After Transmigrating into a Redemption Novel as the Evil Stepmother - Chapter 5

Ming Jiayue arrived in a hurry. She hadn’t even changed out of her hospital gown; she simply threw on a long black trench coat and came.

Without any extra words, she slid one arm under Ji Shuangci’s shoulders and swept the girl up in a horizontal carry.

Ji Kong moved to block her, but a black-clad bodyguard threw a kraft paper bag at him. Then, like a black longsword, the group cut a path through the surrounding crowd just as they had arrived.

Inside the kraft paper bag was a whole sack of cash.

When Ming Jiayue lacked expression, her aura remained overwhelmingly powerful, even more so now with her complexion looking somewhat grim.

The chatter died down completely with her arrival. The crowd began to separate toward both sides instinctively. Under the gaze of countless eyes, Ming Jiayue walked step by step, steadily carrying Ji Shuangci to the car.

It was a Maybach Pullman worth over ten million, sporting a license plate with five eights.

As the vehicle gradually drove away, someone in the crowd asked in a small voice:

“You guys were all just talking nonsense, right? That car costs at least ten million to get on the road, and that license plate—well, that goes without saying. Ji Shuangci doesn’t look like the kind of person who could do those things.”

A subtle silence followed, then someone retorted sharply:

“Does she look like a person who’s usually this rich? Maybe she just hooked up with some sugar daddy.”

However, this time, there were very few voices of agreement.

In the car, Ming Jiayue was driving in the front, and Ji Shuangci sat in the back, covered by a blanket Ming Jiayue had conveniently draped over her.

The afterglow of the sunset hadn’t completely faded. Light danced within her field of vision. Ji Shuangci’s eyes moved; she stared at Ming Jiayue’s profile fixedly, almost as a matter of instinct.

She didn’t speak, and she didn’t cry.

It seemed that after everything settled, all that remained was a dazed, helpless blankness.

Ming Jiayue took Ji Shuangci to a property under her name nearby. She rarely stayed there, but people came regularly to clean, organize, and restock supplies.

Ming Jiayue went to the bathroom to run a tub of hot water, found some clothes, and nudged the stiff and dazed Ji Shuangci inside to soak. She stood outside the door, and only when she heard the sound of water from inside did she slowly avert her gaze.

A cool breeze blew in through the window. Ming Jiayue’s expression regained its composure, though that annoying, familiar impulse of self-destruction began to stir restlessly within her body again.

After a while, Ming Jiayue wordlessly took out a bottle without a label and shook out two pills. She swallowed them directly without water.

In a mere moment, the last trace of emotion in her eyes vanished, like a silent, cold pool, leaving only absolute, cold rationality.

Ji Shuangci didn’t know how much time had passed. Warmth enveloped her with the flow of the water, and her senses slowly returned. She turned her gaze; a set of new pajamas hung on a nearby rack.

They were the same style as that night, the only difference being that these fit perfectly.

After finishing her bath, Ji Shuangci changed and walked out.

Ming Jiayue had changed into a thin, camel-colored cashmere coat and was sitting on a chair on the balcony. The bright lights of the living room spilled through the glass window onto her, softening the profile that felt somewhat cold and hard in memory.

Ji Shuangci’s footsteps paused, her hand gripping a corner of her hem.

She looked down, then up again.

She opened her mouth, then closed it.

The Guojin Apartments was the tallest building in H City. Two walls of the living room facing the exterior were designed with full glass. The sky was completely dark now. Looking out from the window, the river of stars formed by the towering buildings and thousands of household lights seemed to crouch at her feet.

Prosperous and brilliant, it didn’t seem like the world of mortals.

Ji Shuangci didn’t know what she could say or what she should say. She had said words of gratitude countless times, but aside from that, she didn’t know what she had to repay Ming Jiayue with.

She seemed to have nothing. Even this apartment—something common to Ming Jiayue—was perhaps something she could never possess even if she worked hard for a lifetime.

Ji Shuangci still stood very straight, but she ultimately had to admit that in front of Ming Jiayue, humility was born from the bone, and she was inferior in every way.

Starting from Ming Jiayue’s appearance today, she felt as if she were floating at a high altitude. Everything seemed unreal, everything was a hallucination, and she didn’t know when she would fall and break into pieces.

Constraint and trepidation outweighed her gratitude.

Sensing the movement behind her, Ming Jiayue turned and met the girl’s gaze. She beckoned to her.

“Come here.”

In the depths of the clouds, moonlight shone down quietly. Ming Jiayue sat in a lone corner of shadow. Faint moonlight reflected in the depths of her eyes, and broken light sparkled on her long, thick lashes.

Ji Shuangci gave a soft “Mhm,” her throat suddenly tightening.

Walking over, Ji Shuangci saw a pair of scissors on the small table in front of Ming Jiayue. It was the pair of scissors she was accustomed to hiding on her person for self-defense. Next to it was a glass of red wine; the night breeze blew over, causing a ripple of shimmering shadows.

Ming Jiayue picked up the wine and took a sip. A slight flicker of emotion rose in her dark pupils, but her tone remained indifferent.

“Ji Shuangci. High school politics, Compulsory 4, Unit 1, Lesson 3, Section 2: ‘The World is Eternally Developing.’ You remember those points. Recite them.”

Ji Shuangci was stunned, looking into Ming Jiayue’s eyes, which seemed to hide vast mountains and valleys.

After a moment, she spoke.

“The prospects of the development of things are bright, but the path of the development of things is tortuous. The direction of development is forward and upward, while the path is tortuous and roundabout. Therefore, we must have confidence in the future…”

Ji Shuangci was a clever and hardworking student. She had long ago memorized the points her teachers required for her exams countless times during every sleepless night.

Only this time, her voice gradually grew quieter. She suddenly lowered her head, her expression looking as if she wanted to cry, yet she forced herself to endure. Her shoulders slumped, and she gave a light, sobbing shudder.

Stubborn yet pitiful.

Harsh words got stuck in Ming Jiayue’s throat. She felt inexplicably annoyed. She shifted her posture, realizing with a start that her expectations for the two target characters were worlds apart.

For Zhou An’an, as long as she didn’t grow up “crooked” and could successfully complete the mission, Ming Jiayue was willing to indulge her in other areas.

For Ji Shuangci, it seemed she had more expectations, to the point where she would subconsciously become strict.

It wasn’t fair.

Her expression softened slightly, and Ming Jiayue intentionally adopted a more peaceful tone.

“I thought you would have known these principles long ago.”

It was a preaching stance, like that of an elder in the family. Ji Shuangci didn’t dare look at Ming Jiayue openly; she raised her head quickly, stole an incredulous glance at her, and then quickly lowered her head again.

For a moment, Ji Shuangci wanted to run away.

Her mother had been seriously ill for over ten years. Ever since she could remember, she had been alone. Because of her abusive, gambling father and her mother’s illness, no neighbors or relatives visited, and certainly no one taught her principles.

Stumbling along, relying on her own reading, observation, and trial and error, she had walked alone to the present.

Ji Shuangci had once been proud of her bravery, but now, a swelling emotion spread through her chest. A feeling of grievance that hadn’t appeared in a long time filled her heart. She had several times been unable to stop herself from wanting to burst into tears.

Light shifted in Ming Jiayue’s eyes. Seeing Ji Shuangci keeping her head down in silence, she gathered her thoughts and pointed at the scissors on the table, her tone softening.

“Ji Shuangci, you’re only eighteen. Your road is very, very long. Your prospects are bright, and your future is brilliant. No matter what happens in the future, I don’t want to see a repeat of today’s incident.”

“Take these scissors and throw them away.”

Biting her lip hard, Ji Shuangci subconsciously nodded forcefully again and again. A sense of bitterness occupied all her senses. The air became thin, and even breathing began to feel extremely difficult. She couldn’t say a word; her mind was touched by a complexity she had never felt before.

Ming Jiayue watched as Ji Shuangci threw the scissors into the trash can. She sighed, stood up, and turned to go to the kitchen.

As the sound of footsteps faded away, Ji Shuangci covered her face. Tears fell silently, dripping onto the back of her hand. Each drop seemed to carry the pain of her past ten-plus years, threatening to burn through her flesh.

Even when crying, Ji Shuangci was noiseless.

When Ming Jiayue returned carrying a bowl of clear noodle soup, she acted as if she didn’t see Ji Shuangci’s red and swollen eyes, instructing her in a very ordinary tone:

“Eat a bowl of noodles, wash your face, and then go to sleep. You can pick any room that isn’t locked. I’ve already requested leave for you; I’ll drive you to school tomorrow morning.”

“Mhm. Thank you, President Ming.”

Ji Shuangci’s voice was thick with nasal congestion and hoarse from crying. She obediently picked up the chopsticks to eat the noodles. she couldn’t taste anything, but she didn’t raise her head again until she had finished the bowl.

Ming Jiayue didn’t stay in the living room for long. After sitting for a bit, she got up and returned to the master bedroom.

She closed the door, didn’t turn on the light, and took out her phone. The detective had sent her a video on WeChat.

On the left of the screen, Ji Kong staggered out of a certain red-light district. As soon as he exited, he cursed and kicked a dog near the door.

“The great me has money now, yet you dare block my way! Seeking death! One day I’ll skin you and eat you.”

“Hehehe, I didn’t think giving birth to a brat of a girl would be so profitable. If I’d known, I would have had a few more.”

Ming Jiayue had looked at the files. Ji Kong was originally an English teacher at a middle school. His teaching level was good; during his time as a class advisor, he had even produced students for Tsinghua University.

However, after years without a promotion, and after Ji Shuangci was born, Ji Kong fell into gambling. His original base nature was fully exposed. Eager for quick results, he forced a three-year-old child to memorize an entire page of vocabulary words in a day. If she couldn’t, he would start beating his wife and child.

Initially, he would kneel and apologize, weeping and saying he would change. But hitting people is an addiction; later, each beating became harsher and more hysterical than the last.

This continued until Ji Shuangci was six. When Ji’s mother became seriously ill, he took all the family’s savings and disappeared.

Once Ji Shuangci got older, he would occasionally come back to demand money. If he wasn’t given any, he would lie or beat them—he even tried to force the mother and daughter to sell their bodies to earn money for him.

Ming Jiayue could almost imagine how Ji Shuangci had survived all these years.

On the right side of the screen, a group of thugs was aggressively heading toward Ji Kong’s location. In a dim alley, the two sides met. Ji Kong tried to run but was firmly surrounded.

the man in the lead was Ji Kong’s biggest creditor, reportedly a member of the underworld. His debt collection methods were ruthless.

Ming Jiayue’s eyes were deep and quiet as she silently watched everything in the video unfold.

When it was over, the crowd in the footage dispersed, leaving only one person slumped under a tree like a dead dog.

Ming Jiayue stood by the window as a great wind swept through. At the end of her vision, countless jacaranda petals drifted down with the wind.