Transmigrating As The Scummy Ex-Wife Of The Cold And Aloof Tycoon - Chapter 32

Ridiculous. This entire situation was truly ridiculous.

And incredibly melodramatic.

By the time Ye Yichi snapped back to her senses, she had already walked out of Hua Wan with her phone tightly gripped in her hand. The screen dimmed and eventually turned a deep, transparent black. Her fingertip accidentally brushed the glass, lighting up the void; she was still on the chat interface. The video and voice messages had been withdrawn by Xin Ning.

Good. She could pretend she hadn’t seen them.

Lowering her eyes, she tucked the phone away and took a few sluggish steps back toward Hua Wan, then stopped.

Tentatively extending a soft foot only to pull it back, retreating into a hard, protective shell that was something a clam would do. She wasn’t a clam. Old Man Ye used to say she was a headache inducing little tyrant, lawless and unrestrained, the type who wouldn’t give up even after hitting a dead end.

Ye Yichi turned around and walked toward the unit next door.

Three years of marriage, day in and day out. Even though they were divorced, she was unwilling and unable to let Xin Ning believe it had all been an act… As for how to explain it once they met? She would cross that bridge when she got there.

She entered the code and stepped inside. The living room and bedroom were empty.

The bathroom door was tightly shut. Ye Yichi knocked: “Xin Ning? Are you in there? I saw the video.”

The sound of rushing water started up.

Ye Yichi tried the handle, but this time it was locked. “What’s wrong? Did you throw up again?”

There was no response.

A few seconds later, the door was pulled open from the inside. Xin Ning’s eyes were swirling with a misty haze, and a smear of red remained on the corner of her lips.

What is going on? Did she cough up blood?

Ye Yichi’s mind went blank for a second. She reached out to wipe it away.

“Dirty,” Xin Ning avoided her touch, coughing a few times. Her voice was raspy, as if it contained grit. “I threw up too hard and irritated my throat. It’s nothing.”

“You’re spitting blood and you say it’s nothing?” Ye Yichi panicked. “Go change. We’re going to the hospital.”

After watching Xin Ning head into the bedroom to open the wardrobe, Ye Yichi hurried back to Hua Wan to change out of her pajamas. When she returned, Xin Ning was already waiting by the door. Her long hair was half-tied, and she wore a loose oatmeal colored wool coat with ruby studs in her ears.

She’s coughing up blood and she’s still in the mood to dress up? Protagonists are truly unpredictable.

Ye Yichi curled her lip and walked toward the parking lot.

Xin Ning followed in silence. Once they reached the garage, Xin Ning suddenly pulled Ye Yichi back and pressed a car key into her hand.

It was red, with a row of letters in the center.

Ye Yichi was quite familiar with this key not long ago, she had tossed it in front of Xin Ning with the accuracy of a bullseye.

Xin Ning pressed the unlock button while her hand was still over Ye Yichi’s. Not far away, a sports car’s headlights suddenly flashed.

Ye Yichi squinted slightly.

A sleek body, a vibrant red color looking at the model, it had butterfly doors. It was the very car she had stared at for a few extra seconds yesterday.

“Since it’s already bought, it should at least meet its owner,” Xin Ning said, coughing.

Her voice was heavy, dry, and strained.

Ye Yichi withdrew her gaze from the sports car and frowned as she studied Xin Ning. The woman’s chest was heaving, though her complexion looked slightly better, and her thin lips regained a bit of color… Color my foot, Ye Yichi thought, it’s probably stained by the blood she just coughed up.

Taking advantage of the door opening, she reached out and touched Xin Ning’s lips. They were cool and soft, and no color rubbed off on her finger.

Thank goodness. Ye Yichi felt a slight sense of relief.

“You touched me,” Xin Ning looked at Ye Yichi, the light flickering in her eyes pushing back the misty haze.

They were divorced; touching someone’s lips wasn’t exactly appropriate. Ye Yichi rubbed the tip of her nose, feeling a tiny bit guilty.

She couldn’t let it show.

“It wasn’t on purpose. Fine, just get in the car.” Lowering her gaze, she ushered Xin Ning into the passenger seat and walked around to the driver’s side.

This car was very similar to the one she had driven before. Starting the engine was no trouble, but the journey to the hospital was difficult. They hit several red lights in a row, and even after finally reaching the expressway, they got stuck in a traffic jam.

With an appointment waiting, Ye Yichi drummed her fingers on the steering wheel.

“Don’t worry.” Xin Ning’s lips curled into a faint smile, her dark eyes seemingly hiding the light of a thousand stars. “I’m really okay.”

Her voice was still raspy.

“Just talk less,” Ye Yichi said, opening the navigation app.

The road ahead was a deep, bruised purple on the map at least a kilometer of gridlock.

“I’m fine. But… I like that you’re worried.” Xin Ning’s smile deepened, the starlight in her eyes merging into a shimmering wave. “I especially love seeing you get anxious for me.”

What kind of weird hobby is that?

Ye Yichi caught a glimpse of Xin Ning’s cheek out of the corner of her eye. The snow-white skin, like congealed fat, held a small patch of pink, and the tips of her ears were red. Was she… blushing? Right, for a clam used to keeping its shell tightly shut, revealing its soft interior was, in a sense, like “streaking.”

“Every time this happens, I feel like you truly care about me.”

The clam was tentatively extending its reach even further.

A certain suspicion finally found its answer. Ye Yichi turned her head to look at Xin Ning: “That time you went to the dessert shop for hazelnut cake, knowing full well you were allergic but insisting on eating it in front of me… was that just to see me get worried?”

Xin Ning pursed her lips, the tips of her ears turning even redder.

So it really was that? Ye Yichi clicked her tongue. She should be judgmental, this eccentric behavior was definitely worthy of contempt.

But what should she say to criticize her?

By the time the traffic jam cleared, Ye Yichi hadn’t thought of the right words. Instead, her heart, which had been steady for many days, inexplicably skipped a beat.

Forget it. It was rare for the clam to be this open, she would save the lecture for another time.

The doctor’s diagnosis was similar to what Xin Ning had said: throat mucosal damage caused by vomiting. It didn’t require special treatment, as long as she stopped vomiting, the injury would heal on its own.

“The throat issue isn’t serious, but a fever usually doesn’t cause such severe vomiting. It’s likely influenced by other factors.” The doctor looked at the medical record and thought for a moment. “I suggest you make an appointment with a psychologist.”

Leaving the consultation room, Ye Yichi turned to look at Xin Ning.

“I’ve seen a psychologist; it can’t be cured.” Xin Ning looked at Ye Yichi for a brief moment before turning away. “As long as I don’t watch that video, I’ll be fine.”

The video?

Ye Yichi reacted instantly, it was the video belonging to the “original” owner of her body.

In the rush to the hospital, neither of them had mentioned it. Now that the medical visit was over, the ridiculous and melodramatic video was back on the table. Ye Yichi took a slow breath: “That video, I…”

“Give me the truth,” Xin Ning interrupted, her lips tightening into a sharp line. “Does the voice in that video belong to you?”

The original owner did indeed share the same mouth. Ye Yichi couldn’t deny it.

“Is silence a confession?” The light in Xin Ning’s eyes trembled slightly, like a nebula in a distant night sky.

Unpredictable, yet not cold.

Shouldn’t she be angry? Ye Yichi studied Xin Ning with confusion. Why did the protagonist look… almost pleased?

“Good. At least you didn’t deny it.” Xin Ning exhaled softly, her lips gradually curving into a faint smile that mirrored the shifting light in her eyes. “I’ve had many people verify it, that video couldn’t have been faked. Thank you for not lying to me about this. I’m happy.”

The clam was extending itself further and further.

It was unsettling.

Ye Yichi curled her fingers, sensing that things were hurtling toward an unsolvable conclusion.

“Actually, I was extremely confused during those three years.” Xin Ning coughed a few times. “I didn’t understand. If you were just acting, why were you so worried when I got sick? So worried that even though I knew it was fake, I couldn’t help but want to believe it. Later, when Su Fanxing said I was a substitute, everything finally made sense.”

Great. It really is hurtling toward a disaster.

Ye Yichi took a deep breath. The smell of disinfectant mixed with the scent of roses, making her chest ache.

The return trip was free of traffic. Xin Ning coughed for a while in the passenger seat before gradually falling into a deep sleep.

While waiting at a red light, Ye Yichi glanced at Xin Ning several times. A smile hung on that face, which looked as if it were carved from ice and snow it was faint, yet impossible to ignore.

To be honest, the moment she saw that video, Ye Yichi felt a sense of release.

Many things finally had answers. Three years of unrequited love she couldn’t blame Xin Ning. To be able to live peacefully with her for three years after seeing that video was no easy feat. Had their positions been reversed, Ye Yichi didn’t think she could have done it.

Halfway through the drive, the smile on Xin Ning’s lips faded, and her cheeks began to flush.

Ye Yichi touched Xin Ning’s forehead. Her temperature was rising again, though it wasn’t too bad; the doctor had said it would take a day or two for the fever to completely break.

Parking the car at the ancient town’s lot, Ye Yichi gently patted Xin Ning.

“Wake up, we’re here.”

“Hmm?” The flushed eyelids lifted slightly, revealing dark pupils shimmering with a misty light. Xin Ning stared quietly at Ye Yichi for a long moment before reaching up to hook her arms around Ye Yichi’s neck. “I feel so unwell.”

Cheek pressed against cheek, heat traveled from the point of contact to the heart, making Ye Yichi’s chest tremble.

Even the streetlights outside the car seemed to flicker in sync.

“Let’s get out first,” Ye Yichi said, softening her voice. “You’ll feel better after taking some medicine and sleeping.”

“Will you stay with me?” Xin Ning nuzzled her, burying her head in the crook of Ye Yichi’s neck. “Stay with me for one more night, okay? After seeing that video, I don’t want to sleep alone.”

She should refuse.

Even if she had found closure, they shouldn’t remain entangled. Between the ridiculous video and the non-existent “substitute” plot… she needed to cut the Gordian knot quickly. Ye Yichi looked down at the kitten-like Xin Ning. The word “no” stuck in her throat, tumbling around but never making a sound.

She figured Xin Ning was just feeling miserable from the fever, much like how someone who is hungover just wants company.

Fine. She would cut the ties tomorrow.

Xin Ning’s temperature fluctuated twice during the night, but by the next morning, it had stabilized. Ye Yichi brought some food over from Hua Wan, watched Xin Ning finish it, and then went back to Hua Wan to catch up on sleep.

In the afternoon, she met with a director.

The talk went very well. The script and character were excellent, and the pay was high. The director had only one requirement, she had to join the crew soon after signing.

“It’s not for immediate filming. Everyone needs to join for collective training, table reads, and getting used to the props. That will take about two months,” the director explained. “Formal filming won’t start until after the New Year.”

“That’s fine,” Ye Yichi smiled.

Her goal was to stay away from Xin Ning anyway, so the sooner she joined the crew, the better.

After signing the contract, Ye Yichi called Lin Weilan. For the past two days, while Xin Ning was sick, Lin Weilan and the orphanage director had been looking after Guo Guo. Although the child hadn’t left the ICU, her condition was stable.

“I’m about to join a film crew, so I won’t be able to visit Guo Guo for a while,” Ye Yichi said.

“Listen to you, this wasn’t your responsibility to begin with. We’ve already troubled you enough,” Lin Weilan’s warm voice came through the phone. “How is Xiao Ning? She’s always been stubborn; even when she’s so sick she can’t get up, she still tries to act like nothing’s wrong.”

The image of the ice-carved kitten appeared in Ye Yichi’s mind.

A sick Xin Ning was soft, radiating a burning heat… completely different from the cold, capable President Xin of ordinary days.

“Hello? Hello? Why did you stop talking?” Lin Weilan called out several times.

“She’s… doing okay.” Ye Yichi snapped back to reality. After a few seconds of silence, she asked, “By the way, do you know what exactly happened to Xin Ning’s mother?”