Chapter 65 – Auntie, I Don’t Want to Try Anymore (11)

Yu Liuxue was on the verge of tears. She hadn’t done anything, yet both Liu Qingru and Liang Yin were staring at her like they wanted to cut her into a thousand pieces. Instinctively, Yu Liuxue tried to dodge Guo Zao, but before she could move, the eager Guo Zao threw her arms around her like a butterfly fluttering into her arms, holding her tightly.

She smelled sweet—like creamy milk candy—like a walking milk toffee.

Yu Liuxue muttered to the system, “Oh! The female lead is sinfully sweet!”

System: “……” She’s probably lost her mind.

When Guo Zao threw herself onto Yu Liuxue, the emotion in Liu Qingru’s eyes shifted abruptly—turning icy cold. Yu Liuxue couldn’t move, locked in Guo Zao’s embrace. While enduring Liang Yin’s sharp, cutting gaze, she also nervously glanced toward Liu Qingru, trying to explain herself with her expressions alone, terrified she’d get punished again once they got home.

“Sigh, System, life is too hard. Really.”

Lately, Guo Zao had suffered a lot at the company, but with Yu Liuxue being so busy, she hadn’t dared to confide in her. Now, seeing Yu Liuxue in person, her eyes immediately turned red, and tears streamed down her fair cheeks as though they were free. Guo Zao felt utterly wronged. She didn’t want to appear weak in front of Yu Liuxue, but she just couldn’t hold it in.

As she clung to Yu Liuxue and wiped her tears, she choked out, “Manager Qiao, I really missed you.”

With the female lead crying her heart out in her arms, Yu Liuxue no longer cared about Liang Yin and Liu Qingru’s gazes. She quickly hugged Guo Zao back and gently comforted her, “Don’t cry, don’t cry. Tell me who bullied you—I’ll call a cab and go beat them up for you.”

Liang Yin let out a cold snort, retracting her gaze as she slowly sipped her floral tea. Crying that hard over such minor grievances? Throwing herself at that little heartbreaker like she hadn’t seen a woman in years, desperate to make sure everyone knew how close they were.

Pathetic.

Liang Yin had thought Guo Zao had matured, but now she saw—same old story.

Seeing her own girlfriend being hugged out of nowhere by another woman had already soured Liu Qingru’s mood. But when Yu Liuxue hugged her back and gently comforted her—using a tone she’d never used with Liu Qingru—it made her feel even worse. Liu Qingru stared at Yu Liuxue’s face, creased in concern, and the more she looked, the more annoyed she felt.

She picked up a cup of plain tea and sipped it slowly.

Guo Zao had tried hard to hold back her tears, but the more Yu Liuxue comforted her, the more she cried. It spiraled out of control. Clutching Yu Liuxue’s shirt, she sobbed uncontrollably as though releasing all the grievances she’d held in. Yu Liuxue consoled her and wiped her tears nonstop—completely overwhelmed.

Though Liang Yin and Liu Qingru sat quietly drinking tea, their presence was anything but subtle.

Yu Liuxue nervously glanced at them a few times, afraid for her life. In desperation, she patted Guo Zao’s head and whispered, “Xiao Guo, Auntie Liang and President Liu are still here. Don’t cry, okay?”

Snapping out of it, Guo Zao quickly let go of Yu Liuxue and frantically wiped her face. She forced herself to stop crying, but when she met Yu Liuxue’s eyes, her face flushed red like a balloon about to pop, almost bleeding from the shame.

Mortified, Guo Zao wished she could dig a hole and bury herself. She had clung to Manager Qiao, cried for so long in her arms, and even dirtied her white blouse. When she noticed the red lipstick marks on the shirt, her face burned hotter and she lowered her head even more.

“I’m sorry, Manager Qiao, I…” she mumbled, practically ready to strip the shirt off Yu Liuxue to wash it herself.

Once the female lead finally detached herself, Yu Liuxue let out a long sigh of relief and smiled at Guo Zao. “It’s okay. Your makeup’s a mess now. Let’s go fix it up—I’ll come with you.”

Without waiting for a response, she grabbed the still-blushing Guo Zao and dragged her into the nearby restroom. While handing her a cushion compact and lipstick from her bag, she anxiously asked the system, “Daddy, is it too late to run away now?”

The system ran a serious set of calculations before answering, “I think if you run now, not only will it not save you, it’ll look incredibly guilty—and the consequences will be even worse.”

Yu Liuxue: “……” A look of pure despair.

So she was destined to bounce around this emotional battlefield all over again today, huh? Just thinking of Liang Yin and Liu Qingru… especially Liu Qingru’s look—it sent shivers down her spine. Yu Liuxue frowned in frustration. “But I feel like the consequences are already bad if I don’t run.”

Guo Zao quickly fixed her makeup, then handed the cosmetics back, her face still red. “Thank you, Manager Qiao.”

Then, as if realizing something, she apologized again, “I’m sorry for earlier. I lost control. Your shirt…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” The shirt didn’t matter. The real problem was how to face Liang Yin and Liu Qingru now. Just then, Guo Zao looked up at her pitifully, her eyes still red from crying. “I’ve been working so hard at the company, but people still gossip behind my back… saying everything I have is thanks to Qin Feng. Manager Qiao, I missed you so much—I wanted to come talk to you, but I didn’t want to bother your work…”

As she spoke, tears welled up again. Lip quivering, she stared into Yu Liuxue’s eyes and said sincerely, “Manager Qiao, I really missed you. Really…”

Then she suddenly came to her senses, panicked. “Manager Qiao, I was so out of line in front of Auntie Liang—will she be really disappointed in me? I just managed to improve her opinion of me, and she even gave me a promotion… it’s all over now.”

Guo Zao hung her head, disheartened. “It’s like everything’s back to square one.”

Yu Liuxue felt like crying too. Forcing herself to stay strong, she encouraged Guo Zao—and herself. “It’s okay. Auntie Liang and President Liu are generous people. They won’t hold grudges against young girls like us.”

But the moment they walked out, Guo Zao got scolded by Liang Yin. Liang Yin coldly looked at the timid girl and snapped, “Done crying? Can you work now?”

The blush on Guo Zao’s face returned full force. She quickly mumbled an apology, then glanced at Yu Liuxue. After receiving a confirming nod, she obediently said, “Sorry, Director Liang.”

Now even her future daughter-in-law was taking cues from that little heartbreaker. This realization infuriated Liang Yin even more.

If she listened to everything that heartbreaker said, why not just marry her instead of marrying into the Qin family? But this anger had no real outlet, so Liang Yin had to stuff it down, silently fuming, her head pounding with irritation.

Guo Zao perked up and quietly stood behind Liang Yin, not daring to make another mistake.

Or she’d be disliked again.

Yu Liuxue cautiously shuffled to Liu Qingru’s side. Liu Qingru didn’t even look up, simply putting down her teacup to continue chatting with Liang Yin. Though today wasn’t an official work event—just a private meetup between friends—their conversation still revolved mostly around work.

Guo Zao and Yu Liuxue stood like two porcelain statues, guarding their respective sides, not daring to move.

Liu Qingru didn’t get angry at her, which made Yu Liuxue breathe a small sigh of relief. As she listened, she began to feel tired. Quietly, she pulled a small stool over and was just about to sit when both Liu Qingru and Liang Yin turned to look at her. Her movement froze, and she forced a pitiful smile.

Softly, she said, “President Liu, Auntie Liang… my heels are killing me…”

Liu Qingru looked away. Liang Yin turned and said to Guo Zao, “You sit too.”

Guo Zao thanked her and carefully pulled a chair over to sit beside Yu Liuxue. Liu Qingru and Liang Yin glanced up again, and the two immediately sat up straight. “……”

What now?

Was there a problem?

Yu Liuxue was completely baffled. Guo Zao looked even more lost, not understanding what she had done wrong. She suddenly had a feeling—

Liang Yin looked like she wanted to rip her apart.

Guo Zao lowered her lashes, thinking, maybe it was just her imagination.

Once the conversation wrapped up, Liu Qingru got ready to leave. Guo Zao stood up and softly asked Yu Liuxue, “Manager Qiao, are you still busy? If you’re free… can we have dinner and go shopping together?”

Yu Liuxue didn’t hesitate. “Sure!”

Getting closer to the female lead was more beneficial for completing the mission. The female lead was still very innocent—if she just instilled certain ideas into her, the girl would start developing in the direction she had predetermined. She had been fretting over the lack of a suitable opportunity, and now the female lead had taken the initiative herself. It was simply like someone handing her a pillow just when she was feeling sleepy—too perfect to be true.

Yu Liuxue and Guo Zao exchanged a smile and settled the matter just like that.

However, two sharp gazes soon shot over, freezing the smiles on their faces. Guo Zao immediately lowered her head to hide the joy in her eyes and obediently stepped behind Liang Yin. Yu Liuxue, under the watchful eyes of Liang Yin and Liu Qingru, forced herself to smile and walked over to Liu Qingru, saying, “Auntie Liang, see you next time.”

Liang Yin gave a bland nod and called out to Guo Zao, “Let’s go.”

After Liang Yin and Guo Zao left, Liu Qingru leisurely took off the ring on her right hand. Yu Liuxue’s eyes went wide, and without thinking, she turned and ran. Liu Qingru grabbed her in one swift motion and pulled her back, gently rubbing the lipstick mark on Yu Liuxue’s white shirt—clearly left by Guo Zao. Her smile was cold and mocking. “Looks good, doesn’t it?”

Yu Liuxue shook her head in terror. “No! Not at all!”

“If it doesn’t look good, then let’s destroy it.” As she spoke, the shirt was instantly torn open. Yu Liuxue shuddered. She glanced at the tightly shut door, swept her eyes around, then gave in and slumped over a chair, submitting to Liu Qingru’s rough punishment.

By the time it was over, her whole body was limp and sore. Liu Qingru ended up wrapping her in clothes and carrying her into the car.

After dropping her off at home, Liu Qingru didn’t touch her again, just left behind a bank card. “Use it however you want.”

Yu Liuxue: “…?” The pure relationship had suddenly turned dirty.

She pushed the card back solemnly. “No, President Liu, I don’t need it. Please take it back.”

Liu Qingru glanced around the shabby little rental apartment and stubbornly left the card behind before walking out. Yu Liuxue held the card, bound it to her phone, and checked the balance. That very night, she contacted an agent to start buying a house. The system sneered at her shameless double standards.

But Yu Liuxue argued righteously, “This is psychological compensation from Auntie Liu. Why wouldn’t I take it? She bullies me so badly every time—if this isn’t psychological compensation, then it’s medical expenses!”

Despite the system’s contempt, Yu Liuxue quickly picked a house and bought a luxurious downtown flat in full. After completing the transfer, she moved in immediately and posted a photo on her social media: “After working so long, I finally bought a place with full payment!”

System: “…” Shameless.

Qin Feng also saw Yu Liuxue’s post. There was no way he believed his ex-girlfriend could afford a luxury flat in the city center just two years after graduation. Thinking it over, panic set in. He rushed home and confronted Liang Yin on the couch, “Mom? Did you buy a house for Qiao Ruo?!”

No way—was Qiao Ruo really going to become his stepmother?!

Liang Yin didn’t even look up. “Is there a problem?”

Qin Feng nearly fainted. His ex-girlfriend turning into his stepmother—this was something that only happened in trashy TV dramas, and now it was happening to him. What kind of karma was this? Had he done something in a past life to deserve this?

Desperate, he thought, No… this can’t be happening…

Liang Yin glanced at him with a mocking smile and stood up slowly. “Mind your own business. Even if I did buy her a house, it has nothing to do with you.”

So it was true…

Qin Feng’s knees buckled, and he collapsed to the floor, clutching his head. His ex-girlfriend was becoming his stepmother… how could he ever face his friends again? If they found out, he’d be the butt of jokes for a lifetime.

A man, thoroughly outshone by his own mother.

The following days were a blur for Qin Feng. Even Guo Zao couldn’t bear watching him fall apart. She temporarily set aside their tensions and approached him, concerned. “What’s wrong? Are you sick? You look awful. Do you want me to take you to the hospital?”

Qin Feng didn’t refuse. Once he was in the hospital, he ended up staying there for half a month.

Thanks to his hospital stay, Guo Zao took careful care of him, and during their chats, they cleared up previous misunderstandings. Their relationship mended. Yu Liuxue scratched her chin and said, “I know the leads in melodramas fall in love like it’s a game, but I still want to complain.”

System: “No. Hold it in.”

As soon as Qin Feng recovered, he started pestering Yu Liuxue, trying every trick in the book to make her give up on her unrealistic dreams. Yu Liuxue was completely confused as the male lead kept fussing in front of her every day. She touched her nose and asked the system, “What’s with him?”

Then a thought struck her. She covered her mouth in surprise, “Wait, could it be… he regrets it now that I’m doing well, and he wants to get back together with me?”

The system didn’t even have time to respond before she firmly declared, “No way. That’s not happening. I already belong to President Liu.”

System: “…” You’ve said it all. What’s left for me to add?

However, after watching Qin Feng for a few more days, Yu Liuxue realized he didn’t seem like someone trying to get back together. With growing unease, she rested her chin in her palm. “Could the main couple’s relationship be falling apart again?”

The system finally snapped, gritting its teeth. “Their relationship is just fine.”

“Oh, good. Then I’m relieved.”

Since Qin Feng wasn’t being subtle, Guo Zao soon noticed his odd behavior too. Her heart skipped a beat, and the same thought as Yu Liuxue’s popped into her head: Could Qin Feng be…

Regretting and trying to get back together with Manager Qiao?

No! Absolutely not!

Guo Zao’s lashes fluttered downward. Manager Qiao was such a good person—Qin Feng didn’t deserve her. After careful thought, Guo Zao invited Qin Feng to dinner. When the atmosphere was just right, she softly asked, “Qin Feng, I heard you’ve been going to see Manager Qiao a lot lately?”

Qin Feng paused mid-action and stiffly denied it. “No.”

How could he admit that his ex-girlfriend was becoming his stepmother? Especially not to his current girlfriend. That would be even worse—what if Guo Zao thought he had some kind of problem, that he wasn’t even as good as his own mom? And what if she ended up going to Liang Yin too?

Where would his dignity as a man go?

He gave Guo Zao a piece of meat. “I had important matters to discuss with her. It’s not what you think. Don’t overthink it.”

Then he put down his chopsticks and looked seriously into her eyes. “Zao, trust me. Please?”

Guo Zao hesitated for a long moment before slowly nodding. Even though she agreed not to overthink it, she secretly made up her mind—she would get to the bottom of this. If Qin Feng was trying to get back together with Manager Qiao…

She would stop him no matter what.

Biting her lip gently, Guo Zao couldn’t help but recall the scene of Yu Liuxue being bullied by Liu Qingru that day—her pitiful, lovable expression, her delicate white skin, her soft, fragrant body.

A faint blush crept up her cheeks.

Seeing her like this, Qin Feng swallowed hard, his body heating up. After dinner, he invited her, “Want to come over to my place?”

Guo Zao apologetically declined, “Sorry, Qin Feng, I have to go back to work overtime.”

Without giving him a chance to insist, she flagged down a taxi and left. Qin Feng watched the cab drive away, disappointed. Still, he wasn’t in the mood to fool around. All he wanted was for Yu Liuxue to stay away from Liang Yin.

Liang Yin was aware her son had misunderstood her relationship with the little scoundrel, but she didn’t bother clarifying. Instead, she watched with great amusement as he acted like he was facing a great enemy, running around—but not working on his actual project. Slowly munching on sunflower seeds, she mused, Being with the little scoundrel? Not a bad idea.

Too bad she already belonged to her good friend.

No matter how shameless she was, she couldn’t possibly steal from Qingru, right? Those two had kissed in front of her, after all.

Speaking of that day, Liang Yin had happened to sit at the perfect angle to witness the entire scene of Yu Liuxue being bullied by Liu Qingru. Thinking of those cherry-red lips being ravaged until they lost their shape, the hot breath laced with sweetness, the desperate struggling… Liang Yin’s heart trembled.

She definitely had the assets to tempt.

With a sigh, Liang Yin thought again—what a pity she already belonged to Qingru.

When had that little scoundrel climbed into Qingru’s bed? She moved fast… and stealthily. Even she didn’t notice it.

Liang Yin suddenly found the sunflower seeds in her mouth tasteless. She simply put them down and stopped eating, staring at her son, who was hemming and hawing, and asked, “Have you finished everything the company assigned to you?”

Qin Feng shook his head, but he had come to talk to Liang Yin about something more important. He sat nervously beside her and cautiously asked, “Mom, what do you think of Qiao Ruo as a person? Like her personality, looks, figure, stuff like that.”

Liang Yin gave him a thoughtful look. Qin Feng immediately held his breath and dared not make a sound, quietly waiting for her response.

After a while, Liang Yin slowly replied, “Her personality is alright—better than yours, and better than your girlfriend’s.” That little heartbreaker might be a flirt, but she was popular and extremely capable. If she had to be honest, the girl might go further in life than her son and daughter-in-law.

Looking at her son in front of her, and thinking about her daughter-in-law back at the company, Liang Yin felt a wave of bitter disappointment.

Qin Feng: “……” He nearly suffocated.

“As for her looks and figure… do I even need to say it?” Liang Yin looked at her son with disdain. Had he lost his mind? If the girl weren’t good-looking and didn’t have a great figure, would he have been interested in her in the first place?

Qin Feng: “……” Died on the spot.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a deep sense of contempt and suspicion in his mother’s eyes—almost like Qiao Ruo had deliberately whispered bad things about him in her ear, like saying he was incompetent or something. But they hadn’t even been together that long; none of that had happened yet.

Qin Feng suddenly felt too ashamed to lift his head. He hastily made an excuse and fled the house.

Sitting alone in his car, gripping the steering wheel and clenching his teeth, he finally made up his mind—no way, he had to nip this thing in the bud. He absolutely couldn’t let Qiao Ruo marry his mom and become his stepmother!

Qin Feng tried to invite Yu Liuxue out for a meal again, but she refused without a second thought. With people coming and going around them, he couldn’t exactly force her into his car and drive off with her—even if he wanted to. The security guards at the company entrance were holding batons and staring at him with eight unwavering eyes, forcing Qin Feng to give up that idea.

Before leaving, he could only threaten her fiercely: “Qiao Ruo, give up those ridiculous fantasies. I will never let you be with my mom.”

“I don’t agree!”

Yu Liuxue suddenly realized—so this was why the male lead had been pestering her for days, neglecting both his career and his girlfriend: he wanted her to give up on Liang Yin. But she was never even with Liang Yin in the first place. Still, when she saw how flustered Qin Feng was, a mischievous idea struck her. Chin raised proudly, she said, “Qin Feng, don’t even think about it.”

“Not only will I not give up on Aunt Liang, I’ll do everything I can to win her over, so that from now on, she only has eyes for me.”

“Only who?” A calm voice sounded from behind. It was Liu Qingru.

The moment Qin Feng saw Liu Qingru, he ran off. Yu Liuxue shuddered on the spot and quickly explained, “President Liu, please don’t take it seriously. I only said that to provoke him.”

Liu Qingru didn’t take it seriously—but she still dragged Yu Liuxue back to her newly purchased apartment and gave her a serious workout.

Leaning against the wall and rubbing her waist, Yu Liuxue gritted her teeth and thought: Qin Feng, just you wait!

Yu Liuxue and the male lead were now locked in mutual spite, each seething with anger. They waited and waited—finally, the perfect opportunity arrived. It was the birthday of Sun Jie, a wealthy woman Yu Liuxue knew. Both Liang Yin and Liu Qingru were invited. Everyone dressed to the nines and rode to the banquet in a sparkling Rolls-Royce.

Yu Liuxue wore a red dress as vivid as the blazing sun, making her skin look even more delicate and fair. Her hair was pinned up, revealing a beautiful, slender neck and sexy butterfly bones. The moment she entered beside Liu Qingru, more than a few people were clearly stunned by her appearance.

Normally, a setting like this would’ve been dominated by Guo Zao. But today, Guo Zao had gone for a modest look—elegant and sweet. Though she looked lovely at first glance, compared to Yu Liuxue, she lacked a bit of impact. So when Qin Feng saw all eyes on Yu Liuxue—including even Liang Yin momentarily losing focus—his resentment hit a new peak.

Guo Zao herself didn’t seem to feel upstaged. She stared dazedly at Yu Liuxue, walking toward her with graceful steps, her heart betraying her with a quickened beat. Her cheeks soon burned red. Clutching Qin Feng’s arm, she hurriedly lowered her head, feeling an inexplicable sense of panic and awkwardness.

It was like the feeling of seeing your secret crush—the one you think about all the time—finally appear before you. A mix of joy… and fear.

The thought shocked Guo Zao. A crush? A love interest? She widened her eyes in disbelief. Could she really have inappropriate feelings for Manager Qiao?

Qin Feng’s face darkened. But as the male lead, his brain occasionally worked. Seeing how close Yu Liuxue and Liu Qingru were acting, he suddenly had an idea. His ex-girlfriend was not only heartless but also a flirt—sweet-talking Aunt Liu while secretly taking a house from his mom and carrying on behind her back. Playing both sides without a hitch—utterly shameless.

So, when Yu Liuxue came walking over, happily holding Liu Qingru’s arm, Qin Feng curled his lips and shouted loudly at her: “Stepmom, you’re here!”

Guo Zao immediately looked up, face full of shock. Stepmom? Was he talking about Manager Qiao? How could that be? That’s impossible…

Liang Yin instantly turned to look at her son. Stepmom? Who was he calling? That little heartbreaker? She glanced at Yu Liuxue’s frozen expression and suddenly felt a strange sense of satisfaction. So she didn’t expose her son, instead staring directly at Yu Liuxue’s reaction.

But… after hearing him call “Stepmom” once, why did she suddenly want to hear it again?

Being called “stepmom” in that crisp voice by a man older than herself—and in front of Liu Qingru, no less—Yu Liuxue was completely thrown off. “???”

Excuse me, could you say that again?