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

A storm of emotion churned in Pei Yan’s eyes, but in the end, he swallowed the words he was about to say.

At the same time, he gave up on the idea of stopping Mei Wanying.

He and the Useless Crown Prince were mortal enemies, a feud that would only end in death. News of his arrival in Jiangnan must have already reached the Useless Crown Prince’s ears.

He had thought that with the Useless Crown Prince imprisoned, the greatest threat was gone.

He never expected something like this to happen.

The Useless Crown Prince would not spare Ah Yin and Lingling. A confrontation with him was inevitable.

"Ah Yin, I will protect you and Lingling this time."

Their family of three would not repeat the tragedy of their last life.

The man’s gaze was firm, tinged with an indescribable emotion.

The contrast with the Pei Yan of the past was immense.

Mei Wanying watched him with a probing expression. ’What in the world happened to him? How did he suddenly have this... epiphany? And he’s being so incredibly humble...’

That time she went to the temple to pray, Pei Yan had appeared out of nowhere. He had been acting strangely even then.

But not *this* strange.

’What could have possibly happened between then and now?’

As Mei Wanying sized him up, Pei Yan’s chest tightened, and his palms grew hot.

’If Ah Yin finds out that I also have memories of our past life, will she avoid me?’

The man’s hands, resting on his knees, clenched. He broke into Mei Wanying’s thoughts. "Ah Yin, can I move back in?"

He had said "back."

In Pei Yan’s subconscious, he and Mei Wanying had merely quarreled and were just living apart for a while.

The Mei family estate was his home, too.

Never mind that they had already bowed to heaven and earth and completed the entire wedding ceremony. Even before that, he had been Mei Wanying’s child husband.

’A child husband is still a husband! It’s my responsibility to come home and protect my wife and daughter.’

Pei Yan looked at Mei Wanying with anticipation. "I won’t do anything else. I just want to watch over you and Lingling."

Across two lifetimes, he and Ah Yin had only been intimate three times.

His current self, however, had taken liberties with Ah Yin in his dreams more times than he could count.

He even thought of Ah Yin while bathing, doing... unspeakable things.

Even though it was all him, Pei Yan felt a pang of jealousy every time he remembered.

His thoughts began to stray uncontrollably.

Though the time and place were completely wrong, an amorous scene still blossomed in Pei Yan’s mind.

A scene with just him and Mei Wanying.

He could only recall blurry fragments of that drunken night, but everything with Ah Yin before he left for war in their last life was crystal clear.

He hadn’t forgotten, even after all this time.

He had tasted passion, had known intimacy.

’How could he possibly return to a state of desirelessness? He... he really wanted Ah Yin so badly.’

His palms grew even hotter. Afraid of scaring Mei Wanying, Pei Yan lowered his eyelids, hiding the lust swirling in his eyes.

’Just being able to see Ah Yin is good enough. It’s more than enough. I absolutely cannot scare her away!’

Mei Wanying knew it. ’He wasn’t going to be reasonable. I agreed to team up with him just once, and already he’s trying to take a mile when I’ve only given an inch.’

’Knowing Pei Yan, if I actually let him move into the old estate, getting rid of him later would be a nightmare.’

She grew angry. "Your Highness, respect yourself!"

She bit out those two words with extra clarity, her gaze filled with wariness.

Pei Yan chuckled. "Ah Yin, I truly don’t have any ill intentions. I just want to protect you and our daughter better."

No matter how pleasant his words, Mei Wanying refused to let Pei Yan move into the old estate.

Her face hardened. "If you won’t cooperate, then I’ll find someone else to help."

’Someone else?’

The smile on Pei Yan’s face vanished instantly. "Who do you plan on asking?"

He dropped the pretense of the gentle, refined nobleman. Radiating an intimidating aura, he advanced on Mei Wanying, step by step.

"Gu Xun?"

He spoke the name softly, but a chord of tension snapped taut in Mei Wanying’s mind.

"You promised you wouldn’t go after him again!"

"Ah Yin, I’ve never been a good man."

Pei Yan’s voice grew even softer. "Don’t think about him. Don’t even look at other men. Ah Yin, you only need to look at me."

He was too close. His masculine scent enveloped Mei Wanying, heavy with aggression.

"You madman!"

Mei Wanying tried to flee, but he grabbed her by the arm.

’Pei Yan wanted to hear her say it herself—that she wouldn’t think of Gu Xun again, that she wouldn’t spare another man a single glance!’

The weather was growing warmer, and her clothes were not as thick as before. Beneath his palm, her arm felt slender, as if it would snap with the slightest pressure.

Pei Yan’s heart stuttered. ’Why is Ah Yin so thin?’

So thin that it felt like the slightest force would hurt her.

Pei Yan’s thoughts flashed back to his previous life. When he had found Ah Yin, she was already gone, no longer breathing.

He had wanted her to wrap her arms around his neck, but her slender arms had fallen, limp and lifeless, again and again.

Pei Yan’s heart clenched in fear, and he instinctively loosened his grip.

Mei Wanying shot him a venomous glare. She started to leave, then remembered this was her home.

"Get out of my house!"

Having angered Mei Wanying yet again, Pei Yan was filled with regret. He explained in a low voice, "Ah Yin, I was just jealous."

Mei Wanying sneered, "What right do you have to be jealous? Don’t forget, you’re the one who said you only see me as a sister!"

Pei Yan had said those words himself.

He then recalled the night he’d crashed her wedding, when Mei Wanying had called him ’Brother.’

Pei Yan wished he could just slap himself.

’Was I sick in the head? What was I thinking, calling her my sister!’

Ignoring her jab, the man put on a wronged expression. "Before, I was the only man in your life. Your heart and your eyes were only for me."

Mei Wanying’s chest heaved. ’He had the gall to act wronged?’

"You said it yourself—that was the past! What’s the point of clinging to it now?"

"It is meaningful."

Pei Yan dropped all pretense and false modesty. "Ah Yin, I’m begging you to come back to me."

Mei Wanying didn’t want to hear it. "Just get out!"

Pei Yan tried to soothe her. "I won’t make you angry anymore."

"Or... you can scratch me back?"

The tall man lowered his head, his deep eyes fixed on Mei Wanying, as if to say she could take out her anger on him in any way she pleased.

For a moment, Mei Wanying truly wanted to stab him with a needle. "Why are you so shameless!"

Pei Yan: "..."

’How am I being shameless...? What’s so wrong with trying to win back my wife?’

Having heard that Pei Yan had arrived, Mrs. Mei wanted to discuss with him how to deal with the threat of the Useless Crown Prince.

When she heard her daughter cursing Pei Yan, she stood silently outside, hesitating to enter.

But when she heard Mei Wanying call Pei Yan a wretch, she rushed inside.

’That girl must have lost her mind,’ she thought. ’He’s the Crown Prince! How could she use such words to describe him? This was treasonous! If someone with ill intentions were to overhear, even if Pei Yan didn’t pursue the matter, would the powers that be in the palace let it slide? Disaster stems from a careless tongue, and you can’t act recklessly just because ’the mountains are high and the Emperor is far away’.’

Mrs. Mei entered the hall and scolded Mei Wanying, "His Highness is of noble and precious birth! If you speak such reckless words again, your mother will have you kneel in the ancestral hall!"

Mei Wanying bit her lip, not saying a word.

’She knew she shouldn’t be taking her anger out on Pei Yan, but she just couldn’t help herself. Ever since the day Pei Yan reappeared, her emotions had been spiraling out of control. Perhaps ignoring him was the best option after all.’

Mei Wanying turned slightly, revealing the slender, porcelain-white column of her neck.

She looked fragile, yet she refused to bow her head.

Guilt flickered in Pei Yan’s eyes. ’I was the one who provoked Ah Yin, so why is she the one getting scolded?’

The man took half a step forward, shielding Mei Wanying behind him.

He said, "Mother, Ah Yin and I were just joking. There’s no need to make a fuss."

’Mother...’

’That form of address again!’

Mrs. Mei felt like years were being shaved off her life.

’I told him that wedding didn’t count, so why is he still calling me that? Forget Ah Yin; at this point, even *I* want to start cursing...’