Why Did My Ex-Wife’S Aunt Treat Me Like That? Chapter 16

After receiving Yuan Yi’s affirmative reply, He Xun automatically ignored the first half of Yuan Yi’s sentence—”I’m just going as your friend for a casual meal”—and left in high spirits.

Yuan Yi admired He Xun’s automated ears but didn’t plan to offer any further explanation.

He Xun was welcome to misunderstand; for her, the only thing that mattered was gaining Peng Cheng’s trust.

She even sent Wei Xingjie the photo she had taken of He Xun and Wei Xu standing together. It was taken as they brushed past each other, and by applying a Gaussian blur to the background, they truly looked like a pair of destined lovers, which added credibility to her rumor-mongering.

It was nothing, just a matter of convenience.

After leaving, Yuan Yi went to find Li Yujun and told her she couldn’t come to the company tomorrow. Li Yujun instantly grew anxious: “What’s wrong? Did something happen just now? You really promised you wouldn’t resign, right!”

Li Yujun had absolute confidence in Yuan Yi’s ability and potential but was wary of Yuan Yi’s tendency to be blinded by love. This wasn’t the first time this had happened; she used to skip work occasionally just to go find He Xun.

Her recent talk of resigning was also because she wanted to propose to He Xun.

Now that Yuan Yi had successfully negotiated the collaboration with Director Cheng, she was considered a top contributor in the entire Qisheng gaming department. Her every move was now linked to Qisheng’s future interests, and she could no longer just leave on a whim.

If she truly wanted to leave, they would have to beg her to stay.

Yuan Yi offered a reassuring smile: “Sister Yujun, I’m not the person I used to be. You need to look at me from a new perspective. I just want to go back to my hometown for a trip.”

Tomorrow was Friday. Taking one day off connected to the weekend meant she was getting a small long holiday.

As for why three days counted as a small long holiday, don’t ask.

Li Yujun thought of He Xun’s satisfied expression when he left and couldn’t feel at ease. She worried, “Are you going back to reflect on past hardships?” She remembered that Yuan Yi’s hometown was not well-developed.

Yuan Yi shook her index finger: “I prefer forgetting my roots.”

After repeatedly assuring Li Yujun that she wouldn’t suddenly resign and leave, Yuan Yi was granted one day of paid leave, a benefit usually reserved for formal employees.

She checked her balance. Including the money Sun Xueyu had transferred to her, she now had five hundred and fifty thousand.

Once the game was actually developed, her bonus plus dividends… Hiss, she could change her name already. She wasn’t Little Yuan Waiting for a Fortune anymore; she was Little Yuan Currently Getting Rich.

Just looking at the balance, she felt the world was filled with the singing of birds and the fragrance of flowers, and she had a duty to maintain world peace and eliminate everything unpleasant.

Back in her single dorm room, Yuan Yi had little to pack; she could leave with just a change of clothes. She sent a message to Qin Wei: [Remember to come for the interview tomorrow. I won’t wait for you. I have something to do tonight and need to go back to Huaping.]

Qin Wei replied instantly: [What is up with you? Ever since you broke up with He Xun, you haven’t been sleeping, your legs don’t ache, your spirit is great, and you’re full of endless energy?

[You’re actually thinking of going back? I thought you never wanted to return to that old hometown.]

Evil Little Yuan: [There’s something I can’t figure out that I need to go back and confirm. If things go smoothly, I’ll tell you when I get back.]

Qin Wei: [Alone?]

Evil Little Yuan: [No, I plan to bring along a few enemies.]

Workhorse Little Qin: [Best wishes—to your enemies, I mean.]

After sending the message, the agent also gave Yuan Yi confirmation, saying that people had been showing interest in buying the small apartment over the past two days, finding the price and location quite good.

The property was old and small, but it was near elementary, middle, and high schools, making it a school district house, which was highly sought after.

The distance from Jing City to her hometown, Huaping City, was long—an hour and a half by plane, followed by two more public transport transfers out of the city center to reach the town.

Although called Huaping City, it was actually a county-level city. Its economy had boomed due to the development of a series of health and wellness projects, but this was limited to the city center.

Yuan Yi grew up in Huaping and experienced her family’s changes there. For her, it was the root of painful memories, with no redeeming qualities other than the pleasant climate.

She used to think she would never return.

The current her was a brand new person, completely unafraid to face her past disgrace. Because of this, she realized it wasn’t a big deal after all.

After she was accepted into university, the old family house was sold to an elderly couple looking for a retirement home. Under Sun Xueyu’s intentional or unintentional guidance, they never went back.

Everything related to high school had vanished from her life with her deliberate departure, but everything related to Peng Cheng remained in Huaping.

Huaping. Huaping.

What could she still find?

Actually, it didn’t matter if she found nothing; she couldn’t go there for nothing.

Yuan Yi called Sun Xueyu: “I have something to ask you, and you need to answer honestly. I used to send letters to Peng Cheng. Did she ever send me a reply?”

Sun Xueyu: “Why are you asking about that again?”

Yuan Yi paused for two seconds: “I’m giving you one last chance. Did you ever ask Peng Cheng for money?”

A voice on the other end called for Sun Xueyu to bring snacks. Sun Xueyu said, “I already gave you the money, why are you still tormenting me? Why are you asking these things? What medicine did you take to suddenly become like this!”

Yuan Yi’s voice on the phone today wasn’t aggressive, so Sun Xueyu’s attitude became arrogant again.

Yuan Yi hung up and got into a taxi heading to the airport.

When she said it was the last chance, she meant it was the last chance.

She wasn’t stupid, so just from Sun Xueyu’s fragmented words, she knew.

Peng Cheng might have actually written back to her, but at that time, she was rushing between her studies and part-time jobs, unable to attend to too many things.

She wanted to try her luck and see if she could find any clues back home. Moreover, she had money now. She booked a first-class ticket and a VIP lounge—she wouldn’t suffer even a little bit.

Her flight was in two hours. She arrived early, opened her laptop during the remaining time, and started playing the cat-petting game, testing for bugs along the way.

Yuan Yi didn’t expect to run into someone she knew, even if it was only one-sided recognition.

Unlike the normal setup for receiving her, when Peng Cheng entered the lounge, four staff members greeted her simultaneously, as if their entire year’s KPI depended on this moment.

They were trying hard to restrain themselves, but it was Peng Cheng, after all, so Yuan Yi looked over, just like everyone else.

Peng Cheng wore a dark overcoat, the hem of which revealed a slight fishtail skirt edge. Her high heels were studded with sparkling diamonds, making her look like she had just stepped away from the spotlight of a gala, carrying all the attention with her.

She wore sunglasses and was followed by Assistant Nian. Her gaze didn’t linger, so she didn’t know Yuan Yi was watching her.

When Peng Cheng appeared, Yuan Yi realized that even VIP lounges had classifications; Peng Cheng had her own private suite here.

Watching Peng Cheng disappear into the side, Yuan Yi sighed in admiration.

When a beautiful woman passed by, the first thing one smelled was her cool fragrance. When the gaze shifted downward, one saw her distinct, pale, and cold fingers…

She had no special fetishes; she simply thought Peng Cheng’s hands were beautiful. Even if they suddenly slapped someone across the face, it wouldn’t hurt; it would just be a waft of fragrance.

Wake up, wake up! She had no special fetishes, and Peng Cheng shouldn’t either.

Yuan Yi quickly lowered her head and wiped the corner of her mouth.

She glanced at the departing flights scheduled within the next five hours and let out a soft breath. Peng Cheng was likely flying to the branch company in Hong Kong and definitely wouldn’t be back tomorrow.

After an hour and a half of flight time, Yuan Yi stepped out of Huaping City Airport and took off her coat.

It was still early, and the sky hadn’t darkened. She took a taxi straight to her high school.

The gatekeeper at Huaping No. 3 High School was a leisurely, retirement-friendly position. Sure enough, the person hadn’t changed; it was still Old Man Li.

Yuan Yi wasn’t wearing makeup. Other than being taller and less gaunt, she looked much the same as she did in high school. When she appeared at the gate, Old Man Li recognized her immediately: “Is that you, Little Yuan? Back to see your Teacher Ding?”

Yuan Yi familiarly handed Old Man Li a pack of cigarettes: “That’s right. My mom said she missed home, so I took some time off to bring her back for a visit.”

It was a lie. She hated her former homeroom teacher, who had moved her to a seat nobody wanted after learning she was being ostracized by her classmates.

Yuan Yi’s gaze fell on the mail cabinet inside the gatehouse office. When she was in school, the school often handled mail. Now, since few people wrote letters anymore, it had been converted into a parcel locker.

“Little Yuan is still as filial as before.” Old Man Li’s eyes lit up when he saw the good cigarettes Yuan Yi handed him. As soon as he took them, he became more talkative. “Ai! Your mother was good to you back then, too. She often came to bring you food, afraid you wouldn’t eat well.”

Yuan Yi smiled along: “I’m quite forgetful. My mom must have helped me pick up a lot of things?”

“Things? What things? Oh… I actually remember one!” Old Man Li followed her gaze and suddenly realized. “Before, you had a letter that you didn’t pick up for a long time. Later, your mother took it for you.”

Old Man Li had a deep impression of Yuan Yi. She didn’t have many friends, and that letter was the only one she ever received, and it was sent from a big city.

“Your mother said she wanted to respect your privacy, so she would wait for you to pick up the letter yourself. After about a week, you hadn’t come for it, so your mother took it.” Old Man Li sighed, “Your mother was really good to you. Parents who respect their children’s privacy like that are rare these days.”

Yuan Yi immediately stood up, said goodbye to Old Man Li, and hailed a taxi at the intersection outside, heading to Baiyun Residential Area.

Could the reply have been from Peng Cheng? Yuan Yi desperately wanted to find Peng Cheng and ask her right now, but she was also afraid of disturbing her.

That letter had never reached her hands.

Baiyun Residential Area was where her old house was located.

It was on the second floor of an old complex, with a regular rolling shutter garage underneath. The family car had been sold long ago, so Sun Xueyu liked to pile all sorts of junk in there. The elderly couple hadn’t initially wanted to buy the garage, but Sun Xueyu convinced them by saying it was perfect for storage.

When they left, Sun Xueyu hadn’t bothered to clean out the garage.

Yuan Yi was just trying her luck. Elderly people who liked to hoard things also didn’t like throwing things away… Maybe?

Yuan Yi had a clear goal. Carrying two bags of gifts, she knocked on the door of the second floor.

Fortunately, the elderly couple was still alive.

Yuan Yi politely requested to check the garage. The old couple looked at her unhappily, saying they were very principled, and this was their home now, and they didn’t like being disturbed.

Principles were one thing, but after Yuan Yi produced two “principles” (banknotes), they became agreeable.

Opening the garage door, a blast of dusty air rushed out. Inside, there hadn’t been much change from a few years ago, except for a few large bags of things placed on the outer layer, making it messy.

“Your things, these wouldn’t sell for much anyway, and we didn’t throw them away,” the old couple said, pointing to a few bags in the innermost corner of the garage. “You can take them yourself.”

With the two “principles” Yuan Yi had given them, the old couple knew this was much more than they would get selling to a scrap yard, and their attitude improved significantly.

Yuan Yi walked straight to the back, searching silently without even wearing gloves.

After several years, the bags used to hold the junk tore easily with a slight pull, and the contents spilled onto the floor. Papers, receipts, exercise books, test papers, Sun Xueyu’s cosmetic packaging boxes, and her old diaries—everything was there.

About half an hour later, amidst the piles of mess, she spotted the envelope tucked carelessly inside a discarded, peeling wallet.

The envelope had already been opened, and the creases were deep, indicating it had been stored for a long time.

Because it had been kept inside the wallet, the handwriting on the letter was still clearly visible, not eroded by air or age.

Recipient: Huaping No. 3 High School, Yuan Yi.

Sender: Jing City, Peng Cheng.

Author’s Note:

———————-

I only managed half of the task today. The remaining half will have to wait until the day after tomorrow. Why?

Because there will be no update tomorrow, but there will be one the day after.