Transmigrating into the Genius Cannon Fodder’s Aunt

Chapter 89.1 – Why Do You Let Yourself Be Bullied? (I)

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Because she wanted to return to her hometown looking her best, Xia Mian had made an early appointment with Ning Shaoyun to get their hair done together.

During summer break, whenever the three little ones were free, they basically did everything together, so naturally, they all tagged along.

They went to the exclusive studio that Ning Shaoyun always visited—a membership-only establishment that was rare in this era. Both the atmosphere and the stylists’ Master Tony-level skills were worth the steep price.

Although Xia Mian also wanted a perm, the school’s rules forbade it, so she only had her hair slightly trimmed with the kids. Only Ning Shaoyun needed to wait for quite a while, because Xia Mian had encouraged her to try a big, wavy perm. With her delicate features and a classic oval face, she definitely would look stunning with that style.

Of course, the three kids wouldn’t just sit quietly in the private room, so Xia Mian took them outside for a walk.

As they walked downstairs and reached the entrance, they ran straight into a handsome man wearing gold-rimmed glasses. If one didn’t know his character, he might almost pass for a decent man.

The man courteously opened the door, and right after, a spirited young woman in her early twenties, arm in arm with a bejeweled middle-aged lady, walked inside.

The moment the man saw Xia Mian, surprise flickered in his eyes. Then his gaze fell on Chenchen, and his expression changed slightly.

As if worried that Xia Mian might speak to him, he quickly turned his back to them and hastily led the two women upstairs.

Xia Mian rolled her eyes at him. Who did he think he was?

This man was none other than Ren Xiude, the art gallery owner Xia Mian had encountered more than a year ago when she went to an exhibition with Xiao Feng and Ning Shaoyun.

She still remembered how, upon their first meeting, he had shown obvious interest in Ning Shaoyun, though she had only found his behavior a bit greasy back then.

Because of past experiences, Ning Shaoyun had a strong aversion to romance and marriage, so she had politely turned him down, clearly unwilling to have further contact.

But this Ren Xiude didn’t seem willing to give up. Because they were in the same professional circle, and since he owned an art gallery, getting information about exhibitions was effortless for him. As a result, whenever Ning Shaoyun attended an art show, she would inevitably run into him.

He didn’t care about her rejection and kept up a relentless pursuit. She became so fed up that she stopped attending some of the less important exhibitions altogether.

But over six months ago, after Ning Shaoyun attended an exhibition of Professor Zhu’s students, Ren Xiude had actually followed her home and found out where she now lived. After that, he began showing up from time to time, driving over with flowers to block her at the door.

The first time he came by, Ning Shaoyun happened to be out, and Aunt Wei had greeted him warmly.

Simply because this man did look respectable at first glance—handsome, well-dressed, an art gallery owner who understood art, sharing common interests with Ning Shaoyun. Seeing him visit in person, Aunt Wei assumed he had Ning Shaoyun’s tacit approval, so she treated him cordially.

It wasn’t until he began picking apart the courtyard with a condescending air, dropping hints about his wealth and excellence, that Aunt Wei realized she might have been mistaken.

When Ning Shaoyun returned and learned that he had followed her home, she was furious and rudely kicked him out.

But Ren Xiude, in his misplaced confidence, convinced himself that Ning Shaoyun’s rejection was just a coy act. He believed that with his “superior” qualities and frequent attentions—a bouquet every three days or so—he would eventually win her over.

When she refused to let him in, he would simply leave the flowers at her door, pretending to be considerate with his “I won’t force you” attitude, all while totally ignoring her boundaries.

Eventually, Ning Shaoyun stopped acknowledging him altogether. Since Aunt Wei would never let him inside, any flowers left at the door would be tossed out when she went to tidy up. As expected, his deliveries became less frequent—dropping from once a day to once a week.

The turning point came the day this idiot saw Chenchen.

It was Xiao Feng’s birthday. After picking up the three kids at noon, Ning Shaoyun, seeing Xiao Feng’s eager expression, decided to take them to Yan Affiliated to pick up Xia Mian and Mao Huilan after class.

When the group returned to the alley, laughing and chasing each other, they saw Ren Xiude leaning against a sedan, holding a bouquet of bright roses right outside Ning Shaoyun’s door.

Since Xia Mian’s school schedule kept her busy from morning to night, she had only heard about this guy and his antics. This was the first time she had seen him in person again. His posture—so obviously meant to bait some naive girl—struck her as laughable. “This tactic is so outdated. If it hasn’t worked for this long, shouldn’t he be changing his strategy? Just throwing money around shows there’s no real sincerity.”

“Clearly, he’s just after the thrill of conquering a beauty.”

Ning Shaoyun frowned in disgust. Chenchen noticed her mood, quickly ran over, and took her hand. “Mom, what’s wrong?”

Hearing this, Ren Xiude—who had been walking over—looked at Ning Shaoyun, then at Chenchen holding her hand, wearing an expression as if struck by lightning. “Yun, you have a child?!”

Xia Mian was briefly stunned by his old-fashioned, overdramatic way of address, so it took her a moment to process what he’d just said.

Facing the sudden blow, Ning Shaoyun was receiving the same mental damage. She frowned and said coldly, “Mr. Ren, please show some respect and address me as Miss Ning.”

Noticing his expression, she immediately drew Chenchen closer and said coolly, “Mr. Ren, this is indeed my son. I’ve been married before. May I ask what business you have here?”

After his initial shock, Ren Xiude blurted out, his tone even carrying a hint of accusation. “You’ve been married? Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

Ning Shaoyun gave a short, incredulous laugh. “That’s my personal matter. Why should I tell you?”

Ren Xiude looked as if he had been horribly betrayed, “Can’t you see I’ve been pursuing you?”

Ning Shaoyun’s voice hardened. “And I’ve already clearly rejected you. I have no intention of dating you. Please don’t come here again.”

Ren Xiude stared at her in disbelief. “You’ve already had a child—are you saying I’m still not good enough for you?”

Oh my god, where did this idiot come from? Xia Mian almost wanted to whack him and send him back for a remake.

Clearly finding it ridiculous as well, Ning Shaoyun picked her son up and said, “I’m afraid I’m the one who’s not good enough for you, Mr. Ren. Goodbye, and don’t let me see you out.”

After that, Ren Xiude disappeared for a few months.

When Ning Shaoyun realized he’d stopped coming, she even remarked, “If I’d known it would work, I should have said it earlier.”

Xia Mian was speechless. “Who would’ve guessed that a man claiming to pursue you so earnestly didn’t even know the most basic facts about you?”

“My guess is he thought you were just some ordinary young girl he could trick into his hands for a fling.”

It also showed he had no ties to any deep-rooted wealthy family—most probably, he was a nouveau riche type.

Though Ning Shaoyun lived a low-key life and wasn’t particularly active socially, as the last disciple of Master Qi Minghao, she had a name in the upper circles of the art world.

And not just the art world—the incident at Old Master Ning’s birthday banquet had made sure that anyone with any standing at all knew the basics about her.

Even if he wasn’t part of high society, Ren Xiude’s work as a gallery owner meant he often mingled with the wealthy. Just a little inquiry would have told him about her. Not to mention, he knew Wei Hongqiu, who had been right there at Old Master Ning’s banquet.

The fact that he hadn’t even bothered to ask around proved he wasn’t genuinely interested. Most likely, he’d simply been attracted to Ning Shaoyun’s looks, treating her as nothing more than a pastime.

No wonder he always carried that condescending air, as if lowering himself to pursue her was some kind of favor she should be grateful for.

They had thought the matter was over, but two months ago, the man reappeared. Xia Mian wasn’t home at the time, but Mao Huimei was, and she and the children witnessed the whole scene.

When Xia Mian later asked about it, Mao Huimei hadn’t yet answered before Mao Huizhu suddenly stood up.

Lowering her voice into a manly tone and striking a dashing pose, the child put on a look of deep affection and said, “Yun, I really like you. I don’t mind that you’ve been divorced and have a child…”

Mao Huimei quickly covered her sister’s mouth. “Why do you have to imitate everything you see?”

After following her father to the filming set a few times, Mao Huizhu had become obsessed with acting. Her favorite pastime was reenacting whatever she came across.

Mao Huimei could only shake her head with a smile. “Though her version was about as good as you’d expect.”

Xia Mian couldn’t help laughing.

Mao Huimei sighed. “That man’s attitude, really! It was as him pursuing Sister Ning is supposed to be some enormous blessing for her.”

“So what happened after that?” Xia Mian asked curiously.

Mao Huimei replied, “Aunt Wei blew up. Sister Ning probably hasn’t faced that kind of insult in her whole life. Aunt Wei immediately grabbed a big broom and chased him right out.”

“Good for her!” Xia Mian said. “If he shows up again, don’t even let him speak—just hit first.”

“He probably won’t. There were plenty of people at the door watching the scene. No way he still has the face to come back.”