After Transmigrating into a Novel, I Became the Female Lead's Stepmother - Chapter 37

However… After silently complaining to herself, Xu Chun belatedly realized the situation seemed to have spiraled out of control. By all logic, Jiang Zhaolie and Yu Sui’an should have reconciled long ago after their prolonged lovers’ quarrel. Yet now, either Yu Sui’an was giving Jiang Zhaolie the cold shoulder indifferent at best, outright abandoning her at worst or Jiang Zhaolie had completely given up, even going so far as to come complain to Xu Chun about Yu Sui’an.

Xu Chun’s gaze grew distant. She truly couldn’t fathom what was going through these two’s minds anymore.

Not that it stopped her from taking advantage of Jiang Zhaolie’s predicament. “Well,  as much as I’d love to help you seek justice, you and Yu Sui’an aren’t actually together. We’re not family or anything, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to say anything to her.”

She sighed dramatically. “Zhaolie, I’m afraid you’ll just have to endure this for now.”

Jiang Zhaolie: “?”

What nonsense was this? She’d only wanted to clarify that in her relationship with Yu Sui’an, she wasn’t the disloyal, faithless one. How had Xu Chun twisted it into something else entirely?

The words stuck in Jiang Zhaolie’s throat like a fishbone. “You’ve misunderstood. I just didn’t want you to be deceived by her.”

She swore she meant nothing more, but when Xu Chun’s voice came through the phone with exaggerated emotion. “I understand, I truly do”, pausing before continuing with utmost sincerity, “You’re such a good child to me. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re well taken care of in the future.”

Jiang Zhaolie’s eyebrow twitched uncontrollably: “…”

Seemingly provoked, Xu Chun, caught up in her theatrics, wanted to take advantage of the late-night vulnerability to reconnect and mend fences. But before she could, Jiang Zhaolie abruptly hung up.

Xu Chun sighed regretfully. The timing and atmosphere had been perfect for a heartfelt conversation.

What a shame. The child had grown up rebellious, no longer so easily influenced.

Though irritated, after so much time together, Jiang Zhaolie was accustomed to Xu Chun’s antics. Sometimes she could even listen to Xu Chun’s outrageous remarks calmly, unaffected something unimaginable in the past.

Occasionally, Jiang Zhaolie even wondered: if one day Xu Chun became serious and stopped speaking to her with such sarcasm, would she feel uncomfortable instead?

Lost in thought, phone in hand, Jiang Zhaolie suddenly snapped back to reality and dialed a long-unused number. The call connected quickly, and a clear yet cold voice came through the speaker: “What do you want?”

In that moment, Jiang Zhaolie felt as if lifetimes had passed, everything surreal. There was a time when she and Yu Sui’an had been sweetly inseparable, seemingly on the verge of announcing their engagement. Yet now, after mere months, they’d become so distant, like sworn enemies.

Her heart was a tumult of mixed emotions, but all those subtle, complicated thoughts vanished without a trace the moment Yu Sui’an spoke again with that icy detachment. Jiang Zhaolie took a deep breath and cut straight to the chase: “Why did you say those things in front of her?”

“Don’t you know why I stopped contacting you? Why I blocked you? Even if you’re resentful, if you had any emotions or thoughts, you could have come to me directly and asked for an explanation. But did you? No. You were indifferent, uncaring, letting things spiral out of control step by step.”

“Since you don’t care about what we had and have no intention of fixing it, we might as well go our separate ways and leave each other alone.” Jiang Zhaolie’s voice grew increasingly hoarse. “But why did you twist the truth for your own schemes, painting me as that kind of person in front of her?”

“Hmm? Yu Sui’an.”

“I’ve never once wronged you in the past.” Her words grew heavier with emphasis. “Right?”

After a long silence on the other end of the line, Yu Sui’an let out a soft laugh. “So what?” Her lips curled slightly. “Even if I did say those things, what can you do about it?”

Jiang Zhaolie choked on her anger, barely managing a “You” before falling silent. Yu Sui’an’s smile deepened. “If it means winning back my sister’s heart, what does it matter if I slander you as a heartless scoundrel?” She gave a light chuckle. “As long as she pities me for even a second, that’s enough.”

“You’re insane.” Jiang Zhaolie was speechless for a long moment before finally uttering those words.

“If that’s how you see it, then so be it.” Yu Sui’an lowered her eyes, idly toying with her nails, her voice light but laced with a faint undercurrent of danger. “Jiang Zhaolie, you’d better stay away from my sister.”

“I’ll be watching you on the show,” she added.

“Don’t even think about crawling back, hoping to reconcile and patch things up with her.” Yu Sui’an offered a mockingly kind reminder. “You were the one who abandoned her without a second thought. You’ve already hurt her, and nothing you do can ever make up for that. So I suggest you give up now and stop deluding yourself.”

Yu Sui’an wasn’t even bothering to hide her malice anymore. Jiang Zhaolie seethed with anger, but soon regained her composure. “I’ll say the same to you.”

“Don’t forget how you treated her back then.” Jiang Zhaolie narrowed her eyes. “You threw shade at her during the breakup, then hired trolls to pin all the blame on her afterward. Weren’t all those receipts dug up meticulously by her fans?”

“You don’t actually think that just because she defended you that day, she believes you without a shred of doubt, do you?”

“She just didn’t want your personal mistakes to affect the entire crew and the show’s future.”

No wonder Jiang Zhaolie and Yu Sui’an had once considered each other kindred spirits. Their understanding of one another was so deep that even now, their verbal daggers struck with surgical precision.

Each had hit the other’s sore spot. Their eyes reddened as they argued fiercely, as though winning this debate would prove something unspoken.

Xu Chun remained completely unaware that the two female leads were now at each other’s throats, wishing nothing more than to annihilate one another and the person driving them to such madness was none other than herself. Bathed in the warm glow of indoor lighting, she quietly read a few pages of her book, gradually calming her thoughts and emotions.

Night owls glued to their screens commented:
“Honestly, Sister Xu’s beauty is truly one-of-a-kind under heaven. If she’d just promote her looks more often, newcomers wouldn’t dare ride her coattails while pretending to be her.”

“My Sister Xu focuses entirely on acting and work. How could she possibly spare the energy to buy PR fluff pieces like Yu Sui’an, crafting that innocent sweetheart persona everywhere?”

“Earlier leaked photos showed Xu Chun’s styling was actually pretty good. I just hope next year’s drama won’t deviate too much from the retouched images and ruin my favorite novel adaptation.”

“It shouldn’t. Xu Chun’s visuals are consistently stable, and the original author personally participated in adapting the script too.”

As discussions gradually veered off-topic, Xu Chun struggled to keep her eyes open before surrendering to an unstoppable yawn. After futilely resisting the overwhelming drowsiness, she promptly gave up and drifted into slumber.

A bullet comment floated by:
“As expected, reading remains the most effective sleep aid.”

The next morning at the company, Xu Chun noticed Jiang Zhaolie looking haggard with dark circles under her eyes. Puzzled, she approached with concern, “Seriously? Did you lose sleep just because your mom didn’t stand up for you?”

Jiang Zhaolie had spent the previous night locked in a vicious argument with Yu Sui’an. Their quarrel grew so heated they dredged up every trivial grievance from the past eight hundred years to hurl at each other. Only when dawn approached and Yu had to leave for filming did their verbal battle abruptly cease.

Already sleep-deprived, Jiang Zhaolie’s expression darkened at Xu Chun’s nonsensical remark. Yet after brief consideration, she couldn’t be bothered to retort, having spent the entire night bickering, her voice was now too hoarse for further speech.

So Jiang Zhaolie merely cast Xu Chun an indifferent glance without response.

If that’s what she wanted to believe, so be it.

The confrontation with Yu Sui’an had convinced her that stubborn arguments were utterly meaningless. Between adults, true battles should translate into direct action preferably physical rather than verbal. Like how, despite her exhaustion, she’d still dragged herself to call connections and have them seriously reconsider whether Yu’s moral character warranted further collaboration.

Jiang Zhaolie had never stooped to such underhanded tactics before. But Yu’s derangement made her realize some people desperately needed to be taught a lesson.

Enough was enough. Without immediate consequences, such behavior would only escalate.

Yet even now, Jiang Zhaolie couldn’t comprehend why the gentle, kind-hearted girl she once knew had transformed into this unrecognizable madwoman, as if possessed by demons.

Unless… this was Yu’s true nature all along? Had Jiang Zhaolie been fooled by masterful acting all those years? The unsettling suspicion left her deeply unsettled, unable to reach any definitive conclusion.

Seeing that she was being ignored, with the other person just lowering her head thoughtfully, Xu Chun clicked her tongue in boredom. She stood up to leave, but the moment she turned around, she was nearly scared out of her wits by the sight of Qin Yao, who had appeared out of nowhere. “Sis… I mean, President Qin?”

She quickly corrected herself, her eyes widening. “When did you get here?”

Realizing her reaction might have been inappropriate, Xu Chun shamelessly tried to save face. “How long have you been here?” She steadied herself and put on a composed yet enthusiastic demeanor, hurrying toward Qin Yao. “President Qin, if you needed anything, you could’ve just called. There was no need for you to come all this way yourself.”

She was excessively eager, her fair face beaming like a flower. “I’m your assistant you can just ruthlessly exploit me. Don’t hold back just because I’m a delicate flower.”

Jiang Zhaolie, who had been rummaging through a drawer for the documents Qin Yao needed, looked up at Xu Chun’s absurd words, utterly speechless. She had seen shameless people before, but never one this shameless.

To think she’d stoop this low just to become her stepmother, she really had no shame left.

Qin Yao remained unfazed, her tone indifferent as she asked, “Mother? What mother?” Her probing gaze swept over Jiang Zhaolie before settling on Xu Chun. “What were you two just talking about?”

“Ah?” Xu Chun blinked, feigning confusion. “President Qin, you must have misheard. We weren’t talking about that.”

She turned to Jiang Zhaolie. “Right, President Jiang?”

Jiang Zhaolie, faced with the ball being tossed to her, fell silent. But since she also didn’t want Qin Yao to know about their private matters, she played along, putting on a serious face and concluding firmly, “We really weren’t discussing any mother. President Qin, you must have imagined it.”

Qin Yao’s lips curled slightly as she gave Xu Chun a long, meaningful look.

Xu Chun stiffened her resolve, putting on an air of righteousness that finally convinced Qin Yao. Without pressing further, Qin Yao took the documents and left swiftly, without a trace of hesitation.

Once Qin Yao was gone, Xu Chun shot Jiang Zhaolie a warning glare. “From now on, watch your words. Don’t keep getting caught by President Qin and making more work for me.”

Jiang Zhaolie’s eye twitched.
“…”
Do you even have a shred of dignity left?

But Xu Chun turned and walked away without another word. Jiang Zhaolie gripped her mouse, feeling like Xu Chun was here to collect some kind of debt from her past wrongdoings.

If this kept up, she was sure Xu Chun would be the death of her someday.

When Xu Chun returned to her workstation, Bai Xianxian greeted her warmly. After returning a casual “Morning,” Xu Chun glanced at her to-do list and leaned in to ask Bai Xianxian something only to see the other woman quickly close a tab on her computer screen. The movement was so fast that Xu Chun didn’t catch what it was.

“Tell me, why do I have so much more work than you?” She pointed at her own tasks, utterly baffled.

Bai Xianxian gave her a look. “You really don’t know?”

Xu Chun was clueless. “?”

“President Jiang is the one assigning all your work.” Bai Xianxian smiled, realizing Xu Chun genuinely had no idea. “She’s the one who sets the workload for all the celebrities under you.”

“I originally thought everyone had the same workload, but when I got off work and saw how relaxed the other guests were even having time to flirt with female colleagues, I realized Jiang Zong was playing favorites,” she said meaningfully.

Xu Chun couldn’t help but react: “???”

So it was Jiang Zhaolie, that bastard! After all the concern she’d shown her every day, who’d have thought she’d openly sabotage her on the show!

Just wait until she became her stepmother, she’d make her pay for this!

Amidst her busy schedule, Xu Chun took a moment to observe the others. Compared to her, who was working herself to death like some chosen laborer, the other guests seemed to be on vacation at the Qin Corporation. Just as envy was creeping in, Jiang Banxia quietly approached. “Yu Sui’an hasn’t been bothering you again, has she?”

Xu Chun turned, puzzled by the question.

Jiang Banxia said, “I’ve been pushing her too hard lately. She might get desperate and fight back with everything she’s got.”

“You and her…” Xu Chun hesitated. “Have you had any recent conflicts?”

Jiang Banxia was a rational person. Even if there had been some ambiguous history between her and the original host during their youth, too much time had passed for Xu Chun to believe she’d confront Yu Sui’an on her behalf.

Still, Xu Chun couldn’t think of any other reason for Jiang Banxia’s hostility toward Yu Sui’an.

“Mhm.” Jiang Banxia responded softly, though her words seemed unreasonable. “There’s no particular reason, really. From the moment I first saw her, I just… instinctively disliked her.”

She shook her head. “I can’t explain why.”

Xu Chun’s thoughts wandered was this what they called “enemies meeting with fiery eyes”?

“But that’s not important.” Jiang Banxia tilted her head, lowering her gaze as she changed the subject. “There are some rumors about me outside. Don’t believe them. Unless you hear it directly from my mouth, it’s all false.”

She didn’t want Xu Chun to misunderstand her relationship with Zheng Yanran. In truth, since returning to the country, she’d barely met Zheng Yanran twice.

Zheng Yanran, however, had persistently sought her out, whether during filming, family dinners, or even at work, only to be rejected every time by Jiang Banxia.

She thought she’d made herself clear: there was no possibility between them.

She wouldn’t submit to her parents’ arrangement for a marriage alliance with Zheng Yanran, nor would she share a bed with someone she didn’t love and Zheng Yanran undoubtedly fell into that category.

Yet Zheng Yanran remained lost in her own world, ignoring Jiang Banxia’s repeated rejections and declarations, stubbornly pushing forward.

Sometimes, Jiang Banxia couldn’t help but think: if only she’d been as bold and direct back then, perhaps she and Xu Chun wouldn’t have ended up like this estranged, with everything changed beyond recognition.

Xu Chun was utterly confused. What rumors? What news about Jiang Banxia was spreading outside again? Why did it feel like the whole world was in on the gossip while she alone was left in the dark? After some thought, Xu Chun decided it was all Jiang Zhaolie’s fault. If she hadn’t piled so much work on her, leaving her no time to spare, she wouldn’t be so out of the loop.

She remained calm and subtly probed, “But isn’t there a saying that there’s no smoke without fire…”

Before she could finish, Jiang Banxia turned her head. Her fair, delicate face bore a pair of affectionate eyes that gazed at Xu Chun deeply and earnestly. “Xu Chun, you should understand my feelings for you.”

Xu Chun very much wanted to say she didn’t understand. Jiang Banxia seemed to see through her thoughts, curling her lips into a dangerous smile. “If you don’t understand, I can make you understand right now.”

Jiang Banxia didn’t want to force Xu Chun, as she believed feelings should be mutual. They had finally reunited, and their relationship had slightly improved compared to their younger years. She cherished their current balance and didn’t want to disrupt it. She was afraid that even this lukewarm relationship would collapse.

Once upon a time, Xu Chun had been the one who kept her going through all her hardships. She had been the one who supported Jiang Banxia through those difficult years abroad, helping her break free and transform into a new person.

“That won’t be necessary,” Xu Chun declined softly, muttering, “I just don’t believe it.”

Her words finally pleased Jiang Banxia, who smiled faintly and, for the first time, voluntarily shared a piece of information. “My family… might not be peaceful for a long time to come.”

Jiang Banxia’s tone was so complex that Xu Chun couldn’t help but glance at her. After a moment’s hesitation, Xu Chun said, “If you need anything, just let me know.”

Jiang Banxia’s smile deepened, her eyes brightening. “Okay.”

Although Jiang Banxia had clearly expressed her feelings to Xu Chun, she always maintained a careful balance never pushing too hard, nor disappearing for so long that her presence faded, making it seem like her feelings were just casual words. She was smart, knowing exactly how to avoid causing discomfort. In this regard, she had always done well.

Because of this, Xu Chun couldn’t bring herself to dislike her. In fact, she admired someone like her.

Beautiful, intelligent, calm, mature, gentle yet strong.

Definitely much better than Jiang Zhaolie.

After comparing Jiang Banxia and Jiang Zhaolie, Xu Chun felt even more that Jiang Banxia was far more comforting. As for Jiang Zhaolie… even a dog would shake its head at her.

Jiang Banxia had indeed been busy lately, constantly taking calls even during shows, all related to matters concerning the Jiang family. Not wanting to eavesdrop on personal affairs, Xu Chun gestured that she would leave first. Jiang Banxia nodded and continued handling the mess at home over the phone.

Once she was far enough away, Xu Chun took out her phone and texted He Qingli: [Any recent gossip about Jiang Banxia?]

He Qingli hadn’t replied yet. Xu Chunyi looked up and noticed Fu Xin holding her phone with a subtle smile playing on her lips. Glancing down at her own unanswered message to He Qingli, Xu Chun thought, “…” Well, no need to guess she must be chatting with Fu Xin.

Left with no choice, Xu Chun searched online herself and finally came across the news about Jiang Banxia and Zheng Yanran. Zheng Yanran was another fearless soul who would go all out for love. After Jiang Banxia had publicly sent Xu Chun roses yesterday, Zheng Yanran followed suit, ordering an even larger bouquet of midnight roses for Jiang Banxia.

She even instructed the delivery person to make a grand announcement at the company entrance: “Miss Jiang Banxia, these roses were specially ordered for you by Miss Zheng Yanran…”

The incident caused quite a stir both inside and outside the show.

Xu Chun lightly swiped her finger across the screen. How could she have been so busy yesterday that she completely missed such a major incident? Fuming, she rushed to find Jiang Zhaolie, intending to reduce her workload, only to discover Jiang Zhaolie clutching her phone with a deep frown.

Jiang Zhaolie was utterly exasperated by Yu Sui’an. Just moments ago, the woman had proactively added her as a friend, and within a few exchanges, she kept calling her “sister” repeatedly, making Jiang Zhaolie’s eyes ache with irritation. She was tempted to block her again.

However, Yu Sui’an seemed to anticipate her intention and casually remarked, [If you block me, I’ll go talk to sister instead.]

As if possessed, Jiang Zhaolie paused her actions and instead asked, [What exactly do you want?]

[Nothing much,] Yu Sui’an typed lightly, a perpetual smile playing on her lips. [Mainly keeping an eye on you to ensure you don’t secretly plot against sister behind her back. Secondly, in case there’s ever a need for your assistance, I hope you can help relay messages to sister or something.]

Jiang Zhaolie: [Why don’t you tell her yourself?]

Yu Sui’an replied instantly: [Of course I can tell sister myself, but I’d much rather see you squirm.]

Jiang Zhaolie: [?]

[You hurt sister, so I’m here to punish you in her stead.]

Jiang Zhaolie stared at the screen, her brow furrowing deeply. What on earth had happened to her recently to make her this unhinged?!

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