After Being Cheated, I Had a Flash Marriage with My Ex's Aunt - Chapter 10

The next day.

Li Sui was used to the “night owl” internal clock that made mornings impossible. However, whenever she had a schedule, she relied on a barrage of alarms to drag her into consciousness. Unsurprisingly, that was exactly how she woke up today.

Breakfast was prepared by Bai Shuyi.

It was a simple spread: millet porridge, sandwiches, and fried eggs. Li Sui ate with a quiet sense of satisfaction. It had been a long time since she’d sat down for a proper breakfast with someone; usually, by the time she woke up, it was already noon, and breakfast was a concept she’d long since abandoned.

Today was the day Shuyi had promised to accompany her back to her hometown.

When Li Sui finished changing and headed downstairs, she nearly thought she was still dreaming. The living room was filled with unopened luxury goods. Judging by the logos on the packaging, there were high-end jewelry, designer bags, and several large boxes of premium supplements for the elderly.

Xiao Li, the secretary, was standing to the side with a clipboard, meticulously checking off an inventory.

“What is all this?” Li Sui asked, stunned.

Xiao Li paused and offered a professional smile. “Since you’re heading to your hometown, the Boss ordered these for the trip. Please let me know if there’s anything else we need to add.”

Li Sui: “…”

Didn’t I say there was no need to prepare anything? That just her showing up was enough?

Just then, Shuyi came downstairs. Li Sui’s eyes brightened. Shuyi had traded her usual ponytail for loose, flowing hair. She wore a coffee-colored trench coat over a white T-shirt, paired with a black button-down skirt and clean white sneakers. She looked effortless, chic, and perfectly handled the sudden drop in temperature that had hit overnight.

Coincidentally, Li Sui was also wearing a long, coffee-colored coat. Without a single word of coordination, they had accidentally dressed in matching colors.

Shuyi noticed Li Sui’s unblinking stare and curled her lips in a subtle smile. “Ready to go?”

“Actually, about these…” Li Sui looked back at the mountain of gifts. “My family situation is… modest. There’s really no need for such extravagance.”

Shuyi walked up to her, her voice as gentle as ever. “Have you ever brought a partner home before?”

Li Sui thought of her disastrous ex and shook her head. “No.”

“Exactly,” Shuyi said, her voice dropping into a tender lilt. “I am the first person you are bringing home. This is proper etiquette, not extravagance.”

Li Sui froze for a second, then realized the logic. To argue further would be to dismiss Shuyi’s respect for the occasion. She’d just have to make sure to return the favor with equally thoughtful gifts when it was time to meet Shuyi’s family.

They didn’t linger. Soon, they were in the car, heading toward Ningcheng. Li Sui didn’t even need a GPS; the two-hour drive was a route she knew by heart.

As she focused on the road, she realized how quiet the car was, save for the soothing light music. She glanced at the passenger seat and saw Shuyi was fast asleep, her brow furrowed in a deep, weary line.

Did she not sleep well last night?

Heart softening, Li Sui reached out and muted the music. She drove in silence for the rest of the trip while Shuyi slept on.

Suddenly, a loud ringtone shattered the quiet. Li Sui and Shuyi’s eyes snapped toward each other.

Li Sui offered an apologetic smile and checked the ID: “Jin Xiaoyun.” She frowned. It was her cousin—the daughter of her aunt—with whom she had a lukewarm relationship at best.

“Hello?” Li Sui answered.

“Li Sui!” Jin Xiaoyun’s loud voice blared through the speaker. “Grandmother is sick again. She’s in the hospital. She says she wants to see you. Are you coming back today?”

Li Sui felt her breath hitch. In the hospital again? Her grandmother was seventy-eight, suffering from hypertension and heart disease. Over the last two years, her hospitalizations had become frequent, each one more nerve-wracking than the last.

“Which hospital?” Li Sui asked, her voice tight with worry.

Xiaoyun gave her the name and nagged her to hurry. Before hanging up, she added curiously, “By the way, that post on your moments last night—is it real? Didn’t you break up with Nana-jie? Who did you marry? Don’t go getting a license with some random person, or a divorce will be a nightmare later.”

Xiaoyun continued to ramble, but Li Sui had no patience left. “We’re on our way,” she said shortly and hung up.

Shuyi, choosing to ignore the mention of the breakup with “Nana,” saw the panic in Li Sui’s eyes. “I’ll drive. You shouldn’t be behind the wheel in this state.”

Li Sui’s heart was pounding, but Shuyi’s calm voice helped ground her. “Alright… thank you.”

They pulled over and swapped seats. Shuyi sped toward the hospital, and for the rest of the journey, neither of them spoke a word.

At the Hospital

Jin Xiaoyun hung up and offered a smug grin to her mother, Liu Meihua, who was sitting nearby. “Mom, it’s done. Li Sui is on her way.”

Liu Meihua smiled with satisfaction. Ever since Li Sui had broken up with Liang Xiaona, the girl had been dodging her calls and ignoring her messages. She’d even ignored the “excellent” matchmaking prospect Meihua had found for her. Meihua had been fuming, but she couldn’t find a way to trap her—until the old lady got sick again.

“Did you ask her about the marriage thing?” Meihua asked.

“I tried, but she wouldn’t say.” Xiaoyun didn’t look up from her phone, already browsing for flight tickets.

“That girl,” Meihua hissed. “She had a family as good as the Liangs and couldn’t hold onto it. And now she looks down on the people I introduce? She really thinks she can find someone better on her own? How short-sighted.”

Xiaoyun blinked. “Actually, my friends think she might be lying about the marriage.”

“Lying? What do you mean?”

Xiaoyun’s face twisted into a look of contempt. “Everyone thinks she was dumped by Nana-jie and was too embarrassed to admit it. Since she didn’t want to go on your matchmaking dates, she probably just faked the marriage to get everyone off her back. It’s almost certainly a bluff.”

Xiaoyun was a fan of Liang Xiaona’s, and she followed all the school gossip. Everyone knew the “Golden Couple” had split, and while they were shocked that Xiaona was marrying a Su family heiress, Li Sui’s sudden “marriage” seemed too convenient to be true.

“She’s going to worry her grandmother to death,” Meihua muttered.

“Oh, Mom,” Xiaoyun wheedled, “I don’t care about that. You promised me a trip abroad. You have to get that money from Li Sui. Not a cent less.”

Meihua patted her daughter’s hand. “Don’t worry. As long as her grandmother is sick, does she dare to give us less?”

“Hehe, I’m heading out then.” Satisfied, Xiaoyun turned to leave. She had no intention of staying to look after a sick old woman.

Meihua tidied up the sunflower seeds she’d been snacking on and decided to take a stroll downstairs before coming back to the ward. An hour later, she returned with a bag of oranges and a fake, bright smile.

She entered the ward by the window. “Ma,” she said to the old woman on the bed, “Sui-sui said she’s on her way.”

The grandmother was pale, her clouded eyes narrowing into slits. “Didn’t I tell you? I’m fine. There was no need to call her. Why did you bother her again?”

Meihua let the scolding slide. “She’s a filial girl; of course she wants to see you. Besides, after such a big breakup, she’s probably feeling quite lonely.”

“Hmph.” The old lady let out a cold snort. “I told her long ago—she is fated for romance. Her true match will appear when the time is right.”

Meihua knew her mother-in-law dabbled in metaphysics and didn’t dare be too blunt. “Well, Xiaoyun says she was dumped and couldn’t handle it. She posted a photo of a marriage certificate yesterday, but who knows where she got it. She probably just wants to spite her ex.”

“Nonsense,” the grandmother snapped. “Sui-sui is a pure-hearted girl. She wouldn’t do something so dishonest.”

“See for yourself, then.” Meihua handed the phone over, zooming in on the screenshot. “If she really got married, why would she keep something so big a secret from us?”

*****

Li Sui and Shuyi arrived at the hospital and headed straight upstairs. Li Sui had been here many times and knew the layout well, so it didn’t take long to find the ward.

Since it wasn’t a private room, many patients and their families looked up as the two striking women entered, though they quickly went back to their own business.

Li Sui saw her grandmother immediately. The old lady was lying in the bed by the window, hooked up to various monitors and an IV drip. She looked frail.

“Grandmother,” Li Sui called out, rushing to the bedside.

The old lady’s face lit up with a rare joy. “Don’t you have work? Taking leave all the time isn’t good. I’m not dying yet; don’t be in such a rush to come back next time.”

“Grandmother, are you really feeling better?” Li Sui asked, her eyes full of concern.

The grandmother insisted she was fine. She stole a quiet, sharp look at the woman standing behind Li Sui.

“Sui-sui,” she asked, playing coy, “who is this?”

Shuyi looked at Li Sui, waiting for her to speak.

Li Sui took a deep breath. “Grandmother, I’m married. This is my wife, Bai Shuyi.”

“Hello, Grandmother.” Shuyi stepped forward gracefully and placed the gifts on the bedside table. “I’m Bai Shuyi. I was concerned to hear you weren’t feeling well. I hope for your speedy recovery.”

The grandmother stared at Shuyi. To her, this woman had an exceptional aura—bright eyes, a noble bearing, and the look of someone with a truly auspicious destiny. A perfect match for my Sui-sui, she thought. Even her complexion shows a very regular cycle.

“Sui-sui,” the grandmother said with a smile, nudging her granddaughter. “Your aunt doesn’t know you’ve brought someone home yet. Give her a call, and then go wash some fruit for us.”

Sensing her grandmother wanted a private moment, Li Sui nodded obediently. She whispered a few words to Shuyi and stepped out.

“Your surname is Bai?” the grandmother asked casually once they were alone, gesturing for Shuyi to sit. “If I remember correctly, ten years ago, you came to Ningcheng with your aunt to seek my help for an illness, didn’t you?”

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