After Transmigrating into a Novel, I Became the Female Lead's Stepmother - Chapter 74

After such comparisons, Jiang Zhaolie gradually calmed down, even feeling a hint of smugness.

No matter how clever Yu Sui’an was, no matter how many schemes she’d plotted, what did it matter now? She’d ended up abandoned by everyone, utterly unpopular. Just thinking about all the times Yu Sui’an had deceived, manipulated, and insulted her made Jiang Zhaolie feel an intense satisfaction.

It didn’t matter if her own life wasn’t great as long as Yu Sui’an’s was worse.

After all, while her own failures were painful, her enemy’s success was far more unbearable. It was the kind of thing that would make her leap out of bed in the middle of the night, tormented by regret, agonizing over it for hours.

Jiang Zhaolie’s thoughts spiraled wildly before she suddenly felt an overwhelming relief thank goodness Yu Sui’an, that fickle woman, had ruthlessly dumped her before. Otherwise, if Yu Sui’an had used all her tricks to keep her ensnared, she might still be blindly following orders, acting as her pawn, even bringing her back to meet the family. And worst of all, she might have unwittingly delivered Yu Sui’an straight to Xu Chun, personally handing herself another formidable rival.

If that had happened, Yu Sui’an would have been stringing her along while secretly making moves on Xu Chun behind her back. The sheer humiliation would have been so blinding, the green light above her head could have lit up the sky for miles.

At that thought, Jiang Zhaolie’s face visibly darkened.

Sitting alone in the back seat, her expression shifting between shades of green, Xu Chun couldn’t help but glance at her in confusion before instinctively turning to Qin Yao, What’s wrong with her?

Qin Yao followed Xu Chun’s gaze, her eyes briefly resting on Jiang Zhaolie’s oblivious face through the rearview mirror before speaking up, pulling her back to reality. “Check how many unread emails are left in the company inbox.”

Snapped out of her righteous indignation, Jiang Zhaolie reflexively nodded, quickly logging in to skim through the messages. “There are still dozens,” she answered honestly.

“Finish them all before we arrive,” Qin Yao ordered casually.

Jiang Zhaolie froze. “?”

They had barely an hour left before reaching their destination. She opened her mouth to protest, but under Qin Yao’s icy, unapproachable death glare, she pressed her lips together and resigned herself. “…Fine.”

Her expression tense, she stared intently at the laptop screen, her eyes darting across the text at lightning speed while her brain worked furiously. Today was too important, too rare an opportunity she absolutely could not let work hold her back from getting closer to Xu Chun.

So she pushed herself to the limit, terrified she might fail to finish on time.

Yet, for some reason, it felt like Qin Yao was deliberately making things difficult for her today, as if she wanted to discipline her in front of Xu Chun to prove some point. She scrutinized every single email, questioning Jiang Zhaolie’s handling of each one in excruciating detail.

The other party’s relentless questioning, even when her own responses were inconsistent, showed not a trace of impatience on their face. This inexplicably calmed the slightly irritable Jiang Zhaolie, bringing her into her usual composed work mindset.

Perhaps this was Qin Yao casually testing her, she silently thought.

Yet before this thought could fully form, Jiang Zhaolie saw Qin Yao turn her head towards Xu Chun, who was listening attentively with a serious expression, and remark: “She’s teachable.”

“Not completely hopeless.”

Jiang Zhaolie instantly: “?” (Hong Shixian’s confused expression.jpg)

So I’m just a tool for you to impress your girlfriend?

Jiang Zhaolie’s expression froze instantly. Qin Yao’s blunt evaluation of her in front of Xu Chun made her feel awkward and uncomfortable. After all, she hadn’t fully adjusted to treating Xu Chun as her senior yet.

In her heart, she still privately considered her relationship with Xu Chun to be equal, just like before.

As for Qin Yao’s comment, Xu Chun was equally puzzled. She gave Qin Yao several suspicious glances but found nothing unusual in her expression. So she pursed her lips, giving a soft “mm” in response, then began brainstorming intensely in that moment.

Seeing the young girl beside her straining with concentration, Qin Yao’s red lips curved slightly. The breeze lifted strands of her hair that gently brushed her cheeks, her stern expression melting away like snow, leaving only warmth and gentleness.

Qin Yao didn’t dwell on the topic, continuing instead with her rigorous examination of Jiang Zhaolie, leaving no detail unchecked. As Xu Chun listened, she gradually began to understand something: Could it be… Qin Yao was trying to prove something to her?

Like, that Jiang Zhaolie could turn over a new leaf?

The speculation seemed absurd, but the scene before her gave Xu Chun exactly that impression.

Qin Yao’s words sounded as if they’d once had a huge argument about Jiang Zhaolie’s character – with Qin Yao deeply trusting Jiang Zhaolie while Xu Chun stubbornly believed she was hopeless. They’d reached an impasse, leading to a fierce conflict and bitter quarrel that ended badly.

So now, given the chance, Qin Yao was eager to prove her original stance correct.

This thought amused Xu Chun. She figured she must be exhausted from filming to entertain such ridiculous notions.

Yet… her fingers twitched slightly. Qin Yao did have her secrets.

Xu Chun’s eyes sparkled as an unconscious smile touched her lips. This version of Qin Yao, it only made her more fascinating, more heart-stoppingly attractive!

Jiang Zhaolie was too busy to notice, though she did sense the harmonious atmosphere ahead that made her feel like an outsider. But she clearly had no energy left to involve herself now.

For such a long time, Qin Yao had always shown her complete trust, so she absolutely couldn’t allow herself to betray that trust, nor would she ever follow in her biological mother’s footsteps.

One thing was one thing though her heart was stirred and restless, she wouldn’t slacken even a bit when it came to the boundaries she had to uphold and the principles she had to maintain.

Amid this harmonious yet slightly awkward and uncomfortable atmosphere, the car finally stopped in front of the Xu family mansion. The security guard had long received instructions from Madam Xu, so the moment he spotted Xu Chun in the passenger seat, he immediately opened the gates and ushered them in. “Miss, you’re finally back.”

Xu Chun nodded at the guard. “Are my parents home?”

“They are,” the guard replied with a bright smile. “When they heard you’d finished filming, Miss Wei came back yesterday too.”

Xu Wei? Xu Chun blinked, then remembered that with Yu Sui’an completely erased from the entertainment industry, Xu Wei’s undercover work in the latter’s fan groups must have come to an end as well.

Thinking of Xu Wei’s personality, Xu Chun couldn’t help but find it amusing, who would have thought she was such a vengeful person?

To get revenge, she had endured humiliation and hardship, lurking in Yu Sui’an’s fan groups like some spy from a movie, while also stirring up trouble on various social media platforms, inciting infighting among Yu Sui’an’s fans. Without lifting a finger, she had successfully turned the enemy against each other, making them fight among themselves.

Her nominal younger sister certainly had some brains to her.

Tang Shiyu hurriedly stood up from the sofa upon receiving the guard’s call, feeling a little nervous. Xu’s father also rose to his feet, his expression equally uneasy. Old Master Xu shot them an exasperated look. “It’s just a meal, not meeting the parents. What are you so afraid of?”

Xu’s father couldn’t help but retort, “Dad, you don’t understand. Today’s situation is pretty much the same as meeting the parents.”

And frankly, it was even more intimidating than when he had gone to meet his in-laws back in the day after all, his in-laws hadn’t been as formidable as Qin Yao.

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Jixian swung his cane at him. Xu’s father quickly dodged, just in time to hear the car pull up outside. Steadying himself, he instinctively glanced at Tang Shiyu, waiting for her nod before stepping out to greet them together.

The moment Xu Chun opened the car door, she spotted her parents at the entrance. Though she hadn’t spent much time with them, there was no doubt about their love for her. She stepped forward and hugged them both, sighing. “It feels like I haven’t been home in a lifetime.”

Xu’s father nearly blurted out, “Why don’t you just quit working? We can support you even if you stay home,” but before he could speak, Tang Shiyu elbowed him sharply. Instead, Tang Shiyu gazed at Xu Chun with concern. “Then stay home and rest for a while before going out again. Don’t overwork yourself.”

Xu Chun had been thinking the same thing and immediately nodded. “Alright.”

After exchanging pleasantries with her mother, Xu Chun turned to Qin Yao behind her. Before she could say anything, Tang Shiyu had already struck up a natural and familiar conversation with Qin Yao though when she caught sight of Jiang Zhaolie standing nearby, a trace of displeasure still flickered in her eyes.

As a mother, no one could forget the suffering Jiang Zhaolie had brought upon her daughter. Even now, there were still people who looked down on her daughter and pointed fingers because of Jiang Zhaolie’s reckless actions in the past.

Therefore, Tang Shiyu considered her temper quite restrained at least she hadn’t humiliated Jiang Zhaolie in front of Qin Yao or viciously scolded and beaten her.

However, Tang Shiyu then thought, although her daughter had lost a Jiang Zhaolie, she had gained a Qin Yao who was a thousand times better. A blessing in disguise this was truly a joyous occasion! With this thought, the resentment in Tang Shiyu’s heart toward Jiang Zhaolie finally dissipated just a little.

No matter how arrogant you were back then, no matter how you discarded my daughter like trash, what does it matter now? Now you still have to call my daughter “Mom.”

After a flood of thoughts and emotions surged through her mind, Tang Shiyu finally felt somewhat appeased and glanced indifferently at Jiang Zhaolie. “You’re here too.”

Jiang Zhaolie did indeed feel awkward at this moment.

After all, she was the one who had done wrong. No matter how thick-skinned she was, no matter how decisive and authoritative she was outside, in front of Xu Chun’s parents, she still couldn’t hold her head up.

Hearing this, she lowered her head slightly. “Hello, Uncle and Auntie.”

Tang Shiyu instinctively wanted to snap at her, but for Qin Yao’s sake, she held back and gave a lukewarm “Hmm” before shifting her attention back to Qin Yao. “Don’t just stand there, President Qin. Come inside and sit.”

With that, she happily linked arms with Xu Chun and turned around, chatting warmly with Qin Yao while engaging her daughter in conversation. The lively atmosphere was nothing short of heartwarming.

Jiang Zhaolie silently followed behind, a bitter taste on her tongue. But all of this was her own fault, she had no right or grounds to complain. No matter what she faced now, she could only endure it quietly, just like this moment.

Politely accepting the drink handed to her by the housekeeper, Jiang Zhaolie didn’t drink it. Instead, she sat properly on the sofa, back straight, looking every bit the prim and proper image. Tang Shiyu found her well-dressed, hypocritical demeanor irritating and deliberately turned away, focusing solely on Qin Yao out of sight, out of mind.

Jiang Zhaolie naturally noticed Tang Shiyu’s actions, but guilt-ridden, she could only bow her head slightly.

Xu’s father did glance at her a couple more times, but he had no favorable impression of her either. After all, he was now completely devoted to his wife, whatever she did, he followed; whoever she disliked, he wouldn’t dare provoke her anger.

The incident with Yang Xingyan and the others had already taught him a harsh lesson.

What should have been a pleasant gathering was instead filled with an indescribably tense atmosphere. When Xu Wei came downstairs, this was the scene she witnessed: everyone wore smiles on their faces, yet one person sat stiffly on the side, uneasy and out of place, ruining the otherwise perfect picture.

Xu Wei now harbored an intense hatred for Yu Sui’an, so she naturally felt little goodwill toward Jiang Zhaolie, who had once been close to Yu. The mere sight of Jiang Zhaolie inevitably reminded her of Yu Sui’an’s hypocritical and pretentious demeanor. After politely greeting Qin Yao, she turned to Jiang Zhaolie, her expression instantly shifting to a forced, insincere smile. “Why aren’t you with Yu Sui’an? Weren’t you two inseparable?”

As her words fell, the room plunged into dead silence, so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

Xu Chun raised an eyebrow at her sister’s self-righteous attitude. “Weren’t you also quite close with Yu Sui’an before, little sister?”

Caught off guard by the blunt remark, Xu Wei’s face stiffened, and she turned away awkwardly. “Sis…”

Tang Shiyu frowned and fixed Xu Wei with a stern gaze. “Guests are to be treated with respect. Is this how I taught you to behave?”

Xu Wei bit her lip lightly before reluctantly facing Jiang Zhaolie again. “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just curious. Don’t overthink it.”

Jiang Zhaolie: “…” You’ve already said it all.

She forced a composed smile and replied magnanimously, “No worries. We should catch up sometime, we clearly have common topics to discuss.”

Xu Wei, feeling utterly betrayed: “…” You’re dead.

She narrowed her eyes, glaring down at Jiang Zhaolie. If you ever set foot in this house again, I’ll eat my words.

Jiang Zhaolie coolly ignored the threat. What could a naive little girl possibly do to her? Besides, hadn’t Xu Wei herself once obeyed Yu Sui’an blindly, even turning against her own sister for Yu’s sake? What right did she have to lecture anyone now?

Xu Chun watched their petty exchange with exasperation. Seriously, get a life.

Ignoring the two, she focused on Qin Yao’s conversation with their parents. But as the small talk continued, something felt off. Why was Qin Yao suddenly bringing up her company’s recent performance?

She glanced at her parents, who seemed entirely unfazed, as if this wasn’t the first time.

After a stunned pause, Xu Chun turned sharply to Jiang Zhaolie, pinning her with a scrutinizing gaze. Jiang Zhaolie’s lips twitched, shooting her a questioning look: “?”

Receiving only confusion in return, Xu Chun gave up and tuned back into the conversation. The topic, however, seemed to have been a passing remark, Qin Yao moved on without elaboration, and their parents didn’t press further. Left with no opening to probe, Xu Chun suppressed her doubts for the time being.

To her, the gathering appeared harmonious, her parents and Qin Yao chatting amiably. Yet an inexplicable unease lingered beneath the surface.

At dinner, Tang Shiyu deliberately seated Xu Chun beside Qin Yao, then gave her a meaningful look, You know what to do, right?

Xu Chun: “?”

No, I really don’t.

After an uneventful meal, Qin Yao didn’t linger. But before leaving, she turned to Xu Chun and said, “Zheng Jinchan and Zhao Ciying invited me for cards tomorrow afternoon. You should join us.”

Xu Chun froze for a moment before suddenly realizing with a shudder, what kind of devilish battlefield was this?!

She was about to shake her head and refuse on the spot when Qin Yao added, “Before this, I’ve already invited your mother, and she’s agreed.”

Instantly, Xu Chun’s refusal took a sharp turn in her mouth, “Alright.”

What devilish battlefield? This was clearly a top-tier social occasion to elevate her family’s social status and class! Xu Chun secretly clenched her fists: Not going would make her un-Chinese!

If her mother could successfully build good relationships with these people, they’d be able to walk sideways through society afterward.

After agreeing and watching Qin Yao and Jiang Zhaolie drive off, Xu Chun immediately called Jiang Banxia without hesitation, “Xiaxia, wanna play mahjong tomorrow?”

There was a brief silence on Jiang Banxia’s end before she replied, “Sure.”

Zheng Yanran, overhearing nearby, eagerly chimed in, “I want to come too! I want to come too!” How could such a lively occasion be complete without her?

Xu Chun’s face twitched several times, “…”

She could already foresee how stormy and suffocating tomorrow’s gathering would be. But since she’d initiated the invitation, she could only grit her teeth and nod, “…Then you come too.”

After hanging up, Xu Chun held her phone uneasily tomorrow, she’d either die or be skinned alive.

But then it occurred to her, her mom would be there! If the sky fell, her mom would hold it up, so,

Let the storm rage even fiercer!

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