The vicious female supporting role is posted in the opposite direction by the cub

Winter nights come early in S continent, and the chill gradually deepens.

Yan Yueqing was pulled into the warm main hall by her mother, Jiang Yu, and was instantly enveloped in a calm and profound warmth.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the virtual seascape quietly faded away, revealing the outline of dark mountains in the night. Only the cold moonlight flowing from the main building complex of the "Jade Palace" in the distance outlined the majestic presence of a lurking behemoth.

Jiang Yu did not sit down immediately, but walked to the smart wine cabinet embedded in the wall.

She tapped the screen a few times with her fingertips, and the internal robotic arm operated silently. A moment later, a drink, with emerald green tea soup supporting the unfurled crimson tea leaves, was steadily served in a crystal glass—it was the "Cold Mountain Ice Extract" that Yan Yueqing remembered.

"Warm it up first." Jiang Yu's voice carried a hint of tension as she placed the cup into her daughter's slightly cool hands.

She picked up another darker-colored special cocktail, tilted her head back, and took a big gulp, as if she needed the unique spiciness to suppress her turbulent emotions.

Yan Yueqing sat down as instructed, sinking deeply into the large, soft velvet sofa.

Inside the fireplace, olive wood crackled softly, and the leaping golden-red flames illuminated her cool profile, dispelling the fatigue from the long flight. Jiang Ming silently walked over and added another thick piece of olive wood to the fireplace. The dry wood, upon contact with the fire, burst into an even brighter burst of sparks, intensifying the warmth.

"Dad, Mom." Yan Yueqing held the warm cup, her fingertips tracing the delicate texture of the cup, her gaze sweeping over her parents' faces, which showed undisguised concern and even deeper worry.

This long-lost scene of the family of three peacefully gathered around the fireplace was the last time it happened was six years ago, when she left the Jiang family with a billion yuan to "test the waters" in China. The fireplace was just as warm then, and the tea was just as fragrant, but it lacked the many heart-wrenching moments and the heavy burden of life and death that followed.

"Over the years..." Yan Yueqing's voice was soft, carrying a hint of reminiscing about the past, "so much has happened."

Jiang Yu sat down on the single sofa opposite her, her back straight as a javelin. Even in front of her closest daughter, she could not completely shed the majesty of the head of the family, but deep in her eyes was an unyielding weariness and heavy worries.

She looked into her daughter's calm eyes, as if trying to confirm that the person in front of her had truly and completely returned.

“Yes, we need to have a proper talk.” Jiang Yu began, her voice low and clear, each word like a recollection of a heavy past, “Those years when your soul left your body and was possessed by that imposter… your father and I almost thought…”

Her voice choked for a moment, and Jiang Ming reached out his hand at the right time, his broad and warm palm covering her tense shoulder, conveying silent support.

Jiang Yu took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her surging emotions, and her eyes became sharp as knives again.

"At that time, I unilaterally severed all ties with you and the Yan family of China. On one hand, it was out of despair, because I thought you really... On the other hand, it was also to deceive the enemy! My daughter, Jiang Yu's daughter, had her soul replaced. How could some people in the family not know about such a huge flaw?"

"them?"

Jiang Yu took a deep breath: "Let's talk about the Jiang family first. In the Jiang family, women are respected, and the succession to the position of family head is strictly controlled. As my only daughter, you are the sole heir to the position of family head. And Jiang Ke, my younger sister, your aunt..."

Upon hearing this name, Yan Yueqing fell silent, as memories of her two lifetimes intertwined and surged in her mind.

She clearly remembered her aunt Jiang Ke from her previous life, who always greeted her with smiles and showed her great care in the family. She also remembered the "kindness" Jiang Ke showed her when she was innocent and naive in this life.

She had never harbored even the slightest thought of vying with Jiang Ke for the position of head of the Jiang family. Faced with the Jiang family's rigid hierarchy and millennia-old heritage, she knew her own limitations. She yearned for freedom, loathed constraints, and felt only awe and resistance towards that supreme authority. Even when she was younger and more naive, she had publicly stated that she would relinquish her inheritance rights, wishing only to be a carefree princess of the Yan family.

With the power, skill, and cunning that Jiang Ke has cultivated in the Jiang family for many years, she is already recognized as the only candidate to become the next head of the family and is her mother's preferred successor.

why?
Why must you be so ruthless towards yourself?
In her previous life, she meticulously planned the explosion that not only destroyed Su Zihu but also nearly destroyed herself.

In this life, take advantage of her pregnancy and strike her when she is at her most vulnerable.
One trap after another, one dead end after another.

It was as if Jiang Ke had dug one bottomless trap after another in her life, determined to bury her completely.

This obsession, this ruthlessness, far surpasses the power struggle itself; it's more like a deep-seated...hatred? Or perhaps, a deeper kind of madness that she still can't comprehend?
The olive wood in the fireplace crackled and popped again, sending sparks flying.

She gazed at the leaping flames, her glassy eyes reflecting the flickering firelight and a complex mix of emotions that defied description.

After a long silence, she finally spoke, her voice low and filled with confusion and bewilderment, as if asking her parents, but also as if asking herself:

"I don't understand why she's so determined to kill me?"

Jiang Yu said, "Perhaps it's related to the secret letter."

"Secret message?"

“When the Jiang family heads pass on their positions, the previous head entrusts them with some secret inheritances. To prevent the inheritance from being interrupted due to the unexpected death of the current head, the head of the family will also secretly select someone in advance to seal a secret letter, which will be handed over to the new head of the family before taking office. Your grandmother passed away suddenly at that time, and the person she selected was…”

"Jiang Ke?" Yan Yueqing's fingertips unconsciously traced the surface of the cup, leaving faint watermarks.

"Yes." Jiang Yu's voice was hoarse and tired. "I suspect she may have seen the contents of the secret letter and knows about your existence, which will affect her in the future."

Yan Yueqing frowned: "What content? I was only seven years old when my grandmother passed away."

What threat could a seven-year-old child pose to her?
Jiang Yu took a deep breath: "The contents of the secret letter are—starting with me, and with three generations of family heads, we will bring the entire Jiang family back to China."

Return to China?

Jiang Yu continued, "Your father, Jiang Ming, gave up his identity as a member of the Yan family in China for love, faked his death, and came back with me under an assumed name. This in itself touched a nerve with many old guys."

"And you grew up in China. For the past twenty years, doubts within the family have never ceased regarding whether the young master is close to the family and whether he can take charge in the future..."

"Especially the faction led by Second Elder Jiang Wei, they firmly believe that over the past century, the Jiang family's roots have been deeply established overseas, and they must never return to China. Your existence, your growth trajectory, is precisely the most important plan and symbol for my efforts to relocate the family's center back to China! Therefore, they see you as a thorn in their side!" (End of Chapter)