Transmigrated as a vicious stepmother, I raised a child who became a heartthrob.

Pei Hui cried so hard he almost fainted, his nose constantly stinging with tears.

He repeatedly stated his mistakes and apologized again and again. Jiang Zhuhua felt a little sorry for him, but only a little.

"Yes. Pei Hui, Mom loves you, and I'm happy that you care about me. But the way you talk..."

Jiang Zhuhua wanted to reprimand him, but the words of reprimand kept swirling in her mouth, and she just couldn't bring herself to say them.

This child clearly wants to possess her because he loves her. Should I just be a cold-blooded bystander, looking down on him and criticizing him?

She can't do it. Everyone has the right to fight for themselves.

"It's not your fault, it's that I didn't give you a sense of security."

Jiang Zhuhua sighed heavily, feeling utterly powerless against this kind of education. Other things could be addressed with idealized educational approaches, but this wouldn't work.

"Uuuuuu——"

Pei Hui kept crying; he shouldn't have said those things.

"It's not your fault. I'll teach you slowly in the future."

Jiang Zhuhua looked at him and felt a sense of helplessness. Only after actually doing it did she realize that taking care of a child was not as easy as she had imagined.

Once Pei Hui calmed down, Jiang Zhuhua slowly explained. Ji Anrui and she had only just met, and she had no plans to marry him at the moment. Pei Hui's words in public must have embarrassed Ji Anrui.

If there had been more trust and understanding between us, this could have been avoided.

Jiang Zhuhua rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. After the reprimand and instruction, the matter was considered closed.

But Pei Hui... seems to have returned to that state of insecurity. Wherever Jiang Zhuhua is, his gaze follows.

"Go to sleep. I'll still take you to school tomorrow morning."

Jiang Zhuhua could only pat his head comfortingly and soften her voice. Taking care of a child is truly a troublesome thing.

However, she did not show the slightest impatience on her face, maintaining the image of a gentle and understanding mother.

Pei Hui obediently returned to his room.

Jiang Zhuhua strode to the sofa and lay down wearily. Everything was fine just a few days ago. Why did it suddenly feel so troublesome?

That's just a passing fad! Absurd and laughable.

Jiang Zhuhua inwardly despised himself, but he couldn't deny that in his heart, Pei Hui was Pei Hui, and he was himself. Even though they were on the same household registration, he was only responsible for him.

Ultimately, the relationship between the two was still somewhat lacking. Jiang Zhuhua was far from being as close to him as he thought.

Jiang Zhuhua washed her face in the bathroom and looked at her indifferent reflection in the clear mirror. Her appearance was so beautiful, yet her eyes were so cold.

For a moment, she didn't even know what she should do. She didn't even know what she wanted.

This family doesn't belong to her, nor does the entertainment industry. She's like a rootless duckweed, or an actress on a stage.

Jiang Zhuhua watched a water droplet fall from her hair onto her cheek, then slowly slide down. She simply gazed at that single droplet as it gently descended.

Woohoo—Woohoo—

My phone, which I had casually placed on the sink, started vibrating incessantly.

Jiang Zhuhua answered the phone casually.

"My goodness, you've been divorced for so long. Have you suffered any injustices outside?"

It was the same woman from before, only her voice was much gentler. She didn't even open her mouth to curse the girl to death.

"No. Get to the point."

Jiang Zhuhua wiped the water droplets off her face with a washcloth. She didn't have a good impression of this family.

They couldn't even muster the slightest feeling of closeness.

"You silly child. You're still so distant with your mother. Of course you should come back and visit. Your dad and brother miss you. Come back for a meal together. It's your dad's birthday the day after tomorrow, so come back tomorrow to get together."

Shen Zhaochun was talking on her phone while slowly stirring the coffee in her cup with a small spoon.

"I'll go to the birthday party again. I won't be coming back tomorrow."

They needed to meet the day before the birthday party. To be honest, Jiang Zhuhua really suspected what they were up to, since he didn't have a very good impression of them.

Given the original owner's previous attitude, it's highly likely that these people were also among the culprits who drove the original owner insane.

"Oh, I see. That's fine. By the way, I heard you're going to collaborate with Director Zhang Wuling on a movie?"

Is this the real purpose? Jiang Zhuhua came out of the bathroom, sat on the sofa in the living room, and casually picked up a cushion and hugged it.

Yes, that's true.

Jiang Zhuhua stared blankly at a corner.

"That Director Zhang seems to be quite well-known in the industry. Didn't your sister say she wanted to pursue a career in entertainment? See if you can talk to him and get Lanlan a role with more lines. It's not a big deal, so just help out."

"I see." Jiang Zhuhua's lips curled into a mocking smile.

"The contract has already been signed. The penalty for breach of contract is over 100 million. Why don't you pay the penalty for me first?"

Jiang Zhuhua's words were barbed. "Isn't it a big deal?"

After signing the contract, Zhang Wuling publicly announced the partnership on a social media platform. This proves that the contract has been signed.

It's not a big deal to say this at this time.

"That's not how it works. Lanlan is your own sister. Even if you don't usually dote on her, she's still your sister. She's finally looking for a career path, so what's wrong with you helping her out? Besides, what's this about breach of contract fees? She's just a character."

Shen Zhaochun might not be unaware of the intricacies involved, but he kept pretending to be ignorant.

Jiang Zhuhua was exhausted from listening. He finally understood that she wanted to grovel on her, make her lose face, and make her bow her head in public, wiping her face in public for the sake of that so-called Lanlan.

"Give me 100 million yuan first, it's a penalty of over 100 million yuan. I'll go and break the contract, then I'll talk to Director Zhang about getting people in."

There was no way they could talk; Jiang Zhuhua was certain the other party didn't have that much money.

The information I found shows that Shen Zhaochun was a wife who had supported Jiang Xingjia through thick and thin. She provided him with financial support when he was young and inexperienced, but later, Jiang Xingjia prospered. Shen Zhaochun's family was far less well-off than the Jiang family. Therefore, Shen Zhaochun stayed home as a housewife, enjoying her life.

In this situation, where would Shen Zhaochun get so much money?

"If you don't want to help, then you don't want to help. Talking about money with your own family like you're some kind of stranger. Mom just wants you to help your sister, and you won't even help with this."

Over a hundred million? Shen Zhaochun didn't believe a movie could cost that much. She was almost certain the other party didn't want to help, so she made an exorbitant demand.