The Female Lead Keeps Forcing Me to Take My Meds [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Adoption, But Give Up! 

Telling an underaged student that she’s “free to go” without mentioning anything else—how is that different from forcing her to a dead end?

Xi Wenyong was a poor man who had suddenly become rich. He couldn’t change his nature of clinging tightly to whatever he possessed. Asking him to continue paying for the living expenses of his cheap adopted daughter was genuinely something he was unwilling to do.

With that money, he’d rather buy two packs of cigarettes he couldn’t afford before and drink two bottles of liquor he’d coveted for a long time.

It was evident that Wang Ya’s words represented Xi Wenyong’s wishes. He was quite adept at having his fierce wife speak out on his behalf.

The Sixth Master glanced at his older sister’s expression, his heart sinking.

He had just managed to persuade his older sister to bring his son home; he couldn’t afford to anger her over this small matter.

The Sixth Master quickly said: “How about this, then? After all, she’s a child we’ve raised for so many years. I’ll be responsible for the little girl’s living expenses until she comes of age.”

He was a good-for-nothing in his youth, proficient in feasting and fun, and completely ignorant of everything else. The money he had was either begged from his older sister or came from the company’s annual dividends, which amounted to tens of millions a year.

Splitting it here and there, the old man wasn’t left with much. He had many hobbies himself, which were all expensive.

Not to mention his ungrateful daughter, who didn’t respect him as a father.

It must be said that bl00d inheritance is a strange thing. The Sixth Master genuinely felt his approach was the utmost benevolence, even a great sacrifice.

Suddenly, Cheng Zhishu had become an adopted daughter.

Xi Congshuang said nothing, and Director Xi also remained silent.

Over the decades, the Sixth Master had self-taught himself how to read his older sister’s face. He turned to look for the adopted daughter whom no one was paying attention to.

Only then did he recall why Wen Yan’s school uniform looked familiar—because Cheng Zhishu was wearing the exact same one.

The Sixth Master’s aged face went through several changes. He adopted the tone of a senior and asked: “Are you satisfied with this arrangement?”

Satisfied or not, does she even have a say?

Cheng Zhishu thought self-mockingly.

“Satisfied, my ass.”

Cheng Zhishu instinctively touched her mouth, only to confirm that the curse hadn’t come from her.

Everyone in the room looked at the speaker—it was Xi Congshuang, the white rose. She curved her lips into a scornful smile: “Now I finally understand why Auntie Ran doesn’t want to come home.”

In terms of seniority, Xi Hanran was Xi Congshuang’s aunt. Because she was born late, she was only a few years older than Xi Congshuang.

The Sixth Master was furious. Just as he was about to scold Xi Congshuang, a junior, for daring to lecture him, Xi Congshuang covered her mouth and coughed a few times. The color that had just returned to her face faded again.

“Cough, cough, cough…”

“Get her a glass of water.”

Director Xi quickly had a glass of water poured and placed it in Xi Congshuang’s hands for warmth.

After calming her cough, Xi Congshuang slowly said: “Excuse me, I’m not feeling well. Grandma, did I say something wrong?”

Sixth Master: “…”

Director Xi: “Congshuang is not wrong.”

Even if Xi Congshuang hadn’t spoken, Director Xi couldn’t bring herself to kick out a minor girl.

“The Xi family is a vast and prosperous one. We can afford to raise one child. She will stay and be raised here in the Xi family. Her decision to stay or leave after she grows up will be up to her.”

Xi Congshuang seized the opportunity: “Grandma, I’m very bored alone in Wenhua Building. You’re often not home. Why don’t you let her keep me company?”

Director Xi was willing to keep the girl in the Xi family, but she hesitated about sending her to Xi Congshuang: “You’re not well. You can’t take care of anyone.”

“I just feel like we’re very similar,” Xi Congshuang said. “It’s not good for either of us if she stays in Wencan Building.”

Xi Congshuang lowered her eyelashes, faintly resembling the shadow of her sister in her youth. Director Xi couldn’t refuse.

“Fine, as long as you like it, take her to live with you.” Director Xi nodded.

With that, the two prepared to leave. The topic of the children’s custody, which should have been discussed, had long been stirred up and forgotten.

Cheng Zhishu’s confused mood turned strange. She watched wide-eyed as Xi Congshuang was pushed away. As the wheelchair was about to pass her, Xi Congshuang turned her head.

Cheng Zhishu didn’t know what to say, staring straight back.

Xi Congshuang looked at her profile, the eye with the teardrop mole giving a playful wink.

“…”

Cheng Zhishu’s breath hitched. The immense bitterness that had filled her heart moments ago was like an inflated balloon—a single poke and it had all vanished.

On the way back, the Red Apple reappeared, flapping its wings like a little devil, circling her.

“So you still decided on Option A, the malicious Miss route?”

The development of events coincidentally overlapped with the original trajectory. The unacknowledged, unloved female lead was taken away by Xi Congshuang, who found a way, and was confined within her range of control.

Xi Congshuang flatly denied it: “Of course not.”

The Red Apple flew around her and then stopped in front of her face: “Then what do you mean? You’re clearly following the original script.”

She was acting exactly like the documented Xi Congshuang, getting Director Xi to agree to whatever she proposed.

It was strange. The son of Director Xi’s deceased sister only vaguely resembled her, but this granddaughter was five or six parts similar, making the already remorseful Director Xi utterly compliant.

Xi Congshuang hadn’t thought that much. She said: “I just figured the original method worked to keep Cheng Zhishu, so I’ll just follow it. No need to do anything extra.”

Sometimes, doing too much leads to mistakes. Furthermore, Cheng Zhishu was a sensitive teenager. She didn’t intend to do anything to her but simply didn’t want to overthink and be counterproductive.

The Red Apple asked again: “Now that you’ve got her, what do you plan to do next?”

Xi Congshuang answered truthfully: “I haven’t figured it out. My teenage life was spent in a hospital bed. I don’t know how to deal with a girl this age.”

“If I raise her in my home, do you think Cheng Zhishu will suddenly realize everything when she turns eighteen and voluntarily reduce her corruption value to below ten?”

Red Apple: “Huh?”

It thought Xi Congshuang was just joking with it, wondering when she had developed a sense of humor.

But the System seriously looked at her for a moment and realized the woman was serious.

“…” The Red Apple couldn’t stand it: “Are you treating the female lead like an autumn fruit? That she’ll be ripe for picking once she matures?!”

Hearing this, Xi Congshuang sighed regretfully: “Oh, so I can’t?”

Red Apple: “How could you possibly!”

Xi Congshuang: “Maybe the female lead is just tsundere.”

Red Apple: “Just give up on that idea!”

Just as the words fell, a notification sound from the System startled the arguing pair.

Current Corruption Value: 34

Such a small incident, and the corruption value dropped by three points, forcing the Red Apple into silence.

Could it really be true?

…

Somehow, things had come to this.

Before Xi Congshuang left, she had the butler handle the remaining matters. Soon after, several people arrived at Cheng Zhishu’s room to help her pack, preparing to move her and her luggage to Wenhua Building.

In fact, Cheng Zhishu didn’t have much. Excluding her textbooks, the rest of her clothes could fit in one backpack.

The Xi mansion servants were long accustomed to the extravagance of the young ladies and gentlemen. Seeing Cheng Zhishu, who was surprisingly frugal, they were a bit surprised.

They knew she didn’t have much, but they didn’t expect so little.

The new Young Master Xi and his family of three were always dressed immaculately, never wearing the same clothes twice. Yet, this young girl only had school uniforms and washed-out t-shirts.

Well, that’s not their concern.

But their professional courtesy led them to divide her few items among themselves. One person carried her backpack on their arm, another held her textbooks from the desk, and one, not wanting to look too idle, put Cheng Zhishu’s shoes in a paper bag.

As for the remaining daily necessities, Wenhua Building wasn’t lacking those, and new ones would naturally be provided to Cheng Zhishu.

The butler politely asked: “Miss, is there anything else you haven’t taken?”

The empty-handed Cheng Zhishu: “…”

Blinking, Cheng Zhishu shook her head: “That’s all. You don’t have to be so formal. Just call me by my name. I’m Cheng Zhishu.”

“Understood, Miss Cheng.” The butler adjusted her glasses. Her expressionless face slightly nodded toward the servants in the room, and everyone filed out.

Cheng Zhishu had no choice but to follow. Under the butler’s gaze, she couldn’t bring herself to say, I can carry my own things.

The main hall downstairs fell into a subtle silence, becoming even more noticeable when the servants carrying the items appeared.

Wen Yan, hidden behind Manager Qu, peeked out at the girl behind her. Cheng Zhishu, led by the Xi family butler, walked out of everyone’s sight without much expression.

She didn’t look back or seem to linger.

“I knew it, truly an ungrateful wretch…”

A quiet mutter entered Wen Yan’s ears. She turned to look but couldn’t distinguish who had spoken.

Cheng Zhishu didn’t know that after she left, the few people in Wencan Building also dispersed unhappily, no longer in the mood to continue their discussion.

They had to temporarily agree that Wen Yan would stay at the Xi mansion three days a week and return to her former home for the rest of the time. They needed to cultivate new bonds with their new family, and her adoptive parents shouldn’t be neglected either.

This result left both sides moderately dissatisfied.