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

Reunited, the two best friends prepared to talk all night.

Ling could no longer sleep with Mei Wanying, so she was settled into her own little bed.

Mei Wanying and Xue Xingyao slept on the carved canopy bed.

If not for the soundly sleeping little baby, the scene felt just like it had when they were young girls.

Xue Xingyao showed Mei Wanying the injury on her back.

On her back, which had once been as smooth as jade, there was now a large patch of pitted scars.

Even after using the finest scar removal cream, a noticeable mark remained.

Mei Wanying knew the situation had been perilous and that Xue Xingyao had been injured, but she had never expected it to be this severe.

Tears fell from her eyes after all.

This was her best friend; how could she not feel heartbroken?

"Is it hideous? Did I scare you?" Xue Xingyao asked, her tone somewhat bitter.

Mei Wanying shook her head. A scar was a scar. It was a mark of suffering, not something to be described as beautiful or ugly.

"Does it still hurt?"

Xue Xingyao nodded. "It’s still a bit uncomfortable, but I didn’t lose my life. I’m already very lucky."

A common cold could be fatal, yet she had survived such a grievous injury.

Xue Xingyao said, "I think I’m a fortunate person. You know the old saying, ’If you survive a great catastrophe, you’re bound to have good fortune later.’"

"I just wonder if my future husband will be repulsed by my scars," Xue Xingyao said, trying to sound casual with her teasing words.

She had no intention of remarrying, but for some reason, the question would still pop into her head.

Having large scars on her body, even if no one else could see them, still made Xue Xingyao feel dejected.

Mei Wanying said, "Your husband will surely be a good man. He’ll be too busy cherishing you to do anything else!"

Xue Xingyao smiled faintly. "I’m not a good judge of character. What if I marry another bastard?"

Take Chen Shujing. On the surface, he was a noble, upstanding gentleman. She thought she had found a good man.

Xue Xingyao could understand Chen Shujing’s past with Shen Mingxiao.

But she couldn’t understand his later actions. To teach her a lesson, he could simply ignore her suffering.

That wasn’t something a normal person would do to their partner.

He was so cruel.

And so cold.

Xue Xingyao felt she must have been blind to be deceived by his gentle exterior.

Not giving her friend a chance to feel down, Mei Wanying said, "Then kick him to the curb and find the next one!"

Xue Xingyao laughed. "And what if the next one is no good either?"

"Then the one after that! You get married to live a good life. If he makes you unhappy, there’s no need to put up with him."

Xue Xingyao couldn’t stop laughing. "No wonder you-know-who refuses to return to the Capital City. He probably knows what you think and is afraid you’ll abandon him."

Mei Wanying didn’t take the bait.

She draped a robe over her shoulders, got out of bed, and retrieved several white jade bottles.

Inside were all sorts of scar removal creams.

Mei Wanying said, "Let’s try every one. Maybe something will work."

’Working with Ah Yao to solve the problem—that’s the best way to comfort her.’

Xue Xingyao didn’t want to be scarred, but she could accept it if the scars couldn’t be removed.

Life had to go on. She couldn’t fall to pieces over a scar.

Having someone with her, actively trying to solve the problem, made Xue Xingyao feel much better.

She obediently cooperated with Mei Wanying, letting her apply the ointment to her back.

In that moment, Xue Xingyao suddenly understood why Pei Yan clung so tightly to Ah Yin.

’She really is a good person.’

’Just being by Ah Yin’s side can soothe even the most painful emotions.’

’She’s so loyal, too. Someone who will stick by you through thick and thin.’

’Who wouldn’t want a wonderful woman like her?’

Xue Xingyao said, "If I were a man, I’d do everything in my power to marry into the Mei family."

Mei Wanying said playfully, "Well, you’d have to be tall and strong, with a handsome face. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be interested."

Xue Xingyao turned her head to look at Mei Wanying. "Is that why you fell for Pei Yan?"

"What else?"

If he didn’t have such good looks, Mei Wanying wouldn’t have been moved, much less have tolerated his foul temper for so many years.

The two spoke in low voices until they finally blew out the lamp late in the night.

...

Xue Xingyao settled down in Jiangnan, while Chen Shujing returned to the Chen Family estate.

He would give Xue Xingyao time to think things through. ’Is it really necessary to dwell on the past?’

’And how is a divorced woman supposed to make her way in the world?’

’Perhaps Mei Wanying will help her.’

’But everyone has their own life to live. She can help for a while, but not forever.’

’With Ah Yao’s temperament, she wouldn’t want to be a burden to others forever.’

’She’ll suffer for it.’

’Once she’s suffered enough, she’ll naturally return to the Chen Family.’

Chen Shujing was certain that he and Xue Xingyao were only temporarily separated.

Sitting in their bridal chamber, Chen Shujing pictured Xue Xingyao.

Her sitting before the mirror doing her makeup, resting on the chaise lounge, holding a needle and thread to mend his clothes...

Every night, she would leave a lamp on for him. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

In the morning, she would help him fasten his buttons.

All these little things he had never paid much mind to now rushed into his thoughts, and an inexplicable emptiness filled Chen Shujing’s heart.

He looked around. All of Xue Xingyao’s belongings had been moved out.

Her dowry had already been sent to Jiangnan.

Not a single thing that belonged to her was left.

And she hadn’t taken a single thing the Chen Family had given her.

The bridal chamber was empty, and Chen Shujing’s heart felt even emptier, as if he had lost something very important.

He didn’t want to divorce Xue Xingyao.

Not at all.

The man sat there, motionless as a statue, his thoughts unreadable.

A maidservant came with a message. "Young Master, Madam wants you to come to the main courtyard."

Chen Shujing was pulled from his thoughts.

After returning to the estate, he had come straight to the bridal chamber, without going to the main courtyard to greet his elders.

He sat for another moment before slowly rising and walking out of the now half-empty room.

Outside, the sunlight was glaring, illuminating the lush flowers and plants in the courtyard.

Chen Shujing squinted.

’It seems the backyard can’t do without its mistress. Even the flowers and plants aren’t growing as well as before.’

’Maybe I should go to Jiangnan and bring Ah Yao back,’ he thought.

’If I want to teach her a lesson, I can find another way. There’s no need to make her suffer.’

Seeing her son, Madam Chen asked impatiently, "What happened between you two? Why is that woman from the Xue Family insisting on a divorce? Everyone outside is saying our Chen Family is hitting them when they’re down, that we drove Miss Xue out! She’s ruined the Chen Family’s reputation!"

"If the Chen Family had wanted to cast her out, why would Ah Jing have rushed to the Capital City to work on the Xue Family’s behalf?"

"Even when Xue Xingyao lost the child, I wasn’t harsh with her."

"How is it that in the end, we, the Chen Family, are the ones in the wrong?"

Madam Chen was both angry and aggrieved.

"Any other family would have thrown her out the moment the Xue Family had their troubles! We did everything we could to help her. What more could she be dissatisfied with?"

Madam Chen rambled on, listing all of Xue Xingyao’s faults.

Between the lines, she accused her of being insatiable and ungrateful—a complete wretch.

Chen Shujing’s eyelid twitched as he listened.

Xue Xingyao was a daughter-in-law of the Chen Family. When her family was in trouble, it was only right and proper for the Chen Family to help.

He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Mother, I was the one who deceived her."