Why Did My Ex-Wife’S Aunt Treat Me Like That? Chapter 9
byChapter 9
Out of politeness, Peng Cheng knew there had been a last-minute change in personnel, but she did not show her dissatisfaction.
Even though she would have preferred Yuan Yi to be the person she met with.
But this was a business deal, and as long as she could secure the benefits, the identity of the person attending was irrelevant.
The indoor temperature was comfortable, and the crystal chandelier refracted magnificent, fragmented light. When Peng Cheng entered, a perceptive waiter immediately took her coat and hung it up. It wasn’t until she sat down that Wei Xu, sitting opposite her, realized her lapse in etiquette and scrambled to stand up, knocking her fork against the plate with a clatter.
Before Wei Xu could speak, she heard Peng Cheng’s cool voice: “Sit.”
Wei Xu’s face instantly flushed. This was the first time she had seen the real Peng Cheng in person. Even though she was mentally prepared, the moment Peng Cheng appeared, Wei Xu felt like the flow of air had slowed down.
For some reason, her gaze couldn’t help but drift away from Peng Cheng’s tall figure, and she was so nervous that her breathing became uneven.
Even sitting across the table from Peng Cheng, she could feel the powerful pressure emanating from the woman, as if she were being looked down upon.
Wei Xu’s mind went blank, and she completely forgot the speech she had prepared: “Director Cheng, hello. I am Wei Xu. The colleague the company originally assigned to meet with you couldn’t make it, so I was asked to take over.”
The moment the words left her mouth, Wei Xu regretted it deeply.
Why did she say that? If the first impression was poor, it sounded like she was indirectly telling Peng Cheng that she had stolen Yuan Yi’s credit.
Fortunately… fortunately, she happened to know that Peng Cheng and He Xun were family, and she knew that Peng Cheng naturally wouldn’t like a girl like Yuan Yi, who was practically throwing herself at them and was not a suitable match.
Peng Cheng merely nodded slightly, signaling her to continue.
Wei Xu steadied herself and smiled: “Director Cheng, this is the sincerity we can offer for this collaboration.”
Peng Cheng took the document from Wei Xu. It was identical to the one she had reviewed previously. However, in the column for the game’s original concept and producer, only the name Qisheng Game Company was filled in.
Wei Xu began to skillfully explain the company’s planned improvements and design development for the game, based on the materials Yuan Yi had submitted earlier. But she was only halfway through when she saw Peng Cheng frown.
It was a very small change in expression, but it made Wei Xu shiver, feeling a chill in her heart.
Peng Cheng: “Sincerity?”
She casually pointed to an open page: “In the original work of Cat Companion, the protagonist only adopted two cats, which was increased to four when it was launched on the platform. Every pet protagonist has corresponding hand-drawn drafts. What is missing from your copy?”
Wei Xu’s heart sank with a thud. Adopted two cats—wasn’t it four from the start? How did Director Cheng know this… Although Wei Xu had done sufficient research before coming, she truly didn’t know that physical drafts were required now.
And it was even more impossible for Yuan Yi to know!
The choice was one-sided; Yuan Yi didn’t even know who the investor was this time. Even Wei Xu herself had to rely on other methods…
In an instant, cold sweat broke out. Wei Xu’s words stuttered, and she immediately showed her nervousness, scrambling to salvage the situation.
But the woman opposite her looked distant and cold, no longer even glancing her way.
Peng Cheng only frowned for a moment. The stinging sensation spreading from her knees to her calves became clearer. Even in the warmest room, it felt cold and oppressive.
She knew that soon, this pain would become unbearable, like a finely sharpened, bent steel needle piercing her flesh from the ankle and running through to the knee, connecting tendons and skin, subtly grinding against every nerve inside.
Peng Cheng inexplicably thought of the look on Yuan Yi’s face when she gazed at the ice cream shop.
An ice cream shop in autumn probably wouldn’t have the air conditioning on; it might be colder there.
She wondered if Yuan Yi had managed to eat ice cream yet? Would it taste good? What flavor would she choose?
“Director Cheng, Director Cheng? Are you… very familiar with our company’s designer?”
Her drifting thoughts were finally pulled back by this question. Peng Cheng calmly lifted her eyelids slightly: “No.”
Her financial support for Yuan Yi was merely the only thing she could control at the time. Beyond that, she and Yuan Yi were strangers.
Peng Cheng never wasted time on meaningless matters. She stood up decisively. Assistant Nian, who was waiting nearby, immediately handed her an ebony walking stick. Although he didn’t speak, his eyes were full of worry.
He knew his boss never accepted help from others at times like this, so he just endured it.
Wei Xu: “Director Cheng! Are you…” When she saw Peng Cheng’s hand gripping the walking stick, the long, pale knuckles formed a striking contrast against the dark, heavy wood grain, like a perfect masterpiece.
Wei Xu immediately realized something. “Director Cheng, if your leg is uncomfortable, please rest here first. I’ll ask the waiter to bring hot water, Director Cheng! Director Cheng?!”
“Stop.” Peng Cheng uttered two words, and then Assistant Nian blocked Wei Xu, speaking calmly, “I apologize, but a collaboration lacking sincerity is not worth discussing. Miss Wei, you may finish your meal here before leaving. The bill has been settled.”
Wei Xu could only watch helplessly as Director Cheng left, realizing she didn’t even have the right to approach and look at Peng Cheng closely.
She had messed up. Wei Xu’s heart completely sank.
“Why are you here?”
The surprise on the person’s face was genuine. Peng Cheng observed her for a long time, then stepped inside under the gaze of that amber ocean. “Good question.”
Yuan Yi choked, then felt a little awkward, recalling her 5 AM meeting with Peng Cheng at the villa previously.
Peng Cheng took a step forward, sensing that the air around her didn’t feel cold.
In fact, a certain heat source was radiating from Yuan Yi, subtly and unreasonably invading the surrounding air.
Peng Cheng frowned, stopped, and looked as if she wanted to leave.
Yuan Yi seemed to finally react, noticing the walking stick Peng Cheng was holding. She immediately pulled Peng Cheng to a chair to sit down: “Director Cheng, please sit down and wait first. Do you want to buy ice cream too?”
Yuan Yi’s movements were very gentle, yet she easily guided Peng Cheng. She merely held Peng Cheng’s sleeve while pulling out a chair with the other hand.
Once Peng Cheng was seated, Yuan Yi thoughtfully took the walking stick and leaned it aside, quietly complimenting it: “What a beautiful walking stick.” It was clearly a custom-made item for Peng Cheng, looking expensive and reserved in her hand, not at all jarring, but a perfectly integrated accessory.
Peng Cheng felt a little disappointed.
Yuan Yi clearly knew about her bad leg.
Her chronic leg condition was not a secret; anyone with a mind to inquire could easily find out. Unfortunately, Peng Cheng had seen too many people use this as an excuse to curry favor with her.
They either wanted something or were plotting something.
What was Yuan Yi plotting?
The WeChat messages He Xun had sent suddenly surfaced—she loves me, she likes me too much—like a witch’s spell.
Peng Cheng said: “No, I just wanted to sit down for a moment.” But when Yuan Yi bent down to pull out the chair for her, the heat source became even more pronounced.
“You shouldn’t eat it anyway. It’s better not to have cold things for your health.” Yuan Yi nodded. She had noticed Peng Cheng’s face was a little pale when she came in, which made her feel uneasy.
She was conflicted about whether to take out what she had prepared. She hadn’t spent much time with Peng Cheng and didn’t know if she would accept her help.
Peng Cheng’s leg condition was long-standing. Yuan Yi had seen photos of Peng Cheng on the front page of business news several times, all showing her walking with a cane.
Peng Cheng herself had a powerful aura, and holding a wooden cane with a similar presence made it seem like she could make people submit at her feet in the next second.
Later, some people even compiled a collection of the times she used the walking stick, with a blunt and provocative title: [Mommy-level!!!]
Everyone focused on the aura and stunning beauty Peng Cheng displayed while leaning on the cane, but they overlooked the most important point.
If she wasn’t truly unable to support herself, why would a strong-willed person like Peng Cheng rely on a walking stick?
Yuan Yi unconsciously frowned.
Outside the window, Assistant Nian was extremely anxious, finally meeting Yuan Yi’s gaze.
[Miss Yuan! Director Cheng’s leg is uncomfortable!] Assistant Nian silently informed Yuan Yi, and Yuan Yi understood.
Yuan Yi’s ice cream was served—raspberry chocolate flavor. The perfectly rounded scoops of ice cream were placed on top. The staff member smiled brightly: “Hello, please eat quickly, or it will melt and affect the taste.”
Since Yuan Yi hadn’t sat down, the clerk placed the ice cream in front of Peng Cheng.
Yuan Yi blinked awkwardly, lowering her head to take her ice cream. The close distance as she leaned in allowed her to see Peng Cheng’s tense profile and the faint sweat on her forehead.
Was she enduring pain?
How practiced must she be to show absolutely no sign of it on her face?
Yuan Yi reached behind her with her other hand, pulling out the blanket she had placed on the outer layer of her bag, and draped it over Peng Cheng’s knees.
Peng Cheng looked down. It looked familiar.
It was that familiar blanket, beige with small cat patterns. The one that He Xun had roughly knocked out of her backpack when they left the police station.
She didn’t know if it had been washed again, but it carried a faint scent of soap.
Strangely, the moment the blanket covered her, a warmth slowly spread.
“How is it? Does it feel a little better?” Yuan Yi ignored the expensive, delicate bowl of ice cream, focusing her attention entirely on Peng Cheng’s legs. Her movements were restrained; she simply covered Peng Cheng with the blanket and immediately withdrew her fingertips.
The warmth prevented Peng Cheng from immediately pushing it away: “…You carry this around all the time?”
“It’s been getting colder these past couple of days, so I’ve been carrying it. This is a therapeutic electric blanket, very warm, for fifteen minutes at a time.” And to make it convenient, Yuan Yi had specifically charged it before coming out. She asked, “Does it feel better? Did you come here because you couldn’t walk anymore?”
Peng Cheng said: “Your ice cream is going to melt.”
Yuan Yi let out an “Ah,” but her gaze remained lowered: “That’s not important.”
What was important then?
Peng Cheng reached out to move the blanket off her legs: “Thank you, but no need.”
Before she could lift it, a warm palm covered her hand. Yuan Yi pressed down on the back of Peng Cheng’s hand. “Director Cheng, you need it right now. Can you please keep it on?”
Compared to Yuan Yi, Peng Cheng realized how low her own body temperature was.
Yuan Yi was radiating heat; she was like a sun.
Peng Cheng tried to get up. As the blanket slipped slightly with her movement, that familiar coldness swept over her again.
The shop door was tightly shut, yet Peng Cheng felt the cold wind outside blowing in, directed solely at her.
Yuan Yi’s hand returned, gently touching Peng Cheng’s shoulder, urging her to sit back down properly.
Her inner arm brushed close, and the heat rolled past Peng Cheng’s ear.
“Director Cheng, you can rest well here.” Yuan Yi said sincerely: “Don’t worry, I won’t bother you.”
When she said she wouldn’t bother her, she truly didn’t, standing and eating her ice cream.
Peng Cheng: “…”
At this time, only she and Yuan Yi were in the shop, and Yuan Yi insisted on standing right next to her, making her extremely conspicuous.
“Oh! Right!” Yuan Yi lifted her clothing and quickly peeled off two heat patches from underneath: “I just put these on, I don’t need them, so I’ll give them to you to warm up first.”
She politely stuck them over Peng Cheng’s pants, right on her knees.
Good!
Although it was only a light touch, Yuan Yi confirmed that they were living legs.
The warmth of the heat patches, combined with the blanket, slowly blocked out the stinging pain and cold numbness.
Peng Cheng felt a sense of absurdity.
In that warm, high-end restaurant, she hadn’t felt any warmth at all. In this chilling ice cream shop, the chronic illness that had plagued her for years was being alleviated.
It was warm.
Extremely warm.
Because there was no ambient heating, the warmth on her knees was particularly noticeable, continuously supplying heat into her body.
Heat source…
Peng Cheng looked at Yuan Yi beside her, seeing her peel off two heat patches from her body, and finally understood why Yuan Yi was radiating so much warmth.
She was a walking heat source.
When Peng Cheng raised her eyes, her expression had returned to normal, but her voice carried a slight chill: “Yuan Yi, you don’t need to do anything for me. I can’t influence He Xun’s decisions.”
Yuan Yi was startled: “What does this have to do with He Xun? I’m not doing this because of He Xun.”
Peng Cheng looked at her with a half-smile, the emotion in her eyes seeming to ask: Then who are you doing it for?
Yuan Yi hesitated for a moment.
She knew she couldn’t directly say it was for Peng Cheng; that would be too abrupt and might make Peng Cheng dislike her even more.
Impressions had to be changed step by step.
Yuan Yi could only say: “In any case, it’s not for He Xun.”
Peng Cheng sat there quietly. Yuan Yi guessed that Peng Cheng didn’t want to talk to her, so she also silently ate her ice cream.
She ate large mouthfuls, like eating a meal, without really tasting the flavor.
The air was silent, and because no one else came in, a subtle awkwardness began to set in.
When Yuan Yi felt awkward, she couldn’t stop fidgeting, so she held her ice cream bowl and began to move around slightly while eating.
Peng Cheng looked up: “You prefer to stand while eating?”
“If I sit down, it’s hard for me to get back up.” Yuan Yi demonstrated, struggling to stand on her toes, then retreated two steps.
This action successfully drew Peng Cheng’s attention. The bag looked very heavy.
“What is that?”
“Director Cheng, you finally asked.” Yuan Yi made a move to take the bag off, not forgetting to wave her hand at Peng Cheng, “No! Please, don’t get up, I can manage myself.”
She completely disregarded her image, grimacing as she adjusted the direction, and then dropped the backpack with a thud onto the chair opposite Peng Cheng.
Pulling the zipper open slightly, Yuan Yi shielded the contents and showed Peng Cheng.
Cash.
It was completely full of cash!
The bag was about eighty percent full, and the banknotes had a heavy weight, especially new ones like these.
Peng Cheng pondered. Was she planning to run away?
“It’s for you,” Yuan Yi got straight to the point, her tone shifting to serious and earnest. “If it weren’t for your sponsorship in high school, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’ve been looking for a way to pay you back, and now I’ve saved enough.”
Although she saved it up after fighting with He Xun, as long as it was enough, that was all that mattered.
Peng Cheng stared at Yuan Yi, utterly confused. She felt Yuan Yi had changed significantly.
A change that was even more different than her previous change.
Peng Cheng’s hand rested casually on the patterned fleece blanket, the short pile feeling soft to the touch: “There’s no need. The three hundred thousand I gave you doesn’t need to be returned.”
Hearing from Peng Cheng that it was indeed three hundred thousand, Yuan Yi confirmed her guess. She insisted: “It must be returned. This is what I owe you.”
Peng Cheng looked at the melting ice cream in Yuan Yi’s hand.
She knew Yuan Yi wasn’t a foolish girl in the conventional sense.
Including when she saw her again at the villa attending university, and the numerous times she hovered around He Xun.
At those times, Yuan Yi acted like a clumsy social butterfly, every step calculated to align with He Xun’s preferred image of “stupid but beautiful.”
She understood Yuan Yi’s desire.
The desire for the security that money brings, status, and the power that comes with a good background.
She certainly had her hypocritical moments, but she genuinely and sincerely loved the He Xun built up by money and status.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Peng Cheng’s mind.
If that was the case, why didn’t Yuan Yi choose someone richer and more powerful than He Xun? Someone who wouldn’t require her to pretend to be foolish.
Peng Cheng rubbed the blanket on her knee and suddenly asked an unrelated question: “Why did you come in here for ice cream?”
Yuan Yi was stunned: “…Huh? Because I was hot.”
Outside, the wind was howling, and night had long fallen. Today was the fastest drop in temperature of the season.
Peng Cheng fell silent.
She had considered every possible craving, but never thought Yuan Yi simply wanted a bite of ice cream.