Chapter 9

【Host, just now…】

After Sheng Lanqiu left and watched Sheng Xia immediately revert to her usual lazy appearance, the system hesitated, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Was there something wrong with the plot development?

Sheng Xia wolfed down the remaining cake with a muffled voice, saying, “Did I do well? Look at how viciously I portrayed myself. Doesn’t it make my stepsister appear even more gentle and kind?”

The system thought for a moment and honestly replied: 【…I feel like you portrayed the female lead as a bit of a pushover.】

After all, which female lead couldn’t resist the snarky villainess, ended up not only giving her one hundred thousand yuan but also being frightened into a hasty retreat?

“Then it must be the female lead’s problem. Look at how perfect my character is, without any flaws.” Sheng Xia was a bit unhappy. “She came to me before the plot even started, and I was thinking about complaining that she was adding scenes without authorization.”

System: 【…?】

The host was so assertive that the system couldn’t find the right words.

After all, this mess was left behind by the original owner, causing the plot to go awry. The host was actively trying to salvage the situation. If she got irritated and wanted to go back to being a zombie queen, the system would be the one with nowhere to cry.

Therefore, after a few seconds of silence, the system expressed agreement: 【You’re right.】

【But you should also go and check on Feng Shaoyun.】

Feng Shaoyun was the younger sister of Feng Yan and Feng Shaoyu, two years younger than Feng Shaoyu. She attended the Kyoto Academy of Fine Arts. Although she was exceptionally talented, she had a reserved personality. Apart from going to school during exams, she usually stayed in her room or art studio.

The original owner couldn’t stand the introverted and dull younger sister-in-law, thinking that she was pretending to be sick and that she was the reason for the lack of concern.

So, she always liked to make things difficult for Feng Shaoyun, either forcibly dragging her out of her room or forcing her to speak.

As the silence settled, the system finally approved of Sheng Xia’s approach. It was time to explore other facets of the story. Sheng Xia finished the rest of the sweet soup and turned to the steward, asking casually, “The children haven’t come over yet. Is something wrong?”

The steward then explained, “I heard that Madam Shi came to visit. Young Master Jingxu was worried that it might affect your conversation, so he didn’t let the children come over.”

Sheng Xia had always been envious of her step-sister Sheng Lanqiu, always trying to compare herself to her. So, when she saw Sheng Lanqiu marrying into a wealthy family, she shamelessly attached herself to Feng Yan.

Feng Jingxu had also heard about it. Therefore, when he heard that Sheng Lanqiu was coming, he immediately stopped the Twins from approaching Sheng Xia.

Seeing Sheng Xia just nodding without saying anything, the butler breathed a sigh of relief.

“Is Shaoyun in her room now?” Signaling the butler to push her back, Sheng Xia asked as if nothing had happened, “I happened to see the window of Shaoyun’s room just now. I remembered that I haven’t had a chance to check on her lately. Is she still the same, not liking to talk?”

Thinking that Madam occasionally used to visit Miss Fourth, the butler didn’t think too much and subconsciously looked at the window of Feng Shaoyun’s room, “At this time, Miss Shaoyun should still be in the studio.”

“Then I’ll go talk to her.”

The butler originally wanted to say that Miss Shaoyun doesn’t like to be disturbed while painting, but considering that Miss Shaoyun never refused Madam before, and recently Madam’s personality seems to have changed quite a bit, becoming closer to the Feng family, he hesitated for a moment.

In the end, he didn’t say anything and just pushed Sheng Xia back to the main building.

As soon as they entered, they saw the Twins sitting on the sofa watching cartoons. Feng Jingxu was far away from them, scattered around with a few small monster models, his expression stiff, and a hint of despair.

Feng Xuchen was still muttering while hugging Ultraman, “How come the wicked stepmother hasn’t come back yet? Brother clearly said she would come over after this episode; Brother lied.”

“Brother obviously doesn’t want to play with us, so he asked us to watch TV.” Feng Xuran ruthlessly exposed, “Adults take a long time to chat, don’t think about it, we’ll wait for wicked stepmother.”

Feng Xuchen quickly turned his head, his eyes wide open, his small mouth pouted, “Then when is the wicked stepmother gonna come back?”

“I don’t know,.”

Feng Jingxu, who was headache-inducing due to their noise, sighed deeply, about to reluctantly agree to continue playing role-playing games with them. However, he saw Sheng Xia being pushed in at this moment.

At this point, he couldn’t care less about the hatred between him and Sheng Xia; his eyes immediately lit up, unable to conceal the expression of “rescued.”

“Sheng Xia is back; aren’t you looking for her to hear stories? Hurry, go.”

Feng Jingxu couldn’t wait, sitting up straight, his tone urging. Where was the vigilance from before, preventing Sheng Xia from getting close to the Twins?

Seeing his expression of relief, Sheng Xia couldn’t help raising an eyebrow, looking at him with a sly smile, “What did Little Xu just call me?”

Oops, too busy feeling relieved, and he forgot that this was the cunning Sheng Xia. Did he not deliberately hand her the handle?

Thinking about the possible teasing she would face in the future, Feng Jingxu’s face suddenly stiffened, feeling regretful.

But even though his scalp was numb, he still didn’t want to back down. With a harsh tone, he said, “What’s wrong with me calling your name? You’re not much older than me. Calling you ‘mom’ would make you feel old, wouldn’t it?”

“It’s okay; I don’t mind.” Sheng Xia, with her delicate and beautiful face, calmly said, “I just like a top star who is close to my age and looks like Dragon in Heaven calling me ‘mom,’ it something special.”

Feng Jingxu: “…”

Feng Jingxu: ???

Behind Sheng Xia, the steward almost didn’t brake in time and bumped the wheelchair into the wall.

Seeing the young top idol with a handsome face, similar to the proud son of heavens, flashing like a traffic light and even starting to crack and distort, Sheng Xia innocently blinked her eyes.

She hooked her finger at the Twins who had jumped off the sofa, “Come on, let’s go play with your little aunt.”

The two kids, who were initially excited about having Sheng Xia tell them a story, were suddenly attracted by her words. They tilted their heads and repeated, “Play with little aunt?”

“Little aunt can still paint over there. Let’s go.” Sheng Xia elongated her voice, even without assistance, she took control of the wheelchair and escaped into the elevator, “Don’t worry; I haven’t forgotten. I’ll tell you the story over there.”

Feng Xuchen suddenly cheered and happily followed Sheng Xia.

Unable to recall what their little aunt looked like, Feng Xuran hesitated for a moment in the same spot. She was suddenly frightened by his brother’s explosive roar from behind.

She quickly covered her ears in panic and hurriedly chased after. Even after Sheng Xia swiftly closed the elevator door, they could still hear the almost out-of-tune furious roar of a certain Son of Heaven top idol, filled with explosive anger, trailing off.

“Sheng Xia, you—have some shame! Are you even a woman?!!!”

The elevator gradually ascended, and Sheng Xia, acting as if nothing happened, rubbed her still buzzing ears and sighed softly, “Ah, your brother’s temper is really something. Just spoke the truth, and he’s so hard to get along with.”

The Dragon-Phoenix Twins also covered their ears, nodding in agreement.

Yeah, their brother’s temper is really lousy. Their ears are almost deaf from it!

…

Shaoyun’s art studio and bedroom were on the top floor, the fifth floor.

Knowing that Miss Shaoyun liked cleanliness and didn’t like seeing people around, the servants rarely appeared here, except for cleaning and delivering meals, making it exceptionally quiet.

The Twins had never been here before, and in this overly quiet environment, they couldn’t help but feel a bit scared, instinctively moving closer to Sheng Xia.

However, Sheng Xia showed no sympathy, giving them a push and gesturing with her chin towards the door, “What are you afraid of? This is your little aunt’s art studio. You’ll have to come in later. Why are you scared now?”

This mischievous woman, always bossing them around, hmph. Feng Xuran glared at her with an air of discontent, hesitated for a moment, and mustered the courage to knock on the door.

However, there was no response.

Seeing the little ones deflate with the frustration of not getting a response, Sheng Xia lowered her head and rubbed her chin, “How did you usually get her to open the door?”

[System suggests: Try knocking harder, or shout louder to call Shao Yun out. Maybe she genuinely didn’t hear it.]

“No need for such rough methods. It’s like coaxing a little hamster out of its hole.”

Sheng Xia lazily rejected the suggestion, then looked down with a smirk at the Twins.

Her bright black eyes held a mysterious smile, causing Feng Xuran to subconsciously tremble and defensively step back, shielding his little brother, “What bad idea are you plotting now?”

“Do you cry?”

Feng Xuran: ?

“Your little aunt loves you, so if you cry, she’ll definitely open the door when she hears it.” Sheng Xia skillfully coaxed, even feigning weakness, “And this method only works when you guys do it. I can’t do it, for example.”

Feng Xuran half-believed, feeling like she was trying to trick them, stubbornly refusing, “No, I’m not going to cry!”

However, at the same time, she heard Feng Xuchen’s enthusiastic response, “Xuchen will do it! I will cry!”

Feng Xuran: ?

She turned her head in speechless exasperation, watching her silly little brother proudly puffing his chest: are you proud of crying?

Unaware of her sister’s expression, Feng Xuchen nervously held Sheng Xia’s hand, tilting his small head with grape-like sparkling eyes, “But, we need the help of the wicked stepmother… Can you pat Xuchen’s head again?”

Afraid that Sheng Xia might refuse, he hastily added, “Of course, pinching the face is fine too!”

Sheng Xia: Who can resist this?