Off Script

2.2: In Sickness (END)

Mao Ling was pretty.

There was no lie about it. She was beautiful. If her heart wasn't so dark, then she could've been considered a pure lotus, so white and untainted. But she wasn't. Mao Ling, no matter how lovely her face looked, was simply a disgusting human being, if she can still be called human. Her actions were vile and her temperament thin. She hid behind fake smiles and deceitful lies.

Originally, when Mao Cheng died, it was the main catalyst to her success. From that point on, she was handed everything on a silver platter. Her parents felt like they've abandoned her due to Mao Cheng's illness, so they tried their best to cater to her wishes after that. With her, the Mao empire rose to become a powerhouse. Or, because of the men under her feet. Mao Ling had a harem of men to her beck and call, was a famous businesswoman due to her inheritance and her backing, lived lavishly and enjoyed many of the finer things in life.

If you dig deep enough this story had literally no plot, with so many holes that had nothing to fill it with. If it was executed better, Liu Jian thought that this could be a best selling novel. But, it's just flat and one-dimensional with characters that had only three different personalities: care for the female protagonist, suppress the female protagonist or be canon fodder for the female protagonist. He might not be an author, but he was an avid reader and knew this sort of story would just be treated as some sort of r18 shoujo novella with a beautiful girl and a bunch of men powering towards the top of the social ladder. It was boring.

But now she was sent off, to some man she didn't know and didn't care for. Because of a mistake, an anomaly in the system, the one that took over her brother's body, Liu Jian. Mao Cheng died the day he crossed over, his heart giving up on him upon learning who had hurt him. He never thought the sister he loved so dearly would throw him away like trash.

Seeing her in a wedding dress, unwilling and defeated gave Liu Jian a smidgen of glee. He glanced around the room with an attitude of a curious baby. The chapel was beautiful, the wedding grand. Only the groom uninterested and the bride, after seeing how handsome her husband would be, was extremely happy. The rest of the guest were mingling around.

Running over with a grin, he said, "Sister, you look so pretty. Like a princess."

Mao Zhi Yu caught his hand, afraid that going near her would be enough to kill, "Naughty child, don't leave me or your mother's side. We don't want to lose you."

"Of course daddy, but can I give sister a hug?"

His face contorted with anger, making Mao Ling stiffen. Liu Jian himself was surprised, but was touched by this man's protectiveness. He never had a parental figured that cared so much for him, " No!- no, you can't. You'll ruin her dress. Little one, don't make a fuss on Tan Ling's big day."

Liu Jian nodded, noting at how Mao Zhi Yu referred to her as a Tan, and not a Mao.

'Wow, this guy must really love his son.'

[A father's love is something to be envious about. How fortunate, Host. I have no parents. Ah no, Mao Cheng is.]

Neither host or system touched upon his death. Whether or not he had luck or not, it didn't matter.

"Who is this little thing?" The groom suddenly came up to him with interested eyes.

'Oh, this is the male lead? Wow.' He couldn't hide his shock at his good looks. Tan Ru Min was, in short, otherworldly. Tall, with dark hair and deep eyes. The man looked wonderful in his tux and Liu Jian wasn't uncomfortable thinking that. Even though he was older than Mao Ling, it wasn't by much, just twelve or so years more. He looked to be around her age.