell are you doing?

Do you think Jiang Zhaolie doesn’t despise me enough already? Or that I haven’t been screwed over fast enough?

Without a second thought, Xu Chun refused. “No need.” Her eyes flickered, and she immediately pulled Zhou Yuying, who had been watching the drama unfold, ready to reap the benefits over to her side. “I already have Yuying helping me.”

Yu Sui’an’s clear almond-shaped eyes shifted to Zhou Yuying, her expression blank.

Zhou Yuying, caught between Xu Chun’s tight grip and Yu Sui’an’s piercing stare, shuddered involuntarily. “…?” What did she do to deserve this? Why drag her into this three-way battlefield?

All she wanted was to wait for Yu Sui’an and Xu Chun to leave so she could cozy up to Jiang Zhaolie!

“One more person won’t make a difference,” Yu Sui’an quickly adjusted her emotions, her harmless face breaking into a faint smile again. “I’ll thank Miss Zhou in advance on my sister’s behalf.”

What right do you have to thank me? Zhou Yuying inwardly cursed her bad luck. “No need for your thanks. I’ve known Xu Chun and Zhaolie much longer than you have.” She grinned provocatively, her tone taunting. “If anything, I should be the one thanking you for keeping Zhaolie company all this time.”

The air fell silent for a moment, the tension thickening like gunpowder slowly spreading, making Xu Chun’s head throb. She couldn’t be bothered to get involved. Without sparing any of them a glance, she turned and walked away, casually picking out a dress and telling the clerk, “Wrap this black one up for me. Have it delivered to my place by next Monday.”

The chosen gown was simple and understated, not flashy at all, not ugly, but just plain and safe, something that wouldn’t drag Xu Chun’s looks down. Yet Yu Sui’an glanced at it and softly remarked, “Sister is so beautiful, she’d shine in anything, making it impossible to look away.”

The female lead’s flattery was shamelessly blatant. Xu Chun turned around in silence.

Stop it. You’re scaring me.

Seriously.

Unsolicited kindness is never genuine especially coming from Yu Sui’an, a scheming little white lotus with eight hundred tricks up her sleeve. Would she just casually compliment someone? Of course not. She must already be plotting something, digging a pit and waiting for Xu Chun to jump right in.

Maybe Yu Sui’an was praising her because she still had feelings for her… But Xu Chun refused to believe that. The sky doesn’t rain blessings only traps.

This was the bona fide female lead. Would her affection really be given so easily to a mere side character like Xu Chun? Of course not. Jiang Zhaolie wasn’t just for decoration, so Xu Chun wouldn’t be swayed by such obvious bait. Thinking this, Xu Chun felt like some righteous, unshakable saint.

Proud of herself, she straightened her back. Chin up, she swiped her card, paid, and then, after a quick goodbye to the trio, vanished from their sight in a flash. Zhou Yuying couldn’t help but stare: “…”

Instinctively, Zhou Yuying turned to Jiang Zhaolie, who had remained silent the whole time. “Zhaolie, I’ve been looking for a while and still can’t decide. Maybe you can help me pick?”

She walked over and tried to cling to Jiang Zhaolie’s arm coquettishly, but he swiftly dodged her. “I have no taste, you choose for yourself,” he said before turning to Yu Sui’an. “Suisui, take a look at these clothes I picked for you. Which one do you like?”

The two walked side by side into the VIP room, while Zhou Yuying gritted her teeth in secret. Let them enjoy their moment now. On the day of the birthday celebration, I’ll make sure to teach Yu Sui’an a proper lesson.

Just some powerless little celebrity, how dare she act so high and mighty over me?

When Xu Chun arrived home, she happened to run into her manager, who had come to deliver the revised script. “You’ve already finished reading the original novel, right?” After receiving Xu Chun’s confirmation, the manager smiled. “Then you should be able to familiarize yourself with the script much faster than the others.”

After briefly emphasizing a few key points, the manager added, “We’ve already reached a preliminary agreement with Yu Sui’an’s team. Barring any surprises, we should be able to settle everything by next week.” She paused before bringing up another matter. “I don’t know if you remember, but last year, there was a newcomer actress who debuted under the label of ‘Little Xu Chun.’ She rode on your fame to gain popularity back then, and now she’s pulling the same trick again, taking advantage of your current controversy to leech off your clout.”

This “Little Xu Chun” bore, at most, a passing resemblance to Xu Chun. But since she was signed to a rival agency willing to splurge on marketing and publicity, she managed to gain some traction for a while. However, manufactured popularity was nothing but foam her hype lasted barely half a year before fizzling out completely.

Now that Xu Chun was embroiled in controversy, the copycat had seized the opportunity, spending heavily on exaggerated promotions to snatch several endorsements from Xu Chun’s team, riding high on the wave of attention.

Xu Chun was already an A-list actress, and her manager normally wouldn’t bother with such petty competition. But after repeated provocations, even she had grown irritated. This time, she had come to ask for Xu Chun’s opinion. “What do you plan to do?”

“What do I plan to do?” Xu Chun blinked, tilting her head and propping her cheek with one hand. After a brief moment of thought, she replied with an innocent expression, “Of course, I can’t just let her off.”

“Sue her. Immediately. For reputation infringement. She’d better cough up at least a few million to soothe my wounded soul.”

The manager nearly thought she had misheard. …? She had seen plenty of non-confrontational saints in this industry, but a money-grubbing demon lord was a first.

Regaining her composure, she hesitated before cautiously asking, “Lately, have you…” She paused. “, run into any financial difficulties?”

Xu Chun blinked in confusion. “No?”

Then why are you demanding compensation from everyone? Yu Sui’an, Jiang Zhaolie, now “Little Xu Chun”, weren’t you the type to treat money like dirt before? Of course, the manager only dared to grumble inwardly. After finishing her business, she bid farewell and left the Xu residence.

“Little Xu Chun’s” real name was Shen Shutong, currently a sophomore at an acting school. Since her older brother and sister-in-law both worked in the entertainment industry, she naturally followed the path of becoming an actress. Initially, with her family’s marketing efforts, she quickly gained popularity and amassed many fans. However, as she lacked notable works, her popularity sharply declined. Despite trying various methods to retain public attention, she never gave up.

Later, when Xu Chun’s “scandal” broke out, Shen Shutong no longer dared to use Xu Chun’s name to attract attention, fearing backlash from Yu Sui’an’s fans. But soon after, Xu Chun’s reputation rebounded through a dating show, reigniting Shen Shutong’s desire to ride the wave of her fame.

Recently, Shen Shutong had asked her brother and sister-in-law to flood the internet with negative posts about Xu Chun, tarnishing her image, while also paying numerous influencers to excessively praise herself, even positioning herself as the “shining light of the entertainment industry.” To further boost her popularity, she didn’t hesitate to drag Yu Sui’an into the mix, arranging for people to create a fabricated romantic pairing between them online. She even personally used a secondary account to set up a fan community for this fake “ship.”

Yu Sui’an’s team had initially turned a blind eye to Shen Shutong’s antics, but now that she had crossed the line, they saw no reason to remain passive.

Thus, Yu Sui’an’s team, following closely behind Xu Chun’s agent, issued a statement strongly condemning Shen Shutong’s attention-seeking behavior, sparking heated discussions online.

After selecting clothes with Jiang Zhaolie, Yu Sui’an sat down to rest and check her phone, noticing her team’s actions. After clarifying the situation, her gentle brows furrowed slightly before she tapped her screen and posted a tweet:

“Looking like that, you can’t even compare to a single strand of my sister’s hair.”

Xu Chun, who had been reading a script, felt her phone vibrate and glanced at it absentmindedly. Just as she was about to look away, her movements froze abruptly, her eyes widening in disbelief”?!”

Jiang Zhaolie also received a notification. After reading the tweet, she lowered her head, her gaze dark and unreadable. “Suisui,” she murmured in a low voice, “why?”

Yu Sui’an turned to her, her expression calm. “I don’t want to see my sister being bullied by others.”

Jiang Zhaolie’s breath hitched, her heart aching as if gripped by an invisible hand, the pain nearly suffocating. Her face paled, a bitter taste spreading in her mouth. Trembling, she forced out the words, “Suisui, do you… still have feelings for her?”

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