When a Cultivator Boss Gets Thrown Into a Fake and Real Daughter Script - Chapter 2

Zhou Congwen cast one last, meaningful glance at Zhou Luo as she went upstairs.

It didn’t matter. No matter how much of an eyesore she was, it would all be over soon. By mid-August, during the Lin family’s business meeting, he would take care of that little matter once and for all.

Zhou Luo, holding the script in her hand, naturally knew exactly what Zhou Congwen was planning. Leaning lazily against the wall, a faint, unreadable smile touched her lips. Oh, Original Zhou Luo… were you really their biological daughter?

What a den of wolves and jackals this was.

She pressed a hand against her chest as the original host’s emotions welled up inside her; complicated, tangled feelings she couldn’t even begin to understand.

Before she died, she had lived in isolation, cultivating far from the world. The things this girl had endured were the sort she would only ever heard of, and even then, they had sounded absurd. Experiencing them firsthand? Unthinkable.

In a daze, Zhou Luo almost saw the original’s eyes, filled with longing, desperate for her parents’ affection, always trying to please them and always yearning for even a shred of attention… Yet no matter how hard she tried, she could never compete with Zhou Man’s two pitiful tears.

“Am I really your child…?”

The words slipped out before she realized it, startling her. What the—am I actually empathizing with the original host now?

Before she could collect her thoughts, the door was pushed open from the outside. Zhou Man stepped in.

“I’d advise you to give up on this year’s college exam.”

Arms crossed, Zhou Man looked down at her from above, her posture radiating arrogance.

Zhou Luo raised her head, meeting her gaze. Her eyes held no panic, no weakness—only a calm indifference that Zhou Man couldn’t make sense of. Calm, that’s what it was.

How could someone like Zhou Luo—this lowly pest—wear such an expression?

Remembering that defiant look from earlier downstairs, Zhou Man felt rage flare up in her chest. Her face frosted over as she continued coldly, “Don’t tell me you actually think you’ll be allowed to walk into that exam hall?”

“People like you—filthy, worthless—you belong in the mud. Trying to use grades to win their attention? Spare yourself, Zhou Luo. As long as I will it, you’ll stay right here, rotting in this dark little sewer.”

“Your dad and mom are mine. Everything in this house will be mine.”

Zhou Luo frowned. God, this woman’s noisy. And where did she even get all this venom and ambition from?

She had stolen another girl’s parents’ love for years. Anyone with a conscience would’ve felt at least a little guilty.

But no—these people weren’t human.

“Are you done?” Zhou Luo asked, face full of distaste, already wondering how best to throw this woman out.

But Zhou Man didn’t budge.

“Did you hear what I said?” she snapped in warning.

Zhou Luo had had enough. Standing up from the bed, she shot back, “What’s wrong? Afraid I’ll actually take the exam? Didn’t you tell everyone I flunk every subject and can’t score above ten? Then what’s there to be scared of?”

Zhou Man froze. Something about Zhou Luo today was… off. She had noticed it the moment she walked in.

But the girl standing before her was clearly the same pathetic worm as always. What, one beating and she suddenly grew a spine?

“Get lost already. Stop chirping in my ear.”

If she didn’t leave soon, Zhou Luo was seriously afraid she might crush her out of irritation.

“Hey, system,” she muttered inwardly, “can I just kill this NPC?”

【Key plot character. Protected by protagonist halo. Cannot be killed!】

Zhou Luo’s frown deepened. Great! Now she was annoyed and restricted.

“Zhou Luo, you’ve got some nerve, don’t you? What’s that tone supposed to mean?!” Zhou Man, never one to tolerate disrespect, raised her hand to slap her.

But Zhou Luo moved faster—much faster. Before Zhou Man’s hand could fall, a sharp smack rang through the room.

A searing sting spread across Zhou Man’s cheek as it swelled red and puffy in an instant.

She stared at Zhou Luo, disbelief twisting into fury. “You dare hit me?!”

“Yeah. I hit you.”

Zhou Luo’s voice was calm, almost lazy in contrast to Zhou Man’s rage.

The real storm was still ahead, but she didn’t care. She was Zhou Luo, not the original host. She didn’t need anyone’s affection or motherly love.

As expected, the moment the words left her mouth, Father and Mother Zhou came rushing in.

When they saw Zhou Man’s tear-streaked face and the swelling on her cheek, Mother Zhou’s eyes overflowed with pity.

In the past, this was always the kind of scene that broke the original Zhou Luo’s heart. She could never understand, why was it that she was the one being bullied, yet her mother never felt sorry for her?

Now, watching Zhou Man’s instant transformation, Zhou Luo couldn’t help but admire her; truly, a five-star performance.

Just moments ago, she’d looked ready to tear Zhou Luo apart. Yet the second their parents walked in, she instantly turned into a helpless little white rabbit, all wide eyes and with trembling lips.

“Manman, what happened to your face?” Mother Zhou cried out, pulling Zhou Man into her arms. Then she turned toward Zhou Luo, her voice was shaking with anger. “You’re really vicious! What did your sister ever do to you? How could you hit her face like that?”

Tears shimmered in Zhou Man’s eyes. She bit her lip, looking pitifully up at Mother Zhou, and then gave a small, heartbreaking shake of her head.

Seeing this, Mother Zhou only clutched her tighter, while her gaze toward Zhou Luo grew even colder.

“You wicked girl! How could you lay a hand on her?” Mother Zhou’s voice rose to a near scream.

The blatant difference in treatment. No wonder the original host’s heart had been filled with so many conflicting emotions.

“She wanted to get hit. What was I supposed to do?” Zhou Luo replied flatly.

“Listen to yourself! You expect me to believe she just walked up and hit herself? You ungrateful brat. We never should’ve brought you back! Your sister came up here because she heard you got into another fight and wanted to check on you. And this is how you repay her? Hitting your own sister?”

“What’s next? Are you planning to hit us, too?”

At those words, Zhou Man’s eyes lit up. Ah, Father Zhou really could read the room.

Father Zhou’s face was thunderous, though he didn’t act on his anger. Because of his pending deal with the Lin family, he couldn’t risk roughing Zhou Luo up and leaving marks. They wouldn’t take kindly to that.

To him, this daughter’s only worth lay in her usefulness to the Zhou family’s business. That was her one and only value.

Zhou Luo could see right through his thoughts, her expression cool and detached. This script really isn’t easy to act out, she thought grimly.

Zhou Man glanced pitifully toward Father Zhou, waiting—expecting him to grab the whip like he always did and beat Zhou Luo half to death.

But when he didn’t move for a long time, she panicked and decided to take the initiative herself.

“Dad, please don’t blame her. It’s my fault,” she said tearfully. “I stole you both away from her, so she’s angry with me. I understand. When she hit me, it didn’t even hurt. As long as—”

“You see?” Zhou Luo cut in sharply. “She asked for it and just a second ago, she wasn’t saying any of this!”

She pulled out her phone and pressed play.

A recording began to play—the exact conversation from moments earlier, Zhou Man’s venomous words echoing word for word through the room.

You wanted to play dirty with me? Dream on.

Zhou Man’s face went pale. She lunged forward, trying to snatch the phone from Zhou Luo’s hand, but it was already too late.

Her own voice filled the air, dripping with arrogance and cruelty.

Father and Mother Zhou stood frozen, their expressions twisting as the truth replayed before them.

For a moment, no one spoke. Only the look in their eyes changed, directed now at Zhou Man, confused and unfamiliar.

“Mom, Dad—please, let me explain!” Zhou Man panicked, dropping to her knees. She hadn’t expected that wretched Zhou Luo to trap her like this!

Mother Zhou’s heart softened immediately. She couldn’t bear to see Zhou Man cry like that. After all, Zhou Man was the daughter she had raised by her side all these years. How could she believe her capable of such words? No, it must have been Zhou Luo’s doing. That wicked girl must have provoked her into saying those things.

Father Zhou, however, wasn’t so quick to dismiss it. His face was dark and unreadable.

As they left the room, he cast one last, lingering glance at Zhou Luo.

Zhou Luo… this daughter seemed different somehow.