Accidentally Marked My Ex’s Powerful Sister (GL, ABO) - Chapter 13
Yu Li didn’t get to have breakfast, a phone call summoned her back to the old family estate.
“Ali, I fell today and hurt my leg. It really hurts. Could you come to the old estate? Surely you have time for a meal? I’ll fry you some eggs,” the woman on the other end of the line said to Yu Li, her voice soft and pleading.
The caller was Yu Li’s mother.
Ever since Yu Li took charge of Yu’s Jewelry, her mother had moved back to the old estate.
Yu Li’s mother didn’t have many hobbies these days her main goal was to assert her position as the lady of the house while undermining Yu Qi’s mother, settling old scores from the past.
Yu Li couldn’t stop her, so she let her be.
As long as Yu Li remained in control of Yu’s Jewelry, her mother would retain her status as the mistress of the old estate.
However, Yu Li disliked the old estate. She preferred the Victoria Harbour Courte, where she and her mother had once lived together, relying on each other.
Every trip back to the old estate left Yu Li uneasy.
But when her mother called, she couldn’t refuse.
She didn’t want to upset her.
After dressing and tidying up, Yu Li left on an empty stomach and headed home first.
[Sister, there’s no food in the fridge. I need to go grocery shopping first, is that okay? If so, what would you like to eat?]
As Yu Li got into the car, she received a message from Ye Zhixun.
Just from the text alone, Yu Li could almost picture Ye Zhixun’s awkward, deferential demeanor.
She also recalled the bewildered look in her eyes yesterday when she was assigned as a personal assistant.
Back then, she had been bold, now, she was inexplicably timid.
[Go ahead, buy whatever you think is suitable. No rush, skip breakfast. I’ll be back around noon to eat.]
Yu Li sent the reply.
A trip to the old estate wouldn’t be quick, and afterward, she still had to go to the office. She could only make it back to Victoria Harbour Court by noon for lunch.
When Ye Zhixun received Yu Li’s message and realized she wasn’t home yet, she breathed a small sigh of relief.
Seeing that there was still plenty of time before noon, Ye Zhixun finished her daily workout, had breakfast, and then went grocery shopping.
When she used to cook for Yu Qi, Yu Qi always had clear preferences, she knew exactly what she wanted to eat and what she liked.
But Yu Li didn’t specify anything, leaving Ye Zhixun with a wide range of options at the supermarket. She decided to improvise, buying just a few items to test the waters.
After picking up some groceries, Ye Zhixun headed straight to Victoria Harbour Court, entering through the side gate as she always had before.
Though she no longer had Yu Qi’s access card, Yu Li had given her one instead, so she could still come and go freely.
While Ye Zhixun was preparing lunch, Yu Li had already arrived at the Yu family’s old estate.
Three interconnected vintage Western-style houses stood within a sprawling garden, their age evident in the classical exterior, though the interiors had been renovated with modern amenities for convenience.
From a distance, it looked like a painting.
Among the three houses, Yu Li’s mother, Tang Baozhu, lived in the leftmost one.
Hearing the car pull up, Tang Baozhu came out to greet her.
The well-preserved omega could have passed for Yu Li’s sister, though her gentle, soft demeanor contrasted sharply with Yu Li’s cool, commanding presence.
“Mom, how’s your leg?” Yu Li asked first.
“Ali, now that you’re here, it feels much better. Don’t worry about that for now, I have something to tell you…”
“Do you know how smug that woman has been these past few days? Just because her daughter is dating someone from the Song family, she acts like she’s superior to me. She even had the nerve to say that you’re almost thirty and still unmarried, that you’ll never marry into a good family. It makes me so angry!” Tang Baozhu complained in a low voice to Yu Li after linking arms with her.
“…” Yu Li felt her stomach churn even more, and a headache coming on.
When her mother got together with Yu Qi’s mother, their conversations were always limited.
Yu Qi’s breakup and new relationship had caused such a chain reaction!
In the past, when her mother was upset about Yu Qi’s mother flaunting expensive jewelry or her father mistreating her, Yu Li could at least do something about it.
But now, she was at a loss for words.
“Just ignore her and see her less. Spend more time dressing yourself up,” Yu Li managed to say, forcing out a few words of comfort.
“She came to me on her own, bragging about the jewelry Song Feiyu gave her. The Song family deals in raw gemstones, which could really help our business. If Yu Qi really marries into the Song family, she’ll be living the high life. Ali, what are you thinking? Why don’t you take advantage of your position managing the Yu Corporation to find a suitable alpha to marry? The Yu family’s unique craftsmanship still hasn’t been passed down to you, Yu Qi has been getting bits and pieces of it instead. All your hard work for the Yu Corporation is just paving the way for others. Once the leadership changes and you’re replaced, who knows what will happen?” Tang Baozhu pulled Yu Li into an inner room and whispered urgently.
Tang Baozhu might seem unambitious in some ways, but when it came to marriage, she always had her own opinions.
Unfortunately, they completely clashed with Yu Li’s principles.
Both sides had their reasons, and neither could convince the other.
“Mom, I’m not thinking about marriage yet. Don’t worry about these things. If you don’t like any of our new products, you can check out the auction house. If you see something you like, just bid on it. I’ll have A-Zhen accompany you,” Yu Li said, steering the conversation elsewhere.
After a few more words, Tang Baozhu dragged Yu Li to breakfast.
She brought over the eggs she had fried for Yu Li.
Despite using a non-stick pan, the eggs were a mess, sticking and overcooked.
Yu Li had woken up hungry, but now, faced with food, she had no appetite.
Even though her mother had made it herself, she couldn’t bring herself to eat.
The eggs were swimming in oil, looking greasy before she even took a bite.
But under her mother’s expectant gaze, Yu Li forced down a few mouthfuls and sipped some porridge.
Tang Baozhu kept talking beside her, but Yu Li barely registered the words.
“I’m done,” Yu Li said after a few bites, then headed to the bathroom and shut the door.
As expected, she couldn’t keep anything else down.
After rinsing her mouth and tidying up in the mirror, she stepped out.
Someone was standing in the living room.
“Good morning, Miss. The old master heard you were back and would like to see you,” the person said with a slight bow.
“Yes, I’ll go now,” Yu Li replied, her already sour mood worsening.
“Be sweet to the old master. Just agree with whatever he says,” Tang Baozhu whispered nervously as Yu Li prepared to leave.
Yu Li nodded and followed the servant to the central Western-style house.
Besides Yu Li’s father, there was also her grandfather in the Yu family.
Compared to Yu Li’s father, who was a playboy and nearly ruined the Yu family business, her grandfather was a remarkable man. Following in the footsteps of Yu Li’s great-grandfather, he gradually expanded Yu Jewelry through his craftsmanship, ensuring its survival through turbulent times.
However, he suffered injuries in his early years, leaving him in poor health with limited mobility, confined to a wheelchair. Later, his condition worsened due to the stress caused by Yu Li’s father.
When Yu Li arrived to see the old man, Yu Qi was already by his side, massaging his shoulders and back.
“Hello, sister!” Yu Qi greeted Yu Li sweetly.
Yu Li nodded in acknowledgment.
“Grandfather, what did you call me here for?” Yu Li asked.
“Ali, you’re almost thirty now. The Li family has inquired about you their third son has taken a liking to you. Arrange a meeting when you have the chance,” the old man said casually.
Yu Li’s eyelashes flickered slightly as she lowered and then raised her gaze.
While her mother urged marriage out of concern for her well-being, the old man’s direct arrangement of a blind date was likely to pave the way for Yu Qi.
The election results hadn’t even been announced, yet here, the decision was already made.
“…Understood, Grandfather,” Yu Li replied softly.
“An unmarried omega invites unnecessary trouble. If you were married, there wouldn’t be all these rumors and complications.”
The old man added another remark.
“Hmm.” Yu Li gave a noncommittal response, realizing he must have heard about the recent gossip from others.
To some, the mere fact that Yu Li remained unmarried at her age was a fault in itself regardless of right or wrong.
With nothing else to discuss, Yu Li stood for a while longer before taking her leave.
Yu Qi hurried to see her out.
“Sister, Feiyu and I are going to Fashion Week in a few days. Do you want anything brought back?” Yu Qi asked.
“No, thank you,” Yu Li replied, her thoughts drifting to Ye Zhixun as she looked at Yu Qi.
Had Yu Qi already moved on so quickly, now in a passionate romance with Song Feiyu?
“I remember you had a girlfriend before. Why did you break up?” Yu Li asked on impulse.
“Her? Well… sister, don’t tell anyone. She claimed to be an alpha, but she might as well have been a beta, couldn’t even detect her pheromones, completely indifferent. There was just no spark. Plus, she was so old-fashioned, even more conservative than Grandfather, insisting on waiting until marriage for intimacy… I didn’t want a relationship that led straight to marriage,” Yu Qi whispered conspiratorially, leaning closer with a confidential air.
“Is that so? Sounds quite dull. Didn’t she cook? I recall seeing her a few times, carrying a thermal lunchbox to your place,” Yu Li remarked, observing Yu Qi’s slightly flushed face.
“She could cook, but it was terrible,” Yu Qi lied after a brief hesitation.
“I see. Then breaking up was for the best,” Yu Li said.
Yu Qi smiled and changed the subject.
Leaving the Yu residence, Yu Li leaned back in the car seat, her expression even gloomier than before.
“Uncle Zhao, take me back to Victoria Harbour Court,” she instructed the driver.
She had originally planned to go to the Yu Corporation headquarters, but her mood and physical state were both poor.
Perhaps returning to Victoria Harbour Court early for a meal would help.
As the car neared Victoria Harbour Court, it came to a halt, a minor collision involving a small truck had blocked the road ahead.
The truck had broken down and needed to be towed, while a middle-aged man unloaded its cargo onto the roadside.
The light rain continued to fall as a middle-aged woman stood nearby, using only her bag to shield her head, muttering something indistinct.
“Uncle Zhao, could you help move these? Take the umbrellas and raincoats over to them,” Yu Li said to the driver.
She wanted to get back soon.
The driver acknowledged her request, grabbed the items, and went to assist. Before long, he returned, followed by a plainly dressed middle-aged woman.
“Director Yu, the helper wanted to thank you and brought something as a gift,” the driver informed Yu Li first.
Yu Li glanced at the woman outside holding a bag of goods. The words of refusal died on her lips, and she rolled down the window to politely decline.
“Are you… Sister Xiaoqing?” The woman hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking.
“Yes. And you are?” It took Yu Li a second to register what “Sister Xiaoqing” meant before nodding in acknowledgment.
“It really is Sister Xiaoqing! No wonder you and your sister are both such kind people. Thank you so much for earlier. Oh, forgive me, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Ah-Xun’s aunt, here to bring her some food. These are fresh apples and pomegranates from our family orchard.” The woman grew visibly excited upon Yu Li’s confirmation, her tone warm and familiar, as if greeting a relative.
They had never met before.
Yu Li studied the woman for a moment before nodding again inside the car, then slid the door open.