After Transmigrating into a Novel, I Became the Female Lead's Stepmother - Chapter 41

As Zheng Jinchan’s words fell, Xu Chun felt a chill run down the back of her neck. When she turned around, she froze upon meeting Qin Yao’s probing and suspicious gaze.

Oh no! Sis, don’t get the wrong idea!

None of that was true!

Xu Chun wanted to explain to Qin Yao that things weren’t as Zheng Jinchan had described, but when she turned back and met Zheng Jinchan’s meaningful eyes, she immediately wished she could tape her own mouth shut.

It was all her fault for running her mouth and spouting nonsense, leading Zheng Jinchan to misunderstand.

Dazed, Xu Chun couldn’t help but suspect: Zheng Jinchan must have done this on purpose, she clearly wanted to see her get punished by Qin Yao! What kind of twisted amusement was this? Taking pleasure in others’ suffering.

Zheng Jinchan didn’t actually have any ill intentions toward Xu Chun. What harm could she possibly mean? She simply wanted to see what was so special about Jiang Banxia’s beloved, the one her own daughter had pined for all these years without success. Her daughter was stubborn, refusing to give up until she hit a wall. But if there really was no chance between her and Jiang Banxia, Zheng Jinchan wouldn’t mind helping her face reality.

Now, seeing Xu Chun in person, she could tell there was something likable about her.

At the very least,  even though the girl was a little sly during their first meeting, Zheng Jinchan didn’t dislike her. In fact, she felt a faint flicker of interest. No wonder Jiang Banxia had silently loved her for over a decade, just as her own daughter had been hopelessly devoted to Jiang Banxia.

Having sized up the situation, Zheng Jinchan didn’t press Xu Chun further. She leaned lazily against the leather sofa and said, “My conversation with the Lin Group’s representative went quite well.” Her sharp, commanding eyes glinted with amusement as she looked at Qin Yao. “Their offer was quite tempting.”

She tilted her head slightly. “I hope our discussion tomorrow will be just as pleasant and satisfying.”

Qin Yao remained unmoved, her expression and tone indifferent. “The Qin Group never disappoints in its partnerships.” Her words carried a subtle implication. “In any aspect.”

Zheng Jinchan studied Qin Yao deeply, her sharp features softening with a wider smile. “Then I’ll look forward to it.”

With that, her gaze shifted back to Xu Chun, lingering for a moment. “If you have time after this, let’s have afternoon tea together. My daughter would be delighted to meet you.”

Xu Chun: “?” Zheng Yanran? Happy to see her?

She was skeptical. Zheng Jinchan chuckled. “Don’t worry, my daughter is around your age, well-behaved and obedient. She won’t cause any trouble.” Xu Chun thought her smile carried an inexplicable hint of something. “If she dares to mess with you,  just let me know. I’ll handle it.”

Though Xu Chun appreciated the goodwill, she silently resolved to avoid meeting this Zheng Yanran unless absolutely necessary.

Anyone who could love Jiang Banxia for so many years, chasing after her relentlessly and even following her abroad for studies, was surely stubborn and proud not the type to back down easily.

She bore some resemblance to Zheng Jinchan, similarly. Xu Chun was just summarizing when she felt Zheng Jinchan’s deep gaze fixed unblinkingly on her. A shiver ran down her spine, and she quickly suppressed the chaotic thoughts in her mind.

Zheng Jinchan’s eyes seemed capable of seeing right through a person. Xu Chun felt she had no privacy whatsoever in front of her. That sensation of being completely exposed was like running naked before the other utterly unsettling. Subtly, she inched closer to Qin Yao until the warmth of Qin Yao’s body seeped through the fabric of their clothes, offering her a sliver of security.

Qin Yao is better, she reaffirmed silently in her heart.

The older generation’s judgment is indeed sharp.

Zheng Jinchan came and went swiftly. After she left, Qin Yao leisurely handled those who approached to chat, leaving Xu Chun and Jiang Zhaolie to stare awkwardly at each other. With Qin Yao taking charge, the rest of them seemed reduced to mere decorations, not even needing to open their mouths just clinging tightly to Qin Yao’s golden thigh for an effortless victory.

Tonight had given Xu Chun a deeper understanding of Qin Yao’s capabilities and status.

Xu Chun sat pressed snugly against Qin Yao, their bodies nearly seamless. Though Jiang Zhaolie found the sight irritating and wanted to pull Xu Chun away, Yu Sui’an’s relentless messages and calls bombarded her until she could no longer bear it. Eventually, she had no choice but to leave the table and retreat to a quiet corner, answering with barely concealed impatience, “What do you want?”

Now, Yu Sui’an couldn’t even be bothered to put on an act in front of her. In the beginning, she would still feign pitiful fragility to win Jiang Zhaolie’s sympathy and concessions. But at some point, she had completely shed all pretense, baring her true nature without a care like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water utterly indifferent to Jiang Zhaolie’s opinions or feelings, only relentlessly pushing her own agenda.

Yu Sui’an’s shamelessly unvarnished temperament left Jiang Zhaolie desperate to avoid her.

“How could you let someone like Sheng Yigui get close to jie?” The moment Jiang Zhaolie answered, Yu Sui’an’s furious voice lashed out, sharp and accusatory. “You were standing right there, how could you let that happen?”

Her voice was low, simmering with suppressed anger. “Was this deliberate?”

“You can’t have her, so you won’t let me have her either.”

First scolded, then falsely accused, Jiang Zhaolie’s composure shattered. “You’re one to talk!” she snapped, frustration boiling over. “If you care so much, why aren’t you here watching over her yourself?”

“Yu Sui’an, spare me the hypocritical act. I doubt you even like her that much.” Anger stripped away restraint, and the words spilled out unchecked. “If you truly loved her, you’d publicly apologize in front of the media for everything you’ve done to her.”

“You should admit all the despicable things you did to her in secret, then quit the entertainment industry and never appear before her again, so she won’t have to relive the trauma of being hurt by you whenever she sees you.”

Jiang Zhaolie spat out these words in one breath, leaving Yu Sui’an no dignity. Her sharp accusations stabbed into Yu Sui’an’s heart like a knife, leaving her speechless for a long moment.

Yu Sui’an stood frozen, only snapping back to reality after fully processing Jiang Zhaolie’s allegations. An uncontrollable pain surged through her chest as the words shattered her self-deceptive defenses. She completely crumbled under the accusations, her entire body trembling uncontrollably.

“What do you mean by that?” Yu Sui’an bit her quivering lips, struggling to breathe. Her face turned pale, and her knuckles whitened from gripping the phone too tightly. “Are you blaming everything on me now?”

Jiang Zhaolie remained silent, refusing to engage. But Yu Sui’an, as if provoked, began screaming hysterically into the phone: “If you hadn’t seduced me back then, how could I have been so blind as to abandon my sister and throw myself into your arms? If you hadn’t pursued me relentlessly and painted such a beautiful future, how could I have ever focused on you?”

“If it weren’t for you, I would never have done those things to my sister!”

Jiang Zhaolie was absolutely furious. “So now it’s all my fault?”

“Of course it’s your fault! If you hadn’t appeared in my life, I would never have separated from my sister.” Yu Sui’an remained obstinate. “You’re the one who tore us apart!”

She was beyond redemption. Jiang Zhaolie clenched her fists tightly. “In that case, let’s block each other and never contact one another again. We’ll consider the past settled, with no debts between us.”

“Don’t even think about it!” Yu Sui’an interrupted with a cold laugh. “Until I successfully win my sister back, Jiang Zhaolie, don’t even dream of shaking me off.”

She chuckled softly. “You’ll never shake me off in this lifetime.”

“Unbelievable!” Jiang Zhaolie slammed the phone down, ignoring Yu Sui’an’s frantic attempts to call back. With a grim expression, she blocked all of Yu Sui’an’s contact methods.

Yu Sui’an soon realized she had been blocked, but undeterred, she persistently called from multiple new numbers. It didn’t matter to her if Jiang Zhaolie refused to answer, she continued stubbornly harassing her. As long as she hadn’t won her sister back, Jiang Zhaolie would never have peace.

Jiang Zhaolie wouldn’t get off so easily there was no way she could just cut ties like that.

Slumping with her phone in hand, Jiang Zhaolie regretted ever getting involved with Yu Sui’an. She wasn’t the gentle, kind, and innocent girl she had seemed to be. No, she was a hysterical, deeply flawed lunatic!

Unable to resist running a hand through her hair, Jiang Zhaolie closed her eyes in distress, only regaining some semblance of calm after a long while. Yet this tranquility didn’t last long before Qiao Wan sent her a link. After a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Zhaolie clicked on it, it was a Weibo post from Yu Sui’an: [“Sister is such a good person. It’s all my fault for not seeing people clearly, for letting others cloud my judgment, which led to me losing sister so regrettably.”]

[“If time could be rewound, I would never let such a tragedy happen again.”]

This was Yu Sui’an’s usual tactic. Though no names were mentioned, anyone familiar with the situation could guess the “others” who clouded her judgment were none other than Jiang Zhaolie, who had flaunted their ambiguous relationship on the dating show.

What was intriguing was that Jiang Zhaolie was currently filming a variety show with Xu Chun. Yu Sui’an’s post instantly thrust Jiang Zhaolie into the eye of the storm.

[“Why is this dragging on like an old woman’s foot-binding cloth long and stinky? I’m sick of this drama.”]

[“I’m confused. Jiang Zhaolie isn’t lacking in looks, figure, or money. Why did Yu Sui’an suddenly dump her and now acts all devoted to my Xu-jie?”]

[“She’s just fickle. The grass is always greener. The entertainment industry should blacklist Yu Sui’an to stop her from polluting the environment.”]

[“After so many scandals, Yu Sui’an still gets acting roles and flaunts herself on Weibo. I suspect she must have some powerful sugar daddy backing her.”]

[“Isn’t that obvious? Which celebrity doesn’t have a sugar daddy?”]

[“My Xu-jie doesn’t! Wait,  judging by how Xu-jie and President Qin interact, she might get one soon. President Qin, why not consider my Xu-jie? Beautiful, kind-hearted, and especially gullible.”]

Jiang Zhaolie felt a bitter taste in her mouth, made worse when Qiao Wan added fuel to the fire: [“Cousin-in-law no, Xu-jie is such a good person, yet you didn’t cherish her, treating Yu Sui’an like treasure instead. Now look how Yu Sui’an is slandering you in public!”]

[“If I were you, I’d go apologize to Xu-jie properly, then have that troublemaker Yu Sui’an blacklisted.”]

Already upset, Jiang Zhaolie felt even more wretched under Qiao Wan’s reproach. She had considered blacklisting Yu Sui’an before, but the latter had somehow found a powerful backer, making her untouchable even to Jiang Zhaolie.

It suddenly dawned on her perhaps it was precisely because Yu Sui’an now had this backing that she dared act so recklessly and stir up trouble.

Distraught, Jiang Zhaolie returned indoors with a defeated expression. Xu Chun immediately cast her a sympathetic glance, having already learned about Yu Sui’an’s antics from the live stream comments. She expressed deep condolences for Jiang Zhaolie’s ordeal, patting her shoulder solemnly, “My condolences. What goes around comes around no one escapes their karma.”

Instead of feeling comforted, Jiang Zhaolie only grew more miserable: “…” Thank you, my personal Grim Reaper. Knowing you is truly the greatest “blessing” of my life.

In no mood to talk, Jiang Zhaolie sat alone in a corner, silently drinking.

Qin Yao’s gaze rested lightly on her without asking for an explanation. In her view, Jiang Zhaolie was already an adult. The choices she made and the consequences she faced were things she should have been psychologically prepared for long ago.

In this entire matter, only Xu Chun was the true victim.

Yet this victim showed no trace of sorrow or distress on her face. Qin Yao carefully recalled from beginning to end, she had rarely seen any signs of dejection or disappointment on Xu Chun’s face.

The few times she had seen such expressions, they were clearly put on deliberately.

Her deep eyes remained unblinking. Xu Jixian had repeatedly entrusted her with taking care of his granddaughter, but Xu Chun seemed to not need her care at all. Even without her, Xu Chun could live just as well, even brilliantly.

The young girl was like a climbing vine outwardly delicate and fragile, appearing to need careful nurturing and protection, but inwardly possessing an unyielding will and indomitable spirit. She was tenacious to the core.

No matter how harsh the environment, she could always turn the tables spectacularly.

As if sensing something, Xu Chun looked up and accidentally locked eyes with Qin Yao. After blinking a few times, she suddenly had an epiphany and quickly put on a devastated expression identical to Jiang Zhaolie’s, saying in a soft voice, “Sister, I don’t understand why things turned out this way in the end.”

Her eyelashes fluttered lightly, and her clear eyes instantly glistened with unshed tears. “Seeing everyone so hurt, it makes me so sad.”

This girl could turn on the dramatics at will, and Qin Yao had adapted well to it. After a moment’s thought, instead of ignoring Xu Chun’s words, she said, “This way, at least it does justice to everything you’ve been through.”

Xu Chun froze. A strange electric current seemed to spread slowly through her limbs, leaving her tingling and dizzy.

She had never imagined Qin Yao would empathize with her perspective. She thought Qin Yao would at most make a stance to keep Jiang Zhaolie from going too far. This unexpected support caught her completely off guard.

Moved as she was, Xu Chun didn’t forget to shamelessly throw herself at Qin Yao. Breathing in the faint, elegant fragrance from Qin Yao, she clung tightly and said pitifully, “Sister, you’re so good to me. I don’t even know how to thank you.”

Qin Yao sighed helplessly at Xu Chun’s habit of constantly pouncing on her. “No need to thank me,” she said softly. “Just do a few live streams to promote some products for me when we get back.”

Xu Chun: “?”

Was this how capitalist rich women expressed their love so pragmatically?

Rarely did Qin Yao make requests, so Xu Chun immediately straightened up and nodded solemnly. “Sister, don’t worry! Not just a few streams, I’ll do daily live promotions for you if you want! What would you like to promote? Medicine from the company, or perhaps yourself? I promise to deliver on time and in full!”

“I won’t let you down!”

Qin Yao ignored the latter part of her statement. “We’ll discuss it after we return.”

“Got it!” Xu Chun agreed cheerfully.

Because Qin Yao hadn’t overlooked her past feelings, Xu Chun remained exhilarated throughout the evening, forming a stark contrast with Jiang Zhaolie. Watching Xu Chun converse cheerfully with Qin Yao, laughing and chatting intimately, Jiang Zhaolie felt an increasingly bitter taste in her mouth. If only she hadn’t been deceived by Yu Sui’an’s facade before.

Her relationship with Xu Chun might not have been passionately affectionate, but at least it had been one of mutual respect nothing like the current situation.

Lost in these chaotic thoughts, she uncontrollably raised her glass again and again, downing drink after drink until her cheeks flushed pink and her gaze grew increasingly unfocused as she stared fixedly at Xu Chun’s figure.

She seemed drunk, yet not entirely her head throbbed painfully, her body felt weak, yet her mind remained unusually clear. So clear that every past action toward Xu Chun replayed vividly in her mind, as if it had all happened yesterday. She remembered deeply how Xu Chun had resisted her, despised her, every subtle shift in expression revealing her dislike.

Jiang Zhaolie drank herself into a stupor. Qin Yao’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly before she signaled for bodyguards to escort Jiang Zhaolie back to her room.

Perhaps spurred by alcohol, Jiang Zhaolie struggled against leaving, her eyes boring into Xu Chun as if trying to pierce holes through her. The bodyguards glanced at Qin Yao for direction, but without so much as a blink, she waved her hand dismissively.

Understanding immediately, the bodyguards restrained Jiang Zhaolie and forcibly removed her.

Xu Chun paid no attention to Jiang Zhaolie’s disgraceful behavior that night. Instead, she greedily admired Qin Yao’s beauty, inhaling her faint fragrance, and seized the opportunity to exchange playful banter.

Perhaps influenced by Jiang Zhaolie, she also indulged in a few extra drinks. Dizzy and lightheaded, she failed to notice the profound, unsettling glances Qin Yao repeatedly cast her way.

The next morning, Xu Chun woke with a splitting headache, momentarily fearing she’d committed some scandalous act the night before. Rubbing her temples with pale fingertips, she lingered in bed until Secretary Zhao called to remind her, “Miss Xu, you’re scheduled to accompany President Qin for negotiations with President Zhao at nine this morning.”

Xu Chun paused mid-rub. Right that was today.

She pulled her phone away to check the time: 8:15. Her breath hitched as she scrambled out of bed. “I’ll get ready right away.”

After brushing her teeth, washing up, and a quick makeup session, it was already 8:50 by the time she finished. Fortunately, the meeting was in a conference room adjacent to the hotel, allowing her to arrive just in time.

When she entered, neither Qin Yao nor Zheng Jinchan had arrived yet only Jiang Zhaolie, Secretary Zhao, and two hotel staff members were present. Jiang Zhaolie’s haggard appearance mirrored Xu Chun’s, clear evidence of their heavy drinking the previous night.

Hearing Xu Chun’s arrival, Jiang Zhaolie lifted her gaze languidly, her hangover seemingly intensifying the pain.

“Morning,” Xu Chun greeted with a bright smile. Standing by the window, golden sunlight spilled over her delicate strands of hair, casting a soft, luminous glow around her. Under the intense light, her pupils appeared unusually light, her skin so fair it seemed almost translucent, an ethereal, breathtaking beauty that struck straight to the heart.

Jiang Zhaolie remained lost in thought for a long time.

The thoughts that had lingered in her heart last night seemed to resurface, and the overwhelming emotions of regret and helplessness nearly drowned her completely.

Xu Chun placed the materials needed for the meeting on the nearby table. Forcing down the chaotic thoughts in her mind, Jiang Zhaolie struck up a conversation, asking, “Have you had breakfast yet?”

She already knew the answer, Xu Chun’s hurried arrival made it obvious she had overslept and nearly been late.

Sure enough, just as she expected, Xu Chun shook her head. “Not yet.” She glanced at Jiang Zhaolie, her tone unusually hopeful. “Did you bring me breakfast?”

Jiang Zhaolie fell silent. “No.”

Then why the hell did you ask?

Xu Chun hadn’t felt particularly hungry before, but now that Jiang Zhaolie had brought it up, her empty stomach growled loudly. Jiang Zhaolie’s gaze flicked over, and Xu Chun flushed with embarrassment before shooting her a glare. If it weren’t for this troublemaker mentioning it, her stomach wouldn’t have betrayed her like this.

As the meeting time approached, sounds finally came from behind again. Zheng Jinchan was holding a bag of bread and milk in her hand. After glancing at Xu Chun, she handed them to her. Xu Chun immediately looked at Zheng Jinchan as if she were a savior, her face full of gratitude. “President Zheng, how did you know I was still hungry?”

She took the items, immediately launching into flattery. “President Zheng, you’re literally the kindest person in this world!”

Hearing this, Zheng Jinchan suddenly became intrigued. “Oh? Then how do I compare to Qin Yao?” she asked leisurely. “Who’s the best person in your heart?”

Xu Chun hesitated for a moment.

Why does Zheng Jinchan always have to compare herself to Qin Yao?

As her mind raced, Xu Chun’s mouth took the opportunity to run wild, failing to maintain proper verbal restraint. “Of course it’s you, President Zheng. You’re undoubtedly the most beautiful and kind-hearted person in the world.”

Zheng Jinchan was thoroughly satisfied, turning a radiant smile toward Qin Yao at the doorway. “President Qin, good morning.”

Hearing this, Xu Chun’s mouth twitched as she finally snapped back to reality.

No way, no way?!

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