I Am Not a Vicious Stepsister! - Chapter 22

“Is Auntie asking you to dinner? Then I…” Ni Songan started to say she wouldn’t go, but the moment she realized Hilda was inviting Modesty, she immediately corrected herself. “I’ll go too.”

There was no way she could leave the protagonist alone with the antagonist. God only knew what Hilda might say to Modesty, especially since Modesty’s mood had been visibly off after their last conversation at the funeral.

Thinking of this, Ni Songan couldn’t help but frown.

A hand reached out to smooth the furrows in her brow, the cool touch snapping her back to reality. Modesty leaned in close to observe her, so close they were almost nose-to-nose, close enough for Ni Songan to count every single one of her eyelashes.

“Fine. I thought you didn’t want to be around her and was about to decline, but I’ll let her know you’re coming along.”

Modesty gave Ni Songan the location of the restaurant Hilda had mentioned. It was a place known for its excellent privacy. If Ni Songan remembered correctly, Althea used to have Zhu Tingran book tables there frequently at a private kitchen called Jinxia Abode.

“But Sister, do you really want to go?” Modesty stared at her suspiciously, her gaze more probing than curious, which made the hair on the back of Ni Songan’s neck stand up.

Ni Songan hadn’t expected her to detect her internal resistance. Her relationship with Hilda was average at best. Feigning a relaxed tone, she teased, “It’s just a meal…”

“I’m afraid she’ll ruin your mood.” Modesty backed away and sat down properly again. “Auntie doesn’t seem to like you very much, she’s always saying bad things about you to me.”

Ni Songan instantly connected this to the scene at the funeral when Hilda had pulled Modesty aside for a talk.

“And what exactly did she say?” Ni Songan tried to sound as casual as possible, projecting an air of indifference toward Hilda’s opinions as if she were just asking out of passing curiosity, even though she was actually dying of anxiety inside.

What if Modesty actually believed her? Her fingers unconsciously twisted together.

Modesty raised an eyebrow, her eyes full of impatience toward Hilda. “She’s always been so self-centered. If she doesn’t like something, she calls it ‘bad.’ I don’t even bother listening to her.”

Hearing that she didn’t believe Hilda’s rhetoric, Ni Songan’s tightened jaw relaxed slightly. “We should get moving, or we’ll miss the reservation.”

The two changed their clothes and took a car to Jinxia Abode.

When Ni Songan and Modesty arrived at the private room, Hilda was already seated inside.

Hilda loved wearing vibrant colors. The bright red she wore was striking, and as soon as Ni Songan entered, she noticed both the outfit and the garish smile on her face.

The room smelled strongly of alcohol. Ni Songan searched the area and found a cluster of empty bottles next to Hilda. Combined with the flush on Hilda’s cheeks, Ni Songan let out a sigh, certain that her aunt had started drinking long before they arrived.

That scrutinizing gaze was uncomfortable. Ni Songan nodded to Hilda. “Good evening, Auntie.”

Modesty followed suit. After the greetings, they took their seats.

“I didn’t believe it when Modesty said you were coming. It’s rare to catch a busy person like you.” Though the words were meant as a tease, coming from Hilda, they sounded biting and sharp. The overhead lights cast shadows that made Hilda’s silhouette look almost ghostly as she stared at Ni Songan without blinking.

Seeing that her attitude wasn’t as combative as before, merely sarcastic, Ni Songan relaxed a little. It seemed this wasn’t some malicious trap set for Modesty.

Despite the lingering discomfort, Ni Songan felt she didn’t need to be on high alert every single second.

As the junior, she took the initiative to pour Hilda a glass of wine. Although she didn’t know the source of Hilda’s long-standing animosity, the atmosphere for now was relatively normal.

“Thank you for looking after my sister, Auntie. I’ve been so busy with work that I haven’t had much time to connect with everyone. In any case, I’m grateful to all the elders for everything.”

This wasn’t a lie. If the members of the Rodney family hadn’t been running around helping with various affairs, the funeral and the succession of the head of the house would not have gone so smoothly.

This was exactly why Ni Songan wanted to win Hilda over rather than excluding her from the alliance entirely.

Having one more friend as an ally is always better than an enemy, especially since Hilda and the Rodney family were essentially in the same boat. To some extent, they would all rise or fall together.

Hilda hadn’t done anything to jeopardize the family before, and Ni Songan hoped she wouldn’t start now. She didn’t mind ambitious people, she just hoped their ambition wouldn’t hurt the interests of Ni Songan or the people she cared about.

Hilda gave a soft huff and clinked glasses with her, looking like a large cat that had just been smoothed over. “At least you have some manners.”

“I invited you and Modesty to dinner for no big reason, really, just to catch up.”

Ni Songan smiled and responded with a very formal reply, “My sister and I were also looking forward to dining with you.”

A dazzling array of dishes covered the entire table, with more snacks still to come. Ni Songan rang the bell to signal the waiter not to bring anything else, but Hilda stopped her. “Eat more.”

“It’s too wasteful,” Ni Songan declined politely. Looking at the spread, more than half of the food would likely be thrown away. Both she and Modesty had decent appetites, but that didn’t mean they could finish all this.

Furthermore, given the empty bottles at Hilda’s elbow and the heavy scent of alcohol in the air, anyone could see that Hilda was practically full on wine alone. Unless she was a competitive eater, there was no way she could finish this much food.

“What’s wasteful about it? The whole world is wasteful, is our table really going to make a difference?” Hilda’s face gradually clouded over. “You’re just trying to disrespect me, aren’t you!”

“…” Ni Songan felt speechless. She didn’t want to get into an argument with a drunkard over this. “Auntie, I’m not. You’re just drunk.”

“I am not drunk! What’s wrong with a little waste? If you don’t enjoy yourself now, you certainly won’t be able to once you’re dead!” Hilda grumbled, calling the waiter for another bottle of wine.

After hearing that, Ni Songan’s friendly mask began to slip. “That is a bit much, even for you.”

It was only her upbringing that kept her from walking out immediately or snapping back.

Modesty couldn’t listen to it either. “Auntie, I haven’t cursed you out yet because I respect you as an elder. I suggest you watch your mouth.”

The comment about not being able to enjoy yourself once you’re dead was a clear, tactless jab at the passing of Ni Tianjiao and Althea.

“What did I do? Can’t I even talk?” Hilda continued recklessly between drunken hiccups.

Ni Songan found it impossible to maintain a friendly demeanor any longer. She stood up and walked straight out of the private room. Modesty followed close behind, neither of them glancing back at Hilda, who was a complete drunken mess.

After the dinner with Hilda ended on such a sour note, Ni Songan tactfully mentioned it to Great Aunt Bertha. For a long time after that, Hilda stopped causing trouble, which saved Ni Songan a lot of grief.

On the school front, Zhou Yejia sent Ni Songan a new email. The competition they had entered earlier had won an award, and she asked when Ni Songan would be free to come pick up the trophy.

Ni Songan had been so busy lately that she’d lost track of school affairs. Her gaze lingered on the flickering email icon, feeling a rare moment of hesitation.

Work at the company was still piled high like a mountain, and she had to start worrying about her graduate school applications this year. While Zhou Yejia was currently her top choice for a mentor, Ni Songan didn’t want to lock herself in completely without considering other professors first.

Balancing both was difficult, but not impossible. Ni Songan rested her chin on her crossed fingers, staring at the computer screen for a long time before finally opening a chat with her counselor.

Ni Songan: Hello, Counselor. This is Ni Songan from the School of Electronic Engineering. I’d like to inquire about the procedure for taking a leave of absence. I won’t be staying at school for the next academic year because I plan to start a business.

A reply came back shortly after. Once the counselor confirmed Ni Songan was serious about the leave, they promised to send her the information form at the start of the new semester. After she filled it out and got the necessary approvals from the Registrar’s Office and the college, the process could be finished in a single day.

Ni Songan thanked the counselor, her mind made up. She would take a year off after her junior year. Once the situation at Rodney’s was stable, she would return to her studies. Otherwise, it felt unethical to inherit the estate while leaving the company to fend for itself.

She then replied to Zhou Yejia’s email, arranging to go back to school that afternoon to collect the trophy and certificate. Zhou Yejia mentioned she was always on campus and told her to come by whenever.

Returning to campus wasn’t just to see Zhou Yejia. Ni Songan first ran errands at the Registrar’s Office and met with her instructors and counselor to continue her application for remote learning.

After finishing those tasks, she slowly made her way to Zhou Yejia’s office.

“Songan, you’re here. Have a seat, I’ll talk to you once I finish this.” Zhou Yejia was incredibly busy. From the moment Ni Songan entered the room, the professor hadn’t looked up once, her focus entirely consumed by the documents in her hands.

Ni Songan found a seat and waited patiently.

About half an hour later, Zhou Yejia finished her work and looked at the girl waiting for her. “I saw in your email that you plan to take a leave of absence? Did something happen?”

There was no point in hiding what had happened to Ni Tianjiao and Althea. Ni Songan summarized it briefly, explaining that elders in her family had passed away and she needed to return home to manage the company and look after her sister.

Zhou Yejia clearly hadn’t expected that. For a moment, her expression was one of flustered sympathy. “I’m so sorry, please accept my condolences…”

“When do you plan to return to your studies after your leave?” she asked, quickly changing the subject.

Ni Songan shook her head. “Perhaps in a year, or maybe two?”

“That’s fine. Regardless of when you return, I very much look forward to having you as my student.” This wasn’t just politeness. Zhou Yejia clearly admired Ni Songan. If family circumstances forced such a student to abandon her studies, it wouldn’t just be a loss for Ni Songan, but a tragedy from a teacher’s perspective as well.

“Thank you, Professor. I’ll be going now, I have other things to take care of.” Ni Songan rose to say goodbye.

As she stepped out the door, she bumped into someone else.

“Senior?”

Ni Songan looked at the girl in front of her with surprise. It was Ji Feiyu, the graduate student Zhou Yejia had assigned to answer questions for undergraduates. She had helped Ni Songan’s team a lot.

Ji Feiyu’s eyes were bloodshot, and she looked like she had just been crying. She gave Ni Songan a distracted nod before rushing into Zhou Yejia’s office.

Assuming her research wasn’t going well, Ni Songan wasn’t too shocked, she often saw graduate students having sudden meltdowns. It wasn’t uncommon for students to seek out their mentors after a good cry.

As the door closed behind her, Ni Songan paused for a moment. She decided she would message Ji Feiyu later that evening to offer some comfort, then she turned and walked away.

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