Arc 1.12
The Wicked Child of the Stepmother
Nian Zhen went to school only to find everyone looking at him with strange expressions.
Hey, people, is my situation really that pitiful?
Nian Zhen had no idea what was going on since the system had practically vanished as if it was truly broken.
He walked beside Xia Yanjing, subdued and modest, yet the pitiful, contemptuous, and scornful glances continued to stab at him from all directions.
Is my life that pathetic that you all feel sorry for me like this?
You Bunch of Idiots.
I may be a white lotus, but when did I need anyone’s pity?
But, wait…
he hadn’t actually stepped on anyone’s toes recently.
Big Brother, did you start disciplining me already?
If that’s the case, I’m ready!!
Nian Zhen thought that the plot he’d been eagerly waiting for had finally arrived, imagining the darkness meter in the male lead’s heart ticking up.
Ha, ha, ha.
While Nian Zhen reveled in his thoughts, Xia Yanjing’s expression only grew colder.
[…] The system saw a notification that the male lead’s darkness meter had increased by 5%.
Unbelievable…
don’t give me hope that I can succeed at this doomed task, the system thought.
It felt true shock.
The host’s hate meter was at zero—no hatred left at all.
So why was there an increase in darkness?
…A classic dilemma had emerged, and the system, feigning death for so long, felt a surge of energy.
It decided to watch the situation closely before making a conclusion.
But it was obvious that the male lead’s darkness was rising because of its host!!
The novice system that feigned death was energized as the host tried to figure out the source of those glances.
These pitying looks, layered with sneers, were not positive glances by any stretch.
What did I even do to get this kind of reaction?
I know I’ve been pretty rotten, but this feels like too much.
Reviewing his past deeds, Nian Zhen concluded that none were nearly as awful as to deserve these glares.
…Universal pity, from the whole school.
Wait…
the school website.
Nian Zhen quickly pulled out his phone, momentarily forgetting about Xia Yanjing walking beside him, and opened the school blog.
The truth was there instantly.
An anonymous user had posted Meng Zhenzhen’s personal history, exposing him as the illegitimate child of Chairman Meng.
It also claimed that his mother was the daughter of a fallen aristocrat who had schemed to marry rich, and now that she’d married Chairman Xia, it was as if she’d been reborn…
The phrase illegitimate child carried a lot of weight at this elite school, filled with true heirs of major families and the brightest students.
Nian Zhen’s very existence became an eyesore to them—a stain, unworthy of their standards.
He was nothing but the stepchild of a shameful woman who had used her ties to Chairman Xia to get ahead.
He turned into an ungrateful traitor who had abandoned the Meng family that had raised him for more than a decade to latch onto a more powerful branch, a truly despicable act.
Whoever had posted this definitely held a serious grudge against Meng Zhenzhen.
Reading the story from beginning to end without a change in expression, Nian Zhen’s only thought was:
What nonsense.
If I didn’t come here to be with my own mother like Aunt Du, am I supposed to stay and live under a stepmother who oppresses me and tries to snatch up the inheritance left by my dear, departed father, Chairman Meng?
And what is this?
If people could choose, who would ever want to be born the child of a mistress?
Go blame Aunt Du instead.
Here I am in trouble again.
It was a shame, though, that this wasn’t his big brother’s handiwork.
Is their grudge against me still not deep enough?
Back then, it wasn’t enough to bully and torment me?
If I hadn’t learned how to act helpless and play this role as a white lotus, there’s no way I would’ve survived to make it out of the Meng family and into the Xia family with Aunt Du.
Tsk, tsk.
Even after leaving the Meng family, they still won’t let me go.
They just don’t know how resilient a white lotus like me can be.
Only Xia Yanjing has any right to get back at me.
If Big Brother wants payback, there’s no way I could resist, but if anyone else tries to come after me, we’ll see if I allow it.
It’s outrageous.
I’ve been looking for someone to take my anger out on for ages now.
Nian Zhen faked a stunned look as he read through the school blog post, his hands trembling, his face pale, and his eyes brimming with tears, as if his heart were shattering.
Even Xia Yanjing, who knew he was acting, felt a bit of a pang in his chest.
“Big Brother…” Nian Zhen called out in a trembling voice as he tugged at Xia Yanjing’s sleeve.
“I… I feel sick. I think I need to go home.”
Eyes rimmed red, he struggled to keep his tone steady, and anyone could see how devastated he looked.
Finishing his sentence, Nian Zhen turned and left the school immediately, leaving the male lead standing silently in place.
Xia Yanjing lowered his head, his face expressionless and ice-cold.
His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he took it out to see a message from his grandfather.
Don’t interfere with this matter.
Focus on your studies.
Xia Yanjing looked up and saw the family driver, who should have left by now, still waiting by the school gate.
The driver bowed respectfully as he caught Xia Yanjing’s gaze.
Xia Yanjing turned and headed back into the school with a calm expression.
[…] The system, observing all this, saw the male lead’s inner darkness increase by another 5%.
Naturally, there was only one place for a white lotus like Nian Zhen to go—the Xia estate.
Du Yao was calmly sipping her drink when she looked up, startled to see her son enter, his eyes red with tears and looking more distraught than when he’d been physically attacked.
He was still in his school uniform, and it was clear he had been heading to school, so what could have brought him here instead?
A sense of unease crept over Du Yao.
Her son might be a bit foolish, but he’d never been one to provoke anyone.
What could have left him in such a state?
“Mother… the Meng family is going too far!!”
Nian Zhen sobbed, his body trembling as the household staff looked on with curiosity mixed with concern.
Hearing the words “Meng family,” Du Yao’s eyes instantly filled with a fierce, vengeful rage.
“What happened? Tell me everything.”
Nian Zhen handed his phone to Du Yao, letting her read the post for herself.
Du Yao’s eyes reddened with fury, matching his.
She valued her reputation above all.
Being the mistress of Chairman Meng was a black mark on her otherwise pristine life.
Only a few people had known, but now that it was out in the open, she was so livid she nearly fainted.
Throughout the years, Du Yao had meticulously crafted her virtuous image, playing the role of the innocent woman who had been deceived.
She worked hard to secure her marriage to Xia Heng and become his lawful wife, respected by society.
One reason she resented Meng Zhenzhen was that he served as living proof of her past as someone else’s mistress.
Even though she’d scrubbed away that part of her history to become the esteemed Madame Xia, whispers about her still lingered.
Madame Meng wasn’t any better herself.
Back then, when Du Yao had her firstborn son, she was forced to give him up, and that bitterness lingered in her heart.
Though she’d come to see her son as a thorn in her side, her resentment toward Madame Meng ran much deeper.
Nian Zhen understood this well, which is why he hurried to report the incident to Du Yao.
After bringing Nian Zhen back, she showed no resentment toward Madame Meng on the surface, though she nursed her grudge in secret.
However, she suppressed her grudge to win over Xia Heng by presenting only her best side, leaving her with no opportunity to deal with Madame Meng.
But now, Nian Zhen had handed her the perfect opportunity.
He’d let Du Yao be the one to deal with his stepmother and Meng family half-siblings.
Initially, those people might have seemed pitiful.
But what fault had Meng Zhenzhen been born with?
He hadn’t chosen his circumstances.
Taken from his mother, he was thrust into Meng family where he had no allies, with only Chairman Meng—always busy and rarely home—as his sole tie to anyone.
As a clueless child, he was met with disdain and bullying.
His early life wasn’t much different from that of a servant, constantly being bossed around by his siblings.
If he hadn’t learned to play weak and helpless and gained sympathy from his neglectful father, he might not have survived to come here at all.
In a school full of elite family heirs, this kind of exposure was like shoving Meng Zhenzhen off a cliff.
What kind of malicious person would destroy a child’s future just to satisfy their own selfishness?
As for Nian Zhen, now inhabiting Meng Zhenzhen’s identity, there was no way he would just stand back and accept this.
The only reason he acted like a frail white lotus was to feign weakness and lodge his grievances with Du Yao, letting her take action first.
With the information he possessed, he could just as easily dismantle the foundation of the Meng family, reducing it to rubble.
For now, he would sit back and see how Du Yao’s vengeance against them played out.
If the results satisfied him, he’d leave it at that.
If not, he’d step in himself.
“The Meng family… they’re going too far in oppressing us!!”
Seeing her in such distress, the household staff immediately rushed around her.
One called the doctor, another urgently phoned Chairman Xia, and the whole house was soon in an uproar.
Xia Heng, working at the company, returned home as fast as possible, and as he heard the story on the way, his face turned dark as night, fury seething just below the surface.
“Yaoyao!!”
“A’Heng!! The Meng family has gone too far, bullying both me and our child like this. What did Zhenzhen ever do to deserve this? Why…why do they have to be so cruel?!!” Du Yao cried out as Xia Heng arrived, rushing to embrace him, tears streaming down her face with a look of deep sorrow and hurt.
“Madame Meng… Madame Meng and her children, if they need to settle a score, they should come to me alone. This is all my fault. But Zhenzhen? What has he done wrong? He’s hardly even been willing to leave the house lately.” She sobbed, gesturing to Nian Zhen, who sat on the sofa with reddened eyes, his head lowered in a posture of lonely helplessness.
“Back then… I was only eighteen. I’d never been with anyone. How could I have known that Chairman Meng already had a family? I was deceived too, and after giving birth, my son was taken from me not long after. A’Heng, am I that despicable…?”
Holding her stomach, Du Yao seemed drained, sobbing softly.
Xia Heng’s expression darkened immediately.
This was a sore spot in Xia Heng’s heart—why couldn’t he have been the one to meet Du Yao first?
If that had happened, then Zhenzhen would be his son today.
Du Yao had been taken advantage of by a manipulative man, and her son had been forcibly taken from her.
She was a victim from the start, and she had kept herself respectable and reserved throughout it all.
It had taken years for her to open her heart to him.
Now, she was carrying his child, the rightful madam of the Xia family.
And yet the Meng family, a mere second-rate household, dared to assault people under the Xia name.
Someone would have to pay for this.
The emotional state of the mother and son duo was visibly fragile.
Xia Heng cared deeply for Meng Zhenzhen, especially since he resembled Du Yao so much, bearing hardly any likeness to Chairman Meng.
Seeing the two of them bullied into such a state only added fuel to the fire.
“Don’t worry, Yaoyao. I’ll take care of them. They dared to mess with someone from the Xia family—someone will answer for this!!”
Nian Zhen kept his head down, body trembling as if crying, but really, he was suppressing laughter.
Oh, you evil father, surnamed Xia, you’re a little too invested, aren’t you?
This has nothing to do with you.
That twisted expression of yours—you’re so in love with Aunt Du, huh?
Well, good, I have a front-row seat to this show.
The Meng family wanted to make trouble?
Fine, he’d make sure they got a satisfying return on their investment.
Under his hands, hiding his face, Nian Zhen let an evil smile slip.