I Am Not a Vicious Stepsister! - Chapter 3

In the original plot, Althea had prepared gifts for all the children in this blended family. Hailo, who was already an adult, received expensive, dazzling jewelry, while Modesty was given a soft, plush toy.

To any observer, Hailo’s gift was clearly superior, yet Hailo insisted on taking the one meant for Modesty.

The novel described Hailo’s expression at that moment from Modesty’s perspective:

“She stared at me gloomily, as if she wanted to swallow me alive. A chill ran down my spine, and I couldn’t understand why. Did I have some deep-seated grudge against her? Ultimately, at my mother’s subtle hint, the owner of that plush toy became my stepsister.”

The original owner of this body was truly terrifying from that viewpoint, as no one understood the reason behind her emotional shifts. To avoid provoking her daughter’s resentment, the new mother, Althea, felt she had no choice but to let Modesty be the one to suffer.

Following that plot point, Hailo’s transformation became increasingly obvious. She seemed to be completely corrupted by money, indulging in a life of hedonism. However, none of this was known to her mother, Ni Tianjiao, because Modesty was threatened into keeping it a secret. Althea suspected something was off but didn’t have the time to investigate, dismissing it as minor sibling squabbles.

Reflecting on these plot settings, Ni Song’an couldn’t even be bothered to criticize them. The crude, stereotypical characterization had almost made her drop the book initially, but she had gritted her teeth and pushed through.

It was only after the opening chapters that things started to feel normal.

Looking back now, Ni Song’an wasn’t trying to whitewash Hailo’s actions, but in her opinion, if only Hailo could have properly restrained her own heart. Wanting everything is simply too greedy, there will always be things one cannot obtain.

Furthermore, the parents were completely irresponsible. They seemed to believe that because Hailo was in university, she was an adult, and they showed zero concern for her. Of course, this might just have been the author being lazy and failing to think through the underlying logic, making Ni Tianjiao love her daughter, yet forcing her to be indifferent to Hailo’s transition into the new family. It was a deliberate attempt to create an environment that forced Hailo’s personality to warp, serving no purpose other than making her a villain who bullied Modesty.

The novel’s plot couldn’t withstand much scrutiny, and those characters had now become real people standing before her…

People are multi-dimensional and complex. Continuing to use the novel’s settings as a guide felt more like forcing a square peg into a round hole, so Ni Song’an simply stopped thinking about it.

The scenery outside the taxi window gradually slowed to a halt. She snapped out of her thoughts, realizing she had arrived at Orange County in Quxi.

Looking at the familiar surroundings, Ni Song’an couldn’t help but sigh.

Accepting her fate, she stepped out of the taxi and walked toward the house. On the steps, she saw Modesty, the girl who evoked such mixed emotions in her.

This young, handsome-looking girl was someone the pre-transmigration Ni Song’an had loved uncontrollably, yet the post-transmigration Ni Song’an was trying to keep at a distance.

“Sister.” Modesty hadn’t met Ni Song’an many times, but she was always very polite. She skipped down the steps and landed in front of Ni Song’an, bringing with her a rich, yet pleasant, scent of gardenias.

Ni Song’an admitted the scent improved her mood slightly, allowing her to face Modesty with a kind expression. “Good afternoon, Modesty. Once I put my things away, I’ll go to the study to see Mom and the others.”

“Mm.” Modesty looked down at her luggage, seemingly debating whether or not to help.

Since she was only staying briefly at Orange County this time, Ni Song’an hadn’t brought much. She tucked her suitcase slightly behind her, not wanting Modesty to notice it, and deftly changed the subject. “I’m heading inside first.”

She didn’t believe for a second that Modesty was specifically waiting outside for her stepsister.

However, the most unlikely possibility turned out to be the truth.

Modesty still didn’t seem to know much Nanzhou dialect, so their rare interactions consisted of short sentences or simple phrases. She trotted to keep up with Ni Song’an. “Sister, wait for me.”

“Alright.” Ni Song’an paused for a moment and then walked side-by-side with Modesty. However, the two were never quite in sync, causing Modesty to either fall behind by a few steps or pull ahead slightly.

Ni Song’an felt a twinge of guilt and stopped trying to micromanage the distance between them.

Modesty followed her obediently to her room and was about to step inside when Ni Song’an, snapping back to reality, blocked her way. “Not allowed, okay? I need to change my clothes. Wait for me outside for a bit.”

In truth, there was a separate walk-in closet in the room. Ni Song’an was just very uncomfortable sharing a space with someone else.

She didn’t understand why Modesty felt it was so natural to run into someone else’s room, but Ni Song’an wasn’t going to indulge her, even if she was a character she liked.

A few minutes later, having changed her clothes, Ni Song’an met up with Modesty again. Together, they headed to the study to wait for their mothers.

Inside the study, Ni Tianjiao and Althea hadn’t arrived yet. Ni Song’an glanced at a rattan hanging chair by the floor-to-ceiling window and sat down.

The rattan was cool, and the chill seeped through her clothes. Ni Song’an didn’t move, choosing to endure it.

Modesty stayed by her side, but since there was only one hanging chair, she chose a small sofa instead. She then pulled two books from a basket on the side.

“Do you want to read?”

An expressive magazine cover was held up before Ni Song’an’s eyes. A fair hand cradled the book as if it were a treasure. Following those slender, long fingers upward, Ni Song’an met Modesty’s beautiful blue eyes.

They really looked like transparent jelly under the sunlight, sparkling and cute…

Ni Song’an’s thoughts wandered aimlessly, though she maintained a gentle smile on her face while declining the offer. “No, thank you.”

Rejected, Modesty shrugged and began reading one of the books herself.

After looking at her phone for a while, Ni Song’an heard faint footsteps outside the study.

A second later, the door was pushed open, and Ni Tianjiao and Althea walked in side-by-side.

Ni Song’an felt a gust of wind beside her as Modesty tossed the magazine aside and flew into Althea’s arms, calling “Mama” in a clingy tone.

She couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile. She picked up the book from the floor, put it away, and walked over to the three of them. With Modesty’s enthusiastic display as a precedent, perhaps Ni Song’an should have acted more clever, but she truly couldn’t manage it. In the end, she simply greeted them with a steady, “Mom.”

Ni Tianjiao beamed and hugged her child, while Althea and Modesty watched them with smiles.

Ni Song’an felt a brief moment of embarrassment, but luckily, Ni Tianjiao quickly let her go.

The four of them moved to the window area, which had better views and lighting. The mothers sat on one side, and the children sat opposite them.

The sunlight filtered through the glass, falling softly upon them.

Althea exchanged a look with her partner, Ni Tianjiao, and spoke to the two children with concern. “We’ve been busy with the honeymoon trip lately…”

Likely out of consideration for the older Ni Song’an, Althea spoke in the Nanzhou dialect.

Ni Song’an caught a glimpse of Modesty out of the corner of her eye and saw that she indeed looked disinterested. She worried whether the teenager would think her parents didn’t care about her.

I really should take better care of her… Ni Song’an sighed inwardly.

What Althea and Ni Tianjiao wanted to say was essentially that they had neglected them during this period and were sorry, but the coming days would also be incredibly busy. Therefore, they needed Ni Song’an and Modesty to look after each other, and so on…

Both children agreed without hesitation.

Leaving the study, Modesty walked a few paces ahead of Ni Song’an. As soon as the door closed, she zipped back to Ni Song’an’s side, her eyes full of anticipation. “I didn’t understand…”

Ni Song’an’s lip twitched slightly as she realized Modesty’s proficiency in the Nanzhou dialect was perhaps even worse than she had imagined.

“It’s okay, I’ll explain it to you in a bit.” During this time in Nanzhou, she had done some emergency studying of the languages commonly used by the Rodney family. She discovered they had many similarities to the foreign languages she had learned in her previous life, and some were even direct copies.

It seemed the author had been quite lazy with the world-building as well.

However, it saved Ni Song’an a lot of effort, and she quickly mastered the common tongue.

Her fluent speaking made Modesty’s eyes light up. The youth immediately grabbed Ni Song’an’s hands and pleaded in her more familiar foreign language: “You’re so amazing! Could you please teach me how to speak the Nanzhou dialect?”

“I don’t want to be an idiot next time…” The last sentence carried a hint of frustration.

Ni Song’an’s heart softened completely, and a trace of affection appeared in her eyes. “Sure, you can come to me with any questions you have.”

Her mouth had moved much faster than her brain. After the words left her mouth, Ni Song’an felt it might not be entirely appropriate, but it was too late to take back the promise.

She silently thought about her own complex coursework, then looked at Modesty’s pure, untainted smile. After some internal conflict, she still didn’t regret it.

It was fine. Modesty was established as brilliant by the author, so she would surely learn incredibly fast. Ni Song’an even felt that if she hadn’t learned the language herself, she still wouldn’t understand it by now.

The Q&A format suited Ni Song’an’s requirements perfectly. It wouldn’t bring them too close, but it would allow her to keep an eye on Modesty’s well-being.

She didn’t want their relationship to be terrible. Being a caring older sister was the perfect middle ground.

“You’re so nice. By the way, I don’t think I prepared a gift for you.” Modesty wrinkled her nose, looking troubled. She pulled Ni Song’an into her bedroom. “Wait a second, let me look. I have a lot of unopened stuff here. I think there might be something you’d like!”

“Okay,” Ni Song’an said helplessly, sitting on the sofa at the foot of Modesty’s bed.

The blonde youth ran around the room, eventually piling up a heap of items.

She picked up a bottle of perfume to inspect it, then pulled out a large box of brand-name paints, biting her lip in deep thought. A few seconds later, Modesty simply dumped the whole pile into Ni Song’an’s arms.

“This, this, and this—all for you!”

Ni Song’an’s pupils shrunk. “This is a bit much, isn’t it.”

She tried to decline as she struggled to hold everything, but Modesty was faster.

Modesty had just brought over a plush toy. Hearing the rejection, her expression turned pained. “You really don’t want it? But I really want to give them to you.”

Seeing her eyes rimmed with red, Ni Song’an steeled herself. “Fine, I’ll take them. I love them!”

At those words, Modesty beamed and stacked the plush toy on top of the pile. The mountain of boxes, bags, and the toy nearly buried Ni Song’an.

She struggled to stand up with the items, planning to put them away first and then find time to get a return gift for Modesty as a token of her appreciation.

Modesty looked at her with concern. “Sister, can you carry all that? Let me help you.”

Since she had already taken so many things, Ni Song’an was too embarrassed to let Modesty help further. Knowing she could still see the path ahead, she said, “I can do it! You go ahead and see which parts of the Nanzhou dialect you don’t understand. I’ll explain them to you once I’ve put these away.”

She slowly shuffled toward the door. Seeing her stepsister’s sluggish pace, Modesty took back the plush toy, which was the hardest to balance. “Never mind, Sister, I won’t give you this one. The rest are all yours!”

“Okay, thank you. If there’s any gift you want, you can tell me too.” With one less burden, Ni Song’an felt slightly relieved. With Modesty’s help, she managed to leave the bedroom and navigated through the massive house, finally making it back to her own room.

“So, was the mission a success?” Modesty thought she had vaguely heard a notification for a completed task earlier, but the sound was faint. She wondered if she was hallucinating because she was thinking about the missions too much.

The system hesitated. “Um… well, maybe?”

It looked at the loading progress bar. Combined with the sound effect that had cut off abruptly earlier, it didn’t feel good.

“What do you mean by that? Either it’s a success or it isn’t. How can the answer be ‘maybe’?” Modesty’s expression flattened, her tone growing impatient.

“Waaa, don’t be mad, Host! I don’t know what’s wrong with the program either. It—it—it’s stuck, it hasn’t finished loading” The system quickly tried to appease her by telling the truth.

 Hearing its words, Modesty frowned slightly. Just as she was about to speak, the program gave a new response.

[Ding~ Mission failed. Please try harder!]

The person and the system stared at each other. Seeing that Modesty was about to explode, System 313 frantically searched for a way to calm her down.

The next moment, they heard a new notification.

[Ding~ Congratulations, mission successful!]

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