![Transmigrated into a Female Supporting Role: Not a Stepmother Control Group [1970s] icon](https://book-pic.novelcools.com/d/icon/Transmigrated-into-a-Female-Supporting-Role-Not-a-Stepmother-Control-Group-s.jpg){kind=icon}
After traveling through time, Jiang Xi found herself as a stepmother in a novel.
In the book, the heroine happily marries a man with three stepchildren, knowing they will be very successful in the future. She works hard to make her new family happy and enjoys a good life.
On the other hand, Jiang Xi, as the female counterpart, also becomes a stepmother but only wants to support her natal uncle’s family. She raises her stepchildren poorly and ends up in a difficult situation, making the heroine look like a great stepmother by comparison.
Jiang Xi’s Reaction: “Whoever wants to be a stepmother can be one!”
To escape her bad family, Jiang Xi chooses to marry her fiancé, who is currently in a coma and considered a poor match by many. She even decides to bring her two sisters with her.
Jiang Xi thinks: With her two sisters and a comatose husband, even with her medical skills, life will be tough.
But then she discovers that her husband is tied to a special merit system he doesn’t know about. After they marry, they automatically form a team. Jiang Xi treats patients and gets rewards like delicious food, but to get the rewards, she must touch her husband’s body.
So, after each patient, Jiang Xi would shake her husband’s hand. Her mother-in-law, thinking she loves her son, is moved to tears.
Jiang Xi: “…”
Until one day, Jiang Xi received the task reward as usual. When she looked up, she saw a pair of shy eyes looking at her: “Daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law?”
Pei Hejun, Jiang Xi’s fiancé, had been badly injured and thought he was dying. He worried his greedy brother and sister-in-law would take his pension. But when he wakes up, his family is happy and honest, and his fiancée is now his wife, who is strong and capable.
Pei Hejun feels inferior because of his injury, but he’s surprised to find that Jiang Xi doesn’t mind his condition and always touches his hand while he’s sleeping.
Later:
When the book’s heroine apologizes to her stepchild’s parents for a fight, Jiang Xi leaves with gratitude from her patients and receives a large piece of pork belly as a reward.
While the book’s heroine works hard daily and is tired, Jiang Xi enjoys delicious treats made by her husband.
When the book’s heroine has a heart attack and is too angry to act, Jiang Xi disciplines her two sisters, making them obedient.
The book’s heroine: … Later, she regrets her choices!
It seems pretty realistic because the kids in it act like actual kids, not overly smart and obedient.
I like that the main character (MC) has female friends and has a positive impact on them. Her character stays consistent—she's introverted and doesn't suddenly become a social expert when the story needs it. Both she and the system don't feel omnipotent or overpowered.
The male lead (ML) is mostly vegetative throughout the story, but that's fine. I don't really like too much fluff, so it worked for me.
It seems to end abruptly, but I understand. These types of stories can drag if they go beyond falling in love and getting married. It's nice to actually finish one.
It could use a bit more about the future, though—not necessarily about the couple, but about the original female lead (FL) and her sisters.
This is a decent read for those who are familiar with and follow the genre of transmigration stories. It doesn't have too much drama and avoids the overly frustrating elements like cockroach-like relatives or villains that often make your brain rot in many similar novels. The characters are generally very realistic, especially considering the setting, making it a fairly satisfying read. However, it doesn't quite hit that sweet spot of being eventful without being too crazy, so it can sometimes feel a bit boring and uneventful due to its smoothness.
The romance is just okay—not particularly heart-fluttering or dramatic, but more realistic and smooth. Both the Female Lead (FL) and Male Lead (ML) are good people and intelligent. I appreciate the FL's attentiveness; she is smart enough to anticipate the worst from others while maintaining clear judgment as a doctor. For example, she anticipated that her relatives might harm her siblings and took precautions to protect them. This is a common pet peeve of mine in such novels, where the FL is portrayed as smart but never anticipates that the unreasonable and evil people around her will attack her, leading to constant harm to those involved with her.
The main drawback is that the author seems to have lost interest and ended the story rather abruptly, cutting off its potential. It feels like the real events of the novel were just beginning when it ended. For instance, it concludes with them moving to the army and sharing their first night together (hehe). While I enjoyed how she revealed the system to him, it doesn't really play a significant role in their journey. This ending would have been acceptable, but there is no real resolution for any of the characters, even in implications. The original FL only gets hints of a better life, but her character doesn't suggest she will achieve it. Her sisters have just started school, leaving us unsure of their future paths. The mother is left alone in the village with her parasitic brother and biased mother, and it's unclear if she will ever change her ways. Although I found her frustrating, I recognize that she has been brainwashed and abused, and while the FL won't leave her to die, she also won't ensure a good life for her.
, this was a quick and decent read, but it falls into the lower middle tier among other stories with similar tropes.