Transmigrated as the Villain’s Stepmother and Raising the Child in Reverse

Ruan Xizhi transmigrates into the body of a villainous stepmother in a novel titled "After the Dragon Ao Tian Cub Blackened, He Was Unstoppable." In the original story, the stepmother is tormented by the protagonist, Xing Xiaochi, a mischievous three-year-old genius, and ultimately driven to suicide after being falsely accused of abuse on a parenting reality show. Having died from overwork in her previous life as a CEO, Ruan Xizhi decides to embrace a lazy, comfortable lifestyle in her new existence. However, to prevent the unruly child from disrupting her peace, she resolves to discipline him using her experience raising five older brothers. She enters the Xing household, where the family has already driven away seventeen teachers due to Xing Xiaochi’s tantrums and defiance. Her grandmother, Liu Rong, is skeptical but agrees to let Ruan Xizhi try, provided she does not interfere with the child’s education if she fails.

Ruan Xizhi immediately establishes her authority by ignoring Xing Xiaochi’s screams and tantrums, refusing to be cowed by his emotional outbursts. When he attempts to manipulate her with tears, she calmly offers him water and then returns to playing a mobile game, demonstrating that his usual tactics are ineffective. She correctly identifies errors in his homework that previous teachers could not solve, earning his reluctant respect. The family’s patriarch, Xing Peixuan, has enrolled them in the reality show "Mommy’s Back" to foster bonding. Upon learning of the show, Ruan Xizhi initially considers quitting but is bound by a thirty-million breach penalty. She also receives demands from her adoptive family to withdraw, but she firmly refuses, settling her alimony debt with a calculated discount and cutting ties with her adoptive parents.

During the show’s live broadcast, Ruan Xizhi’s unconventional parenting goes viral. She wakes Xing Xiaochi by playing a loud children’s song and mimicking his tantrums when he throws a pillow at her, eventually coaxing an apology through reverse psychology. On the deserted island set for the episode, she ignores the other contestants’ struggles to set up tents and instead uses her survival skills to build a comfortable cave with a wooden door and a tree bed. While Ruan Miaorui, the fake heiress and Xing Xiaochi’s rival, suffers in the rain, Ruan Xizhi enjoys a vacation-like experience, catching fish and preparing roasted meals for the children. She protects Su Tongtong, a cute young girl, from Ruan Miaorui’s attempts to claim her, asserting dominance and earning the affection of the live-stream audience.

The narrative shifts as a sudden thunderstorm hits the island. Ruan Xizhi had predicted the rain, warning the viewers, and her cave provides shelter while the other contestants are left exposed to the elements. Inside the cave, Xing Xiaochi struggles with homesickness and fear of the dark. Ruan Xizhi comforts him, allowing him to sleep beside her and teaching him that expressing sadness is acceptable but hurting others is not. The storm destroys the other groups' tents, highlighting the stark contrast between Ruan Xizhi’s preparedness and their incompetence. As the story progresses, Ruan Xizhi’s reputation transforms from a despised villain to a beloved figure, while Xing Xiaochi begins to view her as a legitimate maternal figure rather than an enemy. The tension between the real and fake heiresses escalates, with Ruan Miaorui attempting to sabotage Ruan Xizhi’s image, but failing against her calm and capable demeanor.