Why Did My Ex-Wife’S Aunt Treat Me Like That? Chapter 2

Yuan Yi didn’t take long to accept the fact that she had been reborn five years in the past, and she quickly calmed down.

She remembered this typhoon named Ripple. The school was locked down, classes were suspended for three days, and everyone was stuck in the dorms. Only she, rain or shine, went back and forth between the express delivery point and the dorm, tearing open thousands of courier boxes.

All the contents were materials needed to decorate the Peng family villa for her proposal to He Xun.

He Xun had already graduated and was dabbling in entrepreneurship, coincidentally staying at Peng Cheng’s villa. To make the proposal grand, Yuan Yi had set up a romantic scene right outside the villa for He Xun and invited a crowd of people to witness it.

Wei Xingjie was her biggest supporter, bustling around and saying that Yuan Yi’s sincerity was precious and bound to succeed.

The people living around the villa were all wealthy and influential. More importantly, Peng Cheng was scheduled to return home tomorrow after concluding the financial summit in Hong Kong.

He Xun had inadvertently revealed this news to her during a chat.

At the time, Yuan Yi was secretly delighted, feeling only happiness. With Peng Cheng as a witness, wouldn’t her chances of success be even greater?

Only now did she realize this was He Xun’s trap all along.

Peng Cheng had recently taken over the company and represented the face of a prestigious family, someone who should prioritize propriety and integrity. And Yuan Yi was someone she had once looked after, yet now she was forcing a marriage proposal right in front of the Peng family’s junior member.

Even if Yuan Yi claimed she didn’t care about fame or fortune, who wouldn’t gossip behind her back that she was trying to become a phoenix from a sparrow?

Behind this seemingly simple matter, what was truly being struck was Peng Cheng’s reputation.

The current Yuan Yi truly wished she could slap herself twice.

She was about to do just that, but before her hand landed, Wei Xingjie rushed over and grabbed her wrist, her eyes filled with worry: “Yuan Yuan, what are you doing? You can’t hit yourself just because you’re too nervous!”

Yuan Yi could only redirect the two slaps onto Wei Xingjie’s face. Two crisp sounds accompanied by the stinging red marks appeared on Wei Xingjie’s astonished face.

Yuan Yi asked, “Does it hurt?”

Wei Xingjie was stunned, covering her face: “It hurts a lot…”

“Then I’m definitely not dreaming.” Yuan Yi smiled, reaching under her pillow. Sure enough, she felt the heart-shaped, gold-embossed envelope.

“Xun Xun, when I first came to Jing City to find your Aunt Peng Cheng, my gaze was immediately drawn to you.”

Two pages were filled with flowery prose detailing how much she liked He Xun and the entire process from their meeting to her falling in love.

After writing it, she had even paid thirty yuan on Xianyu to have it polished. The seller said it was a confession letter to He Xun and shouldn’t include other people’s names, so the first paragraph mentioning Peng Cheng was deleted.

Only now did she realize with a jolt that in her confession letter to He Xun, she had subconsciously started by mentioning seeing Peng Cheng.

It had nothing to do with affection; it was just that Peng Cheng’s existence was impossible to ignore once seen.

She tore the letter into shreds in a few swift motions.

Wei Xingjie finally noticed Yuan Yi’s abnormality, forgetting the pain: “Yuan Yuan, what are you doing?”

Yuan Yi simply ignored her.

She used to think Wei Xingjie genuinely cared for her, but later, Wei Xingjie transformed into He Xun’s secretary for getting rid of people, and she told Yuan Yi that all of He Xun’s previous secretaries were actually her little lovers.

A sound of someone turning over came from the bed near the door, followed by a faint cold snort.

Yuan Yi paid no mind, her brain racing—

She had a lot to do tomorrow. First, she had to go to the villa and remove everything, making sure it was gone before Peng Cheng returned.

Then, she would come back and tell her advisor, Wu Ting, that she would not resign from her job, not even if it killed her.

This time, she had to seize the opportunity and live life to the fullest.

She would be a scourge that lasts a thousand years.

This typhoon named Ripple was nearing its end tomorrow; tonight was its final rampage.

But the ripples it left behind were spreading in circles, changing the trajectory of many things.

Having set her itinerary, Yuan Yi immediately booked an appointment with a specialist at the City Hospital. Tomorrow, she needed a comprehensive check-up to nip any potential health issues in the bud.

As soon as she finished booking, her phone vibrated loudly. The person on the other end didn’t care what time it was or if they were disturbing her rest.

[The setup is stable, the typhoon won’t blow it away. Don’t mess up tomorrow, and make sure you put on a good act! You know that given our circumstances, finding someone like Miss He Xun is like burning high incense. Absolutely, absolutely do not let her see that you are after her money. Be obedient. Once you truly marry her, it will be good days forever.]

[Once you get married, I can finally hold my head up and not live under your father’s shadow. Our mother and daughter can run far, far away.]

[Did you hear me? Did you hear me?]

The dozen or so repetitive text messages that followed were like soul-snatching ghosts trying to wrap around her neck and drag her into the mud.

Yuan Yi didn’t reply. She wrapped herself in the blanket and went to sleep.

She woke up at the first light of dawn the next day. A glance at her phone showed it was only 6:30 AM.

The rain was still falling outside. She got out of bed instantly, folded her blanket neatly, put on her hiking backpack, and said by the curtain of the bed near the door, “I won’t be resigning.”

The person inside didn’t respond, but Wei Xingjie woke up, mumbling naturally, “You’re up already? Bring me a pizza and soy milk today.”

Yuan Yi ignored her and quietly closed the dorm door.

The rain had eased today, so the school lockdown was over, but Yuan Yi was still the earliest student to leave. Wearing a raincoat, she hailed a taxi and headed straight for the villa.

The original plan was for 10 AM. It would take her almost an hour to get there, and packing up might take half an hour.

It was not yet seven o’clock. That was enough time.

Opening her phone, she deleted He Xun’s contact name. She couldn’t help but see the message He Xun had sent yesterday.

[Preparing a gift for me? Really? Then I’ll be looking forward to it. I’ll arrive tomorrow at nine. If a driver comes to pick you up, don’t bother coming over. The weather is terrible. Just give me a kiss when you arrive.]

[By the way, baby, isn’t your internship too tiring? You’re busy and don’t have time to spend with me. You know I have plenty of money, enough to support you.]

Below that was her own hypocritical emoji: a teary-eyed kitten calling out, “Wifey, you’re so good.”

He Xun was like that—seemingly considerate, but she never specified how she would take responsibility.

It was precisely because of He Xun’s words that Yuan Yi immediately submitted her resignation to her internship unit, abandoning the half-finished game project without a second thought.

That game company was an industry rising star, and her respected advisor had recommended her there. This action completely chilled her advisor’s heart.

Who would have thought that the project she abandoned halfway was the precursor to Habitat, the game that became a global sensation?

The silent shareholder behind that game company was Peng Cheng, who later amassed hundreds of billions in wealth.

Thinking of Peng Cheng, Yuan Yi pinched her palm and took a deep breath.

What did she end up becoming? Jobless and spineless, she could only become He Xun’s accessory.

It was only after that point that He Xun’s true colors were revealed.

It was barely 8 AM when she arrived at the villa, and the rain had lessened. Yuan Yi lifted the rain visor over her head and, without delay, began packing up the items.

In front of the white mansion, a large blue plastic tent had been erected, jarringly out of place with the surrounding style.

A tree near the villa entrance had been snapped by the strong winds last night and lay tilted on the ground, golden leaves scattered everywhere. This scene was identical to her previous life, and Yuan Yi carefully stepped around it.

Peeling back the rain film, the flowers, ribbons, and string lights, battered overnight, were now misshapen and wilted after a night of damp compression.

This was the spot that the Yuan Yi of that year had meticulously decorated herself, yet in the eyes of people like He Xun, it was nothing but junk.

Yuan Yi’s movements were continuous. She stuffed everything she could take into her 80L backpack. Rainwater constantly streamed down her face, but Yuan Yi merely shook her head, seemingly unaffected.

The backpack gradually filled up, its heavy weight slowing her movements, yet filling Yuan Yi with joy.

She was full of vigor now, her arms strong. Her body had not yet been ravaged; it was so healthy!

Yuan Yi clearly understood that she had truly returned.

It felt great, too great.

Even standing in the rain, she felt completely refreshed and wanted to laugh wildly without caring about her image.

Everything was packed up except for the plastic tent. It was too large. She decided to go out and call the security guard to dismantle it, claiming it was an illegal structure.

Yuan Yi pulled off her hood, tilted her head back recklessly, letting the raindrops enter her eyes, nose, and mouth. As she swallowed, she finally understood what was meant by “heaven-sent nectar.”

Because of this, she didn’t hear the movement coming from not far away.

Yuan Yi drank enough rain, wiped her face, and froze the moment she turned her head.

Peng Cheng was standing by the fallen tree. Her coffee-colored trench coat was blown open, faintly revealing a dark vest layered over a shirt underneath. The dense row of jeweled buttons cinched tightly, wrapping around her waist.

The driver beside her carefully held a slightly tilted black umbrella over her, serving entirely as a backdrop.

Her steps were steady, her heels silently treading on the golden fallen leaves.

Even the pouring rain seemed to slow down for her appearance, allowing Yuan Yi to clearly see those eyes, cold as a snow mountain.

Peng Cheng’s features were too intense; her beauty was beyond words. Those eyes, always filled with coldness, were merely the thorns on a rose—the collision of danger and brilliance created a captivating allure that drew even more attention.

The driver seemed anxious and reached out to support her, but Peng Cheng merely shook her head and walked straight toward Yuan Yi.

Yuan Yi forgot her embarrassment, her gaze involuntarily dropping to Peng Cheng’s legs.

She walked so steadily.

Every strand of her hair radiated powerful vitality. This was not the Peng Cheng lying in the ICU.

Perhaps having just returned from Hong Kong, Yuan Yi felt that her every gesture carried the ineffable charm of an old Hong Kong film, making her heart ache in a way she couldn’t articulate.

Everyone knew that Peng Cheng had injured her leg years ago, making it difficult for her to walk in wet, gloomy weather.

No one knew why Peng Cheng later had an amputation; even Yuan Yi had only stumbled upon the fact by accident and naturally dared not ask the reason.

But now, she saw that Peng Cheng’s legs were clearly still there. The wide-leg trousers, the same dark color as her vest, faintly showed the contours of her legs—they were legs wrapped in flesh and blood, not cold prosthetics.

The thought that she shouldn’t walk too far in the rain flashed through Yuan Yi’s mind, and her body acted instantly. Yuan Yi ran forward two steps. Peng Cheng had already reached her side and raised a hand to steady her enormous backpack.

Then, she glanced at the blue tent behind her.

Just one look, and Yuan Yi’s scalp tingled. She suddenly remembered that it wasn’t time for Peng Cheng to return yet, was it? Did she come back early?

Damn it, shouldn’t she explain herself?

The pressure of Peng Cheng being right in front of her was overwhelming. Moreover, she had wronged Peng Cheng in her previous life. Seeing the living Peng Cheng now, she was momentarily overwhelmed by mixed emotions of grief and joy, and her eyes welled up the moment she looked up.

“…” Peng Cheng frowned slightly, looking at Yuan Yi, whose face was pale and streaked with a mixture of tears and rainwater, and then at the massive bag on her back. Had she run away from home with all her belongings?

She swallowed the question she wanted to ask—why Yuan Yi was drinking the rain—and instead asked, “Do you want to go inside? Xiao Xun is home.”

“Huh?” Yuan Yi was momentarily stunned, then immediately reacted, “I’m not here for He Xun, I’m not going in.”

Wait, He Xun was home?

She hadn’t known He Xun was home. For two hours, while Yuan Yi was busy setting things up, He Xun had been watching the show, timing her arrival perfectly to finish the performance with her?

He Xun must have been so smug, watching this fool being played in the palm of her hand and becoming utterly devoted.

Anger filled Yuan Yi’s heart again. Thank goodness she came early this time and learned that He Xun had returned much sooner than she thought.

What she believed was a surprise was He Xun’s “condescending cooperation.”

Even on the night she forced He Xun to give a commitment, He Xun had tricked her into agreeing to enter Peng Cheng’s room.

All just to climb into Peng Cheng’s bed and take those so-called scandalous photos.

Thinking of these past events, Yuan Yi still couldn’t face Peng Cheng calmly.

She knew her priority was to leave this place. At least for today, she needed to keep her distance from Peng Cheng.

“The rain is heavy,” Peng Cheng said flatly, not trying to keep her. She glanced at the bag on Yuan Yi’s back and signaled the driver to hand the umbrella to Yuan Yi.

“No need!” Yuan Yi naturally refused to take it, pushing it away abruptly. Just as she was about to slip away, a familiar voice rang out from inside the door.

“Baby, why did you… come so early?”

He Xun walked out sleepily, holding an umbrella, smiling affectionately at Peng Cheng: “Aunt, I’m here to meet you.”

She then turned to the somewhat strangely dressed Yuan Yi, embracing her. Her eyes widened at the perfect moment, and she kissed Yuan Yi on the cheek: “Baby, is this the surprise you prepared for me? I love it.”

Peng Cheng’s face became expressionless. She lowered her gaze coldly, sweeping over the large bundle of belongings on Yuan Yi’s shoulder, took the black umbrella from the driver, and walked inside.