Chapter 11 – After Becoming the Gloomy Illegitimate Male Lead’s Neighboring Big Sister

This was Jiang Jiang’s second day living next door to Wen Ye.

And in just one day, the house next door had already erupted into three shouting matches and one physical fight.

Wen Ye was the male lead of this world.

His mother, Wen Shulan, was a beautiful woman. After being abandoned by his biological father, she discovered she was pregnant. Unwilling to terminate the pregnancy, she secretly gave birth to Wen Ye without telling her parents.

But unable to support herself and the child, she married a divorced man with a daughter under pressure from her family, hoping life would improve. Unfortunately, the man revealed his true nature after marriage.

Although he had claimed not to mind her situation, he began frequently abusing both Wen Shulan and Wen Ye after the wedding. When Wen Shulan became pregnant with his child, he turned all his abuse solely on Wen Ye.

At first, Wen Shulan still felt sorry for her son, but after several failed attempts at resistance and threats from her husband, she eventually fell silent.

That marked the beginning of Wen Ye’s nightmare.

He inherited the beauty of both his parents. As he entered puberty, his features became increasingly androgynously stunning. He began to notice that his stepfather looked at him oddly whenever he was drunk.

In that entire household, only his stepsister Chu An was willing to protect him. So later, after he was reclaimed by his biological family, he took revenge on everyone except her—bringing Chu An home with him.

But Chu An hated him for killing her father and stopped being kind to him.

10086 System Log: Before Chu An’s death, she regretted ever helping this ungrateful wolf and believed he had forcibly restricted her freedom.

Jiang Jiang didn’t know how to comment on that, so she simply put down her paintbrush.

In this world, her identity was that of a painter traveling the globe in search of inspiration. She was fairly well-known and certainly not lacking in money.

She had come to this small town for creative inspiration and happened to rent a place next to the Chu family’s home.

Just yesterday, on her first day, she’d already walked into a heated argument.

Apparently, Wen Ye’s stepfather had lost something and immediately accused Wen Ye of stealing it, teaming up with Wen Shulan to discipline him.

Jiang Jiang had tried to mediate, though with little effect.

In this life, without Chu An playing the go-between, things at home were undoubtedly harder for Wen Ye.

Jiang Jiang sighed, got up again, and rang the doorbell next door.

The shouting momentarily subsided.

A coarse male voice grumbled and opened the door: “You again?”

Chu Keyong thought this new neighbor was far too nosy. Wen Shulan was someone he’d paid a bride price for—his possession now. As for Wen Ye, he had only taken him in because the Wen family begged him to. Whether he hit or scolded the boy was none of their business. So what right did this strange woman have to interfere again and again?

Jiang Jiang’s gaze passed over him and landed on Wen Ye, whose lip was split and bloodied from a punch. Half the boy’s face was cast in shadow, the blood at his mouth making his pale skin seem even whiter.

His head was slightly bowed, messy bangs covering his eyes, but the sharp angle of his jaw remained visible—like a meticulously sculpted piece of art, dangerously beautiful.

His lips were still bleeding, but he acted as if he didn’t feel any pain. His tongue lazily licked the wound, and when he looked up, his long, narrow eyes were so dark they were almost terrifying.

Too thin.

That was Jiang Jiang’s first thought. Then she turned coldly toward the man who only dared bully women and children.

“I already warned you. Domestic violence is a crime. If you lay a hand on him again, I’ll call the police right now.”

“You—!” Chu Keyong looked like he’d seen a lunatic. “I’m his father, dammit! He eats my food, lives under my roof, and I hit him a few times—so what?”

“If you’re so righteous, why don’t you take him with you?” Chu Keyong grabbed Wen Ye by the wrist and dragged him to the doorway, shoving him toward her.

“Go on, take him! Talking big like I’m mistreating him or something…”

He continued cursing under his breath, reeking of alcohol and cigarettes.

Behind him stood Wen Shulan, silent. Time had carved deep traces into what was once a beautiful face. She held the hand of a roughly ten-year-old boy—unlike Wen Ye, this child was plump, even pudgy.

On his lard-white face was a gloating expression far too mature for his age.

Behind this mother-son pair stood Chu An, staring at her phone, clearly not wanting to be involved.

…Wen Ye had spent more than ten years in a home like this.

“Damn loudmouth…”

Chu Keyong sneered and was about to slam the door when Jiang Jiang suddenly said:

“Then I really will take him.”

“?”

All eyes snapped to the woman at the door.

“Sure,” Chu Keyong snorted, glancing at her pretty face. “Looks like being good-looking really has its perks. One look and someone’s ready to take you in.”

Jiang Jiang frowned. “I’m recording this. If you keep spewing garbage, I’ll see you in court.”

“You—!” Chu Keyong raised his hand as if to hit her, but was stopped by Wen Shulan and Chu An.

Jiang Jiang caught a few words from their hushed arguing—essentially, they didn’t know her background and didn’t want to cause trouble.

Exactly. That’s why a loser like him could only vent his anger on someone unrelated to him by blood.

Jiang Jiang lowered her gaze and tried to take Wen Ye’s hand—only to be dodged.

“?”

She was surprised and tried again, but was evaded once more.

Did he not want to come with her?

Wen Shulan, seeing her son hesitate, hurriedly pushed him out the door. “Don’t worry, you can take him. We’ll cooperate with whatever paperwork or residence transfer you need.”

Before Jiang Jiang could reply, the iron door slammed shut with a loud bang.

Wen Ye let out a cold chuckle.

Jiang Jiang took a good look at the teen in front of her. He was taller than she’d expected, wearing only a thin, faded sweatshirt in the middle of winter. The veins on his exposed wrists stood out under his pale skin.

“You don’t want to come with me?”

Wen Ye looked at her like she was the crazy one. His voice was hoarse:

“You think I’m something worth taking home? Didn’t you see how eager they were to get rid of me?”

This neighbor probably just had a sudden burst of kindness. Once she brought him home and realized he was just dead weight, she’d be just like his stepfather and mother—full of contempt.

Besides, a single woman taking in a teenage boy? She had no idea what kind of gossip that would stir in a place like this.

He wasn’t some stray dog wagging its tail just because someone offered him food.

Like a hedgehog, Wen Ye had erected a wall of thorns around himself, refusing to let anyone get close to his soft inner self.

“You are worth taking home.”

Wait, no.

“You’re not just anything.”

…

Wen Ye: “……?”

Jiang Jiang quickly rephrased: “What I mean is, you shouldn’t look down on yourself like that.”

She felt like she was holding out a cat treat, trying to coax a stray cat into following her home.