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

Mei Wanying’s cousin had accidentally fallen off a cliff. Pei Yan and Mei Wanying shared a silent understanding.

The Useless Crown Prince had made his move.

Logically, there was no reason for him to kill Mei Wanying’s cousin. The act would only increase his risk of being exposed.

And yet, he had done it anyway.

Mei Wanying was once again certain that the Useless Crown Prince was a madman who would stop at nothing.

’To get what he wanted, he would stoop to any dirty trick, even... disregarding human life.’

Mei Wanying felt a chill run down her spine, as if she were being stalked by a viper from the gutters.

’If she had no other choice, she would rather die than submit to that monster.’

’But what would happen to her mother and daughter?’

Her mother was frail and sickly. Ever since Wanying had finished her postpartum confinement, her mother had gradually stepped back from managing affairs, saying she wanted to enjoy her golden years doting on her grandchild.

’And Ling was so little. If danger came, she would be completely defenseless.’

With the elderly and the young depending on her, Mei Wanying had to use every ounce of her strength to keep them safe.

Setting aside her personal feelings, she looked at Pei Yan. "What is that man planning? I get the feeling he isn’t afraid of exposing his location."

"It’s not just that he isn’t afraid; he almost seems to be looking forward to it."

"Looking forward to a confrontation with us..."

It was impossible for an ordinary person to fathom the thoughts of a madman, so she could only ask Pei Yan.

Pei Yan had contended with the Useless Crown Prince for years; he was the one who understood him best.

"He doesn’t want to live anymore," the man said. "And perhaps he wants to drag others down with him."

The Useless Crown Prince was severely wounded, and countless of his subordinates had been eliminated. He was living on borrowed time.

Anyone else in this situation, having escaped with their life, would have hidden their identity, secretly built up their forces, and waited for another opportunity to rise up.

But Pei Yu was different.

He would rather die than cling desperately to life.

His own death wouldn’t be enough. He would only be satisfied if he could drag a great many people down to serve as his cushion in the afterlife.

This trip to Jiangnan was specifically for Mei Wanying and Ling.

Before, he wanted to have Mei Wanying.

Now, he wanted Mei Wanying dead!

Pei Yan’s expression grew grave. If he were alone, he wouldn’t be the slightest bit afraid, no matter what tricks his opponent tried to pull.

But he had Ah Yin and Lingling. They were his weakness, and he was terrified of making a single misstep that would give others an opening.

It was just like in his past life. He had thought he could protect Mei Wanying and their child, but the reality had been the complete opposite.

Xue Yunshu had been wrong to collude with the enemy, but he himself was not blameless.

If he had just been clear with Ah Yin sooner, her intelligence would have certainly guided her on how to keep herself and their child safe.

Ah Yin would never have acted recklessly, much less made an unreasonable fuss during a crisis.

But he, in his arrogance, had told Ah Yin nothing.

Pei Yan dared not make the same mistake again. He bared his heart to Mei Wanying. "Ah Yin, I just want you and Lingling to be safe. No matter what I do, my only goal is to protect you both."

Turbulent emotions churned in the depths of his eyes, as if he had a thousand things to say to her.

Mei Wanying felt scorched by his gaze and quickly looked away.

Beneath her wide sleeve, her pale fingers curled. She took a hasty half-step back, putting distance between them.

Pei Yan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He took a step forward, closing the distance between them once more.

"Ah Yin, I have never loved anyone else. Not in the past, and I will only ever love you in the future."

’He had always thought that such empty words were meaningless.’

’In time, Ah Yin would look back and naturally reach her own conclusions.’

’But Ah Yin wouldn’t even look at him. If he didn’t say something now, they might never have a chance.’

The man had held Ling just a short while ago, and he still carried the faint, milky scent of the baby. Despite this, his presence felt immensely oppressive to Mei Wanying.

Mei Wanying forced herself to remain calm and said coldly, "I am trying to discuss serious business with you. Stop with all this nonsense."

The man murmured, "Oh." A hint of a smile touched his eyes, but he did not step back.

Mei Wanying’s delicate brows knitted together. ’If he won’t move, I will!’

She immediately took several steps away, putting a good distance between them. If they hadn’t still been discussing important matters, she would have turned and left without a backward glance.

Pei Yan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

He rubbed the tip of his nose. ’If I get any closer, I’ll definitely make her angry.’

He could only stay put.

He continued, "He can’t get into the old residence. He might try to strike elsewhere, creating some sort of turmoil to force you and Lingling out of the estate."

For him to force them to appear, whatever the Useless Crown Prince did would have to be something major.

Mei Wanying was no madman, so she naturally couldn’t guess the thoughts of one.

Besides, she had grown up in the inner quarters of her family home, surrounded by her dearest relatives. There was no intrigue or plotting, and she had not been exposed to much of the world’s ugliness.

If she hadn’t married Pei Yan in her last life and tasted such bitter fruit, she might have still been just as naive today.

Seeing Mei Wanying’s brow knitted and her beautiful eyes filled with worry, Pei Yan comforted her. "I have already ordered the Governor to assign more men to patrol the city day and night. People will be sent to search outside the city as well. It will be very difficult for him to pull anything off in the short term."

Mei Wanying prompted him to think more on it. "It’s not easy for him to get into the city, so he’s most likely hiding somewhere outside of it. What could he possibly do to force us to leave?"

’The city is full of Pei Yan’s men. The Useless Crown Prince probably wouldn’t dare to sneak in.’

’That would be tantamount to suicide.’

Mei Wanying cherished her life, and she had two major vulnerabilities: her mother and her daughter.

’She didn’t want them to get hurt.’

’If they could just figure out the Useless Crown Prince’s plot and nip it in the bud, that would be the best possible outcome.’

Pei Yan stood leaning against the railing, gazing out at the pond of green lotuses in the old residence.

His well-defined knuckles were pale as he gripped the railing, the pads of his fingers stroking the wood as a pensive look filled his eyes.

Mei Wanying did not interrupt his train of thought, standing quietly by the railing as well.

There was a certain distance between them, but the atmosphere was a rare, harmonious one.

It was the most peaceful they had been with each other since Pei Yan’s arrival in Jiangnan.

As the wind blew, the silk shawl draped over Mei Wanying’s arm billowed out, swaying a little closer to Pei Yan.

The man turned his head to look, and his hand shot out to grasp the end of the shawl, as if he had suddenly found the thread of an idea.

Before Mei Wanying could speak, he asked, "Under what circumstances would you leave the city, even if you knew it was dangerous outside?"

Mei Wanying impassively pulled her shawl back, and the man smoothly let it go.

After mulling it over for a moment, Mei Wanying said, "If there were no food or water in the city, if supplies couldn’t be delivered, or if someone’s life depended on leaving the city..."

Her words trailed off as she came to a sudden halt.

’This isn’t a year of disaster; it’s impossible for the city to run out of food and water.’

’And if a life needed saving, you could just have a doctor and medicine brought to the estate.’

A terrifying thought surfaced in her mind.

Mei Wanying had poor eyesight, and her parents had sought out countless famous physicians for her. One of them, a Divine Doctor, had lived through a plague.

During her treatment, he had recounted his experiences to her like stories. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Though Mei Wanying had never experienced it firsthand, she could still imagine how horrifying it must have been.

She looked up at Pei Yan. "Would he be that depraved?"

Pei Yu was once the Crown Prince. ’If he could resort to something like that, he’s no better than a beast!’

Mei Wanying had spoken vaguely, but Pei Yan knew what she meant.

He nodded. "Perhaps."

Mei Wanying’s brow furrowed. "If he poisons the water source, could that cause an epidemic?"

She suddenly grew anxious. "He’s in the shadows while we’re out in the open. How can we possibly defend against that?"

Pei Yan did not hide his own thoughts. "Perhaps... we should strike first."

"Hm?"

Without either of them noticing, Pei Yan had drawn closer to Mei Wanying.

He reached up and gently touched her hair bun. "Let’s assume that’s his plan. We’ll use his own scheme against him."