Transmigrating As The Scummy Ex-Wife Of The Cold And Aloof Tycoon - Chapter 39

Ye Yichi watched Xin Ning in silence.

After three years of entanglement and six months of being on and off, the girl who once possessed the aura of ice and snow had fallen from her high altar. As she stood before her, someone nearby set off firecrackers the red paper scraps danced lightly in the wind like falling flower petals.

The overcast sky gradually began to leak rain.

Drop after drop fell, a pitter-patter mixed with tiny ice crystals.

The weather this year was strange. When it should have been snowing, it was constantly freezing rain. Standing under the eaves, Ye Yichi looked up for a moment before lowering her gaze to Xin Ning, who was inches away.

“You… won’t leave me, right?” Ice crystals mixed with raindrops smashed against Xin Ning’s face, her dark eyes rippling with moisture. “After you finish filming this scene, come back with me, okay? Back to the villa where we lived. Spring is coming; the rose garden needs tending.”

“Xin Ning, I…”

Xin Ning raised a hand, her cold fingers pressing against Ye Yichi’s slightly parted lips.

“You once said you were willing to be a beam of light in the cracks of fate, that you would love me with all your might.” Xin Ning’s chest heaved rapidly, her voice lacking its usual coldness. “When we got married, you said you would never leave. You can’t just throw me away because I made a mistake.”

Ye Yichi pulled Xin Ning’s hand away and shook her head gently.

Back then, she had just transmigrated into the book. A fleeting glimpse had blinded her with the protagonist’s halo, her heart had been shaken by the stubborn, aloof nature of the “White Plum.” Bitterly pursuing her for three years was, in a sense, understandable. However, to Xin Ning…

“I was blinded by your halo. You don’t necessarily have to take everything I said seriously.” Ye Yichi paused for a few seconds. “On the other hand, why do you like me?”

Did she like her so much that, even out of fear, she was unwilling to truly divorce?

Was it love? Ye Yichi wasn’t sure. Perhaps it was more of a habit?

Losing her father as a child and her mother just as she reached adulthood, someone had suddenly and forcefully inserted themselves into her life. Even if there was initial loathing or fear, one would eventually grow accustomed to it.

Habit is a terrifying thing.

“Xin Ning, think carefully. What exactly do you love about me?” Ye Yichi gently wiped the water droplets from Xin Ning’s cheek. “See? You can’t say it, can you?”

Perhaps what Xin Ning liked and couldn’t let go of was never Ye Yichi herself, but rather the feeling of being loved by her.

“We both need to think this through. Is our current state really right?” Ye Yichi said.

Xin Ning looked up at Ye Yichi, her thin lips trembling slightly. Rain and ice mixed with the tears overflowing from the corners of her eyes, re-wetting her face. “Yichi, I…”

“Alright, go inside. Grandma will be coming out with an umbrella soon.”

During dinner, Su Fanxing returned.

Seeing Ye Yichi, she was overjoyed. “Sister! You’re finally back! Sister Ning has been waiting for you like a pining stone every day. Look at her, she’s waited so long her neck has turned into a swan neck.”

“Stop being flippant,” Ye Yichi shot her a glance.

Xin Ning already had a swan neck; what did that have to do with waiting?

“Yes, yes, a swan. Xuexue is like a beautiful white swan,” Grandma Su clapped her hands. “White swan, little gooseberry, living happily and lovingly together.”

Ye Yichi pursed her lips.

Across the dining table, Xin Ning kept her head lowered, her expression unreadable.

The Spring Festival passed in this slightly awkward manner. Su Fanxing sensed something was wrong and quietly asked Ye Yichi about it twice, but Ye Yichi laughed it off with perfunctory answers.

On the night before the holiday ended, Su Fanxing grabbed Ye Yichi again.

“Sis, what is going on between you and Sister Ning? You’re indifferent every day, and she looks like she’s on the verge of tears.”

“Aren’t you exaggerating a bit?” Ye Yichi smiled. “There’s nothing between us, it’s just…”

“Don’t ‘just’ me,” Su Fanxing interrupted. “I know. Isn’t it because she lied to you about the divorce? I saw the livestream that day too. Yes, lying to you was wrong, but she only did it because she loves you and couldn’t bear to lose you. Can’t you just forgive her?”

Yes, Ye Yichi thought, lowering her eyes. That is exactly the problem.

Did Xin Ning really lie out of love?

Or was it because she was used to the marriage, used to having someone else around, and unwilling to change the status quo? Was that why she broke her cold facade and chose to deceive?

People are so greedy.

During those three years of unrequited pursuit, she only wanted to warm the other person’s heart. Now that the water in the cold pool was overflowing, she began to feel dissatisfied. She craved more, she wanted a “true love” that could be articulated. Companionship and habit were too cheap; if Xin Ning liked her for those reasons, she could like anyone else for the same reasons.

She wanted a love that belonged exclusively to her.

On the day the holiday ended, Xin Ning approached Ye Yichi.

“Thought of an answer yet?” Ye Yichi looked at Xin Ning calmly. To be honest, her heart ached; the contours of that ice-carved face had become even sharper.

Xin Ning shook her head. “I want to take you to the film set.”

“No need. I’ve arranged with the director to go in with the crew car.” Ye Yichi thought for a moment, took off the rose ring, and placed it in Xin Ning’s palm. “Take this back for now. When we’ve both thought things through, let’s find a time to have a proper talk.”

Xin Ning looked down, her palm clenching tight.

“Then, until next time.” Ye Yichi turned to leave.

Xin Ning hugged her from behind. “Don’t leave me, okay?”

Ye Yichi sighed silently.

On the way back to the set, four people shared an off-road vehicle. Ye Yichi was originally in the passenger seat, but seeing a young girl in the back suffering from severe motion sickness, she offered to swap.

“Thank you, Sister Ye,” the girl thanked her repeatedly. “You’re so beautiful and kind. No wonder Sister Ning loves you to bits.”

Is it because of beauty and kindness?

But there are so many beautiful and kind people. Ye Yichi felt the spot on her finger where the ring used to be, it was now empty.

To keep the script confidential, the crew hadn’t hired anyone to clean during the break. After arriving, Ye Yichi spent quite a while tidying up before she saw several unread messages on her phone.

They were all from Xin Ning.

The first few were asking if she had arrived and if the trip was smooth.

Then came a photo, followed by a sentence:

Is this the reason why you’re unwilling to forgive me and don’t want me anymore?

What on earth?

Ye Yichi clicked the photo. The subject was her, and judging by the clothes, it was taken today. The background appeared to be the roadside. She was passing by the girl from the back seat, the girl was smiling and saying something, while Ye Yichi had her head slightly tilted, her eyes reflecting a galaxy of stars.

Did I really have that expression at the time?

We aren’t divorced yet. You aren’t allowed to fall for someone else.

Another message from Xin Ning arrived.

Fall for who? Ye Yichi found it absurd. Her phone beeped twice, it was a message from the girl she had swapped seats with. Ye Yichi switched over and saw a string of apologies, followed by a link.

She clicked it. It turned out a paparazzo had snapped that photo.

With added flair, the post hinted at an improper relationship between her and the girl.

Good grief. If there really were something going on, why wouldn’t they sit together instead of one in the front and one in the back? Ye Yichi comforted the girl with a few words and forwarded the link to the director.

In this situation, it was fastest for the production team to issue a clarification.

The director replied quickly. As the two discussed public relations details, a video call from Xin Ning came in. Ye Yichi declined it and finished finalizing the coordination with the director. Once the conversation ended, she exited the chat, stared at the notification for the rejected video call for a few seconds, and then called back.

Xin Ning answered instantly.

“Yichi, what’s going on with that photo?” Through the screen, the clear and cold voice was wavering with emotion, seemingly caught between distress and anger. “Was the reason you didn’t want me to take you because of her?”

“It has nothing to do with her. In the photo, I was just swapping seats with her,” Ye Yichi explained patiently. “Also, I didn’t let you take me because I didn’t want you driving on mountain roads. I would worry.”

She only wanted Xin Ning to think calmly; she never intended to hurt her, nor did she want a new obstacle to pop up in their already complicated relationship.

“Why didn’t you worry before?” Xin Ning bit her lip.

When did I not worry? Ye Yichi couldn’t understand.

“The last time I went to the neighboring city, I drove on those mountain roads for so long, and you didn’t worry at all.” Xin Ning’s voice dropped, sounding like a shallow stream in late autumn clear and tinkling, but laced with grievance. “It was raining that day, the roads were slippery. I drove carefully to the set with flowers, called you, and you wouldn’t even pick up at first.”

Oh, it was that time.

“I was sleeping then. How was I supposed to know you were coming?” Ye Yichi said helplessly.

Xin Ning pursed her lips, retreating back into her hard shell.

Is this how the video call is going to end? Ye Yichi looked down. She was indeed too greedy. She had seized the protagonist’s love line, yet she still hoped for the other party to provide a reason why it had to be her.

Xin Ning was like a clam that had just learned human speech. Being able to video chat and apologize was already an achievement; how could she expect her to clearly state her reasons one by one?

And yet, she felt so unwilling.

After three years of bitter pursuit, she thought everything had ended with a divorce agreement. Every time she faced the pursuing Xin Ning, she would grandly declare, “We are already divorced” even though Xin Ning knew perfectly well they weren’t.

How could she watch her talk to herself with such a straight face?

All that talk about “light passing by the window,” “moving flower shadows at a banquet,” and “having let go and found peace” it made it seem like she was the only one performing a monologue.

“Yichi, I don’t want to fight with you, let alone make you angry,” Xin Ning said softly. “I just saw the trending search and got a little jealous.”

“There is absolutely nothing between me and that girl. Why don’t you trust me?” Ye Yichi sighed.

Xin Ning bit her lip, released it, then bit it again.

“Then, do you trust me?”

“What do you mean?” Ye Yichi frowned at the screen.

“I say I love you, and you are skeptical, wanting to know why I fell for you. But have you ever thought of it from my perspective? To you, I am just a substitute. I don’t even know if one day you will cast aside that ‘substitute’ identity and actually like me as a person.” Xin Ning’s trembling voice came through the screen.

“I get scared. I get jealous. I’m afraid you’ll find a better substitute, or that you’ll get tired of the substitute and want to leave. Is that so hard to understand? Yes, I lied about the divorce. I shouldn’t have. It’s my fault, and I am willing to be punished. But you cannot use that one thing to completely negate my feelings.”

“It’s been three years, Yichi. We’ve been together for three years. Can’t you see whether I like you or not? Because I fell in love with you, I am torn apart every single day, suffering day after day…”

the cold voice paused for a few seconds.

“Even if we take ten thousand steps back. I lied to you about the divorce. But what about you? In these three years, can you guarantee you haven’t lied to me about a single thing?”