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

"What's wrong?"

Jiang Zhuhua asked again.

“I shouldn’t have carried heavy things. I shouldn’t have bothered you. Mom, don’t you like this tea? I can have a different kind. I shouldn’t have brought the hot water.”

When the topic of hot water came up, Pei Hui felt a secret, smug joy. "Mom, is this another kind of worry?"

This process is all too familiar; Dad used to do it this way all the time when I made mistakes. Only Dad was much stricter.

Even though Pei Hui believed he was not wrong, he was still able to admit his mistake smoothly and effortlessly.

Children are young and cannot even properly hide their emotions.

Jiang Zhuhua clearly saw the indifference in his eyes. Even if he pretended to be serious, he didn't really care.

She then realized that the villain had been different from other children since childhood. He was much, much smarter than the other children.

Other children at this age are at the stage where they forget the lessons learned and, as time goes by, may not even remember their time in kindergarten. But he, on the other hand, has already learned to pretend.

"You think this is a small thing, right? You'll do it again next time."

Jiang Zhuhua bluntly exposed this facade. Pei Hui had absolutely no intention of repenting.

"This time I can tell you where you went wrong, but next time you must remember what I say. Otherwise, I will punish you severely."

Once Jiang Zhuhua's face turned cold and stern, it instantly transformed into a majestic snow-capped mountain, cold and serious, making it impossible for anyone to feel a sense of humor. It made people believe that what she said was true.

"First and foremost, prioritize your own safety."

Jiang Zhuhua solemnly raised one finger.

Pei Hui simply nodded obediently, it was unclear whether he had listened. Jiang Zhuhua planned to explain things to him first before slowly instructing him.

"The second point is never to hurt yourself to please others."

In the original story, as an adult, he would use various self-harming methods to please the future female lead, portraying himself as a weakling, a victim. Whenever the female lead argued with him, he would start self-harming and feigning helplessness. The issues were never resolved; they simply ignored the conflicts.

This is a major reason why he later became a villain. When this method of self-harm no longer worked, he began to go to extremes.

Jiang Zhuhua didn't want him to continue down this path, so she deliberately emphasized the word when she said that.

"Tell me, is the tray heavy?"

Jiang Zhuhua squatted down, looked him straight in the eye, and gently placed his hands on his shoulders, making him look at him.

"It's not heavy. Don't worry, Mom."

Pei Hui stared straight at her, instinctively choosing to lie.

Jiang Zhuhua removed the hand that was clutching his clothes. A while later, the marks on the hand hadn't completely faded, still tinged with red. How could a tray with a water bottle not be heavy? Even an adult would find it a bit cumbersome. This child was clearly lying.

"It's only a little bit heavy. It's okay, I can handle it, and I'll be careful."

Seeing that his lie had been exposed, Pei Hui softened his tone and, like the other children in the class, went over to her and acted coquettishly, awkwardly tugging at her clothes and gently shaking her.

“You can choose to rely on me, Pei Hui. You are too young to do these things now, it's dangerous. When you grow up and there's a need for you, I will naturally call on you.”

She was just a child, yet she tried to act like an adult, to become someone Jiang Zhuhua could rely on. Jiang Zhuhua couldn't help but frown.

"Mom is happy that you remembered to pour me some water. But you know the tray is heavy, and it contains boiling water. You've put yourself in a dangerous situation. Carrying such a heavy tray to knock on the door, if you spill it, you'll get hurt. Do you understand?"

The same thing happened when Jiang Zhuhua was young. Only, she received different words.

"How can you be so clumsy? You can't even hold a kettle steady. Are you just here to eat for free? Boil another kettle of water for me and bring it over."

Jiang Zhuhua looked at Pei Hui, slightly dazed, as if seeing her past self. If only someone had cared for me back then.

But that's all in the past now.

Pei Hui blinked and grasped her mother's hand in return. She seemed like her own mother, overlapping with the image of the mother she had imagined. Everything felt like a dream, even the scolding.

"Mom, can you teach me slowly? I will be a good listener."

Pei Hui spoke with exceptional sincerity this time, his two small hands grasping hers, trying his best to hold on even though he couldn't quite manage it.

"From now on, you'll be registered under the same household registration as me, so I'll naturally take responsibility for you and guide you."

This is inevitable; having a child means taking responsibility for them. Jiang Zhuhua had seen too many people who were irresponsible towards their children, so the idea of ​​being responsible for her child was like a needle pricking her heart, and it gradually became an obsession.

After the education session, the matter was considered closed. The remaining issue was schooling.

Out of respect for the child's wishes, I asked which school they wanted to attend, but I never expected...

No wonder everyone says that children are all rebellious.

"I don't want to go to school, I want to earn money."

Pei Hui said.

When Jiang Zhuhua heard this, she was so shocked that she stood up. Pei Hui wasn't even as tall as her leg.

Do you want to make money with a kindergarten diploma?

"why?"

This was so shocking, Jiang Zhuhua couldn't understand it. When he was a child, his greatest wish was to go to school—it was easy, fun, and he even got a scholarship.

Pei Hui activated his signature skill again: Silence.

"say."

It was only his first day taking care of the child, the snow had just melted, and he already realized that teaching the villain was a long and arduous task. He even didn't want to go to school anymore and wanted to drop out.

Jiang Zhuhua felt like he was aging ten years in an instant.

"I want to support myself."

Small in stature, but with a great deal of determination. There's always a hint of naiveté about him.

"anything else?"

Jiang Zhuhua then asked.

"Other children have snacks and toys. I want to earn money to buy lots and lots of snacks and toys so they will envy me."

He had expected some grand ambition, but it turned out to be like this. Jiang Zhuhua was initially afraid he would say he was going to run away from home, but after hearing this, he felt both heartbroken and amused.

Even the greatest villains of the future can only think of snacks and toys now. They have no grander ideals or aspirations.

"Mom can buy all of these for you."

Jiang Zhuhua made a promise and then gave a speech encouraging students to study, which included three parts: Why go to school? The benefits of learning. And the disadvantages of not learning.

They were persuaded with reason and emotion. The two reached an agreement to attend school properly.

Calm the child down and turn on the TV for him to watch cartoons.

Jiang Zhuhua added another item to her future plans: finding a reliable and suitable tutor for the other party. Taking care of children is too tiring. She doesn't want to be a mother; she wants to be a father.

I ordered takeout for dinner. While eating, I received a call from an unknown number; there wasn't even a name on the caller ID.

The first thing he said was, "You're divorced, why aren't you home? Where have you been fooling around?"