My Gloomy Stepsister Has Her Eyes on Me - Chapter 15

Seeing the reply, Zhen Zhu scoffed and sent another message:

Zhen Min’er is coming too. Are you really not coming?

What’s your motive? If you have a problem, come at me, not Min’er!

What a psycho.

Zhen Zhu sneered. If a brainless idiot like Jining Lan can be the Male Lead, this world has truly gone mad.

If he can be the Male Lead, then I might as well become a god myself.

Refusing to waste any more time on this moron, Zhen Zhu sent him her location:

One o’clock. Come if you want.

Sending even that much felt like an insult to herself. If this idiot Male Lead didn’t show up, she’d just take Zhen Min’er out for dinner and go home.

If he did come… Zhen Zhu closed her eyes. Then let the Male Lead and Main Lead get along properly.

Zhen Min’er liked him, he liked Zhen Min’er, and Zhen Zhu wanted to break free from her control as soon as possible.

Zhen Zhu put down her phone. When they arrived at He Hanmeng’s house, she pushed open the car door, but before she could even ring the doorbell, the door swung open.

A woman with shoulder-length, straight hair and a heroic air between her brows collided with Zhen Zhu. Her slender eyebrows arched slightly, adding a sharp edge to her features and lending a commanding presence to the faint lines at the corners of her eyes. Dressed in a crisp white shirt with a suit jacket draped over her arm, her gaze softened as she looked at Zhen Zhu.

Zhen Zhu glanced up, realizing the woman was half a head taller than her.

Stepping back, Zhen Zhu frowned, disliking the feeling of being scrutinized. “Who are you?”

“You must be Zhen Zhu,” the woman said with a polite smile. “Your sister is inside.”

Zhen Zhu raised her eyebrows, frowning. This person…?

“She’s my partner,” a clear, gentle voice called from behind the woman—a voice Zhen Zhu recognized instantly.

He Hanmeng.

Zhen Zhu’s pupils constricted as she whipped her head around to stare at the woman. The woman shook her head helplessly and leaned down to press a kiss to He Hanmeng’s forehead. “I’m off to work now.”

“Okay, be careful on your way,” He Hanmeng replied, her radiant smile lighting up her delicate features. She winked at her partner, sending a playful glance. “Come home early tonight—I have a surprise for you.”

“…Alright,” Pe Yu murmured, a faint smile curving her lips. She ruffled He Hanmeng’s hair twice, offered a polite nod, and left.

Zhen Zhu climbed into the driver’s seat of the luxury car parked outside the gate.

Wait a minute… Zhen Zhu couldn’t suppress her expression. This woman… is she Hanmeng’s ex-boyfriend?

No, that’s wrong!

Girlfriend?!

Her mind was a complete mess. Zhen Zhu, who had just been frustrated by the world’s consciousness controlling her, was now utterly bewildered.

“Not coming in?” Hanmeng chuckled, raising an eyebrow at Zhen Zhu, who stood frozen in the doorway. “Min’er’s class isn’t over yet. You can come in and wait.”

Silently, Zhen Zhu stepped inside.

Sitting on the sofa, she watched Hanmeng across the room, who was calmly brewing tea. “You…”

Seeing Hanmeng’s puzzled look, Zhen Zhu pressed her lips together. “Never mind. It’s nothing.”

No matter how shocking this revelation was, it was Hanmeng’s own affair. As an observer, Zhen Zhu had no right to judge.

Even though she was genuinely astonished.

Hanmeng was a lesbian.

Zhen Zhu accepted the teacup and took a sip of the slightly bitter yet fragrant tea. “How much longer will Zhen Min’er need?”

“Hmm.” Hanmeng tilted her head thoughtfully. “It should be soon. I checked her progress before you arrived. She’s nearly finished her character.”

“Oh,” Zhen Zhu nodded.

A silence hung in the air.

Zhen Zhu frowned, not feeling particularly awkward, but mainly still reeling from the shock of what she had just witnessed.

Could it be…?

Even Zhen Zhu, who knew that gay men wouldn’t be this shocked—after all, Ba Xueyue wrote BL novels, and one of her male classmates in high school was gay—was stunned.

Of course, she had learned about her classmate from the gossipy Lin Zhi.

“Don’t you want to ask about me and my lover?” He Hanmeng asked with a smile.

“…Do you want to tell me?” Zhen Zhu glanced up at He Hanmeng and snorted softly. “If you’re so eager to share, I’m willing to listen.”

She set down her teacup, her eyes widening involuntarily as she waited for He Hanmeng to continue.

“Pfft.” He Hanmeng burst out laughing, then quickly apologized under Zhen Zhu’s glare. “Sorry, sorry, I just choked on my tea.”

I believe that about as much as I believe in ghosts, Zhen Zhu thought with a cold snort.

“I’m the adopted child of my lover,” He Hanmeng said with a soft laugh. “She was a student of my mother’s.”

“Huh?” Zhen Zhu’s eyes widened. How could this relationship…?

“She was a student my mother sponsored. After my parents passed away, she adopted me.”

“Ah?” Zhen Zhu frowned. “But… didn’t she lack the qualifications to adopt?”

“Exactly. That’s why I was initially adopted by my uncle and nearly molested,” He Hanmeng said with a shrug and a sigh, then smiled. “Then she returned from abroad and took me away.”

Zhen Zhu pursed her lips. Molesting his own niece? “He didn’t go to prison?”

“Of course he did,” He Hanmeng raised an eyebrow. “My partner hired a lawyer and had him locked up years ago.”

“Good,” Zhen Zhu said, her lips still pressed together. “Scum like that should be reformed early. He doesn’t deserve to live.”

“Hahahaha…” He Hanmeng burst into laughter. “I didn’t realize you were so passionate, Zhen Zhu.”

“I’m not passionate at all,” Zhen Zhu retorted, her fox-like eyes narrowing with cold light. “It’s just that creatures like him shouldn’t exist. They should be physically castrated.”

“Hahahaha, I agree!” He Hanmeng exclaimed excitedly. “I—”

“Elder Sister! You’re here to pick me up?!”

An excited little voice rang out from upstairs, interrupting He Hanmeng’s unfinished sentence.

He Hanmeng chuckled softly, raising an eyebrow as she glanced at the staircase. If she wasn’t mistaken, her little apprentice had waited a few seconds before calling out.

Was she afraid He Hanmeng would chat too long with Zhen Zhu? He Hanmeng tapped her fingers lightly on her knee, a smile curving her lips. Could that old saying really be true?

Birds of a feather flock together?

Otherwise, how else could she have ended up with a little apprentice who shared her sexual orientation?

“Bye-bye, Master,” Zhen Min’er waved softly, her palm facing outward in farewell.

“Bye-bye.”

“You’ll have to start your portrait all over again,” He Hanmeng said with a knowing smile. “I suggest you find a new model. Otherwise, you might never finish your assignment.”

“…What did He Hanmeng mean by that?” Zhen Zhu asked, frowning as they got into the car. “Is the painting not going well?”

If He Hanmeng wasn’t the right fit, they needed to find a new teacher quickly.

“…No, Elder Sister. I’m just a beginner and still not very skilled,” Zhen Min’er replied, clutching her backpack tightly. Inside lay a portrait uniquely hers. She cautiously looked up, her deer-like eyes blinking. “Elder Sister, do you enjoy talking with Teacher He?”

Starting over, she once again found herself uncontrollably adding a red mole to the figure’s neck. Before she could deepen the color, she faintly heard the familiar click of high heels on the floor.

It was her elder sister.

Trembling slightly, Zhen Min’er instinctively rose to her feet. She had just reached the studio door when she realized her mistake. Turning back, she saw the easel standing beneath the floor-to-ceiling window.

The red-robed woman with the bl00d-weeping mole on her neck.

This, I can’t let Elder Sister see.

Zhen Min’er whirled around, hastily replacing the canvas with a fresh white sheet, trying to conceal…

Her brush froze mid-stroke.

A flicker of realization crossed Zhen Min’er’s face. What was she trying to conceal?

Oh right, even though she adored her Elder Sister, secretly kissing her wasn’t right, especially leaving a mark. Her Elder Sister would be upset.

Zhen Min’er pursed her lips. Yes, this was what she needed to disguise.

She casually sketched a few strokes, but couldn’t suppress her longing for her Elder Sister.

I wonder… does her neck hurt? Zhen Min’er’s brush moved instinctively, shaping the lines. Yesterday, she hadn’t been able to restrain herself.

I kissed her so forcefully.

Now that Elder Sister seems closer to me, Zhen Min’er thought, her mind racing, if I asked to kiss her now… would she agree?

Her brush moved with her thoughts.

Another painting emerged.

A woman stood at the doorway, her hair cascading down, silver light glinting on her skin. The perspective was from above, looking down with a haughty gaze.

She stared at the viewer beyond the canvas.

She stared at the viewer who stared back at her.

I want to see Elder Sister.

The brush paused. Zhen Min’er looked up, rose, and hurried to the door. Yet, she unconsciously slowed her pace, gently pushing it open.

“Hahahaha…”

It was He Hanmeng’s voice.

“I never thought you’d be so kind-hearted, Zhen Zhu.”

“I’m not kind-hearted at all.”

It was her Elder Sister’s voice, haughty yet delicate, not at all intimidating.

On the contrary, it was utterly captivating.

The doorknob creaked under Zhen Min’er’s tightening grip. She swiftly stepped outside, clenching her hands behind her back, the knuckles cracking softly, a sound only she could hear.

She forced a timid, happy smile onto her face. “Elder Sister? You came to pick me up!”

“Elder Sister, what were you and Teacher He talking about just now?” Zhen Min’er couldn’t help but ask, lifting her gaze while suppressing her jealousy and resentment, maintaining her usual pitiful demeanor. “I… I want to know what made Teacher He so happy…”

“Teacher He is usually so strict…” Zhen Min’er lowered her head slowly, biting her lip, her voice trembling. “Am I really that bad? I always seem to make people unhappy…”

“I made Elder Sister unhappy before.”

“And now I’ve made Teacher He unhappy…”

“What were you and Teacher He talking about? Can you tell me? I want to…”

“Make Teacher He happy too.”

Seeing her stepsister’s eyes begin to mist over again, Zhen Zhu hurriedly said, “No, don’t cry.”

“I didn’t say anything to make her happy, did I?”

“We were just discussing… her and her…”

Zhen Zhu swallowed the word “lover,” frowning. “Has your Master ever told you about her love life or the people close to her?”

If He Hanmeng hadn’t brought it up, Zhen Zhu wouldn’t have mentioned it either. After all, this was a rather personal matter, and she couldn’t casually reveal it to others.

“…Someone close to her?” Zhen Min’er looked up, her eyes flickering. “Master mentioned it before.”

“But…”

“After Master told me, I might have said something that displeased her. She didn’t seem happy at all; instead, she became even… even stricter with me,” Zhen Min’er said, lowering her head slightly to compose herself. She clenched her fingertips, her voice retaining its usual aggrieved tone.

“What did you say to upset He Hanmeng?” Zhen Zhu frowned. “She doesn’t strike me as the type to hold grudges.”

“I don’t know…” Zhen Min’er pressed her fingertips into her palm.

“Did you say you disliked lesbians, or that it was wrong for two girls to be together?”

Zhen Zhu frowned. “If you said something like that, it’s no wonder she got angry.”