Three Sentences That Made My Ex-Wife Spit Blood (LILY, ABO) - Chapter 10

After being reborn, standing once more at the gates of the Yan family estate at twenty years old, Wen Huaxi still couldn’t help feeling a sense of awe.

Not for sentimental reasons. She had done the math. Based on the location and land size alone, even if she moved at the same pace as in her previous life, winning every major acting award and hoarding her earnings without spending or donating a single cent, it would still take her most of her life to afford a plot of land like this.

That didn’t even include the heirloom antiques and jewelry inside the estate, or the cost of renovating several enormous villas, or maintaining the vast gardens.

Wen Huaxi’s fists clenched unconsciously.

She hadn’t been born into wealth. She almost couldn’t afford to continue school. If not for her older sister’s hard work and her own academic success, she might have had to leave school and start working right after middle school.

Back when she liked Yan Qinglan, she hadn’t thought about any of this.

Wen Huaxi had never wanted Yan Qinglan’s fortune. She had simply loved her. Even if Yan Qinglan had lost everything and had no money at all, Wen Huaxi would have still loved her without hesitation.

She had even imagined that kind of life in her dreams.

Not for power or status, but just so she could keep the one she loved by her side.

She used to believe, naively, that if she treated Yan Qinglan well every single day, Yan Qinglan would eventually look at her differently and care for her.

But now that her feelings had faded, looking at Yan Qinglan’s powerful family background left a sour taste in Wen Huaxi’s mouth.

She had a bit of resentment toward the wealthy, though not enough to turn bitter.

To her, having enough money was enough. She had never kept more than she needed. In her previous life, she donated almost all of it. People said she liked to show off, but she didn’t mind. All she wanted was to help others who had gone through what she had experienced.

“Xiaoxi,” Yan Qinglan reached out her hand, motioning for Wen Huaxi to take her arm.

Wen Huaxi pulled herself out of her thoughts and responded with a deliberately staged gesture. She reached out as if to take the offered arm, but didn’t actually make contact.

Yan Qinglan felt quite satisfied. She didn’t care whether Wen Huaxi was tired or not. As long as they didn’t have to physically touch, she was more than happy to keep things simple.

But such a fake gesture was too easy to spot.

Yan Qinglan eventually moved her arm and gently pulled Wen Huaxi closer.

In this generation of the Yan family, there were many side-branch relatives. However, Yan Qinglan was the only direct descendant, if one didn’t count the son brought in by her stepfather, Gu Lian. That son was Yan Qingqing.

Although repeated investigations confirmed that Yan Qingqing was biologically Yan Mingzhu’s child, and the two of them looked very much alike when standing together, the rest of the family still questioned their bl00d relation.

After all, Yan Mingzhu had a history of mental illness.

If one looked at Yan Qingqing’s age and counted backward, his conception would have taken place during the period when Yan Mingzhu was mentally unstable.

More importantly, although Gu Lian was an omega, male omegas were biologically incapable of having children. That meant Yan Mingzhu had to be the one who gave birth to him.

But how could such a child suddenly appear? During the time when Yan Mingzhu was recovering at home, no one had seen her pregnant. How could Yan Qingqing possibly be her biological son?

Even so, Yan Mingzhu chose to keep both of them around and even gave them significant privileges.

Even Yan Qinglan had never fully understood her mother’s intentions.

What she did know was that in the fight for the Yan family leadership, aside from two incredibly capable relatives, there was now one more strong contender.

No matter how many people doubted or disapproved, Yan Qingqing had already taken a direct descendant’s position and had been named heir.

He was a bit younger, but he had ability. With Gu Lian’s help, he had quickly won over a number of influential supporters.

The other two candidates were both impressive as well.

Yan Anran, technically Yan Qinglan’s niece, was a prodigy. At just fourteen years old, she had solved the Yan family’s urgent financial crisis through stock investments.

Yan Yunlan, Yan Qinglan’s cousin, had built her own company and developed powerful international connections.

Yan Qinglan had risen to power by competing in this intense environment.

Some shareholders and elders were never satisfied with her. They often complained that she was nearly thirty, still unmarried, and therefore irresponsible and unstable.

Tired of their constant nagging, she finally considered a contractual marriage.

Wen Huaxi was not her first choice among the list of possible candidates.

But she had presented high compatibility data and had also won the favor of Yan Mingzhu. That was what eventually led Yan Qinglan to sign the agreement with her.

That agreement was something the rest of the Yan family must never find out about.

Wen Huaxi could act well when she needed to. She didn’t enjoy pretending, but there was no reason to cause trouble for herself inside the Yan family.

It wasn’t just enemies of Yan Qinglan who were watching. Since she had taken her position, she had earned the loyalty of many within the family who didn’t want to see the leadership pass to someone else.

Wen Huaxi could feel several pairs of eyes focused on her, and she began to hesitate.

Even her earlier awkward attempt to hold Yan Qinglan’s arm without really touching her showed how conflicted and uneasy she was.

Yan Qinglan, of course, saw right through her.

From the moment their car entered the estate, she had felt the sharp, watchful stares aimed their way. None of them held good intentions.

This was the place where appearances mattered most.

Yan Qinglan laced her fingers tightly with Wen Huaxi’s, holding her hand firmly. Her thumb slowly traced gentle circles across the back of Wen Huaxi’s hand.

The two stood very close. That subtle, ticklish sensation made Wen Huaxi restless and distracted. She pushed aside her earlier hesitation, forced a smile onto her face, and leaned slightly toward Yan Qinglan as if she truly liked her.

Yan Qinglan, a little helpless, changed positions again. She wrapped her arm around Wen Huaxi’s waist, lowered her head, and lingered near her temple in what looked like a kiss.

Their display of affection caused a stir around them. Soft murmurs and shifting glances filled the air.

Only Wen Huaxi knew that Yan Qinglan’s lips had never actually touched her.

The angle was chosen with such precision that, no matter where one looked from, it would seem like Yan Qinglan was overcome with affection and simply couldn’t help kissing her in public.

“Cousin,” Yan Yunlan was the first to step forward and greet Yan Qinglan.

She didn’t intend to trap her outright. For the moment, the two of them were in a cooperative relationship.

But that didn’t mean Yan Yunlan lacked ambition. She had built her company from scratch and expanded it overseas, which was enough to prove her strength.

Someone like her would never be content to stay in the shadows.

Testing the waters was exactly what she wanted to do.

She had lost her chance at leadership, and making Yan Qinglan uncomfortable was the least she could do to feel better.

“Yunlan, how have you been lately?” Yan Qinglan responded with a warm and harmless smile.

They exchanged polite greetings while Wen Huaxi stood to the side, staring at Yan Qinglan’s hair tie with a dazed look. Her expression was perfectly timed, as if she were completely mesmerized by Yan Qinglan.

After all, she had experience. In her past life, the first time she visited the Yan family after marriage, she didn’t even need to act. Her natural manner had already convinced everyone.

Yan Qinglan deliberately chatted a little longer with her cousin, clearly waiting for more people to come and test her.

Sure enough, two more individuals from Yan Anran’s circle came over to greet her.

Yan Anran herself was not present. She was working on modeling and decoding at the company. It was just an ordinary weekend, and with her cold personality, she had no interest in attending family gatherings.

Still, Yan Qinglan kept an eye out for her stepbrother Yan Qingqing. When he didn’t appear, she finally took Wen Huaxi aside, guiding her toward a more private corner.

There, she wrapped her arms around Wen Huaxi again. The hold wasn’t tight, but it looked intimate enough.

Wen Huaxi obediently placed her arms around Yan Qinglan’s waist. She even used some force, pinching slightly, and then gently dragged her fingers like feathers across the sensitive spot at Yan Qinglan’s waist.

Yan Qinglan’s body stiffened instantly.

“Xiaoxi, what are you doing?” Her voice carried a note of discomfort.

She felt uneasy. Part of it was because her contract wife was touching her in a familiar way. The other part was because she no longer held control of the situation.

“Aren’t I supposed to accompany you?” Wen Huaxi interrupted her softly, not stopping her hand.

She even rose slightly on her toes, her lips brushing close to Yan Qinglan’s ear.

She didn’t say the words “just acting,” but her deliberate closeness said everything. The message settled clearly into both of their hearts.

Yan Qinglan stood there, receiving Wen Huaxi’s movements passively. Her breathing began to grow uneven.

“Don’t you want this?” Wen Huaxi’s voice turned husky, as if she were whispering something intimate in a moment of passion. Her tone was seductive and low, like an enchantress, circling around Yan Qinglan, never fully touching yet always pulling her attention.

What was it that she wanted?

Yan Qinglan’s eyelashes trembled. Her mind began to lose clarity.

It was just acting.

Yet the woman in front of her didn’t feel like a contract partner. She felt like someone Yan Qinglan had truly cherished for years, now teasing her in a place where anyone might catch them.

Why did she have to be just as captivating as she had been in their past life?

Wen Huaxi noticed the faint pink creeping up Yan Qinglan’s earlobe. She reached out and gently rubbed it with her fingers, then, without warning, kissed her.