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

Pei Yan arrived in Jiangnan before his child’s first birthday.

Upon hearing that his child had contracted the pox, he went to Mei Wanying and Ling’s side without a moment’s hesitation.

This act completely won over Mrs. Mei’s heart.

"This is precisely why I insisted Ah Yin marry him when we were back in the Capital City."

"Even if he didn’t like Ah Yin, he would still do his utmost to protect her. Of all the gifted young men in the Capital City, only he would protect Ah Yin without calculating the cost."

"Now that he’s grown fond of Ah Yin, and she has borne him a child, he will only treat her better and better."

Mrs. Mei’s greatest worries were for her daughter and granddaughter.

Seeing Pei Yan’s attitude, Mrs. Mei breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Ah Yin and Ling finally had someone to protect them!

Nanny Liu said, "Madam, you’ve gone to great lengths for her, and Ying understands."

"Otherwise, with Ying’s fiery temper, she would have had a falling out with you long ago."

Mrs. Mei sighed. "The more sensible Ah Yin is, the more my heart aches for her. I just hope he won’t do anything foolish and will be more considerate of her feelings. Only then can their relationship have a real chance to mend."

With Ling’s life hanging by a thread, and Pei Yan appearing at this very moment, Ah Yin would naturally come to rely on him.

As long as he didn’t mess things up, their reconciliation was sure to follow.

Nanny Liu added, "The Emperor traveled all this way to Jiangnan. He must have made up his mind not to force Ying to return to the Capital City."

For now, Ying had no plans to return to the Capital City, but who could say what the future held?

Nanny Liu thought, ’As long as he doesn’t pressure Ying, maybe one day she’ll have a change of heart and bring Ling back to the Capital City to reunite with him.’

They were childhood sweethearts, and their journey to this point had been fraught with hardship. It was truly a difficult road.

’He absolutely cannot mess this up,’ she thought, ’or there’ll be trouble all over again!’

Having Pei Yan around during a major crisis was like having a stabilizing force.

Much of Mrs. Mei’s anxiety dissipated. "Our Ling is a lucky girl. With her father and mother by her side, she’ll surely pull through just fine."

Nanny Liu nodded in agreement.

In all her years, aside from Ying, Nanny Liu had never seen another little girl with such good fortune.

Ling was the apple of her father’s and mother’s eyes. With so many people watching over her, she was sure to overcome this ordeal!

Xue Xingyao was also frantic when she learned Ling was sick. If Mrs. Mei hadn’t stopped her, she would have rushed to Mei Wanying’s side long ago.

Regardless of the depth of her friendship with Mei Wanying, just based on all the help Mei Wanying had given her, she was willing to take the risk to help care for Ling.

Upon learning of Pei Yan’s arrival, Xue Xingyao’s thoughts mirrored Mrs. Mei’s.

The man might have a thousand faults, but when Ah Yin was involved, he would risk his own life.

His affection for Ling was an extension of his love for her mother.

Meeting a man like him, Ah Yin couldn’t know if she was fortunate or unfortunate.

Xue Xingyao thought to herself, ’If Ah Yin chooses to forgive Pei Yan, I’ll support her decision.’

After her experience with Chen Shujing’s cruelty, Xue Xingyao felt that Pei Yan was merely difficult by nature, and perfectly acceptable otherwise.

At the very least, when he protected Ah Yin, he did so with all his might, never calculating the cost or worrying about personal gain or loss.

He and Chen Shujing were, after all, fundamentally different.

Xue Xingyao was certain she would never go back, but Ah Yin’s situation was different from hers.

Whatever her dear friend chose, she would support her!

...

Ling’s fever and vomiting continued, tormenting her on and off for another two days.

Pei Yan and Mei Wanying never left their daughter’s side, personally handling everything from administering medicine and applying ointments to feeding her.

No one was surprised to see Mei Wanying do all this.

A mother’s love for her child is instinctual!

But for someone of Pei Yan’s exalted status to remain constantly by his daughter’s sickbed... even a blind man could see how cherished this child was.

A child is only cherished if their mother is valued.

This proved that in Pei Yan’s heart, Mei Wanying was a priceless treasure.

For her, Pei Yan was willing to risk it all!

When she next checked Ling’s forehead, it was no longer burning hot. The pox sores on her body had begun to scab over. The Imperial Physician announced that she was past the most dangerous stage.

As long as she was properly cared for from now on, Ling would not face any more major setbacks.

Mei Wanying let out a huge sigh of relief.

Overcome with joy, her eyes began to sting as a thin layer of moisture welled up, and she once again felt the urge to cry.

Clasping her daughter’s small hand, Mei Wanying kissed it again and again. "Get well quickly, little one. Mommy will make it up to you with a proper birthday feast. Mommy will bake you some sweet, delicious pastries—whatever you want, Mommy will make it for you."

As her condition improved, Ling felt much more comfortable and had a little of her energy back.

She mumbled something unintelligibly, as if echoing Mei Wanying’s words.

Her large eyes darted around before her gaze fell upon Pei Yan.

She opened her mouth and, with a bright smile, called out, "Dada~"

Her enunciation wasn’t clear, but Pei Yan was certain his daughter was calling for him.

She had called him "Dada"!

Overwhelmed with emotion, the man’s eyes reddened again. "Dada’s here. Lingling, just be a good girl and get well. Dada will give you anything you want."

Pei Yan’s palm cradled Mei Wanying’s hand, which in turn enveloped Ling’s small one.

It had almost no weight, yet to Pei Yan, it felt profoundly heavy.

With the two most important people in his life right beside him, Pei Yan said, "I could die this very moment, and I would have no regrets."

"Pah!" Mei Wanying glared at him, exasperated. "Don’t say such things!"

Pei Yan pursed his lips, not daring to speak.

Ling copied Mei Wanying, letting out a little "Pah!" of her own, which instantly sent Mei Wanying into a fit of laughter.

"There," she said. "We’ve chased away the bad luck. Our Ling is going to live to be a hundred years old."

She shot a sidelong glance at Pei Yan. "As for a certain someone else, he can live or die for all I care."

Pei Yan immediately followed with a "Pah!" of his own. "I’m not dying."

’He couldn’t bear to leave Ah Yin.’

’He wanted to grow old with Ah Yin, to live to be a hundred years old together!’

Ling had been sick for days, and Mei Wanying had been toiling for just as long. Seeing the dark circles under her eyes, how could Pei Yan’s heart not ache for her?

Once Ling fell asleep again, Pei Yan urged Mei Wanying to go rest in the adjacent room.

"I’ll watch over Lingling. Don’t you worry."

’He’d rushed here from the Capital City and immediately started caring for a sick child. He wasn’t made of iron, how could he not be exhausted?’

Mei Wanying told Pei Yan to go rest as well. "We can let Ding Xiang and the Imperial Physician watch her."

Knowing that Mei Wanying was worried about him, Pei Yan couldn’t stop the corners of his lips from curving up into a smile.

"I’m not tired."

Mei Wanying felt his stubbornness flaring up again. "You are tired."

But Pei Yan truly wasn’t tired. Compared to the field of battle, this was nothing.

He was running on pure adrenaline.

First, his daughter was out of danger.

Second, Ah Yin had finally forgiven him.

He had plenty of energy to prove himself, to stand guard over their daughter.

The man bent over and swept Mei Wanying into his arms.

Mei Wanying yelped, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck for fear of falling.

She hissed, lowering her voice, "Put me down! What if someone sees us? It’s completely improper!"

Pei Yan just grunted.

"I’m carrying my own wife. Who dares to have an opinion?"

Mei Wanying was speechless. "..."

’I already told him that wedding didn’t count. Why is he still clinging to it and refusing to let go?’

’Wife, wife...’

’He certainly says it easily enough!’

Mei Wanying had never met anyone more shameless than Pei Yan. She scoffed, "Remember your place. Right now, you’re just my kept man!"

Pei Yan: "..."

Mei Wanying shot him a sidelong glance. "Unwilling?"