The Abusive Novel System Pleads with Me to Resign

Shen Ying was still in the private room, but her spirit had already flown away.

Her feet moved toward the door as she explained to her younger siblings, "Hey, something urgent just came up, so I have to leave."

"Don’t worry about me—eat, drink, and have fun. I’ve already settled the bill. Just be careful when you head to the club later."

She assigned two reliable ones to oversee the rest of the night, transferred some money to a girl nearby for additional expenses, and then opened the door to leave.

The mixed-race boy called after her, "What’s so important that you have to leave now?"

Shen Ying turned back with a smile. "I’ve only half-unwrapped my gift. It’s been on my mind."

The boy frowned. "What’s the rush? Can’t you finish unwrapping it later?"

Shen Ying replied, "I can’t wait. That gift wasn’t tied properly—it might run away on its own."

With that, she walked out, leaving the group stunned.

One of them muttered, "Is it even alive?"

Another snickered, "Did someone gift her a chicken or a duck? Rich people sure have unique tastes."

By then, Shen Ying had already reached the door of her stepsister’s private room and walked in casually.

The people inside were shocked to see her—the same person they couldn’t persuade to join them earlier now appearing on her own.

Yu Ting, in particular, remembered how much effort he’d wasted trying to get her to move. Seeing her now, he found it downright bizarre.

Then Jiang Liuxu spoke up beside him, "I told you it wasn’t over yet. See? She’s here."

Yu Ting stiffened, his expression shifting from disbelief to irritation and resentment.

Now he understood what Jiang Liuxu had been sneaking around for earlier—he must have done something to lure Shen Ying over.

While he had wanted her to come, Yu Ting now felt an inexplicable frustration.

Sure enough, Shen Ying headed straight for Jiang Liuxu the moment she entered.

Jiang Liuxu had already stood up, pulling out the chair beside him with gentlemanly grace, inviting her to sit.

The two acted as if nothing awkward had happened earlier in the other room.

Yu Shishi’s smile was strained. "Sis, what brings you here? Weren’t you busy playing with the kids?"

Shen Ying replied, "Dr. Jiang has a gift for me."

Yu Shishi immediately recalled the box Jiang Liuxu had brought up earlier.

A wave of displeasure surged inside her. Today was her welcome-back party—what did her sister have to do with it? Why was he giving her a gift?

She feigned realization. "Oh, is that why you went to the garage earlier, Liuxu?"

"But didn’t you leave the gift for Sis in the restroom?"

She gave Shen Ying an apologetic look. "He’s not usually this careless."

Jiang Liuxu, however, responded smoothly, "The box in the restroom was empty. The gift isn’t there."

Yu Shishi’s smile froze. "What kind of gift is it, then? So mysterious. Can we see it?"

Jiang Liuxu shook his head with a faint smile. "Sorry, it’s not something to be shared."

"Let’s just say it took me a lot of resolve to give it to her."

Yu Shishi’s heart twisted beyond mere dissatisfaction.

With Jiang Liuxu’s status, what kind of gift could be so precious that he’d hesitate before giving it?

Something that valuable, he could give to her sister—while she got cheap trinkets worth a couple thousand at most.

She lowered her head, struggling to hide the bitterness threatening to spill over.

But she wasn’t the only one unhappy. Yu Ting’s instincts flared.

He ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‍eyed Jiang Liuxu suspiciously. "You didn’t package up your entire fortune and hand it to her, did you?"

"Otherwise, I can’t imagine what would drag her away from that table."

If money was the bait, everything made sense.

Jiang Liuxu glanced at him, unperturbed. "Half right. You’re getting close to the truth."

As he spoke, a hand slipped beneath his jacket, unseen by others, and brushed against his shirt.

The fingers found the knot of the tie, tracing it through the fabric before tugging lightly.

The rough friction against his skin sent subtle currents of pleasure through him.

Jiang Liuxu clenched his hands, suppressing the shiver.

His already flushed face grew even more vivid.

But Yu Ting was still watching intently, convinced that this "gift" was the key.

He could feel an invisible force binding those two together, setting them apart from everyone else—including himself.

Unable to stand the tension, Yu Ting blurted out, "Whatever he’s giving you, I’ll match it."

Shen Ying’s head snapped up. "Really?"

Jiang Liuxu’s expression darkened. He shot Shen Ying a warning look before calmly addressing Yu Ting, "This isn’t a card game. You can’t just ‘match’ it."

Yu Ting scoffed. "Says you? What do you have that I don’t?"

"A free full-body checkup?"

Shen Ying choked on a cough.

Jiang Liuxu gritted his teeth, cursing Yu Ting’s uncanny intuition yet again.

Instead of engaging, he turned to Shen Ying. "Don’t get greedy. You might lose everything."

Shen Ying feigned innocence. "As if I would."

Yu Ting’s temper flared. "Since when do you have principles? Weren’t you always playing all sides?"

"Where’s that cunning greed of yours now?"

Shen Ying protested, "Nonsense. I’ve never been greedy."

Yu Ting sneered. "Wasn’t it you who stabbed me in the back and framed Pei Ying to drag him into the mess?"

"Wasn’t it you who made Pei Ying pay just to watch Jiang Liuxu suffer?"

"Wasn’t it you who filmed the three of us fighting and charged us to buy the footage before it hit the trending list?"

"Which part of that wasn’t shameless profiteering? And now you’re pretending you only take one gift at a time? Since when?"

Shen Ying thought, It’s not that I don’t want to—I just can’t right now.

But someone else was far more agitated.

Yu Shishi stood abruptly. "You never told me it went down like this! What exactly happened back then?"

She turned to Shen Ying, accusation sharp in her voice. "Sis, how could you? For money, you’d stir up trouble and hurt my friends?"

"It sounds like you didn’t just hurt them—you manipulated things to make it worse. What were you even doing? Were you trying to get back at me?"

Before she could finish, Yu Ting cut in, "Well, it’s not entirely her fault."

Yu Shishi stared at him in disbelief.

He pointed at Jiang Liuxu. "The root of it was him. If he hadn’t set the trap, your sister wouldn’t have had a chance to exploit it. Blame him first."

Yu Shishi fumed. "Liuxu made mistakes, but so did Sis. Why split hairs over who started it?"

She added, "He brought this on himself, and I’ll talk to him about it later. But right now, we’re discussing the whole situation."

Yu Ting bristled. "Why does Jiang Liuxu get a private scolding while your sister gets publicly called out?"

"How close are you with her, anyway?"

Yu Shishi fumed, "Who am I standing up for here? Weren’t you the one who kept saying you were the one wronged?"

Yu Ting replied, "No need. I’ve already fought back. Your sister’s lack of principles gave me the perfect opportunity."

"I actually agree with that."

Yu Shishi felt dizzy with frustration. "You’re a public figure! Have you even considered the consequences if footage of you fighting gets leaked?"

"My sister used it as leverage, and you still think she did the right thing?"

Yu Ting was growing impatient with her stubbornness over something he’d already moved past.

He said, "It didn’t get leaked, did it? I know her—she just wants money. Stop overanalyzing her motives."

"And why are you so quick to overlook Jiang Liuxu’s mistakes? You and your sister just reunited—you haven’t even built a bond yet. This isn’t the time to play the ‘fairness over family’ card."

The others stared at Yu Ting, convinced he’d been completely fooled.

Yu Shishi was so upset she burst into tears, her eyes reddening as fat tears rolled down her cheeks.

At that moment, she realized the situation was far worse than she’d imagined.

It wasn’t just about money—someone had already defected to her sister’s side.

Fortunately, it seemed to be only Yu Ting for now. Yu Shishi knew she couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

Her voice trembled with hurt as she said, "You can’t twist my goodwill just to protect my sister."

Chang Ming, seeing the woman he loved in tears, couldn’t stay silent anymore, no matter how much he feared Shen Ying.

He stood up and snapped at Yu Ting, "What’s your problem? Wasn’t this whole mess Shen Ying’s doing? And now it’s Shishi’s fault?"

"You’re bending over backward to defend the person who hurt you, but you’re blaming Shishi, who actually cares about you?"

Yu Ting faltered when he saw her crying. He wanted to lash out at Chang Ming but held back, afraid it would only make Yu Shishi cry harder.

Jiang Liuxu, however, had no such reservations. He smirked and said, "Concern is fine, but let’s not confuse who’s really at fault here."

Then, turning to Yu Shishi, he added, "I’m glad you didn’t embarrass me in front of everyone. That’s why I didn’t want to tell you the truth earlier."

"But I still hope you’ll show the same kindness to your sister."

Yu Shishi’s heart sank as she stared at Jiang Liuxu.

Of course. This man had gone to great lengths to bring her sister back—how could she have naively believed he hadn’t changed his feelings?

Chang Ming scoffed. "You’re comparing Shen Ying to Shishi’s gentleness? Are they even in the same league?"

"Look at how Shishi has treated all of you versus how Shen Ying has. Have you really been fooled into developing feelings for her?"

Yu Ting couldn’t help but retort, "What do you know? You’ve never experienced her gentleness yourself."

There was an inexplicable pride in his tone that only fueled everyone’s irritation.

Yu Shishi couldn’t bear to look at Yu Ting anymore. Her gaze shifted pleadingly to Pei Ying.

He was her last emotional stronghold—if the whole world betrayed her, Pei Ying never would.

Pei Ying, noticing her distress, could no longer stay out of it, though he found the whole situation exhausting.

He spoke up, immediately berating Chang Ming. "This is all your fault. You’re the one who started everything. You should be the one reflecting right now."

Yu Shishi: "……???"

Chang Ming: "……"

What kind of useless mediator are you?

As the argument raged on, Shen Ying stood up and sighed. "I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come."

"I’ve ruined what was supposed to be a happy reunion. Let me apologize, little sister."

Yu Shishi was so furious she nearly rolled her eyes. In both her lifetimes, she’d never seen her sister act so shameless.

Shen Ying continued, "I never meant to ruin the mood. Maybe it’s best if I leave."

Then, turning to Jiang Liuxu, she asked, "Dr. Jiang, would you mind driving me home?"

Jiang Liuxu knew exactly what she was up to and played along. "It would be my pleasure."

As the two turned to leave, Yu Ting suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of danger.

He blurted out, "No!"

Everyone turned to him.

Yu Ting pointed at Jiang Liuxu’s flushed face. "You’re drunk. I’ll take her."

Jiang Liuxu wanted to strangle him. Was this really about alcohol?

He forced a smile. "No need. I have a driver."

Yu Ting scoffed. "Bullshit. You drove here yourself—no driver in sight."

"By the time you call one, I’ll already have her home."

Jiang Liuxu took a deep breath, glaring at Yu Ting. "Are you deliberately ignoring the situation? Can’t you read the room?"

"There are many reasons a man might drive a woman home, and right now, it’s the kind where outsiders aren’t welcome."

"You’ve always been tactless, but do you really want to make everyone hate you?"

The group froze, staring at Jiang Liuxu. They’d noticed some chemistry between him and Shen Ying earlier, but no one expected things to move this fast.

Yu Shishi was stunned. Chang Ming looked thoughtful. Pei Ying frowned deeply.

But Yu Ting’s mind was buzzing.

Before he could think, his body reacted first—

"No. I don’t agree."

Jiang Liuxu smirked. "And what right do you have to disagree?"

He looked utterly confident—until Yu Ting’s next words wiped the smirk off his face.

Yu Ting said, "Every right. She’s already tricked me into going home with her and taken full advantage of me."

He locked eyes with Jiang Liuxu. "And yes, it’s exactly the kind of advantage you’re thinking of."