After Transmigrating into a Redemption Novel as the Evil Stepmother - Chapter 30

The mountains and rivers stood silent, yet a sudden ripple broke the surface.

At the moment their lips met, Ji Shuangci’s mind buzzed, and her face instantly flushed with heat.

Ming Jiayue’s eyelashes trembled lightly as they brushed against her palm—a subtle itch that sent a heavy tremor through her heart.

Ji Shuangci waited for one breath, two breaths, three…

Ming Jiayue did not push her away, nor did she stop her.

No answer was the best answer.

A long-accumulated thirst, as if all the seawater in the world were surging in her throat, overwhelmed her. Ji Shuangci was no longer satisfied with a simple touch; she bit down further—licking, sucking, lips and tongues intertwining, the friction creating an ambiguous, wet sound.

Ji Shuangci’s other hand settled on Ming Jiayue’s waist at some point, and she leaned her entire body forward, pinning Ming Jiayue firmly between herself and the wall.

Ming Jiayue was wearing a suit made of soft fabric today; it was unbuttoned, and the shirt underneath was very thin.

Their upper bodies pressed together without a gap. For the first time, Ji Shuangci realized with absolute clarity how perfectly two female bodies could fit—softness meeting softness, warmth welcoming warmth, like heaven and earth, sun and moon, or wind and snow. It felt right, as if it were always meant to be.

The embrace, the kiss… the physical intimacy stimulated Ji Shuangci’s senses with overwhelming intensity. Her tailbone, the back of her neck, her scalp, and her limbs—everything felt numb. She was like a dying wolf that had finally captured its prey at the last moment, focused only on devouring it, refusing to let go for a single second.

For a brief moment, Ji Shuangci’s legs went weak, and she could barely stand.

When their lips finally parted, both were breathing raggedly.

Though her heart was in total upheaval, years of camouflage allowed Ji Shuangci to maintain her composed mask. Her gaze scanned Ming Jiayue’s face inch by inch.

Ming Jiayue’s emotions were unexpectedly stable—no shock, no fury, only a profound stillness like deep, silent lake water.

And yet…

Her eyes were moist and bright, her breathing slightly disordered, and her red lips showed a flush of color they had never possessed before.

Ji Shuangci switched to circling Ming Jiayue with both arms, her cold voice tinged with a seductive, hollow hoarseness.

“President Ming, care to make a gamble?”

Ming Jiayue gazed at Ji Shuangci with a heavy look. She maintained her original posture, remaining silent for a long time, but something about her began to tighten—a class-defined indifference, the oppressive weight of someone in power.

A wind blew from the river, swirling fallen leaves along the road. The rustling sound was like an ill-timed blizzard, mercilessly freezing the surging tide of Ji Shuangci’s heart.

The pitifully thin atmosphere of ambiguity vanished in an instant.

Amidst this wind, Ming Jiayue’s voice fell accurately into Ji Shuangci’s ear.

“In the past, you were no match for me.”

“The same is true for you now.”

There was no disdain, no sarcasm—just a simple statement following an objective evaluation.

Ji Shuangci was stunned for a moment, then gave a smile of release. She let go and took a step back, returning to a proper social distance.

Without a trace of the embarrassment or shame of being struck down, Ji Shuangci’s smile was open and honest.

“President Ming, I will see you at the investment fair on the 16th.”

After speaking, Ji Shuangci turned with a fair amount of poise, waved her hand over her shoulder, and strode away.

The investment fair on the 16th was led by the authorities, aiming to use H City as a base to introduce high-tech foreign industries and promote the development of Sino-foreign joint venture tech industries in the Southwest.

Bored netizens had long been gossiping. Some believed it was dishonorable and clearly targeted the Ming Group, while others felt the authorities’ true intent lay elsewhere—aiming to introduce foreign capital to foster competition and break the monopoly. It was a classic “catfish effect.”

The light rain had not stopped. Ming Jiayue chose a direction opposite to Ji Shuangci’s and walked away, eyes lowered in deep thought.

After only a few steps, the wind blew sharply, and a sting came from her lip. Ming Jiayue instinctively touched it with her hand, her expression shifting slightly.

The skin was broken.

Is Ji Shuangci part dog?

The System, unable to hold back any longer, spoke up with undisguised excitement.

“If you ask me, you should just give in to her. This intensity… even I’m getting scared.”

“Also, why didn’t you push her away just now? You just stood there and let her kiss you. I think you’re just a hypocrite, putting on an act!”

Not long after parting with Ming Jiayue, a low-profile Cadillac stopped slowly beside Ji Shuangci. She bent down and got into the car.

The partition inside the car was up. In the back sat a blonde foreigner with deep-set eyes and shoulder-length hair. He was young, adorned with sparkling accessories, and tilted his head with a grin that carried a bit of reckless, roguish charm.

Seeing Ji Shuangci enter, he irritably tossed his phone toward her, showing a photo.

“Ji, couldn’t you have restrained yourself a bit longer?”

“If these photos get out, it will have a very bad impact on our plan. You shouldn’t be so unprofessional.”

Ji Shuangci took the phone and looked. It was a shot of her kissing Ming Jiayue. A few of them were exceptionally well-taken: the city neon, the fine drizzle, the long road cutting through the frame—the two people held tightly together looked like a pair of deeply devoted lovers.

Sliding her finger across the screen, the smile on Ji Shuangci’s face was faint.

“Mike, which media outlet took these? Have them send a copy of the originals. I want to save them.”

Mike rolled his eyes without restraint. Especially seeing Ji Shuangci change her usual indifference to look at the photos with keen interest, he couldn’t help but speak sourly.

“Ji, I really don’t understand. What charm does an older woman whose prime has passed have that makes you so devoted to her?”

The smile on Ji Shuangci’s face didn’t change, but her gaze shifted slightly. She turned her head to smile at Mike.

“Mike, I must remind you: if I hear you speak disrespectfully of her one more time, I will immediately arrange for you to be sent back home.”

Ji Shuangci was still smiling, and her tone was light, but Mike fell silent instantly, even straightening his posture.

Mike didn’t know what Ji Shuangci had gone through, but he had been captivated the moment he met her. Beyond that, his family in his own country owned a massive, long-standing monopoly enterprise.

And she, with a negligible investment, had used her wisdom and methods to leverage his family’s business. She had even forced his father, after reaching a cooperation agreement, to publicly kiss her left hand.

In Mike’s family, bowing to kiss someone’s left hand represented an offering of loyalty.

In Mike’s eyes, Ji Shuangci was an undeniable powerhouse. He admired her, he adored her, but most of all, he feared her.

And yet, such a person was obsessively addicted to another older woman.

Mike expressed that he completely couldn’t understand it. Even if Ji liked women, with her current status, there were plenty of young, beautiful women who liked her. Why persist with an older woman? Granted, he admitted she still had lingering charm and could be described as beautiful.

The car gradually merged into traffic. Mike remained quiet the whole way, only asking ten minutes before he was to get out:

“Are we making contact with Tang Yijiang the day after tomorrow as per our original plan?”

Propping her forehead on one hand, Ji Shuangci looked down at the constantly shifting data on her tablet and nodded in affirmation.

“Mhm. Proceed as planned.”

Seeing Ji Shuangci’s mood had improved, Mike followed up with a bit of gossip.

“Since you like her, why not cooperate with her? Why join the opposing camp instead?”

Ji Shuangci opened the window a crack. The cold wind rushed into her eyes as she gazed at the night outside. She paused, pursed her lips, and then spoke meaningfully—whether to herself or Mike was unclear.

“With some people, you have to leave them to get close to them.”

Mike, who had only studied Chinese for two years, scratched his head, looking completely confused.

Ji Shuangci looked at him and, as if thinking of something, let out a soft laugh. She touched her own lips and added with a good mood:

“You know, to conquer a fierce prey, you must let her understand your strength as quickly as possible.”

Recalling Ming Jiayue’s files, Mike shook his head dismissively.

“The prey you’ve set your sights on doesn’t look like the type to bow to an opponent easily.”

The cold light of the screen reflected in the dark depths of Ji Shuangci’s eyes. Her voice was low, carrying a hint of madness that was hard for others to detect.

“Then I’ll build a cage and lock her in forever.”

Mike laughed.

“Ji, you really do have a talent for playing a lunatic. I’m actually getting a bit scared.”

Ji Shuangci smiled but didn’t respond.

Back at her residence, Ji Shuangci took a shower, changed into thin loungewear, and stood by the window.

This was property she had acquired when she returned two years ago, right across from the house where Ming Jiayue often stayed.

The landscaping in the front yard consisted of low shrubs; the view was filled with lush greenery. Ji Shuangci stared at the silent front gate across from her for two minutes, then curled up on the sofa. Like countless long nights over the past few years, she opened her laptop and began to work.

Secretary Lin, far away overseas, answered the call as if she had expected it. If she calculated correctly, it should be around 3:00 AM in China.

Sometimes Secretary Lin truly wondered if her boss was a robot. High intensity, back-to-back tasks, and continuous work for long periods. The secretaries, assistants, bodyguards, and drivers around her all changed in shifts, but only she remained like a work system that never stopped.

No need for rest, no need for entertainment. Her life was so busy it consisted only of work. One project after another, scheming negotiations, endless meetings…

Oh, and a side hustle as an actress.

Secretary Lin thought there couldn’t possibly be anyone busier than her.

Ming Jiayue returned to the company. The new energy industry was essentially a contest of technological power; whoever possessed more talent and broke through with more advanced technology held absolute dominance.

The Ming Corporation building was brightly lit all night. Inside the conference room, words were exchanged like swords, everyone voicing their opinions.

“Isn’t joining forces the best option? Has our research center had any breakthrough results in the past few years? If we don’t cooperate, are we just waiting to wither away?”

“Just a bit of news and our stock has already started to drop.”

“Don’t forget the Tang family is also watching. Why should they cooperate with us? If Chuangyi and the Tangs get in bed together, our years of investment plus the loss in market value won’t be a small sum we can easily bear.”

“If it really comes to the worst-case scenario, what else can we do but fight? Do you think we can just walk away cleanly? Let me tell you, most of your net worth is tied up here; there’s no running away. Better to take a gamble.”

Ming Jiayue sat at the head of the table, listening without offering any opinion. Her eyes were lowered, her gaze fixed on the phone screen on the table.

It was Ji Shuangci’s WeChat avatar.

A cartoon drawing: a tiny ant holding up a massive mountain.

It was as if she were saying: Look—overestimating oneself, gambling with one’s life—that is the way of survival I have found as an ant.