Accidentally Married to the Big Shot
Chapter 395: Being a Stepmother Is Hard

Chapter 395: Chapter 395: Being a Stepmother Is Hard

Li Jiajia looked into the distance, as if she were gazing at her own future. "I don’t know. Right now, I don’t even feel like having kids."

Su Meixi hesitantly asked, "Do you love your husband?"

"I probably do. He’s a very capable man."

"Of course he is. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be an entrepreneur. He must have a lot of charisma in every aspect."

An entrepreneur is not the same as a nouveau riche or a domineering CEO. A nouveau riche, as implied by the term, tends to have shallow thinking; having grown up poor, they often indulge in extravagant behavior once they strike it rich, spending lavishly.

A domineering CEO may also be capable, but they are born with a golden spoon in their mouths, inheriting family wealth and legacy.

Entrepreneurs, in contrast, usually build their businesses from scratch, relying on their own abilities to carve out a spot in the commercial world—and some even come to control the economic lifeblood of their local area.

Men like that—how many women wouldn’t be drawn to them?

Li Jiajia said, "The issues between him and me aren’t about love. They’re about the many problems we need to solve, but no time to solve them."

Hearing this, Su Meixi didn’t know how to respond. Every family has its own set of challenges, and only the people living through them truly understand. She couldn’t ask further.

At that moment, Xiao Zhao woke up, and Su Meixi went over to pick him up.

Li Jiajia said, "Can I hold him for a bit?"

"Of course," Su Meixi replied, lifting Xiao Zhao and placing him in Li Jiajia’s arms.

Li Jiajia awkwardly held him for a while before exclaiming in surprise, "He’s so tiny! I mean, I’ve seen babies before, but holding one like this really makes you realize how small they are."

Su Meixi couldn’t help but laugh. "Right? I find it amazing too. He’s so little now, but just imagine—in ten years or so, he might already be as tall as his dad."

Li Jiajia played with Xiao Zhao for a while, but the baby started to pout unhappily.

"He’s hungry. Time for feeding."

"Then I’ll give him back to you—I should head out anyway." Li Jiajia returned Xiao Zhao to Su Meixi and slipped a heavy gold bracelet into the baby’s arms.

"Oh! Why so formal?"

"It’s not for you—it’s for Xiao Zhao." Li Jiajia chuckled, then picked up her bag and said breezily, "I’ll be off now. I’ll come by again when I have time to visit the little guy."

"Take care," Su Meixi replied.

...

Gu Wei came home in the evening with some durian cake for Su Meixi.

Su Meixi said, "Li Jiajia came by today, and she said I’ve gotten chubby."

"No, not at all. I didn’t notice anything," Gu Wei replied.

Su Meixi laughed. "Stop lying! I’ve definitely put on weight."

"Then do you want the durian cake?"

"Is it sweet?"

"Not too sweet."

Su Meixi tried it and found it wasn’t overly sweet.

Feng City people’s highest compliment for desserts: not too sweet.

After eating the not-too-sweet durian cake, Su Meixi forgot all about her plans to lose weight. She ate five pieces in a row and said, "I never realized Yun City had such delicious treats before."

"A colleague brought it back from Guang Xi during a business trip."

"Your colleague gave it to you, and you brought it to me?"

"Why not?"

Su Meixi laughed. "Well then, you should have some too."

The couple enjoyed the durian cake together. Just then, Xiao Zhao woke up, lying peacefully on the bed without crying, listening to his parents chatting, his little limbs waving happily.

Su Meixi said to him, "Xiao Zhao wants to eat durian cake too, huh? But you can’t—you don’t have teeth yet. Once you grow some teeth, you can have some, okay?"

Gu Wei added, "Even with teeth, it’s still not okay. Little kids shouldn’t eat stuff like this until after they’re two."

Xiao Zhao suddenly grinned, showing his toothless gums. His cuteness made both parents burst into laughter.

...

After leaving Su Meixi’s place, Li Jiajia drove home.

They had an estate-like villa in Yun City, where her husband stayed whenever he wasn’t at the company.

As soon as she stepped into the living room, she sensed something wasn’t right.

Having been a police officer and enjoying adrenaline-packed scenario games, she had a certain level of vigilance.

Instinctively, she withdrew her foot.

A toy fist shot out from the floor.

If she hadn’t pulled her foot back in time, it would have hit her square in the forehead.

Her face turned cold.

This kind of prank must have been orchestrated by Cai Laoer or Cai Laosan.

Cai Minjun had three children. His eldest, a daughter, was 13; the second, a son, was 9; and the youngest, another daughter, was 7.

The eldest, Cai Yingxue, was already in her rebellious teenage years and looked down on such antics. The second, Cai Jinghui, was at an age where childishness peaked, and he often teamed up with the youngest, Cai Yingyue, to pull pranks on her.

During her first year after moving in, she constantly fell victim to their tricks, as she had naïvely believed children were incapable of real malice. Later, she realized that kids these days could be surprisingly cunning.

Especially toward her, their stepmother—no matter how well she treated them, she remained an outsider in their eyes.

She stepped into the living room and continued deeper inside.

The living room was empty.

The kids had hidden themselves somewhere.

She didn’t care and went straight to the master bedroom.

Upon entering, she found that the wedding photo of Cai Minjun and his ex-wife had been placed back inside.

When she had married into the family, Cai Minjun had removed the photo out of concern for her feelings, but it would occasionally reappear, secretly brought back by the kids.

To settle things, Cai Minjun had scolded the kids numerous times, but his discipline only made them feel more aggrieved.

"Dad, if you’ve married Auntie, does that mean you’ve forgotten about our mom? Mom supported you through tough times, helped you build your empire, and now you’ve married someone else and don’t even want her wedding photo anymore."

"Dad, have you seen that movie? It talks about how a person truly dies only when they’re forgotten. Mom hasn’t really died yet—we all still remember her. You can’t let Mom ’die.’"

"..."

To consider Li Jiajia’s feelings, Cai Minjun had to coax the kids. "Daddy hasn’t forgotten Mom. How about this: we’ll display the wedding photo in the living room. This way, whenever someone walks in, they’ll see Mom, and no one will forget her. Isn’t that a good idea?"

Eventually, the wedding photo was moved to the living room.

Placing it there was better than keeping it in the master bedroom, as the bedroom now had a new mistress, and displaying it by the bedside didn’t feel appropriate.

Even so, the photo sometimes found its way back into the bedroom.

Li Jiajia wasn’t particularly bothered by it. She spent little time at the villa during the day, and at night, she and Cai Minjun would turn off the lights while being intimate. With the lights off, who cares?

Besides, Cai Minjun had already converted the adjacent room connected to the master suite; they often rested in the side room instead.

Seeing the wedding photo back in its old spot, Li Jiajia took a deep breath and calmly closed the door.

As soon as the door shut, there was movement outside.

With her keen hearing, she caught two of the kids whispering: "Do you think she’ll get so mad she dies?"