The Subtle Seduction of My Ex-Girlfriend’s Aunt - Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Is Little Auntie Helping Me Because She wants To Replace…

The scene from her memory replayed itself.

Song Zhixu turned her head slightly away. Her throat moved with a subtle swallow, and a flush of red quickly spread across her snow-white neck.

“Or perhaps…”

Tang Ran deliberately leaned in closer. This time, she successfully captured a flicker of emotion in Song Zhixu’s averted eyes. The smile in her own gaze deepened. It seemed Song Zhixu wasn’t as “unconditional” as she claimed; at the very least, she was interested in her.

A gentle breeze blew. The resentment that had been clogging Tang Ran’s heart scattered like her flying hair, vanishing into the wind.

“Little Auntie is helping me so much… could it be—” She curved her lips into a flowery smile, drawling her words, “—that you want to replace the person I’m marrying with yourself?”

The moment the words left her mouth, Tang Ran saw Song Zhixu’s eyelashes tremble slightly. A rare sense of joy leaped into Tang Ran’s heart, and a soft laugh escaped her throat.

Song Zhixu turned back and lowered her eyes to look at her. The tenderness in her gaze was like liquid, like crushed moonlight. Tang Ran’s breath hitched. Her heart skipped a beat before accelerating into a frantic rhythm. The wind in the garden seemed to stop, and the air grew thick. Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it might jump out of her throat.

Tang Ran abruptly let go of Song Zhixu’s hand, turned around, and ran.

By the time she returned to the living room, the two families had finished their talk. Tang Ran touched her face; once she felt it was no longer burning, she walked in. The families said their goodbyes and left.

As soon as they got into the car, Tang Wanru’s expression turned cold. Tang Ran knew she was angry with her other mother (Lin Jixin). She didn’t want her two mothers to fight, but she knew she couldn’t intervene. Sensing Tang Ran’s unease, Tang Wanru patted her hand to signal her not to worry.

They returned home in silence. Tang Wanru prevented Tang Ran from getting out of the car, instructing the driver to take her back to Shengming Mansion. She didn’t know Tang Ran had eavesdropped on them the night before; she simply didn’t want to question her wife in front of her daughter, fearing Tang Ran would realize her mother had “sold” her for the sake of the company.

Tang Ran obeyed. In all her years, she had never seen her “Mommy” this angry.

After a restless night, Tang Ran returned home first thing in the morning. Tang Wanru was eating breakfast. As if she knew Tang Ran would be back, she had the assistant bring out her daughter’s meal. Tang Ran scrutinized her expression—it was back to normal, the anger seemingly gone. She glanced around the living room; her mother was nowhere to be seen.

“She went to Beijing to see a client.”

Seeing her daughter’s cautious look, Tang Wanru felt both amused and pained. She and Lin Jixin had never fought in front of Tang Ran, which was why she had sent her back to Shengming Mansion alone the night before, despite knowing she was worried.

“Don’t you worry about adult matters,” Tang Wanru said, placing the breakfast in front of Tang Ran.

After the meal, Tang Wanru led her to the small second-floor lounge. Her expression turned serious. “Breakfast is over. Now, tell Mommy—what has Song Wuqi done?”

Her daughter was not a petty person; if it were just a minor tiff, she wouldn’t feel such intense loathing for Song Wuqi. Song Wuqi must have done something to hurt her.

Tang Ran’s nose felt sore, and her voice choked up. “Mommy.”

Tang Wanru pulled her into a pained embrace. “It’s okay. Mommy is always here.”

“Mm.” Tang Ran sniffled, holding back her tears. Just as Tang Wanru didn’t want her to worry, she didn’t want Tang Wanru to worry either. Skipping the part about her rebirth, Tang Ran told her mother about Song Wuqi’s affair with Ye Xiaoyu.

After hearing it, Tang Wanru’s entire face went cold. She was usually a very cheerful person; Tang Ran rarely saw her truly cold. Now, Tang Wanru was just as angry as she had been the night before.

She gently brushed the hair off Tang Ran’s forehead and said with certainty, “You didn’t expose her directly because you have other plans, right?”

“Mm,” Tang Ran gave her a reassuring smile. Mommy truly was the person who understood her best.

“Go ahead and do whatever you want to do, baby.” Tang Wanru patted her shoulder encouragingly. “But remember, Mommy is always here. If you need anything, you must tell me, okay?”

According to her daughter, she had discovered the affair nearly two months ago. During that time, she hadn’t mentioned a word on the phone or shown any sign of abnormality.

“I know, Mommy.” Tang Ran hugged her for a while, acting like a spoiled child. Once she saw the tension leave her mother’s face, she asked cautiously, “So… did you and Mom fight yesterday?”

Despite her sadness, Tang Ran had been angry yesterday too. She wanted to ask her mother why she had done it. But she saw that her “Mommy” (Wanru) was even angrier. Sending her back to the mansion was clearly an attempt to shield her from the pain of what her mother (Jixin) had done.

Tang Wanru tapped her forehead and said lightly, “So young and yet so full of worry.”

Mommy had avoided the question again. Tang Ran felt sad. When she went back to the mansion last night, she had comforted herself by thinking her mother might have had some unavoidable hardship. Clearly, that wasn’t the case. If there were a real hardship, her mommy wouldn’t be hiding it from her.

Monday.

The Tang Group issued an official announcement: Tang Ran was appointed as the company’s Vice President. Tang Wanru didn’t understand management, but she was right about one thing: the company would belong to Tang Ran eventually. Therefore, no one objected to the appointment.

In the afternoon, Manager Yu knocked on her door to ask if she still wanted to go see a client together. The client was the one who liked polo that they had previously arranged to meet. Tang Ran didn’t refuse. Though her position had changed, she still had much to learn. Manager Yu was an excellent mentor, and Tang Ran trusted her. Not just because of their recent time together, but because in her previous life, Manager Yu was one of the few executives who stayed with the company until the very end, only leaving after the bankruptcy and restructuring.

After her rebirth, Tang Ran had specifically investigated Manager Yu and several other executives. She found they shared a common trait: they were all hired when her grandfather was still managing the company, and they had all served as his assistants for varying lengths of time. Tang Ran realized their loyalty might not just be to the Tang Group, but specifically to her grandfather.

The meeting took place in the polo match box Tang Ran had helped book previously. As they were long-term partners, the contract renewal went smoothly. As the sun dipped toward the horizon, the daytime matches were nearing their end.

Tang Ran went to the restroom. On her way out, someone blocked her path.

“Yo, what a coincidence, Miss Tang,” said a voice, as street-thug-like as ever.

A blue and white printed bandana, a large black t-shirt with red graffiti, and denim shorts with metal chains—the unique hip-hop style looked completely out of place in the elegant environment. Sun Xiao scanned Tang Ran up and down, letting out an appreciative whistle.

Tang Ran was wearing a cream-white shirt and shorts set today, with a Chanel panther brooch on her chest. The intellectual, high-intelligence urban chic look made Sun Xiao’s eyes light up with a budding desire to conquer.

Tang Ran walked right past her, not even granting her a spare glance. Looking at Sun Xiao was a sign of disrespect to her own eyes.

Sun Xiao chased after her, grinning. “Is Miss Tang planning to build a ‘chastity arch’ now? Too afraid to even speak to others?”

If Tang Ran got angry, it would be even better. Sun Xiao loved seeing her upset. Unfortunately, Tang Ran wasn’t angry. In fact, if Sun Xiao could actually curse Song Wuqi to death, Tang Ran would probably set up a shrine for Sun Xiao in a temple to wish her a long life.

Seeing no anger, Sun Xiao felt a bit disappointed. However, the more Tang Ran ignored her, the more her desire to conquer grew. As Tang Ran approached the fan-shaped stairs of the viewing deck, Sun Xiao stepped out and spread her arms to block her.

Tang Ran lifted her eyelids and said two cold words: “Move aside.”

“Oh? Not going to keep being ‘pure as jade’?” Hearing her speak, Sun Xiao felt she had won.

Tang Ran took a step to the side. Sun Xiao was relentless, moving with her, raising one eyebrow so that the skull stud in it wobbled. “Tang Ran, do you still want that loan for the Tang Group?”

She had heard from her father that the Tang Group’s loan was in trouble. This was the perfect time to pressure Tang Ran. Last time she said it just to scare her, but this time it was real. She didn’t believe Tang Ran wouldn’t care.

“As long as you come with me, I’ll have my dad release the loan to your family on time. How about it?” Sun Xiao raised her chin arrogantly, confident in her victory.

Tang Ran was already irritated by the loan situation, and Sun Xiao was poking at her sore spot. Her patience was exhausted. But with someone like Sun Xiao, the more you acknowledged her, the more self-important she became. Tang Ran didn’t want to engage further. She rolled her eyes, said nothing, and simply pointed toward the polo field.

Sun Xiao looked where she was pointing. A rider was guiding a horse over an obstacle. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Sun Xiao frowned. Did Tang Ran mean to call her a “good dog that doesn’t block the path”? But there were no dogs on the field.

Tang Ran curled her lip and said flatly, “The horses on that field understand human language better than you.”

Sun Xiao froze for a second, then blurted out a curse. Tang Ran was saying she was worse than an animal. “Tang. Ran!” Sun Xiao gnashed her teeth.

Pfft!

Sun Xiao was about to grab her when she was interrupted by a snicker. A group of people was coming down the stairs. The one who had laughed was a woman with long wavy hair. Sun Xiao didn’t know her, but she recognized several others.

The Secretary of Jiangcheng, the President of the Equestrian Association, the head of the polo match organizers, and several other prominent business tycoons. A few had dealings with her father. Sun Xiao recognized them. Her eyes first landed on the Secretary.

Tang Ran, however, immediately saw Song Zhixu behind him. To Song Zhixu’s right was Xia Mo, and to her left was Murong Yi, the one who had just laughed.

After running away from the garden two days ago, Tang Ran had regretted it. Why did she have to blurt things out in a moment of heat? She had spent the last two days forcing herself to think about her mother and the company loans, not daring to let her mind wander to anything else—especially Song Zhixu.

Today, Song Zhixu was also wearing a cream-white suit, very similar in style to Tang Ran’s, even down to the brooch being the same brand and series. The only difference was that Tang Ran wore shorts while Song Zhixu wore trousers.

When their eyes met, Song Zhixu’s gaze was gentle, much like that night’s breeze. Seeing her suddenly, Tang Ran didn’t know how to feel. It was like encountering a math problem with multiple solutions; she knew she could find the answer, but she couldn’t decide on the most “optimal” path. She hesitated to “put pen to paper.” She didn’t even know what expression she should make toward Song Zhixu right now.

She looked away toward Xia Mo. Xia Mo gave her a slight smile, and Tang Ran curled her lips in return.

“Sorry, sorry,” Murong Yi said with an apologetic smile. “I just thought of a joke and couldn’t hold it in.” Even though she said that, Tang Ran’s voice hadn’t been low; they had surely heard her when they came down. In social situations, everyone usually just laughs it off.

Sun Xiao wasn’t an idiot. She was fuming, but she couldn’t afford to offend a single person coming down those stairs.

“But this little…” Murong Yi furrowed her brows slightly, as if unable to distinguish her gender, “…Miss? Such big words. I wonder which bank your father leads?”

As she spoke, most of the group looked toward Sun Xiao. Not many knew her, but a few who had dealings with President Sun recognized her. Seeing the Secretary’s gaze, Sun Xiao panicked instantly.

“I… I was just joking.” Her voice stuttered, her previous arrogance completely gone.

The Secretary retracted his gaze and looked at his secretary, who nodded understandingly. The few people who recognized Sun Xiao saw the Secretary’s subtle gesture and thought to themselves: President Sun’s daughter is truly a liability. They resolved to tell their own children to watch their mouths in public.

Cold sweat broke out on Sun Xiao’s back. She could already imagine how her father would deal with her once he found out.

“The restaurant is on the second floor; just around the corner from here,” the equestrian organizer said, smoothing things over and leading the group away.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Xia Mo walked toward Tang Ran. Seeing this, Murong Yi let out a small “tsk.” Song Zhixu lifted her eyelids and glanced at her. Murong Yi immediately wiped the “waiting for a show” look off her face and looked away.

Seeing Xia Mo approach, Sun Xiao instinctively took a step back. She was already shaken from potentially ruining her father’s career and was reflexively afraid of anyone in that elite group.

Xia Mo gave her a cool glance, then asked Tang Ran with a smile, “Here for the match?”

Sun Xiao’s lip twitched. Tang Ran is this close to Xia Mo too? She gritted her teeth, glared at Tang Ran, and turned to leave.

“With a client,” Tang Ran nodded, not caring at all about Sun Xiao’s departure.

Xia Mo comforted her softly, “Don’t worry about the loan.” Being in the industry, her information was more direct than most. She had made an effort to look into the Tang Group’s situation.

Tang Ran nodded, hearing the comfort. Realizing Tang Ran hadn’t quite caught her drift, Xia Mo pursed her lips slightly. “I’ll help you find a way.”

Tang Ran was stunned. The previous sentence could be seen as concern for an acquaintance, but this one felt significantly different.

“I’ll head over first,” Xia Mo looked back at the receding crowd. “When you’re free, let’s meet up. I’ll tell you what I’ve found out.” Her tone was gentle. As someone far busier than Tang Ran, she was willing to accommodate Tang Ran’s schedule to solve the Tang family’s problems.

If she couldn’t figure out why by now, she shouldn’t be called Tang Ran—she should be called Tang “Dense.”

Tang Ran nodded blankly. She was truly bewildered. Putting aside Qiu Yuan and Luo Qing, whom Miao Tiantian had tried to set her up with, just the fact that Song Zhixu was interested in her was already unbelievable. Now even Xia Mo was showing her favor.

A ridiculous thought popped into her head: Did I travel into a romance novel? Or was my rebirth orchestrated by the God of Marriage?

She thought back to the nonsense Miao Tiantian had said in the car that day. Is Miao Tiantian’s mouth cursed with prophetic powers?

Watching Xia Mo leave, Tang Ran immediately took out her phone and sent a row of “shocked crow” emojis to Miao Tiantian.

“????”

[Who am I? Where am I? What happened?.jpg]

[This humble servant is terrified.jpg]

[Looking left and right in confusion.jpg]

Miao Tiantian quickly fired back a series of stickers. The last one was a funny GIF Miao Tiantian had made of herself. A stick figure body with Miao Tiantian’s large head, wearing a floral bandana tied in a knot over the nose.

Tang Ran almost burst out laughing. She covered her mouth to maintain her ladylike image. She looked around, trying to look casual before leaving. Unexpectedly, when she turned her head, she met a pair of tranquil eyes in the distance.

But it was only for a second. The owner of those eyes turned away and walked off, talking to the people beside her.

Tang Ran bit her lip. It suddenly occurred to her: Did Song Zhixu see everything when Xia Mo came to find me just now? If so, she…

Tang Ran shook her head to clear the strange thought. What did Xia Mo coming to find her have to do with Song Zhixu?

The phone vibrated. Miao Tiantian sent a serious message: Sister, what happened?

Tang Ran replied: “Nothing. You may withdraw.”

Her finger accidentally swiped, returning to the main chat list. Her eyes fell once again on the message from three days ago.

Next Door Neighbor: When are you free?

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