Chapter 12: Auntie Wasn’t Angry

"Furthermore," he continued, "Cousin, you are different from your older brother. Back then, your brother refused an arranged marriage and even gave up his position as the head of the Lu family just for his girlfriend. But you? You have no reason to refuse. People like us from wealthy families are meant to sacrifice for the sake of the family interest; marriage alliances are unavoidable. Since you don't have anyone you fancy, isn't marrying anyone as good as marrying someone?"

The atmosphere in the office froze for several seconds after he finished speaking.

Lu Yun looked up. "Are you done?"

Ye Yixing was taken aback, unable to gauge Lu Yun's attitude.

Ten seconds later, a loud "bang" echoed through the room.

Ye Yixing, along with his gifts, was tossed out of the office. He landed hard on his backside, staring up at Xu Xiao, who had walked over and was now standing by his feet.

"Young Master Ye, did Mr. Lu throw you out again?"

Ye Yixing felt a flash of embarrassment at the comment. When Lu Yun was angry, he didn't waste a single word; he simply evicted people, and he did it quite rudely, without giving even a shred of face.

Ye Yixing scrambled up from the floor, clutching his aching backside.

Xu Xiao, ever unhelpful, added, "Do you need me to assist you?"

"No... I don't," Ye Yixing gritted his teeth. To think that even an assistant like Xu Xiao dared to mock him—it was infuriating.

As he walked out of the company entrance, Ye Yixing received a call from his father.

"Dad," Ye Yixing wailed, "Lu Yun kicked me out!"

Ye's Father: "..."

Ye Yixing was waiting for his father's comfort when he suddenly heard him say, "Useless brat!"

Ye's Father: "..."

***

"Auntie, look! We ate all the meat and corn inside!"

"We finished the soup, too."

To ensure their aunt wouldn't be angry, the two little ones had eaten their meat and soup with great effort. Finally, they held out their empty bowls for her to inspect.

"Auntie, please don't be mad at us anymore, okay?"

Actually, they thought the corn soup their aunt made was quite delicious. They wanted to be good children; they couldn't be picky eaters, and they couldn't make their aunt angry.

Su Xingwan was stunned for a few seconds by the speed at which they had finished their food.

[Is Auntie not angry?]

Little Su Hua paused upon hearing her aunt's inner voice, then looked at her brother, signaling him with her eyes to let him know Auntie wasn't mad.

However, little Su Luo didn't understand the message in her eyes. He thought his sister was blinking because she had dust in her eyes.

"Sister, what's wrong? Let me blow on it for you!"

Little Su Hua looked at her brother and pushed him away. "You little dummy."

Little Su Luo was confused. Why was his sister calling him a dummy?

Su Xingwan was also confused. What were these two siblings doing?

System: [Two dummies!]

Little Su Luo was unconvinced: "You're the dummy!"

His sister could call him that, but this big bad system couldn't!

Little Su Hua, hearing this, became angry, thinking her brother had called her a name. "You're the little dummy!"

Little Su Luo explained, "Sister, I'm not calling you names. It's the person in my head who's calling us names."

Su Xingwan: The person in his head???

She walked over, took their hands, and reached up to touch their foreheads. "Did you think Auntie was angry just now?"

Little Su Hua and her brother exchanged a glance, then lowered their heads and whispered, "...Yes."

The old auntie meant she was angry whenever she stopped talking. They didn't want their aunt to go back to being like that; they liked the current version of her.

Seeing this, Su Xingwan felt her heart ache and squeezed their soft little hands. "Auntie isn't angry. But I promise you, from now on, if I'm angry, I will tell you, okay?"

The two little ones looked up into their aunt's beautiful eyes.

Su Xingwan continued, "Also, if there is anything you don't want to eat in the future, you must tell me right away. You cannot eat things you don't like just to please me."

The two little ones blinked, silent.

Su Xingwan: "Do you understand?"

Little Su Hua: "Auntie, actually, the soup you make is okay, it's not bad."

Little Su Luo nodded as well: "It just wasn't as yummy as the one from the hospital."

Su Xingwan flicked their little noses and laughed. "You two little rascals."

System: [Hmph!]

To think this wicked little aunt was so calculating, wrapping the two little ones around her finger.

After they finished the corn and pork rib soup, Su Xingwan had a simple bowl of noodles herself, then looked at the two children. "Is today the day you two are supposed to take a bath?"

The two nodded.

Little Su Hua raised her hand: "I'll go get the water."

She and her brother entered the bathroom. Su Xingwan was surprised and followed them in.

She watched as the two little ones struggled to drag the large bathing tub under the showerhead, then skillfully turned it on, adjusted the temperature to warm, and watched as the water filled the tub.

Su Xingwan was astonished. At not even three years old, they were so proficient and nimble at these chores; it was clearly something they did often.

"Auntie, we're going to take a bath."

Su Xingwan went over to test the water temperature. It wasn't quite warm enough—the two children weren't yet adept at controlling the temperature—so she adjusted it and let the water run for a bit longer.

The two little ones watched her actions with confusion.

Su Xingwan said, "From now on, Auntie will do these things for you."

Little Su Hua asked, "Why, Auntie? We can do it."

Su Xingwan said gently, "You are still small, and it's too much work for you. Auntie can handle it with one hand. When you grow up a bit more and are stronger, you can do it yourselves, okay?"

The large wooden tub was heavy enough to hold both of them. Even though they could move it, if they ever slipped or dropped it on their feet, the consequences would be dire. And the showerhead was still a bit difficult for them to manage.

The children listened to their aunt and nodded.

Su Xingwan asked, "So, who is going to wash first?"

The two looked up simultaneously.

"Do we have to wash one by one?"

They used to bathe together because their old auntie said bathing separately wasted too much water. Was their aunt not afraid of wasting water anymore?

[See? See? This is how a normal, wicked aunt is supposed to act.]

The system, hearing little Su Luo’s inner thoughts, couldn't help but chime in.

Su Xingwan asked, "Do you want to bathe together?"

The two children were silent for a few seconds.

Little Su Hua summoned her courage and said, "Auntie, are you not afraid that we'll waste water?"

Su Xingwan was stunned for a second, then laughed. "It won't waste that much water. If you take turns, one person can lie down in the tub, and it will be very comfortable!"

The children's eyes lit up.

"Then we'll wash one by one!"

They wanted to be like the children on TV who could lie down while they bathed.