Chapter 2 - The Egg Beside Stepmom's Feet

Chapter 2: The Egg Beside Stepmom’s FeetThe System Mall Panel

Host Physical Stats: Overall score: 8 (Normal human score: 10).

[Boundless Energy]: Newbie benefit, price 10,000. (Caution: may cause severe exhaustion as a side effect. Buying together with [Titanium Alloy Kidneys] negates side effects.) 0/1

[Titanium Alloy Kidneys]: Newbie benefit, price 10,000. (0/1)

[Custom Benefit]: Full set of 2018 college entrance exam papers, price 100 (Purchased/Sold Out).

[Emergency Assistance]: 1 million. (Passive/Active: Automatically activates in life-threatening emergencies or can be purchased actively to restore body functions.)

[Body Part Enhancement Gift Box]: 1 million. (Choose and enhance body parts within reasonable limits according to your preferences.)

[Full Body Strengthening]: Starts at 10 million per point; upgrades available at higher tiers: 50 million, 100 million, 500 million, 1 billion, 10 billion.

[Buy Lifespan]: 1 billion per year.

[Beauty Enhancement Injection]: 500,000.

[Breast Enhancement Injection]: 500,000.

[Buttock Enhancement Injection]: 500,000.

[Waist Slimming Injection]: 500,000.

[Fat-Burning Injection]: 500,000.

[Body Strengthening Injection]: 1 million.

[Lifespan]: 1 billion per year.

[Function Expansion]: (Click to browse options).

The functionality was undeniably powerful. Forget the ability to buy additional years of life—something that would drive any wealthy person insane. For now, Shaoyang didn’t need to worry about extending his lifespan. After all, he was in the prime of youth.

What truly felt like a lifesaver was the practically free . As someone who had transmigrated into this world, he inherited the original owner’s memories, but fully digesting three years of high school education wasn’t something he could manage in a short time.

The system’s thoughtful gift—a complete set of exam papers—was nothing short of a godsend.

As for how the original host had passed away and left him with this body, it could only be summed up in one phrase:

The young man, full of youthful energy, had lived with a beautiful woman unrelated to him by blood for nearly three years. Although he knew she was technically his late father’s fiancée and had stayed unmarried out of consideration for him, the proximity was bound to stir trouble.

Otherwise, how could it be that his “stepmom” had accompanied him for all three years of high school?

Shaoyang’s stepmother and his father were only one step—a marriage certificate—away from formalizing their relationship.

Then tragedy struck. His father passed away in a car accident during a business trip, severing the familial bond between the young man and his stepmom. Despite having no obligation to stay, she chose to remain, caring for the boy for nearly two years.

Raised without a mother’s love, the original body couldn’t help but develop feelings for the alluring and kind woman who had lived under the same roof with him for so long.

Driven by those feelings, the young man secretly purchased a mysterious pill from an anonymous source. Wanting to ensure the pill was authentic and wouldn’t backfire at a critical moment, he decided to test it on himself first.

It worked—a little too well. The drug’s potency left him comatose, paving the way for Shaoyang’s soul to take over. Sёarch* The NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Cao Shaoyang couldn’t wrap his head around what his namesake was thinking at the time. With an inheritance worth over 100 million in cash, plus additional business assets, what kind of woman couldn’t he pursue legitimately? Why resort to such a reckless act?

From a more mature perspective, Shaoyang noted that during their three years together, the stepmom had always been subtly affectionate toward the original body. After his father’s death, their ambiguous relationship seemed to hang by a thread—one thin layer of paper away from breaking through.

Even just today, her choice of outfit spoke volumes. The way she casually wore revealing clothing, like lace-trimmed lingerie, wasn’t a rare occurrence.

Not to mention, she had been fully dedicated to her role as his study companion, relying solely on Shaoyang’s father’s inheritance and her own savings for financial support.

If the boy had been just a bit bolder, everything that could or couldn’t happen would already have occurred, leaving no room for me to step in.

Too bad! A single wrong move, and the game was lost.

Not that the current beneficiary would complain—after all, the twist in fate worked out entirely in his favor.

Shaoyang rummaged through the messy bedding until he found his boxers crumpled in the corner. He slid them on, remembering how he’d grabbed them after a midnight bathroom trip.

As for the previous pair? Their fate was sealed by the vivid dreams of the night, leaving them to be cleaned by his stepmom.

No wonder the body’s original owner had failed so miserably. Even with everything laid bare, he couldn’t take the leap.

Now, as the fortunate inheritor, Shaoyang decided it was only right to fulfill those lingering wishes.

After dressing quickly, he folded the blanket into a neat—albeit clumsy—square and headed out.

–

At breakfast, tension filled the air.

Neither Shaoyang nor Liu Xiaofei spoke.

Shaoyang kept up his act, playing the role of a shy, innocent boy. It had only been a few days since he arrived in this world, and he wasn’t ready to break character just yet.

Liu Xiaofei, however, was visibly struggling.

–

Over the years of living together, their relationship had grown closer, especially after her fiancé’s death. She unconsciously began treating the boy as her emotional anchor.

Every month, Shaoyang transferred large sums to her account for living expenses, along with regular allowances. To her, he was far more attentive than her late fiancé had ever been.

She noticed the lingering gazes, the increasingly bold gestures. Though she maintained boundaries, she also flirted with them through her outfits and playful behavior. She knew the day would come when those boundaries would be tested.

But not before the exams. She had resolved not to let anything distract him at this critical time.

–

That morning, however, her resolve wavered.

The boy’s spirited two jumps had been impossible to ignore, leaving her mind in chaos.

Even now, halfway through her glass of milk, her mouth remained dry, and her thoughts kept wandering.

Her legs pressed tightly together beneath the table, shifting slightly as a heat rose within her.

She recalled Shaoyang’s recent boldness.

She was stunned by the boy’s  unlike anything she had ever imagined.

–

The silence was abruptly broken by a series of faint noises.

—an egg tapping the table.

—the egg dropping to the floor.

—her crystal sandal being nudged, not from the outside but from the

–

Before Liu Xiaofei could react, Shaoyang’s voice cut in, smooth and quick.

“An egg fell under the table. Stepmom, I’ll grab it!”

In a flash, he disappeared under the table, leaving her stunned.