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

Mei Wanying patted Pei Yan’s face, striking a bit too hard in her haste.

She thought the poison in Pei Yan had flared up and he’d passed out.

She couldn’t see clearly, so all she could do was slap the man’s face and listen for a response.

"Serves you right for not making a sound!"

Mei Wanying finally caught on. Pei Yan was faking it. That sharp question from moments ago—he didn’t sound weak at all!

Once she figured it out, Mei Wanying wanted nothing more than to give him a couple of good slaps.

’This man is such a scoundrel!’

’Faking an illness to scare me at a time like this!’

Pei Yan coughed and leaned back against the soft chaise. "The attack is real."

Mei Wanying: "Right. An attack of scoundrel-itis!"

Pei Yan: "..."

He wasn’t silver-tongued like Mei Wanying. He’d never been her match, often having to storm off in frustration.

Now, he stood even less of a chance against her.

Pei Yan wasn’t angry; on the contrary, he quite enjoyed the feeling of being scolded by Mei Wanying.

’A wife scolding her husband is only right and proper!’

’If she were scolding some other man, *that’s* when he’d have to worry.’

Pei Yan couldn’t help but think of Gu Xun. He hadn’t shown up again, nor had he left the Capital City. He must have finally accepted the reality of the situation.

The corners of his mouth lifted in a silent smile.

That was his cousin. For the sake of the Gu Family elders, as long as Gu Xun knew what was good for him, he wouldn’t make things difficult for him.

He would even ensure Gu Xun’s official career went smoothly.

’This would show Mei Wanying just how magnanimous he was—not some narrow-minded, petty man.’

’She should acknowledge their marriage and stop trying to weasel out of it!’

’They had already bowed to heaven and earth and entered the bridal chamber. But the moment the veil was lifted, Ah Yin refused to acknowledge him.’

She even said the wedding didn’t count. Pei Yan felt both wronged and guilty.

’Snatching the bride had been his fault, but he truly was Ah Yin’s child husband...’

’He was just taking back what was his. What was so wrong with that?’

Pei Yan fell silent again, and Mei Wanying got the distinct feeling he was up to no good.

She silently shifted her body, moving a little further away from him.

Mei Wanying couldn’t see, so she could only feel her way along the soft chaise with her hands, afraid she would accidentally bump into something.

"Why are you trying to get away?" The man’s eyes followed her every move.

His lazily lounging body unconsciously sat up straight, and his large hand gripped Mei Wanying’s arm.

The carriage was still moving. He was afraid Mei Wanying wasn’t sitting securely and would get hurt.

Mei Wanying struggled free, her tone flat. "I don’t want to catch your madness."

Pei Yan was choked speechless, confirming once again that he was no match for Mei Wanying.

He pulled the doll they used as a decoy into his arms and began to tattle. "Lingling, your mother is being mean again."

By now, Pei Yan’s posture when holding a child was quite practiced.

’It was obvious he’d held Ling plenty of times.’

Mei Wanying’s expression grew complicated. ’This man really is like a lunatic...’

And so, she moved a little further away again.

’She was afraid she might become one, too.’

This little exchange helped loosen the taut string in Mei Wanying’s mind, easing her tension and fear.

She began to mentally run through possible future scenarios, silently pondering how to deal with them.

’Mother and Ling are still waiting for me at home. No matter what happens, I have to face it calmly.’

Mei Wanying asked Pei Yan, "Can you give me a dagger?"

The man’s expression froze as an awful image uncontrollably surfaced in his mind.

’In their last life, she had ended it all with a hairpin. If he gave her a dagger, would she...?’

Just the thought made Pei Yan’s breathing grow heavy.

’He couldn’t give Mei Wanying something so dangerous.’

"Stay with me. I will protect you."

Afraid Mei Wanying would be unhappy, he coaxed her in a low voice, "A dagger is dangerous. You might accidentally hurt yourself."

Mei Wanying rolled her eyes. "Don’t think I’m that stupid."

’It’s a weapon for self-defense. Obviously, I would only pull it out at a critical moment to strike a fatal blow when my enemy least expects it.’

She held out a fair hand. "Give it to me. I need it for self-defense."

Pei Yan was still worried. "If your opponent is stronger than you, your weapon becomes their weapon."

’Using a dagger for self-defense is a good idea.’

’But you have to ensure the enemy can’t take it from you. Otherwise, the blade will just be turned back on you.’

Pei Yan’s gaze swept over Mei Wanying’s slender arm. "You can’t hold it steady."

It was a fair assessment, but Mei Wanying felt that Pei Yan was underestimating her.

She squeezed her own arm and instantly deflated.

"Then what should I use for self-defense? If I stick to you like glue, that man isn’t stupid. He won’t attack head-on. He’ll just find a way to lure the tiger away from the mountain."

As long as Pei Yan was by her side, the Useless Crown Prince wouldn’t show himself.

He would only make his move when she was alone.

Back in the Capital City, Mei Wanying had been imprisoned in a private courtyard by the Useless Crown Prince and had gone through some terrible things.

Just thinking that she would have to see that man again soon made Mei Wanying’s skin crawl.

Having a weapon for self-defense would give her some peace of mind.

But Pei Yan’s words made sense. If the dagger were taken from her, her situation would become even more dangerous.

Pei Yan untied the sachet from his waist. It was embroidered with plum blossoms, Mei Wanying’s own handiwork.

He had many more, all gifts from Mei Wanying in the past.

Later... there were no more.

Pei Yan cherished them. ’I’ll only give Ah Yin this one,’ he thought.

’If she wants more in the future, I won’t give them to her.’

He tied the sachet to Mei Wanying’s waist.

Feeling his hands moving at her waist, Mei Wanying tried to pull away. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Don’t move."

The man finished tying the sachet, then took Mei Wanying’s hand and guided it to feel the embroidery.

One spot felt different. Mei Wanying’s expression shifted slightly. "This is?"

Pei Yan: "An embroidery needle, dipped in a paralyzing agent."

Mei Wanying was skilled at needlework, so for her, an embroidery needle was indeed more natural to handle.

She squeezed the sachet. It seemed to contain something else. "What’s this?"

Pei Yan: "Hemostatic powder."

’In her past life, if Ah Yin had hemostatic powder, could she have survived?’

Pei Yan had wondered about this countless times.

Mei Wanying’s expression grew distant as she recalled things from the past.

She had also given Pei Yan hemostatic medicine.

In Mei Wanying’s memory, Pei Yan had been injured many times.

Every time he returned from a military campaign, he would bear new wounds.

That year, her father brought Pei Yan into the palace. The Royal Family recognized him, and assassins came for him in droves.

She was afraid Pei Yan would die, so from then on, the sachets she gave him always contained hemostatic medicine.

She never thought that one day, Pei Yan would be the one doing this for her.

Mei Wanying felt a mix of complicated emotions.

She couldn’t help but wonder, ’Did Pei Yan ever use the medicine I gave him?’

...

They arrived at the temple outside the city again, staying in the same chambers where Mei Wanying had once lived.

Men and women were supposed to live in separate courtyards, but no one dared to disobey Pei Yan’s order.

So they could only arrange for Mei Wanying to stay in the same courtyard as him.

Back at the manor, Pei Yan had watched over Mei Wanying and Ling, even staying overnight in her courtyard.

But he had stayed in the outer room.

As long as Mei Wanying relaxed, she could almost ignore his presence.

But this time was different. Inside the chambers, it was just the two of them.

There wasn’t even a folding screen to serve as a partition. It was impossible for Mei Wanying to ignore the man’s presence.

Sitting on the simple bed, she and Pei Yan stared at each other in the dim, yellow candlelight.

In the end, Mei Wanying was the first to back down. She pointed toward the door. "You sleep there."

Pei Yan pressed his lips together. "You want me to sleep on the floor?"