After Being Cheated, I Had a Flash Marriage with My Ex's Aunt - Chapter 23

“Don’t be afraid, it’s okay.”

Shuyi felt Li Sui’s body trembling and knew she was caught in the throes of a terrifying nightmare. She gently stroked the girl’s back, her voice a low, soothing lullaby. “It was just a dream. You’re safe now.”

Her voice had a magnetic quality to it—like a steadying anchor that calmed Li Sui’s frantic heart. It took a long moment for Li Sui to fully come back to reality, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears and her nose stuffy from the cold.

“Thank you,” Li Sui whispered. “I feel like I’m always a burden to you.”

“Don’t say that.” Shuyi pulled back slightly and reached for a tissue from the nightstand. Her tone was tender as she wiped the girl’s face. “You’re sick. It’s my job to be ‘burdened’ right now. Just focus on getting better.”

Li Sui swallowed, but her throat felt like she was gulping down needles. “I want some water.”

Looking at the girl in her weakened state, Shuyi had a brief, vivid flashback to that night at the bar. Li Sui looked exactly the same—fragile, delicate, and utterly heart-stirring.

“Cough.” Shuyi’s ears turned a faint pink. She stood up slowly. “I’ll get it for you.”

As Li Sui sipped the water, the fog of the nightmare began to lift, but a lingering dread remained. Her stepfather, Su Youwei, had been sentenced to fifteen years; he still had at least five left. She rarely had nightmares—why did she have to dream of him tonight?

She looked at Shuyi, noticing the fatigue on the older woman’s face. “Haven’t you slept yet?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” Shuyi said, offering a small smile to keep Li Sui from worrying. “It wasn’t because of you.”

With the nightmare still fresh, Li Sui felt too restless to sleep. She needed to talk. “Do you know… much about my family?”

“A little,” Shuyi admitted, sitting back down. “I actually know your grandmother.”

Li Sui blinked. “What?”

Shuyi shared the story of her childhood illness and how Li Sui’s grandmother had been the one to heal her. Li Sui was stunned; she knew her grandmother was rumored to have “the sight,” but she hadn’t realized their fates had crossed so long ago.

As the night deepened, Li Sui began to share her own story—how her father died before she was born, and her mother’s tragic remarriage to Su Youwei when Li Sui was ten.

“At first, it was okay,” Li Sui said softly, her voice echoing in the quiet room. “But then he started gambling. He lost everything. When my mom refused to give him more money, he turned into a monster.”

She spoke of the bruises, the alcoholism, and the repeated beatings. Back then, the laws regarding domestic violence were weak, and the police often dismissed it as a “family dispute.” Li Sui had eventually turned to the internet to scream for help because there was no other way out.

Shuyi listened, a memory surfacing. “I think… I’ve heard of your case.” It had been a major story years ago—a brave daughter reporting her own stepfather to save her mother.

“My mother was so unlucky,” Li Sui whispered, her eyes wet. “She spent her whole life suffering, first for her freedom, then for me.”

“You were incredible,” Shuyi said, using a tissue to gently wipe a tear from Li Sui’s cheek.

Li Sui looked up, a faint light returning to her eyes. Many people had called her cold-hearted back then for sending her “father” to prison. But Shuyi didn’t see it that way.

“You were very brave,” Shuyi said, pulling Li Sui into a warm embrace. “You were your mother’s protector. You did the right thing.”

“Thank you. Truly.” Li Sui leaned into the hug, feeling the heavy weight on her heart finally begin to ease.

Shuyi looked at her and found her incredibly endearing. Her gaze drifted to Li Sui’s soft, full lips. She wanted to kiss her. She wanted to hold her and never let go.

“I feel much better,” Li Sui said suddenly.

The words snapped Shuyi out of her daze. She’s still sick, Shuyi scolded herself. What am I thinking? She forced herself to look away, but as Li Sui settled into her arms, the scent of sweet osmanthus from her hair made Shuyi’s heart skip a beat.

It was a quiet, charged atmosphere. Shuyi felt a restless heat rising in her chest. She eventually had to stick her feet out from under the duvet just to cool down. After a while, Li Sui’s breathing became slow and rhythmic as she drifted back to sleep.

Shuyi watched her for a moment before letting out a tired yawn. She lay down beside her, a gentle smile on her face, and pulled the girl close.

The morning sun woke Shuyi first. She found Li Sui curled up against her like a stuffed doll, her arm wrapped tightly around Shuyi’s waist. The pose was incredibly intimate.

Shuyi stared at the girl’s clear, soft face and, on a sudden impulse, leaned in and pressed a light, lingering kiss to her lips. It was sweet, brief, and perfect.

She then slipped out of bed and quietly left the room.

The moment the door clicked shut, Li Sui’s eyes snapped open.

She… she just kissed me?

Li Sui’s mind raced. Was it just today, or had she done it before? A kiss meant feelings, right? They had been living together, sleeping in the same bed, and sharing their lives—it was only natural for feelings to grow.

Li Sui tucked herself under the covers and smiled. She liked this. Despite the differences in their status, she was starting to fall.

Downstairs, Auntie Zhang was busy in the kitchen. She told Li Sui that Shuyi had called earlier, leaving strict instructions about her diet and medication.

A message from Shuyi popped up on her phone: [Busy day at the office. Remember to take your medicine. Tell me if you feel unwell; I’ll try to be home early.]

Li Sui’s smile widened. She definitely likes me.

In this update, the hidden storm within the Su family begins to stir as a long-buried secret is unearthed. Meanwhile, back at the villa, Li Sui and Shuyi settle into a soft, domestic rhythm, only for Li Sui to find herself in a high-stakes face-off with the woman who “stole” her past.

*****

The Hospital.

The Su family matriarch’s health had taken a rare turn for the better, her complexion significantly clearer than it had been in weeks. It should have been a celebration. However, that morning, Su Tan’s mother had received a courier package. Inside was nothing but a single, printed sheet of A4 paper with a chilling message: Su Tan is not a Su.

At first, Mrs. Su dismissed it as a malicious prank. She immediately ordered a check of the security footage to find the sender. Who would dare play such a reckless joke on the Su family? Were they tired of living?

But as she calmed down, staring at that cold white paper, her mind began to wander through the tiny details of Su Tan’s childhood.

As a baby, Su Tan hadn’t looked like anyone in the family. They had assumed she would grow into the family features, and eventually, she did—somewhat. But there were other things. Su Tan was severely allergic to eggs, a trait entirely absent from both the Su and Jiang bloodlines. She had also hated mutton since she was a toddler, whereas the Su family matriarch, Mrs. Su herself, and even Su Tan’s late father had been obsessed with it.

A seed of doubt, once planted, grows rapidly. Following the principle of “better safe than sorry,” Mrs. Su quietly collected strands of her own hair and Su Tan’s, sending them off for a secret DNA test with a trusted contact.

The Su family was a century-old dynasty. Lineage was everything. If Su Tan wasn’t her daughter… then where was her real child? The thought felt like a jagged hole in her heart.

The results came back with terrifying speed. When Mrs. Su saw the words on the report, the blood drained from her face.

Su Tan… really wasn’t her daughter.

How? She had hired a private medical team for the birth. She remembered waking up from the exhaustion of labor to find the baby already by her side. She had raised her personally since day one. They had never been separated. How could this happen?

She tried to investigate the hospital, only to be told the security footage from twenty-four years ago was lost. The staff list from that era was long and scattered; finding the truth would take time.

She thought about waiting until the real child was found before telling the matriarch, but the old woman’s health was fragile and her temper legendary. She didn’t dare keep the secret.

When the matriarch heard the news and saw the DNA report, her breathing became heavy through her oxygen mask.

“How could this happen?” Mrs. Su sobbed, her eyes red. “It’s like a bolt from the blue. How is she not my daughter?”

The matriarch struggled for a long time before wheezing out two words: “Find her. Find her at all costs.”

Mrs. Su nodded, wiping her tears. “I’ll send everyone out. But… let’s not tell Tan-tan yet. She’s getting married at the end of the month. It should be a happy time; there’s no need to weigh her down.”

But a darker thought crossed Mrs. Su’s mind: If Su Tan wasn’t her daughter, then whose daughter was she? Was there another family out there searching for their child, just like they were about to?

“We must find her,” the matriarch insisted, her voice cold and resolute. “My blood might be suffering somewhere out there. I can’t close my eyes for the last time until she’s home.”

******

The Villa.

While the Su family was in turmoil, Li Sui spent a few quiet days at home recovering from her cold.

Shuyi was a gentle presence. When she got home from work, she didn’t disturb Li Sui in the study. Instead, she quietly learned how to clean the cat litter, groom the two felines, and play with them. Under one roof, two people and two cats began to find a shared rhythm. Even their ways of addressing each other became noticeably more intimate.

One afternoon, Li Sui received the schedule for their wedding photos. She glanced at the calendar and realized with a start: Shuyi’s grandmother’s seventieth birthday was only a few days away.

And she hadn’t prepared a gift.

She tried to call Shuyi to see if she could go shopping with her, but the call didn’t go through. She pulled up the schedule Secretary Li had sent her and was stunned. It was packed. For the next several weeks, Shuyi would be bouncing between the courts and the prison. To make room for a half-month honeymoon and wedding leave, she was compressing her entire workload into a feverish sprint.

Talk about a grind, Li Sui thought, putting her phone away. The legal world is no joke.

She knew Shuyi wasn’t the type to sit still. Despite being wealthy enough to never work again, she moved like a spinning top. Even Shuyi’s mother had asked Li Sui to try and convince her to slow down. Perhaps she really did just love the law.

“I’ll just call Mimi,” Li Sui decided. They hadn’t caught up properly since the hot spring trip.

Rumor had it Mimi was in a “relationship” with a girl named Cheng Nai, who was apparently trying to “sponsor” her with millions of yuan. Mimi was convinced it was a sophisticated scam—no one just hands out that kind of money for fun.

They agreed to meet at the Antique City. Li Sui owned half a street of shops there—an investment she’d made through Mimi’s connections—and it was time to collect her latest dividends and hunt for a birthday gift.

*****

The Antique City

Located on Southeast Grand Street, the Antique City was a labyrinth of history. With the rise of tourism, it had evolved into a mix of high-end galleries and trendy “Instagrammable” cafes.

Li Sui met Mimi and they wandered through the narrow alleys. Li Sui loved the vibe here; the chaos of the crowds always seemed to settle her restless mind. They browsed the stalls, but Li Sui dismissed most of them with a glance.

Fakes. Everywhere.

“The auction is set for the middle of next month,” Mimi said, sipping on a milk tea. “Are you bringing Shuyi? If you don’t make the daughter of the richest family in Gan-Du bleed a little money, it’ll be a waste of her status.”

Li Sui: “…”

They walked into a high-end shop with vintage decor and glass cases filled with ancient coins, jade, and calligraphy. Li Sui’s eyes landed on a stunning Hetian white jade Buddha.

“I’ll take this one. Please wrap it up,” Li Sui said to the smiling clerk.

“Wait a minute!”

A sharp, high-pitched voice cut through the air. Li Sui turned to see a young woman in a designer sun hat, flanked by a stern female bodyguard. The woman looked polished and expensive from head to toe—the kind of person who didn’t take “no” for an answer.

Li Sui felt a prickle of familiarity. She’d seen this face before.

The woman took off her hat, her gaze sweeping over Li Sui with open arrogance.

“So, you’re Li Sui?” Su Tan said.

This was her first time seeing Li Sui in person. She was even more beautiful than the photos on the university forums, but Su Tan didn’t care. To her, a girl with such a “shameful” family background could never be her equal.

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