After Transmigrating into a Redemption Novel as the Evil Stepmother - Chapter 11

After the Gaokao ended, Ji Shuangci rested for a week before beginning systematic training. From 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM, the intensity of her courses was not at all inferior to her senior year of high school.

The training location was set at Jingyuan No. 2, and she was also arranged to live there.

Ji Shuangci had originally thought this would give her and Ming Jiayue more opportunities to meet and develop more intersections. To her disappointment, however, after that day, she did not encounter Ming Jiayue for a full two years.

During this time, through Zhou An’an’s social media posts, Ji Shuangci knew that Ming Jiayue had taken her to Switzerland to see the Northern Lights, to the African savannas to observe the Great Migration, and to the depths of the Pacific Ocean to fish for bluefin tuna…

In these two years, Ming Jiayue accompanied Zhou An’an to many beautiful and interesting places around the world.

Zhou An’an would share updates with Ji Shuangci from time to time. Occasionally, in the corners of the photos, Ji Shuangci could find that figure she hadn’t seen in a long time.

She seemed a bit thinner, standing to the side and smiling at Zhou An’an with a gentleness Ji Shuangci had never seen before.

Ji Shuangci would zoom in on the photos Zhou An’an sent, scanning Ming Jiayue’s face inch by inch with a certain indescribable obsession.

The love Zhou An’an received during these two years had completely exceeded Ji Shuangci’s comprehension.

So, children could grow up without being beaten.

So, when one was in a bad mood or under exam pressure, an elder would take leave to take them out for fun and relaxation.

So, when the seasons changed and one coughed a couple of times over the phone, a family member—or even the family nanny—would take leave to come to school and show concern.

…

Ji Shuangci felt like a little mouse in a gutter, hidden in the dark night, gloomily peeking at someone else’s happiness.

That was a blatant favoritism she had never experienced.

Sometimes Ji Shuangci felt fortunate that such love existed in this world; even if she didn’t possess it, even if it didn’t happen to her, she still had the chance to sense it.

But more often, jealousy swallowed her like a rising tide. During her rare moments of leisure, she would almost masochistically watch Ming Jiayue’s videos in the public media over and over, and peek at Zhou An’an’s social media again and again…

Just to find a tiny clue regarding Ming Jiayue.

More than once, Ji Shuangci thought: If only it were me who was close to Ming Jiayue.

The replaced, frantic thoughts were like weeds; as soon as they sprouted, they grew wildly alongside the sour and bitter emotions in her heart until they devoured all reason.

Outside the window was the boundless, deep silence of the night. A light rain pattered, and the cold light of the screen reflected in Ji Shuangci’s eyes, the darkness in her pupils left unresolved.

In late October, London entered daylight savings time; the sun rose at 10:00 AM and set by 3:00 PM.

Because of family reasons, Zhou An’an usually traveled alone, and even when going abroad, her trips rarely exceeded half a month. This was her first time experiencing the obvious changes of winter time abroad, making her feel exceptionally novel and excited.

Big Ben, the banks of the Thames, Tower Bridge, the British Museum…

They left their footprints together at many attractions. Finally, when there was nowhere left to shop, Zhou An’an still didn’t want to leave. She pestered Ming Jiayue, saying she hadn’t experienced living as part of the crowd in a foreign land and wanted to try it.

After the ice broke between them, Ming Jiayue gradually discovered that Zhou An’an had a very clingy personality. Beneath her rebellious and stubborn exterior lay an extreme lack of security; as long as she was stroked the right way, the mission progress moved at a thousand miles a day.

Given the mission requirements, Ming Jiayue always prioritized her needs. Basically, as long as there were no errors in principle, she granted whatever Zhou An’an requested.

For example, though Ming Jiayue had long since grown tired of London’s gloomy and cold winter, she would still smile gently and agree to Zhou An’an’s request.

In two years, the mission completion progress reached 45%. With 5% more, the system could return.

Ming Jiayue lay on her side on the sofa, propping her head with one hand and holding a book with the other. Covered with a pumpkin-colored blanket, she responded with a bright smile. She not only agreed but also discussed with Zhou An’an quite seriously how they should go about immersing themselves in the lifestyle she wanted to experience.

The thin daylight from outside the window filtered through the glass, shining obliquely on Ming Jiayue’s profile, making her features look especially mild.

Zhou An’an unconsciously stared, dazed.

Ming Jiayue had already entered her thirties. When she smiled, very faint fine lines could be seen at the corners of her eyes. Yet for some reason, Zhou An’an didn’t feel she looked old at all; instead, the mature temperament refined by the years was even more attractive.

In the eyes of the current Zhou An’an, Ming Jiayue’s sophistication, knowledge, heritage, and poise were flawless—naturally drawing people to come closer, to touch, and to depend on her.

“An’an?”

Seeing Zhou An’an staring at her without saying a word for a long time, Ming Jiayue walked over and touched her forehead, looking puzzled.

“Why have you suddenly gone quiet?”

Zhou An’an snapped back to her senses. Looking up, she collided directly with Ming Jiayue’s gaze.

The light spilled perfectly between them. They were very close—so close that Zhou An’an could see the light and shadow dancing on Ming Jiayue’s long eyelashes, and so close that she could clearly feel the warm breath slowly encroaching upon her.

Zhou An’an retreated in a panic. Her left foot tripped over her right, and she stumbled backward, knocking over a porcelain ornament on the coffee table.

The porcelain shattered all over the floor. Zhou An’an, already feeling guilty, became even more flustered and instinctively tried to back up further.

Seeing that she was about to step on the shards, Ming Jiayue reached out swiftly to pull her back. Under the force of inertia, Zhou An’an crashed straight into Ming Jiayue’s embrace.

Ming Jiayue was wearing a thin cashmere coat. As Zhou An’an was pulled into her arms, a refreshing scent of wood and grass entered her nose, followed by a total softness. Zhou An’an instinctively slowed her breathing, her cheeks faintly burning.

Steadying herself, Zhou An’an took a large step to the side and lowered her eyelids slightly, awkwardly avoiding Ming Jiayue’s gaze as she mumbled:

“It’s nothing, I just thought about having to go back home soon. I should have been back at school long ago; I only came out this time under the guise of being an exchange student. I don’t know when I’ll be able to come back next time.”

Ming Jiayue scanned Zhou An’an carefully to ensure she wasn’t hurt before comforting her:

“If you like it here, studying abroad isn’t out of the question.”

Ming Jiayue had never raised a child. As Zhou An’an grew up, she developed more “young girl” thoughts and occasionally became noisy, but Ming Jiayue had gotten used to it and didn’t look too deeply into it.

As for studying abroad, Zhou An’an had already considered it. Thinking that the number of times she would see Ming Jiayue would dwindle to a handful if she left the country, she had rejected the idea without hesitation.

Hearing Ming Jiayue mention it again, she stepped forward to take Ming Jiayue’s arm, softening her tone to act spoiled.

“I still prefer the living environment at home. We’ll talk about going abroad later.”

Zhou An’an’s eyes were sparkling, very much like a clingy puppy that knew how to act spoiled. Ming Jiayue’s heart couldn’t help but soften. Although her initial reason for being good to her was to complete the mission, even if Ming Jiayue were a stone, after two years of such clingy and passionate offensives, she would have been warmed up by now.

Reaching out to pat the back of Zhou An’an’s head and carefully tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, Ming Jiayue said with a smile:

“Alright, I will respect your wishes.”

“Mhm.”

Wherever Ming Jiayue had touched, heat quietly spread. Zhou An’an nodded hastily and made an excuse to use the bathroom, running away quickly.

Double-locking the door, Zhou An’an turned on the faucet and splashed her face with cold water, silently staring at her own reddened face in the mirror for a long time.

…

It was precisely on the same day that Ji Shuangci won the “New Actress of the Year” award at the Duck-Duck Video Starlight Awards.

A month before the awards ceremony, Ji Shuangci had anxiously sent a message to Ming Jiayue.

“President Ming, may I have the honor of inviting you to the Starlight Awards ceremony?”

At that time, Ming Jiayue was watching the starry sky on the equatorial plateau with Zhou An’an. Ji Shuangci was signed to the Ming family’s entertainment company, and every month, someone would report her situation to Ming Jiayue in meticulous detail.

To Ming Jiayue’s surprise, Ji Shuangci seemed born for the entertainment industry. She debuted through an idol trainee program a year ago and became quite famous after winning. Later, she filmed a high-quality web drama called Today is Not Yesterday, which successfully transitioned to CCTV during its broadcast.

Before Today is Not Yesterday aired, it was preceded by a hot drama of the same genre and followed by an industry-certified “S+” major production. Yet, through its exquisite costumes, outstanding actors, and plot, it carved out a path for itself. After the finale, its rating continued to rise.

Netizens rated it as the TOP 1 “small budget crushing a big production” of the year.

Ji Shuangci’s acting in the drama was consistently on point. Her popularity on social media platforms soared, and in a short time, her traffic rivaled that of A-list stars.

Compared to Zhou An’an, Ji Shuangci was incredibly low-maintenance.

Out of a sense of guilt for not spending much effort on her for two years, Ming Jiayue had agreed to her invitation. However, before she could mention it, Zhou An’an clamored to go to London.

Ming Jiayue couldn’t be in two places at once. She originally intended to tell Ji Shuangci later that she couldn’t go due to a temporary conflict and then compensate her with some resources. But once she got busy, she forgot about it.

It wasn’t until the day she returned home that Ming Jiayue happened to see a push notification on her tablet about Ji Shuangci winning an award, and she suddenly remembered the matter.

After getting off the plane, Ming Jiayue first sent Zhou An’an to school, then called Ji Shuangci’s manager, Huo Linxi, to ask about her recent schedule.

The mission progress was still stuck at 45%, and Ming Jiayue was inevitably feeling a bit restless.

Huo Linxi replied immediately, informing Ming Jiayue that Ji Shuangci was recording a variety show, and the filming location was in this very city.

After considering it for a moment, Ming Jiayue drove straight to the recording site.

Ming Jiayue hadn’t appeared much on TV or in the media for these two years, and her makeup and clothing style had changed. However, as soon as she got out of the car, she was spotted by the eagle-eyed Director-in-Chief.

“President Ming! Hello, hello. I didn’t know you were coming. Is there anything you need from me?”

The Director-in-Chief was a bald young man, smooth and worldly, yet he handled things with just the right touch to avoid being annoying.

Between smart people, Ming Jiayue went straight to the point: “I’m looking for Ji Shuangci.”

Since her debut, many people both inside and outside the industry had speculated about Ji Shuangci’s background. However, her background was mysterious; the company that signed her had only signed her alone, leaving no clues for others to find.

Ming Jiayue’s arrival today gave the Director, Liu Cheng, an “ah, so that’s it” feeling. Some staff members standing nearby heard the conversation and, seeing the Director’s enthusiastic posture, exchanged knowing glances, discreetly hiding the surprise on their faces.

If Ji Shuangci’s background was Ming Jiayue, then her exploding onto the scene as soon as she debuted was perfectly understandable.

Her own conditions were one in a million, and she was backed by major capital—how could she not be a hit?

The Director smiled brilliantly. While leading Ming Jiayue toward the recording area, he began naturally praising Ji Shuangci.

“If you ask me, Shuangci entered the right industry. She has a limitless future—perceptive, multi-talented, and most importantly, she can handle hardships and has a good temperament.”

These words from the Director were both flattery and truth.

Ji Shuangci’s composure was like that of an old person who had experienced everything in the world.

Even Liu Cheng, who had been immersed in the industry for years, had to praise her as a talent worth cultivating.

Ming Jiayue curled her lips slightly. Ji Shuangci was effectively a child she had partially raised; hearing someone praise her naturally made Ming Jiayue happy.

The recording site was by a lake, surrounded by many people. This live variety show was titled Stars Teach You to Act. The general process involved actors randomly selecting a partner from the bystanders and then guiding them into character; finally, netizens would judge the completion of the script.

There were five episodes in total. The pair with the highest overall completion would win a chance to sign an “S++” level script with a major production house.

When Ming Jiayue arrived, the first episode’s recording was just beginning. She stood to the side of the crowd, her eyes searching for Ji Shuangci in the center.

Before she could find her, however, the crowd suddenly parted. Staff members carrying equipment moved toward Ming Jiayue.

Ji Shuangci stood among them, her shoulders level and back straight, walking gracefully. Her features and figure had completely matured; her exquisite and bright looks possessed a unique, cool, scholarly air, making her look both stern and agile. She was the kind of beauty that made people’s eyes light up again and again.

She was worlds apart from the cautious and shrinking young girl in Ming Jiayue’s memory; now, she faintly possessed the aura of an unpredictable person in power.

At first glance, Ming Jiayue didn’t recognize her.

Ming Jiayue didn’t intend to show her face on a variety show. However, just as she made a move to leave, she suddenly noticed the mission progress drop by 5%.

Ming Jiayue: ???

Stopping dead in her tracks, Ming Jiayue stood still, her gaze fixed on Ji Shuangci.

Their eyes met in the air. Ji Shuangci always wore a generous, faint smile. She was the first to reach out.

“President Ming.”

With cameras following them, Ming Jiayue nodded slightly and reached out to greet her.

“Ji Shuangci.”

Ji Shuangci’s fingers were slender and fair like scallion stalks, her nails trimmed round and clean, with a faint pink tint at the tips. After taking the hand, she didn’t let go; instead, she took the opportunity to lean closer to Ming Jiayue. Her knuckles slid upward, hooking onto Ming Jiayue’s pale wrist beneath her sleeve.

As she approached, Ming Jiayue felt a strong sense of her personal boundaries being invaded.

Frowning slightly, Ming Jiayue intended to push her away, but then she heard Ji Shuangci say:

“President Ming, many people say you are a woman of your word, that your promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold. But you stood me up last time. Why don’t you be my partner for this episode?”

“Think of it as compensation, how about it?”