Aunt Wang Never Takes a Backseat to Anyone in Her Life

"Second Sister."

"..."

"Tang Xin is your best friend!" The Eldest Sister's six words carried a weight of unspoken meaning.

It was as if she was telling Second Sister not to keep making mistakes.

There was nothing wrong with liking someone.

But liking someone you shouldn’t, and refusing to turn back—that was wrong.

Moreover,

in this family, anyone else could like Fifth Brother, even pursue him—after all, he wasn’t married yet.

But Second Sister shouldn’t be caught in the middle.

Because Tang Xin was her best friend.

This wasn’t just about affection—it was betrayal.

"What if Tang Xin doesn’t mind?"

Ren Fanxing blurted out in response.

This time, it was the Eldest Sister’s turn to be stunned. She stared at Second Sister, speechless, as if she had gone mad.

How deep had she fallen to say something like that?

Those words carried too much meaning.

The Eldest Sister suddenly realized the situation was far more serious than she had imagined.

Logically speaking, if someone was truly infatuated beyond reason, indifferent to judgment or moral condemnation, and determined to be with the person they loved…

She should have said, "I don’t care about this friendship."

That would have expressed her willingness to break ties with her best friend just to win Fifth Brother over.

But she didn’t say that.

Instead, she said, "What if Tang Xin doesn’t mind?"

What did that imply?

Didn’t it mean she was fine with sharing him with her best friend?

A threesome?

How far was she willing to go?

This was serious.

A statement like that could only mean two things: either she was already in too deep, or she was ready to dive in without caring about the consequences.

"I think,"

"we need to have a serious talk."

The Eldest Sister’s expression turned grave, her face stern.

Second Sister quickly realized she had said too much—it was practically a confession.

"I, uh… I need to take a shower first."

"I’ll wait for you. Tonight, we sisters are having a long, honest conversation." The Eldest Sister’s tone was unreadable.

Even though Second Sister could probably kick her across the room with one swing of her leg, the natural hierarchy of elder siblings, combined with the guilt of wrongdoing, made her shrink back.

That night,

neither sister slept.

The next morning, they both emerged with red-rimmed eyes, exhaustion written all over their faces.

"What happened to you two…?"

Ren’s mother was startled at the sight.

"We just talked about some things. It’s nothing, Mom. I’m heading to the office." The Eldest Sister left without even eating breakfast.

Truthfully, their physical stamina wasn’t the issue—they could handle a sleepless night or two.

But they definitely looked worse for wear.

Soon after, Second Sister also left for work.

Ren’s mother glanced at The Third and The Fourth, who were still eating breakfast.

They just shook their heads—they had no clue either.

Ren’s mother sighed inwardly. If only Fifth Brother were home… He was the family’s walking encyclopedia. Ask him anything, and he’d know. So reliable.

---

Morning.

Sanjiang City.

Cao Cheng and Tang Xin woke up in their hotel room.

Truth be told,

Young Master Cao returned every year, but only to visit graves and make some business arrangements.

After all, twenty years from now, industries would shift inland, and Sanjiang’s strategic location as a transportation hub would be undeniable.

In the future, even major companies like ByteDance would set up R&D centers here, making it the fourth most important city after Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

All the other big-name corporations would follow, establishing cloud computing and cybersecurity divisions here too.

Getting a head start was never a bad idea.

And the property prices here? Absurdly cheap.

They got dressed,

went out for breakfast,

and warmed themselves with steaming bowls of rice noodles.

The weather was freezing—nothing like hot noodles to chase away the chill.

Late morning.

Cao Cheng took Tang Xin to the cemetery.

They swept the graves, burned some paper offerings, and Tang Xin laid down a bouquet, announcing their plans to marry.

They also mentioned Old Cao.

Not in a good way, of course—more like tattling. If his mother had any presence in the afterlife, maybe she could haunt Old Cao in his dreams.

As they left the cemetery,

Tang Xin chided him, "Why only complain and not share good news? If you keep this up, Auntie—"

"Hm?" Cao Cheng shot her a sidelong glance.

Tang Xin’s cheeks flushed. "Our mom won’t rest in peace."

"I just wanted to see if ghosts or alternate dimensions exist. If they do, even death won’t separate us." Cao Cheng delivered the line with deep affection.

What a hellish love confession. Tang Xin was speechless.

Once they got in the car,

Tang Xin asked, "Are we heading back to Zhonghai now?"

"No rush!"

Cao Cheng waved a hand and instructed the bodyguard-slash-driver, "Take us to the old cotton mill."

The driver pulled up the GPS, and the car started moving.

In the past,

when Young Master Cao came back to visit graves, he never bothered returning to the old neighborhood.

There was no point.

Aside from Aunt Wang, who was worth remembering, the only people worth seeing were a few of the old neighborhood aunties who had once fought alongside him in the "Jiangbei civilian patrol."

And his schedule was always packed—when you’re here on business, who has time for hometown reunions?

Showing off like that wasn’t his style anyway.

But this time was different.

He had brought his future wife.

Time to let those small-town folks—ahem, those dear old aunties—see what a real fairy looked like.

Might as well ask their sons what kind of women they married.

And set an example for the old cotton mill community: This is the standard. No more bringing home just any random girl—have some standards, will you?

To put it bluntly…

Rather than marrying some ugly duckling or crooked gourd, it's better to stay single for life.

So,

As the top dog of the old cotton mill, Cao Cheng had to set an example for his peers and the younger generations, raising the bar a little higher.

Not just any random stray cat or dog could marry into the old cotton mill's residential compound.

Hmph!

Cao Cheng was doing this for everyone's sake.

As the birthplace of the Jiangbei community, the old cotton mill should have its own standards and heritage.

Right?

Driving along,

Cao Cheng felt a mix of nostalgia and apprehension as he approached his hometown.

At noon, a flying Bentley cruised into the old cotton mill.

Two other cars followed at a distance, not entering together—these were the covert security detail assigned to protect Tang Xin.

Winter in the old cotton mill was still lively.

People came out to bask in the sun.

The houses were too cold in winter, sometimes even chillier than outside.

So before lunch, plenty of folks lounged around in the sunlight.

That’s just how old residential compounds were.

As the car entered the neighborhood,

it didn’t take long to spot the old grove by the roadside, now bulldozed and rebuilt into a recreation area with fitness equipment and ping-pong tables, bustling with activity.

Kids ran around, laughing and playing.

Run, run, laugh, laugh.

In a few years, they’d be buried under college entrance exams...

Meanwhile, a group of middle-aged women sat by the roadside, chatting away.

In the blink of an eye, someone in the old cotton mill might’ve already been ruined.

From a distance, these women looked like they were in a heated argument, faces flushed, arms flailing—probably discussing some scandalous affair.

Cao Cheng spotted a familiar figure.

After so long,

she was still as robust as ever.

Proof that the old cotton mill’s feng shui was truly excellent.

Rolling down the window,

Cao Cheng cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted:

“Aunt Wang~~~~~~”

“……”

“……”

Tang Xin was stunned.

She’d never seen Cao Cheng this hyped up.

Sitting inside the car, she had witnessed his emotional journey from start to finish.

At first, he was visibly nostalgic, his eyes sparkling with the joy of returning home, though he deliberately kept his emotions in check.

Then, as he noticed the changes in the scenery, he began explaining to Tang Xin what things used to look like and what they’d been replaced with.

This was his way of helping her fit in.

Then, as they entered the compound and saw the familiar faces—young and old—he suddenly got excited.

He rolled down the window and shouted something about an "Aunt"?

Huang?

Tang Xin didn’t catch the name, but judging by Cao Cheng’s enthusiasm, they must’ve been close.

She mentally noted this "Aunt Huang" to ask about later.

Tang Xin knew Cao Cheng had grown up in a single-parent household, so this Aunt Huang must’ve taken care of him.

Cao Cheng was always the type to repay kindness with… well, kindness.

Yeah.

That had to be it.

Tang Xin pieced together the backstory in her head, making sense of his outburst.

Outside the car window,

the group of middle-aged women were swapping gossip about the Zhangs and the Lis, along with some racy jokes—after all, it was almost New Year’s, and many young people were returning home, some bringing their partners.

The old cotton mill was always lively during the holidays.

Aunt Wang was a core member of the gossip network. Since Cao Cheng left, she’d been unchallenged, her status rising steadily. Now she was a key figure in the Jiangbei rumor mill.

At this moment, she was in her element, holding court like a general commanding troops—

until that voice snapped her back to reality.

“Aunt Wang~~~~”

“Did Little Wang graduate from vocational college yet?”

“Holy shit!”

Aunt Wang’s face instantly turned crimson.

So much for wishful thinking.

The jinx was back?

She looked up and saw a luxury car passing by, a familiar face poking out the window.

That little bastard, Cao.

They still exchanged calls every year, especially during New Year’s, sending texts to "greet" each other—and renew their feud.

But it had been years since they’d met in person. Seeing that little brat’s grin again, hearing him dredge up her son’s vocational college saga like it was his business—how could she take that?

“None of your damn business!” Aunt Wang snapped.

The car had already driven past.

“Aunt Wang, I’m just looking out for you,” came the distant, infuriatingly sanctimonious reply.

“None of your damn business~~~!” Aunt Wang chased after the car, shaking her fist.

Oh no.

Oh no no no.

That little troublemaker was back, and life was about to get complicated.

Most of the women in the group knew about the history between Cao Cheng and Aunt Wang, but a few newcomers were busy prying for details.

Aunt Wang stomped back, red-faced but determined to save face.

She plopped back onto her stool with a cold snort. “That kid’s been out there struggling for years—must’ve hit rock bottom if he’s crawling back. Used to be on Spring Festival Gala, now? Bet they didn’t even invite him. Serves him right! Pah…”

One of the women piped up, “I recognize that car logo. A winged ‘B’—costs millions.”

“Wow… that expensive?”

The surrounding Eldest Sisters gasped in shock.

Everyone knew that the old cotton mill had produced a tycoon, but it had always felt distant, almost unreal.

Besides, it had been so long that it had become little more than a topic for casual conversation over tea.

When Young Master Cao first became the richest man, the neighborhood had been genuinely excited. But over time, that enthusiasm faded—after all, he hadn’t been back in years and hadn’t brought any real benefits to the community, so people naturally stopped caring.

Aunt Wang fumed, "A few million? What’s that compared to the hundreds of billions he used to have? Clearly, he’s fallen on hard times—serves him right, pah!"

"……"

"……"

The crowd fell silent. Aunt Wang had a point.

Her way of looking at things was truly… unique.

One Eldest Sister pulled out her phone. "I just checked—Cao Cheng is still the richest man."

"So what? The rankings just haven’t updated yet! Once they do, he’ll be gone—pah!" Aunt Wang never backed down, especially when it came to her sharp tongue.