Chapter 57: The Green Tea Scheming Stepsister Part 1

In a private traditional Chinese restaurant.

Jiang Li had dressed quite formally today, her face adorned with exquisite makeup that gave her a gentle appearance. Those slightly upturned cat-like eyes made her look cute while tempering her gentleness just a touch.

She glanced at the middle-aged man in a black suit beside her. Even knowing who was about to arrive, Jiang Li still couldn’t quite believe it.

“Dad, I was just away on a trip with Yun Chu for a month, and you’ve already found someone to marry?!”

The man had clearly heard Jiang Li’s question more than once. A hint of helplessness crossed his well-maintained, handsome face. He hadn’t wanted to explain again, but he worried his daughter might lose her composure later.

“Yes, I have. Chu Fei and I met at a company team-building event. She’s got a very lively personality—you’ll see when you meet her.”

Chu Fei.

Jiang Li nodded. It was a nice name.

She looked around the private dining room, sensing her dad’s care for this Chu Fei… Aunt Chu. This restaurant must be one she liked.

She and her dad rarely dined at such exclusive traditional Chinese spots.

As soon as one entered this Chinese restaurant, a serene and gentle atmosphere enveloped them—a rare oasis of tranquility in A City.

Jiang Li had walked in earlier, taking in the various bamboo groves, flowing streams, and faint strains of guqin music that created just the right sense of secluded calm amid the bustling city.

The chairs they sat in now were traditional hard wooden ones that Jiang Li rarely tried, and the yellow lantern-style chandelier overhead had a distinctly antique feel.

She still hadn’t arrived.

Jiang Li’s gaze shifted, peering through the intricately carved wooden window lattice—only to meet a pair of pitch-black eyes, laced with a hint of deathly pallor.

They looked like they’d just crawled out of hell, still coated in a cloying, sticky dampness that repulsed her.

Even the room’s comfortable constant temperature suddenly chilled her. It felt as though a ghostly shadow had crept over her, licking her skin from head to toe.

She shuddered violently, goosebumps rising all over as she hugged her arms, trying to reassure herself.

Focusing again, Jiang Li saw that the eerie eyes had vanished, and the strange sensation in her body was fading, as if carried away with them.

She let out a subconscious breath of relief, steadying her breathing and relaxing her tensed nerves.

Thank goodness it was just a passerby glimpsed for a second. If she had to deal with someone like that every day, she’d be half dead.

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than a slow knock sounded at the private room’s door.

One knock, two, three…

No way!

Her eyes widened in trembling shock, the fear she hadn’t fully shaken surging back. Father Jiang heard the knocking and was about to ask her to get the door when he noticed her hand shaking nonstop as she held her teacup.

He called out to Jiang Li.

Her mind was filled with those pitch-black, lifeless eyes—like the scythe-wielding death reaper from the horror movie she’d watched last night.

Draped in black robes stained with blood trickling down its cheeks, it raised its scythe, its mouth splitting into a long grin, pale teeth grinding with a sickening creak.

The polite knocks at the door felt like a harbinger before it swung that scythe.

The knocking continued rhythmically.

“Li Li!” Father Jiang saw Jiang Li frozen in place, trembling, and worry flashed in his eyes. He called her name louder.

“Ah? O-Okay, okay.”

Father Jiang’s voice pulled her from her panic. Looking at him beside her, Jiang Li forced herself to stay calm amid the lingering fear.

It’s fine. Dad’s right here. It’s fine.

Even as she reached for the door handle a second before opening it, Jiang Li was still psyching herself up, gripping the handle desperately and talking herself through it.

She flung the door open, a trace of terror still on her face.

That terror turned to when she saw the two people at the door.

One was a vibrant, lively beauty; the other, a delicate and adorable little sister type.

Where was the death reaper she’d imagined?

Her stunned expression must have been obvious, because the bright beauty at the door glanced at the room number several times to confirm she hadn’t gotten the wrong place.

Then she smiled and asked, “Hello, I’m Chu Fei. You must be Jiang Sen’s daughter, Jiang Li, right?”

The stunning woman introduced herself, and Jiang Li quickly suppressed her emotions, curving her lips into a friendly smile and nodding.

“Hello, Aunt Chu. I’m Jiang Li.”

Realizing she was blocking the doorway, Jiang Li gave an apologetic smile, stepped aside to let them in, and closed the door.

Jiang Sen had already stood and approached with a warm smile on his face.

“You’re here, Chu Fei.” He shifted slightly, looking at the demure young girl, his smile deepening. “This must be your daughter. She looks just like you.”

Being told her daughter resembled her clearly delighted Chu Fei. Her eyebrows shot up as she eagerly accepted the compliment. “Of course! My Chaohuan is so cute—she takes after me.”

The woman spoke naturally, her lively vitality bursting forth with her smile.

Jiang Li watched Aunt Chu’s energetic, tall figure, amusement flickering in her eyes. This Aunt Chu really did seem lively, just the type her dad would like.

And the girl beside her was her daughter. Jiang Li’s gaze landed on her in surprise.

This was her mission target: Lu Chaohuan.

During her university years, she’d fallen for the male lead after a bombardment of sweet talk, only to learn from him later that she was just a pathetic tool to make the female lead jealous.

[Ding, Identity Task 1 Issued.]

[Please have the tasker feed their favorite cake to the task target by hand, insisting she eats what you personally feed her. After she eats it, smile and say: “Little sister really looks like my favorite toy. Good girl.”]

Hearing the task requirements, Jiang Li seriously considered excusing herself by claiming work needed handling and leaving early.

Yeah, the task could wait. She only had one thin-skinned face to her name—if she embarrassed herself now, what would she do later? Aaaah…

Lost in her meltdown, Jiang Li didn’t notice her “toy” little sister subtly shifting, her obedient and flat gaze sliding over her unnoticed.

It’s her.

Lu Chaohuan fluttered her curled lashes. She had a pair of crystalline cat-like eyes like polished ink jade, naturally upturned lips paired with fair cheeks— the picture of an innocent, harmless student.

The glance she cast at Jiang Li was just normal curiosity, in no way rude or intrusive.

She was the epitome of a well-behaved child tagging along with her mom to meet the family.

Seeing Jiang Li standing dazed at the door after opening it, Jiang Sen’s worry deepened. Had something happened on that trip with Yun Chu?

“Li Li, come here.”

Huh?! Jiang Li snapped out of her daze and looked up to find all three facing her, making her the center of attention.

“Ah, sorry, I zoned out over there for a bit.” Composing her expression, Jiang Li jogged over apologetically. She shouldn’t have lingered by the door in this setting.

The two families stood facing each other.

Now Jiang Li could properly observe the aunt and her daughter.

Chu Fei seemed like the type who smiled a lot, her face warm even toward this future stepdaughter she’d just met. She was quite tall.

Her daughter… Jiang Li could only describe her as doll-like.

Adorably doll-like, standing obediently by Chu Fei’s side like a porcelain doll. Her fair cheeks looked so fragile that a gentle pinch might shatter them.

Jiang Sen patted Jiang Li’s shoulder, looking at her with pride. “Chu Fei, this is my daughter Jiang Li. She just returned from abroad and is now a lecturer at A University.”

Surprise flickered in Chu Fei’s eyes—she hadn’t expected the coincidence. “Chaohuan is a student at A University too. The two of them can hang out more in the future.”

A University student? What a coincidence.

Jiang Li stared in astonishment at Lu Chaohuan, who hadn’t spoken yet. She knew Lu Chaohuan was in university but hadn’t realized they attended the same school.

Her obvious surprise drew Lu Chaohuan’s gaze. The girl curved her eyes, a cute dimple forming as she smiled shyly back at Jiang Li, fluttering her lashes.

“Welcome, Sister, to A University. If there’s anything you don’t know, you can ask me.”

Huh, a shy little sister type.

The blush on Lu Chaohuan’s cheeks made Jiang Li’s hands itch—who wouldn’t love a cute doll? She was utterly adorable.

Jiang Li nodded with a smile, agreeing. “Sure, looking forward to it.”

The four sat down, Jiang Li and Jiang Sen on one side, Lu Chaohuan and Chu Fei on the other.

Dishes were served one by one, and the atmosphere at the table was pleasant enough. They shared bits of their lives, chatting back and forth.

“If you don’t mind, why doesn’t Chaohuan move in with Li Li?”

Jiang Sen noticed Chu Fei’s concern over Lu Chaohuan’s housing for the new semester and made the suggestion.

After Jiang Li mentioned working at A University, he’d promptly found her a nicely renovated large apartment nearby. Two girls living together would look out for each other.

Jiang Li nodded, watching Lu Chaohuan blush and wave her hands shyly. She chimed in, “If you’re renting, Chaohuan, why not just live with me?”

Lu Chaohuan’s curled lashes trembled repeatedly as she looked at Jiang Li’s generous smile, asking softly and uncertainly, “Would living with Sister disturb you? It wouldn’t be good if I interfered with your work.”

Jiang Li waved it off casually, charmed by Lu Chaohuan’s cautious worry about disrupting her job. What an obedient little sister!

“No, no, the apartment’s soundproofing is great. You could blast music in your room and it wouldn’t bother me.”

Lu Chaohuan’s gaze lingered on Jiang Li’s sincere, bright eyes—round cat-like eyes, just like those of the person who’d once wanted to possess her.

It stirred some unpleasant memories.

Her former roommate, who shared the apartment with her, had a crush on her. Like a fool, she’d blatantly displayed her disgusting desires—walking around without underwear, even stealing clothes Lu Chaohuan hung in her room multiple times.

Not satisfied, Lu Chaohuan had watched the security footage at double speed: the roommate masturbating on her bed, lost in ecstasy. She’d screenshotted it calmly.

In the end, Lu Chaohuan curved her eyes, her long lashes drooping as her ears twitched shyly.

It made Jiang Li across from her itch to reach out and touch.

Lu Chaohuan used a little trick to let the roommate’s partner know.

That partner was in the same club as Lu Chaohuan, obsessed with niche circles despite her own girlfriend’s dislike.

She already had a girlfriend but still fooled around.

Lu Chaohuan’s cute face turned ice-cold. She just wanted the girl gone forever.

Soon after, a chance roadside encounter provided the opportunity.

When the roommate next spotted Lu Chaohuan from afar, she trembled like she’d seen a ghost and fled, even dropping a sketchbook in her haste.

Lu Chaohuan smoothed her pleated school skirt, bent down to pick it up, and said sweetly, “Fishy’s notebook fell into my hands by accident. It has her sketches inside—Fishy must be anxious, Senior!”

The senior thanked her with a smile at first, but upon seeing the numbers on the cover and flipping through to message logs on her phone, her face darkened and she stormed off.