My Gloomy Stepsister Has Her Eyes on Me - Chapter 6

Hearing this, Sang Xiaohua immediately clutched her stomach and backed away. “What… what do you mean by that?!”

“What do I mean?” Zhen Min’er shrugged, finding her mother’s naivety amusing. “My dear mother, I simply meant you should take good care of yourself.”

“Did I say anything?”

“……”

Sang Xiaohua kept her hand pressed against her stomach, her lips trembling slightly as she stared at her daughter for a long moment before finally speaking. “Min’er, can you please stop treating me like this? No matter what, I’m still your mother…”

“I never said you weren’t my mother,” Zhen Min’er replied with a sweet smile. “You are my mother, and that bl00d bond will never be broken.”

“Then…” Sang Xiaohua hesitated, her deer-like eyes—identical to Zhen Min’er’s but even rounder and more pleading—fixed on her daughter. “Min’er, can you help me?”

Oh? The curve of Zhen Min’er’s lips didn’t fade, but her amber eyes grew darker. “Of course, Mother. You’re my mother, after all.”

Zhen Min’er had heard this line countless times. She was curious to see what her dear mother was planning this time.

Zhen Min’er watched patiently as Sang Xiaohua glanced around nervously before pointing to the walk-in closet behind them. “Let’s talk in there.”

“Sure.”

Zhen Min’er stepped into the room first, and as she passed Sang Xiaohua, she clearly felt her mother flinch.

Ah, Zhen Min’er’s eyes flickered slightly. She wondered why her mother, despite her obvious fear, still wanted to communicate with her.

They had been in the closet for a long time—so long that Zhen Min’er was growing impatient. She would rather be thinking about what delicious meal to prepare for her elder sister that evening. Finally, her dear mother spoke.

“Um…”

“Does the Eldest Miss often scold you?”

“Huh?”

Though Zhen Min’er had deliberately staged this scenario, her beautiful, deer-like eyes widened in genuine confusion. “Mother, why are you suddenly so concerned about me?”

“If I remember correctly,” Sang Xiaohua continued, “you used to tell me to try my best to please your elder sister?”

Zhen Min’er frowned, tilted her head, and tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Back then, Mother said… even if Elder Sister scolded or hit me, I should listen obediently?”

“I… I was just…” Sang Xiaohua stammered, her voice trembling with anxiety as she tried to explain.

“Oh! I get it now!” Zhen Min’er’s voice suddenly rose several octaves, cutting off her mother’s unfinished explanation. She swiftly closed the distance to Sang Xiaohua, her smiling gaze fixed on her mother, who recoiled against the door, pressed tightly against it. “So Mother finally has some confidence now?”

“You think… relying on an unborn child will help you stand up to Elder Sister?” Zhen Min’er tapped her mother’s belly through the air.

Seeing Zhen Min’er’s gesture, Sang Xiaohua’s eyes widened. She instinctively clutched her abdomen, the abrupt movement dislodging her carefully styled hair, leaving it slightly disheveled—no longer the picture of a refined noblewoman.

“How… how did you know?!”

“After all~”

Confirming her suspicions through Sang Xiaohua’s panicked reaction, Zhen Min’er’s mood brightened. She chuckled softly and stepped back, giving her pitiful mother some breathing room. “I know you so well, Mother.”

“Just how…”

“Pitiful and wicked you are.”

Completely unlike Elder Sister.

Oh no, how could her mother even compare to Elder Sister? That would be a desecration of her.

“Besides, your act is too obvious. You keep clutching your stomach, ha ha.”

“Speaking of which, if you think you can use a child to steal Father’s affection for Elder Sister, go ahead,” Zhen Min’er continued, chuckling softly.

“You…” Sang Xiaohua’s initial displeasure transformed into surprise. “You mean you’ll join me?”

“When did I ever agree to join you?” Zhen Min’er widened her eyes, her round, deer-like eyes filled with feigned confusion. “I just meant it’s your own business~”

“However, your methods might work on Father.”

“But if you try them on Elder Sister…”

Zhen Min’er’s expression turned cold. When she looked up, her deer-like eyes showed no emotion as she stared at her mother. “I’ll kill you.”

“Mother.”

“You…” Sang Xiaohua trembled, her back pressing tighter against the door in nervous tension. “Don’t you hate the Eldest Miss?”

“She used to…”

“That was just Elder Sister showing me her attention~ I loved it,” Zhen Min’er interrupted casually, her smile sweet, the honeyed warmth spreading from the corners of her eyes to her eyebrows.

“I absolutely love it when Elder Sister pays attention to me! I don’t want her focusing on anyone else,” Zhen Min’er pouted.

“So, Mother, you really need to work harder! Make sure Father’s thoughts are only on you,” she added with a mischievous grin, batting her large eyes. “I’ll definitely help you with that, Mother!”

“You…” Sang Xiaohua stared at her devilish daughter, a chill running down her spine.

Zhen Zhu didn’t want to go downstairs for dinner, partly because she was annoyed and didn’t want to see her stepsister, but also because she didn’t want to see her father.

Lying against her panda pillow, Zhen Zhu glanced at her phone and saw a message from her friend with an “OK” and the time and location. Knowing the matter was resolved, she felt no particular emotion, no surge of relief or satisfaction.

“Hey, System,” Zhen Min’er said, gazing up at the cherry blossom lamp slowly swaying on the ceiling, its tiny petal shadows dancing across the white walls. She called out to the System, which usually remained silent in her mind.

“What’s up, Host~?”

Hearing the System’s usual childish voice, Zhen Zhu asked, “You said I’m in a novel world, where Zhen Min’er is the main lead, Jining Lan is the male lead, so why does an evil female supporting character like me possess you?”

The System’s childish voice remained silent for a long moment. Zhen Zhu huffed softly, “Never mind.”

“Actually, I don’t know either! The Main God sent me here, saying that as long as I help the Host achieve a 100% Happiness Index for the Main Lead and ensure the Host doesn’t die, I can complete my mission and ascend perfectly~!” The System’s voice was filled with confusion at first, but grew increasingly excited as it spoke.

“If I ascend, I’ll finally have a physical body!”

A physical body? Zhen Zhu felt like she was on the verge of grasping something. Just as she was about to press further, a knock came from the door.

“Elder Sister, dinner’s ready… Elder Sister~”

The voice was as cautious as ever, yet subtly different, with an unmistakable hint of suppressed excitement.

What was that trailing note at the end?

Zhen Zhu didn’t want to respond.

Why does my stepsister seem to be taking advantage of a single compliment? Zhen Zhu snorted coldly. Does she think I’m still the same as I was ten years ago?

She had no desire to revisit those days when she and Zhen Min’er had been close.

Wait a minute.

Zhen Zhu froze for a moment, then shot upright in bed.

“System, tell me—when I was ten, I ran away from home because of Zhen Min’er. My father and Sang Xiaohua… was that part of the novel’s original setting?” Zhen Zhu paused, then asked the question that had been nagging her the most.

“Your father and stepmother? I don’t know!” the childish voice replied quickly. “All I know is that the novel world’s story begins on the day I found you, Host.”

So… Zhen Zhu was a little confused. Did the past of this world belong to the author’s original setting?

“Then…”

“Elder Sister?”

Zhen Zhu was about to ask more when a tentative voice came from the doorway.

She still didn’t feel like responding; she wasn’t hungry anyway.

She casually pressed the button beside her, dimming the cherry blossom-shaped lamp until the room was plunged into darkness. Zhen Zhu lay back on the bed and closed her eyes.

She needed to organize her thoughts before questioning this so-called “completely clueless” System.

If she got hungry after waking up, she could always ask the housekeeper to make something. The housekeeper worked in shifts, so someone was always available…

Click. The door creaked open slowly.

“Is Elder Sister asleep?”

It was a clearer… her stepsister’s voice.

Zhen Zhu, who had just lain down and hadn’t yet decided what to ask, blinked in confusion. She propped herself up on one elbow and opened her eyes to see the uninvited guest silhouetted against the hallway light.

Through the dim glow, she saw her stepsister carefully closing the door behind her, her back to the bed.

Huh??? What is she doing?

Zhen Zhu had never bothered to lock her door before. Now, a surge of anger rose within her. She slammed her eyes shut, determined to see what her stepsister was up to!

Has she been sneaking in here before?

Zhen Zhu’s anger grew with each thought. She vowed to watch her stepsister’s every move and teach her a harsh lesson.

Like, when she gets close, I’ll suddenly let out a cold laugh.

That’ll scare her half to death!

How dare she enter my room without permission!

Just as Zhen Zhu braced herself, she heard her stepsister murmuring softly.

“Just as I thought, Elder Sister hasn’t covered herself properly again.” The small voice was barely audible in the quiet room.

But Zhen Zhu was listening intently, her ears straining to catch every word. The stepsister’s Mandarin was impeccable, and they were standing close.

So… her stepsister had sneaked in just to cover her with a blanket?

Zhen Zhu unconsciously bit her lower lip. Could I have misunderstood…?

No! Zhen Zhu pressed her lips together, dismissing her guilt. Whatever her reason, it’s no excuse for sneaking into my room!

I’m still going to scare her!

But maybe… maybe not quite as terrifyingly!

Zhen Zhu pondered her plan. When her stepsister drew near, she would open her eyes, feign a stir as if awakened by the noise, and then scold her.

Closing her eyes, Zhen Zhu deliberately moved her hand. Just as Zhen Min’er draped the blanket over her, she extended her arm.

She twitched it slightly.

Now!

Zhen Zhu opened her eyes, peering into the darkness at the shadowy figure. Her fingers twitched slightly as she prepared to speak—

But her hand was pressed down.

Pinned beneath the blanket.

Yes, pinned.

Zhen Zhu’s eyes widened in disbelief as she watched the shadowy figure’s movements.

Was Zhen Min’er gripping her hand through the blanket?

She could feel the pressure on the back of her hand, but it wasn’t the sensation of skin against skin—rather, the smooth, silky fabric of the blanket.

What was she doing? Zhen Zhu pursed her lips, refraining from speaking. She couldn’t fathom her stepsister’s intentions.

Yet she desperately wanted to know what Zhen Min’er was up to.

Was she worried Zhen Zhu’s arm might slip out from under the blanket again?

But…

Zhen Zhu silently counted the seconds. At least two minutes had passed, and her arm remained pinned, immobile.

Zhen Min’er made no other movements.

“Zhen Min’er,” Zhen Zhu called out, growing impatient.

The shadowy figure beside her trembled violently, as if about to flee!

Realizing this, Zhen Zhu instinctively—

Using the hand covered by the blanket—

Seized the arm of the fleeing figure.

“Zhen Min’er.”

Grasping Zhen Min’er’s arm, Zhen Zhu yanked her toward the head of the bed, flipped over, and pinned her down.

“Hmph! Now you want to run?!”

“If you’re so scared, why did you sneak into my room in the first place?!”