The Subtle Seduction of My Ex-Girlfriend’s Aunt - Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Dirty-minded People See Everything as Dirty…

A while after the team had finished unloading the supplies, the planning team hired by Qiu Yuan arrived. When staff members dressed as clowns entered the courtyard, the children immediately gathered around out of curiosity.

The staff were well-trained; they pulled balloons out of large pockets and, in just a few moves, twisted them into little dogs. The children gasped in awe, surrounding them and refusing to leave.

Qiu Yuan also joined the fun for a bit. When she returned, she held two miniature balloons in her hands. Looking at the happy children in the yard, Xia Xin’er smiled and said to Qiu Yuan, “Your idea was much better. Why didn’t I think of that before?”

Tang Ran nodded in agreement. “Xiao Yuan is very thoughtful.” Miao Tiantian had mentioned to her before that Qiu Yuan was exceptionally good at taking care of people.

“Thank you for the praise, Sisters.” Qiu Yuan handed the two balloons to them. Tang Ran received a red heart-shaped “magic wand,” while Xia Xin’er got a small pink flower—both were only palm-sized.

“How did you make them so small?” Tang Ran was curious.

Qiu Yuan smiled. “I just learned from that young man over there.”

Tang Ran was surprised. “You made these?”

“Mhm.” Qiu Yuan nodded. “It’s not hard. Do you want to learn, Sister?”

Tang Ran shook her head. “I’ll pass.” These balloons didn’t look as simple as Qiu Yuan claimed; she knew she was clumsy, so she wouldn’t even try.

Xia Xin’er looked thoughtfully at the flower in her hand and then at the heart wand in Tang Ran’s hand, feeling as if she had discovered something interesting.

With a professional planning team hosting, the birthday party at the welfare home became exceptionally lively. After the birthday lunch, the planning team began preparing the inflatable props for the afternoon games.

Tang Ran’s phone rang. It was Manager Yu. She walked behind the main building to a quiet spot to answer. An International Equestrian Champions League event was coming up in Jiangcheng in a few days. Manager Yu had a major client who loved horse racing and had been trying unsuccessfully to book a VIP box.

Manager Yu remembered Tang Ran mentioning a friend whose family were shareholders in an equestrian club and wanted to see if she could help.

The friend Manager Yu referred to was in Tang Ran’s small chat group and had a decent relationship with her. Upon hearing that Tang Ran wanted to book a VIP box, the friend readily reserved one for her. After calling Manager Yu back, Tang Ran put her phone away and happened to run into Xia Xin’er, who was returning from the restroom.

As the two walked back together, they reached a corner and heard someone say: “She clearly has a boyfriend, yet she’s intentionally seducing Senior Fang. How shameless.”

Tang Ran recognized the voice—it was the girl with the freckles. The person she was talking about was Xia Xin’er. All morning, it had clearly been Fang Kun who kept initiating conversations with Xia Xin’er. If anyone was “intentionally approaching,” it was him, but in the eyes of the freckled girl, it became Xia Xin’er seducing Fang Kun.

Tang Ran was speechless. Not only was the girl unattractive, but her heart was also “dirty.”

“And her two friends—they aren’t here for charity; they’re here for a show,” the tall girl’s voice followed. “They even hired a professional planning team. Hmph, money really is something else.”

Tang Ran rolled her eyes. Dirty-minded people see everything as dirty. Like attracts like; no wonder these two hung out together. Qiu Yuan’s purpose in hiring the team was to make the children happy, but in their eyes, it was just “putting on a show” and “flaunting wealth.”

“These young mistresses do charity just for the reputation. Last month, Miss Xia even received an Outstanding Youth Medal from the city.”

Tang Ran was even more familiar with this voice—it was Ye Xiaoyu’s. Her tone was as sarcastic as ever, intentionally fanning the flames. After she spoke, the tall girl grew even more jealous. “Hmph, we’ve done plenty of work too. Why don’t we have a medal? It’s just because she’s a rich man’s daughter.”

Tang Ran found it laughable. Xia Xin’er donated seven figures to the welfare home every year and had established a public welfare fund specifically to help impoverished children with medical bills. She had helped countless people. Participating in offline charity events was her most insignificant contribution; Tang Ran couldn’t believe this person had the nerve to say she deserved a medal too.

Did they think that just because she was rich, the good things Xia Xin’er did were “mandatory” and the money she donated wasn’t real gold? There are millions of wealthy people in the world, but very few are willing to give money and sincerely do the work without seeking fame. Among Tang Ran’s acquaintances, Xia Xin’er was the only one.

“I see.” Ye Xiaoyu let out an exaggerated gasp. “I was wondering why Miss Tang and the others came today as well.” She trailed off.

The freckled girl immediately picked up the thread. “They must be after the medals too. These rich girls are so hypocritical.”

“Every one of them wants to use us,” the tall girl said, most indignant of all. Her eyes darted around, and she said with a malicious grin, “Don’t they like playing games? When the time comes, I’ll just…”

She lowered her voice, so Tang Ran and Xia Xin’er couldn’t hear the rest.

“That’s a great idea. Let’s let them ‘play’ well,” the freckled girl agreed.

Ye Xiaoyu didn’t seem to approve, saying with a bit of fear, “Isn’t this a bit bad? What if someone finds out?”

“It’s fine as long as they don’t find out.”

The two girls’ anger was successfully provoked; they were determined to make those “rich girls” lose face today. Ye Xiaoyu shook her head nervously. “No, no, I don’t dare.”

The tall girl looked at her with disdain. “If you’re scared, stay out of it. We’ll do it ourselves.”

Xia Xin’er couldn’t take it anymore. She clenched her fists and was about to go over, but Tang Ran held her back. Going over now would result in nothing more than a few trivial arguments. It would be far more satisfying to let them face the consequences of their own actions.

Tang Ran and Xia Xin’er didn’t return to the courtyard. Instead, they went to a room on the second floor facing the outside of the welfare home. As they looked down, they saw the freckled girl and the tall girl walking around the inflatable props.

The two circled them a couple of times, occasionally speaking to the staff—it looked like they were gathering information about the upcoming games. They huddle together to whisper for a while, then pointed toward one specific prop. During all this, Ye Xiaoyu kept her distance and did not participate.

Tang Ran sneered. Ye Xiaoyu had said plenty to fan the flames, but when it came to taking action, she kept her hands clean. She truly deserved her title as a “lackey” to Sun Jiaojiao—she was an expert at using others as pawns.

Watching their little movements, Tang Ran took out her phone and dialed Qiu Yuan’s number.

An hour later.

The planning team had set up an inflatable obstacle course in the open space outside the welfare home. The host directed everyone to divide into game groups consisting of one adult and one child. Xia Xin’er didn’t participate because her health prevented her from strenuous exercise, so Tang Ran and Qiu Yuan each took a child to compete.

Since children were involved, the games were child-centered: ring toss, “Red Light, Green Light,” and catching Frisbees.

After playing for over an hour, both the volunteers and the children were a bit tired. The host arranged a halftime break.

Taking advantage of the distraction, the freckled girl and the tall girl quietly slipped toward the game field in the back.

Tang Ran and Qiu Yuan exchanged a look. Qiu Yuan signaled the host.

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