The Subtle Seduction of My Ex-Girlfriend’s Aunt - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Dreamed of Something from Long Ago…

In recent years, the state had heavily supported the development of the technology industry in the Beijing-Northern Hebei economic circle.

The Song Group was transitioning from traditional real estate to technology and energy sectors. Song Zhixu had been stationed at the Beijing branch, expanding new business and rarely returning to Jiangcheng. In her previous life, Song Zhixu had even missed the engagement banquet between Tang染 (Tang Ran) and Song Wuqi because of an overseas business trip.

Tang Ran never imagined that the older sister living next door to her would be Song Zhixu.

While Shengming Mansion was a high-end apartment complex, the building she lived in consisted of smaller units with two elevators and two households per floor. Even if she lived at Shengming Mansion, wouldn’t it be more reasonable for a powerhouse like Song Zhixu to enjoy a sprawling penthouse in the adjacent building?

However, remembering that the apartment was a gift from Old Master Song, Tang Ran felt it was somewhat plausible.

In the early stages of the Song Group, they were nearly driven to bankruptcy by competitors. Old Master Song had begged many people, but only Tang Ran’s grandfather was willing to help. Today’s Song Group was nothing like the past; its scale was several times larger than the Tang family’s business. The main reason the Song family maintained their partnership with the Tangs was that Old Master Song cherished old sentiments.

The eighteenth birthday gifts sent by the Song family included not only the Shengming apartment but also 5% of the Song Group’s shares. In her previous life, those 5% shares became Tang Ran’s death warrant. In this life, Tang Ran intended to turn those shares into a sword to cut off Song Wuqi’s future.

Water overflowed, splashing onto her hand. Tang Ran placed the water bottle on the bar counter and hurriedly turned to find a napkin.

A stack of snow-white tissues was handed to her. Song Zhixu’s fingers were long, the joints well-proportioned, her skin so fair and translucent that the faint blue of her veins was visible.

A very beautiful pair of hands.

“Thank you.”

Tang Ran’s face felt a bit hot. She took the tissues and lowered her head to wipe her hands, using the movement to hide her blushing. Even after starting life over, she hadn’t managed to get rid of the habit of blushing whenever she got nervous.

The music on the terrace switched to a lazy jazz track, the deep sax trailing long notes through the air. The encounter with Song Zhixu was too unexpected; Tang Ran didn’t know how to interact with her for a moment. She practiced her lady-like etiquette to the extreme, meticulously wiping every drop of water from her hands while trying to think of a reasonable and polite excuse to leave.

Tang Ran’s stalling was so deliberate that the words “trying too hard to hide it” were practically written on her forehead.

The corners of Song Zhixu’s lips curled slightly. She waited for her patiently.

‘The sun comes out…’

Miao Tiantian’s phone call came just in time, rescuing Tang Ran’s brain cells which were about to die from trying to invent an excuse.

“Tiantian.” Tang Ran answered in less than a second.

“There’s a detective-themed party upstairs. Want to go together?”

‘He’ (the bar) had three floors: the first was the bar, the second had private booths, and the third hosted different themed parties every night.

“You have fun, I won’t go.” Tang Ran’s mindset had passed the age of all-night parties.

“Never mind then, I won’t go either. Where are you? I’ll come find you.”

“No need, you do your thing. I’m getting ready to head back.”

“Alright, I’ll call a designated driver for you.”

“Don’t go through the trouble, I’ll have my driver pick me up.”

“Okay, text me when you get home.”

“Will do. Be careful yourself, don’t drink too much.”

“Don’t worry, I’m a veteran of the bar scene—I can hold my liquor.”

While Tang Ran was on the phone, Song Zhixu didn’t leave. With Miao Tiantian’s call as a buffer, Tang Ran felt more confident in saying goodbye. She hung up and smiled at Song Zhixu. “It’s getting late, I should go home.”

“I’m ready to head back too,” Song Zhixu said with a faint smile. “Let’s go together. Take my car; it’s on the way.”

Tang Ran froze for a moment. She remembered they lived next door to each other. It was indeed “on the way”—all the way to her doorstep. The “goodbye” she had prepared never got a chance to be spoken.

“Then I’ll have to trouble Sister Song.” Finding no reason to refuse, Tang Ran could only nod and agree.

Coming out of the bar, Old Zhang was already waiting at the entrance with the car. Seeing Song Zhixu and Tang Ran come out together, Old Zhang looked closely and realized Tang Ran was the same person Song Zhixu had carried out of the bar that other day.

Having learned from the last experience, Old Zhang adjusted the partition glass to “mist mode” before they even boarded.

The car started smoothly. The opaque partition glass turned the back seat into a private, enclosed space for just the two of them.

The rear space of the luxury business sedan wasn’t crowded at all, yet Tang Ran felt the cabin was somewhat cramped. Her hands rested involuntarily on her knees. Just as Tang Ran was searching for a topic to break the ice, Song Zhixu’s phone rang.

“Assistant Jiang.” Song Zhixu answered the call and picked up a tablet nearby. “I’ll handle it now.”

This work call lasted until they reached Shengming Mansion.

When they arrived at the nineteenth floor, Tang Ran whispered a thank you to Song Zhixu, who nodded with a smile. The two turned and parted ways, returning to their respective homes.

Perhaps because meeting Song Zhixu at the bar was so unexpected, Tang Ran dreamed that night about something from a long time ago.

During the first Spring Festival after her engagement to Song Wuqi, Tang Ran had gone to the Song residence to pay her respects. Old Master Song had only one son and one daughter, but he had many siblings, so every New Year, the Song relatives would bring their families over.

On the afternoon of New Year’s Eve, some child had been careless with firecrackers and set fire to a tree in the Song family courtyard. The tree was right next to Song Zhixu’s room. The fire spread rapidly, reaching Song Zhixu’s room in no time.

Song Zhixu happened to have a severe cold that day and had been sleeping in her room after taking medicine. Tang Ran was in the nearby media room. After noticing black smoke drifting from Song Zhixu’s room, she didn’t think twice. She rushed in and, using every ounce of strength, carried and dragged the unconscious Song Zhixu to safety.

Song Zhixu’s life wasn’t in danger, but excessive smoke inhalation damaged her respiratory tract and lungs. She later spent over half a year recovering abroad. Before leaving the country, Song Zhixu had looked for Tang Ran to express her gratitude, but Tang Ran had been called away by Song Wuqi at the time and left after only a few words.

That brief, hurried meeting had long been buried deep in Tang Ran’s memory. Upon waking up, Tang Ran was surprised she could remember the event so clearly in her dream.

At the Tang Corporation.

The assistant handed a recently received express package to Tang Ran.

“President Tang, this is an invitation from the city government for the Annual Youth Entrepreneur Exchange Conference.”

“Thank you.”

Tang Ran opened the invitation, scanned it, and set it aside.

The Youth Entrepreneur Exchange Conference featured interviews, seminars, and various annual awards like the “Youth Entrepreneur Leader.” Those nominated were usually from innovative tech industries or young entrepreneurs with special contributions to society in fields like agriculture or medicine. For a light industry enterprise like theirs, they were mostly just there for the atmosphere.

In her previous life, she hadn’t been interested and didn’t attend. This time, Tang Ran planned to go. Such forum events were excellent opportunities to expand one’s network.

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