Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Qi Zhiye’s smile was incredibly seductive.

It looked exactly like the way he used to coax me to keep going when we were in bed.

As a result, I was effectively stunned by his beauty for nearly a minute.

Only then did I snap back to reality.

To Qi Zhiye, I was just a strange woman who had bought him and his son.

And he was already rushing to serve me?

Where was his sense of male virtue?!

With this sort of courtesan-like behavior, was he really the person the System claimed had scared away eight potential stepmothers?

Just as I was about to push him away, a delighted cry came from the bed inside the room: “Mama!”

Before I even had a chance to peek inside, a fleshy little ball shot toward me like a cannonball.

He shoved Qi Zhiye aside and threw his arms around my leg.

My heart softened instantly.

I was just about to bend down, scoop little cub up, and pull him into my arms when he tilted his head back.

His nose twitched for a moment.

Then, he suddenly let go and took a step back.

“No! You don’t have Mama’s scent!”

He shifted into his beast form right then and there.

He leaped up and swiped a claw at Qi Zhiye.

His father’s face, full of wild beauty, was instantly marked with several bloody gashes.

The little White Tiger bared his teeth and hissed.

“You dog of a man! And here I thought you’d only ever get this close to Mama!”

“I only looked away for a second, and you’ve already found me a stepmother?!”

The System exclaimed, “Good heavens, so it’s my Male Lead who’s been blocking the stepmother process! No wonder-I was choosing women specifically based on Qi Zhiye’s preferences, how could they fail one after another!”

I didn’t have time to reply to the System.

Qi Zhiye pushed his tongue against the inside of his cheek and raised a hand to wipe his face.

Then, he looked at the blood on his fingertips and laughed.

There was absolutely nothing good about that smile.

Sure enough, he moved swiftly, grabbing Qi An’an by the scruff of the neck.

Seeing that this unreliable father was about to administer some ‘corporal punishment,’ I stood on my tiptoes and planted a loud kiss on Qi Zhiye’s cheek.

Then, taking advantage of his distraction, I snatched Qi An’an away.

The little cub struggled and screamed, “Let me go, you wicked woman! I’ll kill-”

I pressed the little fluffball into my chest.

Brushing past a dumbstruck Qi Zhiye, I sprinted into the guest bedroom and locked the door.

The System wailed, “How could you kiss Qi Zhiye?! If he develops an interest in you, how am I supposed to arrange a stepmother for the Male Lead?”

“Since I’m a stranger to them now anyway, I might as well be the stepmother.”

“Host, do you think I’m an idiot? If the biological mother pretends to be the stepmother, how is the Male Lead supposed to have a cold, miserable childhood?!”

I rolled my eyes.

Looking down, I realized little cub had quieted down at some point.

His furry little head was tilted halfway back, his large eyes staring at me without blinking.

Perhaps because he had been staring for too long, his eyes grew sore, and a shimmering moisture appeared in his bright gaze.

Never mind that I was his biological mother-no one could resist a look like that.

To hell with a cold childhood!

I tenderly rubbed An’an’s head.

I opened my mouth to speak. “Actually, I’m your…”

The cub in my arms suddenly let out a sharp, piercing shriek of agony.

The System said coldly, “I told you, any punishment for attempting to interfere with the storyline will fall upon the Male Lead. This was set in stone before I brought you back!”

My heart tightened.

For a moment, I didn’t know whether to hold An’an tighter or let him go.

I tried to soothe him in a panic. “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid.”

An’an clung to my arm with all four paws, and before long, he simply blacked out.

Qi Zhiye’s voice sounded from outside.

“Open the door.”

I pulled the door open. The man frowned as he glanced at Qi An’an. “Did you hit him?”

“…No.”

“Then why was he screaming?”

“There was a bit of an accident.”

Qi Zhiye was an unreliable person, but when it came to his son, he was the type who could bully the boy himself, but anyone else who touched him had to die.

Just as I was bracing for a storm, he let out a soft tsk.

“Can’t even handle a little accident. Did I give him too much sedative earlier?”

“…”

I slammed the door in his face.

I said to the System, “You’re really a piece of work.”