A Marriage in Name Only? My Stepbrother Won't Let Me Go

Pei Yan wanted to hold Ling, but Mei Wanying refused to let him, forbidding him from even getting close.

The man looked crestfallen but didn’t dare press the issue. He could only watch Ling from a short distance.

This was the child Mei Wanying had borne him. For the first time, Pei Yan felt the profound connection of blood.

He had thought he wouldn’t care about the child, but in that very moment, a voice deep inside told him that he would give anything for Ling.

Mei Wanying and Ling were his whole world.

Seeing his daughter’s face flush red as she cried, Pei Yan felt both heartbroken and helpless.

It was his first time being a father; he had no idea how to soothe his daughter.

He could only rely on instinct, saying clumsily, "Daddy’s here. Don’t cry."

Mei Wanying shot him a glare, then said to her daughter, "Don’t listen to his nonsense."

To Pei Yan’s ears, it sounded like she was refusing to let the child acknowledge him as her father.

Panic set in.

"If you won’t let her acknowledge me, then who do you want her to acknowledge? Gu Xun?"

The man’s eyes were filled with hurt, his tone accusatory. Mei Wanying thought he had truly lost his mind.

She was the one who gave birth to the child. Who she let the child call "father" was her business alone.

Mei Wanying knew from personal experience just how obsessive Pei Yan was. She understood that arguing with him any further was pointless.

She said wearily, "Don’t drag innocent people into our affairs. Let Gu Xun go."

"The marriage was my idea. I had no other choice. If I didn’t do this, the Empress would have forced me to return to the Capital City and marry someone."

"And I refused."

"Only Gu Xun could help me."

"He has helped me so much. If you have a problem, take it up with me. Don’t give him a hard time."

The more Mei Wanying defended Gu Xun, the worse Pei Yan felt.

To avoid marrying him, Ah Yin had chosen Gu Xun... or rather, if it hadn’t been Gu Xun, it would have been some other man.

The thought stung Pei Yan.

’Is marrying me so painful?’

’Why else would Ah Yin have resorted to this?’

The man stood frozen, a dazed look on his face.

Before, he had been the only man in Ah Yin’s world.

Her thoughts had revolved around him, her every emotion tied to him. She had never even glanced at another man.

But now, Gu Xun occupied a place in her heart, making Ah Yin worry for him so.

And when he remembered that he was the one who had inadvertently connected them, Pei Yan wanted to slap himself.

’I must have been insane to force Ah Yin to marry someone else.’

’To even hand her the register of names!’

Suddenly, Pei Yan recalled the conversation he had overheard while he was unconscious.

His mother had known all along that Ah Yin was pregnant. She had wanted to bestow a marriage upon her and Gu Xun, to have the child acknowledge Gu Xun as its biological father.

Everyone was trying to tear him and Mei Wanying apart, and he himself had been a disappointment. The thought made Pei Yan so miserable he could die.

’I don’t want anything else. I just want Ah Yin!’

The old Pei Yan would have certainly resorted to harsh threats to coerce Mei Wanying into staying with him.

This time, however, he softened his tone and explained to Mei Wanying, "As long as he behaves himself and stays in the Capital City, I won’t give him any trouble. New Year’s Eve is almost here; he should be with the Gu Family elders to celebrate."

"The Gu Family elders won’t agree to him marrying into your family. He isn’t his own master, and the consequence of his willfulness would be you facing trouble from the Gu Family."

"Gu Xun can’t protect you. It’s better to pull back now than to suffer later."

He made it sound so reasonable. Anyone who didn’t know better might have thought he was doing a good deed.

Mei Wanying had no romantic feelings for Gu Xun, but she was deeply moved by how he had helped her without a second thought.

Naturally, she couldn’t just stand by and let Pei Yan make things difficult for him.

Whether they married or not was a matter between her and Gu Xun. No one else had the right to interfere.

Looking him in the eye, Mei Wanying said in a grave tone, "You know better than anyone that I hate being threatened."

She had never feared death. If truly pushed into a corner, she was willing to fight to the bitter end, even if it meant mutual destruction.

Pei Yan knew Mei Wanying’s temperament.

She had been raised delicately, but her spirit was not fragile. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have taken her own life in her past life.

And then there was the incident where she’d jumped into the water. At the time, he had thought Mei Wanying was just playing hard to get.

But thinking back on it now, she had been resisting Mrs. Mei’s arrangements, refusing to marry him.

Fearing she might do something drastic, Pei Yan promised her, "I won’t touch Gu Xun."

’As long as he doesn’t try to steal my Ah Yin, Gu Xun could tear the sky apart and I’d still spare his life.’

’But if Gu Xun dares to come between me and Ah Yin, he shouldn’t blame me for disregarding our kinship.’

Mei Wanying would no longer believe the man’s lies.

She looked at Pei Yan coldly. "I don’t care where he is. Let him go, now."

Pei Yan rubbed his fingers together.

’Gu Xun was only sent away today. He probably hasn’t gotten far yet.’

’If I let him go, wouldn’t that just give him the chance to come back and find Ah Yin?’

Pei Yan brought a fist to his lips, avoiding Mei Wanying’s gaze. "It’s not that I won’t release him. He holds an official post and must obey the order for his transfer."

Still making excuses.

Mei Wanying’s chest tightened with anger. Getting entangled with Pei Yan was the worst luck she’d ever had in her life!

She glared at him furiously. "This is my home. Please leave!"

Pei Yan refused to go, saying in a low voice, "This... this is my daughter’s home. Unless Ling herself tells me to leave, I’m not going anywhere."

He was completely in the wrong, yet he acted so brazenly.

Wei Jue, standing guard at the door, had to hand it to him. ’Miss Mei was right; His Highness was truly a scoundrel.’

’He’s taking advantage of the fact that the little mistress is only a month old and can’t tell him to get lost.’

’It’d be a miracle if Miss Mei didn’t lose her temper.’

Just as Wei Jue had that thought, he heard a furious shout.

"Get out!"

Mei Wanying’s voice had risen to a shriek. Startled, Ling flinched and began to wail again.

Her fair skin turned beet red as she cried, making her look as if she couldn’t catch her breath.

It was a pitiful sight.

The loud wailing of an infant has a way of grating on adult nerves.

Pei Yan’s arrival had already stretched Mei Wanying’s nerves taut. Now, hearing her daughter’s cries, she felt herself begin to break down.

Tears welled up and spilled from her eyes without warning.

One after another.

Like pearls from a broken string, they showed no sign of stopping. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Mei Wanying thrust Ling into Pei Yan’s arms. "Take her and go! I don’t want to see either of you ever again!"

Mei Wanying’s eyes were brimming with tears, but they couldn’t hide the cold fury within them. "I can give up anything. Don’t even think about threatening me!"

A tiny infant weighed next to nothing.

She should have felt light as a feather, but in Pei Yan’s arms, she felt as heavy as a mountain.

He didn’t dare to hold her too tightly, for fear of hurting her.

Nor did he dare to relax his grip, for fear of dropping her.

Held by this stranger, Ling only cried harder.

Pei Yan was completely at a loss. Seeing Mei Wanying’s tears, he was filled with regret.

’I shouldn’t have pushed her so hard.’

’I was the one who wronged her in the first place. What right did I have to force my way into the Mei Family’s old house?’

He was wrong.

Cradling his daughter, Pei Yan cautiously approached Mei Wanying. "Don’t cry."

Since he wouldn’t leave, Mei Wanying prepared to leave herself.

Mrs. Mei quickly took the baby back. "Ling is just getting fussy. She’s not trying to wear you out. Don’t drag a child into adult matters. She’s so little; she’ll get scared."

Fearing a rift might form between mother and daughter, Mrs. Mei placed Ling back in Mei Wanying’s arms.

Smelling that familiar scent, Ling began to root against Mei Wanying’s chest, her cries turning into little sobs.

She wanted to nurse.

When she didn’t get any milk, she looked up at Mei Wanying with a wronged expression, her large, clear eyes brimming with tears. She looked utterly pathetic.

Mei Wanying hugged her daughter tightly and broke down into sobs.

She didn’t know what had come over her, to do something so heartless.

This was the daughter she had fought so hard to bring into the world. How could she ever bear to give Ling away?