After Transmigrating into a Novel, I Became the Female Lead's Stepmother - Chapter 92

Zheng Yanran looked pale and silently retreated behind Xu Chun, trying to flee the scene on the spot. However, under Zhao Ciying’s death glare, she ultimately lacked the courage and could only quietly hide her petite frame behind Xu Chun, attempting to minimize her presence.

Xu Chun’s expression stiffened slightly but quickly returned to normal as she shamelessly feigned innocence. “How could that be?!” she exclaimed with pretended surprise. “President Zhao, how could you think that? Of course, you’re always on my mind!”

“It’s just that I’ve been so busy lately and haven’t had time, so…” As she spoke, she strode over, poured herself a cup of hot water, then solemnly raised it to Zhao Ciying. “I’ll use tea instead of wine now, three cups as my apology to you, President Zhao.”

With that, she tilted her head back and immediately downed the entire cup of warm water.

Zhao Ciying: “…”

She was momentarily speechless. Using tea instead of wine? Only you could come up with that. Was Zhao Ciying really the type to forgive and let things go so easily?

Zhao Ciying smirked faintly, about to say something to Xu Chun, when Zheng Yanran, inspired by Xu Chun’s bold move, quickly followed suit. She poured a cup of hot water and sprinted over like an Olympic runner, stopping right in front of Zhao Ciying. “President Zhao, same here! This cup’s for you!”

Without giving Zhao Ciying any chance to refuse, she immediately chugged the entire cup of warm water.

The two young women now stood before her, both staring with innocent, bright eyes, leaving Zhao Ciying inexplicably tongue-tied. Qin Yao, observing their desperate attempts to make amends, tactfully changed the subject. “What urgent matter brings you two rushing over here at this time?”

Hearing this, Zhao Ciying shot Qin Yao an expressionless look. Of course you’d come to their rescue.

Now you’re playing the good cop, where does that leave my dignity? Zhao Ciying turned and noticed both women casting grateful glances at Qin Yao, making her choke up inside. What a scheming fox! A true master of manipulation.

But she didn’t actually intend to keep the two juniors standing there in fear, so she silently let Qin Yao have her way.

Xu Chun obviously couldn’t openly explain that she’d uncovered the world’s secrets, but she couldn’t think of a plausible excuse either. So she threw Zheng Yanran under the bus. “Yanran, didn’t you say you had something to discuss with President Qin?”

Zheng Yanran, elbowed twice by Xu Chun, turned to her in shock. “???”

“I—you!” Zheng Yanran never expected Xu Chun to be so shameless. Under the intimidating gazes of Zhao Ciying and Qin Yao, she had no choice but to silently shoulder the blame Xu Chun had dumped on her. “My mother asked me to come consult you about something.”

Zhao Ciying was the first to doubt this. “If Zheng Jinchan needed to ask her something, wouldn’t she just call?” She crossed her legs, propping her chin with one finger, smirking. “She’d specially send you here for that?”

“Elder Sister Zhao, you wouldn’t understand,” Xu Chun interjected to help Zheng Yanran out. “Some matters.” she said mysteriously, “aren’t suitable for discussing over the phone.”

Zhao Ciying’s half-smiling gaze immediately fell upon her, and Xu Chun instantly felt the pressure intensify. Fortunately, Zheng Yanran cooperated seamlessly with her, nodding repeatedly. “Yes, my mother said this matter couldn’t be explained clearly over the phone, so she specifically asked me to come and consult President Qin.”

Zhao Ciying stared at her intently until Zheng Yanran’s expression began to stiffen. Only then did Qin Yao’s voice chime in, “Why don’t you both wait in the next room? I’ll join you after finishing up here. You’re not in a hurry, are you?”

“Not at all, not at all,” Xu Chun and Zheng Yanran shook their heads vigorously. “Of course we’re not in a hurry.”

Under Qin Yao’s watchful eyes, the two fled the room in a flustered rush.

As the office door clicked shut behind them, Zhao Ciying clicked her tongue. “Why are you so protective of her? I was just joking.” She felt Qin Yao’s earlier actions had severely tarnished her image of openness and approachability. Without hesitation, she agreed to Qin Yao’s request. “I can help you.”

“But you have to tell me why,” Zhao Ciying insisted.

What reason could make Qin Yao so concerned about Xu Chun’s safety abroad?

During filming, Xu Chun would be under constant surveillance any anomaly would be spotted and addressed immediately. Besides, such a large production crew wouldn’t just sit around idly.

Yet Qin Yao’s urgency carried a sense of impending storm, forcing Zhao Ciying to take it seriously.

As if anticipating her reaction, Qin Yao replied lightly, “My conflict with the Qiao Group has reached its peak. You know Qiao Chuanxian is ruthless and stops at nothing. Imagine if he discovers my close ties with the Xu family, he’d rather kill a thousand innocents than let any possibility slip.”

Zhao Ciying nodded silently. Qiao Chuanxian was indeed that kind of man. “But why not handle it yourself?”

Qin Yao simply looked at her calmly. “Just in case.”

Her gaze darkened slightly, tinged with sorrow. She didn’t dare gamble with Xu Chun’s life. She wasn’t confident enough to believe she could control everything.

Her only option was to place her trust in Zhao Ciying, if Zhao Ciying had saved Xu Chun once in their past life, perhaps she could do it again.

She had no other choice.

If something were to happen to her this time, at least Xu Chun would have multiple safeguards. The Xu family could protect her, Zheng Jinchan could protect her, Zhao Ciying could protect her, and Jiang Zhaolie could protect her.

Unknowingly, Xu Chun now had so many trustworthy people by her side.

A faint smile flickered in Qin Yao’s eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. Her expression darkened again, now edged with coldness. Before anything else, Yu Sui’an had to be dealt with.

Watching Qin Yao’s shifting emotions, Zhao Ciying couldn’t fathom what could make someone like her so uncertain. With that thought, Zhao Ciying quickly shed her nonchalance and grew serious.

The two carefully discussed some details until everything was confirmed. Only then did Qin Yao stand up and walk next door to inform Xu Chun and Zheng Yanran, “We’re having dinner together tonight.”

Xu Chun and Zheng Yanran didn’t dare refuse. They immediately nodded their heads like bobblehead dolls and obediently replied, “Okay, sister.”

Qin Yao’s expression remained unchanged as she simply said, “Come with me first.” She glanced at her watch. “It’s almost dinnertime anyway.”

Xu Chun and Zheng Yanran dragged their feet reluctantly. However, after following along and noticing Zhao Ciying remained deep in thought without paying them any attention, they gradually became more at ease.

Qin Yao hosted the meal, and the four went directly to the luxury hotel next door. After taking their seats, Zhao Ciying gave Xu Chun a complicated look, making Xu Chun instantly alert like a wary rabbit.

But Zhao Ciying merely glanced at her nothing more.

For the rest of the meal, she didn’t pay Xu Chun any further attention, instead engaging in conversations with Qin Yao that Xu Chun couldn’t understand. Though incomprehensible, it somehow seemed vaguely related to her.

With this suspicion in mind, the dinner concluded. Zhao Ciying and Zheng Yanran left first, leaving only Qin Yao and Xu Chun behind. Xu Chun wanted to probe further, but Qin Yao gave her no opportunity. In the end, Xu Chun reunited with the other guests, boarding the international flight with a head full of unanswered questions.

The livestream had already begun early, and the viewership remained high as usual. In addition to the main broadcast, each guest had their own individual livestream channel. Among them, Xu Chun’s had the highest number of viewers.

The others had grown accustomed to this, Xu Chun’s popularity was now extraordinary. Not only did her livestream consistently rank first, but the combined viewership of the others’ streams couldn’t even match hers alone. Most had come to accept this as normal except for one person.

Zhou Shiyu was neither the most senior nor the most popular among them. She had enjoyed a brief period of fame, but as new talents emerged, she was quickly overshadowed and forgotten.

Her participation in “Our Global Journey” was only secured through her agent’s extensive connections and extraordinary efforts.

Already bitter about her inability to regain popularity, Zhou Shiyu found Xu Chun’s current fame particularly grating. Of course, with tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions of viewers watching, she couldn’t show her displeasure too openly. Otherwise, instead of reviving her career, she might face overwhelming backlash.

Hoping to generate buzz and attention for herself, she approached Xu Chun to strike up a conversation. Xu Chun gave her a polite, professional smile nothing particularly warm or friendly. Zhou Shiyu’s smile faded slightly. She wanted to assert her seniority but hesitated due to Xu Chun’s massive fanbase, creating an awkward tension.

Another guest familiar with Zhou Shiyu’s personality quickly stepped in to defuse the situation, allowing Zhou Shiyu to retreat with a faint smile.

With cameras rolling, the others couldn’t say much to Xu Chun about it. But Xu Chun genuinely disliked Zhou Shiyu the woman reminded her too much of Yu Sui’an.

So she instinctively became wary of the other person, minimizing contact as much as possible.

At first, everything seemed fine. After the plane landed and everyone was assigned their dorm rooms, Xu Chun and the other person had no interaction whatsoever. But who would have guessed that after dinner that evening, when the show’s crew divided them into groups for tasks, she ended up being paired with Zhou Shiyu completely by chance.

Zhou Shiyu greeted her warmly, “What a coincidence, Xiao Xu.”

Xu Chun smiled politely, “Yeah.”

Then silence fell, the atmosphere instantly turning awkward. Director Guo, noticing the tension, quickly changed the subject, carefully going over some important reminders. Only after all the guests repeatedly assured him they understood did he dismiss them, letting everyone return to their rooms to rest.

After settling into her room, Xu Chun immediately called Qin Yao to let her know she had arrived safely. Qin Yao listened quietly on the other end of the line. “Good, stay safe and get some rest early,” she said, her tone unusually serious. “Remember not to wander off.”

Xu Chun couldn’t help but laugh. “Got it. Tomorrow’s a group task, so I probably won’t have the chance to wander anyway.”

Qin Yao sighed in resignation. “Just stick close to the other guests.”

Because of the cameras, Xu Chun couldn’t say anything flirtatious. Feeling a little regretful, she ended the call, only to see a message from Zheng Yanran asking, How’s it going? Settling in okay?

It’s great, Xu Chun typed back. The scenery’s beautiful, and the weather’s nice too.

Zheng Yanran felt relieved. Wait for me, I’ll come see you once I’m done with work.

Xu Chun raised an eyebrow at the message. Will Banxia really let you leave? Also, the fact that you’d ditch her just to visit me is really touching.

Zheng Yanran: Of course not.

She grinned. But I can sneak out. Her company’s stable now, so she doesn’t need me. Plus, she’s busy fighting tooth and nail with her dad and all those siblings, she won’t have time to notice me.

Shouldn’t you stay and help her then, to earn some brownie points?

Zheng Yanran hesitated. You’ve got a point. Alright, I won’t come. Get some rest early, I’ll go make her a lovey-dovey bento instead.

Xu Chun chuckled as she held her phone. Sounds good.

The next day, while working on the task with Zhou Shiyu, the two appeared polite and amicable on the surface, but the atmosphere between them was undeniably strange. To fans familiar with Xu Chun’s usual demeanor, it was painfully obvious, like watching someone fidgeting with discomfort.

Not to be rude, but these two seem so fake? Did they have some kind of falling out before?

Doubt it. They’ve never even interacted before. But it is weird, Xu-jie’s usually so outgoing and straightforward, which is why older people adore her, and Zhou-jie’s reputation was always solid too. Her fans were thrilled when she announced her comeback for this show, so I really don’t get why they’re like this.

Isn’t it obvious? Someone’s just scared of competition stealing her spotlight.

[“Are you kidding? Does Sister Xu even need to worry about others snatching her resources? Right now, it’s the big shots and major companies begging to collaborate with her, okay? Some people clearly have no idea about Sister Xu’s capabilities and popularity!”]

[“I also don’t think Xu Chun is the petty type. On the other hand, Zhou Shiyu suddenly rose to fame back then, then just as quickly disappeared that’s what’s really strange.”]

[“What’s so strange about that? Just because some people are willing to accept the industry’s unspoken rules doesn’t mean others are ready to abandon their dignity and bow to others.”]

[“Stop with the veiled jabs. Sister Xu’s popularity is real, and your jealousy won’t change that.”]

The online debate raged on, but Zhou Shiyu, satisfied, turned off her phone and continued pretending to be friendly with Xu Chun. Xu Chun responded casually, but as soon as the task ended, she immediately distanced herself, making her avoidance of Zhou Shiyu painfully obvious.

Zhou Shiyu’s expression darkened instantly.

But for the sake of appearances, she had to pretend nothing was wrong.

After a few days, even the most oblivious could see Xu Chun had no interest in interacting with Zhou Shiyu. To avoid awkwardness, the crew deliberately kept them apart, leaving everyone puzzled.

The other guests eyed Zhou Shiyu with suspicion, and online discussions about the situation only intensified. Rival fans fanned the flames, digging up Zhou Shiyu’s past her diva behavior from over two decades ago, her repeated interference in others’ marriages, and even homewrecking scandals.

The tide quickly turned online.

[“So Sister Xu was just ahead of the curve in avoiding drama. No wonder she didn’t want anything to do with that serial homewreker.”]

[“After all the shady things this Zhou woman has done, is she really trying to use Xu Chun to stage a comeback and milk the industry for cash again?”]

[“Very likely! A relative of mine knows Zhou Shiyu apparently, she lost a ton of money in a failed investment recently. Her finances are in shambles; even her cars and properties have been seized by the courts.”]

[“That explains why she’s clinging to Sister Xu. She acts all high and mighty with the other guests but latches onto Xu Chun like a leech.”]

Xu Chun, who kept up with online chatter, soon learned about Zhou Shiyu’s history. Though she couldn’t openly confront her, she genuinely wanted nothing to do with her.

Unlike Yu Sui’an who refused to face reality out of stubborn obsession, Zhou Shiyu was a competitor, a stranger. If she resorted to underhanded tricks, Xu Chun wasn’t sure she could handle it.

And now, being abroad, with Qin Yao’s repeated warnings in mind, Xu Chun decided to maintain a surface-level civility. Any grudges could wait until they returned home.

Today, she acted no differently, chatting and laughing with Zhou Shiyu as usual. To onlookers, it was a masterclass in acting so convincing, they almost believed the two were genuinely close.

Zhou Shiyu smiled slightly and glanced at the mission list before saying, “Our mission locations tomorrow are quite close to each other.”

Xu Chun took a look and replied, “Yeah, what a coincidence.”

A gentle smile played on Zhou Shiyu’s lips. “Shall we go together tomorrow then?”

“No problem,” Xu Chun agreed after a moment’s thought. It was just a minor mission anyway it wouldn’t take much time and could probably be completed quickly.

Seeing her agreement, Zhou Shiyu’s smile deepened, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She quietly watched Xu Chun’s retreating figure, her gaze inscrutable.

The temperature had dropped recently, and Xu Chun, having neglected to take precautions one evening, had caught a slight cold. When she woke up the next morning, she casually took two pills, but by the time she set out for the mission, she felt drowsy and sluggish.

Her bodyguard looked at her with concern. “Miss Xu, I can ask the director for leave on your behalf.”

“No need,” Xu Chun declined politely. “I’m fine.”

Summoning her strength, she met up with Zhou Shiyu, whose eyes flickered briefly before she spoke as if nothing was amiss. “Let’s go.”

Since bodyguards weren’t allowed during missions, Xu Chun and Zhou Shiyu took local public transport to the mission site alone. Xu Chun was so exhausted that she dozed off as soon as they boarded. Zhou Shiyu glanced at her discreetly before turning her attention to the passing scenery outside the window, interacting with the live-stream audience.

When they arrived at the destination, Zhou Shiyu turned to the sleeping Xu Chun and said, “Xu, I’m here. I’ll get off first, you take care.”

The barrage of comments erupted with confusion: [???]

Wasn’t your destination nearby?! Wake her up so you can walk there together! What kind of nonsense is this, abandoning a sick person alone in an unfamiliar place?!

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