Why Did My Ex-Wife’S Aunt Treat Me Like That? Chapter 10
byChapter 10 She is the Guide.
Yuan Yi got into Peng Cheng’s car as she wished, but she felt a stagnation in the atmosphere between them.
She didn’t know why the mood had changed after she mentioned wanting ice cream.
Yuan Yi knew that Peng Cheng harbored quite a few misunderstandings about her.
She took a deep breath.
The cold wind was more biting outside. Peng Cheng had offered to give her a ride, but said nothing else.
She wouldn’t accept the money Yuan Yi owed her either. Yuan Yi was troubled; what other way could she use to reduce her debt to Peng Cheng?
Inside the car.
The blanket was still covering Peng Cheng’s legs.
Peng Cheng had returned it to Yuan Yi when they got out, but as soon as they were in the car, Yuan Yi didn’t even put down her bag. The first thing she did was re-cover Peng Cheng’s legs with the blanket, starting the second fifteen-minute timer.
Perhaps Yuan Yi was lucky, but today’s vehicle was that unfamiliar yet familiar black Mercedes-Benz.
Yuan Yi wanted to observe the car’s interior, which required some time. At this moment, Assistant Nian, acting as the driver, glanced at his boss’s expression in the rearview mirror before asking, “Miss Yuan, where are you heading back to?”
Uh… Yuan Yi had walked from her employee dorm, a journey of only ten minutes. If they drove there, she would have to get out in the blink of an eye.
That wouldn’t do!
Yuan Yi patted the heavy stack of cash in her backpack: “If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to go to the bank on Fuyuan Road to deposit some money, and then come back. Is that okay?”
Fuyuan Road was near the school.
That round trip would take exactly twenty minutes.
Assistant Nian didn’t answer immediately, clearly waiting for Peng Cheng’s opinion.
Peng Cheng said, “Let’s go.”
Yuan Yi gave a grateful, very sincere smile: “Director Cheng, you are truly a good person.”
Assistant Nian couldn’t help but look back again upon hearing this praise. He was immediately spotted by Yuan Yi.
A more genuine smile appeared on Yuan Yi’s face: “Assistant Nian drives very well.”
Peng Cheng frowned slightly.
Assistant Nian was on tenterhooks: “You’re too kind, Miss Yuan. This car just came back from maintenance and repairs; it drives very smoothly.”
In short, it was the boss’s car that was good, and it had little to do with his driving skill.
Yuan Yi: “Oh, I think I heard last time, was it He Xun who sent it for repairs? Did she crash it?”
Assistant Nian: “No.”
Yuan Yi was very talkative: “I wonder which repair shop He Xun recommended?”
So, after all that, she still wanted to know about He Xun.
Peng Cheng looked at Yuan Yi’s bright eyes and spoke, “Yuan Yi, you can ask He Xun directly.” There was no need to go to such lengths to pry information from her.
Yuan Yi tactfully shut up, observing Peng Cheng’s expression for a moment.
She used to be very afraid of Peng Cheng, a fear born of guilt. Coupled with the external evaluations, she instinctively felt Peng Cheng was difficult to get along with.
Now that she was back, her mindset was different, and her goals were different. She didn’t seem so afraid of Peng Cheng anymore.
Provided Peng Cheng wasn’t fierce.
After a long pause, Yuan Yi quietly said, “I can’t communicate well with He Xun.”
Peng Cheng’s brow twitched: “That’s your business.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Yuan Yi sighed internally, vaguely feeling that she and Peng Cheng were talking about different things. “I won’t have any other business with her. It’s just this car; I think it needs another thorough inspection.”
Peng Cheng finally looked up at her. The car had entered the city tunnel, half her face obscured in shadow, revealing only the elongated shadow of her eyelashes.
“Yuan Yi,” Peng Cheng’s voice was faint, “you are a talented person. It’s a pity that for so many years you have never focused your energy on the right path.”
Yuan Yi was stunned.
She understood what Peng Cheng meant and realized that Peng Cheng had known all along that Cat Companion was the independent game she had created.
In high school, she was a specialized student recruited by the teacher, and she had joined halfway through. Learning art required a lot of money, and she could only afford the lowest-grade art supplies. By the trash can in the school’s art room, there were often discarded pencil stubs.
Only Yuan Yi knew that if she collected two pencil stubs, each only half a thumb long, she could use them for two more days.
After entering university, she stumbled into the major of game modeling and excelled at it, otherwise, she wouldn’t have been valued by Wu Ting.
It was tiring, but she greatly enjoyed the immense satisfaction of building an entire game world from scratch and then seeing it come alive and interact with her.
Her real life had a strong sense of being out of control, but during the process of building a game, Yuan Yi rediscovered order and control, which she loved.
What happened later?
Later, that focus was placed on He Xun, and it was utterly trampled. Over time, she lost all her ambition. No one spoke of the talent she once possessed, only endless contempt.
She forced her way into circles that didn’t accept her. No matter how well she pretended on the surface, everyone knew she lacked the ability to stand on her own two feet.
Without relying on herself, everything was an illusion.
Yuan Yi lowered her eyes and nodded: “Director Cheng, I admit it.”
Peng Cheng left it at that.
The car drove out of the dark tunnel and into the brightly lit downtown area. The light instantly pierced through, drawing Peng Cheng’s gaze.
Yuan Yi’s face was lowered, revealing only a small patch of pale neck and the side of her ear, where the fine blood vessels were visible beneath the thin skin.
She looked so disappointed that for a moment, Peng Cheng wondered if she had been too harsh.
Yuan Yi suddenly looked up: “Back then, it was because I had no money. Now—” she patted the backpack beside her, “I have a choice.”
Just this three hundred thousand yuan?
If this was Yuan Yi’s confidence, then what she required was far too little.
Peng Cheng watched her for two seconds, tugged at the corner of her mouth, and raised an eyebrow slightly: “How do you know that the choice you make now is the right path?”
Yuan Yi did not avoid Peng Cheng’s gaze this time: “Director Cheng, I thought you would be my guide.”
Peng Cheng’s pupils contracted slightly. Yuan Yi hadn’t moved closer, yet in that instant, she felt Yuan Yi approaching her.
The car stopped.
Peng Cheng said coldly, “You’ve arrived.”
After depositing the money and returning, Yuan Yi’s backpack was flat. She sat obediently on the other side. When getting out of the car, Yuan Yi only whispered to Peng Cheng, “Director Cheng, please have the car checked thoroughly again. If possible, don’t use this car.”
Peng Cheng looked up, puzzled.
“It’s a bit expensive, which makes me feel resentful of the rich, and my heart feels inexplicably restless.” Yuan Yi smiled shyly, “You know, society isn’t very stable right now. There are many people like me who resent the rich, and you never know what they might do.”
Peng Cheng: “…”
When she arrived downstairs at the dorm, Yuan Yi bought a serving of spicy hot pot to take back. She opened her computer and continued working on the game.
Peng Cheng didn’t want the three hundred thousand yuan at all, so Yuan Yi could only compensate her through work.
Once this game project was officially launched, the benefits it would bring Peng Cheng would be far more than a few million. As long as she finalized the cooperation with Peng Cheng early and then convinced Peng Cheng not to go to Shuyuan City at the end of the year, there was an eighty percent chance of avoiding the previous misfortune.
That car needed to be investigated further. She wouldn’t go to Shuyuan City until the beginning of next month. Before then, she needed to actively push her project with Peng Cheng. This would allow her to be around Peng Cheng more often and see what else needed to be investigated between her and He Xun.
With a plan in place, Yuan Yi was full of energy and didn’t plan on sleeping, intending to work until 2 AM.
While tidying her backpack, she remembered she had forgotten to take the blanket back.
It was fine to leave it with Peng Cheng, but she was afraid Peng Cheng wouldn’t continue using it. It needed to be fully charged every night so it would last all day the next day.
She couldn’t help but recall Peng Cheng’s words in the car.
The right path? A guide?
Yuan Yi had lied to Peng Cheng.
Why wouldn’t she treat Peng Cheng as her destination? That way, she could be more determined and persistent.
At 2 AM, looking at the plump Golden Shaded cat on the screen, Yuan Yi stretched contentedly.
She took a photo of the computer screen and posted it on her Moments.
After showering, she felt wide awake.
Yuan Yi slung her laptop bag over her shoulder and excitedly left the dorm.
She wasn’t tired. Since living again, her energy had been surprisingly abundant. This made it easier for her to do what she wanted. Of course, since she wasn’t sleeping, some other people shouldn’t be sleeping either.
Yuan Yi made a call. After two rings, Sun Xueyu finally answered. Woken up in the middle of the night, Sun Xueyu was groggy and didn’t even have the energy to curse her, “Hello…”
“Where are you? I’m coming to give you money,” Yuan Yi said.
The word “money” instantly sobered Sun Xueyu. She gave her hotel location, and Yuan Yi hung up cleanly.
Holding a glass of juice, Yuan Yi got into a taxi, feeling satisfied: It’s great to be rich and hypocritical; you can torment whoever you want at 2 AM.
She arrived shortly.
Yuan Yi knocked on the hotel room door and immediately flipped on all the lights.
It was a family room with one large bed and one double bed. Yuan Xiao and Yuan Chen sat up, rubbing their eyes, looking bewildered and confused.
Sun Xueyu forced herself to wake up quickly. Although she had just cursed her daughter out recently, since Yuan Yi said she was coming to give her money, her attitude immediately improved. She proactively introduced Yuan Yi to the two children: “This is your older sister, hurry and greet her.”
Yuan Yi said, “No red packet for the change of address.”
Yuan Xiao and Yuan Chen immediately clamped their mouths shut upon hearing that.
Yuan Yi added, “The bastards of a mistress really have no manners.”
Yuan Xiao: “Hey!”
“My name is Yuan Yi. You can call me Great-Aunt.” Yuan Yi entered the room as if it were her own home, dropping her backpack with a thud and starting to take off her clothes. “I’m going to take a shower. I’m so sleepy. I’ll sleep on the big bed later, so clear your stuff off it.”
Yuan Xiao and Yuan Chen were sleeping on the big bed.
The two of them: What is the meaning of this?
Sun Xueyu was extremely frustrated. If Yuan Yi hadn’t said she was bringing money, how could she have opened the door for her? Just as she was about to explode, she saw Yuan Yi pull a bank card from her pocket and place it on the bedside table.
Sun Xueyu immediately swallowed her dissatisfaction. “Go ahead, go ahead. Rest here.”
Yuan Yi went into the bathroom, but her voice kept coming out: “Change this shower gel for a new one.”
Sun Xueyu: “What do you want?” The hotel she booked was five-star, filled with high-end products. What else did Yuan Yi need?
Yuan Yi said, “Sulfur soap. I can’t wash without it.”
Sun Xueyu: “?”
Sulfur soap was not stocked at this five-star hotel. Sun Xueyu ran to several convenience stores before finding it.
“Oh, right, get me new shampoo too. I’m not used to yours.”
Sun Xueyu: “What do you want?”
“Tea seed powder, thank you,” Yuan Yi said.
This was even harder to buy late at night. Sun Xueyu had to search online just to find out what it was. She suppressed her inner irritation and sent Yuan Chen to look for it. Then Yuan Yi spoke again: “Why didn’t you prepare a bath towel for me? This towel is too soft; I’m not used to it.”
Country bumpkin! Sun Xueyu had Yuan Xiao buy a rough one. Yuan Yi took it in, only to angrily bring it back out: “Why is the quality so poor? You are going too far. I don’t want to wash anymore.”
She changed into her pajamas, turned off all the lights with a snap, and sprawled out on the large bed: “I’m a light sleeper. Don’t disturb me.”
Sun Xueyu was dumbfounded.
In the dim room, Peng Cheng opened her eyes.
The temperature dropped in the autumn night, and the humidity was heavy.
Her knees started aching again.
Peng Cheng got up and looked to the side. The beige thin blanket she had taken from Yuan Yi was within sight.
This warmth was within her reach.
Peng Cheng’s fingertips merely curled up, slowly clenching her empty palm. She lowered her eyes and picked up her phone. The time showed 3 AM.
In the darkness, Peng Cheng opened her Moments. Other people’s exciting lives scrolled across her view. She calmly scrolled down twice, and her gaze paused.
Energetic Bomb: [Life is endless, work is endless. Little kitty, please let me become a big rich woman!]
The accompanying picture showed a Golden Shaded cat she had just finished making, with a chubby face and a pair of lively, round green eyes.
It was Yuan Yi, who had changed her name. Peng Cheng remembered she used to be called Yuanyuan.
She had suddenly become a bomb.
This person was having a medical check-up not long ago, and now she was working through the night. Come to think of it, had she slept properly recently?
Could it be because of what she said tonight about not focusing her energy on the right path?
Just as Peng Cheng was about to tap ‘Like,’ He Xun’s like and comment appeared below.
[He Xun: Now you know what hardship is? / Haughty hmph]
Peng Cheng lost the desire to like the post. Just as she was about to close her phone, she saw that a new post had updated at the top.
It was still that bomb.
Energetic Bomb: [It’s good to have money. You can torment whoever you want at 2 AM. Thank you to my guide, thank you to money, thank you to this world, good night.]
In the picture, Yuan Yi, in pajamas and with a bare face, was winking at the camera, holding a piece of yellow, strange-looking soap against her cheek.
It was strange. The praise in the text was also stiff. It was inexplicable and very affected.
But she was genuinely a little cute, Peng Cheng thought.