After Being Cheated, I Had a Flash Marriage with My Ex's Aunt - Chapter 24

“Who is this woman?”

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Li Mimi felt like the girl was hauntingly familiar, but she couldn’t place the face. She leaned in and whispered to Li Sui, “Sui-sui, is she someone you know?”

Now that Li Sui had a clear look at Su Tan, the pieces clicked into place. She studied Su Tan for a moment before looking away. “Don’t worry about her.”

Su Tan’s gaze was thick with disdain. “As if I’d want to know you. Two low-class nobodies.” She pulled out a black credit card and slapped it onto the counter, looking at the clerk. “I’m taking this jade Buddha. Swipe it.”

The clerk looked at Li Sui, then turned back to Su Tan with an apologetic smile. “I’m so sorry, Ma’am, but Miss Li has already—”

“Swipe it,” Su Tan interrupted, her voice sharp. “Whatever she’s paying, I’ll double it.”

Mimi’s face darkened. It was obvious this woman was here to cause trouble. “Are you always this barbaric? We were already in the middle of buying that. Are you seriously trying to rob us in broad daylight?”

“Rob you?” Su Tan smiled, her eyes narrowing as she fixed them on Li Sui. “If you can’t protect what’s yours, it was never yours to begin with. It just means you’re useless.”

Mimi wasn’t stupid; she sensed a deeper history here. She shot a questioning look at Li Sui, who gave her a quick, subtle wink.

Mimi caught the signal instantly. Oh, so we’re playing. She turned back to Su Tan and scoffed, “You’re being ridiculous. We saw it first. Don’t you understand how ‘first come, first served’ works?”

Li Sui patted Mimi’s hand and shook her head with feigned resignation. “If she wants it that badly, let her have it. I don’t care for it anymore.”

“Sui-sui!” Mimi protested, playing her part perfectly.

“Tch.” Su Tan sneered at them and barked at the clerk, “What are you standing there for? Swipe the card.”

The clerk looked at Li Sui, but seeing no objection, she put on a professional smile and accepted Su Tan’s card. In the end, Su Tan paid 9 million yuan—double the original price—to secure the Hetian jade Buddha.

Li Sui watched calmly as the clerk wrapped the piece. Mimi and Li Sui shared another look. Mimi had known Li Sui for years; she knew that unless Li Sui wanted to be stepped on, no one could make her feel small. Su Tan was walking straight into a pit.

Once the Buddha was handed over to Su Tan’s bodyguard, Li Sui turned back to the clerk. “I remember your boss mentioned a ‘treasure of the shop’ last time. Could I see it?”

The clerk beamed. “Of course, Miss Li. Please wait a moment.”

Su Tan’s interest was piqued. Another treasure?

Soon, the clerk returned with a monochrome glazed porcelain vase—a Qing Dynasty replica of a Ru-ware celestial string-neck garlic-head vase. It was a stunning piece of craftsmanship, the sky-blue glaze looking as natural and elegant as a clear morning.

“Miss Li, you have an incredible eye,” the clerk said. “Even though this is a replica, it was fired by a master. It’s truly one of a kind.”

“It’s beautiful,” Li Sui agreed. She pulled out a magnifying glass and spent several minutes examining the piece with intense focus.

Su Tan stood to the side. She knew nothing about porcelain, but the more Li Sui looked at it with that satisfied expression, the more Su Tan wanted it.

Finally, Li Sui set the glass down. “How much?”

“For a piece like this, the auction starting price would be 5 million yuan,” the clerk explained. “If you’re looking for a gift, Miss Li, nothing is more suitable.”

Li Sui hesitated, appearing to struggle with the decision. “Alright. Wrap it up for me.”

“I’ll give you 5.5 million,” Su Tan cut in, thrusting her card forward. “Swipe it.”

“This…” The clerk looked at Li Sui, looking genuinely distressed.

Li Sui’s brow furrowed in a tiny, frustrated twitch. Mimi stepped in, teeth gritted. “What is wrong with you? What is your problem with Sui-sui?”

“I just don’t like her,” Su Tan laughed, clearly enjoying their anger. “And you? You must be her lapdog. You’re incredibly noisy.”

The clerk tried to play peacemaker. “Ma’am, Miss Li is a regular. She already gave up the jade Buddha. Perhaps we could find a different piece for you?”

Li Sui pulled out her own card, sounding reluctant and desperate. “I’ll pay 6 million. Wrap it for me now.”

“7 million!” Su Tan countered, standing with her hands on her hips. “I don’t care what she offers; I’ll always go higher. Stop wasting time and take the card.”

The atmosphere in the shop reached a stalemate. Li Sui slowly tucked her card away, her shoulders slumping. “Fine. I’m done. Take her money.”

“Sui-sui!” Mimi pulled out her own card, glaring at Su Tan. “It’s fine, I have the funds. Use mine!”

“8 million!” Su Tan stared at the clerk, her voice icy. “I said the vase is mine.”

Li Sui sighed and tugged on Mimi’s sleeve. “Forget it. Let’s go.”

“But—” Mimi took a deep breath and threw a final glare at Su Tan. “You better hope I never see you again.”

Su Tan watched them with triumph, a haughty smile on her face. “Swipe it.”

“I’m so sorry, Miss Li,” the clerk whispered before quickly processing the transaction.

However, during the swipe, the clerk paused. She tried again, then looked at Su Tan with an awkward expression. “I’m sorry, Ma’am, but this card has insufficient funds. Do you have another way to pay?”

Su Tan froze. She’d just transferred 2 million to Liang Xiaona and spent a fortune on furniture for the new house. She had burned through nearly a hundred million recently.

The mocking laughter from Mimi broke the silence. “And you called us poor? Someone’s reaching their limit, it seems.”

“Cough.” Li Sui gave Mimi a hidden thumbs-up.

Feeling more humiliated than ever, Su Tan pulled out a different credit card. “Wrap it elegantly. I’m giving it as a gift.”

“Thank you, Miss Su. Have a wonderful day!” The clerk’s smile was blindingly sincere as she saw the high-value customer out.

Once Su Tan vanished, Mimi nudged Li Sui. “How was that? I played the part pretty well, didn’t I?”

Li Sui smiled. “Perfectly.”

The clerk turned back to them, her professional stiffness vanishing. She grinned widely at Li Sui. “Miss Li, Miss Li—the Boss told me you’d be coming. The private room on the second floor is ready. Please, come up.”

Li Sui and Mimi were frequent guests, and the second floor was where the real deals happened. They settled in and were served a premium tea that filled the room with fragrance. Li Sui pulled out her phone and messaged a friend.

Li Sui: A “sweet, rich, and dumb” lady just walked into your shop. Mimi and I played her, and she bought the jade Buddha and that replica vase for over 17 million yuan.

Minutes later, the reply came:

Friend: The clerk already told me. I’ll have them credit the commission to your accounts. You and Mimi should come by more often—you are shareholders, after all.

Li Sui sipped her tea, her heart light and full of satisfaction.

“So,” Mimi asked, leaning in. “What is your history with that woman? Her personality is toxic.”

“That’s Su Tan,” Li Sui said indifferently. “The pampered heiress of the Su family. The girl Liang Xiaona cheated on me with.”

“What?!” Mimi’s jaw dropped. Then, she slapped her thigh in realization. “That’s her? Ugh, they really are birds of a feather! If I’d known, I would have pushed the price even higher. Seventeen million is too cheap for her!”

“She came here looking for me,” Li Sui said with a smirk. “If she wants to play, we’ll have plenty of chances to make her pay.”

Mimi thought for a moment, a mischievous glint in her eye. She whispered a plan into Li Sui’s ear. Li Sui listened, then burst into a laugh. “That is brutal. Only you could come up with something that devious.”

After their victory, they spent some time in the private room before heading out to pick up the actual birthday gift for Shuyi’s grandmother. But as they reached the parking lot, they were intercepted.

A middle-aged woman accompanied by a female bodyguard stepped in front of them. Li Sui and Mimi immediately went on high alert.

“Are you Li Mimi?” the woman asked, handing Mimi a business card. “I am your father’s sister, your aunt, Su Youlan. Do you have a moment to talk in private?”

Mimi was stunned. Her father’s sister? What father? And the surname Su?

Li Sui’s instincts kicked in. She patted Mimi’s arm gently. “I’ll wait for you over there, Mimi.”

“Okay,” Mimi said, her voice trembling slightly as she tried to steady her nerves.

For the next while, Mimi and Su Youlan spoke in the car. Standing by a shaded vending machine, Li Sui watched from a distance. She saw Mimi accept a file from the woman, and then her friend’s expression went completely blank.

Li Sui didn’t know the details, but her intuition told her that the world was about to change for Li Mimi.

Li Sui had a sharp eye for detail. Even from a distance, she could see that Li Mimi and Su Youlan shared several striking facial features.

Where did Mimi get a father from?

The sight triggered a memory of the day she first met Mimi. Back then, Li Sui had been following her mentor to learn the art of antique appraisal. Whenever she had free time, she’d scavenge for hidden gems in the Antique City. By pure chance, she ran into Mimi, who was hunting for the same treasures. They had both set their eyes on the same folding fan.

After a heated debate, Li Sui ended up buying the fan at a high price, but she recognized that Mimi was a true professional. Seeing that they were about to be the same age, she decided to reach out. Mimi had been gracious, saying the fan just wasn’t meant for her, and a friendship was born.

Eventually, Mimi opened up about being an orphan. She had been abandoned in a women’s restroom as an infant and was found by the woman who became her “Mama Li.” When the police couldn’t find her biological parents, Mama Li—with the blessing of her partner, Mama Mi—brought her home and raised her as their own.

Mimi’s two mothers were wonderful women who ran several antique shops in the city. So, for this wealthy woman to suddenly appear, she was almost certainly a blood relative of Mimi’s biological parents.

Judging by Su Youlan’s designer clothes, her poised demeanor, the bodyguard, and the limited-edition car, she came from a powerful background.

The surname Su. Su Youlan.

A theory began to form in Li Sui’s mind, but she wondered how Mimi would choose to handle it. Once her soda was finished, she tossed the bottle into a bin just as Mimi and Su Youlan stepped out of the car.

Li Sui hurried over. “Are you okay?”

Mimi looked shaken, her expression suggesting something beyond her wildest imagination had occurred. Even Su Youlan’s face held a complicated, unreadable look.

Mimi’s eyes flickered toward her friend, and she shook her head. “I’m fine. Let’s go.”

“Wait!” Su Youlan called out. She looked as if she wanted to follow, but seeing Mimi’s hesitant yet determined stride, she stopped. She had told Mimi the truth about her origins in the car, and the girl clearly struggled to process it. However, it was evident from Mimi’s conduct that she had been raised well by her current family.

Knowing she couldn’t rush something this world-altering, Su Youlan stayed back. Li Sui, meanwhile, followed Mimi to the car, her head buzzing with curiosity.

The moment they were inside, Mimi collapsed into the passenger seat like a deflated balloon. She looked utterly drained, possessing the “shattered” aura of someone ready to play dead even if the apocalypse arrived.

“This is too much,” Mimi said, suddenly bolting upright. The exhaustion vanished, replaced by sheer disbelief. “Do you know what she told me? She wants a DNA test. She said I wasn’t abandoned—I was stolen and swapped by a nanny!”

Li Sui frowned. “Wait, tell me everything.”

It took Mimi a solid three minutes to recount the story. Mimi had always known she was a “bathroom baby,” but it had never bothered her. She had two loving mothers and a sister who shared her history; her life was warm, free, and happy.

But according to Su Youlan, the Su family had only recently discovered that the daughter they had raised for twenty-four years wasn’t theirs. The nanny had pulled a “Prince and the Pauper” move—or rather, a “Nanny’s Niece for a Princess” swap—switching her own sister’s child with the real Su daughter during the chaos of the birth.

Upon discovering the truth, the family matriarch had sent Su Youlan to find Mimi immediately. Su Youlan had even shown her a family photo to prove their resemblance, promising Mimi the world if she would just come home.

Mimi felt like she was trapped in a trashy web novel. She never expected a “True vs. Fake Heiress” plot to land on her doorstep. The Su family was high-society royalty in Gan-Du, built on international trade and oil, with assets spanning the entire country.

Li Sui was stunned. If Mimi hadn’t been swapped, she would have been born with a platinum spoon in her mouth, living like a literal princess.

“So,” Li Sui asked, “now that you know you weren’t actually unwanted… what’s the plan?”

“Look at this.” Mimi held up her phone, her voice dripping with frustration. “Su Youlan is already blowing up my messages. I’m honestly speechless.”

Li Sui read the text, her heart heavy:

I know this is a lot to take in. Your aunt and grandmother came looking for you the moment we found out. We are your blood. Your father passed away years ago, but your mother is desperate for your return. Your grandmother is currently bedridden and ill; her only wish is to bring you home. I know you’re a good girl and care for your adoptive mother and sister—if you want to live with them, I can arrange everything. Reach out whenever you’re ready.

“It’s just so… messy,” Mimi said, tucking her phone away with a bitter laugh. “I have two mothers who adore me and a sister I love. I’m perfectly happy with my life. Why would I want to go to some ‘Su family’?”

Li Sui reached out, her voice gentle. “Whatever you choose, Mimi, I just want you to be happy. It’s your life. Your peace is the only thing that matters.”

“Love you, bestie,” Mimi sighed, leaning her head on Li Sui’s shoulder.

It was all so sudden. Mimi didn’t know how to tell her family, but she knew the truth wouldn’t stay hidden forever. Then, a thought struck her, and her tone turned sharp and mocking. “By the way… do you know who the person is? The one who stole my life?”

Li Sui took a guess. “Su Tan?”

“I knew you were the smartest person I know!” Mimi barked a laugh, thinking back to her encounter with Su Tan earlier. “No wonder she was so insufferable. Fate really is something, isn’t it? Trash really does find its own lid.”

Li Sui: “…”

She’s not wrong.

Li Sui thought back to her breakup with Liang Xiaona. Xiaona wanted a life of luxury, and there was nothing wrong with ambition—but she shouldn’t have lied and cheated to get it. Xiaona valued Su Tan’s status above all else. If Su Tan lost that “True Heiress” title, Li Sui wondered how long Xiaona’s “devotion” would actually last.

“Do you want me to take you home?” Li Sui asked.

“No way.” Mimi shook her head violently. “I need to hide in Ke-Ke’s flower shop for a while. I don’t even know how to begin explaining this at home.”

On the way, Mimi continued to vent, her mind spiraling into the plots of the melodramatic novels she’d read. She imagined a world where the “Fake Heiress” would frame her, calculate her downfall, or even try to poison her to protect her status. She worried that the Su family would eventually find her “disappointing” compared to the girl they had raised and abandon her all over again.

“Stop that,” Li Sui said firmly as she drove. “You aren’t coming from nothing.”

Li Sui had always envied the warmth of Mimi’s home. The Su family was a titan, and if Mimi returned, she’d have a massive burden of responsibility to carry. Her life would be turned upside down.

“If you go back and they treat you poorly,” Li Sui added, “you can just walk away. You have a family waiting for you here.”

“I know, I know,” Mimi sighed. “I’m just dreading the idea of having to live under the same roof as Su Tan.”

“That part is actually easy,” Li Sui analyzed. “Strictly speaking, if Su Tan isn’t a Su, she’s just an adoptive daughter. If they want to strike her from the family registry, they just have to investigate her biological parents.”

Mimi let out a “tsk.” “Su Youlan said Su Tan is the daughter of the nanny’s sister. Apparently, the biological mother died of a hemorrhage during childbirth and the father didn’t want the kid. So the nanny swapped us to give her niece a better life. Who knows if that’s even the full truth.”

Li Sui felt a pang of sympathy. Even if that were true, they left Mimi in a bathroom. It was a miracle she had survived to find her two mothers.

“Su Tan is a cuckoo in the nest,” Li Sui said, her voice steady and calm. “Since you know the truth, and the Su family is clearly determined to find you, hiding won’t solve anything. You should prepare your countermove now.”

She added one final suggestion: “Let Qiao Zui look into it for you.”

Mimi’s eyes lit up, her energy returning instantly. “Right! Qiao Zui is a literal god! There isn’t a piece of data she can’t find. Why the hell am I even worried?”

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