Chapter 5: Auntie Qiao Zhuxin

Hearing Qiao Yanxin’s voice, I pulled myself back from my reverie.

Looking at the woman before me, my breath caught for a moment.

She wore a black wool coat.

Her skin was almost translucent white, which, against the black clothing, gave her a somewhat sickly appearance. Coupled with her Western features, she looked like a vampire from a medieval European castle.

This was Qiao Zhuxin, the daughter of Old Master Qiao’s concubine.

This concubine was a foreigner whom the old master had met on a trip abroad. She had very progressive views and, upon becoming pregnant, had openly given birth to Qiao Zhuxin and never returned to the country.

Fortunately, Qiao Zhuxin was exceptionally outstanding, and Old Master Qiao was generous to the mother and daughter, sending them a substantial allowance every year.

Qiao Zhuxin inherited her mother’s blonde hair and blue eyes, with deep-set brows, a high nose bridge, and a pair of piercing dark green eyes.

Although she was only a few years older than Qiao Yanxin, their temperaments were worlds apart.

True to her name—Zhuxin, meaning bamboo heart—bamboo hardly has a heart.

Whether Qiao Zhuxin had a heart or not was uncertain, but she was undeniably ruthless and cold, always distant and indifferent towards the Qiao family, as if she carried a millennium of unmelting frost within her.

The younger generation of the Qiao family would shriek in fear whenever they saw her.

I, too, was terrified the first time I met her.

There was a mysterious aura about her that made one want to submit.

Qiao Zhuxin and I had little interaction, only a few meetings. A few years ago, when I followed a project abroad, I had encountered the local gang and was cornered. It was she who sent someone to rescue me.

Other than that, there was nothing more.

So seeing her suddenly now felt somewhat unfamiliar.

Perhaps she had returned because she received a wedding invitation.

Given her indifferent relationship with the family, I never expected her to come back.

But she would not be attending the wedding.

Qiao Zhuxin lifted her eyelids and cast a faint glance at Qiao Yanxin before her.

“Do I need to explain where I’m going to you?”

“Of course not.”

Qiao Yanxin awkwardly touched her nose.

She was genuinely a bit afraid of this aunt of hers—whose reputation was mixed at best.

Sensing the awkward atmosphere between them, Qiao Yanxin pondered for a moment and then spoke to ease the tension.

“It’s freezing cold out. Aunt, why are you here? My parents said they want to see you. Why don’t you come to my house for a simple meal?”

“No, thank you.”

For some reason, a trace of mockery seemed to flicker in Qiao Zhuxin’s eyes.

“At a time like this, shouldn’t you be with your newlywed husband? Why are you here instead?”

Meeting Qiao Zhuxin’s sharp gaze, Qiao Yanxin’s eyes wavered instinctively.

“Sigh, Qiao Yunzhou is sulking with me again. You know how he is—so jealous and possessive. I was just a little close to someone else, and he stormed off.”

Perhaps finally finding someone to confide in, Qiao Yanxin poured out all the grievances she had bottled up over the past few days.

However, Qiao Zhuxin clearly had no desire to listen and abruptly raised her hand to interrupt.

“Stop. I don’t want to hear any of this. And from where I stand, Qiao Yunzhou’s biggest mistake was marrying you.”

Qiao Yanxin’s pupils widened instantly. Even though this was her long-respected aunt, hearing such words was infuriating.

“Aunt, what do you mean by that?”

Her expression darkened. The hem of her skirt fluttered in the cold wind. The aura between the two women was almost evenly matched.

Qiao Zhuxin had no intention of explaining, only rarely twitching the corner of her mouth.

“Take it literally.”

With that, she seemed to have lost all patience, turned her head, called her secretary, and prepared to leave.

Watching her retreating figure, Qiao Yanxin’s eyes darkened. For some reason, she murmured, “But in the end, it’s me who married Qiao Yunzhou, not you.”

Hearing that, I narrowed my eyes, momentarily bewildered by the meaning behind her words.

Qiao Zhuxin and I had little contact—what did she mean by that?

Could it be that Qiao Zhuxin liked me?

No, no, no. I dare not entertain such an impossibility.

I could only assume Qiao Yanxin was just letting off steam with a nonsensical remark.

The next morning, Qiao Yanxin’s phone vibrated, and she immediately picked it up.

But it was only a message from Gu Tingchu: “Good morning!”

For some reason, unlike before, Qiao Yanxin felt no joy upon seeing his message.

She muttered, then opened our chat, where only my earlier message remained: “Yanxin, are you coming home today? Let’s discuss the wedding.”

Yet she did not reply.

Nearly five days passed without me sending a single message.

In the end, Qiao Yanxin lost her pride and took the initiative to reach out, seeking reconciliation.

Clutching her phone tightly, she grit her teeth and said angrily, “Keep throwing your tantrum. Let’s see how long you can last. When you come back, I won’t let you off!”

Hearing this, I could only smile helplessly.

“Qiao Yanxin, I can’t go back.”

I spoke softly, unsure whom I was addressing.

Since becoming a spirit, I no longer slept.

Every day, I remained by Qiao Yanxin’s side, unable to go anywhere.

When she slept, I was forced to watch her sleeping face.

She was far more endearing asleep than awake.

Perhaps because I hadn’t left her side for so long, she was finally a bit panicked.

She took out her phone and started calling around, trying to find me.

Seeing her anxious demeanor made me smile.

Only now remembered to search for me—by now, my body was probably already decomposing.

Qiao Yanxin spent the entire morning at home but found no useful information.

With no other choice, she turned her attention to Lin Beichen.

After all, he was my only friend, and she didn’t know whom else to ask.

But when she reached the Lin family estate, she was not allowed in.

The butler pointed to a sign apologetically.

“Sorry, Madam Qiao. This is Master’s order—we have no choice.”

Seeing the sign read, “Qiao Yanxin and dogs are not allowed inside,” she almost laughed in anger.

She raised her hand and made a call. Soon after, a scruffy man emerged from the house.

Lin Beichen’s eyes were bloodshot, his appearance weary.

“Qiao Yanxin, I didn’t look for you, but you came looking for me. Where on earth did you hide Yunzhou?!”