At The Beginning Of The Novel, The Villain Forced The Protagonist’s Step-Mom To Bear His Children

Chapter 53:

It was getting late, and the family was preparing for bed. 

Xu Shiqing pulled Xu Hao aside.

“Dad, please wait here…” She said, blushing before quickly running off.

Xu Hao raised an eyebrow, intrigued. He was aware that there was a bet between his two daughters, and it somehow involved him. Interesting.

He didn’t have to wait long before Shiqing returned, this time carrying a basin of warm water. She approached Xu Hao, set the basin down, and crouched beside him, looking a bit embarrassed.

“Dad, let me wash your feet…” she offered shyly.

Xu Hao felt a wave of emotion. 

Who could resist such a caring daughter? 

He finally understood the bet between the two sisters—it was to wash his feet. And as far as he was concerned, the more the merrier.

“Please, keep these kinds of bets coming.” Xu Hao thought to himself, amused. 

He wouldn’t mind if the stakes were higher and the penalties more creative. He could handle it.

[Ding! Xu Shiqing couldn’t help but feel ashamed, her emotional value +666]

Seeing Xu Hao remain silent, Shiqing’s embarrassment deepened. Gently, she reached out her hand, lifted his feet, and placed them into the warm water, washing them with care. She kept her head down, not daring to look up, her face flushed all the way to her neck. 

Xu Hao felt a surge of happiness, appreciating his daughter’s filial piety.

Then, he noticed something—his ears caught the sound of cautious footsteps.

Without needing to look, Xu Hao knew that Xu Huayi had brought Su Wanqiu and Xu Hongjiao to sneak a peek. 

He had no intention of alerting Shiqing, instead, he thought about how he could use this situation to his advantage in the future.

If Shiqing’s current predicament were witnessed by her mother and sister, they would certainly not let her off easily. 

Wouldn’t that mean more frequent bets? 

And perhaps the bets would become even more… interesting. After all, he was the one who stood to gain from this.

Moreover, by letting Shiqing face her embarrassment publicly, Xu Hao could also gain some emotional value. Not bad at all.

Setting aside these thoughts, Xu Hao closed his eyes, enjoying his daughter’s attentive service. Just as Shiqing was getting into the rhythm of washing his feet, the door suddenly burst open with a loud “click.”

“Sister, I couldn’t find you, where are you?” Xu Huayi called out. “Sister, what are you doing? Washing Daddy’s feet alone?”

She entered the room with Su Wanqiu and their younger sister, Xu Hongjiao. 

Pretending to search for her sister, she exaggerated her actions, but her mischievous smile gave her away.

Hearing the door open, Shiqing turned her head, confused. 

It wasn’t until they got closer that she fully realized what was happening. 

The strange looks from her mother and third sister brought her back to reality. 

Her pretty face twitched, and a deep blush spread across her cheeks. 

This time, not just her neck but her entire body turned red, as if she were about to explode from embarrassment.

Suddenly, Shiqing stood up, her face burning with embarrassment, and dashed out of the room.

“Sister, where are you going?” Huayi teased. “You haven’t finished washing Daddy’s feet; your punishment isn’t over yet!”

Seeing her sister’s flustered state, Xu Huayi was delighted and called after Shiqing, who was fleeing outside. 

Shiqing was fuming with anger, wishing she could disappear into a hole in the ground. 

Her sister was so infuriating, bringing their mother and third sister to witness her embarrassment.

“Just wait, I won’t let you get away with this,” she thought to herself.

[Ding! Xu Shiqing is extremely ashamed and angry, her emotional value +888]

“Sister, really, it’s just washing Daddy’s feet. What’s there to be embarrassed about?” Xu Huayi muttered. 

Seeing that Xu Hao’s feet were still soaking in the water, she stepped forward, took over her sister’s position, and began washing his feet.

Under the surprised gaze of Su Wanqiu and Xu Hongjiao, Xu Huayi finished washing and then dried Xu Hao’s feet.

“Dad, how did I do?” She asked, beaming with pride, as if awaiting praise.

Having enjoyed the foot-washing service from his two daughters, Xu Hao felt completely refreshed. He reached out his hand and gently rubbed Huayi’s little head.

“You sure know how to tease your sister.” He said with a smile.

Huayi shook her head in response.

“How did I tease her? She agreed to the bet and was ready to accept the consequences.” Su Wanqiu said, a smile forming as she observed the warm scene before her. It increasingly felt like a true family.

Xu Hongjiao’s expression grew complicated. It felt like they were a family, and she was just an outsider, out of place… But she knew this much—half a month ago, her mother and two younger sisters were on his side. Why did they suddenly turn against her? 

What kind of charm did Xu Hao use on them?

[Ding! Xu Hongjiao is frustrated, her mood level increased by +453]

Xu Huayi was enjoying herself, but when she returned home, she faced a severe beating from her sister. 

The sight of the two girls, identical in appearance, fighting each other would surely leave the boys at school—who idolized them—utterly shocked.

“Xu Huayi, how dare you bring Mother Su and Third Sister to laugh at me? I’ll teach you a lesson…” Xu Shiqing’s words were fierce, but she only aimed for the softer spots, ensuring no real harm was done.

Xu Huayi wasn’t one to just accept this. She rolled her eyes and employed her dragon claw technique, knowing exactly where her sister’s weak points were. 

Xu Shiqing was momentarily stunned. 

She always knew her sister was peculiar, but she never expected her to be this shameless, grabbing at anything she could.

Fury flared within Xu Shiqing. Why not teach her a proper lesson today? 

But in the end, Xu Huayi was the one who won, pinning her sister down with one hand while tickling her with the other.

“Are you giving up?”

“Yes, yes, I give up, Sister.” Xu Huayi laughed, unable to hold back. But in her heart, she was already plotting, “You may have the upper hand now, Xu Shiqing, but just wait—I’ll have my revenge.”

Xu Huayi understood the importance of knowing when to retreat to fight another day. 

Xu Shiqing, fully aware of her sister’s character, wasn’t going to let her off that easily. She intended to maintain her queenly status in front of their parents and Third Sister. She had to establish her dominance.

“I might let you go, but only if you agree to wash Dad’s feet tomorrow…”

“Wash Dad’s feet? Isn’t that a bit much, Sister?”

“You ran off in the middle of it last time. I had to finish washing Dad’s feet for you, and Mother Su and Third Sister saw the whole thing.”

Even though she was at a disadvantage, Xu Huayi refused to back down. She always had to prove she was better than her sister.

“Really?” Xu Shiqing was taken aback. She hadn’t expected her sister to do something so remarkable after she had fled. But as she thought more about it, she felt a sense of relief. Dad was always so kind to them, teaching them to read and write every day. What was a little thing like washing his feet?

After coming to terms with it, Xu Shiqing no longer felt embarrassed. 

She believed she could wash her father’s feet just as well as her sister, even if their mother and Third Sister were watching. But Xu Shiqing still wanted to tease her sister and wasn’t about to let the opportunity slip away.

After pondering for a moment, an idea struck Xu Shiqing.

“Then tomorrow, you give Dad a massage. Besides working, Dad also has to teach us. It’s exhausting for him…”

Xu Huayi immediately protested. “Why should I do it? You should wash Dad’s feet. We made a bet, and you lost, so you should be punished. Although I don’t mind giving Dad a massage, you need to give me a good reason.”

“A reason? You want a reason? How about this?” Xu Shiqing reached out her hand and started tickling her sister.

“Hahaha, no! If you keep this up, I’ll never agree…” Xu Huayi’s eyes filled with tears from the tickling, but she still refused to surrender. 

A look of determination flashed in her eyes. 

‘You’re trying to bully me? Just wait and see how I get back at you.’

She then deliberately suggested, “If you want me to give Dad a massage, that’s fine. But how about we make a bet? If you beat me, I’ll do it…”

“What kind of bet?”

“Last time, we weren’t on equal footing, so it wasn’t fair. But now, we’re starting from the same place. Let’s see who can improve the most.”

Xu Shiqing found herself deep in thought. 

There had indeed been a gap between her painting skills and her sister’s calligraphy. 

Even though she had been ahead, she had still lost before. Could she really defeat her sister this time?

Xu Shiqing’s eyes flickered with indecision. 

When her sister didn’t respond for a long time, Xu Huayi decided to provoke her. “What’s wrong? Are you scared? Don’t you dare anymore?”

There was no way Xu Shiqing would admit defeat in front of her sister. 

She immediately agreed. Her sister’s position couldn’t be shaken, so what did she have to fear? But this time, she knew it was important to her sister.

Xu Huayi liked to work quietly and surprise everyone. Xu Shiqing couldn’t let her succeed; she had to work even harder than her sister.

While the sisters were bickering, there was no peace in the other bedroom either. 

…

“Xu Hao…why haven’t you approached Hongjiao?” Su Wanqiu asked hesitantly, voicing the doubt in her heart. 

She remembered how Xu Hao had always been proactive with Xu Shiqing and Xu Huayi, giving them pocket money, sending them to school, and taking them to amusement parks. But now that Xu Hongjiao had returned, Xu Hao hadn’t made any moves.

Xu Hao remained silent. What did Su Wanqiu mean by “approach”? 

Dealing with Xu Hongjiao wasn’t easy. 

The younger daughters were still in school and inexperienced with the world, so they were easy to handle. 

However, Xu Hongjiao was different. She had experienced the world and seen the darker side of people. The usual tactics wouldn’t work on her anymore.

Seeing Su Wanqiu’s curious expression, Xu Hao smiled and said, “Didn’t you notice how wary Hongjiao is of me? She has a successful career now and doesn’t need my help. It’s not easy to make her feel at home.”

He paused, then continued, “So, to get Hongjiao to accept me, I need your help.”

“Me?” Su Wanqiu was puzzled.

“Yes. Hongjiao still respects you as her stepmother. If you say something nice about me to her…”

“Ah?” Su Wanqiu hesitated. 

Before, she would have refused such a request without a second thought. But now, Xu Hao had changed. He genuinely wanted to make the family better.

“What’s wrong? Don’t you want our daughters to come home and our family to be happy together?” Xu Hao teased, tugging at her twin ponytails. 

Tonight, Su Wanqiu had dressed up in a school uniform with twin ponytails, a stark contrast to her usual mature and glamorous look. This contrast intrigued Xu Hao, and with such a beautiful wife, he wanted to enjoy every moment with her. 

Seeing the desire in his eyes, Su Wanqiu finally nodded in agreement.

A smile spread across Xu Hao’s face. 

Using Su Wanqiu and their twin daughters to influence Xu Hongjiao was just part of his plan. 

He had already thought of another way to win Xu Hongjiao over, which he would put into action tomorrow. 

For now, his attention was focused on his beautiful stepmother.

“Bold monster, I can tell at a glance that you’re not human. Witness the power of my mighty Tianlong!” Xu Hao whispered as he indulged in the moment.

…

Meanwhile, at the Brotherhood headquarters, the usually noisy hall was eerily quiet. 

A tense atmosphere hung in the air. Five figures stood silently, their eyes fixed on a corpse lying before them.

“I’m going to kill those bastards,” the hot-tempered fourth member shouted, storming out of the hall. The third member stepped forward to stop him.

“Calm down, Fourth Brother.”

“Calm down? How can you ask me to calm down? The sixth member is dead!” The fourth member shook off his hand and cursed, tears welling up in his eyes. The six of them were like brothers, trusting each other and surviving countless battles together. Now that one of them was gone, the anger in their hearts was overwhelming.

“We will avenge him, but we need to think it through. Do you know who killed Old Liu?”

“Who else could it be? It must be those small-time gangsters who banded together. They’re nothing but trash. I could wipe them out on my own.”

“You know they’re trash, so how could they have the strength to kill Old Liu? We need to figure out what really happened.”

Among the five, Chen Mo was there too, his face dark with anger. These five core members of the Brotherhood were close allies of his master and like uncles to him. 

After spending time together, Chen Mo had grown to see them as comrades. 

The sudden loss of Old Liu hit him hard. They had been chatting together just that afternoon, and now one of them was gone. Rage welled up in his chest.

Not long after, a young man burst into the hall, breaking the oppressive silence. 

After hearing his report, everyone in the room was furious.

“What did you say? The Liu family hired a killer?”

“When they couldn’t beat us, they resorted to dirty tricks, hiring killers to take us out. I’m going to kill every last one of them right now.”

“Enough,” a stern voice commanded. Besides the eldest member, it was the second most respected person who spoke. “The Liu family posted a bounty on the dark web. Their methods are despicable, but they operate in the shadows. What else can you do but swallow your anger? If you kill the Liu family to silence them, the Brotherhood won’t survive. This is a city, where murder is illegal. The Liu family is a legitimate business, not like us. Killing them will only bring more trouble. To take revenge, we can’t rely on brute force.”

Chen Mo clenched his fists, his eyes filled with hatred and self-blame. 

The Brotherhood had no real grudge against the Liu family. The hatred was something he had caused. Lao Liu’s death was on his hands.

“I, Chen Mo, swear that if I don’t destroy the Liu family, I won’t consider myself human…”