Chapter 137: Aunt

"Sui Yi, you shameless little brat, is this your home? Who do you think you are!"

"Mom! Are you really letting an outsider treat me like this? This is the Ye family’s house, and I am the son of the Ye family. This house is mine!!!"

It was quite a spectacle: the two people who had been clamoring to sever ties with the old woman were now arguing that the property was still their home.

Sui Yi watched them with an indifferent expression, as if she were watching a farce. That coldness made the dignified woman, who had been hesitating to speak, glance at her several times.

The old lady, who had been the target of their shouting, finally closed her eyes slightly. She smiled at Sui Yi and waved her hand. "Ah Yi, you're back. You haven't eaten yet, have you? Those chickens and ducks were making such a racket earlier, I didn't even hear you arrive... Come, let’s go eat first... Xiuling, you come along too..."

Hearing this, Ye Zhang and Wang Yu were left red-faced and incredulous. Was this really their soft, useless old mother?

Sui Yi smiled back at the old lady and gestured for the nanny, Auntie Zhang, to help her over. Then, she turned her head back toward the two of them.

She didn't speak at first. She simply set down her teacup, slowly unbuttoned the cuffs of her white shirt, and rolled up her sleeves with a leisurely grace.

The sight of those slender, fair wrists made Ye Zhang, who was always lecherous, shudder. Even Wang Yu, overcome with the same fear, took a step back.

"Sui Yi, you... don't you dare do anything reckless! This is my house! You..."

"The property deed is in my name. The ownership of every single item here is registered to me. If I wanted to, I could call the police right now, tell them you two are trespassing, and that you are trying to steal my belongings..."

"You're spouting nonsense! No one will believe you! Besides, we didn't take anything!"

In truth, both Ye Zhang and Wang Yu felt insecure about the ownership of the house because this girl, Sui Yi, was truly too uncanny... However, they were absolutely certain that she couldn't actually have the police drag them away.

"You didn't take anything?"

Sui Yi spoke softly as she looked up at them, her gaze cold and clear. In an instant, she stepped forward until she was right in front of Ye Zhang. While he was paralyzed with fear, she slipped her own mobile phone into his jacket pocket.

Face to face, her tone was cool and gentle: "How about now? You stole my phone... This phone is worth over three thousand, which constitutes theft under the law... I think the security guards who are about to arrive here would be very happy to testify that you entered under false pretenses... You should know that with money, there are many things that can be accomplished."

This girl, so cold and ethereal, so delicate and gentle, was baring her sharp fangs with such nonchalance.

Shock. Utter shock.

Whether it was Auntie Zhang, Auntie Wang, or Ye Xiuling, everyone was staring at Sui Yi in complete astonishment. Had they misheard her just now?

Ye Zhang and his companion, their legs turning to jelly, were so shaken they couldn't utter a single word. Ye Zhang hurriedly pulled the phone out of his pocket, just about to throw it away...

"If you break it, you'll have to compensate me for a new one. Actually, that works out well—I could use an upgrade anyway..."

Ye Zhang’s hand froze, holding the phone, not knowing what to do. At that moment, Sui Yi glanced at them, walked into the kitchen to help serve the food, and with her back turned to them, she said, "You two have a child, don't you? I wonder, once you are locked up in the detention center, whether that reputation will reach your child's school..."

*Swish!* Ye Zhang immediately placed the phone securely on the glass table. His face ashen, he looked toward the old lady, about to say something...

"It’s no use looking at Grandma. My decisions are never changed by anyone. While I’m still in a decent mood, the two of you should leave... otherwise, they will be here."

*Ding-ling, ding-ling.*

The doorbell rang.

They had arrived.

Ye Zhang and his companion were speechless.

...

The two were unceremoniously escorted away by several fierce-looking security guards.

The manager stood at the door, watching Sui Yi as she emerged from the kitchen. She wore a white shirt with sleeves rolled up, her hands slender and fair, and sky-blue school uniform trousers hugging her long legs. It was a simple, unfashionable outfit, yet it looked striking on someone as pale and jade-like as her.

She didn't seem particularly angry; her expression was one of calm composure. She walked over to the manager and said, "Make sure your staff remembers these two. I don't want to see them here without my knowledge or permission, and that includes outside the property. If they involve my grandmother in anything, please keep a close eye on them..."

She paused, then added slowly, "Your regulations state that the property owner is your primary service priority, correct?"

The manager was a shrewd man. From the words of Ye Zhang and the way Sui Yi addressed the old lady, he had already pieced together a bit of the family dynamic. These days, relatives becoming enemies was common enough, let alone relatives with different surnames. In any case, listening to the property owner was the right move.

"Yes, yes... Miss Sui is absolutely right. We will pay attention in the future. We are truly sorry for the inconvenience caused..."

After the manager apologized, Sui Yi nodded slightly. "Thank you for the trouble."

Seeing the bowls and chopsticks set on the dining table behind her, the manager understood she was about to eat and took his leave. A property staff member followed him out. Having seen many property staff treat owners like gods, she found Sui Yi’s attitude the most polite and gentle she had ever encountered. But... she had never seen an owner so young, nor one so calm and collected.

Once the manager and the staff member left and the door closed, the staff member whispered to the relieved manager, "Manager, does this villa really belong to this girl?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" The manager shot her a look.

"It’s impossible... She's so young to have such a big villa... it's worth over five million... She’s still wearing school pants, she must be a student... Could it be that she is being..."

The manager paused in his tracks, turned to look at the staff member, and frowned. "Don't make up such nonsense. Just remember, she is the owner... Besides... there are many rumors about her. If you go to the commercial district and ask around, you'll learn about her background. She has backers; the people she associates with are the big bosses of Nanxun. She has deep connections and is even on friendly terms with the big boss of our own residential complex... Being 'kept'? Hmph!"

There was a time when he had held such thoughts about the young girl who rode her bicycle back and forth every day... until he received instructions from above, and he realized he had misjudged her. Then he had gone and inquired about her origins... Ha! The young girl was doing far, far better than they were!

The staff member’s eyes widened.

...

Inside the villa's dining room, everyone, including Auntie Zhang, was eating.

Usually, Sui Yi didn't speak much during meals, and the older generation was the same. But today, with a guest, the old lady was in a noticeably good mood and spoke a bit more.

"Sui Yi, this is your Third Aunt, Xiuling. Xiuling, this is Sui Yi..."

The old lady rambled on about a few things. Ye Xiuling looked at Sui Yi across the table. At first, she had only heard about her from people like Auntie Wang, assuming a girl like this must be fierce and rough around the edges. She hadn't expected... that she would look so refined.

Her temperament was also quite extraordinary. And clearly, she was a person with strong convictions. She could not be treated like a child.

With that thought, Ye Xiuling changed her original plan. She softened her tone and said, "Sui Yi, I am your Third Aunt... I haven't been by your grandmother's side because of certain circumstances in the past... Coming back this time, I wanted to..." Her voice trailed off as she looked at the old lady...

For a moment, she was at a loss for words, and the hesitation and embarrassment were not feigned.

Sui Yi took a sip of soup and said slowly, "Let’s talk after we finish eating."

Ye Xiuling was momentarily stunned. This girl was truly strong-willed!

...

After the meal, Auntie Zhang tactfully took the old lady out for a walk. Once they were gone, the three sat on the sofa.

Opposite Sui Yi were Ye Xiuling and Auntie Wang. Auntie Wang wanted to say something, but as soon as she saw Sui Yi’s calm face, she couldn't find the words.

Aura. A person's aura determines many things, including the power to speak.

The atmosphere didn't remain awkward for long. Sui Yi stood up and poured each of them a cup of hot tea.

She said, "Grandma is getting on in years and has just recovered from a long illness. Sometimes her mind is like a child's, and she shouldn't be distracted by certain matters. Therefore, I don't want her involved in those things... If I have caused any offense, please forgive me, Aunt."

"Ah? No, of course not..." Ye Xiuling considered herself to be somewhat cultured and worldly, but now, faced with such a sophisticated opening from Sui Yi, she immediately realized the girl held the home-field advantage.

The grandmother was clearly categorized by the girl as "one of her own," while she was merely a visitor. It was truly a complicated situation.

Sui Yi poured the tea, set the teapot down, and sat on the sofa, her hands folded on her lap as she looked at Ye Xiuling.

"I don't know about the past, but I want to know now: why have you returned? Is it because the crisis has been resolved?"

Her tone wasn't sharp, but it went straight to the heart of the matter!

--Why hadn't she come back to see her own mother before, and why did she return now, and with someone like Ye Zhang?

This girl was really something...

Ye Xiuling, feeling a bitter pang in her heart, steadied herself and organized her thoughts before speaking: "I know, Sui Yi, you aren't an ordinary child. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to protect Mother so well against the harassment of people like Ye Zhang... As for your question, I can tell you... Auntie Wang can serve as a witness to see if I am lying."

And so, she and Auntie Wang began to recount the past. It turned out that many years ago, when Ye Xiuling was still a young girl, the Ye family had been quite well-off. She had been beautiful, and because the Ye family had a background of learning with many books at home, she had learned to read and write at a young age, making her famous in the surrounding villages.