Transmigrating As The Scummy Ex-Wife Of The Cold And Aloof Tycoon - Chapter 2

“How hateful. This Xin Ning is…”

Hateful.

Xin Ning was truly detestable. Ye Yichi quietly lifted her gaze, watching the cold, distant figure walking further away.

It was as if a small pebble had been tossed into the chaotic depths of her heart. After a crisp moment of pain and impact, ripples began to spread outward, one circle after another. At the very center of those ripples was an ill-timed guess:

Maybe Xin Ning is also reluctant to leave?

“Sis, stop staring at the guests. Have you picked out the bag you promised me yet?” Su Fanxing poked Ye Yichi’s arm, offering a palm-sized cake with a beaming smile.

It was a red velvet base, decorated with an old fashioned buttercream flower. Next to the flower sat a sparse pile of blueberries; even the largest berry wasn’t as big as a fingernail.

“Grandma spent all morning making this. Try it. Don’t mind that her mind is a bit muddled and she talks nonsense now she used to be a famous pastry chef. She even studied in Europe. This craft is practically muscle memory for her.”

Ye Yichi took a skeptical spoonful.

The flavor of blueberries mixed with the silkiness of animal cream filled her mouth. The cake base was soft and sweet. With just one bite, a sense of satisfaction originating from the depths of her soul spontaneously arose.

They say sugar is the brain’s dopamine factory for a reason.

Ye Yichi licked her canine tooth and began digging into the cake, spoon after spoon.

“Told you it was good,” Su Fanxing shook her head, her long eyelashes fluttering triumphantly. “You keep eating, Sis. I’ll go grab two more pieces.”

The footsteps receded, and a moment later, they returned.

“That fast?” Ye Yichi looked up, unexpectedly colliding with a pair of eyes as cold as quenched snow.

Crap. She heard my voice.

Ye Yichi’s hand, still holding the cake spoon, froze. Was she about to be recognized?

Panic, loss, and the embarrassment of being caught red handed surged up together. Yet, alongside the awkwardness, there was a misplaced sliver of hope. Could she recognize me? She should be able to this time, right? We lived together for three years. Even if half my face is covered, she should recognize my voice, right?

Ye Yichi held her breath, feeling like a defendant in court who, despite being innocent, was trembling while waiting for a judge named Xin Ning to pass sentence.

One, two, three… Ye Yichi counted her heartbeat like a drum. She counted a full sixty beats before she finally heard Xin Ning speak.

“Were you calling me?”

The voice was cold and light, a question devoid of any emotion.

The verdict was utterly unexpected.

Ye Yichi could no longer hold her breath; consequently, the faint, cool scent of Xin Ning’s perfume swirled around her nose. Coupled with that icy voice, it made Ye Yichi nearly shiver with cold.

Peace, calm, equality for all beings. Old Man Ye used to say that in their line of work, it all came down to psychological resilience. Even if your heart is a tangled mess of seaweed, you have to hold your ground firmly.

“No, I was calling Fanxing.” Ye Yichi’s tongue traced the roof of her mouth as her lips curled into a slightly languid smile.

Xin Ning nodded and withdrew her gaze.

However, the cool fragrance didn’t dissipate with her. Ye Yichi greedily inhaled a breath and quietly observed Xin Ning.

Good, she wasn’t looking anymore. Xin Ning had always been like this no curiosity, no desire to probe. No, it wasn’t a total lack of curiosity, it was just that she never delved into unimportant people or unimportant matters.

Just like now. Xin Ning clearly knew Ye Yichi was looking at her, yet she asked nothing.

“Sis? Why are you two just standing there?” Su Fanxing returned with more cake, breaking the eerie silence.

The great beauty who was with Xin Ning had also come out at some point, holding a piece of Grandma Su’s special cake: “Xiao Ning, this cake is delicious. Try some.”

Xin Ning hates sweets the most. How could she possibly try it? Ye Yichi huffed inwardly.

“Okay.” Xin Ning took a small bite and chewed slowly.

Hah. During their three years of “contractual marriage,” Xin Ning looked disgusted every time she saw dessert. How is it that in front of someone else, she suddenly has the heart and the taste buds to eat it? Was it possible that the dopamine factory didn’t depend on the dessert itself, but on the person you ate it with? Eating with me isn’t happy, but eating with someone else is?

But then again, this beauty wasn’t really “someone else.”

When they checked in, Ye Yichi had seen the ID. Her name was Lin Weilan.

The other protagonist of the book.

The two leads meet and begin a life as sweet as sugar, while she the cannon fodder passerby exits the stage to pine away in solitude. What a logical ending, right?

But… why is she still wearing the safety jade pendant I gave her?

Ye Yichi’s gaze dropped to Xin Ning’s wrist. She clenched her teeth, afraid she would blurt out a complaint the next second.

Hateful. This woman Xin Ning was truly hateful. She agreed to the divorce, yet she kept stirring up hope unintentionally.

Old Man Ye was right after all. The wise do not fall in love; the “Lone Kings” pursue Master’s and PhDs.

If she had put the same effort into her career as she did into winning over Xin Ning, forget about reading palms, she could have expanded the Ye family’s ancestral metaphysics into a full scale “cradle to grave” industry. She might have even founded several related companies.

She wouldn’t be reduced to this: transmigrated into a book, unable to find love, and unable to leave.

“Yueyue, Xingxing, milk tea! Come drink milk tea.” Grandma Su came tottering out of the kitchen, carrying a massive tray.

Even her attempt to “lie flat” and do nothing was being interrupted.

Ye Yichi added a silent comment in her head and went forward to take the tray: “Grandma, be careful.”

“Grandma, take it easy. You’re going to spill it on the guests,” Su Fanxing fretted, her face wrinkling like a bun. “They’re wearing designer clothes. If you ruin them, I couldn’t afford to pay them back even if you sold me.”

“Sell you? Who would buy you?” Grandma Su rolled her eyes.

“Sis would! Sis is even going to buy me a bag,” Su Fanxing pointed at Ye Yichi with a grin.

“Yueyue, listen to Grandma. You can’t buy her. She eats enough for two but doesn’t even do the work of half a person. If you really want to buy a maid, Grandma will take you to the human trafficker tall, short, fat, or thin, you can take your pick.”

“If you want a concubine, that’s fine too. It’s just a matter of two extra taels of silver. Grandma knows you like beauties. I’ll definitely pick one for you that’s prettier than those two guests,” Grandma Su said, getting more excited as she spoke.

Xin Ning and Lin Weilan both looked over.

Lin Weilan’s bright eyes held a hint of confusion, while Xin Ning’s gaze was dark even colder than her usual frostiness.

Oho, showing some emotion now? Was she unhappy that her sweet time with the beauty was interrupted? Or was she annoyed at being compared to a concubine? Or more likely, was she angry hearing her sweetheart being compared to one?

She really does care, Ye Yichi thought sourly.

Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to hate Xin Ning, and she had no reason to dislike Lin Weilan.

From the very beginning, she knew how the plot would go. It was her own greed, her own pipe dream. She was the one who moved her heart first, insisting on longing for a flower that never belonged to her.

“Alright, she’s dreaming of ancient times again.” Su Fanxing pointed to her head and apologized awkwardly to Xin Ning and her friend. “Sorry, my Grandma has some issues. She’s clear headed one moment and confused the next. But don’t worry, she’s not dangerous when she’s confused she just talks nonsense.”

“You’re the one talking nonsense!” Grandma indignantly grabbed a cup of milk tea and shoved it toward Su Fanxing’s mouth.

She picked up the remaining two cups, looked at Ye Yichi, and then at Xin Ning and Lin Weilan.

After a moment of hesitation, Grandma placed one cup in Lin Weilan’s hand and handed the other to Xin Ning: “Drink, drink. Guests, drink the milk tea.”

Lin Weilan thanked her and took a sip. Her bright eyes lit up: “This is delicious! Ningning, you have to try this.”

“Okay.” Xin Ning looked down, silently watching the light brown ripples in the tea.

Okay? How is this okay? Aren’t you lactose intolerant? Can’t you not drink fresh milk? Doesn’t it give you a stomachache?

Ye Yichi swore she hadn’t made a habit of taking care of Xin Ning, nor was she a born maid. If Xin Ning was willing to suffer for the beauty, she, as an outsider, shouldn’t care.

And yet, her fingers seemed to have a mind of their own.

By the time Ye Yichi snapped back to reality, she had already snatched the cup out of Xin Ning’s hand.

Everyone stared at her in shock.

Ye Yichi held the cup, wishing she could dig a hole in the wooden floor with her eyes.

“Sis?” Su Fanxing started.

“Yueyue?” Grandma Su’s eyes widened belatedly. “Eh? Why are you wearing a mask? Take it off, it’s covering your pretty face.”

“Sis is so professional, she must be preparing for tomorrow’s shoot,” Su Fanxing joked. “But Sis, were you that desperate for milk tea? You even robbed the guest?”

Ye Yichi: “I was just… thirsty.”

“If you’re thirsty, that’s easy! There’s plenty in the kitchen. Grandma will go get you some more.”

A moment later, Grandma Su returned with an even larger cup. She took the cup from Ye Yichi’s hand, gave it back to Xin Ning, and placed the new cup firmly in Ye Yichi’s hand.

Xin Ning looked down, carefully scrutinizing the returned milk tea. Then she looked up, sweeping a calm glance over Ye Yichi.

“Ningning, try it quickly.” Lin Weilan pulled on Xin Ning’s arm, her gaze as bright as spring flowers.

With such a “little sun” existence, no wonder she was the female lead’s official match. It was a pity she only had the sun’s warmth and lacked a bit of the moon’s gentle delicacy but that didn’t matter. As someone once said, there’s no such thing as a perfect match, ninety-nine percent of couples have to work at it.

Besides, what did it matter if she wasn’t delicate? As long as she could warm up Xin Ning’s icy heart, it was enough. Why should an outsider like her interfere in the protagonists’ business?

Chewing on the words “outsider” several times, Ye Yichi felt as if someone had thrown a handful of pepper into her heart, stinging her eyes.

Xin Ning took a shallow sip of the milk tea.

“It is indeed very good.”

It’s good now, but you’ll be crying later, Ye Yichi retorted silently. She felt that fate was truly set in stone. Why else would she transmigrate as the cannon fodder supporting actress instead of the female lead? Ultimately, she just didn’t have the broad mindedness required of a heroine.

Fortunately, that “breadth” only applied to her mind, not her chest. In that department, she wasn’t any worse than the lead.

Besides, she had a body that didn’t have to worry about gaining weight. What better time to drink? Tilting her head back, Ye Yichi took a massive gulp of the “milk tea” as if she were slamming a shot of liquor.

Her eyebrows and nose immediately scrunched into a ball.

“So bitter!”

The gazes that had started to drift away converged on Ye Yichi once more.

Ye Yichi didn’t have time to care about being watched; she poked her tongue out and scrambled toward the front desk.

That wasn’t milk tea in the cup!

It was coffee.

Specifically, a concentrated Black Americano, the kind with not a drop of milk or a grain of sugar, bitter enough to take a life.

“Grandma, what did you give Sis? Coffee?” Su Fanxing realized what happened and hurried over. “Sis hates bitter things! Sugar, where’s the sugar?”

Xin Ning frowned and put her hand in her pocket. In the depths of her eyes, as cold as a frozen lake, something shifted as they reflected Ye Yichi’s figure.

“Crap, I forgot to buy sugar yesterday!” Su Fanxing smacked her forehead. “The kitchen right, there must be white sugar in the kitchen.”

Ye Yichi dashed out from behind the bar toward the kitchen.

“Wait a moment.” Xin Ning called out to her and withdrew her hand from her pocket.

She opened her hand.

Lying quietly in her palm was a lemon candy wrapped in bright yellow cellophane.