Her tone sharpened, her gaze steady and cold. "But this time, I want them to choke on me. I want a family meeting called because of me. Let them spit out words like 'villain' or 'homewrecker.' I'll wear it gladly."
She lifted her tea, her voice firm. "At least then, they'll finally be talking about me. And not as an afterthought."
The silence between them thickened.
"Very well, feel free to throw a tantrum or burn the table to the ground. I'll be there to back you up. My family will be a lot harder to handle, so I'll make preparations on time. I'll let you know beforehand."
Yunying nodded, she couldn't go back home right now and she didn't drive her car and she bet Jinxing would be heading to work.
She didn't know where to go to pass time.
"You'll come with me to the office yeah?"
"Really?!" Yunying perked up when she heard this, she had been looking for where to go and he generously offered her a place..
"Yeah, if you want too.."
"Of course I do, I can't go home right now. Who knows what Xiao Lian might do.." she said while standing up.
Meanwhile.
Xiao Lian stormed into the house, her heels clicking out a furious rhythm on the marble floor. Her chest heaved as she fumed, barely registering Madam Wang's anxious pacing in the living room. Madam Wang was on the phone, her face pale from the barrage of calls.
"Mother!" Xiao Lian snapped, her voice venomous. "How could this happen? How could Yunying..."
Madam Wang's eyes darted toward her daughter, panic flickering across her face. "I don't know! I've been getting calls nonstop. From relatives, business associates... even the media!"
Xiao Lian's eyes widened in outrage. "The media?!"
Madam Wang grabbed the remote, turning on the TV. A news anchor's steady voice filled the room, discussing the sudden marriage between Xu Yunying and Qian Jinxing. The screen showed photos of the couple, sparking heated debate online.
"Breaking news: In an unexpected turn of events, Xu Yunying, previously considered a low-profile member of the Xu family, has officially married Qian Jinxing, the renowned CEO of Qian Corporation. Social media erupted this morning with photos of the couple, sparking a heated debate online. Netizens are divided, some praising Yunying for her sudden rise and transformation, while others criticize the swap, claiming it's a scandal. The viral post has already garnered millions of interactions. More updates as the story develops."
Xiao Lian's grip on her phone tightened, her face paling. "How did she even do this? I had no idea... This is insane!"
Madam Wang's expression was frazzled. "It all happened so fast... We didn't see it coming."
The phone rang again, and Madam Wang's expression hardened. "Xiao Lian, calm down. We need a plan. This isn't just a family problem anymore...it's gone public."
Xiao Lian's anger boiled over. "I don't care! She thinks she can just take what's mine? I'll make them regret it. I'll make everyone pay attention to me!"
Madam Wang exhaled sharply. "We'll see what can be salvaged. But... Yunying's not the quiet girl we knew. She's... dangerous now."
Xiao Lian's eyes blazed with determination. "The brighter she shines, the more spectacular her fall will be."
The TV showed online reactions, with comments scrolling rapidly.
"CrazyPorkBun: I don't even know who Xu Yunying is, but wow, she just snatched the CEO??"
"UnhingedLotus88: Wait... is this real? She actually married Jinxing?"
"TeaSpiller2002: Xiao Lian fans, this is a nightmare... she's literally stealing the spotlight!"
"GlowUpQueen21: The glow up is insane! Xu Yunying finally took control of her life!"
Zhao Yating nearly spat out her coffee when she refreshed her author dashboard. The comment section was a madhouse, and the stats graph looked like it had eaten too much sugar and was spiking straight into the sky.
"Chen Rong!" she snapped, grabbing her phone and calling her editor. "Did you edit my chapters? Don't lie to me. I don't remember writing any of this."
On the other end, her long-suffering editor sighed. "Yating, calm down. No one touched your manuscript. Whatever you're doing, it's working. Last week, your book was on the verge of being dropped. Now? It's topping the trending charts. Readers can't get enough."
Zhao Yating blinked at her screen in disbelief. She scrolled back through her own chapters, her fingers trembling. The Yunying she remembered writing was timid, forgettable, overshadowed by Xu Xiao Lian. But the Yunying on the page now? Savage, sharp-tongued and unbending. Two completely different people.
"This… this isn't what I wrote.." Yating whispered.
Chen Rong chuckled. "Then maybe it's what you should've written. Look at the comments, your readers are obsessed."
Reader Comments Section (on the novel site)
@DumpsterGremlin: "There's NO WAY this is the same book I dropped three weeks ago. Author, what did you smoke??"
@RottenMangoJuice: "Not complaining tho. This went from dog blood trash → peak drama. I live for this mess."
@AngrySockDrawer: "The villainess finally snapped and I am HERE FOR IT"
@ExpiredranchSauce: "Imagine being Xiao Lian rn… all that flexing just to get dragged like a mop"
@CabbageSlap: "Author better keep this energy or I'm throwing hands."
@CryingInHotpot:"The funniest part is it feels like even the AUTHOR doesn't know what's going on"
Zhao Yating scrolled back again, re-reading the latest chapters with a frown so deep it could slice stone. Her protagonist, Xu Yunying, wasn't acting like the girl she had written at all. The original Yunying was meek, pitiful, always shoved aside. But this Yunying?
Her gut twisted. "Chen Rong… I swear I didn't write this. Are you sure someone didn't tamper with my draft?"
Her editor clicked her tongue on the other end of the call. "Yating, do you want the truth? I don't care who tampered with what. Your book was about to get axed. Now it's printing money. Readers are obsessed. Ride the wave girl.."
Money.
Fame.
Trending charts.
Zhao Yating rubbed her temple, torn between suspicion and relief. Her instincts screamed that something was off, that her chapters had been rewritten by an unseen hand.
But the rising subscription count didn't lie. Her novel was selling, her bank account growing fat.
She could only sigh, muttering to herself, "Even if someone's messing with my story… at least they're making me rich."
Still, every time she scrolled through Yunying's savage new lines, her unease gnawed at her.