After Being Cheated, I Had a Flash Marriage with My Ex's Aunt - Chapter 3

Li Sui felt that her life lately had become utterly surreal—the kind of messy, scandalous drama she’d find difficult to even talk about.

First, she was betrayed by the girlfriend she’d loved for two years. Then, driven by some inexplicable impulse to drink away her sorrows, she had stumbled into an accidental night of passion with the very lawyer who was currently the talk of every variety show.

Life was truly stranger than fiction.

It was only after returning home that Li Sui had a moment to breathe and deal with the fallout. Because she had abruptly canceled her planned proposal to Liang Xiaona, her phone was a minefield of notifications. Her aunt had left five or six “emergency” missed calls, and her best friend, Li Mimi, had sent a relentless stream of comforting messages, clearly terrified that Li Sui might do something drastic.

Li Sui sent Mimi a brief summary of the breakup but found herself stuck on one detail.

Li Sui: Mimi, do I look poor to you?

Mimi’s reply was instant and guarded.

Mimi: What? Why are you asking that?

Mimi: Did that cheating bastard Liang Xiaona harass you again? My god… did she actually call you poor?

Li Sui: She’s a gold-digger through and through. Ｔ０Ｔ

Mimi: Hahaha! I’m dying. She must be blind. Did you never tell her that your main account is the famous artist ‘Sui-Sui-Peace’? That you’re one of the bosses of Golden Snake Animation? That you’ve scavenged enough treasures from the Antique City to blow past a hundred-million-dollar annual target?

Li Sui thought about it. She really hadn’t. Liang Xiaona had never bothered to ask.

Li Sui: …

Mimi: Hahaha! Boss Sui, if you’re considered ‘poor,’ the rest of us should just pack up and move to the moon. Don’t worry—our Boss Sui is smart, beautiful, and doesn’t look poor at all. I’m sending a thousand-word essay of praise your way right now…

Li Sui stared at the chat, her mind heavy. Regardless of the money, the betrayal was real. She wasn’t exactly heartbroken, but there was a lingering, suffocating weight in her chest. She knew she had to let it go; Liang Xiaona was destined to become a ghost of her past.

She spent the rest of the day buried in work. Her editor reported that the new chapter of her manhua had launched with sales far exceeding expectations. Then, a message from her assistant, Wenwen, popped up.

Wenwen: Sui-sui, the Xiamen signing event is going to be a huge success!

Wenwen: [Screenshot: Flight Info]

Wenwen: Should I pick you up early, or will you head to the airport yourself?

“Right, that’s happening,” Li Sui muttered. Her brain was so cluttered she was starting to get forgetful. The Xiamen Comic-Con was the day after tomorrow. The tickets were booked, the hotel was set, and the organizers had already arranged for staff to pick them up and show them around the city.

Xiamen was a beautiful coastal city she’d wanted to visit for a long time. She was looking forward to the trip. She began packing her things and finishing up the drafts for next week’s update.

When she finally finished, she remembered the most important thing. The “Beautiful Sister” had accepted her WeChat request that morning. At the time, Li Sui had struck while the iron was hot, sending a shamelessly sincere apology letter promising to make it up to her in any way possible.

But there had been no reply.

Li Sui stared at her phone, her smile a bit strained. “She’s probably just busy. It is a workday, after all.”

She decided to cook something for herself. Her stomach was growling, her lower back felt strangely sore, and her head was still a bit fuzzy. But when she stepped into the bathroom, she nearly jumped at her own reflection.

In the mirror, she looked panicked—but it was her neck and collarbone that stopped her heart. They were covered in dark, unmistakable hickeys. Her lashes trembled as she reached up to touch the marks—strange, lingering echoes of a night she could only half-remember.

The flashes of blurred, heated intimacy made her face burn with shame.

God. I am never, ever, ever drinking again.

As she prepared for her trip, Li Sui decided to go through with the purchase of the Ningcheng Villa. Liang Xiaona’s betrayal had taught her one thing: loving someone else is never as reliable as loving yourself. She wanted to treat herself better. She liked the Ningcheng area because it was close to her studio and convenient for travel.

By the time she handled the paperwork, time was tight. She met her team at the airport just in time for their flight. The trip from Gandu to Xiamen took only three hours. As she stepped off the plane, she saw two young girls holding a sign that read: “Welcome, Teacher Sui-Sui!”

“Welcome, welcome!” One of the girls handed her a bouquet of fresh flowers. “Teacher Sui-Sui, we’re so happy to have you and your team in Xiamen! Please leave the itinerary to us.”

“Thank you, you’re too kind,” Li Sui said, her face lighting up with a genuine smile.

They loaded their luggage into the car and set off. Xiamen was a coastal paradise with a pleasant climate and picturesque views. As they drove along the elevated highway, the sea stretched out on one side and the city’s beauty on the other. Feeling the sea breeze, Li Sui felt a sense of healing. For the first time in days, her worries felt miles away.

******

Bai Shuyi had been busy all morning. She had planned to take an hour’s nap at noon, only to find out her mother had arrived.

She set aside the legal contracts and walked out of the lounge. Her mother, Bai Zhilan, knew her youngest daughter’s habits and had brought lunch. She was pouring fresh juice when Shuyi walked in.

Zhilan frowned at her daughter’s tired face. “You look terrible. Have you been staying up late again?”

Shuyi glanced at the lavish lunch spread, hesitant. She had no appetite.

“I’m telling you, you should just move back home,” Zhilan sighed. “It would save me from worrying about whether you’re eating or sleeping properly.”

“Living alone is more convenient,” Shuyi replied simply, taking a token sip of the juice.

Zhilan sighed. Of her three daughters, she worried about Shuyi the most. Shuyi had once been obsessed with Go, even moving away to study the game professionally. She was on the path to becoming a pro when she fell gravely ill at seventeen. Back then, Shuyi’s aunt had claimed the girl’s “fortune” had been stolen by someone.

Zhilan didn’t believe in superstitions, but Shuyi’s personality had changed completely after she recovered. She became cold and distant. After graduation, she’d shocked everyone by becoming a lawyer and moving out of the family estate.

“I’m here about your grandmother,” Zhilan said, her tone turning more cautious. “Her birthday is at the end of the month. Her health hasn’t been great, so we need you to come home so we can discuss the celebration.”

Shuyi had no objections. “Fine. Let me know the date.”

The conversation inevitably drifted to the Su family’s banquet from the night before. “The Su girl is a bit flighty, but she’s pretty enough,” Zhilan remarked. “It was quite a surprise to see her end up with that Liang girl.”

Shuyi nodded. Even though her sister had divorced Liang Jun, Liang Xiaona had been raised in their circle for ten years. Now that Xiaona was marrying into the Su family, Shuyi was still technically the “Aunt” she had addressed for a decade.

“I’ll have a gift sent over,” Shuyi said flatly.

“It’s not about the gift!” Zhilan snapped, falling into her usual routine. “I’m worried about you. Even the younger generation is getting married before you. Aren’t you even a little bit anxious?”

Shuyi remained silent.

“Give me a straight answer,” Zhilan said, trying to stay calm. “Do you plan on never getting married?”

Shuyi’s voice held a trace of lazy amusement. “Of course I’ll get married.”

“How? You don’t even have a partner!” Zhilan’s anxiety flared. “Your eldest sister has been married for years. Your second sister’s divorce was an outlier. You’re the one who worries me most. You won’t work for the family company, you insist on being a lawyer… no matter how good your career is, you need a life. You need someone to keep you warm.”

Shuyi picked up a piece of cantaloupe with her fork, offering no rebuttal. She’d heard it all before.

Zhilan began scrolling through her phone, showing off photos. “Your grandmother’s banquet will have plenty of eligible women your age. If you could just find someone you like, I could finally stop worrying.”

Shuyi noticed the cantaloupe was quite sweet. Just then, her phone screen lit up.

A small smile played on Shuyi’s lips. “I get it, Mom. I’ll hurry up.”

Zhilan’s eyes suddenly narrowed. She caught a glimpse of mottled red marks and what looked like a faint tooth print peeking out from under Shuyi’s high-collared sweater.

Zhilan froze, her eyes widening in shock.

Shuyi, seemingly unaware, kept her voice steady. “Mom, I have another meeting soon. Don’t worry about my marriage; I’ll handle it myself.”

“Right… yes, of course,” Zhilan stammered, her shock turning into a delighted grin. “Well, don’t take too long. Just… bring them home soon!”

Shuyi sighed. “I’ll have Xiao Li drive you home.”

Once her mother was gone, Shuyi snatched up her phone. Ignoring the junk mail, she went straight to the pinned chat. The “Cartoon Cat” had two unread messages.

Shuyi’s mood improved instantly. “Compensation, hm? I’ll have to think about that.”

She couldn’t help but think of the night before. The girl had been a total mess—clinging to her like a kitten, demanding kisses. Her lips had been so soft, her body so supple, and her voice… it was addictive. It was an experience Shuyi had never had before, and she found herself savoring the memory.

She carefully drafted a reply:

Shuyi: Are you free tonight? I booked a table at Wanjia Private Kitchen.

A few minutes later, the reply came:

Li Sui: I’m so sorry, I’m actually out of town on business. I’ll have to make it up to you when I get back!

Out of town?

Shuyi’s thumb hovered over the screen. She clicked into Li Sui’s moments and began scrolling. Ten minutes later, she called her secretary.

Xiao Li entered quickly. “Yes, Boss? What can I do for you?”

“Cancel the restaurant for tonight.” Shuyi didn’t look up from her phone. “Didn’t we have an economic dispute case in Xiamen? Let’s head there today.”

Xiao Li blinked. “But Boss, we decided this morning to postpone that case until next month…”

Shuyi frowned. “Change of plans. Also, look into any animation or comic conventions happening in Xiamen over the next two days.”

Xiao Li was baffled but professional. “Understood. I’ll get right on it.”

As the secretary turned to leave, she caught a glimpse of her boss—the formidable, “Super-A” lawyer of Gandu—staring intensely at a girl’s selfie on WeChat.

Good heavens, the secretary thought. Is the boss actually scrolling through a girl’s thirst traps?

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