The Subtle Seduction of My Ex-Girlfriend’s Aunt - Chapter 39

Chapter 39: An Unspeakable Sense of Humiliation Surged Through Tang…

Tang Ran didn’t know how she made it back to her room.

If she broke up with Song Wuqi, borrowing money from the Song family would be impossible.

Or… could I get engaged first, secure the funds, and then break up?

But even if they covered this installment, what about the remaining ones? Were they also stuck? With nearly a billion in construction costs looming, what was she to do?

Tang Ran slumped against her bedroom door, sliding down until she sat on the floor, her fingers clenched weakly. She had thought rebirth would allow her to fix the loan issue. What a fool’s dream. Even with a second chance, was she still destined to be tied to Song Wuqi?

Was all her effort just a struggle in shackles? Exhausting and futile.

Then there were her two mothers. Tang Ran had always believed their relationship was perfect. They never argued in front of her—even after the bankruptcy in her previous life, they never raised their voices. But evidently, the truth was different.

Between the company’s crisis and her family’s secrets, she realized she didn’t know her own life as well as she thought. A heavy sense of frustration, like a massive stone, pressed against her chest, making it hard to breathe.

Ding!

A message popped up on her phone.

Next Door Neighbor: When are you free?

Tang Ran pushed open the wood-framed glass door, entering a room filled with the vibrant colors of spring. Sunlight filtered through the trees, casting dappled shadows on the windows, while the rich aroma of coffee filled the air.

She walked quickly to the booth by the window and smiled apologetically at the woman opposite her. “The traffic was a bit bad. I’m sorry to keep you waiting, Little Auntie.”

Song Zhixu’s lips curved into a faint smile. A medical bandage was taped to her throat, and her cheeks bore a faint, sickly flush against a pale complexion.

“It’s fine.”

Song Zhixu’s voice was raspy—a lingering effect of smoke inhalation. She paused after two words, then added slowly, “It was my… intrusion.” After the sentence, she couldn’t help but cough, her brow furrowing in pain.

Tang Ran hastily handed her a glass of plain water. Song Zhixu lowered her eyes as she took the glass, her gaze lingering on Tang Ran’s fingers for a moment before taking a small sip. Her brow smoothed, and a gentle smile appeared.

“Thank you.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

She took a blue velvet box from her bag, embossed with a luxury jewelry logo. “A thank-you gift,” she said, pushing it toward Tang Ran.

“Little Auntie, there’s no need to be so formal,” Tang Ran declined. She had only saved Song Zhixu because she happened to be next door when the fire broke out; it was just an instinctive act. They weren’t close, and she felt awkward accepting such a gift. Besides, Song Wuqi disliked her interacting with Song Zhixu.

Song Zhixu didn’t take it back. She simply bit her lip and looked at Tang Ran with a gaze full of clear disappointment. Tang Ran, acting on some inexplicable impulse, picked up the box.

“Thank you, Little Auntie.”

The corners of Song Zhixu’s eyes crinkled. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but Tang Ran’s phone rang. It was Song Wuqi.

Tang Ran’s face lit up with a practiced smile. “Sure, I’ll head over now.” She hung up, grabbed her bag, and said apologetically, “Little Auntie, I have something to take care of. I have to go.”

Song Zhixu nodded blankly.

“Tang Ran, this is my daughter with Song Wuqi.”

Ye Xiaoyu held a two or three-year-old girl, looking provocatively at the skeletal Tang Ran lying in the hospital bed. Dressed in luxury brands, she was no longer the timid assistant Tang Ran remembered.

“Do you know when this child was conceived? It was on your wedding night. Song Wuqi didn’t go to Beijing for business—he went to be with me.”

Tang Ran forced a cold sneer. She wanted to tell Ye Xiaoyu to get out, but with a tube in her throat, she couldn’t make a sound.

The morning light squeezed through the gaps in the curtains.

Tang Ran’s eyes were tightly shut, her fingers curled, white-knuckled as she gripped the bedsheets. In her dream, a doctor in a white coat entered the ward, skillfully breaking open a glass ampoule. Under the fluorescent lights, the silver needle reflected a cold, white glare.

“No!”

Tang Ran struggled awake from the nightmare. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, soaking into the sheets. As her consciousness slowly returned, she let out a heavy breath, stabilizing her breathing. She rubbed her face and sat up, forcing herself out of the dream’s shadow. Since her return, she had had this dream countless times; she was used to it.

She got out of bed, washed her face, and applied a thick layer of concealer to hide the dark circles from her late night. She smiled at the mirror—nothing looked out of place.

Downstairs, Lin Jixin and Tang Wanru were talking on the sofa. Both were smiling, showing no sign of the fierce argument from the night before.

“Ranran, you’re up so early?”

It was Saturday, and Tang Wanru expected her daughter to sleep until noon. She asked the maid to bring breakfast, praising her daughter. “Our Ranran has really grown up. Is work tiring? You look thinner.”

“I’m fine, Mommy,” Tang Ran smiled and sat down.

Lin Jixin walked over. “Manager Yu mentioned you’re planning to drop the Taivo contract?”

“Yes, the profit is too low. There’s no point in cooperating, and…”

“A client like Taivo provides prestige,” Lin Jixin interrupted. “Even if we don’t make money, it benefits the company’s reputation.”

“Discussing work on a weekend again? I’m tired of hearing it,” Tang Wanru said, shooing Lin Jixin away. “Let Ranran eat in peace.”

Lin Jixin’s voice immediately softened. “I’m just worried Ranran lacks experience. Managing a company isn’t child’s play.”

Tang Wanru scoffed. “You only see the clients we lose. Why don’t you mention the new ones she brought in? Ranran just secured the catering supply for the Jiangcheng Convention Center.”

“That’s a different matter,” Lin Jixin sighed.

Not wanting to watch them argue, Tang Ran sent the report she had commissioned to Lin Jixin’s phone. “Mom, there’s a problem with Taivo’s products.”

The first scandal to hit Taivo in the future would be excessive drug residues, followed by issues with diseased meat, foreign objects, and toxic waste dumping. Tang Ran couldn’t speak of the future, so she had simply bought Taivo products from the supermarket and had them tested.

“The random samples I bought failed. It’s likely their standard practice,” Tang Ran analyzed seriously. “If this ever goes public, any processing plant partnered with them will be dragged down too.”

Tang Wanru praised her daughter’s foresight. After reading the report, Lin Jixin was stunned. “How did you find out?”

“I met a new friend whose family is in the farming business,” Tang Ran replied vaguely. Lin Jixin accepted the explanation; the proof was in the report.

“You said Ranran lacks experience, but she’s thinking more thoroughly than you,” Tang Wanru added. “I think she’s managed the company quite well while you were away. She should be promoted to Vice President to learn more about management.”

“She’s been at the company less than six months,” Lin Jixin disagreed. “Making her VP now might not sit well with the staff.”

Tang Wanru didn’t care. “The whole company will be hers anyway. If they don’t like it, they can leave.”

Lin Jixin compromised. “Fine, we’ll discuss this later.”

After breakfast, Tang Ran helped Lin Jixin unpack gifts. Tang Wanru had brought her a limited-edition Pokemon figurine set.

“Thank you, Mommy,” Tang Ran’s eyes grew red. This set was the last thing she had sold after the family went bankrupt in her previous life. Back then, her mother was already gone.

“Crybaby,” Tang Wanru teased affectionately.

Lin Jixin went out and returned around 4:00 PM, announcing that Old Master Song had arranged a “welcome back” dinner for them at Jingting.

“He just told you?” Tang Wanru frowned. Notifying guests only two hours in advance was quite rude for the Song family.

“He told me this morning, but I forgot,” Lin Jixin smiled apologetically. “My memory is getting worse with age.”

Tang Wanru glanced at her and turned to the maid. “Load the gifts for the Songs into the car.”

Tang Ran watched from the stairs, a bad premonition rising. There had been no such dinner in her previous life. As the car sped along, the city skyline gave way to lush greenery.

They reached the familiar manor gates. Tang Ran looked down at her phone, her thumb hovering over the message box for “Next Door Neighbor,” but she hesitated.

“Ranran?” Tang Wanru’s voice made her lock her phone.

“What are you thinking so deeply about?” Tang Wanru asked, taking her hand.

“Nothing. Are we there?” Tang Ran looked out the window. She saw Song Wuqi standing by the fountain, and her gaze instinctively cold. This dinner was definitely a setup.

Tang Wanru squeezed her hand and whispered, “Don’t worry, Mommy’s here. I’ll block it for you.” She guessed the Songs wanted to talk about the engagement, but she could see her daughter was unwilling. She wouldn’t sell her daughter for the company.

“It’s okay, Mommy,” Tang Ran felt a lump in her throat. “Just remember what you promised me yesterday.”

To refuse directly would insult the Songs; she needed to stall. Maybe she could find another way to solve the funding.

Song Wuqi opened the car door with a smile. “Ranran.” She tried to take Tang Ran’s hand, but Tang Ran dodged, pretending to be shy. “Mommy’s watching. Help with the gifts.”

Inside, they were greeted by Jiang Mei and Old Master Song. Tang Ran looked around—Song Zhixu wasn’t there. She bit her lip.

As the families chatted, Song Wuqi kept offering Tang Ran fruit. Tang Ran ate two cherries but stopped her when she tried to peel an orange. “We’re about to eat,” she whispered. She could tolerate the cherries for the “performance,” but the thought of eating an orange peeled by Song Wuqi made her nauseous.

“Young love is so sweet,” Lin Jixin joked, making everyone laugh. Tang Ran lowered her head in “shyness,” while mentally cursing Song Wuqi.

“Where’s Zhixu? I heard she’s in Jiangcheng too,” Tang Wanru asked to divert the attention.

“She had a meeting, she’ll be back late,” Jiang Mei explained. Just then, Song Zhixu walked in.

“Speak of the devil,” Jiang Mei joked.

Song Zhixu walked in gracefully. After greeting the elders, her gaze fell briefly on Tang Ran with a slight nod.

“It’s been so long since I saw Zhixu,” Tang Wanru smiled. “She’s so poised. Not like my little crybaby here—she was sobbing in my arms just yesterday.”

“Mommy!” Tang Ran cried, embarrassed. The faint blush on her cheeks made her look adorable.

Song Wuqi leaned in, teasing her, “A crybaby?”

A wave of disgust washed over Tang Ran. She pulled her hand away, pretending to be annoyed. To the others, it looked like lovers’ play. Song Wuqi reached out to pinch Tang Ran’s cheek, but out of the corner of her eye, she felt a cold gaze.

She turned to see Song Zhixu looking down at her phone. The large screen of the foldable phone showed what looked like a PPT. Song Wuqi’s heart skipped a beat—it looked like the project proposal she had sent to her aunt before leaving work. Song Zhixu frowned at the screen and looked up. Song Wuqi immediately looked away, terrified of a public critique.

Lin Jixin took a gift box from her bag. “I got some premium Taiping Houkui tea from an old friend. Please, have a taste, Old Master.”

Tang Wanru’s eyes flashed with surprise and a complex emotion as she looked at her wife.

Old Master Song smiled. “Wonderful. Let’s go to the tea room. Zhixu, come join us.”

Song Wuqi watched them. Her grandfather hadn’t invited her. Her eyes filled with resentment and envy.

Tang Ran watched the scene. She realized her mother hadn’t consulted Tang Wanru about what she was about to do. She remembered the eavesdropped conversation from last night. Her body tensed.

Through the transparent window of the tea room, she saw Lin Jixin offer to boil the water, but the Old Master gestured for Song Zhixu to do it. After a few sips of tea, the Old Master laughed heartily. He was pleased.

Then, Lin Jixin’s expression turned troubled. She began to speak. Tang Ran couldn’t hear the words, but she felt the chill spreading through her body.

In that moment, Song Zhixu turned her head and looked out toward Tang Ran. Her deep eyes were searching. Their gazes met.

An unspeakable sense of humiliation surged through Tang Ran. The color drained from her face. She bowed her head sharply, her nails digging into her palms.

Why? Yesterday, her mother had promised Mommy she would find another way. Why was she doing this now? With a request for money on the table, the engagement would follow as a matter of course. They would lose all right to object.

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