Transmigrating As The Scummy Ex-Wife Of The Cold And Aloof Tycoon - Chapter 9

“Those are two questions.” Ye Yichi sighed.

The tripe, fatty beef, and crab sticks were all waiting for her, they would get anxious if she returned late.

“You even moved out of Huawan.” Xin Ning’s lips were pressed into a straight line, her cold voice seeping through her teeth, carrying a hint of suppressed fury.

Does Xin Ning actually grit her teeth? Ye Yichi wasn’t sure. Xin Ning rarely had major emotional fluctuations; Ye Yichi had to observe her quietly for three years to be able to discern a thing or two from those pitch-black eyes.

When angry, Xin Ning’s eyes would turn cold, as if the darkness were wrapped in ice and snow. When pleased, they carried a bit of light, shimmering slightly like stars frozen in the vast sky of a silent night.

And at this moment, Xin Ning’s eyes were extremely cold, yet they were shimmering with light.

Ye Yichi couldn’t tell if she was angry or happy perhaps neither? Xin Ning had always been elusive.

“Moving out and changing my number are my business; they have nothing to do with you,” Ye Yichi said.

Xin Ning didn’t say anything else, but she showed no intention of moving out of the way.

She just stood there in silence, blocking the path, her dark pupils fixed unblinkingly on the corner of Ye Yichi’s lips. The flickering in her eyes grew more vivid, ripple upon ripple, as if they were about to overflow.

Is that… a shimmer of tears? Ye Yichi leaned in to look closely, only to realize it was just the reflection of the traffic flowing outside the window.

Of course. How could someone like Xin Ning who could calmly produce a divorce agreement after three years of sharing a bed ever cry? Ye Yichi silently withdrew her gaze, amused by her own wild imagination.

After laughing for a few seconds, Ye Yichi bypassed Xin Ning again, her movements as swift as escaping a tiger blocking a path in a deep forest. “Alright, I have things to do, so I’ll head out first.”

“What things?” Xin Ning was relentless.

“Buying groceries and cooking,” Ye Yichi said. “I overslept and missed breakfast, and I didn’t have time for lunch. If I don’t hurry up and sort out dinner, I’m liable to starve to death.”

“You know how to cook? Why didn’t I see you do it before?”

“Maybe because I was afraid of poisoning you.”

That was the truth.

Old Man Ye’s ancestral home was in Sichuan. When he stir-fried, he poured in Sichuan peppercorns and chilies as if they were free. The resulting dishes were fresh, fragrant, numbing, and spicy absolutely delicious. She had inherited half of the old man’s mastery, but her cooking only hit the “numbing” and “spicy” notes. It was fine for herself, but to feed that “Cold Mountain Flower” Xin Ning, who only ate steamed or lightly sautéed food? Not appropriate.

“I’m not afraid,” Xin Ning said.

“…Huh?”

For a moment, Ye Yichi suspected her ears had gone on strike.

But, maybe, just maybe, she hadn’t misheard?

Who was Xin Ning? This was a person who dared to eat nuts even knowing she was allergic. What could she possibly be afraid of? At worst, it was just another trip to the hospital and with the great beauty Lin accompanying her during the stay, she might even feel it was a win. Ye Yichi silently rolled her eyes.

“I really have to go, the market is about to close.” Pushing open the coffee shop door, Ye Yichi walked out quickly.

The sound of footsteps followed closely behind.

“If it’s closed, then don’t buy anything.” Xin Ning stood stubbornly in front of Ye Yichi again. “What do you want to eat? My treat.”

“No need.”

“I have things to discuss with you.” Xin Ning’s cold voice carried a subtle tremor before quickly flattening back into a pool of icy water. “The divorce cooling-off period is almost over. What are your thoughts?”

What are my thoughts? Does it even matter? Ye Yichi lowered her eyes.

It wasn’t that she wanted to get a divorce, but was that useful? When Xin Ning drafted the divorce agreement, did she ever ask for her opinion?

Now that the agreement was drafted and the cooling-off period was ending, she was coming to ask for her thoughts? Wait… did this detestable woman think her moving and changing numbers was a tactic to stall the divorce?

Outrageous. Simply outrageous.

“You’re treating me to dinner? Fine, I’ll pick the place.” Ye Yichi bit her lip and looked up directly at Xin Ning. How could someone so exquisite and beautiful, like a jade tree in the frost, have such offensive thoughts?

“I want hot pot,” Ye Yichi said.

It didn’t matter that she couldn’t warm Xin Ning up; she didn’t believe the numbing, spicy fragrance of hot pot couldn’t scald her warm. And if it truly couldn’t, it didn’t matter those intense, spicy scents would linger on the hem of Xin Ning’s clothes and the tips of her hair, much like that rose-scented shampoo, briefly and covertly tainting the white plum blossom.

See, that’s the difference between a side character and a protagonist.

One has wicked little thoughts and only dares to harbor secret longings, while the other can state even the most outrageous ideas with such poise and righteousness.

On what grounds? Just because she’s the protagonist?

On the way to the hot pot restaurant, Ye Yichi thought spitefully: If I had transmigrated as the protagonist, I’d be like a proud peacock showing off its feathers. I’d wait until Xin Ning was completely fallen, and then I’d pull out the divorce agreement. I’d dump her out of the blue, just as she did to me.

She wanted this “ice sculpture” to experience the taste of a broken heart.

Hah.

The white Bentley was like an elf falling into the mundane world, drifting gracefully through the food street before finally stopping in front of an old, weathered shop.

“This one.” Ye Yichi pushed the door open and got out, flashing a peace sign to the owner. “Two people, got a seat?”

“Yes, yes, yes.” The owner led Ye Yichi past tables shrouded in rising steam and stopped at a corner of the shop. “Just this table left, you want it?”

To be honest, the table was quite shabby.

A corner of the carving was missing, the surface was slick with oil, and the sesame oil bottles and condiment boxes were covered in a layer of grease, as if that was the only way to prove the prestige of a century-old shop.

“Sure, this is the one.” Hot pot had to be eaten in this kind of shop to have the right flavor.

Ye Yichi sat down and waited for a few minutes. Xin Ning parked the car and appeared at the shop entrance.

Exquisite and frigid, she looked like she had wandered into the mortal realm by mistake.

“President Xin.” Ye Yichi waved at her. “Over here.”

Xin Ning didn’t respond but walked into the shop silently. The crisp click-clack of her high heels was muffled by the years of accumulated grease on the floor.

Her tall, thin figure moved through the bustling front hall, avoiding the scurrying waiters, looking elegantly out of place.

We really don’t match, Ye Yichi thought. Sheepskin shoes should be walking on the polished tiles of a café; someone like Xin Ning should be standing in front of a clean floor to ceiling window as a queen looking down on the masses.

Finally, the queen who should have been looking down on the masses arrived in front of Ye Yichi. Staring at the stains on the long bench, her brow gradually furrowed into a small arch.

“It has to be this place?” Xin Ning asked.

Oh, so she’s dissatisfied? That’s perfect. Ye Yichi curled her lips mischievously.

She precisely wanted to pull this “High Mountain Flower” down to the mortal realm. She wanted to see the proud, jade-like ice sculpture tainted by the secular world; she wanted the sheepskin shoes to be splashed with water and oil. She just wanted a moment or two where Xin Ning could be like her, sitting side by side in the noisy world.

Just like there were one or two moments when she felt she once possessed her.

But in the end, she couldn’t bear it.

“If you’re not used to it, you can wait in the car,” Ye Yichi said. “I’ll call you when it’s time to pay.”

Xin Ning looked at Ye Yichi in silence, then leaned over to pull a length of napkin from a faded tissue box and began wiping the seat.

She actually endured the smoky environment, the greasy chair, and the noisy crowd? It seemed her determination was quite strong. Ye Yichi guessed it was just like in the book. Xin Ning and the great beauty Lin’s feelings must have progressed rapidly during their hospitalization. That’s why she humbled herself to find her as soon as she was discharged, wanting to get the divorce over with.

What a case of “seeing the newcomer smile, while the old one cries.”

The more rushed Xin Ning was, the less Ye Yichi felt like rushing.

“Tripe, fatty beef, crab sticks…” Ye Yichi scribbled on the ordering sheet. When she got to the soup base, she chose a split pot (Yuan-Yang pot). “Oh, and two bottles of beer.”

“I’m not drinking,” Xin Ning said.

“I didn’t plan on giving you any.”

In a moment, the beer was served. Ye Yichi skillfully opened the bottle and poured herself a glass. The dense foam swirled upward, coalescing with a faint hissing sound.

This was the “Bubbly Symphony,” a celebration of her impending freedom. Ye Yichi tilted her head back and finished it, then refilled the glass.

“You haven’t eaten anything yet,” Xin Ning tried to stop her. “Drinking like this will make you drunk easily.”

“I won’t get drunk.” Ye Yichi smiled.

Xin Ning had likely forgotten that her alcohol tolerance had been forged through countless reception banquets over the past three years. Mixing Baijiu, red wine, and western spirits, it wasn’t that she liked it, but rather that if she drank it, Xin Ning wouldn’t have to.

The first bottle was empty by the time the food arrived.

The tripe went into the boiling red pot, seven up and down swishes, and it was done. If only feelings could reach a positive result after going through such ups and downs? Sadly, Xin Ning had never liked numbing and spicy tripe, just as she had never liked her…

“It’s just a divorce. We’ll go do the paperwork once the cooling-off period is over.” Ye Yichi licked her canine tooth, raised her glass, and made a toasting gesture toward Xin Ning. “Three years of alliance, a clean break. I won’t make things difficult for you.”

“That would be for the best.” Xin Ning raised her tea and clinked it against Ye Yichi’s beer glass.

A single touch and they separated.

Was she that afraid of being tainted? Ye Yichi looked down at the beer glass.

The less than crystal clear glass reflected the dim yellow light, mixing with the steam from the pot like a broken mirror. On this side of the mirror was her; on the other side was Xin Ning, calm as a pool of stagnant water.

On the day she brought out the divorce agreement, Xin Ning was exactly like this. Ye Yichi thought resentfully: this calmness, this coldness… oh, right, the only difference was that on that day, Xin Ning also said “Thank you.”

At least she knew how to say “Thank you.”

Hah.

Quite polite, isn’t she?

Heh.

Ye Yichi angrily finished her second bottle of beer.

“Where are you living now?” Xin Ning suddenly asked.

“Why? Afraid I’ll pretend to be drunk later and insist on going home with you? Or afraid that despite my promises, I’ll stall and not show up for the divorce?” Ye Yichi smiled lazily. “Don’t worry. You just name the time, and we’ll meet at the Civil Affairs Bureau exactly on schedule.”

Xin Ning didn’t speak.

Maybe it was the steam, or maybe the lighting, but Ye Yichi vaguely felt that Xin Ning’s eyes had darkened. How could that be? Hearing that the divorce was on, she should be overjoyed, shouldn’t she?

Ye Yichi quietly observed Xin Ning, trying to decipher the emotions in her eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Xin Ning frowned. “It makes me think you don’t want to divorce.”

“Do you want to divorce?” Ye Yichi asked.

The boiling pot sputtered, a drop of oil popping loudly.

Dammit. It was only two bottles of beer, so why was she talking nonsense? Was her tolerance really that low after a break from social drinking? If Xin Ning didn’t want to divorce, where did the agreement come from? Did it fall from the sky? Ye Yichi put down her chopsticks in frustration.

“You do. I know. You don’t have to answer,” Ye Yichi said. “Fine, I’m done. I’ll head out first. You go settle the bill. Oh, and before you pay, give me a time. We’ll meet at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau. Be there or be square.”