The Marriage Partner Is The Villain Boss Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Ring, ring—

The piercing ringtone broke the silence of her solitude.

Xu Zhiyi didn’t pay attention at first, but the ringing continued incessantly, as if it wouldn’t stop until it got what it wanted.

Helpless, she had to fish her phone out from a pile of clutter and swiped the screen. “Hello?”

“Xiao Yi, you child, you didn’t even tell me you were back…”

The female voice was somewhat rough, and even the receiver couldn’t muffle her uniquely loud volume.

“Aunt Fang?!” Xu Zhiyi froze for a moment, a flicker of pleasant surprise crossing her tired eyes.

Aunt Fang’s full name was Lin Huifang. She was the nanny who had looked after her the longest and the one she got along with best. It was no exaggeration to say that her feelings for Aunt Fang were deeper than those for her biological mother, who had always been a hands-off parent.

“I sent you the keys to the apartment a while ago. I thought you already knew I was coming back.”

Xu Zhiyi had only managed a couple of sentences of explanation before she was interrupted.

“Keys? What keys? Oh, you mean that apartment A-Yan bought—sigh, that girl is quite sincere. She comes to talk to me whenever she’s free, chatting about funny stories from when you were little…”

“Aunt Fang!”

Xu Zhiyi couldn’t help but raise her voice, showing a rare trace of panic and confusion. “What do the keys have to do with her—”

She didn’t know why she was so anxious. But ever since she heard the name A-Yan, her chest felt tight and stifled, and her voice unconsciously grew weaker.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she finished speaking, the other side burst into a boisterous laugh, showing no restraint.

“How can it not be related? You and A-Yan grew up together, thick as thieves and inseparable. Isn’t it perfectly normal for her to help you rent an apartment? Besides, during those few days, she…”

By the third time Xu Zhiyi called out “Aunt Fang,” Lin Huifang finally relented. “Fine, fine, I’ll stop. I know you two haven’t seen each other in a long time. If I keep talking, I’m afraid I’ll spoil the surprise she prepared for you.”

“…”

Xu Zhiyi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at her prideful tone.

But at the mention of a “surprise,” a faint ripple spread uncontrollably through her heart.

“Xiao Yi, how was it abroad? Are you seeing anyone?”

The topic suddenly shifted.

In her memory, Aunt Fang had always been loud and boisterous, and it had only intensified with age. Moreover, she seemed to love gossip even more now. Before long, she was already urging Xu Zhiyi to find a partner.

“Hey, let me tell you, you must keep your eyes peeled when looking for a partner in the future. That Jiang Huaian just won’t do! A coward who didn’t even dare to mention breaking off the engagement—marrying him would just mean a life of hardship. Breaking off the engagement was a wise choice.”

“I’ve long since had nothing to do with him.”

Xu Zhiyi let out a slow breath, the air in her lungs almost freezing into ice crystals bit by bit.

—Jiang Huaian.

This name she was reluctant to face had finally, inadvertently, reached her ears.

Or rather, it was more appropriate to call him her ex-fiancé.

It wasn’t until the other side called her name several times that she finally snapped back to reality. “Yes, Aunt Fang, go ahead.”

“Do you want to come to the nursing home this weekend to visit these old bones of mine? I can introduce you to some talented young men while you’re at it.”

The hearty laughter made Xu Zhiyi’s brow unfurl unconsciously, and she instinctively ignored the second half of the joke. “Alright, I’ll definitely be there on time.”

A moment later, after hanging up the phone, she let her body sink heavily into the soft mattress, her brow slightly furrowed.

Her head felt heavy and groggy. Waves of exhaustion from the long journey washed over her, nearly swallowing her whole.

Xu Zhiyi forced herself to climb out of the invisible whirlpool, took a quick shower, then tossed her phone aside and burrowed into the warm blankets.

Sleep soon overcame her. Perhaps because of what she had seen today, in that state between dreaming and waking, she saw Pei Qingyan once again.

Unlike her usual calm and self-restraint, the Pei Qingyan who learned that she and Jiang Huaian were going to sign a marriage agreement had bloodshot eyes, looking like a wounded beast.

She would never forget the woman grabbing her hand, asking her if she wanted to reconsider in a tone that bordered on begging.

“It’s a family requirement. Besides, I don’t dislike him.”

Xu Zhiyi didn’t have the courage to meet her gaze. She lowered her head and whispered a half-hearted excuse.

“Is it… as long as I make you hate him, that will be enough?”

At that time, she didn’t understand what Pei Qingyan’s cold words meant.