My Second Aunt Is Seducing My Husband!

Ning Grandfather's birthday banquet was held at the White Emperor Hotel. Although only family had been invited, no expense had been spared—they had even booked the entire venue.

The moment Ning Shile entered the hotel, everyone's eyes landed on him.

The Ning Family was large. Ning Father had three older sisters and two older brothers. His second and third sisters had both married into families in Haicheng, and they rarely kept in touch or saw one another throughout the year. Yet today, both had brought their entire families. Even their husbands, who were usually swamped with work, had come.

When they saw Ning Shile, they greeted him with smiles, then craned their necks to look behind him.

Seeing only Ning Father and Ning Mother enter, they stubbornly waited a few more minutes. Once they realized that only the three members of the Ning Family had arrived, they could no longer keep their smiles up.

[Disappointed because Zheng Ye didn't come?]

His second uncle's wife looked particularly crestfallen.

She wore a champagne-colored gown with a plunging open back today and had even had her hair specially styled. She had clearly put a great deal of effort into her appearance.

After staring for quite some time without seeing Zheng Ye, she refused to give up and asked, "Is Zheng Ye not coming?"

"No," Ning Shile answered frankly. "He's busy."

"Oh..." His second aunt deflated and picked up the coat draped over a chair.

If he isn't coming, I might as well put this on. Having my back exposed is pretty chilly.

Hearing that, the others stopped bothering to pretend and turned away to do other things.

"And they claimed they were marrying into the Zheng Family. In their dreams, maybe," his eldest aunt's younger daughter muttered.

His eldest aunt gave her a swat, afraid Ning Shile might hear.

"What?" Annoyed at being hit, her younger daughter raised her voice and shot Ning Shile a disdainful glance. "A pheasant is still a pheasant. It'll never become a phoenix."

[A pheasant is still a pheasant~ It'll never become a phoenix~]

Ning Shile bobbed his head as he mimicked her inwardly.

He didn't care what other people said. Ever since learning that he was merely a background extra in this novel, he had become exceptionally broad-minded.

Besides, he had serious business to attend to today!

Where was Ning Shiyan, the star of today's juicy gossip?

Ning Shile looked around and spotted Ning Shiyan sitting before Ning Grandfather, showing off a pair of jade pieces he had brought as a gift.

His eager display reminded Ning Shile of his own gift. Taking out the Five Scenes Painting he had paid a fortune for, Ning Shile walked toward Ning Grandfather.

"Grandpa." Ning Shile approached with smiling eyes and offered his birthday wishes. "May your blessings be as vast as the eastern sea, and may you live as long as the southern mountains."

People said you shouldn't strike a smiling face, but that saying clearly didn't apply to Ning Grandfather.

The moment he saw Ning Shile, his smile vanished. He even looked Ning Shile up and down with undisguised disgust.

An actress's son. Just as expected, a pretty boy—nice to look at, but useless. If I hadn't heard he'd gotten together with the Zheng Family's son, I would never have allowed Ning Shile to show up here!

What rotten luck!

Ning Shile wasn't stupid. Naturally, he sensed that something was off with Ning Grandfather.

[Why is this little old man getting angry?]

[Oh well, your dutiful grandson will show you some filial devotion~]

Ning Shile rubbed his chin.

[Why does that sound kind of weird?]

"Grandpa, this is the birthday gift I prepared for you." He stepped forward and unfurled the painting in his hands.

Ning Grandfather had initially dismissed it, but as Ning Shile unrolled it, vivid, lifelike strokes appeared on the paper.

Ning Grandfather was immediately captivated.

The painting's colors were rich and its ink full-bodied, capturing both form and spirit. Its seemingly effortless brushwork brimmed with charm, and the lions amid the landscape were depicted with remarkably expressive detail. One glance was enough to tell that it was the work of a master!

The others were drawn over as well, and couldn't help looking surprised.

This painting looks expensive. Where would Ning Shile get that kind of money? Could Zheng Ye have prepared it, with Ning Shile simply passing it off as his own gift?

As they wondered, Ning Shile finished unfurling the painting.

And the seal in the lower-right corner belonged to Tang Yun—Master Tang himself!

The room fell silent for several minutes.

"Are you out of your mind?" His eldest aunt's younger daughter shattered the silence and snatched the painting from him. "You brought a fake painting to fool Grandpa? If you really wanted to show off, you should've picked something nobody could recognize! Are you trying to be funny, bringing a Five Scenes Painting? Everyone knows the real one is on display in a museum!"

"Let me see." His eldest aunt leaned over at the commotion and burst out laughing, clearly enjoying the spectacle. "Oh my, it really is the Five Scenes Painting!"

Several people exchanged glances, unable to stop snickering.

Disdain practically spilled from his second uncle's eyes. With his mouth turned down and his lips pursed, he couldn't resist a jab. "Shile, it's good that you wanted to bring a gift, but there was no need to bring a fake, was there?"

He paused and glanced at Ning Father and Ning Mother, aiming his insult at them too. "Well, I suppose it's no surprise that your family would do something like this."

Then his second uncle snatched the painting away. He had a strong grip, and a careless shake left several creases in it. "How much did you pay for this fake?"

Ning Shile's eyes followed the painting the whole time. "Five million," he answered absently.

"Hahahahaha, five million!" His second aunt couldn't help bursting into laughter at the number. "Five million for a fake painting! Ying, just look at your son!"

Now dragged into it, Ning Father and Ning Mother felt embarrassed too.

Ning Mother stepped forward and gently tugged Ning Shile, lowering her voice to give him a mild scolding. "Why did you buy this thing? Didn't your dad already tell you it was fake?"

Hearing the price Ning Shile had paid made Ning Father's heart ache even more. He complained indignantly, "That con artist has no professional ethics whatsoever! He quoted me eight hundred thousand, but charged you five million! He must've thought you were stupid and made up whatever price he wanted!"

[What do you mean, he thought I was stupid? He originally quoted me only five hundred thousand!]

[No, no, why am I explaining this to you? None of you know what you're looking at. Grandpa definitely will!]

[Grandpa is Master Tang's die-hard fan~ He'll definitely recognize his style~]

Ning Shile snatched the painting back and carefully spread it out flat.

[You've wrinkled my precious darling. Damn it!]

The creased paper couldn't be restored, but Ning Shile still stroked it several times with aching tenderness before once again laying it before Ning Grandfather like a prized treasure.

"Grandpa, your birthday gift." Looking immensely pleased with himself, Ning Shile glanced at the painting, then at Ning Grandfather, his chin slightly raised like a child waiting for his teacher's praise.

Ning Shile recalled the original novel, in which his grandfather had taken his hand and apologized before passing away. An inexplicable heaviness settled in his chest.

He knew his grandfather disliked him, so he had never been close to him growing up. When he was little, his grandfather would prepare gifts for his older cousins and take them out for delicious food, leaving only Ning Shile out.

Their only outing together had been a trip to the museum. It was then that his grandfather had told Ning Shile how much he admired Tang Yun's paintings.

In the original novel, his grandfather had been consumed with guilt toward him on his deathbed. He had even said that, given another chance, he would treat Ning Shile well.

Now, Ning Shile had decided to honor his grandfather's dying wish and give them both a chance.

He could at least say he had done everything he could.

"A birthday gift?" Ning Grandfather sneered. "You call this a birthday gift?"

[?]

Ning Shile's heart raced at the reprimand, and he hurried to explain. "This is the Five Scenes Painting. This one is the first scroll—"

"What first scroll? A first scroll you painted yourself?" Ning Grandfather slammed the table, cutting him off, clearly furious. "I knew you were a good-for-nothing who ruins everything he touches!"

A buzzing filled Ning Shile's head. The words caught in his throat, and he couldn't get a single one out.

It was as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water over his enthusiasm. His blood seemed to drain away, leaving his hands cold.

No one dared make a sound.

Ning Grandfather was truly angry.

"You brought a fake painting to fool me? And you're claiming it's the first scroll? There's only one painting, and it's in a museum!" His face changed color with anger. "Even if you wanted to put on an act, you should've picked something people wouldn't recognize!"

Of all the things Ning Shile could have brought, he had to bring a fake Tang Yun painting—and an obvious fake everyone knew about! What could this be if not deliberate?!

That thought enraged him further. His breathing grew labored and blood rushed to his head as he lifted the painting from the table.

Before everyone's eyes, he pulled with both hands. With a rip!, he tore the painting in half!

[!]

Ning Shile's eyes widened slightly as he watched.

As if in slow motion, the painting he had specially prepared was torn in two.

Then Ning Grandfather crumpled the painting with a crunch and hurled it into Ning Shile's face. "Get out!"

Ning Grandfather hadn't held back, and they were standing close together. The impact knocked Ning Shile's face to one side.

He stared blankly at the painting discarded on the floor like trash. His chest felt tight, the pain unbearable.

He looked at his grandfather in disbelief.

But Ning Grandfather seemed disgusted even by the sight of him. His other grandchildren gathered around to help calm him down.

The other elders berated Ning Shile, while his parents bowed and scraped, apologizing on his behalf.

The accusations and judgment kept coming.

Ning Shile closed his eyes, trying to steady himself.

But hurt surged through him like seawater, impossible to calm.

...Why?

He could at least have let me finish.

[This really hurts...]

Ning Shile bit his lip.

Fortunately, he had kept something in reserve regarding this painting. Otherwise, he really would have lost his mind.

"Shile." A familiar female voice sounded. Ning Shile looked up and saw Zheng Mother standing a short distance away in the hall.

Along with Zheng Mother, Zheng Ye and Zheng Father had also arrived.

The whole Zheng Family now stood at the entrance to the hall.

"Come here, let me have a look." Zheng Mother beckoned to Ning Shile, her eyes full of tenderness. "How did coming back to your own family end up with you being bullied?"

At those words, Ning Shile's nose stung even more. He hurried over like a child who finally had someone to stand up for him and called out, his eyes red, "Auntie..."

"I'm here. Auntie's here." Zheng Mother stroked Ning Shile's hair, as gentle as if she were soothing her own child.

Ning Shile sniffled and pitifully rubbed his eyes, then rubbed them again.

The sight broke Zheng Mother's heart. She raised her head, her smile fading as her gaze swept coolly across the room before settling on Ning Grandfather.

Her voice was neither loud nor quiet, but seemed intended for every member of the Ning Family present. "With me here, let's see who dares bully you."

At her words, warmth finally stirred in Ning Shile's heart.

Zheng Ye stood beside Ning Shile. Looking down, he saw the red mark on Ning Shile's face. His own expression involuntarily cooled, and the sharpness in his eyes intensified severalfold.

His second aunt, who had excitedly begun taking off her coat upon seeing Zheng Ye, paused, somewhat frightened by his imposing presence.

After giving it considerable thought, she still decided to remove her coat and expose her back to attract Zheng Ye's attention.

Seeing what his second aunt was doing, Ning Shile felt upset all over again. [Not one decent person in this family! Even at a time like this, my second aunt is trying to seduce my husband. Boohoo...]

Zheng Ye choked.

Seriously... I give up.