Chapter 114: Simultaneously Offending Three Bigshots – Part One

“What’s wrong with having multiple girlfriends? It’s not like I can’t handle it.”

Yu Liuxue was stunned as she watched the original host’s biological son speak these words with such self-assurance, nearly causing her blood pressure to spike and pass out on the spot. The female supporting character in this mission was named Xiao Yuetong. She was the biological mother of Xiao Kewei, the ex-boyfriend of the female lead, the supporting character, and the antagonist. Years ago, Xiao Yuetong accidentally became pregnant and was cast out by her ashamed parents. She ventured alone into the big city to make a living.

Xiao Yuetong was quite attractive, and even with a son in tow, she had no shortage of admirers, some willing to spend lavishly just to win her heart. Xiao Yuetong was a smart woman. She knew she couldn’t rely on men for her future, so she maintained ambiguous relationships with many people. She never refused others’ kindness but feigned ignorance of their intentions. If someone confessed their feelings, she would look surprised and say, “I’m sorry, I always thought we were just good friends.”

Fearing they might lose even the friendship, they would retreat to a safe distance, maintaining a subtle relationship with Xiao Yuetong for decades.

While enjoying her single life, perhaps due to the psychological shadow left by her parents’ ruthless abandonment, Xiao Yuetong became obsessively and unscrupulously focused on accumulating wealth. She filled her pockets through various connections. Although she started as a penniless woman when she first arrived in the city, she eventually became a renowned wealthy woman, even breaking into high society.

Naturally, Xiao Yuetong’s actions drew some discontent. One day, while attending an event, she was publicly humiliated by the legitimate wife of one of her admirers. The woman called her a country bumpkin and a Fox Spirit¹ who only knew how to seduce men. Xiao Yuetong was so angry she trembled but couldn’t find the words to retort.

That night, she lost all face, so the next day, she immediately enrolled in a senior citizens’ cultural class², fervently studying alongside elderly people. After several years of learning, Xiao Yuetong felt she had become cultured and, with a friend’s help, began working as a screenwriter.

Of course, someone with her lack of foundation couldn’t produce quality scripts. She leveraged her connections to secure some major IPs³. Her first script involved collaboration with popular stars and a famous director, but when the TV series aired, everyone involved was harshly criticized. However, Xiao Yuetong remained unaffected, feeling she was a genius in the screenwriting world. She used her connections to secure another famous IP.

Xiao Yuetong had countless admirers. Whenever she hinted at a desire, many would fight tooth and nail to help her achieve it. Most importantly, Xiao Yuetong charmed both men and women alike. Whether it was a CEO in their fifties or a self-made female executive, they all held her in high regard.

They believed that Xiao Yuetong, so beautiful and raising a child alone in a big city at such a young age, had a tough life. Almost everyone who met her felt sympathy, often sending gifts and checking in on her. Some even offered her abundant resources directly.

With such support, Xiao Yuetong’s schedule was packed. From the beginning to the end of the year, she rarely had more than seven days off, always either rewriting scripts or on her way to do so. After four or five years, all the dramas she adapted aired, and without exception, they were all heavily criticized. Some diligent individuals scrutinized encyclopedia entries to finally identify this master of ruinous scripts. That night, fans of dozens of stars united to criticize her to the top of the trending searches.

Xiao Yuetong felt deeply wronged. In a fit of anger, she rejected all scripts and even announced her withdrawal from the screenwriting world. As fans celebrated with gongs and drums⁴, Xiao Yuetong’s admirers rushed to comfort her one after another. “Yuetong, it’s not your fault. It’s those young people who don’t appreciate your work. Yuetong, I love watching the dramas you adapt. You must continue writing!”

Some even offered overbearing support. “Yuetong, did someone give you a hard time on set? Don’t worry, I’ll fund a production just for you. You can do whatever you want, and let’s see who dares to say a word against you!”

Encouraged by these influential figures, Xiao Yuetong regained her confidence, picked up her pen, and began a new round of work. Her self-contradictory actions were ridiculed by fans until they were hoarse, but reinvigorated by the bigshots, Xiao Yuetong could now ignore the criticism that didn’t understand her efforts. At night, she wrote her scripts alone, reviewing them afterward and feeling deeply moved by her own work.

Fans, realizing they couldn’t oust Xiao Yuetong due to her connections, pleaded with their idols not to accept any scripts written by her, warning that doing so would ruin their reputation and show a lack of integrity by bowing to capitalist money⁵.

For a time, Xiao Yuetong’s reputation was utterly tarnished. Anyone associated with her would also find their reputation tainted.

In today’s society, however, some believe that even bad publicity is still publicity. As long as there’s traffic and attention, being criticized doesn’t matter. After all, they can always hire a PR firm to clean up their image later. So many newcomers scrambled to get Xiao Yuetong’s scripts, hoping to ride her wave of popularity and gain exposure. Once they gained some fame, they could turn around and criticize Xiao Yuetong, generating more traffic and crafting a victim persona, which was all gain and no loss.

With this mindset, Xiao Yuetong became sought after once again.

Xiao Yuetong was merely cannon fodder. This story was ultimately an Entertainment Industry Mary Sue⁶ tale, and everything about her existed for the female lead, Xie Zhenxue. Xie Zhenxue was an ordinary university student who, by chance, caught the eye of a talent agent while shopping, thus stepping onto the path to stardom. Her agent was a shrewd character, well-versed in the Entertainment Industry’s intricacies and the current trend of traffic being king. So, the agent immediately set her sights on Xiao Yuetong, the walking topic of a screenwriter, and secured a second female lead role for Xie Zhenxue that very night.

The agent repeatedly reminded Xie Zhenxue to maintain a good relationship with Xiao Yuetong. Besides gaining exposure, Xiao Yuetong’s connections and resources could greatly benefit Xie Zhenxue at that time. Xie Zhenxue was still quite naive then, always keeping her agent’s words in mind. She was exceptionally polite and courteous to Xiao Yuetong, standing out from the rest of the crew, which immediately caught Xiao Yuetong’s attention.

Xiao Yuetong suddenly felt that Xie Zhenxue was—

“Oh! This girl is refreshingly pure and genuine! Completely different from those flashy, vulgar types out there!” Yu Liuxue interjected excitedly.

System: “…” Shut up!

Basically, that’s how it was. Xiao Yuetong was particularly fond of Xie Zhenxue, not only volunteering to help her find better scripts but also taking her to various events and introducing her to influential figures, securing numerous resources for her.

It could be said that Xie Zhenxue’s overnight success was ninety-five percent due to Xiao Yuetong’s efforts.

Unfortunately, in the book, these events were merely glossed over, and most readers still viewed her as the epitome of a cannon fodder’s mother. The reason was simple: at a banquet, Xiao Yuetong’s son, Xiao Kewei, took a liking to the protagonist, Xie Zhenxue, and frequently used the excuse of asking his mother to add scenes for her to harass the young lady.

In her youth, Xiao Yuetong was busy amassing wealth, so she left her son in the care of a nanny and didn’t invest much effort in his upbringing. Later, when she became wealthy, she indulged her son in every way, never denying him anything materially. As a result, Xiao Kewei gradually became an idle second-generation rich kid.

His mother was a famous screenwriter in the Entertainment Industry, and he had countless godparents with assets worth tens of millions, even billions. Who in this world would dare to provoke him? Even if he caused trouble, if his mother couldn’t handle it, his godparents would step in. So, despite his young age, Xiao Kewei already had the air of a playboy, even dogs were afraid of him⁷.

Xie Zhenxue was not his first target, but upon seeing her, he found other women suddenly uninteresting, even annoying. He used his mother to morally coerce Xie Zhenxue while relentlessly pursuing her. Xie Zhenxue, not wanting to damage her relationship with Xiao Yuetong because of Xiao Kewei, reluctantly agreed to be with him.

Xiao Yuetong was indeed wealthy. On the first day they were together, Xiao Kewei asked her for a million to buy Xie Zhenxue a bag and, incidentally, bought the same bag for Meng Xi, the supporting female character. Meng Xi was a wealthy family’s princess whom Xiao Kewei had been dating for a month. After meeting Xie Zhenxue, he wanted to break up with Meng Xi, but she refused, so he began a secretive juggling act between the two.

A scoundrel may lack other skills, but he was adept at charming girls, managing to keep his affairs hidden.

Until later, when paparazzi caught photos of Xiao Kewei and Xie Zhenxue on a date, which hit the trending topics. Angry fans organized to uncover everything about the man who dared to touch their idol. Soon, Xiao Kewei’s identity was exposed—Xiao Yuetong’s son, a notorious playboy second-generation rich kid, and most importantly, he was two-timing, involved with other women while dating Xie Zhenxue.

Fans were furious, and some even wrote threatening letters to Xiao Yuetong. She felt she was unjustly suffering and lashed out at the meddling fans on Weibo, only to be criticized for her inappropriate comments.

The mother and son became infamous overnight. Under the agent’s advice, Xie Zhenxue, concerned about her reputation, quickly issued a statement clarifying that her relationship with Xiao Kewei was not as rumored online, but that they were just good friends, asking everyone not to overinterpret.

The fans believed her.

After Xie Zhenxue broke up with Xiao Kewei, Meng Xi, who learned online about being cheated on, gave him a beating. When Xiao Kewei returned, bruised and battered, he inadvertently met Yun Ning, who had been taken in by his mother. Yun Ning was the antagonist in the book. A few years ago, after her parents died in a car accident, she was taken in by Xiao Yuetong, who had seen her mother as a rival. Before the accident, Yun Ning often opposed Xiao Yuetong, and the woman who publicly humiliated Xiao Yuetong for being uneducated was her mother.

The hatred between Yun Ning’s mother and Xiao Yuetong was almost irreconcilable. Xiao Yuetong took her in with the intention of wearing her down. But later, Xiao Yuetong became engrossed in adapting scripts and forgot about Yun Ning, considering her insignificant. Although she forgot, her son Xiao Kewei occasionally thought about Yun Ning as a tempting prospect.

Yun Ning’s parents left her a massive inheritance, not to mention her exceptional beauty. Xiao Kewei, a scoundrel easily swayed by beauty, wanted to claim Yun Ning as his own from the first time he saw her years ago, but he never succeeded.

Seeing Yun Ning again, Xiao Kewei had the same thoughts. However, Yun Ning, who appeared gentle and weak, was actually a Taekwondo⁸ expert. Before the wounds on Xiao Kewei’s face had healed, Yun Ning kicked him so hard he was sent to the hospital by ambulance and couldn’t get out of bed for a month.

After being bullied by Yun Ning, Xiao Kewei immediately ran to complain to Xiao Yuetong, who, upon hearing it, became increasingly displeased with Yun Ning. She began targeting Yun Ning, even arranging for people to bully her at school, suppressing her to the point she could barely breathe.

Gradually, Yun Ning developed a reserved and indifferent personality, keeping her emotions hidden so no one could discern her true thoughts.

Unexpectedly, under Xiao Kewei’s relentless pursuit, Yun Ning later agreed to be with him. Xiao Kewei felt his charm had increased, so he put effort into winning back the hearts of Xie Zhenxue and Meng Xi, starting three secretive relationships simultaneously.

In these three concurrent relationships, Xiao Kewei lived a very tiring but thrilling life. Afraid of being exposed, he prepared three identical gifts for every occasion, even buying the same brand of sanitary pads for them.

Xiao Kewei was very cautious, but eventually, the antagonist Yun Ning noticed something was amiss. With her high intelligence, she quickly gathered evidence and called Xie Zhenxue and Meng Xi over for a confrontation. It was only then that Meng Xi and Xie Zhenxue realized they had been thoroughly deceived by a complete scoundrel. Meng Xi immediately went home crying to her parents, who happened to be a major film investor and a renowned cosmetics brand founder. Upon hearing their daughter had been wronged, they immediately joined forces to blacklist Xiao Yuetong.

Xiao Yuetong’s reputation was already poor, and now these two powerhouses declared, “Anyone who has worked with Xiao Yuetong will have no chance of our future film investments or endorsements for our cosmetics!”

In an instant, Xiao Yuetong, who had been held in high regard by many, lost her standing. No one approached her for script adaptations anymore, and those who had expressed goodwill towards her awkwardly said, “Yuetong, we have businesses to run too. The Meng family’s influence is overwhelming; we can’t fight against it. Yuetong, take care of yourself in the future. If you encounter difficulties, just let us know…”

Xiao Yuetong had never suffered such grievances over the years. She immediately went to find Yun Ning and harshly scolded her. Yun Ning merely lifted her eyelids, staring at her expressionlessly, then silently smiled, “Aunt Xiao, this is just the beginning.”

“All the pain you’ve caused me in the past, I will repay you double.” Her smile was beautiful, seemingly harmless, yet the words from her cherry-red lips chilled Xiao Yuetong to the core. “Aunt Xiao, if it weren’t for my father rushing to meet you that day, my parents wouldn’t have had that accident.”

“Do you know? You are the true culprit behind my parents’ deaths.”

Xiao Yuetong was so shocked that she stumbled back several steps, then fled Yun Ning’s house in a panic.

At that time, Yun Ning had made a fortune from stock trading, and many sought her advice. The connections she held were no less than those of Xiao Yuetong in her prime. Yun Ning had a grip on the lifelines of the wealthy, and everyone looked up to her. With just a hint from Yun Ning, the lives of Xiao Yuetong and Xiao Kewei became increasingly difficult.

Xie Zhenxue even mentioned her relationship tearfully in an interview, which made her fans dislike Xiao Yuetong and her son even more. When the news broke that Xiao Kewei was cheating on three people simultaneously, everyone knew he was a scoundrel. Xiao Kewei was already just a useless playboy with no skills, only a life of indulgence, eating six bowls of rice a day.

Under the pressure from all sides, the mother and son’s lives became increasingly difficult. Desperate, Xiao Yuetong shamelessly sought help from her former suitors, but none were willing to pay her any attention.

Returning home, her son was nothing but a wastrel who only knew how to play around with women. Xiao Yuetong looked at herself in the mirror and couldn’t help but shed tears. She began to understand that those who claimed to like her did so only because she was young and beautiful, with some money and connections. As a woman without power, with a son to raise, who would genuinely want to marry her?

Perhaps they pursued her only because they had bet at a drinking table on who could win her over first.

She sadly realized she was nothing more than a plaything for those wealthy people to pass the time.

As Cannon Fodder, Xiao Kewei and Xiao Yuetong had no choice but to return to a small town and buy a house to start over. However, as Xiao Yuetong looked at the simple two-bedroom apartment, the more she thought about it, the more unwilling she felt. She vowed that if she had another chance, she would never squander her good fortune!

“Host, this time the client has three wishes:

First, she wants to become a renowned screenwriter loved by everyone, writing scripts that people would fight to get their hands on, gaining fame far and wide.”

Yu Liuxue snapped her fingers. “OK, OK, that’s easy. No one understands this melodramatic world better than I do.”

The System: “…”

It steadied itself and continued, “Second, she wants to find true love, to be with someone who loves her to the bone, sharing life and death together.”

“In addition, the client’s final wish is for you, Host, to educate Xiao Kewei properly. If he dares to cheat on three women simultaneously again, break his legs so he can’t cheat. The client believes that her downfall was caused by her son’s philandering and romantic debts, so she emphasizes that you must use any means necessary to bring her son back on track, turning him into a good person who contributes to society.”

“Any means necessary?” Yu Liuxue raised an eyebrow, rubbing her hands together with excitement, her eyes shining. “Really? Is this for real?”

The System slowly nodded, and Yu Liuxue jumped up in joy, startling Xiao Kewei in front of her. “It’s actually true!”

Xiao Kewei stared at his mother in confusion, unable to understand why she was so happy after he said, “What’s wrong with having a few more girlfriends? I can handle it.” Could it be…?

Does his mother also think he’s clever? Impressive?!

Yu Liuxue’s crossing over happened just a week before Xiao Kewei’s affair with three main female characters was discovered. She breathed a sigh of relief. Although the timing wasn’t great, it wasn’t terrible either; at least the plot could still be salvaged. However, thinking about the impending events, she started to feel a headache. The villain in this world wasn’t someone to be trifled with, and this was her first encounter with a villain, which was somewhat exciting.

Xiao Kewei couldn’t help but speak up, “Mom, don’t be mad. Rest assured, I definitely won’t be found out.”

Yu Liuxue snapped back to reality, letting out a cold laugh. She said nothing, sitting down slowly and picking up the handbag on the table. Seeing this, Xiao Kewei immediately reached out his hand, his face full of expectation. Yu Liuxue lifted her eyelids, carefully examining this cheap son of hers. No wonder both the heroine and the supporting female lead were willing to reconcile with him, and even the villain had stumbled over him. This cheap son of hers was indeed dangerously charming.

Suddenly, Yu Liuxue realized something. If her cheap son was this good-looking, then how stunning and irresistible must she be?!

Xiao Kewei watched as his mother pulled out a small mirror from her handbag and began admiring her own beauty, looking utterly captivated. Xiao Kewei blinked, a big question mark forming in his little head: “?”

Yu Liuxue stared at herself in the mirror, suddenly furrowing her brows and raising a hand to clutch her chest. Xiao Kewei instinctively asked, “Mom, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Yu Liuxue shook her head and waved her hand. “I just suddenly realized I’m so good-looking, I almost died from my own beauty⁹.”

Xiao Kewei: “…”

Xiao Yuetong had eyes like autumn water, and her phoenix eyes were full of emotion. A slight frown made her look pitiful and endearing. If she shed a few tears, few could resist such temptation. Yu Liuxue couldn’t help but feel delighted. “System, not only can I find true love and date someone, but even dating the heroine, the supporting female lead, and the villain simultaneously, like my cheap son, is no problem for me.”

The System: “!!!”

Does the Host intend to become an even bigger player than Xiao Kewei, juggling three young lovers at once, and engaging in romantic escapades with three younger men?!

Translator’s Notes