The Abusive Novel System Pleads with Me to Resign-Chapter 75

Chang Ming found Yu Shishi as quickly as he could, just as a light rain began to fall from the sky.

Yu Shishi was walking down the path from the Pei family's mountain estate, completely drenched like a drowned rat, looking both disheveled and pitifully fragile.

Chang Ming’s heart ached at the sight. He hurriedly took off his coat and draped it over Yu Shishi’s shoulders.

Glaring at the Pei family’s mansion atop the distant mountain, he clenched his teeth so hard they nearly cracked.

"Come on, I’ll take you to confront Pei Ying," Chang Ming said.

He also wanted to get Yu Shishi somewhere nearby where she could take a hot bath and change into dry clothes—after all, driving all the way back to his place wasn’t exactly a short trip.

But Yu Shishi refused outright, shaking her head frantically. "No, I won’t go back up there. Chang Ming, just take me away from here, please."

Chang Ming felt both furious and heartbroken. "Why shouldn’t we go? He’s the one who should be ashamed to face you!"

"I want to ask him—how cold and heartless does someone have to be to turn on the person they grew up with just because someone else whispered a few words in their ear?"

Chang Ming still assumed Yu Shishi was simply too heartbroken to face Pei Ying, never considering the possibility that she had been outright banished.

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But while Yu Shishi could lie through her teeth, she couldn’t bear the thought of Chang Ming confronting Pei Ying directly.

If that happened, she’d lose even the last shred of dignity she had left in Chang Ming’s eyes.

She broke down, sobbing, "I said I’m not going, and that’s final! Are you really going to force me? If you want to see Pei Ying so badly, go by yourself. Let me out—I’ll walk home on my own!"

Seeing her like this, Chang Ming didn’t dare push her any further. He quickly softened his tone. "Alright, alright. We’ll ignore him."

With that, he turned the car around and drove back down the mountain.

---

Once they arrived at the Chang residence, Chang Ming immediately called out to the head housemaid as soon as they stepped inside. "Draw a hot bath for Shishi and prepare a fresh set of clothes."

The housemaid gasped at Yu Shishi’s sodden state. "Goodness, you’re soaked! Come here, let me dry you off first."

She pulled Yu Shishi aside, chattering as they walked. "It’s been almost a month since you last visited, hasn’t it? You really should—"

"Ahem!" Chang Ming coughed loudly, cutting her off with a sharp look.

Clearly, the housemaid still had no idea that the last "Yu Shishi" who visited had been an imposter—Shen Ying. He didn’t want Yu Shishi to feel uncomfortable knowing Shen Ying had been here.

Though confused, the housemaid took the hint and fell silent.

While Yu Shishi went to freshen up, Chang Ming stewed in his anger.

Unable to hold back any longer, he grabbed his phone and dialed Pei Ying’s number.

The moment the call connected, he didn’t bother hiding his fury. "Do you have any idea what condition Shishi was in when I found her?"

"She’d been walking down the mountain from your place in high heels for over half an hour—drenched the entire time. Her face was ghostly pale, and her whole body was frozen stiff!"

"Pei Ying, how dare you? What gives you the right to treat Shishi like this?"

Pei Ying’s voice was icy. "I never forbade anyone from driving her home. She refused. Clearly, she preferred to walk."

Chang Ming couldn’t believe his ears. "What kind of bullshit is that? After you accused her of lying about saving your life, did you really expect her to swallow her pride and accept a ride from your family?"

Pei Ying let out a humorless laugh. "If she had any real pride, she wouldn’t have spent years accepting ‘charity’ built on a lie."

Chang Ming exploded. "Pei Ying, have you lost your damn mind? Charity? Since when is basic human decency ‘charity’?"

"What the hell has Shen Ying done to you? How could you turn into such a heartless, ungrateful bastard overnight? I knew it—ever since that dinner when you took your frustration out on me, I knew you’d changed."

"But even if you’ve fallen for Shen Ying, that doesn’t justify treating Shishi like this! Even if she’s no longer the woman you love, you still owe her your life. Don’t you dare forget that."

Pei Ying hadn’t expected Yu Shishi to still be spinning lies at this point.

He had no patience to explain things to Chang Ming and instead countered, "Do you really think I’d make such a decision without solid proof?"

"The truth is, she stole credit for her sister’s actions, reaped the rewards meant for someone else, and spent years sabotaging her sister’s future behind the scenes."

Chang Ming opened his mouth, then closed it. Logically, he knew Pei Ying wasn’t the type to believe baseless accusations—but emotionally, he refused to accept Pei Ying’s words.

"That’s Shen Ying we’re talking about," he argued. "Have you forgotten how manipulative she is? You think someone as pure as Shishi could outsmart her? If anything, it’s the other way around!"

Pei Ying took a deep breath. "Chang Ming, I’m not going to debate this with you. No matter how fiercely you defend Yu Shishi, don’t test my patience on this matter."

"Or I won’t hesitate to cut ties with you too."

He continued coldly, "After tomorrow, take her as far away as you want. Go wherever you please—just make sure neither of you ever crosses my path again."

Chang Ming scoffed. "Unbelievable. So now you’re trying to erase Shishi from existence?"

"Even if—fine, even if what you believe is true, and Shishi wasn’t the one who saved you, she’s still the girl you grew up with! How can you just discard decades of friendship like it meant nothing? Even a rock would’ve warmed up after all these years!"

Pei Ying laughed bitterly. "Spare me the self-righteous nonsense."

"Chang Ming, let me ask you this—if you found out the person you’d relied on for over a decade, the one who ‘helped’ you through your darkest days, was actually responsible for your parents’ deaths… would you still be preaching about the sanctity of childhood bonds?"

"Can deceitful affection even be called affection? No. A relationship built on selfish schemes doesn’t deserve the name."

Chang Ming’s blood boiled. "Shut up! How dare you bring my parents into this?"

Pei Ying immediately regretted the analogy. "You’re right. I shouldn’t have mentioned Uncle and Auntie. I apologize."

"But judging by your reaction, if you were in my shoes, you wouldn’t be spouting platitudes about ‘warming rocks’ either."

With that, Pei Ying hung up, leaving Chang Ming seething but powerless.

---

Not long after, Yu Shishi emerged, now dressed in clean clothes and cradling a cup of hot milk the housemaid had prepared for her. She sat blankly on the sofa, lost in thought.

Chang Ming’s anger at Pei Ying faded as his concern for her took over. He approached her gently, murmuring reassurances.

Exhausted ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‍from the day’s emotional turmoil and the long walk in heels, Yu Shishi soon succumbed to sleep under the comforting weight of Chang Ming’s presence.

Carefully, he carried her to bed.

Seeing that it wasn’t yet dark outside, he grabbed his car keys and left, driving straight to Shen Ying’s place.

He pounded on her door without restraint.

After a long pause, footsteps finally approached from inside.

Shen Ying opened the door and, upon seeing Chang Ming, didn’t seem the least bit surprised by his sudden visit. If anything, she looked almost welcoming.

"Oh, it’s you! Come in, come in. It’s chilly today—don’t catch a cold. And remember to take off your shoes."

Her cheerful demeanor threw Chang Ming off balance, stifling the accusations he’d been about to hurl at her.

Following her instructions, he changed into slippers and stepped inside, noticing the words [GAME OVER] flashing on her TV screen.

No wonder she’d taken so long to answer the door—she’d been in the middle of a game.

Chang Ming's temper flared instantly. He pointed at Shen Ying and said, "I always knew you were no good, but I never expected you could be this cruel to your own sister."

"She's your flesh and blood. A little rivalry between sisters is one thing, but did you have to go this far?"

"Set the record straight immediately, or else I—"

Before he could finish, Shen Ying tilted her chin up. "Or else what? The electrotherapy wasn't enough, so you're begging me to turn it up?"

A shadow of fear crossed Chang Ming's face as he instinctively recoiled, reminded of just how terrifying this woman could be.

But this time, he had no way out. He stiffened his neck and retorted, "Don't try to scare me with that nonsense. This is completely different."

"What you did this time crossed every line. Do you even realize Pei Ying that bastard is trying to drive Yu Shishi away for good?"

"Shen Ying, if you have even a shred of conscience left, if you care even a little about your sister, you’ll clear things up with Pei Ying right now. Tell him Yu Shishi was the one who really saved him."

Without hesitation, Shen Ying nodded. "Five million."

Chang Ming: "...Fine!"

She was playing Pei Ying for a fool, and when the truth came out, she’d pay dearly. Given the risks, five million wasn’t an unreasonable price for her.

Shen Ying immediately flashed a bright smile and dialed Pei Ying’s number. To prove she wasn’t scheming or twisting her words, she even considerately put the call on speaker.

On the other end, Pei Ying was stunned when he saw Shen Ying’s name on his caller ID.

His heart raced with a mix of panic and anticipation, shame and inexplicable joy.

He took a deep breath before answering, his voice rough. "You… called me?"

Shen Ying replied, "Yeah, I just wanted to tell you something."

Pei Ying quickly said, "Go ahead."

Shen Ying: "Turns out, when I said I was the one who saved you—that was a lie. My sister was the one who outsmarted the kidnappers and got everyone out safely."

"Everything I said before was just me bragging. Don’t believe a word of it."

Pei Ying felt as if a knife had been plunged into his heart. His voice strained, he said, "No… don’t say that."

"I was the fool here. I don’t expect your forgiveness, but please… don’t deny what happened between us."

Shen Ying shot Chang Ming a helpless look before pressing on. "Seriously, every lead you followed was staged by me."

"The photos? Fake. The clothes? We swapped them so often even we couldn’t tell whose was whose. The adoption records? I personally told the orphanage director—no one impersonated me. Even the scar was because I was obsessed with making my sister match me, so I cut myself. She got beaten black and blue for making me go through that pain."

"Really, you have to believe me."

Pei Ying struggled to breathe. "I’m sorry… I’m so sorry!"

"I was too arrogant. I’ve always been like this—never considered I could make a mistake, never even thought about the possibility of twins. I looked down on everything, even the donations to the orphanage. If I’d just gone back once, I would’ve realized something was wrong."

"This is all my fault." His dry eyes burned with sudden moisture. "Please… don’t erase it."

"Please."

Shen Ying hung up and gave Chang Ming an innocent look. "I did exactly what you asked. His reaction isn’t my problem—the money’s still mine."

Chang Ming stood there, dumbfounded, his mouth slightly open, still processing Pei Ying’s pitiful words.

Even after all that, he still believed Shen Ying’s lies? What a pathetic fool.

Chang Ming scowled and nodded. "Don’t worry, you’ll get your money. But I see now—you’ve been setting this up for a long time, haven’t you?"

That’s why Pei Ying trusted her so blindly, why even her own confession couldn’t shake him.

Chang Ming snatched Shen Ying’s phone and sneered. "Now, out of the four of us, three have become your obedient dogs."

"I don’t believe you don’t have some trick waiting for me. Let’s see what kind of trap you’ve laid."

Shen Ying shrugged. "How could I? If there’s one person out of the four I’ve never had any interest in, it’s you, Chang Ming."

Ignoring her, Chang Ming rifled through her phone. Just then, the system, silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up:

[What did you say?]

[No wonder Chang Ming’s progress bar never moved—you never planned to pursue him?]

Shen Ying brightened. "System! You’re back! I thought you’d gone on maternity leave."

The system: [%&%&%]

Shen Ying: "What was that?"

The system: [Nothing. Just my native language.]

(Translation: Profanity.)

[Why skip Chang Ming? He’s one of the main leads. You’re just giving up a quarter of the game?]

Shen Ying smiled. "Someone’s got to be left for my sister."

The system shuddered.

[You—I thought you didn’t hold much of a grudge against the female side characters.]

Shen Ying nodded. "I don’t. She’s just facing the consequences of her own actions now."

The system wasn’t concerned about the side character’s fate. What worried it was:

[Host, let me remind you—early-stage missions are easier. If you don’t maximize your targets now, you’ll have no buffer for the harder worlds later.]

Shen Ying ignored the system, her effortless control only fueling its frustration.

Meanwhile, Chang Ming found nothing incriminating in Shen Ying’s phone. Undeterred, he yanked open her phone drawer.

He lined up every device on the table. "Which one did you use the day of the auction?"

Shen Ying casually pointed to one, grinning. "You really are sharp."

Chang Ming scoffed. "Of course. One word from you, and Yu Shishi started avoiding me like the plague. Before, I was held back by the others’ competition. Now that I know you’ve been scheming from the start, I need to see what lies you’ve planted between us."

He grabbed the phone Shen Ying indicated, held it up to her face for unlock, and went straight to the messages.

After scrolling, he finally found a text sent to a familiar number.

He waved the phone at Shen Ying, then opened the message—only to find none of the slander he expected.

Just one simple line:

[Why did you answer my call?]!