Manipulative Harem God

As the deed was done, Zhou Jiajia lounged back on the couch, stretching out with the languid ease of a cat in the sun. A deep exhale escaped her, and she was enveloped in a reflective solitude.

"Really.... What's the big deal about bringing a mini Zhang Wei into the world?" she pondered aloud, her voice tinged with solemnity.

A slight pout tugged at her lips, her imagination running wild with visions of herself as an honorary aunt, strolling through parks and doling out unsolicited advice.

"For all you know, I might just retire early and start a daycare. 'Auntie Jiajia's Palace of Tiny Tots and Wayward Idols'," she mused, her thoughts drifting to a utopian future filled with laughter, diapers, and maybe the occasional comeback tour.

Snap!

But then, as if someone had flicked her on the forehead, she snapped back to reality, her cheeks burning with the heat of a thousand spotlights.

!!

"Ugh! What on earth is going on in my head?!" she gasped, scandalized by her own daydreams.

Whoosh!

With a huff, she snatched a nearby pillow, burying her face in its plush sanctuary, her voice muffled but still brimming with indignation.

"I'm an idol, not a babysitter... Though, would the kids call me 'Super Cool Auntie Jiajia' or just 'Hey you, lady with the snacks'?"

Zhou Jiajia's head popped out next from the pillow, her cheeks flushed crimson with embarrassment, "...If Zhang Wei hears about this, I'll never see the peace again! I can see the headlines already!"

_______

Outside, Hu Ning's world was a whirlwind of anxiety and confusion, her footsteps tracing circles on the ground as if she could unravel her thoughts through sheer movement. Her lips were caught between her teeth, a testament to the turmoil that churned within her.

And then, abruptly, her frenzied orbit was halted by an unforeseen obstacle.

"Huh?" The word escaped her as a breath, a moment of distraction in her tumultuous thoughts. Lifting her gaze, she found herself confronted by an unexpected figure—a woman clothed entirely in black, her face obscured by a veil of the same dark hue.

"Village Chief?" The name slipped from Hu Ning's lips, a mix of recognition and disbelief coloring her tone. The presence of the village chief here, in this place and at this time, was as startling as it was inexplicable.

The woman behind the veil parted her lips, and her voice reached Hu Ning not as mere sound, but as an enchanting echo, a magical resonance that seemed to fill the space around her. "Hu Ning, it is time for you to return to Azlaterra."

"Hm? Why?" Hu Ning recoiled slightly, her mind racing. The command was unexpected, inexplicable.

Despite having wrested control of the Sun Qiang, returning to Azlaterra harbored risks—risks that could threaten her tribe's very existence.

Besides, her own desires pulled her away from the path of return.

In that moment of stunned silence, three figures emerged from behind the village chief, stepping forward into the light.

The air seemed to shift around them, charged with an unspoken heaviness.

"Hu Ning, it's your mother, Farah..." The voice that followed was melodic, its timbre causing an involuntary shiver to run through those who heard it.

A woman, flanked by two men whose faces were concealed behind masks adorned with intricate white patterns, stepped forward.

!?

The woman who emerged behind the village chief held a dignified air, with the elegance and allure.

She possessed a serene countenance with deep, soulful eyes that were mirrors to a well of wisdom and secrets. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders like a raven waterfall, framing her face in a style that whispered of grace and a timeless beauty.

The light caught the delicate earrings she wore, casting fleeting sparkles that echoed the shimmering pendant resting gracefully against her collarbone.

The soft hue of her attire, though not the same, carried the same grace as the light blue of the dress in the picture, suggesting a preference for clothing that draped elegantly over her form, moving with her in a dance of fabric and light.

As she stood there, the very air around her seemed to still, as if nature itself was holding its breath in the presence of such regal poise.

"..."

Hu Ning's mind went blank as she laid eyes on a striking woman standing boldly in front of her.

A shadow seemed to pass over her own features, a dark cloud of emotion, before she mustered the strength to shake her head clear and retort sharply, "My mother is dead, go away!" Her voice was laced with scorn, her expression momentarily transformed by a rare surge of fury.

!!

Boom!

With a sudden, explosive intensity, her declaration resonated through the air like a thunderous clap, casting a chill over everyone present.

Farah's eyes widened in shock, her gaze fixating on Hu Ning, who was now the very embodiment of outrage.

"You dare to fling insults at the empress—" one guard began, his voice a low growl of disbelief and anger, as his comrade too tensed, ready to leap into action at a moment's notice.

"Quiet!" Farah's command sliced through the tension unexpectedly, her eyes swirling with complex emotions as they rested on Hu Ning. "Aisha, who filled your head with these lies?" she inquired, her voice tinged with genuine concern.

!!

Hu Ning's expression hardened into ice. "Who? Then tell me, where have you been all these years? Why show your face now?"

"Do you think me a fool?"

She scoffed derisively, "I've overheard the village chief. You, after your scandalous affair, cast me aside into the depths of the Sylvan rainforests, hoping to conceal your shame from the southern emperor!"

"You abandoned me once, only to emerge from the shadows now, thinking to claim some victory now that I've unlocked the ancient power of the sacred beast? You are a disgrace in name of wome—"

Slap!

Before she could continue, Farah struck with the swiftness of a tempest, her palm connecting with Hu Ning's cheek in a resounding slap, her features contorted in a fierce display of wrath. "Silence, you insolent child! You understand nothing!"

"You!" Hu Ning's eyes widened, the sting of the slap burning her face as her eyes began to glow with a terrifying red hue, signaling the awakening of her dormant rage.

Farah, momentarily taken aback by the formidable aura erupting from her daughter, quickly regained her composure with a sly smile. "Jacob, Kevin, seize her. Drag her to the car!"

Hu Ning, senses heightened, warned, "Stay away from me!" Her voice unleashed a subtle yet powerful sonic wave.

"Keke..." Jacob advanced, undeterred by the display of power.

Hu Ning, taken aback, was momentarily speechless before Farah's chilling voice reached her, "Your magic holds no power over them, surrender now!"

Hu Ning's face immediately twisted into an expression of deep bitterness.