Chapter 214: The Intensified Conflict
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Visiting her Youngest aunt’s villa definitely needed lots of courage.
Every time, before Xiang Wan visits her Youngest aunt, she would mentally prepare herself first. Not to mention, this time, she had an important mission for her love.
Actually, she had not yet decided if she wanted to stay in the Capital for long.
However, it was imperative to meet Bai Muchuan.
Xiang Wan had to admit, in the face of romance, she was pretty cautious.
Up till then, she had no idea how Bai Muchuan’s family was like.
Most of the colleagues at the Criminal Investigation Unit said he came from an influential family. However, how “influential” was this family, n.o.body knew for sure. In addition, as Bai Muchuan was always avoiding the topic, she couldn’t help feeling he wanted to keep his family background from her. Was there really something that could not be revealed easily?
Novelists tend to be very creative.
The trip to the Capital would help in getting to know more about him. She was trying to be responsible for the future of them both.
With that in mind, Xiang Wan went straight to the Youngest aunt’s villa right after work.
She had chosen a good time to go there.
That day was a Friday. Usually, Youngest aunt and uncle-in-law would be out socializing, whereas, Cousin Feifei would also make use of such an opportunity to go out with her cla.s.smates and have some fun.
Before she made the trip, she gave her mom another call to check who was still at home before setting off with an a.s.sured mind.
With Youngest aunt out of the way, she would be able to have a good talk with her mom.
However, something unexpected happened. Just as she stepped into the courtyard, Xiang Wan heard some weeping sounds. She had a feeling that it should her Youngest aunt crying inside the house.
Sob! Sob! The miserable and stifled tone in her voice was totally a misfit against her usual capable career woman image.
Xiang Wan was shocked to hear that and halted her steps. She stayed in the courtyard for a moment to ascertain the owner of the weeping sounds that it was Youngest aunt before making her way gingerly to knock on the door.
“Mom…”
In no time, Xiang Wan’s mom opened the door.
She took a glance at Xiang Wan with a grim face. “Come in.”
Xiang Wan walked in slowly.
It would be sunset soon, but the lights in the living room were not switched on. When the dim light rays reflected on Youngest aunt, there was a sorrowful expression on her face.
Only her mom, as well as Youngest aunt, were at home. Even her toddler cousin, Tiantian, had been brought out of the house with the nanny…
Apparently, Youngest aunt did not want anyone to know that she was sobbing at home.
Xiang Wan stood near the entrance and was shocked. “What’s going on… Youngest aunt?”
Xiang Wan’s mom puffed a sigh and pointed at the sofa. They did not seem to want to keep this from her. “Take a seat first.”
Xiang Wan felt the atmosphere was strange, but she did not say anything more as she walked over to the sofa and sat down.
Youngest aunt sobbed for quite a while. During this period, Xiang Wan’s mom comforted her by patting on her back. As Xiang Wan had no idea what had happened, she stayed quiet with both of her hands resting uneasily on her knees…
Slowly, from the conversation between her mom and Youngest aunt, Xiang Wan more or less figured out what was going on.
Well, Youngest aunt suspected her husband of adultery.
Generally speaking, when a woman was willing to tell someone about her suspicion, most of the time, the truth was what she had suspected.
Nevertheless, Youngest aunt was not a woman who just live her life along with the waves. She was a very capable and independent woman. All these years, she involved herself in many business dealings for her husband’s company and gained control of some of her husband’s main sources of income. Thus, even if Youngest uncle-in-law might have an affair, he would do it surrept.i.tiously and most probably would not ask for a divorce…
It was the same for Youngest aunt too.
Even though she was suspicious, she dared not verify her doubts.
Furthermore, she had to carry on acting as though she knew nothing of her husband’s infidelity and behave like an affectionate partner to her husband when they were out socializing.
“…”
Xiang Wan was astounded when she heard all these from her Youngest aunt’s teary complaints.
These were so unexpected. She was not prepared at all. Many thoughts started to rush into Xiang Wan’s head:
Youngest aunt had always used her happy marriage as an example to her nieces. Where’s her happy marriage now?
Youngest uncle-in-law ruined his model husband image? It just didn’t make sense.
The look of doubt and shock could be observed from Xiang Wan’s eyes. Her Youngest aunt was crying quite bitterly that her shoulders were trembling as Xiang Wan looked at her as she mulled over this incident… Suddenly, her Youngest aunt raised her head, wiped the tears off her face and looked directly at Xiang Wan.
“Wanwan, only you… can help me now.”
Xiang Wan was perplexed. “Youngest aunt, me? What do I need to do to help you?”
Youngest aunt grimaced and gritted her teeth, “Since Xing Yuanhang is making my life miserable, I’ll make his life miserable too. If he really dared to betray me, I’ll give him h.e.l.l!”
This was definitely Youngest aunt’s style.
Strong, tough, and not willing to accept defeat easily.
Even if her husband was having an affair, she would never allow herself to transform into a whining and pitiful woman.
Xiang Wan nodded her head, and as she was about to applaud her Youngest aunt for doing so, Youngest aunt puffed a sigh.
“But, the Xing Family is an influential family. I can’t afford to mess with them…”
Xiang Wan remained silent. “…”
Tears started to roll down Youngest aunt’s cheeks once again. “If I were to go head on against him by myself… he’ll definitely gang up with his mistress to deal with me. By then, there’s a possibility I might end up with nothing.”
Youngest aunt’s Achilles heel was that she did not come from a strong and influential family.
Xiang Wan and her mom were well aware of that.
Youngest aunt sniffed her nose and continued, “I won’t be able to have an edge over your uncle-in-law if he’s serious in getting a divorce. The most frightening thing is I have no idea when this day will come. I’m practically living in fear everyday…”
Xiang Wan’s heart sank.
Seeing her Youngest aunt’s puffy red eyes, Xiang Wan was at a loss of words.
When a man’s love for a woman is still there, he can spoil the woman like a princess.
When love is gone, the woman will no longer mean anything to him.
Especially for Youngest aunt, as she had relied on her husband to become what she was today, she would be at a huge disadvantage if her man had a change of heart.
It was heartbreaking to see Youngest aunt in such a state. However, Xiang Wan could only offer comfort to her. “Youngest aunt, uncle-in-law has been very nice to you. Moreover, the two of you have Feifei and Tiantian… I don’t think he will easily… Youngest aunt, maybe this is just a misunderstanding?”
“Whether this is a misunderstanding or not, I still have to be wary of it. I can’t just be sitting here and wait for my death sentence.”
Youngest aunt made marriage sound like a war.
Xiang Wan shivered as she listened on.
Youngest aunt looked at Xiang Wan as she sniffled. “All these years, I’ve been working so hard. Why? So all of us can have a better life… Wanwan, I might have been strict on you at times, but have I ever harbored selfish thoughts against you?”
“Youngest aunt,” gasped Xiang Wan, “I know you are strict only because you mean well for me.”
A glimpse of hope flashed through Youngest aunt’s eyes. “So… are you willing to lend me a helping hand?”
Xiang Wan’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. “But what can I do to help you?”
Youngest aunt paused for a while, holding her fingers tightly. “I’ll put it like this. The day when your uncle-in-law comes clean of his deeds, things would definitely get ugly. If I don’t have a strong backing, there is no way for me to fight with him to get my fair share of the company shares and a.s.sets.”
Eh? Xiang Wan felt pain in her heart upon hearing that.
“You want me to…?”
“Yes. Cheng Zheng comes from an influential family. His father is a high-ranking government official.”
This sentence had way more impact than all other ones she had said so far.
At the same time, it also told her the main motive of Youngest aunt…
Xiang Wan almost laughed upon hearing that. “Youngest aunt, are you trying to say you would like me to sacrifice my marriage in order to salvage yours and become an unfortunate person just like you?”
“…”
Xiang Wan’s reply was sharp and powerful.
The look on Youngest aunt’s face changed. “You feel that I wanted to drag you down?”
“No,” reb.u.t.ted Xiang Wan who decided she need not be polite. “You’re just selfish, or rather, you wanted to take chances.”
Upon hearing that, Youngest aunt started to panic. “Do you know how many people wished to marry into the Cheng Family? Do you know how blessed you are that Little Cheng took a liking to you? What exactly are you not happy about this marriage? Do you know you’re being very unreasonable about this?”
Unreasonable? They thought she was trying to be unreasonable?
Xiang Wan gave a disdainful sneer and kept quiet.
Youngest aunt looked at Xiang Wan with a heartrending expression. “Wanwan, your mom and I had suffered and went through a lot of hardships your generation will never understand… But we are only women. If a woman wants to live a good life with dignity, sometimes, she also needs to sacrifice something.”
Xiang Wan gazed at her Youngest aunt.
Her well-maintained face couldn’t hide the lines time had brought about.
From her looks alone, Youngest aunt was much younger looking than Xiang Wan’s mom by a lot…
However, if a person is not happy from within, no matter how much that person has, that person will still be unhappy.
In fact, Xiang Wan did feel her Youngest aunt’s difficulties, but she didn’t know how to convince her.
“Youngest aunt, happiness is not a goal, but an ability. Have you ever felt happiness? Have you ever lived your life with dignity?”
Xiang Wan had asked from the bottom of her heart in a soft tone. That question, however, infuriated her Youngest aunt.
“I don’t have dignity? Why don’t I have dignity? Hah! If I don’t have dignity, how did I help to raise the few of you up?”
Xiang Wan knew there was no point in arguing the moment her Youngest aunt rake up the past.
Xiang Wan heaved a sigh. “Youngest aunt, I’ll never manage to do what you did. I don’t want to see you like this either. My suggestion is you should have a heart to heart talk with uncle-in-law, regardless if he has a mistress or not. You’ll find peace with yourself by being honest. I don’t think you’ll end up with nothing as you are husband and wife for so many years. Even if you do lose something, at least you won’t be living in fear. And then… you can start afresh!”
“You shut up right now!” The one who shouted this time was Xiang Wan’s mom.
Xiang Wan’s mom was fuming in anger as she watched her daughter reb.u.t.ting relentlessly at her youngest sister who was crying her heart out.
Besides yelling at Xiang Wan, who else could she yell at?
“What do you know about your Youngest aunt’s problem? You just sit there and be quiet.”
Xiang Wan heaved a sigh. “…”
It was not that she wanted to interfere with Youngest aunt’s matters, but this matter was linked to her.
If this matter was about money, she would help with whatever she had. However, her Youngest aunt wanted her to give up her feelings, as well as her lifetime happiness…
Hur! Xiang Wan couldn’t hold it back anymore.
“Mom, Youngest aunt,” she blurted, “why do I have a feeling that both of you are plotting against me?”
Her mom was stunned. “What did you just say?”
Xiang Wan looked at her mother and a.n.a.lyzed the situation. “Before I came here, I called you up and informed you I have something to discuss with you. You asked me what it was about and I told you it had something to do with my lifetime happiness. At that moment, you should have known I wanted to talk to you about my boyfriend, right?
“I asked you if Youngest aunt and uncle-in-law were at home as I wanted to talk to you in private. You told me they were not at home and you’re the only one here… And what happened when I arrived? Not only is Youngest aunt at home, but she is also even crying her heart out. This is the first time I have ever seen Youngest aunt cry.”
At this point, she gave a sneer.
“Guess it’s also hard on the two of you to put up a show just because of my marriage matters.”
The work habits she had gotten from working with the Criminal Investigation Unit were at full display here.
What she had said earlier came directly from her rational a.n.a.lytical skill. Each and every word sounded cold and impersonal.
However, even before she had finished talking, her mom’s face was already red due to anger.
“Did you just say I’m putting up a show with your Youngest aunt to deceive you?”
Xiang Wan raised her head slightly. “Isn’t it the case?”
Smack! A big tight slap landed heavily on Xiang Wan’s face.
Xiang Wan’s mom stared at her own hand and started to cry. Xiang Wan was holding her cheek in shock.
“Get out of here, you heartless girl. To think Youngest aunt doted on you so much… And poor me… for raising you to become like this!”
“Mom…” For a moment, Xiang Wan was muddled. Looking at her mom’s extremely exasperated expression, she couldn’t believe what just happened. “You slapped me?”
Xiang Wan’s mom had never slapped her before.
Of course, Xiang Wan had never gone this far before her elders, either.
All along, Xiang Wan’s mom thought her girl was like a little rabbit. She never thought a little rabbit like her could bite as well.
“Don’t call me mom! Now you’ve grown up and had a boyfriend, you don’t need your mother anymore…. just do whatever you deem fit!”
“Mom…”
“I’ve told you, stop calling me mom!”
“…”
Xiang Wan was upset and speechless while her mother was so angry she was gasping for air. The mother and daughter’s contradiction seemed to have magnified. Youngest aunt, who was weeping on the sofa, looked up with tears still streaming down her face. “Just go,” she said with a sad look, “pretend you’ve never come here and heard nothing.”
Xiang Wan: “… Mom, Youngest aunt… What is going on? Is it really so serious?”
Youngest aunt suddenly roared at her. “Just go!”
“…”
The atmosphere in the living room was cold and heavy.
Xiang Wan looked at her mother and her Youngest aunt. She did not know if she had gone overboard by saying those words earlier on.
She was confused and sat there for a moment before standing up slowly.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to behave like this either, but my stance is clear—I can use my life to repay your kindness, but you can’t ask me to marry someone I do not love….”
“Scram!”
Youngest aunt grabbed a mug and smashed it on the floor.
“…”
Xiang Wan took a look at her sobbing mother.
“Mom, I’m making a trip to the Capital tomorrow. I don’t know when I’ll be back. You—please take care of yourself.”
After finishing her sentence, Xiang Wan took a deep breath and turned away to leave.
She was walking slowly, so slowly it felt a century had pa.s.sed before her hand reached the doork.n.o.b.
She opened the door, walked out, and closed the door behind her. She realized her legs were trembling uncontrollably.
The pain of her loved ones was her pain as well!
She didn’t want this to happen at all! How did things turn out this way?
Xiang Wan looked up at the sky as she reflected on herself. She let out a deep sigh and wanted to turn back and apologize to her mother when she heard a scream coming from inside the house.
“Sis, sis… what happened to you? Sis… sis…”
…