After Transmigrating into a Novel, I Became the Female Lead's Stepmother (GL) - Chapter 7

Jiang Zhaolie was absolutely furious with Xu Chun and stormed off without looking back. Xu Chun’s gaze followed her, and in desperation, she couldn’t help but shout, “Don’t go! At least transfer the money to me first!”

Perhaps it was her imagination, but she noticed Jiang Zhaolie walked even faster after hearing that. “…”

Xu Chun blinked in disappointment. Later on, Jiang Zhaolie and Yu Sui’an would team up to ruin her family, so it was absolutely necessary to squeeze every penny she could from them now. As long as she had enough savings, even if her family went bankrupt in the end, she wouldn’t end up destitute and unnoticed for days after her death.

Stabbed by the cruel ending from the novel, Xu Chun felt anxious but had no idea what to do. She could only nervously pick up the novel He Qingli had sent her and start reading.

Surprisingly, it was quite good.

She became completely engrossed, so much so that she didn’t even notice Jiang Zhaolie returning or Yu Sui’an passing by her several times after freshening up. Both of them kept their expressions neutral, but inwardly, they felt a strange emotion. The person who used to fuss over them and cling to them relentlessly was now completely absorbed in some trashy novel, ignoring them entirely. No matter how they looked at it, it didn’t sit well with them.

Was she really more interested in some nonsensical book than in them?

Under the watchful eyes of eight cameras in the living room and millions of viewers nationwide, Xu Chun was thoroughly enjoying “The Domineering Younger Lover: Punish with Restraint.”

[Seriously, is this trashy novel really that good? She’s been reading it for three whole hours! What happened to the promised love triangle? What about the promised drama? Is there something my VIP status isn’t worthy of seeing?]

[A ten-year veteran reader here, this book is actually pretty good. It’s trashy but weirdly addictive.]

[Agreed, 100%. Just seeing how engrossed Xu Chun is, I’m officially representing our 1,000-member fan group in stanning her today!]

As more and more people discussed it, “The Domineering Younger Lover: Punish with Restraint” skyrocketed to the top five trending topics in record time. Netizens clicked in, expecting to see something scandalous, only to find the comments filled with praise for the book. After two minutes of scrolling, they were genuinely confused—what was all the fuss about?

With such a trashy title, they couldn’t even be bothered to click.

Still, a few bored fans followed Xu Chun’s lead and checked out the book. After just a few minutes, they tore themselves away and rushed back excitedly, exclaiming, [This is amazing!]

Before the night was over, word of mouth had spread like wildfire, and the book became a massive hit, reclaiming its spot on the site’s top recommendations. The original author excitedly took to Weibo, saying, “I never thought I’d see the day my work went viral! Thank you all for your support, and especially to Sister Xu Chun for loving and recommending it. From now on, I’m her number one die-hard fan!”

As the author spoke up, fans of the book flooded into the livestream to cheer for Xu Chun. The director, watching the endless stream of viewer gifts, could barely contain his glee. He tossed the ad script to his assistant and said, “Take this to Xu Chun.”

The assistant was a fan of Yu Sui’an. Hearing the director’s words, he froze for a moment. “But wasn’t it already decided to give this to Suisui…”

“Go, go, hurry up! Who asked for your opinion?”

The director had originally considered Xu Chun for the role. Xu Chun came with her own fanbase before joining the show, and her image fit perfectly. It was the assistant director and others who insisted Xu Chun had a bad reputation and refused to let her participate, forcing the director to drop the idea. But after tonight’s incident, the director was determined to push through all objections and give the advertisement to Xu Chun.

He could already imagine how sought-after Xu Chun would be by advertisers in the future—so much so that they might have to beg for her cooperation, which she might not even agree to.

The assistant lowered his head to hide his resentment but had no choice but to comply. On the way, he didn’t forget to immediately inform Yu Sui’an’s agent and team. Though he couldn’t do much himself, Suisui’s powerful team surely wouldn’t let her suffer, right?

Xu Chun was completely unaware of what was happening online. She was fully immersed in the world of the melodramatic novel, even taking the book to the bathroom without ever lifting her eyes from the pages. Apart from necessary bathroom breaks, she seemed glued to the armchair and the novel, completely ignoring Jiang Zhaolie and Yu Sui’an as if they were air.

Jiang Zhaolie stared at her absorbed expression and instantly grew furious. She was the one who had made Suisui cry, yet here she was, carefreely engrossed in her novel. How was that fair?

After passing by Xu Chun several times without eliciting any reaction, Jiang Zhaolie finally snapped. She yanked the book from Xu Chun’s hands and said through gritted teeth, “Are you done yet?”

“Not even close. I haven’t even finished a tenth of it.” Xu Chun blinked in confusion, her eyes dry from prolonged reading. The sudden brightness made her dark, glistening eyes shimmer with unshed tears, giving her a delicate yet alluring look.

Jiang Zhaolie froze, an inexplicable sense of helplessness washing over her. She pressed her lips together, rendered speechless by Xu Chun’s response. Just as Xu Chun’s patience was about to wear thin, Jiang Zhaolie shoved the book back at her and stormed off.

The ivory-colored pages were now crumpled from Jiang Zhaolie’s rough handling. Xu Chun gritted her teeth, staring at Jiang Zhaolie’s retreating figure in bewilderment. “What the hell?”

Annoyed, she flipped back to her previous page and dove back into the world of anguished romance. Meanwhile, the live chat was flooded with comments like:
[It’s already 3 a.m. How much longer is she going to read? I can’t stay awake anymore.]
[Xu Chun is literally me when I’m reading. I bet she’ll pull an all-nighter—once you start these trashy novels, you just can’t stop.]

By 3:30 a.m., Xu Chun was still motionless on the sofa. Yu Sui’an put down her phone, quietly approached, and asked softly, “Aren’t you going to sleep, sis?”

“Huh? What?” Xu Chun finally tore her gaze from the book, responding belatedly. “What did you say?”

Yu Suian fell silent for a moment before taking a deep breath. “It’s almost four in the morning, sis. Aren’t you going to sleep?” She paused, then emphasized, “Are you planning to stay up all night reading and completely ignore tomorrow’s schedule?”

Xu Chun opened her mouth, wanting to say she could handle it—one sleepless night wouldn’t affect her. But Yu Suian seemed to read her mind, leaning in abruptly until they were barely a finger’s width apart. “Sis, if you can’t sleep… I can help you.”

Despite Yu Suian’s usual delicate, fragile appearance, Xu Chun had no doubt that if she dared disobey, the younger woman wouldn’t hesitate to strike her neck in front of the national audience and calmly drag her to bed. Imagining the scene, Xu Chun felt oddly conflicted. “…”

Just why was her so-called ex-girlfriend so terrifying?

Reluctantly, Xu Chun picked up her book to leave, but Yu Suian extended a hand. Meeting her gaze, Xu Chun pretended not to understand. Yu Suian flexed her fingers. “Give me the book.”

“I won’t read!” Before she could finish protesting, the book was snatched away. Xu Chun glared defiantly, then brightened at the thought of continuing on her phone. But barely five seconds later, Yu Suian remarked coolly, “Also, if I catch you sneaking back to your room and reading on your phone after this…”

Her tone lingered, the ending sweetly soft. “You know the consequences, sis.”

Xu Chun truly didn’t.

Yet Yu Suian’s warning was too ominous. After some thought, Xu Chun decided not to test her limits. Only after returning to her room did it dawn on her—why should she fear Yu Suian? It wasn’t like the woman could devour her. Besides, they were technically exes now. Why obey her every word?

Xu Chun shook her head, oblivious to the few passing comments in the livestream: [Why does Xu Chun seem kinda whipped?]

News of Xu Chun snatching Yu Suian’s endorsement spread quickly to the latter’s team. After urgent midnight discussions, a flood of black PR suddenly swamped the internet.

Xu Chun’s reputation, which had been improving thanks to that melodramatic novel, was instantly dragged back down, worse than before. Her manager’s repeated calls finally roused her from sleep. Half-dazed, Xu Chun sat in bed listening to the analysis of her current predicament before interrupting, “Yang-jie, you’re overreacting. First, my achievements come from my skills, not connections. Second, online opinions don’t affect me if I ignore them. Third, netizens have short memories. In a month or two—no, maybe just two weeks—they’ll forget all this trivial drama.”

“Finally, Sister Yang, instead of reflecting on ourselves, we should blame others more. They’ve ruined my reputation, I’m the victim here!” Xu Chun earnestly counseled her manager before abruptly changing the subject, “By the way, Sister Yang, I stayed up late last night, so I’m going back to sleep now.”

Manager: “…” How can you even sleep?

The manager couldn’t help but think Yu Sui’an had done the right thing last night. If she hadn’t confiscated Xu Chun’s trashy romance novels, Xu Chun might have indeed neglected the show and pulled an all-nighter. For a moment, the manager’s feelings toward Yu Sui’an became complicated.

Though Xu Chun appeared obedient on the surface, she was actually quite difficult to manage. Stubborn and inflexible, the manager had never been able to control her in such trivial matters. In all her time working with Xu Chun, Yu Sui’an was the only person who could keep her in check.

Yet Yu Sui’an’s motives for approaching Xu Chun were far from pure, and her past actions only confirmed the manager’s suspicions.

The manager sighed inwardly, wishing there were a second or third person who could rein Xu Chun in someone who would prevent Yu Sui’an from using her as a stepping stone. But she knew this was just wishful thinking and didn’t hold out much hope.

The advertising dispute escalated until it reached Yu Sui’an herself. Jiang Zhaolie, eavesdropping, suddenly called out to the person holding a toothbrush cup who seemed about to slink away guiltily, “Xu Chun, stop right there.”

Half-asleep, Xu Chun instinctively halted at the command, her gaze drifting blankly toward the source of the voice. When she saw it was Jiang Zhaolie, she frowned openly, irritation plain on her face. “Spit it out if you have something to say.”

Jiang Zhaolie choked, “…”

Taking a deep breath to suppress her anger, Jiang Zhaolie demanded, “Why did you steal Sui’s opportunity? Didn’t you say you loved her and would treat her well forever?”

Jiang Zhaolie didn’t turn away from the cameras or lower her voice, so the audience heard every word. Viewers tuning into the livestream perked up, the long-awaited dramatic showdown between the three was finally beginning. Early birds really did get the juiciest gossip! All eyes fixed on the screen, where a languid figure in pajamas stood.

Xu Chun, who was prone to morning grumpiness, stared at Jiang Zhaolie motionlessly, seething inside. Jiang Zhaolie felt unnerved under her gaze and briefly faltered before straightening her spine defiantly. She wasn’t wrong, the ad had been Sui’s to begin with. How dare Xu Chun act so shameless after stealing it?

Jiang Zhaolie thought to herself, only someone as kind as Sui would still refrain from humiliating Xu Chun like this.

Xu Chun was so furious she burst into laughter, the sound eerily unending. She fixed Jiang Zhaolie with a chilling smile, her voice dripping with sweetness, “Who said that?”

“Who said I love Sui?”

“What I really love is both of you, silly.”