"How come it's you again?" Seeing the young woman sitting comfortably on the sofa, basking in the services of Miss Chu and her apprentice, Shi Qing, Xiang Ri's expression darkened immediately. It wasn't because of the hundred million she had extorted from him, but because of what the woman had said when she left—about some big shot arriving. Now that she had come, did that mean the big shot had also arrived in the city?
Xiang Ri had no fondness for people who cared only for personal gain and had no sense of familial affection—if anything, he despised them immensely!
"Is that not allowed?" Yi Xiaojun replied lightly, seemingly oblivious to the murderous look on someone's face. She waved her hand, signaling Miss Chu, who was massaging her shoulders, to apply more pressure.
Xiang Ri clenched his teeth, watching the scene. He hadn't even had the chance to enjoy Miss Chu's high-class massage technique, and yet this "aunt" who had popped up from nowhere was already receiving such treatment. His mood soured instantly. Naturally, he spoke in a cold tone, "Out with it, has that old man arrived?"
The young woman half-closed her eyes, reaching out to tug at Shi Qing's delicate face, causing him to blush and grow flustered, before speaking slowly, "I say, can't you be a bit more polite? After all, he is your..."
"Stop!" Xiang Ri interrupted immediately, irritated by the sight of her teasing his apprentice. That was usually his prerogative, and if it weren't for the fact that she was a woman, he would've already slapped that flirtatious hand away. His patience thinning, he added, "No more nonsense, just tell me if that old man has come or not."
The young woman, who had been feeling somewhat euphoric, was now enraged by Xiang Ri's attitude. "You little brat, how dare you speak to me like that? Don't forget, I'm your aunt!"
Xiang Ri's lack of respect for his elder deeply offended Yi Xiaojun. However, after seeing his dismissive sneer in response to her loud reminder, she felt both vexed and helpless. "The old man hasn't come. Something came up. But he asked me to deliver a message."
"A message?" Xiang Ri's face twisted in derision. "Let me guess, he wants to apologize for how he's wronged my parents all these years?"
"How did you know?" Yi Xiaojun asked, her face filled with genuine shock, clearly surprised by Xiang Ri's uncanny insight. "Did you guess?"
"Guess?" Xiang Ri scoffed. "It's obvious. That old man is probably trying to win me over with some emotional appeal. But he's wasting his time. I'm no fool who can be swayed by a few words."
"Alright, I admit your mind isn't dull, so I'm not going to argue about that. But you should think about how your actions affect others, like your mother—does she think the same as you?" Yi Xiaojun said somewhat wistfully.
"It seems that old man really has me in his grasp," Xiang Ri muttered, rubbing his nose. Truth be told, he couldn't help but admire how the old man played the family card—he felt completely at a loss on how to respond.
After studying the young woman who claimed to be his aunt, Xiang Ri suddenly had a thought. "You're here to act as a mediator, aren't you?"
"Indeed," the young woman replied without a hint of embarrassment.
"How much did that old man offer you?" Xiang Ri continued.
"An offer I couldn't refuse!" Yi Xiaojun's eyes gleamed with an unspoken promise.
"Oh? Do tell," Xiang Ri's interest was piqued.
"All I need to do is convince you, and he'll allow me to marry for love, instead of forcing me into some absurd marriage with some so-called aristocrat. Can you imagine, how could I possibly say no?"
"That old man really knows how to spend," Xiang Ri commented, impressed. For him to make such a decision, it was clear the old man valued him more than he had expected.
"Well, what can I do? You're more important than I am right now. But I must thank you. If it weren't for you, I might have ended up married to someone I don't even like."
"How will you thank me?" Xiang Ri asked casually.
"Thank you? Of course, I will. For instance, my mouth is quite tight, I generally don't blurt out anything," Yi Xiaojun said, her face brimming with a knowing smile.
Xiang Ri understood that she was using the "son-in-law of the Tie family" as leverage to threaten him. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to accept it—circumstances were against him.
Although she claimed to be tight-lipped, Xiang Ri still feared she might inadvertently spill something. Thus, he felt an urgent desire to see her leave. "It's getting late. Shouldn't you be leaving now?"
"True, it's almost 8 PM. I won't keep you," Yi Xiaojun agreed. Having taken advantage earlier, she didn't dare to overstay her welcome. She turned to leave, but before she did, she gave him one last piece of advice. "By the way, you promised to help me with something last time. Don't forget, alright? You'd better hurry, or I can't guarantee that the guy won't do something reckless. If anything happens to him, I can't promise that the consequences won't be... unpredictable."
Xiang Ri rolled his eyes. "Got it, Aunt. Just go already, stop nagging. Let my ears rest for a moment."
"You'd better remember this! Tomorrow, they might meet somewhere. I'll call you with the details, and you'd better make sure to perform well," she said, but before she could finish, Xiang Ri slammed the door shut, cutting off her voice.
Turning around, he found four eyes staring at him intently.
"What's going on?" Xiang Ri felt an unsettling premonition.
Chu Chu spoke first, her voice laced with reproach. "Xiang Kui, I've noticed you've been hiding a lot from us."
"I haven't," Xiang Ri replied weakly.
"Really?" Chu Chu gave him a disbelieving look. "Then what exactly did Aunt ask you to do?"
"It's just some small things," Xiang Ri said, nervously wiping away a cold sweat. He quickly changed the subject. "You call her 'Aunt' so naturally. Already bought over, huh?"
"Not at all!" Chu Chu's face flushed instantly, though it wasn't clear whether she was denying calling her 'Aunt' so naturally, or denying being bought over.
Although their relationship had already been established, her embarrassment hadn't lessened much. Especially when she saw the mischievous smile on Xiang Ri's face, her heart raced. She couldn't afford to dwell on her doubts any longer and quickly ran towards the bathroom. "It's so late, I'm going to take a shower!"
"Teacher, you're so bad!" Shi Qing, with a sly grin, remarked as she watched Miss Chu head for the bathroom.
"Little Qing, you shouldn't talk about your teacher like that!" Xiang Ri swiftly approached his apprentice and plopped down beside her.
"Teacher, what are you doing?" Shi Qing, clutching a cushion to her chest, eyed him warily. She was now on high alert against her "beastly" teacher.
"Don't be so dramatic. As if I'm some kind of pervert," Xiang Ri shook his head and chuckled. He had noticed the changes in his apprentice, but he hadn't expected that the experience he'd given her that night would leave such a deep impact. The gentle, somewhat introverted girl she once was had now become a shrewd, slightly cunning woman.
"That's exactly what you are!" Shi Qing mumbled, clutching the cushion even tighter.
Seeing the look of nervous, unjustified fear on his apprentice's face, Xiang Ri nearly couldn't resist pulling her into his arms for a thorough teasing. But knowing that she'd already been through enough, he quickly suppressed his primal desire. Still smiling, he glanced at her chest. "Little Qing, if you keep this up, you'd better be careful with your development, or you'll be flattened."
Shi Qing's face turned crimson, and she immediately hurled the cushion at him.