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

After not seeing Pei Yan for several days, Xue Xingyao asked Mei Wanying, "Did he just go back like that? It’s so unlike him to be sent away so easily."

Mei Wanying couldn’t tell Xue Xingyao about what had happened in her past life.

If she did, Ah Yao would probably think Pei Yan had made her so angry she’d lost her mind, and that she was just spouting nonsense.

Mei Wanying said lightly, "Whether or not he returns to the Capital City is his business. It has nothing to do with me. As long as he stays out of my sight, I’ll be fine."

As far as Xue Xingyao was concerned, her best friend and Pei Yan were only separated for now. It wouldn’t be long before they got back together.

They had made up once; there was no guarantee it wouldn’t happen a second time.

This time, Xue Xingyao didn’t advise her to break it off.

She could tell that Pei Yan was sincere with Ah Yin. On this trip to Jiangnan, he had truly changed and gotten rid of many of his bad habits.

He was gentle and considerate towards Ah Yin.

He doted on Ling.

He was also very respectful toward Mrs. Mei, and acted entirely as if he were the Mei family’s son-in-law.

The sharp-tongued Pei Yan who always said the opposite of what he meant and would scowl at the slightest disagreement seemed to have disappeared completely.

Ah Yin had forgiven Pei Yan once, which meant the previous unpleasantness had been wiped clean.

Since they were fighting again, she figured Pei Yan must have made some other mistake.

With Pei Yan’s chilly personality, he would never do something as foolish as womanizing.

Since they were children, Ah Yin had been the only girl by his side.

Now that he held great power, he had no reason to deny himself anything in that regard.

Pei Yan wasn’t hiding feelings for someone else; he wouldn’t make the same mistake as Chen Shujing. Of that, Xue Xingyao was certain.

When it came to romantic affairs, Pei Yan was blameless.

And in other ways, he was also very protective of Ah Yin.

Xue Xingyao stared at Mei Wanying without blinking, her curiosity getting the better of her.

’What in the world happened to make Ah Yin so angry she kicked Pei Yan out of the old residence?’

’She wouldn’t even let him celebrate Ling’s birthday.’

Mei Wanying’s skin crawled under her stare. "What do you want to ask?"

Xue Xingyao asked haltingly, "Is he... lacking in *that* department? Is that why you don’t want him anymore?"

For a couple as inseparable as they had been to suddenly fall apart... Xue Xingyao couldn’t think of any other reason, so her mind went there.

Pei Yan had been severely poisoned before, and injured multiple times. It wasn’t impossible that his body had been completely worn out.

Xue Xingyao looked at her best friend, and the more she thought about it, the more she believed this had to be it.

’Ah Yin doesn’t want to return to the Capital City, and she doesn’t care about being Pei Yan’s Empress. If he’s no good in *that* department, what reason does Ah Yin have to keep him around?’

’It would be better to make a clean break now. In a few years, Ah Yin could find a live-in husband.’

’That Pei Yan is so possessive. His face would darken if another man so much as glanced at Ah Yin twice.’

’His leaving so decisively this time probably means he knows he’s in the wrong.’

’If that’s the case, he won’t have the nerve to stop Ah Yin from taking a live-in husband.’

Pei Yan and Ah Yin already had Ling, and they were both young and full of vigor. Even if there was *that* kind of issue, Xue Xingyao could understand.

It took Mei Wanying a few stunned seconds to realize what her friend was implying.

Her face flushed crimson, and her ears turned so red it looked like they might start bleeding. Waves of heat rushed upward, searing her as if she might burst into flames.

"That’s not it at all! Don’t let your imagination run wild."

Xue Xingyao leaned in closer, clearly seeing Mei Wanying’s embarrassment and discomfort.

Her expression became knowing. ’So it really is something like that.’

She grew even more confused. "If it’s not because of that, then what did he do to hurt you?"

In Xue Xingyao’s eyes, her best friend could do no wrong. The fault must lie with Pei Yan.

’He deserved to be kicked out of the old residence!’

Those who were close to Mei Wanying knew her temperament.

She wasn’t an unreasonable person. Whatever Pei Yan did to make her this furious, it certainly wasn’t a minor mistake.

Mei Wanying didn’t know how to explain it to her best friend, so she just said, "Seeing him reminds me of terrible things. It’s best for us to be apart."

Xue Xingyao hugged Mei Wanying’s arm. "As long as you’re happy, I’ll support you, whether you two stay apart or get back together."

’Happy?’

Mei Wanying’s expression was vacant. It seemed she couldn’t bring herself to be happy either.

When she left the Capital City, the stone weighing on her heart had finally been lifted, and she’d felt the lightness of a new beginning.

But now, her heart felt heavy, and she would find her mind wandering uncontrollably whenever she was alone.

Mei Wanying had to admit she wasn’t as decisive as she’d imagined.

Pei Yan had gotten to her again.

Just like she used to, Mei Wanying leaned on Xue Xingyao’s shoulder. "It’s good enough just having you all here."

She wasn’t alone.

Life would go on, even without Pei Yan.

Seeing that her spirits were low, Xue Xingyao quietly kept Mei Wanying company.

After a long while, she brought up another topic to distract Mei Wanying.

"My little brother is going to join the army."

Mei Wanying was surprised, her attention successfully diverted. "I thought he was going to go into business."

That incident back then had implicated the entire Xue family, and they were stripped of their qualifications to serve as officials.

If Little Brother Xue really joined the army, his status wouldn’t be that of a man from a respectable family. He was bound to suffer much more.

If he could perform meritorious deeds, he might be able to clear his criminal record and restore his family’s respectable status.

But achieving merit was never an easy task.

Mei Wanying was puzzled. "Why the sudden desire to join the army?"

At the mention of this, Xue Xingyao grew angry. "He’s simple-minded. He’s been led astray by Shen Mingji."

Mei Wanying recognized the name Shen Mingji. He was Shen Mingxiao’s younger brother. She and Ah Yao had run into him once when they were out.

"How did he get involved with your little brother?"

Xue Xingyao sighed. "My brother was out running an errand when some spoiled brats picked a fight with him, and Shen Mingji helped him."

"He saw how skilled Shen Mingji was—he took down a whole group by himself—and it got him thinking."

"I don’t know what Shen Mingji is scheming, but he started coming over to our house whenever he was free and egging my brother on to join the army."

"He told him that if they teamed up, they could annihilate the enemy, leaving no one behind. Then, once they’d earned their merits, he would return to the Shen family to fight for his inheritance, and my brother would lead our family to greater heights."

"It’s a good thing my mother has two sons. If he dared to egg on the second one, she would’ve thrashed him and thrown him out!"

Mrs. Xue had three children, but after coming to Jiangnan, everyone tacitly excluded Xue Yunshu from the count, making Xue Xingyao the eldest sister.

Mei Wanying asked, "Did Mrs. Xue agree?"

"Mhm."

Xue Xingyao’s voice was tinged with melancholy. "Going into business sounds easy, but it’s actually very difficult. My brother would rather go to the army to temper himself."

In business, you have to be able to bow and scrape, say all the right things, and it’s common to have people make things difficult for you.

For the legitimate son of a Duke Mansion, raised in the lap of luxury, to be asked to cast aside his pride and go into business—he found it hard to accept.

Even though they had fallen on hard times, he couldn’t let go of his pride and dignity.

Mrs. Xue understood her son’s thoughts and feelings. After thinking it over for a night, she agreed to his request.

Xue Xingyao said, "Everyone has their own path to walk. I’m a coward who’s afraid of death and just wants a peaceful life; I can’t ask my brother to be the same."

She didn’t dare to hope that her brother would win great merit and restore their family’s honor.

As long as he could just stay alive, it would be a blessing from the heavens.

Xue Xingyao let out a breath and feigned a bratty tone. "If anything happens to my brother, you can bet I’m going to find Shen Mingji and settle the score!"