Chapter 5
Edward Quan ·
Me: “?”
The System hurried to salvage things.
“But the male lead can give it to you!
“Besides, after today, his romance with the original female lead is completely over.
“You can have the three children too. Motherhood without labor pains. Happy?”
I had no words.
Happy, my ass!
I'd lost the money and my body.
I scolded the System until it didn't dare show itself.
Then I took my fury out on Lu Jinghan.
When he offered his salary card, I deliberately threw it in his face.
“A salary card? How much can there be?”
Could it compare with my ten million?
Thinking of all my hard work for nothing only made me angrier.
“I want a divorce!”
He looked at the card on the floor and raised an eyebrow.
“Not much. A few hundred billion.
“And some other assets in my name.”
I fell silent.
The System cautiously poked its head out.
“Host, the male lead is super rich!”
Lu Jinghan chuckled.
“Come home with me. It can all be yours.”
Still silent.
I already had three children. What else could I do?
Fine. I'd make do.
Lu Jinghan had married Tang Hua for two reasons.
One: she was willing to care for the three children.
Two: unlike other women, she wasn't after him. She was purely after his money.
...
But this time, on coming home, he'd discovered something interesting.
Tang Hua seemed like a different person.
She had spent half her life as a rich young lady.
On the day she came of age, her family went bankrupt.
Her doting father jumped from a building. Her loving mother took her own life too.
Only she remained.
The house went to settle debts. She had nowhere to live.
Her former friends, afraid she'd ask for loans, immediately cut ties.
Even a child her family had sponsored called to berate her. If she had no money, she shouldn't pretend to be rich.
That night, she spent her last money on sleeping pills. Just as she was about to take them, a voice sounded in her head.
“Hello, Host. Would you like to be a wicked stepmother?”
After acquiring a few hundred billion and countless assets, Tang Hua felt her life was quite good.
She reclined leisurely on the sofa and ordered her eldest son, who had dropped into her life from nowhere, “Lu Dog-Egg, pour Mom some tea.”
Beside her, Lu Jinghan was working. Hearing the name for the first time, he raised an eyebrow.
“Lu Dog-Egg?
“One for Dad too.”
Lu Wang said nothing.
And it wasn't only Lu Dog-Egg.
There were Lu Iron-Pillar and Lu Third-Girl too.
That evening, it was time for exercise.
Lu Jinghan touched the sweat-drenched Tang Hua.
“Give me a nickname too.”
Though he liked being called “darling” best, the more nicknames, the better.
Just not one like his son's.
Tang Hua rolled her eyes.
“Then you're Lu Never-Stops.”
Damn it.
Not a single day's rest.
She truly couldn't understand it.
He worked all day. Where did he find so much energy at night?
So annoying!
Being a wicked stepmother was a hazardous occupation.
Once, Lu Wang had thought Tang Hua the wickedest woman in the world.
Every day, she either scolded him or hit him.
Now he felt...
He'd rather she hit him every day.
Anything was better than letting her attend a parent-teacher meeting and call him Lu Dog-Egg in front of every classmate.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have come to this—
Getting water:
“Hey, Dog-Egg! Getting some water?”
Getting lunch:
“Hey, Dog-Egg! Going to eat?”
Going to the bathroom:
“Hey, Dog-Egg! Off to the bathroom?”
Collecting test papers, even the teacher said, “Thanks for the help, Dog-Egg!”
Lu Wang had no words.
If he could turn back time, he would never, ever have chosen Tang Hua to attend that meeting!
...
At last, school ended. He sighed in relief.
After collecting his younger siblings and coming home, he found the butler opening the door.
“Young Master Dog-Egg, you're home!”
Lu Wang: “................”
Lu Zhou's favorite character was the Monkey King.
His favorite line was:
“One day, your peerless hero will come in golden armor, riding a rainbow cloud to marry you.”
So when he was falsely accused of stealing and slapped, he thought:
“One day, my mom will come in golden armor, riding a rainbow cloud to beat up everyone who bullies me!”
Then Tang Hua really appeared.
She didn't just take down Chubby. She took down Chubby's mother too!
...
But when he told his classmates, no one believed him.
They pulled faces.
“Liar! My mom says you're an orphan!”
“If you've got a mom, why doesn't she ever collect you?”
“Liar! We won't play with you!”
Deeply hurt, Lu Zhou protested loudly.
“I'm not lying! I have a mom!”
“Nyah, nyah! No, you don't!”
“We don't believe you!”
“Come on, let's go! We don't play with liars!”
Before they'd run more than a few steps, someone caught their collars from behind.
“Where are you going?”
Tang Hua smiled at them.
“Mom!”
Lu Zhou's eyes lit up. He ran over and took her hand.
She stroked his little face.
“Good boy.”
His classmates exchanged glances.
He really hadn't lied!
And his mom was so pretty!
But that pretty Tang Hua turned and pinched each of their cheeks.
“If I catch you bullying Lu Zhou again, I'll beat every one of you!”
Lu Zhou proudly puffed out his chest.
His mom was the most amazing person in the world!
Today, my teacher told me to write an essay.
The title is—
My Mother.
My mom's name is Tang Hua.
She's very pretty, but a little strange.
She always says she's a wicked stepmother.
What's a wicked stepmother?
I asked my big brother. He told me to read fewer novels.
But I don't read them.
I'm not even ten. Novels are complicated.
I don't know what “wicked stepmother” means, but I know Mom is the best mom in the world.
She smells nice, she's soft, and she can braid my hair beautifully.
I love Mom best of all!
In the System Realm, a system had to bind itself to a host after coming of age.
Otherwise, it became a stray system nobody wanted.
People would laugh!
This was the System's first mission.
So its daddy, the Lord God, had personally chosen an easy one.
Find a host to play a wicked stepmother. Get thrown out by the male lead. Mission complete!
But it wandered the human world for six days without finding anyone willing to bind with it.
If it couldn't find a host within a week, the mission would be judged a failure.
Sadly, it returned to the System Realm.
What a useless system it was.
Its friends always found hosts smoothly on their missions. Only it...
Hadn't even got a host.
As it secretly wiped its tears, the Lord God appeared.
It looked at its daddy and lowered its head.
“Dad, I'm sorry.
“I may not finish the mission.”
Perhaps the other systems were right.
It didn't deserve to be his child.
But instead of getting angry, he stroked its head.
“There's still a day left.
“Perhaps you'll succeed this time.
“I started as a system with nothing too. Step by step, I climbed to where I am.
“I believe you can do it.
“If you really can't, I'll take you to Grandpa Heavenly Dao.”
Thinking of Grandpa Heavenly Dao, who'd loved it since it was little, the System filled with strength.
Daddy was right.
Never give up before the final moment!
...
It returned to the human world.
At last, through its efforts, it found its very first host.
Tang Hua.
Later, it became an accomplished system.
After countless hosts, it still never forgot her.
So—
On a bright, clear day, it decided to give itself a holiday and visit Tang Hua.
It just didn't know whether she still remembered it.
Taking human form, it hid outside the villa and peered in.
It couldn't see anything.
As it sighed in disappointment, a familiar voice sounded behind it.
“Who are you?”
It turned.
Tang Hua and Lu Jinghan stood with their children, all five of them staring darkly at it.
The System fell silent.
“I... I'm just passing by.”
Tang Hua's eyes suddenly widened.
“System?!”
It froze.
“You recognize me?”
She rolled her eyes.
“Obviously! But you've turned human?
“Only a child, but quite cute!”
That was because the System Realm and the human world were different!
It would grow into an adult later!
Before it could say so, she pinched its cheek.
“We're just going out for a meal. Come along!”
...
The happy days of the male and female leads passed slowly.
Tang Hua, who had once nearly taken her own life, finally found a happiness of her own.
The End.