After Being Cheated, I Had a Flash Marriage with My Ex's Aunt - Chapter 33

Liang Xiaona’s expression darkened. She knew Li Sui was angry, but she never imagined things would escalate to this level of blatant disregard for their history.

Does Li Sui really not care if Shuyi knows about us? Is she that unafraid?

Li Sui, still holding Shuyi’s hand, walked toward Xiaona with complete composure. She caught the look of utter defeat on Xiaona’s face but didn’t grant her even a flicker of acknowledgment.

As they reached the table, Shuyi moved faster than a seasoned bodyguard. Before Li Sui could sit, Shuyi pulled a clean napkin from her pocket.

“Wait, let me wipe it for you first.”

Shuyi bent down, meticulously cleaning the chairs they were about to occupy. Only then did she pull the seat out for Li Sui. “It’s clean now. You can sit.”

“You’re so thoughtful, Sister,” Li Sui said with a bright, shy smile that made her eyes sparkle. She quickly pulled out the adjacent chair for Shuyi. “Hurry, sit next to me.”

Shuyi sat down, her gaze warm. “Let’s see what we’re having.” She pulled out her phone to scan the QR code menu, scrolling through the drinks as if Xiaona were invisible.

“Order this one,” Li Sui said, leaning in close until their shoulders brushed. She pointed at the screen. “There’s a new ‘Couple’s Set.’ Let’s try that.”

Shuyi leaned into the contact, a faint smirk playing on her lips. “Sure. I’ll order it.”

Xiaona’s eyes were practically bulging. Yesterday at the banquet, she had wondered if their intimacy was an act. Seeing it now, up close and personal, she realized it wasn’t. They were genuinely, sickeningly in love.

Finally, Li Sui acted as if she had just noticed a large, living human being sitting across from them. She looked at Xiaona with a light, airy voice. “Oh, I almost forgot. What is our ‘dear niece’ drinking?”

Shuyi fixed Xiaona with a sharp, dark gaze. “Your aunt is asking you a question. Are you having something?”

“I…” Xiaona’s bravado withered under Shuyi’s stare. Her voice was dry. “I’m not thirsty.”

Satisfied, Shuyi turned back to Li Sui with a smile. “Our niece says she isn’t thirsty. Don’t worry about her; let’s just order what we like.”

Li Sui nodded. “Mhm. I’ll listen to you.”

Xiaona felt a wave of profound insult. Am I just an extra lamp in here? Is this how they’re going to treat me?

*****

“Order placed,” Shuyi announced.

Li Sui took that as her cue. She looked at Xiaona, her eyes as calm as a still lake. “You said you wanted to return everything I gave you. Where are the things?”

Xiaona had intended to return them, but with Shuyi sitting right there, she felt a sudden, desperate urge to stall. Her intuition told her that if she handed over the goods today, she would lose her last excuse to ever see Li Sui again.

“I… I forgot—”

Before she could finish the lie, a foot connected with hers under the table. Shuyi had subtly kicked a large box out from under Xiaona’s side of the booth.

“Quite a large bundle, isn’t it?” Shuyi noted with feigned surprise.

Xiaona: “…”

I should have left it at home. Why did I bring it?

Xiaona was cornered. Shuyi’s gaze felt like it was stripping away her every secret. Knowing her next big career move depended on Shuyi’s professional favor, Xiaona didn’t dare offend her. She dutifully lifted the heavy box onto the table.

Li Sui stood up to do a quick inventory. Most of the jewelry and high-end items were there, but as she reached the bottom, her eyes narrowed. “Wait. There’s something missing.”

During their relationship, Li Sui had never been stingy. Beyond the designer perfumes and accessories, she had once given Xiaona a Qing Dynasty painting and calligraphy piece worth over a million yuan. Xiaona had asked for it, claiming it was for her mother’s birthday.

“I specifically messaged you about the million-yuan painting,” Li Sui said, her voice turning hard and authoritative. “Where is it?”

Xiaona’s face paled. She had hoped to keep it, but the pressure was too much. “It’s… it’s in my car. I’ll go get it.” She stood up and beat a hasty retreat.

Li Sui felt a surge of secret satisfaction. She was glad she had brought Shuyi along to play the “Elder Auntie” card; it made Xiaona behave like a scolded schoolgirl.

Within a minute, Li Sui’s phone began vibrating with a barrage of messages from Xiaona:

[Why did you bring her?]

[I want to know when exactly you two started.]

[You know I just wanted to see you.]

[Are you just doing this to spite me?]

[We both made mistakes. Can’t we both just take a step back?]

Li Sui put the phone facedown on the table and cracked her knuckles. She briefly considered walking out to the parking lot just to slap Xiaona into reality. She cheats on me and then tries to accuse me of cheating? The audacity.

The waiter arrived with their coffee and desserts, along with six large, golden oranges—a “promotional gift” from the shop. Li Sui picked one up and began to peel it carefully. “She’s just full of nonsense,” Li Sui muttered to Shuyi. “You were right—her taste is garbage.”

Li Sui realized now that Xiaona was a “substandard product” of society. A person with such a narrow, selfish vision would never achieve the grand future she dreamed of. Li Sui had truly let go; she was brave enough to love, and brave enough to cut the cord.

She popped a segment of the orange into her mouth. It was incredibly sweet. She turned to Shuyi and, on an impulse, held a segment to her lips.

Shuyi looked at her, her eyes softening as she obediently opened her mouth. But as she took the orange, she caught Li Sui’s fingertips in her mouth as well. The sensation was warm and wet. Shuyi’s teeth lightly grazed the fruit, and a bit of juice trickled onto Li Sui’s fingers.

Li Sui froze for a second before slowly withdrawing her hand, her face flushing.

“Very sweet,” Shuyi said softly. She pulled out a fresh tissue and took Li Sui’s hand, meticulously wiping each finger as if she were cleaning a priceless diamond.

Xiaona returned carrying a long wooden box, only to find them in the middle of this intimate display. Her mind felt like it was short-circuiting.

Shuyi, noticing her niece’s arrival out of the corner of her eye, didn’t let go of Li Sui’s hand. Instead, she lowered her head and pressed a lingering kiss to the back of it.

“You two…” Xiaona stammered, stopping in front of them. She realized she had no right to demand an explanation, and her face went through a dozen shades of red and white.

Li Sui stood up. “Let me be very clear: I met Sister Shuyi after we broke up. I am not like you, trying to have my cake and eat it too. I only came here today to sever our ties completely. From now on, we are strangers. Stop harassing me.”

“I don’t believe you,” Xiaona hissed, her voice dripping with bitterness as she looked at Shuyi. “You two must have known each other for a long time. I don’t believe a word you’re saying.”

“I don’t need you to believe me,” Li Sui snapped. “Give me the painting. You know the rules of the antique trade—if this has been swapped for a fake, I have the right to pursue legal action.”

Shuyi picked up a discarded orange segment, ate it, and offered a professional, icy smile. She stood up and handed Xiaona a business card. “If that is indeed the case, I will be acting as Ms. Li Sui’s legal counsel.”

Xiaona felt like she was choking on her own pride. “You think I’d swap it?” She slammed the wooden box onto the table. “Look for yourself.”

Li Sui opened the box and pulled out a magnifying glass she had brought. She carefully inspected the piece. It was indeed the original. She let out a breath of relief.

“Happy?” Xiaona spat.

“It’s correct,” Li Sui nodded. “But I’ve done a tally. There are still items missing from the list I sent you. How do you plan to compensate for them?”

Xiaona bit her tongue. Li Sui’s meticulousness was exhausting. “Fine. I’ll pay you the cash value. Give me the total.”

Li Sui didn’t hesitate. She pulled out a prepared A4 sheet—a detailed ledger of every cent she had spent on Xiaona over two years. The bottom line: 3 Million Yuan.

Xiaona was speechless. “You really calculated it all?”

“Every bit,” Li Sui said. “If you have no objections, transfer the money now.”

Xiaona’s hand shook as she pulled out her phone. She felt humiliated, but her pride wouldn’t let her back down. Within seconds, the notification pinged on Li Sui’s phone. Three million yuan, received.

Li Sui and Shuyi shared a look and a small, calm smile.

“I heard you and Su Tan are leaving for Qingland this afternoon,” Shuyi said, her voice breezy. “How wonderful. You always said she was the love of your life. As your ‘elders,’ we truly wish you a happy marriage.”

Xiaona looked like she had swallowed a mouthful of ash.

“Oh, one more thing,” Shuyi said as she stood up and took Li Sui’s hand. “Our wedding date is set. You’re more than welcome to attend.”

Li Sui placed a formal wedding invitation on the table. “You and Su Tan simply must come,” she said with a radiant, happy smile.

The two of them picked up their boxes and walked out of the café, laughing and talking. Xiaona watched them go, her eyes burning as they landed on the invitation. Her heart went cold.

She realized then that Li Sui had never smiled like that during their two years together—never that bright, never that free. Li Sui had changed, and as much as it hurt to admit, she looked a thousand times happier without her.

In her mind, Liang Xiaona replayed the scene over and over. If she had a second chance, she would have hidden Su Tan’s existence so deeply that Li Sui would never have found out. They wouldn’t be standing on opposite sides of a canyon today. She wouldn’t have had to hear those harsh words, and she certainly wouldn’t have been slapped.

Meanwhile, Li Sui and Shuyi reached the parking lot with their arms full of reclaimed items. Li Sui set her boxes down and watched Shuyi walk toward the car, a genuine, triumphant smile spreading across her face.

Before they had arrived, she and Shuyi had made a pact to give Liang Xiaona a taste of her own medicine. She hadn’t expected it to go this smoothly—getting her things back felt like reclaiming a piece of her soul.

“Sister Shuyi, you were such a good actor back there!” Li Sui chirped, bending over to scoop the boxes back into her arms. “Did you see her face? She looked so defeated. It was incredibly cathartic.”

Shuyi took the boxes from her, her brow furrowing slightly at Li Sui’s choice of words.

Acting? She was about to explain that she hadn’t been “acting” at all, but the roar of an engine cut her off. A motorcycle tore into the parking lot, speeding toward them with terrifying velocity.

“Watch out!” Shuyi shouted.

She let the boxes hit the pavement with a heavy thud, reaching out to snag Li Sui’s wrist and jerking her out of the way. The motorcycle blared its horn, a streak of reckless metal that vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

Li Sui stood frozen, her heart hammering against her ribs. If Shuyi hadn’t reacted, she would have been hit. Her panic quickly curdled into rage. She wanted to scream profanities at the disappearing tail-light, but with Shuyi standing there, she forced herself to take a deep breath.

“Who drives like that?” she grumbled, her voice tight. “Unbelievable.”

“As long as you’re okay,” Shuyi said, letting out a breath of her own as she inspected Li Sui for injuries. Satisfied, she knelt to check the fallen boxes.

The crates had held up, but some of the ceramic cosmetic jars inside had shattered. Li Sui looked at the mess—things she now considered little more than expensive trash. “Don’t worry about those. I’m just going to list whatever survived on a second-hand app and get rid of them anyway.”

“Fair enough,” Shuyi nodded.

******

Liang Jun’s Residence

“From now on, stay out of my business.”

Bai Zhixue woke up in a bathrobe, realizing she was in Liang Jun’s guest room. The memories of the previous night flooded back, bringing a wave of intense annoyance. She clutched her throbbing head and looked across the bed at Liang Jun. Her voice was raspy, but her expression was the picture of cold, sober clarity.

“We are divorced,” Zhixue said. “That means we are done. No contact. Period.”

The atmosphere in the room turned leaden.

“You know I can’t do that,” Liang Jun said, her eyes brimming with a depth of affection that she couldn’t hide. She picked up a bowl of hangover soup she’d prepared and walked to the bedside. “Drink this. And try to stay away from the wine for a while.”

Zhixue glanced up, her gaze icy. “Where are my clothes?”

Liang Jun looked toward the hamper in the bathroom before pointing to a clean set of clothes on the nightstand. “You… got sick last night. You’ll have to wear mine for now.”

Zhixue’s expression flickered with something unreadable. She climbed out of bed with practiced elegance and disappeared into the bathroom to change. When she emerged, her face had returned to its usual mask of serene indifference.

Liang Jun felt a knot of frustration tightening in her chest. The silent treatment was a special kind of torture. “Please, drink the soup. Your head will kill you otherwise.” She reached out to take Zhixue’s hand.

“Don’t touch me.” Zhixue recoiled, rolling her eyes as a cold sneer escaped her. “I don’t want the soup. Honestly, looking at you makes me feel dirty. Don’t you have any shame?”

Liang Jun froze, a flash of genuine pain crossing her features. “Why is it always like this?” she asked, her voice trembling. “I broke it off with her a long time ago. I’ve explained it a thousand times. Why won’t you believe me? I agreed to the divorce because you wanted it, but I know you still care about me. Why do you keep pushing me away?”

“Heh.” Zhixue let out a hollow laugh.

She remembered how many chances she’d given Liang Jun to be honest about “the other person,” only to be met with lie after lie about “business trips.” She remembered the birthday dinner she’d spent hours preparing, only for Liang Jun to claim she was working late—only to rush off to someone else the moment a single phone call came through.

Zhixue had her pride. She would not tolerate a partner whose heart belonged to someone else, even if the betrayal was “only” emotional. Since the marriage had become a cage of mutual suffering, she had chosen to break the lock.

Love doesn’t vanish overnight, but clarity does. Her heart was dead to this relationship.

“We agreed when we split: we would both find new happiness,” Zhixue said, her tone final. “If I ever have another wedding, I’ll be sure to send my ex-wife an invitation.”

She walked out, the door closing with a soft, final thud.

Liang Jun stood in the silence for a long time, the weight of Zhixue’s words sinking in. She knew Zhixue had no shortage of suitors over the last two years, but the thought that she truly didn’t love her anymore was like a knife to the gut.

The bowl of soup slipped from her hands, shattering on the floor. It was a perfect metaphor for their relationship—once full of warmth, then cracked by conflict, and finally smashed into a thousand pieces that could never be put back together.

In a fit of suppressed rage, Liang Jun grabbed a decorative vase and hurled it against the wall. Nothing was going right.

*****

“What kind of absolute nonsense is this?!”

A roar of fury was followed by the sharp, splintering sound of porcelain hitting the floor.

The private lawyer hired by the Su family flinched, stepping back from Su Tan’s “incompetent rage.” He forced a professional, placating smile. “Miss Su, please… try to calm down.”

“How can I be calm? These keyboard warriors are saying disgusting things about me!”

Su Tan had spent the morning waiting for Xiaona to come home and make her soup. Instead, her phone had been bombarded by anonymous insults and harassment. Thousands of strangers were trying to add her on social media just to flame her.

She felt like her life was a wreck, and now a bunch of bored netizens were tearing into her for a minor incident at a mall. So she’d chased a woman away for smoking—people were acting like she’d committed a murder.

She smashed another vase. “What am I paying you for? Fix this! I don’t want to see another one of these ‘keyboard trash’ comments!”

The lawyer wiped sweat from his brow, eyeing the shards on the floor. “I’m on it, Miss Su. My team is already working on the legal filings.” The money is good, but the client is a nightmare, he thought.

The doorbell rang. It was the Su family’s PR head. Su mother had messaged saying this specialist would handle the fallout. Su Tan was expected to cooperate unconditionally before her honeymoon to silence the critics.

The PR head laid it out: the video of her using bodyguards to harass a middle-aged woman had gone viral. Public sentiment was at an all-time low. People were boycotting Su Group stores, and the stock price was already dipping.

“So, you want me to record a video apology?” Su Tan asked, incredulous.

The PR head offered a standard, soulless smile. “It’s the safest route. We offer a public apology and private compensation. The internet has a short memory; this will blow over.”

Su Tan paced the room, fuming. “I won’t do it. Why should I apologize? She was the one poking her nose into my business. She deserved to be yelled at.”

“There is another option,” the PR head said, sliding a list across the table. “We release ‘bigger’ news. We have files on several idols and actresses—tax evasion, secret affairs, cheating scandals. We leak those, the spotlight shifts, and you become yesterday’s news.”

Su Tan scanned the list. It was a sordid collection of top-tier celebrity scandals. “This is better,” she sneered, tossing the list aside. “Leak a few of the big ones. I won’t do an apology video. Just draft a letter and bury this.”

After the staff left, Su Tan stood barefoot on the rug amidst the wreckage of her living room. She needed to get someone to replace the vases before Xiaona got back. She didn’t want Xiaona to see her like this—out of control and spiraling.

She reached for her phone to call a maid service, but another anonymous message arrived. She went to delete it, but the thumbnail caught her eye.

It was a series of photos.

Liang Xiaona at a bar with someone else.

Liang Xiaona walking with Li Sui.

Liang Xiaona and Li Sui at the supermarket.

The last few were from this morning—the café. The angles were clever, making it look like Li Sui and Xiaona were leaning in close, almost as if they were kissing in the hazy light of the shop.

Su Tan’s mind went blank. She didn’t want to believe it. She told herself it was AI-generated, or photoshopped by the same keyboard warriors trying to ruin her life. Xiaona said she was out on “important business.” She wouldn’t be seeing Li Sui.

With trembling hands, she dialed Xiaona’s number. She needed to hear her deny it.

*****

Inside the car, Li Sui’s phone was vibrating non-stop. She opened a series of messages from a stranger. It was the same set of photos—carefully framed shots of her and Liang Xiaona together, with Shuyi conveniently cropped out or blurred into the background.

Li Sui frowned. It was a pathetic attempt to stir up a cheating scandal. Who is behind this?

Shuyi glanced at her from the driver’s seat. “Is something wrong?”

Li Sui snapped out of her thoughts and held the phone out with a mischievous smile.

“Well, Lawyer Bai,” she said. “It looks like we have a new case.”

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