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

Pei Yan disliked making verbal promises. He always felt they were just sweet talk, less effective than concrete actions.

But he was afraid that if he didn’t say it, Mei Wanying would deliberately assume the worst.

In the past, they had said too little, and that was what led to so many misunderstandings.

Pei Yan would not make the same mistake twice.

The things he wanted to say—he absolutely had to make sure Ah Yin heard them.

Pei Yan’s gaze was earnest. "There will never be anyone else. You are the meaning of my life."

’Without Mei Wanying, he couldn’t go on living.’

Mei Wanying averted her gaze, not daring to look into Pei Yan’s eyes, afraid she would be swayed again.

She slapped away the hand he had placed on her waist. "Men and women should keep their distance. Please be mindful of your boundaries!"

Then she saw he was still kneeling...

Even though it was on the couch-bed, it was still quite frightening.

Mei Wanying felt as if she’d been struck by lightning, and her breathing became uneven.

’If that person in the palace found out, he would probably have her killed!’

’This man is seriously sick in the head!’

Not wanting to say any more to Pei Yan, Mei Wanying picked up Ling and started to leave.

Pei Yan instinctively moved to follow. Before he could get off the bed, the woman who was walking out suddenly turned back. "If you dare follow me, get out of the Mei family’s home this instant!"

Pei Yan froze.

He could only watch helplessly as Mei Wanying left.

Ling was being held upright. The little one rested on Mei Wanying’s shoulder, her large, clear eyes looking at Pei Yan in confusion.

She opened her mouth and let out a little "ah."

It was as if she were asking why her daddy wasn’t going with them.

Pei Yan looked at his daughter expectantly. ’As long as Ling wants him to stay with them, Ah Yin will stay.’

But in the end, Ling just leaned obediently against Mei Wanying, not making a single cry.

The mother and daughter disappeared behind the curtain, and the hope in Pei Yan’s eyes shattered completely.

When Wei Jue came again with medicine and a meal, he saw that his master’s face was storm-dark, and that familiar chill ran down his spine once more.

But His Highness refused to be served by the maids, so Wei Jue couldn’t just drop the tray and leave.

’His Highness truly is no ordinary person,’ he thought to himself. ’He was so weak he couldn’t even wake up on the way back to the residence, and now, not even half a day later, he has the energy to sulk.’

’No wonder Miss Mei left so decisively, with not a trace of worry on her face.’

"Your Highness, it’s time to eat."

Pei Yan was still looking toward the door. "Why can’t Lingling say ’daddy’ yet?"

She only babbles. ’Could it be she inherited my tongue-tied nature?’

Wei Jue had never raised a child, but he knew that babies usually started talking around the age of one.

He wiped his forehead. "Your Highness, aren’t you making things difficult?"

’If a tiny baby like that could talk, now *that* would be terrifying...’

Pei Yan continued, speaking to himself, "Is there any way to get her to talk sooner?"

He had a feeling that Ah Yin would kick him out in a few days. He had to hurry and find a way to deal with it.

What strategy could be more effective than having Ling ask him to stay?

Wei Jue thought it was impossible, but he still offered Pei Yan an idea. "You are heavily injured. It’s only natural for you to want to see your child while you recover. This subordinate can bring the young mistress to be with you every day. You can teach her to say ’daddy’ then. If you teach her enough times, it might just work a miracle."

What Pei Yan was thinking, however, was: ’If Ling is with me, Ah Yin will naturally come too.’

He mulled it over. "What do you think about me putting Lingling to sleep at night?"

Wei Jue: "..."

’Isn’t his scheme a little too obvious?’

’Miss Mei isn’t a fool. She’d never let His Highness get his way.’

The corner of his mouth twitched into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "Your Highness, it won’t be too late to think about these things after you’ve recovered from your injuries."

’By the time I recover, Mei Wanying will have already kicked me out. How would it not be too late then?’

Pei Yan’s eyes darkened. "Useless!"

Wei Jue: "..."

Inside, his little mental avatar was weeping buckets. ’His Highness is the one Miss Mei doesn’t like, what does that have to do with me?’

That’s what he thought, but Wei Jue also hoped Miss Mei would relent soon.

Only when she relented would His Highness feel at ease returning to the Capital.

On this trip to Jiangnan, His Highness had eliminated the Useless Crown Prince and his remaining followers. For the Court, this was a great merit.

In the short term, this could quell the dissatisfaction some people held toward His Highness.

But if he stayed in Jiangnan for too long without returning to the Capital, trouble would surely break out.

So he also started to ponder the problem. "Your Highness, pestering Miss Mei is useless. It will only make her grow tired of you."

Wei Jue was very nervous as he said this, terrified that the ancestor before him would be displeased and make him go receive punishment again.

Pei Yan didn’t get angry.

Although the words stung his heart, what Wei Jue said was the truth.

"Do you have a solution?"

Wei Jue chose his words carefully. "There are too many misunderstandings between you and Miss Mei, but you’ve already explained what needed to be explained. Miss Mei has a scale in her heart; she should know whether you’re telling the truth or not."

"Resolving the misunderstandings doesn’t mean Miss Mei will accept you. Instead of pestering her relentlessly, it would be better to be more sincere."

"You should do what you need to do. When Miss Mei needs you, you can be there to offer timely help. At all other times, don’t cause her any trouble."

"If you don’t push her too hard, Miss Mei might just relent."

What Wei Jue wanted to say was, ’You act like a jilted husband all day, meddling in this and that, and you want to keep her under your thumb at all times. Miss Mei is definitely not happy about that.’

’If His Highness wants to be officially recognized, he needs to be more magnanimous and know when to advance and when to retreat.’

’Back then, wasn’t that how Gu Xun caught Miss Mei’s eye and nearly became the Mei family’s live-in son-in-law?’

Pei Yan was lost in thought.

He had no intention of forcing Ah Yin; he just wanted to be with her day and night.

But what Wei Jue said also made sense.

Pestering her relentlessly wouldn’t work, and it would only annoy Ah Yin.

The man’s expression grew thoughtful. He said, "Ah Yin wants to manage the family and doesn’t want me to plan things for her, so I will grant her wish. The wife will manage external affairs, and the husband will manage the home. From now on, I will take care of Lingling and handle the household chores at the residence."

’If I’m this useful,’ Pei Yan thought, ’will Ah Yin’s heart truly not be moved?’

Wei Jue’s mouth twitched.

’That’s not what I meant...’

He reminded him, "Your Highness, you still have official duties. The Capital City also needs you to oversee the situation. If you don’t go back for a long time, I’m afraid trouble will break out in the Capital."

Pei Yan was completely unperturbed. "Then let them cause trouble. It will be a good opportunity to see who are people and who are ghosts."

He wasn’t the least bit nervous.

Wei Jue calmed down. ’It’s fine as long as His Highness has a plan.’

"Even if you don’t return to the Capital City, you still have many important matters to attend to. Your Highness, you must take care of your health."

He had been poisoned, and he had been injured. If it were anyone with a weaker constitution, they would have kicked the bucket long ago.

’And yet their Highness can still focus on winning a wife. His constitution is truly astonishingly robust.’

Pei Yan took Wei Jue’s words to heart and gave up on the idea of taking a crooked path.

He wanted to let Ah Yin see the real him, see his usefulness, and willingly mend their broken mirror with him.

Ah Yin was very intelligent. The more he played mind games with her, the further he would push her away.

Only sincerity was the way out for them.

Pei Yan’s expression cleared in a moment of sudden enlightenment. He gave Wei Jue an appreciative look. "I’ll mark this as a merit for you. There will be a great reward."

Wei Jue almost laughed out loud. He clasped his fists in a salute. "Thank you, Your Highness!"

Pei Yan raised a hand, gesturing for him to leave.

Wei Jue reminded him, "Your Highness, please remember to eat your meal and then drink your medicine. This subordinate will be waiting right outside the door."

With that, he retreated.

Pei Yan had considered using the "self-injury ploy" to stay in the old residence, but now he had changed his mind.

He needed to recover his health so he could help Ah Yin with her burdens.

The sooner he could prove his worth, the sooner he could win the beauty back!