Rebirth of the Scumbag and the Retribution of the White Lotus

After dinner that day, Li Ting sat on the old sofa in the living room, quietly flipping through a book. Zhao Shufang, holding her bowl, glanced at her from time to time, as if she had something to say but hesitated to speak. Her stepmother sat in a chair nearby, knitting a sweater. The atmosphere was subtle and quiet.

Zhao Shufang finally couldn't help it and said casually, "Sister, how come you're so busy lately that you don't even have time to do housework? You weren't like this before."

Li Ting raised her head and smiled: "I have a lot of things to prepare recently, I will be fine after I finish this busy period."

Zhao Shufang raised her eyebrows, her tone a little sarcastic: "You are busy taking care of your work, but you are quite ambitious."

The stepmother put down the sweater and glanced at Zhao Shufang: "Shufang, stop talking. Li Ting did all this for our family. If you don't understand, don't make random comments."

Zhao Shufang curled her lips and muttered softly, "I don't know what he's busy with. He's acting so mysterious."

Li Ting looked at Zhao Shufang's expression, her smile still lingering, and she said gently, "Shufang, if you're interested in the work, I can take you along. You don't have to keep staring at me."

Zhao Shufang's face froze slightly, then she turned her head and snorted, "Who wants to be with you?"

In the evening, the stepmother came to Li Ting's room with a complicated expression, as if she wanted to talk about something.

"Li Ting, I'm not unaware of what's happened at home recently." She said, with a hint of tentativeness in her tone.

Li Ting closed the book in her hand and listened quietly, with a curious look in her eyes: "Mom, what do you want to say?"

The stepmother took a deep breath and seemed to have made up her mind: "You know, Shufang has always been closer to me. I'm afraid she's unhappy. You also understand her temper. Sometimes she's not very sensible. Don't take it to heart."

Li Ting nodded and smiled slightly: "Mom, Shufang is young, it's normal for her to have a temper. We are all family, we should understand each other."

Hearing Li Ting's words, the stepmother felt somewhat relieved, but still a little worried. There was still a hint of caution in her tone: "Actually, you know, she doesn't have bad intentions, she just has a bit of a temper. I hope you can live in peace."

Li Ting nodded in understanding and smiled comfortingly, "Don't worry, Mom. I won't hold it against her. She's still my sister, and we can talk about anything."

The stepmother's expression relaxed a little, and she nodded, as if she had finally put aside her worries. She patted Li Ting's hand and said slowly, "A harmonious family is the key to success. Harmony is the most important thing. Mom also hopes that you can support each other and have someone to rely on in the future."

Li Ting's smile remained unchanged, and she nodded gently, but she understood what was going on in her heart. Although her stepmother's words were full of concern, they also revealed a hint of temptation and vigilance towards her, as if suggesting that she should not "excessively" interfere in Zhao Shufang's life.

The next morning, when Li Ting came out of the room, she saw Zhao Shufang standing at the door, seemingly waiting for her.

"Sister, what did you talk about with Mom yesterday? Why did you talk for so long?" Zhao Shufang asked suddenly, with a hint of sourness in her tone.

Li Ting was not angered by her tone. Instead, she replied gently, "We just talked about family matters and work arrangements."

Zhao Shufang sneered: "Why don't you bring me along? I'm also a member of this family anyway."

Seeing that she was not giving up, Li Ting smiled slightly and said, "Shufang, if you are interested in family matters, I welcome you anytime. It's just that these trivial matters may be a bit boring, and I'm afraid you don't have the patience."

After hearing this, Zhao Shufang's face flashed with annoyance: "What do you mean? Do you think I can't help?"

Li Ting shook her head. "That's not what I meant. I just think you have your own life and plans, and you don't have to be so tied down to these household chores."

Zhao Shufang felt a little discouraged when she heard this and muttered, "I always feel like you're deliberately not letting me get involved."

Li Ting patted her shoulder gently: "Don't think too much, Shufang. We are a family, and supporting each other is the key."

Zhao Shufang's eyes were filled with a complex expression, as if she wanted to say something, but she ultimately fell silent. She nodded slightly, grudgingly accepting Li Ting's explanation.

At night, Li Ting sat at her desk, pondering how to further manage household affairs, and she couldn't help feeling a little tired. She knew that completely changing her destiny would not be easy, but she would not give up easily.

She sighed softly, picked up a pen, and carefully wrote down her plans for the next few days on paper: how to handle work arrangements at home, how to steadily advance her goals, and how to let her stepmother and Zhao Shufang slowly get used to her presence.

Despite being under great pressure, her gaze remained firm and her heart was full of faith and determination for the future.