Why Did My Ex-Wife’S Aunt Treat Me Like That? Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Yuan Yi picked up the letter from the mess on the floor, clutching it in her hand without immediately opening it.

Others felt nervous when approaching their hometown; she felt nervous when approaching Peng Cheng.

She was genuinely afraid that Peng Cheng might have written something like, “Never contact me again,” in which case she would shatter into pieces right here and now.

She was also furious. All these years, Sun Xueyu had hidden this from her. Peng Cheng clearly had written back to her, clearly.

Anger aside, she couldn’t neglect herself. Yuan Yi booked a five-star hotel—the very one where she had worked part-time years ago.

Although the staff had long since rotated through countless times, Yuan Yi still felt the satisfaction of returning in glory after making it big.

After setting down her bag in the room, Yuan Yi carried her laptop to the lounge area in the lobby.

She treasured the letter so much that she kept it in her personal bag. Coming down to the lounge wasn’t for work, but for acting.

There were only a few scattered people besides her in the lounge, but that wasn’t a problem. Yuan Yi could start her performance instantly. She found a spot convenient for the surveillance cameras and pretended to break down, wiping away tears.

A five-star hotel is a five-star hotel, and that naturally includes meticulous service. Thus, before Yuan Yi had even fake-cried for two minutes, the lobby manager came over to her.

“Hello, is there anything I can help you with?”

Yuan Yi looked up, her eyes teary, and she called out, surprised and choked up, “Manager Qian, it’s still you!”

Qian Meng blinked twice, carefully scrutinized the person in front of her, and her eyes widened in astonishment: “You are…”

“It’s me, Yuan Yi! Don’t you remember? The first day I worked part-time here, you even slapped me.” Yuan Yi wiped her tears and affectionately grasped Qian Meng’s hand. “How come you’re still a manager after all these years? Oh, look at me, my mouth is still the same as before.”

Qian Meng awkwardly maintained her smile, having clearly recognized Yuan Yi. She had never imagined that the little girl from back then would now transform into a VIP client.

Being a professional, Qian Meng remembered her duty: “What happened to you? Can I help?”

“Don’t even mention it.” Yuan Yi took the opportunity to pull Qian Meng down to sit. “You know my family situation. I’ve been living with my mother all these years, but suddenly, for the sake of the mistress’s two children, she wants to cut ties with me and take the money I have—over a million yuan… A million yuan! That’s enough to count as VIP performance for the hotel. Why give it to the mistress’s children, Manager Qian? I remember a million-yuan VIP used to get a manager a direct promotion here, right?”

Qian Meng said, “Don’t be so formal, Xiao Yuan, don’t call me Manager Qian! It makes us strangers! So, what are you planning to do?”

“What can I do? My mother insists on supporting them. It goes against our relationship, but I can’t do anything. The relatives back home still think my mother sacrificed so much for me. How can I not cry?” Yuan Yi shed a few more crocodile tears. Seeing passersby cast curious glances, she became even more energized.

“I care about appearances. My mother has a good reputation, and I can’t defy her. If no one supported her, it would be easier… Oh, never mind, that million is gone.” Yuan Yi apologized. “I’m so sorry, Sister Mengmeng. I originally planned to get you that VIP membership this time, but who knew this would happen?”

Qian Meng immediately grasped Yuan Yi’s hand back: “Xiao Yuan, how long are you staying here? I can try to help you figure something out.”

Yuan Yi smiled: “I know you mean well, but it’s okay. I wanted to stay and play for a while, but my mother is bringing the mistress’s children back, so I’m leaving tomorrow.”

As Yuan Yi went upstairs, she deliberately glanced back and saw Qian Meng frantically typing on her phone.

She had a deep impression of this manager, Qian Meng, who was known as Sister Loudspeaker. Gossip wouldn’t last half an hour with her before spreading throughout the entire hotel, and within a day, it would be city-wide.

Back in her room, Yuan Yi took a comfortable bath, and Qian Meng personally delivered her dinner.

Her main task tomorrow was to make it to the dinner with He Xun. Yuan Yi had already planned it: since Peng Cheng was away on a business trip, she intended to arrive late, letting He Xun taste the bitterness of waiting.

Having nothing else to do, she poured a glass of wine on the balcony, held the letter, and pondered for a long time, growing increasingly irritated the more she thought about it.

Finally, she stared at Peng Cheng’s pinned chat box for a while before gradually calming down.

Can’t read it yet. Sleep first. If she read the letter, she definitely wouldn’t be able to sleep.

With the item secured, she booked a flight for the next morning. At two in the morning, Yuan Yi woke up at this familiar time.

She immediately called Sun Xueyu awake: “Transfer the money to me. If you can’t, take the first flight to Huaping City tomorrow morning. You left something here.”

Sun Xueyu felt a heart attack coming on every time she heard Yuan Yi’s voice, losing even the strength to curse: “You really enjoy tormenting me, don’t you?”

Yuan Yi: “I’m not just going to torment you, but also your husband, and your illegitimate children. Hurry up and give me the money! Otherwise, get up now and prepare to bring Yuan Xiao and Yuan Chen over to pick up the item!”

“Daughter, I beg you, what exactly do you want! Don’t you need to sleep now?”

When notifying someone, the notification is enough; there’s no need to answer any counter-questions.

Yuan Yi hung up the phone and sent Sun Xueyu the hotel’s location and room number.

She opened her computer and worked for a while. At six o’clock, Yuan Yi finally managed a short nap. When she woke up, she received a message from He Xun:

[Baby, dinner is at six this afternoon. Just take a taxi over. I’m preparing at home. Remember to dress formally to meet my Aunt.]

Ugh, still pretending. Peng Cheng left for her business trip yesterday, didn’t she?

Yuan Yi replied with a period and finished up. She packed her things and went downstairs to the lobby, clearly feeling the hotel staff subtly observing her, their eyes filled with curiosity or pity.

This was exactly the effect she wanted.

“Didn’t you hear Manager Qian? She’s so pitiful. I don’t know what her mother is thinking, treating the mistress’s children like her own. Is she crazy?”

“I heard her mother personally cut it… Hiss.”

“Why worry so much? She can produce a million yuan now. Can you?”

When Sun Xueyu was arrested, the scene was bloody, and those relatives avoided her like the plague, so she certainly didn’t have a good reputation.

Now, through Qian Meng’s mouth, the news that Sun Xueyu relied on her daughter to get a million yuan to raise illegitimate children spread. Those who loved gossip would flock to the scent.

Sun Xueyu cared deeply about her reputation; this was worse than killing her.

As for the room left for Sun Xueyu.

Check-out time was two o’clock today. Sun Xueyu would likely arrive at the hotel around one-thirty, giving her half an hour to “tour.”

Thinking of that scene, Yuan Yi was smiling all the way on the return flight.

As long as she ran fast enough, Sun Xueyu would always be chasing after her.

It was only noon when she returned from the airport to her dorm. Yuan Yi finally took out the letter from her inner pocket.

The date on the letter indicated that it was Peng Cheng’s reply, sent three days after Yuan Yi had written to share the good news about winning an award.

What had she written back then…?

Dear Director Cheng:

Hope this letter finds you well. I want to thank you for your sponsorship. I recently won an award in a competition and wanted to share the good news with you… I will study even harder!

Wishing you a bright future (Peng Cheng Wan Li), and success in both work and life.

It turns out that even when people grow up, they still cringe at the awkwardness of their youth.

Yuan Yi remembered how she had racked her brain for that homophone back then, thinking Peng Cheng’s name sounded wonderful, and believing her “Peng Cheng Wan Li” wish was incredibly cool and explosive.

What the hell!!!

It was no different from calling Peng Cheng by her full name when she was fifteen!

Yuan Yi silently covered her face for a moment, then, with trembling hands, she took the reply out of the envelope and unfolded it.

The reply was shorter than Yuan Yi had expected, yet she read it for a long time.

The light in the room was dim, and the cold air outside seeped in. Her gaze moved slowly over every word. All thought ceased when she saw the two characters of the signature.

Yuan Yi:

Thank you. I also wish you success in everything and academic achievement. You don’t need to worry about anything else.

Signature: Peng Cheng

The short line of text was elegant and forceful, the brushstrokes unrestrained, the handwriting as grand as her name, possessing a stability that seemed to penetrate the paper.

She didn’t mock Yuan Yi’s childishness or youthful melodrama; instead, she played along and wished her success in everything.

No one had ever said this to her before: You don’t need to worry about anything else.

Regardless of what the outside world said about Peng Cheng, Yuan Yi would forever remember this sentence from her.

How could such a good person end up with that fate?

Yuan Yi read it repeatedly, quiet for a moment, before carefully putting it away again. She sat silently with her eyes lowered to adjust her emotions. When she opened her eyes again, she took out her photo from the outer compartment of her backpack.

This was the photo taken from Peng Cheng’s picture frame. Did Peng Cheng place it there casually, or did He Xun obtain it through some means and put it in along with the other pictures?

Never mind. When she saw He Xun tonight, everything could be asked.

Thanks to the drinking tolerance she developed while working part-time at the barbecue stall, she could actually drink a lot. When she used to accompany He Xun to bars, she always pretended to be a lightweight.

Tonight, she wouldn’t pretend. She planned to get He Xun drunk and then extract information.

After setting Sun Xueyu’s messages to Do Not Disturb, Yuan Yi created a chubby silver tabby cat avatar. As soon as five o’clock passed, He Xun asked if she had left yet.

Yuan Yi had no intention of eating at the villa. Who knew if He Xun had some malicious intent and might poison the food? She definitely planned to leave at six, and when she arrived, she would say she wasn’t hungry and ask for two glasses of wine first.

But her reply was still: [I’m out. Don’t rush me. Traffic jam during rush hour.]

She thought for a moment and added: [Do I need to buy wine? It’s such an important occasion.]

He Xun: [We have everything, baby. Just hurry up and come. Why are you so thoughtful?]

Even if the King of Heaven showed up today, she would still be stuck in traffic for two hours.

At the villa, after reading the message on his phone, He Xun urged the housekeeper to speed up.

The housekeeper nodded repeatedly: “I know, I know.”

It was quite rare. The housekeeper had worked in the villa for so long, and the number of times Peng Cheng returned for dinner was minimal, let alone this level of importance.

Five dishes and one soup were already set on the table. Today’s meal was as grand as a state banquet, with eight dishes and two soups planned.

He Xun walked to the study door, knocked, and then dared to enter, calling out to the woman reading a book: “Aunt, my girlfriend is on her way.”

Peng Cheng’s attention seemed to still be on the book. She paused for two seconds before looking up at He Xun, a hint of annoyance at being disturbed visible between her brows.

“It’s just a bit of traffic,” He Xun quickly said. “She’s very thoughtful. She knew she was coming for dinner and spent a long time getting ready. She even offered to bring wine, but I told her we have some.”

Peng Cheng’s tone was faint: “Take it from my wine cabinet.”

He Xun agreed. As he was about to leave, he heard her speak again: “You invited someone for dinner, yet you didn’t go to pick her up earlier.”

“I was thinking of waiting for you to come home,” He Xun smiled. “Besides, Yuan Yi is very considerate and told me not to pick her up.”

Peng Cheng said nothing more.

Just past six o’clock, Peng Cheng put down the book she hadn’t flipped many pages of and went downstairs to the living room.

The dishes on the table were complete, and the red wine had been decanted. Peng Cheng exchanged glances with the somewhat restless He Xun.

He Xun: “…Traffic jam. She’ll be here immediately, immediately!”

Half an hour later, there were still only the two of them at the dining table.

He Xun’s voice was clearly strained with suppressed anger when he spoke again: “She… she must have dressed up and didn’t want to come empty-handed, which delayed her. I’ll call and rush her.”

“No need. Waiting a little longer isn’t a big deal. I’ll go for a walk.” Peng Cheng shook her head slightly. He Xun could only obediently remain glued to his seat, grinding his teeth internally, knowing that Peng Cheng was definitely displeased.

It was all Yuan Yi’s fault! She agreed to dinner and was still late!

When leaving, Peng Cheng brought the blanket Yuan Yi had given her.

The wind had picked up outside, but she felt fine. The biting cold was blocked by the warmth of the blanket.

Peng Cheng walked around outside for about ten minutes and received a message from Assistant Nian.

[Boss, Miss Yuan didn’t come to work today. I didn’t pick her up.]

Just as she looked up, Peng Cheng saw Yuan Yi walking toward her from not far away.

Black windbreaker, matching windbreaker pants, and the usual large backpack. This time, two trekking poles were attached to the sides of the bag. In the cold late autumn evening, Peng Cheng could feel the heat radiating from Yuan Yi even from a distance.

…Walking? Could walking get stuck in traffic? Was this “dressing formally”?

Suddenly.

The source of the “formally dressed” heat stopped.

The windbreaker was convenient. Yuan Yi took out the letter she had tucked into her pocket again.

Just reading this letter once filled her with the drive to destroy bad people.

Success or death today. With the letter unfolded before her, Yuan Yi murmured, “Dear Director Cheng, wishing you a bright future, and success in both work and life.”

Closing her eyes tightly, Yuan Yi held the letter to her heart and whimpered for a long time.

It was embarrassing, yes, but the courage and sincerity of youth were truly precious, as if she could save the world in the next second.

She was still brave now, but saving just one person was enough.

When she opened her eyes, Yuan Yi thought she hadn’t opened them yet.

Peng Cheng’s beautiful face was inches away. Her obsidian-like black eyes reflected Yuan Yi’s astonished expression.

“Hello, Yuan Yi.” When Peng Cheng spoke her name, her eyelids lifted slightly, meeting Yuan Yi’s gaze steadily, showing a hint of focus and appreciation. She actually smiled. “I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”