Chapter 123: Simultaneously Offending Three Bigshots – Part Ten

Yun Ning lazily traced the armrest of the sofa with her pale fingertips, not bothering to look at Yu Liuxue’s reaction—Meng Xi’s expression was already entertaining enough.

Yu Liuxue panicked in an instant. Sitting right beside her, Meng Xi felt like a volcano that had just awakened from dormancy, ready to erupt with world-ending force. Yu Liuxue hadn’t expected Yun Ning to throw her under the bus like this. In her panic, she decided to go all in. If she was going down, she might as well go down swinging. She turned her head and looked at Yun Ning with a desperate expression.

“Ningning, maybe you misheard?”

“That day, Auntie clearly told you that you were her favorite daughter-in-law(wife).”

{TN: The confusion here stems from the word “媳妇 (xífu).” While it often means “daughter-in-law,” it can also mean “wife.” }

The room fell into a sudden, stunned silence, as if someone had hit the pause button.

Meng Xi froze. All the thoughts she’d had about confronting Yu Liuxue evaporated in an instant. Her mind struggled to process what she’d just heard. Aunt Xiao—her future mother-in-law—actually said Yun Ning was her favorite wife?

Not daughter-in-law(wife) as in her son’s wife?!

Meng Xi’s brain short-circuited.

She and Yun Ning had been at odds from the very first meeting. They’d been secretly competing all this time, and she’d been working hard to prove she was more capable and outstanding than Yun Ning. But now, in the blink of an eye, the other girl had transformed into her future mother-in-law’s girlfriend?!

Subway Grandpa Looking at Phone.jpg[^1]

How was she supposed to compete now? Yun Ning’s status already overshadowed hers. Would she have to respectfully call her “Mom” in the future?

Meng Xi’s expression shifted through a rainbow of emotions, more colorful than a painter’s palette.

Xie Zhenxue instinctively clenched her fists. She looked up in shock, her pupils contracting. What? Aunt Xiao had already confessed to Yun Ning?

She couldn’t even describe what she was feeling. Her chest felt tight, suffocated, and a sharp ache throbbed in her heart. It was as if every negative emotion in the world had surged into her all at once.

Her eyelashes lowered in unison. She had already prepared herself mentally, had tried to hypnotize herself into believing that Aunt Xiao no longer had anything to do with her. But now, hearing that she had someone she liked, she couldn’t stop her emotions from sinking.

There was even a faint trace of unwillingness.

Yun Ning suddenly stopped stroking the armrest. She snapped her head up, her tea-colored eyes wide with surprise. Her gaze was dark and intense, like ink that hadn’t yet spread. Yu Liuxue shivered instinctively.

She was doomed.

Clinging to the System’s metaphorical leg, she sobbed, “System, I accidentally dug my own grave! What do I do? Do you think there’s still hope for me?”

System: “No hope. Host, go home and wait for death.”

Yu Liuxue: “…”

If only she could turn back time. She cautiously glanced at the expressions of the three others and couldn’t help but sigh deeply in her heart. Words, once spoken, were like spilled water—impossible to take back². Thankfully, all three seemed to believe her nonsense, so she decided to roll with it.

She looked at Yun Ning and continued to explain, “Ningning, think carefully. Didn’t Auntie say something like that to you that night?”

Xie Zhenxue and Meng Xi both turned to look at her, holding their breath.

Yun Ning blinked slowly, as if pondering. After a while, the corners of her eyes curved into a smile, and she nodded slightly. “Maybe I did mishear that night.”

Xie Zhenxue’s tear-filled eyes instantly lost their light.

Meng Xi awkwardly placed her hands on her knees. If that were the case, then hadn’t her earlier reaction been completely out of line? Her cheeks flushed with heat. While she was annoyed with herself, she also felt a strange sense of loss, as if something precious had been taken from her.

Yu Liuxue finally let out a breath of relief. She smiled at Yun Ning, then looked away. But when her gaze swept over the expressions of the female lead and the female supporting character, her heart suddenly skipped a beat. “…?!”

Why did they both look so dejected?!

A bold thought popped into Yu Liuxue’s mind. “System, do you think…”

“Could it be that Xie Zhenxue and Meng Xi are both in love with me?”

This time, the System didn’t deny it. It thought, With a rich, beautiful host like this—fair-skinned, pretty, and wealthy, with a son to take care of her in her old age—what girl wouldn’t be tempted? If they could win her over, they’d instantly leapfrog millions of others and become a true winner in life.

Xie Zhenxue’s throat felt tight. So when her assistant came in to find her, she immediately stood up, lowered her head, and left the room.

Noticing her off mood, the assistant asked cautiously, “Zhenxue, are you okay?”

Xie Zhenxue forced back her tears, shook her head lightly, sniffled, and smiled. “I’m fine. Probably just wore my contacts too long—my eyes feel a bit uncomfortable.”

The assistant knew she was lying but didn’t dare press further.

Anyone with eyes could see that Xie Zhenxue’s feelings for Xiao Yuetong were anything but ordinary.

As soon as Xie Zhenxue left, Meng Xi also found an excuse to get up and leave. If she stayed any longer, the embarrassment would replay in her mind on an endless loop. She was already so mortified her toes could dig through the floor.

She stood, head lowered, face flushed, and said to Yu Liuxue, “Aunt Xiao, I just remembered I have something to take care of, so I’ll be heading out first.”

Then she bolted, faster than a rabbit, disappearing in seconds.

The room was suddenly left with only Yu Liuxue and Yun Ning. The silence was deafening—so quiet that Yu Liuxue could hear her own heartbeat speeding up. Her mouth went dry. Just as she swallowed hard, Yun Ning spoke in a calm tone.

“Tomorrow is the anniversary of my parents’ death.”

Yu Liuxue’s heart sank. She quickly said, “Then I’ll go with you to visit them.”

Yun Ning stared at her for a long time. Just when Yu Liuxue thought she might freeze from the tension, Yun Ning finally responded.

“Yes, my father used to say you were his best friend and confidant. He often sighed to his friends, wondering why he hadn’t met you earlier.”

She smiled faintly. “If he could see you tomorrow, I think he’d be very happy.”

Yu Liuxue felt like crying. Yun Ning was clearly doing this on purpose. But back then, Yun Ning had been just a teenager who lost both parents and was bullied by her relatives. She’d had a hard life—just a poor, pitiful girl.

Yu Liuxue’s expression softened. “Ningning, don’t be afraid. Auntie will always be here for you.”

“If you’re ever unhappy, just tell Auntie. If anyone bullies you, tell me—I’ll stand up for you.”

Yun Ning looked at her thoughtfully, then slowly nodded.

“I’ll wait for you at home,” she said, standing up. She didn’t mention Yu Liuxue’s earlier nonsense, as if she hadn’t heard it at all. After exchanging a few polite words, she left.

The last trace of her black hair disappeared through the doorway, and Yu Liuxue finally let out a long breath.

“That was way too close! I almost got smited by the righteous fury of the female supporting character!”

But just as she’d resolved one problem, another cropped up. What exactly were Xie Zhenxue and Meng Xi feeling toward her?

She mulled it over, then clutched her chest in mock agony. “System, I think I’ve caught a disease. A disease where I believe the whole world is in love with me.”

And on top of that…

Yun Ning said she’d be waiting at home for her, but hadn’t she just told her cheap son that the house had been mortgaged to the bank?

Yu Liuxue suddenly felt a massive headache coming on.

Compared to Yun Ning and the others, Xiao Kewei was clearly much easier to handle. After a full day of exhausting manual labor, he dragged himself onto a bus and made his way to his old family home. Unsure whether the house had been mortgaged to the bank, he lingered outside the gate for a long time, unable to summon the courage to go in.

Even just looking at it from the outside filled him with heartache. Back in the day, he had been the richest kid in school. Who would have thought those golden days would be so short-lived? Just as he was stepping into his youth, everything crumbled. Now, covered in dirt, dust, and sweat, he looked like someone who had just finished rummaging through trash.

It had been several days since Yu Liuxue last saw him. When she noticed a filthy figure loitering at her door, her first instinct was to grab her phone and call the police. Where did this thief come from?!

But as she walked closer, she realized it was Xiao Kewei.

Mother and son stared at each other with deep emotion. Yu Liuxue looked at the ragged Xiao Kewei, while he stared at the glamorous, impeccably dressed Yu Liuxue. His mind was full of question marks. “?”

Didn’t Mom say the family went bankrupt and was drowning in debt? Then how did she afford that globally limited-edition handbag that just released yesterday?!

Xiao Kewei felt deeply deceived.

Yu Liuxue noticed his gaze fixed on the bag in her hand. She paused, then had a sudden flash of inspiration. “Kewei, what do you think of this bag your Uncle Zhao gave me? Isn’t it pretty?”

Xiao Kewei knew exactly who she meant by Uncle Zhao. The man had been interested in his mother for years, though she had never accepted him. Suddenly, everything clicked. So that’s what was going on! He felt a wave of shame. He had judged a gentleman with a petty heart!

“It looks great!” he nodded eagerly. That bag had to be worth close to a million, right?! If they sold it… Wait! He used to buy tons of rare limited-edition figures and luxury goods. If he sold them all secondhand, he might be able to make back several million!

The thought lit a fire under him. Xiao Kewei bolted into his room, grabbed his phone, and started taking pictures of everything. Then he jumped into all his collector groups: “Selling various rare limited-edition figures! DM if interested!”

“Not a scam!”

Yu Liuxue watched him dash off like a madman and followed him into the room in confusion. When she saw him frantically photographing his display cabinet, she couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction. “My son’s finally grown up.”

The System chimed in at just the right moment: “Well, he bought all of that with your money anyway.”

Yu Liuxue: “…” Useless money-burning brat!

While Xiao Kewei was busy selling off his collection, Yu Liuxue went downstairs. Yun Ning soon arrived after hearing the commotion. But since tomorrow was the anniversary of her parents’ death, her mood was somber. She ate a quick meal with Yu Liuxue and Xiao Kewei, then left. Xiao Kewei was too busy replying to messages to pay her any attention, so Yu Liuxue’s lie held up perfectly.

Today, Yu Liuxue was accompanying Yun Ning to visit her parents’ graves. She wore a long black dress with a black blazer over it, cinched at the waist with a slim belt that accentuated her slender figure. Yun Ning subtly glanced at her outfit and couldn’t help but recall the lie Yu Liuxue had told in front of Xie Zhenxue and Meng Xi the day before.

Wife?

The villainess was in a bad mood, so Yu Liuxue treaded carefully, afraid of accidentally provoking the Little Devil King. She followed Yun Ning to her parents’ graves and placed the flowers they had prepared in advance. Yun Ning quietly watched her. After Yu Liuxue finished her performance, Yun Ning knelt down, gently touched the photos of her parents, and softly said, “Dad, Mom, you don’t have to worry about your daughter being bullied anymore.”

Yu Liuxue stepped back a few paces to give her space to speak from the heart. She pretended to admire the scenery, but faintly caught words like “married” and “wedding.”

Yun Ning didn’t linger long. After finishing her words, she showed no unusual emotion. The two walked to the street corner, and Yun Ning said she needed to head to school, then parted ways with Yu Liuxue. Standing there for a moment, Yu Liuxue decided to return to the film set. Her script had already reached episode twenty. When she said she was writing two hundred episodes, she hadn’t been joking. She just didn’t plan to write them all at once—instead, she wanted to split them into multiple seasons.

Right now, Xiao Yuetong desperately needed a completed drama to turn her reputation around. If the first season of the “Her Me” series ended with good reviews, her future scripts would gain more popularity, and the second season would be highly anticipated. The rival production was making big moves online, so after careful consideration, this was the decision Yu Liuxue came to.

She told Meng Xi about her plan. Meng Xi seemed distracted and didn’t respond at first. Only when Yu Liuxue called her name again did she snap out of it. “Huh? Sorry, Aunt Xiao, I spaced out.”

“No worries.” Yu Liuxue smiled and repeated herself. After listening, Meng Xi nodded. “You’re right, Aunt Xiao. Let’s go with that.”

Yu Liuxue could tell Meng Xi had something on her mind, but since she clearly didn’t want to talk about it, she didn’t press.

Soon, Xie Zhenxue also heard the news: the first season of Xiao Yuetong’s dramatic revenge series “Her Me” was about to wrap up. Thirty episodes in total—not too many, not too few—and filming would be completed by next month. Holding her script, Xie Zhenxue felt a complicated mix of emotions. She stared blankly into the distance, wondering if she would ever see Aunt Xiao again after this.

Now that Aunt Xiao and Yun Ning had confirmed their relationship, she would probably start avoiding her, right?

She unconsciously tightened her grip on the script.

As more episodes aired, Xiao Yuetong’s reputation online soared. Some praised her as a once-in-a-century genius screenwriter. Others hailed her as the pioneer of over-the-top melodramas. Still others said her looks had overshadowed her true brilliance. She gained countless fans.

A little over a month later, filming for “Her Me” officially wrapped. On the final day, Yu Liuxue treated the whole crew to a lavish meal and posted a photo on Weibo: “Thank you to everyone on the team for your hard work these past few months. The success of ‘Her Me’ wouldn’t be possible without each of you. Let’s meet again next season!”

Fans were instantly shocked.

“??? Does this mean ‘Her Me’ is ending?! Nooo! I haven’t had enough yet! Aunt Xiao, you could totally write a hundred more episodes!”

“‘Her Me’ is only in the twenties, right? I feel like the plot just hit its peak! Aunt Xiao suddenly wrapping up… don’t tell me this is going to be a rushed ending?”

In no time, rumors of the summer hit “Her Me” having a bad ending exploded on the trending lists. Fans wailed under the topic thread, begging her not to end it! But no matter how reluctant they were, the finale aired as scheduled two weeks later.

“I get it now! There’s going to be a second season, right?!”

“Right, right! You can tell this story isn’t finished! But… will the cast change in season two?”

That was what fans and viewers worried about most. If the cast changed, it would inevitably lose some of its original charm, and some viewers might drop off. But Yu Liuxue didn’t mind. “As long as I write it with enough melodrama, they won’t be able to resist coming back for season two.”

This was the legendary “smells so good” effect.

On the day “Her Me” aired its final episode, it hit the highest viewership numbers in its history. The bullet comments were flooded with celebration: “Throwing flowers!” “Aunt Xiao never disappoints! That ending was wild!” “So who’s the official couple in the end?” “Who needs official couples? As long as it’s satisfying, that’s all that matters!” “Only kids make choices. Adults want it all.”

Yu Liuxue finally saw a glimmer of hope for completing her mission. Over the past few days, she had already filed the paperwork for Season Two. Riding the wave of her own popularity, she shamelessly posted on Weibo with great enthusiasm: “The title for Season Two has been approved. It’s called ‘The Domineering CEO’s Birth Mother Fell for Me: The Runaway Wife with a Ball.’”

Fans were instantly confused, their comments full of question marks. “Aunt Xiao, there’s really no need to be that blunt with the title. It’ll never pass the censors!”

“Season One had such a poetic name. Why the sudden shift in tone for Season Two? ‘Her Me and the Child’ would’ve been so much better.”

“Honestly, ‘The Runaway Wife with a Ball’ sounds way more fun.”

That very night, Yu Liuxue’s fans were already arguing over what the second season should be titled—something catchy yet still able to pass the review board.

Of all the people who benefited from the show, aside from Xie Zhenxue, the biggest winner was Yun Ning. Even before the finale aired, Xie Zhenxue had already received a slew of new scripts—each one offering the kind of leading roles she had only dreamed of before. Yet she didn’t accept a single one, agreeing only to shoot a few commercials. Meanwhile, Yun Ning, as one of the investors, made a killing. Her net worth skyrocketed several times over, leaving Yu Liuxue in the dust.

For Yu Liuxue, this wasn’t exactly good news. After all, the stronger the antagonist, the harder her mission would be.

Recently, Meng Xi had been praised by her parents and those around her for her efforts. But she couldn’t bring herself to feel happy. After thinking it over, she decided the root of her frustration was Xiao Kewei. If he hadn’t been flirting around all over the place and trending on social media, with tons of girls calling him “husband,” she wouldn’t be in such a foul mood.

So without a second thought, she called him. “Meet me at the usual place. We need to talk.”

When Xiao Kewei got the call, he was overjoyed. He quickly wiped his face with a towel, rushed back to the dorm for a quick wash-up, and headed straight to the meeting spot. Meng Xi was already there, sipping milk tea with a troubled expression. Xiao Kewei hurried over. “Xiao Xi.”

Meng Xi snapped out of her thoughts. The moment she saw him, she froze. Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Wait… are you still working at the construction site?!”

Afraid she’d complain that he hadn’t been giving her gifts lately, Xiao Kewei quickly sat down to explain. “I’m sorry, Xiao Xi. It’s all my fault. Mom got scammed out of everything she had and even racked up a huge debt. I had no choice but to go out and work to help her pay it off. This is all on me. I didn’t consider your feelings and ended up neglecting you. Please don’t be mad…”

“Wait,” Meng Xi raised a hand to interrupt him, her eyes widening slightly. “What did you just say?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Not that.” Meng Xi shook her head, thinking for a moment. “You said Aunt Xiao got scammed out of all her money and is now deep in debt, right?”

Xiao Kewei nodded, confused. “Yeah. What’s wrong with that?”

Something didn’t sit right with Meng Xi. Xiao Kewei had been working at the construction site for a while now, but Aunt Xiao had never mentioned anything about being scammed. That made her furious. Aunt Xiao was practically her mother-in-law, and something this major happened, yet she kept it from her?

It’s not like she didn’t have money!

Meng Xi immediately picked up her phone. “Aunt Xiao, how much do you need right now? I’ll transfer it to you right away.”

Xiao Kewei perked up his ears. He hadn’t expected his only girlfriend who hadn’t dumped him yet to be so loyal. He couldn’t help but feel smug—his taste in women was impeccable!

Yu Liuxue was completely thrown off by Meng Xi’s sudden call. She blinked. “What? I’m not short on money right now…” Oh no! She suddenly remembered—her current persona was supposed to be a bankrupt, debt-ridden woman!

Meng Xi’s grip on her phone tightened, her expression darkening. Not short on money?

Did that mean Aunt Xiao had lied to Xiao Kewei? She told him she was bankrupt and in debt, couldn’t afford to give him money to get married, and was using that as an excuse to sabotage their relationship, hoping he’d break up with her? Meng Xi’s hand slowly dropped to the table. She looked up at Xiao Kewei. He shivered under her gaze and cautiously asked, “Xiao Xi?”

Meng Xi let out a cold laugh. “So your family really went bankrupt?”

Xiao Kewei quickly nodded. “Mom told me herself. She said even our house was mortgaged to the bank.”

Upon hearing that, Meng Xi immediately called her father to investigate. The results came back quickly, and after listening to them, she sat in silence for a long time.

Suddenly, she stood up. Just as she was about to leave, she couldn’t hold back her anger. She grabbed the water cup on the table and splashed it right in Xiao Kewei’s face. “Scumbag! We’re done.”

Whether Aunt Xiao was lying or not, Xiao Kewei couldn’t escape responsibility. He hadn’t come to see her in days—wasn’t that just emotional manipulation, trying to force her to initiate the breakup? Meng Xi sneered at him. “Xiao Kewei, you can stop pretending in front of me.”

“I hope you stay infertile and have a whole bunch of kids.”

Xiao Kewei: “?” What kind of cursed blessing is that?

Just as Yu Liuxue was racking her brain for an excuse to explain things to Meng Xi, Meng Xi stormed in through the front door, full of righteous fury. The moment she saw Yu Liuxue, she demanded, “Aunt Xiao, you’re not bankrupt, and you’re not in debt either. Why did you lie to me?!”

Translator’s Notes