Transmigrating into the Genius Cannon Fodder’s Aunt

Chapter 126 Part 1 – Just Humiliating Him Isn’t Enough (I)

As she was about to leave, Xia Mian ran into Gao Qiongying in the restroom. The other woman was clearly waiting for her, still with the same haughty expression as always, “Feeling smug?”

Xia Mian chuckled. “If making Miss Gao eat her words doesn’t make me feel smug, wouldn’t that be an insult to you? Or is it that Miss Gao doesn’t want me to feel smug? Honestly, I don’t really care.”

Gao Qiongying paused, then said coldly, “Sharp tongue.”

Xia Mian shrugged.

“I admit I underestimated you before,” Gao Qiongying said, looking straight into her eyes. “But from now on, I won’t make that mistake again. Xia Mian, we’ll see.”

“There’s nothing to see,” Xia Mian said blandly. “First of all, the moment you say ‘underestimated,’ it means you’ve already lost.”

“Second, you’re not even qualified to be my opponent, because you haven’t even entered the game. So even if I didn’t do a single thing today, you’d still lose.”

“Lastly, please have some self-awareness and stop bothering Dr. Ning.”

Gao Qiongying, who had been about to leave, was infuriated by Xia Mian’s final sentence. She turned around with a mocking smile. “Love above all? Little girl, maybe at your age, you think love can conquer everything.”

“But marriage is for a lifetime. And a lifetime is long. Love eventually fades. One day, when you mature, you’ll realize that shared interests are the real foundation of a relationship. Only when it grows into familial affection can the bond truly last till old age.”

“The person who ends up with him in the end is not necessarily the one he first fell in love with.” Gao Qiongying seemed confident of her position. Seeing Xia Mian’s unconcerned face, she continued, “I know you’re not ready to hear things like ‘love fades.ʼ”

“Then let me be blunt: besides love, what else can you offer Shaobai? When the two of you fight in the future, what will hold the relationship together? That so-called debt of gratitude for saving his nephew?”

“I don’t know what the future holds,” Xia Mian replied. None of that is happening at the moment. Maybe it’ll turn out just like you said, that our love will fade, that we’ll grow apart, maybe even become enemies. But that’s all in the future.”

“All I need to do is handle the present and try to prevent those things from happening. That’s still better than living in a mess because of pointless speculation.”

“Just like you, Miss Gao.”

“I know you take pride in your vision,” Xia Mian’s tone cooled, “which is why, to tie down Dr. Ning and secure that huge benefit, you’re willing to use any means necessary, even if it completely disregards how he feels.”

Gao Qiongying’s expression finally changed. “What are you implying?”

“Did I say anything wrong?” Xia Mian mimicked her tone. “I know, to someone like you, a mature woman, interest is the only metric that matters.”

“You asked me what I can offer him in his career, didn’t you? But what can you offer?”

“Can you inspire him so much that he wins a Nobel Prize? No, you can’t.”

“Can you assist him in difficult surgeries or research? Also no.”

“So your so-called support is just financial, like investing in a lab or something.”

“But do you really think Dr. Ning needs that from you? Is he lacking money or ability?!”

“The moment he shows interest, people will be lining up to invest in him. He could even take out his own money to invest in himself. So your supposed help is just a transaction, and you’re the one who benefits.”

“You chase him relentlessly because you know exactly how much his talent can benefit you. Isn’t that right?”

“You ‘pursued’ him in such a high-profile manner, showing off your ‘devotion’ in order to pull in everyone around him to hype you up, all to bind him to you.”

“You’ve spent three years on him, so you think the universe owes you a return. And anyone standing beside him who isn’t you must’ve used dirty tricks to take your place.”

“Aside from insulting him and causing trouble, what have you really given him? Not love, certainly, just demands. You’ve even planned to tie him down to you and exploit him for the rest of his life.”

Xia Mian’s voice turned icy. “Miss Gao, don’t act like you’re above me. When I said you’re not qualified to be my rival, it’s not because Dr. Ning doesn’t like you—it’s because you’re despicable. You simply don’t deserve it.”

Gao Qiongying exploded. “What did you say?!”

Xia Mian sneered. “What, did I say something wrong? Do you even love him?”

“If you love him—no, not love, just an ordinary liking would be enough—you would understand that he’s the kind of person who would rather have nothing than settle for less.”

“He’s never forced himself to do anything out of gratitude or for some benefit. There’s only one reason someone stands beside him—because his heart tells him so.”

“Three years.” Xia Mian laughed. “You spent three years weaving a net just to tie Dr. Ning to you. But if you’d spent even a little time truly understanding him, you’d know that your web means nothing to him. It couldn’t hold him for a second.”

Gao Qiongying clenched her fists. “What do you know? What gives you the right to say that about me?”

“Because right now, I’m Dr. Ning’s girlfriend!” Xia Mian shot back without backing down. “Miss Gao, you’re full of confidence and arrogance. You believe that with your looks, capabilities, and relentless pursuit, Dr. Ning is bound to end up in your pocket sooner or later.”

“But Dr. Ning is prouder than you. When you treat him like prey to be hunted, that in itself is an insult to him!”

Gao Qiongying snapped, “Don’t twist things around! I’m pursuing him with my own abilities, what’s wrong with that?”

“Your ability includes turning everyone against him?” Xia Mian sneered. “You got people in your circle to question me, isn’t that the same as questioning his judgment, suggesting there’s something wrong with his head? Isn’t that an insult?”

Seeing Gao Qiongying about to speak again, Xia Mian cut her off. “Enough. Everything that needed saying has been said. Arguing further is pointless.”

“If you want to keep going, go ahead. I don’t care. However,” her voice turned icy, “I will not allow you to insult Dr. Ning again. If you do, I’ll take it back piece by piece, just like I did today.”

“Try me if you dare!”

With that, Xia Mian turned to leave. But just before stepping out the door, she paused. “Oh, one more thing—Dr. Ning always addresses you as ‘Miss Gao.’ If you respect him at all, stop acting overly familiar.”

“When he calls you ‘Miss Gao’ but you call him ‘Shaobai’, it makes him sound like your subordinate.”

Xia Mian opened the door to find Ning Shaobai just outside, arms crossed, casually leaning against the frame. As she stepped out, a smile tugged at his lips.

She slipped her hand into the crook of his arm and rose on her toes to kiss his cheek. “Dr. Ning, from now on, I’ll be the one protecting you.”

Ning Shaobai cupped her chin, reversed their roles, and kissed her on the lips. “Thanks.”

As soon as they returned from Old Master Rong’s birthday banquet, the first thing Xia Mian did was go find Mao Huimei.

After listening to the recording on Xia Mian’s phone, Mao Huimei was shaking with anger. “What a bastard! So that’s what he really thinks of us. We’ve really been putting up with him all this time!”

Xia Mian briefly told her about He Wei’s family background. “From what I hear, he’s already messed with a few girls like this.”

“What are you going to do, sis?” Xia Mian rolled up her sleeves in a huff. “Need my help?”

“Not for now.” Mao Huimei narrowed her eyes, her voice cold. “Let me think it over properly.”

Clearly, she wasn’t planning on letting him off easily.

Xia Mian said, “Then make sure to let me watch it. Otherwise, I won’t be able to vent my anger.”

Mao Huimei was amused. “No problem. I’ll let you know when I deal with him.”

“Shouldn’t take long, anyway.”

Indeed, Xia Mian didn’t have to wait long. While other students were already on summer break, Mao Huimei’s university had a later schedule, with only four or five days left for the semester.

According to He Wei’s plan, he wanted to embarrass Mao Huimei in public, so naturally, he wouldn’t choose the deserted summer break. But he also didn’t have the patience to play games with her for the whole summer.

So, on the last day of her final exams, Mao Huimei texted Xia Mian, telling her to come to a karaoke bar that evening for the show.

“What’s going on?”

“The day after you showed me the recording, he brought a bouquet of flowers and gave it to me in front of the whole campus.”

“Seeing me so thrilled, he’s been coming every day ever since, bringing gifts and flowers.”

“Yesterday after exams, he even gave me a gold necklace,” Mao Huimei scoffed. “Thin and light, nothing special.”

Xia Mian laughed. “Guess he didn’t want to spend too much on you.”

Mao Huimei sneered. “As if I care.”

Xia Mian asked, “Then how did it end up at karaoke?”

“After giving me the necklace, he invited me to go camping on the mountain,” Mao Huimei said. “I went up with him, but while he was drawing water, I slipped away.”

“Then, after it got dark, I called and told him my parents found out and came to drag me home.”

She grinned. “Oh, and I took his mosquito repellent and bug spray with me when I left.”

Xia Mian burst out laughing.

“So today, he showed up super pissed.”

“I acted all shy and told him I’d talked with my parents about us last night and had something serious to tell him.”

“To show my sincerity, I said I wanted to invite my roommates to witness it.”

“He didn’t mind at all, but said that just roommates wasn’t enough—he wanted me to invite the whole class. Said he’d pay for everyone, no matter how many came.”

Xia Mian laughed even harder. “Nice, nice! I want front-row seats to this face-slapping!”

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