After Being Cheated, I Had a Flash Marriage with My Ex's Aunt - Chapter 15

Preparing a guest room in a newly moved-in house was a bit of a hassle, especially since the spare bedding hadn’t been organized yet.

Li Sui gathered the freshly purchased sheets and pillowcases from the balcony. As she began to make the bed, she caught sight of Bai Shuyi out of the corner of her eye, tiptoeing into the room.

Shuyi even went so far as to slowly, quietly close the door behind her.

Li Sui watched her, feeling a prickle of surprise. Meeting Li Sui’s questioning gaze, Shuyi rubbed her nose with the guilty air of a thief caught in the act. “My mom was downstairs… she asked if we were sleeping in separate rooms.”

Li Sui’s grip tightened on the pillow in her hands. She tried to sound casual. “And how did you answer?”

Shuyi didn’t give a direct response. Her voice remained calm, though a bit low. “I don’t want her to misunderstand. I was hoping you could help me keep up appearances—let me sleep in your room for the night.”

“Oh… okay.” Li Sui’s hands moved with a sudden, flustered energy. “Then, you can bring your things over later.”

Perhaps it was the closed door, the nature of the topic, or the sudden silence that followed, but the atmosphere began to thicken with an unmistakable tension. Li Sui kept her head down, tugging at the sheets and trying to slide a pillow into its case.

But for some reason, a blurred, heated memory flashed across her mind.

A dimly lit room… two people moving tirelessly against each other… fingers interlaced instinctively… and another slender, white hand gripping a pillow tight, leaving behind a mess of frantic, wrinkled creases…

Li Sui’s heart jolted, and the pillow slipped from her hands, hitting the floor.

Shuyi, who was busy with the other pillow, noticed the movement. She saw Li Sui’s lowered head and the vivid red of her earlobes—a dead giveaway of her internal state.

A glint sparked in Shuyi’s eyes.

“Let me,” Shuyi murmured. She leaned in close, picking up the pillow for her. Her voice was barely a whisper. “Why don’t you go find a set of pajamas for my mom to change into?”

“Right. Okay.” Without a second’s hesitation, Li Sui turned and bolted from the room as if she’d been granted a royal pardon.

Shuyi watched her go, a smirk playing on her lips. She muttered to herself, “She really is too easy to fluster.”

We’re sharing a bed tonight. I wonder if her reaction will be even more interesting then.

Back in her own bedroom, the reality of sharing a space with Shuyi began to set in, making Li Sui’s nerves fray. As her gaze swept over the bed, she noticed a pink gift box sitting quietly on the mattress.

Who sent this?

She walked over curiously. It was a set of… “intimate” sleepwear. The style was a shade of pink that was hard to look at, made of a sheer, silky fabric that looked anything but “proper.” Inside was another smaller box labeled “Low-Temperature Play Candles.”

A sticky note was attached in Li Mimi’s familiar handwriting:

[A wedding gift. Wishing my bestie a very ‘happy’ night. :)]

Li Sui’s face burned. Mimi really was something else. She knew Mimi had been working on an adult boutique lately, full of “mood-enhancing” items. Mimi had sent her screenshots before, asking if she wanted to invest. Looking at them back then had been embarrassing enough; seeing them in her own bedroom was a whole other level.

She hurriedly hid the box away.

Regarding that night at the bar… she wasn’t so drunk that she’d forgotten everything. Shuyi had been about to leave; it was Li Sui who had initiated things. And truthfully… the memory wasn’t exactly unpleasant.

Her decision to marry Shuyi hadn’t been entirely impulsive. Shuyi was exactly her type. Before signing that paper, she had seriously considered if they could have a future. Everyone craves love; everyone wants to be the “special one” in someone’s heart.

She could tell Shuyi was a gentle person at her core. Even without a foundation of deep feelings, they could work through a trial period. If it worked, great; if not, they could part ways peacefully. But she was terrified of giving her heart away only to be hurt again.

“Forget it. Why think so much?” Li Sui shook her head. Better to think about how to finish her manga drafts tonight.

She prepared the pajamas and toiletries for Shuyi’s mother and had Shuyi deliver them. “If your mom wants a midnight snack, there’s a small cake in the fridge,” Li Sui added.

Shuyi shook her head. “She doesn’t like sweets. She doesn’t eat before bed.”

“Oh, I see,” Li Sui said, a bit disappointed. Both mother and daughter aren’t fans of sugar. “Well, I’ll have it as a snack then. I’m heading to the study.”

*****

In the study, Li Sui buried herself in her work. Her current series was at a climax, and her fans were clamoring for more. By the time she finished, she checked the clock: 10:47 PM.

That’s enough for today. I promised to meet Shuyi’s family tomorrow; I won’t be able to wake up if I keep going.

In the bedroom, Shuyi had showered hours ago but saw no sign of Li Sui. Knowing better than to disturb an artist at work, she paced the room restlessly. Finally, she stepped out just in time to see Li Sui heading downstairs.

Where is she going this late? A snack?

Shuyi followed quietly and saw Li Sui just spending a few minutes playing with the cats. Work was clearly over. Shuyi scurried back upstairs.

Li Sui filled the water bowls, spent ten minutes petting the cats, and finally made her way back up. She saw the light was still on in her bedroom.

She pushed the door open to find Shuyi sitting up in bed, reading a book. One look, and Li Sui’s breath caught.

Shuyi looked serene, her black hair cascading over her shoulders. She was wearing a black lace camisole with thin straps that made her skin look impossibly pale. The V-neck design was bold and undeniably sexy. In the warm yellow light, Shuyi looked like a literal enchantress.

The air in the room suddenly felt suffocatingly hot. Li Sui looked away, her voice tight. “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

Shuyi lazily set her book aside. Her gaze was heavy with a trace of mock-resentment. “What do you think?”

Li Sui: “…” She wasn’t an idiot. “Haha… were you waiting for me?”

Surely her mother isn’t going to pull a surprise inspection in the middle of the night?

Shuyi didn’t answer. She just stared at her. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Li Sui stammered, “Sorry, I lose track of time when I’m working. You don’t have to wait next time; we have different body clocks.”

“Mhm.” Shuyi picked her book back up. Her voice was flat. “Go take your shower.”

“Going now!” Li Sui scrambled out.

She didn’t use the master bathroom; she went to the guest bathroom down the hall to avoid the awkwardness. When she finally returned, hair damp and smelling of soap, she found Shuyi still awake.

Shuyi looked up, her gaze dazed for a moment. Li Sui looked like a fresh lotus flower—clean, soft, and radiating a gentle fragrance. Water droplets were still clinging to her waist-length hair.

“Why did you wash your hair so late?” Shuyi finally found her voice.

Li Sui rubbed her hair with a towel, offering a shy smile. “Force of habit.”

“Washing your hair this late leads to headaches,” Shuyi said, moving quickly. She grabbed a hairdryer and gestured for Li Sui to sit on the sofa. “Come here. I’ll dry it for you.”

Li Sui hesitated, then sat down obediently. Shuyi tested the temperature on the back of her hand before lifting the long strands of hair. The only sound in the room was the hum of the dryer.

Li Sui felt her spine stiffen with nerves. She usually dried her own hair haphazardly; being treated so gently by her “wife” was a new experience. But eventually, the warmth and the gentle tug of Shuyi’s fingers were so soothing that she leaned back and closed her eyes, letting her body go limp.

Ten minutes later, Shuyi turned the dryer off. She noticed a few strands of hair in her hand. “Done,” she whispered.

Li Sui didn’t move. Her head just lolled to the side.

Shuyi caught her before she could slump over. She fell asleep while I was drying her hair? She must be exhausted.

Shuyi set the dryer down and carefully lifted Li Sui into her arms to carry her to the bed. Li Sui was lighter than she looked. As Shuyi moved to lay her down and pull up the covers, she noticed a stray hair stuck to Li Sui’s cheek.

Just as her hand brushed the girl’s skin, Li Sui’s eyes fluttered open.

Li Sui’s mind was a fog of sleep, but she was immediately met with a stunning face inches from her own. The impact was visceral. It felt just like that night at the bar—a beautiful face crashing into her field of vision like a descending fairy.

She looks just like Lawyer Bai…

Then, her brain caught up. Wait. I’m in my bedroom. And I fell asleep.

She realized Shuyi’s hand was still on her cheek. They were hovering dangerously close, and Shuyi’s V-neck camisole left very little to the imagination.

Li Sui’s eyes widened as she took in the scene. So… Lawyer Bai drying my hair was just a pretext?

Her heart thudded against her ribs. “What are you doing?” she asked, her voice carrying a trace of accidental airiness.

Shuyi’s eyes crinkled with a smile, her gaze dropping to Li Sui’s lips. “What do you think I’m doing?”

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