After Being Cheated, I Had a Flash Marriage with My Ex's Aunt - Chapter 18

After lunch, the grandmother retired upstairs for her nap. Bai Zhilan suggested that Shuyi show Li Sui around the estate. The Bai family grounds were sprawling, with Shuyi owning three small villas of her own within the compound.

However, Shuyi had long since moved out and had no intention of staying the night. Shuyi checked her watch and signaled to Li Sui. “We should head back. We’ll come back for Grandmother’s birthday banquet at the end of the month.”

She reached out her hand to Li Sui, who took it instinctively.

“Wait, follow me,” Zhilan said, gesturing for them to join her in the study.

Li Sui looked at Shuyi, confused. “What’s this about?”

“Just come along,” Shuyi whispered, leading her by the hand.

Watching their retreating figures, the sisters—Zhixue and Yiyao—shared a knowing look. They had all gone through “the talk” in the study when they first brought partners home.

Once inside, Zhilan pulled out a stack of documents. “Sui-sui,” she said, her voice turning solemn. “I made a promise. This is your ten percent equity share in the Jiangshan Group.”

Li Sui’s heart did a nervous skip. Even though Shuyi had warned her about this the night before, seeing the words “Equity Transfer Agreement” in bold print felt different. The weight of it was suffocating.

Shuyi remained silent. Zhilan watched the girl intently.

Li Sui flipped through the pages before looking up. “Can I take this home to sign? I only heard about this last night. I need some time to think.”

Zhilan arched an eyebrow, surprised. “Is there a problem with the terms?”

“No,” Li Sui said, casting a brief glance at Shuyi. “It’s just a lot to process.”

Zhilan caught the hesitation and shot Shuyi a look of mild disappointment, as if saying, “You haven’t won her over yet?”

But Shuyi offered a look of approval. “Take it home, then.”

Li Sui didn’t truly exhale until they were miles away from the estate.

“Did you actually manage to eat anything?” Shuyi asked softly.

“Not really.” Li Sui admitted. Being stared at by twenty family members didn’t exactly stimulate the appetite.

Shuyi laughed. “There’s a dessert shop nearby that I like. Want to come with me?”

“Sure.”

Li Sui’s suspicions were confirmed—Shuyi’s relationship with the rest of the Bai family was polite but distant. They were maintaining the appearance of a family, but the warmth was thin.

They pulled up to a dessert shop. Li Sui knew the brand; it was a high-end chain with great service. The place was packed with students in school uniforms.

Li Sui moved to pay at the counter, but Shuyi stopped her. “No need.”

“Did you pay while I wasn’t looking?” Li Sui asked.

“This shop is under my name,” Shuyi said with a smirk, pointing to her own face. “I pay with my face here. The manager already registered you as a VIP; you can have whatever you want delivered to the house.”

Li Sui: “…”

Of course she owns the shop.

Back in the car, Li Sui poked at her dessert. “What else do you invest in?” she asked tentatively.

Shuyi listed off a few major industries. “Interested in investing?”

“A little,” Li Sui said. “Mimi and I run an auction house in the Antique City, so I’m always looking to learn more about the market.”

“If you ever need legal advice on your investments, just ask me,” Shuyi offered.

“Are your fees high?” Li Sui teased.

Shuyi’s “peach blossom” eyes flickered toward her. “You’ll find out when the bill comes.”

“Trying to trap me already?” Li Sui rolled her eyes, but a smile played on her lips.

Shuyi naturally interlaced her fingers with Li Sui’s. “Fine. Since you’re family, I’ll give you the ‘lifetime free’ package.” She squeezed Li Sui’s hand before the girl could react.

Li Sui’s heart hammered against her ribs. She noticed that Shuyi really loved holding her hand. The heat between their palms was starting to feel addictive. She realized then that a beautiful woman was a dangerous thing—she had zero defense against Shuyi’s charm.

To hide her racing heart, Li Sui looked out the window. “Oh! Look! That milk tea shop has a ‘buy one, get the second half-off’ deal!”

Shuyi laughed and let go of her hand. “I’ll go get them.”

Li Sui watched her jog toward the shop, stunned by how fast she moved. A few minutes later, Shuyi returned with two hot drinks.

“I forgot to tell you I wanted a hot one,” Li Sui said, taking the cup.

“It’s getting cold out,” Shuyi said with a tender smile. “Hot drinks are better.”

They sat in the car, drinking tea and eating desserts. Shuyi’s voice dropped into a low, supportive register. “About the equity… don’t feel pressured. It’s your choice. Do what makes you comfortable.”

Li Sui nodded. She didn’t want to sign it yet. The wealth felt too sudden, too unearned. If their marriage didn’t work out, having a 10% stake in Shuyi’s family empire would make a divorce messy. And if Shuyi eventually found someone she actually loved…

Li Sui shook off the thought as they passed a local farmer’s market. “By the way,” she said, “it’s my friend’s sister’s birthday tonight. I promised I’d go over to celebrate.”

Shuyi nodded. “You should invite your friends over to the house sometime.”

Li Sui wanted Mimi to meet Shuyi, so she took a chance. “Do you… want to come with me tonight? If you aren’t too busy with work?”

“I’m not busy at all,” Shuyi said, her voice bright with genuine pleasure. “I’ll pick you up at 5:30 PM. Does that work?”

“Perfect. We should be there by 6:30.”

****

Shuyi dropped Li Sui off at home and headed to the office. Secretary Xiao Li was already waiting for her in the garage.

As they walked through the lobby, a dark figure suddenly darted in front of them, nearly tripping over their own feet. Xiao Li lunged forward to shield Shuyi. “Watch it!”

The person scrambled up, dusting themselves off with a panicked expression. “Sorry… I slipped.”

It was Liang Xiaona.

Shuyi’s expression went cold. She hadn’t expected the girl to be this bold—or this desperate.

“Auntie!” Xiaona said, her face lighting up when she saw Shuyi. “I’m getting engaged next month. I really hope you and the rest of the family can come.”

She held out a wedding invitation with both hands. It was the lunch hour, and the lobby was mostly empty except for the receptionists.

Shuyi knew exactly what Xiaona was after. “Good news,” she said flatly. “Xiao Li, take the invitation.”

“On it, Boss,” Xiao Li said, snatching the card from Xiaona’s hands.

Shuyi watched the girl with an unreadable gaze. “How did you and Su Tan meet?”

“We… we met at a banquet,” Xiaona stammered, intimidated by Shuyi’s cool eyes. “We hit it off immediately. It was love at first sight.”

“And how long have you been dating?”

“About six months,” Xiaona lied, trying to look sincere. “Su Tan is a wonderful girl. I love her very much, and she’s very eager to have you at our wedding.”

“Heh.” Shuyi’s smile turned ice-cold. “Good. Remember what you said today—that you love the Su family heiress.”

Xiaona’s heart did a nervous jolt. Was that a threat?

“I have work to do,” Shuyi said, turning toward the elevator. “You can leave now.”

As they ascended, Xiao Li watched her boss. She knew that look—the boss was furious. She realized with a start that Liang Xiaona was her boss’s wife’s ex-girlfriend. This wasn’t a coincidence.

Did the boss find out about the cheating and swoop in the moment they broke up? Xiao Li wondered. Tsk, tsk. The boss is more calculating than I thought.

Shuyi pulled out her phone and began typing a message. “She certainly has a lot of free time. Xiao Li, I need you to look into something else for me. As fast as possible.”

When Xiao Li saw the instructions on her phone, her jaw dropped. Is this information for real? If her boss was right, the Su-Liang wedding was about to become a historic disaster.

“I’m on it, Boss!”

Down in the lobby, Liang Xiaona stood still for a moment, feeling a sense of triumph. Her “aunt” had accepted the invitation. This was huge.

She had already started working at Su Tan’s company, but she had run into a difficult project. If she could get Shuyi to pull a few strings with the other CEO, her career would be set. She knew her mother’s divorce from Shuyi’s sister had made things awkward, but a wedding was the perfect bridge.

Xiaona walked out to the parking lot, feeling confident. Shuyi was cold, but she was family.

Her phone rang. It was her sister, Xiaotang.

“Sis! Did you hear?” Xiaotang’s voice was buzzing with gossip. “Auntie brought her wife home to the estate today! Apparently, she’s five years younger than her and they met while on vacation in Xiamen. It was a total whirlwind romance!”

Xiaona’s interest peaked. “Do we know who she is?”

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