After Being Cheated, I Had a Flash Marriage with My Ex's Aunt - Chapter 21

Li Sui sensed someone approaching and looked back to see Bai Shuyi walking toward her. In a moment of sheer “thief-like” guilt, she snapped her phone shut and yanked out her Bluetooth earbuds.

That was too close, she thought. If this happened a few more times, she wasn’t sure her heart could take the stress.

“What are you watching?” Bai Shuyi asked as she reached her side, having clearly caught Li Sui’s suspicious behavior.

“I’m… studying,” Li Sui replied, steadying her voice with a faint, innocent smile. “It’s all important reference material. Yes, very important.”

“Even studying needs a balance of work and rest,” Bai Shuyi said. She could tell something was off, but she chose to play along. “So, have you thought about what you want for dinner?”

******

Meanwhile, Liang Xiaona was feeling utterly drained, both physically and mentally.

Since being accused of “defamation” at the mall, she had been walking on eggshells at home, desperate to keep her mother from finding out and subjecting her to another lecture. For the past few days, she had forced herself to stay at the hospital with Su Tan, feeding her all the right sweet-talk.

But in private, it felt like she had been cursed with a string of bad luck. Nothing she touched went right.

To make matters worse, Su Tan seemed to have caught wind of something. She had become increasingly paranoid, constantly fishing for information about Liang Xiaona’s past relationships—wanting to know exactly how many women she had dated and what “type” they were.

Liang Xiaona used to think Su Tan was easy to manipulate, but now, dealing with her felt like a grueling chore. She found Su Tan too high-maintenance, always acting like the pampered heiress she was. At the slightest hint of trouble, the tears would start flowing.

She couldn’t help but compare her to Li Sui.

Back then, Li Sui was always gentle, considerate, and understanding. Being by her side was effortless. Ever since their falling out, Liang Xiaona had been struggling with severe insomnia. Even the coffee the family maid brewed didn’t taste right.

She missed the coffee Li Sui used to make. She missed the way Li Sui used to look at her with warmth and kindness.

Every time she remembered the icy glare Li Sui had given her last time—and the sting of that slap—she felt a sharp, rhythmic ache in her chest. She had already made it clear she was willing to leave Su Tan, yet Li Sui still refused to forgive her.

Why wouldn’t she give her a chance to make amends? Was the person Li Sui married really that much better?

“Sis, what are we going to do?” Liang Xiaotang burst into the room, looking frantic. “The ‘sister-in-law’ keeps badgering me, trying to find out who you dated. She won’t stop until I give her names. Do you think she found out about you and Li Sui?”

“If she knows, she knows,” Liang Xiaona muttered, lying on the sofa with her arm draped over her eyes, the picture of exhaustion.

“Are you crazy? How can you say that?” Liang Xiaotang suspected this had everything to do with Li Sui. “Do you think Li Sui did it? Did she go to Su Tan out of spite?”

Liang Xiaona went still for a few seconds. A bitter laugh escaped her. “If only it were her.”

She had initially thought Li Sui was just acting out of anger, but that slap had been very real, as was the threat to expose her if she didn’t stay in line. It wasn’t Li Sui’s style to play these kinds of games behind her back.

“If she wants to dig, she’ll find things eventually,” Liang Xiaona said indifferently. “We’re already legally married. Is she really going to demand a divorce just because she found out I’m not a saint?”

“What if she does?” Liang Xiaotang pressed.

“Su Tan won’t.” Liang Xiaona knew her well. Even if Su Tan knew about how she had toyed with Li Sui, she also knew the stakes. “She’s obsessed with me right now. Besides, the Su family cares about their reputation; they’ll do everything they can to bury my past, not expose it.”

Liang Xiaotang hoped she was right. Her sister had worked so hard to get into the Su Group and land the heiress. One day, the entire Su empire would belong to them.

“The Su family just called. They want to move the wedding date up.”

A strong, commanding voice entered the room. Liang Xiaona and her sister looked up to see their mother, Liang Jun.

“Move it up to when?” Liang Xiaona asked. She figured Su Tan’s grandmother’s failing health was the reason for the rush.

“The 28th of this month.” A rare smile appeared on Liang Jun’s face. She looked at her daughters with uncharacteristic tenderness. “It’s only a few days away, Nana, so you’re going to be busy. Once the wedding happens, your relationship with Su Tan is public. Everyone in Gan-Du will know who you are. You must be on your best behavior—don’t give anyone a reason to gossip.”

“I know,” Liang Xiaona replied flatly.

Liang Jun was pleased with her daughters’ obedience. “By the way, what were you two talking about just now?”

A heavy silence filled the room for a full minute. Liang Xiaotang, seeing that her sister wasn’t going to speak, cleared her throat. “Nothing much. Just that Su Tan was asking me about the people Sis used to date.”

“See how much she cares about you?” Liang Jun smiled, her tone becoming earnest. “Nana, you need to pamper her. Give her whatever she wants. And stop those… pointless flings you used to have. It’s beneath you now.”

“I’m going to my room,” Liang Xiaona said, not wanting to hear another word.

As she walked away, a strange tension lingered in the air. Liang Jun’s brow furrowed.

“Mom,” Liang Xiaotang said, trying to smooth things over. “Sis is just tired. To be honest, she hasn’t been herself since the breakup with Li Sui.”

Liang Jun, having seen it all before, looked stern. “Li Sui is already married. Your sister just needs time to adjust. Soon enough, she’ll realize that having Su Tan by her side is the best thing that could have happened to her.”

Liang Xiaotang gave a quick nod, agreeing for the sake of peace.

“Your sister hasn’t done anything… improper, has she?” Liang Jun asked.

“No,” Liang Xiaotang lied without blinking. She had no intention of letting her mother know the truth.

“This is a critical time for her,” Liang Jun warned. “As her sister, you need to keep an eye on her. Especially make sure she stays away from the bars. We can’t afford any bad press.”

“I will, Mom. I’ll watch her.”

Elsewhere, Li Mi was in a fantastic mood, humming to herself as she munched on a grilled sausage she had picked up in the lobby. As she tossed the skewer into the trash, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

“Excuse me,” a clear, soft voice said.

Li Mi turned around and was momentarily stunned. Standing before her was a girl in a pink robe who looked like she had stepped right out of a painting. She had delicate features, large expressive eyes, and two sweet dimples that appeared when she smiled. She radiated a bright, lively energy.

“Can I help you?” Li Mi asked, her own voice softening instinctively.

“Hi there,” the girl said with a sparkling smile. “My name is Cheng Nai. Would it be okay if we exchanged WeChats?”

Li Mi was so caught off guard by the girl’s sweet charm that she actually blanked for a second. Was she just hit on by a pretty girl? Li Mi knew she wasn’t a conventional beauty; she was more the “grown on you” type. Whenever she was out with Li Sui, Li Sui was always the one getting approached. This was a first for her.

By the time she snapped out of it, they had already swapped contact info.

“Are you here with friends?” Cheng Nai asked brightly.

“Yeah,” Li Mi managed to say, clearing her throat.

“Me too!” Cheng Nai was about to say more when she heard several people calling her name from across the hall. “I have to go, but let’s talk on WeChat!” She gave a playful wave of her phone and hurried off.

Li Mi watched her go until she disappeared from sight. When she finally turned around, she found her sister and Chen Ling watching her with mischievous grins.

“Not bad, Sis,” Li Ke teased. “She looks about my age. Does this mean I’m going to have a sister-in-law soon?”

“Li Ke!” Li Mi growled. She reached out and ruffled her sister’s hair like she was rubbing a cat’s head. “Keep it up and I’ll tell Chen Ling all about how you were still wetting the bed at age three!”

“Okay, okay! I give up!” Li Ke laughed, holding up her hands in mock surrender. “Have mercy, Sis. Give me a little face here.”

She had worked too hard to win Chen Ling over; she wasn’t about to let a childhood secret ruin her cool.

The group stayed at the resort for two days before heading home. Once back, Li Sui decided to refocus on her work, especially since the wedding date was now set.

Her company was prioritizing her upcoming signing event at the Du City Comic-Con the following month. They had been holding meetings for days to iron out the details.

One evening, while Li Sui was buried in her drawings in the study, she received a call from Tan Xiao.

“Li Sui, you have to see this post I just sent you,” Tan Xiao said, her voice urgent. “Small platforms are absolute vultures. This is infuriating.”

Li Sui opened the link. Her expression grew grim as she read the post written by an author named “Matcha Cake” on a manga forum.

The title read: I am Matcha Cake. The short drama “The Scholarly Eldest Sister,” which has tens of millions of views, is based on my work—but I was only paid 5,000 yuan for the adaptation.

Matcha Cake was the creator of the original manga. Li Sui remembered Tan Xiao mentioning her before; they had even thought about scouting her for their company.

According to the post, Matcha Cake had been completely in the dark until a friend told her that her work had been turned into a drama. It was currently in the top five of the historical romance charts, with over ten million views and glowing reviews.

When she reached out to her editor, the editor was equally shocked. Apparently, another department had sold the rights for a mere 20,000 yuan without her knowledge. Matcha Cake insisted she had never signed a “buyout” contract for the drama rights; in fact, she hadn’t even seen such a document.

The editor later told her that the legal department claimed it was a buyout. Out of that 20,000 yuan, 10,000 went to the screenwriter, and after “costs,” Matcha Cake was left with only 5,000.

Matcha Cake had posted screenshots of her conversations, the contract details, and the drama’s view counts. The thread was already gaining traction.

It was a classic case of a small platform exploiting a new creator. It was incredibly difficult for independent artists to fight back in these situations.

Established platforms usually acted as agents for their creators. If they wanted to sell the rights, they would consult the author first, negotiate a fair price, and set clear terms. They wouldn’t dream of selling something behind an author’s back.

“I really wanted to bring her over to our side,” Tan Xiao sighed over the phone. “We were almost ready to sign her when this blew up. These small sites are just pits.”

“It’s awful,” Li Sui agreed, scrolling through the comments. “Xiao-jie, if she wants to fight this, we should help her. Helping her is helping ourselves.”

It reminded Li Sui of why she and Tan Xiao had started Golden Snake Animation in the first place. When they were starting out, they had nearly been tricked into signing a fifty-year “slave contract” by a predatory site. Now that they were in a position of power, they felt a responsibility to help others facing the same injustice.

“Exactly,” Tan Xiao said firmly. “I bet they knew the IP was good and just didn’t want to pay for it, so they did a ‘backdoor’ deal to get the drama made.”

Li Sui went quiet. This kind of unethical behavior was all too common in their industry. She knew Tan Xiao, who valued talent above all else, would do everything in her power to help Matcha Cake get justice.

The next morning, Li Sui woke up and instinctively reached across the bed.

The spot was cold. She checked the alarm clock—it was already 10:00 AM. Bai Shuyi must have left for work hours ago.

Li Sui had pulled an all-nighter, and her internal clock was a mess. When she looked in the mirror, she noticed a fresh pimple on her forehead. She spent three minutes carefully dealing with it.

When she finally headed downstairs, she saw her grandmother and Old Mrs. Bai on the balcony playing with the cats. Two grandmothers, two cats. The sun was shining, and the room was filled with laughter.

It was such a warm, wholesome scene that Li Sui couldn’t help but pull out her phone and capture the moment.

“You’re awake, Sui Sui,” Bai Zhilan said, walking out of the kitchen in an apron, holding some long beans. “You must be hungry. I’ll have Auntie Zhang bring out your breakfast.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Li Sui said, rubbing her nose sheepishly.

Since Li Sui’s grandmother had moved in to recover, Bai Zhilan had brought over Auntie Zhang, a long-time housekeeper from the old residence, to handle the cooking and chores. Li Sui didn’t mind at all. In fact, she was glad to be done with daily takeout, especially since she didn’t know how to cook.

That gave her an idea. She should probably learn a few basic skills. Why not start with cooking?

After breakfast, she shared her thought with Bai Zhilan.

“That’s a wonderful idea,” Bai Zhilan encouraged. “Cooking for yourself can be very rewarding, even if it’s just once in a while.”

Li Sui was enthusiastic. Under Auntie Zhang’s patient guidance, she managed to prepare two classic home-cooked dishes for lunch: Braised Fish and Oil-Braised Prawns.

She excitedly took photos of her creations. Maybe she wasn’t bad at cooking after all; she just hadn’t had the right teacher.

When all the dishes were ready, Li Sui set her two plates on the table alongside Auntie Zhang’s spread. The whole meal was a feast of local Gan-style flavors. While Li Sui’s dishes weren’t quite as polished as the housekeeper’s, her prawns looked pretty impressive.

“Quick, everyone, try it!” Li Sui urged, watching them expectantly. “Tell me how it tastes.”

“It smells wonderful. I’m sure it’s delicious,” Bai Zhilan said supportively. She picked up a prawn and took a bite. The meat was firm, tender, and perfectly seasoned. It was even better than she had expected.

Bai Zhilan gave her a big thumbs-up. “It’s great! Really delicious.”

It was so good that she didn’t even want to leave the shells. Li Sui beamed and started serving her grandmother and Old Mrs. Bai.

Old Mrs. Bai, who usually avoided greasy foods, nodded in approval after trying a prawn. “These are excellent. It’s a shame Shuyi isn’t here to try them.”

“Maybe we should call her and see if she wants to come home for lunch?” Bai Zhilan suggested, looking at Li Sui for approval.

Before Li Sui could say anything, her grandmother spoke up. “It’s not far. Sui Sui, why don’t you take some lunch over to Shuyi’s office? You can eat with her.”

Li Sui didn’t object. “Sure, I can do that.”

Bai Zhilan loved the idea. “That’s perfect! Have a little bite here first, and I’ll get the lunchboxes ready.”

Li Sui smiled. She had never actually been to Bai Shuyi’s office. It would be good to know where it was, especially since she had planned to go out in the afternoon anyway.

Bai Zhilan packed a generous double-portion lunch. She even sent a discreet message to Secretary Li, telling her not to worry about Bai Shuyi’s lunch because Li Sui was on her way.

“Don’t be in a rush to come back,” Bai Zhilan said as she placed the lunchboxes in the car. “Be careful on the road.”

“I will, Mom!”

Li Sui drove toward the address Bai Zhilan had given her. It was only about a ten-minute drive, and soon she was pulling up in front of the Beluga Law Firm.

Looking up at the towering skyscraper, she felt a flutter of excitement. This was the first time she was bringing lunch to Bai Shuyi. She suddenly worried if Bai Shuyi might have already eaten.

She started typing a message to check in, but before she could send it, a soft voice caught her attention.

“Excuse me, are you Miss Li Sui?”

Li Sui looked up to see a receptionist smiling warmly at her.

“Yes, I am,” Li Sui said, surprised. “I’m looking for Bai Shuyi. She’s a lawyer here.”

The receptionist had been briefed that the “boss’s wife” was coming with a “love lunch.” She handed over a special black access card with both hands. “Secretary Li gave us specific instructions. With this card, you have full access to the building, Miss Li. You don’t need to check in next time.”

Li Sui was stunned. Secretary Li had thought of everything.

“Thank you so much,” she said, taking the card.

Just then, an elevator opened and a young woman came rushing out, looking at her phone. Her eyes lit up when she saw Li Sui holding the lunchboxes. “You must be Miss Li Sui!”

“That’s me,” Li Sui said, blinking.

“Hi! I’m Secretary Li’s assistant, Wu.” Assistant Wu pressed the elevator button and explained, “The Boss and Secretary Li are still in a meeting, but I’ve been asked to take you upstairs.”

She reached out politely. “Can I carry those for you, Miss Li?”

“No, I’ve got it,” Li Sui said with a wave of her hand. “Thank you for the lead.”

Li Sui felt a little embarrassed that so many people were being put to work just because she was dropping off lunch. Assistant Wu led her to a private elevator, and they rode up to the tenth floor in silence.

As they walked through the halls, several people greeted them. Assistant Wu introduced Li Sui to everyone as “Lawyer Bai’s family.” Li Sui smiled and nodded back politely.

They stopped at an office with a plaque that read Lawyer Bai Shuyi.

“I’m afraid you might have to wait a few minutes, Miss Li,” Assistant Wu said as she opened the door. “The meeting should be over soon.”

“No problem at all. Thank you.”

Li Sui set the lunchboxes on the coffee table. Assistant Wu didn’t leave immediately; she bustled around, getting Li Sui a glass of warm water and setting out some snacks before telling her to let her know if she needed anything else.

Once alone, Li Sui took a look around the office. It was clearly divided—a casual area with a fully-stocked bar and a more formal, serious workspace behind glass partitions. She knew how important legal documents were, so she stayed put in the lounge area.

Thud!

The door swung open. Li Sui jumped, looking back to see Bai Shuyi. Her tension immediately melted away.

“Is the meeting over?” Li Sui asked with a smile.

Bai Shuyi had only found out Li Sui was there when she saw her mother’s message. Her heart was pounding. “You’re here! Have you been waiting long?”

“I just got here,” Li Sui said. “Have you had lunch yet?”

Bai Shuyi tried to keep her excitement in check. “Not yet. Do you want to eat together?”

“That’s why I’m here!” Li Sui pointed to the insulated lunchboxes, a bright smile on her face. “I brought you lunch. And two of the dishes were made by me!”

Bai Shuyi felt a surge of warmth at the words “made by me.” A look of genuine delight filled her eyes.

My wife made this herself. Is this a ‘love meal’?

In that moment, Bai Shuyi felt truly envious of herself.

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