Ch 29: After My Mother Returned to the Rich Family

The Next Day: Saturday

At nine in the morning, Ruan Cha naturally woke up, freshened up briefly, and stepped out of her bedroom. The moment she opened the door, she came face-to-face with a pitch-black camera. Tilting her head, she studied it for a moment, unsure if anyone was watching her on the other side. Regardless, she raised her hand and waved. “Hi, good morning!”

No sooner had she spoken than the camera tilted downward in a human-like nod. Startled, she paused before chuckling softly. “Are you responding to me?”

The camera nodded again.

In the control room, Director Jin and the crew were watching Ruan Cha’s every move. A few female staff members clasped their hands over their hearts, their faces glowing with joy as if they were proud virtual parents. “Oh my gosh, this little cutie greeted us first thing in the morning! Her skin is so soft and delicate, and she’s absolutely adorable.”

“She’s so pretty; she could debut as an actress.”

Of course, Ruan Cha couldn’t hear the chatter in the control room. Even if she had, she would’ve shaken her head. Adorable? Sure. Actress? No, thanks. Just looking at her second brother’s grueling schedule was enough to deter her. Being a slacker was much more appealing.

The Liang family typically had separate meals on weekends since many of them slept in until noon. When her parents came downstairs, they saw Ruan Cha at the dining table, enjoying porridge and side dishes served by the housekeeper. The soft strains of piano music wafted through the air.

“Cha Cha, you’re up early,” Liang Cunjin said as he sat beside her. Habitually, he reached out to ruffle her smooth hair and greeted her with a wide smile. “After breakfast, want to play games with me? I heard from Aunt that you used to really love gaming.”

Wei Jiao had spoken about it with such heartfelt emotion, lamenting how much joy gaming had brought Ruan Cha in the past, only for her to start high school and study late into the night, losing so much weight her face had visibly thinned.

Hearing this, Ruan Cha’s eyes lit up. “Sure!”

She couldn’t deny that after Ren Qingqing’s task failure and the subsequent beauty value penalty, her already laid-back attitude had only deepened. From Ruan Cha’s perspective, after suffering backlash, any sensible person would give up on completing tasks.

Besides, judging from the system’s pattern, upcoming tasks would likely involve arts and experiments. Taking a break on weekends now and then shouldn’t hurt.

Thinking about the arts festival task, Ruan Cha pointed in the direction of the piano music and asked Liang Cunjin, “Second Brother, who’s playing the piano? Song Mengyu?”

“Mengyu left early. She already played a piece before you woke up.”

Back when Song Mengyu lived in the Liang house, she spent her time playing with friends and never touched the piano in the music room. She was likely trying to showcase herself now because of the cameras. Honestly, Liang Cunjin never fully understood Second Aunt’s plan for Mengyu’s appearances—especially since Second Aunt looked down on acting as a profession.

Hearing Liang Cunjin’s explanation, Ruan Cha nodded thoughtfully. She remembered that the New Year’s Eve gala at Second High usually opened with a piano performance, with the honor going to a selected student. Could it be that one of Ren Qingqing’s future tasks would involve playing the piano?

Shaking off the thought, she shifted her focus. “Second Brother, do you know anyone who works in artificial intelligence?”

“Artificial intelligence?” Liang Cunjin raised an eyebrow before chuckling. “The Fu family works in AI. Haven’t you heard? You’ve been at the same school as Fu Chen for a month and a half. Not only do they specialize in AI, but they’re also developing holographic games. As for how far along they are, I couldn’t tell you.”

Ruan Cha: “!!!”

A treasure trove, and she hadn’t even noticed it!

“Why do you need to ask about AI?” Liang Cunjin asked curiously.

Ruan Cha quickly finished her porridge in a few bites. “I plan to apply for a related major in the future, so I’m starting to learn a bit now.”

After breakfast, the two of them settled into the living room to play video games. Ruan Cha logged into her male healer account and confidently declared after teaming up with Liang Cunjin, “Second Brother, just charge ahead fearlessly. With me here, I can pull you back from the brink with just a sliver of health!”

Liang Cunjin stared at the overly muscular avatar of her male healer and was momentarily speechless. “Alright.”

Three minutes into the game, Ruan Cha’s healer got killed and drifted lifelessly in the river, watching her two teammates fight fiercely against the three red-named enemies on the opposing team.

Some people, while dead in the game, never stop talking.

“Ahhh, Second Brother, you’re a genius! Your moves are amazing!”

“Oh my gosh, Second Brother, are you a professional player?”

“Wow, incredible! So smooth! That was brilliant!”

Once she started gaming, Ruan Cha transformed into a nonstop praise machine, showering Liang Cunjin with compliments—on his attacks, dodges, skills, and techniques—each one unique. The camera clearly captured the growing pride on Liang Cunjin’s face. Then came the game results screen.

• Ruan Cha: Assists: 0
• Liang Cunjin: Kills: 0
• Random teammate: Kills: 3

When the episode aired, viewers seeing the results: …?

Buoyed by Ruan Cha’s praise, Liang Cunjin waved his hand grandly, brimming with confidence. “Cha Cha, queue us up again! Second Brother will carry you! Let’s sweep through every map!”

“Charge, charge, charge! Let’s dominate every map!” Ruan Cha cheered enthusiastically. Then, noticing her current account’s points were maxed out, she scratched her head. “Second Brother, I’ll switch accounts to queue with you. My main account is already full on points.”

Riding high on confidence, Liang Cunjin didn’t mind at all. Didn’t I just carry her to a win even though she was knocked out at the start?

When Ruan Cha invited him on her alternate account, Liang Cunjin froze at the stats. “Wait, sis, this account is DPS? And your rank is so much higher?”

“Yeah, I’m just average with healers. I’ve been stuck in low-rank games for two years,” Ruan Cha replied, her hands skillfully controlling her character. “Second Brother, once the game starts, let’s rush in and annihilate them.”

Liang Cunjin: “…”

Why do I have a feeling this is going to take an unexpected turn?

Three rounds later.

Liang Cunjin slumped back in his chair, questioning his entire existence, and turned to look at Ruan Cha like she was a little monster. Who would’ve thought his lazy, laid-back sister could be so vicious in the game?

Especially when a rude teammate began cursing, Ruan Cha didn’t hesitate to respond head-on. Without uttering a single expletive, she left the teammate speechless. Then, when that same teammate got killed, she gleefully looted all their gear—leaving not even a scrap of clothing behind.

Putting her phone away, Ruan Cha held out her hand for a celebratory high-five with Liang Cunjin, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “We got the full map clear achievement! Second Brother, you’re amazing!”

“Sis, you’re better at DPS,” Liang Cunjin said weakly, slumping further into his chair. “Your brother isn’t amazing, your brother isn’t great. Your brother didn’t even get a single kill.”

In the third round, Liang Cunjin managed to score three kills, two of which were enemies that Ruan Cha had already whittled down to a sliver of health, practically dropping them at his feet. It would’ve been almost rude not to finish them off.

Ruan Cha shook her head, earnestly rebutting, “Brother, you’re amazing! Out of all the teammates I’ve played with, besides Mom and Dad, you’re the only one who keeps me calm when I’m down and prioritizes buffs for me when I’m alive.”

Liang Cunjin felt a twinge of sadness. “Don’t you have friends to play with?”

“I do,” Ruan Cha replied, pausing for a moment before adding, “but they die too quickly. They never last from start to finish like you do with your fancy footwork. As for buffs, they never even survive long enough to get any.”

Liang Cunjin: “…”

Thanks for the… compliment?

In the control room, the crew burst out laughing. Director Jin patted a staff member’s shoulder, grinning. “Clip all the footage of Cunjin and Ruan Cha playing games. Not only is Cunjin hilarious, but Ruan Cha’s got great moments too.”

“This is gold! I was starting to believe Cha Cha’s heartfelt praise, thinking Cunjin was some undercover gaming pro. Then the scoreboard popped up—zero kills, zero assists. I can’t stop laughing!”

“Honestly, Liang Cunjin is like a completely different person at home compared to when he’s working. When he’s out, he’s mature and steady. But at home, playing games with his sister, he instantly turns into a middle-schooler. He talks about sweeping the maps, but in the end, he’s the one being carried!”

Unaware of the control room chatter, Liang Cunjin refused to let his sister’s perception of him diminish. His eyes lit up, and he straightened in his seat. “Cha Cha, all this fighting and killing isn’t good. Let’s switch to another game.”

“Sure, what do you want to play?” Ruan Cha asked.

With a sly smile, Liang Cunjin pointed to an app on his phone. “We… are going to play mahjong!”

…

Even as she sat down, Song Mengyu was still stunned. One moment, she had been playing the piano in front of the cameras, trying to shine. The next, she was roped into playing mahjong. But then, seeing the fourth player at the table, her cheeks flushed, and she hesitated briefly before agreeing.

The three Liang siblings gathered around the round table, joined by Fu Chen, who had come over from the Fu household.

At first, because Ruan Cha was a complete beginner, her chaotic and clumsy moves made her an easy target. Liang Cunjin, dubbed the “Mahjong Prince,” won hand after hand, his confidence soaring as he practically radiated smugness, his metaphorical tail wagging like a propeller.

But as the game went on, he began to notice something strange. “Cha Cha, why do you keep winning off Fu Chen’s tiles?” To be precise, every time Ruan Cha scored a winning hand, it was always Fu Chen who set her up.

Biting her lip in frustration, Song Mengyu couldn’t hold back her grievance. “Fu Chen, you’re feeding her tiles! You two are cheating!” Why? Aren’t I also his little sister? Why does he treat Ruan Cha so much better?

Ruan Cha cheerfully toppled her tiles, a small glint of mischief in her eyes. “Oh? You’re only realizing this now?”

As a beginner, Ruan Cha had performed terribly in the first few rounds. Before she could even grasp the rules, Fu Chen had sent her a WeChat message, guiding her on what tiles to play. How he always managed to guess what she needed was a mystery to her.

Patting the shoulder of a dazed Liang Cunjin, Ruan Cha smiled brightly. “Second Brother, I take back what I said earlier. Out of all the teammates I’ve played with, besides Mom, Dad, and Fu Chen, you’re the best.”

Liang Cunjin, now demoted to fourth place for no reason: You ungrateful little thing.

Sitting quietly, Song Mengyu glanced at the seamless camaraderie between Ruan Cha and Liang Cunjin, her mood darkening. She used to be the only little sister in the Liang family, cherished by her elder brothers. But now, it seemed that Cunjin spent more time doting on Ruan Cha than on her!

Not just her second brother—Fu Chen, too—

Song Mengyu quickly lowered her gaze, afraid her emotions might be seen by the two of them.

“Second Brother, Cha Cha, wait a moment. I need to grab something,” Song Mengyu said, heading upstairs. In less than a few minutes, she returned holding a small box. Opening it, she presented it with a slightly bashful smile. “Cha Cha, I heard you’ve been staying up late studying, so I prepared a moisturizing repair cream. It works really well.”

After saying this, a hint of unease crossed her face. “Back at school, I wasn’t fair to you because of Lin Ling. That was wrong of me. If you’re willing to forgive me, please accept this gift, okay? We can even use it together tonight.”

“Moisturizing repair cream?”

Seeing Ruan Cha’s curious expression, Song Mengyu nodded. “It’s really effective. Try it first and see.”

Ruan Cha opened the box, dabbed a soybean-sized amount of the white cream onto her fingertip, and applied it to the back of her hand. She spread it evenly and commented, “The hydration feels similar to my hand cream. Thank you! I’ll use it after my hand cream runs out.”

Though Ruan Cha wasn’t a fan of feigned camaraderie, with Liang Cunjin present, it didn’t seem worth creating friction. After all, both she and Song Mengyu were his younger sisters, and he likely wouldn’t want to see them at odds.

Hand cream?

Song Mengyu’s smile froze slightly. “Cha Cha, moisturizing cream is for the face. I’ve been using it myself; I wouldn’t deceive you.”

Hearing this, Ruan Cha leaned forward, her nose twitching slightly as she sniffed at Song Mengyu. A puzzled look crossed her face. “I can smell it—you’ve been using it as hand cream. Your face doesn’t have even a trace of the cream’s scent. Besides, girls’ faces are precious. You can’t just put anything on them.”

Her words left Song Mengyu momentarily speechless, nearly blurting out, I wouldn’t even want to use this for my hands!

Though Liang Qianling had assured her the formula had been fixed and wouldn’t cause skin issues anymore, the few customers who had previously experienced problems were blamed on their individual constitutions, not the product itself. Yet, Song Mengyu still couldn’t bring herself to risk her own face.

When playing piano earlier, she had no choice but to fake an endorsement on camera, pretending she liked to use the cream on her hands before playing. But Ruan Cha wasn’t buying it at all!

Forcing a smile, Song Mengyu added with a hint of dejection, “I didn’t finish my previous jar, so I haven’t started this one yet. But Cha Cha, this brand is absolutely fine. You’re so doubtful—are you looking down on domestic products?”

Liang Cunjin, who had stayed out of the girls’ skincare discussion, frowned slightly at her last remark. To imply in front of the cameras that Cha Cha looked down on domestic brands—was that a slip of the tongue?

Before Liang Cunjin could respond, Ruan Cha looked at Song Mengyu in surprise. “Who’s looking down on domestic products? Isn’t the yuan sweet enough for you?”

Without domestic yuan, how could I enjoy my life as a slacker?!

Liang Cunjin & Song Mengyu: …

It was hard to imagine anyone thinking the yuan wasn’t enticing.

Song Mengyu watched as Ruan Cha closed the box and suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion. Looking at Ruan Cha, she couldn’t decide if she was sharp enough to see through her intentions or if her way of thinking was just… not on the same wavelength as normal people.

---

[Ding! System 2.0 Priority Detection Program Activated. Host must rank higher than the associated target in next Monday’s unified temporary chemistry test (both experiment and written sections). Successful completion of the task will result in the extraction of 2 beauty points and 2 intelligence points from the associated target. Task failure will deduct 1 point; additional penalties are to be determined.]

Ruan Cha: “???”

Ren Qingqing, have you not even looked in the mirror since the arts festival? Why are you so obsessed with taking from others?

This is nothing short of an insult to A-tasks!!!

Seeing the sudden look of murderous frustration on Ruan Cha’s face, Liang Cunjin was taken aback. He cautiously leaned in and lowered his voice. “Sis, what’s wrong? Bad mood?”

Hearing him, Ruan Cha nodded, puffed her cheeks, and donned a mock mournful expression. Her fair little face looked almost pitiful as she dramatically lamented, “A fairy… has encountered troubles once more.”

Wuwuwu, my carefree slacker life has flapped its tiny wings and flown away.

Liang Cunjin: “…”

I shouldn’t have asked!