CHAPTER 81: CHAPTER 82: LITTLE YUAN IN TROUBLE

Ruan Xingwen walked slowly, observing the scenery he saw every day. Perhaps it was his changing mindset that made him find the roadside flowers exceptionally beautiful today.

The corner was not far from his apartment building, and in a few minutes, he was already sitting on his sofa at home.

The excitement from a while ago was gone, and Ruan Xingwen felt a bit unaccustomed to it.

Ruan Xingwen got up and went to the kitchen to pour a glass of plain water. At the kitchen door, he suddenly remembered what had just happened.

Although a bit awkward, he had to admit, Yu Xiaozhe really had a great physique, his muscles were very firm.

"Hehehe." Now alone at home, Ruan Xingwen finally showed a mischievous smile.

Was Brother Ze also embarrassed just now? He saw Brother Ze’s neck turning red, wondering if he was just seeing things.

Ruan Xingwen quickly took a sip of plain water, suppressing the embarrassment brought by his own lecherous nature.

Sitting on the sofa again, Ruan Xingwen casually turned on the TV. Even though there wasn’t any show he was interested in watching, the sound made him feel less lonely.

He still hadn’t finished looking through the things on Weibo. Remembering this, Ruan Xingwen took out his phone again and nestled into the sofa, scrolling through.

Sure enough, the online developments were just as Sister He and the others had said, virtually unchanged.

It was either pity for Zhou Xue, condemnation of Mingsheng, or a wave of apologetic remembrance.

If only they had known, why did they say those hurtful things back then?

Sighing silently, Ruan Xingwen didn’t want to look at this anymore, so he opened WeChat to see if there was anything new in his friends’ circle.

He happened upon the message that Little Yuan had posted about looking to rent an apartment.

Is Little Yuan moving out from her aunt’s place?

Ruan Xingwen quickly dialed Wang Xiaoyuan’s number.

"Beep beep beep..."

After about ten seconds, the call was finally answered.

"Hello, Xingxing? What’s up?"

From the sound, Little Yuan didn’t seem to be off.

"I saw your post about looking for an apartment. Are you moving out from your aunt’s place?"

"Yes! Finally moving out!"

Little Yuan’s excited voice came through the line.

"They didn’t give you a hard time, did they?" Ruan Xingwen asked with some concern.

"..."

Little Yuan was silent for a moment before speaking again, her tone noticeably less enthusiastic, carrying a hint of sadness:

"How could they not, I gave them all my savings from the past few years."

A simple sentence, yet it revealed the helplessness that had troubled Wang Xiaoyuan for over a decade.

Being drained like a leech by the family she was closest to, Wang Xiaoyuan originally felt that her aunt’s family had indeed shown great kindness to her family back in the day.

If her aunt hadn’t helped to pay for the medical expenses, she might not have had the chance to attend college and find this assistant job.

But yesterday, after Wang Xiaoyuan returned home from Ruan Xingwen’s place, her aunt called her back, saying there was something urgent.

Her aunt’s voice indeed sounded anxious, so Wang Xiaoyuan didn’t ask further and instead took her ID and some necessary items before boarding the bus back to her hometown.

Wang Xiaoyuan’s hometown wasn’t far from Yucheng City Center, just a small county in the suburbs.

More than an hour later, Wang Xiaoyuan arrived at her aunt’s house. But upon entering, she discovered her aunt didn’t exhibit any of the anxiety she had on the phone.

Her aunt first welcomed Wang Xiaoyuan warmly, displaying a smile she had never shown her before.

Wang Xiaoyuan was somewhat puzzled, wondering what this meant and what had happened at home.

"Aunt, you called me back. Is something urgent?"

Contrary to her usual disdain, her aunt affectionately took Wang Xiaoyuan’s hand and led her to the sofa in the living room.

With her face full of wrinkles, her aunt smiled self-satisfactorily and said, "Little Yuan, now don’t say auntie isn’t considering you at times of good fortune. This time, you must thank me!"

With her experience being duped over the years, Little Yuan felt there wouldn’t be any good news this time either. But she thought her aunt most likely just wanted money or something along those lines.

Her aunt’s next words, however, exceeded her expectations and completely severed any remaining familial ties she had with her aunt.

Wang Xiaoyuan calmly asked, "Aunt, what is it exactly?"

Her aunt, smiling happily, patted Wang Xiaoyuan’s hand and said, "Little Yuan, auntie found a good family for you!"

Wang Xiaoyuan was shocked, "What?"

"Oh, child, how can you not understand? Auntie found you a good husband’s family. This family is very wealthy, getting married is like living a life of luxury!"

Her aunt didn’t even look at Little Yuan’s expression and continued introducing excitedly, as if getting connected with this family was a fortune for Little Yuan.

"The man your aunt is introducing, though older, is only ten years your senior; he’s been married once before and has a daughter. But the man is honest and dependable, and the divorce is due to his ex-wife’s misconduct. Little Yuan, don’t worry, when you marry..."

At this point, Wang Xiaoyuan couldn’t describe her feelings anymore.

A man ten years older than her, previously married, and with a daughter.

Is this the high marriage her aunt speaks of? In her aunt’s eyes, is she worth so little?

On second thought, maybe this family gave her aunt a lot of money?

"Aunt, how much money did they give you this time?"

Her aunt didn’t react for a while, her mood was extremely good, still smiling as she answered, "Not much, not much. If you guys go through, they’ll give me twenty..."

The final word "thousand" hadn’t fully escaped when her aunt realized what she had just revealed.

The voice stopped instantly, and instead, with disapproval, she looked at Wang Xiaoyuan and said: "What are you saying! Would auntie sell you off for money? I’m telling you, this family is really good, the others don’t compare at all. Little Yuan, you..."

"Enough!" Wang Xiaoyuan couldn’t bear it anymore and shouted, interrupting her aunt’s "sales pitch."

Her aunt clutched her heart and scolded, "Why are you yelling! You scared me!"

Wang Xiaoyuan suddenly felt choked up; she still asked her aunt, unwilling to give up: "Aunt, do you really think this family is so good?"

Upon hearing Wang Xiaoyuan’s words, her aunt thought she was relenting and willing to agree, and her previously somewhat vicious expression softened, as did her voice: "Of course, how could auntie deceive you! I’m telling you, if you marry there, you’ll definitely thank auntie in the future!"

"Since you’re so sure it’s a good match, why don’t you let Xiao Ning marry him?" Wang Xiaoyuan retorted.

At the mention of her daughter’s name, her aunt’s expression changed suddenly, "What nonsense are you talking about! How could Xiao Ning get married, she’s still so young!"

"Aunt, do you know my age?"

Her aunt froze; she really didn’t know how old Wang Xiaoyuan was, but what did it matter? Without parents or skills, it was difficult enough to arrange a marriage.

Her aunt chuckled awkwardly, trying to bypass the topic. But now, Wang Xiaoyuan had completely given up on her.

"Aunt, Xiao Ning is twenty-five, and I’m twenty-five too. She was born in April, I was born in July. I’m actually younger by a few months!"