Chapter 4 — From Stepmother to CEO Selling Apples

But… without a divorce, my mission will not be completed. I asked the system: "What should I do now?" The system thought for a moment and replied: "If you can't get a divorce, then you can only... continue to be an evil stepmother." I sighed deeply: "Being an evil stepmother... how long do I have to do this?" The system replied with a sympathetic voice: "Until the male lead agrees to divorce you." A few days later, Ngo Dai Vy went away to work again. I was even more cruel to the two children. Increase the amount of farm work — if you don't finish it, you're forbidden to eat. Increase the amount of overtime homework — if you don't finish it, you can't sleep. Don't be picky about eating, eat any food you don't like. I tried every way to "torture" the two sisters, hoping they couldn't stand it anymore, then told Ngo Dai Vy so he could ask for a divorce. However... The two of them obediently endured it. Gentle and understanding to the point that I cannot fault him. And never said a bad word about me in front of Ngo Dai Vy. Divorce? More and more distant. Time passed quickly. Ngo Minh is now in 12th grade. All these years, I have persisted in maintaining my "evil qualities", absolutely not letting them live in peace for a single day. Finally, Ngo Minh finished his university entrance exam. Very quickly, the day of checking test scores arrived. The whole family couldn't take their eyes off the computer screen. Ngo Minh's hands were shaking so much that he... entered the wrong registration code several times in a row. Looking at the boy's appearance, he probably didn't do well in the exam. I'm thinking: I'll have to wait until the score is finished, then I'll have to think of a way to punish him severely. “Huh, why don't I see the points?” Ngo Dai Vy asked impatiently. “Hidden points!” — Ngo Minh cried out in panic. A few days later, the homeroom teacher called: "Ngo Minh, you got 721 points on the exam." “The valedictorian of the Natural Science class in the entire province, congratulations!” Ngo Dai Vy hugged Ngo Minh, cried and laughed, shouting loudly: "My ancestors have appeared!!!" “My family is the valedictorian!!!” Well... the punishment plan looks like it's gone down the drain. But in my heart an indescribable joy arose. When registering his aspirations, Ngo Minh refused to choose Thanh Hoa or Bac Dai, but chose National Defense Science University. He said he wanted to serve the Fatherland in the future. I gave him a thumbs up and praised: "This kid's ambition is not small at all..." When he received the admission notice, Ngo Minh was carrying a large bundle of firewood home. The yard was crowded with media reporters coming to interview. A journalist asked: "Ngo Minh, can you share with everyone about your effective learning method?" Ngo Minh thought for a moment and then replied: "My mother taught us to learn to grasp the main points, find the rules, and not learn by rote." "When doing homework, my mother often guides us to think of many solutions, to find the simplest one." …… Another reporter asked: “Who do you want to thank the most?” Ngo Minh's eyes turned red and he slowly said: "The person I want to thank the most... is my mother." No way. Absolutely impossible. I torture him every day, but the person he wants to thank is me? This boy must have been beaten to death by me! “If it weren't for my mother, I wouldn't be who I am today.” “It was our mother who taught us life skills.” "It's our mother who has trained us in the spirit of hard work and suffering." “Being a mother helps us have strong will.” …… The reporter turned to me: “You are so wonderful.” “Raising such an excellent child…” I smiled awkwardly, so embarrassed that I just wanted to crawl into the ground and hide from the countryside. Don't think you can escape by saying some touching words. Tomorrow I will punish you to pull out all the grass in the fields and carry water in jars, let me know! Haha, who said I'm an evil stepmother! The interview quickly spread online. Many websites reposted that video. Netizens' comments exploded: "A poor child can pass the exam as valedictorian, so admirable!" “The phoenix spreads its wings from the corner of the mountain!” "Study, please share your learning secret?" “Ngo Minh's mother, how did you teach me?” “We want to learn your parenting methods!” (5) Looking at the comments from netizens, I felt a little guilty. If they knew how I really treated the children, they would definitely scold me for being the cruelest stepmother in the world. At noon, the whole family is having dinner. Suddenly there was the sound of high heels making a "clack clack". I raised my head to look — a woman walked in. She was wearing a super short skirt, makeup so heavy that her real face couldn't be seen, and her perfume was so strong it made me want to cough. Who is she? The system finally spoke: 【Host, this is the biological mother of two children.】 I was secretly happy: The biological mother is back, so I can get a divorce! Ngo Dai Vy and the two children immediately turned to stone and looked dumbfounded at the woman in front of them. “Dai Vy, I'm Ly Phuong Phuong!” — she smiled brightly. “Minh Minh, Linh Linh, it's mom, don't you guys recognize me?” As she spoke, she reached out her hand to hold Ngo Minh's hand. Ngo Minh threw his hand away in annoyance: "You are not my mother." She paused, her face showing confusion. She opened her arms, intending to hug Ngo Linh again. Ngo Linh pulled away and pushed her hard. Pointing at me, loudly said: "She is my mother!" The other woman immediately glared at me with eyes full of resentment, gritted her teeth and said: "She's just a stepmother!" “I am your biological mother!” – the woman said loudly. Ngo Minh immediately stood up and shouted: "When my sister and I were bullied, where were you?" “When I fell into the pond and almost drowned, where were you?” “Since we were little, she abandoned us.” “What are you doing back now?!” The woman tried to squeeze out a few tears, pretended to regret, and said in a tormented voice: "Minh Minh, Linh Linh... it's mom's fault." "I shouldn't have abandoned you..." "I will make up for it later and love you very much." “Give mom a chance to make things right… is that okay?” But Ngo Linh and Ngo Minh said in unison: "Our mother only has one person - she!" Both turned their heads to look at me, their eyes full of determination. Ngo Dai Vy's face now darkened and he coldly said: "You go away. This house does not welcome you." He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and said seriously: "Tan Nhien is my wife. And you - not worthy." “You guys…” — the woman was so angry that her throat was choked and she couldn't say a word. Finally, I had to leave angrily. What… what is this?! Why is the situation completely opposite to the scenario I imagined? The whole family is reunited, the one who has to leave... shouldn't it be me? “Now that the children's biological mother has returned, I should leave.” As soon as I turned around and was about to go into the room to pack my luggage, Ngo Dai Vy quickly grabbed my hand, as if afraid I would run away. “Nien Nhien, where are you going?!” Two little kids then burst into tears: "Mom, don't go! You will always be our mother!" These two damn kids... haven't I abused them enough?! At this time, the system spoke again: 【Actually... not getting divorced is also good.】 I frowned: "How can I complete the mission if I don't get divorced?" The system begins to analyze: 【You're divorced, don't you have no place to go back to?】 【Without divorce, wouldn't you still be able to continue "being a mother" easily? The two of us are still high school students.】 【Ngo Dai Vy treats her well, he takes care of all the money he earns…】 【Then… what else are you dissatisfied with?】