After Being Cheated, I Had a Flash Marriage with My Ex's Aunt - Chapter 26

The Su Family Private Hospital, VIP Suite.

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“The resemblance!”

The Su matriarch clutched the photos and files Su Youlan had brought back, her eyes brimming with tears. “The nose, the brows, the eyes—she looks just like her father. It’s uncanny!”

“Mom, please, keep your voice down. You shouldn’t get so worked up,” Youlan soothed, her hands steadying her mother. “I’ve already met with the girl. She isn’t exactly eager to come home. She clearly harbors a lot of resentment for how we lost her—and truthfully, I can’t blame her. I’ve looked into the family that raised her, and it seems she’s had a very comfortable life.”

Youlan began to recount the details. In the local neighborhood, everyone knew Mimi was a “bathroom baby,” found by the Li family wrapped in a common, floral-patterned blanket. Fearing the frail infant would struggle in an orphanage, the Li family took her in.

Back then, before same-sex marriage was legalized, two women raising a foundling had sparked a lot of neighborhood gossip. Mimi had faced her share of hardships. Fortunately, her adoptive mothers were kind-hearted and possessed a sharp business sense. They eventually opened an antique shop in the Antique City, and over the years, Mimi had excelled both academically and in character.

Knowing Mimi would refuse a DNA test, Youlan had been “clever.” During their conversation, she had managed to snag a few strands of Mimi’s hair. The results were undeniable: Mimi was 100% a Su, the true blood of the family.

The matriarch wept as she heard of Mimi’s abandonment. “She should never have suffered like that. It’s our fault… we were so careless.”

The files revealed more than just her history. The matriarch noticed that Mimi wasn’t just “doing well”—she was exceptional. Her adoptive mothers ran a shop with an annual revenue in the tens of millions. But Mimi herself had inherited the Su family’s business instinct; she had invested in half a street in the Antique City and co-founded a prestigious auction house.

The matriarch, who had been worrying that the Su empire would crumble once she passed, suddenly saw a ray of hope.

“She’s brilliant, isn’t she?” Youlan said, catching the look in her mother’s eyes. “My sister-in-law is capable, but with a truly gifted successor, the Su family could reach new heights.”

The matriarch’s eyes shone with a new, fierce resolve. “She has every right to be angry with us. I need to see her. I need to explain things to her personally.”

She immediately began planning: gifts to be purchased, properties to be transferred into Mimi’s name. As for Su Tan, the matriarch’s heart hardened. “She isn’t our blood. Even if it wasn’t her fault, she can no longer stay by our side.”

Youlan arched an eyebrow. “I don’t think my sister-in-law will see it that way.”

Su Tan was her mother’s world. While the Su family was wealthy enough to keep both girls, it wouldn’t be fair to Mimi, the one who had been pushed aside by a nanny’s cruel scheme.

“I’ll handle my daughter-in-law,” the matriarch said coldly. “She needs to understand whose blood truly matters. And as for Su Tan’s engagement to the Liang girl… keep it simple. Minimize the fanfare. I want to be discharged as soon as possible. I’m going to go get my granddaughter.”

The Flower Shop

“Sigh.”

Li Mimi snipped at a flower stem, letting out a long, heavy breath.

“That’s the twenty-fifth sigh,” a shop assistant whispered to the owner, Li Ke. “What’s up with Mimi-jie lately?”

“I don’t know,” Li Ke replied, shaking her head. It was obvious something was wrong. Mimi had been staying out for days, claiming she was helping Li Sui with some business, but she had the “guilty” look of someone afraid to go home.

Once the shop was empty, Li Ke sat down beside her sister with a glass of water. “Sis, are you hiding something from me?”

Mimi forced a smile. “No, of course not.”

“Liar,” Li Ke said bluntly. “Since we were kids, whenever you’re hiding something from the moms, you start sighing like the world is ending. Did you lose money at the shop?”

“What? No!” Mimi took a sip of water. “Business is great.”

“Then don’t be scared,” Li Ke urged. “If you’re in trouble, we’ll figure it out together. I can even mortgage the flower shop. As long as we’re breathing, we can make it through.”

Mimi felt a lump in her throat. Her sister’s naive protectiveness was almost too much. “Silly girl, my career is doing just fine.”

“Then why are you acting like a zombie?” Li Ke pouted. “Did you get dumped? Was it that beauty from the hot spring?”

Mimi: “…”

Seeing her sister’s face fall even further, Li Ke went into a panic. “Did you really get dumped? Did she break your heart?”

“No,” Mimi sighed, realizing she needed to talk to someone she trusted. She decided to test the waters. “You know we’re both adopted, right?”

“Duh,” Li Ke said, rolling her eyes. “Our moms are two women. How exactly were they supposed to have us?”

Mimi was speechless for a moment. Their origins were never a secret. “I mean… what if your biological parents found you one day? How would you feel?”

“Wait!” Li Ke sat up straight, her voice rising. “Did your ‘birth family’ find you?”

Mimi was surprised by the lack of shock. Instead, Li Ke seemed to be winding up for a fight. “They have some nerve! They dump you in a bathroom to die in the middle of winter, and now that you’re successful, they come crawling back? Are they looking for a retirement plan?”

Li Ke had always known Mimi had been found nearly frozen to death in a bathroom. To her, whoever abandoned an infant like that didn’t want the child to live.

“Where are they?” Li Ke demanded, standing up. “I’ll give them a piece of my mind!”

“Ke-Ke, calm down,” Mimi said, deeply moved. She patted her sister’s arm. “I’m not planning on ‘recognizing’ them. I’m just… I don’t know how to tell our moms. It’s stressing me out.”

Mimi recounted the visit from Su Youlan and the story of the nanny’s swap. She made it clear she had no intention of leaving the Li family.

“Is it really them?” Li Ke asked, her brow furrowed. “It sounds suspicious. Why find you now? What were they doing for the last twenty-four years?”

Mimi explained the discovery that Su Tan was the nanny’s niece. Su Youlan had been messaging her constantly, saying the matriarch wanted to see her.

“I can handle the rest,” Mimi sighed, her expression bitter. “I’m just worried the moms will feel… replaced. They are my only real mothers.”

“Well, keeping it a secret won’t help,” Li Ke said softly.

Li Ke’s expression turned solemn. “Find the right time to tell the moms. But Sis, I honestly suggest you go through with the DNA test. If that nanny really swapped you on purpose, it means your birth parents are victims, too. Having one more family to love you… that can’t be a bad thing.”

“You’re seeing this much more clearly than I am,” Mimi said with a smile, a genuine one this time.

Li Ke tilted her head, sensing her sister’s lingering hesitation. “Even if the Su family is incredibly wealthy, you don’t need to depend on them for anything. If you’re in a good mood, go stay at the Su estate for a few days. If you’re not, don’t go back at all. Your happiness is the only thing that matters, Sis.”

Mimi froze for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. “Sui Sui said the exact same thing to me. You two are really on the same wavelength.”

“Well, that’s great then!” Li Ke nudged her with her elbow, her voice full of sincere encouragement. “See? Great minds think alike. You’re just too close to the situation right now. There’s really nothing to be so miserable about.”

“Alright.” For the first time in days, Mimi flashed a bright, carefree smile. She decided she was done brooding; it was time to contact Su Youlan and have a real talk.

The following morning, Li Sui headed out with Shuyi. They arrived at a high-end private boutique. The interior was the definition of luxury, with window displays featuring gowns so stunning they looked like they belonged in a dream.

Before arriving, Shuyi had explained that this shop’s taste was peerless. Every designer there was a big name in the industry, and the clientele consisted almost exclusively of high-society socialites and A-list celebrities. Ordinarily, a gown here would require a one- or two-month advance reservation.

However, Shuyi held shares in the boutique. Whenever she needed to attend a major gala, this was her first stop.

A shop assistant in a sharp black suit approached them with a respectful smile. “Lawyer Bai, Miss Li, welcome.”

“Mhm,” Shuyi replied casually. “We’re attending a wedding banquet. Show us some suitable evening wear.”

The assistant’s eyes crinkled. Word had long since spread that their major shareholder, Lawyer Bai, had married a beauty several years her junior. Seeing Li Sui in person today, they realized the rumors didn’t do her justice.

Two young designers stepped forward. “Miss Li,” one of them, a girl with a round face and a soft voice, said as she held up a measuring tape. “Please follow me. I’ll need to take your measurements.”

“Sure, thank you,” Li Sui replied with a polite smile.

She took a few steps after the designer only to realize Shuyi was following right behind them, seemingly intent on entering the fitting room as well. Li Sui stopped and turned around. “What? You’re coming in with me?”

Shuyi’s eyes lit up. “Can I?”

Li Sui’s heart did a sudden, violent thud. A flush crept up her cheeks. “Of course not! It’s just measurements, not a full dress rehearsal.”

Shuyi’s smile widened. “So you’re saying I can come in when you’re actually changing into the dresses?”

“What is going on in that head of yours?” Li Sui pushed her back playfully, nearly laughing at the lawyer’s blatant “scheme.” “There’s nothing to see. Wait out here; I’ll be quick.”

Predicting her shyness, Shuyi caught her hand and leaned in close. Her voice was a mere whisper against Li Sui’s ear. “Then when I change… can I invite you to watch me?”

As she spoke, her lips deliberately brushed against the tip of Li Sui’s ear.

Li Sui was completely blindsided by the bold move. Her heart skipped a beat, and then she realized—several shop assistants were stealing glances at them.

Her face turned a vivid, explosive red. In broad daylight! In front of people!

“Shy?” Shuyi asked. She looked perfectly composed, as if she wasn’t the one who had just teased her so shamelessly.

Li Sui was speechless. She turned and followed the designer into the private fitting room, her face still burning. Shuyi watched her retreat with a soft chuckle.

Since the shop had a record of Shuyi’s usual style, she didn’t need to hunt for options immediately. She settled onto a sofa to flip through fashion magazines while she waited. She had noticed that Li Sui preferred understated, elegant clothing or traditional qipaos that felt lived-in and comfortable, so she discreetly instructed the designers to recommend styles along those lines.

Inside the fitting room, the designer smiled as she worked. “Miss Li, your proportions are incredible, and your skin is so fair. Honestly, almost everything in our collection would look stunning on you.”

“Thank you,” Li Sui said, her movements a bit stiff from the constant compliments. The designer was sweet-talk personified, praising everything from Li Sui’s posture to her complexion.

Once the measurements were done, the designer brought over the latest seasonal catalogs. “Lawyer Bai is also very fair. When the two of you walked in, I thought you looked perfectly matched. Do you have a specific style in mind for this event?”

“I like things that are comfortable,” Li Sui said as she flipped through the pages. Suddenly, her eyes stopped. “Oh, these two are lovely.”

They were high-fashion suit dresses—one black, one white. The white one was an asymmetrical, structured piece, while the black one was a short-sleeved tweed midi dress with a sharp collar. Both were luxurious without being loud.

Li Sui realized she’d always seen Shuyi in her custom black work suits; she’d never seen her in white.

“Let’s do these,” Li Sui decided. “I’ll try the black one.”

The designer caught the “matching” intent immediately. “Understood. I’ll arrange it right away.”

Outside, Shuyi was soon approached by a designer holding the white gown. “Miss Li selected this one for you, Lawyer Bai. Please follow me.”

Shuyi looked at the dress and smiled to herself. I see what she’s doing.

A moment later, Li Sui emerged first. She glanced around the lounge, but Shuyi was nowhere to be seen. She had expected the older woman to be waiting for her.

“Lawyer Bai is in the fitting room,” the designer explained, coming forward to carefully adjust Li Sui’s hem. “I told you, Miss Li—this black suit dress looks like it was custom-made for you.”

Li Sui looked in the mirror and blinked in surprise. The asymmetrical hem was light and airy, giving her an aura that was both elegant and youthful. It made her look taller, too. She rarely wore black; usually, she opted for casual comfort at home or simple makeup for business trips. Seeing herself in such a structured, sophisticated outfit was like looking at a different person.

“Let me fix your hair quickly,” the designer said, picking up a comb to gather Li Sui’s hair into a soft updo.

Li Sui kept saying “thank you,” feeling a bit overwhelmed by the designer’s relentless praise. She knew she was attractive, but “heavenly beauty” felt like a stretch.

Just as the designer was explaining which jewelry would best complement the look, she paused. “Miss Li, Lawyer Bai is out.”

Li Sui turned toward the adjacent fitting room. Her heart stopped.

Shuyi was walking toward her under the bright boutique lights, wearing the asymmetrical white suit dress Li Sui had picked. The silver accents along the edges caught the light, emphasizing her slender frame and long legs. The white softened her professional edge, making her look younger and blending her natural authority with a sudden, breathtaking gentleness.

Li Sui’s brain felt like it had short-circuited. Shuyi stepped up beside her, her gaze locked onto Li Sui’s face. “Well? Do I really look okay in this?”

Li Sui just stared. It took a long time for her to find her voice. “You’re beautiful… Sister Shuyi, you really suit white.”

“You just have great taste in clothes,” Shuyi said, her lips curving into a delighted smile. Her eyes never left Li Sui’s. “Standing like this… people can tell we’re a couple, right?”

“Think so?” Li Sui turned back to the mirror.

In the reflection, the black and white of their outfits complemented each other perfectly, creating a striking, layered visual. They really did look like they belonged together.

Li Sui smiled, a deep sense of satisfaction warming her chest. Shuyi watched her through the mirror, her heart swelling. She felt a twinge of regret that she hadn’t brought Li Sui here sooner to buy her more beautiful things.

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