After Transmigrating into a Novel, I Became the Female Lead's Stepmother - Chapter 35

There was no female streamer at the door only Jiang Banxia standing there alone, cool and detached, staring at him with a forced smile. “Disappointed that it’s me instead of some other female streamer?”

Xu Chun instinctively took a step back. It’s not what you think! Don’t listen to that bastard Jiang Zhaolie’s attempts to sow discord between us!

“How could I be? I actually guessed it was you coming, which is why I turned around so eagerly to welcome you.” Xu Chun forced a dry smile, trying to save face.

Jiang Banxia raised an eyebrow, her tone unreadable. “Is that so?”

Xu Chun nodded vigorously, like a chicken pecking at rice, and said, “I can swear on her ten years of lifespan.” She pointed at Jiang Zhaolie beside her. “No deception, absolutely genuine.”

Jiang Zhaolie, who had just lost ten years of life on the spot: “?” Can you please try being a decent human being for once?

Jiang Banxia gave a faint smile but didn’t respond. She realized that after all these years apart, Xu Chun’s personality had indeed changed quite a bit. The old Xu Chun had been reserved, introverted, and quiet like a blockhead who only knew how to study hard to surpass her and fight for first place. Where had all these tricks and outrageous antics come from?

She had wanted to reconnect and reminisce, but the closer she got, the more hesitant she became. Even though she’d had countless chances to strike up a conversation with Xu Chun on set, she had never acted on them.

Jiang Banxia had originally planned to sit down with Xu Chun over tea and have a proper chat, but years of their barbed, combative dynamic made it impossible for her to speak normally. When it came to expressing her thoughts and feelings, what came out of her mouth always took on a different tone fiery and aggressive, as if they were sworn enemies.

The two of them, both proud and stubborn, were like hedgehogs covered in sharp quills. The closer they got, the more they hurt each other, leaving wounds that only ended in mutual destruction.

When alone, Jiang Banxia often wondered: Wouldn’t it be better to keep a polite distance rather than exhaust even the remnants of their past bond? At least then, they could still remain friends.

But every time she made that decision, she would toss and turn late into the night, unable to sleep.

She couldn’t accept it.

If she hadn’t gone abroad back then, if she had been more assertive and defied her parents, or if she had taken the initiative to bridge the gap, would they still have ended up like strangers?

Later, when she learned that Jiang Zhaolie was breaking off the engagement with Xu Chun, Jiang Banxia was overjoyed. In that moment, it felt like thousands of fireworks had exploded in her mind, leaving her dizzy and ears ringing. Had the heavens heard her prayers, making Jiang Zhaolie act so foolishly as to let go of someone so wonderful?

Yet at the same time, her heart ached for Xu Chun, who had to endure such humiliation from Jiang Zhaolie, and she burned with anger at Yu Sui’an, a mere celebrity, for daring to mistreat her. She rushed back to the country and, during filming, set one trap after another for Yu Sui’an, waiting for her to step into them and be utterly ruined.

Xu Chun was kind-hearted and willing to let Yu Sui’an off the hook but Jiang Banxia wasn’t.

Anyone who dared bully Xu Chun deserved retribution.

Xu Chun felt Jiang Banxia’s gaze upon her was strange and complicated. She subtly took two steps closer to Jiang Zhaolie and asked, “You’re here to see Jiang Zhaolie for…?”

Jiang Banxia snapped out of her thoughts, barely stopping herself from saying, “Of course it’s to report work, what else could it be?” Instead, she simply replied, “Business.”

Xu Chun looked puzzled: “Can’t I know?”

The other woman stared back expressionlessly, and Xu Chun immediately understood. “Then I’ll leave you two to talk. I won’t disturb you.” With that, she hurried away in her high heels, the rapid “click-clack” sounds fading as if afraid Jiang Banxia might change her mind.

Only when the sound of heels completely disappeared did Jiang Banxia withdraw her gaze from Xu Chun. Casually grabbing something to block the camera, she said leisurely, “You’d better treat her better from now on, or I won’t care about our families’ longstanding friendship.”

Jiang Zhaolie lowered her eyes. “Are you threatening me?”

“If that’s how you want to take it.” Jiang Banxia’s smile was icy. “You’ve already gotten what you wanted by dissolving your marriage with her. What more do you want? To keep trampling on her to please Yu Sui’an, or to crush her into the dirt to win Yu Sui’an back?”

“Yu Sui’an and I are done.” Jiang Zhaolie frowned impatiently. “What happens between Xu Chun and me has nothing to do with Yu Sui’an.”

“Better be true.” Jiang Banxia said coolly. She raised her eyes slightly, revealing the whites beneath. “I don’t care what’s between you and Yu Sui’an, but as for her, you’d best stay away.”

Jiang Zhaolie found this amusing and retorted sarcastically, “What’s between Xu Chun and me is none of your business. You don’t actually think that just because you’ve known her for over a decade, you stand a chance, do you?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Jiang Banxia arched a brow, her lips curling into a bright smile. “Not only will I pursue her, I’ll do it openly, right on the show.”

Jiang Zhaolie cut her off without hesitation. “Your parents are strict with you. They’d never approve of you and Xu Chun. If I’m not mistaken, they’ve probably already lined up a suitable match for you!”

“Only the weak hesitate.” Jiang Banxia shut her down with one sentence. “Those who succeed charge forward, even if it means flying into the flame.”

Jiang Zhaolie suddenly didn’t know what to say. Her emotions were tangled was she angry at Jiang Banxia’s provocation, or slightly jealous that after Xu Chun left her, so many people were rushing to pursue her? After a long pause, she coldly spat out, “Do whatever you want.”

She didn’t believe Jiang Banxia would succeed. After all, Xu Chun was currently obsessed with one thing only, how to cozy up to her mother and become her stepmother.

Jiang Banxia smiled. “Don’t let me catch you targeting her again.” She pointed at the stack of documents Xu Chun had left on the table. “Like this, for example.”

Jiang Zhaolie followed her gesture, then lifted her eyelids indifferently. “That’s literally her job.”

The response was Jiang Banxia’s faintly mocking smile.

The object blocking the camera was pulled away, and the darkened screen flickered back to life, revealing a flood of bewildered comments:

[What are they saying that us VIPs can’t hear?]

[What secrets are they sharing? Are they plotting something?]

[“I think it’s likely. Given Director Guo’s usual style, the current pacing is way too bland and uninteresting. So I suspect these two people surnamed Jiang are planning to team up and rebel against Qin Yao.”

“Oh? If they’re going that route, then things are about to get really exciting!”

Jiang Zhaolie stood tall and poised against the desk, her sharp suit and deep-set brows making her strikingly handsome even from a distance. Unlike Qin Yao, her youthful, reckless energy was like opium dangerous yet irresistibly intoxicating.

The barrage of comments was filled with adoration, but the woman herself paid no attention.

Jiang Zhaolie felt a tangled mess of emotions, unable to pinpoint what exactly was bothering her, only that she was thoroughly unsettled. After standing there for a while, she forcibly suppressed the useless feelings and prepared to sit down and work. Just then, a commotion erupted outside cheers, teasing, the noise growing distant before fading into silence.

After a pause, she called out to Bai Xianxian passing by, “What just happened out there?”

Bai Xianxian stopped, her smile sweet. “Assistant Xu received flowers, from Manager Jiang. Everyone’s crowding around her desk now. Would you like to go take a look, President Jiang?”

“What do you think?” Jiang Zhaolie replied coolly. “You seem to know a lot about this.”

Bai Xianxian blinked, then smiled again. “You’re joking, President Jiang. It’s hard not to notice when Manager Jiang makes such a grand romantic gesture.” She tilted her head. “Aren’t you going to intervene? If this sets a precedent, others might start copying it.”

“Copy?” Jiang Zhaolie scoffed. “You think every confession gets a response?”

Bai Xianxian fell silent.

In the end, Jiang Zhaolie didn’t go to see how Jiang Banxia was trying to win Xu Chun’s favor. Out of sight, out of mind, she didn’t need the aggravation. They were no longer engaged; Xu Chun’s affairs were none of her concern. And if Jiang Banxia really went too far, her mother wouldn’t just stand by.

She raised her hands, interlacing her fingers and pressing them to her lips, wondering if Jiang Banxia’s actions were all part of some script. As a variety show, the priority was creating explosive moments to grab attention, higher ratings meant greater profits. Director Guo, a seasoned veteran, would know this better than anyone.

And herself someone with a messy history with Xu Chun was the perfect target. If she lost her composure and stormed over now, she’d undoubtedly end up trending, manipulated into becoming a pawn.

Convinced she’d seen through the show’s tactics, Jiang Zhaolie remained unmoved in her office, no matter how chaotic things got outside.

Comments:
[“Jiang Zhaolie’s restraint is unreal. Her fiancée gets confessed to like this, and she doesn’t even flinch? If it were me, I’d have rushed out to stake my claim.”
[“Seems like you’ve forgotten Jiang Zhaolie and Xu Chun already called off their engagement. At most, Xu Chun’s just her ex-fiancée now, what does it have to do with her if an ex gets confessed to?”]

[But seeing your ex-fiancée being confessed to right in front of you no matter what, it would still feel uncomfortable, wouldn’t it?]

[Exactly! Haven’t you noticed Jiang Zhaolie has been staring at that piece of paper for over twenty minutes?]

[The sister in the front row must have magnifying glasses for eyes! I’ve been saying Jiang Zhaolie still has feelings for Sister Xu. That’s why she suddenly cut off all contact with Yu Sui’an and made sure they’d never cross paths again, then deliberately and subtly invited Sister Xu to film a variety show at her company. She must be trying to win her wife back during this opportunity.]

[Your ship can be niche, but it shouldn’t be downright delusional, my friend.]

Xu Chun stood frozen, clutching a massive bouquet of roses. After handing her the flowers, Jiang Banxia had left without lingering, leaving only the cheering employees around her not a single guest in sight.

Slowly setting the bouquet aside, Xu Chun was still pondering how to handle the situation when Secretary Zhao approached with measured steps. “Assistant Xu, gather your things and come with me to the conference room.”

Xu Chun perked up immediately, nodding as she stood. “Understood.”

The conference room at Qin Corporation was vast. Xu Chun and Bai Xianxian were seated in the most inconspicuous corner. After sitting for about ten minutes, the company’s executives began filing in, quickly filling the room. Xu Chun checked the time at exactly 1:59, Qin Yao appeared, not a second early or late.

The moment she entered, the murmurs in the large space fell silent, a testament to her absolute authority and commanding presence as a leader.

Xu Chun stared unblinkingly at Qin Yao for a long moment, until Bai Xianxian nudged her with an elbow and whispered, “Start taking meeting notes.”

Thanks to that reminder, Xu Chun spent the next two grueling hours scribbling notes until her hand nearly cramped, the paper practically smoking under her pen. Just as she was about to collapse from exhaustion, Qin Yao glanced at her and paused the discussion. “Let’s take a ten-minute break before continuing.”

Xu Chun immediately shot her a grateful look her sister really knew how to take care of people.

She then resumed her habit of exchanging flirtatious glances with Qin Yao in public. Jiang Zhaolie glanced at the cameras, torn between stopping Xu Chun and figuring out how to suppress the situation before it got exposed.

After two seconds of deliberation, Jiang Zhaolie rubbed her temples, utterly exasperated.

Seizing the chance to step out for air, Jiang Zhaolie deliberately passed by Xu Chun and muttered cryptically, “Come with me for a moment.” When Xu Chun remained glued to her seat, eyeing her warily, Jiang Zhaolie’s eyelid twitched violently. “I’m not going to do anything to you,” she added stiffly.

“Then…?” Xu Chun leaned slightly closer, tilting her ear toward her.

“I just have a few things to say.”

After a brief hesitation, Xu Chun stood up and swaggered after Jiang Zhaolie to a secluded corner. A few curious eyes followed the two as they disappeared one after the other.

Once they were alone, Jiang Zhaolie stopped walking. She had intended to warn Xu Chun about being too obvious in front of the cameras and the crowd, but the sight of Xu Chun’s lightly made-up face suddenly rendered her speechless.

She didn’t understand what was happening to herself. Ever since that day at the broken engagement banquet, when she’d completely severed ties with Xu Chun, she’d been feeling an inexplicable sense of loss as if a part of her heart had been hollowed out. But she didn’t dwell on it, assuming she was still struggling to move past Yu Sui’an’s abandonment of her.

Yet after Jiang Banxia’s ostentatious display in front of her today, she realized perhaps that wasn’t the case.

Maybe the person affecting her emotions, making her feel this slight melancholy, wasn’t Yu Sui’an at all. Maybe it was Xu Chun. She couldn’t quite describe what she felt for Xu Chun now, but it clearly wasn’t the indifference she’d assumed. There were too many things tangled in her chest, impossible to put into words. In the end, all she managed was:

“Now that your every word and action is under the public eye, you should be careful not to make certain things too obvious.”

Xu Chun: “?”

She frowned in confusion. “What things?” After a pause, she gave Jiang Zhaolie a baffled once-over. “Wait, are you seriously overstepping right now? Whatever I do has absolutely nothing to do with you anymore.”

Jiang Zhaolie was momentarily speechless. “If your personal behavior affects the Qin Corporation.”

“I affect the Qin Corporation?” Xu Chun nearly laughed. “If someone like me, just here to film a couple of variety show episodes can shake Qin Corp, then maybe you should reflect on how you’ve been running things all these years. Seems like the company’s built on tissue paper.”

She raised a hand, intending to pat Jiang Zhaolie’s shoulder in mock solemnity, but after staring at her for two seconds, she thought better of it. “You keep watching me like this, eyes glued to me every second. If this keeps up, I might start thinking you actually still have feelings for me.”

Xu Chun expected Jiang Zhaolie to snap back as usual, but the woman remained silent, her expression unreadable.

A chill ran down Xu Chun’s spine. She stared at Jiang Zhaolie, disbelief creeping in.

Finally, Jiang Zhaolie reacted. “What are you thinking?” Her voice was flat, fists clenched slightly at her sides. “Don’t flatter yourself. You think I’d lose my head over you like Jiang Banxia?”

Xu Chun’s own fists tightened. “You’d better sleep with one eye open tonight.”

The conversation ended badly. Only after Xu Chun left did Jiang Zhaolie slowly unclench her hands, her striking features unreadable.

Thanks to Jiang Banxia’s very public declaration of affection for Xu Chun on the show, her background was quickly exposed. Though there had been rumors on set that she was the heiress of some wealthy family, most people had been too preoccupied with the drama between Yu Sui’an and Xu Chun to pay her much attention.

But today was different. Her bold move during the live broadcast ignited the audience’s curiosity, and soon, everyone was digging into her origins.

As her identity became known to the audience, Jiang Banxia’s parents also learned about their daughter’s heartfelt confession on the show and that the person in question was none other than Xu Chun, who had recently been publicly humiliated by Jiang Zhaolie when she called off their engagement. Jiang Banxia’s parents were solely profit-driven, obsessed with expanding their family business, and had long since arranged a marriage partner for their daughter.

The chosen candidate was beautiful in appearance, gentle and virtuous in character, and most importantly, she was also the only daughter in her family. This meant that after marriage, her family would undoubtedly support the Jiang family wholeheartedly, helping them reach greater heights. In recent days, they had even settled on an engagement date with the other party. Who could have imagined their daughter would pull such a stunt on television? The parents’ expressions immediately darkened.

The furious elders called to demand an explanation, “Jiang Banxia, do you have any idea what you’re doing? How could you disgrace our Jiang family and embarrass the Zheng family like this?”

“Yanran has been devoted to you for over a decade, waiting for you all this time. She even followed you abroad. How could you bear to hurt her like this?!”

Holding the phone, Jiang Banxia’s eyes darkened. “Do you really like Zheng Yanran that much?”

Without hesitation, her mother replied, “That child is obedient, sensible, and deeply devoted to you. How could we not like her?”

“If you like her so much, why don’t you marry her yourselves?” Jiang Banxia curled her lips into a cold smile. “I wouldn’t mind having another stepmother.”

The person on the other end was so enraged they immediately hung up, clearly furious beyond words.

Jiang Banxia slowly lowered her hand. The one time she had compromised with her parents in her life had cost her Xu Chun. Having learned her lesson once, how could she possibly make the same mistake again?

She had followed her parents’ arrangements to study abroad precisely to gain complete independence over her own life, to avoid being manipulated like a chess piece. Having already lost so much, how could she allow herself to be controlled again?

Calmly putting away her phone, Jiang Banxia lowered her lashes. Since she couldn’t escape her parents, she would replace them usurping their status and authority both at home and beyond.

After the break, Xu Chun returned to her frantic note-taking, though thankfully this session concluded quickly. Following a brief review by the group, Qin Yao decisively ended the meeting, saving Xu Chun’s life just in time.

By the time Assistant Bai submitted the meeting notes for her, it was nearly dinner time. “Shall we go together?”

Xu Chun craned her neck to glance at Qin Yao’s retreating figure. “Sure.”

During the meal, Bai Xianxian subtly probed about Xu Chun’s past with Jiang Zhaolie. Swallowing a mouthful of rice, Xu Chun replied, “There’s nothing between us anymore. She’s her, I’m me. Even though we’re temporarily working together now, we’re still enemies when we meet.”

Shaking her head, Xu Chun added, “I could never forget what she did to me.”

Jiang Zhaolie’s footsteps faltered.

Bai Xianxian nodded in agreement. “President Jiang certainly didn’t handle that situation well, but she’s still young. It’s understandable that she lacks maturity in handling such matters.” She comforted Xu Chun, “Perhaps she’ll have a change of heart once she gains more life experience.”

“Do you think I can expect her to apologize to me someday?” Xu Chun raised her eyebrows slightly, showing no hope for it. “I’d be grateful if she just stops bothering me in the future.” As she spoke, she leaned closer to Bai Xianxian. “And about her and Yu Sui’an, let me tell you something in confidence. Even though they’re sworn enemies now, mark my words, they’ll definitely reconcile one day.”

“Want to make a bet?”

Bai Xianxian chuckled. “Bet on what?”

“Let’s bet on…” Before Xu Chun could finish, her wrist was suddenly seized. With a slight tug, she was yanked to her feet. After a dizzying moment, she finally got a clear look at the person but before she could utter a word, the other’s fingers tightened around her, dragging her away despite her protests.

After struggling for a long time without managing to break free from Jiang Zhaolie’s grip, Xu Chun was shocked by the other woman’s strength but couldn’t resist taunting her: “You told me to watch my behavior in public to avoid bringing negative attention to the Qin family. Don’t you think it’s inappropriate for you to be dragging me around openly like this?”

Jiang Zhaolie ignored her, continuing to march forward until finally releasing her grip after what felt like an eternity. She fixed Xu Chun with an intense stare that made the latter feel uneasy, prompting Xu Chun to take half a step back warily. “Spit it out if you’ve got something to say.”

The woman before her seemed momentarily angered, blocking Xu Chun firmly against the corner with half her body, leaving no room for escape.

Xu Chun’s eyes widened slightly, revealing undisguised amusement. “Oh? Are you trying to give your mother a green hat today?”

The muscles at the corners of Jiang Zhaolie’s mouth twitched as she couldn’t help but remind her pointedly, “Xu Chun.” Her voice was soft but low: “You’re not my stepmother yet.”

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