Transmigrating As The Scummy Ex-Wife Of The Cold And Aloof Tycoon - Chapter 38

Xin Ning produced a notarized document.

It had a familiar thickness and a familiar cover. It was the same one she and Xin Ning had signed at the Notary Public Office one copy for each of them.

What was the point of bringing out a “clean break” (forfeiture of assets) notarization in a setting like this? Ye Yichi found herself increasingly unable to understand the situation.

In the livestream, Xin Ning flipped open the document and placed it under the projector. On the very first page, in stark black and white, were the words: Nominee Holding Agreement.

“Yichi’s shares have never changed. It was simply inconvenient for her to be present for meetings while she was filming on set. After consulting with each other, we signed an agreement for me to hold them on her behalf. If anyone is unfamiliar with what ‘nominee holding’ means, feel free to look it up.”

The venue fell silent for a moment before a wave of hushed whispers broke out.

Outside the livestream, Ye Yichi’s racing heart finally settled back into place. Back then, they had supposedly gone to notarize a property settlement; but in reality, it turned out to be a nominee holding agreement?

That girl Xin Ning…

Was she happy? She couldn’t quite say, but she was certainly surprised.

[Live Comments:]

• “Nominee holding? Does that mean Ye Yichi’s shares never changed?”
• “Is this for real?”
• “It’s a real life romance between a CEO and a top star!”
• “Hey, Yichi is a CEO in her own right, okay?!”
• “Ahhh, I’m obsessed with them!”

The comments scrolled by one after another, nearly burying Xin Ning’s figure on the screen.

“Even if a nominee agreement was signed, on the surface, you are the controlling shareholder,” a reporter continued to press. “Shareholder meetings, strategic decisions you make the final call. If you chose not to cooperate, Ms. Ye Yichi wouldn’t even receive her dividends. In a way, Ms. Ye’s interests are still compromised. Or rather, she is still being sidelined by you.”

This was the truth. Ye Yichi’s heart, which had just settled, hung in suspense once again.

If she were there, she would have signaled the staff to mute that reporter’s microphone, what good is the truth if the mic doesn’t work? Then she’d pick a friendly reporter to pivot to a different topic.

But Xin Ning wouldn’t do that. She was cold and aloof, but also noble; she disdained such petty tricks.

Facing this kind of provocation, how would she break the deadlock?

“Yichi and I are in a marital relationship. What difference does it make if the dividends are in my hands or hers?” The clear, cold voice came through the screen with absolute certainty.

Was Xin Ning gambling?

Ye Yichi grew increasingly worried. Their divorce was an ironclad fact. Even if it hadn’t been leaked during the past two weeks of controversy, that didn’t mean it wouldn’t be dragged out at a press conference. Given the reporter’s aggressive stance, even if they didn’t have proof, they would hounded Xin Ning until she provided evidence.

Their marriage certificates had long since been exchanged for divorce certificates. Where would she get evidence?

“President Xin, you keep emphasizing your marriage, yet you refuse to explain why Ms. Ye appeared at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau a few months ago. How can we fully believe you?” the reporter shouted.

[Live Comments:]

• “Oh yeah, why was Yichi waiting for someone at the Civil Affairs Bureau?”
• “Even if a friend was getting married, you wouldn’t accompany them there, right??”
• “Could they really be secretly divorced?”
• “No way!! They just fed us so much ‘dog food’ (public displays of affection) two days ago!!”
• “Please don’t let it be manufactured sweetness!”

The comments were beginning to sway.

Ye Yichi frowned, thought for a few seconds, and sent a message to her assistant. – The situation doesn’t look good. Don’t let that reporter keep talking.

In the livestream, the assistant rushed to Xin Ning’s side. A moment later, the assistant nodded and stepped back.

Ye Yichi’s phone buzzed. It was the assistant’s reply. – Don’t worry, President Ye. President Xin says everything is under control.

She should trust Xin Ning. Ye Yichi gripped her phone and watched for a little longer before switching back to the livestream interface.

“Mr. Reporter, you seem very eager for Yichi and me to be divorced. Well, you’re going to be disappointed.” After calmly stating this, Xin Ning pulled a marriage certificate from her pocket.

She opened it.

A photo of the two of them appeared on the projection.

To be honest, it was both familiar and strange.

Ye Yichi had transmigrated right into an arranged marriage. When they went to get the certificate, it was only the second time she had met Xin Ning. In the photo, Xin Ning’s face was as cold as carved ice, devoid of expression. As for herself… Ye Yichi pursed her lips. It was hard to look at. She looked utterly dazed, as if she were about to be kidnapped and sold into the mountains.

The projection zoomed out. The certificate number and ID details were blurred, but the holder’s name was visible.

This marriage certificate belonged to Xin Ning.

That’s not right, Ye Yichi thought as she stared at the screen. When they got divorced, she clearly remembered that both marriage certificates were confiscated by the staff.

[Live Comments:]

• “Wow, President Xin looks so cool even in a marriage photo! Total CEO vibes!”
• “Yichi is so cute in private! I just want to hug her!”
• “Take me with you! Who knew the cool girl was actually a cutie in private?”
• “The contrast is too much, I can’t handle it.”
• “Screenshotting this! This is our new couple profile picture.”

Something is wrong. As the comments flooded in, Ye Yichi stared intensely at the wedding photo through the gaps in the text. Something was racing in an incomprehensible direction.

“In your opinion, does this marriage certificate clarify the status of my marriage with Yichi?” Xin Ning questioned coldly. “If not, I don’t mind performing an official status inquiry right here for everyone.”

In the livestream, Xin Ning took out her phone, her eyes moving slightly as she tapped for a moment.

Ye Yichi’s phone buzzed. – Don’t worry, it’s fine. Also… please don’t be mad at me, okay?

Ye Yichi glanced at the message and switched back to the stream. Xin Ning had already placed her phone under the projector. The screen showed the official marriage status inquiry interface, the pink logo bright and sweet. After hiding the ID entry, a small loading circle spun a few times before the final result popped up.

[Live Comments:]

• “Ahhh! It really says ‘Married’!”
• “I knew my ship was real!!”
• “Xin Xin and Ye Ye, stay in love forever!”
• “I believe in love again!”
• “That reporter went too far! Attacking our couple like that sisters, let’s get him!”

The comments rolled like rain, moving so fast that Ye Yichi could barely read them.

Why? They had clearly divorced. Why would the status come up as “Married”? And that marriage certificate that should have been taken away… A certain answer became glaringly obvious. Her heart slowly settled back into her chest steady, but no longer joyful.

Closing the livestream, Ye Yichi waited quietly for ten minutes.

Then, Xin Ning’s phone call came through.

The screen flickered for a long time, went dark, and then began to flash again a moment later.

Recently, every time she saw an incoming call from Xin Ning, a small spark of joy would surge in the depths of her heart. But now… forget it. She might as well answer; she had to face it eventually.

“Yichi? Why did it take you so long to answer? Are you busy?” Through the screen, Xin Ning’s cool voice held a trace of trepidation. “Or… are you mad at me?”

“What is going on with the marriage certificate?” Ye Yichi took a slow breath. A chill traveled down her windpipe, making the tip of her heart tremble with cold. “If I remember correctly, we are already divorced, aren’t we? It happened at your villa, and you were the one who contacted the officials.”

On the other end of the line, Xin Ning remained silent.

Through the receiver, her soft breathing quickened slightly.

“I’m sorry.” After a moment, the apprehension in Xin Ning’s voice became even more pronounced, like ripples spreading across a water surface after a stone had been tossed in. “I simply didn’t want to divorce… so I lied to you.”

Was she angry? She didn’t know. Was she sad? Certainly, a little.

For many days afterward, Ye Yichi did not take the initiative to contact Xin Ning. When she did reply to Xin Ning’s messages, her answers were as brief as possible.

Xin Ning apologized several times in succession.

Like a tightly closed clam prying itself open, she gradually revealed her fear and her softness.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to deceive you. I just wasn’t willing to divorce. My attempts to stall weren’t working, and I didn’t know how else to persuade you.”

“I’m sorry, I won’t lie to you again.”

“I’m sorry. I knew I should have told you earlier, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it. I was afraid that if I told you, you would ignore me.”

That’s true, Ye Yichi sighed silently. There had been so many opportunities to speak up, why did she have to find out the truth along with the livestream audience?

By the time the month and a half-long script table read ended, it was nearly Chinese New Year.

On the day Ye Yichi returned to Flower Late, she didn’t tell anyone.

Granny Su was busy sticking “Fu” (Good Fortune) characters onto the courtyard gate. Catching sight of Ye Yichi from a distance, her cloudy eyes suddenly lit up. “Yueyue is back?! That’s wonderful! Come here, come here look at how well Xingxing wrote this calligraphy.”

“Xingxing knows calligraphy?” Ye Yichi looked down, her eyes widening slightly.

The brushstrokes were sharp and powerful, like a hidden dragon within the ink.

Based on her experience auditing classes at the Children’s Palace back in the day, one couldn’t write like this without over a decade of practice.

“Xingxing has studied calligraphy since she was a child? How come I’ve never seen her practice?” Ye Yichi asked curiously.

“Oh, not that big ‘Fu’ character,” Granny Su pointed to a corner of the red paper.

The two small words “Flower Late” looked as if they were written with a ballpoint pen.

“Xingxing wrote those two small words. The big ‘Fu’ was written by Xuexue. She wrote many of them besides this one. I’ve given quite a few away; every single one of the neighbors has nothing but praise for her.” The Granny lifted her head proudly.

Xin Ning wrote these “Fu” characters and gave them to the neighbors?

This really didn’t fit the image of the “ice-cold” protagonist, did it? But then again, even a plum blossom carved from ice had learned how to lie. If she could hire actors from her company to play government officials and spin her in circles, then writing a few characters for the neighbors wasn’t exactly out of character.

“Oh, you didn’t tell Xuexue you were coming back, did you? Stay right there, Granny will go get her.” Granny Su shoved the characters and the bowl of paste into Ye Yichi’s hands and hurried off with quick, small steps.

“Wait..” Ye Yichi called out twice, but she couldn’t call her back.

Truly… every single member of the Su family has incredible initiative. Watching the Granny’s figure disappear next door, Ye Yichi looked down at the “Fu” character. After a moment’s thought, she dipped into the paste and began to carefully stick it up.

A few minutes later, the sound of footsteps appeared.

The tap-tap-tap of high heels.

Ye Yichi turned around and saw Xin Ning’s tall figure. She looked only slightly better than she did during her fever, but she was thinner than when the table read had started.

“Yichi.” The tapping stopped for a moment, then started again. Xin Ning bit her lower lip and walked cautiously to Ye Yichi’s side. “You’re back? Why didn’t you call me to pick you up?”

“Xuexue, you and Yueyue talk. Granny is going to cook.” Granny Su stepped out from behind Xin Ning, took away the paste bowl, and headed into the courtyard with a smile. “Now that Yueyue is home, I have to fry up a few extra dishes.”

Xin Ning gave a soft reply, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on Ye Yichi’s cheek.

“I’m sorry for lying to you about the divorce. You can punish me however you want, just… please don’t leave me, okay?”