The Abusive Novel System Pleads with Me to Resign-Chapter 79

Thinking of his two older brothers, Chang Ming was overwhelmed with guilt and anguish.

Since they hastily took over the family business, the two had been preoccupied with managing it—perhaps also avoiding him out of resentment. As a result, Chang Ming rarely spent time with them.

Even now, there was a palpable distance between them. In terms of closeness, he wasn’t even as intimate with his brothers as Yu Ting was with his half-siblings.

At least Yu Ting and his siblings didn’t have the tragic death of their parents standing between them.

Chang Ming’s eyes reddened, and he blinked hard before answering Shen Ying: "My brothers will feel relieved too. Finally, they won’t have to agonize over how to face me."

Shen Ying replied, "That’s not how it works. How could your brothers possibly feel relieved by your death?"

Chang Ming expected Shen Ying to argue that his brothers still loved him, but he remained unmoved by whatever she was about to say.

Of course, he knew his brothers loved him—but they also resented him.

Yet despite that, they had always shielded and indulged him, burying their anger and hatred, never venting it on him.

It was precisely this kindness that made Chang Ming realize he was the dark stain in their family—the root of all misfortune, the negative beginning. And yet, he was the one who received everyone’s unconditional tolerance.

As Chang Ming sank deeper into self-blame, Shen Ying said something entirely unexpected.

"Your brothers have indeed had complicated feelings toward you all these years. While they pitied you for losing your parents and drowning in guilt, they’ve also wondered—if only you’d never existed."

"If you hadn’t been born, none of this tragedy would have happened."

"You were an unexpected late-life pregnancy, with a huge age gap between you and your brothers. Originally, you were supposed to be aborted, but your mother couldn’t go through with it at the last minute."

"By the time you were born, your brothers were nearly adults. You were the only child in the house, spoiled by four people, raised to be selfish and willful."

"I imagine that after your parents’ accident, your brothers must have often reflected—if only they’d been stricter in stopping your selfishness, if only they hadn’t spoiled you so much, if only—you’d never been born."

"Hng—" Chang Ming choked back a sob, his throat clogged with cotton-like pain, his entire body aching as if about to explode.

Shen Ying continued, "Your brothers have had these thoughts countless times, but they always suppressed them—because deep down, they still loved you more."

"But now, on the anniversary of your parents’ death, their darkest, most unresolved thoughts have come true."

"How do you think your brothers will feel?"

Chang Ming froze, his mind blank.

All he could hear was Shen Ying’s voice: "They really won’t have to struggle with how to face you anymore—because they’ll realize their own inner conflict was part of what drove you to your death. They’ll be tormented by their darkest wishes for the rest of their lives."

"And you, Chang Ming! You know exactly how that feels."

"What you’re about to do is duplicate your pain and transfer it to your brothers."

"Is that really what you want?"

"No, no no no no—" Chang Ming stumbled back in panic. "That’s not what I want."

Shen Ying said, "The way you are now isn’t what your parents wanted either, but does that matter?"

"The living aren’t controlled by the dead."

Chang Ming finally broke down, sobbing. "Then what should I do?"

His bloodshot eyes fixed on Yu Shishi. "The law can’t punish her. She has to pay. So do I. We can’t just walk away unpunished."

"There’s no other way."

The Chang Family had the power to make Yu Shishi’s life a living hell—without Chang Ming lifting a finger.

But he refused to let his parents’ and brothers’ hard-earned legacy become a filthy tool in his hands.

Chang Ming had reached a dead end.

Yet Shen Ying said, "There is a way. Just marry her."

Chang Ming was stunned at first, then instinctively recoiled in disgust. But after a moment’s thought, he realized it was a brilliant idea.

It would punish both him and Yu Shishi—without hurting his family.

Meanwhile, Yu Shishi, who had narrowly escaped death, wore a look of horrified disbelief upon hearing her malicious sister’s proposal.

Days later, Shen Ying arrived at the hotel where the Chang Family was hosting a charity auction.

The venue was packed with elegantly dressed, jewel-adorned guests. freewebnøvel.coɱ

Shen Ying was a stranger in this circle, but her uncanny resemblance to Yu Shishi drew immediate attention.

Most reactions were shock and confusion—many even turned to glance at Yu Shishi, standing among the hosts, as if to confirm the resemblance.

Soon, whispers spread: this woman looked exactly like her.

The older guests remained composed, but the younger ones couldn’t hide their curiosity.

A group approached, the leader bluntly asking, "Who are you?"

Shen Ying took a glass of wine from a passing waiter and sipped before answering.

Before she could speak, another voice cut in. "This is Shen Ying, my guest and one of tonight’s honored attendees."

Jiang Liuxu appeared, as composed as ever, standing naturally by Shen Ying’s side.

The group was taken aback by his formal yet intimate introduction.

"But she looks just like Shishi—"

Jiang Liuxu interrupted, "She’s Shishi’s twin sister. The resemblance is to be expected."

The explanation made sense—but it also dropped a bombshell.

Yu Shishi had a twin sister?

The news spread quickly among the younger attendees, and Shen Ying felt eyes on her throughout the event.

She paid no mind, though. After brief pleasantries, Jiang Liuxu dismissed the group.

He asked, "You’ve been turning down my invitations. What have you been up to?"

Shen Ying smiled. "Not much. But when my sister’s in trouble, I can’t just focus on my own fun."

Jiang Liuxu raised a brow. "Who said spending time with me is just about fun?"

Shen Ying replied, "Being with Dr. Jiang is always a pleasure, no matter what we do."

The words tickled him like a light scratch down his spine.

Just as he was about to respond, a teasing voice interrupted. "What kind of pleasure? Mind if I join?"

Jiang Liuxu’s smile vanished as he turned to see Yu Ting—the ever-present troublemaker—standing there.

This time, Yu Ting wasn’t alone. Pei Ying was with him.

But Pei Ying seemed different. Once, his mere presence radiated arrogance. Now, that pride had settled into something quieter—still confident, but no longer grating.

Pei Ying seemed hesitant to face Shen Ying. After Yu Ting spoke, his expression twisted as if rehearsing lines in his head.

Finally, he managed, "You wanted to borrow a chef, right? When do you need them?"

When Shen Ying heard such an unexpected offer, her face immediately lit up with delight. "You’d really lend it to me? Thank you, President Pei."

Pei Ying regretted his words the moment they left his mouth, mentally scolding himself for coming up with such a reason and blurting it out without thinking.

But before he could retract his statement, Shen Ying added, "Let’s discuss the details after the banquet."

Pei Ying swallowed his words of regret.

At this moment, Jiang Liuxu and Yu Ting were far from pleased—especially Yu Ting, who had been busy filming the final scenes of his drama and was completely unaware of the off-screen drama.

He immediately lashed out at Pei Ying, "Are you out of your mind? I finally managed to keep that younger brother holed up in the recording studio, and now you’re handing the older brother over on a silver platter?"

"What do you even gain from sabotaging others without benefiting yourself?"

His gaze then shifted toward the Chang Family’s direction. "Ah, I get it. You’re jealous that Shishi is publicly seen with Chang Ming, so you’re taking it out on us, huh?"

"Drop dead, will you? Think you’re the only one who can play games? Don’t think I won’t find a few guys to flirt with Shishi tomorrow."

He expected Pei Ying to react with displeasure, but the man merely took a sip of his wine, utterly unfazed by Yu Ting’s threats.

"Do as you please. Her affairs have nothing to do with me."

Yu Ting initially thought Pei Ying was putting on an act, but a glance at his indifferent expression and the faint trace of disgust that surfaced at the mention of Yu Shishi made him pause.

This left Yu Ting bewildered. There was no way Pei Ying could actually despise Shishi, right?

Even if his feelings had changed overnight, the debt of her saving his life still remained.

"You—"

Before he could press further, Jiang Liuxu quietly explained, "The person who rescued Pei Ying from the kidnapping wasn’t Shishi."

Yu Ting was stunned. "If not Shishi, then who? It’s not like he’s blind—how could he mistake the person who—"

Mid-sentence, his eyes landed on Shen Ying beside them, and a chill ran down his spine.

The only one Pei Ying could have mistaken for Shishi… was Shen Ying.

Yet while Shishi had been taken in, adopted into a wealthy family, and received an elite education, the real savior, Shen Ying, had spent over a decade in poverty at an orphanage.

Could this really have been just a misunderstanding? Did Shishi not know whether she had saved someone or not? This was a deception spanning more than ten years—one that had kept Shen Ying’s very existence hidden from everyone until now.

Though Yu Ting couldn’t immediately piece together the full story, the implications were enough to send a shiver down his spine.

He glanced toward Shishi’s direction. No wonder she had chosen Chang Ming.

"But why does Shishi look so unwell?" Yu Ting suddenly remarked after observing her for a moment.

The others followed his gaze and noticed that despite her glamorous attire, Yu Shishi appeared visibly drained.

Her eyes were unfocused, and her hands kept fidgeting with her dress, as if the floor beneath her were burning hot.

Every time her gaze met Chang Ming’s, she trembled slightly, as though ready to bolt.

This odd behavior didn’t escape Jiang Liuxu and Pei Ying either.

Yu ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‍Ting turned to Pei Ying. "Is she afraid because you’re here?"

Pei Ying scoffed. "If she were truly afraid, she wouldn’t have shown up in the first place."

Jiang Liuxu added, "Shishi hasn’t even glanced at Pei Ying. Her fear is clearly directed at Chang Ming."

Yu Ting found this laughable. "Why would she be afraid of Chang Ming? He’d never hurt her, no matter how unhinged he gets with others."

"After all, it was Shishi who pulled him out of his darkest place."

At this, Shen Ying suddenly interjected, "What if she was the one who cast that shadow over him in the first place?"

Yu Ting didn’t catch the implication, but Jiang Liuxu and Pei Ying immediately grasped her meaning.

Jiang Liuxu murmured, "Come to think of it, Chang Ming called me the other day to ask about what happened after the bidding incident—the time Shishi panicked and refused to answer his calls after receiving an anonymous message from Shen Ying."

"If he’s seeking confirmation, it means Shishi must have been hiding something from him."

Pei Ying followed up, "He also reached out to me, asking about Shishi’s whereabouts during his birthday the year of the car accident."

"He must have uncovered something and was verifying the details."

Yu Ting frowned at the two of them. "Given Chang Ming’s obsessive devotion, wouldn’t he cover for Shishi even if she committed murder? What could she possibly have done that he couldn’t forgive?"

Then the three of them recalled Shen Ying’s earlier remark.

Chang Ming’s unconditional loyalty to Yu Shishi stemmed from her healing the trauma of losing his parents.

But what if she had been the one responsible for that trauma?

None of them had expected such earth-shattering revelations to unfold in just a matter of days.

For Yu Ting especially, it felt surreal—after barely half a month apart, the friends he’d known for over a decade had become almost unrecognizable.

Both Pei Ying and Chang Ming had ended up in tragedies far worse than he could have imagined.

Even Pei Ying hadn’t anticipated that the metaphorical jab he’d thrown at Chang Ming would turn out to be prophetic.

Jiang Liuxu, too, was stunned by the unexpected turn of events.

Yu Ting, still reeling from the shock, was about to ask Shen Ying for more details—knowing full well she had the answers.

But before he could speak, Jiang Liuxu pulled Shen Ying aside. "I—I still can’t wrap my head around the logic here."

"But this isn’t something to discuss in public. Let’s find a quiet spot to talk."

Yu Ting: "…"

Damn it, even this situation is being exploited as an opportunity.