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

For the next half-month, Mei Wanying didn’t go to see Pei Yan.

She merely had Ling sent to his side, allowing the father and daughter to spend half an hour together each day.

She also had someone pass a message to Pei Yan: once his injuries healed, he was to leave the Mei family.

When Mei Wanying was around, Pei Yan and Ling had endless things to talk about.

When Mei Wanying was away, Pei Yan didn’t know what to say to his daughter.

Most of the time, the father and daughter would just stare at each other. If Ling didn’t fuss or cry, the air would be unnervingly quiet.

At other times, Pei Yan would repeatedly teach Ling to say "Mama" and "Dada."

The little one was too young; it was asking the impossible. Ling didn’t learn.

But Pei Yan had no shortage of patience and taught her with unwavering persistence.

At first, Ling was happy to play with Pei Yan, but then one day, she suddenly wasn’t.

After just a short while with Pei Yan, she would start crying and fussing for Mei Wanying.

Pei Yan was utterly frustrated. ’I don’t hit or scold the child, so why doesn’t Lingling like me anymore?’

’Just as I thought, Ah Yin is better at winning over children. The moment she leaves, the child cries for her.’

’If only Lingling relied on me this much, then I could stay with perfect justification, pretending I didn’t hear Ah Yin’s words about kicking me out,’ Pei Yan thought.

To preserve their father-daughter relationship, Pei Yan had no choice but to give up on teaching Ling to speak.

Instead, he followed Wei Jue’s advice and started reading to Ling.

What he read... were military strategy books.

When word of this reached Mrs. Mei’s ears, she grew a little worried. "She’s a perfectly fine young lady. Don’t let him lead her to be wielding swords and staves, losing all her ladylike grace."

Mei Wanying, however, thought it was wonderful. "Studying military strategy can make Ling wise."

"And wielding swords and staves will not only strengthen her body but also allow her to protect herself."

No matter what kind of person her daughter became, Mei Wanying would think she was wonderful.

「...」

They say it takes a hundred days to heal from bone and tendon injuries, but Pei Yan was swamped with official duties. Whenever Mei Wanying and Ling weren’t around, he would be in the study handling official business as usual.

After finishing his work, he would also summon the manor’s butler to inquire about all matters of the estate, big and small.

If the butler was indecisive about something, he would just make the decision for him.

Ding Xiang grumbled to Mei Wanying, "What does His Highness mean by this? Surely he’s not planning to seize the Mei family’s fortune, is he?"

Mei Wanying couldn’t help but laugh. "The scraps that fall between his fingers are worth more than the entire Mei family fortune. He wouldn’t stoop to scheming for it."

Ding Xiang asked, "Then why is he meddling in our business? Anyone who didn’t know better would think he’s the son-in-law of this estate, trying to help you manage the inner courtyard."

Mei Wanying raised a delicate eyebrow.

’That’s exactly what he’s aiming for,’ she thought.

If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she never would have imagined that Pei Yan could be so thick-skinned.

Sighing to herself, she wondered, ’How did I ever fall for such a scoundrel?’

’I must have been completely bewitched by his good looks!’

Ding Xiang asked, "Miss, if he never leaves, what will you do?"

Mei Wanying didn’t know what to do either. "He can’t stay away from the Capital City forever. It’s just a matter of time. I refuse to believe I can’t outlast him."

There was a childish stubbornness to her words, and Ding Xiang let out a chuckle. "Miss, Pei Yan does have his uses."

"Oh? What do you mean by that?"

Perhaps it was her bias, but setting aside official matters, Mei Wanying had yet to discover any of Pei Yan’s "uses."

"At the very least, he lets you vent your emotions instead of bottling them up."

"Right after you left the Capital City, you were like a lost soul, distracted even while eating and sleeping."

"It was impossible to joke around with you then." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Later, Mr. Gu appeared at your side. You were polite to him, but also distant."

"You never showed your temper in front of Mr. Gu."

"Only Pei Yan is special."

"With him, you show all your emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. You lose your temper. You don’t have to wear a mask."

"Deep down in your heart, you firmly believe that Pei Yan would never hurt you."

"Isn’t that a form of trust?"

"Trust is the most important thing."

"Familial love, friendship, romantic love—aren’t they all built on trust?"

"Without trust, two people can never form a deep connection."

Ding Xiang continued, "Miss Xue Er and Heir Chen’s trust was broken, so separation was their only way out. If they hadn’t parted, they would have spent the rest of their lives suspecting and guarding against each other."

"But you and His Highness are different. As long as the trust is still there, it’s not strange for you to go soft on him."

Mei Wanying clicked her tongue. "Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were his advocate."

Ding Xiang swore to the heavens, "I am absolutely not a traitor!"

Every time the Miss saw Pei Yan, she would get into a huff with him, as if it were the only way to justify her past grievances.

Ding Xiang said, "You know when to take things up and when to let them go. You bear the consequences of every step you take and you haven’t caused trouble for anyone. As long as you’re happy, you can do whatever you want."

After saying this, she smiled shyly. "Miss, I don’t know if what I said is right or not. Please don’t laugh at me."

How could Mei Wanying laugh at her?

They had grown up together and shared a deep bond. Ding Xiang just wanted her to live freely and without restraint.

She understood Ding Xiang’s intentions!

Moved that someone supported her so unconditionally, Mei Wanying said, "When you get married, I will definitely prepare a generous dowry for you."

Ding Xiang blushed. "Miss, it’s not even on the horizon yet. You shouldn’t tease me."

Mei Wanying couldn’t bear to part with these "old retainers" by her side, but she also couldn’t bear to see them become old maids.

"If there’s any man you take a liking to, I will certainly make it happen for you."

Ding Xiang asked, "What if the man doesn’t like me?"

Mei Wanying snorted. "What’s so special about a man with two legs? If this one doesn’t work out, we’ll just move on to the next. Why hang yourself from a single crooked tree!"

Having not seen Mei Wanying for a while, Pei Yan felt he should make an appearance before her.

And as a result, he overheard those very words.

’Who’s the crooked tree?’

’And what’s this about moving on to the next one?’

Pei Yan told himself to take things slow, but that was all predicated on Mei Wanying not having any thoughts of straying!

A figure of a man appeared in the corner of her eye. Dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, he stood tall and graceful, walking towards her at an unhurried pace.

Mei Wanying immediately fell silent.

She felt a sudden, inexplicable awkwardness.

’But on second thought,’ she reasoned, ’I didn’t say anything wrong. And Pei Yan is nothing to me, so why should I feel guilty?’

She lifted her eyes and cast a cool glance his way. The man was backlit, his expression obscured.

But the possessiveness radiating from him—that, Mei Wanying could feel with perfect clarity.

That long-lost feeling of her hair standing on end returned. It was the same feeling she used to get whenever Gu Xun was mentioned.

Pei Yan raised a hand, dismissing Ding Xiang.

Ding Xiang cursed inwardly, ’This lingering ghost! We just mentioned him and he appears. Isn’t this man the Crown Prince? How can he be so idle?’

She glanced at Mei Wanying, who gave a nod. Ding Xiang curtsied and withdrew.

As the man drew closer, Mei Wanying could finally see the jealousy churning in his eyes.

For some reason, the term "jealous husband" popped into Mei Wanying’s mind.

Coming to her senses, she quickly banished the inappropriate thought.

’What kind of husband is he!’

Pressing a hand to her temple, she leaned her elbow on the table. Mei Wanying spoke first, "I was just running my mouth. I didn’t mean anything by it, so don’t you go looking for trouble."

At Mei Wanying’s voluntary explanation, the jealousy churning in the man’s eyes instantly dissipated by more than half.

’An explanation means she cares.’

’If Ah Yin didn’t care about me, she would be too lazy to say even half a word!’

The corners of his lips curled up. Pei Yan let out a soft "Oh." "Ah Yin, don’t underestimate me. I’m not the kind of man who sweats the small stuff."