Ending Up with the Female Lead’s Mom - Chapter 11

Su Yao suddenly went silent, as if her voice had been snuffed out.

The woman on the sofa finally understood what they had been discussing. In an instant, her cheeks turned beet-red, looking like a freshly steamed crab, and she lowered her head to fidget with her fingers.

Su Yao had never seen such a weak-willed stepmother.

Usually, stepmothers were wicked or—well, the subjects of “unspeakable” literature. That was why “stepmother tropes” existed. Su Yao’s curiosity spiked. She sat down on the sofa with perfect composure and greeted the woman as if she hadn’t just been spouting nonsense.

“Hello, I’m Su Yao, Gu Zhanci’s arch-nemesis.”

The woman’s eyes widened slightly, seemingly curious as to why someone would be Gu Zhanci’s mortal enemy. Her expression was soft; in the end, she only gave a shy nod without saying much.

It had been a long time since Su Yao met such a “soft” woman.

Soft personality.

She said, “I’m sorry about earlier. I thought you were Gu Zhanci’s girlfriend.”

The woman’s face flushed even deeper. She said anxiously, “Don’t say such things!”

Yet, her face was clearly filled with a bashful crimson, as if she had discovered a new world. Su Yao was determined to get to the bottom of this, but Gu Zhanci didn’t give her any more time to linger. She handed over Su Ming’s clothes and phone and issued an order to leave: “President Su, after you.”

“…” Su Yao could only let it go for now.

As she left, she keenly noticed a hurt expression on the woman’s face. She also noted that Gu Zhanci didn’t seem to care about this stepmother at all, not even bothering to say goodbye to her.

Su Yao understood everything in an instant.

“President Gu, are you going to the hospital too?”

Gu Zhanci said, “Mm. I promised Su Ming I’d visit her.”

Thinking about her discovery just now, Su Yao shamelessly squeezed into Gu Zhanci’s car. “Sorry about earlier; I almost misunderstood the relationship between you two.”

Gu Zhanci gave a cold snort but didn’t speak.

Su Yao said, “I always knew that old man of yours liked ‘robbing the cradle’ and had married a young wife. I just didn’t realize she was this young. She looks about our age.”

Gu Zhanci’s father was over sixty. This wasn’t just “robbing the cradle”; it was an old fossil eating tender grass.

Gu Zhanci: “…”

Su Yao couldn’t help but sigh. “Your family is really complicated.”

Gu Zhanci shot back, “Is yours any different?”

“My sister and I are great. We love each other and will never fight over the family fortune. My house doesn’t have a stepmother either. How is it the same?” Su Yao was clearly gloating a little.

Gu Zhanci disdained talking about it.

Su Yao, however, was particularly curious about that woman. “What’s your stepmother’s name? How old is she this year?”

“She’s so young, yet she’s in a ‘grandpa-granddaughter’ romance with your dad. She wouldn’t happen to be after your family assets, would she? Don’t let her ‘little lamb’ act fool you; she might be a big bad wolf in disguise. Careful she doesn’t swallow you whole one day.”

Gu Zhanci looked at her strangely.

“Her name is Ning Ming. She’s the same age as me—early thirties. She doesn’t have a son, so she can’t touch the family fortune. My dad… is ‘incapable’ in that department. She’s just a lucky charm kept in the house. President Su, anything else you want to know?”

Su Yao gasped. “You really are blunt…”

“But her name is the same as my sister’s. Just as pretty.”

Gu Zhanci: “…” Su Yao’s focus was always bizarre.

Gu Zhanci didn’t feel like dealing with her and suddenly floored the gas. Caught off guard, Su Yao slammed the back of her head hard against the seat. She had every reason to suspect Gu Zhanci was attempting to murder her.

In the hospital.

Su Ming deeply regretted getting sick. She had never been so miserable; the original host’s parents were treating her like a literal toddler.

Moreover, after Guoguo found out about the high fever, she had come to the hospital to stay with her. Her eyes were red and puffy, making one want to cherish her. Su Ming only regretted that she was the one who was sick.

“Mingming, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Don’t worry, I haven’t turned stupid yet.”

“Wail… as long as you’re okay.” Guoguo began wiping her tears.

Su Ming: “…”

Guoguo was relatively normal compared to the original host’s parents.

Su Ming lay on the bed, looking like she had lost all will to live while on her IV drip. The two elders of the Su family were surrounding her, fussing over her well-being, looking like they wished they could eat her meals for her.

When Gu Zhanci arrived at the hospital, this was the scene she walked into. She suddenly felt there was no need for her to have come.

“Sister!” The moment Su Ming saw Gu Zhanci, her eyes lit up as if she’d found a lifeline. The way she called out “Sister” was so sincere and heartfelt that Gu Zhanci had no choice but to walk over.

Mother Su was startled by Su Ming’s shout. She looked up and saw Gu Zhanci, revealing a kind smile. “Oh, it’s Zhanci.”

Gu Zhanci nodded slightly. “Hello, Uncle, Auntie.”

Mother Su was in her fifties but well-maintained, with a prosperous-looking face. Father Su, despite his graying hair, thankfully didn’t have a beer belly. The couple both looked quite healthy and energetic.

Mother Su sighed. “Yaoyao said it was thanks to you that Mingming was sent to the hospital in time, otherwise we don’t know what would have happened. It was truly a bother for you.”

Gu Zhanci feigned self-reproach. “It was my fault for not looking after her properly.”

“Ai, she’s playful and hates the heat. How can we blame you? If anyone’s to blame, it’s her sister.” Mother Su had a very good impression of Gu Zhanci. To Su Yao, Gu Zhanci was the “neighbor’s child”—more outstanding than her from childhood to adulthood.

Su Yao tried to minimize her presence, but she was dragged back in the next second: “If our Yaoyao were even half as reliable as you, we’d be at peace.”

Su Yao: “…”

“And Mingming—she’s still young and doesn’t understand anything.”

Gu Zhanci: “…” She certainly doesn’t understand anything—she just sends me smutty pictures.

“I heard my Mingming gets along well with your Shiyue?”

Gu Zhanci: “…” Yeah, so well that I’m already her ‘future mother-in-law’.

Mother Su prattled on about various things, and Gu Zhanci answered them all with a smile.

Seeing that Mother Su was gearing up for a long chat, Su Ming couldn’t help but speak up: “Mom, Sister Zhanci came to see me. Let me talk to her.”

Mother Su seemed to finally realize. “I almost forgot about you! You two chat, I’ll go for a walk with your father.”

Su Yao was standing there, not planning to leave, but Mother Su smacked her on the shoulder. “You come with us. Mingming is being discharged tomorrow; go prepare things.”

Su Yao: “…”

The previously noisy ward suddenly went quiet. Finally, only the three of them were left. Guoguo, being very perceptive, made an excuse that her mom wanted her home. This time, she didn’t even dare say goodbye to Gu Zhanci.

“Mingming, I’m leaving first.”

“Okay, stay safe.”

Finally, it was just the two of them. Having not seen her for a few days, Su Ming felt she had actually missed Gu Zhanci.

It was mainly because the original host’s parents were too talkative. One moment they were worried she was hungry, the next they were worried she was hot. For someone whose parents in her past life were doctors so busy they barely saw her, she had zero experience dealing with parents and found it hard to cope.

Gu Zhanci asked, “How are you? Feeling much better now?”

“The fever broke long ago, it’s just that my parents think I’m too weak and insisted I stay for a few more days. This isn’t exactly a sanatorium,” Su Ming grumbled.

Probably every parent thinks their own child is too thin.

At the word “sanatorium,” Gu Zhanci’s brow twitched slightly, but the emotion was quickly suppressed. “I can see that. You’ve actually gained a bit of weight from this illness.”

“Where am I fat? My face? Do I have a double chin?”

“Everywhere. It shows the hospital food is good.”

At the mention of the hospital, Su Ming couldn’t take it anymore. She propped herself up, trying to sit, and said, “Don’t say that. Thankfully I’m out tomorrow. I really can’t stand it anymore.”

In the hospital, there’s nothing to do, and even the air smells like disinfectant. She had smelled enough of that in her past life.

Afraid the needle in her hand would come out, Gu Zhanci instinctively reached out to press her shoulder, pushing her back down. She said, “If you can’t stand it, you still have to stand it. You can endure it.”

Su Ming: “…”