At Chen Household
On the other side, Su Rui was lying on the bed, seemingly asleep. But in reality, she was talking with the system.
The system, after careful consideration, decided to give Su Rui a class on morals and general awareness. It wanted to ensure that his Rui Rui didn't go down the wrong path at certain someone's instigation. For two full hours, it lectured her about morals, good habits, and general awareness—what she should do and what she should not do.
"Rui Rui, do you understand what Dad said? Did you enjoy it?" the system asked after finishing its lecture.
Rui Rui, who was simply happy to be with her father and had listened attentively to every word, immediately nodded her little head.
Before the system could probe further, the door opened a notification went of in his head as he thought is this mission really that easy he really hadn't done anything but the plot deviated so much .
[Ding ]
[Fate Trajectory Update]
[Character: Chen Meixiang]
[Original Destiny: Marry Lu Hai / Become abusive stepmother]
[Divergence Status: CONFIRMED – Major]
[Probability of Original Marriage: 95% → 8%]
[ Reward - 50 merit points ( will be given when the Probability of marriage between Villainess Chen Meixiang and Supporting character Lu Hai reached 0%)
While the system was lamenting,Chen Meixiang walked in and hugged her not-so-sleepy daughter in her arms.
Madam Chen, who was sitting beside the bed, saw her daughter's behavior. She stood up and lightly slapped Meixiang on the head. "What are you doing? Waking Rui Rui up from her sleep? You... you... you..."
Sensing the situation, Meixiang immediately put her confused daughter down and hugged Madam Chen instead.
Madam Chen, suddenly hugged for no reason, was confused. Before she could ask anything, her daughter finally released her and said, "Mom, I am going to get a job..."
After saying that, she explained everything to her mother.
Upon learning the news, Madam Chen was also happy. But she reminded her daughter not to tell anyone in the village until she finalized the job.
Meixiang immediately nodded her head, indicating that she understood.
At this, the system was speechless. In the original story, Chen Meixiang was a simple housewife, waiting every month for Lu Hai to send her money. It seemed that from the moment of its arrival, without it doing anything at all, the story had already gone off the rails. But what could it do? Its main mission was preventing Su Rui from getting corrupted. And if the story changing was for the best, then so be it, the system thought.
In the evening, Madam Chen cooked the stored smoked meat in celebration of her daughter finding a job. Even though it was not final yet, even a chance of getting it was worth celebrating.
Old Chen was also happy for his daughter. Meanwhile, Chen Hu was happy because he could eat meat. And if his aunt got the job, she would leave this house with her daughter. That thought made him even happier.
He still remembered how he had been spanked because of Su Rui. His aunt would also stop him from time to time from playing with his friends, just like his parents used to. Unlike Grandpa and Grandma, who fulfilled all his wishes and never scolded him. In his young mind, Chen Hu's world was simple. He did not know right from wrong. He only remembered whether someone stopped him or spanked him.
As the family ate dinner around the wooden table, Su Rui, who was chewing her food, suddenly remembered what her father had told her.
After swallowing a piece of braised pork, she looked up at her mother with innocent eyes and asked, "Mom, can we take Brother Hu with us? I will be all alone in the class. If Brother Hu is in my class, then no one will bully me."
Chen Meixiang was surprised by her daughter's sudden request. She knew her daughter didn't like Chen Hu very much.
Across the table, Chen Hu's body stiffened. His chopsticks paused mid-air. He really didn't want to study. His mind started buzzing whenever he read a book. The letters swam before his eyes like tadpoles. He looked at his aunt with a pleading expression, silently begging her to say no.
Chen Hu put down his chopsticks with a loud clatter. "No way!" he blurted out, his face turning red. "I don't want to study! Books are boring and they give me a headache." He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. Then another thought struck him, making his cheeks burn even hotter. How can I, the older brother, be in the same class as my little sister? The other children would definitely make fun of him. They would point and laugh and call him stupid. A boy who was eleven years old sitting with six and seven year olds? He would never hear the end of it. Just imagining the taunts and giggles made him want to crawl under the table and disappear. "I'm not going," he declared firmly, turning his face away from the adults.
Old Chen, seeing his grandson behaving like this, slapped the table.
"What did you say? Is this how you talk to your elders?"
Chen Hu lowered his eyes and folded his arms against his chest, but he didn't budge. His small jaw was set in stubborn defiance.
Chen Meixiang put down her chopsticks calmly on the table and asked, "What did you say?"
Chen Hu's body stiffened upon hearing his aunt's tone. From his observation, he knew his aunt was just like his father—the calmer they sounded, the angrier they really were. His father had been the same way. A soft voice always meant a storm was coming. He gulped nervously.
But before he could make his protests, Su Rui spoke, pouring oil on the fire.
"Mom, it seems Brother Hu is also afraid of school." She tilted her head innocently. "Su Lu told me that only smart and brave students can go to school. Brother is afraid that he's not smart and brave like Rui Rui, that's why he refused to go."
The system was snickering inside Su Rui's consciousness. It was he who had told Rui Rui to say that. Children at this age were very prideful. They couldn't tolerate anyone challenging their courage or intelligence. A little provocation was all it took.
Chen Hu's face turned red. His fists unclenched and clenched again. "Who's afraid of who?" he burst out, his voice rising. "I am smart and brave! I will go to school and perform better than you! What do you know about studying anyway? I have already studied before and can do better than you any day!"
He puffed out his chest, completely forgetting his earlier refusal. The pride of an elder brother had been wounded, and now he had something to prove.
Old Chen and Madam Chen exchanged a glance, hiding their smiles behind their bowls. Chen Meixiang picked up her chopsticks again and continued eating as if nothing had happened, a small satisfied curve forming on her lips.
As the System was munching on sunflower seeds another notification sounded and system mechanical smile recehd from one eaar to another.
[ Ding ]
[ Name - Chen Hu ]
[ Role - Villainess Supporting character]
[Villian potential - 85 %]
[Reward - 3 merit points]
It seems it quite difficult to reform this brat as compared to Chen Meixiang.
The system sighed but it's resolve become more solid . It will straighten out this brat .