My Gloomy Stepsister Has Her Eyes on Me - Chapter 10

Zhen Min’er froze, her expression a mix of confusion and helplessness.

Painting… It’s been so long since I last painted.

She had once loved painting, all because of her elder sister.

…Is she going to decide for me?

Zhen Min’er remembered her sister’s words: if she won an international award, her sister could break off her engagement.

She needed her sister to break off the engagement.

Zhen Min’er looked at He Hanmeng, who maintained her ever-present smile. “I…”

“Miss He, if my sister doesn’t choose you, I’ll compensate you accordingly,” Zhen Zhu said, her gaze calm and aloof, radiating an almost inhuman superiority. Paired with her cold, elegant face, it seemed perfectly natural. “Thank you for your time today.”

“Pfft.” He Hanmeng couldn’t help but chuckle at the long-haired, slightly arrogant young girl.

If she hadn’t seen so much in her life, this girl’s words would have been infuriating.

“I believe your sister will choose me,” He Hanmeng said with a faint smile, turning to Zhen Min’er. “Care to consider it?”

Zhen Min’er, driven by her purpose, nodded without hesitation. “Yes.”

Though she had lost interest in painting, what mattered most now was that her sister could break off her engagement. For that reason alone, she would agree.

Seeing her stepsister agree to become an apprentice, Zhen Zhu seemed satisfied. “Miss He, when would you like to begin teaching?”

It would be best to start now, today… That way, Zhen Min’er would have a trump card.

And…

Zhen Zhu could finally return the engagement to Zhen Min’er, the Main Lead.

As Zhen Zhu thought this, she felt a strange tightness in her chest.

“Since we’re already here, why don’t we start today? I’d like to assess Min’er’s current painting skills,” He Hanmeng said, as if sensing Zhen Zhu’s inner turmoil.

“Good,” Zhen Zhu replied, satisfied, ignoring the lingering unease.

As for payment, since He Hanmeng was being so accommodating, Zhen Zhu would later transfer ten times the standard market rate to her.

After all… her earnings from recent art exhibitions abroad alone would easily cover it.

“In that case, Zhen Min’er, you’ll stay here and study with Miss He. I…”

Zhen Zhu began, preparing to leave.

Wait… did she have any urgent business that required her immediate departure?

Piano practice?

Hold on…

Zhen Zhu paused, momentarily disoriented. Why had she suddenly returned to China after managing so well abroad?

And why had she chosen the obscure Celia Theater?

With her talent, every major theater in the country would have been vying for her attention. Yet she had followed her father’s advice and joined Celia Theater?

Zhen Zhu frowned, thinking about the thirteen years of memories she couldn’t recall from the previous night. It felt like those dusty, sealed memories required a specific trigger to resurface.

Just as she was about to ask the System…

“Elder Sister… are you leaving?”

A soft, tearful voice came from beside her. “Elder Sister, I’m a little nervous. Could you stay with me?”

“???” Zhen Zhu’s fox-like eyes widened as she stared at her fully grown stepsister. How old are you? Still needing someone to keep you company?

I shouldn’t have looked.

The moment she glanced over, she saw those tear-filled eyes, like a deer’s, blinking rapidly as tears threatened to spill. Her pink lips were pursed, making her look like she was about to burst into tears.

Fine.

It’s not like I have anything important to do anyway…

“Since I have no other plans, I’ll keep you company for the day,” Zhen Zhu said, pursing her lips and turning her head with a huff.

“Thank you for staying with me, Elder Sister!” Zhen Min’er’s eyes lit up as she released the finger she had been tightly gripping. Her tear-filled eyes sparkled brightly.

Watching Zhen Min’er follow He Hanmeng upstairs to fetch art supplies for a trial painting session, Zhen Zhu immediately asked the System, “You said you knew the novel’s opening plot, right? The one from yesterday, after I woke up from the dream?”

“Yes, Host.”

“Does the novel have a personal profile for me?”

“No… but I can access another dimension and see what readers of your novel world are saying about you. The Host can’t see it, though… Would you like me to read some of it?”

“Read it,” Zhen Zhu replied immediately.

“Zhen Zhu, despite having a privileged background and her mother dying of natural causes, inexplicably targets the Main Lead after her own nanny becomes her father’s second wife. It’s clear she never really liked the Male Lead, but because the Main Lead does, she insists on competing for him. Later, she even drugs the Main Lead and arranges for others to sexually assault her. What kind of outrageous Eldest Miss is this?”

“Zhen Zhu is so weird! If she likes Jining Lan, why doesn’t she just pursue him? Why does she constantly insult, order around, and treat the Main Lead like a servant? Ugh, I have to say, isn’t the Main Lead’s personality

“Host, should we continue?”

“…” Zhen Zhu wanted to punch the System. “Continue.”

“Exactly! I also think Zhen Zhu is completely unreasonable. Her father cheated first, yet she blames everything on the Main Lead.”

“Thank goodness that vicious Eldest Miss is dead. Otherwise, I’d be furious. But even now, I don’t think it’s enough. Let me summarize what the Eldest Miss did:

1. When the Male Lead first went to find the Main Lead, the Eldest Miss, enraged, locked the Main Lead in the restroom overnight.

2. Because the Male Lead brought the Main Lead, dressed in formal attire, to his grandfather’s birthday banquet, the Eldest Miss, furious, pushed the Main Lead into the pond during the banquet, soaking her clothes. But thankfully, the Male Lead pushed the Eldest Miss into the pond too! Haha, the Male Lead is awesome.

3. When the Male Lead invited the Main Lead to dinner, the Eldest Miss used her influence to have the waiter drug the Main Lead. Then she dragged the Male Lead away and let a gambling addict into the room. If the Main Lead hadn’t stabbed herself in the leg to regain consciousness, she would have been finished!”

4. The Eldest Miss stole and destroyed the Main Lead’s painting, preventing her from entering the competition.

Sigh, there were a few more petty schemes later, but they were all relatively minor. Eventually, the Main Lead achieved success as an artist through her own abilities, making the Eldest Miss seem insignificant. However, even though the Eldest Miss injured her fingers while trying to harm the Main Lead, rendering her unable to play the piano and leading to her father kicking her out of the house, she lacked the skills to support herself and ultimately died. Still… it felt like she was written off too easily!

“Honestly, if you ask me, the Eldest Miss…”

“Stop, stop, stop—”

The childish voice continued reading, but Zhen Zhu quickly interrupted, “Wait, wait, read that part again.”

The childish voice repeated the passage.

That’s wrong. Even if she clung to the marriage contract because of her mother’s dying wish, her intention had always been to fulfill the agreement, not to become intimate with Jining Lan.

Because Jining Lan had framed his stepsister, resorting to such a despicable method as drugging her.

She would never do that. Her pride wouldn’t allow it.

Zhen Zhu pressed her lips together and leaned back against the sofa. Why would she act the way she did in the novel?

Was it really just because she was angry about her father and the nanny? Would she completely disregard her dignity and target her stepsister?

She would never do something so low-class!

Zhen Zhu was certain of that.

So…

“Either I was being controlled to do things I would never do… or what these people are reading in the novel isn’t actually happening in the real world.”

She murmured these thoughts aloud, absently grabbing a piece of paper from He Hanmeng’s coffee table to jot down these key points.

Regardless, this was a clue that confirmed what she had suspected last night:

The question of whether she could escape the plot.

According to the System’s commentary, Jining Lan was supposed to come looking for Zhen Min’er. Zhen Zhu pondered, Was that supposed to happen yesterday?

But yesterday, there was no incident of Zhen Min’er being locked in the bathroom.

Instead, it was Jining Lan’s grandfather’s eightieth birthday celebration.

That event was indeed approaching; Zhen Zhu remembered it was on the 3rd of next month.

Less than a month away.

Zhen Zhu finalized her initial plan. Hearing footsteps, she quickly folded the notes she had made and clutched them in her palm.

Checking the time, Zhen Zhu realized that two hours had already passed.

She watched her stepsister obediently follow He Hanmeng downstairs, He Hanmeng wearing the same faint smile as when they first met.

Nothing seemed amiss; everything should be fine.

Zhen Zhu remembered the System mentioning earlier that the plotline included a scene where the Main Lead wins an art award…

It seemed that even without her intervention, Zhen Min’er would still pursue painting.

The thought struck her…

It wasn’t her who first discovered Zhen Min’er’s talent, but the novel’s predetermined plot.

Zhen Zhu’s thoughts paused briefly, her expression shifting slightly, a hint of annoyance creeping into her tone as she glanced at her stepsister behind He Hanmeng. “Is today’s lesson already over?”

“Mhm,” Zhen Min’er replied softly, hugging her person-sized canvas.

“My teaching for today is finished. Min’er can come at 10:30 tomorrow,” He Hanmeng said with a gentle smile, setting the time.

“Okay,” Zhen Zhu nodded, glancing at her stepsister and the person-sized canvas dangling from her hand.

She turned and took two steps toward the door—

Then pivoted back on her heels.

“You’re moving too slowly!”

“Hurry up! I need to practice piano later,” Zhen Zhu said, lifting the other side of the easel while scolding, “Don’t overthink it!”

“Thank you, Elder Sister~”

“What are you thanking me for?” Zhen Zhu’s ears burned as she pressed her lips into a thin line. Her high heels clicked heavily against the floor, but with long intervals between each step. “I told you to hurry up!”

Hearing He Hanmeng’s stifled laughter behind her, Zhen Zhu’s ears inexplicably grew even hotter.

After opening the door and having the bodyguard help load the easel into the extended Bentley, Zhen Zhu got into the car. She noticed a pale purple sports car, no less luxurious than her own, parked in He Hanmeng’s driveway.

As the driver left, Zhen Zhu caught a glimpse of He Hanmeng rushing forward with a radiant smile.

It was a different smile from the one she usually showed Zhen Zhu and her stepsister.

Probably He Hanmeng’s boyfriend, Zhen Zhu thought fleetingly.

She didn’t dwell on it.

Zhen Zhu had more pressing matters to consider…

Specifically, what the System had said:

“Elder Sister, that painting… you still kept it?”

The quiet air in the car was slightly disturbed by Zhen Min’er’s trembling voice.

It made Zhen Zhu’s heart skip a beat. Her face remained as cold and composed as ever, forcing herself to maintain her composure. “No, I didn’t.”

“I just found it while sorting through some old things last night.”