My Gloomy Stepsister Has Her Eyes on Me - Chapter 2

Is she happy because she’s not sad? At least she has some conscience.

Zhen Zhu thought, her tightly furrowed brows relaxing slightly. Her narrow, upturned eyes narrowed further as she turned to her stepsister, who stood frozen in the doorway, seemingly stunned by her words.

“Come in,” she said.

Making my stepsister happy? Fine, Zhen Zhu mentally replied to the so-called System. It’s just a trivial task. Child’s play for me.

The hundred-square-meter room featured a full-wall wardrobe. Behind the wardrobe, a blue glass door led to a jewelry room. Beside the door, a two-meter-tall panda-shaped armchair sat on a sky-blue circular rug, piled high with plush toys. Zhen Zhu leaned back among the stuffed animals, slowly lifting her gaze to meet Zhen Min’er’s as she entered. She patted the empty space beside her. “Come sit.”

Zhen Min’er froze, her footsteps faltering for a moment, her eyes widening in surprise.

What’s so shocking? Zhen Zhu scoffed inwardly. “Come here. Do you think I’ll bite?”

Zhen Min’er moved slowly, obediently settling into the empty seat beside her, but only occupying about a third of the space. Noticing this, Zhen Zhu grabbed her arm and yanked her down, forcing her to sit properly.

“Listen carefully, I’ll only say this once. My dad’s meeting probably won’t end until 8 or 9 tonight. As soon as it’s over, I’ll tell him I want to break off the engagement.”

“This isn’t about you. I simply dislike Jining Lan, and I have no interest in targeting you.”

“After you and Jining Lan get together, we’ll stay out of each other’s way,” Zhen Zhu said calmly, leaning back against the plush chair.

Ding-dong—The female lead’s Happiness Index has decreased by 5 points, now at 30%. The childish voice suddenly sounded dejected in her mind.

What?! Zhen Zhu’s delicate brows sharpened, the cherry blossom lamp above casting tiny pink petals across her face, adding an unexpected touch of allure. She turned to question her stepsister.

“You’re not happy?”

“…”

Zhen Min’er’s amber eyes remained fixed on the pink glow. “No…”

“You’re clearly not happy,” Zhen Zhu retorted, dissatisfied. “Just say what’s on your mind! Stop beating around the bush!”

Zhen Min’er looked up, her eyes glistening with tears.

“Sister… I don’t want you to break off the engagement because of me.”

“I… I didn’t seduce Brother Ninglan.”

Zhen Min’er’s voice trembled at the end of her sentence. “Just now… when Brother Ninglan left, he even told me not to overthink things.”

“Brother Ninglan is just… just being kind to me because you’ve been taking extra care of me.”

Zhen Min’er lowered her head again, concealing the utter stillness in her eyes from Zhen Zhu. She bit her lip, forcing her voice to tremble.

Zhen Zhu, tired of the roundabout conversation, kicked off her shoes, stepped barefoot onto the chair, and turned to face Zhen Min’er, hugging her knees. The hem of her long red dress pooled on the floor, leaving her fair, almost translucent legs exposed in a wide, unreserved display beneath Zhen Min’er’s gaze.

Nothing was left to the imagination.

“Sister, you…”

Zhen Min’er swallowed the words she was about to speak, her body instinctively recoiling. But then a cool touch on her arm stopped her—her sister’s hand.

The grip was light yet carried an undeniable force, paralyzing Zhen Min’er.

Every muscle in Zhen Min’er’s body tensed. Her sister hadn’t been this close to her in years—not since she was ten. The intimacy both thrilled her…

and left her utterly disoriented.

Is it because of Jining Lan? After a slight tremor, Zhen Min’er’s eyes darkened, a cold glint flashing through them. She pressed her toes against the floor, subtly exerting force in her arm to pull away. But then a faint, alluring fragrance reached her nose, and the cool touch that had been on her arm now pressed against her chin. Caught off guard, Zhen Min’er was forced to lift her head.

“Why are you upset again?”

Hearing the notification chime and another “Happiness Index decreased by 1%”, Zhen Zhu grew irritated. She reached out and pinched her stepsister’s pointed chin, forcing her to look up. This time, no matter how much the index dropped, she was determined to get a clear answer!

The person before her had thick, dark lashes that fluttered like butterfly wings over her fox-like eyes, revealing pale brown irises. Her lips, untouched by lipstick, possessed a natural vibrancy. Pink cherry blossom petals, scattered across her sharply defined face, shifted with her movements, sometimes clinging to the corner of her eye, sometimes to the tip of her forehead…

Too close.

Zhen Min’er’s chest tightened, her breath coming in short gasps. The faint fragrance that had been lingering around her nose grew stronger. Forced to look up, she saw her own blurry reflection in those eyes, like a commoner gazing up at a goddess bathed in sunlight. She could almost see her own greed reflected in those light-colored irises.

Zhen Min’er lowered her gaze, unwilling to look any longer.

Am I that scary? Zhen Zhu thought, noticing the way her stepsister’s doe-like eyes trembled twice before she tried to lower her head, only to be stopped by Zhen Zhu’s grip. Annoyed, she heard the doll-like voice suddenly chime in her mind:

Ding-dong! The female lead’s Happiness Index has increased by 1! It’s now at 30%!

Zhen Zhu had been about to deliver a scathing critique when the sound startled her. She looked down in surprise at the downcast face in her hand. What’s wrong with my stepsister?

As she studied her, Zhen Zhu noticed that the faint warmth of breath she had felt on the back of her hand had vanished. Is she afraid to even breathe?!

“Breathe!” Zhen Zhu hastily released her grip on Min’er’s chin.

In her anger, Zhen Zhu had initially wanted to pinch her stepsister’s cheek hard as punishment. But…

She gave a light pinch, thinking awkwardly, It’s not because I’m afraid of hurting her. I just don’t want this coward to faint and make me worry about taking her to the hospital!

“Do you really have to be this afraid of me? So scared you can’t even breathe?”

Zhen Zhu pinched her again, still feeling dissatisfied. She slightly… increased the pressure and pinched again.

Actually, she’s quite pleasant to pinch.

Enjoying the sensation, Zhen Zhu wanted to pinch her a few more times when a sudden force on her shoulder slammed her back against the chair.

The force wasn’t strong, but it was enough to shock Zhen Zhu. Recovering in a second, she glared up in fury, only to see Zhen Min’er fleeing out the door, leaving behind a small white skirt fluttering by the doorway.

It happened in a flash.

“Did she just push me?!” Zhen Zhu exclaimed in disbelief, straightening up and demanding of the System in her mind, “Did you see that?! What happened to the gentle female lead you promised?!”

“Since when does a gentle female lead push people?!”

Zhen Zhu abandoned her seat, stomping her foot in anger. “She—she actually dared to push me!”

“Huh?” The System’s childlike voice sounded puzzled. “But didn’t you pinch the female lead first? She didn’t even retaliate properly; she just pushed you onto the soft chair. That’s not so bad, is it? It fits her kind and gentle personality perfectly.”

“…I didn’t pinch her that hard!” Zhen Zhu huffed. “Forget it, I’m done talking to you. I’m going to practice the piano.”

With a performance scheduled for the afternoon, arguing with this kindergarten-level System would only infuriate her further. Besides, who did this System think she was? She was Zhen Zhu, the Eldest Miss of the Zhen Family! Why should she waste time explaining herself to a mere data construct?

Zhen Zhu slipped back into her fluffy slippers, strode through the dressing room, and entered her private music room to familiarize herself with the pieces she would perform that afternoon.

Hearing the melodious piano music drifting from upstairs, Zhen Min’er clutched her chest, leaning against the stairwell wall. Her fingers tightened around the collar of her blouse as she took two deep breaths, finally calming her heart, which had been pounding wildly in her chest.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she hesitated for a moment before slowly touching the faintly warm spot on her cheek. There… seemed to linger the scent of her sister.

My sister… touched me.

Does my sister like me a little more today?

Did I push her too hard just now? Zhen Min’er looked up at Zhen Zhu’s room upstairs, her large, deer-like eyes staring greedily, fixated—

“Miss Min’er?” Aunt Wang, the housekeeper, emerged from the kitchen and noticed Zhen Min’er gazing upstairs. She called out in confusion.

Hearing the voice, Zhen Min’er turned around. Aunt Wang saw her eyes sparkling with a radiant light as she clutched her flushed cheek. After a moment’s hesitation, Aunt Wang said, “Miss Min’er, you shouldn’t get too close to the Eldest Miss. Her temper is unpredictable, and she might easily hurt you.”

Zhen Min’er lowered her head, her voice trembling pitifully. “It wasn’t…” She paused deliberately before adding, “It wasn’t my sister’s fault.”

Then she hurried away, hearing Aunt Wang sigh behind her. Zhen Min’er’s lips curved into a faint smile.

This is how it should be. My sister only needs to like me.

After lunch, Zhen Zhu ate the fruit Zhen Min’er had gently handed her. Avoiding Zhen Min’er’s gaze entirely, she simply instructed, “Call Master L.”

“Yes, Sister.”

Zhen Min’er obediently responded and was about to leave the table when her sister spoke again, “Come back here. Finish everything on your plate before you go.”

“You barely eat anything all day. Anyone would think the Zhen Family is mistreating you!”

Turning back, Zhen Zhu saw that her stepsister hadn’t even touched the rice in her bowl. After struggling to hold back, she finally snapped, “You’re so petty all the time!”

Even if her Happiness Index was dropping, she had to say it! Besides, if the female lead fainted from hunger somewhere, wouldn’t she, the villainess, be the one to suffer the consequences? Zhen Zhu snorted coldly, pushed away from the table, and stomped upstairs to retrieve her piano score.

The thought of Zhen Min’er still looking so frail and frightened when she came back downstairs, making it impossible to ask why she had pushed her, made Zhen Zhu’s footsteps grow heavier as she climbed the stairs.

Only after the red figure had disappeared from the spiral staircase did Zhen Min’er curl her lips into a faint smile and begin eating the food her sister had left on the table.

Aunt Wang, who had been wiping down the kitchen counter, hurried over when she saw Zhen Min’er forcing down mouthful after mouthful. She whispered, “Miss Min’er, shall I make up an excuse for you? That way the Eldest Miss won’t torment you at the theater again.”

Zhen Min’er’s meal, savored with the lingering scent of her sister, was interrupted by an approaching voice. Her eyes flashed with a hint of coldness, and a flicker of impatience crossed her brow. But when she looked up, she shook her head, her deer-like eyes stubbornly resolute. “Thank you, Aunt Wang, but I don’t want you to get in trouble for me.”

“Besides, besides…” Zhen Min’er lowered her head slightly. “Sister… she’s not that bad, really.”

“What’s going on here?” Zhen Zhu, descending the stairs, spotted Aunt Wang leaning close to her stepsister, their hushed conversation a mystery.

Aunt Wang startled at Zhen Zhu’s voice, turning with a forced smile. “Nothing, Eldest Miss. I was just asking Miss Min’er why she hasn’t finished the task you assigned her—eating all her food.”

“Hmph.”

Zhen Zhu glided down the stairs, her high heels clicking like a queen surveying her domain from beneath the castle walls. She approached her stepsister, whose trembling eyes seemed on the verge of tears. Glancing at the half-empty bowl, she scoffed, “Fine, let’s go.”

“I’ve already contacted Master L. He’s waiting at the gate.”

Zhen Zhu thrust the sheet music into her stepsister’s hands. “Hold this for me. Do I have to ask you to help me?”

“…Yes, Sister.” Zhen Min’er gripped the sheet music tightly, her voice subdued.

Watching the crimson skirt billow gracefully as Zhen Zhu strode ahead, Zhen Min’er followed slowly, stepping in her sister’s shadow.