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

Pei Yan made himself right at home, moving into the courtyard closest to Mei Wanying’s.

His courtyard and the one Xue Xingyao had previously occupied now flanked Mei Wanying’s, one on each side.

Pei Yan was still jealous of Xue Xingyao. ’In Ah Yin’s heart, Xue Xingyao is probably far more important than I am.’

And frustratingly, he didn’t even have the right to complain.

Back in the Capital City, the two of them had been extremely close.

When he was away on campaigns, Mei Wanying was practically monopolized by Xue Xingyao.

Now that Xue Xingyao was getting a divorce and had even bought a residence here, she would surely cling to Ah Yin and never let go.

She might even persuade Ah Yin to stay away from him again.

The more Pei Yan thought about it, the more anxious he became. ’I have to get Ah Yin to forgive me as soon as possible!’

For a moment, Pei Yan entertained the thought of forbidding Chen Shujing and Xue Xingyao from divorcing. That way, there would be one less person trying to persuade Ah Yin to stay away from him.

But he quickly came to his senses.

Ah Yin cared deeply for Xue Xingyao, so much so that she was willing to be her support and help her escape her cage.

If he dared to do something like that, Ah Yin would absolutely despise him.

She might even think he and Chen Shujing were cut from the same cloth and refuse to ever speak to him again.

That was a consequence Pei Yan could not bear.

He had to completely abandon that dangerous line of thought.

Mei Wanying had just taken over the family business and was now at her busiest.

She was in the study going over the accounts when the intermittent sounds of things being moved drifted in.

The noise wasn’t loud, but it left Mei Wanying feeling flustered and irritable.

Just the thought that in the coming days, she would be running into Pei Yan all the time, made the agitation in her heart impossible to suppress.

The clicking of the abacus stopped, and Ding Xiang cautiously glanced at her mistress’s reaction.

At first glance, her expression was blank, as if she were perfectly calm.

But the frustration in her eyes gave her away.

Unable to focus on the ledgers any longer, Mei Wanying wrote a letter to Xue Xingyao, asking about her situation in the Capital City.

At the same time, she sent another letter to the steward of the General Mansion in the Capital City, telling him to pay close attention to Xue Xingyao’s situation and help her to the best of his ability.

Mei Wanying had already experienced what it felt like to be kicked when you’re down in her previous life.

It was truly bitter, so very bitter...

Chen Shujing might be a scoundrel, but she would always support Ah Yao.

She would not let Ah Yao be isolated and helpless.

After handing the letters to Ding Xiang, Mei Wanying sat lost in thought in the study until the sound of a baby crying pulled her back to her senses.

Ling had woken up and, not seeing Mei Wanying, opened her little mouth, squeezed her eyes shut, and wailed.

Her voice was so loud it could have torn the roof off.

No wonder the Mei family relatives didn’t believe she was a premature baby. Ling’s vitality was indeed much stronger than that of other children.

Ever since the day she was born, she had never been sick.

When Ling was born, she was so tiny, like a little mouse. Mei Wanying had been so afraid she wouldn’t be able to raise her daughter well that she would check her breathing every hour.

At night, she didn’t dare let Ling sleep in her bed. Although her mother said it would be more convenient for feedings, Mei Wanying was still scared.

She was afraid she would turn over in her sleep without noticing and crush the tiny baby.

And so, trembling with trepidation, she watched her child grow day by day.

From a tiny infant who only ate, drank, and slept, she turned into a chubby little baby who could lift her head and roll over.

Now that Ling had grown plump and rosy and was very healthy, the tightly wound string in Mei Wanying’s heart finally loosened.

As soon as she entered the room, a maidservant brought a damp cloth and waited on her as she washed her hands.

Only after wiping her hands clean did Mei Wanying go to hold her daughter.

Ling was crying loudly, but it was all thunder and no rain. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she wailed with all her might.

Mei Wanying couldn’t help but smile.

Her fingers, slender as spring onion shoots, lightly touched her daughter’s little cheek. "Mommy’s here."

The wailing baby paused, her eyes opening a crack. Seeing Mei Wanying, she immediately stopped crying.

She kicked her little feet, made an adorable face, and even grinned at Mei Wanying, blowing a spit bubble.

Changing your tune so quickly, Mei Wanying pinched her daughter’s little cheek and asked in a low voice, "Did you learn that from him?"

’That man is moody and unpredictable, his expression changing faster than one can flip a page. Ling must get it from him.’

Ling gurgled in her milky voice, and Mei Wanying took it as her daughter’s agreement.

She advised her, "He’s not a good person. Don’t learn from him."

Even before Pei Yan moved into the old residence, he had taken every possible opportunity to see Ling.

Now that he was living right next door, Mei Wanying didn’t believe for a second that he would behave himself.

Holding her daughter’s tiny hand, she instructed her carefully, "No matter what he says to you, don’t listen, and don’t pay him any mind."

"If he teases you, don’t you dare laugh."

"If he refuses to leave, you scratch him, or pee on him again."

"You must stay far, far away from him. Don’t let him trick you, understand?"

"..."

Pei Yan had sharp hearing. He had heard the commotion when Ling started wailing.

His daughter was crying her heart out, and he grew anxious, rushing over to Mei Wanying’s courtyard without a second thought.

Standing outside the room, he heard every word.

’No wonder Lingling scratches and claws at me, one moment peeing on me, the next smearing drool everywhere. So it was Ah Yin who taught her.’

In the past, he would have had to "teach" Ah Yin a good lesson.

But now, he didn’t dare.

He could only let her teach their daughter to be mischievous.

Pei Yan thought, ’Lingling likes me too. As long as I coax her properly, I can foil Ah Yin’s scheme.’

Inside the room, the soft female voice sounded again, "He’s a bad man who loves to trick little children. Our Ling won’t fall for his tricks!"

Pei Yan’s expression turned awkward. ’I’m not a good person, true, but she can’t just undermine me in front of our daughter.’

’What if Lingling grows to hate me?’

He raised a hand, motioning for the attendants waiting at the door to withdraw.

He was the Crown Prince. Mei Wanying might dare to bad-mouth him, but the servants wouldn’t dare to listen.

If His Highness felt he had lost face, wouldn’t they be the ones to suffer?

Lowering their heads, they moved away from the place of conflict.

Mei Wanying knew her daughter couldn’t understand words yet, but Pei Yan’s attempts to curry favor with Ling made her uncomfortable.

’It always feels like my precious treasure is being stolen away.’

’While she’s still too young to understand, I’ll talk more about Pei Yan’s faults. Once Ling is old enough to understand, I won’t mention him in front of her again.’

At first, Ling would hum and gurgle in response, smiling at Mei Wanying. But eventually, truly not understanding, her little head started nuzzling against Mei Wanying’s chest.

This meant she was hungry and wanted milk.

Mei Wanying smiled. ’No wonder you were being so good just now and kept smiling at me.’

’So you were just trying to get some milk!’

’What a clever little imp,’ Mei Wanying thought.

Seeing the little one’s mouth pucker up as if she were about to cry, Mei Wanying quickly undid her lapels.

Pei Yan stood outside, wanting to hear how else Mei Wanying would bad-mouth him.

He inexplicably felt like smiling. ’Ah Yin dislikes gossip. For her to speak ill of me, isn’t that just another form of favoritism?’

’Gu Xun has never experienced this kind of bliss.’

A wave of smugness washed over Pei Yan.

’That guy wants to cut in? In his dreams!’

At first, Pei Yan could still hear the mother and daughter’s voices, but then they suddenly went silent. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Pei Yan had lost Mei Wanying once before; he felt utterly insecure.

His heart pounded violently, and for a dazed moment, he felt that his reunion with Mei Wanying was just a dream.

He was terrified that she and Ling would suddenly disappear.

He’d had such dreams many, many times!

Panic swept over him. Pei Yan strode into the room. ’I have to see Ah Yin!’

’I won’t let her disappear again!’