After Transmigrating into a Novel, I Became the Female Lead's Stepmother - Chapter 61

He Qingli, who had rushed back with Xu Chun, was utterly dumbfounded by what she heard. When Zheng Jinchan had asked her to find Xu Chun and Qin Yao earlier, the situation hadn’t escalated to such absurd levels yet. How had it come to this in just the ten-odd minutes she’d been away? Now even the Chinese words coming from Jiang Zhaolie’s mouth sounded incomprehensible to her.

Unable to help herself, she made the same frowning expression as the subway grandpa looking at his phone meme and squeezed into the group. “What the hell? What are you guys talking about?”

Zheng Yanran’s earnest gaze shifted between Jiang Zhaolie and Yu Sui’an as she humbly requested, “I missed what happened earlier. Could you two kindly fill me in?”

Seeing this, Zheng Jinchan immediately smacked her on the head. “Go cool off somewhere else.”

Zheng Yanran was itching with curiosity, not understanding the context, but under Zheng Jinchan’s intimidating presence, she didn’t dare ask further. She could only cast pleading glances at Xu Chun instead.

Xu Chun’s eyelid twitched as she shook her head at her, indicating she didn’t know either.

Left with no choice, Zheng Yanran’s eager eyes locked back onto Jiang Zhaolie and Yu Sui’an, hoping they’d start arguing again, the fiercer the better, preferably exposing each other’s secrets in the process.

Unfortunately, the two didn’t oblige. The moment Jiang Zhaolie saw Xu Chun, she instinctively fell silent, clamping her mouth shut without uttering another sound. As for Yu Sui’an, whether out of anger toward Jiang Zhaolie or not, her face cycled through shades of green and red, yet she never opened her mouth to retort.

Then again, under normal circumstances, most people probably wouldn’t bother engaging with someone like Jiang Zhaolie, a paranoid, over-imaginative lunatic who acted like the whole world was out to get her.

Yu Sui’an took a deep breath and fixed her gaze on Xu Chun. “I came to see President Zhao.”

Her sudden explanation seemed intended to clarify that she wasn’t here to chase Xu Chun down at the hotel for some desperate confrontation. But upon hearing this, Xu Chun couldn’t help but wonder, “You’ve been in town this whole time?” Otherwise, how could she have gotten the news so quickly and rushed over?

“My schedule for the next few days involves shooting two commercials here, so I flew in this afternoon,” Yu Sui’an replied succinctly.

Now that her emotions had settled, Yu Sui’an appeared perfectly normal save for slightly swollen eyes that betrayed she’d been crying earlier but otherwise no different from usual.

Xu Chun nodded in understanding, then glanced at Jiang Zhaolie. “If you came to see President Zhao, how did you end up arguing with her?”

She was genuinely curious. Though Zhao Ciying and Zheng Jinchan surely knew the reason, Xu Chun had no grounds to ask them about such trivial matters.

At this, Yu Sui’an’s irritation flared again. “Who knows?” she said coldly, eyeing Jiang Zhaolie. “Maybe she’s had some kind of mental breakdown.”

Jiang Zhaolie immediately flared up and was about to start arguing with Yu Sui’an. Only when Qin Yao’s calm, unreadable eyes shifted and landed on her did she suddenly feel a chill run down her spine, regaining her senses. She quickly pressed her lips tightly together, preventing the situation from becoming too ugly.

Xu Chun: “…” Finally understood how these two had started quarreling.

Truthfully, Jiang Zhaolie herself didn’t understand what was happening. Ever since her first meeting with Yu Sui’an, it seemed that whenever she interacted with Yu Sui’an, her emotions became particularly uncontrollable.

This feeling was as if there was some bizarre sense of fate between her and Yu Sui’an. Whether it was when they were unfamiliar with each other, when they later developed mutual affection, or even now when they detested each other, that sense of fate always drew them involuntarily closer.

Mutual admiration, mutual affection even now with mutual loathing, they would uncontrollably approach each other and then viciously hurl insults.

This feeling was absurd and hard to believe, but Jiang Zhaolie experienced it with undeniable reality, making it impossible for her to ignore.

Because from the very beginning, her inexplicable attraction to Yu Sui’an had been baffling. Later, she had even done so many irrational, almost reckless and vulgar things to protect the other woman actions completely out of character for her normally.

Yet no matter how hard Jiang Zhaolie racked her brains, she couldn’t figure out what had been going through her mind at the time. And so, she unconsciously attributed the reason to Yu Sui’an.

There must be something unclean about this woman that had bewitched her senses.

Otherwise, someone like Yu Sui’an selfish, opportunistic, and ungrateful would never have been someone she’d fancy. With Qin Yao’s status, position, and the influence of her adoptive parents, if Jiang Zhaolie had followed her family’s arrangements, she would undoubtedly have married a young lady of comparable standing.

She wasn’t lacking in any way herself. Having inherited excellent genes from her birth mother, she was particularly brilliant academically and had begun managing company affairs during university. After graduation, she built her own career and status through a tech company, being hailed by financial magazines as “the youngest business prodigy of the decade.”

Jiang Zhaolie was far from inadequate. Had she not inexplicably fixated on pursuing Yu Sui’an, her potential marriage partners would have been vastly superior.

Even Xu Chun, whom Qin Yao had already arranged as her fiancée, was by no means lacking.

Although Xu Chun’s parents only ran a medium-sized company these years, with family assets paling in comparison to other wealthy families, Xu Jixian had retired from high-ranking positions. His network and connections far surpassed those of ordinary elites. The couple simply chose not to rely on the old man’s influence otherwise, had they seriously utilized Xu Jixian’s connections, they could have joined the super-rich in no time.

Thus, strictly speaking, she and Xu Chun were well-matched in social status.

All the more reason why Jiang Zhaolie couldn’t fathom how she had ever been attracted to Yu Sui’an in the first place.

She couldn’t help but scrutinize Yu Sui’an. The girl was rather plain-looking fair skin and delicate, innocent features, but nothing that particularly appealed to Jiang Zhaolie’s tastes.

Standing next to Xu Chun, Yu Sui’an seemed to embody the saying, “Innocence and purity pale in comparison to stunning allure,” instantly appearing dull and unremarkable.

Now that the two stood side by side, the contrast was even more striking. Especially since Xu Chun, after filming this drama, had undergone a dramatic transformation in demeanor. She now resembled a resilient rose unyielding and stubborn, utterly captivating and impossible to resist.

Jiang Zhaolie was practically green with regret.

As she reflected on past events, her irritation toward Yu Sui’an only grew. If she didn’t argue with Yu Sui’an for three days and nights straight, she felt she wouldn’t be able to vent her frustration.

Coincidentally, Yu Sui’an felt the same way.

If Jiang Zhaolie hadn’t suddenly barged in and appeared before her, why would she have even considered dumping her sister to pursue Jiang Zhaolie instead?

Had Jiang Zhaolie never shown up in the first place, she and her sister would have remained perfectly fine. None of this mess would have happened.

Watching as the two, who had just calmed down, immediately tensed up again, Xu Chun felt utterly exhausted. But these two weren’t her responsibility anymore, so she plopped down on the side, ready to quietly enjoy the drama.

To her surprise, the moment she sat down, the hostility between Jiang Zhaolie and Yu Sui’an instantly dissipated. Both turned their heads in unison, four eyes fixed on her in confusion.

Xu Chun, however, didn’t overthink it. She asked them sincerely, “Why’d you stop arguing?”

“Seriously? I just got here.” She casually accepted a handful of sunflower seeds from Zheng Yanran, causing Zheng Jinchan’s brow to twitch violently, when had Zheng Yanran pocketed snacks from the hotel lobby?

Munching on the seeds, Xu Chun looked between Jiang Zhaolie and Yu Sui’an with impartial amusement. “Let me tell you something,” she said solemnly.

“Arguing like this won’t kill anyone.”

Zhao Ciying’s eyes lit up with interest as she turned to Xu Chun, nodding in agreement. “Miss Xu, what profound insight. That philosophy resonates deeply with me.”

In an instant, Xu Chun could feel someone’s gaze burning into her.

Maintaining her composure, she ignored Zhao Ciying and continued, “Hurry up and keep going. I missed the earlier show, and I’m really disappointed.”

With Xu Chun’s sarcastic remark hanging in the air, Jiang Zhaolie no longer dared to stir up trouble. Moreover, Xu Chun’s words made her realize how rash and undignified she had been earlier. There was no need for her to clash with Yu Sui’an, she could have just enjoyed her drink while Yu Sui’an pursued Zhao Ciying. Their paths didn’t even cross.

As she gradually calmed down, Jiang Zhaolie grew even more regretful, now overwhelmed by a sense of embarrassment.

Yu Sui’an, ever the opportunist, gave Jiang Zhaolie a fleeting glance before suppressing her emotions and stepping lightly toward Zhao Ciying. “President Zhao,” she said softly, “I’d like to speak with you.”

She spoke with genuine sincerity, but Zhao Ciying had absolutely no interest. “We have nothing to discuss.”

However, Yu Sui’an came prepared. Leaning in close, she whispered two sentences into Zhao Ciying’s ear. In an instant, Zhao Ciying’s gaze snapped toward her, a flicker of surprise crossing her features. After a long pause, Zhao Ciying set down her wine glass and stood up. “Fine.”

“My apologies, but I have some matters to attend to. I’ll take my leave now.” She turned to Qin Yao and the others, then picked up a bottle of wine beside her and downed it in one swift motion. “Consider this my apology.”

Seeing no objections from the group, Zhao Ciying grabbed her suit jacket, draping it over her arm, and gave them a slight nod. “I’m off.” Then, with a radiant smile, she looked at Xu Chun. “See you tomorrow, Miss Xu.”

Those words, coming from her lips, instantly took on a suggestive tone. Xu Chun’s eyelids twitched, unsure how to respond, so she remained silent like a mute. Unbothered, Zhao Ciying quickly led Yu Sui’an out of the private room. But before Yu Sui’an completely left, she couldn’t help but glance back at Xu Chun only to find the other woman’s attention had long since drifted elsewhere.

Perhaps,  it had never been on her to begin with.

Her lashes fluttered downward as Yu Sui’an lightly bit her lip. Maybe it was time to set aside romantic entanglements and focus on her own future and growth.

Once she became outstanding enough, strong enough, wouldn’t she naturally draw Xu Chun’s attention?

People only yearn for those who thrive and succeed, not those who fail. What she needed to do now was become someone remarkable enough to make Xu Chun look back.

As soon as Zhao Ciying led Yu Sui’an away, Jiang Zhaolie was also summoned out of the room by Qin Yao clearly intending to give her a thorough talking-to.

Truthfully, Xu Chun had always thought Qin Yao had a gentle temperament. But judging by her expression earlier, she must have been extremely displeased with Jiang Zhaolie.

This puzzled Xu Chun. Back when Jiang Zhaolie stubbornly insisted on breaking off their engagement, Qin Yao hadn’t even been this stern with her. Yet today, when things hadn’t escalated to an irreparable point, her attitude had done a complete 180.

Xu Chun was still speculating when, by chance, she lifted her gaze and locked eyes with Zheng Yanran.

The two stared at each other blankly for what felt like ages, until Jiang Banxia abruptly stepped between them, bluntly cutting short their wordless exchange. Zheng Yanran snapped out of it, hastily explaining, “Xiaxia, let me explain!”

Jiang Banxia’s expression remained cold as she simply said, “Come with me outside.”

Not daring to disobey, Zheng Yanran immediately stood and followed her out. With their departure, the once lively private room plunged into silence, giving Xu Chun an inexplicable sense of desolation like tea gone cold after the guests had left.

But before this melancholy could settle in for long, Xu Chun suddenly realized: Now, the room only had her and Zheng Jinchan left!

Her eyes widened in alarm, fixed unblinkingly on the floor, wishing desperately that she’d left with the others earlier.

The atmosphere around them was awkward. One second, two seconds, three seconds,  ten seconds passed, then a full minute. Xu Chun felt her face stiffening from the tension when Zheng Jinchan finally spoke leisurely, “Long time no see.” Her tone carried a hint of amusement. “I’ve missed you terribly.”

“Sister Zheng, you exaggerate,” Xu Chun quickly turned her head and replied humbly. “How could I possibly trouble you to think of me? It should be me missing you instead.”

“Oh?” Zheng Jinchan slightly raised an eyebrow. “Then how come you didn’t send me a single message during all this time we’ve been apart?”

There was no trace of blame or resentment in her voice, but this very lack of emotion made Xu Chun feel even more uneasy, as if sitting on pins and needles. She scrambled to explain, “That’s not the case.” She swallowed hard. “Right after finishing the variety show, I immediately joined a new production. The signal was terrible in the remote mountains, and I was busy familiarizing myself with the script and my character, so I barely used my phone.”

She forced a guilty smile. “So I… kind of forgot about it…”

“Is that so?” Zheng Jinchan smiled faintly. “Then how did I still see you posting on Weibo?”

Xu Chun: “!!!” You follow me on Weibo?!

Her heart skipped a beat, and in her shock, she even forgot to come up with an excuse. She quickly lowered her head, took out her phone, and searched through her millions of followers to precisely locate Zheng Jinchan’s name, then promptly followed her back.

After completing this task, she let out a long sigh of relief and looked up with a bright smile. “Actually, that was my assistant posting on my behalf.”

Zheng Jinchan, who had waited half a day only to receive this response: “…”

“In that case, I’ll have to have a good chat with your father tomorrow.” Zheng Jinchan mirrored her bright smile. “Don’t worry, it’s just some business discussions.”

Xu Chun would be a fool to believe that. However, Zheng Jinchan’s reminder made her realize that both her parents were here, yet she hadn’t thought to take this rare opportunity to spend time with them. During her previous visit home, she had only seen her mother, Tang Shiyu, and hadn’t even met the man who was nominally her father in this life.

She made a mental note to schedule it, lest she forget later when things got busy.

Xu Chun and Zheng Jinchan chatted about this and that, and as their conversation continued, the atmosphere gradually improved. Xu Chun found that Zheng Jinchan wasn’t as intimidating as she had imagined in fact, she seemed like a very reliable elder.

Xu Chun blinked her eyelashes. If Zheng Yanran had even one-tenth of Zheng Jinchan’s steadiness, she wouldn’t have such a notorious reputation. But perhaps it was precisely because Zheng Jinchan was so composed, so calm, and so dependable that Zheng Yanran could afford to be reckless and cause trouble without restraint.

From Xu Chun’s observations during this time, Zheng Yanran was actually quite sharp. If she ever put her mind to something, she wouldn’t be inferior to anyone.

What a pity, Xu Chun shook her head. She’s a hopeless romantic.

Before long, Qin Yao and Jiang Zhaolie returned. Jiang Zhaolie followed obediently behind Qin Yao, looking utterly dejected. Almost as soon as they sat down, Jiang Banxia and Zheng Yanran also returned. Trailing behind Jiang Banxia, Zheng Yanran wore an expression of defeat identical to Jiang Zhaolie’s.

Even with just a toe’s worth of thinking, it was clear those two had each been given a scolding.

Xu Chun took a sip of wine, her shimmering gaze drifting between them. Qin Yao’s eyes swept over Xu Chun’s flushed cheeks before she stood up. “Let’s go if everyone’s finished eating,” she said flatly. “We have to get up early tomorrow.”

Xu Chun naturally had no objections. Her nerves had been wound tight all day, and now she could hardly wait to throw herself onto the bed and scroll through her phone. So the moment Qin Yao spoke, she sprang to her feet. “I’ll get the bill!”

“No need.” Qin Yao’s words stopped her in her tracks. Puzzled, Xu Chun looked back at her, only to hear, “This hotel is under my name.”

Xu Chun: Talk about shameless extravagance.

After parting ways with the others, Xu Chun had planned to head straight back to the hotel and collapse onto the bed. But just as she was about to get into the car, her mother Tang Shiyu suddenly sent her a message: [Come up to room 65-8 at the hotel where you had dinner tonight to pick up your father. He’s had too much to drink.]

Xu Chun was surprised her mother knew where she was. Half-doubting, she took the elevator to the 65th floor and followed the room number to open the door only to find her parents actually there.

As she appeared, a table full of strangers first stared at her for a while before seeming to recognize her. They quickly chimed in: “So it’s little Chun! You’ve grown up so much and become so beautiful!”

“Clearly, you don’t watch much TV,” someone immediately added. “Little Chun is a big star, of course she’s beautiful. Besides, Brother Xu and Sister-in-law aren’t bad-looking either handsome man, beautiful woman. Isn’t it natural for little Chun to take after her mother’s looks?”

“Right, right.” The man’s eyes suddenly gleamed as he asked, “Little Chun, are you still single?”

“Engaged yet? To be honest, I have a rebellious son at home, just around your age…” Before he could finish, Tang Shiyu effortlessly brushed it aside. But the man, fueled by alcohol, refused to let it go and kept rambling. Just as Tang Shiyu was losing patience, Xu’s father finally spoke up. “Cut the crap, kid.”

“Do I not know you? With your track record, how decent could your son possibly be? Don’t even think about ruining my daughter.”

Once drunk, Xu’s father had no filter. “You’re always surrounded by mistresses third, fourth, fifth, whatever. I seriously doubt your precious son learned anything good from you.”

The moment these words left his mouth, the man across the table turned pale.

Xu Chun: “…” Now she finally understood why their family business had always been mediocre and why, when they went bankrupt, so many people were eager to kick them while they were down.

All thanks to her dear old father’s big mouth.

Xu Chun couldn’t help but sincerely advise Tang Shiyu, “Mom, let’s make sure Dad drinks less from now on.”

Tang Shiyu forced a smile. “Actually, I tried to stop him today didn’t work.” When old drinking buddies reunited after years, it was inevitable they’d go all out. How could she possibly intervene?

Catching a whiff of the alcohol on her husband, Tang Shiyu frowned and said to Xu Chun, “Hurry up and help your father out of here.”

“Don’t go, have a couple more drinks,” his so-called friends quickly grabbed Mr. Xu, trying to stop him from leaving. The man who’d just been publicly humiliated by Mr. Xu exposing his true nature smirked maliciously at Xu Chun, “Wasn’t it our dear Chun who got publicly rejected by the Jiang family at Old Master Jiang’s birthday banquet?”

Drunk as he was, Mr. Xu hadn’t lost his wits. He immediately stood up, pointing angrily at his so-called friend, “What the hell do you mean by that?!”

“Deliberately poking at my daughter’s scars, are you?!” He then quickly turned to Xu Chun with concern, “Sweetheart, don’t listen to his nonsense. It’s just Jiang Zhaolie – we never wanted him anyway.”

“Now be honest with your dad have you taken a liking to any man or woman recently? Just say the word, and I promise on your grandfather’s behalf: no matter who you fancy, be it some young master or lady, even if it’s a celestial being, your grandfather can catch them and stuff them into our wedding sedan!”

Tang Shiyu and Xu Chun both twitched at the words, speechless.

Someone immediately scoffed in disbelief. Xu Chun glanced at them but asked seriously, “Really?”

“Of course!” Xu’s father declared.

“Then what if…” Xu Chun ventured cautiously, “it’s Qin Yao?”

Xu’s father slapped his chest without hesitation. “Qin Yao would be no problem, wait.” He straightened abruptly, repeating incredulously, “Who did you just say?”

Thinking her old man’s hearing might be failing, Xu Chun patiently repeated, “I mean President Qin Yao. So? Does your earlier promise still stand?”

Xu’s father fell silent for a long moment before looking earnestly at his well-behaved, sensible daughter and saying, “I think it’d be more fitting if you stuffed me into a coffin right now.”

Qin Yao? That was someone who’d follow others’ arrangements without a second thought?

The old man’s emotions were a tangled mess. “Good daughter, who’d have thought that beneath your usual reserved demeanor, your ambitions run so high and your tastes so extravagant.”

Xu Chun was baffled. “?”

The confusion of Hong Shixian.jpg

Where was she being extravagant? She merely had one tiny, insignificant little dream. Was that her fault? No. This was entirely Qin Yao’s fault for being so alluring, so captivating, so impossible to resist!

She was clearly the innocent one here.

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