The Subtle Seduction of My Ex-Girlfriend’s Aunt - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: She Won’t Let Song Wuqi Off Easy.

The moment she confirmed the time, Tang Ran couldn’t wait to dial a video call.

“Nannan (Darling).”

Seeing that face from her memory again, Tang Ran’s eyes instantly turned red. Not wanting Tang Wanru to see her state, she raised her phone so only her forehead was visible.

“What is Nannan doing? Did you dial this by accident?”

Not seeing Tang Ran’s face, Tang Wanru assumed it was a pocket dial. Tang Ran took a deep breath, trying her best to control her trembling voice, and acted spoiled as usual. “Mommy, I haven’t washed my face yet.”

Tang Ran had always been vain about her looks. Tang Wanru didn’t notice anything unusual about her daughter’s appearance, but she immediately caught the strange tone in her voice.

“Why is Nannan’s voice so hoarse? Do you have a cold?”

Tang Ran covered the microphone and sniffled before speaking again. “No, no. I went singing with friends yesterday and accidentally shouted my voice hoarse.”

“Then I’ll have the auntie make a sweet soup for your throat and send it over. Baby, don’t just focus on work; your health is the most important thing.”

Despite being raised as a pampered child, Tang Ran was quite independent and had lived on her own since starting university. However, Tang Wanru still treated her like a child, always nagging her during calls for fear she wasn’t taking care of herself. In the past, Tang Ran would just give perfunctory answers to get it over with. But later, when she truly wanted to hear those words, she never could again.

Tang Ran blinked back tears, listening carefully to every word. “I can take care of myself, Mommy. Don’t worry.”

Even as she said it, her heart felt like it had a hole in it, filled with sadness. Without her mothers, she hadn’t taken care of herself at all. Her life had been a mess, and she had even lost her life prematurely. Tang Ran’s promise was for Tang Wanru, but also for herself. Given a second chance, she would not only work hard to take care of herself but also protect her mothers.

“Mommy’s baby has grown up,” Tang Wanru said with a gratified smile.

“Mommy, how have you been feeling lately?” Tang Ran changed the subject, concerned about Tang Wanru’s health.

Tang Wanru had always been in poor health and spent time at a sanatorium in Country S every year. Tang Ran used to accompany her, but this year she had started working at the family company and hadn’t gone along.

“Mommy is fine, Nannan. Don’t worry, I can be discharged next week.” Tang Wanru smiled. “Does Nannan miss Mommy?”

Tang Ran nodded vigorously. “I miss you so, so much.”

“I miss you too. Your mother says she has to go to Country M to meet a new client in a while, so we might return a few days later than expected.”

Hearing about the client in Country M, Tang Ran’s heart skipped a beat.

Her mother, Lin Jixin, was in her prime and had always managed the Tang Corporation meticulously. Tang Ran had never been interested in business, slacking off at the company for a few months without knowing the basic operations. She didn’t know exactly what went wrong, but she remembered that their family’s bankruptcy was heavily linked to this new client. If the family hadn’t gone bankrupt, her mothers wouldn’t have died.

She had to find a way to stop the cooperation with this new client. Tang Ran clenched her fists, forcing herself to calm down. Her mother hadn’t met the client yet, and a deal isn’t struck in a single meeting. She would find a way before the contract was signed. There was still time. Everything could still be fixed.

After chatting with Tang Wanru for a while, Tang Ran hung up reluctantly.

Tang Ran spent the afternoon processing the fact that she had returned to three years ago. Besides protecting her mothers, there was one more thing she had to do: get revenge on Song Wuqi.

If the client in Country M was the fuse for the Tang family’s bankruptcy, then Song Wuqi was the despicable villain who added fuel to the fire and looted the burning house—the executioner who pushed the Tang family to the guillotine.

She had been too drunk yesterday and couldn’t remember much, only vague memories of hitting Song Wuqi and crying bitterly. Her sadness wasn’t for Song Wuqi; her feelings for her had been eroded the moment she discovered the affair. Tang Ran was mourning for herself—mourning the friends she had distanced herself from for a scumbag, the youth she had wasted, and the fact that she had indirectly caused her mothers’ deaths.

If she still had any feelings for Song Wuqi, it was only hate—bone-deep hate. Even if the Tang family was currently safe and her mothers were alive, she wouldn’t let Song Wuqi have an easy life. After all, the current Song Wuqi was not innocent. From the day she intentionally approached Tang Ran, Song Wuqi had already aimed her blade at her.

Regaining her composure, Tang Ran dialed a number—the private investigator she had hired in her previous life. If she remembered correctly, at this point, the Song family already intended for her and Song Wuqi to get engaged.

The Song family patriarch came from a poor background but built the Song Group into a giant through hard work and the winds of the era. The Tang family started in catering, owning the century-old Xinghe Restaurant. After the economy opened up, they pioneered food processing and became a leader in the industry.

Grandpa Song had a good relationship with Tang Ran’s late grandfather, Tang Jiye. The Tang supermarkets had always collaborated with the Song Group. Last year, both companies secured adjacent land in the Economic Development Zone to build a 30,000-square-meter central kitchen project.

While the cooperation wasn’t based on a marriage alliance, breaking an engagement with Song Wuqi wasn’t something Tang Ran could solve by simply saying “let’s break up.” Unable to think of a better way for now, she decided to gather dirt on Song Wuqi to increase her bargaining chips.

According to Ye Xiaoyu, she and Song Wuqi hooked up around this time. Didn’t Ye Xiaoyu say they were “true love”? Fine, she would lock this pair of scumbags together and send them to hell.

After thinking for a long time, Tang Ran opened her messages and entered a number etched into her memory. An avatar of a loquat tree popped up. Her finger hovered over the dialogue box for a moment. Tang Ran took a deep breath before gathering the courage to type: I’m Tang Ran, can we meet?

In less than ten seconds, a short reply came back: Address.

Jiang City Airport.

Song Wuqi pressed the screen again, tapping the empty dialogue box, a shadow of gloom crossing her face. She wanted to contact Tang Ran, but thinking of the slap Tang Ran gave her during her drunken tantrum last night, she felt unwilling.

“Manager Song.”

Ye Xiaoyu’s voice interrupted her thoughts. She handed a coffee to Song Wuqi and said with a light smile, “Have some coffee to refresh yourself.” They both hadn’t slept all night, revising the PPT until dawn.

Song Wuqi took the coffee and withdrew her hand from the phone. She would wait. Even if Tang Ran was truly angry, she couldn’t be the first to reach out. She was the one who pursued Tang Ran, and she was always the one to bow her head during Tang Ran’s tantrums. This time, Tang Ran hit her. If she took the initiative now, it would be hard to control Tang Ran in the future. She wanted Tang Ran to contact her first.

Song Wuqi waited for nearly a week. On the day she returned from her business trip to Yang City, a new message popped up in her group chat. There were about a dozen people in the group, all peers from similar backgrounds.

Lu Shuyang’s girlfriend, Xia Xin’er, was having a birthday party at the Xia villa. Miao Tiantian was the first to reply; she was on a business trip and couldn’t make it, so she’d ask Tang Ran to bring her gift. Tang Ran followed up with an “OK” emoji.

During the first few days of her trip, Song Wuqi had intended to give Tang Ran the cold shoulder. Later, complications arose with the negotiations, and she became so overwhelmed that she forgot about the cold war. Now, having not been in contact for so long after their first fight, Song Wuqi felt a bit uncertain.

Song Wuqi’s concern was justified. Knowing her true face, Tang Ran no longer slacked off. She did her best to familiarize herself with the family business and meticulously planned a tailor-made downfall for Song Wuqi. After all, having been together for three years, she knew exactly how Song Wuqi climbed the ranks and seized power.

May 27th. Xia Villa.

The Xia family controlled Wanyuan Bank, the largest joint-stock commercial bank in Jiang City. The birthday banquet for the second Miss Xia naturally drew socialites from all circles.

The Xia residence was a villa estate. The main building to the north was for guests, while several independent villas to the south were where the family lived. Tang Ran didn’t want to socialize, so she bypassed the banquet hall to find her friends at the private villa where Xia Xin’er lived.

To avoid the crowd, she took a secluded path, but still ran into someone she didn’t want to see.

The person opposite her had short, grey-dyed hair, wearing an oversized men’s jacket with metal chains and saggy pants. At first glance, she didn’t look like a woman at all. Sun Xiao narrowed her eyes and scanned Tang Ran. “Yo, haven’t seen you in a while. Miss Tang has gotten even prettier.” She finished with a vulgar whistle, looking more sleazy than a street thug.

Tang Ran ignored her and tried to walk past. Sun Xiao bared her teeth and stepped left to block her path. “What? Is Song Wuqi’s leash so tight you can’t even talk to people?”

Sun Xiao had pursued Tang Ran for years without success, only for Song Wuqi to win her over in a few months. When Sun Xiao heard they were together, she crashed a car and ended up in the hospital, only recovering a few days ago. If the Tang and Song families weren’t powerful, she wouldn’t have let either of them off.

Initially, Tang Ran didn’t want to deal with this lunatic, but hearing her mention Song Wuqi gave her an idea.

“That’s right,” Tang Ran put on a sweet smile. “My Wuqi is just jealous. She won’t let me talk to anyone, especially those with ill intentions.”

Sun Xiao had watched Tang Ran for years; she could tell she was intentionally showing off her love and instantly lost her temper. “Tang Ran, you’re doing this on purpose! What’s so good about that pretender Song Wuqi? How am I inferior to her?”

“Song Wuqi is perfect in every way, and you’re inferior in every way. You’re not even fit to lick her toes!” Tang Ran looked at her with disdain. Sun Xiao was a mad dog. If she didn’t use this chance to stir up trouble for Song Wuqi, she’d have lived her second life in vain.

“Bullshit!”

Sun Xiao exploded. She wanted to hit Tang Ran but didn’t dare, so she kicked a nearby ornamental tree instead. The tree, about a person’s height, was snapped by Sun Xiao’s kick. It hit a nearby street lamp, shifted its position, and came crashing down toward Tang Ran’s head.

With the path in front blocked by Sun Xiao, Tang Ran could only step back. She took two steps back, preparing to curse, but unexpectedly, her back bumped into a warm, soft presence.

Support The Subtle Seduction of My Ex-Girlfriend’s Aunt