Divorcee O Finds Me Irresistible - Chapter 32

Time flew by during their stay at home. Watching a couple of movies, cooking a meal, playing some games, and tidying up the house filled the entire day.

There was a minor incident in the afternoon. At three o’clock, Madam Min arrived with fruits and vegetables, knocking persistently on the door.

Xu Qing peered through the peephole and saw her patiently pressing the doorbell, repeatedly urging the occupants to answer.

Fu Shuang, hearing the doorbell from the bathroom, asked Xu Qing nervously, “Who is it?”

“My family came to drop off some things,” Xu Qing replied.

Family? Does Alpha Sister have close relatives I’ve never heard of? Fu Shuang thought in surprise.

Still in her pajamas and sitting on the toilet, Fu Shuang panicked for a moment. “Can I stay in here?” she asked anxiously.

Xu Qing glanced at the bathroom through the crack in the doorframe and smiled reassuringly. “It’s fine. You don’t need to worry about it.”

Relieved, Fu Shuang continued her business.

In truth, she had no interest in Xu Qing’s family. She just wanted to avoid having to face them.

If they were particularly close relatives, Xu Qing would have mentioned them before. Since she hadn’t, they must be just ordinary family members.

In that case, Fu Shuang really didn’t need to worry about it.

Outside the door, Madam Min had lost patience and was about to insert her key when Xu Qing pushed the door open. Min Se, her key still half-inserted in the lock, froze awkwardly. “You’re home?”

Xu Qing’s face showed no hint of welcome as she stood in the doorway. “What do you want?”

Min Se sized her up, her tone stern. “Xu Qing, you haven’t answered my calls for a week. Even your father’s phone can’t reach you. Have you blocked us all?”

Xu Qing stared back expressionlessly. “Adults have their own lives. I haven’t bothered you, so you shouldn’t bother me.”

Min Se frowned and sighed heavily.

“You’re still angry about me hitting you last time, aren’t you?” Min Se’s face softened with concern as she leaned closer, trying to see if there were any lingering marks on Xu Qing’s face.

Xu Qing wasn’t buying it. She subtly dodged Min Se’s reach, turning her head to ask, “Madam Min, I’ve always wanted to ask you: what exactly were you hoping for when you gave birth to me and my sister?”

Min Se froze.

Xu Qing’s lips curled into a sardonic smile. “For years, every time you mentioned Sister Yuan, you’d call her rebellious and mad, claiming she had no filial piety as a daughter and none of the responsibility expected of an Alpha. I used to pity you and believe your words. Only recently did I remember how kind Sister Yuan was to me when we were young. She always loved taking me with her wherever she went. She was a wonderful elder sister.”

When Xu Qing was very young, she suddenly mentioned wanting to see lotus flowers. But there were no lotus ponds nearby. Xu Yuan searched everywhere until she found a pond where they could rent a boat. During their outing, the boat nearly capsized. Xu Yuan immediately jumped into the muddy water, wading through the muck to steady the boat and guide them around the pond.

She was a protective elder sister who cared deeply for those around her. One Mother’s Day, when Xu Qing was still in middle school, she saw Xu Yuan preparing a lavish meal for Madam Min and presenting her with a pearl necklace as a gift. Feeling unprepared and embarrassed, Xu Qing thought she’d be humiliated. But Xu Yuan quietly told her she had hidden a gift for Xu Qing to give to Madam Min later.

Xu Qing was six years younger than Xu Yuan. By the time Xu Yuan went to university, Xu Qing had just graduated from elementary school. Their time together was limited, and the memories were so distant that Xu Qing could barely recall them.

Yet, deep within her memory, fragments drifted back like dust motes, allowing Xu Qing to grasp more clues and form a more comprehensive understanding of the past.

Using Xu Yuan to provoke Min Se was somewhat underhanded, but Xu Qing felt she had no choice. She lacked the courage and means to simply walk away like her elder sister had. Moreover, she needed her family’s support; for one thing, the apartment she shared with her girlfriend was registered under Madam Min’s name.

The mention of Xu Yuan brought a complex expression to Min Se’s face. Lately, she had often thought of her long-lost eldest daughter. In her early twenties, Xu Yuan had been far more accomplished than her peers, yet she had stumbled in marriage. After experiencing divorce, separation from her child, and marital upheaval, Min Se’s former darling had severed all ties with her family, leaving a deep, lingering ache in her heart.

For years, Min Se had been deceiving herself and others, claiming her eldest daughter was rebellious and foolish, seduced by a cunning outsider who had clouded her judgment, leading her to abandon herself and flee to a distant land. She absolved herself of all blame, selectively ignoring how she had meddled in the young couple’s marriage, pressuring Xu Yuan to do this and that, even using her granddaughter to coerce her daughter-in-law. One moment she demanded Xu Yuan change jobs, the next she insisted she quit to stay home and raise the child, urging her to have a second. The constant interference had turned the couple’s life into a living hell.

Xu Qing reminded Madam Min of this, warning her not to interfere in her life. Otherwise, she would follow Sister Yuan’s path, leaving the elderly couple to stare at each other in Sheng Yuan City, with no one left to manipulate.

Seeing Min Se’s hesitant, wavering expression, Xu Qing said coldly, “I don’t plan to return for at least a month. I have work to do. You should focus on your own lives and stop bothering me. The Fu Family’s fate serves as a warning. Do you really want to repeat that mistake with me?”

“No… that’s not it…” Min Se swallowed hard, her aging, sagging skin hanging loosely around her slender neck like it might slip off at any moment, a stark reminder to Xu Qing of her mother’s age and waning ability to control her children.

“Xu Qing, I didn’t mean anything by it…” Min Se lowered her gaze, suddenly at a loss for words.

Xu Qing raised an eyebrow, her hand braced against the door, leaving no room for Madam Min to squeeze through. She had no patience for further explanations, nor any intention of letting her into the house.

“Alright,” Min Se sighed, sensing the situation. “I just came to check on you. You haven’t been answering your phone these past few days, and I was worried.”

Xu Qing scoffed coldly. “How could I not be? I go to work every day. Your old acquaintances at the office keep a close eye on me. You can find out how I’m doing with a simple inquiry.”

Min Se fell silent for a moment before awkwardly picking up the thread again. “You’re the same—no respect for your elders at work. I was actually planning to have a serious talk with you about that…”

Xu Qing winced, feigning a headache. “No need. The slap you gave me still stings. I can’t handle your nagging right now.”

The woman sighed again, paused for a long moment, then extended the plastic bag she was carrying. “These are vegetables from your grandfather’s garden. Take them.”

Xu Qing accepted the bag and closed the door. “Goodbye.”

Only after confirming that Xu Qing had seen the visitor off did Fu Shuang change her clothes and emerge, asking with a puzzled expression, “Does your family farm?”

Xu Qing replied, “Maybe. If I can’t find another job, I’ll have to go back and farm.”

Fu Shuang yawned, shrugging nonchalantly. “Farming’s fine. At least you don’t have to suck up to a boss.”

Xu Qing seriously doubted the sincerity of this statement. If she were to end up back in the countryside farming, this money-grubbing kid would probably pack her bags and run the moment she got the chance.

At that moment, Xu Qing had no idea that Fu Shuang was saving up for something.

When Fu Shuang’s mother passed away, the lawyer revealed a will stipulating that Fu Shuang, as her daughter, must marry according to her mother’s wishes. Only after her marital status was officially changed to “married” could she inherit her share of the estate.

Fu Shuang loathed this absurd will. She consulted several lawyers, most of whom suggested, “You could find a partner for a sham marriage.”

Fu Shuang stubbornly refused to budge, insisting, “What if I don’t want to?”

“In that case, there’s nothing we can do unless we can prove the will is forged.”

Fu Shuang would rather suspect she wasn’t her mother’s biological child than doubt the authenticity of the will, for she knew that Omega woman all too well.

Just when she was at her wit’s end, her uncle, who lived in Europe, called to inform her that her mother had left an addendum to the will.

“If you can provide proof of stable income, you’ll be considered factually independent. Under this condition, you can still inherit the estate, provided you pay the inheritance tax.”

Fu Shuang’s uncle was over sixty, had spent half his life abroad, and suffered from poor health in his legs and heart. Unable to fly back to China to mourn his deceased sister, he could only offer earnest advice to his niece over the phone. “If you truly can’t meet the requirements, come to Europe and stay with me. It doesn’t matter if you never marry. I have a place for you to live, and at least you won’t have to worry about food or clothing.”

Fu Shuang had considered seeking refuge with her uncle in Europe, but resorting to that would only prove she couldn’t make it in China.

Born with innate strength, she was determined to earn the income proof through her own efforts and rightfully inherit what was hers.

Due to heavy rain on Saturday, the company event was canceled at the last minute, freeing Fu Shuang from having to work overtime.

In the afternoon, Jiayan’s mother called to say her daughter was sick, forcing the cancellation of their piano lesson.

This gave Fu Shuang the perfect excuse to stay home with Xu Qing. She watched Xu Qing busy herself in the kitchen for hours. Soon, an irresistible sweet aroma wafted from the oven—a freshly baked Chiffon Cake!

Xu Qing sliced the cake into a round, evenly spread it with freshly whipped cream, and layered it with blueberry jam, coconut jelly, and sago pearls. She then decorated it with Oreos and chocolate biscuit sticks, transforming it into an exquisite birthday cake as if by magic.

At first, Fu Shuang only nibbled on the scraps like a greedy cat. But as she watched the cake take shape, she couldn’t bear to cut into it.

“Can we preserve it somehow? I want to be able to see it later. We could put it in the fridge as a keepsake,” Fu Shuang said, her voice trembling with excitement as she held the plastic knife in both hands after symbolically blowing out the birthday candles.

“No, the cream will melt,” Xu Qing said, showing no attachment to her creation. She scooped up a dollop of cream with her finger and smeared it on Fu Shuang’s face. “We can make another one anytime. The memory is what matters.”

Fu Shuang cut a slice of cake and eagerly served the first piece to Xu Qing, then remembered, “I should take a picture!”

Xu Qing brushed off the suggestion. “What’s the point of a photo? Just remember it in your heart.”

But when Fu Shuang dug a shimmering silver necklace out of the cake, her excitement overflowed—

“I was just saying that!”

“Thank you, Older Sister! I love you so much!”

How much could this necklace sell for? Fu Shuang wondered. If I can raise enough money to set up a shell company to pay my social security and wages, I can use that as proof of income and finally claim my inheritance.

According to the lawyer, her mother’s estate included bank deposits totaling twenty million yuan, along with houses, stocks, cars, and more—enough for Fu Shuang to squander for the rest of her life.

As Fu Shuang’s mental calculations clicked into place, she also began planning—What kind of car should I get for Older Sister to win her over?