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

Though he hadn’t slept for days, Pei Yan still woke early.

Fulfilled in body and soul, he was radiant and showed no sign of fatigue.

When he woke, Mei Wanying was still in his arms. She was exhausted and sleeping soundly.

She had just shifted positions, her back now facing him.

Beneath the brocade quilt were her smooth shoulders. Her gracefully slender, swan-like neck rested on his arm, a portion of it exposed to the air.

Afraid Mei Wanying would get cold, Pei Yan immediately pressed closer, warming her with his own body heat.

Men ran hot, and thankfully, it was cold this time of year, so it didn’t bother Mei Wanying.

Gazing at her beautiful sleeping face, Pei Yan began to stir again.

He was a normal man in the prime of his life.

His beloved woman was right in his arms. He wasn’t some passionless saint, so how could he not have a reaction?

His reason told him that Ah Yin was too tired.

Ling had suddenly come down with a life-threatening illness. Before he arrived, Ah Yin had been struggling to hold on all by herself.

’I should let her rest properly.’

’We have a whole lifetime together. There’s plenty of time for husband-and-wife matters.’

Pei Yan held Mei Wanying without moving, but she woke up anyway. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Her tone was faint as she said, "You’re not allowed to spend the night in my room again."

As she spoke, she shifted her body forward slightly, putting some distance between herself and Pei Yan.

The man’s hand on her waist tightened. "Ah Yin, you can’t deny me now."

Mei Wanying wasn’t denying him; it was just that he had too much energy, and her legs felt a little weak.

She turned her head to glare at him. "Don’t forget your status!"

Pei Yan: "..."

This "kept man" role was truly pitiful. The man nibbled on Mei Wanying’s ear in protest. "I want to be made official!"

Mei Wanying had no plans to marry. The only alternative was to take on a live-in husband. If she dared to make Pei Yan the live-in husband of the Mei family, the scorn of the entire world would be enough to drown her.

Even her late father in heaven would be shocked by her actions and would never be able to rest in peace.

She was unwilling to marry Pei Yan and be confined within the deep palace walls.

And yet, she couldn’t make Pei Yan the live-in husband of the Mei family.

Besides making him her "kept man," what else could she do?

Mei Wanying ignored his protest and didn’t respond.

Pei Yan knew what she was thinking. He bit her shoulder. "When Lingling can stand on her own, I’ll have all the time in the world to wear you down. If you still don’t agree, I won’t let you go, not even in the afterlife."

Mei Wanying’s face paled in shock. "What do you mean by that?"

Pei Yan raised an eyebrow. "Exactly what it sounds like."

Mei Wanying’s pupils dilated. "That’s treasonous..."

Pei Yan: "Lingling is my only child. Not leaving my best things to her—*that* would be the real treason."

Pei Yan admitted he was narrow-minded. He couldn’t raise someone else’s child and hand over everything he’d risked his life for to a complete stranger. He just couldn’t do it!

His power and wealth were to be shared only with Ah Yin and Lingling.

’What’s so wrong with letting my daughter inherit everything I have?’

Mei Wanying and Pei Yan were childhood sweethearts who had grown up together. And since she had invested so much of herself in him, she naturally understood him.

She understood what he meant.

She was also certain that Pei Yan wasn’t joking. He truly meant it.

His words were too great a shock for Mei Wanying. She needed a moment to process. "It’s too early to talk about this now. Ling might not even want it."

The man just hummed in agreement and said no more.

’Ah Yin doesn’t need to worry about a thing. I’ll arrange everything.’

’The path won’t be smooth, but that’s fine. I’ll pave the way for our daughter.’

’If our daughter doesn’t want it... I’ll figure something out then. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it!’

Before Mei Wanying could calm her racing heart, his wet kisses found her again.

Pei Yan wrapped his arms around her waist. "Ah Yin, it’s not enough..."

Soon, he would have to return to the capital. His time with Ah Yin was more precious than gold or jewels.

’If possible,’ he thought, ’I wish we could be stuck together every moment. We mustn’t let this precious time go to waste!’

His hard chest pressed against Mei Wanying’s back as he gently turned her chin to kiss her.

He was gentle, not reckless and impatient like before.

By the time things settled down, the sky was already beginning to brighten with dawn.

Mei Wanying ruthlessly shooed him away. "If you dare wake anyone, you can stop being my kept man."

Pei Yan: "..."

’I was planning to leave through the front door to announce my status...’

Mei Wanying shot him a look. "A kept man isn’t meant to be seen in the light of day. Surely you know that?"

Every word stabbed at Pei Yan’s heart.

The man gritted his teeth. "Just wait for the day I’m made official..."

Mei Wanying cut him off. "Stop making empty threats. You’re being noisy."

Pei Yan looked aggrieved.

He gave Mei Wanying a resentful glance, put on his clothes, and climbed out the window.

Anyone who didn’t know better would have really thought he was a kept man who couldn’t be seen in public.

Mei Wanying let out a low chuckle.

The next moment, she guiltily pulled the brocade quilt up, covering half her face, afraid someone might hear her laugh.

Because of Ling’s illness, medicinal incense had been burned in the room every day, the amorous scent of the night now covered by the bitter smell of medicine.

But Mei Wanying, feeling as guilty as a thief, still tiptoed out of bed and opened the window a crack.

...

Because of Ling’s illness, Pei Yan extended his stay in Jiangnan by half a month.

Only when he was certain the child had fully recovered did he prepare to return to the capital.

Before he left, Pei Yan and Mei Wanying planned to hold a belated first-birthday celebration for Ling.

Considering the child’s health, and for the sake of others, they didn’t invite any guests.

A first birthday called for a "zhua zhou" ceremony. Mei Wanying prepared the Four Treasures of the Study, a bow and arrow, a gold ingot, an abacus, and other items.

As the child’s father, Mei Wanying wanted Pei Yan to participate and see if he wanted to add any items.

So, she took the initiative to go to the adjacent courtyard to find him.

Hearing that Pei Yan was in the study discussing matters with his subordinates, Mei Wanying went to the main house to wait for him.

This was the Mei family’s guest courtyard. The decor was all the same as before, with only some of Pei Yan’s personal effects added.

In the past, when Mei Wanying wanted to draw a clear line between herself and Pei Yan, she would have never come to the guest courtyard to find him.

She certainly wouldn’t have been looking at his personal belongings, wondering if she should get him a few more things.

Now, her state of mind had changed.

Mei Wanying casually scanned the room, but her gaze fell upon a small box, and she froze.

That box... it looked familiar.

Her heart began to pound. A long-forgotten panic resurfaced.

Mei Wanying clenched her fists, wanting to look away and just pretend she hadn’t seen the box.

But in the end, she walked over to the carved shelf and took the box down.

When she saw the mark carved on the box, Mei Wanying’s expression changed, her face turning pale for a moment.

She opened the box.

Inside, she saw... the golden hairpin.

There was also a piece of stationery, filled with words of repentance.

Mei Wanying’s fingers began to tremble, and she could barely hold on to the things in her hand.

’I threw this away. Why does Pei Yan have it?’

’After I left the capital, he went to the General Mansion.’

’Why did he go?’

’What did he do?’

’From the very beginning, Pei Yan was certain that Ling was his child.’

’His subsequent guilt and tears... was there truly no deeper meaning behind them?’

’And what was he repenting for?’

In a flash, all of Pei Yan’s recent unusual behavior flooded Mei Wanying’s mind.

He had changed too quickly, suddenly compromising with her unconditionally. He was no longer stubborn, no longer "threatening" her, and no longer quarreled with her.

It was as if he had become a different person.

A suspicion surfaced in her mind. Mei Wanying’s hand went limp, and the wooden box fell to the floor.

"Ah Yin..."

Seeing her tears and the wooden box on the floor, the hurriedly arriving Pei Yan stopped in his tracks.

Fear swept over him, threatening to drown him.

He couldn’t get a single word out.

Mei Wanying looked the man straight in the eye. "Pei Yan, was it fun to lie to me?"